Cool News
Beige Babapapa fills us in on a new JOHN WOO project that isn't WINDTALKERS
HEy folks, sounds like John Woo may be doing a western next!?!?!?! Ya know... John Woo doing a western could be like soooo cool that it'd be hard to not just create puddles of mouth fluid everywhere ya went. Here's the scoop..
Hi Harry, Beige Babapapa here from the Isle of Chop Socky .......
I read an article today from one of the Hong Kong Newspapers which surprised
me a bit.
It's about HK's favourite export....John Woo. Seems that "Windtalkers" isn't
the only ferret in the gimp's pants.....metaphorically speaking of
course....
Don't know how relevant or interesting it'll be ......
Professional Start for Woo
Hong Kong movie-maker John Woo is to produce - and possibly direct - a
remake of the epic Western The Professionals as his first picture under his
billion-plus US dollar deal with Columbia Pictures. The studio has hired
veteran scriptwriter Bruce Feirstein to present a screenplay for the updated
version of the gritty 1966 classic. Feirstein wrote the scripts for the
last three James Bond films. The original film was directed by Richard
Brooks from a novel by Frank O'Rourke. Set at the turn of the 19th century,
it tells the story of a bunch of mercenaries who are hired by a wealthy
ranch owner to track down one of their old gang who kidnapped the man's
wife.
Beige Babapapa
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Well, I am!
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Well, it makes sense really, seeyin' as how Westerns were really the first movies to showcase the two-gun action that Woo loves so much. Waitaminute. The guy who wrote the last three Bond flicks is scripting it? They're letting the man who gave us lame-computer-geek-villain Boris squealing, "I am EENEENCIBLE!" near a Woo flick? Ugh. On the other hand, I've generally given up hope on Woo anyway. He hasn't made a decent flick since he came to America. No, FACE-OFF wasn't very good either.
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In my case an accident at birth, but you, why you're a self made man...
Is that the right film - Ralph Bellamy, Lee Marvin..? -
I mean, can you imagine? Jackie doing backflips ON A HORSE? And man, I'd love to see what Jackie Chan could do with a lassoo. Of course, Chow Yun Fat has got to play the bad guy. Seriously though, if Woo makes a Western, won't it end up looking just like Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead? Not that that's a bad thing, because The Quick and the Dead KICKS ASS.
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Feb 16, 2000 7:38:29 AM CST
JOHN WOO SHOULD DIRECT A BOND FILM AND FEIRSTEIN SHOULD BE SHOT.
by swiss toni
I fucking hate Bruce Feirstein, to my mind the most lame ass scriptwriter working today (probably an exaggeration but you get the drift). I love Bond films. I'm English and was brought up on both the films and more importantly Flemings novels. To me the last three efforts are an insult. The World Is Not Enough was a poor mans attempt to script a keep you guessing thriller, with none of the characterisation or intrigue of earlier efforts. Tomorrow Never Dies was without doubt the worst Bond script ever. Straight from the hip Ah-Nuld material that should have been burnt after the first draft. Goldeneye - just poorly paced and not that interesting. Why???? Cos Feirstein takes his inspiration from re-gurgitating the old Bond Films in order to try and satisfy the public. Has he ever read one of the novels. The early films were brilliant because of the excellent source material. Maybe he's only read the Gardner ones cos he's well lost sight of the character. As Harry said in his review of TWINE, Commander Bond of the Royal Navy sinks a sub by accident??????? Does Feirstein have no idea who this man is? TWINE could have been good but I'm willing to bet Feirstein came in and over ruled the other two writers. SO MY PROPOSITION IS THIS: Get rid of Feirstein and hire a decent writer for the Bond flicks. Don't let him near this project. AND PUT JOHN WOO in charge of the next James Bond film. I'm fed up with hearing Spottiswoode and Apted talk about struggling to cope with a production of Bond's size. How much money do the Bond films take? You would think they could afford a decent A - List director who is used to those circumstances. AND WHAT A COMBINATION! The greatest action director in the world can easily resurrect the greatest action hero of all time. HARRY THE CAMPAIGN MUST START HERE - WOO TO DIRECT THE NEXT BOND FILM....MAKE IT SO.....TALK TO PEOPLE....GET MORIATY INVOLVED.......MAKE IT HAPPEN!
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...making love to a beautiful woman. You get into Barbara Broccoli's knickers, land some product placement and throw in a couple of one-liners.
