Spiderman 3 Ad Push, Indy 4s' Robot Kid, Halo Movie Is Back...
Ghost Rider Breaks Records!
(IESB.net) Nicolas Cage raced to the top spot at the North American box office on Sunday with the cult comic book adaptation "Ghost Rider," the biggest opening of his wildly oscillating career.
ImageThe Marvel Comics adaptation about the devil's motorcycle-riding bounty hunter earned an estimated $44.5 million during its first three days of release, putting it on course to break the record for the U.S. Presidents Day holiday weekend, distributor Columbia Pictures said.
The record for the four-day period, including the Monday holiday, was set by the Adam Sandler comedy "50 First dates," which opened to $45.1 million in 2004. The Sony Corp.-owned studio forecast "Ghost Rider" would earn about $51 million over the same span.
Still, it surpassed the $35.1 million opening of 2005's "National Treasure" to become Cage's biggest bow.
Opening at No. 2 with $22 million for the three-day period was the Walt Disney Co. children's fantasy "Bridge to Terabithia," based on the award-winning children's book about two young outcasts. The studio had hoped the film would surpass $20 million for the four days.
With one week until the Academy Awards, the best performer among the Oscar contenders was six-time nominee "Pan's Labyrinth," which fell three to No. 11 with $2.2 million. Mexican director Guillermo del Toro's violent fantasy has earned $30 million after eight weeks. It was released by Time Warner's Picturehouse unit.
"At World's End" Biggest & Boldest Of Pirates Series Yet
(jimhillmedia.com) So last week, I'm wandering around the American International Toy Fair when he-who-can-not-be-named (Out of concern that Disney's lawyers will then find him & smite him) lurches up to me and says "Oh my God! It's huge!"
To which I reply: "Yes, I know. That's why Dr. Siroty is putting me a diet next week. No more cheesecake. No more pizza. It's all very depressing ... "
He-who-can-not-be-named interrupts, saying "No. Not you, dumb-ass. 'Pirates 3' ! Disney's pulled out the stops on this one. They've gone completely over-the-top with 'At World's End.' People are going to freak when they see this film. There's epic sea battles, killer special effects ... "
Now it's my turn to interrupt: "What about the story? Do they bring the trilogy to a satisfying conclusion?"
He-who-can-not-be-named then smiles and says "It's a really great story? Do you want to hear it?" And right there in the middle of Aisle 3700 on the lower level of the Javits center, my pal spills what he knows about "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."
And he's right. It really is a fitting conclusion to Disney's "Pirates" trilogy. And if you want to go to your local multiplex in little more than three months time and see "At World's End" unspoiled ... Now is the time to bail out of this particular JHM article. For I'm about to reveal the bulk of the plot for this new Gore Verbinksi film.
I'm not kidding, folks. If you continue reading this article, you won't be surprised by much of what you see when "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" opens at a theater near you on May 25th.
Okay. You can't say that I didn't warn you:
"You can't say that Disney & Jerry Bruckheimer stinted on this one. They wanted 'At World's End' to be the blockbuster that tops all of the other blockbusters this summer and that's what they got. A movie that you have to see at least twice in order to take in all of the special effects and the great performances."
Spiderman 3 Gets $100M
Marketing Push
(businessofcinema.com) Worldwide Sony Pictures will be
pumping in close to $ 100 million in marketing Spiderman 3, whereas
another $ 100 million will be in the form of promotions with brand
partners, informs Sony Pictures Releasing marketing manager.
Sony
will be looking at a complete 360 degree media mix to create hype
around Spiderman 3. Print, television, outdoor, Internet, radio,
merchandising, interactivity with mobile gaming and below the line
(BTL) activities such as school contact programs and retail events are
all on the agenda.
The Hobbit in 2009?
(The New York Times) Despite his falling out with "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy director Peter Jackson, who sued New Line regarding "The Fellowship of the Ring," New Line founder and co-chairman Robert K. Shaye is pressing ahead and eyeing a 2009 release for The Hobbit.
The New York Times interviewed Shaye last week and said:
And he would not comment on reports in the news media that the "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi had been asked to direct "The Hobbit." He said, however, that although there was no workable script yet for the film, he intended to release it in 2009.
Will Sam Raimi, or another director come on board? Stay tuned for more news as it comes in regarding the high profile project.
