Midnight Movies

With Pixar’s Up practically guaranteed to hold on to the number one spot for a second week in a row, Will Ferrell’s family-friendly Land of the Lost will battle the raunchy comedy The Hangover from Ferrell’s Old School director Todd Phillips for second place. And if reviews still matter at all, The Hangover will best Lost for the silver medal, despite its R rating. Check out my predictions below:

1. Up: $40 million
Wall-E dropped 49% on its second weekend but that was primarily due to the 4th of July holiday. Most Pixar films fall in the 40% range during their sophomore session, and Up should be no different. With critics giving it practically unanimous positive marks, the animated geriatric adventure tale should hold up well and cross the $100 million this frame with ease.

2. The Hangover: $25 million
Warner Bros. is so high on this movie starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis that the studio engaged in an extensive screening program and, in an unheard-of move, already greenlit a sequel. The Las Vegas-set comedy should attract both older audiences and the college crowd, who are sure to relate to a plot about piecing together a night of drunken debauchery.

3. Land of the Lost: $23 million
This PG-13 rated re-imagining of Sid and Marty Krofft’s cult ’70s TV show from director Brad Silberling had such promise on paper. Sleestaks, Cha-Ka, what more could a ’70s baby want? Thing is, though, no one who rushes out to see movies opening weekend, meaning kids 18 and under, has a clue what we’re talking about. And while Will Ferrell has been working overtime promoting this movie–Saturday Night Live, Man vs. Wild–in the end Lost isn’t likely to be one of summer’s most memorable moments.

4. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian: $12 million
The Ben Stiller-starrer is a hit, though it’s likely to see some stiff competition this frame from Land of the Lost. Expect another solid 50% drop for the weekend, which would put its total take close to $124 million.

5. Drag Me to Hell: $8 million
This fifth slot is going to be a horse race. You’ve got your stalwart Star Trek hanging in for a fifth weekend, Terminator Salvation striving to stay relevant its third weekend, and this Sam Raimi horror pic, which has both horror fans and critics raving. I’m gonna give it to Raimi. Maybe his fans (and horror lovers in general) didn’t get a chance to see the movie opening weekend, and that could save it from dropping too steeply its second go-around in theaters.

Also opening in theaters: Nia Vardalos’ My Life in Ruins. Critics have been giving Vardalos’ My Big Fat Greek Wedding follow-up a drubbing, and any nostalgia for the surprise 2002 film has probably worn off by now. Fox Searchlight is opening the Greece-set comedy in over 1,000 theaters, but it’s gonna have to fight to get into the top ten.

Source - http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com

Players meeting with writers for new take on the franchise

A new incarnation of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” could be coming to the big screen, courtesy of the director of the original movie.

“Buffy” creator Joss Whedon isn’t involved and it’s not set up at a studio, but director Fran Rubel Kuzui is working on a relaunch with Vertigo Entertainment, which specializes in English-language remakes of Asian films, such as “The Grudge” and “The Departed.”

While Whedon is the person most associated with the “Buffy” franchise, Kuzui and her Kuzui Enterprises have held onto the rights since the beginning, when she discovered the “Buffy” script from then-unknown Whedon. She developed the script while her husband Kaz put together the financing to make the 1992 movie, which was released by Fox.

Kuzui later helped bring back Whedon to make the TV series, which began its successful run on the WB in 1997. She received executive producer credits on “Buffy” and its spinoff, “Angel.”

The new “Buffy” film, however, would have no connection to the TV series, nor would it use popular supporting characters like Angel, Willow, Xander or Spike. Kuzui and Vertigo are looking to restart the story line without trampling on the beloved existing universe created by Whedon.

One of the underlying ideas of “Buffy” allows the filmmakers to do just that: that each generation has its own vampire slayer to protect it. The goal would be to make a darker, event-sized movie that would, of course, have franchise potential.

The parties are meeting with writers and hearing takes, and later will look for a home for the project. The producers do not rule out Whedon’s involvement but have not yet reached out to him. Speaking from Tokyo, Fran Kuzui said she is constantly approached not only about sequels but theater, video games and foreign remakes for “Buffy.” When Vertigo’s Roy Lee contacted them, they were intrigued.

