Die Hard director John McTiernan has been Mia in the director's chair for the past 14 years. He hasn't directed anything since his 2003 film project Basic with John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. That's a long time to be out of commission, but it looks like maybe he'll make some kind of a comeback.
Well, he quietly jumped back into directing action with a live-action trailer for the upcoming video game Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, which I embedded for you below to watch. The director proves that he's still got it, as the commercial has a strong, intense build-up with a cat and a sniper, and it's awesomely executed with its slick and fun style.
The commercial is short, but I loved what I saw, and it'd be awesome to see McTiernan come back and direct another action film! Hell! He should direct the Ubisoft's live-action Ghost Recon movie,...
Well, he quietly jumped back into directing action with a live-action trailer for the upcoming video game Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, which I embedded for you below to watch. The director proves that he's still got it, as the commercial has a strong, intense build-up with a cat and a sniper, and it's awesomely executed with its slick and fun style.
The commercial is short, but I loved what I saw, and it'd be awesome to see McTiernan come back and direct another action film! Hell! He should direct the Ubisoft's live-action Ghost Recon movie,...
- 1/18/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
After 14 years of cinematic silence due to no shortage of legal troubles, Die Hard director John McTiernan is back. And if you did a double take upon reading the title, rest assured your eyes have not deceived you. Taking an… alternate route for his return, McTiernan made a quiet splash when he directed a recent live-action trailer for the new video game Ghost Recon Wildlands. Not since 2003’s Basic has McTiernan explored the visual medium of storytelling, making his chosen method of re-acquaintance slightly befuddling. At the same time, the minute-and-a-half runtime permits nothing except lean, concise visual engagement. The build-up is strong, and the execution is slick and proficient.
While one may have hoped for news of a Die Hard reboot with McTiernan helming, or just an original feature project all together (like the seemingly stagnant Red Squad with Nicolas Cage), it is better to have some McTiernan than none.
While one may have hoped for news of a Die Hard reboot with McTiernan helming, or just an original feature project all together (like the seemingly stagnant Red Squad with Nicolas Cage), it is better to have some McTiernan than none.
- 1/18/2017
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
Matthew Byrd Jan 18, 2017
Die Hard director John McTiernan was the man behind a videogame promo released earlier this year...
Director John McTiernan may have three excellent action films on his resume (Die Hard, Predator, and The Hunt For Red October), but that resume only consists of 11 feature length movies. In fact, the last film we received from the legendary director was 2003's Basic. Since then, McTiernan's career has gone as silent as the Red October (partly due to his incarceration, which he continues to protest).
As such, you would think that the first John McTiernan directed live-action piece in 14 years would be a cause for uproarious celebration that would have genre fans lining up around the block. Instead, that release took the form of a Ghost Recon: Wildlands trailer quietly uploaded online earlier this year.
Yes, it turns out that the incredible live-action short intended to promote Ubisoft's next entry...
Die Hard director John McTiernan was the man behind a videogame promo released earlier this year...
Director John McTiernan may have three excellent action films on his resume (Die Hard, Predator, and The Hunt For Red October), but that resume only consists of 11 feature length movies. In fact, the last film we received from the legendary director was 2003's Basic. Since then, McTiernan's career has gone as silent as the Red October (partly due to his incarceration, which he continues to protest).
As such, you would think that the first John McTiernan directed live-action piece in 14 years would be a cause for uproarious celebration that would have genre fans lining up around the block. Instead, that release took the form of a Ghost Recon: Wildlands trailer quietly uploaded online earlier this year.
Yes, it turns out that the incredible live-action short intended to promote Ubisoft's next entry...
- 1/17/2017
- Den of Geek
July 15, 1988 must have been the day to celebrate Christmas in July because it’s the day classic Christmas movie (don’t argue) Die Hard was gifted to us. 28 years after the Die Hard hit theaters, it’s difficult to accept that the movie’s great villain is gone, and it’s wild to think about the fact that this was his first Hollywood film role — Alan Rickman was in his first movie at age 42, which makes it all the more tragic that his life and career were cut short this year. Since 1988, Bruce Willis has made four more Die Hard movies. Meanwhile, director John McTiernan’s last completed film was 2003’s Basic, and these days he’s keeping busy bashing modern blockbusters, Captain America and Mad Max: Fury Road included. Die Hard is available for purchase here on Fox Connect Other notable July 15 happenings in pop culture history: • 1963: The...
- 7/15/2016
- by Emily Rome
- Hitfix
After getting his start in his native Holland with wild, sexually explicit dramas like Spetters and Turkish Delight (a 1974 Oscar nominee for Best Foreign-Language Film), director Paul Verhoeven came to Hollywood in the Eighties and rebranded himself as a can-do-anything sci-fi filmmaker with a slightly satircal bent. If you needed to make a film about a cyborg cop (Robocop) or send Arnold Schwarzenegger to Mars (Total Recall), he was your man. But after tooling around postapocalytic Detroit and outer space, Verhoeven took a step back to his eroticsploitation, semi-perverse roots to make 1992's Basic Instinct.
- 9/22/2015
- Rollingstone.com
Director John McTiernan at La Cinémathèque Française's masterclass.Last autumn, my friend and colleague, Christopher Small, and I took the vacation of a lifetime to Paris. Did we go to eat macarons, drink wine and sneak a peek at the Mona Lisa? No, no we didn’t. We went to Paris to watch movies. Movies? Yes, movies. Did we go to Paris to watch the latest Godard, visit the site of the first cinema screening or drink beer with friendly Parisians until 4 in the morning? No, but we did anyway. What Christopher and I went to Paris to do was to watch John McTiernan’s movies on glorious 35mm at the Cinémathèque Française. To understand how special this trip was, I should probably provide a bit of background information: my husband, Jake Barningham, and his best friend, Daniel Gorman, started Mission:McTiernan back in 2010. They were right there with Notebook alum...
- 6/15/2015
- by Sara Freeman
- MUBI
Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of director John McTiernan‘s release from jail after being convicted of lying to the FBI in a case involving wiretapping and a disgraced private investigator. He hasn’t made a film since 2003’s rough-to-watch Basic, but he has some great ones on his resume including Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October, The Thomas Crowne Affair and… 1987’s Predator. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a mercenary tasked with leading a team into the jungle on a mission only to be interrupted by an alien presence. It remains a ton of old-school action fun nearly three decades later, and while four sequels/spinoffs/reboots have come and gone the original is still the best remembered. McTiernan recorded a commentary track for a special edition DVD release several years ago, and we gave it a listen to celebrate the anniversary of his freedom from the hoosegow. Keep...
- 2/23/2015
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
There was a time when players assumed that Bohemia Interactive’s post-apocalyptic survival title DayZ would remain in Steam’s Early Access in perpetuity. After all, this is a game that has flirted with release since 2012, after creator Dean Hall stated that an early, standalone build would be available to play by the year’s end — however, it wasn’t until December 2013 that the zombie-infested mod arrived.
