The Queen: An Incredible Story

The death of Princess Diana is one of the most memorable tragedies in recent history. The Queen explores the private story behind the royal family's lack of public appearance after her death. The film takes the subtle approach of exploring the Diana story from the viewpoint of the royal family unlike any other film based on tragic events in history. The Queen is historical storytelling at its best. Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II delivers an uncannily realistic portrayal and provides one of the greatest performances of 2006.

Quick Review of Infamous

Infamous is another telling of how celebrated author Truman Capote came to write "In Cold Blood"; this was made at the same time as Capote, but released a year later. Infamous starts off with an odd but lively scene with Gwyneth Paltrow singing in a nightclub - her one-scene cameo appearance gets the film off and moving. This take on the murder investigation and Capote's night life isn't perfect or subtle, but Toby Jones' great performance as Capote is a remarkable feat. The film is playful and funny, as well as dark and unsettling. The use of onscreen character interviews doesn't work; it's useful to pile on exposition but they temporarily halt the narrative flow.

FS.net's Weekly Openings Report - Friday the 13th

Wide release openings for Friday, October 13th include: The Grudge 2, Man of the Year, The Marine, and Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker.

Limited release openings include: Tideland, Infamous, Shortbus, Deliver Us From Evil, and Driving Lessons.

Amber Tamblyn in The Grudge 2 opening this weekend.

FirstShowing Weekend Suggestion: The Grudge 2. This is the only somewhat good film that isn't a limited release coming out on this rather bland weekend. Little Children is a must see as well if you can find a theater showing it.

Head out to your local movie theater and watch one of these newly released movies! And don't forget to leave a comment with your own review or thoughts on any movies you saw this weekend.

Special Grudge 2 Events in Colorado on Friday the 13th

For anyone interested in hearing about the upcoming Grudge 2 events we're hosting in Colorado this upcoming Friday, this post is for you!

FirstShowing.net is hosting opening day events for Sony's The Grudge 2 this Friday exclusively in Colorado Springs and Denver, CO. We will be giving away plenty of awesome Grudge 2 hats, t-shirts, and posters that you can't find anywhere else (not just for Grudge 2 - other Sony films as well). We are only running these events at two different showings on Friday evening, so don't miss out. These are one-time-only exclusive events in our October Horror Series!

We had a great time last week at the Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning events and now this upcoming Friday the 13th is the day for Grudge 2. So if you just want to see The Grudge 2 or are a fan of Grudge at all, then you want to make sure you get to the FirstShowing.net showings this Friday the 13th!

Click for times and details for The Grudge 2 events in Colorado!

Harry Potter 5 Trailer Hype - Even More On November 17th!

Oh no, this is going to be one crazy weekend. November 17th, the very same weekend that I am calling the Biggest Weekend for Entertainment Ever, is also the same weekend that the last Spider-Man 3 trailer of this year will debut in front of Casino Royale, is now also the same weekend that the first trailer for Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix will debut in front of Happy Feet as well. ComingSoon.net reported that Warner Brothers has announced that it will show in front of their film Happy Feet.

Holy crap, I don't even need to say how insane of a week/weekend that will be. Just take a look at this post here. And don't forget to now add on a trailer for the incredible hyped Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix as well as a Spider-Man 3 trailer. The 5th installment in the franchise, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, is due out on July 13, 2007.

Grindhouse - Planet Terror Trailer Online NOW!

Holy CRAP the trailer for Robert Rodriguez's and Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse, specificaly just Rodriguez's Planet Terror side (cause Tarantino's side is not even done filming), has been posted up online! It's a direct rip from the Scream Awards shown yesterday on SpikeTV (all the info on that can be found at spiketv.com). Check out this badboy, as it looks AMAZING! We've been talking about it ever since they showed plenty of juicy clips at Comic-Con!

Grindhouse features two complete films, one made by Robert Rodriguez and one by Quentin Tarantino, together in one feature. Rodrigue'z side, called Planet Terror, is a zombie flick starring Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodríguez, and Josh Brolin. Tarantino's side, called Death Proof, is a slasher flick starring Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike and Rosario Dawson. The movie is due out in cinema houses on April 6, 2007.

