The deals are happening fast and furious at the Toronto International Film Festival.  The Weinstein Company has announced that they have acquired the distribution rights to British comedy Submarine.

Ben Stiller serves as one of the film’s executive producers. The film stars Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky), Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz) and Noah Taylor (Red, White and Blue.)

The synopsis is as follows:

“Submarine is a a comedy which follows a 15-year-old boy with two objectives: To lose his virginity before his next birthday, and to stop his mother from leaving his father for her dance teacher.”

It is an adaptation of  a novel by Joe Dunthorne, and was directed by Richard Ayoade. Bidding took place last night, and Weinstein ultimately acquired the movie for around $1 million dollars, with a promise for hefty publicity and advertising.

Our colleagues who have seen the film are very enthusiastic about it.

Even though both Shannon Hood and I gave the film good reviews, as did many others (it still has a great rating over at Rotten Tomatoes) Piranha 3D didn’t knock ‘em dead at the box office. However, the film did earn enough and is expected to make even more on DVD and Blu-ray that a sequel is already being planned.

The sequel, currently called Piranha 3D: The Sequel, will possibly take place in Thailand during their Full Moon Festival where thousands of teens and young adults flock to the beaches for fun and more.  However, with no screenwriter attached and nothing “official” to go on, that’s just speculation at this point.

However, the sequel is reportedly a go and producer Mark Canton is gung ho about it:

“We are thrilled that audiences are not just loving PIRANHA 3D, but cheering for it. And it’s fantastic that so many critics are really getting the movie and recommending it. We can’t wait to get to work on the sequel,” said Canton.

Well, there you have it. At least I actually liked this movie and this should come as no surprise but they did set up the film explicitly for a sequel.You may wonder how it’s possible a film that only opened number 6 at the box office could get a sequel.

Well, when you make a film that only costs about $24 Million, makes over $10 Million in the opening weekend, will make lots more on Blu-ray and DVD and has this much positive word of mouth, you usually end up getting to make another one. Simple economics.

Click through to read the full press release from Dimension. Piranha 3D is now in theaters.

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Several movies have made the grade with critics of late, but enthusiasm for Scott Pilgrim and now Piranha has not lead to large numbers at the box office.  It has been very disheartening to see how poorly some movies have done at the box office.

Piranha should have been a slam-dunk for the Weinstein Company and Dimension, but the film only managed to snag sixth place, and did not break $10 Million over the weekend.  That is with 3D ticket prices tallied in, which makes it even more disappointing.

Audiences that did see the movie didn’t really like it. The film only got an exit poll score of “C” from film-goers, according to Entertainment Weekly’s Hollywood Insider.

Nobody seemed  too interested in seeing any of the new offerings.  Holdover Expendables won the weekend with $16.5 Million.  The film dropped about 50%, and its two week total is $65 Million. Take that, naysayers.

Vampires Suck nabbed the number two spot.  The team that brought you the Scary Movie franchise, Date Movie,  Epic Movie and many more, decided to parody the Twilight franchise this time around.  The film has made about $18 Million since its opening day last Wednesday, with $12 Million of that coming from the weekend.

The Twilight series is ripe for parody, but the film clips for this film just weren’t that funny

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The cast of Wes Craven’s upcoming fourth installment of the hugely successful Scream franchise has just grown by one more. Emma Roberts (Valentine’s Day, Hotel For Dogs and the upcoming It’s Kind of a Funny Story) will join returning original cast members Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette in Scream 4, which is also being scripted by original Scream writer Kevin Williamson.

Roberts will play “Jill,” one of the heroines in the new film and probably help solve yet another series of grisly murders perpetrated on the citizens of Woodsboro. Poor citizens. Obviously, Roberts is thrilled at the news.

“I am so excited to be part of this ground-breaking franchise,” said Roberts. “As a huge fan of the previous films, I jumped at the opportunity to work with the original Scream team of Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson. It’s the perfect opportunity for me to do something completely different than I’ve ever done before. With Bob Weinstein and Dimension, and the return of original cast members Neve, Courteney and David, I have no doubt Scream 4 will live up to fan expectations.”

Producer/director Wes Craven added, “I’m absolutely delighted that Emma will be joining the cast of Scream 4. Her talent, beauty and range will add immensely to the sophistication, intensity and fun of the SCREAM franchise as it returns to the screen once more.”

