Welcome to a Last Reel Buffet. Today's menu consists of a little of this and a little of that.
I'm really looking forward to the return of director Brian De Palma. It's been 4 years since he's had a film in theaters. His latest, The Black Dahlia, is about the gruesome killing of Elizabeth Short, aka The Black Dahlia. The tragic death of Ms. Short may have happened back in 1947, but the fascination with the case has never really gone away. Judging from the trailer (Windows Media QuickTime)--the film appears to showcase, just how good De Palma can be as a director, if given good material to work with. As we await the September 15th, 2006 release date, take a quick peek behind the scenes....
The initial trailer for The Departed (Quicktime) has hit the net. The film reunites director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio for a third time, following The Aviator (2004) and Gangs of New York (2002) Will the third time be the charm and win Scorsese a long overdue Academy Award? I can't say for sure--but the film looks very good and it has a great cast... The film is set to open on October 6th 2006
Oliver Stone's World Trade Center opens today across the country...The reviews for the film about 9/11 are very positive---with a "fresh" rating of 70% on Rotten Tomatoes... I'm pulling for this movie to do very well. As I have stated before We Need To Be Reminded Of What Happened On That Horrible Day...
I Blog About Movies So That You Do Not Have To...Posting industry news opinion our film reviews & trailers. Comments are always welcome and appreciated. Send them to thelastreel@comcast.net
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
"Daylight" Savings Time
Several of sci-fi author Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) has had several of his stories adapted for the big screen. Richard Linklater's take on A Scanner Darkly being the most recent example...
Now comes word that a biopic is being prepped about the man himself. And as an avid reader of PKD-- I couldn't be happier about who may play him in the film.
Pamela McClintock of Variety shares the good news:
Paul Giamatti is in negotiations to star as sci-fi author Philip K. Dick in an untitled biopic that his newly launched [production company] Touchy Feely Films is producing with Anonymous Content.
Authorized biopic also is being produced by the Philip K. Dick Estate through its Electric Shepherd Prods.
Tony Grisoni ("Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas") will write the screenplay.
Dick, who died in 1982, penned more than four dozen books and numerous short stories, with at least seven being adapted for the big screen, including "Blade Runner," "Total Recall" and "Minority Report"...
The nontraditional biopic will interweave the prolific author's life with his fiction and incorporate elements of his last unfinished novel, "The Owl in Daylight."...
Giamatti is onscreen in M. Night Shyamalan's "Lady in the Water" and provides one of the voices in "The Ant Bully."...
As a fan of actor Paul Giamatti, I think that he will do very well in the role--Anything to get rid of that horrible aftertaste left over by Lady in the Water [Shiver]!!!
Now comes word that a biopic is being prepped about the man himself. And as an avid reader of PKD-- I couldn't be happier about who may play him in the film.
Pamela McClintock of Variety shares the good news:
Paul Giamatti is in negotiations to star as sci-fi author Philip K. Dick in an untitled biopic that his newly launched [production company] Touchy Feely Films is producing with Anonymous Content.
Authorized biopic also is being produced by the Philip K. Dick Estate through its Electric Shepherd Prods.
Tony Grisoni ("Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas") will write the screenplay.
Dick, who died in 1982, penned more than four dozen books and numerous short stories, with at least seven being adapted for the big screen, including "Blade Runner," "Total Recall" and "Minority Report"...
The nontraditional biopic will interweave the prolific author's life with his fiction and incorporate elements of his last unfinished novel, "The Owl in Daylight."...
Giamatti is onscreen in M. Night Shyamalan's "Lady in the Water" and provides one of the voices in "The Ant Bully."...
As a fan of actor Paul Giamatti, I think that he will do very well in the role--Anything to get rid of that horrible aftertaste left over by Lady in the Water [Shiver]!!!
Escape Clause
Over the weekend, various film websites were buzzing about a story that appeared on Bloody Disgusting, concerning the rumored cinematic return of anti-hero Snake Plissken.
The story, as originally reported, went something like this:
Director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell have had meetings as early as last week over at Paramount and they are mulling over the idea of bringing to life a script that was written around eight years ago called Escape from Earth.
The rumor also stated that Russell is requiring Paramount to do the third Plissken film as part of negotiating a three picture deal with the actor.
After I read that blurb, I got all excited at the prospect of another Plissken adventure, on the big screen. The first film in the series, 1981's Escape From New York, is among my favorites from Carpenter's filmography---Not to mention, it's as Plissken, that Russell is at his best...I know, I know, the first sequel--Escape From LA (1996) was a disappointment--to say the least. That said, it's still Russell's greatest role.
My excitement about a third film, was short lived, after I read a post by Aint It Cool's Moriarty from last night on the subject, totally debunking the story:
...the rumor that ESCAPE FROM EARTH... the second sequel to ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK.., it ain’t true. Not a word of it.
Oh, sure, John Carpenter mentioned ESCAPE FROM EARTH as a possibility several times when he was doing press for ESCAPE FROM LA, and I remember when [series producer] Debra Hill was actively working to resuscitate the Snake Plissken franchise through comic books. Fans are obviously still very fond of the character and the possibility of a sequel based on the volume of mail we got [some 3,885,574,672 e-mails-Wow!!] about it. Hell, even our very own Vern wrote me a sternly-worded letter in which he demanded that I get the truth sorted out immediately.
We were already working on it, though. We got the same e-mail Bloody Disgusting did that set this whole thing off. There were things in the e-mail that immediately struck me as false, so I reached out to John to ask him to either confirm or deny the possibility. The guy wrote about how Kurt Russell wanted Paramount to make this film before he’d sign a three-picture deal with them. The thing is, studios aren’t really in the habit of making “three-picture” deals with anyone anymore, especially not with a guy like Russell who, while undeniably cool, is hardly box-office magic. Also, Russell doesn’t pitch projects. He only meets on films that have a greenlight and that have a money offer on the table. Even if it is Carpenter, the film would have to be set up somewhere before Kurt would get involved.
But don’t take my word for it. Carpenter himself shot the entire rumor down today when we spoke. “ESCAPE FROM EARTH" is an idea we had several years ago, but it never really got any further than that,” he said. When I asked him if he’d met at Paramount, he just laughed. “Nope.”
In an e-mail, his wife and producer Sandy King also emphasized how untrue the story was.
”John has just spent a rousing week playing Tom Clancy's war video games and smoking in his favorite chair and eating fried chicken. Need I say more?”...
Sheesh! Whoever sent Bloody D that email as an anonymous scoop should be beat with a wet noodle and hung by his toes.
The story, as originally reported, went something like this:
Director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell have had meetings as early as last week over at Paramount and they are mulling over the idea of bringing to life a script that was written around eight years ago called Escape from Earth.
The rumor also stated that Russell is requiring Paramount to do the third Plissken film as part of negotiating a three picture deal with the actor.
After I read that blurb, I got all excited at the prospect of another Plissken adventure, on the big screen. The first film in the series, 1981's Escape From New York, is among my favorites from Carpenter's filmography---Not to mention, it's as Plissken, that Russell is at his best...I know, I know, the first sequel--Escape From LA (1996) was a disappointment--to say the least. That said, it's still Russell's greatest role.
My excitement about a third film, was short lived, after I read a post by Aint It Cool's Moriarty from last night on the subject, totally debunking the story:
...the rumor that ESCAPE FROM EARTH... the second sequel to ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK.., it ain’t true. Not a word of it.
Oh, sure, John Carpenter mentioned ESCAPE FROM EARTH as a possibility several times when he was doing press for ESCAPE FROM LA, and I remember when [series producer] Debra Hill was actively working to resuscitate the Snake Plissken franchise through comic books. Fans are obviously still very fond of the character and the possibility of a sequel based on the volume of mail we got [some 3,885,574,672 e-mails-Wow!!] about it. Hell, even our very own Vern wrote me a sternly-worded letter in which he demanded that I get the truth sorted out immediately.
We were already working on it, though. We got the same e-mail Bloody Disgusting did that set this whole thing off. There were things in the e-mail that immediately struck me as false, so I reached out to John to ask him to either confirm or deny the possibility. The guy wrote about how Kurt Russell wanted Paramount to make this film before he’d sign a three-picture deal with them. The thing is, studios aren’t really in the habit of making “three-picture” deals with anyone anymore, especially not with a guy like Russell who, while undeniably cool, is hardly box-office magic. Also, Russell doesn’t pitch projects. He only meets on films that have a greenlight and that have a money offer on the table. Even if it is Carpenter, the film would have to be set up somewhere before Kurt would get involved.
But don’t take my word for it. Carpenter himself shot the entire rumor down today when we spoke. “ESCAPE FROM EARTH" is an idea we had several years ago, but it never really got any further than that,” he said. When I asked him if he’d met at Paramount, he just laughed. “Nope.”
In an e-mail, his wife and producer Sandy King also emphasized how untrue the story was.
