spratt89

I know that we have a topic for Movie Trailers so I thought we could do with one for Movie news.


All My Info Comes From
Imdb.com
Ew.com
Digitalspy.com

[ Last edited by spratt89 at 3-26-2009 00:39 ]

spratt89

The Dark Knight has finished top of a poll to find the year's best movie experience.

Christopher Nolan's film, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, beat off competition from Mamma Mia! and No Country For Old Men to claim the Love Film accolade.

"There's no doubt that 2008 has been a hugely eventful year for film," said Love Film editor Helen Cowley. "Performances like Heath Ledger's have clearly set the bar higher, so it'll be interesting to see if 2009's crop of new releases can make the grade."

Eagle Eye was named the year's worst film, followed by Pineapple Express and Fool's Gold.

spratt89

Mamma Mia! has become the biggest-selling DVD of all time in the UK.

The Abba musical has overtaken Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl with sales of more than 5 million units. Pirates has shifted 4.7 million copies on the DVD format.

Superhero sequel The Dark Knight was the second most purchased disc of 2008, selling 1.5 million copies.

Casino Royale and Lord Of The Rings entries Fellowship Of The Ring and The Two Towers also figure in the top five all-time DVD bestseller list, taken from the format's launch in 1998.

Mamma Mia! set UK cinema records earlier this year, becoming the highest-grossing theatrical release of all time with more than £69 million in ticket sales.

spratt89

A third sequel to the successful American Pie franchise is reportedly in development.

American Pie 4 will likely focus on the characters of Jim and Michelle following on from their wedding, according to Moviehole.

The original American Pie was released in 1999 and grossed around $235 million (£162.4 million) worldwide. It was followed by American Pie 2 and American Wedding, which each grossed over $200 million (£138.1 million) at the box office.

A trio of straight-to-DVD spinoffs - American Pie Presents: Band Camp, American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile and American Pie Presents: Beta House - have also been released.

Producers Universal Pictures were reportedly impressed by the success of the spinoff movies and believe that a fourth cinematic feature could be a profitable venture.

The original films starred Jason Biggs, Sean William Scott and Alyson Hannigan, but no cast members have yet been announced for the latest project.

spratt89

Director Pascal Laugier has revealed that his remake of cult horror movie Hellraiser will be "more epic" than the original.

However, the French filmmaker has promised fans that he will stay true to Clive Barker's original screenplay, which was based on his critically acclaimed novella The Hellbound Heart.

"I won't betray Clive Barker's work. I want to do a fresh film filled with a lot of unexpected and surprising things," he told Ain't It Cool. "At the same time, I want it to be connected to the real, original material.

"We'll get the chance to have much more money than even Clive had in the first film, so it will be of course more epic, it will be bigger, and I hope that it won't be softer."

Laugier admitted that he jumped at the chance to remake the movie because of the effect watching it as a child had on him.

"Hellraiser is a child's dream coming true," he said. "I saw the first when I was 13, I remember precisely the shock it had on me because it was so new, so fresh, so it's very hard to resist the temptation to do [it].

"I felt it was a good idea to do a new Hellraiser... the franchise has been killed by really, really cheap and bad direct-to-DVD sequels... and the franchise deserves something more ambitious, you know, and more serious, so for me it's a huge chance to be allowed to handle it."

spratt89

Hugh Jackman has reportedly signed up to voice a character in upcoming animated film Guardians Of Ga'Hoole.

The movie, based on the children's books by Kathryn Lasky, follows a group of barn owls in the Forest of Tyto who find themselves under threat from evil forces.

Watchmen's Zack Snyder was previously announced as the movie's director, while Happy Feet writer John Collee and A Mighty Heart's John Orloff will script the screenplay.

Matrix star Hugo Weaving and True Blood actor Ryan Kwanten are also reported to be lending their voices to the production.

The film is expected to be released in 2010.

serena75

Thanks for the Movie news, spratt!

