RAISING KANE

Justice In the World

Very happy to read tonight in Variety that Bryan Bertino has been loaded up with a ton of new work after dragging The Strangers to a well-deserved $52 million at the box office. I've probably seen The Strangers six times at the theater now, not because it necessarily warrants that many viewings, but only because my effort to return to regular theater-going has met with the cold water reality that there are very few watchable films out there at the multiplex these days. (Slept through half of Wall*E. Anyone who tells me that's a masterpiece is getting poked in the eye.)

Of course, the big rumor for a while was that Bertino was in talks to take on Freddy Krueger for Platinum Dunes, but apparently that's not the case. According to Variety, he's now taken up with three new projects, called Alone, Green Eyes and Black. No idea what any of those are about -- only cursory descriptions in the trade, and some of this will obviously get shuffled and prioritized differently as things move forward. Anyway, here's hoping there's room for Joanna Newsome harp music in some of those projects!

Messing With Texas, Part 1: Ryan Visits Camp Crystal Lake!

UPDATE: Here's the complete report, for your enjoyment.

It takes a lot to get me out of the apartment, let alone the state, let alone the Northeast, so I'm happy to report that my recent trip to Austin to visit the set of Friday the 13th was a success. I actually had a lot more fun than I expected and Part 1 of my adventures will be available sometime this week, I believe.

I recently Netflixed a few of the old Friday movies to see if my opinion of any of them had changed and I think I continue to rank them in pretty much the same order as I always have -- the ones in the middle are the best, with all the ones after Part 6 getting increasingly stupid. I was happy that the producers of this remake are confining themselves to the earliest films in mining their thematic elements. Seems like they are on the right track. As of now, I'm embargoed from saying anything more about my trip.