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‘HOP’ is #1 at the box office, again!

Many did not imagine that a story based on the popular Easter Bunny who brings chocolate eggs, could be so fruitful.

“Hop,” the film that chronicles the adventures of the successor of the Easter rabbit, again led the box office this weekend to add 21.7 million in its favor. The film also was the most watched last week from the day of its release.

The actor Russell Brand, husband of singer Katy Perry, is also among the top box office earnings, as well as lending his voice to the character bunny, the film starring comedy called “Arthur“ took second place with profit of 12.6 million dollars.

The thriller “Hanna“ managed to steal third after adding $ 12.3 million, the film “Soul Surfer“ with 11.1 million and fourth after the movie “Insidious“ in fifth with 9.7 million.

Estimated box office receipts of films for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canada.

1. ”Hop”, 21.7 millon.
2. ”Arthur”, 12.6 millon.
3. ”Hanna”, 12.3 millon.
4. ”Soul Surfer”, 11.1 millon.
5. ”Insidious”, 9.7 millon.
6. ”Your Highness”, 9.5 millon.
7. ”Source Code”, 9.1 millon.
8. ”Limitless”, 5.7 millon.
9. ”Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules”, 4.9 millon.
10. ”The Lincoln Lawyer”, 4.6 millon.

Legendary director Sidney Lumet dies at 86

Sidney J. Lumet, a New York-based filmmaker whose work frequently focused on power, politics, and corruption, has died at the age of 86.

He had been suffering from lymphona.

Lumet, who came to prominence in 1957 with the classic courtroom drama “12 Angry Men,” spent much of his career portraying New York City as a cesspool of violence, filth and compromised ideals. In such gritty films as “Serpico” (1973), “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975), “Prince of the City” (1981) and “Night Falls on Manhattan” (1996), Lumet showed a dysfuctional city where the only certainty was that integrity was impossible to preserve. The first two starred Al Pacino in two of his most-acclaimed roles.

Lumet’s other prominent social-issue films included “Fail-Safe” (1964), a deadly somber tale (in contrast to Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove”) of the world accidentally brought to the brink of nuclear disaster, and “Network” (1976), a searing indictment of the corrosive power of television, particularly TV news. Neither film ended cheerily, which was generally true of much of his work.

Lumet made two prominent films with Sean Connery: “The Hill” (1965), a story of authority run amok in a British army prison, and “The Anderson Tapes” (1971), which showed a world where everyone was under surveillance seemingly all the time. “Running on Empty” (1988) dealt with Abbie Hoffman-like fugitives still on the run, and “Daniel” (1983) portrayed someone who seemed very much like the son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg . A 1986 film starring Richard Gere and Denzel Washington was simply titled “Power.”

In “Network,” he directed three actors to Academy Awards: Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight. Though he never won one in competition, Lumet was nominated for five Oscars, for “12 Angry Men,” “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Network,” “Prince of the City,” and “The Verdict” (1982). He was awarded an honorary Academy Award in 2005.

The Philadelphia native’s other acclaimed films included “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (1962), “The Pawnbroker” (1965), and “Murder on the Orient Express” (1974). After a long dry stretch, his final film was 2007’s “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” a rich and disturbing effort about a family destroyed by greed and delusion.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Tron: Legacy

‘In the Heights: The Movie’ is officially dead

Ever since the Broadway show ‘In the Heights’ won Best Musical at the 2007 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall – historic moment which I happened to be in the auditorium for – there has been talk of a movie version being developed by Universal Studios for a couple of years now.

First, word came out that ‘In the Heights’ creator, composer, lyricist and star, Lin Manuel Miranda was starring and helping adapt his creation into a film script with the show’s book writer, Quiara Alegria Hudes, writing the script and ‘High School Musical’ helmer Kenny Ortega attached to direct. When I saw Ortega and Wilmer Valderrama chatting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, I knew this was more than rumor. He was already recruiting and meeting potential cast members. Unfortunately, somewhere along the road, things didn’t go as planned and Lin Manuel, announced via a statement on Deadline.com, that ‘In the Heights: The Movie’ was dead.

According to sources, one of the major reasons for the movie not being greenlit was that Shakira, the ultimate crossover star, couldn’t reach a deal with Universal. She was in talks for the role of Vanessa. It would have been her first motion picture role.

Among the cast members wanting to be part of the star studded cast were Jennifer Lopez for the role of Daniela. That didn’t work out either most likely because of her new found fame with American Idol. Other considerations for her role were Real Housewives star Eva Longoria, Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara and Broadway and TV star from Grey’s Anatomy, Sara Ramirez.

In addition, the cast would have included Rita Moreno, Ruben Blades, and fresh faces like Carlos Peña Jr. from Nickelodeon’s ‘Big Time Rush’, plus Wilmer Valderrama and Gloria Estefan in cameo roles. Speaking of Estefan, iconic record producer Emilio Estefan was having initial conversations to executive produce the film’s soundtrack, a mix of Latin and Hip-Hop songs.

It’s all a shame since dancers were already auditioning, and shooting was slated to begin in August in Washington Heights, New York City with a budget of $37 million dollars. Also, Universal Studios is one of the few studios in Hollywood that has made a commitment to making films with Latino talent, including distributing ‘Savages,’ a cartel movie that will star Benicio del Toro and Salma Hayek, recently announced.

There was no doubt that ‘In the Heights: The Movie’ was going to be one of the most star studded US Hispanic movies in the history of Hollywood, but Lin Manuel Miranda is not giving up on the dream of one day making it happen. He said in a statement, “I have had nothing but a positive experience with Universal Pictures. We weren’t able to make the film version of In The Heights together, but I’m looking forward to working with them in the near future. Moving forward, I’m excited to explore other options to make the In The Heights movie a reality.”

The question now is, what studio will the movie land? My guess is Sony Pictures Classic/Columbia Pictures since they are also very committed to musicals (Burlesque) and Latino talent (Battle: Los Angeles).

Leave your thoughts and comments below.

‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2’ is #1 at the box office

The family comedy ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules’ took this weekend’s box office contest.

The sequel to ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ (2010) from Friday to Sunday raised $24.4 million, which quickly regained its production costs of 18 million dollars.

The adventures of a student who recorded his life experiences in a journal are based on the hit book series by Jeff Kiney.

Meanwhile, the fantasy action film ‘Sucker Punch’ had to settle for second place with $19 million. The successful film director Zack Snyder (“300”, “Watchmen”), fell behind industry expectations.

‘Limitless’, the winner last week at the box office, slipped to third place. The science fiction thriller with Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro managed to generate $15.2 million, totaling $41 million dollars since its release.

1. ”Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules”, $24.4 millon
2. ”Sucker Punch”, $19 millon
3. ”Limitless”, $15.2 millon
4. ”The Lincoln Lawyer”, $11 millon
5. ”Rango”, $9.8 millon
6. ”Battle: Los Angeles”, $7.6 millon
7. ”Paul”, $7.5 millon
8. ”Red Riding Hood”, $4.3 millon
9. ”The Adjustment Bureau”, $4.2 millon
10. ”Mars Needs Moms!”, $2.2 millon

Skyline

Rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, some language, and brief sexual content.
Release Date: 2010-11-12
Starring: Joshua Cordes, Liam O’Donnell
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.iamrogue.com/skyline

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