The Big Screen Bulletin 11.30.09: Times Are Changing!
Posted by Steve Gustafson on 11.30.2009
This week foreign interests invade Hollywood, James Cameron gets us ready for Avatar, Sam Raimi pulls a Peter Jackson, and Roman Polanski gets ready to move! We take a look at the holiday box office results, go over the Top 10 movie trailers making waves this week, and what DVDs are hitting the shelves! Plus, Superman drama, Ryan Reynolds talks about Green Lantern and more!
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BINGO!
Welcome back to another edition of The Big Screen Bulletin. I want to first say, "THANK YOU!" to John Meehan for providing my new banner! Also, John was involved in a car accident over the holiday and hope he's feeling better! Make sure you're reading his MeeThinks Friday FreeThinks or else you're missing what people are saying is the best wrestling column since Moondog Rex's family newsletter. One more thing. Thank you for the comments and emails of support. It is greatly appreciated! Today is MOVING DAY for me and I didn't want to get a replacement my second week in so I'm forgoing any huge or new features and getting right into the news!
Twilight Comes Back For Seconds!
1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon $65,999,682 ($230,674,000) Read the review!
2. The Blind Side $57,530,347 ($100,250,000)
3. 2012 $25,549,508 ( $138,776,000) Read the review!
4. Old Dogs $24,085,000 ($24,085,000)
5. A Christmas Carol $22,557,631 ($105,373,000)
6. Ninja Assassin $21,010,000 ($21,010,000) Read the review!
7. Planet 51 $13,899,974 ($28,487,000) Read the review!
8. The Fantastic Mr. Fox $9,499,685 ($10,108,000) Read the review!
9. Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire $9,419,745 ($32,461,000) Read the review!
10. The Men Who Stare at Goats $2,187,672 ($30,552,000) Read the review!
It was no surprise that New Moon stayed atop the Thanksgiving box office, but what did surprise was the strong performance of the sports drama The Blind Side. The vampire flick grossed an estimated $42.5 million for the three-day holiday weekend, and a total of $66 million for the Wednesday-Sunday stretch for a staggering domestic take of $230.7 million. Despite the venom this movie is drawing, the fans have spoken! And the expectations for the third movie to perform just rose higher.
Blind Side, also in its second week, nearly sacked New Moon in grossing $40.1 million for the weekend, and $57.5 million for the five days. It cleared the $100 million mark, ending the weekend with an estimated take of $100.3 million. Disney's comedy Old Dogs placed No. 4 and 2012, took third. Another new release, Ninja Assassin opened to an estimated $13.1 million for the weekend and $21 million for the five days. Fantastic Mr. Fox grossed $7 million and The Road took in an estimated $1.5 million from 111 theaters for the weekend, and $2 million for the five days.
Next week we have a horror comedy in Transylmania, action-heist Armored, the troubled Serious Moonlight, the interesting looking Brothers, my dark horse favorite Everybody Fine and in limited release is the critically buzzing Up in the Air. Coming into the home stretch of 2009 expect to see Twilight to keep the top spot and the rest of the Top 10 to be a little more bunched together as Oscar buzz starts building.
The 30 Second Soapbox!
(The 20 Second Sermon has morphed into The 30 Second Soapbox! A weekly topic that lies on the outer reaches of movie related news.) The Day the Clown Cried. Have you seen it? If you answered yes, that's a lie. Have you heard of it? Yes? I'll believe that. One of the last,great Hollywood mysteries. It's an unfinished and unreleased 1972 film directed by and starring Jerry Lewis and is seeped in controversy with its premise and content, which features a circus clown who is imprisoned in a Nazi camp. Dark and disturbing, so head over to wiki to read the full plot. Only screened in secret Hollywood backrooms, this film has earned its urban legend-like reputation. My question is: Should The Day the Clown Cried be released? Remade?
The OFFICIAL News Bulletin
Hulu has posted a 10-minute behind-the-scenes clip for James Cameron's Avatar that is airing on the Fox Movie Channel. The clip gives you an in-depth look at how they shot Jake's (Sam Worthington) first banshee flight with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana)! In related news, the film has been rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.
