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Robert Downey Jr. Might Play Lestat in Vampire Chronicles

BuzzSugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:45:56 -0700

Word on the street is that the next vampire project will be a reboot of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. In 1994, Rice's Interview With the Vampire was adapted for the big screen with Tom Cruise in the role of the vampire Lestat de Lioncort, "a nobleman-turned-vampire in the late 18th century." Later, in 2002, Stuart Townsend played Lestat in the movie Queen of the Damned. Now, apparently Universal wants to start up a new franchise based on the Chronicles - but this time with Robert Downey Jr. as Lestat.

According to Wikipedia (so, you know, grains of salt required), Rice did not initially like the idea of Tom Cruise in the role of Lestat. She reportedly said that Cruise was "'no more my Vampire Lestat than Edward G. Robinson is Rhett Butler' and the casting was 'so bizarre, it's almost impossible to imagine how it's going to work.' Nevertheless, she was satisfied with Cruise's performance after seeing the completed film, saying that 'from the moment he appeared, Tom was Lestat for me' and 'That Tom did make Lestat work was something I could not see in a crystal ball.'" If the RDJ thing ends up being true, I wonder what Rice will think of this casting choice. Personally, I think it's inspired. I'd love to see him in this role!

Box Office: Iron Man Continues to Soar

BuzzSugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:30:32 -0700

Update: As of this afternoon, What Happens in Vegas beat out Speed Racer for the No. 2 spot at the box office, Variety reports.

It will come as no surprise to the majority of movie critics who screened Speed Racer that the highly anticipated Wachowski brothers' flick had a disappointing opening weekend.

Not only did Speed Racer fail to knock Iron Man out of the top spot (the Marvel action hero brought in another $50 million over the weekend), but it's still unclear if the film can truly claim second place as What Happens in Vegas is hot on its trail in what Variety is calling a "photo finish." Vegas only earned an estimated $200,000 less than Speed Racer and both films are currently hovering around the $20 million mark.

In addition to poor reviews, another problem Speed Racer had is that it seemed to only appeal to kids, and filmmakers were shooting for a broader audience. An executive for the film told Hollywood Reporter, "What's hurting us is that the picture is playing very young." The Hollywood Reporter article also points out that if this is the case, then they'll have a hard time when even more competition heads to the theaters next weekend in the form of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

Made of Honor fell to fourth place followed by Baby Mama to round out the top five.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Box Office: Audiences Make Iron Man the Year's First Blockbuster

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 08:30:41 -0700

It wasn't just comic book fans that lined up this weekend for Iron Man, it was everybody! And I mean, everybody. The film raked in an extremely impressive $104.2 million its opening weekend, which is a staggering amount for any studio, much less for the first title fully produced and paid for by Marvel Studios.

I recently watched some footage of director Jon Favreau at a 2007 Comic-Con panel where he said, "If you make a good movie, the box office will be there." And boy, was he right. He also said that he cast the movie the way he might approach casting the (mostly independent) films he normally works on. Again, his instincts are proven right as the stellar reviews (including my own) praising the performances no doubt aided such a successful opening.

Variety reports Iron Man is the 10th best opening ever and "the second-best debut for a non-sequel after Spider-Man," which opened to $114.8 million on the same weekend in 2002.

Meanwhile, it was the romantic and the comedic films that rounded out the rest of the top five. Patrick Dempsey's so-so romcom Made of Honor was No. 2 and pulled in a respectable $15.5 million. It was followed by Baby Mama in the third spot, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall came in at No. 4. Finally, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay earned $6 million in the No. 5 spot.

Who saw Iron Man? Did you catch the teaser trailer after the credits?

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Iron Man: The Most Fun Ever

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 06:30:22 -0700

All hail John Favreau for rescuing the Summer blockbuster! Iron Man is the most fun I've had watching a movie in a long time. Going into the screening, I was wary of a premise centered around a giant robot superhero. I figured it would be a recipe for a lot of CGI and explosions and not much else, something any old director with a giant budget can churn out this time of year. However, as soon as the first scene opened, AC/DC's "Back in Black" guitar riff filled the theater and I got my first glimpse at Robert Downey Jr.'s acerbic smirk, something told me I was wrong.

If Spider-Man's alter ego is a dweeb and Batman's Bruce Wayne is kind of a "Debbie Downer," then the human inside this iron suit, Tony Stark, brings us a new kind of superhero: the coolest cat in the room. I haven't read the Marvel comic the movie is based on, but I think the cool factor has less to do with the original character and more to do with the spin director John Favreau puts on it - along with Robert Downey Jr.'s mesmerizing and nuanced performance.

Can you tell yet that I'm excited about this film? To see what else I loved and what I thought of the other performances from Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, and Jeff Bridges, read more.

Our hero Tony Stark is a brilliant manufacturing magnate who is supplying the United States government with sophisticated and deadly weapon technologies. He has seemingly bought into the party line that without these weapons the world would be thrown into chaos and his company keeps everyone safe. We get to know Stark as a ladies' man who approaches just about everything, including charges that he is responsible for a lot of the world's suffering, with a largely irreverent outlook. He's charming, witty and arrogant, and watching Downey play him during this first part is a whole lot of fun.

