PatrickLussier Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Every day, I get up and I wonder why the movie gods have never seen fit to grant us a Nicolas Cage movie in 3D. I can think of no flaw in The Wicker Man that a 3D bear suit punch couldn't fix altogether, and I know I'd be ten times more interested in The Sorcerer's Apprentice if we got some 3D trenchcoat swishing. But at last, my wish has been granted, though it probably won't be until 2010, 2011 or something, as The Hollywood Reporter has announced Cage will Drive Angry in three-freaking-D!

Directed by Patrick Lussier, who co-wrote the script with Todd Farmer, Drive Angry centers on a man who is driven literally and figuratively by rage. What has filled him with such unquenchable anger? Why, a gang that killed his daughter and kidnapped her baby. He's hunting them down, one by one, and mile by mile. I'm just going to quote THR here because to paraphrase would be a sin: "The vendetta / rescue spins out of control as the chase gets bloodier by the mile, leaving bodies strewn along the highway." If you thought Vanishing Point was too boring and 2D, Drive Angry will be the film for you.

Drive Angry will be burning rubber and leaving its gasoline fumes all over Shreveport, Louisiana in April, courtesy of Nu Image / Millennium Films' new Louisiana studio. As we wait for Cage to pop out of the screen, you can revive our Love Him or Tolerate Him debate all over again!

If there's one thing that 2009's remake of '80s Canadian slasher My Bloody Valentine isn't, it's scary.

Thank goodness for us, then, that it happens to make for cheesy, corny, gimmicky, gory fun -- if only in its 3-D theatrical presentation. Director Patrick Lussier may forsake genuine suspense and tension in his quest to create an overblown small-town soap opera with no shortage of nifty kills (though they may not be enough to save the film from itself in 2-D or on DVD), but the man knows how to use today's technology to create an amplified visceral horror experience. It's low-brow entertainment with high-tech execution, and while it's anything but scary, it's also pretty much everything but scary.

Horror fans are savvy enough to know that when a remake casts stars of teen-skewing TV shows in the leads, that can mean only one thing: the dreaded PG-13. The Hollywood Reporter says that television veteran Kerr Smith has joined the cast of My Bloody Valentine 3-D. He'll be playing Axle Palmer, and THR describes him as married to Sarah (Jaime King) and the nemesis of Tom (Jensen Ackles), which sounds villainous.

Smith was effectively creepy as a real jerk in Final Destination and I assume he'll bring some of that edgy attitude to his role as a nemesis, but he's better known for his roles on Dawson's Creek and Charmed.

It's not every day you get to share news of this magnitude. I'm actually a little nervous about it. I mean ... Psycho, sure. Halloween, why not? But when someone decides to step up and remake a film like My Bloody Valentine ... wow.

OK, silly joke. Sorry. If we're at the point where April Fool's Day, Prom Night and My Bloody Valentine are being remade, aren't we just about due for a big SPOOF to come along and end this remake parade already? This is coming from the biggest horror geek you'll ever see: My Bloody Valentine? Really?

The original was a Canadian import that (slavishly, dryly) followed the Halloween / Friday the 13th template, right down to the oh-so-clever insert-holiday-here gimmick. Plot-wise, it was about a guy in a gas mask who swung a mean pick-axe and enjoyed putting dismembered hearts inside candy boxes. Clearly this film demands a remake.

So who will be bringing this non-classic to the (probably television) screen for a new generation of giddy gorehounds? Why, Patrick Lussier, of course. Who else but the man who gave us one Prophecy, a White Noise, and three whole Draculas could dare to approach the works of John Beaird and George Mihalka? First-time screenwriter Zane Smith was the adapter; production on the Lionsgate project gets underway in Pittsburgh in just a few months.

[ Thanks to Bloody-Disgusting.com for the long-awaited news! ]

Jessica Alba's latest, The Eye, is about a blind woman who has an eye transplant that enables her to see into the supernatural world. It's a remake of twin brothers' Oxide Pang Chung and Danny Pang's 2002 Hong Kong horror film Gin Gwai. The new film was directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud, with re-shoots (uh-oh) by Patrick Lussier. It was written by Sebastian Gutierrez, who scripted Gothika and Snakes on a Plane (uh-oh again). The trailer is up online over at Yahoo Movies, and you've probably got some questions. Will this one be any better than the average crappy horror flick? Are we talking more The Ring or more The Grudge 2? If Jessica Alba were really blind, could she learn to love a monster like me? Maybe you should take your pretty little eyes over there and check out that trailer, Mogambo!

