Posted Dec 4th 2009 9:03AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Deals, Newsstand
Only a few months after we learned the
Steven Spielberg was prepping a remake of the classic film
Harvey, the famed director is backing out, according to
Variety. The piece is strangely vague, and says only that after spending half a year developing the feature, and after 20th Century Fox reserved soundstages for the production, the director announced his withdrawal from the project.
From there, they go on to mention the challenges of finding a star. There's no mention of
Robert Downey Jr.,
who was rumored to be circling the project, and just says: "Spielberg's first choice was
Tom Hanks, but the actor wanted no part of taking over a role played by the iconic star [James Stewart]." First, good. While I like Hanks' work, thinking of him as Elwood P. Dowd breeds flashbacks of Forrest Gump. Second, I might be in the minority, but I liked the idea of a remake, so this is a disappointment. Perhaps this is because I saw it on stage as well, and to me, Dowd is as much Stewart as it is Edward Herrmann. Perhaps it's just because Robert Downey Jr. would be perfect for the role.
Who knows? Maybe it will go on. With Spielberg out, is there anyone else who should take the helm? Me, I'm thinking Wes Anderson for a modern whimsical spin.
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 8:02PM by Jenni Miller
Filed under: Deals, Newsstand
According to
The Hollywood Reporter, Baby Boom and
Alfie (2004) director Charles Shyer has signed on to direct a chick flick. Shyer will be behind the lens for the tale of two best friends (BFF, for the acronym-challenged, means best friends forever in girlspeak) who have reunited as adults, only to find one is a country mouse and one is a well-heeled city gal. The script was originally written by Vanessa Parise and Robin Dunne and is now being rewritten by Ellen Greenberg and Hallie Shyer, who is currently co-writing the screenplay for
Eloise in Paris along with Charles Shyer, who will also direct. It's hard not to wonder why Greenberg and Shyer are rewriting an original script -- too many cooks in the kitchen, etc. -- but let's give them the benefit of the doubt.
As we all know, reuniting with old friends usually brings a host of problems with it -- especially old rivalries. Will
BFF follow the typical formula of jealousy and catfights like the shrill
Bride Wars, or will we get something fun like
Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, a guilty pleasure film wherein the BFFs don't reunite but go back to their high school reunion and show those folks what's up?
On a related tip, one totally underseen, direct-to-DVD chick buddy flick is
Spring Breakdown, starring Amy Poehler, Parker Posey, and Rachel Dratch. Have you rented it? What's your favorite girly buddy movie?
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 4:32PM by John Gholson
Filed under: Documentary, Deals, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Actor/director
Warren Beatty's long legal battle with Tribune Company over the rights to the character Dick Tracy revealed an interesting kernel of information on what might be Beatty's next film project -- a documentary on the comic strip detective. Tribune Co. tried to claim the Dick Tracy rights as an asset in a recent bankruptcy hearing, but Beatty holds the rights to the character as long as he makes "productive use" of the property. It's a sweet deal for Beatty and an absolute nightmare for Tribune Co., as the wording of the agreement doesn't seem to put any time table on when the agreement expires.
This isn't the first time Tribune has tried to wrest control of their character from Beatty. in 2005, Beatty announced that he was interested in pursuing a
Dick Tracy sequel/reboot/remake/cash grab with the apparent intention of getting Tribune off his back over the rights. It's been almost five years since that announcement, and obviously it hasn't happened yet, however it doesn't seem to be stopping Beatty from making up new, seemingly off-the-cuff Dick Tracy projects to thwart Tribune's demands.
Continue reading Is Warren Beatty Working on a 'Dick Tracy' Documentary?
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 1:50PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Horror, Independent, Deals, Shorts, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Dark and gritty have become the keywords for comic-based movies, but it's not a trend that's confined to the big screen. A lot of comics are saving studios the trouble, and spinning their own gloomy version of a popular tale, and Hollywood is responding by optioning them all up. According to
The Hollywood Reporter, the latest to sign on the dotted line is Zenescope, who will be helping to bring
The Piper to the big screen.
