News from screeninglog

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10 October 2008 10:22 PM, PDT

John Erick Dowdle's "Quarantine" hit theaters this weekend, and while I didn't exactly adore this horror flick, I have to admit it didn't turn out just as bad as I thought it would. The film is a remake of acclaimed Spanish movie "[Rec]," which still hasn't made it over here. Let's see what people say about the new version:

• Cinematical's William Goss: "After a numbing amount of scare-free studio offerings, a jolt or two is all it takes to please a genre fan, and there are defintely some fun jolts to be found scattered throughout the flick -- even if they are second-hand."

• Cinema Blend's Mack Rawden: "The camerawork is shaky. The glitz is non-existent. And the final product is remarkably average. This is what the horror genre has become."

Franck Tabouring

10 October 2008 9:48 PM, PDT

Besides keeping the world safe as James Bond in "Quantum of Solace" this November, Daniel Craig is also set to play a Jew who joins the Russian resistance to battle the Nazis in Edward Zwick's "Defiance." The latest full trailer for the war drama just popped up on the Web, and you can check it out below. Looks darn good!

Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell and George MacKay co-star. Zwick also directed "The Last Samurai" and "Blood Diamond." "Defiance" opens Dec. 12, 2008.

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10 October 2008 6:09 PM, PDT

Seen on: October 10, 2008

The players: Director: John Erick Dowdle, Writers: John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle, Cast: Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Columbus Short, Johnathon Schaech, Steve Harris

Facts of interest: Based on the Spanish original flick "[Rec]."

The plot: An infamous anti-American documentary filmmaker is visited by three ghosts who show him why there's no room for too much liberalism in the United States.

Our thoughts: Hollywood’s latest remake of a foreign film is “Quarantine,” based on Jaume Balagueró’s acclaimed Spanish flick “[Rec].” I haven’t seen the original yet and can’t comment on how similar the two movies are, but looking solely at the new version, I have to admit I’m decently surprised by the result.

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10 October 2008 8:41 AM, PDT

Last year, Ridley Scott gave us the excellent "American Gangster." Now, he returns to the big screen with "Body of Lies," a thriller starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Russell Crowe. In the film, DiCaprio play a CIA operative who forms uneasy alliances to uncover a major terrorist leader. Let's see what the Web's critics say:

• Katey Rich at Cinema Blend: "As a globe-hopping, us vs. them thriller, 'Body of Lies' isn't half bad, sprinkling in well-shot action and some moments of genuine suspense."

• Cinematical's James Rocchi: "'Body of Lies' provides few surprises, nor does it make the kind of bold statements or offer the kind of big-picture view that might raise the audience out of merely sitting in the dark to take in the spectacle."

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10 October 2008 8:40 AM, PDT

Younger audiences will likely have a good time watching "City of Ember" this weekend, Gil Kenan's family adventure about two teenagers who race against time to help the citizens of Ember escape before the city’s powerful generator breaks down and all the lights go out forever. Saoirse Ronan, Tim Robbins and Bill Murray star. Let's see what online critics have to say about the flick:

• Cinematical's Jette Kernion: "Caroline Thompson's script gives us strong main characters and entertaining supporting characters, but is a little light on story."

• Brian Orndorf at Collider: "'City of Ember' is a sci-fi fantasy film with forbidding apocalyptic overtones, extravagant set design, and an edge that mixes high-flying questing with significant ecological worry."

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10 October 2008 8:02 AM, PDT

Rebecca Mader and Stephen Lang are the latest to join the cast of Grant Heslov’s upcoming adaptation of “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Mader is best known for her role as Charlotte Lewis on television’s “Lost.” She also starred in “Justice.”

“Goats” is set in Iraq and follows a reporter named Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), who may be in for the story of his life when he encounters Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), a psychic solider who claims to be the result of the military experimenting with the paranormal.

The trade says Mader plays McGregor’s wife. Lang (“Public Enemies,” “Avatar”) is set to portray an intelligence officer. 

“The Men Who Stare at Goats” is based on a book by British journalist Jon Ronson.

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10 October 2008 8:01 AM, PDT

The cast is quickly growing for MGM’s remake of Alan Parker’s 1980 musical “Fame,” and here are the latest additions, according to the Hollywood Reporter:

Kristy Flores, Paul Iacono, Paul McGill, Naturi Naughton, Kay Panabaker, Kherington Payne, Collins Pennie, Walter Perez and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle.

