Looking for a little bit of everything? This week’s Movie News Cheat Sheet‘s got it.
We’ve got the latest from New York Comic Con 2011 as well as the full list of Scream Awards winners. Then there’s the news of the famed Black List getting its own website with a new live feature offering a real-time list. Switching gears yet again, apparently a man was inspired to toss a hot dog at Tiger Woods while in the midst of a match by the movie Drive and, far more unfortunately, a group of extras took a tough tumble on the set of Resident Evil: Retribution.
Then, of course, we’ve got some of the usual fare including a new directing gig for Matt Reeves as well as an update on the hunt for John McClane’s son for the new Die Hard movie.
Run through this week’s Movie News Cheat Sheet and not only will you head back to work or school with some of the most intriguing movie news out there, but a pretty wide variety of stories, too!
1. New York Comic Con: Sadly not much to report from New York Comic Con in terms of movies, but the industry did have a bit of a presence. Attack the Block director Joe Cornish was on hand to ring in the film’s release on DVD as was Ti West who spent some time at the Magnet booth signing posters for his films including The Innkeepers and House of the Devil. Panel-wise, there just wasn’t much doing. Directors Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine took to the stage to represent Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. The duo unveiled a bit of never-before-seen footage via an extended trailer and also noted that the sequel won’t refer to the original much. Saturday night at the IGN theater wrapped with the movie panel of all movie panels – at NYCC 2011, at least – the one for Marvel’s The Avengers. Even after a particularly late start, fans were thrilled to see Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smuldes, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo and Chris Evans. And, of course, the event featured some brand new footage that reveals Bruce Banner (Ruffalo) hasn’t turned into the Hulk in over two years. Regardless, Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) sends Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) to bring him hoping his knowledge of gamma radiation can help them track down the missing Tesseract. Be sure to check out ComingSoon and Geeks of Doom’s full panel reports on Ghost Rider and The Avengers respectively for all the details.
2. Matt Reeves to Direct The Twilight Zone: Sure, I’ve watched my fair share of The Twilight Zone, but another feature film didn’t feel quite necessary – until director Matt Reeves was brought on board. As reported by Deadline, Warner Bros recruited Reeves to get behind the lens for their new thriller based on the beloved Rod Serling TV series. With films like Cloverfield and Let Me In under his belt, Reeves is solidifying himself as a director who doesn’t disappoint, delivering solid and thoroughly enjoyable features. Deadline describes this new Twilight Zone movie as “a big science fiction action movie with a single freestanding story that is linked to the original series mainly in that it shares that familiarly eerie feel.” Considering Reeves’ success with Cloverfield and Let Me In, this really sounds like the perfect match.
3. Scream Awards Winners: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows took home the top prize at Spike’s Scream Awards 2011, the award for “The Ultimate Scream.” Snagging the win in the “Best Science Fiction Movie” category is Super 8 while X-Men: First Class was named “Best Fantasy Movie,” quite surprisingly beating Black Swan. However, Black Swan did take the “Best Fantasy Actress” and “Best Director” categories, so it didn’t go home empty-handed. While I’m quite disappointed Insidious didn’t top the “Best Horror Movie” section, Let Me In is still very much deserving of the honor as is its star, Chloe Moretz, who beat Sarah Wayne Callies, Neve Campbell, Anna Paquin and Rose Byrne for the “Best Horror Actress” win. In the TV department, Game of Thrones nabbed a few honors including “Best TV Show,” “Breakout Performance – Female” for Emilia Clarke and “Best Supporting Actor” for Peter Dinklage. Those are the highlights, but you can check out the full list of winners right here and watch the show when it airs on Tuesday, October 18th at 9pm ET.
4. Ben Foster, Aaron Paul or Paul Dano Could Die Hard: On Wednesday, Deadline revealed A Good Day To Die Hard is set for a February 2013 release. The piece noted Bruce Willis is back on board to reprise his role as John McClane, but little was known about the plot beyond the involvement of John McClane Jr. However, Slash Film caught Fox Filmed Entertainment co-chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tom Rothman, on Jim Rome that very morning and, because Rome is a big fan of the franchise, Rothman revealed a bit about the fifth installment. “The story is set in Russia and begins with John McClane heading to Moscow to sweet talk some cops into letting his apparently-wayward son out of jail for something he did, but when he gets there, things surrounding his son’s arrest are not as they appear and world-threatening terrorist hijinks ensue.” So, who’s the lucky actor who’ll snag the role of McClane’ son? We don’t know yet, but, according to Variety, these are some of the potentials – Aaron Paul, Paul Dano and Ben Foster. The article notes these are just three of many, but of these three, I’m voting for Paul. After his performance in Breaking Bad season five, and the entire series for that matter, how could they pass on him?
