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SPECTACULAR NOW: Ralph Lauren's Son Produced The Indie Film Of The Summer With His Own $3 Million

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Andrew Lauren Dylan Lauren Spectacular Now

Andrew Lauren may be the eldest son of billionaire designer Ralph Lauren, but he isn't following in his father's fashion footsteps.

Instead, the 44-year-old movie producer is betting on all-star indie films, such as 2005's "The Squid and the Whale," on which he served as executive producer.

Most recently, Lauren produced "The Spectacular Now," a critically acclaimed coming-of-age drama starring Shailene Woodley.

Some are even calling it "Summer's Best Romance."

After the script bounced around for five years, Lauren eventually decided to invest millions in the film to make it come to life.

"Shunned by film financiers, Lauren was forced to foot the nearly $3 million budget by himself," according to The Hollywood Reporter."But the indie producer was game. After all, he has quietly built a reputation for backing scripts deemed commercially unviable."

It didn't hurt that Scott Neustadter, who wrote the screenplay, was Lauren's former intern.

"It seems like everyone was afraid to touch it," Lauren tells THR of the film that opened Aug. 2. "It dealt with issues that were controversial. But to me it touched on them in a very gentle and very authentic way. It was about real kids, not about Hollywood-ized kids."

But just because he comes from a billionaire family doesn't mean that Lauren is simply bankrolling projects.

"I don't consider myself a bank, so I don't like those types of projects where all they want to see is your pen," he says. "I'm very selective. I don't make a lot of movies.  But I make films that I'm proud of, that I can look at, look on my shelf and say, 'Wow, I made that. That was pretty good.'"

As for his financial tactic on "Spectacular Now," Lauren says "I felt like the risk of taking less money up front would potentially give us a better reward in the back."

And it looks like it will pay off.

The film opened last week to a stellar $50,000 per-screen average in just four theaters, already grossing over half a million dollars.

SEE ALSO: 16 Things You Never Knew About The New Golden Age Of TV

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Bryan Cranston Is Open To Playing Lex Luthor In The Batman / Superman Movie

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While rumors are churning out about who will play the next Caped Crusader in the anticipated Batman / Superman film, people are also casting actors for the rest of the film.  

Among them is wildly popular "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston.  

Rumors are pegging the actor to play the Man of Steel's arch nemesis Lex Luthor in the film.

Now, Cranston told Metro he'd be interested in the role. 

"Give me a call," said Cranston. "I like Lex Luthor. I think he's misunderstood. He's a loveable, sweet man." 

It wouldn't be a stretch.  

Cranston's villainous character on AMC's hit "Breaking Bad" looks a lot like Luthor. 

Here's Cranston on "Breaking Bad" as Walter White: walt jesse breaking badHere's Lex Luthor:

lex luthor

 

Late last week, another AMC actor Mark Strong ("Low Winter Sun") hinted he may be playing the villain in the sequel. 

It makes sense that Luthor would appear in the upcoming sequel. After all, there were a bunch of hints pointing at his company LexCorp in "Man of Steel."

If Cranston is offered a role, all we have to say is that Supes and Bats better tread lightly

The Batman / Superman film is scheduled for a summer 2015 release.

More Batman / Superman: If these are the two potential names for the film, Warner Bros. is doomed

SEE ALSO: Watch the announcement for the Batman / Superman film

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'Twilight' Author Stephenie Meyer Says She Is 'So Over' The Franchise

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Stephenie Meyer

"Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer has the blockbuster book and film franchise to thank for her success and reported $125 million fortune.

But she isn't necessarily happy with it.

"I am so over it. For me, it’s not a happy place to be," Meyer told Variety of the super successful book and film series. “I get further away every day."

But "Twilight" fans shouldn't go crying into their pillows just yet, as Meyer says she hasn't completely ruled out writing another installment of the popular vampire series.

“What I would probably do is three paragraphs on my blog saying which of the characters died,” she says, adding, “I’m interested in spending time in other worlds.”

In the meantime, Meyer has shifted career gears and is currently a producer on the Keri Russell film "Austenland" — the first movie to be released from her new production company, Fickle Fish.

Fickle Fish is also developing adaptations of a pair of ghost stories — Lois Duncan’s “Down a Dark Hall” and Kendare Blake’s “Anna Dressed in Blood” 

SEE ALSO: SPECTACULAR NOW: Ralph Lauren's Son Produced The Indie Film Of The Summer With His Own $3 Million

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Christian Bale Reportedly Offered $50 Million To Return For 20 Minutes In New 'Batman' Movie

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the dark knight rises

It looks like there may still be hope that Christian Bale could return as Gotham's finest in the Batman / Superman film.

A new ebook, "Beyond Batman: The Unauthorized True Story of Christian Bale and His Dark Knight Dilemma," suggests the actor is being offered up to $50 million to reprise his role of the Caped Crusader.

The book comes from Vince Russel who simultaneously put out another unauthorized biography of WWE's Phil Brooks earlier this month.

The excerpts that sparked the fervor occur between author Vince Russel and a Legendary Pictures insider who speculates Bale could receive a big pay day to return as the dark knight.

Via The Press Association:

"Why would Christian Bale walk away from what is certainly going to be either the first or second highest grossing movie in the history of cinema?

"He could probably make 50 million dollars for being in the movie 20 minutes. And it would be worth every penny to the studio."

"Sources close to Christian Bale have reportedly begun expressing their suspicions that Bale now views the Batman films in the same light that Robert Downey Jr views the Iron Man films."

The latter isn't a surprise as we've previously said Bale is to Warner Bros. and the Batman franchise as Robert Downey Jr. is to Marvel's "Iron Man" legacy.

Just to be clear, a lot of people are running with the report that Warner Bros. has actuallyoffered Bale $50 million to return in the role. That doesn't seem to be the case.

Rather, it's just someone speculating that Bale could get that much money to appear in the film. Robert Downey Jr. reportedly earned $50 million for his role in last year's "The Avengers."

The price for the actor paid off when the film went on to earn more than $1.5 billion at theaters worldwide.

