Screenhead

When I first read about the idea that there would be a Marmaduke movie I wasn’t sure what the proper reaction to such news was.  I had a sneaking suspicion it involved projectile vomiting and lots of giggling along with vague allusions to the monsters in my closet that were finally coming to get me.

And then I took some deep breaths and drank about a quart of whiskey and woke up three hours later feeling just fine–fine, I tell you!–and ready to talk MARMADUKE.

It has a voice cast, and it’s a doozy: Amanda Seyfried as Mazie, Jeremy Piven as Bosco, Ron Perlman as Chupadogra, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Guiseppe, Stacy Ferguson (as in Fergie, the singer from Black Eyed Peas) as Jezebel, Steve Coogan as Raisin, George Lopez as Carlos and Damon Wayans Jr. as Thunder.

And now I want to vomit and giggle again.

One, who let Fergie voice act?  Two, George Lopez, seriously?  Can you do anything that isn’t just a caricature of your own heritage?  No, guess not….and I don’t know who or what a “chupadogra” is, but…actually, Ron Perlman probably IS a good choice for it.

Anyway, all I know is that this massive failure in waiting will hit theaters June of 2010–a SUMMER MOVIE??  This one IS going to tank–and we should all get our popcorn now for the inevitable screaming of the executives who just realized they lost like thirty million dollars making this drivel.

Today we’re talking The Devil’s Tomb, a movie that asks some downright unsettling questions.  The really interesting part is, only a handful of them are actually related to the movie.  I know—I’m being all cryptic again, but that’s what keeps you guys interested!  I’m willing to CHALLENGE you!

Anyway, The Devil’s Tomb is a movie about a small squad of elite military sent in to ascertain what happened to an archaeological project that went silent out in the Middle East.  As they plunge into the depths of the project facility, they steadily learn more about what was taking place there—including a special sub-branch that was dealing with an evil more ancient and more powerful than anything ever before seen by man.

I know, the plot sounds pretty simple, but one thing is abundantly clear—there’s more horror and action and thrills and terror in here than I’ve seen generated by one movie in a good long time.

Part of it comes from a slew of actors easily at the top of their game in this kind of affair.  For instance, we’ve got Zack Ward, who was just in this kind of thing with Postal.  We’ve also got Ray Winstone, Ron Perlman, and punk rock legend Henry Rollins.  But that’s not the end of the list; for some strange reason that I wouldn’t even want to speculate on, they’ve got Cuba Gooding Jr. in here.  Yeah, Academy Award winning Cuba Gooding Jr.  Of course, this is the same Cuba Gooding Jr. that was in Snow Dogs, so take that for what it’s worth.

The rest comes from a solid, basic appreciation of horror convention interspersed with action.  This is an excellent—one of the few such, really—example of an action / horror hybrid.  It’s just that good to watch.  The effects are highly realistic, if a bit on the gooshy side as is standard for this sort of affair.  The plot is straightforward, if simplistic, and the performances are all at the very least solid.

But like I said before, it raises questions.  I know this is a Sony project, but still—how did they get this many choice actors this interested in a direct to video project?  And how they got an Academy Award winner to star in a direct to video project isn’t the biggest one.  No, the biggest one is its possible, suggested connection to a video game, Clive Barker’s Jericho.  If you take a look at the two, you start finding a whole lot of similarities in characters, plot and setting.  In fact, if you start changing a few small details around in one, you actually start getting the other.  But this is little more than a nifty aside—the movie is significantly better than the game could ever hope to be.

Basically, The Devil’s Tomb is a tense, hyperkinetic affair with plenty of thrills and action for all.  If you like just one of the two, then this will make an excellent bridge to discovering the other.  Eminently watchable and plenty of fun, The Devil’s Tomb is, in this sense, worth checking out.

Ron Perlman (Hellboy) joins Nicolas Cage in Season of the Witch, a supernatural thriller, directed by Dominic Sena.

Season of the Witch is a tale of 14th century knights transporting a girl suspected of being a witch who is the cause for spreading the Black Plague.

Other cast members include Stephen Campbell Moore, Claire Foy and Robbie Sheehan.

Filming is set to start in Austria and Hungary in the early part of November.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment sends word that they will give The Dark Country a DVD debut on March 24, 2009.

The film stars Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman and Lauren German, with Jane making his directing debut, telling the story of a couple who, while on their way to Las Vegas, discover a stranger by the side of the road who is barely alive.

The screenplay was penned by Tab Murphy.

Michael Woods, Post #24, is the winner - FX Network, Sons of Anarchy Signed Poster

Premiering Wednesday, September 3^rd on FX Network – Sons of Anarchyis an adrenalized drama with darkly comedic undertones that explores a notorious outlaw motorcycle club’s (MC) desire to protect its livelihood while ensuring that their simple, sheltered town of Charming, California remains exactly that.  Charming.  The MC must confront threats from drug dealers, corporate developers and overzealous law officers.  Behind the MC’s familial lifestyle and legally thriving automotive shop is a ruthless and illegally thriving arms business.  The seduction of money, power, and blood.

Charlie Hunnam stars as Jackson ‘Jax’ Teller, a man whose love for the brotherhood will eventually be tested by his growing apprehension for its lawlessness.  Katey Sagal stars as Gemma Teller Morrow, Jax’s force-of-nature mother, and Ron Perlman as Clarance ‘Clay’ Morrow, Jax’s stepfather and MC president.  The triangle of Mother, Son and Stepfather will ultimately reveal the dark secrets in this family’s past and the lengths they will go to protect their sins.

Prize includes: 1 poster, signed by Charlie Hunnam

On ComingSoon is an interview with Ron Perlman, the fiery demon Hellboy himself in the movies, talking about the success of Hellboy 2, which took $34.5 million in its opening weekend.

The interviewer also asks Perlman how he felt about being included in Universal’s classic museum where Hellboy is right across from Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Most interesting, however, is when Perlman is asked about a possible third film. "Well, I certainly think that it’s not without the realm of possibility at this point," he said. "I can only imagine the discussions that are taking place in some other dark room right now."

Well, there you have it, a third movie might happen if the executives want it to. It would be very interesting to see how del Toro handles the trilogy; in fact, I’ve heard that he hopes to finish it in a very interesting way.

Outlander trailer is mystical and magical with horrific visions, a tale of Vikings and aliens.

I posted the Outlander poster about a week ago here and now the trailer.  The film stars Jim Caviezel, John Hurt, and Ron Perlman.

I just nabbed the link to Simon Hunter’s film The Mutant Chronicles.  Apparently, the film will premiere at Comic-Con, which should be awesome for all the comic fans in San Diego.  The film stars Ron Perlman, Thomas Jane and John Malkovich.

The story is quite fascinating while a bit convoluted.

The Mutant Chronicles Teaser Trailer

 

This sounds like a fun movie to see. I love all these actors.

“Spirit of the Forest” is an eco-fairy tale with voices generated by Sean Astin, Giovanni Ribisi, Ron Perlman and Anjelica Huston heading into the CGI-animated.  

Astin and Ribisi play two gopher buddies whose home becomes threatened when an evil businesswoman (Huston) plans to tear down their forest to build a highway. With the help of an old oak tree (Perlman), the animals fight back with a vengeance.