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
James Franco to Play Hugh Hefner?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Biopics, Drama, Period, Casting, Celeb News, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases
James Franco is in negotiations to play Hugh Hefner in Lovelace.
The 127 Hours actor may portray the Playboy magazine founder in the movie starring Amanda Seyfried as Linda Lovelace - best known for her starring role in porn movie Deep Throat - after passing on the opportunity to play her husband Chuck Traynor.
The role would be a cameo and only require one day of shooting, but talks have not yet been completed to find a date suitable for him, according to The Hollywood Reporter. A heavy-hitting cast including Sharon Stone, Peter Sarsgaard, Chris Noth and Juno Temple are already signed on to star.
Production on the project is already underway, with shooting in Los Angeles beginning last week. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman are directing the picture.
James - who earlier this year put in a turn as presenter when he hosted the Academy Awards with Anne Hathaway - has a number of movies coming up, including Wizard of Oz prequel Oz: The Great and Powerful and Spring Breakers.
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Box Office Breakdown: Dreamy Numbers for Inception
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Family, Horror, Remakes, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists
Warner Bros. might have had difficulty marketing Inception, but strong word of mouth, stunning visuals and Christopher Nolan’s reputation were enough to sell the film. The $160 million thriller opened to $62.8 million in weekend receipts, placing the film on top of all original projects out so far this summer. Inception also bested Leonardo DiCaprio’s previous debuts (including Shutter Island‘s $41.1 million) and Nolan’s earlier titles (outside of The Dark Knight).
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, on the other hand, had a harder time conjuring up interest. The Disney remake grossed only $17.6 million since Friday ($24.7 million since Wednesday). That’s a considerable disappointment given the $150 million price tag, but overseas dollars will likely help the studio.
Meanwhile, a film that placed #12 on this week’s chart actually outperformed both Inception and Apprentice. The Kids Are All Right, starring Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, had the best per screen average ($28,009) of any movie currently in theaters.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Dreamy Numbers for Inception
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| Box Office Mojo
Box Office Breakdown: Despicable Weekend for Eclipse
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists
It looks like Steve Carell will do just fine when he finally leaves Dunder Mifflin.
Neither vampires nor predators could keep Gru (Carell) and his minions from ruling the box office this weekend. Despicable Me - also featuring the voices of Miranda Cosgrove, Jason Segel and Russell Brand - overcame it’s title and delighted audiences to the tune of $56.4 million. Universal’s feature earned nearly enough to cover the film’s production cost ($69 million) and more than enough to push last week’s champ, Eclipse, down to second place.
Meanwhile, Fox’s Predators, set its laser sights on the alien creature lovers out there. The sci-fi thriller, starring Adrien Brody and Topher Grace, fired up $24.8 million in ticket sales and a third place finish.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Despicable Weekend for Eclipse
Read More | Box Office Mojo
Box Office Breakdown: Twilight Eclipses Competition
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists
Summit Entertainment saw fireworks at the theaters this holiday weekend.
The four-day frame ended with The Twilight Saga: Eclipse hauling in approximately $83.6 million. Although the David Slade-directed installment easily dethroned reigning champ Toy Story 3, the sequel actually failed to surpass the previous outing. Last fall, The Twilight Saga: New Moon grossed $178.9 million over six days. Eclipse, on the other hand, only raised $176.3 million since opening last Wednesday.
Meanwhile, scathing reviews didn’t keep The Last Airbender from raking up a sizable share of the box office pot. M. Night Shyamalan’s take on Nickelodeon series fought off critics to earn $51.8 million over four days. Overall, the $150 million production has totaled $69.3 million domestically since its Thursday debut.
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Read More | Box Office Mojo
Box Office Breakdown: Woody, Buzz Top Sandler and Cruise
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Remakes, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists
Despite increased competition from a number of A-list stars, Toy Story 3 easily cruised to another victory this weekend. The Pixar film added another $59.3 million to its total bringing its domestic gross to over $225 million.
Coming in second was Grown Ups, starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider. The comedy, which could have probably placed first on any other weekend, earned $40.5 million - the fourth best open in Sandler’s career. (The Longest Yard‘s $47.6 million from 2005 is still his best.) The movie also surpassed James’ last big hit, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, which premiered to $31.8 million in 2009.
