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Monday Night Poll: How Much Will 'Avatar' Make Opening Weekend?
Filed under: Action, Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Box Office, 20th Century Fox, Movie Marketing, Oscar Watch
Avatar isn't being released until December 18th, but if you're already sick of hearing about it, you better plug up your ears. The hype machine for James Cameron's magnum opus has been hard at work leaking details, images, snippets, and trailers since way before this year's San Diego Comic-Con or the extensive profile in October's New Yorker. Cameron, who has never been one to bite his tongue, told Playboy, "We know from the exit polling that the response [to Avatar] was 95 percent ecstatic. Most of the five percent negative response is from the fanatic fans who imagined the movie in their minds but now have to deal with my movie." Also, that when it comes to giving birth to a movie, he's crowning. Yum!
Bon mots from Cameron aside, Avatar could be a real game-changer as far as 3D films go – and hell, it's a refreshing change of pace from the sequels, prequels, remakes, and re-imaginings we're forced to sit through. (Plus... giant blue cat people!!!). It's definitely in the running for numerous Oscars. In fact, Oscar experts at In Contention currently have the film for consideration in eight categories, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Not only that, Variety reported that James Cameron, stars Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, and producer Jon Landau will be doing a live webcast on December 3rd that will allow fans the chance to ask questions of the crew and sneak peeks at previously unseen footage from the film. The webcast will be broadcast on MTV two days before Avatar hits screens.
So, are you a betting man or woman? How much do you think the Avatar exposure will pay off opening weekend? Will Na'ivish become the new Elvish? Let's start with under $20 million. Going once, going twice... Vote below!
Trailer Park: Greenberg, Toys and Tolstoy
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Trailer Trash, Trailers and Clips
Greenberg
Ben Stiller stars in this indie comedy about a man who deals with his mid-life crisis by doing nothing. Stiller actually seems appealing when he's not trying to be zany. Watch for this one on March 12.
Toy Story 3
This new international trailer shows a little more of the trauma inflicted upon our toy heroes after Andy goes off to college and they are donated to a daycare center. Looks like this one has all the charm of the first two installments. That June 18th release date can't come soon enough.
'Shrek Forever After' to Be Last 'Shrek' Film ... for Now
Filed under: Animation, New Releases, Family Films, Remakes and Sequels, Images
I have a personal kink when it comes to a good old fashioned fairy tale subversion. I can't explain it, but there's just something about messing with those classic tales that never fails to amuse me -- so you can see why I have a soft spot for the Shrek franchise. News of a fourth film first hit back in 2007 and now USA Today gives us our first look at the fairy tale comedy, as well as (good?) news that the fourth installment of the franchise, Shrek Forever After, will be the last (and as much as I liked the first two films, I'll admit that by the time we had reached Shrek the Third, the charm was wearing a little thin).
Bill Damaschke, head of creative production at DreamWorks and Mike Mitchell (Sky High) gave some hints as to what we should expect from Shrek Forever After, and according to Mitchell, this time Shrek is feeling out of touch with his inner ogre, so he strikes up a deal with Rumplestiltskin (voiced by Walt Dohrn) to change his life. But things don't work out as planned and Shrek finds out that life in Far Far Away has changed for the worse in his absence. Franchise favorites Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) will return and some of the new additions to the cast are Kathy Griffin and Kristin Schaal (Flight of the Conchords) as witches and part time Ogre hunters, and Mad Men's Jon Hamm as the leader of the ogre underground.
Box Office: Foxy Ninjas and Fantastic Dogs
Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Family Films, Box Office Predictions
As I'm sure everyone has heard by now, the newest Twilight film made CRAZY money over the weekend. The Blind Side made a pretty respectable showing as well, though still taking a distant second. Here's the top five:
1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon: $142.8 million
2. The Blind Side: $34.1 million
3. 2012: $26.4 million
4. Planet 51: $12.29 million
5. A Christmas Carol: $12.28 million
This weeks new releases offer one part action to one part comedy, plus we have a kids film going into wider release.
Ninja Assassin
What's It All About: A skilled assassin swears vengeance on the secret order that trained him after they murder his friend.
Why It Might Do Well: This is produced by the Wachowskis, the team behind the Matrix films, so I imagine the martial arts action will be something to behold.
