Just When You Thought it Was Safe to Take Off Your 3D Glasses

Two movies with similar make-ups being released within such close proximity is not a rare thing, as we all know. Earlier this year we saw David Traucki's shark-stalking-pretty-people-in-Queensland movie The Reef and later in the year we get shark-stalking-pretty-people-in-Queensland(-in-3D!) movie Bait. The latter is obviously going for the bigger, more mainstream horror thrills with its $25mil budget (a co-production with Singapore funnily enough) and populist 3D upgrade.


However, it's not The Reef and Bait (or, Bait 3D as it is occasionally known) that we're here to talk about. No, instead we're here to look at the trailers for Bait and Shark Night 3D. This American movie from director David R Ellis appears to be borrowing quite heavily from the model of the recent 3D Piranha remake, what with its liberal flashes of nudity and leaning towards a camp/comedic take. Still, two 3D shark movies bear comparing so that's what we're here to do!

First, the trailer for Bait.


While I love the start - the use of Queensland's tourism calling card of "Beautiful one day, perfect the next" is particularly inspired - and, hey, who am I to deny the sight of Xavier Samuel in lifesavers gear? After that however, I'm not quite sure what happens. While it's perfectly acceptable, something about it feels slightly off, don't you think? As if this trailer isn't entire complete. The pacing is all off, some of the footage used looks like it hasn't been properly colour-graded yet, the big close-up of the shark money shot is less than thrilling and the lack of dialogue feels worryingly like they're attempting to mask Sanctum levels of silliness.

Still, it looks far more promising than this:


Do you see what I mean with that Piranha reference? But, see, Piranha 3D had that wonderful cast being oh so very serious in the face of mutant piranhas (something Piranha 3DD seems to have forgotten about by casting nobodies and Z-grade celebrities like David Hasselhoff). Shark Night 3D has... well, the only name I recognise is Chris Zylka from Kaboom. Oh and that dude from Avatar, apparently. Ouch. That line about it being a salt water lake is particularly almost LOL worthy though so perhaps it belongs in the Asylum wheelhouse alongside Mega Piranha and Giant Shark vs Mega Octopus. Still, if they're going to keep trying to make 3D happen I'd much rather they utilise it on movies like these than, say, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, you know?

If I had Photoshop on the laptop I am using I would most definitely take a screengrab of my absolute tip-top favourite moment in the trailer. It's not of anything in the movie, but is instead the title card that appears at 1:08. Take a look, it's good for a laugh.

FROM THE PRODUCERS OF HOSTEL

AND ONE OF THE PRODUCERS OF THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE
The shit producer or the good producer? I guess we'll never know...

Sequel on a Stick

Head on a stick.

What's that do for ya? Shivers, shudders and sweats?

The news of a new sequel (or remake) brings about a flood of different feelings. Since word of a new sequel (or remake) seems to come about every other day it can be a rollercoaster for us cinephiles. Yesterday came word, and today official 100% conformation, that Wolf Creek 2 was a go and... well, I don't know. On one hand I think Wolf Creek is a very well-made movie and does what it does with a visceral edge that is missing from so many other films going after the same thing (it's a flavour that another local upcoming horror title, The Loved Ones, also has in spades). Also in the film's favour was an iconic performance by John Jarrett as "Mick Taylor" so it will be legitimately interesting to see where he takes it, especially since Jarrett's last attempt at recreating the success was a big, fat dud.


On the con side of things is the unmistakable vibe of desperation about the project. It's quite obvious that Wolf Creek's writer/director Greg McLean decided to proceed with this project because his last original movie - the underrated killer crocodile movie Rogue - disappointed at the box office. McLean was on record as saying he didn't want to make a sequel and yet here we are several years after Rogue and McLean's directorial slate has remained empty (he has helped produce the upcoming Aussie horror/western Red Hill), which leads me to suspect he's doing it to get some confidence back.

The film is being produced by Darclight Entertainment and, I think we can safely assume, won't have anything to do with the Weinstein brothers, who have royally screwed McLean twice before in the past (first by releasing Wolf Creek on Christmas Day, and then barely releasing Rogue at all). Since the original was made with a minuscule budget, I do wonder whether McLean will be able to resist grabbing more money from the funding bodies.

If he does then maybe he will be trying to broaden the film, make it bigger and better. But if he does that he risks stripping the movie of what made Wolf Creek so successful. It's a delicate line that he must travel. Does he want to make another film like Wolf Creek, but just BIGGER or does he want to completely reinvent it and turn it into some deranged Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 styled effort. We'll see. Moviehole has some exclusive words from McLean himself so check them out if you're interested (and if you've read this far then I assume you are.)

I just hope he resists the urge to title the movie Wolf RIVER or Wolf Creek 2: The Return of Micky Dundee or something ridiculous like that.