Entertainment Today and Beyond

Never Met a Zombi I Didn’t Like…

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: BLU-RAY dominance around the corner, DEFINITLY, MAYBE highly recommended and FRIDAY THE 13TH trying to generate some buzz at COMIC-CON!

Has anyone else noticed the way Blockbuster is selling off its inventory of six month old or less DVD’s in bins of 4 titles for $20 bucks. This to me is a clear sign the chain is in the early, if not mid-range stages of gearing up for the boom we should see in the Blu-ray format within the next year. I would be very surprised if Blu-ray DVD players are not slashed to under $200 by this Christmas. At that point all Studios will most likely follow and release all new titles in the $19.99 range, dramatically increasing the interest in the High Definition format.

Every once in a while you come across a film on DVD that becomes quite a pleasant surprise. Well I caught one of those last weekend when I got a chance to watch DEFINITLY, MAYBE. This is a very well written and directed (Adam Brooks) movie that features the best performance in Ryan Reynolds career. While it was marketed as a romantic comedy its plays more like a light drama with Reynolds playing a thirty something, soon to be divorced, father that recounts how he met her mother to his inquisitive young daughter. Besides Reynolds, the film’s other big plus is actress Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers). I think she’s a highly appealing talent who has everything it takes to be a big star in the business. Overall Definitely, Maybe is one terrific movie and a great choice when you rent your next DVD.

Members of Michael Bay’s production company, Platinum Dunes, were at the Comic-Con convention this weekend trying to create some buzz for its FRIDAY THE 13TH remake which comes out in Feb of 2009. I have to believe this will be a better overall product than Rob Zombies re-telling of HALLOWEEN. This was very intriguing for its first 45 minutes or so before taking a bad creative turn when the storyline introduced the very underwritten Laurie Strode character, which felt completely rushed and ill-respected. With the comic book movie craze at a boiling point, maybe this new Jason film can give the horror genre center stage, if only for a weekend, when it comes out next year.

July 28, 2008 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

BOX OFFICE REPORT: BATMAN CONTINUES TO FLY HIGH, STEP BROTHERS OPENS WELL AND X-FILES WANTED TO BELIEVE IT HAD AN AUDIENCE!

Warner Bros THE DARK KNIGHT continues to be an impressive force at the nations box-office as the acclaimed film had a 75 mill weekend, pulling in over 314 mill in its first 10 days of release. Pretty IMPRESSIVE!

Sony’s STEP BROTHERS looks to be a safe haven for those looking for laughs as the Will Ferrell comedy had a 30 mill weekend, bringing in 11.75 Friday in its first day in release.

Fox’s X-FILES: I Want to Believe appears to be dead on arrival as it opened to a disappointing 4 mill on Friday and only pulled in 10.2 mill for the entire weekend. Fox made a huge mistake by releasing the film just one week after the Batman juggernaut went into effect. This was much better suited for a backend of August date. It’s too bad, because I think it’s a pretty good movie. The movies budget was listed as 30 million. 

One other bit of box-office news of interest – It appears Universal’s movie musical Mamma Mia will have some legs as it’s consistently playing to the adult crowd and should eventually hit 100 mill at the U.S box-office when all is said and done. It pulled in another 17.8 mill over the weekend and did very consistent numbers throughout the week.  VIEW BOX OFFICE TOTALS

July 27, 2008 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | Leave a Comment

WATCHMEN CREATE BUZZ, DEXTER LOOKS TO BE BETTER THAN EVER AND THE SAW IS GETTING REVED UP ONCE AGAIN!

Watchmen

Watchmen

It appears that the one movie that will come away from this year’s Comic-Con convention in San Diego with the strongest buzz is Warner Bros WATCHMEN. Talk is ablaze all over the net about the film based on the extensive 12 part comic series by Alan Moore. It’s directed by Zach Snyder (300, Dawn of the Dead) and it already looks like it should be one of the big events at the multiplexes come March 2009. Speaking of this film, according to the Hollywood-Elsewhere website, the studio wants Synder to release the film with a 2.5 hour running time. As is, Snyder’s cut is believed to be at 3 hours. My only beef with the footage I’ve seen is Snyder’s use of slow motion photography. I have to say I have never liked it. I would have hated if Chris Nolan used that technique in his Batman world. For me, when I watch a film, I want to be sucked into the realness of it and the slow motion thing always takes me out of that realm. Still Watchmen looks extremely promising!  Watch the Trailer

Dexter

Dexter

From the TV side of things, Producers and star Michael C. Hall of the Showtime hit DEXTER were also on hand at the Comic-Con convention, pumping up season three of their terrific series. They bring word that episode one of the new season will be quite the stunner, setting things in motion for something really special. I can’t wait!

