It's a mercenary kind of summer, with The Losers, The Expendables, and The A-Team all ripsnorting out of the studio gates with soldiers of fortune in the saddle. But of those three, there is a certain fraternal bond shared between The Expendables and The A-Team in particular -- the kind of weird emotional ping that twins experience when something happens to one or the other, even miles away. Here, in Sylvester Stallone's paramilitary adventure and Joe Carnahan's pop-culture recycling binge, we have a perfect storm of '80s recidivism and '10s accessibility. And it's worth studying the DNA samples handed over (via this week's A-Team and Expendables trailers) to determine which film promises the purer thrill. Your results may vary -- read on to find out.
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Kick-Ass doesn't get released for another two weeks, but it seems like you can't go two clicks of your mouse without stumbling onto another article about its intense language and ultraviolence; even the New York Times hopped on the bandwagon. Today's installment comes from across the pond, though, in jolly ol' England. A Guardian writer with the unfortunate name of David Cox laments the fact that 13-year-old star Chloe Moretz casually uses the heretofore verboten c-word during Kick-Ass. Says Cox: "A sorry milestone has been passed. The c-word has become acceptable parlance for children in mainstream movies. We'll be the poorer for it." And while it's hard to argue with logic that level-headed, Moretz's c-bomb is just one of the many examples thus far in 2010 that prove the final language taboo is on its way to being broken. Could this be the year of the C...?
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Australia may have bombed, but Rupert Murdoch isn't going to hold it against Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The Aussie movie stars have become the godparents of Rupert Murdoch's two youngest daughters in an elaborate baptismal ceremony that also featured Ivanka Trump, for some reason. Says the Guardian: "The ceremony took place beside the River Jordan at what is traditionally believed to be the baptism site of Jesus Christ." No pressure, girls! [Guardian]
You are currently the highest-paid actor per episode in America, which is quite a feat considering the criminal record and substance addiction that you still battle. Just last Christmas, you allegedly threatened your wife at knife point, and were charged with assault, criminal mischief and menacing -- a Yuletide allegation assortment that could result in three years of prison. Then, you halted production on your expensive sitcom to enter "pre"-rehab. Are you still with me? Your employer has remained supportive of you throughout this entire ordeal and wants to reward you with a $175,000 per episode raise. You take it, right? Wrong! Charlie Sheen is in prime negotiating territory. Read on for his helpful tips to landing a grotesque television paycheck.
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If you thought Twitter was only used to discuss Justin Bieber and the iPad, think again. According to a newly released study from HP -- hilariously titled "Predicting the Future With Social Media" -- Twitter can accurately predict the box office returns of new releases better than more traditional outlets like the Hollywood Stock Exchange (HSX). As it turns out, when a film has positive buzz on Twitter it does better than a film with negative buzz. Who knew?
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· Well, you can forget about Stephen Daldry crying himself to sleep every night after another grueling day of directing Breaking Dawn. The thrice Oscar-nominated director has agreed to take on a different adaptation: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the 2005 novel by Jonathan Safran Foer about an eccentric 9-year-old boy (named Oskar! Good one, Stephen) picking up the pieces after the death of his father on 9/11. Eric Roth adapted the screenplay, and Scott Rudin will produce for partners Warners and Paramount. And thus you have seen the future of the 2012 awards season. [THR]
An American Pie reboot is something that will actually happen, another Gotti wants his turn in the spotlight, and more Hollywood Ink after the jump.
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Welcome back to Movieline Attractions, your regular guide to everything new, noteworthy and/or sword-wielding at the movies. This week, a (likely) blockbuster is born, Tyler Perry makes his semi-annual appearance, and Miley Cyrus grows up. Kind of.
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Male nudity and murder special! How Burt Reynolds' hairy nekkidness challenged the very foundations of American society. Plus, the Oscars are interrupted by the swinging dick of a future murder victim, the B-movie star who killed his wife while they were making out, and the first-ever cinema opens for business.
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· You're not supposed to pull April Fool's pranks after midday, right? So better break out the abacus because it's getting increasingly tough not only tallying all the 3-D projects but keeping track of all their names and numbers. So, Doug Liman's got a 3-D adaptation of The Three Musketeers happening -- which will compete with Paul W.S. Anderson's stereoscopic take on Alexander Dumas' classic tale. Meanwhile, Vin Diesel's reteaming with director Rob Cohen for a third triple X flick to be shot in 3-D. And also this morning: Vin's making the fifth and sixth installments of the Fast & Furious franchise and, according to producer Neil Moritz, Fast Five will most likely be converted into 3-D. No official word on whether Speedy Six or Moritz's Highlander reboot will go the way of the glasses but it's a safe bet, given it's now easier to list the projects not being fated for 3-D.
· And if you're not exhausted by all of that, after the jump Captain America's sidekick is cast, MacGruber gets a restricted trailer and British reality TV star biopic axed.
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The classic 1980s arcade games are far from exhausted as material for movie adaptations. Sure, we've got the prospect of Asteroids, Space Invaders and Missile Command on the horizon, but where are the big-screen versions of Frogger, Q*Bert, Scramble, Defender, Galaxian and Gryuss, to name but six of dozens that could, with a few notes jotted on a beer-soaked coaster, be tentpole flicks... and in 3-D. Add to that list Pac-Man, one of the most popular of those ace timewasters. Helpfully, an outfit called Therefore Productions have put together a new proof-of-concept trailer (there was another one in '06) that might kick the Saw franchise in a whole new direction while also answering the question, "What's Skeet Ulrich up to these days?" Studio executives, check it out after the jump and get this thing greenlit by Monday.
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· Steve Carell's morning weather report on GMTV provided not only a decent April Fools gag, but new insight into where Mexico and Newfoundland really are. Stay classy, sir.
[ONTD]
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People alleges that Charlie Sheen is telling friends that he's done with Two and a Half Men...friends who just happened to leak that stance to a major magazine on the eve of contract negotiations between Sheen and Warner Bros. TMZ says Sheen is angling for $1.5 million an episode as opposed to WB's $1 million offer. You gotta pay those lawyers somehow! [People, TMZ]
If you didn't get your fill of hipster kid-lit adaptations with Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox or Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are, you'll be happy to know that this trend has one more trick up its sleeve. According to Variety, Ben Stiller is set to reteam with his Greenberg director Noah Baumbach (who also cowrote Mr. Fox with Wes Anderson) on a film version of the 1938 classic children's book Mr. Popper's Penguins, written by Richard and Florence Atwater's Mr. Popper's Penguins.
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It's been a rough month for Bruce Willis, substance-wise. While promoting Cop Out on Good Morning America last month, the blazed actor could barely keep his eyes open for Robin Roberts. And then just last night, a journalist ran down the smashed actor at the Hornets/Lakers game, shoved a microphone in his face and asked him about March Madness and New Orleans music. Can't a world-famous celebrity enjoy a night of boozy revelry without a follow-up interview?
After the jump, Movieline recalls a few other stars who didn't let a little thing like promotional obligations get in the way of a good buzz.
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Cheers to The Last Song star Miley Cyrus, whose first cinematic foray out of the Hannah Montana bubble opened yesterday to No. 1. Her two-day head start on Clash of the Titans grossed $5.1 million on 2,673 screens, capitalizing on spring-break crowds and the early fade of How to Train Your Dragon, which trailed Song by more than a half-million dollars in nearly 50 percent more theaters. Ouch. Release the Kraken, indeed. [Box Office Mojo]
