Alice In Wonderland director Tim Burton has his next project lined up.  This time it is Matt Wilson’s board game adaptation Monsterpocalypse, set up over at Dreamworks.  The long in development (years long) project might be released in 3D as well, seeing as how well that worked out for Alice.  Those who have been clamoring for 3D to go away are not likely to see that happen any time in the near future.  Nothing else is official; no other names attached at this juncture.

Burton’s next big screen movie will be Warner Brothers Dark Shadows with (shocker, OMG!) Johnny Depp.  I love that these two are continually willing to challenge their talents by stepping out of their collective comfort zone.  (Wet with sarcasm.)  This is boring, ho-hum news, delivered by Variety.  I am still buzzing from Inception so, its quite possible this is to be a slow week here in the nest.  Let me know if you think the above project is interesting to you, or even if you are into/tired of the Depp/Burton partnership.

It appears Johnny Depp (Public Enemies) will replace Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation) in The Tourist.

According to “The Hollywood Reporter,” “The thriller remake ‘The Tourist’…has run into another set of hiccoughs, with major players moving around like luggage on a conveyor. Male lead Sam Worthington has fallen off, and Johnny Depp is in negotiations to replace him.”

The Tourist, which was originally a French thriller titled Anthony Zimmer and released in 2005, has been plagued with problems since the movie was announced. Original “director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck has moved on, and Alfonso Cuaron is in early talks to step in. ”  It added that, “Angelina Jolie — herself a recent replacement for Charlize Theron, who was long attached to the project — remains in the lead female role.”

Anthony Zimmer “involves a female Interpol agent who ropes an everyman American tourist visiting France into becoming bait in the hunt for a wanted criminal who’s also her former lover.” Production is set for next year.

Worthington is an Australian award-winning actor and I thought he was the best thing about Terminator Salvation, but he doesn’t hold a candle to Depp’s dynamic acting.  Depp is probably a better choice for the lead role and with director Cuaron (who did the fabulous Children of Men) potentially on board, this becomes gold project, despite it being a remake of a four-year-old movie.

As I continue to get nearer to the back cover of the latest “Empire” magazine, the great cinematic publication has updated their site with some new images of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland cast. They’re not wholly dissimilar to the ones we posted a couple of weeks ago, but it’s another look at what’s to come, so why ignore it? Especially on a day where it seems films news has all but died off.

Here are head-to-knees portraits of The Mad Hatter, The Red Queen, The White Queen and Alice herself. For some reason, the theme seems to be “holding animals” and thus each character is holding a non-human creature of some sort.

Like I said, not a hell of a lot new here, but my motto has always been “the more of Anne Hathaway, the better,” even if she looks like that girl you went out of your way to avoid in high school. I hope you agree. Let us know how you feel about this pics in conjuncture with the previous ones. Sadly, no Tweedledee or dum.

Critics Corner – “Public Enemies”

Film Outlet	Movie Critic	Rating Given	Review Date
	The Rake	2 / 4 nests	7-2
	Peter Travers	3.5 / 4 stars	6-30
	Lisa Schwarzbaum	B-	6-30
	Roger Ebert	3.5 / 4 stars	6-29
	Critics / Users	B / B+	7-3
	Rob Calvert	3 / 4 stars	6-30
	Rating / T-Meter	6.3 / 63%	7-3

As we are close to capping off our “Michael Mann Week” here at The Film Nest, I have a question that might really need to be addressed: Has Michael Mann lost his magic touch?  In reviewing all of Michael’s works in this week’s Michael Mann: Career Retrospective piece, I didn’t see any point in his career where he had back to back missteps as a director.  Well, with Public Enemies, I am sad to report, this occurrence has happened.  Coming on the heels of the major let down (at least in box office) that was 2006′s Miami Vice, Mann was sure to hit at least a solid double with mega-stars Johnny Depp and Christian Bale on base, right?  Unfortunately, it is more like a bloop single at best.

