It's easy to make a movie look good, if the budget is right, but it's hard to make one look straight-up beautiful. French director Christophe Gans is part of the small group of filmmakers who seems to be able to do the latter on a regular basis. His Silent Hill made absolutely no sense, but was it ever gorgeous; I could have watched it without sound. I'd gladly sit through countless video game adaptations if they all looked like that. As we reported a year ago, Gans was going to oblige with an elaborate $70 million version of the martial arts fantasy Onimusha, but that may not happen after all, at least not soon: according to Variety, Gans may be putting the logistically-troubled project on the back burner in favor of The Swedish Cavalier, an adaptation of a 1936 novel by Czech writer Leo Perutz.

The book is about a penniless thief who steals the identity of a noble-born army deserter, taking over his estate, marrying his unassuming fiancee (who hasn't seen "him" since childhood), and forcing the nobleman to become a foundry worker. The action takes place in the 18th century, taking Gans back to his Brotherhood of the Wolf period piece roots. Except, I guess, with fewer homicidal were-beasts.

Depending on what your take was on the film version of the horror video game Silent Hill , this could be either very good or very bad news. IGN News is reporting that Christophe Gans, who directed the console-to-screen horror Silent Hill back in 2006, has signed on to direct a big screen version of the Capcom action title Onimusha. The story focuses on a 16th Century Samurai who is after a resurrected bad-guy and on a mission to save a princess -- think of it like Mario Brothers but with way more mortal wounds. Gans will be working from a Leslie Kruger and John Collee (Master and Commander) script, and while there is no word on a cast so far, already several studios have expressed interest in the project.

According to IGN, Gans is currently in Cannes shopping around the $70 million production and with no shortage of enthusiasm, was quoted as saying, "I have loved the Onimusha story for years and am overjoyed to have the opportunity now to bring it to life for worldwide film audiences and to access the unparalleled film resources of China to do so on the scale that the story demands." Production is set to begin later this year and already Gans and producing partners Davis Films are eyeing a release in December 2009. Not to be picky about the whole thing but from what I remember of the games – other than that they were kind of repetitive, was that they are set in Japan, not China. But then again, maybe $70 million doesn't cover that kind of location cost.

So while Neil Gaiman might be busy adapting his own books left and right into screenplays; one script that he is definitely not working on is the sequel to Silent Hill. Gaiman had been working with Silent Hill writer Roger Avary on the script to the upcoming motion capture extravaganza Beowulf, sparking rumors that Gaiman was going to write the script for the sequel to the video-game inspired horror. Gaiman posted on his personal blog however that any talk of his involvement was just idle internet gossip, saying "If I get home to find an invitation to write Silent Hill 2 with Roger is waiting for me I'll let you all know, but for right now I think it's a discredited internet rumour". Silent Hill fans can rest easy knowing that Avary will be returning to write the script with French director Christopher Gans also back at the helm.

So it looks like Gaiman will be busy working on his own scripts and I admit I'm always a little worried. Part of me is excited to see how some of my favorite books will turn out on screen, and the other part of me is terrified that they are just going to screw it up (especially when it comes to the never-ending talk of an American Gods movie). With the upcoming film versions of Stardust, Books of Magic and Coraline it looks like I'm going to get plenty of chances to find out.

[via Dark Horizons]

Out of the 77 film critics polled at Rotten Tomatoes, only 20 of 'em would give a Thumbs Up to Christophe Gans and Roger Avary's video game adaptation Silent Hill. I proudly count myself among that 26% minority. No, I don't think it's any sort of "hidden classic" or anything like that, and the flick's more notable missteps tread dangerously close to Guilty Pleasure territory, but for the most part I quite enjoyed the flick's tone, mood and ultra-icky visual sensibility. I think it's probably the best "video game movie" yet, but I also enjoyed the first Resident Evil, so feel free to take these opinions with a geeky grain of salt.

So I told you all that just so I could tell you this: Gans seems pretty damn close to starting in on a Silent Hill sequel. I know, I know; I was as surprised as you are right now -- but the flick did gross just under $100m worldwide, so I guess it's not that big a shock. In a recent interview with DVDRama.com, Gans spilled all sorts of sequel-style beans, but since it's a French website, we rely (once again) on Bloody-Disgusting.com for our gore-soaked news giblets.

Check out the interview for the filmmaker's statements the Silent Hill theatrical release, DVD quality, critical reaction, box office results and sequel plans. Hell, if he sticks closely to the game series, his sequel's already half written!

Canada's Top Ten is an annual film list that showcases notable Canadian films. More than just a list, the films have screenings in the New Year that include panel discussions and often appearances by the filmmakers themselves. In the past, they've showcased the likes of Spider, Childstar and Where the Truth Lies. In its sixth year, the list is stirring up some complaints, as it has neglected to include the top two box office draws -- Bon Cop, Bad Cop and Silent Hill.

Don Cormody, producer of Silent Hill, sites the exclusion as the divide between the tastes of the critics and the tastes of the general public. We've heard this critique before, but I wonder when the distinction between the cinematic best and the fan favorites will be made? Personally, my favorite films rarely, if ever, are the films I consider the best, because there's a difference between entertainment and cinematic achievement. However, the list throws a fork in that rationale, because it includes Trailer Park Boys The Movie. With that film amongst the ranks, how did they NOT choose the comedy that grossed more? Is TPB a better film?

