By Jason Apuzzo. There’s been an ocean of alien invasion news since our last Invasion Alert!, so let’s get right into it …
• Three major trailers hit the internet last week for: Battle: Los Angeles (actually, 2 trailers for that one, here and here), Cowboys & Aliens and Green Lantern. My verdict? I thought Battle looked fantastic, while Cowboys and Lantern left me cold. Battle‘s main trailer (see here) had a creepy, realistic, frightening vibe to it – especially with the weird, computer-synth voice on the soundtrack. A lot of the footage in the trailer had the look and feel of war footage from Iraq or Afghanistan – especially the gnarly urban street fighting. Battle actually seems to take its material (i.e., military invasion) ‘seriously’ – or at least, with a straight face – and for that reason clicked, as opposed to what the Strause Brothers just did with Skyline, which sometimes felt like a commercial for Skyy Vodka.
I also liked Battle’s international trailer (see here), although the vibe of that was much different – more like something you’d see on The History Channel. In any case, I’m very much looking forward to this film, which opens in March in what’s becoming a crowded calendar.
Cowboys‘ trailer bored me to tears, if that’s possible in under 3 minutes. The trailer threw one big name out after another: Harrison Ford … Daniel Craig … Jon Favreau … Steven Spielberg … and apparently all those big names were supposed to make up for a listless, confusing storyline and muddy photography. Yawn. I was hoping Jerry Jones or Jessica Simpson might show up, just to liven things up a bit.
A lingering problem with Daniel Craig is that he has no personality; he’s apparently only capable of snarling at the camera. If there’s some other trick in his bag, I certainly haven’t seen it. And Harrison Ford appears committed to doing something he really shouldn’t be bothering with at this stage of his career – which is artificially ‘broadening’ his range as an actor by playing cranky eccentrics and/or bad guys. What a waste.
My friendly advice to Mr. Ford would be to speed-dial Skywalker Ranch and make sure that Indy 5 script gets finished, pronto.
As for Green Lantern, I have only one word: garbage.
• Some big news from last week was that Sam Raimi’s massive alien invasion thriller Earth Defense Force may now get a director, Pierre Morel (Taken). (It’s worth noting here that Morel only has room to take that film because he’s apparently backed out of helming Dune.) The original script for EDF, incidentally, was written by Andrew Marlowe (Air Force One). I’m getting the feeling this film may end up being fantastic. Also: the Timur Bekmambetov/Weinstein Co. alien invasion thriller Apollo 18 now has a director: Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego; and (bummer alert!) Colin Farrell has been offered the lead of the Total Recall remake. [Sigh.]
• The release date on Universal’s The Thing has been postponed from its original April window, apparently because the film isn’t ready yet … but I’m betting it also has to do with how crowded the Spring is looking (Battle: Los Angeles and Apollo 18 are both being released in March, assuming Apollo gets done that fast) – and how good Battle: Los Angeles is looking.
• Some set photos from Men in Black 3D have leaked, featuring (among other things) pictures of Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger as a wicked alien temptress with an old-school Princess Leia hairdo. Nice. Also, there are some new rumors circulating about the shooting delays on that project, and script details are now leaking.
• There was a rumor a few months back that an alien creature invasion project called Pacific Rim, which was designed as a major tentpole project (possibly involving Guillermo del Toro), was going to get folded into the reboot of the Godzilla series. Screenwriter William Monahan shoots that rumor down today; apparently Pacific Rim is still alive as its own project.
• Two more minor new alien invasion thrillers were announced last week: a Brit film called The Animators, and another titled Year 12, produced by Joe Roth. Click on the links to find out more about those – both seem a bit generic on first read. Another pseudo-alien invasion comedy called Pixels also now has Adam Sandler attached to it.
• It appears that Industrial Light & Magic will doing the VFX for most of these alien invasion thrillers, according to Variety. On ILM’s plate in the immediate future are: Super 8, I am Number 4 (see a new feature on I am Number 4 here), Cowboys & Aliens, Transformers 3 and Battleship. ILM is also currently overseeing the conversion of the Star Wars saga into 3D.
• Tron: Legacy is starting to be shown around, more clips are being released on-line, and as the release of that film approaches I imagine that people at Disney are holding their breath. My sense is that the film is probably going to do very well, but it’s not going to do anything like Avatar‘s business at the box office because it appears from everything I’m seeing that Disney is playing it safe with this film. I sense no risks being taken, no strong statement being made on any front – although the film is obviously going to look fabulous … essentially like a big, blue Chanel commercial.
I’m going to be really irritated, though, if it turns out – as we’ve speculated here before – that the big bad villain of Tron is going to be a wicked defense contractor. This is the key interview to watch on this subject, by the way, which only those of us here at Libertas seem to have noticed …
• It isn’t an invasion of aliens … but of KILLER BEES! Yes, in the wake of this summer’s Piranha 3D, and Sam Raimi remaking Day of the Triffids in 3D – about an invasion of extra-terrestrial carnivorous plants – we’re now going to get an invasion movie about killer bees, as director Ash Bolland is apparently on board to remake Irwin Allen’s The Swarm. I actually love this idea – although, admittedly, I’m a sucker for anything Irwin Allen did. No official word on whether this project will be done in 3D … but can there be any doubt?
• Almost a year after it’s initial release, and we still have to deal with Avatar. One tries to pretend the film isn’t there, and yet that’s not really possible, is it?
