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SHOOT 'EM UP set to Blow Your Ass Away'!'!'

Published at:  Mar 09, 2005 9:35:49 PM CST

Hey folks, Harry here... Recently I read an article over at Jeffrey Wells' Hollywood Elsewhere that got my brain drooling. First off... There's this story about this mid-forties Michael Davis bloke, who just landed a film at New Line off of a 17 minute personally drawn animated pitch for his live-action screenplay. Apparently this thing was kinetic and cool as all hell - and got Bob Shaye excited enough to put the film into high speed over at New Line.



I remembered the Variety story which essentially was just something about it being the ultimate gunplay flick. At the time I thought... riiiiiight... I'd never heard of this Michael Davis, well, not entirely true, I'd seen EIGHT DAYS A WEEK which was pretty cool. But that was, by no means, an action spectacular. But there was a giddy excitement at the way Jeffrey Wells wrote about the story that made me think he giggled all the way through the 17 minute pre-vis pitch made me get excited. I mean - Jeffery Wells giggling is a glorious thing!



So I realized I had to see this insane 17 minute video. So I began calling, IM-ing and doing my best googly-eyes and hang-dog expression to cute-ify myself a tape. Just got it yesterday. HOLY SHIT THIS ROCKS!



Now - I haven't seen the script yet, but any film that has the live-action representation of the 17 animated minutes on this tape... It'd pretty much blow your mind. The tape I got was actually about 35 minutes or so - but some of the animation is re-presented in different formats. The first thing that plays is this essentially a teaser - high octane pitch reel. On Wells' story you'll see frame grabs from it like "THIS IS JOHN WOO'S WET DREAM!" - This section, while awesome as hell - the phrases that pop up from time to time are pretty eye-rolling. I mean, this isn't John Woo's wet dream - John Woo's wet dream is probably a cool as hell musical directed by him, there's a fairly major part of John Woo that wants to leave that balletic action style behind him. I know, I wish he'd just go balls to the wall again too. Personally - I'd love for Woo to go back to Hong Kong and make one last HOLY SHIT flick, to remind Hollywood what an unfettered John Woo can do.



That wet-dream aside... it'll never happen. But what is the story regarding SHOOT'EM UP? This reel shows about 9 major gun-centric action set pieces that are incredible. This reel isn't about character development, it feels more like a male AEON FLUX action piece done in a Don Herzfeldt-like line drawn - but more detailed than pure stick figures. What commences?



Well my first reaction was - HOLY SHIT THIS IS COOL!!! Next I realized that all of the action was completely possible, yet wildly inventive. Next I thought - The MPAA would have a field day with this. Then I watched it again... and watching it I realized that the tone of what was happening was so fanciful, that I think everything save the gunfight-love scene (which is just... god I hope they can film that!) should get through.



You remember those BMW / Clive Owen short films that kicked unholy ass online? This reel feels like those times 10. It feels like a mixture of that and the Matt Damon "BOURNE" films, John Woo's HARDBOILED and lastly Tom Tykwer's RUN LOLA RUN. From watching this reel - I'm dying to get my hands on the script now. IF this is handled right this could be the best and most fun action we've seen in a film in quite some time. I mean... how the umbilical cord is cut... EWWWWWWW - OUCH! We'll have to keep our eyes and ears wide and open regarding this project. It reeks of coolness!




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    Readers Talkback

  • Mar 09, 2005 9:48:01 PM CST

    Sounds Interesting

    by aussiefan-07

    ....Now if only the rest of us could see this 17min test reel....mmm

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 09, 2005 9:48:08 PM CST

    QT is signed on to direct

    by full_time_killer

  • Mar 09, 2005 9:56:46 PM CST

    This is exactly why we keep getting crappy genre movies

    by frankdrebin

    You're excited over a shoot-out, without knowing anything about the actual movie?! This is why studios don't bother with stories or characters or quality--they had you at 'bang'. Substitute gore or wire-fu or brooding superheroes, and you get the same result: drooling fanboys.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 09, 2005 10:16:41 PM CST

    loved MI:2, honestly, now listen -

    by pencil-man

    What are we talking about? Is it a cool animated gunslinger movie? What about the animated animals like Disney does? Will it be like anime? Somebody tell what to be excited about because I am drunk and unable to compute.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 09, 2005 10:31:25 PM CST

    loved MI:2, honestly, now listen -

    by pencil-man

    What are we talking about? Is it a cool animated gunslinger movie? What about the animated animals like Disney does? Will it be like anime? Somebody tell what to be excited about because I am drunk and unable to compute.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 09, 2005 10:40:25 PM CST

    please show us some clips or something

    by craphole

    NOW-THAT IS YOUR ORDER.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 10, 2005 12:15:59 AM CST

    WOW HARRY! THAT LOOKS LIKE THE COOLEST THING EVER!! OMFG!! I N

    by tall_boy

    Black and white wireframe figures and hyperbole filled statements about John Woo's Wet Dream really work, don't you think?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 10, 2005 12:44:20 AM CST

    Tall_Boy - what are you saying?

    by pencil-man

    Are you being sarcastic or just ass9? FOOTAGE PLEASE HARRY 10Q.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 10, 2005 1:14:27 AM CST

    Aeon Flux movie

    by full_time_killer

    I hope they don't fuck that up.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 10, 2005 2:01:27 AM CST

    I guarantee the reel sucks

    by dented helmet

    And the final version will be even worse.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 10, 2005 4:09:35 AM CST

    poor John Woo

    by cuervojones

  • Mar 10, 2005 7:18:59 AM CST

    What can we say to this?

    by evergreen

    Harry old pal, I'm glad you've seen something which got you excited, but you don't give us a whole lot to go on. I don't expect to see clips from the reel or anything else, but dropping in comments like "the way they cut the umbilical cord - gee fuckin whizz!" Only serve to make us slightly more jealous of you than we already are. U know I love ya big guy, but when you write stuff like that, it seems you're just trying to prove that you have actually seen this reel, while not giving anything useful away. It reminds me of your "blind neo" comment just after you saw Matrix Revolutions - it's just not neccesary old chap. Having said that, my interest is officially piqued - please tell us more.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 10, 2005 12:03:24 PM CST

    Woo may have faltered, but Face/Off has one of the best lines in

    by lance rock

    "I could eat a peach for hourrrrrsss!"

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 10, 2005 2:13:03 PM CST

    You're not allowed to say "bloke"

    by kiddae

    You appalling bastard.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 10, 2005 3:06:28 PM CST

    Gun Kata

    by aphextwin

    Kurt Wimmer will show us some hyperstyle uberkinetic gunplay in Ultraviolet.
    Equilibrium action multiplied by ten.

    Aphextwin

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 10, 2005 3:21:44 PM CST

    Don't just describe it Harry....

    by hamo455

    ...post it up! You know you want to...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 10, 2005 3:37:15 PM CST

    Let's see. The last film I can think of that got a greenlight b

    by barry egan

    I walked out of "Sky Captain," so I have no interest in this.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 11, 2005 4:55:51 PM CST

    hard boiled

    by samuraisix

    will remain the ultimate gunplay/action choreography
    movie for now since all we have is harry squirting over a demo reel. Is that cool news?

    Reply to Talkback

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