Speculation and excitement have been building among Quentin Tarantino fans for the Christmas-day release (in N. America) of Django Unchained , starring Leonardo DiCaprio , Samuel L. Jackson , Jonah Hill , Christoph Waltz and Kerry Washington . But for those Tarantino fans just jonesing for a Tarantino fix ahead of that roll out, Lionsgate and Miramax are teaming up on a massive Quentin Tarantino Blu-ray disc boxed set. There may be a bit of sticker-shock for some, but the $119.99 list price includes eight film in addition to two bonus discs with five hours of extras, according to Home Media magazine. The box set includes titles Reservoir Dogs , True Romance , Pulp Fiction , Jackie Brown , Kill Bill Vol. 1 , Kill Bill Vol. 2 , Death Proof and Inglourious Basterds . Critics; perspectives on the filmmaker’s films and a feature containing interviews with stars and other filmmakers dubbed “20 Years of Filmmaking” highlight the bonus material. [ Source: Home Media ]
The new Universal Soldier picture, the latest in the series about genetically-modified supermen raging against their government creators, is a curious exercise in cognitive dissonance; here you have an action flick high on gory, bone-crunching slicing and dicing and kicking and punching — everything star and Ben Affleck doppelganger Scott Adkins ( Undisputed II and III ) can possibly do to evoke oohs and aahs in 3-D in the serious-faced, beefy fashion of his ’80s and ’90s predecessors — and yet director John Hyams didn’t sound completely delusional this week at Fantastic Fest when he said his UniSol fourquel was influenced by David Cronenberg, Michael Haneke, and (yes, I see it, kinda!) even art house provocateur Gaspar Noe. Stylistically these references are obvious, even if they add little to the overarching point of Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning 3D . Hyams opens with a neat, tricksy sequence that sets up the plot (and makes the best use of 3-D) through the first-person POV of family man John (Adkins); forced to watch as masked intruders murder his wife and child, we see through John’s eyes as he’s beaten to near-death, the only lasting clue left in his brain being the stone-faced mug of Jean-Claude Van Damme (reprising his role as veteran UniSol Luc Deveraux). When John comes to in a hospital recovery bed with nothing but the lingering memory of that night, he sets out to put the missing puzzle pieces together, which leads him to a strip club and a dancer (Mariah Bonner) who seems to know him. Meanwhile, an agent nicknamed The Plumber (Belarusian MMA fighter Andrei Arlovsky) is activated to wipe out his own kind but is re-educated by a swaggering, confident ex-UniSol ( Dolph Lundren ) bent on spreading the gospel of his boss — Van Damme as cult figure, not a crazy stretch — who seeks to build an army of disgruntled Unisols into raging against The Man. Few elements of the Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning script make much sense (John’s line of vengeance-logic; The Plumber’s proclivity for wearing his plumber uniform everywhere he goes ), and the film meanders through some interminably long, wannabe noir-ish plot stretches to set up reasons for its stars to brawl and, y’know, grow back severed body parts. But Hyams satisfies where it matters — in his slashing, limb-severing, body-pounding action, and the physically impressive Adkins, a stunt performer turned leading man. Saddled with the tough job of playing a vacant-eyed man-machine with no memories and a vague sense of self, Adkins at least comes alive when he’s in his element. (A seemingly seamless single-shot sequence — beautifully and brutally choreographed, though stitched together via subtle CG movie magic — is one for the highlight reel.) Notably, Adkins, Van Damme, and Lundgren turn in far more compelling work than they did in their last film together, Expendables 2 , though maybe that’s not saying much. Van Damme, gloriously off-kilter in that picture, is a study of coiled restraint in Oreo cookie Apocalypse Now face paint; Lundgren might be at his career best – again, perhaps not saying much. In the least, and most significantly, Day of Reckoning should propel British martial artist/stunt veteran Adkins out of the niche genre world — action cinema’s Adkins diet? Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning hits VOD October 25, followed by a theatrical run November 30. Read more from Fantastic Fest . Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Almost as enduring as James Bond himself, Ernst Stavro Blofeld was a supervillain caricature even before Mike Myers turned him into Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels with a skull cap as Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers franchise. In his first two Bond film appearances, From Russia with Love and Thunderball, t he nefarious head of SPECTRE was shown only from the chest down as he stroked his white cat and, like Darth Vader, required two — at the time, uncredited — actors to play him: Anthony Dawson handled the body portion of Blofeld while Eric Pohlmann provided the voice. That changed in the 1967 Bond film You Only Live Twice when, in a dramatic reveal, Donald Pleasance became the initial face of Blofeld, although not for long. The appropriately fiendish looking Telly Savalas played the villain in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service ; then Charles Gray took over in Diamonds Are Forever to play multiple Blofelds thanks to a plotline involving the creation of dastardly doppelgangers through plastic surgery. (Cloning was not yet in vogue in the movies.) In the opening sequence of For Your Eyes Only , an uncredited character who is presumably Blofeld — the cat and the clothes certainly leave that impression — is finally dispatched by being dropped into a smokestack by Agent 007. As was the case with Blofeld’s first two cinematic appearances, he is portrayed by two actors: John Hollis (body) and Robert Rietty (voice). And yet, the baddie manages to make one more appearance in the independently produced Never Say Never Again, where he is played by Max Von Sydow. While you’re taking a break from trolling Bond chat rooms to see if Blofeld will return during the Daniel Craig era , vote for your favorite Blofeld. We’ve included even the minimal performances because we are completists at heart, and we know you are, too. If you haven’t voted for you favorite Bond movie, that poll is still open, too , and Craig’s debut turn in Casino Royale is currently winning. Take Our Poll Vote For Your Favorite Bond Movie Here . Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Intouch Magazine Post Mtv Video Music Awards Party Los Angeles September, Intouch Magazine Post Mtv Video Music Awards Party Los Angeles Septemberth Continue reading →
The results are in and Modern Family , Homeland , and Boardwalk Empire dominated at last night’s Primetime Emmy Awards . Now that Hollywood’s hottest have been honored, it’s up to Mr. Skin to salute the boob tube’s winners by revealing exactly where you can see them naked. The real trophy polishers are Claire Danes who won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Homeland , and Julianne Moore who won Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie for playing Sarah Palin in Game Change . More Emmy nudes after the jump!
Also in Monday morning’s round-up of news briefs, Toronto’s How To Make Money Selling Drugs is set for a U.S. release. Cloud Atlas , meanwhile readies for an IMAX release. And Perks of Being a Wallflower and Diana Vreeland open strong in the Specialty Box Office over the weekend. Cast Reunion of The Princess Bride Set at New York Film Festival Guests including Rob Reiner and cast members Billy Crystal, Cary Elwes, Carol Kane, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon and Robin Wright will come together for the 25th anniversary presentation of The Princess Bride at the 2012 New York Film Festival. The Academy and the Film Society are organizing the screening, which will take place Tuesday, October 2nd from a new 35mm print at Alice Tully Hall in New York. The Princess Bride 25th anniversary Blu-ray will be available October 2nd from MGM and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. How To Make Money Selling Drugs Heads to U.S. Theaters The film which had its world premiere at the recent Toronto International Film Festival has been picked up by Tribeca Film. Directed by Matthew Cooke, the provocative documentary offers an in-depth look at the high-stakes world of drug dealing and drug enforcement by blending authentic reportage with pop culture references. Tribeca Film plans a 2013 theatrical release day and date with on-demand platforms. Around the ‘net… Homeland and Modern Family Triumph at 2012 Primetime Emmys Homeland wins best drama at the Emmys Sunday night, ending the four year straight win of AMC’s Mad Men . Modern Family , meanwhile won best comedy. Both shows also picked up acting awards, as well as a writing prize for Homeland and directing for Modern Family , Deadline reports . Cloud Atlas Sails into Imax Theaters October 26 Based on David Mitchell’s best selling 2004 novel, the epic drama by the Wachowski siblings and Tom Tykwer will be digitally re-mastered and released in N. American Imax theaters October 26. The film stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Xun Zhou, Susan Sarandon and Hugh Grant, all appearing in multiple roles, THR reports . Perks of Being a Wallflower , Diana Vreeland Shine, The Master Shows Momentum: Specialty Box Office The overall box office still has a case of the doldrums but a couple of new specialty movies this weekend had robust openings. Summit scored with its rollout of The Perks of Being a Wallflower , averaging a stellar $61K. That’s the fourth best per-theater average of the year, Deadline reports .