Lionsgate just released its first teaser trailer to the October release of SAW 5. I must admit it’s amazing that the studio has maintained its audience base after the first four installments. Personally, I happened to love the first one and, while the sequels weren’t as original, they served their purpose. I’m sure the fifth one will do quite alright. The question I have – Will it ever end?  Here’s a LOOK

July 27, 2008 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , , , , , | Leave a Comment

X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE – AND FOR THE MOST PART I DID!

While I can’t call myself an X-files aficionado, I’m certainly familiar enough with the main premise of the popular series, which ran from 1993-2002, to know what to expect and, for the most part, I was satisfied by what is basically a good old fashioned detective story combined with the feeling of sharing the company of old friends. While that might sound a bit clichéd, that’s exactly how I felt as I watched the movie. The film’s writer, director and series creator, Chris Carter, doesn’t try to do anything overly special for this second big screen entry. Instead he mounts a fairly well crafted, although not spectacular, thought provoking story anchored by his two lead characters, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Skully (Gillian Anderson).

The plot is pretty straightforward as the story involves mysterious multiple kidnappings, the reuniting of the Mulder and Skully characters which I thought was pretty cool, and a subplot built around the Skully character and stem cell research. I know I’m being a bit vague in my overall description but I think the less you know going in the more you will enjoy it, especially not knowing what Mulder and Skully have been doing since their last appearance six years ago when the series ended. Carter’s script raises issues of faith, perseverance and even morality and it kept me interested throughout. Duchovny and Anderson still have a nice chemistry together, and I truly enjoyed revisiting these two characters again. Billy Connelly (Last Samurai) and Amanda Peet (The Whole Nine Yards) are solid in supporting roles. Peet plays the FBI agent in charge of their new missing person investigation and Connelly plays a fallen Priest who may or may not have psychic abilities. Overall, will this film blow you away? NO! Will it entertain fans of the show and semi-fans like me? I say yes! I believe there’s still something to be said for well crafted, story driven movies with solid characters. That’s what this X-Files film is, and for that, I enjoyed it.

July 26, 2008 Posted by | Reviews | , , | Leave a Comment

ROBOCOP HAS ITS DIRECTOR – PLUS, COULD WE BE HEADING BACK TO THE TWILIGHT ZONE?

I must admit I’m happy that MGM is moving quickly with its plans to sequalize/re-boot its ROBOCOP franchise as they have announced that director Darren Aronofsky ( The Fountain) has been officially signed on to helm the project and David Self (Road to Perdition) will pen the script. Personally, I think there’s a ton of potential in the Robocop franchise as the original, directed by Paul Verhoeven, was a thought provoking and extremely well made piece that was easily one of the very best genre films of the 80’s. It also featured his trademark over-the-top violence, which added to the movies staying power long after you viewed it. I hope Aronofsky can do the materiel the justice it deserves, although he’s certainly an unproven commodity when it comes to big budget movie territory and certainly not a sure thing as far as storytelling ability is concerned. I have to say, other than a handfull of people in the business right now like Chris Nolan, Sam Raimi , James Cameron and maybe a few others, you just don’t know if many of these upcoming directors that many like to label as Visionary, can tell a compelling story to match there unique visual talents. At this point I’ll give Aronofsky the benefit of the doubt and hope he delivers something special. MGM hopes to have the film in theaters for a 2010 release.

Interesting piece in Variety today about Leonardo Dicaprio’s production company Appian Way and Warner Bros being in the early stages of bringing the classic Rod Serling  60’s television show THE TWILIGHT ZONE to the big screen. Warner produced a feature Twilight Zone movie back n 1983 with four directors; Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, George Miller and John Landis all directing one installment each. Three of those were based on classic episodes while the Landis entry was an original story. While Dantes and Millers entries faired the best, the movie was mostly remembered for causing the death of actor Vic Morrow and two child actors who were killed in a tragic accident while filming a scene involving a helicopter. Morrow’s overall segment was left in the finished movie which continues to be an eerie watch to this day. Variety reports that the plan is to do one feature length movie based on a single idea. I have always believed Rod Serling was one of entertainment’s greatest talents. He was not only a visionary, but a thought provoking storyteller who’s influence continues today with all of M. Night Shylaman’s films and LOST which I believe is the best television program on the airwaves today. I am certainly looking forward to see how this progresses.

