News

That 70s Show is probably at the top of the list of iconic sitcoms of the late ’90s and early 2000s. The show ran for eight seasons and still remains one of the most beloved shows to have aired.

Following a group of teenagers in the ’70s navigating that crazy decade, That ’70s Show made its mark on TV, not only with its great and funny storylines but also with its huge lineup of guest stars. One star appeared for an episode on the show before hitting it big with The Office.

Jenna Fischer’s role on ‘That ’70s Show’

Not every actor hits it big overnight. Some of the A-listers in Hollywood began by taking on smaller roles to build up their resume before becoming the sensations they are today. Jenna Fischer appeared in the 12th episode of the 7th season of That ’70s Show, playing Stacy Wanamaker. Fischer...

Much has been made of titles being quietly removed from HBO Max over the last few week, but while the number of films departing the service in September is substantial, at least subscribers have a heads up.

As is the case every month, various movies are due to leave HBO Max in September, and below we’ve got the full list of which films are leaving and when so you can prioritizing some viewing options. Noteworthy removals include the 2021 Warner Bros. thriller “The Little Things” starring Denzel Washington (leaving Sept. 16), the 2020 “Freaky Friday” horror riff “Freaky,” Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” films, the “Lethal Weapon” franchise, “Super 8,” “Tootsie” and the Nancy Meyers classic “The Holiday.”

Check out the full list of what’s leaving HBO Max in September below.

September 4

Meet the Patels, 2014

September 5

Turner Classic Movies: Follow the Thread, 2022

September 8

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, 2018

September 9

Horrible Bosses 2,...

In what can be called movie geek comfort food, Battle: Los Angeles and Krull have become cult favorites over the years. Why? You can watch either movie while doing other things keeping an extra eye on the screen, have devout fans who can recite the dialogue verbatim and will defend both movies to the end. Guilty pleasures, yes, cult status, definitely.

Even HBO Max has it listed as such.

The 2011 sci-fi and 1982 fantasy films have come to HBO Max and are available to stream now.

“Marines don’t quit.”

Battle: Los Angeles, starring Aaron Eckhart, and from director Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath Of The Titans), is the exciting story of a squad of U.S. Marines who become the last line of defense against a global invasion. It gets the military right than most war movies. Numerous Marine units assisted in filming and the movie contains some awesome scenes with Black Hawks,...

The return of fan-favorite shows, auteurs tackling new original series, new documentaries and more headline what’s new on HBO Max in April 2022.

Top of the list is the HBO Max original series “The Flight Attendant,” which returns for its second season on April 21. Then there’s the long-awaited return of Bill Hader’s “Barry” on April 24 on HBO and HBO Max, as well as Season 3 of “The Black Lady Sketch Show” on April 8.

In terms of new originals, “The Wire” and “The Deuce” creator David Simon is back with the new series “We Own This City” on April 25, which chronicles the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force. Michael Mann executive produces and directs the first episode of the neo-noir “Tokyo Vice,” which premieres on April 7. And Ben Foster stars as Holocaust survivor Harry Haft in the HBO Original Film “The Survivor,” which...

April is about to be a good month for returning HBO and HBO Max properties.

HBO Max’s list of releases for April 2022 features three hotly anticipated seasons of television. The Flight Attendant, which helped launch HBO Max as a viable spot for good dramedy in 2020, premieres its second season on April 21. That will be followed by another go-around for the sci-fi comedy Made for Love on April 28. Of course, the big ticket item this month is something that HBO Max inherited from its cable cousin. Barry season 3 will continue the story of hitman-turned-actor Barry Berkman (Bill Hader) on April 24.

The TV offerings run much deeper than just returning shows this month. April 7 sees the arrival of Tokyo Vice, a sprawling crime drama with some episodes directed by Michael Mann. The series stars Ansel Elgort as an American journalist embedding himself in Tokyo’s criminal underground in the late ’90s.

Bob Odenkirk is in stable condition after suffering a “heart-related incident” on the set of “Better Call Saul.” Reports surfaced on Tuesday, July 27 that Odenkirk was rushed to the hospital after collapsing on the set of the sixth and final season of the AMC drama series. The production films in New Mexico. While Odenkirk’s representatives confirmed his hospitalization to numerous outlets, no cause for his collapse was given for several hours. Now Odenkirk’s team has issued a statement confirming the actor is in stable condition.