”John has just spent a rousing week playing Tom Clancy's war video games and smoking in his favorite chair and eating fried chicken. Need I say more?”...
Sheesh! Whoever sent Bloody D that email as an anonymous scoop should be beat with a wet noodle and hung by his toes.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Victory Lap
The winner of the latest weekend brawl at the American cineplex is...
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby...and by a pretty hefty sum at that
Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo writes
Talladega Nights out-paced Will Ferrell's previous track record with an estimated $47 million, while Barnyard [in 2nd place with $16 million] milked more than expected...
You can go here to read Gray's complete weekend wrap-up
In an article called Will's wheels fill tills, Ben Fritz of Variety, says raking in that $47 mil makes 'Talladega' year's best laffer opening
And finally Entertainment Weekly's Joshua Rich stays on that same track with "Ricky Bobby" wins the race--adding No. 1 "Talladega Nights" is Will Ferrell's biggest debut to date
Despite it's huge haul in ticket sales over the weekend, as I watch the trailer for Talladega Nights, I can't escape the feeling that it includes the film's best yucks....
Up next: Oliver Stone revisits both the horror and courage of September 11th 2001 in World Trade Center (opening this Wednesday)...
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby...and by a pretty hefty sum at that
Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo writes
Talladega Nights out-paced Will Ferrell's previous track record with an estimated $47 million, while Barnyard [in 2nd place with $16 million] milked more than expected...
You can go here to read Gray's complete weekend wrap-up
In an article called Will's wheels fill tills, Ben Fritz of Variety, says raking in that $47 mil makes 'Talladega' year's best laffer opening
And finally Entertainment Weekly's Joshua Rich stays on that same track with "Ricky Bobby" wins the race--adding No. 1 "Talladega Nights" is Will Ferrell's biggest debut to date
Despite it's huge haul in ticket sales over the weekend, as I watch the trailer for Talladega Nights, I can't escape the feeling that it includes the film's best yucks....
Up next: Oliver Stone revisits both the horror and courage of September 11th 2001 in World Trade Center (opening this Wednesday)...
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Dates They Are A Changin'
Something must be in the Hollywood water supply...In recent days, a lot of studio heads have seen fit to play around with the release schedule, for many of their high profile flicks for 2007 and 2008 Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons shares the current list.
Here's a breakdown of the most recent shifts, with Warner Bros. in particular announcing [the most changes to] its line-up...
The Roland Emmerich-directed epic "10,000 B.C." has been delayed six months from July 27th 2007 to December 14th 2007
Jodie Foster revenge pic "The Brave One" has been delayed four months from June 22nd 2007 to October 12th 2007
The Nicole Kidman/Daniel Craig "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" remake "The Visiting" has been pushed back from early 2007 to November 2nd 2007
[A] Kal Penn-led comedy "The Namesake" has been delayed six months from September 20th to March 9th 2007
The Kevin Kline gritty drama "Trade" has been delayed six months from October 13th to April 2007
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", the sixth film in the series, has already set a November 21st 2008 release date
A sequel to CG animated comedy "Madagascar" is aiming for a November 7th 2008 release
[The] Will Smith-led post-apocalyptic "I Am Legend" hits November 21st 2007
[The] Vince Vaughn comedy "Fred Claus" has been set for November 9th 2007
Dimension is set to release their remake of the classic "Halloween" on October 19th 2007
Universal has set a release date for the Justin Timberlake led ensemble drama "Alpha Dog" on January 12th 2007 {not a good sign--this movie has seemingly been finished forever ago-T}
The Gerard Butler-led thriller "Priest" opens August 17th 2007
Sony's children fantasy epic "Waterhorse" is now scheduled for a December 7th 2007 release
Horror remake "One Missed Call" is scheduled for August 24th 2007
[The] Parker Posey & Amy Poehler comedy "Spring Breakdown" will party on April 20th 2007
Billy Bob Thornton comedy "The Astronaut Farmer" is now scheduled for launch on January 12th 2007
Rom-com "License to Wed" will open next July 4th, the move seen as counterprogramming to big budget actioneer "Transformers".
Got all that? I hope so. There will be a pop quiz on all of this sometime soon
Here's a breakdown of the most recent shifts, with Warner Bros. in particular announcing [the most changes to] its line-up...
The Roland Emmerich-directed epic "10,000 B.C." has been delayed six months from July 27th 2007 to December 14th 2007
Jodie Foster revenge pic "The Brave One" has been delayed four months from June 22nd 2007 to October 12th 2007
The Nicole Kidman/Daniel Craig "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" remake "The Visiting" has been pushed back from early 2007 to November 2nd 2007
[A] Kal Penn-led comedy "The Namesake" has been delayed six months from September 20th to March 9th 2007
The Kevin Kline gritty drama "Trade" has been delayed six months from October 13th to April 2007
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", the sixth film in the series, has already set a November 21st 2008 release date
A sequel to CG animated comedy "Madagascar" is aiming for a November 7th 2008 release
[The] Will Smith-led post-apocalyptic "I Am Legend" hits November 21st 2007
[The] Vince Vaughn comedy "Fred Claus" has been set for November 9th 2007
Dimension is set to release their remake of the classic "Halloween" on October 19th 2007
Universal has set a release date for the Justin Timberlake led ensemble drama "Alpha Dog" on January 12th 2007 {not a good sign--this movie has seemingly been finished forever ago-T}
The Gerard Butler-led thriller "Priest" opens August 17th 2007
Sony's children fantasy epic "Waterhorse" is now scheduled for a December 7th 2007 release
Horror remake "One Missed Call" is scheduled for August 24th 2007
[The] Parker Posey & Amy Poehler comedy "Spring Breakdown" will party on April 20th 2007
Billy Bob Thornton comedy "The Astronaut Farmer" is now scheduled for launch on January 12th 2007
Rom-com "License to Wed" will open next July 4th, the move seen as counterprogramming to big budget actioneer "Transformers".
Got all that? I hope so. There will be a pop quiz on all of this sometime soon
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Let The Sunshine In
The independent feature film, Little Miss Sunshine, takes center stage in the August 11th issue of Entertainment Weekly
Article writer Josh Rottenberg takes us behind the scenes with the film's eclectic cast and its directing duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris:
At first, Abigail Breslin thought there was some kind of emergency. One minute, she was sitting at the back of a theater at last January's Sundance Film Festival, where her movie, Little Miss Sunshine, was having its premiere. The next minute, the credits were starting to roll and the entire audience was suddenly leaping to its feet and making a raucous commotion. If you're a 9-year-old kid from New York, you see 1,200 people jumping out of their seats and your brain instinctively goes into evacuation mode. ''I thought, 'Fire! Fire!''' Breslin says now with a giggle at a Beverly Hills restaurant, her small hands cupped around a mug of hot cocoa nearly the width of her head.
There was no fire, of course. But in that moment, as Little Miss Sunshine — a bittersweet comedy about an oddball family's road trip to a beauty pageant in a banged-up VW bus — received a rapturous standing ovation, a blaze of buzz was sparked, the kind that makes industry dealmakers start hyperventilating and frantically punching at the keypads of their Blackberries. Something about the odyssey of the disaster-prone Hoover clan won the audience's affection beyond all expectations. By the next morning, following a bidding war that raged until the wee hours, the distribution rights to the film had been snapped up by Fox Searchlight for $10.5 million, the highest price ever fetched at Sundance. Little Miss Sunshine quickly became the banner-headline story of the festival, heralded as a fresh, acerbically funny take on the dysfunctional-family road movie, sort of a National Lampoon's Vacation for the National Public Radio crowd. ''In 40 years of doing film and theater, I'd never experienced anything like the reaction we got,'' says Alan Arkin. ''Just wild enthusiasm.''
Now, eight months later, this $8 million little-indie-that-could is preparing to expand from a limited release in New York and Los Angeles to a wide national run. Previous summers have seen the occasional tiny underdog film rise out from the shadows of the big-budget blockbusters to become a surprise hit, and the makers of Sunshine are hoping that their cinematic microbus, fueled by overwhelmingly positive word of mouth, can hold its own on a freeway crowded with shiny Hummers. The month of August, when many moviegoers start to feel wrung out from all the big, splashy sequels, remakes, and special-effects extravaganzas, has historically been a welcoming time for smaller, quirkier films. And, with an impressive $499,000 in box office in its first five days in just seven theaters, Sunshine is shaping up to be this summer's It Smaller, Quirkier Film.
''We're the sorbet at the end of the summer,'' Steve Carell says with mock pomposity. ''A nice, delicate sorbet to cleanse the palate of the rich, meaty blockbusters.''
That's the idea, at least...
