View Full Version : Cirque Du Freak
Chocoholic
08-20-2008, 12:10 AM
IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450405/)
Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_du_Freak_(film))
Some of you may recognize the name from a series of kids books. Well they finally made a movie and it's set to come out February 2009. The movie will combine the first 3 books of the series, much like the Series of Unfortunate Events movie (only hopefully not as shitty).
The basic plot is about a boy named Darren Shan who goes to a freak circus one night with his good friend and ends up experiencing all this crazy shit. He soon ends up striking a deal with a vampire which will ensure that his family is safe but leads him to becoming a half-vampire. He then joins the travelling circus and the vampire so he can learn the ways of the vampire. But things aren't as easy as they seem and pretty soon he has to start hunting down murderous crazed 'vampaneze' which are basically evil vampires.
The best thing about the books is that they were super super gory. If the director doesn't fuck things up and tone everything way down this movie will definitely have a PG-13 rating.
If you're wanting a nice dark movie (hardly anything is happy) with a twist to the classic vampire story then definitely check this out.
Oh, and did I mention John C. Reilly is playing the main vampire and Darren's mentor?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bb/Cirquedufreakempire.jpg
Akvod
08-20-2008, 10:06 AM
Holy shit I remember reading those books when I was in late Elementary or Early Middle School. The second book was intense as shit I think, the main character made a new friend, only for him to get eaten so that you could see his guts and the roof of the werewolf's (?) mouth painted in a deep red or something.
I'm sure it's not that bad compared to Ogrish, or today's gore movies, but when I was a little kid I was reading that part in awe.
The plot was kinda cool in the beginning, because you wanted to know how everything worked (the vampires, half-vampires, etc). But then eventually the two just went into the HQ of vampires, and started fighting against the "vampanzens" or whatever.
I got kinda bored then.
Cool, can't believe they're making a movie out of it, looks pretty fun. The books weren't that gory though, Choco :tongue:
John Travolta
08-20-2008, 11:49 AM
I read the first nine books and they were great when I was like 12. I'm not going to read them again because it may ruin the memory so I'm definitely going to see it.
They really weren't that gory but I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with the fourth one, Vampire Mountain because that one was by far the best book.
Yay. I've been expecting information on this movie for a while. I happen to be a fan of Darren Shan, as well as my friends. Read the series etc. [Personally, i thought the Trial of Death my favorite book] By the looks of the screenshot, they don't have an inappropriate cast set up so far and the mood is still very dark =D
I REALLY hope they can pull this off. [Please let them start at the first of the series. I'd hate for them to try to make a single movie out of 12 13? books.]
Chocoholic
08-20-2008, 4:01 PM
The plot was kinda cool in the beginning, because you wanted to know how everything worked (the vampires, half-vampires, etc). But then eventually the two just went into the HQ of vampires, and started fighting against the "vampanzens" or whatever.
I got kinda bored then.
Man. You should've kept reading. They got really really epic. Threw in some crazy twists and had one of the most evil bad guys I have ever read about. Although the last book got had a really weird ending. It still fit in quite well with the overall books.
But maybe I just thought they were super gory due to the fact that I read them when I was like 11. That and that most kids books water everything down. But still, when it's describing how a wolfman is eating the bloody entrails of a 12 year old kid as blood oozes out of his stomach and he's still gasping for breath, the books are definitely not for those with week stomachs.
If the movie does well expect them to finish out the series, probably with 4 movies, each one containing 3 books. Which will work nicely seeing as how number 4-6 all deal with the Vampire Mountain and the Trials of Blood (how the hell do I still remember this stuff).
They better make this, at the very least, a PG-13 film. I really would like an R-rated film, but I'm sure they can be creative. I think it'll be more scary seeing the wolfman burying his head in an dark, empty cavity, then close in as he looks into the camera, and you see little bits of intestines around his mouth.
I remember starting those books when I was all cute and innocent in middle school and they freaked me out so much I didn't even finish the first one. I may have to go pick them up now that I've gotten more twisted. I tend to get annoyed with those long series for kids though.
Chocoholic
08-21-2008, 5:09 PM
They better make this, at the very least, a PG-13 film. I really would like an R-rated film, but I'm sure they can be creative. I think it'll be more scary seeing the wolfman burying his head in an dark, empty cavity, then close in as he looks into the camera, and you see little bits of intestines around his mouth.
That's how I hope they do it. Give you enough gore and stuff so you know exactly what's happening and how awesome it all is. But then again they might water it down since they're children's books. Even Harry Potter doesn't really get gory or bloody or anything and those are still netting PG-13 ratins. Plus little Timmy doesn't need to see such violence.
He'll just read about it instead.
