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Tag: Adam Sandler

  • &flix turns up the heat with summer blockbusters

    &flix turns up the heat with summer blockbusters

    MUMBAI: As India battles the second wave of a Covid2019, and people are at odds and ends while sheltering in place, &flix hopes to entertain viewers with its summer line-up of movies. With ‘Flix Summer Time’, the channel has lined up a slew of blockbuster movies every day starting 11.30 AM in May. 

    Hotel Transylvania is one of the movies that will be screened in ‘Flix Summer Time’. Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, this animated film’s voice cast includes Hollywood biggies like Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Selena Gomez in the lead roles. 

    Another animated movie that will be screened on &flix is The Emoji Movie, which revolves around the story of Gene, a multi-expression emoji, who gets sentenced to be deleted after he messes up a message. 

    &flix will also showcase superhits like The Amazing Spiderman, Avengers: Infinity War, Zathura: A Space Adventure, and Ghostbusters in the ‘Flix Summer Time’ package. 

  • Netflix aims at 50% original programming

    Netflix aims at 50% original programming

    MUMBAI: Challenge for few, exhilaration for many. Netflix CFO David Wells has shown a keen interest in expanding its library of original content. The streaming service is driving towards having half the content to be original production over the next five years. The rest will represent licensed TV shows and movies.

    Wells said that they had been on a multiyear transition and evolution toward more of their owned content. Marking a shift in the balance between licensed and commissioned content, the service is already one-third to halfway towards reaching this target.

    According to Wells, the goal for Netflix was to release something that appeals to each individual subscriber. On that front, they had got ways to go across different genres and formats. The nice thing about the platform was that it allows a lot of creative freedom, allowing for episodes of varying lengths.

    It’s been three years since Netflix started making original programming with House of Cards, Daredevil and more recently Stranger Things. In the movie space, the service has Adam Sandler’s The Ridiculous 6.

    Internationally, Netflix aims for about 80 per cent Hollywood content and 20 per cent local programming. Wells said that the exception was Japan, where Netflix bent more toward 50 per cent local content. About having an ad-supported model, Wells said that there was no such immediate plan.

  • Netflix aims at 50% original programming

    Netflix aims at 50% original programming

    MUMBAI: Challenge for few, exhilaration for many. Netflix CFO David Wells has shown a keen interest in expanding its library of original content. The streaming service is driving towards having half the content to be original production over the next five years. The rest will represent licensed TV shows and movies.

    Wells said that they had been on a multiyear transition and evolution toward more of their owned content. Marking a shift in the balance between licensed and commissioned content, the service is already one-third to halfway towards reaching this target.

    According to Wells, the goal for Netflix was to release something that appeals to each individual subscriber. On that front, they had got ways to go across different genres and formats. The nice thing about the platform was that it allows a lot of creative freedom, allowing for episodes of varying lengths.

    It’s been three years since Netflix started making original programming with House of Cards, Daredevil and more recently Stranger Things. In the movie space, the service has Adam Sandler’s The Ridiculous 6.

    Internationally, Netflix aims for about 80 per cent Hollywood content and 20 per cent local programming. Wells said that the exception was Japan, where Netflix bent more toward 50 per cent local content. About having an ad-supported model, Wells said that there was no such immediate plan.

  • Face-off between Amazon Prime, Netflix & Hulu

    Face-off between Amazon Prime, Netflix & Hulu

    MUMBAI: Folks at Amazon India are popping champagne bottles. The e-commerce giant has launched its Prime service for a free 60 day trial after which the annual subscription will be available at a special introductory price of Rs 499. Though Prime in the US and UK, offers more than the free one or two day deliveries, early access to offers and same day deliveries, the company also promises to bring its streaming video and music services here soon. Prime Video will include Amazon original TV series and movies besides other Indian and global content, is expected to be launched as a part of this service later.

