“BLADE” REMADE

The Movie Guys Rewrite: Blade Runner

Rewrite by Steven Lewis

THIS ARTICLE OBVIOUSLY CONTAINS SPOILERS

Have you ever been watching a movie and thought to yourself, “I could have come up with a better ending than that!” Or maybe you say to your friends afterward “This movie was alright, I guess, but it was way too long. That second sub-plot could have been cut entirely and the whole thing would have been so much tighter.” We all have these thoughts from time to time about the movies we see. Bad films could be made at least palatable, good films great, and great films – well, even greater . . . if only someone had asked YOU for an opinion of the script before it went before the cameras.

There is nothing so frustrating as the film that ALMOST works. You want to love it, but something about it keeps it from being complete or fully satisfying. Now, no one is going to give you a couple million dollars and unlimited access so that you can go away and fix what needs fixing. But that doesn’t mean you have to simply resign yourself to its flaws, either. Not anymore. Why? Because The Movie Guys website exists, dammit – and is the perfect forum for film geeks of all stripes to put their two cents in, and by God we’re going to USE it!

The film in our cross-hairs today? Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner”.

A Classic?

In its look and feel, of course, “Blade Runner” is every inch a classic. Scott’s neo-noir, cyberpunk vision of Los Angeles in 2019 is one of those touchstone filmic environments – like Oz, or Fritz Lang’s Metropolis – that is so imaginative and so fully realized onscreen that it immediately transports you into its reality. Would it were that something more memorable happened there. Unfortunately, “Blade Runner”s narrative elements fail to live up to even a tenth of its visual invention.

I can still recall with what glee I anticipated this movie in the summer of 1982 – particularly as a starring vehicle for Harrison Ford. His iconic portrayals of Han Solo and Indiana Jones had already earmarked him as a Humphrey Bogart for the modern era, and now he looked sure to clinch the title with a role he was born to play: the hard-boiled, cynical private eye. Unfortunately, as Ford himself (no fan of this movie) said of his role, “Rick Deckard is a detective who doesn’t detect.” Exactly. Which goes a long way toward explaining this movie’s faults.

Deckard is brought in to locate and eliminate four “replicants” – human-like androids engineered as slave labor – who have escaped from an off-world colony and gone rogue. By rights, this mission of Deckard’s should form the spine of the picture. The movie should follow him through four separate investigations and kills, each one successively more difficult and dangerous than the last. In addition to generating tension and excitement (in lieu of the turgid talk-fest the movie actually opted to be), such an approach would provide a more organic, narratively driven way to explore the world of replicants. If all the escapees went their own way, they’d have a better chance of survival than by staying together – and the choices each would make, about where to hide and how to try and “blend in”, would provide a fuller picture for an audience of the varieties of replicant behavior, environments and coping mechanisms.

And of course, the fact that Deckard is able to see through the ruses and disguises of said replicants, tracking them down in the most unlikely of places despite their best efforts to stay hidden, would give the audience a profound respect for his abilities. He’d be the fuckin’-A hero we all go to the movies to see – the proverbial “best in the business”, the number one man. Fostering such admiration for Deckard in the audience would then be a useful way to subvert their expectations in the final third, when the suggestion is made that Deckard himself may be a replicant.

A Replicant, you say?

Oh yes. That suggestion would be a key part of my reconceptualization of “Blade Runner”. And a damn sight more significant it would be than in the film as it currently stands (yes, even in the vaunted “Director’s Cut”). I mean really, Deckard’s possible replicant status is so glancingly hinted at by Scott as to be essentially insignificant. Blink and you’ll even miss the “clues” he provides (glowing red eyes and an origami unicorn). Furthermore, in the world of this movie what does it MATTER if Deckard is a replicant? Since he’s not particularly exceptional at his job (that we can see), has no kind of enhanced strength to handle himself going toe-to-toe with with other replicants (every single one of the escapees beats the shit out of him), and is about as interesting to be around as tree bark – well then, if he IS a replicant he isn’t a particularly well made one!

But of course if Deckard was THE go-to guy for tracking down and eliminating escaped replicants – and we saw ample evidence of his preternatural abilities in doing so – the notion of his being one would carry a real dramatic charge. Not only for the suggestion that he was essentially “killing his own” – but also for the chilling possibility that he was specifically DESIGNED to do so, and that his existence serves no other purpose. How we see this new knowledge affect him and inform his decisions would provide the dramatic fireworks leading to the film’s climax.

And now . . . on with the Re-Write

OK, but how to suggest all this, right? Well, here’s how: in the movie, as Deckard is going along and doing his business, have some brief moments when he experiences flashbacks to bucolic (and possibly sepia-toned) scenes from his childhood: his mother teaching him how to play a Beethoven piano sonata, say, or fishing on the lake with a beloved older brother (long since gone). Maybe even that damn unicorn dream, if Scott is so attached to it. Then, fast forward to the sequence where he and Rachel hook up (oh yes, she’d still be a character): he has only just recently proved to her she is a replicant, disillusioning her belief to be a “real” person by citing as implants specific memories she holds as unique. After that, how chilling would it be to have her – in a last ditch effort to assert her individuality to this seemingly heartless brute – describe in agonizingly minute detail a memory. . . . that we have previously seen to have come from Deckard’s own head! (“I can remember it so clearly – the very position Mother had me hold my hands on the keyboard to play the Moonlight Sonata. . .”)

Now Rick Deckard did not expect THAT! In the entire movie up until now, he has been nothing but strong, confident and fully on top of things. But the possibility that his OWN memories may have been implanted – or at the very least, accessed without his knowledge in order to be “given” to Rachel – throws him for a complete loop. His very identity is threatened, and the “case” is no longer his prime concern. This revelation should come once he has successfully eliminated every escaped replicant but Batty – who has proven too smart and elusive. Suddenly, though, Deckard doesn’t care about that anymore. Instead, he needs badly to know: am I man or machine? And so he goes running recklessly off into the night, intent on breaking into Tyrell’s penthouse suite for a one-on-one interview with him.