Public Enemies is a biography of sorts, tracking the travails of the notorious bank robber John Dillinger, in the depression era 1930′s.  The film opens in 1933, four years into the economically woeful situation in the United States, and the height of Dillinger’s fame and fortune.  Yes, I said fame and fortune, though neither are remotely explained.  I’m still trying to determine what this movie was: a cops and robbers heist film (maybe); a character study (no way); a love story (more than anything, perhaps).  Public Enemies seemingly tries to be all of these and is none of these at the same time.

We follow Depp’s Dillinger busting his way out of prison in the opening sequence.  Confusion and gun fire reign, who’s who and what is what are unknown, and seemingly unnecessary, as we watch what unfolds on the screen before our eyes.  Dillinger’s gang is living large through robbing banks, perpetually on the run from the law.  Enter Christian Bale’s Melvin Purvis, based on the true to life individual, promoted to head of the newly formed FBI, ready to hunt down Dillinger and uphold justice.  Seems like it could be a nice little setup, but to what avail?

"Cock the hammer, it's time for action."

We see Dillinger rob banks and meet a lovely young woman whom he instantly falls in love with, the worthy Oscar winning actress Marion Cotillard, and the only questions that remain are; will his life of crime catch up to him or can he go on living lavishly forever? I think you know how this one goes.  Dillinger is a man living in the moment, which sounds great, if we cared at all.  We don’t because there is little character development, and what does take place is just thrown into a cycle of heist, arrest, break out; rinse, wash, repeat.

So yeah, Dillinger gets caught by Purvis and his men (history tells us this, hence its not a spoiler), only for Dillinger to somehow break out of prison again, and end up on the run.  While this all may be based on true events, the way in which Mann “organizes” the film is more chaotic than controlled.  There seems to be scene after scene of disconnectedness, while even when one thing leads to another, there is no emotional involvement in what happens.

This could all essentially be excusable, meanwhile, while it’s the middle of summer and audiences want to have fun.  But alas, there is little fun to be had here.  There are some shootouts, but no joviality in the plot, as in say, Road To Perdition, which is a heavier film in tone anyway, but still allowed us to have some laughs and thrills with the characters.  The much ballyhooed shootout in the forest is the most exciting set piece in the film, and still, it reeked of mediocrity for the most part.  Some people die, some don’t, but the lack of strong characters never help the film around all of its continuity issues.

It doesn't always feel "good to be a gangster."

Depp and Bale are fine, and what little acting that is required is relatively good throughout, there’s just not that much required.  A vast array of characters come into play; various agents and gangsters (Frank Nitty, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson), a madam for hookers, and of course, the love story with Cotillard which really “drives” the film.  Steven Dorff, Channing Tatum (in a huge 30 seconds of screen time, hand him an Oscar!) and my kiss of death, Giovanni Ribisi, all show up.  But they are all thrown into a loosely structured framework that simply doesn’t add up to much.  Have I said that yet?

This is not a summer blockbuster but rather your average, run of the mill actioner, with either a middling script, or poor editing and execution, most likely both.  It’s not like this group struck out on three pitched balls, but its just not nearly what you would expect from all the talent involved.  You have to blame Mann and now he has misfired twice in a row.  You might start to question where he will go from here, but last I checked Brett Ratner still has a career, so I guess Mann’s safe too.

Tim Burton’s a crazy cat, no doubt, but that’s why he was a perfect choice to bring Lewis Carroll’s drug-tripped novel “Alice in Wonderland” to life. Much like he did a few years ago with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Burton has been tasked to bring his twisted take on another family favorite, this time attempting to best Disney’s animated version of the story.

Today, the web was set aflame with five character portraits from the upcoming film, due for release March 5, 2010. They are Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen and Matt Lucas as Tweedledee and Tweedledum. The words creepy and bizarre come to mind. Maybe even weird. But, such is to be expected with the fusion of Burton and Alice in Wonderland.

