case 39 Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Did you know that back in 2006, Renee Zellweger took on a horror film? The project was Case 39, a creepy, kid-centric thriller that started off with bad luck in production when a fire scene torched the entire set and most of the crew's equipment, and continued when the film just couldn't get a distribution break. It was supposed to be out last summer, but just like Mandy Lane, it was a no-go. Now it is said to hit theaters sometime this year, and a trailer has finally been released.

Zellweger plays a social worker who thinks she's saving a kid (Tideland's Jodelle Ferland) from her evil parents trying to send her to hell (one of whom happens to be the excellent Callum Keith Rennie). So this woman takes the kid into her home, but then realizes that this little 10-year-old isn't exactly innocent.

One would imagine that a horror film would have to be pretty decent to get Renee Zellweger on board, and that it can't be all that bad with the talents of Ferland and Rennie. However, Shock Till You Drop says that this puppy has "been through the test screening wringer," so there might be a really good reason we haven't seen it yet, and not just Mandy Lane bad luck. It looks like your basic thriller set-up in the trailer, but looks can be deceiving ... and if they are, could someone give Ferland a break and put her in something that gets a little more love?

Coming up on the new year, it's interesting to see which films we had thought would've been released by this point. In the summer of 2007, I recall myself and several colleagues showing up for a press screening of Jonathan Levine's lauded slasher, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, only to discover it was canceled just that morning and the film had been sold from the Weinstein Company to Senator that afternoon. (The film has since landed at Sony, whose indie arm, Sony Classics, already saw Levine's follow-up, The Wackness, to a proper theatrical reception.)

At least the Weinsteins gave something up for a change. The oft-shuffled Killshot and Fanboys are tentative January and February releases at the moment, respectively, and I just want to see for myself if The Poughkeepsie Tapes has been worthy of its modest reputation following a BNAT '07 screening -- the same BNAT that featured the reportedly sweet Trick 'r Treat that WB continues to hoard.

A perhaps more morbid curiosity has me keeping an eye on Paramount's Case 39, just to see if it's really that bad, and who knows what similar straits Assassination of a High School President, The Accidental Husband (originally last March), and Possession (originally last February) are in following Yari Film Group's bankruptcy -- not that I have much invested in the last two, but Assassination is a perfectly release-worthy noir take-off that deserves a home.

So what do you guys and girls think? Which of these are you most dying to see? What was the longest you ever waited to catch something, and were you ultimately disappointed or satisfied by the time it came your way?

Odds and ends from Tuesday:

• Why do I immediately feel sorry for any actor that has to play love interest to Renée Zellweger? Is something wrong with me? Am I going to hell? Variety reports Bradley Cooper has just signed on to star opposite Zellweger in Case 39, to be directed by Christian Alvart. Cooper will play a detective who catches Zellweger's eye, as the social worker investigates a case of child abuse.
• Along with the news that she's in negotiations to star in Definitely, Maybe (alongside Martha's on-screen hero, Ryan Reynolds), Elizabeth Banks has also signed on to play a part in the Warner Bros. Christmas comedy, Joe Claus. Pic stars Vince Vaughn as Santa's moronic brother, who returns to the North Pole and almost ruins Christmas. Banks will play "a hyper-organized member of Santa's Little Helpers", as well as Vaughn's love interest.
• In an attempt to compete with folks like MySpace and YouTube, Viacom's MTV Networks has decided to buy Atom Entertainment, home to one of my favorite websites, Atom Films. According to reports, Atom's videos (which include a ton of awesome short films) will be promoted across MTV's 24 broadband web channels. While most will see this as just another large corporation's attempt to rule the internet, I view this as a great way to help short films gain more exposure. I'd be interested to see what the folks from Atom Films have to say about this? Feel free to chime in folks.

Odds and ends from Tuesday:

• Is it me, or is Ian McShane "The Man" lately? Seems every day I find his name associated with another project. And I like the guy -- so that's a good thing. Well, chalk another one up for this cowboy: Variety reports the Deadwood star has signed to star alongside Renée Zellweger (man, she's still acting?) in Case 39 for Paramount Pictures. Directed by Christian Alvart, pic centers around a social worker (Zellweger) who rescues an abused girl from her parents, then later learns things aren't exactly as they seem. McShane will play a cop who helps the social worker with her case.
• Don't you just love movies that feature characters who suddenly realize they're part of some big, elaborate government experiment? Well, don't you? How come no one is raising their hand? Are you alive out there? Is anyone even reading this free information? If you are, then I'll tell you Intermedia has optioned Adam Alleca's spec script The Drowning Man, which is based on Hideshi Hino's Living Corpse. The sci-fi thriller revolves around a guy who wakes up without a heartbeat, then realizes the government has something to do with it.  Damn government! Why can't a guy just enjoy his freedom?
• One of the greatest dark comedies ever made might be heading back our way, this time in super-cool sequel form. According to Entertainment Weekly, Winona Ryder and Heathers scribe Daniel Waters are interested in producing a sequel to the hit 1989 film. Currently, the two have teamed up once again for Sex and Death 101, in which Water both wrote and directed. Ryder was quoted as saying, "There's Heathers in the real world! We have to keep going!" This might mean a possible sequel could find our characters out of high school and locked inside cubicles. Personally, I'd be very interested to see something develop here. How about you?

According to Variety, as soon as Renée Zellweger finishes filming Miss Potter, she'll trade the nice world of bunnies and children's fiction for a much darker, scarier one: that of social work. Ah! Run away! Oh all right, so social work isn't ALWAYS scary. In the case of Zellweger's Case 39, though, it is. Trust me. She plays a social worker, see, who does her job [insert comment about the difference between her chracter and New York City social workers here] and removes an abused girl from the home of her parents. It turns out, however, that "the parents are not the real problem." Now, if this movie wasn't being described as a "horror-thriller," I'd assume that meant that teachers, or neighbors, or other relatives were involved. In this case, though, I think it's safe to assume that the problem ain't a human one. Seriously though -- how the hell is she supposed to deal with abusive ghosts?! As if social work isn't hard enough already, now she's supposed to be protecting a kid from things that aren't there?

The movie is scheduled to start shooting in July; one hopes Paramount can track down a director by then, otherwise Renee, the kid and her ghosts are going to be doing a whole lot of waiting. (Actually, maybe that's not such a bad idea -- it could give Zellweger time to eat something.)