Bob Hoskins Rules Out Rabbit

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Buena Vista, Family, Mystery, Noir, Sequels, Comedy, Casting, Rumors

Bob Hoskins has ruled out starring in a sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.

The British actor, who played private investigator Eddie Valiant in the 1989 partially-animated movie, insists he is too old to return to the franchise.

The 66-year-old star said: “The thing is, you act with cartoons, you got to be able to bounce off the walls like a cartoon. So I’m too old. I’m too old now.”

Despite his reservations, Bob insists a sequel is not totally out of the question. Speaking about director Robert Zemeckis, who recently claimed to have been in discussion with Bob about the proposed new film, the actor added to MTV: “I think he could do a sequel. He wouldn’t be able to do it with me. I’m too old!”

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Celebrity Double-Take: Leslie Bibb vs. Maggie Grace

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Buena Vista, Action, Adaptation, Independent, Celebrity Gossip

For today’s installment, we have Iron Man actress Leslie Bibb on the left and Lost cutie Maggie Grace.

I mean, am I the only one who watched Wristcutters: A Love Story and mistook Leslie Bibb for her long lost sister, Maggie Grace?

(Make sure to check out more of our Celebrity Double-Takes here, here and here.)

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Disney Offers Sneak Peek of Wall-E

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Buena Vista, Disney, Adventure, Animation, Family, Comedy, Upcoming Releases

Disney’s latest adorable character Wall E appeared to have jumped from the streets of Los Angeles to your television screen last Saturday night.

Studio execs leaked a four-minute clip from the movie and appropriately aired it after Finding Nemo on the Disney channel. The clip, which you can check out after the jump, is so cute! I couldn’t stop aww-ing over Wall-E, wanting to just give him a big hug.

The film opens June 27 and stars Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Sigourney Weaver, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy and Ben Burtt.

Click to continue reading Disney Offers Sneak Peek of Wall-E

Read More | Coming Soon

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This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: February 05, 2008

Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Buena Vista, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Classics, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Music, Musicals, Religious, Satire, Comedy, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, New Releases

As the 80th Annual Academy Awards inch ever closer, some of us are still scrambling to see the contenders in question before the big night. Those anxious to see their favorites before the inevitable acceptance speech or scowl-behind-forced-smile have the chance to watch a few in high-def this week.

On HD DVD is Elizabeth: The Golden Age, nominated for Cate Blanchett‘s performance and the opulent costumes. On Blu-ray are Across the Universe, nominated for its costumes, and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, nominated for Casey Affleck‘s supporting performance.

Look for other nominees, brought to you in crystal clear high definition, throughout the month.

Check out the full list of high-def releases after the jump.

Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: February 05, 2008

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Box Office Breakdown: Rambo Outgunned by Spartans

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Buena Vista, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Horror, Satire, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases

Although Sylvester Stallone was hoping to end the Rambo series on an up note, it appears the actor/writer/director will just have to settle for second place.  Many had expected the fourth installment would come away with the weekend’s spoils, unfortunately the aging action hero was overpowered by a group of toga-clad warriors.

It should be said though that Meet the Spartans had an extremely narrow victory.  The spoof of 2007’s 300 edged out the action flick by just $300,000.  But a win is still a win, right?  The satire also had the best per screen average of any movie in the Top Ten ($7104).

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Rambo Outgunned by Spartans

Read More | Variety

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This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: January 08, 2008

Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Buena Vista, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Foreign, Foreign Language, Horror, Independent, Science Fiction, Sequels, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, New Releases

This week marks the release of the first batch of high-definition DVDs since on-the-fence Warner landed decidedly on the Blu side; I must admit, as an HD DVD man, the day feels a bit colder than normal. But no matter—the format war is far from over.

On a lighter note, both formats have some exciting titles to speak of, including the Blu-ray release of one of my favorite movies from 2007, Sunshine; Roman Polanski’s Oscar-winning film, The Pianist, on HD DVD; and the long-awaited special edition of David Fincher’s Zodiac, also on HD DVD. The DVD release from July contained nary a special feature, so this two-disc director’s cut ought to please those Fincher fans waiting for a decent version.

Check out the full list of high-def releases after the jump.

Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: January 08, 2008

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This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: November 6, 2007

Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Buena Vista, Disney, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Short Films, Drama, Family, Foreign, Foreign Language, Period, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases

Disney/Pixar’s quaint animated story about Remy the rat and his penchant for the culinary arts releases on Blu-ray this week, shortly after taking the US and UK by storm. And with no other major title to contend with (Chuck & Larry do not count), Ratatouille is sure to take high-def home entertainment by storm too.

Other titles worth noting include a cross-format The Aviator from Warner, South Korean cult film Old Boy from Tartan, and some modestly-priced box sets from Warner and Disney.

Check the full list of high-def releases after the jump.

Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: November 6, 2007

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This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 16, 2007

Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Buena Vista, DreamWorks, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Music, Political, Romance, Sequels, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases, Upcoming Releases

As the autumn season pulls the coats from our closets, warms our chocolate beverages, and turns our leaves from a verdant green to a rusty orange, the movie studios give us another reason to spend a comfy evening at home: summer blockbusters on DVD. And what better way to view these visual—if not always plausible—delights than in high definition?

The coveted two-disc special edition of Transformers releases this week on HD DVD, much to the chagrin of Blu-ray loyalists; without a major exclusive release, they’ll simply have to make do with some mediocre thrillers.

But aside from the inferior cinematic fare, the first and second volumes of Showtime’s Masters of Horror series is out just in time for Halloween. The anthology show gives modern horror directors a full hour to play without the restrictions of an MPAA rating or television censorship. Although it failed to garner much critical acclaim, the show ended up being quite successful and achieved what some could perceive to be cult status.

Check out the full list of high-def releases after the jump.

Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 16, 2007

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Affleck’s Directorial Debut Overshadowed by Missing Girl

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Buena Vista, Miramax, Drama, Mystery, Thrillers, Upcoming Releases

Despite some great early buzz, Ben Affleck’s directorial debut will be taking a backseat to international news.

The actor, who’s been fairly quiet since his Golden Globe-nominated turn in Hollywoodland (and a small role in Smokin’ Aces), has been focusing his energy lately behind the camera.  His upcoming project, Gone Baby Gone, centers around the disappearance of a 4-year-old girl.  The story, based on a novel by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River), features Ben’s brother (Casey) and an impressive list of veteran actors (Ed Harris, Amy Madigan and Morgan Freeman). 

Gone—which was recently dubbed ‘one of the top crime movies this decade’ by Reuters—had been scheduled to debut at the Times London Film Festival on Oct. 26.  Unfortunately, the film will now be indefinitely shelved in the U.K.  The storyline, which bears an uneasy similarity to the disappearance of 4-year-old Madeleline McCann, hits too close to home for the country.  Additionally, the film’s actress (also named Madeline) bears a resemblance to McCann.

The British girl’s story has been heard around the world for months now.  Her parents reported her missing on May 3 while they were on a family trip in Portugal.  They claimed she was abducted from her bed while they were nearby eating dinner.  But an interesting turn of events now has the media spotlight focused on Gerry and Kate McCann.  The worried parents have now been named suspects by the Portugese authorities.  It’s unclear whether this recent development had anything to do with the film’s last-minute delay.

As for the US distribution,  Gone Baby Gone is still scheduled for release on Oct. 19th.

Read More | Variety

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Apocalypto DVD Review

Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Buena Vista, Touchstone, Action, Adventure, Drama, Foreign Language, Period, Thrillers, New Releases, DVD Reviews

Mel Gibson’s epic film about the decline of the Mayan civilization in 16th century South America was released on DVD last week.  The story begins when a small but productive Mayan village comes under attack by a local tribe desperate to save itself from ecological demise by appeasing the gods with human sacrifice.  While the movie displays the unique architecture, weaponry, and overall culture of these indigenous peoples, it also narrows to focus on the remarkable story of a brave warrior, captured and tortured but determined to return to his village and family.

Apocalypto is co-written and directed by Mel Gibson, co-written by Farhad Safinia, and stars Rudy Youngblood and Dalia Hernández.  Rated R

The film was generally received well by critics but has been disputed by anthropologists and archaeologists who claim it’s filled with historical inaccuracy; many believe it also depicts the Mayan people negatively as much more violent a civilization than is historically evident.  Gibson and Safinia, however, claim to have studied Maya extensively before making the film.  All controversy aside, the film is nothing short of amazing, placing you in inconceivable peril and holding you there until you feel you’ve become a part of it.  Be sure to check out FilmCrunch’s Apocalypto Video Review.

The DVD features don’t really support a film of such magnitude:

• Subtitles in English (both standard and for the hearing impaired), Spanish, and French
• Commentary by Mel Gibson and Farhad Safinia
• Becoming Mayan: Creating Apocalypto
• Deleted Scene

Most of the features are fairly standard, though the single deleted scene, which is completely unnecessary on this release, is embarrassingly trivial and feels like a thoughtless tack-on.  The commentary is relatively illuminating and, even if you’ve grown to despise him, Gibson succeeds at keeping it informative and fun.  The real draw, however, is the behind-the-scenes featurette.  Clocking in at 25 minutes, this mini-documentary chronicles the creation of the film from concept to creation, including make-up, costumes, weapons, and locations.  While the segment satisfied most of my curiosity, there were some elements that would’ve given me a bit more to appreciate – maybe some concept art, design and construction of the Mayan temples, cast interviews/screentests, special effects, etc.  Overall, the DVD release of Apocalypto is a standard but solid one that will leave some perfectly satisfied and others wanting more.  Let’s hope there’s a special edition on the horizon.

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