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Coens Get the Red Band Treatment
The trailer for Burn After Reading, the latest film from the Academy Award winning duo of Joel and Ethan Coen, got the restrictive “Red Band” treatment this week. This means that the preview is not appropriate for all audiences, as the standard MPAA “Green Band” adverts allow. You can find it on Apple’s main page, or by following this link
Hamlet 2 Also Gets the Crimson Call
The comedy smash of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival (set for release this August), centering on a failed actor-turned-worse-high-school-drama teacher (Steve Coogan) as he rallies his Tucson, AZ students and stages a politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, also gets the R-rated distinction. Click on over to the official site to see it.
Gore Goes Opera - from the AP
With Summer here and global warming on everyone’s mind (especially in those areas prone to hurricanes) we learn that Al Gore’s Oscar (and Nobel) winning, An Inconvenient Truth is going to be made into a opera. You can read about the aria-based revamp here
Brooks Closes (and the Reopens His) Production Company - from New York Post
Similar to those old jokes about the rumors of someone’s death being greatly exaggerated comes word that the story last week about Mel Brooks closing his long running BrooksFilms Production Company appears to be false. The New York Post‘s Page Six ran this story indicating that the cinematic shingle responsible for David Lynch’s Elephant Man and David Cronenberg’s The Fly, among others, was shutting down. Now Brooks is setting the record straight via The Hollywood Reporter.
Dawn Goes Back to Where It All Happened - Literally
As part of their ever popular Rolling Roadshow, Austin, Texas’ Alamo Drafthouse will be offering a screening of George A. Romero’s 1978 horror masterpiece - Dawn of the Dead - in the Monroeville Mall. That’s right, after the facility closes on 21 June, 500 lucky fans can now actually see the classic creepshow in the actual suburban Pittsburgh location where it was filmed. All proceeds will be donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation! Toe Tag Pictures will be doing zombie make-up on guests all day leading up to the screening to help make this evening all the more memorable, as over ten Dawn alumni will be on-hand during the screening to ensure the night’s authenticity. More information can be found at this link
Porno Gets a Teaser
Kevin Smith’s latest, the quick sale comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno, got its own kind of teaser this week at the director’s Quick Stop Entertainment site - check the “not appropriate for work” sneak here.
House of Mouse Branches Into Comics
From the official press release:
The Walt Disney Studios has signed a multi-year deal with Ahmet Zappa, Harris Katleman and Christian Beranek to oversee the newly christened Kingdom Comics, an innovative new venture of developing graphic novels to create new film projects for the Studio as well as re-imagining and rejuvenating motion pictures from the Disney live-action Vault, it was announced today by Oren Aviv, president, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Production.
Kingdom Comics will soon announce some of the top graphic novelists and artists in the genre who will collaborate on upcoming projects. Disney Publishing Worldwide, the largest distributor of comic books in the world, will have the first opportunity to distribute publications created by Kingdom Comics.
Obituaries:
Sydney Pollack (1934 - 2008): Read the SE&L Obit Here
Harvey Korman (1927 - 2008): Read the SE&L Obit Here
DVD releases of Note for 3 June
Heroes of the East: Read the SE&L Review Here
Come Drink with Me: Read the SE&L Review Here
Control: Read the SE&L Review Here
The Red Violin: Read the SE&L Review Here
Diva: Read the SE&L Review Here
Semi-Pro: Read the SE&L Theatrical Review Here
The Eye
Meet the Spartans
Box Office Figures for Weekend of 30 May
#1 - Sex and the City: $56.1 million
#2 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: $45.8 million
#3 - The Strangers: $20.6 million
#4 - Iron Man: $13.9 million
#5 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: $13.1 million
#6 - What Happens in Vegas: $6.9 million
#7 - Baby Mama: $2.2 million
#8 - Speed Racer: $2.1 million
#9 - Made of Honor: $2.0 million
#10 - Forgetting Sarah Marshall: $1.0 million
Films Opening This Week:
General Release:
Kung Fu Panda - Jack Black stars as a bumbling bear that dreams of being a martial arts master. Rated PG
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan - Adam Sandler is an Israeli Anti-Terrorist Agent who fakes his death to move to the US and become… a hairdresser. Rated R
Limited
Mongol - Oscar nominated story of Genghis Khan, as told through the eyes of his wife. Rated R
The Promotion - two managers vie for a coveted position at their job. Rated R
When Did You Last See Your Father? - with his parent dying, a distant son tries to resolve his conflicting emotions. Rated PG-13