I've been saying all over 411 that I've lowered my expectations for Avatar because the anticipation is so HUGE! But after seeing this clip...I'm sold. No matter how this movie does, no matter what it makes at the box office, the way movies are made is going to be changed forever. Just imagine the technology Cameron has pushed to film this and think how it will be 5, 10, 15 years down the road. While Avatar might be a little over the heads of the average filmgoer, the effects are amazing. The camera tech that his people have developed is mind blowing. I've been catching the behind-the-scenes features they've been rolling out and the more I see, the more impressed and excited I become. Welcome to the future!
On Nov. 19, Brad Pitt's Plan B shingle signed with India's megabucks media giant Reliance Big Entertainment to develop the videogame Dark Void into a film. At the same time, Reliance signed with Imagine Entertainment partners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard in a deal that kicks off with Reliance's acquisition of Mofos, a Josh Berghaus/Jay Shore-scripted comedy.
When companies like Imagine and Spyglass, and production shingles of Pitt, George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Chris Columbus, Julia Roberts and Walter Parkes & Laurie MacDonald have a project, they are as apt to get the greenlight from Asia, India, Europe or the Middle East as they are from a Hollywood studio. In the past 18 months, five non-U.S. media companies have signed deals with a slew of Hollywood talent, with at least four more major pacts expected within the next few months.
While foreign investment in Hollywood is nothing new, recall Vivendi and Matsushita's separate ownership of Universal and Sony's current ownership of Columbia Pictures, this new wave in international money appears more targeted and talent-focused. In some instances, they are bypassing the studios and working directly with stars and filmmakers. And they want more than just an onscreen credit and a share in profits: They are asking to be included in the development process.
The newcomers make it clear that they're not trying to usurp the majors. They want the studios as their partners in financing films, and are also deferential with talent that has existing first-look studio alliances, like the one Parkes-MacDonald has at DreamWorks, Grazer and Howard have at Universal, and Pitt has at Paramount. The goal goes beyond securing distribution rights in their home territories. They're broadening their businesses by controlling content and working within the Hollywood system. And, in many cases, they're hoping to parlay the imminent deals into co-financing pacts with the majors. In short, they're becoming genuine global players.
The scale is ambitious. For example, Reliance got the trend rolling when it announced first-look deals in May 2008. Since then, it has acquired some 20 projects, and expects to put two to four films into production next year, aiming to continue that pace for the next several years. "The amazing thing about the guys at Reliance is the speed with which they're able to move," says helmer-producer Brett Ratner, for whom Reliance acquired Rob Liefeld's superhero graphic novel Youngblood to direct. "They also have the ability to partner up or co-finance the film with a studio. It really offers freedom for the talent they're working with."
Most of these deals have occurred so recently that there is no way to judge the results. But the pacts challenge the accepted definition of what a Hollywood film is, even what a Hollywood studio is, as these offshore companies gain creative influence and lend their cultural sensibilities to the creative process and play on the broadest global level possible.
The article from Variety went on but this is where I want to stop it. The rest sites some examples and repeats itself. But the point is made when they say: Most of these deals have occurred so recently that there is no way to judge the results. Like all things Hollywood, this comes down to money. This story has several angles and when it comes down to the bottomline, most productions don't care who's signing the checks. All this does is create more options for them. The studio side of things will be looking out for their take, but Reliance seems to be the one making the big moves. It has created first-look deals with the production companies of CAA-repped stars and directors, including Nicolas Cage, Brett Ratner, Jay Roach, Jim Carrey, Clooney, Columbus, Hanks, Pitt and Roberts. That's quite a line up. With Hollywood still complaining about budgets and recessions, look for more foreign interests to start poking around, trying to wet their beak. Hollywood is going global!
And who would have ever guessed I'd have a Youngblood mention in this story? LIEFELD!!!
Everyone should know the story behind District 9 by now. How Peter Jackson basically built a wall around Neill Blomkamp so that instead of dealing with studio politics, he could focus on making the movie he wanted to make. Similarly, according to an article in Spanish newspaper El Pais, Sam Raimi is hoping to be Federico Alvarez' protector while he turns his own short film into a feature.
