Movies/TV's 3R’s 02.02.10: Avatar, Tim Tebow, Weird Al, Lobo, George Lucas, More

Posted by Shawn S. Lealos on 02.02.2010

From Avatar becoming King of the World, Guy Ritchie dumping Lobo, Saw VII holding Paranormal Activity 2’s new director hostage, and Pee-Wee Herman's return to Freddy Krueger vs. Angel, Tim Tebow offending women, more 3-D, Weird Al waltzing onto the Cartoon Network, and more, 411's Shawn S. Lealos breaks down the Right, wRong, and Ridiculous from the week in Movies/TV!



Welcome to Week 32 of The 3R's for the Movie/TV world.

THEATRICAL PICK OF THE WEEK

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK

Without any further ado, here is...

The Right

Mel Gibson continues his awesome comeback: The Mel Gibson thriller Edge of Darkness was released last weekend and now an announcement has been made of another upcoming film in Gibson's comeback . The news here is even better than I imagined. Shane Black, who last teamed with Gibson when he wrote Lethal Weapon, will be directing the movie! While I am a bit worried because it is the first movie Black will direct not based on his own script (Chuck Mondry is the debut screenwriter on the project). However, a new Mel Gibson movie, made by one of the greatest writers in Hollywood, is enough to get me really excited. If you remember the last Black directed movie was Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, one of the best movies of the last decade. Gibson has not signed on the dotted line yet but I have faith. According to Variety, Cold Warrior centers on a spy from the Cold War era who comes out of retirement to team with a younger agent from the new school to confront a domestic terrorist threat orchestrated in Russia. Come on Mel, keep the hits coming!



Zac Efron continues to distance himself from High School: In an effort to distance himself from the High School Musical franchise, one that threatened to swallow him whole, Zac Efron has started taking new roles in a variety of different genres, hoping to broaden his range. Deadline: Hollywood reported Efron has signed onto two new projects and both sound intriguing. The first is an adaptation of the Brian Michael Bendis graphic novel Fire where Efron will star as a college student recruited by the CIA only to learn his is being trained for a program that creates expendable agents. The second is a movie being called a Back to the Future like film that is actually a melding of two separate projects directed by Nick Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall). It's nice to see the kid trying to become a serious actor.

Avatar finally becomes King of the World: Avatar is not the best movie ever made. It is not even the best movie made in 2009. However, if any movie deserves to hold the worldwide box office record, it is this James Cameron 3D film. The reason it is so deserving is it is changing the landscape of film and proves that 3D is a technology that can be used to enhance the story without coming across as a gimmick (no more so than IMAX). Avatar passed Titanic last Monday and, in my opinion, deserves that spot much more than Titanic did. And don't make excuses for inflation. Yeah, the ticket prices are more but I was going to movies regularly in 1995 and it isn't that different than it is now ("economic hardships" notwithstanding). The movie has passed $2 billion, inflation or not.

More 3-D: Warner studio executives have been watching closely the 3D tests for Clash of the Titans and The Hollywood Reporter says the results are so great they have decided not only to definitely release Clash of the Titans in 3D but to also release both the final Harry Potter movies in 3D as well. Avatar is the movie that can be thanked for this, proving the technology can be used, not as a gimmick, but as a solid storytelling devise used to open up the world of the movie. The original fear for 3D was there are not enough movie theaters nationwide equipped to show the new technology. Well, here in Oklahoma there are now three theaters (that I know of) with 3D technology and one of them even installed a 3D IMAX screen. If that is the case in Oklahoma, I assume it is even wider in large markets. I don't consider 3D to be any more of a gimmick than IMAX or high definition Blu-Rays, so this is great news for me. The 3D movies I have seen so far have looked spectacular and I can't wait till 3D TVs are low enough in price to allow the technology to be included on future Blu-Rays. Clash of the Titans hits on April 2 and the two Harry Potter movies hit on Nov. 19 and July 15, 2011. I can't wait.

My birthday movie this year: I have received the wonderful news that Edgar Wright's next film, the adaptation of the awesome Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is going to be released two days after my fortieth birthday (Jesus!). The release date is August 13, 2010 and I can't wait. His first two movies, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, rank among my all time favorites, so this is the best birthday movie I could have hoped for. (Please contact me in August for an address to send presents)



Want to see Frozen?: Adam Green has announced the cities confirmed to be showing his latest film so far. Those cities are: Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Denver, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Chicago. He also stated more cities are being announced as we speak.

