Tag: Sam Raimi

DESTROY THE BRAIN presents THE EVIL DEAD – May 14 & 15 in St. Louis

DESTROY THE BRAIN! proudly presents Sam Raimi’s classic THE EVIL DEAD in glorious 35mm as the opening film in a monthly film series entitled LATE NITE GRIND HOUSE at the historic HI-POINTE THEATRE. THE EVIL DEAD will be presented in a newly struck print provided by GRINDHOUSE RELEASING. Prior to the screening prizes will be handed out to those brainy horror fiends out there who can answer trivia questions correctly.

“I have always wanted my friends and people who share an affection for horror & cult cinema to have a place to go in St. Louis to watch some really cool movies and have more of a communial experience.” says DESTROY THE BRAIN founder Andy Triefenbach. “The Hi-Pointe Theatre has always been one of the dream theatres for these kinds of films to show in. It encompasses the body of a grindhouse by being a one screen theatre.”

THE EVIL DEAD stars cult icon Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead Trilogy & USA’s Burn Notice) and is directed by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man & Drag Me To Hell). Originally released in 1981, THE EVIL DEAD was advertised with a quote from Stephen King stating “…The most ferociously original horror film of the year.” Not only did it spawn two sequels but it influenced low budget horror filmmaking throughout the 1980’s.

THE EVIL DEAD will be showing at Midnight at THE HI-POINTE THEATRE (1005 McCausland Ave. St. Louis, MO) on Friday, May 14th and Saturday, May 15th.  Admission is $6.

DESTROY THE BRAIN presents LATE NITE GRIND HOUSE: THE EVIL DEAD is sponsored by Paracinema Magazine (http://www.paracinema.net), Wicked Pixel Cinema (http://www.wickedpixel.com) & Para-Tees (http://www.paratees.net).

http://www.destroythebrain.com
http://www.hi-pointetheatre.com

Follow DESTROY THE BRAIN on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/destroythebrain
Follow DESTROY THE BRAIN on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/destroythebrain

Raimi May See THE SHADOW Before Entering WORLD OF WARCRAFT

For all of those highly devoted Raimi-ites out there, the rumor mill is turning once again. Director Sam Raimi has been a provocative topic amidst the rumor-mongers and news junkies as of late. The biggest of the bits recently has been his pulling out of the SPIDER-MAN franchise, but that’s almost old news at this point.

Currently it’s all the rave to be fantasizing about what Mr. Raimi will be doing with the WORLD OF WARCRAFT project he has stepped on board for as director. The property, optioned from the endlessly popular online computer role-playing game, is potentially a very cool thing. However, the script is even written yet… so, hold on to your britches because it’s gonna be a lengthy wait.

Meanwhile, it appears that Mr. Raimi has possibly seen the light in THE SHADOW, as there is suggestion that he may tackle the old school, less-than-superhero classic for his intermediate project. Having already been adapted into a feature film in 1994 starring Alec Baldwin, the film was less than what we might call a blockbuster box office success. With Raimi at the helm, there would definitely be an interesting appeal to the story.

The current script for THE SHADOW is in its second draft and written by Siavash Farahanl, whose only other writing credit on IMDB is an “untitled Sam Raimi project”… go figure! To get straight to the point and keep it brief, the story apparently focuses on the mystery element of The Shadow’s world, introduces Margo Lane as a major character and these two characters are written with depth, developed into characters the audience will actually care about. These are immensely good signs for a film roughly positioned in a genre not usually synonymous with deeply written and developed characters and plots.

Source: IESB

SPIDER-MAN Reboot May Have Found Its Webb

At first, the news coming from Deadline Hollywood that (500) DAYS OF SUMMER director Marc Webb was at the top of Sony Pictures’ list of directors for the SPIDER-MAN reboot seemed like a blessing.  Anyone who knows me at all knows that (500) DAYS OF SUMMER was my absolute favorite movie of last year, and I give major credit to Webb’s direction of that film in regards to why I love it so much.

Now, I am beginning to question that thought.  Would Webb, a man who has one, feature film under his belt, one that cost $7.5 million to boot, be the right choice to relaunch a franchise with a film that would, probably, cost upwards of $150-$200 million?  The answer to that is, I’m not completely sure.  Granted, bringing Webb in as the director would mean people would be looking to Joseph Gordon-Levitt to fill the Peter Parker role, and that, my friends, is a great idea.

But Webb is untested when it comes to anything but low budget, quirky fare.  Christopher Nolan didn’t jump from MEMENTO to BATMAN BEGINS.  Hell, he didn’t even jump from FOLLOWING to BATMAN BEGINS.  He stepped his way up, hitting INSOMNIA on his way to trying to relaunch a franchise.  By comparison, MEMENTO cost $9 million and INSOMNIA cost $46 million.  BATMAN BEGINS had a $150 million budget, but that was a franchise that had long been stale and needed a reboot.  With the SPIDER-MAN franchise, the last one came out just under three years ago, so this next film will feel more like another sequel than a out-and-out overhaul of the franchise.

