Of all the 2011 summer blockbusters once thought too big to fail, Green Lantern probably sat upon the least stable foundation going into opening weekend. Featuring a mid-eschelon comics hero played by box-office cipher Ryan Reynolds, the CGI and marketing budgets soared even as buzz maintained below that of fellow comic-book/graphic novel adaptations Thor, X-Men: First Class, and the forthcoming Cowboys and Aliens and Captain America -- to say nothing of the lingering word-of-mouth around Super 8 or the global hype accompanying next week's Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Then came the reviews, and then came the fizzle -- not a failure outright, but with an estimated $350 million (or more) tied up in the franchise hopeful, we all join Warner Bros. this morning in asking, "What's next?"
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Not that anyone really asked for it, but, like it or not, you're getting a new Arthur movie this weekend. If you're a fan of the original film about an booze-loving millionaire, you may be at least curious how this new version stacks up to the original. Is Arthur still a mad, drunken fool? Is it a scene-for-scene remake? Since you may have some questions before you fork over your hard earned money, Movieline compares the two films so that you won't be lost between the moon and New York City.
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When J.J. Abrams executive produces a television series, people notice. So the chances are good that you'll be watching the premiere of Undercovers tonight at 8 on NBC, if only because...Abrams. Does the sexy spy series live up to the expectations set by having the name of television's unofficial king front and center? That answer and more in the latest edition of Movieline's Premiere Week FAQ.
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Until the never-happening Arrested Development movie happens, the closest fans will get to a reunion is Running Wilde. Created by Mitch Hurwitz and starring Will Arnett and David Cross, the new Fox sitcom brings with it a load of expectations, some fairly negative reviews and a pilot that was fiddled with all summer. But is it funny? That answer and many more ahead in the latest edition of Movieline's Premiere Week FAQ.
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"Son, this is a house of cards. You don't get to live in it." So says a con man father to his con man son in the pilot for Lone Star (premiering tonight at 9). But will you want to live inside the soapy Fox drama about the increasingly claustrophobic double life of a handsome Texas con man and the women he loves? That answer and many more ahead in the latest edition of Movieline's Premiere Week FAQ.
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The losses of King of Queens and According to Jim may have left you with a yearning in the pit of your stomach for a reliable, middle of the road sitcom and tonight, CBS tries to sate that hunger with Mike & Molly. The new project from Chuck Lorre premieres at 9:30 and promises all of the ingredients paramount to a working class comedy: blue collar comic actors (lead Billy Gardell hails from Pittsburgh), all-American settings (police station, school, diner) and familiar concerns that the middle class understands and finds hilarious ("That sandwich is a suicide with meatballs as bullets!"). Will those elements yield a new classic tonight -- or just a retread of a tired genre full of tired Americans? Proceed to Movieline's Premiere Week FAQ to find out.
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The pilot of The Event doesn't end with one of the Hobbits saying "Where are we?" but that doesn't mean things are crystal clear. Unless mud is considered "crystal clear" -- in which case, mission accomplished. The latest attempt to find an heir apparent to Lost arrives on NBC tonight at 9 p.m. and brings with it more fanfare than any other pilot premiering this week. Does The Event have what it takes to find a spot on your DVR? That answer and more ahead in the first of Movieline's Premiere Week FAQ.
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In keeping keeping with Movieline's fine tradition of reader service and/or forensic hype analysis, please find herewith the latest in our series of handy pop-culture FAQ's. This time around, it's Machete, which opens this weekend with all kinds of delicious contributions from Robert De Niro, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal and the one-and-only Danny Trejo in the title role. You have questions, I've got answers (and spoilers, so be warned).
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Thanks for everything, Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic. While your stint as this year's Oscarcast producers helped draw a significant ratings surge over 2009, you are being replaced by a couple other adventurous industry veterans: movie producer Bruce Cohen and TV producer Don Mischer. But what does it all mean for you? Let's go to the frequently asked questions and attempt to find out!
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At least the reviews aren't as bad as Marmaduke? Well, not yet anyway. The early critical notices for Jonah Hex are in, and they're... awful. Only 12 critics have weighed in on Rotten Tomatoes thus far and the consensus is that the DC comic adaptation is the latest worst movie of the summer. However if there is one thing unifying all the bad reviews -- beyond the general hatred -- it's in commenting on just how quickly Jonah Hex is over. Brevity might be the soul of wit, but in this case it's also the soul of a totally hacked-apart studio movie. But just how long is this thing?
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With its box-office-supremacy streak snapped and Inglorious Basterds making a significant push in the Best Picture race, Avatar had spent an alarming few days off the center of the cultural radar. No longer! James Cameron has confirmed his plans to not only novelize his blockbuster, but to write the damn thing himself. Why? "There are things you can do in books that you can't do with films," he told the WSJ, adding, "I told myself, if it made money, I'd write a book." Good for him -- but what does it all mean? That's just the first of several burning questions you'll ask -- and we'll attempt to answer -- in the latest Movieline FAQ.
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The world premiere of Hesher hit Sundance on Friday, and I do mean "hit": Joseph Gordon-Levitt's stringy-haired, chain-smoking, tatted-up anarchist title punk went trashing and crashing every situation pertaining to the film's young protagonist T.J. (Devin Brochu). From invading the boy's school to moving into his house to working out his crushes, no scenario was left unturned. And then flipped. And possibly lit on fire. But was it any good? The answer to that question and others as another Movieline FAQ (which naturally includes some spoilers) continues after the jump.
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You're curious about Restrepo, the new documentary from Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington in which you the viewer are given unprecedented frontline access to the war in Afghanistan. It premiered at Sundance last night. Naturally, you have questions. We have answers. [Warning: Spoilers ensue.]
Does it live up to the buzz?
Yes. You may think you have seen war docs before, but you've never quite seen anything like this. This film should be required viewing for anyone with a personal stake in the war in Afghanistan, which is everyone. You will laugh, cry, and sweat bullets, in real time, alongside the young men of the Second Platoon, Battle Company, 173rd Airborne Brigade.
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Disney chairman Rich Ross's rodent-colonic approach to cleaning house meant he'd have to quickly appoint a successor to Oren Aviv, the production boss who issued a coerced resignation earlier this week. His choice was surprising: Sean Bailey, a producer in his late 30s with zero studio-exec experience who not long ago found his own project -- the McG-directed 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea remake -- fall victim to Ross's mighty axe. After the jump, a Movieline FAQ to better get to know the guy now burdened with making the mouse machinery run:
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Shortly after James Cameron's 3-D behemoth Avatar flapped its mighty wings past the $350 million mark, three entertainment leaders announced that they were joining forces to create the first full-time 3-D television cable channel in American history. The groundbreaking news came this week from Discovery, IMAX and Sony at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, sending ripples of excitement and waves of confusion through 2-D television connoisseurs. Fortunately, Movieline has compiled a list of questions and answers, with help from IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond (who even discussed the controversy surrounding those "fake IMAX" screens) to strengthen your understanding of the newest tri-dimensional telly.
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