Tag Archives: book

Book Review: “Sell Your Own Damn Movie!”

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Lloyd Kaufman of Troma's new book

Lloyd Kaufman is a name known to many lovers of film all over the world, mostly those with a penchant for the more fun and eccentric. You can like him or not, I’m sure many people don’t, but he’s here and I don’t really think he’s going anywhere. Since the mid-'70s he has been one of the faces behind Troma Entertainment, a film production and distribution company that takes the ideals of real independent filmmaking to heart. Not the “indie” films you see with a budget of a couple million dollars but those with a budget of $5000 - sometimes more, sometimes less. Over the past few years Lloyd has released a few books (like Make Your Own Damn Movie! or Direct Your Own Damn Movie!) in a series to help aspiring filmmakers to realize their dreams and make the best of a financially challenged situation. This low budget film school continues with his latest, Sell Your Own Damn Movie!, which tells you what to do with your masterpiece once everything is shot and edited. Continue reading →

Brad Pitt to star in WORLD WAR Z

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Max Brooks writer of World War Z

Great news and big strides for Max Brooks and his World War Z novel.  I have not finished reading this book but this book is written so so well, and its exciting to see such a cool concept not only become a successful book, but also make it to a film adaptation!  I am so excited that this is getting legs and running.

MTV news was able to speak with Max Brooks about his novel and about its highly anticipated silver screen adaption. See what they found out, after the jump.

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SGT. ROCK film moving forward…into the future

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Sgt. Rock

"Sgt. Rock" has been one of those DC comics that has been on the back burner to get the film treatment for some time now. The franchise is quite rich in potential, but for some reason, no one has been able to get the ball rolling. Producer Joel Silver (the MATRIX trilogy and just about every other movie ever) has been the one man that has refused to give up on this comic-to-film adaptation. He has hired writers aplenty to get the story right (Brian Helgeland, John Milius, David Peoples, Jeffrey Boam, Steven De Souza, John Cox, Danny Bilson, and Paul De Meo.) You would think one of those guys would be able to configure a working screen formula, but instead, they all failed at giving the studio what they desired.

Well, after all these years of tirelessly striving to get this film going, it looks like Silver has found his light at the end of the tunnel, or his silver lining on the cloud, if you will. Continue reading →

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY producers kept busy

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We recently hosted a screening of the buzz-worthy horror film, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. This film is quickly doing for ghosts what THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT did for witches. The documentary style adds a great amount of realism to the story, leaving audiences trembling when they get back home to their dark houses. If you don't believe me that this movie scares, then check out what our viewers had to say about the screening HERE.

So, now that PARANORMAL ACTIVITY is quickly shaping up to be a hit, what is to become of the brilliant folks behind the film? Well, for starters, director Oren Peli is already fast at work on “an original, found-video thriller called AREA 51.” This project sounds extremely promising (you can read more about it HERE). Now word has come out that two of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY's producers, Jason Blum and Steven Schneider, are busy trying to sell a spec script, written by Carey Malloy, titled THE JEALOUS ONE. Continue reading →

Stephenie Meyer’s THE HOST getting the film treatment

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Stephenie Meyer is quite beloved around the world, being the author and brains behind one of the most successful vampiric franchises of all time, TWILIGHT. Her first TWILIGHT film adaptation made $383,520,177 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. The second film in the series, NEW MOON, is hitting theaters November 20, and my intuition tells me this one will fare even better. So with Stephenie Meyer adaptations kicking butt and taking names at the box office, what is her next move? Well, it looks like she is now turning to her adult-oriented novel THE HOST. Continue reading →

Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden to write and direct IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY

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Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden are a phenomenal writing and directing team that tend to write and direct films that tell real and haunting stories (their previous credits include HALF NELSON and SUGAR). As Chase told us back in June, their next project to tackle will be an adaptation of the young adult novel, IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY, written by Ned Vizzini. This adaptation has now acquired an $8 million budget, which is in the same range as Fleck and Boden's previously small budgets. Continue reading →

First look at THE DAWN TREADER

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THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER has gone through quite a journey, bouncing around studios, until finally finding a home at 20th Century Fox. Well, now we have visible proof that the project is under way. In these pictures, you will see portions of the famed boat, the Dawn Treader, that Lucy and Edmund will venture out upon in the third NARNIA installment. In case you haven't read the literary classics, here is what THE DAWN TREADER is all about, according to the film's IMDb page:

"Lucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace where they meet up with Prince Caspian for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world."

