Mad Max certainly has come a long way since 1979 – 30 years ago! – when Mel Gibson inhabited him for the princely sum of $15,000.
George Miller has written, directed and/or produced all the “Mad Max” movies, and he’s at it again. Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy are rumored to be in talks for “Mad Max: Road Fury,” looking at a 2011 release date.
The Hollywood Reporter is now reporting that the movie will film Down Under next year in Sydney and outback New South Wales. Warner Brothers yanked “Green Lantern” off the continent, so maybe this movie and its $100 million budget will help to fill the void.
Paul McCartney once claimed, “If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian.” He was talking about Brian Epstein, the Fab Four’s discoverer and manager from 1961 until his early death in 1967. Like many other famous people who died young, Epstein is finally being given his own biopic, Variety reports. Titled “A Life in the Day” -- a play on the title of the classic Beatles tune, "A Day in the Life" -- the project rests in the capable hands of producer David Permut (“Face/Off”) and screenwriter Tony Gittelson.
Permut, who is also working on biopics about Sam Kinison and John DeLorean, will try to get the rights to as many Beatles songs as possible for the film, but he says the focus will be on Epstein and the formation of the band, so a lot of famous tunes aren’t necessary. Still, the roles of John, Paul, George and Ringo will have to be significant. Maybe not big enough to warrant big stars portraying the iconic figures, but considering there’s never been a straight and comprehensive biopic about any of the actual Beatles, I’d love to see some familiar faces take on those roles.
The interesting thing about an Epstein biopic is that it does continue the idea that The Beatles were so huge they require a whole bunch of little biopics that may eventually all come together to cover the guys’ entire lives and careers. For example, this movie is like a sequel to 1994’s “Backbeat,” which concentrated on former Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe during the early days of the band.
There’s also “Birth of the Beatles,” which centered on the same period, “Chapter 27,” about the death of John Lennon and the made-for-TV movies “John and Yoko: A Love Story,” “Two of Us” and “The Linda McCartney Story” providing cinematic depictions of little snippets from the nearly 70 years of Beatle existence. Plus, there’s a new movie coming out in the UK this December about Lennon’s childhood titled “Nowhere Boy.”
And let’s not forget that the Beatles’ own films are now being remade, too. Just one so far, “Yellow Submarine,” though it’s doubtful anyone could find good reason to redo any of the others.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how much “A Life in the Day” focuses on the Fab Four, since Epstein was so instrumental in making them famous. Not to mention the fact that his death was a big factor in the band’s breakup, according to Lennon. Expect to spend much of the film's running time immersed in the businessman’s personal conflicts, such as his drug and gambling addictions and his somewhat closeted homosexuality.
But the audience will probably be hungrier for scenes dealing with Epstein’s career with The Beatles, climaxing with his frustrating lack of influence on the band in the final year of his life and, of course, ending with his accidental Carbitral overdose.
Do you hope this biopic focuses mainly on Epstein’s time as The Beatles’ manager? Who do you think should play the Beatles, including the honorary Fifth member?
Hirsch, who helped conceive of the idea of this college-set take on the tragic play, mentioned a film he’s looking to for inspiration. “It’s almost like mixing ‘Hamlet’ with ‘The Shining’ a little bit,” he told Collider.com, “and making this kind of scary-cool vision of the play.”
Of course, the movie will still be geared toward a younger audience, Hirsch says. So don’t expect any nude female ghosts that age suddenly before Hamlet’s eyes. But maybe the ghost of Hamlet’s father can ride around on a tricycle? Or, perhaps the titular prince can tear through a door with an axe as he shouts, “This is I, Hamlet the Dane!”
Okay, seriously... Hirsch’s idea that this “Hamlet” will be a Kubrick-influenced supernatural horror movie is interesting, and something of a relief. It's certainly reasonable to think that Hardwicke’s involvement means it’s going to be more of a supernatural-centered story with a specific target audience in mind. You know, since “Twilight” is kind of a big deal these days.
If Hirsch’s vision for “Hamlet” ends up being as good in its execution as it sounds on paper, I’ll be more hopeful that Hardwicke’s next teen-oriented supernatural pic, “The Girl With the Red Riding Hood,” will be worth seeing as well.
Are you more interested in this version of “Hamlet” now that it might be scary? How could elements of Kubrick's "The Shining" be made to fit into a work like "Hamlet"?