Well, there you go. if he doesn’t know, nobody does. Shooting on the film will begin in June in Michigan. Scream 4 hits theatres in April 15, 2011.

UPDATE: Looks like we can add Hayden Panettiere and Rory Culkin to the cast now also. Dimension Films just confirmed their casting.

Back in 2002, Rob Marshall took the Broadway film Chicago and turned it into a big-budget Hollywood musical with names like Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere. A few years later, Marshall tried to capture lightning in a bottle again by adapting Maury Yeston’s Nine.

The film was a major critical success, getting nominated for four Academy Awards and five Golden Globes. Rob Marshall had done it once again, with the help of his immense crew and the blessing, as well as the guiding hand of the show’s original creator, Maury Yeston.

We were lucky enough to speak with Yeston about his work on both the original Nine and it’s silver-screen adaptation, as well as possible film work in the future, and an interesting credit on his first published piece of music.

Check out the interview after the jump, and be sure to pick up Marshall’s Nine on DVD and Blu-Ray everywhere today.

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While it was hinted at for quite some time, news broke yesterday that made it official. It looks like Dimension has officially greenlit Scream 4, with not only original writer Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven returning, but Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox Arquette as well. From a Dimension Films press release:

“SCREAM has been such an integral part of Dimension’s history, and I look forward to continuing the franchise,” said Bob Weinstein, co-chairman The Weinstein Company. “I’ve worked with Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven on so many films at Dimension and hope to continue our successful collaboration.”

Wes Craven added, “I am delighted to accept Bob Weinstein’s offer to take the reins on a whole new chapter in SCREAM history. Working with Courteney, David and Neve was a blast ten years ago and I’m sure it will be again. And I can’t wait to find the talent that will bring new blood to the screen as well. Kevin is right on his game with the new script  – the characters and story crackle with energy and originality – to say nothing of some of the most hair-raising scares I’ve seen in a script since… well, since the original SCREAM series.  Let me at it.”

The original franchise, which spanned 3 films, grossed more than $500 million in the worldwide box office, which should mean some success for a return to the world of Scream.

The film currently has a release date of April 15th, 2011.

Never let it be said a violent film like Inglourious Basterds can’t also serve the public interest and give back a little something. What am I talking about?

Well, tomorrow at L.A.’s Upper Playground Gallery, in conjuction with The Weinstein Company, will be an exhibition of alternative poster art for the film from a variety of contemporary artists including David Choe, N8 Van Dyke, Morning Breath and Grotesk. The posters, all signed by director Quentin Tarantino, will be sold and the proceeds will benefit the Red Cross’ Haiti relief efforts.

Check out al the posters at the gallery’s website. Also, here’s more info from the official press release:

THE LOST ART OF THE FILM “INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS”

BENEFIT ART PROGRAM TO HELP RAISE MONEY FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE

SA Studios Global’s Film Marketing Division has teamed up with Quentin Tarantino, Upper Playground and The Weinstein Company to present, THE LOST ART OF INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS.

On February 18th, 2010 from 6p – 9p the world will get to preview and purchase the “Lost Art of Inglorious Basterds” at The Upper Playground Art Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles. All proceeds from this program will be donated to The American Red Cross to help the victims of the Haiti Earthquake.

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Well, I have officially run out of clever ways to say that Avatar won the weekend box office, and I think I still have weeks, if not months, to go. For the fourth week in a row, Avatar ruled the domestic box office and it has now made a mind-blowing $429 Million in one month. The movie dropped almost 30% from last weekend, yet still managed a hefty $48 Million, which places it in the seven spot for highest grossing movie (domestically) ever. It has earned $1.2 Billion globally.

Trailing the top earner were Sherlock Holmes, and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, which each made around $16 Million. Holmes has now made $165 Million in three weeks, and Squeakquel has made $178 Million in as many weeks. Both look poised to surpass $200 Million during their theatrical runs.

New releases were almost shut out of the top five this weekend, but the vampire horror flick Daybreakers, starring Ethan Hawke, managed to squeeze into fourth place with a respectable gross of $15 Million. It’s Complicated took the number five spot, and made $11 Million, for a cumulative total of $76 Million. The critically maligned  romantic comedy Leap Year stirred enough interest to make about $9 Million for sixth place.

