DAN'S MOVIE DIGEST 158 - DVDfever.co.uk

Dan Owen reviews

DAN’S MOVIE DIGEST
I s s u e # 1 5 80 3 F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 6

Movie News
Academy Award Nominations
US & UK Top cinema listings
In the Pipeline

Cover MOVIE NEWS SCREAM 4Writer-director Wes Craven has spoken about the possibilty of a fourthScream movie recently, saying: “I had lunch with Neve Campbell (right) a month and ahalf ago and she said she had been approached about a fourth Scream. Rightnow I think she would do it.”

But Craven isn’t so keen himself on the possibility of returning to thehorror franchise that reignited his career in the mid-90’s, saying: “It’dhave to be a situation where the gig and the money were right. Then I wouldhave to have complete control of the film because it just got a little toonutty over there at ‘Miramax’ for me. I think there’s a burnout factor withthat company. As much as I was a fan of their daring, their love of film andeverything else, everybody who works there is like, ‘Let me out of here!’ Itjust gets a little bit too crazy.”

But is original writer Kevin Williamson involved? According to Craven – “Idon’t know. I’m just not in that loop anymore, and I’m not making any effortto be in that loop. I heard about it from Neve and she asked me if I wasgoing to do it and I said I knew nothing about it.”

ALIEN VS PREDATOR 2Tom Rothman, Head of ‘Fox’, has given credence to rumours of a sequel to2004’s surprise hitAlien Vs Predator,saying: “… I think they just gotthe script, they just got the script in… we are making that movie, it’sgonna be kick ass. We’re hoping for August of 2007 release. That’s what wehope.” BATMAN BEGINS 2Brit actor Paul Bettany has his first villainous roles in upcoming moviesThe Da Vinci Code and Firewall, and is therefore strongly rumoured as acontender for The Joker in the next Batman movie.

Bettany told ‘ComingSoon.net’ that: “Nobody has rung me up officially andasked, ‘Would you like to be in it?’ I’m just wondering if my mother startedthe rumors.”

Director Christopher Nolan is returning to the franchise, after filming ThePrestige with Batman star Christian Bale.

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PAN’S LABYRINTHDirector Guillermo Del Toro alternates between Spanish language and Englishlanguage movies, and the upcoming Pan’s Labyrinth is in the former tongue.It comprises another of his spectacularly horror fairy tales, akin to TheDevil’s Backbone, and the one-sheet poster has been released (see right). INDIANA JONES 4The fourth Indiana Jones movie is still stuck in development hell, despiteoccassional claims that the movie will be goijg ahead very soon, andHarrison Ford is still getting older. The 63-year-old actor recentlycommented on ID4 again, saying: “I can’t tell you anything about IndianaJones, but I think you’ve just seen a film in which I perform physically toan extent [that will be] sufficient for Indiana Jones. The audience isthere. Everybody involved is anxious to make the film again.” CHRONICLES OF NARNIA – PRINCE CASPIANMoves are afoot at ‘Disney’ to start work on the prequel Narnia story PrinceCaspian, with director Andrew Adamson again understood to be involved. EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSERemember those Clint Eastwood comedies with Clyde the orangutan punchingrednecked idiots? Well, stand by for the remake starring none other than WWEwrestler The Rock…

Cover THE 78th ACADEMY AWARDS – NOMINATIONS & PREDICTIONS

1. Best Picture

Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, And Good Luck
Munich.

PREDICTION: I think Brokeback Mountain will win somehiw, although I’d loveto be proven wrong and see Munich grab the top prize as it’s by far thebetter film.

2. Best Actor

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow
Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
David Strathairn, Good Night, And Good Luck.

PREDICTION: The Academy seem to like impersonations (see last year’s Ray),so Joaquin Phoenix could scoop it – although I believe Philip SeymourHoffman deserves some recognition. If he wins, it would also mean his nextfilm would be the obligatory cash-in (Mission Impossible III) – a careertactic favoured by Jamie Foxx (Stealth), Charlize Theron (Aeon Flux) andHalle Berry (Catwoman).

3. Best Actress

Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice
Charlize Theron, North Country
Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line.

PREDICTION: Tricky. Somehow I can’t imagine a Desperate Housewife winning,and Charlize Theron seems like a nomination based on her newfound Oscarpedigree after Monster, so I’ll be controversial and go for KeiraKnightley. If she won it would certainly mean less Domino-like movies andwould cement her as a true Hollywood A-lister. Is the time right for her soearly in her career?

4. Supporting Actor

George Clooney, Syriana
Matt Dillon, Crash
Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man
Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
William Hurt, A History of Violence.

PREDICTION: Nice to see William Hurt in there, very unusual choice. I’d saythis could be Matt Dillon’s year.

5. Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, Junebug
Catherine Keener, Capote
Frances McDormand, North Country
Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain.

PREDICTION: It would be nice for Rachel Weisz to win, but something saysCatherine Keener to me. A very underrated and usually snubbed actress whodeserved her time in the spotlight.

6. Director

Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Bennett Miller, Capote
Paul Haggis, Crash
George Clooney, Good Night, And Good Luck.
Steven Spielberg, Munich.

PREDICTION: Hmmm, Spielberg hopefully. Clooney would be an amazing win givenhis relative inexperience, but I’ll go for Ang Lee.

7. Foreign Film

Don’t Tell, Italy
Joyeux Noel, France
Paradise Now, Palestine
Sophie Scholl – The Final Days, Germany
Tsotsi, South Africa

PREDICTION: Who knows… but Kung Fu Hustle at least is a recognized moviebeing nominated!

