The Latest in ShowBiz News

‘Madea Goes to Jail’: #1 at the box office again!

2009/03/01 at 12:00am

‘Madea Goes to Jail’: #1 at the box office again!

03.1.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Jonas Brothers proved this weekend that they are no Miley Cyrus. The teen pop stars’ 3-D concert film, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, opened in twice as many theaters as last year’s Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds but grossed a scant $12.7 million at the box office — less than half of Cyrus’ bow.

Jonas still managed to pull in a solid average of $10,000 but grossed far less than what most prognosticators were predicting. It also wasn’t strong enough to best Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail, which won its second weekend in a row with $16.5 million. Madea‘s total now stands at $64.9 million.

Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire showed that the Academy Awards can mean something at the box office, grossing $12.2 million in its widest weekend of release since bowing more than four months ago.

The Danny Boyle-directed film’s total gross soared 45 percent for the weekend and now stands at an impressive $115.1 million. Liam Neeson’s Taken became the second unlikely film of the year, after Paul Blart: Mall Cop, to cross the $100 million, grossing an additional $10 million its fifth week of release. The film, whose gross stands now at $107 million, dropped an amazing 12 percent — not bad for an under-the-radar action thriller. And rounding out the top five is New Line’s He’s Just Not That Into You.

The romantic-comedy ensemble grossed $5.9 million to put its total at $78.5 million. The other new wide release, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, grossed $4.6 million as expected, for an eighth spot in the line-up. Box office as a whole was up 11 percent for the frame, which is quite impressive considering it was a pretty quiet weekend as everyone awaits the debut of next weekend’s Watchmen.

Francis Ford Coppola updates us on ‘Tetro’

By Jack Rico

2009/03/01 at 12:00am

Movies

Francis Ford Coppola updates us on ‘Tetro’

03.1.2009 | By Jack Rico |

Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) has put together a video in order to give the status of his upcoming “Tetro” film.

In the video, he explains that the $15 million drama has wrapped the Argentina shoot and says that he is really happy with casting the “brilliant” Vincent Gallo (Buffalo 66, The Brown Bunny). Check out the video.

“Tetro” is set in Argentina and follows the rivalries born out of creative differences passed down through generations of an artistic Italian immigrant family. Coppola said that the pieces of the story are loosely based on his own life.

I also had a chance to speak with the legendary director in ‘Spanglish’ in late 2007 about ‘Tetro’. You can check out the video here.

The film is an original script by Coppola, the first since “The Conversation” (1974). It is scheduled to hit theaters close to the end of the year.

ShowBizCafe on the radio: ‘Crossing Over,’ ‘Jonas Bros’

By Jack Rico

2009/02/27 at 12:00am

Movies

ShowBizCafe on the radio: ‘Crossing Over,’ ‘Jonas Bros’

02.27.2009 | By Jack Rico |

We’re being innovative and are going to crossover some Spanish content from time to time for those of you who understand Spanish. This is a weekly radio segment we do every Friday, en español, on the ‘Luis Jimenez Radio Show’, one of the top FM morning shows in New York City. We’re sort of pioneers as this is the only Spanish language movie radio segment tht does it in the US.

So to give you a brief recap of what we spoke about today, we spoke about the Oscar’s and reviewed the new releases ‘Crossing Over’, ‘Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li’, ‘Jonas Bros: The 3D Concert Experience’.

On the DVD front, Extreme Movie and What Just Happened? with Robert De Niro were trashed ad nauseam.

If you’re interested in listening to the show live, you can log on every Friday at 10:50am to get the movie download via: http://www.luisjimenezradio.com/

Give us your feedback, we would love to hear from you!

Benicio del Toro’s ‘Wolfman’ reveals concept art

By Mack Chico

2009/02/27 at 12:00am

Movies

Benicio del Toro’s ‘Wolfman’ reveals concept art

02.27.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Director Joe Johnston’s upcoming Wolfman is promising to be one of the more anticipated films of 2009. Thanks to both SlashFilm and ShockTillYouDrop, a bunch of concept art depicting Benicio Del Toro’s ZBrushCentral forums were released. These are some cool transformation sequences from Del Toro’s human side to Wolfman.

You can check out the photo below of all the individual pieces arranged together. They were produced by special effects artist Rick Baker, who has been working on this project for a while.

