First up is the title to the sequel of ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes.’ So I guess it’s really a sequel to a remake? Not really sure, but regardless the follow-up will be appropriately titled ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.’ Works for me and actually sounds better than the 1st one in my opinion. So when can we expect to see ‘Dawn’ in theaters? May 23rd 2014, wow – almost 2 years from now. That seems like a long time but I suppose I’d rather a quality film over a rushed one!

What’s next? The sequel to ‘X-Men: First Class’! There is no set title in place but we now have confirmation on a release date and you won’t be too happy with it. July 18th 2014! That is so far away I can’t even bother getting excited yet. But like I said before, quality comes first so I will just stay positive.

We also have news on a re-release of a certain famous Blockbuster. ‘Independence Day’ will be returning to theaters in 3-D on July 4th weekend of 2013. I am very happy this movie is coming back to theaters because it is one of my all-time favorite cheesy (but in a great way) films but I really wish it wasn’t in 3D. When is that fad going out of style?! I guess I better get used to it…

So what do you think Banters? Are these release dates too far for you to even care about or do they have you pumped? And what do you think is a good title for the sequel to ‘X-Men: First Class’

Although Nobody Else But You

Using just about as universal theme as you can get – Marilyn Monroe – Gérald Hustache-Mathieu spins a genre-defiant whodunit, starring Jean-Paul Rouve (La Vie en rose) and Sophie Quinton, in what seems to be her breakout feature role.

A best-selling crime novelist from Paris, David Rousseau (Rouve), invariably plagued by writer’s block, happens upon a small town in the north of France – Mouthe: the coldest place in France. He becomes entangled in the story of a murder of the town’s local beauty pageant girl, Candice Lecoeur, (Quinton) who looks (and acts) curiously like Ms. Monroe.

The story begins with Candice’s voice over reading of her diary. We find out quickly that she is in fact already dead, but the sadly endearing VO continues from the grave throughout the film, adding a spooky and sad undertone to what could have just been a light comedy-based mystery.

Rouve plays Rousseau superbly, making him both likeable and a tad annoying, again, giving the audiences laughs where the rest of the film is quite somber. Somewhere between Rousseau’s catchy lines and pithy stares, and Lecoeur’s death-defying VO, the film finds its voice in a happy medium of what I mentioned before as genre No Man’s Land. (Which is ironic, since Lecoeur’s body is found in the snowy drifts of No Man’s Land – a spot on the border of France and Switzerland that has no actual governance and therefore cannot be claimed by either country for investigation into said murder.)

As Rousseau unravels the mystery of Candice’s alleged suicide and finds inspiration in the telling, we see flashbacks of her life in Mouthe as the “Belle de Jura” spokesgirl for a local cheese company. Her life uncannily parallels Marilyn’s: She gets ‘discovered’ working as a gas station attendant. Marilyn had photos taken of her while working at a radio plane factory. She’s convinced to change her name and dye her hair blonde. Marliyn sheds Norma Jean. She dates a jock then has an affair with an intellectual and eventually ends up in bed with the Regional President Jean-Francois Burdeau (Initials: JFB. JFK ring a bell?), and so on.

The story lends itself well to this universal theme, where every woman can, in some way, relate to Marilyn and her dual existence.

The new trend a-brewing in Hollywood are television shows turned highly anticipated movies. While we have yet to see any of the products of said trend, the Arrested Development movie will no doubt be a huge success, with shows like Party Down (here’s hoping!) and Entourage eager to follow in its footsteps.

In a world as crazy as ours, though, where just a soon as a series is canceled or goes off air, an online petition then gives it an option for big screen time, it only makes sense that the reverse can also be true, right? Right? Anyone?

Well, Lionsgate definitely seems to think so. As recently revealed by The Playlist, after buying Summit Entertainment (for a whole heap of money, I might add), Lionsgate is trying to capitalize on the movie catalog that also came with this purchase a catalog that includes franchisers Step Up, The Expendables, and Red. And while it seems obvious that Lionsgate would try and push further films in the series, it seemed much less likely that they would try and turn them into television shows.

But apparently, that’s what they’re aiming to do. No word on how certain it is if you’ll be tuning in weekly to see a whole lot of aging action stars try and save the world (side note: plot of the next big reality show?), but it certainly is an interesting strategy in terms of money-making. In terms of quality, these shows will more than likely be a bust–the television series of Clueless taught me that– but what about in terms of money?

