Babes, Bombs, and Blockbusters Movie News Report 10.06.09
Posted by Mike Gorman on 10.06.2009
October is here and it is time to think about those creatures that go bump in the night! This week Mike Gorman shares the ten films that give him the chills along with movie news about new Thor and Predators casting, the long awaited Arrested Development film, the release date of the next Friday the 13th, and more.
Welcome to this week's edition of Babes, Bombs, and Blockbusters where we bring you the latest word on news in the film and sometimes TV industries that is making Tuesday headlines. This week we're chock full of Hollywood news including a pictorial from an actress making the rounds in B Horror movies. As the month of Halloween is upon us this seemed like the perfect time to revisit those films that bring true chills in our Top Ten List.
Natassia Malthe is a classically dance trained actress and model who has popped up in several sci-fi and horror films over the past years. If you enjoy catching a weekend movie on SyFy you may remember her as Typhoid Mary in Elektra, Sonja in Skinwalkers or Rayne in Bloodrayne II: Deliverance. Her movies may not be the most memorable but she is definitely worth a glance or two.
Check out today's news bombs!
"Shield" actor may face the Predators
Walter Goggins of FX's "The Sheild" tv show may be the next name announced in the cast of 20th Century Fox's Predators. Comingsoon.com reports that have heard Goggins is up for an unspecified role in Robert Rodriguez's franchise reboot. With Danny Trejo stating his involvement last week and now Goggins, it would seem that they are building a strong cast for this film. Rumors are that the script is pretty good too so could this end up a winner?
It looks like there will be a Skaarsgard in Thor after all…
But it is not Alexander. Instead it seems that his father, Stellan, will be joining the cast of Kenneth Branagh's epic. Alexander, of HBO's "True Blood," was rumored to be up for the titular hero's role but was beaten out by Australian actor Chris Hemsworth. Stellan joins a cast which includes Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Jaimie Alexander, Colm Feore and Samuel L. Jackson. Skaarsgard was great in Pirates of the Carribean and Mamma Mia!. He will make a great addition to this cast. I wonder who he will be portraying. Odin, Thor's father, perhaps?
Jason's back on August 13, 2010.
Warner Bros. and Platinum Dunes announced this week that the hockey mask clad slasher will return to the big screen for the second installment in the franchise's recent reimagining. It is interesting to point out that this will be the chronological 13th film in this series. If only it were set in the old continuity so that they could bring back those who have survived his rampages for a rematch a la the current "Jason vs. Freddy vs. Ash" comic mini-series. I would enjoy to see Kristin from "New Blood" get another chance at taking him down.
Ready for the Call of Duty?
IGN reports that Activision Publishing has recently filed for a trademark involving their "Call of Duty" games that would cover "pre-recorded movies featuring comedy, drama, action, adventure, music, theatrical performances and/or animation." This would seem to imply that there is some form of big screen adaptation in talk of development. This is one of the most profitable game series at the moment so making a film seems to be a no brainer. Historically video games are hit or miss with audiences but COD seems to possess a detailed enough storyline to actually carry a worthwhile production.
Arrested Development fans take note
According to the Hollywood Reporter, "Arrested Development" creator Mitchell Hurwitz and co-executive producer James Vallely are now at work on the screenplay for the canceled TV series' big screen debut. Hurwitz had previously stated that he would not consider working on the film until the entire cast was on board and apparently that has happened. The next challenge for this production however would seem to be working out the schedules of its well known ensemble. I love this show but I am honestly not convinced that it will work as a theatrical production. Its best moments are in its subtle humor that may be lost in the translation.
It was an interesting weekend at the box office with upsets galore. Having seen most of the films in this week's top ten, here is my ‘buster or Busted rundown.
Love Happens: Leave it to Jennifer Aniston to bring down such a great actor as Aaron Eckhart. Busted!
The Informant: Quirky and comical, this one has legs and that's no lie. 'buster!
Fame: Say it with me now: "Really? Really?" Who demanded this techo remix? Busted!
Capitalism: A Love Story: Michael Moore's enormous heart is in the right place but this one lacks the spirit of his earlier efforts.Busted!
