Thursday, November 27
In honor of Thanksgiving, let's take a moment to recount the biggest turkeys Hollywood has turned out this year. The biggest losers of 2008, among major U.S. releases:
*Estimated. Sources: Box Office Mojo and IMDB.
Bear in mind that these numbers represent the biggest turkeys of the year thus far. The remaining days of 2008 could very well yield another flop or two. (We're looking at you, Australia and Valkyrie.)
Posted 11/27/2008 by reelz
Related: City of Ember | Babylon A.D. | Meet Dave | Bangkok Dangerous | Speed Racer
Friday, October 10
Last weekend clearly proved that our nation's spiraling economy hasn't yet stopped parents from ponying up the cash to divert their kids' attention for a few hours. And what of Shia's two-week run with Eagle Eye? Well, clearly parents are also still dropping their kids off at the mall with cash for some much-needed peace and quiet on the home front.
But as the financial crisis continues to unfold, will moviegoers turn to less expensive forms of entertainment such as home video, television, or, gasp, going outdoors?
This weekend's offerings should be a strong indicator as four major offerings hit screens covering a broad base of the moviegoing public. For the family set, there's the fantasy City of Ember or the inspirational sports tale The Express. For the over-18 crowd, Hollywood power players Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe headline one of the first entries in the 
Oscar race, Body of Lies. And for those ready to get into the spirit of Halloween a few weeks early, there's Quarantine.
While none of these releases ignited the critical mass with overwhelmingly positive reviews, all scored in the mediocre to mildly positive range on Rotten Tomatoes.
If you've opted to stay home this weekend, check out Thomas Leupp's story on this week's DVD releases.
Posted 10/10/2008 by reelz
Related: City of Ember | Quarantine | The Express | Body of Lies
Thursday, July 19
Twentieth Century Fox has abruptly cancelled its appearance at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, less than a week before the opening of the annual gathering of fanboys from across the world, The Los Angeles Times reports.
The official explanation from studio, which had planned to unveil footage from a variety of upcoming films, including Alien vs. Predator 2, Jumper, Hitman, The Dark is Rising, Babylon A.D. and City of Ember, is that "the clips simply weren't ready." What an odd coincidence, that ALL of the above films would hit such a snag at the same time. Either Fox has some really flaky editors working at its Century City headquarters, or something else is afoot.
Conspiracy theories abound. One of which, courtesy of CHUD, posits that relations between Fox and the Comic-Con folks have been prickly since last year's event, when the studio unspooled some R-rated clips from Borat, violating the convention's strict moratorium on displaying naughty footage. Unable to repair the strained relationship in time for this year’s event, Fox decided to pull the plug rather than risk further controversy.
Fox is supposedly planning some sort of "surprise" for Comic-Con attendees. We'll keep you posted as developments arise.
Posted 7/19/2007 by reelz
Related: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem | The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising | Hitman | City of Ember | Babylon A.D.
Friday, July 13
Everybody's favorite MILF Naomi Watts has no plans to rest on her laurels (or diaper pails or baby binkies or whatever) after the upcoming birth of her baby-to-be with Liev Schreiber.
The very pregnant actress has just signed on to star in The International with Clive Owen, says The Hollywood Reporter. The action thriller about an Interpol agent obsessed with investigating a dodgy banking mogul will be directed by Tom Tykwer (Perfume).
Curb Your Enthusiasm's Cheryl Hines has signed on to the Luke Wilson romantic comedy Henry Poole Is Here, about a man who finds out he only has six weeks to live, says Variety. It will be directed by Mark Pellington (The Mothman Prophecies).
And finally, Tim Robbins and Martin Landau have joined
Bill Murray in the cast of City of Ember, a quirky story about a town where the only light (from streetlamps) begins to fail. Based on the 2003 novel by Jeanne Duprau, the movie is being shot in Belfast under the direction of Gil Kenan (Monster House), says Variety.
Most importantly, Tom Hanks is one of the producers. Considering that he also executive produced Starter for Ten, Band of Brothers, and Big Love, this can only mean good things.
Posted 7/13/2007 by reelz
Related: Bill Murray | Cheryl Hines | Clive Owen | Gil Kenan | Luke Wilson | Tim Robbins | Tom Tykwer | Martin Landau | Naomi Watts | City of Ember | Mark Pellington | The International