Curtis Hanson & Searchlight Making Feature About Phony Cop

Curtis Hanson & Searchlight Making Feature About Phony Cop: "

Unless you're from Gerald, Missouri, you probably don't know who Bill Anthony Jakob is, but you'll find out soon. Deadline reports that Fox Searchlight has signed on to produce a film about Jakob to be written by actor Clark Gregg (who wrote and directed Choke) and directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, 8 Mile, Lucky You) seen above. The original intent was to turn the story into a comedy, but since it wasn't funny for those involved (more on that below), they decided otherwise. Deadline doesn't say when this will go into production, but I hope it's sooner than later, since this is just such a wacky story. So who is this guy?

Bill Anthony Jakob is security guard charged in a 23-count indictment for impersonating police officers. He appeared in the small Missouri town of Gerald with a phony badge and convinced officials that he could use the Patriot Act and the Homeland Security Dept. to crack down on the drug dealers. It worked effectively for a while and Jakob helped clean up a 'scourge of meth labs.' He was later discovered when a reporter writing about him did a search online and found out he was phony. He was simply just a rogue cop who thought he could pose as a federal agent and pull this off. Doesn't that sound like a fantastic story to be adapted into a feature film? Especially from the guy who directed L.A. Confidential? So why isn't this shooting already?!

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VOTD: Overused Phrases in Movies - “We’ve Got Company!”

VOTD: Overused Phrases in Movies - “We’ve Got Company!”: "

There are a lot of overused phrases in movies, and “We’ve Got Company!” is at the top of the list. Guy Bauer created a one-minute montage showing some of the movies and television show in which the phrase has been used. Watch it, embedded after the jump.

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Grown Ups Movie Trailer

Grown Ups Movie Trailer: "

Columbia Pictures has released a full movie trailer for the new Adam Sandler comedy Grown Ups. The film stars Chris Rock, Kevin James, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Steve Buscemi, Maria Bello, Gary Busey and David Spade, and is directed by Dennid Dugan, the filmmaker behind of some of Sandler’s earlier films like Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy, but who recently has been responsible for some comic clunkers like I Now Pronouce You Chuck & Larry, and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan. Does this movie look any better? When I posted an earlier teaser trailer, I commented that is felt like:

“a fairly generic comedy, even more so than the recent Sander efforts. It looks like Almost makes you wish that Sandler was still making second rate romantic comedies with Drew Barrymore again. You know, when they at least featured a few good jokes. And what is that on Kevin James’ face? That can’t be a beard, is it”

And this trailer isn’t much better. Watch the full trailer after the jump, and leave your thoughts in the comments ago.

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Terribly Unfunny Full Trailer for Adam Sandler's Grown Ups

Terribly Unfunny Full Trailer for Adam Sandler's Grown Ups: "

Its been five months since Sony debuted the teaser trailer for Grown Ups, starring Sandler, Schneider, Rock, James, Spade, Hayek, and Buscemi, but the official theatrical trailer is finally here (via MySpace). Unfortunately, my interest in this just went from slight to none. There's nothing funny about this, nothing exciting about it, no potential at all. It gets really bad when the entire group of kids and adults just stand around going 'ohhh!' every time Kevin James gets hurt. Who laughs at this kind of stuff? Now I know one movie that I will staying far away from this summer. If you still want to watch this trailer, then read on.

Watch the theatrical trailer for Grown Ups:

You can also watch the Grown Ups trailer in High Definition on MySpace

Thirty years after their high school graduation, five friends reunite for a Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Grown Ups is directed by long-time comedy director Dennis Dugan, of You Don't Mess with the Zohan, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, The Benchwarmers, National Security, Saving Silverman, Big Daddy, Beverly Hills Ninja, and Happy Gilmore previously. The screenplay was co-written by Adam Sandler, Tim Herlihy (Bedtime Stories, Mr. Deeds), and Fred Wolf (Dickie Roberts, Without a Paddle). Sony is bringing Grown Ups to theaters everywhere on June 25th. So am I the only one who thinks this just looks terrible?

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Geoff Johns Talks Green Lantern and the Future of the DC Comics Movies

Geoff Johns Talks Green Lantern and the Future of the DC Comics Movies: "

At WonderCon, Geoff Johns hinted that a Justice League of America live-action feature film might be in development, responding that he “Can’t talk about it yet, but we’ll talk in San Diego.” Today Comic Book Resources posted their annual 20 question reader Q&A with Johns which prodded CCO of DC Comics about what other potential big screen adaptations of other DC comic book properties we might expect to see:

“I can’t get into the exact DC slate right now, but we’re all working heavily on what that is with Warner Bros. and there will be news forthcoming. But, you can bet there is going to be a lot more than there is right now.”

I’m assuming that the forthcoming news will probably be announced at San Diego Comic-Con International this Summer. Johns was also asked about the Green Lantern movie, about his experiences on set, and his early impressions of Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan. Answer after the jump.

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Movie Trailer: Neil Jordan’s Ondine

Movie Trailer: Neil Jordan’s Ondine: "

Magnolia Pictures has released the official movie trailer for Neil Jordan’s Ondine The dramatic fantasy story stars Colin Farrell as an Irish fisherman who discovers a woman in his fishing net who he believes to be a mermaid. Farrell’s current girlfriend and actress Alicja Bachleda plays the suspected mermaid.

