 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?
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Posted by Christopher Campbell
 While talking to Emile Hirsch this week about his new movie “Taking Woodstock,” Collider.com got some new details on the actor’s upcoming reunion with “Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke. The two previously worked together on “Lords of Dogtown,” and now they’re closely collaborating on a modernized version of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”
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"?
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 We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. Sort of. Twitter-Wood and Around the Blogosphere will not be seen today; Warmoth is out and I'm too bummed about the late John Hughes to start digging through a Blogosphere's worth of remembrances. Normally I'd try to fill Warmoth's giant Twitter-Wood shoes, but the outpouring of grief today is pretty impressive. Then again, it's not everyday a living legend passes from our midst.
Something incredible happened with this week's Box Office Poll. Not only did the clear blockbuster favorite for the week not take the top prize, it was pretty much crushed by the second place winner. I don't get it either. Did the controversy really deter so many people? Enough vagaries! More to come after the break.
In case you didn't figure it out from my not-so-vague header text, "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" was soundly defeated in this week's box office poll, taking the second place spot with 38% of your vote. Before I get into the top spot, I want to rant a little bit.
Folks. Seriously. Forget the anti-hype. "G.I. Joe" is a really entertaining movie. I would go as far as saying that it is director Stephen Sommers' best effort since "The Mummy," and that it is as good or better than the earlier effort. As a fan of the cartoon series who used to rush home after school, I felt perfectly served. There were a few niggling issues, but you might be interested to know that the Accelerator Suits did not rank among them. I'll have a more thorough fan reaction on Monday, after I've seen the movie a second time, but I hope at least some of you will be talked back in to checking it out.
Now here's the crazy thing. With "Julie & Julia" and "A Perfect Getaway" both out this week, you'd think that one of them might have toppled "Joe." No. They scored 2% or less. It was the limited release platter for the week, which includes "Paper Heart," "Cold Souls" and "I Sell the Dead." They got 57% of your vote. That's definitely a first in the short history of these polls.
Now I'm curious to know which of the limited releases you're checking out. Is Charlyne Yi's docu-fiction-mentary tugging at your "Heart"-strings? Paul Giamatti's "Cold," lonely soul? Or are you sold on director Glenn McQuaid's zombi-comedy? What's the deal folks... clue a clueless movies editor in!
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So the new trailer for "Where The Wild Things Are" hit the Internet today. It's freaking awesome. Director Spike Jonze might be messing around with Maurice Sendak's original story, but the author has already admitted that he's okay with it. If he's fine, then I'm fine. Especially with Spike at the helm.
Don't take my word for it though. MTV's Josh Horowitz and Vanessa White Wolf know far better than I do. They also make for an entertaining pair. In the clip below, Josh and Vanessa let you know exactly why the trailer is so great. Enjoy.
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 FROM MTV.COM: In the wonderfully odd "Cold Souls," Paul Giamatti plays Paul Giamatti, a noted actor who's floundering in rehearsals for an upcoming production of "Uncle Vanya," the Chekhov play. Paul feels weighed down, heavy, obscurely unhappy — rather like the play's title character. It's really getting to him. One night, paging through The New Yorker, he comes upon a story about a new fashion, and the company that caters to it: Soul Storage. He finds their ad in the phone book, and it speaks to him: "Is your soul weighing you down?" He notes the address.
The company's offices are sleek, bland, appropriately soulless. The director, a slick Dr. Flintstein (David Strathairn), comes right to the point: After Paul's soul is "disembodied," he can store it in a cryogenic locker there on the premises or, if he prefers — "for tax purposes" — in New Jersey. "When you've got rid of the soul," Flinstein says, "everything makes so much more sense."
Continue reading 'Cold Souls': Import Only, By Kurt Loder
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"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:
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 FROM MTV.COM: I walked into "Paper Heart" knowing nothing about it and walked out feeling both charmed and conflicted. The picture is presented as a low-budget documentary about a low-budget documentary being made by Charlyne Yi (the cute stoned girlfriend in "Knocked Up"). The subject is love: Yi doesn't believe in it, but she wants to find out why so many people do. So she and her producer, Nicholas Jasenovec, and cameraman Jay Hunter set off around the country to learn more.
As they traipse from Amarillo to Albuquerque, and Atlanta to Palm Springs to New York City, we watch Yi bringing her microphone to bear on all sorts of everyday people. An old woman tells her love is a lightning bolt. A college professor says it's a molecular event. She talks to bikers and psychics and high-school sweethearts, and gets a funny scene out of an encounter with an Elvis impersonator in a Las Vegas wedding chapel. To vary the talking-heads texture of the movie, Yi illustrates some of the stories being told to her with elaborate home-made puppet tableaux — which sounds dire, but is actually kind of sweet.
Continue reading 'Paper Heart': Unreal Deal, By Kurt Loder
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 In these hard financial times, J.J. Abrams is a guy you want as your friend. The entertainment everyman doesn't just slap his name on a project, he invariably brings some old friends along for the ride. The names you're used to seeing are Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the superhuman writing/producing duo behind nerdfests like "Xena: Warrior Princess" and big budget blockbusters like... well... like Abrams' "Mission: Impossible III."
