Frickin' Eh Movie News 12.02.09: Bourne Again

Posted by Matthew Motiuk on 12.02.2009

The Bourne movies hit a road bump as they lose director Paul Greengrass, Universal makes a big announcement regarding Blu-ray movies, and filming of The Hobbit gets pushed back. We've also got an update on The Hangover 2 and plenty more, so check it out inside!

My first semester ends on Thursday, thank goodness, and then it's just exams to worry about. I will be very happy when I get to sleep in again, because I've been running on constant exhaustion these last couple weeks. I've also had very little time to do a whole lot else; luckily, I'm already brewing plans for Christmas break. But let's jump right into things . . .


The Mid-Week Box Office Time Machine

So last weekend saw New Moon once again top the box office with another $42.5 million – a much more narrow lead than I expected, because Blind Side remained at second with $40.1 million. 2012 stuck around at three as well with $18 million. Old Dogs opened at fourth with $16.8 million. Disney's A Christmas Carol hung around at fifth with $16 million, while Ninja Assassin opened at sixth with $13 million. Planet 51 dropped from fourth to seventh and Precious dropped from sixth to eighth. The Fantastic Mr. Fox opened at a disappointing ninth with $7 million, and rounding out the top ten was The Men Who Stare at Goats, falling from seventh and making another $1.5 million in its fourth week.

Which movies are going to try to take down Twilight this week? First off we have Armored, with a relatively lean cast of Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, and Laurence Fishburne, but with a decent looking plot and idea behind it. Or you can go for Brothers, starring Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman, which looks pretty dramatic. Everybody's Fine, the Christmas movie of the week, stars Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, and Sam Rockwell. And Transylmania capitalizes on the vampire phenomenon with a parody. So take your pick.


Green Lantern Not a Real Origin Story

MTV talked to Ryan Reynolds about starring in the Martin Campbell-directed comic book adaptation Green Lantern. He said that some of the best parts won't be of him in the suit.

"I think you walk away from this first film, and the moments that you remember and the moments that mean so much to you, not unlike 'Iron Man,' are the moments where the guy's not in the suit," he said.

Reynolds added that "It is [an origin story] to a certain degree, but it's not a labored origin story, where the movie [truly] begins in the third act... We find out Hal is the guy fairly early on, and the adventure begins."

Well that's good, a long and painful origin story sometimes hurts a movie . . . but not always, and if they rush the story along it may feel cheap. Personally, I don't usually mind the origin stories. The first Fantastic Four I enjoyed immensely, as I do most of the origin movies. As for the ‘best' parts being of Hal rather than the Green Lantern, that's a big gamble, because while it worked for Iron Man, I just don't know if Reynolds has the same charisma as Robert Downey Jr. We'll just have to see, though; as long as Reynolds relies on his humour, he can pull it off.


The Hangover 2 Half Done

Entertainment Weekly talked to director Todd Phillips, who revealed that he's halfway done with the script for The Hangover 2.

Though he's keeping the plot under wraps for now, he promises the sequel won't simply rehash the events of the first film. "What people loved about 'The Hangover' was not Las Vegas or the bachelor party but these three characters," Phillips said. "I think you can take those characters and put them in other situations, and you don't need the sell of Vegas and a bachelor party and all that other stuff."

The first film earned a massive $459.3 million in theaters worldwide.

Phillips is exactly right, what was great about the movie was the characters and the situations they ended up in, and nothing specific to Vegas or the bachelor party. You're still going to need some elements – primarily the hangover – but any situation the characters end up in can be made funny if Phillips does it right. Here's hoping he works the same magic on the sequel.


Director Drops Out of Bourne

The Playlist is reporting that Paul Greengrass, who directed both The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, has exited the fourth "Bourne" movie in development at Universal Pictures.

Two scripts were turned in for the project - a first one by George Nolfi and a second by Josh Zemuter. The site says that no one likes Nolfi's version, but that Greengrass was not consulted by the studio in the hiring of Zemuter.

It will be interesting to see how this will affect Matt Damon's involvement. He's close to Greengrass and also starring in the director's upcoming Green Zone. Nolfi also wrote, and is directing, the Damon-starrer The Adjustment Bureau.

The Playlist does add that walking away might be a "typical Paul move" and that he possibly could be back on the project in a few months.

