Weekend Box Office Numbers January 28th-January 30th

By: Robert Acosta

 Hey look, i'm on time!

So this weekend saw 2 new releases hit; The Mechanic and The Rite. I did see one of them grabbing the top spot, I didn't think it would be The Rite though. I thought the Jason Statham action flick would catch the attention of people, especially in January.

Well, nonetheless, here is this past weekends box office numbers:

1. The Rite   $15 Million
2. No Strings Attached   $13.7 Million
3. The Mechanic   $11.5 Million
4. The Green Hornet   $11.5 Million
5. The King's Speech   $11. Million
6. True Grit   $7.6 Million
7. The Dilemma   $5.5 Million
8. Black Swan   $5.1 Million
9. The Fighter   $4.5 Million
10. Yogi Bear   $3.2 Million

So, The Rite takes the top spot this weekend. Not a terrible surprise seeing as how The Rite was a decent movie, worthy of the top spot.

Is it just me or has The King's Speech been in the top 10 every week now for a long time.

And look at Yogi Bear! The most resilient bear this world has ever seen! Hang on Yogi!

Two very randomly placed films come out later this week as The Roomate and Sanctum are released.

The Spot News: Cavill is Superman

The Spot News: Henry Cavill Has Been Cast As Superman

According to Deadline and Bleeding Cool News, Henry Cavill has been cast as the man of steel himself, Superman. The upcoming Christopher Nolan/Zack Snyder reboot is set for release in 2012.

Some other info:

Cavill just wrapped production on The Cold Light of Day and stars in the upcoming Immortals, opening this fall. Directed by Tarsem Sing, Caville in Immortals plays the he-man Greek warrior Theseus who battles mythological gods including Poseidon, Zeus, Minotaur, and Herecles. Given that set up, Warner Bros clearly has chosen a more macho leading man for Superman than the previous Brandon Routh. And just like it did with Christian Bale in the Batman reboot, the studio has gone with a British actor. In fact, Cavill also auditioned for the Batman role but lost out to Bale in 2005. He also was a contender for James Bond but was deemed too young and lost out to Daniel Craig. Clearly, Cavill is a franchise waiting to happen.

The Mechanic Review

By: Robert Acosta
 

Cast:
Jason Statham as Arthur Bishop
Ben Foster as Steve McKenna
Tony Goldwyn as Dean
Donald Sutherland as Harry McKenna

Plot: A hit man(Statham) takes in an apprentice(Foster) after the apprentice's father is killed.

Review: I did not know The Mechanic was a remake of a 1972 film starring one of my fathers favorite actors, Charles Bronson. Now I didn't see that film but I can almost guarantee, there is probably more action in this film than in the 1972 version.

The action isn't the full out, nonstop kind of action that we've been spoiled to. It's the kind of action that when it comes, it's satisfying. It is Jason Statham after all, and in terms of action movies, he can do no wrong. He's a bona fide action star. He's not like The Rock or Vin Diesel who saw more money in kids films. He's the guy he's going to kick ass, and be very entertaining doing so.

Statham usually carries action films on his own but this time, he has a good complimentary actor joining him in Ben Foster. Foster has gone mostly under the radar over the years, but he's been featured in tons of high profile movies of the years. He comes off as a care less person with no direction but ends up being a very handy asset to Statham. Their relationship works well as a master/apprentice kind of relationship, and though being a little predictable, it works.

The story is simple. Statham is a hit man, paid to take people out. He has to kill someone that he really doesn't want to but knows that he has to do it for the benefit of this man. The man he kills(Sutherland) leaves behind a son(Foster) that Statham takes in for the benefit of the son.

But there are a couple of holes in the story. When did Foster learn how to fight so well? And the question that pops up in my head for most action movies, where are the cops?! So you as an audience member wll just have to bare with them and just enjoy the action.

Also, my last complaint, I felt that the "bad guys" of the film never really posed a threat. Statham never seemed like he was in any danger at all. Of course, he is the man. I understand that. But I never felt that Statham was going to die at any one point in the movie, he just blew through the enemies. Statham has a very clean record, he doesn't really die in films. Maybe a couple, but not many. I understand that, I already knew that entering the film. Why not at least put him in some danger?

