By unanswered questions they pretty much mean plot holes… Enjoy the list from Wired.com:
10. Independence Day: The computer virus - This movie has so many unanswered questions that one is forced to conclude that most, if not all, really are just plot holes after all. But then there’s the computer virus that Jeff Goldblum uploads into the alien mothership, that is ultimately what allows the humans to defeat the invaders. Ask any software developer, and they will tell you that it is ridiculously hard to write a virus on a PC that works on a Mac, or vice-versa, and those are two computer systems that were designed and built by human beings. The likelihood of being able to successfully write a virus on a human-built computer of any sort that would affect a computer built by telepathic aliens is infinitesimal. Of course, this is an alien species that has managed to travel in huge ships across vast distances but has never invented a clock (hence the countdown timer they use before initiating their attack), so who knows what sort of vulnerabilities their computers might have?
9. Raiders of the Lost Ark: Indy on the U-boat- The Nazis stop the cargo ship and take the Ark and Marion to their submarine. The crewman tells the captain he can’t find Indy, but then notices that Indy has, of course, swum over to the sub and is climbing onto it. There’s stirring music, Indy waves at the crewmen, he climbs up onto the conning tower, he looks around for a second, and then… the movie cuts to the interior of the sub, where it gets underway, and then we see the red line moving across the map. So how, exactly, does Indy survive this journey? He has no special equipment, can’t get into the sub (the hatches have already been closed, since they’re about to get underway), and it’s about to, y’know, go under the water, in that way subs do. Now, I remember reading once that they scripted (and possibly even filmed) a scene where Indy ties himself to the periscope with his whip. This is, of course, patently ridiculous, since it requires that the sub go no lower than periscope depth on the whole trip and, even if that happened, he’d still probably die. But Indy does tons of things that should get him killed, so we’d have believed that if they’d shown it. But they didn’t.
8. Back to the Future: Marty’s parents’ bad memory - Even though Marty is only in 1955 for a week, he plays a pretty pivotal role in his future parents’ lives. It stands to reason, then, that they would remember him pretty well, don’t you think? Now, I’m not George McFly, but most men would probably have a few questions if one of their children grew up to look exactly like a friend from high school that their wife dated briefly.
7. Star Trek (the 2009 movie): Old Spock biding his time - Kirk gets marooned on the ice planet by Young Spock, and Old Spock saves his life. Then Old Spock tells Kirk that there’s a Starfleet outpost nearby, and they trudge through the snow to get there. Now, Old Spock was marooned there a while before by Nero, and he knew that Nero was going to try to destroy Vulcan. So why didn’t he seek out this Starfleet outpost he knew about until after Kirk arrived? Don’t you think that maybe it would’ve been a smart idea to warn Starfleet that someone was about to try to destroy Vulcan, and, oh, by the way, he’s from the future?
6. Spider-Man 2: Doctor Octavius’s arms - OK, so Octavius had to invent these heat- and magnet-proof metal arms, controlled by sophisticated AI, that attach directly to a human body and interface directly with the brain. So why, exactly, does he need Harry Osborn to finance his big fusion experiment? Is there any doubt that the technology behind these arms would be worth millions, if not billions, of dollars? He could buy and sell Harry.
5. Star Trek IV: The ease of time warp - So, all you have to do to go back in time is slingshot around the sun on a carefully-calculated route, right? It’s the same thing they did in the TOS episode Tomorrow Is Yesterday. If it’s really that easy, then any warp-enabled ship can do it any time, so surely someone in the Klingon or Romulan empires must have figured this out. The Klingons might be too honorable, but why haven’t the Romulans taken advantage of this, and used it for all sorts of nefarious purposes?
4. Star Wars: The Death Star’s slow attack - So the Death Star follows the tracking device on the Millennium Falcon to the rebel base. They jump out of light speed, and, for no clear reason, emerge on the far side of the planet Yavin from the moon where the base is. This light-speed jump takes a split-second, but now they have to wait minutes so they can clear the planet. Not only that, but the Death Star is capable of blowing up entire planets, not just moons, so why don’t they just blow up the entire planet of Yavin? Surely that would effectively destroy anything on its moons as well.