“We can confirm Bob is in stable condition after experiencing a heart-related incident,” reps for the actor said in a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter). “He and his family would like to express gratitude for the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, as well as his cast, crew and producers who have stayed by his side. The Odenkirks would also like to...

In addition to being a modern comedy giant, Bob Odenkirk seems like a really nice guy. He’s like the Dave Grohl of comedy, minus the backlash. The movies have not treated him all that well, however, particularly in the case of the Mr. Show-derived Run Ronnie Run, which became a heavily-compromised affair. Still, Odenkirk has to date managed to produce three features as a director, and they remain largely under the radar as far as mainstream audiences are concerned. With his star having risen via Breaking Bad, and now Better Call Saul, Odenkirk seems poised for greater popular recognition. Here’s hoping the extra clout can him back behind the camera making features because, as good as the first three are, it feels like the best is still ahead of him.

Melvin Goes to Dinner (2003)

Mr. Show fans could not have expected Odenkirk’s debut feature to be...

Will Forte will attend the 22nd Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival to participate in a Q&A following the fest’s opening-weekend screening of Nebraska at 7 p.m. Friday.

In Nebraska, a road comedy from acclaimed director Alexander Payne (“The Descendants,” “Sideways”), a father and son travel through the Midwest on the trail of a dubious fortune. The stubborn, taciturn Woody (Bruce Dern) is well past his prime, but he believes he’s got one last shot at mattering: a notice that he’s the lucky winner of a $1 million sweepstakes prize. To claim his fortune, Woody insists he must quickly get to the sweepstakes company’s office in Lincoln, Neb. – a 750-mile journey that he seems unlikely to finish. Worried for his father’s state of mind, it falls to Woody’s reluctant, baffled son (played by Forte) to accompany him on the trip.

Forte has established...

Will Forte has a busy year ahead, with several new films both in the works and on the release docket. That now includes a new comedy from Peter Bogdonavich called Squirrels To The Nuts, in which Owen Wilson's Broadway director tries to help a prostitute turn her life around and gets over his head. Forte plays the playwright for Wilson's production; Jennifer Aniston plays Forte's girlfriend. Because after Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux, you can totally see those two getting together. After a shaky start with The Brothers Solomon and MacGruber, Forte's film career seems to ...

It's Thursday. Friday's still quite a few hours away, and you're looking for something to help you pass your time. We totally hear you. The Internet has become a veritable theme park of time-killing activities, and the following one is a treat for sure!

As per the Pajiba website...

"Are you familiar with the movie and television trope in which someone is unexpectedly hit by a bus or other large vehicle? I’m sure that two or three instances of it immediately come to mind (and they’re assuredly in the video). We see it all the time (and it’s almost always effective), but I had no idea just how often it is employed until the noted video editor behind Harry Hanrahan compiled practically every instance ever of the trope into this supercut. It’s one of those brilliant video edits that blows up the trope, exposes it for...

0:00 - Intro 6:20 - Review: A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III 27:55 - Headlines: J.J. Abrams to Direct Star Wars Episode VII, Inside Llewyn Davis Trailer 52:30 - Other Stuff We Watched: Miami Vice, Babe, The Brothers Solomon, Tiny Furniture, Promised Land, Titanic, The Ring, Undefeated, The Island, Robin B Hood 1:32:00 - Junk Mail: Demolition Man vs. Ladies First, The Impossible Racism, Michel Gondry vs. Spike Jonze Round 2, Trilogy Cred in the Alien Quadrilogy, Promoting a Podcast 1:51:50 - This Week on DVD and Blu-ray 1:54:00 - Outro

Film Junk Podcast Episode #403: A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III by Filmjunk on Mixcloud

» Download the MP3 (53 Mb) » View the show notes » Rate us on iTunes! Subscribe to the podcast feed: Donate via Paypal: Recurring Donation $2/Month:

For More Daily Movie Goodness, Visit Filmjunk.Com!

Some pretty good names have come in to fill out the casting ranks of Marcus Nispel's new film, Backmask, and we have all the latest on who's who and what's what. Or something like that. No really, we're good at this, we promise.

