Bloggin' With Boris Karloff
This past Monday, November 23 would have been the 122nd birthday of William Henry Pratt, the actor better known to the world at large as Boris Karloff. To commemorate the occasion Pierre Fournier has organized a Boris Karloff Blogathon over at his way cool Frankensteinia blog running all the way through November 26. He's lined up over 110 bloggers to share their thoughts on the guest of honor. He kicks it off with a message from Karloff's daughter Sara (who incidentally shares her father's birthday) and she is delighted that her father is being remembered this way. Fournier has also embedded some Youtube videos of Karloff's appearance on the TV show This Is Your Life. Posts will be continuously added through the week, but here's some of the stuff you can check out right now:- Deadlicious has posted a Karloff interview scanned from the pages of Castle of Frankenstein, one of the great monster mags of the 1970s.
- You're Only As Good As Your Last Picture has an overview of Karloff's career.
- Cinebeats has a review of Die, Monster, Die!, a Karloff film based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft, and The Groovy Age of Horror has scanned pages of the Dell Comics adaptation of the same movie.
- Over at The Boris Karloff Collection there's a review of The Old Dark House, the film that reunited Frankenstein's star and director.
- Psychobabble offer an examination of the 10 Essential Performances of Boris Karloff.
- Monsterman has a nice selection of Karloff photos, including one downright eerie animated gif.
Trailer Park: Of Snakey Hair and Moody Teens
Filed under: Trailer Trash, Trailers and Clips
Percy Jackson & the Olylmpians: The Lightning Thief
You go years without seeing Medusa and then all of a sudden we get two in one week. Percy Jackson is a descendant of both mortals and greek gods, and apparently his lineage comes with some way cool powers and some fearsome villains who want to do him in (among which is Uma Thurman as the aforementioned Medusa). Based on a series of books and directed by Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two Harry Potter films, this looks like it could be some good escapist teen fun, though not quite on the same level as Harry Potter. Watch for this on February 12.
Clash of the Titans
As for Medusa number two, she is just one of the monstrosities in this remake of the 1981 film about the adventures of Perseus from Greek mythology. Most of the original film's charm comes from the stop-motion effects by Ray Harryhausen, so it will be interesting to see how well the ideas translate to modern effects technology. The clash begins on March 26.
Remember Me
Robert Pattinson plays the tortured emo kid card once more in this drama about a young man trying to find his way. He's really got the angry young man thing down and Lost's Emile de Ravin makes for an appealing romantic interest. This will be out on March 12.
Right Now on TV Squad
Our brothers and sisters over at TV Squad have busted through the boob tube and brought with them the following juicy bits of must-see eye candy.
- Gird your loins, folks, Lost finally has a premiere date!
- Check out this latest installment of the TV Squad podcast. Joel Keller answers listener mail, covers AMC's The Prisoner, and discusses James Franco's guest stint on General Hospital.
- Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force is going to be returning with a special Christmas episode on December 13.
- Remember that contest to create the newest Simpsons character? Well, they've announced a winner.
- Brooke Shields will be guesting on ABC's The Middle playing a suburban mother of four.
- ...and finally, Aaron Sorkin will be returning to television with yet another behind the scenes style show.
Box Office: Mooning the Planet of the Blind
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Box Office Predictions
Despite what the critics thought, people flocked to the end of the world epic 2012 which pulled in $230 million globally. Precious expanded into a modest 174 theaters but still managed to land the number three position. Here's the top five:
1. 2012: $65.2 million
2. A Christmas Carol: $22.3 million
3. Precious: Based on the Novel: "Push" by Sapphire: $5.8 million
4. The Men Who Stare at Goats: $5.9 million
5. Michael Jackson's This Is It: $5 million
And moviegoers have three new releases to choose from this weekend.
The Twilight Saga: The New Moon
What's It All About: Do you really need to be told? This, of course, is the hotly anticipated sequel to 2008's Twilight. Bella's life continues down a dark path after Edward leaves her for her own safety. We've also got hunky bare-chested werewolves this time.
Why It Might Do Well: The first film had a $70 million opening weekend in 3,419 theaters. I suspect owning film rights to the Twilight series is like having a license to print money.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Some folks don't like their vampires to sparkle.
Number of Theaters: 4,000
Prediction: $86 million
The Blind Side
What's It All About: A homeless teen is adopted by a conservative family and matures into a football star with the potential to turn pro.
Why It Might Do Well: From a strictly personal standpoint, sports films don't really interest me, but this grabbed my attention. Also 67% at Rottentomatoes.com ain't bad.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Well, there is that vampire movie coming out this week.
Number of Theaters: 3,100
Prediction: $16 million
1. 2012: $65.2 million
2. A Christmas Carol: $22.3 million
3. Precious: Based on the Novel: "Push" by Sapphire: $5.8 million
4. The Men Who Stare at Goats: $5.9 million
5. Michael Jackson's This Is It: $5 million
And moviegoers have three new releases to choose from this weekend.
