It was with a certain trepidation that I attended an advance screening of Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN in Hollywood last night (”advance” being a relative term - the film opened in the theatre at midnight). The charm of John Carpenter’s original 1978 film mostly eludes me, and there is little about Zombie’s career that would have led me to think he could do anything interesting with the subject. Still, hope springs eternal, so I went to check it out.

To pump up the already eager fans in the audience, Tyler Mane - the new Michael Myers - put in a pre-show appearance, autographing posters from the film. Then radio DJ Leon Quinones (who hosts something called “The Film Freak Show” on 97.1 FM) took the microphone and conducted a brief interview, during which we learned: Continue Reading »

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Garth Franklin at Dark Horizons gives the run-down on the work-print version of Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN, which somehow found its way onto the Internet. After noting that something similar happened to Eli Roth’s HOSTEL 2, Franklin writes:

This leak is more interesting in that it’s the film’s ‘work print,’ the version shown to test audiences back in June which was panned and lead to a rushed week of reshooting to change the ending and “beef up” the gore quotient (allegedly six more deaths were added in).

Not only does it imply somebody in the production process leaked it (rather than exhibitors or audience members with cameras), but also gives insight into the test screening process as to what about the film has been changed.

Right off the bat for example, the ’sample clip’ being offered with the torrent shows off a disgustingly brutal gang rape by guards on a female prisoner in front of Michael. It’s a scene that is non-existent in the final film in theatres, replaced by a thankfully tamer ‘escape scene’.

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“Each illustration is a little story. If you watch them, in a few minutes, they tell you a tale. In three hours of looking you could see eighteen or twenty stories acted out right on my body, you could hear voices and think thoughts. It’s all here, just waiting for you to look.” - from The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury

Zack Snyder, hot off the success of 300 and currently prepping a big-screen version of WATCHMEN, has signed on to produce and direct a remake of THE ILLUSTRATED MAN. Alex Tse, who scripted WATCHMEN for Snyder, will adapt the screenplay, based on Ray Bradbury’s celebrated collection of short stories. The previous film version was made in 1969, with Rod Steiger in the title role.

Like Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man is an attempt to present an anthology of short stories as if they were a novel; in this case, the linking device is the title character. An unnamed narrator, while on a walking tour of Wisconsin, encounters the Illustrated Man, who is covered with tattoos that seem to come to life at night, telling stories that predict the future. The book contains eighteen tales (not counting the linking segments); the 1969 film adapted only three of these, spending more time on the interaction between the narrator and the Illustrated Man. Although interesting, the film lacked the sort of visual poetry necessary to capture the feeling of Bradbury’s writing; hopefully, the new version will have the magic spark that the original missed.

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Interesting item from Reuters:

HANOI (Reuters Life!) - Vietnamese authorities have warned film makers against producing ghost and horror movies “with incomprehensible plots and extreme horror”, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

[…]  

A recommendation from the National Department of Cinematography suggested movie makers and importers reject “horror movies that instil fear and panic”. It said horror films with endings “celebrating the triumph of justice over evil” were acceptable.

[…]

“We warn against movies lacking art or humanism, with incomprehensible plots and extreme horror, and managing to convince viewers into believing in ghosts and other supernatural things,” Lai Van Sinh, author of the guidelines, was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

According to the article, “film makers and importers responded by saying that if ghost movies failed to cause fear, they could not be called horror movies.”

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Rob Zombie, whose HALLOWEEN remake opens this Friday, has signed a deal to write and direct two pictures for Dimension films.

“We are excited about his fresh take on ‘Halloween’ and are thrilled to be expanding our relationship with him on future projects,” Dimension topper Bob Weinstein said.

Dimension and distribution partner MGM are hoping that HALLOWEEN will do big business over the Labor Day, even though the weekend is not traditionally a strong one for movie-going.

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There may be a dearth of new sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films released on home video this week, but television productions - both new and old - have rushed in to fill the vacuum. You will also find lots of “classic” horror film titles repackaged onto DVD - you probably don’t need me to tell you that these discs contain many flicks that are “classic” only in the sense that they are old.

NBC/Universal offer up the first season of their hit sci-fi show HEROES in both DVD (pictured) and HD DVD formats. The seven-disc DVD set includes all 23 episodes, plus behind-the-scenes featurettes, short documentaries, deleted scenes, audio commentaries, and the original pilot (which was altered at studio insistence before it aired). All in all, you get 1,035 minutes of material - hopefully enough to satisfy even the most eager fan.

Going from heroes to horrors, we have Season One of Showtime’s MASTERS OF HORRORS in box set form. You can obtain Volume 1 and Volume 2 separately, or if you prefer the whole enchilada, there is the entire Season 1 box set(pictured).  The 14-disc set includes nearly 700 minutes of material. Besides the audio commentaries available on individual discs, the box set features a round-table discussion taped during the “Masters of Horror Director’s Dinner” at the Magic Castle; interviews conducted by series creator Mick Garris; and deleted scenes.

