Tue, August 28, 2012 
"If you leave here, I don’t ever want to see you again. Or you can stay."
A new trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master is here. Once again, the parallels between Scientology and the so-far unnamed religion of Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) glaring and the footage on display hypnotic.
Mon, August 27, 2012 
The rumor-mill pegged Ben Affleck for Justice League. He denied it this weekend. That denial, and mild bitch-slap to us online guys, doesn't mean anything. Made too much sense for Warner Brothers to want one of their golden-boys shepherding Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman to the silver screen in the wake of The Avengers. Of course he was offered!
To hear the proverbial wishlist also includes the Wachowskis, per the good folks at Movie Hole, rings true. Studio wants to stay in business with the sibling directorial-duo judging by their distributing Cloud Atlas, as wonderful as it looks another expensive flop-in-the-making for Andy & Lana, and bankrolling Jupiter Rising.
The notion of "One for us, one for them" evidentially isn't a driving force behind their projects. One has to admire that. If not, then the Wachowskis wouldn't have passed on rebooting Superman (Long before Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder got their finger-prints on the red-and-blue suit) following the failure of Speed Racer.
Wed, August 22, 2012 
Remaking a beloved film is one thing, and that's controversial in its own right.
Following in the shadow of a director as renowned and distant a voice as David Cronenberg is another. If any studio and any hotshot director walk in their shoes, first and foremost, they'd better made damn sure their intentions with the property are unique enough, interesting enough to justify treading those waters again. God help them if they don't...
Such a case as Universal's call for a remake of Cronenberg's 1983 classic Videodrome. Commercial-filmmaker Adam Berg (whose Phillips Carousel commercial you can watch below) will make his feature directorial-debut on the update with Ehren Kruger assigned to scripting duties.
Only intriguing idea on the table is how they plan to update. Videodrome was of its time covering the growing popularity of cable TV. That doesn't fit in the world we live in today unless their intentions stretch into the Internet. Regardless, they're in for an uphill battle.
Wed, August 22, 2012 
"The Feel Bad Movie Of Christmas"
Was that what did it? Few-to-none wished to sit through subject matter as bleak as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo last December? Nah, the book just wasn't as big a deal as Sony thought and David Fincher's rendition (His weakest since Panic Room... and that's not fair to Panic Room!) kept them away. But the studio is adamant its sequel The Girl Who Played With Fire will see that life-assuring, production-confirming greenlight. Not by Christmas 2013, it won't, sources tell Entertainment Weekly.
Steve Zaillian is still at it on the keyboard and stars Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig remain contractually-obliged. Fincher is a no-show and while they're still using the "He's our first choice, geez golly do we hope he says, 'Yes!'" talking points, internally they know better.
An all-around waste of time and the piece, all due respect to the authors, is a case of "You scratch our bodies, we'll scratch yours!" If Girl Who Played With Fire was happening, it'd have already been in pre-production. Nothing more than a studio circling the wagon. A year from now, we'll be in the same place.
Wed, August 22, 2012 Nothing to add except how eerily awesome Daniel Day-Lewis looks like Honest Abe. Come on, Spielberg stop holding out. Where's the trailer?
Wed, August 22, 2012 
One of the great, underrated commercial gems (Translation: box-office failures) is due for its moment in the sun again.
Vulture reports a top priority of newly-anointed King of Disney Alan Horn is a reboot of Joe Johnston's 1991 retro-superhero adventure The Rocketeer. The studio will soon hear out pitches for various screenwriters. My psychic powers indicate my pal, and Movie Moan Mastermind, Phil Gee is already worrying at the notion of Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio within 100 yards of such meetings.
As a little kid, pesky things like "box-office" and "critically acclaimed" bared no meaning. Give me what appeals to my interests and at that time as a seven year-old among those were Star Wars, Batman and Indiana Jones. That alone made me love The Rocketeer as a lad. Revisiting it as an adult, you appreciate the "old-school" serialized nature (arguably more than Raiders of the Lost Ark, the film it was aping) and lighter-hearted tone. Everything was clearly defined, and that was half the charm. Billy Campbell was good, Timothy Dalton was bad and Paul Sorvino didn't work for no two-bit Nazi.