You can read the rest of the cover story here
Article writer Josh Rottenberg takes us behind the scenes with the film's eclectic cast and its directing duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris:
At first, Abigail Breslin thought there was some kind of emergency. One minute, she was sitting at the back of a theater at last January's Sundance Film Festival, where her movie, Little Miss Sunshine, was having its premiere. The next minute, the credits were starting to roll and the entire audience was suddenly leaping to its feet and making a raucous commotion. If you're a 9-year-old kid from New York, you see 1,200 people jumping out of their seats and your brain instinctively goes into evacuation mode. ''I thought, 'Fire! Fire!''' Breslin says now with a giggle at a Beverly Hills restaurant, her small hands cupped around a mug of hot cocoa nearly the width of her head.
There was no fire, of course. But in that moment, as Little Miss Sunshine — a bittersweet comedy about an oddball family's road trip to a beauty pageant in a banged-up VW bus — received a rapturous standing ovation, a blaze of buzz was sparked, the kind that makes industry dealmakers start hyperventilating and frantically punching at the keypads of their Blackberries. Something about the odyssey of the disaster-prone Hoover clan won the audience's affection beyond all expectations. By the next morning, following a bidding war that raged until the wee hours, the distribution rights to the film had been snapped up by Fox Searchlight for $10.5 million, the highest price ever fetched at Sundance. Little Miss Sunshine quickly became the banner-headline story of the festival, heralded as a fresh, acerbically funny take on the dysfunctional-family road movie, sort of a National Lampoon's Vacation for the National Public Radio crowd. ''In 40 years of doing film and theater, I'd never experienced anything like the reaction we got,'' says Alan Arkin. ''Just wild enthusiasm.''
Now, eight months later, this $8 million little-indie-that-could is preparing to expand from a limited release in New York and Los Angeles to a wide national run. Previous summers have seen the occasional tiny underdog film rise out from the shadows of the big-budget blockbusters to become a surprise hit, and the makers of Sunshine are hoping that their cinematic microbus, fueled by overwhelmingly positive word of mouth, can hold its own on a freeway crowded with shiny Hummers. The month of August, when many moviegoers start to feel wrung out from all the big, splashy sequels, remakes, and special-effects extravaganzas, has historically been a welcoming time for smaller, quirkier films. And, with an impressive $499,000 in box office in its first five days in just seven theaters, Sunshine is shaping up to be this summer's It Smaller, Quirkier Film.
''We're the sorbet at the end of the summer,'' Steve Carell says with mock pomposity. ''A nice, delicate sorbet to cleanse the palate of the rich, meaty blockbusters.''
That's the idea, at least...
You can read the rest of the cover story here
The film sounds like a winner to me...A dysfunctional family taking a road trip is nothing new of course. But I find this one particularly intriguing--due the fact that it allows funny man Steve Carell to chew on something semi-serious.
Friday, August 04, 2006
"Will" Power
It's Ferrell VS. Farrell at the cineplex this weekend.
Will Ferrell's race car comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Reviews) is going toe to toe with Colin Farrell, as he tries to unseat MIAMI VICE, as the number one movie in the land. The prognosticators are giving the victory to Ferrell, saying the cops of Vice will be down for the count, when all is said and done.
Ben Fritz of Variety says Talladega' on track, adding--NASCAR laffer looks to displace 'Vice'.
Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly asks: Can "Talladega" refuel Will Ferrell's career? and then answers his own question with this---After a series of disappointments, the funnyman will finally have a hit with "Ricky Bobby"
The weekend's other new releases include the thriller, The Night Listener (Reviews) starring Robin Williams. The critical reaction though seems to be split right down the middle leaving its fate very much up on the air...
The female-centric horror film, The Descent, meanwhile, has garnered some very positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a positive rating of 90%, as I type this post. Wow!!
At the other end of the RT scale though, is Barnyard. Yet another CGI animated feature film, with cute little animals, made to act human...The critics, by and large HATE THIS MOVIE.
With the big blockbusters now out of the way, Summer '06 seems to be grinding to a halt 4 weeks early...Oh Wait! I forgot about Snakes On A Plane!!!!!!!!!!!!
Will Ferrell's race car comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Reviews) is going toe to toe with Colin Farrell, as he tries to unseat MIAMI VICE, as the number one movie in the land. The prognosticators are giving the victory to Ferrell, saying the cops of Vice will be down for the count, when all is said and done.
Ben Fritz of Variety says Talladega' on track, adding--NASCAR laffer looks to displace 'Vice'.
Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly asks: Can "Talladega" refuel Will Ferrell's career? and then answers his own question with this---After a series of disappointments, the funnyman will finally have a hit with "Ricky Bobby"
The weekend's other new releases include the thriller, The Night Listener (Reviews) starring Robin Williams. The critical reaction though seems to be split right down the middle leaving its fate very much up on the air...
The female-centric horror film, The Descent, meanwhile, has garnered some very positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a positive rating of 90%, as I type this post. Wow!!
At the other end of the RT scale though, is Barnyard. Yet another CGI animated feature film, with cute little animals, made to act human...The critics, by and large HATE THIS MOVIE.
With the big blockbusters now out of the way, Summer '06 seems to be grinding to a halt 4 weeks early...Oh Wait! I forgot about Snakes On A Plane!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, August 03, 2006
The Road Warrior
Unless you've been living under a rock since last Friday, it has been impossible to escape the Mel Gibson story, thanks to media saturation.
And while I understand the why the media ran with it....at first. Now though, I question the amount of coverage it's gotten, since the story broke....
Quite frankly, by Monday morning, I had already had enough of Mel-Gate--which is part of the reason--it's taken me this long to talk about it--what more could I possibly add to the proceedings that hasn't already been said?
Here goes...
First, let me say that, I think Gibson is a first class jerk for acting the way he did on the Pacific Coast Highway. 2 apologies later---alcohol or not, there's no excuse for such actions---I suspect there are plenty of folks out there (myself included), who now see his statements to ABC's Diane Sawyer, during a 2004 interview, in a whole new light.
AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutch, offers us the latest....
Mel Gibson now faces a legal battle in addition to the one to restore his public image.
Prosecutors on Wednesday charged Gibson with driving under the influence of alcohol, having an elevated blood-alcohol level and an open container of liquor in his car when he was pulled over in Malibu last week.
If convicted, Gibson faces up to six months in jail, though first-time misdemeanor drunken driving offenders usually face minimal, if any, time behind bars. It's up to the judge to determine if Gibson would serve any time.
Prosecutors made no mention of Gibson's self-described "belligerent behavior" and "despicable" remarks in the complaint _ reportedly the unleashing of an anti-Semitic tirade.
"After evaluating all the evidence presented by the Sheriff's Department _ and they presented every scrap of evidence they had _ we evaluated carefully and felt the charges we filed were the appropriate charges in this case," said district attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons.
Gibson's lawyer, Blair Berk, declined to comment, saying, "It is inappropriate to discuss the ongoing case." An attorney may appear in the actor's place during his Sept. 28 arraignment.
Arrested at 2:36 a.m. Friday after his Lexus was stopped for speeding, Gibson allegedly had a blood-alcohol level of 0.12 percent, over the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
"He will be held accountable for his violations under the law," Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said, adding that the charges "didn't surprise me."
In the aftermath of Gibson's arrest, his publicist, Alan Nierob, has said the actor-director was in an ongoing program for alcohol abuse before the arrest and has entered another, on an outpatient basis.
Gibson has apologized twice. In the latest he addressed the Jewish community, apologizing for his "vitriolic and harmful words."
According to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Sheriff's Department's report says Gibson told the arresting deputy: "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," and asked him, "Are you a Jew?"
Gibson, 50, has had a troubled relationship with Jewish organizations since his 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," which some criticized for portraying Jews as responsible for the death of Jesus. Supporters say the movie merely followed the Gospel story.
Gibson's apologies weren't accepted by former TV producer Merv Adelson, who took out an ad in Wednesday's Los Angeles Times blasting movie studio heads for not strongly and publicly condemning the Oscar-winning actor-director.
"Let's make ourselves proud and NOT support this JERK in any way, just because he's a so called 'star,'" wrote Adelson, co-founder of Lorimar Productions, which produced such TV hits as "Eight is Enough" and "The Waltons."
A sheriff's spokesman's initial account of the arrest described it as occurring "without incident" and made no mention of Gibson's remarks, fueling claims of a cover-up after they came to light
In an interview with the Associated Press, Sheriff Baca maintained deputies made no attempts to cover up his comments.
"Those are completely false," Baca said while attending a congressional hearing in San Diego.
"The district attorney in his statement clearly verifies that all of the evidence _ including inappropriate remarks, hateful remarks, anti-Semitic remarks, including with the videotape along with the audiotape," is there.
Baca added that the deputy who stopped Gibson "had the full authority to not arrest him and just take him home."
"You know, if that were his option, if he chose that option, he would be within our policy. But he chose the arrest option, which to me, shows me he's doing a terrific job," Baca said.