Meanwhile, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz found a box office win to be mission impossible. Knight and Day only fired up a mediocre $20.1 million ($27.4 million since Wednesday) and a third place finish. Keep in mind: Vanilla Sky, their last film together, debuted to $25 million back in 2001 - and that wasn’t even an action film.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Woody, Buzz Top Sandler and Cruise
Read More | Box Office Mojo
In Theaters This Weekend: June 25, 2010
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Sony, Action, Documentary, Foreign, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases, Trailers
Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:
- Grown Ups (PG-13): starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock (directed by Dennis Dugan)
- Knight and Day (PG-13): starring Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard (directed by James Mangold) **opens on June 23**
- Dogtooth* (NR): starring Anna Kalaitzidou, Aggeliki Papoulia, Christos Passalis (directed by Giorgos Lanthimos)
- Restrepo* (R): (directed by Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger)
- South of the Border* (NR): (directed by Oliver Stone)
- Wild Grass* (PG): starring Andre Dussollier, Sabine Azema, Emmanuelle Devos (directed by Alain Resnais)
*limited release
This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: March 30, 2010
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Foreign Language, Music, Period, Sequels, Comedy, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases
Here are some of the DVD and Blu-ray options today:
- 3 Idiots: DVD
- Afghan Star: DVD
- Alice in Wonderland (Special Un-Anniversary Edition): DVD
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel: DVD, Blu-ray
- An Education: DVD, Blu-ray
- The Baader Meinhof Complex: DVD, Blu-ray
- Collateral: DVD, Blu-ray
- I Sell the Dead: DVD, Blu-ray
- IMAX: Under the Sea: DVD, Blu-ray
- The Killer: DVD, Blu-ray
- Sherlock Holmes: DVD, Blu-ray
- Weapons of Self Destruction: DVD
Make sure to also check out the TV-on-DVD options for this week.
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The 2010 Academy Awards: Live Commentary
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Awards
When you throw in an extra host, add five more Best Picture nominees, take away the Best Song performances and nominate two formerly married directors—what do you get? A night that will surely be talked about.
Although many believe the 82nd Annual Academy Awards will end with very few surprises, the possibility of an upset is still too great to ignore. Will the box office champ (Avatar) win Best Film as well? Or will The Hurt Locker - or even Inglourious Basterds - take the prize? Is Jeff Bridges a shoo-in for Best Actor…or could BAFTA winner Colin Firth sneak past him? Will Sandra Bullock have to deliver another acceptance speech, or will Meryl Streep take home her first Oscar since 1983?
To find out if the ceremony ends in a world of Hurt or Up in the Air, stay tuned here for the live results!
Click to continue reading The 2010 Academy Awards: Live Commentary
Read More | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Casting Corner: Marion Cotillard, Tim Robbins and More
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Universal, Drama, Thrillers, Casting, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases
Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:
Marion Cotillard: The Nine beauty and fellow Academy Award winner Kate Winslet are in discussions for Contagion, a project from Steven Soderbergh. The film, already featuring Soderbergh fave Matt Damon and Jude Law, will have multiple storylines centered around the threat of a deadly disease. Shooting should begin sometime this year.
Click to continue reading Casting Corner: Marion Cotillard, Tim Robbins and More
Maggie Gyllenhaal Confused by Paparazzi
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Fox Searchlight, Adaptation, Drama, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip
Maggie Gyllenhaal felt “important” when she was “swarmed” by photographers - before realizing they were looking for Tom Cruise.
The Dark Knight star and husband Peter Sarsgaard are usually able to walk around New York unnoticed so were amazed when “tons” of paparazzi came into a cafe where they were enjoying coffee, only to then be ignored.
“There were a ton of paparazzi in the cafe with their huge cameras and laptops. I was like, ‘Peter, oh my God, they are so into us. They’re swarming us. We are so important.’ It turns out Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise were living on that street. It was the winter, so the photographers would go into the cafe to download their pictures.”
Maggie is currently promoting Crazy Heart, the first movie she worked on after giving birth to daughter Ramona three years ago, and admits she finds it difficult to balance parenthood with her career: “Every night you can’t put your kid to sleep, that’s pretty intense. In my family, that’s a big kind of get-together time - dinner, bath and stories and then bed.”
Click to continue reading Maggie Gyllenhaal Confused by Paparazzi
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