“Toy Story” and “E.T.” Ready to Return to the Big Screen

Woody and Buzz Lightyear are back… and they have issues. Naturally. Why else would there be a “Toy Story 3?” The popular playthings with attitude are reportedly coping with abandonment issues in the new “Toy Story” sequel. While the new flick isn’t set to debut in theaters until next year, insiders are dropping hints about what the gang will be facing in the third installment. According to John Lasseter, director of the first two “Toy Story” movies and chief creative officer for Pixar and Disney animation, Woody and Buzz learn what happens when a child loses interest in his former … Continue reading →

A Haunting in Connecticut

Another ghost story based on a true event is currently in theaters. But, with information suggesting that another famous “true” ghost story, the Amityville Horror, was a hoax, you have to wonder what is really real. In case you haven’t seen The Haunting in Connecticut (and I haven’t either – not the type of film you take a four year old to), here’s the back story. Carmen Reed, her then husband, three children, and two nieces moved into a home on Meriden Avenue in Southington, Connecticut in the ‘80s. The night the family moved into the former funeral home, Reed’s … Continue reading →

Sean Penn and Jim Carrey the New Stooges and Bob Barker Returns to “Price is Right”

Sean Penn as Larry from “The Three Stooges?” I’d have to see it to believe it… and even then I might not accept it. Then again, Penn is a double Oscar winner, so perhaps it won’t be that much of a stretch. After all, Penn did get his start in Hollywood playing goofball Jeff Spicoli in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” Regardless, the news of Penn signing on to play Larry in the Farrelly brothers’ big-screen update of “The Three Stooges” still caught me off guard. Penn is teaming up with Jim Carrey (who is currently “in negotiations” for the … Continue reading →

Actors that Turned Down Iconic Roles – Part Three

Okay, I promise I will stop after this one! I just find it fascinating to think of certain actors in certain roles: John Cusack as John Bender in The Breakfast Club? No doubt that Judd Nelson was perfect in this role, but how would John Cusack have faired? It certainly didn’t hurt his career to miss this role. Judd Nelson on the other hand… Bruce Willis as Sam Wheat in Ghost? Yep, apparently this one was given to Bruce Willis to read first, but he thought playing a ghost would be bad for his career. Wait, didn’t he play a … Continue reading →

Actors that Turned Down Iconic Roles – Part Two

Last blog, I was talking about how actors turned down iconic film roles, for whatever reason – it just didn’t interest them, they had a previous commitment, etc. Here are a few more people that turned down very important roles: Sean Connery as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings? Oh sure, Connery has made his mark in cinema, but he turned down the role of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, saying he “didn’t understand the script.” Too bad for Connery – he was offered up to 15% of the box office receipts by New Cinema, which could … Continue reading →

Focus on the Oscars: About the Academy Awards

The Academy Awards was first held on May 16, 1929 at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood. The ceremony, which was hosted by Douglas Fairbanks and William C. DeMille (older brother of Cecil), honored films from 1927 and 1928. Rather than being a big, glitzy production, the first Academy Awards was a private dinner held for less than 250 people. This year will be the 81st Academy Awards ceremony and will be held across the street from the Hotel Roosevelt in the Kodak Theatre. Every year, the awards have been broadcast, first on the radio, then on television (after it became … Continue reading →

Focus on the Oscars: Slumdog Millionaire

Tonight, is the Academy Awards and among those nominated for Best Picture is a film that features Brad Pitt, one that features Leonardo DiCaprio, and one that features Sean Penn. There is a film that chronicles the exchange between a talk show host and a disgraced U.S. President. And then, there is Slumdog Millionaire. More than any of the other films, Slumdog Millionaire has generated a ton of Oscar buzz. Although many mistake it for a Bollywood film because of its Indian background, it is actually a British film. It was written by Simon Beaufov and directed Danny Boyle. It … Continue reading →

Jason’s Back

If you wonder which “Jason” I am referring to in the title, chances are you are not a big Friday the 13th fan. Friday the 13th was one of the original slasher films that helped define the genre. If you have never seen a movie from the franchise, the story centers (mostly) around Jason Voorhees, the deceased son of Pamela Sue Voorhees. Pamela Sue was the cook at Camp Crystal Lake in 1957. Her son Jason, who had been made fun of by the others at camp, decided to go swimming one night to show the kids he could and … Continue reading →

The 2008 Golden Raspberry Awards

It is time for the Golden Raspberry Awards, more affectionately known as the Razzies. Well, at least affectionately by those not receiving one. While the Oscars honor the best films of the year, the Razzies “honor” the worst. Since 1981, the Razzies have razzed the best of the worst. The awards are given out the day before the Oscars, but typically the winners don’t show up for the ceremony. While some entertainers reluctantly accept their Razzie awards after the ceremony, a few have actually showed up to accept their awards in person. The first was director Paul Verhoeven who won … Continue reading →

Sundance in Full Bloom

Believe it or not, there are other events going on in the world other than Barack Obama’s inauguration today. For example, the famed Sundance Film Festival is currently going on in Park City, Utah and those stars that aren’t in Washington, D.C. are surely there hobnobbing with each other. This year, rock documentaries are big with Tom DiCillo’s When You’re Strange. When You’re Strange contains footage of Doors frontman Jim Morrison and keyboardist Ray Manzarek that was shot by a UCLA film school buddy between 1966 and 1971. DiCillo wanted to do a Doors film because he himself is a … Continue reading →