July 25, 2008 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , , , | Leave a Comment

THIS WEEKS NEW RELEASES, COMIC CON, AND AN INTERESTING DARK KNIGHT ARTICLE WORTH A READ!

Looking at tomorrow’s two new theatrical releases, Fox’s X-Files: I Want To Believe opens to a 29% positive review rating on RottenTomatoes. With Advance tracking reportedly looking fairly weak, the studio will have to hope core fans of the show come out of the woodwork and give the second big screen outing a respectable opening. STEP BROTHERS currently has a 61% positive rating on the

Aaron Eckhart

Aaron Eckhart

same site. I expect this Will Ferrell-John C. Reilly comedy to open to around 35 mill in business. I need to make note that neither of these two films will stop the juggernaut that is The Dark Knight which will be the top attraction at the movies for a second straight weekend. No surprise there.

Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder

Advance reviews are starting to come in pretty strong on TROPIC THUNDER, the action comedy starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr.. I have a gut feeling that this might be the movie of choice in the month of August. Tropic Thunder opens on the on August 13th, a week after The Pineapple Express rolls into theaters.

The big news out of COMIC CON today in San Diego was that Hugh Jackman made a surprise visit showing up with some cool footage (so I’m told) of his just wrapped WOLVERINE movie. Since I think Jackman is a class act, I really hope the film (which he also produced) delivers for fans that really dig this character. Wolverine hit’s theaters next May! Comic Con, which originated in 1970, has really developed into the biggest and most important convention for Hollywood to generate buzz for their product! Last years event drew over 125,000 fans during its four day run.

I caught this article by chance when it was backlinked to my site. It’s a really interesting take on THE DARK KNIGHT by a man of deep faith. I think its well worth reading as it’s very well thought out. Here’s the LINK

July 25, 2008 Posted by | Reviews | Leave a Comment

More HAIR SPRAY, BURTON gets his ALICE and 90210 spin off could be interesting!

Hair Spray

Hair Spray

According to Variety, New Line Cinema and HAIRSPRAY Creator John Waters have struck a deal to move forward on a sequel to last year’s hit musical which starred John Travolta and the terrific new comer, Nikki Blansky. Director Adam Shankman, along with Tony winning songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman will be back to head the creative team. Waters will come up with a storyline treatment which will center on the Turnblad family right where the last film left off in Baltimore of 1962. The trade also reports that while none of the original cast had sequel options Warner Bros hopes to get them all back. The studio is looking to get the finished product in theaters for a mid-July 2010 release. Personally I love the idea as I thought Hairspray was the best movie musical since GREASE back in 1978.  

Mia Wasikowska

Mia Wasikowska

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Director Tim Burton has cast 18-year-old Australian actress, Mia Wasikowska, in his big budget live action version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND which will be produced by Disney. Wasikowska, a relatively unknown, can currently be seen on the HBO show “In Treatment.” The Alice in Wonderland story and Director Tim Burton seems, at least on paper, like a match made in Heaven. The trade is also reporting that Disney and Burton will shoot the film in a 3-D process.

The CW network is already heavily promoting its 90210 spin-off show that premieres this September 1st. I must say, I find the fact that they have signed original cast members Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling and Shannon Doherty to play a big part in the series very interesting although the show will focus more on a nucleus of young actors that will head up the cast. Actress Lori Loughlin (Summerland) will also be a big component of the new show. Personally I was a big fan of the original series and I really hope they can create something equal in quality. The success or failure of 90210 will be very important for the fledgling CW network as it hasn’t made much of an inroad in terms of ratings since its inception.

July 24, 2008 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

ETB Radio and another release of STAR WARS – are you kidding?!

I want to thank all our ENTERTAINMENT TODAY AND BEYOND readers for their support of our new radio show. My co-host, Michael Cooper, and I have set a goal to develop the very best produced movie and television related broadcast possible and we know you will enjoy listening. A brand new show can be heard every week.  Please spread the word and let us know what you want to TALK about!

Thoughts of the day – I have to say I’m a bit perplexed after seeing the story about George Lucas being gung ho about the possibility of re-releasing all six of his STAR WARS movies in the 3-D process. Please George – enough with the past! What fans really want to see is you pulling a real life Rocky Balboa, by giving us one last fight and creating something totally fresh that will blow us all away. Star Wars (the original 3) will always have its place in the hall of fame of cinema but that’s the past. If not Rocky Balboa, pull a Roy Hobbs and hit something totally new right out of the park. It’s hard to believe you don’t have it in you!

July 24, 2008 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , , | Leave a Comment

« Previous Entries     Next Entries »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.