Downey Jr. has since resigned with Disney and Marvel to appear in two more "Avengers" films.

Previously, Bale told Entertainment Weekly he won't be in any "Justice League" movie unless Christopher Nolan approached him with an idea.

Currently, The Hollywood Reporter says a few middle-aged actors including Joe Manganiello ("True Blood) and Ryan Gosling are up for the role as the Caped Crusader in the Batman/Superman movie due out in 2015. That would still leave room for Bale to return as Batman in the future if one of these other men play a different version of Bats (think Batman Beyond).

We've reached out to Warner Bros. for comment.

SEE ALSO: Don't expect Christian Bale in the Batman / Superman movie

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt Plays Scarlett Johansson's Porn-Obsessed Boyfriend In New 'Don Jon' Trailer

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don jon scarlett johansson

The new trailer for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut, "Don Jon," is out, and it lays the "Jersey Shore" persona on thick.

Gordon-Levitt plays titular character Don Jon, a Mike "The Situation"-inspired horndog who's addicted to porn, but wrestles with his approach to sex and intimacy.

Co-stars Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore, as strong and independent females, refuse to put up with his boyish escapades, forcing Don to acknowledge how he objectifies women.

After the film received glowing reviews at Sundance, Relativity Media expanded its theater release nationwide.

The actor and director tweeted:

"Don Jon" hits theaters September 27. Watch the trailer:

More "Don Jon": Watch the first trailer for the film

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Happy Birthday, Jennifer Lawrence! 23 Things You Didn't Know About Hollywood's It Girl

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jennifer lawrence

August 15 marks Jennifer Lawrence's 23rd birthday, and Hollywood's new It Girl has certainly accomplished a lot in that short window.

Her chilling indie flick "Winter's Bone" earned Lawrence both Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Actress, and her later movie "Silver Linings Playbook" helped her cinch both awards.

Maybe best known in the role of Katniss Everdeen, Lawrence carried "Hunger Games" to be one of the highest-grossing films of 2012. The highly-anticipated sequel, "Catching Fire," releases in theaters this November.

But before she tripped on stage at the Academy Awards, dissed Meryl Streep during her acceptance speech, and playfully flipped off the press, she was a horseback-riding Kentucky girl, living on her parents' farm and just getting by in school.

1. Lawrence was born August 15, 1990 — the first girl to be born on her dad's side of the family in 50 years.

Her family's day camp in Louisville, Kentucky.

Source: Rolling Stone



2. She grew up on a horse farm in Louisville, Kentucky, where her parents raised unbroken stallions because they were cheaper.

Sources: Rolling Stone, The Late Show with David Letterman



3. Her family didn't believe in "seeking medical treatment." She was hit by a car at 18 months and deformed her tailbone after being thrown from a horse — neither incident warranted a trip to the doctor's office.

Sources: "Jimmy Kimmel Live,""Late Show with David Letterman"



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Spike Lee Is Using Instagram To Tell Wonderful Little Stories About How He Made His Movies

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A lot of celebrities use Instagram to share photos of themselves or tease new projects with fans. 

Spike Lee is using the photo-sharing platform for something else entirely.

Recently, he's been uploading photos from a series of his old films, sharing small anecdotes that went into the film-making process with them. 

Check out a few below:

1. "Miracle at St. Anna" (2008) 

"I love this film. It's from a Novel by the Great James McBride, who adapted the Screenplay. This was one of my best experiences ever making a Film. The majority of the shoot was in Italy (Rome and Tuscany) with an All-Italian Crew. There was no language problem, we all spoke Cinema. It was also fantastic being in the World Famous Cinecitta Studios in Rome, in the same stages where one of my Heros Federico Fellini shot many of his classic films. To me this Film is a Tribute to the African-American Men and Women who fought and died for the Red White and Blue from The American Revolutionary War to WWII that have been marginalized or completely ignored by The Hollywood Studio System. We salute you."

2. "Inside Man" (2006)

"Inside Man is my Biggest Box Office Hit. I was slipped the script on the low low. Imagine Pictures had bought the Script (Auction) in a bidding War for Ronald Howard to direct. I loved the script and I reached out to my Man Denzel Washington, this would be our 4th Joint Together (Mo' Better Blues, Malcolm X and He Got Game). D signed up quickly followed by Clive Owen and Jodie Foster. We studied Sid Lumet's Bank Heist Classic DOG DAY AFTERNOON starring AL PACINO. We had so much FUN making this FILM. It was BANANAS and I feel it's all on the screen. We start the Film Jumping with The Bollywood Track Chaiyya Chaiyya from The Film Dil Se."

3. "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" (2006)

"I was in Venice for the Festival when I got a call from my Wife Tonya to turn on the television. I spent the next 2 days switching back and forth between The BBC and CNN International. I could not believe the images I was seeing. Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and finally Day 5 The United States Government comes to the rescue of it’s own American Citizens. Right then and there I knew I wanted to put a Camera and a Microphone in front of these Survivors. I want to thank Sheila Nevins, Jackie Glover and Richard Plepler at HBO for giving us the Money and Broadcast Time to present our Epic 4 Hour Documentary on Hurricane Katrina."

4. "Malcolm X" (1992)

"This was the hardest and most rewarding Film I ever had to do. Malcolm X almost put me under, it was not just the physical toll of the long shoot but it was a test to my mental toughness. When we ran out of money, we were up the Creek without a paddle. It was one of the most stressful times I had ever been in. I couldn't eat, sleep, couldn't function. In doing my research of Malcolm X prior to shooting, I turned back to his teachings. I thought maybe there was the answer. Malcolm always preached about Self-reliance, Self-determination amongst us Black folks. That we have the Power within ourselves to do for ourselves, and that's when it hit me like a TON of BRICKS. I had epiphany. I began to call Black Athletes, Celebrities and Business people for gifts. They all came through and that's how we got to the stage to finish the film. To this day Denzel Washington's performance is one of the greatest of All-Time. Thank you Denzel."

