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By Jack Rico

2011/01/07 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Knocked Up’ will have a sequel

01.7.2011 | By Jack Rico |

Don’t know if you remember the comedy ‘Knocked Up’ from director Judd Apatow back in 2007. The film became part of the new Apatow comedy movement in Hollywood and grossed worldwide approximately $150 million at the box office, something extraordinary for a film in the genre of comedy. Now comes news that the sequel, Knocked Up 2, is being prepared by Apatow himself where he will helm and write the script.

In an interview with Hitfix, Apatow talked about whether he saw the film as a prequel or sequel, “It’s just a story about the current lives of Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann). Many people identified with these characters and their problems. I felt there was much to explore in them both. We we will be shooting in July and it will be released next June,” said Apatow.

The exact release date will be June 1, 2012, and Apatow has plans to spread the information little by little. “There are some fun details that I will not reveal yet, but I’ll let you know slowly. It’s more fun that way.”

Although it is unknown if Seth Rogen will return in a cameo (we’ll ask him personally today since we’ll be interviewing him for The Green Hornet), what will be a surprise is to see Katherine Heigl back. She blasted the film back in the day and might be persona non-grata. Let’s see.

Video: Seth Rogen wants to do ‘Knocked Up 2’

By Jack Rico

2011/01/07 at 12:00am

Movies

Video: Seth Rogen wants to do ‘Knocked Up 2’

01.7.2011 | By Jack Rico |

The mere idea of Seth Rogen being a part of a sequel to any of his movies sounds a bit too sudden. I mean his first real movie was ‘40 Year Old Virgin’ in 2005. Nevertheless, that is exactly what he might be doing in July of this year on the set of Judd Apatow’s ‘Knocked Up 2.’

Rogen was in New York to promote ‘The Green Hornet’, his new movie about a rich playboy who fights crime and injustice with Kato, his masked sidekick. I had a chance to chat with him, and of course, ask him about Apatow’ sequel to ‘Knocked Up’ with Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann (Apatow’s wife) as the leads. Is Rogen to be part of the cast? Was he coming back with Heigl? If he does return, would it be a cameo? To clear up the uncertainty in the air, I asked him if he would be a part of the sequel.

“It’s a good question,” said Rogen. “I just heard about myself. He mentioned it to me, like a year ago maybe, that he was gonna start writing it, but I literally haven’t talked to him about it in any way.”

When I asked if he wanted to do it regardless of not having official talks with Apatow so far, he said yes. “Yeah, I would like to, why not, I’ve done anything Judd asks”.

Tell us what you’d like to see from a ‘Knocked Up’ sequel in the comments section below and on our Twitter!

Roger Ebert announces new host for ‘At The Movies’

By Jack Rico

2011/01/04 at 12:00am

Movies

Roger Ebert announces new host for ‘At The Movies’

01.4.2011 | By Jack Rico |

CHICAGO, January 4, 2011 – Ebert Productions is proud to announce that Ignatiy Vishnevetsky has joined the team at Ebert Presents At the Movies. Vishnevetsky will accompany the previously announced Christy Lemire of The Associated Press as co-host on the new weekly program. The show is scheduled to debut on January 21st on public television stations across the country, representing almost 90% national coverage and will be produced in Chicago at WTTW, where Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert began taping the legendary “Sneak Previews” some 35 years ago. It will be distributed by American Public Television (APT).

Fans of the original shows will be pleased to find that in addition to serving as co-producer of the show, Roger Ebert will also host a special segment each week and had direct input into the selection of the show’s host critics including Chicago-based Ignatiy Vishnevetsky (Ig.nah.tee) (Vish.na.vet.ski). Hearing him discuss films in the Lake Street Screening Room used by Chicago critics, Ebert said, “I was struck by the depth and detail of his film knowledge, and by how articulate he was.” After reading his work online, Ebert was sold.

Vishnevetsky is a critic and essayist for Mubi.com, a new multi-national streaming online cinematheque. Ignatiy moved to America from Russia when he was not quite 9. He graduated from high school in Milwaukee and then moved to Chicago, “because I could find more films to see here.” He is a co-founder of the acclaimed Cine-File.info, and continues to write criticism for it on a weekly basis. He is also a contributor to The Chicago Reader, and helps program the current Cine-File Selects series at the University of Chicago’s Doc Fims, the nation’s oldest film society. Prior to becoming a film critic, Vishnevetsky, who is multi-lingual, worked as a translator for Novoe Literaturnoe Obozrenie, Russia’s premier literary journal.