5. The Black List Gets Its Own Website: Since December of 2005, the Black List has narrowed down the best-of-the-best in unproduced screenplays, many of which wind up making it to the big screen. In fact, of the 500 scripts that have made the list over the years, an impressive 125 were eventually realized including Juno, Slumdog Millionaire, The Social Network and many more Academy Award-winning films. Now, rather than merely getting the list once a year, online members will have access to a live site, www.blcklst.com. As announced by Black List founded, Franklin Leonard, and co-founder, Dino Sijamic, the site rocks an algorithm that recommends screenplays based on the user’s taste and offers a real-time list of the most liked scripts of the moment. Leonard noted, “Hopefully the benefits that the list has brought screenwriters at the end of each year can continue similarly year round.” (via The Black List)
6. Extras Injured on the Set of Resident Evil: Retribution: Now this is something that’s never fun to write about – set injuries. According to TMZ, 16 zombie extras from the fifth Resident Evil film, Resident Evil: Retribution, wound up with injuries more realistic than the ones applied by the makeup department. The actors were working on a scene that took place on a set on wheels and, all of a sudden, the structure moved, sending them tumbling a horrifying 20-feet. While none of the repercussions are life threatening, many suffered arm, leg and back injuries. The actors are being treated at a local hospital while the Toronto Police Dept. and the Ministry of Labor investigate.
7. Man Blames Drive for Urge to Chuck a Hot Dog at Tiger Woods: Think of this as your seventh inning stretch, or perhaps your #7 laugh. Early in the week, a woman opted to sue Film District claiming the company marketed Drive as though it would offer something along the lines of Fast and Furious. Think that’s silly? Well, it’s nothing compared to Brandon Kelly’s behavior. During the Frys.com Open, Kelly decided to throw a hot dog at Tiger Woods. When asked what compelled him to do so, Kelly blamed Drive saying, “As soon as the movie ended, I thought to myself, ‘I have to do something courageous and epic. I have to throw a hot dog on the green in front of Tiger.'” If anything, I see how Drive could compel a viewer to give his or her engine a bit of a rev, but hot dog throwing? Not so much. (via THR and CinemaBlend.com)
8. The Avengers Trailer Arrives and Becomes iTunes’ Most-Viewed Trailer: The Avengers trailer has finally arrived and, as expected, fans are going nuts. While many are thrilled to see the gang unite others are picking apart the details, criticizing the piece for having too much Tony Stark, too many explosions and for simply being unexceptional. Regardless, The Avengers trailer demolished records, accumulating over 10 million downloads in its first 24 hours on Apple Trailers. I’d say that bodes pretty damn well for the film’s May 4th, 2012 release. (via THR)
9. Trailers: American Reunion, W.E., This Means War: In less explosive trailer news, we’ve got three new entries to note. First up is the new red band teaser for the fourth film of the American Pie series, American Reunion. This takes things up a notch from the film’s photo montage teaser, showing good old Jim (Jason Biggs) having a sock mishap. On a far more serious note, the first trailer for the Madonna-directed W.E. is here and while it doesn’t suit my taste, it will appeal to folks with a liking for period romances. Somewhat similarly, while it’s a blast to watch Tom Hardy and Chris Pine armed and dangerous as CIA agents in This Means War, fighting for Reese Witherspoon’s love doesn’t feel like the most compelling mission.
10. Box Office: It’s a relatively sad week for the big screen newcomers. Neither Footloose nor The Thing packed enough power to top last weekend’s big hit, Real Steel. Even with dropping 40.3%, Real Steel managed to beat Footloose by about $200,000 with a total of $16.3 million. However, a $4,536 per theater average for the 80s remake isn’t half bad. Meanwhile, Universal might have a tough time recouping loses with The Thing, which only earned $2,904 per theater for a total of $8.7 million for weekend one. Coming in at #4 is The Ides of March, which enjoyed a mere 28.4% tumble, letting it put another $7.5 million in the bank. Wrapping up the top five is Dolphin Tale and its $6.3 million week four haul. (via Box Office Mojo)
