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Will You Wait Two Extra Weeks to See Harry Potter in IMAX?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:30:09 -0700

Don't freak out - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is still scheduled to open nationwide on July 14, but for two weeks the only option will be to see the movie on your normal movie screens (with the exception of two theaters: one in New York and one in Los Angeles). Starting July 29, the movie will be available on IMAX screens nationwide.

Why the delay? Apparently it's a result of "the decision by Warner Bros. to push Potter from its originally scheduled November 2008 opening. The new July opening overlaps with Imax's month-long window dedicated to Paramount's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." The delay has some analysts worried that ticket sales will suffer. But then again, the movie "contains 12 minutes of 3-D footage that moviegoers can experience only through IMAX," so there will probably be plenty of folks who go to the theaters twice: once on opening weekend and a second time to experience the movie in IMAX.

What do you think? Will you wait the two weeks for the IMAX experience? Or are you going to see Potter opening weekend no matter what?

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Next Resurrection of an Old Cartoon: Yogi Bear

BuzzSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:44:59 -0700

Ah, the latest old cartoon character to be swiped from the past: Yogi Bear. Warner Bros. is planning a feature film for Yogi Bear and Boo Boo with a mixture of live-action and CGI characters (like last year's Alvin and the Chipmunks movie). The Hollywood Reporter has more info, though no specific plot details:

Much of the movie will be live-action, but Yogi Bear and sidekick Boo Boo will be done in CG. . . Yogi's exploits take place in Jellystone Park, where he and Boo Boo get into good-natured mischief and must elude their nemesis, Ranger Smith.

With remakes and things like this, my question is always the same: Why? It's nice that Yogi and Boo Boo were relevant and interesting to young audiences for so many years (Yogi got his own show in 1961), but this recycling of old characters is so tiresome by now. I do find myself wondering, however, who they'll get to voice Yogi. Along with borrowing characters from the past, using celebrity voices is now the standard. Who do you think will bring Yogi to life?

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The Dark Knight to Get Another Round in Theaters, January '09

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:31:31 -0700

Even though The Dark Knight has gone above and beyond the line of duty at the box office, earning an estimated $512 million domestically, Warner Bros. has announced it will get a re-release in January 2009. The Hollywood Reporter notes:

Warner Bros. domestic distribution president Dan Fellman acknowledged ongoing talks with IMAX execs over the prospect of restoring the Christian Bale starrer to some giant-screen venues in January. It's uncertain if Dark Knight also will reappear in conventional venues at that point.

January, eh? Also known as: Oscar season!

So, what do you think? Over-hyped and political? Or yay? The DVD will already be out in December, though I still haven't seen The Dark Knight in an IMAX theater as many times as I'd like, so this might be fun come the new year. Also, a re-release could certainly help the movie beat Titanic as the biggest earner ever.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Hoping to Fast-Track the SATC Sequel

BuzzSugar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:35:02 -0700

There was plenty of sequel chatter immediately following the major box office success of the Sex and the City movie, but now certain head honchos are confirming that there is "a lot of energy behind doing another SATC movie." According to EW, "a sequel to the Sex and the City movie is in the early stages of development."

HBO's president of programming group, Michael Lombardo, mentioned that they're "really heartened by the fans' enthusiasm," and a source confirmed that Warner Bros. hopes to fast-track the project, though there is still no deal and no script. In fact, EW notes that "the lead actresses involved are taking a cautious attitude towards another film, not wanting to rush a sequel and risk disappointing their loyal fans."

Tons of you have voted that you'd love to see a SATC sequel, though I have to wonder, what could this sequel be about? What would you like to see in a sequel? Babies? New non-white assistants? Even bigger shoe closets? Sound off below.

Photo courtesy of New Line Cinema

It's Official: Final Harry Potter Book to Be Two Movies

BuzzSugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:30:29 -0700

It was a rumor before, and now it's confirmed: the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is to be made into two separate films: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The films are set to be released in November 2010 and May 2011.

The movies will be shot back-to-back and will be directed by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince director David Yates.

Apparently, "adapting the novel would have resulted in truncating large swaths of it or making an extra-long feature in order to fit everything in. The studio found itself in a situation similar to Quentin Tarantino with Kill Bill, where splitting one long movie in two worked best creatively." Also, you know, Potter movies are a ginormous money-makers for Warner Brothers so . . . there's that.

What do you think about this news? And should the two movies have different titles than simply Part 1 and Part 2? What would you title them?

Paddington Bear Stories to Become Live-Action Film

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:27:46 -0700

First Ramona and now Paddington Bear! The stories of my youth are flocking to the screen. Harry Potter producer David Heyman is teaming up with Warner Bros. to make a live-action film version of the Paddington Bear series. Apparently, Heyman is attracted to Paddington's story not just because he's such an adorable bear, but also because it's an inspirational immigrant story. Variety has more:

Hamish McColl (Mr. Bean's Holiday) is writing the screenplay for a live-action movie based on Michael Bond's series of books for young children about a talking bear who's adopted by a London family when they find him lost at Paddington Station.

Heyman, who is producing through his London-based shingle Heyday Films, commented, "Paddington Bear is a universally loved character, and I have wanted to bring him to screen for some years. Michael Bond's Paddington books have such wit, wonder and charm. Essentially, Paddington's story is that of an immigrant arriving in London and trying to find a home and a family. Above all, I love Paddington's unique style of comedy."

