Fox Hopes to Delay Watchmen

News from The Associated Press!

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An attorney for 20th Century Fox says the studio will continue to seek an order delaying the release of 'Watchmen.'

U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess last week agreed with Fox that Warner Bros. had infringed its copyright by developing and shooting the superhero flick, scheduled for release March 6.

Feess said Monday he plans to hold a trial Jan. 20 to decide remaining issues.

Fox claims it never fully relinquished story rights from its deal made in the late 1980s, and sued Warner Bros. in February. Warner Bros. contended Fox isn't entitled to distribution.

Warner Bros.' attorney said Monday he didn't know if an appeal was coming, but thinks a trial is necessary and a settlement unlikely.

More terrible "Watchmen" news? What are your thoughts on this? Do you think "Watchmen" should be delayed?

Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this Friday! Nothing! Just one limited release!

Defiance - In 1941, a group of Jewish brothers organize the largest armed rescue of Jews during the Holocaust.

Movies on DVD and Blu-ray!
An American Carol
Surfer, Dude
Movies on Blu-ray!
Serenity
Wedding Crashers


Box Office Results for the weekend (3 day and 4 day)!

Three day weekend (Dec. 26-28)

1 Marley & Me$37.0 M

2 Bedtime Stories$28.0 M

3 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button$27.0 M

4 Valkryie $21.5 M

5 Yes Man $16.5 M

6 Seven Pounds $13.4 M

7 The Tale of Despereaux $9.4 M

8 The Day the Earth Stood Still $7.9 M

9 The Spirit$6.5 M

10 Doubt $5.7 M

Four day weekend (Dec. 25-28)

1. Marley and Me $51.6 M

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button $39.0 M

3. Bedtime Stories $38.5 M

4. Valkyrie $30.0 M

5. Yes Man $22.3 M

6. Seven Pounds $18.2 M

7. The Tale of Despereaux $11.4 M

8. The Day the Earth Stood Still $10.6 M

9. The Spirit $10.3 M

10. Four Christmases $7.2 M

DC Movies

Alan Horn, President of Warner Bros., recently had some Batman, Superman and Green Lantern questions thrown at him by the good folks at Collider.
Check out the interview below!



Interesting news for DC fans! What are your thoughts?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Fox Wins Watchmen Case

Doctor Manhattan is sad.
Bad news for "Watchmen."

According to Rope of Silicon, "The New York Times has just revealed that Gary A. Feess, a federal judge in Los Angeles, said he intended to grant 20th Century Fox’s claim that it owns a copyright interest in the Watchmen, a movie shot by Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures and set for release in March. At an earlier hearing, the judge said he believed that issues in the case could be settled only at a trial, which was scheduled for late January. On Wednesday, however, Judge Feess said he had reconsidered and concluded that Fox should prevail on crucial issues.

'Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the Watchmen motion picture,' the ruling said."

According to MTV News, "The theatrical rights to 'Watchmen' — the bestselling graphic novel of all time — have been mired in a series of complicated dealings dating back to the 1980s when Fox acquired the property for producer Larry Gordon. The studio subsequently abandoned plans to make the film, and Gordon began the search for a new partner.

After brushes with Universal and Paramount, 'Watchmen' eventually landed at Warner Bros., which began production on the film in 2007 with a budget reportedly close to $150 million. In an additional layer of complication, however, Paramount obtained international distribution rights through an agreement with Warner. That arrangement would presumably also be affected by this latest ruling.

In its long-standing lawsuit, Fox has argued that Gordon never exercised his option to acquire their remaining interest in 'Watchmen,' thus leaving distribution rights with the studio. Wednesday’s court decision would mean the judge now agrees with that position."

So...how will this affect the release of "Watchmen?" And if it is released, how will this ruling affect the final cut of the film? This is not good news for us "Watchman" fans, but if a settlement can be reached by March, the film will come out on time.
A sad day in history...

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is most likely not going to be made for awhile.
Information taken from many sources.

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" will have to sail without Disney, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

While declining to elaborate, Disney and Walden Media confirmed Tuesday that for budgetary and logistical reasons the Burbank-based studio is not exercising its option to co-produce and co-finance the next "Narnia" movie with Walden.

The third entry in the series, based on the classic books by C.S. Lewis, was in preproduction and set for a spring shoot for a planned May 2010 release. The development puts the participation of the talent attached in doubt. Michael Apted was on board to direct a script by Steven Knight. The key players of the second installment, "Prince Caspian" -- Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, William Moseley and Anna Popplewell -- were to return for the third film.

Walden has a strong relationship with the Lewis estate and will shop "Treader" in hopes of finding a new partner. The most likely candidate at this stage is Fox, which markets and distributes Walden fare under the Fox Walden banner.

Sources: Screen Rant, Latino Review, The Geek Files, The Hollywood Reporter

New Monsters Vs. Aliens Trailer

The first "Monsters vs. Aliens" trailer was a teaser, this one is a full trailer giving more detail into the story, showing more humor and letting us see more of how great the CGI effects are.



"Monsters vs. Aliens" comes to theaters Mar. 27, 2009. Enjoy!

Judge Dredd

Little time on my hands. I have to be getting back to work and family stuff now. This would be easier if I had my laptop back.
Info taken from many sources.

A "Judge Dredd" movie was made in 1995, starring Sylvester Stallone. The $90million project was a critical and commercial failure, making just $35m in the US and $79m overseas.

Judge Dredd will be returning to the big screen following a 14 years absence. The Mega City judge will be produced by DNA films, the guys behind "28 Days Later."

In case you don’t know, Judge Dredd is a British comic book character published in 2000 AD. Created by John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra in 1977 the character is a futuristic police officer of sorts called a 'Judge' because they are Judge, Jury and Executioner all rolled into one. Dredd’s the baddest ass in Mega City, think "Dirty Harry" and "RoboCop" rolled into one.

The 1995 Sylvester Stallone film was pretty much a disaster. It ditched everything that made Dredd cool - he never takes off his helmet in the comics; he was given a comic sidekick; a love interest and well… frankly it just didn’t work. The film was directed by a young British director named Danny Cannon, who has since gone on to have success with "CSI."

A statement on the 2000 AD comics message board said the following:

“Rebellion and 2000 AD are proud to announce that ‘Judge Dredd’ is coming to a cinema near you soon! Together with DNA Films, the movie production company behind such great sci-fi movies such as ‘Sunshine’ and ‘28 Weeks Later,’ ‘Judge Dredd’ will go into production in 2009.
Jason Kingsley, CEO and Creative Director said, ‘We can’t give away too many details at this point, but we’re looking forward to working with DNA Films to bring ‘Judge Dredd’ back to the big screen.’
We’ll keep you up to date with breaking news as it happens!”

Information taken from sources: Screen Rant, The Geek Files

Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this week!


Bedtime Stories - Somehow, someway, the lavish bedtime stories that a hotel handyman (Sandler) tells his niece and nephew start to magically come true.

The Spirit - A rookie cop (Macht) returns from the dead to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. His main opposition is a former lab technician who has reinvented himself as The Octopus (Jackson), an elusive criminal mastermind who knows the secrets behind his nemesis.

Valkyrie - Near the end of WWII, Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) leads to group of fellow German army colonels in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler; the event would later be called the July 20 Plot of 1944.

Marley and Me - An impossibly cute, but impossible-to-live-with yellow Labrador retriever named Marley teaches his newlywed owners a thing or two about patience and parenthood.

Movies coming out on DVD!

