Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Tech Stuff, Movie News, Cinematical

The other day convicted egomaniac James Cameron decided to publicly chastise Piranha 3D and deem it a project that's cheapening the 3D experience. But he wasn't just irked that the new and popular horror flick would remind the masses of old school 3D experiences that he described as "bottom of the barrel;" he felt that the new release was tainting the 3D "renaissance" he helped create, and name-dropped Martin Scorsese and the upcoming Tron: Legacy as examples of the people and types of fare worthy of the third dimension.

It was only a matter of time before the other side weighed in, and now Piranha 3D producer Mark Canton has written a rather lengthy, and accurate, rebuttal.

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Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Contests, Movie News, 'Fone Finds, Cinematical

We all know that Twilight's Taylor Lautner is in good shape -- he spends the majority of his screen time shirtless. I'm willing to bet the buff actor could do a whole lot of push-ups if it came down to it, and it might if an RV dealership owner has his way.

Brent McMahon, owner of McMahon's RVs in Irvine, California, has challenged the young actor to a "push-up contest" to settle their legal dispute. Lautner's lawyers filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the dealer, alleging they failed to deliver a $300,000 RV to be used as a dressing room on time. When it did arrive, Lautner's camp alleges that the agreed upon work hadn't been completed.

Lautner is seeking $40,000 in damages according to McMahon, who's offered the contest as an alternative and would make a donation to Children's Hospital of Orange County for the full amount if he won the contest. Needless to say, Lautner's lawyers weren't really happy with what McMahon claims was a "facetious response."

Team Lautner has suggested that if McMahon made the donation to a charity of their choosing, this whole thing might go away. The RV dealer has vowed to defend his reputation if the case does proceed to court.

While McMahon's motives are pretty transparent -- meaning this was a great opportunity for free publicity for his business even if Lautner passes on the challenge -- it seems as though both guys have their hearts in the right place by preferring the money involved go to charity. Here's to hoping they reach a settlement that does some good for people in need and stays out the court system. If they do go for the push-ups, my money is on Lautner. Place your bets below and please gamble responsibly.

• A detective (Matt Dillon) hunts a gang of elusive bank robbers (Hayden Christensen, Paul Walker).
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Original: Movies.com Top 10 Box Office

Filed under: Comedy, Music & Musicals, Casting, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels, Movie News, Cinematical

It's interesting when a story goes from a star joking or idly mentioning an off-the-cuff idea to a full-blown story that is circulating the Internet. Justin Bieber told The Sun that he'd love to star in a remake of Grease as bad boy Danny Zuko, with Miley Cyrus as the innocent Sandy Olsson. Of course, it seems as though Cyrus is eager to shed her Sandy-like goody two-shoes rep as rumors fly about her upcoming booze-chugging, weed-puffing, cooter-flashing teen in LOL. (Read more about her character's shenanigans here.) And wouldn't it be super, the dreamy pop star mused, if Susan Boyle could star as Principal McGee? That sounds swell! But as irresistible an opportunity as it is to Photoshop the Bieb's head onto John Travolta's body, his dreams of crooning "Summer Nights" probably ain't happening any time soon.*



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• Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller centers on the premise of corporate espionage by way of dream invasion.
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• A forensic accountant and a trigger-happy detective attempt to improve upon their “B team” status.
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• A married woman who seemingly has it all and is trying to get pregnant, realizes that she’s not living the life she wants.
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• Mercenaries embark on a mission to overthrow a South American dictator.
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• A teen is torn between two supernatural suitors in a spoof of ‘Twilight’ and other vampire films.
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• A nanny (Emma Thompson) uses magic to teach mischievous children a lesson.
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• A prehistoric strain of fish are set loose and people begin to disappear.
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• A 40-year-old unmarried woman decides to become pregnant by inseminating herself with a turkey baster.
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• A detective (Matt Dillon) hunts a gang of elusive bank robbers (Hayden Christensen, Paul Walker).
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• A clergyman (Patrick Fabian) faces the ultimate test of faith when he encounters Satan.
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Original: Movies.com Top 10 Box Office

Filed under: Foreign Language, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Cinematical

Gerard Depardieu is at it again -- channeling his inner Serge Gainsbourg and being outrageous. The actor, never one to bite his tongue, usually saves his outbursts for politicians, but he turned on his colleagues in a recent interview with the Austrian mag Profil.

The most shocking comments were reserved for fellow star Juliette Binoche. The actress -- who's won an Oscar, a Best Actress award at this year's Cannes Film Festival for her work in Abbas Kiarostami's Certified Copy, and critical acclaim -- apparently doesn't impress Depardieu. During his interview, the actor went off on a tirade highlighted by the following question:

"Please can you explain to me what the secret of this actress is meant to be? I would really like to know why she has been so esteemed for so many years. She has nothing. Absolutely nothing!"

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Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Cinematical

It's a topic that comes up all the time: can you appreciate the good a politician has done in the past -- once he's proven himself to be a liar? Will you cheer for an athlete who is currently under investigation for assault (or worse)? And the one that hits closest to home for me: can you enjoy a film if you think the director is, well, a big, fat freakin' ass? I certainly know where I stand (and you can probably guess my position), but instead I'll offer a few pertinent examples, and then see where we go from there...

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Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Cinematical

You've just had a car accident on the Pacific Coast Highway. As you clear your head, nerves electrified with that specific post-crash clarity in which nothing exists except for you and your car, you peer through the dust from your now-deployed airbag as someone quickly approaches your damaged vehicle. This form coming closer...he looks...familiar. You can make out his pearly whites through the smashed windshield.

He's Gary Busey, and, luckily, he's here to help.

Busey was first on the scene after witnessing two cars crash into each other in Malibu earlier in the week. The Oscar-nominated actor (The Buddy Holly Story) waved oncoming traffic past the cars and stayed until EMS arrived to treat one of the drivers injured in the wreck. Busey, most famous for his supporting roles in high profile action films like Point Break and Lethal Weapon, has been more well-known in recent years for his bizarre, erratic public persona, but according to Contact Music, folks on the scene called Busey "very sweet and caring."

Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Exhibition, Movie News, Cinematical

I was pretty impressed with Adam Green's throwback slasher flick Hatchet. While the title has divided genre fans in a lot of instances (some found it corny), I think Green's heart was in the right place and the film was a gory good time. So, naturally, I'm excited about Hatchet II -- the filmmaker's follow-up and the continuation of the Victor Crowley saga.

The film is set to make it's big screen debut on October 1st -- just in time to kick off an exciting Halloween season. The best part of this news is that Green and distributor Dark Sky Films will be releasing Hatchet II unrated -- with all the gore and Victor Crowley mayhem intact and the way it was meant to be seen!

AMC Theaters will be showing the unrated cut of the film as part of its AMC Independent program. This means the uncut version of Hatchet II will be shown theatrically in the top 20 markets in the United States.

Read the rest over at Horror Squad

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• A teen is torn between two supernatural suitors in a spoof of ‘Twilight’ and other vampire films.
  #
• A prehistoric strain of fish are set loose and people begin to disappear.
  #
• A nanny (Emma Thompson) uses magic to teach mischievous children a lesson.
  #
• A 40-year-old unmarried woman decides to become pregnant by inseminating herself with a turkey baster.
  #
• A young man must survive the weekend with greedy neighbors before he can claim his lottery prize.
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Original: Movies.com Top 10 Box Office