Like most cult classics, The Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski is one of those movies that has a great cast of truly bizarre characters, situations, and dialogue. And what better way to immortalize such a memorable movie than with some collectible memorabilia? (Which is, of course, the grown-up term for “toys”.) A company called Bif Bang Pow! has landed the rights to produce a line of action figures based on the movie, and this October they will release likenesses of both Walter and The Dude himself. Need I say more?

As far as I can tell, the two figures are available only as a single package called the “Urban Achiever Set”, and come with a variety of kick ass accessories including bowling bags, Cynthia’s Pomeranian, a White Russian, and Donny’s ashes in a coffee can. I was almost sold on these until I saw the design… they’re done in a cartoony style, not unlike the Clerks Inaction figures. Not to bring down the party, but personally I would have preferred a more realistic McFarlane style likeness. They will also be releasing two Big Lebowski Bobble Heads (The Dude in Bowling Shirt and The Dude in Hoodie) this July. The Urban Achiever set will go for $33.99, while the Bobble Heads are $12.99 each. You can order these fine products over at Entertainment Earth.

Hey, who wants to hear about more of their favourite movies getting dug up and pissed on by movie studios that are desperate for a quick buck? I do! Clint over at Moviehole recently got a hold of a press release for the new Warner Premiere line of movies, and among the popular franchises slated to get direct to DVD sequels are Under Siege, Space Jam, Training Day, and… Beetlejuice. This after Tim Burton has been denying such a thing for years. Needless to say, he and Michael Keaton will not be involved, although Burton will likely still get an executive producer credit. I can’t wait to see who they bring on board to take over for Keaton in this role… Stephen Baldwin maybe? One can only hope.

Kevin Tsujihara, President of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group had this to say: “With Warner Premiere, we’re creating an additional stream of new, high-quality, ‘fan-ready’ DVDs that will be supported by top-notch marketing to help them standout in the increasingly crowded marketplace.” So not only are the budgets low to begin with, but most of the money is being put into marketing? Sounds promising. Jeff Robinov, President of Production: “They will have no creative constraints on them and should not be thought of as low-budget or second-rate in any way. We’re creating projects with a very specific mindset, geared to a specific distribution platform, while at the same time trying new creative approaches, telling different stories, working with new talent and responding quickly to consumer feedback and demand.” Sorry for the cynicism folks, but if you’re telling different stories and truly trying to give new opportunities to filmmakers, why are you making unnecessary sequels to established franchises? This whole thing annoys me a lot more than it probably should.

Last month we reported on a new Superman Direct to DVD animated movie that was in the works called Superman: Doomsday, based on The Death of Superman storyline. Now I’m not the biggest Superman fan in the world, but the fact that it was being produced and written by Bruce Timm (co-director of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm), made me think it might be a cut above some of the Marvel animated movies that have been coming out lately. A teaser trailer has arrived online and it looks decent, although with YouTube video quality it’s hard to tell exactly how good the animation will be. There definitely looks to be some 3D elements added in, which I am generally not a fan of, but I’ll still give this one a chance. The movie is being co-written and directed by Duane Capizzi (Superman: Braniac Attacks, The Batman vs Dracula) and features the voices of Adam Baldwin, Anne Heche and James Marsters. Superman: Doomsday hits stores on September 18th.

Well here’s something I never thought I’d be writing about, but apparently Paul Verhoeven, director of such bold and controversial films as Robocop, Basic Instinct, and Showgirls, has been knighted in his home country of The Netherlands. According to Twitch Film, he has now joined the Order of the Dutch Lion, which “consists of people who have shown patriotism through exceptional achievements in arts and sciences”. Nice! I find it amusing in some ways, since he certainly doesn’t seem to fit the distinguished description of actors and filmmakers who have previously been knighted in the U.K. (ie. Anthony Hopkins, Sean Connery, Stanley Kubrick etc.). But you’ve gotta give the Dutch government credit for recognizing Verhoeven’s contributions to film, especially when there are plenty of art snobs who still think Starship Troopers sucked! Imagine that. Well, if there’s one thing you can say about the Dutch, it is that they are quite comfortable with celebrating things that most other people would consider smut. Hats off to them. (Yes, I am part Dutch.)

For the third week in a row, Disturbia maintained the top spot at the box office with a paltry $9.1 million, the lowest weekend tally since The Covenant took $8.9 million last September. But before you go thinking that there’s another box office drought at hand, let’s acknowledge the fact that there weren’t many interesting new films to choose from (that, and everyone’s saving their money for Spider-Man 3). David Goyer’s The Invisible took the #2 spot with $7.6 million, while Nicolas Cage proved people still care to see him on screen even despite Ghost Rider as Next placed #3. The newest WWE film, The Condemned starring Stone Cold Steve Austin, managed just $3.8 million while playing in over 2000 theatres… Vince McMahon can’t be happy about that. Can he?

1. Disturbia — $9.1M
2. The Invisible — $7.61M
3. Next — $7.2M
4. Fracture — $7.08M
5. Blades of Glory — $5.2M
6. Meet the Robinsons — $4.84M
7. Hot Fuzz — $4.78M
8. Vacancy — $4.2M
9. The Condemned — $3.8M
10. Are We Done Yet? — $3.4M

Gather round this week as we review Hot Fuzz and The Host, and get into some good discussions about Spider-Man 3 being the most expensive movie ever, David Goyer’s Magneto film, and the latest scoop about Quentin Tarantino’s next movie being a remake. We also answer some junk mail, discuss what we each bought and watched this week, and open a can of ass on Trailer Trash. (No, not whoop ass, just ass.) Click below to listen to the show now, or subscribe through iTunes and get Film Junk delivered straight to your door every week. (And while you’re at it… vote for us on Podcast Alley!)

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Here’s your weekly podcast reminder… a tad late, but it’s a reminder nonetheless. We will be recording this week’s episode of the Film Junk podcast tonight at 9 pm EST. Tune in live via Talkshoe to hear our review of Hot Fuzz, and discussion about Quentin Tarantino’s next movie, the Magneto feature film, and Spider-Man 3 potentially becoming the most expensive movie ever made. We will also answer your Junk Mail and field questions from those of you who are able join us live in the interactive chatroom. Be there or be lame!

As I mentioned earlier in the week, Spinal Tap are reuniting for a special benefit show to raise awareness for global warming. Rob Reiner also directed a new 15 minute documentary about the reunion that premiered this week at the Tribeca Film Festival, and now it’s streaming online in its entirety over at the Live Earth website. BONUS.

The Weinstein Company recently issued a press release about their upcoming plans to start producing more Asian films, both in terms of themes and talent. Among the upcoming titles listed was an intriguing project that still has yet to be formally announced. According to the press release, Quentin Tarantino will be directing a remake of King Hu’s 1966 martial arts epic Come Drink With Me.

Being that I am no expert in Hong Kong cinema, I have never even heard of the film, but the internet is full of rave reviews, with Kung Fu Cinema even calling it “one of, if not the greatest martial arts film of all time”. From the sounds of it, this was a movie that heavily influenced Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. I find it interesting, however, that Tarantino would choose to do a remake at this point in his career, particularly when most of his own films are already homages to previous works. Maybe remakes are what he should have been doing all along… this way he won’t have to worry about that pesky issue of plagiarism! If this is true, it is unclear what it would mean for Tarantino’s long gestating war film Inglorious Bastards.

You can check out the trailer for the original Come Drink With Me on YouTube.

Oh sure, it might not have any Predator costumes in it, but Batman: Dead End’s got nothing on this masterpiece. The most impressive part is how they actually managed to keep a straight face through the whole thing. Amazing.