One thing about Sarah Palin, she has staying power. People on the left and right love and hate her (or both) and as Mitt Romney gears up to choose his potential Veep, it's hard to imagine whoever it is will have the same cultural impact as Palin. Movies have been made about her including the pro-Palin doc The Undefeated (2011) directed by Stephen K. Bannon which is inspired by her book Going Rogue: An American Life and then there was, of course, the reality show set in her home state where she served part of a term as governor in Sarah Palin's Alaska. But countless on-TV appearances later another film - this time, made for HBO - brought out star-wattage and more controversy in Game Change, which the filmmaker recently spoke about including his frustration at negative feedback from both sides of the political spectrum.
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July 20 is the summer's most anticipated date for Bat-fans, but if you haven't yet pre-ordered for The Dark Knight Rises you might want to hop on the IMAX train and snag your ticket before too long. Why? With over an hour of footage shot with IMAX technology, Chris Nolan's trilogy-ender is set to blow minds in the larger format. And that could make the IMAX experience worthwhile.
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HIGH Times has been a purveyor of - well - high times for years now and it's high time, apparently, that one high-profile fan of the illegal-ish botanic blazon its cover with his famous image. Oliver Stone will grace the cover of the magazine in the August 2012 issue, just in time for the magazine's new editor-in-chief to settle in at his new post - quite a coup!
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It's going on seven years since Brokeback Mountain brought cowboys and leading men out of the closet - even if they weren't exactly gay. But still, man on man snogging sessions still make some headlines as was the case recently with 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin and actor Russell Brand who share make-out time in the forthcoming Rock of Ages.
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Ridley Scott's Prometheus opens stateside today, which means no more tiptoeing around spoilers for those who've seen it. (Obviously, spoilers will follow. You've been warned.) The number one complaint among folks who have now seen the highly anticipated Alien kinda-prequel? So. Many. Unanswered. Questions. So let's jump right into the spoiler goo and get to deciding (and, hopefully, answering) the biggest question prompted by Scott's gorgeous, murky space opus that is left yet unanswered.
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Movieline's Klingon contingent aside, there are probably legions of faithful Star Trek fans who'd get behind series actor Michael Dorn and his idea to write and star in an indie spin-off movie around Worf, his Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine character. "I am serious," he told TrekMovie.com, after revealing his very early plans at Phoenix Comic-Con. "I think there is a place for it. Straight to DVD or straight to cable. Who wouldn’t want to have this kind of thing going on?"
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As if the stakes weren't high enough already among hockey fans enjoying the ongoing and roundly extraordinary Stanley Cup Playoffs, an institution born from arguably the greatest sports film ever made now requires their immediate attention: The good people of Johnstown, Penn. — which served as the inspiration and location for the 1977 classic Slap Shot — have a new hockey team. What they don't have is a name. Let's help them out.
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There's nothing more enraging to me as a moviegoer than that dreaded moment when, in the middle of a movie, the unmistakable, un-ignorable glow of a cell phone screen cuts through the glorious darkness in my field of vision and takes me out of the viewing experience. Texting, sexting, checking emails, Tweeting -- I don't care what your excuse is, it's not okay to ruin everyone else's experience by using your phone (or talking or shaking the entire row of seats with your nervous-boredom knee jiggle or letting your stank feet air out in the aisles or snoring, you selfish prick.) So why would theater owners or studio heads, whose job it is to deliver an enjoyable movie-going experience to their paying customers, ever even entertain the notion of allowing or encouraging texting in a movie theater?
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Well, it looks like Lionsgate has picked their pony in the Catching Fire directing race; I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence has reportedly been offered the job to helm the Hunger Games sequel, which is set to start filming on a tight schedule this August. Lawrence has three features under his belt, in addition to music videos for the likes of J. Lo and Britney Spears; he most recently directed Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon in Water for Elephants (but also made 2005's Constantine).
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According to an LA Times report citing an insider in the know, Lionsgate is looking at a few notable names to take the helm of the Hunger Games franchise for the series sequel Catching Fire. Among the "seven or eight names" -- all men, it's noted -- are David Cronenberg, Alfonso Cuaron, and Alejandro González Iñárritu.
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High five to Fox for pulling their bullet-ridden Neighborhood Watch marketing materials from Florida theaters this week following the February killing of Trayvon Martin. Trying to get as much distance as possible from the teaser's emphasis on grown men Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade stalking and finger-shooting suburban kids is a good idea and a sensitive move -- not to mention a no-brainer necessity, PR-wise -- so the studio's forthcoming campaign will likely focus on the film's "broad alien-invasion comedy" elements. But even four months from now, will it be too soon for Neighborhood Watch to make fun escapism out of vigilante violence?
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Back in January, MGM/Screen Gems tapped director Kimberly Peirce to helm their remake of Stephen King's Carrie, updating the supernatural tale after Brian de Palma's iconic 1976 film adaptation. The current frontrunners to play Carrie White, the sexually repressed telekinetic teen who wreaks bloody revenge on her classmates at the high school prom? Kick-Ass star Chloe Moretz and actress Haley Bennett (The Haunting of Molly Hartley, Marley & Me), according to Vulture. Can either fill Sissy Spacek's shoes?
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Some folks out there may have enjoyed Billy Crystal's ninth outing as host of the Academy Awards last night, but his turn was as tepid as James Franco's 2011 "performance" was bizarre. Crystal's Oscars-themed song and dance routine? Dated. The weak banter and soft barbs at Hollywood's gathered illuminati? Snoozeville. Given that the previously and frequently great Crystal was upstaged by the night's random moments (Angelina Jolie's leg, J. Lo's boob, those Cirque du Soleil acrobats) and young, actually funny presenters (the Bridesmaids crew and Emma Stone) it's time to start anew and refresh what's already known as the fussiest night in the film calendar. In other words: Who would make the ultimate, charismatic, hilarious, non-sucky Oscar host?
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It's Valentine's Day, lovebirds -- time to hash out some passionate debate over the films that get your pulse racing and make your chest heave, the romances that get your hankies flying and fill your hearts (and your loins!) with longing. Whether you're planning the perfect V-Day date or preparing to love vicariously this Valentine's Day, chime in and tell us which of cinema's greatest love stories hits you the hardest. Let's start with a classic, shall we?
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Joe Carnahan probably knew he was in for something of a tussle when his latest film, the survival actioner/mortality meditation The Grey, began drawing criticism from animal activist groups sight unseen even before it debuted (at #1, no less) last weekend. But then PETA posted its own twofold complaint regarding the depiction of wolves in the film and the reported eating of wolf meat on Carnahan’s set, escalating the anti-Grey fight. The question is, does PETA have a legit beef with The Grey?
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