Rumors are ugly, vicious beasts. They raise our hopes with wild speculation, hopes which are all too frequently dashed beneath the cold, harsh light of reality. Still, a brother can dream, right? Remember when, a couple weeks back, I started frothing at the mouth over a spec script that "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" writer Stuart Beattie had written for "Halo: Fall of Reach"? Well there have been some developments, it seems.
For those who don't know, writing something like a script on "spec" means that you're doing it on your own time and with no certainty of actually selling the thing. In Beattie's case, he's a dedicated gamer who sees a lot of potential in the "Halo" franchise. Hollywood is rife with gamers these days, but few are higher-profile than "Boom Blox" producer and blockbuster originator Steven Spielberg. As this rumored luck should have it, Spielberg read Beattie's script and was "blown away" by it.
"Halo" was previously in the hands of Peter Jackson, who was going to produce the video game adaptation with newcomer Neill Blomkamp at the helm. Despite Blomkamp's months of prep work, "Halo" fell apart for a variety of reasons. Not that anyone should be complaining, as the loss of that project pushed Blomkamp and Jackson into next week's surefire summer favorite, "District 9."
The rumor comes to us via IESB, who cite an unnamed source. Spielberg and Beattie are both repped by Creative Artists Agency, so there's already an easy connection. The site reportedly triple-checked the information with "studio executives" and "close ties to CAA," so the info certainly seems legit. Especially since Beattie and Spielberg appear to be kindred spirits on the interactive entertainment front.
All I'm saying is that this had better be accurate. As a lover of the blockbuster in all of its terrible glory, Spielberg is a bit of an icon to me. It was enough to know that he was dipping his hands into gaming via a partnership with Electronic Arts, the collaboration that gave us "Boom Blox." This "Halo" thing though... wow. Let's just hope he zips through "Harvey" quickly enough that he'll be free to direct it. That's a "Halo" movie I want to see.
What do you make of this news? Can Spielberg do game adaptations right on film, where so many have failed before him?
Don't ever let anybody tell you that fighting for freedom wherever there's trouble is easy. Despite becoming the fourth biggest August debut of all time thanks to a strong $22.3 million Friday opening, "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" only earned $18 million on Saturday, a 16% drop from its opening day figures. The result is a projected $56.2 million opening weekend according to studio number-crunchers.
Deadline Hollywood Daily points out that the movie's solid rankings -- it scored a B+ CinemaScore rating and an A- for viewers under 18-years-old -- are deceiving given the hefty price it cost to film "G.I. Joe" in the first place. With some high profile pictures coming out in the next two weeks, including "District 9" and the long-awaited "Inglourious Basterds" from Quentin Tarantino, it's unlikely that "Cobra" will rise to Paramount's $300 million projection. Still, where the film could fail in ticket prices, it's likely to pick up in action figures and related merchandise.
While "G.I. Joe" got tangled in the trenches, "Julie & Julia" cooked up a surprising amount of success. The film opened to $7.5 million on Friday, increasing to $7.8 million the following day. Current estimates peg the Julia Child biopic at a $20.1 million opening weekend. One of the key ingredients to "Julia's" success is the specific audience that's flocking to theaters. "This was maybe the oldest audience I can remember," a rival studio executive told Deadline Hollywood Daily. "55% of the moviegoers were over the age of 50."
The bottom three contenders remain in place, with "G-Force" yielding $4.1 million on Saturday and a weekend total of $9.8 million. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Funny People" raked in $3.7 million and $3 million on Saturday respectively with a weekend total of $8.9 million and $7.9 million.
Have you gotten out for "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" or "Julie & Julia" yet? Have their performances matched or diverged from your own predictions? Let us know in the comments section or on Twitter!
Good news from IndieWire: As of this weekend, Marc Webb's delightful (500) Days of Summer is the top-grossing "specialty film" release of 2009. BTW: Another movie featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt also made some money at the box-office this weekend.Nessun tag per questo post.
With blue and red lasers a-blazing, "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" stormed the box office on Friday to a $22 million dollar opening, on track to earn a respectable $55 million this weekend. The success might surprise the readers following our Box Office Poll -- after questionable trailers, some potentially damaging rumors about the director and other signs of failure, many of you expected "Rise of Cobra" to sink. Now we know -- remember kids: knowing is half the battle -- and it's not just ticket sales that the real American heroes are making bank on.
"This property will sell hundreds of millions of dollars of Hasbro toys that we get a royalty in," an unnamed Paramount Pictures executive reminds Deadline Hollywood Daily. "And given the action, this will be a huge seller on DVD."
