Frickin' Eh Movie News 3.30.08: Deluxe Edition

Posted by Matthew Motiuk on 03.30.2008

Saw V's lead, trouble for Superman, Ice Cube's new film, The Lone Ranger, and more!



Watched Sweeney Todd the other day - I decided to expand my horizons and actually watch a musical, and what better way to do it than with Johnny Depp and the twisted mind of Tim Burton? In the end, I wasn't all that impressed. The blood/cringe threshold was a little high, even if it was quite obviously fake. I didn't mind the singing, though, and the story was decent enough. But they went a little too far at some points, I think. But that's just me. Let's get on with the show!


Lohan Becomes a Manson Girl

Entertainment Tonight reports that Lindsay Lohan has signed on to play one of Charles Manson's devoted followers in Manson Girls.

Lindsay will play Nancy Pitman, a young girl from a wealthy Malibu family who fell under Manson's spell. She was not one the "Family" members involved in the clan's infamous murder spree, but Pitman was later imprisoned after she became involved with the Aryan Brotherhood and was convicted of being an accessory (after the fact) to murder.

In Chapter 27, opening today, Lohan plays a character opposite another notorious historical figure, John Lennon assassin Mark David Chapman.

This actually makes a lot of sense. I could see Lohan going after Charles Manson if she'd been alive at the time. Finally, a role Lindsay Lohan fits. Congratulations! As for the movie itself, it should be . . . well, let's face it, it's probably going to be disturbing as hell, although if it focuses only on the women, it will be less disturbing. But it should be interesting nonetheless.


Saw V Gets a Star

Julie Benz (Showtime's "Dexter," upcoming Punisher: War Zone) will topline Saw V, the latest installment in the Lionsgate/Twisted Pictures franchise, reports Variety.

The fifth film is directed by David Hackl, who served as the production designer on the second, third and fourth installments, and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan.

Production began March 17. The producers are Mark Burg and Oren Koules; executive producers are Peter Block, Jason Constantine, Daniel Heffner, Stacey Testro, Leigh Whannell and James Wan.

Saw V opens in theaters on October 24.

Are we still getting excited for Saw movies? I don't watch them – I have no desire to watch people gnaw their own limbs off – but I have friends who said the fourth one was horrendously bad. I assume acting talent is negligible in a movie like this, so whether Benz is any good or not is really irrelevant at this point. Will they turn things around and reinvigorate the genre? I'm betting heavily against. There are only a finite amount of ways you can force people to kill themselves before it gets repetitive.


Montecito Goes for the Underage One

Montecito Pictures has bought the romantic comedy spec Underage by the writing team of Scott Neustadter and Mike Weber (Pink Panther Deux).

The story is centered on a man in his mid- to late 20s who goes home with a young woman he's met in a bar. Later, he discovers she's only 17 -- a fact that allows her to blackmail him into being her boyfriend for the next six months.

Montecito and DreamWorks co-financed Disturbia and they are in post-production on Hotel for Dogs and horror-thriller The Uninvited, formerly known as "A Tale of Two Sisters."

Bravo for picking the crap of the crop on this one, Montecito Pictures. But what do you expect from the guys who wrote Pink Panther Deux? Anything better would be out of character. Will not be watching this one, and I'm hoping you won't, either. Next!


Ice Cube is a Janky Promoter – What Does That Mean?!?

Dimension Films has acquired Janky Promoters, the first script that Ice Cube has written since the final installment of his "Friday" series. Cube will star in the film and produce with Cube Vision partner Matt Alvarez.

Janky Promoters sets Cube and another actor as music promoters who get the chance to book a top-tier hip-hop artist into a midsized California venue. The pair are ill equipped for such a task and everything goes wrong.

A director is expected to be named soon, with casting to begin immediately for a shoot that will start in early summer.

"This feels a lot like 'Uptown Saturday Night' to me, a caper film where you have these music promoters who are slightly shady but are good enough guys that you root for them," Harvey Weinstein said. "This is going to be R-rated, and it appeals right to the core of Cube's audience."