3. Gremlins: Feeding after midnight - Don’t get them wet; OK, fine. Don’t expose them to sunlight; sure, why not? Don’t feed them after midnight; um, how’s that again? If you can’t feed them “after midnight,” at what point during the day does it cease to be “after midnight” so you can feed them again? For that matter, how does the mogwai know what time zone it’s in? Suppose I get my mogwai in New York and then take a vacation to San Francisco — should I not feed my mogwai after midnight Eastern Time or Pacific Time? And what about Daylight Saving Time? Considering the consequences, these details seem pretty important.
2. The Empire Strikes Back: Time dilation - Luke and R2D2 leave Hoth to go to Dagobah at the same time Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and C3PO leave to go… well, they never really say what their initial destination is. Anyway, on Dagobah, Luke embarks on an intensive Jedi training course with Yoda — it’s never stated, but it’s heavily implied that this takes a long time; and besides, you would think a full course of Jedi training would take at least months, right? (We know it’s a full course, because when Luke comes back in Jedi, Yoda tells him he doesn’t need more training.) So, at the same time that Luke finishes this months-long training and runs off to Cloud City, his friends have clearly just gotten there a short time before. Yet all they did on the way was flee from a Star Destroyer and fly down the gullet of a giant space worm. That must have taken hours, not months. So was the Millennium Falcon flying at close to the speed of light (but not at light speed) for a while and thus experiencing time dilation? Yeah, that’s the ticket.
1. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: Was all that really necessary? - It would really have been useful if Henry Jones Sr. had found out, or, if he knew, mentioned the bit about the Great Seal. You know, the Great Seal that the Grail Knight tells them the Grail can’t pass, and which sets off a highly localized earthquake when Elsa tries to pass with the Grail. Because, as it turns out, the whole race against the Nazis to get to the temple and giving a fake grail to Donovan so he could die gruesomely wasn’t necessary at all. The Nazis could never have removed the Grail from the temple anyway! I mean, leave aside the point that Donovan clearly had no idea how to get past the booby traps, and Elsa wasn’t much help to him, so without Indy and his dad there they probably wouldn’t have gotten to the Grail anyway. Once Henry Sr. had been rescued, they could’ve just gone home.
I would love to see a 4th Bourne movie and since The Bourne Ultimatum there has been a few tantalizing rumors that suggested it would be happening sooner rather than later. Here is some brief information from Matt Damon regarding the next installment. From Collider.com:
While promoting his History Channel special “The People Speak”, Matt Damon was asked about the 4th installment of the Bourne franchise and it’s not good news for fans of Damon’s alter ego. He said, “none us have kind of seen a script yet and Paul’s still cutting a movie that we worked on.”
This is disheartening news as back in October of 2008, Universal reported George Nolfi had been hired to write a script for the 4th film. But with Damon saying none of them had seen a script, one can surmise that George hasn’t finished writing it yet or no one was happy with the draft. Either way, we’re a long way from a 4th installment. As a big fan of the franchise, I’m hoping this one comes together.
Lets all keep our fingers crossed that this movie works out and doesn’t ruin a classic franchise!! Read more from /Film.com:
Speaking to the Guardian Guide, a pull out supplement that comes with every Saturday’s issue of The Guardian newspaper here in the UK, Dan Aykroyd has revealed even more details of the upcoming third Ghostbusters film.
Here’s the big quote from the man himself, detailing some of the new ideas we can look forward to:
There’ll be a whole new generation that has to be trained and a leader that you’ll all love when you meet her. There’ll be lots of cadets, boys and girls who’ll be learning how to use the neuron splitter and the inter-planet interceptor - new tools to enable them to slip from dimension to dimension.
[…]
As for the gadget, to me this inter-planet interceptor brings back memories of Aykroyd’s own attempt, a few years back, to mount a third Ghostbusters film. Here’s Aykroyd’s own explanation of that old idea, as reported by Peter in February 2007:
I wrote a script called Hell Bent, Ghostbusters go to hell basically. The premise is that it’s Manhellton. There’s Manhattan and ManHELLton. And if you can build an inter-dimensional phase system so that you can go from one dimension to another. We’ve succeeded doing that and we go to the hell side.
Back to the new approach, and Aykroyd also mentions that Bill Murray’s condition for returning was that Ernie Hudson’s previously underwritten role as Winston Zeddemore would be beefed up to put him on equal footing with the others. A class move, Mr. Murray.
[…]
Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky have been writing the new film - and judging from his comments, sharing every draft with Aykroyd. Production is apparently possible for the end of the year, so a Summer 2011 launch isn’t too unlikely.
