ShowBizCafe.com Archives - Page 37 of 44 - ShowBizCafe.com

Free tickets to ‘How to Train Your Dragon 3D’

2010/03/18 at 12:00am

Free tickets to ‘How to Train Your Dragon 3D’

03.18.2010 | By Jack Rico |

ShowBizCafe.com invites you to see an advanced screening of the comedy ‘How to Train Your Dragon 3D’ starring the voice of America Ferrera on Saturday morning, March 20th at an undisclosed theater in Manhattan, NY.

Synopsis: A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely owner of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.

Send us your name and email to our COMMENTS section below and we will then proceed to send you the electronic ticket to attend the screening!

Good luck!

Tickets are limited and are allocated to a random sampling of respondents. Limit one (Admit-One) pass per person. Seating is first come, first served. No purchase necessary. While supplies last.

PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language.

The theatrical release will be Friday, March 26th, 2010. All winners will be notified by e-mail.

http://www.howtotrainyourdragon.com/

Passes are not for sale.

By Jack Rico

2010/03/06 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Oscar 2010’: My Winning Predictions

03.6.2010 | By Jack Rico |

With less than 24 hours away from the 2010 Oscars, fans of this big night have their thoughts of who will be the winners of the big awards. I’ll be personally looking at the Foreign Films category because that is where I think the best films of 2009 are! Two Latin American films are nominated. My peeps are putting their share!

Here at ShowBizCafe.com, I decided to predict the winners of all the categories for that big pool you guys are planning on having Sunday night.

Share your ideas and predict the winners along with me on Twitter on Sunday night at 8pm. I’ll be blogging live all 3-4 hours.

Without any more delays, check out my full 2010 Oscar Awards Predictions highlighted in bold:

Best Picture
The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro, producers)
Avatar (James Cameron and Jon Landau, producers)
District 9 (Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, producers)
An Education (Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, producers)
Inglourious Basterds (Lawrence Bender, producer)
Precious (Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, producers)
A Serious Man (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, producers)
Up in the Air (Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, producers)
The Blind Side (Gil Netter, Andrew A Kosove and Broderick Johnson, producers)
Up (Jonas Rivera, producer)

Best Director
The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow)
Avatar (James Cameron)
Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)
Up in the Air (Jason Reitman)
Precious (Lee Daniels)

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side
Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia
Helen Mirren in The Last Station
Gabourey Sidibe in Precious
Carey Mulligan in An Education

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart
Colin Firth in A Single Man
George Clooney in Up in the Air
Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker
Morgan Freeman in Invictus

Best Supporting Actress
Mo’Nique in Precious
Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air
Penélope Cruz in Nine
Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
Christopher Plummer in The Last Station
Matt Damon in Invictus
Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
Woody Harrelson in The Messenger

Animated Feature Film
Up (Pete Docter and Bob Peterson)
The Princess and the Frog (Ron Clements and John Musker)
Coraline (Henry Selick)
Fantastic Mr Fox (Wes Anderson)
The Secret of Kells (Tomm Moore)

Foreign Language Film
The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, Germany)
The Secret of Her Eyes (Juan Jose Campanella, Argentina)
A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, France)
The Milk of Sorrow (Claudia Llosa, Peru)
Ajami (Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, Israel)

Writing (adapted screenplay)
Precious (Geoffrey Fletcher)
District 9 (Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell)
An Education (Nick Hornby)
Up in the Air (Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner)
In the Loop (Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche)

Writing (original screenplay)
Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)
The Messenger (Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman)
The Hurt Locker (Mark Boal)
A Serious Man (Joel and Ethan Coen)
Up (Pete Docter and Bob Petersen)

Art Direction
Avatar (art direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; set decoration: Kim Sinclair)
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (art direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; set decoration: Caroline Smith)
Nine (art direction: John Myhre; set decoration: Gordon Sim)
Sherlock Holmes (art direction: Sarah Greenwood; set decoration: Katie Spencer)
The Young Victoria (art direction: Patrice Vermette; set decoration: Maggie Gray)

Cinematography
Avatar (Mauro Fiore)
The White Ribbon (Christian Berger)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Bruno Delbonnel)
The Hurt Locker (Barry Ackroyd)
Inglourious Basterds (Robert Richardson)

Costume Design
The Young Victoria (Sandy Powell)
Coco Before Chanel (Catherine Leterrier)
Bright Star (Janet Patterson)
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Monique Prudhomme)
Nine (Colleen Atwood)

Documentary (feature)
The Cove (Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens)
Burma VJ (Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller)
Food, Inc (Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein)
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith)
Which Way Home (Rebecca Cammisa)

Documentary (short subject)
China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province (Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill)
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner (Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher)
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert)
Music by Prudence (Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett)
Rabbit à la Berlin (Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra)

