Screen Rant » the wrestler

Best & Worst Christmas Movie Releases of the Past 10 Years

Paul Young — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 15:16:09 +0000

There are several calendar dates throughout the year where studios rush to release all their big tentpole films in an attempt to maximize on the number of people who will see them, and each date corresponds with a major U.S. holiday – Memorial Day, 4^th of July, and Christmas.

Films released during Memorial Day and 4^th of July usually open on the exact dates of those holidays, while films being released for the Christmas season begin showing up in theaters anywhere from ten to fifteen days before December 25^th.

Some of these films are highly anticipated and draw in millions of viewers, generating obscenely large box office numbers (think Avatar), while other films only have moderate expectations. Then there are the failures – the films so bad, so ridiculously inept, that ...

Click to continue reading Best & Worst Christmas Movie Releases of the Past 10 Years

‘Black Swan’ Flies High With Early Reviews

Mike Eisenberg — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:10:59 +0000

Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan kicks off the Venice Film Festival today, which opens the door for early reviews. Almost every critic who caught an early screening agrees it is a tour de force, and quite possibly Aronofsky’s masterpiece.

The Internet was hit with a flurry of reviews for the film that couples the elegance of ballet with the intensity of suspense. Even before the critics spoke out, the buzz surrounding Black Swan was more than positive. Early drafts of the script circulating around the web piqued our interest.

Exactly three months from its December 1st release date, the excitement is coming in quite early, but sounds well-deserved. The Black Swan trailer may have been enough to suggest its Oscar potential, but word of mouth thus far practically locks Black Swan down for a ...

Click to continue reading ‘Black Swan’ Flies High With Early Reviews

Oscar Winners/Nominees Coming To Video On Demand

Heath McKnight — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:20:47 +0000

TVN Entertainment, one of the leaders in Video On Demand (VOD) technology, will be presenting eight 2009 Oscar winners and nominees, some of them day-and-date with DVDs. The movies include Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire, and others.

So why is this a big deal? Because although studios embraced VOD with devices such as the VUDU and the Roku with access to thousands of Netflix titles and cable/satellite companies’ on demand services, they wouldn’t always allow rentals or even purchases day-and-date (when DVDs are released for sale and rental).

Things are changing and that’s a good thing. However, I think studios can do better: create some sort of “virtual DVD experience” and offer VOD services like TVN the opportunity to have DVD features, like commentary, documentaries, bloopers, etc., along with menus, in SD (standard definition) or HD (high definition). I ...

Click to continue reading Oscar Winners/Nominees Coming To Video On Demand

Megan Fox Plays Passion For Mickey Rourke

Niall Browne — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:26:16 +0000

With Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen getting ready for release, the Diablo Cody penned Jennifer’s Body already in the can and Jonah Hex and Fathom on the way, it looks like Megan Fox is getting ready to take over cinema screens across the globe.

The actress has now signed on to star opposite Mickey Rourke in Passion Plays, a 1940′s set dramatic thriller. The Transformers star’s character is described as “a slender beauty with wings who is part of a carnival.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“Rourke will play a down-on-his-heels trumpet player, and Fox will play an angel in 1950s Los Angeles, with Rourke finding redemption in Fox after he attempts to save her from a gangster. Those familiar with the project describe it as a dramatic but heartwarming tale.”

Heartwarming and redemption? Period setting? Does anybody else think that this will get ...

Click to continue reading Megan Fox Plays Passion For Mickey Rourke

Now Mickey Rourke Is Expendable, Too

Niall Browne — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:55:12 +0000

Imagine for a minute that you are Mickey Rourke.

Finding it a bit difficult?

Don’t worry, stay with me for a minute. You were once a hot commodity in Hollywood but you burned some bridges and went into professional boxing where your good looks were replaced with a visage that’s more Frankenstein than Valentino. Over the last fifteen years or so your career has been loitering in the straight-to-DVD section of video stores, except for a few roles in major flicks like Man on Fire and Sin City.

