Steven Spielberg May Direct ‘Robopocalypse’ Adaptation From ‘Cloverfield’ Screenwriter
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

“Robopocalypse“!!! Could there be a better title? The answer, my friends, is no. There couldn’t.

“Robopocalypse” is an upcoming book from Daniel H. Wilson, the author of such fine reads as “How To Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion,” “Where’s My Jetpack?: A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future That Never Arrived” and “Bro-Jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown,” which hits shelves in April. Wilson’s books have so far fallen between humor and non-fiction. From the sound of things, “Robopocalypse” moves into fiction territory, looking at what becomes of the human race after a robot uprising.

The reason this is all relevant to our movie-loving interests here is Wilson’s book, which DreamWorks optioned back in November, has a script coming from “Cloverfield” scribe Drew Goddard. What’s more, “Robopocalypse” is the latest “maybe he’ll direct it!” project for none other than Steven Spielberg.

The news comes from Deadline Hollywood who, despite their penchant for never sourcing the news they report, are often on the mark about such things. The only reason I’m not going to get excited about this is Spielberg himself.

The veteran filmmaker has been linked as a possible director on no less than five different projects in recent months, including invisible rabbit story “Harvey,” James Bond-a-like “Matt Helm, a George Gershwin biopic, an Abraham Lincoln… something and an adaptation of the novel-turned-play “War Horse.” That’s not even mentioning the supposedly incoming fifth “Indiana Jones” flick. He’s definitely directing “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn,” for a 2011 release, but that’s an animated film and it’s currently in its post-production phase.

All that said, I certainly would like to see Spielberg take a crack at a script from the “Cloverfield” writer about robots taking over the planet. “War of the Worlds” had its moments, but the final act went flying off the rails in a bad way. As a longtime fan of the director’s work, I’d sure like to see him get another shot at telling a post-apocalyptic story. This is the man credited with inventing the blockbuster (”Jaws”) after all.

Should Spielberg take on “Robopocalypse” next? One of the other many projects he been rumored to have an interest in? What would you most like to see him do?

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

Catch ‘Slither’ Tomorrow Night In MTV’s Saturday Night Horror Series
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

“Slither.” Even just the title makes me shudder a little. Twitter-Wood regular James Gunn’s 2006 horror flick is ostensibly about an alien invasion, but I can’t seem to get past the hordes of slimy, red slug-things that burrow into people’s bodies!!!

The movie is pitched as a throwback to ’50s-era sci-fi/horror, a la “The Blob.” If you’ve got fear issues with critters, then it’s going to make for a deeply unsettling viewing experience. But then, the best horror movies offer just that. Tune in on MTV tomorrow night at 10pm and decide for yourself. For now, enjoy(?) watching as everything starts to turn south in the clip below.

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

A Sneak Peek At The ‘New Moon’ DVD, Out Next Week!
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

I know that the Twilighters among you are all excited for “Eclipse” now that the first trailer trailer has arrived, but there’s still more than three months before the actual movie arrives in theaters. Let’s take a moment to focus on something that’s happening a little sooner: the release of “New Moon” on DVD and Blu-ray.

It hits shelves next week, on Friday night at midnight. It’ll still be available on Saturday and beyond though, so no need to cancel plans if you have some other fun activity going on. To get you psyched, we prepared this little 10-second clip from the DVD’s six-part behind-the-scenes documentary. And hey– maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t that wolf cutout in the clip look an awful lot like an elephant?

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

Corey Haim’s ‘The Lost Boys’ Was The Original Teen Vampire Flick
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

Before “Twilight,” before “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” there was “The Lost Boys.”

The seminal 1987 teen vampire flick starred Corey Haim as a confused teenager battling a band of leather-clad alterna-vampires in his new hometown of Santa Carla, California. The role helped establish Haim as a legitimate movie heartthrob in the wake of his first semi-hit, 1986’s weepy “Lucas,” and it kicked off a career-long association and friendship with fellow troubled teen actor and co-star, Corey Feldman.

The 38-year-old Haim, who was found dead of a suspected drug overdose on Wednesday in Los Angeles, played Sam Emerson in the film, a nerdy, excitable teen forced to move to the mysterious coastal California town after his mother’s divorce. Shortly after their arrival, older brother Michael (Jason Patric), falls for the sensuous Star (Jamie Gertz) and is seduced into joining the pre-Hot Topic-looking vamp gang led by David (Kiefer Sutherland), while Haim’s character hooks up with comic book geek Edgar (Feldman), a self-proclaimed vampire hunter.

