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More 'Spidey 4' Problems, May Not Open May 2011
27 minutes ago
Uh-oh. Looks like Spider-Man needs a hero to save him. According to Deadline Hollywood, Spider-Man 4 is facing big obstacles and may not open as planned on May 4, 2011. Right now, the problem is the same thing it's been since Sony announced it: The script.
But hey, at least it seems like they care about the script this time, right? Sam Raimi has been through three drafts at this point, two by very reputable screenwriters (Zodiac's James Vanderbilit and Gary Ross), and Nikki Finke cites sources saying the director still "hates" the story he has to work with. She also obtained a memo intended for the visual effects team notifying them that the film wouldn't get underway on time.
Sony doesn't have to release this film in May, doesn't have to release it in the summer, doesn't have to release it in 2011 at all, actually. But there's nothing to take its »
- Colin Boyd
Poll: What Will Be the Biggest Movie of 2010?
3 hours ago
We just went through the biggest year in Hollywood history - $10 billion, the most attendance ever, and other impressive statistics. I think 2011 will break that mark (just look at the summer that's already been lined up), but what about this year, now that it is this year?
I've picked 15 movies for our latest poll that look like pretty substantial hits. Some we don't have to think really hard about (Iron Man 2 and Harry Potter), but can Clash of the Titans pull of a 300-like pre-summer surprise, and can Christopher Nolan's Inception come anywhere near The Dark Knight?
If I had to guess, I'd take Potter or Iron Man, but this is the year for the last Shrek, Toy Story 3-D, and Tron, which will really, really try to capitalize on the momentum created by Avatar. So there's enough competition out ther for a pretty interesting box office race. »
- Colin Boyd
Martin Scorsese Adapting a Children's Book?
6 hours ago
We'll have to see if this actually bears fruit, but a Tweet from The Auters Daily (later reported by The Playlist) heralds Martin Scorsese's next movie as The Invention of Hugo Cabret, an adaptation of Brian Selnick's novel. If it's true - if it's true - Scorsese would bypass that long-awaited Frank Sinatra biopic and, as The Playlist points out, another mob movie with Robert De Niro.
There is reason to believe this is possible, even if we'd never expect Scorsese to work in the children's fiction genre. For starters, John Logan wrote the adaptation, and he handled The Aviator, and Graham King (The Departed) is hooked up to this as a producer. Warner Bros., which released both of those films, would distribute Hugo Cabret, as well.
Scorsese has a history, as do most successful directors, of working with players he's comfortable with, on screen and off. So there might be something to this, »
- Colin Boyd
Wow, Are These 'Percy Jackson' Posters Regrettable
9 hours ago
It isn't so much that the new character posters for Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief are bland and unimaginative - which, for the record, they are - it's that they're actually really, really bad. Look at the wig on Pierce Brosnan (who looks so uncomfortable sporting it) and possibly the worst animation I've seen on a poster from a major studio for Uma Thurman's Medusa hair. Yikes!
You call look at all of the new posters, but unless you know who the hell the characters are, it'll look like a bunch of sad Halloween costumes in front of one those phony backgrounds they use to along with prom themes and corporate parties. Here's a tip, Fox: If you want people to embrace your movie as the next Harry Potter, give them something they can be excited about. »
- Colin Boyd
Sean Penn Back in 'The Three Stooges'
11 hours ago
In the words of some cackling, mustachioed villain from an old melodrama, "Not so fast!" Sean Penn ditched the Farrelly Brothers several months ago, choosing to address things in his personal life (like his divorce from Robin Wright) and feeling the need to take a break rather than go after one of the more curious post-Oscar performances in recent memory. You remember: Sean Penn as Larry Fine from The Three Stooges.
Well now, that's back on. Bobby Farrelly tells The Boston Herald, “We got him back. He always said he wanted to do it after, you know, taking care of his family.” The film will go in front of camera in August, pushing it back from its current (but always tenuous) November 2010 release date.
That will give the Farrellys time to find an actor to play Curly, who, if I were guessing right now, would be Zack Galifianakis. I mean, »
- Colin Boyd
Sam Mendes In Talks To Direct Next 007 Movie
14 hours ago
So, Ok, early this morning we wrote about Bond producer Michael Wilson's assertion that because MGM is in such a state of flux, the next 007 movie isn't progressing at the moment. He even commented that at this stage, the script has usually taken some shape but because of everything going on with the possible sale of the studio or its assets, nothing has really materialized. That was this morning.
Tonight, Sam Mendes could be the new director of Bond 23, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is being fast-tracked, "and could begin as early as June." The report completely contradicts what Wilson said, insisting that the film is moving forward pronto, regardless of what happens at MGM.
Now...on to the Sam Mendes thing. Mendes is the only Oscar-winning director to ever work for MI6, should this go through, and there's a reason he'd be the first. The »
- Colin Boyd
The 'Lost' Supper
17 hours ago
I'm no theologian, but I wonder if there's some hidden significance to the placement of John Locke in the Jesus position on these Lost season six promotional photos riffing on Da Vinci's The Last Supper. Oh, those tricky Bad Robot writers!
