For many movie fans, the movie trailer has become an event. A rest stop on the long journey to your highly anticipated film where you get refueled with excitement long before you see the final product. For others, movie trailers in front of a feature are how they first learn about films that may later become something truly special to them. Whether you fall into column A, column B or somewhere in between, advertising upcoming movies before another seems like a no-brainer. However, if wasn’t for Joseph Farrell, we might not have trailers today.
Farrell was a legendary Hollywood marketing genius who is not only credited with creating the movie trailer, but also had a hand in test screenings, tracking, quadrants and more. He passed away Wednesday at the age of 76. Read More »
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Posted on Friday, October 28th, 2011 by Angie Han
When we reported on the impending Beetlejuice reboot last month, the very first comment on our post was “No Keaton=no movie.” Apparently, writers Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg are of the same mind as our dear readers. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the two revealed some of the conditions of their making the film. Here’s the relevant quote:
When Warner Bros. came to us about it, we said the only way we’d do it if we got Tim [Burton’s] blessing and involvement, and we got that, and the star of the movie has to be Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, and it’s a true continuation 26 years later. Not just throwing him in as a cameo going, “Hey, it’s me. I endorse this movie.” We’re not there yet [with Keaton] because we don’t have a film to present to him.
I’m still not really sold on the idea of this reboot, but if it has to happen I’d rather it happen with Keaton on board — I can’t imagine anyone else stepping into those shoes. It’s worth noting here that during last year’s press junket for Toy Story 3, Keaton told reporters he’d return “in a heartbeat” if a sequel happens.
The writers also emphasized that the new film will not be a remake, but a reboot, as previously reported. “People have been very angry about [the idea of a remake],” noted Katzenberg.
After the jump, Zach Galifianakis offers a tiny update on The Hangover Part III and tragedy hits the set of The Expendables 2.
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Apple is reporting that Steve Jobs has died. The above screen is the homepage of Apple.com. The company has released the following statement:
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and inspiring mentor. Steve leaves the company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
They have also invited everyone to send their thoughts, memories, and condolences to rememberingsteve@apple.com. No further details are available at this time. In 2004, Jobs was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his pancreas. As his health got worse, Jobs was forced to step down as CEO of Apple in August, stating that he could “no longer meet [his] duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO.”
In addition to his many accomplishments at Apple, Steve Jobs served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios, is Disney’s largest individual shareholder (with approximately 7% of the shares) and became a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company in 2006. Jobs also helped to oversee Disney and Pixar’s combined animation businesses with a seat on “a special six-man steering committee.”
The products he has overseen have changed the way movies are made and seen. /Film would not be where it is right now without the products he has helped create, and the business and creative ideologies he has helped design. Steve Jobs has changed the world. He is a visionary who will be forever remembered.
After the jump I’ve embedded Steve Jobs’ Stanford University commencement speech “How to live before you die”.
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Weekend at Bernie’s is one of those movies a lot of people find funny while totally ignoring the horrific reality of the situation. In the 1989 film, Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman play two men who find their boss dead and decide to hang out with his body, eventually using his clout to live the high life. The film was successful enough that everyone came back for a sequel in 1993. Clever idea but pretty morbid when you actually think about animating and transporting a corpse.
It’s even more morbid when you realize two men in Denver kind of duplicated the film last month when the found their friend dead in his apartment and took the body around town, running up his tab at local bars and strip clubs. Fortunately, they left him in the car for all of these activities. Read the details after the jump. Read More »
If there is one person who could represent to me all the things that are wonderful about acting for a living, that man would probably be Peter Falk. His was the perfect embodiment of a career built as a graceful bridge between art and entertainment. On one side there are Wings of Desire and his films with John Cassavetes, and on the other are pop-culture icons Columbo and The Princess Bride.
Mr. Falk had suffered from several age-related ailments, including Alzheimer’s disease, and his family confirmed today that he passed away last night in Beverly Hills at the age of 83. Read More »
Posted on Monday, June 13th, 2011 by Angie Han
Film producer and studio executive Laura Ziskin died Sunday, succumbing to a seven-year battle with breast cancer. As one of Hollywood’s most notable producers, Ziskin was a driving force behind films as varied and notable as Pretty Woman, Hero, As Good as It Gets, and the Spider-Man films. In addition, she was a vocal advocate for cancer research, co-founding Stand Up to Cancer in 2008. Ziskin was 61.
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Tragic news, as Tim Hetherington (pictured at right, above) who was nominated for an Oscar for the excellent war documentary Restrepo with co-director Sebastian Junger, has reportedly been killed while documenting the rebel conflict in Libya. He and fellow photographer Chris Hondros were both killed in a mortar attack. Read More »
Legendary film director Sidney Lumet died of lymphoma this morning at the age of 86. Lumet directed over 50 films, including American classics like Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, and Network. His films were nominated for over 40 Academy Awards, and Lumet himself was nominated for Best Director four times, although he never won (he was given an honorary Academy Award in 2005).
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