Thursday, December 31, 2009
2010 Midseason Guide: When the Good TV Shows Will Return
Looking Ahead: Screens
Critics for The New York Times assess films, television shows and video games that will arrive in the new year.
Van Morrison Denies Baby Reports
Mika: 'I Hate Taking My Clothes Off'
Film: Floating in the Digital Experience
In the last decade, the technology of moviemaking has changed radically. You can even pull a film out of a pocket.
Ellen DeGeneres and Tim Gunn Named PETA's Person of the Year
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Verne Troyer Launches New Interactive Site
VOTD: Extreme Dagobah Tourist Video
Come visit Dagobah… the Galaxy's most extreme tourist destination. Dago-BAM! Watch a video created by the Dagobah tourism bureau, embedded after the jump.
And remember… Obi-Wan warns you, don't go to Mos Eisley:
- Cool Stuff: Leia The Riveter T-Shirt
- Cool Stuff: Adrian Pavic's What's Under Your Mask?
- Rumor: Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, Terminator 2 and Star Wars Going 3D?
- Star Wars Weather Compares Local Weather Conditions to Star Wars Planets
- Lucasfilm Tests Out HD Capable DSLR Cameras for Red Tails, Possibly Star Wars TV Series
- Cool Stuff: Millennium Falcon Bed
Tobey Maguire Has Yet Lost His Wedding Ring
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Brittany Murphy's Father 'Unknown' on Death Certificate
Several New Clips for Solomon Kane, Plus Behind the Scenes Footage
I've been looking forward to Michael J. Bassett's Solomon Kane ever since we caught some glimpses of the sword and sorcery film back at Comic-Con. The film stars James Purefoy (Rome) as the titular Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan the Barbarian) character, and also includes Pete Postlethwaite and Max von Sydow among its cast. We haven't seen much from the project up until now, aside from a trailer several months ago.
Today, the studio announced that they've released several clips from the film, including behind-the-scenes footage, in a convenient video widget. They've also included a higher quality version of the trailer, which definitely gives us a much better look at the scope of the film.
The new clips feature a look at the fight scenes in the film, as well as the many fantasy creatures. Check them out below:
While it may be independently produced, Solomon Kane honestly looks better than many big studio attempts at this spectrum of the fantasy genre. The film apparently had a $40 million budget, and judging from these clips, we see most of that on screen. I'm digging the production design, as well as the monsters (though the one in the Hall of Mirrors seems vaguely reminiscent of Pan's Labyrinth).
Purefoy also seems to be inhabiting this character with a similar intensity to his Mark Antony in Rome. Compared to the similarly attired Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing, Purefoy's Kane is already far more engaging from these clips alone.
Overall, Solomon Kane seems to be shaping up to be a fun sword and sorcery ride. There's been both positive and negative buzz about it from various sites, and I can't wait to judge for myself when it hits theaters in 2010.
- Solomon Kane International Movie Trailer
- Comic-Con: Solomon Kane Footage Debuts
- Strong and Purefoy Join John Carter of Mars; Thomas Haden Church Confirmed
- Manchild on Showtime
Will James McAvoy Be Bond's Creator, Ian Fleming?
There have been a handful of television biopics of James Bond author Ian Fleming, the most famous of which actually starred Sean Connery's son Jason Connery as Fleming. Surprisingly, however, there's never been a big-screen version of his life. Development of the first one has been underway for some time, and now if reports are correct a very appropriate lead actor is attached to bring Bond's creator back to life.
Pajiba says that not only is Fleming biopic with the working title Ian Fleming currently financed in the range of $40m, it has James McAvoy attached as Fleming. The site's sources have gotten better recently, and this is a story that is easy to want to believe if only because McAvoy seems like such a tidy fit for Fleming.
The writer spent some of his life in the shadow of his father, Member of Parlianment, and older brother, a travel writer. But World War II brought Fleming into the Royal Navy's Naval Intelligence Division, in which he was quite active first as an assistant to the Director, then as a planner. That generated the background for James Bond, and elements of many Bond novels were drawn from operations and initiatives with which Fleming was involved during the war. Some of Bond's characteristics were autobiographical, as well.
Matt Brown's script, based in part on Andrew Lycett's book Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond, will focus on the author's war years. There's enough material there to keep a biopic from being too dry and pagebound, and an actor like McAvoy would be ideal to capture both Fleming's early difficulties and the aspects of his personality that flourished during the war.
No director is currently attached to this film, and a schedule may have to work around projects like Wanted 2.
- The Last Station Movie Trailer
- Robert Redford's The Conspirator Has a Great Cast; First Images and Video Surface
- Robert Redford to Direct Lincoln Assassination Film The Conspirator
- James McAvoy To Star In Seth Rogen's Other Cancer Comedy
- Hobbit Casting Rumor: Tennant, McAvoy and Radcliffe in Running For Bilbo Baggins?
- Mark Millar Talks Wanted 2 Film, No Comic Version
Brooke Mueller Says Charlie Sheen Put A Knife To Her Throat, Threatened To Kill Her
Happy Birthday to:
James Cameron's Avatar Continues To Break IMAX Box Office Records
The IMAX Corporation has sent out a press release announcing that James Cameron's Avatar is continuing to shatter IMAX box office records. Highlights Include:
- Domestic second weekend gross of approximately $8.8 million
- International second weekend gross of approximately $3.6 million
- IMAX theatres were in 17 of the top 20 locations nationwide
Read the full press release after the jump.