Film Editing
Avatar (Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron)
District 9 (Julian Clarke)
The Hurt Locker (Bob Murawski and Chris Innis)
Inglourious Basterds (Sally Menke)
Precious (Joe Klotz)

Makeup
Star Trek (Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow)
Il Divo (Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano)
The Young Victoria (Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore)

Music (original score)
Up (Michael Giacchino)
Avatar (James Horner)
Fantastic Mr Fox (Alexandre Desplat)
The Hurt Locker (Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders)
Sherlock Holmes (Hans Zimmer)

Music (original song)
The Weary Kind, from Crazy Heart, by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
Almost There, from The Princess and the Frog, by Randy Newman
Down in New Orleans, from The Princess and the Frog, by Randy Newman
Loin de Paname, from Paris 36, by Reinhardt Wagner and Frank Thomas
Take It All, from Nine, by Maury Yeston

Short Film (animated)
Logorama (Nicolas Schmerkin)
A Matter of Loaf and Death (Nick Park)
French Roast (Fabrice O Joubert)
The Lady and the Reaper (Javier Recio Gracia)
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty (Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell)

Short Film (live action)
The Door (Juanita Wilson and James Flynn)
Miracle Fish (Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey)
Instead of Abracadabra (Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström)
Kavi (Gregg Helvey)
The New Tenants (Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson)

Sound Editing
Avatar (Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle)
The Hurt Locker (Paul NJ Ottosson)
Inglourious Basterds (Wylie Stateman)
Star Trek (Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin)
Up (Michael Silvers and Tom Myers)

Sound Mixing
Avatar (Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson)
The Hurt Locker (Paul NJ Ottosson and Ray Beckett)
Inglourious Basterds (Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano)
Star Trek (Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J Devlin)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Greg P Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson)

Visual Effects
Avatar (Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R Jones)
District 9 (Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken)
Star Trek (Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton)

By Jack Rico

2010/03/03 at 12:00am

Movies

Movie Review: Alice in Wonderland’

03.3.2010 | By Jack Rico |

It’s finally here! Tim Burton’s new phantasmagorical Real-3D remake of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is a bore. All that eye-popping colorful imagery was just eye candy to sidetrack us from focusing on the anemic script adaptation. Even though it is one of Burton’s most beautiful films, it is not his best. This goes to show you that story is everything. The acting performances were vacuous and the entertainment value was surprisingly subpar. Will kids like it? Yeah sure, kids like almost anything that looks like a video game.

Burton’s adaptation centers around Alice (Mia Wasikowska), a young british teenager who falls down a tree hole and rediscovers all the marvels of a surreal place called Wonderland.

There is something to be said about the director’s need to create a movie that has been filmed so many times by so many people in so many countries. Does he think his will be the definitive one? Disney might argue that. Burton is a remake master and there is a major flaw with that method of filmmaking – you are always going against the original, therefore your version will most likely always be weaker.

Alice in Wonderland is not funny or charming but a bit fatuous and insipid. It drags in various places especially in the beginning. Much of this tediousness is due to the bad acting of the female protagonist Mia Wasikowska. Talk about needing some acting classes. She was neither convincing nor surprised at anything, but rather seemed arrogant and spoiled. Mr. Eccentric himself, Johnny Depp, couldn’t hit the magical and funny strides of his predecessor Captain Jack Sparrow from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’ The rest of the cast was mediocre at best, so was the whole movie.

On some high notes, the cinematography is outstanding, kudos to Dariusz Wolski for hitting a home run. The 3D experience was very fun, but any 3D film that comes out after Avatar is going to pale in comparison. Nevertheless, for those of you that rarely see three dimensional movies, it’s a trip and a half. The great moments are few and the yawning moments are plenty. If you think that the 3D scenes and the colorful visuals will be enough to amuse you, think again. The glasses will start to weigh on you and the english accent will begin to annoy you. That’s what happens when a movie you think is going to be great turns out be a dud!

By Jack Rico

2010/02/17 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Shutter Island’: The Movie Review

02.17.2010 | By Jack Rico |

The new psychological thriller, “Shutter Island,” based on the popular novel by Dennis Lehane, comes from the dexterous and practiced hands of legendary director Martin Scorsese. The film is deluged with a plethora of twists and turns, brilliant acting by Leonardo DiCaprio and jarring scenes of suspense created and framed to perfection by its helmer. You should be excited to see this film… the entertainment value is high and the production quality is of the highest caliber. It’s definitely a must see movie!

For those of you who unfamiliar with the plotline, we’ll reveal only a succinct version. The film adaptation tells the tale of two U.S. marshals, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), who are summoned to a remote and barren island off the cost of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a prisoner from the island’s fortress-like mental ward. Not much can else be revealed because anything more can ruin the movie experience.

