News of the Week (21/11/12) – Star Wars, Spider-Man…. Pinocchio?!

Blah blah.. Disney… blah blah… Star Wars. Exactly. With Michael Arndt currently writing Episode VII it has now been announced who will write Episodes VIII and IX, clearly Disney is expecting big things from their newest franchise. Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are the two people chosen to write the next sequels but it is unclear who will write which one as of yet. These are very good choices as Kasdan has previous with the Star Wars series (so why wasn’t he chosen to write Episode VII?) as he wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. simon Kinberg also has experience with blockbusters, he has written Sherlock Holmes and is currently writing Days of Future Past, the sequel to X-Men: First Class. However, Kinberg has previously had writing credits on Mr & Mrs Smith, Jumper and X-Men: The Last Stand, not such a good choice after all?

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is picking up the pace now. We know that Jamie Foxx is in the running to play the villain and probably will do so but now we know that Harry Osborn will feature in the film and several actors are being auditioned. Those in the running include Dane DeHaan (Chronicle), Sam Claflin (Snow White and the Huntsman), Eddie Redmayne (My Week With Marilyn) and Boyd Holbrook (Milk). If it was up to me I would be snapping up Sam Claflin to play the past as soon as I could. Claflin is a British actor that I have seen a lot of (Pillars of the Earth, United, Snow White and the Huntsman) and has also landed himself roles in other big blockbusters such as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It is clear he is going to have a great career and I really would love to see him emulate James Franco in this role.

Claflin gets the thumbs up from me to play Harry Osborn.

Scoot McNairy is getting around a lot in Hollywood at the minute. As soon as I first saw him in Monsters I was a fan, he is a very good actor and deserves all the success that comes his way. This year he has starred in Killing Them Softly with Brad Pitt and Argo with Ben Affleck. This week, McNairy has been cast in two more films. These are The Rover, an “existential western” set in the “near future” starring Robert Pattinson and Guy Pearce; the other is Frank alongside Michael Fassbender. Scoot McNairy is fast becoming one of my favourite actors! (expect a blog all about him in the next week or so).

Finally, Pinocchio. The classic tale of a carpenter who makes a puppet that turns into a real boy. The story has been done several times, most famously by Disney and probably most recently on television show Once Upon A Time. For months and months this project has been in the works with two names attached to team up to make it happen and they are, arguably, ideal for the job. the two in question are director Tim Burton and (no, not Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter) the brilliant Robert Downey Jr, who would play Geppetto! The film has been on and off more than Ross and Rachel in Friends (can you believe its 10 years since that finished? I can’t!) but now a writer has been hired to produce a script. And that writer is Jane Goldman, the woman behind such hits as Stardust, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class and The Woman in Black. Good times!

The Woman in Black is Getting a Sequel… What!?

Over the past week there has been a flurry of pointless sequels being announced. Is it any coincidence that the announcements have come at the same time as the cinema release of Wrath of the Titans, a pointless sequel in itself? I don’t think so. First, it was announced that Twins would be getting a sequel called Triplets, where Eddie Murphy plays long lost brother of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito, seriously. The news of Dumb and Dumber 2 followed starring Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels. And now The Woman in Black is getting a sequel and I could not be more furious.

The Woman in Black was a grand return to cinemas for Hammer and became the highest grossing British horror film for twenty years. It received mixed to positive responses from critics and I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it to be very entertaining. But it does not need a sequel! For anyone that has seen the film they will know that the story is rounded off nicely at the end and everything is tied up.

I think that with the announcement of The Woman in Black: Angels of Death, as the follow up is to be called, is proof that it does not matter whether a film NEEDS a sequel or not, if it is a commercial success you are practically guaranteed another film. And because The Woman in Black does not need a sequel there is a high probability that the quality of a second film will be significantly lower than the original. The Woman in Black is one of my favourite stories of all time and I do not want to see it ruined with a needless sequel made just for financial gain.

Obviously, Daniel Radcliffe will not be reprising his role. Angels of Death takes place forty years after the events of The Woman in Black and will follow a couple and their experience upon encountering Eel Marsh House, the house which the woman in black haunted in the original film.

