Ben Stiller, Clint Eastwood, Bruno and Judd Apatow - Best photo of the year

What caption could you give to this photo. Leave it in the comments.

Source: MTV

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How about Tom Cruise as the Third Stooge?

With the recent news that Sean Penn was taking a year off from acting this means there is a place within the the Farrelly Brothers Three Stooges film. Penn was playing Larry opposite Jim Carrey as Curly (he is apparantly going to pile on the pounds for the role) and Benicio Del Toro as Moe.

Who could join Carrey and Del Toro? Names such as Paul Giamatti, Zach Galifianakis, Matt Damon, Larry David, Ben Stiller, Jack Nicholson and Simon Pegg have been mentioned.

However, another name put forward is Tom Cruise and out of all of them I think I like that idea the most - although the whole idea of the Three Stooges film leaves me feeling a little cold. He was great in Tropic Thunder when he played quite a slapstick character so he has the skills.

How do you feel about the Stooges film? Who would be the best person to fill Sean Penn's shoes?

Discuss in the forum or leave a comment below.

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Oobermind, Iron Man 2 and Spider-Man 4 Posters

I posted a few posters yesterday from the Licensing Show (Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Rango, Avengers and more).

Now AICN have some more photos of other new posters from the show.

My favourite is the one above for Oobermind. This is the superhero film being produced by Ben Stiller, that I've mentioned previously.

When super villain Oobermind (Robert Downey Jr) defeats his arch-rival Metro Man, the world should be his oyster. But instead, Oobermind falls into total despair. It turns out that life without a rival is life without a point for him. So he creates a new superhero rival. Unfortunately, the new hero wants to be a super villain too. Who can we turn to? Who has what it takes to stand up to this menace? Who will defend the innocent? Oobermind! That’s who.
Neither the Iron Man 2 or Spider-Man 4 tell us anything new about the films, but it is nice to see them. I just wish they'd try and do something a bit cooler with the Spider-Man posters.

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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - Darth Vader?

The first TV spot introduces more of the film's characters including its "villains". Now with added Dark Lord of the Sith and Oscar the Grouch.

Ben Stiller and Darth Vader. Not sure where this one is going. My son enjoyed the first Night at the Museam and he is a big Star Wars fan so he's going to love this.

As for me. I like a bit of Star Wars. Stiller is great in some things and not so great in others. This sequel will probably be much like the first.

Directed by Shawn Levy

Starring Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Hank Azaria, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan.

Due out on 22nd May, 2009

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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - Russian TV Spot

A Russian TV Spot for Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian which is due to hit theaters on May 22, 2009

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Ben Stiller does a Joaquin Phoenix with Natalie Portman at the 2009 Oscars

Remember when Joaquin Phoenix was on David Letterman in his bearded, rapstar, not with it, chewing gum, could be a skit, could be real interview? You can watch it here.

Well Ben Stiller did it when presenting the award. It was pretty funny, not as funny as the Pineapple Express or Steve Martin and Tina Fey thing (still can't find a full version of that), but funny nonetheless.

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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian International Teaser Trailer

The international teaser trailer for Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is similar to the domestic teaser trailer but does provide some new footage when introducing both new and returning historical figures. The preview also finishes with a line from Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais).

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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - Poster

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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - Teaser Trailer

In the sequel, the Museum of Natural History is closed down for upgrading and the exhibits are put into storage at the Federal Archives in Washington, D.C. Amy Adams will play an undetermined historical figure who has a crush on security guard Larry (Ben Stiller).

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Will Tropic Thunder's Les Grossman return - Tom Cruise thinks so and he should know

/film have the news that Tom Cruise has been speaking to E! The conversation got onto Tropic Thunder and Cruise's excellent turn as Les Grossman (the fact he has been nominated for a Golden Globe is pretty cool) in which he was pretty much unrecognisable as the Chief Scientologist.

Cruise told E! that “there could be more to do with that guy” before revealing that he has started to develop some short films starring the character with Thunder director/star Ben Stiller.

“I’ve talked about doing different videos with the character,” Cruise said. “I’ve started working with Ben [Stiller] on it, and we’ve kind of talked about different things to do. We were gonna do some in our free time, but we haven’t found the free time…yet.”

I think this is pretty cool and would love to see more of the foul mouthed producer, even if it is just short films every now and again. What about you?

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The Random - Saw VI, Luc Besson, Narnia, Australia, Che, The Wolfman. The Goonies, War Monkeys, The Fockers

First photos of Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman on the Austrian set of Season of the Witch.

