Category: News

The $80 million film The Battle of Red Cliff is the most expensive Asian movie ever and it has been forced to stop production after a stuntman was killed and six people injured in an accident on set, Variety reported Tuesday. The movie by John Woo is adapted from China’s classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and tells the story of an epic battle waged in the year 280, in which thousands of ships decided the course of Chinese history. According to the report, the 23-year-old stuntman was killed when a fire broke out Monday on the set in northern Beijing after a boat rammed into the set of an ancient warship. The accident was the latest is a series of setbacks including lead actor Chow Yun-fat leaving the production.

MTV.com reports that Adam Beach has just finished production on the animated Turok movie and will now be going into production on the feature film which should lens in a couple years. “We’re about to set up meetings to develop a script and put it out there,” Beach is quoted. “I’ll have to beef up, and be a good guy, and save the world!” Turok has his origins in comic books but is perhaps more widely known today as the star of several popular video games. 1997’s Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is credited as being one of the earliest blockbuster first person shooters for the N64.

According to Variety, Leonardo DiCaprio will produce and star in the upcoming film about video game pioneer Nolan Bushnell, the man responsible for commercializing the medium with Atari in the 1970s. The movie will focus on the life of Bushnell in forming and turning Atari into the 2 billion dollar company it became at its height in 1982, before crashing two years later as video games went bankrupt in 1984. No production or release dates have been announced.

CNET reports that the Motion Picture Association of America is seeking a deal with the Federal Communications Commission which will get the latest Hollywood movies on TV much sooner after their original release. But the catch is in exchange for the faster release, the MPAA wants the FCC to change its rules to allow the industry to prevent these movies from being recorded on DVRs and viewed on some high-definition TVs. The MPAA filed its petition last week. The FCC is currently asking for comments on the proposal, and it could make a decision on the petition later this summer.

Mashable reports that Disney announced today an expansion of its media offerings on its free Xtreme Digital (XD) online network. ABC television network and Disney have introduced a staged rollout of full-length movie streams to Web viewers following their original network showing on the Wonderful World of Disney on Saturday nights. Disney XD is currently displaying Finding Nemo, with Monsters Inc., Haunted Mansion, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Princess Diaries 2, Freaky Friday, and Peter Pan to follow. While ABC networks only show movies on Saturday nights, visitors to the XD website will be given the opportunity to view weekly movies on demand the full week after they’re aired, Monday through Friday.

FirstSHowing.net reports that there is a Smurfs movie now officially in the works at Sony. J. David Stem and David Weiss, writers for the last two Shrek films, are in negotiations to write the screenplay. According to First Showing producer Jordan Kerner secured the rights in 2002 and has been developing it at Paramount, however Sony has separately decided to get it into production as a hybrid live-action feature. 

Variety reports that Millennium Films is going remake Alexandre Dumas’ tale of The Three Musketeers. The new picture will trace how swordsmen Athos, Porthos and Aramis first banded together. D’Artagnan, last member of the Musketeers, will be introduced later in the first movie or in a second installment. The Dumas novel is still in the public domain.

/Film reports that Louis Leterrier told  SOS Hollywood, the scene in the upcoming The Incredible Hulk movie in which the Captain America cameo was to occur was actually cut from finished film: “There’s a point when Bruce Banner gives up on his quest for the cure and decide to kill himself. So he travels far North and reaches the Arctic Circle. You might have seen bits of it in some of the promos. The result was a very dark and strong scene, which Marvel, me and everyone else’s considered to be too hard for young audiences to take, so we’ve cut it. Having that said, when Bruce arrives at his destination he meets up with Captain America! At some point this week, we will make it available on the internet – but I cannot tell you where or when – and the material will definitely be on the DVD.”

Sources:
Variety
MTV.com
Game Pro
CNETNews.com
Mashable
FirstShowing.net
MovieWeb
/Film

Tuesday, June 10

Otis: Unrated. A half dozen teenage girls have disappeared, discovered a month later murdered and mutilated. When a new victim, 16 year old Riley Lawson, finds herself trapped and tortured in a basement prison by the psychopath Otis (Bostin Christopher), she resolves to do whatever she has to in order to stay alive. She finally escapes and informs her parents and younger brother where she was held. Bypassing the FBI agent assigned to the case, the Lawson’s conspire to take their revenge and kill the man who kidnapped their daughter…but circumstances begin to spin beyond their control when Otis’s brother arrives on the scene. Raw Feed (Warner Bros.)

