Borat, Apatow Make Benefit Glorious Academy
They’d like to thank the Academy for letting them in. We’d like to thank the Academy for making Oscar voting a little more interesting.
The decreasingly staid Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has extended invitations to 105 stars, among them Sacha Baron Cohen, Judd Apatow, Marion Cotillard, Jet Li and Diablo Cody, to join the gilded class of 2008 as full-fledged voting members.
The invitees were selected for their “distinguished contributions to theatrical motion pictures,” and while most have either won or been nominated for Oscars, possession of a little golden man is not a prerequisite for an invite.
Being able to craft a timeless getting-laid joke, however, seems to be.
“These individuals are all incredibly talented and a credit to the world of filmmaking,” quotable AMPAS prez Sid Ganis said. “They exemplify the high standards of the Academy, and I welcome each and every one of them to our ranks.”
In addition to Borat & Co., second-generation thesp Josh Brolin, industry vet Ruby Dee, Allison Janney and Ray Winstone were among the actors passing Academy muster.
Directors Doug Liman, Kimberly Peirce, Walter Salles and Gore Verbinski rounded out the helming heavyweights, while screenwriters David Benioff, responsible for such disparate films as The Kite Runner and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Lars and the Real Girl’s Nancy Oliver and The Savages’ Tamara Jenkins joined the big-name pen-wielders on the list.
All who accept the honor and choose to become new Academy members will be welcomed at a reception in Beverly Hills come September.
Brett Ratner To Direct God of War Movie?
There are quite a few popular games being adapted onto the big screen at the moment. There’s Prince of Persia which will begin filming soon, and BioShock which will be directed by Pirates of the Caribean director Gore Verbinski. Now God of War could be getting the film treatment, as a journalist recently revealed that Brett Ratner might be involved. Film Junk found the scoop at the very bottom of this article.
I have never been a hardcore gamer, so I’ve never had the chance to play God of War. For those of you who also haven’t, here’s a quick outline of what is it about.
God of War centers on Kratos, a celebrated soldier who is haunted by his past transgressions and his debt to the Gods of Olympus. It could have just been your typical hack and slash game, but the cinematic approach and highly entertaining story line earned it a reputation as one of the best around.
Brett Ratner is best known for directing the Rush Hour movies, and failing to improve the X-Men franchise with X-Men 3. He isn’t exactly the best man for the job, but then again he isn’t Uwe Boll.
Any God of War fans have an opinion on this?
Gore Verbinski to Direct BioShock Movie
Universal Pictures has signed Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy helmer Gore Verbinski to direct and produce an adaptation of the popular video game BioShock. Aviator screenwriter John Logan is in talks to pen the script. Logan’s filmography also includes Any Given Sunday, Gladiator, The Last Samurai and Sweeney Todd.
Take-Two Interactive is getting a multimillion-dollar advance against gross points on the film. It is believed to be the biggest video game-to-movie deal since the infamous aborted Halo movie deal between Universal and Fox, for which Microsoft got $5 million against 10%. The BioShock deal is structured in a way ensuring the movie won’t end up in turnaround. Verbinski plans to start pre-production as soon as Logan’s script is finished and approved.
Since it’s release in August, Hollywood has eyeing a big screen adaptation of this popular first-person shooter. Praised for its morality-based storyline, immersive environment and Ayn Rand-inspired dystopian setting, the game has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, and ranks as the thirteenth best video game on Game Rankings. Set in an alternative history 1960, BioShock follows the story of a plane crash survivor named Jack, who must explore the underwater Objectivist-dystopian city of Rapture, and survive attacks by the mutated beings and mechanical drones that populate it. Jack is drawn into a power struggle during which he discovers that his will is not as free as he’d thought. I have also included the trailer for the video game below, so that you can get a better idea of what the game is about.
Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro recently praised the game:
“I love BIOSHOCK from a design point of view,” said del Toro. “The BIOSHOCK universe is indeed wonderful.”
The visuals are certainly cinematic enough for a big budget film, and critics have praised the game for it’s story, something not common in the video game field. Verbinski noted that Rapture’s art deco design and visually arresting characters attracted him to the project.