Even though the gun-toting soldiers commandeered the top spot, there was another film with a winning recipe this week: the Meryl Streep-led "Julie & Julia" debuted to a $7.5 million dollar opening.
According to Deadline Hollywood Daily, the film's Friday success is reflective of "massive free media coverage because of its subject matter -- American cooking icon Julia Child. The result was that Nora Ephron's foodie pic will make back half of its budget with its projected opening weekend." Not a bad start for a movie that cost only $40 million to make.
The rest of Friday's box office battlers performed between the $2 - 3 million mark. "G-Force" took the bronze hamster wheel with $2.8 million, while the spells and jokes of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Funny People" failed to rake in more than $2.4 million.
Which movie is getting your ticket price this weekend? Will you rise with "Cobra" or cook with "Julia"? Tell us your plans in the comments section or on Twitter!
The late John Hughes defined film in the '80s, reinventing popular comedies with teen-oriented works like “The Breakfast Club” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” His mark on the medium is visible even today, with concepts he introduced still being used to make high schoolers more relatable and road trips funnier. The impact extends beyond subtextual nods. There are many filmmakers who appreciate his work so much that they turn to overt references.
Most recently in “The Hangover,” Zach Galifianakis’s Alan said “My dad loves this car more than me,” referencing the car he and his soon-to-be-hungover pals are driving to Las Vegas. It is a throwback to the classic “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” moment when Cameron says of his father’s vintage Ferrari: “My father loves this car more than life itself.” Ironically enough, both vehicles are subsequently destroyed when hijinx ensue.
Hughes’ angsty teen films were perfect joke material for 2001’s “Not Another Teen Movie." One of the clearest references comes when a high schooler serving time in detention argues with the principal, played again by Paul Gleason. You remember him as the evil Principal Vernon from Hughes' "The Breakfast Club."
Smaller nods to Hughes’ work have been seen in a variety of other films. In “Don’t Say A Word,” Michael Douglas’s daughter is a huge fan of “Home Alone.” In “Be Kind Rewind,” “National Lampoon’s Vacation” is mentioned in dialogue.” Also, in “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” that whole offensive mole scene pays homage to Uncle Buck's (John Candy) classic encounter with an... ummm... homely school principal.
Few have loved to reference Hughes' work as much as Kevin Smith. In “Dogma” most specifically, there is an entire dialogue exchange in which Jay (Jason Mewes) lobbies for a detour to "The Breakfast Club"'s fictional Shermer, Illinois. Why? Because “all the honeys are top-shelf, but all the dudes are whiny p--sies -- except for Judd Nelson, he was f--kin' harsh -- but best of all, there was no one dealin', man; then, it hits me: we could live like phat rats if we were the blunt connection in Shermer, Illinois.”
Hughes is mentioned again in the same movie when Salma Hayek’s Serendipty, an Earthbound muse, says she is responsible for every movie in the top 20 highest grossing films, except for “Home Alone,” which she said she had nothing to do with. She actually gets a bit more graphic than that, but I've cleaned it up a bit. Clearly, Smith didn't love all of Hughes' works.
And then, of course, there's this:
"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane is an unabashed fan of John Hughes, frequently referencing the filmmaker's films in his own work. This is just a small sampling; now we want to hear from you.
What is your favorite reference of one of John Hughes’ films? Hit the comments below or post your thoughts on video at Your MTV (tag it "John Hughes impact").
"Casi Divas" (translated: "Almost Divas") hit Mexican theaters in April and now it's coming here to the United States on August 21 in a limited release. The story follows four women, all of them from different parts of Mexico, who are in competition to star in the next movie from Alejandro Mateos (Julio Bracho), the country's most powerful producer. The foursome form a tight friendship as Eva Gallardo (Patricia Llaca), a bonafide diva, schemes to win the part for herself.
The movie was directed by Issa Lopez, who has written a number of films. "Casi Divas" marks her debut in the U.S. as a director. The film also features a score from legendary composer Hans Zimmer. Check out our exclusive trailer below:
Critically Acclaimed IMAX® 3D Co-Production From Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX Corporation Returns for a Special Limited Time Engagement
Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX Corporation (Nasdaq:IMAX) (TSX:IMX) today announced that Under the Sea 3D, narrated by Jim Carrey, will return to select IMAX® theatres for a special limited time engagement beginning Wednesday, August 19th. Last February, Under the Sea 3D opened to strong reviews in 49 IMAX theatres domestically and three locations internationally and has since grossed more than $15 million in worldwide box office.