Wednesday, June 11

Encounters at the End of the World: G. One thousand men and women live together under close quarters and harsh conditions in Antarctica, risking their lives and sanity in search of cutting-edge science. THINKFilm

Friday, June 13

The Incredible Hulk: PG-13. The Incredible Hulk combines a well-developed character storyline with incredible action and fun. In this new beginning, scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) desperately hunts for a cure to the gamma radiation that poisoned his cells and unleashes the unbridled force of rage within him: The Hulk. Living in the shadows and cut off from a life he knew and the woman he loves, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), Banner struggles to avoid the obsessive pursuit of his nemesis, General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), and the military machinery that seeks to capture him and brutally exploit his power. As all three grapple with the secrets that led to The Hulk’s creation, they are confronted with a monstrous new adversary known as The Abomination (Tim Roth), whose destructive strength exceeds even The Hulk’s own. Universal Pictures, Marvel Studios

The Happening: R. Mark Wahlberg plays a man who takes his family on the run when the world turns upside and a cataclysmic natural crisis threatens to end the world. 20th Century Fox

Savage Grace: Unrated. Julianne Moore stars in this dramatization of the Barbara Daly Baekeland murder case, which happened in a posh London flat on Friday 17 November 1972. The bloody crime caused a stir on both sides of the Atlantic and remains one of the most memorable American Tragedies. Based on the Natalie Robins book. IFC First Take

Poultrygeist: Unrated. Shot and screened on 35mm, the film blends the feather ruffling politics of Fast Food Nation, the satire of Shaun of The Dead and the show-stopping musical numbers of Spring Awakening to skewer the fast food industry, limousine liberals, and almost everyone else in American society. Troma Entertainment

Quid Pro Quo: Unrated. A semi-paralyzed radio reporter is sent out to investigate a story that leads him into an odd subculture and on a journey of disturbing self-realization. Magnolia Pictures

My Winnipeg: Unrated. Anchored throughout his life to the snowbound, sleepy Canadian city of Winnipeg, Maddin travels headlong into his past to forge a new path to freedom. Drawn by the bittersweet pull of family, he returns to his unconventional childhood home, a split level apartment cum beauty parlor, and moves right back in. Recruiting actors to spar with his “real” mother (played by ’40s noir legend Ann Savage) atop the actual floorboards of his memory, he re-creates awkward moments from his adolescence. Spiraling out to the surrounding city and its peculiar locations and history, he re-imagines a notorious semi-nude civic pride event, a jazz-age séance ballet, a macabre frozen horse photo op, and “If Day,” when the whole town pretends that the Nazis have invaded. All the while Maddin travels deep into his own nostalgia, searching for an elusive way out of Winnipeg. IFC Films

To The Limit: Unrated. Thomas and Alexander Huber rank as two of the best mountain climbers of our time. Now the two Huber brothers have set out to break the record in speed climbing the 1,000 foot vertical “Nose” of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, California. Featuring breathtaking footage of the mountains of Patagonia and Yosemite National Park, Academy Award winner Pepe Danquart follows the Huber brothers to locations never before reached by a film crew. To the Limit is a portrait of two competitive brothers who go to the very edge of the possible, physically and psychologically. First Run Features

Red Roses And Petrol: R. The dark comedy explores the complex dynamics of love, life and the loss of a family member with delightfully scathing humor and surprising plot twists. The family of Enda Doyle (Golden Globe nominee Malcolm McDowell) gathers in Dublin for their patriarch’s eventful wake. A university librarian, poet and rascal, Enda’s legacy includes a trail of unresolved issues, a dysfunctional family, and a disturbing mystery. World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation

Chris And Don: A Love Story: Unrated. The true-life story of the three-decade relationship between British writer Christopher Isherwood and American portrait painter Don Bachardy, thirty years his junior. From Isherwood’s Kit-Kat-Club years in Weimar-era Germany (the inspiration for his most famous work) to the couple’s first meeting on the beaches of 1950s Malibu, their story is brought to life by a treasure trove of multimedia. Bachardy’s contemporary reminiscences (in the Santa Monica home he shared with Isherwood until his death in 1986) artfully interact with archival footage, rare home movies (with glimpses of pals W.H. Auden, Igor Stravinsky and Tennessee Williams), reenactments, and whimsical animations based on the cat-and-horse the pair used in their personal correspondence. Zeitgeist Film

Farmington Hills, MI (Vocus/PRWEB ) June 4, 2008 — Love movies? Looking for the next movie to watch but tired of the same old movie sites? Then you’ll love MovieRetriever.com, a new web site that combines the attitude of VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever, the definitive guide to movies on DVD and VHS, with the latest community features, such as rating movies, writing movie reviews, sharing your favorite movie lists, and following the entertainment blogs, to create a unique online experience for movie lovers.

The new site from Gale, part of Cengage Learning, is dedicated to everything movies from “the Hound’s” point of view including, movie reviews and ratings for more than 28,000 films, unusual movie lists, community recommendations, and in-depth information on more than 100,000 actors, directors, screenwriters and more. The site features critically-acclaimed movie reviews from Gone with the Wind to Iron Man” and a one-of-a-kind movie browsing experience. Offering unique movie lists like “Air Disasters” and “Wedding Hell” – as well as the ability to create and share your own lists – you will never watch movies the same way again.