    The Prime membership subscription fee in India might later be increased to Rs 999., which is much lower as compared to its other market like $99 (Rs 6,633) for US and £96 (Rs 8,691) for UK. Benefit to the US subscribers being that they can also enjoy other features like access to over a million e-books via Kindle Owners’ Lending Library and free unlimited photo storage, in addition to music and video.

    Prime will be available to customers in 100 cities, and members in 20 cities can also choose same-day, morning or scheduled delivery at a discounted fee of Rs 50 per order on over 10,000 products. These deliveries typically cost Rs 150.

    Amazon is not launching their content service which includes Amazon Video and Amazon Music. Although the company said that the video streaming is coming soon. Amazon Prime Video includes shows such as Mr. Robot and The Man In The High Castle. Reports suggest that the company will be investing a huge sum of $300 million for the original Prime video content in India.

    The biggest prime competitor for Amazon still would be Flipkart who also has a similar service called Flipkart first. The membership fees of Flipkart first is 500 per year. Like Amazon Prime, it also offers free fast deliveries and discounted one-day deliveries. Although, Flipkart customers get a Priority Customer Service or early access to deals and offerings. But returns, replacements and exchange policy remains the same.

    But the streaming showdown does not stop here. In the past, we have seen global streaming services Netflix and Hulu Plus entering Indian markets. With subscription fee of Rs 650 per month, Netflix offers a wide selection of movies and TV shows, with several series being exclusive to the platform or even made and funded by Netflix like House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and Marvel original TV shows, like Daredevil and Jessica Jones. In terms of films, it is mainly back catalogue stuff, although the occasional partnership deal will throw up a modern movie, such as The Hobbit trilogy. It has also started to produce and release films on Netflix at the same time as a cinematic release for example Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. Adam Sandler flick, The Ridiculous 6, was made by and especially for Netflix.

    InstantWatcher.com, a site plugged into the databases of both Netflix and Amazon Prime. On one hand, Amazon Prime offers more than 17,000 standard- and high-definition movies and TV series, significantly more than Netflix, which had more than 10,000. But Netflix pulled ahead overall by offering more than 7,500 HD videos vs. almost 3,500 for Amazon Prime.

    The one thing Netflix and Amazon both falter at is recent shows. There’s almost always a several month long delay between a season wrapping up and its arrival on streaming services. This is where Hulu Plus picks up the slack. Hulu Plus had 92 of the 250 shows surveyed. However, only 40 of them included backlogs of older seasons. 52 of the shows Hulu Plus carried were either the most recent season or a rotating set of the most recent few episodes of a show.

    It offers a one-week trial period in which if the viewers dislike the service, they must cancel it before the week is up otherwise will automatically be charged for a full month of service. It has original content which mostly comes from other countries and production companies, including the UK’s BBC. There are a few original web series that have made a dent, however, at the service, including The Awesomes, Deadbeat and Behind The Mask. However, Hulu Plus needs to buck up seeing the competition it has.

    Talking about compatibility, Netflix leads as you can watch it via your PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii, Internet-ready TV, Roku, Android, Blu-ray player, Nook or other e-reader table, and iOS devices.

    Hulu Plus comes in at a close second, offering compatibility and support for many of the same devices that Netflix does. Unfortunately, Hulu currently lacks compatibility for many Internet-ready TVs and Blu-ray players. Still, it can show movies through gaming devices, Android, iOS devices, Roku, and various tablet computers.

    Amazon Prime doesn’t yet feature the extensive compatibility of the other two services, but it is slowly building its network. Presently, you can watch shows via internet-ready TV, Blu-ray player, Roku, Kindle Fire tablet, and iOS or Android phone. However, it cannot yet be streamed via any gaming devices.

    With this new entry, Amazon Prime is set to further intensify the competition and the intensity will only compel Amazon, Flipkart and others to improve services that can be offered to customers.

