100 Word News - Akira Kurosawa Sold for Remakes

Hearing a classic film is being remade is always a bit unnerving. Recreating something that was already done well is never an easy task. What about when it isn't just a film but the entire catalogue from a legendary director? This week Splendent Media announced it had purchased the rights to 50 of Kurosawa's films. The deal will allow the company to sell the rights to filmmakers interested in doing a remake. On the bright side if done properly we could wind up with more gems like Leone's “A Fistful of Dollars” which was based off Kurosawa's “Yojimbo.”

100 Word Review - Funny People

Apatow returns this time toting a much less comedic approach to a film boasting a full cast of comic gold. Sandler, Mann, Hill, Rogen, and many more round out the cast in a story that takes a more realistic approach to examining the lives of the funny people who make us laugh on a daily basis. Heartbreak, death, friendship, and betrayal only some of the more human qualities Apatow looks to emphasize in his characters as he delivers an touching dramatic comedy that will find you more engaged in the story and characters than any of his lighthearted releases prior.

Star Wars Giveaway

In honor of the release of Star War on blu-ray I will be giving away a Star Wars based t-shirt 'Lightkatana Fight" by AJ Paglia (@SwissArmyShark) from TeeFury.com. The shirt is a men's large and unfortunately the only size available as TeeFury only prints their shirts once and then they are gone, making them tough to find.



How To Enter
There will be three possible ways to earn an entry.

1. Send an e-mail to Contests@100WordsorLess.net with "Star Wars" in the subject line. E-mail must include your name, e-mail address, and which Star Wars film is your favorite and why.
2. For those using Twitter you can earn an entry into the contest by following @100WordsorLess and tweeting the following message "In honor of Star Wars blu-ray release WIN a FREE shirt from @100WordsorLess RT/Follow to enter. #100WoL Details http://tinyurl.com/3tknuz8"
3. StumbleUpon users can also grab an extra entry by liking this page using the badge at the bottom of this post.

Rules
Only one set of entries per person. Only open to people within the continental United States for shipping reasons. Anyone found to be using multiple accounts, or e-mail addresses will be disqualified.

All entries must be made before 11:59PM (EST) September 23rd, 2011. Winner will be chosen and notified on September 24th, 2011. If prize is not claimed within five days it is forfeit and a new winner will be chosen.

Random Movie News to Know – The Week of August 15 - 21 2011

This weeks news seems to be dominated by Disney and Pixar announcements. Pixar has announced a few new movies including an untitled film about dinosaurs set for the later half of 2013, and has given up some details on their next planned Toy Story short titled 'Small Fry' in which Buzz is replaced by a miniature kids meal version of himself. Along with that Disney has thrown out a poster for their own short based on the Tangled film.

On a completely different note, it looks as though Sylvester Stallone will be making his way back to the war-zone as information has sprung up on a script for another Rambo film. The film titled 'Rambo: Last Stand' was written by Sean Hood who recently completed 'Conan the Barbarian' and was stated to be more of a small-town thriller. Whether Stallone will get on board with the film is still unknown but Hood is hopeful.

In the past I wrote about an upcoming revival to the cult film 'The Crow.' It was set to star Bradley Cooper in the lead role which seemed a bit off. This week it got a bit stranger, and undeniably more disappointing than it already had been. Cooper has dropped out of the project and a few of the studio's hopeful replacements names have been released. On that list are 'The Fighter's Mark Wahlberg, and 'G.I. Joe's Channing Tatum.

This week's trailer comes from Daniel Radcliffe's first film after the Harry Potter franchises end. 'The Woman in Black' a film based on a novel by Susan Hill tells the story of a lawyer who is forced to deal with a haunted house as he settles a deceased clients estate. The trailer portrays a great creepy atmosphere and if the whole film can fall in line with the trailer I personally will be looking forward to its release.

100 Word Review - Run, Fatboy, Run

Beloved comedic mind Simon Pegg takes to the streets in the 2007 romantic comedy Run, Fatboy, Run. Dennis Doyle (Pegg) the nitwit slacker who can’t quite get his life together discovers his past love, and mother of his child has become engaged to an exceptionally successful man. Fearing he will never regain her affection Dennis mounts a crusade to change her mind and reunite his potential family unit. Not quite the typical comedy film you would expect from Pegg Run, Fatboy, Run falls short in that sense but manages to some heart in the inspiring test of commitment Dennis endures.

Random Movie News to Know – The Week of August 8 - 14 2011

Has Disney fallen on hard times, or is it just bad timing for Jerry Bruckheimer's production of 'The Lone Ranger' starring Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp? This week it was revealed that Disney has shelved the project after concerns arose about the estimated $230 million budget. On the heels of two Disney flops with 'Cars 2' and 'Winnie the Pooh' as well as other on the fence big budget productions already underway Disney has been a bit more skittish towards the production. It is currently unclear whether the production has been canceled for good, or whether it has just been pushed aside to wait for a more advantageous time.

With the Harry Potter series now in the rear-view mirror director David Yates and writer Steve Kloves have moved on to new projects. The pair has found themselves together again though as they begin work bringing yet another piece of literature to life. The pair are currently in talks to bring Stephen King's hefty novel 'The Stand' to fruition in a deal that will likely spread the behemoth out across multiple films. Still little is known about the project but given their track record Yates and Kloves have a line of films that are right up their alley.

