UPDATED: Wicker Man 2 - Holy Cowboys for Christ! Ewar WooWar indeed.

Edward Speleers (Eragon) has joined the cast of Cowboys for Christ, the follow-up to the original 70's cult classic The Wicker Man, according to the actor's official blog.

I had no idea there was a sequel in development. Not sure if it is a good idea, but at least it is not a sequel of the Nic Cage remake from a few years ago.

Speleers and Morgan James star as two Texans who plan to spread Christianity in Tressock, Scotland but are unaware that they're in grave danger from the Celtic pagan community in the village.

Original 'Wicker' star, the recently knighted Sir Christopher Lee, is also onboard. Principal photography is scheduled to start in July in Scotland under the helm of Robin Hardy.

How do you feel about a sequel to Wicker Man? Will there be a similar character to that portrayed by Britt Eckland - if so who could play that part? Will it end the same way?

UPDATE: Digging a little deeper, the film is based on a book by Robin Hardy and it also stars Joan Collins according to IMDB. The plot starts off like this:

Beth (Morgan James) is a successful pop music singer and a devout Protestant Christian from Texas, USA. She and her boyfriend Steve (Ed Speleers) both belong to a group known as the "cowboys for Christ", who travel to "heathen areas" of the world to preach Christianity. They travel to Glasgow, Scotland, hoping to save some souls once there. However, they are shocked when they receive a very negative reception, Beth even being set upon by a large dog.

After performing a concert at a local cathedral, the duo are approached by Lord Lachlan (Christopher Lee) and his wife Delia, aristocrats from the small village of Tressock in the Scottish lowlands. They invite Beth and Steve to come back with them to Tressock in order to preach.

Meanwhile, detective Orlando is sent to Tressock, posing as the local police officer, in order to secretly investigate reports of a pagan cult.

Discuss in the forum or leave a comment below.

HOME

Alan Rickman talks about Alice in Wonderland

This is a radio interview where Alan Rickman discuss Tim Burton's upcoming film 'Alice in Wonderland'. Rickman is playing the Caterpiller in the mix of CGI and real life.

The film also stars Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit, Crispin Glover as The Knave of Hearts, Stephen Fry as The Cheshire Cat, Christopher Lee, Timothy Spall as The Bloodhound, Eleanor Tomlinson as Fiona Chataway, Noah Taylor, and Matt Lucas as Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

Thanks to Pam for sending me the link.

Leave a comment on this post below.

HOME - Discuss in the Forum

Our first proper glimpse through the looking glass at Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

D23 is a Disney fan club that launched earlier this week and as part of a membership, you get a subscription to their quarterly magazine filled with photography and articles on all-things Disney. Featured in this first issue is an article on Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, which is currently in-production aiming for a March 5th, 2010 release. It included these photos that give us our first proper glimpse at the new adaption.

Abovie is Mia Wasikowska as Alice as well as a look at the Mad Hatter's tea party table. The Tim Burton Collective are the good people who scanned the photos for us all to see.

First Showing also had this quote from the magazine by Tim Burton:

"It's kind of a mixture of some distorted live action and animation. I can't
relate it to anything because I'm not sure what to relate it to. It's kind of
new territory for me,"

Also starring in the film are Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway plays the White Queen, Helena Bonham Carter plays the Red Queen, Alan Rickman plays the Caterpillar, Crispin Glover plays the The Knave of Hearts, Stephen Fry plays the Cheshire Cat. Christopher Lee is also starring.

I've never been a big fan of the Alice in Wonderland tale, but I love many of Tim Burton's other films and he has got a great cast involved so I'll definitely give it a watch when it comes out. All in all it is shaping up to be a most curious piece of film.

Leave a comment on this post below.

HOME - Discuss in the Forum

Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones, 2002 - DVD Review

Director: George "Wamprat" Lucas

Starring: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L Jackson, Ian McDairmid, Christopher Lee & Frank Oz
Running Time: 142 Minutes

Score:6/10

Here's part two of Alan S's review of the Star Wars universe.

After yesterday’s attempt at committing, what felt like, suicide by saying that The Phantom Menace was actually not a bad film, from a certain point of view, I now seem to have a death wish that compelled me to watch the second episode in the prequel Star Wars trilogy; namely Attack of the Clones.

Here, we are now 10 years after the Battle of Naboo and young Anakin Skywalker is coming towards the end of his tutelage under Obi-Wan (or so he feels). Another failed attempt on the life of the now Senator Amidala throws their lives back together again.

The feel of the film is quite lush at the beginning. Full sweeping sets with velvet and leathers in cool creams and deep reds and purples really live up to the pomp and ceremony of Coruscant. Lucas also expands on the city/planet with a great speeder chase and even onto the never before seen planet surface with its gaudy neon lights and clubs (You wanna but some deathsticks?)

And it is at this point in the film that Lucas takes the film in a direction that has not been taken before. The film then gives a big nod to film noir with Obi-Wan going on a Sam Spade style investigation, complete with greasy spoon cafés (his meeting with Dex) and terse conversations with Jango Fett about his recent movements. You could almost imagine the dialogue was directly lifted from a 1940’s serial film starring Humphrey Bogart.

While Kenobi does his best to smoke Gauloises, keep whiskey in his filing cabinet and produce inner soliloquies, Anakin and Padmé embark on the ultimately disastrous love affair that spawns Luke and Leia. One thing for sure is his persistence. On no fewer that four occasions does he crash and burn after his post-teenage attempts at pick-up lines. Most mere mortals would have bailed after the first or second attempt.

What Lucas does, to not too bad a level, is have two parts of one story arc off in different directions to be brought back together again on the insect planet of Geonosis (Starship Troopers anyone?) However, it’s at this point that the two parts start to unravel.

The sudden arrival of all the clones in Storm Trooper outfits beggar’s belief. The god awful puns uttered by C-3PO when his head and body become detached are straight out of a child’s joke book. But what I want to focus on here is the crow-barred attempt to keep the fan-boys drooling.

At the finale, when Dooku (which means “poison” in Japanese, for those in the know) and Yoda face off, Dooku comments, without so much as a nod or a wink to camera, that thier knowledge of the Force can’t be separated, so let’s duel with Lightsabers….Oh. Dear. God! Don’t force it upon us! If you are going to let it happen, let it happen naturally!

But I digress. The fore-shadowing of events yet to come arrive thick and fast enough to keep the fans interested enough to chuckle at their own knowledge. Anakin starting on the slippery slope to the Dark side is all too apparent and is the clear nexus of the film.

And this is where I will make my final point. One of the best things that Lucas, in his infinite wisdom, did was to keep the story going throughout the Clone Wars with the animated series (which I shall watch tonight) as Episode II and Episode III are merely the same story split into two. The same feelings, emotions and all round feel to it suggest this.

So, my dear Live-for-Films colleagues, I am really just in hiatus on this review. I shall keep you posted on my continuing mission in a galaxy far, far away.

I’ll give this 6/10. A slightly disappointing addition, but wonderful to watch…bit like a train wreck.