11.17.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Rated: PG-13 for mature material and sensuality.
Release Date: 2008-08-08
Starring: Elizabeth Chandler (guión), Ann Brashares (novela)
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Country:NULL
Official Website: http://sisterhoodofthetravelingpants2.warnerbros.com/
Men who are film critics, such as myself, stereotypically aren’t fond of the movie genre known as ‘the chick flick’. We usually have to remove our male biased opinions towards them and see it for the cinematic work that they are. In this particular case, I must admit, ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2’ was an enjoyable and delightful film that engrossed me for its 2 hour duration.
I really wasn’t expecting to like it, so the fact that I did, makes it even more memorable. Sisterhood, based on a book by Ann Brashares, is a reunion for the actresses that have now made it ‘big time’ on their respective TV shows; Hondurean American America Ferrera stars in ‘Ugly Betty’, Blake Lively in the hot sexy Gossip Girls, Amber Tamblyn is widely known for Joan of Arcadia and Argetinian-Mexican American Alexis Bledel (who knew she was a hardcore Latin?) currently stars in Gilmore Girls. This year more than ever, television stars are making Hollywood look real good.
One of the great things about the film outside of the physical and cultural diversity of the cast, is the chemistry they share onset. They seem to really get what their characters are all about. It’s three years later and each of the girls are exploring their professional goals. Their only apprehensiveness is the potential estrangement from themselves that distance could impose on them. The four story lines are alluring enough to not lose you to lassitude.
Ferrera is the best actress of the group, evident when she spews out Shakespeare lines as if they were vernacular English. Tamblyn, with her caustic and mordant personality, provided the much needed comic relief from the emotional pounding the film takes with Lively’s character. Bledel, unfortunately was the weakest link and didn’t really provide enough believable gravitas to take the film to the next level.
As my colleague Alex Florez termed it, ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2’ is a ‘slice of life’ movie, and I believe it will resonate not only with tween audiences, but also with mom and dad adults. That combination will surely squeeze out a third part out of those magical jeans.
11.17.2008 | By Pau Brunet |
It’s a Bond market .
“Quantum of Solace,” with Daniel Craig returning as James Bond , easily made for the best opening weekend for the spy franchise, earning more than $67 million at the box office. The series’ first direct sequel opened with nearly $30 million more than its predecessor, 2006’s “Casino Royale.”
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Media By Numbers LLC:
1. “Quantum of Solace,” Sony/MGM, $67,528,882, 3,451 locations, $19,568 average, $67,528,882, one week.
2. ” Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa ,” Paramount, $35,017,301, 4,065 locations, $8,614 average, $116,905,195, two weeks.
3. ” Role Models ,” Universal, $11,150,030, 2,798 locations, $3,985 average, $37,577,245, two weeks.
4. ” High School Musical 3: Senior Year ,” Disney, $5,656,162, 3,202 locations, $1,766 average, $84,169,216, four weeks.
5. ” Changeling ,” Universal, $4,254,080, 1,896 locations, $2,244 average, $27,631,772, four weeks.
6. ” Zack and Miri Make a Porno ,” Weinstein Co., $3,146,312, 2,210 locations, $1,424 average, $26,465,482, three weeks.
7. “Soul Men,” MGM, $2,350,141, 2,048 locations, $1,148 average, $9,370,925, two weeks.
8. “The Secret Life of Bees,” Fox Searchlight, $2,338,279, 1,449 locations, $1,614 average, $33,627,359, five weeks.
9. ” Saw V ,” Lionsgate , $1,767,405, 2,002 locations, $883 average, $55,380,488, four weeks.
10. “Beverly Hills Chihuahua ,” Disney, $1,579,080, 1,617 locations, $977 average, $90,878,127, seven weeks.
11.16.2008 | By Mack Chico |
A new version of “Pinocchio” is on its way to the big screen, this one to be co-directed by acclaimed children’s book illustrator Gris Grimly and executive produced by Guillermo del Toro.
The adaptation, being made by the Jim Henson Co., will be done as a stop-motion animated feature. Henson co-CEOs Brian Henson and Lisa Henson and senior vp feature films Jason Lust are producing.
The aim is to make a dark, twisted retelling of the famous Carlo Collodi fairy tale about the wooden puppet who dreams of becoming a real boy. In the retelling, when Pinocchio comes to life, he turns out not to be that nice of a boy, creating mischief and playing mean tricks. He eventually learns a few lessons. The story and the look of the feature will be based on the 2002 children’s book illustrated by Grimly, who is repped by Gotham Group.
