Juno ''overrated''? Give us a break!

1 Comments | Posted on Friday, 1 February 2008 by Don

How dare they? Juno may be wildly popular with audiences and critics, but that hasn't stopped the Los Angeles Times from slagging off the film in its regular Underrated/Overrated column. Deliberately insulting all those who admire the comedy, the Times dismisses it with these mean-minded words: "The snarky, rapid-fire quips that pass for 'razor sharp wit' amount to little more than an emotionally superficial take on teen pregnancy." Showing its ignorance, the Times continues, "That Jun... Find out more...   |   1 Comments

Protecting the President: Lost's Matthew Fox on his new movie Vantage Point

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 1 February 2008 by Don

Lost star Matthew Fox plays a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the US President in action-thriller Vantage Point. In Australia to promote the movie, which opens here on March 13, Fox admits he wasn't able to meet with any real Secret Service types (that's why they're Secret) while researching the role. But he did talk to advisors who are familiar with the way the service operates. The actor's interest in the project stemmed from his admiration for director Pete Travis, who made... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Heath Ledger: ''Death of an innocent?

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 31 January 2008 by Don

Of the hundreds if not thousands of eulogies for Heath Ledger, perhaps the most accurate and even-handed critique of his life and death came from CNN. Unlike other, more excitable sections of the media which were quick to speculate about a possible drug overdose, the news broadcaster ruled out comparisons with those like River Phoenix, John Belushi and Brad Renfro, who lived life fast and to excess, and died young. "Figures like Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse are closest to perpetua... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Rising stars: Fresh faces to watch

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 31 January 2008 by Don

Saoirse Roman. Emile Hirsch. Ellen Page. Ryan Reynolds. Isla Fisher. Simon Pegg. Rachel McAdams. Danny McBride. Chances are you know most, if not all, these names. It's a fair bet you'll see and hear a lot more of them in the next year or so. They've all grabbed the attention of critics and audiences, niche or mainstream, with at least one breakthrough role. And they all seem ready to go to the next level in a bunch of films releasing this year and in 2009. Irish-born Saoirse, 13 (pic... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Transmission goes up a gear for former Dendy duo

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 31 January 2008 by Don

Richard Payten and Andrew Mackie, former heads of Dendy Films, have launched Transmission, a distribution company which will acquire and release Australian and international films in partnership with Paramount Pictures International and Paramount Home Entertainment. Among its first releases will be two films acquired by Paramount, Dean Spanley, a British comedy which explores the relationships between master and dog and father and son, which stars Peter O’Toole, Sam Neill, Jeremy Northam ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Cloverfield 2: are you ready for a sequel?

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 31 January 2008 by Don

A sequel to Cloverfield looks almost certain with Paramount reported to be in talks with director Matt Reeves, producer J.J. Abrams and writer Drew Goddard to concoct another monster tale. That news is sure to delight fans of the monster movie while eliciting a "why bother?" response from those who hated Cloverfield: the film seems, surprisingly, to have as many fierce detractors as satisfied fans. Variety says the sequel is likely to be Reeves' next project, although the 40-year-old... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Guillermo del Toro to direct The Hobbit?

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 30 January 2008 by Don

Hobbit fans rejoice! It looks like production of the two big-budget movies inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's classic will move ahead with director Guillermo del Toro calling the shots. The Pan's Labyrinth director is in talks with executive producer Peter Jackson to helm the films back-to-back, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Del Toro told reporters in Jauary that he was interested in the project. Reportedly costing as much as $US150 million each, the films will be co-financed... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Ryan Reynolds a romantic star? Definitely, Maybe

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 30 January 2008 by Don

There's a deliciously funny scene in Definitely, Maybe, when 10 year-old Maya (Abigail Breslin) asks her father Will (Ryan Reynolds) how many girlfriends he had before he met and fell in love with her mother. Maya wants to know because her parents are getting divorced and she's just had her first sex education lesson at school. The dialogue goes like this: Will: I had two serious girlfriends... and then some other smattering of other women. Maya: What's the boy word for 'slut'? ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Showdown: Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in 3:10 to Yuma

