New Alamo Drafthouse "Don't Talk" PSA features Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke
To commemorate the theatrical release of Richard Linklater's Before Midnight, one of my Top 10 Summer Movies, the film's stars Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke recorded a "Don't Talk" PSA for the Alamo Drafthouse. For those who haven't been to a Drafthouse, which are primarily located in Texas, but have a few locations across the country, they talk movies very seriously. While food and drinks are served during the film, they have an intensely strict policy on phone use and talking during screenings. If you're caught using your phone or talking too loudly twice, you'll be kicked out with no refund offered. Like I said, serious stuff.
The series of "Don't Talk" PSAs are tongue-in-cheek videos that play prior to each screening to ensure people are following the rules. Some of them are outright hilarious, including this one of a voicemail left by an angry Drafthouse attendee who somehow wasn't aware of the rules. I'm waiting for the day for a Drafthouse to expand to Chicago. Until then, I'll have my memories of SXSW and these PSAs to tide me over.
[youtube id="YZhbZAW_Zp0" mode="normal" align="center"]
[via Flixist]
Forest Whitaker Will Have a Dream as Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis
With a varied filmography from Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai to The King's Speech, which garnered him the Oscar for Best Actor, Forest Whitaker has become one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood. That versatility will be put to the test in an upcoming Martin Luther King, Jr. biopic, Memphis. Directed by Philip Greengrasss (The Bourne Ultimatum), the script follows the last years of MLK's life leading up to his final rally in the titular Memphis.
Memphis has been in development hell for years due to being dropped by Universal and losing support from King's family. However, the project will become a strictly independent film, meaning it will have a lower budget and possibly finding distribution through a smaller studio. However, with Whitaker's name attached to the project, it should be green-lit and fast tracked towards production.
With rumors of a separate MLK film in discussion with DreamWorks (with the support of King's family), it'll be interesting to see who'll be cast as King for that film. Personally, with no scheduling conflicts, I think Terrence Howard would make a perfect MLK. What do you guys think? Is Whitaker the right actor to portray King, Jr? Or would you rather have seen a different actor in the role?
[via /Film]
Nicolas Cage, Jackie Chan, Milla Jovovich, and Wesley Snipes Become Not So Expendable for The Expendables 3
How do you build on a film franchise that has already featured such illustrious action stars as Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Terry Crews, and Arnold Schwarzenegger? Obviously by adding even more stars. Collider is reporting that Jackie Chan, Nicolas Cage, Wesley Snipes, and Milla Jovovich are in discussions to join The Expendables 3, this time being directed by Patrick Hughes.
It'll be great to see Chan return to his martial arts roots, especially if Jet Li returns. With Snipes making his return to acting following his prison sentence, it'll be interesting to see how Stallone writes his character. Cage, I'm not the biggest fan of, but I'm sure he'll be used mostly for weird non-sequitors and one-liners. Jovovich, of course, showed how much of a badass she can be in the Resident Evil franchise, so it's good to see Stallone being aware of the franchise's need for more of a female presence.
The Expendables 3 is still in the early stages of production, but keep your eyes open for it. Hopefully, it'll become the action film it should be, given the stars attached, and not the shell of an action epic that the previous two films have been.
[via Collider]
Google Adds New Video Features to YouTube Videos
Heads up, aspiring filmmakers: Google and YouTube have now made it easier for you to achieve your dreams. Yesterday, YouTube announced their addition of "enhancement" features for uploaded videos. They used slow-motion as the highlighted feature for the announcement. Now, those uploading their videos to YouTube can create slow-motion videos using the editor to slow down speed to 1/8th the normal speed. Other features include color/brightness correction, stabilization, color filters, clip trimming, and face blurring.
What do you all think about this? Personally, I prefer when filmmakers and video editors do their work through proper post-production avenues, such as Final Cut or Adobe Premiere. At the same time, this could help aspiring videographers who might now have access to or knowledge of FCP and Premiere. One thing's for sure: The amount of funny slow-motion videos will grow exponentially.
