Cool News
Update! Joe Johnston And Universal Are Not Battling Over The Final Cut Of THE WOLFMAN!
Beaks here...
Update: Earlier this afternoon, I started getting emails from Universal insisting that The Playlist's main contention - that Universal Co-Chair Donna Langley is overseeing a studio cut of the THE WOLFMAN - is incorrect. I just got off the phone with producer Scott Stuber, and he has assured me that they have settled on a cut (which tested strongly back in November), and are now in the process of mixing, getting the final f/x and dropping in credits. Here are the particulars according to Stuber:
1) It was Joe Johnston's idea to bring in editor Walter Murch after the spring '09 reshoots to supply a "fresh perspective" and, most importantly, get the film in shape. "We were running a little long in that phase because we'd added new footage," said Stuber. "So it was about shaping that footage. There's never been that kind of contention; it's never been this editing suite vs. that editing suite." Stuber had nothing but praise for Dennis Virkler's work, and insisted this was all about getting a new pair of eyes. My opinion: if Walter Murch is willing to work on your film, you hire Walter Murch.
2) Murch did the bulk of the work. Mark Goldblatt was only on for three or four weeks to assist with a complicated London set piece.
3) Moving the release date from November to February was all about finishing the f/x, particularly in that London sequence. "You have all of these backgrounds you've got to get right," said Stuber. "All of these period buildings and the way they're lit. They weren't getting finished correctly, so they sort of took you out of [the film] a little bit. Getting the extra six weeks to work on that stuff was helpful."
4) Per Stuber: "The thing about Donna [Langley]... they weren't really involved in that stuff. They knew [what we were] doing, and they were supportive of it, but there's never been an editing room that was sanctioned by the studio against the filmmakers."
5) The dual test screenings in November were not dueling test screenings. "There were sequences or pieces that we wanted to try differently," said Stuber. "And we did them back-to-back so we could watch them. Like when [inspector Francis] Abbberline (Hugo Weaving) arrives at the house for the first time." Basically, it was all about rhythm and pacing. Nothing major. By the way, they've got their R-rating from the MPAA, so don't worry about that being rescinded.
6) The future of Universal's other "Classic Monsters" is not contingent on the success of THE WOLFMAN. Each of these projects is its own entity, and they all have little to do with one another.
Overall, Stuber sounded pleased with the film. Obviously, he's relieved that this multi-year odyssey is coming to a close, but everything seems to be coming together. In fact, we might have some very good WOLFMAN-related news to share with you this week or next, so stay tuned.
And just... completely disregard the below story...
Maybe "battling" is too strong. Perhaps "just not seeing eye-to-eye" is more accurate. Regardless, it's newsworthy that, according to The Playlist, Universal and director Joe Johnston are still... jostling over the final cut of THE WOLFMAN - which, ready or not, opens in theaters worldwide the week of February 12th.
While it's common for directors of huge studio movies to be editing right down to the wire, it's rare for a studio and its filmmaker to be this far apart a month from release - especially on a picture that wrapped principal photography a year-and-a-half ago. And while there have been reshoots, they've still had six months or so to incorporate/refine/surrender - with editing legends Walter Murch and Mark Goldblatt pitching in! So what's the deal?
Here's what I know: last month, just a week or so before Butt-Numb-A-Thon, Universal test screened two versions of THE WOLF MAN. I talked to two people who saw one of the cuts, and their reaction was, shockingly, quite positive. They were surprised that the film a) took the time to conjure a "Classic Monster" atmosphere, and b) was bloody as hell. Both had quibbles with second act pacing and dialogue, but they agreed that the movie basically finished strong. I thought about running a story back then, but figured, since the movie had apparently come together at the eleventh hour, that we would likely see it at BNAT. Alas, that did not happen.
In any event, this news that Johnston and Universal Co-Chair Donna Langley are still cutting away (the latter with yet another, unnamed editor) completely confounds me - unless it's a running time issue. Very often, with a movie this troubled and expensive, the studio will push for a ninety-minute, emphasize-the-action slam job in order to maximize showings over opening weekend. If this is what's going on with THE WOLF MAN (and I sincerely hope it isn't), then I could understand the studio's desire to keep cutting.
