Nicolas Cage

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 ‘Astro Boy’ Passes With Nicolas Cage, Charlize Theron

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:04:22 -0600

CHICAGO – In our latest animated edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 40 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the new film “Astro Boy”!

“Astro Boy” features the voices of Kristen Bell, Nicolas Cage, Charlize Theron, Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Nighy, Freddie Highmore, Donald Sutherland, Eugene Levy, Nathan Lane, Moises Arias, Matt Lucas, Madeline Carroll, Sterling Beaumon, Victor Bonavida and Tony Matthews from director David Bowers. The film is distributed by Summit Entertainment, which is the same production company involved with “Twilight,” “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” in 2009 and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” in 2010.

To win your free pass to the advance screening of “Astro Boy” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, all you need to do is answer our question below. That’s it! This screening will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 at 10 a.m. in Schaumburg, Ill., which is a suburb of Chicago. Directions to enter this Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.

“Astro Boy” features the voices of Kristen Bell, Nicolas Cage, Charlize Theron and Samuel L. Jackson.
Image credit: Summit Entertainment

Here is the “Astro Boy” plot description:

In the futuristic world of Metro City, which is a gleaming metropolis in the sky, the brilliant scientist Dr. Tenma creates Astro Boy to replace the son he has lost. He programmed his creation with the best of human characteristics and values and has endowed him with extraordinary super powers.

Cast out when he can’t meet the grieving father’s expectations, Astro Boy is dealt a cruel double blow: he’s also crushed to learn he is a robot and not even a human being. Astro Boy, who carries within himself the Blue Core (a power source made of positive “blue” energy), is sought out by the troops of the militaristic President Stone.

They are obsessed with obtaining the Core for the “Peacekeeper” robot, which has been invented to be used as a weapon to dominate Earth. Fleeing from the military, Astro Boy crashes to the surface of the Earth. Lost and unsure of his identity, Astro Boy simply seeks to fit in.

Denying his true nature, he tries to pass himself off as a human being with a gang of child vagabonds. He falls naively under the sway of their leader Hamegg in whom he sees a father figure. To Astro Boy’s horror, Hamegg exposes him as a robot and tries to turn him into a robot gladiator.

In “Hamegg’s Robot Games,” Astro Boy is forced to face wave upon wave of robots. Refusing to fight but only disabling his opponent when the safety of spectators is threatened, Astro Boy’s nobility wins the crowd over.

Alerted by the Core’s power surge, the military swoops down and captures Astro Boy as he resigns himself to his fate. As Dr. Tenma removes his energy source, Astro Boy forgives him for what he’s doing. This display of innate goodness finally opens Dr. Tenma’s eyes to the terrible mistake he has made.

Reconciled to the son he had wrongly rejected, he allows Astro Boy to escape. The destructive Peacekeeper, which has been given the incredibly dangerous negative Red Core energy by presidential order, is out of control and causing havoc in Metro City. Astro Boy returns to help the citizens, fight the Peacekeeper and save Metro City from crashing to Earth.

In the climactic battle, the strands of the story come together as Astro Boy accepts his mixed human-robot nature and finds his destiny as mankind’s savior.

The “Astro Boy” trailer can be watched now below.

To secure your free tickets now, make sure you’re logged into your HollywoodChicago.com account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having an account with a valid e-mail address is required. Then, simply add a new comment in the form below. In your comment, include an answer to this question:

Who is your favorite superhero? Why?

Like all Hookups here, this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup is simple: Just submit your comment below and we will award 40 people randomly via e-mail for our “Astro Boy” Hookup. Winners needs to arrive early as seats are consumed on a first-come, first-served basis. Good luck!

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief/Publisher
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Nicolas Cage Out of Michel Gondry’s ‘The Green Hornet’

BrianTT — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:45:06 -0600

CHICAGO – Production has begun recently on “The Green Hornet” but not for Nicolas Cage. For months Cage has been set to star as the film’s villain, but according to Screen Crave things have gone bad. Cage has dropped out of the film when the negotiations for the star have fallen through.

Nicolas Cage in Knowing.
Photo credit: Summit

Photos have been posted online of on-set photos with Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz and Jay Chou. When photos of Cage haven’t shown up, rumors began to go wild. Michel Gondry is directing the film from a script by Evan Goldberg and Rogen.

