Screen Rant » quantum of solace

Did The Writers Strike Hurt This Summer’s Movies?

Heath McKnight — Wed, 06 May 2009 04:13:57 +0000

We all remember the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike that lasted 100 days (from late 2007 to early 2008) and cost Hollywood a couple of billion dollars in lost wages and revenue. Sure, plenty of movies went into production anyway so there would be at least some new movies, but without writers to do onset re-writes has the quality suffered?

For example, the recent James Bond film Quantum of Solace; writer Paul Haggis turned in the script right before the WGA strike began in November 2007, and the film started shooting soon after. Production was well underway by the time the strike ended, so it is possible they had some rewrites done, especially if there were any major reshoots.

The movie opened November 2008, and while our own Niall Browne gave it 4 out of 5 stars, Screen Rant’s owner and Editor-in-Chief Vic Holtreman had this to say:

“Too much action at the expense of story/character development. I thought they turned Bond into nothing but a revenge-crazed murderer. He was closer to The Punisher than 007.”

Of course, Vic also felt the directing of the action sequences wasn’t good at all: too many close-ups, fast-cutting and jerky camera work, something that was big for a while in films including Batman Begins, the first Transformers, and the latter Jason Bourne films. But the previous Bond film (Casino Royale) really blended great writing with terrific stunts and action set pieces.

Let’s move onto movies coming out this year. Terminator Salvation went into production as the WGA strike was ending, but that didn’t give the crew much time to do any major work on the screenplay before cameras rolled. I’m guessing that onset rewrites happened. We’ll see how the overall quality of the latest Terminator film is when it opens May 21, 2009.

And what about X-Men Origins: Wolverine? It may have shredded the box office with an $87 million opening weekend and Vic gave it 3 out of 5 stars, but the critics have ravaged it and fan word-of-mouth isn’t doing so great. I expect a major drop this coming weekend and that’s only partly because Star Trek is coming out. Could the quality of Wolverine suffered because of the WGA strike? I’d say yes, but we may never know because of the involvement of the studio, director, etc. And there were some expensive rewrites and reshoots done earlier this year.

Speaking of Star Trek, I believe its release date was bumped from December 2008 to May 2009 partly of the WGA strike. JJ Abrams and his writers couldn’t even touch the script when shooting began at the height of the strike, and I wonder if they delayed the film to do rewrites and reshoots?

Angels and Demons had to delay the start of production for months because the script just wasn’t up to par when the strike happened. I also think Thor and Ant-Man were delayed a year or two because of the strike, though it looks like an Ant-Man movie may not happen until after The Avengers.

Michael Bay worked on his own ideas for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen while the WGA strike happened. Most of it was probably visual effects set pieces, but once the strike ended, his three writers (Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Ehren Krueger) were holed up in a hotel to pound out the script in a short time to get the film ready for production.

We won’t know about the quality of some of these and other films until they open, but I do believe we’ll see some movies that went into production without the much-needed onset rewrites, or even a script that was ready to go before cameras.

What do you think? Have movies that have opened, or are coming out, suffered because of the WGA strike?

Source: Screen Rant

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Quantum Of Solace Blu-ray Review

Sabrina Cognata — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:14:01 +0000

Quantum Of Solace, the 2008 follow up to the incredibly successful Bond film, Casino Royale had a lot to live up to. Casino Royale completely revamped the Bond industry with a stellar, action packed story line, and the introduction of Daniel Craig as the new face of James Bond. So it was really important for Quantum Of Solace director Marc Forster to make sure his installment lived up to the pressure and the hype.

Sadly, I feel like Quantum Of Solace had all the makings of a great James Bond film, but somehow fell short. It wasn’t that I hated the film, because I didn’t, but I knew that I could get up and stop watching the film and not be phased by missing any part of it.

Without a doubt the car chase in the beginning was probably the best overall action part in the film. However, the last scene where Bond must save Camille (Olga Kurylenko) from a roaring fire came across as really cheesy.

As for the quality of the Blu-ray, it was impeccable. I was immersed in all aspects of what was going on in the film because the picture and quality were so beautiful and dynamic. The title sequence was really slick and appealing to the eye. It was both beautiful and sharp, as well as indicative of the isolation Bond undergoes in this film, which went along perfectly with the general themes of QoS. However, I really disliked the title sequence song, Another Way To Die written and performed by Jack White and sung with Alicia Keys. It just felt odd and out of place.

This is a list of QoS’s Special Features:

“Bond on Location” 24-minute Special Feature
Start of Shooting
On Location
Olga Kurylenko and the Boat Chase
Director Marc Forster
The Music
Crew Files
Jack White & Alicia Keys “Another Way to Die” Music Video
Theatrical Trailers

Like the rest of this film, the special features did not really feel that special. It was an amalgamation of promotional clips that I had already seen prior to the release of the film. I suppose if you were really interested in the different sites and locations in which the film was made you could enjoy a small aspect of the Special Features, but overall they were a giant disappointment. Most of them were things you could have found online right before or after the release of the film.

From a technical aspect the picture and audio quality were incredible, but the overall lackluster story and the emphasis on Bond as a tortured man out to get revenge made the movie come across as silly. Bond ends up losing all his credibility as an Intelligence Agent because in most of the film he’s not suavely seducing the ladies, but acting like one of them. The movie is worth a watch because it’s entertaining enough, but it certainly did not live up to the expectations set by Casino Royale.

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James Bond 007: A Cinematic Legacy – Part 2 of 2

Niall Browne — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:36:52 +0000

Welcome to the final installment of this two part examination of James Bond. We look at how Ian Fleming’s character has remained popular for over 50 years. You can read Part One here. When an aging Roger Moore finally retired from the James Bond series in 1985, a young Irish actor named Pierce Brosnan was hired to replace him. However, when his series Remington Steele featured a surge in popularity following his casting announcement an option in his contract for more episodes was accepted meaning that he had to turn the role down.

