the best movies never made
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King Thomas
Banned
Marathon Man
The Battle of Marathon from the point of view of one of the Greek Generals. It has some very good battle scenes.
The Battle of Marathon from the point of view of one of the Greek Generals. It has some very good battle scenes.
Teshuvah
Banned
Hitler's Trial (1966)
Dramatization of the trial and execution of Adolf Hitler, beginning with his capture by Allied forces in Hamburg while attempting to flee Germany in disguise and ending with his execution on 20 April 1947. The film, while well received by critics, generated significant controversy for its complex and multi-faceted portrayal of Adolf Hitler, including flashbacks to his youth and his impoverished years in Vienna. It was banned in West Germany and the entire Soviet bloc; the former did not allow it to be publicly screened until the early 1980s.
Dramatization of the trial and execution of Adolf Hitler, beginning with his capture by Allied forces in Hamburg while attempting to flee Germany in disguise and ending with his execution on 20 April 1947. The film, while well received by critics, generated significant controversy for its complex and multi-faceted portrayal of Adolf Hitler, including flashbacks to his youth and his impoverished years in Vienna. It was banned in West Germany and the entire Soviet bloc; the former did not allow it to be publicly screened until the early 1980s.
This might never get made considering the tone shift and subject matter but I once had this idea in my TL (and scrapped it of course) but I'll put this out here for those that like horror stuff and/or weird s--t (I'm not on the otherhand) for arguably the Halloween season.
Nutty Professor 3: Klumps in the Kold (2003)
In this third (and controversial) iteration of the Nutty Professor film series (starting with OTL's Nutty Professor 1996 remake with Eddie Murphy and assuming that TTL's Nutty Professor 2 is better than OTL's), Sherman Klump and his family (and his wife, Carla Purty) got tickets to visit some supposedly fancy resort in Antarctica while Buddy Love (who got separated in the ATL's NP 2) trails them to create mischief for Sherman. But once they set foot into the "resort" they find out that it's some redesigned former laboratory that used to be for some experimentations of some kind that's very unethical and that a supernatural force that originated near the "resort" is out to kill them all. And here's where the controversial part comes in; see the trailers advertise this as a comedy like all the other films only with some more horror elements thrown in for the sake of keeping things fresh, yet that's only the first third of what the movie really is; in fact the rest of the movie becomes a full on horror experience ala John Carpenter's the Thing and it can be said to be a spiritual successor to that film. And to top it all off, the film was directed by M. Night Shyamalan, which may explain the somewhat contrived plot. Needless to say, the critics and the public weren't amused and the movie bombed in the box office, quite hard. Not to mention that it caused many countries to ban the film for its harsh tone shift and subsequent graphic horror, especially in China. But in recent years, it's gained a cult following regarding the supernatural creature and the weird plot and mythos it's surprisingly spawned.
Nutty Professor 3: Klumps in the Kold (2003)
In this third (and controversial) iteration of the Nutty Professor film series (starting with OTL's Nutty Professor 1996 remake with Eddie Murphy and assuming that TTL's Nutty Professor 2 is better than OTL's), Sherman Klump and his family (and his wife, Carla Purty) got tickets to visit some supposedly fancy resort in Antarctica while Buddy Love (who got separated in the ATL's NP 2) trails them to create mischief for Sherman. But once they set foot into the "resort" they find out that it's some redesigned former laboratory that used to be for some experimentations of some kind that's very unethical and that a supernatural force that originated near the "resort" is out to kill them all. And here's where the controversial part comes in; see the trailers advertise this as a comedy like all the other films only with some more horror elements thrown in for the sake of keeping things fresh, yet that's only the first third of what the movie really is; in fact the rest of the movie becomes a full on horror experience ala John Carpenter's the Thing and it can be said to be a spiritual successor to that film. And to top it all off, the film was directed by M. Night Shyamalan, which may explain the somewhat contrived plot. Needless to say, the critics and the public weren't amused and the movie bombed in the box office, quite hard. Not to mention that it caused many countries to ban the film for its harsh tone shift and subsequent graphic horror, especially in China. But in recent years, it's gained a cult following regarding the supernatural creature and the weird plot and mythos it's surprisingly spawned.