Which is where, and how, he finally finds Roy Batty. Who, having had his own disappointing “interview” with the man, has just killed Tyrell. I guarantee you that WHATEVER happens next between Deckard and Batty, it would be ten times more charged than what was seen in the completed film.

Maybe Deckard tries to kill Roy anyway, and so complete his mission (thereby giving us a cat-and-mouse chase through the floors and corridors of the Tyrell building), but now he’s conflicted about it and we see that reflected in his actions and his judgments. Maybe Batty susses out exactly why Deckard was there, and so makes it his task to destroy all Tyrell Corp’s records and databases so that Deckard (and the audience) will never truly know for sure the secret of his identity (“Now you will live in constant uncertainty – may your life be improved by it! Think of it as my parting gift to you.”) The film could still end with Batty’s touching death scene, and with Deckard’s decision to run away with Rachel – but what had come before would make those two moments eminently more powerful.

So says me, anyway. Maybe I’m alone on this one, I don’t know. “Blade Runner” certainly has its legions of vocal fans, who may proclaim me to be all wet here. But if so, I valiantly cry out my tears in the rain nonetheless.

“Blade Runner” is available on DVD & Blu-Ray.

The Movie Guys bring you original videos about nothing but movies, movies, movies. View away, go nuts, and don’t hesitate to check out our YouTube page where you can subscribe to our channel, find embedding info and get more lowdown about the videos.

JUNE MOVIE PREVIEW – PROMETHEUS & MADAGASCAR 3

Movie Guys Paul Preston, Christanna Rowader, David Beach and Lee Kias give the once-over to June movie releases PROMETHEUS and MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE’S MOST WANTED. Quick, sharp and funny, we’ll tell you what they’re all about.

Click HERE to follow us on iTunes!.

START THE CLOCK

Movies From 0 to 50 in Less Than 5 Minutes – ROUND TWO!

Article by Matteo Molinari

0: Gunshots exploded in the western FOUR FACES WEST/THEY PASSED THIS WAY (USA 1948). [NOTE: The movie was a flop]

1: Full-length features entirely made in sign language. It’s the horror film DEAFULA (USA 1975), a story about Dracula’s illegitimate son.

2: Words spoken by Richard Kiel (Jaws) in the two James Bond movies he made. The words are, “To us,” in MOONRAKER (UK 1979).

3: Times Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd) removes his hat in THE BLUES BROTHERS (USA 1980) – when he goes to sleep in his motel room, when he breaks a window, and when the Bluesmobile falls apart. [NOTE: This is in the theatrical version; in the Director’s Cut, he also is shown without hat AND glasses at the factory where he works]

4: Casting directors credited in the main titles of THE BEAR (L’OURS, Fra 1989). The movie has only three actors.

5: Age difference between Johnny Depp and Rachel Griffiths; despite the fact that she is the younger one, she played Depp’s mother in BLOW (USA 2001).

6: Years between John Landis’ COMING TO AMERICA (USA 1988) and Disney’s THE LION KING (USA 1994). In both movies, James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair play King and Queen (respectively, King Jaffe Joffer and King Mufasa, and Queen Aoleon and Queen Sarabi).

7: Movies in which John Wayne dies.

8: Shooting days for the DeLorean’s takeoff in the final shot of BACK TO THE FUTURE (USA 1985).

9: Hundreds of extras used in a scene shot in Alameda for the back-to-back produced movies THE MATRIX: RELOADED (USA 2003) and THE MATRIX: REVOLUTIONS (USA 2004). Every extra had his or her costume individually fitted.

10: Oscar nominations of Martin Scorsese’s GANGS OF NEW YORK (USA 2002). It won none, including Scorsese’s fifth nomination as Best Director.

11: Hundreds of backgrounds created for Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID (USA 1989).

12: Go-carted camera crews which were “racing” to shoot the Target Grand Prix of Chicago used in Sylvester Stallone’s DRIVEN (USA 2001).

13: Times Dustin Hoffman repeats the Abbott & Costello’s “Who’s on First” routine in RAIN MAN (USA 1988).

14: Brooke Shields’ age when she received her first screen kiss (thanks to Christopher Atkins) in THE BLUE LAGOON (USA 1980).

15: Times the line “The power of Christ compels you” is said by Max von Sydow and Jason Miller (as Father Merrin and Father Karras) in THE EXORCIST (USA 1973). The first line is spoken only by von Sydow, the other ones are spoken simultaneously by both.

16: People thanked by Simone “for their contribution to the making of Simone” in the closing credits of S1M0NE (USA 2002). They are: Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Mary J Blige (the singing voice of Simone), Ernest Borgnine, Marlene Dietrich, Clare Forlani, Greta Garbo, Rita Hayworth, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Veronica Lake, Sophia Loren, Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe, Rachel Roberts (the basic look of Simone). She also thanks “Hank Aleno Software, Inc.”

17: According to special effects genius Douglas Trumbull, passes made for the opening shot of Ridley Scott’s BLADE RUNNER (USA/Hong Kong 1982). Miniatures, photos of flames, etc.

18: Takes Stephen Furst needed in order not to laugh when John Belushi tried to make him in NATIONAL LAMPOON’S ANIMAL HOUSE (USA 1978).

19: Stuntmen credited in ANACONDA (USA 1997). [NOTE: The movie lists a cast of 9 actors]

20: Years of “retirement” of James Cagney, from ONE, TWO, THREE (USA 1961) to his last movie, RAGTIME (USA 1981).

21: People arrested while trying to sneak in the 76th Academy Award ceremony, held in Hollywood, on February 29, 2004.

