"It rode out from the desert into a small town, only to have some local goons come gunning from it. It wouldn't have any of it, and gunned them down before they could even draw their pistols. It then set up shop in town, awaiting the goons' friends, who were sure to arrive--with a lust for revenge!"
Shot of Old West-esque post office wall: "WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE: THIS COLUMN"
The reward for naming this column could be a whole gaggle of unsold Batman and Robin video tapes, perfect for making rewritable again with a strip of scotch tape. cleaning up around the kitchen and bathroom. Seriously folks, we are looking for a new name for this column. Please submit your suggestions to Deadpool directly. If we pick your title, you'll be rewarded. With what?!? Well... we're not quite sure yet...
"Austin Powers 2" script review!
I've got to admit that the first Austin is a personal cult classic for me. I've seen it over ten times and I still laugh like a maniac every time. The second sounds like it's gonna be even better.
The story starts with Austin and Vanessa on their honeymoon. Suddenly she blows up, then she's revealed to be a Fem-Bot. After that, it doesn't take long for Austin to get back in Shaggadelic mode. Enter Dr. Evil, who is reunited with his son Scott (who I feel is still greatly under used in this one) on The Jerry Springer Show. Evil has a new evil scheme: to go back in time and steal Austin's "mojo" while he was still frozen in the 60's. He sends Fat Bastard, a Scottish character reminiscent of Myers' father in I Married An Axe Murderer, to do it. Bastard is always cursing, which will probably be bleeped a la South Park. Still, Myers will blow our minds off with this character. Once Austin realizes his mojo is gone (in a very awkward moment with KGB agent Ivana Humpalot), he then goes back into the 60's where he teams up with Felicity Shagwell ("Shagwell by name shag very well by reputation," Austin quotes.) The new duo then team up to foil Evil's plans once again.
The opening credit sequence will be hilarious, I think it's a nice twist on the original film's opening credits. Dr. Evil is even funnier in this one. Again Myers hits us with his very funny Bond-ish names for the ladies: Robin Swallows (who's maiden name was 'Spitz'), Ivana Humpalot... way too funny. There are a few running jokes through out the story, for instance Austin uses the same women as a shield in three different scenes. Can't wait to see Myers' take on Guru Pitka who helps Austin to regain his mojo, and how they'll create Mini-Me, a smaller version of Dr. Evil who sounds very, very funny.
Still the script has his flaws: ultimately the entire mojo story line sounds stupid...and don't get me started on the 'He-Bots'. I should remind you that this script is still a work in progress and things can change at anytime. There's no mention of some of the scoops we've heard about, like Dr. Pseudoeville or the football player turned actor/scientist, so these could be examples of recent changes to the script. Still, the bottom line is that I mostly found myself laughing hysterically moment to moment. If it's directed well this one could be cooler, funnier and sexier than the first film. This could be Myers' Nutty Professor - big box office and a jump to the next level of film star. Can't wait until next summer...
"Prince of Egypt" Sequel Greenlighted???
Here's an interesting scoop we've received this week:
If the movie follows the biblical story of Joseph this movie would be set before Moses' time, and thus a prequel to Prince of Egypt. Can anyone shed some further light on this project?
Prepare Yourself for the Next French New Wave
Here's my typical Sunday morning... I'm eating grilled cheese toast, reading the Sunday newspaper...until I turned to the variety section. I almost choked on my grilled cheese! It was a very small article on the forming of a new production company:
Holy crap! The three hottest French film directors are teaming up to produce films together! I'm having goosebumps already...but wait, there's more!:
"The Production company's goal is to help all three directors, and others, to produce and direct films in English without the involvement of mainstream studios. 1B2K would like to have at least one movie in production by the end of this year."
In short it sounds like they wanna make their typical European-style movies for us North-Americans. They also want to do it without a studio backing them and telling them what to do. Can you imagine what kind of films they could be doing? Besson has already proven his genius time after time. Just think of The Big Blue, La Femme Nikita, The Professional, etc... Kassovitz is the mastermind behind the French film of the decade, La Haine (Hate). If you haven't seen it, try digging around your local video stores. As for Jan Kounen, he's the maniac behind the ultra-violent Dobermann - rumored to be the most violent film ever made (I have not seen it). He's presently doing 2nd unit direction for Besson's Joan of Arc. Don't worry folks I'll keep an eye on the future of this company. It already sounds great.
A Request to Anyone in the Biz...
I'm looking to conduct some email interviews with people working in
various areas of filmmaking. While I would love to interview screenwriters
or directors, I'd also like to speak with special effects people, editors,
musicians and those involved with how movies are developed, produced and
marketed. I'm thinking of a '20 questions' type of format for the interview,
and if you want to be kept anonymous for fear of industry reprisals I can
accomodate that. I'm looking to get the story behind the movie-making experience
out and into the open. If that interests you email me at my address below
and I'll be in contact.
Stay Tuned...
That's All Folks...
Jean-François Allaire (a.k.a. 'Deadpool')
deadpool@corona.bc.ca.
Contributing Content Writer
Coming Attractions
Previous issues of Deadpool's column are also available.