I don't think Ice Cube is all that talented, and I somehow doubt his talent is going to improve when he goes from acting to writing. Granted, he isn't the worst actor out there, because there are some really bad people passing themselves off as actors these days, but I wouldn't be expecting this one to be any better than mediocre, stupid fare. At least Weinstein thinks ‘Cube' has an audience to milk. It's apparently a rowdy audience, too.


Dougherty Calls All Robots

Michael Dougherty has teamed with Walt Disney Pictures and Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers on Calling All Robots, an animated sci-fi adventure the screenwriter plans to direct using the same type of performance capture technology recently deployed to produce Beowulf.

The Hollywood Reporter says Dougherty will write the project with Breehn Burns and Simeon Wilkins, who will serve as artists and visual designers on the project. The trio conceived the idea together.

Details of the project are being kept under wraps, but it uses performance capture to "tell a story that's a throwback to old Godzilla movies," Dougherty said. "I grew up watching Godzilla movies. This film is very much rooted in those movies."

ImageMovers' Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey will produce.

The producers are readying A Christmas Carol, their follow up to Beowulf and The Polar Express, which will use the performance capture process and Disney will distribute on November 6, 2009.

Dougherty's credits include the upcoming Trick 'r Treat and he's penned X2: X-Men United and Superman Returns.

Not sure what to think of Dougherty's skills. Superman Returns was horrendously mediocre, bordering on quite bad, but I really enjoyed X2, so it's really a coin toss here, I think. And if you really want to keep a project under wraps, I don't think you should go out and say it'll be a throwback to Godzilla, because it's pretty obvious what the movie's going to be about now. Beowulf impressed me visually, but that was it's only draw. I'm not willing to write off the technology yet, though. So bring on the robots!


Lionsgate Solves The Last Equation

Lionsgate has stepped up to make screen scribe Stuart Gibbs' debut novel, "The Last Equation," reports Variety.

An action-thriller, the contemporary story pivots on government agents, a criminal and a math whiz on a quest to find a buried Albert Einstein formula that could harness energy with deadly consequences.

Production will be overseen for Lionsgate by vice president Jim Miller.

Hmm . . . this is a tough one. It sounds to me like a math version of The Da Vinci Code (the comparison isn't perfect, but I don't' have anything better). This could be a decent enough movie handled correctly, or it could be a pretty bad train wreck. What does a criminal have to do with anything, anyway? Why would you even throw that in the description? Ah, whatever. I'm going to hold out for more details on this one before I draw judgment.


The Lone Ranger Returns, With Elliott and Rossio's Help

Writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, best known for their work on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, are in final negotiations to write a live-action big-screen adaptation of The Lone Ranger for Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

The Hollywood Reporter says the project will be made by Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films in association with Entertainment Rights.

"Ranger," owned by Classic Media, began life as a 1930s radio show. Its popularity led to movie serials, TV shows, comic strips and comic books, toys, novels and more.

The hero's origin story begins with a group of Texas Rangers chasing down a gang of outlaws led by Butch Cavendish. The gang ambushes the Rangers, seemingly killing them all. One survivor is found, however, by an American Indian named Tonto, who nurses him back to health. The Ranger, donning a mask and riding a white stallion named Silver, teams up with Tonto to bring the unscrupulous gang and others of that ilk to justice.

Ooh, another one I'm sitting on the fence for. There's no doubt Elliott and Rossio are the right people to write something like this, but I'm just not sure if it's the right thing to do, even with the best people in charge. Do we need an origin story for the Lone Ranger? Doubtful. Origin stories always seem to be the last-ditch effort to milk something that's already died. But you never know, this one could buck the trend. Disney's involvement is another questionable component. But I think we're going to need to give this one a bit more time, to see what happens from here.


Superman Rights Return to Siegel's Family

The New York Times reports that Wednesday's ruling, explained below, might affect the Superman Returns sequel and Justice League movie:

A federal judge here on Wednesday ruled that the heirs of Jerome Siegel — who 70 years ago sold the rights to the action hero he created with Joseph Shuster to Detective Comics for $130 — were entitled to claim a share of the United States copyright to the character. The ruling left intact Time Warner's international rights to the character, which it has long owned through its DC Comics unit.

