• Tim Gray weighs in on Oscar’s potential slide to January. [Variety]
• Darren Aronofsky is closer to jumping on board the “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” sequel than we thought/feared. [Deadline]
• Oliver Stone is pretty worried about Michael Douglas’s health concerns. [Associated Press]
It goes without saying one of the most anticipated films of the fall movie season is Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan.” Going by the trailer, we’re in for a slice of genre goodness that taps many of the muscles the director has flexed early in his career.
In an interview with MTV, Aronofsky offers an intriguing bit of trivia: his latest film and 2008’s “The Wrestler” actually started out as one film. It seems his 10-year-old original concept involved a professional wrestler falling in love with a professional ballet dancer. The mind reels.
I imagine it would have been fascinating territory to cover, but the germ split off into two separate films. Eventually Aronofsky worked with Robert Siegel’s on an original screenplay and saved the ballet stuff for the film opening the Venice film festival in just two days.
• In a bumper season for the sci-fi genre, Kris was thoroughly impressed by both “Star Trek” and the lower-profile “Moon.”
• Meanwhile, we kicked off this year’s Page to Screen series with a look at the literary origins of “Chéri’.”
• In a sad week for the business, we bade farewell to both actor Dom DeLuise and filmmaker Marc Rocco.
• Quentin Tarantino declared “Inglourious Basterds” a masterpiece. (And Eli Roth a bastard.)
• Following “Angels and Demons,” could cinema be the wrong medium for Dan Brown’s storytelling?
• Continuing our new Sunday Cents feature with a breakdown of “Wolverine’s” box office performance.
• Speaking of which, the “X-Men” franchise continues to grow new limbs. This time, a Deadpool spinoff.
• We got a taste of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Tetro” with both a trailer and the opening minutes of the film.
• Yours truly admitted to some reservations about Christian Bale’s recent work, and lost further cool points by fessing up to his Jennifer Garner weakness.
• Finally, our contentious quest for the most influential films of all time continues apace.
(Somehow this post disappeared earlier. No idea why. Apologies.)
• Mother’s Day is coming, so here’s a list of the 40 (yes, 40) best movie moms. [Premiere]
• Has “Wolverine” skewered the intelligent superhero movies? [The Guardian]
• With Cannes around the corner, Tim Robey spotlights the best Palme d’Or winners of all time. [Daily Telegraph]
• Stu VanAirsDale stands up for Sony Classics honchos Michael Barker and Tom Bernard against the jolly mean giant, Nikki Fikke. [Movieline]
• Screenwriter Larry Gross attempts to take yours truly to task on a passing comment that obviously had more behind it by spewing assumption after assumption with verbiage that would bring Bill Strunk to tears. [The Hot Blog]
• Peter Bart writes up former CBS programming head Mike Dann’s new memoir. [Peter Bart]
• Steven Zeitchik presents the MTV Movie Awards as an Oscar cautionary tale: when populism runs rampant. [Risky Biz Blog]
• Back to business. Sasha Grey to follow up “The Girlfriend Experience” with “This Ain’t Star Trek XXX.” [/film]
• Erica Abeel chats up Carlos Cuaron on his latest work. [indieWIRE]
I first saw this over at /film last night. Very creative. Anyone played this? Any good? I need to stop wasting money buying games that end up sucking (coughdeadspacecough).
• Nathaniel Rogers wonders whether Geoffrey Rush and/or Jane Fonda can complete the acting triple crown by nabbing Tony awards this year. [The Film Experience]
• John Farr writes up 15 top movies that should be on DVD but aren’t. [The Huffington Post]
• The “Star Trek” cast speaks out on the new film via a nifty photo gallery to ramp up the hits! [HitFix]
• David Poland points out that the “Easter egg” endings on “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” will indeed lead in to two new sequels. Now that “Deadpool” has already been confirmed, chalk one more up for Wolvie’s Japanese saga. [The Hot Blog]
• Susan Wloszczyna talks to the principles on Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Homes.” [USA Today]
• Andrew O’Hehir wraps up the best of Tribeca Fest. [Beyond the Multiplex]
“X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” SPOILERS THROUGHOUT THIS POST. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.
If you saw “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” over the weekend, then you know this is most certainly not what comic fans know as Deadpool. I don’t know what the hell it was, to be honest, but then again, Ryan Reynolds wasn’t the guy playing…it. Scott Adkins from “The Bourne Ultimatum” was credited as Weapon XI, so there are outs.