Whip It: Why no love for Drew Barrymore's directorial debut? Off the beaten path and worth the trip. 'buster!
Surrogates: I love Bruce Willis, but not when he is fighting robotic replacements for real people. Great concept with poor execution. Busted!
The Invention of Lying: Ricky Gervais scores after falling short in his last film. But am I telling the truth?'buster!
Toy Story re-release: They were fun the first time around and even better with the 3D rendering. Check it out before it is gone, you even get an intermission.'buster!
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: I will go out on a limb and say that this is the best film in this bunch. Not just for kids at all. 'buster!
Zombieland: More a buddy flick than a zombie movie, this one has something for everyone. And Woody Harrelson is definitely back in a big way! 'buster!
It seems rare to find anyone lately who is still truly terrified by horror films. Desensitization caused by the way casual violence is broadcast during the evening news has jaded the viewing public. As October, the true season for horror films, has arrived I found myself talking with my 15 year old nephew about what movies scare him. He could not think of one. He said that he and his friends like watching the current batch of scary movies for the gore and jokes but not for the frights. As someone who has been truly scared out of his pants on more than one occasion this made me sad.
To have it explained to me however, all I needed to do was look at many of the horror films coming out lately. They are retellings of classics made more modern, aka more gory but not more story, or derivations of original concepts. It has been a long time since I saw a new horror film and immediately wanted to tell other people about it because I wanted them to be as scared as I was.
With this in mind I have decided to take a look at ten movies that always send shivers down my spine and have often made me wake up in the middle of the night fearful to go back to sleep.
10. Stephen King's It
I went into watching this expecting it to be like most TV adaptations of horror material, ie. watered down and "family friendly." I could not have been more wrong. This mini-series stayed as close to the source material as it could and because of it we will never look at clowns the same way again. Sure the final battle is a bit lame but it is the individual moments throughout the first three quarters of "It" that had me frightened. Each character is confronted by the demonical "Pennywise" as they gather together and by the time he's telling them how "We all float down here!" the hairs on the back of my neck were at attention!
9. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
The second act of George Romero's original zombie trilogy was the most frightening to me because it took one of my greatest childhood fantasies, having control of the mall, and turned it on its head. The mall was not really a sanctuary but more like a death trap as the relentless, slow moving hordes press forward. The horror of Romero's zombies is that they are like a force of nature. They can be slowed down and thrown off course but in the end they will be the victors.
8. 28 Days Later
Not really a zombie movie but sometimes classified as such none the less, "28 Weeks Later" proposes that a "rage virus" has taken hold of London. The infected look and act like zombies but they are quicker. It was not this that caused my fear level to rise though it was all of the wide shots of deserted London. The stark, bleak empty streets relayed a sense of hopelessness and resignation. The first time I watched the film I was terrified for Cillian Murphy's character as he wandered the streets alone. The frights around every corner came fast and furious. Juxtapose that with the stillness and you can see why I am still a bit creeped out!
7. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
By no means do I move fast. Some might describe my movement as tortoise slow. So is it any surprise that the running zombies of this remake scare the bejeezus out of me? There is no time to think when you are in their path; just react. From the opening vignette where the neighbor child goes wild and turns our heroine's husband into one of the running dead, it was clear this was not a movie about slow, lumbering monsters. The scene that scared me the most actually came during the credits as our band of survivors drift to the nearest island. As a viewer I knew this was not a good idea and the horde of zombies that came running out of the woods confirmed it.
6. A Nightmare on Elm Street
The original dream master, Freddy Krueger's first film was truly frightening. It was only later on in parts 3 and up that he became a wise cracking comedian and less of a terror. In the first movie he exploited the safety of your dreams! In most horror movies you can get away from the monster by hiding and closing your eyes, not so with Krueger. It's when your eyes close that he comes! The initial scenes that take place during Nancy's daydreams are among the most memorable, including the floating body bag. The film's ending even gets you as the dreams and reality intersect. Did Nancy survive or was it just another dream? It would be two more films before we knew the answer to that question and I for one was on the edge of my seat waiting.