Peter Jackson Lord Of Stem Cell Research
(topcancernews.com) Lord of the Rings Oscar award-winning filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh have donated over $300,000 dollars to the University of California for human embryonic stem cell research.
Jackson is quoted as saying, "We have lost close friends and relatives to cancer and Parkinson's disease, and the level of personal suffering inflicted on patients and their families by these diseases is horrific."
"Stem cell therapy has the potential to treat a multitude of diseases and illnesses, which up until now have been labelled incurable. It has the capacity to exponentially improve the quality of life for those who currently suffer from spinal cord injury, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and many other debilitating medical conditions, " stated Jackson.
Grindhouse To Be Split Up
(cinematical.com) Leave it up to those Weinsteins to find a slick way to kick-start a new revenue stream. Folks in the U.S. (and other English-speaking countries) need not worry: The Tarantino / Rodriguez collaboration Grindhouse will definitely still be playing as one feature film. (Fans who just got visions of "The Kill Bill Split" can put their swords down now.) Those who live in nations unfamiliar with "grindhouse" movie theaters, however, will be receiving Planet Terror and Death Proof as two separate movies. Oh, and there might be "additional footage" spliced into the overseas versions, material we Region Oners probably won't get to see until DVD time.
Indiana Jones 4 Gets Transformers Kid
(comingsoon.net) Disturbia and Transformers star Shia LaBeouf might play the role of Indiana Jones' son in the fourth installment:
The thing is, we know Spielberg loves La Beouf right now. DISTURBIA became a pet project for The Beard, and it evidently came out well. TRANSFORMERS is a big deal for the company, and a lot of the weight of that falls squarely on the shoulders of Shia. So as much as I pray that there's no Indy Jr., I\u2019m starting to think that this may in fact be true.
The fourth film has been scheduled for a May 22, 2008 release.
Visit To ILM Inspires '5-25-77'
(cinematical.com) It's been awhile since we have had any news about Patrick Read Johnson's Star Wars comedy 5-25-77. Back in 2005, Karina had a look at the teaser trailer for the coming of age story about the ultimate fan. Well, here we are almost two years later and while there has been the trailer, a website and a promised release date of May 25th of this year, there hadn't been much news from the production; prompting questions about whether the film was going to make its promised release date. Fan Cinema Today wondered the same and actually got an answer -- sort of. The site received a sneak preview of the poster for the film with the promise of "More info to come...soon."
5-25-77 is inspired by an event from Johnson's own youth; in 1976 the teen filmmaker was invited to a rough screening of Star Wars at ILM. The movie is only loosely based on Johnson and instead focuses on the teen returning to his small town to become the film's number one fan. Since it's a coming of age comedy, there will probably be plenty of touching moments and comic obstacles peppered in amongst the nostalgia. If Johnson keeps to his release date, it might put the film in competition with MGM's Fanboys, but considering what Erik thought of the Fanboys trailer, 5-25-77 should have a fighting chance.
The poster: http://fancinematoday.wordpress.com/files/2007/02/5-25-77-poster.jpg
The Oscars That Are In The Details
(calendarlive.com)
Special effects
To create a tentacle-faced Davy Jones and other cutting-edge computer-generated special effects in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," John Knoll and other members of Industrial Light & Magic first had to create Imocap, a new motion-capture system.
Until Imocap, it took 16 cameras, specific lighting cues, a sound stage and a blue screen to digitally record movement in a motion-capture system. The setup was the opposite of portable.
But Imocap is sort of a "have motion-capture, will travel" arrangement. With just three cameras and a new form of sensor-embedded suit for the actors whose movements are being recorded, filmmakers can shoot on location without having to worry about blue screens, sound stages or lighting. Knoll shares the nomination with Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and Allen Hall.
Telling detail: Knoll created his first motion-capture system 22 years ago as his senior thesis at USC's School of Cinema and Television.
Makeup
"Apocalypto" director Mel Gibson gave Aldo Signoretti a lot of artistic license to design the makeup and hair of the film's Maya characters.
Tattoos were an important part of the ancient culture; Signoretti used them, and body painting, liberally, often dyeing characters' hair to match their body paint. He worked to emphasize the decadence of the upper classes. Signoretti shares the nomination with Vittorio Sodano.
Telling detail: It took a crew of 300 to apply tattoos, body painting, various types of makeup and elaborate wigs to the large cast.