The Piper is a four-issue series by Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco, and is part of Zenescope's Grimm Fairy Tales line that puts a lot of emphasis on the grim. (That's not hard given most original fairy tales.) Piper takes the story of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, and turns him into a bogeyman that is revived by high school student Sean. Tormented by bullies, Sean seeks someone to help him exact revenge. But if you've seen any film where a figure is revived by the Book of the Lost, you know things will get a lot bloodier than anyone imagined. You can check out the
first few pages online. As usual with Zenescope's books, the art is pretty special.
Persistant Entertainment has the project open to writers, so if you're a screenwriter who is feeling a little bloodthirsty, you can give it a shot. The rest of us will have to wait to see if it comes together, and if it's a strong enough tune to carry us into the theater.
Posted Dec 2nd 2009 6:45PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Action, Deals, Scripts, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Back in September,
I wondered what Summit would spend their big wad of
Twilight cash on. They're primed to rake in a couple billion by the time this is all over. The company made almost $385 mil at the box office with the first installment (having spent only $37 mil), and so far $476,334,668 with the second (having spent only $50 mil). And now they're turning their attention toward assassins.
Variety reports that Summit Entertainment has signed on to bring the comic
Alibi to the big screen -- a production that kicked into gear
back in August. Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov and illustrated by Jeremy Haun, Top Cow's
Alibi focuses on the classic socialite-with-a-secret-job scenario. But instead of just putting on a flimsy mask and getting to work, this assassin's got the perfect cover -- a secret twin brother. See, one is the assassin and one is the socialite, and they both work under the same identity.
John Hlavin, who will write the next
Underworld installment, has been tapped to pen the script.
I think Summit is on the right track -- grabbing a big action film that is in high contrast to the teen-led vampire and werewolf world, and also has the ability to make some good cash. And, let's hope, they continue to find the ways to make big movies cheaply, rather than soaring to new heights with a franchise before seeing it all wash away (yes, I'm
thinking about New Line).
Posted Dec 2nd 2009 1:32PM by Peter Hall
Filed under: Comedy, Horror, Deals, Paramount, Sony
Having attended the world premiere at Fantastic Fest, I was positive
Zombieland would be a word of mouth hit and the creative gang both behind and in front of the camera would surely be returning to their special post-apocalyptic world in no time. But, in retrospect, my experience was a little bit biased. While I think the movie holds up no matter when and where it's playing, showing
Zombieland in a regal, old-school movie palace in front of a festival crowd that takes to zombies like Han Solo takes to a Tauntaun (yes, we often curl up inside the gooey, mushy embrace of the undead to keep warm on particularly cold horror winters), is more than hedging your bet; I can't imagine a better venue.
There were instant talks of sequels at the Q&A following the film, and all involved were clearly game, but then the film went on to be only a mild hit, and not the grandslam one would have expected from the crowd reactions at Fantastic Fest. What seemed like a lock seemed even shakier when Rhett Rheese, one half of the film's writing team, mentioned that
Zombieland's stance as the
most pirated movie currently on the net had put the future of the should-be franchise in jeopardy.
But all that worrying was for nothing,
it turns out, as Sony has gone ahead and penciled in a trip back to
Zombieland in their to do list. As of now, stars Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg are in talks to return, but director Ruben Fleischer and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have all signed on to further flesh out the comedic end of the world. And further out it shall be, as Sony has also confirmed that the untitlted part two will be filmed in 3D.
Continue reading 3D Sequels for 'Zombieland' and 'Jackass' Confirmed
Posted Dec 1st 2009 8:32PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Disney, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
It's a new day at Disney with their new studio chief, Rich Ross, and everyone has been rather eager to see what new direction the studio moved in, and what projects they fast tracked. It turns out that their new vision is a rather old one. According to
The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has dug deep into the vaults and decided to remake
The Black Hole. They've put
Tron: Legacy director
Joseph Kosinski and producer
Sean Bailey on the project, hoping that they can make
The Black Hole as cool as they've made all things
Tron.