5. The Fog (1980)
Pirates who travel in fog seeking vengeance do not necessarily sound that scary but when they are in the hands of John Carpenter the results are amazing. This little known flick focused on a small New England town that finds itself the target of the fog. Utilizing such an innocuous natural occurrence as your main antagonist was an interesting concept that definitely scared me silly as a kid. How can you escape fog? It goes where it wants to and is not really hindered by an obstacle as it can flow around any structure and penetrate any cracks. The penultimate scene where Adrienne Barbeau climbs to the roof of the lighthouse to escape the fog was terrifying. There was nowhere for her to go and she was surrounded. As soon as the hooked hand reaches up over the side for her my eyes were sealed shut!
4. Blair Witch Project
Many people will probably disagree with me but when I first saw this film in the theaters on opening night with a crowd of people, it was damn scary. Jumping at the same frights and screaming at the same flashes in front of the cameras was a great bonding experience for the audience and allowed me to be not as scared as I might have been alone. Sadly though I feel like this was a perfect example of time and place coming together to make movie magic, as repeated viewings at home do not provide the same scares. So I recommend it to you if you have not seen it, just be sure to watch with some friends in the complete dark to get the full effect!
3. Halloween (1978)
The original "Halloween" is a horror masterpiece. The slow, deliberate movement of Michael Myers about the film had me screaming for the characters he was approaching to run, but they did not listen. This film let us in on what the monster was doing but hid that from the characters he stalked. I think this concept raised the levels of the scares as we could see what might be coming and could do nothing about it. Never mind Jamie Lee Curtis as the perfect Scream Queen portraying terror and strength at the same time. And let me say it here and now that this version is 100 times more frightening than Rob Zombie's remakes which are more like love letter to Michael Myers than scary horror film.
2. When a Stranger Calls (1979)
Again, forget the remake and go right to the original. In my opinion the first 15-20min of this film are the scariest I have ever seen. The calls were inside the house in this classic long before Kevin Williamson took a tongue in cheek approach to the concept in "Scream." Your mind descends into madness along with the tormented babysitter and it threatens to break when the door opens and the killers feet appear on the stairs. Trust me, watch this film and you will never feel the same when you hear the phrase, "Have you checked the children?"
1. Jaws
"Jaws" is by no means a traditional horror film but it has caused more fear in my life than any other film and I know I am not alone. This near perfect film terrified me when I was six years old and scarred me for life when it comes to swimming in deep water. Now I say deep water because not only did it turn me off getting into the ocean but I also avoid deep lakes and as a child deep pools. My neighbors had a twelve foot deep pool and a tree that cast a shadow into it. I was convinced for several years that a shark hid in that dark abyss. I will say that I have no one to blame but myself because my parents had told my sister and I we could not watch "Jaws" on television but we defied them and snuck an old black and white TV under my bed and watched it anyways. The music alone is enough to give me the chills now and remind me to tell you sometime what happened the first time I saw a shark myself in real life! It was not a pretty picture.
For me this list is populated with frights that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. You may have seen one or more of these films yourself and said, "Eh, that's not that scary!" That is fine. I do however encourage you to find some fright films of your own so that you can know that awesome adrenaline rush that accompanies visceral fear. As for me, I am off to bed… with a light on of course.
Your Tuesday ‘Tube Bonus Clip
I know that this film is not out for a few months but I recently saw the 3D IMAX trailer in front of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and man did it look amazing. Be sure to check it out at your earliest convenience. For now, here's the old fashioned 2D trailer to hold you over!
Keep everyone quiet during the trailer please Natassia!
Until next week watch out for the bombs, catch a good blockbuster and check out a sweet babe or two. Oh, and for goodness sake, bookmark http://www.411mania.com. Are you using Twitter? You can follow me and 411mania's zones on these pages:
(All information and gossip gathered from Fark.com, Aintitcoolnews.com, Hollywoodreporter.com, Moviehole.net, Reuters.com, Variety.com, MTV.com, IMDB.com, IGN.com WENN news, and Darkhorizons.com)
