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Worthington Witnesses 'Last Days of American Crime'
4 hours ago
Missing out on Mad Max 4 and being replaced in The Tourist by Johnny Depp, Sam Worthington is going back to where his bread is buttered, signing up for the sci-fi thriller The Last Days of American Crime. It comes on the heels of high profile roles in Terminator Salvation and Avatar, both squarely in the science fiction realm, as well as next year's Clash of the Titans.
"Set in the not-too-distant future," writes The Hollywood Reporter, Rick Remender's comic book The Last Days of American Crime "involves the U.S. government's plans to secretly broadcast a signal that makes it impossible for anyone to knowingly commit unlawful acts." »
- Colin Boyd
Warner, Fox Set Sights on Buying MGM
6 hours ago
The usual suspects are emerging in the efforts to acquire MGM, which is all but buried under $3.7 billion in debt. How much movie money is that? Well, let's assume MGM released Transformers, Harry Potter, and Ice Age 3, the year's top three movies in total ticket sales. The studio would still need $700 million just to keep the lights on, even if those movies were 100% profit.
Variety says that more solvent studios, like the vertically integrated Time- Warner and News Corp. (Fox) are seriously appraising MGM, but have not yet carefully investigated the studio's finances, which should be quite a mess. Sony may also be interested is taking over MGM, but appears to be waiting to see what the offers are. Another player in all of this is Qualia Capital LLC, a media and entertainment investment company. »
- Colin Boyd
Three New Clips from 'Up in the Air'
9 hours ago
The Oscar race doesn't begin and end with Up in the Air, certainly, but it's one of a handful of movies expected to be represented throughout the evening on March 7th. It has a Best Actor possibility in George Clooney (which would be his fifth nomination in four years), a Supporting Actress push for Anna Kendrick, plus awards for Adapted Screenplay, Director, and Best Picture.
If it doesn't "feel" like an Oscar movie to you, that's because it doesn't fit the usual mold; it's not an epic, it's not a sweeping romance, it doesn't look like it has grandiose messages for society. But that never stopped Billy Wilder, who has more Oscar nominations than any other writer or director in history, and most of his movies wouldn't be described as modern Oscar bait.
Because it's not a movie that immediately dazzles you with anything, these three clips might not change any attitudes on their own, »
- Colin Boyd
Megan Fox Not Getting Killed Off in 'Transformers 3'
11 hours ago
After spending the past few months counting his money, Michael Bay now says that no matter what Megan Fox says, she's going to be a major factor in Transformers 3: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. There was talk, understandably, that the lovely Ms. Fox would be killed off after a brief amount of time on screen in the threequel. After all, she was barely involved in part two and all she did this summer was bitch, bitch, bitch.
But Bayhem says that's all water under the bridge, telling USA Today, ""I love her. It's just, she's young. Everyone's got to give her a break, she only 23? It's just hard. I've traveled around the world with her and she's just like this world symbol now."
That is a slightly different tune than the one Bay sang after Transformers 2 was released, saying, in not so many words, that Fox should thank »
- Colin Boyd
'Avatar' Running Time: 150 Minutes
15 hours ago
I am of the opinion that, more often than not, people don't want to see movies that are over two hours long. Most films aren't, and that's why: Audiences are used to sitting in theaters for 90 minutes or 100 minutes, a little over two hours with trailers, and that's what they're comfortable with. Some movies have to be longer because of their stories, but do we need a Pirates of the Caribbean that's as long as The Godfather? No, we don't.