Costume design
For "Dreamgirls," Sharen Davis had to create 120 dresses from scratch to show the ever-changing styles of the fictional R&B group the Dreamettes and come up with dozens of eye-poppingly glitzy suits for Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy.
For the film's finale, she tapped one of her favorite couture designers \u2014 Neeam Kahn to create slinky titanium chain mail gowns.
Telling detail: The metal gowns each weigh about 12 pounds. Estimated retail price: more than $10,000 a pop.
Animated feature film
Assembling Disney/Pixar's animated film "Cars" was a labor- and research-intensive project for writer-director John Lasseter and a village of animators and computers.
Lasseter, whose father was a parts manager at a Chevy dealership in Whittier, traveled with his animation team to Detroit, talking to auto designers and visiting factories, old car restorers and race shops. Not only did Lasseter attend NASCAR races, he also took race car driver lessons.
Animators drew up some 43,000 sketches for the catchy automobiles seen in the film, the designs inspired by car sculptures on display in the business district of Detroit.
Telling detail: Though the computers Apples, natch ran four times faster than those used on the Oscar-winning 2004 Pixar/Disney film "The Incredibles," it still took 17 hours to process a single frame of "Cars."
Art direction
"Pan's Labyrinth" production designer Eugenio Caballero was responsible for bringing to vivid life writer-director Guillermo del Toro's gothic fairy tale universe as well as the brutal, unrelenting world of Franco's fascist 1944 Spain. The film was shot on location in Segovia as well as the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range outside of Madrid in summer 2005, and Caballero was challenged with re-creating lush green mountain settings in the relentlessly hot and dry Spanish countryside.
The healthy grass and moss-covered trees? They were crafted from green wood and thread.
Telling detail: Caballero and his crew built all 36 sets from scratch, including the decrepit stone-based labyrinth, the dark, forbidding lodge and the Pale Man's Cocteau-esque lair.
Source: http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/cl-ca-craftssider18feb18,0,4835851.story?coll=cl-movies
Halo Movie Gets A Director And 2008 Release Date
(blogs.mercurynews.com) The long-awaited Halo movie has an unknown as a director (Neill Blomkamp) and a delayed release date of 2008. Of course, big names Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh are still producing.
Source: http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2006/08/halo_movie_gets.html
LucasArts Addresses Nintendo Wii Star Wars Snub
(nintendorevolution.ca) Star Wars: The Force Unleashed have been released by LucasArts on Xbox 360 and PS3, but no Wii (but DS?)Why is there no Star Wars: The Force Unleashed coming to Wii? When the LucasArts title was announced a few days ago, the platforms included PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, and DS, but Nintendo Wii was noticably absent.
Theforce.net recently got a sneak peek at the latest issue of Game Informer which addresses this very issue.
First off, the platforms. The LucasArts site lists 'Next-Generation platforms, PS2, PSP and DS' among the systems capable of playing this game. So let's just break this down. PlayStation3 and XBox 360 are the next-gen systems. While those other platforms will have the game, the mechanics of gameplay will be decidedly different.
Krome Studios will be making the PSP/PS2 version, while n-Space will be handling the Nintendo DS version. But what about the Wii?! Well, when they asked a LucasArts rep about that, the response was, "even if that version does happen, it probably wouldn't be 'the lightsaber game' that gamers have eagerly been awaiting." Bummer.
The answer is still quite cryptic. Could this possibly mean there is an altogether different Star Wars title that is being worked on for Wii, one that is the "lightsaber game" that we've all been waiting for it?
Trust us, the second we know...you'll know.
Source: http://www.nintendorevolution.ca/02192007/09/lucasarts_addresses_nintendo_wii_star_wars_snub
Bob Burns: Keeping Hollywood's Magic Alive
(iht.com) BURBANK, California: Hollywood is notorious for abandoning its past, but luckily there are people like Bob Burns around to pick it up, put it in a cardboard box and take it home.
Burns, who lives on a tranquil, tree- lined street here, has a fair share of Hollywood's institutional memory stashed in the crowded back room of the tidy white bungalow he shares with Kathy, his wife of 50 years.
Bob's Basement, as the collection has come to be known to horror and science-fiction fans (though it has never actually been stored in an underground room) may well be the premier film museum in the Los Angeles area, though it is not open to the public and has no regular hours. People phone and just drop in, drawn from around the world by the glorious clutter of Burns's heaped-up holdings.
