Entertainment One released Abducted to DVD today and we’ve been provided with an exclusive clip from the new horror/sci-fi movie.
“Forget Area 51, “Project Blue Book”, little grey men and The Fourth Kind as you’re about to experience a Close Encounter of the terrifying kind in this eagerly anticipated, horror/sci-fi thriller — “Dark Skies” meets The Blair Witch Project.
Dave (Trevor Morgan) and Jessica (Tessa Ferrer), along with three other couples, are kidnapped by masked abductors in Griffith Park. Locked in a dark cell and sedated by gas, they are subjected to bizarre medical experiments and horrific physiological torture. After weeks of captivity, they make one final attempt to break free…only to discover the world they know will never be the same.”
Abducted was written, directed, and produced by Glen Scantlebury & Lucy Phillips, and stars Trevor Morgan, Tessa Ferrer, Ross Thomas, and Jelly Howie.
DVD Release Details:...
“Forget Area 51, “Project Blue Book”, little grey men and The Fourth Kind as you’re about to experience a Close Encounter of the terrifying kind in this eagerly anticipated, horror/sci-fi thriller — “Dark Skies” meets The Blair Witch Project.
Dave (Trevor Morgan) and Jessica (Tessa Ferrer), along with three other couples, are kidnapped by masked abductors in Griffith Park. Locked in a dark cell and sedated by gas, they are subjected to bizarre medical experiments and horrific physiological torture. After weeks of captivity, they make one final attempt to break free…only to discover the world they know will never be the same.”
Abducted was written, directed, and produced by Glen Scantlebury & Lucy Phillips, and stars Trevor Morgan, Tessa Ferrer, Ross Thomas, and Jelly Howie.
DVD Release Details:...
- 10/15/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Arriving on DVD today is Abducted, from directors Glen Scantlebury and Lucy Phillips. After the jump, check out an exclusive clip.
Dave (Trevor Morgan) and Jessica (Tessa Ferrer), along with three other couples, are kidnapped by masked abductors in Griffith Park. Locked in a dark cell and sedated by gas, they are subjected to bizarre medical experiments and horrific physiological torture. After weeks of captivity, they make one final attempt to break free...only to discover the world they know will never be the same. Glen Scantlebury and Lucy Phillips write and direct.
Read more...
Dave (Trevor Morgan) and Jessica (Tessa Ferrer), along with three other couples, are kidnapped by masked abductors in Griffith Park. Locked in a dark cell and sedated by gas, they are subjected to bizarre medical experiments and horrific physiological torture. After weeks of captivity, they make one final attempt to break free...only to discover the world they know will never be the same. Glen Scantlebury and Lucy Phillips write and direct.
Read more...
- 10/15/2013
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Another Shriekfest has come to a close, this year's 13th annual event wrapping up in Los Angeles over the weekend. As always, we've got the full list of winners for ya. Check 'em out below!
From the Press Release
Shriekfest, the Los Angeles International Film Festival & Screenplay Competiton, was a huge success! Denise Gossett, festival director, once again hosted Shriekfest Oct 3-6th at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. Shriekfest screened almost 45 films and had 30 screenplay finalists and 10 original song finalists. "An American Terror" directed by Haylar Garcia took the Grand Jury prize for Best Horror Feature Film, "Abducted" directed by Glen Scantlebury and Lucy Phillips took the Best SciFi Feature Film award, and "The Last Light" directed by Andrew Hyatt took the Best Thriller Feature Film award.
"Desolate Road" directed by Marwan Abderrazzaq took the Best Horror Short Film prize, "Incident on Highway 73" directed by Brian Thompson won the Best SciFi Short Film Award,...
From the Press Release
Shriekfest, the Los Angeles International Film Festival & Screenplay Competiton, was a huge success! Denise Gossett, festival director, once again hosted Shriekfest Oct 3-6th at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. Shriekfest screened almost 45 films and had 30 screenplay finalists and 10 original song finalists. "An American Terror" directed by Haylar Garcia took the Grand Jury prize for Best Horror Feature Film, "Abducted" directed by Glen Scantlebury and Lucy Phillips took the Best SciFi Feature Film award, and "The Last Light" directed by Andrew Hyatt took the Best Thriller Feature Film award.
"Desolate Road" directed by Marwan Abderrazzaq took the Best Horror Short Film prize, "Incident on Highway 73" directed by Brian Thompson won the Best SciFi Short Film Award,...
- 10/7/2013
- by John Squires
- DreadCentral.com
Tagline: "No Warning. No Reason. No Escape." Abducted is the latest co-production from Lucy Phillips and Glen Scantlebury. The film is a blend of science fiction and thriller, involving several strange experiments. Abducted stars Trevor Morgan (The Rookie), Tessa Ferrer ("Grey's Anatomy"), Ross Thomas (Soul Surfer) and Jelly Howie. Also, The film will release October, 2013 on DVD and the artwork for the release is here. The graphic shows character Jessica (Ferrer) trying to escape a research lab. Here, below ground, several characters are subjected to nightmarish physiological and psychological tortures. Who is behind this murderous research? And, what are their motives? All will be revealed October 15th, 2013. For now, the film is set to play at various film festivals (to be announced) and horror fans can preview the home entertainment release here. Release Date: October 15th, 2013 (DVD). Directors/writers: Lucy Phillips and Glen Scantlebury. Cast: Joe Bohn,...
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[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]...
- 9/6/2013
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences brings you the Oscars (yep, that's why they're called Academy Awards), and on Friday, the organization announced that it was prepared to invite 176 new folks to its fold.
In a list posted on its website, the Academy deemed Matthew McConaughey, Jean Dujardin, Terrence Malick, Jonah Hill, Berenice Bejo, Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer and a host of other film luminaries worthy of inclusion in its nearly 6,000-member army.
The Academy has drawn the ire of critics who bemoan its overwhelmingly male, white population. A Los Angeles Times investigation found that of all Academy members, 94 percent are Caucasian and 77 percent are male. A mere 2 percent are black, with Latinos constituting an even smaller portion. Only 14 percent of members are under the age of 50.
