Amongst mere mortal men, gods walk. And among those few immortals who dwell in our midst is the Zeus of them all, and his name is Werner Herzog! This man is beyond hard core. He gets shot during an interview… and continues on with the interview. The guy has balls made out of materials so hard that modern science has yet to discover it. (Speaking of Herzog, I just saw him in that new movie “The Grand” and he was just INSANE in it!)
Well in the most odd pairing of Director / Actor I think I’ve ever heard of, it’s being reported that Werner Herzog is about to team up with none other than Nic Cage to remake the film “Bad Lieutenant“. The good folks over at Cinematical give us this:

Werner Herzog is remaking Abel Ferrara’s gritty, NC-17-rated cult classic,Bad Lieutenant, and none other than Nicolas Cage is going to star. Nic Cage! Werner Herzog! Am I the only one who’s completely blown away by this bizarre news? (Though, to be fair, we did kinda see this coming …)

Cage will take on the role originally played by Harvey Keitel; he’ll slip into the part of a drug and sex-addicted corrupt cop, though there’s no word on how far they’ll take this version of the film. However, exec producer Avi Lerner did promise this new take will “deliver as much filth as the original.”

Sometimes you hear stories about actors giving directors a lot of shit on set… I’ll bet you a million dollars that NEVER happens with Werner Herzog. You know why? Because that man will sneak into your hotel room and murder you in your sleep with one hand while he drinks fine Vodka with the other… and everyone knows it.

Count me as one guy who is dying to see how something like this turns out.

I love Point Break. Probably my favorite Keanu Reeves film (not that there are many I like) and to me it’s the definitive Patrick Swayze role. A few years later a cheap disgusting rip off movie called “The Fast and the Furious” basically swept in and completely stole the plot, characters and even ending from Point Break. This past year, “Hot Fuzz” immortalized and paid supreme homage to the great film.

Anyway, there have been whispers about a possible sequel to the 1991 movie, which I personally would be more than pumped to see because I loved the characters so much. Our friends over at IESB give these details about a Point Break 2 project:

There has been no casting news even though the production company is believed to have reached out to both Reeves and Swayze, we also know that the movie will take place Indonesia, hence Point Break Indo, clever. Jan de Bont will be directing and the production company believes that they will be filming the “most extreme action stunts ever caught on camera.”

So what will the story be about? Here is your first look at the sequels’ synopsis. When Billy Dalton, military special ops and star surfer, is disqualified from the pro-surfing tour, he takes off for the coast of Bali looking for the perfect wave. While there he’s recruited by a private security force who are trying to find a gang known as The Bush Administration, surfing outlaws and modern day pirates who work like “The Ex-Presidents,” a bank robbing crew from Malibu twenty years ago.

Ok, since I’m interested in this film because of the characters… my interest in this film would take a MASSIVE nose dive if they didn’t get Swayze even Keanu Reeves back. I can live with it if they didn’t get Reeves and just recast his role with the same character, but I would admittedly have a hard time if it wasn’t “The Swayze” in there as Bodhi.

I can swallow recasting roles… but at least give me the same characters. If there is no Bodhi, then there is no Campea in the theater to watch it. It’s just that simple.

So what did you think of the original Point Break? Are you interested in a sequel? Yes? No? Why or why not?

No this is not another article about Dan Radcliffe’s nude scene on stage. This time a group of aspiring artists paid homage to Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam,” with Potter as Adam and Professor Dumbledore. Silly as it sounds, the homage was true to its source and Potter’s parts were in full view. This caused the principal to have the offending panel taken down until they reached a compromise.

DailyTidings offers:

Principal Jeff Schlecht had the nearly nude panel of Potter taken down the day the mural was hung, April 11, citing school policies over excessive bareness. Hundreds of students protested on Siskiyou Boulevard two weeks later, and several conferences were held between the artists and administration.

