New Films in Production

[Steven H]

In case there isn't enough depressing news out there, here's the current IMDB.com synopsis for the Seven Samurai remake:

A town in Northern Thailand recruits seven Blackwater-type paramilitary contractors from around the world to defend against an imminent attack.

Hooray! Hard to believe this isn't a joke.

[Cde.]

It is...isn't it?

And a remake of Suspiria is a terrible idea. Especially from David Gordon Green.

[Antoine Doinel]

In case there isn't enough depressing news out there, here's the current IMDB.com synopsis for the Seven Samurai remake:

A town in Northern Thailand recruits seven Blackwater-type paramilitary contractors from around the world to defend against an imminent attack.

Hooray! Hard to believe this isn't a joke.

This remake has been in various stages of pre-production for years and has consistently never gotten in front of cameras. I'll be very surprised if this out next year.

[Cosmic Bus]

Tran Anh Hung will be directing an adaptation of Murakami's Norwegian Wood for release in 2010.

Two (or three, if you count Murakami and this particular book seperately) of my favorites together! Very excited about the potential of this project. =D>

[domino harvey]

For as popular as he is with the hipster crowd, I'm surprised there aren't more Murakami adaptations-- though I guess Antonioni already adapted Sputnik Sweetheart over forty years ago eh WKW would seem to be a natural choice as they both indulge in a similar brand of romantic juvenilia

[aox]

Man's Fate

imdb synopsis:

Set in 1923 Shanghai, China during the Communist revolution, this is the story of the deep emotional bonds that develop between several Europeans.

career revival?

Anyone anticipating this or know any other information?

EDIT: I am assuming that this is an adaption and that this is the source material:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27s_Fate

[chaddoli]

I'm definitely anticipating this. I've only seen Heaven's Gate and The Deer Hunter, both of which I loved, but haven't gotten around to his other work. Given how huge the schism is between Heaven's Gate's actual quality to its reputation, I don't trust anyone about his subsequent works. Maybe this new film will give me motivation to check out Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Year of the Dragon, etc....

[Dylan]

Sounds interesting...and my God it's been a long time since he's made a film. Here's hoping Vilmos Zsigmond comes back as his DP.

[cdnchris]

Holy crap! Honestly, I thought Cimino was dead. And I don't mean that in some sarcastic way. I actually thought he was dead.

The only recent film of his I saw was Sunchaser, and I barely remember anything about it except I didn't care for it (and I did like Heaven's Gate) but I'm still very intrigued.

[mfunk9786]

I actually thought he was dead.

I did too, actually. Probably because whenever I think of The Deer Hunter I think two things - "poor John Cazale," and "poor Michael Cimino." And I guess those thoughts blurred together in my brain after a while.

[Dylan]

The only recent film of his I saw was Sunchaser, and I barely remember anything about it except I didn't care for it (and I did like Heaven's Gate) but I'm still very intrigued.

Sunchaser was his last feature film, in 1996. I haven't seen it, but I certainly haven't heard anything good about it, other than that it has beautiful cinematography (2.35:1, and apparently only available letterboxed on R2). The Deer Hunter, for me, is a perfect film, and while Heaven's Gate is a little too long (it could very easily lose an hour of its 3.5 hour running time, and all of it in the third act) a few scenes are as astonishing as anything ever put on film (the roller skate dance seguing into Huppert and Kristofferson's waltz is one of my five or ten favorite scenes from any film ever).

I haven't seen anything else he's done, but I've heard good things about Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, OK things about Year of the Dragon and bad things about everything else.

[MyNameCriterionForum]

I can't believe you guys haven't seen Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. One of the best "buddy" films of the 70s, but there's a lot more to it than just that. Sort of the missing link between Badlands and The Big Lebowski.

[Scharphedin2]

I have a great affection for Cimino's films, and I am very excited to read that he is finally going to direct again. The project very much sound like something he would do well.

I did not have a chance to see Sunchaser, but I did see the Cannes omnibus film Chacun son cinéma from yesteryear, for which Cimino directed a segment. Sadly, I would have to say that the segment was just short of being a true embarassment.

[whaleallright]

At one point Jia Zhangke was suggesting that he wanted to adapt this novel as well.

[flyonthewall2983]

I can't believe you guys haven't seen Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. One of the best "buddy" films of the 70s, but there's a lot more to it than just that. Sort of the missing link between Badlands and The Big Lebowski.

One of my favorite Eastwood performances, and one of my favorites period. Clint plays it cool as a cucumber throughout (in retrospect a very stark contrast to the cinematic image he had built for himself up to that point), the straight man to his younger partner's antics. It's tragic it never even attained the kind of cult status later directorial debuts did (Reservoir Dogs, Bottle Rocket and more recently Brick all come to mind).

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

At one point Jia Zhangke was suggesting that he wanted to adapt this novel as well.

...and I'd frankly rather see his take than Cimino's (which would probably keep Jia or anyone else from getting another adaptation off the ground for a good long while). But then Jia doesn't seem particularly starved for alternative projects.

News from the Korean Film Office on Hong Sang-soo's current exploits:

Director Hong Sang-soo is in production on his ninth feature film, tentatively titled You Don't Even Know (Jal al-ji-do mot-ha-myun-seo). The film, Hong's second to be shot in HD following his previous feature Night and Day, has an ultra-low budget of only US$100,000.

Hong is one of Korea's leading auteur directors, with many of his films screening at international festivals. Several of his films have been released in France and retrospectives of Hong's oeuvre have been organized in Toronto, San Francisco, Irvine, and Montreal, among other cities.

The new project stars Hong regulars, Kim Tae-woo (Woman is the Future of Man), Um Ji-won (A Tale of Cinema), and Go Hyun-jung (Woman on the Beach). Kim plays a film director invited to sit on the jury of the Jecheon International Music and Film Festival. There he meets an attractive programmer for the fest, played by Um. Later he visits Jeju Island to deliver a lecture and meets the wife of one of his colleagues, played by Go.

The film, produced by production shingle Jeonwonsa, is currently shooting in Jecheon, where the festival (a real-life event) takes place each August. The production then moves to Jeju where it will continue to shoot into September.

[Steven H]

Facebook... the movie.

[Antoine Doinel]

Wow, Aaron Sorkin has really hit rock bottom.

[davebert]

"Dad, make a movie about Facebook!"

Sounds like one of those lame salutes/satires that populate Off-off-Broadway.

[Antoine Doinel]

I can't wait for the mini-series about iTunes.

[Ovader]

How about going one further...a movie about this forum!

[Antoine Doinel]

Todd Solondz teams with Demi Moore and Paul Reubens for a sequel/companion piece to Happiness.

[domino harvey]

Everyone's favorite show on the N is about to get the full-length treatment

[dx23]

Facebook... the movie.

That will probably go against Guitar Hero... The Moviefor best picture at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards.

I really thought that these were 2 headlines at The Onion, but sadly, they are not fake.

[Cold Bishop]

I know what's topping Armond White's best of the year list.