The Deadline Hollywood article also mentions the potential release date for the new SPIDER-MAN film won’t be until 2012, and the delay in release will be due to them wanting to shoot in 3-D.  For more on that, check out my rant on this week’s episode of The Golden Briefcase.  This is yet another element going into this film that could serve as a challenge to Webb.

What do you think?  Who would be a good choice for the new SPIDER-MAN?  Is it time to start throwing money at James Cameron to get his version of the film finally made?  Who would be the right choice for the lead role?  Some think JGL is too old, but I say he can pull it off.  Let us know your thoughts by shooting us a comment below.

Sam Raimi walks, Sony to Reboot SPIDEY Franchise

So, I’m gonna cut right to the chase here and say that if this news is 100% valid, it must be the most shocking (albeit not entirely unexpected) development in Hollywood this year. OK, so the year is young, but still… allegedly, Sam Raimi has pulled out of directing SPIDER-MAN 4, reportedly over creative differences regarding the direction of the script. In response to this, Sony Pictures is apparently opting NOT to replace the director and is instead said to be taking the opportunity to start from scratch, so to speak. The word is that Sony will reboot the franchise, returning to a script written a while back by James Vanderbilt and will likely recast the entire project. Look… whether you loved or hated Tobey Maquire as the red and blue tights-wearing superhero (personally, I thought he was good for the role) — this is potentially BIG news! The one confusing thing in my mind is, what of all the recent talk about John Malkovich being confirmed as The Vulture for the fourth installment. Are these conflicting stories, or is he on in spite of this sudden change of plans?

Now for the fun part… assuming this is solid and the franchise as we know it is dead and Sony is indeed returning to the drawing board, what would we — the fans — like to see in this seconds go around? Granted, we know not of Vanderbilt’s script, but the question begs to be asked… who should be the next to slip on Peter Parker’s spectacles and dawn Spider-Man’s Spidey Spandex? Chime in, let us know… we eat this stuff up!

Source: FilmJunk

THOR, PIRATES, SPIDERMAN 4 All Play the Release Date Shuffle

It was announced on Tuesday via Variety that Sony Pictures was putting SPIDER-MAN 4 on indefinite hiatus citing issues with the screenplay.   The film was slated for release on May 6th, 2011, but a source claimed this date was questionable at best.   It hasn’t taken long for other, tent pole films to swoop into that prime spot.

Today, both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety are reporting that Paramount’s THOR, previously set to bow on May 20th, has moved into the May 6th slot, giving it the opening Summer position for 2011.   With nothing left to fill the May 20th slot, Disney has stepped in and made that date the home for the release of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES.

The question that remains now is in where SPIDER-MAN 4 will find itself once these script issues get worked out.   Two of the three, previous SPIDER-MAN movies opened in that opening, Summer slot.   SPIDER-MAN 2 opened in late June of 2004, but, right now, the July 1st slot in 2011 is home to TRANSFORMERS 3.   Don’t expect that franchise to get sweated out any time soon.

SPIDER-MAN 4 is still announced as having a May 6th release date, and, should this date hold, it could leave Paramount in quite a conundrum with what to do with THOR.   They won’t want to open against an already established, comic book franchise, and Marvel will do everything in their power to keep this from happening, anyway.

What do you think?   What date looks good for the next SPIDER-MAN entry?   Did Paramount jump too soon in shifting THOR’s release date?   Looking at the current slate for Summer 2011, what film do you think has the strongest chance of walking away the big bread winner?     Let us know by leaving a comment below.

PANIC ATTACK Director Going to the Ghost House

panic-attack

It hasn’t even been a week since we showed you the short PANIC ATTACK from director Federico Alvarez.  The five-minute short about alien robots blowing hell out of a South American city.  It reportedly cost $300.  I’m sure, given the latest news, that Alvarez’s next film will have a much more significant budget.  El Pais is reporting (and Film Junk was kind enough to serve as translator) that Alvarez has struck a deal with Sam Raimi’s production company Ghost House.  Alvarez’s upcoming feature film debut is looking to have a budget of between $30-40 million.  It is reportedly going to be a sci-fi film, though there is no word if, like Neill Blomkamp and DISTRICT 9, Alvarez’s first film will be a feature version of his own short.

According to the El Pais article, Raimi will be to Alvarez what Peter Jackson was to Blomkamp, shielding the director from the business side of things while Alvarez can worry solely on making the best, possible film.  The feature film is to be shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay.  The project came about after an hour and a half phone conversation between Raimi and Alvarez.  Alvarez has stated he does wish to include robots in the feature film in some capacity.

This is great news, as DISTRICT 9 was an excellent film from a first-time director.  Here is hoping production companies and Hollywood producers continue scouring the Internet for fresh, directing talent with the skills to make superb motion pictures.