Thankfully, the bear himself won't be some kind of puppet or animatronic thing, it will be a CGI creation while everything else is live-action, a la Stuart Little. Hurray for Paddington Bear!

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After Titanic, Leo Looks to the Sinking Ship of Enron

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:15:50 -0800

There's a reason that Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is one of the most outstanding documentaries I've ever seen: Frankly, the bizarre, sordid tale just begs to be made into a movie. With reclusive, stripper-obsessed executives and convoluted concepts like "hypothetical future value," the story is so unbelievable it almost sounds like fiction.

That juicy potential wasn't lost on Warner Bros., which on Tuesday made a preemptive deal for an Enron movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and produced by the actor's Appian Way company. The film will be based on Kurt Eichenwald's book Conspiracy of Fools, which chronicles the company's tragic rise and fall. For the details on the movie and Leo's role, read more

According to Variety:

In "Conspiracy of Fools," DiCaprio will play a newcomer to the Houston-based energy company who slowly peels back the layers to expose the campaign of greed and fraudulent accounting that drove Enron into bankruptcy in 2001."

That makes me happy, because when I first read that DiCaprio was starring in this ready-made thriller, that's just the part I thought he'd be best for. Plus, I've really developed a renewed respect for him ever since The Departed, which - coincidentally - was also a WB film. I can't wait to see who ends up directing the movie. What do you guys think about the project?

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The Blood Diamond Controversy: Does the End Justify the Means?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 15:14:16 -0800

The new Leonardo DiCaprio movie, Blood Diamond, opens today after several months' worth of controversy. On the one hand, many people are glad to have the movie released, hoping that it will bring to light the serious issue surrounding "conflict diamonds," which continue to finance African warfare. But according to the AP, U.S. Officials disagree, claiming that the trade has been reduced to "significantly less than one percent" of total diamond business, and they fear that the movie will make people think the issue is more serious than it is.

No matter how small the percentage, perhaps it's good to bring to light this illicit activity. However, just a few months ago, Warner Brothers executives came under fire for certain production tactics used for the film. According to The New York Post, African amputees were recruited as extras with the promise that they would receive prosthetic limbs as part of their compensation after the filming. Writes Page Six:

However, more than three months after filming wrapped, the kids are reportedly still waiting for their new limbs and local charity Eastern Cape has been forced to outfit them instead to avoid their disappointment. A Warner Brothers representative allegedly told the victims, "You will have to wait for December, when the movie comes out, so we can get some publicity out of it."

Wow. If that's true, that is cruel exploitation at its best. To explore the issue further, read more

Warner Brothers execs have said that they've started a fund for the amputees, but that it is designed to cover many different needs and perhaps the prosthetics haven't been addressed yet. It is interesting that, in their feverish enthusiasm to bring to light a story about this dangerous trade, they may have gotten carried away and forgotten about, say, morals. To exploit amputees for some publicity seems evil. But maybe this issue is worthwhile enough to be made into a big Hollywood film so people will pay attention to it, no matter what the cost. What do you think? Do some bad actions get canceled out if the end result is something good?

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The Blind Side: An Unexpected Delight

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:42 -0800

It's not that the trailer for The Blind Side isn't compelling; the problem is that it combines Sandra Bullock's twangiest, most-over-the top lines with a heartrending song, which makes it seem schlocky. That's exactly what I expected from the movie, but I have to admit that I was wrong - to my surprise, I found it to be a sentimental gem that's actually quite restrained.

The Blind Side is the true story (based on Michael Lewis's book) of NFL player Michael Oher, who grew up in Memphis's projects with his drug-addicted mother and landed in and out of foster homes. He ended up in a fancy private school and in the home of a wealthy family, the Touhys, led by tough-talking Leigh Anne (Bullock). The weaving of Michael's newfound life in the movie is effective, with sweet bits of humor and just enough emotion.

To see what I liked about the film, just read more.

The movie is full of many surprises: first, it looks like it's going to be mainly about football, but it's not all sports. There is proper attention given to Michael's life before he's taken in and the development of the relationships between the Touhy family members and Michael.

Another nice thing is how smoothly Bullock slides into her role. It's not just her wardrobe and hair that transforms her into the high-maintenance Southern matriarch; her manner as the tough mom who's not completely comfortable showing emotion is very natural - not what I'd expect from the laid-back actress.

Quinton Aaron is also impressive as a sad-eyed orphan turned well-adjusted student and son over the course of the movie. It's not an incredibly complex performance, but his teddy bear presence is irresistible. The supporting players are equally as enjoyable: Tim McGraw, whom I didn't expect much from, is charming, while the Touhy children win you over with their affection for their new brother. The late addition of Kathy Bates (whose role is basically an extended cameo) is hardly needed to bolster the movie, but she adds a nice touch as well.

At two hours and six minutes, the movie is a little too long; director John Lee Hancock seemed intent on fitting in nearly every detail of Michael's journey. Then again, at the end you're rewarded with the payoff: footage and photos of the real-life Touhys and Michael. It's an emotionally satisfying ending to a movie that makes no apologies for being so uplifting.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

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.