Movies like “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” aren’t necessarily made for critics, who are frequently presumed to have it in for live-action family films, with their primary colors and jokey, obvious set-ups for the lowest common denominator. And director Mark Waters’ film, starring Jim Carrey as a realtor who inherits a half dozen penguins and finds his swank New York penthouse apartment turned into a raucous, chilly wonderland, is certainly not a subtle thing. But it is sweet, and has a heart, and it also benefits in comparison to many movies of its ilk by the use of actual real, live animals rather than talking critters or overly slick CGI creations. Based on the…

Title: Amigo Directed By: John Sayles Written By: John Sayles Cast: Garret Dillahunt, Joel Torres, Yul Vazquez, Chris Cooper, D.J. Qualls, Jemi Paretas Screened at: Review 1, NYC, 8/8/11 Opens: August 19, 2011 The press notes for “Amigo” state that the film is “a page torn from the untold history of the Philippines.” Hey, where does one find a page to tear if the history is untold? In fact, “untold” is hardly the case. Even in high school, textbooks deal with “The Aguinaldo Insurrection” as a result of America’s first attempt at a world-wide empire, an imperialistic thrust that launched a vigorous opposition from the likes of Mark Twain and…

Welcome back to the Movie News Cheat Sheet, Shockya.com readers! We’ve got a nice assortment of stories this time around, ranging from box office success stories to casting news and trailers. The casts of both The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D and G.I. Joe 2 grew by one while the bank accounts of both Bridesmaids and Transformers: Dark of the Moon grew by, well, millions. There’s also some talk about bringing the popular arcade game Space Invaders to the big screen and bringing the Korean film Oldboy back for more. While this Cheat Sheet is packed with some rousing updates, the pinnacle is the start of Shockya.com’s San Diego Comic Con…

Matthew Sand has been attached to rewrite the historical action drama “Brothers in Arms,” based on the book about the only black U.S. tank unit to fight in the European theater during World War II. Denzel Washington is attached to direct as well as produce alongside Alcon’s Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove. David Chisholm and John Sayles wrote the last script attached to the project before Sand was brought on for a rewrite. Based on the work by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anthony Walton, the book tells the story of how the unit that spearheaded the Allied Forces’ drive eastward toward Germany during the Battle of the Bulge while battling prejudices…

John Sayles, known for both writing and directing films like “Silver City”, “Sunshine State” and “Lone Star”, has been tapped to pen the small-screen HBO series adaptation, based on the best-selling autobiography “Scar Tissue” by Anthony Kiedis, frontman of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Marc Abrams will be producing along with his Catapault 360 partner Michael Benson. “John writes from a real human place, and has already tapped into the relationship between young Anthony and his dad,” Abrams told Variety.com when Sayles’ confirmation was announced. The series, tentatively titled either “Scar” or “Scar Tissue”, will detail the early years of Kiedis and his father Blackie Dammett, a drug…

Take a look at the latest movie trailer for the upcoming film “Honeydipper” by director John Sayles and starring Danny Glover, Lisa Gay Hamilton and Yaya DaCosta. Synopsis: 1950. Rural Alabama. Cotton harvest. It’s a make-or-break weekend for the Honeydripper Lounge and its owner, piano player Tyrone “Pine Top” Purvis. Deep in debt to the liquor man, the chicken man, and the landlord, Tyrone is desperate to lure the young cotton pickers and local Army base recruits into his juke joint, away from Touissant’s, the rival joint across the way. After laying off his regular talent, blues singer Bertha Mae, Tyrone announces to his sidekick Maceo that he has hired…