Posted 11/29/09 3:40 pm EST by Josh Wigler in Box Office
1. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" ($42.5 million)
2. "The Blind Side" ($40.1 million)
3. "2012" ($18 million)
4. "Old Dogs" ($16.8 million)
5. "A Christmas Carol" ($16 million)
The Thanksgiving holiday weekend proved a favorable occasion for vampire enthusiasts and family drama lovers alike as "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" and "The Blind Side" emerged in the top two seats at the box office by Sunday's conclusion. Read More...
Posted 11/28/09 5:15 pm EST by Josh Wigler in Box Office
1. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" ($17.9 million)
2. "The Blind Side" ($16.2 million)
3. "2012" ($7.1 million)
4. "Old Dogs" ($6.9 million)
5. "Ninja Assassin" ($5.7 million)
It was always my understanding that ninja were so fearsome that no foe or monster — vampires included — could withstand their stealthy skills, but my preconceived notions have been dashed by the box office debut of "Ninja Assassin," the WB's latest action epic produced by the Wachowski siblings. Read More...
Posted 11/25/09 8:02 pm EST by Brian Warmoth in Twitter-Wood
Thanksgiving is a time for giving and making sacrifices, even if you're Jason Reitman and that means giving up your first class seats on a flight for the turkeys being pardoned by President Obama tomorrow. The "Juno" director tweeted a pic today from his travels, leading a pack of other photo posts that included John Hodgman's view from a Pixies concert last night and Denise Richards showing what she looks like while getting her hair highlighted.
Scope those out after the jump along with a discussion about the title of "Ninja Assassin" by Edgar Wright and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Eliza Dushku "World of Warcraft" nerdery on display and more. It's all in the Thanksgiving Eve Twitter-Wood report for November 25, 2009. Read More...
Posted 11/25/09 3:00 pm EST by Adam Rosenberg in Reviews
I don't know if many have gotten to check it out, but "Star Wars" has been on tour in recent weeks. Really, "Star Wars": In Concert, a nationwide (plus Canada) series of concerts celebrating composer John Williams' magnificent score for the six movies in George Lucas's long-running sci-fi franchise.
I was fortunate enough to check out last weekend's show at Nassau Coliseum, on Long Island. It was a jarring day actually, as I caught a 10am screening of "New Moon" that morning -- a PACKED house, I might add -- before jumping on a Long Island Railroad train out to the show. I wasn't sure what to expect, having only read that (1) a symphony orchestra was involved, (2) clips from the movies were involved and, most excitingly, (3) Anthony Daniels -- who played C-3PO in every movie -- was serving as some sort of master of ceremonies. An enticing mix for a "Star Wars" nut like me, and the reality of it did not disappoint. Read More...
Posted 11/25/09 2:30 pm EST by Eric Ditzian in Video
FROM MTV.COM: "Ninja Assassin" starts off with one of the coolest and most gruesomely entertaining movie scenes of the year: a claustrophobic attack from some masked killers who slice, dice and decapitate their way through some unlucky gangsters, spraying blood around the room like they're firefighters trying to extinguish a four-alarmer.
From there, director James McTeigue ("V for Vendetta") and his star Rain take us on a global treasure hunt in which the nominal goal is vengeance but whose real aim is to kill as many people in as insane a fashion as possible. Run-and-slash sword fights on a busy highway! Armed-soldier-vs.-ninja melees! Spooky, flashlight-assisted battles that leave you hoping never to run into a ninja in a dark alley. The film barrels into theaters on Wednesday (November 25), and here are five things you should know before checking it out:
Continue reading 'Ninja Assassin': Five Things You Should Know
Posted 11/25/09 2:00 pm EST by Adam Rosenberg in Video
"Ninja Assassin" is only the latest in a long line of fine martial arts films. Chuck Norris knows a thing or two about this. And if you don't know why, he'll punch you back into one of the decades when his contributions to martial arts cinema were still young. Because you don't mess with Chuck Norris.
What you do with him is ask what his favorites in martial arts film are. And then you don't dare disagree with him. Because he's Chuck f--king Norris, and he won't stand for that guff.
FROM MTV.COM: Was there a more inventive performance in 2009 than Sam Rockwell's in "Moon"? Or, we should say, the performances of the many, many Sam Rockwells who show up in this sci-fi mind-bender about outer space, isolation and technology? The actor took a risk with first-time director Duncan Jones and the gamble paid off big time: The movie was one of the coolest of the year and Rockwell has rightly been mentioned as a potential Oscar candidate.
So MTV News must express our gratitude during this week in which we are giving thanks to the best films and brightest performances of the year. But when it comes to Rockwell, we're also thankful for a movie we haven't seen yet: "Iron Man 2," which he filmed this year and will arrive in theaters in 2010. In a recent chat, Rockwell looked back at "Moon," forward at "Iron Man" and with a sideways grin at the idea of nabbing a little gold statuette come awards season.
Continue reading Sam Rockwell Remembers His Year Of Space Travel And 'Iron Man 2'
Posted 11/25/09 1:00 pm EST by Adam Rosenberg in Photos
As you regular readers know, a Tim Burton career retrospective recently kicked off at New York City's Museum of Modern Art, an exhibit which will be running until late April of next year. It's perfect timing then for Steeles Publishing to release their beautiful coffee table book, "The Art of Tim Burton." I recently had the opportunity to thumb through this thing, and it's gorgeous. Both the way it is designed and the quality of the images contained within. We've managed to get a bunch of those pics to share with you, exclusively on MTV Movies Blog. Click below to check out the full grandeur of our flipbook gallery for "The Art of Tim Burton."
Posted 11/25/09 12:30 pm EST by Eric Ditzian in News
FROM MTV.COM: What do you do after traipsing around the world for two weeks promoting a film, especially one that soared to a $285 million worldwide opening weekend? One might assume that you take a long, long nap. Not "New Moon" director Chris Weitz, who sat down for one more interview to discuss his fears about the release and his reaction to negative reviews.
"Nothing surprises me in terms of reviews," Weitz told Entertainment Weekly. "Having been a reviewer myself, there are only two ways to spin this story. You can either be the one guy who says this is a great movie, or more likely, take a more jaundiced view of the whole thing. And given the media blitz that has accompanied 'New Moon,' it's rather unsurprising. I do wish there was more appreciation for cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe. I think he's a genius, and I think he made something beautiful."
Continue reading Chris Weitz Responds To Negative 'New Moon' Reviews
Posted 11/25/09 12:00 pm EST by Rick Marshall in Sick Day Stash
Call them "cult classics." "Guilty pleasures." "Comfort movies." We all have a mental rolodex of flicks that may not be terribly popular but, for one reason or another, they resonate in a very special way. Maybe you saw it at the right moment. Maybe you just see gold where everyone else sees feces. Whatever the case, these are the special favorites that you keep stashed away for sick days. Here are some of ours.
With "Ninja Assassin" hitting theaters this week, it seemed the perfect time to put the spotlight on one my favorite masterpiece of sick-day cinema: 1985's "American Ninja." Read More...
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