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I think it sucks that the LINKS page is gone
by murawsky
Jun 19th, 2007
10:40:26 PM
I think it sucks that the LINKS page is gone
Excellent
by Black And Gold
Jun 19th, 2007
10:45:07 PM
Looking forward to this one. Looks like we've got two hot, dusty westerns to be excited about this year.
The trailer looked good...
by vettebro
Jun 19th, 2007
10:46:28 PM
I hope is not another "Quick and the Dead". I was very dissapointed with that one. I expected a lot more from Sam Raimi.
Speaking of Iron Giant, Brad Bird says
by wadi77
Jun 19th, 2007
10:59:39 PM
He got something for The Incredibles sequel.

http://www.darkhorizons.com

I liked Identity.
by lost.rules
Jun 19th, 2007
11:00:10 PM
Damnit! Hope this movie kicks ass!
Silence, you actually know how many times?
by Bronx Cheer
Jun 19th, 2007
11:00:16 PM
You keeping track? Is there a Hall of Fame for Firsters? I have one word for you, friend: Wow.
The only film of his I didn't like was Girl Interrupted
by lost.rules
Jun 19th, 2007
11:02:04 PM
Talk about UGHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for coming clean...if you can call it that!
by Bronx Cheer
Jun 19th, 2007
11:10:23 PM
I'm curious. Do Firsters save screenshots of their achievements?
People instantly declare this a remake.
by MaxTheSilent
Jun 19th, 2007
11:14:37 PM
Do these dumb-asses know it is based on the awesome short story by Elmore Leonard?
whoa, that's hard to read, but promising...
by The Dum Guy
Jun 19th, 2007
11:17:25 PM
I wasn't too let down by Identity (think about it as having a really bad dream, and then realizing the bad guy was you... but the ending did suck)

I liked the original and for it's time it did work really well (not that I was alive, but the sexual innuendos was ahead of it's time).
Sheeot Bronx...
by vettebro
Jun 19th, 2007
11:17:45 PM
Why don't you make arrangements to hook up "the silent dork". You two are made for each other...
I mean "hook up with the silent dork"
by vettebro
Jun 19th, 2007
11:21:29 PM
Sorry for the typo folks...
"a 9-inch cock...", isn't that kinda small?
by The Dum Guy
Jun 19th, 2007
11:21:53 PM
...I kid.
vettebro, I'm just asking questions. Not cruising,
by Bronx Cheer
Jun 19th, 2007
11:51:06 PM
not in this TB anyway. I'm into some serious man crush talk over at the BatPod TB...take care, hon.
Identiy was fun...and it was also well made.
by NoPIX
Jun 19th, 2007
11:56:04 PM
I liked the look and style of the film.
I figured out Identity form the preview
by BadMrWonka
Jun 20th, 2007
12:03:16 AM
bot other than that, it was terrible.

this one looks great, though. definitely seeing it.

IDENTITY
by The Real MiraJeff
Jun 20th, 2007
12:06:25 AM
As soon as I read Merrick's opinion of Identity I knew someone would mention it in the talkbacks and sure enough, you guys did, so here I am... to completely defend Merrick. Identity wasn't bad, but it sure as shit wasn't very good. Sure the ending was clever to some but I thought of it as an unnecessary evil, a bit of a cop out. Why couldn't that have been a straight-up whodunit? Why is there always a lame twist in those type of movies. It should be noted for the record that my all-time, number 1 DREAM project would be to adapt Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians, the finest mystery of ever written. I revere that genre. I love the idea of taking 10 strangers and picking them off one by one, but the way Identity did it felt kind of cheap. Plus I didn't like that the little kid personality wins out in the end. Puh-lease. If Identity had one cool thing going for it it was that baseball bat down the dude's throat. Still can't shake that image out of my head. Bottom line, Identity is overrated. More crap for the masses trying to be all edgy. It's sad, but trust me, it's true. Can't wait to see Cusack take on 1408 though. He's still be alright in my book, if I actually had one.
Quick and the Dead
by aboriginal
Jun 20th, 2007
12:21:56 AM
Crowe's already got my props for westerns, this is icing in the cake.
I'm not saying Identity was a great movie, but it was
by lost.rules
Jun 20th, 2007
12:30:18 AM
good at least. Can't wait for 1408. 100%, for the moment, at Rotten Tomatoes right now.
I'm not saying Identity was a great movie, but it was
by vettebro
Jun 20th, 2007
12:37:19 AM
Forgettable. That "twist" ending was just as good as the "St. Elsewhere" finale.
the cinematography was VERY obtrusive!
by s0nicdeathmonkey
Jun 20th, 2007
12:45:11 AM
half the shots out of focus. "Look, they're underlining the moral ambiguity in the film! Who is good and who is evil? It's fuzzy, just like the image on screen!" I really hope they fuzzied it up in post, because the movie is hard to watch because of that.
BALE DAMMIT!!!!
by THE KNIGHT
Jun 20th, 2007
01:03:17 AM
BALE DAMMIT!!!!
MiraJeff
by MaxTheSilent
Jun 20th, 2007
01:17:14 AM
If you love TEN LITTLE INDIANS so much then I point you to MY dream film project; and adaptation of Charles L. Grant's novel RAVEN. A short, obscure book but one with extraordinary atmosphere and a sense of dread. An unheralded masterpiece of the 'siege' genre.
I've always wanted to adapt "Andorra" by Peter Cameron
by BadMrWonka
Jun 20th, 2007
01:31:38 AM
problem is, the Andorra in the book isn't really like the real Andorra, and it would be expensive as hell to shoot...

