Movie News: Monday, November 06

Microsoft to offer movies, TV shows on game service (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Microsoft Corp. onMonday said it would rent movies and sell television shows through Internet downloads to its Xbox Live video game service, pitting the software giant against long-time rival Apple Computer Inc. and others responding to the explosion of video on the Web.

"Borat" reigns as new international king (Reuters)
   Reuters - British shock comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's "Borat" took top international box office honors away from four-week leader "The Devil Wears Prada," according to final weekend data issued Monday

A Good Year - Ridley Scott Music Featurette
   London-based Investment expert Max Skinner (Crowe) moves to Provence to sell a small vineyard he has inherited from his late uncle. As Max reluctantly settles into what ultimately becomes an intoxicating new chapter in his life, he encounters a beautiful California woman who also lays claim to the property.

Christmas in the Clouds
    ( Released: 11/07/2006   Avg. Score: 4/5     | Photos | Reviews  ) — Ray (Vahle), the manager of his tribe's new luxury hotel, is up in arms about the arrival of a critic. His staff, distracted by personal problems, a bingo pool and attractive guests, is hardly a help. When a pretty New Yorker (Tosca) shows up, Ray mistakes her for the critic and wines and dines her himself. The real critic (Walsh), however, isn't treated so kindly.

Brooklyn man held in actress' death (AP)
   AP - A construction worker was arrested Monday and charged with murder in the death of an actress who was found hanging from a shower rod in her apartment.

Shadowboxer
    ( Released: 11/07/2006   Rated: R - for strong graphic violence and sexuality, nudity, language and some drug use   Avg. Score: 3/5     | Photos | Reviews  ) — Mikey (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and Rose (Helen Mirren) are contract killers. But when a brutal crime boss hires them to rub out his wife, the two assassins have a change of heart. It turns out that the soon-to-be-dead wife is pregnant. Together with the mom-to-be, Mikey and Rose go on the run.

A Wake in Providence
    ( Released: 11/07/2006    | Trailers  ) —

Little Man
    ( Released: 11/07/2006   Rated: PG-13   Avg. Score: 0.25/5     | Trailers | Photos | Reviews  ) — A criminal (Tracy Morgan) places his short, baby-faced sidekick (Marlon Wayans) in the home of a man (Shawn Wayans) who doesn't notice that the cute little baby is actually a crook on the run from the law.

Cars
    ( Released: 11/07/2006   Rated: G   Avg. Score: 4.75/5     | Trailers | Photos | Reviews  ) — Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), a hotshot rookie race car, embarks on a trip down Route 66, headed to California and the big Piston Cup Championship race. Along the way, he meets Sally, a snazzy 2002 Porsche (Bonnie Hunt); Doc Hudson, a 1951 Hudson Hornet (Paul Newman); and Mater, a rusty tow truck (Larry the Cable Guy). Together they help Lightning realize there's more to life than first place.

Wordplay
    ( Released: 11/07/2006   Rated: PG - for some language and mild thematic elements   Avg. Score: 5/5     | Trailers | Reviews  ) — This doc takes a look at the life of Will Shortz, the crossword puzzle editor at The New York Times.

John Reivews Flushed Away
   John gives his quick 3 minute review for Flushed Away. 7.5 out of 10. (Wow... I just watched it... and I look drunk. I swear I'm not drunk, just sleepy)

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John Reviews Borat
   John gives his quick 3 minutes review (ok 4 minutes) of Borat. For only the 3rd time since starting The Movie Blog, I'm giving it a 10 our ot 10.

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Weinstein Co gets My Enemy's Enemy
   I commented a while back about the documentary Muderball being turned into a movie. At the time I couldnt recall any other documentaries that were being made into feature films. A couple people showed me that there were a handful. Well to add to that handful it looks like the Weinstein Co. has optioned the rights to Kevin Macdonald's documentary, My Enemy's Enemy. MovieWeb says:The film...

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`Borat' surprises with No. 1 debut (AP)
   AP - Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" packed theaters to debut as the top weekend movie with $26.5 million.

Spider-Man 3 Trailer Online Thrusday
   I wasn't all that thrilled with the initial Spider-Man 3 teaser that was out a while ago... but I didn't hate it either... and I know many many many people out there absolutely loved it, so this should be considered good news by just about everyone. Apparently, the first fill Spider-Man 3 trailer will be airing on TV and showing up online on Thursday. The good folks over at ComingSoon give us...

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Routh Promises More Action in Superman Returns sequel
   One of the big complaints about Superman Returns was that there just wasnt enough action. Now personally for me, I dont mind that provided there was a good story to fall back on. I don't think there is anything wrong with some mindless violence to feed my inner adrenaline urges, but if you are not going to do that, then you need a good story. I think Superman Returns fallowed through on that. ...

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Studio Cares about Superman Returns
   Get it? Superman Returns? Returns is another word for profit! Superman Returns?.... oh nevermind... There is a very interesting article about the finances of Superman Returns. With the sequel hinging on Superman Returns making a certain amount of money before they decided to move forward, it is of interest to see how the money breaks down and who goes home with what.In looking towards a...

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Balls Of Fury Trailer
   Over the last few months I've put up a couple of stories about the upcoming Ping-Pong comedy "Balls Of Fury", in which the lead villain is played by Christopher Walken... and his name... is FANG! Tell me this doesn't already have "Oscar" written all over it! But seriously folks, in case you haven't heard about Balls Of Fury, here's the synopsis:In this secret society, the competition is...

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Incredible Hulk Release Date
   Looks like the new Incredible Hulk movie has it's release date. And that date, is June 27th 2008, just about a year and a half away. I for one, can't bloody wait! This film will be a departure from the first "Hulk" movie (which I thought was wonderful, even if most people didn't). There has been word that this incarnation of Hulk will be a total re-boot. That it will pretend the first Hulk...

