D.J. Caruso Lands "Jack the Giant Killer"

New Line has set D.J. Caruso (Disturbia, Eagle Eye) to direct "Jack the Giant Killer," a drama that takes an adult look at the Jack and the Beanstalk legend.

When a princess is kidnapped, a long-standing peace between men and giants becomes threatened, and a young farmer is given an opportunity to lead a dangerous expedition to the giant kingdom to rescue her.

Mark Bomback ("Race to Witch Mountain") wrote the script. Neal Moritz is producing.

Thoughts:

I hope it turns out better than his last film, Eagle Eye. Disturbia was a pretty good film and Eagle Eye definitely had the potential to be one too, but just couldn't deliver. Here's hoping he can bounce back with this film.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost join Spielberg’s Tintin Film

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost will play the Thompson Twins in Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg’s two-pic "Tintin" project.

The 3-D performance-capture films, based on Georges Remi's comic books and co-financed by Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment, will center on Tintin’s globetrotting adventures as a fearless reporter. In the books, the Thompson Twins are a pair of incompetent, clumsy detectives who can only be told apart by the shape of their moustaches — Thompson, with a “p,” has a flat moustache, while Thomson, without the “p,” has a flared version.

As previously reported, Andy Serkis will play Tintin’s sidekick Captain Haddock. Tintin has yet to be cast. Thomas Sangster had been set for the role, but exited the project when it was delayed due to funding difficulties caused by the DreamWorks/Paramount split.

The first film is still being directed by Steven Spielberg while the second is being directed by Peter Jackson.

Thoughts:

OK, now I'm alittle more excited about this film. Both Pegg and Frost are great when working together. Here's hoping it turns out good.

New Street Fighter Poster Revealed

20th Century Fox has released the poster for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.

Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak (Cradle 2 the Grave, Doom), the PG-13 video game adaptation hits theaters on February 27. It stars Kristin Kreuk, Michael Clarke Duncan, Neal McDonough, Taboo, Chris Klein, Moon Bloodgood, Edmund Chen, Cheng Pei Pei, Josie Ho and Robin Shou.

Thoughts:

What on Earth was Fox thinking when they picked up distribution rights for this film. I mean the first Street Fighter film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme was already bad and hardly entertaining. I smell a big box office flop, they should have just stuck to a direct-to DVD thing.

Relativity Media Buys Rogue Pictures

After more than two months of negotiations, Relativity Media has closed a deal to buy Rogue Pictures from Universal Pictures for roughly $150 million.

Move bolsters Relativity's library, adding some 30 titles, including Rogue's debut pic "Unleashed" and summer horror hit "The Strangers," which earned $53 million. Relativity's new assets also include more than 30 Rogue projects in various stages of development, such as a "Strangers" sequel, which has a finished script. Relativity will inherit a number of producing deals as well, including those with Wes Craven and Intrepid.

A source familiar with the deal dubbed the $150 million sale price a bargain, adding that in a better economy, the consistently profitable genre label could have fetched perhaps more than double that sum. But Universal also comes out of the deal a winner, taking a lump cash payment now and retaining a distribution stake in future Rogue films. As part of the deal, Universal will continue to release Rogue titles for most of the world and collect a discounted distribution fee of roughly 10%, which is less than the standard rate of 12% but more than the 8% that companies like Marvel and DreamWorks Animation pay.

Today's announcement comes on the heels of Relativity's landmark equity partnership with Universal (announced earlier this fall) where Relativity will fund a substantial part of Universal's upcoming slate until 2015.

Founded in 2004 by David Linde and James Schamus, Rogue Pictures is devoted to producing high-quality suspense, action, thriller, comedy and urban entertainment with mainstream appeal and franchise potential. Past hits include: The Strangers, Waist Deep, The Hitcher, Balls of Fury, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Dave Chapelle's Block Party, Unleashed, Doomsday, Fearless, and Assault on Precinct 13.

Thoughts:

Sounds like a promising deal for Universal. They still get distribution rights to Rogue films in most of the world and Relativity Media helps fund the films. This is also a major coup for Relativity Media since Rogue Pictures has been generating nothing, but profit from some of their latest films and I have a feeling that Rogue is going to become alot more valuable in the future.

