Movie News: Tuesday, October 10

Columbus Day holiday boosts box office leaders (Reuters)
   Reuters - Columbus Day was very good to new box office champ "The Departed" and the film it replaced last weekend, "Open Season."

"Mermaid" DVD sells 4 million copies in week (Reuters)
   Reuters - Seventeen years after its theatrical debut, Walt Disney's "The Little Mermaid" is making a big splash on DVD.

Terrance Howard as Jim Rhodes in Iron Man
   

Of all the Superhero movies coming out, I have to say that Iron Man is slowly creeping up my anticipation list.

ComicBook Movie reports:

Casting for the Iron Man movie continues with the report that Terrence Howard (Idlewild) will be supporting lead actor Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man's buddy Jim Rhodes...

Howard, who most recently could be seen on screen playing "Trumpy" in Idlewild, will play Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes, a close friend/employee of Tony Stark and sometimes a secondary Iron Man suit-filler.

I anticpate a real street attitude if this rumour is true about Terrence Howard. This is not the first superhero role rumoured for Howard. The role of Luke Cage (sometimes known as Power Man) for another Marvel Franchise has been considered for Howard. As a side note, it was this character, Luke Cage, that Nicolas Cage says was the inspiration for his stage name when he dropped his birth name Coppola.

Of course there are others that still rank higher, but news keeps coming out that makes me want to see it. Hopefully they keep this news train going and the movie comes out a winner.

Rosegarten Obtains Ramones Biopic Rights
   

Seems the news of the biopic for Motley Crue has made documentaries about rock legends the "in thing". Looks like someone has their sights set on the Ramones.

Dark Horizons gives us:

Manager-producer Rory Rosegarten (TV's "Everybody Loves Raymond") has secured the rights to a feature about the seminal punk rock band the Ramones reports Variety.

Rosegarten has personally optioned "I Slept With Joey Ramone," the authorized bio on the lead singer that was written by Ramone's brother, Mickey Leigh, and punk chronicler Legs McNeil.

Rosegarten also negotiated a deal with the late rocker's mother, Charlotte Lesher, who is the executor of Ramone's estate. The family has given him access to the band's raucous tunes.

Interesting enough that this rough edgy "in your face" punk icons will be produced by the same guy who brought us Everybody Loves Raymond? Maybe he has had a Ramones thing in his soul and has been subconsiously preparing us for this.

In Everybody Loves Raymond we have some similar sounding words... Raymond Barone? Sounds like a mix - Ray Barone.. Ramones? I might be on to something here

Hopefully the biopic will not be about Joey Ramone trying to deal with his intrusive mother and Johnny constantly complaining that Mom liked him best. (yes, I am fully aware that Ramone was a stage name they all adopted - get your mouse off that POST button)

Tideland
    ( Release: Oct. 13, 2006    Details  ) — Jeliza-Rose (Jodelle Ferland) is a young girl in a very unusual situation whose parents are junkies. When her mother dies, her father (Jeff Bridges), a rock musician well past his prime, takes her to a remote farm in the country, she escapes the vast loneliness of her new home by retreating into a world that exists only in her mind.

In "Evan" They Trust (E! Online)
   

E! Online - While "thou shall be funny" didn't make the cut for the Ten Commandments, we guarantee it's near the top of the list for some nervous Hollywood suits.

Jolie, Pitt donate $100,000 to Pearl foundation (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, working together on a film about slain U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, donated $100,000 on Tuesday to a foundation established in his memory, Pitt's spokeswoman said.

Google seen inheriting YouTube's legal challenges (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Google Inc., no stranger to lawsuits, may find a whole new class of complainers lining up for a check after the Web search leader buys video entertainment site YouTube Inc. for $1.65 billion.

Gibson tells Sawyer alcohol is `poison' (AP)
   

AP - Mel Gibson calls his anti-Semitic rant following his arrest for drunk driving in July "the stupid ramblings of a drunkard."

Gibson sorry for anti-Semitic "stupid rambling" (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Actor Mel Gibson says his anti-Semitic outburst when stopped by police over the summer was "just the stupid rambling of a drunkard," and he does not want the public to think of him as a monster.