We got the Mamma Mia! dvd as a Christmas gift. We haven't seen it yet, though. They say it's a good movie, but I don't like Abba's music much.

spratt89

Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds has been handed an August 21 release date, The Weinstein Company has announced.

The World War II drama's summer debut will put it up against the latest Final Destination instalment and Jeremy Piven comedy The Goods: The Don Ready Story.

The Inglourious Basterds cast is headed by Brad Pitt as American Lieutenant Aldo Raine, who leads a group of soldiers on a revenge mission against the Nazis. Diane Kruger, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth and B.J. Novak also star in the movie.

Tarantino plans to open the film, his first since Death Proof, at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

dannixx

I thought Mamma Mia was very amusing. Meryl Streep was freaking hilarious, in my opinion.

spratt89

Twilight star Robert Pattinson has revealed that the contact lenses he wore during filming made it hard for him to express any emotion when he was acting.

The actor wore topaz coloured contacts to play vampire Edward Cullen in the hit movie, but admitted that the tinted lenses hurt his eyes.

"Wearing coloured contact lenses... It was like I constantly had sand in my eyes," he told OK!. "I was wearing them for three months constantly and my eyes never ever accepted them!"

The 22-year-old also confessed that he is not looking forward to filming sequel New Moon because he will have to wear the lenses again.

"It took me 20 minutes per eye every single day and I ended up having to literally fold it into my eyeball," he said.

"It was frustrating as well because normally your eyes are saying something, but if you've got two orange blobs in your face it's so annoying!

"The director would say, 'Look at [Kristen Stewart] like you love her', and I'd be like, 'I'm trying!' I'm going to have to do it again because we're making the sequel next year."

spratt89

James Corden has reportedly been approached about appearing in Rob Letterman's Gulliver's Travels.

The project, which will be scripted by
Forgetting Sarah Marshall's Nicholas Stoller, has already confirmed Jack Black for the lead role. The CGI and live action feature is scheduled to begin shooting in March.

According to The Sun, Corden will have a screen test with Black later this week.

"James got a call before Christmas inviting him out to Los Angeles to read a part for the new movie," said a source.

"Film bosses are determined to get him on board to play Jack Black's sidekick. The studio has put on first class flights and the full charm offensive is in operation.

"The casting team are very keen after James came to their attention in The History Boys a few years ago."

spratt89

Steven Soderbergh has abandoned talks with Hugh Jackman to star in his 3-D rock musical Cleo.

According to Variety, Jackman had been lined up to play Marc Anthony opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones as Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Jackman's departure has been put down to scheduling conflicts.

Ray Winstone will take on the role of Roman emperor Julius Caesar in the movie.

The $30 million project, which Soderbergh has compared to an Elvis musical, will be soundtracked by indie band Guided By Voices and scripted by the group's ex-bassist James Greer.

spratt89

Will Arnett has confirmed that he will star in the Arrested Development movie.

The comic actor, who portrayed inept magician Gob Bluth in the Fox sitcom, was rumoured to be reluctant to return for the big screen outing.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he said: "Arrested Development has such a special place in my heart... It'll be fun to get back together with everybody and work on it. It's been so long now, we almost have to do it. It's like we have to finish the joke."

Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz, who will write and direct the feature, earlier hinted that Michael Cera was the only cast member refusing to star in the forthcoming movie.

spratt89

Craig Charles has revealed that a Red Dwarf movie could still be a possibility if the upcoming special for the Dave channel is a success.

"It came really, really close," Charles told Digital Spy about the proposed big screen spinoff of the cult comedy, which was in development for many years.

"It's one of those things, though. It feels like another lifetime now."

However, the Coronation Street star suggested that the new Red Dwarf episode could revive the plans, saying: "Never say never - if this special goes well, you never know what could come of it."

spratt89

Nikki Blonsky has revealed that she is excited by the proposed sequel to hit musical Hairspray.

The 20-year old played Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 film and admitted that she would jump at the chance to reprise the role.

"I want to put on my Tracy Turnblad wig again and dance my little heart out," she told OK!.

