Movie News and More...

Despicable? Box Office Sales Says No

2010-07-12T00:34:00.000-07:00

Universal's 3D animated film Despicable Me was well received by audiences in North America as it debuted on the weekend box office at the top with a healthy $60.1 million dollars. The movie is led by actor Steve Carell, who lends his voice to the main character of the movie, Gru. Last week's winner The Twilight Saga: Eclipse slips to number 2, while the sequel Predators opens with $25.3 million, exceeding expectations and pushing it to 3rd place.

'Despicable' is delightful at weekend B.O.
'Despicable Me' Dominates, 'Predators' Solid But Unspectacular
'Despicable Me' tops weekend box office at $60.1M
'Despicable' puts sizzle in b.o. at No. 1

Life in a Day

2010-07-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

What does your life look like in a day? On July 24, 2010, millions of people from all over the world will try to answer that question with their own video of their life on that day. Produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Kevin Macdonald, this ambitious social experiment is a documentary of millions of people's lives condensed into a watchable format. The film will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011.

It is a brilliant idea, but July 24 is a Saturday. It is a sad truth that most of us spend 5 days of our 7-day week working, so if they want to capture someone's life in a day, then they should do it on a weekday. It is interesting to see how each of us live our life on a weekday, who among us have that "weird" job, and who works during the night instead of the day.

YouTube to gather videos for 'Life in a Day' movie
Ridley Scott and YouTube prep for "Life in a Day"
Life in a Day YouTube Channel

Twilight Saga: Eclipse Dominates The Box Office

2010-07-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

Vampires and werewolves reigned supreme as The Twilight Saga: Eclipse earned $64 million over the Independence Day weekend, and a total of $83 million since opening Wednesday June 30. M. Night Shyamalan's latest offering, Nickelodeon-based The Last Airbender, opened in 2nd with $40 million under its belt, despite the poor reviews it has received. Last week's topnotcher and critically-acclaimed Toy Story 3 slips to 3rd place with still a strong $30 million.

Twilight sequel Eclipse shines at US box office
'Twilight' climbs to $83.6M over holiday weekend

G.I. Joe The Movie

2007-08-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

Another live-action film will be based on a popular Hasbro toyline. With the recent success of the Transformers, Paramount Pictures decided to move along their plans in making the G.I. Joe film by hiring Stephen Sommers to direct the movie. Some of Sommers more renowned works include The Mummy and The Mummy Returns.

"G.I. Joe" accepts movie assignment

In Theaters This Weekend (August 24-26, 2007)

2007-08-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

Here are movies opening this weekend, via IMDB, and ranked according to personal familiarity with the movie and/or actors in the movie.

War - Jet Li, Jason Statham. Directed by Philip G. Atwell
Mr. Bean's Holiday - Rowan Atkinson, Willem Defoe. Directed by Steve Bendelack.
The Nanny Diaries - Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti. Directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.

Superbad is Super Good: Movie is the Weekend Winner

2007-08-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

Superbad wins the box office race this weekend as the teen comedy rakes in $33 million, edging out last week's number one movie Rush Hour 3, which placed at number 2, and the Nicole Kidman/Daniel Craig sci-fi horror remake The Invasion, which tanked and opened at 5th place. Superbad stars relatively unknown actors Michael Cera and Jonah Hill, and produced by fast-rising Judd Apatow, whose previous works include The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Anchorman, and the surprise 2007 hit Knocked-Up.

Superbad tops US box office chart
'Superbad' Wins Weekend With $33 Million

Eleven Hurt on Set of Tom Cruise's Valkyrie

2007-08-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

I still remember posting an article here about Tom Cruise getting protests from Germans for starring in the Germany-based movie Valkyrie, but here's another somewhat bad news. Eleven extras on the movie were injured when they fell off a truck whose side burst open while it was turning a corner.

Eleven injured on Cruise film set
Extras Hurt on Set of Tom Cruise Movie

What Makes a Movie a Success?

2007-08-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

So what makes a movie a success, Oscars- or box office-wise? Psychology professor Dean Simonton thinks he knows the answers. He says most critically-acclaimed movies are R-rated and based on a true story or a novel.

You can read more about the article here.

I should mention a funny thing (for me at least) that was mentioned in the article. Tom O'Neil of theenvelope.com expresses his rather not so positive thoughts on movie critics and why they usually give bright reviews to fairly obscure movies. I tend to agree with him.

