Hey there friends, it’s time again for the weekly movie roundup, and I’ve got a plethora of cinematic scoop for you!
In box office news, Judd Apatow’s Funny People dropped dramatically from its lukewarm #1 spot last week, the fellas moved in droves for G. I. Joe, and the ladies made a solid showing for Julie and Julia. Now I don’t approve of gender stereotypes, but I, as a lady, watched Julie and Julia. And I, as a human being with discerning taste, will not be seeing G. I. Joe.
A random study I just invented shows that 40 percent of all Hollywood films now have the word “vampire” in the title.
Here’s another.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: Paramount
Leonardo DiCaprio is looking to
produce a film adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World with Ridley Scott set to direct. I sort of hate
this idea? And isn’t Scott going to be a little busy working on the Alien prequel?
The Art Guys are stopping by the MFAH to talk about Home on the Range, the new two-disc anthology for their work from 1983 through 2008 this Thursday, as part of the Museum’s Artful Thursdays film series. It’s free!
Brian Henson is giving a shout-out to our childhood in this interview, stating that both a Fraggle Rock feature and a Dark Crystal sequel are in development. 6-year-old Meredith is doing the happy dance.
Because the '80s are, apparently, never going to end, casting for Oliver Stone’s Wall Street 2 is taking off with Shia LaBeouf and Frank Langella joining Michael Douglas as the now-ancient Gordon Gekko. Crisp white collars on pastel oxford shirts will abound.
Diverseworks and Aurora Picture show are partnering together on flickerlounge, presenting the World Premiere of the Buffet DVD! Enjoy all-you-can-eat video gluttony and give your brain a tummy ache!
Director Peter Burg is developing a new adaption of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel Dune, following the incomprehensible 1984 David Lynch film and SyFy Network’s super awesome 2000 mini-series. Holla back at me, nerds! Are we happy about this?
The Orphanage (El Orfanato): File
Since Americans are apparently allergic to subtitles, Guillermo del Toro has tapped indie director Larry Fessenden to direct the English-language version of last year’s superior El Orfanato (The Orphanage), originally directed by Juan Antonio Bayona and produced by del Toro. Just watch the original, okay? Guillermo is also set to produce the upcoming Spanish-language horror flick Los Ojos de Julia (Julia’s Eyes). If you’re a del Toro fan (and if you’re not, DEAD! TO! ME!), check out the midnight show of Pan’s Labyrinth this Friday and Saturday at River Oaks Theatre, sponsored by 29-95 and Movies!The Store! I’ll be hosting the show Friday night and geeking out with the best of them!
Jay Chou and Edward James Olmos have both joined Seth Rogan for Michel Gondry’s Green Hornet flick. I lost interest in this film the moment Gondry cast Nicolas Cage and Cameron Diaz.
MJ: The Movie? Michael Jackson fans will get to see footage of Jackson’s final rehearsals after a deal was struck between the Jackson estate, AEG Live and Columbia Pictures. I’ll totally cry if he sings “You are Not Alone.”
John Hughes
This Friday, grab your six-shooter and git those little dogies along to watch High Ho Silver: A Ride Through TV Westerns at Menil Park, sponsored by The Menil and Aurora Picture Show. High Ho Silver is a montage of excerpts of the best television Westerns ever, and the best part is, it’s free! Can’t beat that with a stick!
Aurora Picture Show also has a free Video Salon discussion on the impact of YouTube and music videos on avant-garde cinema this Sunday.
Ever since District 9 blew the dorks away at Comic-Con this year, the internets have been abuzz about this little low-budg sci-fi flick that could. Check out an exclusive clip here, and catch District 9 at a Thursday midnight show at these Houston theaters. It’s not a sequel or a remake, kids! Let’s support that!
Finally, I’d like to give a heartfelt peace out to the King of Teen Angst, John Hughes. Thanks for making it cool to be uncool.
As always, if you’ve got a line on some film news in Houston, e-mail me at maborders@gmail.com
maborders@gmail.com!
I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT A POSSIBLE DARK CRYSTAL SEQUEL! OMG!! except i'm also scared. cos, um, the first one? STILL gives me heebie jeebies. but in a good way cos PUPPETS!
i reeeeally don't get the orphanage remake thing. or really the remake trend in general. except for step up 2 the streets, obvs.
The Skeksis still give me the Heebie-jeebies.
Dear God, not two Dark Crystals to avoid. LOOK PPL MUPPETS ARE SCARY.
There are tiny little mitochondria in tiny little cells somewhere in my body that are freaking out about District 9. Alien Internment Camps woohoo! I wonder if Michelle Malkin thinks they are a good idea?
I know you've said it, Poshdeluxe said it, and I've said it before but can we please stop with the effing remakes? I am seriously growing tired of this shit. HAVE AN ORIGINAL IDEA PEOPLE. What annoys me about The Orphanage is that it's not like The Ring or something that wasn't really widely release here. It was in big theaters here. So...whyyyyyyy?!?!?
I'm excited about the new Dune. I like both movies in different ways and for different reasons. This could be good if it has a decent budget. It's going to be a long one though and that's going to put off the mainstream crowd.
District 9? Cannot wait.
As a late blooming Dune fan, here's my question....WHY DO WE NEED A DUNE REMAKE EVERY 10 YEARS (SEEMINGLY)??? I'll be the first to admit I didn't watch the original movie mainly because I have a strong rule about watching four hour movies: I don't. I can live with a movie being broken up into a mini series because at least you had the balls to take more time to tell your story. A three or four hour movie just tells me you sold your audience out just because you thought you could make more money getting this into a theater, but I digress. In any case the Sci-Fi Channel's (or Syfy...someone explain that to me) adaptation was fairly impressive for a tv miniseries and I felt like it encompassed the essence it what seemed like a very extensive mythology. From what I understand, the movie before that with Kyle MacLachlan was pretty solid. So, why fix some sh** that isn't broken??? All you can do is make it worse!!! Ugh!
I can't argue with you, Oz. The SyFy (GAH that annoys me) mini-series KICKED ASS. I've read the book a dozen times and I thought the mini-series nailed it perfectly. However...I'm just enough of a nerd to be excited about this news, somehow, even though I'm certain it's a terrible idea. I'm a paradox unto myself.
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