Vishnevetsky will go head to head each week with Christy Lemire, who has been reviewing movies for The Associated Press for 12 years and was named the first full-time film critic in the news organization’s history in 2004. Christy filled in for Roger Ebert several times on “At the Movies” in 2007 and has appeared on “The Charlie Rose Show,” “Good Morning America” and “The View,” to name a few. She also covers the Oscars, Golden Globes and many other awards shows each year. A third-generation L.A. native, Christy is a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Of Lemire, Ebert says, “I admired the way she reviewed with Richard Roeper when she co-hosted our show,” Ebert said, “and I respect her criticism. On television, Christy is a natural.”

Ebert Presents At The Movies, marks the rebirth of a dream for both Roger and Chaz Ebert, who will serve as executive producer of the show. Chaz Ebert says she is happy to have this rare opportunity in television to bring back a show that started 35 years ago at WTTW, had a successful run at Tribune Entertainment and Disney, and is now once again being embraced by public stations nationwide.

ABOUT EBERT PRESENTS AT THE MOVIES

Ebert Presents At the Movies will be executive produced by Roger his wife Chaz Ebert, and will be directed by Don Dupree, who logged 15 years as director of “Siskel & Ebert” and “Ebert & Roeper.” Joining Christy and Ignatiy from time to time will be an impressive line-up of contributing critics on various aspects of the movies, from business issues to social media. The first shows will include Kim Morgan (sunsetgun.com) and Omar Moore (popcornreel.com). It will be distributed nationwide by APT (American Public Television).

By Mack Chico

2010/12/20 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Tron: Legacy’ is #1 at the box office!

12.20.2010 | By Mack Chico |

With an impressive per theater average of more than $12,000, “Tron: Legacy” was easily the number one movie at the box office, earning $43.60 million overall for distributor Buena Vista/Disney. The other three new titles were not as fortunate, however, as “How Do You Know,” “Yogi Bear” and “The Fighter” all made less than $5,000 per venue and struggled to reach their target demographics.

With Jeff Bridges leading the cast and a very strong marketing campaign from Buena Vista, “Tron: Legacy” seemed to be in great shape heading into the weekend. Without much competition for action audiences, the $170 million production had its target audience mostly to itself, which translated to a very nice opening for December.

Though a $43 million opening weekend isn’t close to the top blockbusters of the year, we’re also just entering a very lucrative holiday period for the box office. Last year, “Avatar,” “Sherlock Holmes,” “It’s Complicated” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel” all had very impressive runs over Christmas, which should be the case for “Tron: Legacy” as well. With a couple more strong weekends, “Tron: Legacy” should soar past $100 million domestically and post nice foreign totals as well.

1. Tron: Legacy (Buena Vista): $43.60 [$45]

2. Yogi Bear (Warner Brothers): $16.71 [$18]

3. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Fox): $12.40 [$13]

4. The Fighter (Paramount): $12.20 [$14]

5. The Tourist (Sony/Columbia): $8.70 [$9]

6. Tangled (Buena Vista): $8.68 [$7.7]

7. Black Swan (Fox Searchlight): $8.30 [$10]

8. How Do You Know (Sony/Columbia): $7.60 [$13.5]

9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One (Warner Brothers): $4.85 [$4.7]

10. Unstoppable (Fox): $1.8

The 2011 Independent Spirit Award Nominations

By Mack Chico

2010/11/30 at 12:00am

Movies

The 2011 Independent Spirit Award Nominations

11.30.2010 | By Mack Chico |

LOS ANGELES (November 30, 2010) – Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced nominations this morning for the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Eva Mendes and Jeremy Renner served as presenters and 2011 Spirit Awards host Joel McHale was also on hand. Nominees for Best Feature include 127 Hours, Black Swan, Greenberg, The Kids Are All Right and Winter’s Bone.

Please Give was selected for the Robert Altman Award, which is given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.