One thing you will take away from this movie is Scorsese’s prowess in the visual department. Some of the camera shots seen make you wish the projectionist could pause them and play it over and over again. After seeing all of DiCaprio’s films, Shutter Island, in my humble opinion, is perhaps one of the top 3 best performances of his career (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Shutter Island and Basketball Diaries, in order). That is what you await at your local theater this weekend.

A major subtext in the movie’s theme is a question asked by all of us, at one point or another in our lives: Am I mad, or is the world around me mad? What’s real and what is not? (I’ve been there before). Just like Hitchcock, the story is constantly deviating us from our path of clarity, creating scenes that don’t really exist and submerging us into a nightmare we can’t manage to wake up from.

At first, the film seems to be just another intriguing noir detective story but it is so much more than that. The references and homages in the film are multiple, everything from “Out of the Past” to “Shock Corridor” and “The Snake Pit” to Hitchcock’s “Spellbound.”

“Shutter Island” is a world where nothing is what it appears to be. It’s suspenseful, mysterious, ambiguous and insane. Now that sounds like a fun movie!

Interview with Leonardo DiCaprio on Shutter Island!

By Jack Rico

2010/02/15 at 12:00am

Movies

Interview with Leonardo DiCaprio on Shutter Island!

02.15.2010 | By Jack Rico |

It was a cold day in New York City as I arrived at one of New York’s top hotels, Le Meridien, to attend an exclusive press conference with Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, author Dennis Lehane, amongst others, to discuss ‘Shutter Island‘, Scorsese’s new cinematic effort.

First off was Lehane and his crew. Every one got off questions, including me. Then Scorsese’s crew came in and only 4 questions were asked – I was one of the lucky ones to get one in.

What you will hear in the audio slide to the left to you are the questions I asked DiCaprio, Scorsese and Lehane, in order. Essentially, this audio encompasses DiCaprio’s thoughts on his acting, how difficult it was to film these scenes, along with Scorsese’s directorial style and Lehane’s thoughts on the film adaptation of the book.

Without further adieu, here is the official interview from the stars of ‘Shutter Island‘.

By Jack Rico

2010/02/10 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Spider Man 4’ to be in 3D in 2012

02.10.2010 | By Jack Rico |

So we finally have a real date for what is to be the reimagining or reinvention of the new, younger Spider Man films. It also will feature the 3D technology for an ultimate movie going experience. Across our email we received the new press release from Columbia Pictures regarding the news:

“Spider-Man will swing into theaters worldwide in 3D beginning July 3, 2012, it was announced today by Jeff Blake, Chairman of Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing & Distribution. The new film which is still untitled, will begin production later this year directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt. Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin will produce the film from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios.

Commenting on the announcement, Blake said, “Spider-Man is the ultimate summer movie-going experience, and we’re thrilled the filmmakers are presenting the next installment in 3D. Spider-Man is one of the most popular characters in the world, and we know audiences are eager and excited to discover Marc’s fantastic vision for Peter Parker and the franchise.”

‘Mun2’ to begin Friday night movie series

By Jack Rico

2010/02/05 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Mun2’ to begin Friday night movie series

02.5.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Mun2 is setting the stage for a new Friday night movie showcase.

The NBC Universal-owned cable network aimed at bicultural U.S. Latinos will bow “Have You Cine” on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. (ET/PT) with drama Harsh Times, starring Christian Bale and Eva Longoria. Mun2 will flank the linear offering with online interviews with actors and movie makers via holamun2.com/cine.

In addition to the weekly Friday night movie showcase, the network will continue offering the exclusive, “Have You Cine Chronicles,” a weekly short-form vignette covering the biggest movies out in theaters. The capsules will premiere as part of the network’s entertainment show, The mun2 Shuffle and will run throughout the programming day within mun2’s music blocks.

“Mun2 has been committed to movies for the past few years, bringing our audience exclusive interviews with artists ranging from Hugh Jackman to Gael Garcia Bernal,” said Flavio Morales, senior vice president programming and production for mun2. “The Have You Cine‘ franchise has evolved, as do the needs of our audience, and we’re excited to not only offer them this fresh, new movie line-up, but also bring our viewers closer to their favorite stars via holamun2.com.”

The rest of the Have You Cine Friday-night lineup this month: Feb. 12, Talento de Barrio, starring Daddy Yankee;

Feb. 19, Chasing Papi, starring Sofia Vergara and Roselyn Sanchez; and Feb. 26, Fast Lane, starring Melina Lizette and Kenyetta Lethridge.

EXCLUSIVE! First Look at ‘The Crazies’ TV Spot

By Jack Rico

2010/01/28 at 12:00am

Movies

EXCLUSIVE! First Look at ‘The Crazies’ TV Spot

01.28.2010 | By Jack Rico |

We just got a hold of the first TV spot of The Crazies before it has even hit the TV networks! It shows some never before scenes directed by George A. Romero.