This is a case of life imitating art, or maybe just both going full circle. An Italian man took a cue from the 2002 Steven Spielberg film Catch Me if You Can starring Leonardo DiCaprio and donned a pilot’s uniform, fake identification and gained access to at least one flight in a cockpit. Apparently the age of intense airport security failed to initially discover the faux-pilot, who posed under the pseudonym of “Andrea Sirlo” before being arrested at a bar in Turin Airport. In Catch Me if You Can , DiCaprio played U.S. con-man Frank Abagnale, Jr. who, among many things, flew more than a million miles on over 250 fights to 26 countries in the 1950s after he gained access to a Pan Am uniform and forged a pilot’s license. Abagnale, of course, pulled off the feat at a time when air travel was still in its infancy and security detail at airports during the time were significantly lax compared to today’s post-9/11 era. “I saw that film and I wanted to be like Frank Abagnale,” the Italian man known as “Sirlo” told police, according to The Guardian . Police were first tipped off after a civil aviation lieutenant told police he had met a man who described himself as a captain, but appeared too young to be a pilot. He had apparently created an I.D. with Germany’s Lufthansa Airlines and flew on at least one flight operated by Air Dolomiti from Munich to Turin as a third pilot. Dolomiti is owned by Lufthansa. The suspect created Facebook and Twitter profiles and several photos show him in uniform and sunglasses posing in front of aircraft. Following his arrest Friday, officials found more fake I.D. cards, uniforms, training manuals, and an airport staff parking permit. He’s been charged with “attempting to threaten air security and assuming a false identity.” Lufthansa gave no comment. “Sirlo” is the name of a flight corridor over Turin. [Source: The Guardian ]
Three new titles essentially scored the number one spot, but they topped a very anemic box office that did not have any titles score anything above $13 million. The top 10 added up to almost $73.5 million, a bit of an improvement over last week’s $65.36 million, but still slow. End of Watch grossed $13 million, on par for director David Ayer ‘s previous effort. House at the End of the Street also grossed $13 million, but in more theaters than Watch . And Clint Eastwood ‘s latest Trouble with the Curve bowed with just over $12.7 million. 1. End of Watch Gross: $13 million Screens: 2,730 (PSA: $4,762) Week: 1 The cop drama by David Ayer topped an otherwise unimpressive overall box office over the weekend, with a slow $4,762 average. The feature grossed a comparable amount to Ayer’s previous effort, Street Kings , which bowed in 2,467 theaters back in ’08, grossing just under $12.5 million. 2. House at the End of the Street Gross: $13 million Screens: 3,083 (PSA: $4,217) Week 1 The feature essentially tied with End of Watch as the weekend’s number one film, though its per screen average was slightly lower due to its larger screen number. Though atop the box office, it was nevertheless a rather anemic triumph. 3. Trouble with the Curve Gross: $12,720,000 Screens: 3,212 (PSA: $3,960) Week: 1 Clint Eastwood’s previous efforts, Gran Torino and Million Dollar Baby were limited release roll outs. His last wide release debut, Blood Work (2002) opened with just over $7.31 million in 2,525 theaters (not adjusted for inflation), so this latest turn appears to be a slight improvement. Still, it may be tight for this one to score the $100 million-plus lifetime theatrical gross of Million Dollar Baby or the $148 million of Gran Torino . 4. Finding Nemo (3-D, Re-release) Gross: $9,446,000 (Cume: $29,979,000) Screens: 2,904 (PSA: $3,253) Week: 2 (Change: – 43%) The Disney re-release remained on the same number of screens as its debut. In two weeks its cume as almost reached the weekend take of last year’s re-release of The Lion King 3-D, which grossed $30.2 million in its debut. 5. Resident Evil: Retribution (3-D) Gross: $6.7 million (Cume: $33,468,000) Screens: 3,016 (PSA: $2,221) Week: 2 (Change – 68%) Last week’s number one film crashed in week 2, adding just four more theaters. The title dropped a steep 68% in its second run. It may be a tall order for this Resident Evil to reach the lifetime gross of its 2010 predecessor Resident Evil: Afterlife . 6. Dredd (3-D) Gross: $6.3 million Screens: 2,506 (PSA: $2,514) Week: 1 Ouch, Lionsgate no doubt dreaded the grosses of Dredd this weekend. The feature pretty much tanked in its bow. 7. The Master Gross: $5 million (Cume: $6,055,883) Screens: 788 (PSA: $6,345) Week: 2 (Change: 579%) Last week’s record-breaking indie success boasted a PSA of $145,949 from five theaters. The Weinstein Company moved the title into 783 more theaters in its second round and the result was a solid showing and a spot in the top 10. As it continues to roll out, it should match or surpass Anderson’s previous effort There Will Be Blood , which grossed over $40 million during its theatrical lifetime in ’07. 8. The Possession Gross: $2,630,000 (Cume: $45,279,627) Screens: 2,598 (PSA: $1,012) Week: 4 (Change: – 54%) Last week’s number 3 film took a spill in its fourth frame, declining 54% from last week’s showing in 262 less theaters. This is likely the pic’s last appearance in the top 10. 9. Lawless Gross: $2,321,000 (Cume: $34,511,919) Screens: 2,614 (PSA: $888) Week: 4 (Change: – 47%) Last week Lawless ranked fourth in the overall box office and this is likely its final showing in the top 10. The title shed 449 theaters in its fourth weekend. 10. ParaNorman (3-D, Animation) Gross: $2,296,987 (Cume: $52,566,425) Screens: 1,617 (PSA: $1,421) Week: 6 (Change: – 26%) The animated feature lost 709 theaters compared to the previous week, but its overall gross was only down 26%. —- 23. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Gross: $244,000 Screens: $244,000 (PSA: $61,000) Week: 1 The feature easily scored the weekend’s highest screen average with a stellar $244K gross from just four theaters. It will be interesting to see how the Toronto ’12 title fares in expansion. [ Sources: Box Office Mojo , Hollywood.com ]
