Paramount Pictures got CinemaCon’s “The State of the Industry: Past, Present and Future” off to an exciting start with an exclusive presentation highlighting its Summer 2015 films (complete with stars, filmmakers, and surprises) at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Tom Cruise was on hand to promote the fifth Mission Impossible, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION, while Arnold Schwarzenegger was there to promote the fifth Terminator movie, TERMINATOR GENISYS.
In addition to new footage from both films, Paramount showed to the CinemaCon audience a video message featuring J.J. Abrams and STAR TREK 3 (July 8, 2016) director Justin Lin.
For more on the studio’s presentation to theater owners, read The Hollywood Reporter’s story here.
TERMINATOR GENISYS opens on July 1 and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION opens on July 31
Car chases, big fights and high-flying stunts. Everything you’d come to expect from a MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movie.
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in the full-blown, action packed trailer for MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION from Paramount Pictures.
Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.
The latest chapter in the franchise also stars Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames. Joining the cast is Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson and Sean Harris. The film is based on the television series created by Bruce Geller.
Photo credit: Bo Bridges
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE GHOST PROTOCOL opened in December 2011 to critical acclaim and grossed close to 700 million dollars making it the biggest box office success of Cruise’s career. The franchise has brought in over two billion dollars worldwide since Cruise conceived the idea for the films and began producing them at Paramount while starring as the legendary spy Ethan Hunt. Cruise produced the fourth film with J.J. Abrams and Brad Bird directed.
MI 5 director Christopher McQuarrie (THE USUAL SUSPECTS) and Cruise previously worked together on VALKYRIE and JACK REACHER.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION will be released in IMAX theaters worldwide beginning July 31st.
Paramount Pictures today announced that tickets for the first showings of the highly anticipated film MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION are unlocked with today’s trailer debut and on sale now – four months before the film’s theatrical release.
The advance tickets are available for Thursday, July 30th showings at 7:00 p.m. in IMAX® and premium large format theaters and 8:00 p.m. at additional participating locations nationwide. The tickets are available online at Fandango, Movietickets.com and participating theater box offices.
Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24th through Friday, March 27th, fans purchasing advance tickets at Fandango and Movietickets.com will receive a code for a free HD digital copy of any previous installment in the blockbuster “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” franchise.
Paramount Pictures announced today that it has secured the worldwide distribution rights to CAPTIVE, starring David Oyelowo (“SELMA”) and Kate Mara (“FANTASTIC FOUR,” “House of Cards”).
The studio will release the film on September 18, 2015.
Directed by veteran filmmaker Jerry Jameson, the film is based on the book Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero by Ashley Smith with Stacy Mattingly. The film’s screenplay is by Brian Bird.
David Oyelowo said,”I was drawn to this story because it beautifully illustrates how a broken spirit can be healed by an unexpected source of hope. I feel blessed to be continuing my very fruitful relationship with Paramount.”
Also starring Michael K Williams, Mimi Rogers, Jessica Oyelowo and Leonor Varela, the film was produced by Terry Botwick, Jerry Jameson, David Oyelowo and Ken Wales in addition to BN Films’ Alex Garcia, Lucas Akoskin and Katrina Wolfe. The executive producers are Santiago Garcia Galvan, BN’s Jonathan Gray, Elliott Lester, Ralph Winter and Bird. BN fully financed the picture.
Terry Botwick said, “In March of 2005 Ashley’s story captivated the nation on news outlets everywhere. Her story is thrilling and redemptive as God intersected the lives of two very broken people in the most dramatic way. It has been amazing getting to know Ashley and to be working with such fine actors. I’m so pleased to also be partnering with Paramount to bring this authentic encounter to a worldwide audience.”
“Jerry Jameson has done a fantastic job bringing to life Ashley Smith’s harrowing ordeal and miraculous redemption, and Kate Mara portrays her with phenomenal sensitivity and poignancy. Along with “Nightingale,” “Captive” also represents our second collaboration with the brilliantly talented David Oyelowo. We look forward to continuing this special relationship with David and believe that the film has found the perfect home at Paramount,” said Alex Garcia, President of AG Studios, the holding company of BN Films.
