dead daughters Tagged Articles at Cinematical

When Night Watch made it to U.S. multiplexes (with a promise of Day Watch and Dusk Watch firmly made), I didn't expect the (very weird) movie to kick-start an outpouring of Russian genre flicks. And since I'm one of the horror geeks who didn't much care for Night Watch, I wasn't exactly elated at the prospect of more. Well, Day Watch hits theaters later this year, and now comes a J-horror-inspired snoozer called Dead Daughters. which presents perhaps fifteen interesting minutes that have been scattered across an oppressive 119-minute frame.

Truth be told, Dead Daughters has maybe enough plot to cover a half-decent episode of Masters of Horror, but the flick just ambles, rambles and wanders its way through an endless litany of pointless conversations and painfully uneventful digressions, which means that whatever potentially compelling concepts it may contain are lost amidst the tedium. It also doesn't help that director Pavel Ruminov is absolutely and single-mindedly intent on shooting every single scene -- be it conversational, exposition-laden, or scary-style -- with his camera slowly panning from left to right, up and down, sometimes with the camera lens focused firmly on ... nothing. As characters talk we get quivery panoramas of their locations, the camera forever shivering as if the cinematographer was really drunk, really inexperienced, or really pretentious.

Odds and ends from Wednesday:

• Casting for The Golden Compass has officially hit warp-speed, with yet another beautiful actress hopping onboard the film. Eva Green, who plays sexy new Bond girl in Casino Royale, has signed on to play the queen of witches, Serafina Pekula, in the Chris Weitz-helmed pic. In the story, Green's character helps to guide Lyra Belacqua (played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards) on her journey to a parallel universe.
• Hey, what's up with the Russian stuff lately? After David Jacobson signed on to adapt and helm Roadside Picnic (based off the Russian book), Gold Circle Films has decided to tap into those creative Russians and option the English-language remake rights to the horror pic, Dead Daughters. Catchy title, huh? Jared Pivet will adapt the script off an original film that centered around three girls who are murdered by their mother, then return as ghosts to watch people and judge their every move. Seems creepy enough -- anyone catch the original? Good flick? Bad flick? What say you?
• Back in May, Jette told us how Alamo Drafthouse' Rolling Roadshow was partnering up with Netflix to tour the country and screen classic movies in the actual locations they were filmed. Such an awesome idea. Anyway, Kevin Costner will be joining the Roadshow when it stops in on a little baseball field located in Dyersville, Iowa. Why Iowa and why Costner? Well, that little baseball field just happens to be the place where they filmed Field of Dreams which, coincidentally, is the pic they're screening. Those lucky enough to show up will be treated to a pre-show rock concert featuring Costner and his unnamed band. Hopefully, after watching said rock concert, they'll still be down to catch a flick ... instead of a ride out of town.