Trailer – Starz Renews ‘Spartacus’…Looks like 300
Now that’s some serious confidence!
The Starz network has renewed Spartacus: Blood and Sand for a second season and the show hasn’t even premiered yet! Starz Entertainment EVP of Programming Stephan Shelanski explains:
“We couldn’t be happier with the first season. Spartacus delivers on all levels – action, characters, intrigue, romance and excitement.
Spartacus is the most ambitious original project we’ve ever undertaken, and speaks to the commitment to our subscribers to provide truly original programming along with our unmatched lineup of theatrical features.”
The show will premiere on January 22.
Looks like a lot of sex and violence based on the trailer.
HOT!
Summit 2010 Preview: Synopses and Images of New Releases
Summit Entertainment has released synopses and some first look images from their 2010 films and it’s all after the jump. They’re 2010 preview includes The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, directed by David Slade (Hard Candy) and starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, and Bryce Dallas Howard; Furry Vengeance, directed by Roger Kumble (College Road Trip) and starring Brendan Fraser and Brooke Shields; Letters to Juliet, directed by Gary Winick (Bride Wars) and starring Amanda Seyfried, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Vanessa Redgrave; Remember Me, directed by Allen Coulter (Hollywoodland) and starring Robert Pattinson, Emile de Ravin, Chris Cooper, and Pierce Brosnan; and The Ghostwriter, directed by Roman Polanski (Chinatown) and starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Tom Wilkinson, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, and Eli Wallach.
Also, while they didn’t release any images, they did provide the first synopsis for Red, which is directed by Robert Schwentke (Flightplan) and stars Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and Mary Louise Parker.
Check out everything after the jump. It’s posted in order of each film’s release date.
Remember Me
- March 12, 2010
- Drama
- Directed by Allen Coulter
- Screenplay by Will Fetters, Jenny Lumet Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
- Cast – Robert Pattinson, Emile de Ravin, Chris Cooper, Lena Olin, Tate Ellington, Ruby Jerins, and Pierce Brosnan. Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
In the romantic drama Remember Me, Robert Pattinson plays Tyler, a rebellious young man in New York City who has a strained relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan) ever since tragedy separated their family. Tyler didn’t think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until the day he met Ally (Emilie de Ravin) through an unusual twist of fate. Love was the last thing on his mind, but as her spirit unexpectedly heals and inspires him, he begins to fall for her. Through their love, he begins to find happiness and meaning in his life. But soon, hidden secrets are revealed, and the circumstances that brought them together slowly threaten to tear them apart. Remember Me is an unforgettable story about the power of love, the strength of family, and the importance of living passionately and treasuring every day of one’s life.
Furry Vengeance
- April 2, 2010
- Comedy
- Directed by Roger Kumble
- Written by Michael Carnes and Josh Gilbert
- Cast – Brendan Fraser, Brooke Shields
Furry Vengeance is a live action family comedy in which an ambitious young real estate developer, Dan Sanders, faces off with a band of angry animals when his new housing subdivision pushes too far into a pristine part of the wilderness. Led by an incredibly clever raccoon, the animals stymie the development and teach our hero about the environmental consequences of man’s encroachment on nature.
Letters to Juliet
- May 7, 2010
- Romance
- Directed by Gary Winick
- Written by Jose Rivera and Tim Sullivan
- Cast – Amanda Seyfried, Christopher Egan, Gael Garcia Bernal, Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero
When a young American (Amanda Seyfried) travels to the city of Verona, home of the star-crossed lover Juliet Capulet of Romeo and Juliet fame, she joins a group of volunteers who respond to letters to Juliet seeking advice about love. After answering one letter dated 1957, she inspires its author (Vanessa Redgrave) to travel to Italy in search of her long-lost love, and sets off a chain of events that will bring a love into both their lives unlike anything they ever imagined.
The Ghostwriter
- Spring 2010
- Thriller
- Directed by Roman Polanski
- Written by Roman Polanski and Robert Harris
- Produced by Roman Polanski, Robert Benmussa, and Alain Sarde
- Cast – Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton, and Eli Wallach
When a successful British ghostwriter, THE GHOST, agrees to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister ADAM LANG, his agent assures him it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project seems doomed from the start-not least because his predecessor on the project, Lang’s long-term aide, died in an unfortunate accident.
