Page Drops Out Of Raimi's HELL

Updated!

After signing to the film just a month ago, Ellen Page has suddenly decided to drop out of writer/director Sam Raimi's upcoming horror film Drag Me To Hell. While the official word is that the Juno star wasn't happy with the latest draft of the script, co-written by Raimi and his frequent collaborator/brother Ivan, it is being speculated by Bloody Disgusting, who first reported the story, that the Academy Award nominee may just have a case of "Oscar cold feet."

The film's story revolves around a young girl who becomes the receipiant of a supernatural curse. Hmmmmm... That sounds vaguely like the major plot point of scripter Diablo Cody's upcoming Jennifer's Body. Could it be possible that Page saw some similarities and decided to do her Juno screenwriter a favor by backing out of the project?

UPDATE:
AintItCoolNews has posted a statement from Raimi's Ghost House Pictures and the film's distributor Mandate Pictures, shifting some of the blame for Page's departure to the possibility of a Screen Actors Guild strike-

We were racing to start production so that we could accommodate Ellen's schedule. But like so many other productions trying to start before the potential SAG strike date, this one needed more time and we had to push back the start of production.

Of course, "this one needed more time" could be their way of acknowledging, yet still downplaying the script is the thing that still needs work.

Latest IRON MAN Trailer!

If you were watching Lost this evening, you saw just a short version of the latest version trailer for the upcoming Iron Man film. Here's the full length version that will be hitting theaters tomorrow.

BLACK FREIGHTER Sets Sail For WATCHMEN DVD

Although we're still just a little more than a year away from the March 2009 re lase of director Zack Snyder's adaptation of the graphic novel classic Watchmen, it is evidently not too early to talk about the film's inevitable DVD release.

Empire has confirmed that Snyder will be including an animated short film adapting the "Tales Of The Black Freighter" comic that appears in Watchmen on its eventual DVD release, with Snyder's 300 star Gerard Butler supplying the voice of the main character, a sailor racing home to stop the undead crew of a haunted boat from killing his loved ones.

I’m going to do the voice of the captain. They're going to do it in the style of a Japanese anime and I’m totally stoked. I actually read the script before reading the comic book and I thought it was awesome. Then I read the comic book and it’s great. The little bits that have been added define it so much more. It’s very dark and there’s just something so descriptive and scary. It's this descent into madness but explained in such a sane way that you totally feel it yourself. By the end, my heart was pumping!

"Tales of the Black Freighter" has proven to be one of the harder aspects of the Watchmen novel to bring to the silver screen. A comic about pirate adventures, the excerpts seen in Watchmen provide a counterpoint to one character's particular story arc. In the two decades that Watchmen has been in development, every director has found working the material into the framework of a film to be problematic. It looks like Snyder has found a way to placate fans who may have felt cheated if the comic didn't appear in the film.

New WALL-E Poster!

With Sunday's Academy Award win for Best Animated Feature still fresh in everyone's mind, Pixar and Disney has unleased the poster art for this summer's release of Wall-E. The story concerns a futuristic robot searching for a meaning to his electronic life on an Earth that had been abandoned by humans centuries earlier. Based an early report that stated there is very little dialog in the film, I've tried to stay away from spoilers as I think that Pixar might be on to something fairly special here. We'll find out June 27.

Click on the poster to make bigger.

Script Review: JENNIFER'S BODY

She just won an Academy Award for her first produced screenplay, a feat not done since two guys from Boston did it with a movie called Good Will Hunting. But even before her Oscar win, Diablo Cody has become quite the media darling as the author of the quirky teen pregnancy comedy Juno.

But is Cody a one hit wonder or does she have what it takes to have a screenwriting career with some longevity? People are already looking towards her next script, the dark horror/comedy Jennifer's Body, for the answer to that question.

We've read the script and we'll give you the lowdown in our script review, right here. (Note: There will be spoilers in the review.)

POPEYE THE SAILOR: VOL. 2 DVD Details

Last week Warner Home Video announced the forthcoming release of the second volume of their chronological release of the classic Fleischer Brothers Studios Popeye shorts. Titled, appropriately enough, Popeye The Sailor:Volume 2- 1938-1940, the disc will hit shelves on June 17.

In addition to the plethora of cartoons that will be featured on the two-disc set, Jerry Beck over at Cartoon Brew has a list of the special features scheduled for the release. Take a look-



Disc 1
Commentaries
The Jeep by Historian Glenn Mitchell
Bulldozing the Bull by Writer Paul Dini
Mutiny Ain’t Nice by Filmmaker Greg Ford
Goonland by Historian Glenn Mitchell
A Date to Skate by Historian Michael Barrier with Animator Gordon Sheehan
Cops is Always Right by Historian Michael Barrier with Animator Dave Tendlar
Customers Wanted by Director Eric Goldberg
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp by Filmmaker Greg Ford
Wotta Nightmare by Historian Jerry Beck
Hello, How am I? by Animator Mark Kausler
It’s the Natural Thing to Do by Historian Michael Barrier with Animator Arnold Gillespie

