Mar 15 2012

Brian Koppelman & David Levien Writing ‘National Treasure 3’; Finish Script For ‘City Of The Sun’

Cover of "City of the Sun: A Novel"

Cover of City of the Sun: A Novel

You probably forgot, likely because you don’t care, but last spring mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that a “National Treasure 3” was in the works and then we didn’t really hear anything since. But it appears that work is now underway.

In an interview with Done Deal Pro (via Bleeding Cool) screenwriters Brian Koppelman and David Levien (“Rounders,” “Ocean’s Thirteen,” “The Girlfriend Experience” ) have revealed they are taking their pens to the sequel and are priming their next film to helm saying, “We just finished the screenplay for our next film to direct, an adaptation of David’s book ‘City Of The Sun,’ and are now working on ‘National Treasure 3’ for Bruckheimer.”

It’s not a real surprise that another “National Treasure” is in the works; the films print money. The first entry did $347 million worldwide, while the sequel took in $457 million. Not bad at all. And while we don’t particularly care for the franchise, Koppelman and Levien are some hugely talented folks and we’d wager whatever they’re cooking up will make it worth watching (if it isn’t put through the committee wringer at the studio). No word yet on who will direct — Jon Turteltaub just signed on for the the romcom “Unreasonable Doubt” — but he and Nicolas Cage have now done three films together (the “National Treasure” pics as well as “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice“) and we would guess he’ll be roped in for a third installment as well.

As for “City Of The Sun” it’s based off Levien’s book and it’s a project they been looking to make as their follow-up to “Solitary Man” for some time now. When we spoke to the writers last year they told us at the time that work was still moving on the project, so we’re glad to see they’ve put a period on it and we presume they’ll start the process of finding a home for the film. The story revolves around parents who hire an ex-cop with checkered past to find their kidnapped son, and end up coming against a depraved real estate tycoon which has hands in all kinds of illegal business. Sounds like some pretty solid material and nice gear change for the duo, so we hope it comes together soon.

For now, if you missed “Solitary Man” do yourself a favor and go rent it. It’s easily one of the most slept on films of last year.

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Mar 15 2012

Girls Against Boys

English: Johnny Temple playing live with "...

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Director & Screenwriter: Austin Chick
A psychological thriller about two girls on a killing spree. With edgy and ironic humor and a darkly meditative tone, it is also a coming-of-age story about a girl learning how the world really works.
Cast: Danielle Panabaker, Nicole LaLiberte, Liam Aiken, Michael Stahl-David, Andrew Howard
(World Premiere)

Film Synopsis from SXSW.com

WHO’S IT FOR? If you crave a somewhat serious, somewhat psychotic take of women taking revenge on all men, then Girls Against Boys is for you.

OVERALL

We’ve all heard the saying “boys against girls” on the playground. That’s the way I’ve said it, probably because I’m a boy. Now it’s time to turn the tables. That’s right … it’s Girls Against Boys, wouldn’t that be fun?

Well, that’s not what you get with this misleading title (if you interpret it my way). It’s not fast or funny, and anything beyond that feels ordinary.

The film follows Shae (Panabaker) as a woman who is treated like a piece of meat. First, it’s by a 35-year-old (Howard from Limitless who doesn’t look 35) married man, then by a guy after a drunken night. It’s not shocking that someone so attractive as Shae can attract this many assholes. It’s also not surprising that the film has a character attack and sexual assault Shae. Yeah, I blame the film and not the character. That’s just one of the problems that feels forced into this film.

Luckily (I guess), not only do assholes notice Shae, so does Lu (LaLiberte). She has Emma Stone’s looks, along with some psycho eyes.

The theme of revenge is treated seriously. The film is slow to start. Those two things make it next to impossible to enjoy the destruction that Shae and Lu take up. It’s not even unsettling because it doesn’t feel real. It also doesn’t make much sense. It’s not like they have a kill list of men who need to die, and Shae is shockingly fine with the violence, until she’s shockingly over it. There is no one to root for and eventually I just didn’t want anyone else to die. The whole time I kept thinking, “See, this is why mom’s need to answer the phone and not be working when their children call.” By the time we meet Tyler (Aiken) I see what they could have done to make this film more engaging for me. Tyler is easily someone to root for, but comes along to late. What he represents to Shae could have been introduced in the beginning. Something/someone for us to hope Shae can find her way back to.

