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2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007
1-20 of 478 items from 2012 « Prev | Next »
The Short-Lived "The River" is Worth Wading For
10 hours ago | JustPressPlay.net | See recent JustPressPlay news »
In recent years, the found footage genre has established itself as a very lucrative and interesting form of entertainment. Horror and action tales seem to benefit the most from the genre. Films are often shot in this voyeuristic and exciting style. Television doesn’t follow in this trend too often and that is why ABC’s recently failed action/thriller series The River is a curious thing. The show aired and ended in the blink of an eye but that blink was actually not that bad. With a colorful cast of characters, an engaging and suspenseful story and the producing talents of Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity films) and the legendary Steven Spielberg, it's pretty unfortunate that this gripping short-lived series simply came and went. Or should we say drowned?
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»
- Randall Unger
Chernobyl Diaries Shot In Nazi Tunnels
20 hours ago | WENN | See recent WENN news »
Parts of new horror movie Chernobyl Diaries were shot in underground tunnels used as Nazi headquarters in World War Two, according to producer Oren Peli.
Unable to film in the real Pripyat due to still-present nuclear dust from the Chernobyl disaster, Peli and his crew had to find alternatives and opted for an abandoned Soviet Air Force Base and tunnels under Belgrade, Serbia.
Peli tells WENN, "There were bunkers where they had the Nazi headquarters and that place was very, very creepy. It was very narrow and wasn't built with safety lights, so, at one point or another, we bumped our head on the door jambs.
"It was very dark and very musty with a bizarre negative energy there."
Director Brad Parker admits the location helped heighten the horror for his cast.
He adds, "It was a lot of fun for me and to a certain extent they enjoyed it too. They didn't have to push the acting boat out too far because they were just responding to what was going on. We would leave them in the dark or have them walk down a scary tunnel and not tell them what was around the corner.
"There was really a sense of tension in their voices that's really palpable. We would literally have our humanoid-like creatures waiting in a cavern or a tunnel out of sight so the actor would not know about the actual scare and where it was coming from. They were totally taken off guard and our locations were really scary... There were bad vibes in the walls. It was really creepy and being in these cold, dark, dank, scary places was terrifying enough." »
"Men in Black 3" Underperforms, Still Beats "The Avengers"
22 hours ago | Manny the Movie Guy | See recent Manny the Movie Guy news »
It took the sunglass-decked Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones to finally unseat Marvel's "The Avengers." ("Men in Black 3" movie review)
"Mib 3" took in $70 million in the U.S. over the four-day Memorial Day weekend but it's below the $80 million that Sony Pictures was expecting, or Hollywood's projection of $90 million. Overseas, "Men in Black 3" sold $133.2 million worth of box-office tickets but since the threequel was so expensive to make (estimates ranged from $225 million to $300 million), it will take a while for Smith and Jones and their trusty Neuralyzer to recoup their money. (Win "Mib 3" exclusive prizes from Sony Pictures)
Disney's "The Avengers" slipped to No. 2 with $46.9 million becoming the 3rd biggest movie of all time right after "Avatar" and "Titanic."
Yes, "Men in Black 3" had a good start and "The Avengers" proved box-office prowess but this past Memorial Day weekend was the slowest at theaters in more »
- Manny
Chernobyl post-scripts
29 May 2012 8:21 AM, PDT | Corona's Coming Attractions | See recent Corona's Coming Attractions news »
Please note: there are some mild spoilers for Chernobyl Diaries in this article.
In preparation for viewing – and doing coverage on – Ridley Scott’s impending Prometheus, I recently splurged and purchased the Alien Anthology box set on Blu-ray. This marked the first time I had seen the original Alien in something like 15 years, and I was taken aback by how, on the one hand, the movie had retained its effectiveness as a filmic experience but how, on the other, it is severely lacking as a narrative endeavor. The entirety of the story is simply watching a group of seven individuals be picked off one by one by a barely-seen creature; the only closure offered is simply seeing the protagonist survive. “A haunted house in space,” Ridley Scott called it – and indeed it is, offering the same degree of storytelling scope (albeit with masterful cinematic finesse, both in its direction and »
- msunyata
Chernobyl Diaries Producer Scrapped Expedition To Deserted Nuclear Town
28 May 2012 6:36 PM, PDT | WENN | See recent WENN news »
Chernobyl Diaries producer Oren Peli pulled the plug on plans for an expedition to the Russian town where the new horror movie is set after consulting with nuclear experts.
