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Hot on the heels of the record-breaking release of Halo 3 comes bad news for the long-gestating Halo movie. Neill Blomkamp, the relative unknown tapped to helm the videogame adaptation, recently told Creativity Online that "The film is entirely dead. In the configuration it was in. Whatever happens with that movie, assuming that movie gets made, will be a totally different configuration. It's not so much me as the entire vessel sank. Basically, it was a combination of; there were two studios involved that weren't getting along in the process of making it, Universal and Fox."
Blomkamp went on to say that he was aiming for "the most brutal, real version of science fiction in a war environment that you've seen in a while," which gave the studios pause.
I hate to say it, but I think we dodged a bullet here. Given horrendous reputation enjoyed by videogame adaptations, the odds against a Halo movie being anything but crappy were overwhelming.
Hmmmmm...perhaps the folks at Fox and Uni caught a glimpse of my recent article, Five Reasons a Halo Movie Will Suck, and came to their senses. Good on them.
Source: Creativity Online via Joblo.com.
Posted 10.05.07 by reelz -
UK-based website TheShiznit.co.uk has a pretty amusing list they put together on the "Top Twenty Crazy Bastards" from movies. It features YouTube footage from the movies in each case (probably copyright infringement, but hey, we didn't do it) to make the proper case in point.
Ranking at the top is Jack Nicholson (who shows up a few times) as Jack Torrance in The Shining. I'd have to agree there, although the fact that DeNiro's Travis Bickel from Taxi Driver doesn't show up on the list has to raise a few eyebrows.
Posted 10.05.07 by reelz -
Usually, when a studio bumps a movie's release date that is a strong sign the movie isn't, how do we say, good. However, there is a curious confluence of two movies being delayed right now, and neither are for the usual causes.
The New York Times is reporting that Paramount Vantage has pushed the release date for The Kite Runner ahead six weeks--for the safety of its cast. The movie, based on Khaled Hosseini's bestselling 2003 novel of the same name, follows an unusual friendship over the course of three decades in Afghanistan. Fears of violence against the filmmakers and its three child actors due to the film's subject matter have prompted the studio to push the date to December 14 so that the boys can get out of Kabul (possibly permanently) once school is out--for their own safety.
And Universal has pushed George Clooney's period football movie, Leatherheads, to April 4. Clooney, who directs and stars in the movie, needs the additional time because of his busy schedule, says Variety. Whether or not his recent motorcycle accident prompted the date change is unknown.
Leatherheads was originally slated to open on December 7, which would have allowed it to pick up momentum from the Oscar buzz garnered by Clooney's current movie, Michael Clayton, which opens today. Now that it is opening in April, however, it would not make the deadline for this year's competition. Poor George.
Posted 10.05.07 by reelz -
Fanboy alert! Moviehole.net is reporting that actor Alan Tudyk is fanning renewed flames of a possible sequel to Serenity.
"They had to put [the new Serenity: Special Edition DVD] out because they’ve been selling out of the other one and so Universal’s like ‘So, let’s do another one’. And now… there’s now a chance there’s going to be another movie," said Tudyk to Moviehole.
Word is Nathan Fillion would be excited to join up again, too.
Posted 10.05.07 by reelz -
Come on American, don't do it. You don't have to. There's better stuff to see. I know, there's not a lot out there, but surely you can find something at the video store. Maybe there's a Netflix envelope waiting in your mailbox right now. Come on, just go check. DO IT!
I know, I know. I liked Dumb and Dumber and Something About Mary too. Kingpin was hysterical. Well, if you want the Farrellys to get the hint and possibly try a little harder the next time out, you won't reward them for the debacle that is The Heartbreak Kid. Not only is it not funny (to be fair, there are a few laughs in the first 30 minutes) for the majority of its running time, but it's downright insulting. Ben Stiller has played this same role endlessly, and this just might be the most repugnent version of it yet. Just thinking about it again makes me wince.
Ghost Rider, Norbit, Wild Hogs, Halloween. We told you they sucked and you saw them anyway. And I'd wager that you probably thought they sucked too, or maybe you liked them enough at the time but forgot they existed until I just reminded you of them. Come of, think about it, they sucked!
As Hollywood makes crappier and crappier movies and I've got to see Eddie Murphy in a fat suit for the 9th time, I blame you! I saw it for free, but you put money in their pockets for that mindless drivel. Yeah, that's right, you are to blame!
But you have a chance to do the right thing now. Close that Fandango page. Or what about Across the Universe, The Kingdom or The Game Plan? They may not be great, but at least they don't have Ben Stiller picking your pockets. Heck, see Seeker. I don't even know what that movie is, but it's got to have more originality than Heartbreak Kid.
Posted 10.05.07 by reelz -
The trailer for Sweeney Todd hit the Interweb this week and potential fans are buzzing. It looks looks like the perfect storm to us - who can think of a better combination than Tim Burton's vision of Johnny Depp as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street?
But we did notice that there isn't a lot of singing in this trailer. And Sweeney Todd is a musical. We're hoping the light-going on the music isn't a sign they're hiding something. Cross your fingers, or the barber will cut them off!
Oh, and notice--is that a little Sacha Baron Cohen we see snuck in there?
To check out the trailer, click here.
Posted 10.05.07 by reelz -
Looks like the case of the purloined Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull laptops is nearing its conclusion. The L.A. Times is reporting that a Cerritos man was arrested on Tuesday in a sting operation set up at The Standard hotel in West Hollywood. Detectives, posing as internet bloggers, began negotiating with the man before arresting him on suspicion of receiving stolen property.
The undercover detectives reportedly donned elaborate outfits to convincingly portray themselves as online journalists, wearing plastic Spock ears, a prosthetic paunch and stained, ill-fitting clothing. In addition, they utilized a special spray designed to make themselves smell as if they hadn't showered in several days. The thief never suspected a thing.
Posted 10.04.07 by reelz -
Dreamworks/Paramount is hard at work getting the Transformers sequel up and running, with star Shia LaBeouf, director Michael Bay and exec producer Steven Spielberg already lined up for Transformers 2, and a writing team composed of Ehren Kruger, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci currently in negotiations to pen the script, says the The Hollywood Reporter.
Most notable is the return of Bay, who had previously indicated that he might pass on the sequel. Fans can now rest assured that Transformers 2 will contain the proper amount of a**-kicking explosions, sweaty hot chicks and inane comic relief sequences.
Posted 10.04.07 by reelz