I feel terrible, but I have absolutely no memory of this film. I know I probably saw it at some point, but its lovable droids have been wiped out by multiple viewings of
Star Wars, so allow me to recap. The 1979 original centered on a group of space explorers discover the lost USS Cygnus, floating dead on the edge of a black hole. Logically they haven't seen
Event Horizon, so they happily board the ship to what's become of the crew. There they meet a scientist and his group of robot friends (some cute, and one mean, red, and named Maximilian), and he claims his crew deserted him when he tried to travel through the black hole. Of course, he's not telling the truth. The robots are the former Cygnus crew, and the scientist has no intention of letting them leave. Dun dun dun ...
Naturally, the remake won't be a straight-up retelling, and Disney is keeping the plot a secret. The only thing they're willing to reveal is that the menacing robot Maximilian will return, and that the black hole will be more of a plot point. Science will also be involved, and I imagine a little
Star Trek too. Will it inspire the instant excitement of
Tron: Legacy? Or will it be an entirely new concept to most moviegoers?
Posted Dec 1st 2009 10:50AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Music & Musicals, Deals, Remakes and Sequels
There is still no solid agreement for Keira Knightley to take on one Miss Eliza Doolittle, but it looks like the remake of
My Fair Lady may finally have found a director.
One who is not Joe Wright.
Variety reports that the helmer behind
The Debt --
John Madden -- is currently in talks to direct the film. Seeing that
The Debt hasn't come out yet, let's be more clear: The director behind
Shakespeare in Love, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Proof, and Killshot is the guy circling this feature.
That should be pretty decent news for the film. While I can't say that his subsequent work has brought him the same acclaim, getting an Oscar nomination for
Shakespeare proved that he's at his best when dealing with classic literary romance. And while I would've loved to see Baz Luhrmann take it on (he was previously linked to the shebang), I can't really argue with the directorial direction they're going ... although I would very much prefer a stab at the original
Pygmalion. Alas, no music-free wordiness for me.
The plan is to retain the film's 1912 setting and score, shooting in a number of London locales. But the big question will be whether audiences will care. Can rain in Spain bring in box office numbers? And when will ANYONE officially sign on to this sucker? Stay tuned!
Posted Nov 30th 2009 1:32PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Casting, Deals, RumorMonger, Fandom, Newsstand
Sure, some would suggest that
Jessica Alba really can't return to form since there never was a form to begin with. But there definitely was a time when Alba was an "It" girl -- the type to grace numerous magazine covers and star in big, flashy films like
Sin City and
The Fantastic Four. But then her star began to fade as she clumsily starred in one cruddy flick after another (
Into the Blue, Good Luck Chuck, The Eye, Awake, The Love Guru), and with other, more sensational young actresses attempting to make their mark in Hollywood, Alba sort of fell by the wayside.
But now the gal has positioned herself with a few pretty interesting upcoming projects, including two produced by Robert Rodriguez (
Machete, The Insiders), one that's based on a very good novel (
An Invisible Sign of My Own) and one that finds the actress taking things farther than she's ever gone before (
The Killer Inside Me). While I'm sure the girl will manage to land roles beyond these four projects, they will still serve as proving ground for Alba. Is she a "real" actress? Can she turn out an awards-caliber performance? Can she still sell lots of movie tickets? Is she worthy of our attention?
Before you answer those questions, head after the jump to find out more about her new films.
Continue reading The Return of Jessica Alba?