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THIS week, oy 'ave been MOSTLY makin a JAMES BOND FILM
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Bono estente. Si manana, republico presidente, John Woo el directore annoncia con futuro producsion, eine filme con JAMES BOND. James Bond serra interpreta par el actro distinguisha CHRIS WADDLE. El bad guy serra interpreta par el actoro distinguisha EL PRESIDENTE. Bono estente. Metereologico, Paula?
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THIS week, oy are bin MOSTLY makin HONG KONG ACTION PICTURES
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'ere, 'ave you seen it? Eh? Well 'ave you? I've got me sawn-off shotgun, I've got me grenades (they're very nice, I bet you've 'ad one in the bike-shed with your afternoon pudding), I've got me rocket launcher, but ... Wheeeere's me washboard? Eh?
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I will say but one thing.
I. Can't. Wait. -
Now, now mickey. Stop tormenting people with naff fast show excerpst
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I've been hearing about this one for months on various Hong Kong film websites. I think the original plan was to have four big Hong Kong stars play the "professionals". I remember hearing that the likes of Jet LI, Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, and Chow Yun-Fat had expressed interest in this project. Now THAT would be sweet.
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Think about it. John Woo did "Broken Arrow" and "The Killer". Sam Peckinpah did a TV series called "Broken Arrow" and a movie called "The Killer Elite". John Woo often talked about how much of an influence Sam Peckinpah's westerns were to him. It was bound to happen that John Woo does a western! Can't freakin' wait!
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Could be wrong, but think you'll find that was "Shanghai Noon" being touted for the Asian ensemble ....
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Thanks DarthEvil, I can't wait. Jackie Chan rocks - even his substandard films are exceptionally good entertainment. Maybe soon I'll have something else than the !"
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Feb 16, 2000 10:23:30 AM CST
Darth Bond: "Mommy, Mommy! Do we have to see Grandma again?" "Sh
by darth blumpkin
Personally, I'm excited about anything Woo has his name attached to. Based on the MI:2 trailer, his films get more and more Woo-sy with each successive one. From "Hard Target" to "Face/Off" there has been a definite progression of his work. Hollywood needs his blend of style and substance, and either of these films sound like they'd rock pretty hard.
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Quite refreshing to see a fellow fan on line. Any idea when the new series is starting????? It'll at least give Mark Williams some good material after the bad first episode of the strangerers. I do think Woo would be a good Bond director though. Just a thought.
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Make THE DEVIL SOLDIER before you do anything else! Please. P.S. I have heard an unreliable rumor that Jim Carrey does not want to make a GOD OF COOKERY remake anymore. It probably would have sucked anyway, but will someone please bring Stephen Chow over here!?
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Didn't John Woo just LEAVE Columbia for MGM? A month ago, there were all these reports in Variety about it. They said Woo could never get any of his projects greenlit at Columbia, so he was moving to the more receptive MGM. The head (chief, bss of bosses, or whatever) of MGM even said they were already in the process of physically moving over all Woo's offices. So what the hell is all this then?! And where did this billion dollar figure come up? Just a word to the wise: Never trust Hong Kong newspapers when it comes to entertainment news. They'll print anything when it comes that type of news. They're like AICN. (haha, just kidding)
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Jackie Chan has already made a Western called Shanghai Noon which will be coming out in June probably. It is actually an "Eastern Western" in that he comes from old imperial China to the old west.
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Feb 16, 2000 12:19:53 PM CST
NO ONE CAN FILL LEE MARVIN'S, WOODY STRODE'S, ROBERT RYAN'S OR B
by uncapie
NO ONE! SCREW COLUMBIA! SCREW FIERSTEIN! JOHN WOO CAN DO MUCH BETTER AS A DIRECTOR! COME UP WITH YOUR OWN IDEAS, DAMNIT, NOT THIS REGURGITATED CRAP! IGNORANT TV BABIES ARE RUNNING THE STUDIOS!