Death Race
The Duchess
Eagle Eye
Ghost Town
Saving Grace

Box Office results for the weekend!
1 Yes Man$18.2 M

2 Seven Pounds$16.0 M

3 The Tale of Despereaux$10.5 M

4 The Day the Earth Stood Still $10.2 M

5 Four Christmases $7.7 M

6 Twilight $5.2 M

7 Bolt $4.3 M

8 Slumdog Millionaire $3.2 M

9 Australia $2.3 M

10 Quantum of Solace $2.2 M

"Yes Man," "Seven Pounds" and "Tale of Despereaux" take the top three spots as the newest movies for the weekend while other films stay alive even with a really dull turnout to the theaters. Next weekend has many anticipated movies coming out and shall definitely fare better than this past weekend.

Punisher: War Zone Review

"Punisher: War Zone"

I love comic books and movies. When the two combine, it can be something amazing or something terrible. There have been bits of both over the years. "War Zone" treads a very thin line over those two extremes.

"War Zone" is about Frank Castle, a man not killing criminals for revenge, but for justice for theirs sins. I enjoy the tale of the Punisher and to see the awesome ways he kills people. This movie offer a lot of killing.



It starts off so-so, what with a mansion shoot-out and killing everyone (regardless of age or gender). The creation of Jigsaw is seen in a gruesome manner. The setting of this opening (and of the rest of the movie) is supposed to be in New York, but it doesn't feel like the place. Wasn't a problem for me. I was interested in other things.

The movie gets better as you watch it, it really does. A film will usually start of well and then suck at the end, but "War Zone" does the incredible of making up for its first half with its truly entertaining finale.



The one downfall of this film are the villains. Jigsaw and Looney Bin Jim (made for the film, not from the comics) are extremely campy, but this feels like it was intentionally done. They just get annoying that you love the ending when the Punisher has to take them down.

I thought I was going to be drowned in excessive gore, but it wasn't that bad. Was there a lot? Yes, but with movies like "Saw" and "300" around, it didn't feel excessive. And the film had interesting moods with the lighting. Green and blue hues filled the screened, especially in the Punisher's hideout or while walking in the streets.

This film also has a good amount of shout outs to the fans, but so did the previous "Punisher" film. The Thomas Jane version let Frank Castle live in a complex that housed residents straight from the "Welcome Back, Frank" storyline from the comics. "War Zone" gives us Microchip (played by Wayne Knight), a accomplice of the Punisher who provides him with weapons and intelligence, and Martin Soap (played by Dash Mihok), a cop character also taken from the "Welcome Back, Frank" comic storyline.

By the end of the film, I felt satisfied and wanted to see more since the film got better as it went along. The ending was also very iconic for me, as a religious sign behind the Punisher fades from "Jesus Saves" to just "Saves" and the skull image brightens before the sound of a final gunshot.

The film is not perfect, but it is still fun to watch. If you don't know who the Punisher is, you will surely find out from this film.
7.2/10 "This is just the beginning."

Forbidden Planet Plans

Latino Review had the chance to read a draft of J. Michael Straczynski's plot details and plans for his upcoming "Forbidden Planet" remake.
Check it out!

"For starters Straczynski's draft is prequel to the 1956 sci-fi classic! But that is not all, Straczynski is planning to make Forbidden Planet into a trilogy of films! More on that in a sec.

The prologue to the script contains the following: Two ships traveled to Altair 4, a planet orbiting a star 16.7 light years from Earth. The first ship, the Bellerophon, came to explore that world. The humans on board encountered the relics of the Krell civilization for the first time and exhumed their dangerous past. The Bellerophon was never heard from again. Twenty years later, a second ship, a C-57D Starcruiser, came to investigate the dissapearance of the Bellerophon and her crew.

The original 1956 Forbidden Planet told the tale of the second ship. What Straczynski's draft is about is the never-before revealed tale of the first ship, the Bellerophon.

The last page contains a epilogue where depending on the financial reaction to Forbidden Planet, Strazynski could create the following three film franchise.

Movie One tells the story of the original ship that came to Altair 4.

Movie Two tells the story of the search for the Krell by the captain of the Bellerophon and his crew...as Diana continues to grow into something profoundly other-wordly. The search takes them beyond the limits of known space into other dimensions, passing from what's known into what's not.

Movie Three tells the story of the second ship to arrive at Altair 4 to investigate what happened to the Bellerophon. They discover Morbius and his "daughter," who is desperate to get off the planet and out into the rest of the universe, where her power would nearly be god-like...a fate we are spared when Morbius sacrifices his life to keep her there and eliminate the Krell homeworld once and for all.

Because movies two and three would have some overlapping cast members, but not all of them, they could be easily shot concurrently or back to back.

Straczynski personally states in the last paragraph that what is cool about this new movie is that events shown completely change the meaning of the original Forbidden Planet without changing a frame of film. Altaira's attempt to seduce or inveigle the crew comes across as manipulative, using them to get off the planet. Straczynski also states that this has value to geeks of which he is one."

If this happens, the only film that will actually relate to the original "Forbidden Planet" would be the last in the trilogy. It sounds interesting.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Buck Rogers

Frank Miller, comic writer and now movie director ("Sin City" and "The Spirit"), is ready to tackle his next project based on a comic serial from the 1930's.
"Buck Rogers."

“Miller will write and direct his own big-screen take on the comic serial; while the creator has only begun to sketch ideas, it’s expected to be a darker take, with many of Miller’s signature visual elements and themes, such as corruption and redemption.”

The rights to the project are currently owned by Nu Image/Millennium, but Odd Lot is in the process of acquiring those rights so that they and Miller can go ahead with the project as planned:

“It’s likely to be a priority project for Miller, though he has been mulling a Sin City sequel.”

"For any of you who may not be familiar with Buck Rogers, he began life as a character in two novellas by Phillip Francis Nowlan back in 1928. Then in the early 30’s became a long running newspaper comic strip. Since then the character has seen various (and wildly differing) incarnations - from a TV series done by ABC in the 50’s to another TV series and a feature film done by NBC in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The original story deals with space exploration, one story involving:

'…the space explorer as someone who woke up in the 25th century to find Earth destroyed and was then consigned to roam distant planets.'”

Do you think Miller's take on "Buck Rogers" will play out well for the iconic science fiction tale?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Sources: Screen Rant, The Hollywood Reporter and ComingSoon.net

Night at the Museum 2 Trailer

Check out this trailer for "Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian."

Iron Man 2 Rumors

The rumors are bouncing around the Internet about certain actors and characters for the upcoming "Iron Man 2."

It is heard that Favreau wants to do a flashback scene with Tony Stark and his father and that Tim Robbins ("The Shawshank Redemption") will be playing the role of Tony's father, who was seen (and played by another actor) in a brief slide show in the beginning of "Iron Man."

It is also rumored that both Hawkeye and Black Widow will play roles in the sequel. I originally thought that Black Widow would make it into the first "Iron Man," but alas, I was wrong.

What do you think of this rumors?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant

Green Hornet

Read this article from Latino Review!
It changes a lot for the upcoming big screen adaptation of "The Green Hornet."

"There's been another change in the 'Hornet' nest: Stephen Chow has dropped out as director of 'The Green Hornet' but will still play Kato in Columbia Pictures' latest bid to get the crimefighter to the bigscreen.

The studio and producer Neal Moritz are in the process of setting a new director to keep the picture on track to begin production by spring.

The character began on radio in the 1930s and is best known from the '60s TV version. But a bigscreen translation is having a long gestation, going through many incarnations, including as a proposed George Clooney vehicle.

Chow, who directed and starred in 'Kung Fu Hustle' and 'Shaolin Soccer,' signed in September to direct the film and play the role originated in the TV series by "Bruce Lee. He stepped out as director over creative differences.

