Frickin' Eh Movie News 09.23.09: Slanket Edition
Posted by Matthew Motiuk on 09.23.2009
Sherlock Holmes sequel talk, Percy Jackson trailer, Resident Evil news, and more!
Alright folks, everything has kind of piled up this week, it seems. Not that there's too much going on, but I'm definitely feeling it this week. Luckily time flies when you're this busy, so before I know it the weekend will be here again. Unfortunately I ran out of time to do the Rapid-Fire this week so I had to fill it with something else. Let's get right into things . . .
The Mid-Week Box Office Time Machine
Oh yes, it's that time again. The top of the box office last weekend was Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, which roped in $30.1 million. The Informant! came in second place, opening with $10.5 million. Last week's top movie, Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself, came in third with $10 million. Love Happens opened fourth with $8.5 million, and Jennifer's Body opened at fifth with $6.8 million. In sixth was 9, slipping from second and only making $5.5 million. Inglorious Basterds fell from third to seventh, All About Steve from fourth to eighth, and Sorority Row from sixth to ninth. Rounding out the top ten was The Final Destination, falling from fifth and making another $2.4 million.
Opening this weekend we have Fame, a dancing/singing/all that jazz kind of movie that's sure to make everybody feel all warm and fuzzy inside. We also have Pandorum, a thoroughly creepy science fiction horror movie starring Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster. And finally we have Surrogates, another dystopian future with technology starring Bruce Willis and Radha Mitchell this time. And boy does it look awesome. So take your pick. I'm liking the looks of Surrogates, personally.
Damon Lands Lead in Eastwood's Hereafter
Matt Damon will star in Clint Eastwood's Hereafter at Warner Bros. Pictures. Eastwood will direct and produce the thriller, set to begin shooting this fall.
Variety says the studio is keeping the plot under wraps beyond describing the project as a thriller in the vein of The Sixth Sense. Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) wrote the script.
Eastwood is producing with Kathleen Kennedy and Robert Lorenz. Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Morgan and Tim Moore are executive producing.
Damon stars in The Informant!, opening today, and can be seen in Eastwood's Invictus opposite Morgan Freeman in December.
A thriller in the vein of The Sixth Sense? Really? I wouldn't have pegged Eastwood as the kind of guy who would go after that, but alright. I'm happy to see Matt Damon landing these increasingly prestigious roles, because he really is a talented actor, and he's really coming into his own now. We'll have to see exactly what this is later.
Giamatti Crowned King John for Ironclad
Paul Giamatti will play the tyrant King John in Ironclad, a medieval-era action film that will begin production in Wales next month. Jonathan English (Minotaur) is set to direct and James Purefoy to star.
Written by Erick Kastel and English, the drama pits a member of the formidable Knights Templar (Purefoy) and his "Magnificent Seven" cohorts who defend Rochester Castle against King John and his army in 13th century England.
Rick Benattar, who worked with Giamatti on Shoot 'Em Up, will produce alongside Andrew Curtis (Lost in La Mancha).
Sweet. Giamatti's actually a really good choice for this one; not only is he definitely talented enough to pull off the role, but he already looks like he'll fit in, too. The story sounds pretty good, too. This is definitely one I'll be looking forward to.
Boris Kodjoe Lands Role in Resident Evil: Afterlife
Surrogates actor Boris Kodjoe has spilled more beans about Resident Evil: Afterlife after announcing last week on his Twitter account that he is part of the cast.
Talking to BlackFilm.com he revealed that Ali Larter will be back as Claire Redfield and that "Prison Break's" Wentworth Miller is on board as well. Here are several clips on the story:
Boris Kodjoe: I play the leader of the survivors in LA. Milla Jovovich's character, Alice, is roaming the world looking for survivors and she's wound up in LA, which has been burning for three years. She comes across an LA jail surrounded be these half-dead, uhh…
Zombies?
Boris Kodjoe: Yeah, they're those monsters, what are they called? Anyway, she comes across the jail and there's a couple of survivors and she lands on top of the roof and partners up with me to fight the guys that are coming after them. We're trying to get all of the survivors out of the jail to safety. We're starting next week, actually.
Definitely a good choice, he's a good actor and should fit well into the fold of this movie, although he's obviously not too knowledgeable in the area. Presumably he won't be playing any of the main characters from the past games, or else there would be more to this story than just that. Nice to see Claire's return, which I think will obviously be about her travels up to Alaska. I was hoping they'd switch over to Japan or another exotic locale as that was where the last movie was going, but this should still be a good one.
Brad Pitt Being Eyed for Sherlock Holmes Sequel
The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Biz Blog is reporting that Warner Bros. has already started developing a sequel to Sherlock Holmes by bringing on Kieran and Michele Mulroney to write the script. The duo previously penned Justice League: Mortal for the studio, and also wrote the upcoming Paper Man.
Brad Pitt has had discussions with producers to star as Holmes' nemesis Moriarty in the next installment, adds the site, but there is no deal in place for him to take the part yet.
Opening in theaters on Christmas Day, Sherlock Holmes was directed by Guy Ritchie and stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan and Kelly Reilly.
Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Lionel Wigram and Simon Kinberg all worked on the screenplay for the first film.