maybe move it to like a little town in Mexico, that would be cheap...

Wonka?
by The Dum Guy
Jun 20th, 2007
01:36:11 AM
I am curious about what exactly the premise of your' script is? I'm not trying to pry, but I always have hoped that AICN followers would one day join the ranks of the Hollywood elite (or just the ones able to make movies).

Anyway, I was just wondering what fifty grand gets ya, without promise of production... And, once again, ConGrats.
ha
by BadMrWonka
Jun 20th, 2007
01:55:25 AM
once the check is in my posession, then I'll consider it a done deal. LA seems to be a town where promises quite literally don't exist. plus, if the production company that has it in motion to purchase it, decides to make it on a REALLY small budget, then they don't have to pay me $50,000. but we'll see. because if they do decide to make it on the cheap, they probably won't change much, and there is a slight chance (let's say 3%) that they might let me direct it. that's if it has like a $200,000 budget I mean. but we'll see...here is the synopsis, in brief, with plenty of SPOILERS! although, if this actually gets made, and you have been spoiled and are upset, I will buy you a steak dinner...and a fabrige egg...

the script is about a family in a small town, the father is out of the picture, and the mother is very religious, the son, Sean, is the main character. a man in their community who is known to be an abusive drunk towards his family goes too far and murders (accidentally) his wife, in front of his daughter. when he's given a comparably light sentence, and goes into alcohol treatment, it causes the boy's mother to comment on how it was not justice, and that the only justice would be for the man to be killed. eye for an eye, etc. the boy is confused and unguided, and he takes it upon himself to kill the man. he buys a gun from a friend and shoots the man outside his AA meeting.

after he does this, he flees the town and goes to live with a distant relative, all the while the town goes on functioning, with many people knowing or suspecting that Sean committed the crime, but no one really wanting to prosecute him, because many of them agree with his actions, and many jsut don't feel strongly enough about it to do anything.

eventually Sean comes hom, and he finds out that in the interim time (about a year), the daughter of the man he killed (who had gone to live with her grandmother, since deceased) had run away from her foster care and was missing. sean feels ravaged with guilt and decides he's going to go search for her, against his mother's wishes. he makes some inquiries about her whereabouts (on the way meeting a deputy who witnessed his crime, but has been helping his mother cover it up) and plans his trip.

on the night before he is to leave, the girl shows up at his house, with a gun, planning to kill Sean. she sees his bag packed, and his notes about her, and wakes him up to find out what his plans were. they end up talking, and eventually she calms down and decides not to kill him. they leave, and walk and talk (it's very early morning) and she forces him to go to the cemetary where her parents are buried, even though he doesn't want to, obviously.

the girl leaves, and Sean waits for a few minutes, then walks towards his house. on the way (it's now 7am or so) he walks by the police station, on the other side of the street. and he watches as the deputies are walking into the building, getting ready for the day. he steps off the curb and walks toward the station. and that's how it ends.

that's right, the Soprano's stole my ending...there's a subplot about Sean's little brother, much more with the mom, the deputy, the chief of police, sean's relatives that he stays with, etc. but anyway, that's the nickel tour...

hmm... not bad, but it depends on the actors.
by The Dum Guy
Jun 20th, 2007
02:14:30 AM
I must say good ideas are most likely ruined by those that don't understand them.

