Movies

For a movie he didn't like, film critic Joel Siegel is sure helping "Clerks 2" gain some publicity ... though it's not necessarily good. According to Kevin Smith's MySpace blog and Page Six, Siegel made the unprofessional move of disruptively storming out of a press screening for the new film. Both critic and filmmaker were on CBS Radio's "Opie and Anthony Show" this morning and the fight raged on.

"There's no reason I wanted to listen to anymore of it, I stood up and got a little carried away," Siegel said of his reaction to the film. The critic continued to defend himself on the radio show, apparently not realizing that he was talking to the director himself until 10 minutes into the tirade.

Smith refused to back down though saying, "You're a paid professional,sir, it's your job to sit there and watch a movie and review it, that's what you get paid for. It's one thing to walk out and if you don't want to do your job, fine, I understand the movie's not your cup of tea."

Siegel did note that he told Page Six he thought Kevin Smith was a very good filmmaker and he thought the original "Clerks" was one of the most important films of all time, something the gossip page forgot to mention. He also made a semi-apology, "If you'd like an apology, I'm glad to apologize. This was indeed the first movie I've walked out on in 30 years. If there's a second movie I walk out on, I'll be much quieter."

The film opens this Friday.

Listen to Smith & Siegel on CBS Radio

Dillon tells Parade magazine that his Oscar nomination for "Crash" earlier this year "reinvigorated" him both professionally and personally.

Luke and Rainn Wilson, no relation, co-star in the new comedy "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," which finds Uma Thurman as a jilted ex who uses her superhero powers to get back at a former flame. Luke plays the man in question and admitted he's definitely had his own run-ins with crazy women in his dating past.

"We had broken up a couple of weeks before and she was standing over my bed, and it really scared me, really. She had gotten into the house somehow, we didn't lock the house, that didn't help in the break in ... I just woke up and she was glaring at me, it was one of those things, I woke up and thought something doesn't feel right." While a creepy experience, Luke and Rainn's reenactment of the events during the press junket is anything but.

Luke also offered one easy out when dealing with potentially mental ex-lovers: "This is really hard for me to say, this relationship has been great but I'm gay."

Collapsing floors, trees that attack and a house that can open its front door and grab your dog off the lawn before you can say "aaaaiiiieeee!!!"

This is what you get with Columbia Pictures' new animated film, "Monster House". The film boasts the voice talents of Jason Lee, Nick Cannon, Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Fred Willard and animated-film veteran Kathleen Turner, who told cameras:

"Bob Zemeckis calls me up and says: 'You've been the most seductive animated character, would you like to be the ugliest?"

If you hear any hissing in movie theaters this August, don't assume it's coming from film critics.

It's probably just the snakes.

Variety reports today that "New Line has decided to avoid any potentially buzz-killing pre-release reviews of 'Snakes on a Plane.'", noting that it "will launch without press screenings prior to its first late-evening showings on August 17th."

Possibly the most reductive titles in the history of cinema, "Snakes on a Plane" is just the latest example of dissonance between film pundits and studio marketing chiefs: Sony's "Da Vinci Code" largely ditched the critics, and "Pirates 2" appears to be - loathe as I am to say the words - critic-proof. According to The Associated Press, 12 movies in the first three months of the year bypassed critics, compared with just two last year.

As my estimable editor Kyle Pope wrote in the L.A. Times this past Sunday, "You could chalk all this up to a predictable, long-established summertime standoff between high-brow critics and low-expectation moviegoers who want little more than an easy escape that gets them out of the heat. But there's something more going on here. What we are watching is nothing less than the demise of the mainstream entertainment critic - a reordering that will last well beyond the return of more serious movies this fall.

For the second time this year, I've felt a bit duped after leaving a blockbuster. I suppose I have no one to blame but myself for walking the plank: I totally bought into the hype around Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean," a film that was "tracking as big as anything in history" per Nikki Finke's "Deadline Hollywood Daily" column.

And with good reason: After the unqualified success of the first film, you, me, and everyone else I knew was hot to see it. Disney spent $140 million on the first film, and managed more than $650 million worldwide with it. Having admitted to spending $225 million on this one (which in English likely means you can add $25 million to that figure) one's timbers shivered to think what awaited us in theaters this time.

Unfortunately: A sea dog.

Don't get me wrong: From a box office perspective, "Pirates" is an unqualified hit. But I suspect that "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" will wind up more akin to "Matrix: Revolutions" than "Titanic."

