The hype was deserved. As D Lap mentioned in a previous post, we finally got around to catching The Rundown the other day. The movie was a lot of fun. Not going to win any Oscars, but it was definitely entertaining. And after all, what else can you ask from a film?

The biggest surprise to me was The Rock. In The Scorpion King (which was also kinda fun) The Rock came across as pretty awkward, but considering the fact that it was a barbarian movie, you didn’t really care. However, he’s developed his talent by miles in a short period of time. Roger Ebert said that this movie marks the arrival of The Rock as a legitimate movie star. You know what√¢‚Ǩ¬¶ he’s right.

The Rock looked very comfortable in this film and carried himself extremely well. It doesn√¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t hurt that this role was perfect for him, but it was more than that. The Rock is the new Arnold Schwarzenegger. If The Rundown is any indication at all, we’re going to be seeing a lot of The Rock in the years to come, and probably a return of the 80’s style action adventure to which he is so well suited. Just my two cents worth.

Our friends over at superherohype.com have posted this picture of the new Catwoman costume and an article taken from the new issue of TIME. Ummm… what can be said really? I think I just heard interest in this movie jump about 3000% from the male viewing audience around the world. Here’s a part of the article:

The cat is finally out of the bag. HALLE BERRY slinks into a strapping new ensemble this week when filming starts in Vancouver for Catwoman. The Oscar-winning actress plays the Felonious Feline (see also: Princess of Plunder, Mistress of Malevolence) from the Batman series, a role made famous by Eartha Kitt in the ’60s TV show and reinvented by a neoprene-clad Michelle Pfeiffer in 1992. Berry’s leather cat suit for the 2004 film is “very bare, very urban, very downtown,” she says. Her character, Patience Price, is a scientist at a cosmetics company who transforms into Catwoman √¢‚Ǩ‚Äù or should we say Sex Kitten?-to take on her nefarious boss, played by Sharon Stone. Benjamin Bratt as a detective is the love interest for Berry’s Catwoman, who is both villainess and heroine. “She’s not Superman,” Berry says. “She’s not trying to save the world.” Instead, like a pampered house pet, Berry says, “Catwoman is out to save herself.” Could be quite a purr-formance.

Click Right Here for the new Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King trailer!

Okay, Shut up. I know I said I wouldn’t ask again about this movie being released wide, and I won’t…
… I will, however, rant about the zippy stupidity of the corporate morons who didn’t. BECAUSE THERE’S MORE NEWS!!!!

Remember Vitagraph films? - They’re the independent geniuses who were brave enough to give “Bubba” the best release, albeit small, as they could — I mentioned them at the end of this post. What about them you ask? — Well, sit - let me flap about it.

Well, on the list of Independent Distributors… Vitagraph is… oh,… what’s that word … number.. what.. ummm oh yeah, ONE!!!! Number One you fruitless, mind-numbed yutzs!! Here’s Proof!

The only Film Vitagraph film they have released is Bubba Ho-Tep…
On the per-screen average on the independent chart, Bubba Ho-Tep is number 2!! NUMBER 2!!! Only losing out to the new release of Scarface, but BEATING “Lost in Translation” (great flick) and “Mambo Italiano”. BEATING!!! Bubba Ho-Tep made a WHOPPING $17,818 per screen over the weekend on the two screens it was playing at.

Let’s compare that for a second:
    Bubba Ho-Tep
         Total Per screen average = $17,818

    The Rundown (Number 1 at the box office this past weekend)
        Box Office Take = 18.5 million
        Number of Screens Released on = 3152
         Total Per Screen Average = $5,869

I rest my case. The fact I can’t see this movie is stupid.

Overall, one solid day at the movies.

Saunder in and steal a peak at the Lord of the Rings Trailer (along with the Cinema Employees doing the same thing), and then run across the hall to watch The Rundown before all the couples sitting arm-in-arm watching Secondhand Lions makes us feel queasy.

And folks, Rundown won’t take any majors awards, but its a solid flick that will make action fans feel giddy like there’s a fly in their anus.

Seriously, the director has mastered that little “it’s a real quick edit, but it’s strung together really fast and coupled with a really strong ‘woosh’ sound effect” trick, so what you got is a sharp flick with a number of scenes that’ll made me die laughing because the shots were so actiony.

As for the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King trailer, it sucks. That’s right, it sucks.

