In this week’s /Filmcast, David Chen, Devindra Hardawar, and Adam Quigley debate whether or not Michael Bay is the right person to take over Ninja Turtles, discuss the artistic ethics of “fixing” an older film, and remember the passing of Dennis Hopper.
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My biggest question going into Mike Newell’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (in theaters everywhere today) was whether or not Newell and Jerry Bruckheimer had successfully transcended the oft-disparaged genre of “video game movies” and managed to cobble together a satisfying cinematic adventure. The answer? Kind of, but not really. Hit the jump for some of my brief thoughts, and feel free to share what you thought of the film in the comments.
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Italian-German reporter/comedian Daniele Rizzo decided to interview the cast and crew of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time dressed as Jake Gyllenhaal‘s character, and pretending to be the long lost son of Tamina and Dastan. The results vary depending on who he is interviewing, but Sir Ben Kingsley really plays along with the gag while Gyllenhaal can’t stop laughing. Game creator and screenwriter Jordan Mechner also makes an appearance. Watch the clip after the jump.
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Walt Disney Pictures has released a new movie trailer for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time on IGN. The new trailer incorporates some of the new special effects footage from the Superbowl spot and new “Creating of an Epic” featurette, as well as a lot of never before seen sequences.
I’m still not digging the over-the-top voice over from Gemma Arterton, and am a bit worried about the story. But the action sequences are looking bigger, more elaborate, and more epic with every new spot. I’m also really loving the rewinding time effect. I’ll have a chance to see this film in a couple weeks, and I promise to report back with my thoughts afterwards. You can watch it now, embedded after the jump. As always, leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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Posted on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 by David Chen
When I look at director Mike Newell’s filmography, I’m impressed by its breadth, depth, and quality. It’s difficult for me to imagine that the same man who made Donnie Brasco also made Four Weddings and a Funeral, and also made Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Yet despite (or perhaps because of) his eclectic choices, Newell has been able to craft films that always seem able to bring out a certain sense of authenticity in their characters and in the relationships between them. In a couple of months, Newell will tackle another big-budget adaptation, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. In the past, videogame adaptations have had a pretty spotty record in terms of quality, but I’m holding out hope that Sands of Time will be one of the best videogame-to-film adaptations we’ve seen yet.
I had the opportunity recently to chat with Mr. Newell for a lengthy conversation/interview. Our discussion spanned topics far and wide; we discussed the early days of Mike’s career, why he enjoyed working in film over TV, the tax benefits of working with George Lucas, the “English-ness” he tried to bring to the Harry Potter series, how he chooses his diverse projects, and why he cast Jake Gyllenhaal in The Prince of Persia. You can read the interview below, and/or listen to the audio via the /Filmcast.
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Mike Newell (Prince of Persia, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Donnie Brasco) has signed on the write and direct a yet-to-be-officially-titled feature film based on the book The Terminal Spy by Alan Cowell, the New York Times’ London bureau chief when the events narrated in this book reached their climax.. The 448-page book is about the mysterious death of ex-Russian KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko, who was poisoned in 2006 and while laying in his London hospital bed, personally accused then-Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind his murder.No cast has been attached to the project, which is said to be in “an advanced stage of development” over at Warner Bros.
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I’ve always loved reading and hearing what great filmmakers think of other great films and directors. You may have noticed that we ask some directors about their favorite films, from time to time, and I’ve even featured other websites and books that delve into this subject on the site from time to time.
Geoffrey Macnab and the British Film Institute have put together a book titled Screen Epiphanies: Filmmakers on the Films that Inspired Them collecting the stories of thirty-five leading international filmmakers focusing on “the film moments that stayed with them long after they left the movie theater” which inspired them to pursue a career in the movie industry.
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Disney’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, based on the UbiSoft reinvention of Jordan Mechner’s classic video game, doesn’t hit until May 28 2010. But Disney is apparently not so confident that the video game basis will translate to a large audience, so the studio has been pumping out images and footage since the first trailer debut last month. There’s a new featurette out now which explains the movie’s subtitle and gives some context for some of the trailer’s swirling, sandy shots. Check it out below. Read More »
In this week’s /Filmcast, David Chen, Devindra Hardawar, and Adam Quigley debate whether or not Michael Bay is the right person to take over Ninja Turtles, discuss the artistic ethics of “fixing” an older film, and remember the passing of Dennis Hopper.
