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February 15, 2002

We just received a couple of new posters for upcoming Lion's Gate releases, one of whose trailer looks awesome (FRAILTY), and here's your first look at them both. FRAILTY is a thriller starring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton and Powers Boothe, and is also Paxton's directorial debut. THE CAT'S MEOW is a drama starring Kirsten Dunst, Eddie Izzard, Cary Elwes and Jennifer Tilly, and directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

< click to see bigger picture >

< click to see bigger picture >
  

February 15, 2002

Jim Carrey will reunite with ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE and LIAR, LIAR director Tom Shadyac for the comedy BRUCE ALMIGHTY.  Carrey has been working with Shadyac and KUNG POW writer/director Steve Oedekirk to polish the script so that work can begin as soon as possible.  ALMIGHTY would likely fill the void in Carrey's schedule left by the indefinite delay of DOG YEARS, his romantic comedy with Nicole Kidman.  The film follows a chronic complainer who, after getting on God's last nerve, is suddenly granted the power to rule the world.
 

February 15, 2002

After doing a lot better than Mariah Carey did with her first starring role in film, Mandy Moore is looking to continue on the acting track.  Up next is a project at New Line Cinema called HOW TO DEAL, which is, surprisingly, a romantic comedy.   The film would follow a young girl, Moore, who after seeing love fail so many times, decides love doesn't exist - and then she meets the boy of her dreams (grooooooooooan).  If that sounds like it's enough to make you want to puke, New Line head Toby Emmerich says "The script manages to work on many levels, without crossing into sappiness and false sentimentality."  The project is scheduled to begin filming this summer.
 

February 15, 2002

Pictures from the opening sequence of BOND 20 appeared in the British newspaper the Daily Star and they've been scanned in and placed on the internet at this site.  There, you'll see Pierce Brosnan struggling with bad guy Rick Yune.  Check it out...

Although Dark Horizons says "not so fast," Ain't It Cool News claims to have the inside track on the casting of the title character in FAT ALBERT.  To find out who Harry says will be Fat Albert along with pictures of the young man, check out his article here.

Two new shots from BLADE 2 have appeared online courtesy of Film Force.  These include a shot of Kris Kristofferson and a panoramic shot of the cast.
 

February 14, 2002

The rumors were first reported over at Coming Attractions (credit where credit is due) and today they were confirmed by Variety - Director McG (CHARLIE'S ANGELS) has officially signed to direct a new SUPERMAN film.  Can I get a hallelujah from the congregation?!  On top of that was confirmation that the writer/creator of the hit ABC show "Alias," JJ Abrams, will write the script for the film.  While I hesitate to get my hopes up (so many directors/writers have tried before to get SUPERMAN off the ground), it's promising to see some kind of official movement on a new SUPERMAN movie.   Both McG and Abrams plan to start with a completely clean slate, not relying at all on any previous scripts or plans for the film (including Kevin Smith's SUPERMAN LIVES script).  This may still be sometime off yet with ANGELS 2 up first a film that isn't scheduled for release until June, 2003.  So we may have to wait until 2004 (at the earliest?) to finally see this incarnation of Supes, but hopefully it'll be well worth the wait.  There was no mention of the Wolfgang Peterson (THE PERFECT STORM) developed WORLD'S FINEST that would feature both Batman and Superman in one film.   (p.s. - for anybody who's ever been to a Kevin Smith speaking engagement - Jon Peters is still producing so there is a chance we'll see Superman fighting polar bears at the Fortress of Solitude... :))
 

February 14, 2002

Harry Knowles look-alike Guillermo del Toro (currently hard at work on post-production for BLADE 2) is currently negotiating with Disney to direct a film adaptation of the classic tale THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS.  Under the deal, the director would work with a writer agreed upon by both him and the studio to develop a treatment and eventual script.  Apparently, the Mouse is looking to take this production and turn it into their LORD OF THE RINGS, feeling that del Toro is an untapped talent along the lines of LOTR director Peter Jackson.  The movie would combine live action and CGI animation to create the animal effects.  The story, written by Kenneth Grahame in 1908, follows the adventures of Ratty, Mr. Toad, Badger and Mole in the River.  The film is expected to carry a large budget to cover all the likely visual effects needed.