Under the Sea 3D offers a uniquely inspirational and entertaining way to explore the ocean wilderness. Moviegoers will be able to experience face-to-face encounters with some of the most mysterious and stunning creatures of the sea. In IMAX® 3D, the images literally leap off the screen and float around the theatre, putting the audience IN the movie.
Under the Sea 3D follows the 2006 box office hit Deep Sea 3D, which has surpassed $80 million in worldwide box office receipts. Deep Sea 3D continues to draw audiences after 150 weeks in release, demonstrating the strong legs and significant appeal for which original IMAX 3D productions are often known.
“We are delighted to offer more audiences in more places the opportunity to experience this breathtakingly beautiful and inspiring original IMAX 3D underwater adventure from the talented filmmakers behind Deep Sea 3D,” said Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
“Under the Sea 3D is a must-see for audiences of all ages. This is a shining example of what IMAX and this esteemed filmmaking team does best. We’re thrilled that more moviegoers can now take the plunge and experience up-close some of the most extraordinary marine creatures ever filmed — all in amazing IMAX 3D,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment.
Under the Sea 3D was filmed in IMAX 3D by award-winning Director/Cinematographer Howard Hall, produced by Toni Myers, executive produced by Graeme Ferguson, and produced for Howard Hall Productions by Michele Hall. In addition to Under the Sea 3D and Deep Sea 3D, Hall, Ferguson and Myers were all part of the accomplished filmmaking team behind IMAX’s first underwater 3D adventure, Into The Deep, which has grossed more than $70 million since its 1991 release.
Under the Sea 3D is scheduled to play at the following IMAX theatres beginning August 19th.
Arizona
Mesa – Gateway 12 IMAX
Phoenix – AMC Deer Valley 30 with IMAX
California
Aliso Viejo – Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20 & IMAX
Arcadia – AMC Santa Anita 16 & IMAX
Burbank – AMC Burbank 16 & IMAX
Camarillo – Edwards Camarillo Palace Stadium 12 & IMAX
El Dorado Hills – Regal Cinemas El Dorado Hills Stadium 14 & IMAX
Emeryville – AMC Bay Street 16 & IMAX
Fairfield – Edwards Fairfield Stadium 16 & IMAX
Long Beach – Edwards Long Beach 26 & IMAX
Los Angeles – AMC Century City 15 & IMAX
Rowland Heights – AMC Puente Hills 20 & IMAX
San Diego – AMC Palm Promenade 24 & IMAX
Santa Clara – AMC Mercado 20 & IMAX
Simi Valley – Regal Civic Center Plaza 16 & IMAX
South Gate – Edwards South Gate Stadium 20 & IMAX
Stockton – Regal City Centre Stadium 16 & IMAX
Torrance – AMC Del Amo 18 & IMAX
Woodland Hills – AMC Promenade 16 & IMAX
Nevada
Henderson – Regal Sunset Station Stadium 13 & IMAX
Las Vegas – Regal Red Rock Stadium 16 & IMAX
North Las Vegas – Regal Aliante Stadium 16 & IMAX
New Hampshire
Hooksett – Cinemagic & IMAX in Hooksett
New Jersey
Hamilton – AMC Hamilton 24 & IMAX
New York
Albany – Regal Crossgates Mall 18 & IMAX
Brooklyn – UA Sheepshead Bay Stadium 14 & IMAX
Deer Park – Regal Deer Park Stadium 16 & IMAX
New York City – AMC Empire 25 & IMAX
New York City – AMC Loews 34th Street 14 & IMAX
Stony Brook – AMC Stony Brook 17 & IMAX
Washington
Bellevue – Lincoln Square Cinemas IMAX Theatre
Kent – AMC Kent Station & IMAX
Lacey – Regal Martin Village Stadium 16 & IMAX
Seattle – Regal Thornton Place Stadium 14 & IMAX
Tukwila – AMC Southcenter 16 & IMAX
George Miller has written, directed and/or produced all the “Mad Max” movies, and he’s at it again. Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy are rumored to be in talks for “Mad Max: Road Fury,” looking at a 2011 release date. 
Paul McCartney once claimed, “If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian.” He was talking about Brian Epstein, the Fab Four’s discoverer and manager from 1961 until his early death in 1967. Like many other famous people who died young, Epstein is finally 
While talking to 
Rumors are ugly, vicious beasts. They raise our hopes with wild speculation, hopes which are all too frequently dashed beneath the cold, harsh light of reality. Still, a brother can dream, right? Remember when, a couple weeks back, I started 
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