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Monday, January 11, 2010

Summer movie clashes

May 28

Disney's "The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" versus Warner Bros.' " Sex and the City 2."

Horn: We all know how badly some recent video game adaptations have fared (remember "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li"?), but Jerry Bruckheimer's "Prince of Persia" feels like both a hit in its own right and the potential launch of a new franchise. The first "Sex and the City" grossed more than $150 million, but I'm taking sandstorms over shoes.
Fritz: No question "Persia" will open bigger thanks to a well-known brand among gamers, a hunky star (Jake Gyllenhaal) and what look like phenomenal special effects. But Hollywood has a consistent track record of screwing up video game adaptations, while films aimed at older women such as "It's Complicated" can play well for a very long time. So I'll bet "Sex and the City" will win out in the long run, at least in the U.S. (as evidenced by "2012," effects-laden tentpoles are often huge overseas regardless of what we Americans think). July 16

Disney's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" versus
Warner Bros.' "Inception."Horn: Chris Nolan and Leonardo DiCaprio's "Inception" certainly looks like one of the cooler summer movies, and Nolan's no slacker selling tickets, either ("The Dark Knight"). But as uneven a year as Disney suffered through in 2009, 2010 is looking a whole lot brighter, and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (from "National Treasure" director Jon Turteltaub) looks huge.Fritz: Matching the star and director of "National Treasure" with a well-known company brand should be a home run for Disney. If new studio chairman Rich Ross has his marketing team in place and ready to launch a new film franchise, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" should be a big winner. "Inception", meanwhile, looks more like Nolan's critically acclaimed drama "The Prestige" (domestic total: $53 million) than "The Dark Knight." Source: www.latimes.com

Jennifer's Body finding its audience

Amanda Seyfried wears a cashmere sweater by Rebecca Taylor in 'Lucky' Magazine February - 2010.

"Amanda Seyfried looks all nice and innocent, but in Chloe she shows off a more deviant side. When Catherine’s (Julianne Moore) on-going concerns that her husband (Liam Neeson) is having an affair boil over, she decides to hire an escort (Seyfried) to test his loyalty once and for all. Sounds a little like Extract, right?"
Source: www.cinemablend.com

Watch the French trailer of "Chloe"

Amanda Seyfried plays call-girl Chloe in "Chloe" (2009).
"Jennifer's Body" scans in SciFiNow magazine.

"Last fall, JENNIFER’S BODY starring Megan Fox didn’t necessarily light the box office on fire, but Cody feels it will find its audience now that it’s on DVD.

“I want to believe deep down inside that movie will find its audience,” she says. “At the same time, many of us knew that it wasn’t going to connect which is a terrible thing to say. As much as I love that movie, and I’m incredibly proud of that movie and I will love it forever, I feel it’s very unusual and I don’t think it’s super accessible in a lot of ways.Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox in "Jennifer's Body".

I don’t think it was a typical, mass appeal popcorn horror movie. I think it was more like an art film. I know some people would laugh at that.”
Source: ifmagazine.com

Jake Gyllenhaal with Marion Cotillard

“Marion surprised me: she could have played in silent films. She has the simplicity and the openness that I expect from an actress. We shot Big Fish in Alabama – a special place, very crazy. In that kind of environment, it’s very important to work as a clan. The entire crew adored Marion. -Tim Burton, 'Big Fish' director.

Jake Gyllenhaal with Marion Cotillard at Dior Cocktails event for "Nine" on 9th January 2010 held in Chateau Marmont, West Hollywood, CA.Tobey Maguire and Marion Cotillard at Dior cocktail party, Chateau Marmont in LA.
Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard in "Jeux d'enfants" (2003).Marion Cotillard as Billie Frechette in "Public Enemies" (2009).Marion Cotillard and Johnny Depp in "Public Enemies" (2009).

Promotional stills of Marion Cotillard in "Nine" (2009).Marion Cotillard wearing Versace platform strappy shoes:

Sunday, January 10, 2010

"Inception": architecture of the mind

Joseph Gordon-Levitt.Christopher Nolan, Ellen Page and Leonardo DiCaprio shooting "Inception" in Paris - August 17, 2009.

"The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan filmed his new movie Inception around the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, a bridge that crosses the Seine River in Paris, France. The scenes involve Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page's character, a graduate student studying in Paris, and French actress Marion Cotillard.

Opening in theaters on July 16, 2010, the Warner Bros. contemporary sci-fi actioner is set within the architecture of the mind". -Source: Splash News

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Jake Gyllenhaal was considered for "Avatar"

"Cameron considered both Jake Gyllenhaal and Matt Damon for the role of Jake Sully in AVATAR.Matt Damon in "Green Zone" (2010). Jake Gyllenhaal - scan from The Telegraph.

Of course, as we all know by now, the role ultimately went to the then little-known Aussie actor Sam Worthington.
MTV News recently sat down with the director and discussed these alternate casting choices. Check out the conversation below.
Source: www.ifmagazine.com

"But Cameron fell hard for Sam Worthington and in the end, let’s be honest, it really didn’t matter who they cast. Avatar is all about spectacle. It’s the massive, epic scale of Pandora and all of Cameron’s whiz-bang 3D effects which have propelled it to the top of the box office. Mostly though, Cameron just loved Worthington’s accent. He says, “You hear Sam talk and he sounds like Crocodile Dundee — but you hear him in the character and he's utterly and completely the guy.” Start practicing your Croc Dundee impression Matt Damon and maybe you’ll get a part in Avatar 2". Source: www.cinemablend.com

"Even Cameron himself has thought about the prospects of further "Avatar" installments. In an interview with Hero Complex, the director revealed that future sequels could involve Pandora's neighboring moons and even the central planet, known as Polyphemus.
"The planet in Pandora's sky is called Polyphemus and it's the primary for a system of moons, just like in our solar system, Jupiter has fifty some moons and they're discovering smaller ones all of the time," said Cameron.Perhaps the fourth and sixth moons will be the subject of the next "Avatar" films. Do these moons contain new sources of unobtanium for Earth's population? Is there yet another indigenous race ready and waiting to protect their land from humanity?" Source: moviesblog.mtv.com

Friday, January 08, 2010

Retail & discount shopping

"The cinema industry expected to reach a tipping point in 2010 for new content due to digital conversion financing placement.

Turning to the second headline, it was fundamentals for the vast majority of our portfolio continue to outperform most retail categories and the economy in general.

Our fourth headline was that the cinema industry is to reach a tipping point in 2010 when new content due to digital conversion and financing placements."
Source: seekingalpha.com

"Amidst the myriad days working at a Texas retail store selling makeup and liquid drain killer, then coming home to a perpetually stoned husband, Justine decides to hunt for some excitement. She finds something new and different in the store's new clerk, Holden (Gyllenhaal, also in "Donnie Darko"). Holden, a moody 22-year-old who has modeled himself after the same-named character from "The Catcher in the Rye", feels nobody understands him. But his feelings suddenly change once he
meets Justine.
So one day Holden asks Justine to meet him in front of Chuck E. Cheese's (let the romance begin), and the two begin an awkward affair". Source: everything2.com

Target operates more than 1,700 stores in 49 states.Target stores system changed how consumers think about discount shopping.

Women's Wear Daily ranks Target 7th on a list of Ideal Employers, based on a survey of more than 2,000 undergraduates interested in the fashion, retail and apparel sector – 2009

Forbes ranked Target 41st on their list of “America’s Most Reputable Companies” – 2009

DiversityBusiness.com ranked Target 31st on their list of America's Top Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities – 2008