The Twilight Saga: The New MoonWhat's It All About: Do you really need to be told? This, of course, is the hotly anticipated sequel to 2008's Twilight. Bella's life continues down a dark path after Edward leaves her for her own safety. We've also got hunky bare-chested werewolves this time.
Why It Might Do Well: The first film had a $70 million opening weekend in 3,419 theaters. I suspect owning film rights to the Twilight series is like having a license to print money.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Some folks don't like their vampires to sparkle.
Number of Theaters: 4,000
Prediction: $86 million
The Blind SideWhat's It All About: A homeless teen is adopted by a conservative family and matures into a football star with the potential to turn pro.
Why It Might Do Well: From a strictly personal standpoint, sports films don't really interest me, but this grabbed my attention. Also 67% at Rottentomatoes.com ain't bad.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Well, there is that vampire movie coming out this week.
Number of Theaters: 3,100
Prediction: $16 million
Right Now on TV Squad
Our brothers and sisters over at TV Squad have busted through the boob tube and brought with them the following juicy bits of must-see eye candy.
- The creator of BBC's science fiction series Torchwood recently talked to TV Guide about the show's fourth season.
- Heroes fans may be interested to know a British show about young people with super powers is premiering on E4. Here's a sneak peek.
- Time to decide which is the best TV theme song of all time: Gilligan's Island or Happy Days.
- Sesame Street is celebrating its 40th birthday, and here are the five biggest controversies in the show's history.
- Marti Noxon, a writer who has worked on Mad Men and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will be writing the remake of 80s horror flick Fright Night.
- ...and finally, fans of Mad Men and fans of X-Men can join forces to enjoy this series of mash-ups from Madatoms.
Trailer Park: Kicking Some Extraordinary Ass
Filed under: Trailer Trash, Trailers and Clips
Kick-Ass
Why don't people in real life put on a costume, get a few gadgets and fight crime? Because the idea is completely bonkers. This flick based on a comic book by Mark Millar features a group of young people putting on the spandex and, as the title suggests, kicking some ass. This looks pretty cool, but we'll find out for sure on April 16.
Extraordinary Measures
Brendan Fraser stars as a father whose children are dying from a genetic disorder. Desperate to save them he funds the work of an eccentric but brilliant researcher (Harrison Ford) in hopes of finding a cure. I suspect this will be a good old fashioned tear-jerker. If that's your cup of tea you can check it out on January 22.
Grown Ups
A bunch of SNL veterans (Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock and David Spade) along with that guy from King of Queens (Kevin James) play old friends reuniting for the first time in 30 years. The "reunion" formula is one of those cliches I remember my Writing Arts teacher warning me away from, and it doesn't look like they're doing anything especially original with it. This will be out on June 25. (Watch the trailer after the jump)
'Creepshow 3': The Internet's Greatest Shame
Filed under: Horror
Remember how in those old movies Castle Frankenstein would lay empty and unused for years between sequels? Eventually the villagers would grow angry, feeling that nightmarish structure was a constant reminder of the evil Frankenstein and his creature had inflicted upon their community -- plus it was blocking satellite reception. Armed with the memories of their murdered loved ones and the knowledge that The Super Bowl was just weeks away, the villagers would take torch in hand and burn that sumbitch to the ground.By the same token, I can't imagine why Creepshow III still has a web presence. Like Castle Frankenstein, Creepshow III's website still crouches out there like a bloated spider on the world wide web, taunting me with the pain it has caused me. This is an utterly unwatchable horror anthology that fails on many levels and really has nothing to do with the first two Creepshow films. It's the sort of film you would only recommend to someone you genuinely dislike.
Creepshow III hit DVD on May 15, 2007, and it can now be purchased through Amazon.com for a few bucks, so the time when this sad excuse for a motion picture could make any money is long since gone. As further evidence of the movie's questionable value let me direct your attention to the Amazon customer review entitled "Wow, this movie really sucked," and the notation that 28 out of 29 people found this review helpful.
Box Office: 2012 Pirates on a Dead Man's Chest
Filed under: Action, Music & Musicals, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Box Office Predictions
Christmas came a little early allowing the animated 3D film A Christmas Carol to lead the box office, but not by as large a margin as many had expected. The Box was the only one of last week's wide releases to miss the top five, landing in sixth place. Here's the top five:
1. A Christmas Carol: $30 million
2. Michael Jackson's This Is It: $13 million
3. The Men Who Stare at Goats: $12.67 million
4. The Fourth Kind: $12.2 million
5. Paranormal Activity: $8.2 million
We've got two new flicks fighting for your dollars this week:
2012
What's It All About: They say the world will end with not a bang but a whimper, but director Roland Emmerich seems pretty sure it will happen with several kabooms and a motherload of digital effects. John Cusack stars as a man determined to keep his family alive during a global cataclysm predicted by the Mayan calendar.
Why It Might Do Well: Emmerich has already destroyed the world in Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, so he must be getting pretty good at it by now.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Maybe Emmerich has played his apocalypse card once too often.
