Quote of the Day: Ben Affleck on Acting vs. Politics
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Political, Celebrity Gossip,
“I don’t want to hold office. Every day that seems like a worse and worse job to have. Look at the level of political discourse now. It’s very depressing to me. I did a lot of research down in D.C. when I did State of Play, and it’s not unlike Hollywood. It’s a one-horse town. Everyone’s jockeying with one another for power, prestige, and image and they’ll stab each other in the back as fast as they can. The only difference is the stakes are a bit higher, which makes it sadder.”
-Actor Ben Affleck, who played a congressman in State of Play, explaining why he doesn’t see a future in politics.
(Make sure to check out other notable quotes.)
Read More 
| Entertainment Weekly
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This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: September 1, 2009
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Biopics, Drama, Foreign, Foreign Language, Period, Sports, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, Lists,
Here are some of the DVD and Blu-ray options available this Tuesday:
- Braveheart: Blu-ray
- Bring It On: Fight to the Finish: DVD, Blu-ray
- The Girl Next Door: Blu-ray
- Gladiator: Blu-ray
- High Crimes: Blu-ray
- M*A*S*H: Blu-ray
- Monster: Blu-ray
- Sin Nombre: DVD
- State of Play: DVD, Blu-ray
- Sugar: DVD, Blu-ray
- Tennessee: DVD
Make sure to also check out the TV-on-DVD options for this week.
Read More | Amazon
Box Office Breakdown: Wolverine Claws Its Way to the Top
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Music, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Despite a growing list of hurdles (leaked footage, swine flu, mediocre reviews), X-Men Origins: Wolverine proved it was a force to be reckoned with last weekend. Although it failed to surpass X-Men: The Last Stand (that 2006 entry debuted at $122.9 million), the Fox feature trounced the competition with an $85.1 million open. In other words, Wolverine earned over $20 million more than the other Top Ten entries…combined.
Sitting far back in second place was Ghost of Girlfriends Past, Matthew McConaughey’s attempt to bring a little muscle into the box office. The romantic comedy, costarring Jennifer Garner, grossed $15.4 million on the weekend before Mother’s Day. (That’s less than a million more than what Made of Honor pulled in at this same time last year.) Meanwhile, last Friday’s only other wide release, Battle for Terra, raked in a disappointing $1.1 million for a 12th place finish.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Wolverine Claws Its Way to the Top
Read More | Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Drawn to Obsessed
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Musicals, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
It was a battle between two Dreamgirls stars at the box office this weekend.
After back-to-back roles in music-related dramas, Beyonce Knowles proved she could deliver without having to sing a note. Obsessed, a thriller produced for approximately $20 million, pulled in nearly $29 million for a 1st place finish. The film, also featuring two NBC stars (The Office’s Idris Elba and Heroes’ Ali Larter), more than doubled last week’s champ, 17 Again.
Meanwhile, an Academy Award winner and an Iron Man joined forces for a surprising fourth place finish. The Soloist, costarring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., didn’t even cross the $10 million mark. Although it was once considered as a pre-Oscars release, the film’s debut grossed less than last week’s nominee-filled entry, State of Play.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Drawn to Obsessed
Read More | Variety
Box Office Breakdown: 17 is the Lucky Number
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Animation, Drama, Horror, Music, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Zac Efron may be cute, but he’s no Hannah Montana.
This weekend the Disney veteran got a chance to prove his worth in his first starring role. And though he managed to hit #1, Efron pulled in approximately $8.6 million less than Miley Cyrus did last week. The premiere of 17 Again also opened to $18.3 million less than High School Musical 3 did last October. (Then again, those two family-friendly films were a bit more accessible with their G-ratings.)
Russell Crowe, in the meantime, had far much more to groan about. The Oscar winner found his new movie, State of Play, sandwiched in between the two tween idols. The thriller, costarring Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams, earned nearly $10 million less than the age-reversal comedy for a second place finish.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: 17 is the Lucky Number
Read More | Variety
In Theaters This Weekend: April 17, 2009
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Lionsgate, New Line, Universal, Action, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Music, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- 17 Aagain (PG-13): starring Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Matthew Perry (directed by Burr Steers)
- Crank: High Voltage (R): starring Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Clifton Collins Jr. (directed by Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor)
- State of Play (PG-13): starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams (directed by Kevin MacDonald)
- American Violet* (PG-13): starring Nicole Behaire, Will Patton, Alfre Woodard (directed by Tim Disney)
- The Butterfly Tattoo* (NR): starring Duncan Stuart, Jessica Blake, Aidan Magrath (directed by Phil Hawkins)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: April 17, 2009
First Look: Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck in State of Play
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Universal, Drama, Political, Thrillers, Trailers, Upcoming Releases,
In State of Play, Russell Crowe stars as an investigative reporter (Cal McCaffrey) who is tasked with covering the murder of a congressman’s mistress. Ben Affleck plays Stephen Collins, the U.S. Congressman who also has old ties to McCaffrey. The movie which once had Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in the two lead roles was directed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland).
Matthew Michael Carnahan (Lions for Lambs), Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton), Billy Ray (Breach) and Paul Abbott (the writer of the original BBC series) all share writing credits on the big-screen adaptation.
State of Play - also starring Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren and Jason Bateman - opens April 17, 2009.
Read More | State of Play
Casting Corner: James McAvoy, Ben Affleck, Nicolas Cage
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Miramax, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases,
Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:
It seems as if there isn’t a woman James McAvoy can’t romance. In the past few years, he’s been paired with Gillian Anderson, Keira Knightley, Anne Hathway and, of course, Angelina Jolie. Now the rising actor will be taking on his biggest chemistry challenge yet.
In Gnomeo and Juliet, McAvoy and Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) will voice characters in a CGI-animated version of the Shakespeare drama. But those looking for any Montagues or Capulets will be pleasantly surprised. In this version, the lovers will actually come from rivaling families of garden gnomes.
This film, co-produced by Elton John, will also feature music from the Lion King musician. The feature should be completed by 2010.
Click to continue reading Casting Corner: James McAvoy, Ben Affleck, Nicolas Cage
Hollywood Reporter
Brad Pitt, Edward Norton Reunion A Bust
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Universal, Adaptation, Drama, Political, Casting, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases,
It was probably one of the most buzzed about reunions since Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were brought back together again. Now it looks like we might have to wait another 8 years to see it happen.
Back in September, it was announced that Brad Pitt and Edward Norton would join forces for the political drama, State of Play. The two, last seen together in 1999’s Fight Club, were next set to spar in the political arena. Pitt was cast as former campaign manager-turned-reporter while Edward was scheduled to play a congressman whose research assistant is murdered. I use the word ‘was’ because Play’s two core stars have since dropped out.
Unhappy with the final script, Pitt eventually backed out of the film. Although Russell Crowe had agreed to step in, his late arrival pushed the starting date from November to January. This change unfortunately posed a scheduling conflict for Norton, who was then forced to exit as well. It is now hoped that Ben Affleck will slide in his place. (I for some reason doubt the Crowe/Affleck chemistry could even come close to the original pairing’s.)
Assuming no other last minute changes are made, the movie - an adaptation of a British mini-series - will also feature Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn and Jason Bateman.
Variety
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