Jonathan Liebesman to direct Clash of the Titans 2. Why that's good news...

Normally I couldn't care less about a sequel to this year's Clash of the Titans remake. The film wasn't very good, and it was most notable for a stunningly awful 3D conversion. I was lucky/smart enough to see the film in 2D (I later sampled the 3D so I could confirm its inadequacy), but the film is still a botched bore, although this seems to be yet another case where poor Louis Leterrier had his movie radically altered in the editing room. But if there must be a sequel, at least Jonathan Liebseman will be directing it. Why is that good news? Well, because first of all, Liebseman has some history with studio interference, as his debut feature, Darkness Falls, underwent massive studio tinkering, so hopefully he can stand up to the newly hands-on Warner execs (the formally hands-off studio apparently tinkered with Clash of the Titans, Terminator: Salvation, and Edge of Darkness). Second of all, his short film Rings, which was shot to coincide with The Ring Two in 2005, is the best American variation on the Ring mythology yet made, better than the rock-solid American remake of The Ring and quite a bit better than the terrible Ring Two. Third of all, this means that his upcoming alien invasion picture, Battle: Los Angeles, is obviously making some studio execs very happy, implying that it may live up to its clever teaser.

But most importantly, Liebseman is the man responsible for Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, which is my vote for the very best Texas Chainsaw Massacre film of all. It's better than Marcus Nispel's perfectly-fine remake, and it's miles better than any of the sequels to the Tobe Hopper 1974 classic. And frankly, thanks to sympathetic lead characters, a potent political subtext, and wonderful use of R. Lee Ermy as a force of pure evil amidst a family of cannibal freaks, the film is scarier and more suspenseful than even the (admittingly ground-breaking) original picture. Don't be put off by the five minutes of silly 'origin of Leatherface' material. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning subverts the expectations of the series, more or less putting Leatherface in the background and keeping the would-be victims alive for as long as possible (thus creating real suspense as to if/when one of them will die). It is a thoughtful and scary little horror picture that should have earned Liebseman a place at the table.

Scott Mendelson