In 1987 Timothy Dalton finally appeared as Moore’s replacement in The Living Daylights. More serious than Moore, Dalton took Bond back to his literary roots as a fierce killer. However, Bond faced his biggest challenge yet – the 80’s action hero. Faced with action stars like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson, it appeared that Bond had finally met his match. In the summer of 1989 Licence to Kill failed at the box office when pitted against the blockbuster likes Batman, Indiana Jones and Lethal Weapon. It looked like the era of Bond was over.

Audiences never really connected with Dalton’s portrayal of Bond. While he may have taken the part with the best of intentions, many critics believed that the Welsh actor felt that the role was beneath him. Looking back it’s easy to see that this just wasn’t the case, the excess of the 1980’s just wasn’t ready for this interpretation of Bond. Maybe things would have been different if audiences had been given the opportunity to see Dalton in more of the super spy’s exploits; however they wouldn’t have the opportunity.

Following a 6 year court battle over rights issues between Eon and MGM, many thought that the suit wearing Bond was now a relic of a bygone era. In the mid 1990’s Dalton declined an invitation to return to the legendary role and, in 1995, Pierce Brosnan finally had his chance to star as James Bond in Goldeneye. Re-launching the franchise in glorious fashion the film and Brosnan’s subsequent films were a huge success. Each of Brosnan’s films grossed more and more at the US box office and he became Bond for a whole new generation. However, following the 9/11 bombings and the Jason Bourne films many thought that 2002’s Die Another Day had taken the franchise back to the realms of Moonraker with its far fetched plot and over the top special effects.

Deciding not to renew Brosnan’s contract for a 5^th film, the Broccoli family hired controversial choice Daniel Craig to reboot the franchise (along with Goldeneye director Martin Campbell). Whilst many thought that the film would be a huge failure, the film became a critical and commercial hit. Bond was back.

Craig and Campbell stripped away many of James Bond’s iconic elements. Discarding Q, Moneypenny and gadgets this 21^st Century Bond was again more like Ian Fleming’s original creation. Mark Forster’s Quantum of Solace takes a similar approach – however the film feels like homage to the Roger Moore years with many images and situations recalling the 1970’s and early 80’s period of Bond. Don’t worry – this isn’t a bad thing. Solace is a leaner movie than Casino Royale, and the film picks up mere minutes after that films finale (a first for the series) and follows the previous films plot points through to its conclusion. Action packed, but light on quips Solace is the shortest film in the franchises 46 years, but with its high grossing box office it looks like James Bond will keep retuning every few years.

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Mid-Week Movie News Wrap Up – Jan. 8, 2009

Niall Browne — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:59:43 +0000

It’s time for another Mid-Week Movie News Wrap Up.

In this week’s installment:

There’s half the blood in The Half Blooded Prince; The Mutant Chronicles finally sees the darkened theater; Mangold gets romantic with Juliet; Ender’s Game comes to the end of the road; nobody does it better than Quantum of Solace.

1. Harry Potter fans may be worried to discover that Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince has been given a PG rating by the MPAA. This rating is due to “scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality.”

Considering that the Potter books get darker (and thicker) this comes as a bit of a surprise. Could the MPAA be getting softer or have large chunks of the novel been ignored?

You can find out when Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince is released on July, 17 2009.

Source: Rope of Silicon

2. Fans of Thomas Jane rejoice! Mutant Chronicles finally has a distributor and a release date. Magnet Releasing have acquired the US distribution rights to the Sci-Fi film that co-stars John Malkovich and Ron Perlman. The film will open in selected cities on April 24^th.

Source: Moviehole.net

3. James Mangold director of such broad reaching fare as 3,10 To Yuma, Walk The Line and Kate and Leopold will next be helming an adaptation of Anne Fortier’s Juliet. According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“The story, which takes a cue from Romeo and Juliet, toggles from medieval Siena to the present day in a story about a woman who discovers she may be descended from the people who inspired one of the most popular and tragic love stories of all time.”

So it’s kind of like Rumor Has It – with Shakespeare instead of The Graduate. Come to think of it, isn’t this Shakespeare in Love?

Well, if anyone can make it work it’s Mangold. The man(gold) is able to knock out decent movies in nearly every genre.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

4. The film adaptation of Ender’s Game has died in development. Wolfgang Petersen was in the line of fire to direct the film but he dropped out because he was unhappy with the direction the project was going. According to The LA Times the film was scrapped early in November.

Source: LA Times

5. Quantum of Solace has become the highest grossing James Bond film of all time at the US box office by grossing $167.1 million, beating Die Another Day to the title. The film has taken $550 million in total since it’s October release compared to $591 that Casino Royale grossed in its entire theatrical run. Solace is still on release and it hasn’t opened in Japan yet so that gross will only rise and we could see the film become the all time Bond box office champion.

These figures make Quantum of Solace the unadjusted champion – consider that Moonraker grossed $200 million back in 1978 or that Thunderball grossed a staggering $141 million in 1965. Imagine how much they’d be worth in 2009 ticket prices!

Source: Coming Soon

That’s it for now. See you at the movies!

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: December 14, 2008

Niall Browne — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 22:20:34 +0000

This weeks Weekend Movie News Wrap Up features:

The Box Office; Brad Pitt gets Lost; Pesce is Smokin’ Aces; we learn more details about Stallone’s The Expendables; Twilight really is Near Dark and Kenneth Brannagh talks Thor!

Box Office

Keanu Reeves barely justified his hefty salary for The Day The Earth Stood Still. The Sci-Fi remake mustered a disappointing $33 million over the weekend. Not great for a $100 million plus film. It might barely limp to the century mark and the box office, but word of mouth isn’t great. By the time next weekend is over it may be lucky to have earned $50MM in the U.S. – so this could be another financial disappointment for Fox.

Four Christmases should manage another $14 million bringing its total close to $90 million. Rival Christmas film Nothing Like The Holidays should muster about $3 million over the weekend. Looks like there wasn’t much festive cheer for that. Well a good turkey is always needed at Christmas.

Twilight should muster another $8 million bringing its total to $150 million. Not bad going for movie that only cost $37 million. James Bond film Quantum of Solace should bank another $4 million bringing its total gross to $160 million. It looks like it should become the highest grossing Bond in the franchise’s 46 year history.