Now, though, it appears as though the game is beginning to make some real, tangible headway, after the studio confirmed that a playable beta has been scheduled for late 2015, while the full and final build will make its debut in 2016. The beta will be available for $43.99 — which is slightly higher than the current price of $29.99 — and Bohemia confirmed that the asking price for DayZ will gradually increase in price as the title inches ever closer to release.
This is part of a gradual...
Now, though, it appears as though the game is beginning to make some real, tangible headway, after the studio confirmed that a playable beta has been scheduled for late 2015, while the full and final build will make its debut in 2016. The beta will be available for $43.99 — which is slightly higher than the current price of $29.99 — and Bohemia confirmed that the asking price for DayZ will gradually increase in price as the title inches ever closer to release.
This is part of a gradual...
- 11/27/2014
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
John Travolta is as fascinating and complex a member of the Hollywood fraternity as you could wish for. Iconic performer, experienced pilot, vocal Scientologist and mangler of pronunciation of Idina Menzel.
He has managed to appear in not just some of the best known, but also some of the best-full-stop films of the past forty years – Saturday Night Fever, Carrie, Grease, Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty, Face/Off, The Thin Red Line, Hairspray and the upcoming Gummy Bear The Movie – whatever one might think of the consistency of his output (and there have been some horrendous misfires), it is hard to imagine too many actors playing Danny Zuko, Vincent Vega, Castor Troy, Sean Archer, Chili Palmer and Edna Turnblad with equal conviction.
After the temporary resuscitation of Look Who’s Talking turned out to be a false dawn, Tarantino did Travolta a favour of inestimable proportions by casting him in Pulp Fiction,...
He has managed to appear in not just some of the best known, but also some of the best-full-stop films of the past forty years – Saturday Night Fever, Carrie, Grease, Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty, Face/Off, The Thin Red Line, Hairspray and the upcoming Gummy Bear The Movie – whatever one might think of the consistency of his output (and there have been some horrendous misfires), it is hard to imagine too many actors playing Danny Zuko, Vincent Vega, Castor Troy, Sean Archer, Chili Palmer and Edna Turnblad with equal conviction.
After the temporary resuscitation of Look Who’s Talking turned out to be a false dawn, Tarantino did Travolta a favour of inestimable proportions by casting him in Pulp Fiction,...
- 8/15/2014
- by Dave Roper
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
How many times as Samuel L. Jackson said "mother f*cker" in filmc According to The Huffington Post and this following supercut, 171 times in 27 different movies. Here's the breakdownd: School Daze (1988): 1 motherf*cker Jungle Fever (1991): 7 motherf*ckers Strictly Business (1991): 1 mother- what Menace II Society (1993): 5 motherf*ckers True Romance (1993): 4 motherf*ckers Fresh (1994): 1 motherf*cker Pulp Fiction (1994): 26 motherf*ckers Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995): 7 motherf*ckers Hard Eight (1996): 1 motherf*cker The Great White Hype (1996): 2 motherf*ckers The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996): 3 motherf*ckers Jackie Brown (1997): 37 motherf*ckers The Negotiator (1998): 2 motherf*ckers Rules of Engagement (2000): 5 motherf*ckers Shaft (2000): 13 motherf*ckers Formula 51 (2001): 6 motherf*ckers Basic (2003): 2 motherf*ckers In My Country (2004): 1 you mother- choke move Freedomland (2006): 1 motherf*cker, 1 brotherf*cker Snakes on a Plane 3 motherf*ckers Black Snake Moan (2006): 6 motherf*ckers Soul Men (2008): 24 motherf...
- 7/29/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
First he went to director jail, then he went to actual jail: director John McTiernan was a long way from Die Hard and Predator when he was behind the camera for junk like Rollerball and Basic. A conviction for lying under oath in the infamous Anthony Pellicano wiretapping trial sent McTiernan to prison, where he's been since. Though, wouldn't you know it, he's spent the time writing a sequel to one of his most beloved movies, The Thomas Crown Affair. Speaking to Empire, John McTiernan has revealed he finally penned a sequel to 1999's The Thomas Crown Affair entitled Thomas Crown And The Missing Lioness. Take it away, Johnny! "Nebuchadnezzar had two lion statues commissioned in 1100Bc: a male and a female. Alexander the Great took them when he conquered Persia. Mark Antony had them taken to Rome. Constantine moved them to Constantinople. And at some point the lioness went...
- 4/28/2014
- cinemablend.com
Feature Ryan Lambie 21 Mar 2014 - 06:02
In a Crowdfunding Friday special, we salute the stunning games of Julian Gollop, and take a look at his Kickstarter project, Chaos Reborn...
It's often the case with games from the 70s and 80s that you had to be there at the time to appreciate how exciting they were to play. Some of us may have fond memories of something like Atari's Battlezone, for example, but would a 12-year-old of 2014 respond to it with the same excitement as a youngster in 1980? Probably not.
Likewise a game like 3D Deathchase for the Zx Spectrum, a racing game that felt like a white-knuckle recreation of the speeder bike chase from Return Of The Jedi back in 1983 - would it illicit the same gasps of excitement from a player now as it did back then? We doubt it, even if it is a game we remember with cosy fondness.
In a Crowdfunding Friday special, we salute the stunning games of Julian Gollop, and take a look at his Kickstarter project, Chaos Reborn...
It's often the case with games from the 70s and 80s that you had to be there at the time to appreciate how exciting they were to play. Some of us may have fond memories of something like Atari's Battlezone, for example, but would a 12-year-old of 2014 respond to it with the same excitement as a youngster in 1980? Probably not.
Likewise a game like 3D Deathchase for the Zx Spectrum, a racing game that felt like a white-knuckle recreation of the speeder bike chase from Return Of The Jedi back in 1983 - would it illicit the same gasps of excitement from a player now as it did back then? We doubt it, even if it is a game we remember with cosy fondness.
- 3/20/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Man, I remember the last time I wrote about director John McTiernan — back in 2010, when he was going to federal prison for illegally wiretapping a producer on the Godawful “Rollerball” remake. It was pretty big news, especially because McTiernan is responsible for some really awesome action movies, from a pair of “Die Hard” flicks (including the original), “The Hunt For Red October,” and “Predator.” He also directed the aforementioned “Rollerball,” but hey, no one’s perfect. Well, McTiernan has served his time and is due out of the federal pen later this month, and he didn’t waste a whole lot of time landing a directing gig. The director, whose last movie was the military thriller “Basic” in 2003, has signed on to direct the heist thriller “Red Squad” for Hannibal Classics. Written by Cam Cannon and Jorge Suarez, “Red Squad” would follow “a former DEA agent with a rogue streak...