Overall, The Mechanic is a direct action movie. You won't care too much for story but you'll acknowledge it. Characters will be there, but you won't feel connected to them. The action is there, and you're going to like it.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

DVD Releases January 25th

By: Robert Acosta

End of January, looking forward to February already because it's shaping up to be a good DVD month. Of course, there is one more week to go through before we hit February. Here is this week's DVD releases:

NOTE: Bold means DVD is available in Blu-ray

• Saw 3D
• Red
• Secretariat
• Nowhere Boy
• Enter the Void
• The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
• Open Season 3
• A Beautiful Mind (Available on Blu-Ray only)
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Available on Blu-Ray only)
• Glee (Season 2,Volume 1)

A few good movies to choose from this week, solid buys and renters.

On the buy list, Saw 3D and Glee Season 2 Volume 1. For fans of the Saw series, this is a must have, in case this really is the last Saw. It was a great way to end the series. As for Glee, it's a fun show to watch, especially if you're into the whole musical scene. The stories and plot I could do without, the music on the other hand is pretty good.

As for renters, you take your chances with Red, Secretariat and Nowhere Boy. I've heard good things about all those films, but I can't say much about the 3. I wanted to see Red and Nowhere Boy a lot, so I personally would be inclined to grab either. Of course, if you have Netflix, or any streaming device, than why not take your chances on all these films?

Weekend Box Office Numbers January 21st-23rd

By: Robert Acosta

1. No Strings Attached   $20.3 Million
2. The Green Hornet   $18.1 Million
3. The Dilemma   $9.7 Million
4. The King's Speech   $9.2 Million
5. True Grit   $8 Million
6. Black Swan   $6.2 Million
7. The Fighter   $4.5 Million
8. Little Fockers   $4.4 Million
9. Yogi Bear   $4.1 Million
10. Tron: Legacy   $3.7 Million

Making this short and simple, No Strings Attached took over this weekend. Natalie Portman once again, stars in another movie that makes it debut at the top of the box office. Now, this is one of her 5 movies coming out in 2011, so I won't be surprised to see her in other movies at the top of the box office.

In other, somewhat comical news, Yogi Bear is hanging on! Hey Boo Boo, how long is Yogi Bear going to be in the top spot? My guess, another couple of weeks.

This weekend, The Rite and The Mechanic both come to the big screen this weekend. I'm not sure if either gets to the top spot, but maybe one sneaks up there.

No Strings Attached Review

By: Robert Acosta

Cast:
Natalie Portman as Emma
Ashton Kutcher as Adam
Kevin Kline as Alvin
Greta Gerwig as Patrice

Plot: A writer and an aspiring doctor try to keep their relationship simple, but eventually realize that simple is just not possible.

Review: I'm usually pretty critical of Romantic Comedies, now to be abbreviated as Rom-Com. Blame it on me being a guy, but i'm not sure you can really name that as the reason. I like a good Rom-Com. I'm a closet romantic, or so I consider myself one, and these kind of movies play to my liking.

But the key word in all that was "good". Good may be a subjective word and all, but there are certain things that Rom-Coms can and can't be. No Strings Attached leaned more towards the good side than bad, but not without flaw.

What really makes Rom-Coms so hated for the most part, has to do with how typical they are. You start with 2 people, man and woman, who usually can't stand each other, are complete opposites or have some sort of history with each other. No Strings Attached follows this formula to a tee, just with a little more comedy than most Rom-Coms.

You take someone like Natalie Portman, who seemingly cannot do anything wrong as of late, pair her with Ashton Kutcher, who seems to thrive in these kind of movies, and you have something that works. Pretty amazing chemistry going on, which only makes the movie that much more enjoyable.

On the other hand, the secondary characters mostly lack character with the exception of one character. Greta Grewig as Patrice, one of Natalie Portmans co-workers and best friends in the film, is one of the only bright spots from the secondary characters. She is the only one who shows any life in her character. Ludacris is in the film(fun fact), plays one of Kutchers best friends, and he only manages to come up with one liners that are somewhat funny. You got Jake M. Johnson playing Kutchers best friend as well, and I found him to be annoying. He did almost did nothing with feeling or enthusiam and had only one funny thing.

