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As For All This Tron 3 Chatter…

Damon Houx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 21:45:12 +0000

Recently, Deadline Hollywood posted a story about how Joesph Kosinski has become the most successful first-time director of all time with Tron Legacy, narrowly beating J.J. Abrams‘ Mission: Impossible: III, and nearly making $400 Million wordwide. This story, and the recent round of publicity for the film has got the rumor mill going yet again. Disney stirred up the pot by saying they’re working on a script, which Kosinski told us in his recent interview. What is the state of a Tron Sequel?

Bottom line: Disney is still trying to sell this movie. Nothing was more telling than Kosinski saying that

Joesph Kosisnki: A lot of people who didn’t catch it in theaters are going to discover it, and I think they’re going to be pleasantly surprised.

Why would Disney ramp up the speculation for a third film? To drive sales on this release, which may attract the curious to pick this up sight unseen. But from Kosinski’s words the film did not have the saturation that was hoped for. Kosinski also said:

JK: We’ll see after the TV’s out, and the Blu-ray’s out for a while if we’ve built a bigger fanbase.

Scripts are the single easiest aspect of pre-production. In the scheme of a $200 Million dollar film, they tend to cost the least and are easily discarded.

So why drum the film’s box office success? It’s due to box office reports at the time not painting the film in a flattering light. They want the world to think of the film as a success. If a film is a blockbuster and some haven’t seen it, they might want to give it a try because everyone else has. Warner Brothers did something similar with Superman Returns, and if there is a parallel film it’s to that man of steel reboot, which made $200 Million domestic and also made nearly $400 million worldwide. And that film also had sequel rumors after release.

The difference between Superman and the universe of Tron is that Superman has decades of awareness. Everyone knows Superman, most people know Lex Luthor. That said, Disney has already committed to a Tron TV show. As Kosisnki said, nothing is going to go forward until the DVD and Blu-ray sales come in and if people respond to the universe enough to get people to watch the show. Disney would surely love to see their franchise move forward, but they’re still in “wait and see” mode. If they weren’t they wouldn’t have let Kosinski’s Oblivion go out to other studios. This is the very definition of bet-hedging.

What we haven’t seen yet is damage control, which usually comes with a film that has mixed to bad word of mouth and was something of a disappointment. If the tides turn we’ll see the film’s stars or director or writers eventually talk about “the mistakes.” Right now Disney is trying to build or create a narrative that the film was successful. But even if the film has made money, in the court of public opinion they’re hoping the case isn’t closed.

Of course, none of this means they can’t reboot the franchise in a couple of years – but, unlike comic book films, the awareness they would be building on is the awareness of something an audience didn’t go for in the past. Then again, the relative failure of Mission: Impossible: III seemed to suggest that series had run its course, and they’re making a fourth film now. This is partly because studios want tent-pole releases, and a brand is a brand.

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Poll: Is Jon Stewart the New Edward R. Murrow?

Krystal Clark — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 16:41:39 +0000

If you had doubts about Jon Stewart’s ability to inform the public we’ve got news for you! On Tuesday the New York Times compared the Comedy Central TV anchor to the likes of Edward R. Murrow, and for some reason that’s really pissed people off. Murrow was a serious newsman who worked on both radio and television (on CBS) during the early days of its inception. He was recently brought to the forefront of Hollywood’s consciousness when George Clooney made him a primary figure in his 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck. With that being said, does Stewart sound like the second coming of the guy? Vote in our poll and let us know what you think…

Both Murrow and the equally respected Walter Cronkite were trusted sources of information for this country and when they spoke people listened — even the government.

In 1968, Cronkite spoke out about the stalemate in the Vietnam War; a month later, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would not seek re-election. In 1954, Murrow criticized the “Red Scare” tactics of Sen. Joseph McCarthy; thereafter, McCarthy’s popularity and influence rapidly declined.

Earlier this month (December 16), Stewart brought on a panel of 9/11 first responders to “The Daily Show” to advocate for the Senate to pass the the bill pledging federal funds for those who sacrificed their health to save lives that day. Guess what? The bill was passed and a lot of people think Stewart had something to do with it. But what do you think?

