neveldine taylor Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Review: Gamer
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Lionsgate Films », Theatrical Reviews »
A colleague of mine once observed that the very manner by which Chev Chelios had to keep himself alive in the Crank films respectively represented the approach that writing/directing team Neveldine/Taylor took for each of them, which is to say that Crank 1 was all about keeping our hearts racing and Crank 2 was all about shocking us as an audience. It's a simple, literal assessment that nonetheless cleared up why yours truly was a fan of the first and yet let down by the second -- I'd rather be excited than appalled any day.
And at the intersection of 'thrill' and 'shock' is precisely where N/T's latest, Gamer, falls, and it succeeds considerably more when it's shooting for the former than when it's reveling in the latter.
Hyper-Insane 'Gamer' Trailer Now Online
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Lionsgate Films », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Games and Game Movies », Trailers and Clips »
Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor's latest piece of madcap action has a new name (from Game to Citizen Game to Gamer), a new poster, and a new trailer. Luckily though, it's still exactly the kind of film you've come to expect from the directing duo. The trailer looks like a pretty tasty mash-up of The Running Man, Death Race, Escape from New York, and Gladiator with a dash of Blade Runner for color. If you've been annoyed at Gerard Butler going all chirpy and chick-flicky lately, this trailer will be a nice dose of neo-Leonidas. He really snarles and smashes through every frame of this -- and he even does so shirtless just to keep the crowd that does like his chick-flicky side happy.
Of course, Butler may be the top name, but he's not the only draw. Michael C. Hall is splendidly slimy here, and you'll get glimpses of Logan Lerman, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, John Leguizamo, Amber Valetta, and a blink-and-you-miss it shot of Kyra Sedgwick. Milo Ventimiglia and Alison Lohman are supposed to be somewhere in here, but it all happens too fast to see them.
It's silly for me to describe it further, so just check out the trailer below -- and if you have an XBox360, you can watch it there, but the rest of us have to get by with YouTube. Gamer hits theaters on September 4.
Of course, Butler may be the top name, but he's not the only draw. Michael C. Hall is splendidly slimy here, and you'll get glimpses of Logan Lerman, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, John Leguizamo, Amber Valetta, and a blink-and-you-miss it shot of Kyra Sedgwick. Milo Ventimiglia and Alison Lohman are supposed to be somewhere in here, but it all happens too fast to see them.
It's silly for me to describe it further, so just check out the trailer below -- and if you have an XBox360, you can watch it there, but the rest of us have to get by with YouTube. Gamer hits theaters on September 4.
Review: Crank: High Voltage
Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Lionsgate Films », Theatrical Reviews », Remakes and Sequels »
On the eve of its release in 2006, some local pals accommodated me at their screening for the first Crank film, and when my reaction afterward was one of surprising enthusiasm, they kindly chalked it up to a matter of "demographics." (To them, this most recently excused my thoughts on Observe and Report as well.)
Three years later, I found myself attending a midnight show of Crank: High Voltage alongside plenty of demographically-appropriate (read: texting) kin, anxious to see just how Jason Statham's unstoppable hitman is going to beat the odds this time around. And three reels later, I began to wonder whether or not too much had finally become just that. Oh, dear... what if they told me to leave my brain at the door and my heart still wasn't in it?
Italian Trailer for 'Game' Pops Up
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Lionsgate Films », Trailers and Clips »
I'll chalk it up to coincidence and coincidence alone that I get The Running Man in the mail from Netflix -- about a man (Arnold Schwarzenegger) forced to kill for his freedom or be killed for the entertainment of others in the future -- in the same week that we get our first taste of Neveldine/Taylor's Game, about a man (Gerard Butler) who's controlled as a gaming avatar but violently decides that he's had just about enough of that.So far, I've been fan enough of the two films N/T have put out to date -- Crank and Pathology -- though I can't help but hope that there's maybe something more to this than just bangs and booms (not that those don't have their place at times). That's right, the guy looking forward to Crank 2: High Voltage is asking for something of substance from the guys behind Crank 2: High Voltage. Who knows, it could just be trashy, amoral fun, and despite a shifty date over at Lionsgate (they say Sept. 4th, for now), I suspect that we might see a proper (read: English-language) trailer for Game by the time C2 drops in mid-April.
Trailer removed at studio's request.
