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1-20 of 48 articles from 2008   « Prev | Next »

1 September 2008 1:10 AM, PDT | From Movie Jungle | See recent Movie Jungle news

Following our interview with Andrew Fleming and writer Pam Brady, we are joined by Steve Coogan. Rather well-groomed considering I've recently seen him in the film sporting a seventies hairstyle and donning a white robe. Coogan takes the role of Dana Marschz (a name tapped on throughout the film), a failed actor who's drama career includes illustrious adverts including being the frontman for Herpecol, a herpes treatment - I'm having herpes outbreak, but you'd never know it." His only salvation comes in teaching drama, staging oddball plays like "Erin Brokovich" with the aid of his two keen students Rand (newcomer Skylar Astin) and Phoebe Strole. When Erin Brokovich gets an appalling review by young column writer, the ever-impatient principal Mr. Rocker (Marshall Bell) closes down the program due to school district cutbacks. The only way to save the day is to write an original play and, you guessed it "Hamlet 2

31 August 2008 1:22 PM, PDT | From Movie Jungle | See recent Movie Jungle news

Are you open-minded and are keen to laugh yourself silly? Catch Andrew Fleming's "Hamlet 2," an uproariously funny comedy starring Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, David Arquette, Amy Poehler and Melonie Diaz. Fleming, known for his work on "The Craft" and "The In-Laws" co-writes alongside Pam Brady of "South Park" and "Team America: World Police" fame, a film that, depending on your frame of mind, you'd either completely fall in love with, or just won't watch due to its somewhat controversial nature... We have a chat with Andrew Fleming and writer Pam Brady about the Focus Features distributed film destined to be loved and loathed all at once. Brady and Fleming talk about David Arquette's character, a "caveman" type who was always a pretty quiet character, getting Catherine Keener to join and more...

30 August 2008 8:00 PM, PDT | From MoviesOnline.ca | See recent MoviesOnline news

What can I say about a film that brings to life an imagined sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet?  Well let's see.First I have to mention the fact that my faithful film companion and myself were the only two people in the theater.  I bring this up because I have a feeling that may be happening everywhere with this film.  Despite the great cast, I don't see people rushing out in throngs and standing online to see it.  And I would say that's about right.It did have it's moments, but I can't in good conscience recommend a theater viewing when this Summer offers so much more deservin...

30 August 2008 6:09 AM, PDT | From Rope Of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news

Nicole Parker didn't realize starring in Disaster Movie would ruin her career... She knows now.

Photo: Lionsgate I am starting to think the RopeofSilicon Oracle is throwing darts at a board. I will give him last week because it was a close one and Death Race disappointed slightly and House Bunny did better than many thought, but if current estimates hold out Laremy's pick for #1 will end up at ... (drum roll) ... #7. Gasp and shock and pick me up off the floor. Okay, it's not that big of a deal, but I think it has been four weeks since he got the #1 slot right including this week. Wanna know what film that was? Let's take a peek... First off, Babylon A.D. has performed well despite all the trouble surrounding the picture including problems on set, in the editing room, lack of publicity and a director that seemed to want to sabotage his own film.

Brad Brevet

29 August 2008 2:02 PM, PDT | From Cinematical.com | See recent Cinematical news

Filed under: Fandom, Contests, Insert Caption

Welcome back to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game that makes beer pong look like a visit to the dentist's office. Last week we asked you to rock our worlds and come up with your funniest caption for a photo from the new movie Hamlet 2. Needless to say, you delivered all that and then some ...

1. "Since the school won't teach you the theory of evolution, I have decided to teach it through the wonders of interpretive dance." -- Ryan S.

2. "...come on you guys I am very clearly a mailbox, I have never seen a group of people so horrible at charades." -- Dana C.

3. "When hunting rabbits you have to be vewwwy vewwwy quiet!" -- Chris R.

See full image and all captions

This week we really have something special for you kids going back to school. And when I say school,

Erik Davis

29 August 2008 10:31 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Five new movies are opening wide this weekend, the most ever released on a Labor Day holiday, but none of them is expected to displace Tropic Thunder from the top of the box-office list of winners, according to many box-office analysts. Fewer moviegoers visit their local theaters during the Labor Day weekend than during any other major holiday of the year, and this weekend is not expected to be an exception Only the two films that were released on Wednesday, Traitor and Hamlet 2, were screened for U.S. critics. The others were not, usually a sign that the studios that produced them have low expectations for them. Critics are suggesting that Disaster Movie will live up to its title at the box-office. The sci-fi thriller, Babylon A.D. has been rapped even by its director, Mathieu Kassovitz, who said that it looked like "a bad episode of 24." And College is expected to flunk out, perhaps not even landing in the top ten. Nevertheless, they are capping off a summer that produced far greater ticket sales than analysts had initially predicted. Overall, the box office is expected almost to equal last summer's record-breaking $4.16 billion.