The Ghost flies out to work on the project, in the middle of winter, to an oceanfront house on an island off the U.S. Eastern seaboard. But the day after he arrives, a former British cabinet minister accuses Lang of authorizing the illegal seizure of suspected terrorists and handing them over for torture by the CIA-a war crime. The controversy brings reporters and protesters swarming to the island mansion where Lang is staying with his wife, RUTH, and his personal assistant (and mistress), AMELIA. As The Ghost works, he begins to uncover clues suggesting his predecessor may have stumbled on a dark secret linking Lang to the CIA-and that somehow this information is hidden in the manuscript he left behind. Was Lang in the service of the American intelligence agency while he was prime minister? And was The Ghost’s predecessor murdered because of the appalling truth he uncovered?
Resonating with topical themes, this atmospheric and suspenseful political thriller is a story of deceit and betrayal on every level- sexual, political and literary. In a world in which nothing, and no one, is as it seems, The Ghost quickly discovers that the past can be deadly-and that history is decided by whoever stays alive to write it.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
- June 30, 2010
- Action/Romance
- Directed by David Slade
- Screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg
- Based on the novel “Eclipse” by Stephanie Meyer
- Cast – Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone and Dakota Fanning
In The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob – knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.
Red
- Fall 2010
- Action/Thriller
- Directed by Robert Schwentke
- Cast – Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and Mary Louise Parker
Frank Moses, a former black-ops CIA agent, is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his secret identity compromised and his love interest in danger, Frank must reassemble his old team to figure out who is out to get them.
Trailer – For ‘The Karate Kid’ Looks pretty Good..
Trailer for The Karate Kid Remake
December 22, 2009
Source: Yahoo
by Alex BillingtonOkay, here we go. Sony has debuted the first official trailer for The Karate Kid remake starring Jaden Smith as the kid and Jackie Chan as Mr. Han, the Mr. Miyagi like mentor he meets. Yes, technically I think they’re using Kung Fu in this and not Karate, so complain all you want about the title, but I think Sony would rather get complaints than lose money at the box office. Let me be the first to say that honestly this doesn’t look that bad. I even just watched the original Karate Kid a few days ago and Jaden looks like the same grumpy kid as Ralph Macchio. While it definitely won’t top the original, it could be pretty fun. Enjoy?
Watch the official trailer for Harald Zwart’s The Karate Kid:
You can also watch The Karate Kid trailer in High Definition on Yahoo
The Karate Kid, directed by Harald Zwart (The Pink Panther 2), stars Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, and Taraji P. Henson. Smith plays Dre, a skateboarding video game buff who moves to China after his single mother is forced to go there for work. Unable to speak Chinese, Dre finds it hard to settle in, and gets beat up by the local bully. Chan plays Mr. Han, a maintenance man who spots his black-eye and offers to teach him both martial arts and Chinese, so he can defend against all the kung-fu students. Sony is bringing The Karate Kid to theaters starting on June 11th, 2010 this summer. Will you be seeing this in theaters next year or not?
Discover More: Opinions, Trailers, Worth Watching
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The 30 Best Films of the Decade by FSR…Not a Bad List
Posted by FSR Staff (editors@filmschoolrejects.com) on December 22, 2009
We’re all in that humanistic mode of evaluating our lives – coming up on the end of the year and the last time a zero will be the third digit on our calendars. We’re all (from Variety to Cat Fancy) also waxing expert on what films were the best of the best of the best of the past ten years.
Which is why there is an unnavigable sea of opinion polluting the internet right now. Neil and I thought, ‘If everyone else is doing it, why can’t we? And why not do it better?”
You may ask (since I’m forcing you to rhetorically), “How can giving your opinion be better than everyone else’s tepid version of an almost-arbitrary-seeming list?”
I’m glad you asked.
Neil and I anticipated this task back in October and began planning what would become far too much work for two people who essentially sit around watching Animal House all day. Still, despite the cyclopean nature of the beast, we dug our feet in and compiled just over 3,000 films that were released from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2009 (the future!).
We then forcefully shoved that list into an algorithm that neither of us understood (which is why I got my Masters Candidate in Applied Mathematics Friend to construct it for us (and why we didn’t scoff when he charged us $20 and our Powder Blue DVD for it)).
