Movie News Monday for January 3, 2011!

Happy New Year, and welcome to this edition of “Movie News Monday!”  The very first of the year 2011!!  What is “Movie News Monday!” all about? For those of you who may not know: ‘MNM’ is the place to visit every Monday for a quick recap of trending entertainment news! I’ve collected info, rumors, etc from all over just for you to keep you updated on movies being released, actors/actresses in roles, dvd releases to keep a lookout for, which movie won in the box office over the weekend, etc! Get ready for your weekly update. Here it is!

This Just In!!…

#1- “Weekend Box Office Winner.” This past weekend did not present too many new titles to the general public. With Blue Valentine and Another Year launching this past weekend in very limited fashion (B.V. opened in only 4 theaters and A.Y. in only 6!), the box office belonged to the movies that had been playing for a while.

Estimates so far place Little Fockers on top for the second weekend in a row. I am, however, reserving judgment until actual numbers post! Once the actual results are made known, (and I return from work), I will update the numbers so you can see if Little Fockers did, indeed, win again….or if True Grit out-gunned it! (So the numbers have posted and below are the ACTUAL results now! [edited at 8:36pm EST] )

Here are the results:

1. Little Fockers ~$25.8 million
2. True Grit ~$24.4 million
3. Tron: Legacy ~$18.8 million
4. Yogi Bear ~$12.4 million
5. Chronicles of Narnia: VOTDT ~$10.3 million
6. The Fighter ~$10 million
7. Tangled ~$9.8 million
8. Gulliver’s Travels ~$9.3 million
9. Black Swan ~$8.9 million
10. The King’s Speech ~$7.8 million

Congrats to Ben Stiller and company once again…I Guess!…I was really hoping True Grit would win.

#2-“The X Factor” Back in 2006, writer/director Zack Snyder wowed audiences with his visual portrayal of Frank Miller’s graphic novel, 300! Well, Snyder and Miller are about to “Prepare for Glory” once again as recent developments make way for further work on the prequel, Xerxes, which I reported to you several months back. Snyder (who also directed Watchmen and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’ Hoole; and is directing Sucker Punch and Superman: Man of Steel), is also signed up for the announced prequel focusing on the archenemy of King Leonidas and the 300!  

Frank Miller is currently finishing up writing the mini-series for Dark Horse Comics and, while he expresses no interest in co-directing the movie, says that “it’s up to Zack and company to make it work as a film.” Here are some excerpts from this great article in the LA Times:

“The time frame begins 10 years before 300,” said Miller, “and the story starts with the Battle of Marathon, which was killer to draw, by the way, even if it was a lot of work. The lead character is Themistocles, who became warlord of Greece and built their navy. The story is very different than 300 in that it involves Xerxes’ search for godhood. The existence of gods are presupposed in this story and the idea is that he’s well on his way to godhood by the end of the story.”

“There’s an extended scene set in Persepolis,” adds Miller, “for instance, where he takes power and there are several scenes where he is going through his transitions and he’s shown speaking to his mother and his wife… The new tale climaxes with a massive naval confrontation that is so dense that it is fought like a land war and it ends on the same day as the events of 300.”

As for any Hollywood life for “Xerxes,” Miller said he has no desire to direct or co-direct it and can’t approach his bordered pages as storyboards for a film. “I don’t do a comic book thinking there is a movie. I just want it to be as good a comic book as it can be. It’s up to Zack and company to make it work as a film.”

Well, Leonidas may not be thrilled about Xerxes getting his own movie. And according to the one and only Hollywood Spy (click HERE), Dezz, Gerard Butler may be the one to make the supposed cameo as the legendary Leonidas (chiseled-computer generated-abs included)!

Below is the most recent bit of artwork released by Dark Horse Comics featuring the Persian king, Xerxes! (who knew Xerxes was such a Van Halen fan?!)

#3- “Shedding Some Light on the Dark Side of the Moon” (sorry, this isn’t about Transformers 3!) Ever wonder why we haven’t revisited the moon for over 40 years? Some will say we never landed on the moon at the end of the 60′s. Some will say alien life doesn’t exist. Some will say the government has hidden existence of alien life forms from the public for decades. What if the real reason is because what we found there…..wishes to be left alone??

Well, Apollo 18 is a “found footage” film that presents a semi-documentary/semi-horror type story of a canceled trip to the moon that “never really happened.” There is no actual record of an Apollo 18 mission from NASA due to what was “actually found,” at least, that’s what the film wishes to convey. This ”alien-on-the-moon” story already has received a lot of buzz on the web seeing that there is a facebook page for it, several blogs about it, and it even has several of its own viral web pages…one of which is a blog with stories as told by one of the mission’s astronauts himself! Gotta love the propaganda! Apollo 18 is currently still filming and has a scheduled release date of March 4, 2011! That leaves 2 months! They had better hurry making up all of their “actual footage!”

#4-“Jack Bauer’s in Trouble….with FOX!” My favorite television series, 24, finished it’s 8th and final season last year, and I have since been going through withdrawals. (Don’t judge, so have you! Either with this show or one of your other guilty pleasures: Lost, or American Idol, or The Tudors, or something much less imaginitive! ) Little glimmers of hope would surface from time to time in articles discussing the upcoming 24 movie starring Jack Bauer. The script, written by Billy Ray (Breach, Flightplan, The Shooter), had Jack Bauer in Japan once again working to foil a terrorist attack on the United States. (Click HERE for an article and vid of Kiefer Sutherland’s announcement while in Japan in November!)

It has recently been announced that 20th Century Fox rejected Ray’s script, without much explanation, thus destroying hopes of fans worldwide. Reportedly, director/producer Tony Scott (Man on Fire, Top Gun, Enemy of the State, Unstoppable) is currently in discussions with Kiefer Sutherland in hopes of making the much-desired movie come to fruition. Scott could really make it happen, I believe, but he has to act fast if there is any hopes of FOX giving the green light. All I have to say is that the powers that be at 20th Century Fox seem to be the only ones who don’t want this movie to happen! They better hurry up and approve it, or else they may find themselves in the hot seat!

Jack and I both share anguish in having to share with you this news. We will keep you posted!

#5- “Blu-ray release for Tuesday 1.4.11″ This week don’t look for much in way of AMAZING movies to come out on blu-ray. Here’s what we got. Catfish, Machete, Dinner for Schmucks, Case 39, and The Last Exorcism. Visit this page for links directly to the reviews for most of these movies. I watched and reviewed all but one. 

Out of all of these, I’d re-seat myself at the dinner table with the Schmucks, if I had to choose! Dinner for Schmucks! The level of awkwardness in this film may cause you to squirm in your seat more than your recent visit to the dentist, but it has a level of comedy that is enjoyable still. Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, and Jemaine Clement meld their unique brands of comedy into one in this film. Don’t miss the review for sure if you are curious about the film. (Something you may find interesting is that this film is actually a REMAKE! That’s correct. It is a remake of a French film made in 1988 entitled The Dinner Game [imdb link].)

Here’s the not-very-widely-seen 2nd trailer for this movie!

Well, that’s it for this round of “Movie News Monday!” Thanks for reading! Happy Watching!

-TheScarletSp1der

up next: ”Time to Vote Tuesday!”

***Please don’t forget to vote for your favorite 3 movies of 2010 HERE. Today is the last day before the poll closes!