Frickin' Eh Movie News 4.13.08: Temporal Edition
Posted by Matthew Motiuk on 04.13.2008
Battle in Seattle trailer, clarification over Barbarella, Austin Powers, another crappy Disney movie, and more!
My first year at university is almost at an end, with only five exams remaining (spread over two weeks). It's kind of scary, how fast time goes. A year ago, I was living on the farm, just back from Costa Rica (oh, I miss Costa Rica . . . ), preparing for grad and just starting to think about university . . . it's a little odd to think about it now. But here I am, I made it, and the only thing I have left to worry about is passing exams and getting a job for the summer. Alright, now that we're back in the moment, let's dive right in!
Screen Gems Likes Gluck
Variety reports that two weeks into the shoot of the Will Gluck-directed comedy Fired Up, Screen Gems has given the helmer a three-picture deal.
Company has sweetened Gluck's deal on Fired Up, his feature directing debut, and has also set him to direct two more laffers.
Gluck will direct an untitled comedy in development at Screen Gems about a group of men whose plans for their Hamptons rental are upended when a woman rents one of the rooms.
Gluck also will direct Virginity Rocks, a co-production with Maxim magazine that's being written by Melissa Carter. The film is about a gorgeous transfer student who clings to virginity and gets all the school's promiscuous girls to abstain as well.
Fired Up chronicles the adventures of two horny high schoolers who enroll in a two-week cheerleader camp in order to score with pompom-waving beauties.
Maybe they think this guy is absolutely brilliant and want to sign him up before anyone else tries to grab him away, but I think this is just silly. The only thing we have about his first movie is a cast and a description. Granted, the description sounds like the kind of movie that people fall for over and over and over again, and I think it's pretty hard to screw one of them up – you get hot girls and a couple decent sex jokes, you're done – but still. I have my reservations over this . . .
Smash!
New Regency has bought Aaron Philson Brown's action spec Smash for Barry Josephson (Enchanted) to produce.
Variety says the story centers on a rebellious teen who moves to a suburban Midwest town where the popular crowd lures him into their world of souped-up cars and demolition derbies.
Josephson is producing They Came From Upstairs for 20th Century Fox and Regency as well as an adaptation of the "Sisters Grimm" series of books at Regency.
Anything with demo derbies is good by me. Okay, that's not actually true. There are probably a lot of ways you could make a really, really bad movie about demo derbies, and this is probably going to be one of them. The thing that doesn't make sense is the souped-up cars. Tuners and demo derbies do not go together. You put a tuner in a demo derby and you die. I know, I've built a car for one before (didn't drive it, unfortunately). And finally, the mention of Sisters Grimm - presumably with some loose connection to The Brothers Grimm sends shivers down my spine. The horror!
Want to Get Divorced by 30? Universal Does
Universal Pictures has acquired the recent L.A. Weekly cover story "How to Get Divorced by 30" and will use the article by Sascha Rothchild as the basis for a romantic comedy, reports Variety.
Marc Platt will produce the picture with Dana Fox, writer of Fox's upcoming Ashton Kutcher-Cameron Diaz starrer What Happens in Vegas.
The author, using the disintegration of her first marriage along with those of five other friends, posits it's best to begin with a "starter marriage" before finding your ultimate mate. She lays out 15 steps to guide readers to ending the first marriage.
The Universal comedy will focus on a heroine who road-tests the "starter marriage" premise and then finds her perceptions redrawn by reality and relationships.
Well, this sounds like the cream of the crap once again. We're picking out movie plots from newspaper articles now? You know those people who say the moral fabric of our society is starting to degrade and stuff like that? I'm starting to think it might be true . . .
Disney Likes Family Dude
Disney has preemptively acquired Family Dude, a comedy pitch that will be written by Steven Gary Banks and Claudia Graziosi, says Variety. Walt Becker will produce through his Walt Becker Productions.
Family Dude follows an uptight, successful finance executive who convinces his neighbor -- a single mother of three kids -- to join him on a dude ranch in Montana and pretend they are his family so he can close a big business deal.
The writers are best known for the Ice Cube starrer Are We There Yet?
Shall I point out the number of ways in which this sounds like junk? Ah, let's see. The writers wrote Are We There Yet?, the plot sounds corny and ridiculous, and do you think it's a coincidence the title very closely resembles a popular television show? I think not. I can't say I'm that surprised, though. It is Disney, after all.
Colin Farrell in Triage
Colin Farrell will star in Triage, the next film by Bosnian director Danis Tanovic, reports Variety.
Paz Vega and Christopher Lee also star in the dark tale of a photojournalist who returns home following a dangerous assignment without his colleague and best friend.
The film will shoot on location in Ireland and at the Ciudad de la Luz studios in Alicante in Spain from April to June.
This could be pretty good. It'll probably be depressing as hell, but that doesn't mean it'll be bad. Plus, Christopher Lee's in it. His acting skills will definitely add to this. I also like Colin Farrell, so this should be a good one all around. Keep your eyes on this one.
