Category: Monsters

Beware… GODZILLA Coming To Theaters May 16, 2014


Via Bloody Disgusting

In less than two years time, movie monster GODZILLA will kick off the Summer moviegoing season on May 16, 2014. Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures made the announcement today about the classic franchise. As par for a big tent pole film like this, expect to don those glasses. GODZILLA stomps to the silver screen in nothing less than 3D.

Have a look at the iconic big guy in action below. In the new film, the partnering studios will return the character to its epic roots with a gritty, realistic actioner.

GODZILLA is under the direction of Gareth Edwards, who earned worldwide acclaim for his feature directorial debut, “Monsters.” Edwards directs from a screenplay by David Callaham (“The Expendables” films), David S. Goyer (the “Dark Knight” trilogy) and Max Borenstein (upcoming “The Seventh Son”).

Toho Co., Ltd.’s Godzilla franchise contains one of the most widely recognized movie monsters worldwide, including more than 25 films, multiple television programs, video games and book series. GODZILLA is a Japanese series of giant monster disaster films featuring the character Godzilla. The first film, GODZILLA, was first released in 1954. In 1956, it was adapted by an American company into Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, edited and with added principal scenes featuring Raymond Burr, the film was released internationally becoming a commercial success.

At Comic Con 2012, Legendary presented both a poster for the film and a teaser trailer. The teaser trailer included a depiction of Godzilla faithful to the Toho monster, including its roar, and a “gigantic centipede-like monster.”

ABRAHAM LINCOLN : VAMPIRE HUNTER – The Review

In 2009 Seth Grahame-Smith had an idea for a literary and pop culture mash-up. Kind of like a prose version of the classic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercials ( ” You got chocolate in my peanut butter! ” You got peanut butter in my chocolate!” ). The result was the best seller ” Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” ( ” You got flesh-eaters in my Jane Austen!” ). Soon other authors followed with ” Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters “. But Grahame-Smith, for his next novel,  embarked on another concoction: horror icons and historical figures. It would be revealed that a beloved former president shared more than a first name with Dr.Van Helsing, the nemesis of Count Dracula. Like the good doctor ( and cheerleader Buffy Summers ), honest Abe Lincoln was a vampire hunter. Soon fantasy film maven Tim Burton’s production company snapped up the movie rights and now ABRAHAM LINCOLN : VAMPIRE HUNTER has arrived in theatres everywhere. Will movie audiences embrace this genre mash-up as much as bibliophiles have?

In the film’s opening moments, we see President Lincoln  putting pen to paper in his secret journal. He recounts his days as a poor son of a farmer who witnesses his mother’s demise at the hands of vampire Jack Barts ( Marton Csokas ). Many years later teenage Abe ( Benjamin Walker )  is nearly killed tracking down Barts. Luckily the lad is rescued by Henry Sturgess ( Dominic Cooper ), who tells of a vast vampire network headed by the mysterious Adam ( Rufus Sewell ) . The two strike a deal. Henry will train Abe to destroy vamps, if Abe only eliminates the monsters that Henry singles out via letters to Abe once he re-locates in that hub of the evil  undead, Springfield, Illinois. Arriving there, Abe gets a job at the general store of Joshua Speed ( Jimmi Simpson ), re-unites with a childhood friend the free-born son of slaves Will Johnson ( Anthony Mackie ), and meets future wife Mary Todd ( Mary Elizabeth Winstead ). Soon the missives from Henry are delivered and Abe must tear himself away from the law books and shopkeeping to rid the town of the vampire scourge. Word reaches Adam who must stop the rail-splitter from not only destroying his undead brethren, but from achieving political office and ending slavery ( seems they’re a steady source of blood ). As the country heads into the Civil War, Abe must take up his old skills in order to prevent Adam and his vampire forces from make the Confederacy victorious.