I know everyone wants to assume the worst here, but I'm not so inclined. The fact that they're still slaving away on THE WOLFMAN after last month's test screening (which impressed my sources) indicates to me that there's something worth saving. I mean, you don't hire Walter Murch to sift through your garbage. That said, it's strange for Universal to be having auteur issues with the capable Johnston, who was hired to guide this troubled production to the finish line with as little fuss as possible after they'd spent a considerable amount of development dollars on Mark Romanek's initial vision. (Please don't take this as a shot at Johnston: I love THE ROCKETEER and OCTOBER SKY. It's just that this seemed like it was another for-hire gig for him, ala JURASSIC PARK 3.)
I have no idea if Universal is planning one last emergency run of test screenings for THE WOLFMAN, but, if so, all tips and reviews are welcome!
1) It was Joe Johnston's idea to bring in editor Walter Murch after the spring '09 reshoots to supply a "fresh perspective" and, most importantly, get the film in shape. "We were running a little long in that phase because we'd added new footage," said Stuber. "So it was about shaping that footage. There's never been that kind of contention; it's never been this editing suite vs. that editing suite." Stuber had nothing but praise for Dennis Virkler's work, and insisted this was all about getting a new pair of eyes. My opinion: if Walter Murch is willing to work on your film, you hire Walter Murch.
2) Murch did the bulk of the work. Mark Goldblatt was only on for three or four weeks to assist with a complicated London set piece.
3) Moving the release date from November to February was all about finishing the f/x, particularly in that London sequence. "You have all of these backgrounds you've got to get right," said Stuber. "All of these period buildings and the way they're lit. They weren't getting finished correctly, so they sort of took you out of [the film] a little bit. Getting the extra six weeks to work on that stuff was helpful."
4) Per Stuber: "The thing about Donna [Langley]... they weren't really involved in that stuff. They knew [what we were] doing, and they were supportive of it, but there's never been an editing room that was sanctioned by the studio against the filmmakers."
5) The dual test screenings in November were not dueling test screenings. "There were sequences or pieces that we wanted to try differently," said Stuber. "And we did them back-to-back so we could watch them. Like when [inspector Francis] Abbberline (Hugo Weaving) arrives at the house for the first time." Basically, it was all about rhythm and pacing. Nothing major. By the way, they've got their R-rating from the MPAA, so don't worry about that being rescinded.
6) The future of Universal's other "Classic Monsters" is not contingent on the success of THE WOLFMAN. Each of these projects is its own entity, and they all have little to do with one another.
Overall, Stuber sounded pleased with the film. Obviously, he's relieved that this multi-year odyssey is coming to a close, but everything seems to be coming together. In fact, we might have some very good WOLFMAN-related news to share with you this week or next, so stay tuned.
And just... completely disregard the below story...
While it's common for directors of huge studio movies to be editing right down to the wire, it's rare for a studio and its filmmaker to be this far apart a month from release - especially on a picture that wrapped principal photography a year-and-a-half ago. And while there have been reshoots, they've still had six months or so to incorporate/refine/surrender - with editing legends Walter Murch and Mark Goldblatt pitching in! So what's the deal?
Here's what I know: last month, just a week or so before Butt-Numb-A-Thon, Universal test screened two versions of THE WOLF MAN. I talked to two people who saw one of the cuts, and their reaction was, shockingly, quite positive. They were surprised that the film a) took the time to conjure a "Classic Monster" atmosphere, and b) was bloody as hell. Both had quibbles with second act pacing and dialogue, but they agreed that the movie basically finished strong. I thought about running a story back then, but figured, since the movie had apparently come together at the eleventh hour, that we would likely see it at BNAT. Alas, that did not happen.
In any event, this news that Johnston and Universal Co-Chair Donna Langley are still cutting away (the latter with yet another, unnamed editor) completely confounds me - unless it's a running time issue. Very often, with a movie this troubled and expensive, the studio will push for a ninety-minute, emphasize-the-action slam job in order to maximize showings over opening weekend. If this is what's going on with THE WOLF MAN (and I sincerely hope it isn't), then I could understand the studio's desire to keep cutting.
I know everyone wants to assume the worst here, but I'm not so inclined. The fact that they're still slaving away on THE WOLFMAN after last month's test screening (which impressed my sources) indicates to me that there's something worth saving. I mean, you don't hire Walter Murch to sift through your garbage. That said, it's strange for Universal to be having auteur issues with the capable Johnston, who was hired to guide this troubled production to the finish line with as little fuss as possible after they'd spent a considerable amount of development dollars on Mark Romanek's initial vision. (Please don't take this as a shot at Johnston: I love THE ROCKETEER and OCTOBER SKY. It's just that this seemed like it was another for-hire gig for him, ala JURASSIC PARK 3.)
