It’s a light day here at Movie Morsels as Hollywood begins to shut down for the holiday season. But we’ve still got a few tidbits for you. Chief among them — the first still from Jurassic World to feature one of the movie’s raptors, alongside star Chris Pratt, natch. Plus, the Alamo Drafthouse finds a suitable sing-a-long substitute for the The Interview, The Big Lebowkski is recognized by the US government for being completely awesome, and someone built the world’s most adorable Star Wars: The Force Awakens ornament!
Jurassic World
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new still from next summer’s Jurassic World. (Or, as I like to call, it Star-Lord v Dinosaurs: Dawn of Justice!) Director Colin Trevorrow tweeted the above pic of Chris Pratt and one of the film’s raptors yesterday, adding âHappy Holidays from the editing room. Do not try this at home.â Jurassic World — which co-stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Jake Johnson, Nick Robinson, Irrfan Khan, Vincent DâOnofrio, BD Wong, Omar Sy, Judy Greer, Katie McGrath, Lauren Lapkus, and Andy Buckley — opens on June 12, 2015.
The Interview
No movie has made as many headlines lately as The Interview, the Seth Rogen and James Franco-starring comedy about a plot to kill North Korea’s fascist ruler Kim Jong-un. Amidst threatened attacks on theaters, Sony has pulled the film from release. But at least one theater chain in America is doing the only logical thing for its patrons. Texas film haven the Alamo Drafthouse will be offering a free screening of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s Team America: World Police — which mocks Kim’s father, the late Kim Jong-il — instead, at its Dallas Fort-Worth location on December 27th at 7 PM. And just to piss off North Korea a little more, the screening will be a sing-a-long.
Pyongyang
Unfortunately, Fox has followed Sony’s suit and refused to distribute another film focusing on North Korea, New Regency’s Steve Carell starrer Pyongyang, named after the country’s capital. The Gore Verbinski-directed film — based on the graphic novel by Guy Delisle — was to have begun production in the spring. It’s described as âa paranoid thriller about a Westernerâs experiences working in North Korea for a year.”
The Big Lebowski
The Dude abides! Each year, the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry inducts twenty-five new films it deems especially worthy of preservation, for being “culturally, historically or aestheticallyâ significant. The only stipulation is that the films chosen must be at least ten years old. This year, in addition to titles like director John Lasseterâs groundbreaking animated short Luxo Jr., Rosemary’s Baby, Rio Bravo, Saving Private Ryan, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, is none other than the Coen Brothers’ 1998 comedy masterpiece The Big Lebowski. Mark it, Dude!
[Variety]
The Damned
To the list of genre thrillers coming from Legendary Pictures — including Blackhat, Warcraft, Seventh Son, and director Guillermo del Toroâs Crimson Peak — we can now add one more: The Damned. The studio has just optioned the rights to author Andrew Pyper’s upcoming novel. The film will apparently be “an elevated supernatural thriller in the vein of The Sixth Sense or Jacobâs Ladder.” Another Pyper novel, The Demonologist, is in development at Universal.
[Deadline]
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Finally today… You can call it Ball Droid, you can call it BB-8, but some creative soul is calling it a Christmas ornament. And it’s *sniff* beautiful.
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What do you think of todayâs top stories? Let us know in the comments below.
Cowardice on the part of Sony and Fox. Why are we allowing some psychotic dictator’s hurt feelings to silence our speech? Fuck that guy. No, seriously – fuck that guy.
I think you’ll find that it’s his hurt feelings, nuclear warheads and likely insanity that are silencing our speech.
Sony isn’t afraid of NK, they’re afraid of American lawyers if anyone gets so much as the sniffles during a showing.
How is our speech silenced? The movies probably still going to be released via Itunes and more people will probably get it than would have before.
Theaters refusing to show the movie were probably worried about the threats of shootings. Completely understandable, remember the Dark knight?