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Would you see these movies?
Tell me: Would this poster make you want to see the movie it’s trying to sell?
That poster advertises The Invasion, the third remake of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. For those of you unfamiliar with Invasion lore, the basic premise is that an alien race walks among us, posing as us. If we fall asleep, we cease to exist and become one of them. The Nicole Kidman-Daniel Craig pic comes out this Friday.
You’d hardly be able to tell, though, based on the scarcity and vagueness of the ads. Warner Bros. doesn’t seem all that intent on letting people know this movie’s coming out, which is rather incredible for a movie of this scope. It’s also not being screened for critics here - almost always a bad sign that is, alas, becoming more and more prevalent.
But then, this is one of those infamous “troubled” projects. The credited director is Oliver Hirschbiegel, who made the acclaimed drama Downfall, about the last days of Hitler. Somewhere along the line, relations reportedly soured between Hirschbiegel and the producers, who brought in the Wachowski Brothers’ right-hand man, James McTiegue (V for Vendetta), to helm extensive reshoots.
Not a bad pedigree, but even so, buzz abounds that the movie didn’t turn out so great anyway, with WB basically dumping it and hoping for the best. This bears all the hallmarks of last year’s The Wicker Man, which by all accounts, was a disaster on all fronts. And what do you know - that film was also a remake, and it was handled by Warner Bros. Double ouch.
All that said, I’m morbidly curious to see how it’s all turned out. It can’t be that bad … can it?
Oh well. I’m happy to report that much more promising fare is on the way. I just came across this trailer for Be Kind, Rewind, starring Jack Black and Mos Def. When a video store’s entire inventory of tapes is erased, (must be the early 90s) the duo make their own cheesy reenactments of Ghostbusters, The Lion King, Robocop, etc., which become cult hits. It’s absolutely priceless stuff, particularly their take on Driving Miss Daisy. Check it out.
What makes this even more fun is that the director is Michel Gondry, who made Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. He has just the right offbeat comic touch to make this strike gold. This is the movie of the “fall” season I am now most looking forward to seeing this year.
It’s due for limited release Dec. 21, which probably means it won’t get here until January, but at least then it will tie us over through the awful movies that come out in the dead of winter.
What do you all think of these films’ prospects?
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Coming Attractions
Comments
By Kim S.
August 14, 2007 10:43 AM | Link to this
I had already planned on watching “Be Kind - Rewind”. It should be a welcome addition to the usually dead January slate (won’t hit here til then either). As far as “The Invasion” - pass. Nothing about it looks interesting. It seems to me like Kidman can also call on part of her “Stepford” experience - just without emotion. Doesn’t work for me.By Derwood
August 13, 2007 5:52 PM | Link to this
I love sci-fi and especially the original Invastion of the Body Snatchers. The 1970’s version with Donald Sutherland and Leonard Nimoy was simply horrid, and I’m not holding much hope for this one either. Couldn’t they have found someone more believable than Nicole Kidman? Jack Black can be hit or miss depending on how much the director let him improvise. Hopefully, Gondry kept the reins tight. Personally, I can’t wait to see “Death at a Funeral” The trailers were absolutely hysterical.By Tony
August 13, 2007 2:44 PM | Link to this
I hadn’t heard of Be Kind, Rewind until now but it sounds like fun. I am still interested in seeing The Invasion simply because I like that kind of sci-fi junk. I, unlike everyone I know, liked the movie The Forgotten with Julianne Moore but I was also the only person who couldn’t tell from the trailer that aliens were the ‘bad guys’ … from the trailer I had no idea what was going on and wanted to watch the movie to find out.