1. Sacha Boren Cohen has started his own production company to do two more films, but they won’t be in the style of Borat and Bruno. After Bruno, all I can say is “thank God.” His next movie will be Accidentes, a comedy where he plays a lawyer.
2. Dan Akroyd returns to a leading role! He’ll be voicing Yogi Bear, while Anna Faris will play a nature documentarian who tags along for the ride. Justin Timberlake is rumored to be in talks to voice Yogi’s pal Boo Boo.
3. J.J. Abrams continues to be busy. He’s in talks to direct the TV pilot Undercovers, his first TV directing job since he did the pilot for Lost. I’m sold.
4. Sam Worthington is out of The Tourist, about an Interpol agent, along with its director, and Johnny Depp and Alfonso Cuaron are in talks to replace the two. Angelina Jolie is still attached to co-star.
5. Steve Guttenberg seems overly enthusiastic about sequels to his 1980’s properties (I wonder why). He confirmed Three Men and a Bride is moving ahead, of which he said, “That’s going to be a smash. A smash hit.” He also said new sequels to Police Academy and Cocoon would be “surefire hits and I think they’re good for the world. They make the world a better place and that’s what it’s all about.” Um… yeah. Whatever you say, Mr. Guttenberg.
6. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will be co-hosting the 82nd Academy Awards. Baldwin… perfect choice.
7. Kevin Williamson said he’s hard at work writing the script for Scream 4, and said that while that movie will star the original cast members, he’ll also be introducing new cast members who could headline future Scream movies. Uh-oh.
8. I spoke too soon about Robert Zemeckis returning to live-action, dammit. The director who seems intent on ruining his career has announced that the “live” actors in the Roger Rabbit sequel will be filmed using his motion-capture technology and 3D, while the cartoons will remain two-dimensional. So now the whole bloody thing is going to be a creepy cartoon. Somebody slap this director now! Jesus f**king Christ.
9. All the major studios and some production houses are salivating after the announcement that the Terminator franchise, one of the few not owned by a big studio, is being put up for auction.
10. Comic book writer, responsible for creating the works that resulted in such film adaptations as Wanted and Kick-Ass, announced that he will be directing a superhero feature of his own. However, he refused to say what that film would be just yet.
11. If you don’t get enough destruction in next weekend’s blockbuster 2012, it was announced that Roland Emmerich and the film’s producer are working on a television series about the aftermath. Take one damn guess what it’ll be called.

• Robert Zemeckis announced that a script, by the original writers, is in the works for Roger Rabbit 2. Ironically, a movie that stars a cartoon may be his first movie in a long while to feature live-action actors.
• Eduardo Sanchez announced some troubling news: he is preparing to pitch a spec script to Lionsgate for a sequel to The Blair Witch Project. Though he plans to ignore the disastrous second film, this still sounds like a desperate money play.
• John Rhys-Davies said he won’t be returning to The Hobbit as Gimli, which makes sense since Gimli isn’t in the book. He said he would like to return as an elf or another character, though.
• A production company has acquired the rights to remake Gattaca, which starred Ethan Hawke, as a futuristic police procedural on television.
• Anthony Hopkins will play Odin, father of Thor, in the upcoming Marvel action film.
• Tropic Thunder screenwriter Etan Cohen has been hired to write Men in Black 3.
• Mad Max 4: Fury Road is moving ahead with Tom Hardy in the role once played by Mel Gibson. Charlize Theron will co-star.
• With a bunch of other projects in the pipe, J.J. Abrams will unfortunately not direct Mission: Impossible IV. He will produce the project, however, and said that the story will not be a reboot.
• Producer Stephen L’Hereux said that the long-rumored Sin City 2 may finally go to cameras in the second half of 2010, to be directed by both Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller.
• It looks like a Monsters vs. Aliens sequel won’t e happening, due to lackluster international reception. Other than being in 3D, the movie really wasn’t that good.
• Director Peter Berg has dropped out of doing Dune, and rumors put Neil Marshall or Neill Blomkamp as possible replacements.
• Shortly after announcing that Matt Damon and Josh Brolin would star in the Coen brothers remake of True Grit, the famed directors stated that the movie would follow the novel more closely, bringing to life some of the humor that “was lost in the original.”
• Joe Wright will direct Kiera Knightley in a remake of My Fair Lady.
• 
  

