Frickin' Eh Movie News 7.15.09: Lazy Edition
Posted by Matthew Motiuk on 07.15.2009
Todd Phillips' next project, Washington drops Unstoppable, Portman joins Thor, and more!
I just realized the other day that the summer is over half done. Which is kind of depressing. Although the summer has overall been pretty awesome so far, and the end should be fine, too, it's still disappointing that university will be back in full swing before I know it. I've been planning to try and restudy my Ukrainian so I don't forget it all, but that hasn't been happening, either. Oh well. But let's get on with the news:
The Mid-Week Box Office Time Machine
So this past weekend, to my disappointment but not surprise, Bruno took the top spot with $30.4 million. A small weekend compared to the last few, but a big win for Cohen. Second place went to Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, which took $28.5 million in its second week. Third place saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen drop from first and take in another $24.2 million. In fourth was Public Enemies, which slid a spot and made another $14.1 million. The Proposal followed suit in fifth, with $10.5 million. The Hangover went from fifth to sixth and made yet another $9.9 million. I Love You, Beth Cooper opened at seventh with $5 million. Up fell from sixth to eighth, My Sister's Keeper went from seventh to ninth, and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 rounded out the top ten with $1.6 million.
This weekend's sole opener and almost guaranteed winner is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which is apparently doing very well in presales and will almost surely topple Bruno, especially being the only fresh movie of the weekend.
The Karate Kid Remake Begins in Beijing
The Associated Press reports that Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith began principal photography for Kung Fu Kid this weekend in Beijing. The remake of The Karate Kid, a co-production between the state-run China Film Group and Columbia Pictures, started shooting Saturday.
Chan will play the wise kung-fu master, a role originated by Pat Morita, while Smith is Chan's young disciple. The role was played by Ralph Macchio in the 1984 film and two sequels.
Kung Fu Kid, co-starring Taraji P. Henson, is being directed by Harald Zwart (The Pink Panther 2) for a June 11, 2010 release. Shooting will last three months and the film will be set in modern-day Beijing.
Chan and Smith, along with Smith's parents Will Smith, who is producing, and Jada Pinkett Smith and sister Willow, attended a traditional Chinese ceremony to mark the start of the shoot Saturday.
Well, here goes what will either be an interesting retake on a classic film, or a pretty terrible bastardization of it. I didn't realize they were changing the name; that's a good thing, it distances it if it turns out terribly. Jackie Chan's an interesting choice, both iconic enough and talented enough to fit the role of the master. We'll have to see how this one turns out in the end.
Robin Hood Grabs Danny Huston
Danny Huston is joining the cast of Universal and Imagine's Robin Hood, which Ridley Scott is now directing in England, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Russell Crowe plays the legendary folk hero in the latest retelling of the Robin Hood myth written by Ethan Reiff & Cyrus Voris and Brian Helgeland. Imagine's Brian Grazer is producing along with Scott and Crowe.
Huston will step into the shoes of the historical figure King Richard, who became known as Richard the Lionheart because of his exploits in the Third Crusade.
Huston starred in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and has both Edge of Darkness and Clash of the Titanscoming up.
A good choice for the role, and yet another talented actor to round out the cast of an already impressive movie. This is definitely going to be a big event when it's released, and I'm looking forward to it. Huston's going to be busy in the near future.
Todd Phillips Has a Due Date
Todd Phillips will next direct the road trip comedy Due Date and follow one year later with The Hangover 2, reports Variety.
The commitments come one day after The Hangover crossed the $210 million domestic gross mark and surpassed Wedding Crashers to become the second-biggest grossing R-rated comedy ever.
"Hangover" co-star Zach Galifianakis will play one of the two leads in Due Date, an Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland script that was revised by Adam Sztykiel. In the comedy about fatherhood, an expectant dad and his unlikely travel companion (Galifianakis) race cross-country in hopes of making it home for the birth of his first child.
Both Due Date and The Hangover 2 will follow the same production track as The Hangover. The plan is for the Due Date shoot to begin Oct. 6, and the film will be released next year in the first weekend of June. The "Hangover" sequel will begin production in October 2010 and will be released Memorial Day weekend 2011.
Warner Bros. believes The Hangover will finish around $240 million to become the biggest domestic grossing comedy ever (surpassing Beverly Hills Cop's $234 million) and the third-highest grossing R-rated film ever, behind The Passion of The Christ and The Matrix Reloaded.
Todd Phillips has a good thing going right now. As much as I am convinced a second Hangover isn't that great of an idea, or at the very least has to be handled very delicately, I'm willing to let Phillips work his magic again. Due Date sounds like a good idea but sounds a little too similar to The Hangover, especially Galifianakis' role. That said I'm still looking forward to seeing if he can keep it fresh and original, and if he can, then congrats to him.
Three Join Barney's Version
Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver and Rachelle Lefevre are playing Paul Giamatti's many wives in Barney's Version, the adaptation of the Mordecai Richler novel being directed by Richard Lewis, says The Hollywood Reporter.
The film tells the story of the politically incorrect, fully lived life of the impulsive, irascible and fearlessly blunt Barney Panofsky (Giamatti).
Lefevre will play Clara, Barney's first wife, a wild, troubled artist. Driver plays Barney's second wife, the annoyingly loquacious Mrs. "P." Miriam, Barney's third wife and true love, will be played by Pike.
Principal photography starts Aug. 17 in Rome. Dustin Hoffman is playing Barney's father. Michael Konyves wrote the adaptation.
