Exclusive: Producer Wyck Godfrey on DEAD SPACE, GEARS OF WAR, and Will Ferrell’s EVERYTHING MUST GO

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 11:07 pm

Geek Gifts: ALL Criterion Collection DVDs and Blu-rays 50% Off at Barnes & Noble

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 10:14 pm

15 Documentaries on Oscar Short-List; ANVIL!, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC, and CAPITALISM Not Among Them

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 9:37 pm

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today released their list of the 15 films in contention for this year’s Best Documentary Feature Award.  Of these fifteen films, only five will be nominated for the award.  While there are some deserved, if unsurprising, inclusions such as Food Inc. and The Cove, what’s more interesting are the films that didn’t make the cut.  I am bummed that Anvil! The Story of Anvil didn’t make it in but I think those guys have finally achieved the fame that always eluded them and while an Academy nod would’ve been nice, this movie got out there and did its thing.  I’m more upset about the We Live in Public, which won the Grand Jury Prize award in the U.S. documentary category at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.  I get to see these smaller, independent films around this time of year because of screeners sent to critics and now I have no idea get to see this.

But I am over the fucking moon about the snub of Capitalism: A Love Story.  The documentary branch screening committee saw right through Michael Moore’s “timely” documentary (timely if you haven’t turned on the news since September 2008) for the poorly manipulative, lazily research, condescending piece of crap that it was.  Now I don’t have to worry about that garbage taking up a slot that I hope goes to Every Little Step which is one of the best films I’ve seen this year.  Hit the jump to see all 15 documentaries on the short list.

Conan O’Brien Warns Parents about NEW MOON

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 9:09 pm

Another SPIDER-MAN 4 Casting Rumor - Anne Hathaway Approached to Play Black Cat?

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 8:32 pm

SAY ANYTHING 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 8:27 pm

Lloyd Dobler. This name resonates for those who love Say Anything because if you make a list of great cinematic romantic characters, Lloyd Dobler is one of the few truly resonant male characters in the genre. Soulful, but not weak, Dobler is an outsider smart enough to know what he doesn’t want. Cementing the appeal of John Cusack for generations, even with some classic characters in Better off Dead and the series of comedies that followed, Cusack was a light comic actor. Here he takes it to the next level. My review of Say Anything after the jump.

Lionsgate Releases a New “PSA” TV Spot for DAYBREAKERS - The Ethan Hawke/Willem Dafoe Vampire Movie

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 8:01 pm

Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura Acquires the NICOLAS FLAMMEL Series, Which is Being Called “The Next HARRY POTTER”

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 2:41 pm

Lorenzo di Bonaventura is a power-hitting producer in Hollywood.  He produced both Transformers movies and one of the summer’s surprise hits G.I. Joe.  He’s currently working on Salt starring Angelina Jolie and Red which stars Bruce Willis and pretty much everyone else in Hollywood.  According to IMDb, Di Bonaventura has 31 other projects in development and he’s about to make it 32-38 as he’s just acquired the six-part fantasy series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, which has been compared to the Harry Potter series.  Hit the jump for more details.

Wacky Trailer for THE FIRST GUN, Director Zhang Yimou’s “Remake” of the Coen Bros. BLOOD SIMPLE.

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 1:12 pm

If I didn’t know that Zhang Yimou’s (Hero) upcoming film The First Gun (formerly Amazing Tales: Three Guns) was a remake of/re-imaging of/in-anyway-connected-to the Coen Brothers classic, debut film Blood Simple., then I never would have guessed it from the Chinese trailer that just went online.  Now I don’t speak Chinese (or Mandarin or whatever dialect or language they’re speaking in the trailer) but none of the images clue me in to the plot of a cuckold who hires a hitman to murder his adulterous wife and her lover.  It’s not the setting.  I just can’t see the plot.  I guess maybe the guy in black with the bow and arrow and a cannon is the hitman?  Clearly, Yimou has made some radical changes, but when you see this trailer, I doubt you’ll think, “Huh.  This kind of reminds me of Blood Simple.”

Check out the trailer after the jump and maybe you can see a resemblance that I’m missing from all this.

