OLYMPICS HIT PEAK, BUT IDOL STILL WINSWith figure skaters taking the spotlight, NBC’s coverage of the Turin Winter Olympics captured its biggest audience Tuesday night, scoring a 15.1 rating and a 22 share. But it was not enough to beat a two-hour special edition of Fox’s American Idol, which delivered a 16.1/23 in the 8:00 p.m. hour and a 17.5/25 in the 9:00 p.m. hour. No other network was even close....
WHAT GOES UP GOES DOWN It was an up weekend at the box office for Disney as its Pixar-produced Upopened with $68.11 million, beating last year’s debut of WALL-E –and less than $2 million behind Pixar’s two biggest hits, The Incrediblesand Finding Nemo. But it was a down weekend for the box office as a whole, with total ticket sales slightly below what they were for the same weekend a year ago, when the premiere of Sex and the Cityand the second week of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulltogether took in $101....
i>OCEAN’S TO LAUNCH ON MEDITERRANEAN Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Thirteen will have its international premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Daily Varietyreported today (Thursday), calling the screening “the latest evidence that the Hollywood-Cannes romance is in full bloom.” (Last year saw the glitzy premiere of The Da Vinci Code.) The trade publication said that the Warner Bros. movie will be presented out of competition; the exact date has not yet been set....
HOW HIGH WILL STAR TREK FLY? Paramount is downplaying predictions by some box-office prognosticators that the latest Star Trekmovie will open with as much as $80-100 million this weekend. The studio said Thursday that it would regard a $50-million opening as a success. (It reportedly cost $130 million to produce.) The film is opening domestically in 3,849 theaters, 138 of which are IMAX venues, which charge premium prices and could boost the overall gross....
A DEAL AT LAST? Following weeks of hush-hush talks between Screen Actors Guild Interim Executive Director David White and several top Hollywood film and broadcast executives, a resolution of the remaining differences between the two sides may be at hand, published reports said today (Monday). The Los Angeles Timesreported that an agreement over the most contentious issue – when the agreement would expire – has already been reached. But SAG spokeswoman Pamela Greenwalt told Daily Variety: “Any report of a tentative agreement on any aspect of our TV/Theatrical negotiations is premature....
21.15 MILLION WATCH FINAL SERIES GAME The New York Yankees’ 27th World Series victory was watched by an average of 21.15 million viewers on Fox Wednesday night – nearly as many as tuned in to the other three networks combined. During the 8:30 p.m. half hour, 23.63 million were watching, according to Nielsen Research. Despite the strong ratings, CBS drew decent numbers throughout the night, with Criminal Mindsattracting 11.98 million viewers and CSI: NY,11,64 million....
It seems that home entertainment divisions are continuing to experiment with DVD releases, this time with rentals. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that several movie studios are considering plans to delay new releases for rental by a few weeks after the DVD is sold in retailers. The move comes as DVD sales revenue has been sharply declining recently and this seems to be the latest strategy employed to give a boost to DVD sales....
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler is to be honored by the Sundance Institute at the inaugural edition of “Opening Night: A Taste of Sundance,” presented by IMDbPro and made possible with additional support from George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Acura, and Variety. The Institute has announced the inaugural “Opening Night: A Taste of Sundance” event on January 19, 2023, in Park City, Utah. According to a press release, the Taste of Sundance event will kick off the Sundance Film Festival by honoring storytellers whose journeys have been connected to Sundance and raising funds and awareness for the Institute....
The latest print issue of Entertainment Weekly features the new Superman, Henry Cavill, gracing the cover. While he is not in full costume, you can catch a small glimpse of what he looks like with the iconic Superman shield (although it’s under a leather jacket). Click on the photo to access our gallery. You can also read excerpts from the article below. Henry Cavill talked about his original audition to play the Man of Steel, where he had to wear the legendary costume, which actually was a replica of Christopher Reeve’s original costume from the first Superman....
Perhaps more than in any other genre, supporting characters play a monumental role in horror films. Sometimes they provide much-needed comedic relief to a terrifying affair. Other times, they are the sole force behind that terror. Regardless of their specific role within the film, it’s safe to say that supporting characters often have a way of lingering with us for a long time after the credits roll, to the point that we sometimes still find ourselves mourning their deaths today....