February 14, 2002

In a pretty startling career move, Meg Ryan has signed on to star in an erotic thriller from director Jane Campion (THE PIANO) titled IN THE CUT.  Nicole Kidman was once attached to star but she stepped aside and will now produce the film instead.   The film follows a New York woman (Ryan) who begins a sexual relationship with a detective investigating a series of grisly murders in the area.  The novel, by Susanna Moore, gained notorious fame for its sexually explicit and graphically violent scenes.  Think I'm kidding?  Imagine Meg Ryan in this scene:  her character is taken to the police station for questioning by a detective.  There they have anal sex and afterwards she pleasures herself while he recounts, in graphic detail, what they had just done.  Doesn't quite sound like YOU'VE GOT MAIL to me...
 

February 14, 2002

Just in time for Valentine's Day comes news of the special edition DVD for one of our great modern romance films - JERRY MAGUIRE.  Some thought it was a little over-schmaltzy, but I dug it entirely.  Cuba Gooding, Jr. turns in one of the best sports performances in a movie ever.  And Renee Zellweger could not be any cuter.  End of story.  Here's the details on the discs (which hits stores on April 30th for a mere $27.95).

DISC 1
Digitally Mastered Audio & Anamorphic Video (1.85:1)
Audio: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital) and 2-Channel (Dolby Surround), French, Spanish, Portuguese
Audio Commentary with Cameron Crowe, Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr.
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Thai
Animated Menus

DISC 2
Video Commentary: Cameron Crowe, Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr.
Deleted Scenes with Commentary By Crowe and editor Joe Hutsching
Rehearsal Footage with Commentary by Crowe and editor Joe Hutsching
"Drew Rosenhaus: Sports Agent"
"My First Commercial" by Rod Tidwell
Making-of Featurette
Music Video: "Secret Garden" by Bruce Springsteen
Theatrical Trailers for JERRY MAGUIRE and AS GOOD AS IT GETS
Mission Statement
Photo Gallery
Cast and Crew Filmographies
 

February 14, 2002

Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney are at it again.  This time they've acquired the rights to the Philip K. Dick (MINORITY REPORT) novel SCANNER DARKLY with intentions of turning it into an animated film.   The film is reportedly somewhat of an auto-biography of Dick's own demise to drugs, as it tells the tale of a man so gripped by his drug abuse, he splits into two personalities and can no longer recognize himself.  (I'm thinking I should give up trying to explain Dick novels in one sentence.  It's impossible.)  Leonardo DiCaprio had once been attached to star in the film with Chris Cunningham (who's previous work includes creepy music videos for Aphex Twin) directing.  Those plans dissolved and the Soderbergh/Clooney connection worked quickly to snatch the project.  The pair are leaning towards animating the film but no decision on whether it will be CGI or traditionally animated.
 

February 14, 2002

New Line Cinemas will release the Al Pacino film SIMONE on August 16th, where it will compete with Eddie Murphy's PLUTO NASH, Gwyneth Paltrow's A VIEW FROM THE TOP and the Tom Green/Jason Lee comedy YOU PROMISED.

Ashley Judd will star in the top-secret thriller BLACKOUT for Paramount Pictures and Kopelson Entertainment (SEVEN).   Filming has a preliminary start date of July.  No details on the plot have been revealed as producers are looking to keep things hush-hush.  (Hollywood Reporter)

James Foley, who abruptly dropped out of directing Al Pacino and Colin Farrell in THE FARM, has found his new project - he'll direct Ed Burns in CONFIDENCE.  The film follows a con man forced into a big heist by the mob after he accidentally cons a made man.  Multiple table-turning ensues as the mob has control, then he has control, then the mob has control...(Hollywood Reporter)

Dark Horizons is reporting that a teaser trailer for DAREDEVIL will be attached to all prints of MINORITY REPORT.  REPORT is scheduled to hit theaters on June 21st.
 

