Catholic League Seeks Boycott of ‘Golden Compass’
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: New Line, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases
Hollywood adaptations are as ubiquitous to the city as would-be starlets – they’re everywhere, and they’re constantly being forced upon us moviegoers. One of the latest adaptations to make it to theaters is The Golden Compass, based on the novel Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman. It’s set for release Dec. 7, but already there are several groups feeling upset with the movie’s mere existence. Fans of the book are unhappy with the changes, but “unhappy” doesn’t begin to describe what the Catholic Church seems to be feeling.
Starring Nicole Kidman among others, The Golden Compass doesn’t have a lot to do with religion. And many think that’s very, very bad. The Catholic League, an U.S. organization, is urging Christians not to see the movie, and has said that Pullman is “a noted English atheist.” They’re calling the movie an attempt to “bash Christianity and promote atheism. To kids.” In the book, the Church plays a central role, part of a weird group that’s determined to discover the nature of sin by experimenting on children. In the movie, however, the Church isn’t referenced…at all. Kidman, who is Catholic, won’t even be part of any film that’s anti-religious.
Reviews of the movie have already been released, many singing Nicole’s praises, but fans of the book are disappointed in the differences. Don’t worry. The Golden Compass - a very diluted version of Northern Lights - won’t step on any toes.
Read More 
| AOL News
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First Sneak Peaks: ‘Harry Potter VI’
Posted by David Onda Categories: Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Sequels, Books, Filmmaking, Rumors, Upcoming Releases
WorstPreviews.com has posted the first sneak peaks at the production of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the second to last film/book in the Potter series. Don’t let the “worst previews” name fool you - these two videos, while giving a fairly minimal look at the movie itself, show interesting bits of film production such as an evolution in the Potter costumes and the set design of Wool’s Orphanage. The Half-Blood Prince is slated to open a year from now, on November 21, 2008, and will see the return of all of the film’s principal actors. Click the link below to see the production videos.
Read More | Worst Previews
‘Angels & Demons’ Set February Start
Posted by David Onda Categories: Columbia Pictures, Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Religious, Sequels, Thrillers, Casting, Filmmaking, Scripts, Upcoming Releases
Yes, there were a couple things about the movie version of Dan Brown’s controversial and critically acclaimed novel The Da Vinci Code that didn’t quite match up, but does that mean it wasn’t a good movie? Yeah, Tom Hanks looked kind of dumb with long hair, and his Boston accent was kind of lame, but it still wasn’t a bad film. That said, we should all be glad that Akiva Goldsman is working over time on the script for the film’s sequel (and novel’s prequel), Angels & Demons, to get it done before that pesky writer’s strike.
Ron Howard will return to direct the sequel which will begin filming in February under the Columbia Pictures banner. And yes, for those of you who are dying to know, Tom Hanks and his academic mullet will be back as well.
Read More | ComingSoon
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Narnia Film Delayed
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Disney, Adaptation, Adventure, Family, Sequels, Upcoming Releases
Production has been delayed on the third Narnia movie installment The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Originally scheduled to hit theatres May 1, 2009, the movie now won’t be released until May 7, 2010. Production was supposed to begin this January, but has now been pushed to next summer. The delay has been attributed to the young stars of the film, as execs are saying it’s very challenging to work out scheduling difficulties. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the second flick in the franchise, was supposed to be released this December. It won’t be out until May.
Read More | Yahoo! News
DVD REVIEW: ‘Away From Her’
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Lionsgate, Drama, Romance, DVD Reviews
As I was putting the DVD of Away from Her back in its case, I noticed this line on the cover: Sometimes you have to let go of something you can’t live without. Of all the vague, cheesy and misleading taglines on most movie posters today…I couldn’t have chosen something more apt for this film. The next best thing would have been: If you loved that weeper ‘The Notebook’, this movie will rip your heart out.
Away is the feature-length directorial debut from actress Sarah Polley, who’s probably best known by younger audiences as Ronna from Go. She is also credited with adapting the screenplay from a short story by Alice Munro (‘The Bear Came Over the Mountain’). Atom Egoyan, Polley’s director in her breakthrough film The Sweet Hereafter, served as the movie’s executive producer.
The film stars the beautiful Julie Christie (Fiona) and Gordon Pinsent (Grant) as a couple still madly in love after 45 years of marriage. Their peaceful existence in their cozy cabin is eventually interrupted by a series of signs. Signs they tried to do their best to ignore. Unfortunately, it comes to a point where Fiona’s memory lapses prove too worrisome to simply brush off.
