Archive for the 'Movies' Category
September 30th, 2009, 12:49 pm by Jayson Peters
 You demanded it. But are you ready for Paranormal Activity?
The film, billed as one of the scariest in the last decade, is not opening in wide release; instead there will be three preview showings at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Harkins’ Tempe Marketplace 16 theaters. Valley residents brought the film to Tempe by going to the Demand it! site and showing their support in an online popularity contest with other U.S. locations. Now they’ll get what they asked for — if they can handle it.
The work of an Israeli video game designer, Paranormal Activity is about a young couple who move into what seems like a typical suburban “starter” tract house, then become increasingly disturbed by a demonic presence in the middle of the night. It premiered in 2007 at the Screamfest Film Festival and was screened last year at the Slamdance Film Festival. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Horror • Movies • Harkins • Paranormal Activity • Tempe | 2 Comments »
September 28th, 2009, 3:16 pm by Chris "KeL" Adams
 The scramble to adapt comic characters to the silver screen continues. Writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Rheese have turned in their second draft of the proposed Spider-Man spin-off movie, “Venom,” to Sony. The duo also wrote the screenplay for “Zombieland” which opens this week and looks potentially awesome.
No word on how they plan to rectify the fact that the Venom character was killed off in Spider-Man 3. In movies (and comics), if there’s money to be made, death is only a minor obstacle.
With the rumored “Magneto” origin movie still in limbo, this could be the first comic-book villain to get his own movie. The film is looking at a 2012 debut.
Posted in: Comics • Movies • Marvel • venom | 2 Comments »
September 27th, 2009, 12:04 am by Jayson Peters
The last part of my interview with “Star Wars in Concert” narrator and C-3PO performer Anthony Daniels:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
PHOTO: JAYSON PETERS, EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE
When Anthony Daniels visited the Valley Sept. 14 to promote his Oct. 4 appearance for “Star Wars in Concert” at Glendale’s Jobing.com Arena and get a feel for the venue, he found a warm welcome — but not warm enough.
He found the “ice palace,” as he called it, chilly in contrast to the triple-digit temperatures that greeted him on his first visit to Phoenix, and was graciously worried that the four local journalists meeting with him would be unconfortable!
We assured him it was a welcome respite from the heat, and settled in for a nice, long chat with the actor. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Events • Movies • Music • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Star Wars • Anthony Daniels | 1 Comment »
September 24th, 2009, 5:22 pm by Jayson Peters
More of my interview with “Star Wars in Concert” narrator and C-3PO performer Anthony Daniels:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
 Anthony Daniels has the distinction of not only being the only actor to portray the same character in all six Star Wars films, but also for having the first line in the first film produced - Episode IV: A New Hope - and the last line in the last film produced - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
It’s this bookending that mark him as a sort of voice of the Star Wars saga; Threepio, along with his handy counterpart R2-D2, serve as the eyes and ears and voice of the common man in sweeping galactic events, a technique adapted by Lucas from Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s characters in The Hidden Fortress.
PHOTO: JAYSON PETERS, EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Events • Movies • Music • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Star Wars • Anthony Daniels | Post a Comment »
September 21st, 2009, 10:12 am by Jayson Peters
 The heirs to comic-book artist Jack Kirby — who has co-creation credits for the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Avengers, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America and even Spider-Man — have sent copyright-termination notices to companies that have been making comic books, movies, toys and other works based on the characters, including Marvel, Disney, Sony Pictures, Universal, 20th Century Fox and Paramount.
According to the New York Times’ Media Decoder blog, the notices express an intent to own the copyrights as early as 2014.
While other parties involved had no immediate comment, the Walt Disney Co., which last month announced it was buying Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, downplayed the move in its statement:
“The notices involved are an attempt to terminate rights seven to 10 years from now, and involve claims that were fully considered in the acquisition.”
Kirby, who died in 1994, worked with writer-editor Stan Lee to create many of the most famous characters in comics. The properties are in demand in Hollywood, which has increasingly turned to the pages of comic books for blockbuster inspiration.