[via YouTube Creators]
Sam Mendes Will Direct Bond 24 After All
After almost two weeks of rumors and speculation, the smoke has cleared and only one director has emerged from the ruckus. Yesterday, huge rumors came out that numerous directors were named to take on Mendes' vacated director role, including Nicolas Winding Refn, Ang Lee, David Yates, and Tom Hooper. This news itself came out in the wake of news that Bond producers tapped Inception director Christopher Nolan for the position a week and a half ago.
Now, Deadline has reported that Sam Mendes is going to come back after all. The Skyfall director will still go through with his stage production commitments, including the musical adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and King Lear. Sony, MGM, and EON are willing to wait for the director, as well, as I mentioned yesterday with their decision to move the 24th Bond film as far back as 2016.
This is how Hollywood works, guys, with hearsay and layers of rumors. Hopefully, the Bond franchise can stabilize now that they have a guaranteed director now.
[via Deadline]
New Directors Added into the James Bond 24 Mix
A little more than a week ago, we heard rumors that The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher Nolan was in preliminary talks with Sony to direct the next James Bond film. However, as I indicated in the post, some obstacles could prevent the dream pairing. It appears that Sony, MGM, and EON have realized that the reality of Nolan directing Bond 24 might be little more than wishful thinking as Collider reports that extra names are being considered for the position.
The names that have begun to pop up throughout the day include Nicolas Winding Refn (Only God Forgives), Tom Hooper (Les Miserables), Ang Lee (Life of Pi), David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), and Shane Black (Iron Man 3). Each director has a distinct directing style that could take the James Bond franchise in an interesting direction, but talks are still really early, and changes can still be made. For example, a general 2014 target date for the next Bond film has been eased as EON and Sony are looking as far away as 2016 for a release.
Personally, I think the director (outside of Nolan) that could fit the James Bond vibe would be Black. However, with rumors that he's committing to the Doc Samson film adaptation as his next project, it seems unlikely that he'll be sitting in the Bond director chair. We'll see how this story progresses.
[via Collider]
The Weekly Swarm: 5/20 - 5/26
How's everybody's Memorial Day weekend going so far? I hope everybody's spent their Sunday reuniting with the Bluth family with Netflix's release of Arrested Development season 4. Or maybe you're all celebrating with Chance the Rapper at his two sold-out Chicago shows at The Metro? However you're spending this holiday weekend, stay cool and safe. We had a great week here at Ruby Hornet; Microsoft debuted their next console, Xbox One, Action Bronson dropped his amazing video for "Strictly 4 My Jeeps," Chuck Inglish pulled the curtains back for his EP, Droptops, I reviewed the weekend's top box office film, Fast & Furious 6, and we had two amazing Chicago music videos drop in JDott Trife's "Homicide" and the long-awaited "La Clika" by Scheme. You can check out all of this and more below.
Movie News
[Trailer] Anchorman: The Legend Continues
[Trailer] Blood Ties
[Trailer] Man of Steel
[Trailer 2] The World's End
[Trailer] Don Jon
[Trailer] Iceman 3D
[Trailer] We're the Millers
[Trailer] Maniac
[Short Film] ABE
[RH Review] Fast & Furious 6
[Trailer] The Act of Killing
[RH Review] The Arrested Development Documentary Project
Music News
Yeezymania Is Back! New Video + SNL Performance + Album Artwork & Title
[Video] Taylor Bennett: "Speed Racer"
Nunca Duerma: "Bump in the Trunk (Bone Thugs -n- Harmony Remix)"
Side by Side Media Collective is Giving Away Spring Awakening Tickets
[Video] Action Bronson: "Strictly 4 My Jeeps"
[Album] The Procussions: "5 Sparrows for 2 Cents" Instrumentals
[Mixtape] Brian Fresco: "Mafioso"
Sir Michael Rocks: "In a Minute" (feat. Ab-Soul and Dash) (prod. by Larry Fisherman)
[Video] Phil Ade: "Nas Told Me"
[Video] Joey Purp: "I Don't Care"
[Video] Scheme: "La Clika"
DJ Reflex: "Body So Tight" (feat. Childish Gambino)
Roman Flowrs: "Love Story" (feat. Shandia)
[Video] Cam Meekins: "Truckers" (feat. Jefe Replay)
[RH Premiere] JDott Trife: "Homicide"
Impolite Society: "Player Sh*t"
Lili K Announces New EP Entitled "My Favorite Things"
New Chance the Rapper Merchandise Available Online
T.D.E. "good kid m.A.A.d city" Tour Promo + U.O.E.N.O. Freestyle
Martin $ky: "TRACK 01" (prod. by Knxwledge)
TwoLetterz: "Chi-Town Sh*t" (feat. Tree) (prod. by Roman Flowrs)
Brian Fresco: "Fireworks"
Gzus Piece x Scoleone x Mic Terror x Kennan Coke x Gig Brown: "Thottianna" (prod. by Doc Da Mindbenda & Na$im Williams)
Earl Sweatshirt: "Guild" (feat. Mac Miller)
Jambalaya Fest Austin Contest Winners
[Mixtape] Daryn Alexus X Dee Lilly: "VHML 2"
Giftz: "Nino" (feat. Tree and SaveMoney)
Jarred A.G.: "Golden Noose" (prod. by Smoko Ono)
Jhene Aiko: "Comfort Inn Ending" (prod. by No I.D.)
