I just found this out via my Twitter feed thanks to Cirque Du Soleil! Follow @cirque for more information and updates! They’ve just announced the name of their new show that will be at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles: IRIS. The music will be by Danny Elfman and it will open in 2011. According to their show announcement page, IRIS will be “a lyrical, fanciful, kinetic foray into the seventh art. Bringing together dance, acrobatics, live video, filmed sequences and animation, the show takes spectators on a fantastic voyage through the history of cinema and its genres, taking them into the heart of the movie-making process. From illustration to animation, black and white to colour, silent films to talkies, fixes shots to swooping camera movements, spectators witness the poetic construction/deconstruction of this art as an object and as a way of transcending reality.”
If you’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing a Cirque Du Soleil show then I suggest that you do soon! I’ve only had the chance to watch their The Beatles LOVE show at The Mirage in Las Vegas and let me tell you, it was simply fantastic! I’ve been a huge Beatles fan for my entire life and this show truly showcased not only the performers talent, but the beauty of the Beatles music. I know that on my next Vegas trip I’m already planning on watching another show because I’ve heard great reviews of all their other shows. I do advise you plan ahead though because these shows always sell out quickly!
If you have a Twitter account you need to follow @cirque today! Also, if you don’t already, please follow me at @thefilmtastic! Can’t wait to keep hearing more about IRIS! What about you?
As you may or may not know, The Other Guys is scheduled to come out on August 6, 2010. Mark your calendars because this film looks hilarious!
Columbia Pictures will be holding its world premiere in New York on August 2nd. But Columbia has some OTHER plans as well! Turns out they will be hosting a second premiere, appropriately called the “Other Premiere” in a city of our choice! That’s right, we get to vote where we want the second premiere to be held…and of course we want it in Austin, Texas, right? Votes are being calculated on Facebook and the top ten finalists will be announced on July 21st. Then, the top five finalists will be announced on July 26th. The winning city will be announced live on NBC’s “Today Show” on August 2nd. We are only allowed to vote once a day, but together we can bring this premiere to Austin! So please go vote here and get the word out to all your friends however you can! Let’s do this people!
As you may have heard by now, the newest trailer for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows will be debuting on the big screen in front of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on Wednesday. For those of us who just can’t wait until Wednesday (or really, those who just don’t want to watch another Twilight movie) the trailer was made available online today! If you haven’t had a chance to see it, or if you want to watch it over and over again, here it is for your pleasure!
THIS. TRAILER. IS. EPIC! Just try to watch it and not get excited. I bet you can’t! I’m super psyched for this film, are you?
Have you ever been a little embarrassed to admit that you liked a certain movie? I know I have! And you’d be lying if you said otherwise! These are a few of my guilty pleasures…movies that I’m a little ashamed to admit I love but I watch them over and over anyway. If it’s wrong to love these films, then I don’t want to be right!
Batman & Robin (1997) – Directed by Joel Schumacher
Why It’s Embarrassing to Admit I Love It – The bat nipples. The crotch and butt close-up shots. The Mr. Freeze one-liners. The campy dialogue. The director himself later apologized for the film. Do I really need to keep saying reasons?
Why I Love It Anyway – George Clooney is smooth and at ease playing the debonair Bruce Wayne. Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy was so deliciously campy. One of my favorite lines from the movie was when she said, “As I told Lady Freeze when I pulled her plug, this is a one woman show!” And although I mentioned Mr. Freeze’s one-liners as one of the embarrassing reasons to admit I love this film, I gotta say that they are also a HUGE reason why I love it! Who can forget, “Let’s kick some ice!” or “Tonight, Hell freezes over!” or “Ice to see you!” or “What killed the dinosaurs? The Ice Age!” or…you get the picture.
Armageddon (1998) – Directed by Michael Bay
Why It’s Embarrassing To Admit I Love It – For starters, it’s directed by Michael Bay. He is the Valedictorian of the MTV Directing School For Idiots and uses explosions at any chance he gets. Never mind the fact that explosions and fire cannot be contained in a vacuum or that noise cannot be heard in space. It all looks cool and that’s what he wants. Are we really supposed to believe that a bunch of drillers that got NASA trained in like a week can land a space shuttle on a moving asteroid the size of Texas?
