'Wicker Man' Poster Art

One of the great things about Cannes is all the advanced promotional images that pop up during the festivities. Some of the movies haven't even begun filming. Here's some concept art for the upcoming remake of The Wicker Man. Judging from this, it looks like they are following the original story and not making the missing girl a missing woman as once reported. Pretty cool, huh?

Box Office Predictions: June 3 - 5

1. Madagascar - $26m / $94m / $160m
2. Cinderella Man - $24m / $24m / $125m
3. Star Wars: Ep. 3 - Revenge of the Sith - $23m / $304m / $360m
4. The Longest Yard - $22m / $89m / $138m
5. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - $14m / $18m / $65m
6. Lords of Dogtown - $10m / $10m / $30m
7. Monster-In-Law - $5m / $69m / $76m
8. Crash - $3m / $40m / $45m
9. Kicking and Screaming - $2m / $47m / $51m
10. The Interpreter - $1m / $70.5m / $73m


what the hell, joan! can't you get god to help you?

New Trailer: Pride and Prejudice

Dreaming of Keira Knightley nearly nightly? This trailer will be attached to Cinderella Man this weekend. (I would've rather Universal attached a Brokeback Mountain trailer but NO! Can't do that!) Look for the Rent trailer to be on Lords of Dogtown. Quite the excitement!

Trailer here.

'Red Eye' poster!

DreamWorks is really doing wonders with the marketing for Wes Craven's latest. Screw Dimension for not getting behind Cursed. Anywho, this movie will probably suck, but oh well. I'm lovin' me this poster.

Lauren Bacall. Kathleen Turner. And now...

Scarlett Johansson. Check out the husky voiced blonde oozing noir in these fuzzy images from Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia.

Go here.

New Trailer: A History of Violence

Two of my best movie buddies rank David Cronenberg's latest as their most anticipated film of the year. (I guess gay cowboys, zombies and a witchy Nicole don't do it for them.) It was one of the most talked about films at Cannes and the trailer is finally here in illustrious Quicktime. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello and Ed Harris and opens September 30.

Trailer here.

Now, THAT was a FUCKING CLIFFHANGER!!!

I'll post my thoughts on all the shows I watch and their respective seasons later on.

Hey, Desperate Housewives! Listen up.

Hey, Gilmore Girls. Don't give away the ending in the preview for the finale.

Arrested Development. Well, fuck you Fox. You ended that a month ago and I really can't remember how it ends.

Will and Grace. Yeah, bringing back a character who was dead and no one even cares about anymore is a really good idea. <---sarcasm.

I saw the ending of Lost. Wow. A large hole to climb down in. From what I understand the fans were disappointed with that ending. I'm disappointed with that ending and I don't even watch the show.


Maybe I'm saying all of this cause the season finale of Alias rocked so hardcore that it beats the shit out of those shows and takes name. Then, it kicks ass again. First off, a season finale should be one of if not the best episodes of the season. Alias. Check. Not only that, but they brought in zombies. Holy shit. I love zombies. I love Alias. They united the two. Anyone who unites two things I love deserves some serious cred. They also added some gratuitous violence: an arm lying in the street, someone getting shot in the head, major character getting shot in chest and blood gushing everywhere. And of course: aforementioned zombies. Oh yeah. The advantage of being a low rated show is that you get away with all sorts of crazy that other shows wouldn't. (See this show and violence or Arrested Development and some of its raunchy and subversive gags.) Not only that, I finally got the "JACK BRISTOW" moments I've been waiting for. I think it was three. You go, Jack! You da man. Then, Leno Olin returns. You really don't know what you got till it's gone. (Technically, she returned for last week's episode, but she was back in full ass kicking Derevko mode tonight. She shot her sister. Holy fuck.) She also plans on returning for a few episodes next season. Her last line to Sydney was great. And then there was the reason why this episode rocked so fucking hardcore I think I might need to see a doctor:

The.

Last.

10.

Seconds.

"My name isn't Michael Vaughn."

SMASH!

CUT TO BLACK!


And that, my friends, is how you end a season.

Hope you loved it as much as I did. If you bailed on Alias earlier this season for whatever reason (couldn't follow it, didn't like the new format, thought Syd and Dixon would never do that even though it was explained like a million fucking times why they were still there, any other reason) well, fuck you. You deserve whatever crappy season finale your show coughed up. It all fails in comparison. Baby.

