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'Elysium' Reviews: The Smartest Film Of The Summer

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matt damon elysium

The first reviews for Matt Damon's futuristic "Elysium" are out, and it sounds like a must-see.

We've been waiting some time for this film. It's director Neil Blomkamp's first time back on the big screen since 2009's Oscar-nominated "District 9."

This time, Blomkamp focuses on the dichotomy between poverty-stricken inhabitants of disparate Earth and the super wealthy who live the a paradise-like world of Elysium. 

Damon plays Earth-dweller Max on a mission to the mysterious world.

While it may be tough for this futuristic ride to top the Oscar film, after a short three months jam-packed with unoriginal sequels and superheroes, "Elysium" is shaping up to be one of the most satisfying flicks of the summer.

Here's what you should know before seeing it.

The film's biggest star is its visuals.

Indie Wire:

"Both the scarred Los Angeles vistas and the pristine environs of Elysium are beautifully rendered, alternately gritty and coolly slick ... Even though Blomkamp has a much bigger budget to play with here than he did on "District 9," he still uses those resources judiciously and to greater effect than helmers given oodles of cash and FX teams at their beck and call."

THR 

"As in District 9, the excellent effects and location work (Mexico City stood in for Los Angeles, while Vancouver represents aspects of Elysium) make for a vivid, convincing backdrop."

The film will be laced with plenty of world politics propaganda: 

The Wrap:

"Lest anyone miss out on Blomkamp’s thoughts on contemporary immigration and health care, “Elysium” underlines and italicizes them before going over them again in yellow highlighter." 

Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are especially critical of this point.

Variety:

"Easier, too, for “Elysium” to advance one of the more openly socialist political agendas of any Hollywood movie in memory, beating the drum loudly not just for universal health care, but for open borders, unconditional amnesty and the abolition of class distinctions." 

THR:

"Liberals may embrace and conservatives might attack the film strictly on the reductive basis of its obvious plea for universal health car."

It's not as great as "District 9": 

THR 

"Blomkamp sets several narrative pots to simmering, promising much in the way of eventual direct conflict and potential intellectual complexity ... all the interest and good will built up by the sharply conceived preliminaries is washed away in a succession of scenes that feel crushingly routine and generic, not to mentioned guided by ideological urges falls short of district 9."

Indie Wire: 

"The film is saddled by some rather corny flashback sequences that establish a mostly marginal backstory for Max that tries to lend his journey an epic weight. These scenes, in which we learn of his orphan background, and witness some prophetic advice from a nun, are not just poorly written (the dialogue is almost laughably amateur and on-the-nose), they actually undercut the impact of Max's arc by overplaying its hand."

There are mixed feelings on Sharlto Copley's ("District 9") performance.

THR says Copley's villainous character of Kruger comes off as "more appropriate for a live-action cartoon bad guy or an enemy in a 300-like bloodbath," while IGN calling him a scene stealer, possibly delivering the "performance of the summer."

Overall, Blomkamp knows what it takes to make a great movie. 

Variety:

"Even working within a more conventional framework, Blomkamp again proves to be a superb storyteller. He has a master’s sense of pacing, slowly immersing us into his future world rather than assailing us with nonstop action, and envisioning that world with an architect’s eye for the smallest details."  

IGN:

"If you are looking for serious science-fiction, bursting with allegory and social commentary, you need look no further than Elysium. … [It has] the kind of exciting and intelligent entertainment that's been sorely missing from the summer movie season."

Consensus: See it.

With the summer schedule winding down, "Elysium" is the only real blockbuster out this month to see. In what looks like an alternate version of "After Earth" with scenery to rival that of Tom Cruise's "Oblivion" Blomkamp has seemingly delivered with his follow-up to "District 9" in another cautionary tale with messages of overpopulation and universal health care. 

More "Elysium" Watch another trailer for the film

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George Clooney Slams Hedge Fund Honcho Dan Loeb

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grant heslov george clooney

George Clooney, who yesterday sent his Smokehouse Pictures partner Grant Heslov to Hollywood to show Sony and Fox a first cut of their Oscar-season period film "The Monuments Men," has spent most of his career navigating the challenge of making provocative movies at studios obsessed with tent poles.