I have no idea if Universal is planning one last emergency run of test screenings for THE WOLFMAN, but, if so, all tips and reviews are welcome!
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I wanna see it now. And I wanna see a good version.
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Hope it doesn't suck.
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Can't be good news.
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Wolfman eh?
So he's bitten by a radioactive wolf? -
Maybe the nothingness can be seen poetically, like maybe it was eaten by the werewolf.
Personally speaking, I'd be impressed with a werewolf movie that was very tense and scary without showing a lot of gore -- which i guess I find simply gory or possibly disturbing without being in and of itself scary. But maybe it'll be a great movie. I'm not suggesting "Argh they took the wrong approach." -
On top of that, I don't want to a story that seems butchered at 90 min. If it is over two hours...and if it is "R", I will pay my hard earned money to see this. I have been wanting to see a wolfman movie for a while. New Moon just did not cut it for me.
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But make them do a directors cut dvd for his vision?
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I am looking forward to this one....anybody hear anything new about this?
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But last I heard anything about Captain America is that starts filming in June. When should we know about casting? 'Cause that's pretty much what could make it or break it for me.
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The preview looks great until they show the fake ass cgi transformation. I heard they were going for a combo of practical and CG, but it STANDS OUT, FAKE AS HELL. Just cut it out entirely instead of taking us out of the experience.Poor Rick Baker being a whipping boy for this crap :(
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Keep the "R" rating and let us all judge it for ourselves. Or me for myself. I'm cool with that.
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Why couldn't they just tell Universal to screw the pooch and just do it independently ala District 9?
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They only have themselves to blame. A movie designed by committee is designed to fail
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the way of the future, for those smart enough is probably some sort of mix of practical and cgi. But when the cgi is problematic, it really should be dumped. Even practical looks a lot better on a bad day than a bad cgi job. And really, unless some bid stunt or something is involved, there really lis no good reason not to do practical. I'd much rather see a guy in a rubber suit (considering how awesome some of these things look these days) versus a fucking computer image.
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This has been demonstrated time and time again.
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Jan 06, 2010 3:49:10 PM CST
realese one pg,and one rated R. see what people choses?
by thedannerdaliel
chanses are ,everyone wins...
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Studio mandated cuts are always to the detriment of the movie. Anyone remember the Universal cut of Gilliam's BRAZIL? And it seems they emasculated INCREDIBLE HULK (still hoping to see the original cut someday). DAREDEVIL. WATCHMEN, EVENT HORIZON, etc. etc. etc. If they are trying to create a shorter action/monster cut (a la INCREDIBLE HULK), I'm gonna pass.
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Universal's had a stick up their ass over this film since the very beginning of this project. What exactly do they want here? I had high hopes for this film, and I've enjoyed everything I've seen thus far, but I fear all this messing around (and the multiple edits, cuts, etc) are just going to ruin the film.
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Hollywood movies
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Jan 06, 2010 3:50:28 PM CST
ANY/Studio involvement could have saved Phantom menace.
by thedannerdaliel
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I feel like I've waited forever to see this film. My own birthday is on Feb. 7, and they couldn't even make that! It is with equal parts fear and excitement that I will greet this troubled production update of one of my favorite movie icons. I'm still pretty positive, as Johnston's footage looks good and Rick Baker's initial make-up is amazing. Even as a gun-for-hire, Johnston's third dinosaur flick was better than Speilberg's first sequel. However, I DO NOT WANT a 90 minute film! At close to three hours, "Avatar" is raking it in. People like a "full meal" at the theater and will reward the film makers with their hard earned money for a full experience. Fuck that opening weekend nonsense myth. I remember when Stallone cut "Cobra" to under 90 minutes so it could play more times in the theater than "Top Gun," which was opening against it. See how that turned out?
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Anyhoo, this is just one more sign in a long, long trail of signs that this film is not going to be very good, I'm so sorry to say. Seriously bummed.
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It's just wrapping up filming as a matter of fact. Starring John Travolta, Nicole Kidman, Paul Walker, Charles Scrotum, Yahoo Serious, Pauly Shore and
Giovanni Ribisi as the inbred retard stepson. Budget $400 million -
Not a good sign. I guess the definitive Benicio Werewolf/wolf boy movie may just end up being Big Top Pee Wee.
