News Archive: May 2002

Naked Lunch DVD Rip Released
A huge thanks to compot for sharing Naked Lunch. This one is an English DVD rip (as oppose to the previous release, which was a VHS rip).

Happy Birthday, Danny!
Happy 49^th birthday to one of the biggest talents out there, Danny Elfman!

Don't be Afraid... (or: Photos Rearrangement)

You know the Behind the Scenes section that was so packed that you were afraid to get into? Well, "Don't be afraid...", it's been rearranged and replaced by the new Photos section, now divided for easier navigation and much faster loading.

And to "celebrate" the new section, what's better than having 7 new photos and posters for Spider?

Enjoy.

Beetlejuice 2?
The Beetlejuice 2 (or Beetlejuice goes Hawaiian) rumor has been circulating since the original Beetlejuice came out in 1988. But if you believe what Michael Keaton told Fox News, then there's actually a chance we're gonna see this sequel made after all: "I've talked to Tim [Burton] about it. You have to remember that a lot of what we did was made up as we went along. A script would never reflect what we would shoot. All that stuff that everyone likes is us riffing". Keaton said that if Warner Bros. would give them the green light, he and Burton are ready to try and do it.

Yesterday's Eurovision
Although I haven't seen the show, let me sum it up for you: I'd vote for her. And I don't care that she can't sing or that the song sucks - just look at the picture on the right

Spider Official Site
The Official Spider Site is up. Be patient (no pun intended) when it loads. The site is packed with info: Biographies, interviews, synopsis, production notes, trailer, gallery, posters, screen saver and more. P.S.: Thanks to the one who sent me a postcard through the site, but apparently they still have some fixing to do there, because I can't see the postcard (or know who the sender is)

Painkillers News
Thanks to dejan ognjanovic for reporting this article about Cronenberg's next movie, Painkillers. According to it, Cronenberg will be teaming up with producer Robert Lantos (*Crash, eXistenZ*) for the movie. Currently, production is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2003. The article also contains a short synopsis. The FAQ has been updated accordingly.

Howard Shore Interview
Dan Epstein has recommended this very interesting interview (from DavidFincher.net) with Howard Shore about *Panic Room* and film scoring in general (including *LOTR, Crash, Naked Lunch, Dead Ringers* and *Spider). Of course, he talks a lot about Cronenberg* and their work together.

Red Dragon Update

Coming Attractions has published the teaser poster for Red Dragon (the "prequel" to Silence of the Lambs).

According to MusicFromTheMovies.com, Danny Elfman will do the score.

The movie has begun shooting a while ago, and it stars Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Harvery Keitel, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Mary Louise Parker. Release date is November 2002.

The Spider Feast has begun!

Cannes site has put up the Spider Trailer!

Here are the direct links for you:
Real Video: Low, High
Windows Media: Low, High

Check out the Spider section in Behind the Scenes for 19 new photos, snapped from the trailer and enhanced.

And of course... 13 photos from today's screening:

WireImage requires registration to see the full-size photos. If someone can find the links to them, please report!

And the feast doesn't end here!
The IMDB page for Spider has been updated and it now contains the full credits.
Notice the UK release date has been postponed to November 2002 (same as France).

And here is the first review for the movie.

And an article from

New Address for The Cronendrome
Andreas, the author of Cronendrome has asked me to let you know that the site is alive and kicking in it's new address, at http://cronendrome.sphosting.com/. Keep up the good job.

Spider at Cannes

I'm not sure how many of you have problems seeing the Cannes site (here or here). I know I do, and that's why I couldn't check their updates, although I tried many times.

Anyway, Ashbrg (neural-surged) was kind enough to point out that the site has already been upadted with lots of Spider stuff.

• Here is the Spider page on the Cannes site, which contains synopsis, extracts of Dialogues, pictures, credits and contacts and artistic list.

• Spider screening dates:
Tuesday 21, Grand Theatre Lumiere, 11:30
Tuesday 21, Grand Theatre Lumiere, 22:30

• Check out the Spider section in Behind the Scenes for 5 new photos, taken from the Cannes site (and enhanced).

• The Spider section in the FAQ has also been updated, accordingly.

Another interesting thing from the Cannes site: "Unable to attend the official press conferences? Interact with your favourite stars and directors via our mailbox. We will ask your questions regarding a film from the official selection at the press conference. Send us a mail to questions@festival-cannes.fr".
So what are you waiting for? Mail your question to this address and share it with us on the board.

A Word about Masking

You may already know that Cronenberg usually films his movies in 1.33:1 ratio (full-screen), intended to be masked into 1.85:1 ratio. This method is used so that when the movie is transferred to VHS, it won't have to go though the Pan & Scan method, in which the left/right ends are cropped. Instead, the full-screen picture actually contains more than is seen in the wide-screen picture (using Pan & Scan it's the other way around). But since the extra top/bottom details weren't intended to be there, it usually results in "empty spaces" (and a boom which most people consider a goof, but it's actually not).