Well, the race to spin off from the spin-off first has ended with Rob Liefeld’s creation getting the solo Hollywood treatment. The Hollywood Reporter gives us the following, with MAJOR “Wolverine” SPOILERS (via Liefeld’s Twitter page):
Reynolds is attached to reprise the character for what for now is simply being called “Deadpool.” Lauren Shuler Donner and Marvel Studios would act as producers.
Deadpool is known as “the merc with a mouth,” a character that under Reynolds lived up to his billing in “Wolverine” until the end, when the movie deviated from the comic book persona, imbuing him with several superpowers and sewing his mouth shut.
It is understood that Reynolds would regain the ability to mouth off, with the movie going back to the roots of the character known for his slapstick tone and propensity to break the fourth wall. The character also was disfigured in “Wolverine,” though it’s unclear at this time how much the studio would want to mess with Reynolds’ handsome mug.
The project is out to writers.
Fox considered a “Deadpool” spinoff early in “Wolverine’s” development process, which is why it cast Reynolds. The actor was brought back in the month before the movie’s release to shoot one of two “Easter egg” scenes that appeared after the end credits. The scene showed Deadpool alive, though when last audiences saw him, he appeared to be dead.
…which, of course, takes none of the “outs” into the scenario, so who knows what the hell is going on. One thing is for sure: this is a project destined to lose money if the production budget gets too out of hand. “Elektra” numbers, maybe. Unless the film gets some supporting character help. The general audience doesn’t know Deadpool from a circus acrobat, after all.
Sigh…
(Also in comic casting news, it looks like Bradley Cooper, from “The Hangover” and television’s “Alias,” is being seriously considered for the lead role in “The Green Lantern.”)
• VIDEO: “Star Trek” writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman on how to be a sci-fi screenwriter. [Time]
• Robert E. Lee descendant (and, of course, Academy Award winner) Robert Duvall squares off against Wall-Mart in Virginia. [Associated Press]
• Noah Forrest calls Steven Soderbergh’s “The Girlfriend Experience” the year’s best film so far. [Movie City News]
• Nathaniel Rogers posts a test screening reaction to Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” [The Film Experience]
• Jeffrey Wells expresses some trepidation over the upcoming “Angels & Demons.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• Christopher Campbell cranks out a list of 10 mutants who need an “X-Men Origins” movie. [Spout Blog]
• Hugh Jackman, meanwhile, is full-speed-ahead developing a “Wolverine” sequel. [Variety]
After all the hype, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” opened with a solid $87.0 million at the box office this weekend. Both “X2” and “X-Men: The Last Stand” started with over $100 million* but “Wolverine” does better the $72.6 million of Bryan Singer’s original from 2000. When a film is received as poorly as Brett Ratner’s third entry in the franchise was, it’s only natural for the follow-up to start a bit lower.
Almost any franchise will prove this but the easiest example is “Batman.” Schumacher did his worst with “Batman & Robin” and unsuspecting customers shelled out $67.1 million* on opening weekend. The movie collapsed from there and it took Warner Bros. years to attempt another shot at the bat. In steps Christopher Nolan and “Batman Begins” debuted with a cautious $54.6 million. Everybody loved it, the stars aligned and “The Dark Knight” opened to $158.4 million. Obviously, there were other factors at play but look at the “Back to the Future,” “Mission: Impossible” and “The Matrix” films for further proof.
Anyway, all that is to say that $87 million isn’t really disappointing, nor is it that spectacular. “Iron Man” debuted with $98 million on this weekend last year without any previous big screen incarnations. “Wolverine” will most likely not make it to $200 million and life goes on.
Matthew McConaughey tried his luck at counter-programming and brought in $15.3 million for “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.” That’s the worst debut he’s had in the romantic comedy genre since “EdTV” in 1999 and only a tiny fraction better than “Made of Honor”’s debut last year versus Tony Stark. I’m willing to go out on a limb and guess that McConaughey’s salary was a bit larger than Patrick Dempsey’s so that return is just not good enough. I like to think that it didn’t do well because it looked awful but that wouldn’t explain “Wolverine”’s numbers.
The summer officially starts at the multiplexes this weekend with the release of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” I’m already on the record, so tell us what you thought of the film in the comments section below. I’m curious how this one is going to play to the masses.
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” opens nationwide today but it dropped just a little earlier across the pond. Owen Vaughan at The Times of London has put together a nice dissection of the Wolverine character with comic writers Len Wein and Chris Claremont in mind but I really wish Wein had participated because the entire piece is filled with Claremont quotes.