What followed was an epic battle between the outcast vampire-stalking teenage boys and the sexy teen undead, with Haim torn between helping his brother and following Feldman’s advice to kill him and vamp boss David.

The film, directed by veteran Joel Schumacher (“Batman Forever,” “8MM”), quickly became a cult favorite and a touchstone for a generation of teenage gore fans. It also spawned a sequel, 2008’s “Lost Boys: The Tribe,” which featured Haim and Feldman as well as Sutherland’s half-brother, Angus Sutherland. Haim’s involvement in the sequel was relegated to a cameo and he was not slated to be part of the cast of another in-process sequel, “Lost Boys: The Thirst,” which Feldman is is executive producing and starring in.

None of that takes away from “The Lost Boys,” however. From its dark look and focus on teenage undead to a gothy soundtrack highlighted by the haunting use of Echo & the Bunnymen’s cover of the Doors’ “People Are Strange” and it’s flip, hip tagline, “Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It’s fun to be a vampire,” the original movie announced itself as a new kind of horror flick aimed directly at savvy teens.

In the years since, in addition to becoming a midnight movie and DVD favorite, “The Lost Boys” has been elevated from a low-budget genre flick to one of the seminal teen horror movies of the modern era, taking its place alongside such classics as the original “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream,” while undoubtedly helping to inspire such modern spins as the “Twilight” series.

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

Corey Haim: Our Favorite Films From The Late Actor
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

There’s no question that the death of Corey Haim is utterly tragic for his family, friends and fans. Pronounced dead earlier this morning, Haim’s status as a 1980s movie icon provokes plenty of nostalgia and sadness in light of recent events. Between squaring off against werewolves and vampires to stealing cars and facing bullies, Haim contributed some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s into the popular culture ether.

After the jump, we’ve listed five of our favorite film performances from the late Corey Haim.

“Dream a Little Dream”
Body and soul-swapping always makes for an interesting movie premise, but in the case of “Dream a Little Dream,” it wasn’t just interesting — it was hilarious. In the 1989 teen film, Haim played the best friend to Corey Feldman’s Bobby Keller, a teenager that has unwittingly traded souls with a local elderly man (Jason Robards). It’s not necessarily the best of the Coreys’ collaborations, but it’s certainly a fun one to watch.

“License to Drive”
Another Haim-Feldman masterpiece, “License to Drive” thrusts the late actor into the role of Les Anderson, a 16-year-old who desperately wants his driver’s license but fails to pass his road test. Of course, such little problems never stopped any rebellious youth from pursuing his wildest dreams, leading Anderson to put the car into drive (and reverse) on more than one occasion throughout the film.

“Lucas”
In my favorite of Haim’s performances, the young actor played Lucas Bly, an intelligent but socially awkward high school student with a major crush on new girl Maggie (Kerri Green) and an unlikely friendship with local football hero Cappie (Charlie Sheen). It’s a very different performance for Haim in the sense that his character lacks the actor’s trademark self-assuredness, instead displaying a deep longing to fit in with his peers.

“Silver Bullet”
In “Silver Bullet,” based on Stephen King’s novella “Cycle of the Werewolf,” Haim played a paraplegic youth forced into direct conflict with a preacher turned werewolf. “Silver Bullet” marked one of Haim’s very first performances, not quite 15 years old at the time of filming. Haim proved a lot of talent by measuring up in this horror film at such a young age.

“The Lost Boys”
But the best of Haim’s horror movie work — indeed, the best of Haim’s collaborations with Feldman — is undoubtedly in the form of “The Lost Boys,” the vampire thriller starring Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland. Haim’s hilariously obnoxious Sam Emerson is perfectly matched against his monstrous do-gooder of a brother, the brothers Frog and the many vampires contained within the film. When it comes to marrying swagger and horror, this was Haim’s role to beat.

Remember your favorite Corey Haim movies in the comments section and on Twitter!

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

Here’s 10 Seconds Of The ‘Eclipse’ Trailer!
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

The debut trailer for “Eclipse” arrives this Friday in front of “Remember Me.” That’s a lot of hours from now, and you don’t want to wait that long. Right?

What if we have a 10 second tease for you? Does that sweeten the deal? Yeah, you don’t want to wait that long. So why are you still waiting? Hit play already!

