Films like “The Wolfman” bring us face to face with monster in the mirror

Monsters are metaphors, and what truly scares us about them is what they represent.

Deep down, the vampire stands for sexuality, and its risks of abuse, obsession and disease. The zombie is a shuffling symbol of the loss of independence and identity. Even the budget bogeyman of our own age — the implacable, inhuman slasher — comes from our fears of a cruel and irrationally violent world.

But the werewolf represents something far more personal.

This monster isn’t an exterior challenge but an interior one, not the creature waiting outside in the shadows but the brutal beast within. He is pure id, our basest and most primitive instincts made furry flesh, howling at the moon and mindlessly hurting our loved ones.

Universal Themes:
In some ways, he never went away. There are legends of humans magically turning into animals in nearly every culture; the word “lycanthrope” itself comes from the Greek. Yet modern writers seemed unmoved, and the movies were similarly uninterested. It wasn’t until 1935 that Universal unveiled “Werewolf of London.”

Apart from eventually inspiring a rollicking Warren Zevon song, its influence was small. Star Henry Hull, who drew the line at any makeup beyond modest fangs and a dramatic widow’s peak, actually wore a cap and cloak on his nightly prowls. With a nattily attired monster and dull lectures on botany, the film felt like a mild Jekyll-and-Hyde retread. There were no sequels.

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‘Avatar’ star sinks teeth into ‘Dracula’ role

In Hollywood, you only have as much clout as your last movie. So if you just starred in the biggest film in box-office history, you have plenty of equity to spend. Case in point: Avatar’s Sam Worthington, who has signed on to two projects since James Cameron’s science-fiction epic started bulldozing records.

The first is an adaptation of the grim futuristic graphic novel mini-series, The Last Days of American Crime, which he is attached to star in and produce.

And he has also sunk his teeth into the role of Dracula in yet another re-visitation of the vampire legend. Considering the success of Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries, it’s no surprise the most famous of all blood-suckers would rise from the tomb one more time. But what can audiences expect from Dracula: Year Zero (aside from hopefully a more appealing title) when it’s released?

“It’s a script I really like,” director Alex Proyas (The Crow) told us last year. “It’s about the origins of the legend of Dracula, but it has a new spin … It’s a movie that has to be done on a grand scale.”

The science-fiction western — with a title that pretty much says it all — will be directed by Jon Favreau, who had been expected to reunite with his Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. on the movie. But when Downey dropped out to instead make a Sherlock Holmes sequel, Craig decided to saddle up instead.

Adapted from the comic book of the same name, the movie was penned by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof, who are scripting the next Star Trek film, due in June 2012. Cowboys and Aliens will be out in summer 2011.

Meanwhile progress continues on another James Bond sequel, despite the fact the fate of its studio, MGM, is uncertain. Oscar winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty) has already been mentioned as a possible director (he worked with Craig on Road to Perdition).

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Wrath of the Gods

THIS year Greek mythology is providing the backstory for two films, featuring two different characters who happen to be the sons of Greek gods.

There’s the Clash Of The Titans happening on March 25, featuring Sam Worthington as Perseus the son of Zeus. The other is Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief, an action-adventure showing nationwide on Feb 11, revolving around Percy, the son of Poseidon.

When actor Logan Lerman learned about the making of the film, he jumped at the chance to work closely with Chris Columbus, who directed Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets and Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone.

In an interview transcript provided by Twentieth Century Fox Film, Lerman said: “I was obsessed with (Columbus). I didn’t really know anything about the books or the storyline of this film at that point, but I read the first Percy Jackson book immediately and liked it a lot.

“I hope that when the fans of the books see the movie they enjoy it, although there are differences between the book and the film.”

As it turns out, Columbus isn’t the only hero that Lerman would be working with in the making of Percy Jackson. The film features an impressive cast, including Catherine Keener (who plays Percy’s mother), Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Rosario Dawson, Steve Coogan, Ray Winstone, Sean Bean and Kevin McKidd.

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Best Super Bowl ads: The movie trailers

Super Bowl Sunday is the one time of year where movie studios prep their best commercials to campaign for the rest of the year.

This year, we saw TV spots for “Robin Hood,” “The Wolfman,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and Prince of Persia.

Here are the movie spots that ran during the big game:

ROBIN HOOD
An epic action film based upon the Robin Hood myth, starring Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott. It is due on screens May 14.

The film began development in 2007 when Universal Studios snagged a script entitled “Nottingham,” which centered onthe heroic Sheriff of Nottingham to be played by Crowe. Scott’s creative dissatisfaction with the screenplay led him to develop a story about Robin Hood becoming an outlaw.

