Film School Blog - Weekly Roundup

Weekly Roundup: Wachowski’s Cloud Atlas and Area 51

Published on July 27, 2012

The Wachowski siblings, formerly the brothers who created the successful The Matrix franchise, released footage and stills from their newly anticipated film, Cloud Atlas. It looks very interesting, to say the least.

It was only a matter of time before Lady Gaga made her film debut. It looks like she will be in the new Robert Rodriguez sequel, Machete Kills. That’s not all. Gaga will be joined by Mel Gibson and Charlie Sheen. Wonder what the insurance will cost for that film?

The Venice Film Festival released details about its 69th annual event. Among some of the filmmakers debuting their films are Brian DePalma, Spike Lee, and Terrence Malick. Who will go home with the golden lion?

Dodgeball comedy stars, Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn reunite in the new film, The Watch, coming out in the U.S. today. If you want to kill some time before seeing the movie, watch these hilarious outtakes with the two and their co-star, Jonah Hill.

In case you were worried whether “Peggy” from AMC’s Mad Men would return to the show after switching companies, Matt Weiner confirmed she will still be an integral part of the series. Now if only they could bring back Lane.

We still have no idea what actually goes on at Area 51, but AMC will use their creative powers to give us an idea. Knowing the network, we’re pretty sure it’ll be an exaggerated version.

Where do you think AMC will go with the show? Continue the conversation via Twitter @NYFA.

Weekly Roundup: Robopocalypse and Movie Motorcycles

Published on July 20, 2012

The long await after There Will Be Blood is coming to a close, as Paul Thomas Anderson will soon release his next film, The Master. Many believe Scientology is the inspiration behind the acclaimed director’s cult themed movie, even though Anderson denies it. You be the judge.

Batman has come in many forms over the years. We take a look back over the past 70 years to see just how much The Cape Crusader has evolved. Remember the nipple era?

We can all agree that Batman’s tumbler is a pretty awesome version of the motorcycle. But, what other movie motorcycles compare? Are you an old school Easy Rider Chopper type, or a futuristic Tron person?

Image from Movieline.com

Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld reunite in a car. The two yuk it up for thirteen minutes, during an episode of Seinfeld’s new web series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. The two discuss dining, coffee versus tea, and pancakes. Now there’s a real show about nothing.

After Thor comes, Robopocalypse? It seems the Australian native, Chris Hemsworth, has been appointed by Steven Spielberg to be the lead in his massive new film idea, Robopocalypse. It’s anyone’s guess as to what the movie is actually going to be about. Knowing Speilberg, it should be epic.

Where do you think the legendary director will go with Robopocalypse? Tweet us your ideas @NYFA!

Weekly Roundup: Comic-Con and The Not So Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Published on July 13, 2012

Just when you thought they couldn’t pack in anymore 80s & 90s action stars into one film, they come out with Expendables 2. Is that Chuck Norris in the background?

Weren’t able to make it out to Comic-Con this year? Film School Rejects were able to highlight some of the cool things they saw while in attendance. Hold onto your pocket protectors.

We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz. Only this Wizard isn’t so friendly. See what Sam Raimi and James Franco are up to in Oz: The Great and Powerful.

If you don’t believe it was possible for Noah to build an ark, would you believe it was possible for Oscar winning director, Darren Aronofsky? See it for yourself. Just don’t ask us how he’s going to fit two of every animal on there.

What would a weekly roundup be without a recap of this week’s reboot announcements? It seems Marvel is slated to reboot two of its popular comic book series, Fantastic Four and Daredevil. Are you excited or tired of the reboots?

Tweets us your thoughts @NYFA!

Weekly Roundup: The Spiderman That Almost Was and Seinfeld on the Web

Published on July 6, 2012

Want to make $35 million in one night? Come out with a Spiderman reboot and call it The Amazing Spiderman. The movie broke the single day box office record on Tuesday with Andrew Garfield as its new leading man. Speaking of Spiderman, here are five Spiderman concepts that almost became movies. While some of them are obviously bad ideas, others aren’t so bad. Check out how James Cameron’s movie sank, and we’re not talking about Titanic.