Alvarez wrote and directed the short film Panic Attack about a very angry army of giant robots going postal on Montevido, Uruguay. The film itself is pretty cool, taking advantage of great cinematography and solid low budget effects, but lacks the same substance that Blomkamp's Alive in Joburg had. Articles calling Alvarez "the next Neill Blomkamp" need to look past the shaky cam and see this film for what it really is…'splosions. Not that this is a bad thing, but calling him the next Stephen Sommers might be slightly more accurate.
Regardless, Hollywood took notice and after an hour and a half phone conversation with Sam Raimi, they decided to make this thing into the real deal giving Alvarez the same money Blomkamp had along with the same freedoms to make his movie. Like I said when they announced the adaptations of Robocalypse and How to Survive a Robot Uprising, we're going to see a paradigm shift from people being irrationally invested in shiny vampires to people being irrationally invested in giant robots. I must say the latter is preferred.
Watch Panic Attack for yourself below.
The best thing to come out of this is something I'm a big fan of. The apprentice system! I think it's great that big name director's are taking talented new talents (or just other directors who haven't gotten the right break yet) and guiding them through the Hollywood system, giving them "the rub"!
As for Panic Attack: While people will say, "He's pulling a Jackson/Neil," I see potential. Let's give this guy a budget and, along with some guidance from Raimi, see what he can do. If he's half as successful as Blomkamp, expect to see more Master/Apprentice partnerships.
Roman Polanski will not be released into house arrest until next week, Swiss authorities said Friday, adding that since bail conditions had not yet been met, the filmmaker would not be released until Monday at the earliest. A Swiss court agreed on Wednesday to release Polanski on $4.5 million bail and on Thursday the Swiss Justice Ministry said it would not appeal the decision. The 76-year-old Polanski has been incarcerated since his arrest on Sept. 26 on a U.S. warrant as he arrived in Switzerland to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival. Although the court agreed to release Polanski on bail, he had to remain in prison while the ministry considered whether it would appeal the decision. Polanski will have to remain in his $1.6 million home in the scenic winter resort town of Gstaad, once a favorite destination for the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Roger Moore. The Swiss government is still reviewing a U.S. extradition request for Polanski, who remains wanted for fleeing Los Angeles in 1978 after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl. The ministry is expected to decide on the extradition request in the next few weeks. An extradition would also be subject to appeals, however. Polanski was accused of raping the 13-year-old girl after plying her with champagne and a Quaalude pill during a modeling shoot in 1977. He was initially indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy, but he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual intercourse.
I'm not going to turn this into a pulpit and start spitting how utterly frustrating and vile I find this. There is so much wrong with this story I don't know where to begin. Roman has admitted to the crime. That's a fact. He ran because he felt he was above the law and wasn't willing to take responsibility for his horrific crime. That's a fact. He's lived a life that many would dream of having, flipping the bird at the United States legal system. Yes, the victim wants this to go away, but that's more out of protecting the fragile closure she's developed over the years. All necessary actions should be taken to protect her and respect her feeling and privacy but the bottomline is Roman must be brought to justice. I find it insulting that he flaunts the system with this house arrest and even more insulting that certain Hollywood figures have called for his release. Shame on them. They speak out of ignorance because if they took the time to read and understand the facts, they would keep their mouths closed. I've already taken more time and space on this matter than it deserves but the fact remains: Roman must be brought to justice.
A first look at Don Cheadle in his War Machine armor for Iron Man 2 has leaked online…But not at all! The image comes from an advertisement for the upcoming War Machine toy discovered by Bleeding Cool in a comics industry catalog. Ho hum.
QUICK BITS...of News! Producer Joel Silver told Collider he was never that happy with Commando and he's toying with the idea of remaking it. "We talked about maybe remaking Commando at one point because that wasn't….I think it could have been a much better movie and we didn't really have the money or the time to do that properly, so I wouldn't mind trying to do that one again"..........Did you know that Die Hard was originally intended to be a sequel to Commando, with Schwarzenegger reprising his role as John Matrix?..........Dwight Schultz, the original Howling Mad Murdock from The A-Team, will be making an appearance in Joe Carnahan's upcoming feature film adaptation, and according to Dirk Benedict Central (via Cinematical), Benedict has announced he'll be cameoing in the June 11, 2009 release too.