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

Looking At The Standout Moments Of The 2010 Academy Awards
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

Last night’s 82nd Annual Academy Awards saw a host of changes made to the format that’s dominated for the past bunch of years. From the 10 nominees in the newly expanded Best Picture category to the paring down of musical numbers and use of two co-hosts, there was a decidedly different vibe to the proceedings.

As with any year, there were high points and there were low points. The difference last night is that everyone was watching so much more closely. Why? Well there’s a commonly held belief that the changes this year came as part of the Academy’s effort to broaden the appeal of the 82-year-old awards show. A lot of moviegoers were left feeling alienated when “The Dark Knight” didn’t land a Best Picture nomination in 2008, only the latest of many such sleights that more pop-oriented fare has suffered through the years.

So since everyone was watching so closely anyway, I decided to shine MTV’s spotlight on the best and worst that the 82nd Annual Academy Awards show had to offer. You might not agree with all of these observations. That’s fine. We want to hear from you too. Share your own thoughts in the comments section below.

The Highlights

New Format
Overall, I think the new format worked very well. My eyes still sort of glazed over during the single award category-oriented musical number we got — the interpretive dance thing — but the longer speeches and clips that came with the extra time really helped keep things interesting. The Best Actor/Actress presentations were especially enjoyable.

Neil Patrick Harris
“The Smurfs” star Neil Patrick Harris opened the evening with a Broadway-style musical number, and it was glorious. Best moment of the night? Possibly. Strong statement that NPH should have been the one to host? DEFINITELY.

Elinor Burkett’s “Kanye Moment”
Look, based on the story behind the story, it seems as though Elinor Burkett might have been in the wrong when she stormed the stage during “Music by Prudence” director Roger Ross William’s acceptance speech. But crowds love sensational stuff like this. And if the net result is bringing added exposure to a documentary short about a school in Zimbabwe for disable children, then I don’t really see how anyone can complain. In that spirit, why don’t you go learn some more about the Best Documentary Short winner.

Sandra Bullock’s Acceptance Speech
Best Actress winner Sandra Bullock is getting a lot of accolades for saying nice things during her speech. Me, I just appreciate her honesty. Bullock opened with: “Did I really earn this or did I just wear y’all down?” A fitting kickoff for a woman who also won two Razzie awards in the same weekend she picked up her Best Actress Oscar.

The Lowlights

Co-Hosts Alec Baldwin And Steve Martin
Separately, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin are brilliant entertainers. Even together, there’s a potent duo waiting to be set free. It didn’t gel for them last night. I think a lot of it had to do with the writing, but Baldwin and Martin were not the best hosts the Academy Awards have seen. In this case, more did not equal better.

Horror Montage
When did we start calling “Twilight” a horror movie? And “Beetlejuice”? For that matter, why did we celebrate horror last night when 2009 was a landmark year in the evolution of science fiction?

In Memoriam Fail
MTV contributor Josh Wigler pointed out five names that were missed last night during the obligatory memorial montage last night. There were others too. Where, for instance, was Ricardo Montalban? The dude played freakin’ Khan in “Star Trek II”!!! Bad form, Academy… for shame.

“No ‘Thank You’ Speech” Plan
A few weeks before last night’s awards ceremony, the word emerged that the Academy had asked all nominees to prepare to acceptance speeches. One to be delivered on stage, focusing on what receiving an Oscar means to them. And one to be delivered backstage, to a special “thank you cam.” As we saw last night, that did not happen. And I’ve gotta say… the best speeches were the ones that weren’t excessive thank yous. Sorry Jeff Bridges; you deserve that Best Actor award, but your speech left a lot to be desired.

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

Should Someone Make John Hughes’ Final Movie ‘Grisbys Go Broke’?
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

Hollywood really loves John Hughes. We saw this in the way it paid a special tribute to the late filmmaker at last night’s Oscars ceremony. But how long before someone in Tinsel Town comes along and harms Hughes’ legacy by producing one the man’s final screenplays? The Hollywood Reporter raises the question in a story about this unproduced work, a riches-to-rags story titled “Grisbys Go Broke,” pointing out that at least Paramount has no interest in buying the script.

Paramount was the studio behind many of Hughes’ movies, including “Pretty in Pink,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” and, umm, “Drillbit Taylor.” He didn’t direct that last one, but the Owen Wilson comedy was originally written by Hughes under the pseudonym Edmond Dantes. And it remains his final movie credit, unless the somewhat timely “Grisbys” is actually ever made.

Last week there was a rumor going around the web that Paramount was going to do the movie with Roth Films (”Alice in Wonderland”) producing. But there’s no truth in it, according to the studio.