Per the Hollywood Reporter: "'Dead Man's Chest' ...continues to exceed expectations. The Jerry Bruckheimer-produced/Gore Verbinski-directed film has now earned $258.2 million, setting a record as the highest 10-day grosser. The record tops 'Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith's' 10-day number of an estimated $236.9 million, set last year."

Having spent the entire two and a half hours of "Pirates 2" yawning, with my micro-naps interrupted by a thunderous score, I wonder what the drop-off will be next weekend. And in particular the week after that, when all those who couldn't get into a screening during opening weekend finally do see the film, and leave deafened and bored out of their skulls and cross bones.

More than anything, though, I marvel at the skill of Oren Aviv, the Disney marketing chief whose promotion is detailed so carefully in today's New York Times.

Aviv's elevation comes, as the Times' Laura Holson points out, "despite a major reorganization of its live-action movie division, which will alter the way Disney movies are made and marketed" - and a time when Disney has slid from first place in box office (in 2003) to fifth.

Again, don't misunderstand me: Aviv's promotion is richly deserved, for no doubt he is the architect of Disney's decision to emphasize only certain parts of its marketing data to the industry press - i.e. Nikki Finke report of tracking "as big as any film in history." That is, the studio was careful to let it be known that everyone wanted to see a sequel, but equally scrupulous in not emphasizing that everyone who'd screened said sequel was in love with it. (Because, let's be honest, they weren't. At least, no one in the theater I was in was laughing.)

Former "Survivor" winner and current convicted felon Richard Hatch bares it all in a new independent film.

Hatch who famously went au naturel on the first season of "Survivor" is once again exposing his family jewels in the new film "Another Gay Movie."

Whereas pixelation saved viewers from the full horror on television, moviegoers will have to endure the sight of the full-figured 45-year-old in all his naked glory.

At the movie's L.A. premiere on Saturday at the Outfest film festival, patrons shrieked and gasped during Hatch's full-frontal nude scene.

"Another Gay Movie", which opens July 28, is a parody of teen sex comedies like "American Pie" and "Porkys" but with a gay twist. The film also features (clothed) appearances by British talk show host Graham Norton and Ant from "Last Comic Standing."

Hatch is currently playing a different game of 'Survivor' now that he's serving a 51 month sentence in a federal prison for tax evasion.

The documentary chronicles Lennon the peace activist as opposed to Lennon the Beatle and his troubles with the U.S. government- from the legal wrangling involving FBI files to the goverment try to deport him. The film will have interviews with Lennon's widow Yoko Ono, Walter Cronkite, Geraldo Rivera, activist Angela Davis, and Watergate ex-con G. Gordon Liddy.

While a parody of websites is nothing new, the act of re-creating a news website with the intent to promote a documentary about a peace activist is. Was Drudge irked? Who knows. But he did post the headline "Paramount Movie Campaign Mocks Drudge Report...."

Giamatti plays Cleveland Heep, a janitor of an apartment complex, "I'm sort of hiding in this place," he says of his part, "I've taken on this mindless job, sort of shut myself off and this is what I do and become a hermit in this little house that I live in on the premises."

Of course, being a Shyamalan film, there are sure to be a few twists and turns and this movie is no different. When Heep finds a mysterious woman, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, in the pool outside his home, the creep factor starts to rise. "She at first seems like this strange young girl but something seems odd about her, but fairly quickly I start to figure out she's not quite human."

JP Morgan Chase is committing $175 million in financing for the project, with an additional $25 million coming from an unspecified source (Johnson?).

Today, of course, no announcements, but definitely the hint of one: A flirtation between 18 month old free video site YouTube and Big Media. CEO Chad Hurley and CBS supreme commander, Les Moonves were seen chatting for quite some time, reports the NY Times DealBook. The two CEOs' animated conversation might well produce a deal similar to YouTube's recent deal with NBC to allow promotion of its new season on the upstart website.

No more do we need wonder what Google's Larry Page and Sergey Brin were doing with those wire-cutters over by Chad's rental car. As the AP notes, "The leaders of Google Inc. weren't invited to the annual event hosted by investment banker Herb Allen until the online search engine leader was nearly five years old."

EXCLUSIVE: We just heard that not only is Mark Ruffalo set and Jennifer Garner in talks to join the cast of "Reservation Road" (the Oscar-bait indie that recently landed Joaquin Phoenix as a male lead), Focus Features is in talks to acquire the distribution rights to the film.

Under the direction of "Hotel Rwanda" director Terry George, "Reservation Road" is being produced by Nick Wechsler, who most recently produced "North Country" - a film that received Best Actress Oscar nominations for its stars, Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand. The film, like the novel, explores the emotional aftermath following the hit-and-run killing of a university instructor's 10-year-old son, and his subsequent dogged hunt for the killer.

