Trailerology: The Descent and Invincible
Submitted by jim on Wed, 05/17/2006 - 08:31
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I expect The Descent to be the most polarizing horror movie since The Blair Witch Project. As for Invincible, how did it take so long for Vince Papali's story to get made into a movie?
Wow, that took a really long time to catch on outside the UK. I never saw The Cave , but it looked like a poor rip-off of The Descent , which scared the bejeezus out of me. I heartily recommended this film a while back, but I'm afraid I'm too lazy to find where and link to it.
Just to clarify: the actual horror bits closer to the end didn't scare me all that much, just the claustrophobia. It's made me full-on claustrophobic now.
Jim, The Descent looks like it might be a prime example of Action/Suspense Plot Number One. Can't wait.
Me too! Do you know when it's going to show up in Australia? Perhaps I can forward dayfornight's copy to you when I'm done with it, if it's not on the horizon?
According to Our Main Distributor it was released here February 16th, but it hasn't been shown locally yet (I live in a 'regional' area, which gets things after the 'metropolitan' areas have had first bite - it wouldn't do for the special people to come second). I don't get out to the cinemas nowadays, because of...you know what...so if it's okay with dayfornight it's fine by me. I believe you have my address.
Sounds good, I'll e-mail you when the time comes.
"The Descent" is an okay genre piece, but it won't make a "Blair Witch"-type dent in American pop culture. Not even close. That said, Jim, I have a region-free DVD of it if you're interested in seeing it early.
Cool, sure do! Thanks! Want me to e-mail you my address?
Yes, please. I would have asked via email originally, but I seem to have accidentally deleted your address. :-)
Did you hear that they changed the ending for American consumption?
Beat ya to it:
Courtesy of Fangoria: For the first time, Lionsgate president of production Peter Block talks exclusively to Fango about the decision-making process behind the new ending, which had the wholehearted blessing and involvement of Marshall himself. “When Neil wrote the script for THE DESCENT, even he wasn’t sure where he wanted to end the movie, because there are two very emotional beats [that close the film],” says Block. “He [originally] ended it in a way that gives it an intellectual and downbeat approach, but he always wondered how it would play with an ending that had a different impact.”
Juno on the left and Sarah on the right, looking for a way out...
Borrowing some inspiration from Fox’s handling of 28 DAYS LATER—on which a post-end-credits alternate finale surfaced in theaters weeks after the film’s initial release—Lionsgate offered Marshall the opportunity to tinker with THE DESCENT’s conclusion while the studio mulled over a release time frame. “Neil thought it would be cool to see how the other way would play; rarely does a director get this chance,” Block says. “If you add on a scene, it feels like you’re giving a film something extra; if you cut a little bit earlier, it’s not necessarily taking away from the experience, it’s just changing it slightly.”
This experimentation led to a palpable contrast in overall audience reaction. “Neil found that although people loved THE DESCENT, they spent a long time talking about the end of the movie and not the movie itself, and without the last shot, there’s far more discussion of the film as a whole rather than the ambiguity one is left with from the last moment.”
U.S. horror fans sans the Region 2 DVD won’t be completely left in the dark. Lionsgate aims, of course, to release THE DESCENT’s original ending on American disc when that time arrives. “The one thing I can guarantee you is that losing the last shot does not change at all how the film plays,” Block says. “It’s such a well-made film, and one that needs to be experienced in the dark of a theater. We’d never do anything Neil didn’t want us to do—and this is something he did want to do, and we’re happy to accommodate him.”
Yeah, I didn't know how they changed it, just that it got changed. (I know, I'm no help...)
No, I did not. Do tell...don't make me Google it. I'm lazy that way. ;-)
The descent is here in theaters already, i didn't saw it because i thought since i never heard of it that it was direct to video crap, if it is still on theaters this weekend, i'll see it.
Direct-to-video nothin'... it's from the director of "Dog Soldiers"!
COOL!
Hey, Jim, both of your Yahoo! links are broken.
Fixed, thanks!