And then suddenly, you’re the star of a low budget, critically acclaimed independent movie and the word Oscar is mentioned in every sentence with your name (The Wrestler). What would you do? Hold out for a role in the new Scorsese film? Hell no! You join the cast of Sylvester Stallone’s The ...

Click to continue reading Now Mickey Rourke Is Expendable, Too

Golden Globe Nominations: Little Love For The Dark Knight

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:35:24 +0000

The 2009 Golden Globe Nominations have been officially announced and it looks like The Dark Knight has been almost totally snubbed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

That’s right folks, The Dark Knight received just one nomination: a Best Supporting Actor nod for Heath Ledger’s groundbreaking (and freaky) turn as The Joker. No Best Director nomination for Chris Nolan; no Best Screenplay nomination for Chris and Jonathan Nolan; no Best Original Score nomination (although Dark Knight composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard are both nominated in that category for work on two other films).

So, want to see which films stole the slots that rightfully belong to TDK? Check out the list of the 2009 Golden Globe Nominees in film:

BEST DRAMA
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Revolutionary Road
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

ACTOR (DRAMA)
Leonardo DiCaprio ...

Click to continue reading Golden Globe Nominations: Little Love For The Dark Knight

Mid-Week Movie News Wrap Up – Oct. 23, 2008

Niall Browne — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:45:46 +0000

Yes, it’s that time of the week again.

This week:

Rob Reiner reads the Book of Shadows; 13 isn’t unlucky for Mickey Rourke and Jason Statham; we take a peek at Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino; will you see Saw V and Spider-Man makes sure that Sam Raimi doesn’t know Jack.

1. Rob Reiner will direct the action-adventure film Book of Shadows.

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“The story follows a young man who must embark on the perilous journey of first love and face many trials of maturity while on the dangerous quest to close a mythical tome called “Book of Shadows” in order to restore balance to the world.”

Sounds like it could bring the director back to his Princess Bride heyday.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

2. The poster for Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino is now online. When the film was first announced earlier in the year the internet went crazy over the idea that the film ...

Click to continue reading Mid-Week Movie News Wrap Up – Oct. 23, 2008

Mid-Week Movie News Wrap Up – Oct. 2, 2008

Niall Browne — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:56:24 +0000

Welcome to the first October Screen Rant Mid-Week Movie News Wrap Up.

This week:

Battle: Los Angeles finds a director; Mickey Rourke’s Angel Heart gets remade; Jack Black is Bourne again, Punisher War Zone is rated while Sheen and Lucas joins Alice In Wonderland.

1. Battle: Los Angeles has finally landed a director. The Sci-Fi action pic will probably be helmed by Jonathan Liebesman, the man behind such frighteners (in more ways than one) as Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and Darkness Falls. The South African born director is currently in negotiations to direct the film which is being billed as Black Hawk Down meets Independence Day.

According to The Hollywood Reporter :

“In August, Liebesman went out to locations in Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles, shooting sequences and plates, and adding CGI aliens. He also created a pre-viz alien invasion sequence.”

It sounds like he really wanted that gig.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

2. Now that ...

Click to continue reading Mid-Week Movie News Wrap Up – Oct. 2, 2008

Springsteen Rocks The Movies

Niall Browne — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:47:00 +0000

Bruce Springsteen is an American legend. He’s sort of like the musical equivalent of John Wayne or Clint Eastwood, a strong presence who delivers a quintessential view of the United States.

Now the rock icon is attached to two very different films, offering his services as not only a singer/songwriter but possibly also as an actor. “The Boss” has written and recorded a song for Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler while Judd Apatow has offered him a role in his forthcoming film Funny People.

So where did this cinematic love of Springsteen come from?

Simple answer – it has always been there.

Springsteen has always been a huge cinephile, and many of his songs and albums have been inspired by movies. His 1995 album The Ghost of Tom Joad was inspired not only by ...

Click to continue reading Springsteen Rocks The Movies