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Can Stewart be compared to such serious journalists considering his comedic overtones and his network? Can he be seen as a political force when he wants to be?

Explain why you voted the way you did below.

Source: Third Age

Labor Day Poll: What Movies Will You Watch?

Krystal Clark — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:00:18 +0000

Labor Day weekend is finally here! You have an extra day off to sit back, relax, and get some much needed rest. With all this time on your hands you should at least spend a couple hours being entertained — cue the movies! Every week something new opens in theaters, but this time you want something different, something that reflects your hard working lifestyle. If you had to choose any work-related film to watch over the holiday, which would it be? Office Space? Anchorman? Or the newly released Machete? Vote in our poll and tell us who you’ll be spending your time with…

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Office Space is the Mike Judge comedy about a group of IT workers who’ve been pushed to the point of no return. They hate their company, they hate their boss, and they’re on the brink of being fired. At times like this what do you do? You still a sh*tload of money from the corporation and hope no one notices!
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is what happens when you mix bad seventies fashion with awesome new millennium comedy. Burgundy is the leading newscaster at a local station and his position is threatened when the network brings in a female anchor — gasp!
Clerks represents so many people at so many jobs. How many of you go to work, sit and talk all day, and generate a minimum wage check for your trouble? This movie chronicles a day in the life of such employees and for some of us it’s like looking in a mirror.
Machete is a combination of many things but mostly he’s a fighter for those who can’t fight for themselves. In the movie, those who have the crappiest jobs are part of a special community called “The Network” that includes everyone from gardeners to hospital workers. When they need to go after the crooked politicians who are threatening their jobs, Machete leads their way –blade and all!

What movie will you be watching this weekend?

Poll: Is it Safe for Twilight Fans to Camp in Downtown LA?

Mali Elfman — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:22:11 +0000

It’s clear that the LA Film Festival is feeling the budget cuts. Aside from the lack of food and beverages at the venue, they moved the festivals from the clean streets of Westwood to Downtown LA, a notoriously conspicuous part of the city. For the most part the festival is rather safe, you park in one big structure and stay within the safe walls filled with mainly only filmmakers and the usual film crowd surrounded by security. The decision didn’t strict me as entirely insane until I heard this…

Instead of selling tickets, reserving seats or doing radio/TV/online giveaways, they made it so no press or LAFF pass holder can get in, only those who camp out over night and get a wristband (of which 9,000 I believe have been handed out, which makes no sense since it’s playing at the Nokia Plaza which only holds 2,100 people at a time) in order to see Twilight: Eclipse. Edward is not worth dying for people (and don’t start talking plot with me, I’m talk to all you real-life, non-sparkling folk!)

So although the festival is within the safe walls with security, all the teens flocking to the area are not within those walls and are now wondering around Downtown and will be doing so ALL night. Since the majority of people crazy enough to camp out for Twilight are young females, that means that you’re going to have about 9,000 young girls spending the night on the streets of Downtown LA. Every parents dream! Security be damned, this is a bad idea! I never heard of Star Wars being shown in that type of an area and even then most of that audience is mainly males in their late teens and up (although I don’t know how much more threatening they would be??).

But what do you think?

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Poll: True Blood: Beautifully Broken – What Did You Think?

Krystal Clark — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:31:11 +0000

The third season of “True Blood” continued last night with the second episode entitled, Beautifully Broken. After following a decent premiere, this week the show brought on a few old and new faces including the adorable Godric. Sure he’s a vampire and a murderer, but he’s so cute! Tell us what you thought of Beautifully Broken by voting in our poll. Was it great or did it suck (and not in a vampire way)…

Last night we discovered that Bill was kidnapped by the Vampire King of Mississippi and they discussed his questionable motives over dinner (a very long dinner). Eric turned semi-human around Sookie when she continued to beg him for his help finding Bill (will those two just get it on already?). Sam came across his brother who was less than welcoming of his visit, while Lafayette and Tara went to visit his crazy mother (literally, she’s in an institution).

