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10 October 2008 1:03 PM, PDT | From MovieBlog.Ugo.com | See recent Ugo MovieBlog news

I announce it to be high time to re-examine the Matrix franchise.  New stuff has come to light, like the release of V For Vendetta and Speed Racer and other action/sci-fi films that have utilized special effects we first saw here.  Are these films still mind-blowing adventures into sick, unknown realms?  Or is it just a lot of pompous, pseudo-intellectual speechifying? The live-action trilogy plus The Animatrix is now collected into one dynamite Blu-ray package.  Above is an exclusive clip Warner Home Entertainment threw our way to remind us all about the red pill.

4 October 2008 8:32 AM, PDT | From Cinematical.com | See recent Cinematical news

Somehow I missed this on Thursday, but apparently so did everyone else, since I didn't see it linked anywhere. Roger Ebert was hanging out at a post-production studio in Chicago, watching the restored new print of The Godfather, when he was unexpectedly joined by Larry and Andy Wachowski, the famously inaccessible duo behind The Matrix, Speed Racer, and (people forget) Bound. Afterward, he got a chance to chat with them -- not in a conventional interview setting, complete with a hovering publicist (the brothers don't do that, remember?), but over a beer.

Ebert was impressed with the "zillionaires": "Nice people. Friendly. No Hollywood attitude." He writes that "[t]he blogosphere paints them as mysterious recluses, which may add to the legend but doesn't match the reality." But their being nice and friendly doesn't make them any less mysterious and reclusive: I'd wager that Ebert only ran the piece because of

Eugene Novikov

4 October 2008 6:36 AM, PDT | From firstshowing.net | See recent FirstShowing.net news

Die hard fanatics of The Matrix know that filmmakers Larry and Andy Wachowski haven't ever spoken to the press since 1999, when Matrix first premiered. Its been nine years and they still haven't broken their anti-press stance, remaining absent during Speed Racer promotions. However, our favorite critic-turned-blogger Roger Ebert randomly ran into the brothers after a screening of a newly restored print of The Godfather (which was re-released recently) and spoke to them officially for the first time in years. He describes them as: "Nice people. Friendly. No Hollywood attitude. The blogosphere paints them as mysterious recluses, which may add to the legend, but doesn't match the reality." If anyone's curious, Ebert's recount of the evening is a fascinating read. He mainly quotes their discussion about The Godfather and specifically cinematographer Gordon Willis' use of shadows and light. Cinephiles should be in utter awe just reading about one film legend's

Alex Billington

3 October 2008 6:32 AM, PDT | From JoBlo.com | See recent JoBlo news

Anyone else and this is probably a non-story. Ok not anyone else. I mean Roger Ebert shooting the shit with Himmler or Voltron or something would probably make news, but you know what I mean. The Wachowskis are elusive. And Ebert had a little chat with them after they watched the new print of The Godfather. He describes them as "They're zillionaires after the "Matrix" trilogy, but they looked like guys who had spent way too much time playing "Speed Racer" before...

James Thoo

3 October 2008 1:24 AM, PDT | From cinemablend.com | See recent Cinema Blend news

Larry and Andy Wachowski are notoriously elusive. They don't do press for any of their movies, in fact they don't talk to anyone or show up anywhere, at least not on the record. They don't do pictures either, and outside of a couple of paparazzi shots floating around out there, the general public has not seen or heard from them in person for well, many, many years. The last real Wachowski Brothers interview I could find after a spin around Google, took place in 1999. They did step out of the shadows for one moment though, and it happened on Roger Ebert's watch. The brothers responsible for The Matrix, V for Vendetta, and... unfortunately, Speed Racer crawled out of their cave (wherever it is) and talked to America's most venerable film critic. If they were only going to talk to one person... I'm glad it was Roger Ebert. It wasn't

2 October 2008 3:15 PM, PDT | From Cinematical.com | See recent Cinematical news

Sometimes I oooh over talk of re-energizing an old franchise; sometimes I cringe and sometimes, like today, my brow is so damned furrowed that I probably have about 20 new wrinkles. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Warner Bros. is going back to Yogi Bear and YellowJellystone Park.