Punisher War Zone will make about $1 million dollars this weekend, bringing its total to a pathetic $7 million. Not good, not good at all.

On a more cheerful note, Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino should bank about 250, 000 from six theaters. That’s pretty damn impressive!

Movie News

1. Brad Pitt will star as Percy Fawcett in The Lost City Of Z for director James Gray. The film is based on a true story. According to Variety:

“Fawcett left Victorian society to explore in the Amazon, and he became obsessed by the idea of an advanced civilization he called Z, which he believed existed in the depths of the jungle. Along with his son, Fawcett headed into the jungle in 1925 in search of Z and was never seen again.”

Sounds pretty interesting, and if done right it could clean up at the box office and during awards season.

Source: Variety

2. Joe Carnahan has announced that PJ Pesce will be directing the follow-up (it’s actually a prequel) to Smokin’ Aces.

It’s not the first direct to DVD sequel for Pesce, he directed the belated Lost Boys 2 last year.

I still haven’t seen Smokin’ Aces even though I’ve had it on DVD for the last year. Even if it’s a masterpiece I can’t imagine wanting to see Pesce’s film.

Source: Smokin’ Joe Carnahan

3. The main film on any true film fan’s calendar for 2009 has to be The Expendables. The Sylvester Stallone film co-starring Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren and Forrest Whitaker.

Harry Knowles at Ain’t It Cool News spoke with Sly who revealed that UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture has joined the film’s line up. He also revealed that Lundgren and Li would indulge in some sort of fisticuffs.

Come on Sly – get Arnold and Bruce involved – even if only in a brief cameo capacity.

Source: AICN

5. It would appear that recent tween vampire film Twilight has put a stake through the heart of the propsed Near Dark remake. The reason? The films would be too similar! Producer Brad Fuller had this to say:

“I think that Twilight was the same type of thing we were going for although Near Dark was a much darker, sexier, rated R version of that. But I’m concerned that, conceptually, that Near Dark and Twilight are too similar in terms of a vampire movie. For now, that movie is on hold…with the success of that film, we would not measure up. It’s not the right time to make that.”

That has to a first for Hollywood – not making a film because the idea wasn’t original enough.

Brad – you do realize that your film as a remake? Just checking.

Source: Empire

5. My fellow Irishman Kenneth Brannagh has been talking about his Thor movie to MTV. Brannagh said the following:

“I am directing Thor or The Mighty Thor as you might like to call it. I think it will (just) be Thor.”

When asked about the appeal of directing such a film he said:

“To work on a story about one of the immortals, Gods, extraordinary beings, inter-dimensional creatures. There’s science fiction and science fact and fantasy all woven into one. It’s based on Norse legends which Marvel sort of raided in a brilliant way.”

When casting came up Ken said:

“There’s been lots of talk – I sound like a politician – but we are too early at this stage. We’re getting the story and the visual effects together and all of that is very exciting. Someone sensational is going to play the part but it is early days.”

Fifteen years ago Brannagh would have been a great fit for the role, but alas- that’s not going to happen. The Shakespearean star has had a bit of career resurgence recently with his Sleuth remake, along with his starring role in Valkyrie as well as BBC television’s detective show Wallander.

Source: MTV

That’s it for now. See you at the movies.

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: December 07, 2008

Niall Browne — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 18:39:47 +0000

It’s hard to believe that we are now into December. It seems like only yesterday I was talking about the big summer releases – and now we are looking forward to next years big movies.

This weeks Weekend Movie News Wrap Up features the obligatory box office wrap up as well as:

La Beouf is The Associate; Stiller talks Zoolander 2; who is Angelina Jolie? Zombie returns to Halloween and Brownlow Vs Captain Blood.

Box Office

America just loves Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. How do I know this? Simple: Four Christmases grossed another $18 million over the weekend, keeping it the top movie at the box office despite terrible reviews. That’s only a 41% drop from opening weekend, usually an indication of a movie being very popular.

Twilight should bag another $14 million keeping it in the No. 2 position. Man, it must suck being a Studio Executive who turned this vampire flick down.

Bolt should manage another $10 million, keeping Disney quite happy with its gross. $100 million is well on target.

Bond, James Bond should collect another $8 million or so giving Quantum of Solace a little over $150 million.

Australia should manage another $6 million giving the Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman film a weak $30 million gross. Not good. After Deception flopped earlier in the year and now this – Jackman must be praying that Wolverine does well.

Punisher: War Zone flopped HUGE on its opening, grossing just $4 (four!) million – about half of what Thomas Jane’s The Punisher grossed in 2004. It looks like the movie-going public just don’t dig Frank Castle. This is the third attempt to bring The Punisher to the screen and it will probably be the last. It looks like the Lexi Alexander directed film didn’t benefit from all of the pre-release rumor that was floating about over the summer. It should make a killing on DVD, so maybe a series of straight to DVD Punisher films is what is needed. Just a thought.

Movie News

1. Shia La Beouf goes where Tom Cruise, Matt Damon and Matthew McConaughey have gone before. Get your mind out of the gutter – it has nothing to do with Penelope Cruz. He will be top-lining a John Grisham adaptation. La Beouf will star in The Associate, a legal thriller based on an as yet unpublished novel by Grisham.

According to Variety:

“LaBeouf will play a student who’s about to graduate from Yale Law School when he’s manipulated into accepting a job at a prestige law firm and given privileged information about a multibillion-dollar lawsuit.”

Sounds like pure Grisham. Should be another $100 million hit under Shia’s belt.

La Beouf’s Transformer producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing.

Source: Variety

2. Ben Stiller must be in the sequel mood as he’s developing a follow-up to 2001’s cult favorite Zoolander.

Stiller currently in the UK promoting Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa told The Sun:

“I’ve been trying to get Zoolander 2 together and we’ve had a few scripts. I feel that is the sequel I really would like to do some day because I like the original and I would make sure it was something new and worthy of it first.”

He also reportedly threatened another Meet The Parents.

Take these rumors with a pinch of salt a British tabloids have a habit of being creative with the truth.