The algorithm, which we’ve nicknamed Simon, spat out just over 300 films, reducing our master list by 90%. Then, the brutal stages of cutting came where Neil and I would agonize over which movie’s locker to leave a red flag in and which ones would continue on to the next round.
After 6 cutting sessions and over 4 hours of arguing, we’d chopped the list down to 60. From there, the real heartache began as we saw films we loved scratched off the list. Also from there, we employed a new tactic which will, like the secret herbs and spices, remain veiled in mystery. A hint: the process involved paprika.
Drooling and exhausted, Neil and I emerged from the fray with the 30 Best Films of the Decade. 4 documentaries. 12 comedies. 13 dramas. 5 in-betweens. 9 foreign. 6 fuck-the-establishment choices. 3 sci-fi. 1. horror. 3 from 2000. 1 from 2001. 2 from 2002. 4 from 2003. 4 from 2004. 2 from 2005. 5 from 2006. 4 from 2007. 3 from 2008. 2 from 2009. A sprawling list, and most likely, the most balanced of all decade examinations.
We can’t wait to do it all again next year when the decade is actually over.
But for now, debate, discuss, curse at, fawn over, and let the warm glow of great film wash over you like a much-needed cinematic baptism.
These are The 30 Best Films of the Decade:
30. The Bourne Ultimatum
No super-spy has touched the world of cinema quite like Jason Bourne in this decade. He made James Bond (until the onset of Daniel Craig in the role, at least) look like a relic. He also made Matt Damon a bona fide star, and sadly, Paul Greengrass’s shakey-cam technique a norm. Either way, his third adventure was his most brutal and captivating, a fast-paced race toward an identity found. In this third frame, Bourne’s journey was finely tuned, kinetic and propulsive experience – certainly the peak of action seen in this decade. -NM
29. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
There are geek films, there are films about geeks, and then there are both. Yet the existence of King of Kong works in a way that transcends all of these geek themes, rising above to be a documentary about something geeky, made for geeky people, that also plays like an epic battle of good and evil, fit for an audience of everyone. Instead of making a doc about playing video games, director Seth Gordon gave us the essential modern-day David and Goliath story, filled with laughs and tears and every emotion in-between. -NM
28. Son of Rambow
Charming isn’t even an apt starting point for describing the second film from director Garth Jennings. Through the story of two unlikely friends and their quest to make the perfect Little Tikes version of First Blood, he captured the essence of childhood friendship, bonds that transcended class or religious background. He captured a story on film that felt natural while being fantastical, was honest while being impressively creative, and was at its core, truly heartwarming in every way. This is what great movies do, they move you. -NM
27. 28 Days Later…
Through all of the zombie and vampire-crazed filmmaking that occurred in this past decade, the finest example is in the gritty, realistic, virus-ridden world created by director Danny Boyle. He went on to win a Best Picture prize with Slumdog Millionaire, but with 28 Weeks Boyle delivered an intensely scary experience that rivals any slasher, any vampire flick or any bit of torture porn that this decade could produce. -NM
26. The Five Obstructions
Pretend for a moment that you met your artistic idol. You’d torture him, right? If you were really his friend you would. Which is exactly why Lars Von Trier forces Jorgen Leth to remake his first film repeatedly, under stricter and stricter circumstances. At one level, an exhausting insight into the hand-wringing of moviemaking, and on the other, a philosophical look at why we create at all. Both elements are blended perfectly with two insane Danish directors that left us confused and hungry for lobster. -CA
25. The Devil and Daniel Johnston
As far as documentaries go, it’s difficult to create a better portrait of a troubled mind than the one made by this film. Not only an indie music lover’s siren song, the flick is a revealing character study of a simple man whose complicated brain keeps him isolated from the rest of the crowd. This rare glimpse inside that world is taken to the pinnacle of intimate documentary-making and also manages to question if great music is really worth the personal torture. -CA
24. Thank You For Smoking
Before Jason Reitman was telling of impregnated teens and the ultimate corporate road warrior, he was honing his skills with this sharp, satirical look at one of our nations great domestic wars – sense vs. the tobacco industry. At its heart, this film delivers the breakout performance of Aaron Eckhart, who would later go on to throw weight around in another movie found later on this list. Here though, he’s a wry, despicable fella who is oh-so-delightful, just like his director’s debut. -NM
23. District 9
