Weekend Box Office: August 19-21

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  The Help - $20.4 million

2.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes - $16.3 million

3.  Spy Kids: All The Time in the World - $12 million

4.  Conan the Barbarian - $10 million

5.  The Smurfs - $8 million

6.  Fright Night - $7.9 million

7.  Final Destination 5 - $7.7 million

8.  30 Minutes or Less - $6.3 million

9.  One Day - $5.1 million

10. Crazy, Stupid, Love. - $4.9 million

So this was an awful weekend to be a new release.  It was, however, a great weekend for The Help, which dropped a mere 22% from last weekend to claim the top spot with $20.4 million.  The film, based on Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel, has been a solid hit at the box office, having grossed $71 million domestically since opening on August 10, and at this rate should continue to play will into the fall.

Four new movies opened this weekend:  a family film, an action film, a romatic drama, and a horror film.  Sounds like there was something for everyone...except that no one showed up for any of them.  Adding to the humilation was that Rise of the Planet of the Apes, now its third weekend of release, easily bested all of them, finishing in second place with $16.3 million.  In what is now the surprise hit of the summer, Apes has now grossed $133 million domestically and is expected to pass the $145 million box office of X-Men: First Class, which was the movie Fox rolled out as one of their big guns at the beginning of the summer.

Now to the ugly news:  despite the added feature of "Aromascope" (I don't even want to know), the kids weren't much interested in a fourth Spy Kids film, which earned a paltry $12 million.  The return of Conan the Barbarian didn't impress anyone either:  that only earned $10 million.  Fright Night barely kept up with The Smurfs this weekend, each grossing $8 and $7.9 million respectively.  Is it even worth pointing out that all three of these films were also in 3D, and this is still all they made?  That's kinda pathetic.

The only non-3D release fared worst as the Anne Hathaway/Jim Sturgess romance One Day was barely noticed by audiences at all, landing in ninth place with just $5.1 million.

Sounds like a weekend that has definitely signalled the end of summer.  Let's see if a non-vampire horror film, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, fares better when it hits theaters next weekend, along with the Paul Rudd comedy Our Idiot Brother, and an ass-kicking Zoe Saldana in Colombiana.  I think I'm betting on The Help taking the top spot again next weekend.

Zod Arrives On Planet Smallville

Tons of pictures from the "Man Of Steel" set rolling in the last couple days. We saw the back of Superman entering a house, his right arm and leg, and some random craters. It's kind of silly if you think about it, but that is the life of a fan. Excitement and sometimes aggravation over the little things.

Today we're greeted with Zod aka Michael Shannon wandering around the Kent Farm in what looks to be full CGI glory. Looks like he is wired up to wear some kind of "Superman Lives" inspried CGI suit, maybe something similar to what was featured on Ryan Reynolds in "The Green Lantern".

There is also an unidentified gentleman in a CGI suit who looks like Russell Crowe ie Jor-El with his Robin Hood inspired haircut in the 3rd picture down. He could certainly be a stunt double for Shannon, or maybe the stunt double for Faora. I mean Ursa had short hair right? Yikes. Another possibility is comic character Jax-Ur or maybe even J.J. Abram's Ty-Zor from his "Flyby" script. Gross. Maybe a whole new character yet to be announced. Secrets. All of that being said, my money is on it being Jor-El.

The last picture seems to be Diane Lane entering the house from a side door. I guess it could be Amy Adams too right? So hard to tell because they film everything out of sequence. Diane Lane entering the house could be a shot they needed for the beginning of the film. We need Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law to figure this all out for us.

"Wreck-It Ralph" At D23 Expo

I am telling you the truth when I say I've never heard of this project. Apparently it has gone through several incarnations including "Reboot Ralph" and "Joe Jump". I dig this title much better. I can't get enough of these glossy animated films. I love the nod to Mario Bros & Donkey Kong. Check out the sort of synopsis and more pictures below courtesy of Bleeding Cool.

Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) longs to be as beloved as his game’s perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer). Problem is, nobody loves a Bad Guy. But they do love heroes… so when a modern, first-person shooter game arrives, featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch), Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness.

He sneaks into the game with a simple plan – win a medal – but soon wrecks everything, and accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade. Ralph’s only hope? Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a young troublemaking “glitch” from a candy-coated cart racing game who might just be the one to teach Ralph what it means to be a Good Guy.

But will he realize he is good enough to become a hero before it’s “Game Over” for the entire arcade?

View The Right Side Of Superman's Body

More Superman pictures from the set of "Man Of Steel" have been made available from the mysterious ZonCom showing a little bit more of what looks like a very dark blue suit. There is a man who is holding up a black blanket trying to obscure the rest of the suit, but he's only doing a half-assed job at it. You wonder if he is payed to strictly walk around and try to shroud Cavill in mystery?

The reaction on the forums and websites is typical with the majority "lovin teh suitz". I find it ironic that there were so many complaints about the dark of the red on the "Superman Returns" suit while this suit is closing in on midnight blueish but it is ok. We haven't even received a full look at the suit yet to determine if this thing is actually good or not good in my opinion. Again, looks like no trunks, some kind of gold belt or sash though. Hard to tell to be honest.

My question is how is this dude Gregory Zonsius allowed to just snap pictures at will so close to the set? It's not like I mind, the guy is doing a bang up job getting these shots, so kudos to him. Just curious if he has some kind of deal with the studio. These shots seem to be a bit too convenient. Check out his site for a ton more pictures and buy some from the guy, he's trying to make a living.