Just kidding. It’s better than your life. You should watch it and then kill yourself.

It would appear the mediochre hero flick based on Allan Moore’s popular graphic novel League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is still getting attacked, but for all new, all different reasons. Now some suckers think they can sue Fox because they begged them to do it 10 years ago and Fox thought it wouldn sell.

Superhero Hype reports:

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court, producer Martin Poll and screenwriter Larry Cohen accused 20th Century Fox of stealing their ideas for the summer action flick, which starred Sean Connery. Cohen, who wrote the thriller “Phone Booth,” and Poll, whose credits include 1968’s “The Lion in Winter” and Woody Allen’s “Love and Death,” say in the lawsuit that they discussed a similar idea with Fox executives in 1993, only then the movie was called “Cast of Characters.”

It’s very clear that this movie was based on the less-than-mainstream graphic novel by the same name. True League fans were this movie’s worst critics as this film is only loosely based on Moore’s book. Why would Fox do this idea now instead of the old take on it in 93? The new wave of Superhero movies are permission to print money and the underground comic industry is thriving better than ever. Comic Book stores are the new concept factories for fiction films.

I really think these goons are kicking themselves for filing this suit since they don’t stand a chance of winning this since it is clear where Fox got the idea and why they are using it now instead of 10 years ago.

Hollywood.Com reports:

With planning for next year’s 76th annual Academy Awards ceremony well under way, veteran comedian Billy Crystal is once again being tapped to host the 2004 telecast, according to a press release from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This marks his eighth time as host, the last time being in 2000 at the 72nd annual awards show, and a reunion of sorts for Crystal and show producer Joe Roth. Crystal and Roth last worked together on the 2001 comedy America’s Sweethearts, which Roth directed and Crystal starred in. The 76th annual awards show is scheduled to air live from the Kodak Theater in Hollywood on ABC Feb. 29.

I’m not the biggest Billy Crystal fan in the world, but I must admit that I think he’s done a great job everytime he’s hosted the Oscars. Steve Martin would be my next choice, just as long as they NEVER let Whoopi near the theatre again.

For those of you who may not know, Oscar Screeners are BASICALLY DVD or VHS copies of films that are Oscar candidates that studios send around to boost thier chances at the Academy Awards.

The problem is that these copies get leaked, and end up on the internet or duplicated about 50,000 times. I know I personally had an official screener copy of Bowling For Columbine at least 5 months before it was released in video stores, and a perfect DVD copy of The Two Towers at least 6 months in advance. I felt no guilt since I spent about $100 on seeing each in the theatre multiple times.

However, people like me who will only view a “pirated” copy of a film if I a) Have already paid to see it in the theatre, or b) plan on going to the theatre to see it in the near future, are few and far between. This appears to be prompting studios to consider halting the practice of Oscar Screeners.

Variety reports the Motion Picture Association of America late Tuesday sent major studio heads a draft of a proposal under which the studios would agree not to send out screening cassettes or DVDs during the upcoming awards season, in an effort to halt piracy. The MPAA has apparently been huddling with the studios in recent days on the subject.

Read the full story here

New Matrix Revolutions Trailer!New Matrix Revolutions Trailer!New Matrix Revolutions Trailer!New Matrix Revolutions Trailer!New Matrix Revolutions Trailer!New Matrix Revolutions Trailer!New Matrix Revolutions Trailer!New Matrix Revolutions Trailer!New Matrix Revolutions Trailer!New Matrix Revolutions Trailer!New Matrix Revolutions Trailer!New Matrix Revolutions Trailer!New Matrix Revolutions Trailer!New Matrix Revolutions Trailer! CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!CLICK THIS!!!!

News hits that Underworld is now going to be made into a trilogy.

I recall the times when using the word Trilogy meant you were talking about Star Wars. Now the word is the buzz catch phrase for any movie that has 3 (or more) releases. Gone are the days of the sequel. That’s not good enough. Would you like a side order of Trilogy with your big budget movie? Now, just about every blockbuster is a “Trilogy”

It used to be that if a movie was successful and popular enough that they would make a sequel and see what happens from there. Take it one step at a time. Now, a movie does well and they plan 2 more at a time.
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Being a big fan of the local video store’s 7 for 7 deal, where you can rent 7 “not new releases” for 7 days for 7 dollars, I found myself accidentally renting movies with the same actors in them. This wasn’t intentional. It just happened that way.

