K I N O T A I N M E N T

From "TWO of the SIX Writers of SCARY MOVIE" comes...

Sylvester Stallone truly is the comeback kid!

Great news for ROCKY fans...ROCKY BALBOA opened Wednesday at #1 at the box office, making $6.2 million; the film seems to be getting great word of mouth and positive reviews.

This coming weekend it will face off Ben Stiller in A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, WE ARE MARSHALL and THE GOOD SHEPHERD, as well as fighting off Will Smith's THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS. If ROCKY BALBOA continues to strike a chord with the public it could make over $100 million domestic by the end of its run, making it Sylvester Stallone's biggest hit since CLIFFHANGER.

Here is a clip with Stallone during The Late Show with Jay Leno:

Click HERE for the teaser to LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD.

The film looks like it's going to kick all sorts of serious ass.

The SPIDERMAN 3 Trailer was released to the internet a few hours ago.

The trailer looks impressive: a darker sequel with the customary impressive effects and action set pieces. This one is looking like THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK of the trilogy, with Spidey battling villains 'Sandman', 'Hobgoblin' and a rumored 'Venom,' not to mention a black symbiote version of his costume.

The film opens May 4th, 2007.

....Click HERE for a message from JACK BLACK.

Based on the best-selling novel, ERAGON is an "epic fantasy-adventure centers on a young man named Eragon whose destiny is revealed with the help of a dragon. Eragon, now a Dragon Rider, is swept into a world of magic and power, discovering that he alone has the power to save or destroy an Empire".

The film features a great cast including Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou and Robert Carlyle.

HERE is the trailer for the upcoming 20th Century Fox fantasy blockbuster ERAGON.

Don't forget to check out the above webpage for Games, Mobile Ring Tones and other nifty treats.

From the makers of the controversial and highly popular video game GRAND THEFT AUTO comes BULLY, featuring a protagonist who has to content with a very bad day at school, facing bullies, jocks and the like.

From the New Bully Video Game Stirs Up Conflict article:

... clearly it's a game about bullying that's similar in style and action to Grand Theft Auto. But this game is like your worst high school nightmare, with everything from wedgies, mean girls, and teases, to nasty cheerleaders and catty cliques. As the protagonist, you need to get strong fast as you rise through the challenges of girls that hit; mean, spiteful teachers; and gang plots to make your life miserable.

There are those who think that a game that makes "play" out of bullying is despicable. But in fairness it should be pointed out that this is not a shoot 'em up game, and there are no guns or blood. Some experts believe it can be a healthy outlet for kids to get these sorts of fantasies out of their systems on the screen and not in the real world. On the other hand, the game shows that to survive the bully culture you need to become one.

Needless to say, this is one PS2 video game you wouldn't want your kids to see, but I have to admit it sounds
like a lot of guilty fun.

Clint Eastwood's two ambitious W.W.2 Pacific movies FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS and LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (shot back-to-back) look stunning. The former is from an American perspective and the latter (IWO JIMO) is from the Japanese angle (the dialogue will be in Japanese-language).

Here are some stills:

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS Trailer can be seen HERE.
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA Trailer can be seen HERE.

Fans of the brilliant Western series DEADWOOD know him as the good guy, Sheriff Bullock.

However, Timothy Olyphant (GO) switches sides now and is the main baddie in LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. He will play a cyber terrorist who systematically attempts to demolish and seize control of the U.S.'s infrastructure.

Academy Award nominated actor Robert Downey Jr. (CHAPLIN) will suit up as as billionaire industrialist and inventor Tony Stark in Marvel Entertainment's future blockbuster IRON MAN. The film will begin principal photography in February and is set for a May 2008 release.

Robert Downey Jr. is an unexpected but excellent choice for the role. A talented actor, who has fought in the past against his own personal addiction demons, is a bold choice by Director Jon Favreau (ZATHURA). Downey will be seen next in David Fincher's serial killer drama ZODIAC.

Actor/Director Emilio Estevez (THE BREAKFAST CLUB, MEN AT WORK) assembled an all-star cast including Sharon Stone, William H. Macy, Harry Belafonte, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt, Elijah Wood, Demi Moore, Lindsay Lohan, Laurence Fishburne, Heather Graham, Christian Slater, Martin Sheen and Ashton Kutcher for BOBBY, an ensemble drama focusing on 22 characters at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968, prior to the assasination of Robert F. Kennedy by Sirhan Sirhan.

I can't help but think that Oliver Stone or a director of that calibre would have been more suited to this kind of material, but let's hope Estevez delivered the goods. Advance word of mouth from tinseltown heavyweights such as David Poland and Jeffrey Wells, among others, has been mixed at best.

