SPIN FACTOR^® - The HSX Blog

The lives of flamboyant celebrities are always wonderful fodder for feature films.  The best biopics result from looking at a particular aspect of a public figure’s life or a defining relationship in their life.  Phillip Seymour Hoffman [PSHOF] won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Truman Capote in Capote, but the lesser known version Infamous, with Toby Jones [TOJON] was just as good..  Both films concentrated on Capote researching and writing his ground-breaking book ‘In Cold Blood.&rsquo...

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After a month on hiatus, the Box Office Whisperer is back with a preview of the upcoming weekend at the movies.   Let’s see what Hollywood has in store for moviegoers.

Sacha Baron Cohen [SBCOH] arrived in 2006 with Borat, a cult favorite which broke out into a pop culture blockbuster. The British comedian returns with Bruno [BRUNO], another caricature who utilizes the same outrageous antics of ambushing innocent bystanders for R-rated laughs.  While the Kazakh reporter endeared moviegoers...

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Warner Bros. has won a lawsuit filed by the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerome Seigel over license fees.  However, the court also ruled that if Warner Bros. doesn't start production on the next Superman [SUPR2] movie by 2011, then the heirs may sue for damages.   The entire Superman copyright will revert to the heirs of the co-creators in 2013.  Source: Variety

Gary Ross [GAROS] has been brought on board to rewrite Spider-Man 4 [SPID4].  He is the third writer on the script after James...

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Sony has released the full trailer for District 9 [DIST9]. The upcoming Sci-Fi action film explores a future where extra-terrestrials have arrived and are living as illegal aliens in slums around Johannesbourg, South Africa.  While the initial teaser set up the premise, this new trailer has revealed director Neill Blomkamp's unique vision.  District 9 combines a special effects-ladened Sci-Fi story with the documentary feel of the TV show 'COPS', exanding on the world Blomkamp created in...

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After the whirlwind success of 2006’s Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation, British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen [SBCOH] is back.  This weekend, the funnyman releases Bruno [BRUNO], based on his third alter-ego from The Ali G Show.

In the film, Bruno is a gay Austrian fashionista who loses his show in Europe so he comes to America to conquer Hollywood.  With his assistant Lutz in tow, Bruno wants to make sure he finds the best fashion America has to...

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The feature adaptation of the cartoon Smurfs [SMURF] will be directed by Raja Gosnell [RGOSN], the man responsible for both Scoby-Doo films as well as last year's Beverly Hills Chihuahua.  The film will blend CG animation wth live-action, much like Gosnell's previous efforts.  Sony plans to release the film in both 3D and 2D formats on December 17, 2010. 

The Smurfs began in 1958 as a comic strip by Belgian cartoonist Peyo.  They gained popularity in the United States during the 1980s as a...

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With its trademark slow-motion shots of lifeguards running on the beach, the TV series Baywatch seemed to play best as an unintentional satire of the California beach life. The show reintroduced David Hasselhoff to TV and launched the careers of the likes of Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra. Paramount has hired Jeremy Garelick to rewrite their Baywatch [BAYWT] script as well as make his feature directorial debut. The first attempt to adapt the show focused on action and drama....

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Megan Fox [MEFOX] plays a man-eater, literally, in the horror film Jennifer's Body [JBODY] written by Diablo Cody.  The redband trailer tries to titillate by suggesting that Fox will be naked quite a bit in the R-rated movie.  Unfortunately, the buzz is that director Karyn Kusama has apparently turned a witty commentary on high school into a generic horror film.  Judge for yourself, and prepare for the inevitable backlash against Oscar-winner Cody.  Amanda Seyfried [ASEYF] and Adam Brody...

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Directed by Jim Sheridan [JSHER], Brothers [BRTHS] doesn't seem to know what genre it wants to be.  The trailer starts off as a tragic drama as Natalie Portman [NPORT] mourns the presumed death of her husband, played by Tobey Maguire [TMAGU], fighting in Afghanistan.  Then the story becomes a romance as she takes comfort with his younger brother, played by Jake Gyllenhaal [JGYLL].  Then all of a sudden, the trailer twists into a suspense thriller as the husband returns alive and confronts...

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The Fourth of July holiday provided plenty of fireworks at the box office as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen [TFRM2] battled Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs [ICEA3] to a standstill.  Both Transformers and Ice Age were estimated to have grossed $42.5 million over the weekend.  Although its second weekend dropped 61%, the Transformers sequel has already amassed $293.5 million in 12 days.  The third Ice Age has advanced $67.5 million since opening on Wednesday.

Public Enemies [PUBNM]...

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