8. Adapted Screenplay

Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana, Brokeback Mountain
Dan Futterman, Capote
Jeffrey Caine, The Constant Gardener
Josh Olson, A History of Violence
Tony Kushner and Eric Roth, Munich.

PREDICTION: Surely it has to be Munich, right? Very tricky subject matter todo justice with.

9. Original Screenplay

Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco, Crash
George Clooney & Grant Heslov, Good Night, And Good Luck.
Woody Allen, Match Point
Noah Baumbach, The Squid And The Whale
Stephen Gaghan, Syriana.

PREDICTION: Interesting. Crash I’d say.

10. Animated Feature Film

Howl’s Moving Castle
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
Wallace & Gromit In The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit.

PREDICTION: All very fine animations, but W&G is by far the labour of loveand most entertaining film.

11. Art Direction

Good Night, And Good Luck
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
King Kong
Memoirs Of A Geisha
Pride & Prejudice.

PREDICTION: Tricky. Potter didn’t really do anything new compared to theprevious movies, Pride & Prejudice looked gorgeous but was quiteconventional… so I’ll go for King Kong as its 1930’s New York was sublime.

12. Cinematography

Batman Begins
Brokeback Mountain
Good Night, And Good Luck
Memoirs Of A Geisha
The New World.

PREDICTION: All very good and deserving, but The New World is the moreunique.

13. Sound Mixing

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe
King Kong
Memoirs Of A Geisha
Walk The Line
War Of The Worlds.

PREDICTION: WOTW or King Kong. I prefered the ape.

14. Sound Editing

King Kong
Memoirs of a Geisha
War of the Worlds

PREDICTION: Ditto.

15. Original Score

Brokeback Mountain, Gustavo Santaolalla
The Constant Gardener, Alberto Iglesias
Memoirs of a Geisha, John Williams
Munich, John Williams
Pride & Prejudice, Dario Marianelli.

PREDICTION: Law of averages says a Williams score, and I liked Munich.

16. Original Song

In the Deep from Crash, Kathleen Bird York and Michael Becker
It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp from Hustle & Flow, Jordan Houston, Cedric
Coleman and Paul Beauregard
Travelin’ Thru from Transamerica, Dolly Parton.

17. Costume

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Memoirs of a Geisha
Mrs. Henderson Presents
Pride & Prejudice
Walk the Line

PREDICTION: The Yanks love corsets. P&P should nab it.

18. Documentary Feature

Darwin’s Nightmare
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
March of the Penguins
Murderball
Street Fight

PREDICTION: Haha, if March Of The Penguins doesn’t win this I will watch SonOf Mask.

19. Documentary (short subject)

The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club
God Sleeps in Rwanda
The Mushroom Club
A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin.

20. Film Editing

Cinderella Man
The Constant Gardener
Crash
Munich
Walk the Line.

PREDICTION: Crash.

21. Makeup

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe
Cinderella Man
Star Wars: Episode III Revenge Of The Sith.

PREDICTION: To be honest, there’s more CGI in Star Wars than make-up… soNarnia to win!

22. Animated Short Film

Badgered
The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation
The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello
9
One Man Band

23. Live Action Short Film

Ausreisser (The Runaway)
Cashback
The Last Farm
Our Time Is Up
Six Shooter

24. Visual Effects

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe
King Kong
War of the Worlds.

PREDICTION: All very good. Narnia didn’t have consistency in effects work,whereas WOTW and King Kong did. Personally, I feel the work behind animatinga giant gorilla outweighs the relatively trivial alien tripod fx. But why noStar Wars?

Cover US TOP 10 (CINEMA)

All figures are weekend box-office gross.

1. Big Momma’s House 2 ($27.7m)

2. Nanny McPhee ($14.5m)

3. Underworld: Evolution ($11.4m)

4. Annapolis ($7.68m)

5. Hoodwinked ($7.48m)

6. Brokeback Mountain ($6.54m)

7. Glory Road ($5.35m)

8. Last Holiday ($4.80m)

9. The Chronicles of Narnia ($4.50m)

10. The Matador ($3.61m)

UK TOP 10 (CINEMA)

1. Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) (£1.38m)
2. Munich (£1.20m)
3. Rumour Has It (£0.81m)
4. Brokeback Mountain (£0.704m)
5. Memoirs of a Geisha (£0.700m)
6. The Chronicles of Narnia (£0.64m)
7. Underworld: Evolution (£0.59m)
8. Jarhead (£0.48m)
9. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (£0.42m)
10. Just Friends (£0.36m)

** IN THE PIPELINE **

All the following are U.K. release dates, and are subject to change.

3rd February 2006: The Ice Harvest, Zathura, Grizzly Man, North Country, Derailed
10th February 2006: Chicken Little, Big Momma’s House 2, Final Destination 3
17th February 2006: Feed, Casanova, Goodnight and Good Luck, Imagine Me & You, Aeon Flux
24th February 2006: Proof, Dave Movie, The Matadoor, Capote, The Fog (2005)
3rd March 2006: MorrorMask, Syriana, The Weather Man, Stay, Last Holiday, Manderley, Kidulthood
10th March 2006: Two for the Money, The Proposition, The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Transamerica
17th March 2006: Romance & Cigarettes, She’s The Man, V For Vendetta, Failure To Launch, The Pink Panther (2006)
24th March 2006: Tristan & Isolde, The Big White, Inside Man, Half Life, The Greatest Game Ever Played, Freedomland
31st March 2006: Slither, Shooting Dogs, Firewall, Yours Mine & Ours, Lemming, The White Countess

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Dom Robinson

Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.

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DAN’S MOVIE DIGEST 158

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