One of those actors that we found we liked was Parker Posey. Not a $10million dollar actor by any means but we just found that the character she plays always tended to be enjoyable. She has her very own unique quirky presence that just seemed to grab our attention. Her confident air and bold “she didn’t just say that” delivery of lines make her a favourite among indie film fans. I am not just the only one.

She has been in a number of “big name” movies like Josey and the Pussycats, Best in Show, Scream 3 and You’ve got Mail as well as the classic Waiting for Guffman

Counting Down reports that Posey will be appearing in the upcoming Blade:Trinity as a vampire character, but the very reliable Internet Movie Database doesn’t have a listing for that yet.

Yes folks, I found it.

I’m not talkin’ dollar theatre business. I’m talking regular, brand-slappy new movies. In the theatre. As in a REAL theatre. As in not downloaded at all.

I’m also talkin’ evening shows. And late shows. No “only cheap in the afternoon” business. No, no. I’ve found a real place that has movies for the grand ol’ 1990 price of 7.50. Y’know? like 7.50? As in - the price you’re always griping movies should be? Yeah that. It’s real.

Wanna know where?

Folks, this theatre rules… It doesn’t have the mainstream B.S. adorning the walls, the big corporate jibber-jabber that some Manager got given more incentives to put up. Local art lines the walls, Murals painted by local artists — There’s even a public piano - right in the middle of the fricking foyer for the musically inclined to entertain his or her fellow movie entrepeneurs with.

Granted, the seating space isn’t silver city size, However — the ratio of screen size to theatre size is mondo. It’s almost like your own MASSIVE viewing room. — with a several hundred extra seats.

Do you live in Toronto? Or even near it? There’s nearly 6 million of you, so PLEASE, support this theatre!!!!!

The little miracle of modern splendor is the Rainbow Cinemas — 80 Front St E in downtown Toronto. Downtown!! See that?? it’s even downtown!!! It’s not a boon-docky, red-neck-a-plex - this is real.. Oh the spirits are moving today. This is the apology I get from the powers that be that withheld my lottery numbers last week.

It’s at the corner of Front and Jarvis Street — it’s a massive complex building, and the cinemas are around the side. Get there. Go. Leave. Now. Enjoy the Show. Try the Veal.

Over in Britain, advance reviews of Kill Bill have been hugely positive, and bode well for Tarantino fans hungry for the style and spirit of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.

Read the whole article here

For those of you who want to see the new trailer for Return of the King, the third and final installment in the Lord of the Rings Trillogy on the big screen MSN tells us this:

New Line Cinema announced Tuesday it is debuting the first theatrical trailer for “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” this weekend exclusively before showings of the family comedy, Secondhand Lions which stars Haley Joel Osment as a young boy raised by two eccentric uncles, played by Michael Caine and Robert Duvall.

Of course this coming Monday the very same trailer will be made available on their Official Website . Placing trailers for highly anticipated films before minor features has helped ticket sales in the past. The Star Wars: The Phantom Menace announced its trailer would be played before Wing Commander and made it #1 that weekend. Of course Wing Commander was a total waste of time and dropped off the top 10 the following week.

Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Snoop Dogg, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Juliette Lewis, Carmen Electra, and Jason Bateman make up the cast of Starsky and Hutch.
I am SO looking forward to this film. Some hate them, but I just love them, Stiller and Wilson are two of the funniest guys in movies today. I absolutely LOVED Zoolander, and both Stiller and Wilson are funny on their own as well. Reviews are coming in from advanced test screenings already and they all rave about how funny it is going to be.
You need to know NOTHING about the original Starsky and Hutch to enjoy this film which is good because you would have to be at least close to 30 to recall anything more than the car. Apparently there are a few jokes that are based on the original series that only fans will get but they are buried in funny moments anyways, so you can miss the gag and still see something funny.

