A busy weekend of awards-driven screenings greeted Hugo director Martin Scorsese, including Q&A s hosted by Paul Thomas Anderson and James Cameron — the latter of whom reportedly called the sweeping 3-D family flick a “masterpiece.” “‘[F]inally there is a Scorsese film I can take my kids to,'” Cameron was quoted as saying by Pete Hammond, who added: “And Cameron also told Scorsese it was the best use of 3-D he had seen, including his own films.” The 2011 Oscar Index will never be the same. [ Deadline ]
Kudos to AFI Fest for offering three important qualities next month, when the annual Los Angeles film festival runs November 3-10. For starters, in addition to fest opener J. Edgar , they’re programming Shame , one of my fall awards season must-sees and the potentially life-changing opportunity to see Michael Fassbender bare it all . (I mean emotionally, of course. Ahem.). Secondly, it’s held right here in Los Angeles — no pesky traveling to distant, exotic, champagne-sipping lands like France and Italy! Because that must suck. But most importantly, the entire AFI Fest is free. Complimentary. Gratis. Hit the jump to see the recently-announced line-up of must see films you’ll want to snag a ticket to.
What can you expect from the two Avatar sequels that James Cameron is currently writing for 2014 and 2015? No one is sure exactly but Nightline anchor Bill Weir was able to tease a few details from the franchise’s filmmaker in a casual interview recently.
But he’s also ‘not changing a frame’ during 3-D conversion process, which he previewed for reporters Tuesday. By Kevin P. Sullivan James Cameron Photo: Getty Images In 2009, James Cameron announced to a crowd at San Diego Comic-Con that “Titanic,” the iconic epic and king of the box office, would soon resurface in a theater near you, but this time in 3-D . Two years later, the conversion process is nearly complete and we’re six months away from the April 6 release date. But on Tuesday (October 11), James Cameron showed off about 20 minutes of newly 3-D-ified scenes to a handful of journalists in New York to give them an idea of what the finished product will look like next year and to explain the process and his reasoning behind the re-release for the 100th anniversary of the boat’s sinking. For Cameron, the re-release is about giving the audience a chance to relive an event that was more than just going to the movie theater. “I’ve always thought of watching this film in theaters as a social phenomenon, where parents will take their children or teenagers would go with their mom,” Cameron said. “It would maybe be a woman going with a man she wanted to check out to make sure that his emotional plumbing was working before she made a big commitment.” But the name “Titanic” doesn’t carry the same weight across the age spectrum as it did in 1997, and Cameron said he understands the need to appeal to a new audience. “There are younger kids we’re going to have to sell to who don’t know the movie. There’s going to be a teenage audience who knows the movie only from video. The question is, do they know that just from peer-to-peer socially or is it passed on from watching it with their parents?” Cameron said. Fans of the movie don’t need to worry about any changes to the film they knew 14 years ago. Cameron explains that the only changes to the movie were the conversion to 3D. “We’re not changing a frame. The ship still sinks. It ends the same way,” Cameron said. Even some of the more dated special effects — “cringers,” as Cameron referred to them — are there exactly as they were in 1997. The director said George Lucas and the ever-changing “Star Wars” trilogy helped him cope with that. “I see that as the example of what I don’t want to do. I don’t mean that as a slam,” Cameron said. “[Lucas] considers his movies a perpetual work in progress. For me, the problem is, once you pull that thread, it all unravels. Where do you stop?’ By the time the new version of the film is released this spring, the 3-D conversion will have taken over a year with work from 300 artists and a cost of $18 million, but Cameron said he is proud of the conversion. “I think the film holds up pretty darn well. In 3-D, it becomes kind of a new experience,” Cameron said. “It’s a much more intimate and involving experience both with the characters and with the physical space.” From the look of the eight scenes shown Tuesday, it looks like “Titanic” could be one of the most successful post-conversions to date, and it might bode well for more potential 3-D conversions for Cameron’s other films. “The question is whether the film would benefit from a re-release and would there be a big enough audience for it. ‘Terminator 2,’ maybe. I think that would be a good place to start,” Cameron suggested. As we’ve seen with “Avatar,” Cameron knows how to do 3-D well, and the clips shown Tuesday were no exception, especially the early scene of people boarding the ship. The effect does give a good sense of depth without gimmicky distraction. It was clear that care had gone into preserving the feel of “Titanic,” while literally adding a new dimension. Only minutes after the clips began, the experience became more about seeing the film on the big screen again and less about the glasses on your face. That’s the effect James Cameron hopes to achieve with audiences next spring. “I think the story can’t be ‘It’s “Titanic” in 3-D,’ ” Cameron said. “I think the story should be ‘It’s “Titanic” coming back to the big screen and it’s in 3-D.’ ” Check out everything we’ve got on “Titanic.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Earlier this year producer Jerry Weintraub predicted Oscar gold for one of his upcoming pet projects, the Steven Soderbergh -helmed Liberace biopic. “I’ve got a great script, it’s a great story, and they’re great characters,” he enthused to Movieline. “That’s what I make movies about. It’s going to win an Academy Award… for Michael Douglas .” Well, not so fast.