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28 August 2008 7:03 PM, PDT | From Cinematical.com | See recent Cinematical news

Filed under: Comedy, Cinematical Seven, Remakes and Sequels

William Shakespeare left many of his plays appallingly open ended. Look at Malvolio in Twelfth Night -- he storms off, swearing revenge, and no one seems unduly concerned. Don John the Bastard in Much Ado About Nothing is left unpunished until the weddings are over, and probably escaped once his brother's back was turned. All's Well That Ends Well does anything but end well, with Bertram demanding a DNA test of his wife Helena. But even the most bloody and tragic endings have a little bit of wiggle room -- and as this week's Hamlet 2 proves, all you need is a device, Jesus, and a can do attitude! In honor of Sexy Jesus and time machines, here are seven Shakespeare sequels that could make the Bard turn over in his grave. (And who says English Literature degrees are useless?)

(#7 added in,

Elisabeth Rappe

28 August 2008 3:03 PM, PDT | From Cinematical.com | See recent Cinematical news

The unthinkable has happened -- Steve Coogan treaded on William Shakespeare's grave and created the super-saucy Hamlet 2. But as the film continues to expand its screening reach, I thought I'd go back in time -- way, way back in time, beyond many of the Hamlet films that have graced our Shakespeare-insatiable eyes.

The above film was not meant to be a comedy, but you have got to see the silent version of Hamlet above. The music alone is peppy enough for a dance, and I keep expecting some comedy troupe to pop up and wreak havoc in the scene. But this is the ghost scene from the silent, 1913 adaptation, so it's serious. Really.

Personally, I just love the part where the ghost pops up. Special effects have come a long way, eh? And for all of those actors these days who talk about the struggles of acting when

Monika Bartyzel

28 August 2008 2:09 PM, PDT | From Rope Of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news

#1 movie predicted correctly: 0 Weeks in a Row 1. Disaster Movie This weekend is all about who sucks the least. Or rather who the general public perceives to suck least. Because We all know this is probably the lead contender for terribleness. The only other possibility for the top slot is Babylon Ad which they aren't advertising for. So what can I do? Estimate: $13.7 million 2. Babylon A.D. I should get it put in to my contract that I don't have to project anything under $10m. That would give me most of April and August off. Estimate: $11.5 million 3. Tropic Thunder I was really pleased to see this win another weekend. But the "victory" only means so much, don't kid yourself, this one is being considered a failure by the studio financially. Which means we've doomed ourselves to more juvenile comedies meant for the lowest common denominator. Yay us! Estimate: $10.6 million 4. The House Bunny

Laremy Legel

27 August 2008 10:35 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

After five days in limited release, Hamlet 2 is opening wide today (Wednesday) but ticket sales for it are likely to be as lackluster as the reviews for it, analysts suggest. The movie follows the formula developed to scientific precision by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team who made the Airplane movies a generation ago: keep the jokes coming fast enough and the audience won't notice the bad ones because the good ones will keep them laughing. The problem with Hamlet 2, several critics seem to suggest, is that the bad ones outweigh the good. As Claudia Puig observes in USA Today: "Its sharply funny moments make its lack of consistency all the more evident. The movie ends up feeling like a collection of moments, rather than a coherent quirky comedy." Stephen Holden concludes in the New York Times: "It all adds up to the kind of bad family entertainment likely to raise only a few eyebrows." Many of the critics, even those who rap the movie mercilessly, at least give its star, British comedian Steve Coogan, high praise for his performance. Not so Kyle Smith in the New York Post, who says that he had been a fan of Coogan "until now." In this movie, he writes, Coogan mostly "makes silly faces and falls down frequently." As for the movie itself, Smith notes that "there's a long, long sequence in which a chorus of gay men sings "Maniac," which could have been funny if it had run 10 seconds instead of several minutes. Then there's another long, long sequence in which the same men sing 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight,' which is as redundant as Richard Simmons in drag."