Sitting with Grimly in the director’s chair will be Adam Parrish King, whose “The Wraith of Cobble Hill” won the short filmmaking award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award in the shorts category.
News of del Toro’s involvement initially broke on the horror Web site Bloody-Disgusting.
The new incarnation of “Pinocchio” looks to have better luck than the previous attempt, which involved Francis Ford Coppola. In 1991, Coppola tried to set up a live-action version at Warners; after an impasse emerged, he tried to set it up at Columbia. The project disintegrated in a costly lawsuit.
11.15.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Mark Wahlberg says a possible sequel to The Departed may feature an appearance by either Robert De Niro or Brad Pitt.
The Boogie Nights star, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance as cop Dignam in Martin Scorsese‘s version of the Hong Kong crime drama, told Digital Spy that big names have been bandied about for a sequel.
“They were talking about bringing in a couple of new guys like De Niro, maybe Brad Pitt or someone like that playing the bad guy, a corrupt politician or something,” he said. “Then, like the Hong Kong [Infernal Affairs] trilogy that the movie is based on, come back and do a prequel and bring everyone else back who was in the first.”
Wahlberg added that he would only be interested in appearing in the sequel, “If we can make it better than the first and people are willing to see it”.
11.14.2008 | By SBC Staff |
The new Bond film Quantum of Solace isn’t better than its predecessor Casino Royale, and its story isn’t as fun as Wanted. So, where did the $225 million they spent on it go? Read More
11.12.2008 | By Jack Rico |
With a month to go before its US release (December 12th and Jan 9th, 2009) we obtained 8 never before seen movie clips from ‘Che’ starring Academy award winning actor Benicio del Toro and a prolific Latino cast.
These clips are in Spanish without English subtitles, just the way director Steven Soderbergh intended them to be. Cameos include Julia Ormond, Franka Potente and yes… Matt Damon as a US agent having a whole conversation speaking in Spanish.
We were surprised at the various Latino dialects we heard from Colombia, Puerto Rico and even Mexican, from many actors who were trying to sound Cuban. But at the end of a 5 hour journey through the life of Guevara, it is the last of your worries.
Nevertheless, we will have a review of the film in December. We enjoyed it, if it matters to you, so enjoy these clips and we hope they help you judge whether you want to invest your time and money in the film.
11.11.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Rated: PG for some thematic elements.
Release Date: 2008-08-15
Starring: Henry Gilroy, Steve Melching, Scott Murphy
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Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.starwars.com/theclonewars/
Unless you are a hardcore Star Wars fan, it will be difficult for the average moviegoer to remember all six, oh my humble apologies, seven Star Wars film episodes. With that said, in preparation to see the new computer animated ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ film, questions were beginning to emerge in me about George Lucas’ creativity. Is he stuck for eternity in this Star Wars bubble and is he incapable of filming anything else? I believe it is a warranted question. This is the same guy who wrote, directed, casted, and edited ‘American Graffiti’, a cinematic effort that earned him five Oscar nominations in 1974. That is evidence he can do something else outside of ‘the force’ – so why doesn’t he? This, my friends, is the million dollar question.
Lucas has been driven, for some time now, to create this new animated feature to coincide with the launch of his Lucasfilm Animation universe. The movie transports us to the middle of episodes two and three (as communicated to me by a Warner Bros. representative) where Jedi Knights struggle to maintain order and restore peace. Systems are falling prey to the forces of the dark side as the Galactic Republic slips further under the sway of the Separatists. Anakin Skywalker (soon to be Darth Vader) and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano (a sort of intern) find themselves on a mission that brings them face-to-face with crime lord Jabba the Hutt. But Count Dooku and his sinister agents, including the nefarious Asajj Ventress, will stop at nothing to ensure that Anakin and Ahsoka fail at their quest. Notable is a cameo of Samuel L. Jackson lending his voice for his character Mace Windu.
Since new characters are introduced here, and not continued in the following adventures of the Jedis, it is hard to say whether or not this film fits in nicely with the rest of the episodes. We will have to wait and see.
Nevertheless, boy was it entertaining! It began with great animated fighting sequences and it kept that tempo throughout the very end, a characteristic that spells out pure fun. I would actually dare to say it was more entertaining than Lucas’ recent Star Wars trilogy – Episodes I, II and III. Most of this decision is based on Hayden Christensen’s vapid and uninspiring acting as Anakin Skywalker in the aforementioned works, resulting in an unmemorable experience. These computer generated ‘actors’ did a better job of engaging me than he.
