Erik Davis
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Gabe Sunday's John Lennon 'Yellow Submarine' Audition Tape
Filed under: Music & Musicals, Casting, RumorMonger, Fandom
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In the past couple days some news reports have surfaced that would make it seem as if Robert Zemeckis has begun the casting process for his Yellow Submarine remake, which is apparently going under the name of The Fab Four Project or The Untitled Fab Four Project for reasons we do not know (perhaps to either mask the real production or perhaps they've decided to go in a different direction and are between titles). Jim Hill noted that they're holding open auditions at a Beatles convention in Stamford, Connecticut this weekend, and The Sun already claims actor Stephen Graham has landed the part of Ringo in the mo-capped feature (though I'd take that piece of news with a huge grain of salt).
It also looks like Zemeckis is considering a wide range of folks for the role of John Lennon, including one of our favorite up-and-coming actors, Gabe Sunday. I first saw Sunday in the buzzed-about indie flick My Suicide and instantly knew he was heading in the right direction. The guy isn't just another wannabee actor -- he's a true artist and collaborator who likes to be involved in the entire filmmaking process. Not only is he working on a narrative film about the great Daniel Johnston, but he apparently threw together a John Lennon audition tape for Zemeckis that's pretty spot-on in terms of becoming the young, experimental Lennon who pals around with buddies and enjoys impromptu jam sessions. No doubt Sunday's usual cronies are behind the look and feel of this audition tape since it squarely belongs in their wheelhouse, and I hate to say it but I'd rather see more of this than whatever colorful mo-capped version Zemeckis has planned.
Either way I truly hope he gives Sunday a shot. The guy is ready to explode onto the scene; he just needs more opportunities to do just that. Watch the video after the jump. Good luck Gabe!
Black Friday Movie Deals: Walmart
Filed under: Home Entertainment
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Our good friend and EIC Erik Davis (that's me!) had a very thoughtful idea for the holiday season: Why not scan the early flyers for the Black Friday sales, and report back to you -- the ravenous movie junkie -- to let you know where to find the best treats on the day after Thanksgiving? We'll be bringing you deals for a variety of stores and online retailers all week long. Here's what we've posted so far so you can keep track:Black Friday Movie Deals: Best Buy
Black Friday Movie Deals: Target
Walmart opens at 5am on Friday, November 27th. I've highlighted the most notable (for being awesome) deals in bold.
DVD/Blu-ray
17 Again (DVD) $9.00
Aliens In The Attic (DVD) $9.00
Blazing Saddles (DVD) $2.00
Blood Diamond (DVD) $2.00
Braveheart (Blu-ray) $10.00
Casino Royale (DVD) $2.00
Facing Giants (DVD) $2.00
Fast & Furious (Blu-ray) $10.00
Fireproof (DVD) $9.00
GI Joe (DVD) $9.00
Gladiator (Blu-ray) $10.00
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (Blu-ray) $10.00
HellBoy II (DVD) $2.00
Horton Hears A Who (DVD) $5.00
Hotel For Dogs (DVD) $5.00
I Am Legend (DVD) $2.00
Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (Blu-ray) $10.00
Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (DVD) $9.00
Iron Man (DVD) $5.00
Kung Fu Panda (DVD) $5.00
Little Black Book (DVD) $2.00
Madagascar 2 (DVD) $5.00
Mall Cop (DVD) $5.00
Marley & Me (DVD) $9.00
Monsters Vs Aliens 2 Pack (DVD) $9.00
Nim's Island (DVD) $5.00
More after the jump
Ben Stiller Goes Indie in 'Greenberg' Trailer
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Independent, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips
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The best thing about this trailer is that Mumblecore sensation Greta Gerwig has finally semi-crossed over into more "popular" fare (I can't say commercial, because this is still somewhat indie, so I guess "popular" is the right word ... but maybe not. You get the point, though, right?). The worst thing about this trailer is that it just feels like another lost-dude-looking-for-the-rest-of-his-life type flick, and I guess that's cool if you dig hip indie soundtracks and Ben Stiller with a perpetual puss on his face, but in my opinion there's nothing here that screams, "Holy crap, watch me right now!"
Yeah, so, anyway, the first trailer for Noah Baumbach's (The Squid and the Whale) next film, Greenberg, has just arrived over on Apple, and it stars Ben Stiller as a guy named Greenberg who's "at a crossroads in his life" and, after he agrees to housesit for his younger (and more successful) brother in Los Angeles, he begins to reconnect with old friends and kinda-sorta-maybe sleep with Greta Gerwig, who, mind you, totally has an Indie Kate Winslet vibe going on in the trailer.