King Thomas
Banned
The Longest Day-Documentary about the 9/11 attacks
Rocky-Five part program about rocks, meant for small children to watch
Battleship-Film about the Potemkin Mutiny
Rocky-Five part program about rocks, meant for small children to watch
Battleship-Film about the Potemkin Mutiny
Draft Day - A film about the United States military draft and why it was abolished
Escape From New York - A documentary about New York high crime rate and why people are leaving in droves
Dr. Strange - A film about medical doctors and alternate medicine
Escape From New York - A documentary about New York high crime rate and why people are leaving in droves
Dr. Strange - A film about medical doctors and alternate medicine
Gotti- A bio pic about former Mayor of New York John Gotti. Starring Armand Asante, it focuses on Gotti's efforts to clean up New York City during the 1990s, as well as his efforts on September 11th.
Rudy- a bio pic about the rise and fall of Mafia Boss Rudy Giuliani. For his rise to power after orchestrating the murder of Jewish Mafia Boss Ed Koch, to his eventual incarceration in 1992 after his Underboss, John Lhota, turned state's evidence
Witness to the Mob- a 2-part made-for-TV movie about John "Train" Lhota, following his rise through Organized Crime, eventually becoming Underboss to the infamous Rudy Giuliani, who he would ultimately betray to the FBI.
Boss of Bosses- Follows the life of Cuomo Crime Family Boss Mario Cuomo, who runs the Cuomo Family for over 50 years, never spending a day in jail.
Public Morals- Staring Michael Madsen, Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, it follows the Governorship of Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano (Madsen) and his national campaign against the death penalty during the 1980s.
Kill the Irishmen- Follows the rise of the Irish-American Kennedy Crime Family, who would come to dominate American Organized Crime from the 1920s to present
Rudy- a bio pic about the rise and fall of Mafia Boss Rudy Giuliani. For his rise to power after orchestrating the murder of Jewish Mafia Boss Ed Koch, to his eventual incarceration in 1992 after his Underboss, John Lhota, turned state's evidence
Witness to the Mob- a 2-part made-for-TV movie about John "Train" Lhota, following his rise through Organized Crime, eventually becoming Underboss to the infamous Rudy Giuliani, who he would ultimately betray to the FBI.
Boss of Bosses- Follows the life of Cuomo Crime Family Boss Mario Cuomo, who runs the Cuomo Family for over 50 years, never spending a day in jail.
Public Morals- Staring Michael Madsen, Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, it follows the Governorship of Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano (Madsen) and his national campaign against the death penalty during the 1980s.
Kill the Irishmen- Follows the rise of the Irish-American Kennedy Crime Family, who would come to dominate American Organized Crime from the 1920s to present
The Graduate- An East Polish graduate, having realized the lack of opportunities on the eastern side of the Vistula, seeks to escape into West Poland.
Interstellar- A jaded actor is interviewed by a nascent reporter, and proceeds to describe his long list of one-night stands with several starlets across the world.
Gravity- A scientific documentary on the subject of how some people seem to be far more predisposed towards leadership, attracting followers and attention.
Interstellar- A jaded actor is interviewed by a nascent reporter, and proceeds to describe his long list of one-night stands with several starlets across the world.
Gravity- A scientific documentary on the subject of how some people seem to be far more predisposed towards leadership, attracting followers and attention.
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone
Mid-90's suprisngly popular movie by reporter Harry Potter, digging into the secret world of Alchemy, and the quest for the mysterious Philosophers Stone which Alchemists believe will make them immortal.
Mascots
A very serious look at the anthromorpohic folk who perform at sporting events, and the secret wars between the teams. Contains surprising violence and shocking footage of the St. Lewis Dragon burning the Toronto Wolverine with his fire breath.
Mid-90's suprisngly popular movie by reporter Harry Potter, digging into the secret world of Alchemy, and the quest for the mysterious Philosophers Stone which Alchemists believe will make them immortal.
Mascots
A very serious look at the anthromorpohic folk who perform at sporting events, and the secret wars between the teams. Contains surprising violence and shocking footage of the St. Lewis Dragon burning the Toronto Wolverine with his fire breath.
King Thomas
Banned
Changeling
Based on and very like the rl film Zulu. Shining Armour and a small group of 130 Royal Guards of which 30 are ill or injured are attacked by 4000+ Changelings and have to defend an improvised fort.