Sounds a bit silly? Well a lot of it does play like a stretched-out late night comedy skit minus much of the humor. No winking at the camera here, which helps the shock aspect of the first few vamp attacks. The bloodsuckers are all teeth when in feeding mode and adhere to several of the classical rules. Sunshine is not too much of a problem ( none of them pretty sparkly vamps, though ), thanks to special sunglasses and heavy-duty sunblock salve. They’re fast, strong, and can become invisible ( no evidence of animal transformation ). Director Timur Bekmambetov, in his first big English feature since 2008’s WANTED, tries to inject some energy into the quiet conversations and true incidents, but really seems to be chomping at the bit to tear into the big action set pieces. Abe and the baddies leap, spin, and kick ala’ the Matrix  and other ‘ wire-fu’ flicks. A battle during a horse stampede quickly becomes a CGI cartoon, as does a gravity defying ( or ignoring ) fight atop a crashing locomotive. The main characters are mere bouncing video game stars by the film’s long-in-coming finale. Walker, looking like a baby-faced Liam Neeson, never is allowed past history icon status. He’s just a fellow who wears tall hats and uses his axe very well ( the film skirts into ‘ steam punk’ territory with some of the weaponry and gadgets ). Cooper is merely the tough mentor ( think a playboy Ben Kenobi ), who’s hiding a big secret. Sewel is good as a dead-eyed, snarling mastermind with his emotions always in check. Mackie’s mostly Watson to Walker’s Holmes and never really gets a chance to shine. And there’s little passion between Walker and Winstead during the courtship of Abe and Mary. She’s regulated to the background until an embarrassing scene where she pounds on Abe’s chest after a tragedy occurs. Historical figures are name checked ( ” I’m Stephen Douglas! ” Thank you. Miss Tubman” ) as are Civil War battles and events ( Fort Sumter! Gettysburg! ), but the scenes seem to be pulled out of a middle school social studies book. What could have been a funny, spooky romp of a popcorn fantasy flick is instead an overwrought, clunky, noisy endurance test for the audience.

Overall Rating: 2.5 Out of 5 Stars

 

 

MEN IN BLACK 3 – The Review

Can it really be ten years since the Men in Black stormed the cineplex? Yup, it’s a darn shame they couldn’t use their neuralizers ( or as J first called them, “flashy things ” ) to erase our memories of that dismal 2002 sequel MEN IN BLACK 2. Hopefully the film makers have used the time to determine what went wrong and how to make a third film that can recapture the fun of the first. Speaking of time, we’ve not seen Will Smith in a film since 2008’s SEVEN POUNDS. Can he re-establish the Summer as ” Big Willie Time”? To find out let’s get that dark suit out of the closet, grab a pair of shades ( and 3D glasses), and take one strange trip in MEN IN BLACK 3.

As this installment begins, we’re witness to the break out of an alien criminal named Boris ” The Animal ‘ ( Jemaine Clement )  from a max, I mean really max, security facility. Cut to old partners Agents J ( Smith ) and K ( Tommy Lee Jones ) investigating a crashed spacecraft on the streets of New York City. Later on, the always stoic K delivers a eulogy for their departed boss Z at MIB HQ as we’re introduced to their new supervisor Agent O ( Emma Thompson ). That evening our heroes raid an Asian restaurant where K makes a discovery that sends him into a melancholy funk. The tight-lipped vet refuses to share this link to the past with his partner, so J hits the research files back at the base. Later that night J and K share an odd phone conversation. The next morning J heads to his partner’s apartment and is shocked to discover a family living there with no knowledge of K. And what’s with J’s craving for chocolate milk? Returning to HQ, his fellow agents are confused by his inquiries about K, because, as O informs him, K was killed on a mission over forty years ago! Oh, and Earth’s being invaded by spaceships from a distant world. Aha! Boris made the leap back in time and eliminated K via a secret device! J’s got no choice but to use said device and travel to 1969 in order to save K ( and the world ). Back in that groovy year J and a much younger K ( Josh Brolin ) embark on mission that will take them to Coney Island, Shea Stadium. Andy Warhol’s Factory, and , eventually,  the launch of Apollo 11 at  Florida’s Cape Canaveral in order to stop Boris’s fiendish plot.