As I said at the top, Gibson is a JERK and he's forever tarnished himself as far as I'm concerned. That said though, the media totally bloated the story... and made more out of it...The only reason we found out about the story at all is because he's famous. If I had made those horrid evil comments during a traffic stop, it would have remained a story for the local media...Maybe and not for very long at that. A private matter made public. You could put forth what ifs all day. What if he killed someone with the car?.....Given the current Mid-East crisis, should his raging anti-semitism be given more weight? The fact is he didn't kill anyone, and race hatred and bigotry is spewed out of some idiot's mouth in this nation every day. Just because someone famous said it, we should beat the story to death? It's ugly no matter who says it, poor schlub politician, or movie star. PERIOD.
The story doesn't impact me personally one bit, or the film industry all that much for that matter...Gibson is influential yes, but not to the medium as a whole. No one person is, when you stop and think about it. If he retired today, would they stop makiing films? Absolutely not. As for his career, Hollywood is a very forgiving town...Perhaps too forgiving.... Look at Director Roman Polanski...When everyone calms down---someone will choose to work with Gibson again. I maintain his new film, Apocalypto was troubled before the scandal broke....Forgiveness... How about Tom Cruise? Director Lee Tamahori? And why is that? $$$$$ is the driving force in the land of make believe. I have made the personal choice not to support Gibson, but that's me, and yet I'm not calling for a boycott.
Gibson indeed got special treatment from the cops when he got pulled over. His case, which comes up before a judge on September 28th, 2006, will surely be pleaded out...This is a surprise? This deserves my attention? For a solid week...? I think not. Especially when the outcome is pretty much a forgone conclusion.
Some have questioned my calling this case a "private" or "personal" matter---I still say it is. Report it, yes, but don't equate it as something bigger than what it is. A very rich egotist acting like a drunken fool. Just because he made The Passion of the Christ, and it made lots of money, doesn't mean his case should lead the nightly newscast or be the subject of too many posts on my blog.
And while I understand the why the media ran with it....at first. Now though, I question the amount of coverage it's gotten, since the story broke....
Quite frankly, by Monday morning, I had already had enough of Mel-Gate--which is part of the reason--it's taken me this long to talk about it--what more could I possibly add to the proceedings that hasn't already been said?
Here goes...
First, let me say that, I think Gibson is a first class jerk for acting the way he did on the Pacific Coast Highway. 2 apologies later---alcohol or not, there's no excuse for such actions---I suspect there are plenty of folks out there (myself included), who now see his statements to ABC's Diane Sawyer, during a 2004 interview, in a whole new light.
AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutch, offers us the latest....
Mel Gibson now faces a legal battle in addition to the one to restore his public image.
Prosecutors on Wednesday charged Gibson with driving under the influence of alcohol, having an elevated blood-alcohol level and an open container of liquor in his car when he was pulled over in Malibu last week.
If convicted, Gibson faces up to six months in jail, though first-time misdemeanor drunken driving offenders usually face minimal, if any, time behind bars. It's up to the judge to determine if Gibson would serve any time.
Prosecutors made no mention of Gibson's self-described "belligerent behavior" and "despicable" remarks in the complaint _ reportedly the unleashing of an anti-Semitic tirade.
"After evaluating all the evidence presented by the Sheriff's Department _ and they presented every scrap of evidence they had _ we evaluated carefully and felt the charges we filed were the appropriate charges in this case," said district attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons.
Gibson's lawyer, Blair Berk, declined to comment, saying, "It is inappropriate to discuss the ongoing case." An attorney may appear in the actor's place during his Sept. 28 arraignment.
Arrested at 2:36 a.m. Friday after his Lexus was stopped for speeding, Gibson allegedly had a blood-alcohol level of 0.12 percent, over the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
"He will be held accountable for his violations under the law," Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said, adding that the charges "didn't surprise me."
In the aftermath of Gibson's arrest, his publicist, Alan Nierob, has said the actor-director was in an ongoing program for alcohol abuse before the arrest and has entered another, on an outpatient basis.
Gibson has apologized twice. In the latest he addressed the Jewish community, apologizing for his "vitriolic and harmful words."
According to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Sheriff's Department's report says Gibson told the arresting deputy: "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," and asked him, "Are you a Jew?"
Gibson, 50, has had a troubled relationship with Jewish organizations since his 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," which some criticized for portraying Jews as responsible for the death of Jesus. Supporters say the movie merely followed the Gospel story.
Gibson's apologies weren't accepted by former TV producer Merv Adelson, who took out an ad in Wednesday's Los Angeles Times blasting movie studio heads for not strongly and publicly condemning the Oscar-winning actor-director.
"Let's make ourselves proud and NOT support this JERK in any way, just because he's a so called 'star,'" wrote Adelson, co-founder of Lorimar Productions, which produced such TV hits as "Eight is Enough" and "The Waltons."
A sheriff's spokesman's initial account of the arrest described it as occurring "without incident" and made no mention of Gibson's remarks, fueling claims of a cover-up after they came to light
In an interview with the Associated Press, Sheriff Baca maintained deputies made no attempts to cover up his comments.
"Those are completely false," Baca said while attending a congressional hearing in San Diego.
"The district attorney in his statement clearly verifies that all of the evidence _ including inappropriate remarks, hateful remarks, anti-Semitic remarks, including with the videotape along with the audiotape," is there.
Baca added that the deputy who stopped Gibson "had the full authority to not arrest him and just take him home."
"You know, if that were his option, if he chose that option, he would be within our policy. But he chose the arrest option, which to me, shows me he's doing a terrific job," Baca said.
As I said at the top, Gibson is a JERK and he's forever tarnished himself as far as I'm concerned. That said though, the media totally bloated the story... and made more out of it...The only reason we found out about the story at all is because he's famous. If I had made those horrid evil comments during a traffic stop, it would have remained a story for the local media...Maybe and not for very long at that. A private matter made public. You could put forth what ifs all day. What if he killed someone with the car?.....Given the current Mid-East crisis, should his raging anti-semitism be given more weight? The fact is he didn't kill anyone, and race hatred and bigotry is spewed out of some idiot's mouth in this nation every day. Just because someone famous said it, we should beat the story to death? It's ugly no matter who says it, poor schlub politician, or movie star. PERIOD.
The story doesn't impact me personally one bit, or the film industry all that much for that matter...Gibson is influential yes, but not to the medium as a whole. No one person is, when you stop and think about it. If he retired today, would they stop makiing films? Absolutely not. As for his career, Hollywood is a very forgiving town...Perhaps too forgiving.... Look at Director Roman Polanski...When everyone calms down---someone will choose to work with Gibson again. I maintain his new film, Apocalypto was troubled before the scandal broke....Forgiveness... How about Tom Cruise? Director Lee Tamahori? And why is that? $$$$$ is the driving force in the land of make believe. I have made the personal choice not to support Gibson, but that's me, and yet I'm not calling for a boycott.
Gibson indeed got special treatment from the cops when he got pulled over. His case, which comes up before a judge on September 28th, 2006, will surely be pleaded out...This is a surprise? This deserves my attention? For a solid week...? I think not. Especially when the outcome is pretty much a forgone conclusion.
Some have questioned my calling this case a "private" or "personal" matter---I still say it is. Report it, yes, but don't equate it as something bigger than what it is. A very rich egotist acting like a drunken fool. Just because he made The Passion of the Christ, and it made lots of money, doesn't mean his case should lead the nightly newscast or be the subject of too many posts on my blog.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
...For Tomorrow--You May Die...Hard
The "official" announcements keep coming in this week...We can expect the next Die Hard film to roll out next summer.
Pamela McClintock of Variety has the details:
After a decade's hiatus, 20th Century Fox will release the next installment in the "Die Hard" action franchise next summer over the coveted July 4 holiday weekend.
"Live Free or Die Hard" will return Bruce Willis to the big screen as rough-and-tumble New York cop John McClane. Pic, set to begin shooting next month, will bow June 29.
The only other studio release [scheduled] for the frame thus far is Par's "Transformers," which opens July 4.
Fox, in revealing the title and confirming Willis' deal, said the release date is particularly appropriate since the storyline is set around July 4. It's not an unfamiliar strategy for the studio, which released Roland Emmerich's "Independence Day."
Len Wiseman, who directed the "Underworld" franchise, will direct "Live Free" from a screenplay by Mark Bomback.
In the pic, an attack on the country's computer infrastructure begins to cripple the nation. But the man behind the attack never expected an old-fashioned cop to mess up his plans.
Fox doesn't seem to be worried about the lengthy gap in the franchise's history. "Die Hard: With a Vengeance," the third title, bowed in 1995.
Studio said a new generation of fans has adopted the franchise -- first launched in 1988 -- through home video and vidgames. Theatrically, the first three films grossed nearly $750 million in worldwide box office.