Read the full article at Media Decoder.
Via io9
Posted in: Business • Comics • Movies • copyright • Marvel | Post a Comment »
September 21st, 2009, 9:05 am by Jayson Peters
 Bookmans Entertainment Exchange spends each September raising awareness of the dangers of censorship, taking a stand for the idea that silencing a work just because it is controversial is wrong. To celebrate the campaign this year, the chain of used media stores — with locations in Phoenix and Mesa as well as Flagstaff and Tucson — is hosting a free screening of the controversial cult classic A Clockwork Orange, 8 and 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, at MADCAP Theaters in Tempe.
The 1971 film by Stanley Kubrick and starring Malcolm McDowell is an adaptation of a 1960s dystopian novel by Anthony Burgess. It will be shown in its original 35mm format.
For more information, hit the links above or visit Bookmans at Country Club Drive and Southern Avenue in Mesa or Northern and 19th avenues in Phoenix.
See also:
Posted in: Books • Events • Free stuff • Movies • A Clockwork Orange • Bookmans • censorship • Kubrick • MADCAP Theaters | Post a Comment »
September 17th, 2009, 10:37 am by Jayson Peters
 A British film about the life of Charles Darwin and the naturalist’s “struggle between faith and reason” will be shown in theaters across the world — but not here in the U.S.
Why? Because distributors here don’t think fundamentalist Christians would approve. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Huh? • Movies • Nerd rage • Science • censorship • Darwin • religion • Stupid creationists | 1 Comment »
September 14th, 2009, 11:49 am by Jayson Peters
 He doesn't eat much -- really. The world may still be trying to figure out what state Springfield, home of The Simpsons, is in — but another cartoon mystery has been solved.
Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins, a live-action prequel to the Hanna-Barbera cartoons and the live-action films that came out in the first half of the decade, debuted Sunday night on Cartoon Network, and it firmly places the locale of Coolsville, home to the meddling kids and their dog, in Ohio. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Movies • Television • Toons • Scooby-Doo | Post a Comment »
September 14th, 2009, 4:45 am by Chris "KeL" Adams
 Bruce Campbell (AP) There’s good news for fans of actor, author and all-around geek icon Bruce Campbell (”Army of Darkness”, “Bubba-Ho-Tep”). In a recent interview with Access Hollywood, he mentioned that Spider-Man 4 begins shooting in January and that he will have a “major part” in the film. Exactly what his role will be remains uncertain.
Campbell has certainly earned the role. He’s already staked out his place in Spider-Man’s cinematic world with notable cameos in all three of the web-slinger’s films to date. Spider-Man director Sam Raimi is a big fan of the actor. The two of them have worked together several times, going all the way back to 1981’s cult classic “Evil Dead.”
It may not sell many more tickets, but fans are sure to agree, whatever his role, more of Campbell can only be a good thing.
Posted in: Movies • Spider-Man • Bruce Campbell | Post a Comment »
September 11th, 2009, 3:11 pm by Jayson Peters
 Disney announced that Capt. Jack Sparrow will return in 2011 in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The news comes out of the inaugural D23 Expo in Anaheim, where Johnny Depp was there in person on a giant pirate ship — and our guest correspondent CactusCarl is dealing with strict mobile device restrictions. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Business • Conventions • Disney • Events • Movies • Pirates • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • D23 Expo • Horror • Nicolas Cage • Pirates of the Caribbean | 1 Comment »
September 9th, 2009, 1:21 pm by Jayson Peters
 The long-awaited new film adaptation of The Green Hornet started filming last week, but Nicolas Cage — who had been tapped to play a gangster — won’t be along for the ride.
According to Wired, Columbia Pictures and the actor were not able to come to an arrangement.
Michel Gondry is directing the movie, which stars comic actor Seth Rogen as the masked vigilante, Taiwanese actor-pop star Jay Chou as his chauffeur/sidekick Kato, Cameron Diaz (Charlie’s Angels, What Happens in Vegas), Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica), David Harbour (Revolutionary Road) and Tom Wilkinson (Valkyrie). The film is set for release on Dec. 17, 2010.
