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1-20 of 36 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
Payback is making a comeback
20 November 2009 4:15 PM, PST
| The Guardian - Film News
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Why does recession bring with it a thirst for dumb revenge dramas?
Law Abiding Citizen, which I should say at the outset is a terrible, terrible movie – either the stupidest of the year so far or the most unintentionally funny – takes the urban revenge movie and grafts on to it certain depressing innovations from other genres, including the serial killer-as-genius trope from The Silence Of The Lambs, and the post-Saw/Hostel enthusiasm for torture-porn and mega bloodshed. Let's just say it doesn't tell us much except that the revenge movie is back with, um, a vengeance.
Gerard Butler plays a man who takes complicated, detailed and violent revenge against the killers who raped and murdered his wife and daughter. Thing is, he's already in jail when most of the killings occur (cue evil genius!), which doesn't stop one victim from being surgically deprived of various extremities, up to and including his Johnson (hello,
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- John Patterson
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October 16: DVD alternatives to this weekend’s multiplex offerings
16 October 2009 12:58 PM, PDT
| www.flickfilosopher.com
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We know how it is: You’d like to go to the movies this weekend, but there’s all this vengeance to be doled out and all those injustices to be put right. But you can have a multiplex-like experience at home with a collection of the right DVDs. And when someone asks you on Monday, “Hey, did you see Law Abiding Citizen this weekend?” you can reply, “No, I indulged in the long history of vigilante cinema and checked out the long history of extralegal fantasy ass kicking.”
Instead Of: Law Abiding Citizen, the vigilante action flick about grieving, angry husband and father Gerard Butler taking vengeance against Da Jamie Foxx for setting free the man who murdered his family...
Watch: The granddaddy of vigilante flicks, 1974’s Death Wish, in which Charles Bronson goes all badass on bad guys who done bad. Just as the Vietnam War spawned the
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- MaryAnn Johanson
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Nicolas Cage-Starring 'The Hungry Rabbit Jumps' Described As A Vigilante-Centric Thriller
14 October 2009 11:00 AM, PDT
| MTV Movies Blog
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Nicolas Cage is often viewed as a love-'em or hate-'em kind of actor, so his involvement in the Tobey Maguire-produced "The Hungry Rabbit Jumps" is bound to further divide movie fans. MTV News spoke with James D. Stern, one of the film's producers, to get the official rundown on the project.
"It's a thriller about a guy who has something quite untoward happen to his wife," Stern said of the film's premise. "He's approached by a vigilante group and they can take care of it, because it doesn't look like the police will be able to. In exchange, he'll have to owe them a favor. He mistakenly takes them up on it and finds himself in a bind that's hard to get out of."
On the one hand, "The Hungry Rabbit Jumps" sounds like a cool little thriller with shades of "Death Sentence" and "Before and After" in there — but on the other hand,
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- Josh Wigler
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Exclusive: 'Law Abiding Citizen' Poster Premiere
9 September 2009 1:00 PM, PDT
| Cinematical
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Click image below for full poster
Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Law Abiding Citizen, the latest action film from Set It Off and The Italian Job director F. Gary Gray. Starring Jamie Foxx as a jaded public defender who cuts a deal with the murderer of Gerard Butler's wife and child in exchange for a testimony that will fry bigger underworld fish. Not satisfied with the swift indifference of the justice system, Butler then decides to go on a city wide rampage against both the criminals and the complacent bureaucrats that ruined his life.
Only Butler's plan for due justice is more complicated than any of the clueless courtroom regulars can imagine, and it isn't until the titular Law Abiding Citizen intentionally allows himself to be arrested that the full extent of his wrath comes to scale.
If the trailer is any indication, F. Gary Gray
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- Peter Hall
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Mother's Day slasher film has got Saw director
19 August 2009 12:33 PM, PDT
| Corona's Coming Attractions
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Saw II, III and IV director Darren Lynn Bousman is prepping a remake of the 1980 cult horror film Mother's Day. Bousman has already assembled an array of cast members for his scary movie including Shawn Ashmore (Iceman from the X-Men films), Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), Briana Evigan (S. Darko), Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood), Matt O'Leary (Death Sentence) and Jaime King (Sin City). The first day of filming is scheduled to take place next month in Winnipeg, Canada.
The old Mother's Day was a Lloyd Kaufman film from his Troma company so it was ultra-low budget and tailored to grab as much attention for its shock value. Made when making slasher films that took place around a holiday were the fad, the '80s Mother's Day was a brutal story about three female friends who, while camping, are stalked and sexually assaulted by two deranged brothers who have a misguided sense of family values.