The wRong

Eat, Sleep, Poop: A couple of weeks ago I mentioned how the book What to Expect When Your Expecting, based on what to expect when pregnant, was being made into a movie. I bemoaned what it would entail as a movie since it is nothing more than a guidebook. Well, this is a better idea but it still reeks as a Three Men and a Baby lookalike. Eat, Sleep, Poop: A Common Sense Guide to Your Baby's First Year has now also been optioned to be made into a movie. It at least maintains a storyline as pediatrician Scott W. Cohen discusses how raising his own son proves what he learned in medical school is not always correct in real life situations. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting the writers of Four Christmases are currently adapting the book, which has not even been published yet (March 30), into a script. It is a Hollywood dream come true for Cohen. One of his patients was the wife of Chris Fenton, a principal at comedy production outfit H2F who set him up for a meeting that earned him representation and a deal at Scribner. Fenton then brought up the book with Parkes/MacDonald executives, starting a bidding war for the film rights. That is all awesome but I can't see how this movie will be anything other than precocious.

Lobo a no-go for Guy Ritchie: I was originally not interested in seeing a Lobo movie but allowed myself to be swayed by some commenters. I still don't think Lobo is an interesting character but they pointed out the perfect man to direct an adaptation of the comic was Guy Ritchie. Well, I am no longer interested in Lobo again because, according to the L.A. Times, producer Joel Silver says "I don't think [Ritchie's] going to do it now." The good news is the reason being Ritchie is moving on to the Sherlock Holmes sequel. I just hope they don't rush the Holmes sequel to make a quick buck at the expense of a good script.

I like Sam Worthington but...: I thought Sam Worthington was one of the best things about Terminator: Salvation and he held his own against CGI in Avatar. I am really excited to see his next starring role in Clash of the Titans but now there is something I am not sure about. According to Latino Review, Worthington will be cast as Dracula in Alex Proyas' (The Crow) upcoming version of the legend. There is not much known about it other than the fact the title is Dracula Year Zero, it will take us to the beginnings of the vampire's origin and will paint him as a vengeful hero (as labeled by AICN). I guess he is similar in stature to the last Dracula I remember (Dominic Purcell in Blade: Trinity) but I prefer a more suave Dracula. I am not feeling this one.

Zelda Rubinstein has passed away: Zelda Rubinstein, the actress best known for her performance as the psychic from Poltergeist has passed away at the age of 76. I would like to offer my condolences to her family, friends and fans.



The Killer Inside Me: Michael Winterbottom's latest film, The Killer Inside Me, has been the center of a controversial storm lately. At the premiere, star Jessica Alba walked out on the film and never returned. Her co-star Casey Affleck has referred to the movie as "shit" and audiences were pissed at the violence towards women Winterbottom showcased in the film. The problem is the movie was based on a 1952 novel by Jim Thompson and the violence is on display in the book as well. I find it funny that Alba has such a problem with the movie. I would guess she was drunk the entire time she was filming it. The movie, shot in Oklahoma, was publicized here quite a bit thanks to Alba getting blitzed and taking a giant bucket of glue and plastering "Save the Sharks" posters all over billboards and monuments in the OKC area. She even took a picture of herself next to her work and published it on her Twitter page, making jokes about the vandalism. Anyway, the movie has been bought by IFC and will be released in late summer so you can see Alba getting severely beaten for yourself.

The Ridiculous

The horror war continues: I complained about Paranormal Activity's decision to hire Saw VI director to helm their second movie. Then they went even further and scheduled their release date for the exact same date Saw VII 3D had been announced for. Well, Saw's producers have struck back and this is even lower than anything Paranormal's producers pulled. According to Deadline: Hollywood, Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures has an option on director Kevin Greutert's next picture and they have chosen to use it for Saw VII 3D, meaning they are forcing him off Paranormal Activity 2, whether he likes it or not. Now, I see what Twisted Pictures was in a vengeful mood but this is low. I liked Saw VI quite a bit and never cared to see Paranormal Activity but why can't we just have both movies?

Although it has been since removed, Greutert blogged about the incident and had this to say: "I just had the task of telling my 83 year old mother that no, I'm not going to be allowed to direct the movie we were all so excited about when my family last got together, and that I'm being forced to leave town before getting a chance to see her again. Yes, I'll be filming people getting tortured YET AGAIN. So we'll have to put off me making a film she can actually watch for another year. I'm not making this shit up." - thanks to chud.com for pointing me to this quote.

