District 13 Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Fantastic Fest Review: District 13: Ultimatum
Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Magnolia », Theatrical Reviews », Fantastic Fest », Remakes and Sequels »
When it reached American audiences two years after it opened in France, 2006's District 13 (or B13 here) served as a breezy introduction to the art of parkour, not to mention director Pierre Morel's knack for shooting action sequences both energetically and visibly (an underrated quality, that last one). Morel moved on to Taken, though, while parkour began to infiltrate more high-profile Hollywood fare, like Casino Royale and Live Free or Die Hard.
However, writer/producer/all-around action maven Luc Besson stuck around to cash in on the promise of a follow-up, and now we're greeted with District 13: Ultimatum, a competent if flabby rehash of the first film's race-against-time plot and dystopian setting.
'Tell No One' AND 'District B13' Are Being Remade
Filed under: Action », Drama », Foreign Language », Independent », Thrillers », Deals », Mystery & Suspense », Magnolia », RumorMonger », Remakes and Sequels »
Oh, us Americans. Even when we turn out for the movies with the words on the screen, we still can't seem to stand those words on the screen. After all, why else would Variety say that an English-language remake in the works for both last summer's art-house hit Tell No One as well as District B13, which kicks ass in any language?The former was based on a crackling mystery by American author Harlan Coben, albeit one transplanted to a French setting, and was most noteworthy for one sweet foot chase and a fairly loopy denouement. (Here's a thought: have the bi-lingual Kristen Scott Thomas reprise her role here.)
The latter was pretty much one sweet foot chase drawn out to feature length, with some punches and kicks thrown in for good measure, as a cop and a criminal parkour their way through post-apocalyptic Paris. (Don't believe me? After the jump... pun moderately intended.)
You know what? Let's combine the two. A doctor under suspicion for the murder of his wife -- who appears to be very much alive -- goes on the run to clear his name AND deactivate a nuclear weapon. With a plot like that, who needs words?
'District 14' in the Works!
Filed under: Action », Foreign Language », Casting », Scripts »
I was determined to see Banlieue 13, or District 13, as soon as I saw David Belle fly feet-first through a transom. (That little ditty, in the middle of one sweet parkour scene, is above.) Action scenes usually don't prompt me to watch a movie, but the fluidity of the action was just too much to pass up. No, the film is not the greatest cinematic achievement; however, it did make me a huge Belle fan, itching for another Belle/parkour-based film.
And now it looks like we're getting it. Twitch noticed a casting call for Banlieue 14 on the official parkour website, and Allocine.fr reports that Patrick Allesandrin will direct the film, from a script by Luc Besson, when production starts next month.
While there was a casting call, I'm really hoping that this will be another Belle-starring feature. You can't really get better parkour than from the man who created it. Maybe Leito becomes a part-cop, or renegade hero, and sets out to help out other districts in France? Are you ready for more parkour?
Is There Too Much Talking in Action Flicks?
Filed under: Action », Fandom », Images »
With a long weekend behind us and a big film festival ahead, things have been slow. When there's far from a plethora of news of deals and major casting info to share, we get to be even more fannish than usual (if that's even possible!). Funny enough, while I was writing up my Uber Cool & Quotable Gun-Toting Antiheroes, my friend sent me a comic -- one that gave love to the complete opposite kind of fighter -- the silent, butt-kicking hero. You might have heard of the site -- xkcd. While it is, by no means, an example of stellar art, their strips are damn funny and often movie-nerdy.Recently, they tackled action movies, ruing over the amount of conversation in them -- go read it here. As the disappointed stick figure rants: "Just once, I want a real action movie. 30 seconds of exposition followed by a perfect 90-minute action scene. One with a huge budget, a good choreographer, and a great director." Of course, there's probably no one better than River Tam to do that. You know -- the chick who wildly kicked arse with her ballet ways in Joss Whedon's Serenity (and we can't forget Firefly).
The strip is not only funny -- it also brings up an interesting point -- have action flicks gotten too talky? We're all suckers for a good, wonderfully-delivered line, but have we forgotten the allure of silent strength? Summer Glau's character didn't say much, but she made many fans with her slick fighting moves. District 13 would be another example -- David Belle talked, but it was his fluid parkour that made waves. I love a good quote as much as the next person, but there's just something to be said for the sweet, choreographed action on its own. And call me crazy, but I'd pay to see River Tam beat up everyone!
Philadelphia Film Festival: Dark & Dangerous!
Filed under: Foreign Language », Horror », Independent », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Festival Reports », Other Festivals », Cinematical Indie »
My favorite component of any given film festival should be pretty obvious by now. Sundance calls it Park City After Midnight. Toronto calls it Midnight Madness. Over at SXSW, the program's known as 'Round Midnight, and here in the beautiful city of Philadelphia, our local film festival calls it Danger After Dark. No matter what you call the program and no matter what city you happen to be in, any half-decent film festival will always offer a colorful variety of horror flicks, cult-type comedies, and genre fare that's not easily classifiable, but will undoubtedly appeal to the more intrepid movie geeks out there.
So while the Philadelphia Film Festival is obviously not on the same playing field as a Toronto or a Sundance, that doesn't prevent Danger After Dark programmer Travis Crawford from cobbling together one heck of a genre display, year after year. And while it seems unlikely that a professional festival-goer would call the Philly Fest "the finest in the country," there's little denying that the Danger After Dark program gets more exciting (and more popular) with each passing year. Basically what I'm saying is: The festival as a whole is a darn good time, but if genre fare is what you're after, make sure you get down to Philadelphia next April! (We're one of those shiny spots right near New York, Baltimore, and Atlantic City.)
My first Philly Fest was in 2003, and while I was psyched enough to see all the "regular" movies, my eyeballs kept focusing on the Danger After Dark lineup, which back then included titles like Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Dark Water, Eternal Blood, Love Object, Mimic: Sentinel, and Beyond Re-Animator. Nothing too staggering, but I got a good introduction to Chan-wook Park and Hideo Nakata, and a few DTV Dimension titles that, despite common sense, I always get a little psyched for.
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
Directors We Love: Jim Jarmusch
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
_thumbnail.jpg)
