Hey folks, Harry here. We haven't reported much on ARAC ATTACK, why? Because we just haven't seen any reports on the film, because so far... we just haven't had any spies report on the film. However, I've been reading Coming Attractions and CHUD as they've been doing a great job covering the film. The concept for the film is to do a film in the style of the CLASSIC B MONSTER MOVIES from the 1950s. Movies like THEM, BEGINNING OF THE END and TARANTULA, in otherwords... Giant Bug Movies!!! A genre that I think any good geek can get behind, especially if we get to see some damn fine looking giant spiders.... eh? And, though Ellory Elkayem is a first time director/writer for a feature film, his short film on the SCI FI channel regarding giant spiders ruled. And the two screenwriters that helped Ellory along with the script.... First there was Jesse Alexander, a big time scifi film geek, who once wrote a pretty damn fine FLASH GORDON script that is languishing in development hell somewhere... Then there is Michael V Valle, who did a rewrite on the script. Michael passed on in April of this year, tragically early. He never got to see any script of his reach the screen, and his SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VENGENCE OF DRACULA is fricking unbelievably great! So... The film had the right ancestry to be good, and then with Emmerich and Devlin producing (and no matter what any of you think of Emmerich and Devlin, you have to admit their production values are fantastic) I had high hopes that this project could turn out to kick some major entertainment ass.... AND our spy (since 1999) Caller from L.A. says that the movie is gold. He wrote an abbreviated non-spoiler review of ARAC ATTACK that... well has me dying to see this thing. The film is scheduled to be released sometime in 2002... ACK!!! WANT GIANT BUGS NOW!!!!!!!! Read on.....
Here is a spoiler-free review of Arac Attack. Let me start by saying that for me, this movie is GOLD.
The following quote is from the flyer, which shows how the film will probably be marketed.
"Arac Attack is a film with thrills and chills - frightening, but in a fun sort of way. A toxic waste spill near a small Nevada town causes spiders to mutate into giant arachnids, which then go on
the attack...packing a poisonous punch. Arac Attack features an ensemble cast that lend a brand of humor to the action - including David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, and Doug E. Doug. The film is brought to you by the producing team of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin (Independence Day, Godzilla), and will be rated PG-13 for its moments of intense, scary action."
So you know how this film will go, and this has NO spoilers:
- Introduce the people, environment, and the beginning of mutant spiders: Gold
- First spider attack and chase: GOLD GOLD GOLD. This alone will get me to pay to see it later.
- Couple of spider attacks on the townspeople: Gold
- Sheriff warns the non-believing townspeople: Gold
- The non-believing townspeople start believing, and dying, really fast: Gold
- The townspeople hole themselves up at the mall: Gold
- The townspeople arm themselves with whatever they find: GOLD GOLD GOLD
- The spiders break into the mall: Gold
(HARRY NOTE: I ERASED THE ENDING, NO WAY WAS I GOING TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT GETTING OUT THIS EARLY!!!)
Like Rush Hour 2, one of last month's test screenings, this film had no bad points to it. Lots of payoffs, and good timing. The town and its people had a Goonies / Poltergeist / Spielberg quality to them. I felt like I was thirteen again. Director Ellory Elkayem must have watched Goonies thirty times before writing and filming Arac Attack. But then Act 2 kicks in: the mutant spiders have their first attack, and I actually started sweating and grinning a mile wild because it was so cool how it was staged.
I know, I know: Arquette. He's generally annoying, but he was good in this role. I'm glad they chose these actors, included Wuhrer and Doug E. Doug, and that they didn't make it into a big-budget film.
Some other information:
- Directed by Ellory Elkayem, who also did "They Nest" about, yes, bugs that kill. For now, I'll be keeping my eye out for this director's future work.
- Ellory and Jesse Alexander wrote this, their first produced screenplay. Randy Kornfield (Jingle All the Way) also had a hand in the story.
- $30 million budget, 200 effects shots, brought to you by Centropolis and Warner Bros., the release date is unknown.
Cheers,
--Caller From L.A.
