The movie has been deemed a PG-13 rating by the MPAA, “for mature thematic material, some disturbing content, sexuality and language including a drug reference.” That’s the least of its problems. Beaver could have easily been rated R, and who knows, maybe it later will be. The project is listed as being in “post-production”, and has been for a while. Could this thing ever see the light of day? I hope so. Foster’s talent enough to get this thing sold. Once Gibson’s alienation dies down some hopefully the public will kind of tune any controversy out and enjoy what sounds to be a great movie. Hey, the guy’s good. No denying that.

The Beaver is about a sociopathic middle-aged man who sees the world through an animal hand puppet. The MPAA’s recent rating pretty much confirms this’ll be another case of I Love You, Phillip Morris.

Rotten Tomatoes has allowed users to act as critics reviewing their favorite and least favorite movies for the world to see since 1998.  Earlier Rotten Tomatoes was bought out by Flixster.  Critics and wannabe critics alike rate their movies both positively and negatively and it gets turned into a percentage for all to see.  This has been the new wave of how many folk check out movie reviews and use it as a guide to determine which movies to see, and which to pass (of course that’s before the banter came along).

Well now the popular movie review site is integrated with the mighty itunes, a pairing made in heaven allowing users to now see the Rotten Tomatoes grade in the description section.  This tomatometer will help give users easy access to the reviews they want to see in one places.  This is taking the best of the new wave of technology and reviews and mashing them together.

It’s a fun and easy way to check out movie reviews on itunes, and it makes sense which is the best part of all.  I like how itunes integrated this system.  It’s popular and a lot of people solely use it for their movie review information, and keeps itunes ahead on the “cool” factory they strive so hard to achieve.  A minor addition for some and may be overlooked by many, but it clearly shows the strides that Apple continues to take in the industry to make better of their services and to keep them hip and updated with the times.

Apple acquire music provider Lala earlier in the year and rumors are that they will eventually make the switch to the web based music service, ultimately leading to the demise of itunes.  The reason for this is that the web based service can be accessed anywhere there is internet access, allowing users to bring their accounts wherever they go.  If this is the progression I’m curious to see where this Rotten Tomatoes partnership leads, although knowing Apple they probably already have a plan in place for that.

How do you feel about Rotten Tomatoes partnering up with itunes?

Let’s think about this. Iron Man redefined what a super hero movie could be, and that was just two years ago. Smart and sarcastic, Robert Downey Jr. should make you hate him but instead it’s easy to fall in love.

Really though, I guess that is what my expectations are based on. Mark Ruffalo took over for Edward Norton, which still stings a little bit. I do love Ruffalo, though, so the sour taste is at least not being cleansed with Joaquin Phoenix. But still, I don’t know what he’s going to be like in an action movie, let alone as the Hulk. But okay, I’m interested.

Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek) are both probably fine, right? Evans has done superhero before in Fantastic Four so I believe he can work well with an ensemble. I don’t know all that much about Hemsworth, but from the pictures I’ve seen he resembles Thor pretty well. Either way I don’t think that these two need to be great in order for the movie to be.    Here’s why:

- Downey Jr. can carry a cast of thousands; he is an easily bankable star and one that can carry a picture.
- Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson have performed already and, even though it was in the Iron Man films, can easily bring together a cast. That’s the whole idea here right?
- Director Joss Whedon has a pretty good grasp on the sci fi with his work on Buffy, Angel, and Firefly. The guy’s even done some work on Glee for good measure.
- I love Clark Gregg. His role will most likely be pretty small, all things considered, but he’s great.
- Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.
- It’s The Avengers. Who is not excited to see it?

There are a lot of stories and characters that have to be woven together in order to make this work, creating a GINORMOUS task for Whedon. However, it can be done with the right touch. It wont be easy but, man, I wish it were 2012, especially after a dismal 2010 summer.

Since the end of the third one, plenty of rumors have been swirling around a fourth Scream movie, and for the last ten years they have been pretty much fiction. But now in 2010, we get concrete details on Scream 4 due out next year.

