Movie News and Views November 24, 2009 Poster Edition

Welcome back for more Hollywood info…

– New to Sequel-ville: “Stomp the Yard”

– Charlize Theron was auctioning-off a trip to Africa which included a meeting with Nelson Mandela. With the highest bid being $37,000 she decided to offer a seven-second kiss to any man for $130,000. A woman offered $140,000. The kiss lasted for 90-seconds. Photo is below.

– The third Daniel Craig “Bond” movie will begin filming next year.

– New to Remake-Town: “Dambusters,” “Footloose,” “My Fair Lady,” “Short Circuit,” “Let the Right One In,” “Reincarnation of Peter Proud,”

– Pam Anderson has spoken out against the new “Baywatch” movie citing that she hates it when movies are made from TV shows. Nice to know she has standards…

– Tara Reid will be in Playboy and a team of Photoshop-ers are currently working on the pictorial.

– J.R.R. Tolkien had a good year for being a dead guy: he made $50 million. Although he was beat out by Michael Jackson ($90 mil) and Elvis Presley ($55 mil) he did make more than John Lennon ($15 mil), Jimi Hendrix ($8 mil) and fellow author Michael Crichton ($9 mil).

– The original writers on “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” are coming back for the sequel. How many years has it been…?

– According to a recent AOL poll, Miley Cyrus is the worst influence on kids (42%), followed by Britney Spears and Kanye West.

– The movie “Australia” couldn’t get a nomination for itself or actors by the Australian Film Institute.

– According to the Parents TV Council, violence against women has risen 120% in the past 5 years.

– 50 Cent is on board with the idea that UFOs/aliens have visited us and the government is covering it up.

– For those with extra cash lying around, the rights for the “Terminator” franchise will be auctioned off this month.

– Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will co-host the Oscars.

– Ted Danson, Tom Selleck, and Steve Guttenberg will reunite for “Three Men and a Bride.” I should say something witty here…

– Sony has acquired the rights to “Risk,” the world-domination board game. No word on how long the movie will be, but I’m hoping less than 6 hours.

– Will Smith has signed on to star and produce “Flowers for Algernon,” based on the story.

– Dwight Schultz, who played “Howlin’ Mad” Murdoch in “The A-Team,” has confirmed that he has a cameo in the upcoming film.

– Guillermo del Toro has confirmed his cameo in the “Hobbit” movie.

– Two good pieces of news for “Dark Tower” fans: J.J. Abrams will NOT be directing a “Gunslinger” movie, and Stephen King is possibly working on an 8^th novel.

– MGM is up for auction as well…

– Due to bad money management, Nic Cage has foreclosed on 4 of his homes.

– Will Ferrell tops the Forbes Most Overpaid Actors list, with his films earning $3.29 for every dollar he’s paid.

– Michael Moore’s “Capitalism” has not been nominated for an Oscar. Apparently people in SoCal like their money…

– Michael Bay will NOT kill off Megan Fox’s character in “Transformers 3.” Because, what else is Megan Fox going to do?

– “The Howling” franchise will be rebooted. Yeah, that’s what I was waiting for… While you’re at it, can you bring the “Werewolf” TV series back?

Hollywood to Redux 1971

“Fiddler on the Roof.” “Billy Jack.” “Dirty Harry.” “A Clockwork Orange.” “The Last Picture Show.” Even “The Million Dollar Duck.” This can only mean one thing:

Hollywood is remaking 1971. The entire year.

Close sources have revealed that the Studio heads for Warner Bros., Fox, Universal, Sony, and Lionsgate, had a midnight meeting and discussed the possibility of remaking one entire year of movies; specifically 1971. According to an anonymous insider, “We were asked to write down our favorite films, or at least ones we wanted to see remade. The majority of those movies came from 1971. Then one thing leads to another and they’re carving up slices of the 1971 pie.”

In a society where cinematic remakes, reboots, and re-ignites have became status quo, we have to wonder if maybe this is a bit too much. With the recent remakes of “Friday the 13^th,” and “The Last House on the Left,” horror has proved that remaking the genre itself can be profitable. However, how would a remake of the classic “The French Connection” do? Would “Dirty Harry” or “Billy Jack” still be relevant?

“It’s not a matter of relevancy,” says Roman Weinandeinme, Professor of Film at Columbia University School of the Arts New York. “The culture itself has backlogged twenty years. It’s like we’re living in a muddled fax copy of the Eighties. That aside, humans have this attachment to their youth. They want their kids or nieces or nephews to enjoy, to grow up on, what they watched when they were younger. As for delving back to the early Seventies, I have no answer on that. But we’re living in post-modern times. Cinema redux has now become a way of life, at least for the Studios.”

There are others who are proponents of Studio Remaking. Arthur Proyas, an avid entertainment blogger, had this to say: “Why is everybody soooooooo uptight when it comes to movie remakes? I mean, c’mon! We got better special effects! Better actors! Better directors! Better action sequences! It’d be awesome if Michael Bay remade something like… ‘Dirty Harry’ or ‘French Connection.’ I mean, why do all these film critics and failed film students have to cry because something they love is being remade? I’ve made it a policy not to even bother watching the original.”