The significance of the two men is undeniable. Wein, of course, created Wolverine way back in 1974 as a sideline villain in the pages of “The Incredible Hulk.” You might remember that photo of Hugh Jackman meeting his maker, so to speak, at San Diego ComicCon last year.
The character’s first appearance came on the final page of issue #180 of the series, but it’s #181 that stands out most to fans (and commands the most dollars if you’re looking to bulk up your Wolvie collection). The cover is a classic image: Wolverine, in his odd recognizable regalia, slashes violently at the Hulk as the villainous Wendigo stalks the two of them in the background.
Claremont, meanwhile, gave Wolverine all of his characteristic charm and, together with artist Frank Miller, added texture and depth in “Wolverine” mini-series of 1983. As Claremont says in the Times interview, “The film is based on the Wolverine Weapon X series and [Paul Jenkins’s] Wolverine Origin but the essential character is my guy.”
Further expanding on his vision of the then nine-year-old character:
“My idea of Wolverine was that if you walked into his room half of it would be a total trash heap, a sloppy couch and more beer cans than you can imagine, and half would be the quintessence of economy and grace – a stand for his sword and maybe a picture on a table. Wolverine is essentially at war with himself. There’s a part of him that wants to be this pure, pristine man of honour and there’s a part of him that wants to say, ‘F*** this’ and hit the bars. He hasn’t found a way to reconcile those two things.”
With “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” having landed with a bit of a thud, the snarkster in me couldn’t help but smile at a couple of soundbites from this interview with supporting player will.i.am:
“I’m nervous to see my performance,” said the self-described “X-Men” fan. “My participation in it automatically lends itself to: That dude messed the film up.”
“This film showed me what I’m capable of doing, and I’m capable of letting go,” he said. “Now I’ve got to let go and watch it. I know it’s going to be dope, I just don’t know if I’m going to be that dope.”
Well, according to Kris’s review, what he’s “capable of doing” isn’t very much, but clearly, the film’s problems run deeper than having a gimmicky pop-hopper (not a real term, I admit, but how else to describe his music?) in a supporting role. So to say he “messed the film up” would probably be unfair.
But as fans of decent music know by now, will.i.am’s presence rarely augurs well for a project, so I guess the curse transfers to film as well. (Bias alert: I’m still bitter about Macy Gray’s hideous last album.)
Meanwhile, someone from the “Wolverine” supporting gallery who I’d like to think has a brighter acting future is “Friday Night Lights” star Taylor Kitsch. (Gotta love that name.) There’s a fairly unrevealing piece about the young actor here, one of those that describes a process seemingly far more elaborate than the eventual performance. (If the film does indeed portray the “complexity” and multiple “levels” of the Gambit character alluded to in the article, the reviews aren’t reflecting it.)
After weeks of bad press following an unanticipated work print leak and rampant speculation that the film was likely to be D.O.A., both financially and creatively, the best thing one can say about “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is that it wasn’t as awful as expected. But positivity hits a brick wall after that concession.
In a genre that only seems to spark when filmmakers come at the material from a place of passion, Gavin Hood’s prequel to Fox’s “X-Men” franchise comes across like an anonymous, factory-assembled piece of corporate product with no personality and no thematic virtue.
What it lacks in quality it doesn’t exactly make up for in spectacle, and while it is more centered on character than story, it nevertheless skims the surface where that is concerned. A film that might have had something for everyone nearly offers nothing for no one.
Hugh Jackman dons the too-tight jeans and adamantium talons for the fourth time in nine years as James Logan, a hyper-healing mutant with a shady (and lengthy) past. Screenwriters David Benioff and Skip Woods borrow and manipulate Marvel’s “Origin” mini-series at will, especially in the early portions of the film, to give a vague point of entry that neither gives the audience a nuanced portrait of the character nor Jackman the proper material in which to invest himself.
I figured I’d come home tonight and throw in the “X-Men” Blu-ray trilogy as “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (which I saw this afternoon) makes for a nice lead-in to the series. For no reason whatsoever, I’m thinking I’ll live Tweet the proceedings, so if you’re bored and/or have no life like yours truly, feel free to keep up. Just put in “X2.”
Okay, so last week when junketeers got their first look at “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” many (especially the AICN crowd) were quick to dog-pile the studio for having the gall to “lie” when the film leaked earlier this month. Fox honcho Tom Rothman, at the time, said the completed version of the film contained 10 minutes of footage not seen in the leaked workprint.
