Damon Houx
‘Ben-Hur’ Remake in the Works
By the end of the 1950's, the studio system had been rocked by television, and MGM was on the ropes fiscally. They put a lot of stock in 1959's 'Ben-Hur,' which paid off big time. 'Ben-Hur' became one of their biggest hits (adjusted for inflation it's number thirteen on the all time list), and won eleven Oscars. Now that MGM is successful after 'Skyfall,' they're going to return to 'Ben-Hur' and remake it.
‘A Good Day to Die Hard’ Will be R-Rated
Though the film isn't hitting screens during the four-quadrant friendly summer season, there was concern that 'A Good Day to Die Hard' might stay with the PG-13 rating of its predecessor. But there's no "Yipee-kay-yay, Mister Falcon" for this John McClane, as it turns out the film is R-rated.
‘Star Wars’ News: White House Nixes Death Star Plans
For whatever reason, 'Star Wars' fans petitioned the White House wanting the United States to make a Death Star. That the country our the government has no interest in making one is no surprise. But the Chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget Paul Shawcross responded to the petition in the nerdiest way possible.
‘Pirates of the Caribbean 5′ Hires a Writer, Is Inevitable
Even though the fourth film in the franchise, 'Pirates of Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,' was the lowest grossing of the franchise domestically, that film - boosted by 3D - managed to make over a billion dollars worldwide. So that a writer has been hired to write 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5' should be no surprise.
‘Jurassic Park 4′ Has a Release Date (but No Director)
With Steven Spielberg's 'Robopocalypse' put on temporary hold, perhaps Universal saw a hole in the 2014 schedule, or perhaps they're just ready to make more dinosaur movies. We say that because -- even though there's no director attached -- Universal has announced that 'Jurassic Park 4' will be hitting theaters June 13, 2014.
’21 & Over’ Trailer: Barely Legal Hijinks Abound
Often the genealogy of a movie is easy to trace. A film like '21 & Over' follows in the direct footsteps of last year's 'Project X,' which was a minor hit for Warner Brothers, which itself was done as a teenaged version of 'The Hangover.' Now there's a new trailer for '21 & Over' and it looks very familiar.
‘Star Wars’ May Also Be Heading to Television
With George Lucas out of Lucasfilm, a number of big changes have already happened. They're developing 'Star Wars Episode 7,' and it looks like a long promised spin-off may be coming out of the mothballs. No, not another Ewok adventure, but the long rumored live-action 'Star Wars' television show.
‘Parker’ Featurette: Jason Statham Does What Jason Statham is Meant to Do
Jason Statham is one of the few B movie action stars that gets his films released theatrically these days, and there's something sad about that. This January brings his latest, 'Parker' and we've come to appreciate the latest Statham offerings as one might a 2 A.M. trip to a fast food joint: It may not be great, but it usually delivers what you were expecting.
‘Y: The Last Man’ Gets ‘Portal’ Fan-Film Maker as its Director
We've seen many a short film and YouTube clip lead to successful careers, but we've yet to see a fan film turn into a real career. That is, until today. Dan Trachtenberg has been hired to helm New Line's adaptation of 'Y: The Last Man.'
Steven Spielberg’s ‘Robopocalypse’ Put on Indefinite Hold
Though both Chris Hemsworth and Anne Hathaway seemed to be set as the leads, and the film had a release date of April 25, 2014, it looks like Steven Spielberg's adaptation of 'Robopocalypse' is going to be put on hold for an indefinite period of time.