First off, this is a huge improvement over the second film, but that may be damning with faint praise. Director Barry Sonnenfeld keeps things moving quickly in the first act and makes great use of 3D ( the prison break is a fantastic sequence ). Besides Mr. S several other members of the old team are back. Danny Elfman provides some great new riffs to his original pounding score. It’s wonderful seeing the skilled artistry of make-up effects master Rick Baker once again. In the modern bookend scenes most of the creatures are rendered using some pretty great CGI ( including that gang of wise-cracking, antennae-wiggling bugs ). Once we’re in the sixties, the aliens are similar to the pop-culture BEMs ( Bug  Eyed Monsters ) seen in TV shows like ” The Outer Limits” and ” Lost in Space “. Perhaps another Oscar nom for Mr. B ? Kudos also to the art directors for giving the past scenes a candy-colored glow. There are lots of great looking period fashions and classic vehicles. Of course the agents back then had their own cool futuristic gizmos, but here they too have a clunky, retro vibe. As for the actors, Smith carries the film on his broad shoulders and considerable screen charms. He convincingly stumbles and stammers as he is the ” fish out of water ” in this weird time. Carrying him through is his affection for his co-worker. Speaking of which Jones is his old, reliable cranky self as the veteran agent. The curmudgeon does show his feelings a bit as he begins to re-live his past regrets. The best surprise in the film is the inspired casting and performance of Brolin as the 1969 model  K. He’s a smoother, squinting version of Jones ( he’s got that Southern drawl down pat! ), who’s not quite the old ” stone face “. He even smiles at J a couple of times. Thompson’s a great addition as the button-down all business O, who’s very fluent in Venusian! The lovely Alice Eve plays her 60’s self in a couple of too brief scenes. Speaking of brief, Bill Hader of TV’s ” Saturday Night Live ” scores big laughs as an agent deep, deep under cover. Clement is both scary and funny as both versions of Boris ( augmented with some seriously gross CGI effects ). The only problem with the film is a somewhat soft second act involving an alien named Griffin played by Michael Stuhlbarg from A SERIOUS MAN. He can see several alternate futures at once, but can’t really interfere or prevent events. He reminded me of a shorter, schlubby version of “The Watcher” character from Marvel Comics. His ramblings become muddled and confusing after a few screen moments ( wonder if the role was written with Sonnenfeld’s RV star Robin Williams in mind ). But , despite this detour, the new adventure is a worthy follow-up to the 1997 original and with sprightly work by Brolin, MEN IN BLACK 3 is a fun, pleasant ride through the galaxy and the decades. Now allow me to direct your attention to this small silver device….

Overall rating: 3.5 Out of 5 Stars

“Monsters in the Movies” At AMPAS

How fabulous does this sound? When I think the Academy I naturally think monsters (mock laughter). Just kidding! Hey, I’m a movie geek. But really, doesn’t this creature-fest sound like a great, scary time?

Academy Does the Monster Mash

Beverly Hills, CA (October 6, 2010) — The evolution of creature technology and the fundamental role technology plays in shaping monster movies will be explored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in MONSTERS IN THE MOVIES on Thursday, October 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The evening, presented by the Academy’s Science and Technology Council and hosted by special effects makeup artist and on-set animatronic effects supervisor Shane Mahan, will include an onstage conversation with industry experts on the technical design of such creatures as King Kong, the Gill Man and a London werewolf.

Film clips will trace the evolution of creature technology, from KING KONG (1933), BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935), CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954), HORROR OF DRACULA (1958), ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. (1966), PLANET OF THE APES (1968), THE EXORCIST (1973), AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981) and ALIENS (1986) through the digital age of JURASSIC PARK (1993), ZATHURA: A SPACE ADVENTURE (2005) and KING KONG (2005).

