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Former On the Lot Contestant to Direct Great Scott: A Love Letter to Back to the Future

Aaron — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:47:33 +0000

Over the past few years, we've seen many films that pay homage to 1980s cinema. Just last year there was Paul, Super 8, and Attack the Block, to name a few. Now audiences can prepare for another helping of nostalgia with Great Scott, a film that pays tribute to Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future Trilogy. The movie takes place in 1980s Manchester, England and centers on a teenage boy who loves the sci-fi classic so much that he wants to become Marty McFly, attempting to escape his mundane, working-class life in the process. Financing will come from Philm Company, Sonic Screenworks and Lip Sync, who have helped produce such films as We Need to Talk About Kevin and Jane Eyre. Alex Child and Hiram Bleetman wrote the script and filming is planned to start this spring. While you may not recognize the name of the director, Phil Hawkins, he was actually a contestant on Fox's short-lived reality show On the Lot. Produced by Steven Spielberg, the show pitted 16 aspiring directors against each other in an effort to win a development deal with DreamWorks. (How many people remember this show?) Hawkins didn't fare too well in the competition, but he has been working in TV and movies steadily since then. While the idea behind Great Scott doesn't sound like anything fresh, it does have a certain appeal to someone like myself who also obsesses over movies. What are your thoughts on Great Scott and what do you think about the frequent use of nostalgia in films these days?

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Comic Book Men Trailer: Kevin Smith’s AMC Reality Series

Sean — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:06:07 +0000

As part of his quest to eventually quit the movie industry, last year we heard that Kevin Smith was in the process of pitching a reality series that takes place at his Red Bank, New Jersey comic book store, Jay & Silent Bob's Secret Stash. AMC ordered a pilot, and eventually picked up the show for six one-hour episodes. Now it appears that the series has an official title, release date, and a couple of TV spots as well. Described by Smith as "Pawn Stars for fanboys," the title they have apparently decided on is Comic Book Men... which is pretty terrible if you ask me. What was wrong with the original working title of Secret Stash? Anyway, AMC seems to have high hopes for it as the show will premiere on February 12th, directly following an episode of The Walking Dead. Are you looking forward to Comic Book Men? Check out the first two TV spots after the jump and see what you think.

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Christopher Nolan Will Not Significantly Alter The Dark Knight Rises Sound Mix

Aaron — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:26:37 +0000

Batman fans had a pretty good look at The Dark Knight Rises this past week between the 7-minute prologue attached to Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and new trailer for the film that debuted with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. While most reactions were positive towards the footage, there was one element that everyone keeps mentioning as a flaw: Bane's muffled voice. The lack of distinction has led to some unintended humor among some viewers and has caused Warner Bros. studio executives some concern. There are reportedly some people involved in the production who want director Christopher Nolan to change the sound mix, but the auteur has other ideas. To the dismay of many, he only plans to "alter the sound slightly, not to rework it completely." One high-level executive explained Nolan's choice concerning Bane: “Chris wants the audience to catch up and participate rather than push everything at them. He doesn't dumb things down. You've got to pedal faster to keep up.” Nolan himself has said that it was okay not to understand the dialog at times, so long as the overall idea was conveyed. Personally, I don't think that a sound issue will keep fans away from this movie, even though they may complain about it. Nolan has proven himself by now, so I'm willing to trust his judgement regarding Bane's voice. What are your thoughts on the whole Bane issue? Do you think Nolan will somehow be overpowered by the studio to make more changes than he wants?

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Clint Eastwood: Reality TV Star?