22: Thousands of dollars that Haxan Entertainment production spent on Daniel Meryck and Eduardo Sánchez’s horror THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (USA 1999). The movie wound up grossing $240.5 million worldwide.

23: Years of interval between PSYCHO (USA 1960) and its first sequel, PSYCHO II (USA 1983). Anthony Perkins stars in both.

24: Roles portrayed by Lupino Lane in ONLY ME (USA 1929).

25: Films nominated in 1943 as Best Documentary; an unprecedented (and to date, unsurpassed) four winners got the statuette: they are THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY (USA 1942), KOKODA FRONT LINE (USA 1942), MOSCOW STRIKES BACK (USA 1942), and PRELUDE TO WAR (USA 1942) – all war-themed.

26: Songs in ISHTAR (USA 1987).

27: Thousands of gallons of water per minute that was poured through the ceiling of the “melting” Ice Palace set built by Peter Lamont for James Bond’s twentieth adventure, DIE ANOTHER DAY (UK / USA 2002).

28: Takes required for a sheet of paper blown by the wind to land precisely onto the shoe of Amy Rainey (Maria Bello) in SECRET WINDOW (USA 2004) – according to writer/director David Koepp’s recollection.

29: Body count in LETHAL WEAPON 2 (USA 1989).

30: Minutes of action in Dennis Hopper’s THE LAST MOVIE (USA 1971), before the opening credits roll.

31: Operators of the two velociraptors used in the kitchen attack in JURASSIC PARK (USA 1993). Mostly they were hiding in the cabinetry.

32: Screens all across America STAR WARS (USA 1977) opened.

33: Days between the wrapping of MTV’s THE REAL CANCUN (USA 2003) and its opening in the theaters. It opened on April 25.

34: Years between THE MALTESE FALCON (USA 1941) and its sequel, THE BLACK BIRD (USA 1975). Actress Lee Patrick played a secretary in both movies.

35: “Pussy” in the chorus to a Ritz Brothers’ Song from THE GOLDWYN FOLLIES (USA 1938). If you really want to know, the lyrics are: “Here pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy, here pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy, here pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy, here pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy, here pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy pussy, where is the dog-gone cat?”

36: Budget in millions of dollars of Bette Midler and Nathan Lane’s ISN’T SHE GREAT (USA 2000). The movie grossed $2,954,405.

37: Years it would have taken to render all the frames of TOY STORY (USA 1995) on a single computer – statistic estimated by the makers of the movie.

38: Diameter in feet of the Discovery centrifuge built for 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (UK 1968). It could rotate 180˚ at a speed of 3 mph.

39: Years between Henry Fonda’s first nomination for Best Actor, for THE GRAPES OF WRATH (USA 1940) and his second, crowned with a statuette, for ON GOLDEN POND (USA 1981). [NOTE: he earned a nomination in 1957 for producing one of the best picture nominees, TWELVE ANGRY MEN (USA 1957)]

40: Lucy impersonators who were on the bus driven by Cuba Gooding, Jr. in RAT RACE (USA 2001). Among them is Nancy Zucker, the director’s mother.

41: Pitches Robert Redford plays on a diamond field in THE NATURAL (USA 1983).

42: Puppeteers and voices only for the goblins featured in LABYRINTH (USA 1986).

43: Cats (mostly from shelters) trained as “extras” for Halle Berry’s CATWOMAN (USA 2004).

44: Different costumes worn by Scarlett O’Hara in GONE WITH THE WIND (USA 1939).

45: Jason’s costumes made for JASON X (USA 2002).

46: Countries that have banned the quasi-reality quasi-documentary FACES OF DEATH (USA 1978).

47: Career years of Harpo Marx. He only spoke twice.

48: Years between the final draft of Ted Allan’s script Bethune: The Making of a Hero and the releasing of the movie BETHUNE (Can/China 1990) at the Montreal World Film Festival.

49: Takes Steven Soderbergh required for a line of David Fincher’s dialogue in FULL FRONTAL (USA 2002).

50: Thousands of dollars Jack Warner gave Howard Hawks to purchase the rights for Raymond Chandler’s THE BIG SLEEP (USA 1946). Apparently, Hawks bought the rights for $5,000 and kept the rest for himself.

[…it can go on…]

(Not all links guaranteed to still work in the archives…)

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
HOLLYWOOD, CA
The Motion Picture Academy’s Contemporary Documentaries screening series started last night, but runs through December 7th, various Wednesday nights. If you’ve never seen “Restrepo”, “Waiting for Superman”, “The Tillman Story” or “Hubble 3D”, now’s your chance for the big-screen experience – FOR FREE!
All screenings:
Linwood Dunn Theater
1313 Vine Street
Hollywood, CA 90028
(“Hubble 3D” screens at the CA Science Center)
-PP

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

Because there’s an award that Steven Spielberg hasn’t received yet, he’s going to get this year’s David O. Selznick award from the PGA. Hopefully “War Horse” is really good so it doesn’t “Norbit” all over his career praise.
-PP

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

Steve Martin has offered Oscar hosting advice to upcoming host Eddie Murphy. As ever, Martin is hilarious.
-PP

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011
I cannot get enough of the battle for home video movie watching. Now, NetFlix has decided to split their company in two, providing streaming films via NetFlix, and DVDs by mail via Qwikster, a name everyone hates. This is the response to the massive exodus of customers that came on the heels of a rate increase. This is better than just “going back to the old way” how? Full disclosure, I am one of the many who dumped NetFlix after the 60% price hike. This implosion is fascinating to watch and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
-PP

SEPTEMBER 18, 2011
Here is probably the best thing to come out of the “Star Wars” Blu-Ray releases. It’s a STAND UP TO CANCER video featuring Seth Rogen, Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Hader, Emma Stone and more, re-enacting and goofing on scenes from the three classic films. Not surprisingly, they never mention the newer, shittier movies:

