Movies/TV's 3R’s 03.16.10: Avatar, Lindsey Lohan, Betty White, Corey Haim, More

Posted by Shawn S. Lealos on 03.16.2010

From Avatar getting a summer re-release, Betty White hosting Saturday Night Live, Hugo Weaving fighting Captain America, and 24 on the chopping block to Lindsey Lohan being a milkoholic, Corey Haim’s death, the new Tron trailer, and more, 411's Shawn S. Lealos breaks down the Right, wRong, and Ridiculous from the week in Movies/TV!



Welcome to Week 38 of The 3 R's for the Movie/TV world.

THEATRICAL PICK OF THE WEEK

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK

Without any further ado, here is...

The Right

I'm feeling a little Breathless: Often I wonder what kind of crowd I am talking to in this column. Are you the kind of folks who appreciate good movies and love to discover hidden treasures or are you the kind of kids who love the biggest, loudest blockbusters and like to insult anything not in the mainstream? I believe a lot of you are of the later group, one that I have little in common with. However, I like to think that somewhere in my readers there are people who like great films, even if they don't involve giant gun fights, explosions, robots or poop jokes. For those people, this news tidbit is a treasure. Breathless (À bout de souffle), the Jean Luc Godard film embodying the entire French New Wave movement is coming back to theaters fifty years since its release in France. Rialto Pictures has acquired the U.S. rights to a new 35 mm print of the film and will showcase it at this year's Berlin Film Festival. Rialto will premiere the theatrical rerelease at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles in late April; in May, the film will open at New York's Film Forum, followed by a national rollout. This is fantastic news and I hope more people than just Len Archibald will search it out.



An Insurgence For Me?: Paranormal Activity looks like it may pay dividends for young filmmakers looking to get a break. Paramount Pictures loves making money and with the micro-budget success of Paranormal, they are trying to strike gold once again. The company is starting a business plan called Insurge, which will devote a million dollars to ten micro budget films, all at the cost of $100,000. The press release follows:

"Aren't you tired of being fed the same movies wrapped in different paper? We want to find and distribute crazy, unpredictable, and hopefully awesome movies - movies that make you want to line up to see at your local theater with all your friends (and us). Movies that a big studio would never release because they're too risky, too silly, and they don't star Sandra Bullock."

Now, this doesn't mean these movies can't get stars. With a micro-budget, SAG allows discounts on actors, with the lower waged performers at only around $250 a day. Now, to get a minor television star or someone like Gary Busey, you will pay around $5,000-$10,000 for their work but that is nothing when looking at the $100,000 budget. Either way, independent filmmakers usually have to rely on getting noticed with their short films because who is going to give them a grand to make a feature length movie? Paramount is going to take that chance and that is great news for low budget filmmakers looking to get a break, myself included.

Cuarón and Downey = HELL YEA!: Alfonso Cuarón hasn't directed a movie since the brilliant Children of Men in 2006. That film is one of my favorite movies of the last decade and ranks near the top of my all-time favorite list and I couldn't wait to see what the visionary director was going to do next. I completely expected him to jump to the forefront of today's "It" directors after his excellent Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban but the man has been sitting back waiting and now he is closer to getting his next film off the ground. The movie is Gravity and is about two astronauts who are outside of a space station when their fellow team members are killed by an exploded satellite. The two astronauts must then find a way to get back to Earth. It sounds like a great idea and Cuarón is the best director for a movie like this. He has also possibly found his lead for the film in Robert Downey Jr. This has me really excited.

FLYNN LIVES: Two weeks ago I saw the new trailer for Tron: Legacy before Alice in Wonderland and wanted to show it to you in last week's column. It wasn't available anywhere that I could find, so I just ate the bullet on that one. Well, it is available now and it kicks ass. Check it out:



Return to the Planet of the Apes Again: This is a rehashed movie I can get behind. For those who don't know, the original Planet of the Apes ended with the revelation that the apes are the dominant species after humans used war to destroy their world and the apes were able to move on without the evil technologies of war. The apes became just as dangerous and violent as time went on and, while not building technology to destroy the world, became a totalitarianism society, proving that peace never lasts. There have been talks for a couple of years now about a new Planet of the Apes movie and finally word has come that 20th Century Fox has hired Robert Wyatt to direct a prequel to the original film. The basis of the movie is what has me interested. They are not going to have talking chimps and they won't take over Earth in the movie. The movie will be "hard sci-fi" and will look at the humans that use science to create hyper-intelligent chimpanzees. If this is a true sci-fi movie more interested in the social problems the first movie was interested in, I am definitely interested.