There's buzz that Justin Long may take a role in "Live Free," but so far, Willis is the only announced casting.
Willis stars in upcoming features "The Astronaut Farmer" and "Perfect Stranger."
I know I know, not a surprise...It's interesting though that with filming set to begin, as early as next month--that no other casting decisions have been made public yet...I know that the studios are reluctant to attach a number to any franchise film these days. That said, I'm not crazy about the Live Free title...I'm hoping they come up with something else before it's too late.
Pamela McClintock of Variety has the details:
After a decade's hiatus, 20th Century Fox will release the next installment in the "Die Hard" action franchise next summer over the coveted July 4 holiday weekend.
"Live Free or Die Hard" will return Bruce Willis to the big screen as rough-and-tumble New York cop John McClane. Pic, set to begin shooting next month, will bow June 29.
The only other studio release [scheduled] for the frame thus far is Par's "Transformers," which opens July 4.
Fox, in revealing the title and confirming Willis' deal, said the release date is particularly appropriate since the storyline is set around July 4. It's not an unfamiliar strategy for the studio, which released Roland Emmerich's "Independence Day."
Len Wiseman, who directed the "Underworld" franchise, will direct "Live Free" from a screenplay by Mark Bomback.
In the pic, an attack on the country's computer infrastructure begins to cripple the nation. But the man behind the attack never expected an old-fashioned cop to mess up his plans.
Fox doesn't seem to be worried about the lengthy gap in the franchise's history. "Die Hard: With a Vengeance," the third title, bowed in 1995.
Studio said a new generation of fans has adopted the franchise -- first launched in 1988 -- through home video and vidgames. Theatrically, the first three films grossed nearly $750 million in worldwide box office.
There's buzz that Justin Long may take a role in "Live Free," but so far, Willis is the only announced casting.
Willis stars in upcoming features "The Astronaut Farmer" and "Perfect Stranger."
I know I know, not a surprise...It's interesting though that with filming set to begin, as early as next month--that no other casting decisions have been made public yet...I know that the studios are reluctant to attach a number to any franchise film these days. That said, I'm not crazy about the Live Free title...I'm hoping they come up with something else before it's too late.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
"For" Cast
The rumors are true...
That "official" announcement, I was waiting on from Warner Bros., concerning Heath Ledger's playing the Joker in the next Batman film came late yesterday.
The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit has the details
Batman is heading into a sequel, this time titled "The Dark Knight," and he will face-off against the Joker.
Christian Bale will reprise his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Christopher Nolan is returning to the directing chair. Heath Ledger has signed on to play the sardonic and murderous villain the Joker, immortalized by Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman."
The script will be written by Nolan's brother, Jonathan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David Goyer. Christopher Nolan and Goyer co-wrote last year's "Batman Begins." ...
An early 2007 start date is being eyed.
Bale and Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" was a critical and commercial hit, and relaunched the franchise. "Knight" will mark the third time the duo are teaming up, after this fall's "The Prestige," which will be released by Disney...
Ledger... was nominated for a best actor Academy Award for his role in "Brokeback Mountain" and was last seen in "Casanova."
Ledger is the Joker in the next Batman flick
Read the full press release here via Aint It Cool News
I'm sorry, but as I wrote on Saturday, I just don't see him in the role. Perhaps the strategy of casting against type will work as it has in the past. Think Michael Keaton in the first Batman film. Last year's Batman Begins turned out great and Nolan's instincts are usually spot on...May they not fail him now. Fingers Crossed (and maybe even my toes for good measure).
I love the fact that they're calling the sequel The Dark Knight though....
Meanwhile, onto the casting for another popular franchise, and its latest installment.
In a recent article, the site IESB.Net/The Movie Reporter writes:
...Justin Long, hot off of Universal's Accepted, is just days away from being officially announced to co-star in Die Hard 4.0.
While the official announcement is expected within the next few days, the IESB can confirm that he is in the final stages of his negotiations. He will either play the son of John McClane, of course, reprised by Bruce Willis or a computer hacker that he teams up with.
When asked during the Accepted press day today in Los Angeles, Justin would not confirm or deny the news but would only say that he will be quite sleepless this weekend.
Long also confirmed that Len Wiseman, of Underworld fame rumored to be in talks, is in fact directing.
Twentieth Century Fox has been seen scouting Vancouver Canada for the big action sequel. The fourth installment of the franchise finds hero John McClane coming out of retirement to battle an Internet terrorist organization.
Justin Long has had a busy time of it lately. Just off the recent spring hit "The Break-Up" He also appeared in the comedy Waiting and the Jeepers Creepers horror films. He is attached to no less than 4 upcoming movies: Patriotville (in pre-production), One Part Sugar (filming), Strange Wilderness (post-production) and Idiocracy (completed)---not to mention the already talked about, and soon to be released comedy, Accepted (August 18th). Oh, and you may have seen him in a series of MAC computer TV ads for Apple Inc Whew! Despite all of his exposure already, if he does indeed co-star in the next Die Hard, (and it's a hit) that'll be quite the feather in his cap. And it will certainly put him on the Hollywood map.
Long is booked solid. Will he have time
That "official" announcement, I was waiting on from Warner Bros., concerning Heath Ledger's playing the Joker in the next Batman film came late yesterday.
The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit has the details
Batman is heading into a sequel, this time titled "The Dark Knight," and he will face-off against the Joker.
Christian Bale will reprise his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Christopher Nolan is returning to the directing chair. Heath Ledger has signed on to play the sardonic and murderous villain the Joker, immortalized by Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman."
The script will be written by Nolan's brother, Jonathan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David Goyer. Christopher Nolan and Goyer co-wrote last year's "Batman Begins." ...
An early 2007 start date is being eyed.
Bale and Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" was a critical and commercial hit, and relaunched the franchise. "Knight" will mark the third time the duo are teaming up, after this fall's "The Prestige," which will be released by Disney...
Ledger... was nominated for a best actor Academy Award for his role in "Brokeback Mountain" and was last seen in "Casanova."
Ledger is the Joker in the next Batman flick
Read the full press release here via Aint It Cool News
I'm sorry, but as I wrote on Saturday, I just don't see him in the role. Perhaps the strategy of casting against type will work as it has in the past. Think Michael Keaton in the first Batman film. Last year's Batman Begins turned out great and Nolan's instincts are usually spot on...May they not fail him now. Fingers Crossed (and maybe even my toes for good measure).
I love the fact that they're calling the sequel The Dark Knight though....
Meanwhile, onto the casting for another popular franchise, and its latest installment.
In a recent article, the site IESB.Net/The Movie Reporter writes:
...Justin Long, hot off of Universal's Accepted, is just days away from being officially announced to co-star in Die Hard 4.0.
While the official announcement is expected within the next few days, the IESB can confirm that he is in the final stages of his negotiations. He will either play the son of John McClane, of course, reprised by Bruce Willis or a computer hacker that he teams up with.
When asked during the Accepted press day today in Los Angeles, Justin would not confirm or deny the news but would only say that he will be quite sleepless this weekend.
Long also confirmed that Len Wiseman, of Underworld fame rumored to be in talks, is in fact directing.
Twentieth Century Fox has been seen scouting Vancouver Canada for the big action sequel. The fourth installment of the franchise finds hero John McClane coming out of retirement to battle an Internet terrorist organization.
Justin Long has had a busy time of it lately. Just off the recent spring hit "The Break-Up" He also appeared in the comedy Waiting and the Jeepers Creepers horror films. He is attached to no less than 4 upcoming movies: Patriotville (in pre-production), One Part Sugar (filming), Strange Wilderness (post-production) and Idiocracy (completed)---not to mention the already talked about, and soon to be released comedy, Accepted (August 18th). Oh, and you may have seen him in a series of MAC computer TV ads for Apple Inc Whew! Despite all of his exposure already, if he does indeed co-star in the next Die Hard, (and it's a hit) that'll be quite the feather in his cap. And it will certainly put him on the Hollywood map.
Long is booked solid. Will he have time
4 the next Die Hard film? Probably...
Monday, July 31, 2006
Vice As Nice
We have a new box office champ in the U.S.
Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo as usual, kicks things off....
Busted 'Miami Vice,' scored an estimated $25.2 million to dethrone ''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' [falling to 2nd place with $20,4 million] while 'The Ant Bully' [at #5 with just $8.1 in ticket sales] was squashed.
Gray has much more to say on the subject--and that can be found here
Ben Fritz of Variety has an overview called 'Vice' gets a grip on still-strong 'Pirates'
'Miami' heats up screens to cool 'Caribbean'
"Miami" takes on "Pirates" is Entertainment Weekly' Dave Karger's weekend wrap-up: (filling in for Joshua Rich)
Heartthrobs rule the box office as "Miami" heats up and teens rush in to swoon over "John Tucker"; meanwhile, "The Ant Bully" gets left behind
Yeah, yeah "Pirates" and all that...
