Public Enemies - What Did You Think?
Interview: Corey Haim Talks Crank 2: High Voltage, Corey-Isms, Lost Boys 3, Twitter, and Directing Dramedy!
Posted on Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 by Hunter Stephenson
The clock is ticking. In minutes, I am scheduled to interview Corey Haim. But I need more time to: find my good sunglasses, make a margarita, and hook up my interview shit poolside at a friend’s house. The publicist agrees to push the interview back half-an-hour. The power of /Film. By-and-by, it all works out and the publicist fulfills a dream. I’m not into doing interviews. Much too often, there is A) a bitchy studio hawk circling, B) a wait-time worthy of a disappointing rap concert/Comcast, or C) the celeb is so glazed-over from blurting the same answers to ‘net middle men on every continent that you feel like hugging them, and then slapping them. And likewise for them, sans the personal contact.
But Corey Haim is Z) reached levels of non-ironic cool that even Steve McQueen (not the Hunger one) and Lee Marvin (the Prime Cut one) could never touch. Like brightly-dyed shorts with displaced geometric patterns, Haim burst onto the scene as the American teenager in the 1980s. For an actor—and for our younger readers—that requires more natural pep than LeBron James has hops. And in my opinion, Haim was the first real, believable and awesome geek on screen (dude, your comic store’s Dewey Decimal System blows) who could get laid. And thus, maybe get you laid. Paul Rudd would come much later. Paul Rudd is also a geek narc. Haim can be seen in theaters this weekend wearing a mullet in Crank: High Voltage.
Excluding the initial actions above, I didn’t prepare for the interview; I know I’ll be interviewing Corey again soon when he gets a major theatrical role. It needs to happen, Hollywood. Our chat was fun, casual, whatever. Haim has the laid back charm over the tele that many of us know so well. Just add a cigarette.
/Film: Hello Corey Haim.
Corey Haim: What’s up Hunter. How you doin’?
Ha. I’m doing fine, sittin’ by the pool. So you have a role in Crank 2. How did you first meet [writer/directors Mark] Neveldine and [Brian] Taylor?
Corey Haim: Actually, a while ago man. I believe. See, I was supposed to be in the first movie. Was it the same character? A character. I just know that in this movie they wanted me to play this character. Randy.
Right.
Corey Haim: Let me give you a description of my character.
Sure.
The Lost Boys 3 Gets a Screenwriter and Two Frog Brothers
Posted on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
BloodyDisgusting has learned that Fearless scribe Evan Charnov is writing the screenplay for Warner Direct’s direct-to-dvd threequel, The Lost Boys 3. Corey Feldman has signed on to return to reprise his role as Edgar Frog, vampire hunter. Moviehole is reporting that Jamison Newlander has signed on to reprise his role as Alan Frog from the original 1987 film. Newlander filmed a sequence for the 2008 direct-to-dvd sequel, but his scene ended up on the cutting room floor. Lost Boys 2: The Tribe ended with a set-up teasing a possible battle between Edgar Frog and Sam Emerson (Corey Haim), but as of fight now, Haim isn’t expected to return for the third film.
If Warner Bros asked us for a pull quote for the DVD to Lost Boys: The Tribe, it would say, “Corey Feldman can’t be felled, man. -/Film.” The most prominent Corey, in this sequel and IRL, manages to endearingly synopsize and upstage this laughable production in a single scene. Feldman cracks open a raw egg into a glass, a la Rocky Balboa, filled with garlic and holy water and swallows it. Then he wipes his mouth and the camera lingers on his face, this still youthful lake of resilience, resourcefulness and 1980s radicalness. Feldman’s character, Edgar Frog, labels his novelty cocktail “Frog Juice,” but in my sore eyes, Feldman just took one for the team. This sequel is an all-out war for Corey’s soul, and the souls of all Eighties Babies.
Not only is Feldman stuffed far in the background on the DVD’s terrible box art—he’s trapped under the bodies of OC star Autumn Reeser, Kiefer Sutherland’s half-brother and Stifler’s lil’ bro—but if you move the box ever so slightly, he’s wiped out by a fucking hologram! The film itself is a similar travesty. Feldman is barely in it. Replace the plebe-luring hologram with the most atrocious half-vampire-on-skateboard climax imaginable. This “highly complex” action centerpiece plays as if one of the Lost Boys from Steven Spielberg’s Hook gave a slo-mo pill to Gleaming the Cube’s Christian Slater and together they made a subpar contribution for YouTube. On the special features, the producers (going to hell, for sure) boast that the film gets at the core of “real extreme sports” in 2008. One of them excitedly says, “these vampires ride bikes, they skate, they skateboard!” But none of the countless vampbrahs here rollerskate. The producer is a fucking liar. And then there’s director P.J. Pesce. This visionary/hack chomps on a cigar with an elated, nutty look on his face. Watch your back, Patton.