Here is the TRAILER.

A marvelous looking poster, symbolic of the spirit of the 1976 original.

The ROCKY BALBOA Trailer can be seen HERE.

HBO just keeps cranking out the best shows on television: SOPRANOS, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, DEADWOOD ... They've done it again with the brilliant historical drama ROME. I just viewed all 12 episodes of the DVD boxed set and I have to say the $100 million production delivers the goods: brutal violence, betrayal, graphic sex, political intrigue; all the excesses of ancient Rome laid at your doorstop.

ROME is set in 52 B.C. and highlights the power struggle between Julius Caesar (a masterful Ciaran Hinds) and Pompey Magnus (Kenneth Cranham) following Caesar's return from an eight year war with the Gauls. The two protagonists of the series are two soldiers, Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) a stoic by the book officer and his companion Titus Pollo (Ray Stevenson) a tough, violent but kind-hearted rogue - events are seen through their eyes; they serve as a catalyst to major events in the series.

The $100 million ROME is a production between HBO and the BBC; ROME is one of the largest co-production deals ever by the BBC for an American series, and marks the first series co-production of the two networks (HBO and the BBC previously partnered on the 2001 miniseries BAND OF BROTHERS which won six Emmy® Awards, including Outstanding Miniseries).

Whether you are a fan of historical and political dramas (i.e. I CLAUDIUS), or good old fashioned 'swords and sandals' epics like GLADIATOR pick this boxed set up.

Triumph the Dog (from Late Night With Conan O'Brien) interviews, or should I say, verbally defecates on Star Wars fans!

Tres funny. Click HERE.

Renaissance illustration of a UFO sighting in Rome detailed
in a book by Roman historian Julio Obsequens. (LINK - more sightings)

Now I have the utmost confidence in HBO. They truly make the best shows.

But the following premise is downright crazy; has the 'cojones' to be something every geek would relish! The new show will be called THE CENTURION.

Here is the AICN report:

"Longtime reader, here with a scoop I picked up on through friends of this new show's lead actor. Apparently, HBO has been developing a new series called 'The Centurion'. It takes place in Rome during the height of the empire. The interesting thing is that the story focuses on the idea that aliens regularly visited and encouraged the civilization there. From what I know, the contracts are all being signed now and the show is practically a go for shooting the end of this year into next, for a fall release. You can call me thedefiantone!"

The latest trailer for the new James Bond thriller CASINO ROYALE, starring Daniel Craig has been released to the internet. Judging by the trailer, the film is going to be a huge hit for Sony Pictures. If you had your doubts about Craig, you won't after seeing this (LINK).

The film opens worldwide November 17, 2006.

The New Teaser Poster

Unconfirmed reports state that William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are being courted by Paramount Pictures to reprise their roles in the new STAR TREK film being produced by LOST and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III helmer JJ Abrams.

Shatner and Nimoy - The Classic Era

The Trek.web report:

Having received a call from Paramount, Nimoy now speculates about his participation in the next Star Trek film, suggesting that he may be willing to come out of retirement to reprise his Vulcan persona.

"The head of production at Paramount called my agency to tell them about this project and they are aware of Bill [Shatner]'s and my contribution to the franchise," Nimoy explains, "and they'd like us to know they might want some involvement. It was all very, very general.

"They might possibly want Bill and I to set up the story as a flashback. But that's just conjecture on my part."

Conjecture is often agreeable to negotiation, so the big screen may yet again see Nimoy as Spock. Shatner has already expressed an interest in more on screen Star Trek (story).

One of the last remaining Hollywood greats Glenn Ford passed away at 90. He is known to younger generations as "Pa Kent" in SUPERMAN ; however, Ford was a huge star in the 1940s and '50s where he spearheaded classics such as GILDA, THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, 3:10 TO YUMA and AN EXPERIMENT IN TERROR, TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON, among other notable productions. (LINK)

The following ran as a full page advertisement in the L.A. Times yesterday, according to The Hot Blog.

If you are bored this summer, here are a couple of DVD boxed sets that will make your day. Two very different but highly entertaining shows. PRISON BREAK (Season One) has just been released on DVD (22 Episodes). It is an engrossing, taut drama with a great cast and setting.

I have never been a big fan of legal shows such as THE PRACTICE or L.A. LAW, however, BOSTON LEGAL (Season One) is a great melange of wit and drama, greatly aided by solid, outrageous turns from both William Shatner and James Spader.

The SPIDERMAN 3 preview has just been released to the internet and Quicktime has a great link.

The preview will be playing with prints of SUPERMAN RETURNS at the U.S. cinemas this weekend.