...Another aspect of the story are the tweens...they are indeed quite a force at the movies. John Tucker Must Die made just over $14 million bucks to land in third place among some heavy hitters--putting Ant Bully down and then some.
Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo as usual, kicks things off....
Busted 'Miami Vice,' scored an estimated $25.2 million to dethrone ''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' [falling to 2nd place with $20,4 million] while 'The Ant Bully' [at #5 with just $8.1 in ticket sales] was squashed.
Gray has much more to say on the subject--and that can be found here
Ben Fritz of Variety has an overview called 'Vice' gets a grip on still-strong 'Pirates'
'Miami' heats up screens to cool 'Caribbean'
"Miami" takes on "Pirates" is Entertainment Weekly' Dave Karger's weekend wrap-up: (filling in for Joshua Rich)
Heartthrobs rule the box office as "Miami" heats up and teens rush in to swoon over "John Tucker"; meanwhile, "The Ant Bully" gets left behind
Yeah, yeah "Pirates" and all that...
...Another aspect of the story are the tweens...they are indeed quite a force at the movies. John Tucker Must Die made just over $14 million bucks to land in third place among some heavy hitters--putting Ant Bully down and then some.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Money Makes The World Go 'Round
As of today's date, Superman Returns has grossed $185.6 million dollars in the U.S. While overseas, the movie is doing exceedingly well, taking in another $110 million, (U.S. dollars) for a worldwide total of $295,806,000 so far (figures courtesy Box Office Mojo)
Daniel Robert Epstein of Newsarama caught up with SR director Bryan Singer at the recent San Diego Comic Con and got the chance to ask him a few of questions about the movie's all important box office numbers...and about one of those nagging issues I had with the screenplay that I outlined in My Superman Returns Review.
Q: Superman Returns of course, will make plenty of money. The DVD is going to be monstrous. But it seems it's not as successful as everyone wanted it to be or as successful as people wanted it to be.
Bryan Singer: Domestically. Internationally it has so far exceeded our expectations. I was personally surprised because it is an American superhero. Compared to my experiences with the X-Men movies I feel disproportioned. The strangest surprise has definitely been the international gross.
Q: What happened in America?
Singer: In my personal estimation I felt it was an issue with the marketing. You've got a dense summer and you're resurrecting a character. There's a different kind of approach you've got to take when you bring in something new. Even though he's Superman and the character is ubiquitous, a Superman movie is a very new thing and it has to be presented in a new way. So a lot of that burden falls on the kind of presentation it is given.".
Q: I was really surprised that the plot of Superman Returns mirrored the plot of Donner’s Superman movie so much.
BS: It takes you on the same journey that the original one did but as an adult which was quite intentional. Right down to him sinking in the water. It is not remaking the first one but I wanted to take the audience on the same kind of journey as the first one but with a mature guy who’s going through a dilemma that wasn’t in the first one. It’s in the marketing. I don’t know how to specifically qualify but it has to be understood how to present something that hasn’t been around for a while. The last Superman, Superman IV, in its American release made 15 million dollars. It is still something new and it has to be launched on the flip side of the other movies of its ilk.
Q: After he gave up his powers in Superman II, Lois and Superman slept together. I’m going to assume that that’s when he got her pregnant…
BS: Possibly.
Q: Then he gives her the kiss, which made her forget that they even slept together. Was the pregnancy a mystery for her?
BS: I ignored that part. I just assumed she remembered sleeping with him.
It's funny. Whenever there's a story about a film's poor box office, it seems like the marketing of said movie, is always the first to get blamed for the problem...
Everyone who reads this blog on a regular basis, already knows how much I respect the work of Singer, but his answer to that last question really ticked me off. The memory wipe of Supes II, although a bit of a cheat, is still a key component of the film. And if he's gonna structure SR around the first 2 flicks in the series, then he can't just let it slide or assume anything. If Lois remembers that she slept with the last son of Krypton--than does she know his secret identity? Not to mention the fact that the kid Jason displays some of dad's abilities in the film. How is that possible when Clark was human when he slept with Lois? Vague history my eye...Sloppy, just sloppy...
Daniel Robert Epstein of Newsarama caught up with SR director Bryan Singer at the recent San Diego Comic Con and got the chance to ask him a few of questions about the movie's all important box office numbers...and about one of those nagging issues I had with the screenplay that I outlined in My Superman Returns Review.
Q: Superman Returns of course, will make plenty of money. The DVD is going to be monstrous. But it seems it's not as successful as everyone wanted it to be or as successful as people wanted it to be.
Bryan Singer: Domestically. Internationally it has so far exceeded our expectations. I was personally surprised because it is an American superhero. Compared to my experiences with the X-Men movies I feel disproportioned. The strangest surprise has definitely been the international gross.
Q: What happened in America?
Singer: In my personal estimation I felt it was an issue with the marketing. You've got a dense summer and you're resurrecting a character. There's a different kind of approach you've got to take when you bring in something new. Even though he's Superman and the character is ubiquitous, a Superman movie is a very new thing and it has to be presented in a new way. So a lot of that burden falls on the kind of presentation it is given.".
Q: I was really surprised that the plot of Superman Returns mirrored the plot of Donner’s Superman movie so much.
BS: It takes you on the same journey that the original one did but as an adult which was quite intentional. Right down to him sinking in the water. It is not remaking the first one but I wanted to take the audience on the same kind of journey as the first one but with a mature guy who’s going through a dilemma that wasn’t in the first one. It’s in the marketing. I don’t know how to specifically qualify but it has to be understood how to present something that hasn’t been around for a while. The last Superman, Superman IV, in its American release made 15 million dollars. It is still something new and it has to be launched on the flip side of the other movies of its ilk.
Q: After he gave up his powers in Superman II, Lois and Superman slept together. I’m going to assume that that’s when he got her pregnant…
BS: Possibly.
Q: Then he gives her the kiss, which made her forget that they even slept together. Was the pregnancy a mystery for her?
BS: I ignored that part. I just assumed she remembered sleeping with him.
It's funny. Whenever there's a story about a film's poor box office, it seems like the marketing of said movie, is always the first to get blamed for the problem...
Everyone who reads this blog on a regular basis, already knows how much I respect the work of Singer, but his answer to that last question really ticked me off. The memory wipe of Supes II, although a bit of a cheat, is still a key component of the film. And if he's gonna structure SR around the first 2 flicks in the series, then he can't just let it slide or assume anything. If Lois remembers that she slept with the last son of Krypton--than does she know his secret identity? Not to mention the fact that the kid Jason displays some of dad's abilities in the film. How is that possible when Clark was human when he slept with Lois? Vague history my eye...Sloppy, just sloppy...
***
The Movie Reporter caught up with Michael Thau, the man responsible for overseeing Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut DVD (due on 11/28), and he gave them some info on what we can expect from the release in a video interview.
Giddy as a schoolboy.....
Giddy as a schoolboy.....
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Out On A Ledge
The Australian press reports that Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger may have scored the coveted role of The Joker in the Batman Begins sequel. And with that, the U.S entertainment media was of course, off and running with the story:
From the World Entertainment News Network--dated last Thursday
The actor was reportedly offered the plum part last week, and will star in the next installment of the film series, set to be released in 2008. Oscar-winner Robin Williams was reportedly desperate to land the role and The Da Vinci Code star Paul Bettany was also rumored to be in talks for the part. The film website Moviehole.net, says filmmakers wanted to cast an actor in the part of Batman's adversary who was roughly the same age as 32-year-old star Christian Bale. Ledger is also working with Bale on I'm Not There, a film in which seven actors embody different aspects of musician Bob Dylan's life and work.
That report makes it seem as though no casting decision has been made yet with regards to the film. Notice the word "offered" not "accepted" is used...However this blurb by Stax of Filmforce makes it appear as though Ledger has the role wrapped up...
July 27, 2006-... The Batman-on-Film.com website has heard, as almost everyone has by now, that Heath Ledger is going to play The Joker in the next movie.
The site claims The Joker will be just one of the villains in a larger story and that he won't appear until halfway through the movie, a la Batman in Begins. He is also expected to have a backstory."From what I've heard about the direction of the film expect The Joker to be very creepy and very extreme," a trusted source for BoF advised the site, claiming that Ledger's Clown Prince will be totally unlike Jack Nicholson's portrayal in the 1989 film.
BoF's source suggests, " Ledger is perfect for the role as he has never played this kind of part before which is what Nolan was after. Think about it – if you see Sam Rockwell or Robin Williams or even Hugo Weaving, you'd know exactly how they would play the role before even seeing the film and that's not very intriguing for fans is it? I have a feeling Paul Bettany was out of the mix after his performance in The Da Vinci Code."
BoF also reports that any previously rumored titles for the sequel are just that. "The title will most likely not be known until they've finished shooting."
