And now, from the brilliant (and perhaps insomniac) mind that brought you that supercut of Kickboxer featuring nothing but the kicking , wind down your week with The King’s Speech — featuring nothing but the stuttering. Or as they call it in Oscar-history circles, “156 seconds of infirmity that earned Colin Firth an Academy Award for Best Actor.” You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll squirm, etc. Happy Friday! [via thecussingchannel ]
So did all that MPAA ratings nonsense and media outcry pay off for Bully ? What do you think? Lee Hirsch ‘s film achieved the year’s best documentary opening to date with $115,000 on five screens in New York and Los Angeles — a $23,000-per-theater average that amounted to the best of the week by nearly $10,000 over The Hunger Games . But now that The Weinstein Company has to take its unrated baby out of the doc-friendly megamarkets and into the mainstream wilds, a new report suggests that Harvey Weinstein may be preparing to make the cuts required for a PG-13. Surprise! Per the LAT : The new cut of the teen-bullying film, which would minimize in some manner the profanities featured in a controversial schoolbus scene, would hit theaters April 13, when the movie widens to 25 markets, and allow children of any age to see it without adult accompaniment. The film, which centers on five families affected by teen bullying, plays in limited release in Los Angeles and New York this weekend. The Weinstein Co. denied that changes were being made now but allowed for the possibility in the coming weeks. “At this time, there are no plans to change the film for a PG-13,” Stephen Bruno, the company’s head of marketing, told 24 Frames on Friday. “We are in constant conversation with the MPAA and hope a compromise can be reached.” The MPAA has been steadfast that the existing cut wll not be given anything lower than an R. Hmm. Where have we seen this before? Oh, right . Also from the LAT : “I did that on The King’s Speech , and Colin and Tom killed me for it,” Weinstein said, referring to a new PG-13 cut for the 2011 Oscar winner, and to star Colin Firth and director Tom Hooper’s criticism of the move. That was another April gambit, for the record — after the R-rated Speech was already out of theaters with $134 million in its pocket. A little more than two months and $3 million later , kids didn’t want to see that either. Anyway, if you need any more evidence that all this “controversy” is just another hustle, then I can’t help you. [ LAT ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Unlike that clever, slightly creepy commercial for the Lots-O-Huggin’ bear that popped up on the internet on the eve of the Toy Story 3 marketing blitz, no one’s going to mistake this over-the-top Cars 2 viral video for a legitimate ad. If the hammy acting and the not-so-subtle use of CGI don’t tip you off, the fact that a user named DisneyPixar posted it on You Tube still give it away. But if you play ball anyway, you’ll get to see a minute of new footage from Cars 2 !
Come recess today, all the kids will be buzzing about how they went to the movies this weekend and became completely enamored with that underdog story of an unlikely royal heir overcoming the odds, even when war reared its ugly head. Yep, Hop totally killed it at the box-office this weekend. But it was also the opening weekend for ” the family event of the year !” So, how did the brand new, PG-13 version of The King’s Speech fare?
American Idol dished two hours of giddy theatrics last night: We started with an hour of Las Vegas auditions featuring Beatles songs (courtesy of the Cirque du Soleil rollerblading clown show Love ) and concluded with sixty minutes of the judges’ first Top 24 invitees. BREAKING : I loved American Idol this Wednesday. Let’s break it all down in the wrong order: We’ll start by discussing the five declared entrants into the Top 24 and conclude with our (my) feelings about the remaining hopefuls. EXCLUSIVE : Still don’t trust Robbie Rosen.
Has awards season become a tad repetitive for your tastes? Sure, the recent surge by The King’s Speech over The Social Network is exciting, I suppose, but at this point how many awards can we see Natalie Portman and Colin Firth win against basically the same competition before we all collectively throw up our hands and say, “OK, we get it. Can we just move on to the Oscars now? Or at least try something different ?” Here’s an idea: What if every single awards ceremony were important?
The news that CW starlet Blake Lively would be spending her Gossip Girl hiatus filming the independent film Hick , in which she will play a meth addicted single mother, shockingly came as no big surprise. The young actress has shown a somewhat remarkable ability in choosing smart projects while also balancing her required role as a pretty and promiscuous blond on a network television show. While her cast mates are playing bland boyfriends, 3-D victims and sociopathic college co-eds during their off time, Ms. Lively is quietly, and quickly, establishing herself as a movie star — much like Michelle Williams.
That greedy old Harvey Weinstein! With The King’s Speech dominating the Academy Award nominations and looking like the front runner in most major categories next weekend, one would think the man would be content. Alas, it seems like his strong grasp over the Oscars is no longer enough and he must seize control of every awards show there is. Thus, surefire future Razzie nominee Apollo 18 .