While not every property requires the "reboot" option (Some things should be left alone), The Rocketeer is right for one!
Mon, August 20, 2012 
To say The Dark Tower can't catch a break is not fair. That would imply those behind this packaged presentation made concessions for it to happen and still no luck. That is not the case here.
After Universal passed on the ambitious, and downright financially irresponsible plan for three movies and two limited-run TV shows based on the Stephen King novels, Amblin took it to Warner Brothers. Where it's been languishing in the hopes the studio would move forward. Hoping to entice was Russell Crowe attached to headline as Roland Deschain (an actor, brilliant as he is, past his prime, a nightmare to deal with and not on good terms with the general public; yeah... smart thinking there, fellas!)
Variety reports the Brothers Warner aren't run by idiots. They've passed on the project. Good on them. Talks have already jumped to a third potential backer Media Rights Capital (cash hot in their pockets from the huge success of Ted this summer). Hey, if they wanna blow their money, fine. Assuming they don't follow the trend of Universal and WB before them.
Mon, August 20, 2012 
It's been a long road for Kevin Costner.
His Midwestern-charm made him an appealing draw for the baby-boomer generation, resulting in a string of equal-opportunity hits (a la success financially and critically) in the late 80s-to-early 90s. There was a charisma on display few have seen this side of John Wayne and his Untouchables co-star Sean Connery. It didn't matter to the appropriateness, or lack thereof, of a part. Costner got you past it. Case in point: his not putting on an English accent for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
When the time came for the inevitable fall-out, few fell as spectacularly. Those old enough to remember the Waterworld press need no reminder. Contrary to what's written in the history book of public perception, it was a hit. It didn't matter. The damage was done and it didn't get any better. Lest we forget the "Opened on Friday, Closed on Saturday" reception to The Postman. Hard to imagine this was the same guy not too many years prior packing em into the multiplex turned the butt of the joke.
But as the old saying goes time heals all wounds. It's not a big splashy, come-back role getting Costner back on the saddle. No, its people, filmmakers and the masses alike, going, "You know... I miss Kevin Costner!"
The History Channel mini-series Hatfields & McCoys and its success is just a taste of what's coming for the Oscar-winner. He'll be Pa Kent in The Man of Steel next June bestowing on Henry Cavill's Superman/Clark Kent morals and values on his journey to truth, justice and the American way.
He'll continue his onscreen mentor status playing William Harper, who recruits Tom Clancy's literary heroes Jack Ryan and John Kelly (later Mr. Clark) in their perspective films; the untitled Jack Ryan reboot (formerly Moscow) from director Kenneth Branagh and Chris Pine as Ryan and Without Remorse for Christopher McQuarrie and, if Paramount gets their way, Tom Hardy as Mr. Clark. A Nick Fury to Paramount's intended Clancyverse (Not a real world, but I'm making it up right now!) Ironic since Costner passed on playing Ryan for The Hunter for Red October two decades prior. Funny how things come around.
Mon, August 20, 2012 
In this day and age of Internet death hoaxes (a few instantly spring to mind), I speak for most when I confess my hope of this being another example of someone's tasteless joke. Sadly not the case here.
Tony Scott, director of such classic action films as Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop 2, The Last Boy Scout, Man on Fire and True Romance to name a few, has passed away. The British helmer climbed the Vincent Thomas Bridge in California and jumped "without hesitation," reports The Wrap. Authorities found a suicide note inside Scott's vehicle parked not-too-far from the scene.
In the coming days if not hours, more details surrounding Scott (Possibly related to health issues?) will come forth. For now, our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
Thu, August 16, 2012 
Last week Disney/Marvel announced Joss Whedon was returning for The Avengers 2.
My pal Rob Keyes and I bantered back and forth on Twitter (where else?) about the release date. May 2015 made sense. Then the studio powerhouses made their intentions clearer. They were staying in the Whedon business signing the writer/producer/director exclusively where he would supervise a live-action Marvel television series on ABC and run his pen through Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy if need be. All the while, he preps that Avengers sequel. A deal that would ultimately expire June 2015.
This afternoon, the official release date for The Avengers 2 was announced. May 1, 2015. Score one for Occam's razor.