So when you watch some of the Cronenberg rips, such as Scanners, Rabid and Shivers, you're actually seeing more than Cronenberg intended, and you may notice the empty spaces on the top/bottom, which shouldn't be there (click the picture on the left, from Shivers).

Want to see the movies like Cronenberg intended them to be? Get Zoom Player (which is my favorite player anyway), go to Full-Screen mode using Alt-Enter, and press Alt-K to toggle the masking mode. You can change the mask-settings using Ctrl-K: To mask 1.33:1 into 1.85:1 (Cronenberg movies) use 100 for top and 100 for bottom. The movies will look much better. Enjoy.

See more info and explames for the different aspect ratios here.

DK's recommendation: Husbands and Wives

A huge thanks to kompot for sharing Husbands and Wives (1992).

This is my favorite Woody Allen movie amongst his "serious" ones, and I rate it 10/10. Don't get me wrong - I love his comedies a lot, and some of them are amongst my favorites (Sleeper, Radio Days, Take the Money and Run and more), but this one is very different. It's totally "straight", meaning you shouldn't expect the usual Allen jokes. Instead you've got a very sincere and effective drama that is brutally honest, relevant and sensitive.

The movie was released just when the Allen-Farrow scandal blew-up, leaving the former out of the sight of the public and highly underrated. Some claim that the real-life tension between Woody and Mia can be seen on the screen. In retrospective, some of the themes in the movie look like Allen's diary or "confession" (especially the ones involving Juliette Lewis' character), making the elements even more realistic and honest. Of course, making the movie highly-realistic was obviously Allen's main goal here - which explains why he used the shaky hand-held camera (that many find annoying) throughout the movie, the interviewer documentary-like style, and the rough cuts during the scenes.

Amazing acting by the entire cast, which includes Allen himself, Mia Farrow, Liam Neeson, director Sydney Pollack in a brilliant performance, and the fantastic Judy Davis and Juliette Lewis (in one of my favorite roles of her).

The script contains so many smart and true real-life ideas, observations and sayings that in my own man-woman relations I found the movie actually "speaking" my thoughts and feelings, and explaining a lot of the under-layers.

Don't miss this one!

DK's rating: 10/10
Husbands and Wives

New Pic from Crash
Added a new pic to Behind the Scenes of what seems like either an alternate take from Crash, or an actual rehearsal for the final scene (What do you think? Write your opinion on the board!)

Cannes Film Festival Opens

The 55th Festival opened today with Woody Allen's new movie, Hollywood Ending. This is what he had to say about Hollywood: "I've always felt affectionate towards Hollywood. I wouldn't want to live there but I like going there for a couple of days every now and then. I've been very, very lucky. Nobody tells me how to make my films, nobody sees my script or approves my casting. I don't work too hard. I'm not a perfectionist. Films are not my top priority" (source: IMDB).

One of the special treats of the festival is a 20-minute snippet from Martin Scorsese's eagerly awaited Gangs of New York, starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Cameron Diaz.

Woody Allen Feast
A huge thanks to kompot for sharing Alice (released by vcdvault) and Zelig. And brace yourself - he's going to share Husbands and Wives and The Purple Rose of Cairo in a few days! Check the Others section for the complete listing of known Woody Allen rips.

Shiver Rip Released

A huge thanks to lamer_de for sharing Shivers.

Wow, the Cronenberg collection is almost complete now the rare stuff is left... and there's Spider to wait for.

Enjoy the movie. Here's a sample (by lamer_de).

Airplane Rip
The Airplane rip turned out to be quite blurry. Use this rip instead.

Stephen King is going Blind
According to IMDB, horror writing superstar Stephen King is going blind, after developing a condition called Macular Degeneration. The novelist - who was severely injured in an car accident in June 1999 that left him in critical condition - claims he has a hereditary disease and that he could lose his sight at any moment. But King refuses to let the prospect of blindness get him down. He says, "At least I'm alive - that's the way I feel about it."

Cronenberg Polls
54 polls, 42 of them directly Cronenberg-related... I'm really running out of ideas for questions. So if you have a suggestion, let me know or write it on the board, and you'll be credited if I use it. It doesn't necessarily have to be Cronenberg-related.

Where is the Cronendrome?
The Cronendrome site has disappeared together with its web host, Dencity. If anyone (including its author) knows the new location, if one exists, or has other info about it, let me know and I'll publish it here.

SW2: Attack of the Clones is on the Net
CNN has published an article about *SW2: Attack of the Clones* being spread on the net, before it's theatrical release. Read about it here. If you want to get it yorself, go here. See the quality on the right.