New photos of the action figure based on Universal's The Wolfman gives us an idea of what Benicio Del Toro will look like in monster form in the film. There's also a look at the replica medallion worn by lead character Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro).

Steven Soderbergh's "Che" is set to hit the UK in two parts. The first opening January 1st 2009, the second on February 20th 2009. Promo materials indicate the titles 'The Argentine' and 'Guerilla' will not be used in the release - a pattern that may be adopted in other markets.

Baz Luhrmann's 'Australia' clocks in at a final running time of 165 minutes despite some reports pegging it at 155 minutes. The film kicks off its publicity blitz tomorrow with Sydney press interviews and the Australian premieres. Media screenings take place in Oz and the US starting from Wednesday...(full details)

In a press release published on Friday, Walden Media revealed that they have yet to give a green light to begin production on the third installment in "The Chronicles of Narnia" franchise – "Voyage of the Dawn Treader". The film is still scheduled for a May 7th 2010 release at present...(full details)

Luc Besson says that he's beginning work on an epic sci-fi feature next year - big enough that it could be broken up into a trilogy but he hasn't decided yet as it's still too early. He's also completed filming two sequels to "Arthur and the Minimoys" and is working out the 3D elements right now...(full details)

Lionsgate recently announced that they'll continue making "Saw" sequels annually for the foreseeable future thanks to the low-budget franchise's continued profitability despite increasingly dour reviews. "Saw VI" is now set for a October 23rd 2009... (full details)

"Dante's Peak" scribe Les Bohem is penning the futuristic boxing movie "Real Steel" for Dreamworks Pictures. Bohem created and wrote the Spielberg-executive produced Sci Fi Channel show "Taken"..." (full details)

French directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo ("inside") have officially left Dimension's planned sequel to Rob Zombie's "Halloween" which they had been writing over the past few months with the intention of directing. No replacements have been mentioned though Zombie will return as a producer. The pairs plan to direct a remake of "Hellraiser" for Dimension Films also fell through earlier this year... (full details)

Kerri Green of The Goonies fame (she played Andy) is to return to the big screen in a film called Complacent, a “gripping drama” that “centers on two close sisters whose already tumultuous lives are rocked by tragedy.”

Ben Stiller is going to make a third movie featuring The Fockers.

Kevin Munro is making a comic based movie called War Monkeys. The story follows two guys who work low-level jobs in an Area 51-like underground research facility that end up getting locked in over Christmas with an army of military-trained research monkeys.
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5 More Friends - A whole lot of movie stars talking about voting

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Snoop Dogg, Harrison Ford, Julia Roberts, Ben Stiller, Will Smith, Steven Spielberg, Justin Timberlake, along with Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat, Zach Braff, Colin Farrell, Neil Patrick Harris, Scarlett Johansson, Shia LeBeouf, Tobey Maguire, Ryan Reynolds, and Jason Segal, are featured in a second of a series of public service announcements to encourage American youth to vote in partnership with Google, YouTube, Declare Yourself, and MySpace. The non-partisan PSAs, produced by DiCaprios Appian Way, were created to engage and inspire young people to vote and participate in the upcoming election.

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Robert Downey Jr may be up for Best Supporting Actor in Tropic Thunder.

Because of problems with the forthcoming The Soloist (it's not meant to be very good) Paramount will now officially be backing an Academy campaign for Robert Downey Jr.'s supporting role in Topic Thunder.

I saw Tropic Thunder a while ago (I enjoyed it but not as much as I thought I would) and Robert Downey Jr was amazing in it. He totally owned the role and you forget that it is Downey Jr under the make-up. His retard speach to Ben Stiller was one of the highlights of the movie.

I totally agree with Robert Downey Jr being nominated for this role and, if Heath Ledger is also nominated, it will make for an interesting Oscar ceremony.

Do you agree with Downey Jr being nominated for the role? Who else do you think should be nominated for Best Supporting Actor? in Tropic Thunder."

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Night in the Museum 2 - Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart

Thebadandugly.com have got lots of photos of Ben Stiller, Amy Adams (Enchanted, Drop Dead Gorgeous) and the rest from Night in the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian. The first one was great for kids, but surprised a sequel got the go ahead.

Have a look at them here.

Dick Van Dyke, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams and Steve Coogan are also returning for Museum 2, with veteran Hank Azaria as a villainous Pharaoh.

Discuss in the forum.

More News on the Tropic Thunder Controversy. Do they think my mental faculties are retarded or something?

The Disability Rights Coalition met with Dreamworks over the content of the film recently and on Friday issued a list of demands. Kind of like hostage takers and terrorists!!