As far as I can tell, these look like maquettes or even bronze statues that Baker created for use on Wolfman. Benicio Del Toro plays Lawrence Talbot, who is bitten by a werewolf and turns into one. His human love interest is played by Emily Blunt and Anthony Hopkins plays his father, Sir John Talbot. Hugo Weaving plays Detective Aberline who investigates the murders. The Wolfman is being directed by Joe “Captain America” Johnston and will be released in theaters on November 6th later this year.

Enjoy the pics!

Jim Jarmusch, Gael García Bernal team up in ‘Limits’

By Mack Chico

2009/02/27 at 12:00am

Movies

Jim Jarmusch, Gael García Bernal team up in ‘Limits’

02.27.2009 | By Mack Chico |

If you don’t know who Jim Jarmusch is, you better do some research. Not only has Darren Aronofsky mentioned him as an inspiration, but he was referred to as the savior of independent film in the 1980s. His latest project is called The Limits of Control and is about “the story of a mysterious loner, a stranger in the process of completing a criminal job.” We haven’t even heard of this until now, but it sounds like it could be great, and it’s exciting to see Jarmusch again, since he last directed Broken Flowers in 2005.

The Limits of Control stars Isaach De Bankolé (seen at the top), Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, Gael García Bernal, and Paz de la Huerta. The photo of the white haired beauty directly below this is apparently Tilda Swinton. Additionally, there are some shots of Bill Murray, John Hurt, and Gael García Bernal scattered throughout this arrangement.

The reason why all of these photos look so gorgeous is because the cinematographer on The Limits of Control is none other than Christopher Doyle, the same guy behind all of Wong Kar Wai‘s beautiful films. It’s very likely that this will be premiering at the Cannes Film Festival later this year. Focus Features already has the distribution rights in the US and they’ve tentatively scheduled it for a late May theatrical debut.

By Mack Chico

2009/02/27 at 12:00am

Movies

Antonio Banderas joins Woody Allen film

02.27.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Antonio Banderas has been added to the lengthening cast of Woody Allen‘s next pic, a still-untitled project set to roll this summer in London, according to producer Mediapro.

The Spanish actor joins the already-announced Naomi Watts, who will co-star with “Slumdog Millionaire” discovery Freida Pinto, Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins.

This will be Banderas’ first gig with Allen.

Film will be produced by Letty Aronson, Steve Tenenbaum and Jaume Roures, a principal at Barcelona-based Mediapro, which will also finance the movie.

Aronson’s Gravier Prods. co-produced “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” with Mediapro.

The London project kicks off a three-pic co-production deal between Allen and Mediapro.

Exclusive! Walter Perez speaks about ‘FAME’!

By Jack Rico

2009/02/26 at 12:00am

Interviews Movies

Exclusive! Walter Perez speaks about ‘FAME’!

02.26.2009 | By Jack Rico |

Walter Perez, who grew up in South Gate, California and is of Mexican descent, plays Victor Taveras in the new remake of ‘Fame’ out in theaters on Sept. 25th. We caught up with the Latin heartthrob to chat about the his experience on the set of his new film, the theater, NYC, his dreams and of course “FAME”!

Walter’s film credits include, HBO’s “Walkout”, “Emilio, “August Evening” which received the John Cassavetes Award, “Inhale” alongside Dermot Mulroney and Diane Kruger and “A Beautiful Life” opposite Dana Delany and Debi Mazar.

What you should also know is that he’s no stranger to television, Perez has made several guest appearances including, “CSI: Miami”, “The Closer”, “Free Radio” and a five episode arc on “Friday Night Lights” where he played Bobby “Bull” Reyes.

Samuel L. Jackson: Confirmed for 9 Marvel films

By Mack Chico

2009/02/26 at 12:00am

Movies

Samuel L. Jackson: Confirmed for 9 Marvel films

02.26.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Samuel L. Jackson has signed a long-term deal with Marvel Entertainment to return as Nick Fury for ‘Iron Man 2’ and then potentially nine more films. Following recent statements by Jackson that negotiations between he and Marvel had come to naught, this is really good news.

