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Mack Chico

By

2008/11/05 at 12:00am

Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park, is dead

11.5.2008 | By |

Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park, is dead

Prolific novelist and “ER” creator Michael Crichton has passed away. He was 66.

Perhaps best known for being the author of Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, which were turned into a hugely successful movie franchise, his numerous books have sold over 150 million copies worldwide.

In what his family calls an unexpected death, it was revealed that he was waging a private battle against cancer.

“While the world knew him as a great storyteller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us — and entertained us all while doing so — his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes,” his family tells ET. “He did this with a wry sense of humor that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget.”

Mack Chico

By

2008/11/04 at 12:00am

‘Quantum of Solace’ – 8 best clips of the film!

11.4.2008 | By |

'Quantum of Solace' - 8 best clips of the film!

We’re just 10 days away from the US release of ‘Quantum of Solace’ and we already have 8 scenes from the film. This is a great sneak peak for you guys to judge whether it’s any good. We think it’s gonna make a killing at the BO, perhaps do better that Casino Royale’s $167 million domestically. 

Here’s a synopsis of the film to get you more… acquainted.

Quantum of Solace continues the high octane adventures of James Bond in Casino Royale. Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M interrogate Mr White who reveals the organisation which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined. Forensic intelligence links an MI6 traitor to a bank account in Haiti where a case of mistaken identity introduces Bond to the beautiful but feisty Camille, a woman who has her own vendetta. Camille leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene, a ruthless business man and major force within the mysterious organisation, Quantum. On a mission that leads him to Austria, Italy and South America, Bond discovers that Greene, conspiring to take total control of one of the worlds most important natural resources, is forging a deal with the exiled General Medrano.

Mack Chico

By

2008/11/03 at 12:00am

Michelle Rodriguez films in the Dominican Republic

11.3.2008 | By |

Michelle Rodriguez films in the Dominican Republic

Notorious Hollywood actress Michelle Rodríguez goes back to her Dominican and Puerto Rican roots to film ‘Tropicos de Sangre’ (Tropical Blood) in the Dominican Republic. The story, based on the true story, revolves around the death of the three Mirabal sisters. Filming begins in November, in different localities of the country. Rodríguez is immersed in merengue classes, spanish dictionin preparation for the role.

“When I got the offer to be a part of this project, I thrusted myself in it 100% and saw it as a great challenge in my career”.

“Understanding the importance that this story marked in the history of the Dominican’s democracy and the world is important to me”, Rodríguez added. Together with Juan De Láncer, the director of the movie, Michelle has been visiting the the locations where it will be filmed. Some of the other stars are César Evora as Antonio de la Maza and Juan Fernandez as Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, both stand-out local actors.

Mack Chico

By

2008/11/03 at 12:00am

Tom Ford as a film director?

11.3.2008 | By |

Tom Ford as a film director?

Fashion designer Tom Ford is getting the cast in place for his long-awaited move into movies.

Colin Firth, Julianne Moore and Matthew Goode are set to star in “A Single Man,” Ford’s adaptation of a Christopher Isherwood novel.

Published in 1964, the novel centers on a gay man who, after the sudden death of his partner, is determined to persist in his usual routine, which is seen in the span of a single, ordinary day in southern California.

Firth is the gay man, an Englishman and professor who feels like an outsider in Los Angeles. Goode is the boyfriend who dies in a car accident and appears in flashbacks. Moore plays a friend of the professor.

Ford, who was recently ranked 12th in a list of the 49 men who most influenced the way other men thought, behaved and shopped, adapted the screenplay for the independently financed project with David Scearce.

Ford rose to the top of the fashion world with a 10-year run at Gucci, a period that turned around the fortunes of the Italian fashion house owned by France’s PPR (PRTP.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

He stepped down in 2004 following a failure to agree contract terms and in 2005 set up his own design line with up-market stores now in New York and Milan and planned for over a dozen locations including London, Los Angeles, and Dubai.

One of Ford’s well-advertised customer is Daniel Craig who wears Tom Ford outfits in the new James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace.”

After leaving Gucci, Ford also signed on with Creative Artists Agency with the aim to slide into the director’s chair.

Firth was last seen in “Mamma Mia!” and Moore in “Blindness.” Goode plays Ozymandias in next year’s “Watchmen.”

Pau Brunet

By

2008/11/03 at 12:00am

‘High School Musical 3’ frights up a consecutive #1!

11.3.2008 | By |

'High School Musical 3' frights up a consecutive #1!

Halloween weekend started out with a true fright at the box office, as people were spooked away from all the movies in the multiplex and presumably hearty holdovers suffered huge declines. But as the trick-or-treaters came in from the chilly night and their candy comas set in, High School Musical 3: Senior Year rebounded to win its second straight weekend, and Zack and Miri Make a Porno and Clint Eastwood’s Changeling also fared well enough. The Haunting of Molly Hartley, however, scared up little business.

