Got a scoop...tell us here!
or email Joey Baloney directly here
 

June 15, 2001

Everybody here at JoBlo has been working damn hard lately. JoBlo's up until the ass crack of dawn making sure the site's looking good and taking care of all that behind-the-scenes shite I wouldn't want to touch with a ten-foot pole; Dr. Drew's juggling a possible career in medicine while reviewing DVDs like they're going out of style and writing his weekly DVD Roundup column weekly; Arrow's practically running his whole site (reviews, interviews, scripts, trivia, etc.) with the help of the News Reaper who continues to crank out the best of the best in the world of horror news.  In my opinion, the site has shown the hard work of everybody lately.  Allow me to kiss some ass for a moment and publicly tell everyone who works and volunteers their time here what a great job they're doing.  And while they're still basking in their compliment, I'll tell 'em that I'm going to Florida for a week and a half while they're stuck in Canada picking up the slack. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  ; )

Seriously, I will be on vacation in the lovely Sunshine State from today until the 26th.  JoBlo has been kind enough to cover my ass while I'm gone, so any scoops, questions or comments should be sent to the man himself here.  Try not to drive him crazy while I'm gone and remember...no wild parties!  On with the news and I'll see you all in a few!

JoBlo Note: And having said all that, I'm gonna go ahead and kiss your ass too, Mr. Baloney as you continue to do an excellent job as our roving movie newsman! We love you, we wish you all the best in Florida and I think I'm gonna stop now before we break the record for the most homo-erotic undertones on a movie website. Just remember that I've got your back, buddy!
  

June 15, 2001

Kevin Smith checked in with his official site with some information on JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK.  First, there was another test screening, this time in Arizona, and like the first it was very successful.  Due to the success of the two screenings, Dimension Films has decided to open J&SBSB on 2,500 screens, the largest ever for a Kevin Smith film. In other news, the theatrical trailer will definitely be attached to the July 4th opening of SCARY MOVIE 2 but the internet trailer scheduled to hit the web this week has been delayed until Monday.

Screenings for critics will be sometime next week and either JoBlo or I will HAVE to get ourselves into this and get you the scoop. Finally, Kevin dropped a rather interesting bit of news...he's filming a documentary for Prince.  That's right, the former Artist Formerly Known As Prince. Apparently there's some new album he has coming out called "The Rainbow Children" and called Smith out of the blue saying how much he loved DOGMA and wanted him to direct this thing.  Wow, that's pretty bizarre!...
 

June 15, 2001

If you thought I was done kissing ass, you're all wrong.  Our resident DVD guru, Dr. Drew, reported last week on THE SIMPSONS making their long-awaited debut to the DVD format. Variety confirmed this as fact in their Thursday edition proving further that Drew is the mack.  In case you missed Drew's original story, here's some of what you can expect from the disc:

• The Season One boxed set will be released on September 25th with Season Two possibly being released in time for the holidays
• Subsequent seasons will be released at the rate of two per year
• Season One extras will include outtakes, a BBC special called AMERICA'S FIRST FAMILY, scripts, audio commentary, sketches and stills, and an ABC News report on the "t-shirt controversy"

In another bit of SIMPSONS news, the phrase "d'oh" will be one of the new additions to the Oxford English Dictionary. <<in Lenny voice>> "Way to go, Homer!"
 

June 15, 2001

Uber-mega-super-duper-producer Jerry Bruckheimer is teaming with director Joel Schumacher and star Cate Blanchett to bring you CHASING THE DRAGON: THE VERONICA GUERIN STORY, a true story about journalist gunned down by drug dealers she exposed in the news.  Oh crap!  Does this mean Mel Gibson is going to hunt me down and shoot me like a dog for bashing WE WERE SOLDIERS?!   The film is scheduled to begin shooting in Ireland in April, 2002.  Cate Blanchett stars next in THE SHIPPING NEWS with Kevin Spacey and Schumacher has PHONE BOOTH coming this fall.
  

June 15, 2001

No, it's not for GHOSTBUSTERS 3 (which I hope never ever happens) but Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver will share the screen again, this time for the comedy THE WEDDING CONTRACT.  In negotiations to join them in the flick are Harvey Keitel and Candice Bergen.  The film involves a wealthy, uptight couple (Murray and Weaver) who meet their in-laws only to find out they have connections to organized crime.   The script was written by Howard Franklin who also wrote Murray's QUICK CHANGE as well as PRESS YOUR LUCK, which Murray is attached to star.
 