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 29 January 2008 by Don

Russell Crowe and Christian Bale match wits in 3:10 to Yuma, a showdown made all the more fascinating after reports they didn't pal up on the set in New Mexico. However speculation of bad blood between them seemed wide of the mark when the two stars were interviewed together when the Western drama launched in the US; it opens here on Thursday. Crowe kept ribbing Bale about his Batman role ("you look so good in a cape”) while Bale teased Rusty by saying he'd bought a "special rubber ou... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Being gay: no big deal for Maggie Grace's Allegra in The Jane Austen Book Club

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 29 January 2008 by Don

Former Lost star Maggie Grace didn't hesitate when director Robin Swicord offered her the role of Allegra, a 20ish woman who's gay, in The Jane Austen Book Club. Allegra moved back into the family home to keep her mum Sylvia (Amy Brennerman) company after her dad Daniel (Jimmy Smits) leaves her for another woman. Maggie, who played Shannon in Lost, admired the way the script didn't emphasize Allegra's sexual orientation. "I loved how it's a non-issue in this movie," she says. "I... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Dark Knight director reflects on Heath Ledger, the Joker

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 29 January 2008 by Don

When Heath Ledger first skated onto the set of The Dark Knight in full make-up, director Christopher Nolan admits he worried how Batman fans might react to a skateboarding Joker. But the English director quickly relaxed as he noticed younger members of the crew all hopped onto skateboards. The crew- like audiences worldwide- were responding to Ledger's "real charisma—as invisible and natural as gravity," Nolan says in an interview with Newsweek magazine. Working for the first tim... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

27 Dresses nudges out Sweeney Todd to win the Oz b.o. crown

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 29 January 2008 by Don

Katherine Heigl was the queen of the Australian box-office last weekend as 27 Dresses finished just ahead of the rousing debut of Sweeney Todd. In its third weekend, Fox's romantic comedy earned $1.55 million, lifting its takings to a terrific $11 million. Sweeney Todd rang up $1.52 million from just 127 screens (about half as many as 27 Dresses), while hip comedy Juno took $1.48 million in its second weekend, for $4.5 million total. Mirroring its steep descent in the US, Clove... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Rambo outmuscled by Spartans spoof

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 28 January 2008 by Don

Gosh, here's a surprise: More moviegoers flocked to Fox's spoof Meet the Spartans than the fourth, and final, Rambo movie in the US over the weekend. It was a narrow win for Spartans, which rang up $US18.5 million, clearly a vote for the concept rather than the low-profile cast including muscle man Kevin Sorbo, rapper Method Man, Carmen Electra and Borat's beefy Ken Davitian. However, director/star Sylvester Stallone can't be too disappointed with Rambo's $18.2 million debut, the come... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Day-Lewis pays tribute to Ledger

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 28 January 2008 by Don

Accepting the award for best lead actor for There Will Be Blood at the Screen Actors Guild awards, Daniel Day-Lewis paid an emotional tribute to Heath Ledger. Dedicating his award to the Australian actor, Day-Lewis praised his performances in Monster's Ball and Brokeback Mountain as "unique, perfect." Day-Lewis said the scene in the trailer at the end of the gay cowboy saga is as "moving as anything that I think I’ve ever seen." There Will Be Blood, which features Day-Lewis as a t... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

''Natural causes'' may explain Heath's death

0 Comments | Posted on Sunday, 27 January 2008 by Don

Heath Ledger may have died from natural causes, according to website TMZ, one of the first news outlets to report his death last Tuesday. Quoting sources "intimately connected" with the investigation, TMZ stated authorities believe the actor may have suffered a heart attack. This follows suggestions that tests have revealed the level of toxicity in his system from the various medications he was taking was so low, that may have been ruled out as the cause of death. TMZ also repor... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Sundance festival salutes Frozen River and The Wackness