The film was scripted by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and Rogen is starring as the masked crime fighter. The script will likely be polished, and a director could be in place by year's end."

How do you think this will affect the film? Seth Rogen and Stephen Chow both have very creative differences in how to make comedy. Will this film be more comedy or more action? I believe Chow would have been a great director for both aspects of the film.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Cowboy Bebop

Do you like the anime "Cowboy Bebop?" Well, I do, and I found this recent article by MTV News very interesting. Check it out!

"It’s no secret that Keanu Reeves loves anime — a main influence on the 'Matrix' series. It’s also common knowledge that the actor holds a place in his heart for sci-fi, as evidenced by films like 'A Scanner Darkly,' 'Johnny Mnemonic ' and the currently-tops-in-theaters 'The Day the Earth Stood Still.' It’s no surprise, then, that Reeves’ latest passion project revolves around his desire to make a live-action 'Cowboy Bebop.'

'Oh yeah, cool,' he said when I asked him about the flick recently. 'We’re trying to do that.'

As fans of the Japanese classic TV series know, 'Bebop' follows a crew of bounty hunters traveling around the universe in the year 2071. Reeves hopes to play Spike Spiegel, one of these futuristic cowboys forced to pick up the slack after a population crash and hyperspace gateways have left law-enforcement unable to capture many of the galaxy’s most ruthless criminals.

'It’s got a Western quality, a Western film noir aspect to it,' Reeves said of why he’s such a big fan of Shinichiro Watanabe and Keiko Nobumoto’s groundbreaking series. 'It’s got so much style to it, and that’s part of its appeal. That kind of Old West, bordertown, low-tech science fiction aspect.'

The flick is currently being put together by Erwin Stoff, a producer who has spent the last two decades working almost exclusively on Reeves projects, and recently set the film up at 20th Century Fox. 'We’ve got the rights, we’ve got a writer,' Keanu explained. 'He’s putting together a scene outline.'

Reeves revealed that this outline for the flick is currently focusing on the origins of the fictional 'Bebop' drug developed by the military, which provides its users with a brief surge of superhuman reflexes and awareness. 'We’re taking the Red Eye [story], the beginning part of the series,' he explained, 'and then we’ll deal with the end of the series. We’re trying to figure out [the time frame]. We’re looking at the story right now.'

Since the beloved 26-episode show (as well as the feature film) didn’t necessarily maintain a linear style of storytelling, Reeves said that somewhere between the Red Eye origins and the 'Bebop' conclusion, they’ll be picking out various highlights for their own use.

'Yeah, it’s so episodic and so disconnected. We’re trying to figure out what pieces to put together to tell one story,' he explained. 'Because it’s such a short form, to make a 2 hour version [will be tough]. And it’s got so much of an origin-story obligation; you’ve got to get people up to speed, but you don’t want to do much of that. There are a lot of things to take into consideration, but we think we can do something good.'”

Are you ready for a live-action "Cowboy Bebop" movie?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Bolt and Resident Evil

Bolt - I saw this movie and really enjoyed it. I don't know about the 3-D effect though. Felt kind of cheesy wearing those little glasses over my eyes, but is it just me or is every movie coming out in the next year or two coming out in 3-D?

Moving on from those strange facts, it was a well made animated feature. As good as "Wall-E?" Heck no. That is Pixar and will also rule that niche. But "Bolt" looked beautiful and told many stories of compassion, friendship and trust.

It is about a dog (voiced by John Travolta) who plays a superdog on a tv show, but thinks it is real. So when he accidentally escapes into the real world, he finds himself without his powers and in need of returning to his person, Penny (Miley Cyrus). Along the way he teams up with Mittens the cat and Rhino the hamster. Mayhem ensues.

A great film for kids and animal lovers, it has been on my list of movies I want to see for awhile because it just looked so darn cool. Turns out the film is kind of split into three acts. Act one is the introduction of Bolt's world, act two is his return home, and act three is fill with the major morals and return home. Kind of like "Homeward Bound," but not as good.

Still, it is enjoyable, but "WALL-E" kicks its butt in the contenders for Best Animated Feature.
7.5/10

Resident Evil: Degeneration - I love the "Resident Evil" games and can't wait for the next one to come out. So the movies have gone from okay to disappointing for me. To sum up the three live action films: pretty good, okay, bad. Each one kind of has a cliffhanger ending, so a fourth one can be made. I just hate how they screwed up the story by focusing on this character that doesn't exist in the games.

Anyway, let's focus on "Degeneration" here, which actually takes off from the games. It takes place in 2005, several years after the Raccoon City disaster and stars Leon S. Kennedy (a year after "Resident Evil 4") and Claire Redfield (returning from "Resident Evil 2" and "Code Veronica"). A zombie outbreak is on the loose again,, involving government corporations, the T-virus and the G-virus. So things get hectic.

To say this will please the fans is an understatement. The CGI is very lifelike and the voice acting is actually pretty decent and not cheesy. Many scares and gore among the zombie head shooting. Plus...there is a major Tyrant-like fight at the end. For those wanting RE5, there is definitely a lead-in with the major group that will be in the next game.
7.2/10

Movie News Mash 3

Another Mash of Movie News! This all could have been their own stories, but due to my computer troubles, I must make some cut backs!

"The Crow"

Stephen Norrington has signed on to write and direct a reinvention of “The Crow,” based on the comic created by James O’Barr.

Ed Pressman produced the 1994 Alex Proyas-directed screen transfer, in which rock musician Eric Draven is murdered trying to rescue his girlfriend from thugs, and returns from the dead one year later to exact vengeance. Though the original became a gothic-style hit that grossed nearly $100 million worldwide, it is primarily remembered for a tragic accident in which star Brandon Lee was killed during filming.

For Norrington, “The Crow” deal marks the end of a long screen sabbatical. After making his breakthrough with the Marvel Comics hero “Blade,” Norrington took on a big-budget comic transfer with “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.” Neither the director nor his star, Sean Connery, has made a film since.

Source: Latino Review

"Terminator 5"

Halcyon Co. toppers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek are developing a fifth instalment of the man-vs.-machine franchise.

Helmer McG, who directed the upcoming fourth pic, "Terminator Salvation," is working with the Halcyon duo on the latest project.

When Anderson and Kubicek acquired the rights the lucrative "Terminator" franchise last year from previous owners C2, the former ad exec and banker envisaged the re-booted series as a trilogy. Christian Bale has signed on in the role of John Connor for all three roles. Newest pic is tentatively skedded for a 2011 release.

Source: Latino Review

"The Phantom Legacy"

"The Phantom" was a hero film that came out in 1996 and many did not like the film. What was originally thought to be a sequel, but is now confirmed to be a reboot, is in the works in Australia.

Bruce Sherlock, who was executive producer on the last "Phantom" movie and will also be producing "Legacy," believes this version will blow away the previous one.

“I, frankly, think that’s what was missing in the first ‘Phantom’ — we had a very limited budget,” Sherlock said. “It’s a better budget this time and also I just feel very comfortable with the script. I think we did it okay before, but I really, honestly, feel we can do it better. A lot better.”

Sherlock plans to keep the cast and crew of “The Phantom Legacy” a homegrown group, which he hopes will shine a light on Australia’s top film and creative talent. Already, he has tapped Australian Tim Boyle to write the script and possibly direct the film, and Boyle intends to focus the story on the father/son dynamic of “The Phantom.”

“The film will be set in the present day and will deal with the concept of destiny,” said Boyle.

Source: MTV Splashpage News

Watch the "X-Men Origins: Wolverine Trailer!"

Thor

At a press junket for "Valkyrie," Kenneth Branagh spoke up about the next film he will be working on with MTV News.

