Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this week!

Gamer - Set in a future-world where humans can control other humans in mass-scale, multi-player online gaming environments, a star player (Butler) from a game called "Slayers" looks to regain his independence while taking down the game's mastermind (Hall).

Extract - The owner of a flower-extract plant (Bateman), tries to contend with myriad personal and professional problems, such as his potentially unfaithful wife (Wiig), a hot new temp (Kunis), and employees who want to take advantage of him.

Carriers - Four young people speed across the Southwestern U.S. in a desperate attempt to outrun a viral pandemic. Over the course of a few days, tough moral decisions will have to be made if they have any chance at survival.

All About Steve - After Mary Horowitz (Bullock) has one date with a CNN cameraman (Cooper), the brilliant crossword-puzzle constructor decides the hunk is her true love. While she alienates him by trailing him all over the country, she falls in with a crew of misfits who appreciate her eccentric nature.

Movies coming out on DVD and Blu-ray!

State of Play
Earth

Box Office results for the weekend!

1 The Final Destination$28.3 M

2 Inglorious Basterds $20.0 M

3 Halloween II $17.4 M

4 District 9 $10.7 M

5 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra $8.0 M

6 Julie & Julia $7.4 M

7 The Time Traveler's Wife $6.7 M

8 Shorts $4.8 M

9 Taking Woodstock $3.7 M

10 G-Force $2.8 M

Clearly the 3-D helped "Final Destination" make its way to the top (paying that extra money helps them, not you). The big question is can survive until next weekend? Probably not.

"Inglourious Basterds" actually is doing well and shows off its staying power. People like Tarantino.

Maybe not Rob Zombie so much because "Halloween 2" failed to deliver on its predecessor (which may be the real reason this movie failed since people didn't like it).

Other films keep falling except for the other opening last weekend, "Taking Woodstock." It didn't have a spectacular opening because hippies have kind of died out, but Woodstock lives forever.

Next weekend I expect "Gamer" to dominate only because of the rise of video games.

Rose McGowan Still Planning to be in 'Red Sonja'

In June, executive producer Joe Gatta assured us that the "Red Sonja" film project was still alive and said it would be filmed next year.

Rose McGowan was cast in the title role of the Marvel Comics warrior heroine, who began as a secondary character in a "Conan the Barbarian" comic and is known as the 'she devil with a sword.'

The film was announced in 2008 and was set to film that year. But then McGowan split up with Robert Rodriguez, who was producing the movie (which will be directed by his long-time associate Douglas Aarniokoski), and the economy took a nosedive. It led to the movie being put on hold.

McGowan, who's since got back together with Rodriguez, has been speaking about her involvement with the project on her Twitter page.

She admits she had earlier dropped out of the film for 'personal reasons' - probably her break-up with Rodriguez.

First she explained: "Just this once I'll address questions about 'Red Sonja' & others I was meant to do in 2008. Major personal & private reasons I pulled out. Starting to want to work again. Sometimes real life f***ing sucks. That's all. God bless us survivors."

And then she elaborated: "I am still contracted to do 'Red Sonja.' Hopefully filming in 2010 not 2009.

"To clarify press reports: 'Red Sonja' is delayed. I pulled out of doing it in '09. Not permanently. Hopefully will follow 'Conan.'"

The new "Red Sonja" film had been intended to go into production before the big-screen "Conan" remake, now being directed by Marcus Nispel after Brett Ratner was unable to do it.

Hopefully the "Conan" remake will be successful enough to get more production done for "Red Sonja." This film won't be out for another 3-4 years at least.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: The Geek Files

'Avatar' May Be Sued Over Visual Similarities to 'Delgo'

James Cameron's sci-fi flick "Avatar" has been marketed on its thrilling 3-D CGI visuals and hailed as the future of filmmaking, but it looks like another movie did it all before.

In 2008, the animated fantasy "Delgo" bombed at the box office with the worst opening weekend on record. The $4 0million movie opened with just $512,000. It was pulled from cinemas after only a week on release, making a total of just $695,000 in the USA.

But Cameron's much-anticipated "Avatar" bears a remarkable resemblance to the movie, so much so that "Delgo's" makers Fathom Studios are considering a lawsuit.

"From what we have seen, we are amazed by the visual similarities between the two films," Atlanta-based Fathom Studios said in a press release. "We are considering what legal options may be available to us."
The lawsuit idea originally came from S.T. VanAirsdale's piece at Movieline headlined "The 7 Eeriest Parallels Between Avatar and Delgo." In it, VanAirsdale compares the two films by stating each has heroic male leads who run through the woods, tough but emotional female leads, the female leads flying on creatures, aircraft zooming through floating rocks, big monsters threatening the heroes, alien warriors shouting battle cries and a love story.

