Film Junk » Internet

Ferris Bueller 2 Trailer or Super Bowl Ad?

Josh — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:45:22 +0000

I can remember hearing rumors about a sequel to the classic John Hughes film Ferris Bueller's Day Off since the late '90s. Back in 2007, Sean reported that there was actually a script called Ferris Bueller 2: Another Day Off penned by Rick Rapier with the hope of Hughes to direct. Matthew Broderick denied a sequel in an interview with Variety back in '07. "Ferris Bueller is about the week before you leave school, it's about the end of school. It doesn't have a sequel," Broderick said. "It's a little moment and it's a lightning flash in your life." Now, five years later, with John Hughes gone and Broderick grey-haired and bloated (he turns 50 this year), we get the following teaser (mysteriously posted on YouTube this morning as "Coming Soon" with little description) that most are saying is an ad for... another ad. A Super Bowl ad. That would be a first, as far as I know, but it is almost more believable than a sequel at this point. There are no clues on the IMDb Pro pages for either Broderick or Rapier. Still, I have hope. Maybe Alan Ruck finally sat Broderick down for an intervention after Tower Heist because rumors about a film based on Rapier's script began circulating again last year. The teaser features Broderick recreating a piece of the opening scene from the esteemed original film, by pulling open his curtains and delivering into the camera, "How can I handle work on a day like today?" (a twist on the original line "How can I possibly be expected to handle school on a day like this?"). Check out the video after the jump. So, whether we have a teaser for an ad or a teaser for a movie, it seems we'll find out on Sunday, February 5th. Cruel to make us watch the Super Bowl to find out. But, I think it would be even more cruel if this were just a commercial for Expedia or Marriott Hotels as some have suggested. Am I alone in wanting to see this? Broderick hasn't given us much to be hopeful about lately, but Election was enough for me to think he could pull off this big a role as an adult. I will say that, if it is a movie, the photography looks a little more "Glamor Shots by Deb" than I'd hope. Maybe that is a point in favor of it being an ad. What do you think? Super Bowl ad or movie? And if it is a movie, is it a good idea?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Aaron Sims’ Archetype: Another YouTube Short Gathers Online Buzz

Sean — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:58:04 +0000

From Fede Alvarez' Panic Attack! to Patrick Jean's Pixels, YouTube continues to be great way for Hollywood hopefuls to land production deals. Every now and then, a short film that is posted online manages to attract the attention of everyone on the internet, which in turn attracts the attention of studio execs. While a lot of these filmmakers are still unproven, it's hard to deny the level of talent and creativity they bring to the table. This time around it is veteran art director and special effects designer Aaron Sims who has set the blogosphere on fire with his short film Archetype. The plot involves a combat robot who malfunctions and begins to believe that he is partially human. Sims is hoping to turn the idea into a feature-length film, and although I haven't heard anything about any studio offers as of yet, I wouldn't be surprised if he finds funding for it. There's certainly an audience out there for this kind of pulpy science-fiction goodness. What do you think, could this lead to the next District 9? Check out the full 5-minute short after the jump.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Netflix to Acquire Eli Roth’s Horror Series Hemlock Grove

Sean — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:06:20 +0000

With the recent acquisition of the broadcast rights to the upcoming fourth season of Arrested Development, Netflix continues to forge ahead with their experiment in building original content. This week it is being reported that they are in the process of finalizing a deal for a new horror series from Eli Roth, and unlike a lot of his recent projects, he is actually planning to direct this one himself. The series is called Hemlock Grove, and will be based on an upcoming gothic horror novel by Brian McGreevy. They are said to be committing to a 13-episode order with each episode running an hour long. Is this another smart acquisition or are they shifting their focus on original content far too quickly? The plot revolves around the murder of a young girl whose body is found mangled in the woods of Hemlock Grove. McGreevy will co-write the script and executive produce along with his writing partner Lee Shipman. The duo were also responsible for a spec script that was acquired by Warner Brothers earlier this year called Harker, about a Scotland Yard detective who is trying to track down Dracula. I'm certainly curious to see what Eli Roth can do in the realm of television, but I think I'm even more interested to see how this all plays out for Netflix. After the many questionable moves they made earlier this year, their stock is finally starting to recover thanks to rumours of an acquisition by Verizon. The push for original content seems like a smart play to me, especially when it comes to finding new homes for canceled shows. (Firefly fans are now trying to get them to resurrect their favourite show as well.) What do you think about this latest potential addition to the Netflix line-up? Are you still a supporter of Netflix or have you lost your confidence in them as a company?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

