Dec 22 2008 Jim Carrey Better Than Will Smith... For Now
These movies made money this weekend. DID YOU?
1. Yes Man - $18.2 million. Speculation is already starting about the loss of Jim Carrey's star power. Good to focus on that, rather than the logic of re-writing Liar Liar with a slightly different gimmick.
2. Seven Pounds - $16 million. Same here--the issue is definitely Will Smith losing his box office dominance, not that absolutely nothing about the film seemed in any way intriguing to anyone.
3. The Tale of Despereaux - $10.5 million. Is Matthew Broderick's voice losing its star power???
4. The Day the Earth Stood Still - $10.2 million. It turns out "the day the earth stood still" does not refer to the birth of baby Jesus. Just some kind of alien thing not at all relevant to Christmas.
5. Four Christmases - $7.7 million. On the other hand, this film was almost exclusively relevant to Christmases. Essentially, it was a movie composed of four distinct Christmases.
Weekend Box Office [Box Office Mojo]
Dec 15 2008 Audiences Pay for 'Day the Earth Stood Still'
This weekend's box office results:
1. The Day the Earth Stood Still - $31 million, though that could still rise dramatically once we get the numbers back from space
2. Four Christmases - $13.3 million. The constant trickle of festively-dressed, moderately-entertained people leaving theaters has barely slowed.
3. Twilight - Indisputably our largest form of vampire revenue, bringing in another $8 million.
4. Bolt - $7.5 million. Another unimpressive weekend exhibits the post-Beverly Hills Chihuahua talking dog malaise.
5. Australia - $4.3 million--still a disappointing take, but at least providing Hugh Jackman a great joke to use at the Oscars this year: "Hey, Australia didn't make anywhere near its massive budget back! Am I right?"
Weekend Box Office Results [Box Office Mojo]
Dec 11 2008 'Day the Earth Stood Still' Playing in Alpha Centauri, 2012
As reader Joshua, who sent this in, said, if aliens aren't already planning to kill us, this may give them the motivation:
Twentieth Century Fox makes history by transmitting the first motion picture in to deep space, making The Day the Earth Stood Still the world's first galactic motion picture release. The first deliberate deep space transmission of this highly anticipated science fiction thriller will begin this Friday, December 12, 2008, to coincide with the film's opening day on Planet Earth. If any civilizations are currently orbiting Alpha Centauri, they will be able to receive and view the film approximately four years from now in the year 2012.
An industry frightened to death of illegal downloading and they're just beaming this into space willy nilly? Don't be fools! Bootlegs of this thing will be on a blanket in Alien Chinatown by approximately December 13, 2012.
To make things worse, Fox isn't content just making a lackluster, Keanu Reeves-starring sci-fi remake our official broadcast to other worlds. They're also hoping for some reviews:
Commented Twentieth Century Fox domestic distribution president Bruce Snyder: "We at Fox always like to think big, and what's bigger than a 'galactic' release of a major motion picture event? We look forward to sharing The Day the Earth Stood Still with our galactic neighbors near Alpha Centauri -- and look forward to their feedback...eight years from now."
Ooh, I get it now. This is all a scientifically-advanced ploy to bump up the film's 24% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Fox knows that if alien civilizations are anything like ours, they too probably have a Bill Goodykoontz of the Arizona Republic out there ready to say, "If you don't look at that Klaaatu character and see a bit of yourself, you're watching the wrong movie. Go into the theater ready and willing to see us aliens portrayed as wooden and preachy, sit back, and enjoy a fun one from Earth! 3 1/2 nebulon pulsars." Then The Day the Earth Stood Still is sitting pretty with a 29% just in time for the Blu-Ray 2 release.
Nov 14 2008 'Day the Earth Stood Still' Poster Has These Sweet Jets
Keanu may get the biggest credit, but I think we all know who the star of this film really is. Jets.
Jets: awesome. And keeping the world safe from aliens since the 4th of July attacks of 1996.