Many will breathe a sigh of relief knowing that not only has Neve Campbell returned but also the married duo of Courtney Cox and David Arquette, all from the original trilogy. Additionally, Roger Jackson is back as The Voice, which is neither here nor there, but kind of cool all things considered. Keeping key players will undoubtedly bring back the curious fans of the originals.
But that’s not all. The franchise needs more than just 90’s stars to create a full-fledged moneymaker. So what to do, what to do? Oh yes, cast some up and comers to bring it back to life. Emma Roberts (niece of, you guessed it, Julia Roberts and star of such films as Nancy Drew and Aquamarine) has been tapped for the lead, the new Sidney Prescott, if you will. Her BFF will be played by Heroes’ Hayden Panettiere, and finally Rory Culkin will play the part of Roberts’ friend/potential love interest. A good way to blend teen stars past and present. Rounding out the cast is Adam Brody (The O.C.), Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Gallactica), Marley Shelton (Grindhouse), and Anthony Anderson (of the classic Kangaroo Jack).

This probably has a lot to do with both director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson returning for the fourth time as well. One can only guess how this film will actually turn out, but Craven is a veteran of the genre and his stamp on a horror movie naturally draws attention. Getting him back in the director’s chair is something of a sight for sore eyes, and a welcome one. Scream is a classic, and while some may mock it, the original is a genre staple.

So say what you will about Scream, but the idea of mixing generations is a good way of keeping fans and making new ones. (Unless it is Scrubs, R.I.P.) Casting directors Avi Kaufman and Nancy Nayor have done their part. Now it’s up to everyone else.

I’m excited, how do you guys feel?

Friend of themoviebanter.com and Hollywood insider Wes Birchwood, confirms that Neil Patrick Harris (“NPH”)
will return in the next installment of the Harold & Kumar franchise, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas. The movie is currently filming and will be set for release in 2011.

For those who saw the second Harold and Kumar, NPH gets shot towards the end of the film and is left to be assumed dead. However, if you stayed for the end of the credits you know that NPH gets up and shakes off the nasty bullets he suffered at the hands of the brothel owner. If you didn’t watch passed the credits then now you know that NPH did not die.

NPH, who also plays the iconic television character Barney Stinson on the hit TV show “How I Met Your Mother,” is a key character to the greatness of the Harold and Kumar series. I’m glad to hear he’s back.

What are your thoughts?

We all saw the hammer of Thor pop up in the final clip of Iron Man 2. At least those who saw Iron Man 2 and stayed until after the credits saw it. Anyways, we all can now see the first official image from the Thor film.  See Thor, with hammer in hand, on the left of the picture.

Directed by long time Shakespearian actor Kenneth Branagh, Thor is set for release in May 2011.

What are your thoughts?

Credit to Wes Birchwood, Hollywood Insider, for getting us the image.

A rep for Norton immediately responded claiming Fergie’s comments as blasphemy. He claimed that Norton met with director Joss Whedon to return as the Hulk and things seemed to have gone well. However, last Friday, they told Mr. Norton that they were going in a different direction and began slandering the actor’s reputation.

In 2008, there was some talk over Norton and the studio’s disagreements over the final product of The Incredible Hulk, which leads me to believe that there may still be some built up anger toward the actor.

I’ve heard Norton likes a heavy hand in most of his pictures, but look at the results. Not only has he had career defining roles in Fight Club, American History X, and 25th Hour, but he also saved the Hulk name taking it away from Eric Bana and Ang Lee. (Wow 2003’s Hulk was awful.) And while Marvel may still have some hurt feelings, Norton made 2008’s version much easier on the eyes, with a good story to boot.

I’m sure I’m not alone in saying I would love for Norton to be a part of The Avengers. There are two reasons for this. One, I think he is an exceptional actor who tends to pick and chose his roles with integrity. The fact that he did The Incredible Hulk was a very welcomed surprise for me, and he did it justice. Two, it’s unfair to the audience to switch out an actor out in the middle of a series. (Was it really necessary to replace Katie Holmes with Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dark Knight?) Marvel has been trying to create their own universe by hinting at external characters and plot lines within each of their movies., but balking at one seems like a betrayal to the investment we all made. This Marvel universe was a great idea, but if I’m going to keep my end of the bargain by seeing all the films, I want them to keep theirs too by delivering the same characters/actors throughout this whole ordeal.