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Variety reports that DreamWorks and Paramount have re-thought their distribution strategy for SWEENEY TODD, the film version of the hit musical. The original plan was to roll the film out slowly starting with a platform release on December 21 in order to qualify for the Academy Awards, the widen the release on January 11. The new plan is simply to open the film wide on the the December date.

The reason given is that the studio execs were originally worried that the film’s storyline, which has Johnny Depp as a murderous barber who slices up his customers for meat to be backed in pies, would not instantly appeal to a wide audience, requiring the platform release as a way to build buzz.

Producer Richard Zanuck and director Tim Burton had been pressing for a wide release from the start, and the studio changed its mind when it saw some clips from the film. Still, the studio will likely limit the initial run of theatres to 1,500 for the film, which is expected to receive an R-rating.

The Variety article makes no mention of pressure to cut the film down to a more marketable PG-13 rating - a rumor that was the subject of this post from yesterday.

UPDATE: Anne Thompson confirms that “the issue of cutting back the violence is ‘wild rumors.’”

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Walt Disney Pictures is reviving its long-dormant WITCH MOUNTAIN franchise, which spawned two films back in the 1970s: ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN (1975) and RETURN FROM WITHC MOUNTAIN (1978). The new film will re-team Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and director andy Fickman, who recently collaborated on the family comedy THE GAME PLAN. The new script, by Matt Lopez, has the Rock as a cab driver who picks up a pair of kids with extraordinary powers. Andrew Gunn will produce the film, which is set to begin lensing in March.

The original films - which were actually about orphaned aliens who merely seemed like witches because of their telekinetic powers - were a sign of Disney’s growing pains at a time when the studio, mostly known for animated kiddie films, was trying to reach out to a wider audience, including teen-agers who enjoyed action-packed summer blockbusters like JAWS and STAR WARS. Both ESCAPE and RETURN were directed by John Hough, who had helmed such serious fare as THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE and DIRTY MARY, CRAZY LARRY. The first film included familiar faces and former stars like Ray Milland (FROGS, THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES) and Donald Pleasence (later star of the HALLOWEEN films) to lend a little adult credibility, and Bette Davis (WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE) and Christopher Lee (HORROR OF DRACULA) showed up in the sequel. Unfortunately, neither of the original films breaks free of the Disney formula, but the premise certainly has potential in this day and age, when Disney has shown itself a bit smarter about reaching a wider audience.

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In an article celebrating the 75th anniversary of Toho Studios - the company that gave us Godzilla - there is a brief reference to possibly reviving the radioactive reptile:

 Meanwhile, many foreign fans hope that Toho will revive its Godzilla franchise, which went on hiatus with “Godzilla: Final Wars,” the 2004 pic that supposedly killed off the most famous movie monster of all time.

“Parents want to show their children ‘Godzilla’ because they remember enjoying the films themselves as kids. Then their children grow up and repeat the cycle,” Takai explains. “We’d like to wait until today’s children are a bit older before we bring back the series.”

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Actor Keanu Reeves (whose sci-fi credits include BILL AND TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE and the MATRIX trilogy) has committed to star in a remake of the 1951 science-fiction classic THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Scott derrickson (THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE) will direct from a script by David Scarpa; Erwin Stoff will produce.

The original film, which was directed by Robert Wise, starred Michael Rennie as Klatuu, an alien who lands on Earth to warn mankind to abandon their war-like ways after developing the H-Bom. He is assisted by Gort, an indestructible robot capable of enforcing Klaatu’s edicts, if necessary.

Reeves would take over the Klatuu role in the new version. There was previously talk of a revival back in the late 1970s, with noted fantasy author Ray Bradbury contacted about developing a script that would have been closer to a sequel.

Although remaking a classic is always a risky thing, the time may be right for another DAY trip. The original film’s message has been interpreted in many ways, but essentially its appeal for nuclear restraint is a metaphor for setting aside selfish, nationalistic concerns in favor of cooperation with the United Nations. In light of the disastrous U.S. military endeavor in Iraq, which was undertaken without U.N. approval, the old message may ring even more true today than it did in 1951.

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Dennis Harvey has reviewed the new version of HALLOWEEN. Not surprisingly, he thinks it fails to live up to the original:

The best that can be said about Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” remake is that he makes it his own, though the considerable alterations only flatter John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher-pic template. In contrast to that spare, suggestive genre classic, this bloodier, higher-body-count version leaves nothing to the imagination: Michael Myers is always right there in plain sight, committing mayhem sans suspenseful buildup or mystique. Brand recognition should initially help combat a recent downturn in horror B.O., but pic might as well cash in its DVD chips by the time actual All Hallow’s Eve comes around.

Of course, Variety is not normally noted for the in-depth insight of its reviews, which tend to focus on a film’s perceived box office appeal.

