Damon Houx
Though DreamWorks Animation has had some hits ('Shrek 2,' believe it or not, is one of the top ten highest grossing films of all time), their last film at Paramount ,'Rise of the Guardians,' was such a flop that it caused the studio to reduce ranks. Fortunately that may have just been some bad luck as their most recent film 'The Croods' is so successful that the studio has just announced a sequel.
The internet has shown that filmmakers can act directly with fans, and circumvent the official marketing machine. 'Kick-Ass 2' director Jeff Wadlow has shown how far you can go by uploading a clip from his upcoming movie. It offers Aaron Johnson and Chloe Grace Moretz starting a fight with Christopher Mintz-Plasse and his gang.
When 20th Century Fox was founded in 1935 (the combination of Fox Films Corporation and Twentieth Century Pictures) it's possible that the founders of the company may have joked that their name could become obsolete in sixty five years, but it seems unlikely they were thinking that far ahead. Now -- seventy-eight years later -- the company's name has been changed to reflect the times and updated to 21st Century Fox for everything but the movie side of their business.
'The Hunger Games' proved adept at keeping audiences excited by offering brief glimpses at the movie, and letting everyone know about every casting decision, so it's no surprise that the follow-up 'Catching Fire' is using a similar strategy. We're still more than seven months out from 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,' but it's just released two new images.
1991's 'Point Break' is the latest film to be dusted off for remaking, as former cinematographer Ericson Core has been hired to direct it, and there's already a finished script. Which means this might actually happen. Great.
The first 'Grown Ups' had a trailer that revolved around older men urinating in a public pool. The centerpiece of the new 'Grown Ups 2' trailer is a moose that not only lets out a long fart, but bucks up and urinates on Adam Sandler. Oh boy.
Tim Burton has lined up his next project, and it's 'Big Eyes,' the long-in-development biography of Margaret and Walter Keane, who painted those big eyed pictures of children. And for his leads he's got Amy Adams and recent Oscar winner Christoph Waltz.
With the phenomenal success of 'Paranormal Activity' and its sequels, other studios took to copying the formula of making micro-budgeted horror movies, which is partly why we got 'Sinister.' Done for $3 million, it has made over $87 million worldwide, and so it's no surprise they're working on a sequel, which got officially announced today.
Sam Raimi's 'Evil Dead' trilogy is one of the touchstones of cult cinema. From the first no-budget horror film, to the frenetic, slapsticky horror-comedy of the second, to the Dungeons and Dragons and Mark Twain-inspired third film, they are marvelously entertaining movies that inspire very passionate fans. Which is why people keep asking Raimi about a fourth film. Well, he's answered, and suggests he's going to write a new sequel this summer.
'X-Men: Days of Future Past' is to commence shooting in April, and it will include a lot of familiar faces. One current holdout is Halle Berry, who originated the role of Storm. Last we heard she wasn't in the picture, but now it looks like there's a strong chance of Storm appearing in 'Future Past.'