Click to see them full-size
Of course, if there is something behind the way the characters are aligned, then I believe that would make Sayid Judas Iscariot. Hmmm. »
- Colin Boyd
Which Films Fill the Void at Best Picture?
19 hours ago
Is there an upshot to having ten Best Picture nominees? Well, the industry thinks it's great because of all the extra promotion, but what about the rest of us who just watch and enjoy the films? I think there is a possible silver lining, and we're about to find out who the beneficiaries are. The ten films that had reservations at the main table won't all be attending, and that means we need to find replacements.
I've seen this topic at InContention and AwardsDaily, the two sites I follow for all the updated awards news, and I thought it was worthwhile enough to bring up here, since we've long been critical of the ten nominees idea and you've been thoughtful in your responses to it. I'll go a little further than those two sites, though, both of which tend to believe we're still looking at 90% of the same movies. The »
- Colin Boyd
The Latest Trailer for 'From Paris With Love'
22 hours ago
A second trailer for From Paris with Love has been slapped together, and it's only slightly different from the first one. They've thrown in a few snippets from the current schedule of TV commercials, too, so if you've seen those, this won't have a lot to offer.
On the flip side, maybe you're asking what From Paris with Love is. Well, it's the movie that proves what a bad idea it is for John Travolta to shave his head. Big, big melon on that Sweathog. Beyond that, it looks like a fairly typical rough-and-tumble cop/by-the-book cop movie set in Europe, like Rush Hour 2 without racial stereotypes at every turn.
So you've got the ol' oil-and-vinegar cop combo, lots of explosions, and what could be a breakthrough for Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who I thought would have had that advantage after Match Point. Oh, and this movie has really cool posters, »
- Colin Boyd
'The Orphanage' Remake Adopts a Director
5 January 2010 5:16 AM, PST
Oh, to be a fanboy confronted with this news. You hate it because it's an English-language remake of a pretty good Spanish film, Juan Antonio Bayona's The Orphanage, but you love it because it has Guillermo del Toro's name attached somewhere. What to do, what to do?
GdT is producing the remake, just as he did the original, so if you're going to blame anyone, it's pretty much got to be him. I'm not saying you should blame anyone, because I think remakes are fine in theory. Some are great, some are awful.
New Line (working this one Warner Bros.) and del Toro, along with ContraFilm, have picked Mark Pellington to direct the remake, and he's got a diverse resume, although he hasn't exactly made a good film just yet. He's made a bunch of good music videos, but Arlington Road, Henry Poole is Here, The Mothman Prophecies. »
- Colin Boyd
The Next Bond Movie Is In a Holding Pattern
5 January 2010 2:35 AM, PST
The brakes have been applied to Bond 23. The Bond site MI6 cites sources saying that it's not the usual delay, and is rooted in the questions surrounding the future of MGM, the studio that really only has 007 and the Tolkien books at its disposal, plus some 80s remakes.
"Well, our timeline's a little up in the air what with the situation at MGM, so we have to be flexible," producer Michael Wilson said. "We just don't know enough about the situation to comment, but we know it's uncertain."
I think we kind of had to expect this, especially since the next 007 mission was on pace for November 2011, anyway. So even with the uncertainty on the studio side, this wasn't going to go into production for several months, anyway. However, Wilson went on to say that the script is still in a state of flux, too. »
- Colin Boyd
'Taken' Director Pierre Morel Now Tackling 'Dune'
4 January 2010 11:42 PM, PST
Dune will now be directed by Pierre Morel, a huge shot in the arm for the French filmmaker, whose Taken was a big hit last year and whose From Paris With Love opens around the same time this year.
The project was originally being steered by Peter Berg of Hancock and The Kingdom, but he bailed to direct Battleship. At the time, that didn't sound too bad, but with what we've heard about Battleship (aliens? Wtf?), I'm not too sure anymore. Of course, as part of the deal, Berg will also get to make Lone Survivor, a drama about the Afghan war, so that probably influenced his decision. »
- Colin Boyd
Downey's Gay Jokes Threatening 'Sherlock 2'?
4 January 2010 8:49 PM, PST
Perhaps you saw this a few weeks ago when Robert Downey, Jr. was on Letterman. He appeared to be joking, but Rdj referenced the age-old rumors that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are gay. As Letterman put it, they're doing more than solving crimes. Downey didn't confirm nor deny, but it still ruffled the wrong feathers.
Andrea Plunket, who holds the copyright to the super sleuth in the Us, says that if Guy Ritchie and company plan to pursue a homosexual storyline for Holmes and Watson, they can forget about releasing a sequel. "It would be drastic, but I would withdraw permission for more films to be made if they feel that is a theme they wish to bring out in the future," Plunket was reported as saying in Total Film.
"I am not hostile to homosexuals, but I am to anyone who is not true to the spirit of the books. »
- Colin Boyd
Certified Fresh: Flixster Buys Rotten Tomatoes
4 January 2010 5:50 PM, PST
I'm not sure it will mean anything in the long run, but Flixster is buying RottenTomatoes.com from IGN Entertainment. No financial details were immediately available.