Based on and very like the rl film Zulu. Shining Armour and a small group of 130 Royal Guards of which 30 are ill or injured are attacked by 4000+ Changelings and have to defend an improvised fort.
King Thomas
Banned
Downfall
A documentary about the disastrous Donal Trump campaign of 2016 that saw the Republicans only win the states of Wyoming, Idaho, Alabama, Mississippi and West Virginia.
A documentary about the disastrous Donal Trump campaign of 2016 that saw the Republicans only win the states of Wyoming, Idaho, Alabama, Mississippi and West Virginia.
They came from the East (History/Docu/Movie, 1999):
A dramatic Documentary-movie based on Marija Gimbutas' theory of the arrival of the Indo-europeans/ Kurgan culture and the end of the peaceful, matriarcharic neolithic period in Europe.
Vienna (Histroy/War, 1983):
The story of the siege and battle of Vienna 1683.
A dramatic Documentary-movie based on Marija Gimbutas' theory of the arrival of the Indo-europeans/ Kurgan culture and the end of the peaceful, matriarcharic neolithic period in Europe.
Vienna (Histroy/War, 1983):
The story of the siege and battle of Vienna 1683.
King Thomas
Banned
Boys in the Hood
A documentary about a recent pop group named "Boys in the Hood" who the pop music critics have called "The next One Direction."
American Gangster
A documentary by Michael Moore about President Trump, criticized by many as ignoring any good things that Trump did in office.
A documentary about a recent pop group named "Boys in the Hood" who the pop music critics have called "The next One Direction."
American Gangster
A documentary by Michael Moore about President Trump, criticized by many as ignoring any good things that Trump did in office.
The Interview (2014)
An overly exaggerated retelling of David Frost's interviews with President Richard Nixon during the Watergate Scandal.
An overly exaggerated retelling of David Frost's interviews with President Richard Nixon during the Watergate Scandal.
King Thomas
Banned
The Boys From Brazil
A documentary about the World Cup football match where the Brazilian team managed to lose 7-1 to the German team.
A documentary about the World Cup football match where the Brazilian team managed to lose 7-1 to the German team.
Man of Steel : A documentary about Joseph Stalin and his handling of the USSR
Ride Along: A documentary about A New york police department and its program with citizen ride alongs
United Passions : A film focusing on the Arab-Iraseli Conflict and two lovers on different sides of the conflict dealing with it got horrible reviews due to its weird ending and horrible handling of a serious issue is often watched as a so bad its good movie.
Ride Along: A documentary about A New york police department and its program with citizen ride alongs
United Passions : A film focusing on the Arab-Iraseli Conflict and two lovers on different sides of the conflict dealing with it got horrible reviews due to its weird ending and horrible handling of a serious issue is often watched as a so bad its good movie.
The First Shot at Midnight
Depicts the invasion of Germany in 1939 by Poland. Starts with the news of the proposed Soviet-Nazi pact and the panicked reaction by the Polish leadership.
Controversial for the unflattering, if accurate, moments when Polish troops dressed as Germans instagted the war by fake shooting at their own side.
When first shown on the BBC there was a two hour special debating the war, and what might have happened if Britain had guaranteed Polish independence as had been discussed at the time.
Depicts the invasion of Germany in 1939 by Poland. Starts with the news of the proposed Soviet-Nazi pact and the panicked reaction by the Polish leadership.
Controversial for the unflattering, if accurate, moments when Polish troops dressed as Germans instagted the war by fake shooting at their own side.
When first shown on the BBC there was a two hour special debating the war, and what might have happened if Britain had guaranteed Polish independence as had been discussed at the time.
USA 2003
Directed by Chris Weitz
Starring
Daniel Brühl as Guybrush Threepwood
Bérénice Bejo as Elaine Marley
Bryan Cranston as Capt'n LeChuck / Fester Shinetop
Jim Carrey as Stan
Vin Diesel as Meathook
Marion Cotillard as the Swordmaster
Paul Rudd as Otis
John Lithgow as Herman Toothrot
Michael Sheen, Hugh Laurie and Damian Lewis as the Monkey Island Cannibals (voicework)
Music by Michael Land
***
"SOMI", as it is affectionately abbreviated, made "Pirates of the Carribean" look dead-serious in comparison. Made at a budget of just 65 million US$, taking back in 131 million domestically, but 410 million US$ on the global market with the theatrical run alone made it a nice success for the studio.