My guess is that MTV or an MTV-esque channel could have a field day with a Step Up (to the television), but my hunch is that neither The Expendables nor Red would draw a huge audience without the star power the movies provided.

Either way, this is what Lionsgate is currently working on. Whether or not they will come to their quality-producing senses, only time will tell. Until then, we can all imagine what it would be like to watch Sylvester Stalone try and talk weekly.

When there is The Hunger Game news just on the horizon, you can be sure to find a Banterer there to report on it. Why? Well, this is why. Ever since The Hunger Games made its name as one of the biggest movies of this year and not to mention one that was highly critically acclaimed, we at the Movie Banter have reflected America’s desire— we want more!

And thankfully, we will have more. How much more? Well, two to be exact, but maybe they’ll pull the ol’ Twilight, Harry Potter switcharoo and make the last film a two-parter. Either way, we got more to anticipate. And anticipate we do! Not only did news recently break that the powers that be replaced Gary Ross with Francis Lawrence as director of the sequel, but now it appears that some casting teasers are being thrown our way.

According to E! Online, there are three very distinct, very big actors being considered for Finnick Odair, a large role introduced in Catching Fire, the second film in the franchise. Apparently, we can expect to see one of the following taking the role: Armie Hammer, Taylor Kitsch, or Garrett Hedlund. Well, those are some interesting options.

To be honest, I never actually read the books (didn’t even know what they were about until I saw the movie), so I’m not commenting on these choices based on how I envisioned the role, but instead with how I think each actor might affect the overall quality of the film. So, please, allow me to proceed (in reverse order): my first reaction when I read this list was, “Who the hell is Garrett Hedlund?” A quick look at IMDB tells me he was in such revered movies as TRON: Legacy, Country Strong and Georgia Rule. Obviously, I am anti-Hedlund. That is of course, only when not comparing him to movie-unlucky-card Taylor Kitsch. After lackluster performances in both John Carter and Battleship, I am more anti-Kitsch than words can say.

So far, we have Hedlund over Kitsch, which brings me to the last contender. As an avid movie-goer (and not to mention an opinionated woman), I choose Hammer. Yes, yes, one might point to his similarly lackluster performances in Mirror, Mirror and J. Edgar, but one mustn’t forget how he became popular. Ah yes, a little known film called The Social Network. And if history has shown us anything, it’s that people in The Social Network not only perform well given the right circumstances, but also that they are destined to be stars (uh, Rooney Mara, Andrew Garfield anyone?). And so, all I’m asking is for Hammer’s chance to be the star he so obviously deserves. Well, that and for a hard-to-do good sequel.

Check back here for updates!

Are you excited for Django Unchained? Banterers, come on! It’s the latest Tarantino film, and yes – of course Samuel L. Jackson has a role. It’s coming out next Christmas, so we have a while to wait. So long in fact that as far as press is concerned, we haven’t even got a trailer to wet our appetite. However, just in are six brand new images from the film. Check out a synopsis, and the pics below:

—

Set in the South two years before the Civil War, DJANGO UNCHAINED stars Academy Award®-winner Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Academy Award®-winner Christoph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles – dead or alive. Success leads Schultz to free Django, though the two men choose not to go their separate ways. Instead, Schultz seeks out the South’s most wanted criminals with Django by his side. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago. Django and Schultz’s search ultimately leads them to Calvin Candie (Academy Award®-nominee Leonardo DiCaprio), the proprietor of “Candyland,” an infamous plantation. Exploring the compound under false pretenses, Django and Schultz arouse the suspicion of Stephen (Academy Award®-nominee Samuel L. Jackson), Candie’s trusted house slave. Their moves are marked, and a treacherous organization closes in on them. If Django and Schultz are to escape with Broomhilda, they must choose between independence and solidarity, between sacrifice and survival… ‘

What do you think of these new posters Banters?