Could another studio take it on? Universal, which made Hughes’ “Sixteen Candles,” “The Breakfast Club,” “Uncle Buck” and “Weird Science,” as well as the Hughes-scripted “Beethoven”? Or how about Warner Bros., which is also moving ahead on another installment of the “Vacation” franchise that Hughes originated?

Like many deceased artists, Hughes left behind a lot of unfinished and unproduced work that will in all likelihood see light at some point. Some are in the possession of the filmmaker’s family. Others, like “Grisbys” have been at studios or production companies for years. And as is always the case in these posthumous release situations, there is the debate on whether or not it’s okay for such exploitation to occur.

However, Hughes’ legacy is different from, say, a solo music artist or novelist, because he regularly sold his scripts to studios and had little other involvement in them, such as the case with latter-career works “Maid in Manhattan” and “Drillbit.” And anyway, it’s only a matter of time before we get remakes of Hughes’ early classics … in 3-D, no doubt.

What do you think? Should someone make “Grisby’s Go Broke” and/or any of John Hughes’ other unproduced films?

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

Here Are Your 2010 Academy Awards Winners!
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

FROM MTV.COM: The 82nd annual Academy Awards are over and the winners have been counted. “Avatar” and “The Hurt Locker” squared off in a nomination-leading nine categories, and Kathryn Bigelow’s Iraq war story emerged the victor. Her David beat James Cameron’s sci-fi Goliath with six wins to the three for “Avatar.” Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges won for Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively, while Mo’Nique and Christoph Waltz took home statues for supporting actress and actor, all as expected.

Here is a full list of the winners:

Best Picture
“The Hurt Locker”

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”

Continue reading 2010 Oscar Winners List

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

CAPRICA: Episode 1.06 Recap: ‘Know Thy Enemy’
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

Title: “Know Thy Enemy”

Director: Michael Nankin

Story: Two new players join the fray in the latest episode of “Caprica.” The more narrowed focus seen last week remains, with “Know Thy Enemy” primarily focused on two key developing stories. One is Daniel Graystone’s feud with newcomer Tomas Vergis (John Pyper-Ferguson), owner of Graystone competitor, the Vergis Corporation, who is intent on taking vengeance for the murder of two of his people. We also return to the one God worshipping STO terror group. Sister Clarice Willow hatches a plan to recover Zoe’s programming data from the Graystone household while Lacy meets with the mysterious Barnabus (James Marsters) in her continuing effort to transport the ZoeCylon to Geminon, at her dead friend’s request. Meanwhile, Joseph Adama continues his search for the boy who brought word of Tamara in New Cap City while Daniel’s assistant Phil Omon continues his weird courtship with the Cylon.

Captains Of Industry: The episode opens with our very first (and brief) glimpse of another of the Twelve Colonies as a flashback shows us Tomas walking in on the grisly scene that followed the robbery of his Cylon-powering MCP. This sets the stage for what turns out to be an elaborate revenge plot. The Graystone competitor is a Tauron to his core, and he’s intent on living by his people’s philosophy of “blood for blood.” It looks as though we’ll be seeing a lot more of this character, though what his plans are beyond “destroying” Daniel’s dreams remains to be seen. Zoe’s avatar will presumably be involved in some way… though of course not until Daniel realizes that his daughter still exists within the machine he’s now so intent on replicating.

Before There Were Resurrection Ships…: Sister Clarice and her husbands hatch a plot to steal Zoe’s programming from the Graystone household using a new piece of technology capable of wirelessly capturing and transmitting large amounts of data. The description of this device in the episode clearly makes it sound like an early take on what will one day lead to Cylon resurrection technology.

Love Blooms In The Strangest Of Places: Lonely lab assistant Phil Omon has had a weird fascination with the ZoeCylon since he first laid eyes on it. Sure, it is powered by the soul(?) of a dead girl, but he doesn’t actually know that. Zoe, taking pity on the love-seeking Omon, arranges a V-World meeting via his online personal ad. There she reveals himself, sort of, claiming that her resemblance to Zoe is really just a ruse to scare away “perverts.” Given how important the ZoeCylon is becoming to Phil, it seems clear that his path will cross with Lacy’s sometime soon.

The One True God: Lacy continues with her mission to transport the ZoeCylon to Geminon. She finally lands a meeting with Barnabus (James Marsters), some sort of highly placed STO enforcer who brings himself closer to the one God by inflicting pain upon himself. Lacy hits a dead end there, for now. Barnabus won’t help her, but he does want to know what this package she’s so intent on transporting is.