Why I Love It Anyway – Who cares about all the inaccuracies, right? It’s a movie! Ooh look, an explosion in space! Ordinary people landing expensive NASA equipment on an asteroid (which, by the way, is impossible)! Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler make an adorable couple. And when Bruce Willis sacrifices himself at the end of the movie so that his daughter’s fiance can live…I’m tearing up just typing this!
Spice World (1997) – Directed by Bob Spiers
Why It’s Embarrassing To Admit I Love It – Two words: Spice Girls. And I know all the words to most of their songs. Heck, I’ll even admit that I own all their albums. Ok, I’ll stop before I embarrass myself even more.
Why I Love It Anyway – Two words: Spice Girls. Ok, I’ll admit that I love the Spice Girls. I loved them when they were popular and I still love them now. Wait, did I just say that out loud? No seriously, it is such a fun movie. And c’mon, SPICE FORCE FIVE!
A Night At The Roxbury (1998) – Directed by John Fortenberry
Why It’s Embarrassing To Admit I Love It – It’s a movie based on a Saturday Night Live skit. And we all know that the only good movie that is based on an SNL skit is Wayne’s World.
Why I Love It Anyway – It’s fun! Don’t even try to listen to Haddaway’s ”What Is Love?” without bobbing your head like Steve and Doug Butabi!
Sidekicks (1992) – Directed by Aaron Norris
Why It’s Embarrassing To Admit I Love It – To begin with, it’s a ripoff of The Karate Kid. And Chuck Norris is basically spoofing all of his other films in this one.
Why I Love It Anyway – I wouldn’t want to piss off Chuck Norris! And Jonathan Brandis was such a great actor with so much potential. It really is such a sad shame that he cut his own life short. I had the hugest crush on him when I was younger. And, he was in Ladybugs, another one of my guilty pleasures!
Ok, so there’s five of my guilty pleasure movies. Believe me, I could go on. But before I embarrass myself even more I’d love to hear what your guilty pleasure movies are! Please comment and let me know! Don’t be shy!
The most successful movie franchise of all time is the Harry Potter series, which recently edged out another famous Brit: James Bond.
According to Box Office Mojo, the first six adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s beloved books have earned a staggering $5.4 billion worldwide, not adjusted for inflation.
The 22 films considered part of the official Bond canon (the 1967 spoof Casino Royale and the 1983 out-of-continuity Never Say Never Again don’t count) have earned an estimated $5 billion globally. But even if the earnings of those two films were included, it still wouldn’t be enough to put 007 on top.
If only U.S. box-office totals are counted, then the six-film Star Wars saga would be the top draw, with $1.9 billion in receipts, compared to $1.7 billion for the Harry Potter movies and $1.6 billion for Bond films. (Worldwide, the Star Wars movies have earned $4.2 billion.)
But the box-office receipts may not tell the whole story. When other sources of money such as merchandising are included, then George Lucas’ Star Wars universe of Jedi, droids and Wookiees is Hollywood’s highest-grossing franchise. In 2005, Forbes estimated the Star Wars Empire had grossed $20 billion from movie tickets, books, games and anything else you could possibly license.
Still, Bond is certainly Hollywood’s greatest franchise in terms of endurance and longevity. Since the first Bond adventure, Dr. No in 1962, it has thrived for 48 years, although the 23rd Bond picture is reportedly on hold for now.
Bond may need to stick around awhile to have any chance of overtaking Potter.
The last of Rowling’s books, The Deathly Hallows, is being adapted into two films, the first of which is scheduled to arrive in November 2010. With millions of people still captivated by the Harry Potter phenomenon, the film series may pad its lead as the worldwide box-office leader.
It’s important to note these dollar amounts are not adjusted for inflation; otherwise, the Bond series and Star Wars would be well ahead of the boy wizard in terms of global box office earnings.
Meanwhile, Director James Cameron is reportedly working on two Avatar sequels, according to the Los Angeles Times. The movie raked in more than $10 million in 2009, according to industry tracking website Box Office Mojo, but the planned Avatar franchise will have a way to go to catch up with the franchises competition.
When I first read this statement from Roman Polanski, his first concerning his rape of a 13-year-old child, I felt no sympathy or compassion for him. In fact when he was arrested in September of last year, I felt no sympathy or compassion then either. His statement makes no difference to me because he is trying to make himself seem like the victim. A fugitive child rapist thinks he is the victim. Take a minute and let that sentence sink in. I’ll wait for you.