Now even as an artist myself I still struggle with “artistic nudity” in peices. If a teacher was to show hand drawn porn to a school kid they could lose their job. But Michelangelo paints a willie right there, and boom. Its art. But are we to censor these classic works from an era where this was considered acceptable? The debate goes on.

However, in this mural I think it is irresponsible of them to have allowed Harry’s hairy to be exposed to begin with. It is inappropriate and unnecessary. They changed the identity of David and God himself, so why can’t they give Potter some Fruit of the Looms?? Does this somehow affect the integrity of the art if the boy wizard got dressed in the morning?

I can just imagine the “Dumbledore is gay” routine getting abused in light of this imagery.

The funniest part of this story is how the whole thing began over “excessive bareness” in the picture. And now that he is only 99% naked its ok??

That is a really generous margin of what is considered “excessive”.

Sgt. Rock is one of those movies that has been talked about for a long time. We hear about a little progress here and there, but for the most part the project has been sitting in limbo. Movie Blog reader Jared gave me the heads up on an interview the guys over at AICN did with mega producer Joel Silver and the topic of Sgt. Rock came up. Sounds like things are moving along with Guy Ritchie attached:

Moriarty: But you do that with properties. You stick by them, like SGT. ROCK. You have developed that for a long time now…

Joel: I’m going to make that. I’m going to make that very soon. With Guy Ritchie, I think.

Moriarty: Really?!

Joel: I hope so.

I would personally love to see Guy Ritchie take this thing on. His style is one of my favorites amongst all directors working today. I still get a huge idiot grin on my face whenever I even think about “Snatch”.

The one concern I have is that like Silver’s other project, Speed Racer, Sgt. Rock looks on the outside to be a project that will rely on its pre-existing audience… but I don’t know that it has enough of a following (or even people that have heard of it) to make it viable. Hard to say really. Personally I’d love to see it.

Anyone who has been haunting themovieblog for any amount of time knows that The Mighty Thor is my favorite comic book of all time. The best runs of the series were Jack Kirby and Walt Simonson. Kirby is the king of comics, but Simonson took the character and made him shine brightest (in my humble opinion).

When word came out that a Thor film was in the works, I was obviously excited. I fear that it may be shit, but in my heart of hearts I yearn for an excellent Thor film, and my eyes hunger to see it. With Matthew Vaughn recently being removed from project the directors chair currently remains empty and the mind starts to wonder who may fill the seat.

Sir Jig-A-Lot suggested Mel Gibson in a recent post, and my mind was soon aflutter with images of what a Gibson Thor may look like. He did a pretty good job with Jesus; how much better could he do with the Thunder God?
Mel Gibson has been on a streak of extremely violent films, and I hope this trend climaxes in the world of Thor. The viking gods were role-models to some of the most relentless raiders to ever sail the globe. They are war lords that strike fear into all that oppose them; they should wield violence like non other. Mel Gibson could hammer this home better than most. Braveheart showed us his ability at directing large scale battles, and Apocalypto took the violence to the jungle with one on one combat. When Mel is present; violence rules.

Rodney threw up a post today that Brad Pitt may be Thor. That would be a casting befitting the legend and would be an appropriate starring vehicle for the man. Comic Book films make so much money that it makes sense to do them right, and get an A-Lister if you can. Robert Downey Jr. and Christian Bale have showed what a quality casting can do for a comic book film, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this rumor soon turns to fact.

I wouldn’t mind if Mel directed Thor, but he may notbe the best choice. Over the next little while (or until an announcement is made) I will bring up different directors and mull over reasons why they may be a quality choice, and we can discuss the pros and cons together. But for now, I ask you; Do you think Gibson would be a good director for Thor?

Last week I posted about Frank Miller directing Buck Rogers but as it turns out - its not true.

/Film says:

Turns out, the writer-producer of the Buck Rogers film, Flint Dille, says Miller is definitely not directing it, leaving Nu Image/Millenium on the prowl for a new “contender”

After debunking this news bit as rumour I was a little saddened that he didn’t contest the idea that “the film’s special effects will be purposely shoddy, a running gag of sorts.”