I can't wait for next season.

Box Office Predictions: Memorial Day Weekend

#. Title - 3 day / 4 day / Total So Far / Projected Final Gross

1. Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith - $58m / $76m / $290m / $435m
2. Madagascar - $48m / $64m / $64m / $196m
3. The Longest Yard - $34m / $45m / $45m / $100m
4. Monster-In-Law - $8m / $10.5m / $61m / $76m
5. Kicking and Screaming - $6m / $8m / $46m / $56m
6. Crash - $3.5m / $4.5m / $35m / $42m
7. Unleashed - $2m / $2.5m / $22.5m / $25m
8. House of Wax - $1.5m / $2m / $30.5m / $33m
9. The Interpreter - $1.5m / $2m / $68.5m / $71m
10. Kingdom of Heaven - $1.5m / $2m / $45m / $48m

New BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN footage!

The great Meg over at Wrangling Wranglers stumbled on to this promotional reel from Focus Features website. It has a 15 second look at Brokeback Mountain, as well as short clips from a few other of their major releases, including Pride and Prejudice. The all too brief snippet - though I suppose it will hold me off till the trailer - does show the first image of Anne Hathaway in complete cowgirl apparel - no tiara? - and Heath Ledger as ass kickin' gay cowboy. You know, Focus Features is really the new Miramax. Just as long as they stay away from Lasse Hallstrom and anything too Hallmark-y while continuing to give great filmmakers interesting material, the studio will have a long life. Something else of note regarding the studio, Focus has won an Oscar for screenplay for the past 5 years straight. (Traffic, Gosford Park, The Pianist, Lost In Translation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.)

Go here for clips.

Who should win The Apprentice tonight?

I've been watching The Apprentice most of this season so I feel obligated to share my thoughts on who should win tonight. First off, why do I watch a show hosted by Donald Trump? Trump is by far the least interesting and most meaningless thing about the show. He just looks important at the beginning and comes in at the end where Carolyn and George steal the show. I'm still curious as to what the guy actually does. The scenes of him working are about the fakest thing on television. It's almost camp when they show him on the phone ordering people around.

I think there's been an interesting dynamic this season with the street smarts (lacking college education) versus the book smarts (with education.) Some interesting sociological observations: the book smarts people are incompetent. They are like little babies who need to be told everything to do and need extra motivation. Perhaps many of them got into their schools not by talent but by family name. With the street smarts group, they are vindictive control freaks. They, too, act like babies but in different respects. They are assertive, emphasis on the ass. I, personally, don't think any of the contestants should run one of Trump's businesses, but he's a walking joke. So whatever.

Tana was the first person who caught my eye about several shows in when I started watching. She was friendly with a good smile and seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. Her team won over and over again with her in charge many times. Unlike the other contestants, she handled everything with grace and dignity. I conclude that the person should win tonight should be....

Kendra.

The only reason Kendra stood out to me was because she was in the final batch. She fought with Craig and could've easily been fired earlier had she made it into the boardroom. Let's not forget that allnighter she pulled for the car ad. That was probably the best demonstration of talent all season. So why I am suddently rooting for Kendra when Tana was my original choice. Tana blew it the best couple episodes. Ever since the car ad, she's been selfish and egotistical. I don't think the Olympics thing last week was as disasterous as it was made out to be, but her attitude about the whole thing just stunk up the joint. Let's also not forget Tana's biggest weakness thus far: bedazzle! The way that woman said that word will haunt my dreams forever. She got this maniacal twinkle in her eye like a drug addict twitching for the next hit.

Anywho, I was hoping the final three would've been Alex, Kendra and Tana. Perhaps had it been that way, Alex would've won. Craig was just so amature compared to everyone else he didn't deserve to make it this far. And even though she was a bitch, I liked Erin. She looks kinda like Ashlee Simpson. Well, that might be good enough reason for Trump - who seemed to be scheming on her hardcore - to make her The Apprentice.

Bottom line: Go Kendra.

Box Office Predictions: Star Wars Weekend

3-day / Total So Far / Projected Final Gross

1. Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith
Thursday - $50m
Friday - $33m
Saturday - $40m
Sunday - $32m

$105m / $155m / $375m

2. Monster-In-Law - $14m / $43m / $70m
3. Kicking and Screaming - $13m / $36.5m / $65m
4. Unleashed - $6.5m / $20.5m / $34m
5. Kingdom of Heaven - $6m / $44m / $56m
6. Crash - $5m / $27m / $38m
7. House of Wax - $3.5m / $27m / $32m
8. The Interpreter - $3m / $65m / $70m
9. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - $2.5m / $47.5m / $52m
10. Mindhunters - $1m / $3.5m / $5m


eww, i went to bed with a GIRL!