Popeye Popumentaries
Eugene the Jeep: A Breed of His Own - Running Time: 3:14
Poopdeck Pappy: The Nasty Old Man and the Sea - RT: 5:07
O-Re-Mi: Mae Questel and the Voices of Olive Oyl - RT: 8:30
Out of the Inkwell: The Fleischer Story - RT: 48:00

Disc 2
Commentaries
Stealin Ain’t Honest by Director Bob Jaques
Puttin on the Act by Historian Daniel Goldmark
Popeye Meets William Tell by Filmmaker Greg Ford with Animator Shamus Culhane

Popeye Popumentaries
Men of Spinach and Steel RT: 6:21
From the VaultParamount Presents Popular Science (1938 Paramount short; behind the scenes at Fleischer’s Miami studio) - RT: 6:16
The Mechnical Monsters (1941 Superman short) - RT: 11:01
Early Max Fleischer Art Gallery - RT: 3:04
Females is Fickle Pencil Test - RT: 0:29
Stealin Ain’t Honest - Storyboard Reel - RT: 6:00 est.
I’m Popeye the Sailor Man Vintage Audio Recording - RT: 2:27 (audio only)
Michael Sporn Interviews Jack Mercer - RT: 6:12 (audio only)

New GET SMART Trailer Hits The Web

A new trailer for the big screen adaptation of the classic comedy television series Get Smart has gone online. While the first trailer was more of an introduction of bumbling spy Maxwell Smart to a generation who might not be familiar with the original version starring Don Adams. This new one gives us a bit more about the story of how Smart, played to nearly deadpan perfection by Steve Carrell, comes to be the secret agent sent out to battle the villainous CHAOS (Edited to add: Errr... KAOS). You'll have to click over to Apple's site to see the trailer, as they can't be bothered to provide embed codes.

When this film was first announced, I winced. Having grown up watching reruns of the original series, long before anyone had ever dreamed of Nick At Night, I couldn't imagine anyone taking the place of Adams. But slowly, as details about the production leaked out I began to warm up to the prospect of a cinematic adaptation of the classic spy spoof. The casting of Steve Carrell is starting to look more ingenious with each new bit of the upcoming film we see, this new trailer reinforcing how he is making the role his own without straying to far from Adam's portrayal.

The new trailer also shows that the folks behind this new iteration have a certain affection for the original series. Check out this screen grab (click to make bigger) from the new trailer below-

You'll notice it is the same 1965 Tiger model sports car that Don Adams drove in the series.

DVD Review: THE DARJEELING LIMITED

Wes Anderson fans certainly have had it lucky. With three of his four feature films having been released on DVD by the Criterion Collection, they've come to expect a certain level of quality and bonus materials on the home video releases of his films. That’s what makes Fox Home Entertainment's release of his fifth and latest film, The Darjeeling Limited, such a mixed bag.

The Darjeeling Limited tracks the adventures of three brothers (Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody) as the travel across India by train to visit the various spiritual sites and try and reconnect as brothers. Despite all the carefully made plans falling apart the three still manage to come to a better understanding of themselves and each other. In addition to the main feature, Anderson’s short Hotel Chevalier, which fills in the backstory of Jason Schwartman’s character, has been included.

As I wrote in my review of the film when it played at the New York Film Festival last fall, Darjeeling Limited is sure to please Anderson’s fans with its quirky examination of the relationship between the tree brothers. The director’s penchant for bright and colorful design plays to the strengths of the Indian locales were the film was shot and the DVD’s transfer does a remarkable job bringing the film’s look to one’s television screen.

The disc also features a twenty-minute featurette, which walks us through the converted train used as the movie’s set, showing the various ingenious ways that they managed to maneuver a film crew through such tight quarters. There’s also raw footage of some of the cast rehearsing and exploring the various Indian locations used in the film.

But beyond that and the obligatory trailer, there are no other extras to speak of. And while this would be a fine enough presentation for most films, the lack of DVD extras that Anderson fans have become accustomed to, such as a commentary track, leaves one to wonder if perhaps there’s a second, better equipped edition somewhere in the future.

Damon To Be BOURNE Again

Despite all his statements he made during the promotion for last year's The Bourne Ultimatum, Matt Damon will be returning as the amnesiac assassin for a fourth installment, reuniting with the last two Bourne films' director, Peter Greengrass.

Oddly enough, the news that the film was in the pipeline at Universal Studios was buried midway through a Variety article on the studios upcoming production slate.

Although there are two remaining novels featuring Robert Ludlum’s character that have yet to be adapted, it may be awhile before the Damon and Greengrass will have the spy back in action. The pair is currently collaborating on the Iraq war drama The Green Zone. Greengrass’s next project will take him to another conflict, with the Vietnam War drama They Marched Into Sunlight. Meanwhile, Damon is signed to star in Steven Soderberg’s The Informant and is in negotiations for Clint Eastwood’s The Human Factor. Unless Universal fast tracks the film, things may not get moving on the Bourne sequel until close to 2010.

The article gave no indication if Tony Gilroy, the screenwriter on all three previous Bourne films, would be coming back for a fourth go-round. Although he lost in both categories last night, Gilroy’s nominations for both a Best Original Screenplay and Best Director Oscar may mean he will have plenty of other opportunities to pursue as opposed to returning to Jason Bourne’s shadowy, covert world. Gilroy is currently in pre-production on his next film, the thriller Duplicity.

