Hollywood Dump

USA Today has posted a new picture of Drew Barrymore's new film "Whip It" which is set to open October 9th. This is Barrymore's directorial debut and is the story of one girls discovery of a roller derby league in Austin.

Ellen Page [stars] as a rebellious teenager who signs up to play the brutal and sexy female sport against her mother's will, finding friendship and freedom among the bruises and falls.

I'm a big fan of roller derby. I grew up watching the LA T-Birds go round and round in the early days before professional wrestling stole all the limelight. Roller Derby has always been around, trying to claw itself out of the underground for a while. Its nice to see it finally becoming more mainstream. I'm glad Drew decided to get behind this story. Let's hope she does it justice.

And if you've never been to a roller derby match before, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

Did the ghost of Michael Jackson appear in a Larry King interview at Neverland Ranch?

Of course not, but this video still works VERY HARD to suggest that. And I love the music the submitter uses. Very appropriate.

Judge for yourself:

Genres: Drama, Crime/Gangster and Adaptation

Running Time: 2 hr. 23 min.

Release Date: July 1st, 2009 (wide)

MPAA Rating: R for gangster violence and some language.

Distributors: Universal Pictures

Directed by: Michael Mann

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Genres: Comedy, Kids/Family, Animation and Sequel

Running Time: 1 hr. 27 min.

Release Date: July 1st, 2009 (wide)

MPAA Rating: PG for mild humor and peril.

Distributors: 20th Century Fox Distribution

Directed by: Carlos Saldanha, Michael Thurmeier

JJ Rating for both: D

I have never wrote for two movies in a single movie review, but I’m sick and tired of horrible movies being passed off as great ideas for summer and these two have broke the camel’s back.

If banging my head against the desk would bring about better movies that seemed promising based on the cast, I actually would. I would sacrifice a few brain cells for the betterment of film than lose them to the lackluster crap I visually have to endure.

Public Enemies and Ice Age 3 have many things in common and the main thing they have in common is that they have great casts. For a crime drama Public Enemies has a perfect cast. For a comedy Ice Age 3 has a perfect cast. But the problem stems mainly from the script and the way the film was created more so than with the cast. The cast is not at fault. However, the massive stand out in either film is Johnny Depp. He’s just awesome more so than the awards that litter (or are not littering) his mantles. An honorable mention is Simon Pegg who voiced the new character called Buck. He was just a witty addition to a very drawn out franchise. It is sad that Ice Age has ended on such a horrible note considering the characters that were created for this film are perfection. None of the returning characters were really put to great use and were only there for comfort, which is why Buck stood out so much and why he will be the only character anyone will remember.

Public Enemies doesn’t even have a stand out moment, let alone a stand out line that would make it into classic movie history. No one will remember this film for anything great and it will easily be forgotten (and should be) when Oscars come around. Maybe it should be remembered for cinematography or something like that. But otherwise it will be forgotten as a mistake that had great ingredients that were not put to any real fantastic use.

Ice Age 3 was a few pencil shavings from being a direct to DVD release. If only a few people were like, uh no I don’t want to attach my name to this sinking ship – it would have been.

The scripts for both of these films were created by writers that were tired and wanted to bore people. Well they succeeded in doing that. They should win a Razzie for that. They won’t, but they should not be forgotten just because something worse comes along. I think there should be a separate category (maybe there is) for blockbusters that just plane suck and deserve an award that puts it in its place.

I would like to thank Public Enemies and Ice Age 3 for giving new meaning to mediocre and for including the entire world in on that memo. We really appreciate it. I’m sure that this new level of mediocre will give us all pause next time we see a crappy film that is suppose to be summer blockbuster cool. We’ll just stare and say, “Does this change the definition of mediocre like those two films I forgot about did previously?” Even writing about crappy films makes me feel crappy and probably write crappy as well. They just simply suck for creating such trash. They have zero respect for an art form that should be getting better instead of this stagnation rut it is in. Ick.

We havent heard much from Aaron Sorkin since "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" got axed by NBC. But in that down time, Sorkin's been working on a script for a feature film about Facebook. And as shocking as this may be, it might actually be a really good film.

