The Big Screen Bulletin 1.25.10: Avatar Conquers All
Posted by Steve Gustafson on 01.25.2010
Is Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the running for Spider-Man? Also this week, we take a look at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, all the buzz out of the Sundance Film Festival, Gremlins 3 in 3D, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 rumors, Night at the Museum 3 in the works, another Tron image hits the internet, and The Runaways poster inside! Plus, the box office breakdown, DVD releases, and The Hot Tub Time Machine trailer! All this and more!
Welcome back to the Big Screen Bulletin. My name is Steve Gustafson and it's been a busy weekend! Not only did we say goodbye to Conan O'Brien but Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie rumors were driving tabloids crazy!
What did I do? In a nut shell, I was banned from the NBC Facebook page, had a flurry of back-and-forth emails with MTV about a misunderstanding (totally my fault), and tried to pick a fight (over Twitter) with Spencer Pratt. Throw in talks with Nigella Lawson about an interview, a top secret Bollywood project, and a musical project (Shoutout to John Public, Complex, and DJ Davito)...I was scrambling to get this in!
Oh, starting this Wednesday I'll be pitching in over in the Game section, so keep your eyes peeled for that! The Silicon Valley 10 & 1 is coming!
My Saturday news and celebrity report, Hollywood 5 & 1: Goodbye Conan! brought the heat this week. I talked about the aftermath of the war between Conan O'Brien and NBC! Took a look at Heidi Montag and her plastic surgery drama. 5 things about the beautiful Kayden Kross, Avatar's Zoe Saldana was our "& 1" Model of the Week, and I asked, "Who was your first pop culture crush?" Head over and get your pick in!
If you're new to the Bulletin, I've classified the news by a symbol in front of the news segment. That way, if you're looking for certain information, just look for the logo. Easy enough to decipher but to ease your reading pleasure I've provided a legend for you. So when you see one of the following:
Let's dive into the weekend!
Surprise! Avatar Stays #1!
1. Avatar $36,000,000 (-15.9%) ($552,797,000) Read the review!
2. Legion $18,200,000 (-) ($18,200,000)
3. The Book of Eli $17,000,000 (-48.2%) ($62,003,000)
4. The Tooth Fairy $14,500,000 (-) ( $14,500,000)
5. The Lovely Bones $8,800,000 (-48.3%) ($31,624,000) Read the review!
6. Sherlock Holmes $7,115,000 (-28.1%) ($191,564,000) Read the review!
7. Extraordinary Measures $7,000,000 (-) ($7,000,000)
8. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel $6,500,000 (-44.1%) ($204,237,000) Read the review!
9. It's Complicated $6,190,000 (-23.7%) ($98,650,000)
10. The Spy Next Door $4,750,000 (-51.2%) ($18,710,000)
11. The Blind Side $4,515,000 (-18.8%) ($234,027,000)
12. Up in the Air $4,320,000 (-20.7%) ($69,663,000) Read the review!
With so many big films having a big opening weekend then slipping down the charts, Avatar is truly something special. For the sixth straight week, the box office is ruled by James Cameron's epic, adding another $36 million this weekend to set a new record for a movie's sixth weekend gross. For those keeping tally, Avatar has now grossed $552.8 million domestically, making it the second-highest grossing movie domestically, passing The Dark Knight's $533.3 million. This sets things up nicely to make a run for Titanic's record of $600.8 million. Internationally, Avatar earned $107 million this weekend to push its overseas total to $1.28 billion, surpassing Titanic's international record of $1.24 billion. Worldwide, the film has collected $1.836 billion and is about to surpass Titanic's global record of $1.843 billion.
Overall, domestic B.O. receipts saw a 6% uptick compared to the same weekend last year. Legion had a decent opening at No. 2 with $18.2 million while holdover Book of Eli dropped 48% in its second week. The family friendly Tooth Fairy, earned $14.5 million which may be a little under what they were projecting. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel brought in $6.5 million bringing its total to a very, very impressive $204.2 million. Bad news for Harrison Ford. Extraordinary Measures opened to a disappointing $7 million. The film had high expectations, especially given its strong exit polls and an A- CinemaScore rating, and leaves this movie facing a losing battle. It's been reported that Measures played well in the midwest, especially among older women, but underperformed on the east coast.