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Let’s face the facts: if you’ve already jumped off the Michael Cera bandwagon, this movie will probably not prompt you to jump back on. However, if you’re still straddling the fence, you might be pleased to see that his character in Youth in Revolt is a natural progression for Cera. It is not a full disengagement from the characteristics that made him so endearing to begin with, but it adds a welcome new layer.

Youth in Revolt is based on the first book in a series by C.D. Payne, published in 1993. Touted as a relatable new voice for teenagers, the book’s protagonist Nick Twisp became a popular “Holden Caulfield” type for their generation.

Nick is an old soul in a teenager’s body, preferring French cinema and the crooning of Frank Sinatra to typical high school shenanigans. Consequently, he has few friends, and in lieu of any actual relationships with girls, he studies a well-worn sex manual, bracing himself for the fateful day when sex might become a reality.

As is typical of most teenage comedies, the adults in Nick’s life are a bunch of buffoons. His trashy but well meaning mother (Jean Smart) has a loser boyfriend, Jerry (Zach Galifianakis), who lives with them. She spends her days in bathrobes and negligees, sporting a different fake hairpiece every day, while Jerry wears a “three-wolf moon t-shirt” without a trace of irony, making them a trailer park couple of dazzling mediocrity.

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About thirty minutes into Rob Marshall’s musical Nine, I kept getting a nagging sense of déjà vu. It finally dawned on me that the movie reminded me a lot of All That Jazz, the 1979 musical directed by Bob Fosse. That movie starred the late Roy Scheider, who portrayed a brilliant choreographer experiencing an existential crisis in the days leading up to a big Broadway production. He copes with his pathos by popping pills and chasing women, and his self destructive ways ultimately cost him the love and respect of his daughter and those closest to him.

In Nine, Daniel Day Lewis plays a brilliant Italian director who experiences an existential crisis in the days leading up to the first day of filming for his new movie. He is a scoundrel, and has so many entanglements with various women that it ultimately threatens his health, marriage and relationships, not to mention the movie.

As soon as I got home, I started researching and found out that All That Jazz and Nine were both based on Federico Fellini’s 1963 film 8 1/2, which is widely considered a masterpiece in most film circles. While All That Jazz was Bob Fosse’s re-imagining of 8 1/2 with autobiographical components liberally interwoven, Nine is a more faithful adaptation of the story.

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A Single Man is the single biggest surprise I have had at the movies all year. It is brilliant, beautiful, superbly acted, and emotionally devastating. It is one of those movies that will haunt you for days and weeks to come after viewing it.

*Minor spoilers in this review* The opening credits are set to an underwater scene depicting a man gently lolling about in the waves in slow motion.  A voice-over by George (Colin Firth) states that it has been 8 months since he lost his male partner in a car crash, and yet everyday “Waking up hurts.”

George is starting to believe that life will never really return to normal, and the day we witness in the film  is actually the day that George has decided to kill himself.  Fastidious to a fault, he meticulously lays out the outfit he wishes to be buried in, going so far as to leave instructions on how he wants his necktie to be knotted (Windsor-style.)

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In spite of its rather depressing subject matter and its bleak outlook on most of humanity, The Road manages to be an insightful, relevant, entertaining and important film which will not only hook you from the opening moments but will cause you to do something that most movies released these days do not: Think. Based on the Cormac McCarthy best selling and Pulitzer Prize winning novel, adapted by Joe Penhall and directed by John Hillcoat, the film follows the journey of a father and son making their way to supposed safety in “The South” after an unknown disaster destroys most of humanity and reduces the world to snow and ash covered ruin.

Along the way the father and son encounter the worst of society reduced to ruin and come to realize that they may never reach safety and that that safety may, in fact, not even exist. The dynamic between the father and son is meticulously explored with both Viggo Moretnsen and relative newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee giving standout performances. Mortensen is brilliant and physically transformed to inhabit his role and Smit-McPee takes what could have been a two dimensional role and infuses it with depth and courage well beyond his years. Looking at him as he progresses and his character evolves before your eyes, you experience what this journey must be like for him and how his relationship with his father changes during the course of it.

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