Newsstand »
Alec Baldwin Becomes Latest to Threaten Retirement
Filed under: Fandom, Newsstand
.jpg)
In case you haven't noticed, one of the hottest trends of 2009 so far has found popular actors threatening to retire from the business for good. First we had Joaquin Phoenix do his little absurd actor-turned-rapper-turned-performance-artist thing (which was popular and relevant for all of about three days), and then we had Viggo Mortensen kinda half-retire before taking it all back, and now there's Alec Baldwin -- who, in a new interview with Men's Journal (via The Hollywood Reporter), admits that he's had about enough of acting, considers his entire career a "failure" and claims that he'll retire once his stint on 30 Rock is up.My first reaction: What's up with Men's Journal, and why do actors feel the need to announce their retirement through them? Mortensen's whole snafu came from an interview with Men's Journal, and now Baldwin. Is Men's Journal now the publication actors will turn to when they want to semi-announce their retirement in spectacular (and somewhat moronic) fashion? I mean, really Alec? You consider your career a failure? Tell that to the middle-aged aspiring actor working six jobs in Los Angeles just so he can call home once a week to tell his family that the second assistant's assistant's assistant on the Viagra commercial really thought he showed promise as a background extra, and that all those years of hard work are finally paying off.
The First 'Iron Man 2' Poster Appears!
Filed under: Action, Paramount, Fandom, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Posters
Marvel Studios, Paramount and Jon Favreau have given you an early Christmas present. Yahoo! Movies has debuted the first poster for Iron Man 2, and as cheesy as it is to go nuts over marketing, it's an awfully cool poster. It's their exclusive, so you'll have to click the picture to see the entire thing, but I've given you a tiny preview above.
The best part? Those of us who didn't get to see the pants-wetting footage at Comic-Con finally get a glimpse at War Machine! There's something deliciously geeky about the buddy cop stylings of this poster. I could live quite comfortably in a world where Iron Man 2 was something akin to a super-suited Lethal Weapon, couldn't you?
Of course, as nice as the poster is, it's no substitute for seeing these guys actually take flight. Faverau has hinted via Twitter that we might see the first Iron Man 2 trailer this Christmas, and that it'll be attached to that other Robert Downey Jr. franchise, Sherlock Holmes. Maybe if you're very good boys and girls, Santa will grant your wish, and we'll get it a few days before Holmes hits theaters. I can't think of a more festive way to ring in the holidays than with a flying hero of red and gold.
Mirren to Play The Queen Again in Star-Studded Biopic?
Filed under: Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, Casting, Newsstand
The legendary Helen Mirren may once again be serving crown and country as Queen Elizabeth II. WENN is reporting that Mirren is being called upon to play the once and current queen in Mother: The Indira Ghandi Story, a biopic about the Indian prime minister who was asassinated in 1984.Tom Hanks and Tommy Lee Jones are also reportedly in talks to play Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon, respectively, while Emily Watson is attached to play the formidable Margaret Thatcher. Director Krishna Shah calls it "the project of my life" so one hopes this could actually come together for him with this kind of cast. The film is scheduled to be released in 2010, which seems a bit too optimistic with so many schedules to coordinate, but we'll see.
Obviously, this should be filed firmly under "rumor," but it's an intriguing prospect. Indira Ghandi is certainly long overdue for a biopic, and the cast would be fantastic. It would be fascinating to see Mirren go back and play a younger Queen Elizabeth II, even for just a small part in a larger historical picture. Besides, with Michael Sheen doing triple duty as Prime Minister Tony Blair, it seems very appropriate that his onscreen monarch get another shot at the throne.
First (Official) Look at 'The Karate Kid' Remake - Updated with More Photos
Filed under: Action, Sony, Family Films, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Remakes and Sequels, Images
Update: Check out three more images in the gallery below.
The initial trauma over Columbia's remake of The Karate Kid seems to have passed for the children of the 1980s, enough that the first official image (not counting the teaser poster Erik Davis posted in September) shouldn't be salt in the wound. Instead, you might be thinking "Hey, for the first image of The Karate Kid, shouldn't there be, you know ... karate?" Yes, yes there should. But instead People Magazine gave us a tender look between the new kid, Jaden Smith, and his mentor, Jackie Chan. 1980s children will be relieved to know that his name isn't Mr. Miyagi, but Mr. Han, and he's a maintenance man who befriends the troubled and unhappy boy who's been relocated to China. He also can kick major ass.
