Carter Smith Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Review: The Ruins
Filed under: Horror », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », New in Theaters », Dreamworks »
The Ruins opened on Friday like most horror films, with a single, late Thursday night "promo" screening, to which the press was gamely invited in full knowledge that it would be too late for review, even for any reasonable web deadline. What's different about The Ruins is that it's not a remake or even a copy of any horror film of recent years. We're talking first-class material, adapted from a novel by Scott B. Smith, who wrote both the mesmerizing 1993 book A Simple Plan as well as Sam Raimi's masterful 1998 film of the same name. It's a terrific airplane novel, surprising and gripping, and Dreamworks could have made an outstanding film of it. But they threw it away, perhaps deliberately, hoping for some of that fast opening weekend green, and little caring about making something worthwhile or lasting (like A Simple Plan).
Our First Look at 'The Ruins'
Filed under: Horror », Thrillers », Paramount », Dreamworks »
At least four different people had asked me "Hey, did you read The Ruins?" before I finally got off my ass and bought a copy of the Scott Smith novel. (He also wrote the fantastic A Simple Plan, both the book and the film.) The Ruins is about five young travelers who venture deep into an unforgiving rain forest in an effort to track down a missing guy, only to find themselves trapped by natives atop a creepy hill. And that's not even remotely the worst part. Turns out there's a new breed of foliage out there -- and it does very terrible things.Once I finished the book I was pleased to realize that the movie version was already well into production. First-timer Carter Smith is in the director's chair; Smith is on adaptation duty; and the cast includes names like Shawn Ashmore, Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone and Laura Ramsey. Release date for the DreamWorks / Paramount project is April 11, and while we don't have a trailer just yet, Bloody-Disgusting.com does have a trio of brand-new stills from the pic. (The first pic looks a LOT like how the book "looked" in my brain, so that's a good thing.) Once that trailer pops up, we'll be sure to let you know.
Oh, and the book? Good stuff. Here's hoping the studio lets Smith keep his finale intact.
Jena Malone and Shawn Ashmore Join 'The Ruins'
Filed under: Thrillers », Casting »
Since February, I've been keeping you up-to-date on The Ruins, the latest adaptation by Scott B. Smith, the guy who wrote the novel and Oscar-nominated screenplay to A Simple Plan. Bugcrush man Carter Smith had signed on to direct, and last month, Black Donnelly star Jonathan Tucker was cast as Jeff. Now we've got the rest of the lovebird couples who stupidly think it's a good idea to follow a stranger into the jungle to find his missing brother. It's got all those thrilling aspects in place -- well meaning but stupid people, and a remote, nature location.With principal photography beginning at the end of the month in Queensland, we've got the rest of the vacationing couples. Unfortunately, there's no word on who plays who, so you can pair the actors up for now as you see fit, and then see if you're right. There's Laura Ramsey, from Lords of Dogtown and The Covenant. Next comes Jena Malone, the Kevin Kline-kissing, Saved! pregnant Christian girl. Finally, there's none other than Shawn Ashmore, Mr. Iceman himself. It's not a bad cast -- an interesting collection of supporting actors -- although I prefer Malone much more when she's in a good comedy than in a serious piece. Then again, this is a deadly jungle thriller, so I'd say they're all up to the task. Are they enough to make you want to take a trip to The Ruins?
Carter Smith Will 'Come Closer'
Filed under: Drama », Thrillers », Deals », Scripts »
This is the story of two strangers. One is becoming a hot commodity as the work piles on. The other seems to be stepping out of the spotlight. Variety has reported that Carter Smith, who is directing the upcoming adaptation of Scott Smith's The Ruins, has scored his second book adaptation -- Come Closer by Sara Gran. The writer has three books to her name -- Saturn's Return, Come Closer and Dope, as well as a blog in which she's talked about her post-Katrina life in New Orleans. However, in her latest blog post, she's hanging up her keyboard and taking a break from her writing (check it out now, if you're interested, as she's planning to delete it at some point).This isn't the first time the novel has tried to make its way to the big screen. It was originally a triller project for Dimension, with Hossein Amini tapped for the screenplay. However, once the Weinsteins left, the film slipped to the back burner and Amini moved on to other projects like Killshot. Smith's Bugcrush inspired Miramax executive David Greenbaum to revive it, and now Tristine Skyler will grab the pen (who was just attached to pen the Bell Jar screenplay). The book is about a woman named Amanda who finds her life unraveling under strange circumstances. A proposal given to her boss becomes a note with nasty comments. Her calm marriage becomes wrought with arguments. Either she's going crazy, or she's possessed by a beautiful, but evil, demon. That's always the way, isn't it? I think I might start using that excuse: "I can't help it! I'm possessed by a sexy demon!"
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