Monday, August 18

• From Limp Bizkit to...The Longshots?
  

  Instances of artists finding success in both music and film are increasingly common these days, but few are as baffling as the case of Fred Durst. Best-known as the endlessly annoying frontman of Limp Bizkit, the '90s "nu metal" band whose hits include the head-banging frat-house anthem "Nookie," Durst has somehow successfully transitioned to a career as a Hollywood director. His first studio effort, The Longshots, an inspirational drama about the first girl ever to play Pop Warner football, debuts this Friday.
  

  That's right -- the one-time rocker whose on-stage shtick included climbing out of a giant toilet during performances is now directing family flicks. Perhaps not coincidentally, the film stars another crossover artist and one-time badboy, Ice Cube.

  What do the critics (or "haters," as they're known in the rap-rock parlance) think of Durst's studio debut? Hard to tell -- it appears that The Longshots wasn't screened for critics.

  
  

  Posted 08/18/2008 by Thomas

  Ice Cube | Fred Durst | The Longshots

• Aquaman Mourns the Death of Justice League Movie
  

  They repeatedly withstood the challenges of Braniac, Lex Luthor and the various other members of the evil Legion of Doom, but it appears that the Justice League of America's superheroes may have finally met their match in the form of a far more sinister group of super-villains: movie studio executives. A Justice League movie, reportedly featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and the Flash, was originally given the green light by Warner Bros. back in September of 2007, but its prospects dimmed considerably with the onset of the WGA strike. It seems the knockout blow came recently with Christopher Nolan's game-changing The Dark Knight, which caused Warners to reevaluate all of its DC Comics-related projects.

  "We're not off the notion of a Justice League," Warners exec Jeffrey Robinov told Variety last Friday. "There's a massive interest and knowledge in the comic book industry and it takes time to sort of catch up and understand the characters and the history, where they've intersected with each other and what their worlds are."

  "We're going to make a Justice League movie, whether it's now or 10 years from now," DC Comics exec Gregory Noveck added, perhaps a tad optimistically. "But we're not going to do it and Warners is not going to do it until we know it's right."

  Don't look for a Justice League movie anytime soon. According to IESB, director George Miller has been pulled from the project to work on Green Lantern. Warners probably won't revisit the concept until Nolan is finished with the Batman franchise. Since Nolan's committed to at least one more Batman flick, the studio will have to wait at least 3-5 years before it can resume butchering DC's titles.

  The real loser in all of this is clearly the much-maligned Aquaman, whose long-awaited shot at big screen immortality has once again been tabled indefinitely.

  
  

  Posted 08/18/2008 by Thomas

  Justice League of America | The Dark Knight

• Voltron Finally Assembling on Big Screen
  

  Variety reports that a director for Voltron: Defender of the Universe should be announced within the next week. The success of Transformers has led Hollywood to draw the conclusion that robots are hip again, at least for now.

  Originally conceived as an all-out blockbuster spectacle with a budget similar to Transformers, producers Mark Gordon and Jordan Wynn are now looking into cost-cutting methods such as those employed by Zack Snyder's 300.

  The script is being penned by Justin Marks, who is also currently working on the Warner Bros. projects Green Arrow and He-Man. The story reportedly revolves around a post-apocalyptic alien attack set in New York City and Mexico. Five survivors band together and conceive construction of the five robots that combine to form Voltron.

  Source: Variety

  
  

  Posted 08/18/2008 by Jeff

  Voltron

Sunday, August 17

• Box Office Results: Tropic Finally Ends Dark Knight's Run
  

  

  Title	Weekend	Total	Analysis
  Tropic Thunder	$26.0M	$26.0M	Stiller and Co. deliver enough yucks to dethrone Batman.
  The Dark Knight	$16.7M	$471.4M	Knight serves up double whammy to Lucas, toppling Clone Wars opening and simultaneously passing original Star Wars on all time list.
  Star Wars: The Clone Wars	$15.5M	$15.5M	Despite a 19% on Rotten Tomatoes, Star Wars fans proven gluttons for punishment once again.
  Mirrors	$11.1M	$11.1M	Even Jack Bauer can't save this lame horror retread.
  Pineapple Express	$10.0M	$62.9M	These stoners keep on rollin'.

  
  

  Source: BOX OFFICE MOJO

  
  

  Posted 08/17/2008 by Jeff

  The Dark Knight | Tropic Thunder | Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Friday, August 15

• Twilight Comes Sooner!
  

  Tween girls around the country can rejoice today at the news that Twilight will be coming to the screen a little earlier on November 21, 2008. After yesterday's announcement of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince shifting to July 17, 2009, Twilight was able to jump from its December 12, 2008 date and snag the Potter slot.

  If you hear a shrill sound outside, it is the collective shriek of teen girls across the nation celebrating the fact that they won't have to wait quite as long to finally see Jacob and Edward on the big screen.

  
  

  Posted 08/15/2008 by Jeff

  Twilight

• Interviews with Johansson, Hall, and Downey

  Dailies interviewed the stars of Tropic Thunder and Vicky Cristina Barcelona:

  Johansson and Hall discuss working with Woody Allen.

  Robert Downey Jr. talks about playing a man playing a black man, and how he was "in the zone" during filming.

  
  

  Posted 08/15/2008 by reelz

  Scarlett Johansson | Rebecca Hall | Robert Downey Jr. | Tropic Thunder | Vicky Cristina Barcelona

• Billy Bob to Portray Freddy Krueger in Elm Street Remake?
  

  This one is strictly a rumor with very limited credibility, but we certainly like the idea.

  A Nightmare on Elm Street remake has been discussed of late with perennial horror remake producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form (2003's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2005's The Amityville Horror) currently trying to set up the project.

  The rumors of Billy Bob Thornton being considered to play the scorched-face dream killer Freddy Krueger have been circulating for a few weeks now, although they were likely born out of fans hoping for such an inspired casting choice rather than any firm casting decisions.

  On the positive side, fan favorite casting rumors have led to actual casting decisions in the past, so don't lose hope. Christian Bale, now considered by many to be the finest example of Batman, was purely a fan fave for years before Christopher Nolan officially made him the offer for Batman Begins.

  So we Nightmare on Elm Street fans say it here, to whoever should end up producing and directing the remake. We want Billy Bob. Now make it happen!

  
  

  Posted 08/15/2008 by Jeff

  A Nightmare on Elm Street | Billy Bob Thornton

• Love Guru Joins Bastards
  

  Variety reports that Mike Myers has joined the cast of Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards as British General Ed Fenech.

  Myers has to hope the role will lend a bit of credibility to his live action acting after this summer's Love Guru debacle.

  Myers joins fellow castmates Brad Pitt and Eli Roth. Simon Pegg, Nastassja Kinski, David Krumholtz and B.J. Novak are also in talks with Tarantino.

  Shooting begins October 13th in Germany.

  Source: Variety
  

   

  
  
  
  

  Posted 08/15/2008 by Jeff

  Mike Myers | Quentin Tarantino | Inglorious Bastards