Larry Ratliff

No 'Glee' for Lynch in concert flick

 

This may shock some "Glee" geeks.

Outstanding tongue-in-cheek funny lady Jane Lynch, who portrays sassy antagonist Sue Sylvester on the Fox chorus line series "Glee," has, according to a report on the Hollywood Reporter Web site, has been axed from the spin-off "Glee the 3D Concert Movie."

"Series co-creator Ryan Murphy told reporters at a news conference for the movie over the weekend that Jane Lynch, who plays Sue Sylvester on Fox's hit musical show, won't be in the movie despite being filmed during the tour and appearing in the trailer," the article sez.

The movie, offered in 3-D (needs special glasses) and the traditional 2-D (no special glasses required), opens Friday sans Ms. Lynch. 

Murphy apparently also told the press conference attendies that Lynch will appear in another version on DVD.

"Jane will be on that. We'll do it that way," the article states.

In true Sue Sylvester and Hollywood hype tradition, Sylvester is urging everyone to boycott the movie.

Yeah, right.  See below.  

    

("Glee the 3D Concert Movie" photo courtesy:  20th Century Fox.) 

'Rio,' bravo! ... 'Scream 4'? So-so

 

Blu (center), voiced by Jesse Eisenberg flies, sort of, for the first time in "Rio." 

(Courtesy:  20th Century Fox)

The bird can't fly, but 20th Century Fox's color-splashed animated yarn about the landlubber macaw certainly can and did.

"Rio" flew past expectations to take domestic box-office honors over the weekend with a whopping $40 million in 3,826 theaters, according to published reports.

And that was just in the U.S.  Worldwide, according to a post on the Hollywood Reporter Web site, the Blu bird of 3-D paradise (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg of "The Social Network") has nested $169 million in just a dozen days.

It was a good rebound movie weekend overall.  "Scream 4," directed once again by Wes Craven, scared up $19.2 million to come in at No. 2 for the weekend.

Craven wasn't the only familiar name linked to the horror franchise who returned, though.  "Screamers" David Arquette, his estranged wife Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell hopped back on the bandwagon as well.

Bad to the bone, but fun

Does this look infested to you?  Jerry O'Connell in "Piranha 3-D."  (Courtesy:  Dimension)

We go to the movies for all kinds of reasons: to be entertained, to be enlightened, to revisit history, etc.

Sometimes, though, whether it was our original intention or not, we spend an evening in the dark doubling over in delight at the expense of filmmakers who have -- for whatever reason -- brought something laughably bad to the movie screen.

My personal favorite is Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space," which almost starred Bela Lugosi.  Lugosi died of a heart attack before "Plan 9" even began shooting.  So, according to several on-line sources, Wood used some old footage of Lugosi in a Dracula cape he shot as a test for a planned vampire picture that didn't pan out.

When Wood depleted the Lugosi test footage, he fretted not.  He just hired Tom Mason, his wife's chiropractor, to double for Lugosi in several shots.

Ah, but a post of Movies So Bad They're Good on the Yahoo.com movie Web site begins with something much more recent.   It involves vicious little fishies and some current stars and semi-stars that opted to mix it up with them in "Piranha 3D."

Click here for the Yahoo.com list.  See how many of the films you love to hate are on the list.

(Bela Lugosi photo as Count Dracula from "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" courtesy:  mptvimages.com)

'Orphan' battles 'G-Force' at the box-office

 

Kate (Vera Farmiga), left, adopts more than she bargained for with Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) in "Orphan." (Warner Bros. Pictures)

When it comes to movies lining up to battle the dominant "Harry Potter" holdover at movie houses this weekend, the two mainstream contenders are "Orphan," a horror thriller, and "G-Force."

If you're not familiar with Disney's "G-Force," ask any kid who's been within viewing distance of a television during the past few weeks. 

A live-action comic-thriller with computer-generated Guinea Pigs and other varmints, "G-Force" also features excellent character actor Bill Nighy (Viktor in the "Underworld" series) and Zach Galifianakis of "The Hangover."  It's available both in standard 2-D and eye-popping 3-D (but probably at a premium price if you opt for the glasses).

"Orphan" features Isabelle Fuhrman, who appeared in "Hounddog," as Esther, a seemingly goody-two shoes orphan from Russia.  Let's just say she shakes things up like a tornado in her new home. Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard portray parents who can't quite believe what's going on in their home.

Click here for the "Orphan" review or navigate over to the Movie Reviews page.

Those willing to venture out of the cinematic mainstream might want to try Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq War drama "The Hurt Locker."  Click here for the review or click on the Movie Reviews page link.

I also like "The Song of Sparrows," a genteel import from Iran about an ostrich ranch worker whose life changes when he rides his motorbike to Tehran.  Click here for the review or go to the Movie Reviews page.

If you live in the Dallas, Houston or Austin areas, "Deadgirl" lights up a projector shortly after midnight Friday (July 24) and Saturday (July 25) nights.  Chances are you've never seen a horror-thriller quite like this. 

You know the drill.   Click here for the review or check it out on the Movie Reviews page.

   

3-D glasses issue half-full, half-empty

When Jeffrey Katzenberg buzzed into town a few months ago to tout the New 3-D Movie Age, and, coincidentally, the soon-to-open "Monsters vs. Aliens"(in 3-D, of course), the DreamWorks Animation CEO was jazzed up about a near-future where movie-goers would pay a premium price to attend 3-D films without blinking an eye.

But that was not all.  Katzenberg, who got very excited about Disney movies before moving to DreamWorks, said it wouldn't be long before those of us who enjoy movies on a regular basis would own our own designer 3-D glasses.

After all, Katzenberg said, golfers own their own golf clubs.  Bowlers take their own ball and bowling shoes to the lanes.  It'll be a beautiful thing, Katzenberg surmised.  Personal 3-D glasses will become a fashion accessory. 

As it turns out, t-t-timing is not only the most important element of comedy.  It's a major factor in the steam-rolling approach of 3-D movies as well.  Even casual news followers have noticed that the bottom has fallen out of the economy.

Not sure if the soured economy has impacted your home?  If Dad or hubby doesn't leave the house and go to a job every morning like he used to, that's a major clue.

In an item posted on the Hollywood Reporter Web site, the movie industry appears to be a little fuzzy on just who is expected to pick up the cost of 3-D glasses.  It may not be impending doom peril, but it's a big movie industry issue.

More than a dozen 3-D films are hitting theaters this year, including Disney/Pixar's "Up" on May 29 and "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs"from 20th Century Fox on July 1.

"'We all have to find a way to control the costs of 3-D, but everyone who can make money from it should also share in those costs,' a top distribution exec said. 'All of the majors are looking for the proper way to work with exhibition on this,'" the Hollywood Reporter states.

"Certainly theatrical customers -- already paying an average $4 premium on 3-D movie tickets -- are unlikely to embrace an additional charge for glasses. But the theater operators aren't volunteering any near-term help to studios,'" the Hollywood Reporter article adds.

(Photo:  Manny the mammoth, voiced by Ray Romano, and Diego, the saber-toothed tiger, voiced by Denis Leary, face new priorities in "Ice Age:  Dawn of the Dinosaurs."/Blue Sky Studios/Twentieth Century Fox)