0 Comments | Posted on Sunday, 27 January 2008 by Don

Frozen River, Courtney Hunt's film about a desperate trailer-home mother and a Mohawk Indian girl who team up to smuggle illegal immigrants into the US from Canada has won the grand jury prize for dramatic features at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Quentin Tarantino, one of the jury members, said the film "took my breath away" and "put my heart in a vice." The Wackness, Jonathan Levine's New York set saga of a teenage drug dealer who undergoes therapy with a drug-addled psychiatrist... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

No Country for Old Men wins the directors' award

0 Comments | Posted on Sunday, 27 January 2008 by Don

No Country for Old Men's chances of Oscar glory look even better after the thriller's directors Joel and Ethan Coen won the top prize from the Directors Guild of America. Only six times since the DGA Award's inception in 1949 has the winner not gone on to receive the Academy Award for Best Director. And the victor's film has won the Oscar for best pic all but 12 times, making it a fairly reliable predictor. The Coens were just the second two-person team to win the Directors Guild... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Travolta told: 'Shut up, you creep!' while US 'church' damns Ledger

0 Comments | Posted on Saturday, 26 January 2008 by Don

No doubt John Travolta meant well, but his heartfelt tributes to Heath Ledger have triggered heated debates among bloggers. In an interview with Australian Woman's Day, Travolta described Ledger as his favourite actor, compared his death to James Dean's, and said he would give back "all my awards and all my nominations just to have him back." Recounting how they met at a party, Travolta said he idolized the Aussie actor. "My reacting that way to his work really blew him away, but he wa... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Why is the mood in Hollywood so dark?

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 25 January 2008 by Don

Hollywood is in a funk—and not just because the writers’ strike has shut down film and scripted TV drama production and directly and indirectly thrown thousands of people out of work. No, the mood appears far deeper and more pervasive. For proof, look at the candidates for the best pic Oscar. While all are superbly made, none is uplifting. Juno is funny and full of charm, but there are sad undercurrents, especially in the relationship between the couple who adopt the teenager's baby. No Cou... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Bond 22 gets a handle; it's a grabber, isn't it?

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 25 January 2008 by Don

The 22nd James Bond adventure finally has a title: Quantum of Solace. While it may not roll off the tongue as easily, say, as Casino Royale, the title is taken from a short story published by 007 creator Ian Fleming in 1960. Producer Michael Wilson said the film would have "twice as much action" as 2006's Casino Royale. The new film, which opens here on Nov 13, sees Bond (Daniel Craig) out for revenge after Vesper, the love of his life, is taken away from him and he never gets that 'q... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Heath ''happy and in good form'' last week

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 25 January 2008 by Don

Last week in London on the set of Terry Gilliam's fantasy The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Heath Ledger was suffering from a virus but was happy, in good spirits and looking forward to directing a movie. So says Christopher Plummer, who was co-starring in the film as an eccentric theatrical trouper trapped in a deal with the devil. Heath was playing a charlatan who gets mixed up with the troupe and embarks on a series of adventures to a strange, parallel universe. Shocked by news o... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Why did There Will Be Blood earn 8 Oscar nominations?

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 24 January 2008 by Don

On the face of it, There Will Be Blood is a challenge for audiences: mostly male cast, none of them cute or handsome. No strong females. No love story. And a sprawling, violent saga set in the US desert, spanning nearly 30 years from 1898. Not surprisingly, it wasn't easy to finance, until Paramount Vantage and Miramax decided to bankroll writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson's odyssey. So why has the film, which opens here on Feb 9, garnered eight Oscar nominations, including nods f... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Dewey Cox: too much sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll!

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 23 January 2008 by Don

Think of the most boorish, self-indulgent, drug-addled rock star who ever lived, multiply that about 10 times, and you have Dewey Cox. A comic invention of writers Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan, Dewey gets to star in his own movie, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. "Judd and I love movies about rock stars and we’re both huge music geeks,” says Kasdan, who also directs. “So we made up a fake music legend with this sort of ridiculously dramatic life with too many drugs and too many wives and... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Oscars countdown: No Country for Old Men, or There Will Be Blood?