Oscar Moment Of The Night

Every year, the Academy Awards has a moment or two that has people talking about the next day. Last night's moment was when Jon Stewert brought Best Original Song co-writer Marketa Irglova back onto the stage after a commercial break so she could deliver her acceptance speech. Irgglova had just won the award a few minutes earlier for penning the song "Falling Slowly" from the movie Once, but she and co-writer Glen Hansard were played off the stage after Hansard said a few words, but before Irglova could.

Stewert, in a really classy move, brought Irglova back out on stage after the commercial break, where she delivered a beautiful speech that regardless of how she got on stage to deliver it, was a highlight in itself.

In case you missed it, here is the text of her speech, plus the whole moment on video-

Hi everyone. I just want to thank you so much. This is such a big deal, not only for us, but for all other independent musicians and artists that spend most of their time struggling, and this, the fact that we’re standing here tonight, the fact that we’re able to hold this, it’s just to prove no matter how far out your dreams are, it’s possible. And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream and don’t give up. And this song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are. And so thank you so much, who helped us along way. Thank you.

FilmBuffOnLine's Live Academy Awards Coverage!

Welcome to FilmBuffOnLine's live blogging of the Academy Awards.

You'll notice that we never gave any Oscar predictions here. There's a reason for that- I'm terrible at trying to second guess how the Academy will vote. So rather than look foolish by posting a bunch of predictions that don't come to pass, I just forgo the entire thing. However, that didn't sop our Box Office maven Bill Gatevackes from giving it a shot at guessing who will win the coveted golden naked Patrick Stewart statuette over at his own blog- Gates' Rants.

Right now the Red Carpet pre-show is playing, but I honestly don't care much about the usual blather about who is wearing what designer, so I'm off to pop some corn.

8:30- Nice opening. Would be great to go through it again at slow-mo to identify all the films that cameoed in the piece.

8:40- "Before we spent four or five hours handing each other gold statues, let's take a moment to congratulate ourselves."

"Even Norbit got a nomination, which is good. Too often the Academy ignores films that are no good."

"Oscar is 80 this year, which automatically makes it the Republican nominee."

Jon Stewart is doing great. I wonder how much better it would have been if they had wrapped the strike up quicker.

8:45- Best Costume Design
Odd choice for the first award to hand out.
And it goes to Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Not surprised, the older period pieces, with the more elaborate wardrobes, seem to get this award.

8:50- "Hi, guys." Clooney is the King of Casual Cool.
A great Oscar history clip. Hopefully it'll show up on the Academy's YouTube channel.

8:55- Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway, stars of the upcoming Get Smart remake.
"They should have come through doors," says my wife. Any questions why I married her?
How odd/cool is it to see the two Daily Show stalwarts onstage at the Academy Awards!?

Best Animated Feature-
Hope it goes to Persepolis, as much as love Pixar's output.

And it goes to Ratatouille. Oddly enough, I was watching Brad Bird's Iron Giant this afternoon.
I can't believe that they're playing Brad Bird off!

Best Makeup-
La Vie Un Rose!
Good choice.
And the two winners get played off as well. If two people win, do they have to share the short time allocated for an acceptance speech? That sucks.

9:01- Best Song Nominee Performance- "Happy Working Song"
Will the Academy actually give an Oscar to a song with the word "hairball" in it?

9:07- Why is The Rock here? Didn't anyone else see his remake of Walking Tall? Oh yeah, that's right. No one did.

Best Visual Effects-
The Golden Compass wins! (And Michael Bay is pouting right now...)

Art Direction
Tough one- I like both Golden Compass and Sweeney Todd!
And it goes to Sweeney Todd. I guess anyone who gets inside Tim Burton's head and brings it to life deserves an award!

9:20- "I, John Stewart, am being played by Cate Blanchette..."
Seeing Cuba Gooding Jr. in that montage of Best Supporting Actors only reinforces the horrible choices he's made since he won his Oscar in 1997.

Best Supporting Actor- Javier Bardem- Not really surprised. Is this the beginning of a sweep for No Country For Old Men? "Thank you for the Coen Brothers for putting the most horrible haircut in history on my head!" Nice of him to switch to Spanish to thank his mom.

9:23- "Oscar's Salute To Binoculars and Periscopes"

9:28- Best Short Film- Four out of the five nominees are in a foreign language. It's a shame that there aren't any real commercial outlets in this country for short films outside of the film festival circuit.

Best Animated Short- Peter And The Wolf wins. It's nice to see that stop motion animation is still being produced. (And no, I'm not forgetting Nick Park.)

9:40- Best Supporting Actress- Tilda Swinton gets it.
This I didn't expect (thought that Blanchett had it sewn up, she'll probably get for Elizabeth: The Golden Age then) and it looks like neither did she.
Ha! Swinton busts Clooney's chops about Batman & Robin.

Nine categories awarded in about an hour. Will we finish by midnight?

9:47- Best Adapted Screenplay- Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country For Old Men!
This was the first of the many times the movie goes head to head with There Will Be Blood.

And now Sid Ganis will bore us with the rules...

