james gunn Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Imagine taking the writer of the classic Troma flick Tromeo and Juliet, the Zack Snyder Dawn of the Dead remake, and the web series PG , and giving him a superhero to work with. What could possibly be the result? A trusty wrench-swinging super power-free hero called the Crimson Bolt in the shape of Rainn Wilson.

Variety reports that Wilson, Ellen Page, and Liv Tyler will star in James Gunn's comedy Super -- which has got to be the "f'd up low-rent Watchmen piece" being shopped to indie outlets back in March. Zeroing in on the superhero genre, the flick will focus on an average guy who finds his "pseudo-superhero alter ego" after seeing that his wife (Tyler) is falling for a charming drug dealer. There's no mention of who Page will play in this story, but it would make for quite an interesting twist if she's the one doling out the drugs.

Okay... So this isn't the first time Gunn has tackled the superhero genre. In 2000, he wrote The Specials -- a film I hunted for for about 5 years before giving up finding it anywhere (although now I think I know just where to find it). One can only hope this will do better. And with Wilson's early description of the project, it'll probably be a whole lot better than those Scooby Doo flicks.

Warning: This might be PG, but it might also be NSFW with its sex faces and raunchy treatment of cartoon characters.

Yes, it's time for Troma icon James Gunn's latest PG Porn, and this time he asks a question I'm sure we all wonder: What would've happened to the Peanuts gang if they grew up? However, rather than just adult content, we get the Peanuts "Peanus"-style, with Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum as Charlie and Belladonna as Lucy Van Pelt.

As per usual, there is no sex, but there is the classic Lucy viciousness. Charlie invites Lucy in, things start to get frisky while Schroeder plays the piano, and then Lucy reverts to her classic jerky self. Seeing Belladonna in action, I'm thinking that Carla Gugino is playing the wrong porn star. But wait -- there's more. If you'd rather have your Peanus in special Christmas doses, Gunn's blog says that A Very Peanus Special will air on IGN sometime today.

This episode has got me thinking -- instead of all the damn remakes lately, maybe someone can focus on some smart and biting twists on where our icons are now -- kids grown up, heroes after they retire, etc. -- a Galaxy Quest to stretch beyond the sci-fi crowd!

If you like to surf around the web for entertainment news, you might have heard about an upcoming new web project called James Gunn's PG Porn. The writer of classics like Tromeo and Juliet and more shmeh flicks like Scooby Doo 2, Gunn teamed up with his brothers Brian and Sean (Kirk from Gilmore Girls) to create a family-friendly world of porn.

That's right -- vignettes where the delivery man actually delivers what he's supposed to with no added packages. (Read Gunn's take on it here.) Each time, mainstream actors will be teamed with porn stars for these little clips, which will be aired over at Spike.com. First up: Nathan Fillion and Aria Giovanni in Nailing Your Wife. So I wonder: who else could benefit from this insane, and possibly hilarious, idea?

5. Rachel Dratch -- Outside of SNL, she's had stints in flicks like Harold, but imagine what buzz she could create with a porn star.
4. David Duchovny -- If there's one thing Hollywood drama has taught us, it's that making fun of yourself after the turmoil is a great way to get back in the audience's good graces.
3. Brad Pitt -- Okay, so he doesn't really need it, but I'd love to see more of the crazy gym dude from Burn After Reading.
2. Michael Cera -- He needs to rip out of soft, awkward teen mode ... maybe a porn icon would help.
1. Tom Cruise -- For years now, discussions of his acting have been interlaced with his Scientology practices. But then Tropic Thunder came and critiques gave way to laughter. This project could not only help keep the excitement up, but also battle other online clips that bash him. (Think Jerry O'Connell spoofing that ultra-secret Scientology video.)

I don't ask for autographs, I don't send fan letters, and I certainly don't wait around in front of hotels or press lines -- but I do get to attend some verrrrry geeky movie events, I do have a few very cool friends, and (get this) I'm a pretty friendly and sincere guy. So sometimes I get cool snapshots. Call it a hobby inspired by the time I did a (very brief) Sundance interview with the monolithic James Woods and walked away without a photo with one of my actor-heroes. (Despite the fact that I had a perfectly good camera in my pocket.) Plus I work for a cool movie blog, which means I can get photos like these and actually call it ... work! (muffled giggles)

My gracious thanks to everyone in and behind the photos. And my apologies to everyone else for my always looking so bald, sweaty, and tired. (You only see pictures of me when I'm exhausted. Plus I'm just plain old goofy looking, so save your comments.)