“I am directing 'Thor' or 'The Mighty Thor’ as you might like to call it,” he said with a smile before clarifying what the title of the film will be. “I think it will be ‘Thor’.”

Branagh spke about why he was excited to be working on this project and his plans for the film.

“To work on a story about one of the immortals, Gods, extraordinary beings, inter-dimensional creatures,” he enthused. “There’s science fiction and science fact and fantasy all woven into one. It’s based on Norse legends which Marvel sort of raided in a brilliant way."

Branagh was then asked about casting rumors for the role o the Norse God of Thunder.

“There’s been lots of talk [about casting] — I sound like a politician — but we are too early at this stage. We’re getting the story and the visual effects together and all of that is very exciting. Someone sensational is going to play the part but it is early days.”

"Thor" is due out July 16, 2010.
“It’s a chance to tell a big story on a big scale,” Branagh said. “It’s a human story right in the center of a big epic scenario.”

More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this Friday!

Seven Pounds - A professional man (Smith) who is close to suicide for his role in an auto accident that claimed the lives of seven people finds a reason to live, and to atone, when he falls for a woman (Dawson) who wants to help him deal with his grief.

The Tale of Despereaux - Banished from his home for being more man than mouse, Despereaux (Broderick) is befriended by Princess Pea (Watson) who teaches him the value of reading books (instead of eating them) as well as a fellow outcast, Roscuro the Rat (Hoffman), who is interested in hearing the stories Despereaux has learned. When Roscuro is shunned by the princess, however, he plots her kidnapping, putting Desperaux's human-sized bravery to the test.

Yes Man - What happens when you agree with everyone and say "yes" to everything? Carl (Carrey) is about to find out when he chooses to become overly agreeable for an entire year.

Movie coming out on DVD!

Mamma Mia!
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Box Office Results for the Weekend!

1 The Day the Earth Stood Still $31.0 M

2 Four Christmases $13.3 M

3 Twilight $8.0 M

4 Bolt $7.5 M

5 Australia $4.3 M

6 Quantum of Solace $3.8 M

7 Nothing Like the Holidays $3.5 M

8 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa $3.3 M

9 Milk$2.6 M

10 Transporter 3 $2.6 M

Nothing really spectacular about this past weekend. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" headed to the #1 spot due to it being the only big movie coming out this weekend, and the rest of the films are all hanging in there from the past couple of weekends. Nothing special...and now there are two holiday films up there. Still saddened by the "Punisher: War Zone" bombing...

Hugh Jackman Interview

totalfilm.com had the chance to interview to Hugh Jackman and talk about his role in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," about other characters from the film and the possible future of Wolvie.

On Gambit.

"Gambit is in the film. When we showed footage at Comic-Con the place just went mental. He’s played by Taylor Kitsch who does a great, great job. He’s a little more showy than Wolverine, but there’s a similarity. They’re outsiders, they’re wise-cracking, they’re anti-authority.

In this movie Gambit plays the role a little bit like Wolverine did in the first X-Men. He’s not part of any group, he’s not on anybody’s side. Wolverine gets him because he needs the information off him, but Gambit’s not going to give it – not without a fight. And they get a fight, the two of them get a fight. I’m really, really happy with the dynamic between the two."

On Deadpool.

"I have to be very careful how I talk about Deadpool, because it’s something I’m really excited about in the movie, where it plays and how it plays. I just can’t think right now how I can tell you about it without giving away some really cool ideas!

The things I’m thinking about now I don’t want to tell you because the fans will go 'Awwww, that’s cool'… Actually some fans might be pissed off but that’s ok. I think they’ll understand why we did it. We took some creative licenses with him."

On the future of the franchise.

"When I was doing X-Men I was obsessed with reading the Japanese story. It gave me a lot of great inspiration for the character and I’ve forever been banging onto people about that. It’s the coolest – and can you imagine visually? I can see the comedy of him training with the Samurai. I can just see it working

So right now we’ve got to set up a character, the origin. So everyone at the end of that movie has to go, 'Yes! Wolverine!' And it’s actually answered a couple of questions I’ve never had answered before in the comics and you go, 'I get him. Now where can we take him?'”

Go to totalfilm.com to read the rest about the characters and the future plus news about the newest trailer and about how Wolverine has become an iconic character.

New Moon Director

Summit has just announced in a press release the new director for "New Moon."

Erik Feig, Summit’s President of Production, said in the release, "We love Stephenie Meyer’s fantastic 'Twilight' series. Thinking long and hard about how to turn New Moon into the amazing movie we know it will be, and working with Stephenie Meyer to find the right candidate, we are thrilled to announce Chris Weitz as director of the film. Chris very much understands the world of New Moon and has the skill set required to bring the book to glorious life as a movie. We think he will be an excellent steward of Stephenie Meyer’s vision.”

Weitz's other films that he directed include "American Pie," "About a Boy" and "The Golden Compass."

“I am honored to have been entrusted with shepherding 'New Moon' from the page to the screen,” said Weitz. “The extraordinary world that Stephenie has created has millions of fans, and it will be my duty to protect on their behalf the characters, themes and story they love. This is not a task to be taken lightly, and I will put every effort into realizing a beautiful film to stand alongside a beautiful book.”

According to Rope of Silicon, "In 'New Moon,' Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested. Production on 'New Moon' is scheduled to begin in the coming months and the studio is planning to release the film towards the end of 2009 or early 2010 with rumors pointing to a November 20, 2009 release."

Do you believe that Weitz is the right director for "New Moon?" Was it right to switch from a female director to a male director?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Bring Back Blade

In an interview with ShockTilYouDrop, David Goyer (director of upcoming "Magneto"), said how he would like to return to the "Blade" franchise. Goyer, who wrote all three original "Blade" films, mentioned that a "Blade" reboot would be a good idea.

"I heard rumors that they [New Line Cinema] may want to start from scratch with a new person playing Blade. It's funny because I thought about how I never wanted to do a vampire film ever again because I'm sick of it. But I was reading the Tomb of Dracula Omnibus and I hadn't read them in a long time and I thought it might be cool to do another vampire movie at some point."

Either a remake or a reboot, the "Blade" franchise has grossed over $400 million worldwide and had a short-lived television series. Goyer had his own thoughts on how reboots work.

"God, it feels like they remake movies five years after they come out now," Goyer answers when asked if there's the possibility of seeing Blade's resurrection on screen. "I'm sure New Line at some point would like to do another version of it. Me? Never say never, but I think remakes are more successful the more time there is in between. Honestly, I think they should have waited for the new 'Hulk.' I like the new one. But the longer time you have between remakes [and their originals], the better. For me, ten years is the minimum you really need."

Do you want a "Blade" reboot?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Spirit is a Comic Rookie

Sci Fi Wire had the chance to interview Gabriel Macht, who will be donning the mask and red tie for the holiday hero film, "The Spirit." In the interview, Macht explained how he had never read any "Spirit" comics before.

“I went out and bought ‘The Best of The Spirit,’ which has the color versions of the old comics,” said Macht in the Sci Fi Wire story. “When I came to visit with Frank, he said, ‘So, what have you done?’ And I said, ‘Well, I’ve immersed myself in The Best of…’ He goes, ‘No, no, no, no. I’m not a fan of the coloring that they did for those comics. Let me give you my picks.’ So he gave me a massive binder of his favorite Will Eisner work, but all in black and white.”

Macht immersed himself into the comic history of "The Spirit" and also into the legendary writer, Will Eisner.

“I was not familiar with ["The Spirit" creator] Will Eisner, but as soon as I did my research I found that he is a legend in the world of comic books and graphic novels, and I think it was he who invented the term ‘graphic novel,’” related Macht. “He was one of the great innovators of the genre.”