Apparently its not easy going from a broke college nerd to a billionaire CEO in a year and Sorkin's been tapped by Sony to develop the story based off of a book by Ben Mezrich called "The Accidental Billionaires." David Finchner (Fight Club, Zodiac, Panic Room) is set to direct.

According to Carson Reeves from the site ScriptShadow who has read the script, it sounds very promising.

Read Carson's detailed review here.

Late yesterday we reported that "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" had tied the box office numbers for newcomer "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs"

But now that the official numbers are out, it looks like Fox's animated flick couldnt compete with Michael Bay's robots at full volume.

Here's the actual totals for the two films:


1 (1) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $42,320,877
2 (new) Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $41,690,382

The 6,000 member strong "Little People of America" are demanding that the FCC add the word “midget” to the list of words that cannot be uttered on broadcast television.



They are apparently all up in arms about a recent Celebrity Apprentice episode that involved Jesse James and a couple of (insert politically correct, non-offensive generic term for a for a person with dwarfism here).

The LPA insists that "midget" is just as offensive to little people as the dreaded "N-Word" is to African Americans.

Seriously? I find that one hard to beleive.

You know if I were someone that was born with Dwarfism, I'd probably take offense to the term "Little People" as well.

Looks like more pandering to our nostalgia is in the works.

Variety has reported that Universal has won the bidding war for film rights to the 1979 Atari videogame "Asteroids" with "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura set to produce.



Now when the game came out (TWENTY YEARS AGO) it was a smash hit. The highly detailed (pre 8 bit?) vector graphics and nifty "pew! pew!" sounds your mighty lazer gun made were really cool - back when people had never seen a video game before.

The studio has tapped "Race to Witch Mountain" scribe Matt Lopez to work on the script.

Genres: Drama and Adaptation
Running Time: 1 hr. 46 min.
Release Date: June 26th, 2009 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic content, some disturbing images, sensuality, language and brief teen drinking.
Distributors: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution

Directed by: Nick Cassavetes

JJ Rating: A-

Kate Fitzgerald (Sofia Vassilieva) has cancer and she’s dying. Her younger sister, Anna Fitzgerald (Abigail Breslin), was created so that she could help her sister get better. In harsher terms, her parents were using her to harvest whatever it was that Kate needed to get better. Now she doesn’t want to do it any more and she got a lawyer Campbell Alexander (Alec Baldwin) to help her be medically emancipated. My Sister’s Keeper.

There will be tears and those that will cry are: women, those that have a loved one with cancer and those that have recently lost a loved one. Those that will not cry are those who are cynical and have hearts of stone. It does matter the mindset when one sees a movie like this. If you are not up for a movie like this or you were dragged then it’ll be melodramatic and you’ll be bored.

I read up on how the book differs and apparently the biggest difference is the ending. I could understand the upset, but the only reason I could think of that would explain why they would change it was to make it less sad and to avoid religious context. Am I right? I don’t know. I can only speculate like a good speculator.

Cameron Diaz (who played Sara Fitzgerald – the mother) did a good job as an obnoxiously, over protective mom. I really did not like her in many parts of the film, but at the same time I could understand her need to be the way she was. Diaz just had such depth to her character that I was pleasantly surprised. Jason Patric (who played Brian Fitzgerald - the father) was powerful when he did not say a word and his eyes giving the illusion of wobbling as tears just shimmer. Dynamic dramatic energy came through his eyes and penetrated any father’s heart.

Abigail Breslin is growing up and has not lost that edge to her that she showed everyone in Little Miss Sunshine. She made sure that her character would not be left in the dust by anyone of the veteran actors in this film. Evan Ellingson (Jesse Fitzgerald the brother) showed a range of emotions without having a whole lot of screen time. He did not get lost in the shuffle and maintained the high levels of emotion that the other actors were giving. Sofia Vassilieva has such a beautiful smile that made her acting that much more sincere. She made sure that Kate was who she was and no one saw any differently when they watched her. I didn’t think of it as acting when she was on the screen. She was very moving and powerful. Thomas Dekker is the love interest of Kate Fitzgerald. He plays Taylor. He may look familiar because he played in the first season of NBC’s “Heroes” as Claire’s good friend who filmed her jumping and harming/healing herself. He looks so different as well as having a bit of a rough edge to his acting more than one would be use to if the last thing they saw was him in “Heroes”. He showed that he could be a dominating presence just by appearance as well as how he handled his character. Their relationship is beautiful.

