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1-20 of 163 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
Best of the Decade #12: District 9 (2009)
14 December 2009 8:57 AM, PST
| FilmJunk
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You have to think twice when including 2009 films on a Best of Decade list, simply because not enough time has passed to evaluate whether these movies will truly be representative of the decade or if they will end up being forgotten in a few more years. In the case of District 9, however, I feel confident that this has already become a classic in its own right, and one that has left a sizable impact on the movie-making world.
Peter Jackson started off the decade heading up what is easily one of the biggest (and also most successful) undertakings in history of cinema with The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He has since transitioned to the role of mentor as well, using his status and resources to give new talent a shot at breaking into the industry. He handpicked Neill Blomkamp, previously known for his TV commercial work, to direct a Halo feature film.
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- Sean
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The Ten Best Films of 2009
10 December 2009 11:47 AM, PST
| Vanity Fair
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It’s common around mid-December for film critics to list their 10 favorite films of the year, as if in protest against both the plebeian tastes of the multiplex-going masses and the arbitrary, political judgments of the Academy—and perhaps also against their own obsolescence. We thought we’d add Little Gold Men’s voice to the mix. Here are our picks, in alphabetical order. District 9 South African director Neill Blomkamp’s first feature, about the xenophobic hysteria over a ghettoized community of extra-terrestrial refugees in Johannesburg, combines guerrilla filmmaking techniques with state-of-the-art special effects to spin a powerful and original analogy for apartheid and a condemnation of intolerance that’s too entertaining to be preachy. Blomkamp was originally tapped, by Peter Jackson no less, to direct the film adaptation of the shoot-em-up video game Halo; when that project fell through, Blomkammp simply transferred all the cool weapons to District 9,
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Week in geek: District 99p: Why science-fiction may triumph in the recession | Ben Child
3 December 2009 8:10 AM, PST
| The Guardian - Film News
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Budgets are getting tighter, but sci-fi directors seem to be getting more creative. Is this one genre that might just boom in the crunch?
In these times of straitened budgets, film-makers are increasingly having to look outside the usual avenues to find the cash they need to fund their pet projects. Sir Ben Kingsley himself was in India earlier this week touting his planned historical epic Taj around to anyone who might have a spare rupee. Industry experts report that many studios have ground to a halt when it comes to actively seeking out new talent, with their focus now more on cutting costs on already greenlit projects.
Having said all that, it's pretty hard to ignore someone like Federico Alvarez, who has just been picked up by Sam Raimi's production company Ghost House, for a $1m deal. The Uruguayan film-maker's short film, Panic Attack!, which you can view above,
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- Ben Child
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Brad Pitt to land in Dark Void
25 November 2009 4:03 AM, PST
| The Guardian - Film News
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Brad Pitt could be set to battle aliens in an adaptation of the computer game, Dark Void, according to reports
Brad Pitt may star as a pilot who crashes in the Bermuda Triangle and ends up battling aliens in a parallel universe, in the video game adaptation Dark Void, according to reports. The actor's Plan B production company is developing the project as a potential starring role for him, based on a game that's set to debut in January.
Pitt would play the character of Will, who after being transported to another dimension finds himself joining a band of humans fighting an extraterrestrial threat long thought to be extinct. He and his fellow defendants are outnumbered, but have a number of weapons and powers to help them beat back the alien invasion.
Computer game adaptations have a chequered history in Hollywood. Big-screen versions of the similarly themed Doom, as well as Hitman,
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- Ben Child
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'Twilight' Producer Offers Updates On 'Gears Of War' And 'Dead Space' Adaptations
19 November 2009 8:00 AM, PST
| MTV Movies Blog
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It's common knowledge that video games have had a rough go of things in Hollywood. It's still a young entertainment medium -- comparing them chronologically to film, games have really only reached their "talkie" phase -- but a story is a story, and games really just haven't been adapted very well. That hasn't stopped filmmakers from trying to crack the code though.
There was some promise in "Halo," which Peter Jackson was going to produce and "District 9" helmer Neill Blomkamp was going to direct. Until it fizzled out, that is. The next great hope on the horizon is "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," which hits theaters next May. Both of these games have rich, well-developed stories. "Twilight" producer Wyck Godfrey, who has his hands on adaptations of "Gears of War" and "Dead Space," argues that the big problem with game adaptations thus far is related mostly to the source narratives.
