We’re back this week with a round-up of film news, a preview of this week’s new release Evil Dead and a look at the rumour of a major character departing in the sixth series of True Blood. I’ll also tell you why I’m excited about Filth.
This Week’s Top Stories
There have been plenty of trailers released over the past week, with new looks at The Lone Ranger and Man of Steel (which is pure cinematic sex) along with the first trailer for R.I.P.D. and the final for Star Trek: Into Darkness. We’ve also had some new posters including a first look at 300: Rise of an Empire which is based on Frank Miller’s latest graphic novel, Xerxes. Set to be another explosion of CGI and little else, that’s one that I’ll probably be giving a miss.
A poster has also been released for Spike Lee’s remake of Korean classic Oldboy, which I think is absurd. Starring Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen, released in October this year, I’m expecting it to be an abomination.
Another bizarre piece of news comes in the form of Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic The Shining having a sequel in the works. The Overlook Hotel is having its first draft written by The Walking Dead’s Glen Mazzara. Interesting.
Next we have some information regarding Disney’s takeover of the Star Wars franchise and what I consider to be serious overkill. Disney have promised a new Star Wars film EVERY year starting with 2015, alternating between standalone films with character spin-offs and ‘episodes’. Yup, they’re going to ruin it.
It was also announced earlier this week that Michael Rooker has joined the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy which is released next year, laying the groundwork for Avengers 2 which Joss Whedon has announced will begin filming in February 2014.
Wesley Snipes joining the cast for Expendables 3 and Stanley Tucci joining Transformers 4 have also been in the news.
We’ve also been given two new fabulous trailers for Only God Forgives along with a nifty poster, which I featured in the last edition of Geeks on Film. This really is going to be one to watch out for in the coming months, but the release date is uncertain. It premieres at Cannes next month so we can expect a late June/July release. The new trailers show off the plot a great deal more, rather than the dark and cryptic trailer released a few weeks ago. The film really does look fantastic and I can’t wait for it’s release.
New Releases
This week’s main new release is Fede Alvarez’s remake/reboot/whatever you’d like to call it, Evil Dead. Based on 1981 cult classic The Evil Dead, directed by Sam Raimi, the film follows the story of five friends stuck in a remote cabin in the woods. They discover a ‘Book of the Dead’ and unknowingly summon all manner of nasties which possess the friends in turn.
I won’t go into too much detail, because we’ll have a Geek Prider reviewing the film very soon, and if you don’t know the plot of The Evil Dead, why the hell not?! I have high hopes for the remake which I’ll be seeing very soon, but I’m not counting on it being as good as the original, which is full of hilariously awful horror fun. Some of it’s quite nasty though, with that classic scene with the branches in the woods- yeah, you know the one. This is how horror should be. However, Alvarez’s film looks more Eli Roth than horror classic, but keep watching for a review.
Geeks in TV
With Game of Thrones in full swing and Defiance finally kicking off, geek TV is picking up again. I’ll admit that I hadn’t started to watch Game of Thrones properly until this week, but I think it’s fabulous.
I’m also getting excited about meeting some of the cast next week at Wales Comic Con who I’ll hopefully get a few words with for Geek Pride! We also had Eli Roth’s Netflix-exclusive series Hemlock Grove kick off this week, so expect a review this weekend.
In this week’s Geeks in TV mini feature, I’ve decided to focus on a rumour I heard today about the upcoming series six of True Blood heading to US screens on June 16th. Information from cast members and other sources suggests that this series the show will be really whittling down its central cast. This comes as no shock with the introduction of new characters and the fact that there are far too many already in play.
We’ve got Sookie, Eric and Bill who have always been central to the plot, but then there’s heaps more humans, bloodsuckers, faeries, shapeshifters and more. The sheer amount of sub-plots gets a little messy at times, so it’s no surprise that they’re apparently going to kill some off. However, there’s a little bit of a *SPOILER* in the next rumour…
There’s a big rumour floating around which emerged over the past day or so regarding the killing off of a main character in episode six. Episode seven’s title ‘The Funeral’ suggests the death of a rather major character and seasoned truebies will not like the rumour regarding who that just might be. Everybody’s favourite Nordic beauty, Eric.
That’s right folks, there’s a big rumour surfing the waves of the internet that Alexander Skarsgard will be leaving the series, following a death around mid-season. There was already a rumour before series five aired regarding his departure, so maybe this is something similar.
However, I do think the series needs a big departure, but perhaps this is more likely to come in the form of Southern gent turned vampire demi-god Bill? Since he’s gone all ubervamp on us, maybe he that will meet his true death this Summer. Keep posted for more True Blood updates as series six approaches.
I’m Excited About…
After watching the red-band trailer for the next cinematic release based on an Irvine Welsh novel, Filth, I’m rather excited about it. Lately it seems I’ve got a thing for these red-band trailers, that might have something interesting to say about my taste in film….
James McAvoy stars as Bruce Robertson, a corrupt sergeant and sociopathic drug addict. Following the lines of films such as Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting, another Welsh adaptation, this is a film that’s not going to appeal to everyone. However, I’m a big fan of Welsh and this looks like an interesting adaptation, so check out the trailer below. It’s heavy on the profanities and all sorts else, but it looks like a good bit of fun. Lots of filth.
