Award Contenders

   I make no secret about the fact that LOST is my favorite television series of all time.  I also have made it clear how much I love the original two Alien films (Alien, 1979 and Aliens, 1986).  So imagine how pleased I am to hear that Damon Lindelof, co-writer of LOST, has signed on to rewrite the prequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic, Alien.  I couldn’t be more excited for this one!!

   The story comes to us via Deadline.com:

In a development as vexing as a Lost plotline, studio insiders said that while Lindelof indeed met with Scott and the studio for that rewrite job, the exchange of ideas between them sparked a take that could well turn out to be a free-standing science fiction film.  The studio will decide when Lindelof turns it in.  Scott Free is producing and Lindelof’s CAA reps closed his deal last night.

Lindeloff is currently writing with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci Paramount’s Star Trek sequel, on which Lindelof is a producer.  He also teamed with Kurtzman and Orci to write the Jon Favreau-directed Cowboys and Aliens, which is shooting now with Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.

That’s plenty of action, but I’m told that Lindelof jumped at this opportunity because Scott’s 1979 space thriller Alien was such a seminal influence on him. Resuscitating the Alien franchise has been a big priority for Fox, which has a script by Jon Spaihts, who wrote the Gabriele Muccino-directed Keanu Reeves-starrer  Passengers for Morgan Creek, and whose drafts on the Alien film persuaded Scott to move from producing the film to directing it.

   Directed and co-written by Sylvain Chomet, who brought us one of my favorite animated films of the past decade, Les Triplettes de Belleville (The Triplets of Belleville, 2003), comes The Illusionist.  The film uses the same graphic style of animation in Chomet’s previous film, and I absolutely love the look of it.  You can already find The Illusionist in my Oscar prediction section under the Ani/For/Doc button.  I would bet heavily on the film gaining a nomination in the Best Animated Feature category.

   Here’s the plotline per traileraddict.com:

The Illusionist is one of a dying breed of stage entertainers.  With emerging rock stars stealing his thunder, he is forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theatres, at garden parties and in bars and cafés.  However, whilst performing in a village pub off the west coast of Scotland, he encounters Alice, an innocent young girl, who will change his life forever.

Watching his performance to the excited villagers who are celebrating the arrival of electricity to their remote island, Alice becomes awestruck by our hero and believes his tricks are real magic.  Following him to Edinburgh, she keeps his home while he goes to work in a small local theatre.  Enchanted by her enthusiasm for his act, he rewards her with increasingly lavish gifts he has ‘conjured’ into existence.  Desperate not to disappoint her, he cannot bring himself to reveal that magic does not exist and that buying these gifts is driving him to ruin.

But as Alice comes of age, she finds love and moves on.  The Illusionist no longer has to pretend and, untangled from his own web of deceit, resumes his life as a travelling entertainer, a much wiser man.

   For fans of the original Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio, check out this hilarious “trailer” (which is really just a short film) having a little fun at the reason that Macchio faded into obscurity.

   NOTE:  Be sure to wear headphones if you are at work, or put ear muffs on the kids due to some explicit language.

   One of the few movies I unintentionally missed last year was John Hillcoat’s The Road, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy (author of No Country For Old Men).  I have remedied my inability to see the movie in theatres by adding it to the very top of my Netflix queue.  The Road stars Viggo Mortensen (one of my favorite actors, Lord of the Rings, Eastern Promises) as a father trying to survive with his young son in a post-apocalyptic world.  Weather, starvation, and other dangerous survivors are just the beginning of the obstacles the pair will face as they attempt to make their way south towards the coastline.  The Road also stars Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, and newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee as the son.

   Also out today is the tear jerker Dear John, a romantic drama about a tough soldier who falls in love with a sweet young girl while on leave. The story then follows them as they exchange love letters from the miles that seperates them.  All I can say in response to this one is Dear God!  Rent this if you need to make up with your wife for all those hours you spent making her watch football or for leaving your shoes on in the living room.

   See what else is out today after the jump…

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   James Cameron’s Oscar winning* sci-fi spectacular Avatar will be coming to both DVD and Blu-Ray April 22nd.  Of course you may want to hold out for a later date, when I’m sure an extended specical collector’s edition will be released.  But for those who can’t wait…

   *Avatar won for Visual Effects, Cinematography, and Art Direction.

Per foxnews.com:

The 1980s child star Corey Haim has been found dead in Los Angeles, Fox News confirms.

The actor was 38.

The LAPD said his death appeared to be an accidental drug overdose, and an investigation is underway.

Haim is most famous for his roles in the 1980s films “License To Drive” and “The Lost Boys.” Haim and actor Corey Feldman starred in several popular films together, including “License To Drive” and “Dream a Little Dream,” and became one of the hottest actor teams in Hollywood.

Haim’s drug abuse took over his life and helped ruin his career.

He made a comeback in 2006 in the reality series “The Two Coreys” with Corey Feldman. The successful show lasted two seasons, but Feldman said he refused to do a third season because of Haim’s continued drug use.

“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.”
Answer

   Avatar is the highest grossing film of all time, but where does it stand when adjusting for inflation (in other words, where does it rank in ticket sales)?  I had a few people ask me this a week ago or so, and now I have your answer. 

   Seventeenth and counting. 

   Thanks to boxofficemojo.com, here’s a nifty grid to show you the top 20 box office champions when adjusting for inflation:

DOMESTIC GROSSES
Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation*

Note: Use the adjuster tool in the upper right-hand corner to adjust into any year’s dollars.