While he’s won Oscars — the latest the Best Picture prize he shared with Heslov and producer-director Ben Affleck for "Argo" — Clooney is also the guy who kept a photo of himself as Batman prominently displayed on his office wall, as a cautionary reminder of what can happen when you make movies solely for commercial reasons.

Working on post-production for his latest directing effort in Italy to ready for Sony’s December 18 release, Clooney spoke to me about his new movie and how it’s getting harder to make films like "Monuments," "Argo" and the Smokehouse-produced "August: Osage County."

The discussion turned toward recent critical comments made by Third Point LLC hedge fund head Daniel Loeb and the pressure he is placing on Sony Pictures chiefs Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal, which is centered around the under-performing back-to-back summer films "After Earth" and "White House Down." Loeb, whose fund controls 7% of Sony stock, is pressing for Sony to spin off its entertainment assets and likened those misfires to historic flops "Waterworld" and "Ishtar." Though Clooney and Heslov base their Smokehouse Pictures banner at Sony, and Loeb’s influence is growing there, Clooney has never been shy about standing up to what he feels is wrong. So, buckle up.

Said Clooney:

“I’ve been reading a lot about Daniel Loeb, a hedge fund guy who describes himself as an activist but who knows nothing about our business, and he is looking to take scalps at Sony because two movies in a row underperformed? When does the clock stop and start for him at Sony? Why didn’t he include ‘Skyfall,’ the 007 movie that grossed a billion dollars, or ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ or ‘Django Unchained’?

“And what about the rest of a year that includes‘Elysium,’ ‘Captain Phillips,’ ‘American Hustle’ and ‘The Monuments Men’? You can’t cherry pick a small time period and point to two films that didn’t do great. It makes me crazy. Fortunately, this business is run by people who understand that the movie business ebbs and flows and the good news is they are ignoring his calls to spin off the entertainment assets.

“How any hedge fund guy can call for responsibility is beyond me, because if you look at those guys, there is no conscience at work. It is a business that is only about creating wealth, where when they fail, they get bailed out and where nobody gets fired. A guy from a hedge fund entity is the single least qualified person to be making these kinds of judgments, and he is dangerous to our industry.”

the monuments men george clooney

Why is he dangerous?

“[Loeb] calls himself an activist investor, and I would call him a carpetbagger, and one who is trying to spread a climate of fear that pushes studios to want to make only tent poles,” Clooney said. He continued:

“Films likeMichael Clayton,’ ‘Out of Sight,’ ‘Good Night, And Good Luck,’ ‘The Descendants’ and ‘O, Brother Where Art Though’? — none of these are movies studios are inclined to make. What he’s doing is scaring studios and pushing them to make decisions from a place of fear. Why is he buying stock like crazy if he’s so down on things? He’s trying to manipulate the market. I am no apologist for the studios, but these people know what they are doing. If you look at the industry track record, this business has made a lot of money. It creates a lot of jobs and is still one of the largest exporters in the world. To have this guy portraying it that Sony management is the bad stepchild and doesn’t know what it is doing and he’s going to fix it? That is like Walmart saying, let me fix your town, putting in their store, strangling all the small shops and getting everyone who worked in them to work for minimum wage with no health insurance.

“It’s crazy he has weight in this conversation at all,” Clooney continued. “If guys like this are given any weight because they’ve bought stock and suddenly feel they can tell us how to do our business — one he knows nothing about — this does great damage than trickles down. The board of directors starts saying, ‘Wait a minute. What guarantee do you have that this movie makes money?’ Well, there are no guarantees, but if you average out the films Will Smith and Channing Tatum have made, you will take that bet every time, even if sometimes it just doesn’t work out.”

Clooney also said he believes that down the line both films have a chance to be a wash. Clooney was particularly sensitive on the subject of job creation.