I’m not sure exactly why I went to go see Peter Berg’s Battleship. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I know what appealed to me about the movie: aliens, Alexander Skarsgard, explosions, Liam Neeson, and intergalactic water battle, just to name a few points. But, as the reviews first trickled and then flooded out (only water pun, I swear!), it became ever so clear that Peter Berg’s latest attempt at a blockbuster was just not good. And as if that wasn’t enough, I was even warned by one of my own, a Banterer who questioned if Battleship‘s box-office flop status was actually deserved.

Well, I decided to forget all those naysayers and see it for myself. And now that I’ve seen Battleship, I can definitively declare, that sadly yes, it really did deserve its box-office flop status. Battleship just wasn’t good. Not at all.

When trying to decipher what exactly went wrong in the movie, it’s hard to point to just one thing. The acting was bad (side note: after the awfulness that was John Carter, perhaps it’s time for Taylor Kitsch to consider a new career?), the plot was widely underdeveloped, with questions of, “What? Why?!” plaguing every new twist, the dialogue was laughable, and, to top it off, the movie was difficult to follow. Other than the massive explosions, I’m not sure I can declare one other good thing about this movie. And even then, the explosions were fun, but nothing new. I mean, Battleship is not the kind of movie that is presenting a new type of summer blockbuster explosion: they’ve been done before, and will continue to be done.

So yes, there was a lot of bad, and not enough good to remotely make up for it. I will go on record and say that I did quite enjoy Rihanna’s debut as an actress. Not that she was good, not at all, in fact. But instead she was bad in the way that bolsters summer blockbusters. You know the kind, the blockbusters that are so bad that they are almost good (a la Deep Blue Sea).

Why of why couldn’t Battleship have been bad in the good way?! On the heels of the release of Dark Shadows, it looks like we’re 0 for 2 on the blockbuster front. Prometheus: I’m really rooting for you. Battleship: you’ve let me down.

SKIP IT.

A movie came out this past Friday – limited release – about a wealthy handicapped man, and a caretaker who doesn’t pity him but instead treats him as a friend. It is based on a real story, but what makes it look so excellent is probably that it is French. Of course I’m joking, but being French has certainly never hurt a film. The film is rocking the indie world and has people all over Hollywood talking.

Upon watching this trailer, and reading the glowing reviews, I knew that seeing this film was a must. Check out the relevant information below.

THE INTOUCHABLES

Starring:

Omar Sy

Francois Cluzet

Directed by:

Olivier Nakache

Eric Toledano

Synopsis:

An irreverent, uplifting comedy about friendship, trust and human possibility, THE INTOUCHABLES has broken box office records in its native France and across Europe. Based on a true story of friendship between a handicap millionaire (Francois Cluzet) and his street smart ex-con caretaker (Omar Sy), THE INTOUCHABLES depicts an unlikely camaraderie rooted in honesty and humor between two individuals who, on the surface, would seem to have nothing in common. Directed by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, the film was nominated for a total of nine 2012 César Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, including Best Picture, and won Best Actor for breakout star Omar Sy. The film also won the Grand Prize at the 2011 Tokyo International Film Festival. THE INTOUCHABLES has received Audience Awards from U.S. film festivals including the San Francisco Film Festival, COL COA, and the Nashville Film Festival.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What happens after Sundance? We always hear about the ones who take home the awards and films that get acquired by Fox Searchlight or Sony Pictures Classics or one of the other few indie-friendly studios. If your film doesn’t get picked up though, what happens next?

I like to think of myself as an objective journalist. Really, what kind of journalist would I be if I weren’t objective? So whether you see the below as a shameless plug or as objective journalism, that’s your opinion. My opinion – my objective opinion – is that I Am Not a Hipster is a spectacular film, the kind that could perhaps have an afterlife similar to Donnie Darko, which didn’t receive wide distribution (via Newmarket Films) until three years after its premiere at Sundance in 2001.

“Maybe we’re trying to redefine how you become a cult classic,” says the film’s producer Ron Najor, a first-time feature producer. “Not deliberately, but maybe because of social networking programs like Kickstarter and Facebook you don’t need a studio to make your movie a cult classic.”

When the Hipster family – including all first-time feature filmmakers, director Destin Daniel Cretton, DP Brett Pawlak, and singer-songwriter Joel P. West – and also actual family members of Cretton’s, arrived at Sundance in January, it was a dream come true.

“We’d hit the movie lottery, as one of my friends put it,” says Najor. “Going to Sundance was one of the best experiences of my life. In all honesty, it was everything I think a filmmaker could hope for – having our screenings sold out and getting great press.”