Girls Against Boys seems like a movie that is trying to make some point about the sexes. It doesn’t break down any barriers that feel fresh or exciting.

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Mar 15 2012

James Cameron to cast himself into the heart of the ocean, or the abyss, or whatever James Cameron joke you prefer

Cover of "Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Co...

Cover via Amazon

by Sean O’Neal March 9, 2012

Bored with giving speeches about 3-D and taking money baths, this week James Cameron sought new adventures and faraway places where people couldn’t ask him about Avatar 2 by traveling five miles beneath the ocean, off the coast of Papua New Guinea, all in a 43-inch-wide craft officially dubbed the Deepsea Challenger and unofficially dubbed the Fuck You, Richard Branson. And while that alone was enough to break the world depth record for solo undersea travel, Cameron is already planning on topping that later this month by diving seven miles down into the forbidding Challenger Deep in the western Pacific—a feat only achieved once before in 1960, in a vehicle that barely survived and that lasted only 20 minutes before resurfacing. It also did not have any famous directors on it.

You’ll be able to follow Cameron’s voyage at this website, while Cameron’s co-sponsor the National Geographic Society says that not only will he be collecting important samples for scientific research, he’ll be filming the whole thing for two eventual documentaries, thus continuing a long tradition of James Cameron films set at sea like The Abyss, Titanic, and the upcoming Avatar sequels. Of course, that’s what National Geographic would have us believe. A more logical explanation would be that James Cameron, bored of lording over dry land, is expanding his dominion to become Fish Emperor, and soon even the world’s und

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Mar 15 2012

Mahtab Entertainment Searching Indie Projects

Solmaz Niki-Kermani & Navid Negahban

Solmaz Niki-Kermani & Navid Negahban

On the set of an untitled music video I had the opportunity to speak with Solmaz Niki-Kermani from Mahtab Entertainment. She only had a few minutes to spare since she was directing the video. I was also asked not to disclose the name of the pop idol luckily Perez Hilton was not on the scene. 

Solmaz told me that her newly created Mahtab Entertainment has been aggressive searching out projects that have an indie feel and the ability to cross borders and cultures like a Slum Dog Millionaire. As CEO of Mahtab Entertainment, Solmaz explains she wears many hats however acting is her first love although in the meantime she is utilizing her business background and international contacts to turn Mahtab Entertainment into a company that specializes in obtaining 100% financing for features by raising private equity. 

– Judy Pigeon

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Mar 15 2012

Jolie and Pitt plan to marry before autumn

English: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the C...

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Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt reportedly plan to marry before autumn.

The couple, who are rumoured to be expecting twin boys, want to marry in time for the arrival of the babies later this year.

“Angie (Jolie) is expecting twins this fall, so it is making them feel a time crunch. They decided they’d both like to welcome their twin boys to the world as man and wife, which means the wedding has to happen fairly soon,” reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Angelina Jolie, 36, and Brad Pitt, 48, who already have six children, are said to have been through a rough time. But they came to the decision to wed after appearing together at last month’s Oscars.

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Mar 15 2012

Third Horse Died on HBO’s “Luck” Set

Horse Racing

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Despite still being in first season, HBO’s “Luck” horse-racing TV series, starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, has been having a bit of trouble keeping its horses alive. After having two of them die during production, PETA wrote a letter to LA District Attorney, asking for an investigation of the set.

No immediate action was taken, and then the very next day, a third horse died. “All the evidence we have gathered points to sloppy oversight, the use of unfit, injured horses, and disregard for the treatment of race horses,” said PETA, which is asking for filming to stop.

HBO responded by stating: “An American Humane Association Certified Safety Representative was on the premises when the accident occurred, and as always, all safety precautions were in place.”

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Mar 15 2012

Chinese Movie Poster Rip-Offs and More Fake Movie Posters by “Walt” Artist

Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie (1928)

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China is one of the bigger movie pirates on the planet. But the country doesn’t just sell bootleg copies of US movies, it also rips off movie posters for their own films. Thanks to WenxueCity, we now have a few of these posters.

In addition, Pascal Witaszek has unveiled more of his posters for movies that don’t exist. Witaszek is the artist behind the poster for “Walt,” a fake movie about the life of Walt Disney. On the poster, Ryan Gosling is shown as a young Disney coming up with the idea of Mickey Mouse.