I have personally been torn when it comes to the NARNIA films. I love the books, the brilliant metaphors, and consider C.S. Lewis one of the greatest authors of all time, but I feel like the films have somewhat held back. I hope the franchise's new home, Fox, will step up and deliver the type of visual grandeur the material demands. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER has a speculative release date of December 10, 2010 for now.

Source Narnia Fans

Another Dr. Seuss adaptation coming our way…in 3-D

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The Lorax book cover

Dr. Seuss' books are an essential building block in everyone's childhood. They are wonderful, colorful, and intriguing stories that often come with morals. They are also a fantastic source for Hollywood to turn into films for a sure Blockbuster. I actually have no problem with this, as two-thirds of the Seuss adaptations have been good (I enjoyed THE GRINCH and HORTON HEARS A WHO, let's try and forget THE CAT IN THE HAT).

Currently, it looks like the story, THE LORAX, will be getting the big screen treatment next in 3-D CG. Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment have purchased the rights to the book, and Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio are already busy banging out the script. For those of you that might have forgotten the environment-friendly storyline, here's a story summary from bookrags.com.

"The tale chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax (a 'mossy, bossy' man-like creature), who speaks for the trees against the greedy Once-ler."

In other words, the story is a classic good-versus-evil tale with the tree-hugging Lorax representing the good, and the money-loving Onceler, who desires to chop down the forest, the evil. This book is definitely the most controversial among Dr. Seuss' books, spurring banning in some schools for its explicit "anti-forestry industry" agenda. It even provoked "the creation of a book called The Truax, offering a logging-friendly perspective to an anthropomorphic tree known as the Guardbark." So this movie project could be quite interesting, considering its controversial material and the current political atmosphere. I hope this film is able to present a fun, but insightful, story that causes us all to rethink our actions. I pray it does not become a politically-charged agenda of a film that wags its finger in faces. I guess we will just have to wait and see. THE LORAX is hoping to be finished in time for a March 2, 2012 theatrical release.

Source Coming Soon

First look at HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

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DreamWorks Animation has brought the world ogres in SHREK, butt-kicking wildlife in KUNG FU PANDA, and now mythical Viking adventures in HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. This picture is our first look at the project which, after KUNG FU PANDA, has high expectations surrounding it on all sides. According to the official website that can be found HERE, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is:

"An adventure comedy set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, based on the book by Cressida Crowell. The story centers around a Viking teenager, who lives on the island of Berk, where fighting dragons is a way of life. Initiation is coming, and this is his one chance to prove his worthiness to his tribe and father. But when he encounters, and ultimately befriends, an injured dragon, his world is turned upside down."

This movie sounds like a lot of fun, just like the protagonist's name - Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is set for theatrical release March 26, 2010.

Source Cinema Blend

Dan Gordon takes on THE KING OF STING

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110308 Craig Glazer - The King of Sting

I love stories about con men. I love them even more when they are based on a true story, like the great CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. Well, it looks like another con man movie is in the works, and this one sounds like a definite winner. Dan Gordon (THE HURRICANE, and the fantastic SURF NINJAS) is already busy at work penning the screenplay for this project, based upon Craig Glazer's life and the book he wrote chronicling it, THE KING OF STING. Here is the synopsis (lacking the spoiler ending) that Barnes & Noble gives for this book:

"No one could have predicted that a petty crime against Craig Glazer would be the catalyst for a life on the edge. But then again, nothing about Craig Glazer was predictable. A skinny Jewish kid from Kansas City, Glazer was attending Arizona State University when he was robbed while buying marijuana for his fraternity brothers. His head filled with lessons in crime and criminals learned from the movies, Craig decided to get even with the dealers who robbed him. He set up his first fake 'sting,' pretending to be law enforcement. Unbelievably, his plan worked, and it set him on a path that was as unlikely as it was dangerous.

He masterminded a two-year spree of stings that stretched from Boston, Chicago, and Cleveland to Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Posing as everything from local police to IRS agents to hotel managers, he and his crew set up cons and raked in a fortune. Craig and partner Donald Woodbeck had such success that the Attorney General's office asked them for help ferreting out some of the most sought-after drug lords in the country. It was a dangerous double life."

This story sounds like the makings of a riveting movie that is as intelligent as it is funny. This is exactly the kind of movie we need more of. I hope this project picks up momentum with a great cast and filmmaking team. I will definitely keep all of you updated on this project as more continues to develop.

Source Comingsoon