Hmm...Ledger huh? Let's say for the sake of discussion BoF and Filmforce have it right...I just don't see him playing dark. In his darkest film to date, The Order (2003) he was as stiff as a board. And even though, he now has all this buzz around him following Brokeback--I think he still would be an "ify" choice at best...He is a solid actor, but I think he lacks the range required for the part. Waiting for an official announcement either way...And hey I would be happy to be proven wrong with my assessment
From the World Entertainment News Network--dated last Thursday
The actor was reportedly offered the plum part last week, and will star in the next installment of the film series, set to be released in 2008. Oscar-winner Robin Williams was reportedly desperate to land the role and The Da Vinci Code star Paul Bettany was also rumored to be in talks for the part. The film website Moviehole.net, says filmmakers wanted to cast an actor in the part of Batman's adversary who was roughly the same age as 32-year-old star Christian Bale. Ledger is also working with Bale on I'm Not There, a film in which seven actors embody different aspects of musician Bob Dylan's life and work.
That report makes it seem as though no casting decision has been made yet with regards to the film. Notice the word "offered" not "accepted" is used...However this blurb by Stax of Filmforce makes it appear as though Ledger has the role wrapped up...
July 27, 2006-... The Batman-on-Film.com website has heard, as almost everyone has by now, that Heath Ledger is going to play The Joker in the next movie.
The site claims The Joker will be just one of the villains in a larger story and that he won't appear until halfway through the movie, a la Batman in Begins. He is also expected to have a backstory."From what I've heard about the direction of the film expect The Joker to be very creepy and very extreme," a trusted source for BoF advised the site, claiming that Ledger's Clown Prince will be totally unlike Jack Nicholson's portrayal in the 1989 film.
BoF's source suggests, " Ledger is perfect for the role as he has never played this kind of part before which is what Nolan was after. Think about it – if you see Sam Rockwell or Robin Williams or even Hugo Weaving, you'd know exactly how they would play the role before even seeing the film and that's not very intriguing for fans is it? I have a feeling Paul Bettany was out of the mix after his performance in The Da Vinci Code."
BoF also reports that any previously rumored titles for the sequel are just that. "The title will most likely not be known until they've finished shooting."
Hmm...Ledger huh? Let's say for the sake of discussion BoF and Filmforce have it right...I just don't see him playing dark. In his darkest film to date, The Order (2003) he was as stiff as a board. And even though, he now has all this buzz around him following Brokeback--I think he still would be an "ify" choice at best...He is a solid actor, but I think he lacks the range required for the part. Waiting for an official announcement either way...And hey I would be happy to be proven wrong with my assessment
Friday, July 28, 2006
Dog Days Of Summer
This weekend's major box office release, Miami Vice, has been all over the place in recent days--this despite, some very public problems.
For example, Daniel Fierman of Entertainment Weekly takes us behind the scenes of the troubled production, for the Jul 21st issue. The magazines editors predict: "Miami Vice" will arrest "Pirates"
After three weeks on top, Johnny Depp will get into the back of Colin and Jamie's cruiser
Surprisingly, EW film critic Owen Gleiberman, gives the film a solid B
Meanwhile, Ben Fritz and Dave McNary, of Variety pointedly ask Can 'Vice' ice competish?
Roger Friedman of Fox News.Com tells us that a signature part of the 80's TV series has been Axed, but [is] Alive in the new film (think theme song folks). Talk about having it both ways.
Bottom line, after all is said and done, the reviews for 'Vice' are pretty bad... even with Michael Mann in the driver's seat and all that star power.
Other new releases for the week, include yet another CGI animated family film The Ant Bully,(Reviews) Scoop (Reviews) a new flick written and directed by Woody Allen, the dark teen comedy, John Tucker Must Die (Reviews), while A Scanner Darkly (Reviews) finally goes wide and--The best reviewed film of the new batch--Little Miss Sunshine (Reviews) begins a limited run in New York and LA.
Ho-Hum. Other than "Scanner" or "Sunshine"....Wake me up when the weekend's over...
For example, Daniel Fierman of Entertainment Weekly takes us behind the scenes of the troubled production, for the Jul 21st issue. The magazines editors predict: "Miami Vice" will arrest "Pirates"
After three weeks on top, Johnny Depp will get into the back of Colin and Jamie's cruiser
Surprisingly, EW film critic Owen Gleiberman, gives the film a solid B
Meanwhile, Ben Fritz and Dave McNary, of Variety pointedly ask Can 'Vice' ice competish?
Roger Friedman of Fox News.Com tells us that a signature part of the 80's TV series has been Axed, but [is] Alive in the new film (think theme song folks). Talk about having it both ways.
Bottom line, after all is said and done, the reviews for 'Vice' are pretty bad... even with Michael Mann in the driver's seat and all that star power.
Other new releases for the week, include yet another CGI animated family film The Ant Bully,(Reviews) Scoop (Reviews) a new flick written and directed by Woody Allen, the dark teen comedy, John Tucker Must Die (Reviews), while A Scanner Darkly (Reviews) finally goes wide and--The best reviewed film of the new batch--Little Miss Sunshine (Reviews) begins a limited run in New York and LA.
Ho-Hum. Other than "Scanner" or "Sunshine"....Wake me up when the weekend's over...
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Mmmmm....Simpson Film Footage
Someone out there, in cyberspace, has posted footage from the forthcoming big screen version of The Simpsons movie via You Tube...
...And Harry from Aint It Cool News has it.
Even though the material is in an early stage of animation--It's still quite a hoot to watch. The footage first appeared during last week's San Diego Comic Con, as part of a panel presentation. Thanks to the leaker for doing the deed, and allowing the world a peek at what we can expect from the film, due next year.
...And Harry from Aint It Cool News has it.
Even though the material is in an early stage of animation--It's still quite a hoot to watch. The footage first appeared during last week's San Diego Comic Con, as part of a panel presentation. Thanks to the leaker for doing the deed, and allowing the world a peek at what we can expect from the film, due next year.
The Final Frontier
The late James Doohan (1920-2005) has always a favorite of mine, among the original Star Trek cast of actors...No matter what was going on behind the scenes--he always made sure that his character of Chief Engineer Scott, had a sense of fun about him, and oh that glint in his eye...
A year after his death,Tim Korte of The Associated Press reports that some of Doohan's remains are about to take a special trip.
... a few grams of his ashes blasted 70 miles into space this fall from southern New Mexico.
Houston-based Space Services Inc. plans to have the ashes of 100 others aboard the Oct. 21 "memorial spaceflight" _ among them, Gordon Cooper, one of the original seven Mercury astronauts.
Doohan died last July at age 85. His widow, Wende Doohan, said he would have wanted such a send-off.
"If the privatization of space was available when he was alive, he would have been first in line with a window-seat ticket," she told The Associated Press in a phone interview Tuesday. "It's a way to honor something he would have loved to have done."
Doohan appearing as Captain Montgomery ("Scotty") Scott in the 1994 Trek feature Star Trek: Generations. Courtesy Paramount Pictures/Eliott Marks
What a fitting send off...The family of Trek creator Gene Roddenberry made sure that some of his remains took a similar flight, following his death in 1991...
A year after his death,Tim Korte of The Associated Press reports that some of Doohan's remains are about to take a special trip.
... a few grams of his ashes blasted 70 miles into space this fall from southern New Mexico.
Houston-based Space Services Inc. plans to have the ashes of 100 others aboard the Oct. 21 "memorial spaceflight" _ among them, Gordon Cooper, one of the original seven Mercury astronauts.
Doohan died last July at age 85. His widow, Wende Doohan, said he would have wanted such a send-off.
"If the privatization of space was available when he was alive, he would have been first in line with a window-seat ticket," she told The Associated Press in a phone interview Tuesday. "It's a way to honor something he would have loved to have done."
Doohan appearing as Captain Montgomery ("Scotty") Scott in the 1994 Trek feature Star Trek: Generations. Courtesy Paramount Pictures/Eliott Marks
What a fitting send off...The family of Trek creator Gene Roddenberry made sure that some of his remains took a similar flight, following his death in 1991...
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Fletch Lives But Spidey Is Livin' Large
I'm about to make 2 bold statements:
The TV series Scrubs is one of the best shows on the schedule....
And the 1985 film, Fletch, is an underrated highlight in the career of Chevy Chase.
Given those declarative sentences, you can imagine my delight over Michael Flemming's article in today's Variety:
The Weinstein Co. has set "Scrubs" creator-exec producer Bill Lawrence to make his feature directing debut on "Fletch Won," an adaptation of the Gregory Mcdonald novel series.
Lawrence will write the script for a film being set up as a prequel to the 1985 pic "Fletch," which starred Chevy Chase. Though no casting decisions have been made, plan is for Lawrence to direct the pic in April, when his NBC series goes on hiatus. David List produces.