But the real reason may be the money. According to current statistics the Writer’s Guild of America registers at least forty-thousand scripts a year. With even a portion of those being submitted to producers, it may be that they have no time for “original works.” It’s easier to rent a movie and say, “That needs to be remade!” and pay on the royalties than incorporating new writers into the Hollywood system.

Independent filmmakers echo the sentiment of these hard times for cinema. “When you go to pitch an idea, they want it all: the script, how much it will cost, how much it will make, and all ‘stars’ that are attached to it. With the current depression it’s even worse. The execs are going to Blockbuster video, picking up a movie and taking it home, then deciding if they wanna have it re-done. They already own the rights so it’s just a matter of getting new writers and a new director. Then: viola! Crap.”

Either way names are being tossed around and all the titles are up for grabs. Recent rumors include: Harvey Keitel in “Dirty Harry,” Keifer Sutherland playing the role his dad made famous in “Klute,” Shia LeBeouf in “A Clockwork Orange,” and even a re-igniting of “Shaft” with Terrence Howard. No word on directors attached to any of the projects.

Of the Studios who would make the most from this midnight agreement: Warner Bros. With last year’s failure of “Speed Racer,” which earned $50 mil against its reported cost of $120 million, the Warners need a hit. In 1971 the WB released four movies to hit the box office Top Ten: “Billy Jack,” “Summer of ’42,” “Dirty Harry,” and “A Clockwork Orange.” With any luck, next year will be their year again.

A Superhero, a Gay Activist, and a “Slumdog”: Recapping the 2009 Oscars

For those who didn’t watch yes, “Slumdog” majorly won the Academy Awards.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look back at what just happened, shall we?

For the first time in “I don’t know how many” years, a foreign actor hosted the Oscars. Hugh Jackman, the Australian actor known mainly for playing “Wolverine” in the “X-Men” franchise hosted for the first time. Maybe he was selected because he was listed as a “Sexiest Man of the Year.” Maybe it’s because people love “Wolverine.” Either way he did okay, as in “passable.” Instead of inserting himself into the ceremony or making quips, as so many others have done in the past, he got that business out of the way in the opening segment. His joke about “Kate Winslet, a British actress playing a German, Robert Downey, Jr, an American actor playing an Australian actor playing an African-American, and me, an Australian actor playing in Australian in a movie called, ‘Australia’” was inciteful, but that was about it. Jackman ducked-out to let the other presenters hold the stage more than he, and maybe that was the safest route to go. I’m not quite sure that he’ll be asked back or if he would even come back if asked.

There were several themes to this year’s Oscars. The first was to give the audience at home a “stripped down” feeling as to how movies are made. This worked somewhat in the beginning when Jackman was doing a musical number that critiqued the Academy on how they made their decisions while he danced around cardboard set pieces. As the show went on this theme was reiterated but given up by the last hour.

Another theme: the Academy doesn’t like action or superhero films. Nothing is more blatant than when a $1 billion money-making movie’s nominations are centered around film editing, visual effects, and sound. If that wasn’t enough action star Will Smith hosted a segment around this fact even stating that while action movies don’t get the Academy’s attention, they do get the fans.

What’s the deal with musicals? I’ve never been a big fan of them, but apparently Hugh Jackman is. Not only did he do an opening musical number (as mentioned above) but he did another that montaged so many previous movie musicals together. Helping in the song and dance were Vanessa Hudgens, Beyonce Knowles, and members of “High School Musical 3.” After everything was said and done Hugh Jackman thanked everyone on stage. The camera quickly cut to Penelope Cruz who didn’t appear amused one bit. It then cut back to Jackman who proudly proclaimed, “This was created by Baz Luhrmann.” The camera quickly cuts to Baz who’s sitting in his chair with a look on his face that said, “Now I know what it’s like to sell my soul for a paycheck.”

One of the cool things the awards ceremony did was to present the awards for Best and Supporting Actors and Actresses by having five former Best Supporting Actors and Actresses walk onto the stage, each actor or actress lauding a specified nominee. Good job.

I was conflicted on some of the montage segments, especially with the camera zooming in on one moment, then zooming out as if we were watching a TV screen, then finding another screen and zooming in on that scene, then zooming out… etc. It worked for the animation segment, and kudos to Pixar for allowing characters from other animation studios to share space with “Wall*E.” That was cool. However the Judd Apatow Comedy montage segment was not save for Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski joining in with James Franco and Seth Rogen (“Sorry, Mr. Spielberg, business is slow.”)

One other positive note: Steve Martin and Tina Fey announcing the awards for Screenwriting. They were a great duo and one of the better pairs for the awards show.