And it reserved for trial questions over how much the company may owe the Siegel heirs for use of the character since 1999, when their ownership is deemed to have been restored. Also to be resolved is whether the heirs are entitled to payments directly from Time Warner's film unit, Warner Brothers, which took in $200 million at the domestic box office with "Superman Returns" in 2006, or only from the DC unit's Superman profits.

Still, the ruling threatened to complicate Warner's plans to make more films featuring Superman, including another sequel and a planned movie based on the DC Comics' "Justice League of America," in which he joins Batman, Wonder Woman and other superheroes to battle evildoers.

Oh, we can only pray that this will stop the Superman Returns sequel. The world would be a better place. Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen. I somehow don't expect this to make all that much difference in anything. Yes, it might cost a bit for Warner and DC Comics, but there's plenty to go around, especially from a Superman movie done right. Cross your fingers for whatever you're hoping for.


Deluxe Theatres on the Way

The Hollywoood Reporter says a new deluxe cinema will open this year in suburban Chicago, one of 50 U.S. multiplexes set for construction during the next five years through a new $200 million joint venture headed by Australian entertainment conglomerate Village Roadshow.

The planned theaters will boast boosted amenities, including plush reserved seating, special parking privileges and upscale food and beverage offerings with seat-side waiter service.

Some or all of those offerings are available at existing deluxe cinemas in select U.S. markets that charge $20 or less for movie tickets. But Gold Class auditoriums will feature a 40-seat-maximum patron capacity and an even higher-end atmosphere, at the estimated price of $35 per ticket.

Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas also plans to open a site in Redmond, Wash., by year's end, with about 20 additional sites planned for rollout by 2010.

Companies partnering with Village Roadshow in the joint venture include Act III Entertainment, a company co-owned by Norman Lear and Hal Gaba; Michael Lambert's Lambert Entertainment; and the Retirement Systems of Alabama, a pension investment fund.

Yes, because people want to spend more for a movie ticket. I cringe at paying the fare to see a movie at the crappy Galaxy theatre attached to the mall (although I did find somewhere that gives a deal for students recently), so I can't even begin to imagine paying $35 to go see a movie, just for a bit of plush and snacks being delivered to me. Then again, some people have money to blow. If the suckers bite for this one, somebody will be making a nice profit.


Rapid-Fire: The Chronicles of Riddick (2004, starring Vin Diesel, Colm Feore, Thandie Newton)

This movie always surprises me as a surprisingly good (although logically quite silly, in places) action movie. This week, I present:

While the story may not be gold, it is pretty good. I've never seen Pitch Black, but Riddick isn't a hard character to understand. The back story between him and Jack is simple enough to understand, too. The Necromongers are fully fleshed out, their religion built up in a very interesting fashion (I especially like the ‘one pain removes another pain' doctrine).

Let's face it, it's Vin Diesel. The acting doesn't have to be good. And sure enough, it isn't, really. Vin Diesel never comes off as capable of a deep role. Judi Dench is an interesting addition to the cast. Feore and Karl Urban both handle the bad guys well enough, and Alexa Davalos as Jack/Kyra is really quite good.

The action is good, with some nice fights. The Lord Marshal gets a little silly near the end, I must say. The special effects are top notch, from the planets' surfaces to the subtle propulsion systems of the Necro ships. There is, of course, one thing I must point out, my one favourite logical flaw of the entire movie. When escaping from Crematoria, a planet which is 700 degrees on one side and -200 on the other. So what's the solution? Let's run between the night and day!. That particular plan amuses me to no end, while of course being thoroughly impossible.

Despite that one logical slip (and is it a doozy), the rest of the movie is actually quite good. Sci-fi and action fans alike should enjoy this one.


Closing Time . . .

I've got an essay due for Philosophy Monday - I've chosen to write on what I view as the ultimate reality. It's a bit of a weird topic, but it's better than the others, I think, so what the hell. It's a very odd class - very abstract, and completely impractical in the real world, but still interesting. Anyway, new television shows have been on for a couple weeks here, so watch How I Met Your Mother Monday while we wait for the return of Scrubs and 30 Rock!


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