The Crazies is a remake from the 1973 original that George Romero directed about the inhabitants of a small Iowa town suddenly plagued by insanity and then death after a mysterious toxin contaminates their water supply. One man, his wife, a nurse, and the sheriff try to survive this plague, but when the military are killing everyone on sight, they’re going to have to fight their way out, or die by either the plague or the military.

The film is released Feb 26th! Check it out now!

By Karen Posada

2010/01/28 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Edge of Darkness’ movie review

01.28.2010 | By Karen Posada |

‘Edge of Darkness‘ was directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) who also directed the English mini-series from the 80’s with the same title on which the movie is based on. Not being familiar with the mini-series I thought the previews had given too much away and I could guess the outcome of it. I was wrong. There are many surprising moments and twists that have you guessing and wanting to know more. The story unfolds nicely and though at times it is hard to understand Gibson’s mumbles as well Winstone’s english accent, I enjoyed the thrilling ride.

This is the story of a Boston police investigator in the quest to find out who brutally shot his daughter and the reason why. Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is a widowed parent who has a estranged relationship with his only daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic), he seems to love her deeply but know very little about her life. Once she’ shot he’s got nothing to loose and decides to put justice in his own hands. On his road to finding his daughter’s killer he opens up a can of worms and finds himself in the middle of a big corporation/governmental plot. In this quest he ends up getting to know his daughter more than he did when she was alive and finds that her principals were just what he taught her. A professional killer (Ray Winstone) sent to kill Craven proves to be his only ‘friend’ through his dilemma, a character that complements him well. Craven states the premise of the movie perfectly ” you had better decide whether you are hanging on the cross or banging in the nails”, this is exactly what the film makes us think of as we are introduced to new settings and characters.

The one thing that bothered me about the film were the moments where Craven hallucinates hearing and seeing his daughter as a child and an adult, there was no need to play the crazy card; his irreparable pain was enough and his misplaced anger worked to show it. Craven acting as a superhero for the later part of the film would have bother me except that knowing he’s a father that finds himself on ‘the edge of darkness’ and his only purpose is to revenge his daughter’s death lets me accept his ‘superpowers’.

Gibson’s words from our interview resonated as the movie continued, I got the connection he made to Jacobean tragedies and this film and you will too. It is a film that does make you think about how much power the government and how little we may be able to do about it. For those that know the series they might not find it as appealing as they already expect the shocking moments but it may appeal to them to see it under a new light. At some points the thought provoking plot does get in the way of the action but the moments of surprise make it worth it.

Lionsgate picks up Spanish film with Ryan Reynolds

By Jack Rico

2010/01/25 at 12:00am

Movies

Lionsgate picks up Spanish film with Ryan Reynolds

01.25.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Lionsgate announced today that it has acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to the 2010 Sundance Film Festival sensation, BURIED, directed by Rodrigo Cortés (THE CONTESTANT). A taut, inventive thriller, BURIED stars Ryan Reynolds (THE PROPOSAL, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE) and is written by Chris Sparling (the upcoming MERCY). The producers are Adrián Guerra and Peter Safran (NEW IN TOWN, MEET THE SPARTANS); Alejandro Miranda is executive producer, alongside Rodrigo Cortés. The director of photography is Eduard Grau (A SINGLE MAN). The announcement was made today by Joe Drake, Lionsgate Co-Chief Operating Officer and Motion Picture Group President, and Jason Constantine, Lionsgate President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions.

Said Constantine, “BURIED is one of the tightest, most intense thrillers we’ve ever seen, and we were absolutely determined to bring it home to Lionsgate. BURIED is a powerful reminder that all you really need for an unforgettable movie experience is a great story, inventive filmmaking and brilliant acting. And because of the combined excellence of Rodrigo, Ryan and Chris, it’s all there in BURIED.”

“I’m very excited to be working with Lionsgate,” affirmed Cortés. “They are consistently creative and know how to use their resources to make the strongest possible impact – which is exactly what we set out to do with BURIED. So it’s a very natural fit.”

Commented Safran, “Making BURIED has been a deeply rewarding creative experience, and I am fortunate to have had outstanding producing partners in Adrián and Alejandro. We are delighted to be joining forces with my good friends at Lionsgate, and look forward to making BURIED the breakout hit it deserves to be.”

The film is about Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds), truck driver and family man, wakes up BURIED ALIVE in an old wooden coffin. Not knowing who might have put him there or why, his only chance to escape from this nightmare is a mysterious cell phone. Poor reception, battery and lack of oxygen are his worst enemies in a race against time: Paul has only 90 minutes to be rescued.