Frickin' Eh Movie News 11.25.09: A Sad Day for Vampires . . .

Posted by Matthew Motiuk on 11.25.2009

Hugh Jackman will be training robots, Twilight breaks records, and another cast member for Thor is announced. And let's not forget the sequel nobody asked for! Check out which one it is, along with plenty more, inside!

A little over a week left of classes and then it's finals time. Thank god. I've been looking forward to ending this semester for a while, partly because of the exhaustion, partly because I despise one of my classes (which also happens to be my first class of the day . . . it makes it hard to find the motivation to get up and go to the university on time). Hopefully next semester works out a little bit better. It also means, unfortunately, that it's time to crack down and finish everything up; one essay left, one quiz left, and then three and a half finals (half because one is a take-home final). But enough about my depressing school life, let's get into the news . . .


The Mid-Week Box Office Time Machine

Alright then, last weekend went predictably, as The Twilight Saga: New Moon broke through the roof with $140.7 million. The Blind Side took a distant but respectable second with $34.5 million. 2012 dropped two spots to third and made another $26.5 million. Planet 51 opened fourth with $12.6 million and Disney's A Christmas Carol fell from second to fifth with $12.2 million. Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire fell from third to sixth, The Men Who Stare at Goats fell from fourth to seventh, Couples Retreat fell a spot to eighth, and The Fourth Kind fell from sixth to ninth. Law Abiding Citizen fell a spot to round out the top ten, making a measly $1.6 million.

What can you go watch this weekend, if you are not all caught up in the Twilight rage? Your first choice is Ninja Assassin, starring Rain in what looks like a pretty crazy action movie. Or you can go for the family-friendly John Travolta and Robin Williams movie, Old Dogs. And finally, The Road, starring Viggo Mortensen in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, in what looks like a fairly original and different take on the whole business. So take your pick.


The Howling: Reborn

Producers Joel Kastelberg and Moonstone Entertainment's Etchie Stroh are re-launching the "Howling" franchise asThe Howling: Reborn. Variety says that former studio marketing executive Joe Nimziki will make his feature directorial debut from his own script.

The film is scheduled to start shooting in February for a Halloween release, with plot details under wraps.

Directed by Joe Dante, The Howling was released in 1981 and spawned six sequels. Dee Wallace-Stone starred as a news anchor stalked by a serial killer who turns out to be a werewolf.

Steve Lane and Bob Pringle, who served as executive producers on the original, will also executive produce The Howling: Reborn.

Six sequels? Seriously? This is what needs to be brought back – a horror movie from the eighties that had six sequels and wasn't one of the bigger-name series? Of course, with the recent onslaught of horror remakes, and especially with some successful ones (and successful ones on the horizon, like The Wolfman) this makes perfect sense to somebody out there. If you were a fan of the original series and was wondering when they'd get that seventh sequel under way, here you go.


Joshua Jackson Seeing a UFO

Variety reports that Joshua Jackson (Fox's "Fringe") will star in UFO, the feature adaptation of the British TV series to be directed by visual effects guru Matthew Gratzner.

Jackson will star as Paul Foster, a test pilot who joins S.H.A.D.O. (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization), a covert organization built under a Hollywood studio that defends Earth against a race of aliens who have been abducting humans and using the body parts.

The Gerry Anderson-created series was a cult hit in the 1970s. The film, written by Ryan Gaudet and Joseph Kanarek, is scheduled to start shooting in the spring in the UK.

You know, as much as I always bad-mouth movies and television shows getting the remake or reboot treatment, there are some that might not hurt from the transition. And high up on that list are ones that not a whole lot of people might know about and which could be updated and transformed significantly. Part of my current stance probably has to do with my new affinity for the excellent reimagining of V, and I'm thinking this could be a very similar success. I don't know Jackson as I've never watched Fringe, and obviously Gratzner is untested as a director and hopefully doesn't go too special-effects crazy, but this will be one I'll be keeping an eye on.


New Moon Breaks Single Day Record

After setting a new record for midnight openings with $26.27 million at 3,514 theaters, Summit Entertainment's The Twilight Saga: New Moon has also broken the record for a single day, earning $72.7 million on Friday at 4,024 theaters. The previous single day record of $67.2 million was held by The Dark Knight.

It looks like The Dark Knight's 3-day record of $158 million may be in jeopardy now as well.

