Reels of the Week -- Ballet, vampires and "Game of Thrones"

More cool stories this week... The "Game of Thrones" cast is doing really well on the casting front. Last week we mentioned Natalie Dormer, and this week we have two other prominent players from the show finding themselves in potential franchises. We also have some ballet and some vampires... a lot going on in cinema these days and that is the way we like it!

Ralph Fiennes choreographing The White Crow


 














Ralph Fiennes is set to direct The White Crow, a Rudolf Nureyev biopic. The film will star Russian dancer Oleg Ivenko and Blue is the Warmest Color's Adele Exarchopoulos. David Hare (Damage, The Hours, The Reader) is writing the screenplay, based on Julie Kavanagh's book "Rudolf Nureyev: The Life". BBC Films is developing the project and production starts this summer. 

Considering the talent and prestige behind The White Crow, the film sounds like an eloquent and elegant piece. From his roles in The English Patient and Sunshine (the 1999 film -- do not mix it up with the identically titled and equally great 2006 science fiction piece) to his recent ones in films such as Coriolanus and The Grand Budapest Hotel, we know that Fiennes has always been an aficionado of literature and history, making him the perfect fit for the director. One of the best ballet dancers in history, Nureyev has certainly had a fascinating life, having not only been gifted and multifaceted in his chosen industry, but also the first Soviet artist that defected during the Cold War. 

I am certainly looking forward to this film. Culture is the reflection of our world and, these days, we should often stop and remember what timeless beauty means and what it brings to the soul.           

Eric Heisserer meets a vampire hunter

                                                                 

After the amazing Arrival, I am convinced that Eric Heisserer can write whatever he wants and make it brilliant. One of his future ventures is the Van Helsing reboot for Universal Studios' monster movie universe. As of right now, Dan Mazeau (Wrath of the Titans), Jon Spaihts (Prometheus), Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci -- the duo behind Star Trek and TV's "Hawaii Five-O" reboot -- are also collaborating on the script. Many versions of the character's story have been following the action/fantasy trajectory, but it appears that Heisserer wants to go for the jugular in every sense of the word. The writer has stated to Collider that he would like to revive the character as simply a super resourceful human, and would also like to bring scares back to the tale.

The idea of a reluctant hero saving the world is a terrific concept, especially for this kind of story, which hinges on the principal character having once been a novice and having had to learn about their destiny. I say 'their', since I am excited by Syfy's version, the first one to feature a female actor as the vampire hunter. It is a good time for me to mention that Tom Cruise was originally set to star as the title character, but abandoned it in favor of The Mummy reboot. Personally, I would rather see someone raw and unexpected in the role. How about someone like Famke Janssen, Gwendoline Christie or Sanaa Lathan? These three ladies deserve great leading film roles, not to mention Janssen's comic book cred with the X-Men series, Christie's badass cred with "Game of Thrones" and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Lathan's formidable fighting spirit as demonstrated in Blade -- vampires on the CV, too! -- and AVP: Alien vs. Predator. Think outside the box, people. It is good for you.

As I mentioned, I will watch anything that Heisserer writes -- I am a huge fan of Kurtzman and Orci as well, for that matter -- and I am hoping for inspired casting. The choice of actor can make or break this film in the eyes of critics and audiences, even if the screen is popping with action and monsters. Syfy has brought the Van Helsing legacy into the 21st century and I hope that Universal continues the trend.          

Iwan Rheon joining "Inhumans" 

 

                                                                     

Playing the dastardly and bastardly Ramsay Bolton on "Game of Thrones", Rheon has created one of the two best TV villains of the past decade -- the other one being everyone's favorite chemistry teacher Walter White, of course. An actor of immense talent, he simultaneously played Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi's couple's shy, lovelorn neighbor in "Vicious". This range has contributed to Rheon getting his new role, that of Maximus -- also known as Maximus the Mad and Maximus the Magnificent -- on ABC's upcoming mutant show "Marvel's Inhumans".

I am not at all familiar with the Inhumans stories. From what I have read, the comic books revolve around a royal family from the city of Attilan and often, as is customary with the superhero universe, involve the Fantastic Four and X-Men in their exploits. Maximus himself is an antisocial, power-hungry son of Attilan's top geneticists:

                                                               

His DNA was altered when he was a baby and he counts superhuman intellect and different psychic powers among his abilities. He is devoted to his family, but also fiercely ambitious. All in all, he is a complex personality that apparently only needs a slight trigger to turn fully homicidal.

While the role seems more layered than the sadistic Ramsay, I certainly hope that Rheon will not end up getting typecast as the villain in Hollywood productions. Fortunately, the actor has enough varied roles in his arsenal to combat the risk and I cannot wait to see him in "Inhumans". The show debuts in IMAX in September, before moving to ABC.     

Alfie Allen battles "The Predator" 

                                                                        

Talk about playing opposites. As the boastful and misguided Theon Greyjoy who falls into Ramsay Bolton's ruthless hands in "Game of Thrones", Alfie Allen has been required to play everything from maniacal to insecure to irretrievably broken. Now he is about to play an ex-marine in the new Predator sequel, which should be an interesting departure from the medieval fantasy.

Nothing is known about the story yet, but what I can report is that Shane Black (Iron Man 3) is directing and that the cast also includes Sterling K. Brown, Yvonne Strahovski and Olivia Munn. Black has shown that he is excellent at directing action and the story of the alien hunter has a lot of potential -- the unfairly underrated AVP: Alien vs. Predator has proved it -- so this might be a solid action/adventure piece. This creature is one of the most original creations in recent decades and I do hope that the film does it justice.  