To Your Places: “Know Thy Enemy” pushes aside most of the subtext for some straight-up exposition, a forgivable offense in light of the new character arrivals. Moore and Eick love their commentary of course, but we need to know who these players are before we see them factor into the larger equation. It looks like we’ll be seeing more of Lacy and Barnabus next week, as well as Joseph’s — largely absent from “Know Thy Enemy” — narrowing search for his dead daughter’s avatar.

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

‘Precious’ Leads The 2010 Independent Spirit Awards Winners
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

The 2010 Independent Spirit Awards ceremony unfolded last night in Los Angeles. With the Academy Awards closer to “hours” than “days” away, the stars came out while fans of film watched for any hint of what is to come on Sunday night during what is the biggest awards show of the season. After the MTV Movie Awards, of course.

For all of the back and forth opinions between “Avatar” and indie darling “The Hurt Locker” for the Oscars’ top categories, last night’s Indie Spirits were dominated by something completely different: Lee Daniels’ Sundance hit, “Precious.” Head over to MTV.com for Larry Carroll’s by-the-numbers breakdown of the night or just hit the jump right here for the full list of winners.

Best Feature
“Precious”

Best Director
Lee Daniels for “Precious”

Best Screenplay
Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber for “(500) Days of Summer”

Best First Feature
“Crazy Heart”

Best First Screenplay
Geoffrey Fletcher for “Precious”

Best Female Lead
Gabourey Sidibe for “Precious”

Best Male Lead
Jeff Bridges for “Crazy Heart”

Best Supporting Female
Mo’Nique for “Precious”

Best Supporting Male
Woody Harrelson for “The Messenger”

Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins for “A Serious Man”

Best Documentary
“Anvil! The Story of Anvil”

Best Foreign Film
“An Education”

Acura Someone to Watch Award
Kyle Patrick Alvarez for “Easier With Practice”

Truer Than Fiction Award
Bill Ross and Turner Ross for “45365″

Piaget Producers Award
Karen Chien for “The Exploding Girl” and “Santa Mesa”

Robert Altman Award
“A Serious Man”

John Cassavetes Award
“Humpday”

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

‘Paranormal Activity’ Star Micah Sloat Promises A Sequel The Stays True ‘To The Spirit Of’ The Original
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

One of the more interesting developing projects out there right now is “Paranormal Activity 2,” sequel to the 2009 smash hit from newcomer director Oren Peli. Since Peli is off now working on his own follow-up — called “Area 51” (for now) — Paramount has had to turn to other possible candidates to direct. “Saw VI” director Kevin Greutert was at one point set to helm, but he was later shuffled back to Lionsgate’s long-running franchise. The most recent rumblings suggested another crop of possibilities, including veteran filmmaker Brian De Palma, but the studio isn’t ready to confirm anything just yet.

MTV’s Josh Horowitz caught up with “Paranormal Activity” star Micah Sloat on the red carpet at last night’s 2010 Independent Spirit Awards ceremony, and he asked the actor to set the record straight.

“I know a lot, I can’t tell you–” he said, cracking into a smile before adding, “Well, just a little.”

“All I can tell you is I’m very excited for the project, it’s really cool, it’s gonna be really interesting and it’s not gonna suck, which most horror sequels… would. This is gonna be good,” he said. Of course, he would say such a thing, being involved with the sequel and all, but there’s no need to be cynical… yet. For now, Sloat shared the most encouraging bit of info he was able to: the sequel will follow in the footsteps of its record-breaking predecessor.

“Well we have money now, but we’re staying true to the heart of the movie, to the spirit of it, to the vision,” he explained. “That’s all I can say.”

What’s significant here is that Sloat is talking about the sequel at all. As anyone who’s seen the first movie knows, **SPOILER ALERT** his character is killed off at the end of the film. **END SPOILER** To hear Sloat talking about the sequel now, as though he’s involved, points to one of two possibilities: the sequel will in fact be a prequel or Sloat is in some way possessed or under the spell of the demonic force that possesses his haunted girlfriend Katie.

What do you think? How will Sloat be involved with the sequel?

Where do you want to see the “Paranormal Activity” sequel go?

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

Robert De Niro And Bradley Cooper Are Wandering In ‘The Dark Fields’
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper are starring alongside each other in an upcoming movie. No, it’s not “The Hangover 2,” though that would certainly be interesting to see — instead, the two actors are joining forces on a completely different kind of head-spinning story.