Complementing the clips and discussion will be a lobby display of artifacts used to create visual effects for a range of aliens and creatures from classic and contemporary monster movies.

Tickets for MONSTERS IN THE MOVIES are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets are available for purchase by mail, at the Academy box office (8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved.

The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at the 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

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MONSTERPOCALPYSE: Burton & August Teaming Up Again

The Hollywood Reporter’s – Heat Vision has exclusively reported that John August is in negotiations with DreamWorks to write the studio’s feature film adaptation of MONSTERPOCALYPSE, a strategy game played with collectible miniature figures.

…the latest development raises the possibility that August will re-team with Tim Burton, whom DreamWorks has been wooing to take on the project as its director. DreamWorks, which grabbed film rights to the MONSTERPOCALYPSE property last month, hasn’t yet nailed down the ALICE IN WONDERLAND billion-dollar man. Talks are, however, ongoing.

Now read what John August had to say over on his official site:

As announced today, I’m going to be writing a big movie version of Monsterpocalypse for DreamWorks, based on Matt Wilson’s kaiju-themed giant-monsters-smashing things extravaganza. Wilson’s creation, published by Privateer Press, imagines the modern world under siege by super-sized creatures of every stripe. Giant apes, terrasaurs, planet-eating extraterrestrials? Check, check and check.

Plus robots. C’mon. You need robots.

Many of the elements are still being locked down, so there’s obviously a lot I can’t say about the movie yet: the plot, the players, what the humans are doing in all of this. Will every possible monster be in it? Logic would say no, but I can’t give you a list. What I can talk about is why the project is getting announced today, while so many others are kept under wraps.

August continued with:

As detailed in the article, Monsterpocalypse potentially affects many other tent pole movies at other studios in a way that’s certainly newsworthy. And while I’m hardly the biggest element in this, Monsterpocalypse will take me off the market for a year or so, and make it pretty much impossible for me to direct a movie in the near future.

So an article was going to be written regardless. Announcing the project allowed DreamWorks the chance to have some control over how the story got out. That’s the main and best reason to announce something.

Monsterpocalypse has been the fastest a movie has come together in my career, and I’m ridiculously excited to start writing it. But I’m also ridiculously excited to be writing the other things I’m working on, most of which have been kept very quiet.

David Goyer continues Universal Monster Trend

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Remakes, remakes, remakes! Everywhere, somebody is remaking some classic, either from the eighties or from the silver screen. Honestly, I’m kind of starting to give in and throw my hands up, cynically saying “Fine! Do whatever you want!”

There are a handful of things in this life I feel are about as perfect as you’ll get and one of them are Universal’s classic monster movies. While creature flicks involving vampires and werewolves have been far from scarce, there’s an essence that permeates throughout the various Universal classic monster flicks that cannot be found in any of the other movie monster incarnations.

Among the most revisited characters is the Invisible Man. From Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man to Chevy Chase’s Memoirs of an Invisible Man to Kevin Bacon’s Hollow Man, this transparent dude has had lots of screen time, despite not being “seen”.

David S. Goyer has announced he has finished his first draft of a remake to The Invisible Man for Universal and that the studio is apparently chomping at the bit for him to get the script finished so they can get the movie made. The word is that the “new” take on the character would make him a secret agent and we would find him infiltrating imperial Russia.

It’s difficult to say how this will all play out. Goyer is a decent writer, but is best known for developing/writing high concepts directed by others. His own personal directing experience has been limited and questionably received. With ‘The Wolfman’ remake apparently experiencing some major snags resulting in it’s release being pushed back, concerns are developing regardless of how good the trailer looks. On a related note, it’s also been revealed that a possible remake of ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’ in next on the docket… talk about trying to improve perfection!

