J.J. Abrams movie is only non-sequel in the top five. By Ryan J. Downey Joel Courtney in “Super 8” Photo: Paramount “Super 8” took the #1 spot at the box office over the weekend. The film’s $37 million opening isn’t on par with recent summer blockbusters, but it did beat studio expectations, according to reports. And “Super 8” bears the distinction of being the only non-sequel in the weekend’s top five. The “Super 8” marketing campaign employed many of the tactics used to promote 2008’s “Cloverfield,” which was produced by “Super 8” writer/ director J.J. Abrams. The movie stars a cast of relative unknowns and features a plot that was largely kept hidden in the trailers. Abrams devised “Super 8” as something of an homage to the work of Steven Spielberg, who served as producer. Reviews have been largely positive. “For all its obvious touches of Spielbergia, ‘Super 8’ feels a whole lot like ‘The Iron Giant’ meets ‘Stand by Me,’ ” wrote FEARnet’s Scott Weinberg. “Super 8” was produced by Paramount, which like MTV is owned by Viacom. The weekend’s only other new movie in wide release was “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer,” a children’s film based on the widely popular series of books by Megan McDonald, who co-wrote the script. The movie opened poorly, landing at #7 with just $6.2 million. And it’s one of the worst reviewed films of the year so far, according to critical aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. “X-Men: First Class” was #2 in its second week of release with $25 million for a $98.8 million total. The superhero prequel is the best reviewed of the franchise since 2003’s “X2: X-Men United.” Meanwhile, “The Hangover Part II” passed “Fast Five” to become the highest-grossing movie of 2011 thus far. The buddy comedy took in $18.5 million for a $216.5 million domestic total. Critics have largely panned the film, although co-star Zach Galifianakis detailed plans for another sequel in a recent interview with magazine (he did not confirm his involvement). “Kung Fu Panda 2” came in at #4 at the box office. The animated sequel, which features Jack Black as the voice of the title character, took in $16.6 million for a $126.9 million total. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” was #5 with $10.8 million for a $208.7 million total. This weekend’s new releases include “Green Lantern,” starring Ryan Reynolds as the DC Comics superhero; “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” starring Jim Carrey; and the PG-13 romance “The Art of Getting By.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Super 8.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Super 8’ Related Photos Tom Cruise, Elle Fanning, More At ‘Super 8’ Premiere
After a week of teeth-gnashing from box office Cassandras , it appears Super 8 will open to pretty much what should have been expected from the non-franchise film. The J.J. Abrams-directed throwback earned $12 million on Friday night (plus another $1 million from Thursday’s sneak previews) and could get to $35 million for the weekend. Elsewhere on the charts, X-Men: First Class suffered a big Friday to Friday drop (65 percent), but is closing in on $100 million, while The Hangover Part II and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides each cracked $200 million. Click ahead for your Friday box office.