Don’t worry if you’ve never heard any of these names. Also on board is Thomas Dekker of television’s “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” Debbie Allen, who starred in the original, is rumored to take on a cameo.

Just like the first film, the remake will focus on young performers trying either to get in or survive the school year at the prestigious High School for the Performing Arts in New York.

Kevin Tancharoen is directing the film, which was written by Allison Burnett and Aline Brosh McKenna. The trade says the project will start shooting later this year on a budget of $25 million.

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10 October 2008 8:00 AM, PDT

Filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona is set to direct Universal’s adaptation of David Moody’s novel “Hater,” according to Variety.

Glen Mazzara (“The Shield”) penned the screenplay, which focuses on an epidemic of violence perpetrated by ordinary people.

Guillermo del Toro jumped on board to produce the project, which marks Bayona’s English-language debut. Mark Johnson is set to co-produce.

Bayona most recently directed the excellent Spanish thriller “The Orphanage,” which picked up numerous film awards worldwide.

Bayone told Variety he finds the idea of a movie focusing on people’s fears in today’s world interesting. Production on “Hater” is set to kick off next year.

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10 October 2008 7:57 AM, PDT

Now that we know what the cover art of the DVDs look like, how about ordering Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” right now?

Although you won’t be able to hold a copy in your hands until Dec. 9, 2008, you can indeed pre-order the year’s biggest blockbuster over at Amazon. Yeah, you can do it right Now by clicking right Here.

Exciting isn’t it? The two-disc Blu-ray limited edition isn’t showing up yet among the pre-order options, but I’m sure they’ll add that later on. For now, place that order if you’ve got some money saved for this nice purchase.

The current domestic total of “The Dark Knight” stands at $525.8 million.

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9 October 2008 9:18 PM, PDT

Eric Bana is set to star in and F. Gary Gray is in talks to direct Millenium Films’ remake of French thriller “Le Convoyeur,” according to Variety.

The project is currently titled “Armored,” which may change because of another upcoming film bearing the same title.

The trade says the film follows a man who takes a job for an armored car company and ingratiates himself with his co-workers, who trust him enough to make him part of their heist plans.

Gray would direct a script written by David Ayer (“Training Day”) and Kevin Walker. The film is set for principal photography next spring.

Bana was last seen in “The Other Boleyn Girl.” His upcoming projects include Robert Schwentke’s “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and J.J. Abrams’ anticipated “Star Trek” reboot.

Gray last directed “Be Cool.” His helming credits also include “A Man Apart” and “The Italian Job.”

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9 October 2008 7:16 PM, PDT

Are you excited, "Twilight" fans? It's a big day for you all. If you're free tonight at 8 p.m. Et, be sure to come back here and check out the brand-new trailer for Catherine Hardwicke's vampire romance below. It will be available inside this widget, but we will post a better version of it later tonight as well.

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson topline the adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel. The film opens Nov. 21, 2008. See the widget right after the jump.

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9 October 2008 4:22 PM, PDT

A brand-new trailer for Olivier Megaton's upcoming action spectacle "Transporter 3" has just debuted online. Jason Statham reprises his role as Frank Martin, the crazy transporter who goes after the world's most ruthless criminals. Robert Knepper, Natalya Rudakova and François Berléand star.

Corey Yuen's first "Transporter" pulled $25.2 million here in the U.S., while Louis Leterrier's sequel "Transporter 2" brought in $43 million. It will be interestning to see how this third installment matches up against its predecessor. I say it will easily top those amounts.

Now check out this explosive trailer just below. "Transporter 3" hits theaters Nov. 26, 2008. Enjoy.

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9 October 2008 12:36 PM, PDT

Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx is in talks to star alongside Gerard Butler in Frank Darabont’s upcoming thriller “Law Abiding Citizen,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The trade says the script follows a successful assistant D.A. (Butler) who finds himself at the center of a vigilante plot hatched by a traumatized victim of the legal system (Foxx).

After finding out that one of his wife and daughter’s murderers will be set free via a plea bargain, Foxx’s character decides to take revenge against those responsible for the murders and the deal.

Darabont is directing a script by Kurt Wimmer, the guy who brought us “Equilibrium” and the disappointing “Ultraviolet.” Darabont’s latest was “The Mist.”