Posted in: Comics • Movies • casting • Green Hornet • Nicolas Cage | Post a Comment »
September 9th, 2009, 12:35 am by ebehrendt
MADCAP Theaters at 730 S. Mill Ave. in Tempe will be hosting this year’s International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival Oct. 15-18, 2009.
 This year’s inductees into the IHSFF Hall of Fame include Judith O’Dea, known for her role as Barbara in the George A. Romero 1968 classic zombie film Night of the Living Dead; Marilyn Burns who played Sally in the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Casper Van Dien, who is best known for his role as Johnny Rico in the 1997 science fiction classic Starship Troopers. The IHSFF Hall of Fame honors those individuals that have made a difference in Horror and Science Fiction film.
The three-day festival will include screenings of more than 50 films, including Donkey Punch, Friday the 13th, The Wizard of Gore, Rapturious, Tokyo Gore Police, Vampire Hookers, Ray Bradbury’s Chrysalis, Alien Raiders, The Blob, Hell’s Ground, Jerome Bixby’s The Man From Earth, Deadly Event, Farmhouse, Re-Animator, Farmhouse, Jerome Bixby’s The Man From Earth, Frazetta: Painting with Fire, Hell’s Ground, and of course The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The festival will also include parties, a gore girl competition, and discussions with filmmakers and directors.
For more information please call the Phoenix Film Festival at (602) 955-6444 or visit www.horrorscifi.com.
Posted in: Conventions • Events • Horror • Movies • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • MADCAP Theaters • Tempe • Zombies | Post a Comment »
September 8th, 2009, 2:16 pm by Jayson Peters
The blessings of the Valar are with us!
The heirs of J.R.R. Tolkien and the movie studio that produced the epic Lord of the Rings film trilogy have settled a lawsuit over profits that threatened to derail an adapation of The Hobbit.
 J.R.R. Tolkien The out-of-court resolution, announced Tuesday and reported by The Associated Press, will not only clear the way for the much-beloved and long-expected prequel, but will also benefit charitable causes worldwide. That’s because The Tolkien Trust, a British charity that manages Tolkien’s estate, is one of the main beneficiaries of the settlement.
Along with publisher HarperCollins, it sued New Line Cinema last year for profits from the 2001-03 movies, pledging to do whatever necessary to protects its rights, up to and including the revocation of the studio’s licensing rights.
Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth) is directing the two-part adaptation of The Hobbit, in which Bilbo Baggins goes on a quest to the Lonely Mountain with the wizard Gandalf the Grey and 13 dwarves, and along the way discovers the lost One Ring of Power that rises to such prominence in The Lord of the Rings.
Posted in: Hobbit • Movies • lawsuit • Tolkien | Post a Comment »
September 7th, 2009, 11:26 pm by Chris "KeL" Adams
 Could Disney’s recent four billion dollar acquisition of Marvel be bearing fruit already? That’s the latest rumor spurred on by a line in the most recent issue of “Entertainment Weekly.” In it, EW writes “Pixar is said to already be eyeballing an Ant-Man movie.”
With the right to so many of Marvel’s higher profile franchises tied up by other studios, it makes sense that some second-tier heroes would seriously considered at for their own films. And an “Ant-Man” movie has been in the works for a while now, with writer/director Edgar Wright wrapping up a second pass on the screenplay. While hardly strong evidence either way, this is more than enough to get fans buzzing (or whatever noise ants make).
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Comics • Disney • Movies • Pixar • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • ant-man • Marvel | Post a Comment »
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Anthony Daniels, who was the voice of C-3PO in all six Star Wars films and is now traveling the country with “Star Wars in Concert,” has added Twitter to his famed 6 million forms of communication. The British actor, who narrates the musical tribute to the saga at 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, uses the handle ADaniels3PO.