Full members of the Academy select and vote on Oscars nominees. The organization was started in 1927 and is now governed by a 43-person board.
In a list posted on its website, the Academy deemed Matthew McConaughey, Jean Dujardin, Terrence Malick, Jonah Hill, Berenice Bejo, Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer and a host of other film luminaries worthy of inclusion in its nearly 6,000-member army.
The Academy has drawn the ire of critics who bemoan its overwhelmingly male, white population. A Los Angeles Times investigation found that of all Academy members, 94 percent are Caucasian and 77 percent are male. A mere 2 percent are black, with Latinos constituting an even smaller portion. Only 14 percent of members are under the age of 50.
Full members of the Academy select and vote on Oscars nominees. The organization was started in 1927 and is now governed by a 43-person board.
- 6/29/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 176 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2012 to the Academy.s roster of members.
.These film professionals represent some of the most talented, most passionate contributors to our industry,. said Academy President Tom Sherak. .I.m glad to recognize that by calling each of them a fellow Academy member..
Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
The 2012 invitees are:
Actors
Simon Baker . .Margin Call,. .L.A. Confidential.
Sean Bean . .Flightplan,. .The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Bérénice Bejo . .The Artist,. .Oss 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies.
Tom Berenger . .Inception,. .Platoon.
Demián Bichir . .A Better Life,. .Che.
Jessica Chastain . .The Help,. .The Tree of Life.
Clifton Collins,...
.These film professionals represent some of the most talented, most passionate contributors to our industry,. said Academy President Tom Sherak. .I.m glad to recognize that by calling each of them a fellow Academy member..
Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
The 2012 invitees are:
Actors
Simon Baker . .Margin Call,. .L.A. Confidential.
Sean Bean . .Flightplan,. .The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Bérénice Bejo . .The Artist,. .Oss 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies.
Tom Berenger . .Inception,. .Platoon.
Demián Bichir . .A Better Life,. .Che.
Jessica Chastain . .The Help,. .The Tree of Life.
Clifton Collins,...
- 6/29/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences extended their 2012 membership invitations today to 176 lucky actors, directors, cinematographers, and other members of the filmmaking industry.
Terrence Malick, who somehow wasn’t already a member, received an invitation, as did fellow directors Rodrigo Garcia and Asghar Farhadi.
For actors, Melissa McCarthy’s invitation continues her incredible post-Bridesmaids rise. In addition, actors Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Andy Serkis, Jessica Chastain, and Octavia Spencer were all invited to be members, among others.
Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003, according to the Academy’s website.
Terrence Malick, who somehow wasn’t already a member, received an invitation, as did fellow directors Rodrigo Garcia and Asghar Farhadi.
For actors, Melissa McCarthy’s invitation continues her incredible post-Bridesmaids rise. In addition, actors Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Andy Serkis, Jessica Chastain, and Octavia Spencer were all invited to be members, among others.
Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003, according to the Academy’s website.
- 6/29/2012
- by Erin Strecker
- EW - Inside Movies
HollywoodNews.com: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 176 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2012 to the Academy’s roster of members.
“These film professionals represent some of the most talented, most passionate contributors to our industry,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “I’m glad to recognize that by calling each of them a fellow Academy member.”
Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
The 2012 invitees are:
Actors
Simon Baker – “Margin Call,” “L.A. Confidential”
Sean Bean – “Flightplan,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
Bérénice Bejo – “The Artist,” “Oss 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies”
Tom Berenger – “Inception,” “Platoon”
Demián Bichir – “A Better Life,” “Che”
Jessica Chastain – “The Help,” “The Tree of Life”
Clifton Collins,...
“These film professionals represent some of the most talented, most passionate contributors to our industry,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “I’m glad to recognize that by calling each of them a fellow Academy member.”
Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
The 2012 invitees are:
Actors
Simon Baker – “Margin Call,” “L.A. Confidential”
Sean Bean – “Flightplan,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
Bérénice Bejo – “The Artist,” “Oss 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies”
Tom Berenger – “Inception,” “Platoon”
Demián Bichir – “A Better Life,” “Che”
Jessica Chastain – “The Help,” “The Tree of Life”
Clifton Collins,...
- 6/29/2012
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
Universal has announced the release date for the Blu-ray / DVD version of Dream House, along with the list of bonus features:
Universal City, Calif., Dec. 1, 2011 – Dream House is the chilling tale of Will Atenton (Daniel Craig, Cowboys & Aliens, Quantum of Solace), a high-profile, Manhattan publisher who leaves the big city behind to relocate his wife Libby (Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener, The Lovely Bones) and their two daughters to a quaint New England town. As the family settles into their new lives they learn that their beloved dream home has a history of murder. When Will dares to delve further into the mysteries of the house, he is not sure if he is seeing ghosts or if the tragic events are somehow related to his past. The only clues come from his cryptic neighbor, Ann (Naomi Watts, The Ring, J. Edgar), who helps him piece together this haunting puzzle. Also...
Universal City, Calif., Dec. 1, 2011 – Dream House is the chilling tale of Will Atenton (Daniel Craig, Cowboys & Aliens, Quantum of Solace), a high-profile, Manhattan publisher who leaves the big city behind to relocate his wife Libby (Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener, The Lovely Bones) and their two daughters to a quaint New England town. As the family settles into their new lives they learn that their beloved dream home has a history of murder. When Will dares to delve further into the mysteries of the house, he is not sure if he is seeing ghosts or if the tragic events are somehow related to his past. The only clues come from his cryptic neighbor, Ann (Naomi Watts, The Ring, J. Edgar), who helps him piece together this haunting puzzle. Also...
- 12/1/2011
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Here’s a rather creepy brand new UK trailer and poster for Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz’s new movie, Dream House. It starts off similar to the Us one that we saw earlier in the year but then gives us quite a bit of new footage.
Dream House is directed by Jim Sheridan and also stars Naomi Watts. It’s released here in the UK November 25th. Find out more about the film on their official website.
