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 Mack Chico |
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some sexual content.
Release Date: 2008-11-14
Starring: Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade
Director(s):
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Film Genre:
Country: UK, USA
Official Website: http://www.007.com/
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The new Bond film ‘Quantum of Solace‘ isn’t better than its predecessor ‘Casino Royale’, and its story not as fun as ‘Wanted’. So, where did the 225 million dollars that they spent on it go?
This 22nd James Bond adventure picks up the story just an hour after ‘Royale’ ends. Fueled by the betrayal of Vesper, the woman he loved, agent 007 (Daniel Craig) fights back the temptation of making his new mission personal. Treading through a minefield of betrayal and deceit, Bond aligns himself with old friends in search of the truth. As you know, nothing is ever as it seems in the spy world.
In this high octane sequel, you’ll meet a colder and soulless version of Bond. Each time he murders someone, it’s his indifference that’ll strike you and not how violent the murder is itself. It’s a side of Bond we’re not used to seeing out of the 46 year old franchise, but it seems audiences have welcomed his ‘darker’ self.
The action sequences are always fun but do not live up to the ones in ‘Royale’. And just as disappointing are the lack of the high-tech gadgets that are so synonymous with the saga.Â
But getting back to my original point. Where did they spend this exorbitant amount of money? It looks like a fair share was spent on the various filming locations throughout Latin America. Places like Panama City, the Atacama desert in Chile and the city of San Felipe in Mexico.Â
Overall, the cast turns in performances worthy of the money in our pockets, but the bottom line is that the movie doesn’t deliver on the promise of being one of the best Bond movies ever. This is a distinction we can make for ‘Royale’, a movie far superior in every aspect.
If you don’t get a chance to see ‘Quantum of Solace’ don’t fret. You’re not missing anything special.
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
Director(s):
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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.
11.10.2008 | By Pau Brunet |
It was a zoo at the multiplex this weekend, as the animated sequel easily won the box office crown, and flocks of filmgoers helped several holdovers stay strong while propelling Role Models to a bigger than expected debut. Meanwhile, the other major new release, Soul Men, had little to celebrate.
Madagascar 2 grossed a huge $63.5 mil from Friday through Sunday, according to early estimates. That sum far exceeds the $47.2 mil that the first Madagascar flick grossed over Memorial Day weekend 2005, and it’s the biggest bow for any movie since The Dark Knight‘s record-breaking $158.4 mil haul way back in July. It’s also the second-best premiere ever for an animated movie that didn’t open during the summer (The Incredibles holds the current high mark, $70.5 mil), and the first-weekend total ranks seventh among those for all feature-length cartoons. By comparison, this past summer WALL-E opened with $63.1 mil and Kung Fu Panda premiered to $60.2 mil.
The causes of this success should be no mystery by now. Kids continue to be the most important and decisive cohort out there, the movie had little family-film competition, and that A- CinemaScore review (from a rare ”four quadrant” audience that hit all major demographics) underscored how people took a shine to Madagascar 2 — and how it should hang on well for a few weeks to come.
Performing remarkably well at No. 2 was the R-rated comedy , which banked $19.3 mil, a gross that would have been enough to win just about any other non-Madagascar weekend. A successful bit of counterprogramming, the adult farce also drew an A- CinemaScore grade (from an audience that was mostly between the ages of 18 and 34), and it tallied the biggest opening ever for a movie in which Paul Rudd has a lead part. So, yes, it’s now official: Everybody does, in fact, love Paul Rudd.
Three super-solid stalwarts dominated the rest of the top five. (No. 3) grossed $9.3 mil on a 39 percent decline; the young-skewing Disney flick likely benefited from Madagascar 2‘s overflow traffic. (No. 4) dropped a mere 22 percent to bring in another $7.3 mil. And (No. 5) fell just 35 percent in grossing $6.5 mil over the course of its second weekend. Thus, the Bernie Mac-Isaac Hayes swan song, , got pushed out of the top of the chart: It banked a disappointing $5.6 mil despite garnering its own A- CinemaScore mark.
Among smaller releases, the Holocaust drama averaged a nice $15,000 in 17 theaters, while the cult rock musical underperformed in eight locations, grossing just $51,578.
Still, thanks to the big winners at the top of the chart, the overall box office was up 29 percent from the same frame a year ago, when Bee Movie and American Gangster held off newcomers Fred Claus and Lions for Lambs. And things continue to look up at the multiplex as the latest James Bond adventure, Quantum of Solace, which has been breaking records elsewhere in the world, is due to premiere Stateside next time around. In other words, prepare to be shaken and stirred.
| # | TITLE | % | Gross | Theaters | Avg. | Cume | Dist. | Bdgt. |
| 1 | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | – | $63M | 4’056 | $15’450 | $63M | Dreamworks | – |
| 2 | Role Models | – | $19’2M | 2’792 | $6’890 | $19’2M | Universal | – |
| 3 | High School Musical 3 | -39% | $8’2M | 3’456 | $2’680 | $75’7M | Disney | $11M |
| 4 | Changeling | -22% | $7’3M | 1’855 | $3’920 | $20’5M | Universal | – |
| 5 | Zack & Miri Make a Porno | -35% |
$6’5M |
2’735 | $2’380 | $20’9M | Weinstein | $25M |
| 6 | Soul Men | – | $5’6M | 2’044 | $2’740 | $5’6M | MGM/Wein. | – |
11.8.2008 | By Mike Pierce |
Rated: PG for some mild crude humor.
Release Date: 2008-11-07
Starring: No hay guionistas
Director(s):
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Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.madagascarinternational.com/intl/jp/
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Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa… what a funny, funny movie. I actually enjoyed it more than the first one. Just in case you HAVEN’T seen the 1st one…it starts off where the last ended…still stranded on Madagascar! Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, and Gloria the Hippo have FINALLY decided to leave…with help of the penguins of course. (who are even more funny…and my favorite)
A HUGE slingshot shoots them in the air…and their off! BUT…trouble hits (not going to tell you how)…and they crash land in Africa. While there…they start meeting their own kind…but…guess what? Alex the Lion meets his PARENTS. He pretty much has to go through some tests to actual join the pride. What he goes through…is funny as hell. You laugh a lot through out the movie. The penguins are great!
Parents…if your looking for a great family movie – take the kiddos! You won’t be disappointed.
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