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Hey Jett...any scoops on the 'ol Wolfman?
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Because that can't help but get more morans in the seats.
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this is completley blown out of proportions, we are simply trying to tighten the mid section of the film, yes there are some argues between J-Johs and the studio but this is normal hollywood stuff
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Any movie with Anthony Hopkins is an automatic 'wait for the dvd', if that. He's such a one-trick scenery-chewer.
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That I've sent you like three times now? The cut I saw was only about 90 minutes long, so I really can't imagine running time is the issue. It was pretty good from the version I saw, I can't imagine what the problem would be.
http://www.brutalashell.com/2009/10/an-early-look-at-the-wolfman/ -
Is Harry insinuating something?
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Thanks for asking about that project, all is going as planned, Josh Lucas is in a full work out routine and has already gained alot of muscle to play caps, the other casting is coming along greatly and set design is in it's final stages, expect filming to start within a month and we should have a teaser trailer ready for iron man 2
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In the monster squad when he is in the phone booth. Always found that scene freaky and great make up job
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If so, just short and sweet, Does the CGI look realistic? From the previews it does not??
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I remember an interview article from years back where he states that a movie should not be longer than 95 minutes not including credits, he says that a good filmmaker should be able to tell their story within that time frame. The studio probably really likes the longer edits, but Johnston more than likely is trying to get it down to his 95 minute creado.
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The CGI in the trailer was (to put it simply) a rush job. Infact the effect you saw in the trailer have had weeks of work since then and the final film looks amazing
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will be THANKS AICN!!!!!!!!!!!!
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That posts articles and comments are secretly Jettl93....................
Including myself. -
Ten slots, about only six films of worth have come out. Let me get my deserved nomination.
HH -
Because if they do their little monster squad becomes a license to print money once more. They get this right and in a decade we'll all be paying to see Wolfman 6: Mission to Moscoooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!
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Jan 06, 2010 4:43:03 PM CST
They're trying to edit it into a 21st Century American setting.
by rev_skarekroe
And they're trying to edit Del Toro and Hopkins into good looking teenagers.
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the one hour photo guy didn't make this. Twas a sad day indeed.
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DRAG ME TO HELL.
This movie was ecstatically reviewed by aicn on theater release, and courtesy of Blu Ray i've just seen it myself...
Settling back for a good ol' horror flick from Sam Raimi who made some of my faves from back in the day (EVIL DEAD trilogy, DARKMAN and CRIMEWAVE) I was pleased that he began the film in James Bond style with a prologue 'scare' sequence. This soon turned to disappointment when it involved a latino kid being dragged through a marble floor by fakely CGI devil arms and some rather duff acting. It was all seeming a bit artificial and a bit Hollywooden.
Next we discover our heroine is a young actress called Alison Lohman. She's bland faced, flat-chested and not a particularly good actress. Hmm, seems like the potential titilation value of having a female lead is going to be zero.
She does her job as a bank lender well by refusing a loan to a crusty gypsy woman who's already had two failed loans in the past. Refusing the loans not an evil act, but a perfectly understandable one given her job. However this movie and the gypsy woman herself proclaim Alison Lohman to be EVIL! She has shamed the gypsy woman! A gypsy curse is her punishment.
We are next introduced to Justin Long - previously seen as a 'dork' in GALAXY QUEST and DIE HARD 4. However here he is playing a suave doctor 'boyfriend' role. I'd like to say he nails it, but no. He's still a fucking dork and entirely unbelieveable as the 'steady eddie' type character.
Anyway, before you can say Raimi sucks, the gypsy woman is appearing as a hallucination monster and vomiting various CGI materials over Lohman. This goes on for at least an hour. It's not scary, thrilling or interesting.
The film ends with a twist, that all but the village idiot saw coming, and at the end I was left scratching my head why I bothered. AICN recommended you watch this film. I recommend that you dont.
DRAG ME TO HELL, one star out of five from the dojo. -
It's a good B-movie with A+ production values.
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I've never heard a more troubled production, it might as well be a comic movie coming out of FOX. HEY-OH!!!!!!
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to get the tweeners in. The last thing this movie needs is to become another Cursed.
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That thing was a great, tight little comic book of a dinosaur flick. I personally prefer the third flick to the second overlong outing that didn't know when to get out when the getting was good. Had they cut that flick with the T-Rex roaring with the city looming in the background, they would have had LINES AROUND THE BLOCK for the third flick. Could have been our Godzilla. Instead, we got Cloverfield. (Not that there's anything wrong with that. Love me some Clovey as well!)