After learning that Pripyat has become an underground extreme vacation destination for thrill-seekers keen on getting a close look at the town left deserted after the nearby nuclear reactor disaster, the filmmaker and his crew considered a trip.
But a last-minute chat with a Russian scientist made Peli reconsider.
He tells WENN, "I never knew there was this town next to it that was evacuated overnight. The people didn't even have a chance to take their personal belongings, and now 25 years later the radiation levels have gone down enough that if you know where to go and as part of a guided tour, in theory you can visit for a short period of time.
"If you go on You Tube for Pripyat you can see tons of videos of people who went there and took videos and photo blogs. It may not be for everybody, but a lot of people did go there. If you are going with an official licensed tour guide they would have a Geiger counter to make sure you are not going into an area where the radiation level is high.
"But one thing we were actually told by a nuclear scientist that we consulted with is you could be in an area where the radiation level on the Geiger counter was fine but there could be dust particles on the ground that are contaminated with radiation you can pick up as you're walking.
"If you end up inhaling one of them and it gets enlarged in your lungs, that's bad. Before I talked to this nuclear scientist we were all gung-ho about going but after hearing that we thought, 'Hmm, maybe that's not the best idea!'" »
“Men in Black 3″ Usurps “Avengers’” At Box Office
28 May 2012 2:17 PM, PDT | FamousMonsters of Filmland | See recent Famous Monsters of Filmland news »
Ten years after its last installment, the Men in Black still got it.
Men In Black 3 ended Marvel’S The Avengers reign of the box office, finishing with $70 million dollars in grosses this Memorial Day holiday weekend. Avengers didn’t do too shabby neither, garnering another $46.8 million in its fourth weekend of release, boosting its cumulative totals over $520 million domestically.
According to The Wrap, it’s Will Smith’s third highest opening weekend of his career, after I Am Legend and Hancock, and the highest opening weekend for the Mib franchise. We will see in the coming weeks what kind of legs Mib has, but judging by fan reaction, it could have a solid couple weeks to follow.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the aliens on earth comicbook adaptation, Mib 3 stars Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Emma Thompson, and like the other two, is a Barry Sonnenfeld vehicle. »
- Andy Greene
Box office report: 'Men in Black 3' tops Memorial Day weekend with $70M; 'Moonrise Kingdom' huge in limited release
28 May 2012 10:10 AM, PDT | EW - Inside Movies | See recent EW.com - Inside Movies news »
Will Smith returned to theaters for the first time since 2008′s Seven Pounds with this weekend’s Men in Black 3, which put the A-list celeb back on top of the box office. Sony’s $230 million (some reports suggest a much higher budget) alien-zapping sequel earned an estimated $70 million over the extended Memorial Day weekend.