  • Face-off between Amazon Prime, Netflix & Hulu

    Face-off between Amazon Prime, Netflix & Hulu

    MUMBAI: Folks at Amazon India are popping champagne bottles. The e-commerce giant has launched its Prime service for a free 60 day trial after which the annual subscription will be available at a special introductory price of Rs 499. Though Prime in the US and UK, offers more than the free one or two day deliveries, early access to offers and same day deliveries, the company also promises to bring its streaming video and music services here soon. Prime Video will include Amazon original TV series and movies besides other Indian and global content, is expected to be launched as a part of this service later.

    The Prime membership subscription fee in India might later be increased to Rs 999., which is much lower as compared to its other market like $99 (Rs 6,633) for US and £96 (Rs 8,691) for UK. Benefit to the US subscribers being that they can also enjoy other features like access to over a million e-books via Kindle Owners’ Lending Library and free unlimited photo storage, in addition to music and video.

    Prime will be available to customers in 100 cities, and members in 20 cities can also choose same-day, morning or scheduled delivery at a discounted fee of Rs 50 per order on over 10,000 products. These deliveries typically cost Rs 150.

    Amazon is not launching their content service which includes Amazon Video and Amazon Music. Although the company said that the video streaming is coming soon. Amazon Prime Video includes shows such as Mr. Robot and The Man In The High Castle. Reports suggest that the company will be investing a huge sum of $300 million for the original Prime video content in India.

    The biggest prime competitor for Amazon still would be Flipkart who also has a similar service called Flipkart first. The membership fees of Flipkart first is 500 per year. Like Amazon Prime, it also offers free fast deliveries and discounted one-day deliveries. Although, Flipkart customers get a Priority Customer Service or early access to deals and offerings. But returns, replacements and exchange policy remains the same.

    But the streaming showdown does not stop here. In the past, we have seen global streaming services Netflix and Hulu Plus entering Indian markets. With subscription fee of Rs 650 per month, Netflix offers a wide selection of movies and TV shows, with several series being exclusive to the platform or even made and funded by Netflix like House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and Marvel original TV shows, like Daredevil and Jessica Jones. In terms of films, it is mainly back catalogue stuff, although the occasional partnership deal will throw up a modern movie, such as The Hobbit trilogy. It has also started to produce and release films on Netflix at the same time as a cinematic release for example Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. Adam Sandler flick, The Ridiculous 6, was made by and especially for Netflix.

    InstantWatcher.com, a site plugged into the databases of both Netflix and Amazon Prime. On one hand, Amazon Prime offers more than 17,000 standard- and high-definition movies and TV series, significantly more than Netflix, which had more than 10,000. But Netflix pulled ahead overall by offering more than 7,500 HD videos vs. almost 3,500 for Amazon Prime.

    The one thing Netflix and Amazon both falter at is recent shows. There’s almost always a several month long delay between a season wrapping up and its arrival on streaming services. This is where Hulu Plus picks up the slack. Hulu Plus had 92 of the 250 shows surveyed. However, only 40 of them included backlogs of older seasons. 52 of the shows Hulu Plus carried were either the most recent season or a rotating set of the most recent few episodes of a show.

    It offers a one-week trial period in which if the viewers dislike the service, they must cancel it before the week is up otherwise will automatically be charged for a full month of service. It has original content which mostly comes from other countries and production companies, including the UK’s BBC. There are a few original web series that have made a dent, however, at the service, including The Awesomes, Deadbeat and Behind The Mask. However, Hulu Plus needs to buck up seeing the competition it has.

    Talking about compatibility, Netflix leads as you can watch it via your PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii, Internet-ready TV, Roku, Android, Blu-ray player, Nook or other e-reader table, and iOS devices.

    Hulu Plus comes in at a close second, offering compatibility and support for many of the same devices that Netflix does. Unfortunately, Hulu currently lacks compatibility for many Internet-ready TVs and Blu-ray players. Still, it can show movies through gaming devices, Android, iOS devices, Roku, and various tablet computers.