“Hedge fund guys do not create jobs, and we do,” he said. “On the movie we just made, we put 300 people to work every day. I’m talking about nice, regular people, and when we shot in a town, we’d put another 300 people to work. This is an industry that thrives; there are thousands of workers who make films. You want to see what happens if outside forces start to scare the industry and studios just to make tent poles out of fear? You will see a lot of crap coming out.”

the monuments men george clooneyPhew! Despite the Loeb rant, Clooney was in a good mood after completing a WWII period drama he said went well, despite what he called “the worst winter weather that Germany had in about 150 years.” Clooney and Heslov wrote the script for a fact-based film about how a crew of art historians and museum curators united in a race to uncover renowned art works that were looted by the Nazis. The ticking clock was, Hitler was going to destroy them as the Third Reich tried to cover the tracks of a murderous regime during the final chapter of Germany’s rule.

Clooney and Heslov (both of whom produced) got a killer cast. Besides Clooney, the film stars Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman and Jean Dujardin. Daniel Craig is also in the film, though not as prominently as was expected because he spent so much time making and promoting “Skyfall” that he told Clooney his wife, actress Rachel Weisz, would kill him if he didn’t go home.

“After we wrapped ‘The Ides Of March,’ we were going through our slate to find what’s next and I asked Grant, what do we have that is not so cynical, and not questioning the rights and wrongs of the world,” Clooney said. “He said, we don’t have anything like that. But he’d read this book ‘The Monuments Men’ at the airport. We thought it could be a really great old-fashioned number where you put a gang together to go after the greatest art archives in the world, these six million pieces stolen by Hitler, who serves as the ultimate bad guy. It was an untold story of World War II, and those don’t come around often. We pitched it to Sony and they came aboard right away, and everything along the way went smoothly, which never happens. It will come out two years after we first pitched it.”

The film has a $75 million budget, and Clooney said it came in $5 million under and five days early. “That means more money for music and CGI, because in post you always get surprised,” he said. There was plenty of good will on the set, and even pranks that are part and parcel of movie sets where Clooney and Damon dwell together.

the monuments men george clooney“Matt was rushing to lose weight, and I’d have the wardrobe people take in his uniform every day, so that no matter how much he was losing, the clothes felt tight on him,” Clooney said. “There was a real family feeling. I have known John Goodman since I was the seventh banana on ‘Roseanne’ and to have him come over, and to work for the first time with Bill Murray, who’s a close friend, and Cate and Matt, was incredible. Jean Dujardin was great. I’d only met him at awards shows, when I told him early on that he might win the Oscar for ‘The Artist’ if he learned English, which maybe I shouldn’t have said [Clooney lost to Dujardin for his perf in ‘The Descendants’]. Matt, Bill and John would often come to the set even when they weren’t shooting and when we had a snowstorm, they were right there, picking up camera cases and helping to move craft services.”

Even though Clooney acknowledges that $75 million is generous for a studio-made film that isn’t based on a comic book, he feels they got a lot of bang for the buck with star power and staging a period film in Europe. Part of that is because he hasn’t taken an upfront salary forever, something that has become commonplace in the business and is evidence that Loeb’s criticism of fiscal irresponsibility at Sony isn’t recognizing the whole picture.

perfect storm trouble danger george clooney mark walberg“The last time I got paid full freight was "The Perfect Storm," when I had no back end,” he said. “From then on, I’ve taken a minor partial upfront payment and gambled on the back end on all my movies. Some have underperformed, but they have never been designed for huge grosses. I’ve gambled and invested as much as a studio; if they’re making a film for $15 million and I put my $7.5 million in the pot, we’re all investors who are staked in its performance. I’m comfortable with that.”

Clooney noted how well that strategy worked for his pal Steven Soderbergh, who teamed with Channing Tatum to personally underwrite the budget of "Magic Mike." The film was a big hit, a sequel is in the works, and so is a Broadway musical. Soderbergh told me at Cannes that his wager should result in the biggest payday of his career.

“What a way for Steven to go out, at the end of his movie career he hits the jackpot,” Clooney said. “I watched so many times as he gave back money and percentages to get actors. I applaud both Steven and Channing.”