Perhaps the problem was my unrealistic high expectations, but I walked out of Underworld feeling a little bit cheated. What looked like a high budget visual effects feast for the eyes actually turned out to be a lower budget mood film that takes too many wrong turns with the plot and only short teases of battles between Vampires and Werewolves.
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While Hugh Jackman’s star has rocketed skyward due to his X-Men role as Wolverine, he’s done a couple of other films worth watching that haven’t received as much attention. You’ve probably heard of these films, but if the box office is any indication, you probably haven’t seen them.
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From our friends at FilmForce:

“Shooting the film is only a small part of the whole process,” said producer Rick McCallum on StarWars.com. “George is enthusiastic about getting back to the Ranch and starting the next component. This will enable him to start thinking about what he needs to pick up when we shoot in March 2004. For George and I, this is only the mid-way point. We still have eighteen months to get through.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Right up front I’ll admit that I√¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m actually a Nicolas Cage fan. I think he gets a bad rap from a lot of people, which is really unfortunate when you consider how many untalented actors there are in films today. However, it seems that lately, even when the critics love his movies (Adaptation, Matchstick Men) and like him in them, the general movie going audience aren’t dropping their money to see them. Adaptation was brilliant, but no one saw it. From all accounts, Matchstick Men is really good, but now in it’s 3rd week of release it’s only managed to pull in about $23 million. Windtalkers just bombed, and no one gave Captain Corelli’s Mandolin the time of day. What gives? Is it the movies? Is it him?

Cage is slated to appear in the comic book movie “Ghost Rider” in 2005. Perhaps appealing to a younger audience will rejuvinate his career.

Adaptation. Did you see it? You should’ve.

Charlie Kaufman who wrote it along with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which you can still see if you look hard enough, is releasing his next biggie, and I gotta admit, it looks pretty sharp to boot.

It’s Called “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” - and it looks quirkily wonderful enough to get my pink secrets all in a hissy.

Here’s a few of the suckers in it: Jim Carrey, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunce (YES), Kate Winslet and Tom Wilkinson.

Either way folks, You really need to Go Here And Watch The Trailer. Very Interesting stuff.

I know this is more of a television story rather than a film one, but since John Ritter was also a film personality, I felt it was worth posting here. The ABC website has released the following:

The final three episodes of 8 Simple Rules… completed by Mr. Ritter will air sequentially beginning with the season premiere on Tuesday, September 23 8/7c. Each of these episodes will open with a special introduction by members of the cast. Future episodes will then take viewers into the Hennessy household as they experience the loss of a beloved father and construct a new life.

I think its a good idea to keep the show on and see where it goes. It will be interesting to see how the public reacts to it. Man, I still can’t believe Ritter is gone.

The Superman Home Page reports:

This is not confirmed, but various sources and information shared between myself and the guys running www.Superman-V.com lead us to believe that M. Night Shyamalan is writing and directing this new Superman movie.

I am a big fan of M Night Shyamalan (Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs) but I am curious as to what got him thinking of taking on this genre. On the other hand, M Night fanatics report that he is a HUGE Superman fan and even has a 2ft statue of Supes in his office. He is also writing an introduction for Alex Ross’s upcoming “Mythology” book. Who knew?

Superhero Hype is also stating the most recent rumours that they are stuffing Brendan Fraser in the tights of steel. I am still an advocate that Nicholas Cage would have made a perfect Superman. I personally can’t see Fraser fitting the part. Although Brendan does have a few cartoon icons to his list of characters (George of the Jungle, Dudley DoRight) and he does have that large physique and solid jaw, can we really take him seriously as Big Blue?

Its not a suprise that hollywood pumps out failed sequels. Very few sequels actually make it. Most deserve to go direct to video just on the principal of seat prices at a theatre alone. Then there are the rare few that rise above and make seeing the ongoing story worth while.
Among those would obviously be Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Leathal Weapon, American Pie, Godfather and of course anything with Bruce Campbell with zombies in it. Some just shouldn’t. I could go on all day about how confused I am about the Highlander series (anything after the first confuses me more than Mormons) but now I hear news about Jurassic Park 4.
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Tomorrow (Saturday) D Lap and I are going to hit a double header of Underworld and an advanced screening of The Rundown. I’ve been dying to see Underworld since I first heard rumors of a Vampires vs. Werewolves film. The Rundown is one I rolled my eyes at in the beginning, but after seeing a couple of trailers, and reading a couple of early reviews I’m actually quite pumped about it. We’re checking them out at the Paramount Theatre in Toronto, so if any of you are there too make sure you say “hi”. We’ll post reviews soon.

Okay, LOOK. I’m BLEEDING SICK OF THIS. How come sloppy bung piles can get released to the theatres and no one will give Bubba Ho-Tep a wide, and I mean WIDE, release?!?! WHY?!?! SONNY BLAZES MOTHER F&@^#!$!