    Amazon Prime doesn’t yet feature the extensive compatibility of the other two services, but it is slowly building its network. Presently, you can watch shows via internet-ready TV, Blu-ray player, Roku, Kindle Fire tablet, and iOS or Android phone. However, it cannot yet be streamed via any gaming devices.

    With this new entry, Amazon Prime is set to further intensify the competition and the intensity will only compel Amazon, Flipkart and others to improve services that can be offered to customers.

  • Adam Sandler is highest paid actors: Forbes

    Adam Sandler is highest paid actors: Forbes

    MUMBAI: As the year comes to an end, Forbes listed Hollywood’s highest paid actors of 2014. Forbes compiled the annual ranking by looking at the estimated salaries of Hollywood’s top stars, the budget and revenue of the last three films each actor starred in before June 2014 to determine a return on investment for each actor.

     

    For the second consecutive year, comedian Adam Sandler topped the list, leaving behind stars Johnny Depp and Tom Hanks. According to Forbes, for every $1 Sandler was paid, he returned an average of $3.20 approximately.

     

    Adam Sandler’s latest film Grown Ups 2 was a hit, raking $246m at the global box office.

     

    Depp, the star of the hugely successful Pirates of the Caribbean films, came in second, returning an average of $4.10 for each dollar paid, because of recent flops like The Lone Ranger and Dark Shadows.

     

    Comedian Ben Stiller, whose film Night at the Museum: Secrets of the Tomb opened in US theaters earlier this month, ranked third with a $4.80 return, due to Tower Heist and The Watch, which did not perform well at the box office.

     

    Ryan Reynolds, who starred in Green Lantern, was fourth with $4.90 for each dollar paid, followed by dual Oscar winner Tom Hanks, who pulled in a $5.20 return, rounding out the top five.

     

    Animated and limited release films and movies featuring cameo roles were not included in the calculations.

  • Iconic video game comes together as classic characters in ‘Pixels’

    Iconic video game comes together as classic characters in ‘Pixels’

    NEW DELHI: An extraordinary number of iconic video game companies, whose classic characters – including PAC-MAN, Donkey Kong, Centipede, Galaga, Frogger, Q*bert, and Space Invaders – will be featured in the highly-anticipated action comedy Pixels by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

     

    Pixels stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad, and Brian Cox, and directed by Chris Columbus. The film will be released in the United States on 15 May next year.

     

    In Pixels, when intergalactic aliens misinterpret video-feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war against them, they attack the Earth, using the games as models for their various assaults. 

     

    President Will Cooper (James) has to call on his childhood best friend, 1980s video game champion Sam Brenner (Sandler), now a home theatre installer, to lead a team of old-school arcaders (Dinklage and Gad) to defeat the aliens and save the planet. Monaghan plays the team’s unique weapons specialist. 

     

    The action-comedy is directed by Chris Columbus from a story by Tim Herlihy and a screenplay by Tim and Timothy Dowling, based on the original short film of the same name by Patrick Jean. The film is produced by Adam Sandler, Chris Columbus, Mark Radcliffe, and Allen Covert.  Executive producers are Barry Bernardi, Michael Barnathan, Jack Giarraputo, Heather Parry, Tim Herlihy, Steve Koren, Patrick Jean, Benjamin Darras, Johnny Alves, Matias Boucard, Seth Gordon, and Ben Waisbren. The film, a Columbia Pictures presentation in association with LStar Capital, is a Happy Madison / 1492 Films production in association with One More Production. 

     

    Companies with classic arcade games that are teaming with Sony Pictures on the film include Atari Interactive: (Asteroids, Breakout, Centipede and Missile Command); Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. (Frogger); BANDAI NAMCO Games Inc. (PAC-MAN, Galaga, and Dig Dug); Nintendo (Donkey Kong)’ Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. (Q*bert); Taito Corporation (Space Invaders); and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (Joust, Defender, Robotron and Wizard of Wor).

