Today's Movie Stories on the Internets

Natalie Portman has been cast in Thor. Whoa. That's a shocker. I was planning to not take that film very seriously. I guess I've got to now. Here's her involvement, per Marvel:

In the early "Thor" comics, Jane Foster was a nurse who became Thor's first love. The character will be updated for the feature adaptation. Portman will star opposite Chris Hemsworth who will play Thor and Tom Hiddleston who will play the villain Loki. Kenneth Branagh will direct the film. Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige will produce "Thor." Principal photography for the film is set for early 2010. The film will be released in the US on May 20, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

I wouldn't think Ms. Portman would get involved without a decent story ... but then again Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace happened.

What's your take?

Next up, LatinoReview with a look at the Director's Cut of Watchmen.

What I'm Seeing This Week
It's a very Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince week. Tonight's festivities are at the always fun Cinerama. I'm also hoping to catch Kevin Spacey's Shrink on Wednesday, schedule permitting.

What I Saw Last Week
Bruno (which I reviewed) and I Love You, Beth Cooper which I didn't review ... but I wholeheartedly stand behind Eric's take on the situation. Just an abysmal effort.

Press Releases of Note
Gotta promote the always awesome IESB.net party at Comic-Con, beautifully named "Wrath of Con." Some huge names could show up -- Ryan Reynolds, Zack Snyder, Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Zachary Levi, and Katee Sackoff to name a few. Epic stuff. I'll be there too, though you won't recognize me. I'm the very definition of nondescript -- per my early years training in the CIA.

Deep Thought of the Week
I'm dispirited that Brothers Bloom never went wide. It made a very quiet three million dollars, never garnering more than 202 theaters (compared to a wide release which gets 2,500 - 4,000). So what happened? Was the marketing off? Do people not want to see adult-style comedy/drama? It's confounding. Rian Johnson will win an Academy Award at some point in his career, and the film showed off great actors doing solid work. I'm all for the huge blockbusters -- they have their time and place -- but we've seemingly lost the middle market for film somewhere. We've got Oscar season (Sep - Jan) and blockbuster season (May - Aug). Everything else is a dumping ground, and only five months of the year are considered acceptable for movies that don't have explosions.

Early Box Office Take
The public is hungry for Harry Potter. You can feel it on the wind. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix took in $62.5 million on its opening Wednesday and Thursday of July 2007. You can expect even more than that for this version. I think $70 million, easy, domestically on the opening days of Half-Blood Prince.

Videos For You
Justin Luey made me realize I'd forgotten The Tragically Hip via his Phil Hendrie Show Flashback.
Warning: language

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