According to Bloody Disgusting, Stephen Lang (Avatar, Conan the Barbarian, "Terra Nova"), Kelly Blatz (Prom Night, From Within), Brett Dier, Nick Nicotera (Bitten), Nick Nordella (Greenberg), and Michael Ormsby (The Brothers Solomon) have all been cast alongside the previously announced Gage Golightly and Brittany Curran.

Kirsten Helms penned the script that follows a group of teenagers who accidentally release an evil spirit that starts to possess them one by one.

Backmask begins shooting soon in Rhode Island.

Synopsis

During a sex, drugs, and rock-fueled party, six small-town teenagers find an old vintage record and decide to play it backwards in order to listen for any subliminal/satanic messages.

Fresh off the Oscar-nominated success of "The Descendants," Alexander Payne is currently en route to Cannes, where he'll serve on the competition jury alongside the likes of Andrea Arnold, Diane Kruger, Ewan McGregor, Jean-Paul Gaultier and chairman Nanni Moretti. But it looks like our favorite David Strathairn impersonator made a big decision before he got on the plane to the South of France: as he's apparently decided on who he'd like to star in his next film.

The director's been working on "Nebraska," a comedy-drama, planned to be shot in black-and-white, about a father and son who hit the road together when the dad thinks he's won a sweepstake, for a while now, and names like Robert Forster, Jack Nicholson, Robert Duvall and Bryan Cranston have all come up in connection with the father's role, although it was widely reported that the director's Plan A was to try and lure...

Transitioning out of "Saturday Night Live" and establishing yourself as a stand-alone star isn't easy and for every Will Ferrell or Adam Sandler there is a Chris Kattan or Tim Meadows. For Will Forte, the journey certainly hasn't been a straight line. His attempt to turn "MacGruber" into a feature film found audiences lukewarm to the idea, and his previous attempt big-screen comedy stardom "The Brothers Solomon" was roundly ignored and critically savaged. However, Forte hasn't given up and is wisely going the supporting route to re-build his profile. With roles in "I Hate You Dad," "Rock Of Ages" and…...

This weekend, Contagion spreads onto over 3,700 screens at 3,222 locations (including 257 IMAX venues) and is poised to end The Help's reign. Warrior trains to be a slow-burning crowd pleaser on close to 2,100 screens at 1,869 locations, while Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star and Creature should be contenders for the worst opening title, hitting 1,500 and 1,507 single-screen locations, respectively. With a rash of familiar faces (Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, etc.) and deadly disease thriller storyline, Contagion recalls Outbreak, only with a darker, grittier, more global bent. Back in 1995, Outbreak debuted to $13.4 million or the equivalent of nearly $25 million adjusted for ticket price inflation. Contagion's infection and potential end-of-humanity angles also echo the recent zombie craze, and the movie's even opening in the same mid-September slot that the Resident Evil franchise is known for. Contagion's diffuseness, though, may not make it a threat to September's record books.

Saturday Night Live vet Will Forte is set to visit Will Arnett on Lorne Michaels’ new NBC comedy Up All Night.

According to Vulture, the recurring 30 Rock funnyman will appear in the series’ fourth episode as a mellow surfer dude-dad who bonds over parenthood with Arnett’s character at a kiddie park. There’s no word if Forte will also share scenes with his former SNL co-star (and Up All Night regular) Maya Rudolph, but we can dream!

The guest spot will reunite Arnett and Forte, who previously appeared together as doofy siblings (pictured above) in 2007′s big-screen flop, The Brothers Solomon.

Where David Cross has had a relatively high-profile decade, starring in Arrested Development, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, and (ahem) Alvin and the Chipmunks, his Mr. Show costar Bob Odenkirk has been a little less prominent, directing some not-very-celebrated films like The Brothers Solomon and turning in a totally goddamn hilarious supporting performance as "criminal lawyer" Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad. According to Deadline, this imbalance may soon shrink ever so slightly. Adult Swim just ordered a pilot of Regal Productions, a live-action series, starring and co-created by Odenkirk, about a video-production company specializing in "wedding videos, Internet ads, low-budget infomercials, and even feature films for 'ancillary' markets." This sounds very promising — it sets up a lot of possibilities. Also, more Odenkirk is just always welcome — he always radiates intelligence, much like Cross, but he seems to have an underlying gentleness in contrast [...]...