5. "Crooklyn" (1994)

"Crooklyn is the semi-autobiographical Story about my Family growing up in the Fort Greene section of Da Republic of Brooklyn, New York during the early 70's. My siblings Joie and Cinqué Lee had written the script before they even told me they had done it. I read it, said let me do a revision of the script. Their title was Hot Peas and Butter, I changed it to Crooklyn And it has become one of my most loved films. People absolutely love this film."

Read more of them on his Instagram.

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Dear Film Critics: Comparing Bad Movies To Video Games Is Ruining Your Credibility

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ElysiumBrothers

This is a notice to all film critics that you need to step up your game when it comes to comparing movies to video games in your reviews. You're not paying attention. You're still doing it wrong, and it's getting embarrassing. 

The most recent round of movie-to-video game comparison fails with the release of Neil Blomkamp's terrific "Elysium," a special-effects heavy, science fiction action-adventure film filled with high tech gun-play and big ideas. And as a result, ripe for a few of you reviewers to totally miss the point yet again.

Here, one of your rank and file says of "Elysium," "None of the characters are particularly memorable or worth caring about which means that any of the scenes meant to generate poignancy fall flat. Ultimately, 'Elysium' is yet another shallow, dumb blockbuster that could easily be turned into a video game."

Fox News' Justin Craig, while not as harsh, your comment isn't any better, "People expecting another 'District 9' or who expect a little more substance from their science fiction films will most likely be disappointed by 'Elysium,' but those who like their videogame-style sci-fi shoot-em-ups will have no problem here."

Both of you are calling out the weaknesses of "Elysium" by comparing the film to video games and intoning that games are "shallow and dumb" and those who would enjoy video games won't mind the fact that a movie might be lacking in substance.

Such remarks usually get made by somebody with little knowledge of what it's actually like to play video games.

I want to help you with that. 

"Elysium" is the latest, but not the first, film to draw the comparison

Many of you have repeatedly over the years made the comparison, and those picked out here in this story are only a small sampling.

In an AP review for the 2009 film "Raid: Redemption" you — the film critic — made a similar comment when you said, "Small amounts of backstory bleed out of the action, but there's little propelling things beside the simple kinetic kick of the film's video game-like plot, the next guy coming around the corner."

Joe Neumaier of New York Daily News, you're off base when you say, "'World War Z' the film, however, feels like a video game. It’s merely fast-moving flesh-rippers with clicking jaws giving chase." 

Have you ever played "The Last Of Us" or any of the episodic "The Walking Dead" games? Both are compelling experiences that do the overexposed zombie genre better than the film-adaptation of "WWZ," which wasn't nearly as good as the book it was based on. The book did not feel like a video game, but it probably would have worked better as one than a film.

Leonard Maltin, you're guilty as well. From your 2004 "Van Helsing" review: "After a b&w prologue that pays homage to classic Universal horror films, this noisy, interminable, video-game-like movie discards all semblance of story or characterization." 

The fact that you compared "Van Helsing" to video games is an insult to video games, and even nine years later that statement still stings.

Brothers A Tale Of Two SonsWhat many of you don't seem to recognize, is that a video game can actually pack more substance and emotion into three hours than a movie can.

A game such as "Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons" is such a compelling, emotional experience with a deep plot that even with only three to four hours of game-play, it left more of an impact on me than any film I've seen this year. And I'm not the only one.

But you seem to think all video games feature "Call Of Duty" shoot-ups and machismo or "Killzone" aliens and "Halo" space marines and generally lack that emotional connection with the viewer/player. They don't. Even in many of those big-name games the emotional connections, plot, and overall experience goes beyond the cliché and grabs you in ways a film simply cannot. 

Susan Granger, your "After Earth" review implies that when a filmmaker writes a long backstory for a movie, then it must be for the video game tie-in. Just because there's a lot of backstory written about a movie, doesn't mean it was created for a video game spinoff. Nobody wants more "After Earth," gamers included. 

When a movie has bad special effects, that doesn't make it like a video game

Movie-to-game comparisons like those with "Elysium,""World War Z,""After Earth," and "Van Helsing" are nothing new, but you've also failed when you've tried to compare unrealistic special effects in film to that of a game. For example, this gem comes from David Edelstein'sNYMag's 2009 review of the dud "Transformers 2: Rise Of The Fallen" where he likens some of the effects to "video game weightlessness."

Video game weightlessness? Dave, have you played "Portal"? Tried out the physics in a "Red Faction" game? What gaming experience exactly are you basing this "weightlessness" issue on? 

Richard Lawson of The Atlantic, you unfortunately throw up a brick in your review of "The Hobbit" titled "The Hobbit: Like One Bad Video Game," where you point out that what was great about the previous "Lord Of The Rings" movies is that they have an elegant, painting-like wonder and the new one just looks like a video game.

BraidThe issue with your analysis and analogy is that there are some incredibly artistic games out there that don't actually look or feel like video games. "Braid,""Limbo," or "Killer 7" are all prime examples of great art direction in a video game.

They are but a few of many vibrant and immersive titles that exist "somewhere between imagination and the real world.""Braid" actually looks like a painting in motion. 

Watching a bad movie isn't like watching somebody play a video game

Over the years, you've compared the inability to connect emotionally to a movie to watching somebody else play a video game. Efilmcritic's "Avatar" review called it impossible for the audience to have any genuine connection with the heroes "beyond the kind one might develop while watching someone else play a video game."

Circling back around to the game "Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons," my wife watched me play through all three hours. She was completely enthralled. She is by no means a "hardcore gamer." She enjoys puzzle and cooking games on her smartphone. But she developed a connection with the unfolding story of Brothers in the same way she might have with a Harry Potter film. She participated in solving the puzzles in the game and helped me — as the controller of the main characters — move the story along to its heart-wrenching ending.

So Richard Roeper, when you say a movie is "relentless and monotonous" and that watching it is "like watching somebody else play a video game!" maybe that's true for some games, but in general that's a false statement. There are many people out there who would tell you that watching somebody else play a "Halo" game is more entertaining than watching "Battle Los Angeles." 