Speaking of Tara she was the segue into the introduction of a new character, Franklin Mott. He’s played by “The Tudors” alum James Frain and here’s what some critics had to say about his first scenes on the show…

We met Franklin, the Brit vamp who helped Tara beat up some bad ol’ boys who insulted Eggs. (We like Franklin, don’t we? Rheumy-eyed, grizzled, yet somehow oozing a certain across-the-pond allure… ) [EW]
Tara’s now met up with her first official vampire companion, Franklin (James Frain). I’m not sure who he is or what’s to come of the relationship, but I do know that he seemed to be specifically seeking Tara out at Merlotte’s. [IGN]
I also enjoyed the introduction of James Frain’s character Franklin. I’ve seen Frain in a few shows, like Fringe and The Tudors, but I have a feeling already that this will be his most memorable role (for me) yet. [TVOvermind]
Please, Franklin Mott, use your British accent to calm Tara the heck down. So she was a zombie and her boyfriend was a killer? Get over it, girl! Use your BFF as a role model, as Sookie is never one for self-pity. [TVFanatic]

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There seems to be a general consensus that Tara’s become a bit of a half-wit and is annoying the crap out of everyone. We understand that she’s grieving but get it together. Also, we love Jason Stackhouse but his storyline is also starting to get on our nerves. Hopefully, when the blond haired girl from the woods comes back, (Lindsay Pulsipher) his character will get some better material. Fingers crossed for next week!

What did you think of last night’s episode?

Poll: True Blood Season 3 Premiere – What Did You Think?

Krystal Clark — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:41:31 +0000

After months and months of build up the season premiere of “True Blood” finally arrived. On Sunday, your favorite vampires and creatures of the night returned in a new episode filled with more trashy and oversexed behavior than you can shake a stick at (we’re looking at you Eric). That being said, we’re interested in hearing what you thought of its reintroduction. Vote in our poll and let us know if it lived up to the hype…

The season opener set up a lot of storylines for some of our favorite characters. Tara’s still reeling over the death of Eggs and Lafayette gives his shoulder for her to cry on, while dealing with his own V-pushing issues. Sookie turns to an unlikely source to find the still missing Bill, and Sam becomes interested in reconnecting with his family roots (bad idea).

Speaking of Sam and Bill…yeah, those two, um, did you see what happened there? And we can’t forget Eric who got one of the best introductions of the night. You know exactly what I’m talking about (drool). Overall it seems like the general population only had one major problem with the premiere and it’s name is Evan Rachel Wood.

Evan Rachel Wood shimmered in only to prove once again that True Blood possesses the uncanny supernatural power to rob her of her acting ability for as long as she appears onscreen; she even squashed the humor out of her laugh-line to Eric: “Isn’t moral anarchy kind of the point?” [EW]

What really worked for me out of these other plots was the way that the show teased out more about vampire society. I’m still not sure about Evan Rachel Wood’s vampire queen character (I think that Wood is playing the part a little too blandly to really work) [LA Times]

They’ve got a few really interesting storylines already building up for the season. Including one about vampire blood being sold illegally, but that involves Evan Rachel Wood and I’m just going to avoid talking about her as much as possible. And look, there I summed that story up in one sentence. [Chron]

I don’t dig her whole Vampire Queen character. At one point she threatens Eric by grabbing unto his male parts. She’s beautiful, but unnecessary. She gives “True Blood” a Queen of the Damned touch that just does not work. [ScreenCrave]

Burn! It looks like no one really likes what the Queen’s bringing to the table. Be sure to check out our review of the season premiere!

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What did you think of the season premiere of True Blood? What do you love? What did you loathe? Feel free to discuss below.

VOTE: Rampage Jackson Vs. Mr. T as B.A. Baracus

Mali Elfman — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:43:41 +0000

It’s kind of an unfair competition. There was a hell of a lot of pressure on Rampage Jackson to fill the shoes of the one and only Mr. T, the only A-Team member alive who refused to make a cameo in Joe Carnahan‘s 2010 adaptation of The A-Team.