Already the talk has started, eh? The movie's still three months away and already the sequel is starting. Now granted, the movie looks absolutely fantastic so far and I'm expecting it won't disappoint, but still, it's a little early. Brad Pitt as Moriarty? I could see it, and I think it would be nice to get a big star like Pitt as a foil to Robert Downey Jr. Hopefully the movie turns out as good as it's looking.
Aronofsky Pulls Off A Heist
Darren Aronofsky will direct and produce an indie heist thriller based on the daring $85 million robbery at the Securitas Depot in Tonbridge, England, in February 2006.
Variety says that XYZ Films and Time Inc. Studios are partnered with Protozoa Pictures on the project. Scott Franklin of Protozoa will produce alongside Aronofsky. Time Inc. Studios chief Paul Speaker is executive producing, with XYZ fully financing the development.
Kerry Williamson is adapting the script from an underlying rights package that includes Jon Wertheim's Sports Illustrated magazine article "Breaking the Bank" and Howard Sounes' nonfiction book "Heist: The Inside Story of the World's Biggest Robbery."
I like heist movies a lot, especially real ones. Throw in Aronofsky's very unique take on things, and this one will be a great one. Although I'm not exactly sure how Aronofsky's vision will translate to a heist movie. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what this one shapes up to be.
New Percy Jackson Teaser
The second teaser for 20th Century Fox's Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief has come online and can be watched using the player below! The teaser was included on the X-Men Origins: Wolverine Blu-ray and DVD.
Opening in theaters on February 12, the Chris Columbus-directed fantasy-adventure stars Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd, Melina Kanakaredes, Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Catherine Keener, Rosario Dawson and Steve Coogan.
Based on Rick Riordan's best-selling children's novel, the film centers on Poseidon's son, a 12-year-old boy, who sets out on a quest in present-day America to rescue his mother, return Zeus' stolen lightning bolt and prevent a civil war from erupting among the gods.
I saw the teaser on the Wolverine DVD. It looks kind of good and kind of bad. It's got a bit too much of a Harry Potter feel to it, from the title on down, and it looks like it will be a bit too kid-oriented as well. However, that's balanced out by a great adult cast – Brosnan, Bean, Thurman, and Dawson? Awesome – and a fairly interesting story. Check out the trailer and see which side of the fence you're leaning on.
Monaghan Has a Due Date
Michelle Monaghan will star with Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis in director Todd Phillips' Due Date, which Warner Bros. has scheduled for a Nov. 5, 2010 release.
Downey will play an expectant father who finds himself on a road trip with a mismatched partner, as he races to get there before his wife (Monaghan) gives birth to his first child. Galifianakis plays his road trip mate in a comedy that Phillips calls "a buddy comedy without the buddies."
Phillips is producing with Daniel Goldberg. Scott Budnick is executive producer.
Monaghan previously starred together with Downey Jr. in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.
This will be a relatively small role, I assume, since most of the movie will focus on the actual road trip. Downey Jr. and Monaghan have a chemistry, as we saw in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang so she's a good choice. We'll see how this one goes.
Snapping a Salute: 30 Rock (Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan)
So I haven't had time to throw in a movie and watch it closely enough to actually do a review, so instead of just cutting my usual Rapid-Fire, I'm going to fill in with something different. This time, it's going to be a tribute to the funniest show on television, as the Emmys handed this show the best comedy award earlier this week.
This is quite honestly a show in a class of its own. If you haven't seen or heard of it before, the plot is simple. The show follows the adventures of a skit show at NBC. The show is headed by Liz Lemon (Fey), while Jack Donaghy (Baldwin) is an executive in charge of the show at NBC. The show stars Tracy Jordan (Morgan) and Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski), and the rest of the cast is made up of the writers and peons around the show. Most notably is Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer), a page at NBC who is a simple, naïve farm boy. The support cast is a sprinkling of really talented actors who are perfect in their roles. And the rest of the cast is a parade of guest stars, most of whom are excellent.
The plot of the episodes always revolves around the ridiculous adventures of the characters, such as Tracy Jordan going on the Conan O'Brien show while his medication drives him crazy; Jack competing with his rival Devon Banks (Will Arnett); trying to pitch SeinfeldVision to Jerry Seinfeld; Liz going to her high school reunion; and Tracy causing an economic meltdown on Larry King Live. A lot of them focus on the politics of the show and the network.
One of the great parts of the show is its satire and cultural relevance. It's not as quick as a show like South Park mostly because it's live-action and takes some time, but the show still reflects pop culture very well. Episodes reflect the economic crisis and politics, and there are constant references to all kinds of things, from catch phrases of old television shows and commercials to current stars on NBC. Which leads us to the quick wit of the show. It moves at a lightning pace, helped by the fact that it has no laugh track, and you'll miss a lot of the jokes if you're not paying attention. A lot of them are off-colour and inappropriate, but they're just done so well. The show flows through, constantly delivering laughs, and there's rarely a low point.
If you've never watched this show, then you should give it a shot. 30 Rock is a jewel of comedy. It's constantly hilarious, has an all-star cast, and awesome guest stars. The show has never performed all that well in the ratings, but it deserves more than it gets there. Give it a shot and see if you love it as much as I do.
Closing Time . . .
Television shows are starting to come back, with the exception of a couple which will start late (which, unfortunately, includes 30 Rock). I know the guys I work with were excited to see the return of House, and I'll watch How I Met Your Mother once I get a chance. This weekend go and see Surrogates. But until next week . . .