As for the winners, losers, and upsets, let’s get this out of the way: almost everyone knew “Slumdog Millionaire” would take Best Picture (and then some) and that Heath Ledger would have a posthumous Oscar for “The Dark Knight.” Aside from that, most of the other categories people felt ambivalent about. Kate Winslet won for “The Reader,” which most critics claimed wasn’t as good as her work in “Revolutionary Road.” Whether there was any additional sympathy for “The Dark Knight” is questionable, but Batman did take home Best Sound Editing among its nominations but was upset by “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which took home Art Direction, Makeup, and Visual Effects. “Milk” won Best Original Screenplay and caused an upset for Mickey Rourke and “The Wrestler,” when Sean Penn took Best Actor instead.

And now, the winners:

Best Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”

Actor in a Leading Role: Sean Penn, “Milk”

Actress in a Leading Role: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Directing: “Slumdog Millionaire”

Foreign Language Film: “Departures”

Music (Song): “Jai Ho,” “Slumdog Millionaire”

Music (Score): “Slumdog Millionaire”

Film Editing: “Slumdog Millionaire”

Sound Mixing: “Slumdog Millionaire”

Sound Editing: “The Dark Knight”

Visual Effects: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Documentary Short: “Smile Pinki”

Documentary Feature: “Man on a Wire”

Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Actress in a Supporting Role: Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Cinematography: “Slumdog Millionaire”

Makeup: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Costume Design: “The Duchess”

Art Direction: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Short Film (Live Action): Spielzeugland (Toyland)

Short Film (Animated): “La Maison En Petites Cubes”

Animated Feature Film: “Wall*E”

Writing (Adapted Screenplay): “Slumdog Millionaire”

Writing (Original Screenplay): “Milk”

Source: www.oscars.com

Movie News and Views October 22, 2008 Poster Edition

 

 

Thanks everyone for continuing to tune in. I just got back from vacation, so here goes:

 

–         Will Ferrell has said “no” to doing any more sports movies. What a bummer… I was so hoping for a water polo-themed movie…

–         Word on the street has it that Ah-nuld will lend his voice to “Terminator: Salvation” and he’s currently in talks in regards to “Predator 3.”

–         “Cars 2” is being bumped up from 2012 to 2011 (or earlier). Lightning McQueen and Mater will be back. Brad Lewis will direct.

–         “The Lone Ranger” (based on the TV series) will star George Clooney and Johnny Depp.

–         Johnny Depp is also in talks on “Pirates” 4 & 5.

–         “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” is looking to be remade.

–         “Lethal Weapon 5?” Even I am getting too old for this shit.

–         “National Treasure 3.” Who didn’t see that happening?

–         Will Smith has signed on for a prequel to “I Am Legend.” What are they going to call it?

–         Russell Crowe will be playing both the Sheriff and Robin Hood in the next Ridley Scott movie, “Nottingham.”

–         Kenneth Branagh is in talks to direct “Thor,” previously worked on by Matthew Vaughn.

–         “Fame” is looking to be remade.

–         Kirsten Dunst is back for “Spidey 4.”

–         Jack Black is doing a comedic version of the “Bourne” movies.

–         “Angel Heart” is being remade.

–         “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore.” Enough said.

–         “Kung Fu Panda 2” will be released June 3, 2011.

–         “Yogi Bear’ will be a blend of live action and CG, and coming soon to a theatre near you.

–         Lex Luthor will be back in the next Superman movie.

–         Twentieth Century Fox is talking about rebooting “Daredevil.”

–         “Captain America” plot: “Born during the Great Depression, Steve Rogers grew up a frail youth in a poor family. Horrified by the newsreel footage of the Nazis in Europe, Rogers was inspired to enlist in the army. However, because of his frailty and sickness, he was rejected. Overhearing the boy’s earnest plea, General Chester Phillips offered Rogers the opportunity to take part in a special experiment… Operation: Rebirth. After weeks of tests, Rogers was at last administered the “Super-Soldier Serum” and bombarded by “vita-rays.” Steve Rogers emerged from the treatment with a body as perfect as a body can be and still be human. Rogers was then put through an intensive physical and tactical training program. Three months later, he was given his first assignment as Captain America. Armed with his indestructible shield and battle savvy, Captain America has continued his war against evil both as a sentinel of liberty and leader of the Avengers.”

–         “28 Months Later,” the sequel to the sequel “28 Weeks Later,” will be directed by Paul Andrew Williams.

–         Rose McGowan is set to star in “Deep Throat,” a biopic on Linda Lovelace.

–         Ridley Scott is looking to direct “The Forever War,” based on the 1974 Joe Haldeman novel.

–         Don Cheadle will be replacing Terrance Howard in “Iron Man 2.”

–         Brett Ratner will direct “Conan.”

–         “Big Momma’s House 3.”

–         Dimension Films is greenlighting 18 direct-to-DVD movies. The list includes sequels to “Pulse,” “Feast,” “Children of the Corn,” “Hell Ride,” and “Hostel.”