That's where the movie falls flat. Whenever Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman are on screen together, it's magical. Have one of them off screen, replace one of them with one of the other characters, and all of a sudden, you have a dull movie. Lake Bell, who plays an assistant at the same job Kutcher works at, ends up playing more of major role than I thought she would. I understand, she is supossed to come off awkward and clumsy but the audience really didn't respond to her character. Towards the end, her character began to pick up but for the first hour plus, no one really gave a damn about her.

The comedy is there. The romance is there. Kutcher and Portman are amazing together. But, the movie falls flat so many times, in so many areas, that it's hard to call this a great movie. It's a good movie, an enjoyable one. It's no Love and Other Drugs, i'll tell you that. I hate to make that comparison but Love and Other Drugs, for me, has set the standard for the "modern" Rom-Com.

Rating: 3 out of 5

The Spot News: Another Deathly Hallows Image

The Spot News: Another Deathly Hallows Image


Source BleedingCool.com

Cool picture of Harry And Herminoe looking at something. If you head over and click on the link you could see another image dealing with a lot of furniture.

The Spot News: Even More X-Men First Class Info/Pics

The Spot News: Even More X-Men First Class Info And Pics

First up the pictures.
Magneto showing off his helmet in a neat action pose.
Xavier trying to read your mind through the internet.
And what possibly could be the teaser poster for the movie.

Now the information part is rather interesting.

Matthew Vaughn, the film’s director, has dismissed the cast picture that has been posted around (the one we posted here as well):

I freaked out on them yesterday. I don’t know where the hell that came from. I don’t think it’s a Fox image. It’s not a pre-approved image. When I found out, I said, what the fuck is this shit, and Fox is running around trying to figure out what happened as well.

Now the new pics above are official and from Slashfilm.com
If you follow the link you could then see what else Vaughn has to say about the costumes and what he feels about the X-men

The Spot News: Update to X-men First Class

The Spot News: Update to X-men First Class In Costume Shots

Bigger and clearer shots from the other post.

Top pic/Left to Right:
Michael Fassbender stars as Magneto, Rose Byrne plays Dr. Moira MacTaggert, January Jones plays The White Queen Emma Frost, Jason Flemyng plays Azazel

Bottom pic/Left to right:
Nicholas Hoult plays Beast, Lucas Till plays Havok, Zoe Kravitz plays Angel Salvadore, Jennifer Lawrence plays Mystique, James McAvoy stars as Professor Charles Xavier.

The Spot News: Different Pictures Of X-Men First Class

The Spot News: Different Pictures Of X-Men First Class

Well we get a look at Kevin Bacon as Shaw with Emma Frost. Charles and Lensherr playing chess. And a neat look at the class out of costume and Beast before he turns blue. Oh and look to the left and who might possibly be Banshee.
I actually like these pics a bit more than what we saw in the other post. Not going to change my feelings for the movie yet. I hope it turns out well...I am a huge X-Men fan and I want this to work so bad.

The Spot News: A Change In A Major Deathly Hallow Death, Rowling Approves

The Spot News: A Change In A Major Deathly Hallow Death, Rowling Approves


David Yates and company have decided to change one of the major deaths in the film. Luckily, J.K. Rowling approved.

In an interview with Cine Premiere Mexico Potter art director Andrew Ackland-Snow said the following:

We wanted to change a bit where Snape dies. In the book, he dies on the Shrieking Shack, and we wanted to get him out from, not a conventional interior, but from that kind of box, to do it in a more dramatic atmosphere. We asked J.K. if she agreed for that to happen in there, because we hadn’t really seen it before. We made a crystal house, and you can see what happens in the boat house from there – Are you listening Harry? -, but also the school is in flames…and she loved it. Besides, it’s a very romantic place to die. Snape dies in a extremely good way, I gotta say.

The Spot News: Hardy is Bane. Hathaway is Catwoman.

The Spot News: Hardy is Bane. Hathaway is Catwoman.

From a Warner Bros. press release:

Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. She will be starring alongside Christian Bale, who returns in the title role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Christopher Nolan stated, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story.”

In addition, Tom Hardy has been set to play Bane. Nolan said, “I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman’s most formidable enemies.

Nolan will direct the film from a screenplay he wrote with Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven.

