Freshly Popped Movie Blog Archives - March 2008

From Stacie Hougland: It might not come as a shocker that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is this summer’s most anticipated movie (according to a recent Fandango poll of a few thousand moviegoers). What is surprising is by how much it beats the competition. With 82 percent of the vote, Indiana Jones nearly doubles figures for the second-highest ranked film, The Dark...

From Stacie Hougland: Would you be willing to cough up $35 for a movie ticket? One theater chain is banking that you would…for the right perks. At any of the 50 Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas being built nationwide over the next five years, moviegoers can recline in the complex’s 40 armchair seats (with footrests), enjoy 2D or 3D digital projection, call waiters right from their...

This in from Lizerne Guiting: Will Star Wars fans make Superhero Movie suffer?Diehard Star Wars junkies refuse to be appeased by the Fanboys olive branch the Weinstein Co. laid down this week. The movie, about four buddies who break into Skywalker Ranch and steal a copy of Star Wars: Episode I so their terminally ill friend can see it before croaking, wrapped two years ago but has been in limbo...

From Stacie Hougland: The Human Torch Chris Evans doesn't think Fantastic Four 3 will ever see light of day, calling the franchise a "closed book." "I'm pretty sure we won't do [another] one," he says. "We had all planned on doing [another] one but if there were going to be a third I think a week after the second one was released we would have heard," he...

He's one of the best actors on planet Earth. And next year, Benicio Del Toro may become the best Wolfman ever committed to celluloid (he's already got my vote for performance of the millenium as the noble cop in Traffic). What exactly does a Del Toro-ized Wolfie look like? Here are a couple first pics, from EW's interview with creature creator Rick Baker... Benicio Del Toro (also...

From Stacie Hougland: New this week is the multiple-Oscar nominated Disney film Enchanted (3 of 4 DVD stars), starring Amy Adams as an animated princess-to-be banished by her wicked queen/stepmother-to-be (Susan Sarandon) from their kingdom of Andalasia to New York City. If being lost in the Big Apple isn’t jarring enough, princess Giselle finds herself now a flesh-and-blood female. Jaded...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Since the holiday is also celebrated by millions of people who have no Irish blood in them whatsoever, I thought we'd include in our movie poll -- in addition to the usual suspects -- some movies that have nothing to do with the actual Emerald Isle, other than today's most popular color. So to you, Fandango moviegoers, from the list below... Happy St....

It's a wrap now, but Fandango did have a bunch of Exhibitor Services folks out in Las Vegas for ShoWest this week -- the annual theather owner-exhibition biz powow -- and now that they're back, here were some of their thoughts on the studios' presentations... Most Likely Summer Sleeper? Pineapple Express (Watch the Pineapple Express trailer). Seth Rogen, star of Knocked Up, co-writer...

This in from Lizerne Guiting: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book from J.K. Rowling’s series of seven, will be split into two movies. According to Warner Bros., releasing the final film in two parts will give the book’s vital plot points justice—something fans have been longing for since the beginning. David Yates, who directed Order of the Phoenix and is...

Here's a look at the new Iron Man poster, which, like everything about the movie so far -- at least in my opinion -- rocks. Also, despite claims otherwise in some of the blogs out there, Paramount says that the domestic release date is still May 2nd, not April 30th (although some lucky international audiences will get a chance to see it at the earlier date). Mark your calendar, or sign up...

From Stacie Hougland: If you missed this year’s Best Picture Oscar winner, your chance to pick it up on DVD or Blu-Ray (3.5 of 4 DVD stars) starts today as the Coen brothers’ masterwork hits shelves. Is there much the Coens can’t do to near perfection? They’ve tackled the crime caper, film noir, rom-com, gangster pic, and with No Country for Old Men, modern Western. Many...

In deference to the following cool blog I saw on DiggIt, and after having just seen the original Beverly Hills Cop at Los Angeles' Arclight theater last night (the best thing in L.A. for an '80s movie fan is that, in the past month, you could see Caddyshack, The Untouchables, All the Right Moves and the aforementioned Cop on the big screen, all in less than a 10 mile radius. Thank the...

Less than 3 months to go until we all find out what a 60+ year-old Indiana Jones looks like dodging bullets, spears and whatever else Soviet bad girl Cate Blanchett (playing a character called "Spalko") hurls at him. Here's a look at the latest poster, as previewed by USA TODAY. Their profile from ShoWest (the theater owners' annual powow in Las Vegas) has the studio and the...

This in from Lizerne Guiting: Alright, guys. Don't burn your eyes staring too long at these, 'cuz Angelina Jolie is HOT! She co-stars with James McAvoy in Wanted, a sci-fi action movie adaptation from the comic. Besides anticipating this soon-to-be summer blockbuster for its heavenly bodies, the special effects are something to look out for as well, as it's from the makers of Day...

Well, the news is still breaking and the prognosis seems to change by the minute, but unfortunately, it is true that actor Patrick Swayze, 55, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The story broke originally in the New York Post, with the Post stating that the average life expectancy for someone with the disease is six to nine months. Swayze's doctor, though, according to People, said...