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The Latest in ShowBiz News

Alex Florez

By

2008/10/20 at 12:00am

The Incredible Hulk

10.20.2008 | By |

Rating: 3.5

Rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive content.
Release Date: 2008-06-13
Starring: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://incrediblehulk.marvel.com/

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For five years, Marvel has been trying to figure out what to do with one of the biggest potential franchises of its universe. Ang Lee’s Hulk proved to be a dud with fans and producing a direct sequel was as unlikely an alternative as altogether forgoing additional Hulk movies. So the decision was made to “re-imagine” the character, which is a nice way of saying that the 2003 feature would be ignored. The Incredible Hulk is a more traditional superhero movie than its predecessor and should please those who want their not-so-jolly green giant served with helpings of action. This film provides less talk and more smashing.

 

Structurally, The Incredible Hulk is a fairly straightforward superhero movie. While it is not an “origin story” in the strictest sense, it functions as one in the way it must introduce characters, establish situations and relationships, and open a series. As a result of so much backstory, there’s not a lot of room for a complex plot. So the principal villain remains half-formed and the storyline as a whole revolves around three confrontations between the Hulk and this nemesis.

 

The film opens with a re-telling of how Dr. Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) entered his Jekyll and Hyde state. This allows the 2003 Hulk to be “erased” from the record for those who care about such things. As we join the story, Banner is in South America, on the run from himself and the military, trying to keep a low profile while he searches for a cure to what plagues him. A mishap at a factory alerts General Ross (William Hurt) to Banner’s location. A tactical team, led by the amoral Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), goes in to capture Banner. After turning into the Hulk, he escapes and heads back to the United States, where he is reunited with his former love, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). Meanwhile, the General and Emil plot a “foolproof” method of capturing Banner – one that involves injecting Blonsky with a serum that makes him superhuman.

 

The Incredible Hulk takes place in the same “universe” as Iron Man (a point that is driven home by a Robert Downey Jr. cameo), but the movies aren’t on quite the same level. Iron Man was rightfully described as a “comic book movie that you don’t have to be a comic book fan to like.” The same is not true of The Incredible Hulk. This film’s appeal, while not as narrowly focused as Sex and the City, is designed primarily with fanboys in mind. Director Louis Leterrier’s approach lacks the wit and sophistication of Iron Man. While The Incredible Hulk has some emotional resonance, it’s built on a foundation of action. When Lou Ferrigno (providing the main character’s voice) shouts “Hulk Smash!”, it encapsulates the attraction.

 

As Banner, Edward Norton takes over for Eric Bana but there’s little apparent difference in the way the character is interpreted. Banner is still the same tortured soul he was in 2003. Liv Tyler’s version of Betty Ross is surprisingly awkward and at times unconvincing, but maybe that has a lot to do with her dialogue. It’s as if George Lucas was brought in to ghost write her lines. At least there’s a real sense of affection between Banner and Betty; that goes a long way toward redeeming weaknesses in Tyler’s performance. As Blonsky, Tim Roth is at his badass best, even if all he really has to do is sneer a lot. William Hurt is fine, if a little bland, as Ross. Then there’s Downey, who’s on-screen for about 30 seconds, but steals the movie and brings down the house. That says a lot about the popularity of Iron Man and indicates how big Iron Man 2 will be.

 

The Incredible Hulk pays homage in many ways to the popular late-’70s/early-’80s TV show of the same name. In addition to providing the little-used voice of the Hulk, Ferrigno reprises his role from the 2003 movie as a nameless security guard. Bill Bixby gets a little face-time via some archival footage that’s inserted in such a way that anyone not looking for it won’t be bothered by it. There’s also a brief snippet of the TV show’s theme tune, a character named “Jack McGee,” and an iconic shot of Banner walking alone, hitchhiking. Plus, Stan Lee makes his obligatory cameo. (He and Ferrigno are the only two to appear in both Hulk and The Incredible Hulk.)