[EP] Chuck Inglish: "Droptops"
[Video] Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire: "Fat Fool" (Prod. by The Alchemist)
Tha Guyver: "Yung Allah" (prod. by iLLeeT)
Ghostwridah: "Buckets"
Grade Aplus: "Red Velvet" (prod. by MikeJaxx)
St. Millie: "No Damn" (prod. by Von Vuai)
[Video] Anamanaguchi: "Endless Fantasy"
[Mixtape] The Jet Age of Tomorrow: "The JellyFish Mentality"
[Mixtape] The Cranberry Show: “The Jellyfish Theory”
More Kanye West Videos Being Projected This Weekend
EP: Naledge & IKAZ – Au Pain Dore
[Tracklist] Mac Miller: "Watching Movies With The Sound Off"
Tech News
Yahoo Buys Tumblr for $1.1 Billion
[Video] Sony's PlayStation 4 to be Revealed on June 10th
Microsoft Reveals New Xbox Entitled "Xbox One"
Sony Contemplates Selling Its Entertainment Divisions
Photography
[Photography] Olivia Munn in Esquire June/July 2013
Sony Contemplates Selling Its Entertainment Divisions
During my high school days, Walkmans were still the go-to portable music devices amongst my peers. Just around the time Apple released its first iPods, and before the entire music industry was revolutionized with the focus towards digital releases, CDs were the norm, with Sony being the biggest name in the game with its huge selection of CD, tape, and portable radio players. Of course, a lot has changed over the past decade, with most high school kids probably unfamiliar with the "Walkman" brand. Even outside of music devices, Sony's reputation as the top dog in consumer electronics has dropped a bit with other companies like Samsung and Microsoft rising up to take a chunk out of Sony's hold on the electronics industry.
Nowadays, Sony's largest earnings come from its various entertainment divisions, including Sony Pictures Entertainment (film and TV) and Sony Music Entertainment (self-explanatory). Last week, Daniel Loeb, chief executive of the hedge fund The Third Point that owns the largest stake in Sony at 6.5%, suggested that Sony sell a portion of its Entertainment holdings in order to amass larger profits from the divisions. Loeb's proposed idea would involve Sony selling a 15-20% stake in its Entertainment divisions to existing shareholders, allowing Sony to focus on its electronics division, which includes the aforementioned Walkman line of products. The proposal, Loeb predicts, would result in a 60% boost in share value.
Of course, Sony is reluctant to sell off portions of its most profitable divisions, especially considering Sony Pictures' stance as one of the top TV/film production/distribution studios with franchises like Ghostbusters and Spider-Man, as well as various franchises under Sony Pictures-owned Columbia Pictures (Skyfall, Men in Black, etc). Sony Music, meanwhile, is Bruce Springsteen's label, whereas Sony/ATV Music Publishing holds the rights to The Beatles' and Michael Jackson's catalog along with the Jackson estate.
A board meeting has been scheduled to discuss Loeb's proposal which will determine Sony's official decision on the matter. For now, this is an interesting development that could shape the future of Sony and its various divisions.
[via Bloomberg, via The Verge, via New York Times]