Welcome back. One particular sentence in his statement that really irks me is, “I can remain silent no longer because the California court has dismissed the victim’s numerous requests that proceedings against me be dropped, once and for all, to spare her from further harassment every time this affair is raised once more.” My question to him is this: since when do you care about this victim? And by the way, your victim has a name. Her name is Samantha Geimer née Gailey. I wonder if it makes it easier to feel sorry for himself by referring to Geimer as “victim” instead of Samantha. God forbid the person he illegally drugged and raped be given a name and a face. I also wonder if he sends her a card for her birthday every year. Do they keep in touch? Oh wait, he illegally drugged and raped her so I imagine they don’t have much of a relationship today. And of course she wants this to be over with. She has already sued him and been compensated in a civil settlement.
In his statement, Polanski asks “only to be treated fairly like anyone else.” Well Mr. Polanski, last time I checked, failing to appear in court as directed by a summons is a crime for which a bench-warrant can be issued for being in contempt of court. So not only did Polanski rape a child, he fled the country to escape justice. That’s a whole different can of worms that he has opened on himself! Since he has already pleaded guilty and been charged of having unlawful sex with a minor in 1978, there is no statute of limitations governing the case. However, by fleeing to France he committed another crime. This is what makes his situation a horse of a different color. And it’s something that Polanski hasn’t really addressed since crying foul over his arrest.
Polanski argues that the “new District Attorney, who is handling this case and has requested (his) extradition, is himself campaigning for election and needs media publicity!” I guess Mr. Polanski has forgotten that he has been on “red notice” by Interpol, which alerts other countries that the United States is seeking his extradition. There has been a U.S. arrest warrant for him since 1978 and an international arrest warrant since 2005. He is a fugitive! People can argue that Polanski has been in Switzerland before, but in order to request extradition from a certain country, the United States had to know his exact whereabouts before they could even contact the country to start laying the groundwork for an arrest. Polanski knew exactly where he could go and where he could not go and he was very smart about his travelling arrangements. Polanski himself said that Switzerland is a “country that I have been visiting regularly for over 30 years without let or hindrance.” Mr. Polanski obviously did not know, or did not care, that an extradition treaty between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Swiss Confederation had been signed in November of 1990.
Despite all these facts, many international celebrities, 138 to be exact, have signed a “Free Roman Polanski” petition. The majority of the petitioners are French celebrities, however many filmmakers that I actually respect and admire are also included. I was surprised to see Pedro Almodovar, Wes Anderson, Darren Aronofsky, David Lynch, Sam Mendes, and Martin Scorsese among these filmmakers. And the fact that Woody Allen also signed the petition almost makes it seem worthless. These people argue that “it seems inadmissible to them that an international cultural event, paying homage to one of greatest contemporary filmmakers, is used by the police to apprehend him.” Excuse me? So we are supposed to feel sorry for this fugitive child rapist because he is a great artist? If the man in question was a regular Joe Smith who drugged and raped a child and then fled the country, are we to believe that these same people would sign a petition to save him? Oh and Joe Smith isn’t “one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers.” Would Martin Scorsese sign a petition to save a non-talented man in this same situation? No, I don’t think so. So why are these people defending Roman Polanski? Are we really supposed to feel sorry for this poor little rich rapist because he is artistically talented? I don’t care if the man discovered a cure for cancer, AIDS, or Parkinson’s disease. If he’s a rapist he needs to be “treated fairly like anyone else.” See how I used Polanski’s own quote against him?
Polanski says that he was “bailed in very large sum of money [sic] which I have managed to raise only by mortgaging the apartment that has been my home for over 30 years.” It was reported that Polanski paid $4.5 million bail. Again, he’s trying to make himself look like the victim. Are we supposed to believe that an Academy Award-winning director couldn’t afford $4.5 million without mortgaging an apartment? I’m not buying it.
To conclude, it should be obvious that I believe Roman Polanski should be extradited. It’s time to stop running and face the consequences. What are your opinions about this matter? Whether you agree with me or not, I’d love to hear from y’all!
