January 2010
115 posts
DVD Review - THE HURT LOCKER
The road to victory for The Hurt Locker was slow and steady. The film began screening in 2008, and got a huge Variety pan when it played the Venice film festival. When it opened in the summer of 2009, the reviews were much warmer, and by the end of the year it was a list topper. Now it’s in real contention for Best Picture, Writer and Director at the Oscars, even though it did very little...
R.I.P. - Disney Closes Miramax Films
Disney Closes Miramax Posted on Thursday, January 28th, 2010 by Russ Fischer It is sadly ironic that, just as this year’s Sundance Film Festival comes to a close, Disney plans to close the doors on former Sundance mainstay Miramax for good. New York and LA offices will close today. Eighty staff members will lose their jobs, and the last six Miramax films could well go into...
Trailer - 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps'
www.slashfilm.com Posted on Thursday, January 28th, 2010 by Russ Fischer What a weird teaser this is. Pushed along by an unlikely chugging rock score, bookended by the Fox logo and movie title card (above) that are nearly identical, this is Oliver Stone’s return to the world of Gordon Gekko? I wasn’t sure what to expect when Stone moved forward with Wall Street: Money...
Interview - Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone in 'EDGE OF...
Opening this Friday is director Martin Campbell’s (Casino Royale) Edge of Darkness. A GK Films Production based on the BAFTA Award-winning BBC miniseries of the same name (which Campbell directed), Edge of Darkness is about a homicide detective whose daughter is gunned down on his front steps. When he starts to look into what really happened, he uncovers not only her secret life, but a...
Sundance Movie Review - 'Splice'
Posted by Robert Levin (rlevin@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 27, 2010 Splice borrows liberally from its horror/sci-fi predecessors and emerges with something weirdly original. David Cronenberg stands as the undeniable primary influence on director/co-writer Vincenzo Natali, as the picture evokes and plays with the body horror tropes the Canadian master perfected. It’s another...
First Official Picture of The Wizarding World of...
Spring 2010 is almost upon us, which means only one thing for Harry Potter fans worldwide: the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Orlando. Last month, I wrote about some of the awesome attractions awaiting guests at the park, including real-life replicas of The Three Broomsticks and Hogshead Pub taverns, a variety of thrill rides themed after the books and...
Sundance Review/Interview - 'The Tillman Story'
The Tillman Story Posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 by David Chen In My Kid Could Paint That, director Amir Bar-Lev followed around the family of child prodigy Maria Olmstead, documenting her rise to fame and its subsequent painful backlash. But Bar-Lev’s film ended up becoming less a document of Olmstead’s life, and more about Bar-Lev’s own struggle to come to terms...
News - Michael Bay gives Update on 'TRANSFORMERS...
With director Michael Bay busy doing pre-production on Transformers 3 as filming is rumored to start this May, Bay posted an update on his website on what he’s up to. The main info is he was busy scouting locations in Chicago, Detroit, and Washington D.C. last week and he says “the script is feeling very different from the other two.” He also talks about going to Haiti to help out with the...
'Kick-Ass' Takes Over Empire Magazine Cover
On January 28, the latest issue of Empire goes on sale with a special, fold-out, Kick-Ass cover to go with it. You can preview what the cover looks like below, but to see the rest in glorious hi-res you’ll have to head over to EmpireOnline.com. If this movie is anything like what the trailers and clips have made it out to be, it’s sure to be an amazing,...
If the Apple Tablet ends up looking as Cool as...
Well we’re nearly there, tomorrow (today?) in San Francisco we should have the official introduction of the Apple tablet. We’ve all been waiting around, some twiddling our thumbs, others writing about it, a select few however, like young Polish student Patrycjusz Brzeziński, have set to work designing something I’m certain we’d all love to see in Steve Jobs’ hands within the next 24 hours. While...
Sundance News - ‘Machete’ & ‘Buried’ Picked Up For...
To kick off the last week of January 2010 we have news that a couple of quite highly anticipated films around these parts have been picked up for distribution by different studios: The Robert Rodriguez directed/co-written exploitation film, Machete, has landed at 20th Century Fox and the “Ryan Reynolds in a box” thriller, Buried, has been picked up by Lionsgate. Read on for the details. ...