 

After a slightly protracted introduction that puts all the pieces in place, The Incredible Hulk stays action-oriented for the remainder of its running time, pausing occasionally for some exposition or to advance the Banner/Betty relationship. Granted, a lot of the action consists of chase scenes with soldiers running after Banner, but whenever the Hulk appears, things get interesting. The final battle, bits of which have been shown in TV commercials and trailers, recalls one of those Japanese monster-a-thons where giant creatures collide. And it’s a lot more kinetic (and shorter) than the climactic conflict in Transformers. The Incredible Hulk builds to this, and it doesn’t let us down.

 

The special effects used to create the Hulk aren’t flawless but they’re good enough. The CGI is evident mainly during the final battle, when it’s apparent that a lot of what we’re seeing was crafted in a computer. The word “cartoonish” comes to mind but, considering that this is adapted from a comic book, that’s not an inappropriate descriptor. The work here passes muster, and the Hulk is no longer the bright green of the 2003 feature. Letterier has rendered him in a grayish-green.

 

The Incredible Hulk provides Marvel with its second superhero hit of the summer. For comic book fans, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk represent a solid one-two punch. If the former movie was a triple, the latter is a solid single, and good enough to drive the earlier one home. Now, the wait is on for The Dark Knight, to see whether D.C. can hold its own. Certainly, Marvel has succeeded in wiping away the hangover from last summer’s crop of superhero movies and revising the future look more promising.

Mack Chico

By

2008/10/20 at 12:00am

‘The Incredible Hulk’ – Win the DVD!

10.20.2008 | By |

'The Incredible Hulk' - Win the DVD!

We’re doing it again! ShowBizCafe.com and Universal Pictures are giving you the opportunity to win a free DVD of ‘The Incredible Hulk’.

All you have to do is enter your information in the COMMENTS section below.

The first 5 winners will be notified by e-mail. Only one entry per e-mail address will be accepted, and multiple entrants may be disqualified. Employees agents, consultants and other advisors of showbizcafe.com are not eligible to participate in this contest. No one under 13 is eligible. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Once again, to enter, please post your name and email address. We will email you for your home address. All entrants MUST be residents of the United States. ShowBizCafe.com respects the privacy of its readers. No information submitted in this contest will be given, copied, transferred, or sold to any third parties.

Good luck and thanks for visiting ShowBizCafe.com!

Fugitive Dr. Bruce Banner must utilize the genetic accident that transforms him into a giant, rampaging hulk to stop a former soldier that purposely becomes an even more dangerous version.

Click here to see 6 clips of the film!

'The Incredible Hulk' - Win the DVD!

Pau Brunet

By

2008/10/20 at 12:00am

‘Max Payne’ shoots his way to #1 at the box office

10.20.2008 | By |

'Max Payne' shoots his way to #1 at the box office

Max Payne, the videogame adaptation starring Mark Wahlberg and Puerto Rican actor Amaury Nolasco (picture in left), shot up an easy win at the box office, even as two of the weekend’s other new releases — The Secret Life of Bees and W. — performed nicely, finishing in line with their respective estimates.

The No. 1 action flick grossed $18 million from Friday through Sunday. Although not quite on par with the debut totals of some other game-based movies, like the most recent Resident Evil films, which blew away more than $23 mil in their premieres, Max Payne‘s premiere number is a marked improvement on the first-weekend sums of Wahlberg’s previous two gun-totin’ flicks, last fall’s cop drama We Own the Night ($10.8 mil) and early 2007’s Shooter ($14.5 mil). And here’s another sort of backhanded compliment: It’s a good thing the movie earned as much as it did this weekend, for its lamentable CinemaScore grade of C portends a limited audience in the coming weeks.

Following a long reign as the top dog at the multiplex, Beverly Hills Chihuahua moved back a step to No. 2, with $11.2 mil on a mere 36 percent decline. The family film has banked nearly $70 mil since its wow bow three weeks ago. In actual fact, Chihuahua barked up a dollar figure almost identical to those of the next two movies, meaning that the final rankings may not be determined until Monday’s final numbers are released.

