Do you like Abraham Lincoln, Vampires and Tim Burton? Well then, today is your day!
Hot on the heels of today’s novel launch of Seth Grahame-Smith’s “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”, the news has erupted that Tim Burton will be adapting the twisted tale to the big screen!
In brief, the plot goes something like this:
Lincoln’s mother was killed by Vampires, which fueled a need to destroy vampires and their slave-owning servants. As such, Lincoln becomes an axe-throwing vampire killer. In a word, Sweet!
This whole concept reminds me of the Bruce Campbell B-movie romp Bubba Ho-Tep in which he fought off a mummy as an elderly Elvis Presely. Man that was a great concept! (Still waiting for the sequel, which coincidentally sees a younger Elvis up against a She-Vampire).
Anyways, here is an awesome little film promo made by the book’s author, enjoy:
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WatchMojo NewsletterHe has become famous for his portrayal of strange and eccentric characters, as well as his refusal to take part in mainstream movies. In this Gallery, Watchmojo.com takes a look at the career of three-time Academy Award Nominated actor Johnny Depp.
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
He gained instant international fame and a cult following for his mastery of non-linear storytelling, as well as his extreme portrayal of violence. Today, WatchMojo.com will be filling you in on the directorial career of Quentin Tarantino.
Born March 27th, 1963 in Knoxville, Tennessee, Quentin Tarantino, dropped out of high school at the age of 15 but went on to study acting at the James Best Theatre Company. It was at the age of 22, while working at a video store when Tarantino’s passion for discussing and analyzing movies truly took hold of him. Using every free moment to write his own screenplays, Tarantino took advantage of the opportunity to study what people were watching and why.
A friend who knew actor Harvey Keitel showed the famous actor Tarantino’s third script, called “Reservoir Dogs”. Keitel was so impressed with the screenplay that he worked to get it produced by rounding up financing, taking a role in the film and even helping with the casting. The film was produced by Lawrence Bender and entered into the Sundance Film Festival.
The film got instant critical acclaim and made Tarantino a mega hit on the cult-film circuit in the United Kingdom overnight. Rumors and accusations of plagiarizing films like Stanley Kubrick’s “The Killing” and “City on Fire” on the part of Tarantino seemed to only boost his appeal to audiences in the following years. No one seemed to mind that he borrowed word-for-word material and shot-by-shot filmmaking from some of the best in the business, as he always seemed to re-invent the best parts through his successful and ongoing partnership with Keitel and Bender.
His style however, forever became cemented in the public consciousness with 1994’s “Pulp Fiction.” Tarantino’s use of non-linear narrative, strong graphic violence, language, sexuality and drug use became staples of his work. By breaking many of the narrative rules of filmmaking, Tarantino helped rewrite the way a story could be told.
In 2003, Tarantino released the first volume of the Kill Bill series and again created a stir in the media for pushing the boundaries of violence and mayhem. Tarantino basked in genre-sampling films of the 1960s and 70s by mixing dozens of film styles from the era such as Blaxploitation and Kung Fu films. Tarantino even admitted in an interview with Playboy that illicit substances aided him in making the film.
Tarantino has shared an incredibly strong bond with Robert Rodriguez since meeting him at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1992. They then collaborated on the 1995 movie “Four Rooms”, in which each wrote one segment in the interweaving anthology comedy feature. That same year Rodriguez gave Tarantino a minor role in his film “Desperado”. The two often refer to themselves as brothers for their shared cinematic vision as well as passion of B-movies and exploitation films.
They have collaborated many times since then, such as with the 1996 action horror film “From Dusk Till Dawn”, which saw Rodriguez direct Tarantino’s screenplay. Their 2007 double feature “Grindhouse” paid homage to that style of long defunct cinema. Their double features “Death Proof” and “Planet Terror” came complete with fictionalized trailers and film decay. During planning the two directors became competitive in seeing who could deliver more on-screen carnage.
2009’s Inglorious Basterd’s was constructed as an epic ensemble war film that took its inspiration from the 1978 film of the same name. Taking place during World War II in Nazi-occupied France, the film is viewed by Tarantino as his personal masterpiece and “some of the best writing that he has ever done”. The film took Tarantino over a decade to write. As the story kept growing and expanding, which resulted in it being pushed back several times.
Being a self-professed couch potato and screen geek, Tarantino has occasionally jumped at the chance to direct television episodes, such as the famous fifth season finale, “Grave Danger” on CSI.
Besides writing and directing, Tarantino has frequently dipped into other roles such as acting and even producing so that he can give lesser-known films, that would otherwise have gone unnoticed, the opportunity to gain recognition, such as 1993’s “Iron Monkey”, which he brought to North America in 2001, and Eli Roth’s “Hostel”. These films are usually subtitled with the phrase, “Quentin Tarantino Presents”.
In his personal life, Tarantino is a very private person who will rarely discuss subjects other then film with people outside his close circle of friends. He is especially private when out in the private eye, and has been known to throw fits of rage when followed by the Paparazzi or disrespected in public. When interviewed he is often asked about his foot fetish both on and off the screen.
Tarantino has never married, but been romantically involved with several famous entertainers over the years including Shar Jackson, Sofia Coppola and Kathy Griffin. Frequently, there has been a rumor about a possible relationship with Uma Thurman. Tarantino denies these claims and says that she is his “muse” and close platonic friend.
Quentin Tarantino is one of the most recognizable pop cultural icons of the 90’s and well known in the film community for his over-riding philosophy that the quality of the finished film project comes high above any paycheck.