Some of you just be hating

Rex Reed, here's looking at you. Your "Battleship" review goes out of its way to make the video game connection:

"As another cookie-cutter ripoff inspired by comic books and video games (this time, Hasbro’s naval-combat pencil and paper-cum-board-turned-video game), you’re better here than with the idiotic Marvel’s The Avengers."

The movie was inspired by a board game. Not a board game turned video game, but a board game that happened to be made into a couple little video games. You're stretching, reaching, and failing to make the connection.

"Now, in a grave, last-ditch effort to join the youth brigade, they sit around playing violent video games and discussing the merits of endless installments of Iron Man, The Avengers and The Wolverine. Bring back Ray Bradbury." - Rex Reed, Pacific Rim review.

Worse still, your "Pacific Rim" review stereotypes those who might be interested in the movie with such an intensity that it makes the reader wonder if you actually have any idea of who the main demographic is that tends to read about movies online. Here's a hint, they sit around playing video games and discuss the merits of endless installments of "Iron Man,""The Avengers" and "The Wolverine."

Your review also implies you've probably never played a video game in your life. Those same fanboys and gamers you're trying to stereotype are also the same ones reading Ray Bradbury obsessively, who you want to bring back.

Even if every one of your stereotyped lonely dorks who love violent games went to see "Pacific Rim," that's not enough to account for the $97 million it has earned domestically, and certainly doesn't account for the $247 million it's raked in internationally. The world's taste in entertainment might be more varied than you realize. Maybe a lot of folks even like video games.

Rex, stop hating. It's childish and does nothing but make you look like a critic who's so set in his ways that he has to go out of his way to insult people. 

Your homework assignment

For those with knowledge of video games — even a rudimentary knowledge — consistently reading the misused analogies by film critics is grating and quite honestly, insulting. 

Luckily, there is a solution to save you from continuing to make yourselves look like you're out of touch.

Go into your kid's room and play some of their games. Try to get the hang of it and play something all the way through even if your thumbs don't initially cooperate. 

No kids? Then get to a friends house who has a PS3 or Xbox 360 and fire up "Journey" or "Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons." Neither game will take long to finish, so even for those with shorter attention spans they're both doable. Borrow "Bioshock: Infinite,""Uncharted," or dive into the "Mass Effect" series if you're really feeling ambitious. The list goes on. A little research goes a long way.

Oh, and "Candy Crush" doesn't count. You get an F if you try to pass that one off.

As entertainment writers, it makes sense to have a well-rounded understanding of the different mediums does it not? You read books I'm sure. You go to live theater. You can probably even appreciate art and photography. How is it, then, you still have no clue how to reference what is a $70 billion entertainment industry

It's time for you to understand what exactly it is about those darn games millions of people play that they love, and why, just maybe, you need to avoid weak analogies and transparent attempts at being clever for marketing cover quotes.

SEE ALSO: People are spending millions of hours every month watching others play video games

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'Paranoia' Is Harrison Ford's Worst-Reviewed Movie Yet

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gary oldman harrison ford paranoia

With summer movies winding down, the selection for this weekend is pretty scant.

Three of the four films out this weekend have a collection of poor reviews.

"Kick-Ass 2," the action-comedy sequel to the 2010 film, is currently sitting at 27% on film review site Rotten Tomatoes while Ashton Kutcher's low-budget Steve Jobs' film "jOBS" has earned 25%.

Leading the pack is Weinstein Company's "Lee Daniels' The Butler" which is sitting at 72%. As of yesterday, the film was Fandango's top ticket-seller.

Out of all of the films premiering this weekend, the one you least likely heard about is a Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman flick called "Paranoia" starring Liam Hemsworth (Chris Hemsworth's a.k.a. Thor's brother). 

The Relativity film cost an estimated $35 million to produce and has been floating between 2-3% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's just creeped up to a 5% rating (2 fresh / 40 rotten reviews).

The two fresh reviews come from Movieline's Pete Hammond who calls the thriller "not terribly original but entertaining" and The Hollywood Reporter's Stephen Farber commends the film as "slick" but not a "pulse pounding" action film.

It certainly has an interesting premise.

Corporate rivals Nicholas Wyatt (Gary Oldman) and Jock Goddard (Harrison Ford) use entry-level Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth) in their own personal game of cat and mouse.

Ford and Oldman look undeniably enjoyable as adversaries in every single trailer and clip for the film. 

However with mostly "rotten" reviews, the film is the worst-rated for Ford by far behind '94's "Jimmy Hollywood." 

Currently, BoxOffice.com is tracking the film to earn $6 million opening weekend.

Ford shouldn't worry too much as he's appearing in the anticipated adaptation of "Ender's Game" in November.

Check out a preview for the film:

SEE ALSO: 'Star Wars: Episode VII' could bring back Emperor Palpatine in ghost form

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Spike Lee Reaches $1.25 Million Kickstarter Goal

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It's taken less than a month, but Spike Lee has surpassed his Kickstarter goal of $1.25 million for his next project. 

The 56-year-old filmmaker recorded a video thanking everyone who supported his project currently titled "The Newest Hottest Spike Lee Joint." 

His next movie will be a "new kind of love story" that's "funny, sexy and bloody."

Lee received a lot of criticism after launching his Kickstarter campaign with many saying he was taking money away from young filmmakers who use the resource and suggesting he has never backed anyone on the site, and therefore, doesn't deserve to be backed.

"This is not necessarily new to me, going out there and trying to rally the troops, trying to mobilize the community. The budget for 'She's Gotta Have It' was $175,000, but we never had that money in one lump sum. I was making phone calls, I was writing letters, I was showing up at people's homes." Lee responded to the criticism by saying he's been doing Kickstarter before it existed. 

"Malcolm X, we knew that when we started shooting we did not have enough money to finish the film. I knew it, Warner Bros. knew it … There came a point where the money ran out, and, consequently, the bond company took over the movie." 

As a result, Lee called up stars ranging from Bill Cosby to Prince, Oprah Winfrey, and Michael Jordan to help him donate the funds to finish the film. 

