Author: Travis Keune

Hopeless film enthusiast; reborn comic book geek; artist; collector; cookie connoisseur; curious to no end

‘Phoebe in Wonderland’ opens on March 6

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The national Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc. would like to inform you of the theatrical release of Phoebe in Wonderland this Friday, March 6. This fictional, highly creative story features Elle Fanning as the title character, Phoebe, who has Tourette Syndrome. Although TS is not the main focus of the film, the disorder plays an important role in the character’s development and impacts the people around her. The movie opens this weekend in the following select cities: Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Miami and Dallas.

The film is described by its creators as, “…a fantastical tale of a little girl who won’t – or can’t – follow the rules. Confounded by her clashes with the rule-obsessed world around her, Phoebe seeks enlightenment from her unconventional drama teacher, even as her brilliant but anguished mother looks to Phoebe herself for inspiration.”

Felicity Huffman and Bill Pullman star as Phoebe’s parents, Patricia Clarkson as Phoebe’s drama teacher and Campbell Scott as the school principal.

The film’s writer and director, Daniel Barnz, used his filmmaking skills and artistic vision to create an imaginative and compassionate story about a young girl living with the disorder.

Continue reading ‘Phoebe in Wonderland’ opens on March 6

Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie in ‘The Runaways’?

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Not long ago, I wrote a post informing you of a bio-rock-pic being made about Joan Jett and her all-girl band The Runaways from the 70’s. Kristen Stewart (Twilight) is already cast to play Joan Jett and now Dakota Fanning (Push) is in negotiations to play lead singer Cherie Currie.

At 15, Fanning is the same age Currie was when she made her debut with the Runaways as the lead singer who belted out hard-edged tunes like “Cherry Bomb.” Currie became caught up in drugs and a hard-partying lifestyle. – Variety

What are your thoughts? Personally, I’m having a difficult time imagining either of these actresses being able to successfully pull off these roles, but at the same time I don’t want to shoot them down. I like to see actors take on challenging roles, making efforts to expand their craft, but it’s no walk in the park either. Do you think they can convincingly portray these legendary female rockers, or are they destined to fail? If so, who would you rather see rocking out in the leather and lingerie?

[source: Variety]

Some People, They Just Don’t Learn…

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The Catholic League plans to square off once again for round two with director Ron Howard and author Dan Brown, claiming that ‘Angels and Demons’ is filled with falsehoods. Seriously, do they really think anyone takes the book, or the movie, as “factual”? I’m sorry if I offend anyone here (not really) but, I find this whole thing completely ridiculous.

I fully support a person’s right to free speech and to demonstrate their beliefs as they see fit, so long as it does not hinder another person’s rights… however, that also means that I am within my rights to laugh my A** off at you for claiming you’re a follower of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. In other words, it’s just a movie! Get over it!

The best part of all this is that the Catholic League’s attempt to shut down ‘The Da Vinci Code’ in 2006 ultimately resulted in helping the movie’s success and profitability. Raising awareness about a movie, book, etc (good or bad) is generally a sure fire way to guarantee it’s financial success. So, considering their approach to ‘The Da Vinci Code’ failed, the obvious path would be to pursue a different approach… nope! Try, and try and try again, surely it will pay off eventually, right?

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. — Albert Einstein

[source: Variety]

Steve Carell gets Moody with new ‘Hi-T’ Comedy

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Carousel Productions will produce the new comedy for Warner Bros with Steve Carell possibly taking the lead role. Kim Barker (License to Wed) will write the screenplay. It’s unclear on how soon the film would go into production as Carell mulls over which feature to shoot next, working between stints on ‘The Office’. Currently, it’s believed that the romantic comedy ‘Date Night’ is favored as his next project.

The project, which was set up under a slightly different name at New Line four years ago, centers on a man who begins taking testosterone injections after an injury leaves him deprived of the chemical, only to find his moods swing uncontrollably. — HR

[source: Hollywood Reporter]

‘Watchmen’ Breaks Records Before Even Opening!

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Whatever you’re belief is surrounding the outcome and level of success that ‘Watchmen’ is capable of, one thing is already certain… ‘Watchmen’ will hold the record as the most widely opening R-rated film in history. The much-anticipated graphic novel adaptation will play on 3,611 screens in the U.S. The new record-holder will triumph over it’s predecessor ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ by a difference of eight locations, having opened with 3,603 locations in 2003.

Not impressed? How about the fact that ‘Watchmen’ will screen at 1,600 locations nationwide at 12:00am Friday morning… or, Thursday at midnight, whichever way you wanna look at it. Zack Snyder’s last film ‘300’ opened with 656 midnight screenings and boasted an unbelievable $28 million opening day, followed by an enormous $71 million opening weekend.

In my own opinion, ‘Watchmen’ will do extremely well with fans of the graphic novel and fans of the genre, but I think it may struggle to find it’s way into the pocket books of those unfamiliar with it’s source material, especially after opening weekend. ‘Watchmen’ isn’t your typical superhero movie. It’s deeper, more detailed and has a much more complex story than ‘Iron Man’ or ‘The Dark Knight’ and I think it will show in the overall box office numbers.

With that said, I imagine opening weekend will be huge and the number of screens it plays on will help. The ultimate factor determining the success or failure of ‘Watchmen’ is going to be the “word of mouth” factor and how those who’ve seen the movie promote or demote their experience to others. My own personal advice… see the movie for yourself and give it a chance. Even if you don’t splurge and spend the extra couple of dollars to see ‘Watchmen’ on the IMAX, just make an effort to see it in the theatre. My hope is that it encourages people to read the graphic novel.

