Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Why Guardians Of The Galaxy's Director Thinks The Star-Lord Walkman Complaints Are Stupid

When it comes to nit-picking Guardians of the Galaxy, one of the most commonly repeated points is that Star-Lord's cassette and Walkman would either have not survived the rough-and-tumble 26 years that he has spent in space, or would have simply run out of juice years ago. It turns out that director James Gunn is kind of tired of people bringing this up, and believes that the answer to people's nit-pick is actually quite obvious.

The Marvel Studios filmmaker took to his personal Facebook page today to write a piece fully explaining and clarifying recent statements about the potential future of the Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers coming together on the big screen, and he took the opportunity to use the forum as a place to explain how Peter Quill's Awesome Mix Vol. 1 and Sony Walkman have managed to survive for years and years despite being rather crappy '80s-era technology.

‘Star Trek 3′ Gets Summer 2016 Release Date

It’s been a busy 24 hours for Trekkies, now that the next installment in the rebooted Star Trek film continuity - referred to simply as Star Trek 3 for now – has found its new director, in Fast and the Furious series helmsman Justin Lin. Paramount has now settled on a Summer 2016 release date for the film; meaning, the U.S.S. Enterprise’s next big screen voyage will arrive in time to celebrate the Star Trek property’s fiftieth anniversary, as has been planned for some time now.

Stan Lee Media Can't Revive Billion-Dollar Lawsuit Against Disney

While the company abandoned by comic book genius Stan Lee has proven that decision after decision won't deter it from attempts to vindicate rights to iconic superheroes like Fantastic Four, X-Men and Spider-Man, Tuesday's ruling against SLM from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals feels like the final nail in the coffin barring any unexpected intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court.

SLM has been on a litigation rampage for the past few years over assets it believes were improperly raided in bankruptcy more than a decade ago, but a phalanx of judges have now ruled that the company and its shareholders are collaterally estopped from making arguments previously adjudicated.

Bet You Can Guess Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actor

Adam Sandler didn't exactly have the greatest 2014. Blended performed nowhere near the level of the actor's past big releases, and both of his recent attempts at more serious fair - Men, Women & Children and The Cobbler - got largely negative responses following their premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival. As though that weren't bad enough, now he has been declared the most overpaid actor in Hollywood for the second year in a row.

Forbes has released their annual list of stars who have been getting way too much money for under-performing projects, and Sandler has once again taken the top spot thanks to a ratio that sees him only earning he studios $3.20 for every dollar he is paid in salary.

‘Beetlejuice 2′: Tim Burton Wouldn’t Call It a Sequel

Tim Burton’s latest directorial effort, Big Eyes, opens in U.S. theaters this; and thus, of late the filmmaker has been inundated with questions from the press about the long-awaited Beetlejuice 2. Burton has confirmed that the project – which would see Michael Keaton reprise his beloved role as the eponymous “Freelance bio-excorist” – is closer to becoming a reality than ever before in the many years since his original comedy/horror film was released in 1988.

However, although Winona Ryder is lined up to return as the grown-up Lydia Deetz, after so many years, it goes without saying that Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis won’t be reprising their roles as the Maitlands from the original Beetlejuice (since, as Davis once pointed out, ghosts don’t age).

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Parents Of Dark Knight Rises Shooter Claim He's Not A Monster, Shouldn't Be Executed

James Holmes’ parents have written an Op-Ed piece that insists that their son is not a monster, and he is instead mentally ill. They also believe that James Holmes should be committed to an institution where he can be treated, rather than executed.

It’s been 29 months since James Holmes burst into a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, and killed 12 innocent people who had simply gathered to watch a movie. The grief and sorrow that flows throughout the families of each of these victims every single second of every single day is incomparable.

New Pee-Wee Herman Movie Heading to Netflix

When it debuted in 1986, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse quickly became one of the most celebrated children’s shows of the decade, winning critical praise and 15 Emmys over the course of its five-season run. However, in recent years, the show has maintained a solid cult following, leading star Paul Reubens to resurrect his signature character for a revival of his original stage show in 2010.

In the years since, Reubens has consistently talked up a new Pee-Wee Herman movie, following in the footsteps of Tim Burton’s 1985 comedy Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and its 1988 sequel. Yet, besides the fact that Judd Apatow was attached to produce, fans have had little idea as to what to expect when and if they’d ever be able to finally see the film. Until now.