I reached out to Third Point, and if there is any response by Loeb to Clooney’s assessment, I will add it after Third Point has a chance to absorb the story.

SEE ALSO: George Clooney Movie About International Space Station Disaster Looks Intense

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Simon Cowell Jokes About Cheating Scandal: 'I Haven't Read The Newspapers, Am I Missing Something?'

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Simon Cowell

Just as Simon Cowell is embroiled in a cheating scandal after impregnating his married friend's wife, the "X Factor" judge was slated to appear at Fox's Summer Television Critics Association tour in Beverly Hills. 

Perfect timing to place himself at the center of a media firestorm.

During the panel discussion Thursday talking about his reality competition show, one reporter shouted to Cowell"Congratulations on the addition!" to which Cowell teasingly responded, "The new baby. Were you as surprised by the news as we were?"

"I haven't read the newspapers. Am I missing something?" Cowell continued to joke with reporters. "Sorry. Unfortunately, I have to keep this private for the moment. It's just one of those things, but thank you anyway."

Later, another reporter asked how the female judges (Kelly Rowland, Paulina Rubio, Demi Lovato) feel Simon would fare as a father.

"No comment," Lovato shot out. "That was clever," Cowell responded with a smirk.

"There are a lot of things I will eventually clear up when the time is right," Cowell explained. "I really have to be sensitive here because there are a lot of people's feelings involved."

Cowell was accused of adultery in his pregnant girlfriend's divorce docs, filed by his former friend, Andrew Silverman. 

When asked if he could tell E! Online how he's feeling about becoming a father, Cowell responded, "I would love to, but I have to respect a lot of other people's feelings."

As for the the latest season of "X Factor" — what he was actually there to talk about — Cowell also addressed the show's prize money being lowered from $5 million to $1 million.

“We got to a point where it was almost too much,” he said. “We want artists to be artists. The prize is now $1 million, and they still get a Sony recording contract.”

THE BACKSTORY: Simon Cowell Is Having A Baby With The Wife Of A NYC Real Estate Mogul

THE LATEST: Simon Cowell Accused Of Adultery In Pregnant Girlfriend's Divorce Docs

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Prince George's Birth Certificate Lists Parents' Jobs As 'Prince And Princess'

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You saw the hospital where Prince George was born, his first baby photos, the birth announcement on an easel outside of Buckingham Palace, so why shouldn't you also see the heir to the throne's birth certificate?

Clarence House tweeted an image of the official document, with the caption "The birth certificate for His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge has been signed."

William signed his son’s birth certificate, which lists the mother as “Catherine Elizabeth.”

Their occupations? “Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom.”

Check out the document below: 

Prince George Birth Certificate

SEE ALSO: ROYAL LINE OF SUCCESSION: Here's Where William And Kate's Baby Ranks

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Novice Writer's Sci-Fi TV Script Is So Good That It's Sparked A Huge Network Bidding War

BLACKOUT: This Is What CBS Looks Like In New York Right Now For Time Warner Subscribers (CBS)

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CBS and Time Warner Cable have failed to come to agreement regarding fees to retransmit content.

So when Time Warner subscribers turn to CBS in New York City,  Dallas and Los Angeles, you get a blue screen with the following message from Time Warner, which calls CBS' demands "outrageous."

"The second-largest U.S. cable company said CBS was asking for retransmission fees 600 percent higher than the network's affiliates in other markets receive for the same programming," reports Bloomberg's Alex Sherman and Edmund Lee.

Showtime, TMC and a couple of other channels are also going dark.

Bloomberg says more than 3 million subscribers will be affected.

2013 08 02 17.15.58

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AD OF THE DAY: James Franco get Punched In The Face

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James Franco will be Comedy Central's next punching bag.

The Comedy Central Roast of Jame Franco will tape this month in Los Angeles and premiere Labor Day on the network. The roast already has an official Twitter hashtag (#FrancoRoast) and this short commercial to entice viewers.