“It was Roy’s interest in taking Buffy into a new place that grabbed us,” she said. “It was based on our respect for what he does, and his particular sensitivity to Asian filmmakers, that we wanted to work with him.”

Kuzui, who is preparing to direct a movie in Japan in the fall, added: “Everything has its moment. Every movie takes on a life at some point, and this seems like the moment to do this.”

Source - www.hollywoodreporter.com

Over 13 years after his last American film release, writer/director Buddy Giovinazzo is set to unveil his latest film, “Life is Hot in Cracktown.”

Lightning Media released a trailer for “Life is Hot in Cracktown,” which can be found online at http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/lifeishotincracktown/.

Source - www.da.wvu.edu

CANNES, France — A dispute that erupted at the Cannes Film Festival this week has put the Texas Film Commission in the international spotlight, raising allegations of censorship and questions about artistic freedom and new jobs in Texas.

Representatives of Entertainment 7, the company behind the upcoming feature film “Waco,” said this week at the festival that the Texas Film Commission has denied its application for recently approved tax incentives that are meant to encourage more film, television and commercial production in Texas. Company officials said the commission’s actions caused them to halt plans for a $30 million project in the state. Texas has lost big-budget projects in recent years to states such as Louisiana and Michigan, which offer up to 40 percent tax rebates on productions.

The movie was denied incentives because of factual inaccuracies in the script, said Bob Hudgins, director of the Texas Film Commission. Under a statute passed by the Legislature in 2007, also known as a content provision, projects that put Texas in a negative light can be denied incentives. The provision was introduced by state Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, and states that filmmakers taking incentives cannot show “Texas or Texans in a negative fashion.” Only Utah has a similar provision.

“Waco,” which deals with the federal raid on the Branch Davidian compound near the city on Feb. 23, 1993,would have been one of the biggest film projects in recent years for the state.

“Waco” is the first film Hudgins has rejected under the provision. He said he reads about 30 feature film scripts each year.

“It’s not censorship at all,” Hudgins said.

“After reading the ‘Waco’ script, I did some fact checking and feel very confident in the checking I did,” he said. “I talked to people, law enforcement and journalists who were actually involved in the whole incident. This was not something that was done lightly. … This project steps outside an accurate portrayal of those events.”

While attending the two-week Cannes festival, which ends Sunday, Emilio Ferrari and Tara Wood, executives at Los Angeles-based Entertainment 7, said that Hudgins had bowed to pressure from politicians.

“He had the script months ago,” Ferrari said. “And there was no problem for a long time. Hudgins helped us scout locations and did not indicate there were any problems until recently.”

Hudgins denied any pressure and said the decision was exclusively his. The statute makes clear that the final decision is up to the Film Commission, he said.

Ferrari said the script for “Waco” is not inaccurate and does not portray Texas in a negative light. “It’s not a movie about Texas. It’s about an incident that happened there, but it could have happened anywhere.”

Wood said that the film would focus on miscommunication with federal agencies coordinating the standoff and eventual assault.

The script was written by Rupert Wainwright and James Hibberd, a former employee of the American-Statesman. Mike McNulty, who co-wrote the Oscar-nominated 1997 documentary “Waco: The Rules of Engagement,” is a co-producer, and Wainwright is scheduled to direct.

“We did years of research on this project, and there’s nothing inaccurate in the script,” said Ferrari, whose Entertainment 7 specializes in low-budget features such as the recent “Baby on Board” with Heather Graham and the cult comedy “But I’m a Cheerleader.” “We have not been told of any specific inaccuracies, and I’d really like to know.”

Hudgins wouldn’t specify what’s inaccurate in the script, though he said that the people he talked to about it, whom he declined to identify, said the script is off-base.

Regardless of accuracy, Wood said the real issue is censorship and artistic freedom.

“It shows the problems with the new setup for film incentives,” Woodsaid. “Other filmmakers will not want to come to Texas if they have to get script approval first from the state — and if that approval can be subject to political pressure.”

Ogden added the provision in 2007 after controversy erupted around the Texas-filmed 2006 sports drama “Glory Road,” which tells the story of the 1966 Texas Western Miners and, according to school supporters, exaggerates racism at what was then called East Texas State University (now Texas A&M-Commerce).