-PP

SEPTEMBER 17, 2011
BURBANK, CA
Dark Delicacies has some great in-store appearances in October, now announced, including Bruce Boxlietner and multiple celebs at the Dark Delicacies presence at the WeHo Book Fair. But JOHN LANDIS appears in person at the Burbank bookstore to sign his new book of photos and interviews with the biggest names in monster movies. Here are the details:
Wed, Oct 5th 7 pm
3512 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
-PP

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011
There’s a new viral video promoting “The Muppets”, spoofing “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” trailer. Looks to me like classic, goof-on-everything Muppets:

-PP

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

What the hell kind of Movie Guy am I? A 30th anniversary screening of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” happened in L.A. and I WASN’T THERE?! I even went to a 30th anniversary screening at the Motion Picture Academy with Frank Marshall, Michael Kahn and more in attendance. This Hero Complex/LA Times-sponsored screening had STEVEN SPIELBERG and HARRISON FORD (a surprise). Head over to THIS LINK to read and see some highlights, including Spielberg’s dead-on impersonation of George Lucas and him humbly referring to “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” as bridge-burning.
-PP

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

CARRIE FISHER’S IDENTITY HAS BEEN STOLEN! By George Lucas. So she claims in that she never received payment back in the day for use of her likeness by the “Star Wars” merchandise. She’s always a rip to listen to. Read the whole interview HERE.
-PP

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011
First the creepy Emma Stone video, now Jim Carrey’s showing up in clubs singing Radiohead’s “Creep”. I wonder what Bill Murray thinks of all this:

-PP

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

Harrison Ford got pranked on the set of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”. Twenty-seven years later, we get to check it out in this rare (and extremely poor quality) footage from the set. Check it out at MOVIEFONE.COM.
-PP

SEPTEMBER 11, 2011
Better days…

“Remember, with great power. comes great responsibility.”
-PP

SEPTEMBER 10, 2011

If you know anything about this column, you know I’m a big champion of Pixar and Albert Brooks (and how great were they together in FINDING NEMO?!). Brooks is back in a huge way in “Drive”, and the early talk is that he’s great. Also great is that he’s talking, and here are a couple good interviews with a cinema and comedy legend:
LA TIMES
LA WEEKLY
-PP

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
Pretty cool stuff for Pixarheads like me. This is video from Ed Catmull, one of Pixar’s founders, from FORTY years ago of some of the first computer 3D animation out there. Not horribly exciting, but, again, for real fans, it’s history:

-PP

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
The latest video hyping “The Avengers” has no new footage. In fact, it has old footage from old movies. But there are some new interviews. And yet…IT’S AWESOME. Get excited, dammit:

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011
It’s Official: Eddie Murphy Named Host of the 84th Annual Academy Awards. This is awesome news! After the debacle that was the last telecast, show producer Brett Ratner wisely realized that the most watched TV of the year needs a comedian at the helm. PLUS, I’ve been waiting for Eddie Murphy to return to stand-up for about twenty years, so even if it’s a cleaned-up, shorter set than “Eddie Murphy: RAW”, I welcome it. Great move, Ratner, certainly a better move than remaking “Manhunter”.
-PP

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011
BEVERLY HILLS, CA

It’s about time! The man with one of the most eclectic and successful acting careers of the ’70s, Malcolm McDowell, is getting his day at the Academy! A salute to McDowell, Q&A and a 40 anniversary screening of “A Clockwork Orange” should easily make it MORE THAN worth your $5 admission:
9/16/11; 7:30PM
Samuel Goldwyn Theater
8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA
-PP

SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

The wit and wisdom of Tommy Wiseau is now at your fingertips. A very strange website called nervegas.net has a soundboard made up for all the infamous sayings of Johnny from “The Room”. Go play, you baster!
-PP

SEPTEMBER 4, 2011
“Thor” hits DVD & Blu-Ray this month. With it comes this bonus clip, taking you further down the S.H.I.E.L.D. rabbit hole:

SEPTEMBER 3, 2011

One opponent to George Lucas’ meddling with his films? George Lucas from the 1980s, as juxtaposed by The Onion’s A.V. Club. Read on.
-PP

SEPTEMBER 2, 2011
Here are the aforementioned changes Lucas has made to the “Star Wars” Blu-Ray discs. Click the links embedded in the video to jump around to them all:
- Yoda has been given the CGI treatment in “The Phantom Menace”
- Ewoks now blink
- Obi-Wan has a dragon call to scare away Sand People that sounds like Christy Brown having a fit
- And Darth Vader says “NOOOOOO!!!!” again, ’cause it worked so well in “Revenge of the Sith”

-PP

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

What. The. FUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!
Confirmed: George Lucas @#$%ed with the Original Trilogy for the “Star Wars” Blu-Rays. Spot-on commentary from Topless Robot.
-PP

AUGUST 31, 2011

He started in indies before he was in high-profile stuff like “G.I. Joe” and “Inception”. Now it seems Joseph-Gordon Levitt is returning to his indie roots and going BEYOND, with his new collective/collaborative project HitRECord. Get introduced to this project HERE.
-PP

AUGUST 30, 2011

Who knew this existed? A website devoted to all things Cameron Crowe RUN, officially, by Crowe himself. AND there are new postings frequently. Lately, there’s deleted pages of the “Say Anything…” script, perhaps the greatest teen romance/comedy of all time. Read on, Macduff…
-PP

AUGUST 29, 2011

Notting Hill bookshop fights closure with poets and writers. “I’m just a girl standing in front of a boy with a Kindle.”
-PP

AUGUST 28, 2011

You may have seen clips of Jim Carrey’s love message to Emma Stone? Have you seen the whole thing? It is, indeed, creepy. And he needs a DP, ’cause if you’re in your late 40s, hitting on a girl in her 20s, you may want to lay off the close-ups.
-PP