In the mean time, everyone can enjoy this short clip of Franco's face getting pummeled. It gets better: the clip is in slow motion. Enjoy.

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'Sherlock' Returns In First Teaser Trailer For Season 3

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We've been waiting a long time for this.

BBC One has revealed the first teaser trailer for season 3 of "Sherlock."

We see a glimpse of a few of the characters — Martin Freeman (John) is showing off a mustache — but don't expect much more.

Just hearing the theme song gets us excited.

Last week, it was revealed that Lars Mikkelsen will join the cast as a new nemesis for Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Season 3 of "Sherlock" is expected to air in the U.K. later this year while a U.S. premiere date is set for 2014.

The following trailer was accompanied by the teaser line: "Sherlock returns but will things ever be the same again?"

Earlier this week, Sherlock fan site Sherlockology created a Twitter around the hashtag #SherlockR3VEALED to get others excited for the teaser.

For the past week, they released daily ads that looked produced by BBC themselves.

Sherlockology explained the intent behind the teasers on its site:

"We were informed in advance by the BBC of the intent to run a promotional trailer at the conclusion of the repeat airing of The Reichenbach Fall, and so with the blessing of Sherlock producer Sue Vertue devised a simple and mysterious countdown campaign to run across our social media sites. We launched with five pictures from Monday, with the expectation that it would countdown to the number 1 on Friday - instead, the final image revealed the time that The Reichenbach Fall would air at 20:30BST."

Here are the teasers:

sherlock teaser

sherlock teaser

sherlock teaser

sherlock

sherlock teaser

More "Sherlock": Check out the man who will play next season's villain

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Books to Read in 2013 Before They're Made Into Movies

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hunger games catching fire trailerReading will always keep you ahead of the curve movie-wise.

Not only are novels an age-old inspiration for film, they're the best special feature available! Forget about DVD commentary and featurettes.

The best way to learn about your favorite film is to go to the source before you see it.

"The Spectacular Now" by Tim Tharp

Screen adaptation: "The Spectacular Now"

Release date: August 2, 2013

Starring: Shailene WoodleyMiles TellerKyle ChandlerJennifer Jason Leigh

The National Book Award finalist was adapted by the "(500) Days of Summer" guys and the film was lauded at Sundance this year.



"The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2)" by Rick Riordan

Screen adaptation: "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters"

Release date: August 9, 2013

Starring: Logan LermanAlexandra DaddarioNathan FillionBrandon T. Jackson

The book series has been on the "New York Times" Best Seller list since 2011 and has even spawned a video game.



"City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, Book 1)" by Cassandra Clare

Screen adaptation: "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones"

Release date: August 23, 2013

Starring: Lily CollinsJamie Campbell BowerRobert SheehanJemima West

Another best-selling young adult series, "The Mortal Instruments" books are a reworking of Clare's Harry Potter fan fiction, "The Draco Trilogy."



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PARODY: Woody Allen Turns Wolverine Into A Neurotic Jew Who Can't Pop Claws Under Pressure

5 Reasons To Get Even More Pumped For Shark Week

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shark week paul walker

Starting Sunday, Shark Week is upon us. 

In its 26th year celebrating all things "Jaws"-related, Discovery Channel packs an exciting line-up of shark educational programming, survivor tales, and celebrity appearances by Snuffy the Seal.

Here are 5 Shark Week events to get mega-excited for:

5.  Paul Walker makes an appearance.

"Fast and Furious" actor Paul Walker, who studied marine biology in college, will appear in the "Spawn of Jaws" special. Using state of the art tracking technology, a team of scientists — plus Walker — search for the elusive Great White shark breeding grounds. Tuesday, August 6, at 10|9C

4. Shark Attack mysteries solved.

Natural history producer Jeff Kurr — whose 2011 special "Air Jaws" was nominated for any Emmy — is back with "Great White Serial Killer." Kurr examines evidence from two fatal shark attacks near Vandenberg Air Force base in California to determine if the same shark is the culprit. Wednesday, August 7, at 10|9C

Shark Week

3. Scary-close video footage of sharks.

Discovery presents: The puppy cam for sharks. A robotic submarine films Great White sharks off the coast of Cape Cod, the setting for "Jaws." Highlights include close-up footage of a 17-foot Great White hunting seals, shot over five hours. Monday, August 5, at 9|8C

2." Shark After Dark" the talk show.

