Super 8

Saturn Award Nominations Announced; HUGO and HARRY POTTER Lead with 10 Nominations Each

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 29th, 2012 at 7:33 am

Now that the Oscars are finally over, the Saturn Awards have come along and graced with nominations that are actually fun/infuriating-in-their-own-way.  There’s some cross-over between Oscars and Saturn Awards this year with Hugo racking up 10 nominations.  But since the Academy doesn’t want to recognize genre movies, they ignored Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.  The Saturns are giving Mr. Potter his due, and the final chapter of the saga also nabbed 10 nominations.  Also doing well on the film side were Super 8 (8 nominations), Captain America: The First Avenger (7 nominations), The Adventures of Tintin and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (6 nominations each).  As for TV, Breaking Bad led with six nominations.  I can live with all of these (although eight nominations for Super 8 is pushing it).

Wait.  I just saw that there were no nominations for Drive.  Never mind.  The Saturn Awards are sham.  Hit the jump for the full list of nominees.  Winners will be announced on June 20th (a long ways off, but meant to hit in the heart of the summer movie season).

97 Original Scores Up for Oscar; DRIVE and ATTACK THE BLOCK Ruled Ineligible

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 23rd, 2011 at 12:04 pm

As the 84th Academy Awards move closer, we’re starting to get a better sense of how things will pan out. We recently shared the 39 songs that will contend for the Best Original Song category, and now the Academy has announced the 97 original scores eligible for the Best Original Score award. AMPAS is notoriously picky when it comes to eligibility in this category, and as we feared the scores for both Drive and Attack the Block have been deemed ineligible. Also disappointing is the ineligibility of Alexandre Desplat’s mesmerizing score for The Tree of Life.

While it’s upsetting to see some of the year’s best work side-lined, there’s plenty to be happy about. I was a huge fan of Howard Shore’s work in Hugo and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, as well as The Chemical Brothers’ brilliant work in the criminally underseen Hanna. Hit the jump for the full list, as well as who I think will make the cut.

SUPER 8 Blu-ray Review

by Scott Wampler    Posted: November 30th, 2011 at 5:01 am

JJ Abrams—the mastermind of such mint television shows as LOST, Alias, and sci-fi geek favorite Fringe—has earned the bulk of his following through work on television, but over the past half-decade, the dude’s also been involved with some pretty mint films, as well:  Mission: Impossible 3 (which many consider the most mint of the Mission: Impossible films), Cloverfield (which Abrams didn’t direct, but had a strong hand in), and—most recently—this summer’s Super 8, the mint story of six amateur-filmmaker kids caught up in a mysterious alien-coverup in Smalltown, America.  The film earned just as many fans as it did detractors when it debuted a few months ago, and I was curious to find out if the film played better (or worse) at home.  Keep on reading to find out what I learned from the Super 8 Blu-ray, after the jump.

The Red Pill Viral Update: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, THE MUPPETS, Tout and SUPER 8 Blu-ray

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: November 25th, 2011 at 5:40 pm

There was a time not too long ago when all a movie studio had to do to generate interest in a film was to slap a trailer together and buy a few TV commercial spots. With ticket prices climbing and a variety of in-home services able to provide entertainment on demand, studios must now look for creative ways to get your attention (and your dollars). Lucky for them, social media tools like Facebook and Twitter provide widespread (and free) access to consumers. “The Red Pill” is our weekly update on some of the more interesting ongoing viral ad campaigns. Updates this week include The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Muppets, Super 8’s release on Blu-ray and examples from Tout, a video-posting version of Twitter. Hit the jump to check them out.

Weekend Box Office – RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Rises Above Expectations with $54 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: August 7th, 2011 at 9:48 am

Looks like summer 2011 had one more blockbuster left after all.  Cowboys and Aliens may have been a late-July disappointment but, so far, Fox’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes is performing more like a June release than your typical August afterthought.  Surpassing all early projections, the sci-fi vehicle took in an estimated $54 million from 3,648 locations for an easy number one at the US box office.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Rise of the Planet of the Apes	$54,000,000	$54
2	The Smurfs	$21,000,000	$76.2
3	Cowboys and Aliens	$15,748,000	$67.3
4	The Change-Up	$13,500,000	$13.5
5	Captain America	$13,000,000	$143.1
6	Harry Potter 7b	$12,160,000	$342.8
7	Crazy, Stupid, Love	$12,100,000	$42.1
8	Friends with Benefits	$4,700,000	$48.5
9	Horrible Bosses	$4,620,000	$105.1
10	Transformers 3	$3,015,000	$344.1