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...gave that interview about the 95 min movie while promoting JP3. They always try to put a spin while they're promoting. And for god's sake, don't have a pg13 for the theatrical cut and a directors cut for dvd. I am so sick of this. I actually think that instead of helping their dvd sales, they hurt the teatrical sales. Now something like Avatar isn't going to be affected, but if I have a choice between seeing a compromised movie at a theater and an uncut version on bluray, I'm going for the latter.
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The place is PLASTERED with Wolfman posters. They are pimping this movie BIG TIME!
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It was posted in my comments with the title "Drag Me to Hell" was some bullshit!
Raimi phoned that movie in....I never seen a director copy his own gags from his earlier movies (EVIL DEAD) as badly as he did with Drag Me to hell.
fucking JettL93 -
I can hear laughter from a basement somewhere.
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How can they be so close to release and not have a final cut? Don't they need time to make the thousands of copies for the movie theaters of the world? Does anyone know what the process is (once a film is DONE) in getting it into theaters?
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Full of optical effects and over size props and settings (I was always a sucker for The Incredible Shrinking Man and Irwin Allen's cheesy Land Of The Giants) and IMO a better "kids" movie than say, Goonies.
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mrtibbs, yeah I dont get the chance to go out to the movies so much these days...instead wait for blu-ray release.
But I do remember the films recommended by aicn or by talkbackers and DRAG ME TO HELL was one of them. Like you, I was disappointed in it and disappointed in AICN for bigging it up so much.
WOLFMAN I think will be more my cup of tea, hopefully less insipid and tween-friendly, and more ready to take chances and show some real gore and horror. -
right up to almost the day of release? Might not be the best example, but thats what I thought I heard.
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I figured he'd at least report to you guys about the beating stone cold gave him.
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The Playlist story is apparently... problematic.
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Jan 06, 2010 6:05:51 PM CST
Cobra Kai's Review Does Not Exist In This Dojo
by isleptwithkathybatesandallthatigotwasthi
Don't believe him! If you haven't seen it - check out 'Drag Me To Hell'! It's a fun horror movie!
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Jan 06, 2010 6:06:55 PM CST
What beating did Stone Cold give Sly?
by isleptwithkathybatesandallthatigotwasthi
I'm so behind in the news these days.
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Why am i forced to ask so many questions?
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I'm stoopid. Oops.
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http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/746846--stallone-broke-neck-filming-latest-movie
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KathyBates, you are stoopid but in a nice way. Now go watch DRAG ME TO HELL again and have some fun!
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which type of Danish was the most popular on set?
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He conquers all.
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Studio Rep: Can we downplay the Victorian Age angle and all that exposition and ramp up the violence and boobs?
Johnston: I thought we were doing a more complete monster movie than that?
Studio Rep: Yeah, well we need to get asses in the seats. And people going to balls and wearing top hats isn't going to bring us the bacon.
Johnston: I refuse to sell out my vision........for less than 6% of the revenue! -
http://tinyurl.com/ykje7k9
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I wants a cool werewolf movie.
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Oh dear lord! This is the sort of thing that fucked up both David Lynch's Dune (Gotta shoehorn an epic movie into a shorter running time) and Alien 3 (Massive studio interference)!
Frankly though... as much as Joe is an OK director (I Did like The Rocketeer and JP3 was tolerable), I REALLY think he should have been back designing the Star Wars Prequel vehicles and stuff! LOL -
If they've already gotten an R (which was reported), then they'd have to resubmit any other cut to the MPAA in order for that cut to be rated (in a twist move, they cut out all gore and scares in order to achieve a G rating).
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I don't really have a problem with it. It didn't try anything new or take any risks really, but it was a lot better than Lost World, and captured some of the magic of the original.
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I want Horror movies to thrive in theaters because I want to see more of them in theaters.
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gotta love those chinese whispers.
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Edgar Wright posted it via Twitter:http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/zz14f357dc.jpg
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Actually it's not the cg so much but it's just an awfully designed shot. And eyes are always THE most important thing to get right... Rick Baker's own cg stuff has eyes that are more convincing, and he wouldn't make the bones like rubber...
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Last time I saw Avatar, I was studying the CG faces in amazement. So ridiculously real.
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use of the classic monsters hinged on one movie, the whole thing would've blown up with the release The Mummy back in '99.