Once upon a time, there were two little girls who lived in a house. Daniel Craig (Cowboys & Aliens, upcoming The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Naomi Watts (The Ring, Fair Game) and Oscar® winner Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener, The Lovely Bones) star in Dream House, a suspense thriller about a family that unknowingly moves into a home where grisly murders were committed…only to uncover even darker mysteries within its walls.
Dream House is directed by Jim Sheridan and also stars Naomi Watts. It’s released here in the UK November 25th. Find out more about the film on their official website.
Once upon a time, there were two little girls who lived in a house. Daniel Craig (Cowboys & Aliens, upcoming The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Naomi Watts (The Ring, Fair Game) and Oscar® winner Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener, The Lovely Bones) star in Dream House, a suspense thriller about a family that unknowingly moves into a home where grisly murders were committed…only to uncover even darker mysteries within its walls.
- 9/21/2011
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Zero hour is approaching! The Platinum Dunes remake of the Wes Craven classic A Nightmare on Elm Street directed by Samuel Bayer is just about upon us, and New Line Cinema has released the final synopsis and production notes! Dig it!
Synopsis
"Nancy, Kris, Quentin, Jesse, and Dean all live on Elm Street. At night they're all having the same dream -- of the same man, wearing a tattered red and green striped sweater, a beaten fedora half-concealing a disfigured face, and a gardener's glove with knives for fingers. And they're all hearing the same frightening voice...
One by one he terrorizes them within the curved walls of their dreams, where the rules are his and the only way out is to wake up.
But when one of their number dies a violent death, they soon realize that what happens in their dreams happens for real, and the only way...
Synopsis
"Nancy, Kris, Quentin, Jesse, and Dean all live on Elm Street. At night they're all having the same dream -- of the same man, wearing a tattered red and green striped sweater, a beaten fedora half-concealing a disfigured face, and a gardener's glove with knives for fingers. And they're all hearing the same frightening voice...
One by one he terrorizes them within the curved walls of their dreams, where the rules are his and the only way out is to wake up.
But when one of their number dies a violent death, they soon realize that what happens in their dreams happens for real, and the only way...
- 4/19/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
With the April 30th release date of the highly anticipated remake of the Wes Craven classic A Nightmare on Elm Street coming up on us fast, we figured there'd be no better way to celebrate the arrival of the return of everyone's favorite razor-fingered boogeyman than by giving away a prize package to dream about!
Several lucky winners are about to nab themselves a prize package that is comprised of a boatload of A Nightmare on Elm Street swag, including:
Pigment Dyed “Welcome To Your New Nightmare” Washed Hat Ladies’ “Freddy’S Song” T-shirt Men’s “Nightmare” Tee Sound Chip Keychain Liquid “Blood” Bookmark with Poster Art Key Tag with 3” Freddy Arm Backpacks with Freddy Arm Zipper Pull Neca Freddy Krueger action figure from the new “A Nightmare on Elm Street”
Opens April 30th, 2010!
For a much better idea on all the goodies up for grabs, check out the pictures below.
Several lucky winners are about to nab themselves a prize package that is comprised of a boatload of A Nightmare on Elm Street swag, including:
Pigment Dyed “Welcome To Your New Nightmare” Washed Hat Ladies’ “Freddy’S Song” T-shirt Men’s “Nightmare” Tee Sound Chip Keychain Liquid “Blood” Bookmark with Poster Art Key Tag with 3” Freddy Arm Backpacks with Freddy Arm Zipper Pull Neca Freddy Krueger action figure from the new “A Nightmare on Elm Street”
Opens April 30th, 2010!
For a much better idea on all the goodies up for grabs, check out the pictures below.
- 4/12/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
The new teaser trailer for "Nightmare on Elm Street" has just been released, and it shows Jackie Earle Haley in the role of our favorite boogeyman, Freddy Krueger.
This remake's from producer Michael Bay, so chances are, the film will be very sleek with not a whole lot of character or plot development.
But Haley is a good actor, so I'm looking forward to seeing this film, just to see how he'll adapt the role that Robert Englund made famous in the 80s. The reboot arrives in theaters April 30, 2010.
A Nightmare on Elm Street in HD
Movie's Description from New Line Cinema:
Freddy Krueger returns in 'A Nightmare on Elm Street,' a contemporary re-imagining of the horror classic. A group of suburban teenagers share one common bond: they are all being stalked by Freddy Krueger, a horribly disfigured killer who hunts them in their dreams. As long as they stay awake,...
This remake's from producer Michael Bay, so chances are, the film will be very sleek with not a whole lot of character or plot development.
But Haley is a good actor, so I'm looking forward to seeing this film, just to see how he'll adapt the role that Robert Englund made famous in the 80s. The reboot arrives in theaters April 30, 2010.
A Nightmare on Elm Street in HD
Movie's Description from New Line Cinema:
Freddy Krueger returns in 'A Nightmare on Elm Street,' a contemporary re-imagining of the horror classic. A group of suburban teenagers share one common bond: they are all being stalked by Freddy Krueger, a horribly disfigured killer who hunts them in their dreams. As long as they stay awake,...
- 9/28/2009
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
This review was written for the theatrical release of "Transformers"."Transformers" is a wet dream for fanboys, with vehicles that whiz and whir into alien robots, spectacular sci-fi stunt chases, glistening military hardware, overheated computer software and brainy, hot girls who love Popular Mechanics. It's a Michael Bay movie based on a Hasbro line of toys that perfectly captures adolescent fascination with mechanical things you can take apart and put back together.
The movie is noisy fun, with characters and plot lines kept simple and flashes of comedy that hit home more often than not. Most importantly, the filmmakers have shrewdly selected their young cast. Shia LaBeouf is one of the hottest young actors on the planet at the moment, with the surprise hit thriller "Disturbia" and excellent lead vocal performance in the animated comedy "Surf's Up" already behind him this year. Megan Fox and Rachael Taylor add terrific sex appeal in roles designed to emphasize female capability and intelligence. And singer-actor Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel are the smart-looking military dudes who take on the aliens at street level.
The movie's appeal definitely will expand beyond fanboys and sci-fi addicts to include older "kids" who grew up with the Transformers toys and comic books. DreamWorks and Paramount should be well-rewarded for their deep-pocketed faith in this potential franchise with a global hit.
