Frickin' Eh Movie News 07.22.09: Pushing Daisies Edition

Posted by Matthew Motiuk on 07.22.2009

“Iron Man 2” finishes principal photography, Sony is working on a Michael Jackson film, “Harry Potter” ruled the box office, the latest on DC Comics films, Leonardo DiCaprio to bring back “The Twilight Zone” and much more!

The reason for the title of this week's edition is because the second, and sadly final, season of Pushing Daisies is released this week, so I have to provide as much advertisement as possible. I will be out buying the set the first chance I get. I hope there are some good special features.

I've been starting a new schedule of watching movies during the week, when I get a chance, since with my work schedule and doing things almost every weekend, I haven't been able to watch many movies. Couple that with starting playing Final Fantasy X again - and any Final Fantasy game can easily split your attention – and it works out nicely. I watched Knowing this week. It started out so promising – such a cool concept, throwing in determinism and randomness . . . and then it just gets silly. As my coworkers said, one of them cracked a joke that the ending would be the most ridiculous thing they could come up with . . . and then that's what the ending was. Disappointing, but still a pretty good movie throughout.

But anyway, let's get on to the news . . .


The Mid-Week Box Office Time Machine

So last weekend saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince demolish the competition with $77.8 million in its opening weekend. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs stayed at second and made $17.6 million. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen stayed at third and made another $13.7 million. Bruno fell from first to fourth with $8.3 million, probably due to a fair amount of bad word-of-mouth. The Proposal stayed at fifth with $8.3 million, The Hangover hung in at sixth, while Public Enemies dropped from fourth to seventh. Up and My Sister's Keeper both stayed in their respective spots at eighth and ninth, and I Love You, Beth Cooper slid from seventh to tenth with $2.8 million in its second week.

Alright, for a change this weekend, we've got four new movies opening. First, California Company Town, a movie which looks into one-time boom towns of California. Secondly, G-Force, Jerry Bruckheimer's foray into 3D, with guinea pigs and a star-studded voice cast. The third opener is Orphan, a thoroughly creepy movie about a little orphan girl. Seriously, look at the poster. She's terrifying. And finally, The Ugly Truth, with Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl, a romantic comedy which actually looks like it could be pretty entertaining, all in all. So take your pick this weekend. If Harry Potter does get toppled this weekend (which is a pretty far leap, I think) then it'll be G-Force in the top spot.


Iron Man 2 Finishes Principal Photography

You might have seen Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau's Tweets about principal photography wrapping up in the early hours of Saturday, July 18th, which was followed by a wrap party on Sunday night. Now,Marvel.com has posted quotes from producer Kevin Feige about the 71-day shoot as well. Here's a clip:

"Shooting 'Iron Man 2' was a fantastic experience and we couldn't be happier. Although there were many challenges in making this film, having Jon Favreau, Robert Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow and almost the entire crew from the first film back on board, allowed us to hit the ground running as everyone was instantly familiar with each other from day one," Feige told Marvel.com. "This dynamic allowed us to get done what we needed on a day to day basis and was a big factor in why we finished slightly ahead of schedule."

This isn't overly exciting news and normally I probably wouldn't put it in here, but I think a lot of people are excited for this one, and it's nice to hear that everything is going along as planned so far. Now we just have to wait half a year to see the results. Ugh . . .


Sony Working on Michael Jackson Deal

Sony Pictures is close to a deal to make a feature film on Michael Jackson drawing on the 80 hours of rehearsal footage filmed for concerts Jackson was preparing to perform in London, reports Variety.

The studio is expected to pay more than $50 million for worldwide rights to AEG Entertainment, which owns the footage and showed it to studios last week.

The film will feature at least three videos, including an alternative version of Jackson's "Thriller," which were shot to be interstitial programming during the London concerts. The footage was meant to play in 3-D, but it's unclear as yet whether the feature film will present it that way.

"High School Musical" director Kenny Ortega, who shot the rehearsal footage, is expected to direct the feature, and sources said he's already beginning to put together the footage so Sony can release the film before year's end.

Sony Pictures' sibling company Sony Music Entertainment owns music publishing rights to Jackson's songs.

Of course they are. You know, it is very sad that Michael Jackson passed away (although some people do not even have that opinion) but it's all we're hearing about lately, and it's getting a little overwhelming and annoying. This is an interesting way to do it, though. There will be a deluge of films about Jackson soon, but I expected the first to be a biography, and I think it's actually kind of cool making the concert into a movie. Hopefully they make this a nice homage, and the definitive one.


DC Comics Summary

The Hollywood Reporter has published an interesting article on the film projects that DC Comics has in the works. They mention previously-reported titles The Losers, Jonah Jex, The Green Lantern, and Red, but there's more on others we haven't heard much about lately. Here's a few excerpts:

This past fall, Warners quietly hired three of DC's biggest writers -- Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison and Marv Wolfman -- to act as consultants and writers for its superhero line of movies. The move involved taking back the reins on projects being handled by such producers as Charles Roven ("The Flash") and Akiva Goldsman ("Teen Titans").

