‘Borat’ Slapped With Another Lawsuit
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Comedy, Celebrity Controversy,
When it comes to filing lawsuits, better late than never – right?
Even though the film was released over a year ago, the creators behind Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan are still hearing from disgruntled parties. This time around, it’s the driver’s ed instructor who is seeking to regain his 15 minutes of fame.
Michael Psenicska follows the lead of several other participants who didn’t like what they had to see in the final print. Ironically, the instructor – who calmly did his best to keep Borat’s comments and driving in line – is now making himself look bad with this poorly timed claim. (Other suits have been filed by the obnoxious frat boys, the etiquette teacher and villagers from Romania.)
Although he signed a waiver and received $500 for his appearance, Pscenicska claims he was misled about the purpose of the filming. He asserts he only intended to be involved in a ‘documentary about the integration of foreign people into the American way of life.’ Now he is asking actor Sacha Baren Cohen and 20th Century Fox (amongst others) for compensatory and punitive damages.
I wonder if a cut of the DVD profits would help cure his ‘emotional suffering’...
E! Online
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In Theaters This Weekend (12/7)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Fox Searchlight, New Line, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Independent, Music, Period, Romance, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- The Golden Compass (PG-13): starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue (directed by Chris Weitz)
- Atonement* (R): starring Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saorise Ronan (directed by Joe Wright)
- Billy the Kid* (NR): (directed by Jennifer Venditti)
- Dirty Laundry* (PG-13): starring Loretta Devine, Rockmond Dunbar, Jenifer Lewis (directed by Maurice Jamal)
- Grace is Gone* (PG-13): starring John Cusack, Marisa Tomei, Zach Grey (directed by James C. Strouse)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend (12/7)
Crowds, stores and shopping. The holiday season is often more about being annoyed than feeling cheerful, at least until all the shopping and spending are done. Get yourself back into a holiday mood by setting the stage for goodwill toward man. Watch one of the all-time best holiday movies, and remember why this time of year is so much fun to begin with.
The Santa Clause:
The newest film on the countdown and one of Tim Allen’s bigger Disney hits; this flick has it all. First, you’ve got hilarious Tim Allen as a cynical Santa. Throw in cute elves, a few good special effects, and that adorable little boy who plays Allen’s son, and you’re looking at a modern holiday classic. Funny and heartwarming, The Santa Clause has the perfect blend of comedy and feeling.
A Christmas Story:
You’ll shoot your eye out! It’s just not Christmas until you sit down with this film at least once. The story of little Ralphie and his Christmas quest for a Red Rider BB gun has a universal effect on young and old alike. The scary Santa, the hilarious fantasy sequences, the cute little brother, and the desire to receive just one present above all others. Add it all together, and you’ve got a Christmas tale that offers everything from laughs to love.
Click to continue reading The All-Time Best Holiday Movies
Box Office Breakdown: Jessica Alba Can’t Keep Audiences Awake
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
There’s nothing like a good snub to restore your faith in moviegoers.
Although Awake was the only new wide release this past weekend, discerning audiences kept it from succeeding by default. (NOTE: Cute squirrels will always trump Jessica Alba.) The movie, also co-starring Star Wars’ Hayden Christensen, opened with a dismal $6 million - less than half of what Alba’s last stellar film, Good Luck Chuck, did. (The latter opened at $13.7 million.) I wonder if this currently makes Jessica Biel the most successful Jessica out there.
Aside from Awake’s entry, the rest of the Top Ten changed very little from last week. Enchanted refused to budge from its perch and earned another $16 million over the past three days. Meanwhile, Beowulf surged back up a notch, trading spots with holiday flick, This Christmas.
Although the box office numbers were unspectacular overall, we can expect big changes in just a few days; that’s when New Line’s The Golden Compass makes its debut.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Jessica Alba Can’t Keep Audiences Awake
FilmCrunch 066: Rescue Dawn, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Astronaut Farmer
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: MGM, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Period, Sequels, Comedy, DVD Reviews, Full Episodes, Theatrical Reviews, Videocasts,
Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep are back with more FilmCrunch video goodness, this time focusing on the theatrical releases of Rescue Dawn and the DVD release of The Astronaut Farmer. Veronica also checks in with her review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This episode kicks off with Veronica and Neil naming what they chose as their most inspirational movies.
Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any other recommendations you have for the show.
What’s in ‘The Mist’?
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: MGM, Adaptation, Horror, New Releases,
Actual mist is created with suspended droplets of moisture, and is not to be confused with fog (which has greater visibility) or haze (which is a different color altogether). And Stephen King, pop kitsch horror writer-turned movie mogul, is not to be confused with a writer who actually offers some value. If weather phenomenon frighten you and you’re at all interested in seeing yet another movie about losing visibility and being beset by scary occurrences, go see The Mist. If you started to get bored with King, stay away.
