Latest Video: FilmCrunch 067: Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, Premonition reviewed
Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep review Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, and Premonition in this episode of FilmCrunch.Play Video
Box Office Breakdown: Underworld Takes Over Box Office
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Buena Vista, Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Classics, Drama, Family, Horror, Period, Political, Science Fiction, Sequels, Thrillers, Box Office, New Releases
Vampire films are still proving to be winning box office material, as Underworld Awakening raked in $25.3 million this past weekend, bumping Kate Beckinsale's other film, Contraband, from its number 1 spot.
Not too far behind was the Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Terrence Howard WWII film, Red Tails, which debuted at number 2 for $18.7 million. Last week's top film, Contraband, was bumped down to number 3 with $12 million while Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close jumped from 36th last week to the number 4 spot -- thanks to the addition of more than 2,000 screens. Lastly, the 3D version of Beauty and the Beast, which came in second last week, secured the number 5 spot with $8.8 million.
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Madonna’s Lonely Script
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Weinstein Company, Drama, Period, Political, Romance, Celeb News, New Releases, Scripts
Madonna wrote a film because she was lonely. The 53-year-old star's fascination with Wallis Simpson - the subject of her new movie W.E. - stemmed from her interest in English history, which she began to research when she first moved to London with former husband Guy Ritchie.
"When I moved to England after I got married, I really didn't have any friends. I didn't know anybody. I found myself in a strange world and I decided that I was going to find out about the history and culture. So I started studying English history and reading about the monarchy. When I got to Edward VIII, I was transfixed by the idea that a man would give up such a powerful position for love. I started reading books about Wallis Simpson, and I found a lot of them to be really negative and one-dimensional. When women have some kind of power, and we don't understand them, we diminish them."
Madonna related to Wallis a lot and thinks that made her the right person to direct the film: "I think I had an insight into her character that possibly other directors wouldn't have, because I know what it's like to be reduced to a sound bite."
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Steve McQueen Praises Michael Fassbender
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Drama, Independent, Political, Remakes, Thrillers, Celeb News, Filmmaking, Scripts, Upcoming Releases
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Michael Fassbender is a "once-in-a generation" actor. The Shame star has a "femininity" which helps put him into the same league as Hollywood greats like Marlon Brando and James Dean, according to director Steve McQueen:
"He's a once in a generation actor. Michael's a man's man, but he has a femininity too. A lot of actors today are very masculine. You have to go back to actors like Brando and James Dean to find that combination. His openness is key to him being a great actor."
Although he has played some weighty roles in recent years, such as Northern Irish hunger strike prisoner Bobby Sands in Hunger and sex addict Brendan in Shame, Michael could branch out into action, as he is in the frame for a remake of 1987 movie Robocop, about a former policeman who is murdered and re-created as a crime-fighting cyborg.
"You know, I'm always open. I'll take a look at the script and sit down with the director and have a conversation. It's not definitely like, 'Oh, I've got to play RoboCop before I retire.' I don't have that about anything. I don't go, 'I have to play the Dane one day, or Hamlet.' If I react to the script, then I'm up for anything," Michael said.
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Angelina Jolie’s History Lesson Hopes
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Drama, Political, Romance, Celeb News, Filmmaking, New Releases
Angelina Jolie hopes her directorial debut is more than just a "history lesson."
The Oscar-winning actress helmed and wrote Bosnian war-set love story In the Land of Blood and Honey, and she hopes the audience think of it as more than just a factual running of events: "I hope for the audience watching that it isn't just a history lesson, it isn't just a political film, it isn't just Bosnia. We tried to tell a dramatic story, we tried to make a good film with great actors, we tried to just to give traditional dramatic storytelling, and somehow in that, we also layered all these other things and it's a part of that."
Despite being pleased with the outcome of the film, she is unsure if she will ever get back in the director's chair again. "Oh I don't know. I'm still very shy about that. I still can't believe I'm even here and we did it."
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Madonna Asked Guy For Camera Advice
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Weinstein Company, Drama, Period, Political, Romance, Celeb News, Filmmaking, Technology, Upcoming Releases
Madonna asked ex-husband Guy Ritchie for "technical advice about cameras" while shooting W.E..
The singer-turned-director was married to filmmaker Guy Ritchie for just short of eight years, and she admits she was keen to talk to him and pick his brain to make sure her directorial debut was as good as it possibly could be: "I gave the screenplay to Guy and shared the concepts and the stories and the ideas with him because he was interested in it from a historical point of view. Guy would give me technical advice about cameras or using digital versus film or one cinematographer being better than another - just technical things."