In the end, some familiar films dominated the top of the chart. HSM3 banked $15 mil, according to Sunday’s estimates. Despite dropping 64 percent from its winning opening, the tween musical’s 10-day sum now stands at $61.8 mil. Still, it should be gone by next weekend, when Madagascar 2 hits theaters. Also hanging on despite heavy losses was Saw V (No. 3), which brought in $10.1 mil — a heart stopping 66 percent drop from its big bow a week ago.

But among new movies, Kevin Smith’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno (No. 2) fared best, grossing $10.7 mil on the weekend. While not very impressive, that total is on par with the $10.1 mil that the lowbrow auteur’s previous release, Clerks II, made in its first frame more than two years ago, and, actually, it’s Smith’s second-best bow ever (after Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back‘s $11 mil debut). Not ditto for star Seth Rogen, who has grown accustomed to $20 mil-plus premieres lately (like Pineapple Express‘ $23.2 mil, Superbad‘s $33.1 mil, and Knocked Up‘s $30.7 mil), although at least he avoids the embarrassment of a true flop.

Buoyed by a sweet A- CinemaScore review from a substantially older audience, Changeling (No. 4) capitalized on being the only grown-up film in the marketplace by bringing in $9.4 mil, a sum that’s more than double the $3.9 mil that star Angelina Jolie’s last drama, 2007’s A Mighty Heart, earned on its first weekend. And, hey, with the second-, third-, and fourth-place movies all banking nearly the same number of bucks, Changeling could conceivably move up in the weekend rankings when the final numbers come out on Monday.

Rounding out the top five was The Haunting of Molly Hartley, with a weak $6 mil take. Boo, indeed!

Overall, the cumulative box office was down more than 36 percent from the same frame a year ago, when Halloween fell on a less financially intrusive Wednesday and American Gangster and Bee Movie led the way. And now it’s time for me to buzz off.

# TITLE % Gross Theaters Avg. Cume Dist. Bdgt.
1 High School Musical 3
-56% $18’5M 3’635 $5’090 $61’4M Disney $11M
2 Zack & Miri Make a Porno $10’2M 2’750 $3’820 $10’2M Weinstein $25M
3 Saw V -58% $10’1M 3’086 $3’265 $48M Lionsgate $10’8M
4 Changeling $9’4M 1’870 $5’080 $10M Universal
5 The Haunting of Molley Hartley

$5’9M

2’630 $2’240 $5’8M Freestyle $5M
6 Beverly Hills Chihuahua -34% $4’7M 3’008 $1’580 $84M Disney
Mack Chico

By

2008/10/31 at 12:00am

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

10.31.2008 | By |

Rated: R on appeal for strong crude sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity and pervasive language.
Release Date: 2008-10-31
Starring: Kevin Smith
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://zackandmiri.com/

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Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Mack Chico

By

2008/10/31 at 12:00am

"Spidey 4" has a new screenwriter

10.31.2008 | By |

"Spidey 4" has a new screenwriter

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire got out of a rabbit hole, only to be ensnared by a spider’s web.

Lindsay-Abaire, who won a Pulitzer in 2007 for his drama “Rabbit Hole,” is in final negotiations to write “Spider-Man 4” for Columbia.

Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are back as director and star, respectively. Kirsten Dunst also is expected to return for the latest movie featuring the Marvel Comics character.

Plot details are under lock and key. Producer Laura Ziskin had said she would like to aim for a May 2011 release for “Spider-Man 4,” nine years after the original movie’s debut.

Columbia always has gone off the beaten path during the development process when hiring writers for the “Spider-Man” movies. Alvin Sargent, a veteran scribe best known for 1973’s “Paper Moon” and 1980’s “Ordinary People,” served as a writer on the second and third films. Michael Chabon, another Pulitzer winner, also worked on “Spider-Man 2.”

James Vanderbilt previously wrote a draft of “Spider-Man 4.”

Lindsay-Abaire’s “Rabbit Hole,” which starred Cynthia Nixon and Tyne Daly, hit the Broadway stage in 2006 and won four Tonys, including best play. The writer also is known for the play “Fuddy Meers.”

Lindsay-Abaire has said in interviews that his plays tend to be “peopled with outsiders in search of clarity,” which would put his work on sympathetic terms with Peter Parker, who in his classic incarnation is the perpetual outsider.

The choice of scribe also signals that that filmmakers are intent to focus on character, something that critics said got lost in the third installment.

Lindsay-Abaire, now writing the book and lyrics for the Broadway musical adaptation of “Shrek,” has dipped his toe in Tinseltown before, with his adaptation of “Inkheart” due in January. He is also adapting “Rabbit” for 20th Century Fox and Nicole Kidman.