Source: The Sun

3. Speaking of Salt, there appears to be some confusion of Angelina Jolie’s forthcoming action-thriller Salt.

Salt is a thriller that Jolie inherited from Tom Cruise – originally titled Edwin A.Salt. Some believe that the film may be Erika Salt, while others are of the opinion that the film will be simply called Salt – with the character called Evelyn..

Apparently in the sequel she teams up with a soldier from the US Army called Sgt. Pepper. This follow-up will be called Salt and Pepper.

Sorry – I just made up the last bit.

Source: Joblo

4. It looks like shock-rocker Rob Zombie will helm the sequel to his re-imagining/remake/rehash of John Carpenter’s Halloween.

Originally Zombie had stated that he would not return, but I’m guessing that Dimension made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo were originally signed to make the film, but they left due to “creative differences.”

Apparently shooting is due to star in March, however there is no confirmation of a script being in place.

That’s never stopped a movie though!

Source: Shock Till You Drop

5. John Brownlow will write the script for Phillip Noyce’s remake of the legendary Captain Blood.

The original starred Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone. The remake won’t have anyone half as cool.

Source: Dark Horizons

That’s it for now. See you at the movies!

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: November 30, 2008

Niall Browne — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:33:55 +0000

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. This weekend the news wrap up features:

What hit the top of the box office; Oldboy gets a scriptwriter; Genesis: Apes is real; there will be a New Moon in March and Hugh Jackman discusses the end of Wolverine.

Box Office

The box office was dominated by Four Christmases over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon film should bank about $46 million over the five day weekend. Ho Ho Ho!

Last week’s number one film – Twilight dropped one place this week, but should manage another $40 million over the five days.

Animated Disney effort Bolt should bark up another $35 million over the weekend, while Quantum of Solace should manage another $30 million over the five days.

Baz Lurhmann’s 3 hour epic Australia underperformed with a five day weekend take of just $20 million. The Hugh Jackman – Nicole Kidman film cost $140 million to produce, and it’ll need amazing word of mouth if it’s going to be profitable.

Transporter 3 starring Jason Statham should manage about $18 million over the five days ensuring that he will keep making modestly budgeted and modestly successful action pics.

Movie News

1. Mark Protosevich will write Steven Spielberg’s adaptation/remake of Oldboy.

Protosevich wrote the original script for Will Smith starrer I Am Legend (which is supposed to be fantastic) and an unmade Batman 5 called Batman Triumphant (back in the Schumacher days) that featured the Scarecrow.

Will this version of Oldboy be any good?

Who knows, but I am intrigued to see how it turns out.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

2. We told you before that an odd prequel/origin story to the original Planet of The Apes was in development at Fox titled Genesis: Apes, but that it might never see the light of day. However it now looks like things are moving along at a relatively nice pace.

Tom Rothman recently spoke about the film on the Fox Move Channel. The executive said this:

“We are very close at Fox on a new Apes script- this one a kind of prequel story before the first story, with a return to the social thematics that mark the first one, but with an entirely contemporary setting – Earth 2009.”

Source: CHUD

3. New Moon – the sequel to smash hit film Twilight is set to go before cameras this coming March.

Kristen Stewart has revealed that the film will shoot (partly) in Italy:

“A lot of the book takes place in Italy, and I think we’re going to get to go to Italy, which is so cool. For a while there, they were like, Oh, we don’t know if we have the money, but now I think we may have the money!”

A pay rise and a Holiday – it’s nice work if you can get it.

Source: Shock Til You Drop

4. Aussie superstar Hugh Jackman has recently discussed de-clawing Wolverine if the character’s solo feature underperforms at the box office.

Speaking to Moviehole; Jackman said:

”If it’s clear to us on May second or third that that’s gone, then I’ll walk away happily. I’m not going to flog something – or flog a dead horse, or try and make movies that people don’t really want to go and see. I have no interest in that. Even no matter how much I love the character. So there are many prerequisites”.

He also said that a return to the character would depend on the right script:

“There’s a few story lines that are running my head which I think would be really cool, but unless the script is right, then I just don’t see the point in doing it. I’m probably at the point in my career where I don’t need it. And the last thing I want to do is just to push it on people, if it doesn’t warrant a full feature movie.”

I’m sure a $20 million pay day might help too.

Source: Moviehole

That’s it for now. See you at the movies.

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: November 16, 2008

Niall Browne — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:33:34 +0000

This week:

Spielberg and Eastwood visit the Hereafter; Len Wiseman drives a Motorcade; Guillermo del Toro plays with Pinocchio; George Miller has Happy Feet again and Matthew McConaughey and David O. Russell fight with The Grackle.

Box Office

James Bond captured the top spot of the US box office with an amazing $71 million. The weekend take of Quantum of Solace was higher than any previous Bond entry in the series, and it highlights Daniel Craig’s popularity in the iconic role.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa took the runner up position with another $32 million giving the animated animal film an amazing $100 million. Role Models continues to impress with another $11.5 million in the bank, High School Musical 3: Senior Year grossed another $5.5 million bringing its total to $84million. While this is far from a bad gross (considering its low budget) it must be slightly disappointing for Disney.

Clint Eastwood’s Changeling eeked out another $4 million bringing its total to $27 million. If the Angelina Jolie film is going to make any sort of profit it absolutely needs some award nominations in its future. It looks like Clint’s fans are holding out for Gran Torino.

Movie News

1. Speaking of Clint Eastwood, it looks like he might be helming a supernatural thriller “in the vein of The Sixth Sense.”

Steven Spielberg approached the actor/director with the script Hereafter, which was written by Frost/Nixon writer Peter Morgan. Whilst he’s not attached yet, don’t be too surprised if Eastwood hops onto the project soon, as he worked with Spielberg previously on Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima.

That’ll make somebody’s day.

Source: Variety

2. Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard) will direct the high-concept thriller Motorcade.

According to Variety Bill Ray’s script is:

“about terrorists attacking the president’s motorcade as it traverses through Los Angeles.”

Could be good, it could be bad and I’m pretty sure that it’ll be mindless. At least it should give some ageing actor the chance to play President.

