Paramount has announced that [amazon_link id=”B005LAIIN0″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]World War Z[/amazon_link] will be released on Blu-Ray on September 17th.
The movie based on the Max Brooks book was a surprise hit after having multiple production problems and delays. It has grossed over $470 million dollars worldwide and a sequel has been put into motion. We gave the movie a good 7.5 review back in June.
Here is the list of special features that will accompany the Blu-Ray:
-“Origins” — The filmmakers discuss collaborating with renowned actor/producer Brad Pitt to create a zombie film the likes of which have never been seen.
-“Looking to Science” — Explore the scientific realities of zombie behavior in nature and learn more about zombies in literature and film.
-“Outbreak” — Go on set with Brad Pitt and director Marc Forster for a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s breathtaking first attack in Philadelphia.
-“The Journey Begins” — Delve deeper into Gerry’s fight for survival during the dramatic escape in South Korea.
–“Behind the Wall” — Explore the epic scene in Jerusalem and discover the incredible logistics of creating the elaborate stunts and crowd sequences.
-“Camouflage” — Experience the final confrontation between Gerry and the zombies and discover the phenomenal scope of the film’s production.
Two big bombs this weekend would normally be a cause of worry, but when a small film hits it big, it eases the news. James Wan’s The Conjuring hit it huge over the weekend raking in $41 million. Wan has become the go-to director for small budget horror. The director of the original Saw and last year’s Insidious has another low risk/high reward winner on his hands. His next film will have a bit more at stake because he will take over the director chair for Fast & Furious 7.
It was a double bad break for Ryan Reynolds this weekend. He had two huge movies that both failed to reach even low expectations. Turbo, the DreamWorks animated feature, only managed $21.5 million which is one of the lowest totals ever for a DreamWorks animated feature. Then we have R.I.P.D. which cost $130 million to produce and it seemed like the writing was on the wall before the movie even released. The comic -based film could only bring in just over $12 million and will probably be a movie you see on TNT on a week to week basis before you know it.
Monsters University held on to the top spot at the box office this weekend, but got better competition than anyone thought from The Heat. The Sandra Bullock/ Melissa McCarthy team-up brought in $40 million and blowing past the other new release this week White House Down. Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx fell short of expectations bringing in only $25 million for a fourth place finish.
World War Z held up well in its second weekend with almost $30 million for a total domestic gross of $123.7 million in two weeks. Man of Steel continued its rise becoming the second highest grossing movie of the year behind Iron Man 3. The Superman reboot has crossed $500 million worldwide.
1. Monsters University- $46.1 million/ $171.0 million
If you keep up with any kind of movie news on a regular basis then you have at least heard some horror stories about the filming of World War Z. Brad Pitt’s production company gained the rights to the Max Brooks book in 2007 and quickly hired J. Michael Straczynski to bring the zombie apocalypse to the big screen. To make a long story short, Straczynski’s script was re-written by Matthew Michael Carnahan and filming began in 2011. The budget blew up way beyond the $125 million the studio handed out and production even ceased at one point. Damon Lindelof was brought on to rewrite the last third of the script, but due to scheduling conflicts could not, so his Lost co-scribe Drew Goddard finished it up and Brad Pitt and company went back in the fall of 2012 for seven weeks of reshoots.
With the film’s budget creeping near $200 million and press for the zombie flick not exactly on the positive side, one would easily write this off as another big budget disaster that a star could not escape, but a weird thing has occurred.
World War Z is actually entertaining.
Now I have not read Max Brooks’ novel, but I am dating a certified zombie lover and fan of his work so I did not go into this movie blind. The way World War Z is written does not lend itself to a movie narrative well so we get a singular story starring Pitt as former U.N. worker Gerry Lane. He has been out of work for three years and is a stay at home dad with a working wife. One day as they are stuck in Philadelphia traffic on the way to school all hell breaks loose. They narrowly escape the city and, using Gerry’s connections in the U.N., secure themselves a spot on an aircraft carrier.
