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Big Shemp reports to Father Geek on MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2, THE HAUNTING, and EATING RAOUL 2
Well folks "The Big Shemp" has finially filed another story with FATHER GEEK here at AICN Headquarters, just enough to really wet our appetite and start the old Geeks around here drooling for more of his/her juicy tidbits. No one knows how to spark our interest better, her/his inside insider info never fails to steam up the offices here at Geek Headquarters with the aroma of hot and spicy news... Here's Shemp...
Long time no talk. Sorry I've been so quiet lately-- most of the dirt I've
been able to dig up is pretty nonexsistent, though I did get to read the
very
funny script for -- yes -- "Eating Raoul 2: Bland Ambition" -- which is to
star Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov and Paul Reubens. This time, the Blands run
for governor of California! And yes, many heads are bonked with frying
pans.
I've got some behind-the-scenes dirt on "The Haunting," which is actually
supposed to be pretty good. As you know...(this is the part you DON'T
PRINT)I am... I used to... I recently... and this is what resulted... (Now you can print me):
Michael Tolkin wrote a terrific draft just before production began, one
which
focuses a great deal more on the characters and their fears as they enter
Hill House. His draft sets in motion the story, which is now about dream
and
sleep research and makes Liam Neeson's character -- Dr. David Marrow
(formerly "Jeffrey Marrow," but apparently they found a real doctor with
that
name and didn't want to get sued) -- significantly more sinister. As
reported in the latest "Fangoria" Magazine, Tolkin was brought aboard to fix
the numerous problems the actors had with their characterizations and sat in
for the first few weeks of rehearsals with them to smooth things out. It
was
a significant script revision, albeit one which had to use the preexisting
characters (who had obviously already been cast) and the locations and sets,
many of which had already been built or were well under construction.
Unfortunately, Tolkin won't be getting credit where it's due-- the Writer's
Guild gave sole credit on the film to David Self, despite the many changes
and fixes made to his eto a project to qualify for a credit; apparently,
they
decided that Tolkin's considerable efforts didn't add up to that much. It's
too bad-- DreamWorks could have saved themselves a lot of hassle and
ill-will
by just submitting both writers for a credit, particularly as Tolkin
co-wrote
last year's smash hit "Deep Impact." The other writers on the DreamWorks
version of "The Haunting" (not the Wes Craven version which was at one time
under consideration at Miramax) include David Seltzer ("The Omen"), whose
gory 1997 drafts were tossed out and bear no resemblance whatsoever to the
current film (save for involving a scary house) and John Logan ("Any Given
Sunday," "RKO 241") who did dialogue polishes, particularly on Liam Neeson's
character, during production.
I haven't heard much at all about "Mission Impossible II," but here's what I
do know:
The writers on "Mission Impossible II" include: William Goldman, David
Marconi, Michael Tolkin, Rick Berman & Brannon Braga, John Logan and Robert
Towne in addition to a few others who can't mention at this time. Given
that
no one in town would work on such a high-profile, high-budget project for
anything less than their full fee, we're talking a single feature script
that
has to cost somewhere AT LEAST around $10 million dollars, which must be
some sort of a record.
So there you have it.
Attitribute the preceding to "Big
Shemp."
The rest of this is strickly off the record and on the QT:
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+ Expand All
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Ya know, I just knew that they'd fiddle-faddle around with this thing to the point that whatever's released will hardly be recognizable to those who loved the original and the book. I fear that making the good Doctor "more sinister" and changing the entire premise to dream and sleep research is just the beginning of a descent into crap.
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Accept no substitute!
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HAS ANYONE SEEN THE TRAILER FOR THE HAUNTING??? not the original cool as h. one with the morphing house, but the NEW one! the long trailer! It kicks ass! even if the movie sucks, it will be one hell of a haunted house ride. Personally I can't wait. Catherine Zeta Jones, Qui-Gon Jinn, and a LIVING house!!! And then the director.. hmm... well I remember loving Speed, Speed 2 sucked, Twister sucked, but I gotta hand it to them for those action sequences so I am DEFINATLEY marking my calendar for GREMLINS 3!!! oops did I say GREMLINS 3??? I mean't the Haunting.
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Can we have a bit more info on this like how far is it into production? I thought the first one was great in that low budget gem vein. However, that movie was so sucessful because of it's specific time frame, the 80's swinger scene.
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This is the greatest news I have heard yet. The first one I have loved for many, many, many years and am so glad it's being made I may have to go and eat some people. The only bad part is that it's called "EATING RAOUL 2". They should just stick with "Bland Ambition". Anyone who's going to go and see it will probably have seen the first one anyway (or the musical), and will know exactly what it is. Unless, that is... Raoul returns and they eat him AGAIN...
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Eating Roul 2: Chewing the cud
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Dream research?? Well
I really want to see
THE HAUNTING, but I
hope the great story
of the original isn't
being turned into
DREAMSCAPE or
NIGHTMARE ON ELM
STREET 3! If it is
though, they better
have that cobra headed nightmare guy in it,
he was pretty cool.... -
I can't believe a sequel is being made to EATING RAOUL, seventeen years after the fact. Oh, well. If the bastards could make CARRIE 2 twenty-three years after the original and call it a legitimate sequel, I guess anything's fair game. At least Paul Bartel and Mary Worvonov will return. Still...I'm sure it will be less scary than the stage musical EATING RAOUL a few years back. Now THAT was freakin' SCARY!!