Source: Variety

3. Guillermo del Toro will produce a new stop-motion adaptation of Pinocchio. According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“In the retelling, when Pinocchio comes to life, he turns out not to be that nice of a boy, creating mischief and playing mean tricks. He eventually learns a few lessons.”

There’s a good joke about Keanu Reeves’ wooden acting skills in this somewhere.

Guillermo del Toro is making a little art film called The Hobbit in the near future. Bet you didn’t know that!

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

4. When George Miller couldn’t get Justice League made he must have sought solace in Happy Feet, as a sequel is already in production.

The animated pic will be made in Australia and employ 438 people over three years.

Hey George! What about Mad Max?

Source: The Age

5. David O. Russell will direct Matthew McConaughey in The Grackle.

According to Variety in the R-rated comedy:

“McConaughey will play a barroom fighter in New Orleans who hires himself out for $250 to settle disputes for people who can’t afford to hire a lawyer. Harsh language and quick fists are his weapons of choice.”

Mike Arnold and Chris Poole’s script is supposed to have the same vibe as The Wedding Crashers.

Could be interesting.

Source: Variety

That’s it for this week. See you at the movies.

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: November 9, 2008

Niall Browne — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:49:29 +0000

It’s Sunday so that can only mean one thing – The Weekend Movie News Wrap Up!

This week:

John Landis robs with graves with Burke and Hare; Spielberg and Will Smith eye Oldboy; Tom Hanks doesn’t take The Road To Purgatory; we can expect another 30 Days of Night and Carpenter and Cage think that it’s a Riot that they are no longer Scared Straight. Also there is the usual Box Office break down.

Box Office

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa ruled the weekend with an estimated $60 million, beating its predecessor which managed to make $47 million back in 2005. Man, family movies are making so much money these days (like when have they never?).

The runner-up spot goes to Role Models starring Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd. The film was predicted to gross around $11 million over the weekend, but instead it should make somewhere between $17-19 million. Kevin Smith must be very angry! Speaking of Kevin Smith Zach and Miri Make A Porno banked another $6.5 million for a $20 million total.

Meanwhile the Zac Efron starring High School Musical 3: Senior Year managed to gross another $9 million bringing its total to $75 million. It looks like $100 million is definitely in range. Clint Eastwood’s Changeling should manage another $7-8 million, while Soul Men starring Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac tanked with a $6 million weekend. It looks like people are getting tired of seeing Jackson on the big screen. If the man likes working so much then I’m sure that there’s a TV series he could do.

Quantum of Solace now has a worldwide tally of $130 million after one week. The film is beating the opening of Casino Royale in most countries and although the reviews might not be as positive as Royale (except yours truly) the shorter running time should help the final gross be equal to if not better that film. Quantum of Solace opens in the US next weekend.

Movie News

1. Director John Landis will return to the big screen with Burke and Hare. The master of horror will direct the black comedy about the legendary grave robbers. The film should begin shooting this spring in Edinburgh, London and at Ealing Studios.

This material sounds perfect for Landis who helmed such goulish classics and An American Werewolf in London and …er… The Stupids.

Source: Variety

2. Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are “in early discussions” to direct and star in a remake of hit Korean film Oldboy.

According to Variety :

“In the 2003 Korean original, a man gets kidnapped and held in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. Suddenly, he’s released and given money, a cell phone and clothes and is set on a path to discover who destroyed his life so he can take revenge.”

The original is a pretty cool little film, with a very un-hollywood ending so it’ll be interesting to see if the “Kings of Sentimentality and Commercialism” will make any changes.

Source: Variety

3. A sequel is in the works to the 2002 Tom Hanks film Road to Perdition. The film was based on a graphic novel by Max Allan Collins, and the story was continued in two sequel books; The Road to Paradise and The Road to Purgatory.

Collins will adapt and direct The Road to Purgatory, which according to Variety:

“will follow the character of Michael Sullivan Jr. — the son in “Perdition” — as he returns home from WWII and vows to avenge the murder of his father. He is ultimately led to Frank Nitti, whom he is urged to kill on the orders of Al Capone.”

The $20 million budgeted film will be independently produced as DreamWorks and Paramount passed on a sequel to the $100 million grossing film that also starred Paul Newman and Daniel Craig.

Hanks will not return.

Source: Variety

4. Another non superhero based comic book sequel is in the works. Vampire flick 30 Days of Night is getting a follow-up. The original starred Josh Hartnett as sheriff of an Alskan town which is descended upon by vampires.

Will Hartnett return? Maybe, the guy needs a hit.

Source: Shock Till You Drop

5. Back in August we told you about Scared Straight – the team-up of John Carpenter and Nicolas Cage. Well, the film has a new title, the less comical Riot and a new teaser poster.

Not a whole lot – but at least this film is moving ahead.

More when we get it.

Source: Coming Soon

That’s it for now. See you at he movies

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: November 2, 2008

Niall Browne — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:42:23 +0000

Welcome to the first Weekend Movie News Wrap Up of November. Let’s see what movie news we can read to take our minds off buying Christmas presents.

This week:

Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman read The Book of Eli; Samuel L. Jackson is a Dragon; Ridley Scott is howling; Shyamalan is a Devil and just what is Genesis: Apes?

Box Office

Halloween hit the box office hard this week! It’s no surprise that Saw V mutilated the number one spot on Friday with a gross of just over $3 million. Look for the horror franchise pic to gross $9-10 million by Monday morning.

Clint Eastwood’s Changeling should also make some change in the $9-10 million range over the weekend. However, expect the Angelina Jolie film to have legs like…er… Angelina Jolie. High School Musical 3 dropped by a terrifying 90% on Halloween night grossing a mere $1.7 million. Don’t worry Effronettes that’s because most of you were out trick or treating. The film should have banked enough on Saturday and Sunday to ensure it grosses about $10 million over the weekend.

Kevin Smith must be tad disappointed. Zak and Miri Make a Porno was supposed to open with around $18-20 million over the weekend – ensuring that this movie would break his final ceiling gross of $30 million. Looks like it won’t happen. The R-rated comedy should end the weekend with about half the expected gross, meaning a $8-9 million weekend.

