Entertainment News
Entries from January 2011
Anthony Hopkins' horror flick The Rite topped the weekend boxoffice followed by the remake of Charles Bronson's The Mechanic. Both performed unspectacularly, but within studio expectations. The relatively modestly-budgeted movies look to be on a healthy course toward profitability. With the announcement of the Oscar nominations, several films got a boost with The King's Speech and True Grit the main beneficiaries. The latter has grossed $148 million to date and still has plenty more to go. Tell us again, studio execs, how there isn't a market for Westerns...For more click here
In an eyebrow-raising ceremony, The Directors Guild of America awarded Tom Hooper the top honor for his film The King's Speech. Even though Hooper won the top award recently from the Producers Guild of America, the heavy money was on David Fincher to nab the award from the DGA for The Social Network. If history holds true, it means that Hooper will almost certainly be striding to the podium to accept the Best Director Oscar on February 27. There have been few occasions when the DGA award didn't mirror the Oscar results. For more click here
Kate Hudson may play the late, legendary porn queen Linda Lovelace in a big screen bio pic of the Deep Throat star. James Franco may play her husband, porn producer Chuck Traynor. Lovelace was made internationally famous in the early 70s by virtue of her one peculiar sexual talent. Despite the fact that the film ended up making hundreds of millions of dollars, the mob took most of the money and Lovelace made little profit despite becoming a pop culture icon. For more click here
Anthony Hopkins has been considering portraying Alfred Hitchcock in a big screen biopic for a number of years. One project fell through in 2007 but it now appears there is a good chance the Oscar winner will play the legendary director. For more click here
By Lee Pfeiffer
Director Michael Winner's 1972 film The Mechanic was certainly not a classic, but it was a damned good thriller. Charles Bronson top-lined as a highly skilled assassin for hire. Jan Michael Vincent was a young up-and-comer who he teaches his murderous methods to. Ultimately, the mentor is threatened by the success of his protege - sort of like All About Eve with car bombs. Now director Simon West has a remake about to hit theater screens. Jason Statham and Ben Foster star but the trailer is less-than-promising despite the presence of old pro Donald Sutherland. The trailer is the usual mess of endless explosions and guys running around with both hands on their pistols. It conveys virtually none of the central plotline that made the original so compelling. Let's hope they at least retain the "sting-in-the-tail" surprise ending. Click here to view the new trailer. Click here to view the trailer for the original. What makes this one so bizarre is that it's for a reissue of the movie under the title Killer of Killers!
Entertainment Weekly reports that John Travolta is in serious discussions to play legendary Dapper Don John Gotti. The Gotti heirs are all paid consultants on the late Mafia chief's biopic, which may be a mixed blessing. His daughter Victoria still insists she saw no proof that dad was actually a crime lord, which means she either has endless devotion to enhancing his reputation or she is female Inspector Clouseau when it comes to detecting the obviouis. Sort of reminds us of that hilarious old Woody Allen short story in which Hitler's barber is interviewed. He insists that he never knew Hitler was a Nazi and "for years I thought he worked for the phone company." Click here for more
As usual, there is plenty of debate about this year's Oscar nominations- not only who got the nod, but who was snubbed. Among the more glaring omissions: fan favorite Christopher Nolan, who again was denied a directing nomination despite the success of Inception, and veteran actor Robert Duvall, who arguably gave the best performance of his career in the little-seen Get Low. For more click here
If you've been feeling blue about not having any further adventures set in the world of Pandora, take heart. James Cameron confirmed he is now writing two sequels to Avatar, the highest-grossing film of all time. Cameron anticipates shooting them simultaneously but releasing them a year apart at Christmas 2014 and 2015. For the methodically-paced Cameron, this represents speeding the movies into theaters. For more click here
If you're still drooling over actresses who have played Catwoman in the past, you can give those photos of Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, Eartha Kitt, Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry a rest. Anne Hathaway will be the latest beauty to suit up in the cat suit for Christopher Nolan's next Batman pic. The title: Dark Knight Rises. (You can make the obvious juvenile sexual joke). For more click here
Production is underway in England on a re-teaming of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude law as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The yet-untitled sequel to Sherlock Holmes will also feature the return of villain Prof. Moriarty. We very much enjoyed the first entry in this new series, but here's hoping that this time around there's less fists flying and more deducing evident on the part of the great detective. Click here for more
This year's Oscar nominations have been announced. As expected, The King's Speech (which also dominated the BAFTA nominations) led the field with 12 nods. True Grit, which was entirely snubbed at the Golden Globes, has regained its mojo with 10 nominations. Jeff Bridges was nominated for his performance as Rooster Cogburn, making him the second actor to be nominated for the role. (John Wayne won the Oscar for playing Cogburn in 1969). If Bridges wins, he would have had the coup of winning back-to-back Best Actor awards, having been honored last year for Crazy Heart. For analysis click here. For full list of nominations click here
Several film music scholars have collaborated to commemorate the 100th birthday of legendary composer Bernard Hermann. Click here to read their tributes to this musical genius at the American Music Preservation web site.