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- Adam Rosenberg
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47 Ronin Finds Director
18 November 2009 3:57 AM, PST
| Screenrush
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Commercial director Carl Erik Rinsch is in advanced talks with Universal to direct 47 Ronin, a samurai saga starring Keanu Reeves set in pre-industrial Japan. Variety stated that the film is a "priority...large budget" project for Universal. It's an unusual move for them considering that they are entrusting the film to a first time feature director who's commercials tend to be on the technically intricate, technology themed side.
Wanted screenwriter Chris Morgan is scripting the project. He elucidated in blockbuster terminology saying "it's a great, Gladiator-esque, 300-like big action movie with samurai and ninja."
Morgan elaborated with MTV saying "It's a time in Japanese culture when it was all about [the] bushido [code] and honor, and putting internal things over external things . swords that were made to be functional instead of ornamental, that kind of stuff," Morgan had previously told MTV. "this turning point in the culture when that started to shift.
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‘Halo Legends’ Animated Feature Coming in 2010
6 November 2009 1:37 PM, PST
| ScreenRant.com
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The Halo franchise is going the Animatrix route by releasing a series of anime short films in a collected anthology entitled Halo Legends. The collection will feature seven stories told across eight episodes, all serving to expand the mythology of the Halo universe, much in the same way that the recently-released Halo 3: Odst sought to do.
For those of you still waiting on your live-action Halo movie, it seems as though you’ll have to make due with Legends for now, so, if “universe expansion films” like The Animatrix or Batman: Gotham Knight haven’t turned you off completely to this sort of thing, check out these highlights from the Halo Legends official press release:
Go deeper into the Halo universe than
ever before with Halo Legends, an all-new, CG and traditional anime
PG-13 experience that presents enthralling new stories from one of the
world’s most popular video game franchises.
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- Kofi Outlaw
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'District 9' Filmmaker Neill Blomkamp's Next Film Isn't A Sequel, Sticking With Original Science Fiction
23 October 2009 9:00 AM, PDT
| MTV Movies Blog
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After the shocking success of "District 9," it's a wonder that director Neill Blomkamp hasn't been re-approached to come back to "Halo," the video game adaptation that he and producer Peter Jackson were attached to long before the South Africa-set science fiction film.
But Blomkamp did something in "District 9" that isn't accomplished nearly enough these days — he created an entirely original property, and that's what he's looking to do again with his next feature film.
According to Variety, the filmmaker is teaming up with Media Rights Capital for a brand new science fiction project. While currently untitled, it appears that the movie will not be a sequel to "District 9."
Further, Blomkamp's partnership with Mrc means that the director will have total creative freedom over his project, ensuring that the unique directorial vision brought to "District 9" will remain in place for this next film.
"Mrc is letting me
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- Josh Wigler
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District 9 director finds funds for next sci-fi film
23 October 2009 8:15 AM, PDT
| Corona's Coming Attractions
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When director Neill Blomkamp was chosen to helm a $150 million dollar feature film adaptation of Microsoft's best-selling Halo game franchise, Paramount and Universal had cold feet over the thought of an unproven director being responsible with that much money. But as the old saying goes, there's nothing like finding success to show those that didn't believe in you what a mistake it was to not partner with you. Blomkamp did that when his modestly priced District 9 science fiction film came out this past summer and earned more than $100 million dollars domestically at the box office.
Media Rights Capital has now stepped up and committed funding for Blomkamp's next film, an untitled science fiction movie the details of which haven't been revealed. He will write the script and direct the movie, and had this little bit to say about it: "Hopefully, this will be a bit unique, very much a reflection of me.
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- Patrick Sauriol
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District 9 Director's Next Film is a Sci-Fi Project
23 October 2009 6:13 AM, PDT
| movies.about.com
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Although District 9 fans may have been hoping writer/director Neill Blomkamp's next film was going to be the sequel to District 9, Media Rights Capital (Mrc) indicates otherwise, announcing they've signed as partners with Blomkamp on a still untitled sci-fi film. The as-yet-unnamed sci-fi project will be Blomkamp's next film, with production expected to begin in mid-2010 according to Mrc.