I would love to see a Buck Rogers film updated. One of the constant amusements with science fiction from the 70s is how they all assumed we would be wearing silver jumpsuits by the year 2000. Well here we are well into the new millenium and not a single unitard in sight. We don’t count Britney Spears.

Lets have a remake of this show that DOESNT pay too much tribute to its originator. I will just say that >coughspeedracercough< paying too much homage to the source material with something as key as the special effects could be a real achilles heel for this film.

They updated Battlestar Galactica without changing too much of the ship designs and it works. I hope they go this way with Buck Rogers too.

Back a few days when the rumour hit that Matthew McConaughey was rumoured to be playing Captain America I made an observation that I thought he might be better suited for the character of Thor, also planned for release by Marvel Studios.

But then the rumour mill churned out a nice tidbit this morning as we find out that Brad Pitt is being considered for Thor instead!

MovieHole says:

Are Marvel trying to one up themselves by casting an even bigger name than Robert Downey Jr (”Iron Man”) for their next super-jaunt? Sounds like it.

According to Latino Review, Brad Pitt is the favourite to play the Thunder God “Thor” in the upcoming superhero flick of the same name.

I know it is still terribly early in the game to be calling this out yet and it could change at the drop of a hat.

But just like Brooke Sheild’s eyebrows, now that I see this character in my head with Brad Pitt (picture him as above) in the role, I just can’t see anything else.

Pitt is a wonderful actor and can play the cold and stoic noble Norse warrior god. He has the physique, he has the ability to do action, and he has the jaw.

What do you think about this casting rumour?

We have some new images to show you from Quantum Of Solace today thanks to our friends at IESB. For the rest of the pics - head to the source.

My favorite picture is the last one; largely due to the pocket square in Bond’s pocket. It has a subtle slope, and stands out as if it were an award for being an outstanding gentleman. I still don’t like the name for this film, but I am quite anxious to see it in theaters when it’s released Nov 7, 2008.

News of a Fraggle Rock movie is hardly news. They have been talking about this for a long time. But now the Weinstein Company with Cory Edwards to direct, will finally get moving on a feature film.

Coming Soon says:

Just like the series, the film will be populated by a mix of human characters and Fraggle Rock puppets. The movie will take the core characters Gogo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red outside of their home in Fraggle Rock, where they interact with humans, which they think are aliens.

September 2005 brought us the first hint of this project with a Fraggles in Space storyline, then back in May 2006 we caught wind that this was actually going to happen and that it would be an adaptation of the show instead of a sequel.

I am still all about this provided they continue to use Muppets. Much like the fabled Dark Crystal sequel, much of the charm of the show will be lost without Muppets. A live action movie with cgi Fraggles might be kind of fun, but that will inevitably be compared to the proposed Smurfs movie that will do the same thing.

It sounds like they hope stay true to the materials. There is plenty to work with and we have a complete generation that have never been exposed to these strange creatures.

I just hope they don’t forget about the Dozers diligently building things with the one substance that Fraggles eat.

Then we can get a Dozer spinoff movie where the Fraggles are human sized and Dozers are the stars. They rally against the Fraggles who think it is harmless to destroy what they are building just so they can eat! Viva Dozer Revolution!!

The A-Team is a movie is slowly moving into the territory we once reserved for Indiana Jones 4. Every time I hear news about it, I doubt its ever going to get made.

Now we catch on that the favoured Mel Gibson for the role of the A-Team’s cigar loving cocky Col. John “Hannibal” Smith might actually fall to an actor who still stars in movies. Bruce Willis

MovieHole.net

None other than Bruce Willis. Yep, Bruno could be leading The A-Team. Now that could be cool. Maybe it’s even cooler than Mel Gibson leading the pack? Whatever-the-case, I can see it, I can see it.

John Singleton is attached to direct the “A-Team” movie, so personally, I’m expecting Tyrese Gibson – A Singleton film staple – to snag the B.A Baracus role.