Johnny Depp has confirmed he intends to play Tonto in the upcoming big screen feature film The Lone Ranger. The last time this was tried in the late 1970s, the pic became a notorious bomb. However, this time around the producers intend to play it as a comedy. Depp, who has Cherokee ancestry, says he hopes to counter the negative image of Indians in older American films. For Entertainment Weekly's report click here
Robert Duvall will star with Billy Bob Thornton in a period drama titled Jayne Mansfield's Car. Thornton will also direct - though a description of the plot gives little evidence how the iconic sex symbol Mansfield, who perished in a car crash in 1967, fits into the story. Duvall's career is in high gear, having given what many consider to be a career-topping performance in last year's Get Low. He also recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For more click here
A fan has turned his collection of thousands of Beatles records and novelties into something practical: a museum. The only problem for other fans is that they'll have to travel to Buenos Aires to experience the tribute to all things Beatlemania. Click here to view story and photos. No word on whether the museum has been legally approved. The Beatles' legal team is conspicuous in their efforts to shut down any type of unauthorized tributes. Here's hoping all they'll need is love, not loot, and allow this fan to continue to pay his respects through this modest, but cool looking musuem.
More evidence that Clint Eastwood, at age 80, continues to hone his craft as a director by exploring new directions. He hasn't even started filming his high profile J. Edgar Hoover biopic, but Deadline Hollywood reports he's confirmed he will direct Beyonce in a new musical version of A Star is Born. This will be the fourth screen version of the classic Hollywood tragedy. Janet Gaynor and Frederic March starred in the first back in the 30s. Judy Garland and James Mason starred in the 50s version, widely considered to be the best. Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson top-lined the critically-scorned 1976 edition, though it was a major hit with the public. For more click here
By Lee Pfeiffer
As proof positive that the 3-D format is being dramatically over-used for inappropriate films, director Baz Luhrmann says he is considering shooting his upcoming version of The Great Gatsby in that format. Leonardo DiCaprio. The film was previously made in 1949 with Alan Ladd and in 1974 with Robert Redford in the title role Luhrmann also says we are rapidly reaching the point where all home video will be via a download process and he bemoans the fact that movie fans won't have an actual product to hold in their hands. For more click here
The gang at Slash Film have a fascinating report about Ang Lee's Incredible Hulk film of some years ago. Before deciding to use CGI to recreate the jolly green monster, Lee commissioned a Hulk robot to be used. The Slash Film site has full coverage of the ill-fated fiend...Reader Nick Sheffo, who sent us the link, says the robot looks like Shrek, but we think he's been separated at birth from Arnold Schwarzenegger! Click here to read
The King's Speech landed a staggering 14 BAFTA nominations and Black Swan has been nominated in 12 categories. The Coen Brothers' acclaimed remake of True Grit, which was completely glossed over by the Golden Globes, landed 8 nominations. For full coverage and a complete list of nominees, click here
Director Ivan Reitman says that everything that has been posted to date on the web about the status of a new Ghostbusters movie is completely wrong. However, he did confirm that a script has just been completed and he's enthused enough about it to have sent it to Billy Murray for consideration. Click here for more
For decades, there has been criticism of the Hollywood Foreign Press and their annual Golden Globe Awards which have been (inaccurately) seen as a predictor of what films would win Oscars. Although the Oscars themselves have been controversial, the films and artists are voted on by seasoned veterans in their respective fields. The Golden Globes are voted on by a group of loose-knit international "journalists" whose credentials have led many to charge they are simply a group of back-slappers who use their clout to benefit personally. A new lawsuit filed on the eve of tonight's Globes ceremonies states that the organization routinely engaged in payoffs in order to grant press access to the ceremonies and to influence member's voting practices. The plantiff, ironically, is a publicist who defended the Hollywood Foreign Press for 17 years against such charges. Click here for more
Long-suffering Planet of the Apes fans who have been going bananas waiting for the Fox reboot of the series, will have to endure more anxiety. The studio has pushed the next entry in the series, Rise of the Apes, back to a November 23 premiere. The film had initially been set to open in June. No explanation was given, but industry insiders say the delay will give the production team more time to fine-tune special effects. It's also thought that the November time frame will be more advantageous for marketing conditions.