AUGUST 27, 2011
“The Future According to Movies” – From 2012 to Red Dwarf, @TremulantDesign has put together a future timeline, if movies ruled time. And maybe they should. Click the link for a look.
-PP

AUGUST 26, 2011
BURBANK, CA
Dark Delicacies Bookstore in Burbank is hosting another cool event. Swing by the shop on Sunday the 28th at 4PM and you’ll see a great gathering of film composers!:
Scheduled to appear: Charles Fox (Foul Play)
Christopher Young (The Priest, Haunted Summer)
Ken Thorne (Lassiter, Superman)
Nicholas Pike (Parasomnia)
Lee Holdridge (Brothers at War, Transylvania 6-500)
David Newman (Serenity, Ice Age – pictured above)
Brian Tyler (Final Destination 5, Fast Five)
Brad Fiedel (Terminator: Judgement Day)
It’s free, but CDs of their music will be on sale. Here’s where to go:
3512 West Magnolia Boulevard
Burbank, CA 91505-2818
-PP

AUGUST 25, 2011

ABC Refuses to Air ‘Our Idiot Brother’ Commercial. Really? ‘Cause he mimes peeing with a juice box and sells weed? Are you worried about disparaging the classy behavior of “The Bachelor”?

AUGUST 24, 2011
It’s hard to believe that all these movies based on board games are getting axed (he said sarcastically). THANKFULLY, Universal dropped it’s planned “Clue” movie (they probably didn’t do it ’cause you can’t top the original film from the ’80s, but that SHOULD be why). Now the “Ouija Board” game is on the chopping block.
-PP

AUGUST 23, 2011
Walt Disney Studios didn’t attend Comic-Con in San Diego this year, absent from both the trade show floor AND the legendary Hall H. They’ve saved their previews and made ‘em in-house, previewing “The Avengers”, “John Carter” and “The Muppets” at Disney’s own D23 Fan Expo in Anaheim. We’ll have our own weird thoughts and experiences on the event posted soon, but in the meantime, The Hollywood Reporter had pretty thorough coverage. Warner Brothers also skipped Comic-Con, both WB and Disney feared that previewing footage there generated just as much negative publicity as positive. But where’s Warner’s in-house celebration? Let’s go, Warners. Time’s a-wastin’ and we want to see THE DARK KNIGHT RISES footage!
-PP

AUGUST 22, 2011

“Ghost” is coming to Broadway. “Unchained Melody” has GOT to be on the cast recording, no?
-PP

AUGUST 21, 2011

New Pixar movies! New Pixar movies! New Pixar movies! They’ve been announced at the D23 Expo in Anaheim. Check out Pixar’s blog for the details!
-PP

AUGUST 20, 2011
The play “Woman in Black” had a four month run over at The Coronet Theater in L.A. a few years ago. It was phenomenal. Now they are finally making a film of it (The first/only time they made one, it was a Made-for-TV film in 1989) (It was pretty bad). If they follow the script, this will be REALLY good (Although, Hollywood as a way of effing up sure things as we know). I don’t know. I think the trailer looks pretty good.

-JB

AUGUST 19, 2011

The blog world-shortage of exclamation points is linked to greenlighting of Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner 2″!!!
-AW

AUGUST 18, 2011
Couldn’t make Lebowski-fest in NYC? Catch the streaming interviews with Goodman, Bridges, Moore, Turturro, Buscemi and more. It was BIG get for the fest to have the whole cast together for the movie’s BLU-RAY release:

-PP

AUGUST 17, 2011

If you’ve seen The Movie Guys’ response to the first “G.I. Joe” movie, you know we shouldn’t be excited about a sequel. But…The Rock and Bruce Willis are IN, and Stephen Sommers is OUT…that’s promising. Here’s your first look at Dwayne Johnson as Roadblock.
-PP

AUGUST 16, 2011
Someone on YouTube has posted “The 25 Greatest Unscripted Scenes in Films”. Were all these really unscripted? Well, the internet says so, so it’s true.

-PP

AUGUST 15, 2011

The big three of moviemaking – Scorsese, Spielberg and Coppola are putting out 3D movies, the equivalent of Springsteen, Neil Young and James Taylor auto-tuning. Here’s a good article pointing out that these guys (and movie giant Ridley Scott) are getting onboard the bandwagon when interest is waning…
-PP

AUGUST 14, 2011

Here’s Armie Hammer going “Huh?” after finding out that Disney has pulled the plug on “The Lone Ranger”…over finances. I thought Jerry Bruckheimer could get anything he wanted. After the ridiculously lucrative “Pirates” franchise, I THOUGHT HE COULD GET ANYTHING HE WANTED.
-PP

AUGUST 13, 2011

Fed up with 3D movies? Have you taken it as far as this guy? A movie fan in MONTANA has made 2D GLASSES. They’ll convert the 3D film you’re watching back into regular ‘ol 2D, and I believe it brightens the picture back to normal, too. Big stuff goin’ on in Big Sky country.
-PP

AUGUST 12, 2011

Eddie Murphy is cast as the voice of HONG KONG PHOOEY, number one super guy. Will the karate dog cartoon translate to modern audiences? Will they update it? Will he sound just like Mushu and Donkey? Stay tuned…
-PP

AUGUST 11, 2011

Apparently, Satsuki Mitchell found out that Daniel Craig married Rachel Weisz much the same way everyone else did. She read about it in the paper. Satsuki was engaged to Craig at the time. OH, SNAP! GOSSIP!
-JB

AUGUST 10, 2011
Tom Hanks was at a gas station. A fan asked him for an autograph. He asked if they saw “Larry Crowne”. They had and didn’t like it. Hanks promptly gave them $24. He’s a class act. I’m sure Richard Marx would do the same.
-JB

AUGUST 9, 2011
Choreographer Kenny Ortega (choreographer of the original “Dirty Dancing”) is tapped to direct the “Dirty Dancing” sequel. From the looks of this photo, it won’t be gay at all.
-PP