"The last time I self financed a film was 'Red Hook Summer.' This misconception that Spike Lee does not put his own money in my films is … ludicrous." 

Watch his entire response below:

Lee has until August 21 to raise more funds. 

Those who pledged money received a lot of goodies.

Among the best: 

$20: Watch a special screening online opening weekend with behind-the-scenes updates.

$50: A "Jim Brown: All American" poster autographed by Spike Lee 

$100: Inside Man poster autographed by Spike Lee 

$100: Michael Jackson "Bad 25" documentary Blu-ray signed by Spike Lee 

$150:"Malcolm X" poster signed by Spike Lee 

$250: Two tickets to the premiere of Lee's new film in NYC, L.A., or Chicago 

$500: Phone call with Lee OR autographed Nikes worn by Lee. 

$1,000: You can be an extra in the new film. 

$10,000: One of the four flags from the opening credits of "Malcolm X."  

From Lee: "To Me This Is The Best Reward We Have Had So Far. You Slow, You Blow. You Snooze, You Lose. Again Only 4 Exist In This World. Denzel And I Are Not Giving Ours Up. Thank You. Please Give This Serious Consideration."

SEE ALSO: Spike Lee Is Using Instagram To Tell Wonderful Little Stories About How He Made His Movies

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'The Butler' Expected To Clean Out 'Jobs' In Biopic Battle — Here's What's In Theaters This Weekend

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"Lee Daniels' The Butler" should clean up well at the box office in its opening weekend.

The first Oscar contender of the year stars Forest Whitaker, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Oprah Winfrey, and an A-list ensemble. Directed by the powerhouse behind "Precious," Lee Daniels, this historical drama may take in $25 million.

The rest of the competition — "Jobs,""Kick-Ass 2," and "Paranoia"— disappoints by comparison.

Get the details on what hits theaters this weekend, what to check out, and what to avoid.

1. "jOBS"

ashton kutcher as steve jobs

Estimated Budget:$20 million
Opening Weekend Outlook:$10 million
Critics:25%

"jOBS" profiles the tech giant's life in the early 1970s as he builds Apple from the ground up. Ashton Kutcher stars as Steve Jobs, in a performance that's "simply beyond Kutcher's ability,"The Huffington Post wrote.

Consensus: iPass. 

Watch the trailer.

2. "Kick-Ass 2" 

kick-ass 2

Estimated Budget: $28 million
Opening Weekend Outlook: $19 million
Critics: 27%

In the sequel, superheroes Kick-Ass and Hit Girl band with a citywide wave of masked vigilantes to take down the world's first super villain. Chloe Grace Moretz gives a terrific performance, but the film fails to nail the first movie's blend of ultra-violence and ironic humor.

Consensus: Unless you can't "support that level of violence," as star Jim Carrey cannot, go see. 

Check out the trailer.

3. "Lee Daniels' The Butler"

the butler forest whitaker

Estimated Budget: $30 million
Opening Weekend Outlook: $22.5-25 million
Critics: 72%

There's early Oscar buzz surrounding this historical drama, recounting the life of a White House butler who served during eight presidential administrations. An all-star cast includes Forest Whitaker, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Oprah Winfrey, Alan Rickman, and Jane Fonda, among a million celebrity cameos.

Consensus: What are you waiting for? 

Watch the trailer.

4. "Paranoia"

paranoia harrison ford liam hemsworth

Estimated Budget: $35 million
Opening Weekend Outlook: $5-6 million
Critics: 4%

Despite the brains of Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman and the brawn of Liam Hemsworth, this techno-thriller falls victim to "thunderous clichés" and "bland performances."

Consensus: Run in the other direction.

Watch the trailer.

SEE ALSO: The First Trailer For Weinstein's 'The Butler' Already Looks Oscar-Worthy

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5 Superheroes Who Deserve R-Rated Movies

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If anyone tells you that comic books are just for kids then you can be sure that that person doesn’t actually read comic books. Even in the typically-child friendly world of superheroes there are plenty of books filled with sex, violence, profanity and other material meant to appeal to adults and adults alone. Writers and artists even occasionally take what are typically considered family-friendly characters, and make them better by giving them more edge and loosening restrictions on how they think, what they do, and how they speak. 

Unfortunately, Hollywood has never been too supportive of the R-rated superheroes. While studios have tried to make it happen, producing films like "Watchmen,""Kick-Ass" and "Punisher: War Zone," for the most part if a comic book hero can’t fit into a PG-13 rating they are either ignored or changed to the detriment of the character. 

But what if studios were to change their mind about these heroes? Where would be the best place for them to start looking for great characters and stories? With "Kick-Ass 2" due out in theaters this weekend, I’ve dived into the world of comics to find the characters who not only would be served well by an R-rated live-action movie, but have actually come at least somewhat close to getting one. Check it out! 

1. Wolverine

wolverine

What’s the best way to describe Wolverine? He’s a mutant with six knives built into his hands, extreme rage issues, and the ability to take a seemingly endless number of bloody beatings and survive. Basically, he was born to exist in an R-rated movie. The best parts of James Mangold’s "The Wolverine" were the action scenes simply because they actually translated the intensity and animalistic brutality of the superhero, but the truth is that it can be taken further. At the end of the day the truth is that I would actually like to see 20th Century Fox move on from Wolverine and find a different member of the X-Men be the center of attention for a while, but if they insist on keeping Logan in the spotlight they should at least get a little experimental and show what really happens when adamantium punctures through human skin. 

2. Deadpool

deadpool

Let’s start by saying what we already know: the first and only live-action version of Deadpool that we’ve seen was absolutely horrendous. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" stripped away everything that comic book fans love about the character, and the PG-13 rating certainly didn’t help (not a single drop of blood on his swords after cutting down a room full of guys? Really?). In the comics Deadpool is as psychopathic and violent as they come, and that just can’t come across unless a studio is willing to all but completely cut off audiences under the age of 17. The real tragedy in this case is that 20th Century Fox has been holding on to an R-rated script for years now and just haven’t had the guts to pull the trigger on the project. Screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have said that their future of their film could end up being linked to the box office fate of this weekend’s "Kick-Ass 2," so we’ll have to see where that leads.