The seemingly ageless Stan Lee, comic book legend extraordinaire, has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In addition to creating such legendary characters as Spiderman, The Fantastic Four and the Incredible Hulk, Lee is still breaking new ground with his latest ventures. Click here to watch video of the award ceremony.
Huffington Post film critic Scott Mendelson speculates on which film franchises probably ended in 2010. It might surprise you that some of them were enormously successful at the box-office. Click here to read
Sir Michael Caine does a wicked impersonation of ....Sir Michael Caine. It all took place on British interviewer Michael Parkinson's show, much to the amusement of guest Billy Connolly. Click here to watch
By Lee Pfeiffer
Critic Scott Mendelson predicts that the absolute glut of 3-D films about to be unleashed on the public will result in a backlash. Seems studios are going to opt-out of giving audiences in some areas the ability to choose whether to see the 3-D version or the traditional 2-D. This is nothing more than a blatant attempt to get movie-goers to pony up an additional $5 fee to enjoy the 3-D experience - whether they like it or not. However, Mendelson points out that the industry is playing with fire. With the country in the midst of hard economic conditions, this would seem to be the least appropriate time to force-feed what amounts to a $15- $20 per person ticket price on the long-suffering public. This is especially true with the industry coming off a disappointing year in which box-office figures and attendance declined notably. Add to that the low-cost options of viewing movies on DVD, through downloads or pay-per-view and you have what Mendelson calls a "perfect storm". Then there is the sheer stupidity of burning out the 3-D format by releasing seemingly everything including YouTube videos in the format. It's already not very special to see a film in 3-D and most of those about to be released will only increase audience's ambiguity to the format. Click here to read
The Wrap reports that Jim Carrey and Sean Penn are officially out of the new Three Stooges project for the Farrelly brothers. One assumes that Benecio del Toro will follow suit. The brothers are courting Johnny Knoxville, Andy Samberg and Australian Shane Jacobson to star. Those names will be nil to retro movie lovers, but they have strong followings with younger audiences who are essential to woo for the new film. The Farrellys plan to divide the movie into three 27-minute long segments. The film is not a biopic, but will be introducing a new team of Stooges. For more click here
Barbra Streisand is considering remaking Gypsy for the big screen. The original film was based on the hit play by Arthur Laurents, who still controls rights. In the original film, Natalie Wood starred as stripper Gypsy Rose Lee and Rosalind Russell played her stage mother from hell. Streisand is interested in directing the film and playing the role of the mother, though Laurents says he has some concerns that Babs would not want to appear as unsympathetic as the role requires. Click here for more
Dame Judi Dench is using the hiatus in between James Bond films to appear in Clint Eastwood's forthcoming biopic of legendary FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. For more click here
It's no secret in the film industry that animation and visual effects artists are among the most abused talents in the business. Their fields are not represented by unions, though efforts are underway to correct that. In the meantime, an antitrust case has been filed against animation giants LucasFilm and Pixar citing documents that seem to imply the two companies may have conspired to reduce the number of employment opportunities for their workers. Click here for the details
By Lee Pfeiffer
Jon Burlingame, music critic for Variety, reports that the scores for for high profile films- Black Swan, The Kids Are Alright, The Fighter and True Grit -have been excluded from Oscar consideration by the Academy because each score relies on pre-existing music to comprise much of the music heard in each film. A.M.P.A.S. rules mandate that scores must be predominently original in order to qualify for Oscar consideration. The ruling only emphasizes the dreary state of film scores today. Unlike decades ago when even B movies seemed to boast memorable soundtracks, today's movie music is largely comprised of non-descript soundtracks that rely on "golden oldies" ranging from rock songs to classical tracks to compensate for the lack of originality. Like the Best Song category, the Academy should consider retiring the competitive Oscars for film compositions and only award those movies that occasionally boast real achievements. For more click here
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