I still think that Mel Gibson would have been the choice leadership role for this group. He has the swagger, and the charm that we all loved Hannibal for. But I could see Bruce Willis pulling this off too so I am not 100% against this rumoured casting, but I am leaning gently away from it. I still wouldnt mind it. If anyone can pull off cocky charm, Willis can.

Tyrese Gibson as B.A. I could deal with as well. Watch Transformers and when he is in the heat of battle just imagine him saying “LEFT CHEEK FOOL!” and you will see it too. I know this may not be popular, but the mohawk and chains are optional for me.

Yet to paraphrase the openning sequence of the show: Today still wanted by the 80s tv fans, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a need to see this movie. No one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can see, The A Team.

It looks like the schoolyard favorite Faces Of Death will be getting a fresh printing on DVD. We get the following skinny from our friends at cinematical:

According to the gore-soaked lunatics of Dread Central, who got word from one of their pals at supplement house Red Shirt Pictures, Gorgon Video is planning a Faces of Death DVD for release later this year. Extras will include a trio of featurettes (one on the effects, one on the editing, and one on the “impact”) and a “very in-depth” audio commentary from director Conan le Cilaire (aka John Schwartz). And since Faces of Death was one of the most controversial horror movies in my whole middle school, I can only assume that the new DVD release will cause a bit of colorful chit-chat all over the horror sites.

I cannot handle torture videos or footage of people getting killed, so I have never watched the FOD series of films. I remember when I was young, other kids would speak of the horrors of the films to others in the schoolyard that were unable to watch it (or too chicken like myself). Watching this series was like getting another badge for your cub scout uniform; and those that made it though the experience certainly had bragging rights.

This film continues to make cash as a new generation is born, and hungers to be disgusted. With so much of this available on the internet now, the film has certainly lost its exclusivity, but the collection still remains a cult classic and it ’s cool to see it live on to haunt anew.

Steve Martin is back with Diane Keaton in From Zero to Sixty. We get the scoop today thanks to our friends at comingsoon:

Paramount Pictures has acquired From Zero to Sixty, a Steve Martin pitch for a comedy that will reteam him with Father of the Bride co-star Diane Keaton. Robert Simonds will produce, says Variety.

Martin and Keaton would play a couple in the comedy. Paramount could put the film into production this fall if a writer is drafted quickly.

I have no idea what this film is about, which makes it hard to form an opinion on the above news. I grew up watching Steve Martin films, thanks to my father’s quality taste. The Jerk and The lonely Guy were on regular rotation and every time I hear an announcement that Steve Martin is in a film - I cannot help but hope for another classic. I talk about The Jerk quite a bit, but if you haven’t had a chance to see The Lonely Guy; go rent it now.

We will be sure to keep you up to speed on the progress of this film, and with luck we will find out some plot information shortly.

Now in the vast sea of films you love to mock, I find myself drawn to a few actors that put out fluffy light films that I always manage to enjoy. The first of which is Tim Allen (GalaxyQuest is pure genius) The second is Hillary Duff. Yeah yeah, line up your insults now. I find her adorable. Get over it.

Anyways, in a clip on MTVMoviesBlog that I can’t watch because I am in Canada Hillary appears in War Inc as a middle eastern popstar called Yonica Babyyeah. Shes more racy than her standard squeaky clean Disney girl act, but I think it is about time that she “grew up” and heavy makeup and fishnets is a good start.

But its not Duff that actually got my attention on this. It was John Cussack. Duff is actually a supporting role in this movie, and was the reason I looked into it to begin with. But imagine my surprise when I saw that this movie also starred Joan Cusack, Marisa Tomei, Ben Kingsley and Dan Aykroyd.

I guess while we were swimming our heads around the summer lineup of Superheroes and Pulp action stars we failed to mention this was even happening. Mostly because I didn’t know! Check out the Trailer:

This just struck me as a pile of good old fun with twisted dry humour, some titalating eye candy and a fun silly plot to go along with it. At very least this will be a good impulse alternative to that summer blockbuster you decide isn’t worth waiting in line for.