THE LAST AIRBENDER
Though not officially a Super Bowl ad per se, a spot for “The Last Airbender” aired right before kickoff. It’s an upcoming adventure-fantasy film written, directed, and produced by M. Night Shyamalan and a live-action film adaptation of the first season of the animated television series “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

The film’s style stems from East Asian art, mythology, and Chinese martial arts. The first of a planned trilogy, the film stars Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, and Dev Patel. Look for it to hit screens July 2, 2010.

Read more HERE

What did you think about today’s movie news? Are you excited about the reboot of ‘Dracula’ and ‘The Wolfman’? Did you watch the superbowl, and did you enjoy all the amazing movie previews?

From Mike Scalise at Movie Fone: ‘Alice in Wonderland’: Even More Wonderfully Weird in Full-Length Trailer

When the first trailer for Tim Burton’s live-action take on Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ premiered at Comic-Con in July, it seemed like Burton had all the pieces in place for another goth-stained, Burtonesque classic: Mia Wasikowska as a 19-year-old Alice, Helena Bonham Carter as the diminutive, treacherous Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as the rival White Queen, and Johnny Depp’s orange-haired Mad Hatter bouncing manically in between them.

But we only caught glimpses of Burton’s Wonderland then, snippets of landscapes, hints at the twists and turns Burton made to the famous fairy tale land. In this full-length trailer, we see Wonderland bloom in full: a place that’s as dark and fog-ridden as it is vibrant and mysterious.

Read More here

By Meredith Woerner at i09: Daybreakers Explains How You Doomed Us All To A Viral Vampire Future

Learn how we’ll all evolve into vampires in the future, in this new Daybreakers breakdown video. Plus, tips on how to capture wild humans. vampire death-scene wallpapers, and new posters.

At the Daybreakers sponsored site Capture Humans, there’s a Facebook video that, once hooked up to your page, will explain the viral “gift” that is vampirism — by establishing you and all your Facebook friends as the original vampires. It’s actually pretty fascinating and helps build the vampire world that exists in Daybreakers. See if you can catch the picture I used for “patient zero.” It also gives a bit of background to the Bromley and Marks “blood bank,” where future vampires will keep their currency. The “population control” is pretty intense as well.

See the video here

by Ethan Anderton at First Showing: Thor Writers Taking on Futuristic Vampire Flick Damn Nation

As books, television and movies are increasingly inundated with insulting excuses for vampires, the only light at the end of the tunnel is the January release of Daybreakers. However, it looks like vampires might get a redemption as THR’s Heat Vision reports that Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz (who recently wrote Thor for Marvel) have signed on to adapt Damn Nation, a Dark Horse comic book which tells a story of the survivors of an attack from “inhuman nocturnal predators.” The action takes place after an evacuation of the US as the government has relocated to London while scientists search for a solution.

A return to form for vampires is wholly necessary right now to undo any damage done by the fashion ad worthy incarnations of the classic blood suckers seen in pop culture today (e.g. Twilight, Vampire Diaries, etc).

Read More here

via Sci Fi Wire:

Trailer makes Robin Hood look like Lord of the Rings

The steal-from-the-rich-and-give-to-the-poor saga of Robin Hood makes for a lighthearted and playful story, right? At least that’s the way it’s always been, considering the countless movies and TV series so far. But if we’re to judge by the new trailer from director Ridley Scott, his upcoming onscreen reunion with Gladiator star Russell Crowe will result in a Robin Hood who’s more of a medieval action hero.

Robin Hood, which also stars Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian, hits theaters May 14, 2010.

Is Peter Parker heading to the Shire?

Well, seeing how it doesn’t seem possible for one guy to play two of the most beloved genre characters of the past 100 years, rumors that Tobey Maguire, who plays Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi’s superhero film series, might be in the running to play Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming two-part film version of The Hobbit may be a little hard to swallow.

Yet that’s exactly what Latino Review says might be going down, based upon a hint that Maguire would be working on a movie with The Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro “in the near future.” Latino Review further claims that Maguire’s agency is indeed in talks to have the Brothers star appear as the brave little hobbit Bilbo.

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Three Kings director to be brains of Austen Zombies movie?

We reported earlier that Natalie Portman will be producing and playing Elizabeth Bennet in the new filmed version of Seth Grahame-Smith’s Romero-ized take on Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Well, according to Pajiba.com, it looks like this mash-up of manners and monsters will get a director in the form of indie dynamo David O. Russell, who has made Spanking the Monkey, Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees and who shows a fondness for genre through his producing duties on Outer Space Astronauts.

While those who know Russell’s work might think his absurdist and quirky take on filmmaking might not dovetail with the traditions of English social comedy that are the cornerstone of the “straight” parts of Grahame-Smith’s “expansion” of Austen, his dialogue and tackling of themes hint that he is a really literate guy and might be able to pull off this hybrid.