June 15, 2001

Richard Gere is back to his old tricks again (so many hamster jokes, so little time...) in his next starring vehicle, THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES.  He stars alongside recent Academy Award nominee Laura Linney in this supernatural tale and 'Honest Abe' is here to give you his slightly positive review of the script with minor spoilers:

Richard Gere tackles a wannabe spiritual connect with the dead and strange sightings going on movie.  Got it?  I didn't think I would but I did.  Gere plays a doctor who has recently lost his wife.  He starts to investigate strange visions of giant mothmen (hold on, it's not as goofy as it sounds...yet) and how these mothmen are related to his wife.  See, as she lay dying, she drew an image of one of them.  So Gere and a local female (naturally) sheriff in the small town start to investigate how rationally sane people can make such goofy claims and occasionally act irrational.  Are these mothmen for real?  Are they harbingers of some impending doom?  Is his wife trying to reach him from beyond the grave?  Will you believe me when I mention that parts of this are based on a true story?  Is this haunted room actually stretching? (sorry).  Well, it's a pretty good read and actually quite simple to follow along with.  Gere is a man who becomes more and more driven to find out the facts.  Being a doctor, he believes there has to be a logical explanation to all of this but as more and more stories and people come forward and more facts becomes blurred, he doesn't know what to think.  The predictable blossoming love story between Gere and the sheriff develops only slightly which is fine cause any more and it would have detracted from the main story.  Gere is another story.  Sometimes he can deliver like for instance in Primal Fear and other times....well....nah!  But with THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES, as long as it doesn't degenerate into hokiness, this should be fun and riveting to watch a driven man pushed to the brink.  Bottom line:  it might even be slightly creepy which is fine by me.  Again, as long as it ain't cheesy, I'll check out a matinee at least.  Wonder if the mothmen will look like the hawkmen from the old Marc Singer THE BEASTMASTER flick.  huh huh heh heh that would be cool!
 

June 15, 2001

Source: Joey Baloney

• AICN posted two script reviews for your pleasure; here's one for Adam Sandler's DEEDS and here's another for Katie Holmes's ABANDON (a movie in which our own Arrow has a small part....yeah, baby!)
• Whenever you film on the streets of New York City for all to see, there's gonna be pictures and set reports galore (see SPIDER-MAN).  Since MEN IN BLACK 2 is doing just that, there are more pictures and reports from the set right here
• The official poster for OSMOSIS JONES was snagged by Corona and if you click here you can see it for yourself
• This interview with Claudia Christensen of BABYLON 5 fame is online and she discusses her role on that TV show as well as her participation in Disney's upcoming ATLANTIS

June 14, 2001

As you may know, Paramount has warned all critics who have seen TOMB RAIDER that they are not to post their reviews of the film until Friday the 15th; the day the film opens (JoBlo's review should be up by late afternoon Friday).  But, they can't stop fans who have managed to get a look at the film from chiming in and word has not been good at all. One review says, "The good news is that Angelina Jolie was perfect...The bad news is that pretty much everything else was the opposite of perfect."  It only gets worse from there.

Two venomous reviews were posted on AICN with the first saying "one of the worst movies of the summer, if not the year. It is an abomination. It is unbelievably, laughably bad" and yet another (straight from Juicy Cerebellum) summing the film up by saying it's basically made up of "Bad acting, bad writing, bad cinematography, bad soundtrack, bad jokes and, more than anything, bad directing." Harry didn't post his review up either, but pretty much agreed with these slamming reviews.

On the good side, David Manning from the Ridgefield Press declares "TOMB RAIDER is another winner from the team that director that brought you CON AIR!" Stay tuned to see what our own JoBlo has to say about this one....
 