This is not the first cinematic outing for the mechanical warriors. A 1986 animated movie was based on the original "Transformers"
television show, which was based, of course, on the popular multiform robot toy line. It didn't go over well at the boxoffice. (That tooner, incidentally, was set in 2005.) But now Bay and an army of visual designers have successfully re-imagined a photorealistic world in which these Titans can believably clash.
The best thing in the script by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (from a story by Orci, Kurtzman and John Rogers) is how a teen plot line gets tied into the fate of the world. Young Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf), who's nerdy but funny and sort of cool, gets a mysterious car from his dad, a banged-up '76 Chevy Camaro that he only later discovers is an alien robot. Now that's a way to get a girl's attention!
That girl, with the arresting name of Mikaela (Fox), has been in school with him for years but never really noticed him. One day she accepts a ride from him and finds herself caught up in a war of the worlds. Seems an ancestor of Sam made a discovery in the Arctic Circle that prompts the bad guys -- sorry, robots -- to target Sam, who unknowingly holds the key to mankind's survival -- if he hasn't already sold it on eBay.
Two robotic races -- the evil Decepticons and the heroic Autobots -- hide out on Earth as cars, trucks, 18-wheeler tractors, Hummers, jets or even a boom box before grinding and expanding into their robotic essence. These are CGI-errific moments, courtesy of Industrial Light + Magic, that will have fanboys leaping from their seats. All these techno creatures have feelings and emotions, you understand, which leads to the film's most amusing moment, when Sam's Camaro performs wheelies after his girlfriend "insults" the car. Its radio also plays tunes that fit the mood.
The filmmakers create three other sets of characters: A group of computer hackers headed by Taylor and Anthony Anderson, who no less than the U.S. Secretary of Defense (Jon Voight) desperately appoints as his "advisers"; surviving military members of an alien attack on a U.S. base in the Middle East, led by Duhamel and Gibson, who somehow wind up duking it out with the aliens in downtown Los Angeles; and shadowy anti-alien agents led by John Turturro.
The snarl of action and story lines is sometimes awkward, but at least the audience can identify with characters wherever the robots choose to rumble. No faceless multitudes screaming and fleeing here as in the Godzilla movies of old.
Clearly, none of this would work if Bay had not adroitly coordinated the stunts, animation and characters, both real and mechanical. Thanks goes to a team of editors, who have made good sense of all the action. On the debit side, sound levels are all too high, and the score pushes harder than necessary.
While he has long been a master of mayhem, on this occasion Bay weds his visual dazzle to material that carries the action smoothly. This is an extravaganza rather than overwrought excess. As one young boy exclaims upon seeing his first robot, "This is 10 times cooler than 'Armageddon'!"
TRANSFORMERS
Paramount Pictures
DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures present in association with Hasbro a di Bonaventura Pictures production of a Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy production
Credits:
Director: Michael Bay
Screenwriters: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
Story: John Rogers, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
Based on: Hasbro's Transformers action figures
Producers: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto, Don Murphy, Ian Bryce
Executive producers: Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay
Director of photography: Mitchell Amundsen
Production designer: Jeff Mann
Music: Steve Jablonsky
Co-producers: Allegra Clegg, Ken Bates
Costume designer: Deborah L. Scott
Editors: Paul Rubell, Glen Scantlebury, Thomas A. Muldoon
Cast:
Sam Witwicky: Shia LaBeouf
Mikaela Banes: Megan Fox
Sgt. Lennox: Josh Duhamel
Sgt. Epps: Tyrese Gibson
Maggie: Rachael Taylor
Glen: Anthony Anderson
Defense Secretary John Keller: Jon Voight
Agent Simmons: John Turturro
Running time -- 140 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
The movie is noisy fun, with characters and plot lines kept simple and flashes of comedy that hit home more often than not. Most importantly, the filmmakers have shrewdly selected their young cast. Shia LaBeouf is one of the hottest young actors on the planet at the moment, with the surprise hit thriller "Disturbia" and excellent lead vocal performance in the animated comedy "Surf's Up" already behind him this year. Megan Fox and Rachael Taylor add terrific sex appeal in roles designed to emphasize female capability and intelligence. And singer-actor Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel are the smart-looking military dudes who take on the aliens at street level.
The movie's appeal definitely will expand beyond fanboys and sci-fi addicts to include older "kids" who grew up with the Transformers toys and comic books. DreamWorks and Paramount should be well-rewarded for their deep-pocketed faith in this potential franchise with a global hit.
This is not the first cinematic outing for the mechanical warriors. A 1986 animated movie was based on the original "Transformers"
television show, which was based, of course, on the popular multiform robot toy line. It didn't go over well at the boxoffice. (That tooner, incidentally, was set in 2005.) But now Bay and an army of visual designers have successfully re-imagined a photorealistic world in which these Titans can believably clash.
The best thing in the script by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (from a story by Orci, Kurtzman and John Rogers) is how a teen plot line gets tied into the fate of the world. Young Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf), who's nerdy but funny and sort of cool, gets a mysterious car from his dad, a banged-up '76 Chevy Camaro that he only later discovers is an alien robot. Now that's a way to get a girl's attention!
That girl, with the arresting name of Mikaela (Fox), has been in school with him for years but never really noticed him. One day she accepts a ride from him and finds herself caught up in a war of the worlds. Seems an ancestor of Sam made a discovery in the Arctic Circle that prompts the bad guys -- sorry, robots -- to target Sam, who unknowingly holds the key to mankind's survival -- if he hasn't already sold it on eBay.
Two robotic races -- the evil Decepticons and the heroic Autobots -- hide out on Earth as cars, trucks, 18-wheeler tractors, Hummers, jets or even a boom box before grinding and expanding into their robotic essence. These are CGI-errific moments, courtesy of Industrial Light + Magic, that will have fanboys leaping from their seats. All these techno creatures have feelings and emotions, you understand, which leads to the film's most amusing moment, when Sam's Camaro performs wheelies after his girlfriend "insults" the car. Its radio also plays tunes that fit the mood.