As it stands now, however, The Secret Life of Bees was next at No. 3 with a sweet-as-honey $11.1 mil. Playing in a medium number of theaters (1,591), the Southern drama scored the weekend’s best average among wide releases ($6,945). W. also did well given all that it had going against it. Oliver Stone’s presidential biopic was voted into fourth place with $10.6 mil in 2,030 locations — not bad for a movie opening during tough economic times about a man whom many Americans blame for said financial strains. But will the film be able to overcome its low approval rating from audiences (in the form of an impeachable CinemaScore grade of C) in the long run? Not likely.

Speaking of the long run, Eagle Eye continues to go strong after a month in theaters. The thriller rounded out the top five by adding another $7.3 mil to its $80 mil-plus total. Thus, it came in far ahead of the frame’s final new movie, the college romp Sex Drive, which got a flat tire with just $3.6 mil way back at No. 9. Also overshadowed: The weekend’s major art-house release, the Hollywood-set comedy What Just Happened?, which averaged just $6,000 in 36 locations.

Still, the overall box office was up almost 8 percent from the same weekend last year, when 30 Days of Night spooked its way to No.1.  And scary movies are exactly what we’ll be talking about next time around, when Saw V slices and dices its way into theaters. So tune in again then, folks…if you dare!

# Title % Gross Theaters Average Cume Dist. Budget
1 Max Payne $17M 3’378 $5’240 $17’7M Fox $35M
2 Beverly Hills Chihuahua -36% $11’2M 3’239 $3’458 $69M Disney
3 The Secret Life Of Bees $11M 1’591 $6’945 $11M Fox Search. $11M
4 W. $10’5M 2’030 $5’200 $10’5M Lionsgate $25M
5 Eagle Eye -33%

$7’3M

3’326 $2’208 $81’3M DW/Par $80M
6 Body of Lies
-47% $6’8M 2’714 $2’535 $24’4M Warner $70M
Mack Chico

By

2008/10/19 at 12:00am

Free tickets to High School Musical 3: Senior Year!

10.19.2008 | By |

Free tickets to High School Musical 3: Senior Year!

How cool are we!? We just got you 5 free family pack passes to check out the hottest movie of the year! Zac, Vanessa and the rest of the cast of HSM are back for a third part.

Wanna win these hard to get tickets? If you live in New York City or in the metropolitan area, all you have to do is answer the following question:

In High School Musical 3: Senior Year, what is the name of the high school that the characters attend?

The first 5 people to answer correctly in the comments section below, will win 5 passes to go with their family or friends to the private, sneak-peak screening of High School Musical 3: Senior Year before it’s released in theaters world wide. Be the envy of your friends and see it before anyone else does!

 

 

Here are the details for time and location:

Date: Thursday, Oct. 23
Time: 7:30pm
Theater: AMC Lowes 34th Street 14
Address: 312 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10001

HSM3

 

 

Mack Chico

By

2008/10/19 at 12:00am

Jason Bourne 4 will be reality!

10.19.2008 | By |

Jason Bourne 4 will be reality!

Trilogies are no longer the big thing in Hollywood. Universal is moving forward with a fourth Jason Bourne movie, tentatively titled Bourne 4. Although this news was first confirmed back in June, Variety announces today that Universal has hired a writer and is giving full support to the production in hopes of having it ready by 2010. Interestingly, Universal really did intend to end the series with The Bourne Ultimatum (as we saw with the ending of the film), but after it made $227 million at the box office, they decided to go ahead and make another. Ultimatum writer George Nolfi has been hired to pen the sequel.

As we outlined in the previous article, the fourth book in the Bourne series was written instead by Eric Van Lustbader, not Robert Ludlum, and thus the studio has decided to go down their own path choosing a story this time. Producer Frank Marshall said they’ll probably take Bourne “down south” to South America in the fourth film, but story details aren’t fully finalized. Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass, who directed both Supremacy and Ultimatum, will return again for Bourne 4. Considering The Bourne Ultimatum is still one of my favorite movies from last year, I’m very glad to hear that they’re continuing on. Especially because it’s the closest thing to becoming a new James Bond style franchise that could go on endlessly.

Mack Chico

By

2008/10/17 at 12:00am

"High School Musical 3" – The top 6 scenes from the movie!