Gerry is recruited to go out with a SEAL team to try and track down the genesis of the disease and by “recruited” I mean the government tells him he has to go or his family gets a one-way ticket back to the mainland. A dick move, for sure, but when you think about it, not that far-fetched for a government fighting against the end of the world. Gerry then begins a jet-setting adventure all over the world trying to discover what was the cause of the outbreak.
During these sections to South Korea and Israel, World War Z moves along at a brisk pace. It will feel a little “by the numbers”, but it did not distract me from the overall scope of the movie. Pitt is believable as the reformed family man who is trying to do his best to get back to his wife and kids while having the weight of the world on his shoulders. It won’t win any Oscars, but it is good for the material presented.
When the around the world trip stops is when you can tell Drew Goddard came on to help with the rewrites. If you did not know about all the production problems going into this then you will not pay this a second thought, but knowing made me get a distinctly different feel from the movie and the weird part is that it actually kind of works. World War Z goes from a quick pace to a tense, slow moving corridor explorer like Resident Evil (the game, not the movie). That is just one of the many things that confounds about this flick. This should not work! To completely change directions and stick the main star in a zombie filled lab instead of using the $12 million big battle in Moscow that was thrown away? Let’s just call it one of Hollywood’s great mysteries like, “why do people complain about Bane’s voice not knowing what an idiot he would have sounded like Mexican?” or “why were all the characters in The Last Airbender the wrong race?”.
I do wish World War Z would have upped the jump scare quotient and been a bit more gory. I will admit to having a small jump to begin the movie, but there were none to speak of after. Maybe that was because of the giant scope of the movie where zombies are seen in such great numbers that they do not hold the same scare as a one on one (or two or three) encounter in a confined space, which does happen in the final act of the movie as I said. As for the gore, don’t get me wrong, I am not asking for Saw levels of blood spillage here, or hell, even The Walking Dead but even for a PG-13 movie this is an almost bloodless affair.
When all is said and done, World War Z is a tale of everything going wrong in every way and ending up with the best possible results. This was a passion project for Pitt and while it may not be on par with a lot of the zombie fare that is saturating the market, it does have a big movie feel and is the very definition of a “popcorn flick”. Just go and have some fun with it…even though the world is ending.
Monsters University took the top spot at the box office this past weekend. That was expected. What was not expected was that the long-suffering Brad Pitt zombie flick World War Z would blow away expectations in its opening. The $200 million dollar film which went through multiple delays and re-shoots was only expected to bring in about $40 million. After a solid $25 million Friday it went on to gross $66 million, which is the largest opening in Pitt’s career.
Man of Steel fell off steeply, but still managed $41 million and has already passed Superman Returns gross in only two weeks.
1. Monsters University- $82.0 million/ $82.0 million
If you were watching last night’s (disappointing) season finale of The Walking Dead then you were treated to all kinds of zombie fun. The Zombie Run 5K and World War Z had ads on the show, but the one that we actually cared about was the new 30 second spot for Naughty Dog’s [amazon_link id=”B007CM0K86″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Last of Us[/amazon_link].
As many of my exes have said, thirty seconds is just not long enough so here is the extended two minute trailer complete with dirty words (fuck) and goriness (blood). Joel, Ellie and Tess are all featured prominently and we see plenty of zombie (but not zombie) killing action. Every time I see some new footage I am astounded by how great the voice acting is.
This article was going to have some kind of catchy title like “13 movies to see in 2013” but truth be told there are way more films that I (and you) should be excited about next year. We get to return to Oz, Metropolis, and Middle-Earth. The Wolfpack as well as The Wolverine are back. M Night Shyamalan will try and make us interested in his movies again (with Will Smith no less) and Bruce Willis is in three, count em three, franchise movies this year.
So let’s take a look into the future and check out the movies of 2013.