Cameron has claimed his film has been in the planning stages since the late 90s, although production did not officially begin until 2006. However, the creators of "Delgo" reportedly posted concept imagery on their website as far back as 1998.
It's been pointed out by some that Fox, the distributor for "Avatar," is also distributing "Delgo" on DVD (it came out on August 4) and that this may be just a cynical marketing ploy.

You can see some "Delgo" vs. "Avatar" comparison shots above, and the rest at this Web site. What do you think?

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: The Geek Files

'Green Hornet' Delayed Again!

This isn't surprising. When Stephen Chow announced that he wouldn't be starring as Kato in Seth Rogen and Michel Gondry's adaptation of "The Green Hornet," they didn't move the release date even though they are mere weeks away from the beginning of principal photography.

It's a large-scale movie compared to films that can be rushed. Not to mention that "The Green Hornet" isn't necessarily one of those properties that is going to have audiences flooding in to see it without the right marketing push. The older audience who remember "The Green Hornet" are not the same people that classify themselves Seth Rogen fans.

Regardless, it looked like "The Green Hornet" was going to be rushed, and this after Sony moved the release date once already. The planned release for the film was on June 25, 2010, but Sony's Adam Sandeler comedy "Grown Ups" moved into that slot and pushed "The Green Hornet" to July 25 where it would have to face off against "Despicable Me" and possibly "Predators."

Box Office Mojo reports "The Green Hornet" will now release on December 17, 2010 instead of the previously announced July 7, 2010 date. HitFix.com got in touch with Rogen regarding the change and it seems the move is purely a marketing strategy allowing for the film to have a Comic Con 2010 appearance.

"We're both relieved and psyched about the change," Rogen said. "It gives more time for post, which would have been immensely rushed if we were to come out in the summer. It also affords us more time to promote the film, (now we can go to Comic-Con with more than a car!) and ultimately is a great vote of confidence from the studio. We got the same date that movies like 'I Am Legend' and 'Avatar' are getting, so we're thrilled to be there."

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Latino Review, Rope of Silicon, Hitfix

Kate Beckinsale Not Sure About 'Underworld 4'

I'm starting to get confused on all the "Underworld 4" news popping up in the past month. First it was that "Underworld 4" would be coming our way in 3-D, and later that it would launch a second trilogy. We also heard the good news that it would bring back the star of the franchise, Kate Beckinsale, into her death-dealing role of Selene, the leather-clad vampire gunslinger.

At a Beverly Hills press conference for her upcoming thriller, "Whiteout," Beckinsale was asked about her involvement in the next "Underworld" installment and she said that she had not signed on for another movie yet.

“I don’t know anything about a '4th Underworld.' I don’t know anything about that at this point.”

Kate was then asked to clarify if she knew anything about "Underworld 4."

“I know they have…it was always conceived as a trilogy, which I was never going to be in the third one. I think if they came up with an amazing script I wouldn’t be adverse to it. But it’s not planned or anything.”

So she admits to knowing about it and would do it if the script’s good. What about a trilogy of new films?

“God, three whole more!”

“I don’t think my daughter needs to see my bottom in rubber for another ten years. But I don’t know, I’ve heard they’re talking about a 4th one, but I don’t know if that’s officially happening or it’s that a rumor. As far as I’m concerned it’s just a rumor.”

I still expect her to return to the role. She’s completed filming "Everybody’s Fine" with Robert De Niro and only has one other project ("April 23") listed in development. The franchise needs to bring back the star and she doesn’t have much else on her plate.

Fans want to see her back, the studio would like her back, the film will make an easy profit and it will giver her some more stardom - Wins all around.

As we said earlier, there’s no official confirmation either way on this yet, but "Underworld 4" does have an official release date of January 21, 2011.

Check out Kate Beckinsale in "Whiteout," opening September 11, 2009.
The trailer for it is below and the only good part of it is when Beckinsale is in the shower (oh, now you really want to watch it, don't you?).


More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant

Plot Details Revealed for 'POTC 4'

Hollywood Elsewhere has supposedly confirmed the premise of "Pirates pf the Caribbean 4." The plot is said to be “locked in” at this point.

The film might be good because it can go in an entirely different direction than the previous films in the franchise. But we could just as easily end up with another "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" regarding the plot (the rumored plot points are very similar).

"POTC 4" will again center on Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Co., this time as they search for the fabled Fountain of Youth. At the same time, a “Captain Nemo” style villain outfitted with advanced (for pirate times) technology tries to beat them to the punch.

Hollywood Elsewhere has made the early claim that this new villain adds a sort of steampunk element to the story. Frankly, after all the pirates/magic/monsters nonsense of "Dead Man’s Chest" and "At World’s End," I would welcome a little steampunk tech into the Pirates universe. However, like what was mentioned earlier, that kind of angle - old world meets new - leaves the film vulnerable to "Crystal Skull" syndrome.