Oh yes, the Hanna-Barbera classic is getting developed into a big-screen feature by the pens of Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia, with Ash Brannon attached to direct. That means a mixture of That 70's Show exec producers and the co-writer and director of Surf's Up. It will be live-action with a CG Yogi and Boo Boo.

Now sure, the chipmunks made a comeback, but at least they have an uber popular Christmas song that keeps them in the memory banks. Something like Speed Racer had the effects going for it. Will kids go wild for a character from the '50s that gets into good-natured fun at a park?

Monika Bartyzel

29 September 2008 11:55 PM, PDT | From Aceshowbiz | See recent Aceshowbiz news

A word from an insider reveals that Emmy Award-nominated actress Christina Ricci will star on Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo's "After.Life". No statement is available to answer the question whether Christina will replace the role of the previously-announced cast, Kate Bosworth or play along side her.

"After.Life" is a horror movie which chronicles a young woman in a transitional state between life and death who fights to avoid being buried alive while also concerns a funeral director who holds her fate in his hands. The film will reportedly begin its shooting sessions on November 10 in the Big Apple. Unfortunately, no word yet on when the movie will make its theater debut.

Christina, who first claimed fame for her role as Wednesday Addams in "The Addams Family" (1991), is last seen on Wachowski brothers' big screen "Speed Racer", which has hit the theaters in May. She has also finished working on another movie called "New York,

AceShowbiz.com

29 September 2008 1:15 AM, PDT | From Rope Of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news

Can anyone catch up to this cool cat? With Shia Labeouf's Eagle Eye taking the top spot at the box-office this weekend it makes four-in-a-row for the actor (not counting the animated Surf's Up) and it made me wonder if the 22-year-old is our next big time actor or if it's just a case of him starring in the right film at the right time that has made his films so popular leaving the title of "The Next Big Thing" up for grabs. Let's face it, Transformers and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull were going to make big bucks no matter what, Shia had very little, if anything, to do with their success. One could make the argument that Disturbia opened during a very weak time in 2007 and that accounts for its three week box-office domination with rather modest numbers, winning that third weekend with barely over $9 million.

Brad Brevet

27 September 2008 10:29 AM, PDT | From ScreenRant.com | See recent Screen Rant news

As a huge fan of the Lethal Weapon movies, Mel Gibson, Richard Donner and the work of Shane Black, I was excited when news surfaced that Black had penned a treatment for Lethal Weapon 5.

However, I’m now torn due to the news that Black has been asked by producer Joel Silver to helm the project, leaving Dick Donner out of the project. Strange news indeed, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was an exceptional piece of entertainment, but I don’t know if I’d want to see a “Dickless” Lethal Weapon movie.

So why has Lethal Weapon 5 not been offered to Donner - and will Mel Gibson star in the film?

The answer is simple enough.

Several years ago Donner and Silver had a falling out, and it would appear that time has not healed the wounds. As Black now appears to be Silver’s new protégé (would you go

Niall Browne

26 September 2008 7:42 PM, PDT | From The Hollywood News | See recent The Hollywood News news

<p><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Maybe someday Larry and Andy Wachowski will be credited other than as .the directors of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Matrix</span> trilogy., but it won.t happen today. 2008.s <span style="font-style: italic;">Speed Racer</span> was their first flick since 2003.s disappointing <span style="font-style: italic;">Matrix Revoltutions</span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span>, and their only non-<span style="font-style: italic;">Matrix</span> effort since 1996.s <span style="font-style: italic;">Bound</span>. Though positioned as one of the year.s big summer blockbusters, <span style="font-style: italic;">Racer</span> tanked. It took in a poor $43 million and became destined to be regarded as the year.s biggest disappointment. </span></p> <p> <span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Even as a child, all Speed Racer (Nicholas Elia) cared about was racing cars. His father Pops (John Goodman) designed cars, and he looked up to his older brother Rex (Scott Porter), a hotshot driver. Alas, that story ends in tragedy, as Rex sells out to some underworld rivals and then apparently dies in a crash. </span></p> <p> <span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Though rocked by these events, an older Speed (Emile Hirsch) follows in Rex.s footsteps and becomes the

