Don’t try to conceal how wildly ecstatic you are over the forthcoming Birdemic 2: The Resurrection , “filmmaker” James Nguyen’s sequel to his micro-budget 2010 “classic” Birdemic: Shock and Terror . Weep, already. Don’t hold back — especially now that there is a teaser trailer. Nguyen’s no-mage to The Birds has acquired a slightly more contemporary spirit, invoking the post-credits scene from The Avengers despite apparently setting to rest Nguyen’s insistence that his sequel would be in 3-D . Like I said, weep, already . Anyway, these 30 seconds may be light on screeching avian terror, but they do quietly portend the barely watchable joys to come. [ Bleeding Cool via Filmdrunk ]
An amusing-looking (and harmless) independent film called Iron Sky is hoping to make some noise at Comic-Con. The noise they’ve picked is that of goose-stepping — a publicity march of hot women dressed as pseudo-Nazis marching around the convention this Saturday. And you can hashtag your pics, too! Iron Sky is a Grindhouse -y tale about Nazi descendents (led by Udo Keir!) living on the far side of the Moon , poised to invade Sarah Palin’s America. A little campy, but it’s in good enough fun, plus the special effects look remarkable for a low budget affair. So far my grandparents aren’t spinning in their grave. Oh, wait, my grandparents don’t have graves. They were incinerated. Anyway, Saturday at the Con, the producers of Iron Sky invite you to “Catch the hot Iron Sky army girls marching in full formation for photo ops in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter and outside the Convention Center Concourse.” Catch the hot IRON SKY army girls marching in full formation for photo ops in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter and outside the Convention Center Concourse on Saturday, July 14th from 8:30am to 7:00pm! Tweet your photo with the IRON SKY babe army #IronSky #ComicCon #SDCC and come visit the film’s official booth on the convention floor to claim your prize! Prove you found our army by showing us your photo on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and win some sweet IRON SKY swag! The Iron Sky trailer: A publicist confirms that Iron Sky ‘s “Army Girls” will, in fact, be dressed like the female character on the film’s poster – a Nazi invader played by actress Julia Dietze – and are meant to evoke the lost band of Aryans who, in the film, used rocket technology to wait out the post-war years. (Wernher von Braun you have some splainin’ to do!) Now, I’ve no doubt that the film’s producers aren’t dumb enough to have a gaggle of Eva Brauns jackbooting outside the Hilton Bayfront Hotel – surely the swastikas and Death’s Heads will be kept to a minimum. (A representative of distributor Entertainment One tells Movieline the Iron Sky marchers will be wearing military costumes, with armbands similar to the one in the poster bearing the film’s title treatment in lieu of a swastika/logo.) But if these babes lining up for TwitPics are actually secret “in-Universe” Space Nazis, isn’t that just a little bit creepy? And maybe the obfuscation makes it even worse? Maybe the CSU-Bakersfield dropouts who answered a Craigslist ad for “women with hairstyles that can be pinned to look 1940s/also likes crowds” will have no idea that the costumes they’ll be handed actually represents, you know, genocide? I mean, I get it. It’s the sort of marketing idea you spitball in a meeting, then, hopefully, someone quickly comes to their senses and says “Naaaaah.” I suppose we’ll just have to take a wait and see. I’ll be on the scene in San Diego, wondering where my sense of humor and sense of decency intersects. Follow Jordan Hoffman on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Star U.S. soccer goalie Hope Solo failed a drug test recently, but was let off with a warning after claiming she had no idea a prescription drug she took for “pre-menstrual purposes” contained a diuretic on the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list . She will be eligible to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. “Once informed of this fact, I immediately cooperated with USADA and shared with them everything they needed to properly conclude that I made an honest mistake, and the medication did not enhance my performance in any way,” Solo said. A sample of Solo’s urine collected June 15 tested positive for canrenone, a prohibited diuretic. But when Hope’s prescribed medication was found to contain canrenone in therapeutic doses, she was given a public warning, not a suspension. “As someone who believes in clean sport, I’m glad to have worked with USADA to resolve this matter and I look forward to representing my country at the 2012 Olympic Games in London,” the Dancing With the Stars alum said. Solo is one of 14 American athletes to receive a sanction under United States Olympic Committee’s anti-doping policies this year, according to the USADA. She is one of only three athletes to avoid suspension as a result. [Photo: WENN.com]
