August 2008 News Archive (Page 20)

We already announced that the Iron Man DVD would hit stores on September 30.

Now, The Hollywood Reporter is supplying us with more information about the a two-disc "Ultimate Edition" of the movie on DVD and Blu-ray. Each includes a seven-part making-of documentary, along with a six-part feature on the origins of the classic comic book hero.

Other extras included are:

• A documentary on the film's visual effects;
  
• Robert Downey Jr.'s original screen test;
  
• Deleted and extended scenes;
• A photo gallery of concept art;
  
• Behind-the-scenes images on the set.

Moreover, the Blu-ray ediiton offers additional featurues, including a "Hall of Armor" that lets viewers zoom in on any of the three Iron Man suits, or Iron Monger, and then activate digital 3-D schematics to check out every weapon.

Sounds pretty darn cool.

Screenwriter Justin Marks recently talked about the upcoming video game adaptation of Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li.

Here's an excerpt of what he had to say:

Well the guy who wrote it, Steven E. de Souza was the writer on Die Hard, and directed it [the 1994 Street Fighter movie] too, I think it was just a function of what you see with movies like Batman and Robin opposed to Batman Begins, the creators of the former had a different Batman experience when they were young the 60’s TV show, and now in the Nolen era, the influence are things like Millar’s The Dark Knight Returns, and so that example is taken into the stratosphere.

While I'm definitely not comparing Street Fighter to Batman Begins, I grew up with the Street Fighter games, and I don't see them as cheesy or funny, but as serious characters that deserve to be explored in their own right.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li comes out on February 27, 2009.

Our thanks to TrekMovie.com for revealing the latest Star Trek movie poster.

This new promotional image combines photos of of John Cho (Sulu), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (McCoy) and Anton Yelchin (Cheko). It's a must-see for all Trekkies...

How do you win a Death Race?

If you're Jason Statham's character Jensen Ames, you pull out a can of napalm. Naturally.

Check out the following clip from the film now:

Death Race is set in the post-industrial wasteland of the future. A penitentiary full of felons has inspired the jailers to create a deadly pastime ripe for lucrative kickbacks. Each race takes reality television to a whole new level.

Tropic Thunder is the next major studio movie to challenge The Dark Knight for box office supremacy.

Can this Ben Stiller-directed comedy succeed where so many others have failed? We'll find out this week.

In the meantime, click on the following Tropic Thunder thumbnails for larger photos from the film...

We've uncovered a couple new photos from the upcoming big screen adaption of the video game Max Payne.

Below, check out Mark Wahlberg in the title role and Mila Kunis in the role of partner Mona Sax. The latter recently spoke out on the film.

"For anyone who’s got concerns about Mark [Wahlberg] playing Max Payne, he’s amazing in it. Great actor, great guy," Kunis said. "I play [an assassin] called Mona Sax who accuses him of murdering her sister and later comes to find out it wasn’t him. They kind of get together and try to figure out who was responsible for the murder of his wife and child and her sister.

The whole film is about realising that you can go on a revenge spree and get your revenge but it doesn’t solve the problem. It’s a really great, dark movie. The story actually combines [the games] Max Payne 1 and 2 together. Lots of shooting and gunplay, but what makes this script different is that it’s a really dark, sad movie about a man who loses everything and thinks that the only way he can get it back is by revenge.

And comes to terms with realizing that he’ll never get it back."

Look for Max and Mona to get their revenge when Max Payne comes out on October 17.

For Hollywood, The Dark Knight is serving as a white knight in shining armor, as far as summer box office receipts go.

After earning the top spot for the fourth weekend in a row, earning $26 million over the last three dyas, the Batman sequel is now the third-biggest movie of all time. Titanic fans better enjoy their favorite film's perch at number-one for as long as they can. It's soon going down.

Here's a look at the complete top five at the box office:

1. The Dark Knight: $26 million
2. Pineapple Express: $22.4 million
3. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: $16 million
4. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2: $10.8 million
5. Step Brothers: $8.9 million

Action films have tried and failed to surpass The Dark Knight at the box office over the last few weeks.

This weekend, more light-hearted fare will attempt to dethrone The Joker and company. Let's take a closer look at the main two films opening nationwide...

Pineapple Express
Stars: Seth Rogen, James Franco
Quick synopsis: Two pot heads witness a murder and go on the run.
Prediction: A solid second place finisher, but an R-rated comedy won't have the drawing power to take over the top spot.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Stars: Blake Lively, America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn
Quick synopsis: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants return for more young female bonding.
Prediction: A niche movie, but one with a strong cast. Will finish third at the box office.

Pineapple Express has scarcely been released across the country, but it's safe to Judd Apatow has another hit on his hands.

The writer talked about his latest project in a recent interview. Here are excerpts:

What were the actors actually smoking in the movie?
Well they smoked this thing the prop people had, I’m sure it was made of pure asbestos or something even worse for your lungs than actual marijuana. But I really don’t know. I did not smoke it and I didn’t show any care of how bad it taste or how damaging it was to the actors.

Do you think this will be James Franco's breakout comedy role?
I think so. He’s such a warm funny guy in person and he’s made a lot of choices which put him in deadly serious movies, but there’s this other side to him you see in Pineapple Express. He’s a very inspired comedic mind. He holds his own with the best comedians of this generation with ease. What I love about it is he makes you believe that this guy actually exists. Right now in an apartment in LA somewhere, you feel that guy is watching “227.”

As soon as we saw that Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson were signed on for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, we wanted to buy our tickets online. We assume many women felt the same way, thanks to the presence of Javier Bardem in the movie.

But do these beautiful stars make the Woody Allen film worth seeing? Let's find out from a few critics...

- Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona has a natural, flowing vitality to it, a sun-drenched splendor that never falters... -- The New Yorker

- Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a lovely gift from a filmmaker who, when he's on his game, truly hits the mark... -- Cinematical

- A valentine to Spain's noted city, Allen's romantic comedy isn't very deep but it's his most entertaining and commercial work since Bullets Over Broadway, a showcase for the talents of Bardem and his three femmes, Johansson, Hall and Penelope Cruz... -- Emanuel Levy

- A sexy, funny divertissement that passes as enjoyably as an idle summer's afternoon in the titular Spanish city... -- Variety