Yeah, it looks like it's true. Tim Burton, who's retelling of Alice in Wonderland hasn't even hit theaters yet; is set to direct another Disney favorite, Sleeping Beauty. This time in live action of course. The movie is called Maleficent; and focuses on the evil fairy by the same name. I'm not sure if they're going to do a prequel of sorts, and show us why she is as evil as she is, or if it's a straight forward sequel.
The broadway play, "Wicked", focused on the Witches from The Wizard of Oz. Maybe Disney will take from the success of the play and do something along those lines. Either way, I think Tim Burton is the man for the job. My only criticism is that he should move on from Disney after Maleficent. I know his love and passion for art, animated, etc... but I wanna be selfish! I want to see more Sweeny Todd type of films. Not necessarily a musical, but live action fun from Burton and Depp. We'll keep ya posted as more news about this project comes up.
Just to review, FattMatt and I decided to try a six degrees of seperation on ya'll. We'll start with one movie, find a common actor, director, etc., and then move on to the next film.
So, in the first installment of "You know what's a good movie?" we covered Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks. The next installment also stars Tom Hanks, but in a different kind of way... computer animation. Toy Story.
It was 1995 and things were about to change in Hollywood. We were introduced to Pixar, and in a BIG way. That unknown company would help pave the way for computer animation in a way no one could ever have expected. It's 2010 today, and Pixar has released 10 films, ALL home runs.
Growing up, I loved action figures, I mean I was obsessed. My brother Shmoo and I collected EVERYTHING. And being the imaginative little boys we were, we would act out our own action scenes. We make noises for guns, sound effects for explosions, you name it, we did it. We felt the toys coming to life. And THAT is what Pixar achieved, they made the toys feel real.
Tom Hanks was the voice of Woody, an older toy and leader of the bunch. Tim Allen voiced Buzz, a new age, hi-tech toy who has become a favorite to the toys' owner, Andy. There are a lot of our childhood favorites in the film as well: Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Etch A Sketch, and many more.
With lots of dazzling color and a cast of talented voices, the movie was a huge success. Looking back at the film, Pixar has improved everything they do. Their animation techniques are better, the worlds and scenery are bigger and better, and it all started from Toy Story.
As I mentioned earlier, the movie would change Hollywood forever. After the movie was released, a ton of computer animated films hit the theaters. Some good, some awful, all because of Pixar. A Toy Story sequel was made, and still remains the only Pixar sequel to date. Last year, Toy Story 1 and 2 were released in 3D for a limited time.
Look out this summer, Toy Story 3 is coming. And now, Andy's going off to college, what's going to happen to all the toys? We'll have to wait and see.
Check out the Toy Story 3 Trailer below and look for our next installment of You know what's a good movie?:
Martin Campbell laid to rest the rumors about Jackie Earle Haley playing Sinestro, the villian in the upcoming Green Lantern film. Instead, he gave us a nice piece of information. Here's what he told MTV:
No, that’s completely wrong…In fact, we’re in negotiations with Mark Strong to play Sinestro…He’s not only a wonderful actor, but he looks like Sinestro. If you look up old pictures of Sinestro, he’s very like him. The Jackie Earle Haley thing, somebody told me about it this morning; I had never heard it before in my life.
Wowzers! That's some awesome news. I'm a big big fan of Mark Strong. I loved his work in the less than stellar Body of Lies. He also stole the show in Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla.
Hopefully this is not just casting rumor, but fact pretty soon. We'll keep you posted on the Green Lantern updates, as they arrive.
From the lips of Tobey Maguire in the first 3 Spiderman films: "I'm Spider-Man... no more. No more." That's right folks... Tobey Maguire (actor), Kristin Dunst (actress), Sam Raimi (director), horrible movie (part 3)... are alllllll gone! Sony Pictures scrapped the plans for Spiderman 4, instead they want a complete reboot.
All the heavy hitters have put out bs letters of appreciation for being a part of the first trilogy, but I'm not buying it. I think the combination of countless delays on part 4, an unfinished script and a horrible part 3 film, and Thor taking the release date of Spiderman 4 have all helped Sony make up its mind.
The studio instead wants a grittier, darker Spiderman. Funny, all the studios with Superhero properties are starting to use those terms when describing reboots. Fantastic Four is getting a "grittier" reboot. Superman will some day fly again in a "darker" version of himself. Ya right!
I wish studios would just speak the truth... "your movie sucked, we didn't think it was going to suck, and now we are giving someone else a chance to make a movie that doesn't suck". That same sentiment goes to Fantastic Four and Superman btw.
Either way, this is a good thing for Maguire and Raimi. I really think they are better away from the franchise. The best days of the franchise are behind us. Part one brought a character to the big screen in a way very few Superhero movies had before it. Part 2 showed us the power of CGI with unforgettable battle atop a train. And sadly, part 3 showed us that very few, if any franchises have a part 3 worth a damn.
A script is in place for the "new" Spiderman trilogy and Sony expects the movie to be in theaters around 2012. But for now... see ya later Spidey... you will be missed... just not by this blogger.
It looks like the movie was a big enough success that the second film will start shooting as early as July. This is really no surprise, Sherlock Holmes continues to do very well at the box office, consistently second behind Avatar every week since Christmas. The other big news for the sequel is that Brad Pitt will star. This was rumored a few times during filming of the first film, but now it's been confirmed that Pitt will be a part of the sequel. Looking good!