Bob Odenkirk, who co-hosted the cult sketch comedy series with Mr. Show with David Cross on HBO from 1995-1998, has told The Wrap personally that the two are are possibly reuniting for his next directorial effort, titled Annie Jenkins: A Very Not Romantic Comedy. Odenkirk also named other potential members of the cast, including Krysten Ritter, Dennis Farina, and Rainn Wilson. I say “potential” because none of these people, including Cross himself, are neither signed on or attached to the project; they have merely just read the script and agreed to be in it should it get made.

Odenkirk is currently on a hunt to find financing for the project and also searching for a male lead. If successful, he’s hopeful to start production later this year. This will be his first directorial effort since 2007′s The Brothers Solomon, starring Will Arnett and Will Forte.

I’ve never actually watched Mr. Show,...

In the legion of television programs that ended way too soon, Mr. Show with Bob and David ranks somewhere towards the top. Created by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, the sketch show ran for four seasons on HBO during the mid-90s and never failed to be fall-out-of-your-seat funny. Odenkirk and Cross have stayed close ever since, appearing in episodes of Newsradio, Arrested Development, and Tim and Eric and now they'll be doing a movie together. The Wrap has learned that Odenkirk is gearing up to direct his first full feature film since 2007's The Brothers Solomon, and has already begun lining up a cast that includes Cross as well as Krysten Ritter, Rainn Wilson, and Dennis Farina, though none of the actors are officially signed on yet. Titled Annie Jenkins: A Not Very Romantic Comedy, the writer/actor/director is keeping details about the film under his hat. Odenkirk...

Running Wilde the freshman would-be comedy starring Arrested Development's Will Arnett and Felicity's Keri Russell, is on the verge of cancellation. Rightfully so, it seems. The comedy has been criticized for being light on laughs, and wasting the immense talent of its stars. With Wilde likely fading into ratings-shy Lone Star territory, I think it's time for Arnett especially to rethink his career. The guy is funny in anything he's been in no matter the material -- it's time the material catches up with him. (Yes, I enjoyed him The Brothers Solomon.) That's why I'm making a few legitimate suggestions to Arnett (perhaps one or two aren't so legit) in selecting his new job. Of course I say this wishing, hoping, and praying an Arrested Development movie comes first. Taste the happy. Go to The Office: Steve Carell...

It may be sacrilegious to say such a thing, but we’re glad that summer is almost over! It’s not that we’re bitter shrews that abhor all things outdoorsy, but rather, we’re just geeked because the impending arrival of Labor Day signals that a brand-new season of Saturday Night Live is just around the corner. And, as has come to be tradition at this time of year, Lorne Michaels is tinkering with the cast of writers and performers who will be appearing on the 36th season of the show. First, the big news. Dave Itzkoff of the New York Times is reporting that longtime SNL mainstay Will Forte will Not be returning to the show this season. Nooooooooo! According to Itzkoff’s sources, the parting was “amicable,” but that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to get upset about this. Forte, along with his writing partner John Solomon,...

Subject: Will Arnett, 40-year old Canadian actor & occasional comedian

Date of Assessment: July 9, 2010

Positive Buzzwords: "Arrested Development," timing, marriage

Negative Buzzwords: Disappointment, underwhelming, squandered talent

The Case: Since this guy is commonly referred to as the father of the comedy messiah around these parts, it should be fairly interesting to declare a contrary position. I am speaking, of course, of Will "I've Made a Huge Mistake" Arnett. Now, I loved him in "Arrested Development" just as much as the rest of you did. However, you must understand that I've reviewed some really shitty Will Arnett movies -- The Brothers Solomon, The Rocker, and G-Force -- in recent years. For further examples of supreme awfulness, one doesn't need to look any further than Jonah Hex, When In Rome, Hot Rod, and Let's Go to Prison. Other than those crapfests, Arnett's been sticking to some safe bets; that is, he's been lending...

If you saw any the SNL sketches or the Super Bowl commercial featuring the nimrod government agent MacGruber -- basically Richard Dean Anderson's MacGyver by way of "The Jerk" hero Navin Johnson -- you know to expect from the film that bears his name: five or six inspired bits, surrounded by padding.