There’s talk that Cage backed out due to scheduling conflicts with his other films scheduled to shoot within the next year. With him being super busy, it can’t be too surprising to hear him back out of the film.

The actor is reporedly working on “Riot,” “Drive Angry,” “Time Share,” and “Ghost Rider 2,” according to IMDB. He’s already finished work on “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” “Astro Boy,” “Kick-Ass,” “Season of the Witch,” and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” all waiting to be released.

Now that Cage is out, who will be in? The role as the film’s villain is now up for grabs. Any takers? Who would you like to see replace Cage in the “Green Hornet”?

By ANGIE RENTMEESTER
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com

Interview: Alex Proyas, Director of ‘Knowing’ With Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne

BrianTT — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:57:37 -0600

CHICAGO – “I want to make movies that touch people in unique ways and affect people in unique ways. And, you know, that’s what I’ve tried to do with this film.”

“Knowing” director Alex Proyas has defied categorization throughout his career. Sure, all of his movies are what could be called “dark” and there’s a sci-fi edge to most of them but there’s such a variety of scope in his films. From the massive budget of a film like “I, Robot” to a more personal project like “Garage Days” to the beloved cult flicks “The Crow” and “Dark City”. His newest work is “Knowing,” starring Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne, opening on Friday, March 20th, 2009.

Proyas recently sat down for a conference call to talk about his new blockbuster film, why he chose to write it, the trend of disaster-driven films, the spiritual side of his work, casting Nicolas Cage, and much more.

Director Alex Proyas on the set of Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Image credit: Summit/Vince Valitutti

Getting an Oscar-winning actor in Nicolas Cage and a rising star like “Damages“‘s Rose Byrne for your film instantly raises its profile. Proyas revealed that he had always wanted to work with Cage and that they almost had several times in the past but schedules couldn’t be worked out. Nick reportedly read the script for “Knowing” and loved it, making this the perfect match.

“I think [Nick is] an incredibly versatile actor,” says Proyas. “That’s really why I’m such a fan of his work because he’s always different. He really embraces his characters and runs with them. And this is no different in that respect. I mean he’s created a very strong character, I think. And it’s not about Nick Cage, it’s about the character. And that’s really important I think. It’s an incredibly important thing for a director to know also that your leading actor understands what you’re trying to do in terms of the movie and is a collaborator with you. And we’re telling a story together which I think Nick was so great at.

“From a very early point when he first read the script he embraced this story and he really made it his own. He really felt it spoke to him as an individual. Just as I felt. We felt compelled to tell the story together and I think that really shows in the movie.”

“With Rose Byrne, Rosie is someone that I’ve known a very long time. We’re quite good friends and we’ve - because we both come from Sydney in Australia so we’ve known each other for awhile now. And she’s, again, someone that I’ve wanted to work with. And, you know, the character seemed perfect for her. And I was delighted that she was also available.”

Proyas wrote “Knowing,” something he likes doing because it makes him a deeper part of the process. “I like going into a movie with something that I feel is as well crafted as we can make it,” Proyas said. “And that’s often a result of ripping it apart and putting it back together again repeatedly. Because it’s much easier to work stuff out at the script stage obviously than in the cutting room when you realize you’ve got, you know, structural problems or character issues or whatever can come up at that stage.”

Director Alex Proyas on the set of Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Image credit: Summit/Vince Valitutti

“So I get as involved as I possibly can. I mean, the process is always different every film. Some projects I initiate, others I come in at a later stage, like in the case of Knowing, and rewrite substantially. So it really every time is different. But I do certainly like to have as much involvement with the script as possible. I like to have as much involvement with every aspect of the movie process really. I think I wanted to have a sort of unique voice and it’s got to come from someone so it might as well be me.”

“Knowing” is about past and future tragedies and disasters. Naturally, the subject of 9/11 came up pretty quickly, but Proyas says that this script was written before those tragic events occurred.

But “Knowing” does follow a post-9/11 trend of disaster-driven movies, something that Proyas is keenly aware of with this project. He says, “I think when people live in uncertain times I guess it’s something that we dwell upon and there’s obviously something. We all know what the current potential doom scenarios are for our civilization. And I think everyone’s genuinely concerned and movies are a reflection of that - a way of analyzing the situation in whatever dramatic form and helping us perhaps find a solution. Or at worse, prepare ourselves. So I think it really is a sign of the times.”