The moves have begun to pay off. Johns worked up a new treatment for a "Flash" script, being written by Dan Mazeau; Johns will act in a producer capacity on the project, which has not attached a director.

The projects Morrison and Wolfman are working on are in the early stages at Warners, whose execs declined to comment.

The studio is taking pitches on sci-fi hero Adam Strange and the underwater-breathing hero "Aquaman," to be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and his Appian Way shingle.

Also in the pipeline: "Bizarro Superman" being written by "Galaxy Quest" scribes David Howard and Robert Gordon; a sequel to "Constantine," with Goldsman and Erwin Stoff producing; two concurrent Green Arrow projects, an origin story and a prison-set one titled "Super Max"; and "Shazam," which was set up at New Line but has moved to Warners, with Pete Segal attached to direct.

They also mention a Superman Returns sequel, a third Batman film from Christopher Nolan and the Justice League movie, but there's no real news there. You can read the full article here.

This is more of a nice summary than anything else, and nothing really new. Although there are a lot of things that I've never heard of, there are a couple interesting ones. Bizarro Superman? That sounds pretty interesting, although whether the project ever sees the light of day is another story. I would definitely be interested in watching a Constantine sequel, I always did like the movie. As for the big ticket items, a new Superman will be a long time coming – they will have to tread lightly with that one. It's always good to see even the smallest confirmation of a new Batman. Take a peek at the full article if you're interested in all things comic book.


Warner and DiCaprio Entering the Twilight Zone

Warner Bros. and Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way are moving ahead on a Twilight Zone movie, hiring Rand Ravich to write a script based on the iconic TV series.

Ravich's feature credits include directing The Astronaut's Wife and executive producing Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. He also created NBC's detective series "Life."

The original "Twilight Zone" series ran for five seasons starting in 1959 on CBS, with Rod Serling creating the series and writing more than half of the 156 episodes. Steven Spielberg and John Landis produced and directed segments for the 1983 WB feature film, Twilight Zone: The Movie.

Well, this could be interesting. It sounds like a pretty good idea, and the Twilight Zone is definitely an iconic series that should still have some life in it. Will Spielberg be involved at any level? Probably not, which is kind of good – get a fresh take on the thing completely. We'll be hearing more about this one soon, I imagine.


Freeman and Willis Going Red

Variety says that Morgan Freeman is in talks to star opposite Bruce Willis in Summit Entertainment's espionage thriller Red, based on the WildStorm/DC Comics title.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian are producing with DC executive Gregory Noveck serving as executive producer. Brothers Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber are writing the script.

"Red" was originally written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Cully Hamner. The three-book series, published in 2003 and 2004, tells the story of a former black-ops CIA agent now living a quiet life in retirement until the day a high-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him.

The concept sounds pretty cool, and should result in a thoroughly interesting movie. The more exciting part is the caliber of actors here. Morgan Freeman and Bruce Willis together will be a lethal combination, and I'm pumped to see them on the big screen together.


Breaking News: Saw VII in the Works

Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton are going to script Saw 7 for Twisted Pictures, reports Variety. The announcement comes a few months before Saw VI, directed by Kevin Greutert, opens on October 23.

Dunstan and Melton have been on the lucrative franchise since part 4. Since then, they penned two more "Feast" sequels for Dimension and collaborated on the upcoming The Collector, which Dunstan directed.

Saw VII will hit theaters in October of 2010.

It seems to have become a fact of life that the Saw series will just continue until the end of time, so this is basically the big non-news of the week. Having the same writers on is a good idea, keep things steady, but really, do we need any more now?


Crowe Wants to be Master and Commander Again

The Associated Press is reporting that Russell Crowe is in early talks to reprise the role of Jack Aubrey in a follow-up to 2003's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, directed by Peter Weir and co-starring Paul Bettany.

Crowe said on Friday that a script based mostly on the eleventh novel of Patrick O'Brian's 20-novel series, "The Reverse of the Medal," had been written.

"There's still a long way to go," Crowe said, adding that he had been talking with the owner of the rights to the novels.

"The Reverse of the Medal," published in 1986, sees Aubrey in the Caribbean in his ship HMS Surprise, where he meets his illegitimate son Samuel Panda, a Catholic priest born from an illicit liaison.

This is one of a very select few movies that I could not sit through, although now that I reflect on it, I think I quit after ten or twenty minutes. I should give it another shot. Then again, my opinion of Peter Weir has been negatively skewed after film studies, so I don't know. But anyway . . . with such a large series behind it, there's no reason why they don't continue it, and if Crowe's on board, that's one more point in their favour.


Harry Potter Sets One-Day Record . . . Again

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince earned $104 million worldwide during its first day in theaters on Wednesday, setting a new record.