“Gale is excited to launch MovieRetriever.com, a unique new offering combining the fun movie ratings and reviews from the esteemed VideoHound franchise with those created by your friends and co-workers,” said Pat Sommers, President of Gale. “The site brings together the best of what consumers love about the VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever book with the great community engagement that people expect on the Web today: in-depth information about the movies you love, refreshing movie reviews and bone ratings from the Hound’, and features that let you add your own opinions, share them with other folks who love movies and see movies in an entirely new way.”

Just like your favorite DVDs, the site is packed with special features.

• See what “the Hound” has to say about new movie releases
• Share your movie Wags (loves) and Woofs (hates) and find other people with similar tastes
• Keep up with the world of entertainment by following our wildly entertaining and informative blogs
• Create and share your own outrageous movie lists
• Contribute to next year’s VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever book Sign up online to see how.

“MovieRetriever.com is for everyone ranging from the occasional movie renter in need of a recommendation, to those obsessed with movies,” said Doug Cohol, Director of Web Product Management at Gale. “Whether the last movie you saw was E.T. or Sex and the City: The Movie, there is something for you to read about or voice your opinion on at MovieRetriever.com. You can even create and share your own movie lists, like ‘Movies with overly blatant product placements,’ if you’d like.” 

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, reference centers, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world’s information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats – books and eBooks, databases and microfilm. For more information visit: www.cengage.com or www.gale.cengage.com.

Source:
PRWeb.com

Ann Hornaday, staff writer for the Washington Post, lambasted Dario Argento’s Mother of Tears: The Third Mother and Sturart Gordon’s Stuck saying that she “didn’t get” either one and further calling the movies “sheer torture” to watch.

Of Mother of Tears (the third in a series by Argento) she said “I don’t get why, in Mother of Tears, I’m supposed to find some kind of taboo thrill in watching a young woman being strangled by her own intestine. I don’t get that Argento can write some of the most wooden dialogue and elicit some of the most risible performances to be seen in a movie (think The Da Vinci Code with an even more cockamamie mythology), but still get credit as some kind of auteur because of the ingenious weapon he creates to impale two eyeballs at once.” “To the inevitable defense that Argento’s work is simply camp, I would say that anything this aggressively hateful forfeits the right to be called camp. As Susan Sontag rightly observed, even camp at its most outlandish reveals some truth about the human condition.”

Of Stuck Hornaday said “Compared to the myriad perversions on display in Mother of Tears (culminating in the film’s star, Argento’s daughter Asia, almost drowning in a sea of sewage and cadavers — grazie, papa!), the degradations of the flesh in Stuck look almost endearingly modest.” “Although Gordon clearly has something to say about poverty, class mobility and throwaway lives, whatever substance might have oozed through Stuck is quickly stanched, to let flow the blood, gore and attempts at erotic humor (a catfight between Suvari and a naked rival played for laughs).”

In closing Hornaday said “There are things to value in Stuck, including the lead and supporting performances, and Gordon’s taut thriller-like pacing. But, like Mother of Tears, I don’t get it. I don’t get what fascinates Gordon and Argento — both men in their 60s — about thinking up new ways to inflict pain. I don’t get what’s “ingeniously nasty” about watching people suffer and die. I don’t get the “gonzo artistry” of murdering a woman by way of a symbolic rape with a sword. I don’t get why that’s entertaining, edifying, endorsed by the cinematic canon or even remotely okay.”

Stuck, rated R opened Friday May 30 and Mother of Tears, unrated opened Friday June 6.

Source:
WashingtonPost.com

The Associated Press reports that by early 2010 Comcast plans to offer most of it’s consumers 100mbps internet service. Thats fast enough to be able to download a high-definition movie in minutes.

 Comcast senior vice president of investor relations Marlene Dooner said at the Merrill Lynch U.S. Media Conference in London that the company will be deploying a technology capable of delivering up to 100 megabits of data or more per second in 20 percent of its markets by the end of 2008. Dooner said the speed was “very competitive” with Verizon’s fiber-optic Internet service which currently offers 30mbps uploads and downloads and which has about 1.8 million subscribers.

Comcast, nation’s second-largest Internet service provider and biggest cable TV operator, has been one of the most aggressive providers in deploying a wideband technology called Docsis 3.0. As competition has increased, the company’s “triple-play” package of video, Internet and phone service is no longer exclusive because phone and satellite TV companies are now offering similar packages and services. Comcast responded by offer more cost-conscious consumers economy plans and packages that bundle two services instead of three.

Comcast expects to move the majority of its analog television channels to digital in most markets by early 2010. The company had set a goal of reclaiming analog bandwidth in 20 percent of its markets this year.

