News: 2/8

New Posters


Only / Motherhood / The Informant!
The Cabin in the Woods (x2)

Ridley Scott to direct Alien prequel
A script is currently being written by an, as yet, untested screenwriter named Jon Spaihts. We may not have seen anything from Spaihts yet, but studios sure seem to like him, and like him for sci-fi in particular. This is a prequel, but Variety says that Spaihts “won the job with an "Alien" reboot take that the studio and Scott loved.”
Of course the big news is, after years of discussion, and the recent suggestion that a commercial director named Carl Rinsch might take the helm, with Scott producing, that in the franchise’s 30th anniversary year, Ridley Scott has signed to return to the director’s chair for his first sci-fi film since Blade Runner. We’ll probably see the results of this deal some time in 2012.

Fantastic Mr Fox Trailer
In the same week that Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl adaptation has been confirmed as the opening film for 2009’s London Film Festival the first trailer has emerged. I’m not entirely won over by it, but you can judge for yourselves here.


Send in the lawyers
Apparently there’s this franchise called The Twilight Saga, and it’s sort of a big deal, at least to teenage girls. It’s become a little more interesting in the last week, what with dueling reports from cast member Rachelle Lefevre and producers Summit Entertainment about Lefevre’s abrupt firing, and Bryce Dallas Howard being called in to play the character of Victoria in next year’s film Eclipse. You can read both statements in full here.
Lefevre says: ”I was stunned by Summit’s decision to recast the role of Victoria for Eclipse. I was fully committed to the Twilight saga, and to the portrayal of Victoria. I turned down several other film opportunities and, in accordance with my contractual rights, accepted only roles that would involve very short shooting schedules… Given the length of filming for Eclipse, never did I fathom I would lose the role over a 10-day overlap. I was happy with my contract with Summit and was fully prepared to continue to honor it. Summit chose simply to recast the part.”
While Summit replied with: ”We at Summit Entertainment are disappointed by Rachelle Lefevre’s recent comments which attempt to make her career choices the fault of the Studio. Her decision to discuss her version of the scheduling challenges publicly has forced the Studio to set the record straight and correct the facts… Ms. Lefevre took a role in the other film that places her in Europe during the required rehearsal time, and at least ten days of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’s principal photography. This period is essential for both rehearsal time with the cast, and for filming at key locations that are only available during the initial part of production.”
This much more entertaining than Twilight

BBFC Decisions

Inglourious Basterds [strong bloody violence]
Chiko [very strong language, strong bloody violence & hard drug use]


Home [one use of strong language and strong nudity]
Rage [strong language]
Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 [infrequent strong bloody violence, strong language and sex]
The Informant! [strong language]


The Time Traveller’s Wife [brief sight of bloody injury and scenes of emotional distress]
The Yes Men Fix the World [one use of strong language]

On DVD Monday

It has been confirmed that the UK DVD release will use the original theatrical subtitles, not the simplified ones prepared for the initial US DVD release.

At Cinemas Friday


Adam / GI JOE: The Rise of Cobra / Mesrine: Killer Instinct
Orphan / The Ugly Truth / The Yes Men Fix the World