UweBoll Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Doc Talk: 'Tales from the Script'
Filed under: Documentary », Scripts », Steven Spielberg », Michael Moore », Columns », Cinematical Indie »
I implore any prospective or fledgling screenwriters out there to see the new documentary Tales from the Script. And afterward, if you still feel like attempting to break into that highly competitive and rarely rewarding side of the movie business, then it's possible this is indeed the right dream and career for you. As Taxi Driver and Raging Bull scribe Paul Schrader says in the film, "if you can be happy doing anything else, do that."
Tales from the Script is basically just a supplement to the recently published book of the same name by Peter Hanson and Paul Robert Herman (or vice versa, the book can be seen as the companion piece to the film). Hanson also directed the documentary, which features interviews with a number of celebrated screenwriters, including Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption), Shane Black (Lethal Weapon) and William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), as well as lesser-knowns like low-budget action scribe Michael January (CIA II: Target Alexa), Golden Age Oscar-winner Melville Shavelson (Houseboat) and My Favorite Year screenwriter Dennis Palumbo, who ultimately quit the field and became a psychotherapist.
Palumbo may be the only one who quit, but at times the other talking heads in the film seem to be on the verge of doing the same. Honestly, the whole point of the film appears to be a response to a statement from John Carpenter, who was one of Hanson's first interviews. He says that "if you knew what was gonna come, you wouldn't do it." Well, kids, here's what terrible things came with the careers of your favorite screenwriters: starvation on the way to success, starvation after success, lack of respect, lack of control, lack of credit, unwanted credit and disheartening interactions with anyone from Uwe Boll to Steven Spielberg.
Cinematical Seven: Unlikely Director Collaborations We'd Like To See
Filed under: Action », Animation », Documentary », Foreign Language », Independent », Steven Spielberg », Quentin Tarantino », Johnny Depp », Cinematical Seven », Michael Moore », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
Sadly, the rumored collaboration between Lars von Trier and Martin Scorsese (and Robert De Niro) is apparently not really happening. Despite the entire blogosphere's apparent desire for a Five Obstructions-esque take on Taxi Driver. But occasionally unlikely and bizarre dream partnerships between two unrelated filmmakers do come about, to the surprise and delight of cinephiles. Think of the recent Werner Herzog remake of Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans). Or the fitting yet amazing alliance of Herzog and David Lynch (My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done) and the hopefully one-day realized project uniting Lynch and Alejandro Jodorowsky (King Shot).
What other directorial team-ups do you wish would happen? Below are seven that I'd like to see, off the top of my head. To make it a little more fun, I've chosen odd pairings linked by a commonly employed actor.
Abel Ferrara and Werner Herzog (with Williem Dafoe)
Now that there's strife between these two filmmakers following Herzog's pseudo remake of Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant, it's only more necessary for them to be handcuffed together for a remake of Fitzcarraldo starring Dafoe as the title character, now put with the task of carting a riverboat across the island of Manhattan (the urban jungle) -- up and over the buildings. I'd like to see Christopher Walken in there somewhere, too, but I can't decide in what role. Seriously, though, when are Herzog and Walken going to really get together for a movie?
Ten Worst Films of 2009: Haiku Edition
Filed under: Lists »
2009 has been a great year for movies -- including very, very sucky ones. This is my personal list of least favorite films that I saw theatrically in 2009, brought to you in the Japanese form of poetry known as the haiku.
10. All About Steve
Crossword puzzle nut
Please stop talking so damn much
Run, Bradley Cooper
9. Halloween II
Pretty white pony
Michael looks like Rob Zombie
It was all a dream
First Trailer for Uwe Boll's Film About the Genocide in Darfur
Yes, you read that headline correctly. Dr. Uwe Boll, the notorious filmmaker behind the likes of House of the Dead, Bloodrayne, In the Name of the King: a Dungeon Siege Tale, Alone in the Dark, and Postal, has made a film - a serious one - about the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. I imagine you're as surprised as everyone else.I first heard about the film, titled simply Darfur, about a month ago at the Fantastic Fest Q&A for Boll's man-on-a-killing-spree movie Rampage. The director casually referred to the film as if it was no big deal, though it was obvious that everyone in the room was as stunned as I. When pressed for more information, Boll explained that he felt the world was turning a blind eye to the crimes against humanity that are committed daily in Darfur, and that as an artist, the only way he felt he could make a difference was if he made a film about it.