Sundance Movie Review - 'Boy'
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 25, 2010 If the enigmatic and energetic opening of Taika Waititi’s latest comedy Boy says anything to its audience, it is that we’re in for some imaginative fun. If the nature of Waititi’s previous work (notably Eagle vs. Shark) says anything to us, its that it will certainly be offbeat. Centering around Boy (that’s his...
Sundance Review - 'The Company Men'
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 25, 2010 I’ve already heard several folks here in Park City draw lines between John Wells’ recession drama The Company Men and Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air. I suppose this is exactly the kind of parallels that a future distributor would want drawn, as Up in the Air was a very successful film. It may even win some...
Sundance Review - 'Welcome to the Rileys'
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 25, 2010 Every year at Sundance, I seem to find that one movie that I just can’t place. It is neither great, nor awful. It is filled with talent and at times, great performances, but it fails to really move me. It also — especially in this case — show potential. Such is the case with the second film from director Jake...
Cool Stuff - Want a real Autograph from you...
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Two Banners from 'THE LAST AIRBENDER'
M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming and slightly racist-looking, The Last Airbender, has two new character banners with one featuring the hero, Aang (Noah Ringer) and the other with the (apparent) villain Zuko (Dev Patel). As you’ll see Aang is white as the driven snow and Zuko, not so much. And if you’re wondering if all of my Last Airbender stories will harp on the racial aspect, the answer...
Sundance Movie Review - 'The Runaways'
With fantastic performances from Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning and Michael Shannon, The Runaways delivered the goods at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Based on the book Neon Angel: The Cherie Currie Story by Cherie Currie, The Runaways tells the coming-of-age story of the teenage rock band The Runaways and how they came together in the mid 1970’s. Kristen Stewart stars as Joan Jett,...
Sundance Movie Review - 'HappyThankYouMorePlease'
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 24, 2010 Future filmmakers, if there’s one thing that your quirky indie comedy will need to have any shot at success beyond the snowy streets of Sundance, it is charm. Little Miss Sunshine had charm by the busload. 500 Days of Summer drew its charm from the charisma of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the doughy eyes of Zoe...
Old Ass Movies: 'The Quiet Man' with John Wayne
Posted by Dr. Cole Abaius (cole.abaius@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 24, 2010 Every Sunday, Film School Rejects presents a movie that was made before you were born and tells you why you should like it. This week, Old Ass Movies presents: The Quiet Man (1952) If I celebrate anything with this column it is the heritage of film that my parents introduced me to while I was...
Before Nikki Finke or any other twit tries to...
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Sundance Movie Review - 'Hesher' 7.5 out of 10
www.slashfilm.com Posted on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 by Peter Sciretta In 2008, I discovered a wonderful short film titled I Love Sarah Jane by commercial and music video director Spencer Susser. I loved it so much, I even featured it on /Film (you can watch it here — and if you haven’t yet, you really need to). The short was a very different kind of zombie film,...
Weekend Movie News Wrap Up : January 24, 2010
www.screenrant.com This week: Jan 24, 2010 Avatar drops to Number two in the box office! Just kidding, it stays on top! Bruce Campbell’s name is still Bruce; Naomi Watts moves into a Dream House next door to James Bond; Christopher Kyle is a Tyrant and Derick Martini is as happy as Larry. Avatar made it six weeks in a row at the top spot with a fantastic weekend take of $35...
Sundance Movie Review - 'Buried' with Ryan...
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 24, 2010 Make no mistake, you can make a movie about one character inside a box interesting for 94 minutes. You just have to have the fortitude of young Spanish director Rodrigo Cortés. And you’re probably going to have to independently finance your film, as no studio entity would ever dare to make a movie such as this....
2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards Winners
2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards Winners, Basterds Wins Big January 23, 2010 by Ethan Anderton Earlier tonight the star-studded 2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards were broadcast live on TBS and TNT. What separates the SAG awards from the Golden Globes and the Oscars is not only its exclusivity to honoring only performers, but it’s the only award show where the best...