Blomkamp's rookie feature film was the sleeper hit of the summer, earning $37 million its opening weekend (more than its budget) and garnering rave reviews. District 9 came about after Blomkamp and Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson's Halo project fell through. Still wanting to work together, Blomkamp and Jackson teamed up on Blomkamp's original idea about aliens stranded on Earth and corralled into camps. The film sets up a sequel, and Blomkamp and District 9 star Sharlto Copley (who nabbed a lead in A-Team after the success of District 9
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'Warcraft' Becomes 'Warcraft: The Rise Of The Lich King,' Gets A Story
6 October 2009 8:00 AM, PDT
| MTV Movies Blog
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After the Peter Jackson-produced adaptation of "Halo" fell through, things started looking bleak for the near-future of video game-to-movie adaptations. We're talking about a sub-genre -- the video game adaptation -- that's had a stunning run of mediocrity in its short history, from early efforts like "Super Mario Bros." and "Street Fighter" to the more recent string of abominations from filmmaker Uwe Boll. There are a few high points, like "Silent Hill," but nothing that's been an unquestioned win.
Enter Sam Raimi, the next great hope for movie-loving gamers. It was revealed in July that the "Spider-Man" will next (or at least soon) be turning to the massively multiplayer world of Azeroth for an adaptation of Blizzard's obscenely popular online role-playing game, "World of Warcraft." Until now, the movie's been going by the title "Warcraft" and no story details have been released. Well things have changed, and I think
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- Adam Rosenberg
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Josh Olson On 'Oz,' 'The Twisted Land Of Oz' And Todd McFarlane
1 October 2009 10:00 AM, PDT
| MTV Movies Blog
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Earlier this week, we ran an excerpt from MTV Splash Page editor Rick Marshall's interview with Todd McFarlane. In the article, the McFarlane discusses what some of the plans are for adapting his "Twisted Land of Oz" toy line into a feature film. He also mentions a writer, "A History of Violence" scribe Josh Olson, who turned in a script that McFarlane wasn't satisfied with. Well there's more to the story, and Olson has kindly taken some time out to share his side of the story.
My name is Josh Olson, and I am the screenwriter who wrote the script for the Warner Brothers "Oz" project. I read MTV's interview with Todd McFarlane yesterday, and just wanted to clear up some confusing misunderstandings.
I was never hired to write anything based on "The Twisted Land of Oz."
The project I pitched to Warner Brothers was based entirely on my own ideas,
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- MTV Movies Team
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Video: Nathan Fillion Has Seen 'Halo: Reach,' Wants In
24 September 2009 8:00 AM, PDT
| MTV Multiplayer
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(Not viewable by users logging in from Canada or the U.K.)
In speaking with Nathan Fillion (who happens to be a giant nerd, by the way) about his starring role in "Halo 3: Odst," the topic of "Halo: Reach" came up. Guess what? He's seen it. The details are sadly non-existent, but he has gotten an early look at the game when he was in Bungie's offices, which he talks about above.
Regarding his involvement in the title, nothing to announce just yet. But Fillion is quick to impress upon us and Bungie that if they want him, he's absolutely in for another round. It's actually pretty likely that his character will be back in "Reach," given that Buck (as well as Tricia Helfer's character, Dare) both make mention of being on the doomed planet before its destruction at the hands of the Covenant.
Also worth noting that
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- Russ Frushtick
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5 Possible 'Halo' Sequels After 'Halo: Reach'
23 September 2009 11:00 AM, PDT
| MTV Multiplayer
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Given that it has, alongside “Grand Theft Auto”, literally defined the popular gaming landscape of the past decade, “Halo” has some weird identity issues. Rockstar North has never had any questions about what “GTA” is, but Microsoft and Bungie seem to go back and forth on whether “Halo” is a deeply story-driven epic or just a perfectly balanced shooter with memorable aesthetics.
It’s bizarre really, how the three main games in the series emphasize story one second (Cortana’s portentous monologue at the opening of “Halo 3”) and then act like it couldn’t be less important (the infamous non-ending of "Halo 2"). Then there’s the fact that there is more “Halo” story out there than there is “Halo” game. There’s an anime coming out, Neil Blomkampp and Peter Jackson’s short films, Brian Bendis’ comic series “Halo: Uprising”, and six separate “Halo” novels.
