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August, 2011

Cowboys & AliensCowboys & Aliens has beaten back The Smurfs to win a squeaker at the weekend box office.

According to final studio counts Monday, the sci-fi Western took the No. 1 spot on the domestic charts with a $36.4 million debut.

That puts Universal Pictures' Cowboys & Aliens $800,000 ahead of Sony's family adventure The Smurfs, which finished at No. 2 with $35.6 million over opening weekend.

Last week, box-office analysts had expected Cowboys & Aliens would be the clear winner over the weekend. But the Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford action tale opened weaker than anticipated, while The Smurfs had a stronger debut than forecast.

Andy SerkisWhen the filmmakers behind Rise of the Planet of the Apes settled on virtual simians rather than people in monkey suits for their lower primates, their first casting task became obvious: get Andy.

British actor Andy Serkis has emerged as a master of the art of creating characters in the digital realm of performance capture. He's been the emotional backbone of the great ape in King Kong and Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, creatures that are completed by visual-effects artists layering computer animation over his raw performance.

Serkis, a 20-year veteran of stage and live-action screen roles, has become best-known for his performance-capture characters, which now include a super-intelligent chimpanzee in the Apes prequel, opening Friday, along with a key part in this December's The Adventures of Tintin, from Steven Spielberg and Kong and Lord of the Rings creator Peter Jackson.

He's playing Gollum again in Jackson's The Hobbit, a two-part prequel to The Lord of the Rings.

Kill ListWhat this year's Midnight Madness lineup lacks in recognizable star power, it makes up for in pure, unadulterated thrills. From supernatural slayers to crossbow killers to corpse smugglers, the scheduled 2011 screenings have enough variety to satisfy even the most particular of genre geeks.

"Ravenous cinephiles will devour the roster of chillers, action thrillers and pitch-black comedies that fill this year’s slate," said Colin Geddes, TIFF's Midnight Madness Programmer. "Martial arts assassins, cops and robbers, escaped lunatics and vampire ballerinas will take over Ryerson Theatre every night at midnight, and deliver the shocking and rocking experience that our loyal audience flocks to take part in, helping make these screenings so memorable."

Check out the full line-up after the jump!

rise of the planet of the apes

Plenty of movie franchises ask us to dive into the plot and buy their (sometimes lofty) premises right off the bat, which can be a hard sell when the source material is a dense tale (comic book series, half-dozen-volume novel set, etc.) that would be better served if we could start from the start.

Sure, the back story is inevitably explained, or at least hinted at, through flashbacks, character exposition or the like but the action distinctly takes place in the here and now and we, the audience, are sometimes left wanting to know how our protagonist got to where he's at.

That's what makes the phenomenon of the prequel such a clever one; going right to the heart of where it all began so we can see how the pupil became the master, the hero turned to the dark side or why our narrator has sworn revenge.

With the upcoming origin tale The Rise of the Planet of the Apes opening this weekend, not to mention The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012, we decided to look at the Top 5 Movie Prequels.

Dig into our list after the jump!

change-up, jason bateman, ryan reynolds

It would be easy (and wrong) to dismiss The Change-Up's Freaky Friday premise as a yawn-worthy set-up for a comedy but when you have dependably hysterical straight man Jason Bateman (who recently killed it in Horrible Bosses) and suave funny guy Ryan Reynolds as the owners of the misplaced brains-and-and-bodies, how they got there is less important than how much your sides will hurt from yukking it up while watching.

But, if you must know, Mitch (Bateman) and Dave (Reynolds) are best buds who envy each other's lives; the former being a father and husband who longs for some breathing room and the latter entertaining a coterie of bendy women without anything resembling an emotional connection. And wouldn't fate have it that when they take a late-night whiz in a magic fountain, lightning strikes and they end up in the other's place as they get a dose of perspective and find themselves in increasingly hysterical situations involving Mitch's unknowing wife (babelicious funny gal Leslie Mann) and his sexy co-worker Sabrina (Olivia Wilde).

