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
A Restart for Firestarter
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Universal, Horror, Remakes, Science Fiction, Thrillers, Trailers, Videos
About Last Night isn’t the only '80s film that will get a possible remake. Variety reports that Universal and Dino De Laurentiis Co. are looking to fire up a new version of Firestarter.
In the original 1984 film, Drew Barrymore played Charlie, an 8-year-old girl who could make her hair – and major sparks – fly when she was really upset. Her powers were a result of experiments that were done on her parents prior to her birth. The movie -- an adaptation of a Stephen King novel -- also starred David Keith, Martin Sheen and George C. Scott.
Although details of the script are unknown, it will supposedly be loosely-based on the original story.
"We see this as a unique, character-driven thriller with a supernatural edge, based on a timeless concept and enhanced by recent visual effects advances," Martha De Laurentiis stated.
Mark L. Smith (Vacancy) has been tapped to write the screenplay.
Read More 
| Variety
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Remake News: Speedy Gonzales, Pet Semetary and More
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: New Line, Paramount, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Family, Horror, Comedy, Casting, Upcoming Releases
Speedy Gonzales: George Lopez has already voiced a chihuahua, so it’s only logical he would take on Mexico’s fastest mouse next. The comedian is now set to lead a live-action/CG hybrid version of Speedy Gonzales, the famous animated series from the 1950’s. Although the cartoon’s depictions have been labeled racist in recent years, Ann Lopez, George’s wife/producing partner, promises the storyline will be updated for the times. “Speedy’s going to be a misunderstood boy who comes from a family that works in a very meticulous setting, and he’s a little too fast for what they do,” she explained. “He makes a mess of that. So he has to go out in the world to find what he’s good at.”
Click to continue reading Remake News: Speedy Gonzales, Pet Semetary and More
Remake News: MacGyver, It, The Bodyguard and More
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, New Line, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Science Fiction, Sequels, Upcoming Releases
MacGyver: Now you didn’t think those MacGruber skits would lead nowhere, did ya? After seeing a renewed interest in the former ABC series (thanks NBC), New Line has decided to pounce on the golden opportunity. The story about a resourceful agent (Angus MacGyver) who improvised during critical moments will now be turned into a motion picture. No casting decisions or script have been completed.
Click to continue reading Remake News: MacGyver, It, The Bodyguard and More
Read More | Variety
Box Office Breakdown: The Golden Compass Lacks Luster
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, New Line, Paramount, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases
A Narnia-esque adaptation partnered with a holiday release date and an A-list cast should have conjured box office magic for The Golden Compass. Surprisingly, this weekend’s release from New Line Cinema brought in barely enough money to cover the film’s catering budget.
Compass, based on Philip Pullman’s children’s series His Dark Materials, was Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig’s second disappointing collaboration this year (the first being The Invasion). While it was enough for a first place finish, the $25 million debut was hardly impressive given the film’s $180 million price tag.
In other news, holiday flick This Christmas remained in third place while the critically-panned Fred Claus bumped up two spaces from last week. Meanwhile, Juno and Atonement did well with their very limited releases.
Be looking for the highly-promoted I Am Legend (and Alvin and the Chipmunks) to enter next week’s charts.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: The Golden Compass Lacks Luster
Read More | E! Online
Box Office Breakdown: Jessica Alba Can’t Keep Audiences Awake
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases
There’s nothing like a good snub to restore your faith in moviegoers.
Although Awake was the only new wide release this past weekend, discerning audiences kept it from succeeding by default. (NOTE: Cute squirrels will always trump Jessica Alba.) The movie, also co-starring Star Wars’ Hayden Christensen, opened with a dismal $6 million - less than half of what Alba’s last stellar film, Good Luck Chuck, did. (The latter opened at $13.7 million.) I wonder if this currently makes Jessica Biel the most successful Jessica out there.
Aside from Awake’s entry, the rest of the Top Ten changed very little from last week. Enchanted refused to budge from its perch and earned another $16 million over the past three days. Meanwhile, Beowulf surged back up a notch, trading spots with holiday flick, This Christmas.
Although the box office numbers were unspectacular overall, we can expect big changes in just a few days; that’s when New Line’s The Golden Compass makes its debut.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Jessica Alba Can’t Keep Audiences Awake
What’s in ‘The Mist’?