Well, this could be a problem. Greengrass did wonders with the latter two movies (although there was obviously nothing wrong with the first, either, directed by Doug Liman). Surely they could find a suitable replacement director, but when you're embarking on a new movie outside of a very well-done trilogy, you want everything to go right. As for Damon's involvement, unless this was a really sour split between Greengrass and the producers, I don't see him leaving. If he does, then that changes everything. But we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out, I guess.


Hobbit Pushed Back

German site MovieReporter.net talked to Peter Jackson, who revealed that The Hobbit and its sequel will now start filming mid-summer 2010 instead of the previously-reported March start. Here's a translation of Jackson's quote, thanks to TheOneRing.net:

We're currently working on the second script which we hope to have completed by the end of this year or beginning of next. When the scripts are completed, we can begin with the exact calculation of the necessary budget. We hope to start filming in the middle of next year. However, we've received no green light from the studio yet.

We're guessing that green light won't come until MGM's future is cleared up. We don't expect that this will affect the first film's targeted release of December 2011 and second film's release of December 2012.

Oh, these poor guys. The Hobbit just finds itself in one mess after another, and they just can't seem to get a break. Hopefully this push back will give more time to figuring out exactly what MGM is up to and then we'll see what happens with this. This is going to be an expensive movie and MGM might not be up for a gamble. But they'd be fools not to make it, too. This is just one headache after another . . .


Flipper Discs Announced

Universal Studios Home Entertainment (USHE) announced today the introduction of groundbreaking dual-format discs containing both Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD versions of some of Hollywood's most iconic films. The new "flipper" discs will launch on January 19, 2010 with the blockbuster superspy thrillers The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, starring Matt Damon, premiering as individually packaged Blu-ray discs.

For the first time ever, consumers will have the ability to choose between Blu-ray and DVD formats, simply by flipping a single disc. With complete utility in one convenient package, the revolutionary medium can be used on any DVD or Blu-ray compatible player, game platform or computer, making it ideal for anyone planning to upgrade to Blu-ray at a future date as well as current owners of both Blu-ray and DVD systems. Each side of Universal's flipper discs includes the entire movie as well as all available bonus features, with the Blu-ray side featuring BD exclusives such as U-Control and BD-Live.

"Universal's flipper discs are the perfect way for consumers to future-proof their collections while still enjoying their favorite movies on all their existing DVD players," said Craig Kornblau, President of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. "The flipper disc offers an easy way for viewers to convert to Blu-ray now or at any time in the future, confident in the fact they will be able to experience their home entertainment purchases in the highest quality picture and sound when they do."

The release will mark the first time the "Bourne" trilogy, one of the highest-grossing action movie franchises in history, is available individually in Blu-ray's renowned perfect picture and purest digital sound. Each film is accompanied by an array of exciting bonus features that plunge viewers deeper in to the shadowy world of international espionage, including top-secret files, challenging strategy games, fascinating filmmakers and actor profiles, commentary, deleted scenes and Universal's renowned BD-Live functionality.

For the first time since Blu-ray came out, I can actually say somebody's had a good idea regarding it. I am not on the Blu-ray wagon and will not be for a very long time (I just don't see the point of spending that much more money for something that looks only marginally prettier), but this might help. Granted, I expect these discs will not be cheap, so that will probably discourage early adoption, and I just don't think most people think ahead that far. As I read somewhere already today, this really should have been alongside the launch of Blu-ray, then maybe it would have greater adoption. But for all of you who have a DVD player and think you might buy a Blu-ray in the future, but still want to watch movies . . . now's your chance!


Tom Cavanagh is Ranger Smith

Variety reports that Tom Cavanagh ("Ed") has signed on to play Ranger Smith in Yogi Bear, Warner Bros.' live-action/CG animated film that has begun shooting in New Zealand.

The Eric Brevig-directed film was written by Brad Copeland and also stars Anna Faris, Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake.

Cavanagh is the male lead and romantic interest of a documentary filmmaker (Faris) who comes to Jellystone Park to shoot a film. Aykroyd's voicing the title character and Timberlake his sidekick Boo-Boo in the feature version based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series.