- 2/10/2014
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
It's been 11 years since John McTiernan released Basic, his last film since the long turmoil of a seven-year legal battle began, which ultimately ended in a one-year jail sentence, which he is currently serving. However, the action auteur of such films as Die Hard, Predator, The Hunt For Red October, and The 13th Warrior is not out of the game entirely. McTiernan is expected to be released from prison this spring and has already signed on to direct his first film literally out of the...
- 2/9/2014
- by Paul Shirey
- JoBlo.com
John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson star in all-action thriller Basic appearing together for the first time since their Oscar-nominated performances in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Following DEA agent (Travolta) as he investigates the disappearance of a ruthless sergeant (Jackson)and his cadets during a training exercise, Basic promises a truly intense thriller. Catch all the action this Sunday, September 1st as it airs on Reelz at 8p Et/5p Pt but not before you vote for your top ten John Travolta movies. After all, we know he's not always Mr. badass. Hairspray anyone?
Vote for your top 10 John Travolta movies >>
Next Showing:
Link | Posted 8/28/2013 by reelz
John Travolta | Basic...
Vote for your top 10 John Travolta movies >>
Next Showing:
Link | Posted 8/28/2013 by reelz
John Travolta | Basic...
- 8/28/2013
- by reelz staff
- Reelzchannel.com
The over-the-top soap "Devious Maids," coming to Lifetime Sunday, June 23, reveals messy lives inside spotless homes.
"Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry and Eva Longoria are executive producers, and both shows share a sensibility, and both begin with a violent death.
In this, a maid is raped and murdered. The first two episodes do a great job of establishing the main characters -- five housekeepers and their employers.
The maids are friends and share an easy rapport. A new housekeeper, Marisol (Ana Ortiz, "Ugly Betty"), enters their Beverly Hills world and tries to befriend them, but it's clear she has an agenda. She's different -- more educated, removed -- and asks too many questions. She also wears red high-heeled wedges to clean.
Inspired by a telenovela, "Devious Maids" has broadly drawn characters, particularly the employers. Evelyn Powell (Rebecca Wisocky, "American Horror Story"), whose maid was slain, could teach royalty about entitlement.
"Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry and Eva Longoria are executive producers, and both shows share a sensibility, and both begin with a violent death.
In this, a maid is raped and murdered. The first two episodes do a great job of establishing the main characters -- five housekeepers and their employers.
The maids are friends and share an easy rapport. A new housekeeper, Marisol (Ana Ortiz, "Ugly Betty"), enters their Beverly Hills world and tries to befriend them, but it's clear she has an agenda. She's different -- more educated, removed -- and asks too many questions. She also wears red high-heeled wedges to clean.
Inspired by a telenovela, "Devious Maids" has broadly drawn characters, particularly the employers. Evelyn Powell (Rebecca Wisocky, "American Horror Story"), whose maid was slain, could teach royalty about entitlement.
- 6/23/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Have John Travolta and Robert De Niro ever worked together prior to Killing Season? I mean, they.ve each worked with several of the same directors over the years, and frequently dabble in genre exercises such as this, that it feels like a thorough IMDb search of their vast filmographies would turn up a moment where their careers crossed paths in a generically titled thriller like Basic or . Maybe I.m just mashing Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown together into some Tarantino haze of violence and funny accents. Speaking of, what is this accent that Travolta is doing in this Killing Season trailer, which just dropped on Apple.s page? It.s Serbian, but it has such a lyrical tilt to it that it reminds me a bit of the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon . and That was a movie De Niro actually was in! Travolta.s playing a trained Serbian assassin...
- 6/18/2013
- cinemablend.com
For all their talent and good looks, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are no Paul Newman and Robert Redford. While those two struck gold twice in a row with "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969) and "The Sting" (1973), Vaughn and Wilson have followed up "Wedding Crashers" with "The Internship," the kind of film that should serve as grounds for divorce.
But Vaughn & Wilson aren't the only dynamic duo to strike out their second (or third) time at bat. Here are ten winning combinations that couldn't leave well enough alone.
10. Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine
First: "The Apartment" (1960)
Then: "Irma La Douce" (1963)
Under the guidance of director Billy Wilder, Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine starred in "The Apartment," one of the best films to ever win the Oscar for Best Picture. So when that same trio reunited three years later for "Irma La Douce," you'd expect the same kind of magic,...
But Vaughn & Wilson aren't the only dynamic duo to strike out their second (or third) time at bat. Here are ten winning combinations that couldn't leave well enough alone.
10. Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine
First: "The Apartment" (1960)
Then: "Irma La Douce" (1963)
Under the guidance of director Billy Wilder, Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine starred in "The Apartment," one of the best films to ever win the Oscar for Best Picture. So when that same trio reunited three years later for "Irma La Douce," you'd expect the same kind of magic,...
- 6/6/2013
- by Zach Laws
- NextMovie
It's been a rough few years for "Die Hard" director John McTiernan. Once considered one of the hottest directors in Hollywood (he also directed "The Hunt for Red October," "Predator," and "The Thomas Crown Affair"), since 2006 he has been embroiled in a scandal involving the shady private detective Anthony Pellicano and the illegal wiretapping of McTiernan's "Rollerball" producer Charles Roven. The story is positively labyrinthine and involves a number of high profile Hollywood players, but so far McTiernan is the only one who has received jail time (a year-long sentence is scheduled to begin soon). Still, you can't keep a good -- or in the case of McTiernan, a great -- director down, as the filmmaker is quietly working on a new project while awaiting his fate. According to a post on the Free John McTiernan Facebook page (which has already garnered the support of everyone from "The Incredibles" director...
- 3/18/2013
- by Drew Taylor
- Moviefone
Part of the Tony Scott: A Moving Target critical project. Go here for the project's description, index and links to project's other movement.
This is one "movement" of our exquisite corpse-style critical project, Tony Scott: A Moving Target, which coincidentally begins with a look at Crimson Tide, the same movie that begins the other movement. As outlined in the introduction to the entire project, this project began in my mind, as something fairly simple: a snaking continuum of scene analysis. This is only in part what resulted.
The varied responses I got back from my group—"mine" in the sense that it is the one I participated in, since Gina's contribution closes Movement B—seem to say as much about the participating critics as they do about Tony Scott's films and the overlap between the two: the perception of Scott's films and career. Thus many entries, including my own,...
This is one "movement" of our exquisite corpse-style critical project, Tony Scott: A Moving Target, which coincidentally begins with a look at Crimson Tide, the same movie that begins the other movement. As outlined in the introduction to the entire project, this project began in my mind, as something fairly simple: a snaking continuum of scene analysis. This is only in part what resulted.
The varied responses I got back from my group—"mine" in the sense that it is the one I participated in, since Gina's contribution closes Movement B—seem to say as much about the participating critics as they do about Tony Scott's films and the overlap between the two: the perception of Scott's films and career. Thus many entries, including my own,...
- 11/27/2012
- by Daniel Kasman
- MUBI
Shia Labeouf, Jamie Bell and Connie Nielsen will begin filming the hardcore pornographic drama "Nymphomaniac" this week.