Miramax finally bites the dust: I was very annoyed when the Weinstein brothers left Miramax Pictures and the men who built it from the ground up lost the name of the company (it is named after their parents, Miriam and Max Weinstein). The Wrap has announced Miramax is finally shutting their doors in both New York and Los Angeles, with eighty people losing their jobs. The movies awaiting distribution, including Last Night, The Debt and The Tempest will be shelved or receive a tepid release. Disney claims the studio is not dying but will consolidate its operations within Disney Studios. Regardless, the studio is responsible for some of the most groundbreaking films of its time, including Pulp Fiction, Sex, Lies and Videotape, Clerks and Shakespeare in Love. Miramax is a studio I followed religiously throughout the nineties and is one I have missed since the brothers departed.

George Lucas is going to sing and dance: News out of Skywalker Ranch is that George Lucas is producing a musical about fairies. Or maybe he is producing a musical for fairies? He is producing it for Kevin Munroe (TMNT) to direct. There is no more information at this time but for now, a George Lucas Fairy Musical lives in the Ridiculous column.

** Of course there is one thing that makes this a promising endeavor **



The Real Man in Black: 78-year old actor Rip Torn (Men in Black) was arrested on Friday night for breaking into a bank, drunk out of his mind, with a loaded handgun. The police found him lying on the floor, clutching the revolver. The actor has had numerous run-ins with the law over alcohol related incidents, including a 2008 DUI arrest. The president of the bank does not believe Torn was trying to steal anything but says the man needs an intervention to help him. I agree this is a very sad thing and the man needs some help.

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The Right

Lost returns this week: It's time for the final season of Lost. If you are too anxious to wait till tomorrow night for the premiere, here are the first four minutes of the episode...



Criminal Minds: L.A.?: It worked so well for NCIS that Criminal Minds is going to do it too. Well, actually it worked for everyone from Law & Order to CSI, so this isn't really a new thing, but Criminal Minds is going to be producing a spin-off show. Hell, if you go back and think about it, NCIS is a spinoff of JAG, so I am excited to see if one of my favorite TV shows is going to get a spinoff that does it justice. The new team, working outside of the FBI bureaucracy, will be led by Forest Whitaker (The Shield). They will be introduced on a spring episode of Criminal Minds and I can't wait. The original show ranks up there with Criminal Intent as my preferred procedural, thanks in large part to more interesting villains. Let's hope the sequel retains that aspect of the original show.

Freddy Krueger vs. Angel?: Oh, hell yeah, this is news I am excited about. Angel is one of my favorite all time television shows and Nightmare on Elm Street is my favorite horror franchise. Imagine my excitement when Dread Central announced Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) will be haunting David Boreanaz's (Angel) current show Bones. Englund will play a demented janitor at Temperance "Bones" Brennan's (Emily Deschanel) old high school. The plot has Bones planning to skip her high school reunion until a murder sends her and Booth (Boreanaz) to the scene.

Weird Al is a cartoon?: Well, not exactly. I complained a few months back about Cartoon Network delving more into live action series since the network is supposed to air cartoons. Well, this is one case I can let myself get a little happy. When I was young, I loved Weird Al Yankovic. Today, his songs make me roll my eyes on occasions but whenever I hear "Like a Virgin" or "Bad" I immediately think of Weird Al's versions. Well, Al has signed a deal with the Cartoon Network to produce shows for them. His first will be a live action movie he will direct. UHF is one of the most epic movies ever made, so this is an easy Right!

Pee Wee Herman is back...: ...on Funny or Die!

Pee-wee Gets An iPad! from Pee-wee Herman

The wRong

More Joe Dirt: Ok, I liked Joe Dirt, the David Spade vehicle where he plays a mulleted redneck. The movie was just stupid enough to make me laugh. However, Variety reports that Spade has struck a deal with TBS to develop an animated series based on the character to air alongside Family Guy reruns. The series will be written by Spade, Fred Wolf and Donick Carey (The Simpsons). Spade and Wolf co-wrote the movie and will produce the show alongside Happy Madison Productions. I don't see how this will be anything more than an animated mix of King of the Hill and My Name is Earl. Do any kids today even know who Joe Dirt is?

The last episode of Dollhouse: Dollhouse ended last Friday. I want to take one last opportunity to say "Screw You Fox" for the handling of the show. Here is why I feel Dollhouse is not solely to blame for the low ratings. Check out the shows cancelled thanks to the Friday night time slot: The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (1993), Sliders (1996), Millennium (1996), Dark Angel (2000), Firefly (2003), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008), Dollhouse (2010). These were all good shows that ended thanks to bad ratings all in the exact same time slot.