How do you feel about this list? One of the demands is a screener for these groups, it would be safe to assume that most, if not all, of the people preparing to protest, have not seen the film. Basically, I get the impression they just want a free showing of the film and once again they forget that the more they protest the more successful the film will be.

What other films can you think of that used the word "retard" and yet had none of the controversy that Tropic Thunder has had?

Here is a direct quote from the movie Something About Mary on IMDB.

"[Pretending to like retarded kids] Pat Healy: Those goofy bastards are about the best thing I've got going."

Was anything ever mentioned about that?

Here is what the Coalition want:

Film Screening: Arrange a film screening of “Tropic Thunder” for disability groups, paid for by the studio, in Los Angeles and in Washington, D.C. before the end of this week.

Public Apology: Make a public apology for the thoughtless use of the “R-word” and derogatory depictions of people with intellectual disability with a summary statement of the studio’s intent to curtail its damaging effect and its commitment to specific next steps (as laid out below).

Film Editing: Completely eliminate all direct mention of or reference to “retard” jokes, disability euphemisms, and disrespectful depictions from the film before it is distributed to theatres and released to DVD.

Film Promotion: Eliminate all trailers, web postings, and ads that focus on “retard” jokes, disability euphemisms, and disrespectful depictions, and reference the “R word.”

Specially Created Trailer: Fund and produce a trailer to air prior to each showing of “Tropic Thunder” that addresses the use of the R-word and the hurtful impact it has, even when people do not mean it that way. This same trailer would also be included within the DVD packaging for after market sales.

National Campaign: Create and fund a comprehensive national educational and advertising social campaign to eliminate the pejorative use of the word retard from use in everyday language, and more importantly create a world of dignity, acceptance and inclusion for people with intellectual disability. The campaign would be developed and vetted by an advisory council of representatives from the coalition. The campaign would also be designed to capitalize on social media and social networking to bring young people together and empower them as agents of change for the R-word campaign and involve appearances of those involved in the film’s creation.

Film Studio Summit: Convene the heads of all the major studios to address the appropriate portrayal of people with intellectual in future films and television programs. The summit would also help reduce stigma surrounding one of the largest disability populations in the world while also raising the awareness of the extraordinary gifts and talents people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have to offer.

This comes from a memo created by Gail Williamson of the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles, dated August 8, 2008, and available here: PatriciaBauer.com

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Tropic Thunder - The perils of political correctness

This is an excellent article from Slashfilm.

By: Peter Sciretta

Tropic Thunder might be the funniest movie of the Summer. And when anything is so extremely enjoyable, there must also be an evil entity trying to put a stop to the pleasure. And like any good story, the villain in this case isn’t a cliche bad guy, attempting to rid the world of laughter. Not at all. In fact, I’m sure they believe they are doing the right thing for the betterment of this country, humanity, etc. And by THEY, I mean organizations - groups of people who have decided to band together in an attempt to make things better for the people around them, who clearly “don’t know any better”.

At face value, it might seem like a tough feat to defend a movie where a white guy puts on blackface… Where Ben Stiller plays a actor who takes on the role of a mentally retarded character in hopes of Oscar gold… Or Where Tom Cruise is hilariously funny and not the slightest but weird. But truth is, there is nothing wrong with Tropic Thunder. There is something wrong with the explosion of political correctness in America. The film does not cross any lines of political correctness, if anything it satires Hollywood’s treatment of mental disorders.

A coalition of disability groups have announced a national boycott of Tropic Thunder over the film-within-the-film Simple Jack. But it doesn’t stop there, they have begun to talk to members of Congress for “a resolution condemning” what he called “the movie’s hate speech.” Oh C’mon. They can’t be serious, can they? It’s in the New York Times, so it must be true. Dreamworks has screened the film more than 250 times before opening week, and received little to no complaints until a viral website for the movie Simple Jack caught the eyes of these disabled advocacy groups. Paramount quickly removed the websites from the web, bowing to the group’s pressure.

Thankfully the studio has come out and announced that they would not be altering the cut of the film due to the pressures of such organizations. And to that I say THANK YOU. It’s very easy for a big corporation to be bullied by these little groups in today’s connected society. Its is good to see that Dreamworks is not backing down.

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Tropic Thunder Mockumentary

DreamWorks/Paramount has released a new trailer for Tropic Thunder mockumentary "Rain of Madness" which talks about what happened during the shooting of the movie within the movie. Opening August 15th, the Ben Stiller-directed action-comedy stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte, Brandon Jackson, Steve Coogan, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, Jay Baruchel, Matt Levin, Andrea De Oliveira and Reggie Lee.

An official website for "Rain of Madness" has come online as well here.