Bell and Nielsen are the latest actors to join the "Nymphomaniac" cast. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that British actor Bell, of "Billy Elliot" fame, and Danish actress Nielsen, best known for her roles in "Basic" and "Boss," will join Labeouf in the Lars von Triers-directed flick, which will be begin filming in Germany on Thursday.
The controversial film starring Labeouf, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stellan Skarsgard is slated for an 11-week shooting schedule, according to THR. Others expected to appear in "Nymphomaniac" include Nicolas Bro ("Warhorse"), Jesper Christensen ("Quantum of Solice") and Jens Albinus ("Idiots"). Nicole Kidman and Willem Dafoe have also been linked to the film, but there has been no confirmation as to their roles.
"Nymphomaniac" tells the story of Joe (Gainsbourg), a self-proclaimed nymphomaniac (or a woman who has an abnormally...
Bell and Nielsen are the latest actors to join the "Nymphomaniac" cast. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that British actor Bell, of "Billy Elliot" fame, and Danish actress Nielsen, best known for her roles in "Basic" and "Boss," will join Labeouf in the Lars von Triers-directed flick, which will be begin filming in Germany on Thursday.
The controversial film starring Labeouf, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stellan Skarsgard is slated for an 11-week shooting schedule, according to THR. Others expected to appear in "Nymphomaniac" include Nicolas Bro ("Warhorse"), Jesper Christensen ("Quantum of Solice") and Jens Albinus ("Idiots"). Nicole Kidman and Willem Dafoe have also been linked to the film, but there has been no confirmation as to their roles.
"Nymphomaniac" tells the story of Joe (Gainsbourg), a self-proclaimed nymphomaniac (or a woman who has an abnormally...
- 8/27/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Hollywood can be a fickle business. You can have innumerable critical and financial successes, even amassing Academy Award nominations along the way, but if you fail hard enough, it’ll be sufficient to put you out of the running for good. It’s common for film directors to hit a stride and then endure a slump after that initial wave of popularity, and typically, it is something that directors both accept and eventually recover from with their latest hit.
The examples that follow are something altogether different, however. These instances see the director in question diving headlong into the critical and commercial abyss after a string of hits, and as of yet, failing to return to popular notoriety. It is a testament to both the power of the Hollywood machine, and also to the fact that perhaps some of these guys were just in the right place at the right...
The examples that follow are something altogether different, however. These instances see the director in question diving headlong into the critical and commercial abyss after a string of hits, and as of yet, failing to return to popular notoriety. It is a testament to both the power of the Hollywood machine, and also to the fact that perhaps some of these guys were just in the right place at the right...
- 8/7/2012
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
As the ultimate superhero gang comes together on screen in Marvel's Avengers Assemble, you can create your own ensemble of merchandise to join in the world-saving extravaganza.
A collection of goodies has been unveiled including T-shirts, baseball hats, iPhone cases and action figures.
Included here are some of the items up for grabs in stores, along with their official descriptions.
The Avengers Ultimate Guide to Earth's Mightiest Heroes Book (pictured above), Rrp £17.99. Available now at Debenhams, Waterstones, Wh Smith Travel and Amazon
The Avengers Ultimate Guide to Earth's Mightiest Heroes is the essential book-guide for every Avengers fan. The book explores the story of all the major characters including profiles, key issues, backstories, powers, allegiances and enemies. Get ready to test your superhero knowledge.
Avengers All Over Sketch Cap, New Era, Rrp £30. Available now at New Era Flagship store and New Era retailers
If you're looking to stand out from...
A collection of goodies has been unveiled including T-shirts, baseball hats, iPhone cases and action figures.
Included here are some of the items up for grabs in stores, along with their official descriptions.
The Avengers Ultimate Guide to Earth's Mightiest Heroes Book (pictured above), Rrp £17.99. Available now at Debenhams, Waterstones, Wh Smith Travel and Amazon
The Avengers Ultimate Guide to Earth's Mightiest Heroes is the essential book-guide for every Avengers fan. The book explores the story of all the major characters including profiles, key issues, backstories, powers, allegiances and enemies. Get ready to test your superhero knowledge.
Avengers All Over Sketch Cap, New Era, Rrp £30. Available now at New Era Flagship store and New Era retailers
If you're looking to stand out from...
- 5/5/2012
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
There is, without a doubt, a definite stigma attached to game adaptations of films. From early 8-bit systems, to beautifully rendered next generation consoles, Hollywood has often struggled to translate to this medium.
Regardless of your years, even the most casual game player will have experienced the horror of game adaptations. From early platform sacrilege such as Back To The Future, through multiplatform catastrophes like Last Action Hero, to modern car wrecks like Saw, the words “game tie-in” have oft meant “waste of time and money”.
The upshot of this is that even half decent film games get a good reputation very fast. Naming good adaptations is like shooting fish in a barrel. So let me take you through a list of 10 games which I feel did justice to their filmic inspiration.
1. Toy Story 3
Disney put games out like they are going out of fashion. The ever giving teat of...
Regardless of your years, even the most casual game player will have experienced the horror of game adaptations. From early platform sacrilege such as Back To The Future, through multiplatform catastrophes like Last Action Hero, to modern car wrecks like Saw, the words “game tie-in” have oft meant “waste of time and money”.
The upshot of this is that even half decent film games get a good reputation very fast. Naming good adaptations is like shooting fish in a barrel. So let me take you through a list of 10 games which I feel did justice to their filmic inspiration.
1. Toy Story 3
Disney put games out like they are going out of fashion. The ever giving teat of...
- 4/23/2012
- by Brad Williams
- Obsessed with Film
Action movies set in the White House are taking off. Just under two weeks after Gerard Butler was locked to star in Olympus Has Fallen, Variety reports that Sony’s bought White House Down, a potentially similar spec script from James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, The Amazing Spider-Man).
This has only been described as “Die Hard meets Air Force One,” which is rather funny when you remember that Olympus went by the logline of “Die Hard in the White House.” That could be something of a problem; it doesn’t help that I’ve been mixed on much of Vanderbilt‘s screenwriting career, either. Zodiac being the obvious exception — and with The Rundown basically in a positive light, too — we’re talking about the guy behind Darkness Falls, Basic, and The Losers. You can’t let that go overlooked.
In other Sony news, Deadline tells us they’ve become the favorite to purchase The Mortal Instruments,...
This has only been described as “Die Hard meets Air Force One,” which is rather funny when you remember that Olympus went by the logline of “Die Hard in the White House.” That could be something of a problem; it doesn’t help that I’ve been mixed on much of Vanderbilt‘s screenwriting career, either. Zodiac being the obvious exception — and with The Rundown basically in a positive light, too — we’re talking about the guy behind Darkness Falls, Basic, and The Losers. You can’t let that go overlooked.
In other Sony news, Deadline tells us they’ve become the favorite to purchase The Mortal Instruments,...