So the question is: Who is going to knock Avatar off the top spot? When in Rome? Edge of Darkness? The Wolfman?
The 2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards have come and gone. In a way, I enjoy these more than the Golden Globes and put them up their with the Oscars. One, it honors the performers. Two, the judging and voting is by their fellow acting peers. While no award is without backroom politics, the SAG Awards is usually a solid indication of Hollywood's tastes. No real surprises this year, and it mirrored the Globes for the most part. With the Academy Award nominations coming up on February 2nd, the road to the Oscars is becoming more and more clear. Here are the complete list of nominees and the winners are in bold.
ACTOR: Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
I haven't seen Crazy Heart or A Single Man yet, but I've heard strong buzz about Bridges performance. Of the other three flicks, Renner's Staff Sergeant William James still blows me away.
ACTRESS: Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia
The word with this category is, while Bullock's performance is strong, her co-nominees were stronger. With Streep winning the Golden Globe, this category is still wide open.
SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Matt Damon - Invictus
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
While I totally agree with Waltz's win, if you haven't seen Harrelson in The Messenger...SEE IT! In my opinion, his best performance. Look for Waltz to win the Oscar handily.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Penelope Cruz - Nine
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Diane Kruger - Inglourious Basterds Mo'nique - Precious
This is another one where the "sure bet" is slowly pulling away from the pack. Take notes for your fantasy Oscar picks.
ENSEMBLE CAST: An Education The Hurt Locker Inglourious Basterds Nine Precious
If Nine had performed better at the box office...and maybe edited a little tighter...it might have given Basterds some competition. I'm kidding. This does give an indication of how the Oscar scenario is going to end up. The Hurt Locker could have really used the win here, and while Avatar wasn't nominated, it should be the clear front runner for the golden statue.
ENSEMBLE STUNTS: Public Enemies Star Trek Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Agree 100%.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
Betty White
This is great and totally deserving. Actress. Comedian. Television host. White has had a career spanning over sixty-five years with roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, Mama's Family, Boston Legal, really too many roles to name. White has won six Emmy Awards and received 18 Emmy nominations over the course of her career, and was the first woman to ever receive an Emmy for game show hosting. Congratulations to Betty White!
The Sundance Film Festival. Once a year the movie industry descends on Park City, UT to showcase the best and brightest. In theory that is. In recent years it's been more of a marketing ploy but they are making strides to get back to the spirit of creativity and superior movie making. Fans of the HBO show Entourage saw a festival filled with giveaways and secret deals. The face of Sundance, Robert Redford, wants that to change. Sundance began in Salt Lake City in 1978 as a way to attract filmmakers to Utah. This year gave us a slew of films to look forward to. Early word has The Company Men being poignant but just missing the mark of being a classic. Catfish is garnering good reviews for it's story of relationships in the internet age. Nowhere Boy is another film that impressed audiences with its look at the life of John Lennon. Aaron Johnson has captivated audiences and added his name to the list of "one to watch." Next is a movie that I'm not particularly interested in but I'm sure some of you will be. Seven Days is said to be brutal. A plot that centers on revenge and justice and while the word is mixed, they say it should play well to the Saw crowd. I consider myself a Ryan Reynolds fan, but his Buried has me hesitant. Reynolds is buried underground in a coffin with a cell phone, a lighter, and some glow sticks and spends 90 minutes trying to fight his way out. Smells like Phone Booth. Early word is good, thanks to an innovative script, and Reynolds is his usual dependable self. UPDATEAs I was going to press, it's been reported that in the first major feature pickup of the Sundance Film Festival, Lionsgate will acquire domestic distribution rights to Buried," about a private contractor who is kidnapped in Iraq and buried alive. Directed by Spanish helmer Rodrigo Cortes, film whipped up a flurry of interest among buyers after making its world premiere late Saturday night.