MacGruber (Will Forte) is a former super-soldier who spent 10 years hiding out in a monastery following the murder of his fiancée (Maya Rudolph) on their wedding day. He re-ups in service of the good ol' USA (represented by his commanding officer, Powers Boothe, a forceful, strange actor who's stifled by this glowering boss part) and tries to thwart a nuclear plot orchestrated by the very man who killed his beloved, an arms-dealer, terrorist and former college buddy of MacGruber's named Dieter von Cunth (Val Kilmer, who has aced this kind of material ever since "Top Secret...

Back in March, Relativity Media announced that it will co-finance and co-produce an untitled comedy, which will be a series of sketches in the vein of the 1970s "Kentucky Fried Movie." Some of the director on board are Peter Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber), Brett Ratner (X-Men 3), Elizabeth Banks, Bob Odenkirk (The Brothers Solomon), and Griffin Dunne (The Accidental Husband). Additional helmers were to be announced shortly. Now comes word that James Duffy will also have a segment and it will be based on his "Robin's Big Speed Date" short film. For his portion, Duffy has already signed on Sam Rockwell as Batman, Josh Hamilton as Superman, Leslie Bibb as Wonder Woman, Justin Long as Robin and John Hodgeman as The Penguin. Check out his original short film to get an idea of what to expect. "Robin's Big Speed Date" Short Film:...

We have added a new set of pictures from MacGruber. Only one American hero has earned the rank of Green Beret, Navy Seal and Army Ranger. Just one operative has been awarded 16 purple hearts, 3 Congressional Medals of Honor and 7 presidential medals of bravery. And only one guy is man enough to still sport a mullet. In 2010, Will Forte (Baby Mama, The Brothers Solomon) brings Saturday Night Live.s clueless soldier of fortune to the big screen in the action-comedy MacGruber. To view the latest pictures visit our movie database.

I'm not going to use this to knock on When in Rome, especially since our own Jenni Miller already did that. Well, to be fair, she did it a lot sweeter than I would have. It's a cute romantic comedy idea that just doesn't work. However, one of the hapless souls who has their love life screwed around with in this movie is Will Arnett, and we loves us some Will Arnett. It feels like he's just a few steps away from headlining movies on his own, paired with some straight guy or girl. Or better yet, appearing with his wife Amy Poehler. (Watch them together in a Parks & Recreation episode.)

Most people know Arnett from his spin as Gob on the awesome Arrested Development, which will hopefully, finally, eventually be getting a movie soon, but he's held his own in some smaller comedies, including the underrated Let's Go To Prison and The Brothers Solomon.

Typically I write the intros to these Blog Trend roundups before I've read the majority of the blogs I quote. So, before listing the buzz below I had written all about how unfunny the red-band trailer for MacGruber is and how surprised I am that such a terrible-looking movie is getting so much attention. I've since erased my first intro and replaced it with this stunned-reaction paragraph, because the movie bloggers are actually, shockingly eating this up like a double-decker taco (and I mean a watery, shit-comprised taco in honor of the overrated joke in the trailer). Even the usually very snarky and super cynical guys like Vince Mancini are into this thing. Wtf?

I don't agree with the majority, I guess. I especially thought it wrong for Universal/Rogue to unleash this piece of crap on the heels of this weekend's hilarious SNL short "James Cameron's Laser Cats...

"The Office" star Jenna Fischer revealed that she will marry writer fiance Lee Kirk in summer 2010 in Los Angeles. At the 2nd Annual Fur Ball at the Skirball Fundraiser benefiting Kitten Rescue on December 5, she told People she will keep her save-the-date cards and send them after the holidays.

Jenna explained why she holds the cards, saying "We just got our save the date cards in, and they're adorable - after many hours and many proofs later. We're going to hold them until after the holidays before sending them out so they don't get lost in the holiday mail." She added, "They were fun to pick out and was a very fun girlie experience to touch the paper."

The 35-year-old actress, who said her wedding to Lee won't have a theme, moreover shared to People that her concern about the wedding would be the food. "I'm a foodie, so I...

In the movies, happy Couples are boring. At the least, they don’t tend to make us laugh. (Yes, I’m sure there’s an example somewhere that will prove me wrong). But here’s a group of pairings that are going to focus on the “fun” of “dysfunctional marriages” and (hopefully) bring more laughter than pain in Couples Retreat. Coming out this October, the comedy about friends going together to a type of relationship rehab stars Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Watchmen’s Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis and Faizon Love, to name a few.