I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out. With the below images, I fear it’ll be more Charlie and the Chocolate Factory than I’d like it be, but it ultimately depends which way Burton turns the whimsical/oddity meter.

Speaking of Alice in Wonderland, Aintitcool ran a piece during the release of Grindhouse about what their favorite grindhouse films were. One of them wrote about a 1976 Argentinian X-rated musical-comedy version of Alice in Wonderland. Sounds genius.

What do you think of the images? Intrigued?

I used to be a fan of the political hip-hop group Public Enemy, so when I first received word that there was a film titled Public Enemies, my initial reaction was one of befuddlement: Chuck D and Flavor Flav turned to acting?  But alas, that skepticism was met with greater delight when I learned that Michael Mann would be helming the picture and he would have some great actors in Johnny Depp and Christian Bale to help bring his story to life.  Mann has long been one of my favorite Directors, leading such enjoyable films as Heat and Collateral, among several others.  He is a veteran of the crime/action genre, so who better to bring the story of notorious gangster John Dillinger to the big screen?

"He's got a gat and ain't scared to use it."

To tell a bit about what the film will be based on, “PE” is set in the depression-era of the 1930′s (how apropos that America has been in a depression of sorts over the past year or two as well), Dillinger (Depp) and his crew have been doing what they do best, robbing from the rich (banks) and giving to the poor (kind of, depending on how the tale goes), in a manner that might make Robin Ghetto (that’s “Hood” to you) proud.  Dillinger was lauded by the public, since they hated the banks for the depression, and known for busting out of jails with greater ease than Jebediah from Out of Sight.  Bale (yeah, The Dark Knight and the just released Terminator: Salvation star), will play real-life federal agent Melvin Purvis who was the man obsessed with capturing the elusive Dillinger.  A cast that includes Billy Crudup (Almost Famous, Watchmen), Channing Tatum, and Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard bring heat to the film in a way few summer blockbusters can claim.  This will be a game of cat and mouse with Dillinger trying to stay a step ahead of Purvis the entire way.

"Why so serious?"

Some intrigue remains as to how well this film will do in the box office given a.) the current state of our economy and the types of films people are paying money to see (typically escapist) and b.) whether or not Bale will receive any public backlash from his outburst on the set of T4, which I wouldn’t think is likely to affect this film, but you never know.  On the flip side, Depp is among the most singularly popular actors working today, so odds of it blowing up (that’s slang for “doing well”) are in its favor.

"Oh, that's why!"

Early stills and the trailers look fabulous, so count me among those who are revved up for this one as it’s been a summer of slow starts in terms of quality films thus far for me.  This will only be Mann’s 8^th film in the last two decades, so expect quality to win out over quantity almost every time.  I always anticipate Mann’s movies (though his Miami Vice disappointed) and I am sure with the great attention to detail that both he and the lead actors are known for, we should be in for one hell of a fun ride.  This will be looting your box office funds come July 1st.

Back in the year 2000, Director Terry Gilliam (12 Monkeys) had attempted to make his passion project The Man Who Killed Don Quixote but after all sorts of headaches and problems, the only thing that came out of it was Lost In La Mancha, an ill-fated doc of the issues surrounding the production, which could almost be akin to 2004′s Overnight. However, Gilliam never lost hope for the film (which originally had Johnny Depp in the lead) and now he says that the project is back on, with hopes of starting to shoot later this year.

There is still no word on casting yet, but I am sure Gilliam would love to rope in Depp, whom he worked with on Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas as well.   The Escapist tells a bit more about the original shoot and speaks on Gilliam’s rep as a director.

Gilliam’s productions, though brilliant, frequently suffer from his tendency to ignore budgets and time restraints, bring on calamity and often to disappear into box office failures.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2000) was Gilliam’s first attempt at bringing the classic story to the cinema. The project quickly became “the movie that didn’t want to get made”, with flash floods, injuries to key cast members and the Spanish Air Force all intervening to end the shoot after just five days.