9:51- OK, Sid Ganis will mildly entertain us with how the votes are tabulated.
Miley Cyrus is on before the ten o'clock bed time of her fan base.

Christin Chenowith is wearing platforms and heels to match the height of the rest of the performers.

10:01- "And the baby goes to... Angelina Jolie!"
Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill's schtick goes on for about two quips too long.

Best Sound Editing- Bourne Ultimatium.
Long time for the orchestra to play before they got to the stage. Do all the tech people, i.e. non-famous faces, have to sit in the back rows?

Best Sound Mixing- Bourne Ultimatum

I think it would be great if one year they would give a demonstration to explain to everyone what the difference is between these two categories.

10:12- Best Actress- Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose
Her tear-eyed happiness is so heartwarming.
Surprised that Blanchett didn't get it. She was definitely the favorite.

10:19- "Falling Slowly" from Once. What a beautiful song. I think this should be the winner. Let's see what the Academy thinks.

10:23- Jack has traded his sunglasses for a pair of reading glasses.
How many in the Best Picture montage gave you seen?
Me- 47.

10:28- Renee Zellweger's short hair looks terrible.
Best Film Editing- Bourne Ultimatum. (Three Oscars for this film?)
Christopher Rouse and his father have both won Oscars.

10:35- An honorary Oscar to Robert Boyle for his seven decades work in production design.
"That's the nice part of getting old. I don't recommend the other part."

10:43- Best Foreign Language Film
Still wish Persepolis had been nominated here instead of Animated Feature.
The Counterfeiters wins.
It's hard to judge this category as none of the nominated films had even the minimal distribution that the foreign language nominees usually get.

Patrick Dempsey- Who would have guessed he could be on a career comeback?
"So Close"- Not taken by the song but the production number was nicely done.

10:48- Best Song goes to "Falling Slowly" from Once.
Looks like me prediction a half hour ago came true!
I'm not surprised though. Three nominations for Enchanted probably split the vote there fatally.

10:55- Jon Stewart brings back Best Song co-winner Marketa Irglova back out to give her acceptance speech as she was played off before she could when she and Glen Hansard won. What a class act.

10:59- Best cinematography for There Will Be Blood.

11:01- The In Memoriam reel. It always saddens me to see what great talent was lost through the last 12 months.

11:10- Best Musical Score- Atonement.
Eh, the score for this film really didn't do anything for me, but the last ten minutes of the movie not only ruined the film, but actually made me angry.

11:12- Another all around class acts- Tom Hanks.
Documentary Short Subject- Freeheld. Ironic, a film about gay marriage is announced by a member of our Armed Forces.

11:17- Best Documentary Feature- All the nominees are politically tinted, so expect whoever wins to be pilloried on right wing radio tomorrow.
The winner is Taxi To The Dark Side. Definitely expect the usual "Hollywood liberals hate America" rants from the usual suspects tomorrow.

11:24- Best Original Screenplay- Diablo Cody for Juno!
WOW! She looks as stunned as anyone. And it's kind of touching to see her cool girl image crack their for a moment as she tears up.
(Oddly enough, this is handed out by the guy who told George Lucas- "George, you can write this s**t, but I got to say it.")
I really have to finish that review of her latest script- Jennifer's Body.

11:29- In the clip of Oscar history coming out of commercial, what the hell is Bette Davis wearing on her head?

11:32- Best Actor- Five great performances here. This is Daniel Day-Lewis's to lose.
But he doesn't!
"Thank you for whacking me with the handsomest bludgeon in town."

11:36- And we're down to just Best Director and Picture. Definitely be wound up before midnight. Given that both Juno and No Country For Old Men have won for their screenplays, it should be interesting to see who nabs Best Picture.

11:45- Best Director- Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country For Old Men! Usually Best Director and Picture go hand in hand. Will it be that way tonight?

11:48- No Country For Old Men!

Some final thoughts-
I'm rather surprised that There Will Be Blood didn't pull a few more awards. I was totally blown away that Diablo Cody won for Juno.

While this wasn't the best awards show the Oscars ever had, it held together remarkably well considering the incredible time constraint the writers were under to pull it together.

Congratulations to our own Bill G. who got six out of his eight predictions right.

And hey, we're done before midnight.

Relive Past Oscar Moments Online

The Academy Awards are about to be handed out in just a few hours, in just a few hours and there's no doubt that there will be at least one or two things that everyone will be discussing the next day over the watercooler.

But if you want a look back at some of the memorable moments from Oscar telecasts past, check out the Oscar channel that the Academy has set up over at You Tube. True, most of the clips up are intercut with folks telling you why they're great (like the David Niven-Streaker incident) or of recent vintage (like the bit from last year with Will Farrell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly singing about how comedies are ignored at Oscar time), but it's nice that they're making some of this history available.

Hopefully, going forward the Academy will dig deeper into their vault and present a lot more clips from its 80 year history. How great would it be to see acceptance speeches from some of Hollywood's Golden Era Greats? Heck, I'd love to see some of the stuff I remember from the 1970s, like when Steve Martin came out to present the visual effects award in a blue suit which they then proceeded to superimpose other imagery over. And why not give us host David Letterman's classic "Uma. Ophra." bit.

