December 31, 2009

Favorite Foreign Flicks: Heima


Heima
is a documentary of sorts that focuses on the Icelandic band Sigur Rós. During their recording of their album Heima they decide to showcase the material on a tour of rural towns and villages in their native Iceland. The film is beyond visually breath-taking as the scenery matches the band's music perfectly. It was also interesting to see the different venues used for each show.

Favorite Foreign Flicks: A Woman In Berlin


Based on the novel written anonymously which was responded by outrage from it's publishing. The true events during the Russian occupation of Berlin and the women who were the victims of Russian victory. While it's a tough film to watch it tells an important story that most are unaware of. The trailer gives you all the information you need to know. It's stunning while still a very dark film. I highly recommend it but make sure you're comfortable with the subject matter. It did remind me at times of Schindler's List so you've been warned.

Things We Might See In Thor


Thor starts production soon so I've been thinking over some interesting aspects of the comics which could make the movie. Knowing that the film will spend some time in Asgard here are some interesting things that could be apart of that world.


Mjolnir: Better known as Thor's hammer there are two different versions the one seen in the original comics and the half axe half hammer seen used by Ultimate Thor. It's been confirmed we'll see Mjolnir but we haven't seen images to confirm what style they'll go with.


Bifröst: The rainbow bridge of Asgard. While I'm not sure it's been confirmed it would be used in the film. The bridge's guard Heimdall played by Idris Elba will be in the film so it's possible the colorful bridge will make the cut.


Weapons: I believe there is a point in the comics where they introduce the use of modern human weapons into battles. I think it might be interesting to see a mix of swords and guns on the battle field. Even if those guns are alien or futuristic.


Epic Battles: While I'm not expecting to see the film completely set in Asgard it would be nice to get a hint of the battles we could be seeing in future films.


Debauchery: The best part of the Norse lore invovles the legendary debuchery of warriors. Hard drinking, eating, fighting and scantly clad wenches. I believe we could see the Asgardians downing meed I'm not so sure we'll be seeing the hedonistic things we'd expect. On the other hand we did get glimpses of Tony Stark's alcoholism and womanizing in Iron Man.


Asgardians: Another thing will we see the Asgardians as a real population of people? I'd hope to see them represented similar to the humans in Middle Earth. The film seems to only have two lead female Asgardians at this point Sif and Frigga. You'd expect the more popular female characters like Enchantress and Valkyrie to be in the film. Along with other characters like Balder and Executioner they could end up in movie but that might have more to do with how much of Asgard we'll be shown.


Creatures: From Frost Giants, Elves, Rock Trolls and Dwarves the world of Thor has many inhabitants. I keep getting Middle Earth vibes from the whole idea of different beings.

Renner Up For Captain America Not Hawkeye?


Recently Jeremy Renner has been rumored for the role of Hawkeye. Jeremy even mentioned talking to the studio about the character. This was great news but Hawkeye seemed like a character little too small for Renner. Considering all the success he's been getting for his amazing performance in the Hurt Locker. Which could end up earning Renner an Oscar nomination. So when Renner explained himself out of the running for Hawkeye it didn't make much sense.

CineFools came up with a logical idea, has Renner been offered Captain America instead? While this is just speculation it could be a good move on the part of Marvel Studios. The film starts production in June and they haven't announced their choice yet. A lot of people have been bringing up Renner for the role.

NEWS/RUMORS (Dec 31st)


The year/decade is at a close so I'd like to thank everyone for supporting the site. I hope everyone has a safe new years! Stay tuned to C&CB for exciting film news which should be flooding in the coming weeks.


MTV talked to Stan "The Man" Lee and the Marvel comics creator revealed we might finally get to view the Ant-Man film. He also mentioned hopes for the Doctor Strange and Black Panther films. I expect Marvel will announce Edgar Wright's Ant-Man to start production later in the year. The Doctor Strange film has been in the works for a while and at one point Guillmero del Toro was interested in the project. It's the first time I've heard about a Black Panther film though, which could be a fun film.


Tim Roth revealed to MTV he's been talking to Marvel Studios about reprising his role of Emil Blonsky/Abomination for future Hulk films. He doesn't pin down the possible film, which could be either Incredible Hulk 2 or Avengers. Yet Roth does mention he signed on for three films.