On July 31 the release of the 300 DVD becomes a reality! Since this is a release of mega-proportions we are giving away some copies to our users! Winners Receive: 300 DVD CLICK HERE to enter our contest! Synopsis: Sin City author Frank Miller’s sweeping take on the historic Battle of Thermopylae comes to the screen courtesy of Dawn of the Dead director Zack Snyder. Gerard Butler stars as Spartan King Leonidas and Lena Headey plays Queen Gorgo....
Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Emma Stone headline this hit drama, on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, December 6th. On Tuesday, December 6th, the surprise smash hit of the summer The Help finally arrives on Blu-ray, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD. Headlined by Oscar-worthy performances from Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Allison Janney, and Viola Davis, Tate Taylor directs this adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best selling novel, which follows the timeless and triumphant tale of two women in the 1960s south who form a strong bond over a secret writing project....
Drafthouse Films, Magnet Pictures and Timpson Films have announced T is for Toilet by Lee Hardcastle as the winner of their contest to find the “next great horror filmmaker,” which finalized the lineup of their international co-production of The ABCs of Death - a highly anticipated anthology film featuring segments directed by over two dozen celebrated filmmakers in what Fangoria calls, “a stunning roll call of some of the most exciting names in horror across the world....
Robert Pattinson’s caped crusader seems to be safe from the recent Warner Bros. Discovery cancellations as director Matt Reeves has signed a deal with the studio, according to reports from Deadline. The filmmaker’s production company, 6th & Idaho, signed a first-look deal with Warner Bros. and Warner Television, allowing the company to pick anything Reeves comes up with in the upcoming years. Earlier this year, Reeves launched his film, The Batman, which saw Pattinson take over the role of Batman, following a sadistic killer who begins murdering critical political figures within Gotham....
Just like in the 2000s, there were tons of great cartoons in the ‘90s, some of which continued on into the early 2000s, too. The ‘90s offered weird shows that your parents likely didn’t want you watching, like Cow and Chicken and Courage the Cowardly Dog, to childhood classics like Bear in the Big Blue House. ‘90s cartoons were often the soundtrack to early Saturday mornings. Coupled with a big bowl of cereal, it’s a recipe for a great day....
Antagonists in horror movies can come in many forms – ghosts, zombies, demons, you name it. But what happens when a familiar aspect of nature seems to do a 180? This has been the basis for many effective horror films since they first began to freak out audience members. Horror movies about animals often find such success because they’re so possible and extremely imaginable within the confines of real life. After all, who’s to say whether these instances could actually happen?...
In the film industry, there have been statements made about how all horror movies have an underlying political basis to them, some more than others. ZAVVI states that horror movies are dedicated to scaring audiences with real life problems, so political and social commentary really hits people where it hurts. Horror is an extremely versatile genre, with multiple subdivisions, such as horror-comedy, slasher-horror, and of course, political horror. Slasher horror is mostly based around iconic killers such as Michael Myers, Jason, and Freddy Krueger - all household names....
If you don’t already have a love/hate relationship with Rotten Tomatoes and their rating system for films, a quick survey of their top-rated sci-fi films will likely evoke a passionate response. While their top 10 films include some obvious sci-fi classics, there are some notable omissions and some surprising inclusions. Most film fans, in fact, have likely never even heard of the top-ranked sci-fi film on their list. Surprisingly, only one film in the top 10 hails from the 1950s, the decade where sci-fi truly became a genre unto its own....
The souls of the wicked shall be purified by blood-but only at the hands of two notorious vigilante brothers whose killing spree is a mission from God. The cult phenomenon The Boondock Saints: Truth & Justice Edition arrives on Blu-ray June 14th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Just in time for Father’s Day, The Boondock Saints: Truth & Justice Edition contains both the R-rated and unrated director’s cut with digital copy for the first time and an all-new, never-before-seen bonus feature that pulls you even deeper into the gritty, action-packed Boondock’s world....
The end credits of Machete promise that Danny Trejo’s popular character will return in a sequel titled Machete Kills. Though, we’ve never been told when we can expect to see this hard-hitting follow up. Bloody Disgusting learned that a script is actually completed for the movie, and it might be coming sooner than we think. In a recent red carpet interview, Danny Trejo had this to say about Machete’s return in Machete Kills:...
