Posts

By Germain Lussier/March 11, 2011 11:15 am EST Three years have passed since we last saw a Steven Spielberg-directed film and it’s been six since we saw a good one. After such a long layoff, it’s insane to think that, come this December, we’ll have two Spielberg films in theaters at the same time. First we’ll get his 3D, motion capture film The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn on December 23 and then, December 28 brings the equine period epic War Horse....

First Look: Fox’s Animated ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ Television Show By Germain Lussier/Oct. 11, 2010 2:30 pm EST According to The Live Feed, the Napoleon Dynamite show will “follow the misadventures of an awkward high school teenager and his quirky friends as they struggle to navigate life in rural Idaho.” Sounds just like the movie. As for Allen Gregory, it’s about the world’s smartest seven year old who is put into public school with normal kids....

Geek Deal: Supernatural Seasons 1-4 For $69.99 By Peter Sciretta/Oct. 22, 2010 8:15 am EST We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Japanese ‘Brave’ Poster Contains New Story Elements By Germain Lussier/April 19, 2012 4:30 pm EST A few weeks back, Disney invited me up to Pixar Animation Studios to watch the first 30 minutes of their new film Brave. The fantastic segment ended just as the main character, Merida, finds a mysterious cabin in the woods (no, not that one). Once the lights came up, everyone realized most everything we’ve seen from the film – both in clips and trailers – was included in that first 30 minutes of the movie....

Julie Taymor May Be Replaced As Director Of ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark’ By Russ Fischer/March 8, 2011 10:00 am EST What a strange beast Julie Taymor’s Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has become. Despite scathing reviews and the negative publicity from injuries suffered by cast members, the show is doing huge business even as the official opening date has been pushed multiple times. We’d heard recently that the show’s book might be reworked by a new writer (Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who has written Spider-Man for Marvel) and that additional work was being done on the music and other aspects....

Kenneth Branagh In Talks To Direct Paramount’s Jack Ryan Reboot By Russ Fischer/March 27, 2012 3:00 pm EST Paramount has spent a couple years trying to engineer a new film based on Tom Clancy’s character Jack Ryan, previously seen in films like The Hunt For Red October and Patriot Games, where he was played by Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford, respectively. Chris Pine (Star Trek, This Means War) has been attached to play Ryan for quite some time, but the project has gone through a parade of writers, and even with director Jack Bender (Lost) attached, couldn’t quite get moving....

Kristen Stewart Offered ‘Akira’ [Updated] By Angie Han/Nov. 15, 2011 11:15 am EST [UPDATE: Deadline has confirmed that Stewart is in advanced talks for the part of Kei in Akira.] I don’t have the numbers to back it up, but if I had to guess I’d say there’s a sizable overlap between /Film readers, Twilight haters, and people dreading Warner Bros.’ Akira remake. So I’m guessing that this bit of news is not about to go over so well....

LOL: Watch How A Jerry Bruckheimer Pitch Meeting Works By Russ Fischer/May 20, 2011 1:00 pm EST If you take the plunge and watch Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides this weekend, you might leave the theater wondering how the hell that movie was greenlit. Sometimes it all starts with a pitch meeting, and the video below is a recreation of how pitching ideas to Jerry Bruckheimer might really work....

Marc Forster To Direct ‘Cowboy Ninja Viking’ For Universal By Russ Fischer/Feb. 28, 2012 4:00 pm EST You might recall, from a year and a half back, that Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wenick were hired to script a film for Disney called Cowboy Ninja Viking. The project was based on the Image Comics work by AJ Lieberman and Riley Rossmo, and features warriors boasting multiple personalities, the better to be prepared to take on a variety of tasks....

New ‘Underworld Awakening’ Trailer Claims All Bets Are Off By Russ Fischer/Dec. 23, 2011 10:00 am EST A movie was out earlier this year that culminated with the birth of a half-human, half-vampire girl. Breaking something, I don’t remember the exact title. Next month there will be another movie with a half-vampire hybrid girl, and it looks like an action movie antidote to the gooey Twilight series. Whether or not you’re among the throngs of eager Selene-oglers, you can check out a new look at the fourth Underworld movie, Underworld Awakening, below....

Pete Docter And Andrew Stanton Are Developing A Pixar Short Film By Russ Fischer/Feb. 14, 2012 3:45 pm EST Most of the information we have here is right in the headline, but just in case you’ve been wondering whether the live-action John Carter means that director Andrew Stanton has left Pixar for good, the answer is no. The director is still doing some work at the storied animation house. While there isn’t a new feature development on the horizon, Stanton is working on a new short with another big Pixar talent....