Why It Might Not Do Well: A lack of star power may be a problem.
Number of Theaters: 2,500
Prediction: $10 million
Old Dogs
What's It All About: Robin Williams plays a middle aged man who suddenly finds out that he has six-year-old twins with a woman he hasn't seen in years, and his bachelor buddy John Travolta helps him adjust to life as a father.
Why It Might Do Well: I really love that bit in the commercial where a terrified Seth Green sings "All Out of Love" to a gorilla.
Why It Might Not Do Well: I suspect that gorilla gag may be all the film has to offer, as the film is only getting 10% over at Rottentomatoes.com.
Number of Theaters: 3,300
Prediction: $32 million
1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon: $142.8 million
2. The Blind Side: $34.1 million
3. 2012: $26.4 million
4. Planet 51: $12.29 million
5. A Christmas Carol: $12.28 million
This weeks new releases offer one part action to one part comedy, plus we have a kids film going into wider release.
Ninja AssassinWhat's It All About: A skilled assassin swears vengeance on the secret order that trained him after they murder his friend.
Why It Might Do Well: This is produced by the Wachowskis, the team behind the Matrix films, so I imagine the martial arts action will be something to behold.
Why It Might Not Do Well: A lack of star power may be a problem.
Number of Theaters: 2,500
Prediction: $10 million
Old DogsWhat's It All About: Robin Williams plays a middle aged man who suddenly finds out that he has six-year-old twins with a woman he hasn't seen in years, and his bachelor buddy John Travolta helps him adjust to life as a father.
Why It Might Do Well: I really love that bit in the commercial where a terrified Seth Green sings "All Out of Love" to a gorilla.
Why It Might Not Do Well: I suspect that gorilla gag may be all the film has to offer, as the film is only getting 10% over at Rottentomatoes.com.
Number of Theaters: 3,300
Prediction: $32 million
Peter Jackson Says Spielberg's 'Tintin' is Done Filming, but...
Filed under: Action, Animation, Paramount, Sony, Tech Stuff, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Today brings good news and bad news for fans eagerly awaiting The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, the first film in a proposed trilogy of new, motion-capture animated 3D films co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson (among others) based on the comic book series created by Georges "Hergé" Remi. Spielberg took up directorial duties on the first in the series, which was supposed to begin filming in 2008 for a 2010 release, but Universal, burned by the under-performance of Beowulf and Monster House at the box office, decided to pull out in the pre-production process, halting progress until Paramount could partner with Sony in order to grease the gears financially. Not much has popped up in the news department since then, however at the London premiere of Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones, the Lord of the Rings director told reporters that filming had finally been completed on Spielberg's Tintin entry. However, it's still no where close to release. Jackson went on to say that it is going to take another two years to actually animate the film, meaning fans are most likely looking at a late 2011 release date for The Secret of the Unicorn.
Trailer for Family Guy's 'Something, Something, Something Dark Side'
Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Fandom, Trailers and Clips
An extended trailer for the next Family Guy Star Wars special has arrived online over at Apple and iTunes (watch it after the jump). Titled Something, Something, Something Dark Side, this time the animated sitcom is aiming their lightsabers at Empire Strikes Back. Featuring large camel robots who hurt their knees, annoying high-pitched princesses and a giant chicken dressed as Boba Fett, fans should expect the same sorta hilarious shtick that came out of Family Guy's first Star Wars spoof, Blue Harvest (though some feel the Robot Chicken Star Wars episodes one-upped them considerably, but that's a topic for a different day). Because of the popularity of the first special, 20th Century Fox is pimping out the follow-up pretty hard. It's due to hit DVD and Blu-ray on December 22nd, and I imagine they'll actually air it on television at some point in 2010. A spoof of Return of the Jedi, titled We Have A Bad Feeling About This, is also being planned.
The official description for Something, Something, Something Dark Side goes something like this: "Holy ship! The Family Guy empire strikes back with another hilarious parody of your favorite sci-fi saga! May the laughs be with you as (Chris) Skywalker joins forces with (Peter) Solo and Princess (Lois) Leia to battle (Stewie) Vader and his Imperial minions. A host of new characters comes along for the wild ride, including Mort Goldman as Lando Calrissian, Chris's boss Carl as Yoda, and the Giant Chicken as the nefarious Boba Fett. It's an outrageous, out-of-this-world experience you'll "saber" for light-years to come!"
