Author: shelby

  • Spider-Man 4 Lands Brilliant Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer

    Spider-Man 4 is more reality than myth with the latest addition to the production staff. Many think that the entire series was derailed by a ‘weak’ third film. I personally enjoyed the third, but my favorite Spider-Man was the second with Doc Ock.

    Hopefully this new writer and the same star cast from the previous three movies will be enough to make Spider-Man 4 a hit.

    Lindsay-Abaire, who won a Pulitzer in 2007 for his drama “Rabbit Hole,” is in final negotiations to write “Spider-Man 4” for Columbia.
    Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are back as director and star, respectively, as are series producers Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad. Kirsten Dunst also is expected to return for the latest movie featuring the Marvel Comics

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  • Shyamalan receives a revolutionary studio deal

    A favorite producer/director of mine, M. Night Shyamalan, received a deal from Media Rights Capital inc in late July. The deal is like no other made before in Hollywood: Shyamalan will get to keep his name on all the films produced with the studio.

    The terms of the agreement are like this:

    • There are three films to be made
    • The films will be released at the rate of one per year
    • The films will be a collaborative work between Shyamalan and MRC
    • The films will be part of a series known as The Night Chronicles
    • Shyamalan will keep a large portion of the rights of his productions

    This is almost unheard of from today’s big name producers, who usually take the lion’s share of the profits and do a pretty poor job of distributing the wealth. If this agreement ends up a big success (which really depends on the quality of Shyamalan’s work) then this could lead the way for new producers to enter the big movie industry.

    Shyamalan is known for several popular and very unique movies, such as The Sixth Sense, Signs, and The Village. His recent works have not been as successful as The Sixth Sense, but MRC (and I) still think there is great potential for another breakout hit. Just wait and see! =)

    Shyamalan’s first film of the deal will be Devil, slated for release in 2009. The project was literally announced just days ago, so details are scarce. I will post some more links and news as I find it.

    If the smaller producers come into power, then the actors, screenwriters, directors, and other supporting members will receive more credit and payment for their hard work. Another great benefit is that we will start to see the variety that fills the Independent Film world enter the Featured Film world. A change is always good when it comes to scripts in the video industry.

    Personally, that’s what Omega Squid Studios stands for; Treating  everyone who helps out with the respect, credit, and pay they deserve. Kudos to MRC, and congratulations to M. Night Shyamalan!

    See the original article

  • The $180 Dollar Documentary

    A strapped-for-cash director wants to create a documentary about the infamous Nigerian email scams and the dangers they face. He is successful in completing the production, winning a film festival, and receiving national attention! What was the budget? $180!

    Sounds pretty sweet to me (and seems to be a lot like what Patrick and I are currently doing to finish projects…)

    Find out how the movie was made for less than a car payment!

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  • SquidFlicks Turns 1!

    It has been a year today since SquidFlicks was opened to the public masses of the Internet, and it has been one crazy year for the site! As the owner of the site, I like to measure all sorts of information on the popularity and rankings of the site. One such ranking is the Alexa rank. On this accurate ranking system, SquidFlicks has grown from being the 12,111,156,345th most popular site on the Internet to the 559,247th and counting!
    See for yourself!

    This amazing growth is thanks to our fans and visitors who are always suggesting new posts and reviews. This next year will see more great news and activities, here’s some of the plans I have for the site this year:

    • Weekly podcast
    • Video Movie Reviews
    • The SquidFlicks Real Reel show
    • Director Interviews
    • More Marathons
    • A video section
    • Merchandise!
    • And much. much more!

    There is in fact a special introductory showing of SquidFlicks Real Reel tonight. The location of the show is on USTREAM.TV. Check out the channel page for details and viewing options.
    Well, it seems that the server is down currently…check back soon to visit the channel!
    The site is back up – see the channel!

    I never thought that my SquidFlicks would grow so fast. The only thing to do now is keep up!

    Thanks for a great first year, and let’s meet here again next year!

    Omega Squid, aka Shelby Jones

  • New SquidFlicks Poll: Halloween 2008

    There is a new poll up for those who pay great attention to detail on the site; the question is quite appropriate. SquidFlicks wants to know what your Halloween plans are! Tell us what you are doing Friday!

    In a post to come later today or tomorrow, I am going to reveal more details of the SquidFlicks birthday bash and the premiere of a new and LIVE SquidFlicks videocast/show!

    Don’t miss out! There is going to be a lot going on during the next couple of days!

    [poll=5]

  • 20 Classic Films Recreated in LEGO

    Here’s a new take on some older movies – using Lego bricks as the actors and set! Some of the movies I wouldn’t consider ‘classics’ by any means, but the comparison between the movie photo and the Lego recreation is pretty sweet.

    Maybe movie sequels should start being done with Legos – they don’t have unions or fight for new contracts every year! =P

    My favorite? Creepshow. Didn’t expect that to be in the 20 movies highlighted! =)

    read more | digg story

  • Weekend Box Office: Oct. 24-26

    Finally, we start to see some high numbers back at the box office. As we progress into fall, more big name movies and franchises start to appear in theaters everywhere! This season of movie popularity usually lasts through winter into late March and early April, and then things slow down for the summer once again.

    This weekend’s big name was High School Musical 3. Blech. My sister has been singing from it non-stop. Also new was the fifth installment of the Saw series, Saw V. It has been largely regarded as one of the weakest movies of the series in terms of plot, but I will save that review for Patrick who saw the movie last night.

    Also still in the top five is Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Seriously? Come on! >=[

    Weekend Top 5:

    Statistics are provided by Box Office Mojo

    Weekend Box Office October 24-26
    Weekend Box Office October 24-26

  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Teaser Trailer – First Look

    Time for another SquidFlicks First Look!

    Today’s post features the next installment in the Harry Potter series, The Half-Blood Prince.

    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince International Teaser Trailer – Trailer Addict

    This is going to be a phenomenal addition to the already awesome Harry Potter series. The Half-Blood Prince is the sixth of the seven books in the Harry Potter series, and begins to set the stage for the final showdown between Harry and Lord Voldemort, good and evil.

    Expect more posts as the release date nears.

    Currently the movie is set to release on July 17, 2009

    See more on IMDB

  • History of the Wilhelm Scream [VIDEO]

    This is some seriously cool stuff – if you have ever heard a distinct, yet strange scream in a film, and have heard it in many times from other films, it’s the Wilhelm scream! Play the video, and you’ll soon know what I am talking about if you have ever heard the scream before!

    This may get used in some of our productions!

    A Brief History of the Wilhelm Scream, as told by HollywoodLostAndFound.net creator Steve Lee – along with Directors Joe Dante and Tobe Hooper.

    read more | digg story

  • Weekend Box Office: Oct. 17-19

    Well, some new names have been thrown in the mix this weekend, with only Eagle Eye and Beverly Hills Chihuahua left from last weekend. Numbers were up from last week, and premiere Max Payne led the weekend box office with 18 million!

    Weekend Top 5:

    Statistics are provided by Box Office Mojo

    Weekend Box Office Oct. 17-19
    Weekend Box Office Oct. 17-19