And how about the hilarious scene in which a Dianne Wiest-knockoff holds up a DVD of The Goonies and makes a “hip fuss” about it to the kids for a few minutes? Okay. So, rather than allot more time to a stoked Corey Feldman stabbing bloodsuckers (ones that resemble rejects from Sega Genesis’s Altered Beast, but whatevs), I’m watching a Jason Patric-knockoff (a first?) named Tad Hilgenbrinck eyeball an old Feldman flick as I stopwatch his face for a nervous twitch to register as poor acting ability? Later, as Hilgenbrinck and Feldman drive to an underground lair and Feldman explains the workings of a garlic bola, Hilgenbrinck looks higher than Saul Silver’s kite. Feldman finally gives up on the guy and stares down in defeat at his wooden, carbon and metal stakes. Something tells me this was improvised.
After more than 20 years, it’s really cool that the filmmakers called up Jamison Newlander to reprise his role as Alan Frog. Too bad he was cut from the film. LoL. I suspect he was called (his involvement was well publicized) just to get fans interested. But it makes complete sense that Corey Haim wouldn’t show up until after the end credits, after we’ve observed Feldman endure this softcore Cinemax/X-Games raping of their horror comedy classic. I imagine Haim utilized his patented Corey Haim Logic to voluntarily choose this post-credits shortcut—as an allegory, it’s the VH1 equivalent of the tortoise and the hare. Not only is the lone scene between the Coreys—which feels like a one-take deal at that—the best scene in the movie, it’s more satisfying than Freddy vs Jason (which was pretty good). Maybe this is due to Corey Feldman and Corey Haim surviving horrors together in real life (and reality TV). Maybe it’s because, in their lone scene, Feldman sounds like Christian Bale’s Dark Knight and Haim, Heath Ledger’s Joker. Maybe it’s because the DVD contains two more amazing alternate “they’re back!” endings. Maybe it’s because Coreys never say die.
3/10 (yes, the 3 is for the Coreys’ Lost Boys 3 aka Lost Boys 2: No Skateboards)
Discuss: What did you think of Lost Boys: The Tribe. Should a third film be made focusing on the original crew?
At Comic Con, /Film’s Adam Quigley got the chance to sit down one on one with Corey Feldman and talk about the release of The Lost Boys 2: The Tribe.
/Film: So, what was it like for you to go back to this world a few years later?
Corey Feldman: Well, it was fun and scary at the same time. Obviously when you’re doing something like this, you don’t want to disregard the fan’s perception of what the original was supposed to be, and it’s very important that you kind of work it up from the highest level of authenticity when you’re creating a character like this, so it was challenging at the same time. I like to do something that’s a challenge for me as an actor. Being in business as long as I have, you want to make sure that you’re constantly challenging yourself and setting obstacles and I think this certainly was one of those going back to the character and making his evolve but yet not evolve was the trick, and I think that you’ll see that in the film. I mean there are certain things that have grown in his character but for the most part he’s exactly as we left him 21 years ago.
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Hunter Stephenson’s Review: Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs
Posted on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 by Hunter Stephenson
Give or take, I am asked eight times a week by random pedestrians, “What is the best comic book adaptation that is not based on a comic book at all,” and my hands begin to tremble every time. This causes the surface of my coffee to break into concentric circles like a mud puddle on Isla Nublar. I tend to quickly shuffle away from these inferior beings, while mumbling, “Obviously, The Lost Boys dude.”
More than 20 years after The Lost Boys hit theaters, a much maligned straight-to-DVD sequel, Lost Boys: The Tribe, has entered the pop culture cloud; but far more interesting is that The Lost Boys and its original characters are now a comic book. Entitled Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs, the four-issue miniseries arrives via Jim Lee’s Wildstorm (owned by DC Comics), and the issues serve as a direct sequel to Joel Schumacher’s 1987 horror film, a looser prequel to this month’s sequel and more. Whereas the DVD sequel recalls a Saved By the Bell spin-off co-starring Dustin Diamond (Corey Feldman and fans deserved much better), the comics are a respectable shot at giving casual and diehard fans (represented since 1999 at The Lost Cave) new developments, character arcs, and blood-letting. Plus, Edgar Frog hands the President of the United States a decapitated vampire head. It’s pretty awesome.
The fact that writer Hans Rodionoff scribed both the comic book miniseries and the direct-to-DVD sequel reaffirms for the millionth time that Hollywood is a place where visions are greeted by more hands than an eager, campaigning politician.
Review continues after the jump with exclusive images from Reign of Frogs…
Discuss: Have you guys checked out The Lost Boys comic books yet? If so, thoughts? If not, do you think the Frog Brothers are perfect for the medium?