Click to continue reading DVD REVIEW: ‘Away From Her’
Bestselling Novels Moving to the Big Screen
Posted by Shannon Bennett Categories: Adaptation, Adventure, Period, Romance, Books
We’ve come to accept the following as fact - if we enjoy a book, sooner or later, Hollywood will ruin it for us. Not even chick lit is safe anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I will be there on opening night for The Jane Austen Book Club, even though that inner librarian impulse is puckering her lips and telling me to reject adaptations outright always. And we’ll suck it up when we recommend the read to a friend and she says, “Oh, I saw that one! It was great.”
However, lately, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by adaptations like The Devil Wears Prada and the most recent Harry Potter film, which, rather than raping the material and leaving it for dead, actually did it justice, and were good films in the same go. So, maybe Hollywood is shaping up, maybe Jane Austen will smile down on Friday’s theatrical release instead of completing the roll into the next grave that started when Mansfield Park opened.
Regardless, if you want to picture your own characters before their faces become replaced by Evan Rachel Wood and Zac Effron, you’d better get on the following titles, because they’ve been optioned:
Click to continue reading Bestselling Novels Moving to the Big Screen
Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Not Yet Tuckered Out
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Music, Musicals, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases
Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, Pirates, Ocean’s, Bourne and now Rush Hour 3. All six three-quels premiered directly at the top of the heap this summer.
Unfortunately, a six-year gap between the second and third Rush installments may have led to what some would consider slightly disappointing receipts. On any other occasion, a $50 weekend would be something to brag about. But considering it pales to the $67.4 million brought in by the 2001 predecessor, it’s only worth a pat on the back.
But really, the Disappointment of the Week honor should really fall on Cuba Gooding Jr. When you’re accepting rejected scripts from the man who played Norbit, you have to wonder where it all went wrong (two words: Chill Factor). Sadly, Daddy Day Camp was originally slated to be a straight-to-video release but somehow tested well enough to be released in theaters. Who knows? Maybe Gooding can pull a Halle and go straight-from-Oscar-to-Razzie.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Not Yet Tuckered Out
Box Office Breakdown: A Homerun For Homer
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Musicals, Period, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases
Looks like Homer ain’t gonna be needing a deal on donuts anymore….
With a $74 million opening weekend, The Simpsons Movie debuted higher than most of the animated features released…ever. Only the two Shrek sequels did better. Quite a head-shaking number since we can still see the series for free on television. But viewers from every single Springfield in the US—plus a thousand other cities out there—love the family so much, they were willing to pay for more. Especially when it comes with nudity.
What theatergoers aren’t willing to pay for is more Lindsay Lohan. I Know Who Killed Me placed a dismal 9th, possibly due to lack of promotional work by the star. How ironic that in the end it was Lindsay who was responsible for killing the movie and possibly her career.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: A Homerun For Homer
Read More | Variety
Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Family, Box Office, New Releases, Theatrical Reviews
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the movie based on book five of the Harry series, opened yesterday in a mid-week event that had everyone scrambling to get to theatres. But, is the movie worth all the hype and hoopla?
The first scene featuring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter himself) showed a rather buff young man who could…sort of…pass for fifteen. Maybe. Fans were immediately thrown into danger and treated to some stunning CGI, though anyone unfamiliar with the series by this point will be instantly and immediately lost. If you don’t already know the story, The Order of the Phoenix is not the place to get started.
Click to continue reading Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
It’s No Mystery: Nancy Drew is a Hit
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Warner Bros, Adaptation, Mystery, Casting, New Releases
Nancy Drew is perhaps best known by women, most associated with yellow books, and loved for her girl-detective approach to life. There is always some concern when a movie is adapted from a popular book series – will they get the character right, will they make it modern enough for even today’s girls to connect, will they give us a juicy Drew-type mystery? The reviews are in, and the Nancy Drew movie hits every single mark. Played by Emma Roberts (daughter of Eric and niece to Julia), Nancy Drew jumps off the page and becomes a heroine that even today’s ultra-modern, high-tech teens can adore.
There is enough standard Nancy to keep purists happy, but enough modernization to keep this flick from being a flop. In Nancy Drew’s first big screen appearance since the 1930s, Nancy, father Carson, and housekeeper Hannah move from River Heights (a city that, anyone who has read the books knows, has been Nancy’s stomping ground for decades) for sunny L.A. In her new school, Nancy is initially shunned by her peers. Does she change who she is to better fit in? Not Nancy Drew – she stays the same, and in the end wins more than a few fans over to her side and her way of thinking.
Click to continue reading It’s No Mystery: Nancy Drew is a Hit
Read More | CNN
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