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!