June 14, 2001

Those list crazy folks at the American Film Institute have released their top 100 "thrilling" movies. Their definition of thrilling is quite liberal and ranges from the expected (THE SHINING, JAWS, ALIEN) to the absurd (TITANIC, THE WIZARD OF OZ). PSYCHO topped the list and director Gus Van Sant exclaimed, "See!  I told them it would be a success!  Huzzah!!"  When told it was Alfred Hitchcock's version that was number one and not his, Van Sant slunk away and went back to work on his next "troubled young prodigy and his old mentor" movie.  If you've got a particular beef with the film's chosen, make sure you write to all 1,800 of the directors, actors, executives, and critics that voted for the top 100.  Here's a list of the movies along with the year they were originally released:

1. PSYCHO (1960)
2. JAWS (1975)
3. THE EXORCIST (1973)
4. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
5. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
6. ALIEN (1979)
7. THE BIRDS (1963)
8. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
9. ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968)
10. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
11. THE GODFATHER (1972)
12. KING KONG (1933)
13. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
14. REAR WINDOW (1954)
15. DELIVERANCE (1972)
16. CHINATOWN (1974)
17. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
18. VERTIGO (1958)
19. THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963)
20. HIGH NOON (1952)
21. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
22. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
23. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
24. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
25. TITANIC (1997)
26. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
27. STAR WARS (1977)
28. FATAL ATTRACTION (1987)
29. THE SHINING (1980)
30. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
31. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
32. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951)
33. THE FUGITIVE (1993)
34. THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955)
35. JURASSIC PARK (1993)
36. BULLITT (1968)
37. CASABLANCA (1942)
38. NOTORIOUS (1946)
39. DIE HARD (1988)
40. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
41. DIRTY HARRY (1971)
42. THE TERMINATOR (1984)
43. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
44. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
45. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
46. CARRIE (1976)
47. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
48. DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954)
49. BEN-HUR (1959)
50. MARATHON MAN (1976)
51. RAGING BULL (1980)
52. ROCKY (1976)
53. PULP FICTION (1994)
54. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
55. WAIT UNTIL DARK (1967)
56. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
57. ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976)
58. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
59. PLANET OF THE APES (1968)
60. THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)
61. CAPE FEAR (1962)
62. SPARTACUS (1960)
63. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962)
64. TOUCH OF EVIL (1958)
65. THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967)
66. THE MATRIX (1999)
67. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
68. HALLOWEEN (1978)
69. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
70. DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975)
71. GOLDFINGER (1964)
72. PLATOON (1986)
73. LAURA (1944)
74. BLADE RUNNER (1982)
75. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
76. THELMA & LOUISE (1991)
77. TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991)
78. GASLIGHT (1944)
79. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960)
80. REBECCA (1940)
81. THE OMEN (1976)
82. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951)
83. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925)
84. POLTERGEIST (1982)
85. DRACULA (1931)
86. THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (1945)
87. THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951)
88. 12 ANGRY MEN (1957)
89. THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (1961)
90. THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972)
91. BRAVEHEART (1995)
92. BODY HEAT (1981)
93. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
94. THE CHINA SYNDROME (1979)
95. FULL METAL JACKET (1987)
96. BLUE VELVET (1986)
97. SAFETY LAST (1923)
98. BLOOD SIMPLE (1984)
99. SPEED (1994)
100. THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938)

Click here to see the TOP 49 MOVIE MOMENTS
that our own Schmoes chose a few months back
 

June 14, 2001

Norman Jewison, director of the original ROLLERBALL on which the remake with Chris Klein and LL Cool J is based, is upset that the new version glorifies the very violence the original film satirized. He spoke to a crowd at the Lake Placid Film Forum and revealed he was approached to direct an updated ROLLERBALL but when he read the script, he was completely turned off by the direction the film had taken. Jewison went on to say, "They've invited me to a screening, but I'm not sure I even want to see it." I tell you what Normie, they've invited me to a screening and I'm not sure I even want to see it... ;)
 

June 14, 2001

Roland Emmerich is attached to direct CYBER LOVE STORY with producing partner Dean Devlin; the same team that brought you such empty-headed action fare as GODZILLA, INDEPENDENCE DAY, THE PATRIOT and UNIVERSAL SOLDIER.  The film, written by Ron Bass (MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING) is a futuristic romance about virtual reality chat rooms where couples can enter a computer generated reality to meet their perfect mate. Devlin and Emmerich are currently developing the thriller CELLULAR, about a man trying to track down a kidnap victim who accidentally called his cell phone, for Devlin to direct.
  

