The Messengers

"The Messengers" is a horror tale that follows the lives of a family moving into a run-down sunflower farm. As the farm begins to revive after years of disrepair, the family begins to notice uncomfortable and alarming changes in their father's behavior.

This is a Sam Raimi produced film, directed by the Pang Brothers (The Eye, Re-Cycle). This will be Pang bros first English language film. There were some controversy during filming as well. Apparently Raimi was not happy with some of Pang Bros shots and hired Eduardo Rodriguez to reshoot parts of the film. The messengers is due out feb 07.

Le Concile De Pierre

This is a new Monica Bellucci and Catherine Deneuve french thriller. Bellucci stars as the adoptive mother of Liu-San, a Chinese boy she has raised from infancy. She knows virtually nothing of his true origins which is, of course, the signal for Bad Things to start happening.

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Grind House

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are each directing a 60-minute horror tale. Rodriguez's part, Planet Terror, will be a zombie movie, while Tarantino's section, Death Proof, will a slasher film. Faux trailers and ads will run between the two pics as an intermission. The films will star Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, Rosario Dawson, Jordan Ladd, Rose McGowan, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Marley Shelton, Tracie Thoms, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Naveen Andrews, Michael Biehn, Stacy Ferguson, Jeff Fahey and Michael Parks.

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Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

As an avid photographer myself, I am very intrigued at this upcoming Diane Arbus biopic. Arbus is considered one of the greatest American photographers of the 20th century, known for creating images that were often bizarre or disturbing. She committed suicide in 1971. The film is directed by Steven Shainberg (Secretary), and features Nicole Kidman as Arbus. Scheduled to release Nov 06.

Website: http://www.furmovie.com/

Occult

After making Sin City, Rosario Dawson has been inspired to create her own Comic Series - O.C.T. - Occult Crime Taskforce. And now it will be made into a feature, starring non other than Dawson herself.

A Gotham police detective who, after stumbling upon a gruesome and bizarre crime scene, is enlisted for a covert squad that uses black arts and mystical weaponry to hunt down and kill soul-sucking ghouls.

Restless

Its hard not to get a little excited w. a poster like this.

In Buddhism, it is believed that when the body dies, the soul does not immediately depart. Instead it hovers between worlds undergoing several stages which in most cases lead to rebirth. "Restless" is a fantasy/martial arts melodrama focusing on the 49 days between death and the next world. Due to release this winter in Korea.

Little Children

A sophmore effort from director Todd Fields, comes "Little Children" based on an acclaimed novel. Little Children centers on a group of young marrieds, whose lives intersect on the playgrounds, town pools and streets of their small community in surprising and potentially dangerous ways. Jennifer Connely, Kate Winslet, & Patrick Wilson heads the cast of this film.

Website & Trailer: http://www.littlechildrenmovie.com/

30 Days of Night

David Slade's (Hard Candy) next project; a vampire movie based on the horror comic "30 Days of Night." The film will be produced by Sam Raimi. Definitely on my "must see' list for next year.

This is the story of an isolated Alaskan town that is plunged into darkness for a month each year when the sun sinks below the horizon. As the last rays of light fade, the town is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires bent on an uninterrupted orgy of destruction. Only the small town's husband-and-wife Sheriff team stand between the survivors and certain destruction.

Website: production diaries available
http://ghosthousepictures.comingsoon.net/news_article.php?articleid=35





















Raimi also recently finished production on another supernatural thriller called "Rise" ; in which a female reporter wakes up in a morgue to find herself a member of the undead. She vows revenge against the sect that put her there and hunts them down. Lucy Liu heads the list of main casts. Will keep an eye on this as well but am not as excited about it as 30 Days.

Website: http://ghosthousepictures.comingsoon.net/films_rise.php

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane

This new indie horror film goes against the "mallrat stereotype" and instead exposes the real life fears of today's teens. The Weinsteins "Dimension Films" has purchased rights to release the film.