Also, check back with us as the Oscars are presented this evening to follow our live coverage!

Ben Chapman, The BLACK LAGOON's CREATURE Has Died

Ben Chapman, the six-foot five-inch tall actor who played the towering Gill-man in the 1954 classic The Creature From The Black Lagoon passed away on Thursday on Honolulu, Hawaii. He was 79.

According to the Honolulu Advertiser, the actor had been suffering from heart and breathing problems over the past few months.

For more on Chapman's life and career, see FilmBuffOnLine's In Remembrance piece here.

I first saw Chapman in The Creature as a kid at a birthday party for another kid in the neighborhood. His dad had gotten an 8mm reel of highlights from the film and screened it at the party, projecting it in the backyard onto a bedsheet. The reel was in anaglyph 3D and we kids loved seeing the Gill-man swimming right off the sheet into the summer night at us.

When I met Chapman 25 years later at a Chiller Theater show in New Jersey, I recounted the story to him and he laughed, quickly pointing out that the swimming scenes for the Gill-man were all handled by former Olympian Ricou Browning. We did talk for a few minutes about his land-based work in the costume for the film before I made way for other fans who wanted to chat with the actor. But in the brief moment, Chapman came off as a fun loving guy who acted like a goodwill ambassador on behalf of the Gill-man to fans everywhere. A favorite on the convention circuit for his easy-going attitude, he will be missed.

WOLVERINE Cast Increasing Again

Back in 1859, settlers in Australia introduced the bunny rabbit into the country's ecology. As they had no natural predators in this new environment, the rabbits quickly multiplied to point where they were in danger of throwing the whole ecosystem out of whack. Within a decade, settlers could hunt and kill up to two million rabbits a year without any noticeable impact on the rabbit population.

Something similar may need to be done to the cast of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Since we last reported on the latest cast announcements for the X-Men franchise prequel, Variety has come forth with two more names to add to the film’s ever-increasing cast list.

The Lord Of The Rings' Dominic Monaghan has signed on to play Barnell, yet another mysterious character from Wolverine’s past with the ability to manipulate electricity and other forms of electricity.

Also joining the cast is Daniel Henney, playing the enigmatically named Agent Zero. Zero is another product of the government-sponsored program that created Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and the previously announced Kayla Silverfox and Wraith. All of the characters have served on the superpowered covert ops group Team X, so comic fans will probably already have a good idea as to where the film’s story is heading.

This Week's Theatrical Releases.

1. Vantage Point (3,149 Theaters, 90 Minutes, Rated PG-13): The thriller is a hard movie to do. It must make logical sense while keeping the audience guessing. This is not easy to do, when the audience has seen years and years of thrillers and know all the conventions.

The producers of this movie try to keep it fresh by adding a Rashomon aspect to it—eight characters see a supposed Presidential assassination. But things aren’t what they seem. Two Secret Service agents have to piece together the eight divergent viewpoints and try to get at the truth.

They also add, if the trailer in any guide, that the President might not really have been shot. This, of course, is something fresh and new, but remarkably hard to understand. What is the reason for this fake assassination? And will it be logical? That is the main stumbling block I have with the movie. And how they answer that stumbling block will determine how good I think the movie will be.



2. Witless Protection (1,333 Theaters, 97 Minutes, Rated PG-13): Can someone explain the appeal of Larry the Cable Guy? I don’t mean “redneck Comedy”. I can watch Ron White or Jeff Foxworthy and get a chuckle. I just don’t find LtCG funny. I mean, he’s from Nebraska, but he puts on a fake Southern accent? He may be a hick, but he’s not the type of hick he pretends to be.

While I don’t think he’s funny, a lot of people do. He’s become the Earnest P. Worrell of the 21st century. And, as a result, he keeps on making movies, much to my chagrin.

In this one, Larry plays a small town sheriff who must protect a government witness from people who want to killer. Amazingly, he does a good enough job of it to fill up 97 minutes. Even more amazing is that Jenny McCarthy plays his wife.

It’s also interesting that this movie features Yaphet Kotto reprising his role of Agent Alonzo Mosely from Midnight Run. I believe that will be the only comparison that will ever be made between those two movies.



3. Charlie Bartlett (1,122 Theaters, 97 Minutes, Rated R): I bet the powers behind this film were glad that there was a delay in getting this movie out. This film was shot almost 2 years ago and actually was part of last year’s Cannes Film Festival. I believe it was originally scheduled to come out in November of last year, but was delayed to this week.

But during that time, a little movie called Juno came out. Both movies feature a far too intelligent for their own good teen that gets into assorted troubles but are really good at heart. Of course, Juno made over $100 million dollars (and counting) and received an Oscar nomination. This film hopes the similarities means that it equals the first part of the Juno’s success.

The film centers on a young kid who is kicked out of private school and must go to public school. There he finds a way to fit in by becoming a psychiatrist to all the other students.

Star Trek fans might want to line up for tickets, because the lead, Anton Yelchin, will be the new Pavel Chekov.



4. Be Kind, Rewind (808 Theaters, 101 Minutes, Rated PG-13): The plot sounds like it could be a Bill Murray or Robin Williams movie from the 1980s.