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 23 January 2008 by Don

No Country for Old Men, or There Will Be Blood? The producers of both films are entitled to think they have a good shot of winning the Oscar for best pic after each scored eight nominations. Michael Clayton and Atonement each got seven nominations, and those four along with independent hit Juno are vying for best pic. The film with the most noms has ended up winning the best pic prize in 16 of the last 20 years. But the tables were turned in the past three years when The Aviator, Broke... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Mystery shrouds Heath Ledger's death

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 23 January 2008 by Don

It could take 10 days to 2 weeks to determine the cause of Heath Ledger's death after the results of the autopsy were inconclusive. The Oscar-nominated actor was found at the foot of his bed in his apartment in Manhattan's SoHo district by his housekeeper on Tuesday. He was 28. While no illegal drugs were found in the apartment, police will test a rolled-up $20 bill which was near his body, although there was no visible residue on the note. Further tests including toxicolog... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Razzie nominations spell multiple jabs for Murphy, Lohan

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 22 January 2008 by Don

Congratulations Eddie! Well done Lindsay! The nominations are out for the Golden Raspberry Awards, or Razzies, which 'salute' Hollywood's worst films and performances of the past year. And it's no surprise to see Eddie Murphy & Lindsay Lohan at the top of the dishonourable list. Murphy's Norbit received eight nominations, including five for him as worst actor in the title role, supporting actress as Norbit's chubby wife, supporting actor as an Asian character and worst screen couple for act... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Tim Burton goes for the jugular in Sweeney Todd

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 22 January 2008 by Don

In turning the stage musical Sweeney Todd into a film, director Tim Burton was determined to bring the audience much closer to the macabre characters and the blood-soaked action. How close? Too close for comfort for some people of a squeamish disposition. "Burton's camera gets up close so the blood spits right out at the audience as the eyes of Sweeney's victims bug out in terror," says the Los Angeles Times' Tom O'Neil. But O'Neil finds these scenes so outrageous that they seem unreal-- an... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

The best movie musicals: what's your favourite?

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 22 January 2008 by Don

As the curtain goes up on Sweeney Todd, this is a good time to reflect on the best movie musicals in Hollywood’s storied history. People of a certain vintage, and buffs of any age, may hark back to classics like The Wizard of Oz (1939), Singin' in the Rain (1952), A Star Is Born (1954) and The Sound of Music (1965). Beatles’ fans will fondly recall A Hard Day's Night (1964). Many boomers sang along with Liza Minnelli in Cabaret (1972) and with John Travolta and Liv in Grease (1978), ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Cloverfield rules cinemas in Australia and the US

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 21 January 2008 by Don

The monster movie is a monster hit! Cloverfield has conquered the box-office in Australia and the US. In the US, the film smashed the all-time record for an opening weekend in January, ringing up $US41 million from Friday through Sunday, beating the special edition of Star Wars, which brought in $35.9 million 11 years ago. In Australia, the sci-fi thriller made $2.56 million, just ahead of 27 Dresses, which fetched a sparkling $2.54 million in its second weekend. Juno scored a terrifi... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

How Tom Hanks kept his modesty in Charlie Wilson's War

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 21 January 2008 by Don

In one pivotal scene in Charlie Wilson's War, Tom Hanks as the Texan congressman frolics in a hot tub with a Playboy playmate, an exotic dancer and a sleazy film producer. When Hanks stands up, we see a rear view of his bare buttocks. But, ah, how did he preserve his modesty? Turns out he used a strategically placed flesh-coloured sock. Jud Tylor, who plays the playmate, says she tried not to look down when she was in the tub. But Hilary Angelo as the exotic dancer couldn't resist sn... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Hot goss: Britney's ''death wish?''...Oscars reprieve?...Who's the No. 1 movie star?