1. Paranormal Activity beat out Saw VI at Friday’s box office. Saw’s box office reign may be over, as it is likely to take in under $20 million this weekend (compared to last year’s $30+ million opening).
2. Mad Max 4: Fury Road is finding traction, but without Mel Gibson. Rumors have the George Miller sequel starring Charlize Theron and Sam Worthington. I want Worthington’s agent.
3. Daniel Craig says Bond 23 will start filming near the end of 2010. In that time, one hopes they figure out how to make it more like Casino Royale and less like Quantum of Solace.
4. Wes Craven may actually direct Scream 4, which is not too surprising, and it may in fact be in 3D.
5. Roman Polanski is facing extradition, as the United States has filed an official request with the Swiss government.
6. Dylan Baker is returning for Spider-Man 4. Baker plays Dr. Curt Conners, who goes on to become The Lizard, a villain.
7. Neill Blomkamp, who directed District 9, has started work on his next sci-fi film. The movie will have a modest budget, but will likely be higher than the $30 allotted for the summer hit.
8. Rumors surfaced that George Lucas may be preparing to produce a new Star Wars trilogy in 3D, with such directors as Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola to direct. As expected, those rumors turned out to be false, as LucasFilm denied they were working on any such films.
9. David Duchovny said he’d be open to doing a third X-Files movie and defended the dreadfully boring second film. He said he’d like to return to the alien mythology, though whether the movie ever gets made is another matter.
10. Apparently, the screenplay for The Crow remake has been well-received by its studio and is now shifting to the casting stage.
11. Ridley Scott and Angelina Jolie may be teaming up to bring the murder of Maurizo Gucci and the drama of the designer family to life in Gucci. Apparently, Leonardo DiCaprio has been approached but is currently not attached.
12. The hit Broadway show Rock of Ages will come to life under the watchful eye of Hairspray director Adam Shankman.
13. The Weinstein Co. is planning to reboot its tired Scary Movie franchise with all-new characters, which likely means that star Anna Faris will no longer be involved. They’re waiting for Scream 4 before starting.
14. Jude Law and Robert DeNiro are rumored to be in the upcoming Thor movie.
15. Jackie Earle Haley was recently rumored to play Sinestro in the upcoming Green Lantern movie. Haley shot down those rumors, but let’s hope they come true anyway, because he’d be perfect for the role.
16. Laura Dern will play the headmistress at the school where Ben Stiller’s Little Fockers attend.

1. Sam Raimi acknowledges and agrees with criticism toward Spider-Man 3. Says he’s “to get back to the basics” with Spider-Man 4 (set to be released in 2011)
2. Che, which was originally released in December 2008, is finally coming to DVD – but not until January 19, 2010. It will be released as one movie versus its two theatrical parts.
3. The rumor mill is circling Beverly Hills Cop 4; one source says the studio is looking to hire a new writer to start over from scratch, and another says they’re looking to adapt an unrelated spec script. Yet another says that Judge Reinhold and John Ashton will reprise their roles, but conflicting reports say no casting has been decided.
4. The president of the National Association of Theatre Owners said his members were “ballistic” over Paramount’s decision to release such films as G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra to DVD only 88 days after its theatrical release. Most people are ballistic that the movie is coming to DVD at all.
6. The documentary Michael Jackson: This Is It is selling out on Fandango, even though its release is two weeks away. And yet, concert promoter AEG’s claim that the film will make $250 million in five days seems a bit steep.
7. Jon Favreau said he won’t be directing The Avengers, but he will be a producer.
8. Chris Pine (Captain Kirk in Star Trek) more than likely will be the next Jack Ryan, following in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and yes, Ben Affleck.
9. Roland Emmerich is considering doing Independence Day 2, though it hinges on Will Smith’s involvement.
10. Bryan Singer says he’s open to directing X-Men 4. Fans everywhere hope that he can wipe away the memory of the third film – and Wolverine.
11. The screenwriter of Saving Private Ryan has been tasked with writing a Warcraft movie.