Hugo Freaking Weaving: Hugo Weaving has possibly been in the most financially successful movies in cinema history. Looking at the Lord of the Rings and Matrix trilogies it is clear the guy made some tremendous career choices. Add in both Transformers movies, V for Vendetta and The Wolfman, it's obvious the guy has some geek cred. Now, Weaving is adding another notch to his belt with his casting as The Red Skull, the villain in the upcoming Marvel movie The First Avenger: Captain America. In other news, the list of contenders to take the role of Captain America is down to Mike Vogel (Cloverfield), Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy), Wilson Bethel (Generation Kill) and Chris Evans (Fantastic Four). I'd like to see Evans get the role because the guy is a star waiting for the right role.

The wRong

Corey Haim dead at 38: It is hard to believe that Corey Haim was a year younger than me when he passed away last week. He was in some of my favorite movies when I was younger including Dream a Little Dream, The Lost Boys, License to Drive and Silver Bullet. He had a tough life, fighting addiction throughout the years and it finally caught up with him. The LA County Coroner's Office reports that Haim had "pulmonary congestion, an enlarged heart and water in his lungs." They still have not released the cause of death, but there were prescription medications found at his apartment, including Valium, Vicodin and Soma, the same type of drugs that ended professional wrestler Umaga's life. Soma, a muscle relaxer, is coming up more and more as a cause in these young deaths. The mixture of Soma with the actor's enlarged heart is a dangerous mix.

* California investigators have linked a drug prescription belonging to the late Corey Haim to a "massive" illegal prescription drug ring, state Attorney General Jerry Brown said. More news on this is coming...





Don't expect any Batman in your Superman story: While Christopher Nolan is Godfathering the new Superman movie he has announced that he will not allow his Batman character to mix with the Superman mythos. He says they live in their own separate worlds and will not meet down the line. This sucks because there is nothing better than the dynamic of Batman's vigilante with the God-like world protector Superman. They are the ying to the other's yang and should meet, undoubtedly. I understand Nolan wants to protect his Batman vision but after the end of his planned trilogy (which will wrap up his story, he says), there should most definitely be a World's Finest movie where the two men must learn to live in the same world together. Come on, Nolan, that would be awesome!

Teenage Girls Unite: It's the new Twilight trailer and it looks like this one is all about the love triangle. "I will fight for you until your heart stops beating." Ugh...



Zemeckis Vision Not Right for the Future: Robert Zemeckis' studio ImageMovers Digital will be shut down once production concludes on Mars Needs Moms. Zemeckis has always been on the cutting edge of technology starting with his amazing Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, the award winning Forest Gump and eventually the motion-cap wonder of recent films like Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol. This latest artistic endeavor has fallen behind the recent work of visionaries like James Cameron and Walt Disney Studios announced IMD no longer fits into their business model. Up to 450 people will be laid off as operations at the studio winds down. I am not a huge fan of this style of mo-cap, with Beowulf and the animated movie Monster House great additions, but if it is not making enough money for the studios it can't last. It is just too bad a filmmaker as extraordinary as Zemeckis is falling behind the pack.

The Ridiculous

He was a bad ass painter, that's for sure: Last week I talked about how ridiculous Abraham Lincoln being recast as a vampire hunter was to me. This week, something beat even that. Warner Bros. has picked up a treatment called Leonardo da Vinci and the Soldiers of Forever. The script supposes that when da Vinci wasn't painting and inventing things he was a part of a secret society that fought against Biblical demons while finding "secret codes, lost civilizations, hidden fortresses and fallen angels." What the f*ck? I guess this is what I get for complaining about the lack of original ideas in Hollywood.