Sundance Movie Review/Video Blog: Splice - It’s Messed Up By David Chen/Jan. 31, 2010 4:20 pm EST Director Vincenzo Natali won plaudits for his low-budget 1997 film, Cube, in which he demonstrated an ability to create a moody, atmospheric thriller. This year, his sci-fi film Splice screened at Sundance. Having won some acclaim already at Sitges 2009, Splice was one of my most anticipated movies of the fest. Hit the jump to hear some of my thoughts on the film and watch a video discussion of the film with the guys at the blogger condo....

Sylvester Stallone Producing ‘Rocky’ Musical By Angie Han/Nov. 21, 2011 3:00 pm EST From the files of “so crazy it just might work” comes Rocky: The Musical, a new stage show being developed by star Sylvester Stallone and world champion boxing brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko. And though my initial reaction was to dismiss it as another Broadway disaster — Rocky belting out showtunes? Really? — there’s something about the idea that actually makes a weird sort of sense....

Teaser Poster: Kevin Smith’s ‘Red State’ By Russ Fischer/Oct. 31, 2010 12:19 pm EST I haven’t seen Kevin Smith’s Red State yet — not a single frame or still photo even — and already I hope he makes more like it. Why? Because reading what he’s got to say about the movie, the first thing that comes across is that he’s got a tremendous passion for it. He’s got passion for all his projects, sure, but this one seems different....

The 15 Films Eligible For The 2010 Best Documentary Oscar (Catfish, Best Worst Movie And Joan Rivers Snubbed) By Germain Lussier/Nov. 18, 2010 2:30 pm EST Usually, when The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces their short list of documentaries eligible for the Best Documentary Oscar, a dark cloud comes over my day. Pretty regularly, some of my favorite films haven’t been eligible for a nomination. Shut Up and Sing, The September Issue and Dear Zachary all come to mind as heartbreaking snubs....

The Ones Who Knock S5E08 - Gliding Over All (GUEST: Alison Willmore From Indiewire) By David Chen/Sept. 3, 2012 11:00 am EST The Ones Who Knock is a podcast featuring recaps and reviews of each week’s episode of AMC’s Breaking Bad. This week, Joanna Robinson from Pajiba and Dave Chen discuss the eighth episode of season 5, “Gliding Over All.” Special guest Alison Willmore joins us from Indiewire. Be sure to check out the Breaking Bad recaps of Donna Bowman and Myles McNutt....

‘Chronicle’ Director Josh Trank Unsure About Sequel; Working On Other Original Ideas At Fox By Russ Fischer/Feb. 17, 2012 1:30 pm EST Chronicle, the ’teens with powers’ movie that hit two weeks ago, almost instantly established director Josh Trank and screenwriter Max Landis as talents to watch. Trank has a deal with Fox, and is in the midst of developing new projects, even as rumors fly that the studio has an eye on him to reboot the Fantastic Four....

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Viral Puts Out The Call To Arrest Batman, Reveals Trailer Images By Russ Fischer/April 30, 2012 7:30 am EST In the past few weeks The Avengers has turned into the summer’s first superhero juggernaut, and Fox’s Prometheus has taken the lead in capturing the attention of event-movie trainspotters, thanks to an excellent ad campaign. In comparison, Warner Bros. and The Dark Knight Rises have seemed fairly quiet....

‘The Haunting In Connecticut’ Editor To Direct ‘A Haunting In Georgia’ By Russ Fischer/April 15, 2010 5:28 am EST Want to become a director? Start working as an editor, and angle for horror/thriller gigs. As an example, Kevin Greutert edited the Saw films before directing the sixth and now seventh films in that franchise. (And was tapped to direct Paranormal Activity 2 before LionsGate said no.) And now Tom Elkins, who edited The Haunting in Connecticut, is being promoted....

Casting Bits: Josh Pence Signs Up For ‘More As This Story Develops’, Annette Bening Joins ‘He Loves Me’, Robert De Niro Considering ‘The Silver Linings Playbook’ By Angie Han/June 20, 2011 12:00 pm EST Most audiences probably wouldn’t recognize Josh Pence from his big role in The Social Network — after all, his face was completely edited out of the film — but it looks like the part’s paid off for Pence all the same....