Coming November 13. And it’s the enhanced-effects version. They have not yet said which Canadian theatres will show it, but stay tuned, etc. Even though I have no intention of buying the HD-DVD set that comes out the following week, I think I just may have to catch this. If only my children were old enough to join me. Read more

This would seem to confirm the rumour that Sir Ian McKellen has assumed the part of the voice of Iorek Byrnison. Click here if the video file above doesn’t play properly. Compare it to the voice that the bear had in this earlier teaser: Click here if the video file above doesn’t play properly. Read more

John Carter of Mars, a space fantasy based on a series of stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs of Tarzan the Ape Man fame, has had an interesting ride through “development hell”. A few years ago, Robert Rodriguez was attached to direct a movie of this name, but the opportunity to do so fell through when he quit the Directors Guild over the credits for Sin City (2005; my review). (Rodriguez’s two films since then — 2005’s Shark Boy &... Read more

Here are the figures for the past weekend, arranged from those that owe the highest percentage of their take to the Canadian box office to those that owe the lowest. Sydney White — CDN $1,610,000 — N.AM $10,214,000 — 15.8%Eastern Promises — CDN $2,160,000 — N.AM $14,343,000 — 15.1%Across the Universe — CDN $1,160,000 — N.AM $7,984,000 — 14.5%Resident Evil: Extinction — CDN $4,110,000 — N.AM $43,474,000 — 9.5%Good Luck Chuck — CDN $2,740,000 — N.AM $29,098,000 — 9.4%The Kingdom... Read more

George Lucas teases MTV News with hints about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: While Indy’s Holy Grail “Crusade” gave him a taste of immortality, and his “Temple” quest for Sankara Stones brought him a glimpse of “fortune and glory,” those relics are stuffy museum pieces compared to the power of the crystal skulls, Lucas asserted. “I think this is actually better, it’s up there with the Ark of the Covenant,” he declared of the fourth film’s... Read more

Apparently so. Hat tip to Variety. I had never heard of this before. Read more

The Vancouver International Film Festival is about half-over now, so it’s about time I posted a few more brief capsule reviews. – Atonement (dir. Joe Wright; UK, 123 min.) I’ve already written my review, which will appear in print closer to the film’s North American release in December. But suffice to say that the film brilliantly engages both the heart and the brain. I would agree with those who think the World War II scenes are a bit of a... Read more

This post is way, way overdue, but I haven’t mentioned the latest Star Trek casting rumours yet. Then again, they are only rumours, and the closest thing to actual news here is that at least one of the people mentioned has auditioned for a part in the film. While the rumours have originated at various sites, for simplicity’s sake, I will stick to the summaries posted at IGN.com. First up, Paul McGillion of Stargate: Atlantis has auditioned for the part... Read more

… here is one odd tidbit in that Variety story that I just mentioned that deserves a post of its own: Hopes are highest for “Prince Caspian,” which will cost at least $100 million. Granat promises that the battle-filled sequel is easily distinguishable from its predecessor and the third pic on the sked, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” Walden and Disney recently shifted the release date for “Dawn Treader” from 2009 to 2010 due to... Read more

I don’t know how it works in the United States, but here in Canada, boutique labels like Paramount Vantage and Fox Searchlight are generally handled by different publicity firms from the ones that handle parent companies like Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. Occasionally there is some overlap, but most of the time, films put out by the boutique labels tend to be treated like arthouse or independent films, rather than mainstream wide releases, and they generally do less business... Read more