A video store employee accidentally erases all of the tapes in the store. To replace the lost videos, the two employees decide to reshoot all the videos by themselves. Sounds wild and wacky, right?

But it comes from the mind of Michel Gondry, the man who brought us Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep, two of the most unique and original movies to come down the pike in years.

How will the kind of tame plot be interpreted by the weirdly inventive Gondry? Are we to expect some of the same esoteric imagery we saw in those films, or will it be more like the trailer appears to be, a rather straight forward comedy? I, for one, can’t wait to find out.



Now, the predictions. This is what I predicted for last week:

1. Jumper
2. Fool’s Gold
3. Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins
4. The Spiderwick Chronicles
5. Juno

And this is how it turned out:

1. Jumper
2. The Spiderwick Chronicles
3. Step Up 2: The Streets
4. Fool’s Gold
5. Definitely, Maybe

All four movies released last week did better than I thought they would, resulting in me going 1 for 5. Well, at least I got one right. This makes me 49 for 135 after 27 weeks, for an average of 36%.

This is what I predict for this week:

1. Vantage Point
2. Charlie Bartlett
3. Witless Protection
4. Jumper
5. Be Kind, Rewind

300 Conquers Saturn Award Nominations

The Spartans warriors of ancient Greece may have given their lives at the Battle Of Thermopile, but their story conquered this year's Saturn Award nominations as the film 300 walked of 10 including Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film and a Best Director nod for Zack Snyder.

The movie also received nods for actors Gerard Butler (Best Actor), David Wenham, (Best Supporting Actor), Lena Headey (Best Supporting Actress) and Zack Snyder (directing and writing), as well as nominations for its music, costumes, makeup and special effects.

Director Tim Burton's dark adaptation of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street garnered seven nominations include those for Best Horror Film, Best Actor (Johnny Depp), Helena Bonham Carter (Best Actress), Alan Rickman (Best Supporting Actor) and director.

Other multiple nominee films include 1408, Cloverfield, Eastern Promises, The Golden Compass, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, I Am Legend, No Country For Old Men, The Orphanage, Spider-Man 3 and There Will Be Blood.

Video Watchdog publisher Tim Lucas will be receiving a Special Achievement Award for his mammoth biography Mario Bava: All The Colors Of The Dark.

The Academy of Science Fiction and Horror Films' 34th annual Saturn Awards will be presented on June 24 in Universal City, California.

The complete nominees are:

Science Fiction Film
Cloverfield
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
I Am Legend
The Last Mimzy
Sunshine
Transformers

Fantasy Film
Enchanted
The Golden Compass
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Spider-Man 3
Stardust

Horror Film
30 Days of Night
1408
Ghost Rider
Grindhouse
The Mist
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Action/Adventure/Thriller Film
3:10 to Yuma
300
The Bourne Ultimatum
Live Free or Die Hard
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Zodiac

Actor
Gerard Butler, 300
John Cusack, 1408
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Will Smith, I Am Legend

Actress
Amy Adams, Enchanted
Ashley Judd, Bug
Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Naomi Watts, Eastern Promises
Belen Rueda, The Orphanage
Carice van Houten, Black Book

Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Ben Foster, 3:10 to Yuma
James Franco, Spider-Man 3
Justin Long, Live Free or Die Hard
Alan Rickman, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
David Wenham, 300

Supporting Actress
Lizzy Caplan, Cloverfield
Marcia Gay Harden, The Mist
Lena Headey, 300
Rose McGowan, Grindhouse: Planet Terror
Michelle Pfeiffer, Stardust
Imelda Staunton, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Performance By A Younger Actor
Alex Etel, The Water Horse
Freddie Highmore, August Rush
Josh Hutcherson, Bridge to Terabithia
Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Dakota Blue Richards, The Golden Compass
Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, The Last Mimzy

Direction
Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Frank Darabont, The Mist
Paul Greengrass, The Bourne Ultimatum
Sam Raimi, Spider-Man 3
Zack Snyder, 300
David Yates, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Writing
Roger Avary, Neil Gaiman; Beowulf
Brad Bird, Ratatouille
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen; No Country for Old Men
Michael Goldenberg, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Michael Gordon, Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad; 300
John Logan, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Music
Tyler Bates, 300
Jonny Greenwood, There Will Be Blood
Nicholas Hooper, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Mark Mancina, August Rush
Alan Menken, Enchanted
John Powell, The Bourne Ultimatum

Costume
Colleen Atwood, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ruth Myers, The Golden Compass
Penny Rose, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Sammy Sheldon, Stardust
Jany Temime, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Michael Wilkinson, 300

Make-Up
Howard Berger, Greg Nicotero, Jake Garber; Grindhouse: Planet Terror
Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Davina Lamont, 30 Days of Night
Ve Neill, Martin Samuel; Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Peter Owen, Ivana Primorac; Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Shaun Smith, Mark Rappaport; 300

Special Effects
Tim Burke, John Richardson, Paul Franklin, Greg Butler; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl, John Frazier; Transformers
Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris, Trevor Wood; The Golden Compass
John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson, John Frazier; Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Scott Stokdyk, Peter Nofz, Spencer Cook, John R. Frazier; Spider-Man 3
Chris Watts, Grant Freckelton, Derek Wentworth, Daniel Leduc; 300