Now it would be easy to not take the film seriously given who is involved, but I can attest that there was genuine frustration in Boll's voice when he talked about tackling the material. However, the credibility he earned by showing a more noble side than one normally sees in his filmography quickly took a nose dive as Boll explained he used actual Darfur refugees in making the film. That sounds no alarms at first, but he further explained that he had actual rape victims in his cast, victims who were asked to re-enact their rape on camera; because that kind of 'honesty' was the only way he could capture how dire the situation is.
Fantastic Fest Review: Rampage
Filed under: Theatrical Reviews », Fantastic Fest »
This is my first time reviewing a film directed by the notorious Uwe Boll (Bloodrayne, Postal), and I am a little disappointed. I'd always heard that Boll provides critics with wonderful opportunities to incorporate the most colorful derogatory phrases possible in reviews, perhaps even creating new metaphors specifically to describe the mediocrity of his films. I was ready to have fun after the movie, rather than while watching it. However, it turns out that Rampage, Boll's latest film, is not at all a bad film. In fact, many people may actually like it, as much as it's possible to like a film about a senseless massacre. What is this world coming to?
Rampage is about Bill (Brendan Fletcher), a college-age guy who's disgusted with everyone and everything around him, from his parents -- with whom he still lives -- to the barista who can't make Bill's favorite drink properly to incompetent fast-food workers. His friend Evan (Shaun Sipos) shares his disgust. Bill assembles a full-body Kevlar suit and decides to go on a rampage (thus the title) of destruction in his small town. Falling Down is Capra-esque in comparison. However, the ending is satisfyingly unpredictable -- I assumed an obvious outcome, and was pleased to be wrong.
Fantastic Fest: Fantastic Debates + Boxing
Filed under: Fandom », Fantastic Fest »
Fantastic Fest continues to prove itself as the funnest film festival in the entire world, not only by programming weird and amazing movies, but also by hosting events like the "Fantastic Debates." This is where filmmakers, film critics, and even theater owners square off in a debate inside an actual boxing ring. After the opening verbal rounds, the format changes to boxing, with actual headgear, mouthpieces, and boxing gloves.
Sadly, no solid punches were actually thrown over the course of the debate, but the real barbs were exchanged verbally. To put it in perspective, one of the topics was "Michael Bay: Should He Win An Oscar Or Get The Death Penalty?" Even stranger was the fact that the main event pitted Drafthouse owner and Fantastic Fest main man Tim League against crappy video game adaptation director Uwe Boll on "The State of Independent Films."
Check out the gallery below and head beyond the break where you can hear the best debates from the evening. There's a lot of genius in here, including some verbal sparring from our very own Scott Weinberg. Head on through and give them a listen. Just try not to do it while drinking anything, because it'll spew out of your nose.
Eddie Furlong Grabs a Terminator and Heads Back to Uwe Boll Land
Filed under: Drama », Casting »
Just a year ago, Edward Furlong signed on for some uber-charming, puke-eating, Uwe Boll torture with Stoic. I guess he just can't get enough of the man, because now he's leading the next Boll feature -- also mentioned in that news piece -- Janjaweed. But he's not only signing on -- he's also bringing a Terminator with him. Variety reports that he's going to star in the film, alongside Kristanna Loken and the bald-headed wonder Billy Zane.The second Boll flick to get serious, if that's even possible, Janjaweed will look into the world of Sudan genocide, focusing on journalists who have to decide whether they want to stay and help the victims they see, or hit the road and report on their experiences. Like Stoic, the film has a treatment, but no script, so it'll be all improvisation.
A film dealing with the turmoil in Sudan is a good thing, but Boll taking a stab at it is just sad. Considering how he previously bragged about how much time he focused the camera on puke eating, I can't imagine this having any merit whatsoever, beyond another reason to detest the man. Yeah, he wants to enter the arthouse world, but bragging about bile just shows how ridiculous that notion is.
It saddens me that these guys are desperate enough to do "serious" Boll. Especially Zane. Can't anyone give the man something more appealing to act in?