The film tells the dramatic, thrilling and spiritual true story of Ashley Smith (Mara), a single mother and recovering drug addict who was taken hostage in her own apartment by fugitive, murderer and accused rapist Brian Nichols (Oyelowo). With her back against the wall, Smith turned to the personal spiritual journey of Rick Warren’s best-selling book The Purpose Driven Life in an attempt to survive and help Brian find a better way out.
Oyelowo is represented by CAA, Inphenate, Hamilton Hodell and Schreck, Rose, Dapello & Adams.
Mara is represented by UTA, Stone, Meyer, Genow, Smelkinson and Binder.
Paramount Pictures, Skydance Productions, Bad Robot, and IMAX Corporation today announced that the fifth installment in the blockbuster MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise, directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX format and released in IMAX theaters worldwide beginning July 31st.
The new film is produced by Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk.
The newest installment reunites Cruise with stars from 2011’s MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL, including Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames. Joining the cast is Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson and Sean Harris.
The executive producers are David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger of Skydance Productions and Jake Myers. Drew Pearce, Christopher McQuarrie, Will Staples, Laeta Kalogridis & Patrick Lussier and Dylan Kussman wrote the screenplay, based on the television series created by Bruce Geller.
“IMAX is so important in giving the audience the best experience of the film we have made. I am very happy to have this partnership on the next ‘MISSION,’” said Cruise.
“After the innovative way we worked with our longtime partners Paramount Pictures, Skydance Productions, Bad Robot and Tom Cruise on the record-setting ‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL,’ we are beyond thrilled to once again offer audiences The IMAX Experience® of the latest installment of this action-packed franchise,” said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. “This film was literally made for IMAX and summer moviegoing.”
Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures said, “Audiences the world over proved with the last ‘MISSION’ that the IMAX experience is not to be missed and so we are all thrilled to again partner with Rich, Greg and everyone at IMAX to bring this next exciting installment to their screens this summer.”
The “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” franchise has earned more than $2 billion at the box office, making it one of the most successful franchises in movie history.
Paramount Pictures announced that principal photography has commenced on the “UNTITLED TINA FEY – MARGOT ROBBIE – MARTIN FREEMAN PROJECT,” starring Tina Fey (“30 Rock,” “THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU”), Margot Robbie (“FOCUS,” “THE WOLF OF WALL STREET”) and Martin Freeman (“THE HOBBIT” franchise, “Sherlock”).
Based on the autobiography The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Kim Barker, which the NY Times called “hilarious and harrowing, witty and illuminating, all at the same time,” the film is directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (“FOCUS,” “CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE”) from a screenplay by Robert Carlock (“Saturday Night Live,” “30 Rock”).
The producers are Lorne Michaels (“Saturday Night Live,” “THREE AMIGOS,” “MEAN GIRLS”), Tina Fey and Ian Bryce (“TRANSFORMERS” franchise, “WORLD WAR Z”).
The film also stars Alfred Molina (“The Normal Heart,” “Law & Order: LA”), Nicholas Braun (“GET A JOB,” “THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER”), Christopher Abbott (“A MOST VIOLENT YEAR,” “Girls”), Sheila Vand (“State of Affairs,” “ARGO”), Stephen Peacocke (“Home and Away,” “HERCULES”), Evan Jonigkeit (“BONE TOMAHAWK,” “X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST”) and Billy Bob Thornton (“THE JUDGE,” “Fargo”).
All hail another cartoon superstar who shines brightly in the animation galaxy. Well, he’s been shining for more than fifteen years now, actually. But in the realm of ‘toon icons, this lil’ guy is pretty unique. He’s not part of the group that were created during Hollywood’s “golden age” to star in pre-feature film short subjects, this includes Felix the Cat and Mickey Mouse in the 1920’s right through to the 1960s’ with the Pink Panther (of course, a few jumped from the printed page to the big screen like Popeye the Sailor and Casper the Friendly Ghost). This fella’s an off-shoot of the made-for-TV superstars that include Rocket J Squirrel and his pal Bullwinkle J. Moose, the Simpsons, and the colossal roster of characters from Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera’s company (Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, the Flintstones, and Scooby Doo). While they debuted on old-fashioned broadcast networks, he’s from a basic cable network. Not the first to make the jump to movies (Beavis and Butthead, South Park and the Rugrats beat him to it), but perhaps he’s the most successful. It’s that “he lives in a pineapple under the sea”, marine biologist/animator Stephen Hillenburg creation Spongebob Squarepants. After making his big screen splash over ten years ago, the lil’ guy and his Bikini Bottom buddies finally return in THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER (cue the piccolo shanty music).