Need proof? Check out these funny clips from the new comedy directed by the dude who brought you Wedding Crashers.

new on DVD

Sure, we're known as the place to check out new movies on the big, big screen but now we're here to let you know how to get your entertainment fix at home.

The Cineplex DVD Store boasts over 25,000 titles, from the newest hits to golden oldies, indie fare, comedy discs and even your favourite TV shows. Come back here every Tuesday to find out what new movies you can RENT or BUY and how many SCENE points you can earn with each purchase.

So what are you waiting for?

Get your fill of Hollywood at home with this week's list of the hottest DVD, Blu-ray and digital download releases.


TIFF, morgan spurlock

It would take an eclectic, ambitious, forward-looking festival like TIFF to assemble a decidedly random melange of people and give audiences a chance to see non-fiction work, from a popular director's look into an annual geek gathering that's turned mainstream, a German auteur's investigation into the aftermath of a triple homicide to an American filmmaker's profile of a a woman who refused to leave her evacuated New Orleans neighbourhood.

This year's Real to Reel program again boasts an impressive selection of provocative, boundary-pushing documentaries from leading voices that prove truth is often stranger than fiction.

"I'm thrilled at the large number of veteran filmmakers who have brought us new works this year," TIFF's lead documentary programmer Thom Powers said in a statement."The line-up contains a wide range of memorable characters – crusaders, convicts, artists, athletes, nude dancers, comic book fans, dog lovers and more. Not to mention the epic 15-hour Story of Film. These documentaries will have audiences discussing and debating for months to come."

Classic Film SeriesFor old-school film buffs, there's nothing quite like seeing your very favourite classic movies on the big screen. From the triple threat talent of Gene Kelly to the always debonair and never equaled Cary Grant, the iconic silver screen stars of yore are never easier to appreciate than when they're larger than life in front of you amid the technicolour splashes or somber black and white backdrops of Hollywood's heyday. Then there's the goosebump-inducing moment of hearing the familiar notes of a classic tune surrounding you like never before - be it the melancholic Henry Mancini-penned "Moon River" or Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" classic. As Kelly wisely intoned in another of his best-loved musicals, An American in Paris, "there's nothing like it."

That's what makes the second annual Classic Film Series a must-attend monthly event for any cinephile worth their salt. This is a great opportunity for classic film fans to see their favourite films and their favourite stars on the big screen - in some cases, for the very first time!

From September 2011 through to August 2012, Cineplex will be screening some of those same best-loved classics. From Best Picture winners (The Bridge on the River Kwai) to legendary thrillers (North By Northwest) to family favourites (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory), there's enough titles here to satisfy just about any movie fan. The best part? Tickets are just $5! Head here to find out more and then buy your tickets when they go on sale August 12!

Check out the full lineup for the 2011-2012 season now!

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Trailer EXCLUSIVE: Catch Vince Vaughn & @prattprattpratt in the first teaser for Dreamworks' #DeliveryMan now: http://t.co/Fffo3HAa4i ^EB

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Cineplex Inc. (“Cineplex”) is one of Canada’s leading entertainment companies and operates one of the most modern and fully digitized motion picture theatre circuits in the world. A top-tier Canadian brand, Cineplex operates numerous businesses including theatrical exhibition, food services, gaming, alternative programming (Front Row Centre Events), Cineplex Media, Cineplex Digital Solutions and the online sale of home entertainment content through CineplexStore.com and on apps embedded in various electronic devices. Cineplex is also a joint venture partner in SCENE – Canada’s largest entertainment loyalty program.

Cineplex is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and operates 136 theatres with 1,455 screens from British Columbia to Quebec, serving approximately 71 million guests annually through the following theatre brands: Cineplex Odeon, Galaxy, Famous Players, Colossus, Coliseum, SilverCity, Cineplex VIP, Cinema City and Scotiabank Theatres. Cineplex also owns and operates the UltraAVX, Poptopia, and Outtakes brands. Cineplex trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "CGX". More information is available at cineplex.com.