epic movie, wow movies!

What an amazing day. No, I don’t have a pile of pictures to show off just yet. Its been a very long and very tiring day at the Fan Expo in Toronto.

As some of you were already aware of, this is the first year that The Movie Blog has had its own booth and presence at Canada’s premier fan event. And our new writer Dan joined me there while Francisco held the fort here posting for you.

This morning was spent setting up the final touches on the booth and it looks amazing. Special thanks to Soundbox who helped us put together a killer booth.

Some highlights today include great new friends at our booth neighbours Plastik Wrap finding out a certain film festival comedy horror that didn’t have a distributor will get one in Canada and some great images from the Disney Tron booth that will show some hints at what we might see that was not in the trailer.

There will be pictures and updates of everything we experienced here.

And its just the first day!

If you are coming to the show, come see us at Booth 829 (right behind Fox’s Alien Anthology booth)

Today, Toy Story 3 gets to $1 billion dollars grossed worldwide. It will also make Disney, the first studio in history to have two movies surpass this feat in the same year. A few weeks ago, Toy Story 3 passed Finding Nemo as Pixar’s highest grossing film ever.

CinemaBlend reports:

By the end of today, Toy Story 3 will have earned more than a billion dollars worldwide. In fact, it’ll be the second Disney film this year to do so, making Disney the first movie studio in history to release two billion dollar pictures in a single year. Alice in Wonderland was the other one, having accomplished the feat earlier this year.

I’m really glad that Toy Story 3 reached this milestone (not so much for Alice in Wonderland). Pixar just keeps delivering movie after movie. Toy Story 3 is easily, one of the best movies this year (the other one being Inception). It should win the Animated category, and it should at least, be nominated also for Picture of the Year at the Oscars.

What do you guys think? Did you go see this film? Should they continue with a #4? What’s your opinion on both movies surpassing $1 billion dollars?

Universally, what is the worse thing about 3D movies? Yup, having to use those annoying glasses. So, what if I told you that in the near future you will be able to watch a 3D movie without them? You’d probably give me a “get the f outta here”. Well, apparently, this isn’t so far away. Maybe it’s so close, that the new Spiderman 3D reboot could be the first one…

Cinematical reports:

Sony and Toshiba are reportedly in a race to develop quality 3D technology that you can watch with bare eyes, though they seem to be concentrating on this benefiting television screens. There are some pricing and tech issues, but there’s no reason to think at least an expensive model will be ready in a few years, perhaps just in time for Sony to market its product as a tie-in with a 3D Blu-ray release of its Spider-Man reboot.

I don’t think this will be out for Spiderman’s new reboot film. I believe it’s possible; I won’t bet against mankind. But how will this work? Will the film (in the cinema and on the TV) be responsible for the “no need for glasses” experience? Or will we need to use contact lenses of some sort? I bet that these companies are salivating by just listening to the idea/concept. This would change the movie and the TV industry big time; specifically talking about the 3D area. Sounds awesome.

What do you think? Will it get done soon? Or how far off? Would this interest you more in the 3D experience?

Stephen Dorff, best known for his role in Blade, is in negotiations to star alongside the beautiful Maria Bello in Carjacked. Before this film, Dorff will be seen later this year in Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, while Maria Bello will next be starring in Beautiful Boy, opposite Michael Sheen and Moon Bloodgood.

Collider reports:

According to TheWrap, Dorff and Bello will star in the Peter Medak-directed thriller Carjacked. Scripted by Michael and Sherry Compton, Carjacked revolves around “a single mother and her child who are carjacked by a thief who has no intention of letting them go.” Ron Pearlman and Saffron Burrows were once set to play the lead roles, and Giovanni Ribisi was likewise attached to one draft of the script. But by the time cameras start rolling next month in Louisiana, it will be Dorff who is vehicularly terrorizing Bello and her daughter.

I’m glad for Dorff on this one. He’s been getting great buzz for his work on Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere. He totally looks the part of the guy who carjacks Bello. And Bello, well, what can I say? She’s an awesome, gorgeous, sexy actress. Now that these two are going to be part of this, I’m interested in watching. I’ll probably give it a try when it’s finished and released.

What about you guys? What do you think of Dorff’s career? Maria Bello’s? Interested in the film’s premise?