The Ridiculous

This is what cost Conan O'Brien his job?: Last Monday night, The Jay Leno Show lost out to ABC's Castle as well as a rerun of CSI Miami. He also lost out to cable shows WWE: Raw and the History Channel's Pawn Stars. NBC announced they will pull his show two days earlier than planned and the slot will be filled with reruns of The Office and SVU. In other funny news, Figure Skating on NBC Sports also flopped horrible with a 0.6 rating. What did Julia Robert's say about the network being in the toilet? And how about some more Jimmy Kimmel...



If there isn't something to protest, there must be something wrong: CBS has agreed to air a commercial featuring former Florida Gator quarterback Tim Tebow during this year's Super Bowl. The ad will feature Tebow's mother explaining that when she was pregnant in 1987, doctors encouraged her to abort her child when she became sick during a mission trip to the Philippines. She ignored their warnings and gave birth to Tim, who grew up to be one of the greatest quarterbacks in college football. Critics, specifically women's rights groups, have asked CBS not to air the commercial because they say it promotes an anti-abortion message. The Ohio State Buckeyes and Oklahoma Sooners also asked the commercial not air because, if she had of listened to the doctors and aborted Tim, they might have won the National Championship in 2007 and 2008. CBS approved the ad and the commercial will air.

The Pro Bowl: I understand this event is for fans to see their favorite all stars playing on the same team. The best quarterbacks throw to the best receivers while the best defensive backs try to stop the plays. Unfortunately, that is all there is to offer. The best pass rushers are encouraged NOT to rush the passer and the defense can be penalized for aggressive playing, meaning the defensive all stars are not even needed in this game. Add to the fact that out of all the quarterbacks voted into the game by the fans, only ONE played (Aaron Rodgers), and you have the recipe for a "who gives a shit" game. The game is a joke and a waste of time to watch. If the players don't care, why should I?




It would have been more right if the title of Bruce's next movie was Bruce vs. the Army of Darkness 2. You know i'm right! - Posted By: Jason Bennet (Guest) - That would be cool but I would rather see the sequel to Bubba Ho-Tep right now!

I actually don't mind the Jersey Shore kids holding out. Don't get me wrong, they're stupid and shallow, but people want to watch them. That translates into advertising $$, and since they're bringing in money, what's wrong with them wanting a share? Like it or not, they are responsible for an hour of television entertainment a week, no different than any actor, or writer. The season run was only ten episodes, so the initial offer of $60,000 is nothing compared to what they bring in for MTV. - Posted By: groslyn (Guest) - My only problem is that these kids are douches who don't deserve to be rewarded for their bad behavior.

SO the Jersay Shore kids get rewarded for acting the way they do? Maybe thats why kids today dont give a shit about anything. - Posted By: Guest#1464 (Guest) - Exactly my point. It is too bad the network gave in to the kids, although rumor has it they are taking only $10,000 an episode which sounds fair.

Seriously, Joss Whedon is tv's greatest creator? He had ONE hit show ten years ago, and that was a cult hit at best. And people love to blame Fox for Firefly and Dollhouse getting cancelled yet they ignore the fact that NO ONE WATCHED THEM. Serenity bombed, Alien Resurrection's script was horrible...why is this hack still getting work? - Posted By: Guest#3471 (Guest) - Serenity and Firefly were both great. However, my problem is that you claim he had one hit show, and I assume you are talking about Buffy, which is not even his best show. That would be Angel, one of the best shows on television the last decade. You mention Alien Resurrection but don't mention Toy Story, which he was nominated for an Oscar for? He is also Emmy nominated for Buffy and won an Emmy last year for Dr. Horrible. I get it, you don't like him. But you don't back up your claims very well.

SOMEBODY FINALLY agrees that Joss Whedon is a piece of shit who has had like 40 canceled shows yet all the fanboys wanna jerk off as soon as his name is said. GOD his shit sucks ass. - Posted By: FINALLY (Guest) - I think it is funny when someone doesn't like someone but claims everyone who does are "fanboys" who "wanna jerk off as soon as his name is said." I guess the Emmy voters who awarded him last year are fanboys jerking off? Or maybe it is the other way around and it is people who spew hatred who are just elitists who like to jerk off and throw their shit all over everyone else.