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I've read in numerous source materials that Liam Neeson "refuses" to talk about his work on the project, which reminds me of a similar incident regarding the disgruntled Ed Harris and The Abyss. It's not a good sign when the lead marquee actor decides to stay mum about Dreamworks tentpole summer picture. I hope it's a good movie, but I fear that all the evil poltergeists will be softened for a PG-13 rating. My only conclusion about Neeson's bizarre restraint is that Jan De Bont went apeshit Cameron style. Wasn't there a massive crew mutiny on Twister? I'll see The Haunting because any film with Catherine Zeta Jones and Lili Taylor will be at least watchable. I'm still not sold on Owen Wilson, but I thought he rocked in Anaconda. I've been a Neeson fan since Darkman, but I'm still worried about his course of action with the promotion of the film. The way I see it...The only way the movie could be dreadful is if they delay it to some piss poor August release date. Methinks Deep Blue Sea will be better.
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It sounds like my worst fears about Jan de Bont's version of The Haunting are coming true. He's taking a wonderfully textured, subtle tale of fear and psychological need and turning it into Disney's Haunted House ride (new and improved! now with Dream Research Additives!). Making the Dr. a more sinister character defeats one of the prime foci of both the book and the movie: the desperately needy Eleanor is drawn to the doctor, mainly because he shows kindness to her. Ugh. I can't wait for the inevitable dream sequence of Theo going down on Eleanor. I know de Bont won't be able to resist. About Ed Harris and the Abyss--he was reluctant to do press for that primarily because he came within about an inch of drowning during the production. He did, however, appear in the making-of video that can be seen on the laserdisc version. Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio didn't do press for it because she got pissed because, after many takes of the revival scene (with her breasts exposed, etc), they finally got a good take, but the film ran out of the camera. The Abyss was one tough shoot for nearly everyone involved. Liam Neeson not talking about the Haunting is just one more bad sign about this movie.
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Hal 9000, I don't know about a crew mutiny on Twister, but I did interview Abraham Benrubi (the guy from ER who also made the short-lived Sleepers sci fi series), and he HATED working on that movie. Actually, you can see it on his face during the confrontations with Bill Paxton and Cary Elwes. He looks pissed and hot, and that's what he was for most of that shoot.
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I mean, that dud had, I believe, thirty-four writers attached to it, and ended up officially crediting maybe five. Not that the remaining twenty-nine scribes were all that forlorn over being excluded from receiving a credit on such an awful mess. Besides, as Shemp pointed out, it's not the fact that seven writers are contributing to MI2; it's that they're all working for their full fees. And, all told, I think his estimate of $10 million is a tad low; especially considering the fact that names like Tolkin, Towne and Goldman can often charge $3 million a pop. If I'm wrong, please correct my figures.
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Ok, Berman and Braga are trying to break out? Appearantly so. I doom this movie.
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Could this article be anymore of a lame attempt by Michael Tolkin's agent or attorney to influence the WGA? 323-782-4800 is their fax number-- why don't you just fax them directly instead of wasting our time!
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....it was stuck in front of that lame ass, excuse me, suck ass Mummy which bodes ill to me, tlhough I must admit just by the trailer it looks good. Eating Raol 2 should NOT have been made, though I enjoyed the original someqhat for its novelty.
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I'm getting very disappointed with Dreamworks, when they came along and Spielberg was saying that the artists would be treated right and everything I was really excited. I've been supporting their films ever since they've been around but now they seem to be morphing into the same old bullshit studio system. I also hate to see writers that I really respect like Goldman and Towne constantly doing these money rewrites instead of original stuff they care about, that's why the writer has no real power or respect from studios cause they're perceived as being easily replacable. I guess the only morals around Hollywood are TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN.
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Is anyone else getting tired of reading "**FEAR ATTRACTS THE FEARLESS**" in the subject line? Hey, Darth Maul, you're sounding like a broken record, dude.
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I'm a bit confused...is this a remake of the great black-and-white 60s movie with Julie Harris? That movie is classic horror! In fact, I think it is one of the best true horror movies ever made. How can anyone top that???
Sounds like from what I am reading and hearing that there is trouble in paradise with a multitude of writers and disgruntled actors. I'm kind of afraid to even see it.
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"The Haunting" trailer indeed realized my worst fears. The novel is incredibly scary in its subtlty. The movie looks like a damn freakshow. Shirley Jackson lovers will loath this film as much as they did that godawful TV-movie version of "The Lottery." I saw this film as either a low-budget psychological film, or even a creepy British "Merchant-Ivory-esque" film - but, God, not an f/x extravaganza. Jackson's genious came from her ability to make a slight twist on reality, and scare the hell out of you. The scene in the novel & original film in which the evil force starts banging on the doors, one-by-one, to find an occupant is terrifying. The first time I read it in the novel, I was alone in a cabin in the mountains, and couldn't sleep for two days. I just hope I'm not laughing when I walk out of this new version.
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And I wonder why both film versions insist on setting the film in the US. The English countryside at the beginning of the story is part of the allure.
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