Ready to watch Natalie Portman alone in space for two hours? Studios are betting so. After her widely praised performance in Black Swan, Warner Bros. has given the OK to Alfonso Cuaron to offer Portman the lead role in his sci-fi survival film Gravity. Casting has been going back and forth for some time with rumors that Angelina Jolie's recent departure may have sunk the movie. Here's hoping Portman keeps it alive, because that crazy opening shot still sounds awesome. [THR/Risky Business]
After a summer of bloated action-comedies and comic-book adaptations, it's easy to forget that action movies used to be interesting. In the late '60s and early '70s mavericks like John Boorman and Jean Pierre-Melville made films that emphasized suspense and tension over set pieces. The protagonists were more emotionally complex, even though they barely spoke. And every punch, gunshot or car crash hurt.
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It's a lazy Sunday afternoon, so let me share the following news with you, gentle reader. Hollywood scion Jaden Smith and noted Canadian hair model Justin Bieber were enjoying themselves at a local New York City bowling alley, when suddenly a dance battle erupted! Breakdance fighting! Probable "dirt off your shoulder" dance moves! The gory pictures follow.
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George Clooney was the king of the (very weak) box office this weekend, as his bare-bones thriller The American took the top spot. In a tightly-fought battle for second place, it was the surprisingly still-strong Takers who edged out Machete -- though the difference between them is so small, they may swap places come Tuesday morning. And meanwhile Going the Distance ended up not going anywhere at all. Your weekend receipts are here.
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I'm not sure if it's part of the new TSA safety regulations, but I believe you are physically not allowed to board a plane unless you are carrying a copy of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander trilogy. So for all you weary travelers, enjoy the first leaked photos of Rooney Mara in action as Salander -- if you can call sitting indian-style while casually removing your jacket action. But, hey, she looks pretty close to what I envisioned Lisbeth looking like.
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Tulsa, OK drive-in theater, the Admiral Twin, burnt to a crisp yesterday while featuring a double-bill of The Last Exorcism and Predators. Fire officials have no leads yet as to what caused the renowned landmark, built in 1951, to razed by the damnable fires of perdition, but some think that dark forces may be at work. Which I don't think is possible because not eight miles away, a theater playing Eat, Pray, Love is still recounting its unholy tale. More of the cindery remains of the Admiral after the break.
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When a television series suddenly takes a turn for the worse after previously being successful, it's said to have jumped the shark -- lovingly named after the episode of Happy Days when Fonzie jumped a shark in a water skiing competition. And now Fred Fox Jr., the writer of that episode, has penned an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times that claims actually that episode wasn't that bad.
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As we mentioned the other day, erstwhile witch and current Brown University matriculant Emma Watson was speaking to Brit mag Empire and bubbling on about her forthcoming kiss with Rupert Grint in the last volume of the Harry Potter movies when she gave a backhanded slam to everyone's favorite dishwater dull vamp couple, Bella & Edward. But what did she mean exactly? Let's unpack it.
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George Clooney racked up another victory as his spare thriller The American topped the rather tepid Friday box office. Campy Mexploitation flick Machete settled for number two, while Justin Long & Drew Barrymore's Going the Distance idled at the gate at number five. Your Friday box office is here.
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Actually, we did. We knew you a little too well, in fact, and the sooner you can step aside and let a real season make its entrance the better. Thanks for everything, though, including the last week in dazzling, dizzying cultural heights as chronicled at Movieline. Recount them here, and please do keep Dixon Gaines company in the days ahead as he spins all your weekend favorites. Have a great holiday!
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· Because Pixar ditched Newt -- its CGI project about the last two living blue-footed newts on Earth -- for ventures like Cars 2 and Monsters Inc 2, we're left to pore over pictures of abandoned amphibians and wonder what could've been (worth $400 million). Have a look. [Cinema Blend]
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This merits a full "Good day" instead of just a "G'day": After tax problems threatened to keep Paul Hogan permanently detained in Australia, the Crocodile Dundee star has been granted permission to return to his home and family in Los Angeles. Don't get any ideas, Yahoo Serious. [NYT]
The posters for Lionsgate's horror movies often have several things in common: they're gorgeous, they're frequently photographed by studio chief Tim Palen, and they're totally baffling and inscrutable. Movieline has rounded up 14 examples of Lionsgate's poster key art -- see if you can tell what movie they belong to (or even what, exactly, they're supposed to be).
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During a surely ridiculous stunt on the set of Transformers 3, 24-year-old extra Gabriella Cedillo was seriously injured when a metal cable cut through the windshield of her Toyota and "sliced through her skull." The aspiring actress (and current bank teller) was airlifted to a nearby hospital with serious head trauma. Deadline reports that Cedillo -- who obviously has no training as a stunt performer -- was paid $25 for the use of her car. [Deadline, ABC Chicago]
· Is the poster for The Next Three Days afraid of its star? Not exactly -- Russell Crowe's in there somewhere. Click through for a closer look and more Buzz Break.
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