[source: Empire]

Bride of Frankie Goes in for a Makeover

brideoffrankieimage

The story of Frankenstein and his monster has been told many times in different ways.   So, why not just remake the sequel…

Universal and Imagine are breathing new life into “Bride of Frankenstein.” The companies are in talks with Neil Burger to write and direct their long-stirring remake of the 1935 monster movie. Burger, who would pen the script with writing partner Dirk Wittenborn, most prominently wrote and helmed “The Illusionist,” the Edward Norton magician mystery that earned nearly $40 million for Yari Film Group in 2006.

James Whale’s “Bride of Frankenstein,” which starred Boris Karloff as the monster and Elsa Lanchester as the titular bride, continued the story that began with 1931’s “Frankenstein.” A monster, on the run from an angry mob, has a series of adventures, and also persuades Dr. Frankenstein to create a mate. The doctor is successful, but the bride (who is not a central character) winds up rejecting the monster at the end of the movie.

The CAA-repped Burger, who also penned and helmed Iraq-veteran pic “The Lucky Ones,” is attached to direct “Dark Fields,” a thriller about a slacker who discovers a drug that makes him sharper. That pic is also set up at Universal, but progress has been slowed since star Shia LaBeouf was forced to pull out last year with a hand injury.

“Bride” has had a series of stops and starts. About five years ago, “American Splendor” scribes Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini were attached to write the screenplay for the Uni/Imagine update. Their concept was to set the picture in contemporary New York, with a young woman dying and then unnaturally brought back to life (Burger’s version is expected to differ significantly from that concept). Jacob Estes, a writer on Spider-Man spinoff “Venom,” also at one point had been attached to write a draft.

Brian Grazer and Sean Daniel will produce the pic;   Karen Kehela, David Bernardi and Chris Wade will oversee for Imagine.

Universal is eager to develop reboots of its library of classic monster titles, insiders in the development community said. It is developing a new version of “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” the 1954 Jack Arnold pic about a monstrous fish that a group of travelers encounters in the Amazon, and later this year it will release the Benicio Del Toro-toplined “The Wolf Man,” an update on George Waggner’s 1941 werewolf tale.

“Frankenstein” has been remade numerous times — Mary Shelley’s book sits in the public domain — but “Bride” has had only one other go-round on the big screen: a 1985 version at Columbia starring Sting and Jennifer Beals. In 1999, Bill Condon’s “Gods and Monsters,” a biopic of Whale, did show clips from the film and re-created the bride herself. Now a man known for illusions is going to try to do the same.

Honestly, I’m glad that they are going to remake the surperior entry into the Universal series, but there is a little bit of me that is still crying about the lack of originality.

More than likely, I’ll be in the theatre.

[Source: The Hollywood Reporter]

Park Chan-wook has a ‘Thirst’

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Fans of ‘Oldboy’ should take note. Writer and director Park Chan-wook is set to unleash a heap of awesome upon your fragile eyeballs with ‘Thirst,’ the filmmaker’s take on the vampire genre.

Travis first covered this film here, so check out his article for details. Below the break is the trailer and, even though it is all in Korean, it still commands your undivided attention.

Continue reading Park Chan-wook has a ‘Thirst’

Abrams talks about ‘Cloverfield’ Sequel

cloverfieldsequel

J.J. Abrams and his crew of lively ‘Cloverfield’ co-creators are toying with ideas for another ambiguously mysterious massive monster movie, be it a sequel or perhaps a follow-up.

During a promotional junket in San Fran while at WonderCon, Abrams let the following information loose upon the civilians:

“We’re working on one right now,” Abrams said on Saturday (Feb. 28). “The key obviously is with a sequel, certainly with this film, is that it had better not be a business decision. If you’re going to do something, it should be because you’re really inspired to do it. It doesn’t guarantee anything and it doesn’t mean that it’s gonna work, but it means you did what you did and not because you’re trying to make a buck. We have an idea for something that’s pretty cool that we’re playing with. It’s something that would be related to ‘Cloverfield’ and hopefully we’ll do something sooner than later, because the idea’s pretty sweet.” — Courtesy of HitFix.com

So, what do you think? Personally, my little respect-o-meter just went up a few notched for Mr. Abrams based solely on his comments around why anyone should even pursue making a sequel. Is this something you’re looking forward to? Should he let it go and do something new? Let us know what you think by leaving comments on this post.

