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Heads Will Roll: Infamous Big-Budget Flops

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The reality of filmmaking is that a large budget does not guarantee success. As the saying goes, “the bigger they are, the harder they fall.” Here’s a brief look at five of Hollywood’s biggest bombs:

THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH (2002)
Science fiction comedies are hard to pull off, but even star Eddie Murphy couldn’t help this movie. With a starting budget of 100 million, Pluto Nash grossed a mere 7 million.

BATTLEFIELD EARTH (2000)
Based on the novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, this science fiction film is considered one of the most expensive box office bombs in cinema history.Get more information here. http://mancavedaily.newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/08/31/top-5-summer-blockbusts/

CUTTHROAT ISLAND (1995)
This action-adventure flick not only did so poorly that it bankrupted its production studio, it was named by Guinness World Records as the Biggest Box Office Flop Of All Time.

GIGLI (2003)
Starring then real-life couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, the romantic comedy Gigli received negative press and attention long before it even opened. It went on to receive six Razzies: the industry’s anti-Oscar.

THE POSTMAN (1997)
A post-apocalyptic Kevin Costner vehicle originally made on an estimated budget of 80 million, The Postman ended up losing close to 63 million at the box office.

How Would You Cast These Remakes Today?

admin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

With the remake of “Dirty Dancing” and “Footloose” coming out soon, many of the old timers are getting a little squeamish about these classics being ruined. I cannot blame anyone for being resistant to the attempt to recreate the magic of Swayze, Grey, Bacon and Lithgow. Movies come and go and risks need to be taken sometimes. Looking at new talent to fill the big shoes of Swayze and Bacon is absolutely mad. So how would do you cast these remakes? I watched E.T. a few days ago and basked in the memories of first viewing the film. While the effects are clearly dated, the movie is still wonderful. However, I am sure those of today’s generations would feel like it needed an update. I would not know where to begin in casting a new Drew Barrymore or designing a new E.T. How about remaking The Goonies? The cult classic that won the following of many kids could never find the perfect “Chunk” to recount playing a practical joke with fake vomit in a movie theater while being threatened to have his fingers chopped up in a blender. Some films do not mess with remakes, but carry on in sequels. Who is not dying to see Ghostbusters III? However, I have to admit a remake of the first Ghostbusters has potential, though casting a new Bill Murray would not be an easy task.

Guilty Pleasures: Lousy Movies That We Love Anyway

admin — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

When we watch a movie, we want the storyline to be great, and the acting to be even greater. Unfortunately, all movies don-t add up that way. Still, those are the films that we say we despise, but still catch ourselves watching when they-re on television, or renting when we-re at the local video store. What draws us to the film is because it-s so lousy, we can-t help but to love it. Just like the donut we know we should pass on, because our diet forbids it. We give into the guilty pleasure, because although the donut is lousy for us, we love it anyway!

Also, our favorite musician is acting in the film, and even though he may be bad, we still want to see him. That shows how deep our dedication to this performer really is. We are with him on the stage, and even on the big screen. Some hip hop artists and musicians have great talent. It-s just the writing, directing and storyline that are lousy. Nonetheless, we appreciate that musician turned actor-s dedication, and great performance, so we endure the horrible beginning, middle and ending of the film. Whatever is wrong about the movie, we still love the artists, and we find ourselves hooked to the movie time after time.The information doesn-t stop now. Keep looking: Sympathy for Delicious (2010)

Rapper/Film Star: LL Cool J

admin — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Anyone with a http://www.wildbluedeals.com/satellite-intern internet connection knows who LL Cool J is but did you know his film career is better than some b-level movie stars? If you didn’t know before, let us enlighten you on his film credits
Deep Blue Sea – You know this movie’s gotten a lot of flack but we think LL did a great job! It’s one of the corniest and most-loved shark movies to date and he made it worth watching, in our opinion.
Any Given Sunday – Anyone who loves football movies will love this flick and it was one of the rare instances when LL got to show off his serious chops. You won’t find him rapping here but man, does he look realistic as a football star.
30 Rock – If you haven’t been watching this acclaimed sitcom (and you really should be) you may have missed LL’s stint as Ridikolus. He plays a difficult rapper and we think it’s one of the best examples of a rapper-turned-film stars out there right now.
Keep it up, Cool J!

Comedies That Work On A Deeper Level

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

One of the greatest comedy sitcoms is Weeds. Weeds features the life of a single mother simply trying to make it through life with her two younger boys. While Weeds can make anyone laugh on the surface level, it also has a deeper level that probes racial tensions, gender issues, and power structures.

Weeds is successful as a comedy, because it does make people think on a more intellectual level. Weeds makes people reconsider their own preconceived notions of race and gender identity. Usually, Weeds makes use of irony in order to effectively communicate the contradictions of everyday life to audiences.

One one episode of Weeds, the sister of the main character dealt with an identity crisis. She did not know whether she was straight or a lesbian. While this sort of confusion could have a dramatic impact on a normal person’s life, Weeds made sure to display her struggle in a humorous light. The episode depicted the woman as constantly trying to impress her newfound female romantic interest. She would go shopping for the wildest clothing and try to find out what behaviors lesbians were attracted to. The show probed at a serious issue that society currently faces, but it did so with comedic relief.

Classic Films That Stood The Test Of Time

admin — Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Is there any bigger letdown than telling your child or even a friend about a movie that holds special memories to you and then hearing from them that they hated it? Shocked, you dig out the DVD that you haven’t watched in years hoping to see that you have been right all along, that the movie is indeed wonderful. Too often you find that they were the ones that were right. You old favorite just hasn’t stood up to time.
There are however the classics that do hold up. You put them in the DVD player and they are as perfect as you remember. I recently watched Some Like It Hot with my son. He had never seen the movie though the stars names were at least a bit familiar to him. He knew a bit about Marilyn Monroe and had at least heard of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.
I am thrilled to say that this movie was a funny as I remembered it. Marilyn is still sexy and alluring while Curtis and Lemmon have fantastic interplay. Maybe it’s the gender bending part of the story that allows it to still have some relevance and to not feel totally dated despite its gangster era Chicago setting.

Best Sports Movies Of All Time

admin — Wed, 18 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Determining the best sports movies of all time is challenging because there are different types of sports movies. Some are about overcoming obstacles or building character, and some are just plain entertainment – a lot like sports stories themselves.

When it comes to movies with a moral, football movies stand out. Rudy, Remember the Titans, and Brian’s Song all speak to the power of perseverance. In these films, football is a metaphor not just for winning, but for overcoming obstacles, and all three films leave the viewer inspired at the end.

With its rich history, baseball provides great stories for everyone to enjoy, not just fans. From Pride of the Yankees to Bad News Bears to Major League, baseball movies let us see athletes as people and team members, not just individual stars.

Other sports have also been the subject of great films. Hockey lovers can rejoice in Slapstick and Miracle. For lovers of golf and silliness, there is Caddyshack. Bicyclists and runners are represented by Breaking Away and Chariots of Fire.

These are just a few of the greatest sports movies ever made. Whether you’re looking to be entertained or inspired, one of these movies is sure to satisfy.