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For every remake that sounds interesting, there are like 20 that make us all groan. I don't think it's smart to send the message that these are the movies we want to see by supporting this unimaginative crap. How about John Woo doing a western with a fresh script? It's bad enough that most westerns have too much in common, but they're just going to throw in the towel and drag out some old idea. Whatever. The only stuff that should be remade are films based on books or plays. Different interpretations of other mediums. But you're never watching a remake without the other version in your mind. I say they can also stick that Red Dragon remake up their asses. Michael Mann has more talent than Jonathan Demme and Ridley Scott combined. To do the story again just so Hopkins can be in all three is an insult to the people that did a great job before. And what jackass will they get to reprise Petersen's role? Good luck. As for the guy who proposed John Woo for the next James Bond film, get real. The series has turned into a pathetic action cliche fest, and now you want to disguise it with Woo's stylistic visuals? No way. What we need is a return to the actual ESPIONAGE and SPY stuff that made it great in the first place. If you want a skilled director who will do it justice, I'd suggest John Frankenheimer, whose Ronin was more of a James Bond film (despite its flaws) than anything since the Roger Moore days...
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Remember when Harry said Moriarty's Rumblings would be out on Wednesday? That was funny.
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I mean come on, forget Tom Cruise!
get to Chow Yun-Fat dammit! King's Ransom would kick some serious ass!
people you should check out http://www.cyberspace.org/~max it's all about King's Ransom and John Woo! -
If you want to pick up on what people say instead of offering your own opinions then so be it. But firstly, try and understand what you're commenting on. I would agree 100% that Bond films have suffered since the Moore days, but I didn't say that John Woo is all that's needed to make it a success. If you care to look at what I wrote above I emphasised that a decent screenwriter (and not Bruce Feirstein) was the first and most important element. That would put the espionage / thriller themes back in place cos the film is only as good as the sript it's produced from. You must agree that a dcent director is also needed to kick the failing franchise up the arse. And I think you underestimate Woo's talent if you believe that all he brings to a picture are stylistic visuals. He's used to huge films and wouldn't nervously struggle through them like Apted and Spottiswoode, resulting in a better end product. And as for condemning him because he's an action director? Bond has always pioneered the way for action films so who better to keep the tradition going? Look at Moores days that you referred to- ski stunt, car chase and submarine raid of Spy Who Loved Me. The shoot out in the hall of mirrors and the spinning car in The Man With The Golden Gun. The crass and unrealistic ending of moonraker. Bond should punctuate espionage with superb action sequences, which would be even better with Woo's expert touch. He is so much more than stylistic visuals and can actually combine them with a decent thriller storyline; The Killer. But to correct the Bond films problems is a difficult task and one that must start with the Broccoli's and their selection of ONE screenwriter with talent. The director doesn't have to be Woo, just thought he would make a good film IMHO.
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My favorite has always been the least action-packed of the series, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. If they wanted to return to that formula, I'd be thrilled, but I know better than to expect such things.
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Feb 16, 2000 4:27:09 PM CST
damn you, woo! i want cowboys! not indians! (sorry, not native a
by tommy five-tone
even though kiowa scout's repoprt on 'windtalkers' sounded kinda intriguing, it sounds like an HBO project rather than a big-ass woo-fest. get JW into the driver's seat on 'the professionals' with a quartet of cool ACTORS (not necessarily action stars) - and make it a PERIOD piece, if you please. (no updating it a la 'seven men from now' into ah-nuld's 'collateral damage' - i can't BELIEVE they're actually making a movie with that mcbaine-style title). if you can't get woo to do 'the professionals', get robert rodriguez in. BTW, if i were woo, i'd steer clear of 'king's ransom' - i dunno if there have been rewrites since i read the script but it's a cliched piece of shit that comes across like 'hudson hawk' minus the laughs. oh yes, and bruce f's bond screenplays eat a dick. get john milius in to do some body-and-fender work on 'the professionals'.
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I agree with most of what you said. I think the screenwriting is the main problem, which is where the lack of espionage comes in. And although many classic Bond films have had big action set pieces, the stuff in between wasn't throwaway like it is now. As for John Woo, I happen to be a big fan of his work, including his less action-driven films, but my point in highlighting his visual flare is that I think his individual stamp on his films is too obvious to do Bond. You need someone a little bit more anonymous. Imagine Martin Scorsese doing a Bond film. You don't want the film to be visually different than every other Bond film. Use a competent director, but one whose style is not so recognizable, like Frankenheimer, or maybe Wolfgang Petersen. I'm sure there's tons of possible choices.
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I haven't seen a GOOD western made in year! The most recent half-ass atempt I sapose would be wild wild wwest but let's all face it that film didn't even have a posibilty of being good. If any one could make a good western it's woo. Tell ya the truth though I'd like to see him make King's ransom first. Woo and Chow Yun-Fat are a fantastic apir and can't wait to see them team up again!
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