RIP: Beastie Boys and Oscilloscope Laboratories Co-Founder Adam Yauch Dies at 47

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 4th, 2012 at 11:33 am

An incredible talent has left the world way, way, way too soon.  Adam Yauch, founding member of the legendary hip hop trio Beastie Boys and co-founder of Oscilloscope, has died at the age of 47.  In 2009, Yauch was diagnosed and treated for cancer of the parotid gland.  Not only was Yauch part of one of the most influential groups in music history, but he also co-founded Oscilloscope Laboratories.  The film label of Oscilloscope has released such quality films as Exit Through the Gift Shop, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Dear Zachary.  Our thoughts are with Yauch’s friends and family.  The world is truly a lesser place without him.

THE VOW’s Michael Sucsy May Direct THE BEACH BOYS Musical

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: February 27th, 2012 at 7:47 pm

Fox 2000 and Michael Sucsy (The Vow) are reportedly in talks to team up on Susannah Grant’s (Erin Brockovich) untitled musical featuring the music of The Beach Boys. The project features an original story by Grant and a cast of fictional characters, though the real highlight may be the music itself.   John Stamos, who played with the band and remains close to them still today, will be a producer on the film. Producing the musical alongside Stamos will be Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the team behind successful musicals, Chicago and Hairspray. The trio also produced “The Beach Boys: The American Family” back in 2000 for ABC television.

Variety reports that though the studio won a bidding war with Universal to use The Beach Boys’ music, the band’s popularity is not guaranteed to translate to a good box office showing. Mamma Mia’s ABBA soundtrack helped the musical bring in north of $600 million worldwide, while The Beatles’ contribution to Across the Universe netted only $29 million. Perhaps Sucsy will be able to bring his box office magic to the table, with his directorial debut having brought in over $100 million already.

New Images from ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, SAFE, AFTERSHOCK, CASA DE MI PADRE, BYZANTIUM, THE CROODS and THE LORDS OF SALEM

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: February 13th, 2012 at 8:03 pm

We’ve got a bunch of new images for you from the following projects:

• Safe, starring Jason Statham, opens April 27th.
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, starring Benjamin Walker, opens June 22nd.
• Casa de mi Padre, starring Will Ferrell, opens March 16th.
• Aftershock, starring Eli Roth, opens next year.
• Byzantium, starring Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton, opens later this year.
• The Lords of Salem, from writer/director Rob Zombie, opens later this year.
• The Croods, starring Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone and Nicolas Cage, opens March 22nd of 2013.

Hit the jump to check them out.

JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND Giveaway

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: February 2nd, 2012 at 9:48 am

With director Brad Peyton’s Journey 2: The Mysterious Island opening February 10, we’ve been provided with some Journey 2 movie swag to giveaway to some of our readers.   As the synopsis says, “in this follow-up to the 2008 worldwide hit Journey to the Center of the Earth, the new 3D family adventure Journey 2: The Mysterious Island begins when 17-year-old Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist. It’s a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret. Unable to stop him from going, Sean’s new stepfather, Hank (Dwayne Johnson), joins the quest. Together with a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter (Vanessa Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.”  Hit the jump for what you can win and how to enter.

David Fincher Talks Favorite STAR WARS Movie and Explains Why He Won’t Alter His Previous Films

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: December 19th, 2011 at 8:01 am

Last Christmas I landed one of my dream interviews: I got to sit down with director David Fincher for over forty-five minutes and we talked about The Social Network, how he makes movies, why he wanted to direct The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Zodiac, The Game Blu-ray, and so much more.  If you’re a fan of Fincher’s and missed it, click here.  I promise you’ll learn a lot about the way he makes movies.

However, while we covered a lot of subjects, there were many things I just didn’t have time to ask.  So when I sat down with him the other day in New York City for another exclusive interview for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I decided to bring up some of the questions I never asked.  While the full interview will run in the coming days, I’ll tease you with a few things: I asked Fincher if he prefers Star Wars or Star Trek, which is his favorite Star Wars movie, and if he ever alter or edit a previous movie as George Lucas has with Star Wars.  Hit the jump for his answers.

DVD and Blu-ray Deals: FRAGGLE ROCK, THE WEST WING, FRIENDS, GILMORE GIRLS, THE O.C., More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 30th, 2011 at 7:17 am

Amazon’s Gold Box Deal of the Day is Fraggle Rock: Complete Series Collection for $44.99 (which is 55% off).  Included are 96 episodes over 20 discs.  Remember, if you spend over $25 you get free shipping and Gold Box deals are only good for one day. Hit the jump for the list of special features and here’s a few other great deals.