William Shatner and Carrie Fisher Start YouTube Feud Over Star Wars vs. Star Trek

Sean — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:28:09 +0000

Long-time Film Junkies will remember that we settled the Star Wars vs. Star Trek debate a few years back (with Reed Farrington's first appearance on Film Junk, no less), but now it appears that the age old argument is being brought back into the spotlight by none other than William Shatner and Carrie Fisher. Shatner threw down the gauntlet back in September when he dismissed Star Wars as being derivative of Star Trek and nothing more than special effects. Carrie Fisher apparently took offense and responded with a video of her own, defending Star Wars and even calling out Shatner for the fact that he once auditioned for the part of Darth Vader. Shatner has since come back with a more personal retort aimed at Fisher's weight, and while it's kind of sad to see these two washed-up stars demeaning each other and making a desperate grab for publicity, I suppose the discussion itself is still a worthy one. It's even more interesting now that Star Trek has successfully relaunched a new movie franchise. Check out the videos after the jump and let us know where you stand on the great Star Wars vs. Star Trek debate!

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Ridley Scott and Kevin MacDonald’s Life in a Day Now Playing on YouTube for Free

Sean — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:37:53 +0000

It was conceived on YouTube, born on YouTube, and now it has returned to live on YouTube indefinitely. Ridley Scott and Kevin MacDonald's crowdsourced documentary Life in a Day brought together footage submitted by thousands of people from around the world as they went about their lives on July 24th, 2010. The filmmakers pored through 80,000 hours of video to find just 90 minutes that would somehow tell a story about life on this planet. The resulting film premiered at Sundance in January and streamed to YouTube at the same time. Now you can watch it in its entirety for free with subtitles in 25 different languages. So what are you waiting for? Check out the entire film embedded after the jump!

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Joss Whedon Unveils Top Secret Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing

Sean — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:03:11 +0000

With Joss Whedon currently in the midst of shooting a major blockbuster like The Avengers, you might assume that the writer/director would have no time for anything else right now. Fortunately, you would be wrong. This week the first details have started to leak out about a top secret project that he shot over a period of just 12 days. It is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing starring Nathan Fillion and Sean Maher, both of whom tweeted a link to the film's official website on Sunday night. Since then more information has been revealed about the project via an official press release. The movie was shot on a very limited budget, taking place entirely at Whedon's home in Santa Monica. It is the first project for Bellwether Pictures, a small studio created by Whedon and Kai Cole for the "production of small, independent narratives for all media, embracing a DIY ethos and newer technologies for, in this particular case, a somewhat older story." Sounds like this is simply building on the success of what he did with the web series Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog a couple of years ago. As the website implies, the movie was shot all in black and white and is said to have a noir feel to it. In addition to Whedon and Maher, the cast also includes Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Clark Gregg, Fran Kranz, Tom Lenk and Reed Diamond. They hope to finish the film by spring and then take it around to the festival circuit. Are you looking forward to a low budget Shakespeare adaptation from Joss Whedon?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Portal: No Escape Director Takes on Crime of the Century

Sean — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:52:56 +0000

Sometimes fan films really do pay off. Thanks to the success of his recent YouTube hit, Portal: No Escape, Dan Trachtenberg has just landed a deal to direct his very first feature film. No, it won't be a Portal movie, but according to Deadline, he is now attached to direct a thriller called Crime of the Century for Universal Pictures based on a pitch that he put together with screenwriter Dan Kunka (12 Rounds). The movie was acquired by Universal through Fast & Furious scribe Chris Morgan who has a two-year first-look deal with the studio. Crime of the Century is based on an original idea from Trachtenberg and Kunka that is described as "a high-octane heist with a science fiction twist." Not much else is known about the film thus far, but Kunka also recently sold another spec script to Sony after a major bidding war. That script is called Agent Ox and it revolves around a human spy on an alien planet. Trachtenberg is a commercial director who is probably best known as one of the hosts of the popular video podcast The Totally Rad Show. His short film based on the Portal video games has amassed almost 7 million hits in less than two months. Will this project be his ticket to a full-time career as a Hollywood director? Either way, this is yet another reminder that internet shorts are a great way to get noticed nowadays (see also: Kevin Tancharoen and his Mortal Kombat reboot). Are you looking forward to Crime of the Century?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