Butler, who was most recently seen in “Nim’s Island,” will next star in Guy Ritchie’s “RocknRolla,” followed by Robert Luketic’s “The Ugly Truth.”

Foxx, who picked up an

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9 October 2008 12:36 PM, PDT

Unless you’re someone who believes everything they say on television, you know you should never fully trust anonymous sources. Alert: big rumor ahead!

El Mayimbe over at LatinoReview says one of his studio sources told him who Warner Bros. is considering for the role of Hal Jordan in “Green Lantern.”

Tada! It’s Ryan Gosling, the dude from “The Notebook,” “Half Nelson” and “Lars and the Real Girl,” among several others.

What do you think? If this were to be true, would he be the right guy for this thing? Hal Jordan’s character was created by John Broome and Gil Kane in Showcase #22.

Gosling has several upcoming projects awaiting release, including Andrew Jarecki’s “All Good Things.”

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9 October 2008 10:26 AM, PDT

Alert! It’s only a big rumor at this point, but Hollywood Elsewhere says Josh Brolin may star in the big-screen version of John Albano and Tony DeZuniga’s graphic novel “Jonah Hex.”

Apparently, Brolin’s rep said the actor is not attached to the project, which is set up at Warner Bros. Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the creators of the “Crank” flicks, are set to direct.

So, who is Jonah Hex and what is the film about? Hex is a bounty hunter and gunslinger with a scarred face who, according to Hollywood Elsewhere’s source, tracks down a voodoo practitioner.

Apparently, the film version is a sort of sci-fi western featuring plenty of CG. That’s all we know (or think we know) at this stage.

Brolin most recently starred in “American Gangster.” He will next be seen as George W. Bush in Oliver Stone’s “W.” He

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9 October 2008 9:11 AM, PDT

The shabby horror thrillers just keep coming, don’t they? Wait, let me rephrase that. The shabby trailers for horror thrillers just keep coming. Although I’ll certainly give the flick a fair chance, the footage below doesn’t really promise us anything we haven’t seen yet too many times over the past years.

Directed by David S. Goyer, “The Unborn” follows a young woman (Odette Yustman) haunted by an unborn spirit. Gary Oldman, Meagan Good, Jane Alexander and Carla Gugino co-star. The film opens Jan. 9, 2009. Goyer most recently directed the mediocre “The Invisible.”

Enjoy the trailer (via MTV) right after the jump. And watch out for a short Matt Damon cameo. Can you spot him?

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8 October 2008 10:34 PM, PDT

I was just about to call it a night when I stumbled across this interview with cast members of Catherine Hardwicke's "Twilight," the highly anticipated big-screen version of Stephenie Meyer's popular novel.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are just two of the people talking to Et about the success of the book and how tough it was to star in an adaptation of a book so many people love so much. Anyway, see for yourself right after the jump.

The release date is approaching fast, and everywhere you look it's Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. I can't wait to see those box office results. The flick hits Nov. 21, 2008. Adios, I'm out...

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8 October 2008 4:59 PM, PDT

It's one of those "Twilight" days again, with plenty of goodies from the upcoming films appearing on the Web. FilmoFilia today posted eight new screenshots from Catherine Hardwicke's upcoming adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's ultra-popular novel. Check out one of them above.

For more pics from the upcoming vampire romance, click here. Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Nikki Reed, "Twilight" hits Nov. 21, 2008.

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8 October 2008 3:05 PM, PDT

The folks over at MTV posted the latest banner for Catherine Hardwicke's upcoming vampire romance "Twilight," which hits theaters Nov. 21, 2008. It's basically just an extended version of the poster we posted just a couple of days ago.

Doesn't Edward look kind of dead? Looks more like a zombie to me than a vampire. Uh-oh, I'm sure "Twilight" fans certainly don't appreciate such comments. Sorry about that, I just can't get too excited over a turbulent love story between a girl and a blood-sucking human bat.

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8 October 2008 2:35 PM, PDT

Yahoo! just premiered an extended trailer for Oliver Stone's upcoming George W. Bush biopic "W.," which bows Oct. 23, 2008. As you can see in the footage below, they merely added a couple of shots into the trailer that's currently shown in theaters.

"W." takes a closer look at the life and career of George W. Bush. Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Ellen Burstyn, James Cromwell, Richard Dreyfuss, Thandie Newton and Toby Jones star. 

Check out the trailer right after the jump.

Franck Tabouring

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