Comcast’s ad revenue in 2007 topped $1.5 billion and shares of Comcast rose 9 cents to close at $22.72 Thursday.

Sources:
Verizon.com
Comcast.com
The Associated Press

FirstShowing.net reports that Tim Burton will be working with producer Johnny Depp and script writer John August on a remake of the 60’s daytime supernatural soap opera Dark Shadows. The project will be an update of the cult classic that starred Jonathan Frid as a vampire named Barnabas Collins. Johnny Depp has also been rumored to be be playing the part of Barnabas.

THR.com reports that Mel Brooks confirmed last week that he’s not closing down his production company Brooksfilms, that he founded in 1978 and that he is in fact developing a horror film called Pizzaman. Brooks said that Pizzaman would be a “serious horror film.” Rudy De Luca (Silent Movie, High Anxiety, Million Dollar Mystery, Dracula: Dead and Loving It) and Steve Haberman (Life Stinks, Dracula: Dead and Loving It) are penning the script. Brooks won’t be directing, but will be producing.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton have been cast as the two leads in the upcoming Prince of Persia. Alfred Molina and Ben Kingsley have also been confirmed. Prince of Persia is a Jerry Bruckheimer production and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’s Mike Newell is directing.

Bloody Disgusting reports that Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are is being entirely reshot. Warner Brothers will start reshooting on June 5th and will work all the way through June 30th. Correction: According to FirstShowing.net Where the Wild Things Are will reshoot from June 5th through June 30th but it may not be a complete reshoot. Quoted from Bloody Disgusting “it is unclear how much is being reshot, but there are new casting calls out for various stand-in roles.”

Bryce Dallas Howard will replace Charlotte Gainsbourgh as Kate Connor wife of John Connor, played by Christian Bale in the upcoming Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins.

Guy Ritchie is re-writing and directing Warner Bros Sherlock Holmes. Warner has been tight lipped about the plot but did say that they would be aiming to reinvent Holmes and Watson with Holmes being a more physical and adventuresome character.

Bloody Disgusting says that CineTel has gotten the remake rights to the 70’s shocker I Spit On Your Grave.

Sources:
THR
Bloody Disgusting
FirstShowing.net
Movie Web

The 17th Annual MTV Movie awards aired Sunday in spite of the earlier threat from the nearby Universal fire. Here are some of the highlights:

Best Female Performance, went to Ellen Page of Juno.

Best Fight went to Sean Faris and Cam Gigandet for their exchange in the ultimate fighter flick, Never Back Down. Sean Faris thanked his gym.

Best Summer Movie So Far went to Iron Man.

Best Male Performance went to Will Smith for I Am Legend.

Jonny Depp won Best Comedic Performance for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Best Villain for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

The 2008 MTV Generation Award went to Adam Sandler.

Breakthrough Performance award went to Zac Efron for Hairspray.

Best Kiss Award went to Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman for Step Up 2: The Streets.

The Best Movie award, went to Transformers.

And the most nominated of them all, Superbad, won 0 of its 5 nominated categories.

Sources:
MTV News
CFTK TV

The Guardian reports that a massive fire broke out at Universal Studios Hollywood Sunday morning at around 5 a.m. destroying Universal’s Back To The Future set as well as a video vault, portions of the King Kong attraction at Universal’s theme park and the old Court House Square set, a standard in movies and TV since the mid ’50s and currently in use by CBS’s Ghost Whisperer.

The L.A. Times reports that the blaze, with flames topping 90 feet and being fed by propane gas from ruptured canisters, burned until 10 a.m. and took more than 400 firefighters several hours to put out. Poor water pressure was a major issue for the firefighters as they battled the blaze with some firefighters saying they could only get ten feet of spay from the on-sight hydrants. At one point firefighters had to resort to pumping water from two man-made ponds, one of which was home to Universal’s animatronic Jaws attraction. The cause of the poor water pressure is under investigation.

Unnamed sources have said that the fire was likely started by studio workers who were using welding equipment to repair a New York street scape, which was also destroyed by the fire. The workers were using the tools at around 3 a.m. Sunday, roughly 90 minutes later the fire was detected. The workers were said to be veteran Universal employees, and appeared to have followed all fire prevention protocols.

L.A. County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said that investigators were still examining the cause and would not provide further details. “The investigation has ruled out any deliberate actions on the part of anyone,” said Freeman. When asked about a potential cause for the fire Cindy Gardner, a Universal spokeswoman, declined to comment saying only, “Anything now is speculative. We don’t have anything to disclose at this point.”

Nine firefighters and a sheriff’s deputy were reported injured during the fire.

None of the parks 30 sound-stages were damaged by the fire and 10 scheduled productions resumed filming today uninterrupted.

Sources:
The Guardian
L.A. Times
AFP.com