After an absolutely gigantic opening weekend despite bad reviews, this seems like a no brainer… Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is as big a franchise character that you’ll ever see, so why wouldn’t he cash out as many dollars as possible. Maybe they could make a better movie though? Read more from Variety.com:
Hugh Jackman and Seed Productions partner John Palermo are ramping up several projects for the “Wolverine” star.
Fox and Seed are in development on a sequel to “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” which topped the domestic box office over the weekend.
The Seed partners have begun planning the sequel, which they are squarely focusing on the samurai storyline originated in the comic series, and whose Japanese locale was teased after the film’s final credits. A writer has yet to be hired. Seed will produce.
Fox has just closed a deal to acquire “Personal Security,” a spec script by Matt Lieberman. Jackman will star as a tough Gotham police detective forced into bodyguard duty for a spoiled teen heiress who is receiving kidnapping threats. Jackman and Palermo will produce with Tapestry’s Michael Schreiber.
Read the rest HERE or check out sister site WatchMojo.com’s 5 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Wolverine:
Wow this is simultaneously surprising and intriguing… Surprising that this movie would be even considered for a remake, not that it’s bad, but how much money did it actually make in its first incarnation? And intriguing because Russel Brand is pretty hilarious and probably perfect for the role from what I remember… Read more from EmpireOnline.com:
Russell Brand’s bid for world domination may have hit a snag, with today’s news that the hedge-haired Brit comedian has agreed to star in a remake of, erm, Drop Dead Fred.
Yes, that Drop Dead Fred – the Rik Mayall atrocity from 1991, in which the Bottom star played Phoebe Cates’ anarchic imaginary best friend. Awful in a way that only Tom Green fans could begin to recognise and appreciate, it’s somehow garnered something of a cult following over the years, enough to make Universal feel that a Brand-led remake might be just the ticket.
Dennis McNicholas, one of the writers on the upcoming Will Ferrell comedy, Land Of The Lost, will write the script for the movie, which will focus more on the world of imaginary friends, with Brand, as you’d expect, taking on the Mayall role. Let’s hope he’s nowhere near as annoying.
We’re a little torn by this. We’re always having pops at Hollywood for remaking great movies, so you’d think that we’d welcome news that they’re remaking a clunker – after all, the only way for Drop Dead Fred has to be up, particularly with the increasingly hot Brand, who has Forgetting Sarah Marshall semi-sequel, Get Him To The Greek, and the remake of Arthur on his plate, leading the way. Right?
Marc Platt, producer of Wanted and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, is producing for Universal. And that is a good sign…
from FirstShowing.net:
I just stepped out of a screening of X-Men Origins: Wolverine on the Fox lot in Los Angeles and before it started, director Gavin Hood stopped by to introduce the film. He spent most of the time thanking us for coming to this screening and seeing Wolverine the way it should be seen, in theaters, and talked about how many difference there were between the final cut and the early leaked version. He then mentioned that Marvel has a tradition of hiding easter eggs in their films, and it’s no exception for Wolverine. They’ve hidden multiple secret endings on different prints and theaters will be showing different versions.
Fox is a bit desperate to try and get people in theaters on May 1st for the opening and this definitely seems like a very unique decision to try and bring people in. While we’ve seen plenty of easter egg endings, like in Iron Man last year, we haven’t seen multiple endings like this in a long time. Hood didn’t say how many different endings there would be. As for the other differences between the leaked version and the final cut, Hood explained that there were 400 unfinished visual effects shots and that there was no score, unfinished sound mixing, and unfinished coloring. However, he didn’t mention anything about differences in footage.
I will say, quickly, that I enjoyed Wolverine and wouldn’t call it great, but liked it a lot more than I was expecting. I think my expectations had been brought down considerably because of all the negative buzz from the leak. However, seeing a finished and polished version was what made all the difference (I never saw the leaked version anyway). As for the secret ending we saw tonight, I’ll only say that it featured Deadpool, but I won’t say anything more, as I don’t want to spoil the ending. We’ll let you know when we hear any more about the secret endings in Wolverine, including how many there are and what they are.
Well, not actually him, more like a digital recreation of a body mold saved from the 80’s… but its still pretty awesome. Read more on the story from /Film.com:
[…]
Apparently, a CG version of Schwarzenegger really will be appearing in the film. They describe the process by which this alter-Arnold was created thus:
“A body-cast mold of Schwarzenegger, created when he first appeared as the muscle-ripped cyborg, provided the basis for a digital-effects version of his famous character. The figure appears in Terminator Salvation as a living, breathing actor.”