The summer movie season is underway, officially starting with the release of The Hangover 2 over the Memorial Day weekend. It’s a summer that will be dominated at the box office by sequels, prequels, comic book and novel adaptations, with some original works scattered about. But that shouldn’t be much of a surprise, as recent years will show that summers and sequels/prequels/comic book adaptations/etc now seem to go hand-in-hand. Even looking ahead to next year, sequels to Men in Black , Madagascar, G.I. Joe, and The Expendables , as well as the 3rd installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise, along with reboots of Superman, Spiderman and Total Recall are expected. And although the summer movie season isn’t officially christened until the Memorial Day weekend annually, 2011 has already brought us Scream 4, Fast & Furious 5 (aka Fast Five,), an adaptation of the Thor superhero comic, Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 (aka Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Kung Fu Panda 2 , and, of course, the aforementioned summer movie season kicker, The Hangover 2. If you’re like me, this apparent trend leaves very little to actually get excited about, making navigating these thus far mostly uninspired waters, much less of the kind of thrill the summer movie-going experience used to and ought to be.Of course, this is just one man’s opinion, and your anticipation for what’s on the horizon may exceed mine. There’s always something for everyone, if you’re willing to look for it. A “Colorless” Summer? I would be remiss if I also didn’t mention the dearth of African-American talent this summer, both in front of and behind the camera. It seems like the cry heard around the world every year – this lack of, shall we say, “color,” on the big (and small) screen. Nothing’s changed much this year. The usual suspects are noticeably absent; and when I reference “the usual suspects,” despite the plural, I’m really talking about Will Smith , who has been absent from movie theater screens since 2008’s Seven Pounds . Although, he’s certainly been busy managing his children’s careers and successfully creating potential black leading stars of tomorrow. We’ll next see Will in 2012’s “threequel” to the Men In Black franchise. Behind the camera, black directors who’ve had some summer movie success, like Antoine Fuqua, F. Gary Gray and Tim Story, are all absent this year; although each has a project in the works at some stage of development, and we’ll certainly be talking about those as progress is made. So with all of the above in mind, we have roughly three months until fall announces its welcome and the so-called Oscar movie season begins. What are some of the titles we should look out for from now until September? X Men: First Class This past weekend saw the release of X-Men: First Class , essentially an origin story for the superhero collective; a film that both film critics and audiences seemed to agree on, with movie review aggregator site, RottenTomatoes.com, currently indicating that 149 out of 172 critics gave it a thumbs up, and 88% of the audience liked it. Although Zoe Kravitz and Edi Gathegi co-star in the film, both are peripheral characters, with stories that are secondary to the main plotlines involving the beginnings of Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto), the relationship that develops between the two, and eventual fallout that separates them – a tale that of which we see the future in past X-Men movies; movies that I consider superior to this year’s prequel, specifically the first 2 – X-Men in 2000 and X2 in 2003 (the best film in the franchise thus far, in my opinion). Super 8 This weekend, any anticipation you’ve had for wunderkind producer/director J.J. Abrams’ Super 8, will be quenched (hopefully), when the film opens nationwide. The movie has already been compared to the brand of awe-inspiring, story-driven spectacle cinema its revered superstar producer Steven Spielberg gained fame for – many of them released during the summer. Set in 1979, in a fictional small town in Ohio, the movie centers on a group of teenagers who discover the presence of an alien life-form, after witnessing a train crash, while making a home movie with their Super 8mm film camera, creating disorder in their little town. Early reviews from press screenings have been stellar, making it one of this summer’s most anticipated movies. Green Lantern On Friday, June 17th, another superhero comic book comes to life on the big screen, and in 3D, when Ryan Reynolds’ Hal Jordan dons the power ring and joins the intergalactic Green Lantern Corps, in Warner Bros’ release of Green Lantern. Look for Angela Bassett as Dr. Amanda Waller, a scientist. For those unfamiliar with the DC Comics universe, her character, nicknamed “The Wall,” and “The White Queen” and more, is considered an anti-heroine. She doesn’t possess superhero abilities but is exceptional in a number of skills, notably being highly trained in military tactics and espionage, amongst others. Also worth noting, Michael Clarke Duncan is in the movie as well; not physically, however. He provides the voice for the towering, brutish alien, and the primary trainer of new Lantern Corps recruits, Kilowog . Transformers: Dark Of The Moon Further out, looking at the July 4th weekend, all eyes will likely be watching for Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, the 3rd film in the franchise. Shia LaBeouf returns with the ensemble cast of characters that includes singer/actor Tyrese Gibson, in what will surely be another loud, explosive, spectacle-driven film