"Monkey Island II: The Curse of LeChuck" spent considerable time in development hell and came out in 2011.
Excerpts taken from the recent BluRay-commentary by director Chris Weitz:
"We knew that we had an opportunity and a challenge at hand simultaneously. The opportunity was to turn a cult video-game into a cult movie. The challenge was, to actually succeed where many had failed miserably on similar projects in the past.
One one hand, we could count on a fanbase which was eager to see one of their favourite games, perhaps the funniest game ever, taken to the big screen. On the other hand, if we wouldn't meet their expectations, we knew that the backlash would be merciless.
[...]
The general situation when making the movie was mirrored in scriptwriting. Many people assumed that this would be a no-brainer. The lines were all there, the jokes were nearly perfect already, the characters...were stock but were supposed to be that way and quirky to the nth degree.
But in fact, turning a multi-option adventure game into a linear movie which runs 90...perhaps 120 minutes is a special challenge. A movie is not a game. As a player, especially in Lucasarts-Games, you can always go back and try other options and find different jokes...and it is huge fun. In a movie, it would be tedious and illogical to do so.
[...]
We tried to avoid expensive names in the casting. We wanted fresh faces, and we wanted to be more than a bit international. And by international I don't mean just Canadians or Brits. Studio execs kill you in 9 out of 10 cases for this, because they are a bit paranoid about alienating the US audience. This was really unusual way back then ... Spielberg and Tarentino changed the rules a bit during recent years.
We had a Spanish-German in the main role, and two French as the main female characters...but it soon felt during filming... that this multi-cultural approach, this multitude of accents lended its own air of authenticity to the setting. You see, the Caribbean was not some sort of Anglo-lake, the islands belonged to the Dutch, French, Spanish or even Danish.
In the end it also paid out in cash...the Europeans appreciated our casting decisions...and if you convince the French to watch a movie, they like seem to bring all their cousins to the cinema.
We had literally stumbled across Brühl when someone’s PA brought a copy of “Good Bye, Lenin” to one of the first pre-production meetings; it had leaked out and the movie was still to be released at festivals. The girl was absolutely convincing so I promised to take a look. It took me ten minutes until I called our casting director and we pondered whether we should contact that guy. Handsome, yet very boyish; not cut like a hero, but it wouldn’t take full suspension of disbelief to imagine his character shine when needed. It helped that his character has an almost Jacques-Tati-eque stubbornness. It was exactly what we needed, though we knew we were taking a mad risk. For a mad film- so what? A few years later, the studio would have insisted on Michael Cera. And I am not sure whether that would have functioned that well.
Someone at the studio called Babelsberg and shortly afterwards we could do some informal screen-tests and rehearsals and so the trust grew that he absolutely could carry an international production.
This gave our casting director the idea to look a bit deeper into the fold of European newcomers.
We especially had a look at young, unknown actors who had already made their mark with awards or nominations for them. Marion already had been César-nominated twice, and Berenice also once. Daniel Brühl already had won some national film prices for starring roles. So there was little doubt that our young actors weren’t inexperienced at all, but actually rather talented.
[...]
Then we took another risk which really paid off. We had “Malcolm's Dad”, Bryan Cranston, as the villain, before anyone knew he could act intimidating or dangerous. We could afford for recognizable names for the small roles, basically as cameos....besides, there was no alternative to Carrey as Stan.
[...]
We soon learned that Disney had taken a ride....for Pete's sake, a boat ride from Disneyland and were going to make a movie out of it. That made us optimistic. We thought if they demmed that was possible, then our task to convince audiences that Monkey Island was worth spending ten bucks was comparatively easy.
[...]
In hindsight, "The Secret of Monkey Island" was the movie Johnny Depp thought he was filming. Whacky, low budget, hand-made. Did we go to the Caribbean and build huge sets? No, this was supposed to look backlot. We filmed some exteriors in Florida State Parks, just fifty metres away from the tourists....and some street scenes in St. Augustine without much ado and huge, really amazing support from the locals. They were like "tells us in advance which places you need and we make them look 1700ish."
The ship we needed wasn't even supposed to move....beyond magically appearing next to Monkey Island. Yes, some of that was really easy... and I am glad we had the right production designers on board which topped every idea with something crazier."
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