The UBS Evening Movie News 01.08.09
Posted by George H. Sirois on 01.08.2009
The “No Shazam For You!” Edition…
Welcome everyone to the latest edition of the UBS Evening Movie News. I'm George H. Sirois and in case you didn't hear about the great Zune Shutdown of 2008, all is once again right with the Non-iPod World. Seems that due to the leap year that wasn't taken into account during the Generation 1 30GB players' development, they all decided to… basically take the day off.
But that problem's done and over with. All Zune owners had to do was let the battery drain, then plug it in the next morning and let the player charge. After about 10 minutes, the normal screen popped on and my Zune was working just fine, as if nothing had happened. A bit weird, yes, but it's over and done with. Life goes on, and so do our music players…
SYBIL THE SOOTHSAYER
UPCOMING MOVIES
Bride Wars: When a clerical error causes a clash in wedding dates - they're now to be married on the same date! - Liv, Emma and their lifelong friendship are put to the ultimate test.
This is why I love my wife. She doesn't fall for the chick flicks as easily as others. She likes Kate Hudson, she likes Anne Hathaway, but when she saw this commercial, she immediately said, "That looks so bad! That looks horrendous!" YES! One less potential waste of time to worry about!
Credit: TheMovieBox.net
DVD NEWS
Every now and then, a piece of news about an upcoming DVD makes the average collector so excited that they want to go straight to amazon.com and hit "Pre-Order" as much as 6 months before the disc is put on shelves.
For some, this is one of those times. Just in time for the film's 25th anniversary, Yentl is coming to DVD from MGM Home Entertainment. The special two disc edition arrives in February.
The first disc in the set comes with the film as well as an audio commentary and an introduction from Streisand, plus eleven deleted scenes.
The second disc also contains an introduction to the supplements and features a series of supplements from behind the scenes including the original concept reel and rehearsals for several scenes and deleted musical numbers. Trailers and a photo gallery are also onboard.
On February 3rd, Yentl will sing on DVD for $29.98. No Blu-ray word though, so your audio and video quality for Barbra's magnum opus can only go so far…
MOVIE TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
I still have yet to see the second one, but I really liked the first, so I'll be adding that to my Netflix before I have a chance to see this one...
CLASSIC MOVIE TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Underworld
And here's the trailer to the movie that started the trilogy...
BONUS YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Scene Anatomy 101: 2004 – 2009
Just in case you hadn't heard me say it several times before, the final issue of Scene Anatomy 101 was posted to the site yesterday. So in typical series finale fashion, I put together a video to look back at all the different scenes I've covered through nearly five years of being here at 411Mania.
Just keep in mind that it's 10 minutes long, so make sure you don't have to go anywhere for a little while. Enjoy…
JIM WEBBING AND HIS IT'S-THE-HONEST-TRUTH-DEPARTMENT
Friday Night Lights = Success: Disney has picked up-and-comer Garrett Hedlund to star in "Tron," the studio's sequel to the 1982 cult classic by the same name being directed by Joseph Kosinski.
Hedlund, who made his debut in 2004's "Troy," has until now acted in larger ensemble pieces. He was one of the football players in Peter Berg's "Friday Night Lights," one of the foursome in the ensemble thriller "Four Brothers," a supporting player in the fantasy film "Eragon," and he appeared opposite Lindsay Lohan, Jane Fonda and Felicity Huffman in "Georgia Rule."
Hedlund has been considered one of those actors that is on the cusp within the industry, though without much of a profile in middle America. Starring in a $150 million effects-intensive feature could change that.
Disney cast a wide net as it searched for the role that, because of the title, generated a lot of interest. Such potential leads as Ryan Gosling and Chris Pine met on the project, while Michael Stahl-David ("Cloverfield') was one of the those that screen-tested.
Hedlund will play the lead, a man who finds himself pulled into the world of a computer and retracing the steps of a character from the original movie named Kevin Flynn.
Jeff Bridges is reprising the role of Flynn, who was a computer programr but ended up as the CEO of a software corporation. Olivia Wilde and Beau Garrett have also been cast in the project, which was known as "Tron 2" and "Tr2n" but it now going with the simple "Tron."
Sean Bailey is producing along with Steven Lisberger, who co-wrote and directed the original film, and Jeff Silver. The movie is eyeing a spring shoot.
