The Oaknut proves to a nut worthy of cracking cause what you find inside is cool indeed. Bits on THE MUMMY make me get giddy, and the rest... well it just sounds like some cool stuff. Folks keep the independent news coming as well as mainstream. It's equally if not more important. Well, I'll let ya get on to the report...

I've been working in the industry for a while now, and been sitting on a few tidbits, but I just can't keep 'em in anymore; AIC is FAR to enjoyable for me not to participate! So let's get right into it:

Last week, you mentioned "The Mummy". I don't know if you had a chance to see it, but I've recently had access to the work ILM has been doing on creating the de-evolution of the man into the Mummy, and IT IS AWESOME! Aside from a good, spooky story set in that incredible time period (the 'teens), the FX on this pic should put the scream quotient up VERY high. A lot of REALLY gross decaying body parts and deformities, with all sorts of creepy bugs--the coolest rendering I saw as of The Mummy, who can unleash a SWARM of black flies out of his mouth! Should be a great blend of CG and real actors.

There was also a mention of Sony's "Stuart Little", and the sets--I assure you, they are AWESOME. Aside from being massive, they also seemed to be bigger than scale, and meticulous--this one's gonna look like a beaut. Even better, though, are the sets from "Babe 2". They recreated an amalgam of every major city into one "City" for Babe to go to (as opposed to the "Farm"). And the creature effects are second to none. There's also an EVIL clown in Babe 2--he goes toe-to-toe with Babe and Mrs. Hodgett! Look for a HEAVY merchandise push SOON from Uni on this one(they missed the boat the first time around, didn't they?).

The studios have discovered the importance of quality kids films! Could this have something to do with 12 year old girls and a big, sinking boat? Hmmmm...I guess girls DO like FX!

Finally, you've put out the call for info on indies: here's two of 'em for ya.

There's an indie out of Baltimore called "Detention" directed by a guy named Darryl LeMont Wharton. I caught it at "Dances With Films", and while the film itself isn't genius, the guy's got talent--and most importantly, his heart and head are in the right place. He's made a positive, uplifting urban Breakfast Club--with a budget and talent, this guy will be for real--check it out, if you can.(There's another "Detention" in production now--don't confuse the two!)

From Miami, there's an indie called "Fighting Gravity", put out by Casting Couch Films. This film is hitting the mark with the 20-something set as it slowly tools around town and is vastly entertaining, very funny--there's a GREAT bathroom scene. Another great first pic by some guys on the rise--they got CHOPS. With a budget, it's obvious these guys can make big, funny things happen. It's also got a cool soundtrack--it features A LOT of talent from the original cast of "Rent". See it if you get the chance.

Call me OakNut