The Return of Ringo
Are the killers lesbian? Are the vampires? Does it matter? We’ve mentioned this one before but upcoming UK horror comedy Lesbian Vampire Killers is back on the radar due to principal photography launching May 19th, which is next week. Hurray!
Surprising news here: Word is out that Fox has pulled the plug on the McG produced American remake of classic UK sitcom Spaced. Hurray! Be a good boy or girl and buy the North American DVD release of the original show when it hits this summer.
Yes, kids, everybody’s favorite transplanted Brits are back with the fourth episode of their Twitch Podcast. In this episode Broken and Devil’s Chair writer-director duo Simon Boyes and Adam Mason deliver lots of naughty words! Samantha Fox! A brush with the law! The UK age of consent! Answers to listener questions and a discussion of Swarez’ gender! Onwards!
The short subjects in the 2008 IIFF progam “Future Imperfect” touched on a little bit of everything, from the end of life on earth to the re-socialization of an alienated populace to a world teeming with folks literally infected by the omnipresent din of digital noise. Science fiction has always lent itself to short-form treatment, and the subject matter addressed in this year’s selections showcased the genre’s ability to offer pointed commentary amid the fantastic.
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EDIT*** I’m half way out the door for the whole weekend and I’m just awaiting word from Edgar if this report is indeed untrue. Until I have confirmed otherwise we sadly have to assume that it is the real Edgar who has responded in the comments below and that the report over at RoboJapan is incorrect. Bummer. Oh well, doesn’t cost anything to dream.
Oh this is yummy news. Once you have proven you have the skills to pay the bills then your workload starts to add up. Writer/director Edgar Wright, much loved for his work in British television and film [the only SPACED tv series that counts! Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz], has announced another project. Edgar wants to put a man in a suit and remake the 1961 monster movie Gorgo, a film I had the pleasure of seeing screened from an original film stock in the last year. Giant monster goodness is on the horizon!
Neither Bombs, Bullets, Jets or Rockets Can Stop Gorgo...But This Little Boy Knew His Secret! A salvage vessel is nearly sunk off the Irish coast by an undersea earthquake. A few nights later, a walking sea monster tangles with the fishing boats and enters the town. The salvage vessel captures Gorgo and takes it to London for display. Gorgo’s mother, who is upset and significantly larger follows his trail to London leaving a wake of destruction in her path. IMDB
Avery over at RoboJapan wonders if this was the ‘giant lizard’ that Simon Pegg was referring to when news about the third collaboration between Edgar and himself, titled The World’s End, broke out not too long ago. Either way a project like this can only be handled well by someone who can respect the source material and yet still have a bit of fun with it. Edgar has already displayed those skills so this makes Mack a happy boy.
“You never forget the man who killed you the first time ...”
We’ve been tracking the progress of Andrew Goth’s Gallowwalker in one form or another here for longer than I care to admit and after a long, long wait it’s finally done and the first trailer has arrived. Wesley Snipes stars as a steely eyed old west gunslinger with a cursed weapon - anyone he guns down comes back from the dead. And they’re not so happy about it. Goth is putting an interesting spin on both the western and the zombie film here and while Snipes is less than expressive in the trailer the thing is loaded with impressive make up and effects shots. Guilty pleasure? You betcha.
A diverse spread of short subjects comprised the 2008 IIFF program “Thrilling Shorts.” Eschewing traditional suspense tropes in general, each managed to draw tension from unique perspectives on shopworn material. Where possible, I’ve provided links to webpages for the films, homepages for filmmakers. In some cases, shorts (like the superlative Spider) are available for download via iTunes.
Brimming with well-earned tension, Rogue is a taut and thrilling ride into man-eating crocodile territory.
As he did with Wolf Creek, writer/director Greg Mclean sets things up superbly by luring characters far away from normal, comfortable civilization before springing a horror-filled trap. We know from the get-go that Rogue is one of those “when animals attack” movies, we know the basic plot points that will be covered, we can even anticipate most of the surprises—and none of that detracts from the nerve-jangling atmosphere that Mclean has created.