As it turns out, this was reported as false (albeit through the heavy glaze of snark). But that didn’t stop the studio from going on the record with Patrick Goldstein today to clarify:
Fox’s senior vice president of corporate communications, Chris Petrikin…explains that he was probably the person who told Rothman that 10 minutes were missing from the pirated version of the film. He stressed that the studio was under enormous pressure after the piracy as it attempted to sift through a host of often wildly speculative Internet reports about the theft.
“There was no ‘fibbing’ involved — that would imply that we were so on top of things that we anticipated having one of our biggest films of the year stolen and had time to concoct a plan to purposefully ‘spin’ wrong information,” Petrikin told me. “Remember, Tom gave this [Entertainment Weekly] interview a day after we learned of the theft. A lot of information and misinformation was flying back and forth then, and there was no way to sort it out quickly or definitively. In fact, I think I told Tom that there might be 10 minutes missing from the stolen version, based — obviously — on misinformation I was given or misinterpreted. The real issue is the scale of this crime and that the film was not finished when it was stolen.”
Eesh. I might have just embraced the old adage “Mum’s the word.” Pieces like this seem to be making more of a mess of things.
Anyway, I’ll get into why “Wolverine” doesn’t suck near as bad as I thought it would tomorrow.
America liked it and they put a ring on it.
Beyonce’s new thriller “Obsessed” topped the domestic box office this weekend with $28.5 million, adding another impressive performance to the budding actress’s career. Impressive box office performance that is.
Whether or not Beyonce truly and gracefully inhabits the character of a woman forced to kick ass when some other crazy bitch starts stalking her man, I can’t be certain. This should easily make $70 million+ from a $20 million budget so all involved have just gotten a nice bonus.
Despite gunning for the same target audience, Universal’s “Fighting” also performed admirably and earned $11.4 million for third place. You can’t accuse them of not being straight to the point and enough males or teens must have thought that a movie called “Fighting” had to be bad ass and worth their $10. Channing Tatum’s career lives to fight another day.
Actual star power enters the fray at number four with “The Soloist.” Joe Wright’s once-Oscar hopeful earned $9.7 million, which is okay but not enough to justify moving out of the 2008 season. Even though audience reaction is bound to be positive, I just don’t see the legs being great here and a sub-$30 million finish won’t have anybody remembering these folks when ballots are due next year.
You may have already heard about a certain workprint for Fox’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” leaking onto the Internet two weeks ago since the resulting firestorm and fallout has been covered and re-covered by bloggers, journalists and former journalists alike. So there’s not much left to say on the issue. I do, however, want to go on record, as In Contention’s resident box office guy, as saying that this leak will have absolutely ZERO effect on the amount of money the film will pull in. Well, almost zero.
First, let’s take a look at Fox’s logic. Potential customers see the movie on their computer before it comes out. Customers then do not go see the movie in the theater. It does seem to make sense and this logic most likely comes from the devastating effect that illegal downloading has had on the record business.
Now, here’s my logic. While the record business is definitely going down the tubes, the music business is doing fine. Concert business is relatively stagnant and vinyl sales are up significantly. Look at Flo Rida. His album only sold 80,000 units its first week, which is disappointing, but his single “Right Round” has been downloaded over a million times on iTunes alone. In other words, CDs may be dying, and possibly even the album format, but the music industry will be fine.
Look also at the top 30 Billboard debuts for artists like Animal Collective and Andrew Bird so far in 2009. Not only did both acts post career-high sales totals, but they both cater almost exclusively to the audience that is supposedly getting all their music illegally. Really, though, it’s silly to even compare the two industries, since buying a record was never a group activity or a night on the town to begin with.
As stunning as it is, the studio has made the right call regarding gossip columnist Roger Friedman’s decision to publicly admit to downloading the recently leaked copy of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and, worse, review the film in his Fox 411 column.
Nikki Finke has the scoop:
I’m told that Fox News’ actions were swift and severe. Roger Ailes, who overseas Fox News, deleted the offending post after he was contacted by 20th Century Fox, and then fired Friedman as a freelance Fox News entertainment writer. I hear the move was done with the full support of News Corp. “He promoted piracy. He basically suggested that viewing a stolen film is OK, which is absolutely intolerable. So we fired him,” a source told me Saturday. “Fox News acted promptly on all fronts.”
Let’s hope the source holds water. Finke has come under considerable online peer scrutiny over the past two weeks.
Read more about the commotion here.