Freshly Popped Movie Blog Archives - September 2008

September 2008 Archive

DVD of the Week: 'Iron Man'; Exclusive Clip!

By: Stacie Hougland on September 30, 2008 at 9:09AM Comments (4)

Last May's smash hit Iron Man rockets to DVD and Blu-ray today, an essential addition to anyone's collection. Sure it's popcorny fun, but as far as guys playing dress-up in superhero garb, this well-crafted action blockbuster blew me away and became by far my favorite of all last summer's releases.You know the plot: Robert Downey Jr. plays semi-mad industrialist Tony Stark, who...

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'Benjamin Button' Trailer 2: Brad Pitt Ages Backward

By: Lizerne Guiting on September 29, 2008 at 12:30PM Comments

Baby Brad Pitt is born old and wrinkly but gains youthful exuberance as he ages in the upcoming The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The recently released second trailer reveals more of Button’s special effects and makeup, which was done by our friends at Drac Studios. Brad’s skin may be sagging, but he’s still mesmerizing—even for prune standards. See for

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Depp Cast in 'Lone Ranger,' 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Pirates 4'; More from Disney

By: Chuck Walton on September 25, 2008 at 12:35PM Comments (3)

Yesterday's "Disney Showcase" at the Kodak theater featured a lot of surprise casting announcements, even more star appearances and a full-length screening of the well-received dog-meets-real-world cartoon Bolt (in theaters in November in Disney Digital 3D). One thing you can say about the studio...they do know how to "go big." The 10-hour presentation was like a combo...

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Bring on the Vampires

By: Lizerne Guiting on September 25, 2008 at 12:20PM Comments

Twilighters will be thrilled to discover the demand for vampire lore is stronger than ever in Hollywood and beyond. Take a look at the recent upsurge of bloodsucking: TV viewers received HBO’s newly released "True Blood" with a positive response—so much so that the series, centering on a vampire-human romance and assimilation, has already been signed for a second season. The...

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DVD of the Week: 'The Godfather' Trilogy on Blu-ray

By: Stacie Hougland on September 23, 2008 at 11:27AM Comments (2)

For movie buffs, it doesn't get much better than The Godfather trilogy. And true movie buffs will want to head out Right Now to get themselves a high def setup for this week's epic release, The Godfather - The Coppola Restoration on Blu-ray, because isn't getting the best picture available for the best movies ever made what it's all about? The films themselves need no...

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Harry Potter's IMAX 3-D Treatment

By: Lizerne Guiting on September 22, 2008 at 2:31PM Comments (1)

Still fuming about Half-Blood Prince’s release date change? Maybe some IMAX 3-D-enhanced scenes will assuage the rage. Last month Rich Gelfond, co-CEO of IMAX Corp., told shareholders, "we believe this film will include approximately 25 minutes in IMAX 3-D, split between the opening sequence of the film and the finale." I can see it now... wands hurtling curses and jinxes that...

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Heard the New Bond Song?

By: Stacie Hougland on September 19, 2008 at 11:05AM Comments (5)

In my humble opinion, there hasn't been a decent Bond theme song since Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill" in 1985, and back then who didn't like everything they did anyway? Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" on Casino Royale made my skin crawl, and one has only to look back at Madonna's dreadful "Die Another Day" to know how easy it is to butcher an...

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Upcoming Indies: Watch and Read

By: Lizerne Guiting on September 18, 2008 at 9:16AM Comments (1)

If box office offerings of late haven’t been the great escape you’re looking for, consider going indie. Some upcoming critically acclaimed art house films stemmed from written works, akin to summer’s blockbusters that originated as comic books and best sellers. It’s proven that great writing makes compelling fodder for screenwriters, even if they don’t end up busting...

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The Popcorn Bowl: Who Can Watch Movies the Longest?

By: Chuck Walton on September 17, 2008 at 1:16PM Comments (2)

When I was a sophomore back at USC during the stone age (circa 1992 when people still rented VHS tapes at Blockbuster and the phrase "Internet" was met with "Interwho?"), my roommates bet me the price of movie rentals, $50 bucks, and a free pizza that I couldn't stay up 24 hours straight watching movies with only a ten-minute break between flicks. Oh, if only I had been...

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'HSM3' Tix on Sale

By: Lizerne Guiting on September 17, 2008 at 10:51AM Comments (1)

Wildcat fans, your chance to see Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens four stories tall is coming October 24! That’s still more than five weeks away, but already, we’re selling out lots of seats on Fandango; tix went on sale somewhat under the radar last week. If you’ve followed Troy and Gabriella in their two small-screen movies, you’ll definitely want to see their senior year...

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New on DVD: 'Speed Racer,' 'Pirates' Trilogy Blu Box Set

By: Stacie Hougland on September 16, 2008 at 11:13AM Comments

If you're looking for a meaningful film with moments of quiet dignity, Speed Racer, out today on DVD/BD, won't be for you. But if you're easily distracted by shiny, fast-moving objects and bright colors, this hectic, hyperreal skittle of a movie will be right up your alley--and your kids', too. As a devoted fan of the cartoon as a kid, I was initially disappointed to hear the...

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Winging It with 'The Fly' -- The Opera!

By: Stacie Hougland on September 15, 2008 at 4:34PM Comments (2)

One of the wackiest concepts I've ever heard of, an opera version of the 1986 cult gem The Fly, immediately got me all abuzz when I found out it was coming from France to Los Angeles. Filmmaker David Cronenberg teamed up with composer Howard Shore and production designer Dante Ferretti for this limited run, so if you're a fan of horror sci-fi (or just weird things generally) and...

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Forbes Ranks Most Overpaid Stars

By: Stacie Hougland on September 11, 2008 at 10:56AM Comments (1)

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood pop up on Forbes Magazine's second annual ranking of Hollywood's most overpaid stars, and guess which one came out on top? That's right, Nicole Kidman. According to their calculations, Kidman's latest movies have made just $1 for every dollar she was paid, compared with $8 last year. By the way, she makes $15 million a film. Fellow Aussie...

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DVD of the Week: 'The Forbidden Kingdom'

By: Stacie Hougland on September 9, 2008 at 11:35AM Comments (2)

If you thought you'd be older than McCain by the time Jackie Chan and Jet Li finally teamed up, The Forbidden Kingdom is the answer to your Kung Fu prayers. At 54 and 45, respectively, their first joint venture has great fight scenes (choreographed by Crouching Tiger's Woo-ping Yuen), funny lines and both subtle and overt references to martial arts flicks of yore. Not-So-Young FuA sort of...

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The Real Reason Shatner's Not in 'Star Trek'

By: Chuck Walton on September 9, 2008 at 12:20PM Comments (8)

JJ Abrams has revealed why William Shatner won't make a guest appearance in the re-energized Star Trek movie, and the reason is...William Shatner. Apparently, the 'ol Captain didn't want to do a simple cameo, and desired that the story focus on him "significantly." Here is the direct quote from AMCtv's interview with Abrams: "The bigger thing was that he was very...

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