Watch the trailer over on Apple and let us know what you think. Greenberg is due in theaters on March 12th, and I could totally see it premiering at Sundance in January ... but I'll guess we'll wait and see about that.
Hellz Yeah! adidas Launching 'Star Wars' Line in 2010
Filed under: Fandom, Home Entertainment
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Usually this is something we'd post over at SciFi Squad, but I thought these sneakers deserved some more love over on Cinematical, too. Apparently adidas Originals is launching a collection of Star Wars-themed sneakers and clothing for the 2010 Spring/Summer season -- and with it comes this first look (more of a tease) at some of the products they'll be pimping to the public. As a self-proclaimed adidas fanatic (not to mention a giant fan of all things Star Wars), I'm already head over heels (get it?) for these Stormtropper sneakers. Of course they don't show you the entire sneaker, but how cool is that back? I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the hippest or most up-to-date when it comes to the hot new sneakers on the market, but that Stormtrooper sneaker has to be one of the more fantasticlly fanboyish I've seen in quite some time.
In addition to the Stormtropper sneakers, adidas Originals is also adding Vader-themed sneakers, sweet Skywalker-themed sneakers, Yoda-themed sneakers and a totally retro sparkly silver lightsaber battle/Han Solo vibe'd pair of sneakers for those who have no problem saying "F*ck it -- this is what I'm wearing, this is what I love." Check out the teaser images below, and stay tuned to SciFi Squad as we'll dole out more photos over there once they arrive online. The line is due out in January 2010.
Exclusive 'Nine' Poster Premiere!
Filed under: Music & Musicals, Movie Marketing, Images, Trailers and Clips, Posters
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Cinematical has just received this sexy new poster for the upcoming movie-musical Nine, directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago), and starring ... well, who isn't starring in this film? We've got the sensational, bound-to-be-nominated-for-Best-Actor-again Daniel Day-Lewis, followed by a plethora of gorgeous female co-stars like Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren.
Based on the popular Broadway show, Nine follows a famous film director named Guido Contini (Day-Lewis) who's struggling to juggle all of the different dysfunctional personal and professional relationships in his life. You'd be hard-pressed to find an Oscar-related list that doesn't already include Nine as a shoe-in for multiple nominations, including Best Picture. Early reviews are already touting it as a must-see, and I can kinda see why -- this poster alone gives us at least five reasons right off the bat.
Nine is set to roll out into theaters in limited release on December 18th and nationwide on December 25th. Click on the image below to view the full poster, then head after the jump to watch the film's trailers.
Gallery: 'Nine' Movie Poster
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Phew! 'New Moon' Fails to Clinch Opening Weekend Record
Filed under: Box Office, Fandom, Newsstand
According to estimates over at Variety, The Twilight Saga: New Moon failed to top The Dark Knight's three-day opening weekend record of $158 million, bringing what I'm sure will be a huge sigh of relief to all those folks (and there's lots of them) who felt the film was in no way deserving of these historic milestones. Instead, after clinching the Best Midnight Opening record and Best Opening Day record, New Moon will have to settle for third on the Best Opening Weekend list after walking away with a pretty astonishing
If that number holds up (and it should), the film will replace Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for third place on the list of all-time best opening weekends (domestic), and will settle in behind only Spider-Man 3 (second) and The Dark Knight (first). Still, with
'Avatar' Watch: Running Time Announced and New Featurettes
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, 20th Century Fox, Newsstand
Though early rumors suggested the film was going to clock in at over three hours, 20th Century Fox claims James Cameron's Avatar will instead clock in at 150 minutes (or 2.5 hours), or about 156 minutes if you count the credits. The main reason why the film will run under three hours is because of the IMAX showings. Avatar will open in about 180 domestic IMAX theaters on December 18th, and because of the way the IMAX system is set up, the theaters that aren't converted over to digital projection can only hold about 170 minutes worth of film. But while Cameron's final edit came in significantly under 170 minutes, there's no saying whether there will be a cut on the DVD that will run over 170 minutes. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Avatar will open on a minimum of 5,500 screens, with almost half of those screens equipped to show the film in 3D.