James Cameron's Avatar Continues to Shatter IMAX Box Office Records
IMAX Release Races to $39 million Worldwide in Ten Days
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 28, 2009 — IMAX Corporation (Nasdaq:IMAX) (TSX:IMX) and Twentieth Century Fox today announced that James Cameron's Avatar continued its record-breaking box office run during its second weekend, grossing approximately $8.8 million from 179 IMAX(R) theatres domestically from December 25 through December 27, 2009, registering approximately 12% of the film's total domestic gross of $75.6 million on less than 3% of the screens. IMAX theatres continued to operate at virtually full capacity all weekend, driving the domestic IMAX box office to date to approximately $28 million.
The IMAX international release posted an estimated total of approximately $3.6 million from 70 IMAX screens during the weekend, with the IMAX network in Poland and Japan posting record openings. The film is still scheduled to open on 11 IMAX screens in China and one in Argentina in the coming weeks. The worldwide IMAX box office total is more than $39 million as of the end of day Sunday, December 27, 2009.
Avatar is directed and written by Academy Award Winner James Cameron and stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver. Avatar has been digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(R).
"Consumers are clearly seeking out IMAX as the way to experience James Cameron's latest blockbuster, and this weekend's results reinforce how well this groundbreaking film plays to our audience," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. "Avatar is well on its way to becoming our highest grossing Hollywood IMAX title."
"To have reached $39 million from 249 screens in just 10 days demonstrates that moviegoers clearly understand the value of experiencing Avatar in IMAX," added Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "James Cameron, Jon Landau and Lightstorm realized the vision of this film in IMAX, and we're continuing to see the incredibly positive way that moviegoers are responding to that vision."
Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. More than ten years in the making, Avatar marks Cameron's return to feature directing since helming 1997's Titanic, the highest grossing film of all time and winner of eleven Oscars(R) including Best Picture. WETA Digital, renowned for its work in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and King Kong, has incorporated new intuitive CGI technologies to transform the environments and characters into photorealistic 3D imagery that will transport the audience into the alien world rich with imaginative vistas, creatures and characters.
About IMAX Corporation
IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment technology companies, specializing in immersive motion picture technologies. The worldwide IMAX network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event Hollywood films around the globe, with IMAX theatres delivering the world's best cinematic presentations using proprietary IMAX, IMAX 3D, and IMAX DMR(R) technology. IMAX DMR is the Company's groundbreaking digital re-mastering technology that allows it to digitally transform virtually any conventional motion picture into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience. The IMAX brand is recognized throughout the world for extraordinary and immersive entertainment experiences for consumers. As of September 30, 2009, there were 403 IMAX theatres (280 commercial, 123 institutional) operating in 44 countries.
IMAX(R), IMAX(R) 3D, IMAX DMR(R), Experience It In IMAX(R), An IMAX 3D Experience(R) and The IMAX Experience(R) are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).
Monday, December 28, 2009
Mark Wahlberg Gets Annoyed Over Beckhams' L.A. Move
Exhausted Amy Winehouse Collapsed
A Conversation With Sameer Bhattacharya Of Flyleaf
Most Overexposed Celebrities Of 2009
2009 comes to a close with another crop of celebrities (and celebutards) that we saw entirely too much of. They invaded our televisions and our internet, they spread-eagled themselves all over our tabloids, and they fascinated and annoyed us at the same time. Here's a last look at them in '09, just in case you forgot:
LOL: Battlestar Rhapsody
Not too long ago, we ran a Bohemian Rhapsody parody starring The Muppets, and now we've come across another parody of the classic Queen song — this time based on the Battlestar Galactica 'verse. It's a pretty hilarious lyrical spin on the series, and fans will find a lot to love. BSG virgins, and those still working through the show, should steer clear however. It's chock full of spoilers right up until the end of the series.
The video was put together by Youtube user nnaylime, using music by The Great Luke Ski. Check it out below:
While the vocals could use some work, the song's lyrics do a rather brilliant job of bringing BSG nerd fanaticism to the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody. I particularly enjoyed this bit:
I see a little opera house inside my head.
There were five, dressed in white, or perhaps it was Gandalf?
Galen's gonna go nuts. Who ate all the donuts? Lee?
Lee Apollo! Lee Apollo!
Lee Apollo! Lee Apollo!
Lee Apollo ate them whole.
He's saying "D'oh!" "D'oh!" "D'oh!" "D'oh!" "D'oh!"
Three's just a skin-job, nobody loves her.
Three's just a skin-job, princess warrior.
She drives a Hybrid, a prophecizor!
The more I run into BSG fan projects like this, the more I just want to scoop up that Blu-ray box set and spend a few weeks rewatching the entire series. At least we have Caprica starting on Jan. 22, which will surely satisfy the need for more tales in the BSG-verse. I reviewed the pilot back in April, and thought it did a good job of setting up the series. I just hope they keep it up for the rest of the season.
[Via TV Squad]
- This Week in DVD & Blu-ray: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Orphan, Whatever Works, and More
- Bryan Singer To Reboot Battlestar Galactica?
- This Week in DVD & Blu-ray: Fast & Furious, Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse, and More
- 2009 Saturn Awards Winners
- Question: Is The Man vs. Terrifying Machines Movie Concept No Longer Scary?
- Cool Stuff: Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series
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