So far, at the very popular Rotten Tomatoes critic site, Bubba Ho-tep has recieved a 100% rating!!! ONE HUNDRED!!! SEE??? Those Puckered-Up openings in the tail end of CEO’s suits MUST find that interesting. Sure, there isn’t many reviews, but they are ALL POSITIVE. All of ‘em!! Hell, Did Mother Theresa have her critics?? YES… Does Bubba Ho-Tep? Nooooo. Do you need someone to beat this into you? How can you argue with that? “Well, you see, we didn’t release it because, as you can see here in this chart, everybody liked it.” — How much crack can one person USE??? Whatever University that guy went to, I wanna go!! Bleeding morons, running the show sonuva…motherjid[mumble]rdfll;aaw

I’ve got 5 dollars. 5 big smackers to chip into the project, let me send it somewhere… You want people to put up posters? I’ll put up your stupid posters. Want me to bring a friend?? I’ll buy some. Someone who isn’t mentally simple release this movie, PLEASE! This is the last time I ask!!!

Dear Rich People Who Clearly Don’t Know Any Better:
Release this movie. You’ll make even more money.
Love,
Me.

Go to www.bubbahotep.com to find out how you can help.
In case you’re wondering, Bubba Ho-Tep does have a tiny, and I mean TINY release from Vitagraph Films. But I’m talkin’ a slow “one city at a time, in a theatre you’ve never heard of” type release. Sorry, but if the lottery prize was dealt one dollar at a time, the winner would have to kill you.

Yup, believe it or not, I saw this. About a week ago even.

The Fighting Temptations opens in theatres later today across the nation, and this is what I want you to do… Do you live in the Bible Belt? Do you attend a Black Southern Gospel church with the high-flying, ranting and praising, Spirit shakers and such? Yeah? Then PLEASE go see this with a bunch of those people and tell me what it’s like.

I saw this movie with a bunch of white honky people who, as kids probably spent too much time listening to AC/DC and getting abused. So some of the “fun” was certainly missed. I’d imagine if this film was shown in the right place, you’ll have the energetic ones jumping outta their seats so “Da preacha’ll just keep preachin!!!”

Now on a regular note, the movie wasn’t much to write home about. The Characters are purposely overly eccentric and energetic and do a good job at it - in fact, there’s not too much wrong with the movie, save the fact that the premise is kinda old. I’d call “The Fighting Temptations” ‘Sister Act’ with a bit more “Pep”.

If you live in a white trash trailer park, you can probably skip this and continue downloading more of the weird porn you’ve got there. — If you like your hype brand of the ol’ Gospel choi-ah, or the grassroots era of the Bible Belt in all of it’s pew-hoppin glory, you just may get a kick out of it, praise Jesus.

I give you tidbits on the Touch of Prinze - Actors who starred alongside Freddie Prinze Jr. He seemed to be the king of teen romance/comedy movies and many raved that he was on the brink of hitting it big. Guess they were wrong. Where is Freddie now? The “because no one asked for it sequel of the century” Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (sounds like a video game title) Freddie’s career took a nose dive, but what about his co-stars? Did they benefit since starring with the Prinze of Teen movies? Or did they rue the day? Or did they care?

Read on…
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And now, for your reading and debating pleasure, I’d like to present my top 10 list of best actors living today. Fell free to leave your comments to let me know who you didn’t think should be on it, or who you thought I left out. Although this list is a subjective one, I’m always right. :)

Read the List…
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All righty, Rodney mentioned I should post it, so here it is. A few years back a couple of us ran a movie reviews website at www.movie-reviews.org (pretty clever name huh? We thought so.) Anyway, after a few years, it just got too expensive and too time consuming. But that’s not to say I didn’t keep the database — So ladies and gentlemen, the year 2000 proudly presents, my review of Battlefield Earth:

Keep Reading:
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Slightly easier bombs to find than weapons of mass destruction, these rank as the TOP TEN biggest wastes of time in Hollywood History. These numbers only reflect the raw loss at the box office. Many of these flops spent enormous amounts of money on promotion and piles of merchandise that no one bought.

I am embarrassed to say how many of these films I actually enjoyed. Just goes to show that just because a movie makes money doesn’t mean it wasn’t neccessarily bad, just not widely enjoyed. And now in reverse order ….Drumroll please?

