Production difficulties and clashes with film studios are not a rare event on Hollywood productions — "Scarface" director Brian De Palma can certainly attest to that.
While few viewers would've imagined that a film with the title "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" would interest anybody outside of hardcore horror fans, the trailer that debuted last week features an onslaught of kinetic horror-action courtesy of "Wanted" director Timur Bekmambetov.
Counterprogramming is usually an effective tool for film studios to utilize. In a summer of sci-fi blockbusters and action movies, when a romantic comedy like "The Proposal" or "Wedding Crashers" is successful because of a dearth of that genre in the marketplace, studios take notice.
A short film is now gaining attention from both film journalists and cinephiles alike, entitled "Cost of Living," which is an unconventional take on the sort of workplace comedies made famous by features like "Office Space" and "Waiting."
While the holiday movie rush has dissipated, there are several enticing genre pictures from "John Carter" to "The Raid" on the horizon — yet the next few weeks of film seem to rely heavily on laughs.
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