While its gratifying to see that a film based on Jonathan Burnham Schwartz's challenging, multi-character perspective novel is being made at all, it is alarming to note that studios just don't seem to care making the kinds of films that win Oscars. That is, just as studios slash first-look development deals with producers, and drastically reducing the number of pictures they're making, the focus is switching to all-popcorn, all the time blockbusters. Which is great, if your a fourteen year old boy, and not so great if you care about serious film.

As one talent agent put it to me, "TV networks don't care about winning Emmys. They care about money. We may be headed for a time when studios truly don't care about winning Oscars."

With four out of five of last year's Best Picture nominees as indies, including the winner, I'd say we're already there.

The reason for this, of course, is Wall Street. With the studios owned by corporate parents who care about making this quarter's numbers, there's little room to for scatter-shot development and greater emphasis on howitzer-sized blockbusters, the returns on which are easier to prognosticate. Problem is, blockbusters don't always work. (Take a ganders at the $100 million in losses from at "Poseidon" at Warner Bros. for proof.)

While film junkets can sometimes be a boring affair, Moviefone's Unscripted series offers up something unique: The stars of the movies they're promoting interview each other.

When Kate Hudson, Owen Wilson and Matt Dillon sat down for the interview for their film, which opens today, it was no surprise that the trio couldn't stop laughing. When Hudson revealed her most embarassing moment on set with Lance Armstrong it was definitely hard for them to keep a straight face.

"The only thing uncomfortable for me that day was having my butt in Lance Armstrong's face," said Hudson, "so it's like I was straddling you [Owen], licking your face face and being like 'hi Lance, it's really nice to meet you.'"

"You stole his thunder that day,' said Wilson of Armstrong's day on set, "you came out in the bathing suit, it's like Lance, Michael Douglas and I got reduced to Beavis and Butthead."

The Wayans Brothers, who switched races for 2004's "White Chicks," are back at it again, this time making Marlon a three-foot-tall jewel thief disguised as a baby through somewhat creepy movie magic in "Little Man."

The film also stars Kerry Washington, who hit it big after appearing in the Oscar winner "Ray," as Vanessa Edwards, husband to Shawn's character Darryl. "I really don't ever want to be put in a box, and I found myself, after 'Ray' doing a few more really very serious dramatic films...I don't want to be pigeonholed." At least she knows the film isn't going to garner the same kind of attention as the biopic but could care less, "I was in an Oscar nominated film and I'm really proud of it so who is anybody else to judge."

Though maybe not Oscar worthy, Marlon believes they've made a movie that has appeal for everybody. "This one has good boy humor, good girl humor, some heart and good physical slapstick humor for the kids, and so I think a mom could take her kid and they could enjoy the movie together, " he then added, "Dad could bring his mistress and then everybody can go see the movie together."

Despite co-starring with Oscar winners Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman, it looks like Justin's crime drama "Edison Force" isn't up to par. It's being released to video stores on Tuesday, July 18.

The movie, filmed in 2004, hit the film festival circuit last year, but early reviews were not kind. Variety said "The movie is a parade of cliches," and the Hollywood Reporter called it "a star-studded dud of a B-picture."

While Justin's new single "SexyBack" is burning up the charts, it seems his acting career is following in the cinematically doomed footsteps of fellow music icons Madonna, Mariah and his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears.

Thurman showed off her fighting skills in the "Kill Bill" films and vocals in "The Producers" but her latest film displays her greatest talent yet: shark chucking. In "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" Thurman plays G-Girl, a superhero who uses her powers to throw a shark through her ex-boyfriend's window.

"It was such fun. It was incredible fun," said the actress of the fishy scene at the film's premiere, "I think I throw the shark for every girl in America. It's my by-line. Shark chucking at someone who breaks your heart seems like just-desserts."

Thurman was joined on the red carpet by the man who revived her career, Quentin Tarantino, and he had only glowing things to say about the former Beatrix Kiddo.

"She has a presence to go behind her talent. She's like an old movie star, like from the old days. Uma Thurman would have been a movie star in thirties in the forties. She'd be having tea with Garbo. They would be trying to do the Uma Thurman story. We don't have that many people like that anymore so she really fills up the screen."

Owen Wilson, star of the wildly successful "Wedding Crashers," was seen in NY waving and shaking hands as he went into MTV's TRL studios in Times Square.

Shortly after, two more funny-men arrived: "Little Man" stars Marlon and Shawn Wayans. The two members of the talented Wayans family posed for pictures and greet fans on their way into the studio.