In Freezer Burn, Martians want to transform Earth into a time-share and construct crop circles to up the temperature and turn the planet into a tropical hot spot -- much to the detriment of humanity.Apparently the crop circles created for the film are creating quite a commotion outside of the city! Should be a fun film to see.
Director and cowriter Grant Harvey -- who directed Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning, is bullish on the new film's prospects. "I think what will set this film apart [from other Canadian sci-fi comedies] is our real star power, as opposed to just putting someone in with marquee value to a distributor or a funder, but who doesn't hold the attention of an independent audience," he says.
The acting muscle comes from Green (Freddy Got Fingered), who steps out of his long-established clown shoes into a dimwitted, straight-man role. The villain is played by cult favorite Crispin Glover (Willard).
Head over to the Edmonton Journal article to read the rest of the insightful interview.Murphy, a longtime colleague of Mars Rising supervising producer Michael Jorgensen, signed on to the project knowing very little about space exploration. The idea of going to another planet fascinated the veteran filmmaker, who has been making documentaries for Discovery Channel, CBC and National Geographic for 25 years. "It's like ... back in 1492, and we wanted to do a documentary about this crazy guy who was going to jump into a boat and go to a new world -- it's just so out there."
But science has never been very sexy, and Murphy had a lot of facts and figures to cram into the two hour-long episodes he'd been assigned to. His goal was to show the beauty and the creativity behind all the equations, measurements, and numbers by focussing on the personalities involved.
"You really get a sense of it in Mars Rising that these people just live and breathe it. It took NASA that kind of energy to get to the moon -- just people that are so dedicated to it, and the creative thinking that goes into it," said Murphy. "You found that they were these really incredible scientists with incredible visions. They were like artists."
He's now convinced that a trip to the Red Planet will succeed, and he's looking forward to it. "It'd be nice if I'm in my walker one day and I go by my TV set and I find out that they landed on Mars," said Murphy. "Definitely they will -- I can't say when, though."
The horror series is the first production in a two-year deal worth almost $9 million, according to reports, that LG inked with the province in July. Although the company's publicists would not confirm the value of the deal, Playback Daily reported at the time that the city would kick in $3.5 million, with the province throwing in an additional $5.4 million.You can read the full article at this link.
The show has been picked up stateside by NBC for a 13-episode run, with preproduction slated to begin in December. The idea is to get celebrated horror filmmakers to each do an original 60-minute episode, which will air in summer 2008.
It is similar to Masters of Horror, which Fear producers Keith Addis, Andrew Deane and Mick Garris made for Showtime in 2005. That series, also shot in Canada, featured episodes directed by such genre giants as Dario Argento, John Carpenter and Takashi Miike.
"Yeah, I'd say he's just a wonderful guy for that part," says John Scott, the production's head wrangler, who first worked with Pitt about 12 years earlier on the set of Legends of the Fall. "He's just a wonderful man, period."and...
Pitt barely had any experience at all with horses before Legends, recalls Scott, who was head wrangler on that film too -- also shot in Alberta. "But he was so utterly determined that he was riding extremely well by the time he went to camera," says the veteran Canadian horseman.
Reuniting with the actor several years later to prep him for another saddle-bound shoot on Jesse James, Scott notes that it was like deja vu--sort of. "He was the same easygoing, charitable, well-mannered guy with the same work ethic. And he hadn't done much riding since Legends, so it was like another crash course. But I think he was facing at least 10 times more pressure and stress during the filming of Jesse James than when we last worked together and he was still just kind of starting up."The magazine also discusses the real Jesse James including some of the actual locations he left his impressions upon. Some of these include St. Joseph, Missouri where the house that James was allegdly shot in still stands, the James Farm in Kearney, Missouri, and Northfield, Minnesota, where the James-Younger gang met its demise.
It will include “behind-the-scenes stories, little known facts and insider information about the film location,” Jan Archbold, a city spokesman, said today.You can read the full article at the link above.
“We had people asking us, ‘So, where did they shoot and what did they do?’ They had all of these questions about the use of an Edmonton attraction in a movie,” Archbold told Sun Media, explaining where the idea for the tours came from.
The flick – premiering in select markets Sept. 21 – tells the story of how James died at the hands of Robert Ford, portrayed by Casey Affleck. Pitt stars as James. Filming began in southern Alberta in August 2005, before moving north to Fort Edmonton Park.
Archbold said tour highlights will include the train cars refurbished for the movie and McDougall’s General Store on 1885 Street where a robbery scene was filmed.
Visitors will also be shown where the shell of James’ home was constructed on 1885 Street. It was strictly a movie prop for outdoor scenes and has since been torn down.
“There were a number of shots of Brad Pitt on the veranda of this house, and you’ll be able to know where it would have been.”
The Kenneth McDonald house, also on 1885 Street, was used as the interior of James’ home.
The film will be presented at the American Express Opening Night Gala on the eve of the Festival September 20, 2007.The press release briefly mentions some location information:
“CIFF will be the second Festival in Canada to see this film after the Toronto International Film Festival,” explained CIFF’s Executive Director Jacqueline Dupuis. “This is truly a coup for Calgary and a testament to the people of Alberta and the Alberta film industry.” Dupuis expressed her thrill that Warner Bros. is giving CIFF the opportunity to share this remarkable cinematic achievement with a Calgary audience, many of whom worked on the film while it was being shot in Alberta during the fall of 2005.
A drama filmed in the spectacular landscapes of Alberta, the film highlights the expansive prairies of the south and snowcapped peaks of Kananaskis, doubling for the American frontier circa 1881. Authentic period architecture at Fort Edmonton and Calgary’s Heritage Park, as well as the talents of the Alberta film industry, such as horse wrangler John Scott, are highlighted in this critically acclaimed film.You can read the full press release at the link above.
Brad’s Jesse James is a squirrelly character. He observes the room he’s in, studying anyone in it and their every move. And everyone else reacts to him – as if he’s a rattlesnake. They become still and cautious. There’s respect and fear. Nobody wants to get bit, but they all know if they spend too long with him, it’ll be an inevitability.You can read the rest of Harry's review at this link.
However, as great as Brad is as Jesse James – the actor to watch and marvel at in this film is Casey Affleck.
I know – that sounds astonishing, but it is absolutely the god’s own truth. Casey Affleck delivers the single best performance that I’ve seen thus far this year.
