Cinefantastique Online

You are browsing the archives of 2010 February.

NYMag.com reports that actress Angelina Jolie has passed on appearing in  WANTED 2, a proposed sequel to the 2008 action hit, for Universal Pictures. Apparently, she preferred another project that Universal had developed for her, but the studio put it into turaround - and she decided to follow it to Warner Brothers, when that studio eagerly [...]

Business Week offers a profile of Tim Burton regarding his new film ALICE IN WONDERLAND, for Disney. The article specifically notes the irony of the director’s return to the Mouse House, with which he has had a decidedly on again and off again relationship:
“Alice in Wonderland” marks Burton’s latest reunion with Walt Disney Studios, where [...]

Movieweb recycles some details from the Hollywood Reporter, regarding the as-yet untitled second sequel to PITCH BLACK, in which actor Vin Diesel will return as Riddick. The character, a wanted criminal whose survival skills proved more than a match for a mess of carniverous critters in his debut film, was recycled in CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK, [...]

Dougherty’s smartly crafted filmic paen to All Hollow’s Eve traditions (while adding a knowing nudge here and there at the holiday’s entrenched commercialism and adult-party posteuring) is one inspired little “boo!” of autumn night angst.

The 1973 film is a near-perfect showcase for Romero’s strengths and weaknesses as a filmmaker.
For more than four decades, George A Romero has been one of the unassailable giants of the modern horror film, particularly the independent variety. In 1968, his NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD quite literally changed the game; besides kicking open the [...]

[ March 5, 2010 to March 7, 2010. ] Directed by Tim Burton, the new live-action version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND is less remake than sequel, offering up a 19-year-old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) on the verge of marriage, who remembers her previous journey to Wonderland only as a recurring nightmare that has haunted her since childhood. The supporting cast includes Johnny Depp as the [...]

Some hot horror, fantasy, and science fiction titles are laserblasting your way on home video this week. Maybe they’re not great, but there should be more than enough for the hardcore hounds to find something to sink their teeth into. For fans of writer-director George A. Romero (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD), the big news [...]

In the second installment of Cinefantastique’s new weekly podcast, Dan Persons, Steve Biodrowski, and Lawrence French look at Martin Scorsese’s new horror-thriller, SHUTTER ISLAND, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, and Max Von Sydow. Also: a look at the SHUTTER ISLAND videogame, and other news and reviews.
Find other podcasts here: http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/category/podcast.
The feed podcasts is here: [...]

At Deadline Hollywood, Nikki Finke and Mike Fleming report that Christopher Nolan will mentor a new Superman movie to the screen, as well as direct a third BATMAN film. Nolan’s involvement with SUPERMAN will be less hands-on, probably as exec producer. The new film will not be a direct follow-up to SUPERMAN RETURNS; instead, it [...]

Covering the Wes Craven tribute by the American CInematheque at the Aero theatre in Santa Monica, California on Saturday and Sunday, February 20 and 21, Susan King in the LA TIMES blog reports that, having wrapped up MY SOUL TO TAKE (about a serial killer who returns to his home town to kill seven children [...]

British actor Lionell Jeffries has died at age of 83. A busy character actor, Jeffries appeared in a wide variety of films, including several horror, fantasy, and science fiction efforts: CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, THE QUATERMAS EXPERIMENT, and FIRST MEN IN THE MOON. A wonderful comic actor, he brought humor and liveliness to the live-action [...]

[ April 30, 2010; ] Warner Brothers releases this new horror film, the latest remake produced by Michael Bay (who has given us updated versions of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and THE HITCHER, among others). Jackie Earle Haley (WATCHMEN) toplines as Freddy Krueger, bastard son of a thousand maniacs. Rooney Mara, Kyle Gallner, and Katie Cassidey are among the potential victims, [...]

If you are visually oriented and not inclined toward listening to an audio-only podcast, here is a video version of the debut episode of the Cinefantastique Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction Podcast. This is roughly a nine-and-a-half minute excerpt from the first half of the podcast, illustrated with a slideshow of stills from the week’s [...]