0 Comments | Posted on Saturday, 19 January 2008 by Don

How tacky! News organizations are preparing obituaries for Britney Spears after her recent erratic behaviour and spell in hospital. Associated Press news service and MTV News are among those who've said they are drafting the death notices. They say this is standard operating procedure when public figures appear to be "at risk," but many bloggers find this distasteful and disrespectful. "We are not wishing it, but if Britney passed away, it's easily one of the biggest stories in a long ti... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Hot goss: Justice League...No Country...Cloverfield...

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 18 January 2008 by Don

Justice League, the big-budget movie based on the DC comics superheroes, which director George Miller wants to shoot in Australia, has been grounded. Warner Bros. didn't take up the options on the cast led by Adam Brody as the Flash, newcomer Armie Hammer Jr. as Batman, Megan Gale as Wonder Woman and rapper Common as Green Lantern. The studio blamed a delay in getting the film certified so it could take advantage of the tax rebate for filming Down Under. And it acknowledged the script needs more... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Oscars: the show must go on

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 17 January 2008 by Don

There WILL be an Academy Awards awards ceremony at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on Feb 25 Australian time—with, or without, the usual hoopla and back-slapping. The show’s producers have revealed they are planning an alternative version if the writers are still on strike and actors refuse to grace the red carpet and attend the ceremony. Option B is likely to be a slimmed-down event in which industry ‘heavyweights’ draft their own speeches and present the trophies, according to Vari... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Cloverfield: The monster unleashed!

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 17 January 2008 by Don

If you’re hearing screams and lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ at Australian cinemas this weekend, chances are you’re watching Cloverfield. The movie created by producer JJ Abrams and screenwriter Drew Goddard is unlikely to disappoint fans whose appetite was whetted by the trailer and a clever guerrilla campaign which kept much of the plot—and the monster—under wraps. For a film which reportedly cost $US25 million, chickenfeed by Hollywood standards, Abrams and director Matt Reeves have some... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

The Kite Runner: avenging a terrible wrong

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 by Don

How could you live with the fact that, as a boy in Afghanistan, you did nothing while your friend and servant was brutally assaulted by another boy? For Amir, the central figure in the emotionally moving and powerful film The Kite Runner, it was a secret guilt that tortured him for many years. Until, married and a successful writer living in San Francisco, he summoned up the courage to return to the dangerous Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to right a terrible wrong. Although fict... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

''Oh by the way Johnny, can you sing?''

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 by Don

If you’re going to play the lead in a big-budget filmed musical, you’d think that being an accomplished singer would be desirable, if not essential. Ordinarily, perhaps, but not if you're Johnny Depp and Tim Burton asks you to play the murderous singing barber in Sweeney Todd. Burton offered his longtime collaborator the juicy role without knowing whether he could hold a tune. Composer Stephen Sondheim was none the wiser. And even Depp didn't know his own vocal talents. Fortun... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Ellen Page speaks out on sassy Juno: and watch a Juno film clip!

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 by Don

When you're 20, going on 21, how would approach the role of a high-spirited 16-year-old who falls pregnant on a whim and decides to have the baby adopted? For Ellen Page, the Canadian-born actress who takes on the title role in the comedy Juno, it was a fairly simple proposition. "My work is really just about connecting to her and trying to make her way of speech and her dialogue -- and her relationships -- authentic," she said. Moreover, Page saw a lot to admire in the feisty tee... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Golden Globes winners: who cares?