Apparently, if you are currently or have been involved in Friday Night Lights in some way – whether it's the movie or television show – you got a good shot of breaking out of the ensemble and getting some interesting roles. Whether you're this kid who came out of the movie, or the kid that came out of the television series who's playing Gambit, it seems that everyone else should make sure those three words stick out nice and loudly on your resumes.
At first, I wasn't sure what to make of this project. God knows we've seen too many sequels that come out soooo many years after the original, and all they do is bring the original film down a few notches. (The Rage: Carrie 2, anyone?) But now that there's a good amount of people who were involved in the original film coming back for the sequel, I'm really interested and I should definitely Netflix the original to refresh my memory.
Will "Tron Guy" from YouTube make a cameo?
Credit: Hollywood Reporter
So How Can He Tie This into Hitchcock?: Fee fie foe fum, DJ Caruso is smelling the blood of some dead giants.
The director is journeying into the land of fairy tales for his next directorial outing, signing on to helm "Jack the Giant Killer" for New Line. Neal Moritz is producing via his Original Film banner along with David Dobkin.
The script, by Mark Bomback ("Live Free or Die Hard"), is set in motion when a princess is kidnapped, threatening a long-standing peace between men and giants. A young farmer is given an opportunity to lead a dangerous expedition to the giants' kingdom in hopes of rescuing her. Darren Lemke is the original writer.
Michele Weiss and Michael Disco are overseeing for the studio.
Caruso, who directed early episodes of "The Shield," has been on a feature film roll, directing 2007's "Disturbia" and 2008's "Eagle Eye." Both movies domestically grossed $80.2 million and $101.2 million, respectively, and helped make Shia LaBeouf into a topliner.
The two movies were suspense thrillers, and "Giant" will see Caruso moving up in terms of scale, budget and special effects.
Both Disturbia and Eagle Eye surprised me by being a lot of fun and entertaining. Neither was an award-winner, but both of them were better than what I expected. At the same time, both of them were very well done re-tellings of old Hitchcock films. There was enough referencing of Rear Window in Disturbia to have the man owning the rights to that film trying to get a lawsuit started. And even though Eagle Eye was very different from North By Northwest, it seemed that was where Caruso & Co. started before they went off on their own story.
With this new project comes an interesting feat, and we're going to see what Caruso can do without the Hitchcock inspiration or Shia (although it's likely Shia would sign on as Jack since the two work well together). I look forward to seeing if he can pull it off.
Credit: Hollywood Reporter
FILM MUSIC NEWS
JANUARY 2009 PROJECTS:
"Chamaco" (Martin Sheen, Michael Madsen), "Eyeborgs," 2 MTV series, "The
Intruders," "The Scarf," "Never Surrender," "Laughing With Pigmies," a
Commercial, and "Real Single Moms." (webisode)
UPCOMING IN 2009: "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Kills You" (Spike Lee Production), "Programming The Nation" (Documentary), "Strut" (Film Musical), and many more...
RECENT SIGNINGS
** Andrew Hollander to Score "Labor Pains"
** "The Tortured" Gets Score by Jeff Rona
** Jan A.P. Kaczmarek Hired for "The Horsemen"
** James Newton Howard Will Score "The Last Airbender"
** Jim Dooley to Score "Obsessed"
ANDY CRITCHELL'S INTERACTIVE BABE PHOTO NEWS BRIEF WITH ANDY CRITCHELL
Hey kids, I'm back again with another update on the X-Mas Babes Tourney going on in the 411mania forums. Here is where we are so far:
Quarter Final 1
Megan Fox over Trish Stratus, 11 to 6
Quarter Final 2
Adriana Lima over Maria Kanellis, 10 to 7
Quarter Final 3
Keeley Hazell over Mila Kunis, 14 to 4
Quarter Final 4
Lucy Pinder over Kelly Brook, 13 to 4
Right now we are in the Semi Finals with Megan Fox facing off against Adriana Lima. What's that? You want to see pictures? That's why you're here I guess, you probably aren't even reading this. So here you go you big jerks:
MEGAN FOX
ADRIANA LIMA
Right now it looks like Fox has a slight advantage. So we might see her in the final against the winner of Keeley/Pinder, which should be up on the forum in the next few days.