Mclean avoids some of the problems that plagued Wolf Creek, whose implausibilities multiplied to the point of supreme annoyance by its finish. Rogue doesn’t show us anything new, yet each time the tension is ratcheted tighter, it makes perfect sense.
Attention UK horror fans! We posted a little while back about the upcoming Neil Marshall event being hosted by the fine lads of the Film 4 Frightfest on May 3rd. What we knew at the time was that all three of Marshall’s films would be screening back to back to back with Marshall and some of the cast in attendance. Now we’ve got the full guest list. Ready? Take a deep breath: Neil Marshall, Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Darren Morfitt, Chris Robson, Les Simpson from Dog Soldiers. Shauna MacDonald, Alex Reid, MyAnna Burning, Nora Jane Noone, Saskia Mulder, Natalie Mendosa from The Descent and Alexander Siddig, Craig Conway, Adrian Lester from Doomsday.
Todd says zowie. Oh, and that handsome poster to the left? Designed by legendary poster artist Graham Humphreys and fifty copies will be available at the event, signed by both Humphreys and Marshall.
We first wrote about Joseph Bat’s upcoming Australian creature feature The Scarecrow all the way back in September, impressed by the preproduction work we’d seen at that point. Well, Bat and company have just released an extended promotional trailer for the film - originally shot to sell the concept to investors, it turned out so well that the footage is now being incorporated into the feature - and it looks tasty indeed. The story of a scarecrow that comes to life and terrorizes a small town, Bat has shot the film with a sort of hyper-saturated color palette that reminds me very much of Barry Sonnenfeld’s work - a big compliment in my book - only with a more ominous tone. But stop reading what I have to say about it, go check it for yourself. You’ll have to give it a bit of time to load, the file’s bloody huge ...
Heh. Thanks to occasional Twitch contributor Mathew for passing this along. A wee bit of television advertising from the UK featuring a certain Mr. Chan. You’ll find it below the break.
Yes, kids, it’s time for the third entry in Adam Mason and Simon Boyes’ adventures in Los Angeles. What will happen this time out? Will Adam find true love? Will Simon find a kidney donor? Err, no. But they will talk about the business of making film and drinking beer. Onwards!
I think it goes without saying we have a wicked bag of tricks ready for Fantastic Fest 2008. The first announced details for this year include announcing its retrospective sections of Japanese Pinku and Australian Exploitation films. Other highlights this year will include: a boat ton of badass Danish genre cinema and a amped-up, recreation of the classic William Castle Tingler gimmick! And yes there will be karaoke mayhem and Fantastic Feud craziness will once again spread throughout the festival. Todd alone has so much up his sleeve to delight, dazzle and thrill at this years fest that some will think he is a long lost relative of Merlin. Fantastic Fest 2008 will be pulling out all the stops to top 2007. Also be on the look out for a special June screening of Iguchi’s Machine Girl in Austin. More details after the link bump.
A few days back we brought word that Robin Hardy’s Wicker Man sequel Cowboys For Christ had been shut down for lack of funding pretty much literally on the eve of beginning principal photography. No word on what exactly happened or why but I’ve just heard from people connected to the film who assure me that this is a temporary move and that the project is by no means being abandoned. So breathe easy, Wicker Man fans, it aint dead yet ...
What the ... wasn’t the next film from Doomsday director Neil Marshall supposed to be the horror western Sacrilege? Why, yes it was and yes it is. But Marshall, busy man that he is, is also preparing another project which he refers to as a dream project for him. Imagine a serial-influenced action adventure a la Raiders of the Lost Ark but with the humor stripped out and a Die Hard approach to the violence. That’s Eagle’s Nest and Marshall just shared the details of it in a video interview with our friends Belgian website KWeb. Hit the link below to check it out.
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