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Dan Owen reviews

DAN'S   MOVIE   DIGEST

I s s u e # 6 6 (6)

3 1   O c t o b e r   2 0 0 3

H A L L O W E E N   S P E C I A L

** MOVIE NEWS **

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FANTASTIC FOUR

The movie is stalling, but a design has been released for lead villain Dr Doom, which is certainly very faithful to the comic-book series. (see right)

THE DARK

Director Neil Marshall and producer Keith Bell (Dog Soldiers) held a talk to a Media Production course at a North-Eastern University recently and mentioned their next project: The Dark.

Marshall described it as a throwback to 70's horror movies (almost Deliverance-meets-Alien) about a group of five women trapped in a network of caves.

The pair are also considering making a zombie film and a historical epic set in Arthurian times.

EXORCIST - THE BEGINNING

'Morgan Creek Productions' have secured director Renny Harlin (Deep Blue Sea) to film six weeks of re-shoots on their Exorcist prequel - following the sacking of director Paul Schrader. Schrader will still retain his director's credit, however.

THE GOONIES 2

Director Richard Donner revealed at a preview for Timeline that he will make a sequel to The Goonies with the original cast (now adults), even if 'Warner Brothers' don't want to.

INDIANA JONES 4

'Fox News' spoke with Indiana Jones franchise actors John Rhys-Davies and Kate Capshaw about Indiana Jones 4.

John Rhys-Davies, who played Indie's friend Sallah in Raiders Of The Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, said he'd love to reprise his role: "None of these guys [Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford or George Lucas] are in it for the money, anymore."

"If they're doing it at all, it's got to be better and more remarkable than any one of the Indiana Jones films before. And that's a pretty tall order."

Spielberg's wife, Kate Capshaw, was herself coy about the future during a Q & A to promote the trilogy's DVD release, saying: "There is a lot of demand for a 4 - and no doubt a 5, 6, 7 and 8. I think George would just make as many as [Harrison and Spielberg] would like. As long as you have those two guys interested, there will be another Indiana Jones."

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ALIEN VS PREDATOR

Actress Sanaa Lathan (Out Of Time, right) has been cast as explorer/adventuress Lex Kline in Alien Vs Predator. Her character will lead an expedition to Antarctica to uncover warring alien races.

JINX

Halle Berry won't reprise her Die Another Day character Jinx after all. To the dismay of Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson at 'Eon', 'MGM' instead wants Bond 21 put into production for 2005.

THE MASK OF ZORRO II

Director Martin Campbell told the 'Calgary Sun' that a Zorro sequel is looking likely now. "We're in the final stages of negotiations with Antonio and Catherine Zeta-Jones. If they are both available and everything goes as planned, we could begin shooting in Mexico in April or May for a 2005 release."

"We've rejected several scripts over the past four years, but have a great one now, which is why the project has been green-lit. It's a great role for Catherine. Her character will definitely be on a par with Antonio's this time. [And it's] much more than your typical sequel. It's a full-out new film that uses the same two central characters."

THE PHANTOM

'Crusader Entertainment' and 'Hyde Park' have secured the services of Olympic gold medallist (turned screenwriter) Mel Stewart to write a project based on The Phantom comics.

Stewart: "While I like the comic book franchises of the 1990's, I always wanted to be able to identify with my hero more. Take all of the technology of 2004, where science fiction is no longer that - it's science fact. If you had all that technology at your fingerprints, you would be a superhero."

SUCCUBUS

Director Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil) has successfully pitched horror movie Succubus to 'MGM'. Johnson will direct the movie after completing Ghost Rider with Nicholas Cage.

Succubus centres on a cult of female demons who use their supermodel looks to seduce and steal the souls of men. The movie will revolve around two friends - one of which is propositioned by a beautiful woman before going missing.

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BOND 21

'The Toronto Sun' talked to actor Clive Owen (right) about all the rumours that he's set to takeover as James Bond after Pierce Brosnan.

Owen: "That's exactly what they are - rumours! There has never been anything substantial underneath them. It's reared up so many times now. I'll deal with it, I'll think about it, if it ever becomes a fact.

"I learned a long time ago in this game that there is a lot of bullshit and, if you worry about things that are not factual, you end up wasting a lot of time."

"If ever there is an official approach, or somebody talks properly to my representatives, I'll think about it. But, until then, I read what you read. No, no, no, no... I honestly do not think about it."

Anyway, 'MI6' reports that Aussie actor Hugh Jackman (X-Men 2) is now a front-runner to take over as 007. A report in 'NW Magazine' claims that Jackman is "what the producers are looking for: dark good looks, sex appeal, a sense of humour and box-office clout. He's also the right age. [Clive] Owen lacks the necessary lightness of touch to make Bond a box-office success."

"British actors Ioan Gruffudd, Jeremy Northam and Paul Bettany have all been put in the frame - but they have now reportedly been eliminated".

Director Lewis Gilbert (The Spy Who Loved Me) also added his comments on the issue: "You can't have someone too young playing Bond because they would never be believable in the part. And the chances of getting a superstar like Russell Crowe are slim because he'll be too expensive; he'll have all sorts of projects lined up and is unlikely to want to commit to making a series of films. Hugh Jackman clearly fits the bill."

STAR WARS EPISODE III

'Teletext' spoke with Ian McDiarmid, who plays Chancellor Palpatine in Star Wars: Episode III, who said his character will feature in the action sequences of the movie for the first time.

"You'd imagine that my character has been rather deskbound in the past but this time he will get to take part in the action. I can't give the story away as George Lucas would kill me but I have been engaged in far more physical activities than any of the other films."

