There are a lot of musicians who attempt to make the transition to the world of movies, and although some go on to become decent actors, very few have become successful filmmakers like Rob Zombie. His third movie hits theatres this weekend, an update of John Carpenter’s horror classic Halloween, and you better believe that some people must have confidence in the guy in order to hand over the reins to such a massive remake. Still, a lot of moviegoers are divided on Zombie and his talents. Personally I’ve never been a big fan of his films. His style has always turned me off — it’s just too loud and too rock n roll, and he’s definitely not one for subtlety. But the thing is, when some people claim that he is one of the best new original voices working in horror today, I can kind of see where they’re coming from. His movies do set themselves apart, and he’s certainly not one to ease back on the blood and gore. So I thought this week it would be a good opportunity for people to discuss the new Halloween if they’ve seen it, and Rob Zombie’s talents as a director in general. What do you say? Is Rob Zombie just a two-bit hack or is he the saviour of horror? Give us your thoughts here on Open Forum Friday.

I just couldn’t wait for next Wednesday to post this killer viral vid. Even though I was one of the few people who liked Spider-Man 3, I still have to admit, this toy commercial parody is pretty damn funny.

The rumours surrounding the upcoming Justice League movie are really starting to get out of hand. I don’t even know if I’m coming or going with this thing anymore, there’s just been so much random talk and almost no official word on what the studio’s intentions are and who might be involved. Today, however, I think I may have heard the most ridiculous rumour yet (well, okay, that Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson rumour was pretty silly too).

According to an inside source for Movieweb, it seems that Maggie Gyllenhaal was approached to make a small appearance in the film, but only on one condition: that she bring along her brother Jake so that they could become The Wonder Twins! Now I don’t see how this makes any sense, especially when we know that Maggie Gyllenhaal is replacing Katie Holmes in the next Batman movie. They’ve already stated that they don’t want to bring over the same actors to play major characters like Superman and Batman… so wouldn’t this just add to the confusion? Not to mention the fact that The Wonder Twins would absolutely destroy the chances of keeping this movie even remotely serious. I do think it would be pretty fun to see a Wonder Twins movie one day, like they were talking about a couple of years ago, but I don’t see how this fits into the current JLA movie (even if it is just a short cameo). Thoughts?

What came first, The Mist or The Fog? Strangely, both Stephen King’s short story and John Carpenter’s film were originally released in 1980, although it remains to be seen if one was inspired by the other. Of course, by now, The Fog has already had its second incarnation on the big screen (and believe me, it wasn’t pretty), meanwhile director Frank Darabont is just now finally bringing The Mist to theatres for the first time. The story revolves around a small town in Maine where, in the aftermath of a violent storm, a thick mist envelopes the town and strange prehistoric creatures emerge to attack the townspeople. The main focus is a group of people who are trapped in a supermarket and their subsequent psychological breakdown.

I was a fan of what Darabont did with The Green Mile, which to this day is still one of my all-time favourite Stephen King flicks. That said, the trailer for The Mist didn’t really do much for me. Something about the primarily no-name cast (I only recognized Thomas Jane and Marcia Gay Harden) and the questionable creature effects knocked it down a notch in my eyes. I do like stories about people trapped somewhere though (Dawn of the Dead anyone?) and that aspect seems somewhat interesting. Has anyone out there read the story? Does this look like it will live up to it? The Mist hits theatres on November 21st; check out the trailer over at Yahoo! now.

The end of the summer is upon us folks. As the heat and the big budgets starts to subside, we have a showdown between entries from two of horror’s new school: Rob Zombie’s Halloween and James Wan’s Death Sentence. If horror ain’t your bag, you’ve still got a goofy comedy to look forward to in Balls of Fury starring Christopher Walken and Dan Fogler. Unfortunately, all three of these movies are getting ripped apart by critics thus far… but really, did you expect any less?

Balls of Fury
Death Sentence
Halloween
Ladron Que Roba A Ladron (limited)
The Nines (limited)
The 11th Hour (expanding)

Or download the high quality version here. (Recommended)

There are certain movies that should be preserved for future generations, no matter the cost, and I would think that most people agree that Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather and The Godfather Part II belong right at the top of that list (just ask The Online Film Community!). Strangely, it seems that the folks over at Paramount didn’t concur — at least not until a certain Hollywood figurehead changed their mind. Upon learning that the negatives for both of these films had not been properly cared for and were in the process of deteriorating, Francis Ford Coppola wanted to spearhead a restoration project to ensure the Godfather flicks would live on. Paramount was reluctant to foot such an expensive bill, however, so Coppola’s buddy Steven Spielberg needed to step in and give them a stern talking-to (it’s unclear whether or not he lent a hand financially as well). Film preservationist Robert A. Harris was promptly brought in to start the photo-chemical restoration, which is now reportedly almost finished.

