Posts Tagged ‘Spike Jonze’

Francis Ford Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" is arguably the most stylized retelling of the Dracula story to date

With vampire craze still in full swing due to the enormous hit that has been New Moon, the same production studio that financed that film has let it be known that it will now finance a remake of the story of Dracula. The project is called Vlad, written by Charlie Hunnam (actor on FX’s Sons of Anarchy), and is focused on Dracula as a young prince (with Vlad the Impaler of course being the inspiration for the character). Music video director Anthony Mandler (Rhianna, The Killers, Eminem) will be helming the project, with Brad Pitt producing. Reportedly, the film is set to have the same degree of stylization as 2006′s 300, which executives at Summit are excited about. The casting of the role of Vlad is expected to be an unknown.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Quick Opinion: As it turns out, we at Movie-Thoughts got our wish for a remake of Dracula, although having it made by Summit, starring an unknown, and captained by a music video director wasn’t exactly what we had in mind. However, here’s the silver lining: Summit is still small enough to not fall under the pressure of big studio-type paranoia (i.e. they can financially afford to be bolder and more daring with their creativity), unknown actors like Brandon Routh have proven that a no-name can indeed carry the weight of an iconic role, and Spike Jonze has proven that a music video director is capable of telling wonderful stories very skillfully. The odds that Vlad will have the same level of performances and direction as the names just listed can only be speculated, but it’s good to think positive.

Short Take: A poingant tale that really hits home

Director: Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation)

Screenwriters: Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers, Maurice Sendak (book)

Cast: Max Records (The Brothers Bloom), Catherine Keener (40 Year Old Virgin), James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Chris Cooper (Breach), Catherine O’Hara (Away We Go), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), Lauren Ambrose (Love and Other Impossible Pursuits)

Length: 1h 21m

Synopsis: An ordinary boy named Max (Records), through dealing with everyday life, is finding out that the world is not everything he keeps hoping it will be. From having an older sister who doesn’t pay much attention to him, and a single mom (Keener) who is trying her best to keep her family afloat, he constantly relies on his vibrant imagination to create happiness. One day he runs away to find a land where he can find this happiness and discovers a place as wild as his dreams. Read the rest of this entry »