Poster - The Final 'Wolfman' Poster
www.firstshowing.net January 23, 2010 Source: Bloody-Disgusting by Ethan Anderton With all the ridiculous problems Universal’s monster movie revival The Wolfman, including flip-flopping back to Danny Elfman’s original score for the film, everyone here at FirstShowing is ready for the film to be released already so we can just see if it’s a disaster or...
The Playlist's Best Films Of 2009 (*Editor's Picks...
Getting a definitive top 10 out of the Playlist team is hard. There’s a lot of differing opinions and some writers, due to their locations (we’ve got people in the U.K., Australia, Canada and U.S. places other than NY/LA), don’t get to see most of the year’s films until January 2010. And yes, we’re deep in January now, but some are still making their way through...
Most Overlooked/Underappreciated Films of 2009
We see a lot of movies every year, and there are always those films that we end up sitting in awe of in an empty theater wondering, “Where is everybody?” These are the films that for whatever mystical reason slipped through cracks, were ignored by critics and given the cold shoulder to by audiences. We feel a Netflix account is vital to anyone even remotely interested in film, and...
Sundance Movie Review: 7 Days
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 22, 2010 Allow me to take you back in time. Take yourself back to the last time a film made you numb. More than just stopping you in your tracks, but truly robbing you of your motor functions and forcing you to sit and look straight ahead, watching no matter how painful the images in front of you may be. The last time...
Sundance 2010: A New Era Dawns in Park City
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 22, 2010 John Cooper looks weathered. Having not seen him since last year, I can tell that there is a bit more gray on his head and more than a few sleepless nights in his recent past. In his first year as the Director of the Sundance Film Festival, he has undertaken the big task of rebranding the rebellion, rebirthing...
Cool Stuff - Lt. Aldo Raine Collectible Figure
Cool Stuff: Hot Toys Lt. Aldo Raine Collectible Figure Posted on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 by Peter Sciretta Hot Toys has announced they will be released a 1/6th scale Lt. Aldo Raine Collectible Figure from Quentin Tarainto’s Inglourious Basterds. More information, and tons of photos, after the jump. Hot Toys - MMS118: Inglourious Basterds: 1/6th scale Lt. Aldo Raine...
Details of Steven Spielberg’s Alien Invasion TV...
Last June it was reported that Noah Wyle (ER) had been cast in the lead role of a mysterious new alien invasion TV series co-conceived by Steven Spielberg for TNT. We knew at that time that the series would be scripted by Oscar-nominated Saving Private Ryan scribe, Robert Rodat (who also co-conceived the idea), and it would be set six months after an alien invasion on Earth. Wyle will play,...
Watched 'Jersey Shore' What a...
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Oscar Contenders For Best Foreign Language Film
And Then There Were Nine… Oscar Contenders For Best Foreign Language Film Posted by Rob Hunter (rob@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 21, 2010 The Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars is notable for two things year in and year out. First, the winning film is usually one that most Americans have not seen (and will probably never see) for various...
Video - This is What a BAD "Late Night" Show Looks...
www.tempdiaries.com There’s been a lot of talk in recent days about failures in late night programming. I’ve also heard it’s a surefire way to build up web traffic. So as Jay’s and Conan’s shows enter the graveyard short-lived late night programs, I just thought I’d let them know they’re not alone. Here’s a little tribute to their...
Heidi Montag does plastic surgery to take her...
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For those of you who think Conan sucks you should...
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The Tonight Show Saga Ends as Conan Reaches $45m...
www.slashfilm.com Posted on Thursday, January 21st, 2010 by Russ Fischer We don’t usually report of stuff like late night TV talk shows, but they’re usually not as entertaining as the past two weeks have been. We’ve known that this week would likely be Conan O’Brien’s last as host of The Tonight Show, and today details of his exit package from NBC were...
The 19 Best Movies That You Didn't See in 2009
www.firstshowing.net January 21, 2010 by Alex Billington Although it’s now 2010, that doesn’t mean we can’t look back at some of the best movies you didn’t see last year. Back by popular demand, it’s our third annual list of the 19 Best Movies That You Didn’t See in 2009 (you can find the older lists here: 2008, 2007). Featured below...