- 3/30/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
The first films of screenwriter James Vanderbilt's career were not exactly indicators of great work to come. Killer tooth fairy horror "Darkness Calls?" Botched "Rashomon" riff "Basic"? Dwayne Johnson actioner "The Rundown"? (Which is actually good fun, but not exactly high art). Certainly none suggested that one of the great screenplays of the century so far would come from Vanderbilt, but that's exactly what his script for David Fincher's "Zodiac" is, and it's helped to make him one of the most in-demand writers around.
Off the back of that, and the comic book adaptation "The Losers," Sony picked Vanderbilt to be the man to reinvent their biggest franchise with "The Amazing Spider-Man." And it seems like they're happy with what he's done: not only has the writer already been commissioned to write a sequel, but he's also written scripts for their remakes of "Total Recall" and the "Red Riding" trilogy.
Off the back of that, and the comic book adaptation "The Losers," Sony picked Vanderbilt to be the man to reinvent their biggest franchise with "The Amazing Spider-Man." And it seems like they're happy with what he's done: not only has the writer already been commissioned to write a sequel, but he's also written scripts for their remakes of "Total Recall" and the "Red Riding" trilogy.
- 3/30/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
“In our [film school] textbook we learned that the films we loved the most were badly made” —Raúl Ruiz, Poetics of Cinema.
1. The most discernable facet that links Rollerball with the rest of its director’s work is the precision of its visual sensibility, and the hold it has over cinematic space and object positioning. John McTiernan has always struck me as being little more than a modest, intuitive, undervalued, and loving craftsman working within, and often playing to, the limitations of commercial, late 20th Century American cinema. What I think separates his films from those of his contemporaries is the level of dexterity with which he goes about constructing a sequence, introducing and repeating the motifs and personalities of a character into audio-visual editing rhythms, and with actually assembling, framing and choreographing an image, its participating models, and its sequential context. Though perhaps not McTiernan’s greatest entire, composite feature film,...
1. The most discernable facet that links Rollerball with the rest of its director’s work is the precision of its visual sensibility, and the hold it has over cinematic space and object positioning. John McTiernan has always struck me as being little more than a modest, intuitive, undervalued, and loving craftsman working within, and often playing to, the limitations of commercial, late 20th Century American cinema. What I think separates his films from those of his contemporaries is the level of dexterity with which he goes about constructing a sequence, introducing and repeating the motifs and personalities of a character into audio-visual editing rhythms, and with actually assembling, framing and choreographing an image, its participating models, and its sequential context. Though perhaps not McTiernan’s greatest entire, composite feature film,...
- 2/13/2012
- MUBI
Marvelous News have posted the following list of Hasbro toys and action figures that are due to arrive alongside Marvel’s highly-anticipated superhero film, The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon.
A Diamond Select Release! Designed and Sculpted by Gentle Giant! The Avengers movie is almost upon us, and Diamond Select building up the team! Release Date: May 2012; List Price: $21.99.
First up is the newest recruit, and the world’s greatest marksman, Hawkeye! Based on the likeness of actor Jeremy Renner, this 7-inch-scale Marvel Select figure comes with his trademark bow and arrows, and will look perfect alongside your other Select Avengers.
Plus, it features 16 points of articulation, for a variety of action poses! Hawkeye comes with a detailed display base in oversized collector packaging, and is only available on the specialty market!
The Marvel Select line has become famous for its oversized characters, especially the Hulk, but it’s...
A Diamond Select Release! Designed and Sculpted by Gentle Giant! The Avengers movie is almost upon us, and Diamond Select building up the team! Release Date: May 2012; List Price: $21.99.
First up is the newest recruit, and the world’s greatest marksman, Hawkeye! Based on the likeness of actor Jeremy Renner, this 7-inch-scale Marvel Select figure comes with his trademark bow and arrows, and will look perfect alongside your other Select Avengers.
Plus, it features 16 points of articulation, for a variety of action poses! Hawkeye comes with a detailed display base in oversized collector packaging, and is only available on the specialty market!
The Marvel Select line has become famous for its oversized characters, especially the Hulk, but it’s...
- 12/11/2011
- by geekmaster
- GeekRest
Once upon a time, there was an action thriller called Shrapnel being developed. It had a script by Snow White And The Huntsman's Evan Daugherty, one that had found itself on 2008's Black List. Then it scored John McTiernan to direct and Nicolas Cage and John Travolta to star in what could have been a Face/Off reunion. Now, though, it's called Killing Season, Cage is off and Robert De Niro is in his place.
And if you were disappointed that Cage and Travolta wouldn't be sharing the screen again, but were comforting yourself with the intriguing notion of McTeigue calling the shots on an action thriller for the first time since 2003's Basic, then we have even more disappointment headed your way. Yup, McTiernan is also no longer involved, and he's been replaced by Mark Steven Johnson. Who last made When In Rome. You may commence uncertainty...
Still...
And if you were disappointed that Cage and Travolta wouldn't be sharing the screen again, but were comforting yourself with the intriguing notion of McTeigue calling the shots on an action thriller for the first time since 2003's Basic, then we have even more disappointment headed your way. Yup, McTiernan is also no longer involved, and he's been replaced by Mark Steven Johnson. Who last made When In Rome. You may commence uncertainty...
Still...
- 10/31/2011
- icelebz.com
Once upon a time, there was an action thriller called Shrapnel being developed. It had a script by Snow White And The Huntsman’s Evan Daugherty, one that had found itself on 2008’s Black List. Then it scored John McTiernan to direct and Nicolas Cage and John Travolta to star in what could have been a Face/Off reunion. Now, though, it’s called Killing Season, Cage is off and Robert De Niro is in his place.And if you were disappointed that Cage and Travolta wouldn’t be sharing the screen again, but were comforting yourself with the intriguing notion of McTeigue calling the shots on an action thriller for the first time since 2003’s Basic, then we have even more disappointment headed your way. Yup, McTiernan is also no longer involved, and he’s been replaced by Mark Steven Johnson. Who last made When In Rome. You may commence uncertainty.
- 10/30/2011
- EmpireOnline
The Guinness Book of World Records has just declared that Samuel L. Jackson is the highest grossing movie actor of all time. There are literally infinite ways you could argue against that statistic. The bulk of Jackson’s estimated $7.2 billion gross comes from big franchise films where he had, at best, a supporting role. He serenely swanned through the background of the Star Wars prequels. He typed frantically on a computer in Jurassic Park. He’s been in all four Marvel-verse blockbusters –Captain America, Thor, two Iron Men — but his Nick Fury is less a character than a walking commercial for The Avengers.
- 10/27/2011
- by Darren Franich
- EW.com - PopWatch
He may have gotten into some legal trouble over the past few years, but John McTiernan is getting back into the world of directing. TheWrap did a pretty strong job of summing the whole thing up, but that isn’t our thing, so we’ll leave that to them. What they did cover that would be of interest to you, kind reader, is their reveal that he’s planning a new film, a reunion between Face/Off actors Nicolas Cage and John Travolta.