With the fresh launch
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- John Constantine
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'Halo 3: Odst' trailer: The ass-kickingest thing you'll see all day
17 September 2009 7:44 AM, PDT
| EW.com - PopWatch
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Can someone remind me why there isn't already a Halo movie? (Oh, right, because Hollywood is stupid.)
It's like one of those Marine Corps ads you see in theaters -- all somber and determined, yet hopeful and triumphant -- but with aliens and spaceships and sweet, sweet helmets. (And I dug how no one speaks a recognizable language -- better to swallow international audiences with.) I don't know if the game is gonna be any good, but some advertising exec just earned his check.
Man, I could watch that all day. And probably will. Sorry, boss...productivity's gonna dip a bit.
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- Marc Bernardin
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Uncut Live Action ‘Halo 3: Odst’ Trailer
10 September 2009 11:30 AM, PDT
| The Flickcast
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For those of us who are a fan of the franchise, we all know the headache that comes with waiting for a live action Halo movie. From Peter Jackson to Steven Spielberg, the film has gone through so many rumors and incarnations, there’s no way of knowing if we’ll ever get to see the Spartans fragging aliens on the big screen. With that in mind, we have to take pleasures in the smaller things.
In promoting Microsoft’s Halo 3: Odst, out later this month, they produced a TV spot in which we see the life, and death, of an Odst Spartan. The team just released the uncut version, which is about a minute longer. It has a very strong Battlestar Galactica vibe, which works, because BSG can very easily meld with the Halo universe.
The video shows everything we’d expect to see from a Halo film trailer: the Spartan masks,
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- Matt Raub
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Halo Odst trailer
10 September 2009 4:17 AM, PDT
| JoBlo.com
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Update - Now updated with the extended trailer!
Normally, I wouldn’t be posting up a video game trailer here, as we are first and foremost a movie site. However, once you watch this new spot for "Halo Odst: from IGN, you’ll see why it’s worth a look.
The thing is shot entirely in live action, and in only a minute and thirty seconds, will have you crying out for a Halo movie. The project has fallen in and out of existence for a long while now, first
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- Paul Tassi
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Live-action Halo?
10 September 2009 1:54 AM, PDT
| JoBlo.com
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So we all know by now that the Halo movie never happened and how it sort of gestated into what became District 9. So really it's a happy ending because Halo had a ton of issues and District 9 wound up being kinda genius. But to promote the upcoming "Halo 3: Odst," Microsoft created a new trailer that features the world in live-action. It's obviously not up to the scope of something that Peter Jackson and Neil Blomkamp would've created but it's still pretty freaking cool.
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- Mike Sampson
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Awesome New Halo Video Brings Excitement For Movie
6 September 2009 10:29 PM, PDT
| ScreenRant.com
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The last we heard on the Halo feature film project was from a few weeks back when rumors popped up online that Steven Spielberg would be involved with the adaptation of the record-breaking successful Microsoft/Bungee video game franchise, Halo.
At the time, it was reported that Spielberg may produce the film but Microsoft came out and clarified that the film was still on hold in order for them to focus on their upcoming installments for the Halo video game franchise: Halo 3: Odst and Halo: Reach.
With Odst coming out in the coming weeks, that means more marketing and more awesome videos for the franchise. On that note, we have an awesome new one to show you as well a look-back on the 7-minute short made by District 9 director, Neill Blomkamp, for Halo 3.
For those not familiar with the next installment into the Halo franchise, Halo 3: Odst
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- Rob Keyes
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Worth Watching: Awesome Live-Action Halo 3: Odst Trailer
6 September 2009 9:00 AM, PDT
| firstshowing.net
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Instead of featuring a normal trailer for a movie today, I thought I'd feature this amazingly badass trailer that Bungie / Microsoft made for Halo 3: Odst, the latest Halo game out in a few weeks (Amazon). This is exactly why I would love to see a full-on live-action Halo movie. They really should just hire the guy who made this and give him $200 million, a good script, and let him at it. I would love to see 2 hours of the kind of action seen in this. And although I know this is less than two-minutes, it's stories like this that could be the basis for a great screenplay set in the Halo universe. Anyway, if you haven't seen this yet, check it out!
Original video file comes from IGN, but embedded above thanks to MySpace. This trailer was directed by Rupert Sanders, an up-and-coming filmmaker who also directed
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- Alex Billington
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