Grow some thick skin: If I threw a tantrum every time someone said something shitty about one of my films or comedy sketches, I would be in sad shape right now. As a filmmaker, I have to understand that film critics are people who will say anything they want about my movies, good or bad, and I understand that I will take the bad and try to learn from it for my next project. Well, as a film critic, I am somewhat kinder in my criticism than many other critics I read unless your name is Roland Emmerich. Then the gloves are off. Well, the makers of Iron Cross, the last film performance by Roy Scheider, is suing Variety for printing a bad review of their movie. There is a little more to it than that as Variety sales reps sold a promotional package to the filmmakers, which included print and online ads, the distribution of 40,000 DVDs with the trailer and inclusion of the movie in the awards screenings series sponsored by Variety. This was all sold on the thought that Iron Cross could be an Oscar contender, possibly for Scheider's performance. Then after all this promotion was underway, film critic Robert Koehler wrote a "scathing" review of the movie. Now, there are two things to understand here. First, the sales reps of a publication have NOTHING to do with the writers. A film critic who gives a movie a good review because that movie is paying for ad space is a worthless critic. Second, a publication that does not allow bad reviews to be printed if they have sold promotional space to the movie in question is not worth reading either. You review a movie honestly, and let audiences know if it is worth seeing or not. Any financial gain involved in skewing a review is unethical. This lawsuit, in my eyes, is a joke and the movie's producers should know better. The critic didn't like your movie, get over it. You paid for promotional materials and they were delivered. You are owed nothing.

Greedy Much?: James Cameron is pushing the Blu-Ray release date of Avatar back because he feels exhibitors left a few hundred million dollars on the table by pushing his movie out of the 3D theaters to make room for new number one movie Alice in Wonderland. This means he wants more money and will be rereleasing Avatar this summer with some additional scenes (up to 21 minutes) added back in to the movie. This is the case of ultimate greed ruling the day.

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The Right

Betty White is going to host Saturday Night Live!: The greatest Golden Girl of them all is getting the chance to host Saturday Night Live in May! This news is so great because Betty White is the funniest senior citizen to have ever lived. Honestly. Have you seen Lake Placid? She was great! She will host the May 8 episode (Mother's Day Weekend). The gig was pulled off thanks to a Facebook page that ended up with over 490,000 fans asking for it. Also appearing on the show are former SNL stars Tina Fey, Molly Shannon, Amy Poehler, Maya Randolph, Ana Gasteyer and Rachel Dratch.



Summer Glau is the Ultimate Geek: Summer Glau has been in more geek television properties than just about any other actress. She became popular for her portrayal of River in Firefly before moving on to David Mamet's The Unit, sci-fi hit 4400, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and finally Dollhouse. She is continuing her road to geek-love by signing on the new superhero pilot The Cape as a crime-solving blogger who follows the exploits of super villains. The early word is the pilot's script is pretty much crap but I like the idea and will give it a chance.

The wRong

It's the Final Countdown: Looks like 24, the television series is coming to an end. Studio execs say the show's dwindling ratings are not strong enough to keep it alive, despite regularly keeping higher ratings than Lie to Me, which is predicted to be renewed. The good news is, the show will be allowed to finish the season even if it is cancelled. Now, there is even better news because this cancellation will be the feature film will finally get the green light, scripted by Billy Ray (Shattered Glass) that will send Bauer to Europe.

** Recent news indicates NBC might be interested in picking up 24 from Fox.

The Oscars Make Excuses: Executive director Bruce Davis was asked about Farrah Fawcett's omission in the "In Memoriam" portion of the Oscars. While she appeared in many movies including Logan's Run, Extremities, The Cannonball Run and Dr. T and the Women, Davis said she is more famous for her TV work, which is why both Fawcett and Bea Arthur were omitted from the honor reel. When asked why Michael Jackson was included, since he was more famous for his music work, Davis said This is It was recent enough to make it worth including him. Sounds like someone is making excuses to me.

The Ridiculous

Lindsey Lohan is a bit Intollerant: Lindsey Lohan is suing E*Trade for $100 million because she feels one of the company's talking baby commercials is based on her. The commercial has a "milkaholic" baby named Lindsey. The lawsuit claims the company is profiting from her name, which I guess means the bitch thinks she is the only person in the world named Lindsey.



From The Dark Knight to this...: This is why Eric Roberts will never be more than a B-level "star." The guy appears in one of the most profitable movies of all time with The Dark Knight and then signs on to fight the Sharktopus for ScyFy. Roberts will play a research scientist (riiiight) who develops a hybrid shark/octopus to use as a military weapon (riiiiiiight). They think they can control it with electrical implants but soon realize they can't (duh!) and it goes on a feeding frenzy on a beach resort in Mexico (that might be cool).