Men in Black 3 will easily become Smith’s thirteenth film to earn over $100 million at the box office — a truly impressive feat — but its opening weekend actually leaves much to be desired. Over the three-day portion of the weekend, Mib 3 grossed $55 million, which was »
- Grady Smith
Oren Peli talks Chernobyl Diaries
28 May 2012 7:20 AM, PDT | Monsters and Critics | See recent Monsters and Critics news »
In April of 1986 a catastrophic nuclear accident occurred in Chernobyl, in the Ukraine that sent radioactivity across much of the then Ussr and Europe. The attempts to clean up the area nearly bankrupted the Soviet Union, and much of it remains as it was on that day, reduced to radioactive rubble, a constant reminder of the risks of nuclear power. It is considered the second worst nuclear accident in history after last year.s Fukushima Daiichi disaster. What a perfect place to set a horror film! That crossed the fertile mind of writer producer Oren Peli, whose Paranormal Activity films changed the genre, and he immediately got to work on The Chernobyl Diaries. It follows hitchhikers who »
- Anne Brodie
Monday Morning Box Office Report: Men in Black 3 Neuralizes The Avengers
28 May 2012 5:56 AM, PDT | FilmJunk | See recent FilmJunk news »
As expected, Men in Black 3 was finally able to knock The Avengers out of the top spot at the box office, preventing Marvel from dominating four weeks in a row. That being said, it wasn't quite the massive haul that people have come to expect from a Will Smith movie. Mib 3 took in $55 million -- about the same amount that part 2 made ten years ago without 3D ticket prices. The Avengers fell to #2, followed by Battleship and The Dictator. Meanwhile Chernobyl Diaries opened at #5 with just $8 million, which is a pretty uninspired debut even for a low budget horror flick. Oren Peli's name alone could not save this one. The big surprise of the weekend was Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, which had one of the highest per-screen averages ever for a limited release, making over $500,000 on just four screens. Hopefully this means we can look forward to »
- Sean
Box Office: Men in Black Zap Avengers, Chernobyl Diaries Nuked, Battleship Continues to Sink
28 May 2012 12:01 AM, PDT | DreadCentral.com | See recent Dread Central news »
The Avengers' reign of box office tyranny has finally come to an end thanks to the triple threat of Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Josh Brolin.
Radioactive Russian mutants failed to scare up much money while a pair of big budget bombs prepare for their own memorial services this Memorial Day weekend.
The good news for Men in Black 3 is that the threequel sci-fi comedy dethroned The Avengers after four weeks on top of the box office by taking in about $70 million. The bad news? It was expected to open to about $90 million, and reports have the movie's hefty price tag at somewhere in the neighborhood of $375 million after combining its budget, marketing, and distribution costs. Will Smith's first film after a four-year hiatus opened big internationally so the studio probably isn't worried too much about losing Battleship-sized money.
Speaking of the rapidly sinking Battleship, its $10.8 million »
- Foywonder
Men in Black III beats The Avengers, becomes new box office champ
27 May 2012 10:54 AM, PDT | Corona's Coming Attractions | See recent Corona's Coming Attractions news »
With a ten year gap between sequels it was anyone's guess whether audiences would check out Men in Black III, especially considering that Marvel's The Avengers has earned half-a-billion dollars domestically in the past four weeks. Yet that's precisely what people did: Men in Black III is the new number one movie at the box office, dethroning The Avengers in its fourth weekend out.
Mib 3 took in an estimated $55 million dollars. That's a better opening than both previous Men in Black pictures, but not by much (Mib 1 grossed $51m in its opening weekend while Mib 2 netted $52m back in 2002.) If a typical gross can be expected based on these opening weekend figures, I'd guesstimate Mib 3 will end its theatrical run with around $160-$170m.
As mentioned already, Marvel's The Avengers dropped to second place with an addtional $36.9m in ticket sales. That now brings its four-weekend domestic total up to $513.6 million dollars. »
- Patrick Sauriol
Box office update: 'Men In Black 3' tops weekend with $55 million; 'Avengers' passes $500 million
27 May 2012 10:27 AM, PDT | EW - Inside Movies | See recent EW.com - Inside Movies news »
Sony’s $230 million alien-zapping sequel Men In Black 3 topped the box office over the three-day weekend frame with an estimated $55 million.
Although the Will Smith action-comedy didn’t exactly trip out of the gate, Men In Black 3′s start is troubling considering its gigantic budget and supposed built-in audience. Fortunately, as is so often the case these days, international results proved stronger. Sony says the film has taken in $132 million overseas in its initial week of release.
