BuzzSugar

Clash of the Titans Remake Gets Incredible Hulk Director

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:33:30 PDT

Aw, here's some news that just might break my dad's heart, seeing as Clash of the Titans is one of his favorite movies of all time. It's just like when we get indignant and protective over our most beloved movies getting makeovers (Footloose, Teen Witch, Friday the 13th, etc.). I definitely sympathize with the dismay he'll feel at knowing that Titans is getting remade, most likely with CGI Medusa snakes and everything.

Louis Leterrier, director of the most recent Incredible Hulk movie, will direct the script which is getting reworked by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan. Variety explains the story:

In Clash of the Titans, Perseus, the son of Zeus, must overcome a series of obstacles to save his beloved Princess Andromeda, including cutting off the serpent-tressed head of Medusa, who can turn a man to stone with a single glance.

Interestingly, another epic movie having to do with Greek mythology just got greenlit, with director Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) at the helm. Titled War of the Gods, the story is "set in war-torn ancient Greece, as the young warrior prince Theseus leads his men in a battle against evil that will see the gods fighting with soldiers against demons and titans." Variety points out that this "Hollywood toga party" will mean that the two movies will engage in "a full-fledged chariot race to be first."

Are you ready for more Greek mythology on the big screen?

Source

The Incredible Hulk: Most Improved But Not the Best

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:30:47 PDT

Bringing Marvel's Hulk to the big screen is a challenging undertaking. For one thing, the idea of the Hulk is just funny: when a guy loses his temper he morphs into a giant green monster who smashes things. Plus, that green monster in ripped-up pants is just cartoonish, any way you slice it. You can always update Iron Man's suit with sleeker corners and more abilities or give Batman cooler gadgets, but how do you make a green monster-man something today's audience will take seriously?

So, given these obstacles, and the fact that Ang Lee did everyone a favor by demonstrating what not to do if you want the fanboys to show up, the most recent incarnation of The Incredible Hulk is pretty much a success. All things considered, the CGI looks great, there is plenty of action to keep hearts pounding, and Ed Norton and Liv Tyler turn in wonderful performances with the lines they have. That said, it's no Iron Man and I'm about 99.9% sure once The Dark Knight hits theaters we may all forget this movie even happened.

To find out why this Incredible Hulk will be remembered as the superhero movie that gave us something to do between Iron Man and Dark Knight,

First of all, it's worth the ticket price alone to see Ed Norton with this much screen time. Despite the fact that he isn't given much material to work with and not a minute is spent on character development, he still manages to convey the emotional toll that spontaneous, out-of-control monster transformation can take on a person. I was also pleasantly surprised by the chemistry Norton and Tyler have together.

Taking a cue from the movie itself, I'm not going to waste time on plot, and you just kind of accept certain things about each of the characters. For example, Norton's Bruce Banner is very concerned with the weapons General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (played by a superbly chilly William Hurt) will create with the science behind whatever turns Bruce into the Hulk. I'm not sure where Bruce's initial concern comes from, nor do I understand what motivates Thunderbolt's obsession. But right when this started to bother me, the movie kicked into high gear with lots of action sequences and scary CGI and I forgot what I was puzzling over before.

It's in this way that the pendulum swings just a bit too far in the other direction from Lee's film. Sure, it can be boring to spend too much time building up the sad events that lead to the Hulk's creation. But when you nearly banish all dialogue and scenes that include a little humanity, you end up with a fun ride that lacks a heart (despite the cast's best efforts to inject one). So, while I laughed (it has some genuinely witty moments) and clung to my chair (Poor Hulk! Stop shooting at him!) I didn't leave with the emotional connection I had with Iron Man.

In any other year a B+ superhero movie would be something to get excited about. But 2008 is shaping up to be the summer of the superhero - and everyone else is bringing their A-game.

To see the trailer and more clips from The Incredible Hulk, visit movies.iVillage.com

Source

Edward Norton Going Green as the Hulk

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 12:13:13 PDT

Edward Norton is one of Hollywood's most enviro-friendly stars, but now he's going green in a different way: According to a story in today's Variety, Norton will play Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk. The movie, which has a tentative release date of June 2008, is Marvel's second recent attempt at bringing the Hulk to the big screen. Though 2003's Hulk sounded good on paper - thanks to director Ang Lee and hunky Eric Bana - it didn't fare very well at the box office.

According to Variety, the Norton vehicle "begins with Banner on the run, trying to avoid capture long enough to cure the condition that turns him into a misunderstood green menace." Apparently, this version will be less serious than Ang Lee's take and more like the original comics and TV show; the movie is being directed by Louis Leterrier, the man behind The Transporter and Transporter 2.

I always love watching Ed Norton act, and he proved with Fight Club that he can do the tough-guy thing. But after so many lukewarm comic-book adaptations lately, I'm very curious to see how this one will turn out. At least they're starting off on the right foot by casting Norton.

Source