The film begins, not in the world of animation, but on the real ocean as a rickety wooden ship, piloted by the cinnamon whiskered Burger-Beard the pirate (Antonio Banderas), sails toward a desolate island. Once there, BB makes like Indiana Jones and sidesteps a series of booby traps in order to steal a treasure from the grip of a buccaneer’s skeleton. And what is his booty? Why it’s a book! The local seagulls that surround the ship are puzzled. So, BB reads from the book to the confused feathered audience. It’s a story about the denizens of Bikini Bottom, on the floor of the sea, and their love of the fabled Crabby Patty that’s only available at the Crusty Crab restaurant and cooked to mouth-watering perfection by grill-master Spongebob Squarepants (voiced by Tom Kenny). Everybody’s happy about this, except one-eyed, tiny Plankton (Mr. Lawrence), the envious owner of that rival eatery, the Chum Bucket. His plan to steal the sandwich’s secret formula recipe plunges the little burg into chaos and soon our yellow hero is time-trippin’, planet-skippin’, and traveling to the scariest place of all, dry land-the surface word, to confront that despicable Burger-Beard and restore peace to his home.
Since there’s only one actor we get to hear and see, let’s start with Banderas as the shifty, sea-farein’ bad guy. He looks as if he’s having a blast, like a grown-up kid playing ‘dress-up pirate’. There’s a sprightly, playful quality in his performance that’s only hinted at in his action films (the Desperado flicks and THE EXPENDABLES 3) and almost fully utilized in the SPY KIDS series and as the voice of PUSS IN BOOTS. You almost wonder if he’s paying the producers to act in this. Now, this isn’t to dismiss the wonderful voice work from the seasoned pros behind the mike which help make the sea’s denizens spring to vivid life. Kenny projects that wide-eyed, innocent, child-like enthusiasm as the title hero, sort of the absorbent off-spring of Uncle Walt’s mouse and Pee-Wee Herman or Ed Grimley. Lawrence is very funny as the creepy cartoon nemesis that is forced to become a reluctant ally (“what is this T M Work?”). Kudos to Bill Fagerbakke as Bob’s equally naive, but perhaps less bright, best bud Patrick the starfish. His devolution into hungry, angry savagery, complete with a hammer taped to his forehead, is quite funny. Cluncy Brown expertly voices Bob’s profit-obsessed boss Mr. Crab, who’s not a crabby as the always grumpy Squidward given an acerbic tone by Roger Bumpass. The best character arc may be that of Sandy Cheeks, a dive-suit wearing squirrel voiced by Carolyn Lawrence, who quickly transforms from sunshiny, chunky-cheeked cherub into bug-eyed, raving shrew due to burger deprivation. After a decade and a half together, this crew is an unpredictable delight.
Also delightful is the eye-popping color (even in the realcandy-hued seaside-town backdrops late in the story) utilized in the film under the direction of Paul Tibbitt. The use of 3D with animation has often been hit or miss with the rendering often made dark or murky. Not the case here, particularly with the under-the-waves sequences. My only fault with the film may be with the marketing campaign. Trailers, posters, and commercials have shown off footage of Bob and his pals as a psudeo-superhero team in the Avengers/X-Men mold fully rendered in rounded computer generated images (CGI). They do look swell, but they really don’t make an appearance until the final third act (perhaps the last 20 minutes). The events at Bikini Bottom are done in the same classic “cell” animation as in the original TV series, but with the addition of 3D , so that the mouths, noses, and other features rest on different levels, making the characters resemble a drawing come to life, trying to lift itself off the easel or desk. Plus we are treated to many different types of animation. There’s cell, the “super” CGI (with the Bob squad looking like toys escaping from a playpen), the realistic CGI of the pirate’s seagulls, stop-motion puppet style of a helpful space observer (a great nod to a Marvel Comic cosmic player), and some trippy graphic YELLOW SUBMARINE/2001 animation (love seeing Bob and Plankton squeezed and stretched). This is one of the few films that does benefit from the extra D and worth the price. But the eye candy would be all for naught without the very witty script from Tibbitt, Glenn Berger, Jonathon Aibel, and creator Hillenburg that batters and often breaks the fourth wall. And, at just over ninety minutes, it never dips or drags (much like the golden age animation classics). THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER is truly an entertainment for all ages, so make a splash and dive right into this funny, fast-paced adventure. Laughs ahoy, mateys!