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- Patrick Sauriol
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Comedy Central Gives 'Reno 911!' the Death Sentence
16 August 2009 1:53 PM, PDT
| GetTheBigPicture.net
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Tweeting "Won't be wearing the shorts again," Reno 911! co-creator and star Thomas Lennon announced that Comedy Central has canceled the show after six seasons.
The network has renewed two younger shows, Tosh 2.0 and Important Things with Demetri Martin, in the past couple months, and has also announced plans for a sitcom prouced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay and starring Jon Heder.
So clearly, with a few exceptions, Comedy Central is betting on new content to keep viewers interested and as has been the case for years, South Park, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report continue to anchor the weeknight line-ups.
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- Colin Boyd
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Tron Legacy: High-definition trailer plus latest on casting
3 August 2009 5:57 AM, PDT
| The Geek Files
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Back in 1982, Disney's virtual-reality sci-fi adventure Tron seemed like a cutting-edge concept.
It's still way ahead of what can be achieved with real-world digital technology so it's no wonder the movie retains its cult status.
At this year's San Diego Comic-Con, interest in the sequel - now revealed to be called Tron Legacy - looked just as strong.
As I already reported, there was no new footage to show this year (filming on Legacy has only just wrapped) but the preview from last year's Comic-Con was screened again, this time converted into high-definition 3D.
This new HD trailer with its thrilling light-cycle race is now available online and I've included it above. Never have neon motorbikes looked so good...
To put the franchise into context, the original came out two years after Pac-Man was released on the world's arcades and a year after the arrival of Donkey Kong, the game that introduced us to Mario.
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- David Bentley
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James Wan To Direct Castlevania!
28 July 2009 8:19 PM, PDT
| iconsoffright.com
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Variety reports that Konami is in final negotiations with filmmaker (and Saw co-creator) James Wan to direct Castlevania with Ian Jeffers attached to write. Wan & Jeffers last collaborated on Death Sentence together. Steven Paul from Crystal Sky Entertainment is producing. Variety reports, "The project centers on the battle between Dracula and the Belmont clan of vampire hunters in a labyrinthine fortress in the Carpathian mountains. "Castlevania" debuted as a vidgame in Japan in 1986. Crystal Sky acquired the feature rights in 2005 and attached Paul W.S. Anderson to direct, followed by Sylvain White in 2007, with Rogue co-producing, but the project stalled during the WGA strike."
Wan spoke to Bloody-Disgusting and said, "I'll be working on the script with a writer to give it a new spin, different to the previous versions. This will have my stamp on it which Konami is very excited about. The thing I love about what Konami did with Castlevania,
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James Wan Boards Coach For Castlevania
27 July 2009 11:57 PM, PDT
| EmpireOnline
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The coach and horses has pulled up outside the inn, and James Wan has ignored the advice of the villagers to stay away from the castle. Seems we missed this a week or so ago with all the Comic Con excitement, but Variety has just brought to our attention Bloody Disgusting's news that Wan is all set for the live action movieisation of Konami's Castlevania game franchise.Castlevania has taken on various incarnations and embraced several generations of gaming platform since its debut on the Nes in the 1980s. But its fundamentals as a frenetic gothic running jumping shooter have remained the same. The series' main protagonist is Simon Belmont, a silver-haired vampire slayer carrying on his family's generation-spanning feud with Dracula. It's no coincidence that the game of Van Helsing was an unashamed Castlevania knock-off.Wan directed the original Saw, and the Kevin Bacon starring psycho revenge quickie Death Sentence.
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James Wan to Direct Castlevania Movie
27 July 2009 11:14 PM, PDT
| FilmSchoolRejects.com
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This might be many day old news by now, but it is worth mentioning in the wee hours of a Tuesday morning. Saw director James Wan is in final talks to direct the live-action adaptation of the Konami video game Castlevania.
The story, follows the battle between Dracula and the Belmont clan of vampire hunters in a labyrinthine fortress in the Carpathian mountains, has been in development for quite some time, having been passed from Paul W.S. Anderson to Sylvain White in recent years. The addition of Wan brings almost no added pedigree, as he has not been commercially successful since he made a smash with the first Saw movie. Although in fairness, his latest film Death Sentence wasn't all that bad, despite what the bulk of reviewers had to say.