Read More here

By Fred Topel: 11 movies that changed sci-fi (and 9 that didn’t)

James Cameron promises that this week Avatar will revolutionize not only cinema, but also science fiction itself. It seems like the movies that actually mark changes come out of nowhere and don’t make such big promises, but we’ll see. As we await the highly anticipated return of Cameron, check out the movies that actually did revolutionize sci-fi—plus those that made those big promises but fell short of delivering on them. First, those that changed things …

The Day the Earth Stood Still
For a while, sci-fi had been the genre of throwaway mutant monster movies, perhaps with a little touch of Red Scare metaphor. The original Robert Wise Day brought social statement to the forefront. The drama of an alien invasion and a destructive robot also made people think about humanity’s capacity for violence.

Read More here

By Lauren Davis at io9: Check Out New Iron Man 2 Footage. True Blood Gets Its Werewolf and Doctor Who Revisits an Old Enemy.

Tony Stark loses his head in Iron Man 2 footage. True Blood finally casts the werewolf Alcide, and the Eleventh Doctor will inherit one of the Tenth Doctor’s most popular enemies. Plus Inception, Toy Story, Forbidden Planet, and Chuck spoilers.

Iron Man 2: Entertainment Tonight premiered a few moments from the film, including a scene where Pepper kisses Iron Man (well, his helmet, anyway).

Read More here

The more I see of Alice in Wonderland, the more excited I get. The same is true with Daybreakers. And Robin Hood looks like a mix of Gladiator and Lord of the Rings, but in a bad way. I’m still not sure about it.

What do you think of all the videos? Which movie are you looking forward to the most?

Director Name: Ridley Scott

Director:
- The Duellists (1977)
- Alien (1979)
- Blade Runner (1982)
- Legend (1985)
- Someone to Watch Over Me (1987)
- Black Rain (1989)
- Thelma & Louise (1991)
- 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
- White Squall (1996)
- G.I. Jane (1997)
- Gladiator (2000)
- Black Hawk Down (2001)
- Hannibal (2001)
- Matchstick Men (2003)
- Cinema16: British Short Films (2003)
- All the Invisible Children (2005)
- Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
- A Good Year (2006)
- American Gangster (2007)
- Body of Lies (2008)
- The Kind One (2010)
- Robin Hood (2010)
- Untitled Alien Prequel (2011)

Future Projects:
- Red Riding
- Untitled Reagan/Gorbachev Project
- The Killing Sea
- Untitled Tony Scott Project
- Brave New World
- In Vitro
- The Forever War
- Town House
- Untitled Monopoly Project
- Untitled Gucci Biopic
- The Passage
- Stones
- Child 44
- Factor X
- Purefold

Awards:
- 1991: Oscar for Best Director – Thelma & Louise
- 2000: Oscar for Best Director – Gladiator
- 2000: BAFTA Award for Best Direction – Gladiator
- 2001: Oscar for Best Director – Black Hawk Down
- 2008: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries – The Andromeda Strain

Short Bio:
Born in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, Scott grew up in an Army family, meaning that for most of his early life his father — an officer in the Royal Engineers — was absent. Ridley’s older brother, Frank, joined the Merchant Navy when he was still young and the pair had little contact. During this time the family moved around, living in (amongst other areas) Cumbria, Wales and Germany. After the Second World War the Scott family moved back to their native north-east England, eventually settling in Teesside (whose industrial landscape would later inspire similar scenes in Blade Runner). He enjoyed watching films, and his favourites include Lawrence of Arabia, Citizen Kane and Seven Samurai. Scott studied in Teesside from 1954 to 1958, at Grangefield Grammar School, Stockton and later in West Hartlepool College of Art, graduating with a Diploma in Design. He progressed to an M.A. in graphic design at the Royal College of Art from 1960 to 1962.

He was assigned to design the second Doctor Who serial, The Daleks, which would have entailed realising the famous alien creatures. However, shortly before he was due to start work a schedule conflict meant that he was replaced on the serial by Raymond Cusick. At the BBC, Scott was placed into a director training programme and, before he left the corporation, had directed episodes of Z-Cars, its spin-off, Softly, Softly, and adventure series Adam Adamant Lives!.
In 1968 Ridley Scott and his brother Tony Scott founded Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), a film and commercial production company. Five members of the Scott family are directors, all working for RSA. Brother Tony has been a successful film director for more than two decades; sons, Jake and Luke are both acclaimed commercials directors as is his daughter, Jordan Scott. Jake and Jordan both work from Los Angeles and Luke is based in London.

Read more on Ridley Scott brought to us by OBS staff-member Chris here.