In Bob's Basement, for example, you can meet the biggest movie star in the world: the original King Kong, or at least the only surviving 18-inch, or 46- centimeter, armature that the sculptor Marcel Delgado created for the special effects wizard Willis O'Brien, whose painstaking, frame-by-frame animation brought Kong to life in the 1933 film. Kong is a bit slimmer these days, having lost the foam rubber padding and rabbit fur coat he wore when he climbed the Empire State Building.
Today he stands as a marvelously intricate metal skeleton, fashioned out of nuts, bolts and forged steel. His soulful eyes are empty sockets now, but somehow Kong's personality still clings to this totemic object.
"When you have in your hand a prop from a movie that's in your psyche, there's a strange emotional connection that is made," said the director Joe Dante, some of whose most famous creations now live in Bob's Basement, including a few versions of the cuddly Gizmo character from "Gremlins" (1984). "Somebody who's into books might have the same feeling in the presence of a manuscript by Charles Dickens."
Burns, 71, is retired from a series of jobs, from film editor to gorilla impersonator. He does not guide his visitors through the collection as much as turn them loose among the mounds of props and costumes and models and matte paintings that he has amassed since he was a boy and became fascinated by the mechanics of movie magic.
Here are the embroidered tunics worn by some of the most famous superheroes of the Republic serials of the 1940s, including Captain America, the Spy Smasher and, suspended in a swooping pose from the ceiling, a dummy wearing the leather flying suit worn by the stuntman Dave Sharpe in "King of the Rocket Men" (1949). Here are the giant black clodhoppers worn by Glenn Strange when he played Frankenstein's monster in "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948).
There, on the floor, is a melting pink mass with Jeff Goldblum's face, a transitional effect from David Cronenberg's 1986 film "The Fly." A lineup of space helmets includes everything from the ridiculous headgear worn by George Barrows in the endearingly awful 1953 "Robot Monster" to the convincingly high-tech plastic helmet worn by Sigourney Weaver in "Alien."
Almost everything is hands on, ready to be poked and prodded to reveal its secrets. For young special effects buffs hanging out at Bob's has been a way of learning a craft that was not taught in schools. Dennis Muren, now the senior visual effects supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic, got his start helping build and run the neighborhood Halloween shows Burns began in 1969.
Rick Baker, who has won six Oscars as a makeup artist, was a shy 13-year- old from Covina, obsessed with makeup and a faithful reader of Burns's magazine Fantastic Monsters of the Films, when he asked his father to call Burns to see if he might pay a visit.
When Baker won the first Academy Award given for makeup, for John Landis's "American Werewolf in London" in 1982, he offered some of the used props to Burns; the huge wolf puppet he created, along with an artificial arm that grows werewolf fingernails when a rod is pressed, retain pride of place in Burns's collection along with three of the alien masks Baker created for the canteen sequence in "Star Wars" and other bits of Baker's work, including the Bela Lugosi mask Martin Landau wore in Tim Burton's "Ed Wood."
Burns was a boy when his family moved to Burbank, which was also home to many technicians and office workers who labored at the nearby movie studios: Warner Brothers, Universal and the vanished Republic.
"I lived next door to a gal who was Roy Barcroft's secretary," Burns recalled, referring to the character actor. The secretary arranged an introduction, and Barcroft invited the 10-year- old Bob Burns to visit Republic, where Barcroft was playing the title role in "The Purple Monster Strikes."
"That day changed my life," said Burns, who now counts Barcroft's Purple Monster costume among his treasures. Later a friend's father turned out to be Ellis Berman, a special effects technician at Universal. He had kept the silver wolf's head cane ornament that Claude Rains used to kill his lycanthropic son in "The Wolf Man" in 1941. Seeing how fascinated the boy was by the prop, Berman offered it to him.
That "silver" ornament is exactly the sort of material manifestation of the special effects artist's work that is rapidly disappearing, as the mechanical effects of yesterday are gradually replaced by digital effects. Baker, who once kept a machine shop busy turning out costumes and props, now does much of his work in the virtual world.
"The best approach is still a combination of the two methods," Baker said. "But the big machine shop is kind of useless now."
Today's special effects will be stored on discs and tapes, not here.
But maybe that's just as well. Bob's Basement is filling up.
Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/19/news/kehr.php?page=2