Science fiction never saw it coming. At Comic-Con in 2007, the halls of the San Diego Convention Center warned us with ‘Humans Only’ signs from a mysterious district. And in 2009, as the world awaited James Cameron’s game-changer Avatar, a first time director from South Africa named Neill Blomkamp shocked and awed the world with his inventive, guerrilla masterpiece District 9. Made for $30 million under the tutelage of Peter Jackson, District 9 was perhaps the most inventive work of science fiction – one that smashed together cultural relevance and groundbreaking alien effects – a perfect storm of vision, character and intense action. It was a geek’s wet dream, and one of those rare sci-fi films that will be relevant well past this decade and the next. -NM
22. Hustle and Flow
This film about the depression of failure and emptiness of dreams is probably the truest portrait of blues and hip hop music making ever burned into celluloid. Director Craig Brewer dropped us right into the dilapidated shanty house of a pimp in a world where nothing came easy. The greasy sweat of Memphis all but poured out of the screen while Terrance Howard made the role and the audience his bitch. And then, he somehow managed to get Three Six Mafia a fucking Oscar. -CA
21. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
At a certain point this decade, a director pushed aside family film sensibilities, said, “I got this one, guys,” and man-handled the world’s largest cultural phenomenon into his own brand of beast. Making a great film is one thing, but elevating something beyond its children’s book roots (not to mention doing so in line with the tone of the source material) is a juggling act lesser directors have lost bowel function at the sight of. No wonder Alfonso Cuaron appears on this list twice. -CA
Read more articles by FSR Staff
Scott Cooper: The Body and Soul behind ‘Crazy Heart’
The critics have been raving nonstop, and rightfully so, over Jeff Bridges’ peerless performance in “Crazy Heart” as Bad Blake, the burned-out country music star who finds himself running on empty, reduced to playing bowling alleys as he tries to regain a small measure of his self-respect.
But so far, with ”Crazy Heart’s” many admirers hailing the acting work of Bridges and his costars Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall, they have somehow overlooked another actor associated with the film: Scott Cooper, who after working in TV and film for more than a decade as an actor has suddenly made a splash as the rookie writer-director of “Crazy Heart.”
For years, thousands of young Hollywood wannabes have been paying top dollar to get a film school education, figuring that it is the best way to break into the movie business. But it turns out that if you want a career as an admired filmmaker, one of the shortest lines to success is to put in some time working as an actor. If you study the Oscar history books, it is nothing short of remarkable how many great films over the last few decades have been made by directors who began their careers as actors.
Some names roll off the tongue, starting with several members of the film pantheon, including such Oscar luminaries as Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, Mel Gibson, Warren Beatty and Ron Howard. You can add to that a list of such strong directing talent as Kevin Costner (who won an Oscar for making “Dances With Wolves”), Rob Reiner, Penny Marshall and Sean Penn, whose recent “Into the Wild” was an especially well directed film. Being on stage is also a good beginning for filmmakers: Mike Nichols was acting in sketch comedy long before he became a director, while Woody Allen did stand-up for years before turning to filmmaking.
But there’s also a host of gifted younger directors who, like Cooper, spent considerable time working as actors without ever getting a real turn in the spotlight. The honors list would include Todd Field, who was acting for years (even appearing in Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut”) before making “In the Bedroom”; Tom McCarthy, who had also acted in a wide range of films — “Flags of Our Fathers,” a season of the “The Wire” — before making ”The Visitor.” And then there’s John Cameron Mitchell, who worked in TV for years before directing “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” Julian Fellowes was also a veteran actor before turning to screenwriting (“Gosford Park”) and directing (“Separate Lies”).
If you ask film producers, they’ll say that while many writers have become talented directors, they often are too protective of their words, worrying more about the dialogue than the subtleties of their actors’ performances. Having often spent years working out scenes in acting classes and observing great filmmakers on movie sets, actors have a keen eye and ear for the right rhythm and tone that help form the creative architecture of a good movie. It’s telling that while Cooper learned about acting by watching the best in action — after working with Duvall on three different projects, he says, “I went to the Robert Duvall school of acting.” He also soaked up a lot of filmmaking savvy watching old masters like Walter Hill, who directed Cooper in a western TV miniseries called “Broken Trail.”