While nothing official has been announced, it would only make sense that Paramount should re-issue the newly restored versions of the films on DVD, HD-DVD and (hopefully) in a limited theatrical run. A DVD release date of December 6th was recently spotted for the new versions on a Dutch DVD site, so is it possible we may see them in stores before the end of the year? One can only hope. Personally I’ll take any excuse for studios to re-release older movies in theatres, especially ones that I never would have had a chance to see myself during their original theatrical run. If the restored versions of the movies really look “incredible” as Francis Ford Coppola himself has said, then it will be well worth the price of admission. At any rate, we’ll be sure keep our ears to the ground for more details on this very worthwhile project.

Frank Herbert’s Dune is widely held to be one of the most (if not *the* most) popular science-fiction novels of all-time. With a reputation like that, clearly a big screen adaptation should be a guaranteed success right? Well… not necessarily, as anyone who saw David Lynch’s 1984 film can attest. Lynch’s film starred Kyle MacLachlan, Patrick Stewart and Sting (among others), but did not perform well at the box office and received primarily negative reviews from critics. 16 years later, The Sci-Fi Channel produced a three-part TV mini-series based on the book that won 2 Emmys and went over a bit better with fans. For many this became the definitive adaptation, although there were a handful of changes made in this version as well.

Now it looks like there may be yet another Dune movie on the horizon. According to CHUD, Byron Merritt (the admin of the Dune Novel forums) has been reporting that a studio and director are close to finalizing a deal for another Dune feature film. How would he know? Well, he also just happens to be Frank Herbert’s grandson. There’s no word yet on who the interested parties are, but I sure hope it’s someone big. If they can’t surpass the first two attempts in terms of budget, effects and talent, then really, what’s the point? Personally I couldn’t get into either Lynch’s version or the mini-series, and I question whether Dune is suitable for a feature film at all. It’s just so dense and abstract at times, and there isn’t all that much action. No matter who is involved, I don’t think it can be turned into a Lord of the Rings-style blockbuster without some major alterations. What do you think… will the third time be a charm for Dune?

In the market for a campy, low budget horror flick? Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer should be right up your alley. A young boy named Jack witnesses the brutal murder of his family one night, but instead of turning into say, Batman, he just grows up with anger management issues. One day, out on the job as a plumber, he is fixing some pipes at the home of Professor Crowley, and he accidentally unleashes a demonic power. Jack realizes that he must take matters into his own hands and become… Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer! The gore and FX in this film look great, and of course, it stars Robert Englund (although what low budget horror movie doesn’t nowadays?). On some level it reminded me a bit of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Some people are calling Jack Brooks the new Ash, but I think that’s giving this movie a lot to live up to. Either way, check out the trailer below and see what you think. Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer is due for release sometime in 2008.

Not long after the success of his documentary Super Size Me, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock started using his newfound fame to bring attention to other deserving documentaries with his “Morgan Spurlock Presents” line of DVDs. Sounds like a decent thing to do, the only problem is, he was planning to release 4 to 6 movies every year under this banner, and it brings up a question of quality. So far, the only movie I have heard anything about is Rob VanAlkemade’s What Would Jesus Buy?, a documentary about materialism and globalization. Now DVD Active brings us news of two more films on the way: Chalk and Class Act.

Chalk is actually a mockumentary, and a pretty low budget one from the looks of it, following a group of first year teachers as they struggle to cope with the responsibility of educating kids. Meanwhile, Class Act is a documentary about how the arts are disappearing from classrooms and are not being encouraged from a young age. I hate to pre-judge either of these films without having seen them, but I have to admit, this is not quite the level of quality I was expecting from films with Morgan Spurlock’s name attached to them. And won’t adding a mockumentary to the mix just confuse people? For more info on both of these films, including a trailer, visit their respective websites: www.chalkthefilm.com and www.classactthemovie.com. Chalk hits stores on September 25th, while Class Act will be available on October 16th.