In Theaters This Weekend (August 17-19, 2007)

2007-08-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

Here are movies opening this weekend, via IMDB, and ranked according to personal familiarity with the movie and/or actors in the movie.

The Invasion - Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig. Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, James McTeigue.
Superbad - Michael Cera, Jonah Hill. Directed by Greg Mottola.
The Last Legion - Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, Aishwarya Rai. Directed by Doug Lefter.

The DVD Wars

2007-08-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

Video formats are in another war. It's like the VHS-Betamax battle of the past, but this time, it's Blu-ray vs HD DVD. It's a catch-22 situation: manufacturers want the consumers to decide once and for all which format will win by letting them buy which DVD format they want. Consumers, however, don't want to shell out money on something that they're not even sure will be supported after a few years. There are players that support both type of DVDs, but they're expensive. Right now you can say it's a fairly even battle. HD DVD players are generally cheaper so many people buy them, but many film companies have decided to sell only Blu-ray DVDs.

Personally, I'm sticking with my old DVD and wait until a winner emerges.

Rush Hour Still a Hit Even After 6 Years

2007-08-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker prove they still have charm over movie goers as their movie Rush Hour 3 tops the box office charts this weekend by earning a healthy $50.2 million. Stardust, another new entry this week, earned a measly $9.01 million to place 4th this week.

'Rush Hour' still in the fast lane
'Rush Hour 3' Debuts No. 1 at Box Office

Salma Hayek and Disney are In Love

2007-08-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

The popular Latina actress Salma Hayek has teamed up with Walt Disney Pictures for an as-yet unnamed romantic comedy. The movie will be about a conservative doctor who finds out that his soon-to-be wife (Hayek) had a popular Latin star for an ex-boyfriend. And to complicate things, the ex-boyfriend is trying to get back together with her.

She's also doing voice work for another Disney movie titled South of the Border .

Love is in the air for Hayek, Disney

Sex and the Movies

2007-08-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

The movie version of the popular HBO series Sex and the City is slowly coming into fruition as Chris Noth signs up for the project. He'll be reprising his role as Mr. Big, the love interest of the main character Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker. Her 3 friends are also on board for the 2008 movie.

More "Sex" puts Mr. Big on big screen

Voltron Movie Coming Soon!

2007-08-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

With the recent success of Transformers, it seems that the new "fad" in Hollywood right now is to make a movie of old cartoon shows. New Regency and 20th Century Fox have teamed up to produce Voltron, a movie about 5 pilots who run robotic lions that can form together into one big gigantic ... robot.

I guess movies with epic battles ala Lord of the Rings are now out.

I'm not sure yet if I'm looking forward to this movie. I am a Voltron fan, but not a huge fan; I didn't have Voltron toys when I was a kid (then again they were expensive).

'Voltron' gets bigscreen go

Top Stars to Appear in Pink Panther Sequel

2007-08-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

I honestly haven't seen the first Pink Panther movie (which starred Steve Martin; there's an older/original version of the movie I believe, which didn't have Martin in the lead role) but I thought this news is interesting enough for me to share it with you.

Several Hollywood stars and a former Miss World have joined the comedy cast of the next Pink Panther movie. Andy Garcia, John Cleese, Alfred Molina, and beauty queen turned Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai signed up for Pink Panther 2 to be detectives in the movie who will help Inspector Clouseau catch himself another high-profile thief.

'Pink Panther' sequel coming to life

In Theaters This Weekend (August 10-12, 2007)

2007-08-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here are movies opening this weekend, via IMDB, and ranked according to personal familiarity with the movie and/or actors in the movie.

Rush Hour 3 - Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker. Directed by Brett Ratner.
Stardust - Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Sienna Miller, etc. Directed by Matthew Vaughn.
Rocket Science - Reece Thompson, Anna Kendrick, etc. Directed by Jeffrey Blitz.
Skinwalkers - Jason Behr, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra. Directed by James Isaac.

Reviews: Rush Hour 3

2007-08-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

Things aren't looking too good for Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. Reviews of their 3rd movie in the Rush Hour series are coming, and most of them are saying that the movie sucks. I like Jackie Chan movies so I'm hoping the critics are being overly critical about the movie.

25% Rotten at RottenTomatoes.com
Yahoo.com: Third 'Rush Hour' Is Lazy, Flat
Variety.com's Review of Rush Hour 3

Connelly, Long In Talks for New Barrymore Ensemble Comedy

2007-08-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Connelly and Justin Long, plus a couple of other actors, are in talks to star in Drew Barrymore's 2009 ensemble comedy He's Just Not That Into You. The New Line Cinema movie is based on the best-selling book of the same title written by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tucillo.