HitFix.com

Review: ‘Outlander’

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Jeremy:

The new sci-fi film ‘Outlander’ starts out promising enough. Â  Sure, we’ve seen the shot a million times with a spaceship flaring up orange as it enters/crashes through Earth’s atmosphere. Â  However, we quickly cut to the fjords of 790 AD Norway where the ship eventually crash lands. Â  Emerging from the sinking wreckage is none other than a short-haired, clean-shaven Jesus of Nazareth, Jim Caviezel, who spends the next 100 minutes chasing down and fighting off a rather large and rather fiendish creature known as the Moorwen. Â  He also gets some help from the local warriors.

Yes, folks, it’s aliens vs. Vikings in this battle of brawn, and, were it to live up to the $47 million budget that is behind it, it might have been a rip-roaring good time. Â  Unfortunately, much of the film builds on tedium and the building up of characters who you know are just going to end up monster chum. Â  Seriously. Â  Most of the cast should have been wearing red Star Trek uniforms, it’s so obvious who’s going to kick it and pretty much when.

There are, however, a few secondary characters who live up to the amount of time they are given. Â  John Hurt as Rothgar, the king of the little community the good alien, Kainan (Caviezel) is helping to protect. Â  The little-known Jack Huston plays Wulfric, a spoiled brat who will one day be king. Â  Ron Perlman shows up just long enough for you to make him out behind the bald head and Braveheart-style makeup.

All of these actors, Caviezel included, do a masterful job, but it’s not because they pull off the characters so well. Â  They do a masterful job, because each of them seems to have no problem with the cheese-filled dialogue they are forced to spew back and forth. Â  Whether it’s Rothgar talking about the protection of his people, or Kainan waxing poetic about the wife and child he lost to the Moorwen, you have to give extra credit to each of these actors for almost making their respective characters believable.

The film is loaded with violent deaths and explosive set pieces, just about what you should expect from an aliens vs. Vikings film. Â  Unfortunately, neither the environments director Howard McCain sets up nor the creature itself ever seem believable in the least bit. Â  

We don’t see the Moorwen until about 30 minutes in. Â  When we finally do, it’s almost as if the whole screen has become pixelated as lame special effects kick into overdrive. Â  Good luck keeping yourself from reaching for the Nintendo reset button. Â  It really is some of the worst CG I’ve seen since ‘Lost in Space’, and that is saying something.

Strangely, though, it seems the special effects (and the story, for that matter) get progressively better as the film goes on. Â  By the time Kainan narrates us back to the homeworld where he and his people seemingly wiped out the Moorwen, the CG is almost passable. Â  We even get a twinge of originality in the script, as the dichotomy between man and monster really comes into its own. Â  Seriously, I would have to say ‘Outlander’ succeeds in satisfying Richard Matheson’s question of “Who is the man and who is the monster?” better than three different versions of ‘I Am Legend’ ever did.

This combined with the improved special effects gives the last half of ‘Outlander’ a real popcorn-esque feel. Â  It’s still loaded with corny dialogue and lame characters developments. Â  Whoever thought Kainan needed a love interest should have their head examined. Â  Having him befriend a small boy was an even worse error in judgment. Â  

However, there is much fun to be had in the film’s last couple of battle scenes. Â  It even edges in some nicely timed blood and moments that make you go “Ohhhhhh” for fans of that, as well.

‘Outlander’ is a B-movie.   That is without question.   It does seem to have this feeling that it is more.   We really don’t need another “true story that inspired Beowulf  movie.   However, for fans of monster movies, the film is entirely satisfactory.   You have to wade through the muck of the first half to get to the good stuff, but I can’t say it is entirely unworthy of the effort.

[Overall: 3 stars out of 5]