The Muppets Remind You Not to Talk or Text During a Movie

Sean — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:48:56 +0000

The Muppets continue their viral P.R. assault this week with a special PSA to remind you that talking and texting during movies is not okay! From the looks of it, this video will also be appearing in AMC Theatres across the U.S. While these messages still seem to go in one ear and out the other for a lot of people, I have to admit that Disney's marketing campaign for The Muppets has been surprisingly creative. The Muppets hits theatres on Nov. 23rd where it will face off against Martin Scorsese's Hugo, Aardman's Arthur Christmas and... Piranha 3DD.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Netflix Relaunches DVD Rental Service as Qwikster

Sean — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:22:58 +0000

After the instant backlash from their recent decision to separate DVD and streaming services, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings returned with his tail between his legs this weekend to apologize to subscribers. In a public statement posted on The Netflix Blog, he says he messed up and that they were simply trying to evolve too quickly without communicating to their customers. He then went on to make another pretty big announcement: their DVD rental by mail service is adding video game rentals and relaunching under the name Qwikster. Qwikster will have its own website that will look essentially the same, but it will not be connected to the Netflix site in anyway. If you choose to subscribe to both, your queue and ratings on Qwikster will be totally separate from Netflix, and there will be a separate charge on your credit card for both. However, there seems to be some confusion over this statement: "There are no pricing changes (we’re done with that!)." Some people interpreted this to mean that they are rolling back the price changes that were announced in July, but the more likely situation is that they are simply not increasing the prices beyond that. Overall, this decision is a pretty mystifying, although some industry folks have speculated that it will allow Netflix to negotiate better deals with content providers. Unfortunately, it seems like a pretty crappy apology if you ask me. Check out a video explanation from Reed Hastings and new Qwikster CEO Andy Rendich after the jump.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Alamo Drafthouse Ejects Patron for Texting, Receives Nasty Voice Mail

Sean — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:15:00 +0000

The fine folks who run the Alamo Drafthouse pride themselves on kicking out any moviegoers who use their cell phone during a movie. Apparently this girl did not know the policy. Now her angry voice mail has gone viral on YouTube, acting as a great little piece of advertising for both the Drafthouse and the rights of moviegoers everywhere. Enjoy.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

First Image of Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises

Sean — Fri, 20 May 2011 16:15:45 +0000

As of yesterday, production is officially underway on Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, and Warner Brothers have wasted no time in getting a new viral campaign launched for the film. After the phenomenal viral marketing they did for The Dark Knight, it only makes sense that they would try to repeat the success. To kick things off, they set up a mysterious page over at www.thedarkknightrises.com that plays an audio file on loop. The internet quickly went to work and discovered the Twitter hash tag #TheFireRises buried in the sound spectrum. As people began tweeting using that hashtag, an image gradually began to take shape. That image has now been identified as our very first look at Tom Hardy as Bane! Bane is known for his massive physical strength, which he gained by being a test subject for an experimental drug known as Venom. He wears a mask that pumps the drug directly into his brain through a series of tubes. He is also highly intelligent, making him one of Batman's most dangerous adversaries. In the picture, Bane is clearly wearing some sort of mask, although it does not appear to be connected to anything. So far I'd say that Tom Hardy has the right physique to make the character believable without being too exaggerated. What do you think of this first image? Are you a fan of the viral marketing that they have been doing for the Batman films? Follow @thefirerises on Twitter for more updates.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

YouTube Gets Serious About Online Movie Rentals

Sean — Tue, 10 May 2011 13:34:19 +0000

As if the market wasn't crowded enough already, it looks like Netflix has yet another competitor preparing to throw down the gauntlet and step into the ring with them. This week YouTube will officially start to ramp up its streaming movie rental service, which was first hinted at last year when they premiered a handful of Sundance hits including The Cove. Now they are adding over 3000 titles, and they've even got a leg up on Netflix in that a lot of these are very recent, high profile releases. Some of the titles that will be up for rental this week include The Green Hornet, Inception, The King’s Speech, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1. Of course, unlike Netflix, these will all be available on a pay-per-view basis, not a flat subscription fee. YouTube's rental fees will be $3.99 for the newer releases and $2.99 for others, while they will also have a decent selection of titles that are free to watch. The rental period is 30 days, although you only have 24 hours to finish a movie once you start watching it. To check out what's available over at youtube.com/movies. I'm assuming that most of these new additions will only be available in the U.S. for the time being, as I am only able to see some of the free selections from here in Canada. Still, there are some interesting flicks that are free to watch including Peter Jackson's Bad Taste, Richard Linklater's Slacker, and Orson Welles' The Third Man. While I'm not sure that YouTube will prove to be a serious threat for Netflix, they could very well cut into iTunes' profits. What do you think, do you see yourself renting movies from YouTube?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!