Nightmare On Elm Street To Be Rebooted Again
Following a poorly received reboot attempt in 2010, New Line is determined to have yet another go at reviving the iconic Nightmare on Elm Street horror franchise. The most recent film saw Jackie Earle Haley replacing original star Robert Englund as claw handed monster Freddy Krueger. It’s unclear yet who would be expected to terrorize audiences in the new film.
David Leslie Johnson is attached to write the script for the new version, facing the difficult challenge of finding a way to somehow ’re-imagine’ the franchise after nine films. The 2010 reboot made considerable changes to backstory of Freddy, but as with most of the film it failed to find much favour with long time fans of the franchise.
David Leslie Johnson is rapidly becoming a popular choice for breathing new and hopefully lucrative life into familiar series. He’s also just been attached to trying to revive Dungeons & Dragons on the big screen, 15 years after the disastrous first effort to bring the popular 80s board game onto the big screen.
Till then check an interviews with Robert Englund below:
Colin Farrell Joins Harry Potter Spin Off
Colin Farrell is set to join Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller and Eddie Redmayne in the cast of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter pre-quel Fantastic Beast and Where To Find Them.
Oscar winning star Redmayne is playing lead Newt Scamander, on a quest to document the magical creatures known to the world’s secret community of Witches and Wizards. Farrell will reportedly play a character called Graves, one of the wizards which Scamander encounters on his travels.
J.K. Rowling is personally adapting the screenplay which will allow Warner Bros to make another billion dollars from movie tickets and wand sales.
Zach Galligan Talks Gremlins 3 Sequel
Talking to Red Carpet News at the Showmasters London Film and Comic Con 2015, Gremlins star Zach Galligan gave his enthusiastic reaction to the increasing likelihood of a third Gremlins film.
Writer Chris Columbus has been hinting that a planned new Gremlins film would possibly feature returning characters as opposed to being merely a modern remake of the first film. Zach Galligan who played human hero Billy Peltzer in the fist two films thinks that opens the door for a full on sequel and a Gremlins 3 and he has some pretty interesting ideas about what kind of film it could be.
Galligan suggests that the new Gremlins film he would want to see would be an all out action film, taking inspiration from some of the previous films most memorable scenes. Like exploding a Gremlin filled movie theatre , using the Peltzer family sword to decapitate another and the chainsaw wielding finale in the first film.
Galligan’s most interesting suggestion is that the Gremlins might have an additional metamorphosis. So that having already turned from cuddly Mogwai into vicious Gremlins, the mischievous movie monsters would turn into something even more deadly that audiences haven’t seen yet. It’s a fun idea and would provide an obvious opportunity to showcase the vast improvement in special effects since the last sequel.
Galligan also points to the recent success of Jurrasic World as an example of how the beloved franchise could be successfully updated whilst building respectfully on the legacy of the previous two cult classics.
Check out the interview clip below and see our other videos from much more coverage of this year’s LFCC.
Pixels Review
The Plot
When an alien race misinterprets old video games as a declaration of intergalactic war, they decide to obligingly attack in the form of Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and other retro arcade classics. It’s up to the President (Kevin James), and his old gaming buddy (Adam Sandler) to save the world…
The Good
Inspired by Patrick Jean’s incredibly inventive short film of the same name, Pixels adds a story to the novel idea along with some upgraded visual effects. While it’s inspiration was a mere two and a half minutes, the feature length version of course provides much more room to play. While there are problems aplenty with Pixels, the joy of seeing old arcade games brought to life is still there. At least at first.
The Bad
The joy of the film’s novel premise is sadly cut short by an utterly ridiculous storyline and characters. Any film which has Kevin James as its on screen President has obviously already abandoned any hope of ever being taken seriously. Though unashamedly set up as fun goofy comedy, Pixels plot strays from goofy to ghastly far too easily.There are far too many examples, but the most frustrating is how little the peril of planetary destruction seems to trouble the films hapless heroes. It’s a fairly obnoxious choice to prepare for the next wave of pixelated attacks merely by organizing a elaborate parties. Particularly when they’re merely being used as a heavy handed excuse to force Frozen star Josh Gad to sing.