The most cannot-in-my-wildest-dreams-believe-it moment of the week: Best Picture. Oscars. 'Nuff said. Congratulations to the cast and crew of Moonlight!  

Reels of the Week -- Two infamous mysteries, two new projects

Hello dears! Every week we get a plethora -- have always wanted to use that word -- of television and cinema news. They come at us from all sides and sources, starting with web sites and ending with podcasts. For my new column, I thought that I would start curating these news and bringing you those that I find the most exciting, along with different tidbits and factoids. I hope to turn this space into an aggregate that will provoke opinions and discussions.

Natalie Dormer invited to a Picnic

  
Natalie Dormer has been cast as headmistress Mrs. Hester Appleyard in the miniseries based on Joan Lindsay's novel "Picnic at Hanging Rock". A remake of Peter Weir's 1975 film, the story concerns the disappearance of three schoolgirls and their headmistress at Australia's Hanging Rock formation in 1900. It is no surprise that this iconic tale of dread is being remade, considering its thematic layers and cultural significance.

Weir's film was a commercially and critically acclaimed piece of subtle suspense and the new series seems like it will be equally fascinating. I love the idea of this story being presented in episodic form, since it gives the writers a chance to find even more depth in the characters.  I love the Australian talent on display -- the country has produced some incredible films and shows over the decades -- and, of course, I am hoping that the production utilizes the real Hanging Rock, not a set or similar setting:

A crucial part of this project is the mystique that has surrounded the ambiguous novel for a while after it was published. It has long been thought that the disappearance was factual rather than fictional, and I hope that the new version plays up on the collision between youthful innocence and what might be a philosophical or even paranormal phenomenon.  

From an opportunistic aristocrat in "Game of Thrones" to a femme fatale in "Elementary" and to a rebel videographer in The Hunger Games franchise, Dormer always chooses empowering personalities to play. She brings a degree of defiant nonchalance to every role and is infinitely interesting to watch. While we are at it, please watch The Forest, a frightening film about a haunted forest in which Dormer plays a dual role and deals with another type of enigma.

Here is a poster for Weir's film, along with a particularly beautiful cover of Joan Lindsay's novel (because we must never, ever forget the literary word when it is the cornerstone of the cinematic):

 

Adapted by Larysa Kondracki and Michael Rymer and directed by Amanda Brotchie, "Picnic at Hanging Rock" will debut on Foxtel's showcase channel in Australia later this year. I will keep you posted on the North America premiere and broadcast details. 

Sam Raimi is off to the Triangle

There are currently three projects being developed concerning the Bermuda Triangle mystery, with one of them to possibly be developed by Sam Raimi.  

The Bermuda Triangle is the notorious spot in the Atlantic Ocean where numerous ships and planes have vanished, with the earliest suggestion of these disappearances offered in a 1950 The Miami Herald article by Edward Van Winkle Jones. Various speculations and conspiracy theories have dominated the debate regarding the events, as have explanations based on scientific facts and chroniclers' bent toward exploitation and sensationalism.

No matter if these events are true or not, one thing is for certain -- the legend makes for intriguing viewing. It has been examined in every way, shape and form, with or without extraterrestrials, with or without ships and phantoms, in documentary and fictional narratives. To name an example of the enthusiasm for the topic, my quick IMDb search reveals more than 62 titles containing the keywords 'Bermuda Triangle'.

Famous for directing cult horror entries such as Evil Dead and Army of Darkness and producing films like The Grudge (2004) and 30 Days of Night -- only one of the BEST vampire films in the last decade, thank you very much -- Raimi has also been prolific as a screenwriter. He is a versatile artist, one that is able to inject dark humor into the goriest of gore and one that pays special attention to the supernatural in his work. This thriller could be extremely entertaining and Raimi's career also makes me wonder as to which angle he is going to take when examining the legend. I just hope that it does not concern teens or college-aged students looking for a party and finding the paranormal, since there are already too many pieces with this trope as the basis.

There are no other details on the plot or the cast at this time. I will keep you posted, though, so please check back!

Trailerblazing -- Unforgettable

Unforgettable -- April 21, 2017 -- directed by Denise Di Novi -- starring Katherine Heigl, Rosario Dawson, Whitney Cummings, Cheryl Ladd, Geoff Stults

Right off the bat, I will say that I am not buying anything that this film is trying to sell. I am not buying Heigl as a scorned wife. I am not buying Dawson as a harassed new spouse. Stults is barely visible, and where is Cummings? This whole thing looks ridiculous and scrambled together, and I cannot believe that such a cheap Fatal Attraction switcheroo knock-off was even approved. Oh, but wait... there is that godawful 2009 flick Obsessed, so Unforgettable is not only unnecessary, but also too late. How many story clones can Hollywood crank out? I am hoping for something unpredictable in this thriller, some kind of twist -- any kind of twist -- that will distinguish it from other ones in the same vein. I am hoping that Heigl surprises me as a villain and hoping that Dawson's role is not that of a one-dimensional wife. Fatal Attraction worked because it examined affairs from a new perspective and because of the sexy-to-hostile chemistry between Michael Douglas and Glenn Close, two actors whose very names elicit respect. Any subsequent thriller about marriage will suffer in comparison. For now, it seems to me that the only way to watch Unforgettable is as a guilty pleasure -- way too guilty for my taste.