Science fiction cinema has come a long way in just the time that Proyas has been making movies. The technology of special effects improves with each project. With “Knowing,” it was the first time that Proyas shot a movie digitally. He had always tested the latest digital cameras but always went back to film.

Slideshow: 22-Image Gallery From ‘Knowing’ With Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne

BrianTT — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 10:52:40 -0600

CHICAGO – This 22-image slideshow contains the available press images for Summit Entertainment’s “Knowing,” starring Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury, and Lara Robinson. The film, written by Alex Proyas, Stuart Hazeldine (“Riverworld”), Ryne Douglas Pearson (Mercury Rising), Juliet Snowden & Stiles White (The Need, Boogeyman) and Richard Kelly (Southland Tales, Donnie Darko), and directed by Proyas, opens on Friday, March 20th, 2009.

Synopsis: “Academy Award® winner Nicolas Cage (National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Leaving Las Vegas) stars in Knowing, a gripping action-thriller of global proportions about a professor who stumbles on terrifying predictions about the future and sets out to prevent them from coming true.

Rose Byrne (Troy, “Damages”), Chandler Canterbury (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Repossession Mambo) and Lara Robinson (“Saved”) also star in director Alex Proyas’ (I, Robot) riveting feature about a father’s desperate battle to save his child—and the world.

In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures of what they think the future will look like. Their drawings will be sealed into a time capsule and stored for 50 years. But one mysterious girl fills her paper with rows of apparently random numbers, which she says are being whispered to her by unseen people.

A half-century later, a new generation of students examines the capsule’s contents and the girl’s cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb Koestler (Chandler Canterbury), but it’s Caleb’s father, astrophysics professor John Koestler (Nicolas Cage), who makes a startling discovery: the encoded message predicts the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years with pinpoint accuracy. As he further unravels the document’s secrets, John discovers that it foretells three additional catastrophes—the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale.

John’s efforts to alert the authorities about the impending catastrophes fall on deaf ears and his fears intensify with the realization that Caleb is somehow connected to the mystery. Enlisting the help of Diana Whelan (Rose Byrne) and Abby (Lara Robinson), the daughter and granddaughter of the prophetic message’s author, he embarks on a heart-pounding race against time to prevent the ultimate disaster.”

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos are credited to Vince Valitutti and Summit Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Knowing_01: Nicolas Cage stars in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_02: Nicolas Cage and Chandler Canterbury star in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_03: Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne star in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_04: Nicolas Cage stars in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_05: Nicolas Cage stars in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_06: Nicolas Cage (far right) stars in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_07: Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne star in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_08: Rose Byrne and Nicolas Cage star in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_09: Rose Byrne and Nicolas Cage star in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_10: Nicolas Cage stars in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_11: Lara Robinson stars in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_12: Lara Robinson stars in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_13: Chandler Canterbury stars in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_14: Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_15: (Left to right) Chandler Canterbury and Lara Robinson star in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_16: Rose Byrne (left) and Lara Robinson star in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_17: Rose Byrne stars in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_18: Rose Byrne stars in Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_19: Director Alex Proyas on the set of Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_20: Director Alex Proyas on the set of Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_21: DP Simon Dugan (center left) and director Alex Proyas (center right) on the set of Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.
Knowing_22: Lara Robinson (left) with director Alex Proyas (center) and Chandler Canterbury (right) on the set of Knowing, a Summit Entertainment release.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Video: DVD Trailer For Nicolas Cage’s ‘Knowing’

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:12:45 -0700

CHICAGO – The studio for the new Nicolas Cage film “Knowing” has provided to HollywoodChicago.com the DVD trailer for the movie, which also stars Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury, Ben Mendelsohn, Nadia Townsend and Adrienne Pickering.

The film, which is directed by Alex Proyas (“I, Robot,” “The Crow”), opens nationwide on March 20, 2009. The “Knowing” DVD trailer can be watched below.

Here is the plot description for “Knowing” (source):

A teacher (Nicolas Cage) opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son’s elementary school. In it are some chilling predictions – some that have already occurred and others that are about to – that lead him to believe his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold.