James Cameron's last film was one of those that could make the case that it needed to be three hours long; however, if you watch it now, you know the first 90 minutes is incredibly hard to warm up to. So with Avatar receiving special dispensation all around - the budget, the production window, complete autonomy from the director - you had to think Cameron might flirt with 180 minutes or 200 minutes again. »
- Colin Boyd
Box Office: 'New Moon' Earns Record $72.7 Million
16 hours ago
We said that New Moon would hit $100 million this weekend. Scratch that. After breaking the midnight box office record and the one-day record set last year by The Dark Knight, it's time to amend that figure a little bit. Yes, the old opening day champeen was $67 million, and while that's an enormous number, I think the real trick is beating Dark Knight's $158 million three-day haul, and I'm still of the opinion New Moon will quake a little now that the fanatics have been satiated.
There is, however, simply no arguing with $73 million in one day, even if it does drop back to $35 milion or so today and roughly $20 million tomorrow. New Moon was a full 10% higher than The Dark Knight's opening day (the official estimate is $72.7 million), and perhaps more importantly, the film grossed more in one day than Twilight did in its entire first weekend.
The revised estimate »
- Colin Boyd
'Underworld 4' Hires 'Shield' Writer, No Word on Kate
20 hours ago
In January 2011, the Underworld franchise will try once again to make a good movie, which has proven difficult since the first one, which got plenty of mileage out of Kate Beckinsale in a bodysuit. Even as loud as the third movie was, it still put me to sleep. Literally. And whenever that happens, which isn't often, it's always the movie's fault.
I might not have been the only one, as it turns out, because Underworld 3: No, That's Not Kate Beckinsale was not the success the first two movies were. Still, with vampires back in vogue - particularly when combined with werewolves - Screen Gems really has nothing to lose by dipping in the well once again. To that end, John Hlavin (The Shield) has been brought in to right part four, with or without Beckinsale, who The Hollywood Reporter reveals has not signed anything to return.
Even still, Hlavin »
- Colin Boyd
Snubbed 'Tyson' Director Claims Oscar Extortion
23 hours ago
Earlier this week, the Oscar shortlist for documentaries was unveiled. It's the fifteen films that can wind up making it to the final round of five. There were omissions: This Is It doesn't qualify because it was released too late. The other music doc, Anvil was excused for no reason that anyone can figure. Capitalism, contrary to our best guess at the time, did file an extension to get past the August 31st deadline but still wasn't nominated, and then there was Tyson.
One theory was that Mike Tyson's recent punch-out in Los Angeles hurt its chances, but I don't buy that. Too close to the announcement of the semi-finalists to have that kind of impact. The other theory, propagated by no less than the movie's director, James Toback, is that the Academy is guilty of chicanery. You don't hear that everyday.
Toback tells The New York Times that »
- Colin Boyd
New 'Nine' Poster From South Korea
20 November 2009 11:47 PM, PST
Now that I think about it, I don't believe I've seen another poster for Nine before this. As it happens, it's not the first poster; there's a Japanese version. And strangely, the second one we get is from South Korea. What gives? The film opens here first.
Anyway, I'm a bit surprised that the posters aren't anywhere near as well-photographed as every inch of every trailer we've seen. So that's a tad disappointing. Otherwise, it's a nice enough design. Tough to make a case for all eight stars being featured, though; it just makes it too busy.
Poster courtesy of Imp Awards
Nine opens December 18th, and by then we'll have a handle on whether it's really a contender or just another pretender. »
- Colin Boyd
Schlocksters The Asylum Cash In on 'Paranormal'
20 November 2009 9:32 PM, PST
I think we kind of knew this would happen, but The Asylum, makers of fine products like Transmorphers and The Day the Earth Stopped, has aimed its direct-to-dvd business model at Paranormal Activity. Worst Previews writes that Paranormal Entity will be in stores on December 29th. That's right: Paranormal (Insert Word that ends in "ty").
Now, in most cases, The Asylum, the company that brought us the mockbusters Snakes on a Train and The Da Vinci Treasure, releases its films days before the mainstream release that it's ripping off. It usually shows up in video stores the prior Tuesday.