February 13, 2002

Here it is folks!  Another opportunity from your friends at JoBlo.com and Fox to see a free, advance screening of one of their fine upcoming movies.  This time it's the animated adventure ICE AGE, starring the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary.  Here's the deets:

JoBlo.com and Twentieth Century Fox Invite You and a Guest to
A Special Screening of ICE AGE!

Thursday, March 14th, 7:00pm
New York, NY

OK, now here's how you win a chance to attend. E-mail me, Mike Sampson, at scoops@joblo.com with the subject line "ICE AGE."  Assure me that you live in the New York City area, will be available on the 14th and provide me with your mailing address.  (I can't stress this enough - please send your mailing address!  I don't want to have to chase after people!)  As JoBlo says, that's it, that's all.  Each ticket allows you to bring one guest.  Anticipation is high, so send out those e-mails pronto cause they're gonna go quick! For more information on the ICE AGE, please visit the official site (which has recently been updated with all kinds of cool new stuff, including an Olympic theme).   Now, with all the legal mumbo-jumbo...

Please arrive early.  Seating is limited to theater capacity and is not guaranteed. Theater is intentionally overbooked to insure capacity and is not the responsibility of the theater.  No one will be admitted once the film begins.
 

February 13, 2002

Boy, Tom Cruise and his C/W Productions are busy little bees lately.   They're just snatching up properties right and left.  I guess after the surprising success of THE OTHERS this summer (yet a complete shut-out at the Oscars nominations) left their bellies full and pockets fat.  So now comes the proverbial spending spree.  He just snatched up GHOST SOLDIERS and THE LOST REGIMENT and his latest optioned novel is CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL by Glen David Gold.  This time we have the real-life tale of "Carter the Great," a magician from the early 1900s and the "intrigue, love life and magic" of his years.  While it could change at any time, Cruise is not expected to star in the film.  
 

February 13, 2002

Arnold Schwarzenegger is still out and about promoting COLLATERAL DAMAGE and in his whirlwind publicity tour, he stopped and talked to the Associated Press.   They were able to weasel some details regarding TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES out of him, including the first information on what kind of powers the new Terminatrix will have.  Here's the word directly from Arnie - "She will have control over machines and over anything mechanical, therefore including myself. So you will sometimes see me as the villain and sometimes as a terminator that tried to save the world."   Ahh...it's all starting to make sense now.  He mentioned to me in our interview how he would be going back and forth from a good guy to a bad guy but I didn't understand how.  This could certainly be an interesting twist to the story.  And it explains the RISE OF THE MACHINES subtitle too.
 

February 13, 2002

Frank Spotnitz, one of the creative minds behind "The X-Files" (before it went into the crapper), has signed a deal with Dimension Films to write, direct and produce two feature films.  The first film in the deal is a thriller entitled INTO THE ETHER.  That film follows a RN who becomes suspicious as her hospital patients begin dying of unnatural causes.  The only other previous work Spotnitz had on films was co-writing the script (along with series creator Chris Carter) for the X-FILES film.   No word on whether he will word on the planned X-FILES sequel with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson signed to reprise their roles as Mulder and Scully.  Pardon me one second while I rant..."The X-Files" used to be such a great show.  What the hell happened?  I never felt like I got even the slightest sense of closure.   Talk about jumping the shark.  
 

