It has been quite some time since Tom Hanks has done anything really dramatic, so word that he's attached to the big screen adaptation of A Captain's Duty so soon after shooting Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is good news to anyone who fondly remembers when Hanx was more than a talking children's toy. In Duty, the two-time Oscar winner would star as Richard Phillips, who was the captain of the Maersk Alabama when it was taken over by Somali pirates in 2009. Scott Rudin and the team behind The Social Network will produce. [Deadline]
Nearly fifty years after the tragic murder of Sam Cooke -- the "King of Soul," whose musical contributions and Civil Rights successes continue to inspire todat -- it looks like Hollywood is just one step closer to adapting his story into a biopic. This hesitant pace -- when it comes to one of the greatest soul singers of all time -- begs the question: "What the hell does it take to get a biopic made these days?" 25 answers to this all-important question lie ahead.
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SXSW airs mini-films before some of its screenings, and this one by Joe Nicolosi is probably the funniest you'll see: an indie re-rendering of Super Mario's struggles with mushroom dependency, letting go of Princess Peach, and Bowser's one-liners. You'll cry and cry and blow into the underside of the cartridge all over again.
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On Monday it was announced David Lynch will direct Duran Duran's live-streaming concert on March 23, which led to a collective, "Wait, what?" across the Internet. Lynch -- known for cerebral movies like Blue Velvet and this-makes-no-sense-to-any-rational-human-being movies like Mulholland Drive -- may not seem like the go-to point man for an '80s new wave pop group like Duran Duran. Then again, you may have forgotten just how well orchestrated and bizarre some of Duran Duran's videos actually are. (Remember, this is a band that got their name from the Jane Fonda movie, Barbarella.) In preparation for whatever Lynch's version of a Duran Duran concert is going to look like (here's hoping that it takes a series of 10 clues to interpret), let's take a refresher course on five Duran Duran videos that already look like they were directed by David Lynch.
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· Since Paul is stuffed with enough geek references to kill a Wookie, what better way for Simon Pegg and Nick Frost to market their new comedy by filming a parody of Star Wars for College Humor. Click ahead to watch -- take note of their adorably lo-fi costumes; Michel Gondry would be so proud! -- then stick around for more Buzz Break.
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A slew of publicity shots for Sucker Punch have punched their way online (nyuck, gunshot), and one of them offers the first real glimpse of what to expect from Jon Hamm in the Zack Snyder slo-mo actioner. The Mad Men star has only been shown briefly in the babes-and-guns-heavy marketing campaign, which might have to do with the fact that he's not in the film very much -- or might have to do with the fact that he's neither a babe, nor a gun. Regardless! Hamm's moment in the spotlight has arrived... and it looks oddly familiar. Click through to see who his Sucker Punch character owes more than a hat tip to in the looks department.
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Mark Wahlberg was serious about this, huh? Last month, the actor joked with Mario Lopez about plans for a sequel to his highly successful passion project, The Fighter -- or at least it seemed like a joke. Wahlberg has gone on record again about The Fighter 2, and like Micky Ward doesn't seem ready to back down. "I got bit by the bug, and now I'm trying to plant the idea in everyone's head that we should do -- not five or six Fighters like Rocky -- but one more because the big thing that Micky Ward was famous for was his three epic battles with Arturo Gatti," he tells EW. "So we're talking about possibly taking one more run at it." Oh, no. Won't someone stop this fight before it gets ugly?
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Looking for one reason why audiences failed to connect with the Robert Zemeckis-produced Mars Needs Moms over the weekend? The New York Times has figured it all out: the 3-D ticket prices were too high. Wait, no: there are too many family films in the current marketplace. Er, actually, it was probably because of the uncanny valley. Maybe. Or the storyline, because "what child wants to see a movie about his mom being taken away from him?" One of those four reasons. Or, because the theater was too cold. Or, because popcorn prices were too high... [NYT]
Despite protests from opponents accusing the film of bias, the US premiere of director Julian Schnabel's latest, Miral, unspooled as planned Monday night at United Nations headquarters in New York. And while a redoubtable list of friends and heavy hitters -- including Sean Penn, Robert De Niro and Josh Brolin -- materialized in support, Schnabel had words for the resistance.
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Another day, another round of publicity stills from Steven Spielberg's War Horse. While the last round included a trio of frowning British soldiers on horseback, this latest pic keeps things on the home front. Or, more specifically, in the bedroom. Get your mind out of the gutter, Equus lovers -- this shot is totally wholesome! Albeit somewhat confusing.
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Also in this Tuesday edition of The Broadsheet: The Conan O'Brien documentary gets a distribution deal... some Brits believe lightsabers are real... a case for movies in 2011... and more ahead.
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As a bunch of brassy strippers once taught us, you've gotta have a gimmick if you want to get ahead. The same goes for dancers as it does for indie films, three of which demonstrated that time-tested lesson Monday night at SXSW. Which brings us to our Movieline Pro Tips of the Day: Bringing fun/hands-on props to delight the crowd after your movie screens can help the goodwill linger. Loudly heckling your own movie for kicks while a dozen or so journalist types sit near you, aghast and annoyed? Not so much.
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Gilbert Gottfried, a fixture of your childhood as a stand-up comedian, an SNL one-season wonder, or as Aladdin's Iago (depending on your age), lost his job as an Aflac commercial voice actor thanks to his recent pair of questionable Tweets regarding the disasters in Japan. He erased the offending quacks, but one included, "I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, 'They'll be another one floating by any minute now.'" Yeesh. [THR]
Brian Taylor took a break from Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance duties to trek down to SXSW in support of SXFantastic entry The FP -- a film he describes as "a Jerry Bruckheimer action movie from the '80s" where said action is Dance Dance Revolution. His ties to the indie action-comedy trace back to his close circle of filmmaking friends: Director Brandon Trost is a frequent DP and collaborator to Taylor and partner Mark Neveldine, while actors from Neveldine + Taylor's Crank films also show up in The FP. Taylor rung up Movieline to share his love for The FP gang via phone along with details on Ghost Rider 2's new origin story, Crank 3, and how one might go about filming a 3D movie... on the iPhone.
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Poster time! Here's the newest glimpse into Pirates of the Caribbean: Jivesteppin' the Plank, or whatever. We have Captain Jack Sparrow gazing into the CGI sky while Washington crosses the Delaware on a fiery disco yacht in back. What could he possibly be pondering? Movieline has some ideas.
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