tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8545661733980837263.post8031670213078993525..comments2023-03-30T16:56:53.692-07:00Comments on Icebox Movies: Paul Verhoeven To Direct The Last Express?Adam Zanziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14524618281515322239noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8545661733980837263.post-24939839846061043012011-07-27T01:43:48.018-07:002011-07-27T01:43:48.018-07:00Drazen, sorry I'm replying to this so late. Un...Drazen, sorry I'm replying to this so late. Unfortunately, I don't know anything more about the project than you do at the moment: Paul Verhoeven's IMDB profile lists him as being in pre-production of a project called <i>Hidden Force</i>, which makes me fear that the <i>Last Express</i> movie has been put back on the shelf for the time being.Adam Zanziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14524618281515322239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8545661733980837263.post-9721514582844366952011-02-05T00:36:59.738-08:002011-02-05T00:36:59.738-08:00Wow, I know I'm really late with this comment,...Wow, I know I'm really late with this comment, but I haven't read your blog before even though I heard about the possible adaptation at the time you wrote this entry (oh no, wait - I heard it here! :P)<br /><br />I really like your entry and your story behind The Last Express, because I see a lot of similarities with mine and I'm always happy and inexplicably joyful when I see a level of such admiration and respect towards the game that changed my life in so many ways.<br /><br />Are there any news about the adaptation? Was it confirmed it's TLE in question?Dražen Nikolićhttp://bosco-forever.spaces.live.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8545661733980837263.post-76796953899526482982010-05-20T10:12:08.239-07:002010-05-20T10:12:08.239-07:00With a movie coming out, what are the chances that...With a movie coming out, what are the chances that the 1997 game will be remade for next generation consoles?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8545661733980837263.post-76608133358425707782010-04-30T18:44:29.370-07:002010-04-30T18:44:29.370-07:00Note: I didn't realize until a few years after...Note: I didn't realize until a few years after I beat <i>The Last Express</i> that the voice talent behind the train's French kitchen cook is actually none other than filmmaker George Hickenlooper, the director of the documentary <i>Hearts of Darkness</i> (as well as a native of my home city of St. Louis). After I heard the rumors about Verhoeven's possible involvement with a <i>Last Express</i> movie, I went to Hickenlooper's profile on Facebook and informed him of the news.<br /><br />Hickenlooper's response to me: "I hope to reprise my role!"Adam Zanziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14524618281515322239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8545661733980837263.post-32716130065769591552010-04-29T21:03:49.504-07:002010-04-29T21:03:49.504-07:00Ed, that's actually exactly what The Last Expr...Ed, that's actually exactly what <i>The Last Express</i> is: it's all about being at the right place at the right time, and picking up conversations (as well as talking to certain people at key moments) so that you can move forward. And, as an added bonus, it's all done under the guise of historical fiction. So, much of the dialogue in the game predicts global incidents that really happened.<br /><br />I don't know why I neglected Verhoeven for so long. Maybe it's because only recently did I realize that he was actually a filmmaking artist, and not some moneygrubbing director-for-hire hack (hey- he did <i>Robocop</i>, after all!). I know that you wrote a Toerific piece on <i>Black Book</i> awhile ago, and that is all the more reason why I'm going to have to rush to see that film; I enjoy reading your stuff because, as Tony said somewhere (on Facebook, if my memory serves me correctly), your site contains some of the best film criticism in the blogosphere!Adam Zanziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14524618281515322239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8545661733980837263.post-7618990547086403292010-04-29T20:20:32.365-07:002010-04-29T20:20:32.365-07:00Sounds interesting - I've never played this ga...Sounds interesting - I've never played this game but it sounds like an early example of the RPG/adventure form where conversations are as important as, or even more important than, the action and fighting.<br /><br />As for Verhoeven, I highly, highly recommend <i>Black Book</i>, one of my favorite films of recent years. Verhoeven has a real mastery of tone; he's able to juggle romance, melodrama, action, mystery, sexuality, and more without compromising the coherence of the film. If all you've seen by him is <i>Total Recall</i> (which is of course lots of fun), you haven't seen anywhere close to his best or most characteristic work.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8545661733980837263.post-8061994433548144942010-04-29T18:54:26.978-07:002010-04-29T18:54:26.978-07:00Ryan! I never knew you played The Last Express! If...Ryan! I never knew you played <i>The Last Express</i>! If I had known that more of my friends had played this game, I could have died happy. Yet I've spent pretty much my whole life campaigning for the game to be recognized.<br /><br />I agree: it's a fucking hard game. When I was in 8th grade (and realize that I had spent four long years trying to beat the game, to little success), I kept trying to figure out how to avoid getting found out by the conductors, and how to complete the gold/guns transaction without getting stabbed by the Serbs for failure to do so. Finally I just had to go online and beat the whole game from a walkthrough. I'm not proud of that, obviously, although at least I was finally able to see where the game ultimately goes.<br /><br />Here's the thing: I hope that Verhoeven and Mechner change it a little, though. The ending of the game (which I won't spoil) just feels a little sentimental and too good to be true. The unofficial screenplay that I sent to Jordan Mechner ends with Cath becoming really deranged, really obsessed with finding out how Tyler died, and all that sort of Freudian stuff. I fear that the film may be more conventional. <br /><br />Although... it's Verhoeven. I really must see <i>Black Book</i>, and soon, in order to determie how fitting he is for this.<br /><br />Thanks for the recommendation on <i>Titanic: Adventure Out of Time</i>, too. I've never heard of it. But I always figured that if they ever did a <i>Last Express</i> sequel, it would have been on a boat, haha.Adam Zanziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14524618281515322239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8545661733980837263.post-37473077892428755462010-04-29T18:45:24.819-07:002010-04-29T18:45:24.819-07:00I really miss those old school PC adventure games....I really miss those old school PC adventure games. It's a genre that's pretty much dead in the world of video games now, but damn they were fun. If you liked <i>The Last Express</i> (which I never played all the way through because it was so damn hard), I'd recommend <i>Titanic: Adventure Out of Time</i>, another adventure/mystery game that interweaves history into its plot in clever ways. I've been clamoring for an adventure game to kill time with, and I may get this game and finish it, finally. And Verhoeven - other than De Palma, of course - is the perfect director to film a story that's in the Hitchcock mold.Ryan Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18054550377681273142noreply@blogger.com