Kate Winslet in 30 seconds on your TV

Heaven?

Perhaps.

Kate Winslet's American Express ad debuted last night on the series finale of Everybody Loves Raymond. I'm actually a fan of these ads. I found myself oddly moved by the Robert De Niro one and Ellen Degeneres dancing is just the cat's meow. Miss Winslet's ad featured a journey through her career, referencing Heavenly Creatures, Sense and Sensibility, Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Finding Neverland. My favorite part was the "at 28, I had my memory erased." The ad was simple and effective. There really isn't much to comment on right now, and next week I'll do the season-in-review of my favorite shows. So I just thought I'd share that with my loyal blog readers of which there are many. Not really. Be on the alert for the future greatest actress ever's spot. I'm sure it'll be just as overplayed as the other two. God, I hate it when commercials almost make me cry.

As far as the finale of ELR, I thought it sucked. I'm not really a fan of this series. I'll watch it when nothing else is on and its good for a laugh sometimes. I actually consider the cast, save Romano, to be quite talented but it seemed like they all deserved better than that sendoff.


i could've bought a life preserver had only i brought my amex!

Box Office Predictions: May 13-15

1. Kicking and Screaming - $24m / $24m / $90m
2. Monster In Law - $22m / $22m / $65m
3. Kingdom of Heaven - $12m / $38m / $64m
4. Unleashed - $10m / $10m / $30m
5. Crash - $6m / $18.5m / $30m
6. House of Wax - $5.5m / $21m / $30m
7. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - $5m / $43.5m / $54m
8. The Interpreter - $5m / $61.5m / $72m
9. XXX: State of the Union - $3m / $25m / $29m
10. Mindhunters - $2.5m / $2.5m / $6m


ok, so your ex is pregnant with my ex, here's what we're gonna do...

Random Thoughts

Crash - 8/10
Hey, everyone is racist! But more importantly, we all need each other. Paul Haggis have proved himself a great screenwriter with this and Million Dollar Baby and turns out has some directorial talent to boot. While only one scene is overwrought - the daughter being an angel is what I'm referrng to - the stories collide nicely and the cast serves up daring and fascinating turns. Terrence Howard and Thandie Newton are the standouts, but it was nice to see Sandra Bullock shed light on her bitchy side. Everyone associated deserves props for taking these issues head on. Mark Isham's score balances it out nicely. I think that if you combined this film with the cinematography and similar themes addressed in Collateral, it would be one hell of a film.

House of Wax - 6/10
HOW deserves some credit: the director doesn't rely on rapid, vertigines editing; the casting is mostly age appropriate; its a remake but not one falsely selling itself as a true story; and its not a watered down, pussy PG-13 horror movie that skimps on the gore - there's some cool stuff here. In its own little way, the film is almost a godsend to the genre. While it doesn't get going till about an 45 minutes into the procedings, the final act is worth the price of admission. Tension and scares are efficient and the production design takes the film up a level. In regards to Miss Hilton, well, she's Paris. The role is a thankless one and any other actress would've been on the same par. Count this as one of Dark Castle's better entries as this is the kind of perfect late night October viewing that I crave. It's this summer's Wrong Turn.

Kung Fu Hustle - 7/10
Delirious entertainment: a fun time at the movies if slightly exhausting. Sequences, notably the opening, left me delighted while others run on too long. I really loved Qui Yuen as the landlady.


paris is burning

Aeon Flux Gallery!

It has Charlize Theron in all her scantily clad glory and Jonny Lee Miller with a devilishly sexy smirk. What's not to love! The $55 million film still doesn't have a final release date but has been put in the broad category of 3rd Quarter 2005. Not a good sign, but it does have an acclaimed director and two Oscar winner actresses and a recent Oscar nominee.

Check the coolness out here.

Renee Zellweger MARRIED!!!?!?!