Aaron — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:56:02 +0000

Of all the celebrities that might agree to a reality show based around their lives, Clint Eastwood would probably be the furthest from your mind, right? Well, not so fast, because according to TMZ Eastwood and his family are in the middle of shooting a new reality series intended to air on the E! network. Providing a basic premise, the source says "the show will explore what it's like to live in a family of 'Hollywood royalty.'" Before people get their hopes up thinking that Clint will be the star of the show, he has only agreed to make a few cameo appearances. Instead, the focus will stay on Clint's wife Dina, their daughter Morgan, and Clint's 18-year-old daughter Francesca, who is an aspiring actress. So, who's ready to see old Clint give his kids career advice, a la Ozzy Osbourne? The show is being produced by Bunim/Murray, who are well known for bringing us other reality shows like The Real World, Bad Girls Club and the Kardashian shows. Right now, they are hoping get the show on the air within the next few months. Since Eastwood represents one of the most iconic stars of cinema, this news has me both confused and fascinated. I would probably watch out of curiosity, but at the same time I probably wouldn't feel good about it. Will you be looking forward to an Eastwood family reality show? How do you think a project like this came about in the first place?

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Universal Studios Orlando Closing Jaws Ride

Aaron — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:35:11 +0000

Of all the movie-related rides in the US, the Jaws ride at Universal Studios Orlando would probably rank among the most recognizable and popular. Unfortunately, the park has announced that on January 2nd the ride will officially be closed to make way for "an exciting, NEW experience." The decision is based on an effort to reinvigorate Universal Studios, which has been eclipsed in recent years by sister parks, Islands of Adventure and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The Jaws ride has been a mainstay at the park since it opened in 1990 as well as the Amity-themed area surrounding the attraction. I suppose it's the nature of amusement parks to keep everything relevant and up to date, so a 20-plus year ride based on a 36 year-old film just doesn't make the cut anymore. Universal made an official statement on the news via their Facebook page:

Hey fans, we want you to be the first to know… JAWS! and the Amity area will officially close on January 2 to make room for an exciting, NEW, experience we’re planning for you. We know you love JAWS! and we do too. It has been an amazing attraction and after terrorizing the waters of Amity here at Universal Orlando for 20 years, it’s a VERY important part of our history. So, we’ve got a couple things planned to ensure we always remember and honor it. We know it’s hard to say goodbye, but we can’t express how EXCITED we are about the new, innovative & amazing experience we’re going to be bringing you.

Among the new attractions coming to Universal Studios Orlando qre a 3D ride based on Despicable Me and there's a rumor that a Hogwarts Express might be built to link all the parks together. What are your thoughts on the park updates?

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Fantastic Fest 2011: Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope Review

Shannon — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:47:39 +0000

Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan's Hope Directed by: Morgan Spurlock Written by: Morgan Spurlock, Joss Whedon, Jeremy Chilnook Starring: Skip Harvey, Eric Henson, Chuck Rozanski, James Darling, Se Young Kang Fantastic Fest 2011 featured Morgan Spurlock’s new documentary Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope as one of its closing night films. It seems like a risky venture to try to chronicle an event that has swelled to over 125,000 participants in recent years, but Spurlock wisely chooses to humanize the film by following a handful of fans and participants. The result is a surprisingly touching and funny film. If you’ve grown tired of Spurlock (who seemed to be everywhere a few years ago), never fear. He does not appear in the film, so unlike Michael Moore’s films, this one is truly about the people it features, not the celebrity filmmaker. Briefly, Comic-Con Episode Four introduces us to a few central characters: a young man orchestrating a marriage proposal at a Kevin Smith panel, two men pinning their dreams on their art portfolios, a costume designer, and the grizzled owner of Mile High Comics, the largest purveyor of comic books in the world. The movie begins by giving us a little insight into the true roots of the festival as a place for comic book fans to gather. As most of us now know, the festival has shifted to a pop-culture phenomenon, while comic books and their collectors have been relegated to second-class citizens. As an early interviewee laments, “now it is all people who have never even read a comic book, or people who have never left their mother’s basements.” Spurlock (who is also credited as writer, along with Joss Whedon and Jeremy Chilnick) intersperses these personal stories with brief interviews of people explaining what they love about Comic Con. It’s a virtual who’s who of geek culture - Stan Lee, Joss Whedon, Edgar Wright, Seth Rogen, Matt Fraction, Harry Knowles, Kevin Smith and dozens more. Things jump around enough to keep the movie zipping along, and it’s a quick watch. The film is punctuated with a lot of humor, particularly from Mile High owner Chuck Rozanski with his bone-dry pearls of wisdom. However, there are many parts tinged with sadness. Rozanski’s brutal fight to survive in a dying business and the complete commercialization of a once pure event, along with one of the illustrators gently and consistently getting shot down by talent scouts are quite moving, as is the nerd’s proposal. I was quite surprised to find myself tearing up on more than one occasion, and I know that I wasn’t alone. This documentary won’t save the world, but it is a nice diversion. There is something exhilarating about the enthusiasm and sheer joy of the participants; it’s the antithesis of the complacency that plagues our society. - Shannon