from director Michael Bay, based on the trailers we’ve seen so far. Larry Crowne However, that same weekend, there will be some counter-programming for those who prefer a more subtle brand of cinema, but still very much within the mainstream, as Larry Crowne also opens. The film centers on a middle aged man (played by Tom Hanks), forced to reinvent himself and find a new career, as he navigates the second act of his life. Of note, Taraji P Henson, Cedric The Entertainer, Pam Grier and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (who co-starred with Boris Kodjoe, in the failed NBC action/drama Undercovers), all have roles in this dramedy, which also stars Julia Roberts. Harry Potter / Captain America / Cowboys v. Aliens Rounding out the month of July, these 3 films will challenge Transformers 3 for that month’s box office crown: the final installment of the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, opening July 15th, Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22nd), and Cowboys Vs Aliens (July 29th). All 3 based on stories that originated in printed form – book, comic, and graphic novel, successively. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes The month of August really belongs to 20th Century Fox’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes , a prequel and origin story set in the present-day that tells the story of how man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to advanced intelligence in apes and the beginnings of a war for supremacy. James Franco leads an ensemble cast that also includes rising black British actor David Oyelowo, who some may recognize from the 2006 Oscar-winning film (Best Actor for Forest Whitaker), The Last King of Scotland. The Help Oyelowo will also feature in another August release, and what may be the season’s most polarizing film, playing a preacher in the big screen adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel, The Help, which stars Viola Davis, Emma Stone, and Octavia Spencer, with supporting roles from Cicely Tyson, Aunjanue Ellis and others. The film, like the book, will explore the tenuously symbiotic if strained relationship between black maids and their white employers in the 1960s American south. It also represents what I believe will be the best possibility for an Oscar nomination by a black actor/actress this year (in Viola Davis and/or Octavia Spencer). Reactions thus far across the Black blogosphere have been tepid at best. Many have already dismissed the film as yet another gussied-up, innocuous tale set in America’s turbulent, racially-charged past, told specifically from a white person’s perspective. Some are not looking forward to seeing black actresses in subservient roles, harkening back to the earlier years of cinema in which those kinds of parts comprised much of what was available for actresses of African descent. See the “Mammy” archetype for context. Having read the book on which the film is based, I can say that while the above concerns are certainly warranted, this is actually a rare instance in mainstream/studio cinema history that places the black maid/white employer relationship under a microscope in which we get to see events unfold from the maid’s POV at least partly, and are given a much more complex representation of her. In essence, she isn’t a 2-dimensional stereotype here. There are a lot of scenes for Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer to chew on, and whether or not the film succeeds in translating their characters to film remains to be seen. As the saying often goes, the book is usually better than the movie. So, you’re encouraged to see the film, and judge for yourselves. Your expectations may be met, or you could be pleasantly surprised. But, at least, you’d be able to talk about it, armed with vital information. The Help w ill be in theaters on August 12th. Columbiana And, closing out August, and what would effectively be the end of the summer movie season, will be Zoe Saldana in French super-producer Luc Besson’s revenge thriller, Colombiana , directed by Olivier Megaton. The yet-to-be-rated action movie stars Saldana as a young woman who grows up to be a stone-cold assassin after witnessing the murder of her parents in Bogota, hunting down those responsible for their deaths. When I initially heard about this film going into production last year, I had my doubts about Saldana’s ability to really embody the part and carry the film; but after watching the 2 1/2-minute trailer that debuted early last month, I had to start reconsidering my stance because I was impressed with what I saw in those few short minutes, and I’m even more curious to see how this looks and feels when it opens on August 26th. It’ll be Saldana’s first true attempt at determining whether she alone can deliver box office gold.As with most of Luc Besson’s films, Colombiana should do well in foreign markets; though I expect its performance in USA theaters will be watched closely. And that just about wraps up this summer 2011 movie preview! Of course, there are a lot more films scheduled for release than I’ve listed here. In my next post, I will dig a little deeper, and instead emphasize alternate summer fare; mainly independent and foreign films that tell stories by and/or people of African descent that may or may not be coming to a theater near you (all will see limited releases), but you should know about and look out for. Till then… happy summer at the movies! Tambay Obenson is editor of Shadow And Act on the indieWIRE Network, which can be found at http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact .
‘It would mess up the legend,’ he tells MTV News. By Kara Warner Johnny Depp Photo: MTV News It seems like just yesterday that the devilish and charming Captain Jack Sparrow and his merry band of misfits were wreaking havoc upon the open seas in “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.” Lucky for fans of the hugely successful franchise, Johnny Depp is back in Sparrow’s pirate garb this weekend in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” When MTV News caught up with Depp recently, we got to talking about one element missing from Captain Jack’s unique existence: long-term relationships with any of the bevy of beautiful women that seem to constantly surround him, like “Stranger Tides” leading lady Pen
British newcomer Sam Claflin makes his Hollywood debut this month in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and he just landed the part of Kristen Stewart’s prince in 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman , so it’s safe to say he’s on the brink of a rapid star ascension. On Friday, the 24-year-old confirmed his Twitter handle to Movieline ( @SamClaflin ) and expressed genuine giddy surprise at his ever-growing follower count. Does he know what he’s in for?
MTV News got a sneak peek at the mind-blowing action of the new film. By Kara Warner Bumblebee in “Transformers: Dark Of The Moon” Photo: Paramount While gearing up for the release of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” director Michael Bay has not been shy about his desire to right the missteps in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”: putting more focus on writing a better story, making the action more accessible, yet “epic” in scale. Based on the footage and trailer MTV News saw on the Paramount lot before a candid chat with Bay on Thursday, it looks like he’s making good on his word. We can’t get into specifics, of course, but with regard to the trailer — the 2-D version of which will roll out in theaters on April 28, while a 3-D version will hit in front of “Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides” — it takes the intrigue of the teaser trailer , plus the intensity from the action-packed 30-second Super Bowl spot and adds enough mind-blowing, mesmerizing robotgasm goodness to leave even the most passive of fans slack-jawed. Or googly-eyed. One of the two. We also saw snippets of returning and new supporting cast members, a possible Pink Floyd tie-in and a tantalizing, yet not at all overwhelming, 3-D sizzle reel. Speaking of his latest and likely last “Transformers” installment, Bay began by admitting that he is not trying to capture the magic of the first film. “You’re never going to match the innocence of the first movie and the wonderment,” he said. “The genie is out of the bottle there. This one, I think, is a more mature storyline. It’s definitely darker.” He later explained that the new movie has more of the aliens’ backstory. “You learn a lot more about the hierarchy, there’s a lot more history of what they’ve had on Cybertron,” he said. Bay also went into his reasoning and reservations behind the decision to shoot in 3-D, and what (actually, who) convinced him to go ahead with the new technology. “[James Cameron], at the last minute, goes, ‘Mike, come on,'” Bay recalled, imitating the “Avatar” director’s enthusiasm with a slightly deep and gravelly inflection in his voice. “This is like my idol. He goes, ‘Mike come on, we’ve done everything.’ I’m thinking, ‘I haven’t done everything.’ ” Cameron pushed him to try out this “new toy,” and that despite all the headaches that are added to the filmmaking process with shooting in 3-D, he’s glad he did it. “3-D, it’s pretty great when you see these robots interact in the space,” he said. Other excitement added into the mix for “Dark of the Moon” are the suped-up action sequences, specifically a scene that involves base jumpers jumping off the Sears Tower and literally flying through downtown Chicago. “There’s a lot of action stuff I’ve never done before that’s pretty cool,” Bay said of what makes this installment stand out. “I want to make up for the second one, and I want to leave the franchise as best I can.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Photos Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: From Model To ‘Transformers 3’ Starlet
Penelope Cruz makes an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday (March 24) in Hollywood. The 36-year-old actress, in a black Roland Mouret dress, chatted about her new film, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, her hubby Javier Bardem, and an unknown talent! “I like rapping at karaoke, but I only know one song,” she told Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Just Jared Discovery Date : 26/03/2011 23:45 Number of articles : 2