With all the casting chatter surrounding Catching Fire – Jena Malone! Philip Seymour Hoffman ! – let’s not forget about the movie that started it all. The Hunger Games comes out on DVD August 18, and the following teaser for the release takes fans behind the scenes with the film’s stars and teases the three hours of bonus footage you’ll receive if you purchase the box set. Watch now:
Jenny McCarthy is definitely one model turned actress that never seems to get old and here the blonde bombshell is accidentally (on purpose for the film of course) showing off her breasts for the paparazzi Continue reading →
Jenny McCarthy is definitely one model turned actress that never seems to get old and here the blonde bombshell is accidentally (on purpose for the film of course) showing off her breasts for the paparazzi Continue reading →
The adaptation process is always a tricky one, but Oliver Stone had to make some especially tough choices in editing his big-screen version of Don Winslow’s Savages – and as a result, scenes with Uma Thurman , one of his cast’s biggest names, were left on the cutting room floor. Paring down the book to tell the tale of two Southern California weed growers ( Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson ) going commando to get their kidnapped girlfriend ( Blake Lively ) back from the Mexican cartel, Stone (who adapted Winslow’s novel with Shane Salerno and the author) had to leave certain material out; at a rambling two-plus hour run time, it’s already crowded with languid scenes and a deep line-up of characters. Thurman joined the cast last year and shot scenes playing the Laguna Beach-dwelling mother of Lively’s rich hippie girl O (short for Ophelia). The character, a frequently absent multiple divorcee, is mentioned in the final cut but ultimately was snipped out in the name of ruthless editing. (There goes that Pulp Fiction Travolta reunion.) “Oh we cut a lot; the book is one hundred and twenty scenes. I think we only in a movie have 30 scenes to play,” Stone told journalists in Los Angeles of the sections of the novel whittled down and excised in the adaptation process. “We had to make decisions in script, we made decisions in the editing, we had to consolidate so much and there’s so many things different in the movie than the book, you have to read the book to understand that.” “We have some good deleted scenes that you’ll see one day that are fun, but they had to go,” he continued. Also apparently left on the cutting room floor are scenes of Benicio del Toro as cartel thug Lado at home with his family, including Mia Maestro as his wife – humanizing relationships that del Toro’s Lado mentions but aren’t seen in the film. So perhaps an eventual Savages extended cut/DVD/Blu-ray release will insert Thurman’s scenes back in; Lively says their scenes together help explain why O is the pot-smoking, perhaps reckless free spirit that she is. “Her mom is off with her eight different husbands,” she said. “It’s a shame that you will miss that, in the movie. It was really beautiful stuff with Uma Thurman, and I think it really told a lot more of how a girl could end up this way. She’s the modern girl. Divorces are so much more common now than they were. Love is very untraditional, and these are three people who don’t have a family, creating a family within each other.” Savages is in theaters today. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Summertime is blockbuster season, and with it comes the usual onslaught of promotional tie-ins. Naturally, The Amazing Spider-Man has generated its share of interesting merchandising partners. However, with great products come great risibility, and with over ninety promotional partners it was inevitable that some of the marketing would miss the mark. From odd adult eyewear to a line of cosmetics, take your pick of the items that failed in the goal to get your spending-sense tingling. Promotional Partners in Crime In this new era, with all the kids living on the inter-tubes, the concept of keeping the details of your film a secret is a dwindling enterprise. Directors endeavor to preserve the crucial plot points of their film, hoping those details can remain veiled with closed sets, limited script releases, performers signing non-disclosure agreements, and all manner of clandestine control of their intellectual property. That is why it becomes amusing when all these efforts become unraveled by unintentional reveals by the companies licensed to sell branded merchandise. (Obligatory spoiler-alert!) Up until last December the visuals of The Amazing Spider-Man ’s villain – The Lizard – had been a closely guarded secret. That is, up until a certain confection company released promotional materials for retailers. Suddenly the web was abuzz because everyone had a sense of how he would appear – courtesy of The Lizard Pez dispenser. A