3. Spawn

spawn comic 

Like Wolverine and Deadpool, Spawn has had his chance in a live-action movie before, but the problem is that it came back in 1997 before studios realized that some superhero movies actually need a budget to be any good. The movie may have looked good when it was first released, but time has not been very kind to it (in fact, it looks like it’s been beaten with an ugly stick). I’ve pitched the idea of a reboot before, but to take it a step further what they really need to do is make a hard-R version of "Spawn." After all, the title character is an anti-hero assassin who is killed, sent to hell, sells his soul to see his wife again and comes back as a violent vigilante. Make it sit on the border of horror and action, find a director who can harness awesome visual effects without overshadowing the story, and you have the makings of a pretty badass comic book movie.

4. The Boys

the boys comic

Of the entries on this list, Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s "The Boys" is probably the most obscure, but that doesn’t mean it deserves any less attention. The story is set in a world where superheroes exist and have been corrupted by celebrity status, leaving the CIA to hire a group of powered individuals to help maintain order. And in addition to having a cool story and a lot of great characters, boy is it insane and over the top (arguably even more so than Ennis’ controversial "Preacher" books). There actually has been some real-life forward motion on an adaptation, with "Anchorman" director Adam McKay attached to direct, but sadly it’s been a good long while since we heard anything about it. Hopefully one day somebody will get the balls to fully finance it and let Simon Pegg fulfill his destiny playing Wee Hughie. After all, it’s not like obscurity has really been a problem for comic book movies of late. If Marvel Studios can pump a huge budget in the sci-fi epic that is James Gunn’s "Guardians of the Galaxy" then we should be able to see an R-rated, live-action version of "The Boys."

5. Lobo

lobo comic

We’ve discussed clawed mutants, psychotic mercenaries, hellspawn and wacked-out superheroes, but let’s close out by talking a bit about motorcycle-riding alien bounty hunters. A part of the same 90s muscles and guns culture in comics that Spawn was a part of back in the early 90s, Lobo is a rather ridiculous, wacky, incredibly entertaining character that would be fascinating to see come to life on the big screen – albeit only in the right way. The character is all about excess, be it in terms of drinking or extreme violence, and a movie that downgrades the character to a PG-13 rating just wouldn’t be worth it. Sadly, any current plans for a "Lobo" movie currently rest six feet underground, as while there was a movie in the works with Dwayne Johnson starring and Brad Peyton directing, The Rock has confirmed that the whole thing fell apart. Here’s hoping the folks over at Warner Bros. and DC Comics are still trying to come up with a way to do it, and if they do hopefully they do it right. 

SEE ALSO: Dear Film Critics: Comparing Bad Movies To Video Games Is Ruining Your Credibility

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How Predictive Analytics Is Changing Hollywood

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hollywood

This post is sponsored by SAP.

Hollywood film executives often wrestle with the decision of whether or not to back a film with blockbuster potential. It may seem promising if hot directors love the script and major stars are interested in it, too. But in Hollywood, there are no guarantees. That project you're thinking of green lighting could wind up being a hit — or it could be a career-destroying flop.

With films often costing $150 million and up, film studios need a better way than gut feelings to ensure they get their money back. Just look at last year's "John Carter" (which lost some $200 million for its investors) and it's easy to understand why. That's the reason many producers are moving beyond intuition and focus-group research and starting to turn to predictive analytics.

Predictive analytics identifies patterns in past data. For example, if a proposed script is a raucous comedy about a wedding aboard a cruise ship, the data process can take into account information on how well recent comedies have done, while adding in box office receipts for previous wedding films. Programmers would also include information on movies that took place aboard cruise ships, along with the track records of the potential stars and the director. The more data that's added, the more accurate the predictions will be. Analysts may even include data taken from user comments on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.

So-called script evaluators can also suggest changes to a script, such as that cruise ship comedy not including a scene set in a bowling alley — movies with bowling alley scenes tend not to do well, script evaluator Vinny Bruzzese told the New York Times. Entire characters can also be rewritten to reflect the latest data. Are vampires still a good bet? Look to predictive analytics to find out.

Ultimately, predictive analytics can give filmmakers the ability to make smarter decisions and have a better idea of how much money their films will make well before they're released. That could mean fewer bombs and more films that audiences would actually want to see.

In the meantime, though, we may still have to slog through long Saturday nights watching films that should never have been made.

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'Paranoia' Is Harrison Ford's Biggest Box-Office Bomb Ever — Here's Your Box-Office Roundup

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gary oldman angry face paranoia

We knew Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman's "Paranoia" action thriller wasn't going to do well in theaters; however, no one predicted it would do this poorly.

Despite the success of Weinstein Company's "The Butler," the big news of the weekend are the many shortcomings.

BoxOffice.com estimated the Harrison and Oldman's film about the two going head to head (with Liam Hemsworth as a pawn) would earn as little as $6 million

Instead, the film will end up the worst wide box-office release for the trio and one of the biggest losers of the summer. 

"Kick-Ass 2" and "jOBS" didn't fare much better with both suffering from dismal reviews.

Out of the top ten this week is Adam Sandler's "Grown Ups 2" which has earned $172 million after six weeks and Warner Bros. successful horror flick "The Conjuring." The flick has grossed nearly $200 million worldwide with most of that money coming domestically. 

The last film out of the top spots is Universal's most profitable film to date, "Despicable Me 2," which has gone on to earn nearly $800 million. 

Here are this week's winners and losers in Hollywood: 

10. Hugh Jackman's "The Wolverine" drops three spots with $4.4 million. The Fox film has earned nearly double of its money overseas with a total haul of $335 million. Jackman will next appear in the "X-Men" film set for next summer. 

9. "The Smurfs 2" may be bringing in a meager $4.4 million domestically in week three, but the Sony/Columbia Picture's film is overseas. The film has earned more than $206 million worldwide with 72.5% of its earnings coming from foreign box office. A third film has already been discussed. 

8. Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington's "2 Guns" drops more than 50% in ticket sales earning $5.6 million in week three. After debuting to $27 million, the Universal film has still failed to earn back its estimated $61 million production budget. Of course, Universal has had two of the biggest movies of the summer with "Fast & Furious 6" and "Despicable Me 2."

7. After debuting to poor reviews, "jOBS" opened to a weak $6.7 million. The Open Road Films movie cost $12 million to make. AaronSorkin has his on Jobs movie expected to be released next year. 

6. Fox's "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" sequel dropped nearly 42% in its second weak with $8.4 million. The film earned less than half of the original 2010 flick opening weekend ($14 million vs $31 million). 

5. Disney's "Cars" spinoff "Planes" earns $13.1 million in week two. Most people are probably under the impression the film is also from Pixar when it actually comes from Disney Toons. The film was originally planned as a straight-to-video release. What's most notable is that while this film is an easy money maker for Disney, it is already faring better than DreamWorks Animation's latest dud, "Turbo." 

4."Kick-Ass 2" grossly underperformed earning $13.57 million in its opening weekend.It earned significantly less than the 2010 film which premiered to $19.8 million. 

3. Neil Blomkamp's futuristic "Elysium" switches spots with Jennifer Aniston's comedy in its second week earning another $13.6 million. Blomkamp's followup to his 2009 film "District 9," was well on its way to $100 million domestically by week two. "Elysium" should hit $100 million worldwide this week. 

2. Finally, a box-office hit for Jennifer Aniston. "We're the Millers" has a good second week with $17.8 million. The film, which cost Warner Bros. an estimated $37 million to make, has earned nearly $70 million in two weeks. 

1. It's Weinstein Company's "The Butler"* that stole the weekend with $25 million. Lee Daniels' film based on a "true life" story was originally scheduled for an October release before being smartly moved up to an emptier movie month. No doubt that the Warner Bros.'/Weinstein title spat inadvertently helped boost publicity and knowledge for the film, along with Oprah Winfrey's public appearances. 

*We know the title has been technically changed to "Lee Daniels' The Bulter," but let's be honest, it's one of the silliest forced and unfortunate title changes childishly enforced by Warner Bros and the MPAA. 

SEE ALSO: "Paranoia" is Harrison Ford's worst-reviewed film to date

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J.J. Abrams Releases Creepy Trailer For New Mystery Project

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J.J. Abrams just released a mysterious new trailer for an upcoming project from his Bad Robot Company.

We have no idea what it is, but the title for it is called "Stranger." 

The trailer shows a man washing up on shore, a nod to his popular ABC series "LOST," and a man with his lips sewn shut near its end.

Check it out below:

Here are a list of Abrams' future projects:

"Almost Human" (TV series)
Wunderkind (an upcoming film about Nazis)
"Star Wars: Episode VII"
"Cloverfield" sequel
"Portal"
"Half-Life"
"Mission: Impossible 5"
"Star Trek 3"

Looks pretty safe to eliminate "Star Wars,""MI5," and "Star Trek" from the list. We'd take out "Cloverfield" as well. What do you think?

SEE ALSO: Harrison Ford's "Paranoia" bombs opening weekend

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Moviegoers Accuse Regal Cinema Of Racial Profiling At 'The Butler' Screening

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butler couple regal

"Lee Daniels' The Butler" may have had an excellent box-office weekend; however, the viewing experience wasn't a good one for everyone.

One couple complained about what appeared to be heightened security at a Regal Theater in Silver Spring, Maryland at a showing for "The Butler."

According to Tiffany Flowers and Alan Honson, there were police officers throughout the theater, with some ushering people into seating for "The Butler." The officers then continued to face the crowd while the film played.

Flowers first tweeted about the situation in the Maryland theater, before catching media attention.

First, here's Flowers' account of the situation Twitter.

Now, here's what Hanson had to say:

The couple says the audience for the film was predominantly African American.

"There were rumblings among the crowd of being profiled at the movies, and they must have thought this was going to be a particularly rowdy crowd," Flowers later told local ABC News outlet WJLA.

The Weinstein Company film starring Forrest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey was the top film at the box office this weekend earning $25 million. The film follows the life of butler Cecil Gaines (Whitaker) who served under eight presidencies. 

There haven't been any reports of similar occurences in other theaters nationwide.

"They had what I thought were bulletproof vests," Hanson told ABC News. "They had sidearms. They looked serious."

Here's the ABC report:

Regal Cinemas responded with the following statement saying its protocol for sold out shows:

Regal Entertainment Group routinely employs security personnel to ensure the safety of all of our guests and staff. When a theatre experiences sold out showings of any feature, security will assist with crowd control and guest assistance throughout the facility, including auditoriums.

This weekend our Majestic theatre experienced a tremendous guest response to the feature 'Lee Daniels' The Butler' such that additional showtimes were added to meet our guests demands. 

At no time last night did local management receive any guest complaints or concerns about our security or staff, who worked diligently to meet all of our guests needs. 

To the extent any guests were disappointed with their experience, we welcome the opportunity to address their concerns and provide them the best entertainment experience possible in their future visits to our theatres.

Flowers later took to Twitter after speaking with a Regal Movies' manager.

SEE ALSO: How much the giant pile of money on "Breaking Bad" is worth

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10 Annoying Lies That Movies And TV Shows Tell You

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Reddit user julestheteacher recently posted this question to the AskReddit community: "Hello, what 'lies' do you see on TV shows that annoy you the most?"

Redditers unleashed their fury.

Here are the best answers:

1. Extracting people's identities from security camera footage is easy

csi computer

"Enhance. Enhance. Enhance. Magnify by 800%.

