DAN’S MOVIE DIGEST 159

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Dan Owen reviews

DAN’S MOVIE DIGEST
I s s u e # 1 5 90 8 F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 6

CoverMOVIE NEWS INDIANA JONES 4Virginia Madsen (Sideways) (right) so impressed co-star Harrison Ford in newthriller Firewall that she’s now the frontrunner to play his love interestin the fourth Indiana Jones adventure. Madsen plays Ford’s wife in the new movie andadmits they both found an unusual chemistry on set – after the ageing actionman handpicked her for the role.

Ford: “She was an absolute delight – professional, very talented and simply,very sweet. She also took what could have been a fairly one-dimensionaldamsel in distress role and added so many layers to it – there isn’t manywho could do that. I’d work with her again in a heartbeat. I’m actuallyhoping she’ll come over for Indiana Jones. We’ve talked about it.”

HARRY POTTER & THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIXThe ‘BBC’ have announced casting news on the upcoming Harry Potter & TheOrder Of The Phoenix. Luna Lovegood will be played by unknown child actressEvanna Lynch (who beat 15,000 girls to nab the part), Nymphadora Tonks, theshape-shifting witch, will be played by Natalia Ten, Professor Umbridge, theincredibly evil Ministry teacher, will be played by Imelda Staunton (asrumoured), Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort’s Death Eaters, will beplayed by Helen McCrory. Finally, the role of Mrs. Figg, Harry’s next doorneighbor, has been given to Kathryn Hunter. THE WATER HORSE’Walden Media’, ‘Beacon Pictures’ and ‘Revolution Studios’ are teaming toproduce a Narnia-scale film based on children’s fantasy novel The WaterHorse, by British author Dick King-Smith. ‘Variety’ says Robert Nelson Jacobs willwrite the live-action/CGI movie and Jay Russell will direct. Production isexpected to begin in May in New Zealand.

The Water Horse tells the story of a lonely boy in Scotland who finds amysterious egg from which hatches a “water horse” – a mythical sea monsterof Scottish legend.

Russell, who has been pursuing this project for five years, said that thetone and look of the film will be more realistic than fantastical. Thespecial effects will be done by ‘Weta Digital’ and ‘Weta Workshop’, which mostrecently created the visual effects in King Kong.

CoverTRAILERS

Basic Instinct II – Risk Addiction – Trailer 1(click here for trailer)

Will Sharon Stone be uncrossing her legs again?
One can hope.

This has the smell of last-ditch career resuscitation attempt to me.
Me, too. Sharon Stone was an iconic femme fatale in the early-90’s, butcould never get past THAT scene in Paul Verhoeven’s original thriller.However, let’s not forget she was very good in Casino, the best thing in the recentCatwoman, and also very watchable in Broken Flowers.

So why, Sharon – WHY?
Money? Who knows? Anyway, Stone is back as serial-killer/serial-humperCatherine Tremmel. The ice-pick wielding dangerous blonde.

Does this look any good?
Um, not really. The title has “straight to video” plastered all over it, andwithout Stone in the title role I’m guessing this is where this movie wouldhave been headed. Still, it’s set in the UK and finds Tremmel up to her oldtricks. Cue lots of shagging and blood.

PG?
No, no. The trailer is incredibly naff, but quite daring in the amount ofsex and nudity it shows.

That’s obviously the ONLY selling point.
Probably. Still, the trailer’s worth downloading for the gratuitous shots ofStone, if nothing else. Oh, and David Morrissey’s in it.

The bloke of BBC drama Blackpool?
I know. Bizarre casting of the year. He’s obviously hoping to raise hisworldwide profile.

Let’s hope, for his sake, it doesn’t scupper his entire career then. Lastthoughts…
1992 didn’t have freeze-framable Quicktime like we have now. Just how DID weget by back then?

CoverNacho Libre – Internet Exclusive Trailer(click here for trailer)

What-the-what?
Nacho Libre. It’s a sports comedy from Jack Black.

And the sport being?
Mexican wrestling!

Ah, of course. Who’s responsible.
Jared Hess.

Uh?
The bloke who directed Napoleon Dynamite.

Does he like strange titles?
Must do. Anyway, this looks like a pretty amusing movie. Nothinglaugh-out-loud in here, but there are some nice sequences and Black looks tobe on good form with his bizarre Mexican accent. Very similar to Dynamite instyle, and definitely fairly unique. Could be one to watch as a surprisehit.

Or one just destined for DVD greatness later in the year.
Perhaps….

CoverUS TOP 10 (CINEMA)

All figures are weekend box-office gross.

  • 1. When a Stranger Calls ($21.6m)
  • 2. Big Momma’s House 2 ($13.6m)
  • 3. Nanny McPhee ($9.80m)
  • 4. Brokeback Mountain ($6.00m)
  • 5. Hoodwinked ($5.31m)
  • 6. Underworld: Evolution ($5.30m)
  • 7. Something New ($4.88m)
  • 8. Annapolis ($3.42m)
  • 9. Walk the Line ($3.29m) (total to date: $111m)
  • 10. The Chronicles of Narnia ($3.07m)

UK TOP 10 (CINEMA)

  • 1. Zathura: A Space Adventure (£1.31m)
  • 2. Walk the Line (£1.11m)
  • 3. Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) (£0.90m)
  • 4. Munich (£0.87m)
  • 5. Derailed (£0.69m)
  • 6. Brokeback Mountain (£0.57m)
  • 7. Rumour Has It (£0.53m)
  • 8. Memoirs of a Geisha (£0.47m)
  • 9. The Chronicles of Narnia (£0.31m)
  • 10. Underworld: Evolution (£0.26m)

Cover** IN THE PIPELINE **

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

  • 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

Page Content copyright © Dan Owen, 2006.

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