The filmmakers create three other sets of characters: A group of computer hackers headed by Taylor and Anthony Anderson, who no less than the U.S. Secretary of Defense (Jon Voight) desperately appoints as his "advisers"; surviving military members of an alien attack on a U.S. base in the Middle East, led by Duhamel and Gibson, who somehow wind up duking it out with the aliens in downtown Los Angeles; and shadowy anti-alien agents led by John Turturro.
The snarl of action and story lines is sometimes awkward, but at least the audience can identify with characters wherever the robots choose to rumble. No faceless multitudes screaming and fleeing here as in the Godzilla movies of old.
Clearly, none of this would work if Bay had not adroitly coordinated the stunts, animation and characters, both real and mechanical. Thanks goes to a team of editors, who have made good sense of all the action. On the debit side, sound levels are all too high, and the score pushes harder than necessary.
While he has long been a master of mayhem, on this occasion Bay weds his visual dazzle to material that carries the action smoothly. This is an extravaganza rather than overwrought excess. As one young boy exclaims upon seeing his first robot, "This is 10 times cooler than 'Armageddon'!"
TRANSFORMERS
Paramount Pictures
DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures present in association with Hasbro a di Bonaventura Pictures production of a Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy production
Credits:
Director: Michael Bay
Screenwriters: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
Story: John Rogers, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
Based on: Hasbro's Transformers action figures
Producers: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto, Don Murphy, Ian Bryce
Executive producers: Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay
Director of photography: Mitchell Amundsen
Production designer: Jeff Mann
Music: Steve Jablonsky
Co-producers: Allegra Clegg, Ken Bates
Costume designer: Deborah L. Scott
Editors: Paul Rubell, Glen Scantlebury, Thomas A. Muldoon
Cast:
Sam Witwicky: Shia LaBeouf
Mikaela Banes: Megan Fox
Sgt. Lennox: Josh Duhamel
Sgt. Epps: Tyrese Gibson
Maggie: Rachael Taylor
Glen: Anthony Anderson
Defense Secretary John Keller: Jon Voight
Agent Simmons: John Turturro
Running time -- 140 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 6/29/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Transformers is a wet dream for fanboys with vehicles that whiz and whir into alien robots, spectacular sci-fi stunt chases, glistening military hardware, overheated computer software and brainy, hot girls who love Popular Mechanics. It's a Michael Bay movie based on a Hasbro line of toys that perfectly captures adolescent fascination with mechanical things you can take apart and put back together.
The movie is noisy fun with characters and plot lines kept simple and flashes of comedy that hit home more often than not. Most importantly, the filmmakers have shrewdly selected their young cast. Shia LaBeouf is one of the hottest young actors on the planet at the moment with the surprise hit thriller Disturbia and excellent lead vocal performance in the animated comedy "Surf's Up" already behind him in 2007. Megan Fox and Rachael Taylor add terrific sex appeal in roles designed to emphasis female capability and intelligence. And singer-actor Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel are the smart looking military dudes who take on the aliens at street level.
The movie's appeal will definitely expand beyond fan boys and sci-fi addicts to include older "kids" who grew up with the Transformer toys and comic books. DreamWorks and Paramount should be well-rewarded for their deep-pocketed faith in this potential franchise with a global hit.
This is not the first cinematic outing for the mechanical warriors. A 1986 animated movie was based on a Transformers television show, which was based, of course, on the popular multiform robot toy line. It didn't go over very well at the boxoffice. (That tooner, incidently, was set in 2005.) But now Michael Bay and an army of visual designers have successfully re-imagined a photorealistic world in which these Titans can believably clash.
The best thing in the script by Roberto Orci annd Alex Kurtzman (from a story by John Rogers Orci and Kurtzman) is how a teen plotline gets tied into the fate of the world. Young Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf), who's nerdy but funny and sort of cool, gets a mysterious car from his dad, a banged-up '76 Chevy Camaro that he only later discovers is an alien robot. Now that's an intriguing way to get a girl's attention!
That girl, with the arresting name of Mikaela (Fox), has been in school with him for years but never really noticed him. One day she accepts a ride from him and finds herself caught up in a war of the worlds. Seems an ancestor of Sam made a discovery in the Arctic Circle that prompts the bad guys, sorry robots, to target Sam, who unknowingly holds the key to mankind's survival -- if he hasn't already sold it on eBay.
Two robotic races -- the evil Decepticons and the heroic Autobots -- hide out on Earth as cars, trucks, 18-wheeler tractors, Hummers, jets or even a boom box before grinding and expanding into their rotobic essence. These are CGI-errific moments, courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic, that have the fan boys leaping from their seats. All these techno creatures have feelings and emotions, you understand, which leads to the film's most amusing moment when Sam's Camaro performs wheelies after his girlfriend "insults" the car. Its radio also plays tunes that fit the mood!
The filmmakers create three other sets of characters: A group of computer hackers headed by Taylor and Glen Whitmann, who no less than the U.S. Secretary of Defense (Jon Voight) desperately appoints as his "advisors"; surviving military members of an alien attack on a U.S. base in the Middle East, lead by Duhamel and Gibson, who somehow wind up duking it out with the aliens in downtown L.A.; and shadowy anti-alien agents lead by John Turturro.
The snarl of action and storylines is sometimes awkward, but at least an audience can identify with characters wherever the robots choose to rumble. No faceless multitudes screaming and fleeing here as in the Godzilla movies of old.
Clearly, none of this would work if Bay had not adroitly coordinated the stunts, animation and characters, both real and mechanical. Thanks goes to a team of editors, who have made good sense of all the action. On the debit side, sound levels are all too high and the score pushes harder than necessary.
While he has long been a master of mayhem, on this occasion Bay weds his visual dazzle to material that carries the action smoothly. This is an extravaganza rather than overwrought excess. As one young boy exclaims upon seeing his first robot, "This is 10 time cooler than 'Armageddon!'"
