Yep, that image has popped up again and you know it is not a good sign. Despite cutting another trailer in time for its upcoming release on April 10, The Weinstein Company have chosen to once again delay the release of Underdogs, moving its American release date to August 14. At this point, I have given all hope with the film, especially after viewing the awkward English dub it has been given.
Since I previously turned my ire of the Weinsteins' treatment of Underdogs into an article about other films that have been routinely delayed or completely vanished from sight, I thought it would be wise to do an updated edition. But before we look over the revised list of missing movies, let's go over the few that were previously covered and were fortunate enough to finally see the light of day:
Kite certainly lived up to my assessment. It was sent out in October of last year in a very small set of theaters and on VOD. It would then later make it onto my list of the Worst Films of 2014.
The Loft went from its unknown date to later be scheduled to come out on January 30th, 2015. It made only $2.7 million on its opening weekend and has quickly exited theaters since.
Seventh Son (sans "The") was just released this past weekend, where it predictably bombed with a domestic gross of $7.1 million and a 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Now, let's look over the movies that are stuck in distribution purgatory.
7500
Plot: A flight to Tokyo hits some unknown, supernatural turbulence. Stars Ryan Kwanten, Jaime Chung, Leslie Bibb, and Amy Smart. Directed by Takashi Shimizu (The Ju-On/The Grudge franchise).
Previously Covered in Last Article
Updated Status: Unknown. Its projected release of October 3, 2014 came and went, with no news update or anything. I expect it to now hit home video at some time but no guesses as to when. If you somehow really, really need to see this PG-13 horror film, you can pick up a DVD or Blu-ray import from Germany, France or Netherlands, which are the only nations "lucky" enough to have easy access to it.
Cooties
Plot: A mysterious virus turns elementary schoolers into vicious creatures and only their teachers can stop the menace. Stars Elijah Wood, Alison Pill, Riann Wilson, and Jack McBrayer
Pre-Release Buzz: Premiered at Sundance 2014 and picked up for distribution by Lionsgate.
Current Status: Unknown. An official trailer still hasn't come out yet. The most probable reason for its delay is its displeasuring notion of kids being evil and/or getting violently killed. But even with that bad taste, a VOD release would provide wonders to the bottomline.
Dear v/s Bear
Plot: Two soccer players are stuck in the woods, when a group of black bears decide to show up.
Pre-Release Buzz: Its official trailer. Dear Lord, what a trailer.
Current Status: N/A. Unlike the many Hindi and Tamil films that are now coming to major megaplexes in full force, this was not put on the release schedule. Let me clarify a bit: a movie where an Indian couple sing and dance and fight a badly CGI bear isn't given a chance, but a 2 1/2 hour movie where a man "comically" fights over an inheritance with a dog is a-okay. The nerve of you, Regal and AMC. Anyway, it pops up every now and then in full on YouTube, so that's your best bet on seeing it.
Demonic
Plot: Law enforcement try to figure out whether or not an attempted summoning of ghosts caused the death of five people. Stars Maria Bello and Frank Grillo.
Pre-Release Buzz: Set to be widely released on December 12, 2014.
Current Status: Postponed Indefinitely. Dimension Films removed it from the schedule and listed no future date. The trailer for it briefly popped up online in early January, before being taken down for copyright reasons. Judging from the early footage given to us, it looked to be a vanilla jump-scare factory.
Dino Time
Plot: Three kids mess around with a scientist's time machine and find themselves messing around with dinosaurs. Voices include Pamela Adlon, Tara Strong, Yuri Lowenthal, and Jane Lynch. Produced by the Southern Korean powerhouse CJ Entertainment and specifically designed to meet the 3D quota for theater owners.
Previously Covered in Last Article
Updated Status: Still Unknown. The fact that it hasn't even been uploaded to Netflix Instant streaming yet tells you that it's a lost cause.
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
Plot: A documentary on the craziness that was The Cannon Group, chiefly the years when Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus were running the show. Directed by Mark Hartley, who has previously covered Australia's exploitation film industry (Not Quite Hollywood) and the American B-movies shot in the Philippines (Machete Maidens Unleashed!).
Pre-Release Buzz: Drafthouse Films had it listed as an upcoming film of there's since 2011, as seen in this press release. Its official trailer was released in October 2014.
Current Status: Unknown. Drafthouse quietly removed it from their numbered listing and made no comment about it. Given that there's another Golan-Globus documentary being shopped around at the moment, this pop culture treat will hopefully come out.