"I have found myself sliding down chutes at speed and landing on heaps of rubber, it's been a completely new experience for me. I haven't had to go down the gym to get fit for the scenes but I did need a few rehearsals to get up to speed."

"Most of my scenes have been with Anakin Skywalker [Hayden Christensen] who eventually becomes Darth Vader. There's a lot of anticipation about the movie and I think it will be worth the wait."

THE TRANSPORTER 2

A sequel to The Transporter is in development, says star Jason Statham (The Italian Job remake): "I'm doing another movie with Luc Besson. I'm doing another Transporter movie and that's late spring. They're writing it now. I'm very thrilled about the prospect of what we're going to get up to."

WATCHMEN

'Aint-It-Cool News' reports that John Cusack (Identity) is attached to play Nite-Owl in 'Revolution Studios' new comic adaptation of Alan Moore's Watchmen.


DAN'S TOP 10 SCARIEST MOVIES

Channel 4's recent 'Top 100 Scariest Screen Moments' was a good weekend's viewing for horror fans, and the eventual Top 10 was predictable but still satisfying.

But, for anyone who cares, here is my own personal Top 10 - which I will no doubt amend countless times in the future... perhaps adding Spice World in there somewhere...

Click on each image for more info.

1. The Exorcist

Predictable, yes, but for someone with even the slightest religious learning, The Exorcist is a direct stab through the heart. Effortlessly brooding and atmospheric, wonderfully acted and - let's not forget - simply a very good story well-told.

Of course, some of the effects now elicit snickering from a contemporary crowd, but The Exorcist remains a potent shocker whose reputation is now insurmountable.

2. The Shining

Stanley Kubrick didn't make many movies, but he rarely made a turkey. The Shining is a magnificent riff on Stephen King's book, expertly crafted to a razor's edge by excessive takes and superb production design.

Jack Nicholson and Shelly Duvall are dynamite, and the film contains a foreboding atmosphere never better in haunted house movies...

3. Alien

Modern sci-fi horror still bows at the altar of Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece. A triumph of set-design and special-effects, capped off by some fine acting and *that* alien.

Sure, the sequels have weakened the surprise of artist H.R Geiger's extra-terrestrial, but Scott's film remains a terrifying journey into a grimy, claustrophobic hell-hole...

4. Requiem For A Dream

Perhaps an odd addition, but Darren Aronofsky's overlooked tale of drug addiction is perhaps the most nerve-shredding experience of recent times.

The film overflows with smart camera-tricks and is superbly acted from all concerned... but what scares is the depravity and visceral horrors the characters all face - culminating in a truly depressive final ten minutes...

5. The Omen

Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-winning score is the real star, but Richard Donner's film still brims with a creepy atmosphere and spooky parallels to actual religious beliefs.

If you're religious, in particular, The Omen is your worst fear come to believable life...

6. John Carpenter's The Thing

Remakes rarely better their originals, but John Carpenter's The Thing is a memorably exception. The tension is cranked up high as a team of Arctic explorers discover a shape-shifting alien is amongst them.

The pioneering effects are awesome and Carpenter stages some strikingly gruesome horrors.

7. Carrie

Brian De Palma directs a wonderful Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, the abused teen who gets sweet revenge on cruel pranksters thanks to her latent telekinesis after a gruesome Prom Night joke.

Carrie is well-acted and impressively staged mayhem with a famous (yet now clichéd) final scene...

8. Halloween

Jamie Lee Curtis became the original 'Scream Queen' in John Carpenters seminal shocker that has become a template for all its imitators. As with Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers' ability to scare has diminished in the slew of sequels, but the original remains a white-knuckle experience...

9. An American Werewolf In London

John Landis made a fantastic movie that balances comedy and horror with great ease. Werewolf lacks a full-on nasty bite (despite its reputation), but it contains some immaculately timed "jolts" and, of course, the infamous transformation scene is still stunning...

10. A Nightmare On Elm Street

Freddy Krueger may have lost much of his bite in the years between Wes Craven's original shocker and 2003's Freddy Vs Jason, but there's no denying ol' pizza-face spearheaded 80's horror.

A Nightmare On Elm Street is a smart, original piece of filmmaking that still holds up reasonably well today because of its iconic status and potent premise. But, yes, naff special-effects abound and the least said about that epilogue the better...


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US TOP 10 (CINEMA)

All figures are weekend box-office gross.

UK TOP 10 (CINEMA)


Cover ** IN THE PIPELINE **

Note that these are UK release dates.

  • October 2003: Alien - Director's Cut (31), The Singing Detective (31), Seabiscuit (31)
  • November 2003: The Matrix Revolutions (7), Love Actually (21), Master & Commander (28), Scary Movie 3 (28), Timeline (28)
  • December 2003: S.W.A.T (5), Lord Of The Rings - The Return Of The King (19), Peter Pan (26)
  • January 2004: The Last Samurai (9), Kill Bill - Volume II (23), Stuck On You (23), Big Fish (30)
  • February 2004: Looney Tunes Back In Action (13), The Alamo (20)
  • March 2004: The Exorcist - The Beginning (19)
  • April 2004: Dr Seuss' The Cat In The Hat (2), Scooby Doo 2 (9), Hellboy (23)
  • May 2004: Troy (21), Van Helsing (21), The Day After Tomorrow (28)
  • June 2004: Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban (4), Shrek 2 (4), Spider-Man 2 (16), Thunderbirds (23), Garfield (30)
  • August 2004: I, Robot (13), The Chronicles Of Riddick (20)

    Page Content copyright © Dan Owen, 2003.

    Email Dan Owen

    Visit Dan Owen.blogspot.com

    The following is a list of Dan's Movie Digests online :

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