As with other fests, big deals are slow in the making this year at Sundance. There are some creative marketing efforts going on that should catch on. One trend is the major studios popping up among the pool of buyers. The prints are being flown back to Los Angeles of worthy titles, including Josh Radnor's HappyThankYouMorePlease, which has caught the eye of top Warner Bros. suit's. Another technique is packing the screenings with enthusiastic crowds, to show there's an audience for their film. Sounds simple but it works in theory. The best example this year is the group behind documentary His & Hers, which reached out to 250 people at churches around Utah to spread the word about the film's positive message. It worked. The first two showings of the documentary were packed. It features interviews with a variety of women about their relationships with the men in their lives, including fathers to husbands. This year it's all about marketability.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was on the MTV Splash Page and shared his thoughts on the Spider-Man Reboot. Take a look below but the gist was: "I've had some really cool conversations about what he (Marc Webb) wants to do with it, and I think it's going to be a really good movie." he said. "I think it's the smartest thing they could have done because movies like that are good when they're not just big action movies, but when they have a humanity to them and a heart, like The Dark Knight and Iron Man," he explained. "And Marc Webb, it's what he did with (500) Days of Summer. It's not just a romantic comedy, it's about two unique human beings, and it has a heart to it. I think he's going to make a really good movie." I'm sold. While most will say he's too old, I think he could pull it off. Even if he didn't get cast as Peter Parker, I would love to have him somewhere in the new franchise.
Ted Elliott, the co-writer of the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies told Empire magazine, "We wanted to do a story about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth, and Tim Powers wrote a book about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth... it just turns out that to do that story you would need that book." Johnny Depp signed on to appear in the fourth movie in 2008, before there was a script. It was announced at the same time he would also be playing Tonto in a film version of The Lone Ranger, but that project has been delayed until after Pirates is finished. Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom have both said they had no desire to return for a fourth movie. Knightley said in an interview, "It was a completely fantastic experience, and it was an amazingly large portion of my life, but I don't think I need to go there again. I think that it's done." Also, the director of the original trilogy, Gore Verbinski, will not be coming back. He is being replaced by Rob Marshall, the director of Chicago and Nine. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is scheduled to sail into movie theaters on May 20th, 2011. What say you? Pirates 4. Yay or Nay?
Speaking of yay or nay; word is there may be a new Gremlins film in the works and on its way to as many 3D compatible screens as possible. This is early, early, early in the rumor stage so there's no cast, no crew, no start date, and no release date anywhere in sight. Chris Columbus, who penned the original, may or may not be writing it and Joe Dante will probably not be back to direct. Back in 2006, Dante said there would be a third installment to his series but that he more than likely wouldn't be doing it since the studio "wouldn't ask him." Dante had stated the charm of his movies was in the puppetry and CGI would be ruin the effects. I'm nonplussed at the news but wonder what 80s property is going to get the big screen treatment next?
Here's a poster for the upcoming The Runaways. The film is the true-life story of the short-lived but legendary all-girl rock band, with Kristen Stewart starring as Joan Jett, Dakota Fanning as Cherie Curriea, and is directed by Floria Sigismondi. MTV has unveiled the first poster from the film and it doesn't do much to get me excited about this movie. Reviews are trickling in if given the right marketing push, this could be a sleeper. Stewart is her usual anguished outsider self. But Fanning is the one to watch as the 15-year drug-abusing sex kitten. People are calling this her best role to date, and that's saying something. Full of sex (including Fanning and Stewart locking lips), drugs and rock n' roll, I think they could have done a better job than just picture that represents their biggest hit. Step it up people!