TRANSFORMERS
Paramount Pictures
DreeamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures present in association with Hasbro a di Bonaventura Pictures production of a Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy production
Credits:
Director: Michael Bay
Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
Story by: John Rogers, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
Based on: Hasbro's Transformers action figures
Producers: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto, Don Murphy, Ian Bryce
Executive producers: Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay
Director of photography: Mitchell Amundsen
Production designer: Jeff Mann
Music: Steve Jablonsky
Co-producers: Allegra Clegg, Ken Bates
Costume designer: Deborah L. Scott
Editors: Paul Rubell, Glen Scantlebury, Thomas A. Muldoon
Cast:
Sam Witwicky: Shia LaBeouf
Mikaela Banes: Megan Fox
Sgt. Lennox: Josh Duhamel
Sgt. Epps: Tyrese Gibson
Maggie: Rachel Taylor
Glen: Anthony Anderson
Defense Secretary John Keller: Jon Voight
Agent Simmons: John Turturro
Running time -- 140 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
The movie is noisy fun with characters and plot lines kept simple and flashes of comedy that hit home more often than not. Most importantly, the filmmakers have shrewdly selected their young cast. Shia LaBeouf is one of the hottest young actors on the planet at the moment with the surprise hit thriller Disturbia and excellent lead vocal performance in the animated comedy "Surf's Up" already behind him in 2007. Megan Fox and Rachael Taylor add terrific sex appeal in roles designed to emphasis female capability and intelligence. And singer-actor Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel are the smart looking military dudes who take on the aliens at street level.
The movie's appeal will definitely expand beyond fan boys and sci-fi addicts to include older "kids" who grew up with the Transformer toys and comic books. DreamWorks and Paramount should be well-rewarded for their deep-pocketed faith in this potential franchise with a global hit.
This is not the first cinematic outing for the mechanical warriors. A 1986 animated movie was based on a Transformers television show, which was based, of course, on the popular multiform robot toy line. It didn't go over very well at the boxoffice. (That tooner, incidently, was set in 2005.) But now Michael Bay and an army of visual designers have successfully re-imagined a photorealistic world in which these Titans can believably clash.
The best thing in the script by Roberto Orci annd Alex Kurtzman (from a story by John Rogers Orci and Kurtzman) is how a teen plotline gets tied into the fate of the world. Young Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf), who's nerdy but funny and sort of cool, gets a mysterious car from his dad, a banged-up '76 Chevy Camaro that he only later discovers is an alien robot. Now that's an intriguing way to get a girl's attention!
That girl, with the arresting name of Mikaela (Fox), has been in school with him for years but never really noticed him. One day she accepts a ride from him and finds herself caught up in a war of the worlds. Seems an ancestor of Sam made a discovery in the Arctic Circle that prompts the bad guys, sorry robots, to target Sam, who unknowingly holds the key to mankind's survival -- if he hasn't already sold it on eBay.
Two robotic races -- the evil Decepticons and the heroic Autobots -- hide out on Earth as cars, trucks, 18-wheeler tractors, Hummers, jets or even a boom box before grinding and expanding into their rotobic essence. These are CGI-errific moments, courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic, that have the fan boys leaping from their seats. All these techno creatures have feelings and emotions, you understand, which leads to the film's most amusing moment when Sam's Camaro performs wheelies after his girlfriend "insults" the car. Its radio also plays tunes that fit the mood!
The filmmakers create three other sets of characters: A group of computer hackers headed by Taylor and Glen Whitmann, who no less than the U.S. Secretary of Defense (Jon Voight) desperately appoints as his "advisors"; surviving military members of an alien attack on a U.S. base in the Middle East, lead by Duhamel and Gibson, who somehow wind up duking it out with the aliens in downtown L.A.; and shadowy anti-alien agents lead by John Turturro.
The snarl of action and storylines is sometimes awkward, but at least an audience can identify with characters wherever the robots choose to rumble. No faceless multitudes screaming and fleeing here as in the Godzilla movies of old.
Clearly, none of this would work if Bay had not adroitly coordinated the stunts, animation and characters, both real and mechanical. Thanks goes to a team of editors, who have made good sense of all the action. On the debit side, sound levels are all too high and the score pushes harder than necessary.
While he has long been a master of mayhem, on this occasion Bay weds his visual dazzle to material that carries the action smoothly. This is an extravaganza rather than overwrought excess. As one young boy exclaims upon seeing his first robot, "This is 10 time cooler than 'Armageddon!'"
TRANSFORMERS
Paramount Pictures
DreeamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures present in association with Hasbro a di Bonaventura Pictures production of a Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy production
Credits:
Director: Michael Bay
Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
Story by: John Rogers, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
Based on: Hasbro's Transformers action figures
Producers: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto, Don Murphy, Ian Bryce
Executive producers: Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay
Director of photography: Mitchell Amundsen
Production designer: Jeff Mann
Music: Steve Jablonsky
Co-producers: Allegra Clegg, Ken Bates
Costume designer: Deborah L. Scott
Editors: Paul Rubell, Glen Scantlebury, Thomas A. Muldoon
Cast:
Sam Witwicky: Shia LaBeouf
Mikaela Banes: Megan Fox
Sgt. Lennox: Josh Duhamel
Sgt. Epps: Tyrese Gibson
Maggie: Rachel Taylor
Glen: Anthony Anderson
Defense Secretary John Keller: Jon Voight
Agent Simmons: John Turturro
Running time -- 140 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 6/29/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
According to Pathfinder, an ultraviolent period action movie, if it hadn't been for a virtual one-man war waged by a mysterious white Indian a thousand years ago against the Vikings in North America, this review might have been written in Swedish.
A young Norse boy, left behind after his kin's shipwreck on the eastern shore, then raised Indian, knows enough of his clan's pitiless and savage ways to defeat them at their own game. He thus saves American Indians from annihilation by Scandinavians in order for them to be slaughtered 600 years later by the Spanish, English and French.
This film from Marcus Nispel, a veteran video director and remaker of the cult classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, nicely balances action and adventure with American Indian wisdom and a modest romance to provide a graphic-comic-book movie experience for males in urban markets. Fox's wide but underpromoted release doesn't appear designed to seek out audiences beyond the obvious, which in this case may be wise.
