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The Weekly Moviegoer - Do Release Windows Really Matter?

Do you pay attention to movie release windows? If movies came out on DVD and Blu-Ray sooner, would it encourage you to wait to see more titles on home video instead of seeing them in the theater?

I can't imagine that the general population would answer yes to either of these questions. But the chance that they would is of great worry to American cinemas. That's why whenever a release window is shortened, the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) throws a fit. It's been awhile since one of the studios had the gall to significantly venture lower than the average length of time between theatrical release and

Zemeckis Continues Motion Capture Obsession with 'Airman'

At least Robert Zemeckis will leave the directing to Gil Kenan (Monster House, City of Ember) this time, as Variety reports that ImageMovers and Disney will be producing a $150 million motion capture adaptation of Airman, an action-adventure book by Eoin Colfer. The story centers on Connor, a boy who lives on an island off the coast of Ireland, where his father has the honorable job of protecting the King. But when the King is murdered, Connor is blamed for the crime and thrown into prison where he designs a flying machine that uses to escape. Oh, how I wish all prisoners did that while passing the time during their long sentences.

Akiva Goldsman Briefly Talks Guy Ritchie's Lobo & Swamp Thing

Another big Hollywood profile published this week was about writer/producer Akiva Goldsman, written by LA Times' comic book blogger Geoff Boucher. It's a great profile that looks at his career and addresses concerns over Batman & Robin, but Boucher also made sure to ask Goldsman about a few of the projects he's producing. At this moment, Goldsman is probably best known as a producer, and he was recently announced as the frontrunner on the Fantastic Four reboot at Fox. But he's also working on the adaptation of DC Comics' Lobo that Guy Ritchie is directing and the recently announced Swamp Thing adaptation.

Another Musical for Adam Shankman with 'Rock of Ages'

Director/choreographe Adam Shankman is no stranger to Broadway musicals as he brought the peppy 60's musical Hairspray to the big screen back in 2007. While the film was certainly a step away from the usually controversial cult classic work of John Waters that the musical was originally based on, the soundtrack was an absolute delight and almost made up for John Travolta's hideous drag of a performance (pun intended). Now Variety reports than Shankman will jump from the upbeat pop rock of the 60's to the eclectic rock anthems of the 80's, as he will direct an adaptation of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages.

Recycled Plot for Selena Gomez Film is Not 'What Boys Want'

As a matter of fact, I'm not sure anyone who isn't a teen girl would want this, but apparently the demand is high enough as Variety reports New Line has picked up What Boys Want, a comedy pitch for Disney star Selena Gomez to headline written by Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer. The story is all too familiar as it finds Gomez's character with the sudden ability to hear the thoughts of the boys around her. We've seen this trick before with the Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt comedy What Women Want, and now we can cue the jokes of boys being obsessed with breasts, masturbation and the random non sequitur's of immature humor.

Must Watch: Great Trailer for Yuen Woo-Ping's True Legend

From China comes True Legend (aka Su Qi-Er), the latest martial arts epic from Yuen Woo-Ping, the fight choreographer on all three Matrix movies and Kill Bill. The film stars Michelle Yeoh (who you'll recognize from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and Man Cheuk Chiu as the lead. IMDb lists David Carradine as part of the cast as well as Jay Chou, who is playing Kato in The Green Hornet, as the "God of Martial Arts." It's a tale, kind of like Gladiator, about a wealthy man who loses everything and becomes a true legend, a "King of Beggars." The fights in this look awesome and it reminds me a lot of Jet Li's Fearless. Check it out!

Epic New Trailer for James Cameron's Avatar in Theaters Friday!

Now everyone has a good reason to head to the movie theater this weekend. ComingSoon has confirmed with Fox that a new 3-and-1/2-minute trailer for James Cameron's Avatar will debut in theaters this Friday, October 23rd. They have also confirmed that the trailer will not be arriving online until Thursday, October 29th, so the only true way to see this trailer will be in theaters. We're not sure what film this will be attached to (stay tuned - checking with Fox) but I hope you go anyway and demand with the theater staff that you see it - as I have a feeling it'll be pretty epic and unquestionably worth seeing on the big screen.

First Photos & Poster from John Lennon Biopic Nowhere Boy

Nowhere Boy is a film that I've actually been looking forward to for quite a while. It may be because I love The Beatles or it may be because I'm actually excited to see a good musician biopic about a band I like. We covered the casting late last year and now the film is premiering at the London Film Festival this week. As part of that premiere, the first shots of Aaron Johnson as John Lennon as well as the official poster (or at least the official festival poster) have popped up online courtesy of The Playlist and Zimbio. Not only do the photos look great, but I really love the design of this poster. If only I could catch the premiere in London.

Un Prophete's Tahar Rahim Cast in Roman Epic Eagle of the Ninth

Focus Features announced today that French actor Tahar Rahim, the lead actor in my favorite foreign film of the year, Jacques Audiard's Un Prophete (read my review from Cannes), has been cast in The Eagle of the Ninth, his first big role since breaking out at Cannes earlier this year. The Eagle of the Ninth, being directed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play), is a Roman epic adventure that's currently shooting in and around England. In addition to Rahim, the film stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, and Mark Strong. Definitely sounds like a project we should be keeping our eyes on!

First Photos of Amber Heard in John Carpenter's The Ward

After roughly eight years, John Carpenter is finally back to directing once again. His newest film, The Ward, stars Amber Heard, Danielle Panabaker, Lyndsy Fonseca, and a few other young actresses, and is a psychological thriller set in a mental institution. Over on the production website (via Dread Central), a few new photos and a bit of early artwork for The Ward have popped up. Considering we've seen nothing from this yet and it is John Carpenter's long-awaited return to directing, I thought I'd feature these photos, which actually look pretty cool. The ghost looks damn creepy, too. They're not much, but still take a look below.

Must Read: New Yorker's Phenomenal Profile on James Cameron

I just finished reading, perhaps, the best article about the career and life of James Cameron that I have ever read. The New Yorker just published their epic (12 pages long - fitting for Cameron) profile on the filmmaker, detailing his early life and early career, from Terminator to The Abyss, his five wives (there are some funny stories in that section), to what he's been doing the last 10 years (scuba diving, developing 3D cameras, etc), and of course, all about Avatar and its development. Dana Goodyear spent more than a year writing this profile and it's this kind of awe-inspiring film journalism that I admire more than anything.

Stephen Fry is Writing Peter Jackson's Dambusters Remake?

Peter Jackson has been a very busy man recently. Not only did he produce and help successfully release District 9 this summer, but he's finishing up the last bit of work on The Lovely Bones, due out in December. He's also been helping direct The Adventures of Tintin with Steven Spielberg and, let's not forget, writing and preparing The Hobbit to shoot with Guillermo del Toro. However, according to a new report on Ain't It Cool News tonight, there's another project he's been working on - Dambusters, the remake of classic 1955 war film directed by Michael Anderson. And if all goes well, it may be the very next project he directs.