In related news, 'Rick' told us that posters for the third film in the "Twilight" series, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, are already in theaters. That film, directed by David Slade, hits theaters on June 30.

Oh god. As I have stated before but which can never be stated enough, news like this makes me sick. And to beat The Dark Knight by over five million . . . it's a sad, sad day for movies. I'm just going to hold out and hope that it doesn't break any more records, that's about all I'm going to get out of this.


Writer Hired for Fourth Underworld

"The Shield" writer John Hlavin has been hired to pen Underworld 4 for Screen Gems and Lakeshore.

Len Wiseman, who directed the first two films in the vampire-vs.-werewolf saga, is producing with Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg and Richard Wright of Lakeshore.

The fourth installment does not yet have a director attached and neither Kate Beckinsale or Rhona Mitra have signed to return.

Hlavin said the plot is under wraps, "but I can tell you it's not a prequel." He added, "It will satisfy old fans and excite new audiences, meaning that we don't want to redo the first three movies, so steps are being taken to honor what fans have loved but at the same time introduce fresh elements."

The Underworld movies have always done an astounding job of staying fresh and interesting, probably owing to the huge and complex storylines involved. I thought the jump back in the third to the very origins – and losing the main star – was a risky but bold move that paid off. But now, I'm not sure where they're going to go. Picking up the story where it left off in the second doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, but continuing in the past might not work out, either. And I'm not sure what prequel refers to. We'll just have to see in the end, I suppose, and hopefully it's not too long of a wait.


Idris Elba Joins Thor

Idris Elba has joined the cast of Marvel Studios' Thor, reports Heat Vision.

Elba will play Heimdall, the guardian of Asgard, who stands on the BiFrost Bridge ready to defend the city from intruders.

He joins a cast that includes Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Jaimie Alexander, Colm Feore, Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsgard, Stuart Townsend, Ray Stevenson and Tadanobu Asano.

To be directed by Kenneth Branagh, the comic book adaptation will be released by Paramount Pictures on May 20, 2011. Shooting will begin mid-January in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Elba also stars in Warner Bros.' comic book adaptation The Losers, opening April 9.

I came to appreciate Elba's fantastic acting skills in RocknRolla (where I realized the acting skills of many actors, actually) and so I think he will be a great addition to what is already looking to be an absolutely amazing cast. I used to know a little about Norse mythology but now most of what I know is from my brief stint with the game Too Human. Still, I am very excited to see this and Elba's role in it.


New Kull Movie on the Way

Paradox Entertainment's CEO Fredrik Malmberg told Fantasy.fr that a new "Kull" movie is in the works. Here is the translated article, courtesy of the site:

Paradox Entertainment is currently working on a new movie adaptation for Kull the Conqueror.

Fredrik Malmberg, Paradox Entertainment's CEO, used the occasion of an exclusive interview to reveal his company was working on a new Kull movie.

Fredrik Malmberg also told us about Conan and other ongoing adaptations. You'll hear of it soon.

Robert Ervin Howard created a hero called Kull in 1929 for the Weird Tales magazine. Howard would draw some inspiration from this character to create Conan, but he dwells in an era predating the cimmerian's one.

Native to Atlantis, Kull grows up with his family in Tiger Valley until a flood wipe his clan out. Another clan bring him up, but he stands up for a woman destined to burn alive and ends up banned from Atlantis. He sails for the continent and take up the mercenary way. He'll become king, just as Conan will do thousands of years later. Under his influence, Valusia ends up as the most powerful kingdom of the time.

As a reminder, in 1997, Kull made an appearance on screen in the less than convincing Kull the Conqueror, directed by John Nicolella and played by Kevin Sorbo.

An era difference doesn't make that much of a contrast if he drew from this to make Conan so this could, in theory, just feel like another one of those movies. That said, it could still be interesting and entertaining, done right, and not falling the path of the last reimagining, of course. I will be waiting to hear more on this one in the future.


Real Steel Grabs Hugh Jackman

DreamWorks Pictures principals Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider have greenlit the Rocky-esque robot tale Real Steel starring Hugh Jackman, reports Variety. Filming will start in June.

The Shawn Levy-directed futuristic film, budgeted at about $80 million, is based on a short story by Richard Matheson that was adapted into an original "Twilight Zone" episode.