The Joel Edgerton -Mary Elizabeth Winstead prequel The Thing hits theaters this Friday, so if you need a refresher on the events of the John Carpenter 1982 original — which takes place three days after the new film — what better way to relive it than through the Cliff’s Notes version, as sung in the style of Frank Sinatra from the point of view of the dog? Just go with it. Watch Jon and Al’s John Carpenter’s The Thing: The Musical , then stick around for more Buzz Break.
It’s auteur 3-D work-in-progress week in New York! Less than a day after Martin Scorsese gave a hometown crowd an early glimpse at his upcoming Hugo , James Cameron dropped by Times Square to show off 17 minutes from his ongoing 3-D conversion of Titanic .
If you only prayed to the movie gods for two things last year — no more Chipmunks squeakquels and no more spoofs on that “I’m the King of the World” scene from James Cameron’s Titanic — I have some devastating news. God is smiting you by incorporating both of those things in the upcoming Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked film. Here’s a taste of the trailers that will be haunting every theater-going experience for you between now and Christmas.
Lautner will debut the ‘Abduction’ trailer and chat with MTV News this Wednesday at 7:56 p.m. ET. By MTV News staff Taylor Lautner Photo: MTV For a while, Taylor Lautner was pretending he wouldn’t be able to make it to the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. Of course, faithful members of Team Jacob know how that turned out: The “Twilight” star was on hand to present an exclusive “Eclipse” clip, take the stage to accept a Best Movie win for “New Moon” and take part in a ridiculous spoof with Robert Pattinson called “Bad-Ass Cops.” But in the run-up to the big show, Lautner had some fun, during an MTV promo, suggesting he might have other plans for his evening — plans that didn’t make Tom Cruise very happy. As we count down the days until “MTV First: Taylor Lautner” hits the air and the Web on Wednesday, April 13, at 7:56 p.m. — and count off our favorite encounters with the young star — we hauled the promo out of our archives because: A) It still makes us laugh, and B) It’s Taylor’s #5 MTV moment. In the promo, Cruise’s egomaniacal alter-ego, Les Grossman, finishes ripping “Avatar” director James Cameron a new one — “I want it in 4-D! Do it,” he screams — and turns to Lautner to discuss the upcoming Movie Awards. “Les, we already talked about this, remember?” Lautner tells him. “My agents told you that weekend is my best friend’s wedding.” “Understood. All cool,” Les says, and brings in a schlubby fella he says will stand in for Lautner at the wedding. Despite Taylor’s skepticism, Grossman says that everything’s going to work out, then offers up his fists for Tay-Tay to pound. Don’t miss “MTV First: Taylor Lautner” this Wednesday at 7:56 p.m. ET on MTV and MTV.com. Tune in to see Lautner debut the trailer for “Abduction,” followed by a live 30-minute interview on MTV.com. Tweet questions using the hashtag #asktaylor to get in the conversation! Related Videos ‘MTV First: Taylor Lautner’ Is Coming! Related Photos The Evolution Of: Taylor Lautner
‘It’s definitely in keeping with the old ones,’ movie’s star says about confusion over the Ridley Scott film. By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Michael Fassbender Photo: MTV News Ever since a Deadline New York report last month, there has been a lot of confusion about Ridley Scott’s newest “Alien” film , which marks the director’s return to the franchise more than 30 years after he brought the first “Alien” movie to the big screen. After word of the project first broke in the summer of 2009, the new report suggested the film was in fact not an “Alien” prequel but rather a film born of “Alien DNA” that is “unique, large and provocative.” Yet at the same time, contrary to this new spin, we were hearing that the film — titled “Prometheus” — was in fact a prequel to the franchise. Now, this all might be a matter of semantics (not to mention movie marketing), but there’s no doubt that confusion has surrounded the exact nature of the production. So when we had the chance to speak with one of the stars of the new film, Michael Fassbender, while he was promoting “Jane Eyre,” we asked him to shed some light on these conflicting judgments. And as he told us, “Prometheus” is most definitely an “Alien” movie. “Absolutely,” he said. “There’s a definite connecting vein. You realize you’re part of something else. But it’s definitely in keeping with the old ones.” What’s more, Fassbender said the new film is more closely related to the slow-burning “Alien,” which Scott directed, than James Cameron’s more action-oriented follow-up, “Aliens.” “It is more sort of the original one,” Fassbender explained. “There’s things happening and building, and the intelligence of the first two-thirds of the film gets you ready for the action … it’s creeping, it’s sinister, things are happening and building, all the different intrigues and politics going on between the different relationships onboard.” That’s not to say Damon Lindelof, who worked on the script with Scott, was blowing smoke when he said things to Deadline like, “In a world flooded with prequels, sequels and reboots, I was incredibly struck by just how original Ridley’s vision was for this movie.” Fassbender told us that while “Prometheus” fits squarely within “Alien” mythology, the film delivers “a whole new revelation.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