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And trailers often have unfinished f/x in them, white_vader. I'm quite sure that shot will look better in the finished film.I'm a fan of JP3, too. Certainly the most entertaining of the series. And, not for nothin', the shortest.
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Now I can look forward to seeing this.
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He made Rocketeer. That's all I need to get my ass in a seat.
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JP1 is the best of films. It setup and executed the T-Rex scene very well and made the whole dino thing somewhat believable. JP 3, while solid, wasn't nearly as well done. Plus, the T-Rex's needed to get back at the Spinosaurus for crossing their turf.
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Bringing in different editors, different composers, delaying the release, WHATEVER.
The breaking point for me is when they jerked off and splorged stupid CGI over Rick Baker's no-doubt incredible transformation effects. Shit looks STUPID in the preview.
Even IF the movie turns out to be well-paced and chocked full of atmosphere and thrills and chills, I will still be turned off to the fact that they didn't think audiences would dig a werewolf transformation without the assistance of powerful and expensive computers.
Yea, this nerd is OUTRAGED.
Oh, but I wanted to thank you guys for correcting the original article, and doing it in a gentlemanly way. Devin at CHUD basically called anyone who followed that original story an idiot and a rube. Fuck I hate that site now. -
go ahead and retract the tom cruise and taylor lautner story as well. tom cruise has said that he is NOT involved with the project. see EW.com for further confirmation or deadlinehollywood.
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Did you just call Jurassic Park 3 the most entertaining of the series? Yeoowch. That takes some balls, man.
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seriously after all these years why don't you just listen to me when i say something, i am usually involved in the project, or at least i have connections to the project, and when i said Wolfman wasn't in jeopardy i meant it
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Execs are simply trying to salvage the project. The timing is wrong for it.
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...a year's supply of crystal meth!
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The haters are fucking cunts
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...the KY promise. "Hon, it's not gonna hurt this time!"
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...Jake Sully and Neytiri masks. "Wow, babe, now we can make kinky fuck in forest like blue monkeys!" (sponsored by Sigourney Weaver Is Still Do-able Even At Seventy Or Whatever She Is corp.)
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I know unfinished shots get into trailers, but the main thrust was that cg or not, it's just a horrendously designed shot, and if it was that unfinished a shot of an eye (like I said the most important thing there is in terms of where you look and unconscious but informed criticism as to what looks 'real'), then it's about the last shot you should EVER put in a trailer.
There's no internal logic to it, everything whether bone, flesh or eyeball has the same consistency. Rather than the soft eye expanding, reaching the limit pushing again a bony mass, then bone splitting, then soft masses being allowed to expand again, etc. Like I say, I'm not some "cg is shit" moron. It's just a bad shot no matter how it was done and there's no sense (even wolfman effects need an internal logic) to it. Fair? -
I understand that sometimes in the hurly-burly world of entertainment rumors and news that some misinformation will become erroniously published (just ask Dan Rather). That doesn't undermine the integrity of your journalistic career. Saying that JP3 was the most entertaining of the series...??? WTF. And I even defend that movie as being entertaining - however the first movie kicks its ass.
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Are Not Battling Over The Final Cut Of THE WOLFMAN!
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Jan 06, 2010 10:08:08 PM CST
I hope they re-instate Danny Elfman's score on the DVD
by nasty in the pasty
Now that Elfman's score was trashed and Rick Baker's makeup effects are supposedly getting thrown out in favor of cartoonish CGI, there's little reason to see this in the theater.
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Remember when they were all eating food from a vending machine that had been sitting abandoned in a sweltering jungle for FIVE YEARS?! And, hilariously, William H. Macy first tried to put some money in despite there being NO ELECTRICITY?! Not to mention the fucking BARNEY reference (were kids still watching Barney in 2001?), the heavilly-hyped T-Rex vs. Spinosaurus fight that lasted all of 30 seconds, the scene where Sam Neill tells everyone to freeze due to the Rex's vision being based on movement...followed IMMEDIATELY by everyone running with their ARMS FLAILING WILDLY in every direction, TEA MOTHERFUCKING LEONI giving one of the most grating performances in recent memory...JP3 was HORRIBLE. It even makes the gravely flawed Lost World look like Jaws in comparison.
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ACCEPT IT
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Ah jesus. I didn't realize movies were about trying to get to the ending as quickly as possible. The original Jurassic Park was perfect at 2 hours, because it had enough of a story to tell, with an hour of solid buildup and then an hour of payoff. JP3, while I enjoyed it, was just one prolonged action scene, and not much story.
