As a hard core Packer fan I feel privileged to share this news, Robert De Niro has signed to play legendary football coach Vince Lombardi in ESPN Films’ big screen feature Lombardi. Academy Award-winning screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Munich, Benjamin Button, The Insider) penned the script. This is AWESOME. Not only did they get an iconic actor to play the legendary coach, but hopefully this will show the great tradition we have in Green Bay with our team, and how the Green Bay Packers are the one and only AMERICA’S TEAM!

Risky Business says the plan is to release the film between the AFC and NFC conference championship games and the Super Bowl in 2012. The film will focus on Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers years, although ESPN acquired the entire life rights to Lombardi’s story from his estate, as well as the rights to Jerry Kramer and Dick Schaap’s book Instant Replay.

For those of you who don’t know about Vince Lombardi, here is information on Lombardi from Wikipedia:

Lombardi was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League from 1959-67, winning five league championships during his nine years. Lombardi went on to accomplish a 105–35–6 record as head coach (.750, discarding ties as was the NFL policy); and he never suffered a losing season. He led the Packers to a still-unmatched three consecutive NFL championships in 1965, 1966, and 1967; winning the first two Super Bowls, solidifying his place in history as one of, if not the greatest coach in football history.

He was diagnosed with colon cancer in late June 1970, weeks before training camp for his second season in Washington. Just a week after his death, the NFL’s Super Bowl trophy was renamed the Vince Lombardi Trophy in his honor, first awarded after Super Bowl V. Lombardi was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame at its next induction ceremony in 1971.

Vince Lombardi has become virtually synonymous with the NFL. This began during his career: he was featured as the face of the NFL on the cover of Time on December 14, 1962 as part of the magazine’s cover story on “The Sport of the ’60s.” Lombardi’s players were wholeheartedly devoted to him, and his emphasis on hard work and dedication endeared him to millions who admired his values. In addition to Lombardi’s contributions to the history of pro football, Lombardi is legendary for his coaching philosophy and motivational skills. Many of Lombardi’s speeches continue to be quoted frequently today, and he is well known as being unequivocally committed to winning. One of his most famous maxims is “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing,” although he did not coin the phrase and the exact words he used are disputed. “Lombardi time” is the principle that one should arrive 10–15 minutes early, or else be considered late. His chief scout, Wally Cruice, once said of Lombardi’s single-minded devotion to the game: “you didn’t talk about anything but football. If you didn’t have the facts, he didn’t want you to waste his time.”

© 2010, BIG CHICO'S MOVIE BLOG. All rights reserved.

Men in Black 3 is gearing up and some interesting casting news came out today. Sacha Baron Cohen and Jemaine Clement are competing for the part of the yet undetermined character Yaz.

I really don’t have much more then that, but if I had to pick one of these guys it would have to be Clement. Cohen has done more to destroy cinema then to advance it. I have a really infinite for the MIB franchise, and I don’t want to see Cohen ruin it with over acting or his lame shtick.

Last we heard the plot will still be Agent J time travelling and meeting a younger non-Tommy Lee Jones version of Agent K. Any who, it looks like MIB 3 will be here sooner then later.

© 2010, BIG CHICO'S MOVIE BLOG. All rights reserved.

I guess Marvel has to gone geek sheik when it comes to Captain America casting. A few weeks ago a short list of actors that were screening for the role was announced, and one of those actors seems to have pulled ahead of the rest. None of then The Office star John Krasinski has the inside track to get the lead role of Steve Rogers (Captain America).

Rumor has it Marvel loves this guy. Krasinski has read for the role four times and has been in two costume screen tests. Here’s what an inside source had to say, “It’s very likely that he will be the new Captain America.  He is a favorite among the key decision makers and has been asked to come back for more this week. They want to lock down the role and then they will narrow down everyone else.”

It’s also been said that they have tested Krasinski with a number of possible female leads. Director Joe Johnson previously stated that casting needed to be complete by March 1st 2010 (a date that has now passed) as filming is set to begin at the end of June in the UK.

O.K. before I go off on a rant, take a look at Krasinski and look at what Steve Rogers looks like in the comic.

I was unaware they wanted Captain America to look like he was more from the Geek Squad and less from the Avengers! Krasinski would have to put on about 50 pounds of solid muscle before he would be believable. Now if they needed him to be Steve Rogers’s pre Captain America then he’d be perfect but this is a shabby pick on Marvels part. Hopefully they have something up their sleeve that will knock our socks of, but until then we are stuck with this.