Dwight Schultz had a moment with Sharlto Copley to bond over ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock and Dirk Benedict showed up in a scene with Bradley Cooper to show his support of him taking on Faceman, but there was no double B.A.Baracui and more importantly there was no pitying no fools! Lets just take a moment to think about this and reminisce over a Mr. T montage…

Now that you have that fresh in your mind, check out the sleek updated version with bad-ass Rampage…

Although the second is much cleaner, it’s hard to top the original performance. For those of you who have made it out to see the new The A-Team already, were you satisfied with Rampage’s performance? I won’t ask who was better, because that’s just mean, but how did you think Rampange did?

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Further Reading:

Poll: What Did You Think of The 24 Finale?

Krystal Clark — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:12:01 +0000

It’s over! Last night Kiefer Sutherland concluded his television run as the greatest anti-hero in history. For 8 seasons we’ve seen him deal with some situations that would have Rambo shaking in his boots and with so much hype it’s time to decide if the “24” finale was the fitting end we all hoped for. Vote in our poll and tell us what you thought…

Without getting too in-depth, the overall episode did encompass everything we loved about the show. There was plenty of action, frustration, and a few revelations that we desperately needed. We have to say our favorite moments came from Jack and Chloe (guns and all). Their relationship has been more interesting than anything else we’ve seen on the show and we liked the turn it took last night.

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What were your favorite moments of the night? For some people we know the suspense level would have been a lot higher if they didn’t know that a “24″ movie was in the works. Yep, it’s happening so get ready for Bauer to hit the big screen and travel to Europe to kick some ass, while taking names later. Also, for those of you who thought the finale was too over the top, we don’t think that’s a fair assessment because hasn’t the entire show been that way since day one?

What did you think of the 24 finale? Was it a fitting end for Jack Bauer?

Poll: Did The Lost Series Finale Deliver?

Krystal Clark — Mon, 24 May 2010 15:00:13 +0000

Last night, after six seasons of torture fans of ABC’s “Lost” finally got some answers…sort of. The show went out with an emotional bang, tying up some loose ends, but still keeping an air of mystery. For some people that formula worked and for others it turned out to be a major disappointment. After letting the final events stir in your head overnight it’s time to decide whether or not the finale of “Lost” lived up to its hype. Vote in our poll and let us know what you think…

If you haven’t read our review of last night’s episode “The End,” now would be a good time to do so. While it did give us some closure by featuring several characters from the past, there were still moments that left us wanting more. Several of the island’s mysteries were never resolved and we’re pretty sure Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse had no intention on doing so when they planned the series’ conclusion. So did their approach help or hinder the final episode of the show?

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The finale of “Lost” was well written and did come full circle in terms of Jack and his journey on and off the island. That character has been through the wringer and if anyone received some type of closure it was him. As for everyone else, it’s left open to interpretation as to when they died and what they did with the rest of their lives. Perhaps, the whole point of the series was to watch how the island changed Jack and in turn how he changed the others.

What did you think of last night’s finale? How did you vote and why?

Poll: Who Should Replace Megan Fox in Transformers 3?

Krystal Clark — Thu, 20 May 2010 02:36:21 +0000

Update: Fox just released a statement claiming it was her decision to leave the film.

Now that the dust has settled and we’ve accepted the fact that Megan Fox is no longer a part of the Transformers franchise, lets talk replacements! A few names have already been making the rounds online and it’s time to break down the pros and cons of each candidate. Vote in our poll and let us know who you think has the competitive edge…

The biggest name being tossed around at the moment is Gemma Arterton, who previously appeared in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, as well as, Clash of the Titans, and this month’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Over at The Wrap they’re saying that she’s at the top of the list of actresses being courted to play Shia Labeouf’s new love interest in Transformers 3.

