I’ll say this for MGM: while the company seems hell-bent on using remakes as the springboard back to relevance — a very dodgy strategy — it is at least trying to hand them to some interesting people. RoboCop went to José Padilha, which is flat-out inspired. Carrie went to playwright, comics writer and Spidey Broadway fixer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, which seems smart at the very least, even if the idea of remaking Carrie might be dumb.
Now there’s this: MGM wants David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, Oz: The Great and Powerful) to write the Poltergeist remake. Read More »
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Over the weekend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) held their annual awards, where The Social Network, Alice in Wonderland and Toy Story 3 took honors for feature editing in the dramatic, comedy/musical and animated categories.
But the highlight of the night may have been the lifetime achievement award given to Michael Kahn, presented by Steven Spielberg. That award was accompanied by a reel highlighting the master editor’s many credits, and in the spirit of celebrating someone who has been an invaluable but often invisible contributor to many of the films we love, we present the highlight reel after the break. Read More »
For the last year now, we’ve been hearing rumblings of a Poltergeist remake over at MGM. Last August we told you that the studio had hired Juliet Snowden and Stiles White, the team behind the modern horror classic (sarcasm) Boogeyman to write the screenplay. And we soon after learned that House of Sand and Fog director Vadim Perelmen was in talks to helm the unnecessary remake.
But until a release date is announced, I sometimes tend to convince myself that these projects could easily find their way into the depths of development hell. Until there is a production start, or a release date, the movie really doesn’t exist. Well, I have some bad news. MGM has announced a release date. According to Shock, the “studio” has slated the haunted house remake for November 24th 2010. No further details have been released at this time.
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You might remember seeing Jim Horwat’s Back to the Future Tribute a couple weeks back, well I just realized that Jim has done a bunch of black and white movie comic illustrations that are worth checking out.
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Last night, I was listening to Tom Scharpling’s “The Best Show,” and the topic was haunted movies. Mid-conversation he brings up his disgust with the new ad for DirecTV featuring a living Craig T. Nelson and a nicely preserved Heather O’Rourke milking Poltgergeist in time for Halloween. Though I had seen this ad days just days ago, I had repressed it in horror (might have been high)!
What makes the ad truly declasse is that Nelson wakes up next to his wife (or does he?) with the TV on. Forget that a dead child actress is in his room with animated spirits flowing through her. He breaks the fourth wall and admits, “Forgetting to switch to DirecTV? Yeah, that’s going to come back to haunt me.” I hear going to Hell is pretty haunting as well.
Discuss: Did this ad convince you to sign up?
On the newly posted After Dark show, a /Film fan wrote in detesting MGM‘s planned Poltergeist remake. Not only did this topic snowball into the most tasteless Heather O’Rourke/pizza joke imaginable, we also contemplated whether the project qualifies as the first remake of a Steven Spielberg movie. And if so, is Jaws within reach? The freaky 1982 supernatural classic was officially helmed by Tobe Hooper, sure, but Spielberg’s directorial contribution remains a point of contention amongst horror fans. Today, Bloody Disgusting reports that Vadim Perelmen, a rather left-field choice, is in “heavy talks” to direct the unnecessary remake.
Perelman debuted with 2003′s House of Sand and Fog, a well received literary adaptation that garnered three Oscar noms, including a Best Actor nod for Ben Kingsley. Earlier this year, his follow-up, The Life Before Her Eyes starring Uma Thurman and Marilyn Manson’s muse, was memorably defecated on by the majority of critics. Perelman’s penchant for literature purportedly played a part in his attachment to the long-planned adaptation of Atlas Shrugged. Here’s a quote from his entry on Wikipedia…
“I don’t want to spend a year of my life working on a film that does not resonate with me on a poetic level,” says Perelman. “Since great scripts are a rare commodity, I realized that I have to create my own opportunities and not wait for the right project to come along—for fate to smile upon me.”
Thanks for showing up, fate. I’m pretty sure a facsimile of this guy was in my screenwriting class. Big chain smoker, wrist model. Just last week, Peter lashed into the announcement that Juliet Snowden and Stiles White [Ed.-poetic name combination] were hired to pen the new (and undoubtedly improved) Poltergeist. Their writing credits include the remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds for M.Bay’s Platinum Dunes, Alex Proyas’ Knowing with Nic Cage, and Ghost House’s sleeper hit Boogeyman. On a roll.
Discuss: What would Carol Anne say? And per our After Dark discussion, will the iPhone make an ace replacement for the original’s TV?
Posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 by David Chen
The /Filmcast: After Dark is a recording of what happens right after The /Filmcast is over, when the kids have gone to bed and the guys feel free to speak whatever is on their minds. In other words, it’s the leftover and disorganized ramblings, mindfarts, and brain diarrhea from The /Filmcast, all in one convenient audio file. In this episode, Dave, Hunter, Devindra, and Adam chat with actor/comedian Paul Scheer about playing Lieutenant Buttocks in Eddie Murphy’s Meet Dave, the most controversial Human Giant sketches, and the intensity of working with Vinnie Jones on Harold Ramis’s new film, Year One.
Join us next Monday night at 10 PM EST / 7 PM PST as we review Uwe Boll’s Postal which was just released this week on Blu-Ray and DVD. We will be joined by special guest Phil Kollar from 1up FM!
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[audio:http://bitcast-a.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/filmcast/Afterdarkep14.mp3]
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Topics Discussed
- Paul Scheer’s experience on Meet Dave, 30 Rock
- The Line
- Paul’s favorite Human Giant sketches
- Working with Vinnie Jones on Year One
- Cher as Catwoman?
- Your e-mails (Call the /Filmcast voicemail line at 781-583-1993)
- Thoughts on remaking the Poltergeist
- Our most memorable films and scenes
- Never let anyone film in your home, even Spielberg
Credits
The /Filmcast: After Dark is a recording of what happens right after The /Filmcast is over, when the kids have gone to bed and the guys feel free to speak whatever is on their minds. In other words, it’s the leftover and disorganized ramblings, mindfarts, and brain diarrhea from The /Filmcast, all in one convenient audio file. In this episode, Dave, Peter, Devindra, and Adam, discuss the possibility of another Superman film with Bryan Singer, find even more things to debate about The Dark Knight, and discuss some geeky tidbits about the making of Back to the Future. Also, Dave laments the thrashing that was “The Yamato Affair.”
Download or Play Now:
[audio:http://bitcast-a.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/filmcast/Afterdarkep13.mp3]
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