Speaking of Pinder, she had some fun comments recently about Megan Fox. The Sun reports: "PERKY Miss Pinder claimed last night that she would love to get it on with American actress Megan Fox - if only she (Lucy) was a lesbian. Nobody's stopping you, Luce. "She is hot, she looks like a doll," said Lucy seductively."
Oh lawdy! That's the stuff dreams are made of right there fellas.
Well, that's it for me this week. Have a good one!
KNOW THY ENEMY, PART 1
I almost forgot one of the elements of success that my Giants had in the post-season last year was my "Know Thy Enemy" section. In case you missed it in January of '07, I used the photo news brief to post pics of the significant others of players from the Giants' opponents. Having to post pics of Jeff Garcia's wife Carmella, Jessica Simpson, Cameron Diaz (she was Brett's ex in There's Something About Mary) and the two weeks of both Gisele and Bridget Moynahan was a chore, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make for my team.
Now that there's a new post-season starting, "Know Thy Enemy" has been re-started and it will be going on for as long as the Giants are in the playoffs. So we're kicking things off this year with a look at Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Hank Baskett's new love of his life, former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner and co-star of "The Girls Next Door," Kendra Wilkinson.
Just in case you didn't hear the news, Warner Bros has had quite a few troubles. Outside of The Dark Knight turning our fanboy dreams into reality and actually making a run at the Academy Awards, they just haven't been able to make any other superheroes into the same kind of success story.
Superman's stuck in limbo, with pieces of news dribbling out on what their plan is for him. Do they continue on from Superman Returns, with Luthor stuck on an island and Lois not bothering to ask how the hell she became pregnant with Superman's child?
And of course, there's the whole Watchmen fiasco. Granted, 20th Century Fox are being total dicks about the situation, the way they just ran in at the last minute and claimed the rights to this comic. But at the same time, Warners gets to share the blame equally for not getting that problem fixed BEFORE PRODUCTION BEGAN!
You would think that with these kinds of problems, and with Marvel Studios getting more momentum following their success with Iron Man and the hype beginning for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Warner Bros would follow the rule that made The Dark Knight the success it is. Know what that rule is? Well, whenever a director has a certain vision for the character, and they know this vision can be pulled off, the front office just.... leaves them alone and let them make the movie.
Unfortunately, that's not what Warner Bros has in mind. After letting Christopher Nolan do what he wanted to do with Batman, they've decided that nobody else should have that luxury. Instead, the studio has declared that EVERY ONE of their superhero properties has to be a dark movie! Even if darkness doesn't fit the hero, it doesn't matter. In their eyes, Dark = Success.
And this recently found stubbornness has resulted in a film getting shut down. Last Monday, Larry Csonka posted the story on the Movies Zone that gave the bad news about Shazam! It's not happening. Despite Peter Segal set to direct, John August set to write and Dwayne Johnson set to star, Warners killed the project and it quickly disappeared from their radar. And why? Because the concept wasn't dark enough. Therefore the filmmakers and the studio couldn't see eye-to-eye, and just like that, Shazam! is gone.
One of our readers - "Hawkeye" - posted a comment that perfectly illustrated what was wrong with Warners and their demands...
There's a reason that all those shitty grunge bands that followed Nirvana sucked, just as there's a reason that all the "witty people hanging out" sitcoms that followed Seinfeld sucked. Just blindly aping something popular leads to shitty products. Warner Brothers trying to give the Batman treatment to every DC property isn't going to work because none of them are Batman.
Now, I can't speak up for the post-Nirvana bands, but as soon as I read that, I immediately got a flashback to the sitcoms that came on after Seinfeld became a hit. And he's right. They all sucked, and none of them lasted.
Remember Ellen's DeGeneres' first attempt at a sitcom, "These Friends of Mine?" It was an ensemble comedy that dealt with four friends. This was right around the time when "Seinfeld" was a huge hit, so it was only natural that this series feature a comedian – a girl instead of a guy – and her three friends. The only major thing that was different was that Ellen wasn't playing a comedian. After trying to make that work, the show got retooled and became "Ellen." Sure the name was less original, but at least it had its own direction.
And then there was the show, "It's Like, You Know," another mashing of Friends & Seinfeld, with its main gimmick being Jennifer Grey playing herself and nobody recognizing her because of her nose job. That show lasted.... like, you know... about 19 episodes.
