kiefer sutherland Tagged Articles at Cinematical

We've already had The Wackness, which dealt with NYC and drug-dealing, but while that had some scary lip-on-lip action, it didn't have a murder twist -- not like this new drug drama. Variety reports that Joel Schumacher is directing Jordan Melamed's adaptation of Nick McDonell's novel Twelve. It's a book that's been compared to both Less Than Zero and Kids, and there's a pretty eclectic cast attached: Chace Crawford, Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, 50 Cent, Ellen Barkin, and Kiefer Sutherland.

Written in 2002 by a then-17-year-old McDonell, the book follows a high school dropout and drug dealer whose life derails when his cousin is murdered on an East Harlem playground and his best friend is arrested for the crime. So we've got a gritty tale of drugs and affluence, murder, dysfunction, and it'll star a pretty boy from Gossip Girl, the girl who keeps a hotel for dogs, and her Lymelife co-star ... plus a rap star, a woman who started her career with Up in Smoke, and Mr. 24.

I imagine this will be the sort of project that pulls Crawford and Roberts firmly into a different cinematic world, or gently pushes them back to lighter fare. But what's more interesting is what Schumacher will do with this material. He's certainly not the first name that would pop up for this sort of project, but re-teaming with Flatliners and The Lost Boys Sutherland might just be the reinvigoration Schumacher needs. Maybe?

The film hits production soon and is slated for a winter 2010 release.

Oh, 24 ... the show that maniacally glued many people to their television sets through real-time terror. Jack's done a lot since protecting Senator David Palmer in the first season. Aside from saving the world from evil threats over and over, he was supposed to jump into a big-screen flick nestled between the sixth and seventh seasons. That never surfaced, so instead, DVD Active reports that fans are getting a straight-to-DVD pseudo-feature called 24: Exile.

Looking like more of a feature-length episode prequel, Exile will be released on the 25th of November. Acting as a bridge between the seasons, the prequel follows Bauer as he works as a missionary in Africa. The US government is after him, and he's also been tapped to stop a warlord from drafting innocent children. "But first, Bauer must confront his own torturous past and face an impossible decision that will change his life forever." That man has a rough life. Will it ever end?

Maybe when it does, we'll get the feature film, but for now, there is just this 2-hour DVD prequel. Oh, and for you uber impatient fans out there -- one of the many special features of the disc will be the first 16 minutes of the new season, set to air in 2009.

What is the appropriate reaction to have when a movie you love, adore, and cherish is somehow ... improved? I know, it's a strange feeling. I happen to think my all-time favorite film (A L I E N) is much better in its theatrical version than in its extended -- but where Aliens is concerned, I much prefer the longer version! It's something you have to approach on a case-by-case basis, of course, and it's the sort of movie-nerd activity that should be attempted only by those with a lot of free time -- or someone who gets paid to write about this sort of stuff. (Fortunately I am both.)

So it was with MUCH enthusiasm that I sat down with the brand-new Director's Cut of Dark City, a film that I absolutely love a whole lot -- and I know I'm not nearly alone when I say that. Like many of the finest sci-fi films, Dark City was pretty much overlooked for a good long while -- put once it hit DVD and heavy rotation on the cable channels, the sci-fi freaks found a film worth watching and re-watching, to say nothing of analyzing, deconstructing, and debating. And so I happily continue that trend by explaining what the fans will find in New Line's very impressive new Dark City package...

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.)

All I had to hear was the name Alex Aja and I was immediately interested. The fact that the latest film (Mirrors) from the director of High Tension and The Hills Have Eyes also offers the added bonuses of Kiefer Sutherland, Amy Smart, Paula Patton, and Jason Flemyng got me doubly intrigued. Then I learned that Aja's Mirrors was set to be a seriously harsh R-rated horror thriller -- and I was hooked.

So this morning I attended a very cool breakfast / press conference that Fox put together for Mirrors. We were fed fine foods, introduced to Mr. Sutherland, Ms. Smart, and Monsieur Aja, treated to four rather compelling clips from the film, and then the floor was opened to questions. We didn't actually learn all THAT much about the upcoming film -- which I consider a good thing, as I don't want the whole thing spoiled before I see it -- but the room was more or less buzzing after it witnessed a sequence known as "jaw rip." Suffice to say that Ms. Smart suffers through one hellacious bathtub experience, and then we'll just leave it at that. Really nasty stuff, but in a very cool way.

Topics covered in the event included: Where Aja thinks horror is going (he's not sure, but he really hopes we're not due for another Scream-style irony session), what Ms. Smart has on the horizon (another horror flick called Seventh Moon and, of course, Crank 2), and why Kiefer chose to do a dark horror flick on his extended hiatus from 24. (He appreciates the fact that horror movies can really "strike" an audience in a way that other genres generally can't.) Mr. Aja also dropped just a few little hints about his remake of Piranha -- but all he did is reassure us that is was going to be "fun gore!"

All in all, a very cool Comic-Con event for what certainly looks to be a rough, tough, and challenging horror flick. Mirrors hits theaters on August 15.

Not three weeks ago, I made first mention of a brief and bland teaser for the forthcoming horror film, Mirrors. Now, along comes IGN Movies with a red-band trailer that, at first, didn't do much for me. Blah blah blah, Jack Bauer as security guard for old department store, blah blah, former guard grew obsessed with surrounding mirrors, blah blah -- look, even Amy Smart is yawning after all that exposition.