“I think the whole utopia-gone-wrong story that’s cleverly unveiled to players is just brimming with cinematic potential,” said Verbinski. “Of all the games I’ve played, this is one that I felt has a really strong narrative.
source: Variety
Most Profitable Directors of All Time
Who is the most profitable movie director of all time? Steven Spielberg of course… But who is the second biggest money maker in Hollywood? That question isn’t as easy to answer, is it? I decided to put together a listing of the Top 10 Most Profitable Movie Directors of All Time:
Steven Spielberg
Filmography: Munich, War of the Worlds, The Terminal, Catch Me If You Can, Minority Report, A.I., Saving Private Ryan, Amistad, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Hook, Always, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire of the Sun, The Color Purple, ET, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws
Total Domestic Box Office: $3.445 Billion
Per Film Average: $164.1 Million
Robert Zemeckis
Filmography: Beowulf, The Polar Express, Cast Away, What Lies Beneath, Contact, Forrest Gump, Death Becomes Her, Back to the Future, Back to the Future Part II, Back to the Future Part III, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Romancing the Stone, Used Cars
Total Domestic Box Office: $1.799 Billion
Per Film Average: $150 Million
George Lucas
Filmography: American Graffiti, Star Wars, Star Wars Episode I, Star Wars Episode II, Star Wars Episode III
Total Domestic Box Office: $1.698 Billion
Per Film Average: $340 Million
Ron Howard
Filmography: The Da Vinci Code, Cinderella Man, The Missing, A Beautiful Mind, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, EDtv, Ransom, Apollo 13, The Paper, Far and Away, Backdraft, Parenthood, Willow, Gung Ho, Cocoon, Splash, Night Shift
Total Domestic Box Office: $1.606 Billion
Per Film Average: $100.3 Million
Chris Columbus
Filmography: Rent, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Bicentennial Man, Stepmom, Nine Months, Mrs. Doubtfire, Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Only The Lonely, Heartbreak Hotel, Adventures in Babysitting
Total Domestic Box Office: $1.567 Billion
Per Film Average: $130.6 Million
Gore Verbinski
Filmography: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, The Weather Man, The Ring, The Mexican, Mouse Hunt
Total Domestic Box Office: $1.308 Billion
Per Film Average: $187 Million
Peter Jackson
Filmography: King Kong, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Frighteners
Total Domestic Box Office: $1.268 Billion
Per Film Average: $253.6 Million
Tim Burton
Filmography: Sweeney Todd, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Big Fish, Planet of the Apes, Sleepy Hollow, Mars Attacks!, Ed Wood, Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Beetlejuice, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
Total Domestic Box Office: $1.267 Billion
Per Film Average: $97.4 Million
Sam Raimi
Filmography: Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, The Gift, For Love of the Game, A Simple Plan, The Quick and the Dead, Army of Darkness, Darkman
Total Domestic Box Office: $1.247 Billion
Per Film Average: $138.5 Million
James Cameron
Filmography: Titanic, True Lies, Terminator 2, The Abyss, Aliens, Terminator
Total Domestic Box Office: $1.147 Billion
Per Film Average: $163.8 Million
Please Note: To simplify things, I only counted/mentioned films that played on over 500 screens.
So what do you notice while looking at this list? What do all these directors have in common?
Six out of the ten directors have helmed a trilogy (Spielberg - Indiana Jones, Zemeckis - Back tot he Future, Lucas - Star Wars, Verbincki - Pirates, Jackson - Lord of the Rings) Sam Raimi actually directed two trilogies (Spider-Man and Evil Dead).
And while Tim Burton and James Cameron have yet to direct a full-on trilogy, both filmmakers directed Part 1 and 2 of a big franchise (Batman/Terminator respectfully). Christopher Columbus has been part of the start of two franchises, Harry Potter and Home Alone. And Spielberg even directed the first two Jurassic Park films, and who knows, he might eventually helm a third film in the series.
Ron Howard is the odd man out. The only one in the bunch yet to direct a sequel (although Angels & Demons is approaching on the horizon).