How do you feel about Macht being a comic rookie and taking on the role of "The Spirit?"
Read the rest of the interview here!

Wait For Magneto

In an interview with SuperHero Hype, director of the "X-men" spin-off "X-Men Origins: Magneto," David Goyer said that the release date of "Magneto" would decide on the how "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" does in theaters this May.

"I think they like the script and they're just waiting to see what happens with 'Wolverine,'" Goyer said in the interview. "I don't think they would consider moving forward until the movie comes out."

According to MTV News, "According to the official plot synopsis for 'X-Men Origins: Magneto,' the film explores the World War II time period in which Eric Lensherr (who later becomes Magneto) is a prisoner of a concentration camp and discovers his mutant abilities — a period which was briefly touched upon in the first 'X-Men' movie. Charles Xavier (Professor X) will also factor into the story, and the meeting between Xavier and Lensherr, their subsequent friendship and eventual parting of ways is detailed in the film.

Naturally, young versions of each character would be required for the film, but no casting has been announced thus far."

Are you still hoping to see a Magneto movie?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Rorschach

MTV News had the chance to talk with Jackie Earle Haley, who is playing the role of the vigilante hero Rorschach in the upcoming "Watchmen" film.

For most actors and actresses who play heroes (or even villains), putting on the costume can be a real power trip. Haley remarks on how he felt on wearing the costume and being Rorschach.

“I remember one of the first days on the set there was a big 18 K light up behind [me],” recalled Haley, “and it was at the cemetery, and I’m getting ready to walk over to the grave, and [director] Zack [Snyder]’s calling roll and I looked down and there’s Rorschach’s shadow from that 18 K light just perfectly on the ground — and it’s me. I feel like I’m inside the graphic novel and I’m seeing Rorschach’s silhouette but I’m not just seeing Rorschach’s silhouette, I’m seeing my silhouette and it’s Rorschach’s! It was just wonderfully empowering.”

In the new trailer and Comic-Con 2008 clips, the ink blots on Rorschach's mask can be seen moving. The mask and costume have a life on their own and it is truly mesmerizing to watch. Most fanboys are extremely happy over this effect on the mask. Even Haley found it thrilling.

“Oh, I love it,” exclaimed Haley. “There was one thing that I saw a long time ago, it was one of the first tests, where Rorschach jumps up into that window and then the camera goes in for a close-up as he’s looking around…I don’t want to give too much away, but the blots were moving and it was just like, talk about empowering! And actually seeing it on a computer monitor was like, ‘Oh, that’s what’s totally going on with the face, okay cool.’”

"Watchmen" hits theaters March 6, 2009! More news to come! Catch ya' later!

New Moon

"Twilight" sequel "New Moon" has been greenlit and is ready to be made....for next year already!

Check out this article by Entertainment Weekly!

"Summit Entertainment has tentatively slated Nov. 20, 2009, as the release date for New Moon, the Twilight sequel, which means any director who signs on to replace Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke has to be in Vancouver by Dec. 15 to begin 12 weeks of preproduction before a mid-March start date. Reports have speculated that Hardwicke was fired for being difficult on set, but sources close to her suggest Summit's aggressive production schedule turned her off. 'She'd love to do the sequel if she could do it better than Twilight,' says one. 'It ­became clear that Summit didn’t have those same priorities.'

Another of Hardwicke’s primary concerns was that hunky vampire Edward remains MIA throughout New Moon’s middle portion. In her own opening-weekend interview, she told EW, 'You have to get the chemistry as strong ­between Jacob and Bella as it was between Bella and Edward. You also have to do ­some­thing with that arc: She’s in love with somebody, he disappears, she falls in love with someone else, and the first guy comes back. Movies like Pearl Harbor have tried it. It absolutely didn’t work.'


With or without Hardwicke, Summit ­faces other snags. Two sources tell EW the studio doesn’t want to rehire baby-faced Taylor Lautner (pictured) as Jacob, though Lautner’s agent has apparently reached out to the ­imaging company behind The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in an attempt to demonstrate to Summit how a digitally bulked-up Lautner could work. (Summit says it won’t make a decision until a new filmmaker is on board.) There’s also the matter of finding a cast of Native American actors to play Jacob’s werewolf clan — a difficult challenge Hardwicke was also faced with before ­settling on Lautner, who isn’t completely ­Native American. And with a slightly increased budget of $50 million — much of which is ­assumed will go to leads asking for heftier paydays, location shoots in Italy, and ramped-up F/X — Summit will have to scrimp somewhere."

So what are your thoughts on "New Moon" and this vamped up production schedule?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Personal Message

Hey readers, this is my first actual post that doesn't have to do with movies.
It deals with personal business.

My computer has been on the fritz for some time, but still works. So over the next three weeks I am sending it in to the shop for a check-up.

I will not be posting as regularly as I usually do since I will have to go on other computers to blog. Hopefully not too much movie news will come out over the holidays, but then again, Hollywood never sleeps.

Have a great holiday time and continue to read because more news will be up here, whether my computer is in the shop or not!

Also, someday in the future I will probably learn some computer skills and make this web site really professional looking. Either that or I will hire me a web programmer person. We will have to wait and see.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Universal Movie Shuffle

Universal has shuffled its slate of movies around so that some come earlier, some come later and others are pushed to the next year.

From Latino Review (which I think just got it from Variety),"Marking major changes to next year's slate, Universal Pictures has pushed back the release of horror franchise hopeful 'The Wolfman' from April 3 to Nov. 6 and taken Ridley Scott's 'Nottingham' out of 2009 entirely.

Also, Universal's 'The Fast and the Furious 4' will now open on April 3, instead of June 12.

'Nottingham,' toplining Russell Crowe, will open in 2010, but Universal did not set a specific date.

Universal said the reshuffling was the sensible thing to do, considering that "Fast 4" is completed, while the Brian Grazer-produced "Nottingham" won't start lensing until February or March.

And moving 'Wolfman' -- a reboot toplining Benicio Del Toro -- to Nov. 6 gives the film more of a high-profile release, as well as ample time for post-production. Pic is directed by Joe Johnston."

What do you think of these release changes?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Liev Schreiber a.k.a. Sabretooth

Liev Schreiber will be playing Sabretooth in the upcoming, highly anticipated film "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." There will be plenty of action and battles, but Schreiber thought it was hard to do fight scenes since he couldn't dance.

“To do fight scenes with Hugh [Jackman] was really terrific, because as a dancer, he has that kind of discipline and choreography,” said Schreiber in an exclusive interview which ran on SuperheroHype.com. “And I always studied to be a fight choreographer, and always wanted to be a dancer too, but didn’t quite have the feet for it. But we had some remarkable fight scenes together, and I’m looking forward to people seeing those.”

Schreiber is new to the world of comic and action movies (I remember him from "Scream 2" and "3" and also the remake of "The Manchurian Candidate"), he has always been a comic book fan.

“I was a fan of the comic books,” said Schreiber. “I just loved the character of Wolverine. I always have. That sort of deeply ironic and very urban sensibility in a superhero was something that I thought was really groundbreaking. And the style of writing was… particularly the very sort of editorial style. I just always loved it. And I think that we were able to capture some of that darkness in this movie, so I’m very proud of it.”

Being so green to the world of comic movies, was there anything now-veteran superhero flick actor Hugh Jackman could offer in terms of advice?

“Lift weights,” laughed Schreiber. “I did. I lifted weights, and I ate an army of chickens.”

Check out the rest of the interview at Superhero Hype!

How excited are you for "Wolverine?" Do you think Schreiber will be a good Sabretooth?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

UGO Movie Blog gathered a fact list on the third installment in the "Underworld" franchise.

