The Moviefone Blog

James Cameron Steering 'Fantastic Voyage' Remake, Two Possible 'Avatar' Sequels to Big Screen

Chris O'Connell — 2009-12-11T15:45:00+00:00

In addition to two possible 'Avatar' sequels, James Cameron also has his sights set on a remake of the 1966 sci-fi flick 'Fantastic Voyage,' reports Variety.

Shane Salerno -- the writer of the second best movie involving 'Aliens' and 'Predators' on screen at the same time -- will adapt 'Fantastic Voyage' for 20th Century Fox. In addition to two possible 'Avatar' sequels, James Cameron also has his sights set on a remake of the 1966 sci-fi flick 'Fantastic Voyage,' reports Variety.

Shane Salerno -- the writer of the second best movie involving 'Aliens' and 'Predators' on screen at the same time -- will adapt 'Fantastic Voyage' for 20th Century Fox.

Cameron, who will produce but not necessarily direct 'Voyage,' is understandably eager to take on new projects, as 'Avatar' is is first feature-length narrative film since 'Titanic.' Before 'Avatar,' he'd directed a pair of 3-D underwater documentaries and produced a couple of not-so-great 'Terminator' sequels. Now, it seems Cameron is ready to get back to what made him famous.

'Fantastic Voyage,' which tells the story of a terminally ill scientist whose colleagues are shrunken down and injected into his bloodstream to save his life, would use the same sort of visual effects that Cameron used in 'Avatar.'

If Salerno can write an interesting script for the yet-to-be-named director of 'Voyage,' then Cameron will be able to work his magic as producer of the film, and all will go as planned. While Roland Emmerich ('2012') was initially considered to direct, he eventually dropped out due to scheduling conflicts (whew!).

The campy sci-fi film is difficult to update because there is a certain charm that is lost when modern technology is introduced ('The Day the Earth Stood Still'). What made some of the early sci-fi pictures so interesting was that the viewer didn't get to see everything in terms of big explosions and the like because technology hadn't caught up yet.

Cameron certainly knows what he is doing in terms of making sci-fi films, but as producer, we won't know what to expect until a director is named. Until then, we can hope for the best, assuming that the film even gets made. It's been in development hell since the early 1980s, when Isaac Asimov was approached to helm the movie.

Meanwhile, Cameron pitched the idea of two 'Avatar' sequels to Fox, under the guise that the expensive technology created for the original film can be utilized for the next two films, and that he can spend most of his time working on the story. Fox has not confirmed any concrete plans yet.

Seriously? 'Happy Gilmore' Golf Swing at Center of Canadian Legal Battle

Chris O'Connell — 2009-11-25T11:30:00+00:00

Two men attending a bachelor party in Canada discovered that Adam Sandler's iconic golf swing from the 1996 comedy classic 'Happy Gilmore' is apparently not so funny to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, writes Hollywood Wiretap.

According to the court, the swing is defined as "running from five to ten feet behind the ball and hitting it on the run." The Sandler swing has been found to breach a duty of care on the course, reports The Hollywood Reporter Esquire. Two men attending a bachelor party in Canada discovered that Adam Sandler's iconic golf swing from the 1996 comedy classic 'Happy Gilmore' is apparently not so funny to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, writes Hollywood Wiretap.

According to the court, the swing is defined as "running from five to ten feet behind the ball and hitting it on the run." The Sandler swing has been found to breach a duty of care on the course, reports The Hollywood Reporter Esquire.

Law.com's Legal Blog Watch reports that the bachelor party bros were smoking pot and drinking tequila and beers prior to even reaching the third hole. The defendant has been found liable after the 'Happy Gilmore' swing struck the plaintiff in the wrist and chest, permanently damaging his radial nerve.

The plaintiff, a woodsman, hasn't been able to return to work since the incident.

Judge Arthur J. LeBlanc ruled that "the defendant's behavior was not among the 'natural risks' of golfing to which the plaintiff can be said to have consented."

Padraig Harrington, the Irish PGA golfer, has stated previously that "it's perfectly legal to use the 'Happy Gilmore' swing on the golf course."

Sandler's unorthodox swing seems to be a polarizing technique. Either way, it's safe to say this friendship is over. Friends might listen to 'Endless Love' in the dark, but they certainly don't do this to each other.

Great Movie Moments: The Most Awkward Family Dinner Scenes

Chris O'Connell — 2009-11-24T18:45:00+00:00

Thanksgiving is a day to spend time with our families and to appreciate and give thanks for our loved ones. It's also an excuse to air dirty laundry, start arguments and generally feel awkward.

In the spirit of giving, we have compiled a list of the most awkward family dinner scenes. Hey, maybe they'll make you feel better about your own awkward Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a day to spend time with our families and to appreciate and give thanks for our loved ones. It's also an excuse to air dirty laundry, start arguments and generally feel awkward.

In the spirit of giving, we have compiled a list of the most awkward family dinner scenes. Hey, maybe they'll make you feel better about your own awkward Thanksgiving.

(Warning: Adult Content below.)