Marvel’s The Avengers held strong in second place with $37 million — a 34 percent drop from last weekend. The superhero ensemble crossed the $500 million mark on Saturday, »
- Grady Smith
Weekend Report (cont.): 'Chernobyl' Craters, 'Kingdom' Rises
27 May 2012 10:20 AM, PDT | Box Office Mojo | See recent BoxOfficeMojo.com news »
<< Continued from "'Mib 3' Beats 'Avengers' with Solid Memorial Weekend DebutChernobyl Diaries debuted in sixth place with $9.4 million four-day haul. As expected, that's a fraction of producer Oren Peli's Paranormal Activity sequels, but the $7.96 million three-day opening is also off from mediocre Summer horror offerings like Orphan ($12.9 million), 28 Weeks Later ($9.8 million) and Apollo 18 ($8.7 million). At least it opened a bit higher than Splice ($7.4 million), though that's really not saying much. Chernobyl Diaries never really clicked from a marketing perspective. Commercials made clear that a group of (not altogether intelligent) young adults were going to be terrorized at Chernobyl, but it was never clear who's doing the terrorizing. Are they mutants? Some kind of supernatural beings? Or maybe just angry Ukranians? It didn't help that the scares presented weren't particularly scary, and it also didn't help that the movie's low-budget look wasn't covered up with the found footage concept »
- Ray Subers <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
Box Office: Chernobyl Diaries Implodes, Exotic Marigold Hotel Expands
26 May 2012 5:14 PM, PDT | Alt Film Guide | See recent Alt Film Guide news »
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: Judi Dench, Celia Imrie At no. 2 on Friday, The Avengers took in $9.68m at 3,918 locations. The Marvel actioner is expected to earn $45m over the four-day weekend. Directed by Joss Whedon, The Avengers stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. Massacred by critics, Chernobyl Diaries opened with about $3.54m (including $525k from Thursday midnight screenings) at 2,433 sites. That’s a weak beginning for the horror flick co-written and produced by Oren Peli, best known for the Paranormal Activity sleeper hit. Chernobyl Diaries is expected to reach only $10m-11m by Monday evening. [See also: Box Office: Will Smith / Tommy Lee Jones' Men In Black 3 Way Behind Men In Black, MIB2.] Directed by former visual-effects artist Bradley Parker (Let Me In, Peter Pan, The Time Machine), Chernobyl Diaries features Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked voice actor Jesse McCartney, Live Free or Die Hard‘s Jonathan Sadowski, Olivia Dudley, Devin Kelley, Nathan Phillips, Dimitri Diatchenko, and Ingrid Bolsø Berdal. »
- Zac Gille
Director Brad Parker Talks Chernobyl Diaries and His Future Bad Robot Project
26 May 2012 2:54 PM, PDT | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »
Chernobyl Diaries marks the directorial debut of visual effects maven Brad Parker. The film eschews its found-footage conceit early yet still maintains that sub-genre’s documentary/cinema verite aesthetic. Chernobyl Diaries is a less-is-more type flick, with a majority of the “creatures” completely enshrouded in darkness and most of the character deaths happening just off frame. In the following interview, director Brad Parker discusses settling on a “looser” camera, the surprising films he emulated for Chernobyl’s ‘look’ (hint: think Woody Allen) and the budgetary & creative principles behind his less-is-more aesthetic. I also try and find out about his Bad Robot project, but he's been trained well. For the full interview, hit the jump. And if you missed my video interview with producer Oren Peli, click here. $sb("co007_49a848465a1360a88c65dd8b39f8b6f0",{"sbFeed":{"partnerId":122,"type":"video","contentId":497141,"cname":"collider »
- Tommy Cook
Theatrical Review: Chernobyl Diaries
26 May 2012 2:08 PM, PDT | GordonandtheWhale | See recent GordonandtheWhale news »
Since his writing and directorial debut with the acclaimed found footage thriller Paranormal Activity, Oren Peli has preferred to serve as a producer, working on films such as Insidious and The Lords Of Salem, as well as the television series The River. His newest film Chernobyl Diaries continues this trend, with Peli creating the story directed by Bradley Parker and written by Shane and Carey Van Dyke, the duo behind some of Asylum’s most noteworthy mockbusters.
Read more on Theatrical Review: Chernobyl Diaries...