#10 - Howard the Duck - Cost= $37 million…. Made $16m -I liked it… but not suprised most didnt. It did have a cool theme song… you know its stuck in your head now.

#9 - Husdon Hawk - Cost= $60 million…. Made $17.2m -Widely understood as Bruce Willis’ worst move, but I liked it.. I own it.. watched it last month.

#8 - Ishtar - Cost= $55 million…. Made $12.7m - Haven’t seen it

#7 - Battlefield Earth - Cost= $73 million…. Made $21.5m -Had fun making fun of how sucky this movie is. I should insist that DLap repost his review of this movie here for your enjoyment. Rumour has it that an animated series was made, but it was supposed to come out in May this year. Anyone heard of this?

#6 - Cleopatra - Cost= $44million (in 1963!!) …. Made $26m - Though “Cleopatra” was the highest-grossing movie of 1963 and was nominated for nine Oscars (it won four), it wasn’t enough to rescue 20th Century Fox, which was fighting to survive. To save money, the studio shut down for four months, forcing 2,000 people out of work, and sold off its expansive back lot. The era of extravagant historical epics was over, and Mankiewicz’s career suffered the consequences. Oh, and Taylor and Burton married and divorced … twice.

#5 - Heaven’s Gate - Cost= $44 million…. Made $3m (ouch) - I haven’t even heard of this film. I guess I know why now. This failure was what caused United Artists to be sold to MGM, and I hear they got it for a hand full of shiny rocks they found in the parking lot.

#4 - The Postman - Cost= $100 million…. Made $17.6m - I hate to admit it, and I am seeking professional help but I like Costner movies. I didn’t say I liked Costner, but I do like his movies. I own a number of them and I did enjoy Postman AND Waterworld.

#3 - Town and Country - Cost= $90 million…. Made $6.7m - The director describes this as a “middle aged sex comedy” Why are they suprised that no one went to see it?

#2 - Cutthroat Island - Cost= $110 million…. Made $9.9m - Loved it, own it. Going to watch it when I finish this post. This may not have hurt so much if the director had not actually commissioned ACTUAL ships to be built instead of using sets.

And before you say it… #1 isnt Gigli…

#1 - The Adventures of Pluto Nash - Cost= $100 million…. Made $4.4m - I am suprised that I haven’t seen this. I am usually a sucker for movies that resort to Uranus jokes. Eddie Murphy refuses to admit he was in this movie. In one interview he actually said it was an imposter and he has taken legal action against the offending party.

It was officially announced by director Christopher Nolan (director of Memento) that the new dark knight is Christian Bale. I never really paid much attention to the rumors when his name came up, but now that I’ve had a day to think about it, I think this is a fantastic choice! Although I wasn’t a huge fan of American Psycho, I thought Bale was brilliant in it. Bale can pull off “dark” very well. He’s a fine actor, he’s in great physical condition and I think he’s the perfect age for the role as well. I never saw this one coming, but the new Batman is already building credibility with me (with Nolan directing and now Bale in the lead role). Time will (as always) tell, but I believe fans of The Bat have reason to be optimistic.

My suggested Hidden Gem today is to pay tribute to the Late John Ritter. Likely one of the best films John appeared in. The film is called Noises Off (1992) and is one of my favourite comedies in my vast movie collection.

This little known film follows an amateur group of stage actors as they attempt to put on a comedy production while dealing with their own “workplace” dating problems and social barriers. The part that would astound most people about this film is who is all in it. Aside from John Ritter you will also find…. deep breath…. Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Nicolette Sheridan (who spends nearly all of the film in lingerie), Julie Hagerty and Mark Linn-Baker (Perfect Strangers on TV). All of these people together make for one hilarious film. If you have had any experience at all with plays or stage productions this will make the movie even funnier.

Be prepared to rewind to catch the parts you missed while laughed yourself to tears.

John Ritter dies unexpectedly on the set of 8 Simple Rules. He was 54.

Unfortunately John’s death came on the very day of his youngest daughter’s birthday, as well as the always remembered Sept 11 Terrorist Attacks.