That's how I hope they do it. Give you enough gore and stuff so you know exactly what's happening and how awesome it all is. But then again they might water it down since they're children's books. Even Harry Potter doesn't really get gory or bloody or anything and those are still netting PG-13 ratins. Plus little Timmy doesn't need to see such violence.
He'll just read about it instead.
Well I actually don't like too much excessive gore. Because in the end you'll get both desensitized to it, and it doesn't look real at all.
Especially for a movie targeted for kids/pre-adolescents, I think a PG-13 is the best, because it forces them to use their imagination, and make something even more scary.
I see movies like SAW II, III, IV, V, VI, VII... XXVII, and it's not even scary. It's not even to the point of gross, it's almost like a realization of how sick you and your friends are for going "Ohhhhh, check it out man!" at the gory death of a human.
I think that SAW was great because it had the feeling you get in a good horror work (especially in Sci-fi's for some reason). You feel like there's no afterlife, and you connect to the characters so much that it feels like when they die, you die. You feel the gravity of the situation.
And when you see that tension finally broken with desperation. When he cuts off his own leg. You don't even see it, maybe a little bit of blood. You feel that raw emotion and situation gone wrong. You feel the horror of the other guy, after connecting so much to them.
The others just show the excessive gore of characters you don't care about, and the reality of death doesn't come to you
I think for those who read the book, the key scene, that will make the movie a great horror movie, and prove that film makers are willing to be respectful to the original work is that gory scene. If they do take it out, I feel sorry for kids, because they have no more horror films for them anymore.
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On a side note, does anyone realize this as well? The only fucking films kids have now are the onslaught of CGI films.
Maybe Rocky Balboa, or the prequel Star Wars films count as them, but for the most part, you don't see anything for them. I feel sorry for kids today, in this fucked up generation.
Chocoholic
10-10-2009, 1:39 PM
I think it's time for this thread to be bumped since the release is only weeks away. And that they now have a trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPC-5VoCkNE).
After watching this trailer two major things jump out at me.
WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE LITTLE PEOPLE'S MASKS?
AND WHO THE FUCK IS THE MONKEY GIRL?!
This movie is going to be terrible.
Yes it is going to be terrible and I did enjoy the books when I was younger
Swordfish
10-10-2009, 3:39 PM
I'm interested to see how this goes. I have fond memories of the books, but can only really remember the general plot, which is probably a good thing. That way I won't get bogged down in any changes the make from book to film.
I'm not too sure how I feel about John C. Reilly playing Mr Crepsley. It's kind of hard to take him seriously and from what I remember, the character was pretty suave and sophisticated.
John Travolta
10-10-2009, 4:17 PM
Gay.
Chocoholic
10-10-2009, 4:28 PM
The movie does have a PG-13 rating so it should still be somewhat dark. Early reviews have said that it's not as childish as the trailer makes it out to be.
They also may have completey fucked up the entire story with Steve and how Darren becomes a vampire. Which is going to mess everything up further down the line.
I'm still probably going to see this just to see how it all turns out. I have a feeling I'm going to be disappointed though.
CuntMuppet
10-10-2009, 4:28 PM
God dammit I hate all these characters, the ones in my head from when I read thse books were fucking awesome, but they've just shat all over them all. Fuck this, never gonna see it because I really did love those books as well :mad:
Chocoholic
10-10-2009, 4:40 PM
God dammit I hate all these characters, the ones in my head from when I read thse books were fucking awesome, but they've just shat all over them all.
I agree. Cormac Limbs has been turned into a chick, a monkey girl not even in the books is being played by some girl who's a beauty pageant winner, and the Little People are tiny, cute little creatures without badass masks.
I think the only thing that will be awesome about this movie is Willem Dafoe as Gavner Purl.
I'm not too sure how I feel about John C. Reilly playing Mr Crepsley. It's kind of hard to take him seriously and from what I remember, the character was pretty suave and sophisticated.
And this is where I and most people differ, because I found it hard to take John C. Reilly in comedy at first, because I've always known him as that guy from Hoffa, Magnolia, and Reed from Boogie Nights. And later from Gangs of New York and The Aviator.
VerminScum
10-11-2009, 3:54 PM
John C. Reilly was hilarious in Boogie Nights. His part in Magnolia will always be what I remember when thinking of him as a serious actor. I don't mind his comedy stuff though. I enjoy him more than Will Ferrel.
John C. Reilly was hilarious in Boogie Nights. His part in Magnolia will always be what I remember when thinking of him as a serious actor. I don't mind his comedy stuff though. I enjoy him more than Will Ferrel.
He definitely had a funny role as Reed, but Boogie Nights isn't exactly a comedy. It wasn't so much that I couldn't see him being funny, I was just like, "He's doing this now? Really? And this is where people are just now knowing him from?"
