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The Scoop on 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'

By Tom Roston (Subscribe to Tom Roston's posts), Posted Mar 24th 2010 6:00PM
Filed under: Hot Topic
Read any good Swedish novels by dead authors about financial corruption lately?

If that sounds obscure, then your Amazon cart has probably been woefully neglected of late -- and you've been spending way too much time worrying about how on earth Sandra Bullock is going to make it on her own.

The truth is, 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,' a novel by Stieg Larsson, who passed away in 2004, has been a sensation on the bestseller list for close to 40 weeks. And, just this past week, a Swedish film adaptation of the novel hit art houses across America. Up next: A planned US adaptation barreling toward a green light.
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Michael Winterbottom Finds the 'Promised Land'

By Tom Roston (Subscribe to Tom Roston's posts), Posted Jan 22nd 2010 11:00AM
Filed under: Movie News
Michael WinterbottomBritish director Michael Winterbottom is going to the 'Promised Land,' which is not always such a pretty place, and he's taking fellow-Brit actor Jim Sturgess with him.

Variety reports that the hip filmmaker ('24 Hour Party People') has chosen 'Promised Land' as his next feature project; the film focuses on the events that led up the 1948 partitioning of Palestine, and the creation of the state of Israel.
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Is Reboot the New Sequel?

By Tom Roston (Subscribe to Tom Roston's posts), Posted Jan 21st 2010 6:00PM
Filed under: Hot Topic
Spider-ManYou've got to hand it to them. Hollywood executives are not normally known for their bravery and ability to embrace change. But, in rebooting the 'Spider-Man' franchise, as we've just seen Sony do, the studio suits have shown a willingness to throw out a successful juggernaut and hope for the best with a new team. Out went director Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and a proven track record that pulled in $2.5 billion in three films. In their place? Half of the puzzle so far: A one-time director of a romantic comedy, Marc Webb.

But the people at Sony didn't go into this blindly. They saw strong precedent for an overhaul. 2005's 'Batman Begins' brought us a new caped crusader (Christian Bale) and director (Christopher Nolan), who are now working on their third Batman film in a franchise that has been totally revitalized. Or, there's 007, which got a reboot in 2006, with a new super spy played by Daniel Craig, who will be leading the way to a third film in the franchise.
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Humanitarian Hollywood: International Crises Portrayed in Movies

By Tom Roston (Subscribe to Tom Roston's posts), Posted Jan 15th 2010 6:00PM
Filed under: Features, Hot Topic
The horrific images coming from Haiti after this week's devastating earthquake should give us all more than a moment's pause. Celebrities are rallying to the cause, led by singer Wyclef Jean, who has flown down to his native Haiti. There's talk of a telethon to benefit the victims, one that will draw the likes of George Clooney, Jamie Foxx, Ben Stiller, Susan Sarandon, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

We can all help. You can go to AOL's Network for Good, the White House website dedicated to relief, or you can just text message HAITI to 90999, and you will be donating $10 from your phone bill to the Red Cross.

Lee Daniels, the director of 'Precious,' which promises to be celebrated at this Sunday's Golden Globes awards, has already commented that movies seem unimportant in the shadow of such catastrophe. And although he's correct, media usually provides the filter through which we see worlds far away. You'd think that, with Hollywood's liberal reputation, there'd be a strong record of movies that deal with international humanitarian crises. Alas, you can count the number of good ones with one hand. And you can count the bad ones with the other hand.
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Do Movie Critics Still Matter?

By Tom Roston (Subscribe to Tom Roston's posts), Posted Nov 23rd 2009 4:00PM
Filed under: Features, Hot Topic
It was like spitting against the wind, or in this case, the tsunami, when Rolling Stone's film critic Peter Travers said that 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' "failed to ignite." He went on to bemoan the non-acting of the film's stars, among other failings.

'New Moon's' astonishing $140 million-opening weekend makes it clear that what he had to say clearly didn't reach (or resonate much with) the masses.
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Robert Zemeckis Eyes 'Nutcracker' Adaptation: What Will He Motion-Capture Next?

By Tom Roston (Subscribe to Tom Roston's posts), Posted Nov 12th 2009 4:08PM
Filed under: Movie News
Word recently broke that director Robert Zemeckis will soon be adapting 'The Nutcracker,' using his favorite toy: 3-D computer animation. His last three films have all been of the same CG-variety, from the groundbreaking 'The Polar Express' to the dull and disappointing 'Beowulf' on to the recently released, middling 'A Christmas Carol.' Based on that track record, it's a tough call to judge whether Zemeckis can crack this nut.
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Movies That Aren't Nearly as Boring as Their Movie Titles Make Them Sound

By Tom Roston (Subscribe to Tom Roston's posts), Posted Nov 5th 2009 11:15PM
Filed under: Hot Topic
The new war comedy 'The Men Who Stare at Goats' has the sort of intellectually challenging title that can make theater-goers skip straight to Disney's 'A Christmas Carol' or something that goes down more smoothly ('The Fourth Kind,' anyone?).

But, au contraire, check out this list of good-to-great movies with titles that may have scared audiences away in their day.
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