REVIEW: Valkyrie

Valkyrie

Year: 2008
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson, Thomas Kretschmann
Distributor: MGM Home Entertainment
MPAA: Rated R

Valkyrie has hit some bumps before releasing in late December. The film directed by Bryan Singer, was pushed back several times during production which resulted in more and more fans simply losing interest in this film. I was still somewhat excited for the film simply because I think Singer is a talented filmmaker. My excitement only grew when MGM finally released the full trailer for Valkyrie which I thought looked awesome.

Plot Outline:
Colonel Claus von Stauffenburg (Tom Cruise), is the real life mastermind behind the elaborate plot known as Project Valkyrie: a plan to assassinate Hitler and overthrow his government from the inside. Stauffenburg has been a loyal soldier and an asset to the Reich for his entire military career, but after losing an eye, a hand, and three fingers in an Allied bombing, he reaches a breaking point. The destructive madness that his country is unleashing on the world has become too terrible for the Colonel to stand silent. He joins the resistance movement and risks his life and the life of his family for the chance to assassinate Adolf Hitler and effectively render the German war machine impotent.

Plot:
The film is based on true events that occurred during the Hitler era. Their is no surprise here and the film ends the way it did in real life. While this does make the film predictable and pretty straight forward, Valkyrie is still a very interesting film. The amount of information we have presented is great and we get to know alot about what really happened. The script is written in a stylish way that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I thought the film kept me interested and really made for some thrilling moments. The film does have alot of dialogue, but its mostly dialogue that tells us whats happening next. Since their is alot of dialogue, there were times where I felt the movie was more like something I should be watching on the History channel instead of theaters. I don't mind alot of dialogue, but I'm pretty sure the film could have been trimmed down alittle. The movie can also get somewhat emotional in later scenes and when you find out how these men were so close to stopping a tyrant known as Hitler. I thought the characters were very interesting and consisted of many layers. Its just a shame that we don't get much character development on these interesting characters which I thought was really lacking. I'm also interested to see if another ending for the film was made. As much as I thought the original ending was good and went with the real events that happened in the past, I think an alternate ending could be fun to watch.

Cast:
Tom Cruise plays as Oberst Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg and he does a great job at it. Cruise has been getting alot of negativity lately and I don't know why, but his performance here should shut those haters. His Stauffenberg is well played and pretty smart. I wouldn't necessarily say its Cruise's best work, but its definitely one of his finest in a long time. Bill Nighy plays as Friedrich Olbricht and he too gives a good performance. I usually tend to enjoy Nighy in almost any movie hes in simply because he knows what to do. Hes very helpful in this film and equally makes a nice addition to the cast. Kenneth Branagh plays as General Henning von Tresckow and hes also another winner. He has alot of screen time and I think he was very effective in every scene. Tom Wilkinson plays as General Friedrich Fromm and hes as great as always. Wilkinson has been in alot of recent hits and hes been great in all of them. Valkyrie is no exception and Wilkinson delivers another strong performance. We also have Thomas Kretschmann playing as Major Otto Ernst Remer. He doesn't have alot of screen time compared to some of the other actors, but I liked the role he played in the movie.

Picture:
The visual look of Valkyrie is somewhat of a mixed bag. The film generally looks great, but a few issues keep it from being perfect. Being relatively new, I wasn't able to detect much film grain. I might have scene a couple scenes that looked like it might contain some grain, but its hardly ever going to bother you. The color tone was great and Valkyrie always tends to look somewhat vibrant. Colors tend to pop and show a good amount of color especially the first 30 Min's. Black levels are pretty darn strong and hold up very well in some of the darker scenes. I'm really happy about this since some of the scenes later on in the film are mostly in low lit indoor areas. Flesh tones seem pretty accurate for the most part, but can tend to look alittle waxy at times. Detail is pretty good and the film shows a good amount of clarity, but I cant help thinking that this film can look better. Close up shots show some good facial detail, but it isn't razor sharp as I would have thought it to be considering its a new release. I think this was due to the producers wanting the film to stay natural and feel more like a film of its period.

Sound:
The soundtrack in Valkyrie is simply great. The films music is composed by John Ottman who also composed other films like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Superman Returns. His score for the movie is effective and really good. It not only brings the suspense in the film to a new level, but its also pretty darn good. Even though the film is more dialogue oriented, it still manages to pull enough music to satisfy the audience. Speaking of dialogue, I wish it was alittle higher in terms of volume. I mean its perfectly crisp and clear, but just alittle soft in some spots. The bass in Valkyrie is bombastic. I honestly wasn't expecting much from this film in terms of bass, but I was more than pleasantly surprised on how strong it really is. Dynamics are loud and spread out nicely. Gun shots and explosions are clear and don't seem to have any background noise that get in the way of anything.

