Film News: New Pulp documentary opens Sheffield Doc/Fest, Dundead programme revealed
SHEFFIELD DOC/FEST OPENS WITH EUROPEAN PREMIERE OF NEW FILM ABOUT JARVIS COCKER AND PULP
Sheffield Doc/Fest (7-12 Jun) will open on 7 June with the European premiere of PULP. A Film about Life, Death and Supermarkets, a new documentary looking at the band's career and legacy. In attendance will be band-members Jarvis Cocker, Nick Banks, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey and Mark Webber, director Florian Habicht, and producer Alex Bode. The opening night event will be broadcast live to cinema screens around the country. It will be the second year on the bounce that Cocker has opened the festival – with last year's event kicking off with the Pulp-frontman and his friends in the Sheffield music scene providing a live score to Martin Wallace's The Big Melt.
Sheffield Doc/Fest has been running for 21 years, showcasing UK premieres of the documentaries from the cinema, television and online arenas, and featuring Q&A sessions with high-profile filmmakers. The programme's films are all eligible for the Sheffield Doc/Fest award programme, with winners announced at the festival's close. For full details and tickets, visit the Sheffield Doc/Fest site.
DUNDEAD HORROR FESTIVAL REVEALS PROGRAMME
Horror comes to Dundee in May as the annual Dundead Horror Festival shuffles into town, trailing guts and gore like a half-mangled zombie. Now in its fourth terrifying year, Dundead takes place at the city's Dundee Contemporary Arts centre from 1-4 May, with a programme of premieres and special screenings.
One of the highlights of this year's programme is the UK premiere of The Unwanted (2 May). Director Bret Wood says: "I am delighted that The Unwanted will have its UK premiere at Dundead. With its carefully-curated blend of off-beat classics and adventurous new releases, Dundead clearly appreciates films that cut against the grain of conventional horror."
Other screenings include a series of special late-night showings of the classic Sam Raimi opus, the Evil Dead trilogy (2-4 May), and more recent horror outings in the form of giallo-inspired murder mystery The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears (2 May), black comedy The Battery (3 May), and haunted house thriller Torment (4 May). The full programme, and details of how to buy a festival pass, can be found here.
HARRISON FORD TALKS BLADE RUNNER 2
Harrison Ford has broken his silence about the proposed Blade Runner sequel, currently being mooted by director Ridley Scott. Answering questions on a Reddit 'Ask Me Anything' thread, Ford spoke out about the sequel for the first time, breaking the veil of secrecy that has surrounded its plot, release details, and cast. Ford didn't reveal much, but it seems like he is enthusiastic about the project, stating: "I'm quite curious and excited about seeing a new script for Blade Runner... if in fact the opportunity would exist to do another, if it's a good script I would be very anxious to work with Ridley Scott again, he's a very talented and passionate filmmaker. And I think it would be very interesting to revisit the character."
In another exchange, Ford was asked to state categorically for once and for all who shot first in Star Wars: Epsiode IV - A New Hope; Han, or Greedo. Ford's reply was characteristically grumpy: "I don't know and I don't care." Asked if he was still "mad at Lando," the actor replied: "Lando who?" Other revealing questions saw Ford explaining the difference between himself and his most famous character, Indiana Jones. "I actually like snakes!," he writes. "When I was young, I was a Boy Scout nature camp counselor, and one of our projects was collecting snakes and creating an environment for them, so I'm quite familiar with snakes and think they're fantastic creatures." Read the full AMA here.
Johnny Depp will collaborate with Kevin Smith on the director's new project, Tusk, according to Long Island Nerwsday. The project, billed as a modern take on the classic 'monster movie' genre, will also feature Red State's Michael Parks. Depp's involvement was confirmed in the interview by actor Justin Long, who also stars.
News of a planned reboot of Jean-Claude Van Damme's time-travelling 90s classic Timecop was shared this week by THR – originally rumoured last year, the planned reboot will not feature The Muscles From Brussels, but rather will appropriate the central premise of a time-travelling law enforcer on a quest for epic justice. Mark and Brian Gunn (memorably the scribes behind, ahem, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island) have reportedly been hired to write the script, which they describe as "a more gritty and grounded police story with the sci-fi in the background." This gets a great big 'Hmmmmmm' from us.
Peter Weir's under-rated and sorely Oscar-ignored The Truman Show could be set for a TV reboot, according to The Wrap. Weir's visionary, prescient film anticipated the rise and rise of the 'reality' format on TV, and given a long-form treatment, could well prove to be a fascinating and worthwhile take on the 1998 film. Jim Carrey's involvement has yet to be mentioned.
Benedict Cumberbatch has ruled out an appearance in Star Wars VII, according to Collider. "I would've liked a part in J.J.'s new Star Wars, but it won't happen, sadly," the actor told Collider, also ruling himself out of an appearance in the new series of Doctor Who. Although, as Total Film point out, Cumberbatch denied his involvement in Star Trek: Into Darkness until fairly late on in the game, too.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has already had one outing on the big screen – Dolph Lundgren essayed the title role in the 1987 film adaptation. Now, scriptwriter Jeff Wadlow (the writer/director of the frankly execrable Kick-Ass 2) has signalled his intention to write a new adaptation for the big screen, taking over from previously-tipped scribe Terry Rossio. Wadlow may yet come on board to direct, according to THR.
Guy Ritchie's King Arthur will hit screens in July 2016, according to Variety. The long-mooted project has now been confirmed, and Ritchie will begin pre-production as soon as he finishes up editing The Man From U.N.C.L.E. And finally, Den of Geek have just published a list of 129 sequels currently in the works. Who's up for second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) helpings of Alan Partridge, Bad Santa, Beverley Hills Cop, Bill & Ted, Goonies, Pacific Rim, Rambo, TRON, and (our personal favourite), Machete Kills... in Space? Check out the full list here.
TRAILERS: JOE, PIONEER, I ORIGINS
A quick flick through the latest trailers – first up, Nicolas Cage. What do you mean, you need more information? It's Nicolas Cage! Directed by David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, George Washington), the film tells the tale of ex-con Joe (Cage), who becomes an unlikely mentor for a 15 year-old boy. Joking aside, this looks more like a hillbilly Leaving Las Vegas than Con Air, with Cage turning in a measured, grizzled performance.
Next up, Pioneer, a tense conspiracy thriller set aboard a deep-sea drilling platform, and beneath the treacherous waves of the North Sea. Set during the Norwegian oil boom of the 1980s, the film stars Wes Bentley, directed by Norwegian filmmaker Erik Skjoldbjærg. Claustrophobic, and shot with a dry, documentary feel, this could be a winner.
And finally, I Origins, a big hitter at Sundance, starring Michael Pitt as a scientist specialising in the study of eyes, who makes a discovery that could change the world. Complex, philosophically daring and artfully shot, this one comes from writer/director Mike Cahill (Another Earth).