So he hasn’t had to do a single thing! The body cast has just been sitting around for 25 years and was just pulled out of storage someplace. I hope he didn’t charge them too much for the privilege of using his likeness. I suppose Roland Kickinger provided motion capture, or an on-set torso for the acting Arnie to be pasted over…?
Other comments in the Variety article suggest quite clearly that this CG creation has no lines to recite, so no voice over work would have been required:
“Schwarzenegger viewed the resulting footage and gave his go-ahead just in time for McG to include the footage before the helmer completes his cut of the movie.”
There is an outside chance, I suppose, that they have woven in some prerecorded dialogue, most likely from a previous Terminator film or perhaps outtakes.. or even Junior, Kindergarten Cop or, who knows, a Governor of California press conference. If you ask me, he sounds quite similar no matter what he’s talking about.
It should only be a couple of weeks until Salvation starts screening and the wraps will well and truly come off.
SANTA MONICA, CA (March 17, 2009) – LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), the leading next generation studio, announced today that it has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film version of Suzanne Collins’ best selling futuristic young adult novel THE HUNGER GAMES. Collins will adapt the screenplay from her novel, the first in a trilogy. Nina Jacobson is producing through her Color Force shingle. The announcement was made by Joe Drake, Lionsgate President, Motion Picture Group, and Co-Chief Operating Officer.
“The Hunger Games” was published by Scholastic last year, and has been singled out for raves by “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer. The trilogy’s eagerly anticipated second installment, “Catching Fire,” is due out September 1, 2009.
Lionsgate President of Motion Picture Production, Alli Shearmur, will oversee the production for the studio, along with Lionsgate Senior Vice President of Motion Picture Production, Jim Miller.
Said Shearmur, “THE HUNGER GAMES is an incredible property and it is a thrill to bring it home to Lionsgate. This is the exactly the kind of movie I came to Lionsgate to make: youthful, exciting, smart and edgy. We are looking forward to working with Nina and Suzanne to create a movie that satisfies audiences’ hunger for high-quality entertainment.”
Said Jacobson, “I am thrilled to have Lionsgate as a partner in THE HUNGER GAMES.
The suspense of THE HUNGER GAMES is heightened by its spirit of moral inquiry, and Suzanne has entrusted Lionsgate and me to bring that moral perspective to the adaptation – a charge we fully intend to honor.”
The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Miller and Robert Melnik, Lionsgate Executive Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs; and by Jason Dravis of Monteiro/Rose/Dravis, on behalf of Collins and Color Force.
SYNOPSIS
A dystopic Capitol requires its twelve subjugated districts to pay tribute in the form of a teenage boy and girl who are forced to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. When Katniss Everdeen’s little sister is chosen in the lottery, Katniss volunteers to take her place. Although persevering through hardship is commonplace for Katniss, she must start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love in order to win the games and return home.
Since its publication in September 2008, Suzanne Collins’s award-winning novel “The Hunger Games” has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for 25 consecutive weeks to date, and rights for 32 foreign-language editions have been licensed. “The Hunger Games” won the 2008-9 Cybils Award for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction. It was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2008; a 2008 Horn Book Fanfare Book; a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2008; a School Library Journal Best Book of 2008; a 2008 Booklist Editors’ Choice; a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice; and a Kirkus Best Book of 2008.
This story just gets weirder and weirder… With Casey Affleck on hand to film all these shenanigans it seems more and more likely that this is some sort of lead up to a Borat style faux documentary type movie. Then again it could also be that Joaquin Phoenix is just an asshole… Watch:
This is from CinemaBlend.com:
Judd Apatow’s name has been attached the rumors about Ghostbusters 3 since they first began, with all reports saying he would be the producer for the film written by The Office writers Lee Eisenberg and Greg Stupnitsky. Now the production has gotten so close to actually happening that Production Weekly is listing it– and wouldn’t you know, Apatow Productions is right there in charge.
Sure, it’s not huge news– we could probably have assumed from the first rumor that Apatow would be involved, given that he’s the reigning demi-god of comedy. But the inclusion in Production Weekly means the whole thing is actually happening, beyond just Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray getting asked awkward questions about the project’s status. No actor names are attached to the Production Weekly piece, but at this point, it seems like only a matter of time before the gentlemen prepare to suit up a third time.
Lets hope Apatow doesn’t screw this up…For old times sake:
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