Watch both trailers for Something, Something, Something Dark Side after the jump.
'Up' and 'Marley & Me' Among Dog Movie Winners
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Awards, Family Films
Maybe it's because I saw De Sica's classic Umberto D. again over the weekend, or maybe it's because I'm excited for tomorrow's release of the 25th Anniversary Edition of Cujo on DVD and Blu-ray, but I've got movie dogs on the brain. Last night I even randomly spent some time watching YouTube clips of my all-time favorite movie dog, Asta, from the Thin Man franchise (played by Skippy, who also appears in Bringing Up Baby and The Awful Truth). So it was coincidentally fun this morning learning that the Fido Awards happened over the weekend. The ceremony, nicknamed the "canine Oscars," occurred in London Saturday, when trophies were handed out in five separate categories. To my surprise, the Fidos don't exclude animated dogs, as the talking dog, Dug, from Pixar's Up won the Blockbuster Bowser award, beating out pups from Gran Torino, Inglourious Basterds and another animation, Coraline, in the category.
What Happened Once Carl's House Took Off In 'Up'?
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Disney, Shorts, Family Films, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips
In all of your viewings of Up, did you ever wonder what happened to the Shady Oaks employees who helplessly watched as Carl floated up, up, and away? Well, wonder no more. Pixar wrote and animated a little short called George and AJ that answers all your questions, and then some. Watch carefully when Carl's house soars over their heads -- you'll see an angle that reveals just where one particular character was hanging on for dear life.
What's really cute about this short is that it isn't just about George and AJ, but what the entire city thought of Carl's flying house. Up never stopped and went back to North America to see if anyone noticed his unusual method of flight (and very wisely, too), but this spin-off deals with some of the ramifications. It's funny and moving, and makes for a bittersweet commentary on just how we deal with the elderly members of our society.
Now, if we can just get a spin-off that tells what Russell's mother thought about her son's prolonged absence. Somehow, I don't think any cell phone he may have had on him could get good reception at Paradise Falls ....
The short is embedded below the jump, and it's just the thing to watch on a dreary Monday. Enjoy!
Review: Planet 51
Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sony, Theatrical Reviews
As voiced by Dwayne "the artist formerly known as The Rock" Johnson, astronaut Chuck Baker is the paragon of all-American achievement -- that is, until he conquers a far off world with an unexpected population, one inexplicably steeped in our '50s-era culture and terrified by the prospect of an alien invader in human form. More unfortunately for us, Chuck has landed smack-dab in the middle of Planet 51, a short-sighted assembly of sci-fi references and scatalogical humor that should nonetheless placate undemanding tots and, by extension, their undiscerning parents for ninety minutes or so.
Free Flick of the Day: American Pop
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Drama
The early '80s were an interesting time for controversial artist and animator Ralph Bakshi. His 1970s were filled with incendiary offerings like Heavy Traffic, Coonskin, Wizards, Fritz the Cat, and his (truncated) adaptation of Lord of the Rings. But once the 1980s rolled around, Mr. Bakshi was a little more sedate -- and absolutely intent on furthering the art of feature-length animation. The often misunderstood Bakshi would turn out Hey Good Lookin' in 1982 and collaborate with the legendary Frank Frazetta on 1983's Fire and Ice ... but I say the filmmaker's best work was his follow-up to the Lord of the Rings misstep...It's called American Pop and it strives to tell the story of American music over the course of four generations, from an immigrant who specializes in vaudeville to a modern-day rock star. (Well, modern for 1981.) Arguably Mr. Bakshi's most sincere film, American Pop often feels like the Rolling Stone version of The Godfather Part 2 ... and I don't think that was an accident. Backed by an amazing soundtrack and (of course) some dazzlingly offbeat animation, American Pop is our free flick of the day. You can enjoy this (decidedly R-rated) animated feature right here at Slash Control. And let me know what you thought of it!
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Alec Baldwin Becomes Latest to Threaten Retirement
The First 'Iron Man 2' Poster Appears!
The Return of Jessica Alba?
Now 'New Moon' Prevents Skin Cancer!_thumbnail.jpg)
Discuss: Who Would be the Most Profitable Director if ...
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