Oh, did I say 'yawning'? I meant 'tearing off her own jaw'. Yes, while we still seem to be saddled with a fairly ridiculous premise that's seen better and worse days, there's modest comfort to be taken that the R rating ain't exactly being shied away from. Let's face facts here, people: all it takes sometimes is a couple of nifty death scenes to make movies like this that much easier to stomach (well, some might argue the opposite).

Directed by Alexandre Aja and starring Kiefer Sutherland, you can see Mirrors (bah-dum-cha!) on August 15th.

Ever since the first details have slipped out about Mirrors, Alexandre Aja's follow-up to High Tension and The Hills Have Eyes, I can't say there's been any vested interest on my part to see the end result. After all, those films were grisly pieces of work, and while I would respect Aja for deciding to mix it up with something a bit more psychological, the central premise of "vengeful reflections" is one that I've yet to see the suspense in, particularly in the wake of a certain SNL Digital Short (attached after the jump for your enjoyment).

The film's new teaser trailer has shown up over at Yahoo! Movies, and as unfair as it may be to judge a full-length feature on the merits of these whopping forty-five seconds alone, there's nothing here that indicates to me that the oh-so-spooky reflections of Kiefer Sutherland, Amy Smart, and Paula Patton are going to send chills up my spine come August 15.

Then again, it doesn't help that a demotion to the role of mall security guard doesn't stop my mind from automatically associating Kiefer with his gun-toting, voice-raising '24' hero, Jack Bauer. As such, feel free to wake me up if Aja opts to bring either Elisha Cuthbert and/or a cougar into the works. Now THAT's suspense, my friends!

First up -- this bit borders on gossip territory, but I just can't resist mentioning it once I think about Johnny Depp's many roles over the years. According to the Daily Star in the UK, the actor has been offered a whopping $10 million to be the face of Trojan condoms. Oh, yes. He's been an advocate of safe sex education, and should he agree to be the face of rubbers, he would appear in "a series of offbeat TV commercials." Now, should this come to fruition, I can only hope that it riffs on his characters over the years -- perhaps some stints about keeping condoms safe and away from slicers and dicers like Edward Scissorhands and Sweeney Todd.

Then there's Kiefer Sutherland. He's been having many crappy 24-hour periods on television, some drunk driving issues off the camera, and now it seems that he's going to direct a music video for The Feeling. The Sun reports that the actor is friends with the band, and wants to helm their next video -- either for the song "Join With Us" or "Turn It Up." This wouldn't be the actor's first directorial gig, but it has been a while since he helmed Woman Wanted in 2000. He was so unhappy with studio interference on the project that he Alan-Smithee'd his involvement, so it's no wonder that he's stayed away from directing until now. Time will tell if this will bring him back to the directorial fold, or just be a break from counter terrorism.

[via Ace Showbiz here and here]

The best family films aren't only for the kids; they look like a kiddie package but pack enough of an adult punch to make everyone happy. It looks like Monsters vs. Aliens might be just that. It is, and I quote from the new goodie extravaganza over at USA Today, "a throwback to those B-movie glory days of the '50s when Martians invaded our backyards and rubber monsters stalked the Earth."

This even includes specific references, such as the heroine Susan Murphy. She's a regular California girl who gets hit by a meteor and becomes 49' 11" tall (Attack of the 50-Foot Woman!), gets taken by the military, and renamed Ginormica. She's also being voiced by Reese Witherspoon. But that's not the only big name attached -- Rainn Wilson will handle the evil alien Gallaxhar, and Ginormica will be joined by Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. voiced by Hugh Laurie, jelly-like B.O.B. handled by Seth Rogen, and the half-ape/half-fish Missing Link voiced by Will Arnett. Plus, there's Kiefer Sutherland as the aptly-named Gen. W.R. Monger and Stephen Colbert as the "plays it on steroids" president. (Some of them you can spot in the pic on the right, which you can see full-size at USA Today.)

But there's also a twist in this. Since the feature will be the first CG movie shot in 3-D, rather than converted to it, it has an extra $15 mil added to its budget, which will find its way out of fans' wallets. The tickets will cost more, although the price hasn't been determined. Jeffrey Katzenberg is hoping we'll all pay for "a premium experience." This sounds cool and all, but paying more for this movie sounds silly, esp. if it ends up killing at the box office. What do you think about this monetary twist?

Maybe it's just me, but when I hear that there is going to be a new horror movie about crazy mall mirrors, I imagine something goofy, with a battery of up-and-comers who hope this stint will be their catapult into bigger and better roles. Then again, Mirrors is Alexandre Aja's remake of a Korean horror film. For some reason, horror remakes from overseas usually seems to get higher-profile names. The Ring had Naomi Watts, The Grudge had Sarah Michelle Gellar and The Eye will have Jessica Alba. Hmm, I guess Mirrors didn't want to follow the "the" pattern, besides changing it up with a male lead.

Previously, I brought you word that Kiefer Sutherland was attached to star as the mall security guard trying to find the origin of the evil in the mirrors. Then, Ryan Stewart posted Paula Patton's addition to the cast. Now Bloody Disgusting has the rest of the cast list, that is headlined by The Butterfly Effect and Crank star, Amy Smart. Now, there is no word on her character, but the IMDb cast list has got her, Sutherland and Patton having the same last name -- along with a few others. Patton was previously said to be the 24 star's disbelieving fiance, so either Smart is a kid he had at an extremely young age, or maybe an ex-wife and mother of his kids? Obviously, this is some sort of family affair. Production is currently in full swing over in Romania, and we've got just a little bit more of the plot to flesh things out -- Kiefer's character is investigating mysterious deaths that happen at a department store, in front of the mirrors, and finds out "that there are murderous reflections out for revenge." Well, that makes a little more sense.