Ferrari and Wood said that international movie publications were planning to report about the controversy and that the issue could hurt Texas’ efforts to recruit new movies.

When asked if there was still a possibility that the movie would be filmed in Texas, Ferrari had a flat “no.”

He and his partners were considering Louisiana, where they would get about $6 million in tax breaks. (Unlike Texas, Louisiana’s film office sent a representative to Cannes.)

Hudgins said they were welcome to shoot in Texas; they just wouldn’t be eligible for the tax breaks. If the project had been approved, Hudgins said, they would have been eligible to get back 15 percent of what they spent in Texas.

“We’re not saying they can’t come to Texas, not at all,” Hudgins said. “We will facilitate every request they have.

“I would love to have not had to make this call, because I realize the direct cost to Texas in jobs and income,” he said. “That’s what makes the decision so difficult. I’m here to promote as much production activity in the state as possible, but I also have to live within the confines of the statute.”

Source - www.austin360.com

Dave Durst has showcased some pretty cool autos in his day.

But nothing compares to the vintage Dodge van he trotted out last week, a 1975 Tradesman 300 “Santana.”

It features a terrible paint job. There are messy swipes of caulk keeping water out of the top. And the air-conditioning is kaput.

But it’s Uncle Rico’s van. And if you’re a fan of the 2004 quirky cult classic flick “Napoleon Dynamite,” you’ll instantly appreciate the draw of this vehicle.

And some day soon, it’s just possible you’ll be able to rent Uncle Rico’s van for anything from a pub crawl to a wedding to your senior prom.

“I’m looking into using it as a limo or to chauffeur people around in it,” says Durst, 43, who lives on Dean Lake, just north of Grand Rapids. “I was at a car show last week, and boy, I got so much response. Even little kids recognize it.”

Durst is a married father of four who works as a mechanic at Fox Pontiac Buick GMC on Alpine Avenue NW. His love of all things auto goes back to when he was in third grade. That’s when he enrolled in his first auto mechanics class. He has been a gearhead ever since.

Over the years, he has owned some sweet sets of wheels, including a 1970 Plymouth Superbird, a 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang 4-speed hardtop, and a 1971 Barracuda.

Those turned heads.

But showing up in the van that Uncle Rico made famous in the movie puts Durst in a Hollywood sort of way.

Uncle Rico is actually Jon Gries, whose character is stuck in the year 1982, when he played football for his high school team. He longs to relive his past, and goes to the extreme of filming himself passing footballs. In the movie, he lives in a field in his camper van near Preston, Idaho.

Uncle Rico endeared himself to fans of the movie by passing himself off as someone who could have made it in the NFL but, in truth, he’s as big a nerd as key characters Napoleon and Kip.

The van figures prominently in the movie, which was an afterthought for its producers, who discovered the camper by accident after they already started shooting. It fit perfectly into the 1970s shtick they were trying to create, and so its owner loaned the van to the set for free.

It later was acquired by a gentleman who tried unsuccessfully to peddle it on eBay. That’s where Durst’s brother, Dan, noticed it and notified Dave, who tracked down the seller after the eBay auction ended.

They eventually settled on a price — which Durst prefers not to disclose — and Durst and son Cody flew one way to meet the seller near Columbus, Ohio. They drove it back to Grand Rapids two months ago and have been plotting how to best market the investment. The sale included a letter of authenticity from movie director Jared Hess.

At an auto show last Saturday at Fifth Third ballpark to benefit burn victims, Durst was ready with T-shirts bearing the likeness of Uncle Rico, as well as pins sporting a famous mantra from the movie — “Vote for Pedro.”

Fans young and old couldn’t wait to climb inside and examine the van that helped make Uncle Rico the sorry wannabe he was; it boasts a sink, stove, fridge, CB radio and 50-gallon water tank. The interior is, well, dank and dark.

But it came with a football resembling the one Uncle Rico heaved. And of all things, Durst found a pair of black moon boots that are remarkably similar to the ones Napoleon wore throughout the movie, dance scene and all. Whether they’re the real deal is anyone’s guess, says Durst.