Razzie Awards Honor The Worst of the Year
Filed under: Awards », Fandom »
While Oscar was planning to hand out golden statues to the best films of the year, the 29th Annual Golden Rasberry (Razzie) Awards were being handed out to the year's worst. The big winner (or loser) this year was The Love Guru, which not only took home Worst Picture, but Worst Actor (for Mike Myers) and Worst Screenplay (Mike Myers and Graham Gordy). The Hottie and The Nottie nabbed two Razzies, with star Paris Hilton taking home honors in the Worst Actress category (for Hottie and the Nottie), as well as Worst Supporting Actress (in Repo: The Genetic Opera). Ms. Hilton also shared the spotlight with Christine Lakin or Joel David Moore for Worst Screen Couple.Indiana Jones' return to the big screen garnered a whole bunch of negative reactions, and the film did little to impress the Razzie voters since Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull won the award for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel. Wow, there's a lot of room in that sucker ... and it went to Indy? Let's just say Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jessica Alba both got away with one there. Rounding things out, Uwe Boll won for Worst Director and Worst Career Achievement, with the tagline "Germany's Answer to Ed Wood".
Check out the entire list over here, then let us know what you think they got right or wrong. Was The Love Guru really the worst picture of the year? Did Indy deserve worst sequel/remake/prequel status?
The Scary Bits: Dead Set, Voices & the Meat Train
Filed under: Horror », The Scary Bits »
So our good pal Peter Hall was traveling overseas, and this is how you know that "Horror Geeks" is a really awesome fraternity: He bought me a copy of the E4 horror mini-series Dead Set! Created by the insanely clever Charlie Brooker, Dead Set is about the zombie apocalypse as seen through the cameras of a Big Brother broadcast. It's a five-part mini-series that runs about 140 minutes in total -- and man, it's really something special. Knowing a bit about Brooker's snarky ways, I was half-expecting this to be a jokey sort of zombie affair, but no way man: This is full bore horror, and it's one of the best serious zombie movies of the last twenty years. As far as I know, Dead Set is not currently available through a R1 distributor, but if any horror movie is worth the few extra bucks, it's this one. Damn good stuff, well done Charlie, and thanks Pete! (Offical Dead Set website right here!)
Looks like After Dark has chosen their final film for next January's event. It will be a Korean chiller called Voices. The rest of the slate (which includes Weinberg-approved titles like Dying Breed and The Broken) can be perused via Bloody-D's handy new breakdown. And speaking of cool horror flicks I've seen at festivals, the director of Creep and Severance will be doing a dark ages apocalypse story called Black Death. Coooool.
And while I was pleased to see a DVD announcement for The Midnight Meat Train, I got a very nice surprise once I checked out the DVD cover! Cool! Thanks to Twitch, we now have some more details on the R1 Cold Prey (Norwegian slasher flick) DVD. Anchor Bay will be releasing the DVD on January 20. And while the new cover for Ben Rock's Alien Raiders doesn't exactly adhere to the movie ... it's still pretty nifty-looking. Lastly, yikes. Check out the eyeballs on Dorothy Mills!
Is Brett Ratner Taking on 'God of War'?
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Universal », RumorMonger », Games and Game Movies »
When it comes down to it, Brett Ratner might not be the most hated man in the movie business -- but he's definitely in the top five. In a profile for Ad Age, the director sat down to talk about Brett Ratner Brands, his new consultancy business. But things get interesting right at the end of the article when the journalist dropped the bomb that Ratner might be working on a big-screen version of the best-selling video game, God of War.For those of you who haven't played it (and I really recommend you do), here is a quick primer: God of War centers on Kratos, a celebrated soldier who is haunted by his past transgressions and his debt to the Gods of Olympus. It could have just been your typical hack and slash game, but the cinematic approach and highly entertaining story line earned it a reputation as one of the best around.
Talk of a feature film surfaced back in 2005, and Universal was the studio named to produce. According to recent reports, the script has already been finished and casting has begun to heat up (some recent buzz has Djimon Hounsou in consideration for the lead). But then fans the world over had to deal with the unpleasant news that Uwe Boll was being considered to direct -- luckily, this never came to be. So I guess Ratner could be considered a step in the right direction. Then again, if you had the misfortune of seeing Rush Hour 3, you would probably disagree.
[via Film Junk]
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