The Invisible - Trailer 2
   A supernatural thriller about a writer who finds himself trapped between the world of the living and the dead-completely invisible to the living. Nick (JUSTIN CHATWIN) has a bright future until he is brutally attacked and left for dead. Now in limbo, his only chance to live again is to figure out the mystery of what happened to him and why.

Flags Of Our Fathers - Trailer 1
   Based on the bestselling book by James Bradley with Ron Powers, which chronicled the battle of Iwo Jima and the fates of the flag raisers and some of their brothers in Easy Company. Bradley’s father, John “Doc” Bradley, was one of the soldiers pictured raising the flag, although James never knew the full extent of his fathers experiences until later.

Clooney scopes N.C. town for period film (AP)
   

AP - After a string of serious films, George Clooney may be considering a role in a romantic sports comedy. Jack Thomson, executive director of Historic Salisbury, said he met the Oscar-winning actor on Monday at Salisbury's restored train depot as Clooney was checking out the North Carolina town for an upcoming movie called "Leatherheads."

John Reviews The Departed
   

John gives his quick 3 minute review of The Departed. 9 out of 10.

Gibson sorry for anti-Semitic "stupid rambling" (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Actor Mel Gibson says his anti-Semitic outburst after a drunk driving arrest last summer was "just the stupid rambling of a drunkard" and he does not want the public to think of him as a monster.

Clint Eastwood's youngest son debuts (AP)
   

AP - There's a new face among the soldiers in Clint Eastwood's World War II drama "Flags of Our Fathers": Scott Reeves, the director's youngest son.

Capsule reviews of arriving films (AP)
   AP - Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

Movie Review: 'Infamous' (AP)
   AP - It'll provide prime fodder for film students for years to come: comparing "Capote," which earned Philip Seymour Hoffman a richly deserved best-actor Oscar, with "Infamous," which had the unfortunate coincidence of being developed at the same time and released a year later.

Transformers Energon Cube
   

For those of you who may not yet know, in the upcoming Transformers movie, there is an artifact called the Energon Cube (not the same as the energon cubes in the 80's cartoon show). The Energon Cube is the device that giveslife to Transformers... imparting the "Spark". The decepticons are looking for it... and Spike has it. The image below is Spike (Shia LaBeouf) holding what I' guessing is the Energon Cube. Either that or his dad's secret stash o' porn.

Hutton, Strathairn at Woodstock festival (AP)
   AP - Actors Timothy Hutton and David Strathairn will talk about their craft at the five-day Woodstock Film Festival, which starts Wednesday.

John Leguizamo in new movie The Ministers
   

Glad to see John Leguizamo is showing his face and not just his great voice in the new religious crime thriller The Ministers. The people over at empireonline.com give us this:

John Leguizamo is under holy orders from the man he worked with on Empire (no relation), director Franc. Reyes (his full-stop, not ours) to star in his next film, The Ministers.

The twisty plot finds a New York homicide detective driven by the death of her father, who was slaughtered while on duty. The culprit was never found and the only evidence at the scene was a pamphlet for a mysterious religious order known only as ? you guessed it - The Ministers.

Her father died 13 years ago and the group has been quiet for more than a decade, but she soon discovers that they?re back and in force. But because this is a conspiracy crime thriller, she?s swiftly removed from the case and ordered not to meddle. And here?s the extra turn of the knife- she?s involved with a man who?s secretly part of the group? We're guessing that Leguizamo is the love interest.

I'm not a big fan of the relatively new genre of religious crime thrillers, I walked out of Constantine and I am one of the few who didn't watch The Da Vinci code. But this movie seems to be more crime and less religion, add to that John Leguizamo and now you've got something worth watching.

Dueling Trumans: Toby Jones does Capote (AP)
   AP - Toby Jones has one of the toughest acts to follow in cinema history.

`Stormbreaker' plays teen spying game (AP)
   AP - Fans of British super spies are getting a younger, more innocent James Bond this fall with "Casino Royale."

Eastwood, Spielberg premiere 'Flags' (AP)
   AP - An army of young Hollywood stars jammed the red carpet at the "Flags of Our Fathers" premiere, but two veterans got the most attention: director Clint Eastwood and producer Steven Spielberg.

