The past seven days

Friday, February 28, 2014

The Purge: Anarchy delayed by Universal

Universal's upcoming release, The Purge: Anarchy, has received almost a full month delay from June 20th to July 18th. This is an attempt to avoid some box office competition as the film was originally set to face-off against Think Like a Man Too and Jersey Boys. It will now compete with Jupiter Ascending and Disney's Planes: Fire and Rescue.

I often wonder if these release shifts are even worth it in the end given the amount of money it takes to reprint posters, re-edit trailers, etc.. But whatever. It seems to be the way of things now.


Paramount adds disclaimer to Noah

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Darren Aronofsky's Biblical epic, Noah. After test screenings a few months ago many religious groups were criticizing the film claiming it is inaccurate and offensive. Paramount even approached Aronofsky and challenged his choices on editing and writing but eventually caved in after he threatened to leave the project.

Now, Paramount has taken a step in an attempt to please all viewers by adding a disclaimer prior to the film. It states:
“The film is inspired by the story of Noah.
While artistic license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values, and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide.
The biblical story of Noah can be found in the book of Genesis.”

This move comes after the President and CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters, Dr. Jerry A. Johnson, proposed the idea to add the disclaimer. The intent is to warn and inform audiences that Noah is a dramatization of the Biblical story and not a line by line portrayal of the written events. Paramount intends to add this disclaimer to all upcoming posters, trailers, tv spots, and media publications surrounding the film.

Noah, starring Russell Crowe in the title role, is one of a decent number of Biblical films being released this year. Son of God, produced by The Bible producer Roma Downey, was released today and we have Exodus arriving later this year. Noah is set for release on March 28th.





Thursday, February 27, 2014

Rob Zombie to make Charles Manson TV series for Fox

Fox and Alcon Entertainment have tapped Rob Zombie and Bret Easton Ellis to develop a television series about the Manson murders in 1969. This is very early in development, but if all goes according to plan the material will be written by Ellis with Zombie directing. The task at hand is to develop a multi-part series into the storytelling of people and events from different points of view leading up to the murders.
Rob Zombie has been venturing into the world of film since his directorial debut in 2003 with House of 1000 Corpses. He has since directed films such as The Devil's Rejects, Lords of Salem, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, and the 2007 remake of Halloween. Zombie stated, "I have been obsessed with this insane story since I was a kid, so obviously I jumped at the chance to be involved in this incredible project. After speaking with Bret, I immediately realized that we shared the same vision for this epic madness." Zombie's 2013 haunted house, Rob Zombie's Great American Nightmare, included segments inspired by the Manson Family murders.



If you are unaware of the Charles Manson murders, it is a very short timetable taking place in just two days in August 1969. Manson led a small group of followers (aka, the Manson Family) and on his command they murdered a total of seven people from August 8th through the 10th. The most famous victims included Roman Polanski's pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, along with coffee heiress Abigail Folger. Charles Manson, along with his "family," were convicted of first-degree murder in 1971 with Manson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins, Charles Watson, and Leslie Van Houten all receiving the death penalty. In 1972 the state of California abolished the death penalty, so all sentences were transformed to life in prison.

Charles Manson was denied parole for the 12th time in April 2012.
Patricia Krenwinkle was denied parole for the 13th time in January 2011.
Charles Watson was denied parole for the 16th time in November 2011.
Leslie Van Houten was denied parole for the 19th time in July 2010.
Susan Atkins died in prison in September 2009.

Fast & Furious 7 to resume in April

After taking an extended hiatus after the sudden death of Paul Walker, Universal announced their intent to pick production back up on Fast & Furious 7 in April. There is an estimated 6-8 weeks left of filming and the hiatus, so far, has lasted almost three months. Production will pick up in Atlanta which is where it was scheduled to go after Thanksgiving.

