In brief: Blair snitch gives thumbs down to sequel
Ain't It Cool News boasts what seems to be the first review of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. Although the sneak previewer concedes: "It was a print literally fresh out of the lab, with final colour timing not complete, nor credits on the end-reel yet," he felt this was no excuse for what he slated as a crushingly bad movie. "The script is so incompetent that every plot element and hint are glaring and we spotted them coming a mile off," he goes on to say. And the million-dollar question: "Was the film scary? No. Because you need to care about the characters and what might happen to them. Since these aren't believable characters, the film plops down dead like a damp squib about 20 minutes in and proceeds to stay there for the rest of the 90 minutes, oozing into a rather messy puddle and starting to smell increasingly bad."
Baz Luhrmann's new film Moulin Rouge, starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, is still in trouble despite the last-minute addition of diminutive pop princess Kylie Minogue. The tale of a young poet and a sultry courtesan in Paris in 1899 was slated for a Christmas release, but producers now say the movie won't be ready till March 2001. Producer Martin Brown said: "We wanted to make Christmas and the studio wanted to make Christmas, but it's a very complicated project and we don't want to rush it. It's an open issue at the moment. We will deliver the film when we've got it right."
In one of the most radical changes of images we've seen in a long time, Meg Ryan is set to play porn star Linda Lovelace in a movie about the Deep Throat star's tangled love life. The tousle-haired actress has carved a niche for herself playing the nice girl in roles such as Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail and French Kiss. But since her split from husband Dennis Quaid and her dangerous liaison with Gladiator star Russell Crowe, maybe it's time for the wholesome star to get explore a different side of her personality. Producer Brian Grazer said: "I want to really trash up a really wholesome girl."
Rupert Everett is favourite to play Prince Charles as a Rastafarian tree-hugger in a big screen version of hit novel The Queen and I. The satire on Britain's Royal family, written by Adrian Mole author Sue Townsend in 1993, was on the verge of being filmed in 1997, but was abandoned following the untimely death of Diana, Princess of Wales. A studio spokesman said this week: "We now feel that enough time has passed for the project to proceed. We will not be using the late Princess's character in the film as it would not be appropriate and the film will be set in the present day." The Queen and I imagines the Royal family living together on a council estate, known as Hell Close; Prince Charles embraces a Rastafarian way of life and takes to hugging trees. BBC Films and Sky Films are said to be in talks with Paramount about investing.