Well according to reports from Twitchfilm.com, actress Blake Lively (most known for TV’s ‘Gossip Girl’ but also in ‘The Town’ and ‘Green Lantern‘) has been approached to play the lead. The rumors are that she has met with director Craig Gillespie and has been offered the part, but no news on whether or not she’s actually interested. I’m definitely hoping she is considering it seeing that she is one of my favorite leading women in Hollywood lately. Sure, her performance on ‘Gossip Girl’ is less than stellar but after her portrayal of a prostituting drug mule in Ben Affleck’s ‘The Town,’ it is clear that given the right material she can be great.

But I refuse to get my hopes up on this news just yet, I already got excited after hearing the news of Emma Stone stepping into the lead and we all know how that ended.

Cross your fingers Banters and maybe this film will finally get made!

What may that solution entail? Decreasing said price increases? Nope not that one. Well what about giving all of his faithful customers a couple months of credit? Definitely not that! Okay, fine: how about just uniting the video streaming and dvd rentals once again under one common price point? Ha, just the opposite in fact.

All that this email actually offered us was a change in name. Yes, that’s right, a change in name. From now on, the name Netflix is only to be used when referring to the company’s online video streaming, and now, the name Qwikster will be used when referring to the company’s dvd mailing system. So now, we have two separate companies (under one roof) and two different credit card charges, with the 60% price increase to remain of course.

Well, this is just great news, Netflix! This really does just change everything. Now that you’ve gone and added a separate name to the video delivery service, well I’m more than happy to pay more than double the money I was paying for the exact same service last month. So thank you, Mr. Hastings, for telling me of this good news, and so early in the morning.

Oh wait, did I say good news? What I should have said, was thank you for giving me no news so early in the morning, and under a guise of an apology, no less. Here’s the thing Netflix: if you really want to get back the million subscribers and the almost 50% stock decrease you lost last month due to your similar announcement of “good news,” the way to do this is not just to create two different companies offering the same deal as before. I mean, it doesn’t take a business major to understand when the man is damning us. And until you understand that, Netflix, I believe you’re in for a long season of a rapidly decreasing customer base and similarly plummeting stocks. Yikes! It’s going to be a long winter.

Miramax has created ‘The Miramax eXperience,’ an interactive application via Facebook where you can rent films to watch directly on your computer. It’s basically like Instant Netflix but instead of a monthly or yearly fee you pay for each individual movie (about 30 Facebook credits or $3 each) and the rental is active for 30 days but the viewing window is only 48 hours once you start the movie. Seems pretty ideal huh?

But like every new invention there are a few catches. For starters, because this is such a new application there are only about 20 titles available in the U.S. right now, and even less in the U.K. and Turkey (I’m sure other locations will become available soon enough). Additionally, the custom player that you watch the films on, Ooyala, isn’t exactly the most up to date video experience. If you have stopped the movie and go back to it later it can’t tell you where you left off, something that always comes in handy for me! Also, even though you are not physically watching the film on Facebook, you are renting it from the application therefore the typical Facebook “permissions” are present asking you to post this activity to your wall and newsfeed (something I find extremely annoying and invasive about Facebook applications).

Be that as it may, I think this is overall a pretty great idea. While the service hasn’t worked out all its kinks yet, Miramax is smart to release it as soon as possible beating out the competition and being the first movie studio to get the ball rolling on this. Facebook has stated that this deal does limit them just to Miramax so I expect other studios will soon follow suit. I also enjoy the fact that it is single-film purchasing instead of a monthly fee. It’s much more financially sound that way. The application is currently live so you can check it out here: http://apps.facebook.com/miramaxapp/ and see if you’re interested!

Here’s a full list of available titles:

U.S.: Adventureland, Chicago, Clerks, Cold Mountain, Extract, From Dusk Till Dawn, Gangs of NY, Gone Baby Gone, Good Will Hunting, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, Kill Bill 2, No Country for Old Men, Pulp Fiction, Shall We Dance (2004), Sin City, Spy Kids, Swingers, The Switch, Trainspotting

U.K.: Chicago, Cold Mountain, From Dusk Till Dawn, Good Will Hunting, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, Kill Bill 2, Shall We Dance (2004),Sin City, Spy Kids

Turkey:  Adventureland, Chicago, Clerks, Cold Mountain, From Dusk Till Dawn,Gone Baby Gone, Good Will Hunting, Jackie Brown, Spy Kids, Swingers

What do you think Banters? Good idea or is this completely pointless?

Calling all Harry Potter fans, especially those crestfallen, heartbroken and finding it hard to go on after the recent release of the last film in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, here is something to get you all worked up again: apparently J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter creator (duhhh) in fact, stole, the idea for Harry Potter from another individual—David Copperfield. Can it be true? J.K. Rowling—plagiarist?!

