New Battleship trailer
GUNS! BOMBS! GUNS AND BOMBS! ALSO, GUNS!! AND BOMBS!!! (and aliens... and GUNS!)...
John Carter goes rotten, stink spreads to box-office
Based on a selection of positive critics’ reviews for John Carter earlier this month, I suggested that the Disney movie may do the unthinkable and lift Hollywood’s dreaded Curse of Mars. I cautioned, however, that the critical consensus for John Carter would likely change as more reviews poured in – and change it has, from a “fresh” 77% to a “rotten” 51% on the Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomatometer'.
John Carter’s critical reception is now being reflected at the box-office with the movie pulling in a “disappointing” $30.2 million in its opening weekend according to BoxOfficeMojo.com and having to settle for the number two spot behind The Lorax.
Writing for BoxOfficeMojo.com, Ray Subers notes:
“Disney's marketing department has been beat up on pretty good for the lacklustre John Carter campaign, and to their credit the movie doesn't really lend itself to an easy sell. Still, making the movie is the responsibility of production, and selling the movie is the responsibility of marketing, and in that regard they clearly failed."
It remains to be seen whether the movie will recoup its $250 million (some say 300 million) budget.
Defiance
Deadline.com reports that Julie Benz (Dexter) will star opposite Grant Bowler in the Syfy series Defiance. Tony Curran (Pillars Of The Earth), Jaime Murray and Stephanie Leonidas also have been cast in this live-action drama which Deadline describes as follows:
"Set on a future Earth, Defiance is set in a world where humans and aliens live together on a planet ravaged by decades of war and transformed by alien terra-forming machines. It centers on Jeb Nolan (Bowler), the law-keeper in a bustling frontier boomtown that is one of the new world’s few oasis of civility and inclusion. Benz, repped by ICM and Vincent Cirrincione, will play Amanda Rosewater, the idealistic newly appointed mayor of the mining boomtown who is determined to maintain peace in the community. Leonidas, repped by UK’s Artists Rights Group and Thruline, will play Irisa, a beautiful warrior who is part of an alien race called the Irathients. After Nolan killed her criminal father, he adopted the girl and raised her as his clever – and lethal – right-hand. Curran, repped by Domain and Sanders/Arstrong/Caserta, will play Datak Tarr, a member of another elite alien race known as the Castithans who schemed his way out of his home planet before it was destroyed. Murray, repped by Sanders/Arstrong/Caserta, will play Datak’s beautiful and proper wife.”
5th Wave
GK Films and Tobey Maguire's Material Pictures are to produce a movie adaptation of the forthcoming sci-fi novel The 5th Wave, Variety reports, noting that the film will be based on a just-sold proposal by Rick Yancey.
Yancey’s story follows a teenage girl in search of her brother and is against the backdrop of an alien invasion. The girl is aided in her search by a young man who may or may not be an undercover invader himself. No release date as yet.
Electronic Encounters
A fan of Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Stirred by John Williams’ iconic score for said movie? If so, you might be interested in wrapping your ears around Electronic Encounters, a new digital album comprised of tracks directly inspired by Spielberg’s 1977 classic. It makes for intriguing and frequently chilled-out listening.
Silver Screen Saucers on the airwaves
Finally, I was interviewed recently as a guest on The Conspiracy Show with Richard Syrett. The topic was UFOs & Hollywood, with a strong focus on DoD and CIA involvement in the filmmaking process. You can listen to the show here. I’ll also be appearing on the The Kate Valentine UFO Show on March 23.