This actually sounds pretty interesting, and Giamatti should be able to do an awesome job in the lead role. As for the wives, each one is talented in their own way, and their greatly varied characters should make this movie fresh and interesting throughout, although I assume it's going to be a bit of darker humour, or at least incredibly ironic. I especially like Pike, so I'm looking forward to seeing the final product here.
Washington Is Not So Unstoppable
Variety reported on Monday that Denzel Washington had dropped out of the Tony Scott-directed Unstoppable, which will co-star Chris Pine (Star Trek). The actor was said to be looking at other projects for the fall.
The trade has updated its story, however, saying that after Washington's camp made that decision, 20th Century Fox prepared to come back to the table with a different offer that the studio hoped would entice the actor to re-consider his decision.
Washington had planned since April to re-team with Scott, this time to play a veteran engineer who jumps into a locomotive with a young conductor (Pine) to halt an unmanned runaway train filled with a toxic chemical.
Variety adds that after cutting the $107 million budget down to $100 million, Fox wanted it in the low $90 million range. The studio asked Scott to cut his salary from $9 million to $6 million, and wanted Washington to shave $4 million off his $20 million fee. Washington declined.
And that's what happens when people get cheap, things fall apart. Of course, four million off your usual twenty million should be nothing, but why would he work for cheaper when he can make more somewhere else? It's starting to sound like this movie is headed down a bad road. We'll have to see if there actually was a counter-proposal, and if Washington takes it.
Portman Joins Thor
Marvel Studios announced today that Academy Award® nominated actress Natalie Portman has been cast to star as Jane Foster in the studio's highly anticipated movie Thor. In the early "Thor" comics, Jane Foster was a nurse who became Thor's first love. The character will be updated for the feature adaptation. Portman will star opposite Chris Hemsworth who will play Thor and Tom Hiddleston who will play the villain Loki. Kenneth Branagh will direct the film.
Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige will produce Thor. Principal photography for the film is set for early 2010. The film will be released in the US on May 20, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Marvel Studios expands its film universe with a new type of superhero: Thor. This epic adventure spans the Marvel Universe; from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.
Thor is one of a continuing slate of films being produced by Marvel Studios based on the Marvel characters, including Iron Man 2 on May 7, 2010, The First Avenger: Captain America on July 22, 2011, and The Avengers on May 4, 2012.
Presumably, Portman's role as Jane Foster will be a fairly large one, which will be good. I like Portman and she should do fine in the role. This is going to be a pretty good movie, I think, and has a solid cast. Hopefully it turns out as good as it's looking.
Paramount Taking Max Steel to the Big Screen
Paramount Pictures is teaming with Joe Roth to pick up Mattel's "Max Steel" as another action figure it wants to play with on the big screen. On August 7, the studio will release G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
The toy property revolves around a 19-year-old extreme sports junkie recruited by a secret agency after an accident infects his body with nanobots, making him superhuman.
Mattel introduced the character in the U.S. in 1999 as an action figure, and soon after in an animated series that ran from 2000-2002. Max Steel is Latin America's No. 1 action figure.
But Mattel wants to use movies as a way to relaunch the toy line in the U.S. and the rest of the world, the way the "Transformers" pics have helped generate new heat around Hasbro's action figures.
Mattel and Roth are seeking a screenwriter and director, who will work closely with the toymaker to develop the film's characters and storyline to match the company's plans for the franchise.
Never heard of the toys or the show, to be honest. Obviously just a little after my time. The logic of this is slightly flawed, however. Transformers and G.I. Joe are two toys with longer histories that faded over the years as new things took their place; rejuvenating them reignites two generations. This one is a much slimmer demographic and I don't think it was ever as big as either of the other toys were. But then again, it is Latin America's number one action figure.
Rapid-Fire: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004, starring Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Giovanni Ribisi)
I remember seeing this movie back when it first came out, and not having a very good impression of it. Well, it's five years later and my feelings toward this movie haven't really improved all that much. This week I present:
From what I can tell, this movie is set sometime after World War I but before World War II, in an alternate world. Scientists are missing, and then robots attack New York, and the only person to save the day is Sky Captain, played by Jude Law. I always have the feeling, watching this movie, that the style and story is set to mimic (or mock) something like comic books or television show of the past, but I can never quite nail what it really is.
The entire movie is highly stylized, featuring heavy CG, and the rest is lighted in such a way to give it an older, almost film noir feel and atmosphere. It's very interesting, although the CG bits were still not completely developed at the time and a lot of it comes off looking fairly unpolished and cheesy. Again, maybe this was the point; it definitely gives it a unique and interesting feel which makes the movie.
As far as the acting goes, as with everything else in the movie, it has the feel that it's supposed to be kind of cheesy. Jude Law does a good job playing the suave hero, and plays the role very well. Paltrow does alright as Polly Perkins and once again shows just how obnoxious and annoying reporters can be. Ribisi is a treat in his fairly small role as Dex, and the same goes for Angelina Jolie, whose role is unfortunately small.
This is a movie which, I think, might be trying to do a couple too many things at once, and that hurts it. Playing with the CG, giving it a noir style, and doing whatever they're supposed to be doing with the story and stuff just feels like a little too much. Throw in how cheesy a lot of it turns out, the flaws in some of the CG, and everything else, and you've got a flawed but entertaining movie. It's not too bad, and it's probably worth a watch, but it's nothing to hold your breath for.
Closing Time . . .
Well, that's it for this week. Until next time . . .