EVIL DEAD to be Resurrected in Theaters 2010

evildeadcover

Let me just put your mind to ease right now. No, this is not yet another tedious bit of rumor news about an EVIL DEAD remake. Regardless of which side of the debate you are on regarding that hot little number, this is something any self-respecting fan of the EVIL DEAD trilogy will, and should, be very happy about.

Now 28 years after the original release of director Sam Raimi’s breakout film, the little horror film that could is scheduled to make a nostalgic return to big screen’s across the country. The movie that put both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell on the map, is being re-released in theaters for a limited run in 2010.

Raimi, Campbell and producer Robert Tapert, in collaboration with Grindhouse Pictures, will be unleashing midnight screenings of the cult classic horror film at Landmark Theatre locations   in select U.S. cities and in Mayfair Cinemas in Canada. Exact dates and cities have not yet been released, but more venues are set to be announced after the first of the year.

Source: Paste

Dylan Baker confirmed for SPIDER-MAN 4

thelizard_sm4

This little bit of news delivered courtesy of Movieblog.UGO.com, actor Dylan Baker participated in a Q&A following a special screening of TRICK ‘R TREAT at New York’s Walter Reade Theater for Lincoln Center’s third annual “Scary Movies” program and during this occasion revealed that he will reprise his role as Dr. Connors in Sam Raimi’s fourth installment in the SPIDER-MAN franchise.

So, why is this news of any significance? Well, there is the possibility that it’s not all that significant, but what it does is raise the question of whether or not a character by the name of The Lizard will be featured as the and/or one of the villains in the new Spidey film. Oh yeah, and if none of this is making any sense, then you must not be much of a comic book fan and are probably better off just skipping to the next post on the site.

Now, as eluded to in the Q&A as reported by Jordan Hoffman at Movieblog.UGO.com, there was some playful winking and nodding when asked to elaborate on the topic of whether or not The Lizard would be involved, or if Dr. Connors would merely have another minor background role. Technically, the answer was no, but we all know how that goes.

Personally, I love the idea of bringing The Lizard into the mix. It’s an older throwback than Venom, of which the franchise nearly suffered and untimely end. The Lizard holds some of that old school super villain charm that tends to get lost in the movie adaptations. In my book, the best part of SPIDER-MAN 3 was The Sandman. He’s an old school villain, had a great story and was given an awesome performance by Thomas Haden Church.

This has been the trend (SPIDEY 3’s Venom excluded) whereas the villains have been the cherry on the top of the ice cream sundae, assisted heavily by fantastic performances by stellar actors… Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin, Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus. Am I asking too much that we return to that trend? Hopefully, with Raimi’s alleged free reign given him by Sony for #4, we’ll see a new light for the franchise.

Source: UGO

WARCRAFT Gets a War-Torn Writer

world of warcraft

Okay, maybe not war-TORN, exactly, but the guy has cut his teeth on a couple of war movies, namely SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and THE PATRIOT (not the Steven Seagal one).  In a phoner interview with Sam Raimi, MTV got some information about the upcoming WARCRAFT film out of the director.  One of the revelations Raimi gave them was that Oscar nominated Robert Rodat was working on the screenplay, something the screenwriter’s agents confirmed.

Raimi also spoke on the story for the film.  It will be an original story based in the game’s universe, contrary to the early rumors that it would be based on the “Arthas: Rise of the Lich King” book.

Says Raimi about his and Rodat’s approach to the film:

We want to be really faithful to the game.  We would have our writer, Robert Rodat, really craft an original story within that world that feels like a ‘World of WarCraft’ adventure. Only obviously it’s very different ’cause it’s expanded and translated into the world of a motion picture.

WARCRAFT is set for release sometime in 2011.

Marshall and Raimi Up for a 3-D BURST

neil marshall

Neil Marshall and Sam Raimi are coming together to throw a little 3-D spontaneous combustion our way.  Lionsgate announced on Friday that they picked up distribution rights to BURST 3-D, a horror film that is to be produced by Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures and directed by DESCENT and DOOMSDAY director Marshall.

Written by Gary Dauberman(BLOODMONKEY), BURST 3-D centers on a group of travelers who are stranded in a blizzard and find themselves stalked by an evil force that causes them to spontaneously combust.

Says Mike Paseornek, President of Motion Picture Production for Lionsgate:

We are thrilled to be working again with Neil Marshall, a modern master of horror, suspense and action. With Neil at the helm of BURST 3-D, horror fans are guaranteed one of the most terrifying and innovative experiences of their moviegoing lives.

Says Ghost House partner Robert Taper:

Mike Paseornek and the Lionsgate team are leaders in the horror space. This, along with the opportunity to work closely with Joe again, were motivating factors in our desire to partner with Lionsgate on BURST 3-D. We hope to continue the partnership with Lionsgate on other projects like this.