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The CGI was awful. How is it that after 10 years of advancement in digital SP/FX, and the dinosaurs looked more fake than they did in the first one? Theres a scene where the heroes go by a pack of dinosaurs, while on a boat, and these brightly coloured dinos bend over to look at them; the whole scene looks like it was from a special episode of the Backyardagains meet the crayola dinosaurs.
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But the pterodactyls were very nicely done.
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I was kinda hoping they'd use the old gypsy woman quote as a voice over. You know: "Even though a man may be pure of hear and say his prayers by night...he may become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the moon is full and bright" Now that combined with the visuals would have made my hair stand on end!
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Sorry, I'm tired...and new.
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Are you the one who goes into rages in here? Since Drew left, I get confused.
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MisterManReturns, no Beaks is the one with really bad taste in movies. (as proved yet again with the JP3 comment..sigh..)
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...Brendan Fraser had starred. THAT'S how bad it was.
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...But you don't reschedule a movie from November to February if you think it's going to be successful.
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Balls on accurate review there dude. I long ago stopped taking AICN's opinion on movies. I'm more likely to believe certain Talkbackers whose opinions I've seen consistantly mirror my own. Sadly, none flagged Drag Me to Hell as a piece of second rate garbage before I saw it.
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Yeah fuck it, climaxes are overrated, yeah?!
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I did not enjoy it as much as I was hoping to. At the time, I wondered if it was because I wasn't feeling well. Although I don't think I have strong feelings about it one way or another. It was not as frightening as I thought it might be. (Did anyone else see people walk out at the "Here, kitty" scene?) I'm not sure if I agree with this analysis, but I think the movie would be more interesting for me if the analysis were correct and stronger evidence for it had been presented in the movie. Something I found at imdb: http://tinyurl.com/y9eghs5
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Did I miss something in the geek news? Or is this just JETTL93 spewing molten bullshit again?
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Is there anyone at AICN who *isn't* completely off their tits?
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I think it's bologna.
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I checked online, and can find no announcement of it. (I was offline over xmas, and could have missed it.)
So this is another one of those times we can collectively point back to, the next time JettL93 is wondering why people call him a pathological liar? Alrighty then. -
be warned.
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V'Shael, cheers bro.
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DangerDave, did you say 'rage' or 'rape'? Beaks is the guy who boasted about re-watching IRREVERSIBLE 3 times in one weekend.
Anyone else think there's something seriously wrong with that?! -
...looks quite good. Johnston hasn't been good since Rocketeer. But this film definitely appears to be a return to form.
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I saw it on DVD, but it would not have surprised me if people walked out at that scene. Raimi tried to do Evil Dead without The Chin (and used the "I'm a Mac" guy?) and it just didn't work for the most part. Killing a cute li'l kitty who's barely old enough to be weaned would probably be a lot of peoples' final straw. Plus, it didn't make any sense. I understood she needed to sacrifice an animal, but why kill your own pet (and then have to explain its absence to your fiance) when there are plenty of stores willing to sell you any animal without question?
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I wondered about that, too. Why kill her own pet? I guess it could be explained away like "I'm panicking, I have to do something NOW!" but, still.
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this film has a ways to go to prove to me that it's not just another "Bram Stoker's Dracula" or (god forbid) "Kenneth Brannagh's Frankenstein"
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I wished they had hired somebody more... classy and offbeat, shall we say!
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Jan 07, 2010 1:53:01 PM CST
What the fuck is people's problem with Brannagh's FRANKENSTEIN?
by asimovlives
Most faithful Frankenstein adaptation since ever. Very well made. Operatic as it should. Anybody who has read the book knows how accurate in tone the movie is to the book. so, really, the people who are knocking the movie, either never read the book, or thing that the old Frankestein's movies are all there is to say about the famous monster and it's creator's saga.Maybe the people who hate Brannagh's FRANKENSTEIN would prefer VAN HELSING, perhaps? More to their taste?Really, the hate for Brannagh's FRANKENSTEIN is mind-bloggling.
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It's Brannagh in the title role. I thought it was overacted, or at least should have gone to another actor. He did the same thing in his version of Hamlet, which had the perfect running time, and great cameos, he just hammed it up. This is just my opinion.