IMDB Reports:

Emmy Award-winning actor John Ritter, who shot to instant fame as the wily and wacky Jack Tripper in ’70s TV hit Three’s Company, died unexpectedly Thursday after collapsing on the set of his ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter; he was 54. Ritter apparently suffered a tear in the aorta, which was the result of an unrecognized flaw in his heart, according to his publicist, Lisa Kasteler. Rushed to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, across from the studio where he had been working, Ritter died shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday.

More noted for his TV appearances, John Ritter did have some movie experience. See above post on my Hidden Gem report in tribute to Mr. Ritter

Direct to video must be a dream for this franchise. It would appear that Michael Winslow (Jones - the “sounds guy”) was promoting his upcoming A Dog and His Boy on a radio show and when asked about any more Police Academy movies he responded that he was in negotiations for Police Academy 8. He wasn’t joking.

Some things deserve to die. The first movie was a classic but strangely less funny the older it gets. It was funny for its time. The jokes hit on the things that were funny in 1984. Didnt hurt that I was 13 when I first saw it, but it was memorable enough to want to see the next 3. After Police Academy 4 I had no interest and have to admit that I was suprised to even hear there was an 8th in the planning stages. I heard a 5 had come out and lost track since… a 6 and 7th? Even this movie buff was suprised they existed.

Now after doing some background checks it is true that Winslow is going to be in a movie in 2004, and I even found out that they tried a Police Accedmy TV series, which Winslow was also in.

I don’t have a lot of faith that we will see PA8, but then I wouldnt have predicted 5, 6, or 7 either!

Take your hand. Cover it with glass shards.
Now cram it up your butt.
Grab a hold of your stomach.
Squeeze until everything’s shredded to bits.
Now, while you’re doing that, have a truck drive through your face.

You’re now watching “The Grudge” a movie made to freak you so intensely, you’ll voluntarily crap your pants just to ease the tension.

The amazing planners of The Toronto Film Fest brought us “Ju-on: The Grudge” - a horror film from Japan, who’s films as of late, seems to (finally) be re-defining the genre here in North America. Ju-on: The Grudge is no exception as it’s the freakiest thing I’ve ever seen. No furthur comparison needed, that’s the end of the sentence.
-Remember that wildly freaky scene in “the Shining” with the two girls staring at the end of the hallway? Haunted you forever, right? — This show is an hour and a half of that scene on crack. Movies like this create those mumbling people who talk to buildings.

ANECDOTES ABOUT THE MOVIE YOU MAY NOT CARE ABOUT:
- It was first made in two parts for Television in Japan. It got popular, they made a movie, which I just saw.
- Sam Raimi (Army of Darkness and Spiderman) is making a re-make - working along side the original director and is currently filming it in Japan. Okay, enough of the boring stuff.

SOIL YOURSELF STUFF:
Where other scary movies are released and seem to say: “We have this amazing, full story that’s very creepy at times” - like The Others or Sixth Sense — Ju-on seems to say this: “You came for a Ghost story - which is what you’re going to get. So sit there while we shove your heart through your butt-hoop. Go.”

The world of Ju-on takes place in a house - go figure - and it’s haunted. That’s about it. we see “the rest of the world” here and there, but it seems 75% of the movie is just this house with one really ticked off entity and all of the colliding time-limes of all the innocent suckers that keep encountering it. ….
….And there’s this cat….
…and there’s this whacked out lonely kid….
…and they stare….
…and gnarl.. And they FRICKIN’ STARE AND STARE AND STARE .. And then you piss yourself… and then there’s screaming…oh the screaming… And this shadow covers EVERYTHING.. AND THESE EYES, YOU CAN SEE THESE EYES, AND IT CRAWLS THROUGH DEMENTIA AND THE DARKNESS MOVES YOU’RE GRABBED BY THE SHADOW AND THEY’RE RIGHT BEHIND YOU AND .. .. I … just…crapped myself.

You should really see this. I need a mop.

Turn up your volume (not just for effect, but the volume encoding is VERY quiet) and click here to watch the only sub-titled Trailer for it I could find.. (click the “Audio/Video Materials” tab on the page)

I guess Dickie Roberts is such a horrible film that companies will go to just about any lengths to make sure they’re not assiciated with it. The following was posted by Mark Seleski on Blogcritics. And no, this is not a joke, you can read the news source at CNN’s website.

The makers of the Slip ‘N Slide filed a lawsuit Monday over a scene in the hit movie “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star” that shows actor David Spade skidding to a painful halt on the summertime water toy.