Comedian Josh Wolf hosts Shark Week's first late-night talk show, "Shark After Dark." The hour-long show features memorable clips from the last 26 years, celebrity guests and shark experts, and previews of next-day programming. Every Night, Beginning August 4, at 11|10C

1. "Top 10 Sharkdown" of the most ruthless sharks.

If you think Great Whites are old news, the "Top 10 Sharkdown" is for you. This countdown introduces the most dangerous sharks — and the ones you're most likely to encounter. There's a species whose cannibalistic young eat each other in the womb. Wednesday, August 7, at 9|8C

Here's the full Shark Week line-up.

SEE ALSO: VW Turned A Beetle Into An Underwater 'Flying' Shark Cage For Shark Week

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11 Movie Titles That Give Away The Ending

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saving private ryan tom hanksIn today's age of social media and rapid Internet buzz, so much is made of not ruining a movie for those who have yet to see it.

But when it comes to some films, the giveaway is right in the title.

"The Shawshank Redemption"

Through the whole of "Shawshank," we root for Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) to be awarded the justice he so rightly deserves after being wrongfully incarcerated for the murder of his wife, and we are elated when it finally comes to him in the form of poo-filled escape.

But why?

We should have known all along things would work out for Andy. Redemption was always the film's destiny.



"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"

Not only is this title a mouthful, but it tells you exactly what's coming in the end in explicit detail.

Attach yourself to Brad Pitt all you want, but he's going to die in the end, and you already know who kills him.



"Free Willy"

Whether you read the title as a command or a descriptive name, the conclusion is the same: Willy is going to be free.

The title should have saved those millions of tears doubting children shed at the thought of Willy's eternal captivity, but it didn't.



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9 Things 'Starship Troopers' Correctly Predicted About Today's Tech

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Starship Troopers video messaging

"Starship Troopers" has pretty much everything you want from a satirical science-fiction action flick.

There's the over-the-top action, with guns that hold seemingly infinite ammo.

There's the incredibly cheesy dialogue, with such gems as, "The only good bug is a dead bug!"

And then there's the awesome technology that the makers predicted we'd have in the future.

While much of it's still in the realm of fantasy — like faster-than-light space travel — the movie also predicted many things that are already part of our everyday tech.

All of the students in Starship Troopers use tablet computers (though they're still as thick as tech from the 90s)



Based on the stylus, it looks like the Surface Pro beats the iPad in the Starship Troopers universe.



The movie's government ads are a pretty accurate portrayal of today's visual web, using a combination of interactive links and videos.



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27 Photos Of Life In 2154, According To Futuristic 'Elysium'

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matt neill blomkamp

Sony's much-anticipated thriller "Elysium" comes out in theaters this weekend.

Set in the year 2154, the plot revolves around the conflict existing between the wealthy people of man-made space station, Elysium and the poor left to live on overpopulated Earth.

Director Neill Blomkamp ("District 9") has said the perfect world on Elysium was inspired by the Stanford Torus, a design considered by NASA in 1975 in part with Stanford University to house 10,000 to 140,000 residents in space.

"Back in the '70s, people were actually discussing the idea of leaving Earth and building space stations for us to potentially live on one day," says Blomkamp. "One of the top answers to that challenge was the Stanford Torus. I like the idea of taking this well-known concept and caking it with wealth, diamonds, and Bel Air-style mansions."

Sony Pictures released a ton of new promotional stills for the film in the past week highlighting a multinational cast led by Matt Damon and featuring Mexican star Diego Luna along with Brazilian talent Alice Braga and Wagner Moura.

Matt Damon looks nearly unrecognizable as tattoo-heavy, ex-con man Max DeCosta.