25 September 2008 10:34 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Made of Honor, a film that cost $40 million to produce, topped both the sales and rental DVD charts in its debut last week, coming out ahead of Speed Racer, the Warner Bros. lemon that cost $120 million to produce and earned only $44 million at the box office, according to the Hollywood Reporter. (Speed Racer did come out ahead on the Blu-ray sales chart.)

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22 September 2008 11:21 PM, PDT | From Rope Of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news

Speed Racer was a disaster in theaters and it is an even bigger one on DVD/Blu-ray. Watching Warner Bros.' Blu-ray release at home almost proved to be an impossibility. Why? At least in the movie theater the sensory overload was so all-encompassing it somewhat dulled the film's numerous structural failures. In the comfort of my living room, devoid of all the bells, whistles and an obnoxious preview audience directors Larry and Andy Wachowski's labor of love was stripped of all its distractions, the emptiness of the script and the colossal unfocused nature of it all suddenly front and center for everyone to see. While this is supposed to be a movie about flashy visuals and heartfelt family values, what it all adds up to is a disaster that's as perplexing and annoying as it is sometimes difficult to take your eyes off of (at least as long

Sara Michelle Fetters

19 September 2008 5:56 PM, PDT | From Rope Of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news

In a press release sent out today Columbia Pictures announced Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle) will direct and star in The Green Hornet. Chow will star as Kato, opposite Seth Rogen who co-wrote the film with Evan Goldberg. The film is set for release on June 25, 2010. Chow was quoted in the release saying, "I'm excited to be taking on The Green Hornet -- obviously, I've been a huge fan of the show since I was a kid. The idea of stepping into Bruce Lee's shoes as Kato is both humbling and thrilling, and to get the chance to direct the project as my American movie debut is simply a dream come true. I'm grateful to my friends at Sony, who have shown so much faith in me for so many years. I'm looking forward to working with Seth, Evan, Neal, and the team at Sony, and I'm eager to get started.

Brad Brevet

16 September 2008 1:38 PM, PDT | From GreenCine | See recent GreenCine news

Paul Matwychuk has caught up with Speed Racer, "and to my great surprise, I found it every bit as thrilling and delightful as Dennis [Cozzalio] did. I'm quite frankly baffled by the critical drubbing it received, especially from someone like Salon's Stephanie Zacharek, who in the past has been one of the biggest defenders of Brian De Palma, whose ability to convey plot information through complicated visuals instead of dialogue has a lot in common with the Wachowskis' approach to storytelling in Speed Racer."

Talking with Francis Ford Coppola for the London Times, Ed Potton revisits Apocalypse Now. Meanwhile, Glenn Kenny has a fascinating update on how the restoration of The Godfather's been going.

Read more below.

underdog

16 September 2008 6:46 AM, PDT | From Rope Of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news

DVD Links: Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed One quick note since a release date has not yet been announced, Blu-ray.com tells us Fox will release The X-Files: I Want to Believe as its first Blu-ray title with Bd Live features. The feature will be called "The X-Files Dossier" and will allow users to create a special-agent avatar that can browse through Agent Dakota Whitney's case files on clairvoyance and post their own notes and theories. Viewers will also have the ability to help Agent Drummy solve several forensic challenges. These challenges are expected to be posted weekly for first few weeks of release. In addition to the above mentioned Bd-Live and BonusView features, the disc will also include an interactive timeline featuring more than 80 video clip segments from the franchise's archives. Now to today's titles... Blood Simple (Director's Cut) Here it is, the only DVD releasing this

Brad Brevet

16 September 2008 6:32 AM, PDT | From Cinematical.com | See recent Cinematical news

There's a slew of new releases hitting shelves this week. Some are flashy, some are sweet, and some you should be ashamed if you spend your hard-earned money on them. As Peter said last week, we're still working out kinks in the new format, so weigh in below with your thoughts.