Sam Lerner is Quinn Goldberg, Jonny Weston is David Raskin, Allen Evangelista is Adam Le, and Virginia Gardner is Christina Raskin in PROJECT ALMANAC.
A brilliant high school student and his friends uncover blueprints for a mysterious device with limitless potential, inadvertently putting lives in danger.
The film is produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, written by Jason Harry Pagan & Andrew Deutschman and directed by Dean Israelite.
PROJECT ALMANAC opens in theaters on January 30th.
WAMG invites you to enter for a chance to win passes (Good for 2) to the advance screening of PROJECT ALMANAC on Jan. 28th at 7PM. We will contact the winners by email.
TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.
When a big milestone approaches it’s common for most of us to look back and reflect on our lives and career. With the big 5-0 looming, Chris Rock, one of the smartest and funniest stand-up comedians, has done just that with TOP FIVE (not a reference to the B-day, but a quick listing of favorite music artists used as an ‘ice breaker’, like “Where’d you go to school?” here in St. Louis). Oh, and this is the third feature film he’s directed (he wrote this one, too). Mr. Rock has been part of the national comedy scene for nearly 25 years since he was one of the cast members of TV’s “Saturday Night Live”, with a few movie bit roles under his belt (BEVERLY HILLS COP 2). He’s gone from cocky kid with a mike to screen veteran, so now what does he want to say about the nature of celebrity and show biz? Will this project eventually be part of his own movie top five?
Rock plays comedy superstar Andre Allen, and, on this very long day, his life and career are at a crossroads. He’s taking a big risk professionally with his first foray into movie drama playing the leader of a Haitian slave revolt in the 1800’s. Andre has been playing it “safe” for the last few years by starring in a series of ‘low-brow’ action cop comedies as “Hammy the Bear” (he’s cracking wise inside a fur suit while blasting away the bad guys). Now he wants to be taken seriously, which isn’t aided by his personal life. He’s to be married later this weekend to fame-seeking reality TV star Erica Long (Gabrielle Union)) with the ceremony taped as part of her basic cable show. If all that weren’t enough, his agents have arranged for Times staffer Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson) to interview him while doing last-minute press for the new film (and the anonymous reviewer for her paper seems to delight in slamming his movies). They visit Andre’s old neighborhood, sit in on countless morning radio interviews, and join the film’s cast for the marathon press junket. As the day progresses star and profiler bond over their struggle to maintain sobriety (each has a prized program chip) and clash as her questions get more pointed and personal. Can Andre make it through the pressures of the day without giving into his inner demons and the intense attraction to his inquisitor?
Despite pulling triple duty, Rock seems more comfortable in his performance here than in most of his recent film work (not counting his membership in Adam Sandler’s rep company). Still, occasionally he’ll slide into stand-up mode, doing a riff rather than conversing. Fortunately by the mid-point he’s connecting with his fellow actors, going for the truth in the scene rather than the laugh, although the incident that ignites a meltdown rings hollow. It helps that his big moments usually occur with the luminous, energetic Dawson, who brings a real intelligence along with her stunning presence. Her character is not going to be distracted by Allen’s considerable charm and wit. But it’s another beauty that delivers one of the film’s best dramatic moments. Union shows the vulnerable human being beneath the reality TV diva caricature. It’s a shame we don’t get more of her interacting with Allen beside the random phone calls. The movie’s peppered with several comic stars who barely get a chance to showcase their talents. The great JB Smoove (a fine foil on “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) is regulated to being Allen’s motor-mouthed (speaking of fast-talkers, the over-exposed Kevin Hart has a brief cameo as Allen’s frenetic agent) security/aide while making inept passes at every voluptuous female in sight (original!). He comes off better than Cedric the Entertainer as the vile, voracious hustler that scares Allen straight (off booze and drugs). He’s the Tasmanian Devil of lust and over-indulgence. Faring perhaps worse is the talented Anders Holm (of TV’s “Workaholics” and “The Mindy Project”) as Chelsea’s beau who becomes the punchline of a gross, humiliating prank. Past (Tracy Morgan) and current (Michael Che, Leslie Jones, and Jay Pharoah) SNL players are giving little to do (blink and you’ll miss Jay), while they and other actors appear in tired “look in the camera” confessionals. Several comedy icons show up as themselves in the final act’s party scene, all to few laughs and minimal impact.