“I think actors make good directors because they understand behavior,” says Cooper, 39, who grew up in Virginia, where his parents gave him a serious grounding in Southern literature and Southern music. Talking with me over breakfast the other day, Cooper came off more like a young English professor than a filmmaker. He has an earnest, almost studious air about him, it probably being the studiousness that kept him from getting farther as an actor — acting being a trade that largely values studliness over seriousness. Even though he has continued to act — he was playing a part in the indie film “Get Low” while he was editing “Crazy Heart” — he realized after losing role after role to the likes of Jude Law and Matt Damon that he would probably always be, as he put it, “the bridesmaid instead of the bride.”
“It was a gradual thing,” he says. “But I slowly realized that the life of an actor is awfully difficult, and if I wanted to fully express myself, I’d have to go in another direction. Writing and directing is a lot more rewarding. After making ‘Crazy Heart,’ I think I fully understand that film is really a director’s medium.”
But how did Cooper get a movie about a burned-out country singer off the ground, especially after Bridges passed on the script the first time he read it? Keep reading:
‘James Bond’ Writer Says It Has A ‘Shocking Story’
Apart from the behind-the-scenes stuff like who the screenwriters are, when it may be shooting, and rumors of who the villain might be, we haven’t heard anything about Bond 23 (as it’s being dubbed until we get wind of an actual title) on the story front. That is until now.
Bond fansite MI6 got a chance to speak with screenwriter Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon), who we learned some months ago has been brought on-board to write the script with Bond regulars Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (Morgan replaced Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace co-writer, Paul Haggis). Although Morgan obviously couldn’t give much away at this point, he did tease us a little by saying the 23rd Bond installment has a, “shocking story.”
Now A LOT can be drawn from that one statement, but of course without any context or any sort of idea about who the villain may be, or in what parts of the world Bond 23 is going to be set (for example) it’s hard to commit to any line of thinking about the possible direction for the next film. I’m going to guess (pure speculation on my part) that it’s maybe going to push the age rating a bit more, as they did somewhat with the naked torture scene in Casino Royale (I still can’t get that out of my head to this day!).
Even though Morgan (understandably) couldn’t give anything away about the story he and his co-writers have in mind, he did reveal that he wrote the first draft of the script from July through to October this year. Pre-production for the movie has been put on hold until February, when the rights get sold for owning company MGM (if you haven’t heard, the studio is in dire financial trouble and is up for sale).
A couple of the big studios eyeing to bid for the Bond franchise are Time Warner Inc. and Lionsgate Entertainment (not only will they get Bond – as well as half the rights to The Hobbit – but also a back catalogue of over 4,000 movies). Needless to say, Bond 23 will likely get the green light once the rights are snapped up by a studio, to get things going ASAP on the next installment in a guaranteed money-making franchise.
To finish, here’s a quote from Morgan about the interest the Bond franchise draws:
“Bond creates a hysteria around it, one that I haven’t previous known… It’s a magnet for publicity – everyone wants to know what’s going on with the new Bond”.
When Morgan was brought on-board it seemed like an odd choice at first, simply because he hasn’t really written anything that resembles the action-oriented stuff we’re used to from Bond. It also seems weird that they replaced Paul “Crash” Haggis after he co-wrote the two previous movies. However, the more I thought about it, the more I really dug the idea, and I think Morgan will bring a lot to the franchise on a level that maybe previous screenwriters haven’t before (at least since the franchise “reboot” with Casino Royale).
What do you think Morgan means by Bond 23 having a “shocking story?” Do you think Morgan is a good fit for the franchise? If not, who should they have gotten to help write the script instead?
There’s no official word on when Bond 23 will be shooting or released, but Daniel Craig has said it will be shooting at the end of 2010. Take that with a grain of salt until it’s confirmed.
Tags: bond 23
The Buzz: Filmmakers React to Avatar
www.slashfilm.com
Posted on Monday, December 21st, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
James Cameron’s Avatar has been unleashed upon this world. We’ve run reviews from half of the /Film staff: David Chen, Brendon Connelly, Russ Fischer, and Hunter Stephenson. You might have even added your own mini-review. But you might be wondering, with all the talk of game-changing advances in the tech side of filmmaking, what do the writers and directors in Hollywood think of Avatar? Here is a round-up of quotes:
Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer: “Went to a special screening of Avatar last night where James Cameron did a Q&A after the film. I can’t tell you how much I loved the movie, or how clearly Cameron cemented himself as the world’s greatest living filmmaker. This is an incredible movie. I recommend seeing it in IMAX. So next level. So awesome. Avatar is a game changer. James Cameron wins.”
