Parnormal Activity 4 Teaser Trailer

I enjoy the Parnormal Activity movies.  They're not necessarily great movies in terms of storytelling, but when you're in a crowded movie theater on opening night trying not to laugh at burly, six-foot tall guy sitting next to you who's hiding behind his jacket and screaming like a girl for the last 15 minutes of the movie, you definitely remember why you keep coming back for all the sequels.  And I have to admit, I haven't been able to look at an oscillating fan quite the same way since the last movie.

So Paranormal Activity 4 is getting ready for release in October, and courtesy of their official Facebook page, we have the first teaser trailer...which is basically a teaser for the full trailer, which will arrive on Wednesday.  No, I don't get the teaser-for-a-trailer nonsense either.  But if you look closely, there seems to be some witchcraft-type symbol over the "4" at the beginning, and somewhere amidst the 13 seconds of clips from the previous films, there's a shot of...someone.  No idea who that is.

Anyway, here's the teaser.  Speculate away!

The Hobbit is Officially a Trilogy

It was going to happen the moment Peter Jackson planted the seeds at Comic-Con. The Hobbit is going to be a trilogy. There's just too much money to be made here, and Warner Brothers frankly wants as big a sure-thing as possible. Doesn't make it a good idea but financially speaking, it makes all the sense in the world.

This morning, Jackson has taken to Facebook to officially announce their change of course:

"It is only at the end of a shoot that you finally get the chance to sit down and have a look at the film you have made. Recently Fran, Phil and I did just this when we watched for the first time an early cut of the first movie - and a large chunk of the second. We were really pleased with the way the story was coming together, in particular, the strength of the characters and the cast who have brought them to life.  All of which gave rise to a simple question: do we take this chance to tell more of the tale? And the answer from our perspective as the filmmakers, and as fans, was an unreserved 'yes.'

We know how much of the story of Bilbo Baggins, the Wizard Gandalf, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer, and the Battle of Dol Guldur will remain untold if we do not take this chance.  The richness of the story of The Hobbit, as well as some of the related material in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, allows us to tell the full story of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and the part he played in the sometimes dangerous, but at all times exciting, history of Middle-earth.

So, without further ado and on behalf of New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wingnut Films, and the entire cast and crew of “The Hobbit” films, I’d like to announce that two films will become three.

It has been an unexpected journey indeed, and in the words of Professor Tolkien himself, 'a tale that grew in the telling.'

Cheers,

Peter J"

While details are early and many of the fine print to be determined later, Jackson and Warner Brothers are aiming the closing Hobbit installment for an unorthodox summer 2014 release. Knowing the Brothers Warner, probably the middle-to-end of July; a date that's been good to them. The Salkinds would approve of this blatant cash-grab.

The Hangover Part III Is Real, People - There's Promo Art to Prove It!

Hopefully Todd Phillips will end the trilogy with class and sty--who are we kidding? It's going to be another pricey, glorified retread of The Hangover. That didn't bother me as much as others for Part II, besides Phillips point-blank lying when that question was posed in pre-production.

At this point we should know better. It’s irrelevant since it'll still make a fortune. The public loved that Wolfpack. Courtesy of Legendary Entertainment's Facebook:

A Shining Prequel In Development - Yeah That Makes Sense

Feel like Warner Brothers picked the wrong time to spring on the LA Times their "exploring the possibility" for a prequel to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Everyone was all "Prequels are cool!" following X-Men: First Class and Rise of the Apes. Then came Prometheus as the great divider of this summer and we're back to square one. Also doesn't help someone has the nuts to want to directly follow in Kubrick's foot-steps.

Said balls belong to Laeta Kalogridis (a producer on Shutter Island and Avatar), Bradley Fischer and James Vanderbilt. If nothing else, the trio is bold. You have to hand it to them.

I guess this would focus more on the Overlook Hotel and how it became so spooky. Barry Nelson uttering those three little words, "Indian burial ground" wasn't enough apparently. But I would forgive it all if they get someone to mimic Scatman Crothers this side of Karl Urban's Bones McCoy.

Weekend Box Office: July 27 - 29

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  The Dark Knight Rises - $64 million

2.  Ice Age 4: Continental Drift - $13.3 million

3.  The Watch - $13 million

4.  Step Up Revolution - $11.8 million

5.  Ted - $7.3 million

6.  The Amazing Spider-Man - $6.8 million

7.  Brave - $4.2 million

8.  Magic Mike - $2.5 million

9.  Savages - $1.7 million

10.  Moonrise Kingdom - $1.3 million

We're back with the box office report.  After the events of last weekend, and studios deciding to withhold the weekend's box office totals, it seemed wildly inappropriate at the time to report on whether or not anything was breaking records and making gazillions.  But we have some updated totals to report to catch everyone up to now.

The Dark Knight Rises easily held the first-place spot in its second weekend, earning an estimated $64 million to bring its domestic total to $289 million.  Friday's numbers looked a little light ($17.9 million) due to having to compete with the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, but it picked up nicely over the rest of the weekend, earning $25 million on Saturday and $21 million on Sunday.  Overseas, the film has earned $248 million, bringing it up to a worldwide total of $537 million.