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 by Don

Stripped of the star-studded awards ceremony, a global television audience of millions (hardly the billions occasionally reported in the media) and the pleasure of watching stars' reactions on winning and losing, what did this year's Golden Globes really mean? Not a lot, according to some Hollywood commentators and pundicts. Summing up the deflated mood, Variety's Tim Gray mused, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound? Similarly, if you win an award ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Action! Get set for a year of high adventure

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 by Don

If there’s a recurring theme for the Hollywood movies heading our way in 2008, it’s action, action and more action, with a dash of sci-fi and a liberal helping of fantasy for good measure. On paper, at least, we can expect at least 15 blockbusters which are intended to set hearts, minds and pulses racing. It’s also a year of comebacks. After 17 years, we’ll see Harrison Ford back in action in in Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Sylvester Stallone retur... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Stellar year for Aussie cinemas-- but just average for local films

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 14 January 2008 by Don

Australian box-office takings increased by 3% last year to $895 million, the second highest tally of all time. But local films took in a measly $36 million, a 4% share, which is fractionally below the 10-year average of 4.3%. And the Aussie total got a mighty boost from one powerhouse, George Miller's Happy Feet, which earned $20.7 million last year, to reach a cumulative total of $31.8 million. Richard Roxburgh's drama about a migrant family, Romulus, My Father, made a respectable $2.... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Golden Globes honour Atonement, Sweeney Todd

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 14 January 2008 by Don

Atonement was declared best film drama, beating the more fancied No Country for Old Men, while Sweeney Todd was named best musical or comedy at the 65th annual Golden Globes. Ratatouille was crowned best animated feature, beating Bee Movie and The Simpsons Movie. The winners, voted on by the 82 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, were named at a low-key media conference in LA, replacing the glitzy ceremony which was a casualty of the writers’ strike and actors’ boycott.... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

I Am Legend rules the Aussie box-office

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 14 January 2008 by Don

I Am Legend continues to be the first-choice among Australian cinemagoers. The Apocalyptic thriller starring Will Smith retained the No. 1 spot last weekend, grossing $3.53 million in its second frame, boosting its tally to a remarkable $16.4 million. Two debutantes took the next two spots: romantic comedy 27 Dresses romanced a sparkling $3.49 million, and Mob drama American Gangster gunned down $3.28 million. Kids and families kept flocking to Alvin and the Chipmunks, which whist... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Cloverfield: ''a monster movie like no other''

0 Comments | Posted on Saturday, 12 January 2008 by Don

The first reviews of the hotly anticipated monster movie Cloverfield have been posted online after a sneak preview in the US-- and they are full-on raves. "A monster film unlike any other -- a complete original, but no less of a rock' em-sock 'em for that," declared Hollywood Elsewhere's Jeff Wells. "The movie is ....brilliant. It’s what we were told it was going to be. An intimate perspective on an impossibly grand scale human disaster beyond most human levels of comprehension," ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

US box-office watch: Jack and Morgan's wishes come true

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 11 January 2008 by Don

Those two old-timers, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, ruled the US boxoffice over the weekend as their comedy The Bucket List opened at No. 1. In its first weekend in wide release after platforming, the film about the two septuagenarians getting the chance to fulfill their last wishes before kicking the bucket, grossed an estimated $US19.5 million. It's the first time a film directed by Rob Reiner has opened at No. 1 in the US since his A Few Good Men way back in 1992; the mov... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Cloverfield: producer and director spill the beans!

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 11 January 2008 by Don

The secret is out: The monster movie Cloverfield isn't really about a monster wreaking havoc in Manhattan: it's the story of a group of people in extreme crisis caused by the giant beastie, whatever it is. So says producer JJ Abrams, who got the idea for the film when he and his son visited a toy store filled with Godzilla-themed merchandise during a visit to Japan in 2006 to promote Mission: Impossible III. “I began thinking, what if you were to see a monster the size of a skyscraper... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

2007: a great year for cinema?

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 9 January 2008 by Don

Almost every critic and pundit has come up with a list of the 10 best films of 2007. By any yardstick, it was a better than average year, depending, of course, on your taste. Movie City News calculated its top 10 based on the verdicts of hundreds of critics. They gave top place to the Coen brothers’ thriller No Country for Old Men, which currently is the favourite in most polls to win the best film Oscar. Their list includes four films that haven’t been released here yet: There Will B... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

The worst movies of 2007

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 9 January 2008 by Don

You can bet there will be no shortage of challengers for the Golden Raspberry Awards, the Razzies, which proudly proclaim they’ve been “cremating cinematic crap for over 28 years.” One of the few awards which won't be affected by the writers' strike, the Razzies will be handed out on Feb. 23. Early contenders include Eddie Murphy for his multiple roles in Norbit: Worst Actor (as Norbit), Worst Supporting Actor (as Mr. Wong), Worst Supporting Actress (as Rasputia) and Worst Screen Couple. ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Katherine Heigl is no doormat!