The film grossed $58.18 million in North America and $45.85 million overseas on Wednesday.

"Quite simply, we owe this record-breaking opening to the remarkable fans who have stood by us and who stood in line to be among the first to see 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,'" Warner Bros President and Chief Operating Officer Alan Horn said in a statement.

The previous "Harry Potter" movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, earned $937 million worldwide total.

It never seems as impressive when the record a movie breaks was held by the previous installment, although it is a testament for the quality of the movies and the devotion of the fans, and still very impressive. I think the success of the franchise is its international appeal, hence the reason this is a worldwide record. Harry can give himself a pat on his back.


Join Forces on Facebook to See Alice in Wonderland Teaser

The Loyal Subjects of the Red Queen, the Loyal Subjects of the White Queen, and the Disloyal Subjects of the Mad Hatter are all building armies on Facebook. The fan page with the biggest army at 4pm PDT on Thursday, July 23 will get to see an exclusive new trailer from Disney's Alice in Wonderland before anyone else. So be sure to log onto Facebook and choose a side.

The Loyal Subjects of the Red Queen: Facebook.com/RedQueenSubjects

The Loyal Subjects of the White Queen: Facebook.com/WhiteQueenSubjects

The Disloyal Subjects of the Mad Hatter: Facebook.com/MadHatterSubjects

The film arrives in theaters on March 5, 2010.

This is a pretty cool idea to draw in some interest and make it all a bit of a game. I think it's the Mad Hatter's to lose, of course – Johnny Depp looks awesome, and he's got a big fan base – but go ahead and choose whichever one you want. Then on Thursday hopefully you'll be checking out the brand new teaser!


Cage May Be Green Hornet's Villain

Columbia Pictures is in early talks with Nicolas Cage to play the gangster villain in The Green Hornet, reports Variety.

Cameron Diaz is negotiating to play a reporter and love interest in the Michel Gondry-directed film that stars Seth Rogen as the masked crime fighter.

The picture is moving full steam ahead for a fall start date, even as the studio looks to replace Stephen Chow, who was going to play sidekick Kato. Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote the script and Neal Moritz is producing through his Original Films.

The Green Hornet is targeting a July 9, 2010 release

Now let's remember the last time Cage was in a superhero movie . . . yeah, Ghost Rider. Not pretty. Also, Cage as a gangster? It just doesn't seem right. It's a weird role for him and he doesn't look like he'd fit the part. I'm actually still unsure of Rogen in the lead. Overall this is shaping up to be an interesting cast and an interesting movie, and we'll just have to see.


Rapid-Fire: Mission: Impossible (1996, starring Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Beart)

I have watched both of the sequels to this movie many times, but before this past week I only made it through bits and pieces of the first movie. Finally that has been corrected, though, and so this week I present:

It is more obvious, watching this movie, that it is a television-to-movie conversion. Whereas the two movies that follow get into the Hollywood over-the-top cinematic, complex narratives, and the like, this one feels almost like a television show. The opening sequence is reminiscent of a television opener (presumably the Mission: Impossible television show, although I've never watched it), most of the movie retains a somewhat smaller-scale look and feel, and overall, the atmosphere of the movie is like that of a television show. And that's pretty nice, considering that's what this movie is, basically.

There are almost no special effects; most of the movie is running around and talking, although as the movie progresses, things pick up the pace. Not to say that the movie is slow; it isn't, and it's admirable how well the movie overall works together. The ending gets a little ridiculous, particularly the train tunnel, although I won't say much more on that subject. Just know it's pretty outrageous. The parts that do have special effects are well done, and this movie isn't plagued by slow motion like the second installment.

Acting: Cruise doesn't look as comfortable in the shoes of Ethan Hunt yet, and he's got that annoying terrified/worried look he gets every once in a while, but as the movie goes he gets more into it, and he does fine. Voight at Jim Phelps is a good casting choice, not only in that he's a good actor, but he seems to complete that television look and feel. Beart as Claire Phelps is alright, although nothing overly special. Henry Czerny plays Kittridge and is actually the perfect choice, because you never quite know if you can trust him or not. I personally like Jean Reno, and was a little disappointed with his fairly small role as Franz Krieger, but the parts he had were good. Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell was also good, as he is in the later installments. All in all, a good cast all around.

This is probably the perfect bridge between the television show and the movies. This feels like a television show in movie form, and sets the stage for the bigger movies that follow. It definitely stands on its own, and is a thoroughly enjoyable watch.


Closing Time . . .

Lamont Fair Days this weekend – I'm hoping I'll actually make it out there, although the events of Friday night (my boss's birthday, to be celebrated in typical alcohol-induced fashion) may impede my ability to make it home in time for most of the events. We'll have to see. But anyway, until next week . . .


[All news, images, and other stuff from www.comingsoon.net, www.imdb.com, www.rottentomatoes.com and www.youtube.com.]