Hey! It's the dude who should be in jail but is out and about making movies! While buzz is building for his upcoming thriller, The Ghost Writer he's still under house arrest in Switzerland. Despite his legal entanglements and continued post-production work on The Ghost Writer, his wife, Emmanuelle Seigner, revealed to LA Times Culture Monster that Polanski is already hard at work on an adaptation of God of Carnage, the Tony Award winning dark comedy about two pairs of parents, one of whose child has hurt the other at a public park, who meet to discuss the matter in a civilized manner. However, as the evening goes on, the parents become increasingly childish, resulting in the evening devolving into chaos.
Anyone else starting to have doubts about this project? In an article over at Variety talking about New Line Cinema, which two years ago became a unit under Warner Bros. Pictures, studio executive Alan Horn reveals that the first of the two Hobbit films may not hit theaters until late 2012, a full year after the previously-announced December 2011 release: Once the script for the second film is in, Jackson and his longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are working on it with Del Toro, New Line will work up a budget for both films and start casting. New Line exec Michael Disco, who was once Emmerich's assistant, will oversee for the studio. Horn won't predict when the first of the two Hobbit films will be out, but says the most probable scenario would be a release in the fourth quarter of 2012. "It's a big bet for us. But it's one we think will pay off given the success of Lord of the Rings," says Emmerich. "This is one of the few movies it feels like people are waiting for." New Line's original plan was to release the first film in December 2011, followed by the second one in December 2012. One reason for the delay may be the restructuring of MGM, which shares the financing rights with New Line for the Hobbit films. MGM is currently accepting bids for the studio and those rights may go to another studio. I'm starting to get the impression that somewhere their are some exec's having second thoughts that this has legs to make money. Stay tuned on this one.
With the flip flop, back and forth, how strong is this project going to be? Fox is now re-rebooting Planet of the Apes. NY Mag says the studio has handed the project over to producer Peter Chernin. Previously, the project was reported to be in the hands of Scott Frank, but Frank left and now they're rebooting the re-reboot process. The story goes, Frank's version was supposed to be an origin story, the tale of how chimps took over Earth, starting with one hyper-intelligent chimp named Cesar. 20th Century Fox wanted a different direction, Frank exited, and now we're back at square one.
You can't wrong with images from Tron. Earlier this week MTV was given the exclusive rights to debut a new Tron: Legacy image, in this case our first look at the awesome yellow lightcycle. Talk around the message boards have the buzz on this film inching closer and closer to Iron Man 2. While I see their point, the general viewing audience are anticipating the sequel like none other. Still, this movie looks to make a case to being a blockbuster.
Night at the Museum 2 came and made enough money for them to get a third one moving. Access Hollywood caught up with Museum co-writer Thomas Lennon and he hinted around that they've already started work on writing a third film. Presumably they'll just wander in to a new museum, but how do you top the Smithsonian? Lennon has an idea. He says, "Here's a little bit, [a] real quick spoiler alert, Night at the Museum 3 is set in the Liberace Museum." While I wouldn't mind this, it's nice to know that he has no idea where to take it.
I was all set to share the trailer for Chloe but the red band is TOO HOT for 411mania! Check that out on your own time! Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, and Liam Neeson in an erotic thriller? Yes. Catherine (Moore) and David (Neeson), she a doctor, he a professor, are at first glance the perfect couple. Happily married with a talented teenage son, they appear to have an idyllic life. But when David misses a flight and his surprise birthday party, Catherine's long simmering suspicions rise to the surface. Suspecting infidelity, she decides to hire an escort to seduce her husband and test his loyalty. Catherine finds herself 'directing' Chloe's (Seyfried) encounters with David, and Chloe's end of the bargain is to report back, the descriptions becoming increasingly graphic as the meetings multiply.
So instead let's take a look at Hot Tub Time Machine. I'm looking forward to this one more and more.