Star Wars on Blu-Ray: Yeah, It's Gonna Look Good

The official Star Wars YouTube channel struck again today to show off some of the new remastered footage from the upcoming blu-ray box set Star Wars: The Complete Saga, which arrives in stores on September 16.  Presented here in 720p resolution (the actual set, will of course be 1080p), the footage from the original trilogy looks pretty damn good, as you can see here:

While it still doesn't make up for the fact that the original unaltered versions of the first three films won't be included in the box set (not surprising, but it's still annoying), these do look great.  I'm quite looking forward to watch these movies again.  And again....

"Trishna" Official Trailer

Starring Freida Pinto and Riz Ahmed, with original songs by Amit Trivedi and an original score by Shigeru Umebayashi.  Based on the novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. Directed by Michael Winterbottom. Produced by Melissa Parmenter.

THIS Is Why They Released the Superman Suit 2 Weeks Ago

Quick pictures, from what looks to be taken off someone's cheap cell-phone camera, are the key reason we got that official look at Henry Cavill as Superman in The Man of Steel the Thursday before last.

So don't nerdgasm, children, at this new picture of what's either Cavill or his stunt-double rocking the suit on the Kent Farm. Because you already knew what it was going to look like. Except for the absence of a gold \S/ symbol from the red cape, evidentially.

Courtesy of Zon Com and the fan-site that isn't connected to Warner Brothers/Legendary Pictures in any way, shape or form, the Man of Steel Facebook page. Not striking them because I like those guys, just stating the obvious.

More Pics of Cap and Thor in Action On The Avengers Set!

Earlier I posted the vid and now Celebuzz.com has some awesome up close pics of the two Avengers in action on the Cleveland set.

Ready For The Battle Of Two Jeff Buckleys?

First it was Oliver Stones's Alexander the Great versus Buzz Luhrmann's Alexander the Great.

Then, Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes versus Christopher Nolan's Howard Hughes.

Now, we have Jake Scott's Jeff Buckley versus Dan Algrant's Jeff Buckley!

So, what do we know about Jeff Buckley? The son of the famous (if you're a fan of the 70s rock) musician Tim Buckley, was to be America's next star and gradually gained prominence in teh genre of rock and folk music with his now well-known album Grace and cover song "Hallelujah" and single "Last Goodbye", released in the mid-90s.

Buckley was expected to continue the path to fame, started by his father. Unfortunately, he also repeated his father in the abrupt death at a very early age of 30. Since then and the success of his posthumous Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk, the name Jeff Buckley rose to the masses and now has its own fan base. Although living a short life, Buckey's biography has drawn attention in publicity and remained the subject of many talks for years. Now, we have not one, but two biopics ready to kick in and tell the story of Jeff Buckley on the big screen. 

The first biopic already has the title Greetings from Tim Buckley and is already in production and planned for the release in 2012. The film is being produced by Smuggler Films, a newcommer in the film industry, and directed by Daniel Algrant (Naked in New York and People I Know). Algrant also co-wrote the script along with screenwriters David Brendel and Emma Sheanshang.

In June, it was announced that Penn Badgley, known for starring in Gossip Girl and Easy A, will play the lead role of a yet to break through artist in his personal search to understand his father. As the press release elaborates, "Greetings from Tim Buckley follows the true story of the days leading up to Jeff Buckley’s eminent 1991 performance at his father’s tribute concert in St. Ann’s Church.

Through a romance with a young woman working at the concert, he comes to understand the father who abandoned him.  Culminating in a cathartic performance of his father’s most famous songs, Jeff’s debut stuns the audience and launches his career as one of the greatest young musicians of his time."

Another movie depicting the artist is also set for the release in the same year of 2012 and will begin shooting this November. Despite the movie is still undergoing development and even lacks a title, this movie was approved by Jeff Buckley's mother, estate manager Mary Guilbert, who negatively responded to many screenwriters' proposals. Moreover, compared to the first film, this one is also granted the right to use the actual music of Jeff Buckley and now has Guilbert as the executive producer.

The story centers around Buckley's career start and his struggle to break into music industry, as he leaves his home in California for the East Coast. The film is also being developed by producers Michelle Sy (Finding Neverland and Stolen Summer) and Orian Williams (Control), director Jake Scott (the son of Ridley Scott, whose debut was Welcome to the Rileys) and screenwriter Ryan Jaffe.

On August 15, it was officially confirmed that Jeff Buckley will be played by Reeve Carney, whois mainly known for starring in the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. In his commentary regarding their choice for the lead role, Sy stated:

Reeve’s a true discovery. Even though he’s noted for Spider-Man, he hasn’t done a lot of films, and we think that will add to the authenticity of the performance, that people don’t recognize him. ‘Who will play Jeff?’ is the question everyone has been asking from day one, and Reeve’s audition really blew us all away—from his music to his acting to his sensitivity as an individual. Mary was over the moon. We all were.

Noteworthy, there is a third film about Jeff Buckley to be directed by Brendan Fletcher (Mad Bastards) under the title A Pure Drop. 

It will be certainly interesting to witness the battle of at least two of these films in the same year (and probably same season) for becoming the ultimate biopic about Jeff Buckley.

Deadline Hollywood

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Trailer!

Well here it is, the trailer for the sequel to Ghost Rider, it's introduced by Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine, the two crazy cats behind the Crank movies, and looking at the trailer they have brought their brand of insanity to old Flamehead.

I think it looks ok, some of the action looks fun even if the effects are a bit patchy, but I can imagine it being a crazy 90 minute adrenaline ride at the very least and they have a few more months of post to touch the effects up.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance opens February 17th, 2012 and you can see the trailer below.