MAIN PICKS AND MISSES

Speed Racer (Pick)

Made of Honor (Miss)

The Love Guru (Miss)

The Babysitters (Miss)

INDIES ON DVD

Young@Heart, Finding Amanda, Harold, Snow Angels

BLU-RAY

Speed Racer, Hulk (2003), The Mist

COLLECTOR'S CORNER

High School Flashback Collection, Risky Business Deluxe Edition, and more!Filed under: New Releases, DVD Reviews, New on DVD, Home Entertainment

Continue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 9/16

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Monika Bartyzel

15 September 2008 1:10 AM, PDT | From toxicshock.tv | See recent toxicshock news

Focus Features recently released the latest movie trailer from their upcoming drama “Milk” by director Gus Van Sant (Paranoid Park, Finding Forrester, Psycho) and starring Sean Penn (21 Grams), Josh Brolin (American Gangster, Grindhouse), Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer) and James Franco (Spider-Man 3). Synopsis: The story of California’s first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, a San Francisco supervisor who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by San Francisco Supervisor Dan White. Stay tuned to Toxic Shock TV for the latest “Milk” movie trailers and posters.

Brian Corder

13 September 2008 8:36 AM, PDT | From screeninglog.com | See recent screeninglog news

Christina Ricci, Owen Benjamin, Bill Engvall, Nadine Velazquez and Cedric the Entertainer are set to join Scott Marshall’s upcoming comedy “All’s Faire in Love,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Benjamin, who recently starred in “The House Bunny,” will play a drama school grad who becomes the fetch boy for his new Renaissance theater group. Things seem to improve when he meets a Faire virgin (Ricci), although his colleagues threaten to interrupt their romance.

Also on board are Ann-Margret, Louise Griffiths and Matthew Lillard. Marshall is directing a script by Robert A. White.

Originally, the film was titled “Ye Olde Times,” with Jack Black attached to star as a professor. Black’s role is now in the hands of Cedric the Entertainer.

Ricci recently starred in “Speed Racer.” She will next be seen in “New York, I Love You.” Engvall’s most recent big-screen appearance was “Delta Farce,” while

Franck Tabouring

12 September 2008 12:22 PM, PDT | From ScreenRant.com | See recent Screen Rant news

MTV News has been doing a dutiful job trying to keep up with all the wayward fragments of the shattered Justice League movie, like keeping tabs on the Wonder Woman movie, which has been sitting snuggly in the lap of producer Joel Silver (The Matrix) for some time now.

According to MTV, Silver, like the man with his finger on the big red button, had been thinking of handing Wonder Woman over to the Wachowski Bros. (The Matrix). Thankfully, El Mayimbe from Latino Review were able to deflate this troubling rumor, while we here at Screen Rant looked into what’s really going on with big-screen adaptation of America’s favorite Amazon.

According to the rumor mill, fantasy guru Josh Whedon was working on a script for Wonder Woman, but quit the project when producers Joel Silver and Leonard Goldberg decided to go with a WWII-centered script by relatively unknown scribes,

Kofi Outlaw

11 September 2008 7:02 PM, PDT | From Cinematical.com | See recent Cinematical news

I don't know about anyone else, but I thought that was a pretty exceptional summer, as far as good, entertaining movies went. I've seen summers in which almost every movie seemed mediocre and not one standout ever emerged (2000 and 2006, for example). But this year, there were at least five standouts and at least five more really good movies. Call me crazy, but I caught up with Speed Racer on DVD this week, and even that one didn't seem so bad. (Sure, it's no Iron Man. I think it probably plays better on the small screen, although I did have trouble with the length and with the annoying Spritle character.) And, of course, we saw a lot of stars at their best this summer: Robert Downey Jr., Heath Ledger, Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Ben Stiller, James Franco, Meryl Streep, Penelope Cruz, etc. Good times! It was all so exciting that I

Jeffrey M. Anderson

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