So basically, this is Rock in full Woody Allen mode, particularly the WA of ANNIE HALL,MANHATTAN, and STARDUST MEMORIES, ready to tackle the way people view his work and life. It’s a shame that so many subplots fall into movie clichés and ring false. What media outlets have unknown, anonymous film critics? Food and restaurant critics, sure, but c’mon? And several sequences with the general public seem like tired riffs on more inspired bits from THE KING OF COMEDY. Often it seems like a celeb version of TV’s “24” or TRAINING DAY with so much stuffed into that Friday (who does a junket on the day of a film’s release?). Plus those “Hammy” clips! Are we to believe that a studio would hide a big star’s face behind an immovable rubber bear mask? There’s such a terrifically talented cast assembled here, that it’s a shame the end result often feels lethargic, trite and often laugh-free. Perhaps before his next milestone Rock will have a more compelling commentary, since this is a long, long way from my TOP FIVE.
Paramount Pictures has released a brand new poster and trailer for the upcoming comedy HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2.
When Lou (Rob Corddry) finds himself in trouble, Nick (Craig Robinson) and Jacob (Clark Duke) fire up the hot tub time machine in an attempt to get back to the past. But they inadvertently land in the future with Adam Jr. (Adam Scott).
Now they have to alter the future in order to save the past… which is really the present, in the sequel from the same team that brought you the original cult hit.
HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2 is in theatersFebruary 20th.
Here’s a some fun snark for your Wednesday – Lou Dorchen ((Rob Corddry)) founder CEO of LouNET, the Internet powerhouse responsible for Lougle™, LougleMaps™, and LouMail™ writes exclusively for Mashable about how he makes Internet magic happen.
“With this technological revolution have come strategies designed to help us manage our time and get more work done. As an entrepreneur who has more ideas for companies than there are words that sound cool with “Lou,” I needed one of them dealies.”
“I don’t know anything about the laws of time travel and if you’re implying I do, please note that I have so many lawyers, it’s like Peter Jackson made them out of CGI to fight Orcs.”
AMC Theatres and Paramount Pictures are excited to offer AMC Stubs members a first-of-its-kind INTERSTELLAR Unlimited Ticket, which allows AMC’s loyal moviegoers to see the film as many times as they’d like for one price. AMC Stubs members who have already seen the movie have an option to upgrade to the unlimited ticket at AMC.
For two weeks, movie lovers have flocked to AMC Theatres to experience Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster, INTERSTELLAR. Guest feedback indicates that guests not only love the movie, many are expressing a strong interest in seeing it again in the theatre.
“Christopher Nolan has created a masterpiece that movie fans are saying gets better every time they see it,” said Elizabeth Frank, executive vice president and chief content and programming officer, AMC Theatres. “The INTERSTELLAR Unlimited Ticket gives these fans an opportunity to experience the spectacular cinematography and heart-warming stories as many times as they would like – at any AMC location, any showtime, in any format, including IMAX.”
INTERSTELLAR Unlimited Tickets are available for sale to AMC Stubs members at AMC box offices in 330 locations across the country. The INTERSTELLAR Unlimited Ticket price varies by location, ranging from $19.99 to $34.99. All AMC Stubs members who have already purchased a ticket to the movie can upgrade for $14.99.
A commemorative INTERSTELLAR pass will be issued, which can be used at any AMC location playing the film. While the ticket is unlimited, quantities are not, and guests are encouraged to get their Unlimited Ticket while supplies last.
INTERSTELLAR stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow and Michael Caine. With our time on Earth coming to an end, a team of explorers undertakes the most important mission in human history; traveling beyond this galaxy to discover whether mankind has a future among the stars.
Directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, and produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Lynda Obst.