“The artistic side of independent film is stronger than ever, and it’s especially impressive to see the developed craft of extraordinary independent filmmakers who have only gotten better over the years. Past nominees such as Darren Aronofsky, Noah Baumbach, Danny Boyle, Lisa Cholodenko, Debra Granik, Nicole Holofcener and John Cameron Mitchell continue to create original and compelling films that move and amaze us.” said Film Independent Executive Director Dawn Hudson.

Selected from 220 submissions, this year’s winners will be announced at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. on the beach in Santa Monica. The 26^th annual awards show will air exclusively that night on IFC at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Winners of the Filmmaker Grants will be highlighted during the Spirit Awards and announced at the 2011 Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch celebration on Saturday, January 15^th at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood.

On Wednesday, February 23, a selection of Spirit Award nominees will discuss their films and their craft at Film Independent’s Directors Close-Up, a 5-week series that features conversations with directors and their collaborators.

The Jameson FIND Your Audience Award, a new filmmaker grant, was established this year to help make it possible for one Spirit Award-nominated film to find a broader audience. Spirit Award-nominated films in need of expanding their marketing and distribution efforts will be considered. The award includes a $50,000 marketing and distribution grant, funded by Jameson Irish Whiskey. The grant was designed to meet independent filmmakers’ biggest challenge today: How to get their films out into the marketplace. A blue-ribbon committee will determine the winner.

2011 SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not listed)

127 Hours	Producers: Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, John Smithson
Black Swan	Producers: Scott Franklin, Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Brian Oliver
Greenberg	Producers: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Rudin
The Kids Are All Right	Producers: Gary Gilbert, Philippe Hellmann, Jordan Horowitz, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray, Daniela Taplin Lundberg
Winter’s Bone	Producers: Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Anne Rosellini

BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky	Black Swan
Danny Boyle	127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko	The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik	Winter’s Bone
John Cameron Mitchell	Rabbit Hole

BEST SCREENPLAY

Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko	The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini	Winter’s Bone
Nicole Holofcener	Please Give
David Lindsay-Abaire	Rabbit Hole
Todd Solondz	Life During Wartime

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)

Everything Strange and New	Director: Frazer Bradshaw Producers: A.D. Liano, Laura Techera Francia
Get Low	Director: Aaron Schneider Producers: David Gundlach, Dean Zanuck
Night Catches Us	Director: Tanya Hamilton Producers: Sean Costello, Jason Orans, Ronald Simons
The Last Exorcism	Director: Daniel Stamm Producers: Marc Abraham, Tom Bliss, Eric Newman, Eli Roth
Tiny Furniture	Director: Lena Dunham Producers: Kyle Martin, Alicia Van Couvering

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Diane Bell	Obselidia
Lena Dunham	Tiny Furniture
Nik Fackler	Lovely, Still
Bob Glaudini	Jack Goes Boating
Dana Adam Shapiro, Evan M. Wiener	Monogamy

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director, and producer. Executive Producers are not listed

Daddy Longlegs	Writer/Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie Producers: Casey Neistat, Tom Scott
Lbs.	Director: Matthew Bonifacio Writer/Producers: Matthew Bonifacio, Carmine Famiglietti
Lovers of Hate	Writer/Director: Bryan Poyser Producer: Megan Gilbride
Obselidia	Writer/Director: Diane Bell Producers: Chris Byrne, Mathew Medlin
The Exploding Girl	Writer/Director: Bradley Rust Gray Producers: Karin Chien, Ben Howe, So Yong Kim

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Annette Bening	The Kids Are All Right
Greta Gerwig	Greenberg
Nicole Kidman	Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence	Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman	Black Swan
Michelle Williams	Blue Valentine

BEST MALE LEAD

Ronald Bronstein	Daddy Longlegs
Aaron Eckhart	Rabbit Hole
James Franco	127 Hours
John C. Reilly	Cyrus
Ben Stiller	Greenberg

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Ashley Bell	The Last Exorcism
Dale Dickey	Winter’s Bone
Allison Janney	Life During Wartime
Daphne Rubin-Vega	Jack Goes Boating
Naomi Watts	Mother and Child

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

John Hawkes	Winter’s Bone
Samuel L. Jackson	Mother and Child
Bill Murray	Get Low
John Ortiz	Jack Goes Boating
Mark Ruffalo	The Kids Are All Right