Megan Fox Joins 'Jonah Hex' and Dives Into 'Fathom'
Filed under: Action », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Warner Brothers », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Western »
Megan Fox knows how to please her fans -- and it isn't by trying out for edgy indie fare, romantic comedies, or soul searching dramas. It's by sticking to the "boy movies" based on comic books or transforming cars.So it should come as no surprise that Fox has signed for not one, but two comic book properties. The first is Fox Atomic's long-rumored Fathom, which casts Fox in the lead role of Aspen Matthews. The film doesn't have a director yet, though it once attracted James Cameron. Jordan Mechner (creator of the video game Prince of Persia) is writing the script. To Fox's credit, she's been a fan of the comic since its start in 1998, and is helping to develop and shape the big screen adaptation. Will her ex-fiancee Brian Austin Green stay on as producer, as listed in The Hollywood Reporter?
Fox is also set to join Josh Brolin and John Malkovich in Warner Bros' Jonah Hex -- which brings a really promising project down a notch or two in my eyes. (Hey, she's perfect for Fathom. But I would have preferred Hex steer cleer of such pandering.) Fox will play Leila, a gun-wielding beauty and love interest for Jonah. I don't believe she ever appeared in the original series, though Hex's mythology is so uneven that she very well might be a current character. (There was a female supermodel who claimed to be Jonah Hex, maybe she's inspired by that.)
But hey -- THR reveals that Malkovich's Turnbull will be a voodoo practioner who is trying to raise an undead army of Confederate soldiers. So not even the gratutious inclusion of Fox and her smoking guns can really dim my enthusiasm. Who knows? She might even end up cool as well as hot.
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Guess Josh Brolin IS Jonah Hex After All!
Filed under: Action », Horror », Warner Brothers », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Western »
Yesterday, Jimmy Hayward was announced as the director of Warner Bros' Jonah Hex. The Horton Hears a Who helmer is a surprising choice, but an ex-PIXAR man really isn't anything to sniff at. As we wait to see what mark Hayward leaves on the Neveldine/Taylor script, MTV News caught up with Jonah's on again, off again star, Josh Brolin. He approves wholeheartedly of Heyward, which would suggest he is actually taking the role. "He's amazing," gushes Brolin. "He's an amazing, amazing guy." And what does he bring to the project that Neveldine and Taylor didn't? "Brilliance." Yikes. Brolin was quick to temper that potential criticism though. "I think the Crank guys are great. They're wonderful, and Mark [Neveldine] still e-mails me, he's very much involved, but I just think Jimmy Hayward is going to bring something truly unique."
Already, Jonah Hex has inspired a lot more Internet discussion and drama than I would have ever expected him to -- from Thomas Jane's leaked photo, to Brolin's mysterious involvement, to the director switcharoo, he's already had more pre-production press than most of DC's stable. I can't wait to see what other twists and turns this takes on the dusty road to filming.
The Director of 'Jonah Hex' is ... Jimmy Hayward?
Filed under: Action », Horror », Deals », Warner Brothers », Scripts », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Western »
If you watched Horton Hears a Who last spring and immediately thought "This is exactly how I see Jonah Hex," I would have demanded to know what narcotic you were on. Then, I would have had to apologize because you clearly weren't alone. Someone at Warner Bros was thinking the same thing, because according to The Hollywood Reporter, Horton's helmer Jimmy Hayward has stepped in as the director of Jonah Hex. After losing Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the studio has been frantically searching for a replacement, as they hope to begin shooting in March or April. McG and Andy Fickman were both on the short list, and back in December, Lexi Alexander was reportedly interested in the script. Instead, they chose a former PIXAR man, who made his directoral debut with Horton Hears a Who.
From all reports, they're keeping the Neveldine/Taylor script, so there is that, but Hayward is expected to give it his own mark. Who knows, maybe it's a smaller step from Dr. Seuss to a scarred cowboy than I'm able to picture. You can even argue that animated films and comic books have a lot in common, so you can't really judge ... but it's still a surprising pick, all creative differences considered.
So, will the choice of Hayward tip the balance for Josh Brolin or not? THR is still listing him as attached, but last we heard, he was still undecided as to whether or not to take the lead -- and it all hinged on who was sitting in the director's chair. Will he approve of Hayward over Neveldine and Taylor? Or will he depart for the open prairie, leaving Hayward without a cowboy?
Peter Jackson Says Spielberg's 'Tintin' is Done Filming, but...
Interracial Harmony: 'Ninja Assassin' vs. 'Blind Side'
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Exclusive 'Nine' Poster Premiere!
Exclusive: Title Track for 'The Road' Soundtrack
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