In 2154, he lives in overpopulated, destitute, and crime-ridden Los Angeles, portrayed by Mexico City in the film.

(Source: "Elysium" production notes)



The wealthy live here, in space station Elysium.



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South Korea Is Upset About Obama Lifting Ban On Some iPad And iPhone Models

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obama on phone

SEOUL (Reuters) - The South Korean government on Monday expressed concerns about the decision by the United States to overrule a sales ban of some Apple Inc <AAPL.O> models.

The Obama administration vetoed a U.S. trade panel's ban on the import and sale of some older iPhones and iPads, reversing a ruling that had favored South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS> over Apple in their long-running patent battle. The move was vehemently criticized by the South Korean media as "protectionism."

"We express concerns about the negative impact that such a decision would have on the protection of patent rights," the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy, said in a statement.

The ministry called on the U.S. trade body and the Obama administration to make "fair and reasonable decisions" as Samsung faces a decision on Friday as to whether some of its phones and tablets infringed on Apple's patents and should be banned from imports into the United States.

Apple and Samsung, the world's top two smartphones makers, have been waging a global patent war since 2011, filing multiple lawsuits against each other over the design, interface and technology of their devices.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in June banned the import and sale of the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 3G and iPad 2 3G distributed by AT&T Inc <T.N>, saying the devices infringed on one patent owned by the South Korean electronics giant.

Samsung had also accused Apple of infringing on three other patents, but the ITC found that Apple did not infringe those. A Samsung spokesman said on Monday the electronics giant in July appealed the ITC decision on the three patents.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Matt Driskill)

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'2 Guns' Easily Fires Past 'The Smurfs' — Here's Your Box-Office Roundup

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denzel mark 2 guns

Now that the majority of summer movies have slowed down, it was a slow box-office weekend at theaters. 

Neil Patrick Harris and smurfs returned to theaters while Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington blew up the big screen with "2 Guns."

Last week's big winners "The Wolverine" and "The Conjuring" continue to hold their own with viewers.

Out of the top ten this week are Universal's comic adaptation of "R.I.P.D." After three weekends, the $130 million budget film has earned $48.8 million at theaters.

The Weinstein Company's "Fruitvale Station" dropped 41% earning $2.7 million.

Here are this week's winners and losers in Hollywood:

10. Rounding out the top ten "Pacific Rim" earns $4.6 million in week four. Guillermo del Toro's monster and robot film may have earned less than $100 million domestically, but the film is making a killing overseas having earned more than $200 million. The film's overseas success has sparked rumors of a sequel, which wouldn't be a surprise considering del Toro always hinted toward the film being a series.

9. "The Heat" moves down one spot earning another $4.7 million. After a month and a half in theaters, the comedy has earned $186.3 million for Fox.

8. "Red 2" drops two spots at theaters with $5.7 million. Bruce Willis' sequel to his 2010 film is tracking behind the original. "Red 2" has earned $78.6 million worldwide.

7. DreamWorks Animation's "Turbo" dropped more than 53% and three spots at theaters earning $6.4 million. The animated flick, which cost an estimated $135 million to produce, has earned $125 million worldwide. The film isn't doing as well over seas ($55.3 million) as it has domestically ($69 million). That's not good news for DWA.

6. Adam Sandler's "Grown Ups 2" is still doing well in theaters taking in another $8.1 million after four weeks. The sequel has earned $137.9 million at theaters.

5. Universal just announced "Despicable Me 2" is its most profitable movie ever. After five weeks in theaters, it's still bringing in $10.4 million. Gru and his minions have brought in $713.7 million worldwide.

4. Warner Bros. horror film "The Conjuring" moves down two spots earning $13.7 million. Forget about last month's underwhelming opening for "Pacific Rim." The $20 million film has earned $137.2 million at theaters worldwide.

3. "The Smurfs 2" did not bring in a big haul for Sony Pictures with $18.2 million. That's the smallest opening for a film geared towards kids this year behind DreamWorks Animation's snail film "Turbo" ($21 million). 2011's "Smurfs" debuted to $35.6 million. Early estimates pegged the film to bring in near $30 million.