Warner Bros. isn’t about to let little details like no title, no production start date, and no locked-down plot to stop it from setting up a tentpole, as the studio today announced a July 20, 2012, release date for the third installment of the rebooted Batman franchise.
Christian Bale will be back in the cown under the direction of Christopher Nolan.
With the release date now set, Nolan is currently hashing out a story for the Dark Knight followup, which already faces some steep competition. Also headed to the big screen in 2012: The Avengers (May 4), Battleship (May 25), Star Trek 2 (June 29), and what will likely be the Bat’s biggest competition: the Spider-Man reboot’s reboot (July 3).
Comic geeks, get ready.”
Ok folks, I am beyond super-psyched to hear this news! I know I’m not the only one who has been waiting to hear when this film will be released. I’m just not sure that I would call the Spider-Man reboot it’s biggest competition, but maybe that’s just me. How do you feel about this news?
Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures have finally released an official photo of Chris Hemsworth as the mighty Thor. It looks really cool. Wish it was a better picture, but fans will be giddy nonetheless. Now the question is when they will release a teaser trailer. Perhaps it will be attached to Iron Man 2? We’ll have to wait and see but for now here’s the picture, courtesy of my friends over at Latino Review:
The Mighty Thor is a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth. Kenneth Branagh directs this fantasy epic which stars Australian actor Chris Hemsworth as the ancient Norse god, Tom Hiddleston as his evil brother Loki, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, a young woman who befriends Thor on Earth, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Thor’s father and king of Asgard. Expect to see agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to make an appearance, further foreshadowing the coming of The Avengers!
So apparently Sony has chosen who the next Spider-Man will be already!? If you’re a loyal Filmtastic reader, then you’ll remember that I’ve already discussed the possibilities on this matter. Now, I’m hearing rumors that the new Spider-Man has been chosen and is being kept very hush-hush by the higher-ups over at Sony. I got a tip from George “El Guapo” Roush over at Latino Review that he knows who it will be but is sworn to secrecy. I can respect that. HOWEVER, I would like to know when it is going to be announced. Tomorrow? Next week? Next month? Who do you think it is? Comment and let me know!
This just in! Ok, can I just say that I have been waiting for an Anchorman sequel ever since they first started rumors of one! I still quote this movie to this day! Thankfully, Adam McKay has just given us some hope! Courtesy of Empire Online:
“If you know anything about Team Empire, you know that our love for Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgandy and its endless quote-ability is nearly religious in its fervour. So count us as overjoyed to learn – from director Adam McKay, no less – that a sequel with the whole original team involved is closer to happening than ever.
MTV spoke with McKay, who went over what we already know about the difficulties in getting the sequel made – to whit, the cast are all now very busy and no longer work for the likes of the free cheese offered on the set of the first film.
That said, everyone is more than willing to jump back in: “It’s a tricky movie because everyone went and did really well after it, so everyone’s prices went up and everyone’s time got a little more valuable.
“But at the same time, graciously, Steve and Paul and everyone agreed to cut their price substantially to come and do the sequel, which you don’t see very often in Hollywood.”
Good news so far. The question becomes, then, what’s holding the film back? Turns out it’s those usual budgetary worries, based on Anchorman‘s lukewarm box office.
McKay has apparently been talking to the studio, trying to convince the executives to take a chance on the sequel, comparing it to a comedy franchise that took a while to heat up at the box office. ”Austin Powers didn’t make a ton of movie in its first go-round and then it caught fire in the next one,” he says. “We’re hoping they’ll look more at that sort of projection.”
And if they do get the nod, the plan is purportedly to finish up a script by later this year and kick off shooting in February 2011. So what’s the big idea? Previous chatter has pointed to a 1980s setting. “That’s loosely what the idea is. It’s more the frame of it. We have this other, bigger, crazier idea that’s really more what it’s about, which I can’t say. Our thinking was there’s just no way the second one is going to be as good as the first, because the first one is the first one. So our idea is if we’re going to do a second one, we better go for it and try some insane stuff and we’ll be enjoying it and that way it can’t be half bad.”
Given some of the crazy stuff cut contemplated for the original (including an Alive-style plane crash sequence), we can’t wait to find out what their definition of “insane” might mean.
Oh, and we hear from other sources that the real salary hold-ups are the Octagon and Doctor Kenneth Noisewater. Though James Westfall will apparently work cheap.”