June 14, 2001

The fansite www.jeaninesalla.com (a play on the "Sentient Machine Therapist" Jeanine Salla from the AI online mystery) has posted a listing of movie theaters across the United States where you can see AI before it opens on June 29th.  Granted you can see it one day before it opens on the 29th, but hey, that's before the majority of the us can see it.  So check out the link and see if you live in or near one of the lucky cities that's offering a preview of the flick.  In other AI news, the official site has posted the rating for the film and it's not the R-rating many were expecting. It was rated PG-13 for "some sexual content and violent images." Hmph.  Personally, I would've liked to have seen the R-rated version, but that's just me.
 

June 14, 2001

As you heard here first (OK, maaaaybe we didn't exactly break that scoop...), Brett Ratner (RUSH HOUR) is negotiating to direct RED DRAGON for which he would receive $4 million big ones. Anthony Hopkins is also in negotiations to reprise his role as a much younger Hannibal Lecter (in the book Lecter is 41; Hopkins is 64) for this prequel to SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and HANNIBAL.  As I'm sure you know, RED DRAGON was previously made into a film entitled MANHUNTER by Michael Mann (ALI, THE INSIDER).

Producers and Universal were quick to capitalize on the success of HANNIBAL, lining up plans to remake DRAGON almost immediately after HANNIBAL's opening weekend, and are assuming most of the movie-going public isn't aware of Michael Mann's film.  It is unknown how much Hopkins would make for his third Lecter film but one would assume it would be greater than the $10 million he received for HANNIBAL.  Harry at AICN broke the news that Ratner was Universal was interested in Ratner as a director last week and Variety confirmed the news on Wednesday.
  

June 14, 2001

After a few days off, 'Honest Abe' is back with a review of the Michael Douglas/Famke Janssen thriller DON'T SAY A WORD.  Here's Abe's mixed review and I caution you there are some minor spoilers:

Michael Douglas stars as a prominent child psychologist who's daughter is kidnapped.  In order to get her back alive at the end of the day, the bad guys want him to pry a 7 digit number out of the locked memory of potentially violent 18 year old.  Will he get the number in time?   That folks is the movie in a nutshell.  Now, anything with Michael Douglas can't be all bad.  He's one of the few actors who can always deliver (okay, I didn't see ONE NIGHT AT McCOOL'S yet).  Again, Michael comes through with a role that will be quite a ride to sit through.  It's not a bad read.  It was easy to follow along and while there are a few spots where the basic plot borders on hokey, my only problem falls with the 18 year old nutjob, Elizabeth.  She smacks of a rip-off of Angelina Jolie in GIRL, INTERRUPTED.  What's just dumb writing is how she opens up to Nathan (Douglas) whereas she refused to open up to any other doctor and the fact that he is on a very tight time schedule (he must have the 7 digit number by 5pm that day), the silliness and implausibilites start to stack up.  Granted, they have some great scenes together:   Elizabeth, the immovable object and Nathan, a man at his wits end to save his little girl.  But again, there are holes that need to be plugged.  Bottom line:   unless the trailers and advance buzz equate this to a dung heap, I'll at least check out a matinee.  After all, it's Michael Douglas.
 

May 4, 2001

Source: Joey Baloney

• More shots from the set of REIGN OF FIRE have popped up at Coming Attractions and you can check them out by clicking here
• If you watched the AFI special on the top "thrilling" movies then you may have seen the new commercial for JURASSIC PARK 3. Dan's JP3 Page was kind enough to take some screenshots and post them for you, in case you missed it
• MEN IN BLACK 2 has begun filming in New York City and there are two set reports online, both available right here

June 13, 2001

Pat and his buds from Coming Attractions scored some neat scoops with an inside look at what's going in inside the licensing fair in New York City. Amongst the things they have on their site:  A HULK poster, which basically features the big green guy's face with a projected release date of "Summer 2003" (see below); a shot of SPIDER-MAN swinging through town (although that looks curiously like an artist's rendering rather than a photograph) (see below); a LORD OF THE RINGS bookmark (click here); and finally a water bottle promoting next summer's THE SCORPION KING (click here).  I'm sure there will be more scans posted up later so make sure you check out CA throughout the course of the next day or so to make sure you don't miss anything.