Despite the film not yet being released, Madonna - who is currently dating a dancer more than half her age - claims she has already begun considering ideas for future movies. "I'm thinking about possible subjects, but I am a hopeless romantic, so I'm sure that romance and love will be a part of the story."
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Gary Oldman Excited to Play an Englishman
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: FOCUS, Period, Political, Thrillers, Casting, Celeb News, New Releases
Gary Oldman signed up for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy so he could be an Englishman.
The British actor - best known for his eccentric roles including Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series and Commissioner Gordon in the latest Batman films - was delighted to leave his Hollywood home to head for the UK to work on the project because he felt like it was "proper."
"It is always a lot of fun coming back to England and doing things like Harry Potter and Batman, but really they are fantasy worlds, so it is nice to come and do something like Tinker Tailor, something proper. Actually, it was also nice to come back and play an Englishman."
He also admits another reason he was glad to play the role of spy George Smiley in the film was because of the all-star cast: "I was just very flattered to be asked to play George Smiley at all. I mean, really, just to be involved in a film like this would've been fantastic. You've got John Hurt, Colin Firth, Kathy Burke, all these terrific actors, and it's just a delicious part."
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24 Movie to Film in Early 2012
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: 20th Century Fox, Action, Mystery, Political, Thrillers, Celeb News, Rumors, Scripts, Upcoming Releases
The 24 movie will begin shooting in spring. 20th Century Fox have given the go-ahead to the big screen spin-off of the popular TV series - which came to an end after eight series earlier this year - with a proposed schedule hinged on when renowned writer Mark Bomback delivers a new version of Billy Ray's original screen play.
Mark is expected to submit his script early in the new year, meaning filming on the movie - which will see Kiefer Sutherland return to the role of Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) agent Jack Bauer - can begin a few months later. According to Deadline.com, the studio currently has around five directors in mind to helm the project, which has been in the pipeline for several years.
Kiefer has previously spoken of his "excitement" about the film, which will see 24 change from its usual real-time format in order to cope with the limitations of cinema: "It is going to be a two-hour representation of a 24 hour day, so we were not going to be restrained by the real time aspect of the TV show. With the TV show we always had to have the crisis come to us because we couldn't move. Twice we put Jack on a plane and it was a disaster. This will be different - it will be very feasible to get from Eastern Europe to England in the course of 24 hours! And the crisis can be more personal - it doesn't have to be a huge bomb, it doesn't have to take out the rest of the world. It's very exciting."
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Angelina Jolie Relied on Cast For Advice
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Drama, Foreign, Foreign Language, Independent, Political, Romance, Celeb News, Filmmaking, New Releases, Scripts
Angelina Jolie "wasn't afraid" to take advice from her cast and crew on her directorial debut. The Oscar-winning actress' movie In The Land of Blood and Honey tells the tale of a romance between a Serbian soldier and Bosnian Muslim woman set in the Yugoslav wars and ensured it was as authentic as possible by quizzing the local actors and behind-the-scenes staff she hired for the project.
"I wasn't afraid to ask the DP [director of photography]. And I listened to my cast, most of whom lived through the war. I listened to their stories and tried to incorporate it into the work. [I] read a lot of books about the war. I talked to a lot of people, I watched, I listened. I just wanted to tell the real story. I wanted to be respectful of people. [If I did not know something,] I asked."
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Megan Fox, John C Reilly to Have Dictator Cameos
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Paramount, Political, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases
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Both Megan Fox and John C. Reilly are set to appear in The Dictator.
The pair have signed up to make cameo appearances in Sacha Baron Cohen's forthcoming comedy, though the nature of their roles is being kept under wraps.
The film - which is currently being shot in New York - chronicles the story of a Middle Eastern despot who is removed from his position and flees to the US after he is replaced by a lookalike former goat herder, with both roles being played by Sacha. Sir Ben Kingsley, Jason Mantzoukas and Anna Faris are already signed up to appear in the film, which is being directed by Larry Charles.
Last week, footage emerged of Sacha - in character for the movie - being apprehended by a waiter as he stole food from a diner at New York restaurant Orsay. The comic, wearing a pink t-shirt and denim shorts, fled with a plate of food and a glass of wine, but was chased by the server and tackled to the ground. Later in the evening, he was seen in the same outfit outside a restaurant which doubles as the one his character owns in the film.
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Sally Field to Become Lincoln’s Leading Lady
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Biopics, Drama, Period, Political, Casting, Celeb News, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases
Sally Field will play Abraham Lincoln’s wife and widow, Mary Todd, in Steven Spielberg’s re-telling of the famous assassination.
Though the two names have been present in Hollywood for decades, and both have earned much praise for their work, Sally Field and Steven Spielberg have never worked together before. The director released a statement saying he is “excited to be working with Sally [Field] for the first time.”
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