10.17.2008 | By |

"High School Musical 3" - The top 6 scenes from the movie!

One of the most anticipated films of the year will be out in theaters October 24th and ShowBizCafe.com already has 6 of the best scenes of the film!

Director Kenny Ortega, from Spanish grandparents, leads a cast superstar kids – Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu.

‘High School Musical 3: Senior Year’ – as seniors in high school ,Troy and Gabriella struggle with the idea of being separated from one another as college approaches. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes and fears about their future.

Mack Chico

By

2008/10/17 at 12:00am

Brad Pitt Prepares For ‘The Odyssey’

10.17.2008 | By |

After turning Homer’s epic poem “The Iliad” into the 2004 film “Troy,” Warner Bros. and Brad Pitt are teaming with George Miller to adapt the Greek poet’s other masterwork, “The Odyssey.” Their intention is to transfer the tale to a futuristic setting in outer space. Warner Bros. has quietly set up “The Odyssey,” and the early hope is that Pitt will star and Miller will direct, with Pitt’s Plan B producing. Read More

Mike Pierce

By

2008/10/16 at 12:00am

Max Payne

10.16.2008 | By |

Rated: PG-13 for violence including intense shooting sequences, drug content, some sexuality and brief strong language.
Release Date: 2008-10-17
Starring: Sam Lake, Shawn Ryan
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.maxpaynethemovie.com

Go to our film page

Max Payne

Well, I went to the movies over the weekend. Hmmmm, what can I say about Max Payne?
 
It was a PAINNNN to watch!
 
Don’t get me wrong…I am a huge fan of Mark Wahlberg…I see everything he is in…I think Mila Kunis is hot…but…come on now…when I saw the preview…I was so pumped…I was like, “Oh yeah – Marky Mark’s going to kick some demon angel ass!!!”
 
I WAS WRONG!!!
 
Hmmm…it started off slow…then you think it’s going to get going…then it slows down…it did that a lot. I hated the fact that I saw all the good parts on the TV commercials. I hate when movie’s do that. (Total bummer!) Bastards! I thought it was going to be like Constantine…now that was a kick butt flick! I mean, didn’t it seem like there was going to be some kick ass angels in it? Yessssss…but….noooooooooo…that’s not what you get!!
 
Another thing that killed it for me was…Ludacris. I don’t think he belonged in that role. I didn’t believe his acting. It was actually kind of cheesy. Would anyone agree?
 
There were a few things I liked about it. Miss Mila – she’s hot – I know I said it before…but, she kept me watching the movie. I wish she would have kicked a little more butt though. The special EFX were dope. But, that’s about it.
 
If you haven’t seen it yet – just wait to Netflix it. Don’t bother wasting your cash.

Mack Chico

By

2008/10/16 at 12:00am

What Just Happened?

10.16.2008 | By |

Rated: R for language, some violent images, sexual content and some drug material.
Release Date: 2008-10-17
Starring: Art Linson
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.whatjusthappenedfilm.com/

Go to our film page

What Just Happened?
Mack Chico

By

2008/10/15 at 12:00am

Jennifer Lopez in ‘Sex and the City’ sequel?

10.15.2008 | By |

Jennifer Lopez in 'Sex and the City' sequel?

Jennifer Lopez wants to appear in the next ‘Sex and the City’ movie.’

‘The Wedding Planner’ star was a huge fan of the hit US TV show, and always wanted a cameo role, but is now hoping to be cast in the movie sequel. She is quoted as saying: “I adore the show and nearly popped up in the TV show, but then did ‘Will and Grace’ instead.”

A source said: “Jennifer has got her heart set on joining Carrie and the girls. The bosses are trying to think of a way of fitting her in without it being cheesy.” If Jennifer gets her wish, she wouldn’t be the first celebrity to appear in ‘Sex and the City’.

Actress Heather Graham and supermodel Heidi Klum both played themselves in past episodes. Former Spice Girls star Geri Halliwell appeared on the show in 2003, while her ex-bandmate Victoria Beckham is rumoured to have been lined up for the next film.

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