Variety reports that De Niro has signed on to star in “The Dark Fields,” an upcoming thriller from Relativity Media starring Cooper and directed by “The Illusionist” filmmaker Neil Burger.

Based on a novel by Alan Glynn and a script from Leslie Dixon, “The Dark Fields” focuses on a down-and-out writer played by Cooper who starts taking an unusual designer drug that gives him newfound intelligence and success. De Niro’s character is “a brilliant financial mogul” who pursues the writer, presumably based upon his discovery of the drug.

Last week, Coming Soon reported on “an unconfirmed tip” that Elizabeth Banks could star in the movie as the female lead. There is currently no official word on her casting.

I’m not going to sit here and suggest that De Niro hasn’t made a single clunker in his entire career, but his track record is pretty darn good regardless. The fact that he’s signed onto “The Dark Fields” is one heck of an endorsement in my book. It’s also a nice step up for Cooper, who is clearly rising the ranks in Hollywood from loathsome scoundrel to leading man. With these two talents on board and Banks rumored for a role, here’s hoping that “The Dark Fields” lives up to its potential.

Tell us what you think of the casting news in the comments or on Twitter!

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

‘The Last Train From Hiroshima’ Controversy Is ‘Only A Story Because I’m Involved,’ James Cameron Says
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

Earlier this week, it was reported that book publisher Henry Holt and Company had stopped production on Charles Pellegrino’s “The Last Train From Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back.” The reason? Some of Pellegrino’s sources were called into question, and subsequently the author himself. This is all significant because James Cameron had previously optioned the book for… something.

MTV’s Larry Carroll ran into Cameron last night on the red carpet at the “Global Green” pre-Oscars party. And while the focus of the evening was on preserving the environment, we managed to get a question in about “Hiroshima.” As you might expect, Cameron pretty much hit the buzz around Pellegrino and his book’s authenticity right on the nose.

It’s only a story because I’m involved. If I wasn’t involved it wouldn’t be a story. Hopefully that story will go away after the Oscars,” he said. I would argue that the questioning of a non-fiction author’s credibility is news no matter what, though Cameron is certainly correct in pointing out that his involvement contributed to the flare-up. Still, the filmmaker feels bad for his longtime collaborator.

“It’s unfortunate for [Pellegrino], who is a friend of mine, that he got duped by a faulty source. It doesn’t invalidate the other 99.9 percent of his book that’s based on years of careful interviews with survivors of the two bombings,” he said. Nor has the controversy impacted Cameron’s desire to cover the topic of the Japan bombings in film.

“It’s a subject that I’ve wanted to do a film about, that I’ve been wrestling with how to do it, over the years, and I don’t have an answer yet,” he explained. “[Pellegrino's] book is one of presumably many sources that I’ll use for information to be as historically accurate as possible.”

Cameron’s follow-up comments are interesting. “Obviously on ‘Titanic,’ we were as historically accurate as we could be, not only on the movie but on the subsequent documentary films, on the Bismarck film I did. I’m really into archaeology, history, and the accuracy with which that’s presented is critical.”

Comparing “Titanic” with this gestating Hiroshima idea suggests that Cameron might have more of a fictional or dramatized treatment in mind than had previously been speculated. He does make a point of including the follow-up documentaries — “Expedition: Bismarck” and “Ghosts of the Abyss” — as well, so I wouldn’t read too deeply into those words. Still, I wouldn’t complain if Cameron chose to follow “Avatar” with a dramatized World War II story, along the lines of Clint Eastwood’s “Letters from Iwo Jima” and “Flags of Our Fathers.”

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like 

A Shiny, New ‘Iron Man 2′ Trailer Is Coming This Sunday, Post-Oscars
Category: Movies>MTV Movie Blog

FROM SPLASH PAGE: A new “Iron Man 2” trailer will air Sunday night on ABC after the Academy Awards. The trailer will be introduced by Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Jr., during a special episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

The episode will air at 12:05 AM EST that night, and the trailer debut will be followed by musician Keith Urban performing from his new album. Until then, you can check out the previous “Iron Man 2″ trailer below:

Keep it locked to Splash Page for analysis of the new “Iron Man 2″ trailer.

Continue reading New ‘Iron Man 2′ Trailer To Debut After The Oscars

Blog contents are provided by MTV Movie Blog

0 people like this post.

Like