Newer, Better Ghost Rider Posters

Sorry for all the poster hype recently, but, it is hype! Anyway… Last week there was a big revealing of a new Ghost Rider poster - right in time for the new trailer which also got quite a bit of negative gripe. A few of the comments I heard about the poster were that people wanted more of just the flaming bike, or more of Ghost Rider's gnarly flaming skeleton head. Well, you've learned your lesson for today, and that's that Sony does listen, and they are smart!

  
Click each for full-size.

These posters were released recently and fulfill that desire for exactly what everyone wanted. Now, I cannot confirm if these are official posters, as they seem a bit fan-created-ish. But if they are real, then these are truly badass - and I want about 10 of each!

Ghost Rider will be released by Sony Pictures on February 16, 2007. It stars Nic Cage as Ghost Rider and Eva Mendes and is being directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Check out our Comic-Con press conference video here.

Saw III Posters Made From Jigsaw's Blood

Variety published an article on the newly created Saw III promo posters that have actually been created with the blood of Tobin Bell, who plays Jigsaw in the movie. They used some of Bell's blood that was mixed in with the red ink to be printed on the poster. Lionsgate marketing guru Tim Palen came up with the idea when discussing how to create the deepest blood red color.

"We decided to do a poster and he's wearing a red cloak. I was talking to the printer and asked what we could do to get the deepest blood red. I asked if it would be possible to use actual blood. There was silence. He said, 'We could try, but are you serious?' I said I was dead serious," Palen said.

Bell also went silent when Palen presented his idea.

"He said, 'That's really weird,'" Palen recalled. But Bell agreed, and a trip to the doctor's office was skedded.

The 1000 posters from the first printing will be sold for $20, where the first one, signed by the cast and crew, will be auctioned off. You can bid on the auction or buy them right here (currently closed). This is all part of the Saw blood drive that Lionsgate has run every year in coordination with each movie's release. The proceeds from the sale of the posters and the auction will go to the Red Cross.

Saw III will be released in theaters on October 27th. We are running special events for the movie, check here for more info.

All in all this is one of the coolest ideas I've ever heard of or seen for a poster. Tim Palen and his marketing ideas for Saw have been incredible. They're part of what has made the Saw franchise so incredibly succesful and will guarantee and greater success for Saw III opening on October 27th. I know I'm buying at least one of these posters!

HypeCast Episode #08: Sex in Movies

This Week's Episode:
News: Platinum Dunes Remakes; New Release Dates; 300 / Ghost Rider Trailers; LucasFilm Leaving Feature Films; Watchmen Update
Employee of the Month / The Departed / Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning / Shortbus Reviews
Main Topic: Sex in Movies
Featured Guest: Peter Sciretta of SlashFilm
Upcoming Weekend

Download HypeCast Episode #08
Editor's Note: This week ran a little long… Enjoy anyway - as it is great discussion.

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Format:

98:53, 67.90MB, MP3

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Luc Besson Update: He's Not Entirely Finished

We posted some news a month back about Fifth Element director Luc Besson ending his film career after his 10th film Arthur and the Invisibles due out in January. Well, Screen Daily talked with Besson about this and discovered that he may not be entirely done with a career in film. Besson said that he would consider going back to do some more work if he found a good script.

"I made 10 films and I never would have imagined being able to do that when I was young. It's the end of a cycle, that's certain. If I don't direct any more films, that's fine. I've said what I had to say. But, I am not an idiot. If someone shows me a good script, I'll direct it."

Besson also went on to say that if Arthur and the Invisibles is successful, he will consider making the sequel, Arthur and the Forbidden City, as well. I have not seen Arthur and the Invisibles yet, however based on the trailer and given that it is Luc Besson, I'll give it a good chance. And who knows, maybe we'll see him back in film again every now and then.

Great News for The Dark Knight - Hans Zimmer Back

One of the best parts of Batman Begins was the amazing soundtrack - one of the best scores I've ever heard… ever! And this was due largely to the brilliant work of the great Hans Zimmer. He's the same man behind such greats as The Lion King's Oscar winning score, Gladiator's beautiful score, and most recently, the score for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest's (and At World's End).