I hope for your' sake that, you get what you invisioned promised.

As an aspiring film-maker (at this point I don't care what I end up doing in film, I just want to be involved in the process of making one good film). I haven't done anything of notice, but for you Wonka, you have done a great deal in your' road to success, and I congratulate you. Cheers, if you are drinking (Is it true most writers drink? It seems so.)
Congrats Wonka...
by CopOnTheEdge
Jun 20th, 2007
02:49:42 AM
...and I'd like to invite you to the best screenwriter community I've found on the web (and I've joined them all, most are lame and unprofessional, but this one's run by a pro and very serious). It's called The Writers' Building and it's located at http://tinyurl.com/25qrjr. There's tons of benefits and cost savings are huge. Love to see you, and any other serious screenwriters, on there!
Badass Ben Foster is preferable
by ImFixingtoDie
Jun 20th, 2007
03:08:32 AM
I'll take him in HOSTAGE or ALPHA DOG over Angel anyday, though that was mostly Ratner's fault for just fucking the subplot.
I like this James Mangold
by Franklin T Marmoset
Jun 20th, 2007
03:11:54 AM
Pretty good writer and director, I think. Someone up above said Girl, Interrupted was not good, but I liked that one a lot. Really good performances. Mind you, I'm a sucker for unstable women. Also, Heavy is a very good film.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to this one. I didn't used to like westerns, but they're growing on me. Good cast in this one, too.