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Adam Kimmel	Never Let Me Go
Matthew Libatique	Black Swan
Jody Lee Lipes	Tiny Furniture
Michael McDonough	Winter’s Bone
Harris Savides	Greenberg

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director)

Exit Through the Gift Shop	Director: Banksy
Marwencol	Director: Jeff Malmberg
Restrepo	Directors: Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger
Sweetgrass	Directors: Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor
Thunder Soul	Director: Mark Landsman

BEST FOREIGN FILM (Award given to the director)

Kisses (Ireland)	Director: Lance Daly
Mademoiselle Chambon (France)	Director: Stéphane Brizé
Of Gods and Men (Morocco)	Director: Xavier Beauvois
The King’s Speech (United Kingdom)	Director: Tom Hooper
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Thailand)	Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

ACURA SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 17^th annual Acura Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Acura.

Hossein Keshavarz	Dog Sweat
Laurel Nakadate	The Wolf Knife
Mike Ott	Littlerock

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 14^th annual Piaget Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.

In-Ah Lee	Au Revoir Taipei
Adele Romanski	The Myth of the American Sleepover
Anish Savjani	Meek’s Cutoff

AVEENO® TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 16^th annual AVEENO® Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by AVEENO®.

Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor	Sweetgrass
Jeff Malmberg	Marwencol
Lynn True, Nelson Walker	Summer Pasture

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)

Please Give	Director: Nicole Holofcener
	Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
	Ensemble Cast: Ann Guilbert, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Lois Smith, Sarah Steele

By Mack Chico

2010/11/30 at 12:00am

Movies

Hathaway, Franco to host 83rd Oscars

11.30.2010 | By Mack Chico |

Two very unorthodox presenters have been selected to be co-hosts of the 83rd ceremony on Feb. 27 – James Franco and Anne Hathaway will be running the show at the next Academy Awards.

James Franco is a fine actor but can he host? Anne Hathaway is surprisingly a fantastic entertainer who showed her chops at last year’s Oscars and The Tony’s.

The announcement creates the prospect that one or both hosts might also be nominees. Franco is considered a solid best-actor prospect for the survival drama “127 Hours,” while Hathaway has a chance for a best-actress slot for the romance “Love & Other Drugs.”

Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer, producers of the Oscar telecast, said it’s not unprecedented for Oscar hosts also to be nominees.

It’s the second-straight year the Oscars have tapped a pair of actors as hosts. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin teamed up as hosts last time.

‘Winter’s Bone’ wins big at Gotham Awards

By Jack Rico

2010/11/30 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Winter’s Bone’ wins big at Gotham Awards

11.30.2010 | By Jack Rico |

We’re officially underway to Hollywood’s movie award season as the winners for the 20th Anniversary Gotham Independent Film Awards were announced last night. The ceremony took place at Cipriani Wall Street in NYC and are considered the first major ceremony of the awards season:

Here they are…

Best Feature
Winter’s Bone
Debra Granik, director; Anne Rosellini, Alix Madigan-Yorkin, producers (Roadside Attractions)

Best Documentary
The Oath
Laura Poitras, director/producer (Zeitgeist Films and American Documentary/POV)

Best Ensemble Performance
Winter’s Bone
Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, Kevin Breznahan (Roadside Attractions)

Breakthrough Director

Kevin Asch for Holy Rollers (First Independent Pictures)

Breakthrough Actor
Ronald Bronstein in Daddy Longlegs (IFC Films)

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

Littlerock
Mike Ott, director; Frederick Thornton, Laura Ragsdale, Sierra Leoni, producers

First stills on the set of ‘Men In Black 3’!

By Mack Chico

2010/11/18 at 12:00am

Movies

First stills on the set of ‘Men In Black 3’!

11.18.2010 | By Mack Chico |

New York (USA), Nov. 18 (ShowBizCafe.com) – We are two years away until the release of ‘Men In Black 3’, but we already have the set pics of the star cast in ol’ New York – Will Smith, Emma Thompson, Nicole Scherzinger and Tommy Lee Jones.

