We’ve got at least eight reasons for you to look forward to what’s to come in the movie industry in this week’s Movie News Cheat Sheet. First, and most obvious, Lionsgate is on the hunt for a director to helm the Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire, and they’ve come up with a pretty intriguing list of options. In other sequel news, that Sin City follow-up is finally underway and, supposedly, many of the original stars are expected to return. We’ve actually got some rumblings in the land of original material, too. There are two intern-related films going into production, The Intern starring Tina Fey and The Internship with Owen Wilson  [ Read More ]

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are engaged after seven years of dating and six children together, USA Today is reporting. The Academy Award-nominated actor’s rep, Cynthia Pett-Dante, confirmed the news in a statement, saying “Yes, it’s confirmed. It is a promise for the future, and their kids are very happy. There’s no date set at this time.” Beverly Hills jeweler Robert Procop also confirmed that he helped Pitt design a custom diamond engagement ring for Jolie. The Oscar-winning actress sported a massive diamond ring on Wednesday as she visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Art with Pitt. Procop released a statement, saying Pitt oversaw every aspect of the creative  [ Read More ]

‘Lara Croft’ and ‘Wanted’ actress Angelina Jolie and her ex-husband actor Billy Bob Thornton of Sling Blade fame have teamed up, with Jolie working on Thornton’s book, ‘The Billy Bob Tapes: A Cave Full of Ghosts’. Previously married from 2000 through 2003, before Jolie got together with actor Brad Pitt, Angelina penned the foreword for her ex-husband’s upcoming May release. The book follows the “colorful tales of [Thornton's] modest Southern upbringing, his bizarre phobias, his life, his loves (including his heartbreakingly brief marriage to fellow Oscar winner Angelina Jolie), and, of course, his movie career.” Recently speaking to the press, Billy Bob says that they may have split and now  [ Read More ]

Angelina Jolie has been added to the list of presenters at the 84th annual Academy Awards, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer have confirmed. The Oscar winner, who made her directorial and writing debut this year with ‘In the Land of Blood and Honey,’ joins already announced presenters Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Lopez and the Academy Award-nominated cast of ‘Bridesmaids.’ The 84th Academy Awards, which will honor film achievements from 2011, will be telecast live on ABC on Sunday, February 26 at 8:30 pm EST/5:30 PST. It will be held at the Kodak Theatre from the Hollywood & Highland Center in Los Angeles, and  [ Read More ]

You might have recently read a post on ShockYa about a big opportunity to be able to ask questions to Angelina Jolie about her directorial debut in “In the Land of Blood and Honey.” Well, today is the day! At 5 p.m. PST/8 p.m. EST tonight, Jan. 12, Jolie will be on hand to answer questions from fans about what it was like to direct the film, which, according to the official synopsis, tells the story of the relationship of two people involved in the Bosnian War: “Set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that tore the Balkan region apart in the 1990s, In the Land of Blood and  [ Read More ]

In honor of Angelina Jolie’s writing and directing debut, the über famous actress is holding a live Q&A session. See the application below? It’s got a countdown to the January 12th Q&A for In the Land of Blood and Honey, Jolie’s film about a Bosnian Serb at the helm of a prison camp and a Muslim artist taken prisoner during the Bosnian War. Come January 12th, Jolie will be right here to answer your questions live. Now the question is, how do you get Angelina to answer one of your questions? It’s actually pretty easy and also offers you the opportunity to get an In the Land of Blood and  [ Read More ]

Elizabeth Mitchell is the sort of actress whose statuesque beauty (she’s 5’9″) has allowed her to be cast both by and against type. She made out with Angelina Jolie in the HBO movie “Gia,” made a much more unsettling impression in Wayne Kramer’s creepy “Running Scared,” and then enjoyed a healthy run as Juliet Burke on the small screen smash hit “Lost.” She’s now moved on to “V,” and is also part of the ensemble cast of writer-director Matthew Leutwyler’s “Answers To Nothing,” in which she plays a woman trying to get pregnant with a husband (Dane Cook) that she doesn’t know is cheating on her. ShockYa recently had a chance  [ Read More ]

Think about how many new movies hit the big screen a weekend. Must be a lot of films in the works at once, right? Most certainly and this edition of the Movie News Cheat Sheet is a testament to that. We’ve got a handful of casting updates including the possibility of Joseph Gordon-Levitt joining Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained as well as news that Steven Soderbergh might have finally found his Man from U.N.C.L.E., Bradley Cooper. Word also arrived that MGM might pick up Eminem’s Southpaw after the production was dropped by DreamWorks while Universal moves forward with its Battlestar Galactica feature by hiring a writer. But, of course, we’ve also  [ Read More ]