One a side note, it’s also rumored that Dane Cook and Jonas Brothers have screen tested for roles in the movie.

© 2010, BIG CHICO'S MOVIE BLOG. All rights reserved.

This is the day of hot trailers. First, we get the new Ironman 2 trailer and now we get the official Tron Legacy trailer.

Here’s the awesome trailer:

© 2010, BIG CHICO'S MOVIE BLOG. All rights reserved.

Have you ever seen a movie trailer so hot you feel like it was seared into your brain? Well I just saw the new trailer for Ironman 2 and it was OFF THE HESSY FOR SHESSY!

I can’t even go further into it without starting to ramble, so without further adoe here’s the new trailer for IRONMAN 2:

© 2010, BIG CHICO'S MOVIE BLOG. All rights reserved.

Ask for an original idea out of Hollywood and though shall receive, and comes in the form of a man with no balls. Chris D’Arienzo’s new film Barry Munday movie trailer premiered this weekend and it looks funny and inspiring.

Here’s a synopsis for the movie:

Barry Munday loves women, and lives his life to get them. Unfortunately he dates the wrong girl and loses his balls to her father. Not know what to do in a life with no balls he gets a letter saying he got one of his one night stands pregnant. Realizing this is his last chance he tries to turn his life around and find the blessing in losing his balls.

I probably won’t see this at the movies but the second it hits DVD I’m on it like white on rice. I’m not asking Hollywood to reinvent the wheel, but this is the type of movie we need to keep interested in what’s coming soon.

Here’s the Trailer: 

© 2010, BIG CHICO'S MOVIE BLOG. All rights reserved.

 

There’s a new hottie in the mix for the remake of Conan the Barbarian. Rachel Nichols of G.I. Joe (Scarlett) and the new Star Trek (hot red head green alien) fame has been cast for the role of Tamara.

Nichols did a decent job as Scarlett, but the role of Tamara was seductive and hard core. Plus, she has to be able to hang with the greatest warrior in fabled history Conan. I really don’t agree with who they chose to play Conan (Jason Momoa), but I’ll be the first in line for the movie with the Cimmerian from the North.

According to the leaked casting breakdown from last year…

Tamara is 18 to 24 years old, Caucasian or Middle Eastern, open to all ethnicities; beautiful, studious, correct, a novitiate of a Greek influenced monastery. A master of martial arts, she has been trained to be the Queen’s servant, bodyguard and best friend. She and many other female bodyguards to the queen have been in hiding most of their lives because of the curse of Acheron, which would take the queen’s life to bring almost immortal power to its king. When Khalar Singh, a powerful warlord with ambitions to become the king of Acheron, storms the monastery and captures all of the novitiates, she is separated from Ilira, the one she must protect. With all of her strength and will, Tamara is determined to find and rescue her. She finds herself in league with Conan because of a mutual need to find Khalar Singh. She is not in the least intimidated by Conan’s size or grim demeanor and their alliance eventually blossoms into something that surprises them both… LEAD 

© 2010, BIG CHICO'S MOVIE BLOG. All rights reserved.

Spank my bottom and call me Emma, I just found two new trailers. The new movie is called “The Runaway’s” with Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart, and it is AWESOME!

Here’s a synopsis for the movie: Warning! This synopsis contains spoilers

The Runaways (Neon Angels) is based on lead-singer Cherie Currie’s book ‘Neon Angel’ – a reflection of her experiences as a rock star, but also delivering a strong anti-drug warning to teens and others. David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” serves as a metaphor for the narrative– a slow countdown, a surreal but spectacular rise to fame, then alienation and burnout – a long long way from home.

The movie chronicles THE RUNAWAYS from 1975 – 1977; formed by teenage girls living near Hollywood, CA., and heavily manipulated by their manager Kim Fowley as ‘jailbait rock’ (all the girls were 16 or younger when the band recorded their first album). The band ultimately succeeds on their own merits as musicians, becoming the first all-girl rock-band to ever break into the world of arena-filling hard rock acts.

The movie focuses on the band’s formation, and their meteoric rise to fame. Their first single, ‘Cherry Bomb’, gets some attention in the United States, where THE RUNAWAYS’ U.S. tour hits major venues (Cobo Hall, with RUSH) and sleazy rock-clubs, often pairing them up with The Ramones, Cheap Trick, Tom Petty, and other popular 1970’s rock acts. But ‘Cherry Bomb’ and several other songs from THE RUNAWAYS’ first 2 albums become huge hits in Japan — and their arrival for a set of shows there in 1977 is like Beatle-Mania. The band is overwhelmed by the Japanese reception. Almost prophetic, THE RUNAWAYS’ last big hit song in Japan is ‘Neon Angels On The Road To Ruin’.