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: MGM, Adaptation, Horror, New Releases
Actual mist is created with suspended droplets of moisture, and is not to be confused with fog (which has greater visibility) or haze (which is a different color altogether). And Stephen King, pop kitsch horror writer-turned movie mogul, is not to be confused with a writer who actually offers some value. If weather phenomenon frighten you and you’re at all interested in seeing yet another movie about losing visibility and being beset by scary occurrences, go see The Mist. If you started to get bored with King, stay away.
So, here’s the setup. Bunch of people living in Maine, everyone’s just doing their thing. All of a sudden, a strange mist (not a fog, mind you, a mist) rolls into town. Frightened and dismayed, citizens hole up in a grocery store to escape this ever-encroaching mist. How likely is that, honestly? You’re out and about, you’re shopping, a thick mist rolls in. Do you lock the doors, batten down the hatches and wait it out? Or do you just take your groceries home? Honestly now. Anyway, the film takes place
entirelyin the grocery store and features CGI effects which at least saves the movie from being a complete waste of time. Did I mention there are some sort of weird monsters living in the mist? Mist monsters?
Click to continue reading What’s in ‘The Mist’?
Read More | Hollywood Reporter
Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Enchanted With Disney
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, MGM, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Romance, Comedy, Box Office, Lists, New Releases
Throw comedy, drama, animation, romance, sci-fi, hunky actors, pretty actresses, singing, dancing, kids and cute animals all into one film and you’ll get Enchanted. You’ll also have Disney’s latest holiday success.
The film, starring Oscar-nominated actress Amy Adams, grossed nearly $50 million over the 5-day weekend ($34 million from Friday-Sunday). Enchanted’s take places it behind 1999’s Toy Story 2 - the film with the largest Thanksgiving debut ever ($80.1 million).
Last week’s champion, Beowulf, fell into 3rd place right behind another holiday opener, This Christmas. The movies took in $23.3 and $26.3 million, respectively, during the long stretch.
Although the sappy August Rush opened in a disappointing 7th place, the DVD release of Waitress this week should make actress Keri Russell - and her fans - feel a bit better.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Enchanted With Disney
Read More | E! Online
This Week on DVD: October 2, 2007
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, Sony, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Horror, Period, Science Fiction, Sequels, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases
Here are a few of the titles you can find on the rental shelves this Tuesday:
- 1408: starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson
- Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Collector’s Edition): starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder
- Caligula (Three-Disc Imperial Edition): starring Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren
- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer: starring Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis
- The Jungle Book (Platinum Edition): starring Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot
- Misery (Special Edition): starring Kathy Bates, James Caan
- Species (Collector’s Edition): starring Natasha Henstridge, Michael Madsen
Click here to see the TV-On-DVD options for this week.
Click here to see the new titles released on HD DVD and Blu-Ray.
This Week on DVD: September 25, 2007
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Drama, Horror, Romance, Comedy, Home Entertainment, New Releases
Here are a few of the titles you can find on the rental shelves this Tuesday:
- Babel (Special Collector’s Edition): starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett (watch the FilmCrunch review here)
- Black Book: starring Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch
- Bug: starring Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon
- Cujo (25th Anniversary Edition): starring Dee Wallace, Danny Pintauro
- Evening: starring Natasha Richardson, Toni Collette
- Knocked Up: starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl
- Next: starring Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel
Click here to see the TV-On-DVD options for this week.
Click here to see the new titles released on HD DVD and Blu-Ray.
Box Office Breakdown: Chuck and Larry Outmuscle Harry
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, New Line, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Family, Horror, Music, Musicals, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy
Lord Voldemort should be kicking himself. Wizardry, schmizardry. All he needed was a bag of outdated gay jokes to bring young Harry down.
Wedding planners everywhere had expected 7/7/07 to be the biggest wedding day of the year, but it was 7/20/07 that proved to be eventful for comedians Adam Sandler and Kevin James. Their domestic partnership brought in enough guests to outdo Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, though they only gained $2 million more than the Potter juggernaut. Fan support for Sandler movies has always been strong—which is why I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry is his ninth movie to open at #1.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Chuck and Larry Outmuscle Harry
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