From Troma to indie superheroes to to cartoon adaptations to big-time monster-fests, James Gunn is a filmmaker I like to keep an eye on from time to time. I find his Slither to be a supremely entertaining mixture of comedy and horror, his The Specials a very funny little comedy (at least a whole lot funnier than the similar Mystery Men), and his Tromeo & Juliet the finest thing ever produced by Lloyd Kaufman's Troma team. And while director Zack Snyder did a great job on the Dawn of the Dead remake, let's not forget who penned the adaptation: Gunn did it. Basically, if I had the skills required to write and direct movies, they'd probably look a lot like James Gunn's flicks -- only with more nudity. (Oh, and check out LolliLove some time. Funny little film.)

So when we got a late call during Comic-Con asking us if we'd like to do a brief sit-down with Jimmy Gunn, I said "Heck, yeah. That guy's a nut." (That was literally what I said. Ask Erik.) And since I'd actually met James once before, it was much more laid-back than your typical interview. James Gunn is sort of like a grown-up child, which I mean as a compliment, and that always makes an interview a bit more entertaining. Plus he has great taste in schlock.

Did you ever see Mars Attacks!? Remember when Sarah Jessica Parker's head was put on the body of her little chihuahua, pretty much making her the brainy alien's pet? We're about to get something similar, but probably without the intricate surgery. Variety reports that New Regency has picked up a comedy pitch called Pets, that Scooby Doo and Dawn of the Dead writer James Gunn will write and direct, working with Red Hour producers Ben Stiller, Stuart Cornfeld, and Jeremy Kramer. The comedy focuses on a guy who is abducted by aliens and turned into their household pet. What sort of pet remains to be seen -- will he be put on a leash and taken for walks, or is he free to spend the day cleaning himself and chasing after stuffed mice?

It should be comfortable territory for Gunn, between his past with talking dogs, and the fact that he got his start doing strange flicks for Troma -- his first film was the tres-weird Tromeo and Juliet. He also wrote and acted in the alternative to Mystery Men, The Specials, which pretty much went nowhere. One of his co-stars was actually his brother Sean (Kirk from Gilmore Girls), who played an "Alien Orphan." And, for one final bit of trivia -- James and Sean are the namesakes behind Joss Whedon's Angel character, Gunn.

If there's one thing the media really loves to do, it's lump a bunch of barely-connected people into an ill-fitting group -- and then give that group a clever name. Whether it's The Rat Pack, The Brat Pack or The Splat Pack, I just get irked whenever a new "pack" makes it into the cultural lexicon. Oh, you're not familiar with that last one? Yeah, it's a moniker that's been given to a bunch of "new" horror filmmakers, one that seems to imply that these guys get together every weekend to smoke weed and watch Halloween 2 together.

According to a recent article in Time Magazine, one that seems to approach horror flicks the same way a prissy schoolmarm would approach some inappropriate comic books, the members of "The Splat Pack" are Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel), Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent), Alex Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes), Rob Zombie (House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects), and James Wan, Leigh Whannell and Darren Lynn Bousman of the Saw trilogy. (Apparently Wolf Creek director Greg McLean was part of the original pack, although he goes unmentioned in the Time article, probably because he hasn't made much money yet.)

But what do these guys have in common, really, other than the fact that they all make horror flicks? I see Americans, Brits, Aussies and a Frenchman in the mix, and while some of the guys are fresh-faced and 20-something, guys like Roth have been toiling away in backstage anonymity for years. Plus, c'mon, Rob Zombie is 42 years old, so how exactly does he tie in with these kids? And why is it that Neil Marshall never seems to be quoted in these articles? Is he just included because his horror movies are ... GOOD? Apparently the Splat Pack label was created by Alan Jones of Total Film, and I'm sure the guy's an absolute expert on horror flicks -- but labels create limits, exclusions and oversights. And, ultimately, articles like this one, I suppose. (Either way, I bet Jones bangs out a book called The Splat Pack by the end of 2008.)