What do you think?

Back when we posted aboutthe title: I Want To Believe I still didn’t feel the need to see this movie. Granted as much of a big geek as I am, I really didn’t follow X-Files to begin with so that might have something to do with it.

I know, people will say “Thats why you don’t want to see this movie” because I wasn’t already a fan. But isn’t this the point? Shouldn’t they want to make a feature film extension of the TV Series into something that makes non-fans eager to see this? Bring in new fans. Tell a good story.

Or will this be buried in tie-ins to their history? This (among other things) I think is the biggest downfall of Serenity, the movie to cap off the canceled Firefly TV Series. The movie on its own was good. But there is SO MUCH that you miss out on if you didn’t watch the series. So much makes more sense if you have already traveled with these characters.

As a non-fan (not a hater) I still don’t feel drawn into this. Is this movie leaning too much on the existing fanbase for its success?

If you do want to see this, was it this trailer that made you want to or just that it is an X-Files movie?

Movies Online offers:

From the studio comes your first exclusive look at the Donnie Darko 2 poster along with an official synopsis! This next chapter of the Darko saga picks up with Samantha, Donnie’s younger sister, who, in the wake of his death, has found herself at 17 with a broken family, mired in feelings of insignificance, and with no aspirations for the future.

Now I still haven’t figured out if I want a sequel though I am morbidly curious about Daveigh Chase as the only thing I have seen her in is Big Love and she plays such an odd character there. This poster however gives me nothing to draw me in.

It looks so much like the original poster with the stylized bunny image in it. So does this make you want to see it at all?

Bring on all the racing puns and innuendos you can find. Speed Racer just didn’t have what it takes to beat IronMan to the finish line.

Yahoo Movies says:

“Speed Racer” was lapped in its opening weekend at the box office as “Iron Man” continued to fire its jets with $50.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.The anime-inspired race movie edged into the No. 2 spot with $20.2 million, slightly ahead of the 20th Century Fox comedy “What Happens in Vegas,” which debuted at $20 million.

Rarely do movies ever make more than they did on the first weekend in any other following weekend, so the studios are going to be hard pressed to come up with the $120million budget after this $50million opening weekend.

After they get the money from merchandising (my kids are crazy about the cars) and the dvd sales, they might recoup a lot of their costs, but I don’t imagine this will be enough to bring about a sequel.

Yahoo also points out that sites like this one were already bashing the film before it even came out. Oh the power of the intarweb!

Edit: It appears that some of the numbers were skewed to make the agony of defeat not so painful. But keep in mind Yahoo was reporting based on “projected numbers” for Sunday, so that wasn’t in stone. The Production budget may have been underestimated as well.
BoxOffice Mojo puts out final numbers.
Iron Man = $51,190,629
What Happens in Vegas = $20,172,474
Speed Racer = $18,561,337
Thanks for the tip MizH

Cinematical says”

“For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights - underground. But Ember’s once powerful generator is failing . . . and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker. Now, two teenagers in a race against time, must search Ember for clues that will unlock the ancient mystery of the city’s existence, and help the citizens escape before the lights go out forever.”

I am surprised that I haven’t heard of this. The list of players include a gallery of completely likeable sorts that fall shy of the A List of movie celebs, but it is being produced by Tom Hanks.

Now the Tom Hanks thing still holds a lot of credit with me as he produces one of my favourite TV Shows (Big Love) and is just an all around nice guy. He has an impressive track record, and I will give anything with his name on it a shot.

Just surprised that this is the first I hear of it.

And is it just me or does that logo look like the Internet Explorer logo a bit??

I was watching state sponsored socialist television last night and was blown away by the oscar nominated nature documentary Winged Migration. Released in 2003, I missed the film the first time around, but was glad to finally catch up with it. If you are a fan of the Planet Earth series or nature programs in general - this film is a must see.

