The Big Screen Bulletin 02.06.12: Chronicle Powers to First at the Box Office!
Posted by Steve Gustafson on 02.06.2012
News and thoughts on new plot details from The Amazing Spider-Man, Sigourney Weaver talking about Avatar 2, Russell Crowe in talks for Death Wish, Harrison Ford returning to Blade Runner, Ryan Reynold's R.I.P.D. being in trouble and more!
Welcome to the Big Screen Bulletin! My name is Steve Gustafson and this is where we hit the big movie news from the weekend and anything else going on in the world of Hollywood!
Get your celebrity and hot girl fix with the ORIGINAL The Hollywood 5 & 1! Not for the faint of heart! This week: Gina Carano takes on Melanie Iglesias and Tahiti Cora battles Kristina James in Vs, Bruce Willis makes a plea for Demi Moore to seek help, Taylor Armstrong gets a death threat made online, Tracy Morgan turns his back on his family, Bianca Beauchamp is our "& 1" Model of the Week and more!
Do you enjoy the 5 & 1 format? Of course you do! Check this out. First up is the newest member to the 5 & 1 club...Sean Garmer with his The Games 5 & 1! Following up is Stewart Lange with his The MMA 5 & 1! Next is The Music 5 & 1 by Jeremy Thomas. Bringing up the rear is The Wrestling 5 & 1 by Greg De Marco. Check it out!
Before we get started I wanted to share my interview with Vivid director, Axel Braun. Braun has been leading the way, setting the standard in the adult film industry with his dead-on homages of the superhero genre. Just to throw out a few titles: Superman XXX: A Porn Parody and Spider-Man XXX: A Porn Parody, Spider-Man vs. Superman XXX, Star Wars XXX: A Porn Parody, The Avengers XXX: A Porn Parody, Iron Man XXX: A Porn Parody, and X-Men XXX: A Porn Parody ...you get the picture. Axel not only directs all of Vivid's SuperXXXHero parodies but Vivid distributes all of the movies he produces for Axel Braun Productions.
But Braun isn't your average adult film director. Quite the opposite. He has a true passion for the movies he makes and the source material they come from. I had a blast talking with Braun and could have hung out with him for hours. But he is truly the busiest man in the business and all around great guy. Check out the interview to hear his thoughts on being a comic book fan, doing the Star Wars parody, and some of the incredible films he has coming up!
QUESTION OF THE WEEK!
Not a big set up for this question. All the talk about the Star Trek sequel has reignited new talk about bringing Star Trek back to the TV screens.
My question to you: Are you interested in seeing Star Trek back on TV?
VOTE BELOW!
CRAZIEST CASTING RUMOR OF THE WEEK!
This sequel just got really interesting. The rumor is, Harrison Ford is likely to star in Blade Runner 2. Twitch reports that Ford has entered into early talks for the film, despite the fact that he clashed with director Ridley Scott while making the original. The plan right now seems to be to make the film a direct sequel to the original, not a reboot.
Does this change your mind about the project?
YOUGOTTABEKIDDINME!
As a huge fan of Cocaine Cowboys I and II, this is cool news. This is a wild story and doesn't need any Hollywood embellishment. Branko Lustig, who has produced Oscar winning films like Schindler's List and Gladiator, and Daniela Cretu have decided to start a new LA based film company called First Born Films. Deadline New York is reporting the first film the company will produce is a biopic of female drug "queenpin" Griselda Blanca, also known as "The Godmother of Cocaine" and "Black Widow".
From the Deadline article: "Blanco came to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, fueling the Miami drug wars to bolster her position as the only woman to ever make it to the top echelon of drug cartel society. Blanco grossed millions of dollars a month amidst fierce competition as cocaine replaced marijuana as the country's drug of choice. She built the city of Miami with drugs, blood and money. Some of it she herself spilled, and had assassins execute many of her rivals. Blanco was eventually arrested and convicted in 1986 in Los Angeles. Sentenced to execution, she ended up serving 18 years in prison before she was released in 2004 and deported back to Colombia. While just about every drug kingpin of that era is dead or behind bars, she lives freely in Colombia."
Nicholas Pileggi will also be producing, with Frank Baldwin writing the script. Production is planned to start in the fall with Colombia, The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Miami, Florida as possible filming locations.
Let's get into the REAL news!
More Spider-Man!
Expect this movie to gear up and push the marketing even more as we get closer and closer to the release date. Columbia Pictures has updated the official site for The Amazing Spider-Man with new wallpapers, avatars and character sheets for Ben & May Parker (Martin Sheen & Sally Field) and Richard & Mary Parker (Campbell Scott & Embeth Davidtz).
It's the introduction and spotlight of his parents that has caught my attention. This hasn't been explored in movies before and could be an interesting hook. Here's more of what the site says and I underline what caught my eye:
Opening in 3D, 2D and IMAX theaters on July 3, The Amazing Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.
What do you think of the inclusion of Peter Parker's parents in the reboot?
Avatar 2!
With the ridiculous success of James Cameron'sAvatar, everyone is looking for news on the sequel. The best idea we have of where Cameron is at with the films right now might come from a new interview with Sigourney Weaver, speaking to Bad Taste at a film festival in Marrakech. Here's the Google translation of their translation:
"I read early versions of the script, but I can not say anything else James Cameron comes here and kills me. I can say that I'll be in both, we will turn them one after another and explore worlds that were not touched in the first episode… What is certain is that Cameron will begin filming in the new Avatar only after going underwater in a submarine that will build special purpose. I think it should go up to the Mariana Trench. Having put his hand on the Titanic for the 3D version has given him many ideas for narrative Avatar."