'American Beauty' (1999)

Sam Mendes's film has many uncomfortable moments involving the Burnham family, but the most disturbing has to be the dinner scene in which Lester, played by Kevin Spacey, chucks a plate at the wall. The most interesting part of this scene is that apparently, Spacey was instructed to drop the plate on the floor. He improvised and hurled it at the wall, causing Thora Birch and Annette Bening to look genuinely horrified. Who can blame them?

o. Watch the full-size video on YouTube

'Wedding Crashers' (2005)

It's easy to see why a dinner involving the Secretary of the Treasury's family and two frauds who manipulated their way into their daughter's wedding and are now trying to sleep with the patriarch's other two daughters might be uncomfortable, but it gets even worse. After the Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn's characters awkwardly lie about their maple syrup business, grandma begins a tirade about Eleanor Roosevelt's alleged lesbianism. Oh, and the Secretary of the Treasury's daughter gives Vince Vaughn some "special attention" under the table during dinner! Awkward!

o. Watch the full-size video on YouTube

'Meet the Parents' (2000)
Ben Stiller does the perfect job as nervous boyfriend of the family's beloved youngest daughter, especially at dinner when he finds himself caught in a lie that he can't get out of. Playing Greg Focker, he explains to Robert DeNiro's character Jack Byrnes that you can milk a cat, because "you can milk anything with nipples." Jack then retorts, "I have nipples, Greg, can you milk me?" Greg changes the subject by opening a bottle of champagne that destroys the urn containing Jack's mother's remains. The scene ends with the Byrnes family cat urinating on the ashes.

'Pieces of April' (2003)
April Burns, played by Katie Holmes, is a girl living in the Lower East Side of Manhattan that invites her estranged family over for Thanksgiving dinner. We can see why the family is dysfunctional from the moment they leave suburbia for NYC, arguing over mother Joy's (Patricia Clarkson) frequent pot use and a funeral they hold for an animal they've killed with their car. Everything is going OK until April's oven breaks and the family decides to bolt to a restaurant. Only through the kindness of strangers is dinner actually cooked and the family able to make it back to April's apartment for dinner, but not before awkwardness ensues.

'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' (1989)

Chevy Chase's Clark Griswold gets himself in a myriad of awkward situations in the 'Vacation' movies, but none as bad as dinner during 'Christmas Vacation.' The tree is set on fire, the family is terrorized by a squirrel and bothered by Ellen Griswold's cousin's family, but at least the turkey dinner will be OK, right? Not in this case. The turkey is cooked for way too long, deflating like a pierced basketball when Clark cuts into it. The family, horrified, suffers through an awkward meal while trying to salvage the overcooked bird.

o. Watch the full-size video on YouTube

'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?' (1967)
The precursor to 'Pieces of April,' this film centers primarily on the bigotry that accompanies interracial relationships. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play a wealthy couple whose daughter is set to marry a man she has just met. The problem? The man is African American, and the year is 1967. When Tracy meets his daughter's fiance, his liberal politics are challenged and he is made to look like a hypocrite because he seems to only support progress when it doesn't involve his own family. It only gets more awkward from there.

'Rachel Getting Married' (2008)
Anne Hathaway plays Kym, who's recently released from rehab so that she can attend her sister's wedding. Upset that she hasn't been chosen to be maid of honor and generally feeling unappreciated, she gives a four-minute, rambling speech at the rehearsal dinner as family and friends of the bride and groom watch in horror. Kym takes a moment that is supposed to be about her sister and rejoicing in her happiness, and turns it into one of the all-time most awkward dinner scenes as she describes her own recent recovery from drug abuse.

'Parenthood' (1989)
The mother of all awkward family movies is 'Parenthood,' and the most awkward scene occurs during a blackout at a family dinner. Gil (Steve Martin) goes to retrieve a flashlight while at his sister's house, and returns holding what he thinks is the device. When the lights turn on, however, we see that Gil is holding his sister's dildo, much to the shock of the family. When Gil's niece explains that what she thinks is an electric ear cleaner is "kind of big," grandma exclaims, "It sure was!" We'll leave it at that.

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Jason Priestley Eyes a Return to Big-Screen Glory With 'Death of a Freerider'

Chris O'Connell — 2009-11-12T13:40:00+00:00

Former 'Beverly Hills, 90210' star Jason Priestley will return to the silver screen as producer of the upcoming drug-smuggling film 'Death of a Freerider,' Variety reports.

The film, which Priestly optioned from Jesse Hyde's 'Freerider,' is the story of a young Canadian adventurer named Sam Brown, who died while trying to transition from mountain biking to the world of cross-border high-stakes drug running. With help from producers Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev from Nomadic Pictures, Priestley's latest production venture aims to start shooting at the end of 2010. Former 'Beverly Hills, 90210' star Jason Priestley will return to the silver screen as producer of the upcoming drug-smuggling film 'Death of a Freerider,' Variety reports.

The film, which Priestly optioned from Jesse Hyde's 'Freerider,' is the story of a young Canadian adventurer named Sam Brown, who died while trying to transition from mountain biking to the world of cross-border high-stakes drug running. With help from producers Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev from Nomadic Pictures, Priestley's latest production venture aims to start shooting at the end of 2010.

Priestley's most recent movie venture is the upcoming family adventure film Courage, with the actor starring as the patriarch of a family that must brave the wilderness after their boat crashes and leaves them stranded on an island.

Despite Priestley's lack of big-budget movie appearances in recent years, he has made cameos on popular television shows like 'My Name is Earl' and 'Medium,' and directed episodes of 'The Secret Life of the American Teenager' and the re-boot of his popular teen drama, '90210.'