Since Michael Bay is known to be drawn to model-types as opposed to legitimate actresses, Bar Refaeli and Miranda Kerr along with Brooklyn Decker have also been mentioned as possible replacements for Fox. The first two women don’t have a lot of acting experience but Decker has made a few guest spots on TV shows and will appear in Adam Sandler’s upcoming comedy Just Go With it.

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Out of this group, Arterton does seem like the logical choice because she’s the same age as Fox/Labeouf and is no stranger to the action genre. BUT her constant presence in every blockbuster franchise is starting to become a nuisance. We understand it’s a dog eat dog industry but can someone else get a shot?

The other three possibilities are actually laughable. Nothing against them personally but anyone over 5 foot 5 is going to be a problem for Labeouf unless they pull a Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow (in Iron Man) and put him on boxes. Also, we know Transformers isn’t Shakespeare but they should at least try to get a woman with SOME type of acting talent. Wasn’t that one of the main reasons why people hated Fox so much (besides her sh*tty attitude)?

Who do you think should replace Fox? Who did you vote for and why?

Poll: Is Iron Man 2 Better Than The Original?

Krystal Clark — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:30:36 +0000

After two years of waiting the big day is finally here! Iron Man 2 was released in theaters everywhere this morning at 12:01 am. Over the past few weeks the film’s reviews have been rolling in and for the most part they’ve been mixed. From a critical standpoint I can understand the issues journalists have with the movie but as an Iron Man fan, I wasn’t disappointed. What do you think? Is Iron Man 2 better than Iron Man 1? Vote in our poll and let us know…

In my opinion the first Iron Man was a great movie. Its only flaw was its action, or lack there of. You could tell that director (Jon Favreau) wasn’t quite sure what he could or couldn’t do with the character. With the sequel he tries to compensate for that tenfold by filling the screen with explosive fight sequences featuring both human and metal casualties.

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As for the multiple villains, Ivan Vanko was more of a “heavy” while Justin Hammer stayed behind the scenes. More than anything his character came off as a corrupt business man. He wasn’t out to necessarily “kill” Tony Stark as much as his partner. Their motivations were completely different.

As for Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of Black Widow it was “meh.” She didn’t disappear into her character. All I saw was Scarlett not Natasha/Natalie. Robert Downey Jr was able to turn into Tony Stark, Gwyneth Paltrow was able to become Pepper Potts, and even Don Cheadle mutated into James Rhodes (in more ways than one) so what was her problem? She was boring. Her dialogue was sleep inducing.

Iron Man 2 was a good film but it wasn’t great. Some of the action scenes ran too long and there was a lack of character development for the newbies (Vanko, Hammer, Widow). Aside from that it’s still entertaining and manages to progress The Avengers story arc that leads us into the next film, Thor.

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That’s my two cents, what did you think of Iron Man 2?

Poll: Does Michael Weatherly and The Cast of NCIS Deserve A Raise?

Krystal Clark — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:20:01 +0000

If you were an actor appearing on the most successful scripted television show on air would you ask for a pay raise? The cast of CBS’s long running drama “NCIS” are in that situation and they want the network to bump up their salaries before they sign on for any future seasons. Is Michael Weatherly and the rest of the gang really worth the extra money? Vote in our poll and let us know what you think…

Besides Weatherly, the cast of “NCIS” includes Pauley Perrette, David McCallum, Sean Murray, and of course Mark Harmon. Out of the group, Harmon’s contract has already been locked but the other 4 actors are looking for more. According to Deadline, a couple of them are earning under $100, 000 per episode, which is considered low for a series that’s been on the air for 7 years. “NCIS” averages 18.94 million viewers (up 5% versus last season), and consistently pulls in strong numbers for the network.

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It’s really surprising that CBS is low-balling the cast considering the amount of money other networks have shelled out for shows at their peak. Back in the day, the cast of “Friends“, “Seinfeld“, and “Frasier” all received 1 million plus per episode. And how much does Charlie Sheen get for “Two and A Half Men?” He doesn’t even want to be on that show! It seems like they’re giving these guys the shaft.

What do you think? Should CBS cough up the extra money?

ScreenCrave.com » Polls

As For All This Tron 3 Chatter…

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