danielle panabaker Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Casting Bites: Brides, Crazies, and 'Up in the Air'
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Horror », Casting »
Hump day is behind us, the weekend is in sight, and here are some casting bites, courtesy of Variety:We're still waiting to see when on earth The Garden of Eden will hit screens (some, like me, more impatiently than others), but meanwhile, Mena Suvari has picked up a new gig. She (along with Ken Davitian, Kevin Dunn, and Tia Carrere) is joining a new indie project called You May Not Kiss the Bride. The film is said to be a mixture of romance and action (a la Romancing the Stone). IMDb, under the name Wedlocked, says it's about a mobster trying to get his daughter US citizenship by marrying her off to an American photographer. Unfortunately, director and screenwriter Rob Hedden's credits probably won't help you figure out the film's tone. He's responsible not only for Clockstoppers, but also Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. Oh, the confidence that instills.
And then we have that little Timothy Olyphant-led remake of The Crazies. The cast now includes Danielle Panabaker (the sweet nature hero from Sky High) and Joe Anderson (the wild brother who gets shipped off to Vietnam in Across the Universe). That cast is just sweet enough to give us a not entirely great but memorable Phantoms phenomenon. Where's Peter O'Toole to top it off?
Finally, Tamala Jones has grabbed a role in the George Clooney-starring, Jason Reitman-written and directed Up in the Air. You might recognize her from gigs like Daddy Day Camp, but she's also part of the annoying girl trio from Can't Hardly Wait who were friends with Amanda. There's no word on who she'll play in the feature, which delves into the life of a man who loves his frequent flier miles.
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Review: Friday the 13th
Filed under: Horror », New Releases », Paramount », Warner Brothers », Theatrical Reviews », Remakes and Sequels »
They nearly did it. The first 20-25 minutes of the new Friday the 13th threatened to tear the roof off my lowered expectations for a reboot of a devalued franchise that began nearly 30 years ago. After a tentative flashback, the set-up in the present day was classically simple, the action flared up in mean and bloody outbursts, and Jason's appearance was note-perfect. I was starting to tense up, feeling the weight of gut-level dread in the pit of my stomach.
Then came a narrative pause, after which the movie never quite regains its footing.
Oh, Friday the 13th delivers the goods, in the same sense that Domino's delivers pizza. By now, anyone who goes to see "a Jason movie" knows what to expect. Before the screening began, in fact, audience members were betting how the first victim would be dispatched: In the bathroom! Swimming! Having sex! Wandering alone in the forest! We expect a high body count, creative 'kill scenes,' some nudity, some tasteless jokes, dumb behavior by good-looking teenagers, and a plucky yet tough heroine as the 'final girl.' Jason must wear a hockey mask, wield multiple weapons of mass destruction (including a machete), and appear suddenly behind his victims, looming out of the shadows, just before he strikes.
Director Marcus Nispel, producer Michael Bay, and their numerous writing, producing, and behind-the-scenes colloborators provide all that's expected, as well as some changes (which I won't spoil). For all their apparent willingness to try out new ingredients, though, they don't tamper too much with the recipe. While the film maintains a serious edge -- with the expected and welcome comic relief -- it never delves too deeply into darker territories.
Casting Bites: Jack Black Becomes Jason Bourne & More!
Filed under: Action », Drama », Music & Musicals », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Remakes and Sequels »
Is Jack Black replacing Matt Damon in the Bourne franchise? Thankfully, no, however The Hollywood Reporter tells us the funnyman has teamed back up with Kung Fu Panda writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger for a live-action comedic take on The Bourne Identity. In the film, Black will play some dude who washes up on the shores of Cuba with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Of course, he automatically believes he's a superspy (thanks Hollywood!), though nothing could be further from the truth. Sounds like a funny premise -- but is Black the right one for the role?Meanwhile, Sky High's plant-loving sidekick, Danielle Panabaker, is going back to school. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she'll star in Chuck Russell's upcoming sci-fi action film called Prodigy. Based on Dave Kalstein's book, the film focuses on an elite prep school that takes teaching to the extreme -- they make students into geniuses with a "drug-and-diet regimen." Panabaker will play the smartie daughter of a senator who questions the powers that be. This might be particularly bad for those powers since, as Publisher's Weekly describes it, the conditioning makes these kids "ninja-assassin geniuses."
Last but not least, there's the talented Michael Sheen. Putting aside retro politics and The Music Within, Variety reports that the actor has picked up two new gigs. First, there's Sam Jackson's Unthinkable, which dips into the ethics of torture and terrorism, and then comes a little Alice in Wonderland. Unfortunately, there's zip-all on who he's playing in these films. At least that leaves us free to speculate -- who on Earth will Sheen be in the world of Mad Hatters and White Rabbits?! Not Tweedledee and Tweedledum -- that's Matt Lucas, it seems.
'Friday the 13th': Jason's Got a New Female Foe
Filed under: Horror », Casting », Remakes and Sequels »
Just when we thought we knew who would be battling Jason Voorhees, along comes a new female foe for the hockey-masked serial killer. Recently we reported that Amanda Righetti was in "final negotations" to star in the new version of Friday the 13th, to be directed by Marcus Nispel. Well, something went awry in those negotiations, because The Hollywood Reporter now says that Danielle Panabaker has been cast as the female lead.Your first reaction might be, "Who is Danielle Panabaker?" (OK, that's what I said.) She's been appearing on the TV show Shark opposite James Woods and has also been featured in several movies that I haven't seen (Mr. Brooks, Yours, Mine and Ours, Sky High). Have you seen her? Does she have the right stuff to go toe to toe with Jason?
Jared Padalecki is still set to play a leading role as someone who investigates the murderous activities at Crystal Lake. THR adds that Jonathan Sadowski, Travis van Winkle and Aaron Yoo have also been cast, and notes that Panabaker "is playing the adventurous, athletic girlfriend of van Winkle, who plays a rich alpha male type that gathers everyone together. Yoo, who was Shia's buddy in Disturbia and is one of the college card sharks in 21, will play a "quirky" guy. Sadowski plays "a techie who knows the horrific history of Camp Crystal Lake," which means, I guess, that's he's seen the other movies? Filming is scheduled to start very soon in Austin, Texas.
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