There have been many rumors over the years, and supposedly a script that fell into development hell, but as Hollywood continues to search for my recycled ideas, The Goonies never say die. Moviehole is reporting that Warner Bros is planning a big screen theatrical tent-pole movie release. There are supposedly writers aboard the project, however we have no idea who.
The last script attempt involved a new group of kids, as the daughters and sons of the original Goonies gang, going off on a new adventure. All of the original cast members, including Josh Brolin, have expressed interest during interviews, in returning for a second film, if it were to happen. As much as I’m excited to revisit the characters from my childhood, I wonder if the story will be good enough to justify it. I just got done watching The Lost Boys 2 and I’m kinda worried.
And speaking of The Lost Boys… Clint also has word that Warner (Premiere possibly) is also gearing up for The Lost Boys 3 which would pitt up Corey vs. Corey, Feldman vs. Haim, in a battle set-up at the conclusion of the second dvd movie. Sounds epic… Epic enough for the big screen? I’m guessing that depends on just how much The Tribe sells on DVD.
Discuss: What would you want to happen in Goonies 2?
Video: Corey Haim Has Meltdown on Lost Boys 2 Set
Posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 by Peter Sciretta
Somedays I wish I could post two or three videos in VOTD. But the title of the daily column is kind of limiting. I just came across this wonderful video clip from Corey Haim and Corey Feldman’s A&E reality show The Two Coreys which shows Haim having a mental breakdown on the set of The Lost Boys 2. We really really want to support Haim, but it’s hard to get someone who is ready to self destruct at any given moment. Check it out below.
via: playlist
First Look: Corey Haim in Crank 2; Neveldine/Taylor Using Consumer-Grade Cameras to Shoot the Film
Posted on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 by Peter Sciretta
Earlier in the week it was reported that Corey Haim had been cast in Crank: High Voltage. And now we have our first look at Haim in action, at the receiving end of a beat-down by Amy Smart, who returns as Eve, the girlfriend of Chev Chelios (Jason Statham).
Meanwhile, Collider has a huge scoop: Directors Neveldine/Taylor have decided to film the entire movie using consumer grade video cameras. Since the duo used the new RED camera to shoot their last film Game, everyone just assumed that they would also be using the same technology for this film.
“We love red cameras, we’re going to shoot with them again, but it’s like shooting a 35mm film and you need a ton of AC’s and it takes a lot of time for set up,” admits Mark Neveldine. “With the cameras we’re using we literally can point and shoot and we have the same image quality that we had on Crank 1.”
The two cameras Neveldine/Taylor have employed for Crank 2 are:
Canon HF10 ($890.19 on Amazon)
- 1/3.2″ CMOS Sensor, RGB Primary Color Filter
- Capture high-defintion video to 16 GB hard drive or SDHC cards
- Dimensions (WxHxD) 2.9 x 2.5 x 5.1 in
- Weight 13.4 oz
- Pictured Above
Canon XH-A1 ($3,298.99 on Amazon)
- Three 1/3-inch 16:9 CCDs (1440 x 1080)
- Tape Recording
- Weight 5 pounds
- Pictured Right
“We can put these cameras in places that people haven’t and we can put 10 of them in places where people haven’t,” says Mark Neveldine. “And one of the things it allows us to do is we’re doing this moving bullet time camera rig where we take 8 HF-10’s and we put it on a light weight piece of speed rail and I can roller blade and skate around Jason Statham as he’s blasting down the street with a weapon and capture just rad images.”
Brian Taylor added “This is an ADD movie so we should have ADD cameras, so you know the idea of like moving the camera in outrageous ways and being able to destroy cameras without blinking an eye is more important to us than, you know, sort of having this filmic image.”
And just because they are shooting the movie on the same digital video cameras you can buy at Best Buy, doesn’t mean that the film will look like your home movies.
“We have tricks and methods of shooting with them to make it look better than you would think for a camera like that,” admits Taylor. “It doesn’t look like Cloverfield. It’s not supposed to look like home video. It’s going to look like a movie, but it’s going to look like a movie you’ve never seen before.”
Sounds pretty f’n cool.
photo source: Superficial
The Movie Blog is reporting that Corey Haim has been cast in a role in Crank 2. No other details are known at this time. Let the Haim comeback begin! AWESOME.
Lost Boys: The Tribe Movie Trailer (What Have They Done?!!?)
Posted on Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 by Hunter Stephenson
Dear director P.J. Pesce and screenwriter Hans Rodionoff, please never cross my path in life. And please do a Spitzer.