In other Avatar news, two new featurettes were released online toward the latter part of the week. IGN UK unveiled one behind-the-scenes video focused primarily on the realistic sci-fi equipment created for the film, and Coke Zero released a video that introduces Stephen Ling's character, Col. Quaritch, and reveals a whole bunch of new footage. You can watch both videos over at SciFi Squad.
'New Moon' Smashes 'Dark Knight's' Opening Day Record!
Filed under: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Box Office, Fandom, Newsstand
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According to ERC, The Twilight Saga: New Moon sold roughly $71 million (Variety is reporting $72.7 million) worth of tickets on its opening day -- a number that, if correct, far surpasses the current opening day box office record of $67 million set by The Dark Knight back in 2008. With its $26 million take in midnight showings, that gives the second installment in the Twilight franchise two pretty giant records: Best Midnight Opening and Best Single Day Opening. Next up for the franchise is the three-day opening weekend record, also held by The Dark Knight with $158 million.
So what does this say about us? Well, while it's not as critically acclaimed as, say, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (previous midnight opening record holder) or The Dark Knight, these numbers do show just how much of an impact the female audience can have on a box office take. Sure, when The Dark Knight broke records everyone wanted to single out the teenage male audience as having won that film its titles, but polls showed females were responsible for upwards of 50% of that film's opening box office too. And now, with New Moon breaking records attracting a younger female audience, here's hoping studios wake up and realize that, yeah, the female audience is a damn powerful force.
So kudos to all you Twi-hards for showing up to support the property you love. Is the film truly worthy of its new records? Probably not. Will another film break those records within the next year? Yeah, most likely. But dammit if the folks at Summit Entertainment aren't partying their asses off this weekend. They just won the World Series at the box office. Congrats!
The Last Word(s) on 'Twilight' Belong to Kevin Smith
Filed under: Fandom, NSFW, Trailers and Clips
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You've read all the reviews and interviews, and watched all the spoof videos. Most of you reading this have probably already watched the film, too. Today, as The Twilight Saga: New Moon finally reaches theaters, it sorta feels like the day after Christmas -- all this hype, work and constant coverage building up to the release of just one film ... and then it's over. Now the "real" fans will begin their endless geeked-out debates on their own fansites, and the rest of us will talk about the film's boffo box office while preparing for three weeks worth of nonstop promo for JAMES F*CKING CAMERON'S AVATAR! ROAR!
So while you drink the last of your blood energy drink, and begin breaking down the Bella and Edward Nativity Scene that's currently on your front lawn, why not let our good buddy Kevin Smith have the last word on all things Twilight. During his panel at this past San Diego Comic-Con, Smith went off for about four minutes on the Twilight Phenomenon, and took us through the experience of watching a clip from New Moon while thousands of young girls screamed their silly little heads off. It's a very amusing clip (that's homemade, so excuse the jerky camera movements), and if it's the last thing you watch before folks begin ramping up their Eclipse coverage, you'll find yourself a happier and more well-adjusted human being because of it.
Watch the clip after the jump, though be warned that it comes with plenty of foul language.
Oscar Snubs? Extortion Plot? Do Tell!
Filed under: Documentary, Awards, Celebrities and Controversy, Oscar Watch
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Are members from the documentary branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences being paid to short list some films over others? That's what it sounds like director James Toback was alluding to when he spoke to the New York Times recently about how his buzzed-about documentary, Tyson, was left off the Academy's short list along with several other notable documentaries from the past year. Toback told the Times that at some point during the selection process he experienced something he puts "fully in the category of extortion", adding that he did not go along with it.
Speaking on behalf of the documentary branch -- which Toback refers to as "some tiny, dirty covert weirdly protective group" -- chairman (and filmmaker) Rob Epstein said, "I have no idea. It certainly hasn't come before me." Among some of the critically acclaimed docs snubbed this year are Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story, the awesome Anvil! The Story of Anvil, and The September Issue. This year's documentary short list was narrowed down to 15 finalists from 89 possible contenders. So, yeah, obviously you're going to see some fantastic films miss the cut, and, subsequently, some pissed off filmmakers, but it's a pretty bold move for Toback to go and claim extortion, don't you think?
Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 11/24_thumbnail.jpg)
Exclusive 'Nine' Poster Premiere!
Exclusive: Title Track for 'The Road' Soundtrack
Movie Popcorn is Bad for You? Who Knew?_thumbnail.jpg)
'New Moon' Smashes 'Dark Knight's' Opening Day Record!
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