Shows like this one weren't put together because of a desire to bring something new and fresh and unpredictable to the table. They were created to either fill a void or to show audiences that they can broadcast their own version of something already successful. And that's just what we're in danger of getting if Warner Bros continues to have this attitude towards their comic book properties.
Yes, The Dark Knight is one of the most successful films of all time. Yes, it's my personal favorite comic book adaptation. Yes, it has the word "Dark" in the title, and yes, there are plenty of other comic book films that had a serious tone to them that worked. (I'm particularly fond of the R-Rated Director's Cut of DareDevil.) But there's also something to be said for the movies that chose not to go down that road and present something that actually fit the characters they were putting on the big screen.
Take, for example, Fantastic Four. Now, were those great movies? No. But they had a fun vibe to them that matched the over-the-top main characters, and that made both films pretty decent. It wouldn't have worked at all if Johnny Storm had been brooding about his newfound powers. He needed to be a smartass who got a kick out of making Ben Grimm's life a living hell, and Chris Evans nailed that trait perfectly.
You also should look at how Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy unfolded. It was bright and packed with shitloads of color – not neon – and it was incredibly true to what Raimi remembered reading as a child. Because of the success he had with the first one, he was able to go deeper into the characters for the second one and was able to surpass the original in quality, if not quite in box office.
But then Raimi stumbled with the third film, and why did that happen? Because Sony and Avi Arad demanded that Venom – someone that Raimi DID NOT READ as a child – be inserted into this one and the quality took a hard tumble. Sure, it would have been great to have Venom in all his glory facing off with Spider-Man, but it only would have worked if the filmmakers involved were more familiar with this villain.
And then there's that "other" comic book film that was such a smash hit in 2008: Iron Man. Yes, there are darker times for Tony Stark coming up, but this first film was entertaining as hell and managed to tell its story without going too dark. In fact, a lot of it was downright hilarious, with none of the humor coming at the expense of the atmosphere or the characters. The result was a tremendous success that deserved every dollar it earned for Paramount and Marvel Studios.
So Warners needs to take a step back and remember the freedom they granted Christopher Nolan & Co. Other filmmakers deserve that freedom too. Trust me guys, let them make the movie that they want to make – as long as it stays true to the characters – and just sit back and start counting your money.
And that's a wrap for Chapter 94 of The UBS Evening News. For Andy Critchell, I'm George H. Sirois and we'll see you next week! Happy New Year!
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A-freakin'-MEN about letting directors do their own thing with films. Now let's just hope someone with half a brain at WB realizes this.
Posted By: Frosty (Registered) on January 08, 2009 at 12:57 AM
I totally agree! Why would anybody want a brooding Flash when it should be a super fun action movie?
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on January 08, 2009 at 05:40 AM
indeed that sucks about Captain Marvel movie- i think that could have been a lot of fun... maybe those execs need to check out Batman Brave and the Bold on Cartoon Network or the New Frontier movie for some pointers. Granted I grew up in the grim and gritty 90s and prefer my batman dark and brooding but BatB has completely won me over and is fun as hell... on second thought don't because the WB suits would latch on to the fact that is was batman, ignoring the team ups and next thing we know Nolan will be on his ass and we'll have a Rob Zombie remake of the 60s movie...
Posted By: cjo (Guest) on January 08, 2009 at 09:00 AM
Some directors need to be guided by the studio in order to keep them reigned in. M. Night Shmalamadingdong comes to mind. If I recall correctly, the quality of his films went down immensely when he was allowed free reign. Then he started adding twists just for the sake of having a twist. But, I do not agree with all Super heroes having to be dark. That is a bad idea, no matter how you look at it. Take Superman for example. Superman is supposed to be a beacon of hope in the face of tough times and adversity. Who is going to want to see a Superman movie where the character is all depressed and sad panda? Not I said the fly. Dark just doesn't work for him.
Posted By: Todd Vote (Registered) on January 08, 2009 at 09:46 AM
Probably a good thing that Captain Marvel got axed. It would have tanked with Rock in the lead anyway.
Posted By: Jake G. (Registered) on January 08, 2009 at 02:10 PM
Batman is the freaking dark knight, thats why his movies should be dark. I cringe at the thought of Superman turning dark or Spiderman, wait you mean they did that? And it ended up being a let down??
Posted By: JM (Guest) on January 08, 2009 at 11:32 PM