Durst, by the way, is babying another vehicle he recently acquired — or I suppose I should say re-acquired.

It’s a 1970 Rebel Machine with a phosphorescent green paint job that’s the only one of its color known to exist. Durst first bought the machine in 1983, when he was 16. He blew the engine hot-rodding against a Porsche, sold it around 1987, and nearly two decades later was finally able to talk the last owner into parting with it three years ago.

He performed major surgery to bring it back to showroom shape. The Machine is so unusual it has been featured on Jay Leno’s garage Web site, and it owns a spot in the Snap-On Tools calendar. Durst has been offered as much as $50,000 for it.

But Durst is reluctant to entertain any offers — on the Machine or Uncle Rico’s rig, for that matter.

The cars, says Durst, “are my 401(k) plan.”

Or as Uncle Rico himself said when Napoleon wanted to spend too much money on food, “What, do you think money grows on trees in this family? Take it back! And get some Pampers for you and your brother while you’re at it.”

For more information about Uncle Rico’s van, e-mail Dave Durst at: bbgmachine@yahoo.com

Source - www.mlive.com

(AP)  Reviewers at the Vatican’s newspaper have passed judgment on “Angels & Demons,” finding the religious thriller commercial and inaccurate, but concluding it is “harmless” entertainment and not a danger to the church.

Top church officials strongly objected to “The Da Vinci Code” because it was based on the idea that Jesus married and fathered children and depicted the conservative Catholic movement, Opus Dei, as a murderous cult.

Source - www.cbsnews.com

LOS ANGELES – “Star Trek” beamed itself up to the top of the box office, earning $76.5 million in its opening weekend.

Paramount Pictures had estimated that the movie would make about $50 million for the weekend, but figured that strong reviews helped carry it to the bigger opening.

Director J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the beloved sci-fi franchise made $72.5 million from Friday through Sunday, plus $4 million just in pre-midnight screenings Thursday, the studio said Saturday. That cumulative figure includes a record $8.2 million in IMAX showings.

“Star Trek,” which reveals the back stories of Capt. Kirk, Mr. Spock and the rest of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, is an unusual blockbuster that pleased critics, too, receiving 96 percent positive reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes Web site.

“Last year ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Iron Man’ both were embraced by critics as incredible filmmaking as well as big action-adventure movies. This one has been even better reviewed,” said Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore. “You look at the level of critical response and the audience reaction, we definitely feel like the movie is set to play into Memorial Day and into the summer.”

Moore said he expected the movie, which had a $140 million budget, should gross over $200 million total this summer, even with competition like “Terminator: Salvation” coming on May 21 and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” arriving in theaters July 15.

Abrams got it right, he said, by appealing to both hardcore “Star Trek” fans as well as moviegoers who may not have been familiar with the 1960s television series and the many movies and TV spin-offs it spawned. It stars Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock, and features an appearance by Leonard Nimoy as an older version of the half-Vulcan, half-human Spock.

“It just shows you how talented he is and what a great movie he made,” Moore said.

“Star Trek” also beat the $6.3 million record “The Dark Knight” set in its opening weekend on IMAX screens last year.

“The DNA of this movie and the DNA of the `Star Trek’ franchise work perfectly together and are very much a complement to what IMAX has accomplished,” said Greg Foster, chairman and president of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “IMAX was a company that had a sort of older-school, older-fashioned approach to things and we hipped it up and reinvented ourselves, if you will. That’s precisely what J.J. Abrams and Paramount did with ‘Star Trek.’”

The fact that the “Star Trek” haul improved from $26.8 million on Friday to $27.4 million on Saturday is a good sign, said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

“Sometimes you will see a movie drop big-time,” Dergarabedian said. “What this ‘Star Trek’ is going to have is legs, a rare commodity in this world where every week there’s a new blockbuster.”

As expected, last week’s top film, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” came in at No. 2 with $27 million. The prequel to the “X-Men” franchise, starring Hugh Jackman as the mutant who slices and dices his enemies with his metal claws, has made nearly $129.6 million in two weeks.

“It’s the same weekend drop as (’X-Men: The Last Stand’), the last one. That tends to be what fan-based movies do,” said Chris Aronson, senior vice president of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox. “To have $130 million in the first 10 days is sensational. We think we withstood the attack of ‘Star Trek,’ if you will, and will settle into a long, successful run.”