International Film
Black Book
Day Watch
Eastern Promises
Goya's Ghosts
The Orphanage
Sleuth

Animated Film
Beowulf
Meet the Robinsons
Ratatouille
Shrek the Third
The Simpsons Movie
Surf's Up

DVD Nominations

DVD Release
Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (remix)
Driftwood
The Man From Earth
The Nines
White Noise 2

Special Edition DVD Release
Big, Extended Edition
Blade Runner, 5 Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 30th Anniversary -- Blu Ray
Death Proof, Grindhouse Presentation: Extended & Unrated
Pan's Labyrinth, Platinum Series
Troy: Director's Cut: Ultimate Collector's Edition

Classic Film DVD Release
Alligator
The Dark Crystal
Face/Off
Flash Gordon
The Monster Squad
Witchfinder General

Collection on DVD
The Godzilla Collection
The Mario Bava Collection, Vol. 1 & 2
The Sergio Leone Anthology
The Sonny Chiba Collection
Stanley Kubrick Warner Home Video Directors Series
Vincent Price MGM Scream Legends Collection

Special Award Recipents

George Pal Memorial Award
Guillermo del Toro

Special Achievement Award
Tim Lucas

Columbia To Unleash THE BOYS

Columbia Pictures has announced its acquisition of the indie comic book The Boys to be developed by producer Neal H. Moritz.

The comic series centers on a group of CIA operatives who are tasked with policing the world’s superheroes. The superpowered heroes of the world aren’t always as noble and heroic as their public images would lead people to believe, so it falls on the group to take extreme actions when the caped adventurers step out of line. The series was created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson. The two had previously created the fan favorite series Transmetropolitan.

The development and final version of this project should be interesting. Ennis stated when the book launched that he intended to "out-Preacher Preacher" in terms of what he what he could get away with, content-wise. Ennis’ popular and ground-breaking Preacher, which told the story of a man who receives the power of the offspring of an angel and a demon which he uses to hunt down an absentee God, has been in the development pipeline for years, often stalling because of its controversial religious themes. It is now in development over at HBO.

While The Boys doesn’t have any religious themes, it does expand on Preacher’s violence level as well as its depictions of depraved human behavior. Originally published under DC Comic’s Vertigo imprint, the same folks who published Preacher, The Boys was cut loose last year after it proved to be more than what management had anticipated. Since the property is jointly owned by Ennis and Robertson, the pair were able to find a new home for the series at Dynamite Entertainment, where it is enjoying good sales.

Translated verbatim, The Boys’ violence and deviant behavior would almost assuredly earn the film a hard R rating, perhaps even an NC-17. The last issue I read had a superhero basically schtupp an asteroid until it exploded, saving the Earth. Hardly the material to garner an audience maximizing PG or PG-13 rating that studios like so much.

DiCaprio To Do Live Action AKIRA Remake

Leonardo DiCaprio may be getting fitted for a red leather jacket soon as his production company, Apian Way, is developing a live action remake of the classic animae feature Akira for Warner Brothers.

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Gary Whitta, who wrote the Hughes Brothers upcoming The Book Of Eli, has been hired to transform the futuristic story of a teenage bike gang member who is subjected by the government to an experiment which gives him uncontrolable powers into aworkable live-action film. Whitta has his work cut out for him. A live-action Akira has been in development at Warners for a long time with producers like Jon Peters and Basil Iwanyk and directors Stephen Norrington and Pitof taking a shot at the material.

Variety is also chiming in on the story, stating that the adaptation will actually be two films, with the first fasttracked for a summer 2009 release. The films setting of Neo-Tokyo, a city rebuilt after a nuclear explosion years earlier that figures into the plot, is being changed to New Manhattan. Ruairi Robinson is set to direct.

I first saw Akira in the fall of 1990 on a bootleg video with no English dubbing or subtitles. The friend who brought it to my college apartment sat there and tried to fill in the backstory on who was who, but there was no need. Director Katsuhiro Otomo's visual sense conveyed the story in a way that never relyed on dialogue to explain relationships and plot. I've gone back to the filom several times since, including seeing it digitally projected in New York City a few years back, and it never fails to impress.

Can a live action version live up to the standard set by the original?

Yates To Helm Last POTTER Film?

It looks like David Yates may be pulling a directorial hat trick in the Harry Potter series.

Having already directed Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix and the upcoming Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, Yates may be the one in the director's chair for the franchise's final installment Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows.

The news comes to us from the blog of writer Lois Lowry, whose The Giver trilogy is evidentially quite popular with 'tween readers. A film version of the first book has been in development for some time with Yates attached to direct. Yesterday, the author mentioned that the film had been postponed as Yates was being called back for one more year at Hogwarts.

Bad news from The Giver Movie front. David Yates, the director currently working on the next Harry Potter film, was supposed to begin The Giver film next. But he has just decided he wants to do the final Harry Potter first, thereby postponing The Giver by several years. Maybe the opening of this film could be held simultaneously with my celebration-of-life service after I succumb to old age? Or the producers will decide to get a different director. Stand by. But without holding your breath.