While a title hasn’t been revealed yet, but the plot is said to follow “an American soldier and his former Bosnian adversary in the wilds of the Rockies.” Written by Snow White and the Huntsman screenwriter Evan Daugherty, funding is expected to come from Belgian company Corsan, who funded The Devil’s Double, which is coming out at the end of this month. (Read Dan‘s review from Sundance here.
While a title hasn’t been revealed yet, but the plot is said to follow “an American soldier and his former Bosnian adversary in the wilds of the Rockies.” Written by Snow White and the Huntsman screenwriter Evan Daugherty, funding is expected to come from Belgian company Corsan, who funded The Devil’s Double, which is coming out at the end of this month. (Read Dan‘s review from Sundance here.
- 7/15/2011
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
James Vanderbilt Hired To Write A Sequel To The Amazing Spider-Man
The writer of the new Spider-Man movie, James Vanderbilt, has already been hired to work on the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man. Even though the first movie for the rebooted franchise won't be released until July 3, 2012, the writer of Zodiac, Basic and Welcome to the Jungle has already pitched his outline for a second film and the studio has approved it.
Thanks for reading We Got This Covered...
The writer of the new Spider-Man movie, James Vanderbilt, has already been hired to work on the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man. Even though the first movie for the rebooted franchise won't be released until July 3, 2012, the writer of Zodiac, Basic and Welcome to the Jungle has already pitched his outline for a second film and the studio has approved it.
Thanks for reading We Got This Covered...
- 3/25/2011
- by John Perivolaris
- We Got This Covered
Marc Webb's 3D Spider-Man reboot The Amazing Spider-Man won't hit theaters for almost a year and a half, yet Sony has already ordered development of a sequel. Columbia Pictures has hired screenwriter James Vanderbilt to pen a follow-up. THR [1] reports that Vanderbilt "had a meeting with the Spider-Man filmmakers and studio execs yesterday outlining his take, getting a thumbs up, and will now begin writing." Vanderbilt's resume includes Darkness Falls, Basic, The Rundown, Zodia, The Losers and the upcoming Total Recall reboot. He was originally hired by Sony to write Spider-Man 4 when Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire were still planning to return for another installment. When that appeared like it might not happn, Sony asked Vanderbilt to write an alternative take "just in case." His alternative take is what became The Amazing Spider-Man, a more character centric take on the character (Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves also ended up...
- 3/24/2011
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
With Marc Webb‘s The Amazing Spider-Man still in production, Sony has already started work on a sequel. They’ve hired writer of the upcoming 2012 blockbuster, James Vanderbilt, to start working on the sequel script.
Vanderbilt is a talented writer, whose best work remains David Fincher‘s Zodiac. He has also had a hand in The Losers, The Rundown, Basic, and the upcoming Total Recall remake. He even worked with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire before Spider-Man 4 was canned.THR reports he met with the Spidey filmmakers and studio execs yesterday “outlining his take, getting a thumbs up, and will now begin writing.”
With The Amazing Spider-Man, Vanderbilt has focused on “a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.” The impressive cast includes Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field.
The film will wrap production mid-April...
Vanderbilt is a talented writer, whose best work remains David Fincher‘s Zodiac. He has also had a hand in The Losers, The Rundown, Basic, and the upcoming Total Recall remake. He even worked with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire before Spider-Man 4 was canned.THR reports he met with the Spidey filmmakers and studio execs yesterday “outlining his take, getting a thumbs up, and will now begin writing.”
With The Amazing Spider-Man, Vanderbilt has focused on “a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.” The impressive cast includes Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field.
The film will wrap production mid-April...
- 3/24/2011
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
In the beginning there was RealPlayer, Quicktime and Windows Media Player; and formats such as .avi, .wmv, .mov and .rm.
Then, Flash started being able to display video formats and became the default method for doing so.
So, what’s the future of online video? Actually, the future is already here in the form of HTML5, the new language standard for web browsers. While those standards are not yet writ in stone — and, truly, of course nothing on the Internet ever is — most modern browsers already have the ability to interpret new HTML5 specifications.
Although much about this isn’t being written on film websites, developer and design websites frequently write excitedly about using new HTML5 tags such as <article>, <section>, <header>, <audio> and, most importantly for filmmakers: <video>.
Previous HTML standards needed an arcane method of properly formatting videos to play in different, specified players, such as the ones I mentioned in this article’s opening statements.
Then, Flash started being able to display video formats and became the default method for doing so.
So, what’s the future of online video? Actually, the future is already here in the form of HTML5, the new language standard for web browsers. While those standards are not yet writ in stone — and, truly, of course nothing on the Internet ever is — most modern browsers already have the ability to interpret new HTML5 specifications.
Although much about this isn’t being written on film websites, developer and design websites frequently write excitedly about using new HTML5 tags such as <article>, <section>, <header>, <audio> and, most importantly for filmmakers: <video>.
Previous HTML standards needed an arcane method of properly formatting videos to play in different, specified players, such as the ones I mentioned in this article’s opening statements.
- 3/23/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
By James Morgart
“There is no pleasure. There is no pain. There is only skin.” - Pinhead, Hellraiser III
“Women tend to be more tolerant about visceral things because they have more direct personal experience with them. They cope with periods once a month, they go through childbirth and they are usually the ones who look after the bleeding and battered limbs when the kids take a tumble. They can put blood and gore in context and generally cope better than men.” - Bela Lugosi
Most scholarship on the horror film has assumed that males are the primary spectators of horror; however, there have been developments, both in scholarship as well as in mainstream media, to contradict this point. In 2009, journalist Michelle Orange pointed out, in an article written for the New York Times, “Recent box office receipts show that women have an even bigger appetite for these [horror] films than men.
“There is no pleasure. There is no pain. There is only skin.” - Pinhead, Hellraiser III
“Women tend to be more tolerant about visceral things because they have more direct personal experience with them. They cope with periods once a month, they go through childbirth and they are usually the ones who look after the bleeding and battered limbs when the kids take a tumble. They can put blood and gore in context and generally cope better than men.” - Bela Lugosi
Most scholarship on the horror film has assumed that males are the primary spectators of horror; however, there have been developments, both in scholarship as well as in mainstream media, to contradict this point. In 2009, journalist Michelle Orange pointed out, in an article written for the New York Times, “Recent box office receipts show that women have an even bigger appetite for these [horror] films than men.
- 12/21/2010
- by james
- Planet Fury
Tron: Legacy
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Cast: Garrett Hedlund, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, Michael Sheen
Running Time: 2 hr 6 mins
Rating: PG
Release Date: December 12, 2010
Kersten’s Top 7 Movies (20 yrs+) That Deserve Sequels
McLaughlin’s Top 7 Movies (20 yrs+) That Should Never Have Sequels
Plot: Years ago, Kevin Flynn (Bridges) disappeared. Now his son Sam (Hedlund) stumbles onto the mystery of what happened to his father and ends up inside the grid to this sequel from 1982′s Tron.