For those of you who can’t wait any longer for the new installment of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, Warner Brothers released a 49 page document of production notes, synopsis, dialogue, and interviews. Do they have the Cliffs Notes yet? Eh, we’ll just wait for the movie.

Ever wonder what Matt Damon will look like in the future? Look no further than his upcoming movie, Elysium. Just don’t expect him to have any hair.

Jerry Seinfeld conquered television in the 90s with nine seasons of Seinfeld. Where can he go from that mega hit show? Well, now he’s trying his talents on the web in a new comedy series, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. Come to think of it, this sounds exactly like Seinfeld. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

At the age of 91, Jake LaMotta is still fighting a battle and getting into trouble. MGM has filed a complaint to stop production on an independent sequel to Raging Bull. Let’s hope Jake has the stamina to go 12 rounds with the courts.

Andre 3000 and company are coming out with a Jimi Hendrix biopic without the rights to his music. That’s a bummer. How can you have a Jimi Hendrix movie with no Jimi Hendrix movie?

Would you go see a Jimi Hendrix biopic without any of his music in the film? Continue the conversation via Twitter @NYFA.

Weekly Roundup: Male Strippers and Magical Blue People

Published on June 29, 2012

Four times a charm. Four movies are better than one. No matter how you put it, three more Avatars will be released with James Cameron and Sigourney Weaver staying with the franchise. If the first movie already made $2 billion. How much can the next three possibly make? We’re talking Bill Gates money here.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… a fly? Just when you thought Marvel ran out of superhero films, they reached into the bottom of the comic book collection and pulled out The Human Fly. Wonder if the upcoming film will be anything like The Fly?

Seth Macfarlane’s Ted has already made $2 million on its opening midnight release. Pretty damn impressive. Will the R rated Teddy Bear have stamina throughout the weekend? No pun intended.

Everybody is Kung Fu fighting, but not everybody is punching eyeballs out of people’s sockets. Well, the RZA is. The rapper writes, directs, and stars in his his first film, The Man With the Iron Fists.

Tim Burton’s career will be coming full circle as one of his first short films, Frankenweenie is scheduled for a full feature release in October. However, some luck fans will be able to see the movie at Fantastic Fest. Could this be the film that rejuvenates Burton’s career?

Lena Dunham exploded onto the pop culture pantheon with her HBO show Girls. With the passing of one of Hollywood’s most respected women, Lena wrote a remembrance for Nora Ephron.

It takes what you would call cajones to write a blog article discussing what changed the face of culture forever. But MovieFone did. And it’s about porn. But come on. What’s more important than porn?

Fan hype for The Dark Knight is reaching fever pitch. Observe HitFix frothing at the mouth over the release in a way reminiscent to those pimply teenage girls in front of the TRL building.

Steven Soderbergh is retiring … film. THR reports that the director will possibly take on television with a vengeance. Moviegoers everywhere mourn as his final bow is the seminal classic Magic Mike.

Speaking of, the male stripper movie of the ages is coming out this weekend. Salacious debauchery is expected to dominate the Box Office as women are all a-chatter over who they want to see and objectify. The smooth handsome of Matt Bomer? The rugged goodness of Joe Manganiello? The buff beefcake that is Channing Tatum? Hell, why choose?! Go wild, ladies! There’s thongs!

Weekly Roundup: President Charlie Sheen and Jurassic Park 4

Published on June 22, 2012

Bad boy Charlie Sheen has been cast by director Robert Rodriguez to play the President of the United States in his new movie, Machete Kills. Wonder who his “First Goddess” will be?

Professional baseball and struggling with drug addiction have become a winning formula for Thunder Road. The production company has bought the rights to Texas Rangers’ slugger, Josh Hamilton’s life. Casey Affleck will write and direct the film. Now if only Josh could bring a championship to Texas.

Weekly Roundup: Woody in LA and The Singing Cruise

Published on June 15, 2012

Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love will open the LA Film Festival. Yes, you heard that right. Well, there’s no way Woody will show up to that event, right? Wrong! Woody’s flying out to LA to present the film. Wonder what Sony Classics Pictures is putting in his diet (or contract)?

Tom Cruise gets high praise from 80′s rock band, Def Leppard, on his vocals in Rock of Ages. What’s even more impressive is the fact that Cruise had only been taking vocal lessons for a few months. Wonder if this will provoke Cruise to become another actor turned singer?