Cool Stuff - NASA Garage Sale Includes Shuttles,...
Looking for a good deal during the recession? Space geeks don’t have to look any further than NASA, where they can pick up a retired space shuttle for the bargain-basement price of $28.8 million. That’s the cost NASA estimates for shipping and handling on a space shuttle. The Space Shuttle Discovery has already been spoken for by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, but Atlantis...
Dick Zanuck Reveals his Secret Recipe for...
When you’ve worked with practically every movie star imaginable and won virtually every award in the business, I guess that you don’t sweat the small stuff. So when Dick Zanuck and I had lunch earlier this week at his favorite old-school Toscana eatery in Brentwood, the 75-year-old producer hardly seemed fazed by the fact that nearly every executive he’d dealt with at...
The 15 Must See Movies of Sundance 2010
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 21, 2010 Last year, I was mildly successful in writing a list of 13 Films You Should Be Excited to See at Sundance 2009. Looking back, I would have changed that title. As for the list, it turned out to be quite prescient. I predicted that the likes of Mystery Team, Adventureland and Moon would be must sees. The...
Trailer - 'Buried' Teaser Featuring Ryan Reynolds
Back in July we found out that Ryan Reynolds would be doing a independent film titled Buried which would star he, himself and him, all trapped in a coffin. From what knew of the film, he would be playing a civilian contractor who awakens buried in a coffin in the middle of the desert after being kidnapped in Iraq and that the entire movie would just feature him, a true test of acting skill...
VIDEO - Featurette on Creating the World of...
via collider.com Avatar is a fairly successful little flick. It’s gathered a small cult following and is beginning to find a wider audience. Sorry, that’s an understatement. Avatar, which won the Golden Globes for Best Director and Best Picture on Sunday, has amassed a box office of $504.8 million domestic and $1.6 billion worldwide. To put the worldwide gross in perspective, President...
Cool Stuff - Create Your Own iPhone or Android App...
January 20, 2010 by Ben Parr View commentsComments Create Your Own iPhone or Android App in Minutes With iSites email share Creating a self-branded iPhone or Android app just got a lot more accessible. iSites, a new service launching today, allows you to take your website’s RSS feed and data and quickly transform it into a full-fledged iPhone app. It was created by Genwi, a service that...
Posters - 'Thor' and 'Captain America' done by...
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 19, 2010 The sun has risen on another day, and another set of superhero movie posters — as seen through the eyes of fans with Photoshop — have graced my email inbox. For me, this is a treat. It is also a useful diversion in writing — as I get to say nothing and everything at same time. First the nothing: “Hey kids, look...
Cool Stuff - Ninjas Open a Nexus One Box
Ok this is a cool use of “stop-motion”. Looks really great and so far the best way to open a box… Posted via web from MovieDriver - Hollywood Teamster | Comment »
News - PIRATES 4 Sets Sail in Hawaii this Summer
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides made some more headway today with the announcement that filming would begin this summer on the islands of Kaua’I and O’ahu in Hawaii. While the script by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio (who wrote the first three Pirates films) is being kept under wraps, Rob Marshall is set to direct, and Johnny Depp will return as Captain Jack Sparrow. Disney is no...
Early Buzz: ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ as Good as...
I’m sure many of you are of the same mind as me that Dreamworks Animation pales in comparison to the daddy of animation studios, Pixar. What Pixar does so well in terms of character development, legitimately funny gags (without relying on tired slapstick) and an actual good story (whether animated or not), Dreamworks Animation seems unable to emulate (sometimes they appear to not even try),...
Commentary: Roger Ebert on the Golden Globes
via rogerebert.com “Avatar” wins Golden Globes By David Germain / January 17, 2010 Printer-friendly » E-mail this to a friend » AP — BEVERLY...
New Images from INCEPTION, KILLERS, WARRIOR,...
In their sneak preview of 2010 movies, the LA Times has new images from Christopher Nolan’s Inception starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page, Season of the Witch starring Nicolas Cage and Nicolas Cage’s ridiculous hair extensions, male soul-destroyer Eat, Pray, Love starring Julia Roberts, Oliver Stone’s continued quest for relevance, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps starring Shia LaBeouf...