A Little Extra Nerd News

I just thought I'd share a little extra nerd news with everyone even though the week isn't over.

Check out the first trailer for Zach Snyder's SUCKERPUNCH, opening March 2011:



What I was mildly surprised with upon first viewing this trailer was the effects. I'm so used to CG stuff looking like crap, but these actually look pretty good. This seems to be a mostly greenscreen movie done in the same vein as 300. I can't make out any particular style that is being utilized from the trailer as there is a whole lot going on, but I'm optimistic that it will be satisfactory. I can honestly say that I haven't disliked a Snyder film yet, so I hope he keeps the streak going (first I'll have to get through THE LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS (or whatever they're calling it now) this fall. I like that he's taking on something with a more blatant fantasy element as 300 and GUARDIANS both seem to dabble in those waters. I'll wait to see a more fleshed-out trailer before I get too excited, but this early footage is impressive.

Nick Cave (yes, that Nick Cave) is reportedly rewriting the script for the reboot of THE CROW:

This is a reboot I'm firmly behind. THE CROW as a franchise is pretty lame now that it's littered with low-rent straight-to-dvd installments, but the original is still pretty great. It's pretty dated, but Brandon Lee is still great in his final performance. However, it's that dated-ness that has me interested in a more current, and from what I hear less-stylized, version. I wasn't sure how far along this film was or if it was truly getting made, but this news gives me an idea and boosts my level of interest ten-fold. Cave possesses a genius-level ability to craft a gritty yarn. He's been doing it through his music for decades and he's just started to put that talent towards films. A few years ago, he wrote an Australian western called THE PROPOSITION. It received high critical praise and is easily one of my favorite movies. A little-known fact about that film is that Cave wrote it over a two-week period, which is practically unheard of for such a quality screenplay. I bet he can work some magic with this CROW story and really start the series off right. Maybe he'll lend some of his music or compositions to the score as well, which would really class the thing up.

DRAGON TATTOO remake casting rumors:

Daniel Craig was announced for the male lead of this film earlier this week, though he's been rumored for some time. He's actually a pretty good choice for the scrappy reporter character. Now everyone has turned their attention to the casting of the female lead, Lisbeth Salander, a disturbed-yet-genius hacker type. Casting a popular english-speaking actress for the role will be a challenge because a majority of them possess a softness that is difficult to shake. Many names have cropped up and almost every one is terrible. Young star of the moment, Carey Mulligan, has been mentioned, but she's way too soft and young-looking to take on the fierce role. Natalie Portman has also been mentioned, she is also too soft, yet too old for the role. Recently, I've heard a lot of clamoring for Ellen Page and Kristen Stewart. Again, Page is much too soft for this role, she just doesn't have that edge that an actress would need for this role. Don't even get me started on Stewart. This girl has faux-attitude and a faux-edge that some people accept as genuine. She can't even be in public without shaking like a leaf or being a spaz, she's weak and her so-called attitude is just teenage angst, which is just lame and not something that describes the Salander character. She doesn't possess the strength or confidence for Lisbeth, she didn't even have enough for Joan Jett.

Frankly, I think it's a bit dumb that they're remaking this film. There's some hope because Fincher has a talent for these murder-mystery tales (see ZODIAC or SEVEN), but I just don't know what approach they'll take in Americanizing it. The plot is heavily grounded in post-WWII Swedish history, I don't know what they'd change that to for the remake. This film is also part of a trilogy, which has since been continued in a television show and I really can't imagine the remakes getting past the first film, yet they keep talking about how it's going to be a trilogy as well. In Hollywood, trilogies are reserved for big franchises, DRAGON TATTOO lacks that universal appeal. Sure, it's good, but it's not a global phenomenon. I don't think they'll be able to justify remaking the whole series. The films were a big deal for Sweden and Scandinavia because, well, they don't have a whole lot else going on in their film industry. I'm not saying the films will flop, but I don't think they'll pull in anything remarkable, especially considering they are likely to all be rated "R". I guess only time will tell though.