Fast and furious

Ever watch the Thin Man series? The sharp, witty, quick dialogue that leaves your mind spinning? Not a surprise that Johnny Depp is reported to be interested in a remake of the classic series. What the Tourist failed to do, the Thin Man delivers in spades.

The Thin Man: Art of Murder link here

Murky Waters

From Deadline.com, Ang Lee has finally picked out his star talent after auditioning a whopping 3000 teenagers. Suraj Sharma will get the chance of a lifetime to play the lead role of sixteen year old Pi Patel in Yann Martel's Mann Booker Prize winning novel.

One hopes that whatever Visual Effects company Fox hires, is up to the challenge, not to mention the director himself. How does one create an entertaining two hour drama with only a boy, a zebra, a hyena, a seasick orangutan, and Bengal tiger in a lifeboat??

Comics and hysteria

I recently went to comic con with a friend... what a puzzle it all is. Waiting in line for coffee between Thor and a Klingon while they adjust their outfits... The amount of free swag, dizzy array of promotions, banners and unending line ups can give anyone a severe headache.

Dressed up fans are treated like rockstars and the frenzy for a sneak peek of a highly anticipated movie is astonishing.

Most interesting upcoming flicks?

Probably Scott Pilgrim, Cowboys and Aliens and especially Don't be Afraid of the Dark (fantastic teaser).

It's been a pretty dry year for films, Inception was a nice change. I've seen frequent "best film ever rating" for Inception which should always be taken with a grain of salt since the person is probably 18 years old and hasn't seen a lot of films yet. It's exciting and certainly fun, similar to Paprika and a few Japanese films of the past.

Perhaps I'm a bit tired of the constant visual stimulation. After five days of watching film panel after film panel I'm left with the feeling that I've been fed nothing but vapid entertainment (Tron 2, Skyline, Battle Los Angeles, Salt, Green Lantern, Thor), rather than a true gut wrenching experience. It's sadly becoming common for Hollywood to hire commercial/music video directors who lack the foundation of storytelling and thirst for reading to truly stretch the mind. A pity.

There was a staggering amount of marketing for films and television that distributed t-shirts, books, stickers, temporary tattoos, freebie giveaways, and huge billboards plastered on hotels which will all lead to $$$.

Poirot's Murder on the Orient Express? Link here to watch! (links to other sections on youtube right)

Do you miss Hastings? I do. Here's an old Poirot: The Adventure of the Clapham Cook here

Deception of the mind

I'm rarely taken aback when I see a trailer. The blink of an eye flashes, "the movie guy voice" (Don LaFontiane) , explosions and over the top CGI, sexy slow motion angles... all the same. Every time. Maybe too many films are made every year, or perhaps the media drowns an average viewer with too much information. Even if you don't watch the news every day, avoid gossip magazines, Facebook, Twitter and television, it's virtually impossible to remain a blank slate.

Which is why I was surprised when I saw the trailer for Inception.

A very good trailer. It doesn't tell you too much, doesn't scream "Academy Award winner!", the pacing won't give you a seizure, and I haven't seen the actors on any tabloids. I miss the days when I could walk into the theatre and not know what kind of film I was about to see. In the first ten minutes when a film managed to grab me by the reins and suspend my disbelief... it could grab hold of me and let me fly...

Lately I'm always getting the feeling of déjà vu every time, and yet I'm always eternally optimistic every time I buy my ticket. Here's hoping for a good year...

Hardwired

Some people are born with the ability, balls, and genius to think outside the box. Unfortunately in many cases, thieves and criminals are the people blessed with those gifts.

Interestingly enough, criminals make great protagonists. Artemis Fowl written by Eoin Colfer is a fantastic series for kids about an unapologetic criminal mastermind in the body of a twelve year old... Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series of a highly paid assassin... Even Showtime's Dexter satisfies the public's fantasy for a twisted form of justice as they watch a highly conflicted serial killer hunt down his prey.

Hot news? Wired Magazine reports that Neuromancer, the first cyber punk hit novel written by William Gibson in 1984 will be made into a film. Winning the "triple crown" in science fiction, he swept the board taking the Nebula Award, Phillip K. Dick Award and Hugo Award with his published debut.

Thankfully, William Gibson still looks to have a controlling hand in his creation and has not yet picked the director (James Cameron and Guillermo del Toro are currently in the running). This book has plenty of fans, even Pink Floyd is reported to be composing the soundtrack. Backing bands are Radiohead and My Bloody Valentine. (Wired online) Film junk.com has stated that Hayden Christensen may be in the running to play Case.

Rising of the East

Asia has a promising crop of filmmakers who have captured the imagination of Hollywood. Or is it just a scheme to recreate a property without all the heavy lifting? Oldboy (plug pulled), The Host, Cowboy Bebop, Akira (may be cancelled), Ghost in the Shell, Seven Days, Tale of Two Sisters, have all been rumoured to be remade in the next few years. The fear from many loyal fans are not completely unfounded, why waste money on creating an inferior watered down western counterpart?

Similar to France and Italy in the sixties, look to the east for a resurgence of great cinema. With the support of their governments, private investors, and a wide public interest in graphic novels (manga), Asian cinema is expanding at a ferocious pace. Expect a slew of inspired films to emerge from the rising generations in Korea (Mother, A Tale of Two Sisters), China (Blind Shaft, City of Life and Death, Red Cliff), Japan (Karigurashi no Arrietty, Outrage), and Taiwan (Yi Yi, Winds of September, Cape No. 7).

Gore Verbinski (Pirates) is slated to produce a remake of The Host (above)

Spielberg and Will Smith were rumoured to be interested in a western version of Oldboy (dropped... so far)

Keanu Reeves is slated for a compressed spin on Cowboy Bebop (could definitely work. Firefly?)

Leonardo Dicaprio was said to be making a two part epic of a neo-New York of AKIRA.

Spielberg for a 3-D western spin on the anime Ghost in the Shell

Many of the projects are now cancelled but some of them could work... who knows? Die hard fans may gasp in horror at the very idea of a remake, but many of the best films are recycled adaptations of classic novels, mythology, or older films. Screenwriters are inspired from journalists, playwrights, poets, novelists, and philosophers, doesn't it make sense that filmmakers look to others for inspiration? Asia is influenced by Western cinema and vice versa. The upcoming Japanese release of Akira Ogata's "Shikedidai no Elevator" is a remake of Louis Malle's 1957 French film "Ascenseur pour l'echafaud". It's all a matter of walking the fine line of "copy" or "influence". Although I must admit, I scratch my head when I read of the rumoured buzz in Hollywood to remake The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Isn't it out in the theatres... NOW??

French Twist

Peeking up over the horizon is Sylvain Chomet's next animated film The Illusionist (2010, don't mix it up with the Edward Norton one in 2006). The British-French animated film done in the same style of his first feature-length animated project, Triplettes de Belleville, it is based on an unproduced script by Jacques Tati in collaboration with Henri Marquet between Mon Oncle and Playtime. Described as more of a story of the relationship between a father and his estranged daughter than a romantic tale, you can bet it'll be less saccharine than most animated fare.

It looks fantastic.