Jackman will play an ex-fighter who becomes a promoter when human boxing is outlawed for being too violent. The new gladiators are 2,000-pound robots with human qualities. The ex-fighter's access to sub-standard robot parts hampers his hopes for glory in Robot Boxing, until he discovers a discarded robot that always seems to win. The ex-fighter has also discovered he's the father of a 13-year old son, and they bond as the robot brawls its way toward the top.

Levy describes the film as a "rousing sports movie" with Jackman's character "a former boxer who can no longer do the only job he's good at, and one particular robot that may be his return to grace."

If not for Jackman's involvement with this film, I wouldn't be the slightest bit interested. A fairly tired story, coupled with a family bonding side story, does not exactly sound appealing to me in any way, even if you're going to throw it into the future and add robots. But I now have the slightest glimmer of hope with Jackman in it; he's got a charm that turns a movie into an enjoyable experience. Here's hoping he can do the same here.


The Lincoln Lawyer Loses Tommy Lee Jones

Variety says that Tommy Lee Jones has dropped out of The Lincoln Lawyer, which he had been set to direct and co-star in with Matthew McConaughey.

Vareity says Jones has left the project over creative differences on the script, which is an adaptation of the Michael Connelly novel.

Lakeshore Entertainment, which has a script by John Romano, will look to lock in another director in hopes of beginning production next spring.

Well this is disappointing, Jones would have been a great part of this movie. The story sounds really strong and interesting, and I think Jones would have fit the role perfectly. This still has potential, of course. McConaughey is a talented actor and should handle the lead well; as long as the adaptation is solid and doesn't lose too much in the transition, then we should be looking at an entertaining law movie.


Rapid-Fire: Charlie Wilson's War (2007, starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman)

This week's Rapid-Fire is a very political and critical movie, but it's far more than that, which is what makes it the gem it really is. This week I present:

This movie tells the real story of Charlie Wilson, a congressman who transforms the war effort in Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion from a miniscule effort to a full-scale war driving the Soviets out. Despite the potential for complexities in the story, considering the highly political plot, it's actually not hard to follow; things have surely been streamlined, but the story is laid out very clearly and handled very well, and the mixing of real footage at points really brings this back to reality in a fascinating and interesting way.

Instead of being a straight political movie, though, there is a great deal of humour from most of the characters and from some of the situations that arise. A lot of it is relatively low-key and dry, which is the best kind, in my opinion. As said before, the interlacing of the real story, both through the natural progression of the story and real-world footage, really makes it a truly realistic movie.

Tom Hanks stars as Charlie Wilson and does a fantastic job running with the role; he's got a dry humour, he's got personality defects, and he's clearly intelligent, and all of that rolled up into one character makes a truly enjoyable lead. Julia Roberts actually doesn't have a whole lot of screen time as Joanne Herring, which is kind of good; I think her drawl would get annoying, and her character is actually fairly static and uninteresting when it comes down to it; her best moments are only enhanced by the presence of the other characters. But the star of the show is Hoffman as Gust Avrakotos. A hilarious, deadpan, disgruntled CIA agent who has seen the world, he really brings this movie to the next level, and any time he comes on screen is a great moment. As far as the rest of the cast goes, everyone does well and it rounds out the cast; there really is no low point here.

This movie comes with a message, as well, because as optimistic and empowering as the movie is, it ends on the sour note of looking forward, and of course with us knowing how it all ends up. And this is where the punch really comes for me, and the story is truly masterful in putting it forward. It doesn't force its opinion on you; you can watch this and fully enjoy it without believing or caring about the ending and what its saying, but it is an amazingly crafted to a sharp point if you're willing to read into it. Because as the zen master says . . . we'll see.

Watch this movie if you haven't seen it already. It is not only a historical and political movie, but it's got powerful learning lessons and wisdom that a lot of people could learn from. This is one of my favourite movies now, and every time I enjoy it just as much as the last.


Closing Time . . .

South Park is out for the season and if I'm correct V is taking a bit of a hiatus for dramatic effect. Luckily Better Off Ted starts up again pretty soon, and so does Scrubs - although we have yet to see how this new version of the show fares. There's early praise for it but there probably would have been no matter how it turned out, so we'll just have to see once it comes back on the air. Anyway, go do your part to stop Twilight and see another movie this weekend, and I will meet you back here next week!


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