Whether the sequel turns out to be good or not, it is still pointless!

The Cabin in the Woods Trailer

UK Release Date: 13th April 2012.

The Cabin in the Woods has had several setbacks during production. It was firstly delayed because the studio (MGM) were hoping to convert it into 3D before it was delayed further because of MGM’s financial difficulties which jeopardised a lot of their projects at the time, including the upcoming James Bond film. But in April this year, it is finally getting its public release.

The Cabin in the Woods features five friends who go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods where they get more than they bargained for. Together, they must discover the truth behind the cabin. It’s a pretty basic horror premise and a formula no doubt familiar to many movie goers but there is a lot of hype around this movie.

It was co-written and produced by Joss Whedon, the man who has been given the huge task of bringing The Avengers to the big screen and making it look good. So many fans will be basing their expectations of The Avengers on this film. It also features actors that Whedon has worked with before: Amy Acker (Dollhouse, Angel), Fran Kranz (Dollhouse), Tom Lenk (Buffy, Angel) and Chris Hemsworth (who will be starring in The Avengers as the Mighty Thor). So hopefully Whedon brings out the best in his performers.

The trailer for The Cabin in the Woods is your pretty basic horror trailer; starts peacefully, a creepy warning from an older person, then they start to realise something is wrong, and then all hell breaks loose and the characters have to run for their lives or fight back. It has its light hearted moments in the trailer and is a pretty dark trailer (in terms of lighting) to add to the frightening feel. With all the rubbish horror films being released in modern times it is a risk but the success of The Woman in Black earlier this year could mean horror is coming back.

The Woman In Black Review

 

***WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***

The Woman in Black is a story I have known for years. In school I read the book and went to see the stage adaptation, which to this day remains one of the best experiences of my life. Since it was announced I have been looking forward to seeing the movie adaptation of one of my favourite stories, throw in the fact that Daniel Radcliffe was playing the lead character and my excitement levels go through the roof. Today, I went to see The Woman in Black and it did not disappoint.

Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) is struggling in his life. His wife died giving birth to their son, Joseph, and he is now facing financial problems as well as being under pressure from his employers. Arthur is sent away to the North East of England to deal with the deceased Alice Drablow’s estate, Eel Marsh House, a task which the locals seem concerned with when Arthur arrives and they all instantly want him to return to London. Whilst dealing with all of the paperwork at the Drablow estate Arthur begins to have visions of ‘The Woman in Black’ and strange things begin to happen in the house, along with children committing suicide in the local village. Despite the villagers insisting that Arthur leave, he takes it upon himself to solve this mystery and try to put an end to the haunting events that plague this place.

It is a great ghost story, in my opinion, and one that needs to be passed down through generations. This film does a great job of staying authentic to the book and putting across a very creepy and chilling tale. Radcliffe portrays Arthur Kipps brilliantly as a terrified man being scared half to death by the strange goings on at Eel Marsh House, but then again, if I’d spent seven years on the run from Voldemort I’d be able to pull off being scared pretty convincingly too. He really does come of age with this film as he tries to be taken seriously as an actor away from the Harry Potter franchise, although I still have trouble believing him as a father, unfortunately.

The way the film is shot is terrific so credit to James Watkins who directed the film. There are lots of moments in the film that will make the audience jump and maybe even scream, but it is bound to be an enjoyable experience. Sometimes it feels as if there is a lot of effort put in to making the audience jump too much in a short space of time but I felt that there were long pauses where nothing scary, as such, would happen and so on balance the film carries itself very well. The second act in particular is very impressive.

The climax of the film does feel slightly rushed in places, although very satisfying. The very end, with Arthur being reunited with his wife as the Woman in Black watches on is sure to bring on some debate. Has she stopped killing the children of the village or hasn’t she? Is killing Joseph and Arthur her way of saying thank you to Arthur? Is it a sort of ‘you reunited me with my family so I shall do the same for you’ kind of thing? All audience members will have their own different interpretations of the ending but there is one thing we should all agree on. This film is great.

My Rating: 7/10.