February 13, 2002

Will we be lucky enough to see Daphne's bare ass in this summer's SCOOBY-DOO?   It looks that way, although it won't be Sarah Michelle Gellar you're looking at. There is reportedly a scene in the film that requires a butt-shot but Gellar refused and a body-double was brought in.  Good enough for me!  (Dark Horizons)

Add two more to the cast of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN.  Martin Sheen and Amy Adams (DROP DEAD GORGEOUS) join the already stellar line-up of Hanks, DiCaprio, Walken and Spielberg.  Adams will play the love interest of DiCaprio's character, Frank Abangale, Jr., and Sheen will play her disapproving father.   Production on the film began earlier this week in Los Angeles. (Hollywood Reporter)

If you're interested, tonight (Wednesday) on Entertainment Tonight there will be exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from AUSTIN POWERS 3.  Whether they'll reveal the new title of the film remains to be seen (don't count on it).

The guys at Film Force have been doing some pretty extensive coverage of the New York City Toy Fair (I was supposed to be there to bring you all the scoops but a last minute schedule conflict ruined that plan. DAMN!!) including looks at the SPIDER-MAN, MEN IN BLACK 2 and LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS toys.  Check out their coverage here

It looks like the long-delayed BACK TO THE FUTURE DVD is finally on its way.  Proof comes in an official website for the DVD release set-up at www.bttfmovie.com.  Here's some information from the site: "The groundbreaking Back to the Future Trilogy DVD starring Michael J. Fox and from the Academy Award ® - winning powerhouse team of Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis will feature an incredible array of all-new, never-before-seen bonus materials such as feature commentaries, outtakes and deleted scenes. Experience firsthand the exhilarating magic and unbelievable action scenes that set a new standard for adventure comedy films."  It's about damn time!!!

Quick clarification.  Yesterday in my Oscar roundup I said that John Williams had been nominated 27 times.  A few astute readers brought to my attention he has in fact been nominated 41 times.  My error came in the way I phrased that.  I meant to say that he had been nominated for at least one Academy Award in 27 different years.  Sorry for any confusion...
 

February 12, 2002

I've updated the list below to add my petty little comments.  I know every Tom, Dick and Harry Knowles is doing this and I probably won't say anything new or inventive, but hey, I've gotta keep up with the Joneses.  I'm also going to go out on a limb and try to predict an early winner.  I'm sure momentum will change but these are my thoughts about who'll take the prize.

BEST PICTURE
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
MOULIN ROUGE
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
GOSFORD PARK
IN THE BEDROOM

No surprises here.  Ho-hum...pretty boring group if you ask me.  I enjoyed MIND, hated MOULIN and GOSFORD, haven't seen LOTR (not a big Tolkein fan...uh-oh, here come the angry e-mails), haven't seen IN THE BEDROOM.  I just wish I had something to stand behind this year and really root for.   I guess I'll get behing MIND but that's no fun at all.  That's like rooting for the Rams at this year's Super Bowl.  I went Pats all the way and that paid off in spades.  So will there be a similar upset?  Who will be the Patriots of this year's Oscars?...

BEST ACTOR
Russell Crowe - A BEAUTIFUL MIND
Denzel Washington - TRAINING DAY
Sean Penn - I AM SAM
Will Smith - ALI
Tom Wilkinson - IN THE BEDROOM

Sean Penn?!?!  Are these people crazy?   Penn is a great actor but this performance was nowhere near one of the top 5 of the year.  I suppose as long as Will Smith doesn't win I'll be happy (my anti-Will Smith agenda still going strong).  While I thought Russell Crowe was great in MIND, I really hope the Academy gives in to Denzel, who really deserves it.  Most actors would've phoned in a TRAINING DAY performance (let's face it, the film wasn't all that great) but he turned it into one of the most memorable performances of the year.

BEST ACTRESS
Nicole Kidman - MOULIN ROUGE
Sissy Spacek - IN THE BEDROOM
Halle Berry - MONSTERS' BALL
Renee Zellweger - BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY
Judi Dench - IRIS

I hate to say I told you so but...take a look back at my early picks for the Oscars.  This guy went out on a limb and saw Renee Zellweger coming.  I said it then and I'll say it now - never count out Miramax.   Now that she's nominated though, you can rest assured her chances of winning are nil.  The Spacek/Berry/Kidman race should be an interesting one...