I knew I recognized the name; Cavanagh played JD's brother in Scrubs, and he was definitely excellent in that role. His voice is definitely unique and he should be able to make this role his own, especially since it's not an established role. On the whole, though, I'm still unsure of this movie. The main voices just don't seem to match up, but I'll still be open to it until I see more.


Paramount Takes on Area 51

Variety is reporting what shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who watched Paramount Pictures market Oren Peli's $15,000 supernatural thriller Paranormal Activity to a box office total of $106 million last month - that the studio has indeed picked up the rights to distribute the filmmaker's $5 million follow-up Area 51, at least in the United States.

Like the surprise fall hit, Peli wrote and directed the movie and it's being produced by Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions using the same "found footage" structure to tell the story of three teens whose curiosity leads them to the notorious Area 51 portion of Nellis Air Force Base in the Nevada desert.

Paramount made a high seven-figure to co-finance the film with Incentive Filmed Entertainment and the Aramid Entertainment Fund as well as any potential sequels at the recent American Film Market, where the movie was one of the hot properties up for sale.

The movie has already been filmed with unknown actors Reid Warner, Darrin Bragg and Ben Rovner and is currently in post-production. The article mentions that Peli will work on another installment of "Paranormal Activity" for Paramount after its completion.

This should be no surprise, considering everyone's sudden fascination with Peli's work, and the fact that they're already planning a sequel to Paranormal Activity. The real question is how long this formula can last. You can only make the same movie so many times before people start wanting something different. But maybe Peli really has a very creative mind and can keep them fresh. I doubt it, but maybe.


Closer Look: Better Off Ted

Once again I found myself too busy to throw in a movie and watch something, so once again, instead of trying to half-ass a Rapid-Fire, I'm going to let you know about one of the greatest shows you've probably never watched, which just happens to come back next week. So I present:

This comedy is about a company called Veridian Dynamics, which basically comes up with ridiculous inventions and products to satisfy consumers and the military. The show follows Ted (played by Jay Harrington), who is basically a manager and go-between for the science types in the lab and his boss, the cold and heartless Veronica (played brilliantly by Portia de Rossi). There's the two brilliant but inept scientists, Phil and Lem (Jonathan Slavin and Malcolm Barrett, respectively), and then Linda, the almost-romantic interest for Ted and the moral conscience of the company (played by Andrea Anders). The show follows the life of Ted and the exploits of the company.

At first the show is a bit disconcerting. It has no laugh reel, which I personally prefer and which allows the jokes to come faster and wittier, but a lot of the humour is also dry and might not be caught the first time through. The strangest part of the show, though, is the little interludes of Ted, who will speak to the audience while walking around the office. He narrates as well, but these interludes seem cheesy at first. However, once you get used to them, you actually enjoy them quite a bit – something I was surprised and pleased by.

The majority of the humour in the show comes from Veronica, who is basically a heartless corporate machine, but is also hilarious. I didn't really enjoy Arrested Development and never really appreciated her acting, but does she hit it out of the park in this one. The other half of the comedy comes from the lab, as Phil and Lem try out ridiculous inventions and argue in their nerdy talk.

Relationships seem to be a big part of this show, but they're done very well; there is the constant tension between Ted and Linda, the supposed tension between Ted and Veronica, and Phil and Lem's relationship, which falls apart and is picked back up frequently. Normally I don't like this kind of thing, but in this show, they work it out almost perfectly.

The other thing to watch out for is the commercials. In every episode, on one of the commercial breaks a commercial for Veridian Dynamics plays. They all seem to be very close to real commercials but just off; the first time you watch it, it will definitely confuse you until you realize it's part of the show. These commercials are some of the funniest parts, and always worth sticking through the commercials.

I've heard this show referred to as a replacement for The Office which supposedly is getting stale. I personally don't watch The Office because I cannot stand it, so be assured when I say that this show very much stands on its own. If you've never given it a shot, I highly recommend tuning in to the season premiere next Tuesday or grabbing the DVD, which was just released on December 1, I believe.


Closing Time . . .

I've been rewatching the second season of How I Met Your Mother and remembering just how perfect the first two seasons were. Seriously, why can't they just replicate those seasons again? Even the renewal of the show with Barney being awesome again failed with a disappointing Slapsgiving episode. Anyway, enjoy the week and I will see 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.]