Zellweger and husband #1 - hey, she wore white!---->


Apparently my 2nd/3rd favorite actress got married. (Her and Julianne Moore alternate when it comes to the runner up position behind one Miss Nicole Kidman.) Oscar-winner Renee has been linked most recently to Damien Rice, better known as the guy who sang that song from Closer. Alas, I come home and was about to blog my thoughts on the film Crash when I discovered the news that she has married KENNY CHESNEY!?!?!?! Zellweger has previously courted Jim Carrey and Jack White. What a weird matchup. It seems so random. No more random than Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, I suppose. Those two are now being called "TomKat" by the entertainment reporters, something I think is cute.


But whatever. Congrats to Renee and her cowboy. Hopefully, she had some wedding cake.

Miss Garner, I'm ready for my closeup!

Triple Emmy nominee, Golden Globe and SAG winner Jennifer Garner will make her directorial debut Wednesday night with the episode "In Dreams" of her TV show Alias. According to Alias-Tv.com, the episode will follow the elusive Sloane-clone (Joel Grey) as he goes hot on the trail of Rambaldi. Amy Irving, who was killed off in season 2, will guest star as Emily Sloane. You can never tell if they're really dead on this show. The last couple of Alias' have been among the series' best with last week's reaching a pinnacle and boasting Garner and Victor Garber's finest hour this season. Is Jennifer up to the challenge to continue the trend? Here's hoping.

Garner, previously married to her Felicity costar Scott Foley, will also be making another debut sometime towards the holidays: mother. She will welcome her first child with Oscar-winning boyfriend Ben Affleck. How this will be worked into the show remains a mystery, but I'd expect Mia Maestro - if she returns next season - to get more action (not just the Weiss kind) when Garner goes on the sidelines. Another possible scenario is that the pregnancy will be worked into the storyline. Remember that at one point it was brought up that Sydney would carry the second coming of Rambaldi.

After this week, three episodes of Alias remain for season 4: 2 will air May 18th from 9-11PM Eastern, while the season finale will follow a two-hour Lost on May 25th at 10PM Eastern. Of course, as you've probably heard and like me have been creaming over (EWW!), Lena Olin will make her triumphant return as Irina Derevko. Also, expect that face off mentioned earlier in the season between Sydney and Nadia.

'LAND OF THE DEAD' Poster!!!

Me likey!

Box Office Predictions: First Week of Summer

I overpredicted Kingdom of Heaven and underpredicted House of Wax in my summer movie preview. As far as Oscar is concerned, Crash - not Ridley Scott's epic - is the our first major contender.

1. Kingdom of Heaven - $30m / $30m / $120m
2. House of Wax - $18m / $18m / $45m
3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - $13m / $39m / $64m
4. The Interpreter - $9m / $56m / $78m
5. XXX: State of the Union - $6m / $21.5m / $30m
6. Crash - $5m / $5m / $20m
7. The Amityville Horror - $3.5m / $60.5m / $66m
8. Sahara - $3.5m / $62m / $68m
9. A Lot Like Love - $3m / $19m / $24m
10. Fever Pitch - $2m / $39m / $42m


yes, thandie, i know. paris hilton is in another movie

She may not have an Oscar or Golden Globe just yet...

...but Rachel McAdams now holds the record for most MTV Movie Award nominations in a single year. The thing about the MTV Movie Awards is that you don't always vote for what is actually best, rather what might be coolest or most suiting for this type of award show. Here's the nominees and my picks:

Best Movie:
-The Incredibles
-Kill Bill: Vol. 2
-Napoleon Dynamite
-Ray
-Spider-Man 2
Will win: Spider-Man 2
Actual Best: Kill Bill: Vol. 2
I'll Vote For: Kill Bill: Vol. 2

Best Male Performance:
Matt Damon - The Bourne Supremacy
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Aviator
Jamie Foxx - Ray
Brad Pitt - Troy
Will Smith - Hitch
Will win: Jamie Foxx
Actual Best: Leonardo Dicaprio
I'll Vote For: Matt Damon!!!!

