Archive for August, 2010

Stallone: ‘Expendables stars were difficult’

Saturday, August 21st, 2010
Dolph Lundgren, Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham

Sylvester Stallone has confessed to having difficulty keeping the stars of his new movie The Expendables under control.

The 64-year-old revealed to Virgin Media that directing the action hero ensemble, which included Hollywood hard men Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke, was not an easy task, as many of the performers were reluctant to break out of their comfort zones.

Stallone said: “Was it tough? Yes. You get these strong men who have a certain way of doing things on a film, and you have to get them to give that up.

“Like Jason [Statham] in this film is totally different than in anything he’s ever done. Dolph Lundgren is totally different.”

Directing difficulties aside, the Rambo actor added that he was immensely proud of the all-star cast that he had managed to assemble.

“The thing was to find certain personalities and put them all together like a dream team,” he explained.

“I wanted to do a film a bit like The Magnificent Seven or The Dirty Dozen. One of those that only comes along once in a while.”

Stallone previously revealed that he is planning to expand the lineup for a proposed sequel to the big-budget blockbuster, which topped the US box office upon its release last week.

John Woo preps ‘Flying Tigers’ for IMAX

Thursday, August 19th, 2010
John Woo

Director John Woo is reportedly prepping to release his upcoming war movie Flying Tigers in the IMAX format.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Woo is working with Creative Artists Agency and IMAX on the film, which will feature epic aerial battles.

The picture centres on US Army Air Corp Lt Gen Claire Lee Chennault, an American officer whose Flying Tigers squadron trained the first generation of Chinese fighter pilots during WWII.

Woo said that he hopes to cast Liam Neeson in the lead role of Chennault.

“It’s got to be a star but it’s hard to find the right one, because at that time Chennault was almost 50 years old. Ideally, I’ve been thinking of Liam Neeson as the title actor,” Woo said.

Flying Tigers is currently in pre-production. Shooting will begin in the spring for a planned 2011 release.

Syfy announces fall premiere dates

Thursday, August 19th, 2010
SyFy logo

Syfy has announced the fall premiere dates for a number of its shows.

The network revealed that the second season of Stargate Universe will move to Tuesday nights and will premiere on September 28 at 9pm.

The show’s second season will focus on the group as they fight to regain the ship from the Lucian Alliance.

Stargate Universe will be followed by the third season of Sanctuary at 10pm. The show, which is also new to Tuesday nights, will see the team face new challenges and uncover some secrets about The Sanctuary’s past.

Elsewhere, reality series Ghost Hunters will return on August 25, while Hollywood Treasures, a new documentary about collecting memorabilia, will premiere on November 4.

Beast Legends, a freshman series which uses CGI to examine what mythical creatures would have been like, will begin airing on September 9. It will follow the return of Destination Truth. The fourth season of Scare Tactics will begin on October 4, while November 4 will see the return of Fact Or Faked: Paranormal Files.

Syfy also announced the air dates for three of its Saturday movies, beginning with Mandrake on September 11. Sharktopus will be broadcast on September 25 and Monsterwolf will premiere on October 9.

You can read the full official press release here: On The Mark

Cameron re-inserts ‘Avatar’ sex scene

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
Avatar movie

James Cameron has revealed that he re-inserted the Na’vi sex scene for this month’s re-release of his sci-fi blockbuster Avatar.

Speaking to MTV, Cameron described the love-making scene between Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana as “alien foreplay”, noting that it lasts “all of about 20 seconds”.

Cameron said: “It’s been restored, every last frame of it. Seriously. I would say, just so that we correctly manage people’s expectations, it does not change our rating at all. I would call it more of an alien foreplay scene. It’s not like they’re ripping their clothes off and going at it.”

In a separate interview with Movieline, Cameron explained that he removed the scene for the initial theatrical run after getting a negative reaction from test audiences.

“I always felt that it was a good moment, so I wanted to put it back in,” he said. “I mean, what have I got to lose? The film’s already a big hit. I think it’s actually an illumination of the Na’vi way: There’s a Na’vi way for everything, including making love.

“Of course, I just want to be clear for the record that it’s only an additional 20 seconds. The ‘horizontal bop’ part of it still takes place off camera after the dissolve.”

Avatar: Special Edition will open in cinemas on August 27.

‘The Expendables’ tops US box office

Sunday, August 15th, 2010
The Expendables

The Expendables has debuted at the top of the US box office.

The Sylvester Stallone-helmed action movie earned $35 million over the weekend.

Also debuting this week are Eat Pray Love, starring Julia Roberts, in second place with $23 million and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World at number five with $10 million.

Despicable Me slips to sixth place with $6 million, followed by Step Up 3D and Salt.

Finally, Dinner For Schmucks falls to number nine with $6 million and Cats & Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore claims the tenth spot with $4 million.

The US box office top ten in full:

1. (-) The Expendables – $35,030,000
2. (-) Eat Pray Love – $23,700,000
3. (1) The Other Guys – $18,000,000
4. (2) Inception – $11,370,000
5. (-) Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World – $10,525,000
6. (6) Despicable Me – $6,767,000
7. (3) Step Up 3D – $6,626,000
8. (4) Salt – $6,350,000
9. (5) Dinner For Schmucks – $6,316,000
10. (7) Cats & Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore – $4,075,000

Star Wars coming to Blu-ray!

Sunday, August 15th, 2010
Click image above to read details (opens in a new window)

Click image above to read details (opens in a new window)

Cameron ‘wants underwater Avatar sequel’

Friday, August 13th, 2010
James Cameron (Avatar)

James Cameron has said that he wants to capture his sequel to Avatar underwater.

The second instalment will centre on the exploration of the oceans of Pandora, which the director described as “equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative” as the first film’s setting.

“I think what we should do there is – because we’ll have to have characters that are in and under the water – is that we should actually capture them underwater,” he told MTV News.

“It’s not the same as going diving, but I like to keep my diving, which I do for pleasure, separate from work.”

He added: “Diving for shooting a movie is work. Diving for exploration is a gas. I like to keep my peas and carrots separate.”

Cameron recently suggested that he may film the franchise’s second and third films back to back.

The New Adventures of Old Christine – Complete Third Season DVD review

Thursday, August 12th, 2010
Click on cover image to read full review

Click on cover image to read full review

‘Doctor Who’ mini-eps for DVD release

Thursday, August 12th, 2010
The Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond

Two Doctor Who mini-episodes will be released on the upcoming season five DVD collection.

According to the Los Angeles Times, two newly filmed sequences called ‘Meanwhile, In The Tardis’ will show fans what The Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) were up to in between episodes.

Both mini-episodes were written by Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat.

The Doctor Who season five boxset will be released in the US and UK in November.

Clash of the Titans Blu-ray disc review

Thursday, August 12th, 2010
Click on cover image to read full review

Click on cover image to read full review