movie buzz

They really are trying to take all the fun out of traveling, aren’t they: US Airways (LCC, Fortune 500) says it will start removing in-flight entertainment systems on domestic flights in November to save about $10 million annually in fuel and other costs…. US Airways says it will test a lighter, seat-back TV system later … more…

Was it really necessary to frame the situation like this? In the latest demonstration of how little influence film critics are able to exert on the box office these days, the Will Smith starrer Hancock collected an estimated $66 million over the three-day weekend despite an avalanche of negative reviews. I don’t see how this … more…

I guess it’s Sacha Baron Cohen day today here. It wasn’t a plan or anything. The Smoking Gun is reporting on a stunt Cohen pulled in Arkansas recently, part of his Borat-esque punking on America, this time for his upcoming Bruno movie. Lured by $1 beer and the prospect of “hot chicks” and “hardcore fights,” … more…

The Guardian notes: Just as Sherlock Holmes had his Moriarty, so Guy Ritchie has his Sacha Baron Cohen. Barely a month after the announcement that the British director is to shoot an “all action” Holmes adventure tale comes news of a rival project spearheaded by the Borat creator. Columbia Pictures’ as yet untitled production will … more…

I’m terribly excited to see The Dark Knight [opens wide July 18], but I’m sort of dreading it, too. Because of Heath Ledger, of course. I still can’t believe he’s gone, that we’re never going to see where he was going to take us as a fully mature actor, and I fear that seeing what … more…

For the past two years or so, I’d been covering box office numbers at Film.com. I’m no longer doing that, so I thought I’d see how much interest there may be here, among FlickFilosopher.com readers. I’ll try it out for a few weeks, anyway, and see what kind of response it gets. I personally abhor … more…

Why does this make me think of Streetcar!, the musical? David Cronenberg has successfully transposed his 1986 horror movie The Fly into an opera with music by the film’s composer, Howard Shore (best known for his Lord of the Rings score), and a 75-piece orchestra conducted by famed tenor Placido Domingo. The production received a … more…

Speaking of Hancock, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, of which I am a member, has just conducted a poll of its members regarding superhero movies and what women do (or don’t) see in them. The poll results are here — I wrote the introduction — and it’s open for comments. (Technorati tags: superheroes)

I loved the first Hellboy, cuz it was so crazy mad insane, in a good way. So I’m a little bit psyched for Hellboy II: The Golden Army [opens wide July 11]. When I was at Comic Con in New York in the spring, it seemed like this was the movie that prompted the biggest … more…

My whole week at the movies is almost entirely up in the air at the moment because I started jury duty this morning (more about this at my scratchpad blog, MaryAnnJohanson.com). Which means I cannot plan for any daytime screenings. So, at the moment, until I know how the rest of the week will fall … more…