I haven't touched Flixster, probably because I already use a website to review movies - this one. But I know people who swear by it and, so, whatever. It's kind of a social networking thing, and I see it on my Facebook updates from other people from time to time. »
- Colin Boyd
"Sloth's Song" from Fan-Created 'Goonies' Musical
4 January 2010 3:03 PM, PST
I don't hold out much hope for more Goonies anytime soon. Maybe a remake, since it did come from the 80s, after all, but there has been talk about a sequel for a few years, and I just don't think it'll ever go anywhere. Probably not a bad thing, either.
So instead, some fans of The Goonies have written and produced their own musical, which is not to be confused with the possible Broadway-bound song-and-dance update Richard Donner has been mulling over for a while. This video comes to us from /film, which credits Rob Dean and Keith Doughty with coming up with the idea.
Really, this is the way these things should work, unless there's copyright infringement. Let the fans take these characters on their next adventures, especially for something like The Goonies. »
- Colin Boyd
'The Road' Director's Broken 'Promised Land'
4 January 2010 12:06 PM, PST
John Hillcoat has not had a good 12 months. First, The Road was plucked from the 2008 campaign and moved to 2009. That could have worked out since 2009 is maybe the weaker year of the two at the top of the heap. But since it couldn't compete in November and December, it's possible the film would have been shredded in '08.
Now comes news that Hillcoat won't be directing the adaptation of The Wettest Country in the World, which had been adapted by singer-songwriter-screenwriter Nick Cave as The Promised Land. Hillcoat had assembled a great cast - Labeouf, Gosling, Scarlett, Paul Dano, Amy Adams, and Michael Shannon - but The Playlist grabbed a quote from Hillcoat's production diary from The Road in which the director calls into question what the studios are really after these days. »
- Colin Boyd
'The Thing' Prequel Shooting This Spring
4 January 2010 9:26 AM, PST
It's been a long time since we've heard anything definitive about the prequel to The Thing, which began its life as the 1951 sci-fi flick The Thing from Another World but is best known as the John Carpenter movie with Kurt Russell from the early 1980s. Because of the '51 vintage, The Thing is always in the conversation about the best remakes ever.
Anyway, we knew Ronald D. Moore from Battlestar Galactica was writing the film, but his script was then being rewritten by Eric Heisserer (the upcoming Nightmare on Elm Street redo). Last March, Moore said, "The idea was to make a companion piece to Carpenter's. So we didn't try to sort of completely reinvent what it was. We wanted a movie that would sort of live alongside it." So we'll see if that direction has changed at all in version 2.0. »
- Colin Boyd
Box Office - 2009 Officially Goes for $10.61 Billion
4 January 2010 6:41 AM, PST
We told you last week that 2009 toppled the all-time annual box office record, becoming the first year to eclipse $10 billion. But that was before the last week of the year, one that included incredible returns for Avatar and solid follow-ups for Sherlock Holmes and Alvin and the Chipmunks. So the grand total for the domestic box office was $10.61 billion, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and that's almost a full billion bucks more than 2008.
Avatar, Transformers, Harry Potter, Star Trek, and Up were all huge successes, roughly to their expected goals prior to their release. But 2009 was prodded along by surprise hits, too, like The Hangover, The Blind Side, and Taken, to name just a few. They helped the year slough off some slower-than-expected returns on blockbusters that weren't, like Terminator Salvation and Wolverine.
Admissions were up 4% across the board, and the 8% climb in revenue reflects ever so slightly higher ticket »
- Colin Boyd
Weekend Recap: Out With the Old, In With the New
4 January 2010 4:01 AM, PST
We began a new year and a new decade by looking back at the year and decade that just past, with our take on the best films of the last ten years and the biggest movie star of 2009. We also featured the annual video remembrance of those who passed on in the previous year from TCM, and that's always worth a watch.
But we also focused some attention on this year over the weekend, and not without controversy. In a purely hypothetical arrangement, The Big Picture asked for votes for the worst movies of 2010. Robert Pattinson was mentioned...and it got very ugly and sophomoric. I forgot for a moment that he hung the moon.
On with the headlines:
Our list of the top ten films of the decade
Avatar hits $1 billion in 17 days
The top movie star of 2009? Sandra Bullock
Video: TCM Remembers 2009
Blue alien sex will be included »
- Colin Boyd
Trailer, Clip for High-Flying 'District 13: Ultimatum'
4 January 2010 1:18 AM, PST
I don't expect Shakespeare when I look at the trailer and new clip for District 13: Ultimatum, the sequel to the 2004 District 13. That film was the first pairing of Taken director Pierre Morel and writer-producer Luc Besson, in those roles, anyway. This one is again written by Besson but directed by Patrick Alessandrin.
The action in Ultimatum is the star, and more specifically, we're talking about the parkour. It's more familiarly known as free running, although I think there are some cosmetic differences between them, but I'm certainly no expert. However, you won't mistake parkour for ballroom dancing, and it's front and center here. This stuff is pretty cool to watch. Would hate to be their knees, however.
Oh, and there's probably a story here, too, but I wasn't paying attention to that. »
- Colin Boyd
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