His other posters are just as creative and just as remarkable. If Witaszek doesn’t end up being a famous movie poster designer, he may have a future as a casting director.

Read more: http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=24288&count=0#ixzz1pC5BwbEu

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Mar 15 2012

Forget Bollywood — Mumbai enjoys fight nights

Two fighters grappling in a mixed martial arts...

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(Reuters) – The small wooden door in a film studio complex deep within the heart of Mumbai creaks open to pumping music, a beer-guzzling crowd and two men raining punches and kicks onto each other in the makeshift ring.

Welcome to India’s very own fight night.

First started around three years ago by Full Contact Championship FCC.L, a company founded to promote mixed martial arts, fight nights are slowly gaining popularity in India, a nation where people traditionally have had no inclination to pay money to watch somebody be physically beaten in front of them.

But increasing globalisation, and years of growing up watching overseas professional wrestling broadcasts, have given younger Indians a taste for seeing the real thing themselves.

“The first time I went into a fight ring, I froze for a few seconds. There were so many people cheering for me, especially girls,” said a blushing Sangram “Slammer” Bhakre, a 21-year-old mixed martial arts fighter.

Sangram, who is also preparing for his third-year university exams, is a trained wrestler, boxer and wushu fighter who is something of a hero in his local club in Kolhapur, a town 400 km (250 miles) south of Mumbai.

He is like many of the young fighters who take part in the fight nights, young men trained in different types of martial arts who come from small towns where such training is becoming popular. Sangram spent nine hours on a bus to reach India’s commercial and financial hub — a journey he makes twice a year.

The fighters come for quick money and cheering by a live audience. A fighter can make 10,000 to 20,000 Indian rupees from a single bout, which sometimes lasts less than a minute. The average Indian monthly income is about 4,416 rupees, according to government data.

FROM U.S. TO INDIA

The evenings are organised by Prashant Kumar, a trained mixed martial arts fighter who runs an advertising firm and said he dreamed of bringing the concept to India ever since first seeing it in the United States a decade go.

“The audience is increasing with every fight night as it’s a cheap mode of live entertainment for big spenders in this city,” Kumar said.

“People are getting bored of watching sports on television. They want to see and feel the pulse of it by being a few meters away from the action.”

Fight nights take place in hired studios in Mumbai otherwise used for Bollywood film shoots. The audience is invited mostly through word of mouth and social networking sites like Facebook.

The overall event usually lasts for 3 hours with around eight or nine matches in different weight categories. Every bout consists of three rounds of 10-12 minutes, and most end in knockouts.

Following each night is an after party. Kumar gives free entry with every fight night pass, along with two cans of beer.

“For me it’s money to party and also a ticket to become popular with the girls in college who like boys who fight,” said a young fighter who prefers anonymity since his parents have yet to find out he participates.

The audience consists of expats, young men and women working in multinational companies and sometimes even families — anybody able to fork out the 1,000 rupees for a ticket.

“I cannot believe I am watching this in Mumbai,” exclaims Anubhav, a 30-year-old banker.

“Next time I am going to bring 10 of my friends. This is amazing. This is pure action with real blood.”

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Mar 15 2012

Chloe Moretz, Rupert Grint Join Beach Boy Biopic ‘The Drummer’

 

English: Chloë Grace Moretz and Elias Koteas d...

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Chloë Grace Moretz and Rupert Grint have joined the all-star cast of The Drummer, the biopic of Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson from directing and writing duo Randall Miller and Jody Savin Aaron Eckhart is portraying Wilson while Vera Farmiga is playing Fleetwood Mac member and Wilson’s lover Christine McVie in the project tackling the last six years of Wilson’s life (he died in 1983), when the singer-songwriter released See more »

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Mar 14 2012

Rocky

Sylvester Stallone in Sweden to promote "...

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Nominated for 10 Academy Awards® and winner for Best Picture, it’s the film that inspired a nation! Audiences and critics alike cheered this American success story of an “everyman” triumphing over all odds. Featuring a dynamic musical score, a thrilling fight sequence and four Oscar® – nominated performances, this rousing crowd-pleaser will send spirits soaring. 

Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is a Philadelphia club fighter who seems to be going nowhere. But when a stroke of fate puts him in the ring with a world heavyweight champion, Rocky knows that it’s his one shot at the big time; a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go the distance and come out a winner!

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