< click on pics to see larger versions at Corona's! >
  

June 13, 2001

Via the Australian newspaper, The Melbourne Herald Sun, AICN reported that MAD MAX 4 may well have begun production with filming to take place soon in Morocco and Australia. As Harry pointed out, Mel Gibson is in the middle of shooting WE WERE SOLDIERS but this installment of the MAD MAX saga probably won't include the Hollywood heavyweight (he practically had to be dragged back kicking and screaming to LETHAL WEAPON 4).  Heath Ledger was once rumored for the role but if production has indeed already begun, expect to see a cast of newcomers.  If there had been any substantial casting moves made, rest assured you probably would've heard about it by now.  We'll keep you up to date of any breaking news regarding MAD MAX.
  

June 13, 2001

Here's Dr. Drew from the old DVD Clinic with some news and menu shots from the upcoming BATMAN: SPECIAL EDITION DVD:

The day that you've longed for is finally here!  BATMAN is making its way to DVD on a disc that it deserves!  A special edition set with tons of extras and...wait, what? Ohhh, man...it's not the Tim Burton BATMAN but the campy Adam West and Burt Ward BATMAN.  Oh well, I guess that's still pretty cool. Here's some of the features you can expect:

"Jam-packed with exclusive bonus features, the explosive BATMAN: THE MOVIE 35th Anniversary Special Edition DVD includes an all-new 16-minute featurette featuring interviews with stars Adam West and Burt Ward, engaging running commentary with West and Ward, an exclusive tour of the original Batmobile, a behind-the-scenes stills gallery, never-before-seen shots from Adam West's private photo collection, the original theatrical trailers and much more!"

Below I've included some screenshots of the menu for the DVD to be released on August 21st.  I'll be back sometime soon with more news in the world of DVDs, including the big news that the GODFATHER box-set is finally on its way!

< click on pics to see larger versions >

Pre-order the BATMAN DVD here
 

June 13, 2001

Director John McTiernan, currently putting the finishing touches on ROLLERBALL, has dropped out of the Miramax film SMOKE AND MIRRORS, due to "insurmountable business differences."  Translated from Hollywood-speak to English, that means he wanted more money and they wouldn't give it to him.  SMOKE will still star Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones who are committed to making the project their next film. The film revolves around an illusionist and his beautiful assistant (take a guess who plays who) recruited to help the Allied forces during World War II.
  

June 13, 2001

Source: Joey Baloney

• Tom Hanks and Sam Mendes (AMERICAN BEAUTY) are teaming up to bring you ROAD TO PERDITION and you can read a script review here
• A shot of Mary Jane and Peter Parker holding hands and looking lovey-dovey can be seen here
• Wanna check out what Charlton Heston looks like under gobs of ape makeup? Sure ya do! Click here to see a shot from his cameo in PLANET OF THE APES
• Why bother watching SWORDFISH when we can lead you to the very best part, correction: two very best parts of the movie, right here. Behold Halle Barry's boobies

June 12, 2001

A couple quick things before I get going on the news:

A couple of people were wondering why I was bashing SUB-MARINER in yesterday's news. In response, no, I don't have anything against SUB-MARINER in particular.  It's just that some comic books are great books and deserve to stay that way.  Not every single character in the Marvel or DC or otherwise Universe needs to have its own action movie.  Look what happened to the horror genre and the teen/gross-out/comedy genre.  It's over Johnny.  The fine folks in Hollywood are simply looking to make a few bucks (hey, aren't we all) and they don't care about beating a dead horse until it's dry and won't bleed any more dollar bills.  Do we need a SUB-MARINER movie?  No.  Do we need a DEATHLOK movie?  Good God, no.  Half of these properties weren't even good comic books, let alone fodder for a decent movie.  So, no I don't hate comics or SUB-MARINER, in fact I love them.  And because I love them, I feel the need to say "Hey you...get your damn hands off her!"

One more thing...last week sure was slow in the news department.  I myself was bored silly surfing the usual sites trying to find something halfway interesting to help me pass my day.  And I feel I failed the loyal schmoes by providing less than stellar coverage on an exceptionally slow news week (I won't even mention how I didn't post the Movie of the Week until Friday...).  But, I promise to make it up to you this week with tons of new stories and goodies to chase away those summer blahs. OK, now that I've got that off my chest....
 