Nicolas Cage (left) and Rose Byrne in “Knowing”.
Image credit: Summit Entertainment

A second trailer for “Knowing” can be watched below.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

DVD, Blu-Ray Round Up, Jan. 7, 2009: ‘Bangkok Dangerous,’ ‘Disaster Movie,’ ‘Friday Night Lights,’ ‘Towelhead’

BrianTT — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:51:57 -0700

CHICAGO – The time has come for another round-up, a collection of DVD and Blu-Ray titles that may have missed the front page in the Best Buy circular but that might be worth your attention. The DVD Round-Up is back (check out the first edition here and a few Blu-Ray Round-Ups here and here) with drama, comedy, TV, action, and even Hitler.

Nicolas Cage plays a killer in “Bangkok Dangerous,” Derek Luke a football player in “Friday Night Lights,” Aaron Eckhart a suburbanite in “Towelhead,” and Carmen Electra essentially herself in “Disaster Movie”. There’s something for everyone in the DVD Round-Up.

All of these titles were released on January 6th, 2009, unless otherwise noted.

“Bangkok Dangerous”

“The Hitman Has Become the Target.” Nicolas Cage stars in the remake of The Pang Brothers’ “Bangkok Dangerous,” a messy action film about Joe, a hired assassin caught in the middle of a hitman’s nightmare. He’s on one final assignment in Bangkok when the job takes a wild turn after Joe violates one of the most important rules of the game. The hunter becomes the hunted in another remake that’s not quite as good as the original, but should appeal to Cage fans and action junkies.

The DVD version of “Bangkok Dangerous” is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with a 5.1 Dolby Digital EX audio track and includes a digital copy of the film on a second disc. The first disc includes an alternated ending, “From Hong Kong to Bangkok: A Look at Hong Kong Cinema,” “Bangkok Dangerous: The Execution of the Film,” and the theatrical trailer.

“Disaster Movie: Cataclysmic Edition (Unrated)” (Blu-Ray)

“Lewd, Rewd, Crewd, Newd. Celebrate End Times!” Even the tagline is a little annoying. “Disaster Movie” comes from the same team that made the critically reviled “Date Movie,” “Epic Movie,” and “Meet the Spartans”. Yes, that means that they unleashed two Carmen Electra “comedies” in one year. When they release three, it’s a sign of the apocalypse. A plot recap of “Disaster Movie” seems almost like an oxymoron but this one purportedly sends up everyone’s favorite disaster flicks, pop culture icons and public figures with no-holds-barred humor. Hulk, Batman, Iron Man, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Hellboy, and Electra, all in one movie.

The Blu-Ray version of “Disaster Movie” is presented in 1080P High Definition with a 1.78:1 widescreen ratio and an English 7.1 DTS HD Master Audio track. Special features include BonusView Picture-in-Picture Cast & Crew Commentary, “Girl Fight,” “High School Musical” Sing-along, “I’m F#%king Matt Damon” Sing-along, “Sitting Down With a Stand-Up,” “G-Thang’s Tour,” “Straight From the Ladies,” “Who’s Spoofing Who,” “This Is How We Do It,” and the fascinating “MoLog,” a BD-Live feature which allows the user to insert and animate shapes, test, audio, and other graphics right into the film to share with other users.

“Friday Night Lights” (Blu-Ray)

Just in time for the college football season championship game, Universal has reached into their catalog and pulled out the underrated “Friday Night Lights” from director Peter Berg, based on H.G. Bissinger’s excellent non-fiction book about our country’s obsession with football. The movie is a bit different from the book, turning it into more of a rah-rah sports movie about a courageous high school football team’s fight to fulfill their destiny and live their dream. Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Derek Luke, Jay Hernandez, and Tim McGraw, “Friday Night Lights” is a must-own for any sports fan with a Blu-Ray player.

The Blu-Ray version of “Friday Night Lights” is presented in 1080P High Definition with a 2.35:1 widescreen ratio and an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Special features include BD-Live functionality, action-packed deleted scenes, “Peter Berg Discusses a Scene in the Movie,” “Player Cam,” “Tim McGraw: Off the Stage,” “The Story of the 1988 Permian Panthers,” “Gridiron Grads,” “Behind the Lights,” and a great feature commentary by director Berg and author Bissinger.

