Which Movies Were Game Changers?
Hollywood has been mining literature for source material for years, often with excellent results — 11 literary adaptations were nominated for Academy Awards in 2012 alone — and comic books have inspired several of the most popular and successful movies in recent years. Video games, on the other hand, have proven to be difficult to successfully translate to film. Gamers are often more interested in a game's graphics or the ability to earn achievements than in its plot, so there is often little for the screenwriters to draw upon. As Corey May, co-founder of Sekretagent Productions explained to CNN, "It often comes down to money, as movie studios frequently choose to make films based on the franchises that sell the best, not those with the most cinematic potential."
Still, the success of the Resident Evil franchise — $893 million worldwide and counting— and the prospect of enticing the hundreds of millions of gamers around the world to turn out to see a movie based upon their favorite game keeps Hollywood going back to the video game well for more. Only days ago, it was announced that Ubisoft and New Regency's Assassin's Creed adaptation is moving forward with Michael Fassbender headlining, and there are dozens of other adaptations currently in development, which should be great news for movie fans and video game fans alike. Have there been some turkeys? Absolutely. More than a few, but, despite what CNN's video game expert may think, movies based on video games don't all "stink". In fact, some of them are downright badass. Help us select the video game movies that defied expectations by entertaining us instead of making us groan.
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Posted 10.26.12 by BrentJS 
Even the Germans are sick of Uwe Boll, it seems. Yesterday The Hollywood Reporter relayed the cheerful news that the hacktastic director of such epic box office bombs as Alone in the Dark and Bloodrayne may finally be done with big-budget filmmaking, thanks to a new German law closing the tax loophole that allowed Boll to finance his projects.
The final nail in the coffin of Boll's career came last weekend when his latest debacle, the $70 million In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, featuring Ray Liotta and Burt Reynolds, flopped badly at the box office, taking in just over $3 million.
Not to pat myself on the back, but I suggested the very idea to German politicians last week, and I'm thrilled to hear that our Teutonic brethren headed my passionate plea. Now, if we can just deal with the Hasselhoff issue...
Posted 01.16.08 by reelz