Battle in Seattle Trailer
The new trailer for writer/director Stuart Townsend's Battle in Seattle, which will kick-off the Seattle International Film Festival, is now online. The action-drama stars Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta, Martin Henderson, Michelle Rodriguez, Andre Benjamin, Connie Nielsen, and Channing Tatum.
Based on one of the most incendiary political uprisings in a generation, the film takes an in-depth look at the five days that rocked the world in 1999 as tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in protest of the World Trade Organization. What began as a peaceful protest intended to stop the WTO talks quickly escalated into a full-scale riot and eventual State of Emergency that squared off peaceful and unarmed protestors against the Seattle Police Department and the National Guard.
I'm going to be honest, I had no idea this ever happened, but it sure looks like the movie will capture the tensions of a deadly riot. The trailer is pointing to a strong film. However, I will most likely not be watching it, because I can't stand watching protestors for a minute on the news, let alone for the length of a full movie. Then again, stranger things have happened.
Battle in Los Angeles, Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures has preemptively picked up Battle: Los Angeles, a sci-fi script from screenwriter Chris Bertolini, for Neal Moritz to produce via his Original Films, says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story follows one Marine platoon's encounter in the battle against an alien invasion on the streets of Los Angeles.
"I love the idea, and I love the script. I like it all," Moritz said. "We are going to be in production within six months. What's attractive to me is that it's a huge event movie that can be done at a modest scale."
Bertolini wrote The General's Daughter.
Could be interesting. Alien invasions done right are always good. Yes, War of the Worlds (the new one) was a disaster, but maybe it's time to redeem the general story. But let's wait it out and see what else they come up with for this one.
McGowan Still Barbarella
Last August it was revealed that Rose McGowan was set to star in Robert Rodriguez's Barbarella remake at Universal Pictures. But then rumors began over budget issues and that the studio didn't want McGowan in the role.
Wrong, she tells MTV. "[The news that I was out] was really irritating because I know all the people over there and obviously it wasn't true. It was very malicious and there was no proof. Oftentimes these things have basis in truth but this didn't. I have contracts to prove it."
She added that half of the sets have been built and the costumes are done. She's "even got my spaceships. I've got part of a spaceship built for me!"
The hold up at the moment? The possible Screen Actors Guild strike in June.
I don't know the original movie, nor do I know any of McGowan's work, but she looks like she'll fit the part, and that's probably all they really need. Honestly, I don't know anything, so I can't really comment. People seem to like McGowan in the role, and they aren't going to be able to do anything if the screen actors strikes, so really, this is kind of just a big non-news story.
Does Austin Powers Have a New Girl?
The Boston Globe is reporting a rumor that supermodel Gisele Bündchen, who has played roles in The Devil Wears Prada and Taxi, is being considered for the female lead in Mike Myers' fourth "Austin Powers" movie, following in the footsteps of Elizabeth Hurley, Heather Graham and Beyoncé Knowles.
The newspapers says the 27-year-old Brazilian beauty already has been given the script, and her agent will meet soon with Myers and director Jay Roach.
About a year ago, Myers was quoted as saying that the next "Austin Powers" film would be done entirely from Dr. Evil's point of view. It is unknown if that is still the case.
Myers' next comedy, The Love Guru, opens in theaters on June 20.
This is just a rumour, of course, so the odds of it being true are slim, but you never know. It won't be that hard of a role, so her acting abilities are irrelevant – it's just looks, and she seems to have them. They do seem a bit desperate, pulling out another Austin Powers movie, though. But this is Hollywood. Whatever made money in the past, make more of in the future.
Rapid-Fire: Paycheck (2003, starring Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Uma Thurman)
I have a small group of movies that I only watch when I see them on TV, and have ended up really liking them from these viewings. Van Helsing and Sahara are the first two, and this is the third, so I present:
It's a funny thing how, even though a movie can be relatively average throughout, you still end up really liking it. Thus is the case with Paycheck. Nothing really is outstanding about the movie, but somehow, it's become a favourite.
I'm not a big fan of Ben Affleck, although I don't think he's a complete waste of space. He does this role fairly well. He doesn't put his heart and soul into it, no, but it's watchable. Uma Thurman is roughly the same. The real applause have to go to the bad guys, though. Eckhart is a good, sinister businessman who will even betray his friends, and movies like this have me pumped for his role in the upcoming Batman movies. But Colm Feore deserves top honours for this one. He is just so sinister and good at the role he has in this one, I love it.
Figuring out how the pieces of the puzzle go together is the fun part of this movie, and it's an interesting way to do it, because really, you know about as much as Michael Jennings does. I ended up really enjoying the movie, and it's worth a look.
Closing Time . . .
30 Rock and Scrubs both returned this week in fine form, especially with the hilarious MILF Island and it's perfect mocking of basically every reality show. How they manage to get away with some of the things they do on that show is beyond me. Anyway, the weather is beautiful, the odds of it snowing are getting lower every day, and I'm feeling good about the future. So, until we meet again . . .
