Beloved Hollywood Actor Karl Malden Dead at 97

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Disney, Celeb News, Obituaries

You may remember him from a couple of Marlon Brando movies, or perhaps from a Disney classic or two, but the truth is that Karl Malden’s celebrated career encompassed more than fifty films. He was not a leading man, but he was definitely an acting powerhouse. Now, Malden’s fire has been snuffed out at the age of 97.

The actor died, surrounded by his family, of natural causes at his Brentwood home. It was a quiet end for the man with the resonant voice, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in A Streetcar Named Desire (Marlon Brando’s first major film; actress Vivien Leigh won her second Best Actress Oscar for the same movie).

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Box Office Breakdown: Transformers Rises Above the Competition

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, FOCUS, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Period, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists

It’s not very often when “loud” and “mindless” are deemed good qualities. But in Paramount’s case, it was a recipe for success.

Over the past five days, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen did what most films have been attempting all year: It passed the $200 million mark. (Up just became the first 2009 film to hit $250 million.)

While the Michael Bay film is definitely on track to be one of the most successful entries this year (let’s not forget about Harry Potter), the sequel’s opening still takes second behind last year’s topper. During its opening run, The Dark Knight earned $203.8 million domestically.

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Read More | Variety

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This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: June 30, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Magnolia, Universal, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Music, Romance, Comedy, Home Entertainment

Here are some of the DVD and Blu-ray options available this Tuesday:

• 12 Rounds: DVD, Blu-ray
• Barfly: DVD
• Do the Right Thing (20th Anniversary Edition): DVD, Blu-ray
• The Education of Charlie Banks: DVD
• Flawless: Blu-ray
• Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience: DVD, Blu-ray
• Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li: DVD, Blu-ray
• They Call Me Bruce? (25th Anniversary Edition): DVD
• Tokyo!: DVD, Blu-ray
• Two Lovers: DVD, Blu-ray

Click here to see the TV-on-DVD options for this week.

Read More | Amazon

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This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: June 23, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, MGM, New Line, Sony, Touchstone, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases

Here are some of the DVD and Blu-ray options available today:

• The Code: DVD, Blu-ray
• Confessions of a Shopaholic: DVD, Blu-ray
• Inkheart: DVD, Blu-ray
• My Dinner with Andre: DVD
• Phoebe in Wonderland: DVD
• The Pianist: Blu-ray
• Pink Panther 2: DVD, Blu-ray
• Waltz with Bashir: DVD, Blu-ray

Click here to see the TV-on-DVD options for this week.

Read More | Amazon

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Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Agree on The Proposal

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Touchstone, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists

It seems a little skin might just go a long way.

After weeks of talking to the media about their joint nude scene, Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds saw their movie take the top spot. Was it a coincidence? Maybe. Whatever the reason, The Proposal became the actress’ biggest opener ever. Prior to this weekend, 2007’s Premonition - a horrible film, btw - had Bullock’s largest debut. (That movie grossed $17.6 million, almost 1/2 less than the romantic comedy.)

Meanwhile, Reynolds is this week’s Bradley Cooper. Sandra’s leading man, like The Hangover star, has just had his second #1 film of the year. (The first being Wolverine.)

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Read More | Variety

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The Colorful Characters from Burton’s Alice in Wonderland

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Adaptation, Adventure, Family, Technology, Upcoming Releases

No matter how you feel about Tim Burton‘s uneven work (Mars Attacks? Planet of the Apes?), there’s one thing that cannot be denied: His films are a visual treat.

Next year, the director will introduce Alice in Wonderland, an adaptation of the Lewis Carroll story. The movie, which uses live action and performance-capture technology, will be offered in 3-D.

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Read More | ScreenCrave

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Box Office Breakdown: Hangover Hangs on for Another Win

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Remakes, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists

This is one hangover that’s taking a while to recover from.

For the second week in a row, the must-see comedy of the summer has taken the top spot at the charts. The Hangover, which already had a greenlighted sequel prior to its debut, raked in another $32.7 million over the weekend. The film has now earned over $100 million and given Bradley Cooper his second #1 entry of the year. (His first was February’s He’s Just Not That Into You.)

Sitting in third place this week (right behind Up), was The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, a remake of a 1974 version starring starring Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. The action thriller, which had Denzel Washington working with director Tony Scott for the fourth time, pulled in a respectable $23.3 million. Meanwhile, Imagine That, Eddie Murphy’s latest stinker, earned $5.5 million in wide release. That gross bests the premiere of Meet Dave by approximately $200,000.

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Read More | Variety

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This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: June 16, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, MGM, Lionsgate, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Action, Drama, Horror, Period, Science Fiction, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases

Here are some of the DVD and Blu-ray options available this Tuesday:

• Dr. Strangelove: Blu-ray
• Fracture: New Line
• Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter: DVD
• Friday the 13th, Part 2: Blu-ray
• Friday the 13th, Part 3 (3D): Blu-ray
• Friday the 13th, Part V: A New Beginning: DVD
• Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives: DVD
• Ghostbusters: Blu-ray
• The Greatest Game Ever Played: Blu-ray
• Kickboxer: Blu-ray
• Miracle: Blu-ray

Click to continue reading This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: June 16, 2009

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Box Office Breakdown: The Hangover Rises Above Up

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Religious, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists

Unlike most Mike Tyson fights, The Hangover‘s win was no knockout.

After a back-and-forth battle with Up, Todd Phillips’ film about an eventful bachelor party edged out the animated pic by less than $1 million. Hangover - which features no major stars (unless you count the boxer) - grossed nearly $45 million on its opening weekend. That’s the third best debut for an R-rated comedy ever. (Only Sex and the City and American Pie 2 have done better.)

Meanwhile, a project actually featuring an A-lister became the summer’s first stinker. Land of the Lost, starring Will Ferrell, Anna Friel and Danny McBride, earned a sad $18.8 million over the past three days. Although that amount was good enough for third place, the film cost an estimated $100 million to make.

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Read More | Yahoo! Movies

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Box Office Breakdown: Disney/Pixar Flying High with Up

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists

The word “Pixar” always seems to generate smiles, and that’s exactly what Up did for Disney.

Over the weekend, the Cannes Film Festival opener generated $68.1 million, over $40 million more than its nearest competitor. The movie - which was also offered in 3D - also bested last year’s Wall-E (by $5 million) and had Pixar’s 3rd-best debut. (The Incredibles opened to $70.5 million in 2004; Finding Nemo grossed $70.3 million in 2003.)

Friday’s other new wide release, Drag Me to Hell, scared up only $15.8 million for a 4th place finish. Although it originally looked as if the horror film would surpass Terminator Salvation, the final numbers were $8 million below Sunday’s projections.

Another noteworthy mention: Star Trek officially crossed the $200 million mark after only four weeks in release. The Paramount feature is now the first movie of the year to reach that achievement.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Disney/Pixar Flying High with Up

Read More | Variety

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