Meanwhile the Haunting of Molly Hartly died a grisly death on its opening. Expect a ghastly $5 million weekend for the fright-pic.

Meanwhile here in the UK Quantum of Solace (check out my review here) killed all the competition with a record breaking opening day. The James Bond adventure took a mighty £4.94 million on Friday – the biggest Friday gross ever here! By comparison Casino Royale grossed £2.9m on its first day.

Movie News

1. Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman will team for the post apocalyptic western The Book of Eli. The film will be directed by The Hughes Brothers (From Hell), and the plot follows Washington as he tries to protect the titular book that could save the human race.

It’s good to see Oldman back on bad guy duties!

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

2. The always busy Samuel L. Jackson will star as Sho’nuff, the Shogun of Harlem in a remake of the 1985 film The Last Dragon. According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“The updated plot will be along the same lines of the original, centering on young martial arts student Leroy Green in his quest through the streets of New York to achieve the highest level of martial arts accomplishment, known as the Last Dragon. Those who achieve the high ranking possess the Glow, making them the greatest fighter alive.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

3. Ridley Scott has acquired the rights to a werewolf movie written by Ian Jeffers. No details are known about the project but I wouldn’t hold your breath on Scott directing, the 71 year old has about a billion projects attached to his name. Although, having said that he might need a hit after Body of Lies. Russell Crowe as a werewolf? Seems possible.

Source: Bloody Disgusting

4. In July we told you M. Night Shyamalan had signed a deal with Media Rights Capital to form The Night Chronicles, a financing and production partnership that aims to produce one thriller a year for the next three years. Well now we can tell you that the first film from the shingle will be the supernatural thriller Devil.

John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle will direct and executive produce the film that was written by Brian Nelson.

Could be good, could be bad. I think it depends on your view of Shyamalan.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

5. Word on the street is that 20^th Century Fox has been developing a reboot of The Planet of The Apes. Apparently this film will have nothing to do with Tim Burton’s 2001 effort, but it will be a prequel film showing how the apes took over the earth!

According to CHUD:

“Things are different in this script, written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, which is called Genesis: Apes. Fans will know that Caesar in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is the result of a massive temporal paradox – his parents escaped to 1973 from a far future Earth. Further, Conquest takes place in a dystopian ‘future’ – 1991 – while Genesis: Apes is set in the modern day.

In this version Caesar is the result of a genetic scientist fooling around with the nature of things. When the baby monkey exhibits intelligence and the ability to talk, he takes the cuddly thing home to his wife, who is unable to bear children. Things go surprisingly well for a number of years until Caesar grows up and sees mommy getting attacked. The dutiful son steps in and accidentally kills the attacker.

Here’s where it takes off. In a scene paralleling Charlton Heston in the cage in the original Planet of the Apes, Caesar ends up in custody at an Ape Conservatory where he and the other apes are abused mercilessly. Caesar finds himself a primate without a world – he’s as smart as humans but will never be one of them (and is in fact tortured by them) and he’s initially rejected by his monkey brethren.”

This all sounds rather crazy and very much unlike the current regime at Fox. CHUD is skeptical that the film will ever see the light of day (as am I) but it would be a good way to reboot the franchise. The only problem is that it takes away the impact of the ending to the original film – if that is the way that they wanted to go in future films.

It’s a nifty and ballsy idea – but I don’t think that it is Planet of the Apes. The original is an iconic masterpiece that can’t be touched – but it would be fun to see a modern interpretation done with heart! As big a Tim Burton fan as I am, I felt that he did apes for the paycheck and his heart and visual styling weren’t in it. However, no one out there could really match Heston in the role (especially Mark Wahlberg) so a total change in franchise direction may be the only way to avoid comparisons to the original film (and franchise).

If Genesis: Apes does indeed make it to theatres I’d be amazed and impressed by Fox’s thinking. However, I can’t see that happening.

Source: CHUD

That’s it for another weekend. See you at the movies.

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Quantum Of Solace Review

Niall Browne — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:00:39 +0000

Short version: Quantum of Solace is the best James Bond film in over a decade.

Screen Rant’s Niall Browne reviews Quantum of Solace

As a life long James Bond fan I always look forward to new adventures from the super-spy. My very first cinematic memory is watching Roger Moore’s final outing as Bond in A View To A Kill, and my teenage years and early twenties were filled with Pierce Brosnan’s daring-do.

When the Broccoli family ditched Brosnan in favor of the younger, more rugged Daniel Craig I was a bit annoyed (to say the least). Although I was a tad skeptical that Daniel Craig had what it took to slip into the tuxedo, I will admit that I was more worried about EON’s idea to reboot Bond for the Bourne generation. Over the years the character of James Bond has been constantly reinvented, without having to start all over again.

In my opinion Casino Royale was an adequate beginning for a harsher and more realistic Bond, but its bloated running time; generic soundtrack and tacked-on finale left me hoping that the next film in the series would deliver the type of James Bond film that I wanted.

So… how does Quantum of Solace measure up?

It surpasses its predecessor in almost every way and delivers the best Bond film in over a decade.

Shorter and more action packed, Quantum of Solace is a James Bond film for the new millennium. Unlike Brosnan’s swan song Die Another Day, the CGI is limited, and unlike Casino Royale the film doesn’t try to be too hip and trendy. From the pulsating opening car chase – you know that you are watching Bond, and like the older movies in the series you feel that it is the end of another adventure (it is) and not a piece of grandstanding from the second unit and stunt departments.

Picking up mere minutes after Royale’s climax the film hits the ground running (literally) and delivers action sequence after action sequence. Don’t worry though, unlike many action movies today this doesn’t feel like sensory overload – just damn good entertainment.

The plot is simple: Bond wants to discover more about the mysterious Quantum organization following his capture of Mr White. He also wants to get revenge for the death of his one true love Vesper from the previous film. Jet-setting across the Atlantic he finds that rogue environmentalist Mr Greene (Mathieu Amalric) has an affiliation with the evil group and whilst tailing Greene he meets Camille – a beautiful but deadly killer who wants revenge on one of Greene’s associates.