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See sorority sisters get slaughtered in remake slash flick Black Christmas
   The best kind of move remakes in my opinion are the ones that have good story lines, were not huge blockbusters the first time around and of course....have sorority girls getting murdered at Christmas time. So just in time for the holidays comes Black Christmas. It fulfills two out of three of my needs, the storyline is the only thing that is suspect here. Does it look cliché? Yes. It has the...

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Early reviews for James Bond movie Casino Royal very strong
   Casino Royal's early reviews are very good, much to the credit it seems to the gamble that producers took on casting Daniel Craig. Yahoonews.com give us this: British actor Daniel Craig, the controversial choice to play the new James Bond in the upcoming film "Casino Royale," has won early reviews Miss Moneypenny would be proud of. The producers of one of the world's most successful movie...

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Sin City 2 In Trouble?
   Any of you who have been following the development of Sin City 2 already knows there have been some "bumps". Casting controversy, shooting delays and other things of the like. Nothing that really made us think the project was in jeopardy... but that may be the case. The good guys over at Cinema Blend give us the following:First, there's the problems of Angelina Jolie's belly to consider. The...

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Sylvester Stallone To Quit Acting
   Sylvester Stallone will never be on "Inside the Actors Studio" (unless he already has and I just made myself look like a moron... which happens from time to time so I won't be surprised) or be remembered as one of the great thespians of our time. But there is no denying (for those of us who are children of the 80's) that he has brought us some of this generations most iconic characters. Sadly...

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Shatner Says New Kirk Role Is Uncastable
   I've said it before here on The Movie Blog and I'll say it again: A new Star Trek movie just going back to tell the story of a younger Captain James T. Kirk is a STUPID idea of the highest order. Unless the folks at the USS Paramout decide to do a complete re-imagining of the Star Trek franchise (much liken unto what they've done with Battlestar Galactica) then just going backwards isn't going...

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Basinger is in with indie "Out" (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Kim Basinger will star in "While She Was Out," an indie real-time thriller.

Abu Ghraib movie planned (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Oscar-winning documentary veteran Errol Morris is developing a documentary about the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq.

Obscure "Diamond" sparkles for Lindsay Lohan (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Lindsay Lohan is set to bring a long-forgotten Tennessee Williams screenplay, "The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond," to the big screen.

U.S. defector in N. Korea subject of documentary (Reuters)
   Reuters - An ailing U.S. Army soldier who fled to North Korea in 1962 will soon get to watch "Crossing the Line," a British documentary of his life in the world's newest nuclear state.

Bad-boy director rekindles career with "Fire" (Reuters)
   Reuters - Tony Kaye is back. The notoriously mercurial "American History X" director has re-emerged in the feature film world, shopping his acclaimed abortion documentary "Lake of Fire," which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, and a new thriller from script guru Robert McKee, "Madness."

Jamaican gangster movie "Shottas" fires blanks (Reuters)
   Reuters - Aiming for the mythical rise-and-destruction territory of crime films like "Scarface," writer-director Cess Silvera delivers an empty, bullet-riddled exploitation combo of attitude and poses in the Kingston-set "Shottas," whose title is Jamaican slang for gangsters, or "shot-callers."

Fired evangelist slams gays in new movie (AP)
   AP - The Rev. Ted Haggard has been fired amid allegations of gay sex and drug use, but the evangelical leader can still be seen at the height of his powers — preaching to thousands and condemning homosexuality — in the documentary "Jesus Camp."

New documentary shows another side of Orson Welles (Reuters)
   Reuters - Apparently we are entering a season of Orson Welles discoveries. Two major biographies have hit bookstores, Joseph McBride's "What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?" and Simon Callow's second volume of his three-book work on Welles.

Review: `A Good Year' shows softer Crowe (AP)
   AP - You have to at least give Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott credit for trying something different.

Angelina Jolie and son visit refugees (AP)
   

AP - Taking a break from shooting a movie about the life of slain journalist Daniel Pearl, Angelina Jolie spent the weekend in the Indian capital in another role — as goodwill ambassador of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

New DVD releases: 'Cars'; 'Little Man' (AP)
   AP - Selected home-video releases:

Nordisk Film marks 100th anniversary (AP)
   AP - Nordisk Film, one of the world's oldest film production companies, celebrated its 100th anniversary Monday at the Copenhagen studios where it started making silent movies at the dawn of the film industry.

Weinsteins collaborate with "Enemy" in Nazi film (Reuters)
   Reuters - The Weinstein Co. has acquired North American rights to Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald's documentary "My Enemy's Enemy," about Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie.

Cartoons race for Oscar (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Sixteen full-length animated features have qualified to compete in the cartoon category at the 79th Annual Academy Awards.

Almodovar movie, Stasi drama lead Europe film nods (Reuters)
   Reuters - "Volver," an opulent melodrama from veteran Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, and "The Lives of Others," a claustrophobic look at life in communist East Germany, have garnered the most nominations for the European Film Awards.

Bogdanovich shoots "John Ford" again (Reuters)
   Reuters - Peter Bogdanovich is a superb chronicler of film history. For one thing, he is an eyewitness to a generation of filmmakers such as we'll never see again, including Orson Welles, Raoul Walsh, Alfred Hitchcock, and of course, John Ford.

Jackie O's quirky kin subject of musical, movie (Reuters)
   Reuters - At a Manhattan piano bar, several cross-dressing men sport the same look: ripped nylon stockings, brown wrap skirt and cashmere sweater tied in a makeshift head scarf.

'Borat' makes glorious box office win (AP)
   

AP - Sacha Baron Cohen's Kazakh alter-ego Borat made glorious returns at the box office, surprising Hollywood with a No. 1 debut.