But it’s funny that these same studio execs – and several filmmakers – believe that 3D is the future of film. It is so clearly a fad it’s almost pointless wasting breath on it. Yes, movies are making more money than ever thanks to 3D – a nifty gimmick that allows theaters to charge $3-$4 of what I presume has to be near-pure profit. But, it’s still a gimmick. And everyone tires of gimmick.

After a trickle of 3D movies over the last year or two, the spring and beyond has delivered a deluge of 3D films to a point where, in less than a year, the thrill is fading. I must admit I went to go see My Bloody Valentine 3D for one reason only, and that’s the 3D; the movie was pretty bad, but the 3D was fun. I saw Monsters vs. Aliens 3D for one reason, the 3D. The movie was OK, but the 3D was excellent. I then went and saw Up in 3D; it was a great movie with so-so 3D. Now, it’d have to be a really captivating movie to draw me to a 3D theater… if a movie is good, it’ll be good; if it’s bad, I’d rather not spend an extra $3 to watch it.

By next year, the “benefit” of 3D will have faded; families are already getting jaded by the amount of kiddie films in 3D; older audiences are losing interest as well. Sure, it’ll provide boosts for months to come, but those boosts will fade over time. After a while, the effect will be minimal, and studios will abandon 3D altogether. It happened before with 3D, and it will happen again.

But that’s not what this article is about. This article is about rumors that Titanic will bere- released in 2010 in 3D. Kids’ movies I can understand. Horror movies I can understand. Cheesy movies I can understand. Dramas – especially Oscar-winning dramas – I do not. Sure, there are a fair amount of special effects in Titanic, but other than a few scenes, will it really be worth seeing the film in three dimensions (other than seeing Kate Winslet’s boobs in 3D)? No. If anything, 3D cheapens a film – it doesn’t enhance it – and even more so with dramas. Don’t do it, Mr. Cameron. Don’t do it.

We’re already seeing Disney-Pixar re-release its famed Toy Story and Toy Story 2 movies, but at least those are kid’s movies, the genre that most easily transfers to 3D. But beyond Titanic, according to Lightstorm Entertainment insiders, Terminator 2: Judgment Day has already been screen tested in 3D. Awesome action movie. Will it benefit from 3D? Highly unlikely.

Hopefully the 3D fad will die sooner than later so that Titanic 3D never makes it to the big screen; we’re already being inundated with unoriginal remakes – why should the market be further clouded by movies we’ve already paid to see? It’s silly, and Hollywood has got to stop.

“The story for the new Indiana Jones is in the process of taking form. Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and myself are agreed on what the fifth adventure will concern, and George is actively at work. If the script is good, I’ll be very happy to put the costume on again.”

Of course, two things have to concern fans: George Lucas is “actively at work” and “if the script is good.” Lucas, Spielberg and Ford, three of the biggest names in Hollywood, proved that they don’t necessarily have the eye for what is a good script when Indy is concerned. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, while entertaining at times, devolved into a silly mess in its final act and almost overnight established the term “nuking the fridge” to mean a ridiculous, film-ruining scene.

Nevertheless, I’m excited for another Indiana Jones. It’ll give the three men a chance to redeem themselves, and I have hope that they will have learned from their mistakes (or, at least, Spielberg will have). Spielberg is one of the most consistent directors in Hollywood – if not the most consistent director – and it would be unlike him to have two missteps so close together.

What do you think?

