"When remaking a classic motion picture, one of the chief obstacles faced by filmmakers is ensuring that the original story remains relevant to a modern audience. Often the plot or setting is fundamentally altered, but even when these elements are essentially unchanged the score is almost always radically revised, since such melodic modifications ensure, at the very least, that the new adventure sounds contemporary. The music for the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a perfect example of that phenomenon. Crafted by avant-garde jazz artist Denny Zeitlin, the dozen compositions created for the production, which updates the legendary 1956 film, are energetic, evocative and, even by today's standards, fairly extreme."

Quoted from a review by Jeff Berkwits at scifi.com

FREE MP3s OFF THE ALBUM (right-click the links to to save the files)

More at Perseverance Records, "a small label with a big mission" which also put out those wonderful scores for "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" and the 30th Anniversary Edition of "Dr. Phibes Rises Again" by John Gale (free MP3s of those on the same page).

"A drug created by the former KGB to keep its agents sober so that they could drink opponents under the table before stealing their secrets is being sold on the internet to Hollywood stars as a defence against hangovers." Full story in the The Guardian

Found at Shithappens.

Trailersworld.com has a nice collection from the past, including Citizen Kane, Abbott and Costellor or the Rambo Trailers.

Universal Pictures is working on a realistic movie based on this great 60s-show with it's marionette-actors and those great model-kits instead of boring computer graphics. Not too much is known about this production yet, but it sounds like it's gonna be really, really lame.

"Set in the year 2065, this is the story of ex-astronaut and USAF Colonel Jeff Tracy (Paxton) and his five sons who form a rescue team called International Rescue (nicknamed "The Thunderbirds") that uses a fleet of vehicles, from rockets to boats, to race into action whenever their unique services are required. Helping the Tracys are Brains (Edwards), a technological genius who invented the amazing rockets used by International Rescue; Jeff's assistant Kyrano and his daughter Tin-Tin; the lovely Lady Penelope (Dahl), and her driver, Parker. In this adventure, Tracy Island is attacked by an evil mastermind, Aristotle Spode, AKA The Hood (Kingsley), who wants to use the International Rescue vehicles to commit acts of crime. The emphasis of the story will be on Alan (14-year-old Corbet), the youngest of the clan at 12, who will have to rescue his father and brothers from Spode's villainous clutches, with the help of two of his friends." -quoted from Yahoo! Movies

The first picture

Directed by Jonathan Frakes and starring Bill Paxton (Jeff Tracy); Ben Kingsley (The Hood); Anthony Edwards (Brains); Sophia Myles (Lady Penelope); Philip Winchester (Scott Tracy); Lex Shrapnel (John Tracy); Dominic Colenso (Virgil Tracy); Ben Torgenson (Gordon Tracy); Ron Cook (Parker).

Expected Release Date U.S. : 23rd July 2004 (Subject to change)

Lady Penelope with her new car

PICS FROM THAT BBC-WORLD EXCLUSIVE 15 sec uncompleted FX shot of THUNDEBIRDS 3 taking off from TRACY ISLAND.

By the way, whatever happened to Matt Stone & Trey Parker's (South Park) R-rated Marionette Action Epic called TEAM AMERICA? Can't wait to see it after reading the announcement.

"Our Cast will be deliberately made of wood, but that will only be taking to the extreme what is evident in many Hollywood movies right now," said Stone. "I hate all these new Hollywood films that are CGI-driven. Trey and I loved that 'Thunderbirds' series because of the artistry of the marionettes. It's amazing that a studio would make a movie out of it and take out the only thing that was good about the series." -quoted from Variety

THUNDERBIRDS LINKS:

We thought that it's about time for some spooky movies and we made a list. So, vote for your faves, ok?

When Mr. Dashwood dies, he must leave the bulk of his estate to the son by his first marriage, which leaves his second wife and three daughters (Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret) in straitened circumstances. They are taken in by a kindly cousin, but their lack of fortune affects the marriageability of both practical Elinor and romantic Marianne. When Elinor forms an attachment for the wealthy Edward Ferrars, his family disapproves and separates them. And though Mrs. Jennings tries to match the worthy (and rich) Colonel Brandon to her, Marianne finds the dashing and fiery Willoughby more to her taste. Both relationships are sorely tried. But this is a romance, and through the hardships and heartbreak, true love and a happy ending will find their way for both the sister who is all sense and the one who is all sensibility.