Empires of the Deep
Plot: Positioned as China's Avatar, this fantasy tale tells the love between a man and a mermaid and the war between aquatic nations. Stars Olga Kurylenko.
Pre-Release Buzz: Filming commenced in 2010, with an estimated budget of $130 million. A trailer was leaked online back in October 2012, which I covered in an edition of Trailer Review. (Forget to put this in the last article!)
Current Status: Unknown. In 2013, one of the many screenwriters brought on to salvage the project said that it's still in post-production but that early test screenings have kept it from moving forward. In November of last year, the film's second director Jonathan Lawrence came forward to tell a few horror stories and why he was removed from his position. He also said that he heard from inside sources that the film is golden and could be released in China any day now.
Grace of Monaco
Plot: A day in the stressful life of Princess Grace Kelly, as she tries to figure out whether to return to Hollywood or support her husband during a major political battle. Stars Nicole Kidman and Tim Roth. Directed by Olivier Dahan (La Vie en Rose).
Pre-Release Buzz: Set for release on November 27, 2013, it was then moved to March 14, 2014 until then removed from all schedules by The Weinstein Company. Before its world premiere at Cannes 2014, there was much controversy generated during the film's post-production, when it became known that Harvey Weinstein was fighting with Dahan over the final cut.
Current Status: Postponed. Critics at Cannes severely lambasted the director's cut and more heavy boos came when it eventually opened up in British theaters. Harvey Weinstein has recently been reported as saying that a writer's cut of the movie will be made available here in the US, with an accompanying small theatrical release.
The Green Inferno
Plot: Clearly borrowing from the despicable template of the cannibal horror craze, a group of environmental activists are captured and ready to be served as dinner to the tribe they wished to protect. Eli Roth's latest film.
Previously Covered in Last Article
Updated Status: Still Postponed Indefinitely. Worldwide Entertainment and Open Road Films still hate each other. Roth, on the other hand, has already moved on and premiered his latest feature Knock, Knock at this year's Sundance.
Lost River
Plot: A hard-lucky family enter into a surreal world. Stars Saoirse Ronan, Christina Hendricks, Eva Mendes, and Matt Smith. Directed by Ryan Gosling. Previously known as How to Catch a Monster.
Pre-Release Buzz: Premiered at Cannes 2014, where it was eviscerated by many critics. Post-premiere, Warner Bros., who possessed the distributing rights, were considering on selling the picture off to an indie studio.
Current Status: Set for release on April 10, 2015. The official trailer and poster premiered online just last week.
The Search
Plot: Set in war-torn Chechnya, a political aide tries to help reunite a mother with her two lost boys. Stars Bérénice Bejo and Annette Bening. Directed by Michel Hazanavicius. A very loose remake of the 1948 Fred Zinnemann film.
Pre-Release Buzz: Premiered In Competition at Cannes 2014. Bejo and Bening were both widely praised for their acting but many critics attacked the feature for its syrupy design.
Current Status: Unknown. The Oscar bait movie was highly suspected to come out by the end of last year for awards consideration but no American distributor picked it up. It did premiere stateside at this year's Palm Springs International Film Festival, so expect to see it pop up some time this year.
Sunshine on Leith
Plot: Two British servicemen return to Edinburgh to readjust to life and find love. A film adaptation of the jukebox musical, featuring songs by The Proclaimers.
Pre-Release Buzz: Though us Americans still mock The Proclaimers as goofy one-hit wonders, the duo is a huge act in their native Scotland and turn their music catalog into a very successful musical. The film was very well received in 2013.
Current Status: N/A. Like Keith Lemon last time, I just put this entry in as a joke. I really do hope it's given a chance of a release here in the US though, especially given the fact that we eventually got One Chance last year and that "foreign" musicals do draw major interest.
WolfCop
Plot: A small-town alcoholic cop is turned into a werewolf by a satanic cult and uses his new violent powers for good. Directed by Lowell Dean (13 Eerie).
Pre-Release Buzz: Its official trailer premiered online last April and had the internet buzzing for a couple of days.
Current Status: February 17, 2015 on DVD and Blu-ray. No small theatrical release for it, sadly.
The Wonders
Plot: Four sisters help out their dad in the honey-making business and later try to enter a television contest. Directed by Alice Rohrwacher.
Pre-Release Buzz: Premiered In Competition at Cannes 2014, where it somehow won the Grand Prix (aka 2nd Place) over much deserving fare.
Current Status: Unknown. It played at a few New York film festivals late last year but no distributor seems to want it.
Of course there are probably more films I still forgot to cover here, so they will have to wait until the next iteration of this series.
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