The movie is a 20-minute short film about – yes, you guessed it – a bookie (Ken Quitugua) who decides to put his neck on the line to save the bar girl he loves (the absolutely gorgeous Angela Adto), despite the fact that they both work for a not-so-nice gangster. Set in the 1960’s, Bookie is surprisingly realistic and entertaining. It’s well-written and acted, which is somewhat rare for a short film. Most impressively, the direction is excellent; watching the film – a Hollywood-looking flick made for pennies – I thought to myself, “This guy is going somewhere.”

He hasn’t made it big yet, but he has won a variety of awards for Bookie; it’s played in a variety of festivals, including the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). Furthermore, Bao Tran was recently profiled and interviewed in the latest edition of Seattle Magazine – read the article now.

Furthermore, you can watch this great little film – Bookie – right now:

Enough for tirades, though. The summer was host to some surprising hits (Star Trek, The Hangover, The Proposal) and some shocking failures (Land of the Lost, Terminator: Salvation) and a few major disappointments (again, Terminator: Salvation and X-Men Origins: Wolverine), so it’s only fitting that we look back on the last four months and praise the movies that were actually worth the price of admission. The best movies of the summer were:

1. (500) Days of Summer
   This unique “romantic comedy” defied its genre and delivered something truly… well, unique. Funny, edgy, dramatic, lighthearted and believable all at once (even though it includes a dance number with cartoon blue birds and marching bands), (500) Days of Summer is the perfect date movie: guys will love it just as much as women, if not more so, and yet it doesn’t rely on raunchy comedy at all. There were a lot of great films this summer, but this movie’s ability to exceed expectations and do it so effortlessly makes this one the best movie of the summer.
2. Up
   Pixar can do no wrong, apparently. Though DreamWorks has been able to match them financially for a couple years now, their chances at Oscar gold are no better off than they’ve ever been as Pixar continues to make engaging, emotional and entertaining films that could just as easily compete with live-action dramas. For a studio to constantly appeal to children and adults alike so effortlessly is a feat. Up is one of the best movies ever created by the studio that continues to “up” its game each and every year.
3. The Hurt Locker
   We’ve seen a resurgence in war movies over the last year with the likes of Valkyrie and Defiance, but modern-day films set in Iraq have yet to click with audiences. Financially that is. The Hurt Locker struggled to make much money this summer, but it did what few other Iraqi-focused films have done in recent years: it confirmed that it was undeniably good. This incredibly tense war film, about a team of bomb-defusing specialists, is exceptional and should find a solid audience on DVD.
4. Away We Go
   Sam Mendes should never be underestimated. One of the best directors of the decade, Mendes turns his attention to indie comedy for the first time. Away We Go looks and feels nothing like his other films (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Revolutionary Road); the movie skips from one segment to the next, enveloped in sincere, laugh-out-loud humor and heartfelt emotion. Johsn Krasinski (”The Office”) and Maya Rudolph both turn in exceptional performances, and the supporting cast (which includes Maggie Gyllenhaal as a psychotic hippie who has sex with her husband while her children are in the room and believes strollers are evil) is pitch perfect. The movie itself is consistently entertaining, funny and surprisingly emotional.
5. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
   The latest Harry Potter is one of the best of the franchise, a series that has, by and large, been critically successful anyway. The Half-Blood Prince is the darkest yet, but the filmmakers still managed to fill it with teen love and plenty of laughs. The movie is legitimately entertaining, even if it barely has a plot. OK, that may be unfair, but for a movie that is essentially designed to set up the battle that is to come, it is nearly pitch perfect.
6. Star Trek
   This May, J.J. Abrams did what few thought was possible: he made Star Trek popular again. Never before had I seen my female friends wanting to see a Trek film, nor the general excitement toward the picture. This film is proof that if you make a good movie and promote it effectively, good things will happen: it’s one of the summer’s biggest films, despite the fact the previous entry in the franchise opened to a paltry $10 million a few years earlier. Star Trek wasn’t a perfect film, but it was highly entertaining, and whenever the sequel rolls around, the sky is definitely not the limit.
7. The Hangover
   The biggest success story of the summer, this $35-million film with no major stars opened huge and went on to make over $250 million. The movie, while not the funniest film in recent years, is still more than funny enough; The Hangover has a great blend of memorable scenes, hilarious moments and an engaging concept, all of which evoked strong word of mouth. A sequel is already in the works.
8. Inglourious Basterds
   The long-awaited Quentin Tarantino WWII film turned out to be worth the wait. Though it offers up little action, which was a bit disappointing, Tarantino once again delivers on the dialogue. Scene after drawn-out scene are crammed with delicious, nail-biting dialogue and excellent performances from the eclectic cast. Even non-Tarantino fans may find something to like here.
9. District 9
   Another film to benefit from word-of-mouth was the $30-million sci-fi action film District 9, about aliens in an apartheid-esque situation in South Africa. Though it wasn’t everything I was expecting it to be, it’s still a slick, well-made picture with an explosive finish. Once again, the question is raised: why do some films costs $200 million to make when you can make a comparable film for only a fraction of the price?
10. Drag Me to Hell
    Sam Raimi, best known for directing the three Spider-Man films, returned to his roots with the absurdly funny horror flick Drag Me to Hell, about a bank employee who finds herself cursed by a gypsie woman and doomed to eternal burning in the pits of hell. The movie has its scary moments, but it succeeds by being pure entertainment; it’s fast-paced, funny and delicious. If you didn’t catch it in theaters – and judging by its box office performance you probably didn’t – definitely pick up a copy on DVD.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to see the documentary The Cove yet, awell-reviewed film that more than likely would have made this list if… well, if it was available to see around here.

