Dan Owen reviews

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MOVIE NEWS

MAGNETO
'20th Century Fox' have asked screenwriter Sheldon Turner (The Longest Yard) to write Magneto, an action-thriller based on the villainous character played in the first two X-Men films by Ian McKellen, reports 'Variety'.
The studio is developing two spin-offs - the other being Wolverine - separately to X-Men 3, being written currently by Simon Kinberg.
Turner: "I pitched a film that is almost The Pianist meets X-Men, about a guy who, after watching his family slaughtered, has an awakening of his powers and seeks revenge."
The storyline will heavily involve Professor X (Patrick Stewart in the X-Men films), a soldier in the Allied forces that liberated the concentration camps. The professor meets Magneto after the war, and while they bond over the realization that they are alike in their special powers, their differences soon turn them into enemies.

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
Brian Cox (The Ring) has signed to bring his vocal talents to Aslan, the mighty lion from the upcoming Chronicles Of Narnia movie.

THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E
Matthew Vaughan (Layer Cake) is in talks to direct the big-screen adaptation of The Man From U.N.C.L.E TV series, that starred Robert Vaughan.

EXORCIST - THE BEGINNING
Paul Schrader's aborted movie is due to hit cinemas next year. It was suspected that soon after the release of Renny Harlin's fast-tracked "remake", a DVD of Schrader's original prequel would be released, but this has not come to pass.
A spokesman confirmed that the omission was due to the fact "Paul is currently in post-production on the movie, as we're anticipating a limited theatrical release here in the United States sometime in 2005."

TRAILERS

Constantine - Trailer 2 (weblink)

Sounds serious.
Not really! This is Keanu Reeves post-Matrix movie, based on the comic-book Hellblazer about a British working-class detective of the paranormal.

So Reeves will be dusting off his Dracula accent again?
No, thank God. To the condemnation of comic nerds, Constantine has been given a US spin.

Right. Probably for the best! So does it look good?
It looks very good, actually. Despite changing some key heritage of the original comic, the film looks to have retained the grim tone and has plenty of Hellish special-effects that seem to work well. There are perhaps more "stand out" scenes in this trailer than most recently.

Hmm, sounds good. Reeves is a good actor in these stoic roles.
Agreed. Anyway, Constantine is out next year and looks to be MUCH better than End Of Days and Stigmata combined - not that that's saying much!

War Of The Worlds (2005) (weblink)

Not ANOTHER remake!
Yes, but this comes courtesy of Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise.

Hmmm, okay, I'm interested. But hasn't this remake been done already as Independence Day back in 1996?
In a sense, yeah, although I'm sure Spielberg's contemporary update on the classic "Martians invade Victorian England" novel will be much better.

Does the trailer confirm this?
The trailer features very little "in-movie" footage, but has a style and polish that makes you very hopeful for the finished product.

What stands out?
Mmmmm, just the general ambience, really. A nice sense of paranoia about Mars is quickly developed and the final shot of suburban people being awakened and watching the Martians attack (in the form of distant lights and noise) is eerie and perfect.

So will they be focusing on normal people in this?
Yes. No Presidents flying F-18's for Spielberg! This will be told from OUR perspective. Imagine a cross between ID4 and Signs.

Okay, I'm psyched. When is it out?
Summer 2005!

Cover Batman Begins - Trailer 1 (weblink)

Adam West! Michael Keaton! Er, Val Kilmer! Hmmm, George Clooney...
Yes, steadily the Batman pedigree has been declining recently, but now director Christopher Nolan brings us a Batman Redux with Christian Bale (American Psycho) as the caped crusader.

Okay, cool, but what does redux mean?
Basically, this is a prequel to the Bat franchise that sort of rewrites the flashbacks seen throughout the other films. So, really, it's officially the fifth Batman movie, but it's hitting the erase button.

Does the trailer look as bad as Batman & Robin?
On the contrary. The Dark Knight is now a more sophisticated and serious movie with a definite dark mood and some cool new ideas floating around.

When is it out?
17 June 2005 in the US!

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory - Trailer 1 (weblink)

Wow, I'm a big fan of Roald Dahl's book and loved the Gene Wilder musical from the '70s! What's the word on this?
Well, Tim Burton (long associated with the proposed remake since the early-'90s) is in charge of the movie, which loses its songs but gains all the scope the book deserves.

Excellent! So who's playing Willy Wonka?
The ever-excellent Johnny Depp, long-time stalwart of Burton, and here sporting some rather bizarre false teeth.

Hmmm. So who's Charlie Bucket?
It's pronounced bouquet... er, no actually you're right. Freddy Highmore has landed the role - the talented kid from Depp's recent movie Finding Neverland.

Brilliant! So what does the trailer look like?
It looks like a blast! Burton has brought a suitably warped view to everything, and the big-budget makes the '70s version look like a school play! There is also a brilliantly demented musical tune playing over the entire thing, and the sight of Depp in truly bizarre get-up. If Wilder Wonka was an eccentric Uncle, Depp's is the unhinged nephew! Truly weird stuff!

Ah, I'm so glad! Dahl would have approved. Any closing thoughts?
Looks like a winner, but could scare younger kids! Strangely, after a little insider hype, the Oompa-Loompah's don't seem to be CGI pygmies. Maybe this is a good thing.