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Indie filmmakers claim Chernobyl Diaries pilfered their idea New international poster for Oren Peli’s The Chernobyl Diaries debuts
Other articles that you might like: Indie filmmakers claim Chernobyl Diaries pilfered their idea New international poster for Oren Peli’s The Chernobyl Diaries debuts »
- Brad McHargue
'Mib 3' Takes Top Spot from 'Avengers' on Friday
26 May 2012 10:44 AM, PDT | Box Office Mojo | See recent BoxOfficeMojo.com news »
After dominating the charts for three straight weeks, The Avengers yielded the top spot on Friday to Mib 3. Will Smith's return to the big-screen was well-attended, albeit not quite at the level of the previous Men in Black movies, and looks to be on pace for a Memorial Day weekend north of $70 million. Horror movie Chernobyl Diaries also debuted, though as expected it didn't have much of an impact.Mib 3 opened to an estimated $18 million on Friday, which is about on par with Men in Black II's $18.6 million, and also close to the $18.9 million the first Men in Black earned between its opening day and some evening shows the day before. Of course, those movies opened in 2002 and 1997, and weren't in 3D, so Mib 3's initial attendance pales in comparison. The movie earned a "B+" CinemaScore (which improved to an "A-" for the under-18 crowd), and it could »
- Ray Subers <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
Box office update: 'Men in Black 3' earns $18 million on Friday; 'Avengers' holds strong
26 May 2012 10:18 AM, PDT | EW - Inside Movies | See recent EW.com - Inside Movies news »
After 10 years away from the big screen, the alien-hunting Men In Black (Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and now, Josh Brolin) are back on top of the box office.
Men In Black 3 ended The Avengers’ 21-day reign in first place with an $18 million Friday, which puts the $230 million action-comedy on track for a four-day weekend take of $72 million. Sure, that number sounds strong, but don’t be deceived — the sequel cost an egregious amount of money and should have had a bigger built-in audience than this.
That gross pushed The Avengers into second place, but the superhero ensemble still »
- Grady Smith
Friday Box Office – Men In Black 3 Unseats The Avengers with $18 Million Debut
26 May 2012 8:52 AM, PDT | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »
Four weeks ago, the summer movie season started off with a super-powered bang in the form of Marvel’s The Avengers. Since then? It’s been difficult to prove that any other film was in theatres. That changed on Friday when Sony’s Men in Black 3 became the first post-Avengers release to take first place. From its very wide release in 4,248 locations (including 3D & IMAX), MIB3 took in an estimated $18 million. Despite becoming the first new number one title in 21 days, however, MIB3 is not looking like an automatic blockbuster. After a less-than enthusiastic midnight debut, projections for the film went from $90 million over the four-day Memorial Day frame down to a more modest $74 million. That’s about what the much-maligned Men in Black II made in its first four days (not adjusted for inflation) back in 2002. On a more positive note, Sony is expecting big numbers from MIB3’s international markets. »
- Nicole Pedersen
Box Office: Chernobyl Diaries Bombs
26 May 2012 3:22 AM, PDT | Alt Film Guide | See recent Alt Film Guide news »
Chernobyl Diaries: Devin Kelley, Olivia Dudley, Jesse McCartney Massacred by critics, Chernobyl Diaries opened with about $3m at the North American box office on Friday (including $525k from Thursday midnight screenings) at 2,433 sites. That’s a weak beginning for the horror flick co-written and produced by Oren Peli, best known for the first Paranormal Activity movie. Chernobyl Diaries is expected to reach only $11m by Monday evening. [See also: Will Smith / Tommy Lee Jones' Men In Black 3 Disappoints: Box Office.] Directed by former visual-effects artist Bradley Parker (Let Me In, Peter Pan, The Time Machine), Chernobyl Diaries features Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked voice actor Jesse McCartney, Live Free or Die Hard‘s Jonathan Sadowski, Olivia Dudley, Devin Kelley, Nathan Phillips, Dimitri Diatchenko, and Ingrid Bolsø Berdal. Carey Van Dyke and Shane Van Dyke were Oren Peli’s Chernobyl Diaries co-screenwriters. Chernobyl Diaries has an 18% approval rating among Rotten Tomatoes‘ top critics, and a 4/10 average. Also worth noting is that the horror flick had a “low budget, »
- Zac Gille
2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007
1-20 of 478 items from 2012 « Prev | Next »
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