The week’s other new wide release, the stoner comedy “Next Day Air,” came in at sixth place with $4 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. “Star Trek,” $72.5 million.
2. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” $27 million.
3. “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” $10.45 million.
4. “Obsessed,” $6.6 million.
5. “17 Again,” $4.4 million.
6. “Next Day Air,” $4 million.
7. “The Soloist,” $3.6 million.
8. “Monsters vs. Aliens,” $3.4 million.
9. “Earth,” $2.5 million.
10. “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” $2.4 million.

Source - http://movies.yahoo.com

An Apopka company said Tuesday it has sued Universal Orlando, its parent company and two studios, accusing them of stealing its concept for Halloween-themed attractions based on three iconic horror-film figures.

ICC Design Inc. accuses Universal, NBC Universal, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. of taking plans it had developed for theme-park attractions built around the characters Jason, Freddy Krueger and Leatherface, and using them for the 2007 edition of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal parks in Orlando and California.

ICC said it first approached New Line in February 2005 about plans to license the three characters for new theme-park attractions, kicking off discussions that it said ultimately broadened to include Universal executives.

But it said those talks abruptly ended in November 2006 — only a few months before New Line and Universal announced a deal to feature the three characters during Universal’s seasonal Halloween Horror Nights.

Universal typically adopts a new theme every year for its popular Horror Nights. The 2007 edition was dubbed the “Carnival of Carnage” and designed as an evil circus featuring eight haunted houses.

Three of those houses were devoted to movie characters: Freddy (of the Nightmare on Elm Street movie franchise), Jason (Friday the 13th) and Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Universal executives said it was the first time the trio had been reproduced in a live environment.

“Through outright fraud, deception, misrepresentation and ‘back-door’ dealings, entertainment industry giants New Line Cinema, Universal Orlando and NBC misappropriated ICC’s confidential and proprietary business proposal and used such to reap staggering profits,” according to the lawsuit, filed in state Circuit Court in Orlando.

Universal dismissed the allegations. “We’re going to vigorously defend our position,” spokesman Tom Schroder said.

Source  - http://www.orlandosentinel.com

I’ve been trying to figure out why the news that Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester has been cast in the Sony Screen Gems thriller The Roommate as a terrorized freshman annoyed me, and I think it’s because I’m at the point that I roll my eyes any time I hear of a young TV actor toplining a big-screen horror flick or “thriller.” You’ve got to wonder if they’re rolling their eyes, too, when the script comes in, or if they’re just thankful that they got a movie script. (Maybe they’re actually fans of the genre that targets the audience demo they also belong to — I realize that’s an option.)Just wondering if a young TV actor — and specifically an actress — can make a big-screen splash without going the horror/”thriller” route. I e-mailed a few colleagues to ask if they could think of anyone who’s made a successful-for-the-long-term leap that didn’t involve those genres, and the names that came to mind were: Michael J. Fox, Claire Danes, Michelle Williams, and Evan Rachel Wood. No one in the last five years. (You think of any?) Those that have tried — such as Adam Brody and Alexis Bledel — may hold special places in our hearts, but their names aren’t on the tip of anyone’s tongue…. 

Source - http://popwatch.ew.com

Scarlett Johansson is joining the superhero set.

Her rep confirms that the actress has signed on to play Black Widow in the Iron Man sequel opposite Robert Downey Jr. The deal was signed this afternoon.

“Scarlett is thrilled to be a part of Iron Man,” her rep, Marcel Pariseau, tells me.

Meanwhile, after months of negotiations…

The Wrestler’s comeback kid, Mickey Rourke, has finally sealed a deal to play villain Whiplash, according to Variety.

Rourke’s team had reportedly held out for more money after Marvel’s initial offer was just $250,000.

Scheduled for a May 2010 release, part two of the franchise will also include Gwyneth Paltrow returning as Pepper Potts, along with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Don Cheadle playing Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes.

Source - http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b103998_ScarJo__amp__Mickey_Rourke_Help_Raise__lt_i_gt_Iron_lt__i_gt__Curtain.html