Dylan Dog: Dead of Night is a fun comedy/horror whodunnit with a supernatural twist. Based on an Italian graphic novel about a loner detective for the undead, Dylan Dog has everything from the silly sidekick to cannibal zombies. It also boasts some great old-school practical effects. With a limited release this weekend, this Platinum Studios film delivers plenty of movie fun in the style of those campy 80's monster flicks.
Dylan Dog (Brandon Routh) is a private eye for the undead. It’s his calling, but after his girlfriend is murdered he wants nothing more to do with the world of the supernatural. Fast forward a few years, and Dylan has turned into a regular loner private dick who’s chronically money-strapped. His eager assistant Marcus (Sam Huntington) is desperate for their detective agency to go places.
An Ender's Game movie is in the works, as Summit is acquiring the film rights to Orson Scott Card's seminal young adult sci fi novel. The movie will be directed and written by Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine).
I admit it, I didn’t have high expectations for Disney’s upcoming teen romance Prom. How could a movie about a glorified high school dance either entertain or elevate? At best, it would be a tedious mish mash of teen movies from the past few decades. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Prom’s charming wholesomeness. In theatres everywhere on April 29th, this fluff piece delivers some cute moments and sweet (if sometimes embarrassing) high school whimsy.
All the high school stereotypes are there: the jock, the princess, the overachiever, the loner, the geek…all intertwining in a story not only about the senior prom, but about self-acceptance. Ultimate good girl and class president Nova Prescott (Aimee Teegarden) is on a mission to create the greatest prom ever. She owes it to her classmates, after all. It’s an honor thing, and a cause she believes in so wholeheartedly she helms the prom committee. The only problem is, the clean-cut boy she really likes hasn’t asked her to the prom, and in a tragic accident all the prom decorations burn up.
In case you hadn’t heard, Prince William and commoner Kate Middleton will tie the royal knot on April 29th, and the world’s media is wetting itself in anticipation. Not only is talk of the royal wedding everywhere, but the wedding has it’s own website and the story of William and Kate’s romance has already been immortalized in a made-for-TV movie.
Looks like 20th Century Fox is hoping to jumpstart another film franchise in its movie reboot Zorro Reborn. The studio is developing a darker re-imagining of Zorro, in which the masked hero will be a vigilante roaming a bleak, post-apocalyptic landscape.
According to a /Film report, Zorro Reborn will star a younger actor as the lead, who may not even be recognizable as the Zorro most of us know and love. The character will be “less a caped crusader for justice than a one-man vigilante force bent on revenge”. Sounds like Fox’s Zorro will be a bizarro version of the original.
That’s only the beginning of the differences. The classic Zorro of TV and books (and even the Antonio Banderas version Mask of Zorro and its sequel) is based in Spanish Colonial California. This Western-style reboot is set in a post apocalyptic wasteland, with “echoes of both Sergio Leone and No Country for Old Men.” Some darker re-imaginings have been very successful (think Batman Begins); but Batman was a dark vigilante-type super hero to begin with. Zorro is kind of family friendly.
According to Deadline, Russell Crowe is interested in not only directing but also starring in a L.A. police drama based on a story by James Ellroy. Crowe will potentially make his directorial debut on 77, a crime drama about the 1974 unsolved murder of an L.A. police officer and the South Central shootout between the LAPD and the Symbionese Liberation Army. As of now, we can only speculate if Crowe will actually take on 77. Rumors have attached him to other directorial projects in the past that haven’t materialized. Apparently he’s waiting for a script re-write before finalizing anything.
With Screen Gems' Priest, a supernatural action pic starring Paul Bettany and directed by Scott Stewart right around the corner, I’m wondering if it’s not just going to be a vampire-themed version of Legion. Not only did Stewart helm Legion, an apocalyptic action film with warring angels, but Bettany starred in it. And by the looks of Priest trailers and clips, Bettany will be reprising his steely-eyed role as a sacred-warrior-on-a-mission. That’s just what we need, another supernatural film flop full of so-so CGI and action mayhem, but completely lacking any substantive story.
Water for Elephants is a listless depression-era romance, full of melodrama and predictability. In theaters nationwide today, this Fox 2000 Pictures release has some charming moments and great time period elements, but overall the cookie-cutter love story and missing chemistry between the leads made it lackluster and largely forgettable.
Based on the novel by Sara Gruen of the same name, Water for Elephants is a love story with a 1930s circus as a backdrop. It’s about the illusions in life we set up for ourselves and for others. At least, that’s what it wants to be about. What it ends up being is a very over-done love story with a one-dimensional villain and two dull romantic leads in Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon.
Lindsay Lohan will definitely play the role of Kim Gotti in Fiore Films’ Gotti: Three Generations. Lohan has been making headlines of late with her on again/off again flirtation with the role of John Gotti’s daughter Victoria. First she was on, then off, then back on but in the role of Kim Gotti, John Gotti Jr.’s wife. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it’s official; Lohan will join the cast that already includes heavyweights John Travolta and Joe Pesci.