The Dark Knight Rises is slated for release on July 20, 2012. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

The Spot News: Scream 4 International Trailer

If there is one horror series that I take seriously, it's the Scream series. It's rare that you can say, every movie in a trilogy was pretty good. Especially when it comes to horror trilogies....or just horror series in total.

Scream 1-3 were all really good horror movies that just kept things simple. Now, Scream 4 is on its way and after watching this trailer, I have a feeling we're in for another good slasher flick.

DVD Releases January 18th

By: Robert Acosta

Don't let this economy bring you down! Whether you buy DVDs, rent DVDs from Netflix, or get them illegally, there is stuff to watch!

Excuse my absence from last week but i'll quickly rundown what I think are good DVDs to be watching that came out last week: The Social Network, Piranha 3D, Raging Bull: 30th Anniversary.

Now onto this week!:
Note: Bold means DVD is also available in Blu-Ray

• Takers
• Buried
• Stone
• Animal Kingdom
• The Naked Kiss
• Death Race 2

To be quite honest, they're isn't much to be had this week. If you have Netflix, I don't see why you wouldn't give any of these films a shot. Though, there are a couple of DVDs that stick out above the rest.

Takers has been met with some pretty mixed reviews. I personally did not catch it because it looks like a bunch of B and C list actors giving a B and C list kind of effort. I have heard it does have a decent story and some good action, so it may be entertaining. 

Buried on the other hand, could be the one film that everyone should see. I don't see anything more intriguing then Ryan Reynolds, stuck in a casket, 6 feet under, trying to find his way out before that casket becomes his tomb. I will definitely catch this and review it, but check it out on your own as well!

The Spot News: X-Men First Class Cast In Uniform

The Spot News: X-Men First Class Cast In Uniform

Well I was worried about this movie from the beginning. First being the fact that the characters used are not the original first class of X-Men. Then having Emma Frost in here. Production being rushed. Now this picture. I am not feeling it at all.
Could that change as we get better pictures and trailers? Maybe. But for right now, Fox is screwing this property even deeper into the grave.

The Spot News: Expendables 2, on it's way this year?

By: Robert Acosta

With the Golden Globes taking place last night, it makes sense that celebrities are going to be around and going to be talking.

One of those celebrities happened to be Bruce Willis, who had a small role in what was the action flick of 2010, The Expendables. 

Here is Willis talking about the possibility of a part 2 to The Expendables, and his involvement:

"Apparently it's going to happen this year.

"As far as I know, barring any unforeseen circumstances, but yeah, I would love to be a part of it," 

So there you have it. Of course, these are just words of an actor talking about it, not a company or director ready to take on a part 2. If I were a betting man, my money is on a part 2 coming out eventually. 

Source: Yahoo!

Golden Globes results

By: Robert Acosta

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
INCEPTION
THE KING'S SPEECH
THE SOCIAL NETWORK

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Halle Berry, FRANKIE AND ALICE
Nicole Kidman, RABBIT HOLE
Jennifer Lawrence, WINTER'S BONE
Natalie Portman, BLACK SWAN
Michelle Williams, BLUE VALENTINE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Jesse Eisenberg, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Colin Firth, THE KING'S SPEECH
James Franco, 127 HOURS
Ryan Gosling, BLUE VALENTINE
Mark Wahlberg, THE FIGHTER

BEST MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY 
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
BURLESQUE
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
RED
THE TOURIST

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Annette Bening, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Anne Hathaway, LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS
Angelina Jolie, THE TOURIST
Julianne Moore, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Emma Stone, EASY A

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE -MUSICAL OR COMEDY 
Johnny Depp, ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Johnny Depp, THE TOURIST
Paul Giamatti, BARNEY'S VERSION
Jake Gyllenhaal, LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS
Kevin Spacey, CASINO JACK

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, BLACK SWAN
David Fincher, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Tom Hooper, THE KING'S SPEECH
Christopher Nolan, INCEPTION
David O. Russell, THE FIGHTER

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Danny Boyle, 127 HOURS
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Hart, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Christopher Nolan, INCEPTION
David Seidler, THE KING'S SPEECH
Aaron Sorkin, THE SOCIAL NETWORK

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexander Desplat, THE KING'S SPEECH
Danny Elfman, ALICE IN WONDERLAND
A.R. Robin, 127 HOURS
Trent Reznor, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Hans Zimmer, INCEPTION