Back to the Future, Indiana Jones and Bourne series Producer Frank Marshall: “Wow!!! AVATAR is audacious and awe inspiring. It’s truly extraordinary and I would really need a blog to talk about it…”
Donnie Darko/The Box director Richard Kelly: “AVATAR was amazing. Lived up to all the hype – now must see in IMAX…”
Steven Spielberg: “The last time I came out of a movie feeling that way it was the first time I saw Star Wars.” … “The most evocative and amazing science-fiction movie since Star Wars.”
Danny DeVito: “AVATAR!!!! And the oscar goes to The King Of The World Bitches!!!”
Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright: “Avatar. One word review. Pretty-fucking-stunning.”
Screenwriter John August simply called the film a “Master class”, earlier tweeting “Holy Jeebus Avatar” and later clarifying “I use Holy Jeebus in the very-much-to-the-good sense. One doesn’t cite a Jeebus in vain.”
Moon director Duncan Jones: “:| I that’s my concerned face. That’s how I feel after seeing Avatar. It’s not in my top three Jim Cameron films. Am I alone here?” … “at what point in the film did you have any doubt what was going to happen next? Or were you ever surprised how it happened?” … “and did you ever wonder to yourself why they didn’t just bombard shit from orbit?” … “Would have appreciated the barest bit of explanation for the floating mountain islands in Avatar… Pumice stone full of helium? Something!”
Editor’s Note: Cameron did explain the floating mountains in the mention that the flux vortex causes gravity to be lower in that region.
Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore: “Go see Avatar – a brilliant movie 4 our times. Don’t worry if theater doesn’t have 3D – the 2D is awesome & it’s all about the story anyway!”
Pixar Animator Andrew Gordon: “We were blown away. Hats off to all the amazing artists that were involved with making that film. You guys really set the bar high. I was immersed in the story and characters. The animation/motion capture was superb. You could tell every frame was touched by an animator, mocap or not. I have not felt like that since I was a kid… The facial animation was so believable… Every eye dart, every movement of the brows communicated things so clearly. The world was so lush. I can’t wait to see it again! Some of the guys saw it in 2d and liked it just as much. The way to experience it in my opinion is 3d Imax. Cameron really knows how to push and pull the depth.”
Lost co-creator and Star Trek producer Damon Lindelof: “I’ll say what others won’t. Avatar hypnotized me. I’m not sure if it’s a work of genius or utter shit. Could it be BOTH?”
Fanboys director Kyle Newman: “AVATAR was a splendid visual feast! James Cameron gave my eyeballs a handjob”
Kevin Smith and George Lucas have not yet seen the film, but both hope to catch it during the holiday week.
Roger Ebert’s Best Film Lists for 2009
www.slashfilm.com
Posted on Sunday, December 20th, 2009 by Devindra Hardawar
It’s that time of the year again. Top ten lists are popping up everywhere (the /Filmcast’s will hit next week), and the annual movie list aggro war is in full swing (it’s a thing, trust me). Roger Ebert has finally unveiled his selections, and this time he’s going against the grain by releasing two separate top ten lists — his top mainstream films, and his top indies. He explains the move as a response to complaints about his top twenty list last year, and in doing so reminds us of his genius, “Which is is my official Top Ten? They both are equal, and every film here is entitled to name itself ‘One of the Year’s 10 Best!’”
Find both of Ebert’s lists, with selections ordered alphabetically (yet another reason to love him), after the break.
Top Ten Mainstream Films for 2009
- Bad Lieutenant
- Crazy Heart
- An Education
- The Hurt Locker
- Inglourious Basterds
- Knowing
- Precious
- A Serious Man
- Up in the Air
- The White Ribbon
Top Ten Indie Films for 2009
- Departures
- Disgrace
- Everlasting Moments
- Goodbye, Solo
- Julia
- Silent Light
- Sin Nombre
- Skin
- Trucker
- You, the Living
He also awarded Avatar his Special Jury Prize. And to clarify, Ebert says, “No, that doesn’t mean it’s the best film of the year. It means it won the Special Jury Prize.”