Norton may like control, but having seen him play opposite Deniro, Wahlberg, and Pitt, I’m pretty sure he would have been able to do the studio, the rest of the cast, and most importantly the film, justice.

So hoops fans, a power trio just formed in South Beach.  LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will all play together next year in Miami.  If they hired me and you to fill the remaining two starting positions for the Heat, there would remain the same expectation, win a championship.  So now that LeBron James has finally decided which team he will play for, I beg to ask the question of how long will it be before we see a movie of this entire fiasco.  Never before have we seen such hype and media coverage of athletes choosing where they want to play.  I wonder how much video tape do people have of the whole event. I bet a lot.

Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh both hired full documentary crews to follow their every move prior to deciding to play for the Miami Heat next year.  That accounts for hours and hours of behind the scenes coverage and unedited thoughts and remarks by the superstars on their free agency experience.  Nothing has been confirmed yet, but I would think LeBron must have done the same thing.  Perhaps they have footage of all three of them chatting on the phone and deciding where to play. I would love to see that conversation.   The conversation I would most like to see, is the one Wade had with LeBron in the time period after Wade/Bosh announced they were signing with the Heat and prior to LeBron himself deciding where to play. I think it would go something like this”

Wade – “LeBron, you know when you announce you’re going to sign with the Heat, that the uproar is going to big.”

LeBron -”Dwyane, well its a huge [I think he was trying to use the word "burden" here]…uhhhh…..I don’t care uhhhhh…..I just want to win….it is what it is, lets just win.”

Whatever it is, the terrific trio are in Miami. The power of the NBA has shifted towards the East. I would bet we will see a documentary of this entire event in the near future. If not, and we see a full Hollywood feature, I wonder who would play LeBron. I know I tweeted yesterday that I think Mark John Jefferies could do it, but he’d be a better Dwyane Wade.

Who do you think would play LeBron? Do you even care? Would you want to see this in documentary form or Hollywood form? 

Keep Bantering

P.S - You know what would be great, if the Heat didn’t win the title.

The duo have been teasing a probable animated Lego movie based on the plastic toys (though with Lord and Miller on shoot I wouldn’t count on anything being too plastic), and recently they gave Collider some interesting information—

I don’t know how we’re exactly going to execute it, but I would say the vast majority of the film takes place in an immersive all-Lego environment.  So it’s going to star mini-figs and we’ve created these really cool characters and a really nice character story between these mini-figs.  And it’s going to take place in a universe that’s made entirely out of Lego to the point where if there’s water or clouds or like a big explosion, that will be made out of animated Legos.  And our goal was to make it look like a super charged stop-motion. Something like if Michael Bay kidnapped Henry Selick to make a movie for him…They feel like they’re homemade and you can feel the creativity like permeating throughout them and it reminds me of what’s so special about animation when it’s working great it feels handmade.  And regardless of how much CG is in the movie, I think that’s the feel that we’re trying to go for.

The only real toy-based flicks we’ve gotten have been mostly Hasbro-oriented (Transformers or G.I. Joe, anyone?), and even some A-list directors are at work on certain big-screen adaptations of real-life board games. Animation is obviously Lord and Miller’s forte, and witnessing any Lego-based stop-motion videos on YouTube you’d be convinced there’s potential here.

Quick tidbit on the 21 Jump Street movie – they call it “a big live-action R-rated crazy action movie,” that  “winds up becoming this really sweet coming of age story except the guys that are coming of age are in their early 20’s instead of 17 and 18.” Interesting coming from two guys who made food fall from the sky. Pixar and DreamWorks are at each other’s throats over who is really dominant with these dimensional cartoons, and the cool thing about Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was that it pretty much took everyone for surprise. It’s weird imagining movies being made out from either of these properties, so hopefully they’ll deliver with the same punch.

If you didn’t know already Marcus Nispel, the guy who helmed 2009’s Friday the 13^th remake and, more key here, 2007’s Pathfinder, is remaking Conan the Barbarian and simply renaming it Conan. Sounds like something that’d probably go deeper into Conan’s past. I’m not biting. We saw the trash Ridley Scott did to Robin Hood just a few months ago and by the looks of the first official still Conan seems to be going down the same path.

Take a look at Jason Momoa as Conan via Uroloki and tell us what you think–