DVD Pick of the Week!
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - Bryan Kristopowitz review didn't like it and sometimes when you see a review that tears a movie apart, it makes you want to see it even more. All I know is a $412,378,818 worldwide gross means we'll be seeing another one.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: XVI (Limited Edition) - How many of these overly cute puppy movies can they crank out? I was quick to dismiss this as harmless tripe until I saw George Wendt and Christopher Lloyd starred in this. So THAT'S where they've been! I'm not going to bad talk this movie. We need light fair like this for the children! That and I'm a sucker for puppies.
The Girl in the Park - This movie divided people right down the middle. Either you loved it or hated it. Again, I'm going back and sharing Mr. Webb's review with you. I thought it was good but didn't like how the trailer really gave away the whole movie.
Brooklyn Heist - If I was a kid I would have LOVED this movie. At least from the trailer and plot. A young boy's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it. I don't know about the average reader but good for the little ones out there.
Saturday Night Live: The Complete Fifth Season - Hosts includr Steve Martin, Eric Idle, Buck Henry, Rodney Dangerfield, Martin Sheen, Bea Arthur, Ted Knight, Elliot Gould, Burt Reynolds, Bob Newhart, and former cast member Chevy Chase. Now you can see why people refer to this as the golden age!
Into the Storm - Continuing the storyline of The Gathering Storm, Churchill at War is a look at the former British prime minister's life and career at the end of WWII.
Paper Heart - Independent love right here! Charlyne Yi embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about the one subject she doesn't fully understand: Love. If you love mockumentary style flicks, this is for you.
The Frog Prince - Look what we have here! Just in time for The Princess and the Frog! I have to give it up to small industry that exists solely to profit off of misdirection and confusion. Pass on this!
UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira - For the MMA heads out there. Relive the night we saw two UFC WARRIORS (copyright Joe Rogen) go at it!
COOL DVD NEWS
Just in time for the holidays! Cartoon Network and Adult Swim have come up with a solution for people who want to own an episode or two of some different shows but not a whole season: Let people create their own collections and only charge them $20. Viewers who visit adultswimshop.com can create fully customizable DVDs on demand. Not all of the Adult Swim shows nor all of the episodes are available, for now you can choose from a selection of Aqua Teen Hunger Force; The Drinky Crow Show; Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil; Robot Chicken; Sealab 2021; Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!; The Venture Bros.; and The Young Person's Guide to History. You can watch clips of the available episodes before choosing, and then create the DVD with an easy drag-and-drop interface. Then pick from three DVD menu options, review the whole shebang and follow the link to checkout. Within about 48 hours you will be the bell of the ball!
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You can't go a day without hearing the latest comic book news or rumor. I'll be rounding up the up-to-the-minute comic book gossip in one spot, for you to peruse and debate.
The vampire craze goes unchecked in Hollywood, until a ragtag team of long lost action heroes (lead by Sylvester Stallone) take matters into their own hands. From: SuperNews! An animated sketch comedy series airing on Current TV.
According to Indie Wire, Warner Bros. is saying no to another Superman, but only until the copyright issues are settled. The battle between the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerome Siegel, DC Comic and Warner Bros. has been an ongoing escapade for quite some time. The Siegels claim they're owed some of the profits from 2006's Superman Returns. Back in July, a judge ruled that DC, but not Warner Bros., is responsible for the payments and that the amount is to be decided in court in December. Then, in August, that same judge ruled that the companies had to give up rights to particular elements of the franchise, like the planet Krypton and his parents Jor-El and Lora. The more troublesome part is that by the year 2013, both the Seigels and the Shusters, the family of co-creator Joel Shuster, will gain control of the entire copyright of Action Comics No. 1 in which Superman made his first appearance, giving them power to do what they please with any films, TV shows and other related projects.