Call me crazy, but there’s no way that Couples Retreat could be a disaster. Despite the somewha chaotic characters of the film, the cast members are nothing but a harmonious chorus of comedy – a plethora of funny personalities that have shown off their laugh stripes numerous times before. Even Malin Akerman...

Anyone who has seen Michael Shannon's turn in Dead Birds will agree he's the right man to show his face in Warner Bros.' adaptation of Jonah Hex . Will Arnett, though? Bizarre. Both actors will join Josh Brolin, John Malkovich and Megan Fox. According to THR , Arnett ( The Brothers Solomon ) is stepping outside of the comedy realm to play a Union soldier who enlists Hex (Brolin) and "is blindsided by the dirty fighting style of his enemies." As for Shannon, he'll co-star as Doc Cross Williams, the ringleader of a gladiator circus event. THR says the Doc might return for sequels. Directed by Jimmy Hayward and written by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, Hex follows a scarred bounty hunter intent on tracking a voodoo practitioner (Malkovich) who wants to raise...

Much like Transformers turned Megan Fox into an instant star, Watchmen has created yet another, Malin Akerman. Aside from the obvious fact that they are both beautiful women, who are they and what makes them so special? How did they make their way to Hollywood stardom? PopStar takes a look at the career paths of these two extraordinary women... Malin Ackerman Malin, who turns 31 next month, hails from Stockholm, Sweden. She made her debut in Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict in an episode called "Truth" as the Avatar. This was during its first season, which would go on to produce a total of four. It would be three years before we would see her again, this time playing a small role in the movie, The Skulls. She was Caleb's roommate, played by Paul Walker. That same year, she played in the pilot episode of a television show called The Others,...

Much like Transformers turned Megan Fox into an instant star, Watchmen has created yet another, Malin Akerman. Aside from the obvious fact that they are both beautiful women, who are they and what makes them so special? How did they make their way to Hollywood stardom? PopStar takes a look at the career paths of these two extraordinary women... Malin Ackerman Malin, who turns 31 next month, hails from Stockholm, Sweden. She made her debut in Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict in an episode called "Truth" as the Avatar. This was during its first season, which would go on to produce a total of four. It would be three years before we would see her again, this time playing a small role in the movie, The Skulls. She was Caleb's roommate, played by Paul Walker. That same year, she played in the pilot episode of a television show called The Others,...

Much like Transformers turned Megan Fox into an instant star, Watchmen has created yet another, Malin Akerman. Aside from the obvious fact that they are both beautiful women, who are they and what makes them so special? How did they make their way to Hollywood stardom? PopStar takes a look at the career paths of these two extraordinary women... Malin Ackerman Malin, who turns 31 next month, hails from Stockholm, Sweden. She made her debut in Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict in an episode called "Truth" as the Avatar. This was during its first season, which would go on to produce a total of four. It would be three years before we would see her again, this time playing a small role in the movie, The Skulls. She was Caleb's roommate, played by Paul Walker. That same year, she played in the pilot episode of a television show called The Others,...

Independent comedy specialist John Swihart is doing the music for New in Town, a romantic comedy starring Renée Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr. The film is directed by Jonas Elmer, a Danish filmmaker who makes his first Us film after a couple of succesful Danish comedies, including Gone with the Fish. The script tells the story about a businesswoman from Miami who tries to adjust to her new life in a small town in Minnesota. John Swihart's previous film scores include Napoleon Dynamite, Employee of the Month and The Brothers Solomon. He recently finished work on the score for The Strip, a comedy starring Noureen DeWulf and Dave Foley.

Will Arnett is one of the funniest people around. But it's been sort of rough going for the Arrested Development vet these last few years. Blades of Glory? Semi-Pro? The Brothers Solomon? Come on! He can do better. Fox thinks so, too. Luckily, the network is putting its money where its mouth is, signing Arnett to a seven-figure deal to develop a sitcom.

Lionsgate's 3:10 to Yuma, a polished Western gunning to give remakes a good name, staked claim to an estimated $14.1 million in weekend grosses to open atop the domestic boxoffice.

