Nicolas Cage’s turn as Count Dracula in Renfield, flying into theaters April 14 from Universal, isn’t the first time the actor has sunk his teeth into exploring the undead.
Thirty-four years ago, he starred in the indie flick Vampire’s Kiss as Peter Loew, a New York literary agent convinced that his lover Rachel (Jennifer Beals) has transformed him into a vampire. With a script from Joseph Minion (After Hours), director Robert Bierman’s feature initially had Dennis Quaid attached as the lead until he dropped out to shoot Innerspace. The film’s team remembers Cage calling repeatedly to pitch himself.
“We just didn’t see Nicolas in the part,” producer Barbara Zitwer admits to THR. Ultimately, Cage landed the gig and continued to surprise with his acting choices, including his insistence that Peter eat a live cockroach instead of a raw egg yolk as scripted. “I had a complete breakdown,...
Thirty-four years ago, he starred in the indie flick Vampire’s Kiss as Peter Loew, a New York literary agent convinced that his lover Rachel (Jennifer Beals) has transformed him into a vampire. With a script from Joseph Minion (After Hours), director Robert Bierman’s feature initially had Dennis Quaid attached as the lead until he dropped out to shoot Innerspace. The film’s team remembers Cage calling repeatedly to pitch himself.
“We just didn’t see Nicolas in the part,” producer Barbara Zitwer admits to THR. Ultimately, Cage landed the gig and continued to surprise with his acting choices, including his insistence that Peter eat a live cockroach instead of a raw egg yolk as scripted. “I had a complete breakdown,...
- 4/15/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tiff’s Midnight Madness program turned 25 this year, and for two and half decades, the hardworking programers have gathered some of the strangest, most terrifying, wild, intriguing and downright entertaining films from around the world. From dark comedies to Japanese gore-fests and indie horror gems, the Midnight Madness program hasn’t lost its edge as one the leading showcases of genre cinema. In its 25-year history, Midnight Madness has introduced adventurous late-night moviegoers to such cult faves as Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. But what separates Midnight Madness from, say, Montreal’s three and half week long genre festival Fantasia, is that Tiff selects only ten films to make the cut. In other words, these programmers don’t mess around. Last week I decided that I would post reviews of my personal favourite films that screened in past years. And just like the Tiff programmers,...
- 9/18/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
CHICAGO -- To win cult status, films must be at least one of the following: brainy, warped, poorly shot, stuffed with weird production design, have an oddball cast and revel in the excessive. Cultie aspirant ''Motorama'' has one of the above, but how much enthusiasm can one muster for seeing Michael J. Pollard on the screen again?
''Motorama, '' alas, is not likely to appeal to those with three-digit IQs. Its most receptive audience may be among pre-teens, defying the curfew order.
Narratively, ''Motorama, '' screened here at the Chicago International Film Festival, sounds like it has got a lot going for it: a 10-year-old (Jordan Chrisopher Michael) sets out in a stolen red Mustang on a cross-Southwest states quest to win a gas station game. If the tyke can garner all the letters in the word ''motorama, '' he wins $500 million.
His venture is not sparked purely by the passions of winning the big bucks but are prompted by his, as the social scientist types would say, ''dysfunctional home life.''
Admittedly, brainy blond boys, in this post-Macaulay Culkin age, are disarmingly sympathetic characters when triumphing over dimball adults, but after the first few narrative miles, ''Motorama'' runs out of story gas. Kid drives car, stops for gas, gets contest tickets from cooty station attendant; drives off, stops for gas, gets tickets from goofball station attendant; drives off, stops for gas . . . on and on.
While there are glints and squints of the vast Southwest here that contain glimmers of satirical intelligence, ''Motorama'' is, for the most part, a dumb-numb ride. In Joseph Minion's monochromatic script, even the roadside loons are all of a similar dimension. Under Barry Shils' direction, ''Motorama'' comes across as being kind of a city slicker's apprehension of the weird outposts of the way-out West.
Technical contributions are sagely mounted: Dana Allyson's costume design is rightly wacko, while Vincent Jefferds and Cathlyn Marshall's production design conveys a peculiarly parched panorama.
MOTORAMA
Proletariat Productions Corp.
Producer Donald P. Borchers
Director Barry Shils
Screenwriter Joseph Minion
Editor Peter Verity
Music Andy Summers
Director of photography Joseph Yacoe
Costume design Dana Allyson
Production designer Vincent Jefferds, Cathlyn Marshall
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Gus Jordan Christopher Michael
Phil John Diehl
Miss Lawton Robin Duke
Vern Meatloaf
Lewie Michael J. Pollard
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
''Motorama, '' alas, is not likely to appeal to those with three-digit IQs. Its most receptive audience may be among pre-teens, defying the curfew order.
Narratively, ''Motorama, '' screened here at the Chicago International Film Festival, sounds like it has got a lot going for it: a 10-year-old (Jordan Chrisopher Michael) sets out in a stolen red Mustang on a cross-Southwest states quest to win a gas station game. If the tyke can garner all the letters in the word ''motorama, '' he wins $500 million.
His venture is not sparked purely by the passions of winning the big bucks but are prompted by his, as the social scientist types would say, ''dysfunctional home life.''
Admittedly, brainy blond boys, in this post-Macaulay Culkin age, are disarmingly sympathetic characters when triumphing over dimball adults, but after the first few narrative miles, ''Motorama'' runs out of story gas. Kid drives car, stops for gas, gets contest tickets from cooty station attendant; drives off, stops for gas, gets tickets from goofball station attendant; drives off, stops for gas . . . on and on.
While there are glints and squints of the vast Southwest here that contain glimmers of satirical intelligence, ''Motorama'' is, for the most part, a dumb-numb ride. In Joseph Minion's monochromatic script, even the roadside loons are all of a similar dimension. Under Barry Shils' direction, ''Motorama'' comes across as being kind of a city slicker's apprehension of the weird outposts of the way-out West.
Technical contributions are sagely mounted: Dana Allyson's costume design is rightly wacko, while Vincent Jefferds and Cathlyn Marshall's production design conveys a peculiarly parched panorama.
MOTORAMA
Proletariat Productions Corp.
Producer Donald P. Borchers
Director Barry Shils
Screenwriter Joseph Minion
Editor Peter Verity
Music Andy Summers
Director of photography Joseph Yacoe
Costume design Dana Allyson
Production designer Vincent Jefferds, Cathlyn Marshall
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Gus Jordan Christopher Michael
Phil John Diehl
Miss Lawton Robin Duke
Vern Meatloaf
Lewie Michael J. Pollard
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 10/15/1991
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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