"Zac [Efron] has said he'd love to do it again, and I know Brittany Snow is down for sure. I don't know about Amanda [Bynes]. I hope she will."

Last year, John Travolta confirmed that he would not be reprising his role as Tracy's mother Edna, saying: "I did it and I did it well but I'm not a sequel guy."

The sequel's director Adam Shankman has revealed that the plot will focus on Tracy and her friends during the 1960s British music invasion of the US.

spratt89

Michael Sheen has admitted that he is struggling to enjoy playing a terrorist in Gregor Jordan's Unthinkable.

Bang Showbiz quotes the Welsh actor as saying: "Playing a terrorist is absolutely no fun at all. It's bad, completely uncomfortable, and it's a tough shoot, but it's very enjoyable to be working with the director, Gregor Jordan, and a really great script, so I'm excited about how it's going to turn out."

Despite his discomfort, Sheen insisted that he is pleased that the role has given him the opportunity to master an American accent. "I'm really enjoying that. It's sort of the first proper full-on American character I've played," he said.

Sheen can next be seen in Frost/Nixon, Ron Howard's drama recounting Sir David Frost's interview with shamed US President Richard Nixon.

spratt89

Tom Cruise's new movie Valkyrie is reportedly being threatened with a lawsuit after a Nazi prop was used without permission.

The 46-year-old actor stars as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, one of the key plotters in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler during the Second World War.

Several scenes in the movie involve a replica of the Nazi leader's famous Fuhrer Globe, which he used to plot his military strategies.

Hitler is thought to have commissioned two limited editions of the original globe from a Berlin factory in the 1930s. An American soldier claimed to have found one in May 1945 among the ruins of a former Nazi command base.

That globe was later sold at auction to art collector Robert Pritikin, who paid $100,000 (£68,483) for the item and copyrighted its likeness to prevent its use by neo-Nazi groups.

"Pritikin believes the globe should be used as a teaching tool so the lessons of Hitler's nightmare can keep history from repeating itself," said Paul Barresi, who is investigating the alleged copyright infringement.

"Tom Cruise's use of the globe's likeness without our client's permission was likely just an oversight. We're confident this will all be quickly resolved out of court."

spratt89

Will Smith has been named the biggest box office draw of 2008.

This year's Quigley Poll, which incorporates votes from cinema owners and film buyers, saw the Hancock star become the first African-American actor to earn the title since Sidney Poitier in 1968.

Neither last year's winner Johnny Depp nor seven-time number one Tom Cruise featured in the 2008 top ten.

Robert Downey Jr, Christian Bale and Shia LaBeouf followed Smith in second, third and fourth place respectively.

The Quigley Poll has been conducted by the publishers of the International Motion Picture Almanac for 76 years.

spratt89

A Bollywood remake of Back To The Future is in the works, starring two of the industry's biggest stars.

According to Real Bollywood News, Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai will take on the lead roles in Action Replay.

The original Back To The Future starred Michael J. Fox as time-travelling teenager Marty McFly, who journeys back 30 years and accidentally attracts the attention of his high school-aged mother. Kumar will take on Fox's role and Rai the mother part, originally played by Leah Thompson.

Rai is well known to western audiences from 2005's Bride & Prejudice, while Kumar once dated Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty.

In past years, Bollywood has produced films loosely based on Fight Club, The Godfather (Sarkar) and Pretty Woman (Chameli).

spratt89

David Frost has called the movie adaption of hit play Frost/Nixon "fiction".

The Ron Howard film, based on a series of interviews US president Richard Nixon gave to the talkshow host in 1977, has changed some details of what really happened.

"I voluntarily gave up my rights to editorial control of it. I'm not complaining but it does mean that 10 to 15% of the film is fiction," he said.

He added that actual events were slightly inaccurate in the original production, which he puts down to the writer attempting to create a more audience-friendly narrative.

"I think Peter [Morgan, the playwright] did it this way to make me out to be the underdog, more a showman than a journalist," said Frost.