Who’S It For? Those who loved the first one. Plus, anyone who wants to see something visually spectacular. You also have to be willing to sit through some slow parts.
Expectations: I loved the idea of a sequel to the 80s flick but then again Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps didn’t work out. So, I assumed I would like what I saw, but not much else.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
Garrett Hedlund...
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Cast: Garrett Hedlund, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, Michael Sheen
Running Time: 2 hr 6 mins
Rating: PG
Release Date: December 12, 2010
Kersten’s Top 7 Movies (20 yrs+) That Deserve Sequels
McLaughlin’s Top 7 Movies (20 yrs+) That Should Never Have Sequels
Plot: Years ago, Kevin Flynn (Bridges) disappeared. Now his son Sam (Hedlund) stumbles onto the mystery of what happened to his father and ends up inside the grid to this sequel from 1982′s Tron.
Who’S It For? Those who loved the first one. Plus, anyone who wants to see something visually spectacular. You also have to be willing to sit through some slow parts.
Expectations: I loved the idea of a sequel to the 80s flick but then again Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps didn’t work out. So, I assumed I would like what I saw, but not much else.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
Garrett Hedlund...
- 12/17/2010
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
When word started to spread that Warren Spector, the mind behind classic games like "Deus Ex" and "Thief," was working on a title starring Mickey Mouse, it was, well, surprising. After all, those games aren't exactly safe for all ages, and Spector is known for creating new and interesting worlds. How would he and his team fare with an established, family-friendly franchise? The answer can be found in the playing of "Disney Epic Mickey," a game which unfortunately fails more often than it succeeds.
The Basics
"Epic Mickey" stars Mickey Mouse, naturally, but he's been taken out of his element. Transported to the mysterious world known as Wasteland, Mickey must discover what went horribly wrong in this world and will do his darndest to set things right.
To this end, Mickey comes packing a paint brush which can recreate objects in the world that have been devastated by thinner. He...
The Basics
"Epic Mickey" stars Mickey Mouse, naturally, but he's been taken out of his element. Transported to the mysterious world known as Wasteland, Mickey must discover what went horribly wrong in this world and will do his darndest to set things right.
To this end, Mickey comes packing a paint brush which can recreate objects in the world that have been devastated by thinner. He...
- 12/1/2010
- by Russ Frushtick
- MTV Multiplayer
Are the casting, creative choices an epic fail?
As we learn more about Sony's planned reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, the question must be asked: are we just setting ourselves up for more disappointment? Can this film possibly match the hype already surrounding it over a year and a half before it is even released?
Let's take into account where the film stands so far. That means grading each cast member announced so far, as well as a hard look at the filmmakers Sony is entrusting their comic book golden goose to.
The Creative Team
Director (Mark Webb): C+
I know there are many with high hopes for Webb at the helm, based largely on whether you liked his film 500 Days of Summer. My problem with Sony's choice is rooted mainly in the fact that he is largely unproven. Besides Summer, Webb has directed episodes of Lone Star (we...
As we learn more about Sony's planned reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, the question must be asked: are we just setting ourselves up for more disappointment? Can this film possibly match the hype already surrounding it over a year and a half before it is even released?
Let's take into account where the film stands so far. That means grading each cast member announced so far, as well as a hard look at the filmmakers Sony is entrusting their comic book golden goose to.
The Creative Team
Director (Mark Webb): C+
I know there are many with high hopes for Webb at the helm, based largely on whether you liked his film 500 Days of Summer. My problem with Sony's choice is rooted mainly in the fact that he is largely unproven. Besides Summer, Webb has directed episodes of Lone Star (we...
- 11/5/2010
- Cinelinx
By Scott Mendelson
HollywoodNews.com: Just a few days after Jan De Bont inked a deal to end his seven-year sabbatical, now fellow action god John McTiernan is apparently back in the saddle as well. McTiernan, best known as ‘that guy who directed Die Hard’, is set to direct an original picture entitled “Shrapnel,” which will apparently involve two war veterans who hunt each other in some kind of game. Unbeknownst to me until today, he also has a project apparently in production called The Camel Wars, which involves an Iraqi-American being sent to fight in the Iraq War. According to IMDb, said action-drama will be released on June 1st, 2011.
Unlike Jan De Bont, who directed four films over five years, made a fifth (“Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life”) in 2003 and then vanished, McTiernan worked relatively steadily for a good seventeen years, making eleven films between 1986 (“Nomads”) and 2003 (Basic). Of course,...
HollywoodNews.com: Just a few days after Jan De Bont inked a deal to end his seven-year sabbatical, now fellow action god John McTiernan is apparently back in the saddle as well. McTiernan, best known as ‘that guy who directed Die Hard’, is set to direct an original picture entitled “Shrapnel,” which will apparently involve two war veterans who hunt each other in some kind of game. Unbeknownst to me until today, he also has a project apparently in production called The Camel Wars, which involves an Iraqi-American being sent to fight in the Iraq War. According to IMDb, said action-drama will be released on June 1st, 2011.
Unlike Jan De Bont, who directed four films over five years, made a fifth (“Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life”) in 2003 and then vanished, McTiernan worked relatively steadily for a good seventeen years, making eleven films between 1986 (“Nomads”) and 2003 (Basic). Of course,...
- 9/11/2010
- by Scott Mendelson
- Hollywoodnews.com
One of the forefathers to modern action flicks, John McTiernan, the guy who brought us gems like Die Hard, Die Hard With a Vengeance, Predator and many more, is set to return to film and bring us a new action movie, called Shrapnel.
Wait until you get a load of this movie. It’s about “two war veterans who hunt each other in a deadly game of cat and mouse.”
How “effin” sweet is that? Evan Daugherty wrote the script, says Variety. The producer, Anthony Rhulen, said in in the article, ”From the first time we read Evan’s script, we believed we had the makings of a hit action film. With John McTiernan involved, the financing fell into place, and we expect to announce casting very soon.”
I agree and can’t wait to hear who they cast in this movi,e because it could be pretty awesome as...
Wait until you get a load of this movie. It’s about “two war veterans who hunt each other in a deadly game of cat and mouse.”
How “effin” sweet is that? Evan Daugherty wrote the script, says Variety. The producer, Anthony Rhulen, said in in the article, ”From the first time we read Evan’s script, we believed we had the makings of a hit action film. With John McTiernan involved, the financing fell into place, and we expect to announce casting very soon.”
I agree and can’t wait to hear who they cast in this movi,e because it could be pretty awesome as...