Wham-O is asking a judge to order the film out of theaters as long as it contains the Slip ‘N Slide scene, or for a disclaimer to be added urging viewers not to try the maneuver made by Spade.

Well, Disney’s new attempt at disrupting the entire market in its favour is here - And it lasts 48 hours a piece.

The idea is this: You pay 5 - 7 bucks (US) - or roughly 10 Canadian - and you get a DVD that after 48 hours, the readable side goes black and unusable. Thus requiring you to chuck it. Convenient, right? Yes, but potentially stupid.

I’m sure they are trying to bring in a market that directly competes with the renting industry, but here’s my earth-stopping question that no one paid me 4 million dollars to figure out:

- If I can rent a movie for 48 hours for 4 bucks, why would I buy one that only lasts 48 hours for ten?
- Second, If I’m spending 10 bucks on a 2-day movie, why not spend ten more, get the real DVD and keep it for a zillion days?

On top of that, I’m not going to say I’m an environmentalist, but after 48 hours, every last fibre of the entire product is total garbage. So really, Disney is making tens of thousands heaps of trash with a 2 day break before it becomes trash. Now, I realize there are already disposable products, but I really don’t think we need anymore, especailly billion-dollar funded ones.

Granted, I’ll give you this, I don’t have to return it, but it’s six bucks cheaper if I do. Call me cheap, but that’s 4 Christmas gifts right there.

But I digress, I’m sure the zillion dollar suit wearing CEOs with the puckered buttholes have already thought of all this.

I really hope this idea flops.

Read the Whole Article Here.

Somehow lost to the obscurity of the net and forgotten projects Disney seems to have failed on their hints and promises of a sequel to TRON. Instead we are left with a video game. Orginally this game was to co-incide with the theatrical release of Tron 2.0 but that project appears to be shelved.

Movie sources has rumoured about Jeff Bridges reprising his role in the 1982 classic (which I believe is the pure inspiration behind The Matrix and Reboot)

I remember my friends and I trying to peg each other off with frisbees and pretending our bmx bikes left trails of impenetrable light. This is a classic, and some would say its better left without a sequel but I know I would love to see one. The world of Tron could have grown as the technology has.
For now I only forsee myself getting this new video game in hopes of satisfying this craving Disney teased us with.

Who woulda thunk that getting up early would’ve accomplished something?

I told ya I was gonna beat that stupid line up…

I’m going to the Toronto Film Festival, and You are not.

So There.

Few people admire Harrison Ford more than I do. Just that fact that he played Han Solo will make him a favorite of mine for the rest of my natural life. For nearly 20 years, Ford appeared in rock solid films that enjoyed critical acclaim and HUGE box office success. As an actor he played just about every genre of character with brilliance, from action heroes (Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, Star Wars) to dramas (Regarding Henry, Witness, The Mosquito Coast) to comedies (Sabrina, Working Girl). Ford has done it all (with the exception of playing a good vilian, something I’d like to see him do someday). Just his presence alone in a movie would bring people the theater in droves.

Then, after Air Force One in 1997, something unexpected happened. Ford films started to decrease in quality, and people stopped going to films just because he was in it. The slide started mildly with the disappointing (not outrageously horrible) Six Days Seven Nights, the film that Harrison started to show his age. After that came one of the worst films of the 90’s Random Hearts, a film which Ford reportedly called “a huge waste of time”. What Lies Beneath was just a terrible horror flick with more cliches than a Scary Movie film. Although not a total waste, K 19: The Widow Maker was a mild let down, and then the much marketed Hollywood Homicide completely flopped at the box office. That’s 5 films in a row. Only an actor with Harrison Ford’s status and reputation could survive a streak like that.

However, even an actor with Ford’s credentials only gets so many chances. If you keep disappointing the paying audience film after film, the audience will at best lose interest, and at worst begin to proactively avoid you.

I think Ford understands this. He realizes his next film MUST do well with both the critics and the box office if he is to survive as an “A” list actor. My thought is that this is why he isn’t slated to appear in anymore films until the next Indiana Jones (which is undergoing it’s final stages of script revision as we speak). Ford needs a hit, Indiana Jones is his best shot at one. The potential downside of this move is that expectations for Indy 4 are going to be sky high which could play against him. It’s a gamble, but one well worth taking.