June 12, 2001

Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore and set to team up for the dark comedy DUPLEX, about a couple who can move into a beautiful New York apartment...as soon as they can kill the old woman currently living there. DUPLEX was written by ex-SIMPSONS writer-producer Larry Doyle (he wrote the "Simpsons Bible Stories" and "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" episodes amongst others) and will be directed by Greg Mottola, who last directed THE DAYTRIPPERS.  I can't believe someone hasn't thought sooner to put Drew and Ben (yeah, we're on a first name basis...) together in a movie.  Both stars are at the height of their comic careers and together could produce a really funny, likeable and winning on-screen couple. Gotta hand it to the Weinsteins and Miramax for finally getting these two together. Stiller and Barrymore will both co-produce the film through their respective production companies.
 

June 12, 2001

File this one under "Sequels That Should Never be Made." The completely unnecessary BEVERLY HILLS COP 4 took one step closer to become a frightening reality when producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Paramount hired writer Jason Richman (who recently re-wrote BLACK SHEEP for Bruckheimer) to take a swing at the script.  The film has not been greenlit yet (keeping my fingers crossed) and the decision to go ahead with the film will be made on the strength of the script.  Eddie Murphy has expressed interest in a COP sequel although after wracking my brain, I can't figure out why.  I must add that I am embarrassed to say that I saw BEVERLY HILLS COP 3 in the theaters.  I must have been daaaaamn bored that day.
 

June 12, 2001

You can put this right next to BEVERLY HILLS COP 4 in the above-mentioned file. Columbia has hired the writers of ROBOCOP, Michael Miner and Ed Neumeier, to write a sequel to the 1997 surprise box-office success ANACONDA.  The original film starred Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight and Owen Wilson.  Considering Voight and Wilson were eaten by a giant snake in the first film, odds are the won't be back.  And considering Jennifer Lopez is busy being Jennifer Lopez, you can bet she won't be back either.  Hopefully, someone will get a hold of Ice Cube and talk some sense into him.  If they can't get Ice Cube, maybe they can get Ice-T.  Did anyone see his performance as "Mack Daddy" in LEPRECHAUN IN THE HOOD?  Classic.
  

June 12, 2001

Vin Diesel recently revealed he will have nothing to do with the upcoming HELLBOY film project but he IS currently in negotiations to join the spy thriller TRIPLE X for director Rob Cohen, who just finished directing Diesel in THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS.  The film will revolve around (get this...) an extreme sports athlete who becomes "a James Bond-like hero with the personality of a rock star/chick magnet like Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst" when he is hired by the government to bust up a crime syndicate.   What?  Has the whole world gone insane?  I can't believe people sat around a big expensive table in fancy suits and shoes and actually thought this would be a good idea.  I've got nothing against Vin Diesel or Rob Cohen (although he did direct THE SKULLS...) but c'mon, a Fred Durst/James Bond superspy?  Here's what this sounds like to me:  (THE MOD SQUAD * 1/2) + (IF LOOKS COULD KILL - Richard Greico) + ("American Gladiators") + (COOL AS ICE).  This is what TRIPLE X means for Joey Baloney:  1 bottle Jack Daniels + 1 bottle sleeping pills + a nice nap on the train tracks.
 

June 12, 2001

You'll be happy to know that Kirsten Dunst has shot her first nude scene for her upcoming film CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL.  You'll be unhappy to know that you'll never see it.  In an effort to protect the young star, director John Stockwell let Dunst and her mother sit in on that particular editing session to trim any sensitive shots.  The script called for Dunst to walk naked across a room, grab a condom, then have wild sex with her co-star Jay Hernandez, who has now officially earned the title of Luckiest Man in the World.  You will get to see some of Kirsten's skin when the PG-13 film is released but don't expect anything too boner-iffic.  The star had black tape placed over her breasts and what that didn't cover, strategically placed shadows will.  Damn you John Stockwell.  Damn you straight to hell.  I guess all we can do know is dream and dream and dream...
 

