Next Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Considering the amount of flack Nicolas Cage received over his last time-bending flick, I am a little surprised that he decided to come back for Alex Proyas', Knowing. Coming Soon is now hosting some on-set photos from the sci-fi thriller starring Cage and Rose Byrne. Sources managed to snap the pics on location in Geelong, Australia, and while there are no shots of Cage or Byrne, at least we get to see some stuff blowing up.

Knowing centers on a time capsule buried in 1958 that was chock full of doom and gloom prophecies. When the capsule is dug up 50 year later, it lands in the hands of a young boy and his professor father (Cage) who becomes obsessed with decoding the messages and preventing all-out destruction.

The production has had a long history in Hollywood, ever since the film was first set up over at Columbia. There have been a few directors attached over the years, notably Richard Kelly and Rod Lurie. Proyas came on board in 2005, and after a few rewrites, the film went into production in 2007. As if a long and troubled production history wasn't enough of an obstacle, it is no secret that Cage's 'shine' has been slowly diminishing over the years (thank you very much, Ghost Rider), so Knowing could be a hard sell to audiences who might still be ticked over shelling out their hard-earned dollars for Next.

Knowing is scheduled to arrive in theaters in 2009.

What up, movie peeps? First, let's see what happened with last week's predict 'em game. When the dust cleared Sunday, the final top five looked like this:

1. Disturbia - $13.5 million
2. Fracture - $11.2 million
3. Blades of Glory - $7.8 million
4. Vacancy - $7.6 million
5. Meet the Robinsons - $7.1 million

Our winner? Evilone1414, who, just like a certain movie about a teenaged peeping tom, was king of the hill for the second week in a row -- getting every pick right except for reversing the order of Vacancy and Meet the Robinsons. Evil rules! As for myself, I finished dead last ... again. Looks like this week -- the notorious Last Weekend of April, not known for its high-quality fare (last year's No. 1: RV) -- I may need the services of someone who can actually see the future. Now, who would that be?

Next
What It's About: Nicolas Cage stars as a small-time clairvoyant magician and card shark who, after having a vision of L.A. being annihilated, must decide whether or not to use his power for good.
Why It Might Do Well: It's an incredibly weak field of movies this weekend, with everyone getting out of the way of the advancing Spider-Man juggernaut. Next is the only standout in terms of marketing and expectations, and Nicolas Cage is certainly a draw (just look at Ghost Rider).
Why It Might Not Do Well: Reason number one would have to be Cage's hair, which is giving Tom Hanks' unfortunate 'do in The Da Vinci Code a run for its money. Help me think of a name for this hairstyle: the Emo Phillips? Reason number two: The film's pretty generic as far as action movies go, and probably wouldn't be a blip on anyone's radar were it opening in any month other than April.
Prediction: $14 million

It looks like the marketing machine is at full tilt for Nicolas Cage's upcoming thriller Next. Already we have had the trailer and some poster art that was less than eye-catching, but now there is a fancy new website. There are plenty of bells and whistles, including do-it-yourself ESP tests, the promise of a "Nuclear Countdown" game, and something vaguely titled "Experience". Next centers on Cage, a man who has the ability to travel through time and is being hunted by some shadowy government types -- is there any other kind? As if that was not enough, all the while he is trying to prevent the death of his girlfriend (Jessica Biel) and stop a nuclear annihilation. Also, Julianne Moore has something to do with it, and Peter Falk, TV's Columbo, also has a role in the film.

Directed by Lee Tamahori (XXX), the story is based on Philip K. Dick's The Golden Man, but the script was adapted by one of the writers of Navy Seals so I'm thinking it could go either way; even Patrick and Scott seemed undecided about the whole thing. In the end I guess it really doesn't matter, Cage seems to be going for the title of "Hardest Working Man in Show Business" so it will not take long before he is onto another film, and then another, and another. As for Next, it's currently scheduled to drop in theaters on April 27.

No matter how much crap Nicolas Cage throws at the screen, I still consider him one of the most inventive and exciting actors working today. His performances in Moonstruck, Leaving Las Vegas, Honeymoon In Vegas, The Rock, Wild at Heart, Bringing Out The Dead, Adaptation, and one of the best comedies of all time, Raising Arizona, are great enough to make you wish he would be a little choosier with his roles. The guy can still do great work, as he did in the unfairly overlooked The Weather Man, (not to be confused with Cage's The Wicker Man or The Family Man), but I always fear he's one or two movies away from becoming a joke. So it is with a heavy heart that I bring you the poster for his new project Next, which is exactly what I said when I read about the movie.

Next was directed by Lee Tamahori, best known for XXX: State of the Union, Die Another Day, and getting arrested for soliciting a prostitute while dressed as a woman. On the plus side, it does have Jessica Biel, who is so hot I can't look directly at her. And Julianne Moore is also in it, who I generally like but who is no stranger to unintentionally hilarious performances herself (Just crack a beer and rent Freedomland - hoo boy!). Next releases on April 27, and you can check out the trailer here. Cage stars as a Las Vegas showroom magician (what is it with him and Vegas movies?) who can see a few minutes into the future. (Reminds me of that old Saturday Night Live sketch with Christopher Walken -- "Ed Glosser, Trivial Psychic"). The plot concerns a terrorist group threatening to blow up Los Angeles, and Moore's character captures Cage's character in hopes of using his mind power to stop the destruction. The script is based on the Philip K. Dick story The Golden Man. Dick adaptations have made for some awesome movies - see Blade Runner and Total Recall, and some horrible ones - see Paycheck, which this movie reminds me of right down to their eerily similar posters. Put the two up next to each other on your screen and see for yourself.

As I watched this rather flashy new trailer for Paramount's sci-fi thriller Next, I found myself reminiscing over some old pals. Hey! There's Butterfly Effect and Paycheck! Ah look, it's Minority Report! Well, some of those comparisons might be unfair, considering that Next is based on a story called The Golden Man, which comes from Philip K. Dick, author of both Paycheck and Minority Report. (The Butterfly bit was my own revelation.)

From Lee Tamahori, the director of Along Came a Spider, Die Another Day and xXx: State of the Union, Next stars Nicolas Cage as a man who can see into his own future. Needless to say, this skill causes all sorts of problems, both internally and externally. Also along for the mayhem are Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel, Peter Falk and Thomas Kretschmann. Check out the trailer and see if this one will command your $9.00 come April 27. I think it looks pretty nifty, plus it comes from a rather colorful trio of screenwriters -- so I'm pretty curious to see how it all turns out.

(And no disrespect to the man, but does Nicolas Cage have to be in every movie released these days? Take a year off, man!)

Jessica Biel has joined the cast of Next, a film adaptation of Philip K. Dick's The Golden Man. Dick's short story is about a man who can not only see into the future, but is also allowed and empowered to change the events that he sees. Needless to say, the FBI eventually gets wind of his abilities, and wants to use them to deal with big, international concerns - stuff like, say, stopping global terror attacks. That sort of thing. The man, played by Nicolas Cage, "ultimately is faced with the choice of saving himself or the world." (Whenever I read a plot summary like this, I think of that SNL sketch with Christopher Walken, about the trivial psychic. Why does everyone in sci-fi movies have huge, eminently useful powers?)

Biel will play Cage's love interest (she runs afoul of terrorist, somehow), and Julianne Moore also has a major role in the film. Directed by Lee Tamahori of xXx: State of the Union and Die Another Day "fame," Next isn't expected in theaters until 2007.