Jack Rico

By

2008/10/30 at 12:00am

RocknRolla

10.30.2008 | By |

Rated: R for pervasive language, violence, drug use and brief sexuality.
Release Date: 2008-10-31
Starring: Guy Ritchie
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: England
Official Website:

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RocknRolla

Guy Ritchie made his mark for film-goers not by marrying one of the world’s most visible pop stars, but by crafting Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. He exploded onto the cinematic scene with the former; the reaction from Hollywood was so ecstatic that the latter became virtually a higher-budget remake of its predecessor. Still, while the two may co-mingle in the memory, both are entertaining in their own right. After that, Ritchie began believing his press about doing no wrong and went off the deep end. His most recent features illustrate how badly he has miscalculated his aptitude. Swept Away, a horrific remake of the Lina Wertmuller masterpiece starring the aforementioned pop star, and Revolver, were unmitigated disasters – seen by few and liked by almost none. RocknRolla is Ritchie’s attempt to return to his roots: rough and tumble action, convoluted plots, and rat-a-tat-tat dialogue. All of these things are on exhibit in RocknRolla, but they do not flow smoothly. They feel forced and unnatural, as if Ritchie is keenly aware of what needs to do to placate the naysayers but can’t put everything together in a way that recaptures the magic. As punchy and energetic as the first few moments are, the rest of the film quickly falls back into mediocrity.

The story, as one might expect, features a congregation of bad guys who sleaze around London’s underworld. They include a boss played by a scenery-chewing Tom Wilkinson (an actor who can be sublime or over-the-top – whatever the role requires), a two-bit thug portrayed by Gerard Butler, and a femme fatale in the person of Thandie Newton. The narrator is Mark Strong who, through a quirk of scheduling, is appearing in two movies released this weekend. (The other being Body of Lies.) There are various double-crosses, a Maguffin in the form of a painting we never see, and a Russian land developer who hires some unsavory underlings. Throw in a junkie ex-rock star and a posse of tough guys, and you have typical Ritchie territory. Plot threads entwine and overlap and, in the end, it all comes together. There’s some torture, lots of shooting, and a couple characters get their just desserts. Yet, when the end credits roll, instead of shouting, “Damn, that was cool!” there’s a desire to yell, “Damn, that was lame!” It’s all perfunctory and feels far too contrived and scripted.

RocknRolla has a few high octane moments: the opening credits, which are loud and boisterous and promise more than the film delivers; a caper-gone-wrong that finds the right mixture of comedy and action; and a uniquely edited sex scene that gives new meaning to the phrase “Wham, bam, thank you, Ma’am.” Unfortunately, the things that work are outnumbered by those that don’t. Some of the “clever” bits, such as the big, black thug who understands culture and art, are clichés. Maybe once, long ago, they wouldn’t have been but that’s what happens when something has become overexposed through overuse. The movie spins out of control when it begins to focus on the rock star Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell), whose presence in the film serves only to add another layer of complications to an already convoluted plot. The involvement of people like Johnny diverts the story from the more interesting characters. Get us back to Wilkinson, Butler, and especially Newton.

RocknRolla often feels more like a parody of a Guy Ritchie film than a real movie. Lock, Stock and Snatch both rolled along like bizarre cinematic Rube Goldberg machines where the endings justified the convulsions needed to get to that point. RocknRolla breaks down along the way and the ending is so anti-climactic that it leaves one wondering: “Is that all?” Based on the evidence at hand, one can safely state that Ritchie is a one-note director. With RocknRolla, that note is off-key.

Mack Chico

By

2008/10/29 at 12:00am

Joaquin Phoenix retires from Hollywood

10.29.2008 | By |

Joaquin Phoenix retires from Hollywood

Joaquin Phoenix, at a benefit for Paul Newman’s camps for kids Monday, announced his plans to quit acting.

“I want to take this opportunity … to give you the exclusive and just talk a little bit about the fact that this will be my last performance as an actor,” the two-time Oscar nominee said at the San Francisco event. “I’m not doing films anymore.” According to reporters there, he said, “Yeah. I’m working on my music,” Phoenix insisted. “I’m done. I’ve been through that.”

His rep confirmed the retirement.

The 34-year-old performer gave no further details on his career plans – but he has been working on a record for some time British band The Charlatans.

Phoenix, who costars in the upcoming romantic drama Two Lovers with Gwyneth Paltrow, first learned to play guitar for his Academy-Award-nominated role as Johnny Cash in 2005’s Walk The Line.

He was also nominated in 2000 for his supporting role in Gladiator.

Mack Chico

By

2008/10/28 at 12:00am

Tinkerbell

10.28.2008 | By |

Rating: 2.5

Rated: For the whoe family.
Release Date: 2008-10-28
Starring: NULL
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: NULL

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