Moviefone New Releases
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'Avengers' Sinks 'Battleship' To Remain No. 1
LOS ANGELES — "The Avengers" continues to muscle out everything else Hollywood throws at it, easily sinking naval rival "Battleship" and other new releases.
With $55.1 million domestically, Disney's superhero sensation remained No. 1 for a third-straight weekend and took in more than the three big newcomers combined. "The Avengers" is approaching the $1.2 billion mark worldwide.
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'Battleship' And The Worst Toy Commercials Disguised As Movies (PHOTOS)
"Battleship," opening in theaters this weekend, tells the story of a brash young Navy officer who is swept up into a ... blah blah blah. Really, the only thing that matters here is that, after throwing down money for a ticket, you can go out and get that genuine "Battleship" experience once again by buying the board game, the electronic game, the video game and the LEGO knockoff KRE-Os.
In the end, a film from Hasbro, the company that brought you 'Tranformers," is really just an elaborately disguised plot to sell toys. (Yes, director Peter Berg claims that "Battleship" is an "art house movie." The only problem is he said that during the middle of a toy fair.)
Yet, as shameless as the whole "Battleship" endeavor may appear, it's not the worst toy commercial disguised as a movie. While Hollywood inches ever closer to resembling "The Mattel and Mars Bar Quick-Energy Choc-O-Bot Hour" from "The Simpsons" ( "Major Nougat! Gooey! Cocoa! Put down those entertaining Mattel products! Colonel Kataffy is up to his old tricks!"), audiences have to prepare for more board games, video games, comic books and candy wrappers that use cinema to hawk their wears.
To brace for this inevitable future of film, lets take a look at the most blatant toy commercials disguised as movies.
PHOTOS:
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'Hyde Park On Hudson' Trailer: Bill Murray As President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Is an Oscar in the cards for Bill Murray?
The first trailer for the movie "Hyde Park on Hudson," which stars Murray as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, has just debuted over on Yahoo.
The story follows FDR in the summer of 1939, as he and his wife Eleanor (Olivia Williams) host the King and Queen of England at their upstate New York home (a.k.a. Hyde Park on Hudson). It was the first time a reigning English monarch came to America. (The occasion was the Royals looking for FDR's support in the war with Germany.)
The story appears to be told through the eyes of Roosevelt's distant cousin, Margaret Suckley (Laura Linney), whom FDR was rumored to have an affair with. The role is a far cry from the character Murray plays in his next film, "Moonrise Kingdom."
You can watch the first clip above. "Hyde Park on Hudson" hits theaters on December 7. No word yet whether Murray dons a plaid jacket or spacesuit in the film.
[via Yahoo! Movies]
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New 'Magic Mike' Trailer: Channing Tatum Mentors Alex Pettyfer
If your Friday is lacking in the scantily-clad hunk department, don't worry: Channing Tatum's got you covered.
The second trailer for "Magic Mike" has just arrived, and features many of the same elements fans have already seen: Namely, Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey and Joe Manganiello stripping to the mood-elevating sounds of Rihanna's "We Found Love." (Hey, you can never have too much of a good thing, amirite?)
However, there's plenty of new footage to go around. Here, the Tatum-Pettyfer bromance takes center stage, as Mike (Tatum) helps hone The Kid's (Pettyfer) "entrepreneurial" skills. They even become best friends!
As a refresher, director Steven Soderbergh based the story off Tatum's real-life story, working as a stripper before breaking into the acting world. (It's all very meta.)
Take a look at the peck-filled trailer above. "Magic Mike" hits theaters on June 29.
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Jackie Chan Retires From Action Movies, Says He's Too Old For Stunts (UPDATE)
It looks like "Rumble in the Bronx 2" will never happen.
According to the Telegraph, after years of retirement rumors, Jackie Chan is done with action movies. Currently promoting his latest fight flick, "Chinese Zodiac," in Cannes, the Chinese-born star revealed his plans to exit the genre to focus on non-stunt based work.
“This is my last action film,” he said. “I tell you, I'm not young any more. I'm really, really tired. And the world is too violent right now. It's a dilemma -- I like action but I don't like violence.”
Chan, who's appeared in more than 100 films, is one of Hollywood's best-known martial arts stars. He appeared as a stuntman in dozens of Chinese kung-fu flicks, including Bruce Lee's "Enter the Dragon," before breaking it big in the states with the action-comedy "Rumble in the Bronx." By 1998, Chan had become a worldwide superstar, appearing acting Chris Tucker in the first of three "Rush Hour" films.
Chan, however, also made it clear that his action-movie retirement does not mean he's quitting acting for good. “For the last 10 years I have been making some other different movies. I want to be an Asian Robert De Niro. I don't just want to be an action star, I want to be a true actor. I want to get rid of my image ... I want the audience to know I'm not only a comedian. I can act. Day by day, year by year, I'm going to show you the real...
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The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival: A Preview |
This weekend the city of Fort Lauderdale will once again open its doors to Hollywood and the world of international cinema during its premiere movie-going event: The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. The festival, which is celebrating its landmark 25th anniversary this year, starts this Friday, October 22 with the Southeast premiere of actor-director Edward Burns’ (“The Brothers McMullen”) ninth feature, the comedy “Nice Guy Johnny,” and will conclude on November 11 with the Florida premiere of director George Hickenlooper’s (“Hearts of Darkness,” “Factory Girl”) “Casino Jack” starring Academy Award winning actor Kevin Spacey.
In the two weeks between “Nice Guy Johnny” and “Casino Jack,” more than 150 films, new and old will screen at the festival – from short films by budding filmmakers to big studio Hollywood pictures by some of the world’s most renowned filmmakers. Among the most anticipated films screening at the fest this year will be director Darren Aronofsky’s highly anticipated psychological thriller “Black Swan” starring Natalie Portman; director Danny Boyle’s thrilling follow up to his Academy Award-winning “Slumdog Millionaire,” the true-life drama “127 Hours” starring James Franco; “Endure,” a central Florida-set police procedural drama starring Judd Nelson, Devon Sawa and Tom Arnold; “Carancho,” Argentina’s official entry for the 2011 Academy Awards; hit French romantic comedy “Heartbreaker” starring Vanessa Paradis and Romain Duris; another true life drama “Conviction” which stars Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell; “Made in Dagenham,” Nigel Cole’s drama about the uprising of the feminist movement in 1960s England budding star Sally Hawkins; acclaimed German drama “When We Leave” which is Germany’s entry for the 2011 Academy Awards; and "The Trotsky," a coming-of-age comedy starring rising star Jay Baruchel.
Being a resident of the city and a big proponent for the advancement of the moviegoing community of South Florida, you can be rest assured that I’ll be covering the festival. Expect reviews of most to all of the movies I’ve mentioned above. Additionally, my friend and fellow South Florida Movie Examiner Steven Liebowitz (West Palm Beach and Miami Movie Examiner) will also be covering the festival in depth in the upcoming weeks, attending some of the after-parties as well. Make sure you follow his experience with the festival over here.
Among the stars scheduled to make appearances at the festival include controversial documentary filmmaker Michael Moore (“Bowling for Columbine,” “Fahrenheit 9/11”) who will participate in a Q&A event, Edward Burns, Judd Nelson, Michael Murphy (who will be receiving the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award) and most notably screen legend Jane Russell who will also be presented with a Lifetime Achievement award.
More information about the festival, list of movies, screening schedules and ticket information can be found at the festival’s official website www.fliff.com.
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