DVD

• Friends: The Complete Series Collection $89.99 (62% off)
• The West Wing: The Complete Series Collection $89.99 (70% off)
• Gilmore Girls: The Complete Series Collection $93.99 (64% off)
• Nip/Tuck: The Complete Series $69.99 (65% off)
• The O.C.: The Complete Series $68.99 (62% off)
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Series $92.99 (53% off)
• Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection $48.99 (50% off)

Blu-ray

• The Ultimate Matrix Collection Blu-ray $37.99 (42% off).

Hit the jump for more for a lot more deals broken down by price.

Paramount and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Set Writers for BOILERPLATE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 3rd, 2011 at 3:06 pm

Paramount and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot have settled on a couple of screenwriters to pen their adaptation of the graphic novel-picture book Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel. Deadline reports that JD Payne and Patrick McKay will handle scripting duties for the pic, which takes place in the late 19th and early 20th century and tells the story of the world’s first robot who “fought alongside Terry Roosevelt and Lawrence of Arabia, journeyed to the South Pole and was involved in the silent movie business before disappearing on the battlefields of World War I.” The idea for the story is fantastic, and hopefully Abrams and Co. can pull off an equally fascinating feature film.

Payne and McKay have yet to have one of their scripts produced, but they wrote the Goliath pic that Relativity is developing (and may or may not star Dwayne Johnson and Taylor Lautner), and are also penning a feature film adaptation of the Spike TV series Deadliest Warrior. Hit the jump to read a synopsis for the graphic novel.

Mickey Rourke Takes SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS Over THE EXPENDABLES 2

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: October 18th, 2011 at 3:12 pm

While earlier this year, Mickey Rourke was reported as being one of four principal cast members in Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths, we assumed that the Oscar-nominated star would reprise his role as Tool, the tattooing, knife-wielding badass, in the sequel to The Expendables. Now it looks as if the two projects are mutually exclusive, as Rourke has sided with the In Bruges director and co-star Colin Farrell at the expense of the Simon West-directed sequel. Even though he did the original The Expendables as a favor to Sylvester Stallone, it appears that Rourke is seeking a return to award nominations, as McDonagh has won one Oscar (Six Shooter) and was nominated for In Bruges. Hit the jump for more on Rourke and Seven Psychopaths.

Warner Bros. and Robert Downey Jr. Acquire THE ACCIDENTAL GENIUS

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: October 13th, 2011 at 5:50 pm

Having stretched his considerably talented mental acuity in such roles as Tony Stark, the billionaire prodigy behind Iron Man, and Sherlock Holmes, the famed detective, it’s not a stretch to call Robert Downey Jr. a genius. He’ll get a chance to play a third mental giant in The Accidental Genius, a new pitch picked up by Warner Bros (per Deadline). The drama centers on a man of previously average intelligence who wakes from a coma to find himself gifted with a superior intellect. (You can draw parallels to Downey Jr.’s career here, if you’d like.) The man teams up with a prodigy-turned-burnout (or here) to decipher strange symbols that could unlock the secret to a century-old, world-altering mystery.

The Accidental Genius is a nod to a true-to-life medical condition in which a coma patient may awaken with heightened cognition. Downey Jr and Susan Downey will produce through Team Downey with Ben Silverman’s Electus. Adam Gibgot, the writer of The Accidental Genius, will also be executive producer with David Gambino. Gibgot recently wrote the pilot for Oliver Stone’s drama Darkhorse on FX.

Director Marc Forster Talks WORLD WAR Z Changes and What Drew Him to the Project

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: September 19th, 2011 at 12:11 pm

At this year’s Toronto Film Festival, I was able to talk with the cast and director Marc Forster about Machine Gun Preacher.  With the movie opening in limited release this weekend (it expands next week), you can expect our video interviews in the next few days.  However, with Forster currently shooting World War Z with Brad Pitt, I used some of my time to ask why he decided to change the story of the book for the movie.  He said:

“You want to capture the spirit of the book, but at the same time, you have to create your own narrative for the film.  There are a lot of things from the book that we are trying to incorporate into the film.  It’s a tricky balance.”

He also talked about what drew him to the project and goes into more detail about World War Z.  Hit the jump to watch.