AUGUST 8, 2011
A copy of “Super 8″ has shown up on internet downloading sites with the watermark “The Howard Stern Show” on it. As a big fan of the show, this is good and bad news. Bad because the illegal copy will be attributed to Howard. Good because he’ll have someone’s head and it’ll make GREAT radio!
-PP

AUGUST 7, 2011

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2″ is now the number THREE movie of ALL TIME at the box office. This is worldwide B.O., and it looks like it won’t reach “Titanic” or “Avatar” status yet, but overseas it’s still doing big business. Follow it’s climb up the charts HERE.
-PP

AUGUST 6, 2011
Your first look at Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle:

Get the analysis and a closer look HERE.
-PP

AUGUST 5, 2011
Your first look at Henry Cavill as Superman:

Get the analysis and a closer look HERE.
-PP

AUGUST 4, 2011

Jerry Lewis Will No Longer Host This Year’s MDA Telethon. What do we do with such news? On one hand, he’s certainly GIVEN an extraordinary amount of time, love and attention to this and has earned noble retirement from the gig. On the other hand… his goofy and inappropriate one-liners made it worth tuning in. Who fills in? Stay tuned…
-PP

AUGUST 3, 2011
Better days…

Moses Hightower: I was a florist.
Carey Mahoney: A florist?
Moses Hightower: Yeah, you know, flowers and shit.
-PP

AUGUST 2, 2011
Oprah is being given the next Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by The Motion Picture Academy. Such past recipients include Bob Hope, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. Y’know, LEGENDS of the silver screen. Is Oprah a similar legend. NO!!!!!!! Such is my thought and the thought of MANY other critics of The Academy’s decision. Read more here.
-PP

AUGUST 1, 2011

You can’t accuse Sylvester Stallone of not trying to please. He just got John Travolta and Chuck Norris on board “The Expendables” sequel. I gotta believe Van Damme’s just waiting by the phone. What’s holding that signing up?
-PP

JULY 31, 2011
MANSFIELD, OH

‘Shawshank’ tree ripped by high wind

No word on whether the storm unearthed any extra cash Andy might’ve left for Red.
-PP

JULY 30, 2011

Universal has posted a number of great interviews about “Cowboys and Aliens” on YouTube. Interviews with all the stars, producers and writers. Really, there’s no one you haven’t heard of in this group. Get more psyched before you see the film, or stay geeked after you have.
-PP

JULY 29, 2011
Hmmmmm…… Good idea or bad idea? Marvel has decided to post a teaser for a teaser online. Meaning, that if you stick around after the end credits of “Captain America: The First Avenger”, you can see a teaser for next summer’s “The Avengers”. In the clip below, there’s a teaser for that teaser. But SPOILER ALERT – they’ve included the final scene of “Captain America” in the clip!!! HUH? This doesn’t seem to make much sense. Your thoughts.

-PP

JULY 28, 2011

“The Dark Tower” is dead at Universal. They’ve pulled the plug. Rumors are now swelling that Imagine’s future at Universal is uncertain. This, on the opening week of “Cowboys and Aliens”, which promises to be huge? Read the speculation at THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
-PP

JULY 27, 2011

The Executive Producer of one of my favorite films of mine, “Broadcast News”, Polly Platt, has passed away. She also worked on “Terms of Endearment” and “The Last Picture Show”.
Tom Grunnick: What do you do when your real life exceeds your dreams?
Aaron Altman: Keep it to yourself.
-PP

JULY 26, 2011
MICHIGAN

Disney’s Sam Raimi Directed ‘Oz’ Begins Filming in Michigan. Really? Not in Kansas?
-PP

JULY 25, 2011
Mixed feelings run wild as fans of “Star Wars” debate on whether or not to spend MORE money on the saga, as it’s announced that it will come out on Blu-Ray right about the time Blu-Ray discs become obsolete. Throw in the fact that the digital effects, when enhanced by HD viewing, look like just that – effects, and the fact that the whole saga will be back in theaters soon in 3D, do we buy? In the meantime, here’s a montage of some “missing” footage that will find its way back into the world:

JULY 24, 2011

…and Harrison Ford as Wyatt Earp. If you’ve ever wanted to hear that, your day has come. Read on at THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
-PP

JULY 23, 2011
Beavis & Butt-Head are back! Their new show, returning again to MTV, promises to be the best thing on MTV’s reality-based roster. And if the teaser is any indication, as music videos are scarce, they dumb duo are commenting on reality shows like “Jersey Shore” (Butt-Head’s assessment: “This is like a family tree if your family was made of whores”. Good to have you back on the couch.
-PP

JULY 22, 2011

If you’re not following Peter Jackson’s production diaries from the set of “The Hobbit”, you should be! His “King Kong” diaries were awesome, and these are a great gift to Middle-Earth junkies. “Like” Jackson’s page HERE.
-PP

JULY 21, 2011
SAN DIEGO, CA

Peter Jackson is NOT coming to COMIC-CON.
-PP

JULY 20, 2011

Who knew this was even in production? A musical based on “Finding Neverland”? La Jolla Playhouse was about to put up the show when The Weinstein Co. pulled the plug. Will it ever be seen? Get the details here.
-PP

JULY 19, 2011

It’s official! “Midnight in Paris” is Woody Allen’s biggest moneymaker ever. Biggest hit? Well, there’s a little inflation issue that means more people probably went to “Hannah and Her Sisters” at $4 a ticket than Woody’s latest at $10-$12 a ticket. But money-wise, “Paris” is on top, and it’s a worthy entry in the Allen mix.
-PP

JULY 18, 2011

Happy 20th Anniversary, Patrick Bateman!
-PP

JULY 17, 2011

While you were watching women’s soccer and avoiding highways, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2″ made more money than any movie EVER.
-PP