Title: Jane’s Journey Director: Lorenz Knauer If one were to ruminate on the equivalent of a Mother Teresa-type figure for the advocacy of natural animal research and wildlife conservation, it would likely be Dr. Jane Goodall, a world-famous icon known for her groundbreaking scientific field work accrued while living amongst chimpanzees in Africa. Directed by Lorenz Knauer, the documentary “Jane’s Journey” offers up a biographical snapshot of both the personal and professional Goodall. Inclusive of some compelling piecemeal details, it’s a film that’s hard to assail with much enthusiasm or gusto, but the truth is that it’s an awkward and generally unfocused mash-up of mixed perspectives and mission statements. It’s hard to believe, but  [ Read More ]

Julian Schnabel’s background as a painter and artist lends his films an undeniable quality lacking in not only many Hollywood studio films but most modern films in general — the ability to summon emotional connection through a sort of dreamlike, non-pandering visual subjectivity. He puts that same evocative stamp on his latest film, Miral, a look at the generations-old Israeli/Palestinian conflict, but it isn’t enough to save what is an inert, self-important script. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Rula Jebreal, Miral opens in 1948, with Hind Husseini (Hiam Abbas) coming across and rescuing more than four dozen orphaned kids in East Jerusalem. In the midst of  [ Read More ]

Title: Blu-ray Review: Original Sin Directed by: Michael Cristofer Starring: Antonio Banderas, Angelina Jolie, Jack Thompson and Thomas Jane Running time: 118 minutes, Unrated MGM has released the 2001 steamy thriller Original Sin onto Blu-ray. It is the story of a wealthy Cuban coffee merchant in the late 19th century that orders an American mail-order bride whom he had only communicated through letters and photographs, and when she arrives she is not the same person. She alleges she sent false photographs so he would not be captivated by only her beauty. Their early days as man and wife are passionate, however he soon discovers it was all just a ruse  [ Read More ]

Title: Kung Fu Panda 2 Director: Jennifer Yuh Starring the voices of: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, David Cross, Lucy Liu, Michelle Yeoh, James Hong Though the first installment never fully captured this guy’s attention, “Kung Fu Panda 2″ actually had me yearning for more. When taking that feeling into account, the only true disappointment to note here is that the flick barely runs 90 minutes. Every animated-action engagement felt climatic from the get-go. The landscape this adventure was placed upon will give audiences an eye-gasm. With all that praise being said, there isn’t a ton of laughter that will be flying out  [ Read More ]

The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision is reporting today that Tim Burton is no longer attached to Disney’s live-action “Maleficent” project. “Maleficent” will tell the evil witch’s side of the popular “Sleeping Beauty” story. The project is currently being developed as a film for Angelina Jolie to star. At one point, Burton was so heavily into the project that Disney had reteamed him with the “Alice in Wonderland” screenwriter Linda Woolverton, who also penned the script for “The Lion King”. Disney isn’t going to let the film go to waste; the studio is currently looking for another director. The one they have their eyes on right now, according to the article,  [ Read More ]

Hey there, Shockya.com readers. Have a good week? There are tons of great things happening in the film industry right now from new and impressive trailers to a thriving prominent film festival and some on-the-nose casting decisions. We’ve got updates on The Expendables 2, Final Destination 5, The Hunger Games and so much more. Want to know more? You know what to do; check out this week’s Movie News Cheat Sheet! 1. Expendables 2 Poster and Synopsis: Just because The Expendables 2 still lacks a director and cast doesn’t mean it can’t have a poster and synopsis, right? This time last year, Expendables banners decorated the streets of Cannes and  [ Read More ]

Dreamworks released this brand new TV spot for the upcoming film “Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom” aka Kung Fu Panda 2 by director Jennifer Yuh (Spawn) and starring Angelina Jolie (The Tourist, Salt, Wanted), Jack Black (The Muppets, Gulliver’s Travels), Seth Rogen (Take This Waltz, Rock of Ages, Paul), Gary Oldman, Dustin Hoffman, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Liu and Jackie Chan. Click Here for more photos, news and movie trailers from Kung Fu Panda 2. Synopsis: Po is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five – Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper  [ Read More ]