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Spielberg Will Release Only the Unaltered Version of E.T. on Blu-ray

Sean — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:27:02 +0000

With the recent outrage over the latest changes to the Star Wars films on Blu-ray, a lot of people have been forgetting that George Lucas is not the only filmmaker ever to go back and "rewrite history", so to speak. Back in 2002, his friend and collaborator Steven Spielberg also got into the act for the 20th Anniversary Edition of E.T. on DVD. In addition to touching up certain effects shots with CG, Spielberg also replaced the federal agents' guns with walkie-talkies -- a move that, at the time, also prompted much criticism. The difference, of course, is that Spielberg released both the original and the updated version of the film together so that fans who were unhappy could still watch it the way they wanted to watch it. However, it seems that over the last decade Spielberg has had a change of heart and he now regrets that decision. After a recent screening of a new digital print of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Spielberg was asked about the Star Wars changes, and he responded thusly:

"George does what he does cause there is only one George Lucas and thank god for that. He's the greatest person I've ever worked with as a filmmaker and collaborator, he is a conceptual genius, he puts together these amazing stories and he is great at what he does. And my feeling is he can do whatever he wants with his movies because those are his movies. We wouldn't have been raised with Star Wars or Indiana Jones had it not been for George, so what he does with his films is great."

However, he then went on to tell audiences that he regretted his own decision and is only planning on releasing the 1982 cut of E.T. on Blu-ray:

"Speaking for myself, you know, I tried this once and I lived to regret it. Not because of fan outrage, but simply because I was disappointed in myself. I was overly sensitive to some of the criticism ET got from parent groups when it was first released in '82 having to do with Eliot saying "Penis Breath" or the guns...and then there were certain brilliant, but rough around the edges close ups of ET that I always felt, if technology ever evolves to the point where I can do some facial enhancement for ET, I'd like to. So I did an ET pass for like the third release of the movie and it was okay for a while, but then I realized that what I had done was I had robbed the people who loved ET of their memories of ET. And I regretted that. (massive applause) And the only contrition that I could possibly do because I felt bad about that was, the only contrition that I really performed was when ET came out on DVD for the first time, I asked Universal, I didn't ask Universal, I said you're gonna do this, when you release this on DVD you have to come out for the same price of one DVD, you have to put two movies in the box and one movie will be the 1982 version and the other will be the digitally enhanced version. I'd like to ask you this, let's do a little poll here, cause I know we're coming out with the blu-ray of ET, if I just came out with one ET on blu-ray, 1982, would anyone object to that? (loud NO from the audience). Okay then, so be it."

He also seemed to hint that Raiders of the Lost Ark would be released on Blu-ray in its unaltered form as well, although to be honest, I wasn't even aware there had been any digital tweaks to that film for the DVD release. Either way, it sounds like Spielberg has learned the err of his ways and will no longer go back to tinker with finished works. Now if only he could talk some sense into his buddy George. What do you think, is Spielberg doing the right thing here, or is he merely bowing to pressure from fans? Will you miss the digital enhancements to E.T. or Raiders?