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Ha ha ha ha ha. No, no... give me hammy Brannagh and bandaged DeNiro any day, thanks.
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BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, FROM HELL, SWEENEY TODD, and now.... THE WOLFMAN.
Luckily, even though all those movies I listed are somewhat flawed, I liked them anyway - I think THE WOLFMAN will fit comfortably in that group.
Theatrical, victorian, gruesome. Hey, there are worse ways to spend 2 hours! -
I think the acting fireworks from Brannagh in FRANKENSTEIN served the story. As someone who has read the book, i think itwas quite uin tune to the story it told. FRANKENSTEIN is a pure gothic horror, and as such, they never go for subtle, which is part of their charm. I think Brannagh did it right.And i'm a huge fan of Brannagh's HAMLET. Though i'm closer to Isaac Asimov's interpretation of the play, Brannagh still mannaged a pretty good adaptation still usingthe old conventions of the play, and himself as a lead he was very good. Truly, i can't find no fault in him either as an actor or director.
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Yeah. That's exactly the vibe I'm getting from this film. Not terrible, just that it's not going to distinguish itself from the pack.
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Coppola's version/adaptation of Dracula is a really interesting movie. I don't think it's wholy sucessful, and i think it has some falws and some weird tangents, but overall i can't help admire it. It's one of those flawed movies i can't help admire and like,a nd which i would rather prefer to some milquetoast bland blockbuster full of CGI and little else. At least there's an undenaiable vision and passion going on in Coppola's Dracula, which is more then i can say about so many other movies out there.
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You said "Operatic," before and I think that's a pretty good word for it. I'm glad the fireworks work for you, really. They just don't do the same for me. And as for Hamlet? There's a lot to like about the film. I just felt that there could have been a little more subtlety to Brannagh's performance, and while I prefer Brannagh's version of the story, I like the way Mel Gibson played the character better (not that that film didn't have it's flaws.) and hey, if JJ and Universal can get along...Can't We?
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It's a movie that tried to be epic and failed. It has it's moments, and never really becomes unwatchable, but I agree with Lordoflight, we need something more faithful to the book so we can enjoy Coppola's for the interesting failure that it is.
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on this Frankenstein thing. It's been a few years so maybe I'll take another look. Didn't ever file it under "never see again."
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It's virtually endless the amount of versions you can make of that story, and you could do dozens of good movies out of it, be it direct adaptations or spin it into a different time or location. Dracula just keep in inspiring and inviting filmmakers to keep on returning to it and make their own version. And small wonder.
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"Dracula 2000" and now they're talking about this Dracula: Year One thing that has me...concerned. Isn't there any creativity left in Hollywood. No don't answer that.
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That I actually do like kenneth brannagh. just not so much in those two films. I was thrilled to hear that he was doing "Thor" as there's no one more qualified to direct a film in which "What ho?!" may appear as actual dialogue.
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with all this cgi/Van Helsing like crap we've seen, I think I'd really enjoy a low budget, 2.5 hr long period piece based entirely on the novel. Once we have that let them go and make all the Twight's they want. Just give us "Dracula" done right, dammit!
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I was typing very passionately there. mistakes were bound to happen.
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The English language seems to have left me behind here. Let's see...Twilight...there, knew I could do it.
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if it's done right. It just seems to me that the higher the budget the more the studio will want to be involved and that they usually want "Bigger, better, and more explosions" Not always, but that that kind of thinking has ruined movies before.
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... I know JettL93 will claim to be an editor on this, and LA TI FUCKING DA, there he is again. Listen, you IDIOT, it's not fucking funny anymore. If you did it for a few laughs, for obviously creating stories for comic purpouses, I would be fine with it. But you take yourself so fucking serious it's pathetic. I never wished to even mention your damn user id on a post here, but I just want to write this one, just this one. I'll go back to ignoring your existance again.
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Yeah, I was sitting there when that scene came up, and I was thinking "What the FUCK...?!" How do you make a sequel released EIGHT YEARS after the original, but with worse special effects?
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I'm a HUGE fan of the original Universal Monster movies and have loved the new takes on these films. Bram Stoker's Dracula is one of the BEST versions ever of Dracula, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein was flawed but I liked it. It would be awesome to see a Bride Of Frankenstein and the other Universal Monster movies done this way with a more mature R rating and not watered down CGI filled crap like Van Helsing.
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Does anyone actually think Universal is going to admit to problems with The Wolfman? Hell no. They want to make their money back.
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