The film is currently in the midst of another huge DVD/Blu-ray release right now, and more clips are now available on-line of deleted scenes (see here), including yet another politically charged scene such as this one … in which Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington fulminate on the military’s illegitimate provocations for war! [Sigh.] We’re not going to be rid of this film or this franchise anytime soon – Cameron’s endless provocations will make sure of that.
As an aside, Cameron also talks here today about his motivations for making the film – none of which apparently included copying other and better filmmakers (George Lucas and Ray Harryhausen, to name two).
As a Christmas present, I really wish somebody at Dreamworks would announce that they’re going ahead with a Halo movie so somebody gives him some competition on this front.
• AND IN TODAY’S MOST IMPORTANT NEWS … we thought we’d take a look at Aussie actress Rachael Taylor, who appeared in the original Transformers movie and next year will be battling alien invaders (in Moscow) in The Darkest Hour – although here she’s basically just selling ice cream.
And until next time … that’s what’s happening today on the Alien Invasion Front!
Posted on November 22nd, 2010 at 4:35pm.
Some set photos from Men in Black 3D. . script leaks
The script leaks indicate that a lot of it takes place in 1960 with Will Smith as a black man in the 60s jokes. Which means that director Barry Sonnenfeld will be doing a reprise of his “Wild Wild West” black guy in the 1860s schtick. I don’t suppose the inevitable bigots of that period will be (accurately) depicted as Democrats, do you?
And it won’t even have Salma Hayek in long johns as compensation.
Almost a year after it’s initial release, and we still have to deal with Avatar. One tries to pretend the film isn’t there, and yet that’s not really possible, is it?
Since the big attraction was the spectacle, I’m surprised that Lucas et al haven’t jumped on the emersive 3d alien landscape picture.
Lucas may very well be doing that. Check out the very end of my first Invasion Alert!:
https://www.libertasfilmmagazine.com/lfm-presents-invasion-alerts/
I’m a huge Green Lantern fan … and I’m trying so hard to like this, but Ryan Reynolds seems more like a class clown than the cocky smartass Hal Jordan is. It’s nice to see all of the characters in realized, but I can’t help but get a sense of “meh.”
I always imagined Brad Johnson in “Flight of the Intruder” as a great Hal. More recently, Nathan Filion would’ve been incredible in the roll. Oh well.
And you’re absolutely right about competition for “Avatar”. “Halo” would be incredible, but it just seems like studios are frightened of space opera. If anything, “Avatar” showed people will go see the genre — even if it’s loaded with seventh-grade level lefty politics.
Great work, Jason.
Oh, hey — I got “Kalifornistan” in the mail, and I watched it. I LOVED it — what a creative piece of filmmaking. You showed clear vision, and a great job bringing it to fruition. I’ll bet that screenplay was a chore to write, but it really popped.
The cast was great, but Govindini is a pure natural. My girlfriend said she reminded her of a young Sophia Loren.
Hey, Vince, thanks very much! That’s incredibly kind – and Govindini’s beaming over your girlfriend’s kind words!
We had a lot of fun doing the film, and I think some measure of that made it into the final product. We tried to keep it loose, amusing, improvisational – although most importantly, I wanted the film to feel truthful.
Tell your girlfriend I owe her a bottle of champagne!
Truth is what gave your picture so much weight. I’ll never forget on 9/11, my friend called me, and said Bin Laden must have the smallest penis in the world.
Beyond that, even the little sprinkles of dialogue oozed with truth and knowledge — from Clinton’s bombing of the aspirin factory (something no one ever talks about), to reaction to the 2000 election, dealing with Chechen and North Korean nukes, worrying about Dick Cheney’s Haliburton death ray, Fox News blondes, WalMart, BushHitler … I’m laughing just thinking about it.
The film was a real treat — the only think that angers me is that I didn’t write it!
Vince, I can’t thank you enough!
With respect to the film’s humor, I tried to put in things that I suspect a lot of people are thinking in private – without always saying in public. One of the things I really admire about movies from the 1970s – particularly Paddy Chayefsky’s stuff, and the early Woody Allen – is how open and honest they were with their humor. I tried to bring that approach to Kalifornistan, because I think it’s something that’s really been lacking in films lately – Chris Morris’ Four Lions being a notable exception of late.
At the same time, I had other interests, as well. I wanted the film to be an unusual experience, in terms of the look and the sound of it. The basic idea was to capture the insanity of terrorism, and I found that I couldn’t really do that by making a conventional film. So that’s why I did the film in black&white and distressed video, and in the ‘found footage’-documentary mode … with the highly subjective soundtrack. I really wanted to get into the emotions of this obviously insane, tortured, yet very human character of the terrorist. I don’t claim that I completely rose to the challenge, but I think the effort was interesting and, I hope, original.
So, many thanks!
For any Harryhausen fans not aware of its existence, I heartily recommend Mike Hankin’s 3-volume, “Ray Harryhausen: Master of the Majicks.” Volume 2 is already available and Volume 3 (from “3 Worlds of Gulliver” to “Clash of the Titans” will be available this month from Archive Editions on the internet only (and possibly from Bud Plant Books). Volume 1 will be released early next year. Check the website of Archive Edtions for the reasoning behind the release pattern. These books, unlike the three written (supposedly) with Ray Harryhausen, are virtually error-free and will certainly be the standard by which all future Harryhausen tomes are measured.
Thanks for mentioning those, Brian – I actually know Ray and I hadn’t heard about those books. They look superb.