A Jacktastic Weekend - Box Office Report

A Jacktastic Weekend - Box Office Report

I don’t want to live on this planet anymore. No really, I want to go somewhere else. Any planet where the number one movie for the weekend can be something that looks so terrible is not a planet where I care to have my residence.

The good news is that at least Gravity still had a pretty good weekend.

#1 — Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa

Budget: $15 Million
Totals: $32 Million, Weekend / $8.1 Million, Foreign / $40 Million, Worldwide
Weekend: 1

Did you see the preview for this? No really, did you see it? I tried. I couldn’t make it all the way through it was so bad. Crass, vulgar, and…

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Escape Plan — Review

3.5 of 5 stars
Escape Plan

Is there room for old style action heroes in our modern day world? Is there something more than nostalgia going on here? I was a bit skeptical at first — well to be honest I was of two minds about it really. On the one hand the trailers actually looked good. It seemed as if there might be something more to this film than stupidity and face punching. On the other hand, how could a film with two actors that I loathe in general be any good? So I couldn’t quite decide whether I thought the film would be any good. That being the case, I simply had to go and see it so I could make a determination…

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Original ‘Empire Strikes Back’ Draft — Drunken Dinner with Vader

Original ‘Empire Strikes Back’ Draft — Drunken Dinner with Vader
Drew Taylor - The Playlist

But maybe the biggest difference is that, when communing on the Degobah-like planet (aided by Minch, not Yoda), Luke actually comes in contact with the ghost of his father. And that father isn’t Darth Vader. As Ryan notes, “this pretty much proves that the Vader-Luke, father-son relationship was not Lucas’ plan all along.”

Well, phooey. I’m not a big fan of Lucas’, but I’ve always defended him on this when he says Vader was always supposed to be Luke’s dad. But apparently not. Of course the other explanation is that the Leigh Brackett (original screenwriter of this less then stellar draft)…

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‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Final Trailer

‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Final Trailer

“Miss Everdeen, would you like to be in a real war?” President Snow wants to know. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire comes out in just 24 days. Given that short period of time, the studio has seen fit to release to us the final trailer.

This one is going to be a good one, guys. This trailer is only a minute, but it’s got me ready to get myself to the theater and watch. Of course I’ll have to wait until November 22. Have a look:

Joss Whedon on the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Joss Whedon on the Marvel Cinematic Universe

He’s kind of like a kid in a candy store. It must be amazing to get to work on stuff that you’ve been a fan of since you were a little boy. What must that be like? And I love the line where he says, “I get to suggest stuff, and people actually listen — which is a new experience for me in Hollywood.” Don’t we know it.

Michael Arndt Departs ‘Star Wars VII’

Michael Arndt Departs ‘Star Wars VII’
Edward Davis - The Playlist

Celebrated Pixar scribe Michael Arndt (“Toy Story 3,” “Brave,” “Little Miss Sunshine”), who is known for a persuavsive screenwriting talk he made about the storytelling power of the “Star Wars” series is no longer writing the screenplay. According to breaking news by StarWars.com, Arndt has been replaced by Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams himself. Kasdan (who wrote “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return Of The Jedi”) of course, was hired to help out with ideas on “Episode VII” and also pen some of the “Star Wars” spin-off films (along with “X-Men” scribe Simon Kinberg).

Stink! I don’t like…

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Joss Whedon, Marvel, and the Future

Joss Whedon, Marvel, and the Future
Rob Keyes - ScreenRant

In addition to helming the next team-up event, Whedon is helping oversee all of the Phase Two movies leading up to it and crafting a live-action TV series (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), all of which are building up to The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

By design, Whedon’s therefore also laying the groundwork for Phase Three and beyond which begins with new superhero franchise Ant-Man in 2015 – but will he be involved with the lead-up to The Avengers 3?

At the press junket for Thor: The Dark World, our own Kofi Outlaw asked Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige about the future…

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For those seeking counsel: What To See This Weekend

For those seeking counsel: What To See This Weekend

We’ve only got one new film this weekend that looks good enough for me to mention. But the irony is I’m not currently planning to see it.

New This Weekend

The Counselor — R

I am not currently planning to see this film. Although it looks like it could be good, it also has been looking like it’s going to feature lots of sex and certainly some nudity and the like. The R rating has been given for, among other things, “strong sexual content.” I can’t for myself really justify seeing the film. And a couple of the previous films this summer have got me a bit gun shy on this front so I’m staying…

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First Trailer for ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’

First Trailer for ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’

Wow, so this is an entirely different flavor than the first film. I don’t know how I feel about that yet because I really liked the first Captain America film. And I’ve heard things about the direction this film is taking that have me somewhat concerned.

Still, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has done an outstanding job so far so I guess I’ll try not to be too worried. And some things about this trailer look really good, for sure.

Here’s the official synopsis followed by the trailer.

After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”…

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