Detractors aside, the list includes a number of great films and notable Canadian directors. There is Sarah Polley's feature directorial debut Away From Her, Don McKellar's long-time editor Reginald Harkema's latest feature, Monkey Warfare, and best Canadian documentary winner Jennifer Baichwal's Manufactured Landscapes. For a full list of films, plus information on the February screenings, you can visit the Top 10 website.

A few days ago, Slither-maker James Gunn mentioned on his MySpace page that his adorably splattery sci-fi horror rom-com was the receipient of four Fangoria Chainsaw Award nominations. My response was "Hey, cool. Where are the rest of the nominations?!?!?" And now, a few days later, here they are. Neat-o.

Although Fangoria has been doing their annual Chainsaw awards for over a decade now, 2006 marks the very first time the event will be televised, much to the delight of zombie freaks and slasher geeks all over North America. The event will be held in L.A. on October 15th, although the Fuse Network won't be airing it until the 22nd. (Which means if you want to watch the event "un-spoiled," I wish you luck.) Want to throw your own votes into the tally? Fine. You can vote right here, but only between September 1st and 13th (which is a Friday, mwaahaaa!)

After the jump you'll find a complete list of all the 2006 Chainsaw nominees, plus my own predictions on which flicks would win if the event were called Amazing Geek Weinberg's Horror Awards instead of The Chainsaws.

What do you get when you mix Mission Impossible with Silent Hill? According to the people at Mindfire Entertainment, you get the Eidos videogame Fear Effect. And, apparently, box office gold. Following this unchallengeable logic, Mindfire has decided to option out the film rights on said video game, and they are currently in talks with director Stanley Tong to bring this monstrosity to life. The film plans to follow the storyline of the Playstation game, but instead of being set in an alternate reality, it will take place ten years into our own future. Mindfire CEO Mark Altman says he hopes to get the film together in time for a late 2007/early 2008 release, based on a screenplay by television scribe Steven Kriozere.

Okay, there are some real challengers out there these days hoping to break through the "videogames don't make good movies" barrier. Several big names with good stories, including the likes of Halo and Metal Gear, are being brought to the silver screen in hopes of finally turning the vast videogame market into a viable big screen option. I do not, however, think this film is the one to do it. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong. Fans, feel free to convince me this is a good idea -- I'm 100% willing to have my mind changed.

As I was perusing my fave film sites this afternoon in an all-too-brief moment of quiet downtime, I came across a bit on Roger Ebert's site about Silent Hill director Christophe Gans lashing out in this month's Electronic Gaming Monthly about Ebert's opinion that video games are not art. Now, I am not a video game person (honestly, I just don't have the spatial ability to play them well, as my six-year-old son can well tell you), but what drew me to Ebert's reply was the end of it, where he notes, "the older I get, the more prudent I become in how I spend my time." Ebert concludes his response to Gans with an homage to his friend, the late Gene Siskel, who once said that nobody on their deathbed ever thinks, "I'm glad I always flew tourist."

Despite a lack of pre-release reviews, Silent Hill drew young male audiences to the tune of $20.2 million this weekend, a total that earned it first place in the box office battle, just ahead of last week's champ, Scary Movie 4. Finishing third was the second of the week's three debuts, The Sentinel, which took in $14.6 million -- not a particularly impressive bow, but more than executives reportedly expected. Whatever their feeling about the open, the team behind The Sentinel can take some solace from the fact that they're not connected in any way to American Dreamz, which debuted in the eighth spot with a disappointing $3.7 million on 1500 screens (it earned only $2460/screen, as opposed to $6903 for Silent Hill, and $5196 for The Sentinel).

The top five was rounded out by a pair of animated films: Ice Age: The Meltdown made $12.8 million, bringing its four week total over $165 million (more than twice its budget), while The Wild took in $8.1 million in its second week of release. The full top 10 is after the jump.

Yes, it happened again -- a big horror film wasn't screened for critics. Is anyone surprised? I think I'm going to start mentioning this phenomenon only when studios have the balls to screen something they think critics might not dig, because at this point, that's much more notable than another film being hidden. American Dreamz and The Sentinel were offered to critics, and their conclusions, in sum, are that Tony Yalda is a genius (Paul Weitz not so much), and that The Sentinel is either thrilling and riveting or it's not. Details and copious links follow.

• American Dreamz: Like Kim, everyone and her brother sets some space aside in their reviews to praise Tony Yalda, who plays Omer-the-terrorist's queeny cousin. Apart from him, though, few have much good to say about the film, though a handful of critics find the chaos enjoyable, despite its lack of satirical teeth.

• The Sentinel: Reviews of this one are pretty mixed, and both sides are equally passionate. Some feel it's a well-constructed, tense thriller, while others (some of whom are unable to resist a 24 comparison), find it boring and absurd. Special credit this week goes to Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe, who wonders if Kiefer Sutherland can do anything other than save the world, asking "Can he dance? Does he juggle?" (Personally, I'm troubled by the fact that no major reviewers bother to mention that the guy playing the president was Sledge Hammer. Where the hell were these people in the 1980s?!)

If you're looking for a few words on the absent Silent Hill, our own Scott Weinberg shelled out his hard-earned cash to see it, and rushed home to write a review. Essentially, if you're a horror nerd like Scott, you'll like it -- there's not much substance, but it's creepy and visually stunning.