Scarlett Johansson: 'Not promiscuous' (AP)
   

AP - Scarlett Johansson says that while monogamy might go against instinct, she's happy in her relationship with boyfriend and recent "Black Dahlia" co-star Josh Hartnett.

Google Buys YouTube
   

There have been whispers going around for a while now that Google may be interested in buying YouTube... the site that serves up over 100 million videos EACH FRIGGING DAY! A lot of people have dismissed these rumours... but guess what... it's DONE! Google bought them for a reported $1.65 BILLION!!!

So why is this movie news? Well boys and girls, because Google NEVER EVER EVER does things just for the heck of it. When they do something... there is a plan behind it. And although I'm only speculating... I'll bet almost anything that buying YouTube is a part of a larger plan for Google to get into online movie distribution. Apple and Amazon must be crapping their pants right about now.

I'm not the only one who thinks this either. The good folks over at Cinematical gave their two cents worth on this too:

Google seems to be setting the stage for their own effort in the same arena. While YouTube has been more popular for short-form videos such as short home movie clips and television shows, as compression gets better and they establish a revenue model, you will almost certainly see full-length movies available for download through YouTube.

Mark my words... this event... Google buying YouTube... will be a landmark event that we'll be talking about for YEARS. It will be an event that we all point back to 5 years from now as the initial event that "Changed everything" in terms of online movie distribution. This is history (in our limited scope anyway). I'll write more on this later.

Around The Web - October 10th 2006
   

Here is some of the other movie news floating around the web today that you might find interesting:

- Indian city in frenzy as Jolie begins film shoot

- Star Trek auction boldly goes to $7 million
Honestly... I thought it would be a lot more. But $7 million sure ain't bad.

- Jeff Betancourt to Helm Boogeyman 2
"Jeff Betancourt, the editor on the upcoming sequel The Grudge 2, is set to make his directorial debut on another horror sequel Boogeyman 2, according to Production Weekly."

- First Pictures from The Bourne Ultimatum set

- Mira Sorvino Joins Reservation Road
"Road, which is based off the novel written by John Burnham Schwartz (who also penned the script) tells the story of two families who collide when one father (Ruffalo) accidentally kills the son of another (Phoenix) in a tragic hit-and-run accident. Things heat up when Ruffalo battles with the decision to either turn himself in or quietly disappear, while Phoenix makes it his mission to find the man who killed his son. Sorvino will play Ruffalo's ex-wife, with Connelly playing Phoenix's wife."

- Rob Zombie to host Turner Classic Movies Underground
You know what... I don't like Zombie as a director at all... but I think he will be amazing at this.

- Michael Bay to remake horror movies

- Bionic Woman Making a Comeback
Battlestar Galactica team to bring back a reinvisioning of The Bionic woman.

- Some great pictures from The Prestige
Man I can't wait to see this movie

- Saw III Soundtrack

- Extras lead to Screen Actors Guild lawsuit
Oh the joys of labour disputes

- Stewart-Colbert '08? No way, says comedian
Sorry folks... it just ain't gonna happen. I don't want a comedian with ZERO experience running the US... BUT... it would be a damn entertaining campaign.

Rocky 6 Poster
   

The new poster for Rocky 6 (officially titles "Rocky Balboa") has been released by the studio. And honestly, I really really really like it. It's expresive and yet captures the feel of the whole franchise and where it is now. Beautiful job. The little tag at the top of the poster says "It ain't over til it's over". Nice.

Movie Review: 'Driving Lessons' (AP)
   AP - Rupert Grint's far from the top of the class at Hogwart's wizardry school, where he co-stars as all-around average student and Harry Potter sidekick Ron Weasley in the fantasy franchise.

Indian director buoyed by Oscar entry, looks ahead (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Bollywood director Rakeysh Mehra, whose hit film about the transformation of a group of self-absorbed youths is India's entry to the 2007 Oscars, said he will draw on his own childhood for one of his next ventures.

Terrence Howard flying to "Iron Man" (Reuters)
   Reuters - Terrence Howard is joining the cast of Marvel's "Iron Man," which stars Robert Downey, Jr. in the title role.