'The Interview' Has Near-Perfect Rating on IMDb

Is the film The Interview better than Citizen Kane, Casablanca and The Godfather? It definitely is, at least according to its IMDb score.

Not many people, outside of critics and attendees at promotional screenings, have seen the controversial Seth Rogen comedy yet, and it's unclear whether anyone else ever will, as Sony is still weighing its options after canceling the film's planned theatrical release. Hackers who breached Sony's systems last month threatened a 9/11-style attack if the studio released the film, causing major theater chains to drop it.

Justin Lin To Direct 'Star Trek 3,' Next 'Bourne' Movie With Jeremy Renner Postponed

Need a franchise entry directed with skill and aplomb? Call Justin Lin. Not only does he have four "Fast & Furious" movies under his belt, he's directing the first two episodes in the next season of "True Detective," and he was tapped for the next 'Bourne' movie with Jeremy Renner (more on that in a sec). Hollywood clearly trusts this guy to give audiences exactly what they want, no matter the genre, and now Paramount have snagged him for one of their biggest properties.

Deadline reports that Lin has nabbed the the gig directing "Star Trek 3." He replaces Roberto Orci who recently vacated the chair, but is still staying on as a producer, and if you're wondering where Lin has space in his schedule, one other movie just got moved out of the way.

Marvel’s ‘Jessica Jones’ Hits Netflix in 2015

Netflix aims to bolster their exclusive programming slate significantly in the near future, with up to 20 original shows airing per year on the streaming service. An important part of that upcoming original content is coming from Marvel TV beginning next year with Daredevil – the first of four series and a crossover miniseries that explore the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Hell’s Kitchen, New York, and the superheroes that reside there.

The continuously growing franchise that began with Iron Man in movie theaters in 2008, expanded to TV last year for the first time with Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC, and next month adds a second series in Agent Carter. After that, Marvel TV tests out a new platform in with their Netflix slate which we just learned will include both A.K.A. Jessica Jones alongside Daredevil in 2015.

‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ For 2016 Release

The collaboration between the animation company Laika and Focus Features has produced the Academy Award-nominated films Coraline and ParaNorman, as well as the more recent Golden Globe Award-nominated The Boxtrolls. Back in October of this year, the companies announced a 3-picture deal to continue their collaborative efforts.

The first of the upcoming three movies from Laika and Focus Features will be Kubo and the Two Strings, which will be filmed in the animation studio’s signature blend of 3D stop-motion and computer-generated imagery.

Extensive 45-Minute Look At The Sound Design Of Gareth Edwards' 'Godzilla'

Gareth Edwards “Godzilla” received some well-deserved criticism regarding its weakly structured screenplay and lack of interesting characters. Chief among these is the bizarre decision to dispose of the only person with a relatable motivation before we even get to the second act, leaving the audience with a bland hero portrayed by an even blander actor.
What it does get right, however, is the titular character’s look and sound. Far from the bad “Jurassic Park” cosplay version of Roland Emmerich’s 1998 misstep, the big bad lizard stayed loyal to his Japanese ancestor while bringing something new to the table via the impeccably designed MUTOs, two of Gojira’s most formidable adversaries.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Helen Mirren to Get Top BAFTA Honor

The actress, who won an Oscar and a BAFTA film award for her role in "The Queen" in 2007, gets a fellowship from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Helen Mirren will next month be presented with a fellowship from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, the organization's highest honor.

The Oscar and BAFTA winning actress will receive the British Academy fellowship in recognition of her "exceptional contribution" to film, BAFTA said. She will get the honor during this year's British Academy film awards on Feb. 16.
The presentation will see Mirren join the star-studded roster of BAFTA fellows that already includes the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor, Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave and Martin Scorsese.

Weekend Box Office: RIDE ALONG Claims Second Win; I, FRANKENSTEIN Struggles

As expected, Ride Along easily claimed a second frame on top of the domestic box office.  The Universal comedy took in an estimated $21.1 million this weekend, or more than twice the amount credited to the week’s sole new release: I, Frankenstein.  The Lionsgate release pulled in an estimated $8.2 million in its first three days – falling below the very low bar set by the studio’s last feature, The Legend of Hercules, just two weeks ago.
   