“The Plot to Kill Hitler”

If you can’t make it to see “Valkyrie” this week (or don’t want to after reading this review), rent or buy “The Plot to Kill Hitler” instead. Brad Davis (“Midnight Express”) stars in the role played by Tom Cruise, Colonel von Stauffenberg, who led a campaign to kill Adolf HItler in the waning days of WWII. Produced by the man who brought “Roots” to the small screen and directed by Lawrence Schiller (“The Executioner’s Song”), “The Plot to Kill Hitler” aired on TV almost exactly eighteen years ago.

The WB-released DVD for “The Plot to Kill Hitler,” clearly released to tie into audiences either in love with “Valkyrie” or looking for a different version of the same story, includes no special features and is presented in standard, full frame version, the way the film was originally broadcast. The audio is presented in Dolby Surround Stereo.

“Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season One”

“It’s her business doing pleasure with you.” The first eight episodes of Showtime’s “The Secret Diary of a Call Girl” have been released on a two-disc set from Lionsgate Home Video. Inspired by the true-life adventures of a notorious escort, “The Secret Diary of a Call Girl” stars “Doctor Who“‘s Billie Piper as a high-class London escort. By day she’s the quiet, unassuming Hannah, but at night she becomes Belle, the city’s wildest and most successful lady of the night. “Call Girl” details a modern woman’s quest to juggle the normalcy of her daily life with the unusual nature of what she does for a living. The show is wildly uneven but the talented Piper does her best to keep it entertaining. Watch for more with our review of the season two premiere coming soon.

The DVD “set” for “Secret Diary of a Call Girl” is pretty disappointing with no commentaries or deleted scenes. The only special feature is a featurette titled “Billie Piper: Coming to America”. The episodes are presented in 16x9 widescreen with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and a standard Dolby stereo track.

“Towelhead”

From the acclaimed writer of “American Beauty” and the creator of “Six Feet Under” and “True Blood,” “Towelhead” features an incredible ensemble cast with great actors including Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette, and Maria Bello in a controversial drama. Newcomer Summer Bishil plays a 13-year-old Arab-American struggling to cope in her boring Houston suburb. She’s drawn to a boy in school. And to a hunky, married Army reservists neighbor. She’s curious about sex and has no idea how to handle relationships. Everything about her life collides in a series of dramatic events in this coming-of-age story, which was released by Warner Brothers on December 30th, 2008. Critics were divided about “Towelhead,” but it’s an interesting, unique film from a talented writer and you shouldn’t let it slip by with all of the more high-profile DVDs that have hit the market in the last few weeks.

The DVD for “Towelhead” looks very good (although a Blu-Ray edition would have been nice) with a widescreen transfer and an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. The only featurette is called “Towelhead: A Community Discussion,” in which director/screenwriter Alan Ball hosts 2 insightful panels on issues the film raises, one including co-stars Summer Bishil and Peter Macdissi, the other including the novel’s original author Alicia Erian.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

In Purely Exploiting Gratuitous Violence, Paul W.S. Anderson’s ‘Death Race’ Remake Kills All Comedic Value

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:56:45 -0600

CHICAGO – While 2008’s “Death Race” makes no secret about being a remake of 1975’s “Death Race 2000” with David Carradine as the title character Frankenstein and Sylvester Stallone as his archrival Machine Gun Joe Viterbo, what’s perhaps less obvious but still clear is how the film steals from others.

Rating: 2.0/5.0

Though the “Death Race” story has a different book cover, Jason Statham’s character as Jensen Ames and then the masked Frankenstein can be directly correlated to (as just one example) Nicolas Cage’s character in 1997’s “Con Air”. We’ve certainly seen this before: a man who’s supposedly in the slammer innocently and has a monster axe to grind.

While films today can be rewarded for being quality remakes of compelling yesteryear memories, 2008’s “Death Race” not only disappoints in its unoriginal ripping from other films but ultimately loses face in its mission merely for unadulterated and gratuitous violence.

Read Adam Fendelman’s full review of “Death Race” in our reviews section.

View our full, high-resolution “Death Race” image gallery.

“Death Race” is yet another film along the lines of so many second-rate Hollywood products we see today feeling pressured to blow stuff up bigger and badder while servicing the human need to fantasize in the utterly ridiculous.

All the while, a weak story is slapped on top of what essentially just amounts to an anthology of big booms.