Alec Baldwin was good. His exchange with Diaz in the court room was a good scene. The emotion that charged the both of them made the arguments stand out and made one think about who was more right in this situation. Joan Cusack (who I really love) played the judge and when she talks to Breslin in her chambers and Breslin mentions something the emotional shift is so subtle and powerful in Cusack’s face that it’s really hard to think about without becoming upset.

Now it’s not drama moment after drama moment after drama moment. There are fun and silly and funny moments that happen. And when those moments occur they break up the dramatic tense moments. I think My Sister’s Keeper is very good with the emotional pull it has and the way it tells a story that, as I’ve heard, comes from a book that hails from different points of view. It does so without causing confusion in the storyline. The story also jumps to the past without a block of text dictating that it’s now the past. I think that that would only be frustrating (ie. The Soloist) if it did so jarringly. The transition from one person’s story to another’s as well as different time periods is handled smoothly and enjoyably.

My Sister’s Keeper performs for your tears and if you are in the right mindset you will relinquish them. There will not just be a small trickle, it could be a faucet of tears and snot if you are not careful. Not only that, but there will be memories that will flood your mind or take you to the future at some event you think will happen in your life. It’ll shake you. By the time this movie is over you will feel as if you lost someone, and then wonder why this kind of drama would be labeled entertainment. There will be tears.

Was there any question that the "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" would own the weekend? Of course not. It was playing in a staggering 4,234 theaters including 169 IMAX screens. Even if the film was total crap, (and most critics agree it was) the hype surrounding this film, fueled by a major marketing blitz would be enough to give it the numbers. Michael Bay's loud, annoying, Robo-explosio-fest has become the second biggest opening film in movie history, behind last year's "Dark Knight." It also set the record for the largest June opening and the largest 5-day opening weekend ever.



Grand total, the film has made $201 million since it opened on Wednesday and cleared $112 million Friday-Sunday alone, according to studio estimates.



However, I will re-state my opinion that just because a movie is number one doesnt mean its a great movie.



But at this point, I dont think anyone cares about wether or not it was good. Only that it made a boat-load of money.



And yet people wonder why Hollywood doesnt make better movies. Why should they? Use a lot of CGI, a ton of explosives and a franchise from the target demographic's adolescence and you have the recipe for keeping the executives at Paramount employed for another few months.



Who cares if the script is terrible. Look at those robots beat each other up! And oh yeah, an incredibly hot and highly-overrated sexpot runs around a lot in slow motion.



Ugh.

Of course, how long this film can sustain its record-breaking performance remains to be seen. My guess is that its numbers will quickly fall off by next week.

In other news, as expected "Land of the Lost" dropped 73% from the previous week and skyrocketd out of the top ten. To steal a line from another entertainment blogger, "TOLDYA!"

Here's the top ten for the weekend:

1 (new) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $112,000,000
2 (1) The Proposal $18,466,000
3 (2) The Hangover $17,215,000
4 (3) Up $13,046,000
5 (new) My Sister's Keeper $12,030,000
6 (4) Year One $5,800,000
7 (5) The Taking of Pelham 123 $5,400,000
8 (7) Star Trek $3,606,000
9 (6) Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian $3,500,000
10 (13) Away We Go $1,678,251

Mays was aboard US Airways Flight 1241 from Philadelphia to Tampa that blew out its front tires as it landed at Tampa International Airport on June 27, the day before his death. None of the 138 passengers and five crew members were reported to be seriously injured immediately following the incident, but several passengers reported having bumps and bruises from falling objects. Mays told a local Tampa television station that some of the objects "hit me on the head, but I got a hard head." It is unclear whether Mays's death was related to the incident, but his wife did note that he did not feel well when he went to bed the night he died.