I’m definitely not the biggest fan of McG. Look no further than the CHARLIE’S ANGELS movies to see why. I was willing to give him a chance on TERMINATOR: SALVATION, mostly because I desperately wanted a great film and because the trailers looked so damn cool, but even that was a disappointment.

Now, to the delight of many, McG has left the director’s chair of CAPTAIN NEMO: 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA now that Disney has decided to halt work on the movie, which was supposed to start production early next year. Fortunately, the project doesn’t seem to be dead in the water, only temporarily on hold. (more…)

There are enough people walking around with the date November 20 imprinted on their brains, enough TWILIGHT fans who have been so eagerly anticipating the next entry in the series’ film adaptations, that I’ve long wondered if NEW MOON tickets sales would simply break the box office – including some of the easiest ways to purchase tickets, like Fandango. It looks like NEW MOON is coming damn close to that, as the film is officially the top advance seller ever on the ticket-selling website.

The film is currently responsible for 86% of this week’s advance ticket sales on the site. While that is the only figure Fandango has released (there’s no word on actual dollar amounts), that’s enough of a jaw-dropping number to make sure it’s the story everyone is talking about. The film has even topped its predecessor, TWILIGHT, which is still Fandango’s number 5 top advance ticket seller. The rest of the top five list includes all sorts of big draw movies – STAR WARS: EPISODE III – REVENGE OF THE SITH, HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, and THE DARK KNIGHT – only strengthening NEW MOON’s obvious place in cinematic box office history.

TWILIGHT made $69.6 million in its first weekend at the box office. What are your predictions for NEW MOON’s opening weekend? 100 million? 150 million? More?

Source Cinematical, Deadline Hollywood

The kids over at Movieline have got an excellent scoop this evening, straight from director Richard Linklater (SCHOOL OF ROCK, the upcoming ME AND ORSON WELLES). It looks like Linklater’s next project, LIARS (A TO E), is the first cut thanks to last month’s slashes in staff (and now, actual product output) at Miramax. Linklater flat-out told Movieline that LIARS (A TO E) is “no longer happening, unfortunately…It didn’t really work out. It’s tough.”

LIARS (A TO E) was already set to star up-and-coming starlets Rebecca Hall and Kat Dennings. The script revolves around a woman (Hall), on a road trip with her best friend (Dennings), during which they stop off to visit various of Hall’s ex-boyfriends to retrieve items from them. The first known version of the script actually set the girls’ road trip as taking place on the way to the Obama inauguration, so I’d say that they Linklater may have already missed the timely boat on that.

There’s no official word on why Linklater’s project was the first ship sunk by the newest incarnation of Miramax, but I suspect we might hear something more concrete from the studio once this news starts spreading. Would you have been interested in seeing Hall and Dennings in LIARS (A TO E)?

The awards-getting buzz for CRAZY HEART has been very strong as late, with many pointing to Jeff Bridges’ performance as Oscar worthy. Today, we get our very first look at Bridges’ “Bad Blake” in action with the trailer for the film.

The trailer plays up the strength of Bridges’ performance, calling his work “the performance of a lifetime.” We also get a look at Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s roles in the film. As I’ve suspected, it looks like Gyllenhaal’s journalist character finds herself romantically involved with Blake as he tries to find his way back to rock stardom and a little redemption. It’s a solid trailer, and I’m pleased to see that it’s not over-the-top with the gritty story. It would be very easy for this plot to verge into melodramatic territory, but CRAZY HEART looks to be taking a strong stance that will probably make the film pack more of an emotional punch. I am quite excited to see Bridges’ performance and hope it’s as good as everyone is saying. This trailer is an excellent start.

Check out the trailer on Apple HERE. CRAZY HEART will have a limited release on December 16.

Writer/director Troy Duffy, along with the MacManus Brothers themselves, Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery, were in Dallas this past week for a special screening of the BOONDOCK SAINTS II: ALL SAINT’S DAY. Needless to say, the die hard BOONDOCKs fans turned out in droves and were as rowdy as can be. Would you expect anything less? After all, with BOONDOCK SAINTS, everyone’s Irish!

Luckily, there were no riots or Irish car bombs…in the literal sense, that is. There were, however, a few being passed around the bar that night, which explains Duffy and Reedus’ less than top-form demeanor the next morning when we sat down to chat all things BOONDOCKS. Unfortunately, Mr. Flanery had to depart early, but the rest of the boys were kind enough to stick around to talk about the possibility of a third film, potential hesitations in making a second, the addition of Clifton Collins Jr. to the cast, the now infamous documentary OVERNIGHT, and if they upped the ante on the number of f-bombs in ALL SAINT’S DAY.

Check out the very cool interview with these very nice gentlemen after the jump! (more…)

I’m sure a lot of you know who Leona Lewis is, but just in case you don’t, let’s go over a few things. Leona Lewis is a British pop and R&B singer/songwriter, who won the third season of “The X Factor” (a show that sounds a lot like a British “American Idol”). Her bigger hits so far include her take on “A Moment Like This” and “Bleeding Love.”

If you didn’t know who Leona Lewis was before reading this article, you will probably be hearing her voice very soon. Lewis is officially the voice behind the theme song for James Cameron’s upcoming AVATAR. The song is “I See You (Theme From Avatar).” (more…)

In a move that only seems sixteen or seventeen years too late for most people to care about, a new PURE COUNTRY movie, A PURE COUNTRY GIFT, has been announced. That’s right, SPIDER-MAN 4, watch your ass because there is going to be a sort-of sequel to PURE COUNTRY coming in. You better hope it does not start garnering all of the sequel attention of Hollywood.