So because Paranormal Activity has basically run its course in theaters, you might be wondering what the rush is to get Paranormal Entity on DVD before the end of the year. Simple: It's coming out in stores the same day as Activity. »
- Colin Boyd
Idris Elba Guards the Bifröst Bridge in 'Thor'
20 November 2009 7:02 PM, PST
Kenneth Branagh keeps gobbling up talent for Thor. The last time we talked about the Marvel movie, arguably the trickiest of any Marvel flick so far because a fair portion of it plays in another plane and the leads are relative unknowns, we remarked that Branagh was actually putting together one of the better casts any of the brand's superhero movies has seen. And it just improved yet again.
Idris Elba (Rocknrolla, Obsessed, The Wire) has been added to the ensemble, portraying Heimdall, the guardian of Asgard who protects the Bifröst Bridge. That comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter. It might seem strange that Elba is playing a Norse God, but not to me; I'm the guy who thought Will Smith would make a better Captain America than any other choices being bandied about and campaigned for 2012's Chiwetel Ejiofor to play Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes. »
- Colin Boyd
Full-Length Trailer for 'Season of the Witch'
20 November 2009 4:21 PM, PST
Season of the Witch looks like it could be a pretty effective Dark Ages action movie...were it not for Nic Cage. There are things Cage can do really, really well, and in fact, he's getting his best notices in years thanks to Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, which opens today in some cities.
However, he looks suspiciously out of place here, along with Ron Perlman, as the only Americans in 14th century Europe, who are providing a kind of police escort to a witch believed to be responsible for the Black Plague. Witch though she may be, history will prove that she has nothing to do with the plague. Thanks, science.
But as I said, it looks like it has a lot of pieces in place, and the witch - Claire Foy - might be one of those surprising little breakout performances. But Perlman and Cage should »
- Colin Boyd
Dustin Hoffman Out of 'Little Fockers'?
20 November 2009 1:16 PM, PST
If conditions hold, it looks as though Dustin Hoffman is out of Little Fockers. Entertainment Weekly says Hoffman wants a more sizable role in the threequel, in addition to squabbles about the shooting schedule.
Although Hoffman was not going to carry much of the action - he was only planned for an extended cameo - it does crack the shell of this movie just a little bit. Le Babs will still play Ben Stiller's mother, according to the report, which neither Hoffman's reps nor Universal would confirm nor deny. »
- Colin Boyd
Box Office: 'New Moon' Breaks $20 Million at Midnight
20 November 2009 10:48 AM, PST
We knew New Moon would be headed for a great big weekend, but this big? Even that's a little surprsing. Deadline Hollywood cites sources from other studios saying that the Twilight sequel has debuted in the mid-$20 million range for midnight showings, slightly better than Harry Potter, and substantially more than The Dark Knight last summer.
Dark Knight set a towering 12:01 mark at $18.4 million, which lasted a year. Half-Blood Prince raised the bar to $22.2 million, and the estimates for New Moon are about a million bucks ahead of that. "It could break every existing record for Friday," one executive claimed. "But Saturday will be a different story."
And indeed, it probably will be. Twilight slumped 40% in just its second day, and dipped another 40% on Sunday, meaning its day three tally was only about one-third of the Friday high. Our own estimate for New Moon takes on a similar model, »
- Colin Boyd
Video - Inside the 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' Puppet Shop
20 November 2009 8:52 AM, PST
I can't even begin to fathom how exacting the work is to make a film like The Fantastic Mr. Fox. A feature-length production that is literally shot frame-by-frame instead of scene-by-scene is grueling enough to consider, but then there's the mechanical setup required for every frame, which as you probably know, only constitutes 1/24th of a second. Now extend that amount of work over 87 minutes...that's over 125,000 frames, and each one (not counting credits, obviously) has to be completely engineered from the ground up.
There's a new featurette for Mr. Fox that goes inside the puppet shop with Wes Anderson, so you can see a little bit about the sort of determination and dedication required to make a film like this, to say nothing about making a film like this good or entertaining.