Since Orci and Kurtzman are busy with about a bajillion other projects these days, Abrams is bringing out a new super-team to deliver a script for "Mission: Impossible 4," which the bespectacled one will at the very least produce. Variety reports that "Alias" writer/producers Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec will trot out of Abrams' bullpen for "M:I 4." Like Kurtzman & Orci before them, I expect a meteoric rise for the duo. After "Mission" just you wait; they'll pick up the rights from George Lucas for a "Phantom Menace" remake and the world will come together in harmony. Hey... a fanboy can dream, right?
Applebaum and Nemec exec produced "Alias" with Abrams for four seasons, but the trio hasn't worked together since. Notably, the new "M:I 4" duo did write and produce the U.S. import of UK TV series "Life on Mars," the story of a modern-day cop who is zapped back to 1970s New York City after a car wreck leaves him in a coma. The show never attracted the following it should have, even with Harvey Keitel in the role of a bad Lieutenant, but I myself found it very enjoyable.
There's really not much known about the plans for "M:I 4" at this point, other than that it will happen. Abrams is producing with Tom Cruise, star of the first three, though there's been no confirmation that his Ethan Hunt character will return. Rumors have suggested as much, but there's also a rumor going around that some dude can turn water into wine. As is always the case with unconfirmed reports, take any Hunt-in-"M:I 4" possibilities with a shaker full of salt.
I did like the direction Abrams went in with "M:I 3" very much, though much of what made that film work can be credited to the writing talents of Kurtzman and Orci. Opening with a tense countdown-to-death and then framing most of the rest of the proceedings as a flashback was a stroke of brilliance, and "sitting on the edge of my seat" became more than a trite phrase when I saw it unfold in theater. Now Applebaum and Nemec get a crack at "M:I 4," which is targeted for a 2011 release.
After that? "Star Wars" episodes one through three, the re-boot. You heard it here first.
Were/are you a fan of "Alias"? Do you think Applebaum and Nemec are the next Kurtzman and Orci? What might Kurtzman and Orci think of that? Do you think they should decide who nabs future Abrams projects with a four-way tag team wrestling match?
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 This is a sad, sad day for fans of young love, adolescent hijinx and fine film. John Hughes, the filmmaker behind such enduring classics as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "The Breakfast Club," has died. The word came from TMZ at 4:31pm EST that Hughes suffered a heart attack while on a morning walk in New York City, where he was visiting family. He was 59. Hughes' lawyer confirmed to MTV soon after that this is indeed the tragic state of affairs.
My heartfelt condolences go out to Hughes' family and friends, and to his legions of fans scattered across the globe. It's not an exaggeration for me to say that his work had a significant impact on my childhood, and that the bulk of his films are chestnuts that I continue to return to time and again as comfort viewing. That's not going to ever change, but I am grief-stricken at the thought that new Hughes will never again grace the silver screen.
Please share your own reminiscences in the comments below. There's enough sadness to go around right now, so hit the jump if you want to crack a grin. More to come, so stay tuned.
For additional John Hughes coverage, head over to MTV.com for the initial report, a career retrospective, celebrity reactions and Kurt Loder's heartfelt farewell.
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Posted by The Know Nothing Know It All
 Hello, all. Kieran here (aka the Know nothing Know it All). Ten years ago today, M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense hit multiplexes to massive audience and critical acclaim. Massive (it bears repeating). Shyamalan was essentially unknown, as was little Haley Joel Osment (the film's star, even though he landed a supporting actor Oscar nod). Still, the film spent five weeks at number one spot at the box office—no small feat these days for films not about Batman. 2009 is more than half over, and only two films have managed to remain number one for two or more consecutive weeks—Paul Blart and Transformers (yikes). The Sixth Sense achieved a lot of cultural capital.
Revisit it. It's still utterly watchable, not for the moments where it genuinely scares you (of which, there are plenty) but for its moments of true human drama. Plus, I love a film that's both a zeitgeist hit and a showcase for its actors. The scene where Osment talks to Toni Collette about her dead mother still brings tears to my eyes a decade later (and probably brought Collette her Oscar nod). Alas, Shyamalan has been struggling to find the magic again. He has yet to match its success, both critically and financially. Will he find it again? His next effort, The Last Airbender, due out sometime in July 2010 doesn't look promising. But who knows? The Sixth Sense showcased Shyamalan as a gifted storyteller, and though he may continue to disappoint, I'm thankful for an industry that allows him to try, rather than turning him into Michael Cimino.  Another 1999 horror offering, The Blair Witch Project, which had its ten year anniversary sometime last week, may not have aged as well, but they both remain clear cultural markers for the movie industry, n'est pas? Blair Witch is credited as the first film to utilize Internet marketing on a grand scale, and there was even talk of how said technology would reinvent the film industry (yawn). It definitely helps to spread the word about smaller films that might have been a just-miss otherwise, but viral marketing is now so commonplace that (like all marketing) it mostly helps those with a lot of money make...more money. Where were you in 1999 when you first saw The Sixth Sense and The Blair Witch Project?
P.S. Can anyone think of a year in recent memory besides 1999 that was a bigger year for event moviemaking? 1999 brought us the two aforementioned hits, plus (deep breath now) Fight Club, The Matrix, American Beauty, Being John Malkovich, Magnolia and the beginning of the new Star Wars trilogy, each cinematic events in their own right. Kind of makes you wonder how The Cider House Rules and The Green Mile managed to worm their way onto the best picture shortlist that year...
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