As with every Sandler comedy Pixel showcases a random assortment of cameos from people who really are talented and recognizable enough that they should know better. An opening out of place scene with Dan Aykroyd makes more sense once his vodka company starts getting prominent product placement. Likewise Sean Bean make an appearance, though always a welcome sight the film squanders such an obvious opportunity to poke fun at his infamous back catalog of on screen deaths.
Meanwhile the film treats it’s female characters simply atrociously. Jane Krakowski is given just a few brief scenes as First Lady to James’ President, with her role clearly having been pruned down to the very bare minimum. Leading lady Michelle Monaghan gets more screen time, but sadly it’s not always welcomed attention. The film literally takes a break from the action at one point to remind audiences that now she’s in a pretty green dress it’s officially time to ogle her. It’s not the first or last time an action comedy takes advantage of this kind of cliched gag at it’s heroine’s expense, but it’s hardly helping Sandler’s cause given his recent criticism for sexist casting calls and poor taste material.
Coherent logic is also a huge issue for a film, especially as it’s already struggling with an outlandish concept. In one scene a pixelated character becomes flesh and blood with no explanation as to exactly why this happens with only one of the thousands of pixelated invaders. When you’re already asking audiences to suspend disbelief a lot, it’s unwise to throw even more unanswered questions at them.
If you want a film that celebrates 80s video game nostalgia, Pixels serves as the anti-Wreck-It Ralph. Hearing Q Bert speaking english in Pixels is a big clue that of the two films in which the adorable orange character stars, this is the bad one.
The Ugly Truth
While it’s certainly an interesting concept, considerable issues with the character and story make Pixels extremely hard to completely enjoy. Pixar’s playful Wreck-It Ralph offered a more faithful and enjoyable tribute to arcade classics. If you watch the original Pixels short you’ll have more fun and waste less time.
Review by Johnny Ellis
Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation Review
The Plot
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is back in his most impossible mission yet. When the IMF is disbanded, Ethan goes rogue to take down the Syndicate – a secret organisation that is dedicated to creating a new world order through a series of terrorist attacks.
The Good
Now in its fifth instalment, the Mission Impossible franchise seems intent on becoming America’s answer to the Bond series. With a thrilling opening sequence which begs to be seen on the biggest screen possible, Rogue Nation moves swiftly onto a storyline which has so many twists and turns in it that it’s impossible to even try to figure it out early.
Sean Harris is exceptionally terrifying as the main villain this time, approaching the high standards of menacing villainy set by Philip Seymour Hoffman in M:I III. Also joining the franchise is Alec Baldwin as CIA head Alan Hunley, the man responsible for the downfall of the IMF and a villain in his own right.
While Tom Cruise is perpetually the main star of the franchise, Simon Pegg is slowly moving up the ranks and is almost equal billing with Cruise this time around. Benji is becoming more and more the Robin to Ethan Hunts Batman. It wouldn’t be surprising if he ends up taking over the headline act in the near future.
The Bad
While Sean Harris definitely has an aura of evil about him as the mysterious Soloman Lane, his voice somewhat diminishes this. The first glimpses of his character work well, but when his nasal British accent finally creeps in, his terrifying presence begins to wane.
Pegg meanwhile still struggles to completely move past his comic relief persona, making it hard at times to forget that implausibly the Shaun of the Dead actor is now a legitimate action star. After three Mission: Impossible films and two Star Trek adventures, his bemused face still feels an unlikely fit for an actual action hero.
Pegg isn’t the only comedy distraction this time. Though undoubtedly unintentional, Cruise and Harris have one particularly silly exchange which feels plucked from a spy movie spoof. Each continues to try and outwit the other with a ‘I knew you’d do that so I did THIS!’ back and forth. And back again. And forth again.
Perhaps it was also a bad idea to kick the film off with the much trailed set piece in which Cruise hangs off the outside of a plane. Starting off so strongly inevitably means that the set pieces that follow all feel somewhat underwhelming by comparison.
The Ugly Truth
The Mission: Impossible franchise isn’t going away any time soon, with plans already in place for a 6th film. A well-honed formula of show stopping stunts and spy games is gradually turning IMF Agent Ethan Hunt into an American James Bond, in spite of Cruise’s generally waning star power.
Rogue Nation is a worthy addition to the ever growing franchise, offering spectacular moments in spite of some general flaws. Room to improve next time…
Review by Johnny Ellis