"It is a prequel set prior to 'Underworld' and 'Underworld: Evolution,' covering the origins of some characters.
The prequel will trace the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires and their onetime slaves, the Lycans. In the Dark Ages, a young Lycan named Lucian emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor, the cruel vampire king who has enslaved them. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, Viktor’s daughter Sonja, in his battle against the Death Dealer army and his struggle for Lycan freedom."

December 2005: "Underworld: Evolution" director Len Wiseman explained that the Underworld franchise was originally conceived as a trilogy. Wiseman said, “We sort of mapped out an entire history and story… a massive collection of ideas and stories that we’re putting out at certain times.”

June 2006: Wiseman said, “The third film is going to be a prequel. It will be the origin story and we find out things we didn’t know about Lucian; he’ll have a much bigger part in it. It will be about the creation [of the races] and what started the war. It will be a period piece. The movie will also focus for the first time through the Lycans’ point of view.” The director also shared, “In terms of the writing, a lot of the writing has been done. We’ve been developing Underworld 3 for a while. I won’t be directing Underworld 3; I’m just going to be producing and writing.” When asked if Kate Beckinsale would reprise her role as Selene in the prequel, Wiseman said, “It will be in the time period before, but it will overlap into the creation of her as well. We’re in the process of seeing how far we go with that.”

There will NOT be any cameo in the film from Kate Beckinsale.

"Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" comes out Jan. 23, 2009!
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Dragon Ball Evolution

Now the official title for the film is "Dragon Ball Evolution," and this new trailer just hit the net.
Watch it before it is gone!



I swear I saw a Kamehameha (is that how you spell that?) in there! YES!

The film features Justin Chatwin as Goku, the hero of the film, as well as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” alum James Marsters as the villain, Lord Piccolo.
It comes out April 8, 2009.

We3

According to MTV News, "In Grant Morrison’s epic comic mini-series “We3,” a trio of common house pets are transformed into an elite squad of deadly, robotic assassins, armed to the paws with high-tech weaponry. So the fact that producer Don Murphy sought out a director who had experience working with ass-whoopin’ animals, well… the puns pretty much write themselves."

John Stevenson, director of the summer hit "Kung Fu Panda," will be directing the live-action film "We3." Even though his last film was fun for the whole family, this next project is going to be a bit more violent.

“We’re doing it as an R-rating,” said Murphy. “It’s not going to be cutesy. There’s killer rabbits and stuff. We’re in the process right now of trying to figure out where we’re going to make it.”

New Line Cinema, the company that the film is currently under, doesn't really take to these kinds of movies. So hopefully the film will start production soon.

“The new New Line doesn’t want to do these kinds of movies,” said Murphy. “We have two really good prospects. [Producer] Susan [Montford] was able to get this film going just based on the treatment before the comic so we’ve been on this a while.”

According to ShockTilYouDrop, "Written by Grant Morrison, who adapted his own source material, the action-packed, hyper-violent and heartbreaking story focuses on three test animals - a dog, a cat and a rabbit - who are infused into prototype combat suits equipped with various weaponry. Thanks to chips in their skulls, they're allowed to speak. This trio breaks free and We3 tells of their perilous return home. The series was released in 2004 and was illustrated by Frank Quitely."

Would you see this kind of movie? Do you feel that it should be made?

More news to come! Catch ya' later!

More Bourne 4 News

Matt Damon (Jason Bourne) and Paul Greengrass ("Supremacy" and "Ultimatum" director) have not yet signed on to do a fourth Bourne film, but one is still currently in the works.

Frank Marshall, producer of the films and also owns all the rights to the Robert Ludlum library, wants to make a fourth film, but not based on any more Bourne books.

See, Ludlum only wrote the original trilogy, but many other authors have been allowed to write from Ludlum's original works and to continue the adventures of Jason Bourne.

According to UGO Movie Blog, "Frank Marshall does not have the rights, per se, to Bourne. He has the rights to the works of Robert Ludlum. There are plenty o’ Bourne books out there that have yet to be made into films - but they are not Ludlum and, hence, not gonna be coming out from Marshall and (one would suspect) Damon/Greengrass. "The Parsifal Mosaic" is not a Bourne book - but it is a Ludlum spy novel."

Marshall wishes to make the foruth Bourne movie based on "The Parsifal Mosaic."

In an interview done by ComingSoon.net with Marshall, the producer described "The Parsifal Mosaic" as a story that "deals with a U.S. spy who falls in love with another spy who is revealed to be a double agent just before her death. When he retires from the business, though, the spy learns that she may still be alive and sets out to learn the truth."

Other interesting parts from the interview.

Q: Would this come at all from the new book, "The Bourne Betrayal"?

Marshall: No, the "Bourne Betrayal" was written by a friend of Ludlum's.... It had nothing to do with us.... We want to stay true to the original character.

Q: Any ideas for a "Bourne" title?

Marshall: Well, there's a lot of jokes. "Bourne Again," "Bourne Yesterday," "Bourne Free," "Bourne on the Fourth." I actually want to do that. Call it that and release the movie on the fourth.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!

TDTESS Director Interview

Latino Review had the chance to sit down with Scott Derrickson, director of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" remake coming out this Friday, and they discussed spiritual undertones, DVD release and CGI effects.

Here are some clips from the interview.

Do you see any sort of spiritual or religious undertones in the original or with your remake?

Derrickson: I don't think I would say yes to that question as you posed it. I don't think there's spiritual or religious undertones. There's no question that there's a strong Christ allegory in the character of Klaatu. That was something that was in the original, that he's kind of this Christ figure. In the original he literally dies and is literally resurrected. I liked that in the original film. He was called Mr. Carpenter and a lot has been made of that aspect of the original. That's part of what attracted me to the story. It fits this genre, this tale and I certainly don't think that it's something that should've been discarded. I don't think you could discard it. I don't think you can extract it from the story really. So I like that aspect of it and it's intriguing to me, but I don't think too much about it or try not to make too much out of that. I just think that's an interesting part of the story itself.

Was it hard for you to direct the scenes that are really CGI heavy?

Derrickson: Yeah, it was hard. It was something that I hadn't done before and had to really learn how to do it. I did a lot of research in the years before doing this film. I was hoping to move into bigger filmmaking because I like these kinds of films and so I knew theoretically a good amount about visual FX technology and what could be done and how it was being done in various films. But it's a whole other thing to actually do it. It's a lot of work.

Why did you guys leave out a back story for Gort because in the original they talk about building these guys to keep them in check. In the remake though we don't really know a whole lot about him except that he'll attack if Klaatu is getting attacked. Can you talk about that?

Derrickson: There's a short answer and a longer answer and I'll try to give you the short answer and the short version of the long answer. The short answer is that it wasn't in the script that was sent to me. To get it in there would've been a pretty massive thing, to put that into the story that was already written that I thought was a good update and a good adaptation of the original. However, it was something that I really considered because it's an incredibly cool thing. It's an incredibly cool idea from the original, the idea of these kinds of global cops. I liked that idea too. I talked about this earlier, but I still to this day cannot reconcile that philosophically. I have real problems with what that means in terms of the themes of the movie and what it has to say. I've done a lot of remembers and so I don't know if I've said this, but the thing that impacts me about the ending of the original is that's really a movie that's critical of war. It's a pro-peace movie and it's been accused of being a fascist movie because of Gort and because of the ending.

Do you have plans for the DVD?

Derrickson: There are a lot of plans. I don’t know what all of them are. I'm not working on it, but I know they're compiling a lot of stuff. I have to keep approving material, saying, 'Yeah, you can show this.' I'm just approving everything, like, 'Yeah, show whatever you want.' They wanted to know if it was okay to show all the bad versions of Gort that we were working on.