You can download the Trailer HERE.

SPIDERMAN 3 is set for release May 2007.

I took a ride on the POSEIDON yesterday; it is a fast-paced, technically proficient and exciting yarn, but - by the original's standards (1972's THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE) - it was a disappointment due to thinly written characters, a hurried pace, and a flimsy plot.

Unlike the original which took its time setting up its more charismatic and endearing characters (most notably Shelley Winters' Mrs. Rosen) the new film (with a supposed price tag of $150 million) has a 'rogue wave' slamming the ship and capsizing it 10 minutes into the film, barely allowing the audience a chance to familiarize themselves with the personas involved. Once the wave hits, its action set-piece after action set-piece, aided by some nifty cinematography, set design, and special effects (aided by CGI) and Klaus Badelt's bombastic score.

The cast features Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell and Richard Dreyfuss, among others, and they manage to inject some gravitas into their one-dimensional roles (although Dreyfuss' role is shamefully underwritten).

Try to see the film on a large screen ( a la Mohallab 3) if you can. You could do worse than spend 90 minutes with POSEIDON in an air-conditioned theatre to avoid the summer heatwave. But don't expect it to be a timeless classic (like the original).

For US reviews on the film check Rotten Tomatoes.

For background on the film's plot and the original film, sequel and TV film click HERE.

From Movie Online:

The Trailer for SUPERMAN RETURNS was released a few hours ago by Warner Bros. The film stars Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey and Frank Langella.

Click HERE for a widescreen high resolution preview (choose Trailer #2).

The film will be released June 30.

POSEIDON is the summer movie to watch (alongside THE DA VINCI CODE and SUPERMAN RETURNS). It is directed by Wolfgang Petersen, who also helmed TROY and THE PERFECT STORM. The film stars Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas and Richard Dreyfuss.

POSEIDON (2006)

Here is a synopsis from the Official POSEIDON site:

"It's New Year's Eve and festivities have begun aboard the luxury cruise Poseidon, at sea in the North Atlantic.One of the finest vessels of its kind, Poseidon stands more than 20 stories tall, boasts 800 staterooms and 13 passenger decks.Tonight, many of the ship's guests have gathered to greet the new year in style in the magnificent Main Ballroom. They raise champagne glasses as Captain Bradford delivers a holiday toast and the band rolls into a version of Auld Lang Syne.
Meanwhile, on the bridge, the Chief Officer senses that something is wrong. Scanning the horizon, he sees it - a Rogue Wave; a monstrous wall of water over one hundred feet high, bearing down on them with tremendous speed. He tries to steer the ship away from maximum impact but it's too late.The wave strikes with colossal force, pitching the ship heavily to port before rolling it completely upside down. Passengers and crew are thrown into free fall, crushed by debris or dragged into the sea as water bursts in through shattered windows. Supports collapse, broken gas lines ignite flash fires and lights fail, leaving vast sections of the ship in darkness and chaos".

The $150 million epic opens worldwide May 12, 2006.

The 1972 Classic

When people reminisce about THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE they'll mention an obese Shelley Winters diving into the water to rescue Gene Hackman or they'll mention the Oscar-winning Best Song The Morning After. But THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE was the blockbuster of its day, grossing $84,563,118 (adjusted for inflation, thats $351,372,600 in today's figures).

The plot is simple: a tidal wave smashes into a luxury liner, capsizing it, while guests are immersed in a New Year's Eve celebration.

1972's THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE struck a cord with audiences, who remember it fondly to this day. The film has been credited with unleashing the Disaster Movie cycle of the 1970s, films which included THE TOWERING INFERNO, EARTHQUAKE, the AIRPORT films, among others.

Over 30 years on, the film has turned into a bona fide cult film that has fan clubs all over the world. It also spawned a much inferior sequel BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, a recent November 2005 NBC miniseries THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (tv 2005) and an upcoming Warner Bros. remake called POSEIDON.

THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (TV - 2005)

Incidently, the NBC POSEIDON ADVENTURE (tv 2005) miniseries (available on DVD) features the ship capsizing not as a result of a tidal wave but due to an Arab terrorist detonating a bomb. This television miniseries was quite a letdown, marred by unexciting action sequences and cardboard characters.The miniseries is a 'who's who' of 1980s stars: Steve Guttenberg, Brian Brown, Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Peter Weller and Adam Baldwin and is 4 hours long.

C. Thomas Howell and Rutger Hauer...Ring a bell? 1986's THE HITCHER.

Now I really feel ancient.

The POSEIDON ADVENTURE Fan Clubs are here and here (among many others).