It feels like Marc Forster went into directing Quantum of Solace with a checklist of greatest hits from other Bond movies: car chase – check; boat chase – check; roof top chase – check. There are a couple more I could add but I don’t want to spoil the film – in any case you can bet they’re in there. What’s miraculous is that it all feels fresh and very real.

Forster also manages to bring back Bond’s weapon of choice – the Walther PPK for the first time in years. There’s even a death of a character that harkens back to Goldfinger. It’s all classic Bond, but it all feels relevant, despite what Mike Myers says.

Click to continue reading “Quantum of Solace Review.”

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Daniel Craig Turns Down Thor

Rob Keyes — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 03:03:17 +0000

On Monday, Stephanie Sanchez at IESB.net had a chance to speak with Daniel Craig in Beverly Hills for a Quantum of Solace press event.

Sanchez asked Craig if he would be up for trying something new and different in a character role such as Thor and he laughed it off. Sanchez then told him she had heard that Craig was on Marvel’s shortlist to play Thor.

In response, Mr. Craig, Daniel Craig, revealed that Marvel indeed had already approached him for this role and he had turned it down. He jokingly clarified that it would be too much of a power trip playing both James Bond and the mighty Thor.

I guess I can understand that.

With future Bond movies, Thor, Avengers and other potential Marvel followups, Craig would be booked for a long time for huge blockbusters and the corresponding millions of press events. On the other side of that coin, it’s a little crazy to hear someone turn a role like this down.

Marvel is looking for A-list actors to fulfill to roles of Thor and Captain America and Daniel Craig is certainly that. Although Craig is a tank physically and has the voice and presence, I can’t see him sporting long blonde hair, a winged helmet and a big honkin’ hammer (though you might not think that seeing the image above). Using movie magic, they’d also likely have to make him appear much bigger than he already is. Then again, I don’t think there are any real people who can fill out Thor’s physique.

I wonder who else is on that short list… It was rumored back in June that Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt were in the running for the lead roles of Captain America and Thor.

Do you think Craig could of pulled off the role of Thor? Who do you think Marvel should go after next? [UPDATE: Regular Screen Rant reader "The Old Man" thought it would be nice to give us a more "muscular" version of Craig so we could make a better decision. ]

Thor will be directed by Kenneth Branagh and is due out July 16, 2010.

Source: IESB.net

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Is James Bond Still Bond Without His Classic Lines?

Vic Holtreman — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:36:21 +0000

While I’m still very excited about the upcoming James Bond flick Quantum of Solace, I was disappointed to hear that a couple of classic lines will be missing from the film. It’s being reported that this will be the first James Bond film in which our hero does NOT utter the introductory phrase:

“Bond. James Bond.”

Even in Casino Royale Daniel Craig said that line once.

Another line that will be missing is the famous “shaken, not stirred” when he orders his favorite drink – a martini.

Now remember I really loved Casino Royale, which gave a much-needed reboot to the Bond franchise. Daniel Craig is now my second favorite, behind Sean Connery. Even with Pierce Brosnan adding his furrowed brow and grim expression, the series was still a bit silly with the gadgets and silly leading lady names (and casting Halle Berry as one of them didn’t help, either).

So gone are the gadgets, Miss Moneypenney, and even “Q,” the fellow who provided Mr. Bond with all those outrageous toys.

But no “Bond. James Bond.”????

Is an agent of SPECTRE behind this?

Director Marc Forster told The Independent:

“There was a ‘Bond, James Bond’ in the script. There are several places where we shot it as well, but it never worked as we hoped. I just felt we should cut it out, and Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson [the film's producers] agreed, and Daniel [Craig, who plays Bond] agreed, too. It’s nice to be open-minded about the Bond formula. You can always go back to them later on.”

I’ll admit (shamefully) that I haven’t read a single Ian Fleming book, so I don’t know what the tone of the James Bond series is like in its original format. I understand that Casino Royale was actually much closer to the tone of the books than the campy films that the series morphed into.

Forster went on to add:

“His announcing of himself had become a bit corny. Casino Royale gets back to the spirit of the books, rather than all the silliness.”

I’m sorry, but books or no books, I disagree. That line wasn’t corny – it was cool and smooth as hell as far as I’m concerned. And with the martini thing, I noticed he didn’t specify how he wanted it made in the last film, but I was hoping to hear the line in this one.

On a happier note, Ain’t It Cool News has a bunch of new images from the movie (click on the image below to check them out). We also have a new poster for the film for you as well thanks to Coming Soon.

Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace

Quantum of Solace poster featuring Daniel Craig & Olga Kurylenko

Like I said, I’m still extremely stoked for this film, but I’m saddened by the bits they’re leaving out. I hope they at least use the familiar theme music in this one since it was only heard in the closing seconds of the previous film.

I mean come on – leave us something.

Quantum of Solace opens on November 14.

Source: The Independent via Rope of Silicon

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Quantum of Solace: Two Cool New TV Clips

Rob Keyes — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:37:43 +0000

Just over a week ago, we posted the full trailer for Quantum of Solace and already we’re being treated to more.

Here we have two new TV spots for what could be one of this year’s best movies. Quantum of Solace is the sequel to the 2006 hit Casino Royale – a film that revitalized the franchise.

From these trailers, it looks like Daniel Craig’s James Bond doesn’t yet care whether his martinis are shaken or stirred.

Loaded with hard-hitting action, this film is looking more and more like it is one of the few worthy big screen blockbusters left this year.

Take a look for yourself:

[See post to watch Flash video]

What do you think? Will this film meet expectations?

Quantum of Solace is due out November 14th

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Check Out The Awesome New Quantum Of Solace Trailer!

Vic Holtreman — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:18:10 +0000

Daniel Craig as James Bond in a scene from the new Quantum of Solace trailer

This next James Bond movie is pretty much the only big film I’m looking forward to for the rest of 2008.

And this new trailer (number 2) for Quantum of Solace just confirmed that for me.

Based on Casino Royale, the previous trailer for Quantum of Solace and this latest one, I’m really liking the direction the James Bond franchise is taking. This is the equivalent of the Batman Begins/Dark Knight reboot – another case of having it done well and injecting new life into a stale movie franchise.