It has been hard enough keeping track of ‘Iron Man 2’ casting without having to think of a new actor to play the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division). According to rumors, Mickey Rourke was in as a villain, and then out. Emily Blunt and Scarlett Johansson have been mentioned as Black Widow, while Don Cheadle did in fact replace Terrance Howard as Iron Man Tony Stark’s military friend Jim Rhodes.

Besides ‘Iron Man 2,’ set for a 2010 release, Jackson will play Fury in the Kenneth Branagh-directed ‘Thor’ (also 2010) and Captain America’ and ‘The Avengers’ (both 2010). There may also be a S.H.I.E.L.D. movie further down the road.

Those are four of the nine titles, but I’m not sure what other properties Marvel has in development that benefit from Jackson’s sense of gravitas. There’s ‘Ant-Man,’ which ‘Shaun of the Dead’ director Nick Wright is attached to, and ‘Runaways,’ which is currently being scripted by Brian K. Vaughn.

‘NeverEnding Story’ will have a remake too!?

By Mack Chico

2009/02/26 at 12:00am

Movies

‘NeverEnding Story’ will have a remake too!?

02.26.2009 | By Mack Chico |

“The NeverEnding Story” might keep going.

Warner Bros. and a pair of top-tier production companies are in the early stages of a reboot of the 1984 children’s fantasy classic.

The Kennedy/Marshall Co., whose credits include “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and Leonard DiCaprio’s Appian Way are in discussions with Warners about reviving the 25-year-old franchise. The studio recently acquired rights to the property, clearing the way for a potential remake.

Based on a German-language novel by Michael Ende, the film centers on a boy named Bastian Balthazar Bux who discovers a parallel world in a book titled “The NeverEnding Story.” As the boy, a loner, delves deeper into the book, he increasingly finds his life intertwined with the plot of the novel, in which a hero in the land of Fantasia must save the universe on behalf of an empress.

The new movie will put a modern spin on the material by examining the more nuanced details of the book that were glossed over in the first feature.

Wolfgang Petersen directed the 1984 film, which earned a respectable $20 million for Warners. The film has had a long life on home video and an even larger influence on popular culture, prefiguring the Harry Potter stories and other children’s fantasies.

A sequel directed by George Miller came out in 1990 and earned $17 million; a third movie followed in the U.S. in 1996 but quickly went to video.

Those familiar with the project emphasize that it is in its early stages and that writers have not been hired.

Still, the interest highlights the frenzy among big entertainment players to develop revivals or sequels of dormant ’80s and ’90s franchises, which has reached fever pitch with the success of reboots like “Friday the 13th,” the fast-track development of a new version of “RoboCop” and plans to update “Total Recall.”

“NeverEnding” came out long before the fantasy genre was seen as a springboard for a Hollywood blockbuster, and Warners is said to see a new opportunity in the first-generation children’s fantasy. The studio has had success producing and releasing the Harry Potter series, whose first five pictures have earned more than $4.5 billion worldwide.

‘Totall Recall’ to be recalled once more!

By Mack Chico

2009/02/26 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Totall Recall’ to be recalled once more!

02.26.2009 | By Mack Chico |

“Total Recall” is returning to Hollywood… sans Arnold Schwarzenneger.

Neal H. Moritz and his Original Films banner are in final negotiations to develop and produce for Columbia a contemporary version of “Total Recall,” the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi action movie directed by Paul Verhoeven.

The original, based on the Philip K. Dick story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale,” follows a man haunted by a recurring dream of journeying to Mars who buys a literal dream vacation from a company called Rekall Inc., which sells implanted memories. The man comes to believe he is a secret agent and ends up on a Martian colony, where he fights to overthrow a despotic ruler controlling the production of air.

The movie explores one of Dick’s favorite topics, reality vs. delusion, as audiences never knew whether or not the story was a dream. Either way, the movie grossed a very real $261 million worldwide.

Carolco was behind the original movie, which was distributed by TriStar. Dimension picked up the rights for a reported $3.15 million with the aim of developing a sequel. Columbia secured the rights from Miramax, which retained them when Harvey and Bob Weinstein left to start their own company.

Calling Dick’s story “prescient,” Moritz said he hoped the advancements in technology and state-of-the-art visual effects can help tell the “Recall” story in a fresh way.

Toby Jaffe is overseeing on behalf of Original Film. Matt Tolmach and Sam Dickerman oversee for Columbia.