New Zealand-born Karl Urban, who has played athletic men of action in two of The Lord of the Rings films, The Bourne Supremacy and The Chronicles of Riddick, is the haunted youth brought up in two different worlds, Viking and Indian, without feeling a part of either. He gets to confront his demons when Norsemen return to the New World for more barbarous raids seeking land and slaves.
When his village is wiped out while he is away hunting, the white Indian falls in with another tribe, where he comes under the influence of a shaman named Pathfinder (Russell Means) and the arresting gaze of the man's daughter Starfire (Moon Bloodgood). How he comes by his skills with a Norse sword is a mystery -- must be in the DNA -- but he is able to pick off the Vikings as they conveniently come at him one by one, then lays traps for larger numbers.
Eventually, though, he is captured along with Pathfinder and Starfire. Once he acknowledges that he speaks the Norse tongue, the cruel Viking leader (Clancy Brown) forces him to take them to the next village to slaughter. But our boy has one last trick up his sleeve.
Nispel and his cinematographer, Daniel C. Pearl, stage much of the action in brooding forests of primeval darkness, fog and shadows. They drain much color from the images, leaving a rugged, pristine landscape over which men in animal skins and battle gear rudely march, slicing off heads and crushing bodies. It's almost like 300, only in this case reduced to "3."
The movie goes for the jugular whenever possible, with scant moments devoted to deepening character or conflict. One peculiar aspect is the emphasis the Indians place on our hero letting the love within him triumph over the hate. With the fate of their tribes hanging in the balance, don't they have it the wrong way around?
PATHFINDER
20th Century Fox
Phoenix Pictures
Credits: Director: Marcus Nispel; Screenwriter: Laeta Kalogridis; Producers: Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Marcus Nispel; Executive producers: Bradley J. Fischer, Lee Nelson, John M. Jacobsen; Director of photography: Daniel C. Pearl; Production designer: Greg Blair; Music: Jonathan Elias; Costume designer: Renee April; Editors: Jay Friedkin, Glen Scantlebury. Cast: Ghost: Karl Urban; Starfire: Moon Bloodgood; Pathfinder: Russell Means; Gunnar: Clancy Brown; Blackwing: Jay Tavare; Ulfar: Ralf Moeller.
MPAA rating R, running time 100 minutes.
A young Norse boy, left behind after his kin's shipwreck on the eastern shore, then raised Indian, knows enough of his clan's pitiless and savage ways to defeat them at their own game. He thus saves American Indians from annihilation by Scandinavians in order for them to be slaughtered 600 years later by the Spanish, English and French.
This film from Marcus Nispel, a veteran video director and remaker of the cult classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, nicely balances action and adventure with American Indian wisdom and a modest romance to provide a graphic-comic-book movie experience for males in urban markets. Fox's wide but underpromoted release doesn't appear designed to seek out audiences beyond the obvious, which in this case may be wise.
New Zealand-born Karl Urban, who has played athletic men of action in two of The Lord of the Rings films, The Bourne Supremacy and The Chronicles of Riddick, is the haunted youth brought up in two different worlds, Viking and Indian, without feeling a part of either. He gets to confront his demons when Norsemen return to the New World for more barbarous raids seeking land and slaves.
When his village is wiped out while he is away hunting, the white Indian falls in with another tribe, where he comes under the influence of a shaman named Pathfinder (Russell Means) and the arresting gaze of the man's daughter Starfire (Moon Bloodgood). How he comes by his skills with a Norse sword is a mystery -- must be in the DNA -- but he is able to pick off the Vikings as they conveniently come at him one by one, then lays traps for larger numbers.
Eventually, though, he is captured along with Pathfinder and Starfire. Once he acknowledges that he speaks the Norse tongue, the cruel Viking leader (Clancy Brown) forces him to take them to the next village to slaughter. But our boy has one last trick up his sleeve.
Nispel and his cinematographer, Daniel C. Pearl, stage much of the action in brooding forests of primeval darkness, fog and shadows. They drain much color from the images, leaving a rugged, pristine landscape over which men in animal skins and battle gear rudely march, slicing off heads and crushing bodies. It's almost like 300, only in this case reduced to "3."
The movie goes for the jugular whenever possible, with scant moments devoted to deepening character or conflict. One peculiar aspect is the emphasis the Indians place on our hero letting the love within him triumph over the hate. With the fate of their tribes hanging in the balance, don't they have it the wrong way around?
PATHFINDER
20th Century Fox
Phoenix Pictures
Credits: Director: Marcus Nispel; Screenwriter: Laeta Kalogridis; Producers: Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Marcus Nispel; Executive producers: Bradley J. Fischer, Lee Nelson, John M. Jacobsen; Director of photography: Daniel C. Pearl; Production designer: Greg Blair; Music: Jonathan Elias; Costume designer: Renee April; Editors: Jay Friedkin, Glen Scantlebury. Cast: Ghost: Karl Urban; Starfire: Moon Bloodgood; Pathfinder: Russell Means; Gunnar: Clancy Brown; Blackwing: Jay Tavare; Ulfar: Ralf Moeller.
MPAA rating R, running time 100 minutes.
- 4/13/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Opens
Friday, Oct. 17
Ol' leatherface is back.
Three decades after the release of Tobe Hooper's unnervingly disturbing "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", the highly influential classic has inspired yet another pass at the source material.
But as needless remakes go (are you listening, "Willard"?), this particular reconceptualization actually does an impressive job of capturing the nasty dread of the original. It certainly is a vast improvement over those previous remakes/sequels, which, for the record, have included Hooper's own "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2", "Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation," which touted leads Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey.
While Marcus Nispel, an acclaimed commercial and music video director making his feature debut here, and screenwriter Scott Kosar have essentially tossed out all but the bare bones of the Hooper-Kim Henkel scenario, they've retained that nightmarish, relentlessly claustrophobic quality that has made the 1974 film such a tough act to follow.
That remaining high-intensity hit of post-Southern gothic horror should please most of the purists who have patiently weathered countless lame pretenders to the throne and bring the New Line release (and the first effort under Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes label) a nice share of the season's trick-or-treating.