Paramount is moving the pieces for the next installment of the Mission Impossible franchise. Apparently, the next film won’t even include the famous Mission Impossible words on the title anymore. With director Brad Byrd at hand, Paramount is working hard on the reboot of sorts for the franchise.

Variety reports:

Insiders disclosed Thursday that the next film in the series won’t be called “Mission: Impossible IV.” It’s possible that the title won’t even include the familiar moniker (much as Christopher Nolan’s Batman sequel was simply titled “The Dark Knight”).

As part of the makeover, Par has closed a deal for Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”) to star opposite Tom Cruise in the untitled pic, which director Brad Bird begins lensing this fall. Renner will play as big a role as Cruise.

Bird will shoot in Vancouver, Prague, Dubai and the U.S.

Pic hits theaters Dec. 16, 2011.

In the first three installments, Cruise’s character Ethan Hunt worked with a team of agents. In Bird’s film, there won’t be a team of agents, but two, played by Cruise and Renner.

While Paramount envisions Cruise returning for subsequent films, Renner could play the central character in those installments.

Bird will direct the upcoming pic from a script by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec. Details of the plot are under wraps, although those familiar with the project said the story brings a fresh perspective to the action-spy franchise. Nor will Bird’s film pick up from where the last film left off.J.J. Abrams is producing the film via his Par-based Bad Robot shingle. Skydance Prods., which has a slate financing deal with Par, is co-financing.

This is funny. What should we call the next one then? Objective: Really Hard? Proposition: Unattainable? I’m really interested in seeing what they come up with. As for the story and having Renner/Cruise working together, I’m all for it. I have no problems there. I’m really interested in getting that new title and logo/poster. We’ll see…

What do you think of this news? What possible story do you think they’ll do? Ok guys, hit me with the possible funny/awkward titles….

Yahoo has the trailer for Stephen Frears’ upcoming adaptation of Posy Simmonds’ comic strip Tamara Drewe, which is posted below.

The movie so far seems witty and beautiful–we should expect nothing less from the director of Dangerous Liasons. I liked that the trailer saw fit to make it clear that Drewe is based on a comic strip, and I hope the film does the same. What really caught my eye, though (and I’m betting the eye of every heterosexual man who watched the trailer) is Gemma Arterton who plays the titular inspiration.

I’ll just say the trailer did make me want to see Tamara Drewe. And Prince of Persia. And Clash of the Titans. And every movie Arterton’s ever been in, which seems like it was the editor’s intent. Good job, editor!

A new poster and trailer for The Freebie has just been released. Directed and starred by Katie Aselton, alongside Dax Shepard, The Freebie is a small-scale exploration of monogamy and relationships centered around a single high-concept idea: what if each person in the relationship got the night off to sleep with whoever they wanted? The idea is proposed as a means to re-ignite that fire (sex) once more.

It’s a little weird to see Shepard put on a straight face and go all drama on us; but hey, from the trailer, he seems to doing a good job at it. I’m definitely watching this, why? Well, because the concept/idea being proposed is one that is funny, and at the same time, really interesting and challenging. People who have been in a long relationship (especially married couples) are really going to enjoy this “comedy”. If you’ve been involved in a long relationship, no matter who you are, how old you are, or with who you are, the thought about this, has passed your mind at least once; no matter how loyal you are. So it’s a theme that’s both serious and funny, when this idea gets proposed.

What do you think? Would you go ahead with this concept? Do you believe the relationship will be the same after that? Do you want to see this film?

The Karate Kid was one of this summer’s great success stories: a lucrative feel-good remake that opened to positive critical response. What more could you ask for? How about a second round with the writers of Kung Fu Panda on board.

Filmonic reports:

Following a $56 million opening weekend for The Karate Kid (it doubled The A-Team‘s $25.7 million) and a total worldwide gross of $300 million Columbia Pictures began meeting with writers to pitch their ideas on where to take the sequel. Now according to Heat Vision Cyrus Voris and Ethan Reiff, the writers of Kung Fu Panda, have been hired to write the script.

I still haven’t seen the remake (I save them for rentals if i can; gotta vote with my dollar for original ideas, after all) but people seem to genuinely love it. The addition of Voris and Reiff only whets my appetite. After all, Kung Fu Panda’s probably the best Shaw Brothers throwback America has produced since Kill Bill vol. 1. Seriously, count the references to Five Deadly Venoms etc. in that movie, it’s a great drinking game. Not only that, but Panda had tons of heart. I approve of their writing the sequel.