Connelly, Long "Just" right for Barrymore comedy

Hollywood Star for Michelle Pfeiffer

2007-08-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

Michelle Pfeiffer who stars as a villain in the new musical comedy Hairspray gets her own Hollywood Star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Pfeiffer thanked her mother and father for giving her support when she decided to become an actress.

Pfeiffer Honored With Hollywood Star

Matt Damon is Top 'Moneymaker'

2007-08-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

Forbes magazine's new chart says that film star Matt Damon brought in $29 of gross income for every $1 that he was paid for his latest films, making him the "best valued" Hollywood star. Other stars who made the list include Jennifer Aniston, the highest-placing female on the list at #5, and celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, both making the list at #2 and #6 respectively.

Here's the rest of the list and their value according to Forbes magazine.

1 Matt Damon ($29 / dollar)
2 Brad Pitt ($24 / dollar)
3 Vince Vaughn ($21 / dollar)
3 Johnny Depp ($21 / dollar)
5 Jennifer Aniston ($17 / dollar)
6 Angelina Jolie ($15 / dollar)
7 Renee Zellwegger
8 Reese Witherspoon
9 Ben Stiller
10 Sandra Bullock

Hollywood star Damon 'best value'
Forbes: `Bourne' Star Is a Moneymaker

The Bourne Ultimatum Conquers Box Office, Breaks Records

2007-08-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

The Matt Damon-Paul Greengrass spy thriller The Bourne Ultimatum proved a winner as it conquers the North American box office this weekend with a whopping $70 million, the biggest August opening yet. Last week's winner The Simpsons Movie slips to number 2, while Disney movie Underdog enters the charts at number 3 with $12 million.

Third Bourne movie tops US chart
'The Bourne Ultimatum' Earns $70 Million
'Bourne' breaks box office records

Eddie Murphy Admits Paternity of Scary Spice's Child

2007-08-03T21:37:00.000-07:00

A day after Spice Girls member Melanie Brown filed court papers in the US to legally establish the Dreamgirls actor as the father of her child, Eddie Murphy has publicly announced that he is indeed the father. Mel B. and Eddie Murphy dated a few months in 2006. Murphy filed for divorce from Nicole Mitchell Murphy in 2005.

Eddie Murphy confirms paternity
Murphy says he fathered Brown's daughter

In Theaters This Weekend (August 3-5, 2007)

2007-08-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here are movies opening this weekend, via IMDB, and ranked according to personal familiarity with the movie and/or actors in the movie.

The Bourne Ultimatum - Matt Damon, Edgar Ramirez, Joan Allen, etc. Directed by Paul Greengrass.
The Ten - Paul Rudd, Jessica Alba, Winona Ryder. Directed by David Wain.
El Cantante - Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez. Directed by Leon Ichaso.
Becoming Jane - Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, etc. Directed by Julian Jarrold.
Underdog - Peter Dinklage, Jason Lee, Amy Adams, etc. Directed by Frederik Du Chau.

Rush Hour 3 Banned in China

2007-08-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

In an article I posted a couple of days ago, it said that Chinese people were angered with the third Rush Hour movie, but the Film Bureau denied banning the movie. Now, they have confirmed that Rush Hour 3 is indeed banned in China for "commercial reasons."

China's censors ban 'Rush Hour 3'

Shrek 4 in Theaters May 21, 2010

2007-08-01T17:26:00.000-07:00

The fourth movie in the highly successful Shrek movies will be released on May 21, 2010, according to DreamWorks Animation and Paramount.

Fourth 'Shrek' eyes 2010

Rush Hour 3: Anti-Chinese?

2007-07-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

That's what Chinese authorities are saying about Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker's Rush Hour 3. China's Film Bureau however denied banning the movie.

Jackie Chan film 'angers Chinese'

The Reynolds-Bullock Nuptial

2007-07-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

Ryan Reynolds is marrying Sandra Bullock! But only in the movies. Reynolds is in final negotiations to star with Bullock in Disney's romantic comedy The Proposal.

Ryan Reynolds wed to Bullock in "Proposal"

The Simpsons Victory at the Box Office

2007-07-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

The Simpsons Movie beat out other films during the weekend in America as it raked in $72 million. Other new entries No Reservations and I Know Who Killed Me debuted at numbers 5 and 9 respectively.