Smith and Chan give a few excited quotes for Kid. Smith reveals he trained for four months with the film's fight coordinator, Master Wu, which was probably interesting enough to warrant its own training montage. As he became wise in the way of karate, he learned discipline that extended all the way to his personal habits. "His dad told me that Jaden had changed," says Chan. "When he takes his shoes off, he doesn't throw them in the corner, but puts them away neatly!"
Admittedly, there could be some lovely Chinese eye candy in this. One sequence will take place on the Great Wall of China, so we're in for at least one (hopefully) breathtaking sequence that could actually rival any crane kick Ralph Macchio performed. The Karate Kid hits theaters on June 11, 2010.
First Glimpses of 'The Voyage of The Dawn Treader'
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, 20th Century Fox, Family Films, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Remakes and Sequels, Images
Over the holiday weekend, we received our first official glimpse of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. This is a film that hasn't really attracted a lot of fervent interest or rumor-mongering, something that seems to have marked the ill-fated series as a whole.
But Dawn Treader is coming, with Michael Apted at the helm and 20th Century Fox directing its trade wind. I know I've stated it a million times before, but this is one Narnia installment that I'm desperate to see. It was my favorite of the books, and the film might actually work on a level that Wardrobe and Caspian haven't. There was more to be mined from those first two books than the films managed, but Dawn Treader is rather glossy and adventurous, a series of "What's that -- oh no!" moments that should make for a pretty entertaining movie. Sure, there's the heavy handed morality tale of selfish cousin Eustace, but that's a pretty simple thing to translate since it's a lesson as old as Grimm's -- bad kids are punished, regardless of religious inclination!
Narnia has chosen to launch its first images in a very unlikely place: Facebook. A production blog has started up there, and the first images were tacked onto the end of it. It should be fun to follow along with as we inch closer to its release date of December 2010. Meanwhile, the photos are in the gallery, and they certainly are pretty to look at.
Actors Weigh In on Lost Stars & Oscar Hopefuls
Filed under: Awards, Casting, Newsstand
When you've glutted yourself on Turkey, must take a break from New Moon reportage, and want to get busy with the Oscar race, it's time to turn the writing work over to the celebs. Both Variety and Entertainment Weekly handed the pens over to the stars recently for two very different reasons -- one, to remember stars we've lost this year like Patrick Swayze, and two, to highlight Academy Award hopefuls in the ever-increasing Oscar race.Of course, EW wants you to buy the mag, so they're only including one of the movie tributes online, and that's C. Thomas Howell writing about his memories of working with Swayze. The two worked together on The Outsiders all those years ago, and Howell writes: "The one thing that was great about him was also the most irritating fact about him: He was always somehow better than you, no matter what it was you were doing. It didn't matter if you were on horseback, shooting weapons, roller-skating, or reciting Shakespeare. He was a tough f-er and a free spirit." I don't know if I could pick a more apt description for him. Swayze always had that sense of ease about him, whether it was looking smooth on the dance floor, getting in on the Point Break action, or crying away his self-help guru woes. (Further tributes include Matthew Broderick on John Hughes and Keith Carradine on David Carradine.)
The Return of Jessica Alba?
Filed under: Casting, Deals, RumorMonger, Fandom, Newsstand
Sure, some would suggest that Jessica Alba really can't return to form since there never was a form to begin with. But there definitely was a time when Alba was an "It" girl -- the type to grace numerous magazine covers and star in big, flashy films like Sin City and The Fantastic Four. But then her star began to fade as she clumsily starred in one cruddy flick after another (Into the Blue, Good Luck Chuck, The Eye, Awake, The Love Guru), and with other, more sensational young actresses attempting to make their mark in Hollywood, Alba sort of fell by the wayside.
But now the gal has positioned herself with a few pretty interesting upcoming projects, including two produced by Robert Rodriguez (Machete, The Insiders), one that's based on a very good novel (An Invisible Sign of My Own) and one that finds the actress taking things farther than she's ever gone before (The Killer Inside Me). While I'm sure the girl will manage to land roles beyond these four projects, they will still serve as proving ground for Alba. Is she a "real" actress? Can she turn out an awards-caliber performance? Can she still sell lots of movie tickets? Is she worthy of our attention?
