Page Not Found - DVDfever.co.uk

Follow DVDfever.co.uk

WP Twitter Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com

Dan Owen reviews

DAN'S   MOVIE   DIGEST

I s s u e   # 7 5

2 3   J a n u a r y   2 0 0 4

Movie News
Trailers
US & UK Top cinema listings
In the Pipeline

** MOVIE NEWS **

CATWOMAN

More pictures from the publicity machine behind this Batman spin-off have been released. Starring Halle Berry, the buzz has been very bad on this movie - with many predicting it will be the turkey of 2004. Time will, as always, tell all... (see right)

ALIEN VS PREDATOR

Peter Weller (RoboCop) has been cast in Paul W.S Anderson's Alien Vs Predator as John Yutani. Lance Henriksen (Aliens) has already been cast as Charles Weyland. Both characters are co-owners of the Weyland-Yutani organization mentioned throughout the Alien franchise.

Cover

HARRY POTTER & THE GOBLET OF FIRE

Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban director Alfonso Cuaron and Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell have both been talking about their upcoming Potter films.

Cuaron told 'The Associated Press' that some themes in the third film are similar to how the cast is growing into their teens: "Harry goes through a journey where he realizes that demons aren't just things that go bump in the night, but also can be painful emotions, worries about family, friends, the future, the monsters that lie within. And that's a classic teenage issue."

Cuaron added that he's also trying to make the film more contemporary with the characters wearing modern clothes under their school cloaks, following the intent of author J.K. Rowling.

Meanwhile, Mike Newell told 'The Sunday Mail' about his upcoming fourth movie, saying: "I think of myself as being really lucky. I'm going to make the most expensive film there has ever been. These things are not like ordinary films they are world events. I have millions of 10-year-olds who must not be disappointed. Making Harry Potter is like being President of Brazil. It is a colossal undertaking."

Newell added that finding an 8-foot tall Frenchwoman to play Hagrid's love interest, Madame Maxime, is giving him a major headache. "We are casting right now. I've been in Paris, looking for giant women and French schoolgirls."

THE HOBBIT

'New Line Cinema' has production rights to this prequel to The Lord Of The Rings, although 'MGM' and 'United Artists' own the distribution rights.

'New Line' co-chairman, Bob Shaye, has said "there's a reasonable possibility that we can negotiate an arrangement."

So, until this happens The Hobbit on the big-screen remains a cherished fan's wish. Interestingly, 'New Line' also has the rights to produce original prequels and sequels to The Lord Of The Rings - not based on any of J.R.R Tolkien's novels!

Cover

SON OF THE MASK

'Superhero Hype!' has released the first image from the set of The Son Of The Mask (see right). Due out in the U.S on 15 October, the sequel stars Jamie Kennedy as cartoonist Tim Avery who acquires the mask of Loki (Alan Cumming). Nine months later Tim and wife Tonya (Traylor Howard) are the proud parents of a bouncing baby boy, Alvey. But thanks to the Mask, Alvey is endowed with its powers, and when owners Loki and Odin (Bob Hoskins), want their Mask back, all hell breaks loose...

THE FANTASTIC FOUR

As production on the Fantastic Four movie begins to drag thanks to the departure of director Peyton Reed (Down With Love), what hope is there that the last major superhero franchise will appear on the silver screen?

Well, it appears actor Sean Astin (Lord Of The Rings' Sam) is hoping he can persuade the studio to let him take control. Astin directed the short-movie The Long & Short Of It for The Two Towers' DVD, and would plan to have George Clooney as Reed Richards and Orlando Bloom as The Human Torch.

Check out this weblink for the full interview.

I, ROBOT

The screenplay to Will Smith's upcoming sci-fi movie, directed by Alex Proyas (Dark City) has been positively reviewed at this weblink

Cover

SPIDER-MAN 2

A picture from Sam Raimi's sequel has been released showing Spidey getting to grips with the villainous Doctor Octopus! (see right)

THE RING 2

'Sci Fi Wire' spoke to actress Daveigh Chase, who says she'll reprise her as evil Samara Morgan in The Ring 2.

Chase: "I will [go back to work] soon. They're going to start filming in March. Unfortunately, I can't say anything about it, [but] it will definitely be horrifying. They're waiting until the last minute [to show me the script]. I'm pretty sure I'll get to kill everybody again. That'll be fun."

STAR WARS EPISODES VII, VIII & IX

'Hotdog' magazine has stated that actor Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) has a contract that stipulates his appearance in a seventh, eighth and ninth episode of the Star Wars franchise. This would, of course, mean that George Lucas plans to film a trilogy of sequels to his originals!

SUPERMAN

J.J. Abrams, who wrote the script for the proposed new Superman trilogy, told 'Sci Fi Wire' that the project is still moving forward: "I'm hopeful. It was a blast to [write]. I'm crossing my fingers. I hope they do it, because I'd love to see that movie. I love working with the director, McG, so we'll see what happens. I'd love to make it work. There are some candidates [to play Superman]."

TRAILERS

Van Helsing - Trailer 1

A music biopic?
No, that's Van Halen, stupid. Van Helsing's the infamous vampire slayer from Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Ah, Peter Cushing territory.
Correct. But for contemporary audiences, Cushing's debonair blood-sucker dispatcher has been updated in the guise of Hugh Jackman's hard-assed version.

Hugh Jackman of Wolverine mullet-chops infamy?
Yes, the X-Men star is hoping to branch out from his Wolverine role by playing a similarly hard-edged character. Well, it's a step-up from donning tights in Kate & Leopold, anyway! Van Helsing should, at the very least, establish Jackman as one of THE action stars of the future.

So who's behind Van Helsing and what's it all about?
Written and directed by Stephen Sommers, who recently updated Universal's The Mummy in 1999, Van Helsing should be a horror nerd's wet dream. The movie has Stoker's hero sent to Eastern Europe to defeat Count Dracula, the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's Monster.

Wowzers! That's quite a line-up!
For pure entertainment value, this should be unbeatable. The trailer is full to the brim with CGI effects (some very good, some okay), and the general style seems to be a cross between Hammer Horror and the House Of The Dead video-game. The production values looks very high and there are some spine-tingling shots of a shadowy werewolf transformation, some super-fanged vampire babes, and a stagecoach set-piece.

Sounds like good fun! When's it out?
7 May in the U.S. Probably sometime later that month for the UK.

Trailer link