Posted Nov 30th 2009 10:32AM by Cinematical staff
Filed under: Deals, Fandom, Newsstand
By: Zachary Hermann
Count Sam Raimi among the people who saw
District 9 and thought, "Gee, why can't more studios put out budget-conscious gems like this?" The
Spider-Man director will be playing Peter Jackson to his own Neill Blomkamp of sorts, a Uruguayan director by the name of Federico Alvarez. After the buzz around Alvarez's alien invasion short (posted below for your viewing pleasure)
Panic Attack! had him making rounds in Los Angeles, Raimi's production shop Ghost House Pictures signed the director for what will be Alvarez's feature film debut.
The reports have been translated from Uruguayan newspaper
El Paris, but here's what everyone seems to agree on -- the feature, like
District 9, will be budgeted in the $30-40 million neighborhood and Raimi will take on a mentor role, thus saving Alvarez from the ugly, business part of things. The picture will shoot in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay and will likely involve giant robots, which play a big part in
Panic Attack! What is unclear is if this feature-length will be based on
Panic Attack! at all.
Read the rest and watch the original short over at SciFi Squad
Posted Nov 27th 2009 8:15PM by William Goss
Filed under: Deals, Home Entertainment
As my Twitter feed fills with constantly re-Tweeted online bargains (be still, my weeping wallet), and as our own site did
its best to prepare you readers for today's Thunderdome of savings, it's likely that a great many of you ventured out to capitalize on Black Friday in all its mania.
There were certainly deals to be had on movies and home entertainment equipment alike, and that's really what we want to hear about (not that a thirty-dollar camping tent isn't impressive or anything).
Where'd you go? How long did you wait in line? How cold was it? How busy was it? What did you get? What was already gone? Did you upgrade to Blu-ray this year? And did any of our readership outside the States take advantage of the online deals without leaving the comfort of your own home?
So go ahead, brag and boast about your claimed trophies. Me? I've got an empty wallet to console.
Posted Nov 27th 2009 12:03AM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Deals, Home Entertainment
At first I thought this would be too difficult. Target, Best Buy, Walmart ... all those stores offer a very manageable number of Black Friday movie deals. Surely Amazon.com would prove way too massive of an undertaking ... but nope! Of course Amazon.com is offering a lot more movie deals than the non-virtual stores are, but they've made things quite easy by categorizing everything, and with handy links and everything!
First off,
here's the Amazon Black Friday sales page, movies-only division. But that page offers way too many options, so let's pick out some of the b
est standard (non-blu-ray) dvd deals:
Blazing Saddles ($5.99)! The Marx Brothers Collection ($17.99)!!
The Goonies ($6.99)! The
Nightmare on Elm Street box set ($24.99)!
Spaceballs ($8.49)! And on and on it goes. New, old, classic, crappy, there's a good deal in here whatever you're after.
And what I'm after is
blu-rays!
2001: A Space Odyssey ($9.49)!
The Silence of the Lambs ($8.99)!!
Watchmen director's cut ($16.99)!
Goodfellas ($10.99)!! And those crafty Amazoners are planning to change the titles every day. It's like they
want you to visit their website six times a day!
Last but not least, for those who love not just the deals but also the crazy pressure that comes with Black Friday, Amazon is now offering some nifty "
Lightning Deals" that are scheduled throughout the week and last only a few hours. For example, tonight you can purchase the
X-Men Origins: Wolverine blu-ray for $9.99. That's a pretty good deal on a very recent blu-ray release. Too bad the movie stinks.
Posted Nov 25th 2009 7:02PM by Peter Martin
Filed under: Documentary, Independent, Deals, Box Office, Distribution, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and Clips
Indie Roundup gathers a selection of indie film news from the past seven days and offers a peek ahead to what's coming.
Deal. Do not despair that the first month of the new year will be filled solely with the expansion of award contenders. Distribution rights in the US for
Sweetgrass have been acquired by The Cinema Guild, according to
indieWIRE, and the documentary will open at Film Forum in Manhattan on January 6, followed by a rollout across the country.