But hey, judge for yourself right here – check out the trailer below:

[See post to watch Flash video]

So what do you think? Might this next film even be better than Casino Royale? (The Dark Knight comparisons just keep coming…)

Here’s the official site: 007.com.

Quantum of Solace opens on November 14th.

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Quantum of Solace Release Date Moved

Jamie Williams — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:16:13 +0000

With Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince opting to move to July 2009, now comes word that Quantum of Solace (the highly-anticipated sequel to the James Bond reboot Casino Royale) has pushed its U.S. release date back one week from November 7th to November 14.

I guess that honestly shouldn’t be considered a surprise – what with the Potter sequel being its only real competition!

And although it will face off directly against the likes of Baz Luhrmann’s Australia and the “Meh!” looking comedies Role Models and Soul Men, I seriously doubt they’ll stand in the way of 007’s box-office domination that weekend. Hopefully this isn’t the start of a trend: fluid release dates.

My buddy Phil Gee (who lives in the U.K.) is probably laughing knowing he’ll have seen the film now 2 weeks before I will!

Quantum of Solace will grace the silver screen on November 14, 2008.

Source: Variety

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White And Keys To Perform Bond Theme

Niall Browne — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:59:07 +0000

Movie and music fans alike love to know who will sing the new Bond theme, and there is always as much speculation about who the artist will be as there is about the film’s plot.

Quantum Of Solace was no different.

After reports that tabloid Queen Amy Whinehouse would be singing the tune, hopes were dashed due to the singer’s personal problems (I’d be in rehab too if the press were on my doorstep 24/7) and speculation again went into overdrive.

However, it has now been announced Jack White and Alicia Keys have recorded the theme song for the 22nd James Bond film and the title is… drum roll please…

Another Way to Die

Well, it sounds very “Bondian,” and with rocker White (of White Stripes fame) and R&B pop starlet Keys involved there should be plenty of crossover appeal.

It’s an interesting choice and a lot more mainstream when compared to Casino Royale’s Chris Cornell – who, frankly I’d never heard of before he sang the tune to the film that reinvigorated the Bond franchise.

The score is again composed by David Arnold – who has composed all of the Bond scores since Tomorrow Never Dies. Let’s hope it features a bit more of the Bond theme this time around!

As far as Another Way to Die goes – I’ll reserve all judgement until I hear the song, and in the meantime I think I’ll listen to some Paul McCartney and Wings.

Quantum of Solace opens in the US on November 7, and in the UK on October 31st – ha!!

Source: Variety

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First James Bond Quantum Of Solace Trailer

Vic Holtreman — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:18:52 +0000

Here’ the promised first trailer for James Bond 22, better known as Quantum of Solace, courtesy of MovieFone. It looks to continue the gritty, dark tone of the last Bond film.

This isn’t your dad’s James Bond boys and girls… but I like it.

Check it out below.

[See post to watch Flash video]

So what do you think? Looking good or what?

Quantum of Solace opens November 7, 2008

Source: MovieFone

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Updates of Solace

Jamie Williams — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:58:24 +0000

I’m actually counting down the days till the newest James Bond installment Quantum of Solace opens – that’d be November 7th here in the U.S.

Yes, Casino Royale and Daniel Craig’s Bond were really that great.

Along with cool new pictures, USA Today has some new information regarding said film.

So what’s the mind set of our hero? According to 007 himself – aka Daniel Craig:

He’s damaged and he wants revenge. And that’s another facet of somebody, and it’s not a good emotion to have. You’ve got to see how he deals with it. Last time around, it was just duty and duty alone. This time around, there’s a sense of revenge. That’s how he’s going to screw up. Because he will — but then he gets up and gets it right.”

It’s good to know they’re sticking with the physical and emotional vulnerability of Bond established from Royale.

This is a character whose scared by what he’s seen and lived through during his relatively young life – i.e. he’s around his late-30s to early-40s. One doesn’t become calculating and cold-blooded over night.

Also don’t be surprised if the next Bond outting becomes another “stand-alone plot,” although that’s not written in stone.

Personally, I think Craig’s James Bond films will be closely connected to one another. Plus, he’s supposedly re-upped his contract to five films.

Oh, and the “terrorist organization” that Bond is hunting down; it has a name: Quantum.

Lastly, don’t expect new love interests for Mr. Bond this time around from co-stars Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton.

Straight outta Craig’s mouth:

“He has one relationship in this movie, a kind of fling. It’s mutually beneficial.”

I like what I’m hearing so far. Then again, I am biased.

As my buddy Phil Gee accurately put it, “Please don’t suck, please don’t suck, please don’t suck…”

Source: USA Today

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I Officially Hate Non-Americans (Just Kidding!)

Jamie Williams — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:39:18 +0000

The day I marry my beautiful wife and the birth of my wonderful children; these are two dates I’m looking forward to.

Yeah, right… of course, those are B.S. I’m about as single as single gets and childless beyond imagination.

No, the real dates I’m looking forward to are the theatrical releases of The Hobbit and Superman: The Man of Steel whenever Warner Brothers officially announces the dates (both coming in 2010) and Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (this coming Memorial Day weekend!)

I also find myself becoming as giddy as a school girl when I hear news of the latest James Bond film Quantum of Solace. The previous outing, re-boot Casino Royale was without question, one of 2006’s best films. Daniel Craig added much-needed humanity and vulnerability to 007, becoming the first actor since Connery to truly make the character his own (in my opinion!).

Never has the phrase “James Bond will return” brought such applause outta film-nerds across the world. The only downside, of course, was we had to wait *gasp* two years for the next installment!

Now comes word that Sony Pictures plans on releasing QOS (or Bond 22) in the U.K. on October 31st. Meanwhile, France and Belgium will get the film on November 5th, and Germany and the Netherlands get it a day later on November 6th. And finally, at last, we chumps in the United States have get to see it on November 7th, 2008.

I realize the difference is only a few days. But I just can’t wait to see Craig return as Bond!

Source: Variety

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