They also announced their intent to use the footage of Walker that had been filmed prior to his death in a tasteful way to "retire" his character, not kill him off. Fast & Furious 7 is being directed by horror director James Wan and received a new release date of April 10, 2015. It was originally set for release this July.

Dallas Buyers Club - Review

After being unexpectedly diagnosed with HIV, Ron Woodroof begins an underground drug business to expand the usage of non-FDA approved HIV/AIDS therapies among fellow sufferers. As a result, he begins facing legal opposition by the Food & Drug Administration and his own doctors in Dallas Buyers Club.

I went into Dallas Buyers Club with very minor information in terms of plot and characters, and I think that it was better that way. I loved the acting, loved the story, and I thought it was very well put together. Matthew McConaughey really was on point along with Jared Leto.
The character of Ron was really brought to life by McConaughey. The transformation he endures after his diagnosis was very present and well paced. It was believable and it showed that this rugged, cowboy had a side that wanted people to be as successful as he was. Jared Leto took the show with the character of Rayon, though. He was loveable, positive, and you just felt connected to him immediately. I don't know why it was but I was pulled in very quickly. I haven't seen Leto nail a role right on the head since Requiem for a Dream. After seeing this movie it fully solidifies my prediction that both Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey should, and probably will, win Oscars for this film. I am somewhat surprised no one gave Jennifer Garner a Best Supporting Actress nod. Just putting that out there.
As far as the plot goes, like I said it was very well put together. I never once felt that it was rushed or too slow. I haven't read up on the real events with Ron Woodroof so I can't really comment on how accurate it was. I do recall hearing the character of Rayon is fictional, so who knows what else might be.

I think, as disturbing as it may be, they portrayed the time very well. It was a scary and desperate time for both physicians and citizens when the AIDS crisis hit. People who had it didn't have much hope other than drug trials and the doctors and pharmaceutical companies didn't know what else to do but use the patients as guinea pigs and tell them that was their only option. Ron just took a step back and figured if he could find another way to help himself and others with the same disease he would fight to give people that option. I thought it was very well done.
As far as Oscar predictions go, I think this could be a dark horse and might just sweep the major categories. I don't know if it has the street cred to beat out Gravity, 12 Years a Slave, or American Hustle for best picture, but it might. I am also banking on Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto winning in their categories. Easily.


Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Adam Driver nearing deal for Star Wars: Episode VII

Adam Driver (Girls) is apparently nearing a deal for the main antagonist (aka, villain) in Star Wars: Episode VII. There are no details on exactly who or what this villain is, or if this is even true, but it is assumed to be similar to Darth Vader.
If this is true, Driver will have beaten out the competition of actors like Michael Fassbender and Hugo Weaving for this role. He is currently a series regular on the HBO show Girls, so his schedule makes time for multiple Star Wars installments.


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The Conjuring 2 gets a release date

Warner Bros. is moving pretty fast with the potential future of The Conjuring franchise. In addition to the Annabelle spin-off, we have a release date for the direct sequel to James Wan's 2013 film.

The Conjuring 2 is currently scheduled for October 23, 2015. With that weekend, it is expected to directly compete with the assumed sixth Paranormal Activity installment. Warner Bros. currently has a slot reserved for an untitled horror film on October 3rd of this year, so some are speculating on if that might be Annabelle. It was announced as a VOD release, but with the success of The Conjuring they might decide to put it in theaters after all.

James Wan has departed from the franchise after the first film, but the sequel is being written by Carey and Chad Hayes. 



EDIT - Universal confirmed the October 2014 slot is not for Annabelle.

Sony to release Spider-Man films every year; Marc Webb attached to TASM3

This is pretty hefty news.

In addition to the confirmation of director Marc Webb officially directing The Amazing Spider-Man 3, we have confirmation from Sony that they plan to have a Spider-Man release every year up until The Amazing Spider-Man 4 in 2018. This possibly includes, and is not limited to, a Venom spin-off and a Sinister Six movie.