The clock is ticking. But is the sense of urgency a good thing or a bad thing? Regardless of what you thought about Superman Returns, the franchise is incredibly valuable. If the studio clears that matter up in time to rush another movie through to profit from the big S, it might be a short term gain but hurt the value long term. If 2013 comes and nothing has moved, the big question will be what will the Seigels and Shusters do with it? Too many chefs ruin the soup and I'm getting the feeling all these legal matters will do more harm to Superman than Lex Luthor ever could.
"I've known about Green Lantern my whole life, but I've never really followed it before. I fell in love with the character when I met with [director] Martin Campbell. When I sat down with him, I really got what it is that this guy is all about. When you have a guy like Martin Campbell, part of his charm is that he has balls of titanium, and the other part is that he's slightly crazy, and you have to be to take on something with the scope of Green Lantern. He's less of the director and more of a general. He just really knows strategies, he knows the intricacies, and his attention to detail! It's infectious. I sat down with him, and I could not even believe what he was saying. When I went to the meeting, I was entirely cynical. I thought, 'What the hell, I'll see what they have to say,' and I left the room with a completely different perspective."
The Top 10 Trailers of the Week! Rankings will be based on popularity, feedback/reaction, and content. Once a movie opens, the trailer is no longer in contention for the Top 10. Release dates are for the US.
10. Clash of the Titans(March 26, 2010) - The remake drops in the rankings as anticipation is growing more and more mixed.
9. Nine(December 25, 2009) - Daniel Day Lewis in a musical? Expect to see this movie get more attention as the release date nears.
8. Extraordinary Measures(January 22, 2010) - Harrison Ford is the main draw to this drama. Will audiences buy him as an eccentric doctor?
7. Salt(July 23, 2010) - Angelina Jolie's newest action looks solid across the board and internet buzz has been positive.
6. Kick Ass(April 16, 2010) - The little comic book movie that could continues to grow through word of mouth.
5. Green Zone(March 12, 2010) - Matt Damon stays with his action bread and butter. But will audiences turn away and say, "Bourne again?"
4. Lovely Bones(December 25, 2009) - The trailer has it's fanbase but the big question on this is how many people will see this downer more than once?
3. Alice in Wonderland(March 5, 2010) - Johnny Depp is the anchor to this Tim Burton fairy tale telling.
2. Sherlock Holmes(December 25, 2010) - While this modern reimagining of Sherlock Holmes has some in an uproar, the trailers have people talking, and anticipating this one.
1. Avatar(December 18, 2009) - Avatar retains the top spot! Jim Cameron's epic is not only advancing special effect technology but also upping the ante with the way trailers are presented.
Remember to bookmark 411Mania.com or, even better, set it as your browser's homepage, so you can get your pop-culture news and views fresh and hot whenever you want them, only from 411Mania.com.
That's all the time I have, I'll see you next week! Make sure you check out Jeremy Thomas and the Hush Hush News Report and Mike Gorman's Babes, Bombs, & Blockbusters tomorrow so you don't miss the latest in movie news and opinions!
As i would watch the trailers for Avatar, i thought it looked ok but couldn't really see what was so amazing about the filming technology...after watching that promo, holy shit!!! that is some incredible stuff and really brings life to CGI characters that typically seem so dead
Posted By: Erik (Guest) on November 30, 2009 at 12:08 AM
Avatar and Holmes seen like a perfect box office combo heading into the holidays. I can't wait!
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on November 30, 2009 at 05:45 AM
Steve Gustafson
fact: your an idiot !@
Posted By: reatrd! (Guest) on November 30, 2009 at 06:03 AM
Nice, article...thanks!
Posted By: Creter (Guest) on November 30, 2009 at 09:23 AM
crazy how the War Machine figure has a face that looks very very similar to the Marvel Legends WM figure that came out back in '05. Maybe he was the chosen one all along!??! lol
Posted By: JP (Guest) on November 30, 2009 at 02:06 PM
good special effects does not a good story make.
Posted By: nick* (Guest) on November 30, 2009 at 04:33 PM
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