In the recent video “David Copperfield vs. Harry Potter—Suck it, Potter!” magician, or rather, illusionist, David Copperfield makes a very convincing claim that the famed story of the little boy magician with the lightning bolt scar is actually based on his life. In the two minute video, Copperfield goes through point by point and actually successfully proves that Copperfield did it first. Did what first? Well, everything. The invisible cloak, the disappearing train, the attendance at Hogwarts, and even the lightning bolt scar. And what’s more? Copperfield is convincing in his claim. I’m left sitting here, shaking, believing that Harry Potter is indeed a fraud. IS NOTHING RIGHT IN THIS WORLD?

Okay, okay, just relax guys. Don’t get all your magic wands in a twist, I didn’t mean to utter blasphemy. I’m only J.K.ing (get it?! Because of J.K. Rowling. Get it now??). It was just a joke, a kidder, a knee slapper (yikes, you Harry Potter fans sure do take this stuff seriously). But the video does exist! It was just released on Funny or Die, featuring America’s favorite illusionist Copperfield as Copperfield himself! While Mr. Potter does not make an appearance he does get subpoenaed, so here’s hoping another video featuring the magic teenager will reveal itself soon!

Watch the video here.

As most any independent movie fan will tell you, finding an obscure film, and in good quality, has often proved itself to be a very difficult (and money consuming) task. So, when we here at The Movie Banter were offered a special discount on certain independent horror films for our readers, we just had to share the news!

From our movie-loving ears to your movie-loving eyes:

SundanceNow, a website offering easy access and discussion to hard-to-find independent films from around the globe, is promoting three critically acclaimed independent horror films: Larry Fesenden’s The Last Winter, Glenn McQuaid’s I Sell the Dead, and Bob Badway’s The Uninvited. All three movies are only 99 cents when you enter the codes below.

The Last Winter (2006) stars Ron Perlman and James Le Gros as oil miners in the Arctic region of North Alaska as they struggle to maintain their sanity after witnessing the decline into insanity by another fellow oil miner. Enter the code WINTER for the special promotion.

I Sell the Dead (2008), an official selection at the 2009 Philadelphia and Los Angeles Film Festivals, is set in the 19th century as a convicted grave-robber tells his life story, including tales about zombies, vampires, foggy graveyards and bloodied coastlines, in the few hours he has left to live. Ron Perlman and Dominic Monaghan star in this adventure/horror film. Enter the code DEAD for the special promotion.

The Uninvited (2009) follows a girl as she returns home after spending time in a mental hospital, only to discover the presence of ghostly evil forces. The film stars Marguerite Moreau, Brittany Curan and Colin Hay. Enter the code UNINVITED for the special promotion.

Click here to watch these films and more!

There’s a whole lot wrong with this trailer – but don’t sell me too short, there’s a lot right with it, too. Director Bay’s balls-to-the-wall filmmaking style is, well, ballsy. He’s practically become a mythical embodiment of capital-H Hollywood. His first two Transformers films, like ‘em or not, are talked-about for one reason above all: there’s no reason at all to their existences. Really, I think, that’s what makes a few guys sitting around a computer capturing two machines argue with each other (and their fists) so awesome. In every way, they’re grindhouse movies for the 20^th century, hauling robot parts on screen and putting them front and center, whether the story is good or not. And they’re not good stories. I get the hate for Transformers, and I’m on your side of the fence. I get the love, too; you can’t get this amount of crazy anyplace else. Dark of the Moon is to action what Jason Goes to Hell is to horror: there’s no looking past the crap you’re snorkeling through. But if you can buy into it, and an extra few bucks for shot-in and post 3D conversion, it might be sort of worth it.

Wait, wasn’t there a Jason where he went to space, too?

I haven’t even brought up the trailer – it’s asinine, truly, but it’s also a pretty sweet goldmine – nix any robotic clunkers. The trailer is pretty free of our Friends With Automobiles, be it Optimus Prime or Shia LaBeouf. Instead we’re shown Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin just before their NASA transmission was cut off and they entered the dark side of the moon. Serenity now. Apparently Decepticons were hiding there or something. Said Bay to Empire Magazine on the teaser: “When I look at it, it’s cool, but is it exciting? It’s intriguing. It’s good; it’s doing its job, I think.”

You bet it is, Michael. I think, after watching it a few times, my favorite part of the trailer comes at the end, when the camera pushes in on a Decepticon eye outlined with a bright blue circle, and as we press deeper in like some sort of weird student dental operation the title is built, as it has been before, from scraps of sheet metal to spell out what movie theaters will soon have plastered all over their ticket booths. Because if nothing else, Transformers is marketable junk. The kind you put in kids’ meals next to a burger and fries. And of course, that makes for a wicked ironic situation.