FAMILY GUY Season 10 Premiere Will Screen in Theaters with Other New Footage on September 15

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: September 13th, 2011 at 9:05 pm

There’s nothing about the animation of Family Guy calls for the big screen.  But the series does rank among the best in communal viewing experiences, so we wanted to give you a heads up on a Family Guy screening in a theater near you.  Well as long as Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, or Seattle is near you.  At midnight September 15, the show will celebrate its upcoming tenth season with “Something, Something, Something Anniversary” in theaters in these 10 cities.  The screening will feature a sneak peek at the season premiere, “Lottery Fever” alongside fan favorite episode “Road to the Multiverse.”  The event will close out with the 22-minute bonus feature “History of the World,” which recounts the creation of the earth.

Full details on the screenings are in the press release after the jump.

CONTAGION Giveaway

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: September 7th, 2011 at 9:50 am

With director Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion opening this weekend, we’ve been given some movie related swag to giveaway to some of our readers.  Starring Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Winslet, Contagion is a “dramatic, multi-layered thriller about what can happen when a lethal airborne virus quickly spreads into a worldwide pandemic.”

I caught an early screening and thought Contagion was extremely well made with great performances, a strong script, fantastic direction, and I even loved the score.  It’s definitely recommended and by the end of the film, you’ll notice every cough and sneeze in the theater.  Hit  the jump for details on the giveaway.

Edgar Wright Executive Producing Director Ben Wheatley’s Dark Comedy SIGHTSEERS

by Jason Barr    Posted: August 15th, 2011 at 3:47 pm

Director Ben Wheatley was already slowly but surely making a name for himself with 2009′s acclaimed crime/comedy Down Terrace and his most recent effort, Kill List, which hits theaters in the UK and Ireland on September 2nd. This in mind, the buzz surrounding Wheatley will most likely continue to rise going forward as it looks like his next pic, the dark comedy Sightseers, is being executive produced by Edgar Wright at Big Talk Productions.

Wheatley revealed Wright’s involvement in the pic to The Playlist over the weekend at Empire Big Screen 2011. The film, which is written by and co-stars Alice Lowe (Hot Fuzz) and Steve Oram (Wheatley’s aforementioned Kill List), is based on a short film and follows a pair of “psychotic caravaners.” Film4 is also on-board to produce Sightseers alongside Wright/Big Talk with production set to begin around the beginning of October. In addition to working with Wright on Sightseers, Wheatley will also work with Hot Fuzz star Nick Frost and Spaced‘s Michael Smiley in the comedy I, Macrobane. Wheatley says that production on that project will begin next year after Sightseers is in the can.

SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK Star Reeve Carney to Play Jeff Buckley in Untitled Biopic

by Jason Barr    Posted: August 15th, 2011 at 2:53 pm

Actor/musician Reeve Carney (Snow Falling on Cedars) has signed on to play Jeff Buckley in director Jake Scott’s (Welcome to the Rileys) untitled biopic. Per the press release, the pic will chronicle Buckley’s life all the way up to his untimely drowning at the age of 30 in Memphis’ Wolf River. The film was written by Ryan Jaffe (The Rocker) and draws heavily from David Browne’s book Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley. Currently, Carney is playing the role of Peter Parker in Julie Taymor’s mildly cursed Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Previously, the actor worked with Taymor on her adaptation of The Tempest starring Helen Mirren.

This film iteration of Buckley’s life joins two other projects that are set to chronicle the late musician. Back in June, Penn Badgley signed on to play Buckley in co-writer/director Dan Algrant’s Greetings from Tim Buckley. That film is set to begin production in Brooklyn this week. Additionally, director Brendan Fletcher is developing a film based on the book A Pure Drop: The Life of Jeff Buckley. Unlike the other two films, though, Scott’s owns the exclusive rights to Buckley’s music and personal archives and is being executive produced by Buckley’s mother, Mary Guibert. For more on the project, hit the jump to read the full press release.

Susan Sarandon, Julie Christie and Richard Jenkins Join Robert Redford’s THE COMPANY YOU KEEP

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: August 11th, 2011 at 5:02 pm

Robert Redford continues to fill out the cast for his next directorial project, as Susan Sarandon, Julie Christie and Richard Jenkins are the latest to join The Company You Keep. Redford will direct and star in the film that also features Shia LaBeouf, and recent additions Nick Nolte and Brit Marling. Based on the novel of the same name by Neal Gordon, the story centers on a wanted former Weather Underground militant (Redford) who goes on the run after an ambitious young reporter (LaBeouf) exposes his true identity.

Deadline reports that Sarandon and Christie play ex-Weather Underground members, while Jenkins will play a college professor who is a link to other members in hiding. While the cast is pretty great, I’m hoping Redford tries a decidedly less heavy-handed approach than his last directorial projects. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of the novel.

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