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ben Kingsley - SEXY BEAST
Jim Broadbent - IRIS
Ethan Hawke - TRAINING DAY
Ian McKellan - LORD OF THE RINGS
Jon Voight - ALI

Damn you Academy!  Damn you for leaving Steve Buscemi high and dry!  And for Ethan Hawke?  I didn't even know he was being considered.  For shame... And while I'm on the record, Jon Voight's Howard Cosell was all make-up.  If they were going to give a shout to someone from ALI, Jamie Foxx was the man.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Connelly - A BEAUTIFUL MIND
Helen Mirren - GOSFORD PARK
Maggie Smith - GOSFORD PARK
Kate Winslet - IRIS
Marisa Tomei - IN THE BEDROOM

Go Jenny!  It's your birthday!!  I'm rooting for Jennifer Connelly for one simple reason - two simple reasons, actually...

BEST DIRECTOR
Ron Howard - A BEAUTIFUL MIND
Peter Jackson - LORD OF THE RINGS
Ridley Scott - BLACK HAWK DOWN
Robert Altman - GOSFORD PARK
David Lynch - MULHOLLAND DRIVE

This category mirrored the DGA nominations with two visible exceptions - Baz Luhrmann and Christopher Nolan were missing.  In their place were Robert Altman (nothing against the man personally but could his movies be any more booooring??) and David Lynch.  Traditionally, if your film isn't nominated for Best Picture, the odds of you winning a Directing award are slim, so I'd say the race is down to Ron Howard and Peter Jackson.  Let's see who wins the DGA award first.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
MEMENTO - Christopher Nolan
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS - Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson
MONSTERS BALL - Milo Addica & Will Rokos
GOSFORD PARK - Julian Fellowes
AMELIE - Guillaume Laurant and Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Pretty cool that Wes and Owen were nominated (for this and not RUSHMORE??) but here's where I root for MEMENTO and Chris Nolan to squash the competition to bits.  Take that GOSFORD PARK!  Eat my dust AMELIE!

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
A BEAUTIFUL MIND - Akiva Goldmsan
SHREK - Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Joe Stillman and Roger S.H. Schulman
GHOST WORLD - Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff
IN THE BEDROOM - Rob Festinger and Todd Field
LORD OF THE RINGS - Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson

GHOST WORLD would be a great upset choice but I doubt that'll happen.  Look for Akiva Goldsman standing on stage on Oscar night.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
AMELIE
ELLING
LAGAAN
NO MAN'S LAND
SON OF THE BRIDE

I haven't seen any of these films.  Maybe I should expand my horizons.  Hmmm...I'll pick......NO MAN'S LAND?

BEST ANIMATED FILM
SHREK
MONSTERS, INC.
JIMMY NEUTRON: BOY GENIUS

I know a lot of people are pissed about the omission of WAKING LIFE.  As if it matters.  SHREK will beat the crap out of any other film nominated.  Including MONSTERS, INC.  (Walt Disney must be rolling over in his grave.  What happened to his once great monopoly that the first ever Academy Award for a full-length animated film will go to someone other than Disney?)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
AMÉLIE
BLACK HAWK DOWN
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE
MOULIN ROUGE

THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE deserves to win in my book.  I can't believe this film didn't get nominated for more awards, especially Best Score.  When is Carter Burwell going to be recognized for his work??  If I ever get lucky enough to make a film with a decent budget, I would insist Burwell be my man. 