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Nike to Officially Release Back to the Future Self-Lacing Shoes (UPDATED)

Sean — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:35:57 +0000

Update: It looks like the shoes aren't self-lacing after all, they just light up. More to come... Update #2: The shoes will be auctioned off on eBay for charity, 150 per day over 10 days for a total of 1500. Check out nikemag.ebay.com to try and win yourself a pair. Hit the jump for a new video that reveals the shoe and a quote from the press release. When Frank Marshall hinted at a big Back to the Future announcement on Twitter yesterday, I don't think too many people expected this. It would appear that Nike is finally going to release the actual shoes that Marty McFly wears in Back to the Future II! Fans and collectors have been clamoring for these things for years, and although a special edition version was released in limited quantities a few years ago, this time there's one big difference: the shoes will actually have self-lacing technology. Back in 2009, Nike did actually file a patent for self-lacing shoes, and now we know why. Although there hasn't been an official announcement from Nike as of yet, they are holding a launch event in L.A. today for the new shoes, known as "Air Mags". Now if we could just get Mattel to keep up their end of the bargain and officially release a hoverboard. We'll have more info as it becomes available, but until then check out a short teaser trailer for Marty's kicks after the jump. From the official press release:

"The Air Mag is the first rechargeable footwear from Nike were designed as an identical replica to the originals seen in the Back to the Future II movie. Some of the constant elements include the upper contours, the glowing LED panel and the electroluminescent Nike logo in the strap. The Nike Air Mag actually illuminates with the pinch of the “ear” of the high top, glowing for five hours per charge."

Sadly, there are no power laces to be found here.

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Star Wars Fans Flip Out Over Additional Changes to Original Trilogy on Blu-ray

Sean — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:12:22 +0000

Well, you had to know it was coming, right? With the Blu-ray release of the Star Wars movies now just a few weeks away, review copies have started to find their way out to critics, and as a result, some disheartening details have come to light. It seems that George Lucas just couldn't resist the urge to tinker with the original films yet AGAIN, and while the changes are fairly minor in the grand scheme of things, they are pretty ridiculous and wholly unnecessary if you ask me. For one, the puppet version of Yoda found in The Phantom Menace has been replaced with a fully CG one. This isn't a huge surprise, considering that Yoda was CG in Episodes II and III. However, the bigger issue seems to be some audio tweaks to both A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, the latter of which adds Darth Vader screaming, "Nooooo!" in the Emperor's throne room. I only wish I was joking. The whole controversy was first uncovered by some folks in the forums over at TheForce.Net, but Lucasfilm has since confirmed the changes to Moviefone. The change to A New Hope involves tweaking Obi-Wan's Krayt Dragon call, which he uses to scare off the Tusken Raiders and save Luke. The new version sounds a little more goofy, although I don't know I would have picked up the difference myself if I didn't know ahead of time. As for the throne room scene, it seems that good ol' George is obsessed with the idea of repetition and symmetry in the trilogies, and he wanted this to echo Darth Vader's "Noooo!" from the end of Episode III. What he clearly doesn't realize is that this scene has been mocked incessantly online and that fans wince every time they hear it. So now when he is watching the Emperor fry Luke, we hear him utter "Noooo!" a couple of times. When you watch the clip it's not quite as bad as it sounds, but it's still an absolutely idiotic addition. So what do you think... are these alterations sacrilege or are they simply not worth getting worked up over? Will you still buy the Star Wars Saga on Blu-ray or has this changed your mind? Check out the clips of the changes below and see what you think.

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Dan Trachtenberg’s Portal: No Escape: A Live-Action Portal Fan Film

Sean — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:29:14 +0000

There isn't a heck of a lot going on in the world of movie news today, but strangely enough the hot topic of discussion seems to be a Portal fan film of all things. While I normally don't give most fan films more than a cursory glance, being a big fan of the Portal video game series, my curiosity was piqued. I was even more intrigued when I found out that the guy behind this short film was Dan Trachtenberg of The Totally Rad Show. As it turns out, Portal: No Escape is a very well-made short from a technical standpoint, although that should come as no surprise since Trachtenberg is an established commercial director. That being said, I think all of the rave reviews for this fan film are yet another example of how gamers are too easily impressed by just a little bit of subtlety (see also: the Dead Island trailer). There's not really much to this short, and certainly not enough to assume it would also make a great feature film. But either way, hats off to Trachtenberg for getting this out there and getting it noticed... I wouldn't be surprised if it does lead to bigger things for him. Check out Portal: No Escape after the jump and see what you think.