Go to Latino Review to check out the rest of the interview about Gort, religion in the film and possible other sci fi remakes.
"The Day the Earth Stood Still" comes out Dec. 12, 2008. Enjoy!

Hulk Vs.

Watch this trailer for two new animated DVDs coming out in January!

Green Hornet at Comic-Con 2009

Sci Fi Wire had a chance to interview actor Seth Rogen (Superbad, Pineapple Express, Zack and Miri Make a Porno) to discuss his upcoming film which he is writing and starring in, "The Green Hornet."

Rogen's goal is to have a clip or trailer for the film ready for the 2009 Comic-Con.

“Comic-Con is my favorite event of the year,” Rogen said in the Sci Fi Wire piece. “It’s more fun to me than the movie premieres, than anything. I love Comic-Con. All of our friends come down for it, and we just have a really good time, and it’s always a lot of fun. I would love nothing more than to be able to show something at Comic-Con.”

According to Rogen, there are a few problems with having that ready by then. One, filming hasn't started yet (it is planned on starting in May of 2009) and two, Rogen is having communication troubles with Stephen Chow (who will be both directing and acting as Kato in the movie).

“[Chow]’s given us a lot of ideas,” said Rogen. “His English is…well, we keep saying when we all come out of this, we will be great communicators. He’s made great strides, I will say. It presents its own challenges at times. We get along really, really well. We are really just starting the process, very little has actually been done. We’re actually in the very preliminary stages right now.”

"The Green Hornet" is set to hit theaters June 25, 2010!
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Dragon Ball

MTV News had a chance to interview actress Jamie Chung about her role in the upcoming film "Dragon Ball" (or "Dragon Ball Evolution") and to talk about reshoots.

“I think it’s just one scene that they’re gonna have to reshoot and it’s the end fight,” Chung said of what they were re-tooling. “I fortunately will not have to go back. I think it’s the big fight between Justin Chatwin and James Marsters.”

The final fight between Chatwin and Marsters will deal with the epic battle between Son Goku and the evil Lord Piccolo. An interesting part about "Dragon Ball" is how the names are a part of the comedy of the series, since names like Goku (I think it is noodles) and Vegeta (I think vegetables) are foods, but in America we don't get that.

“Like, ok, Chi Chi. I heard rumors [that] each character is named based off a fruit. So I was being interviewed by this guy from Japan, and I was like, ‘Is it true? Is Chi Chi a name for a Japanese fruit?’ He was like, ‘No…it’s kinda like an international saying for…’ ‘Oh right, boobs!’” Chung laughed of the unintentional comedy of her character’s name. “There’s no way around it! We shot it in Mexico so my trailer said Chi Chi. It’s a name I can’t seem to shake.”

I thought it stood for a childish way of saying mother...
Anyway, "Dragon Ball" (or whatever they are calling it now) is coming out April 8, 2008. Possible sequels are on the way with the entire main cast from this film!

“We’re signed on for two more,” Chung said. “Hopefully, I hope the movie does well. There’s lots of places that Fox wants to go with this.”

More news to come! Catch ya' later!

T4 Japanese Trailer

Get it while it is still online!



So many good quotes in there that I am going to start saying now.

EDIT: The American version. Plus, I believe the Japanese trailer is gone now.

Nolan on Batman 3

USA Today had the chance to interview Chris Nolan and discuss his thoughts on making the next Batman film.

"Since he took over the Batman franchise in 2005, Christopher Nolan has produced two No. 1 movies, generated $1.4 billion in worldwide ticket sales and created the second-highest-grossing film of all time in The Dark Knight.

So what's stopping him from making a third installment?

For starters, most third acts in Hollywood stink. Look at the disappointing threequels for 'The Godfather,' 'Superman' and the original 'Batman.' The conclusions weren't much better for the more recent 'Shrek,' 'Spider-Man' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean.'"

Trilogies are tough to make since the final film is usually supposed to give the grand finale that fans are expecting. Take "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings" for instance.

"I don't know why they're hard to do," Nolan says of making third films in trilogies. "Maybe there's so much expectation to them. But I wouldn't want to do one if it weren't going to be as good as the first or second. That's not respectful to the fans."

Out today is "The Dark Knight" on DVD and Blu-ray. I haven't checked it out myself, but I have researched the bonus material. There are no deleted scenes, bloopers or screen tests. That means no more extra scenes of the late Heath Ledger's Joker.

"For my past three films, I really haven't had scenes that didn't make it in the movie," Nolan said. "If it's in the final script, I tend put it on screen. I don't like outtakes or gag reels. I don't think it's respectful to the actors, who signed on to have their performance on screen, not the takes that didn't work out. It discourages actors from going all-out if they think every mistake is going on the disc."

According to the USA Today article, "Nolan says he is jotting notes and doing some rough outlines for a third story, but he hasn't yet found anything he's willing to commit to film, despite Warner Bros.' eagerness to get a new film underway."

"It was obvious when the box office was so big ($530 million domestically) that we had underestimated how ready fans were to reboot the franchise," Nolan said. "The worst thing you could do now that you've gotten the plane back in the air is mess up the landing."

How badly do you want Chris Nolan to make a Batman 3? DO you even want another Batman?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Behind the Scenes

Behind the scenes clips for "Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian" and "Monsters vs. Aliens."

Bond 23

Whether you liked "Quantum of Solace" or not, Bond will return to the screen someday and Daniel Craig will don his dark and gritty Bond persona.
But pray tell, what are Craig's thoughts on the next Bond?
Forster, director of "Quantum," wanted it to be the mid-part of a trilogy. Collider got to talk to Craig and asked if that was going to be the case.

“No f***ing way. I’m done with that story. I want to lie on a beach for the first half an hour of the next movie drinking a cocktail.”

Okay Mr. Craig. So you are down with Bond having sequels and want to start a new story. Bond origins have been told and he is ready to start something new. Craig had some more thoughts on where Bond should go next.

“We’ve finished this story as far as I’m concerned. We’ve got a great set of bad guys. There is an organization that we can use whenever we want to. The relationship between Bond and M is secure and Felix is secure. Let’s try and find where Moneypenny came from and where Q comes from. Let’s do all that and have some fun with it.”

So Mr. Craig, fans have been disappointed in not seeing Moneypenny and Q in these past Bond films, so you are suggesting bringing them in. The origins of Bond are told, now tell the origins of these characters. Sounds lovely. Wonder if we will ever learn the origins of M.

“We don’t know when we’re going to do the next Bond. Nobody’s thinking about it at the moment. We’re giving it a rest for the moment. If I can squeeze something in next year I will…but I haven’t figured out what that’ll be yet. But nothing in the cold.”

Great, can't wait for the next Bond movie even though I have yet to see Quantum. I enjoy the campy style of Connery and Brosnan, so "Casino Royale" was not high on my favorite Bond film lists. We will have to wait to hear more about Bond 23.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Other sources: FirstShowing.net, Screen Rant

Twilight Director Gone

I find this to be amusing and ironic.
The other day I was reading about what Catherine Hardwicke (director of "Twilight") thought about the book sequels to "Twilight" and now apparently she won't be involved with that franchise anymore.

According to ShockTilYouDrop.com,

"In the other books, Stephenie [Meyer] went in completely different directions. She created whole new back stories with the werewolves and everything. So in a way they're just automatically different, each book. She took it to a new place. She didn't rest on what was successful in the first book. So that's what I think the film would have to do, just take you on that journey.

"New Moon's really taking a whole other leap with this new story and there's really a lot of new characters in it. There's the werewolves which is pretty crazy. All the wolves. Then there's also going to Italy in the second book and there's motorcycle riding and cliff-jumping and diving.