BEST ART DIRECTION
AMÉLIE
GOSFORD PARK
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
MOULIN ROUGE

BEST DOCUMENTARY, FEATURE
CHILDREN UNDERGROUND
LALEE'S KIN: THE LEGACY OF COTTON
MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING
PROMISES
WAR PHOTOGRAPHER

Discuss the Oscar nominations here
 

February 11, 2002

Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse for the poor guys at New Line Cinema. If the current “Goldmember” legal woes weren’t enough, the studio has pushed back their film formerly titled EL DIABLO indefinitely after a lengthy court battle with Blizzard Entertainment, creators of the “Diablo” video game. On July 10th of last year, a judge sided with Blizzard and issued the motion which stated New Line was barred from “advertising, promoting or releasing an upcoming motion picture under the name DIABLO.” According to a press release from Blizzard, the ruling also prohibits New Line from “using the mark Diablo in any form, whether used along or in combination with any other words.”

The Vin Diesel picture, which follows a DEA agent’s crusade to bring down a legendary druglord, was originally titled DIABLO. An “EL” was added to the title in an attempt to create a distinction between the film and the video game property but the court’s judgment meant that just adding an EL was simply not enough. But certainly changing a film’s title and marketing campaign could have been done in time for its originally scheduled fall release no? In fact, they’re still trying to get the as-of-yet untitled AUSTIN POWERS film finished in time for a July 26th debut. So how does New Line explain the film’s being pushed back to a TBD 2003 date, despite the fact the film wrapped almost a year ago (March, 2001)? Simple - they don’t. A call to New Line confirmed the film was not on the slate for 2002 and the “Untitled Vin Diesel Action Film” may eventually see the light of day sometime in 2003. A Blizzard Entertainment PR rep simply referred any questions about the Diablo scandal to the firm’s aforementioned press release.

Maybe New Line’s not talking about why the film has been moved, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take our guesses. I would think the fall would be a perfect time to release the-film-formerly-known-as-DIABLO (TFFKAD). From all preliminary accounts, XXX (which hits theaters this August) will do for Vin Diesel what THE TERMINATOR did for Arnold Schwarzenegger. So one would think New Line would want to capitalize on their star’s new found success. The fall seems to be devoid of any other major releases for NLC and it seems like a perfect time for the film to hit.   Could it be the studio is unhappy with the film?  Unlikely, considering they've already ordered a TFFKAD 2.  Meanwhile, the film sits finished on the shelves at New Line headquarters likely waiting over a year before it sees the light of day...
 

February 11, 2002

As the entertainment world gears up for the Academy Award nominations (which will be announced tomorrow morning), I decided to take a look back at my early predictions.   Ready for a good laugh?  Take a look at these choices.  Keep in mind this is from an article written in mid-November when I hadn't even seen half these movies.  I really thought THE MAJESTIC was going to be good.  My how things change.  Please keep in mind that there is no way these are still my predictions.  Just a humorous look back at what was going through my head circa November 15th.  Stay tuned tomorrow morning for full coverage of the Oscar nominations.  And don't forget to vote for your choices in the First Annual JoBlo.com Golden Schmoes Awards!
 

February 11, 2002

Honest Abe is back after an extended break with two new script reviews.   (This is my favorite part of the job.  Sit back and let someone else do all the writing.)  This time we have THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE and LIFE, OR SOMETHING LIKE IT.  Read on...