Only because I remember following the story of the original production, I am curious to see if this attempt goes off and what the finalized product will look like.  Gilliam has off-beat tastes, but I do enjoy both “Fear & Loathing” and 12 Monkeys, so his style intrigues me as a film viewer.  What is your take on this, interested or not?  Do tell.

Some more casting news for you today. With a 180-degree about-face from yesterday’s rumor and conjecture, comes concrete casting evidence for two literary adaptations.

Guardians of Ga’Hoole

First up is the upcoming animated film to be directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), entitled Guardians of Ga’Hoole. Jim Sturgess, Geoffrey Rush, Rachel Taylor and David Wenhem have all signed on to be part of the voice cast.

“Based on the children’s book series by Kathryn Lasky, the film, which is shooting in Australia, follows a young barn owl and his friends as they join forces with the mythical Guardians of Ga’hoole, owl protectors, to save the owl kingdom from rogue elements.”

The above quote says “shooting in Australia,” but as I understand it, there’s no shooting to be done at all. It appears to be a CG animated film, utilizing the same company from Happy Feet. No motion capture technology for Snyder in this one. He definitely has a visual style, which will be interesting to see transferred to the world of animation.

The Rum Diary

Next, the cast for the Johnny Depp-headlined The Rum Diary is rounding into shape. Amber Heard will be a busy girl, after last week entering John Carpenter’s The Ward, she’s also signed onto this project.

Piggy-backing on the Heard news is Two-Face himself, Aaron Eckhart is in negotiations to play the third-wheel along with Depp and Heard of a love triangle.

Last, but certainly not least, fresh of the heels of his Oscar-nominated performance in The Vistor, Richard Jenkins has signed on for the film.

“Diary is the tale of a washed-up, hard-drinking journalist named Paul Kemp (Depp) in 1950s Puerto Rico. Eckhart would play Sanderson, a wealthy landowner who believes everything has a price and introduces Kemp to a different standard of living. Jenkins is playing Lotterman, the man who oversees the rundown newspaper where Kemp works.”

The Rum Diary, is an adaptation of a novel by gonzo journalist, Hunter S. Thompson.

This is not Depp’s first filmatic dealing with rum:

Thanks to “The Hollywood Reporter” for the news.

For some reason, it seems to me that a long time has passed since Orlando Bloom has starred in a movie. In a way it has. He’s been working steadily since the end of Lord of the Rings, but has only had a chance to headline a film a few times. Haven, Kingdom of Heaven and Elizabethtown being those films. You might not have heard of them, but more likely just haven’t seen them. I know I haven’t. Although he’s a lead in Pirates of the Caribbean, there’s almost no talk of his presence in the movies. I completely forgot he was even in them. That trilogy was purely a Johnny Depp machine. Alas, Bloom is getting another shot to be the headliner in the near future film, The Cross.

The Cross is the new film from writer-director Andrew Niccol (Lord of War). Variety‘s cryptic plot description goes something like this: “Bloom plays a man seeking to cross a mysterious border, something no one else has achieved; Cassel limns the guard who will go to any lengths to foil him. Kurylenko takes the femme lede.” Are you hyped now?

I have no idea what to make of that breakdown. It couldn’t possibly have been a pitch that way. “There’s a mysterious border and someone tries to cross it, which has never been done before.” “Sold.” I love the Niccol-penned The Truman Show and hope for him to strike that same iron again, but more information will need to be provided here, as the cast certainly doesn’t instantly strike up visions of sugarplums in my head.

In my opinion, Bloom’s best performance was as himself in Ricky Gervais’ “Extras.” He tries to persuade Maggie, an extra, that he’s good-looking and she continues to diss him. Check it out below:

Get the complete series of “Extras” here.

Also, no, I didn’t miss the connection between this title and the Eminem-produced Nas track of the same name. Here’s the song: