Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life Director Details How the Experience Mad Him Stop Directing

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Published on Thursday, 12 November 2020 06:32

Written by Comic Book

            Thanks to action films like Speed and Twister, director Jan de Bont was a major force in filmmaking back in the '90s, though his directing efforts concluded in 2003 with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, which he recently explained was due to interference from studios over the endeavor. De Bont noted that, not only did his decisions with the film have to go through the studio and executives, but that figures from the video game world would also weigh in on what they thought would be best for a character, ultimately leading him to leave the studio system behind for decades."It was not such a great experience. But more from the reason how the studio tried to really interfere with it in a way. And the thing itself is that the makers of the game were also involved. And they never told me that they, also, have a say in the story," de Bont shared with Uproxx. "Suddenly there were all these changes that have taken, and who had to be what, and what cast. And then suddenly it became such a big scene. Everything was a big deal. And then the very first day of shooting, it was in Greece, on the Island. The very first day, we got a call, 'Oh, I want to congratulate you on your first day. And by the way, you have to cut $12 million out of your budget.' The very first day! And in those days, $12 million, that’s like four scenes." Few pop culture figures were as big in the '90s as Lara Croft, with her debut big-screen outing starring Angelina Jolie also being a major crossover event. Having previously delivered audiences original concepts and narratives, clearly de Bont wasn't interested in having to answer to a number of executives with his directing efforts. "Basically, you say, 'Wait a second, every movie’s going to be like this? Where the studio has a say in what will be done, what scenes have to be in, and even what kind of shirts somebody has to wear at one point?'" de Bont pointed out. "They didn’t like the buttons on one shirt! I still remember, I got a call, 'I didn’t like the buttons on the shirt.' I don’t even remember. What was the guy’s name? The male lead in that movie? Man, I forgot his name. But then, 'Wait a second. You’re calling me because you don’t like the buttons on the shirt?' That was so absurd. Really. And then also having to really constantly deal with budget issues." He continued, "There were films that I wanted to work on, and, unfortunately, they also did not get made. None of them got made. I said, 'Wait a second, is this too much work? This is too difficult.' Because I felt this wasn’t a traditional period, where studios were taking a much bigger part in the making of the movie. And it became… that’s not worth it. You know?" Stay tuned for details about Jan de Bont's potential upcoming projects.

 source : Comic Book

Come Away trailer puts a new spin on Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland starring Angelina Jolie and David Oyelowo

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Published on Thursday, 05 November 2020 13:31

Written by Daily mail

             The magical fairy tales Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland are merged into a new origin story for both in the trailer for Come Away.Angelina Jolie and David Oyelowo star as Rose and Jack Littleton, parents to Alice (Keir Chansa) and Peter (Jordan A. Nash), who would become Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.Brenda Chapman makes her live-action directorial debut on Come Away, eight years after directing the Disney Pixar animated adventure Brave. The trailer begins with Rose telling Alice that, 'every child has a fairy born just for them,' revealing that, 'Tinker's Bell was born for you,' as she rings a tiny bell.Alice is dismissive, though, stating, 'It's just a bell,' before we see Jack, who says that Alice, 'is in a hurry to grow up,' while Peter wants to 'explore new lands.' After they have come inside, Rose jokes,' Who are these dirty vagabonds and what have they done with my children?' Jack adds that this is, 'the untold story of a brother and sister, two kindred adventurers, our Alice and our Peter.' There is also a tense scene in their home when a brick is thrown through their window, as a voice screams, 'I told you to pay your debt!' as the children hold hands.We also get a glimpse at Michael Caine's Charlie, who says that his boss is, 'still the boss, while Peter gets introduced to the Lost Boys, who come tumbling out of a tree. The trailer also shows Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, as she is seemingly sent away to a boarding school, where the nefarious Eleanor Morrow (Anna Chancelor) says, 'We'll make a lady of you yet.' We see in another scene, though, that Eleanor is also this story's version of the Red Queen, as Alice finds a familiar bottle that says, 'Drink me' as she pleads, 'Take me away from here.' Another scene shows Peter with his ailing father, who tells his son, 'Don't let life drag you down, keep floating above it.' We also get a glimpse at Clarke Peters as the Mad Hatter, as Rose adds, 'We can all use a little extra courage, now and then.' The trailer winds down with a number of random shots before Peter tells Alice, 'It's no time to grow up, it never is,' as he embraces his sister before running off. The final shots tease the arrival of Tinker Bell through the actual bell, while revealing the film will be released in theaters and on digital November 13.

 source : Daily mail

Angelina Jolie and David Oyelowo's interracial Peter Pan prequel Come Away targeted by 'review bombers'

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Published on Friday, 30 October 2020 07:14

Written by Daily mail

               Angelina Jolie and David Oyelowo's interracial movie Come Away was targeted by an organized dislike brigade, which left fake reviews on its IMDb page to deter audiences.IMDb has since removed the ratings, measured by 1-10 stars, on the webpage for director Brenda Chapman's imaginative family film hitting US theaters/VOD on November 13 and UK theaters on December 4.In it, the 44-year-old Golden Globe nominee and the 45-year-old Oscar winner play married couple Jack & Rose Littleton, whose children Alice (Keira Chansa) and Peter (Jordan A. Nash) become the basis of Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan.  'The film is not rooted in race, at all. It so happens to be a family the likes of which would and could have historically existed in that time in British history, yet not the norm of what you are used to seeing,' David told THR on Thursday.'We realized we had a situation on our hands, much like the folks at Disney realized it in the wake of John Boyega's casting as a Stormtrooper in Star Wars or Halle Bailey for The Little Mermaid.'It's not the first time Oyelowo experienced this as Amma Asante's 2016 romance A United Kingdom starring him and Rosamund Pike as a married couple was targeted on Facebook.'We had such a tirade and influx of racial negative comments that Fox Searchlight had to take down our Facebook page,' the British born Nigerian-American recalled."This has been something I have experienced in my career, regularly. Being a black person who tends to gravitate toward aspirational content. It seems like these folks find that the most deplorable.'David continued: 'They can't say, "It is freedom of speech. People should be allowed to say what they want to say." Their platforms are being used insidiously, whether it is to affect elections or the reception of cultural content.'Outside of IMDb and social media, Come Away has scored a dismal 57% critic approval rating (out of 14 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes.The fantastical adventure flick also features Michael Caine, Derek Jacobi, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Anna Chancellor, and Clarke Peters.

 source : Daily mail

Bride wars! Scarlett Johansson to star in new take on Bride of Frankenstein... despite Angelina Jolie's three-year journey to play iconic role

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Published on Friday, 23 October 2020 07:13

Written by Daily mail

          Two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson will produce and star in Bride - a film about the Bride of Frankenstein - despite Oscar winner Angelina Jolie's dueling film, which has been in the works since 2017.The doomed Elizabeth Lavenza, Dr. Victor Frankenstein's adopted sister-turned-fiancée, was originally created by author Mary Shelley in her 1818 novel, Frankenstein.THR reported Thursday that Scarlett's version would be helmed by Oscar winner Sebastián Lelio - the Chilean filmmaker behind Gloria Bell (2019), Disobedience (2018), and A Fantastic Woman (2017).  'It is long overdue for Bride to step out of the shadow of her male counterpart and stand alone,' the 35-year-old JoJo Rabbit actress said in a statement.'Working alongside [screenwriters] Rebecca Angelo and Lauren Schuker Blum, Sebastian and I are extremely excited to emancipate this classic anti-heroine and reanimate her story to reflect the change we see today.' Johnansson's Bride would be a woman created by an entrepreneur to be the ideal wife, but instead rejects her creator and discovers her true identity. Meanwhile, there's been no update on Angelina's similarly plotted Bride of Frankenstein since Variety reported in February that Oscar-nominated producer Amy Pascal was circling the project with screenwriter David Koepp (The Mummy). Pascal was attempting to lure her Spider-Man director Sam Raimi, but it's unlikely considering he'll begin production on Marvel's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness starting May 2021.Elizabeth was famously portrayed by Elsa Lanchester opposite Boris Karloff in James Whales' 1935 sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein. Back in 1974, the Bride's transformation was spoofed by Madeline Kahn opposite Peter Boyle in Mel Brooks' critically-acclaimed hit comedy, Young Frankenstein. Two-time Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter looked far more grotesque after her resurrection in Kenneth Branagh's dismally-reviewed 1994 version Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.Other notable actresses to take on the skunk-haired undead character have included Mae Clarke, Valerie Hobson, Hazel Court, Lacey Turner, Patty Mullen, Katie Weston, and Naomie Harris.

 source : Daily mail