JULY 16, 2011
SAN DIEGO, CA

PEE-WEE HERMAN is coming to Comic-Con!
-PP

JULY 15, 2011
SAN DIEGO, CA

SPIELBERG is coming to Comic-Con!
-PP

JULY 14, 2011
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY has been so bold as to list the 30 Classic Movie Opening Scenes. It doesn’t look like they’re in any order, so let me amend that – “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is #1.
-PP

JULY 13, 2011

So long, NetFlix. In a move said to be an adjustment due to today’s challenging economy, NetFlix will charge more for those people who want both discs and streaming. My move – iTunes.
-PP

JULY 12, 2011
Ah, here’s the real reason for Carmaggedon, thanks to RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES:

-PP

JULY 11, 2011
HOLY SHIT IT’S THE DARK KNIGHT RISES TEASER POSTER!!!!:

JULY 10, 2011
As Comic-Con approaches, I can’t help but think that next year’s Comic-Con will be draped in all things HOBBIT. In advance of that, they’re releasing pics routinely now. Here are some of The Dwarves:

JULY 9, 2011
SHERMAN OAKS, CA
The Arclight Theaters have updated their wall with a decade’s worth of Harry Potter movie posters – some teasers, some foreign one-sheets. As ever, it’s worth staring at for MANY minutes.


-PP

JULY 8, 2011

The Movie Guys. Always on hand to deliver the latest update to the 7-11 Big Gulp cups. First in movie news.
-PP

JULY 7, 2011

Outside of Peter Cullen, just what goes into the sounds that Transformers make? A fun article called “Transformers: More Than Meets the Ear” explains.
-PP

JULY 6, 2011
So, DreamWorks leaves Universal to take its animation studio to Paramount. Now, with a hit of its own under its sleeve (“Rango”), Paramount is now setting out to start its own animation studio. So where does that leave DreamWorks Animation? DreamWorks Pictures are now finding distribution through Disney, but the animation studio can’t team with their direct competition Disney, so…well, we’re as interested to see what happens as they are.
-PP

JULY 5, 2011
Check out YouTube for featurettes about “Captain America: The First Avenger”. Most have to do with behind-the-scenes, and all are pretty interesting. Visit MarvelFreshmanTV on YouTube, and watch the first featurette here:

-PP

JULY 4, 2011
Oh yes it’s ladies night. Oh what a night. “Bridesmaids” has just become the #1 Rated R female comedy ever. It seems like a long disclaimer of the TYPE of honor “Bridesmaids” now has, but it did beat “Sex and the City”, which came to the party with six seasons on TV. Well done, ladies.
-PP

JULY 3, 2011

Once a Twitter feed became a TV show, anything was possible. So, prepare yourself for a movie based on a phone app – ANGRY BIRDS is coming to the big screen.
-PP

JULY 2, 2011
HOLLYWOOD, CA

If you like the “Transformers” movies, some of the vehicles from the production will be illegally parked in front of Arclight Cinemas on Hollywood Blvd. should you choose to see the latest Michael Bay noise-porn film there. Also, costumes that strictly adhered to Rosie Huntington-Whitely’s body will be on display.
-PP

JULY 1, 2011

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” is now a BILLION dollar-grossing movie, worldwide. So, now there are a great number or horrible movies considered the most popular of all time. “On Stranger Tides” joins “Alice in Wonderland”, “Star Wars, Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace”, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” and “Spider-Man 3″ in the top 20.
-PP

JUNE 30, 2011

Comic-Con 2011: Francis Ford Coppola Returns. The director will present portions of his latest film, “Twixt.” As if enough people aren’t already going to Comic-Con!
-PP

JUNE 29, 2011

What is MoviePass, you’re asking? It’s a concept that’s trying to bring the NetFlix model to MOVIE THEATERS. Can you afford a $50 one-time fee to see as many movies as you can in a month? As a Movie Guy, I can. But theaters are already butting heads with the idea. Check out the concept HERE. And the theater chains’ response HERE.
-PP

JUNE 28, 2011

WHAT ARE THE MOVIE GUYS UP TO? Our Movie Guy Marc Berman is Exec. Producer on a new web series entitled “Casters”, about the complicated lives of two co-hosts and the engineer of a podcast called “Bring it Up”. Check out their website (Casterstheshow.com) and watch on Blip.tv.

JUNE 27, 2011

Michael Bay is sending letter to theater projectionists to ensure the high-quality 3D experience for moviegoers. Although I have no hopes for this movie…that’s pretty cool. Click here for a better view of it.
-PP

JUNE 26, 2011
I know it’s TV and not a movie, but if this doesn’t excite you, you’re dead to me:

JUNE 25, 2011
Your first look at the poster for PIXAR’s “Brave”, due next summer:

-PP

JUNE 24, 2011
Better days…

“…as you wish.”
-PP

JUNE 23, 2011

“Midnight in Paris” is Woody Allen’s highest grossing movie in twenty-five years. Good on ya, Woody! He’s made a light, fun comedy with a unique premise and deserves a long-delayed hit.
-PP

JUNE 22, 2011

This is not only a cake (with working lights), but also the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.
-PP

JUNE 21, 2011
How great is PIXAR? They’ve just announced an untitled film will come out in 2013. There’s no word as to the content of the film, just that Pete Docter is involved in some way. And this is news…sort of. Regardless, I can’t wait.
-PP

JUNE 20, 2011
I guess when you only make a movie once every ten years or so, it’s news when something goes into pre-production with your name on it. So, today it was news that Warren Beatty has a new film in development, his first since “Bulworth” in 1998. A “Dick Tracy” sequel? The Howard Hughes movie he’s wanted to make for years? Who knows. We only know he will write, direct, star and produce. So, stay tuned…
-PP