People are generally crap: A family a few miles from my own home was featured on this week's Extreme Home Makeover. The family has suffered through a tough life since their son had to have a heart transplant before his first birthday. They have built up almost $20,000 a year in medical fees out of pocket since then and have let their home slip through with their son as their number one priority. They recently won the right to have their house rebuilt and fixed from the reality show Extreme Home Makeover and they finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel as their son's medical bills were also paid in full by CVS Pharmacy. This is the ultimate feel good story and this family has every right to finally find happiness in their lives. So what happens? People start flooding their answering machine with hateful calls, insinuating that they don't deserve this wonderful gift. This makes me sick and I wonder how these faceless assholes live with themselves. People who take pleasure in deriding others who have been through this much deserve all the bad karma life throws at them.




Rome movie sounds good, but how can you have vourenus back if he DIED at the end of the series? - Posted By: Hottchopz (Guest) - I'll let the next comment answer that question.

He didn't die. It was implied only. HBO made a big mistake in killing off Rome considering Spartacus on Starz is doing fairly well. Plus the investment they made was huge and they got no payoff. And every network scoped up all the actors they helped establish. Anyone that watched Deadwood Season Three as it aired originally would know that the show had jumped the shark. Season 3 was all tension and no action. - Posted By: JIm (Guest)

Futurama comeback YAY if Family Guy can do it they certainly can. - Posted By: Wisecracker (Guest) - I got in on a damn good Gold Box deal on Amazon for the entire series of Futurama, plus all the movies, in a sweet Bender shaped case last week. I am more than ready for Futurama to return.

I for one am all in favor of a Behind the Mask sequel. Bring it on... - Posted By: Mario (Guest) - I just want it to be good...

Great call on Culkin's part. As much as he connected with Gen X, he also has one with Gen Y for Home Alone. - Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) - He was, in my opinion, the most humble sounding member of the tribute.

A Bachelor video game? I don't know whether that should fall under wRong or Ridiculous to be honest with you...cuz it's both totally wrong and extremely ridiculous...geez, what's next, "Bret Michaels Rock of Love - The Game"?!?! - Posted By: Hitman (Guest) - I would so play that...

All About Steve, wasn't that bad of a movie. Then Jeff Bridges gets an awared for a movie nobody heard of until a week before the oscar. Oh wait excuse I mean no one who has ever visited this site. - Posted By: DURP (Guest) - Erik Luers reviewed Crazy Heart back in January HERE. The same thing you said about Jeff Bridges could have been said last year for Mickey Rourke since both movies didn't get their wide releases until January of the next year. Plus, almost every movie writer on this site picked Bridges to win, so we heard of it.

You need to go to facebook and search starman sequel and join the campaign. Help make this happen for Jeff again. - Posted By: brad hansen (Guest)

I do admit that i have needled a few people , but thats just picking on them for being so militant about ROH. Me personally im glad their are alternatives in wrestling. not just for the fans, but for the people who have been publicly humiliated by Mcmahon and need some other place to ply their trade. I do have to admit that i disagree with you about the last crusade. But your opinion is exactly that.your opinion and it has all the validity of mine and i would never refer to anyone as a douchebag for not sharing in my opinion. great job as always. - Posted By: Jeff Albertson (Guest) - Thanks for reading. I think the people who are militant about their likes are as bad as those who insult them. The ROHbots are just as bad as the haters. I prefer people like you, who stand there in between the two groups, and actually seem like you have a brain.

The Dude abides!! But seriously the standing ovation for Jeff Bridges gave me chills. - Posted By: JM (Guest) - Agreed.

To the guy who says baseball is boring. You must not know too much about the game to say that. I think that it's a beautiful game and i enjoy watching and playing it. And i agree with you about the stupid wrestling dweebs who mark over wwe and disses anybody who likes another federation. It gets annoying. Not everybody likes the wwe. Vince is not god. And i thought the oscars was also very good this year. And i didn't get annoyed with it at all. I thought Hurt locker deserved it and i am glad that Cameron didn't win. I guess he didn't have that much power after all huh? - Posted By: Guest#2242 (Guest) - Watch for my review of MLB 10 The Show (PS3) in the Game Zone this week...

Ever since the VERY overrated "Lost in Translation" and his conversion to mostly dramady/dramas, it seems Murray gets grouchier with every interview he's in. That's why I don't hold what he says in very high regard anymore. Maybe he's right and GB 3 will suck (I personally think GB 2, while not as good as the first one, is still very watchable). But he needs to actually make a movie (or really anything comedic. I'd settle for a guest spot in a sitcom) that is actually funny again. - Posted By: JLAJRC (Guest) - He was great in Zombieland.