Weekend Box Office – It’s a Draw. COWBOYS AND ALIENS Tie THE SMURFS with $36.2 Million Each

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: July 31st, 2011 at 10:21 am

At the moment the estimates for the weekend’s two top films are dead even: a box office rarity.  Both Cowboys and Aliens and The Smurfs are claiming estimates of $36.2 million – a figure that is slightly embarrassing for one film and a near miracle for the other.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Cowboys and Aliens	$36,200,000	$36.2
2	The Smurfs	$36,200,000	$36.2
3	Captain America	$24,900,000	$116.7
4	Harry Potter 7b	$21,900,000	$318.4
5	Crazy Stupid Love	$19,300,000	$19.3
6	Friends With Benefits	$9,300,000	$38.2
7	Horrible Bosses	$7,100,000	$96.2
8	Transformers 3	$5,970,000	$337.8
9	Zookeeper	$4,200,000	$68.7
10	Cars 2	$2,300,000	$182

Exclusive: Matt Reeves Talks LET ME IN, CLOVERFIELD, THE PASSAGE, THIS DARK ENDEAVOR, More at the Saturn Awards

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: June 27th, 2011 at 1:52 pm

While on the red carpet for the 37^th annual Saturn Awards, we got the chance to speak with Cloverfield and Let Me In director Matt Reeves. He gave a wide-ranging interview, talking at length about Let Me In (including his comments on the ending of the film), giving updates on his upcoming projects The Passage, This Dark Endeavor and a new script he’s currently writing, discussing the similarities between the creatures in Cloverfield and J.J. Abrams’ Super 8, and much, much more.

Hit the jump to watch the interview. If you missed our other coverage from the Saturn Awards, be sure to check out our conversations with makeup artists Rick Baker and Dave Elsey, Brandon Routh, Fringe’s Lance Reddick, producer Dean Devlin, Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd for The Walking Dead, and Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan.

Weekend Box Office – SUPER 8 Defies Expectations with $37 Million Debut

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: June 12th, 2011 at 9:34 am

After months of buildup, Super 8 took top honors this weekend with an estimated $37 million from 3,379 locations.  That figure is significantly higher than the film had been tracking just five days ago.  Is it higher than the studio was hoping for five months ago?  Not exactly.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Super 8	$37,000,000	$38
2	X-Men: First Class	$25,000,000	$98.8
3	The Hangover Part II	$18,500,000	$216.5
4	Kung Fu Panda 2	$16,635,000	$126.9
5	Pirates of the Caribbean 4	$10,845,000	$208.7
6	Bridesmaids	$10,154,000	$123.9
7	Judy Moody	$6,267,000	$6.2
8	Midnight in Paris	$6,146,000	$14.2
9	Thor	$2,370,000	$173.6
10	Fast Five	$1,714,000	$205

Friday Box Office – Mystery Solved. JJ Abrams’ SUPER 8 Debuts with $12.2 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: June 11th, 2011 at 9:20 am

Super 8, the top-secret sci-fi spectacle from director JJ Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg, earned an estimated $12.2 million from 3,379 locations on Friday.  When combined with the $1 million Paramount took in from its Thursday previews it is looking like June’s most mysterious movie will see a weekend just north of $35 million.  If realized, that would be higher than most projections which had Super 8 performing in the same range as the $30.5 million The Happening saw on this same weekend in 2008.  Luckily, now that the film’s mystery has been revealed that release date is the only thing Super 8 shares with Shyamalan – especially in light of its current 82% Tomatometer reading.  X-Men: First Class slid 64% on its second Friday while Relativity’s Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer, the weekend’s only other new offering, placed seventh with an estimated $2.2 million from 2,524 locations.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Super 8	$12,200,000	$13.2
2	X-Men: First Class	$7,600,000	$81.4
3	The Hangover Part II	$5,700,000	$203.7
4	Kung Fu Panda 2	$4,610,000	$114.8
5	Pirates of the Caribbean 4	$3,130,000	$201

TOP 5: Alamo Texter Voicemail, John Davis Talks PREDATOR, HORRIBLE BOSSES Set Visit, SUPER 8 Review, J.J. Abrams Video Interview

by Jason Barr    Posted: June 11th, 2011 at 9:18 am

At the risk of inflating expectations, I have to say that this week’s “Top 5″ includes one of my all-time favorite stories on the site: the “Alamo Texter Voicemail.” In less than two minutes, the Drafthouse puts a voice to “that person” who all too often sees the movie theater as a great place to get the most out of their unlimited monthly text plan. Joining Alamo’s contribution in this week’s installment is producer John Davis’ sit-down with Steve where he discusses the Predator franchise and what kept Arnold Schwarzenegger from doing Predator 2, our Horrible Bosses set visit, and a pair of Super 8 pieces coming in the form of Matt’s film review and Steve’s video interview with writer/director/producer J.J. Abrams.