The good news is that he's confirmed (via an interview on SoundtrackNet) to be back again for the Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight. I did not fear his leaving, but this is a welcome confirmation. This just adds on another awesome element of what is looking to make The Dark Knight awesome. Just keep adding more and more and it could turn out even better than Batman Begins, but that will prove to be awfully tough.

The Power of The One Ring: The Hobbit's Petition Has Done Well!

After the announcement just a few weeks back that MGM and New Line together have put the green light on The Hobbit movie, a whole bunch (actually around 50,000) of concerned fans decided to start an online petition for the movie. Massive Tolkien / Lord of the Rings fansite TheOneRing.net coordinated the petition and gained 39,116 signatures before sending it off, along with their open letter, to MGM / New Line. Their request was largely for Peter Jackson, WETA, Sir Ian McKellen, and Andy Serkis to all be signed for the movie. And remarkably, it was nearly successful!

Over the weekend TheOneRing.net posted a letter that they had received back from MGM stating the following:

"Dear organizers of The Hobbit Petition:

We would like to give you the official statement from Rick Sands, COO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. Feel free to pass this along to your members and affiliated web sites. Thank you and please see below:

"Peter Jackson's phenomenal success with The Lord of the Rings trilogy makes him the first and most ideal choice for directing The Hobbit," said MGM COO Rick Sands. "MGM would be thrilled to collaborate with the Academy Award-winning director on this MGM New Line Cinema production. And, I'm sure to the delight of the 50,000 filmgoers who have petitioned us in recent weeks, demanding we bring this film to fruition, we have had a few initial conversations about the project with Mr. Jackson's representatives."

Best regards,

Theo Dumont
Manager of Public Relations
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc."

I've got to give it to them, those die-hard Hobbit / Lord of the Rings fans can really kick some ass. This is good news, especially since anyone in the right mind (myself included) agrees with them and their request for Peter Jackson, WETA, Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis. I think we're all tired of the horrible sequels and remakes Hollywood is putting out and no one wants to see The Hobbit (given both the success of the Lord of the Rings movies as well as the beloved nature of the story even more so than Lord of the Rings) get butchered by Hollywood, and to start, Peter Jackson, WETA, Ian McKellen, and Andy Serkis as essentials to make it happen correctly.

Nightmare Before Christmas 3D (OHS)

October Horror Series Event

Friday, October 20th

The third event in the month of October's horror series here at FirstShowing.net! We will be meeting up at the Chipotle near the theater beforehand for anyone who's interested and wants to meet some fellow horror fans and/or the FirstShowing.net staff. Check back soon for more event details.

We have exclusive shirts and more to give out - so don't miss these events!

Colorado Springs, CO:

Cinemark 16 Theater (off Powers Blvd.) [MAP]
7:00PM and 9:30PM Showings [Buy Tickets]

Meet-up at Chipotle at 5:45PM
(south of the theatre in the Powers & Carefree Circle South shopping center)
View the Map to Chipotle, Colorado Springs

Denver, CO:

UA Colorado Mills 16 Theater (at the Colorado Mills Mall) [MAP]
7:30PM and 9:45PM Showings [Buy Tickets]

Meet-up at Chipotle at 6:15PM
(on the north west side of the Colorado Mills Mall)
View the Map to Chipotle, Denver

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Ravishes Through 83 Minutes (Alex's Take)

I'll admit that I'm not that big of a horror fan. I've seen just a few horror movies and I've been gaining a bit of respect for them ever since Saw 2. I've been looking forward to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and I can now say with certainty that it is an entertaining and gruesome experience. The Beginning is a slaughterhouse of gore from its very start to its finish, and it delivers it at a fast-paced non-stop intensity. The Beginning is a must see for any horror genre fans and anyone looking for plenty of thrills and screams.

Employee of the Month Lacks Originality (Alex's Take)

Employee of the Month brings together plenty of inspiration and jokes from a bountiful selection of other comedy greats, but the whole here is much less than the sum of its parts. After a hilarious first half, the film degrades to a predictable mush no more worthy than any of the other mediocre comedies that are being put out this year. What does make Employee of the Month stand out is its inclusion of some of the greatest on-screen and on-stage comedians around: Dane Cook, Andy Dick and Harland Williams. These three provide the laughs in what few memorable moments Employee of the Month offers moviegoers.