"What Summit wants to do is make the next one right away - we don't want the kids to get any older because they're not supposed to age. They're vampires, they've got to stay young!"

Now (according to several different sources), Hardwicke is not going to return as director for the sequel to "Twiligt," "New Moon."

According to Variety, "'Twilight' scripter Melissa Rosenberg handed in a draft of 'New Moon' the weekend that 'Twilight' opened. Hardwicke wanted more time to work on it; Summit announced it was going ahead with 'New Moon' on November 22, with no director attached. Negotiations lasted two weeks before Hardwicke formally passed on the film Saturday.

As word spread through Hollywood agencies that the talks might not result in Hardwicke's return, reports surfaced that Summit was checking out other directors for the 'Twilight' franchise while they insisted they were still negotiating with Hardwicke, who delivered the biggest opening weekend ever for a woman. (CAA denies that they were soliciting other directors.) The movie is still going strong as the director and cast promote it overseas; it came in second this weekend with $13.2 million, grossing a total $138.6 million.

The problem that stalled negotiations was that Hardwicke had strong opinions about what to do with the next installment, and so did Summit. The debate was how to focus the adaptation of the second book, which deals more with giant werewolves than vampires, as well as the long depression of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), after her vampire lover (Rob Pattinson) leaves her. One issue was how to get more of teen heartthrob Pattinson into the film. (Rosenberg has figured out a device to achieve this.) But Hardwicke, burned out from her "Twilight" labors, simply wasn't willing to jam this movie with a script that still needed months of development."

"I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct 'New Moon,'" said Hardwicke. "Directing 'Twilight' has been one of the great experiences of my life, and I am grateful to the fans for their passionate support of the film. I wish everyone at Summit the best with the sequel -- it is a great story."

"Catherine did an incredible job in helping us to launch the 'Twilight' franchise, and we thank her for all of her efforts and we very much hope to work with her on future Summit projects," said Summit production prexy Erik Feig. "We as a studio have a mandate to bring the next installment in the franchise to the big screen in a timely fashion so that fans can get more of Edward, Bella and all of the characters that Stephenie Meyer has created. We are able to pursue an aggressive time frame as we have the luxury of only adapting the novels into screenplays as opposed to having to create a storyline from scratch."

Over at Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily, more talk of trouble on the set leads to different thoughts on why a different director is being chosen.

"The word from inside Summit is that Hardwicke, the acclaimed 'Thirteen' and 'Lords of Dogtown' and 'The Nativity Story' director, 'was 'difficult' and 'irrational' during the making of Twilight,' one insider explains to me. 'That doesn't mean anything when you're talking about a filmmaker because they all are, but still...' But an outside source also informs me, 'Summit didn't like her. They're saying the DP [director of photography] Elliot Davis is the one responsible for the film's sumptuous visual look, that the editor Nancy Richardson had to save the film in post-production, and Summit thought Hardwicke's [CAA] agent Beth Swofford was alternately ineffectual and hysterical. It certainly demonstrates, while CAA agents boast of their vast influence, how little clout and muscle they actually have, or are willing to use, to protect their artists.'"

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think this is a good decision for the "Twlight" franchise? Do you think it is bad for it? Or do you just not care?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Remake Vs. Original (TDTESS)

Over at FirstShowing.net, Alex Billington wrote an article discussing the differences between the original "The Day the Earth Stood Still" from 1951 and the new "The Day the Earth Stood Still" that opens this Friday (Alex already saw the remake and after that saw the original for the first time.)

Billington's article states that the original film is cheesy the the remake is a better film for modern times. Latino Review decided to do a rebuttal and showcase some quotes from First Showing's article and then give its own remarks on the original and remake films.

Here are some clips from the rebuttal (with the clips from the original article that the rebuttal addresses).

FS: Derrickson's remake is by no means a perfect film, but I gained a lot more appreciation for it after I saw how horrid and cheesy the original was. Sure it was a great film for its time, maybe, but it's no longer 1951. And in 2008, watching it for the very first time, I wondered how anyone could still enjoy it and yet stomp all over Derrickson's remake? Maybe I just grew up loving the spectacle of movies more than the story; Home Alone and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were the films that defined me and my generation when I was a kid. That doesn't discredit me, that just means I have an opinion that may differ from everyone.

This is the main issue I have with this opinion piece. Movies are story driven works of art. If the story is bad, the film is bad. Plain and simple. Oh sure, you can make exceptions to this rule; any of the Rambo films comes to mind where substance is substituted for story, but to say that you love the "spectacle of movies more than the story" is the reason today's movies are so dumbed down.

Studios love this type of audience. The type that leaves their brain at the door, and sits in awe as explosions happen around them, all the while ignoring the fact that the dialogue was written poorly and the plot is asinine. (Any Michael Bay movie comes to mind) How do you discredit story for spectacle? Because there's a man wearing a tin suit, your imagination is so limited, you cannot see him as being from outer space? I suppose the early works of Mickey Mouse should be discredited as well because they're in black & white and not CGI.

I'm going to post this from Wikipedia because I think it's important in regards to the original movie: The film's explicit message of peace, in combination with its dark outlook regarding human society, struck a chord with audiences, earning it lasting acclaim. The movie is ranked seventh in Arthur C. Clarke's List of the Best Science-Fiction Films of All Time, just above Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, for which Clarke himself wrote the screenplay. In 1995, The Day the Earth Stood Still was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". In 2008, it was voted as the fifth best science fiction film ever made as part of the AFI's 10 Top 10.[10]

The fact that it's no longer 1951 should not be a reason to discredit the original. Its message holds as true today as it did back then. We're a war planet. We always have been. We've amassed technology to a degree that we can destroy ourselves within minutes. How does the message of the original still not stick to today's society?

FS: Lastly, I want to make the claim that in the remake, the message in it is not necessarily about our environment. Here's where I think some brilliance shines through with the remake. As far as I can recall, never once does Klaatu or anyone in the remake ever mention the environment or that certain things (like cars or factories) are causing the Earth to die. He just mentions that humans, and humanity, are killing Earth. I thought it was brilliant that screenwriter (David Scarpa) allowed for this kind of open interpretation, even though most naive moviegoers won't think about it. They'll instantly connect it with the environment.

Moviegoers will connect it to the environment because it's not about ultimate fighting or the economy. If it's not about the environment, then why is this Fox's first "Green" production? With new energy saving generators and a paperless set? Even the director had to use digital storyboards, something he himself found challenging. If it's not about the environment, then what's killing the earth? Big Macs? This is a script that was affected by the writer's strike, and you see that in the final product.

FS: In the original, they also allowed for a similar bit of interpretation, but it connected with the time that the movie came out because Klaatu actually mentions atomic power and violence as his concerns. And at the time, that's what people were afraid of the most.

Wait, we're still not afraid of blowing ourselves up? Guess we don't have to concern ourselves with Iran or North Korea acquiring nuclear capability then. You know, because atomic power and violence aren't issues we're still faced with today. Guess those suicide bombings in the Middle East are just clumsy bomb carriers who keep tripping on their own devices. The message is just as important today as it was back then.

And I understand how totalitarian the original seemed with it's ultimatum, and how that shouldn't apply to the remake. That you should be left to an open interpretation. But that's what made the original soooo cool. Aliens coming down and telling us to straighten our shit out. (Swear word goal completed.)


Click here to read the rest of the rebuttal which contain Keanu Reeves's acting, Jaden Smith's acting and how the remake's script compares to the original. Enjoy!
Make your own decision and see "The Day the Earth Stood Still" this Friday!