This is it. Well, the DVD of Michael Jackson: This Is It!, that is. Bryan Kristopowitz reviewed it for 411mania, which you can check out here. It had a much better than expected take at the box office and it's projected to do well in the DVD market as well. At least Jermaine is hoping for it to. Next, the Bruce Willis headed Surrogates. I really thought this was going to perform better but just never caught on. Joseph Lee reviewed it here. The blink-and-you missed it movie Whip It also makes its way to the shelves. Shawn S. Lealos reviewed the Drew Barrymore directed movie and wasn't pleased with her results. Read his review here. Shawn also reviewed Saw VI. You can check out his review here. On the television front, Southland: The Complete First Season comes out. I actually enjoyed this police drama and feel it was given a real chance by NBC. Shocker. Glad to see it's found a new home at TNT. Finally, the wrestling heads have The Best of RAW 2009 to look forward to. I think I still have some of the old Best of RAW on VHS.
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Bring on The Gremlins! I can still hear that theme song.
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on January 25, 2010 at 04:55 PM
Actually I believe Sandra Bullock won the Best Actress Drama Golden Globe for The Blind Side as well, which should put her in front for the Oscar. It's actually harder to tell than you'd think though, with Mickey Rourke winning both the GG and the SAG Award last year logic would dicatate that he go on to win the Oscar, which of course didn't happen.
Posted By: Kevin (Guest) on January 25, 2010 at 05:03 PM
I don't see how Levitt would be to old for Spiderman....he is practically the same age now as Tobey was for the first one playing Peter Parker in high school...so why not?? Levitt would POSSIBLY be the only aspect of a new Spiderman franchise I would find tolerable or necessary...
Posted By: Erik... (Guest) on January 25, 2010 at 06:40 PM
Not really digging Gremlins in 3D, but anything to bring Zach Galligan back, then I'm game!
Sandra Bullock also won a Golden Globe for The Blind Side and I'm hoping she takes an Oscar as well.
I think Levitt looks young enough to play Parker in high school.. and I think it could work well (although, who would they bring in as villains, since the "good" ones have been used)
I cannot wait until Tr2n/Tron 2.0! It looks like it'll be a killer film.
Posted By: ZERO (Registered) on January 26, 2010 at 02:17 AM
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The 2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards have come and gone. In a way, I enjoy these more than the Golden Globes and put them up their with the Oscars. One, it honors the performers. Two, the judging and voting is by their fellow acting peers. While no award is without backroom politics, the SAG Awards is usually a solid indication of Hollywood's tastes. No real surprises this year, and it mirrored the Globes for the most part. With the Academy Award nominations coming up on February 2nd, the road to the Oscars is becoming more and more clear. Here are the complete list of nominees and the winners are in bold. 
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was on the MTV Splash Page and shared his thoughts on the Spider-Man Reboot. Take a look below but the gist was: "I've had some really cool conversations about what he (Marc Webb) wants to do with it, and I think it's going to be a really good movie." he said. "I think it's the smartest thing they could have done because movies like that are good when they're not just big action movies, but when they have a humanity to them and a heart, like The Dark Knight and Iron Man," he explained. "And Marc Webb, it's what he did with (500) Days of Summer. It's not just a romantic comedy, it's about two unique human beings, and it has a heart to it. I think he's going to make a really good movie." I'm sold. While most will say he's too old, I think he could pull it off. Even if he didn't get cast as Peter Parker, I would love to have him somewhere in the new franchise.
Ted Elliott, the co-writer of the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies told Empire magazine, "We wanted to do a story about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth, and Tim Powers wrote a book about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth... it just turns out that to do that story you would need that book." Johnny Depp signed on to appear in the fourth movie in 2008, before there was a script. It was announced at the same time he would also be playing Tonto in a film version of The Lone Ranger, but that project has been delayed until after Pirates is finished. Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom have both said they had no desire to return for a fourth movie. Knightley said in an interview, "It was a completely fantastic experience, and it was an amazingly large portion of my life, but I don't think I need to go there again. I think that it's done." Also, the director of the original trilogy, Gore Verbinski, will not be coming back. He is being replaced by Rob Marshall, the director of Chicago and Nine. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is scheduled to sail into movie theaters on May 20th, 2011. What say you? Pirates 4. Yay or Nay?
This is it. Well, the DVD of 