Jeremy Renner had been rumored for the role of Hawkeye. Who could appear in upcoming Marvel films leading up to Avengers. Now Renner is saying he wasn't offered the role but rather given information on the character. It might have something to do with his relationship with screenwriter Zak Penn. This doesn't mean he's out of the race for the role or even that we won't see him have a cameo in Thor or Captain America. It just means nothing has been finalized or that he could be still in talks with Marvel Studios over salary and contracts. Both films won't be released until 2011 giving Marvel over a year to figure out what they're doing.


Marvel's stockholders approve Disney merger. The deal is worth $4.3 Billion and will be finalized today.


Avatar is killing at the box office making $726.6 Million in 12 days. I expect it could reach over $800 Million by Monday.

30 Films In 2010 I'm Looking Forward To

2009 is at an end and it's been a year of great surprises and disappointments in the world of film. The 2010 release lineup is almost upon us so I figured I'd list off some of the upcoming big event films in the following year I'm excited for.


1. INCEPTION


2. KICK-ASS


3. IRON MAN 2


4. SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD


5. CLASH OF THE TITANS


6. ROBIN HOOD


7. THE EXPENDABLES


8. THE GREEN HORNET


9. RED DAWN


10. PREDATORS


11. YOUR HIGHNESS


12. PRINCE OF PERSIA


13. THE LOSERS


14. TRON LEGACY


15. DAYBREAKERS


16. MACHETE


17. MACGRUBER


18. THE AMERICAN


19. GET HIM TO THE GREEK


20. JONAH HEX


21. THE GREEN ZONE


22. THE A-TEAM


24. EDGE OF DARKNESS


25. THE WOLF MAN


26. CENTURION


27. BOOK OF ELI


28. REPO MEN


29. EAGLE OF THE NINTH


30. FROM PARIS WITH LOVE

December 28, 2009

Warner Bros. Most Profitable Studio of 2009


For the third year in a row Warner Bros. has the honor of being the most successful studio pulling in over $2 Billion. Harry Potter is the standard success story for the studio but films like The Hangover and Blind Side made a shocking amount of box office cash. They also did well with risky/expensive films like Watchmen and Where The Wild Things Are. Sherlock Holmes will more than likely help put the studio over the top. The worldwide total for the studio reached $4 Billion.

It doesn't look they'll be slowing down their box office run. In 2010, they'll be releasing The Book of Eli, Edge of Darkness (return of actor Mel Gibson), Clash of The Titans, The Losers, Nightmare On Elm Street, Sex In The City 2, Jonah Hex, Inception, The Town, Guardians of Ga'Hoole , Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part1, Yogi Bear and Hereafter.

Black Widow Agent of SHIELD In Iron Man 2?


Someone noticed that Black Widow played by Scarlett Johansson is sporting the SHIELD patch on her arm in the Iron Man 2 trailer. Giving us a strong reason to think she'll be an agent of SHIELD in the film. While some believe this is a spoiler, it's really not since it's a well known aspect of her character. It will be interesting to see if she ends up playing both sides for her own benefits.

Second Inception Teaser Trailer



This second quick look at the mysterious film from Christopher Nolan doesn't reveal much but it does look like a great summer movie.

Impressive Crew Hired For Green Lantern


While a director, screenwriters and actors are very important to a film. Just as important are the people working behind the scenes. It looks like they're going all out for Green Lantern hiring what seems to be the best people in the business to work on the movie. SuperHeroHype is reporting on who has been hired.


Cinematographer Dion Beebe won an Oscar for Memoirs of A Geisha and was nominated for Chicago. While that is impressive he also worked on the stunningly shot Collateral and Miami Vice.


Production designer Grant Major and costume designer Ngila Dickson both won Oscars for their work on the Lord of The Rings trilogy. They worked together for Peter Jackson's King Kong and Heavenly Creatures. Major also worked on The Frighteners and Dickson did work on The Last Samurai.


Art director François Audouy has previously worked on Watchmen, Transformers and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. He also worked in art departments for Avatar, Zodiac, Minority Report, Men In Black, Spider-Man 1-3, The Ring and Pearl Harbor.