One hit show huh? Yeah, okay-- I guess Angel never matched/surpassed Buffy in your eyes Guest 3471. Serenity was a failure? Funny, because very few people I know of have bad things to say about it. Nobody watched Dollhouse? That's funny... considering how it actually did damn well for a show that never had its pilot aired, was not heavily promoted at all and aired at 9 pm on a Friday... but yeah, you're right: it's the shows fault. Firefly got even more screwed than Dollhouse (and, honestly, Firefly is VASTLY superior to Dollhouse, probably second only to Angel in terms of pure awesomeness of Whedon creations). - Posted By: M:-X (Guest) - This is a much better job at backing up your opinions.

Don't do it, Shawn! I've seen Books of Blood and it was most boring piece of crap I've seen in recent memory. - Posted By: BenPiper (Registered) - Well, damn.

THE BOOK OF ELI IS BLANK - Posted By: SPOILER MAN (Guest) - Nope, it is definitely not blank.

I'm all for Spider-Man films but they lost me when they said it will be about Peter Parker. No one cares about Parker, they want to see the hero. We got enough of Peter Parker in the previous three movies anyway. Hopefully they change their minds because a hero fighting the villain is what people want to see. - Posted By: JM (Guest) - I think the way Raimi shot it was perfect, taking the problems Parker had and basing those on the villain of the picture. If they just take the story of Parker and put Spider-Man on the backburner for most of the film, I will be very disappointed.

Che Guevara's a brutal mass murderer? Seriously, you Americans need some proper schooling. Dude's no more of a mass murderer than George Washington. What's with this NPH love all the cool kids seem to be displaying? Don't get me wrong, I like the guy, and his part in the Harold & Kumar movies was great (the only redeeming quality in that pile of shit sequel) but I don't understand where the cult-love derived from. - Posted By: Chungles (Guest) - Interesting thoughts on Che. As for NPH, I think the fact he never takes himself seriously and will do anything to entertain audiences helps raise him to the levels of cult love he has achieved. I think he is one of the most naturally funny men on TV today, along with Alec Baldwin.

The biggest problem as it has been said before with rebooting spiderman is that it is tooo soon. That would be like going back an rebooting the Harry Potter movies and saying you wanted to show the parts of the books that weren't included in the films WTF. A true reboot leaves enough time for people to wonder about, start asking "what happened to..?" or I "wonder if they will ever..." This reboot at this time no one is asking that question they are more like what will happen next in the series. This is not a good idea at all and if they want further proof how about when they ended the animated series of spiderman a few years back...they tried to come out with the new ultimate spiderman version and that never took. People were still thinking about the animated series that came before it. The most recent cartoon series even took a stab at his high school to college years and that struggled initially. They needed a conintuation not a reboot. The natural progression to even replace Peter would be recasting someone that might seem a little older and finished with College thats about it. Most studios seeing the money that the third one made would milk this particular franchise until such time has past to start it over. But good luck with that seeing is believing, so will see if this gamble pays off but they will have to take it up the ass if this movie doesnt make nearly as much as any of the three predecessors - Posted By: Guest#2745 (Guest) - Thanks for reading and the great comments.

Hey making a superhero movie with not much action is a great idea! Remember when they rebooted that other guy, and it had no action and no superpowered villian. That did gangbusters! - Posted By: Guest#0125 (Guest) - I don't hate Superman Returns but the lack of real action is something that hurt it. I see the same problems with the new Spider-Man direction.

I hope the next spidermen movie falls on its ass,if only for the fact that if its a hit we will see other superhero revamps with no action but plenty of teen angst. We fans want Spiderman. Not my so called life starring Peter Parker - Posted By: Jeff Albertson (Guest) - Agreed.

I'd rather have Bubba Ho-Tep vs. Frankenstein. While A Maleficent might be cool, I think a movie from Cinderella's evil stepmom/daughters POV would rock would be more interesting. I want Gremlins 3D. We need more Gizmo. Has a movie with so many problems that Wolfman has had ever been good? I hope I'm wrong but my enthusiasm for it is quickly waning. - Posted By: JLAJRC (Guest) - Funny that one of the earliest comments from last week makes me long for more Bubba Ho-Tep and the last comment agrees with that thought. I can see the evil step mom movie being successful, along the lines of the Wicked play showing the evil witch point of view. You want more Gizmo in 3D, my wife wants more Booger in 3D. I really want Wolfman to be good but I am going in with much lower expectations.