This isn't to say that there aren't parts that, upon reflection, are fairly preposterous, like when Stark is captured by the bad guys in the Middle East who order him to make them a weapon and instead he builds a giant robot . . . in the desert. But it's a testament to how fun (and how well-made) this movie is that I totally didn't care about the absurdity.

I know I'm not the first to point out that anyone who has observed Downey's personal ups and downs will be able to see the similarities between him and his character. It's as if someone decided to make an allegorical comic book hero based on his life. Because of this inspired casting choice, Tony Stark's personal transformation into a superhero is more than just believable - it's downright moving. Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between Tony and Robert Downey Jr. when his eyes well up and he realizes he should use his life to do good things with his unique talent.

Gwyneth Paltrow is wonderful as Stark's love interest/steadfast assistant, and Terrence Howard makes a great, straightlaced sidekick - first to Stark's hard-partying self, but later as someone who tries to understand his friend's new ambition to destroy all the weapons he supplied bad guys with. And then there is Jeff Bridges, who makes a marvelous, if prototypical, villain. This mature group of supporting actors, combined with a commanding lead actor and a director who leans heavily on story (not special effects) makes this one of the best movies you'll treat yourself to this year.

For the trailer and more videos from Iron Man, check out movies.ivillage.com.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

First Look: Iron Man

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:21:48 -0700

Well, it's a little ahead of schedule, but the teaser trailer for Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr., has hit the Web. It's more "trailer" than it is "teaser," which is great because we definitely get a good sense for what the movie entails. It looks like Robert Downey Jr. was perfectly cast in this role as the smart-mouthed comic book character "Iron Man" who straps on "billions of dollars worth of state-of-the-art armor and weaponry each night to fight crime, terrorism and corporate espionage." The trailer, which naturally features the Black Sabbath song by the same name, is pretty neat, so to check it out, read more

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 4/27

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:31:44 -0700

Film lobbyist Jack Valenti, who created the MPAA rating system, died Thursday.
USA Today reports that Robert Downey Jr. will be getting buff to play Iron Man, yet another comic book superhero.
Justin Timberlake was supposed to be on "American Idol" this season, writes Slate.
David Goyer, director of the new thriller The Invisible, will direct the X-Men spinoff, Magneto, Variety reports.
Pitchfork has the latest on the lineup for this summer's Virgin Festival in Baltimore.
Hollywood Reporter brings us the news that the little star of Pan's Labyrinth, Ivana Baquero, will be in her first English-language film: a horror-thriller called The New Daughter.
Science fiction fans can check out a roundup of the Sci Fi Channel's summer shows, thanks to the Futon Critic.

Source

Movie Preview: Zodiac

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 05:25:34 -0800

Coming out this Friday, March 2, Zodiac is a psychological thriller about a real-life San Francisco serial killer who called himself the Zodiac. In the still-unsolved case, the Zodiac killer taunted police and journalists in the '60s and '70s by sending letters and cryptograms to the offices of the San Francisco Chronicle. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr., the film follows the investigators and reporters who became obsessed with this killer-turned-media phenomena.

The film is already being lauded for its detailed adherence to the true story, with the filmmakers largely avoiding dramatization. The result looks like a movie with some tedious parts but with even more that are eerily realistic. Zodiac is directed by David Fincher, who already has hair-raising successes Seven and Fight Club under his belt.

Will you see Zodiac? To watch the creepy trailer, read more

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Brad Pitt Might Face Off With RDJ in Sherlock Holmes Sequel

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:30:33 -0700

Warner Brothers is already developing a sequel to the not-yet-released Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, and early gossip suggests that Brad Pitt has been in talks to join the cast as Moriarity, Holmes's rival.

Please let this be true! Not only would adding Pitt to the Downey-Law lineup help keep the Holmes franchise afloat, but Downey and Pitt in the same film is pretty much my dream - both guys have that wise-cracking persona, good looks, and it would be so much fun to see them spar.

The downside: Pitt's character Moriarity is supposedly only shown in shadow according to the script, making him impossible to actually see. Not a single shot of Pitt's face? Bummer.

No word yet if Pitt will be affecting a British accent or using his Inglorious Basterds hillbilly.

Zach Galifianakis - Love Him or Leave Him?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:30:00 -0800

What is up with the Zach Galifianakis fame train?! After this Summer's The Hangover, I keep hearing his name. He's already invaded Sunday nights on HBO's Bored to Death, and he has a slew of upcoming films, including a comedy with Robert Downey Jr. and a dramedy opposite Amy Adams. Now, he's reportedly picking up an animated film credit, too, lending his voice to Humpty Dumpty in the Shrek spinoff Puss in Boots.

Could Galifianakis be the next Will Ferrell? Seems like a worthy successor to me - then again, you already knew that I'm a fan of his. Tell me how you feel: love him or leave him?

Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin to Host the Oscars - Together!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:57:24 -0800

Earlier today I was sad to hear that Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller had turned down an offer to host the Oscars together, but the biggest awards show of the year has landed an equally hilarious duo: Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin! The comedians will team up to take over for Hugh Jackman, and I'm already giddy thinking about the high jinks that will ensue. I love that we're getting two well-seasoned vets in the humor department (a la Billy Crystal), and we've already seen how great these guys are together after Steve's guest appearance on 30 Rock last season.

So many questions come to mind: Will there be duets? Dance numbers? (Man, I hope so). Are you excited for dual hosting duties or are you worried that we'll get another harried repeat of the 2008 Emmys?