'The Simpsons Movie' earns big Doh!
Simpsons claim box office victory

In Theaters This Weekend (July 27-29, 2007)

2007-07-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Here are movies opening this weekend, via IMDB, and ranked according to personal familiarity with the movie and/or actors in the movie.

The Simpsons Movie - Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, etc. Directed by David Silverman
No Reservations - Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin. Directed by Scott Hicks
I Know Who Killed Me - Lindsay Lohan, Julia Ormond, Neal McDonough. Directed by Chris Sivertson

The Simpsons Movie Opens in the US This Weekend

2007-07-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

The beloved TV family from Springfield is now in the big screen, as The Simpsons Movie debuts across America this weekend. So far, its IMDB rating is a 9.0 and is ranked at #93. It's surprisingly pretty high than I expected.

I'm a fan of the Simpsons in the 90's, but haven't seen an episode of the cartoon series in years. I might just wait for the DVD to come out before I see it, but don't let me stop you from watching it!

'Simpsons' make bigscreen bow

Star Trek's Original Spock is Back, Young Spock Casted

2007-07-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

Alias and LOST creator J. J. Abrams is slated to direct the next Star Trek movie since 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis, and he'll be directing 2 Spocks in the movie: the older one, played by Leonard Nimoy reprising his role from the movies, and the young version, to be played by Heroes actor Zachary Quinto. However, the script is heavily guarded (Abrams loves secrets, doesn't he?) so we don't know much about what the movie will be all about. Oh, we do know it will open on Christmas Day, 2008.

Dual Spocks for Abrams' Star Trek

Vaughn and Witherspoon Will Star in 'Four Christmases'

2007-07-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon is set to star in New Line Cinema's holiday comedy Four Christmases, which is scheduled to start filming sometime in late Fall. Witherspoon stars in the movie Rendition, in theaters this October, while Vaughn stars in Into the Wild (September 2007) and Fred Claus (November 2007).

Vaughn, Witherspoon set for comedy

Disney Bans Smoking From Its Movies

2007-07-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

This is one of those "weird news" (just my opinion) that you hear once a week. Disney has announced that "it was banning smoking from all its family-oriented films and cutting back on the practice in its adult-themed divisions, Touchstone and Miramax."

I am a non-smoker myself, and I do agree that smoking is bad for your health and that it's comparable to using drugs, but this move seems a bit ... silly? I don't think it's the word I'm looking for. Hopefully, this decision by Disney will have some benefits in the future.

Disney Kicking the Habit

Michael Bay Interview

2007-07-24T13:38:00.001-07:00

Here's an interview with Michael Bay, the director of the blockbuster hit Transformers. He talks about death threats from Transformers fans, working with Steven Spielberg, and other stuff.

BBC Interview with Michael Bay

Adam Sandler movie top at US box office

2007-07-23T07:03:00.000-07:00

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, the latest comedy film by Adam Sandler, topped the American box office during the July 20-22 weekend, pushing last week's number 1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix down to number 2. New musical comedy Hairspray debuts at number 3.

‘Chuck & Larry’ Bests Harry Potter at Box Office
Sandler comedy takes US top spot

Cruise's Valkyrie Starts Filming

2007-07-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

Tom Cruise's 2008 movie Valkyrie has already started filming in Berlin, Germany amidst controversy. Germany considers Cruise's religion Scientology as a cult, and some Germans are worried that his religion will somehow make its way into the film.

Cruise: Good Nazi, Better Welcome Wagon

1-18-08

2007-07-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

So have you heard of this latest movie by J. J. Abrams (of LOST and Alias fame)? The Internet is buzzing with speculations and theories as to what the movie is all about. All we have right now is a short trailer of the movie. We don't even get the title!

If you ask me, I am excited to find out more about this flick. It looks like another exciting monster-attacks-New York flick.

Only Gumshoes Can See This Movie

Rotten Tomatoes' Mid-year Report for 2007

2007-07-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

So which movies were worth watching this year so far? Which movies need to be forgotten? Check the list for yourself at Rotten Tomatoes' website and see if you agree with their list.

The Best and Worst of the Year So Far…

M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening

2007-07-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

I remember a few weeks ago looking in IMDB for upcoming projects by The Sixth Sense director M. Night Shyamalan, and was disappointed that I didn't find any new movies listed. Well today I was surfing around for movie news and I found this old article about the director's new movie called The Happening. I checked back at IMDB and to my surprise, it's now listed.

The plot reminds me of "War of the Worlds": "a paranoid thriller about a family on the run from a natural crisis that presents a large-scale threat to humanity"

The movie is set to be released on June 13, 2008.