Conclusion:
Valkyrie is a great film that I fairly enjoyed. Its predictable, thrilling and somewhat gripping. I just wish some parts were slightly trimmed and their was more character development. These were interesting characters that should have been more exploited and explained. The films cast is great with everyone delivering solid performances. Its easily one of Tom Cruise's finest performance in a long time. The visual look of the film is generally good with vibrant colors that pop, buts its detail could have been better. The soundtrack is great with great music that goes well with a stellar bass. Valkyrie is definitely worth checking out if your into movies about Hitler or just looking for a good thriller of a movie.

Grade: B-

Weekend Boxoffice Numbers

In Order

Marley & Me
Studio: 20th Century Fox
This Week: $36,357,586
Last Week: -
Total: $50,738,566
______________________________________________________
Bedtime Stories
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
This Week: $27,450,296
Last Week: -
Total: $38,029,113
______________________________________________________
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Studio: Paramount Pictures
This Week: $26,853,816
Last Week: -
Total: $38,725,647
______________________________________________________
Valkyrie
Studio: United Artists
This Week: $21,027,007
Last Week: -
Total: $29,520,979
______________________________________________________
Yes Man
Studio: Warner Bros.
This Week: $16,657,046
Last Week: $18,262,471
Total: $49,798,560
______________________________________________________
Seven Pounds
Studio: Columbia Pictures
This Week: $13,203,236
Last Week: $16,000,000
Total: $38,762,647
______________________________________________________
The Tale of Despereaux
Studio: Universal Pictures
This Week: $8,932,625
Last Week: $10,103,675
Total: $27,448,085
______________________________________________________
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Studio: 20th Century Fox
This Week: $7,697,799
Last Week: $9,890,105
Total: $63,480,184
______________________________________________________
The Spirit
Studio: Lionsgate
This Week: $6,463,278
Last Week: -
Total: $10,305,501
______________________________________________________
Doubt
Studio: Miramax
This Week: $5,339,742
Last Week: $680,948
Total: $8,484,863

Thoughts:
Marley & Me surprised alot of people this week and opened big at the box office. The 20th Century Fox produced film made $36 million in 4 days and should cruise past the $120 million mark at the end of its theatrical run. Disney's Bedtime Stories also opened good this week and is another solid opening for Adam Sandler. I was expecting this film to be number 1 this week, but I guess the family friendly flick, Marley & Me was too much even for Mr. Sandler. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the next film from director David Fincher, debuted to a solid $26 million opening. The film that's been getting the most hype lately has also been pretty positive in terms of ratings. Some of the folks I know saw it and said it was great. With a solid opening and positive buzz from people, the hyped fantasy film based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story with the same name, should reach the $100 million mark during its theatrical run.

Director Bryan Singer's long delayed World War II Nazi film, Valkyrie has finally hit theaters and opened to a strong $21 million. I honestly wasn't expecting this film to open too good considering the negative buzz on Tom Cruise lately and the several delays the film had to endure, but I guess I was wrong. I happened to catch this in theaters this week and a review should go up shortly. Last Week's number 1 film, Yes Man fell some spots this week. Though it fell 4 spots, the Jim Carrey film only dipped as low as 8% and I could see it going to $80 million in the coming weeks. The other wide release this week was Frank Miller's The Spirit which bombed pretty bad considering the amount of advertising and theater count its had. The film has been getting alot of negativity so I wouldn't expect it to make much and could possibly fall off the top 10 as soon as next week. I just saw the film yesterday night and a review for it is in the works.

REVIEW: Yes Man

Yes Man

Year: 2008

Director: Peyton Reed

Starring: Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, Danny Masterson, Rhys Darby

Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures

MPAA: Rated Pg-13

I'm a big Carrey fan and always have been. I think the man can do just about anything if he really puts his time into it. So when I first saw the trailer for Yes Man, I thought it looked pretty fun. I mean sure it didn't look as funny as Bruce Almighty or Dumb & Dumber, but I was still willing to go see it because Carrey was in it. The real question was when?

