The Big Freeze has meant that I have had little opportunity to enjoy the benefits of a nicely-heated, well-provisioned cinema this week, but I have looked on from my snowbound confinement and this has resulted in the first post in a new series of Friday Round Ups. This column presents some of the (irrelevant) movie headlines that have caught my eye over the past week. However, Jake Gyllenhaal’s new, eagerly anticipated film, Brothers, opens in the UK next Friday and so next week this column may be brief and possibly distracted. But to start with the snow, if you didn’t know what to do with those Avatar 3D glasses after you’ve put in the requisite number of viewings, here’s an idea. Judging by the continued phenomenal success of Avatar, I’m beginning to wonder if some people were snowed in at the cinemas.
Best news of the week most definitely is the announcement of a date for the next Star Trek film – 29 June 2012. Rather strangely, the film has a release date but it doesn’t have a script. This is because the studio has ‘faith’. I suggest they’d better get a move on. Zoe Saldana has revealed that filming will begin at the end of 2010 and speculation continues whether William Shatner will be allowed anywhere near it.
This week saw a trailer for the new Star Trek Online game, showing it from a Klingon point of view. Plenty of opportunities to give the Federation what’s what.
More good news – the April 2010 release of Piranha 3D has been put back by at least 3 months. One hopes that months may turn into years before we are terrorised by toothy fish and cheesy cameos.
Not content with having been dismissed from Lord of the Rings, Stuart Townsend has now been removed from Kenneth Branagh’s Thor. Someone needs to buy this guy a watch. The Eagle of the Ninth faced its own problems.
The big movie news of the week was arguably the reboot of Spider-Man, meaning an end to the Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Sam Raimi combo. I’m not qualified to comment on this story because I’ve tried to see two Spider-Man movies and I’ve fallen asleep in the theatre on both occasions, once at an IMAX, waking up during the closing credits. This is peculiar because I have never done that with any other film. The question now is who will be the reset Spider-Man? I would say Jake Gyllenhaal, who was once set to replace Tobey when he had a ‘bad back’, but he is too mature and hot for tights. Apparently, Robert Pattinson is a favourite with the bookies at 9-4. This also raises the odds of my falling asleep at Spider-Man 4. The day after the reboot announcement, the Spider-Man Broadway musical, penned by Bono and The Edge, announced its own delay. Coincidentally.
Of course, the most disturbing movie news of the week has to be the announcement of Transformers 3. It will start shooting in May and finish three days later.
This weekend means Golden Globes and the torture of the Hollywood community at the hands of Ricky Gervais. We wait to see what happens.
Weekend Must-See: Up in the Air (and Avatar 3D, of course)
Weekend Must-Not-See: All About Steve (even though it has Beth Grant in it)
Hi, Kate.
I am very impressed with this blog. I hope you will enjoy “Brothers” when ir starts next Friday, though I seem to remember that you travelled to Florida to see it when it debuted in America.
You don’t seem to like the “Transformers” franchise, do you? But, yes, three days of filming should be enough, as most of what the audience will see on the screen will be computer-generated images, which will take about two years to create. I agree with your comments about “Spiderman.” No, I didn’t fall asleep during those movies, though that might have been a merciful release. I just don’t have much use for a Hollywood movie industry that keeps trotting out movies about superheroes (almost all of them men). Then the same movie industry gets flabbergasted when Meryl Streep and Amy Adams get huge box office numbers with “Julie and Julia.” Too many Hollywood powers-that-be don’t realize that anybody except teenage boys exist or want to be entertained.
But that’s just me, I’m sure. People will flock to Transformers 3 and Spiderman 4 and whatever Batman decides to do next….
Hi Paul! It’s so good to see you here, thanks for taking the time to comment. And I’m really glad that you like the blog.
I did see Brothers (more than once or twice) in Florida but I’m excited to see it come out here and I’ll be glad when my British friends can see it at last. Means I’ll be able to talk about it at last…
I really don’t like the Transformers franchise. I liked the first one and if it had stuck at that I’d have no bad feelings. But I saw some of 2 on the plane to Florida and I don’t think I could remember the story now if I tried. Tedious. I’m surprised anyone thinks it’s a good idea to do another one. That can be a problem with franchises.
I totally agree about superhero movies – Iron Man was a real joy because it turned the genre upside down. Mind you, it’s hard to go wrong with RDJ. It’s the formulae that bores. So no, it’s not just you. I don’t mind joining the flock to see these films when they’re halfway decent. Maybe a rebooted Spider-Man 4 will be different. I wouldn’t be so generous about Transformers 3.
Good to see you, Paul