     

    Commenting on the announcement, the film’s director Chris Columbus said, “There would be no way to make the movie without these legendary characters – they are as important to the film as the roles that Adam, Kevin, Michelle, Peter, Josh, and Brian are playing.  It was a real thrill to see everything come together exactly as we envisioned it, and we’re grateful to have all of these fantastic companies on board.”

     

    Producer Allen Covert added, “These classic characters are part of the DNA of the project, so it was critical that we work together to bring them on board.  Fortunately, they were all extremely receptive.  We approached them with a deep love for their characters and a respect for the elements that make them unique and iconic, and we’ve worked with the companies to incorporate those elements into the film.” 

     

     “There’s no better way for the core Comic-Con audience to interact with the movie than to get a hands-on refresher on the games that will be a part of it,” concluded Sony Pictures president, theatrical marketing Dwight Caines. 

  • Conan O’Brien hosts an epic 2014 “MTV Movie Awards”

    Conan O’Brien hosts an epic 2014 “MTV Movie Awards”

    Comedic genius Conan O’Brien emerged from a 5,000 pound  flaming bucket of popcorn to kick-off an epic 2014 “MTV Movie Awards” by breaking the world record for the most celebrity cameos in a show open.  Conan masterfully film-bombed 50 of the biggest and most eclectic names in pop culture including Taylor Swift, Sir Anthony Hopkins, the cast of “The Big Bang Theory,” Adam Sandler, Katy Perry, Andy Samberg, Jack White, Ashton Kutcher, Martin Scorsese, Demi Moore, Emma Watson, Russell Crowe, Paul Rudd, Jessica Alba, Lupita Nyong’o and Skrillex.  Telecast from Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, the evening celebrated fan-favorite movies with comedy, action, music and of course, Hollywood superstars. 

     

    “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” captured the most golden popcorns of the evening, with Josh Hutcherson grabbing “Best Male Performance,” Jennifer Lawrence winning “Best Female Performance,” and Johnny Depp presenting the star-studded cast with the coveted “Movie of the Year” award.    The cast of “Entourage” reunited for the first-time on-stage to honor actor and producer Mark Wahlberg with the “Generation Award” for his extensive, diverse body of work in the film and television industry.   Quintessential leading man Channing Tatum won the third annual “Trailblazer Award.”  Jordana Brewster honored Paul Walker with a heartfelt, personal speech that introduced a moving tribute spotlighting his career.  

     

    Zac Effron won “Best Shirtless” award, just before Rita Ora helped him show the world exactly why he was worthy of this accolade.  Conan mashed up two of the most popular award categories by debuting the first-ever “best kissing fight” with Will Arnett.  Later in the evening, Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lilly won “Best Fight” for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”  “Best Kiss” went to the lip-smacking threesome of Emma Roberts, Jennifer Aniston and Will Poulter for “We’re the Millers,” while presenters Zac Efron, Seth Rogen and Dave Franco hosted their own kissing contest with two women from the audience, and even Seth Rogen’s mom.  Shailene Woodley won the first-ever “Favorite Character” award, which was voted on socially, for her role in “Divergent.” 

     

    The evening was also infused with Unforgettable musical performances.  Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum superstars, Eminem and Rihanna re-teamed for an emotionally charged first live performance of their #1 smash single “The Monster.” Backed by a full piece band and a nightmare-come-to-life backdrop, the duo brought the audience to their feet with an explosive performance that blended dark and surreal imagery with raw emotion. 

     

    Fresh from the stages of Coachella, Ellie Goulding and Zedd brought the Divergent soundtrack to life. Goulding delivered a stripped down version of her new hit single, “Beating Heart,” featuring Zedd on piano.  The DJ then took the turntables for a high-octane performance of “Find You” alongside Matthew Koma and Miriam Bryant.  Surrounded by a masked fan army, MTV Artists to Watch twenty one pilots delivered a stark and haunting introspective performance of their new single, “Car Radio,” which built to a pulsating crescendo. For more information on Eminem, Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, Zedd and twenty one pilots go to MTV Artists on the web, iOS or Android.