Title     Weekend     Total
1.      Ride Along     $21,162,000     $75.4
2.      Lone Survivor     $12,601,000     $93.6
3.      The Nut Job     $12,316,000     $40.2
4.      Frozen     $9,035,000     $347.8
5.      Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit     $8,800,000     $30.1
6.      I, Frankenstein     $8,275,000     $8.2
7.      American Hustle     $7,100,000     $127
8.      August: Osage County     $5,041,000     $26.5
9.      The Wolf of Wall Street     $5,000,000     $98
10.      Devil’s Due     $2,750,000     $12.8

Maleficent Debuts a 90-Second Sneak Peek!

A new, 90-second sneak peek at Walt Disney Pictures' upcoming Maleficent just debuted during the 56th Annual Grammy Awards and features a never-before-heard Lana Del Rey rendition of "Once Upon a Dream." Check it out in the player below!

Del Rey recorded the unique reimagining of the renowned fairy-tale tune from Disney’s classic animated film Sleeping Beauty and it will be featured in full during the end credits of the May 30 release. The song is, meanwhile, available for free for a limited time, only on Google Play.
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Inside the DGA Awards: Alfonso Cuaron Wins, Steven Soderbergh Gets a Surprise

The "Gravity" director topped the 66th annual event, which featured appearances by Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks and Bradley Cooper.
The 66th annual Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards unfolded in four-and-a-half hours on Saturday, Jan. 25, with a few surprises, several standing ovations and the top honor going to Gravity director Alfonso Cuaron.

Cuaron was announced as the final winner of the night, but each of the five nominated film directors -- Cuaron, Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), David O. Russell (American Hustle), Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips) and Martin Scorsese (Wolf of Wall Street) -- was honored with a presentation and a medallion at different points throughout the night.

Kevin Smith And SModCo Are Now Making A Holiday Horror Anthology

The farther he gets from his indie roots, the closer Kevin Smith seems to be inching back towards that filmmaking methodology, only without the worry of having to max out credit cards to bring the projects to light. Since announcing at the end of 2012 that Clerks III was going to be his last film, Smith has almost completed a feature that wasn’t even fully conceived of at the time, with another more bizarre project lined up after that. Add another off-center concept to that pile, as Smith announced he recently finished teaming up with comedy writer and podcaster Andy McElfresh in co-writing a Christmas horror anthology called Comes the Krampus! which will be directed by several members of the SModCo crew.

Instead of using Santa Claus as their jumping off point, they decided to use the "Scandinavian/German Kid-Eating Christmas creature known as The Krampus," which Smith himself announced on his blog Silent Bob Speaks. The brainstorming session that spawned the idea occurred during the Christmas episode of McElfresh’s Edumacation podcast (which you can listen to here), and Smith is calling it their version of George A. Romero and Stephen King’s Creepshow.

Dreamworks Producing Live-Action ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Adaptation

Years have passed (literally) since anyone’s talked about re-adapting Masamune Shirow’s landmark manga-cum-anime Ghost in the Shell. First conceived on the page by Shirow in 1989, brought to the big screen in 1995, and sequelized in 2004 (by legendary Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Oshii), the Ghost in the Shell franchise has largely survived as a television property in the intervening decade, as seen in early aughts TV show Standalone Complex and, much more recently, OVA series Arise.

This makes recent developments over a new Ghost in the Shell film potentially very exciting. It turns out that there’s been movement on bringing Shirow’s creation back to theaters with a new update on his original work; Dreamworks, the studio that initially released the truly excellent movie sequel Ghost in the Shell: Innocence ten years ago still owns the rights, and they’re intent on pushing ahead with another interpretation of Shirow’s manga, this time through a live-action rather than animated lens.

Hugh Jackman Set as Blackbeard in ‘Peter Pan’; Garrett Hedlund Cast as Hook

Hearing any new details about the upcoming Peter Pan movie can be a little confusing, because there are actually multiple Peter Pan movies currently at various stages of development. It’s one of the perils of well-loved stories that are in the public domain. The Peter Pan movie that seems to be winning the race, however, is Warner Bros’ version, with director Joe Wright (The Soloist) at the helm.

Casting on the film has been ongoing for the past few months, with various names thrown into the mix including Ryan Gosling and Javier Bardem, and Warner Bros has already set a release date for summer 2015.