June 12, 2001

This week's Movie of the Week forum is up and running and discussions are well under way for THE BIG LEBOWSKI.  Whether you loved it or hated it, head over the the forum and voice your opinion (did anybody NOT like it?!?).  If, after all of this hoopla, you still have no idea what I'm talking about, read all about the Movie of the Week here.  Oh, and if you enjoy reading JoBlo and have an interest in supporting this fine site, you can rent THE BIG LEBOWSKI and all of your movie rentals through this offer with NetFlix.
 

June 12, 2001

Source: Joey Baloney

• Chuck Palahniuk, author of FIGHT CLUB and SURVIVOR, discusses both of these books, the trouble getting a film version of SURVIVOR made and much more in this interview
• Some sweet new shots from AI are online and you can check them out here
• On-set pictures of Salma Hayek and Ashley Judd from FRIDA KAHLO are online here
• Some gruesome shots from the set of the Ridley Scott/Jerry Bruckheimer war film BLACK HAWK DOWN are online here.  Thanks to 'Trent' for the heads up
• Now for the funniest story of the day.  Sharon Stone's husband was brutally attacked by a kimodo dragon at a Los Angeles zoo. Read the full story here and laugh your ass off

June 11, 2001

June 11, 2001

OK, so are we all done? Has Hollywood officially bought the rights to every single comic book property? Now let's make all these movies, make sure to make them extra crappy and then beat the genre into the ground, a la SCREAM and the teen horror genre. What has me so pissed off you ask? Well, Universal has acquired the film rights to practically the last Marvel property available, THE SUB-MARINER, with the project going to writers as soon as negotiations are complete. Avi Arad, the same man who thinks THE FANTASTIC FOUR is going to make a great "comedy", has managed to sell off every single Marvel property just to see his name published in the paper, and as a result will ruin the imaginations of millions of kids whose comic book dreams are 1,000 times more entertaining than any movie Arad could crap out. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed X-MEN and I expect to thoroughly enjoy SPIDER-MAN and THE HULK, but these are to be the exceptions. I expect to walk out of the theater cursing THE FANTASTIC FOUR, CLOAK AND DAGGER, GHOST RIDER, IRON FIST, and all the other recently sold properties that will be processed into a male version of JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS. And only until a film sees the failure that JOSIE saw will studios and Arad realize that audiences aren't as stupid as they'd like to think they are. So give me THE SUB-MARINER, cast Freddie Prinze Jr., Scott Speedwell or some other WB flavor of the month as Namor, and have twenty out of work writers hack their way through a half-assed "Captain Planet" rip-off. A pox on you Avi Arad for ruining some of my favorite comic book franchises.
 

June 11, 2001

TORTOISE VS. HARE (which recently underwent a name change from the more generic title THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE) is the latest project from Aardman Studios, who recently brought us CHICKEN RUN and previously the Academy Award winning Wallace and Gromit short film. We've gotten some voice casting news for that film, courtesy of Coming Soon. Michael Caine has been cast as The Hare, Paul Whitehouse as The Tortoise, and Orlando Jones (EVOLUTION) revealed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien that he has been in London providing a voice-over for the film. Jones did not reveal what role he would be playing in the film. TORTOISE, a mock-umentary in the vein of THIS IS SPINAL TAP, was originally scheduled for 2003 but an enthusiastic DreamWorks has bumped the film up to Summer 2002.
 

June 11, 2001

Joel Silver, the uber-producer behind THE MATRIX and the genius who got Halle Berry nekkid in this weekend's top movie, SWORDFISH, will produce the film version of the novel "Those Who Walk in Darkness," whose title will most likely be shortened to DARKNESS for theaters. The novel was written by John Ridley who sold his internet animated series UNDERCOVER BROTHER to Universal which is currently being filmed with Eddie Griffin and Dave Chappelle. DARKNESS is a dark film-noir which revolves around a rookie cop forced to hunt down superhuman mutants terrorizing his city. Ridley is also working on two other novels as well as a pilot for HBO entitled EMPIRE.
 

June 11, 2001

Source: Joey Baloney

• Check out the poster for RUSH HOUR 2 starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker here
• A script review for MEN IN BLACK 2 is online and you too can read it here
• An interview with director George Romero is online and he discusses the upcoming LIVING DEAD movie. Thanks to 'Smilesman' for the heads up. You can read the interview here
• A Ministry music video from AI is online and you can get a glimpse of the band's involvement in one scene during the movie. To download the clip, click here