     

    Winners of the 2014 “MTV Movie Awards” are as follows (*denotes new category)

    MOVIE OF THE YEAR

    The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate)

    Director: Francis Lawrence

    Producers: Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik

    BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE

    • Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate)

     

    BEST MALE PERFORMANCE

    • Josh Hutcherson – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate)

    BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

    • Will Poulter – We’re the Millers (New Line Cinema)

     

    BEST KISS

    • Emma Roberts, Jennifer Aniston and Will Poulter – We’re the Millers (New Line Cinema)

     

    BEST FIGHT

    • The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Warner Bros. Pictures) – Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lilly vs. Orcs

     

    BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE

    • Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)

     

    BEST SCARED-AS-S**T PERFORMANCE

    • Brad Pitt – World War Z (Paramount Pictures)

     

    BEST ON-SCREEN DUO

    • Vin Diesel and Paul Walker – Fast & Furious 6 (Universal Pictures)

     

    BEST SHIRTLESS PERFORMANCE

    • Zac Efron – That Awkward Moment (Focus Features)

     

    #WTF MOMENT

    • Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)

    Leonardo DiCaprio’s iconic portrayal of excessive Wall Street player Jordan Belfort takes a turn for the insane when he takes his Lamborghini for a spin.

    BEST VILLAIN

    • Mila Kunis  – Oz The Great and Powerful (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

     

    BEST ON-SCREEN TRANSFORMATION

    • Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)

     

    FAVORITE CHARACTER

    • Shailene Woodley – Divergent (Summit Entertainment)

     

    BEST MUSICAL MOMENT

    • Backstreet Boys, Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen and Craig Robinson – This is the End (Columbia Pictures)
      Spoiler alert! Backstreet Boys reunite in heaven to perform “Everybody” with signature boy band moves and flair for this Unforgettable apocalyptic ending.

    BEST CAMEO PERFORMANCE

    • Rihanna – This is the End (Columbia Pictures)

     

    BEST HERO

    • Henry Cavill as Clark Kent – Man of Steel (Warner Bros. Pictures)
  • Adam Sandler’s ‘Grown Ups 2’ tops Razzies

    Adam Sandler’s ‘Grown Ups 2’ tops Razzies

    MUMBAI: The Raspberry Awards, better known as the Razzies, since the last 33 years have worked as the flipside of the Academy Awards. While the latter recognises the good work done in Hollywood, the former rips apart those who were not up to the mark.

     

    This time around when Razzies announced the nominations, Adam Sandler’s Grown Ups 2 led the charts. The film is up for nine Razzie awards this year that includes Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay and Worst Actor for Sandler and Worst Ensemble Cast.

     

    Apparently, it isn’t the first time for the actor to be nominated in the Razzies. His movie Jack and Jill created history by collecting 10 awards in 2011.

     

    However, coming to the others, actor Johnny Depp who till now has had a fairly good reviews in his kitty for his work, has made an opening at the Razzies for his performance in The Lone Ranger this time.

     

    Sci-fi movie After Earth starring Will Smith and his son Jaden has been nominated in six categories, so is Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas and Movie 43.

     

    Scary Movie 5, Runner Runner and The Host are other films to have been nominated.

  • Jason Reitmans next: Men, Women and Children

    Jason Reitmans next: Men, Women and Children

    MUMBAI: The director of Labour Day is putting up a cast for the film which comprises of Rosemarie DeWitt, Jennifer Garner and Adam Sandler. Talks are on and nothing has been made formal.

     

    The movie is based on a book by Chad Kultgen and it explores the sexual frustrations of students in junior high school and their parents in the age of the Internet.

     

    Sources say Reitman has already written the screenplay for the movie. He is known to have a talent to adapt quirky novels into acclaimed movies. Shooting may start this November.

     

    He would also be producing through Right of Way films, his own house.