Warm Bodies (February 1)
Wait what? Yeah I know you may be surprised this is on here. I am too because I actually want to see it. Warm Bodies was already on my radar with my girlfriend being a fan of the book so I had an idea of what to expect. Don’t lump this into the Twilight group without taking a look at the trailer which is pretty funny.
A Good Day To Die Hard (February 14)
OK, so Live Free or Die Hard was the least of the the John McClane shoot-em ups but even a sub-par Die Hard gets me in the theater and this one has me more interested with McClane yippee ki-yaying his way to mother Russia to get some quality shooting practice with his son.
Oz: The Great and Powerful (March 8)
Sam Raimi directs this “prequel” that has James Franco playing the future wizard as he finds his way to the land of Oz. It is produced by the same people who had a hand in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland which should be obvious by the look of the preview.
Carrie (March 15)
Yes it is another remake of a great book and classic movie but this one I am not writing off because of the cast. Hit Girl herself , Chloe Grace Moretz, takes over the role from Sissy Spacek and Julianne Moore will get all religious as Carrie’s mother.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (March 29)
This sequel was originally supposed to be released last June but was pulled a mere month before its release. Paramount said they wanted to convert the movie to 3D while some stories had the actors re-shooting scenes to have more Channing Tatum in it since he is the new Hollywood “it” guy. Supposedly he bit it early in the flick and they had a change of heart.
http://youtu.be/mwtH2CBeZ5M
The Evil Dead (April 12)
How many years have we Evil Dead fans read rumor after rumor of Evil Dead 4 or a remake? I honestly never thought we would get a proper sequel so I will gladly settle for this, especially since it apparently carries the Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell seal of approval.
http://youtu.be/ceBXUyuv4Q0
Iron Man 3 (May 3)
Now that The Avengers has come and gone it is time for Marvel to get started on Phase 2 and that begins next year with Iron Man 3. Shane Black is the new director and is bringing shellheads greatest enemy to the screen with The Mandarin played by Oscar winner Ben Kingsley.
Star Trek Into Darkness (May 17)
JJ Abrams followup to his 2009 reboot sees Kirk and the Enterprise going up against Benedict Cumberbatch’s villain. I say villain because as of right now it is still unknown who exactly he is playing. Gary Mitchell? Khan? Someone new? Either way he looks to be plenty menacing. Remind me not to piss Sherlock off.
The Hangover Part 3 (May 24)
The Wolfpack is back and this time they are taking a road trip. It looks like there won’t be a wedding this go round and that the gang will be getting into more messed up adventures in more than one locale.
Fast & Furious 6 (May 24)
I was never a fan of the F&F series so I was more than surprised when I actually had fun with Fast Five which was the highest grossing of the franchise. Now Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson are back for more. Yeah I think it is odd that this series has six installments too.
After Earth (June 7)
M. Night Shyamalan returns after pissing off a whole lot of people with The Last Airbender. This time he has Will Smith and son Jaden playing (spoiler) father and son in the future who crash land on Earth that has adapted to kill all humans. The preview is interesting enough but will it be enough to make Shyamalan a premier director again?
http://youtu.be/qaRigzlDUi4
Man of Steel (June 14)
Hard to believe it has been almost seven years since Superman last flew across a movie screen. After Superman Returns tripped up Warner turned to Christopher Nolan to fix the world’s most recognizable superhero. Nolan hand-picked Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) and has his friend and Batman Begins co-writer David S. Goyer write the script that hopes to make the man of tomorrow relevant to today’s movie audiences.
This Is The End (June 14)
It’s the end of the world as we know it and Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruschel, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson are just the people to follow and see how our society falls.
World War Z (June 21)
Brad Pitt stars in this very loose adaptation of the novel which sees the zombie apocalypse in its beginning days. This production has been the definition of the world “troubled” having gone way over budget, massive script rewrites and even having to go back and film a huge section of the movie over again.
Kick-Ass 2 (June 28)
Kick-Ass didn’t exactly light the box office on fire in 2010 so the fact we are getting a sequel to the awesome adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic is something of a miracle. Kick-Ass and Hit Girl are back and this time they have Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes and Donald Faison as Doctor Gravity joining forces to take down Red Mist now know affectionately as Mother Fu**er.