I do wish it were a bit longer - I know, I know: That would be even »
- Colin Boyd
'Jackass' Returns...In 3-D
20 November 2009 7:06 AM, PST
Well, all I can say is I hope there's still enough story left to tell: Cinematical reveals that Paramount is pushing a Jackass 3-D into theaters next year. Clearly falling into the "better you than me" category, watching the Jackass stunt players risk life and limb in the most ridiculous, grotesque fashion imaginable has been downright huge business for the studio, which of course, always had an inside track thanks to the show's MTV roots.
The two films have combined for over $150 million and cost about one-tenth of that amount, and I apologize for calling them "films." A term like "geek shows" seems more appropriate, and I'm sure Johnny Knoxville and company would find that rather flattering. And after four long years, they'll be back with more things you can't bear to watch. »
- Colin Boyd
Week in Review: 'New Moon,' Oscars, 'Batman 3'
20 November 2009 4:34 AM, PST
Hey, whaddya know: It's New Moon weekend, and it's bound to be a big one. In fact, we break down the potential box office for the film and its remarkable pre-sale numbers below, as part of our weekly bite-size news bundle. But put it this way: It's pretty much going to be the dominant movie headline of the weekend. The kinds love their vampires.
However, that's the future, and unlike Mark McGwire, we're here to talk about the past. So let's reflect on the week that was, which including another crushing defeat for Will Ferrell, a pretty solid list of the decade's best films, notable exclusions in the Oscars documentary pool, and another smokin' trailer for Nine.
New Moon Money #1: Pre-sale record shattered
New Moon Money #2: Anybody got change for $100 million?
The decade's top film accoring to Paste
Kate Hudson sings, dances in hot new Nine trailer
We »
- Colin Boyd
Movie Review - 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon'
20 November 2009 2:11 AM, PST
Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner
Directed by Chris Weitz
Rated PG-13
Like last year's toy left out in the yard to endure the elements, The Twilight Saga has lost its novelty with the second entry, New Moon. Fans of the series probably won't be disappointed, but that's what fans are for. If you're only mildly curious or in any way objective, it's hard to call this movie a success.
On a certain level (and only one), it's slightly better than Twilight, but that film had a greater sense of arrival and better storytelling. New Moon is at odds with itself, alternately taking itself way too seriously and interjecting uncomfortable humor where it's not necessary.
The best thing about New Moon is probably its moody cinematography. It shares that, generally speaking, with its predecessor, but Chris Weitz is a more assured visual director than Catherine Hardwicke, »
- Colin Boyd
Movie Review - 'The Messenger'
19 November 2009 11:02 PM, PST
Starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, and Samantha Morton
Directed by Oren Moverman
Rated R
The best parts of the Mel Gibson Vietnam film We Were Soldiers did not take place on the battlefield. Instead, they were the quiet moments when the bad news was delivered to loved ones that a soldier was killed in action. And it's an interesting perspective to see if you've never really thought about it, particularly in that environment, where it is balanced with the a different kind of savagery altogether.
Or so I thought at the time. And now I've seen The Messenger.
Centered on the unenviable task at hand and the relationships these soldiers forge with each other and - in a turn of events that is strictly against protocol - the next of kin (stripped of its emotional impact by the military abbreviation Nok), The Messenger is a poignant film without »
- Colin Boyd
Cool 'For Your Consideration' Ads and Posters
19 November 2009 9:50 PM, PST
Kudos to Awards Daily for putting together a nice gallery of posters specifically tailored to the awards season. It's beginning to look a lot like Oscar, of course, and the studios spend, spend, and spend to get the attention of Academy voters and press members alike.
We won't steal their thunder, so please check out Awards Daily to see the gallery, which is sure to expand in the coming weeks. But here's a sample: "Please vote for us" posters for Up, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and the Coen Brothers' A Serious Man. Click on any poster to see the full image.
»
- Colin Boyd
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