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More Hunger Games Controversy: Lionsgate Will Make Four Films

Shannon — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:20:40 +0000

For weeks we have been bombarded with near daily updates about the film adaptation of the popular Hunger Games book trilogy, and a lot of the news coming from the production has been mired in controversy, particularly for fans of the books. The Hunger Games takes place in a dystopian future, where the population has been divided up into "districts" that are largely controlled by the government. Food and resources are rationed in order to squelch any type of uprising that might occur amongst the plebeian masses. Children from each district are selected via lottery to participate in the Hunger Games, a fight to death that is televised to all the districts. Think The Running Man meets Battle Royale with a dash of Stephen King’s novelette The Long Walk thrown in for good measure. I’m a fan of the series (though no expert), and while it is easy to dismiss the books as preteen literature, there are some extremely adult themes about violence and society’s increasing complacency for violence, particularly as portrayed in the media and as a source of entertainment. Lionsgate made the unusual decision to hire director Gary Ross, who previously directed Seabiscuit and Pleasantville. Seems an odd choice for such dark subject matter, though Ross is undoubtedly talented. He faces the tricky task of staying true to the violence of the books without alienating the entire core audience-scads of teenagers who devoured the books, and can't go see an "R" rated movie. Some of the casting has been a bit bizarre, too. The film’s heroine, Katniss, is just a teenager in the books, but Jennifer Lawrence has been hired to fill her shoes. Lawrence is an excellent actress, but she seems too old (at the ripe age of 21) for the role, especially by the time all the films are made. Hailee Steinfeld was my firm choice. She was tough as nails in True Grit, and looked the part. I also would have loved Hunter Parrish (Weeds) cast as Peeta, because he looked just how I envisioned the character. I’m warming up to some of the casting (Woody Harrelson as Haymitch is an inspired choice, Stanley Tucci as Caesar, Donald Sutherland as President Snow) but I’m still scratching my head over others (Elizabeth Banks as Effie, Lenny Kravitz as Cinna?). Then yesterday came news that four films will be made out of the three books. My first thought that this is just a money grab on the part of Lionsgate. From Deadline:

Lionsgate executives told Wall Street analysts this morning to expect big things from The Hunger Games, a series of four action films that the studio will release from the trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. COO Joe Drake said it was "the highest-selling film we've ever had" at the Cannes Film Festival and that overseas exhibitors consider it "the movie that can change their company."

Of course, they are in the business of making money, and I can’t really blame them, but there are a few problems when taking this route. Where do you divide up the books? Will audiences fatigue of this practice after the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series got the same treatment? What about your core audience outgrowing the series before the films are all brought to screen? I get the sense that this may be occurring with the Twilight series. We’ll have to see if the box office reflects staying power or a drop-off in interest, but I know my response to the news yesterday was a big eye-roll. Shouldn't they strike while the iron is hot with these book adaptations?

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Detroit is Actually Getting a Robocop Statue

Sean — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:44:40 +0000

It started as a joke, but as we've seen before, whenever the internet becomes fixated on something, they can essentially just will it into reality. When a fan approached the mayor of Detroit last week with the idea of erecting a statue of Robocop in their fair city, he was initially shot down. However, another fan was inspired by the exchange, and started up a Kickstarter campaign over at DetroitNeedsRobocop.com. He ended up raising over $50,000 in less than a week... because, you know, what could be a more deserving charity than a group paying tribute to Paul Verhoeven's 1987 cult classic? So now it looks like Detroit really will be getting a Robocop statue after all. Go figure. They plan to continue raising money until March 29th in order to ensure that the sculpture is of the highest possible quality. A suitable location is still being decided upon, but there is still some debate over whether or not a Robocop statue would actually be a good thing for the city. After all, isn't it a reminder of the city's reputation for being plagued by crime? At the very least it would be an interesting tourist attraction. If Philadelphia can have a Rocky statue, and Tokyo can have a Godzilla statue (albeit a pretty tiny one), I don't see why Detroit shouldn't get a Robocop statue. What do you think, is this an awesome idea, or is it another example of the internet wielding its power in irresponsible ways? (The artist's rendition above comes courtesy of The Detroit News.)

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