Lost Boys: The Tribe (formerly Lost Boys 2: The Tribe) will (and should definitely) go straight to DVD in July. Buy a copy, attach it to a skateboard and run over it with your grandfather’s Jeep. Or don’t. Rent Hackers instead and imagine that all of the teen characters have fangs.
Discuss: Why did it take 21 years to make this pile?
source: MTV
Trailer for Lost Boys: The Tribe Premieres Tomorrow!
Posted on Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 by Hunter Stephenson
I’m def digging the official title treatment above for Lost Boys: The Tribe (the 2 is now gone) that STYD just got their hands on. It’s not some cheesy ’00s update like I feared. Even cooler is that the world premiere of the trailer to the seminal ’80s vampire flick will appear tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. on MTV.com; and it will be introduced by none other than Edgar Frog aka Corey Feldman! Here’s what Feldman had to enthusiastically say on his official blog The Feldman Journal…
The trailer will be available to own for yourself when it is released on 5 million copies of the Wil Smith film I am Legend, which ships nation wide next Tuesday. But for now, it will premier presented by myself, on MTV.com Wednesday March 12th (tomorrow for those without a calendar) at 8 A.M. Eastern Standard time.
Accompanying the trailer will be a new interview , I did just last week talking more in depth about the film. As MTV was such a huge part of the success of the original film it is only fitting that they would be on the front lines of the sequels release.”
It’s pretty rare when MTV gets behind a direct-to-DVD sequel, so you have to wonder if a theatrical release could still happen, as the flick’s scheduled for release on DVD this July. Again, Warner Bros. this sequel would make considerable bank in a summer theatrical release, so go for it. What’s to lose? As you might expect, Feldman is still fighting the battle…
“By the way if you do like it spread the word as nothing will ensure a theatrical release like a positive response to the trailer.
Obviously………there’s a lot at STAKE!!!!”
With The Lost Boys being one of my all time favorite films, keep an eye on Slashfilm manana for a review of the trailer, a review of Corey Haim’s ridiculous garb (if applicable) et al. Here’s hoping for the absolute best.
Discuss: How excited are you for the trailer? What’s the best vampire sequel of all time?
Rant: First Look at a Vampire in The Lost Boys 2: The Tribe
Posted on Thursday, February 21st, 2008 by Hunter Stephenson
We here at Slashfilm have been pressing Warner Bros. to release The Lost Boys 2: The Tribe theatrically for some time. Tonight, the first image of a vampire from the film has surfaced at STYD, and I’m a little iffed. While the images of Corey Feldman’s return as Edgar Frog show promise, as did the recent announcement that Corey Haim will definitely be in the film, this image screams direct-to-DVD to me. Compare the shot below of Kiefer Sutherland’s vampire, David, from the 1987 classic to this steakhead vampire above.
Now, the vampires in the sequels are reportedly surfers, which might explain the rather cheesy subtitle. This reminds me, hey studio people: simplify it to The Lost Boys 2. The original title’s inspiration is the Lost Boys in Peter Pan, who were already a tribe of sorts. Adding “The Tribe” is just a bad sign for America, really. And as we all know, surfers go two ways: steakhead jock idiots and “divine princes of decadence” like Bunker Spreckels. And then there’s Bodhi from Point Break who mixed them together and pulled it off, which is as hard to do as looking cool in a pair of crocs while working at Wal-Mart.
The necklace on this vampire is beyond cheesy. When The Lost Boys came out, the biker vampires in that flick reached highs of coked-out ’80s overindulgence and super-cool matched only by Axl Rose. Back to this new image: there’s also the tiki torch in the back, which connotes “steakhead surfer stereotype” and teen shows like The O.C. And is the vampire wearing a punk-studded bracelet? I can’t tell. If so, stupes. He’s also bald, which is Kelly Slater-ish, but also reminds me of Neil Strauss in The Game and that’s always a sign to stay away from something. Surfers have rock star hair, it’s a fact, why not utilize that, while paying a lil’ homage to the Aqua Net-junkie ’80s originals?
The fangs are a little too pronounced. The blood can go either way. This photo was released to satisfy the gore hounds. The girl’s bikini/dress is kind of stupid, generic and unhot, and The Lost Boys is about sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll and staying young forever, maybe in that order. I’m not giving up on the film, but after all of the “we get it” and the “original is a classic, we won’t screw this up” promises from screenwriter Hans Rodionoff and director P.J. Pesce, this image is disconcerting because it doesn’t get it. You can still make this sequel with a modest budget and have it be awesome, there is no excuse. If this turns out to be The Lost Boys with Seth Cohen and it does go to theaters after fans fought ferociously for it to, prepare for a battle comparable to, I dunno, Axl Rose vs. Tommy Hilfiger.
Discuss: Does the new vampire image impact whether you’ll see The Lost Boys 2: The Tribe, one way or the other?