The unattainable Mandy Lane is the most sought-after girl in school. Reclusive and anti-social by choice, Mandy is forced to entertain irritating adolescent advances while attending a weekend excursion with her classmates. But just when she thinks that these pathetic come-ons will be the worst of it, Mandy discovers she is horrifyingly mistaken. As her peers begin getting killed off one by one, it becomes clear that a secret admirer is harbouring some seriously terrifying ulterior motives.

Website: N/A

Cashback

Originally a short film, it was recently made to a feature length film. The movie takes on a Jeunet style visual, and has been well received at TIFF.

When art student Ben Willis is dumped by his girlfriend Suzy, he develops insomnia. To pass the long hours of the night, he starts working the late night shift at the local supermarket. There he meets a colorful cast of characters, all of whom have their own `art' in dealing with the boredom of an eight-hour-shift. Ben's art is that he imagines himself stopping time. This way, he can appreciate the artistic beauty of the frozen world and the people inside it - especially Sharon, the quiet checkout girl, who perhaps holds the answer to solving the problem of Ben's insomnia.

Website: N/A.

Baober In Love

I just got a chance to see Baober this weekend. A very vibrant & inventive film, though not without flaws. It has an "Amelie" feel to it, stylish cam tricks, and rich colors. The story on the other hand could use some work. The film starts at a fast pace then slows to a crawl and loses steam. I do however, applaud the effort put into the film, especially a film coming out of mainland china.

Baober is a beautiful young girl, who is slowly falling apart. She is trying to cope with childhood traumas and hoping for a passionate, romantic future. Liu also dreams of love and is bored with his materialistic life. To relieve boredom he confesses his dreams and uneasiness to his video camera. Baobar finds his video tape and falls for him. She wins his love, and the move in together in an old abandoned factory building. Can Baobar forget her traumas, will they stay in love and live happily ever after?

Recommended: 7/10

El Aura

This is one stylish & beautifully shot noir thriller from Argentina. A great contribution from director Fabian Bielinsky. A quiet, cynic taxidermist, who suffers epilepsy attacks, is obsessed with committing the perfect crime. He claims that the cops are too stupid to find out about it when it's well executed, and that the robbers are too stupid to execute it the right way; and that he could do it himself relying on his photographic memory and his strategic planning skills. After he is invited on a hunting trip away from his home, an accident gives him the chance of his life: the possibility to commit the perfect crime he has been waiting for.

Highly recommended: 8/10

Website: http://www.uol.com.ar/buenavista/elaura/indexf.htm

Babel

This film won multiple awards at the recent Cannes festival and has generated alot of positive buzz. I thoroughly enjoyed Alejandro González Iñárritu's "21 Grams", I am looking forward to seeing his latest work. Definitely on my "must see" list for this year.

Two Morrocan boys set out to look after their family's herd of goats. In the silent echoes of the desert, they decide to test a rifle... but the bullet goes farther than they thought it would. In an instant, the lives of four separate groups of strangers on three different continents collide. Caught up in the rising tide of an accident that escalates beyond anyone's control are a vacationing American couple (Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett), a rebellious deaf Japanese teenager and her father, and a Mexican nanny who, without permission, takes two American children across the border. None of these strangers will ever meet; in spite of the sudden, unlikely connection between them, they will all remain isolated due to their own inability to communicate meaningfully with anyone around them.

Website & Trailer: http://www.paramountvantage.com/babel/

Calvaire

This survival horror film comes to us from Belgium. From watching the trailer, it looks like the film has alot of similar elements to some of the more recent horror films in this genre, Wolf Creek & Texas Chainsaw comes to mind. I just hope this film fares better.

Marc Stevens’ world goes profoundly and utterly wrong. When his car breaks down in the middle of the isolated backcountry, he’s forced to seek refuge in a rural inn. Marc is taken in by Bartel, a lonely and psychologically fragile innkeeper who promises to help. But when Marc catches him dismantling his car, he realizes that the innkeeper has other plans for him.

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