Lawrence, a writer on "Friends" and co-creator of "Spin City," is a big fan of the adventures of Irwin Fletcher and sparked to the chance to work on an origin story. Story follows the early days of the character's career as a junior reporter at the News-Tribune.
What a good fit. Lawrence is definitely the right man for the job. I wonder if this means that Scrubs leading man, Zach Braff, will be playing the younger Fletch?...
To that, Gregg Goldstein of The Hollywood Reporter had this:
"Zach is perfect for the role," Lawrence said in an interview from his Los Angeles office, where Braff sat laughing in the background. "I'm going to use all my pull trying to make him do it."... No cast members have been signed yet.
I hope Braff signs on. He and Lawrence make quite the dynamic Duo... And hey, Chase should be available for some sort of cameo, after all, his career is in the toilet. I'm sure he could use the work.
Meanwhile, Ben Fritz, also of Variety, offers up some BIG (but not unexpected) news about next year's Spider-Man 3...
"Spider-Man 3" will be swinging into Imax theaters next May, marking Sony Pictures' first day-and-date release of a live-action film in the large-screen format.
Deal gives Imax what's expected to be one of the biggest tentpoles of the 2007 summer season.
Most of Imax's previous live-action day-and-date releases have come from Warner Bros., including this summer's "Superman Returns" and "Poseidon."
"Spider-Man 2" was released in an Imax version after its regular theatrical run.
First Sony pic to get the day-and-date Imax treatment will be toon "Open Season," which will be in Imax 3-D in September.
IMAX and Superheroes have a great symbiotic relationship, and this deal will only make Spidey ticket sales soar even higher...
The TV series Scrubs is one of the best shows on the schedule....
And the 1985 film, Fletch, is an underrated highlight in the career of Chevy Chase.
Given those declarative sentences, you can imagine my delight over Michael Flemming's article in today's Variety:
The Weinstein Co. has set "Scrubs" creator-exec producer Bill Lawrence to make his feature directing debut on "Fletch Won," an adaptation of the Gregory Mcdonald novel series.
Lawrence will write the script for a film being set up as a prequel to the 1985 pic "Fletch," which starred Chevy Chase. Though no casting decisions have been made, plan is for Lawrence to direct the pic in April, when his NBC series goes on hiatus. David List produces.
Lawrence, a writer on "Friends" and co-creator of "Spin City," is a big fan of the adventures of Irwin Fletcher and sparked to the chance to work on an origin story. Story follows the early days of the character's career as a junior reporter at the News-Tribune.
What a good fit. Lawrence is definitely the right man for the job. I wonder if this means that Scrubs leading man, Zach Braff, will be playing the younger Fletch?...
To that, Gregg Goldstein of The Hollywood Reporter had this:
"Zach is perfect for the role," Lawrence said in an interview from his Los Angeles office, where Braff sat laughing in the background. "I'm going to use all my pull trying to make him do it."... No cast members have been signed yet.
I hope Braff signs on. He and Lawrence make quite the dynamic Duo... And hey, Chase should be available for some sort of cameo, after all, his career is in the toilet. I'm sure he could use the work.
Meanwhile, Ben Fritz, also of Variety, offers up some BIG (but not unexpected) news about next year's Spider-Man 3...
"Spider-Man 3" will be swinging into Imax theaters next May, marking Sony Pictures' first day-and-date release of a live-action film in the large-screen format.
Deal gives Imax what's expected to be one of the biggest tentpoles of the 2007 summer season.
Most of Imax's previous live-action day-and-date releases have come from Warner Bros., including this summer's "Superman Returns" and "Poseidon."
"Spider-Man 2" was released in an Imax version after its regular theatrical run.
First Sony pic to get the day-and-date Imax treatment will be toon "Open Season," which will be in Imax 3-D in September.
IMAX and Superheroes have a great symbiotic relationship, and this deal will only make Spidey ticket sales soar even higher...
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Three Sheets To The Wind
Today it's all about movie posters...
The official STAR TREK website has released a teaser poster for next feature film...
Speculation over which direction JJ Abrams plans to take the new film can now be put to rest.
Have a look and bask in the retro glow of nostalgia... Look for Trek XI in 2008. Click here for more info...
On a similar track--
In advance of next year's Transformers movie, attendees of the San Diego Comic Con were treated to 2 mini-one sheet posters for the 7-4-07 flick.
Merrick of Aint It Cool News gives the rest of us a peek at what the San Diego crowd got the chance to see first...
And finally, here's the first poster for Jon Favreau's Iron Man, due 2008:
In a word--Wow!!
The official STAR TREK website has released a teaser poster for next feature film...
Speculation over which direction JJ Abrams plans to take the new film can now be put to rest.
Have a look and bask in the retro glow of nostalgia... Look for Trek XI in 2008. Click here for more info...
On a similar track--
In advance of next year's Transformers movie, attendees of the San Diego Comic Con were treated to 2 mini-one sheet posters for the 7-4-07 flick.
Merrick of Aint It Cool News gives the rest of us a peek at what the San Diego crowd got the chance to see first...
And finally, here's the first poster for Jon Favreau's Iron Man, due 2008:
In a word--Wow!!
Monday, July 24, 2006
RIP Mako (1933-2006)
Memoirs Of A Geisha star Mako lost his battle with esophageal cancer at his home in Ventura County, California on Friday. He was 72.
The Asian-American actor, who was Oscar nominated for his portrayal of submissive engineer Po-Han, in the 1966 film The Sand Pebbles .
Brought up in Japan by his grandparents while his parents were studying in New York, Mako joined his mother and father when they were granted US citizenship. He studied architecture before joining the US Army in the early 1950s and became passionate about acting while performing in military shows. He became a naturalized American in 1956.
After his Army service, he enrolled at the Pasadena Community Playhouse in California and studied to become a professional actor. His other movies include The Ugly Dachsund (1966), The Green Hornet (1974), An Eye For An Eye (1981), Seven Years In Tibet (1997), Bulletproof Monk (2003) and Pearl Harbor (2001). His impressive TV resume includes appearances in Wonder Woman, I Spy, Hawaii Five-O, Kung Fu, and The Streets Of San Francisco. I will also never forget his 2 episode stint on TV's "The Incredible Hulk" in 78/79, as Li Sung.
For more on Mako, read this obituary on the CNN International website
The Asian-American actor, who was Oscar nominated for his portrayal of submissive engineer Po-Han, in the 1966 film The Sand Pebbles .
Brought up in Japan by his grandparents while his parents were studying in New York, Mako joined his mother and father when they were granted US citizenship. He studied architecture before joining the US Army in the early 1950s and became passionate about acting while performing in military shows. He became a naturalized American in 1956.
After his Army service, he enrolled at the Pasadena Community Playhouse in California and studied to become a professional actor. His other movies include The Ugly Dachsund (1966), The Green Hornet (1974), An Eye For An Eye (1981), Seven Years In Tibet (1997), Bulletproof Monk (2003) and Pearl Harbor (2001). His impressive TV resume includes appearances in Wonder Woman, I Spy, Hawaii Five-O, Kung Fu, and The Streets Of San Francisco. I will also never forget his 2 episode stint on TV's "The Incredible Hulk" in 78/79, as Li Sung.
For more on Mako, read this obituary on the CNN International website
Pirates Continue To Plunder
A fierce battle indeed took place at movies this weekend but it wasn't on the big screen. Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo starts things off...
'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' became the fastest picture to gross $300 million, [still #1] while 'Monster House ' was solid, [at #2 with $23.0] 'Lady in the Water' [making just $18.2 million in 3rd place] floundered, 'Clerks 2,' was okay [at #6 with $9.6 million] and 'My Super Ex-Girlfriend ' flopped [landing in 7th place with a meager $8.7 million].
Gray's complete analysis of the slug-fest can found here
Meanwhile, Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly focuses on the fact that "Pirates" sequel beats even it's predecessor for his online recap.
Finally, Dave McNary of Variety calls it Fright slighted as Pirates prey on 'Monster,' 'Lady'
Man, "Pirates" is unbeatable! Poor M. Night Shyamalan can't catch a break...Clerks 2--Controversy? What controversy?
'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' became the fastest picture to gross $300 million, [still #1] while 'Monster House ' was solid, [at #2 with $23.0] 'Lady in the Water' [making just $18.2 million in 3rd place] floundered, 'Clerks 2,' was okay [at #6 with $9.6 million] and 'My Super Ex-Girlfriend ' flopped [landing in 7th place with a meager $8.7 million].
Gray's complete analysis of the slug-fest can found here
Meanwhile, Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly focuses on the fact that "Pirates" sequel beats even it's predecessor for his online recap.
Finally, Dave McNary of Variety calls it Fright slighted as Pirates prey on 'Monster,' 'Lady'
Man, "Pirates" is unbeatable! Poor M. Night Shyamalan can't catch a break...Clerks 2--Controversy? What controversy?
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