few months later key plot spoilers were discovered when construction-toy maker Mega Bloks released their tie-in play sets at an annual toy fair. Fanboys began drooling over the fact that key moments of the film were rendered via injection-mold plastic. One involved a mechanical battle frame Rhys Ivans would use to combat our hero, while another diorama exposed a battle at an underground laboratory. Yet another play set shows a climactic battle that ensues atop the Oscorp Tower. The addition of what were described as “S.W.A.T. Team Lizard” action figures tipped the hand of yet another plot detail. If you want to learn the details of upcoming films, go to aisle 8 at Toys-R-Us! “Ate” Legged Freaks Common among summertime blockbusters are the food tie-ins, and Peter Parker does not disappoint here. Kelloggs and Keebler together have forged a shopping cart full of products, from a disturbing-looking cereal to Cheese-It crackers to fruit snacks. The Spidey-branded Rice Krispy Treats not only get spider graphics on the box and wrappers, they’re comprised of industrially-dyed red pieces. These, I suppose are emblematic of the color associated with our hero. The end result is something… different ; the unwrapped product takes on more of a viral appearance that seems to make it more appropriate for a film like Contagion . Twizzlers candy has also joined the fray, using their licorice as more than a supplemental confection: They’re selling it as a key component in the Spidey universe. The eponymous hero is shown crouched on a web made of the candy, and even the film’s logo is rendered in red licorice. Better still is the corporate explanation, which tells us in a press release just how perfect Twizzlers complements the Spider-Man moviegoing experience: “Twizzlers Twisted Web! From the candy’s signature red color to its web-like characteristics, our iconic Twizzlers Twists are the perfect complement to sweeten fans’ movie experience.” That’s something for fans to bear in mind as they are about to breeze past the concession stand. And you thought deciding whether to see this in 3-D was going to be the big decision. Surprising among the numerous promo partners is that the fast food licensing rights went to the lesser franchise Carl’s Jr. (Burger King carries those rights in most Latin America markets). Now, before stampeding to a local burger joint for a collector cup there’s something to bear in mind. On July 4 the Carl’s Jr. restaurants offered their “Spider-Man Eats Free” promotion. This actually means that anyone arriving at the restaurant decked out in full Spider-Man attire in theory received a free Amazing Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger. To get a sense of who might show up, behold what the company envisions for its own lobbies. Across the Pacific we find our favorite niche territory marketing partner Jolibee has teamed up with Spidey. The Phillipine chicken magnate has once again offered up a collectors bird bucket – filled with its signature “Chickenjoy” – decorated in heroic graphics. Jollibee also offers a number of toy food promotions with our webbed hero, one of which makes me pause; the Spidey ring-toss toy has a rather curious design. Now, a better person may avoid mentioning this appears to display rectal violation of the web slinger, but amazingly I’m not better than that. Nor am I above noting how he seems to be enjoying things in this particular pose. Better to simply move on. Roll Your Eyes-Play It goes without saying that there are a crap-ton of toys associated with any given superhero film. One of the talked-about aspects of this reboot helps the kids out: In years past the tots had to contend with clunky web delivery contraptions to replicate the physiological spinnerets displayed in the previous three efforts. Now, even as the toys have not gotten better, Marc Webb ’s Spider-Man has Peter Parker employing a mechanical web shooter means the kids will have a much easier time getting their Andrew Garfield on. Variations in design involve these toys launching various media, from twine to rubberized webs, to water. Parents will especially cherish the “Silly String” version, which can stain household fabrics and requires rapid replacement of the “web fluid.” Among the action figures there’s one particular curiosity. Remember the scene in The Amazing Spider-Man where Spider-Man had to take to his dune buggy to battle an evil scourge? Of course you don’t remember, because nowhere in the franchise, nor the comic pantheon, does Spidey EVER get behind the wheel of such a conveyance. Despite that reality, your kids can relive the moment which never occurred. About the closest you can arrive to this object making any sense would possibly involve some random scene involving The Sandman from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 – and that is a monumental stretch. Why? Cos(play) You Can When you imagine the entire realm of the