Before you answer those questions, head after the jump to find out more about her new films.
Now 'New Moon' Prevents Skin Cancer!
Filed under: Fandom, Newsstand
It's a slow news day, so forgive me for dipping back into the New Moon well. But it's impossible not to! Not only is the series encouraging abstinence, making men feel inadequate, and provoking all manner of "Is it or isn't it dangerous reading" debates, now the film is responsible for keeping girls away from the tanning salon. According to The Daily Mail, sales of pale foundation is soaring as girls seek to emulate the bloodless pallor of the Cullens.Some are taking issue with the statistics, and pointing out that it is winter, when even the most outdoorsy girl forgoes her tan and has to buy foundation to match her winter skin. Or is supposed to. With tanning salons and spray tans being common in every strip mall, not many girls willingly abandon their shade of bronze. But now, tan skin makes Edward Cullen sad. Or turns him off. Either way, girls now want to be as pale and ethereal as their favorite immortal, a trend that the Daily Mail labels "sinister."
Unless they're mimicking pre-modern Europe and practicing bloodletting to achieve the desired skin tone, I think this actually a New Moon trend that could prove quite beneficial. Not only will it encourage girls to stop damaging their skin for fashion, but it'll give a self-esteem boost to the girls doomed to such burns and fairness that they might as well be vampires. As one such lass (and you wouldn't believe the "Go get a tan!" snark that's come my way), I will embrace this Twilight trend, and give Stephanie Meyer a grudging bit of applause.
Is This the Next 'District 9'?
Filed under: Deals, Fandom, Newsstand
By: Zachary HermannCount Sam Raimi among the people who saw District 9 and thought, "Gee, why can't more studios put out budget-conscious gems like this?" The Spider-Man director will be playing Peter Jackson to his own Neill Blomkamp of sorts, a Uruguayan director by the name of Federico Alvarez. After the buzz around Alvarez's alien invasion short (posted below for your viewing pleasure) Panic Attack! had him making rounds in Los Angeles, Raimi's production shop Ghost House Pictures signed the director for what will be Alvarez's feature film debut.
The reports have been translated from Uruguayan newspaper El Paris, but here's what everyone seems to agree on -- the feature, like District 9, will be budgeted in the $30-40 million neighborhood and Raimi will take on a mentor role, thus saving Alvarez from the ugly, business part of things. The picture will shoot in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay and will likely involve giant robots, which play a big part in Panic Attack! What is unclear is if this feature-length will be based on Panic Attack! at all.
Read the rest and watch the original short over at SciFi Squad
Warner Bros Will Make Clint Eastwood Fans' Day
Filed under: Action, Classics, Warner Brothers, Distribution, Newsstand, Home Entertainment
If you're lucky enough to be graced with cash or gift cards this Christmas, and you have a big hole on your DVD shelf where Clint Eastwood ought to be, Warner Bros will be happy to help you out. On February 16 they're releasing a massive, 19-disc collection Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years at Warner Bros that celebrates the actor / director / producer. Included will be a booklet and a feature length documentary by Richard Schickel. The retail price will be a hefty $179.98.Warners didn't release a complete list of those 35 films, but it spans the tender years of Where Eagles Dare all the way to 2008's Gran Torino. I imagine there will be some crossover with what you already own, like the entire Dirty Harry collection and The Outlaw Josey Wales. But most of his output from the late 1970s onward was done at Warner Bros, so all those films you've forgotten he ever made -- The Gauntlet, Bronco Billy, Honkytonk Man, Tightrope, Firefox, Heartbreak Ridge, A Perfect World, Pink Cadillac -- and can't find on DVD will make this a must have for the fan who needs everything.
Or almost everything. If you're looking for his directorial debut Play Misty For Me, or forgotten gems like Thunderbolt and Lightfoot or The Beguiled, you'll have to wait until Universal or MGM decides to put out a boxed set of their own. On that day, you better reinforce your bookshelf with steel frames to support the other 30 odd films he's done, even without Francis in the Navy.
_thumbnail.jpg)
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 ...
_thumbnail.jpg)