If George Lucas had had his way early on in pre-production, "Indy 4" would’ve centered on a Fountain of Youth plot. See where the similarities now lie? Though Indiana Jones and Jack Sparrow are completely different characters, both are set in past time periods and both find mystical objects.

What made "Curse of the Black Pearl" so good was that it stood well by itself (a complete and uncomplicated story that was well told and hit all the right notes). It really was an adventure in the same vein of "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
If the filmmakers don’t try to overextend themselves, "POTC 4" could reclaim some of the lost glory of the franchise. I wonder if leaving Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom out of the film will actually help make the new movie better.

"Pirates of the Caribbean 4" is rumored to start shooting next year with "Chicago" director Rob Marshall supposedly directing.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant

'Spawn' Cartoon Will Return

Even as Todd McFarlane concentrates on his live-action "Spawn" screenplay, McFarlane still wants to see his caped hero return to animation.

The delay of "Spawn" returning to animation has been because of legal issues, but those unspecified hurdles may be out of the way now as the Image Comics co-founder and toy company chief looks forward to next year.

"For those that've asked, the 'Spawn' animated show will be back in Hollywood's face in 2010," McFarlane posted on Twitter. "Legal issues delayed it past few years."

"Spawn" already saw a three-season run on HBO in animated form, where the title anti-hero was voiced by actor Keith David, but has been on hiatus from the 'toon world since 1999. A decade later McFarlane is eyeing a return, but precisely what form that takes will remain to be seen.

Previously, McFarlane named Leonardo DiCaprio as his first choice as a lead actor in his R-rating-worthy screenplay, but he hasn't yet tweeted if he'd like to see a continuation of the HBO series or a complete reboot.

Would you like the new animated series continue where the HBO show left off or start the story of "Spawn" over again?

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News

'Magdalena' Screenwriter Interview

Last we heard about the film "Magdalena," the upcoming adaptation of the Top Cow property, it had landed "Midnight Meat Train" director Ryûhei Kitamura to helm the project, with "The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations" writer Holly Brix penning the screenplay.

Chronicling the adventures of a direct descendant of Mary Magdalene who protects the world against evil using a variety of supernatural powers, "Magdalena" already has its stars in "Step Up" actress Jenna Dewan (playing the heroine, Patience) and "Hellboy II" actor Luke Goss (playing Patience's mentor, Kristof).

MTV News had the chance to interview Brix about the current status of the script.
Here are some highlights:

Is there a particular storyline you have in mind for the film? Is there a certain arc you’ve identified for adapting?

Obviously, I read all the comics and we talked about different versions of the story, but the one I found most compelling was Patience—her arc in becoming the Magdalena. We decided to focus the movie on her. It’s the transfer of power from her mother’s reign as the Magdalena to hers.

The comparison everyone’s making with the film is that it’s a mix of “The DaVinci Code” and various action movies like “Wanted.” Is that a fair comparison for what you’re planning?

I do. It’s definitely a supernatural action movie, so I think ‘DaVinci Code’ is a good reference as far as all the Catholicism in it. But in addition to that story, it’s also a really straightforward action movie.

There’s not a lot of secret codes to unlock and that sort of thing.

Magdalena made more than a few cameos in other Top Cow comics, and various Top Cow characters made cameos in her stories. Any of that happening in the movie?

You never know. At this point, we haven’t worked that in, but we’re certainly adding a lot of elements that weren’t in the source material. I know in the Top Cow universe, she appears in the other comics and vice versa, so I think there could be an opportunity for that. But right now, nothing is set in stone.

Action movies with female leads have had a rough time finding an audience in the past. Are you worried about that with “Magdalena”?

The movie’s never really been a female action movie, because of Kristof. It’s more of a two-hander. He’s a huge character in it. He’s definitely her mentor and fights right alongside her and teaches her everything she knows.

They go the whole movie together. He doesn’t drop out somewhere along the way.

We always envisioned it as a two-hander. she’s the one with the superpowers—the supernatural element of the story is her—but he’s definitely right there alongside her the whole film, so it could easily be considered his film as well.
So is it more of a “buddy cop”-style film?

Well, there’s not really a romantic storyline. They’re pursuing the same objective, and I don’t want to say it’s like ‘48 Hours,’ but it is sort of like that. They both have arcs, they’re both right in the foreground, and I consider the story both of theirs.

We’re definitely trying to set it apart from some of the other movies where they haven’t had that compelling male lead, too.

So do you have an ETA for the script and when production might start?

We’ll probably have a draft done within six weeks, and then hopefully we’ll get financing pretty quickly and can start setting a date for when we can shoot this. I think everyone’s committed to having a quick turnaround.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News