PURE COUNTRY came out in 1992 and is a drama about a fictional country music star, starring real-life country music star George Strait. Strait will also be starring in A PURE COUNTRY GIFT. (more…)

Well, the mystery is over. R2-D2 has been found, probably thanks to people who were able to get the STAR TREK DVD or Blu-ray early even though it doesn’t officially come out until tomorrow. That always makes it easier to go through a film frame by frame.

For those of you unfamiliar with what R2 might be doing floating around in a different movie franchise, it was a publicity stunt by Paramount. Their STAR TREK Easter Egg Sweepstakes called on movie fans to find the little robot, which had been randomly inserted into the film by ILM, for a chance to win an actual prop. Though the winner was announced months ago, R2-D2 hasn’t been revealed until today. (more…)

The Mad Hatter has just released the final poster of the three new ALICE IN WONDERLAND posters he was exclusively premiering on his Facebook fan page (am I wrong in thinking that Wonderland should be without social networks?). As suspected, this final poster features Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter front and center, briskly trotting straight towards us.

The three posters form a larger version of this ad Wilhem showed us a couple of weeks ago. Funnily enough, that ad chopped off the Mad Hatter’s appearance in the second poster, keeping us from wondering what the heck he was doing in two places at once.

This new poster also provides us a better look at Alan Rickman’s (blue!) Caterpillar, along with the only name getting marquee billing (shock – it’s Depp). Check out the full poster after the jump, along with all three posters, lovingly fitted together for you by the wonderifous Chase Whale. (more…)

Vassup? If it’s a review of the film you’re looking for, then check out Rusty’s review of BRÜNO HERE.

Special Features Rating: 7/10

All the people that thought they escaped public humiliation with Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest social experiment now have their day as BRÜNO hits shelves, jam packed with deleted, alternate and extended scenes as well as an informative commentary on the difficulties and experiences of shooting a film like Brüno from Cohen himself, along with director Larry Charles.

Most of what you get with the special features on BRÜNO is the fat they cut off the film to make it flow better. The alternate scenes provide us with some hilariously awkward moments as Brüno makes sexual advances towards various politicians in a similar way he does with Ron Paul in the final cut. We also get to see who Brüno interviews before Paula Abdul whilst sitting on a human chair. It is none other than baseball legend Pete Rose, who seems all too comfortable with the idea. (more…)

As we told you before , Wes Anderson has already decided on his next script, a retelling of the 2006 French film MON MEILLEUR AMI (MY BEST FRIEND). Anderson’s version of the story will be called THE ROSENTHALER SUITE.  There is no official word that he will be directing the project.

That title may not sound too enticing, but here’s some information that explains it. In the film, The Rosenthaler Suite is a collection of paintings made by Moses Rosenthaler, an elderly artist who is dying of cancer. Nicholas, an egocentric and opportunistic art dealer has been buying up Rosenthaler’s paintings because he foresees a posthumous resurgence after the painter’s death. Lucinda, a rival art dealer, becomes aware of Nicholas’ plan because he is in debt and needs a partner to help him buy the paintings. At his birthday party, Lucinda bets Nicholas that he has no friends. The Rosenthaler Suite becomes the wager in the bet. (more…)

Edward Norton plays a pair of two very different twins in LEAVES OF GRASS; one twin is a pot dealer, the other is a college professor. The film appears to be a comedy of errors as the professor goes back home because he believes his brother has died, and winds up in the middle of his brother’s shenanigans (always a fun word to use). Check out the trailer after the jump. (more…)

This week brings the release of this summer’s blockbuster hit STAR TREK, which is a must for anyone with a Blu-ray player, home theater system, or a way to play a DVD in your home in general. A few films from fanboy auteur Kevin Smith are getting the hi-def treatment, as the KEVIN SMITH MOVIE COLLECTION hits shelves. The three pack includes Blu-ray editions of CLERKS, CHASING AMY, and JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK. Both CLERKS and CHASING AMY can also be purchased individually. And Christmas is coming early with the release of the IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA holiday special, IT’S A VERY SUNNY CHRISTMAS.

The title-o-the week I’ll be rushing out to buy:
While STAR TREK is a given, I’m looking forward to picking up the “You Are Not Special” edition of FIGHT CLUB on Blu-ray. I shall enjoy kicking back on my Ikea couch in my Ikea-clad living room to see David Fincher’s bare-knuckled masterpiece of a film in high definition.

Check out all the key releases for this week after the jump! (more…)

Helena Bonham Carter and Guy Pearce are among the latest additions to the cast of Tom Hooper’s THE KING’S SPEECH. The cast already includes Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush.

The film follows King George VI, played by Firth, as he assumes the throne following the resignation of his brother, Edward (Pearce). George overcomes a nervous stammering problem with the help of unorthodox speech therapist Lionel Logue (Rush) and ultimately leads Britain through World War II. (more…)

Here’s a bit of cool news for our animation and comic book lovers out there. Mass Animation is launching a DC Universe Online Animation Contest on Facebook that gives fans a chance to make their own DC animated short film.

Mass Animation will use animation made by fans to produce a trailer for Sony Online Entertainment’s upcoming DC Universe Online game. DC Universe Online is a multiplayer online game that will be released in 2010. Some of the characters featured will be Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Joker, Lex Luthor, and Circe. (more…)