The premise was easy enough to understand, the characters were likable, the sequences were dynamic and full of brio. The film is obviously for fans of the Star Wars saga, but looking to attract young new legions of fans.
11.11.2008 | By Mack Chico |
“Ugly Betty” star America Ferrera will topline and exec produce the drama “American Tragic,” with Ryan Piers Williams helming from his own screenplay.
Latino mini-studio Maya Entertainment will produce and distribute the pic, with Heather Rae (“Frozen River”) serving as producer. Sergio Aguero (“Y tu mama tambien”) will exec produce alongside Ferrera.
Drama marks Ferrera’s second collaboration with Maya, which also distributed Ferrera starrer “How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer.”
“We hope that this is validation of the job we did on ‘Garcia Girls,’ ” said Jeff Valdez, who co-chairs Maya Entertainment along with founder Moctesuma Esparza.
“American Tragic” centers on a young war vet, played by newcomer Ryan O’Nan, who sets off across the country with a buddy to find redemption. Ferrera will play his wife and Melissa Leo (“Frozen River”) his mother.
Production on “American Tragic” starts in February in New Mexico for a projected fall 2009 release.
11.11.2008 | By Jack Rico |
Columbia Pictures is back in the dojo with a new version of the 1984 hit “The Karate Kid,” which has been refashioned as a star vehicle for Jaden Smith, Will Smith’s son.
The film will be produced by Jerry Weintraub (who launched the original franchise) and Overbrook Entertainment‘s James Lassiter, Will Smith and Ken Stovitz. Will Smith, who is the 10-year-old actor’s father, co-starred alongside Jaden in his feature debut, “The Pursuit of Happyness,” which Overbrook and Escape Artists produced for Columbia.
The script is being written by Chris Murphy, and the film will shoot next year in Beijing and other cities. While the new film will be set in that exotic locale, it will borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor.
China Film Group Corp. will co-produce in China.
The younger Smith, who next stars in “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” is a martial arts practitioner.
Columbia presidents Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach said they had been trying to find a way to bring back the series, which began with three films that featured Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. A subsequent film launched the career of Hilary Swank.
11.11.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Studios, better known as MGM, will be the first major movie studio to post full-length feature films on YouTube, the company announced Sunday.
CNET News reported on Thursday that YouTube was preparing to launch a feature-film service after spending months smoothing over fractured relationships in Hollywood.
MGM will likely not be the last studio to post full-length feature films on YouTube, according to an industry source. Last summer, Lionsgate announced a partnership with YouTube, but that deal calls for the studio to offer only short clips from films and TV shows. MGM will also post TV shows on YouTube, according to multiple reports published on Sunday.
For Google, YouTube’s parent company, the deal is a turning point in its relationship with Hollywood. There was lots of distrust and bitter feelings in entertainment circles after the way Google dealt with copyright infringement on its site. But that was when Google was in the driver’s seat. Back then, thousands of YouTube’s users would post clips from TV shows and films on the site and YouTube executives told the studios they were powerless to prevent it–all the while YouTube amassed an enormous following.
The law, according to YouTube, didn’t hold them responsible for crimes committed by their users. Hollywood was further frustrated when Google required copyright owners to send written requests when they wanted a clip removed from the site.
The studios have Hulu to thank for forcing Google to soften its approach. Hulu, the video portal formed by NBC Universal and News Corp., has become the top outlet for watching full-length films and TV shows on the Web. The site is generating as many ad dollars in only its first year in business as the three-year-old YouTube, according to reports.
If Google wanted to duplicate Hulu’s success, it needed to make nice with film studios. So it did. YouTube has developed systems that help keep pirated clips off the site and is developing video players that present clearer images than the site’s standard player. When it comes to financial terms, Google has proven much more flexible than in the past, according to three studio sources.
The typical splits right now call for the studios to pocket 70 percent of the profits and Google gets the rest, say the sources. What MGM and Google negotiated hasn’t been disclosed.
The only obstacles to Google and YouTube getting more studios to post full-length movies is Google’s insistence on a particular ad format, say the sources. They declined to say which ad unit Google prefers. The other hurdle is that some studios are skeptical that users will accept all the ads that need to accompany a feature film in order to make it profitable.
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