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM 
BIUTIFUL
THE CONCERT
THE EDGE
I AM LOVE
IN A BETTER WORLD

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Amy Adams, THE FIGHTER
Helena Bonham Carter, THE KING'S SPEECH
Mila Kunis, BLACK SWAN
Melissa Leo, THE FIGHTER
Jacki Weaver, ANIMAL KINGDOM

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Christian Bale, THE FIGHTER
Michael Douglas, WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS
Andrew Garfield, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Jeremy Renner, THE TOWN
Geoffrey Rush, THE KING'S SPEECH

BEST ANIMATED FILM
DESPICABLE ME
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
THE ILLUSIONIST
TANGLED
TOY STORY 3

BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MOTION PICTURE 
"Bound to You" - BURLESQUE
"Coming Home" - COUNTRY STRONG
"I See the Light" - TANGLED
"There's a Place for Us" - THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE DAWN TREADER
"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" - BURLESQUE

To be honest, i'm not a huge fan of these awards or award shows. I think they're completely biased, especially when it comes to certain movies, certain actors. A lot of movies don't get credit for good work, while movies that most people didn't even bother to see end up getting tons of awards. I'm not saying cater to the public more, but there has to be more of a justification as to why certain movies are never mentioned. Along with that, some of these awards are just silly. 

Weekend Box Office Numbers January 14th-16th

By: Robert Acosta

Happy MLK day to everyone, hope every one found a productive way to spend it.

Maybe you went to the movies to catch a movie(or two, depending on how you play it). Well, your viewing didn't count at all towards this past weekends box office numbers.

Here is the weekends box office numbers:

1. The Green Hornet   $34 Million
2. The Dilemma   $17.4 Million
3. True Grit   $11.2 Million
4. The King's Speech   $9.1 Million
5. Black Swan   $8.1 Million
6. Little Fockers   $7.1 Million
7. Tron: Legacy   $5.7 Million
8. Yogi Bear   $5.3 Million
9. The Fighter   $5.1 Million
10. Season of the Witch   $4.5 Million

No surprise here, Green Hornet grabs the top spot. Practically doubling up the runner up spot, held by The Dilemma this week. 

With the Golden Globes being held last night, it makes sense that The King's Speech is still going strong. You'll see the results to the Golden Globes here on The Movie Spot right above the box office numbers.

Next week, No Strings Attached is the only movie being released. Does this mean that it'll be number 1? I'm not too sure. My guess, it'll open at #2 with Green Hornet repeating at the top spot.

The Spot News: Kung-Fu Panda 2 Action Shot

The Spot News: Kung-Fu Panda 2 Action Shot

Here is another action shot but now for Kung-Fu Panda 2. Looks like someone is getting himself into some shenanigans once again.

The Spot News: Captain America In Action

The Spot News: Captain America In Action

Well Captain America is running in the picture so he is in action, just not exactly what you would think.

The Spot News: First image from Deathly Hollows 2

The Spot News: First Image From Deathly Hallows Part 2 Released


Neville Longbottom all bloody and dirty and a blurry Bellatrix Lestrange in the background

The Spot News: Another For Locke and Key

The Spot News: Another Cast For Locke And Key


Nick Stahl is coming on board to play a member of the expanded Locke family. Duncan Locke is the brother of the murdered Rendell, and therefore brother-in-law and uncle to our key characters, Nina Locke and her children.

Now we have to wait for the two Locke brothers to be cast.

In other news: Fox are considering Locke & Key, the TV adaptation of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s comic book series, for a slot in the fall season. This comes from Deadline, reporting on Fox’s TCA executive session. Also that right now it is only the pilot.

The Green Hornet Review

By: Robert Acosta

Cast:
Seth Rogen as Britt Reid
Jay Chou as Kato
Christoph Waltz as Chudnofsky
Tom Wilkinson as James Reid

Plot: A party boy, Britt Reid realizes he must do something good with his life when his father passes away.

Review: Coming into 2011, The Green Hornet was something I looked forward to seeing. Especially since January sucks for movies. Had a chance to see it Thursday night and I gotta say, I felt a little iffy on it for the first 20 mins. The next hour and a half on the other hand, brought the movie back.