- 9/10/2010
- by Kevin Coll
- FusedFilm
The man who once directed such fine action thrillers as Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October hasn't had much of a directing career over the past decade. Of course, no filmmaker wants their last two films to be the remake disaster Rollerball or the convoluted military drama Basic, so John McTiernan is getting back in the director's chair. Variety reports that McTiernan has signed on to direct yet another action thriller with Shrapnel, the story of two war veterans who hunt each other in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Sounds simple enough, and the good news is the Evan Daugerty written script appeared on the Black List in 2008. Despite the fact that his last two movies were duds, I've actually enjoyed a majority of his other films which also include: The Thomas Crown Affair, Predator, Die Hard with a Vengeance and The Last Action Hero ...
- 9/10/2010
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Fan of action auteur John McTiernan will be pleased to know the director is set to make his first film since 2003’s Basic.
Variety are reporting that he’s been tapped to direct a action thriller called Shrapnel, penned by upcoming scribe Evan Daugherty (who recently produced a new draft for Masters of the Universe) and it centres around a lethal game of cat and mouse between two war veterans.
McTiernan made a couple of low-key action pictures in the eighties called Die Hard and Predator (you may have heard of them) but his productivity in the last decade or so has been mixed to say the least (the worst being the universally panned remake of Rollerball in 2002).
He’s currently in the middle of a sticky court case (involving false statements he made to police involved in an illegal wire-tapping case) but if all goes well, expect production to begin very soon,...
Variety are reporting that he’s been tapped to direct a action thriller called Shrapnel, penned by upcoming scribe Evan Daugherty (who recently produced a new draft for Masters of the Universe) and it centres around a lethal game of cat and mouse between two war veterans.
McTiernan made a couple of low-key action pictures in the eighties called Die Hard and Predator (you may have heard of them) but his productivity in the last decade or so has been mixed to say the least (the worst being the universally panned remake of Rollerball in 2002).
He’s currently in the middle of a sticky court case (involving false statements he made to police involved in an illegal wire-tapping case) but if all goes well, expect production to begin very soon,...
- 9/10/2010
- by Adam Lowes
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
With Die Hard, Predator, and The Hunt For Red October, director John McTiernan crafted three of the greatest American action films of the last 25 years. That’s not up for discussion. Since then, he’s been more miss than hit, directing such non-classics as Last Action Hero, Rollerball, and Basic…ahem.
Read more on Action auteur John McTiernan has signed on to direct Shrapnel…...
Read more on Action auteur John McTiernan has signed on to direct Shrapnel…...
- 9/10/2010
- by Drew Tinnin
- GordonandtheWhale
John McTiernan has agreed to direct the action thriller “Shrapnel”. The script by Evan Daugherty made the 2008 Black List of the best unproduced scripts floating around. Paul Bruels of Belgian production and finance company Corsan, and Anthony Rhulen of La based FilmEngine, will produce the picture. The “storyline revolves around two war veterans who hunt each other in a deadly game of cat and mouse.” When McTiernan signed on all of the financing and such fell into place, and everything started to move forward. But McTiernan also has a whole mess of legal problems at the moment, and it is unclear how that will impact the production. In July he plead guilty to making false statements to law enforcement officers in the Anthony Pellicano wiretapping case, and he is set to be sentenced on October 4th. McTiernan hasn’t headed a movie since 2003’s “Basic”, which was questionable at best,...
- 9/10/2010
- by Brent McKnight
- Beyond Hollywood
It’s been a long while since director John McTiernan‘s made a movie (2003′s Basic), and that much longer since he’s made a watchable one (1999′s The Thomas Crown Affair). He has his reasons, the most notable being his wiretapping charges, which he plead guilty to earlier this year.
Now it seems he wants to return to what he once did best: directing. McTiernan is set to take on Shrapnel, an action thriller (would you have it any other way?) concerning “two war veterans who hunt each other in a deadly game of cat and mouse.” [Screen Rant]
Can those two vets be Arnold and Bruce Willis? To hope perchance to dream. Let’s also hope McTiernan doesn’t end up going to jail for his guilty plea.
If anyone is wiretapping the man feel free to keep us updated the progess. Thanks.
Would you like to see McTiernan back in the saddle?...
Now it seems he wants to return to what he once did best: directing. McTiernan is set to take on Shrapnel, an action thriller (would you have it any other way?) concerning “two war veterans who hunt each other in a deadly game of cat and mouse.” [Screen Rant]
Can those two vets be Arnold and Bruce Willis? To hope perchance to dream. Let’s also hope McTiernan doesn’t end up going to jail for his guilty plea.
If anyone is wiretapping the man feel free to keep us updated the progess. Thanks.
Would you like to see McTiernan back in the saddle?...
- 9/10/2010
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
The past decade has not been kind to John McTiernan. After a career making a name for himself with movies like Predator, Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October, his only two efforts of the last ten years—Rollerball and Basic—have been critically reviled, and they didn't perform so hot at the box office, either. Meanwhile, his personal life has been equally troubled, with the threat of jail time continuing to loom in the not-so-distant future. It's even caused his movie Run, which was set to star Thomas Jane, to be put on hold. Don't count McTiernan out yet, though. He's just signed on to direct the indie action-thriller Shrapnel, from a script by Evan Daugherty that made the 2008 Black List. More on the film after the break. Variety says the film tells the story of "two war veterans who hunt each other in a deadly game of...
- 9/10/2010
- by Adam Quigley
- Slash Film
John McTiernan is back in action. Well... almost. The "Die Hard" director is set to helm "Shrapnel," an upcoming thriller about two war veterans who go after each other in a deadly cat and mouse game.
Variety says Evan Daugherty wrote the script, which made the Black List in 2008. McTiernan's credits also include 2003's "Basic," "Rollerball," "The Thomas Crown Affair," "Predator" and "Last Action Hero."
"From the first time we read Evan's script, we believed we had the makings of a hit action film," said FilmEngine CEO Anthony Rhulen. He also mentioned he believes casting will be announced soon.
Variety says Evan Daugherty wrote the script, which made the Black List in 2008. McTiernan's credits also include 2003's "Basic," "Rollerball," "The Thomas Crown Affair," "Predator" and "Last Action Hero."
"From the first time we read Evan's script, we believed we had the makings of a hit action film," said FilmEngine CEO Anthony Rhulen. He also mentioned he believes casting will be announced soon.
- 9/10/2010
- by Franck Tabouring
- screeninglog.com
Last we heard, director John McTiernan was on the verge of doing some prison time for an invasion of privacy charge after he allegedly hired someone to wiretap his ex-wife's phone. The case has been ongoing since 2006, and although a decision is still pending, the whole thing has definitely thrown his career for a loop. The last time he was behind the camera was back in 2003 with Basic starring John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. His best days may be behind him, but the man did direct some of the most iconic action movies ever made (Die Hard, Predator) and it's a bit of a shame that he hasn't been working as of late. The good news is, it looks like he just signed on to direct a new movie. Johnny M is back, baby! According to Variety [1], McTiernan will direct an upcoming action thriller called Shrapnel for Corsan and FilmEngine.
- 9/10/2010
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
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