Site's Updates
I guess you can tell I'm quite busy lately. That's why the site is not updated on a daily basis like it used to be in the last 2 months. But don't worry, it's not dead... yet! Oh, and you can always use the Message Board to make the site more active...

"Lord of the Rings Madness"

How stupid can people be? This is from IMDB's news:

More than 1,200 people have signed an online petition in a bid to ban Peter Jackson from calling the second Lord of the Rings movie The Two Towers. The petition argues that Jackson is referring to the attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center last September - even though author J.R.R. Tolkien's novel, "The Two Towers," was written 48 years ago.

A statement on the site insists, "The title is clearly meant to refer to the attacks on the World Trade Center." It continues, "When I learned that there apparently was to be a sequel, I was overjoyed. However, Peter Jackson has decided to tastelessly name the sequel The Two Towers." In this post-September 11 world, it is unforgivable that this should be allowed to happen. The idea is both offensive and morally repugnant. "Hopefully, when Peter Jackson and, more importantly, New Line Cinema, see the number of signatures on this petition, the title will be changed to something a little more sensitive."

DK's Recommendation: Airplane!, Airplane II

CthragSardius has just released Airplane! (1980) and Airplane II: The Sequel (1982). What can I tell about these classics that you don't already know? The first one is one of the funniest from ZAZ (Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker), and the sequel is surprisingly good too.

Every line is hysterical and classic. Some of my favorites:
- "Surely you can't be serious" - "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."
- "A hospital? What is it?" - "It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now."
- "Nervous? First time...?" - "No, I've been nervous before."
- "Captain, how soon can you land?" - "I can't tell." - "You can tell me. I'm a doctor."
- "Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue..."
- "Joey, have you ever been to a Turkish prison?"
- "What is it, Doctor? What's going on?" - "I'm not sure. I haven't seen anything like this since the Anita Bryant concert."
- "I've got to concentrate... concentrate... concentrate..."
- "So, Dunn, you were under Oveur and over Unger."
- "Doctor, can you give the Court your impression of Mr. Striker?" - "I'm sorry. I don't do impressions. My training is in psychiatry."

Get them now!
Airplane! (1980)
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)

Cronenberg Presents 6 of his Movies
Added to Misc 6 segments (15:30 in total) of Cronenberg presenting 6 of his movies (Shivers, Rabid, The Brood, Scanners, Videodrome, eXistenZ) to the French channel Canal+. It looks like the segments were shot by the same crew and at the same time as Cronenberg en Chair et en Os. Interesting stuff there, especially for The Brood. Enjoy.

Tim Burton to Direct Big Fish
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Director Tim Burton has replaced Steven Spielberg as the director for Big Fish. Spielberg was originally set, almost 2 years ago, to direct it after Minority Report. Filming is planned to begin this fall. The movie is based on the novel Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions (1999) by Daniel Wallace. Here's the cover.

Photos from LOTR: The Two Towers
The United Cutlery website has posted images showing some of the swords the company created for the three movies. The page also contains photos from The Two Towers, including the guards at the battle at Helms Deep and Faramir (David Wenham) dressed in full armor.

Site Statistics
Some statistics about the site and its visitors: • The site contains 519 files. • It had 50 polls so far. • It had visitors from at least 34 countries. • It currently has about 33 unique visitors daily. • Most of the known (that also means excluding US) visitors are from (in order): Sweden, Canada, Japan, Denmark, Netherlands, UK, France, Germany, Finland and Israel. As always, you can take a look at the News Archive (link is always at the bottom of this page) to see the site's history.

DK's Recommendation: Human Nature

In terms of release dates, Human Nature (2001) has got to be one of the weirdest movies I've encountered: It premiered in Cannes 2001, but is getting released only now in the states (limited release) and Europe, in a painfully slow manner - See Release Dates.

Nice movie about the human nature, as its title suggests. It presents some interesting aspects about the human society and the rules we make. Although I expected it to be a little more "deep" and present some more fundamental and philosophical ideas, it's very enjoyable and extremely funny at times.

The 4 leading actors are great, and Patricia Arquette is extremely good (and brave!); Who knew she's got such a lovely singing voice, too?

This is Michel Gondry's first feature. Gondry is a French video-clips director, known for his excellent work on such music videos as Massive Attack's "Protection"; Chemical Brothers' "Let forever be"; Foo Fighters' "Everlong"; Daft Punk's "Around the World"; and Bjork's "Joga", "Bachelorette", "Hyperballad", "Isobel", "Army of me" and "Human Behaviour".

DK's rating: 6.5/10
Human Nature - 92 min (yes, this is a DVD rip)

News Archive - May 2002