Hit the jump to find a quick recap and link to each.

Kyle Chandler Video Interview SUPER 8

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: June 11th, 2011 at 8:44 am

With writer-director J.J. Abrams Super 8 now playing, I was recently able to interview the cast in London for our partners at Omelete.  While Abrams likes to keep his films under wraps while they’re in production, by now you know Super 8 takes place in the summer of 1979 and it’s about a group of friends that discovers something not from this world while making a super 8 film.  Mix in that it’s produced by Steven Spielberg, uses his Amblin logo (which should clue you into what kind of movie this is), and you’re got a great coming-of-age story that I think audiences are going to love.

During my interview with Kyle Chandler we talked about keeping the secrets of Super 8, what was it like to work for Abrams and with the kids, the emotional voyage and what the film is really about, does he have a favorite early 80′s film like The Goonies or Stand By Me, the Amblin logo, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

J.J. Abrams Talks SUPER 8, STAR TREK 2 and TV Shows ALCATRAZ and PERSON OF INTEREST

by Christina Radish    Posted: June 10th, 2011 at 8:40 am

J.J. Abrams has established himself as an imaginative and innovative director, writer and producer, in both film and television. No matter what you think of his work, he takes risks and makes an effort to keep his projects surprising, so that audiences can have that sense of discovery that’s so often missing these days. He successfully re-booted the Star Trek franchise for an all new audience, while also bringing totally original stories to the big and small screen. Now, he brings Super 8 to theaters, restoring the Amblin legacy in the tale of a group of friends in a small town in 1979, who set out to make a zombie movie, but end up witnessing a catastrophic train crash that changes all of their lives forever.

During a recent roundtable interview, J.J. Abrams talked about promoting a film while trying to maintain some secrecy for audiences, being so inspired by the Amblin era of filmmaking, the type of Super 8 films he enjoyed making as a kid, what it was like to work with so many young acting newcomers, and what appeals to him about monster movies. He also talked about why he was attracted to the upcoming fall TV shows Alcatraz and Person of Interest, which he is producing, and what the current delay in the script for Star Trek 2 might mean for the film’s release. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths and Ryan Lee Video Interview SUPER 8

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: June 9th, 2011 at 3:52 pm

With writer-director J.J. Abrams Super 8 opening tonight, I was recently able to interview the cast in London for our partners at Omelete.  While Abrams likes to keep his films under wraps while they’re in production, by now you know Super 8 takes place in the summer of 1979 and it’s about a group of friends that discovers something not from this world while making a super 8 film.  Mix in that it’s produced by Steven Spielberg, uses his Amblin logo (which should clue you into what kind of movie this is), and you’re got a great coming-of-age story that I think audiences are going to love.

During my interview with three of the kids (Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths and Ryan Lee), we talked about trying to keep the movie a secret, their reaction to seeing the finished film, filming the train sequence, what films did they watch before filming, how they got to help write and direct the super 8 zombie film within the film, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

SUPER 8 Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 9th, 2011 at 2:32 pm

J.J. Abrams Super 8 is an echo.  It echoes the innocence of Steven Spielberg’s Amblin films of the 1980s, it echoes the imagined purity of small town America, and it echoes the innocence and coming of age through the lens of aspiring filmmakers.  But Super 8 never makes its own noise. While the film manages to capture the fun, adventure, thrills, laughs, and characters of Spielberg’s movies, Super 8 never conjures its own magic.

SUPER 8 Viral Video Gets Pieced Together

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 9th, 2011 at 11:13 am

Over the past several months, Paramount sent out pieces of a grainy black-and-white footage as part of the viral campaign for J.J. Abrams’ Super 8.  These pieces were shown on websites like /Film, HitFix, io9, and other websites.  Now a day before the film’s release (or really, the afternoon before the film’s release since Paramount sold tickets for showings tonight), all the pieces have been cut together to show an early 1960s “secret military video” showing early scientific research into the alien that breaks free from the train crash featured in all of Super 8‘s TV spots and trailers.  Abrams has tried so hard to keep most of the film a secret so I won’t spoil the video.  I will say that the video itself is part of Super 8‘s plot, so you should consider this somewhat of a spoiler (but I wouldn’t say it’s major).

Hit the jump to check out the footage, which contains a glimpse of the alien. The film stars Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Ron Eldard, and Kyle Chandler.  Super 8 opens tomorrow (or tonight).  Look for my review later today.

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