That's not how photographs work."—andalucian_cat

"Ha ha- CSI then!! oh just go magnify in that persons eye... theres the licence plate!!!"—julestheteacher

2. Computers hacking happens instantaneously

PACIFIC RIM Burn Gorman Dr. Hermann Gottlieb

"Ramdomly punching keys on the keyboard as fast as you can, instantly hacks anything."—Red_Fist_Champion

"Pacific Rim was guilty of this when the over the top goofy British math scientist punched a bunch of keys randomly and spouted off some technobabble. It was so absurd it was jarring and destroyed my suspension of disbelief."—Nutz76

3. Men need women to run their lives —jimflaigle

according to jim belushi

"It seems like in almost every sitcom the main male character is a hopeless idiot who could barely remember to breathe without his wife reminding him.

I mean, somehow he always seems to have a good job and keep all the bills paid... but for some reason he desperately needs his wife's input on what to wear to a PTA meeting."—InPursuitOf

4. Arizona has moderate weather

medium patricia arquette

"I enjoy the show Medium because it's based out of my hometown Phoenix, but the more I watch it the more annoyed I get ... The thing that made me bust up recently was a radio show that said, 'Another beautiful day here in Phoenix, with a high of 85... That combination of words has never been uttered by any person in AZ history. Also, people are hopping in their cars and not burning their hands and legs on everything inside!"—54mu5

5. New York City is affordable

don't trust the b in apartment apt 23

"I live in NYC. It's really jarring when a story is taking place in NYC and the scenery they are showing is not even close to anything you'll actually find in NYC.

Also the lie that a couple of 20-somethings with relatively low paying jobs can afford a gorgeous, enormous apartment in Manhattan is really annoying."—acydetchx

6. Both parties know when to hang up the phone without saying good-bye first —Minolta13

mad men phone amc

"Mad Men is the worst for this. Myself and my girlfriend always say "Bye""Bye" every time someone hangs up in that program. Nobody ever says bye :("—Jestar342

"I thinks it's an american thing. The Englishman in me thinks that if I was in '24' I'd at least say 'cheers chap, all the best'..."—julestheteacher

7. Medical personnel treat their own relatives

grey's anatomy ellen pompeo patrick dempsey

"How residents/interns do rounds/treat their own family members.
Almost every hospital in the whole country wouldn't allow you to treat your own family."—owlbrowneyes

8. Gerard Butler is human

p.s. i love you gerard butler

"In the movie 'P.S. I Love You', Gerard Butler's character buttons his shirt up using one hand.

It's been years since I've seen the movie and I've attempted to do this as fast as he did in the movie and fallen minutes short. I'm now convinced that Gerard Butler is not human."—Justananomaly

9. People navigate by cardinal direction

The Hangover cop car

"'I'm heading South down T-------- Avenue'

or even worse, inside a building: 'I'm on the East side of this massive nondescript warehouse'

Who the f--- knows if they're going North or South down a road?"—yukyum

10. Democracy works —crotch_jenkins

Kevin Spacey House of Cards

SEE ALSO: TV Shows And Movies That Grossly Misinterpret Your Job

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Benedict Cumberbatch Looks Just Like WikiLeaks' Founder Julian Assange In New Movie Poster

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DreamWorks Pictures has released the first official poster for its WikiLeaks' movie "The Fifth Estate."

The film will follow the news-leaking website from its creation with Benedict Cumberbatch playing founder founder Julian Assange.

The resemblance between the two is striking.

"The Fifth Estate" is in theaters October 18.the fifth estate poster benedict cumberbatch wikileaks movie

Here's Assange:

julian assange

WikiLeaks wasn't happy when the first trailer for the film debuted in July.

According to Cumberbatch, Assange has also expressed his displeasure with the actor playing him in the film.

Watch the trailer here.

More "Fifth Estate": Julian Assange Wikileaks Julian Assange Didn't Want Benedict Cumberbatch To Play Him In The Wikileaks Movie

SEE ALSO: The first teaser trailer for season 3 of "Sherlock"

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'The World's End' Is Cleverly Using Celebrity Endorsements To Get People To See The Movie

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Normally, right before a movie comes out in theaters, we see a bunch of trailers containing quotes from critics highlighting how awesome their movie will be. 

They're so ubiquitous that we've become desensitized to them promising us how "great" any old movie will be.

the world's end critic reviewSo when a trailer for "The World's End" came on the other night in my house starting in the same fashion, I tuned it out until I heard the words, "Robert Downey Jr. proclaims 'It's the best movie I've seen all summer ... besides mine of course!'"

robert downey jr the world's end

robert downey jr the worlds endThat was hilarious.  

Whether or not Downey Jr. actually loved the film, it felt more genuine than press in other trailers telling me a flick was "the best they've ever seen." 

Having missed the rest of the trailer, I eagerly waited for it to play again.

When I next saw it again, I was happy to see more commentary from directors Peter Jackson ("Lord of the Rings" series) and Joss Whedon ("Avengers"). 

peter jackson the worlds end

joss whedon the worlds endFocus Features — who's distributing this movie — really nailed it with this trailer.  

It was just a totally different, refreshing approach for marketers.  

I didn't need to even know anything else about the film to want to see it. (For those who are wondering, it's a science fiction flick starring Simon Pegg and Martin Freeman who discover an alien invasion in their hometown.)

I'm not saying more trailers should do this. If everyone starts adding in "quotes" from famous actors and directors than those too will become overkill. 

Rather, the message for marketers to take away from this is to be more unique to capture a viewer's attention. It's a must-watch.

SEE ALSO: J.J. Abrams mystery trailer for new project

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The New Trailer For Ridley Scott's Star-Studded Drug-Trafficking Movie 'The Counselor'

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A new trailer for Ridley Scott's next movie "The Counselor" has just been released.

The 20th Century Fox film is Scott's first project since last year's "Prometheus" which earned $403 million worldwide.

The film is full of a lot of big talent from Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Penélope Cruz, Michael Fassbender, Cameron Diaz, and John Leguizamo.

Fassbender's character, the counselor, plays a lawyer who gets mixed up with drug trafficking.

And, yes, that is "Breaking Bad" star Dean Norris (Hank) in quick scene.

"The Counselor" is in theaters October 25.

If you're wondering why the trailer is spelled "Counsellor," it's because its an international trailer. 

SEE ALSO: The clever celebrity-endorsed ad for "The World's End"

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