Crisis, Schmisis: Wall Street Sequel Is on

(NEWSER) - Will Gordon Gecko have a change of heart? The fictional Wall Streeter who famously declared that "greed is good" in 1987 is returning to the big screen, Access Hollywood and Variety report. Michael Douglas and director Oliver Stone have signed on for the Wall Street sequel, which will catch up with Gecko upon his release from prison. Shia LaBeouf is expected to play a young trader. More»

Sundance speech gets testy

(NEWSER) - Spike Lee screened his latest film—Red Hook Summer, a quasi-sequel to Do the Right Thing—at the Sundance Film Festival last night, but what really got people talking was the profanity-laden tirade he delivered in the Q&A afterward. The fireworks started when surprise attendee Chris Rock stood up and asked how the movie would have been different if Lee had gone through a studio. "What else would have happened? Would you have blown up some shit?" he asked, according to the Wrap . More»

Ticket sales were down, and these movies help explain why

(NEWSER) - This was not a banner year for Hollywood, with domestic box office revenue down 4%, breaking a string of record highs. These films were part of the reason why. The Hollywood Reporter compiled a list of 2011's biggest flops, and there were some doozies—we've listed some of the standouts below. As you're looking at the numbers, remember that grosses are split with theaters, and that the budgets don't include marketing, so films that appear to have broken even are actually big losers. More»

Movies disappoint, but rarely go the way of Ishtar

(NEWSER) - It's rare these days to see a big-studio movie truly bomb, and that's a shame, laments Tom Shone of Slate . Sure, we get our share of misfires like Jonah Hex or The A-Team , but few reach the depths of those glorious financial busts of yesteryear like Ishtar, Waterworld, and Cutthroat Island—"the swashbuckler that derailed the careers of Renny Harlin, Geena Davis, and Matthew Modine—and the last film to actually force a movie studio to close, Heaven's Gate-style." More»

LA County cops warn public to be on high alert

(NEWSER) - Police have stepped up patrols at entertainment studios in the Los Angeles area following the weekend's attempted car bombing in Times Square. Law enforcement officials say that while they aren't aware of any new threats, they are remaining vigilant at sites linked to Comedy Central owners Viacom, which some suspect was the target of the attempted Manhattan attack. The public has been warned to be on the lookout for anything unusual. More»