International Trailer for PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYPMIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 11:56 am

Stateside, we’ve only received a couple teasers for Chris Columbus’ Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lighting Thief but the international trailer for the film just went online and it’s not just a teaser.  It tells you about the characters and provides a sense of the movie’s tone instead of just the premise (regular kid discovers he’s a demigod and his father was the Greek god Poseidon).  Now whether you think a kid using his iPhone to avoid looking directly at Medusa (played by Uma Thurman) makes for a good movie is a different story.  Either way, the Greek gods are getting their due in 2010 with Percy Jackson hitting theaters on February 12^th, Clash of the Titans on March 26^th, and the highly-anticipated PlayStation 3 game God of War III hitting shelves sometime in March as well.

Hit the jump to check out the Percy Jackson trailer.

Jennifer Hudson to Headline Winnie Mandela Biopic

by David Corbin    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 11:10 am

Jennifer Hudson continues to amaze. For starters, thanks to her role in Dreamgirls, she’s the only person to ever go from a reality TV show (American Idol) to winning an Academy Award (in her debut role no less). Now, despite being an actress with no leading roles to her credit and with her latest film, Fragments, being released straight-to-DVD, she has scored one of the best roles in Hollywood.  Hudson will be portraying Winnie Mandela, the former wife of South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela, in the titular bio-pic, Winnie. For more on this project, hit the jump.

I LOVE YOU BETH COOPER Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 9:14 am

Chris Columbus used to have a magic touch. Sure, you might not have liked the movies, but he was the hand behind the first two Home Alone movies and the first two Harry Potter films. He’s had misfires, for sure, but his first major script was Gremlins. Gremlins. But when you look at his filmography he goes from highs to lows, but there’s something of a chance-taker in him too. He was the guy who wanted to direct Rent, for god’s sake. And though his plastic hands have released such odious affairs as Stepmom and Bicentennial Man, he’s not a filmmaker to write off. My review of his latest - I Love You Beth Cooper - after the jump.

4 Minute Clip from AVATAR is Online….For Now

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 8:52 am

A four minute clip from James Cameron’s Avatar has been thrown on the internet thanks to Xbox Live and someone in France with a camcorder.  Apparently the footage was seen on Avatar day, so it’s not all new.  But if you didn’t get into to Avatar day and you weren’t at Comic-Con, this is a way to see a full scene play out.

I watched the first minute and can see why everyone is freaking out about this movie after they see it in 3D.  The detail looks incredible.  Saying that, I don’t think watching a 3D movie on your computer screen is the way to see anything from this movie.  So I’ll wait, as the movie is coming out in a month.  But if you want to check it out, hit the jump:

Werner Herzog Exclusive Interview BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 17th, 2009 at 10:57 pm

Antoine Fuqua and Spike Lee Team Up for Adaptation of Graphic Novel MISS: BETTER LIVING THROUGH CRIME

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 17th, 2009 at 10:39 pm

It’s been twenty years since Do the Right Thing but Spike Lee has continued to grow and innovate as a filmmaker, pushing himself to work outside his comfort zone while never completely leaving his deep-seated convictions about race in America.

It’s been eight years since Training Day but Antoine Fuqua has yet to make another successful film and even Training Day succeeded more because of Denzel Washington than because of Fuqua’s direction.  While he did receive positive notices for his most recent film Brooklyn’s Finest, which played at Sundance earlier this year, it’s been a long dry spell for Fuqua.  Can he finally up his game by joining forces with Lee?  Their collaboration in adapting the graphic novel Miss: Better Living Through Crime may answer that question.  Hit the jump for details.

Exclusive Interview with Producers Gabe and Alan Polsky BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 17th, 2009 at 10:22 pm

While brothers Gabe and Alan Polsky launched Polsky Films three years ago, they’ve been very busy.  In a very short amount of time they got their first movie made, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, and they’re developing biopics of Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, as well as an adaptation of Flowers For Algernon.  They’ve also got Sam Mendes attached to direct an adaptation of Butcher’s Crossing for Focus Features.  So while they might be new to the industry, they’re clearly aiming to be around for awhile.

With Bad Lieutenant getting ready for release this weekend, I recently got to sit down with the brothers for an extended conversation on where they came from, how they got into the business, how Bad Lieutenant came together and what was it like on set, what other projects they’re working on, and could there be more Bad Lieutenant’s in other cities.  It’s a great conversation with these two rising producers.  Watch it after the jump:

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