Damon Houx
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‘The Croods 2′ Is Happening Because…It Made Money
Though DreamWorks Animation has had some hits ('Shrek 2,' believe it or not, is one of the top ten highest grossing films of all time), their last film at Paramount ,'Rise of the Guardians,' was such a flop that it caused the studio to reduce ranks. Fortunately that may have just been some bad luck as their most recent film 'The Croods' is so successful that the studio has just announced a sequel.
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‘Man of Steel’ TV Spot: Superman Wants to Know Where He Came From
One of summer 2013's biggest question marks is 'Man of Steel.' There's a lot riding on this picture for Warner Brothers (who wants to be competitive in the Superhero genre), and for Zack Snyder (who's coming off of a misfire and an out-and-out flop). We're hoping for the best, and we're cautiously optimistic after seeing the film's first TV spot.
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‘The Grinch’ is Coming to the Big Screen Again
After the runaway success of 'The Lorax,' it's no surprise we're going to get more Dr. Seuss-derived animated movies. Next on dock from the makers of 'Lorax' and 'Horton Hears a Who' is 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.'
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‘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.
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Pixar Teases Their Upcoming Releases
Though 'Brave' was a welcome respite, Pixar has gone sequel crazy, as their previous two films were sequels and this summer we're getting a prequel in 'Monsters University.' But the studio is also working on three non-sequels for the future, and have released images from each of them.
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‘Star Wars’ Won’t Be Getting New Blu-Rays Just Yet
With the news of George Lucas' decision to give Disney control of the 'Star Wars' franchise for a news series of movies, there was hope that with Disney getting the rights it might lead to a new box set of the original films, perhaps in their original cuts. That's not going to happen, at least not any time soon.
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David Fincher’s ’20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ Could Set Sail with Brad Pitt
We've been hearing about David Fincher tackling '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' for a couple of years now, and it it's already gone through a number of writers, including Andrew Kevin Walker, Scott Z. Burns, and is currently being worked on by Steve Zaillian. But it looks like Disney getting ready to move forward as they've placed a hold on the director for the next three months, and it sounds like they're courting Brad Pitt to play the lead.
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Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to Host Golden Globes
Good job, Golden Globes! Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are set to host this year's Golden Globes ceremony, which is scheduled for January 13, 2013. The duo have previously anchored 'Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update desk together, and co-starred in the 2008 film 'Baby Mama.'
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Beyonce Knowles Exits ‘A Star is Born,’ Project Likely Dead
When it was announced that Clint Eastwood might be directing Beyonce Knowles in the third remake of 'A Star is Born,' it seemed likely that the film was destined to win all the Oscars. Then word came that Leonardo DiCaprio might be the male lead. Money in the bank. Now Beyonce has left the project, there's currently no male lead attached and the project looks dead in the water.
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‘Lincoln’ TV Spot Debuts During Presidential Debates
To tie into tonight's Presidential debate, Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln' has released a long form TV spot, perhaps to remind us of the last President everyone can agree was pretty amazing (well, at least most everyone).