2. "The Wolverine" just beat out the blue smurfs with $21.7 million in week two. That's nearly a 60% drop from last week. Hugh Jackman's sixth time as Logan is earning more than 60% of its $254 million earnings over seas.

1. Despite some lousy critic reviews, people wanted to see Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg banter in "2 Guns." The Universal film earned $27.4 million, slightly below analyst expectations of more than $30 million.

SEE ALSO: Photos of futuristic life in "Elysium"

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Jason Bateman, Ed Helms, And Jason Sudeikis Star In Mumford & Sons Music Video

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mumford & sons hopeless wanderer parody

The newest Mumford & Sons music video features Jason Bateman, Ed Helms, and "Saturday Night Live" alumni Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte parodying the band in all their bearded, banjo-playing, hipster glory.

The "Hopeless Wanderer," off the Babel album, has picked up more than 230,000 views since it was uploaded to YouTube Sunday night.

In the video, the comedians — wearing vests, suspenders, and facial hair — rock out on dusty dirt paths and in a dimly lit barn. There are tears, booze, and a makeout scene.

Watch the hilarious video below: 

SEE ALSO: Jason Sudeikis Credits His Recent Weight Loss To Sex With Fiancé Olivia Wilde

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The New 'Thor: The Dark World' Poster Looks Exactly Like The One For 'Iron Man 3'

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Disney and Marvel released a new poster for "Thor: The Dark World" late last week.

The poster isn't anything special. It shows off Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and his lady friend Jane (Natalie Portman) front and center, and highlights prominent villains creeping ominously in the background along with a slew of secondary and tertiary characters.

However, the poster does feel awfully similar to another Marvel-themed poster from earlier this year.

First, check out the new "Thor" poster below:

thor the dark world poster

Now, take a look at one of Disney and Marvel's posters for "Iron Man 3":

iron man 3 poster

Let's take a closer look.

Both women are clinging close lead men Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr. Also note that their glances are in opposite directions.

thor iron man 3 pose

The villains are prominently displayed in the background. We're still unsure of Loki's intentions in the upcoming "Thor."

thor iron man villains

Sidekicks and allies are featured on the side.

thor iron man allies

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

"Thor: The Dark World" comes to theaters November 8. A new trailer for the film debuts Wednesday.

SEE ALSO: 5 actors making a comeback this year

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Vin Diesel Fights Off Aliens In New 'Riddick' Trailer

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After a redband trailer— one for mature audiences — was released last month for "Riddick" at Comic-Con, Regal Entertainment has revealed a new trailer to the 2004 sequel, "Chronicles of Riddick."

Director David Twohy once again  brings Vin Diesel back to the big screen as cult favorite antihero Riddick. This time, Riddick has to fight against aliens while stranded on a deserted planet. He also has to get past a group of surly bounty hunters.

It's taken some time for this third film to get brought to the big screen. It was originally thought the film would be a low-budget, indie, before Universal announced it would distribute.

The last film, "Chronicles of Riddick" earned $115 million worldwide more than ten years ago on an estimated $105 million budget.

 The latest trailer is basically an extended version of the redband trailer from last week with a lot less blood.

"Riddick" is in theaters September 6.

More "Riddick": Check out the red band trailer

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Kristen Bell Cast As Amy Poehler Character In 'Parks And Recreation' Alternate Reality Episode

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leslie kristen bell parks and recreation cast

"Parks and Recreation" has a sixth-season episode in the works that takes place in a crazy alternate universe: Eagleton, Indiana.

Eagleton is the elite, waspy suburb that neighbors the characters' hometown of Pawnee.

The episode's cast includes Kristen Bell as Leslie Knope, "The Big Lebowski's" Sam Elliot as Ron Swanson, and Funny Or Die's Billy Eichner as Donna Meagle, according to Vulture.

Here's Leslie Knope explaining the bad blood between Eagleton and Pawnee:

SEE ALSO: Amy Poehler Casts 'Game Of Thrones' With 'Parks And Rec' Characters

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