The film premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and was met with good, but not great, reviews. Our friends at FirstShowing saw the film at the Canadian film fest, and say it is “a heartwarming feel with some beautiful cinematography, impressive acting, and just a wonderful story, that it’s easy to fall in love with this film.” Watch the trailer after the jump and leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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Worth Watching: Official US Trailer for Neil Jordan's Ondine

Worth Watching: Official US Trailer for Neil Jordan's Ondine: "

Once upon a time. Mangolia has debuted the official US trailer on Apple for Neil Jordan's Ondine starring Colin Farrell as an Irish fisherman and the gorgeous Alicja Bachleda (who is currently dating Farrell). While this wasn't my favorite film of the Toronto Film Festival last year, it's one of a few that has stuck with me ever since I first saw it. It has such a heartwarming feel with some beautiful cinematography, impressive acting, and just a wonderful story, that it's easy to fall in love with this film. It's already played in Europe, but Magnolia will finally be bringing this to theaters in June, so be sure to go see it if it's playing near you!

Watch the official US trailer for Neil Jordan's Ondine:

You can also watch the official Ondine trailer in High Definition on Apple

Both written and directed by Neil Jordan (of The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire and The Brave One), Ondine is a lyrical modern fairy tale that tells the story of Syracuse (Colin Farrell), an Irish fisherman whose life is transformed when he catches a beautiful and mysterious woman (Alicja Bachleda) in his nets. His daughter Annie comes to believe that the woman is a magical creature, while Syracuse falls helplessly in love. However, like all fairy tales, enchantment and darkness go hand in hand. A story of love, hope and the unwavering belief in the impossible. Magnolia is bringing Ondine to limited theaters starting on June 4th.

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Samuel Jackson & Kellan Lutz Cast in Indie Flick 'Deathsport'

Samuel Jackson & Kellan Lutz Cast in Indie Flick 'Deathsport': "

This already sounds a bit iffy from that title. Heat Vision reports that Samuel Jackson and Kellan Lutz are in negotiations to join the 'indie action' movie Deathsport directed by former visual effects supervisor and first-time director Jonah Loop. The story centers on a young man (Lutz) who is kidnapped and forced into the savage world of a modern gladiator arena, where men fight to the death for the entertainment of the online masses. Jackson orchestrates the games, overseeing them from his computer lair with the help of twin ladies who see to his every desire. So is this a remake of the 1978 Deathsport or just 'inspired' by it?

I'm sorry, but this sounds like one of those movies we'll find in the $1 bargain bin five years from now. Sure, modern gladiator fights might be cool to see, but it got very cheesy with Jackson and his 'twin ladies.' Plus, Lutz isn't that great of an actor anyway. The film is being developed by the Motion Picture Corporation of America (of films like Taking Chance and, sadly, Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2) and produced by Brad Krevoy, Mike Callaghan and Mark Williams. This has a budget of $10 million, which is I guess what makes this an indie. Shooting starts next month in Louisiana. The cast is still being put together, so stay tuned for updates.

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Weinstein Bros. Taking Back Miramax? Not So Fast, Says Disney

Weinstein Bros. Taking Back Miramax? Not So Fast, Says Disney: "

Briefly: Going to keep this one short until more detail comes in, but here are the basics. About an hour ago THR ran a piece saying that Bob and Harvey Weinstein wouldRead the rest of this post on SlashFilm.com…

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Scorsese and De Niro’s ‘The Irishman’ to be Two Films with a Heavy Fellini Influence?

Scorsese and De Niro’s ‘The Irishman’ to be Two Films with a Heavy Fellini Influence?: "

It doesn’t look like he’s getting to it any time soon, but after Martin Scorsese finishes The Invention of Hugo Cabret and the planned follow-up Silence (his ‘Jesuit priest drama’) there has been talk of finally making The Irishman, which would reunite the director with Robert De Niro.

The Irishman is based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses, which is about Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, a mob assassin who is believed to have carried out more than 25 mob murders, and claimed to have killed Jimmy Hoffa. Over a year ago De Niro said that he and Scorsese had the idea of incorporating a ‘film within a film’ angle to this project. Now a comment by Robert De Niro suggests that the project will have a very Fellini-esque twist, should it come to fruition as currently conceived.Read the rest of this post on SlashFilm.com…

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The Weinsteins Win Back Miramax for $600 Million - Updated

The Weinsteins Win Back Miramax for $600 Million - Updated: "

And we're right back at where we started. THR is reporting that Hollywood powerplayers Bob and Harvey Weinstein have won the auction for the indie distributor Miramax today with a top bid of around $600 million. Where they got that money, I don't know. Miramax was founded in 1979 by the Weinsteins and sold to Disney in 1993. They then started their own company, The Weinstein Company, which still runs today, but has been on the verge of closing down due to a lack of successful films in recent years. In January, it was reported that Miramax would 'close its doors' and be auctioned off, including the 611 films in its library.

This is almost kind of funny, just because it's so odd to see the Weinsteins cycle back around to owning the company they started. The same company that shut down this year because they haven't had much success recently either. Why would they be interested in running Miramax again? And where did they get that kind of money? Here's the answer: the Weinsteins have been partnering with a billionaire financier named Ron Burkle who has other investors involved as well. So while it's Burkle and his people who actually own it, it'll be the Weinsteins who run it. The name actually came from the names of their parents Max & Miriam.

THR says that Disney is still 'going over the financial details provided by the Weinsteins,' so this won't be officially announced for a little while. I'm not really sure what to say to this. I thought the Weinsteins we're slowly fading away, but this means they must be trying to make a hell of a comeback. And what will happen to The Weinstein Company? So many questions, but so few answers. But we'll be sure to keep you updated on all the latest. Do you think Miramax can return to power being run by the Weinsteins again?

Update: Well despite THR's claim that this is pretty much a done deal, Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood says otherwise. She says that Disney told her on the record that 'no [Miramax] deal done and reports to the contrary are false.' Well this just gets more and more interesting. So who should we believe? Is Disney just playing coy because this got out much earlier than they wanted it to? We'll find out soon enough, I'm sure!

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