Best Female Perfomance:
Lindsay Lohan - Mean Girls
Rachel McAdams - The Notebook
Natalie Portman - Garden State
Hilary Swank - Million Dollar Baby
Uma Thurman - Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Will Win: Uma Thurman
Actual Best: Uma Thurman
I'll Vote For: Uma Thurman

Best Comedic Performance:
Antonio Banderas - Shrek 2
Will Ferrell - Anchorman
Dustin Hoffman - Meet the Fockers
Will Smith - Hitch
Ben Stiller - Dodgeball
Will Win: Ferrell
Actual Best: These suck.
I'll Vote For: Ferrell

Best On-Screen Team:
Lohan/McAdams/Chabert/Seyfriend - Mean Girls
The Incredibles
Ferrell/Rudd/Armisen/Carell - Anchorman
Vaughn/Taylor/Long/Tudyk/Root/Moore/Williams - Dodgeball
Cho/Pen - Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle
Will Win: Anchorman
Actual Best: The Incredibles
I'll Vote For: Mean Girls

Best Villain:
Jim Carrey - Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Tom Cruise - Collateral
Rachel McAdams - Mean Girls
Alfred Molina - Spider-Man 2
Ben Stiller - Dodgeball
Will Win: Carrey
Actual Best: Carrey
I'll Vote For: Carrey
WHERE THE FUCK ARE DARYL HANNAH & DAVID CARRADINE??????

Breakthrough Male:
Zach Braff - Garden State
Jon Heder - Napoleon Dynamite
Freddie Highmore - Finding Neverland
Tim McGraw - Friday Night Lights
Tyler Perry - Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Will Win: Heder
Actual Best: Braff
I'll Vote For: Braff

Breakthrough Female:
Ashanti - Coach Carter
Elisha Cuthbert - Girl Next Door
Bryce Dallas Howard - The Village
Rachel McAdams - Mean Girls
Emmy Rossum - Day After Tomorrow
Will Win: McAdams
Actual Best: McAdams
I'll Vote For: McAdams

Best Kiss:
Jennifer Garner & Natassia Malthe - Elektra
Natalie Portman & Zach Braff - Garden State
Elisha Cuthbert & Emile Hirsch - The Girl Next Door
Rachel McAdams & Ryan Gosling - The Notebook
Gwyneth Paltrow & Jude Law - Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Will Win: The Notebook
Actual Best: The Notebook
I'll Vote For: The Notebook

Best Action Sequence:
Beverly Hills Plane Crash - The Aviator
Moscow Car Chase - Bourne Supremacy
Destruction of LA - Day After Tomorrow
Subway Battle - Spider-Man 2 (that wasn't a subway, that was a train!)
Desert Terrorist Assault - Team America: World Police
Will Win: Spider-Man 2
Actual Best: The Aviator
I'll Vote For: Bourne Supremacy

Best Fight:
Battle of the News Teams - Anchorman
Ziyi Zhang Vs. Emperor's Guards - House of Flying Daggers
Daryl Hannah Vs. Uma Thurman - Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Brad Pitt Vs. Eric Bana - Troy
Will Win: Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Actual Best: Kill Bill
I'll Vote For: Vol. 2

Best Musical Performance:
Thriller - 13 Going on 30
Afternoon Delight - Anchorman
Hold On - Harold and Kumar
Election dance - Napoleon Dynamite
Will Win: Napoleon Dynamite
Actual Best: 13 Going on 30
I'll Vote For: 13 Going on 30

Best Frightened Performance:
Mya - Cursed
Sarah Michelle Gellar - The Grudge
Dakota Fanning - Hide and Seek
Cary Elwes - Saw
Jennifer Tilly - Seed of Chucky
Will Win: Gellal
Actual Best: Gellar
I'll Vote For: Mya - just cuz.
(WORST NEW CATEGORY EVER??? I miss Most Desirable Male & Female (coulda gotten McAdams another nomination)

I think these are the best in quite a few years. I'm disappointed that the obligatory Viacom nod came from Napoleon Dynamite and not Mean Girls.

What will Cross, Hatcher and Longoria do if Huffman gets an Oscar?

Felicity Huffman, arguably the most talented of the Desperate Housewives cast, won Best Actress at the Tribeca Film Festival for her performance as a transvestite named Bree (LMAO!!!!!!!!!) in the film Transamerica. Huffman, up until this point, only had small supporting roles in films including Christmas With the Kranks, Raising Helen and Magnolia. The Golden Globe and soon-to-be Emmy nominated actress - wife of William H. Macy - seems to be getting the least amount of attention of the Housewives cast but this should help change that a little.


Transamerica follows Bree (I really can't stop laughing at that!) as she learns that she fathered a son in college, a son who needs to bailed out of prison now and driven from New York to California. Kevin Zegers (Dawn of the Dead, Air Bud) co-stars as the son.


Huffman as a tranvestite + road movie + Zegers = when is this movie being released?