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Quick Hits: 'Attack the Block' Gets Distribution; '300' Sequel Update

By Mike Bracken (Subscribe to Mike Bracken's posts), Posted Apr 6th 2011 10:30PM
Filed under: Movie News, Cinematical

SXSW Audience Award winner 'Attack the Block' has been picked up for distribution by Sony Screen Gems.

Israeli actor, peace activist and star of 'Miral' Juliano Mer-Khamis was murdered in Jenin yesterday, right outside of the drama and cultural center he established in the Palestinian refugee camp. Mer-Khamis, the child of a Jewish mother and Palestinian father, had been receiving death threats because he was opposed to the military occupation of the region.

The MPAA isn't just urging authorities to go after people who download movies illegally -- now they've asked congress to help them eliminate "rogue sites" that share links to pirated movies and television shows or stream them without permission.
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Dish Network Buys Bankrupt Blockbuster

By Mike Bracken (Subscribe to Mike Bracken's posts), Posted Apr 6th 2011 12:15PM
Filed under: Movie News, Cinematical

If you were planning dipping into your rainy-day fund on the off chance you might have been able to buy one-time home video giant Blockbuster at a discounted bankruptcy price, stop. The former king of video rentals has been sold at auction, where Dish Network outbid other interested parties -- including Carl Icahn -- and acquired the bankrupt business for $320 million.

Dish has been on a buying binge lately. Last month, the satellite service provider acquired DBDS North America, a satellite- and land-based communications company, for $1.4 billion. In February, they bought Hughes Communications, one of the largest providers of broadband satellite services, for $1.33 billion under owner Charlie Ergen's EchoStar Corp.
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Update: No Calorie Counts at Movie Theater Concession Stands

By Mike Bracken (Subscribe to Mike Bracken's posts), Posted Apr 4th 2011 4:45PM
Filed under: Cinematical

Theater owners have had a tough go of it lately: First it was announced that studios were rolling out a program that would allow viewers to watch new releases on Pay Per View just weeks after they'd been in theaters, even if the outrageous PPV price of $30 isn't likely to have many takers.

And then came news that the FDA wanted theaters -- just like restaurants -- to post nutritional information on every item they served so consumers could make healthier food choices. Naturally, theater owners aren't a fan of either development, but at least they got some good news today. The FDA has decided that movie theaters will be exempt from the new nutrition info rules.

These new rules come as a result of last year's health care overhaul law, which mandated that any chain restaurant or similar establishment that served food at more than 20 locations post nutrition info for all of their menu items where they could be seen by patrons.

Hit the jump to find out why theaters are exempt.
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Patrick Dempsey Wants to Play Dr. Strange

By Mike Bracken (Subscribe to Mike Bracken's posts), Posted Apr 4th 2011 2:00PM
Filed under: Movie News, Hot Topic, Cinematical

Marvel Studios has a full plate at the moment; 'Captain America: The First Avenger' and 'Thor' are set to release this summer, and work is already afoot on 2012's 'The Avengers' and a third 'Iron Man' movie. That hasn't stopped Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige from thinking about what comes after those titles, though, and in past interviews he's returned to one lesser-known character time and time again: Dr. Strange.

The comic giant's Sorcerer Supreme might not be a household name (at least not in households without extensive comic book collections), but there's no doubt that could change if a film was made about the character -- one featuring just the right actor. Enter Patrick Dempsey.

Dempsey, who's one of television's highest-paid stars thanks to his role on 'Grey's Anatomy' is eager to expand his artistic horizons, and he thinks donning the Marvel Magus's cloak would be a step in the right direction. Based on looks alone, Dempsey could be on to something.
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Quick Hits: 'Logan's Run' Lands a Writer; James Franco Plans New Project

By Mike Bracken (Subscribe to Mike Bracken's posts), Posted Apr 3rd 2011 12:30PM
Filed under: Movie News, Cinematical

L.A. cop turned screenwriter Will Beall signs on to pen Warner Bros. Logan's Run remake. Beall joins star Ryan Gosling and director Nicolas Winding Refn on the long-in-development project.

Director Rodrigo Cortes is hard at work on 'Red Lights,' which finds Sigourney Weaver playing a psychologist studying the paranormal who meets a psychic played by Robert De Niro. The first photo of De Niro is now online.

Move over, Bond and Bourne -- Universal has acquired the rights to Daniel Silva's series of spy thrillers with the intent of turning them into a big-screen franchise.
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Shane Black Not Writing 'Iron Man 3' -- Does It Matter?

By Mike Bracken (Subscribe to Mike Bracken's posts), Posted Apr 1st 2011 1:00PM
Filed under: Movie News, Cinematical

Last month, the Internet was atwitter with the news that Shane Black -- the man who gave us the screenplay for movies like 'Lethal Weapon' and 'The Last Boy Scout' -- would be writing and directing 'Iron Man 3' for Marvel Comics. Not so fast, says Deadline New York.

The website broke exclusive news that the comics giant has tapped Drew Pearce to craft the story for Tony Stark's third cinematic adventure. Pearce is also writing the screen adaptation of 'Runaways,' a popular Brian K. Vaughn series about the children of supervillains who try to erase their parents' legacy of evil by using their powers for good.

Sources say that Pearce is "in talks" to write the script, which he would pen from scratch. What does this mean for Shane Black? Black, who's better known for his screenplays than as a director (although his directorial debut, 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' is quite good), will reportedly work closely with Pearce as the screenplay evolves.
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Would You Buy a 'Scarface' DVD for $1,000?

By Mike Bracken (Subscribe to Mike Bracken's posts), Posted Mar 31st 2011 3:45PM
Filed under: Announcements, Cinematical, Blu-ray DVDs

If we've learned anything from years of watching MTV's 'Cribs,' it's that you haven't really made it as a rich and famous young celebrity until you own a copy of Brian De Palma's 1982 gangster epic 'Scarface' on DVD. Showing it to the 'Cribs' camera crew (bonus points if you do it while standing in front of some 'Scarface' poster or a velvet painting of Al Pacino burying his face in a mountain of cocaine while doing it) is like a rite of passage. It proves you've made it as a pampered celeb, but you can still handle your biz should the sh*t go down ... or something.

That being said, the next generation of wannabe gangsters/celebrities in the making is gonna have to step their game up to be taken seriously. No longer will just any old 'Scarface' disc prove your street cred. If you really want the world to know what a baller you are, you're gonna need the newly announced 30th Anniversary Limited Edition release of 'Scarface.' That bad boy isn't coming cheap, either. Universal has set the price at $999.99.

Hit the jump to find out why this disc is fetching more than the original Criterion version of Pasolini's 'Salo: The 120 Days of Sodom.'
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