The new preview gives us a few clues about Jack’s journey to the Fountain of Youth. By Eric Ditzian Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow Photo: Disney We’ve just crossed the two-month mark; there’s now a mere 59 days until “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” shoves off and into theaters. What’s more, there’s now a brand-new trailer for Johnny Depp’s seafaring 3-D adventure flick, giving us important pieces of plot info and raising all new questions about what we’re going to see when the movie debuts. As we continue to count down the days until that premiere, let’s take a look at the new trailer’s five key moments. Looks Like They Took a Wrong Turn We’ve already seen a variation of this scene — Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow walking under some kind of stone archway on an island — but in the new trailer, we see the camera push forward a little, giving us a peek at what’s on the other side: a ship perched on a cliff high above the water line. How’d it get there? Well, as we see throughout the new footage, the laws of physics get twisted in all sorts of funky ways. Just as compelling a question as what the ship is doing up there is: Whose ship is it? Speaking of ships, the Black Pearl is back in the mix, though this time it seems to be in the hands of nefarious Blackbeard (Ian McShane). And as Captain Barbossa explains, Blackbeard has made some unconventional improvements to the craft. “The rigging had come to life. Our own ship turned against us,” he tells Jack as we see shots of ropes whipping around like tentacles and plucking up pirates. What sort of dark magic does Blackbeard wield? A confusing one, no doubt, because after Sparrow gets caught up in the ship’s new powers, he blurts out, “Captain, I wish to report a mutiny. I can name fingers and point names!” We’ve seen plenty of mermaids floating through previous “Pirates” footage, but the new trailer gives us the most information yet about how these creatures fit into the storyline. Turns out, a mermaid is needed to locate the fountain of youth — that mythical place everyone in “On Stranger Tides” is trying to find. That explains why, as in earlier footage, we see a shot of a mermaid trapped in a seriously large fish tank. Captivity, however, can kill a mermaid. Given that under his tattoos and dreadlocks, Sparrow is a very moral guy, we suspect Jack might go from capturing a mermaid to setting one free. From the very first official “On Stranger Tides” photos , we’ve seen Jack being dragged into Old Royal Naval College by King George II’s guards and offered the job of finding the fountain of youth. But the captain isn’t one take to orders. How does he slip away from King George’s men? A clue seems to arrive in the form of Jack wearing a musty old wig and a bright red robe, just like a British judge: nothing like a clever disguise to help a pirate escape. As we mentioned, Jack’s quest for the fountain brings him into contact with lands in which the laws of physics don’t entirely apply. Early in the new trailer, for instance, a drop of water seems to fall upwards, hitting Jack’s hands as it goes. Here we see our hero in a sort of cave that has a roof of water. How exactly does something like happen? And, furthermore, how is he pulled up into the water as if by reverse gravity? We likely won’t get the full answer until the movie arrives on May 20. Check out everything we’ve got on ” Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Photos Top Five Scenes In The New ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ Trailer
They aren’t as exciting as the sneak peeks we’ve enjoyed, but, hey, anything to get us psyched for more Captain Jack Sparrow, right? A trio of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides has been released, one of which features Johnny Depp in this iconic role and the others showcasing new characters to the franchise: Penelope Cruz as Angelia, Blackbeard’s daughter and the pirate Blackbird himself, played by Ian McShane. Click on each Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides poster for a close up of these fun characters.
Maybe it’s a Canadian thing. Like his countryman, Kiefer Sutherland, Seth Rogen has a voice that’s 10 years older than he is — a combination of world-weariness and exuberance, an instrument that he’s mastered for specific comic shadings. Sutherland wrings anger and shock from the premature gray in his, and by the time 24 ended, he’d physically caught up with the age emanating from his larynx. In the likable, misfits-on-the road comedy Paul , Rogen’s soulful rustiness is used for the sound of the intergalactic traveler. With it, he lays a claim to being one of the premier vocal talents of his generation.