Just yesterday, Wan updated his MySpace Blog with a comment, as well as changing his profile picture to a piece of Castlevania art:
"I haven't blogged
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- Neil Miller
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James Wan To Direct Castlevania
27 July 2009 10:05 PM, PDT
| Slash Film
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Saw helmer James Wan is in final talks to direct a live-action adaptation of the Konami video game Castlevania.
The project has been in development for a couple years, first with Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil) and later with Sylvain White. Wan hasn't had a hit since the Sundance indie horror film Saw. I never got a chance to see Dead Silence but I was one of the few people who enjoyed his vigilante film Death Sentence. Castlevania is being scripted by Ian Jeffers, Wan's Death Sentence scribe. The film tells the story of a clan of vampire hunters who attempt to hunt down Dracula in a labyrithine fortress in the Carpathian mountains. Wan gave an update on his myspace blog:
Castlevaniai haven't blogged in awhile, and I will keep this short.Yes, for those that who have been asking, it has been announced that Castlevania is one of my next projects.
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- Peter Sciretta
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James Wan to Helm ‘Castlevania’
27 July 2009 5:19 AM, PDT
| WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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James Wan, the director behind ‘Saw,’ ‘Dead Silence,’ and ‘Death Sentence,’ is in final negotiations to bring the long-planned adaptation of ‘Castlevania’ to the big screen. Wan will be working from a screenplay by Ian Jeffers (’Death Sentence’).
The announcement came from Bloody Disgusting, who also got some words from Wan about the film.
I’m very fresh on this project, so its early stages and I’m still trying to work things out, but the producers love my vision for it.
I’ll be working on the script with a writer to give it a new spin, different to the previous versions. This will have my stamp on it which Konami is very excited about.
The thing I love about what Konami did with Castlevania, was taking the iconic Dracula mythology and Eastern-European setting, and retelling it with a Japanese pop-cultural sensibility. That’s the East-meets-West tone I want
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- Kirk
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Sdcc ‘09: More Details on the ‘Castlevania’ Movie
24 July 2009 5:08 PM, PDT
| ScreenRant.com
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I was doing interviews with the cast and crew of the upcoming sci-fi/horror/thriller Pandorum yesterday and got a chance to speak with one of the film’s producers, Paul W.S. Anderson, who you may know as the director of Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Death Race, Avp, and a little film that scared the hell out of me more than a decade ago, Event Horizon.
Aside from all the discussion of Pandorum and Anderson’s career, I managed to pry a few more details out of him about the upcoming big-screen adaptation of Konami’s Castlevania video game series, which Bloody-Disgusting announced on Wednesday. Check it out:
Castlevania is going to be helmed by James Wan, one of the writers of the original Saw film. Wan also directed Saw, Dead Silence, and more recently the Kevin Bacon revenge flick, Death Sentence. Originally Anderson himself was supposed to helm the film,
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- Kofi Outlaw
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James Wan to Write, Direct ‘Castlevania’
23 July 2009 5:41 PM, PDT
| newsinfilm.com
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James Wan will co-write and direct an adaptation of the popular video game franchise Castlevania, produced by Paul W.S. Anderson. Wan is the co-creator of the Saw franchise (he wrote and directed the first Saw) and the director of 2007’s Death Sentence. Unfortunately he’ll be working under Anderson, who directed the first Alien vs. Predator, produced the Resident Evil movies, and shot the remake Death Race.
“I’m very fresh on this project, so its early stages and I’m still trying to work things out, but the producers love my vision for it,” Wan told the fine folks at Bloody-Disgusting. “I’ll be working on the script with a writer to give it a new spin, different to the previous versions. This will have my stamp on it which Konami is very excited about.
The first ever console game was created by the Japanese company Konami and ported
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- Jeff Leins
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‘Saw’ Director James Wan Making ‘Castlevania’ Movie
23 July 2009 1:09 PM, PDT
| ScreenRant.com
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Bloody-Disgusting has just nabbed an exclusive that James Wan (one of the original writers and director of the Saw franchise) will be co-writing and directing and adaptation of the popular video game franchise, Castlevania. The film originally had Paul W.S. Anderson (Death Race) as the writer/director (he’ll still serve as producer), and then Sylvain White (The Losers) took the helm, but the studio has ultimately decided now to go with James Wan.
