Wednesday, October 15, 2014

10-15-14 Movie News

        Hello ladies and gentlemen, here is some movie news with some of my thoughts and opinions (which will be in BOLD print). So without further ado...


(NOTE: All of these stories come from comingsoon.net)


        The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The Oscars will then be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

        Award-winning star of stage and screen Neil Patrick Harris will host the 87th Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. This will be Harris’ first time hosting the ceremony. The show will air live on ABC on Oscar Sunday, February 22, 2015. "We are thrilled to have Neil host the Oscars," said Zadan and Meron. "We have known him his entire adult life, and we have watched him explode as a great performer in feature films, television and stage. To work with him on the Oscars is the perfect storm, all of his resources and talent coming together on a global stage." "It is truly an honor and a thrill to be asked to host this year’s Academy Awards. I grew up watching the Oscars and was always in such awe of some of the greats who hosted the show," said Harris. "To be asked to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, and everyone else who had the great fortune of hosting is a bucket list dream come true." "We share Craig and Neil’s excitement in welcoming the incredibly talented Neil Patrick Harris," said Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Academy President. "He is the consummate entertainer. Neil’s distinctive charm and showmanship make him the ideal host to honor the Oscar legacy and ensure we all enjoy another unforgettable celebration.”

        A triple-threat performer, Harris has enjoyed a successful career in entertainment. He can currently be seen starring opposite Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike in David Fincher’s critically-acclaimed feature film, "Gone Girl." Harris garnered multiple Emmy and Golden Globe award nominations for his role as Barney Stinson on the hit television series, "How I Met Your Mother," and he won an Emmy for his guest-starring role on "Glee" in 2010. He also recently starred in the title role of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" on Broadway, earning the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Harris served as host of the 61st and 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as the 63rd, 65th, 66th and 67th Tony Awards, for which he won four Emmys. Most recently, Harris added the title of author to his list of accomplishments with the release of his autobiography from Crown Publishing, "Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography." The last two Oscars telecasts, which were produced by Zadan and Meron, received a major spike in the ratings. The 86th Oscars was TV’s most-watched entertainment event in 10 years and attracted the biggest viewership since 2000, with more than 45 million viewers. The show resulted in dramatic gains in younger demos and social media conversation, with more than one billion impressions generated on Twitter and 25 million interactions happening on Facebook on Oscar Sunday. Additionally, the star-studded "selfie" became the most retweeted photo of all time with 32.8 million views.

        The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The Oscars will then be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

        This is a great selection for The Oscars. After being somewhat disappointed by Ellen DeGeneres hosting last year. Neil Patrick Harris is universally loved by everyone (especially after being on How I Met Your Mother) and I honestly think he is perfect for The Oscars. I mean he has proven himself after hosting two Emmy Award shows and 4 Tony Award Shows so I really like this choice.



        Lionsgate has released the new trailer of sorts for the highly-anticipated The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, which features Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen returning to the ruins of District 12 to the tune of the new song, “Yellow Flicker Beat,” by Lorde. Check it in the video below. Opening in theaters on November 21, the Francis Lawrence-directed third film in the franchise stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland. "Mockingjay - Part 1" finds Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) in District 13 after she literally shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta (Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage.


        This preview/trailer was pretty intense. It didn't really do much, but it leaves with the impact that some serious stuff has gone down between the events of Catching Fire and Mockingjay Part 1. I'll honestly say that this gave me some chills. I really enjoyed the first two films and I cannot wait to see this one.



        On the heels of this morning's massive update to Warner Bros. Pictures' schedule of DC Comics adaptations comes word, via The Hollywood Reporter, that the first of the newly-announced films, David Ayer's Suicide Squad, is already courting some serious talent. According to the outlet, Ryan Gosling, Tom Hardy, Margot Robbie and Will Smith have all been approached for roles. Created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru back in 1959, the Suicide Squad team has included countless DC villains among its ranks, including Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Bane, Killer Frost, Poison Ivy, Count Vertigo, Deathstroke, and Harley Quinn. The CW's "Arrow" introduced their own version of the team in the most recent season of the series and the recent animated film, Batman: Assault on Arkham, offered another version of the team.

        These are some pretty interesting names. It really looks as if WB/DC is wanting to go big or go home with the casting. I honestly like everyone of these actors except for Will Smith who (from what I've heard) has become a pain to work with so I hope they don't cast him. With David Ayer directing and this being the possible cast I'm really looking forward to the film.



        Oscar-winning actor Christian Bale is closer to playing Apple founder and former CEO Steve Jobs in Sony Pictures' Untitled Steve Jobs Biopic. Based on a screenplay by The Social Network's Aaron Sorkin, the movie was originally going to be directed by David Fincher, and it was reported back in March that Bale was Fincher's first choice to play the late technology pioneer. A month later Fincher dropped out of the project. Director Danny Boyle and actor Leonardo DiCaprio were then interested in taking over the project and while Boyle is still attached to direct, DiCaprio officially dropped out earlier this month.

        This isn't that surprising. As it was reported last week Bale was one of the front-runners that was considered for the role and plus he was already attached to the film a while back. Like I said before Bale is the perfect choice to play Jobs simply because he looks the part and his ability to lose weight for roles (see The Machinist). With that being said I hope he gets the part and I cannot wait to see the film.



        Saw returning to theaters for its 10th anniversary, ShockTillYouDrop.com had the chance to catch up with producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules and learned that there are already nascent plans for a new entry in the hit franchise! "When 'Saw' came out [James Wan and Leigh Whannel] were so afraid of being 'the 'Saw' guys,'" says producer Oren Koules. "They were trying to make their own mark. Now that they’ve made their own mark, they’re very comfortable to come back. We’re getting there. James and Leigh are absolutely going to put their mark on it. It’s one of the reasons we agreed to do this again. We kind of wanted to build it up."

        Koules goes on to say that a film could hit as early as 2016 and would likely make its debut at that year's Comic-Con."Our goal," Koules continues, "is to go to Comic-Con, not next summer but the summer after with our heads up saying, 'Here we go.' James and Leigh are comfortable with the success they’ve had. And it’s time. James is in post on his movie. Leigh’s on post on [Insidious Chapter 3]. Everyone has time and it’s time.”

        I really like hearing this news. Now I know a lot of you hate the Saw franchise and really don't care for another film. I honestly don't want another one (eventhough I'm a huge fan of the franchise). I am curious what they'll do with another film and where it'll go because the franchise ended on a perfect note. This also maybe a ploy to get people to go see the re-release of the first Saw film this Halloween, but we'll just have to wait and see.

        So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, which of these stories peaked your interest or was there another story that interested you? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                                        Jonah Sparks

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