In Winged Migration we are introduced to a number of different birds from around the globe, and we simply follow them on their migratory journeys. I marvel at the cinematic masterwork that was achieved in this film. The cameramen capture their journey from planes in the sky and stay with the birds so smoothly, that you are sucked into the illusion of flying with them.

Very little dialogue is in this film. It seems every 7-10 minutes the narrator says a short blurb - and then lets us simply watch nature, speak for itself. With a lack of dialogue more focus can be paid to the soundtrack; and this documentary had one that was both varied and excellent.

This film is awe inspiring and overwhelming. It’s as close to perfection as I have seen in a nature film and recommend it whole heartedly. I plan to purchase this film as soon as I find it, and add it to my own personal library. The best part of my job is recommending films that have moved me; and sharing that experience with others. Again, this is a must see and I urge you to seek this film out; you will be glad that you did.

It looks like the The Trials of Chicago 7 will be put on hold as Spielberg tackles the tale of Lincoln. We get the scoop today from our good friends at comingsoon:

Screen Daily is reporting that director Steven Spielberg will start shooting his long-anticipated biopic about the country’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, in early ‘09 after completing his Tintin movie.

Originally, the Oscar-winning filmmaker had planned on directing The Trials of Chicago 7, but as reported earlier, it’s been delayed to work out script issues, making room for the long-discussed biopic, which Spielberg would like to be released in the the year that would have been Lincoln’s 200th birthday.

Lincoln is a legendary leader that suffered a tragic end, his tale is one of inspiration, and is as good a story as you could hope for, when looking to shoot a biopic. Launching this film the same year as Lincoln’s 200th is a fantastic idea and an excellent tribute to the man.

This film wreaks of Oscar bait; and I would hope for nothing less. When the subject and director are both excellent, you cannot help but set your hopes high.

*** Christina was kind enough to remind me that Liam Neeson is set to star as Abraham Lincoln. He and Steven did good work together in Schindler’ s List, and I think it is safe to expect more of the same this time around. In the event that Liam is sick, I would welcome Malcovich as a replacement.

In an alternate universe I would love to see Christopher Walken as Abraham Lincoln, under the direction of Tim Burton.

I was made aware of a cool story today regarding the background of crystal skulls that are the subject of the upcoming Indiana Jones film. I have pilfered an excerpt of the article for you from the mystical caves of Yahoo:

There is a legend that the ancient Maya possessed 13 crystal skulls which, when united, hold the power of saving the Earth — a tale so strange and fantastic that it inspired the latest Indiana Jones movie. Experts dismiss the hundreds of existing crystal skulls as fakes that were probably made by colorful antiquities traders in the 19th century. But Mayan priests worship the skulls, even today, and real-life skull hunters still search for them.

Some believe the skulls can emit and focus light, project visions and even influence terrestrial forces. Today, these beliefs persist in the jungles of southern Mexico among the Lacandon, the last unassimilated Mayas, some of whom still worship the skulls. In the shadow of the Palenque ruins, Lacandon priest K’in Garcia fans copal incense and holds a heavy crystal skull above his head during ceremonies for Hacha’kyum, the Mayan god of creation.

If I lived in the shadow of the Palenque ruins, I would go to this temple. An incense filled building, with a priest holding aloft a crystal skull, is a place of mighty worship as far as I am concerned. When it comes to rituals, the Mayans sure know how to glam it up!

The full article is worth a read, and is a cool background piece on the motivation for the film. The fact that crystal skulls are still used in ritual today only adds to the mystique of the artifacts. With the advent of film merchandise tie ins, we may see a generation of youngsters buying crystal skulls, turning their backs on the religion of their parents and worshipping the mighty Hacha’kyum.

I am hoping Hacha’kyum is talked about in the film and strange magic is employed ala Temple Of Doom. The occult rituals in Temple were the highlight of the film and with luck we will have more of that, this time around.