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 9 January 2008 by Don

Katherine Heigl has almost nothing in common with Jane, the perpetual bridesmaid she plays in the romantic comedy 27 Dresses. But that didn’t mean the Grey's Anatomy star couldn't identify with the character, who put others first to her own detriment. "She was an extreme, but I've met and known women like her,” Katherine says. They have taken a back seat to what everyone else wants. They don't really go after their own happiness.” And the positives? “What I loved about Jane was the pr... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Excess Hollywood: the awards almost nobody wants to win

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 9 January 2008 by Don

The US network ABC has declared the winners of its Excess Hollywood Awards. Only a couple of the honorees would want to collect their awards. Kiefer Sutherland is the unwilling recipient of the Next Time Call a Cab Award after his arrest for drink driving last September, which followed an earlier conviction in 2004. Will he never learn? Nicole Richie takes the Hard Time Hollywood-style Award for spending just 82 minutes in an LA cell for driving under the influence of drugs. Later, ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

The Waterhorse: Legend of the Deep: myth or magic?

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 9 January 2008 by Don

Director Jay Russell has a thing about mortality and how people deal with loss. It was the loss of a dog at the heart of his film My Dog Skip. In Ladder 49, it was the loss of loved ones. In Tuck Everlasting, a teenager lost in the woods meets a family who are immortal. Russell explores that theme again in his latest film, The Waterhorse: Legend of the Deep. Based on the book by Dick King-Smith, (who wrote Babe), the film looks at a lonely young Scottish boy, Angus MacMorrow ( Alex Etel),... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Juno shows unplanned pregnancy is a fertile topic in movies

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 9 January 2008 by Don

After Knocked Up and The Waitress, Juno is the latest movie to deal front-on with the issue of unplanned pregnancy. In this case, the mum-to-be, Juno MacGuff (Emily Page) is a free-spirited, sassy 16-year-old high school student, and the pregnancy is the result of a single encounter with her sweet but geeky friend Bleeker (Michael Cera). A break-out hit in the US, the film has grossed more than US$52 million and is on course to hit or exceed $100 million, depending partly on whether it gar... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Crowe and Washington cross swords in American Gangster

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 9 January 2008 by Don

Put two great actors, Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington, opposite each other as adversaries across a table, and watch the sparks fly. That’s the chemistry you get in American Gangster, with Denzel playing Frank Lucas, the real-life Harlem drug lord of the 1970s, and Rusty as Richie Roberts, the honest cop who’s hell bent on pursuing Lucas. Director Ridley Scott was smart enough to let the actors have their heads in the confrontation, which runs for nine pages of dialogue. The at... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Monster alert: Sneak peek of Cloverfield

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 9 January 2008 by Don

Here's the first four minutes of Cloverfield, the hotly-anticipated monster movie from wiz producer JJ Abrams, who created Lost and Alias. The movie opens here on Jan 17, the day before the US. The poster, which shows the Statue of Liberty being decapitated, has aroused the ire of some commentators and a woman in the US whose son was a passenger on the doomed flight 93 in the 9/11 terrorism attacks. “It is a bad move for movie producers to take advantage of 9/11 in order to sell what... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Our new movie blog - AND a sneak peak at CLOVERFIELD

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 9 January 2008 by Don

Welcome to our new Movie Blog, packed with Hollywood and Australian cinema news, gossip, interviews, info about upcoming movies and much more. Plus we will feature new trailers, movie clips, and pics from movie sets. The blog will be refreshed daily and as news breaks. We welcome your comments and opinions.... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

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