Wan was one of the two guys (along with Leigh Whannell) who came up with the idea for the Saw movies, as well as co-writing and directing it. He also directed the thriller-drama Death Sentence and the ventriloquist doll horror, Dead Silence. His experience with creepy horror seems really suited to the Castlevania movie, which is based on the popular Konami video game series that was first released in Japan in 1986.
In case you’re not
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- Ross Miller
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Saw Creator to Direct Castlevania
23 July 2009 12:00 PM, PDT
| WorstPreviews.com
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Only two months ago, we reported that the big screen adaptation of the "Castlevania" video game was considered dead since the announced start date has already been missed and director Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard) has moved on. Now comes news that James Wan, the man behind the original "Saw" movie, "Death Sentence" and "Dead Silence," has signed on to co-write and direct "Castlevania." Paul Ws Anderson will be producing. "I'm very fresh on this project, so its early stages and I'm still trying to work things out, but the producers love my vision for it," Wan told Bloody-Disgusting. "I'll be working on the script with a writer to give it a new spin, different to the previous versions. This will have my stamp on it which Konami is very excited about." He continued: "The thing I love about what Konami did with Castlevania, was taking the iconic Dracula mythology and Eastern-European setting,
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Sdcc 2009: Simon Belmont Meets 'Saw'!
23 July 2009 10:19 AM, PDT
| FEARnet
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The Castlevania movie has long been passed around like a joint at a Phish concert, running the gamut of directors like Paul W.S. Anderson (AvP, Resident Evil) and Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard…really?). However, as a teaser poster at the Sdcc shows us, the once-dead project will be seeing new life under the watchful eye of a…surprising new choice. More after the jump!
Saw and Death Sentence director James Wan will now be helming the pick for co-producer Paul W.S. Anderson, and the teaser poster looks like he's already heading in the right direction, evoking a very Symphony of the Night-esque vibe, and returning the Vampire Killer whip that the previous script felt the inexplicable need to leave
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Saw Director James Wan Takes on Castlevania Movie
23 July 2009 7:21 AM, PDT
| FilmJunk
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A couple of months ago there were reports that Paul W.S. Anderson's live action Castlevania movie was essentially dead in the water [1], which had most fans breathing a sigh of relief. At the time, Stomp The Yard director Sylvain White was lined up to direct, but he eventually left the project to shoot The Losers instead. Well, don't get too comfortable folks, because it looks like Paul W.S. Anderson hasn't given up on Simon Belmont just yet.
Bloody Disgusting [2] has the exclusive scoop from Comic Con this week that Saw director James Wan has officially signed on to write and direct the Castlevania movie. This kind of makes sense in a way since the last person to do a rewrite on the script was Ian Jeffers, who also wrote the Wan-directed revenge flick Death Sentence. Wan had this to say:
"The thing I love about what Konami did with Castlevania,
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- Sean
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New Writer/Director For Castlevania!
22 July 2009 11:05 PM, PDT
| FilmShaft.com
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Make of this what you will, but the live action adaptation of the popular Nes game, Castlevania has apparently been plucked out of development hell and handed to one man who will write and direct the film - James Wan!
James Wan is the co-mastermind behind the Saw franchise, and director of Dead Silence and Death Sentence and has only recently been handed the keys to the castle, Wan spoke exclusively to Bloody Disgusting about his latest appointment:
“I’m very fresh on this project, so its early stages and I’m still trying to work things out, but the producers love my vision for it,” James Wan tells Bloody-Disgusting in an exclusive chat. “I’ll be working on the script with a writer to give it a new spin, different to the previous versions. This will have my stamp on it which Konami is very excited about.”
“The thing
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- Craig Sharp
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Castlevania Movie Back on Track
22 July 2009 10:36 PM, PDT
| TheMovingPicture.net
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The long-gestating big screen adaptation of the popular video game series Castlevania that Paul W.S. Anderson (Deeath Race, Resident Evil) has been developing for several years is once again moving forward.
The folks over at Bloody Disgusting are reporting James Wan has signed on to direct the film and co-write the screenplay. Wan’s previous directing credits include the original Saw, Dead Silence and the Kevin Bacon revenge flick Death Sentence.
The Castlevania series is about a war between the vampire hunting family of the Belmonts and Dracula. Almost every hundred years, Dracula is resurrected and the Belmonts must defeat him before he takes over the world. The series is loosely based on Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula.
Wan replace Sylvain White, who had been attached to direct for the past year. White helmed Stomp the Yard and the direct-to-disc sequel I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer.
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- James Cook
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