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27 August 2008 1:55 AM, PDT | From toxicshock.tv | See recent toxicshock news

Take a look at the latest movie poster featuring actress Catherine Keener ( The 40 Year Old Virgin ) from the upcoming comedy “Hamlet 2″ by director Andrew Fleming (Nancy Drew) and starring Steve Coogan ( Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian ), Evan Adrian, Natalie Amenula and David Arquette (The Tripper). Plot: In this irreverent comedy, a failed actor-turned-worse-high-school-drama teacher (Coogan) rallies his Tucson, Az students as he conceives and stages a politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Stay tuned to Toxic Shock TV for the latest Hamlet 2 movie clips and trailers.

Brian Corder

25 August 2008 4:33 PM, PDT | From Cinematical.com | See recent Cinematical news

Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Independent, Romance, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Box Office, Cinematical Indie

The dog days of summer hit the indie box office this weekend, as the top earner was a film in its third week of release. Elegy, directed by Isabel Coixet and starring Ben Kingsley and Penélope Cruz, expanded from six to 92 theaters and grossed $5,546 per screen, according to estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo. The adaptation of a novel by Philip Roth has not been universally praised, but maintains a strong 74% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes. I can't help but conclude that Penélope Cruz is the art house crowd's answer to Megan Fox, because . . .

. . . Cruz also stars in Vicky Christina Barcelona (pictured), which made $4,339 per screen in its fairly wide (692 theaters) second week. Woody Allen's latest features other pretty people such as Javier Bardem and Scarlett Johansson, of course, and has very good reviews behind it,

Peter Martin

25 August 2008 11:03 AM, PDT | From Cinematical.com | See recent Cinematical news

Filed under: New Releases, Box Office

There were no big surprises at the box office this weekend. To officially ring in the fall, it was the first weekend since April when no film debuted to more than $20 million. The best opener was the tolerably-reviewed Anna Faris vehicle The House Bunny, with $15.1 million. Interchangeable Jason Statham Movie, a.k.a. Death Race, followed with an estimated $12.3 million -- among Statham's weakest showings and the worst ever for director Paul W.S. Anderson (not counting the indie Shopping, which played on one screen).

Neither The House Bunny nor Death Race could dethrone Tropic Thunder, which held up fairly well to stay on top with a $16.1 million second weekend. It looks to have better legs than Pineapple Express, and should pass that film before all is said and done. In other holdover developments: The Dark Knight fell to fourth, but should reach $500 million by

Eugene Novikov

25 August 2008 10:36 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Paramount/DreamWorks' Tropic Thunder was no big shakes at the box office over the weekend, but its estimated $16.1-million take was enough to land it in first place for a second week, as it held off Sony's debuting The House Bunny with $15.1 million and Ua's Death Race, which opened with $12.9 million. Another new film, MGM/The Weinstein Co.'s The Longshots, fumbled with just $4.3 million. Warner Bros.' The Dark Knight drew closer to the $500-million mark, dropping just 37 percent to $10.3 million over the weekend. Its total now stands at about $489 million. But the force was definitely not with Star Wars: The Clone Wars as it plummeted 61 percent to $5.7 million in its second week. Meanwhile, Focus Features' Hamlet 2 had a respectable debut at just 103 theaters, where it took in $435,294. It is due to expand to about 1,500 theaters on Wednesday. And Woody Allen's latest movie, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, from MGM/The Weinstein Co., dropped just 20 percent in its second week to $3 million at 692 theaters. Overall, ticket sales for the top 12 movies came to $88.4 million -- almost identical with the comparable weekend a year ago, according to Media by Numbers. However, attendance continued to decline. It's now off 4.5 percent from a year ago.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers:1. Tropic Thunder, $16.1 million; 2. The House Bunny, $15.1 million; 3. Death Race, $12.3 million; 4. The Dark Knight, $10.3 million; 5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars, $5.7 million; 6. Pineapple Express, $5.6 million; 7. Mirrors, $4.9 million; 8. The Longshots, $4.304 million; 9. Mamma Mia!, $4.303 million; 10. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, $4.1 million.