The UK's Christopher Smith (Creep, Severance) is young and horror-heavy, so why isn't he a member of The Pack? Shouldn't (Dawn of the Dead screenwriter, Slither director) James Gunn be one of the den mothers? Lucky McKee has made only two feature films (May and The Woods), but they're both downright excellent pieces of horror. Why's he not a member? Uwe Boll's done a bunch of horror flicks that could be accurately described as " laden with torture," so why not throw him an invitation? You want a guy who loves the word splat? Try Jake West, the guy who directed Evil Aliens. Plus I read another article a while back in which Jonathan Liebesman (Darkness Falls, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) was considered a member of The SP! Now, if that guy can be considered some sort of "future of horror," I'll eat my hat.

The common themes among the Splat Packers are ... what? They all like horror movies, they don't shy away from intense chills, harsh themes or copious gore, and they're all carbon-based life forms, I guess. But really: Does anyone out there think the work of Eli Roth is even remotely similar to that of Neil Marshall? Does a Rob Zombie flick remind you of what was seen in, say, High Tension? I mean, if you're going to define a term, then define it. And as a big fan of just about all these movies, I just gotta scratch my head when I hear these guys lumped together in one basket.

And what happens when guys like Ryan Schifrin (Abominable), Adam Green (Hatchet), J.T. Petty (S&Man) Scott Glosserman (Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon), Jon Levine (All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) and Adam Mason (Broken) start to make their way up the ranks? Will we have the arrival of Splat Pack 2: The New Generation? Back in the late '70s/early '80s, did we need a goofy little heading to remember names like Carpenter, Hooper, Craven, Dante, Landis and Cunningham?

Ultimately, I have no real point. I'd just seen the phrase "Splat Pack" one too many times and felt the need to vent. Opposing viewpoints are welcome, as long as they agree with my own opinions.

Over on Slither's MySpace page (What, you don't have one of your own? All the cool movies are on MySpace these days, loser.), director James Gunn has unveiled the massive list of extras that will be part of the forthcoming DVD of the film. Listed among them is a commentary track from Gunn and star (and, according to the commenters on Scott's review of the movie, budding megastar) Nathan Fillion, a gag reel, deleted scenes, and a naughty-sounding impromptu roast of Fillion from the wrap party, something that he graciously has allowed to see the light of day.

Unfortunately for all you fans, Gunn's giant list didn't include a release date. If the list is this firm and detailed, though, the DVD must be coming sooner than later -- start checking your etailers for the preorder page.

[via Movies Online]

The good news for James Gunn is that moviegoers and critics alike seem to have really enjoyed his little Slither flick. The bad news is that the movie, ahem, kinda, well, stumbled out of the box office gates upon its big-screen debut. (In its first 19 days of release, Slither has grossed less than $8 million.) But that's not slowing this guy down. Mr. Gunn's next feature will be (you guessed it) a horror movie that, in the filmmaker's own words, "has a little bit to do with Satan."

Tentatively titled Scratch, Gunn's next baby is not yet attached to a studio, but that's just the way he seems to like it. "I’m just writing it. I’m doing exactly what I did the last couple times, which is write it and then go out," JG told Now Playing, "because the thing is I like making movies. I like going out and getting them made. What happens when you get attached to a studio beforehand, you can end up in development hell."

But what is Scratch actually about? The husband of Jenna Fischer had this to say: "I love creepy kids and I love bad pregnancies. Those are my two favorite things so this one has both in spades."

Anyone else out there think James Gunn and Eli Roth would make one hell of a horror team?

(By the way, Gunn and his lovely Mrs. put together a really funny indie called LolliLove, and I highly recommend you give it a rental.)

Right after I finished writing my review of James Gunn's Slither, I ran over to Rotten Tomatoes to see what the general concensus was among my favorite movie geeks. I was happy and surprised to see the reactions were positive; Slither has maintained a 85% - 90% approval rating since it opened last Friday. If you read through any of the worthwhile horror sites, you'll find interviews with a very pleased director and you'll find tons of geekily enthusiastic responses to the flick on various message boards and blogs.

The filmmakers liked Slither; the critics (yes, "the critics" who allegedly sneer at all sci-fi, horror, and comedy movies) liked Slither; the fanboys (well, the ones who got off their Xbox and actually went to see it) liked Slither. Heck, Universal even did a pretty solid job of selling Slither.

So why'd the flick make less than $3.9 million in its opening weekend? Did it really do less than $2,000 per theater? How'd it debut in 8th place, two spots behind the second freakin' weekend of the monumentally absymal Stay Alive?