LIFE, OR SOMETHING LIKE IT (Positive, minor spoilers)
Lanie Kerrigan seems to have a nice life. She's a local newscaster and has a quite popular segment titled "That's Life". She's fit and healthy, she gets along with everyone, she's engaged to a star baseball player, she's up for a job with Pressline (kinda like 60 minutes) and doesn't seem to have a mean bone in her body. One day while interviewing a local homeless man named Prophet Jack who claims to have visions (he can randomly predict sports outcomes, for example) he tells Lainie that she'll die in one week. Thus, the premise of Life, is Lainie reevaluating her life and what she has accomplished. Let's just say that she goes a little bit nuts. Enter Pete, one of the segment producers for her network and a former flame. You can totally identify the sexual tension between these two. Pete is a pretty likable guy though. He's not some self centered jerk as most movies would depict him. Anyways, by the third day, Lainie is going nuts waiting for her end to come so she then decides "screw it" and really starts living. She's eating whatever she wants and wearing whatever. What is the point of what she's sacrificed? There's a great scene where she does a live feed in front of a bunch of striking laborers and Lainie, just a little bit tipsy, leads the boys in a rousing chorus of Satisfaction. This is a nice departure for Angelina Jolie as Lanie. I don't recall seeing her in a romantic slightly screwball comedy before and I just know she'll be able to pull it off. Her character is quite well developed and her supporting cast is shown just enough to see what kind of impact they have on her life while at the same time for the most part remaining interesting to the story. Can Lanie live life on her terms (job, etc.) and still be happy with who she is? Bottom line: go opening weekend and see for yourself.
 

February 11, 2002

File this report under films that just don't need to be made.   It looks as if somewhere, someone in Hollywood is trying to get another AMITYVILLE HORROR project off-the-ground.  Separate reports at both Coming Attractions and their sister site Test Pattern, have it that Daniel Farrands, who wrote HALLOWEEN 6 and an Amityville documentary for The History Channel, is shopping a revamped version of the 1979 haunted house film.  The original starred James Brolin and Margot Kidder in a decently spooky film about a house that's just plain evil.  Farrands is supposedly negotiating with Dimension Films to produce a sequel to the original film (ignoring all those terrible TV incarnations) which would be similar to how HALLOWEEN H20 "revitalized" that series.  The film would basically follow the same plot as the original except with a new family moving into the spooky house on Long Island.  Whether Dimension bites on the pitch from Farrands remains to be seen but it's looking likely that somewhere down the line, we'll see a AMITYVILLE remake.   Meanwhile, if you're looking to get a good scare, just try reading the book.   As usual, it's much, much better than the movie...
 

February 11, 2002

Shortly after its debut in 1999 it became the highest-rated cartoon on television, replacing long-running champ "Rugrats."  Now, Nickelodeon's SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS is coming to the big screen in a full-length feature film to be released sometime in late 2003 or early 2004.  Paramount and its Nickelodeon Films will produce the feature which may have SpongeBob and pals Patrick and Squidward leaving the confines of their undersea home, Bikini Bottom, for adventures outside their normal environs.  While Nickelodeon had no comment on the project, an article with SPONGEBOB creator Stephen Hillenburg in December's Time Magazine also revealed a movie is in the works.  Over 10 million kids a week watch the adventures of SpongeBob on weekend mornings and in its primetime slot at 8pm nightly.

February 11, 2002

Exclusive screenshots from the SPY KIDS 2 trailer have been posted at Film Force.  They'll provide your first look at the Spy Grandparents as well as the kids' new competition in the spy game.  Check 'em all out over here

Jeff Daniels will co-star alongside Clint Eastwood in BLOODWORK, which Eastwood is also directing and producing.   Daniels will play a Buddy Noone, "friend" of Eastwood's retired FBI agent who's pulled back into investigating one last crime. (Hollywood Reporter)

Michael Landes of UPN's "Special Unit" will star in FINAL DESTINATION 2, as a cop investigating more eerie occurrences.   Ali Larter will return for a small cameo to help segue the two films.  FINAL 2 will be directed by David Ellis, a stunt coordinator who worked on HARRY POTTER, THE PERFECT STORM and THE MATRIX RELOADED. (Variety)

Sony has confirmed the rumor that David Fincher's PANIC ROOM will be pushed back from March 8th to March 29th.  No reasons were given but this should give the studio more time to work on the marketing campaign, which has been surprisingly absent.

Vanity Fair has its STAR WARS issue out and featured are shots from Annie Liebowitz of the cast and crew of ATTACK OF THE CLONES.  To check out scans of all the pics featured in the magazine, head over here