Academy Award winning actor, Jean Dujardin in talks to be in Scorsese’s new film, Wolf of Wall St. Dujardin would play a Swiss Banker opposite Scorsese’s favorite, Leo Dicaprio. Let’s just hope Jean speaks in this movie.

Adam Sandler warning youngsters to wear ear muffs in his new film, That’s My Boy. How raunchy is this going to be? One thing’s for sure, this is a far cry from his last few “family” films.

Giancarlo Esposito, who plays a ruthless drug lord on AMC’s hit show Breaking Bad, was actually held at gun point by NYPD. He can either take this as a huge mistake, or that his acting is so good, he can’t escape his character off set.

Keep the Weekly Roundup conversation going on NYFA’s Twitter and Facebook!

Weekly Roundup: Blue Velvet Rises, ABC’s of Comedy Films, and Stephen King’s Killer Clown Returns

Published on June 11, 2012

If you have a fear of murderous cackling clowns, then hide under your covers because Stephen King‘s It is coming back to Tinseltown. A whole slew of his novels are going to film.
Right on the heels of our article on digital versus film, Christoper Nolan firmly allied himself with the old school camp. With the Dark Knight franchise, maybe he’s got a point.
Are you a fan of David Lynch‘s Blue Velvet? Watch deleted scenes, nearly an hour’s worth, uploaded from the Blu-Ray DVD. As with all things Lynch, totally NSFW.
Check out this infographic on comedy films as the alphabet. Learn your ABC’s before you flunk out of film school. Who knew filmmaking was such viral gold?

Weekly Roundup: New Chair at Disney and Social Media Funding

Published on June 1, 2012

There’s a new Chairman in town for Disney and his name is Alan Horn. Horn, a former guest speaker at New York Film Academy, will replace Rich Ross. The hope is that Horn will greenlight more projects and establish strong relationships with talent. Let’s just hope he doesn’t greenlight a sequel to John Carter…Too soon?

We don’t mean to boast about our position in the work force, but social media c0ntinues to prove itself in many ways. The most recent perk – raising funds for filmmaking. Production Company, Finite Films is letting internet users dictate the content and funding of selected films. Is there no end to the power of social media?

Some filmmakers find it difficult to work with young actors. Wes Anderson talks about dealing with his two young leads in Moonrise Kingdom – even a kissing scene. Does that count as their first kiss?

Without a doubt, story is the most important part of a film. Fluff, special effects, and CGI can only take you so far. We scoured the net for some of the fundamentals of structuring a solid story. Some pretty sound advice.

With Men In Black 3 coming out ten years after its last installment, MIB 2, Vulture wondered what the best amount of time is between sequels. Would you want to see a sequel two years after, or do you appreciate it more when its released over a decade later? Tweet us your thoughts!

Weekly Roundup: Ridley Scott Sequels & Return of The Godfather

Published on May 18, 2012

Coming off an Oscar for his screenplay The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin agrees to write the screenplay on the life of Apple creator, Steve Jobs. If this isn’t Oscar bait, I don’t know what is. Could he win another one with the life story of the recently deceased computer genius? You better believe he can.

Paramount Pictures made Mario Puzo’s estate an offer they couldn’t refuse. Thankfully nobody will be taking a hit in the process and a new Godfather book will be released. The question is, should they make another movie after that third one? I mean, let’s be honest, it didn’t exactly live up to the first two.

The prestigious Cannes Film Festival 2012 kicked off and along with that came some pretty interesting movie posters. Some of them have the feel of a straight to DVD film, or perhaps an airplane screening. And is that Joey Fatone in what appears to be a comedy about a hangover in America? I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before.

Perhaps one of the most anticipated films of the summer is Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Many have speculated that this could be a prequel to the classic Alien series. Or is it just an original Sci-Fi idea? Screenwriter Jon Spaihts clears up the originality of the premise and the Alien world.

Speaking up Ridley Scott, the master filmmaker has announced plans for a Blade Runner sequel. No word yet on whether Harrison Ford will return for this one. But, hey, if he’s still doing Indiana Jones why not throw him back into Blade Runner? As for Ridley, what’s next? Perhaps a Gladiator 2 will follow.