Jul 24 2008 Gort News: New Gort-Prominent 'Day the Earth Stood Still' Poster
To further address false rumors that Gort would not appear in the upcoming remake The Day the Earth Stood Still, or that if he did it would be in a radically updated form, Fox has released another poster for the film that prominently features the famous robot. Now what are they going to do about all the rumors I'm starting that Gort is a mist-enshrouded Scooby Doo villain who will eventually be revealed to be an old man in a rubber mask?
Earth Stood Still Posters [JoBlo]
Jul 11 2008 Gort News: See the Gort That Could Have Been
Earlier this month, The Day the Earth Stood Still director Scott Derrickson revealed that, before deciding to go with the original design for Gort--the iconic robot and most-recognizable element from the 1951 film--he had experimented with needlessly updating the look to closer match today's aesthetic of awesome. But what would this new design have looked like? Someone pondered this, leading them to the website of Lorin Wood, a concept artist for the film, and revealing this reimagined design. Basically, New Gort would have looked like the hulking robot oaf who beat up Original Gort for refusing to take off his shirt in gym class. Not all of us have broad, ridiculously short torsos, OK?
To Gort or Not to Gort [AICN]
Jul 7 2008 'Day the Earth Stood Still' Trailer Now Official, Plus: Gort News!
If you missed the quickly-pulled trailer to The Day the Earth Stood Still teaser trailer last week, you're in relative luck! It's now available in several convenient sizes to watch until you can figure out exactly what Keanu Reeves is going for. (Autistic android?)
Now, Gort News: Director Scott Derrickson spoke up about the brief appearance of Gort (above) at the end of the trailer, confirming that it wasn't by some miracle of random chance that the robot so closely resembles the original version. It turns out they tried for that--but only after desperately attempting to ruin the look of one of the most iconic and recognizable robots of all time. From MTV:
“It was intentional,” Derrickson said. “I certainly took a lot of time to explore other possibilities. It wasn’t just a foregone conclusion in my mind that we would be sticking to the original. I tried looking at a lot of different possibilities, worked on a lot of different ideas with artists and just always a nagging sense that there was something right about the way the original, that there was something about this alien entity choosing a human form or being in a human form that had value even by modern standards, not by 1950 standards. I also am such a fan of the original film. You have to also just have some respect for Gort. Gort is Gort. There’s no question what we designed pays homage to the original.”
Of course, he Derrickson note that his idea of "paying homage to the original" means placing the original head of Gort on the body of a 2010 Ford Focus, with the familiar phrase, "Klaatu barada nikto," being replaced by "Stylish, affordable, and at 35 mpg, you can't afford not to stop by your neighborhood Ford dealer!" But at least he's trying.
Jul 3 2008 'Day the Earth Stood Still' Trailer is Incredibly Keanu-y
I've never seen Keanu so Keanu-y. In trying to take on the role of an alien, he's somehow become an exaggerated, even more lifeless version of himself, and it's very, very strange to behold. If standard Keanu was the final boss of a video game, this trailer's Keanu is like the super powerful, insanely difficult version that emerges after you beat the normal one. Keanu but more so, and all without even uttering a "whoa."
Continue Reading " 'Day the Earth Stood Still' Trailer is Incredibly Keanu-y "
Nov 6 2007 Some Other Crap That Happened...
- Are you as old as 70, yet still somehow young and fresh-faced? Are you cool with having half your eyebrow shaved off? Are you extremely plain, perfect-looking, or an absolute mutant, yet still thin and athletic, like a graceful Elephant Man? Yes? Then you can be in Star Trek!
- Jennifer Connelly has joined Keanu Reeves in the cast of The Day the Earth Stood Still, a remake of the sci-fi classic, now with more attractive people. [Variety]
- Jeanne Tripplehorn will play Jackie O in Grey Gardens, the story of her reclusive cousin and aunt. Not Julia Louis-Dreyfus? Have these people not seen Seinfeld? [Reuters]