If true, it puts to rest the long-standing rumors that Steven Spielberg would direct the final installment or that the series' first two installments' helmer Chris Columbus would return to bookend the franchise. It also puts to rest the hope that Potter-creator J. K. Rowlings' preferred director, Terry Gilliam, would get a shot at the series.

Via Cinematical.

WOLVERINE Cast Starts To Look Crowded

Yesterday, we told you about the addition of two comic book favorite character's to Twentieth Century Fox's X-Men franchise spin-off, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Now comes word via The Hollywood Reporter that a few more characters are going to make the jump from two-dimensional and four-color existence to live action cinema.

Blackeyed Peas frontman will.i.am will be appearing in the film as Wraith, a mutant who can turn himself translucent while Lynn Collins has been cast as Kayla Silverfox, Wolverine's lover and a member of the superpowered covert operations team Team X.

The Reporter article also confirmed Ryan Reynolds participation in the film as the mercenary Deadpool, though the role is described as a "cameo." That makes me think the character is being put in to the film merely to set up a Deadpool flick later on. You may recall that Reynolds' Blade 3 character was also touted to get a spin-off film, though that never materialized.

With the addition of these characters onto the film's roster, Wolverine is starting to look like a very crowded movie and that's disappointing. In addition to Deadpool, Wraith and Silverfox, the movie will also feature Liev Schreiber as the mutant Sabertooth (played by Tyler Mane in the first X-Men film) and Danny Huston as General Stryker, the military man behind the program that gave Wolverine his powers and who appeared in X2: X-Men United in the form of Brian Cox.

Both X-Men 3 and Spider-Man 3 suffered from too many characters running around, many feeling as if they were shoehorned into the films simply to appease comic fans. The results of such fan service leaves the films muddled and in the case of Spider-Man 3, the addition of the Venom plotline severely unbalanced the film and the plots and relationships that director Sam Raimi had worked so hard to build with the previous two films. However, with the films pulling in $234 million and $336 million at the box office respectively, I find it hard to believe that Marvel will want to change this tactic anytime soon.

New WATCHMEN Production Pic!!!

Principal production wrapped on Zack Snyder's adaptation of the graphic novel classic Watchmen today and as a present, he has posted the first actual still from the film on the movie's blog. (Click picture to Make bigger.) Although Snyder has previously shown us shots of the film's New York Street sets, this is the first action shot from the movie.

The scene shows Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) setting fire to an attacking riot-gear suited police officer. The shot is from the same sequence that Snyder posted storyboards from a month ago today.

Watchmen hits theaters March 9, 2009.

In Remembrance: DoQui, Ichikawa, Lopez

• Robert DoQui- (February 9) The actor best known to genre fans as the gruff Sgt. Reed in the three Robocop films has passed away at age 74.
• Kon Ichikawa- (February 13) The Japanese director of the powerful anti-war films Fires On The Plains and The Burmese Harp has passed away at age 92.
• Perry Lopez- (February 14) The character actor who appeared in Chinatown as the tough-as-nails police lieutenant Lou Escobar has passed away at age 78.

DR. MABUSE To Strike Again

Most American audiences aren't familiar with the villainous Dr. Mabuse, the German mad scientist who is such a misanthrope that he doesn't want to rule the world, he wants to destroy it.

Mabus first appeared in a novel by Luxembourg novelist Norbert Jacques in 1920. Mabuse was a doctor of psychology, a powerful telepathic hypnotist and a master of disguise. He also clearly fit into the same pulp category as Sax Rhomer's Fu Manchu and the French thief Fantomas did, where the villain of the story is far more interesting than the hero ever manages to be.

Immensely popular in Europe, the evil Mabuse was first adapted to the silver screen by Fritz Lang in the 1922 silent four-hour classic Dr. Mabuse The Gambler. In addition to two more films from Lang – 1933's The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse and 1960's The Thousand Eyes Of Dr. Mabuse – the character has appeared in a number of European-produced films. Actors essaying the part of Mabuse include Wolfgang Preiss and Goldfinger himself Gert Froebe.

Variety is reporting today that a new Dr. Mabuse film is currently gearing up, with its producer Christian Becker hopes to be "a big contemporary theatrical action thriller with socio-critical overtones." Filming is set to begin next year. As of now, there is no American distributor lined up for the film.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE Casting Rumor Roundup: Blob, Gambit and Deadpool

Production is well underway on the X-Men franchise prequel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine under the direction of Gavin Hood, so of course tidbits of information are starting to leak out, both officially and otherwise. Today we have a trio of casting stories that may or may not hold water. Proceed with appropriate sized grains of salt.

First up is word that The Blob, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants member not the gelatinous creature from outer space with the Steve McQueen-fixation, is making an appearance in the film. Film School Rejects has a story from a "very reliable source in the production" that a fat suit is currently being created to make an actor look like the 800 pound bad guy. No word yet as to whom may be sliding into the suit though.

This morning brings news from Superhero Hype that the mutant hero many fans have been clamoring to appear every time an X-Men film has been announced is FINALLY getting his time to shine on the silver screen. According to the site Taylor Kitsch of NBC’s Friday Night L