Independent filmmaker Bill Plympton’s newest project, Idiots and Angels, will be released at IFC Center (New York) and Laemmle Sunset 5 (Los Angeles) starting October 6^th. Plympton, who has also animated popular shorts like Your Face (nominated for an Academy Award) and Guard Dog, built the film around the basic idea of an angel who does not want his wings. The animated feature is a dark comedy where Angel (yes, that’s his name, ironically) not only fails all attempts to rid himself of the wings, but cannot will them to succumb to any of his selfish plans. I won’t say anymore about the plot, but you should all check the film out for its stylistic choices too.

Plympton describes the style as Eastern European, or, my favorite analogy, something David Lynch would make if he ever animated a film. Also, the film has no dialogue, just music playing throughout. I personally think those are great choices for a film surrounding moral struggles, especially because music plays such a huge role in determining a film’s tone. Music is a language of its own that invokes emotion. Without any dialogue to process, you’ll be left to experience the film based on emotion, not logic. We all secretly wish we could play a soundtrack to our lives (you know you play Cobrastyle in your head after you’ve done something bad ass or Sound of Silence when you’re feeling sorry for yourself—hopefully you’ve never resorted to that one, it’s just an example), so just imagine what the film will be like.

How does this short sound to you?

Why has this not come sooner? I often have the discussion that movie theaters need to start showing things other than movies in their theaters. They need to discover other ways of generating revenue and luring people into the theaters if they want to remain profitable. Think about it; you have a massive room, usually stadium style seating, and a huge HD screen with the best sound system money can buy. I would watch the Superbowl in a room like that for say $5. In fact, I would watch any major sporting event or television event for that matter in that type of environment.  Can you imagine watching Landon Donovan’s game winner on the big screen, with hundreds of other screaming USA fans sitting by your side? Well, I think theaters are starting to catch on.

According to CNBC.com “NCM Fathom, a division of National CineMedia (NASDAQ: NCMI), a leading integrated media company reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and through mobile technology, and the Federation Internationale de Football Association (“FIFA”), the world governing body of association football (soccer), announced today that the 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM) semi-finals, match for third place and final match will be presented for the first time LIVE in 3-D in 15 select U.S. movie theaters on July 6, 7, 10, and 11.”

Various AMC, Regal and Cinemark chains in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, Denver, Miami, Kansas City, and San Antonio will be showing the World Cup.  Those are the three largest theater chains in the US. For more information about tickets go to www.fathomevents.com.

I think this will be a huge success. During important away games, sport teams often show games on their megatron in their home arena/stadium.  This is another way for movie theaters to take advantage of the special environment they provide people. I don’t care what HD TV you have and what top notch surround sound system you have. Nothing beats the movies. Now we will have that environment to watch the World Cup. This is definitely a sign of things to come.

Is this something you would be interested in?

Keep Bantering

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Was Rudy the better sports movie or Hoosiers? Where does Ace Ventura Pet Detective rank on my all time list? These are questions that movie lovers throw back and forth all the time. Asking someone what their favorite movie is like asking which is the hottest stripper at Scores. Can’t be done, so subjective and you can get a headache from trying to figure it out. People compare movies all the time regardless of type or genre. I hate when people ask me that questions because I sit there and ask them to filter it down just so I have a clue where to start my rankings.

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Do you mean movies I’ve seen a hundred times? Or great Oscar worthy movies? Or dumb 80’s flicks I love?

Well what if there is a tool to make it easier for you?

FlickCharts try to be just that. FlickChart is a fun crowd sourced site focused on the film industry

, will have you making decisions like that over and over again, helping you find and rank your favorite films of all time, and seeing how your choices compare to those of your friends, and the community at large.

It’s as simple as texas hold em, guys.  It’s a really simple set up they have created to help you figure out where to rank the movies you love. After you sign up, they begin to present you with two movie posters. If you have seen them and have a preference, simply click on one of the posters and it will begin adding it to your chart. Then it will continue with more posters. Based on your pickings, the system will automatically adjust your list and help you decide which is your favorite movie.

Everyone can see your list so depending on how you want to vote, you have to make sure you are comfortable with it. Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore movie download Cheaper by the Dozen 2 dvdrip So even if you really loved the Spice Girls movie and it’s your #5, you have to be aware that you may just have put that over something like Good Will Hunting (no shame because Spice Girls movie is fantastic). Good Dick psp

You can filter into specific genres for lists as well, so say favorite 80’s movie, or sports movie. This will help you break up what you like for different types of genres or occasions. Based on your pickings over time, the data is collected and you can see how you picks and the stats as they develop. It also will be integrated with the rest of the FlickChart community so you can see if The Dark Knight is everyone’s all time favorite even if you think it may be overrated.

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This is a cool new movie community helping movie lovers figure out the age old question to what is your favorite movie. The Time Travelers Wife film Wrestling download Muriel’s Wedding video

Check it out and let me know what you think.

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