[NOTE: this article had been modified since it was first published. Having just seen Away We Go, I removed Public Enemies from the list. I also moved Inglorious Basterds up from tenth place to 8th place]

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is in Italy today signing autographs and walking the red carpet to see Oliver Stone’s new documentary South of the Border, which is about Chavez and his strained relationship with the United States.

“What’s happening in Latin America is like a Renaissance,” Chavez told reporters, according to a Reuters article.

It’ll be interesting to see if this movie gets any play in the U.S.; South of the Border is actively selling to distributors in Europe and Latin America, but there’s little love to be found for Chavez here. To me, the guy seems like a crackpot, a dictator wannabe who could very well be if things go his way. History has shown us plenty of men who “fought for the people” only to become their own worst enemy, and many of the things Chavez has done “for the people” in Venezuela are, when all is said and done, not good moves. Sure, my disdain for the man is based on his caricature in Western media, but even with that bias taken into account, I can’t see how this man is good for his country. Basically, as soon as a president attempts to alter the constitution to allow him to remain in power indefinitely, he has destroyed any credibility he once had.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see Stone’s viewpoint on the man – and the reactions the film receives in the United States. According to an article published today in Variety, Stone set out to challenge the negative image of the man – whether he actually does so remains to be seen. Stone told Variety:

“I didn’t just want to do a denigration of what the American media says about him. I wanted to take it further and go to seven or eight presidents and ask their views on Chavez. That’s how it became a bit more of a road movie, going from country to country. All these leaders end up coming down favor of Chavez.”

The bigger question: will Chavez’s bloated ego allow him to enjoy the film?

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra

Now, Paramount has sealed the deal: they announced that the film will not be screened for critics. Before you defenders go on to say that critical reviews don’t matter for films like this, realize that this is an incredibly strange and unusual move to take regarding what would theoretically be described as a summer tentpole release and potential franchise starter. Some horror movies don’t screened for critics, but rarely, if ever, do any kind of major films do so unless they have something to hide.

We can all see what has been made of this cherished product in the movie trailers, but Paramount’s move is the kiss of death. Frankly, for a movie with so much negative buzz surrounding it, not screening the film for critics may actually be more damaging than not. The movie is going to crash and burn after the first weekend anyway – when reviews generally don’t matter as much – so you might as well gamble and hope that a few critics give it favorable notices.

All I can say is: wow.