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23 August 2008 2:42 PM, PDT | From firstshowing.net | See recent FirstShowing.net news

His role as faux film director Damien Cockburn in Tropic Thunder was fleeting and forgettable, but Brit funnyman Steve Coogan is the sacrilegious heart and soul of Hamlet 2, a film as offbeat, laughable and endearing as the play it portrays. As the failed actor, Dana Marschz, who resorts to teaching high school drama in Arizona, Coogan is positively hysterical, beaming optimism at every obstacle - a disposition that nearly smacks of mental disability. Coogan's unique delivery and wit is something you'll either embrace up like Jesus' love - Coogan, after all, does play the messiah in "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" - or, like pleated khakis, it may not be your particular style. Hamlet 2 is arguably Coogan's coming out party, speaking strictly in terms of his stateside career. The comedian has been around for some time across the pond, but largely has gathered small roles domestically - literally, as

Kevin Powers

22 August 2008 5:14 PM, PDT | From FilmSchoolRejects.com | See recent FilmSchoolRejects news

At the San Diego Comic-Con this year, I had a chance to interview writer Pam Brady, director Andrew Fleming and star Steve Coogan from the Sundance hit Hamlet 2. The first question I had for Coogan was, “Have you no shame?” Fortunately, the guy doesn’t. It is his commitment to do ...

Kevin Carr

22 August 2008 3:03 PM, PDT | From Cinematical.com | See recent Cinematical news

Filed under: Comedy, Interviews, Cinematical Indie

Steve Coogan, 42, is perhaps best known for his TV persona, the part-arrogant, part-clueless sports announcer Alan Partridge. And though Coogan could go on playing him forever, he has instead used his budding American film career to branch out, try different things. His collaborations with "serious" director Michael Winterbottom were a good start; 24 Hour Party People (2002) and Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2006) earned rave reviews here in the States. He appeared opposite big stars such as Jackie Chan (Around the World in 80 Days) and Ben Stiller (Night at the Museum, Tropic Thunder) and answered the call of a handful of cult directors, making small appearances in films by Jim Jarmusch (Coffee and Cigarettes), Sofia Coppola (Marie Antoinette) and Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz).

His name appears alone above the title of his new film, Hamlet 2, in which he plays Dana Marschz, a washed-up

Jeffrey M. Anderson

22 August 2008 2:02 PM, PDT | From Cinematical.com | See recent Cinematical news

Filed under: Fandom, Contests, Insert Caption

Welcome back to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game where we definitely rock it with sexy Jesus all night long. Last week we asked you to strap in Statham-style and race to be the first one to knock us over with a caption for an image from the flick Death Race. Congrats to all three of our winners -- your thirst for speed, prison humor and bald men is quite inspiring to us all.

1. "You sank my battleship!!" -- Jason F.

2. "Unfortunately, the Death Staring Contest proved unpopular." -- Dan N.

3. "In the prisons of the future, its all about survival of the baldest." -- Ben K.

See full image and all captions

This week we're trading in our set of death wheels for a little fun with the theater kids as they rock it out in the new comedy Hamlet 2.

Erik Davis

22 August 2008 1:43 PM, PDT | From toxicshock.tv | See recent toxicshock news

Focus Features released another funny movie poster from the upcoming comedy “Hamlet 2″ by director Andrew Fleming (Nancy Drew) and starring Steve Coogan ( Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian ), Evan Adrian, Natalie Amenula and David Arquette (The Tripper). In this clip Dana Marschz played by Steve Coogan tries to fit an apple into a power juicer. Plot: In this irreverent comedy, a failed actor-turned-worse-high-school-drama teacher (Coogan) rallies his Tucson, Az students as he conceives and stages a politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Stay tuned to Toxic Shock TV for the latest Hamlet 2 movie clips and trailers.

Brian Corder

22 August 2008 10:34 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

This weekend, the box office becomes a dumping ground for movies the studios had low hopes for when they developed their schedules. The end of August and the beginning of September are typically the most lackluster time of the year for ticket sales, and this year should prove to be no exception. Despite the fact that four new films are opening wide (one of them, The Rocker, opened on Wednesday), not one is expected to crack $20 million. Most analysts expect Focus Features' thriller Death Race to win the weekend race with about $14-17 million. Its primary competition will come from Sony's comedy The House Bunny, which will likely end up in second place with $12-16 million. But both 20th Century Fox's The Rocker and MGM/Dimension Films' The Longshots will struggle to make it into the top ten, forecasters say. Each is expected to earn only $5-7 million. Many analysts are keeping an eye on Focus Features' Hamlet 2, which is opening in only about 100 theaters this weekend with hopes of building word-of-mouth excitement for its wider opening next Wednesday at about 1,500 theaters. The film received much praise from critics earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. (Full reviews of the movie will appear here on Wednesday)

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