Cherie is initially thrilled to be in the band, and lives the rock star life. She pushes the edge — and their records sell well, generating lots of media controversy and hype. But during the tour of Japan, her personal life disnintegrates, and she burns out — ultimately leaving The Runaways when they return to the U.S. The bass player (Jackie Fox) quits too, leaving only Lita Ford, Joan Jett and Sandy West. Joan Jett has decided that rock & roll is her life, and that The Runaways is her ‘family’; she is upset by Cherie’s decision to leave, but knows that decision is best — for Cherie.

THE RUNAWAYS’ success was earth-shaking in rock music — changing the rules forever. But with the successful 5-girl lineup no longer intact after the Japan tour, their future was dubious, at best. Lita Ford (guitar) and Sandy West (drums) still think the band can make it big again, so they persevere with Joan Jett. – Source IMDB

My wife went bonkers when she saw the trailer. This is definetly going to be one hot movie.

Here’s the new trailers for the movie:

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Okay I’m not up on all the internet technical abbreviations but I think the one that describes Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland best is oh OMG! Normally I wouldn’t be into seeing this kind of movie. Alice in Wonderland isn’t my type of movie, but my daughter, Lil’ Chica, was begging me to see it. I was shocked at the creativity of this movie.

The good:

First thing, the trailers didn’t do it justice.  I went to this movie thinking that I would see a creepy sort of scary version of Alice in Wonderland, but what I got was a fantastic adventure into a world of excitement.  From the minute Alice goes down the rabbit hole, the excitement and intrigue doesn’t stop.  Tim Burton spared no expense with the making of this movie.  The colors were vibrant,the costumes were inventive and creative, and the 3-D used in the movie made the world of Wonderland an incredible experience. The story for the movie is loosely based on The Looking Glass series which took the Alice mythos to new heights. By the time the movie ended I found myself wondering if they were going to make a part two because I wanted more.  I think the best thing about this movie was that you cared about all the characters; from Johnny Depp’s brilliant performance as the Mad Hatter, to the Red Queen. What Tim Burton achieves with this movie and a script is a great reinvention of an old tale.

The bad:

My daughter Lil’ Chica and I got to the movie a little late and had to sit in the front row of an ultra screen theater. Man, my neck and head were killing me after the movie. I guess the only thing I can find that’s bad with this movie is the promotion of this movie.  The commercials and trailers make it seem like one of Tim Burton’s eerie nightmares when, in reality, it’s a fantastic tale of girl empowerment .

This movie is definitely for the whole family.  I not only enjoyed it for myself, but I massively enjoyed watching it with my daughter.  When she left that theater she was filled with confidence and pride that a girl can overcome anything and control her own destiny.

I would give this movie for 4.5 out of 5 stars

© 2010, BIG CHICO'S MOVIE BLOG. All rights reserved.

Welcome to another version of Hollywood crap.  It would seem Hollywood has seen fit to make another Police Academy movie, but this time it is going to be a remake of the original.

The first film, released in 1984, starred Steve Guttenberg as Mahoney, a repeat offender who is forced to enter the academy and emerges as the group’s leader. Other notable characters included Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), gun-crazy Tackleberry (David Graf), mousy Hooks (Marion Ramsey) and sound effects-spewing Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow).

Bobcat Goldthwait joined the cast for the second movie in 1985. The series, which included Kim Cattrall and Sharon Stone as romantic leads, ended with the 1994’s “Mission to Moscow.” All told, the franchise took in about $240 million worldwide and inspired a pair of TV series.

  So, let me understand this. Hollywood, in its mad rush to produce crappy 80s movies, thought making a lowbrow comedy is the best thing they can come up with? I guess having seven sequels that made $240 million worldwide is what it takes for you to get a remake nowadays. 

The worst rumor about this movie is that Dane Cook is rumored to play the role of Mahoney.  Really, I know I haven’t seen him in anything good recently, but is this how far his career has fallen.  For the love of Mary, Dax Shepard even got a TV show.  How is that Dane Cook gets attached to this fiasco?

 I think I’m no longer going to write for this movie site.  I’m going to see if I can get a job in Hollywood.  Heck, I can come up with a stupid idea as good as the next guy.  If all it takes is for me to act like I have no common sense and pick movies to remake then that is the job for me.

© 2010, BIG CHICO'S MOVIE BLOG. All rights reserved.