Now, has the shooting in Aurora affected the box office?  Yes, it has.  By how much?  Who cares.  In the grand scheme of things, it truly doesn't matter.  But despite that awfulness, The Dark Knight Rises is still doing very, very well.  So that's a good thing. 

However, the lackluster performances of this weekend's new releases The Watch ($13 million) and Step Up Revolution ($11.8 million) can really be attributed to both movies having the same problem:  they looked awful and nobody wanted to see them anyway.  Neither film was able to beat the latest Ice Age film, which earned $13.3 million in its third weekend in theaters.  That could switch places with The Watch once the actuals come in tomorrow, but seriously...that's not going to make The Watch look any better.

Belive it or not, as it's currently standing at $193 million domestically, we are just a few days away from Ted being a $200 million-grossing movie.  Really.

Next weekend sees the releases of the endlessly over-promoted remake of Total Recall, as well as Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3.  So...The Dark Knight Rises has a decent shot at first place again.  And that's still a good thing. 

New "Total Recall" TV Spot

“Total Recall” is an action thriller about reality and memory, inspired anew by the famous short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick. Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he’s got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life – real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world – Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.

ComingSoon.Net

Olympics TV Spot for 'Skyfall'

For those of you who didn't watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics Friday night, not only was Daniel Craig featured as James Bond in an amusing short film - where 007 escorted the Queen of England to the event - but a new TV spot was unveiled for the upcoming Bond flick, Skyfall...and man does it look good.

While the spot is only 30 seconds long - with a glimpse at a few great action set peices - we get an idea of the mood director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition) is bringing to to long-running franchise (not to mention a quick reveal of Jarvier Bardem as the film's villain).

Tell me that quick Bond humor in the last 5 seconds doesn't just kick ass?

Skyfall opens in theaters November 9th.  Read below for the film's official synopsis:

Daniel Craig is back as James Bond 007 in Skyfall, the 23rd adventure in the longest-running film franchise of all time.  In Skyfall, Bond’s loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested as her past comes back to haunt her.  As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Hans Zimmer Releases "Aurora" to Help Colorado Victims

The Dark Knight Rises composer Hans Zimmer has composed his own tribute to the victims of last week's tragedy at a movie theater in Colorado.  Simply entitled "Aurora", the 8-minute choral piece is available for download at any amount you wish to donate here, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Aurora Victim Relief organization. 

For anyone looking for a way to help out, this would be a great way to do so.

Entertainment Tonight's "Les Mis" Sneak Peak

With the summer movie season winding down, it's time to start plugging those fall/holiday releases all clamoring for your attention...and obviously some Oscar love.  Entertainment Tonight aired a segment this week about the upcoming movie musical adaptation of Les Miserables, which opens in theaters on December 14.

When the intrepid reporter from ET is not still going on about how Anne Hathaway cut her hair for her role as Fantine (it will grow back!), incorrectly calling Les Miserables the "longest running musical in Broadway history" (it's the third longest), or giving a fairly inaccurate description of the plot (and quite a big spoiler, even if you already know how it ends), there are some new shots from the film that weren't in the already amazing trailer that premiered last month. 

And apparently, there's also a Severe Thunderstorm warning out for a few counties in Minnesota.  Take cover, folks.

Just to clear up the more annoying inaccuracies about the plot:  Jean Valjean starts out as a "pardoned prisoner", but he breaks that parole and goes on the run - which is why Javert is after him.  Javert isn't "evil", he is doing his job, even if he's a total bastard about it.  Fantine is actually a factory worker who is fired for having an illegitimate daughter - which forces her sell her locket, her hair (in the original novel, her teeth as well), and ultimately becomes a prostitute.  Cosette is Fantine's daughter - Jean Valjean adopted and raised her as a deathbed promise to Fantine. 

Sheesh, Entertainment Tonight...I know quickly explaining a plot can't go into too many specifics, but would it have been so hard to get any of them right?  At least the movie still looks great.

Alex Vega Photo & Lady Gaga Poster From "Machete Kills"

Wow. Alexa Vega really grew up fast. Do you remember Alex from her role as Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids trilogy, if not, you'll remember her now and forever from the below photo from the set of Machete Kills courtesy of her Instagram via Coming Soon.

The lovely Vega, who will be playing KillJoy will be joining the menacing Danny Trejo who is reprising his role as Machete in the sequel. Machete is going to go toe to toe with Mel Gibson in this one, who is playing an arms dealer.

Also in a surprise twist, Lady Gaga also has joined the cast as a character named La Chameleon. Robert Rodriguez revealed the addition via his Twitter Account.

I just finished working with @LadyGaga on @MacheteKills , she kicked SO MUCH ASS! Holy Smokes. Blown away! http://yfrog.com/kezw3dnj

Check out the teaser of Lady Gaga as La Chameleon below. Rouding out the rest of the cast is Michelle Rodriguez, Demian Bichir, Amber Heard, Sofia Vergara, Zoe Saldana and Charlie Sheen.