Excited for more Avatar?
Superman Under Attack!
This is drawing a mixed reaction from everyone. You either like it or hate it. Max Landis, the writer of Chronicle, has released a short film dissecting the The Death of Superman comic book arcs. If the internet has been a boom to anything, it's to the segment of people who like to complain.
Death Wishes!
Another reboot project that's drawing ire from movie fans. Frank Grillo recently gave some details on Joe Carnahan's upcoming reboot of Death Wish. The original 1974 film starred Charles Bronson. He said: "He (Joe Carnahan) is imagining it as a two hander, it's not just Bronson's [character], it's two brothers."
He also said that Russell Crowe is being considered for the lead role. He added that Carnahan wants to make the new film of the 0Brian Garfield novel like the canceled Sidney Lumet adaptation that would have starred Jack Lemmon.
Thoughts on Death Wish reboot?
Reynolds in Trouble!
It's not looking good for Ryan Reynolds. He and Jeff Bridges are heading R.I.P.D. and early word is...troubling. Movie blog Flixist has it on "good authority" from an "unnamed source" who worked on the film for five months, that R.I.P.D. isn't looking so hot. In fact, their source describes it as
"A $200 million dollar train wreck that is a Men In Black wannabe."
It should be noted that the film is still in post-production and Flixist's source is finished with his or her duties, so the films could still be saved in editing.
Is R.I.P.D. already cursed?
Trailer Talk
Not a trailer but an interesting piece. James Franco has released the first episode of his series of shorts, Undergrads. Not surprisingly this is causing plenty of controversy. Which is probably what it was intended to do.
What do you think?
BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN
1. Chronicle - $22.0 million ($22.0 million total)
2. The Woman in Black - $21.0 million ($21.0 million total)
3. The Grey - $9.5 million ($34.8 million total) Read the review!
4. Big Miracle - $8.5 million ($8.5 million total)
5. Underworld Awakening - $5.6 million ($54.4 million total) Read the review!
6. One for the Money - $5.3 million ($19.7 million total)
7. Red Tails - $5.0 million ($41.3 million total) Read the review!
8. The Descendants - $4.6 million ($65.3 million total) Read the review!
9. Man on a Ledge - $4.5 million ($14.7 million total)
10. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - $3.9 million ($26.8 million total)
Box Office Survey!
Instead of me just repeating what you can see, how about we ask some questions about the weekend box office? Answer in the comments and NO CHEATING!
* What does the Chronicle's success mean to the superhero genre?
* Will the Woman in Black follow horror film tradition and stumble greatly in its second week at the theater?
* Was Big Miracle under-advertised?
Before I say GOODBYE!
I would be remiss if I didn't mention some of the other OUTSTANDING articles on www.411mania.com. You would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't peep around the site. I always get my daily habit of reading. Here's a small sample!
The thing about "unnamed sources" is that it could be anything. Could be a guy who was fired from the production. Could be some agent who's actor was passed over. That's why I usually don't trust anything that comes from "unnamed sources".
Posted By: EricG (Guest) on February 06, 2012 at 12:54 AM
I will tune in to Undergrads every week to watch the back of somebody's head studying.
Posted By: Guest#5192 (Guest) on February 06, 2012 at 01:27 AM
Hell yes i want to see Star Trek on tv again the only reason the show Enterprise "failed" because there wasn't a movie to get people all hyped on Star Trek. But with the last movie being a huge success and the new one on the way why not bring back the Trek to tv.
Posted By: Nik Venom (Guest) on February 06, 2012 at 02:17 AM
I couldn't watch the interview. Too much background noise. Did he give a release date for the Star Wars movie?
Also, I'm provisionally interested in a new Trek series. It depends if Berman and Braga are in charge again. If so, then expect it to be terrible. But I'd probably force myself to sit through it anyway. :)
Posted By: Tommy (Guest) on February 06, 2012 at 06:16 AM
that Max Landis video is Bang on!!!
the "death" of Superman was such a B.S storyline...great video
Posted By: ramone (Guest) on February 06, 2012 at 06:30 AM
That Max Landis bit was freaking awesome. DC has always failed, with the exception of Batman, who was their only hero with weaknesses and depth.
Posted By: APrince66 (Guest) on February 06, 2012 at 11:27 AM
i watched the Death of Superman vid a few days ago and laughed so hard I almost passed out. dead on accurate and hilarious.
Posted By: Riggs (Guest) on February 06, 2012 at 12:16 PM
yes to trek, seth macfarlane has shown interest in bringing it back
Posted By: chefdick (Guest) on February 06, 2012 at 03:13 PM
With the exception of the length and the douche talking, I enjoyed the Death of Superman video. He had a good point about it ruining the rules of death in comics. But really, nobody's going to kill off a character that iconic, not unless they're going completely bankrupt and closing shop.
I'd be down with a new Star Trek series, as long as they get a good ensemble cast with some good writing. Maybe set it somewhere in the time period between Kirk and Picard, though a later series would be alright, as well. Wouldn't mind seeing Admiral Riker once in a while.
Posted By: G-Walla (Guest) on February 06, 2012 at 05:09 PM
Yeah, I'm not buying the R.I.P.D. "source". It could be anyone.
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on February 06, 2012 at 07:01 PM
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