Looks excellent other than the fey kid
by IndustryKiller!
Jun 20th, 2007
04:11:25 AM
Christian Bale. Russell Crowe. Some gangly looking kid....wtf? This looked like a battle royale between two of the best actors working and then they gotta go throw a kid into the mix. I typically love these sort of "act-offs" but when you dilute the pot with a kid you start to lose me. Did I miss the memo on bitchy kids being added to weigh down good actors? Cause it seems Mangold and Spielberg certainly didn't.
Westerns!!!
by schnipple
Jun 20th, 2007
04:22:49 AM
Hope they make a comeback! This looks decent, nothing groundbreaking. Mangold is becoming a competent director for the studios with their more solid features sans any vision. He is unobtrusive to the point of being bland at times. Much more excited by the Jesse James feature by the guy who did Chopper. What's the word on that?
I loved the original movie
by CuervoJones
Jun 20th, 2007
04:33:33 AM
Please don´t remake The Man from Laramie!
My dream project : Legacy of heorot
by bioforge
Jun 20th, 2007
04:58:23 AM
A damn good scifi/horror project with heart. One day ...
MaxTheSilent!!!!!!!
by HeWhoCannotBeNamed
Jun 20th, 2007
06:53:54 AM
Holy shit! Is there another Vachss lover on this site? Or is your name referencing something entirely different?
Ten little indians?
by DrFarben
Jun 20th, 2007
06:55:43 AM
I have a paperback copy of that book from the fifties and that's not its original title, which was even more offensive.
What was the original title, DrFarben?
by Bobo_Vision
Jun 20th, 2007
07:15:23 AM
I'm curious. Also, I liked "Identity" too. I think many people disliked the idea of spending two hours within some fat guy's head, however.
The original title was . . .
by Nice Marmot
Jun 20th, 2007
07:23:39 AM
Ten Height-Deprived Indians
Identity would have been good if...
by DanDelion
Jun 20th, 2007
07:37:10 AM
They completely dropped the whole multiple personality all in his head thing. Think about how fucking cool it would be(and was, at times) to have a bunch of fucked up people trapped in a fucked up haunted location. Kind of like Lost, but stuck at the motel. I loved it when the one killer runs away through the field and winds up back at the hotel. It blew it's whole "split personality" thing way too early, and even if it pulled it off as a twist, it still would have sucked. Much better film if they dropped it.
this sounds franklintastic!
by just pillow talk
Jun 20th, 2007
07:49:05 AM
A good ol' fashioned western faceoff with two quaility actors...I'm there!
sounds like they nailed it
by filmcoyote
Jun 20th, 2007
08:18:03 AM
Reading this review it could have been written about the original just changing Crowe and Bale names to Glenn Ford and Van Heflin. Loved the original but absolutely think it could be done again now and this casting is superb. I adore Copland, which is essentially a western, and really liked Walk the Line. Hell, I was enjoying Identity until the last 20 minutes. Mangold, Crowe, Bale = I'm there.
THEIRONGIANT is a sexy tomboy beanpole
by Germster
Jun 20th, 2007
08:31:04 AM
That is all.
Actors
by MJAYACE
Jun 20th, 2007
08:46:19 AM
Crowe in my opinion is the best and most charismatic prime actor working today. Was watching AFI's Al Pacino tribute last night and saw parts of Crowe's performance in the Insider reminded me why. Bale is also fantastic--I thought his work in the Machinist, Reign of Fire and even Batman were top notch. Hopes for this movie are high, especially since Westerns as a whole the last 20 years have been marginable (except Unforgiven, Tombstone and a few TNT specials!).
Ten Little...
by greyspecter
Jun 20th, 2007
08:53:28 AM
...Niggers was the original title, sad to say. Still a top five all time mystery-thriller. They actually made a movie (made-for-tv possibly?) of it which didn't really impess me. always thought that'd be a good one. One of my dream projects is The Forever King by Mary Cochran. Arthur legend with modern day setting and a twist.
Sucker for Westerns
by greyspecter
Jun 20th, 2007
09:02:07 AM
at least, good ones. Has there ever been a genre with two great actors who are so identified with it as Eastwood and Wayne with westerns? Can't think of one. Those two starred in probably 19 of the 20 best ones. Tombstone, and maybe Quigley Down Under are the only exceptions. (Quigley Down Under! Alan Rickman! Tom Seleck!)
I hated Walk the Line
by Garbageman33
Jun 20th, 2007
10:12:57 AM
I like Johnny Cash as much as the next guy, but from the moment 7-year-old Johnny said to his saintly brother (as hamfistedly as possible) "Why are you so good?" I knew I was gonna loathe it. Like the audience was so dumb, they wouldn't have figured out that Johnny's parents liked his brother better. I hate movies that pander to their audience. And that movie did a lot of pandering.
Garbageman: I kind of agree, though I didnt hate it.
by Barry Egan
Jun 20th, 2007
12:37:06 PM
I thought Walk the Line told the worng Johnny Cash story. The film never gave you an sense of why Cash is such a huge presence in American music, why he is such an icon (by the way, the word "icon" gets thrown around a lot but in the case of Johnny Cash it fits). Instead, Mangold chose to tell the story of Cash's relationship with June Carter, which is fine but not he movie I wanted to see.
HEAVY
by Pastehead
Jun 20th, 2007
12:50:52 PM
I think Mangold's first film, HEAVY, is still his best. Can't wait to see 3:10 TO YUMA. Never saw the original adaptation, but I did read the original short story by Elmore Leonard, which is fantastic.
The problem with most biopics
by Garbageman33
Jun 20th, 2007
01:47:26 PM
Is that they try to cover too much ground. That's why I liked Capote so much. It focused on a single, pivotal time in Capote's life.
couple of things
by Bloo
Jun 20th, 2007
03:28:02 PM
This looks great, I love Elmore Leonard's western's and really wish more of them would be adapted. A buddy of mine was an English teacher(now a principal) and he didn't relieze that Elmore Leonard had written anything but crime novels. I'd just really like to see more Leonard western's get adapted.
MJAYACE
by Bloo
Jun 20th, 2007
03:31:04 PM
another recent great western was the one with Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall, can't remember the name off the top of my head but it was really good as well. I also thought All The Pretty Horses was decent. Don't know if you would classify it as a "western" per se, but definatly had elements of the western and thought it was great
really? he can kill me with a smile?
by the_man_from_Rio
Jun 20th, 2007
03:32:18 PM
must be one of those "i got paid 5 million bucks for this movie" smiles.
BadMrWonka your script actually sounds good
by s0nicdeathmonkey
Jun 20th, 2007
03:41:21 PM
I might watch that.
i hope
by steelerman
Jun 20th, 2007
10:51:45 PM
its as good as the original, which was awesome
sonic
by BadMrWonka
Jun 20th, 2007
11:29:26 PM
thank you sir. if you live in LA, I'll get you a cameo!

The Dum Guy gets a speaking role as a mini-mart cashier, cos he asked about the script first...;o)

I strongly reccomend seeung the original.
by kikuchiyoboy
Jun 24th, 2007
10:37:49 AM
It's a nice tight little western.
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