Darren’s Movie News 27/06/09

All the chatter about Michael Jackson has slightly overshadowed the death of another icon, Farrah Fawcett. I raise a glass to one of the real Charlie’s Angels.

Well, I saw Terminator Salvation at long last. It was alright - entertaining, with a lot of action without going overboard. It wasn’t too long and didn’t have any stupid empty emotional moments. In short, it was what Transformers 2 should have been. Yes, there were plot holes (a lot of them) and yes, Christian Bale was fairly useless i it, but it was fun and very watchable (if only for the excellent Sam Worthington). So…on to movie news…

• Depp’s new movie with Christian Bale, Public Enemies directed by Michael Mann is set to be one of the biggest hits of the Summer. While promoting it, Depp gave details of his next project with Tim Burton (who is still busy with Alice - go look at the lovely pictures). Dark Shadows was a 60′s TV show that featured ghosts, vampires, zombies, werewolves, parallel universes, time-shifting and a lot of bad acting. There’s no further details yet on what the Depp/Burton version will be about.

• I mentioned the new screen musical Burlesque before, but now the film about a sunset strip neo-burlesque club has it’s two female leads - Cher will play the club owner and Christina Aguilera will play the new young starlet.

• It was critically panned, but I quite liked Timothy Olyphant’s Hitman in 2007 and the box office taking of over $100million did too, so Fox have finally gotten around to hiring a writer for the sequel - Kyle Ward is no household name but with this, the upcoming Bruce Willis film Kane & Lynch and Michael Bay’s Fiasco Heights, he’s rapidly making a name for himself.

• It looks like the Facebook Movie is going ahead at full speed. The Social Network may have the great David Fincher at the helm - talks are at an advanced stage. It will be based on Ben Mezrich’s upcoming book The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal. Oh, and this is a good opportunity to mention that Culch.ie is now on Facebook - go become a fan…please…

• The Testament is looking to be the latest in a string of Grisham novels to make it to the big screen. He has just sold the rights to his 1999 best seller and it will join The Associate (starring Shia LaBeoff) and Playing for Pizza.

• The fantabulous Ryan Reynolds will star in Buried, playing a civilian who’s kidnapped in Iraq and awakens buried in a coffin in the desert, armed only with a cell phone, a candle and a knife. Fun fun fun.

• Zack Snyder says that Frank Miller is writing a follow up to 300. I would love to see Snyder bring the his beautiful and vicious Grecian world back to the big screen.

• Paul is the new sci-fi comedy written by and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, about two Brits travelling across America who meet a fugitive alien called Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen). Their production blog has been launched and if it is anything like the work the lads put into Hot Fuzz’s blog, it should be a lot of fun.

• And another website launch is M Night Shyamalan’s official site. Worth checking out. Different, as you would expect from M Night.

• Two great pieces on /Film: one looks at the racism inherent in Transformers 2 (it’s a compelling argument) and the other is about Frank Darabont’s labour of love, Fahrenheit 451. Go read!

And the many trailers:

• The Last Airbender

• 2012 - What The Day After Tomorrow and The Happening should have been?
  

• Zombieland

• Invention Of Lying

• The Box

• Halloween 2
  

• Amelia