But New Line Cinema's aptly titled Shoot 'Em Up, targeting a similar male-skewing audience, fired blanks with just $5.5 million in opening grosses, landing the Clive Owen starrer in sixth place for the weekend. Sony's male-oriented comedy The Brothers Solomon opened outside the top 10 with an anemic $525,000 from a modestly wide run of 700 theaters.

The Weinstein Co./Dimension horror remake Halloween grabbed second place for the weekend, turning in a $10 million performance for distributor MGM despite dropping 62% in its sophomore outing for a $44.2 million cume. Sony Pictures' Superbad finished third in its fourth frame with an estimated $8 million and a $103.7 million cume.

So where were all the gals this weekend? Fortunately for Yuma, more than a few padded audiences of James Mangold's well-reviewed updating of Delmer Daves' 1957 classic.

"The film played equally well to all demographics," Lionsgate Films Releasing president Tom Ortenberg said. "So while the opening weekend skewed a little bit male and a little bit older, we're hoping as the film plays out over the next few weeks we'll get more under-25 moviegoers."

The Russell Crowe-Christian Bale starrer was fully financed by Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media at a cost of about $55 million.

Yuma should pull audiences almost evenly split between males and females by the weekend, Ortenberg said. He added the belief that Yuma will show sturdy legs over the coming frames.

"It's not the kind of film where its core audiences flock out the first weekend to see it," Ortenberg said. "We feel (the) opening really validates our strategy to choose this week, so we could be the first Western into the marketplace and the first prestige film in the fall."

Indeed, Warner Bros.' Sept.

Whether the early fall boxoffice can find firm footing depends on how well this weekend's batch of genre titles connects with primary demographics.

But it wouldn't hurt if the films' targeted males manage to bring a few female friends to the multiplexes, with two testosterone-laden pictures unspooling in wide release and another bowing moderately wide.

3:10 to Yuma, Lionsgate's remake of the classic Western, and Shoot 'Em Up, a campy action thriller from New Line Cinema, open with 2,652 and 2,108 playdates, respectively. And Sony Pictures' sex farce, The Brothers Solomon, joins the fray with 700 runs.

There also is a smattering of platforming pics bowing this weekend, including the Weinstein Co.'s Bosnian drama The Hunting Party, which MGM is distributing on four screens Los Angeles and New York.

Industryites figure that the weekend's smorgasbord of genre offerings ought to ring up at least decent boxoffice. Yet receipts for the post-Labor Day frame often are modest, and this weekend's wide releases both carry audience-limiting R ratings.

Among those going wide, Yuma and Shoot show early traction with narrow sections of prospective male moviegoers.

Yuma is skewing older, as Westerns always do, but the solid pairing of Russell Crowe and Christian Bale could draw nicely across a broader range of demos.

Kristen Wiig is in final negotiations to co-star opposite John C. Reilly and Jenna Fischer in Columbia Pictures' comedy Walk Hard for producer Judd Apatow.

Directed by Jake Kasdan from a script by Apatow and Kasdan, the film centers on a singer (Reilly) who overcomes adversity to become a musical legend. Wiig will play the role of Edith, wife of Reilly's character.

The film is scheduled to start shooting this month in Los Angeles.

Sony's Matthew Tolmach and Jonathan Kadin are shepherding the project for the studio.

Wiig, who is in her second season on Saturday Night Live, will play the female lead in Columbia's upcoming comedy The Brothers Solomon, opposite Will Arnett and Will Forte. She also co-stars in Apatow's upcoming Universal comedy Knocked Up and in the indie Bill, opposite Aaron Eckhart, Jessica Alba and Elizabeth Banks.

Wiig is repped by UTA and Odenkirk Talent Management.

Revolution Studios said Thursday that it is shuttering its development operations. The Sony-based company, founded by Joe Roth in 2000, will shepherd the 13 titles it already has in the pipeline over the next two years. Those films include six that are in preproduction: Perfect Strangers, Next, Brothers Solomon, No Place Like Home, Wind Chill and a project that will be announced next week. The remaining films include four in postproduction -- Benchwarmers, Click, Zoom and an untitled Julie Taymor Beatles project; two in production -- Rocky Balboa and Little Man; and the Roth-helmed Freedomland, which opens Feb. 17.