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $54 million
Pirate Radio
What's It All About: In the 1960s eight DJ's set up shop on a ship off the coast of England and broadcast rock and roll to the masses, much to the chagrin of the British government.
Why It Might Do Well: Phillip Seymour Hoffman is joined by Nick Frost and Bill Nighy, and the classic rock soundtrack sounds amazing.
Why It Might Not Do Well: It's a smaller release, so it won't be breaking the bank.
Number of Theaters: 900
Prediction: $6 million
Here's how I think next weekend will go:
1. 2012
2. A Christmas Carol
3. Michael Jackson's This Is It
4. The Men Who Stare at Goats
5. The Fourth Kind
1. A Christmas Carol: $30 million
2. Michael Jackson's This Is It: $13 million
3. The Men Who Stare at Goats: $12.67 million
4. The Fourth Kind: $12.2 million
5. Paranormal Activity: $8.2 million
We've got two new flicks fighting for your dollars this week:
2012What's It All About: They say the world will end with not a bang but a whimper, but director Roland Emmerich seems pretty sure it will happen with several kabooms and a motherload of digital effects. John Cusack stars as a man determined to keep his family alive during a global cataclysm predicted by the Mayan calendar.
Why It Might Do Well: Emmerich has already destroyed the world in Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, so he must be getting pretty good at it by now.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Maybe Emmerich has played his apocalypse card once too often.
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $54 million
Pirate RadioWhat's It All About: In the 1960s eight DJ's set up shop on a ship off the coast of England and broadcast rock and roll to the masses, much to the chagrin of the British government.
Why It Might Do Well: Phillip Seymour Hoffman is joined by Nick Frost and Bill Nighy, and the classic rock soundtrack sounds amazing.
Why It Might Not Do Well: It's a smaller release, so it won't be breaking the bank.
Number of Theaters: 900
Prediction: $6 million
Here's how I think next weekend will go:
1. 2012
2. A Christmas Carol
3. Michael Jackson's This Is It
4. The Men Who Stare at Goats
5. The Fourth Kind
Trailer Park: Despicable Dragons
Filed under: Animation, Documentary, Horror, Trailer Trash, Games and Game Movies, Trailers and Clips
Despicable Me
Second trailer for this 3D animated comedy, and this time it's focusing on arch villain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) trying to break into the headquarters of a rival bad guy. This looks like fun and the bit with the shark had me howling. Check it out on July 9.
Sherlock Holmes
A second trailer for the new Holmes fllck with Robert Downey Jr. in the title role aided by Jude Law as Watson. Pretty sure this will have awesome written all over it. Plan a trip to Baker Street for Christmas day.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
There's some serious spectacle at work here. Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this adaptation of a video game I've never played, but I'm pretty sure that's not necessary. It seems tailor-made to be a summer blockbuster, which is good because it comes out on May 28.
Best Worst Movie
Speaking as someone who has watched and enjoyed some truly awful films in his time, this one really speaks to me. This documentary examines the phenomenon/train wreck that is Troll 2, a 1990 horror flick whose badness has become legendary. No release date yet and I suspect this will be hard to find in theaters.
How to Train Your Dragon
In this new animated comedy from Dreamworks, a viking teenager is trying to learn the ways of his people including hunting and killing those pesky dragons that are plaguing them. He soon learns, though, that everything his people know about dragons is wrong and sets out on his own path. Training begins on March 26.
New this week on AOL Moviefone:
- Splinterheads - A young slacker falls in love with a beautiful carnival worker.
- Invictus - Morgan Freeman stars as South African President Nelson Mandela who urges the captain of the national rugby team to strive for the World Cup for the sake of unifying their nation in the days following apartheid.
- Eichmann - Historical drama based on the confession of Adolf Eichmann.
- Mammoth - An intricately woven family drama starring Michelle Williams and Gael García Bernal as a married couple whose lives begin to spin out of control.
- Shake Hands With the Devil - Based on true events surrounding a 1994 U.N. peacekeeping mission to Rwanda that failed to prevent the slaughter of 800,000 Rwandans.
- Avatar - Second trailer for James Cameron's epic 3D science fiction extravaganza.
- Did You Hear About the Morgans - A couple on the verge of divorce can't escape each other after they witness a murder and must enter the witness relocation program.
Right Now on TV Squad
Our brothers and sisters over at TV Squad have busted through the boob tube and brought with them the following juicy bits of must-see eye candy.- Is it possible that Oprah Winfrey's long-running talk show may be coming to an end? Find out right here.
- I realize he's done some acting but I'm still scratching my head at the notion of Jon Bon Jovi appearing on the season premier of Inside the Actor's Studio.
- FX is taking a stab at the western genre with Reconstruction.
- Here's a sneak peak at the CGI Dr. Who adventure (featuring David Tennant) that will be airing on the BBC later this year.
- Turner Classic Movies will be hosting a classic film festival at three Hollywood locations.
- ...and finally our wait is over, America, Judge Wapner will be returning to The People's Court, at least for a day.
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