All I have to say is these actors must have some seriously extended contracts to include this many movies. Either that or not every main character in the Amazing Spider-Man films will appear in these separate movies. It has already come out that Andrew Garfield might not extend his role as Peter Parker past his obligation of TASM4, so we will see what happens then. They might have to recast Peter at some point.
It is expected for this once a year schedule to begin in 2016 with the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and my bet is we will see a Venom movie before a Sinister Six movie which means the main villain for TASM3 will most likely be Venom. Either that or he will be a minor to major part of it in order to introduce the character and give enough interest for a standalone film. Venom (aka, Eddie Brock) was previously butchered by Topher Grace in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3.

Some people are suggesting that this is a very dangerous move for Sony because it could overload viewers on Spider-Man. It's unlike the Marvel universe Disney has going on with the fact that they have multiple characters with different story arcs going on. With Spider-Man, it is generally one story arc with the same characters over and over again because it is the only character Sony has rights to. Unless the studios want to compromise and pay for it, that's how it will remain.


Either way, this will be interesting to see how this unfolds. I thought The Amazing Spider-Man was pretty bad and the sequel doesn't look much better so far. I'm not too excited for any of this. I think they will burn everyone out releasing a movie every year. 


Godzilla - Full Trailer

We have the first, full-length trailer for Godzilla set to hit theaters this May. I wasn't totally on board, but I will admit I kind of am now. It looks pretty legit.


Monday, February 24, 2014

Harold Ramis passes at age 69

Harold Ramis, writer of classic films such as Animal House and Ghostbusters, has passed away at the age of 69. He started as a head writer of Second City Television (SCTV) and went on to write others such as National Lampoon's Vacation, Groundhog Day (for which he won an Oscar), and Caddyshack. He was also an accomplished actor often starring in the films he wrote. His most famous role is Dr. Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters.

He was a funny guy and will definitely be missed.


Yet another trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Sony... stop it. Just stop it! I don't even have to see the movie now. Whoever is head of their marketing department should be fired.


Sunday, February 23, 2014

NBC reviving Heroes as a mini-series

For those of us who loved Heroes, NBC has announced they are reviving the show as a 13 episode mini-series. The show will be called Heroes: Reborn and will premiere in 2015 with a new story arc. Even with a new arc, the network did mention they will consider the possibility of bringing back certain characters for cameos.

This isn't very surprising with the rise of superhero popularity. Not to exclude a loyal fanbase as well. I think Heroes was a great show and could have been greater if it wasn't released when it was. I'm excited to see where this is going to go.


Thursday, February 20, 2014

Green Goblin surfaces for Amazing Spider-Man 2

As if we still had doubts, we now have a clear image of Green Goblin for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Harry Osbourn is being played by Dane DeHaan and in the photo it does seem like he is giving Peter a hard time.



The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and all its bad CGI hits theaters in 3D on May 2nd.

First poster for Guardians of the Galaxy

And it has a pretty hilarious and awesome lagline.

You're welcome.


Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Fantastic Four finally has a cast

After much speculation and rumor, we finally have an official casting announcement for the upcoming reboot of Fantastic Four.

As rumored and expected, Miles Teller has signed on to play Reid Richards/Mr. Fantastic and Michael B. Jordan will play Johnny Storm/The Human Torch. In addition to those two, Kate Mara has landed the role of Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman and Jamie Bell is in final negotiations to play Ben Grimm/The Thing.
The new Fantastic Four will be based off the "Ultimate Fantastic Four" comic arc with the young cast being cast to show the origins of the characters and show them as young people. A villain is set to be cast in the coming weeks. Josh Trank (Chronicle) is set to direct the film slated for release on June 19, 2015. 

I personally don't like these casting choices at all. I think Jamie Bell is probably the best choice and he shouldn't be The Thing. He should be playing Mr. Fantastic. And not trying to be so-called racist, but how does it work to have Sue Storm be white and Johnny Storm be black? Unless they make one of them adopted or something.







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