series Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Sticking Up for the 'Saw' Series
People who know nothing about horror films still like to take a cheap-shot when they can. They see a film with a 5 or a 6 in the title, and they get all clever: "Wow, part 6 already? Why? Who makes this stuff? Does anyone care anymore?" and all that jazz. Now, before I start ranting proper, I'm not saying that you're WRONG if you don't like the Saw films. I'm just sick of the knee-jerk reactions from people who'd happily mock a "Saw 6," but then run right home to catch the 11th season premiere of "CSI: New Jersey." Matter of fact, that's where I'll start:
It's a Serial!
The massively popular, horror-centric, and entirely silly True Blood is discussed like it's the reinvention of the vampire. (It's not. But it's good.) So far there have been 24 60-minute episodes of True Blood, which equals 1,440 minutes. By comparison the first five Saw films equal about 475 minutes. My point is this: Why should we hear cries of "enough!" on one and "ooooh, more please!" on another? Do the horror geeks not deserve their own equivalent of an "unending" soap opera? Is it fair that people bemoan a Saw 6 yet sit down for General Hospital ... every day for 15 years??
Read the rest over at Horror Squad
Warner Bros. Picks Up Fantasy Series 'Septimus Heap'
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Warner Brothers », Family Films »
You can't blame Warner Bros. for trying to cushion the blow from the imminent loss of the Harry Potter series -- and when they do a little number crunching from their record-breaking opening weekend, you can bet they are going to miss their orphan wizard just that much more. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Warner Bros. has purchased the film rights to the seven-part children's fantasy series, Septimus Heap. The story centers on two children switched at birth with special destinies; a young girl who is actually a princess, and a boy (for who the series is named after) that turns out to be, you guessed it, a powerful wizard. The story is pretty much what you would expect from a kid's fantasy tale; long-lost royalty, wizards, charms and the occasional evil queen. Three books have been published so far, with the titles, Magyk, Flyte, and Physik.Heap was written by English-born author Angie Sage, who started her career as an author and illustrator of children's books before moving on to the middle school crowd with this series. Sage's books might not have created the same level of fervor as the Potter series, but Heap's sales are nothing to sneeze at either. The books have all made the best-seller lists since their release in 2005, and Sage has been critically praised for her sense of humor in the novels. I am sure it will be some time before WB puts Heap into production; there are still two more Potter films to come, and I would think that WB is not going to give their next boy-wizard the green light before it's absolutely necessary.
Clive Barker Has Turned In Treatment for 'Hellraiser,' Source Says
Filed under: Horror », RumorMonger », Scripts », Remakes and Sequels »
I don't really remember much about the original Hellraiser other than a slightly confusing plot (but to be fair I was only 12 at the time, so some of the sadomasochistic subtext might have been a bit over my head), a puzzle box, and some highly disturbing scenes involving fish hooks. Last November Variety had reported that Barker had signed to write and produce the remake, but this is the first news we have heard out of the project since the original announcement. Now, Shock Till You Drop has reported that Seraphim Film's Joe Daley confirmed that novelist Clive Barker just turned in a forty-page treatment for the film.Based on Barker's novella The Hellbound Heart, the original film was released in 1987 and was written and directed by Barker himself. The story followed a man trapped in a dimension of infinite pleasure and torture who persuades his girlfriend to bring him a steady supply of victims to help him escape. Barker had promised that his update will not deviate too much from the original film but, Barker also said that "There are some areas of the first movie where I think we can be a lot more intense and a lot more scary,". Barker has been busy working on his Books of Blood adaptation Meat Train, with the possibility of more from the series in the near future. So, hopes for a completed Hellraiser script might be a little premature. Especially since at this point, we don't know for sure if there even is a treatment.
George Lucas: Television Is the Future
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », George Lucas », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
With the exception of Indiana Jones 4, set to start shooting this June, it would appear that George Lucas has decided to put his energies towards the small screen from now on. The Force.net recently received a tip from a Director's Guild of America (DGA) event where Lucas made a speech in which he made the somewhat dramatic announcement that "the future is in television." There has already been plenty of news about the animated 3D Clone Wars TV series. The series has yet to find a network, but Lucas didn't miss an opportunity to promote the project at the DGA presentation. Lucas was quoted as saying, "there won't be anything on TV like it -- it'll be smart ass comedy with contemporary humor." He also said that the series would not involve what he calls "the Skywalker story." Lucas mentioned a live-action series too, although it could be a few years off, and also confirmed that he was working on bringing The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles to DVD. Lucas promised the DVD set would have added documentaries and a digital re-touching.
Since most of Lucas' TV projects are still up in the air, I'm not sure his future in TV is assured. One thing is for certain -- after that statement, he shouldn't be seated beside Lauren Bacall or it could get ugly.
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