Anyone remember “Papillon,” the 1973 prisoner drama starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman? Based on the autobiography of the same name, McQueen starred as Henri Charriere, a safecracker who is framed for murder and given a life sentence in the penal system in French Guyana, some of it spent on the infamous Devil’s Island, a location which more than earned its name. Well, Hollywood in its infinite wisdom has decided to remake “Papillon,” and it is set for release this summer. With its first trailer now having been released, one has to wonder if this particular remake of a Steve McQueen movie will have been worth the trouble. I mean, we all saw what happened to Alec Baldwin when he remade “The Getaway.”
Whereas the 1973 had a brutal palette of colors to work from, the trailer starts off with a beautiful image of Henri (now played by Charlie Hunnam) walking outside of the Moulin Rouge with his girlfriend Nenette (Eve Hewson), and it all looks like something out of a dream. This dream, however, is soon shattered when the police break down Henri’s door and arrest him for murder. From there he is sent to the notorious Devil’s Island where he meets Louis Dega (Rami Malek in the Hoffman role), a counterfeiter whom Henri offers to protect if he can help him escape.
The jail, as I see from the trailer, does not look like a particularly inviting place, but then again, no jail ever does. At the same time, it almost looks a little too clean compared to prisons from cinema’s past. As portrayed in the 1973 original, Devil’s Island was the most brutal of locations and one you wanted to keep as far away from as humanly possible. But in this remake, Devil’s Island almost looks like the Hilton in comparison. Furthermore, the big question I have is, how will this remake compare to one of the most brutal prison films of all time, “Midnight Express?” Every other prison film pales in comparison to that one, and watching it makes you see how smuggling hashish out of Turkey is probably not such a good idea.
Hunnam has the unenviable challenge of playing a role originated onscreen by Steve McQueen, a task almost too daunting to undertake. Still, he has proven to be a tough cookie in the past, whether it was on “Sons of Anarchy” or in “Pacific Rim.” Rami Malek, one of the stars of “Mr. Robot,” is currently seeing his stardom rise up to the heavens with the upcoming release of the Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” in which he portrays Freddie Mercury. Both actors prove to have a good chemistry at work here, so this makes me a little more eager to check out the movie as a result.
Whether or not it was a good reason to remake “Papillon,” we will find out the answer for ourselves when Bleecker Street releases the film this August. Please check out the trailer below.
For many, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren are still a match made in action movie heaven. They first appeared as soldiers on opposite sides in Roland Emmerich’s 1992 film “Universal Soldier,” and they returned to this franchise years later for two sequels, “Regeneration” and “Day of Reckoning.” And, of course, they had to make at least one appearance in “The Expendables” franchise to show they were not worse for the wear, and they did so together in “The Expendables 2.” Now, Van Damme and Lundgren share the screen in their fifth film collaboration, the action thriller “Black Water.” But this time, they are on the same side.
The first image we see in this trailer is of a submarine diving underwater, and from there we are introduced to deep cover operative Wheeler once the hood over his head is removed. Wheeler has been imprisoned on the submarine which serves as a CIA black site, those places we are not supposed to know about but do anyway, and his interrogator, Patrick Ferris (Patrick Kilpatrick), tells him he is an enemy combatant and will not be granted any rights. Upon giving Wheeler the old action cliché of “welcome to hell,” Patrick orders an agent to prepare to insert a hypodermic needle into Wheeler’s eye in the same way Michael Myers did to an unsuspecting nurse in “Halloween II.” But as you can expect, Wheeler breaks free of his captors and escapes, and from there he does what he can to clear his name.
This just released trailer for “Black Water” is of the “what you see is what you get” variety as the movie’s plot points come from a dozen other action flicks of the past like “The Fugitive” and “Air Force One.” Clearly, no one here is trying to present us with something original, and this one is designed to show us the kind of story we all grew up on to where it makes us interested to see it done once again. Having the story take place in a submarine underwater is clever as the claustrophobic nature of such an environment will make the action more intense. I also imagine it is a way for the filmmakers to keep costs down as they won’t have to build too many sets.