So, here’s the setup. Bunch of people living in Maine, everyone’s just doing their thing. All of a sudden, a strange mist (not a fog, mind you, a mist) rolls into town. Frightened and dismayed, citizens hole up in a grocery store to escape this ever-encroaching mist. How likely is that, honestly? You’re out and about, you’re shopping, a thick mist rolls in. Do you lock the doors, batten down the hatches and wait it out? Or do you just take your groceries home? Honestly now. Anyway, the film takes place
entirelyin the grocery store and features CGI effects which at least saves the movie from being a complete waste of time. Did I mention there are some sort of weird monsters living in the mist? Mist monsters?
Click to continue reading What’s in ‘The Mist’?
Hollywood Reporter
Catholic League Seeks Boycott of ‘Golden Compass’
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: New Line, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases,
Hollywood adaptations are as ubiquitous to the city as would-be starlets – they’re everywhere, and they’re constantly being forced upon us moviegoers. One of the latest adaptations to make it to theaters is The Golden Compass, based on the novel Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman. It’s set for release Dec. 7, but already there are several groups feeling upset with the movie’s mere existence. Fans of the book are unhappy with the changes, but “unhappy” doesn’t begin to describe what the Catholic Church seems to be feeling.
Starring Nicole Kidman among others, The Golden Compass doesn’t have a lot to do with religion. And many think that’s very, very bad. The Catholic League, an U.S. organization, is urging Christians not to see the movie, and has said that Pullman is “a noted English atheist.” They’re calling the movie an attempt to “bash Christianity and promote atheism. To kids.” In the book, the Church plays a central role, part of a weird group that’s determined to discover the nature of sin by experimenting on children. In the movie, however, the Church isn’t referenced…at all. Kidman, who is Catholic, won’t even be part of any film that’s anti-religious.
Reviews of the movie have already been released, many singing Nicole’s praises, but fans of the book are disappointed in the differences. Don’t worry. The Golden Compass - a very diluted version of Northern Lights - won’t step on any toes.
AOL News
In Theaters This Weekend (11/30)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Fox Searchlight, Weinstein Company, Adaptation, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Independent, Mystery, Period, Political, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
- Awake (R): starring Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard (directed by Joby Harold)
- Badland* (R): starring Jamie Draven, Linda St. George, Linda Naney (directed by Francesco Lucente)
- Chronicles of an Escape* (R): starring Rodrigo De La Serna, Pablo Echarri (directed by Adrian Israel Caetano)
- Divine Intervention* (R): starring Wesley Jonathan, Jazsmin Lewis, James Avery (directed by Van Elder)
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly* (PG-13): starring Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner (directed by Julian Schnabel)
- Oswald’s Ghost* (NR): (directed by Robert Stone)
- Protagonist* (R): starring Hans-Joachim Klein, Mark Pierpont, Joe Loya (directed by Jessica Yu)
- The Sasquatch Gang* (NR): starring Jon Gries, Jeremy Sumpter, Justin Long (directed by Tim Skousen)
- The Savages* (R): starring Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco (directed by Tamara Jenkins)
- Sex and Breakfast* (R): starring Macaulay Culkin, Alexis Dziena, Eliza Dushku (directed by Miles Brandman)
- Teeth* (R): starring John Hensley, Jess Weixler, Hale Appleman (directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein)
*limited and/or gradual release
New Line Explores Animation With ‘Planet 51’
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: New Line, Animation, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases,
For the first time since the company’s inception, New Line Cinema is gearing up to release an animated film. The $60 million Planet 51 was created by Ilion Animation Studios and written by Joe Stillman (of Shrek fame).
In case you couldn’t tell from the title, this film’s about a planet. The inhabitants therein are plagued with fear of alien invasion, a horror that is realized when Chuck Baker (an astronaut) enters their galaxy. As he tries to evade capture and return to his home planet, he makes friends with a young alien living on Planet 51. I found every part of the plot believable until I found out the astronaut’s supposed to be from Earth. Not buying it.
The movie and complementing video game are scheduled for a 2009 release.
Yahoo! News
‘The 13th Disciple’ Imagines Jesus’ Twin
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Adventure, Religious, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases,
From The Ten Commandments (with Charleton Heston) to Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, Biblical movies are a long-standing Hollywood tradition. And right now is the perfect season to start thinking about Jesus Christ, right?
Robert Sigl (a German movie-maker) will put a whole new twist on the age-old hero – he’s going to give Jesus an evil twin brother. Remember the Superman movie where the Man of Steel had to face himself? Okay, imagine that…only in a really Bible-like way.
The 13th Disciple, to be set in modern India, focuses on two German archaeologists. Their mission? To determine whether or not Jesus ever visited the country. During their quest, the twin archaeologists discover that Christ, too, had a twin—an evil one who has been reincarnated into the present-day.
Christ himself will not be a character in the flick, and the filmmakers say they do not intend to convey any sort of religious message with the fictional film.
LA Times
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