[source: Hollywood Reporter]

‘Beer Wars’ LIVE with Ben Stein … “Bueller?”

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I’ve seen some interesting things on the big screen. I remember many years ago attending a children’s adventure movie simply because it was being promoted as the first truly interactive theatrical movie experience. I can’t even remember the title, it was THAT bad! But, the whole reason I went was to experience the gimmick. While it was certainly a rough work in progress (at best) it was a neat concept. The idea was that at pre-determined turning points in the story, the movie would break and options would be displayed on the screen.   The audience would then use the remote controls given to them upon entering the theatre to vote by selecting the button that correlated to the path in which each person wanted to see the story continue. Needless to say, the film was a flop and the gimmick obviously did not survive.

Gimmicks: Some are good, some are bad… but, the trend of expanding what it means to “go to the movies” continues to get redefined. One of the biggest promoters of this new utilitarian use of the mega-multiplex is Fathom Events. I’ve attended a few of their events, from feature-length anime to live-action adaptations, but the variety is even more diverse than this. Anniversary screenings of modern classics like ‘First Blood’, numerous live operas, documentary events and even live coverage of the 50 States in 50 Days marathon event to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims. Fathom Events is now presenting a new live event called ‘Beer Wars’ hosted by Ben Stein. Don’t believe me, read below:

Beer Wars LIVE with Ben Stein
Thu., Apr. 16 – 8:00PM ET / 7:00PM CT / 6:00PM MT / tape delayed 8:00PM PT

Uncover the truth behind your favorite label in a no holds barred journey through the U.S. beer industry. Told from an insider’s perspective, this film explores the struggles of small independent brewers to survive in an industry dominated by corporate behemoths. Director Anat Baron takes you on a revealing and entertaining ride that provides unexpected and surprising turns and promises to change the world’s opinion on those infamous 99 bottles of beer on the wall. Tickets on sale now. Cheers!

So, does this sound crazy, silly, hilarious, awesome… or just a weird combination of it all? I like Ben Stein, but what is this really all about?

Check out the website here for more info and to see video clips!

[source: FathomEvents.com]

DeLorean biopic is in Our Future

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While the infamous DeLorean car never took off into the general auto-buyer’s marketplace, the futuristic legend did take it’s place in the hearts of Movie Geeks world-wide after traveling through time in the ‘Back to the Future’ trilogy.

We’re all familiar with the car and how it looks, but how many of us know the true story behind the car and it’s creator? John Z. DeLorean began his work as a VP with General Motors, developing the Pontiac GTO and the Firebird. He would later start his own company and create the DeLorean DMC-12 which would ultimately get featured in the ‘Back to the Future’ trilogy.

DeLorean’s downfall came when was arrested in 1982 on charges of drug trafficking to help his faltering auto company. He was freed two years later after a court ruled he was a victim of government entrapment. — Variety

Producer David Permut (Charlie Bartlett) is developing a biopic that will follow DeLorean’s career, focusing on his rise and catastrophic fall within the automobile industry. If nothing else, this will be a fascinating human story of dreams and disasters. No title has been given yet and the director and cast are yet to be determined.

[source: Variety]

Angela Bassett to direct ‘United States’

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For me, it doesn’t get much better than Angela Bassett. I’ve had a Geek Crush for Angela ever since I saw ‘Strange Days’ and have admired both her talent and her beauty ever since. That’s the key to her success… she has it all and makes it work so well for herself.

As if her talents as an actress haven’t proven her one of the most fascinating actresses in Hollywood, Angela is now preparing to take on a new role behind the camera. She will be taking the director’s chair on the indie film ‘United States’ which she will also produce.

“States,” based on the novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett, is a dramatic comedy about Monk Ellison, a prominent black literary figure who writes a faux autobiography from the perspective of a barely literate hoodlum to decry what is wrong with the glorification of “ghetto” culture. But when the book is lauded as a possible contender for the National Book Award, he must choose between pride and fame. — Hollywood Reporter

The script was written by Dwayne Johnson-Cochran and will mark the first film produced by Angela’s Bassett/Vance Productions. ‘United States’ will also be Bassett’s directorial debut. Production hopes to begin this summer.

[source: Hollywood Reporter]

Neeson, Moore & Thieriot join Egoyan for ‘Chloe’

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Studio Canal and Montecito are co-producing a remake of the French thriller ‘Nathalie…’ which will be directed by Canadian indie filmmaker Atom Egoyan (Sweet Hereafter).

So far, the film titled ‘Chloe’ presents a stellar leading man and lady in Liam Neeson (Taken) and Julianne Moore (Blindness). Max Thieriot (Jumper) has recently been cast as well.

The project centers on a married woman (Julianne Moore) who hires a prostitute (Amanda Seyfried) to find out whether her husband (Liam Neeson) is cheating on her. The prostitute, however, cons her about the nature of her husband’s fidelity, a move that puts the family in jeopardy. Thieriot plays Neeson and Moore’s son. — Hollywood Report

[source: Hollywood Reporter]

‘Silent Thunder’ set as biopic of Len Miller

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High Road Entertainment has acquired the rights to ‘Silent Thunder’ which will be a biopic of Leonard “Len” W. Miller based on the book of the same title, which follows his rise in the world of racing. Leonard Miller became the first African-American owner of an automobile racing team. He would eventually found Black American Racers and Vanguard Racing. The script is written by his son Leonard T. Miller. This will make the fourth sports-themed release from HighRoad Entertainment.

[source: Variety]