Spider-Man universe I’m certain the first thing to come to mind is an array of colored finger nail polishes. Cosmetic manufacturer OPI has released a line of lacquer colors in conjunction with the film. The hues range across the spectrum, with names that evoke the film. Number One Nemesis, Just Spotted the Lizard, Call Me Gwen-Ever, Into The Night, Your Web Or Mine, Shatter The Scales, and My Boyfriend Scales Walls. The last one, for the record, is white. All of them, for the record, make little to no sense. Footwear tie-ins for the kids are another commonality in comic book-based releases. The Amazing Spider-Man has generated quite a few different designs, but the most arresting has to arrive courtesy of Striderite. Not only does the design resemble the famed mask, but with each step the eyes flash. As the company states, “Your little super hero will feel like the real deal with light-up powers.” It’s a little difficult to gather, however, just how Spider-Man is particularly connected with the power of light. Clearly someone did their homework. So let’s say you’re near a group of shrieking 6-year-old harridans and they are all sporting shoes that strobe. The retinal damage one may incur is a potential threat, but you can ward off those rays from their Spidey shoes with this functional and entirely sane-looking set of Spider-Man glasses. Sure, you may run the risk of getting kicked out of the Chuck E. Cheese if caught wearing these, but let’s be honest here; you probably deserve it. Brad Slager has written about movies and entertainment for Film Threat , Mediaite , and is a columnist at CHUD.com . His less insightful impressions on entertainment can be found on Twitter .
Topics ranging from film finance, pitching, marketing, video on demand and micro-budget filmmaking are set for the American Film Market, taking place October 31 – November 7 in Santa Monica. AFM attendees from over 70 countries will take part in the AFM Conference Series, which takes place 9:15 – 12:45 daily from November 2 – 6. The AFM Conference Series launched in 2011 and sold out in its first year with more than 700 attendees at each event. “AFM is attended by industry leaders from more than 70 countries so the AFM Conference Series has a tremendous pool of experts and innovators to draw from.” said Jonathan Wolf, executive vice president of the Independent Film & Television Alliance and managing director of the AFM. “This makes the AFM Conference Series unique and invaluable.” Details on the events follow: The 2012 AFM Conference Series follows with information provided by AFM : Finance Conference, Friday, November 2 Leading CEOs, filmmakers, financiers and studio executives converge to explore the state of independent film financing, emerging trends, where the money is, new opportunities and incentives, and what the future holds. Pitch Conference, Saturday, November 3 A good pitch can get a bad film made and a bad pitch can leave a terrific project languishing on the shelf. Pitching is part art (it’s creative), part science (needs to follow a tight script) and part salesmanship. Conference attendees will first learn the essential rules and tools of pitching from the experts. Then, volunteers from the audience (you?) will pitch a panel of Hollywood decision makers. They will give unvarnished feedback on each pitch – saying what worked, what didn’t, and why. Warning: This session is not for the weak. Marketing Conference, Sunday, November 4 Connecting with and engaging the audience in authentic, creative ways is critical. Word-of-mouth and friend recommendations can make or break the box office results. The gurus behind the most successful and innovative new media marketing campaigns discuss reinventing the marketing wheel, explore how the consumer can be the most effective marketing tool and reveal how to win over the broadest possible audience. Video-On-Demand Conference, Monday, November 5 Video-On-Demand is a growing revenue stream for filmmakers and content providers. Like the excitement of a gold rush, many hope for a future when all films are available worldwide and every film finds an audience. Producers, distributors and platforms will come together to disclose who is making money, how they are doing it and what the future holds – separating fact from fiction. Micro-Budget Conference, Tuesday, November 6 New and unconventional financing, marketing and distribution resources are proving very successful for Micro-Budget films. Producers and distributors will reveal how to find the money, making the most of budgets, what distributors are looking for, reaching your audience and how these new tools are redefining the film business. The 2012 AFM Conference Series will be held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel (101 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica). For additional information, visit their website .
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