The trailer feels like more of a long teaser. There is no dialogue, just some pulsing music, and quick flashes telling the story in images. It's nicely done but not mind-blowing. A few moments stood out, like the floating feet and the nice little jump at the end. I also like the bit where she appears to be painfully squeezing fluid out of her eye. It reminded me of trying to put in my contact lenses while hung over. The Eye co-stars Alessandro Nivola (Junebug) and the always delightful Parker Posey. I saw Posey for a half second in the trailer, and no Nivola, but I guess when you've got one of the most beautiful women in the world in your movie, you want to put her front and center. Cinematical visited the set of The Eye back in April, and if you'd like to read a discussion with Miss Alba regarding the film, you can find it here. The Eye is due in theaters on February 1st, 2008.

The muscly macho wonder-stud Tyrese Gibson, who co-starred with Paul Walker in 2 Fast 2 Furious, displayed his sweaty pecs in Dennis Quaid's Flight of the Phoenix and avenged murder in Four Brothers is now itching to kill zombies, or at least to collect a group who will. Considering the fact that he's also playing USAF Master Sgt. Epps in the upcoming Transformers movie, the flesh-hungry undead is the next leap, right? But the kicker is that he is not starring, but producing the upcoming flick, which is called Condition Dead.

While there is no mention of him starring, or not starring, I can't imagine the guy not wanting to take the role, which ComingSoon describes as "a no-holds barred zombie film in the vein of James Cameron's Aliens." The movie will be directed by Patrick Lussier, who has edited a number of Wes Craven's films, and is the guy behind Dracula 2000. The script, penned by Dave Davis, details "an elite team of government-subsidized zombie-hunters who are mysteriously ambushed by a viscous new breed of zombie." I'm really, really hoping they mean viscous, and that it is not a typo for vicious. We're getting over-saturated by the rotting undead these days, so it would be interesting to have the flesh eaters be thick and sticky. Lead producer Rock Shaink says: "Being a big fan of the genre (zombie films), I'm extremely excited to have found a project that brings something new to the world, and that gives us one hell of a great ride doing so." Do this newness mean that viscous is right? Pretty please?

From the "news we saw coming a mile away" department: Universal's White Noise 2: The Light has, after being yanked out of its late January release slot, been remanded to the direct-to-video slate. According to Fangoria, the semi-sequel to White Noise has yet to receive a video store release date -- but it's definitely NOT going to be playing in any multiplexes any time soon. Frankly I'm a little surprised that this one was ever truly considered a "theatrical release" sort of movie.

The first flick was a surprise hit in January of 2005, but that was most likely due to a) Michael Keaton's presence in the movie, and b) the fact that there's nothing worth seeing most Januaries! The news should come as no big shock to director Patrick Lussier; of the four movies he's already written, only one of 'em (Dracula 2000) ever saw the inside of a movie house. The folks who have ample cause for disappointment are screenwriter Matt Venne (this is his first feature) and leading man Nathan Fillion -- a seriously entertaining actor who just can't seem to catch a break these days. His first two movies, Serenity and Slither, while both really cool, pretty much died at the box office -- and his next one (the fantastic Waitress) might not hit screens for the better part of a year. I'm guessing a White Noise 3 is pretty much out of the question at this point.

Although it was recently removed from Universal's January slate (and placed in the "TBD" bin), that won't stop the flick White Noise: The Light from hitting UK cinemas on January 5. The semi-sequel stars Nathan Fillion and Katee Sackhoff; random internet buzz asserts that Universal wants to hold the U.S. release until Fillion's Drive debuts on Fox later this year, but the delay could also be a lot simpler: Maybe the movie stinks.

But while all you Fillion fans scratch your head and pout about not being able to see White Noise 2 next month, here's the flick's first official theatrical trailer. (After just watching the clip, I'm more comfortable calling it a "teaser" and not a "trailer.") You can also add a friend's name to the trailer in order for them to get a "creeeepy" message when the clip ends, but I generally don't bother with such silliness.

The original White Noise (which starred Michael Keaton) inspired a sequel by debuting last January and riding a pretty impressive opening to a $57 million domestic haul. Aside from seeing Keaton back on the silver screen (and in a starring role, no less) I didn't think a whole lot of White Noise, and the sequel looks to be the same deal for me: Big fan of the star; not so interested in dead people who speak through radio static.

For the record, White Noise 2 was directed by the man who brought us Dracula 2000 (as well as its two sequels) and was written by Matt Venne, who has an episode of Masters of Horror under his belt.