"Deep As Hell!" - Nicolas Cage Shows Off Some RAGE!

On the latest episode of AMC Movie Talk, a listener wrote in asking the crew if Nicolas Cage could ever make a comeback from his recent string of B Movie Trash.  The Crew answered unanimously "YES!" and I agree.  He's certainly making a play at respectability with David Gordon Green's Joe, but word from those few that bothered to see it says is"meh" at best.  It's playing up the street from me, but I can't seem to muster up the energy to bother with Mud Part 2.  If you've been following this blog for just a little bit, then you know we here at ITMOD are Cage fanatics.  I love the real-deal stuff like Adaptation & Leaving Las Vegas as much as I love the mega performances of Drive Angry & The Bad Lieutenant. Cage's real problem seems to be rooted in his more recent batch of bland Direct-To-DVD roles.  Films like Seeking Justice, Trespass, Stolen, and Frozen Ground have practically killed my Cage addiction.  Still, I'm waiting for the next Cagesplosion.  On the surface, Rage looks like another bland blahfest, but the walking meme is a perfect fit for a Death Wish wannabe.  Crank up the violence, get creative with the killings, and Rage has the potential for a fun little revenger.  Plus, Old Man Glover is awesome.  More of him in everything please.



--Brad

Dork Hero Michael Winner Is Dead...but never forgotten!

Sad news film fans.  Michael Winner has passed away at the age of 77.  He had been battling cancer for the last several years, and had not been behind a camera since 1998 (although he did find a new career, oddly enough, as a restaurant critic - seriously need to score me some of those reviews, fascinating).  He's probably most famous for the first three Death Wish films and rightfully so, as those films are all kinds of gritty 70s absurdity.  The third film is a definite highlight of my childhood, and any Star Trek Next Generation fan should be horrified by Marina Sirtis guest spot.   But he also directed Charles Bronson in two other brilliant hard nosed flicks:  Chato's Land and The Mechanic.  Seek 'em out if you haven't already as they are delightfully brutal.  And finally, you got to witness The Sentinel.  It's a horror film obviously borrowing from The Exorcist & The Omen, but it also contains heavy doses of Dario Argento.  The film sports one of the most effective jump scares I've experienced on the little screen - watching it late one night, 15 years ago, in my parents' basement.  Freaky, wonderful.  Don't believe me?  Just listen to Edgar Wright below...

--Brad

What If? Joe Carnahan's Daredevil

Looks like Joe Carnahan's Daredevil project is dead.  And the below sizzle reel concocted by Carnahan for his version of The Man Without Fear makes me so dang sad.  Who knows if he could have pulled this off or not, but I love the Super Fly music and The Warriors "CAN YOU DIG IT?!" pronouncement.  My only hope is that Carnahan can take some of this 70s/80s grime and apply it to his Death Wish remake.  Or is that dead too?



So if Fox doesn't get a Daredevil film into production by October the rights of the character revert back to Marvel Studios.  And I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.  I don't want Daredevil hopping around The Avengers universe.  Why?  Cuz I don't want a superhero Daredevil.  I want a vigilante Daredevil.  And apparently I wanted a Joe Carnahan Daredevil.

--Brad

Dork Art: Death Wish

Just a few days ago, The Grey director Joe Carnahan let the world know via Twitter that he's signed on to direct a Death Wish remake.  I definitely dig Carnahan's films and I love the hell outta the original Death Wish series, but I'm not so sure I need a new version of this story.  It's simple enough where one could run off with a very different take on the style/narrative so I'm not freaking out or anything.  Besides, I like the cut of Carnahan's Tweets' gib:

"Guys. I’m doing ‘Death Wish.’ But this version is a re-imagining of the book and set in present day Los Angeles. The L.A. of ‘Collateral.’ It’s on buses, cabs, metro trains. I want to show an unseen version of L.A. L.A. on foot. Prowling. Hunting. The vast emptiness of downtown. … Refn did a phenomenal job shooting L.A. It took on a different dimension. That’s the key. … The only role I’m writing in ‘Death Wish’ which will mark the ONE time I’ve ever written exclusively for an actor, will be for @FrankGrillo."

                                        Bronson                                      Grillo

Well, now Mondo just posted the below picture on their tumblr page.  A quick Tyler Stout Charles Bronson!  This gets me salivating at the very notion of a Stout Death Wish Mondo print.  Want, want, want.  Of course, if it was anything like today's Drive release I won't have a holy heck of snagging one.

--Brad