JUNE 19, 2011
Two trends continue with the casting of Woody Allen’s latest film, “The Bop Decameron”. Greta Gerwig has been cast in a lead role (continuing the trend of Woody casting hot chicks) and the film shoots in Rome (continuing Woody Allen’s Eurpean tour of cities to shoot in). Up after “The Bop Decameron”, no doubt, will be “Cope n ‘Hagen”, a romantic comedy in which Marisa Tomei and Evangeline Lilly find new love in Denmark after being dumped by Jason Segel and Owen Wilson.
-PP

JUNE 18, 2011

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER covered the story of SONY movies disappearing from NetFlix service. Uh-oh. The more NetFlix becomes a COMPETITOR of major studios, the more I see this happening. Read on.
-PP

JUNE 17, 2011
BURBANK, CA
More cool goings-on at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, CA. Catch a very eclectic panel of in-store appearances on June 26th at 2PM. Director Joe Dante with actors Dick Miller and Jonathan Haze and writers Josh Olson (“A History of Violence”) and Larry Karaszewski (“Ed Wood”). They’ll be signing “Trailers from Hell 2″ DVDs, which includes Haze’s original “Little Shop of Horrors” trailer and commentary by Dante.
-PP

JUNE 16, 2011
From the theory “If it ain’t broke, fix it” comes The Academy’s decision to not decide the number of movies nominated for Best Picture until the nominees themselves come out. It could be between five and ten, depending on voting results. This, no doubt, comes from the idea that the ten nominee structure left for a watered-down list of nominees. This decision reeks of the desperation that made the MLB All-Star Game mean something. If you’re worried about spicing up The Oscars, just get better hosts next year…
-PP

JUNE 15, 2011

Indiana Jones’ classic whip, the only one supposedly still in tact from shooting, and the one used to drag Harrison Ford behind a speeding truck…can be yours. It’s being auctioned. Check out Guardian.co.uk for info. It should go for close to £50,000, which in U.S. dollars, is probably $400,000 nowadays.
-PP

JUNE 14, 2011
From the editor of viral phenom “Nicolas Cage Loses His Shit”, here comes “The Hundred Greatest Movie Threats of All Time”. No explanation really necessary, and once you start watching it, you’ll be in for the whole eleven minutes (long for the internet), ’cause you’ll say, “Well, what about that clip from…?” and then it’ll pop up. Enjoy.

-PP

JUNE 13, 2011

A KICK-ASS new retro-style “Captain America: The First Avenger” poster is out there. Unfortunately, you won’t see it in lobbies, it’s a collector’s item solely. But Steve Rogers punching Hitler? That’s comic book old school!
-PP

JUNE 12, 2011

Hollywood, you’ve had THIRTY years to make a movie more entertaining than “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, and haven’t. Failure? Perhaps. Happy thirtieth birthday (to the day) to a great movie!
-PP

JUNE 11, 2011
Seen “Super 8″ yet? Don’t watch this until you have. But true to Abrams habit of fleshing things out and deepening the mystery, this is the full industrial movie that we catches glimpses of in “Super 8″. Enjoy:

-PP

JUNE 10, 2011

Your first glimpse of Sacha Baron Cohen’s new character from his upcoming film “The Dictator”, based on a novel by SADDAM HUSSEIN. That whole last sentence just feels right. Read more at E! Online.
-PP

JUNE 9, 2011

How do you out-gross one of the most vile movies of last year? If you’re “The Human Centipede” director Tom Six, that question isn’t challenging at all, to the point where England has banned “The Human Centipede 2″. So, if you’re in England, you owe it to yourself to read about what you’re missing at Movies.com.
-PP

JUNE 8, 2011

Before videos, the “Star Wars” franchise exercised viral marketing in promoting its first sequel “The Empire Strikes Back”. There was a phone number to call to hear recorded messages from Han, Luke, Leia, Darth Vader and C-3PO about the new film. As part of the on-going thirtieth anniversary of “Empire”, those old recordings have been revived and you can hear them at STARWARS.COM.
-PP

JUNE 7, 2011

On the verge of “Super 8″, there’s no doubt director J.J. Abrams will go, once again to The Mystery Box in his storytelling. This is a box filled with wonder (or something) that leaves mystery for the audience. This NY Times article revisits the concept originally introduced in Abrams’ excellent TED speech a few years back.
-PP

JUNE 6, 2011

Here’s a great article that involved a lot of research and is completely frivolous! io9.com proves that the X-Men have the crappiest lives of any fictional characters. Forging their timeline and taking a close look, they’re surrounded by horrible, horrible death all the time. Read on.
-PP

JUNE 5, 2011
BOO. When I hear that Darren Aronofsky has directed a Loreal commercial, I expect killer refrigerators, screaming watercolor paintings and self-lobotomies. Not this dull thing. Boo:

-PP

JUNE 4, 2011
A MOVIE GUYS EXCLUSIVE! You may have heard NBC passed on David Kelley’s “Wonder Woman” pilot. But we have it! Just when you thought you’d never see it, it’s been leaked directly into the hands of your Movie Guys. Enjoy:

-PP

JUNE 3, 2011

DAMMIT! I was hoping The Movie Guys would get the first interviews in years with one of the greatest actors EVER, Gene Hackman. But apparently GQ knew where to find him! He’s happily retired, which kind of sucks, ’cause his last film was “Welcome to Mooseport”, and wouldn’t it be great to see Hackman in a film again? That’s not a real question. It would be great.
-PP

JUNE 2, 2011
SAG and AFTRA seem closer than ever to merging. The pro-merger leaders were voted in, they’ve publicly stated their desire to merge unions on awards shows and in print. Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the Merger Committee is meeting for the first time this month. Will this help avoid future strikes? Time will tell.
-PP

JUNE 1, 2011

Here’s where it gets ugly. Now that media conglomerates own TV and movies and broadband, some may set out to squash growing movie delivery giant NetFlix by capping their bandwidth usage. Read on at THE WRAP.
-PP