Plot Outline:

Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) is a dull man who is stuck in a dull life. He's been living the same life for three years ever since his girlfriend left him. His best friend Peter (Bradley Cooper) tries to draw him back into life, but Carl remains a hermit, saying no to every invitation he gets. When he accidentally forgets Peter's engagement party Carl decides to change his life drastically. He signs up for a Yes Man seminar by philosophy guru Terrence Bundley (Terrence Stamp) and embraces life by saying yes to any offer that's made to him.

Plot:

The premise of Yes Man isn't really good. I thought the film's plot wasn't really engrossing and it just felt too predictable. I mean a whole movie about a person saying "yes" to everything and getting something special in return? Its like that episode of Seinfeld, where George tries to change his life by saying the opposite of everything and getting a positive reaction back. The problem with that is that it was a 30 min episode compared to an almost hour and half movie here. I just didn't think their was enough material and cohesion to keep the movie following. Its as if they had to keep coming up with ideas even if they weren't related to the story, to keep the movie going such as the scene where Carrey plays the guitar to a stranger trying to jump off a building or the scene where Carry decides to try bungee jumping. Still, Yes Man succeeds in what its best at and that is to entertain you. The movie has a simple plot that's going to be easy to understand and fully get. The characters are easy to relate to and pretty straight forward. The film isn't really as funny as I would have hope for, but it still has a few laughs. I laughed alot more in Bruce Almighty than I did here. I still found some enjoyment in Yes Man, but just not as much as I would have hoped for.

Cast:

Jim Carrey plays as Carl Allen and hes probably the only one in the film that really stands out. I enjoyed his performance here even if it wasn't the best. I give props to Carrey for switching on and off from doing comedies while branching into other genres. I think Carrey can do amazing things when hes not grounded and limited to what he has to do. Zooey Deschanel plays as Allison and shes alright in her role. I didn't really think her character and Carrey's character shared much chemistry, but I thought she was a suitable actress for this job. Bradley Cooper plays as Carl's best friend, Peter. I'm not sure if I have seen him in another movie or not, but hes alright in this movie. He too does a suitable job here, but nothing that's going to stand out. Danny Masterson plays as Carl's other best friend, Rooney. Its nice to see Masterson doing more high profile movies like this after doing That '70s Show, but I'm not particularly sure if he was the right person to be playing this role. He doesn't get enough screen time or much dialogue and I just think hes out of place. He looks alittle too young around the other cast mates.

Picture:

The visual look of Yes Man is mostly great. The film being a new release benefits from a pristine film source. Film grain is not an issue and I wasn't able to detect any. The image was stable and consistent through out the films run time. Colors were pretty darn good with the film showing off alot of different locations. Its vibrant and very pretty to look at. I guess this doesn't come as much of a surprise considering alot of the films scenes are mostly shot outside. Black levels are also pretty strong and hold up well in darker scenes. The film never gets too dark or too bright and manages to keep a well balanced scene. Flesh tones are accurate and mostly natural. They aren't too warm or muddy. Detail is pretty good for the most part. Close up shots show a good amount of detail on the character's faces. Their are a few scenes that I thought could have looked alittle more detailed, but generally this is a good looking film.

Sound:

The films soundtrack is pretty average at best. It doesn't look like the films got its very own score and nor should it. A comedy flick like this shouldn't have epic music to go with the goofy dialogue, but it would be nice if the music we get here was at least satisfying. We get various music ranging from hip/hop to a bunch of melodies. These all sound fine, but I never felt satisfying with the music. I thought it was missing something like a clever tune or something. The film's got a decent amount of bass too. I wasn't expecting the film to blow me away with its bass, but I was pleasantly surprised to see it go alittle higher than what I had originally expected. Its not reference material, but its perfectly fine for a film like this.

Conclusion:

Yes Man is a decent, yet predictable movie. The film's plot feels unstable and not meant for a whole movie. Its easily forgettable and darn predictable. Still, it has plenty of scenes that will entertain you and give you a nice time at the theater. Just don't expect to burst in tears while rolling on the ground laughing. The films cast is pretty good with Jim Carrey showing yet again why hes better than his cast mates. The visual look of the movie is great with alot of vibrant colors and a stable image. The soundtrack isn't all that good and just didn't cut it for me. I mean its perfectly fine for a comedy like this, but I guess I was expecting alittle more. I would recommend you at least check this film out if your bored or looking for a film to see with the family.

Grade: C-