Directed by Ilisa Barbasch and Lucien Castaing-Taylor,
Sweetgrass "follows the last sheepherders to trail their flocks up into Montana's Beartooth mountains for summer pasture," per its official synopsis. After debuting at the Berlin Film Festival last year, the doc played the festival circuit quite successfully, picking up positive critical notices. Check out the splendid trailer in all its quiet, chud-chewing glory after the jump.
Online / On-Demand Viewing. Debuting on demand next Sunday,
Clarkworld paints a portrait of filmmaker
Bob Clark. Best known for his
perennial holiday favorite A Christmas Story, Clark also made the groundbreaking
Porky's, which set the tone for all raunchy teen comedies to come, and the significant slasher pic
Black Christmas, another flick that was a trendsetter (or at least ripped off at will). Director Deren P. Abram talked with Peter Billingsley (former child star turned filmmaker), Kim Cattrall, Jon Voight, Denise Richards, Mary Steenburgen, John Saxon, Scott Baio, and other people who weren't even in any of his movies! We have the trailer for this one after the jump, too, which makes for an interesting contrast with the one for
Sweetgrass. Look for the movie on cable systems via Cinetic FilmBuff.
After the jump: box office talk; trailers for Sweetgrass and Clarkworld. Continue reading Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Posted Nov 25th 2009 6:05PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Deals, Home Entertainment
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Our good friend and EIC Erik Davis had a very thoughtful idea for the holiday season: Why not scan the early flyers for the Black Friday sales, and report back to you -- the ravenous movie junkie -- to let you know where to find the best treats on the day after Thanksgiving?
The next big brick and mortar retail stores we'll be scouring for Black Friday deals is
Toys "R" Us . While there isn't a great selection of DVD/Blu-ray players, those parents looking to save on kid-friendly titles should find more than enough to pick up here. Note that the doorbuster items are marked with a *
Toys "R" Us is open at 12:00am on Black Friday. Their online sale starts at 12:01am EST on Thanksgiving Day.
Our previous Black Friday Movie Deals:
Best Buy
Target
Walmart
Kmart and Sears
DVD/Blu-ray
20 Select DVD Movies $9.99
30 Select DVD Movies $4.99
Aliens In The Attic DVD $9.99
All $9.99 Sony DVDs - 60 Titles (In-Store Only) $3.99
Aristocats DVD $9.99
A Tale Of Tails DVD $4.99
Babe DVD $4.99
Barbie Thumbelina DVD $4.99
Blues Clues World Travelers DVD $4.99
Bolt Disney DVD $9.99 *
Christmas Star DVD $4.99
Coraline DVD $9.99
Curious George DVD $4.99
Diego Saves Christmas DVD $4.99
Hanna Montana The Movie Blu-Ray $14.99
Hero Rails DVD $9.99
Hotel For Dogs DVD $9.99
Jonas Brothers Disney DVD $9.99 *
More after the jumpContinue reading Black Friday Movie Deals: Toys "R" Us
Posted Nov 24th 2009 3:32PM by Peter Hall
Filed under: Deals
Our good friend and EIC Erik Davis had a very thoughtful idea for the holiday season: Why not scan the early flyers for the Black Friday sales, and report back to you -- the ravenous movie junkie -- to let you know where to find the best treats on the day after Thanksgiving?
The next big brick and mortar retail stores we'll be scouring for Black Friday deals are Kmart and Sears (here are the deals for
Best Buy,
Target, and
Walmart). Neither have a particularly large selection of sales going on in the movie department, but if you're heading to either store for other pick-ups, you might want to keep your eye out for some of the following.
Oh, and the Kmart sale is from 6am to 11am while Sears' runs from 4am to noon.
Continue reading Black Friday Movie Deals: Kmart and Sears
Next Page >
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Spielberg Backs Out of 'Harvey'
Discuss: Should Gay Actors Stay in the Closet?
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