DavidR.Ellis Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Review: The Final Destination
Filed under: Horror », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », Remakes and Sequels »
When the decision was made to produce a fourth Final Destination movie, there must have been conversations about whether the same formula would work without any reconfiguring. Audiences were pretty familiar with it by now: someone has a premonition that saves a bunch of people's lives; then Death comes back around to kill everyone anyway, in the order they'd have died in if they hadn't gotten away the first time. Someone must have asked, "Should we tweak the formula a little? Offer some kind of new angle or a surprising twist we haven't used before?"
That person, if he existed, was outvoted. The new film, senselessly called The Final Destination, follows the formula to the letter, without deviation. You might just as well stay home and watch one of the other three, where at least there will be some devilish wit and ironic humor in evidence. You'll get none of that here.
This time we're at a racetrack when Nick (Bobby Campo), a young man with no defining personality traits, has a vivid daydream about a horrific accident that kills him, his friends, and 50 others. Spooked, he gets out of there just before the real thing happens, saving his own life and the lives of his girlfriend, Lori (Shantel VanSanten), her best friend, Janet (Haley Webb), and Janet's preppy d-bag boyfriend Hunt (Nick Zano). A security guard (Mykelti Williamson) is also spared, along with a few tag-alongs.
More 'Final Destination' Heading Our Way
Filed under: Horror », Deals », Scripts »
Oh, the irony of Final Destination -- there never seems to actually be one, at least for the series. Personally, I'm waiting for installment #10, where all the first victims come back to life just to get terrorized again -- it sounds dumb, but doesn't that always happen once films hit the double digits in sequels? Or, maybe the victims fight back as some sort of zombie war against the intangible force. But for now, the Final Destination 2 team has come back for number 4, according to The Hollywood Reporter -- 2 co-writer Eric Bress wrote the script, and David R. Ellis has signed on to direct. This should be good news for FD fans. While the second made less than the other two, it's gotten its share of praise for their "elaborately orchestrated killings."That's not all. If you thought buses slamming into victims and spraying blood wasn't enough, rejoice -- that blood and those death machines are going to fly at us again. Oh yes, Final Destination is a solid passenger on that 3D train. As THR says: "The premise of the series is that even if you cheat death once, a force that is death itself will stalk you until it finishes what is started, usually in a gruesome fashion." This time around, there's no word on plot, but it will be new teens getting terrorized and new forms of death. If you want to know what sort of death -- just think about what would be creepy to see in 3D, and you're probably on the right track. I wonder if there will be any snakes. Ellis directed Snakes on a Plane, after all.
Snakes On A Plane Director Continues To Find Work
Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Deals », Cinematical Indie »
Even after the whirlwind of hype surrounding Snakes on a Plane, I think most people would be hard pressed to remember the name of it's director, David R. Ellis. Considering the ... mixed reaction Snakes received from critics and audiences, it's probably in the best interest of Ellis' career that it stays that way. So despite the bad reviews and cries of manufactured zeitgeist, Ellis seems to have managed to walk away unscathed and is already hard at work on his new film, Asylum. Now Variety has announced that Ellis, a former child actor and stunt man, is also attached to direct and co-produce the action thriller High Stakes for Persistent Entertainment.
The story follows two friends on a gambling trip to Las Vegas who rack up a gambling debt to the wrong people. The friends are then forced to become the subjects of a dangerous high-stakes bet to pay off their marker. Ronnie Christensen (Passengers) wrote the script and the film is set to start shooting this spring. There is no word on a cast yet, so Ellis and company are going to have to work quickly if they want to stick to their schedule.
Quickhits: Ellis Checks in to Asylum, Touchstone is Dead in the Water and Here Comes Wall Street 2
Filed under: Horror », Thrillers », Deals », RumorMonger », Scripts », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels »
Odds and ends from Monday:
- I don't know about you, but I sure was wondering which project David R. Ellis would choose to follow up Snakes on a Plane. Monkeys on an Escalator? Elephants on a Corporate Retreat? Nope. Nada. Zip. Variety announced that Ellis has been tapped to direct Asylum for Hyde Park Entertainment. Though no snakes are involved in this one, pic will center around a group of college freshman who learn their dorm used to be an insane asylum. Not for nothing, but my college dorm was full of nutjobs. However, something tells me the infamous "freshman fifteen" is the least these kids need to worry about.
- Ahh, there's nothing like taking a nice, relaxing cruise to help reignite your marriage. Well, that's unless you're part of a horror script that was just picked up by Touchstone Pictures. Brothers Noah and Alexi Hawley unloaded their script, Dead in the Water, which marks their first sale as a writing team. Pic will follow a couple who, while traveling on a cruise, become engulfed in some horrific nightmare after the ship picks up a mysterious man at sea.
- Are you one of those people who walk around quoting lines from Wall Street constantly in order to impress friends who wish you would just shut up already? Well, 20 years after the original film starring Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen hit the screen, comes word that a sequel is definitely in the works. According to Moviehole via "someone at FOX," Oliver Stone and Michael Douglas are currently writing the script, which would be set 20 years after the first. Story will pick up as Gordon Gecko is released from prison and will follow the sleaze as he attempts to adapt in a completely different world. Most likely, Sheen will not be back. But, knowing both Stone and Douglas are involved does make me feel somewhat good about it. You?
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