· If you thought that watching Darth Vader scream "Nooooo!" on the Return of the Jedi Blu-ray was painful, you should have been in the recording studio with the Star Wars villain during that voiceover. Laugh through the George Lucas-induced tears ahead and then stick around for more Buzz Break.
Since the only thing J.J. Abrams loves more than lens flares are secrets, this should come as no big surprise: The Super 8/Star Trek director is planning a new Paramount joint with screenwriter Billy Ray (Flightplan, Shattered Glass, and the upcoming Channing Tatum Peter Pan reimagining), which the duo devised together. The details are under wraps, natch, but it's described as a "mystery adventure." Thanks for that clue, fellas! While we wait for more info to hit the wires, see what potential Abrams-Ray fantasy pitches you can come up with in the comments below. (Anyone still holding out for Slusho: The Movie?) [Deadline]
Mortal Kombat isn't the most esteemed video game franchise, but its coterie of bloodthirsty fighters is one of the most beloved in gaming history. Sure, the 1995 movie adaptation was a dud, but it was a magnificent dud with a throbbing Jock Jams soundtrack and a provocative cast. (Where have you gone, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras?) Since the 2013 reboot has a chance of reigniting interest in the age-old series, let's cast our dream players in five of the main roles.
Spoiler alert: James Franco's character wasn't always supposed to survive the Rise of the Planet of the Apes chaos. According to an early script, Franco's Will Rodman was supposed to die in the arms of his primate pal Caesar after being hit with a bullet during the dramatic forest showdown. At the last minute, the filmmakers decided to change the ending and flew the actor cross-country to film an alternative goodbye scene with Caesar (Andy Serkis). The casualty-free climax made the final cut, Rise of the Planet of the Apes grossed over $400 million worldwide and Will Rodman lives to film a potential sequel. [THR]
Nope, new movies 50/50, Courageous, and Dream House didn't take the weekend box office away from Moneyball and Dolphin Tale. Boo, I know. But that doesn't mean your favorite Twitter celebrities didn't have anything to say about it! In today's Twit Wit, we see what Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, and one staggering Jeopardy! champ have to say about the cineplex. I'll take "Moneyball Jokes" for $600, Alex.
Happy Monday! Also in today's edition of The Broadsheet: Star Trek 2 is underway (sort of)... Awards-season gets raked over the critical coals (again)... Obvious questions about Taylor Lautner... Andrew Breitbart's classy tribute to Janeane Garofalo... and more.
Thomas Horn, who plays the 9-year-old protagonist in this winter's Tom Hanks/Sandra Bullock feature Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (which is gaining Oscar steam), gives a somewhat stilted first impression in the movie's trailer. He came off much stronger as a champion on Jeopardy!, where he towered over last year's Kids Week with a $31,800 finish. I say we judge his potential based on his Trebekian skills, not his trailer prowess. Which categories did he soar in? And are they helpful when solving Tom Hanks's key riddle?
Last week's box office roundup featured three movies that garnered $20 million, which makes this week's tally feel like an unassuming, but pleasant showing. Yes, Moneyball and Dolphin Tale are still garnering identical figures at the top of the leaderboard, but 50/50 earned back its whole budget in just its first three days at the multiplex. If Contagion stirred up a moviegoer fever, then 50/50 is a mildly throbbing tumor of success.
Melissa McCarthy sailed through her SNL hosting gig last night on pure charm and panache, even if the skits weren't particularly novel. Coming off her recent Emmy win for Mike & Molly, she's officially the most likable (and most liked) dame in primetime right now, which begs the question: Is this a wave of well wishes that can lead to the Oscar dais? Should we expect her name to pop in the Best Supporting Actress category alongside shoo-ins Octavia Spencer and Vanessa Redgrave?
Netflix may be a little unpopular at the moment, but I assume you're holding onto a couple of red envelopes right now, right? (I've had Barefoot in the Park for two months, and I desperately need to move on to A Patch of Blue. I can hear Shelley Winters bellowing at me from beyond the grave.) The company just released a list of the ten most rented movies in its history, and you'll have several reactions to it: 1) Really? A few of these are surprising. 2) Really? A few of these are kind of cool. 3) Of course that damn movie is #1. Of course.
Zach Galifianakis is a riot on the big screen today (even in last year's rather staid It's Kind of a Funny Story), but I'm willing to bet that the 42-year-old comedian's strongest fans were just as fervent nine years ago, when he was but a piano-playing standup with a failed VH1 talk show. For those of us who watched that damn show every night for its two-month run in 2002 and remember when he interviewed Bradley Cooper in studio and singer Natalie Imbruglia on a crane, Galifianakis is a prized treasure. Let's revisit the old gem in honor of his 42nd birthday.
Moneyball rose to the top of the leaderboard on Friday's box office tally, which is no surprise. It's baseballing time. You should be re-watching Pride of the Yankees, Fear Strikes Out, and Field of Dreams by now. Further on down the rankings, newcomers Courageous, 50/50, Dream House, and What's Your Number finish comparably, with the low-budget Courageous and 50/50 showing the most potential. Full listings after the jump.
I accept that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will be the sensation of winter, and not just because it looks fantastic in its new trailer. Stieg Larsson's thrilling Millennium series is perfect for David Fincher's dark auteurship, and I expect his protege Rooney Mara to pull off protagonist Lisbeth Salander's Nordic grit. In the meantime, though, Lisbeth's cartoonishly goth appearance (shown in the movie's new photos) is too bizarre not to mock, and I need to get some snark out of my system before the wave of great buzz sweeps through fall. Here are 20 mocking new titles.
Every month at Movieline, we collect the best interviews, smartest features, and most compelling reviews we've produced, and curate them in one easy-to-use table of contents called the Virtual Newsstand, which pays tribute to our print magazine history. Here's the Virtual Newsstand for September 2011.
Looks like Quentin Tarantino's reaching into his own well to fill the shoes of his Django Unchained baddie. The Wrap reports that none other than Kurt Russell, who played Tarantino's Death Proof villain Stuntman Mike, is negotiating to replace Kevin Costner as Ace Woody, a plantation henchman who works for Leonardo DiCaprio's big bad. Battling against Kurt 'n' Leo will be Jamie Foxx as the titular slave-turned-bounty hunter and his German mentor Christoph Waltz (who recently injured himself training on horseback for the role). This Django's turning into quite the QT party! [The Wrap]
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