In the stills, Will Smith is wearing a white lycra t-shirt showing a jacked up body. British actress Emma Thompson (Nanny McPhee), is wearing a black dress and flip-flops. She is said to be the new head of the MIB group. Nicole Scherzinger, lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, plays a villain named Lilly. Her scenes are unfortunately scarce. Finally, Tommy Lee Jones, a.k.a. Mr. Grumpy, is carrying what looks to be a Louis Vuitton. briefcase.

From what we understand, the shooting schedule is not conventional. The sequel will take a break for two months after the coming holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The funny thing is that film productions rarely take breaks that long. Either way, the film, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, who is responsible for the two previous installments, will focus on Agent J (Will Smith) who returns to 1969 to stop a villain. Once there, he will get the help of the younger version of Agent K (Josh Brolin) and together, join forces to defeat Yaz, to prevent the destruction of his partner in the future (Tommy Lee Jones) and saving the Earth.
Men In Black 3 will be released in 3D and is scheduled to play theaters on May 25, 2012 courtesy of Columbia Pictures.

By Jack Rico

2010/11/16 at 12:00am

Movies

First pics of Spider-Man on Broadway!

11.16.2010 | By Jack Rico |

New York (USA), Nov 16 (ShowBizCafe.com) – Many of you may be used to seeing superheroes exclusively in comic books and on the big and small screens, but Marvel’s Spider-Man will break the mold when he brings his adventures to Broadway in the musical – “Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark”. The opening is scheduled for January 2011 in New York, but we just got a hold of some pics that’ll give you a small glimpse into the show through extravagant photos courtesy of Vogue and its iconic photographer Annie Liebovitz.

Several technical, artistic and logistical mishaps have plagued the opening of the most expensive project in the history of Broadway (a budget that has ballooned to $60 million), including the most recent news of the injury of an actor during rehearsals.

Will the wait be worthwhile? Judging by these pictures, I think it will do fine. I’m excited to see it, aren’t you? The stills are highly stylized and a mark of director Julie Taymor.

In the first picture we see in ‘Spidey’ on the streets of the Big Apple.

In the second, we see the character of Mary Jane (played by Jennifer Damiano) being stalked by a metallic villain.

In the third, the infamous Carnage, one of the most iconic villains of the franchise, attempts to hijack her.

In the fourth picture, we see MJ being sequestered by the Green Goblin (Patrick Page), while Spider-Man attempts a daring rescue.

Finally, we find Peter Parker (played by Reeve Carney) and MJ in a romantic nest wrapped in swirls of color.

‘Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark’ will premiere on Broadway on January 11, 2011.

By Mack Chico

2010/11/08 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Megamind’ is #1 at the box office!

11.8.2010 | By Mack Chico |

After a disappointing few weekends, the US box office enjoyed a healthy bump in the last three days as three new movies opened wide to successful returns. Topping the charts was DreamWorks’ latest 3D ‘toon, Megamind, with the superhero comedy earning $47.6 million, putting it ahead of Todd Phillips’ new comedy Due Date. The Robert Downey Jr/Zach Galifianakis road trip pic nabbed a strong $33.5 million, winning second place.

Tyler Perry’s latest, For Colored Girls, was third with a solid $20.1 million. Rounding out the top five were Red, which is holding strong, and dropped just one place to fourth with $8.8 million, despite having been out for a month now, and Saw 3D, which toppled from the top to land in fifth, adding $8.2 million for a running total of $38.8 million.

But though Jigsaw and co are still ahead of Paranormal Activity 2 in terms of chart placing, the scary sequel is easily outperforming the torture title, adding $7.2 million to a current total of $77.2 million after three weeks. They’re both put to shame by Jackass 3D in seventh, which made $5 million this weekend and is well over $110 million.

Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter slipped to eighth with $4.1 million and Secretariat dropped to ninth with $4 million. Finally, in 10th, we find The Social Network, which will likely leave the top 10 next week and made $3.6 million.

1. Megamind, $47,7 millon

2. Due Date, $33,5 millons

3. For Colored Girls, $20,1 millons

4. Red, $8,9 millons

5. Saw 3D, $8,2 millons

6. Paranormal Activity 2, $7,3 millons

7. Jackass 3D, $5,1 millons

8. Hereafter, $4,02 millons

9. Secretariat, $4 millons

10. The Social Network, $3,6 millons