In true modest fashion, Najor and Cretton say they were thrilled to even be screening and in competition at Sundance. And they tried not to let the hype of peers they met and press that peppered them with attention get to their heads. Of course they would have liked to sell to Fox Searchlight. What indie team wouldn’t? But that would have been icing on the Hipster crew’s cake – and their cake was pretty good on its own.

“I do believe you get these false hopes in your head,” Najor admits. “Just because of people talking up the fact that you got in. Once there, we did get a lot of feedback from potential buyers, some of it a little hard to hear. Like the fact that we didn’t have a love story, we didn’t have sex, we didn’t have violence, and we didn’t have a star. One distributor told me that because of lacking these components we basically broke every rule they normally sell on.”

Sad, but true. Even understandable, no? To the distributors, it’s a business. They have their formula of how to buy and sell and if you are not giving them the things that they’re used to selling, then its more work than they’d care to put in. They have a slew of other titles that they don’t have to do that with, so why would they? It wouldn’t be a great business model.

So what happens when you don’t sell and you don’t win? What happens post-Sundance?

After getting on quite a few ‘Best of Sundance’ lists, including Rolling Stone and Huffington Post, Najor and his team were invited to other prestigious festivals, like Seattle, Cleveland International and Nashville. They kept going to the fests and people kept seeing the movie and giving them great feedback.

“We kept getting this positive reinforcement,” recalls Najor. “When you get out of Sundance and you don’t get picked up, you question whether it was just Sundance that liked you and the rest of the world doesn’t really care. But that wasn’t the case with us. Everywhere else people kept coming up to us and saying how much they enjoyed the film and asking when it was coming out.”

Cretton and Najor felt that was the push they needed to start a distribution campaign on their own. They felt that they should distribute the film in the same spirit that it was made: pure independence.

Today, with Hulu and Netflix, if you can raise a little bit of money to cover the entry-level fees, you can get your film out there in a big way. Ten years ago that just wasn’t possible on such a budget. Hipster is asking for $27,500 on their Kickstarter campaign. For an average independent film it can cost anywhere from $20,000 -$50,000 in distribution costs to deliver the movie to an outlet.

These costs include, but are not limited to Errors & Omissions Insurance at about $3-7K, Cable VOD (OnDemand) at about a $5-6K fee to get it to all the different cable outlets, M&D track dubs so it can play internationally at about $5K, DVDs and Blu-Rays at another $7K. It certainly does add up, doesn’t it?

“Kickstarter has become a way for indie filmmakers to retain control of their movie and try to do the best they can with raising money, but also getting exposure for the film,” says Najor. “Ultimately, Destin and I know that the odds are against us in terms of making any large amounts of money. Our goal at this point is more about getting seen, because that will help everyone’s career. This is a calling card film.”

If the Hipster crew can’t make their $27,500 goal (of which they have approximately $14,500 as of yesterday) they don’t see a penny. That’s a scary prospect for someone putting the whole afterlife of the film in one bucket. But their friends and colleagues have seemed to be rallying, kicking that bucket into a slow swing at least.

But even I am nervous for them. And maybe that is what will bring them to home plate. Burning this mentality of having a specific goal to get to is a motivator. Especially if the project is good and really worth supporting, having the knowledge that if you don’t rally and bring people together to help, no one comes out on top.

“I think everyone gets a little concerned in the homestretch,” Najor explains. “It becomes more of a community outreach. It helps motivate a group of people to get excited and come together to help us reach our goal. And it’s been really hard, honestly, asking our friends and peers for support. No one’s a trust fund baby who’s going to bale us out…unfortunately for us.”

To watch their clever campaign video, link HERE.

To watch a trailer of the film, link HERE.

Add to your Netflix list if you’re interested in seeing it.

‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’ stars the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Bryan Cranston, Frances McDormand, Jessica Chastain, and Martin Short! Wow, that’s a hell of a voice cast. Coming to theaters on June 8^th, ‘Madagascar’ will be up against Ridley Scott’s ‘Prometheus,’ one of my most anticipated films of the summer this year, but I don’t think these two will be competing for the same audiences!

Which film will you be checking out on June 8^th Banters?