Fox lands Shyamalan movie

Google Bourne

2007-07-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

This sounds pretty exciting. Universal Pictures and Google created a new online game called "The Ultimate Search for Bourne with Google" to promote the upcoming Matt Damon movie The Bourne Ultimatum.

I will check the link later when I have the time. The Google game is here.

Universal, Google are game for "Bourne" deal

New X-Files Movie!

2007-07-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge X-Files fan so I'm excited to find out that they're going to release a second movie based on the classic TV series. Can't wait to see Mulder and Scully back in action!

Although to be honest, I don't know how the TV series ended.

New X-Files movie 'coming soon'
Second "X-Files" pic moving toward production

Indiana Jones is 65 years old

2007-07-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Well, not him, but Harrison Ford, the actor who plays the famous treasure hunter in the big screen, celebrated his 65th birthday on the set of the 4th Indiana Jones movie. I wonder if Jones will be a 60-year-old or something in the movie, or if they'll make him younger than Ford.

Ford turns 65 on set with Indiana

Germany Supports Tom Cruise's New Anti-Hitler Film

2007-07-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

Why this movie caught my eye:
1. Tom Cruise - he and his "religion" Scientology is a never-ending source of discussion
2. Bryan Singer - the director of box office hit movies like the X-Men series and Superman
3. Adolf Hitler - still making news 60 years later

Combine all three of them in a movie is just weird.

Germany backs Cruise's anti-Hitler film

Kevin Spacey returns as Lex Luthor

2007-07-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

One of the best actors of our time, Kevin Spacey is set to reprise his role as Superman's archnemesis Lex Luthor in Superman Returns' sequel Superman: The Man of Steel. I wasn't a big fan of the 2006 movie but Kevin Spacey is one of my fave Hollywood actors so it's good to hear he'll be back in the big screen for the next Superman movie.

Spacey 'to reprise Superman role'

The Secret of the Magic Gourd

2007-07-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

I know I've read about this movie a few weeks ago, but forgot about it. And here it is again. Apparently this Disney movie was shown in China (and only in?). I don't remember any ads about this movie here. I hope they show it here.

Disney's Chinese Gourd

Carter: The Sexy Witch

2007-07-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting interview with Helena Bonham Carter, who played the role of Bellatrix Lestrange in the upcoming movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I didn't know she had a hand in deciding how her character will look like on the screen.

Helena on being Bellatrix

Pixar is Old-School

2007-07-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Pixar is one of the most financially successful studios lately, thanks largely to their advanced animation technology. But behind the cool 3D animation in each of their movie lies the secret to the success of their movies: a good old story.

WARNING: The article gives away the ending to Ratatouille.

CGI Aside, Pixar Is Old-School at Heart

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

2007-07-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is right around the corner and movie reviews are starting to pop up. Some are saying it's not that good while others are praising it as the best in the series so far.

Here are some of the reviews I've seen:
Review: `Potter' Spins More of the Same (Yahoo!)
A collection of reviews from several websites (BBC) - a good source of mix reviews about the movie.

I'm still going to watch it anyway. The question is when. Hopefully I get to see the movie before the release of the final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Weekend Box Office: July 6 - 8, 2007

2007-07-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

Transformers was a huge success in US and Canada during the July 6 to 8 weekend. Yay!!!

Here's the top 20 movies of the weekend if you're interested.

Hoorah for Transformers!

2007-07-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

Transformers was one of my favorite cartoon shows growing up. When I first heard of the news that they're going to make a live action movie of it, at first I was a bit weary. The show had been off the air for more than a decade now (well, I mean the show has reruns on some channels but no new episodes). Slowly, as "spoilers" leak in, I got excited. Could it really become a good film?

I've seen the movie, and I have to admit I love it. There were some flaws, but the movie was so fun to watch that you'll just don't care about those flaws.

Since the Philippines was one of the countries who showed Transformers earlier than the US, I didn't know if it would be a hit or a miss in the US. (If a movie is a hit in the US, you can say that it would be a hit everywhere else). Now that it's been shown in America, I'm glad that it did well in the box-office!

Hopefully this means they'll do a sequel.

BBC news on the success of Transformers

Welcome to my new blog!

2007-07-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog. I've decided to start this blog so that I'll have a place to share you news about movies that interests me. Said news will most probably be taken from other sites. I may also write a few reviews of movies I've seen recently.

Feel free to post comments!