His role in Magnolia was definitely one of his best, even if I can't decide how I feel about that movie.
VerminScum
10-11-2009, 4:09 PM
I don't think anyone could possibly fully know how to feel about that movie. Its like several movies wrapped together. At times it made me cringe but for the most part it wasn't a bad movie.
Chocoholic
10-18-2009, 1:47 AM
Some reviews have started to come out. It's basically split between those who have read the books saying it sucks completely and those who haven't who are saying that it's a very nice coming of age tale for the Twilight generation.
Which means this movie is really going to fucking suck.
One reviewer even said that it doesn't make sense that Darren becomes a vampire if his best friend wanted to, leading me to believe the whole business with Madame Octa doesn't happen at all. Then again the trailer shows Darren taking the spider to school so I really wouldn't be surprised at all.
The only good thing that almost everyone can agree on is that the cast (minus Darren) does a fantastic job.
Chocoholic
10-25-2009, 11:12 PM
Well I saw the movie today with my brother.
In all it wasn't a complete waste of money. It was entertaining at times and Reilly's take on Mr. Crepsley actually wasn't that bad. He cracked a fair amount jokes but they were all very dry and almost always pointed at Darren.
Let me just say that those of you who read the books will be absolutely pissed off at the way the handled this movie. The first half is actually the better half for fans. The things they do change, while being completely stupid, are excusable and serve mainly to quicken the time between major plot points. This, however, lessens a lot of the emotional impact that books had. Overall there's not too much to get pissed at. That all changes in the second half though.
The second half isn't even recognizable as Cirque Du Freak. The plot is drastically changed, major plot points that are revealed in books as far reaching as the 7th or 8th books are found here, and pretty much every cool character is changed drastically. So much that they are almost unrecognizable.
Let me list some of the things that pissed me off:
1) Evra Von is reduced to some psuedo-skater emo fag who just wants to play music and sell some cd's.
2) Murlaugh (Murlough in the books) is some super cool Vampaneze leader that everyone respects. Not some badass crazy fat guy.
3) Mr. Crepsley and Truska are romantically involved.
4) Mr. Crepsley says that he, Gavner Purl, and some other vampire where the ones who originally thought up vampires only taking small amounts of blood here and there and that they started the splitting of the vampire clan.
5) HARKAT MULDS IS CALLED BY FUCKING NAME, HAS NO MASK, IS 2 FEET TALL, AND IS A "TINY PERSON" NOT A LITTLE PERSON. Fuck this movie.
The only really good thing I have to say about it is that Mr. Tiny's character was spot on. By looks alone he wasn't menacing but once he spoke you couldn't help but think that he was a creepy motherfucker. The scenes he was in were some of the best just because they got his character so right.
HappyPalooza
10-26-2009, 2:26 PM
This movie was pretty awful. The only pro I can think of was that the acting was good, aside from Darren (main kid). My friends, who all read the books, said it had almost nothing to do with them and as they described it it seems only the basic setup was kept consistent with the books' plot, characters, tone and overall storytelling.
And oh yeah, the high school shit was beyond terrible. The melodramatic "I'm supposed to be your best friend bro" talk that I can't stand was very prominent in this with all the unrealistic, cliche high school shit you often see in movies.
Chocoholic
10-26-2009, 4:15 PM
This movie was pretty awful. The only pro I can think of was that the acting was good, aside from Darren (main kid). My friends, who all read the books, said it had almost nothing to do with them and as they described it it seems only the basic setup was kept consistent with the books' plot, characters, tone and overall storytelling.
And oh yeah, the high school shit was beyond terrible. The melodramatic "I'm supposed to be your best friend bro" talk that I can't stand was very prominent in this with all the unrealistic, cliche high school shit you often see in movies.
"So we're secret best friends?"
Yeah, all that was pretty gay. Same with all the stupid shit with Rebecca. I didn't think they did a good job of fleshing out Steve's character at all either. He was pretty much just some super angsty kid who seems like he should've been out hanging with older kids and getting drunk.
It actually made it somewhat enjoyable by seeing it with my brother who had read the books. There were times when we'd be cracking up at how ridiculous or stupid something was. Near the end when Darren says "I know how to flit!" we just shouted "NO YOU CAN'T!" since half-vampires aren't able to in the books.
If you've read the books I highly reccomend taking some who has also read them.
HappyPalooza
10-26-2009, 5:24 PM
"I'LL SHOVE MY HEAD UP YOUR ASS!"
Chocoholic
10-26-2009, 10:04 PM
The best thing about that line was the fact the everytime we saw that guy my brother and I would try to figure out what the hell and who the hell he was.
I think that's one of the good things about the movie though. Most of the humour was either very dry or actually pretty adult/crude.
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