If talking cartoon animals are you thing you may be excited to hear this week it was announced that the rumored spin-off of 'Madagascar' starring the films gang of wise-cracking penguins has begun to gain traction. The film, which was previously rumored to be set for a March 2012 release date this week announced that director Simon Smith would be taking up the project. Simon Smith was best known for his co-directing of Dreamwork's 'Bee Movie.'

On an equally childish note, this week brought us some rather unfortunate news as the long lost comedic actor Mike Myers has resurfaced. The Saturday Night Live alumn responsible for the 2008 travesty 'The Love Guru' had remained off the radar since until this week when he dropped a bombshell Austin Powers 4. Myers has not released much information on the next film in a line that many were quite happy with having ended so it is hard to say what can be expected. Can Myers refresh a stale series, or will the juvenile antics find Austin Power joining 'The Love Guru' in infamy.

This week's trailer comes from a film I recently had the opportunity to catch at an early screening. '50/50' Stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anna Kendrick and is slated for release in late September.

100 Word Review - 30 Minutes or Less

Director Ruben Fleischer of the 2009 hit 'Zombieland' returns for his second feature film with the crime comedy '30 Minutes or Less.' Stuck in an unsatisfying go nowhere job as a pizza delivery man Nick (Eisenberg) finds himself along with his feuding friend Chet (Ansari) tangled up in a scheme to rob a bank after a pizza delivery goes bad. Though the character acting feels like nothing more than a rehashing of what each cast member is known for '30 Minutes or Less' will appease fans of their comedy while providing a unique story to create an undeniably fun film.

100 Word Review - Beginners

Award-winning indie director Mike Mills assembles a vibrant cast to tell the harrowing story of Oliver, a man who shortly after the passing of his mother is dealt two more curve-balls as his father reveals he is gay, and is soon thereafter diagnosed with cancer. On the back of tragedy rides his own problems in his career and love life both providing for a rather bleak outlook. Despite despair Beginners provides a sense of optimism and perseverance that bring the films heavy subject matter, and well placed humor to life. A brilliant embodiment of what it is to be alive.

Somebody get that dog an Oscar...

Random Movie News to Know – The Week of August 1 - 7 2011

This week has been a pretty good week for comic book films. No surprise that even a year before its release The Amazing Spiderman has been scheduled for a 2014 sequel film. On top of this the two big DC films currently under production "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Man of Steel" had some more big reveals including images from the set of Anne Hathaway sporting her Catwoman costume and a fancy bike, as well as the big reveal of Henry Cavill as he will appear playing Superman in "Man of Steel." I am rather indifferent about the intricacies of both characters though it will be interesting to see how the new character designs play into "The Dark Knight Rises."

Some more news came this week in what seems to be an epidemic of films based on the Disney classic "Snow White and The Seven Dwarves." For some time there have been a pair of studios each working on their own films based on the Disney film. The currently untitled Snow White film starring Arnie Hammer and Lily Collins, as well as Snow White and "The Huntsman" which features Chris Hemsworth and Kristen Stewart in the starring roles. This week though a third contender entered the fray as Disney has green-lit a project that has been in the works for years. After Michael Arndt presented a script to Disney the new film "The Order of the Seven" was underway officially re-imagining the seven lovable dwarves as an order of deadly warriors who must protect an Englishwoman from an ancient evil.

In other news of remakes is word that the rights to everyone's favorite 80's sentient robot comedy "Short Circuit" have been purchased for a reboot film. The project has been on the rocks for a couple years now but this week the company looking to make the film has brought in director Tim Hill. Tim Hill the man behind such abominations as "Hop" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks" will oversee the production of the films unfinished script which may very well be an unfortunate turn for the project.

This week was also a big week for appreciators of classic cinema as footage from the first film legendary director Alfred Hitchcock was credited on was discovered in a film collection from New Zealand. The 1923 silent film "The White Shadow" was discovered after the New Zealand Nation Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) provided a grant to restore the New Zealand Film Archives nitrate film collections. Among the collection was discovered three reels that together produced 30 minutes worth of footage from the silent film. The films will be returned to the United States for a re-premiere before being added to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ Hitchcock archive.

If you have seen any of his films it is likely that you have a pretty concrete image of what you expect from Jonah Hill in his movies. He may be working hard to expand that image after having slimmed down for his more serious role in the baseball drama Moneyball but frankly this week's trailer favors his better known style with the film "The Sitter."


NOTE: NSFW TRAILER



Wait, Chinese warrior dwarves?

100 Word Review - Cowboys & Aliens

With a title like Cowboys & Aliens it appeared as though director Jon Favreau would have a humorous action blockbuster on his hands once again this summer. What did we find instead? An amnesiac Daniel Craig moseying about with a band of inexcusably empty-eyed characters as they struggle to repel an alien invasion that threatens the planet and more importantly in a western, our gold. Overall the film plays out like the average summer action flick as its genre merging mayhem falls short as the pivotal points that make westerns and science-fiction films great are left undeveloped or entirely missing.