Sometimes films succeed in being pure entertainment and don’t attempt to have underlying meaning or instigate inspirational change. When they do, though, they’re most successful when their fundamental purpose at least has some redeeming value.

The unfortunately simple message of “Death Race” merely says we’re living in a time and place where financial corruption can allow us to prostitute ourselves to charge $250 to watch one guy violently off another for our viewing pleasure. In the film, 70 million morbid viewers take the plunge.

“Death Race,” which is written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, stars Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, Natalie Martinez, Ian McShane, Max Ryan, Jason Clarke and Frederick Koehler. The film opened everywhere on Aug. 22, 2008.

Continuing reading for Adam Fendelman’s full “Death Race” review.

Navigator Case (Natalie Martinez) arrives from the women’s prison in an action-thriller set in the near future with the world’s most brutal sporting event as its backdrop in “Death Race”.
Photo credit: Takashi Seida

Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) drives Frankenstein’s Monster in an action-thriller set in the near future with the world’s most brutal sporting event as its backdrop in “Death Race”.
Photo credit: Takashi Seida

Continuing reading for Adam Fendelman’s full “Death Race” review.

News You Need: Aronofsky and Rourke to ‘Wrestle,’ ‘Star Trek’ Explained, Verhoeven to Direct Remake Sequel

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:13:04 -0700

Harley Davidson in a Wrestling Picture: Mickey Rourke is set to play Randy “The Ram” Robinson in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler,” Variety reports.

Mickey Rourke
Photo credit: Steve Granitz, WireImage.com
The role was previously reported as being played by Nicolas Cage. It had been previously unclear as to whether Aronofsky would direct. The film is set to shoot beginning in Jan. 2008.

Aronofsky has been denying association with numerous projects since the release of “The Fountain” this time in 2006.

These include a fast-tracked thriller set in the world ballet (“Black Swan”), a biopic on boxer Mickey Ward (“The Fighter”) and a Noah’s Ark epic (which Aronofsky himself is writing). The shoot date fits with recent comments Aronofsky made on his blog.

“[N]othing you’ve seen online or anywhere is accurate,” Aronofsky wrote on Oct. 1. He added that the real and then-unannounced project would shoot in Jan. 2008.

“The Fighter” seemed most likely next as it was set to star Mark Wahlberg and Brad Pitt. The film was originally to reunite Wahlberg with his “Departed” co-star Matt Damon until Pitt replaced Damon.

This was viewed odd at the time of the announcement since Pitt dropping out of “The Fountain” in 2002 led to a production delay of three years.

Rourke, whose career has been recently revived since “Sin City,” spent the early 1990s returning to his teenage career of boxing. Did you know, according to Wikipedia, he was originally offered Bruce Willis’ role in “Pulp Fiction” and was edited out of “The Thin Red Line”?

Space… A Confusing Frontier: Just when we asked for more clarification on J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” reboot, IESB has published a lengthy, spoiler-filled rumor to answer the question.

While the report emphasizes spoilers, it’s relatively tame information that will probably be featured in a first full-length trailer. (I don’t mean the other rumored teaser, which will allegedly show the Enterprise being built.)

The rumors do sound interesting. Read on to see how and if the 11th “Star Trek” connects to the greats of the series, from the best movie (“The Wrath of Khan”) to the best Original Series episode (“The City on the Edge of Forever”).

Update: AICN has an angry email response from “City’s” teleplay author, Harlan Ellison.

‘Thomas Crown 2’ Now to Feature Boobs, Jesus Imagery: Paul Verhoeven told a Dutch radio program he will direct a sequel to John McTiernan’s “The Thomas Crown Affair,” which itself is a remake of Norman Jewison’s 1968 version.

Paul Verhoeven
Photo credit: Columbia Pictures
According to this translation, “The Topkapi Affair” will combine elements of Eric Ambler’s novel (“The Light of Day”) and its earlier film adaptation. The almost confirmed casting has Angelina Jolie co-starring.

While the original remake was fine, this is sad considering Verhoeven’s recent pledge to get out of Hollywood filmmaking.

He was supposed to shoot another Dutch film (“Kneeling on a Bed of Violets”) in 2007. His last film (“Black Book”) is still in my top five of films released in 2007. It’d be nice if McTiernan himself would direct this if he weren’t so tied up going to jail.

By Shane Hazen
Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com