The first 20 mins, though necessary for story, is a bit slow and didn't really set up the rest of the movie. At that point I expected the rest of the movie to suck. The movie took a complete 360 after that. Maybe i'm nitpicking here when I point out that only 20 mins of the movie were dull but putting the Green Hornet in January is a brave move, so I thought this was going to be an amazing action packed film, from start to finish.

There is a pretty good amount of Action in the movie and it will satisfy. I mean, it can feel a little over the top at times for a movie that doesn't really call for it but it won't seem too bad. I'm mostly referring to the couple of times that they added some borderline unnecessary special effects that looked cool, but seemed out of place.

Of course, when Seth Rogen is around, comedy is behind him. Though i'm not a huge fan of his comedic style, I enjoyed him in this movie. In almost every movie he comes off partly like an asshole, and that doesn't fully change for this role. He comes off much more likable, probably because the reason for him being a good guy is more believable.

What surprised me the most was Jay Chou, who plays Rogen's sidekick, Kato. I had a feeling he'd be the one to bring the action and take things to a whole new level. I didn't think he'd be nearly as funny as he was, and be such a compliment to Rogen's character.

What did get to me though was the non-existent character that Cameron Diaz played. I didn't mention her in the cast list because I felt she really wasn't a huge part of the movie at all. It seemed like she was only used whenever the director and writers needed to plug up a hole in the story, which is weird because it's rare that that happens.

The story is enticing, to an extent. It shows uniqueness while at the same time, not trying to reinvent the wheel. Made a normally regular story with a couple of twists into a pretty good movie.

Overall, the Green Hornet is not the movie I had hoped it would be. Cameron Diaz is practically invisible, the comic book-esque special effects were not a good touch but the action is good, the comedy is pretty funny for an action movie. It's a pretty enjoyable time at the movies.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Spot News: Full Captain America Costume

The Spot News: Chris Evans in full Captain America Costume
First Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man costume, now Chris Evans in his Captain America costume.
I like how the Ultimate version costume works well in real life(movie). Kinda so-so on the painted wings though.

The Spot News: First look at Garfield in Spider-Man costume

The Spot News: First look at Garfield in a redesigned Spider-Man costume

Looks good to me, different but still good. I may even say it looks better than the previous films costumes. I like the dirty, "battle-damaged" shot. Like he was fighting in a sewer. And the claw slash mark across the chest maybe caused by the Lizard. Nice.

Source Comicbookresources.com

Boy is this late! Weekend Box Office Numbers January 7th-9th

By: Robert Acosta

With the new year came a lot of responsibilities, but that's OK. The Movie Spot is not dead, we're still here.

Since i'm late with this, I won't bother with excuses and all that. We both know what you came here for. Box office numbers from this past weekend!:

1. True Grit   $15 Million
2. Little Fockers   $13.8 Million  
3. Season of the Witch   $10.7 Million
4. Tron: Legacy   $9.8 Million
5. Black Swan   $8.4 Million
6. Country Strong   $7.3 Million
7. The Fighter   $7 Million
8. The King's Speech   $6.8 Million
9. Yogi Bear   $6.8 Million
10. Tangled   $5.2 Million

It wasn't a strong weekend for movies, that is pretty clear. No movie made it to $20 million, which is usually a solid weekend for a movie, unless it's opening. Then you usually want a lot more. 

Of the movies above, only Season of the Witch and Country Strong were new and they both didn't do so well. Neither made it to #1, hell neither was even a runner up this week. 

A lot of films are still hanging around, which is always good to see. Tangled is hanging by a thread and will most likely be booted out of the top 10 with new movies like Green Hornet and The Dilemma coming out this weekend. 

The Spot News: Elijah Wood Hobbit Rumors

The Spot News: Elijah Wood and The Hobbit

Source Bleeding Cool

Consider this a SPOILER, even for folks who have read The Hobbit, and proceed with all due caution.

It seems more and more that the claims of Elijah Wood having a role in The Hobbit movies are absolutely true. Worried that he’ll just be shoehorned in? Well, Peter Jackson has found a way to include the character that I think is actually quite sweet. It isn’t a genius idea, however, nor even a new one, and I’m not sure the film needs it. On the other hand, it probably won’t hurt it at all.