I’ll probably go see the film anyway, just because any movie with Malcolm McDowell, Brad Dourif, and Udo Keir deserves a viewing. But I’m not expecting much beyond nostalgia value and schlock horror.

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The Huffington Post extracts this tidbit from an interview that former X-FILES star David Duchovny gave while promoting his current television series CALIFORNICATION:

David sat down with Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush, and he revealed that not only is there a script for the “X-Files” sequel - he’s actually read it!

“I have,” said David, when Billy asked if he’d read it. “But I’m sworn to secrecy legally, actually. If I were to tell you anything about it I would — I would be sued.”

Okay, so a script exists. But that begs the true question: does anybody still care? I mean, X-FILES was, like, so ’90s, you know? The show started off great, then wore out its welcome with the convoluted conspiracy plot, and the feature film version definitely suffered for the sins of its father. Is there any reason to think there’s enough life left in the franchise to justify a feature-length sequel?

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Where would we be without all the gore-hound websites shrieking louder than Marion Crane taking a shower at the Bates Motel every time they think a few less drops of precious blood may be shed in order to secure a PG-13 rating? Well, we would be without confused editorializing like this:

Apparently, Tim Burton went blood-simple on the set of SWEENEY TODD, because Warner Bros. is now telling him his gory musical is way too harsh - and must be cut down for a PG-13.

[…]

What did Warner Bros. expect they were getting into with this very un-PG-13 material with Tim Burton at the helm? HAIRSPRAY? When allowed to, Burton loves chopping people up. (see SLEEPY HOLLOW- which was rated R and seems like SWEENEY TODD’s closest relative.) They may be thinking that this film is a hard enough sell without an R rating to exascerbate things - but I have a feeling they’re going to have a hit on their hands here - so release the thing in all its gooey glory!

You gotta love anybody who stands up against censorship - well, actually, no you don’t, at least not when they don’t know what they’re talking about.

First thing’s first: SWEENEY TODD is a very old story that has been told many times - in books, on stage, and on the screen - without R-rated violence, so it’s not as if the integrity of the story would be breached by avoiding graphic bloodshed.

Second thing: This particularly version of SWEENEY TODD is based on a well-loved popular musical; the film version is clearly intended to appeal to a wide audience, not to gore hounds pissed off that their favorite torture porn movies aren’t making money anymore.

Third - and absolutely most important - what prompted the above-quoted tirade was this article in the Daily Mail - which is an English news publication, writing from an English perspective about what might - or might not - happen to the film when it is released in England. In other words, the thinly sourced, highly speculative article has nothing to say about whether the film will be trimmed to get a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Academy of America because the MPAA does not rate movies for British release.

Here is the relevant passage:

In its present form the film would merit an 18 rating, but Warner Brothers would prefer it to have a 15.

Now pay close attention: these are British classifications, and the Brits have radically different standards from ours regarding what is and is not objectionable on screen?

So to summarize:

• SWEENEY TODD has not been submitted to the MPAA
• SWEENEY TODD has not received an R-rating from the MPAA
• Ergo, SWEENEY TODD has not been cut in order to change the rating from R to PG-13.

Yes, the Brits may be quaking in their boots over how much blood can fly before a black comedy turns into a deep red massacre, but that’s no reason for us to get a case of the vapors on this side of the Atlantic. Before we launch an anti-editing protest, let’s at least wait until there’s something to protest.

UPDATE: One day later, Christopher Campbell recycles most of my points in this post at Cinematical.

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I keep forgetting that Takashi Miike can do other things besides shoving needles into a whore’s gums (those guys at Showtime are a buncha pussies). ZEBRAMAN is more in the HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS mode, but going even lighter on the black humor. There’s still a bit of splooshiness here and there, but if what you know of the director is AUDITION and IMPRINT, his expansiveness here will surprise you.

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With no new science-fiction, fantasy, or horror films opening, genre titles were entirely shut out of the win, place, and show positions for the second weekend in a row. The top three films remained the same: SUPERBAD, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, and RUSH HOUR 3, although the later two switched positions.

As for holdover genre titles, THE SIMPSONS MOVIE sank from #4 to #7, earning $4.4-million and raising its five-week total to 4173.44-million.

STARDUST faded from sixth to eighth place with earnings of $3.95-million. After three weekends in U.S. theatres, it has earned only $26.46-million

THE INVASION was beaten back from #5 to #10 during its sophomore session. With $3.14-million in tickets sales over the weekend, the two-week total stands ata  mere $11.51-million (so much for Joel Silver’s repeated assertion that he only makes mainstream hits).

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX disappeared from the Top Ten, sinking from #9 to #11 with a $2.48-million weekend. After seven weeks of release, the film has earned $283.31-million.

Finally, UNDERDOG dug its way down from #8 to #12, buring $2.43-million worth of bones. The four-week U.S. total stands at $36.64-million

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