We Are On Vacation Until Friday

Published on August 29, 2010

Hi everyone,
We’re taking a short break after a busy summer.  We’ll be on vacation Sunday through Friday, but when we get back we will have reviews for the current releases and I’ll do my best to catch up on the headlines we missed during the week.  Plus, we’re working on some exciting new features for [...]

Blockbuster to File for Bankruptcy in September

Published on August 28, 2010

Movie rental company Blockbuster Inc. is planning to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in mid-September to reduce its crippling $920 million debt and escape leases on approximately 500 of its remaining 3,425 stores in the United States.

According to the LA Times, Jim Keyes, CEO since 2007, made the rounds to each of the six major studios in Los Angeles last week to maintain their support and keep DVD supplies coming even during Blockbuster’s financial restructuring.

‘Kung Fu Panda’ Duo to Write Karate Kid 2

Published on August 27, 2010

The screenwriters of DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda, Cyrus Voris and Ethan Reiff, have been hired by Sony to pen the inevitable sequel to this year’s The Karate Kid.

A follow-up was a foregone conclusion after the $40 million remake, starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, made $300 million worldwide. The studio started hearing pitches immediately after its surprisingly successful opening.

Netflix App Available for iPhone, iPod Touch

Published on August 27, 2010

Yesterday, movie rental company Netflix released its official application for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch that allows its subscribers to manage their accounts and stream selections from their “Watch Instantly” queue.

‘Saw’ Creator James Wan to Direct ‘Nightfall’

Published on August 27, 2010

James Wan (Saw, Death Sentence) will direct and oversee screenplay development on Nightfall, an adaptation of the 2007 graphic novel by Scott O. Brown about a man sentenced to a prison facility run by vampires, according to Deadline.

The novel focuses on David Paxton, an “industrious, right-wing survivalist” locked away in a Texas prison where vampires feed on the inmates. His only hope of escape is a riot and an uneasy alliance with a ruthless killer.

Al Pacino, Katie Holmes Join ‘Jack and Jill’

Published on August 26, 2010

Al Pacino and Katie Holmes are in talks to join the comedy Jack and Jill, produced by and starring Adam Sandler. Dennis Dugan, who has directed six Sandler movies, will enable this abomination.

Sandler plays a family man forced to deal with his twin sister when she comes to visit and won’t leave. He will play both parts (Jack and Jill). Holmes will play his wife. Pacino is playing himself.

Marvel Hires Screenwriter for ‘Iron Fist’ Movie

Published on August 26, 2010

Marvel Studios (and, by extension, Disney) has hired screenwriter Rich Wilkes (xXx) to adapt comic book martial artist Iron Fist into a feature film.

Created in 1974 by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Danny Reed (a.k.a Iron Fist) was created amidst a trend of martial arts heroes in pop culture, particularly Bruce Lee. Orphaned at the age of nine, Reed is taken in by residents from the mystical city of K’un L’un and trained to fight (for revenge, of course). At 19, Reed defeats a dragon known as Shou-Lao the Undying, leaving him with his signature chest tattoo, and grabs its molten heart, giving him powerful punching powers.

Centurion Review

Published on August 26, 2010

Centurion, the latest from genre filmmaker Neil Marshall, is a brawny, fast-paced behind-enemy-lines chase drama that runs through a slightly predictable piece of historical fiction.

After a credit sequence flyover of some magnificent scenery, the camera descends on Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender) fleeing across Northern Britain, bleeding, half naked, and bound at the wrists. He escaped the clutches of the savage Picts, a native race who attacked his Roman military outpost leaving him the sole survivor.

Anna Paquin, Kristen Bell Join ‘Scream 4′

Published on August 25, 2010

“Veronica Mars” star Kristen Bell and “True Blood” actress Anna Paquin have joined the cast of Scream 4.

According to USA Today and confirmed by Dimension Films, the two blondes will only appear in a cameo for the Wes Craven sequel. The series typically opens with a named celebrity being slashed in the opening minutes, such as Drew Barrymore’s untimely demise at the start of the original. Since the sequel has already been shooting for weeks now, does this mean late additions Bell and Paquin will meet the same fate?

Jolie Writing, Directing Bosnian War Drama

Published on August 25, 2010

Actress-Oscar winner-humanitarian-child collector Angelina Jolie is adding more hyphens to her title. British production company GK Films is financing her feature film directorial debut and first screenplay, an untitled love story set against the Bosnian war. Jolie will not star in the film.

Producer Graham King’s blog reports the film is about a young Serb and a Muslim woman who fall in love just before the start of the Bosnian war and how the Eastern European conflict affects their passionate relationship. The cast will consist of unknown actors of various ethnic groups from the former Yugoslavia, Jolie said after speaking with Bosnian government officials about the refugee crisis.

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