Screening: Sept. 25th. 2003, 8:30 p.m.

Karel's Ang Lee-website

Welles' 1962 version of Kafka's novel of the same name came about through an offer from the Salkind brothers to make a film from a list of public domain properties. Welles told Peter Bogdanovich in This is Orson Welles that the only title on the list to interest him was the Kafka work. It is a difficult work to enjoy as entertainment, what with the generally unlikeable characters, bleak story and diversions into philosophical argument. Excellent performances abound in the film, in particular Anthony Perkin's squirmy, restless Joseph K, tormented from the opening scenes of the film. It's his work that I think makes the film hard to watch, sometimes, as we are forced to see this man put under the hammer, until his inevitable end. The surreal qualities of the film allow for some potent humor as well, though some may not see humor in such situations.

Screening: Sept. 18th. , 2003, 8:30 p.m.

LINKS:

'The Trial of Orson Welles' from Films and Filming, October 1962 Transcript of 1962 BBC Interview with Welles About The Trial The Missing Scene: The Electronic Brain

Wellesnet.com - a great source on Orson Welles Another nice site on Orson Welles

Middle-aged novelist Humbert Humbert rents a room in Charlotte Haze's house after he falls passionately in love with her daughter Lolita. There are three slight problems, though - one, Charlotte is madly in love with him (unrequited, needless to say); two, Lolita is only fourteen; three, there's a very peculiar figure by the name of Clare Quilty who keeps popping up in the most unexpected places (and sporting equally unexpected accents), who seems to have a similarly unhealthy interest in Lolita...

Screening Sept. 11th., 2003 , 8:30 p.m.

Sept. 4th. Great Expectations (David Lean)

Charles Dickens' classic tale of Pip, a poor orphan who befriends an escaped convict and who grows up in the company of a bitter old woman, Miss Havisham, and her haughty young ward, Estella. Pip learns the rewards of both vindictiveness and gratitude as a result of these events.

Sept. 11th. Lolita (Stanley Kubrick)

Middle-aged novelist Humbert Humbert rents a room in Charlotte Haze's house after he falls passionately in love with her daughter Lolita. There are three slight problems, though - one, Charlotte is madly in love with him (unrequited, needless to say); two, Lolita is only fourteen; three, there's a very peculiar figure by the name of Clare Quilty who keeps popping up in the most unexpected places (and sporting equally unexpected accents), who seems to have a similarly unhealthy interest in Lolita...

Sept. 18th. The Trial (Orson Welles) Welles' 1962 version of Kafka's novel of the same name came about through an offer from the Salkind brothers to make a film from a list of public domain properties. Welles told Peter Bogdanovich in This is Orson Welles that the only title on the list to interest him was the Kafka work. It is a difficult work to enjoy as entertainment, what with the generally unlikeable characters, bleak story and diversions into philosophical argument. Excellent performances abound in the film, in particular Anthony Perkin's squirmy, restless Joseph K, tormented from the opening scenes of the film. It's his work that I think makes the film hard to watch, sometimes, as we are forced to see this man put under the hammer, until his inevitable end. The surreal qualities of the film allow for some potent humor as well, though some may not see humor in such situations.

Sept. 25th. Sense and Sensibility (Ang Lee)

When Mr. Dashwood dies, he must leave the bulk of his estate to the son by his first marriage, which leaves his second wife and three daughters (Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret) in straitened circumstances. They are taken in by a kindly cousin, but their lack of fortune affects the marriageability of both practical Elinor and romantic Marianne. When Elinor forms an attachment for the wealthy Edward Ferrars, his family disapproves and separates them. And though Mrs. Jennings tries to match the worthy (and rich) Colonel Brandon to her, Marianne finds the dashing and fiery Willoughby more to her taste. Both relationships are sorely tried. But this is a romance, and through the hardships and heartbreak, true love and a happy ending will find their way for both the sister who is all sense and the one who is all sensibility.