His mainstream list seems pretty straight-forward — except, of course, for the inclusion of Alex Proyas’s Knowing. Ebert famously gave that film four stars, and said in his review:
With expert and confident storytelling, Proyas strings together events that keep tension at a high pitch all through the film. Even a few quiet, human moments have something coiling beneath. Pluck this movie, and it vibrates. Even something we’ve seen countless times, like a car pursuit, works here because of the meaning of the pursuit, and the high stakes.
To say that he was in the minority with that opinion is an understatement — Knowing was crushed by most critics. It now sits at 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. I didn’t love the film nearly as much as Ebert, and probably wouldn’t include it even if I made a top twenty for 2009, but I respect the fact that Ebert never backed down from his position, and defended it so well.
For those still on the fence, Knowing is definitely worth a rental. Dave, Peter, Adam, and Russ chatted about the film (with spoilers) a while ago on a special /Filmcast bonus episode.
His indie list isn’t all that surprising either. Each of the films he’s listed has gotten considerable amounts of praise in 2009. I’m also still looking forward to checking out some of his selections, particularly Departures, Trucker, and You, the Living.
Discuss: What do you think of Ebert’s lists? Do you agree with the inclusion of Knowing?
Movie Clip – From ‘TOY STORY 3′
An extended clip from Toy Story 3 aired today on ABC Family and has found its ways to the interwebs through the magic of YouTubes. I feel bad showing you this clip because it’s so good you’re going to be sad once it’s over. It’s not a some cute stand-alone clip that you can enjoy but one that relates to the plot and when it was over I think I audibly shouted “No!” at my computer.
Following an introduction by director Lee Unkrich, the clip has Andy dividing up which toys are going with him to college, are going to the attic, and going to the curb. I won’t say anything beyond that so just watch the clip after the jump and then remember that the film’s release date of June 18, 2010 technically isn’t an eternity away. It only feels like it.
Avatar Sets December Box Office Record $232 million
The weekend’s nearly over and the estimates for James Cameron’s Avatar are in. We’re looking at a $73 million domestic opening and just over $159 million worldwide bring its town debut gross at over $232 million.
Are these good or bad? Well, fans of the industry should be happy to know that this is the largest opening ever for an original film not based on an existing property (novel, short story) or film (sequel, remake) – so that’s always a win. It beat out Lord of the Rings: Return of the King for best December opening but is still second to I am Legend. It’s also James Cameron’s biggest debut and I think Terminator 2, Aliens and Titantic were decent hits looking back on things…
That being said, some forecasts expected a domestic gross of mid to high-eighties so it fell short on that front with some blame being placed on the major snowstorms that hit the U.S. East coast over the weekend.
While it’s hard to get a clear-cut idea of what the production budget and marketing expenses are the the blockbuster 3D epic, some say it may have reached as high as half a billion. Putting it into perspective though, the film will make that back once it has finished its run in theater and then it’ll be a massive hit on Blu-ray and a big push into 3D home video. Fox made an investment in James Cameron’s project not for just this movie, but for the tech developed to bring it to life for other future projects that has other big-name directors everywhere excited to use it themselves.
And if they decide to go forward with a sequel, the ground-work, design, development and training has all been done and they’ll be able to go forward at a fraction of the cost.
James Cameron and Fox Studios are confident that positive critical reception and strong word-of-mouth will help carry the film over the next weeks. And if you remember, his last movie Titanic (yes, that was 12 years ago) opened at the same time and actually increased in box office numbers the following week.
That’s not to say that Avatar will improve on its numbers next week like we saw with Titantic, especially with Sherlock Holmes opening Christmas Day, but I do expect relatively strong numbers in the weeks to come.
If you’ve not seen it yet, or are waiting till it’s not as busy in the theaters or until Christmas is over – go see it. Avatar is one of the greatest theater-viewing experiences I’ve ever had and something that I needed to see twice to fully appreciate. While some say the story is bland or character development isn’t as strong as could be, don’t buy into that. There’s just as good a story and characters here than any other film this year (and I watched quite a few movies) and if there is one movie I had to recommend people go see more than any other, James Cameron’s Avatar is it.
Avatar stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi and Laz Alonso. If you have seen it, join Screen Rant’s Avatar spoiler discussion and share your thoughts.
Sources: Box Office Mojo, Collider
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