Movies
Disney Getting ‘Weird’ With Ahmet Zappa
Ever since the success of their theme-park-ride-turned-live-action-feature Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney has been working diligently at turning their other rides into films. The idea is that the movie’s success will bring people into the parks, a sort of reverse promotion if you will. Plenty of rides are being developed, but this one is sort of left field as The Museum of the Weird, an idea that Walt Disney liked back in the 1960’s but that never got off the ground, looks to be headed for the development pipeline.
Disney is in discussions for a movie based on the museum with screenwriter Ahmet Zappa (son of Frank), reports the LA Times.
A half-century ago, well-known Disney theme-park creators Rolly Crump and Claude Coats designed the “Museum of the Weird” with the idea of spotlighting a parade of ghostly organists, magic carts, talking chairs and other surreal exhibits. Walt Disney wanted to use the museum as an adjunct to the “Haunted Mansion,” complete with its own restaurant. But the museum was never built, though some of the more ambitious pieces were incorporated into the mansion itself.
Zappa’s idea is for the museum to be refashioned as a film — given the kinds of whimsical creations Crump and Coats planned, it’s hard not to think of “Night at the Museum” or “The Mummy” — with an attraction to follow. It’s still very early development, though, so don’t expect it in multiplexes anytime soon.
Under its new leadership, Disney seems to be taking a two-pronged approach to movies. It’s getting into business with top-tier filmmakers (add David Fincher and Tim Burton to Del Toro and Favreau) even as it’s putting chips down on seemingly as many theme-park attractions as possible, and trying to merchandise more than ever. The net effect: a studio slate that’s a strange combination of stubbornly visionary and explicitly marketing-driven.
Movies
‘The Coffee Table’ – Listen to Stephen King and Watch One of the Year’s Most Shocking Horror Movies
Horror fans looking to test their mettle should take note of director Caye Casas‘s The Coffee Table. Horror master Stephen King recently said of the pitch-black tragicomedy, “My guess is you have never, not once in your whole life, seen a movie as black as this one. It’s horrible and also horribly funny.”
That sums up this grim movie well, with King’s recommendation worth taking.
In a press release, Casas said, “We wanted to make one of the cruelest films ever made, one that people cannot forget. It will make them feel very strong emotions, real terror without monsters, zombies, ghosts or murderers, only with a dining room table and the cruelest fate that you can imagine.”
The filmmaker, who co-wrote the film with Cristina Borobia, isn’t downplaying the cruelty.
The film “follows Jesus and Maria, a couple going through a difficult time in their relationship. Nevertheless, they have just become parents. To shape their new life, they decide to buy a new coffee table. A decision that will change their existence.”
Let’s just say that that fateful decision comes with significant trigger warnings, particularly for new parents, and a jaw-dropping inciting event that transforms the film into a relentless pressure cooker. One that Casas intercuts with pitch-black humor that only heightens the macabre madness. The filmmaker mines horror from a freak tragedy to a degree that often leaves you torn between laughter and edge-of-your-seat suspense. But more impressive is the way that Casas fearlessly shatters at least one sacred cinematic taboo for a twisted laugh.
“I can only assure one thing to audiences, if you like strong emotions, if you want to suffer like never before, if you want to feel real terror, The Coffee Table is your movie,” said Casas. “You will never forget it, I promise.”
That’s a bold claim that Casas more than backs up with this grim shocker. Check out the trailer below for a peek at the dark insanity in store.
David Pareja and Estefanía de los Santos star as the ill-fated couple, with Josep Riera, Claudia Riera, and Eduardo Antuña rounding out the cast.
The Coffee Table released on DVD and VOD on May 14, with platforms including AppleTV, Prime Video, Google Play, VUDU, and more. Don’t miss this wild ride, but beware: it’s a doozy.
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