Oz Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Oz Goes Dark and Twisted
Filed under: Drama », Deals », Warner Brothers », Scripts », Family Films », Remakes and Sequels »
Oz (as in The Wizard of) is just so hot right now. We already know about the Oz re-imagining in the works where DG (Dorothy) gets swept off to The Outer Zone and goes on a journey with some weird creatures. Now we're going to see another update of Oz in a feature film. Variety has reported that Warner Brothers and Village Roadshow Pictures are teaming up for a flick called Oz -- not based on that sparkly classic film, but directly from L. Frank Baum's books. Well, not directly, but a "revisionist take."The idea comes from Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, and was expanded on and pitched by Josh Olson, who adapted A History of Violence. McFarlane is also the guy behind the "Twisted Land of Oz" figurine series, featuring Dorothy barely-clothed and awkwardly bound while a creepy Munchkin snarls. Before you think of an S&M Oz, Olson has said: "I saw those toys, and Dorothy as some bondage queen isn't something I want to do." McFarlane says: "My pitch was 'How do we get people who went to Lord of the Rings to embrace this?' I want to create (an interpretation) that has a 2007 wow factor. You've still got Dorothy trapped in an odd place, but she's much closer to the Ripley from Alien than a helpless singing girl."
While the plot is being kept under wraps so far, Olson describes it as a remake and says that while a lot of the characters are "all Baum," the plot is mostly his. It'll be interesting to see how the over-sexualized Oz eye of McFarlane and Olson's PG-plan come together. Will it be a mess, a masterpiece or something in between?
Germaine Greer Very Unhappy About 'Hippie Hippie Shake'
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Independent », Celebrities and Controversy »
Well, it's not like feminist icon Germaine Greer would be the first person who was angry about their big screen representation. Judging by Greer's comments in the U.K. newspaper The Guardian, it proves that after all these years, she hasn't lost her ability to talk tough. The center of the scuffle is the film version of Richard Neville's memoir, Hippie Hippie Shake. The book recounts his time as editor and regular contributor of the counter-culture publication Oz Magazine, a magazine that ran from 1963 to 1973. She originally declined to participate in Neville's book, which was first published back in 2005, and now she seems to be equally unhappy with the film adaptation. Greer wrote in her piece to The Guardian, "You used to have to die before assorted hacks started munching your remains and modelling a new version of you out of their own excreta." Taking it a step further, she goes on to take a shot at Neville, saying he was "one of the least talented people on the London scene in the 60's" -- ouch.The film is being directed by Beeban Kidron (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason) and was adapted by Billy Elliot scribe Lee Hall. Back in May, Monika confirmed that Sienna Miller and Cillian Murphy had signed on for lead roles. Playing Greer in the film is model-turned-actress Emily Booth, and in talking about the film Greer doesn't let Booth off the hook either, saying that the actress should get "an honest job." Shooting for Hippie Hippie Shake is set to start this September, and in the end, Greer might have ended up giving the film a little free publicity -- I'll admit I'm now curious to see what all the fuss is about.
Lots of Work for Perrineau
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels », Cinematical Indie »
A guy stars on the one the best TV series of all time, and all he can get is a lame, second-banana gig in the Matrix sequels. Then he shows up on a show of debatable quality that everyone watches, and he's got jobs coming out of his ears. Yes, I'm talking about Harold Perrineau. And no, I'm not surprised, just a little depressed. Don't get wrong -- I'm happy the man's getting gigs, just a little resentful that it didn't happen during Oz. My own pouting aside, things are looking damn good for Perrineau these days: In the past few weeks he's signed up for gigs in three upcoming films. The first is 28 Weeks Later..., in which his role as "an upbeat American Special Forces pilot who documents and leads to safety the families returning to London after the viral outbreak" sounds likely to be pretty small (I'm thinking, like, Richard Dawson in King Rat small here). The others, however, could be more substantial. He'll be playing Richard Roundtree (who in my mind is at least three times Perrineau's size) in Matthew Wilder's Philip K. Dick movie -- recently retitled Your Name Here -- because, at least within the weirdass world of Wilder's film, Roundtree is obsessed with Dick. So to speak. In addition, Perrineau will appear in the harrowing-sounding Gardens of the Night alongside John Malkovich, Jeremy Sisto and Diana Ross' little boy Evan.
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