Longer Trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness Unveiled – Star Trek Into Darkness has impressively been able to keep its plot details a secret. We know Benedict Cumberbatch plays the villain, but there’s been no confirmation regarding who the character actually is. While I don’t know much about Star Trek, apparently this trailer is full of references to Wrath of Khan, leading people to believe Cumberbatch is playing Khan, after all. The trailer itself is gloomy, and watching it so shortly after the Man of Steel left me with a bored déjà vu. Let’s see some excitement, Abrams!
As can be expected from an Abrams movie, there was some subtle viral marketing hidden in the trailer, as well. At about the time Benedict Cumberbatch is shown at the 1:07 mark, a computer on the right hand side of the screen flashes the words “AreYouThe1701.com.” When you visit the site, you won’t find much now, except a place to submit your email address. Time will tell what this site will be used for in the near future.
National Film Registry Adds 25 Films to Preservation List – Every year, films are selected by the National Film Registry to be preserved due to their importance to American culture. The films aren’t necessarily the best of all time, but they have had significant impact on our way of life. Among this year’s selections are The Matrix, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and A Christmas Story. Click here to view the full list.
Phone Hacker of the Stars Sent to Prison – 35-year-old Christopher Chaney was sentenced to 10 years in prison this week, for hacking the phones of a number of celebrities. Chaney was responsible for the leaking of nude photos of multiple celebs, including Scarlett Johansson. Among his other targets were Mila Kunis, Christina Aguilera, Vanessa Hudgens, and Julianne Hough. Some jokers on the WorstPreviews message boards remark that rather than prison, Chaney should receive a medal. I think the rest of us level-headed folks can say we are glad he’s being punished, but is 10 years really fair? Those who know the law better than I do, leave comments and tell us if you think this is too harsh a punishment. For the record, Chaney could have served a maximum of 60 years.
Samuel L. Jackson and Anne Hathaway Get Sad – To promote Django Unchained and Les Miserables, Samuel L. Jackson (of the former) and Anne Hathaway (of the latter) have come together to make a heartwarming video for the website Funny or Die. If you click here, you’ll be redirected to a NSFW-due-to-language video of the two stars battling over which of their movies is sadder. Jackson argues that the depictions of slavery in Django are sadder, but Hathaway thinks she’s got him beat with the poverty and poor conditions in Miserables. Watch this funny video and see whom you agree with.
Senators Blast Zero Dark Thirty for Torture Scenes – Zero Dark Thirty may be receiving awards left and right from the film community, but government figures are less than impressed with the film. Senators John McCain, Dianne Feinstein, and Carl Levin have spoken out against the film, claiming that it is “grossly inaccurate and misleading in its suggestion that torture resulted in information that led to the location of Usama Bin Laden.” In a counterstatement by Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal, ZDT’s director and writer, respectively, the filmmakers remark, “This was a 10-year intelligence operation brought to the screen in a two-and-a-half-hour film. We depicted a variety of controversial practices and intelligence methods that were used in the name of finding bin Laden. The film shows that no single method was necessarily responsible for solving the manhunt, nor can any single scene taken in isolation fairly capture the totality of the efforts the film dramatizes.” Later in the week, Acting CIA Director Michael Morrell also spoke out, saying that the film was inaccurate for a number of reasons.
Do you think the accuracy of Zero Dark Thirty should affect our view of it? It is a fictional work, after all. But it does highly publicize the fact that it’s based on true events and that the film was made in cooperation with the CIA. Does this make the filmmakers more accountable for providing us with the truth? Let us know in the comments.
Twilight Voted Worst Movie of All Time – Comedy site RiffTrax, creators of the classic series Mystery Science Theater 3000, asked their users to vote for the Worst Movie of All Time. After weeks of voting, their users voted The Twilight Saga as the worst movie(s) of all time. Also appearing on the list are some expected films, such as Birdemic and Troll 2, but also featured are some films which aren’t really the worst of all time, just severe disappointments that left fans bitter, such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Spider-Man 3. Check out the full 25-film list here.
Unique Viral Campaign for Carrie – Studios creating fake phone numbers for fans to call isn’t a new technique. Back in 1984, you could call the Ghostbusters and be met with an answering machine with a message left by Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. But the makers of the upcoming Carrie remake have taken things a step further. On a new Christmas-themed poster, fans are told to “Call Carrie 207-404-2604.” Once you call, you hear a somewhat unsettling message left by Chloe Grace-Moretz and Julianne Moore, who play Carrie and her devout Christian mother. But the experience doesn’t end when you hang up. The characters will actually call you back, leaving messages of intensifying disturbance. There is an “opt-out” option, so you don’t have to be badgered by these calls, but that’s no fun!
The Best Scripts You Haven’t Seen on Screen – It’s become a yearly tradition for film executives to release a comprehensive list of the best unproduced screenplays of the year. Since “The Black List,” as it’s called, has been started in 2004, many of the scripts featured have gone on to be made in films. Among them are Lars and the Real Girl, which was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars, and Juno, which won the same Oscar. This year, the list is topped by a screenplay called Draft Day. Written by Rajiv Joseph and Scott Rothman, Draft Day is described thusly: “On the day of the NFL Draft, Bills General Manager Sonny Weaver has the opportunity to save football in Buffalo when he trades for the number one pick. He must quickly decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of perfection as the lines between his personal and professional life become blurred.” Check out the full Black List here.
Birthdays – Steven Spielberg (66), Brad Pitt (49), Giovanni Ribisi (38), Milla Jovovich (37), Rian Johnson (39), Katie Holmes (34), Ray Liotta (58), Jake Gyllenhaal (32), Jonah Hill (29), Jane Fonda (75), Kiefer Sutherland (46), Samuel L. Jackson (64), Ralph Fiennes (50).
Weekend Box Office – Film Title (Weekend Gross/Cumulative Gross)
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ($36.7 mil/$150 mil)
- Jack Reacher ($15.6 mil/$15.6 mil)
- This Is 40 ($12 mil/$12 mil)
- Rise of the Guardians ($5.9 mil/$79.7 mil)
- Lincoln ($5.63 mil/$117 mil)
- The Guilt Trip ($5.39 mil/$7.42 mil)
- Monsters, Inc. 3D ($5.04 mil/$6.53 mil)
- Skyfall ($4.7 mil/$280 mil)
- Life of Pi ($3.8 mil/$76.2 mil)
- The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 ($2.6 mil/$282 mil)