I fondly remember the original OMEN, which starred Gregory Peck, Lee Remick and David Warner. The 1976 smash hit concerned the coming of the Anti-Christ in the form of a baby adopted by the U.S. Ambassador to Court of St. James. The film is notorious for several grisly set pieces including a decapitation by a sheet of plate glass. The film is known especially for the late Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-winning masterful, eerie score. THE OMEN also spawned two theatrical sequels: DAMIEN: OMEN II and THE FINAL CONFLICT.

20th Century Fox's The Omen

It was only a matter of time before Hollywood remade the film for modern audiences. The new film stars Liev Schriever, Mia Farrow and David Thewlis.

The International Teaser for THE OMEN can be found HERE. The trailer indicates the film might be too faithful to the original.

The film opens on the 6th of June, 2006 (666).

As most of you know Pierce Brosnan and the producers of the Bond series, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, have parted ways and a new Bond is in town (click here for Sony Pictures' Official Bond site).

The new film CASINO ROYALE, based on Ian Fleming's first Bond novel, will be an origin film, a "reboot" of the franchise (a la BATMAN BEGINS) and will star Daniel Craig (LAYER CAKE) as the new Bond, a controversial choice, but a bold one in my opinion if they want the film to be grittier and more realistic than its predecessors.

According to the movie site Dark Horizons (which also features *larger* stills from the film) the plot is as follows:

"The 21st film in the long-running franchise is based on Ian Fleming's first novel in the James Bond series but updated and shifts its location from Europe to the Bahamas. The film essentially serves as a prequel to the whole series which shows British naval commander turned MI6 agent James Bond on his first assignment, and takes a more lean and hard core spy approach like the early Connery films and the original Fleming novels. The mission? The world's most deadly money launderer for terrorists has lost a bunch of his clients money in the mission in which Bond earned his 00 status. As a result, he is attempting to win them back at a famous casino in the Bahamas. Bond must go in and beat him at his own game to ensure his death comes at the hands of his clients. As the young agent soon learns though, the greatest dangers take place away from the playtables - whether it be in the arms of a woman, or at the cold torturous hands of an enemy".

CASINO ROYALE's Director is Martin Campbell (GOLDENEYE). ROYALE'S script has also been rewritten by Hollywood's new "golden boy," Oscar winner Paul Haggis (CRASH, MILLION DOLLAR BABY).

CASINO ROYALE will be released November 17th 2006.

According to The Digital Bits, UK's Sky One "went to the trouble of recreating the animated show opening to The Simpsons with real actors, sets and location footage."

Click here for the live action THE SIMPSONS intro.

Darren McGavin, best known as the sardonic, intrusive reporter Carl Kolchak who fought the supernatural in the hit 70s television films THE NIGHT STALKER and THE NIGHT STRANGLER and also starred in a short-lived television series KOLCHAK - THE NIGHT STALKER passed away at 84.

The KOLCHAK films and series were the X-FILES of their day and they still pack quite an occult wallop. The new DVD boxed sets are great.

McGavin is also fondly remembered for his role as the father in the cult comedy A CHRISTMAS STORY, a film that seems to garner more fans with the passing of time. McGavin was also great in the 1984 film THE NATURAL, stealing the film from both Robert Redford and Kim Basinger.

Talented comedy actor Don Knotts, best known for his role of Barney Fife on THE ANDY ROONEY SHOW and Furley the landlord in THREE'S COMPANY passed away February 24. He was 82.

He also starred with his frequent partner Tim Conway in films such as THE PRIZE FIGHTER, THE PRIVATE EYES, among others. These films were popular on video in the 1980s.

Knotts was last seen on the big-screen in PLEASANTVILLE, but has appeared in a multitude of films, among them THE INCREDIBLE MR. LIMPET, THE SHAKIEST GUN IN THE WEST, THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG, and HERBIE GOES TO MONTE CARLO. He also starred in IT'S A MAD MAD MAD WORLD, one of my favorite comedies, a true slapstick epic.

His most recent film was the Disney hit CHICKEN LITTLE (he voiced Mayor Turkey Larkey).

Dennis Weaver is probably best known to audiences who grew up in the 1970s as the lawman who rode his horse through the streets of Manhattan battling crime in MCLOUD - inspired by Clint Eastwood's character in COOGAN'S BLUFF - and as Chester Goode in GUNSMOKE.

He also appeared in classic films such as 12 ANGRY MEN and Orson Welles' TOUCH OF EVIL. However, Weaver was unforgettable as a driver being threatened by an unseen nemesis commanding a truck in Steven Spielberg's first film, 1971's DUEL.

He was 81.