According to the Middle Earth monomaniacs at The One Ring, Frodo Baggins is going to appear in a framing scene or sequence that sees him learning the tale of The Hobbit from a book:

As readers of The Hobbit know, the tale of The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit or There and Back Again are contained in the fictional Red Book of Westmarch. In Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings, the books are shown on screen and written by Bilbo and Frodo and handed off to Sam Gamges. (Not explained on film are Sam’s progeny later having the book and being Wardens of Westmarch – hence the books title).

This doesn’t necessarily explain how Galadriel and Legolas, for example, will be making their appearances. Maybe Frodo is reading to them. Or being read to by them. Or maybe he skips around and reads bits of other things.

And it opens the film up to cameo appearances from several over Rings favourites too.

I hope Jackson isn’t too disappointed his secret is out in the open.

The Spot News: Knocked Up Sequel?

The Spot News: Knocked Up Sequel Coming?

Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd would be starring in the film, and reprising their Knocked Up characters of Debbie and Pete. Judd Apatow has said:

It is neither [a sequel or a prequel]. It is just a story from Pete and Debbie’s current life.

People really responded to their characters and problems. I felt like there was a lot of ground I could explore with them…

There are some fun details yet to reveal but I will let them come out slowly. It’s more fun that way.

The Spot News: New Peanuts Special Coming Soon

The Spot News: New Peanuts Special Coming Soon

The direct-to-disc Peanuts special has been officially announced, Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown.

Linus is pushed to his limits when he learns his grandmother is coming to visit and plans to rid him of his most cherished possession, his beloved security blanket. As grandma’s impending arrival looms closer, the Peanuts gang finds ways to try and help Linus lose his dependence on his fuzzy crutch.

Lucy is particularly eager to cure Linus’ emotional attachment and applies her own psychiatric techniques. Charlie Brown on the other hand does his best to help but he just does not have the heart to see Linus suffer. Snoopy constantly agitates matters because he longs to have the blanket himself. In the end, insightful Linus points out that everyone has their own type of “security blanket” and that in life, a little security is a valuable thing.

We bring back Shermy, Patty, and Violet, and if you are a true Peanuts fan you will notice others that formed the foundation for Charlie Brown’s neighborhood.

Look for it on DVD on March 29th

The Spot News: First Poster For Winnie The Pooh

The Spot News: First Poster For Winnie The Pooh

Poor Piglet.
Not much else to it. Looks funny.

The Spot News: Godzilla Gets Another Director

The Spot News: Godzilla Gets New Director

It’s back to the drawing board for Tokyo’s greatest thunder lizard as the upcoming Godzilla reboot gets a new director and writer, Monsters‘ Gareth Edwards.

Variety are expecting Edwards to work on the script himself.

The Hollywood Reporter say that Edwards is close to a deal; it may already have closed.

Source: Bleeding Cool

The Spot News: First Look At Andrew Garfield As Peter Parker

First Look At Andrew Garfield As Peter Parker

Well it isn't him in the Spiderman suit, or doing anything exciting at all. Just Garfield and Emma Stone, playing Gwen Stacy, sitting and talking. While the other is of the couple kissing. Possibly this is for a scene or maybe between shots. If between shots then we are maybe seeing some behind the scenes love developing.

The Spot News: Wrath of the Titans Casting News

The Spot News: Wrath Of The Titans Casting News

Deadline reported that Edgar Ramirez, who recentlyexcelled in the title role of Carlos, as in Mr. The Jackal, was being offered a leading role. Their headline called him a “God of War” but went no further; shortly afterwards, The Wrap clarified that his role would indeed be just that, and Ramirez would be taking on the mantle of Ares.
Also negotiating for roles are Toby Kebbell as Agenor, and Bill Nighy, who could be playing Hephaestus. Even further down the casting process is Haley Atwell, who will be screen testing for the role of Andromeda, and just one step behind in the race for the same role are Janet Montgomery, Dominique McElligot (those two seem to read for every big film), Georgina Haig and Clemence Poesy.

Source: Bleeding Cool

The Spot News: Red Skull Revealed

The Spot News: Concept Art and First Blurry Image of Red Skull

You are getting a two-for-one! First it is concept art for what the Red Skull could look like in the Captain America movie. The second is a blurry pic from SFX magazine showing Hugo Weaving, who plays the Red Skull, holding the Cosmic Cube or Tesseract.