After the stage is set with some scratchy black-and-white film footage taken from the (fictional) 1973 murder scene at the remote Travis County, Texas, farmhouse of former slaughterhouse worker Thomas Hewitt, aka Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski), we are then taken inside a van carrying five young adults on an ill-fated trip to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert in Dallas.
Having already made one pit stop to pick up a groovy hitchhiker named Pepper (Erica Leerhsen), the no-nonsense but notably nubile Erin (Jessica Biel) insists that her boyfriend, Kemper (Eric Balfour), stop again after barely missing a young woman who has been walking aimlessly in the middle of a deserted road.
Barely coherent, she is taken into the van, but moments later, she does something unspeakable that sends gasps through the theater and the group on a one-way trip to hell.
When attempting to finally do justice to something, it certainly doesn't hurt to have Daniel C. Pearl, the guy who shot the original "Chain Saw", again doing the honors. And while he has again lent the film an effective visual realism, he also has learned a couple of new tricks in the interim.
It also helps when your budget is a bit more flexible than the $150,000 allotted for the first one, but Pearl does some amazing stuff involving reverse tracking shots through openings in broken glass or bullet holes.
Although Kosar's script dispenses with the '70s social awareness aspect of the original -- the new version, for instance, doesn't have a character in a wheelchair -- neither does it have its cast doing the kind of dumb things that usually land them in trouble.
Capably led by Biel, who proves to be no screaming damsel in distress, the group of players also includes busy veteran R. Lee Ermey, who is terrific as a sadistic sheriff.
Tech credits across the board are solid, though editor Glen Scantlebury tends to favor the occasionally hard-to-follow flash cutting that was employed on Bay's "The Rock" and "Armageddon".
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
New Line
Platinum Dunes/Radar Pictures
Credits:
Director: Marcus Nispel
Screenwriter: Scott Kosar
Based on a screenplay by: Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper
Producers: Michael Bay, Mike Fleiss
Executive producers: Ted Field, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Guy Stodel, Jeffrey Allard
Director of photography: Daniel C. Pearl
Production designer: Gregory Blair
Editor: Glen Scantlebury
Costume designer: Bobbie Mannix
Music: Steve Jablonsky
Cast:
Erin: Jessica Biel
Morgan: Jonathan Tucker
Pepper: Erica Leerhsen
Andy: Mike Vogel
Kemper: Eric Balfour
Jedidiah: David Dorfman
Sheriff Hoyt: R. Lee Ermey
Hitchhiker: Lauren German
Thomas Hewitt/Leatherface: Andrew Bryniarski
Running time -- 98 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Friday, Oct. 17
Ol' leatherface is back.
Three decades after the release of Tobe Hooper's unnervingly disturbing "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", the highly influential classic has inspired yet another pass at the source material.
But as needless remakes go (are you listening, "Willard"?), this particular reconceptualization actually does an impressive job of capturing the nasty dread of the original. It certainly is a vast improvement over those previous remakes/sequels, which, for the record, have included Hooper's own "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2", "Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation," which touted leads Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey.
While Marcus Nispel, an acclaimed commercial and music video director making his feature debut here, and screenwriter Scott Kosar have essentially tossed out all but the bare bones of the Hooper-Kim Henkel scenario, they've retained that nightmarish, relentlessly claustrophobic quality that has made the 1974 film such a tough act to follow.
That remaining high-intensity hit of post-Southern gothic horror should please most of the purists who have patiently weathered countless lame pretenders to the throne and bring the New Line release (and the first effort under Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes label) a nice share of the season's trick-or-treating.
After the stage is set with some scratchy black-and-white film footage taken from the (fictional) 1973 murder scene at the remote Travis County, Texas, farmhouse of former slaughterhouse worker Thomas Hewitt, aka Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski), we are then taken inside a van carrying five young adults on an ill-fated trip to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert in Dallas.
Having already made one pit stop to pick up a groovy hitchhiker named Pepper (Erica Leerhsen), the no-nonsense but notably nubile Erin (Jessica Biel) insists that her boyfriend, Kemper (Eric Balfour), stop again after barely missing a young woman who has been walking aimlessly in the middle of a deserted road.
Barely coherent, she is taken into the van, but moments later, she does something unspeakable that sends gasps through the theater and the group on a one-way trip to hell.
When attempting to finally do justice to something, it certainly doesn't hurt to have Daniel C. Pearl, the guy who shot the original "Chain Saw", again doing the honors. And while he has again lent the film an effective visual realism, he also has learned a couple of new tricks in the interim.
It also helps when your budget is a bit more flexible than the $150,000 allotted for the first one, but Pearl does some amazing stuff involving reverse tracking shots through openings in broken glass or bullet holes.
Although Kosar's script dispenses with the '70s social awareness aspect of the original -- the new version, for instance, doesn't have a character in a wheelchair -- neither does it have its cast doing the kind of dumb things that usually land them in trouble.
Capably led by Biel, who proves to be no screaming damsel in distress, the group of players also includes busy veteran R. Lee Ermey, who is terrific as a sadistic sheriff.
Tech credits across the board are solid, though editor Glen Scantlebury tends to favor the occasionally hard-to-follow flash cutting that was employed on Bay's "The Rock" and "Armageddon".
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
New Line
Platinum Dunes/Radar Pictures
Credits:
Director: Marcus Nispel
Screenwriter: Scott Kosar
Based on a screenplay by: Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper
Producers: Michael Bay, Mike Fleiss
Executive producers: Ted Field, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Guy Stodel, Jeffrey Allard
Director of photography: Daniel C. Pearl
Production designer: Gregory Blair
Editor: Glen Scantlebury
Costume designer: Bobbie Mannix
Music: Steve Jablonsky
Cast:
Erin: Jessica Biel
Morgan: Jonathan Tucker
Pepper: Erica Leerhsen
Andy: Mike Vogel
Kemper: Eric Balfour
Jedidiah: David Dorfman
Sheriff Hoyt: R. Lee Ermey
Hitchhiker: Lauren German
Thomas Hewitt/Leatherface: Andrew Bryniarski
Running time -- 98 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 10/23/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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