Fresh off an Oscar-friendly release date announcement, the first image from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -- the Stephen Daldry-directed adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's heartbreaking 9/11 aftermath novel -- has arrived with Mr. Oscar, Tom Hanks, front and center. For those of you still suffering from PTSD after Larry Crowne, fear not! The following photo does not involve a scooter, Dockers pants or a bucket helmet. Just a kid and his dad.
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Today in iconic filmmakers backhanding other iconic filmmakers, this quote from Orson Welles about Jean-Luc Godard: "His gifts as a director are enormous. I just can't take him very seriously as a thinker -- and that's where we seem to differ, because he does. His message is what he cares about these days, and, like most movie messages, it could be written on the head of a pin." Burn. To be fair, Welles was a lot nicer than David Cronenberg was about M. Night Shyamalan. "I HATE that guy!" Flavorwire has 28 other directors-hating-directors quotes for you to enjoy. [Flavorwire]
· Looking for a quick way to catch up on the many, many, many deaths in the Final Destination franchise, but don't feel like watching the first four films in the series before Final Destination 5 hits on Friday? Keep looking! This video put together by Screened runs a lengthy 11 minutes, but highlights the full compliment of franchise murdering. Spoilers, but who cares? Click through to watch, then stick around for Buzz Break.
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In spite of that high-powered anti-VOD campaign by James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro and some of Hollywood's top filmmakers, it appears Lionsgate is moving forward with a plan to offer its movies to home viewers via early release video on demand. As reported late Tuesday, the studio may release John Singleton's action thriller Abduction, starring Taylor Lautner and Lily Collins, on VOD before it hits DVD and Blu-ray in 2012. Click ahead to find out when you can see Lautner slide across broken glass and throw vehicular caution to the wind from the comfort of your own home.
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Ryan Murphy -- the candid, theatrically hostile Svengali behind Glee -- would have you believe Glee: The 3D Concert Movie is the first cinematic musical with high production value, recognizable pop hits, and abject homosexuality. Not so! In 1980, director Nancy Walker (YES, OF RHODA) blessed us with Can't Stop the Music, the hip-poppin' extravaganza starring the Village People, Steve Guttenberg, Bruce Jenner, and other American forefathers. It is marvelous, enchanting, stupid, a little too long, gay as an elf's sneeze, the first Razzie winner for Worst Picture, and unforgettable. Respect. Let's revisit.
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If the dog days of August -- or maybe the once-again crumbling economy -- have you down, here's a bit of cheer to brighten the afternoon: a first look image of Neil Patrick Harris, Kal Penn and John Cho in the likely ridiculous A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. Best title since Snakes on a Plane? Check. Photo of the three leads that make the film look like a stoner version of Babes in Toyland? Double check. Click through to see Christmas come early.
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Also in this Wednesday edition of The Broadsheet: The Terrorist Search Engine finds a writer... Ben Stiller loves fake trailers... Dakota Johnson capitalizes on her Social Network mini-fame... and more ahead.
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Movieline tried to thwart so many of these remakes, but it appears the Footloose revamp with nice guy Kenny Wormald is still happening. It's so real, in fact, that the title song from the movie soundtrack has a cover artist: country singer and The Voice panelist Blake Shelton. Does this sit well with you? Glimpse the other contributors (who will cover "Let's Hear It for the Boy," "Almost Paradise," etc) after the jump. Seethe together!
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Your 2012 Christmas week movie schedule just got a little more crowded. Paramount has set Dec. 21, 2012 as the release date for Marc Forster's adaptation of the zombie infestation novel World War Z. That means star and producer Brad Pitt will be battling Lone Ranger, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Life of Pi and Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained at the December box office. Good luck to all. [Deadline]
Body Double came out 27 years ago, but it's still a little weird to realize that its one-time ingenue Melanie Griffith is 54 years old. The woman who picked up an Oscar nod for playing the defiant Tess McGill in Mike Nichols' Working Girl has a pretty solid filmography otherwise, including a few good flicks you probably missed or -- more likely -- forgot. In honor of her birthday, click ahead for a rundown of five underrated movies where Griffith also did a helluva good job of letting the river run.
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Some bad news for Clint Eastwood fans hoping to see J. Edgar on the premiere schedule at the Toronto International Film Festival or New York Film Festival: the Leonardo DiCaprio-led Oscar contender won't debut at either prestigious gathering. As first reported by the Toronto Star -- and confirmed by EW -- J. Edgar will bypass both festivals and likely premiere in limited release on Nov. 9. (A full expansion follows on Nov. 11.) [Toronto Star via EW]
Today in potentially ill-timed legislative news: England's Tier 1 visa law -- which allows for "exceptional talent" to fast-track their way through the country's stringent immigration procedures en route to earning British citizenship -- goes into effect. More details on the celeb-baiting measure after the jump.
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"Damon could represent the Hollywood Wing of the Democratic Party. His mom is a teacher, so he could run on the whole Working Families platform. Jobs and kids. The media loved the idea of a Trump presidency because he was on TV. Imagine the reaction a bona fide movie star would get. Obama comes out looking like he's fighting against the big-money Hollywood types--and Damon can hype his movie about playing Liberace's boyfriend. It's a win-win for everyone." And don't forget: He's great with the media! [The Awl]
Deep down in your soul, you knew it was coming as soon as The Smurfs stood toe-to-toe with Cowboys & Aliens at the box office: Sony has staked out Aug. 2, 2013 for the release of Smurfs 2, a sequel to this summer's popular CG reboot. A plot and director has yet to be announced, but Neil Patrick Harris did promise Movieline he'd float the idea of bringing in a socialist Smurfy slant should sequels happen. Make it so, NPH. [Deadline]