Van Damme’s face is beginning to look a bit like Danny Trejo’s these days as it shows a life lived hard, perhaps too hard. Perhaps these hardened looks of his will help add to his role here. At the very least, we know he can still perform the perfect split.
Having interviewed Lundgren in the past, I know what a great sense of humor he has and seeing him in this trailer makes me hope he will bring some of it to this movie. Furthermore, he looks to have loosened up a lot over the years, and I hope Van Damme can loosen up to the same degree as well. But even though these two stars are headlining this underwater adventure, I get the feeling one will have more screen time than the other.
Kilpatrick looks to give “Black Water” the typical CIA agent who obsesses over controlling the uncontrollable, but I couldn’t help but be amused when he talks about how Wheeler is a “highly trained officer and a trained killer,” so it makes me wonder if he put enough thought into how he would handle this operative to where he would not be a problem (my guess is he did not).
We are also meet Cassie Taylor, a rookie agent played by Jasmine Waltz who, like any other rookie, wants to know what the hell is going on here. She also shows a bit of skin here which suggests there will be a sex scene at some point. The question is, can such a scene take place between her and another character (I am guessing Wheeler) when they are busy avoiding detection in the most claustrophobic of environments? In space no one can hear you scream, but in a submarine, you should be able to hear an orgasm let alone gunshots.
“Black Water” is set to be released on the Dish Network on May 25th, and it will premiere in theaters and on demand starting June 29th. Please feel free to check out the trailer below.
The most popular genre film festival in the United States, Beyond Fest, is finally back in Hollywood, and movie fans could not be more excited. Starting on September 29th and going through October 10th, Beyond Fest will be reveling in cinematic madness at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood with screenings of classic movies and West Coast premieres of new ones, so you can expect a great 12 days of wonderful mayhem featuring special guests and restored versions of movies which were always meant to be seen on the silver screen. Co-produced by Shudder, the festival aims to raise funds for the non-profit American Cinematheque.
Among the most anticipated events this year will be Dario Argento’s “Suspiria” which will be presented in both its 4K restoration and its 35mm Italian cut. Argento will be making an appearance for this along with Udo Kier and Barbara Magnolfi. Arnold Schwarzenegger will also be on hand for the 30th anniversary of two of his most famous films, “Predator” and “The Running Man.” Two of horror’s greatest directors who passed away this year, George Romero and Tobe Hooper, will be honored with screenings of their most famous movies, “Night of the Living Dead” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
As for those new movies making their premiere at the festival, they include “Brawl in Cell Block 99” directed by S. Craig Zahler and starring Vince Vaughn, “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” which is Yorgos Lanthimos’ follow-up to “The Lobster,” and the first couple of episodes of the Amazon Prime series “Jean-Claude Van Johnson” which, of course, stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, the Muscles from Brussels.
This past weekend saw the start of principal photography on the horror film “Valentine DayZ.” It’s the latest film from writer and director Mark Allen Michaels who helmed “The Fiancé,” a thriller which had a bride-to-be bitten by Bigfoot and becoming a force of nature, hell-bent on destroying her engagement. The movie’s press release describes it as a “heart-stopping horror story” and included the following plot synopsis:
“Revisiting his unique blend of hardboiled crime thriller and brutal, bloody horror, Michaels’ ‘Valentine DayZ’ takes his characters on a journey from the champagne and yacht lifestyles of the rich and corrupt, to doom and despair in Death Valley as the zombie-apocalypse threatens everything they hold dear.”
Now zombie movies and television shows are a dime a dozen these days, but “Valentine DayZ” looks to be a unique take on the genre. If it proves to be as deliriously entertaining as “The Fiancé,” we are in for one hell of a ride.
Shooting on the film began in Marina Del Rey, and the cast and crew were greeted by a seal which became an extra almost immediately (non-union of course). Other photos include a wealthy looking character hanging out on a yacht as well as cast and crew having fun with zombie makeup.
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