The Lone Ranger (July 3)
Disney is taking a big gamble with Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger. After John Carter’s 200 million dollar budget blew up in their face they have this 250 million dollar western coming this summer. One good thing is that Johnny Depp is normally easy money in big summer movies. Only time will tell.
Despicable Me 2 (July 3)
Gru, girls and minions return for more fun. I am assuming fun since I know nothing of the plot.
http://youtu.be/q6uoyPTcfic
Pacific Rim (July 11)
Director Guillermo del Toro brings this giant sized sci-fi epic to reality. In a future where creatures have invaded Earth we build giant mechs to deal with the attacks. Like Power Rangers and Voltron had a really violent American baby.
The Wolverine (July 26)
Hopes have to be higher for this sequel. It can’t possibly go any lower than X-Men: Origins Wolverine can it? Wait…can it?
RED 2 (August 2)
What did I tell you earlier? Here is Bruce Willis again revisiting his role of Frank Moses and his merry band of ex-operatives including Helen Mirren and John Malkovich. Anthony Hopkins gets in on the adventure this time too.
Elysium (August 19)
Neil Blomkamp follows up his Oscar nominated debut (District 9) with this sci-fi movie about a ravaged over-populated Earth and the struggle of its citizens as the rich live in splendor aboard a space station called Elysium. Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley star.
Riddick (September 6)
When we last left Riddick he had taken over the Necromonger army as their new leader. This third movie seems to be going back to the Riddick we saw in Pitch Black with a scaled down action flick and not so much wannabe sci-fi epic.
Sin City: A Dame To Kill For (October 4)
Taking their good sweet time, Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez finally return to Sin City with a film version of Miller’s second story A Dame To Kill For. Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba and Rosario Dawson return to the sequel of the 2005 noir hit.
The World’s End (October 25)
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost re-team with director Edgar Wright to complete their “Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy”. They have a lot to live up to with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz becoming certifiable cult hit movies. This movie sees five friends reunite to attempt a pub crawl from their youth only to find out there are bigger things at work.
Ender’s Game (November 1)
Orson Scott Card’s classic sci-fi book gets the big screen treatment from director Gavin Hood. The story of Andrew “Ender” Wiggun who is sent off to a military academy to be taught how to defend the Earth from a coming alien attack. The cast assembled for this is impressive with Ben Kingsley, Harrison Ford, Abagail Breslin and Viola Davis among the players.
Thor: The Dark World (November 8)
The God of Thunder returns to fight a race of Dark Elves led by Malekith the Accursed played by Christopher Eccleston. Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard and Anthony Hopkins return in the second movie on Marvel’s Phase 2.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (November 22)
Katniss and Peeta are forced back into the 75th Hunger Games with previous winners as rebellion begins to break out across the districts.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (December 13)
Bilbo, Gandalf and the company of dwarves continue their journey towards The Lonely Mountain and the dragon Smaug.
Anchorman: The Legend Continues (December 20)
After a long nine year wait Ron Burgandy, Brian Fantana, Brick Tamland and Champ Kind are back. Does it really matter what the plot is? News team assemble!!
Jack Ryan (December 25)
Chris Pine takes over the role made famous by Harrison Ford (Ben Affleck played the role in The Sum of All Fears) as he takes on a Russian plot to bring down America’s economy. Kenneth Branaugh pulls double duty as the villain and film director.
The first trailer for the adaptation of Max Brooks’ bestselling novel World War Z has surfaced and it appears to deliver on the “zombie” and “apocalypse” part of the book.
The production has had its share of problems from hiring Drew Goddard to rewrite the last third of the film (during production) to the cast having to go back for months of re-shoots. The film was originally intended to open up this December but was delayed to June 2013.
Take a look below and let us know what you think? Does it look like good summer movie fare or more of what we’ve seen from all the zombie programming we have today?