But what else? Will Jackie Chan and Jayden Smith return? Will there be an all-new-new karate kid? And what about director Harald Zwart?

Thoughts, dear readers?

James Gunn has released the first photo from his upcoming action-comedy Super. The ambitious indie movie stars Rainn Wilson as a revenge-driven masked vigilante and ellen Page as his sidekick.

The Movie Banter reports:

The movie itself is[sic] released at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10th and is about a man who decides to become a superhero (Wilson) after his wife (Liv Tyler) leaves him for a “seductive” (quoting from the official TIFF plot synopsis) drug dealer (Kevin Bacon.) After his first step up, what the synopsis describes as taking a “monkey wrench to the foreheads of a couple who cut in line at the movies,” a young woman from a local comic book store (Ellen Page) soon joins him as his, quote, “sexually charged sidekick.”

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: this film sounds an awful lot like a tweaked take on Kick-Ass. I’m usually not one to advocate jumping on any bandwagon, but Super intrigues me for two reasons: One, James Gun directed Slither, which is an absolutely fantastic movie if you’re into crass humor and horror violence (which I am). Second, Ellen Page is one of the best actresses in the game right now.

I love the little painted lightning bolt on the stick of dynamite. There’s something very not-screwed-on about a masked superhero making explosives with handmade logos on them. In that little stick of dynamite is all my hope that Gunn will not abandon his Troma roots as he creates a more mainstream film.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for checking out our Forgotten Fridays feature. This is a feature to review some older films that maybe you have forgotten about or maybe never got around to seeing that we just want to share. They may not be old, maybe not forgotten, but they are not new. Just fun to share.

Today’s film has been requested a few times in the comments and I finally tracked down a copy from a friend, and so now we review Gymkata

Genre: Action
Directed by: Robert Clouse, Tetchie Agbayani, Richard Norton, Conan Lee, Buck Kartalian
Staring: Kurt Thomas
Released: May 3, 1985

THE GENERAL IDEA

Johnathan Cabot is a champion gymnast. In the tiny, yet savage, country of Parmistan, there is a perfect spot for a “star wars” site. For the US to get this site, they must compete in the brutal “Game”. A series of challenges in the form of a race with physical obsticles while being hunted by a mob of ninjas. The government calls on Cabot, the son of a former operative, to win the game. Cabot must combine his gymnastics skills of the west with fighting secrets of the east and form GYMKATA!

THE GOOD

The action is fun if a little campy. Every move is telegraphed and set up nicely. There is no way he should be able to win any of these fights where there are more than one opponent. But its great fun to watch. I know this sounds like a bad thing, but the clever mix of martial arts and acrobatic gymnastics is really interesting.

The star, Kurt Thomas is an actual former Olympic Gymnast, and he is incredible in his physical acrobatic skill.

THE BAD

It is a terrible premise. They have to compete in “the game” and if you live, you get one wish granted which cannot be denied. They want to stop the “wrong people” from setting up a radar station in this mountain country. If they get their request, the “right people” will be able to put up a radar station of their own. And do they send in their own black ops team? Nope, they send an Olympic level gymnast that they taught martial arts in the span of a week.

The acting is terrible, and the soundtrack is terrible. When the action steps it up, we get pounding orchestrated score that would make Jim Kirk proud.

OVERALL

Its a “so bad its good” kind of film. The action is not complex, but enjoyable. The bad is not offensive as much as amusing that they keep doing it. Overall the whole film is made of tacky setups all with the express purpose of showing off this hybrid of gymnastics and karate.

Since all of these Forgotten Friday reviews are going to be what I would already give a high rating to, I had a Tv, Rent or Buy scale going on, but it would seem that an overwhelming majority of my picks get a BUY rating.
So with every Forgotten Friday you see from now on, you get to rate your anticipation for yourself!

TV – If you are at least a little curious, catch it if it comes on TV.
Rent – If it is something you have heard of and forgotten, or just remember enjoying this as much as I did once upon a time, go rent it.
Buy – But if you are like me, and you agree with my review you should go buy it. If its featured here, I already have.