Neill Blomkamp Page 2

Neill Blomkamp's new film Chappie held its world premiere this week in New York, just a day before before it opened around the world. Blomkamp (who previously made District 9 and Elysium) was present along with stars Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver, Sharlto Copley and Dev Patel.

Photos - World film premiere of 'Chappie' at AMC Loews Lincoln Square - NYC

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Chappie And Cinderella Premiere In New York And L.A., Ethan Hawke Is Snapped On-Set, And New Trailers Arrive For Movies Starring Veterans Ian Mckellen, Ben Kingsley And Maggie Smith.

Neill Blomkamp's next project will be an Aliens movie set after the events of the upcoming Prometheus 2. Sources say Ridley Scott's Scott Free will produce the picture, though there's still plenty of work to be done before both Prometheus and Blomkamp's new picture make it to the big screen.

Neill Blomkamp will direct a new Aliens movie for Fox

Sources tell Deadline there is currently no script for Prometheus 2 - which Scott will direct - or the new Aliens film.

Continue reading: Neill Blomkamp Will Direct 'Aliens' Film, Set After 'Prometheus 2'

Neill Blomkamp's follow-up his Oscar nominated sci-fi District 9 had garnered strong reviews stateside. Elysium followed Matt Damon's character Max, who attempts to reach a wealthy man-made space station inhabited only by the privileged as an overpopulated Earth follows into chaos.

Matt Damon Plays Max In 'Elysium'

Great idea for a sci-fi movie, huh? The American critics thought so too and it reached a score in the high 60s, early 70s on Rotten Tomatoes. One of the most positive reviews came from Ben Sachs of The Chicago Tribune who said Elysium "turns the genre on its head, critiquing military might and voicing sympathy for the disenfranchised."

Continue reading: Matt Damon's 'Elysium' Fails To Convince Prickly UK Critics

Elysium finished the weekend as the highest earning picture at the US box office, making Sony Pictures a cool $30.5 million over the last few days, a number that is encouraging for the film, if a little below the expectations of it's financial backers. Beating off fellow newcomer We're The Millers and family films Planes and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, the film didn't quite match director Neill Blomkamp's breakout hit District 9 in terms of opening weekend takings, but it still managed to perform admirably in a crowded market.

Matt Damon stars in the sci-fi Elysium

Released to mixed reviews, the post-apocalyptic thriller see's Matt Damon face off against an oppressive, aristocratic ruling class as he attempts to make the Earth of 2154 a better place for everyone to live in. Sony's president of worldwide distribution, Rory Bruer, said of the film in a statement quoted by The Hollywood Reporter, "To hit the $30 million mark is very good considering the competitive landscape and all these new movies coming in. We love being in the Neill Blomkamp business. He's a great storyteller, and this film will be a big success for the studio."

Continue reading: 'Elysium' Takes Top Spot At Box Office In Tame Weekend For Hollywood

The year is 2154, two classes of people exist, the very wealthy – who live on a man-made space station called Elysium – and the poor, who live on an overpopulated ruined Earth. Neill Blomkamp’s dysoptian new movie, starring Matt Damon, is shiny, slick action movie that has somewhat divided critics, however, it is unanimously agreed that Elysium is one of the better action films of the year and Blomkamp appears to be pulling away from the peloton of directorial mediocrity and into the highest possible class.

In the movie, the people of Earth are clearly desperate to escape their poverty and reach ‘Elysium,’ which boasts state-of-the-art medical care, however, the privileged enforce strict anti-immigration laws in order to preserve their citizen’s luxurious lifestyle.

Damon comes into the equation as Max, an ordinary guy who is in desperate need to reach Elysium and so takes on a dangerous mission that pits him against the higher planet’s Secretary Delecourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces. Should he succeed, he will save millions of lives.

Continue reading: Neill Blomkamp’s ‘Elysium’: Classy, But Is It District 9?

Having directed possibly the finest sci-fi movie of last decade, the pressure on Neill Blomkamp to perform in this follow up, Elysium, starring Matt Damon, is dangerously high. Unfortunately, an early look at the reviews suggests this isn’t another District 9.

Sharlto Copley, Neill Blomkamp and Matt Damon - the men behind Elysium

The film tells the story of an epic class battle in the future. The rich live on Elysium – a high-tech craft floating just above Earth. It has no crime, war or poverty; people can be cured of cancer by stepping into, ironically, what looks like a sun bed.

Continue reading: 'Elysium' Reviews - Has Neill Blomkamp Done It Again?

We’ve been waiting for Neill Blomkamp’s directorial follow up to District 9 for some time now. At first, the general consensus was that a sequel to the alien hit would be in line – perhaps District 10 – but when Elysium was announced, people soon forgot about that and started focussing on what this burgeoning sci-fi master was going to bring to the table.

Damon is desperate to get behind the camera

Rather worryingly, though, is that if Blompkamp had his own way, we’d be seeing Eminem step into Max’s shoes instead of their current owner, Matt Damon. It’s true; the Detroit rapper was first choice, and Damon was actually third in line.

Continue reading: Oh, Sci-Fi Gods: Thank You For Not Allowing Eminem Into 'Elysium' [Trailer]

Beyonce injected some much-needed optimism into the city of Detroit on Saturday night with a swashbuckling show at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Last week, Detroit became biggest ever city to file for bankruptucy, with Michigan Governor Rick Snyder saying the Motor City is "basically broke," according to BBC News.

However, a dizzying performance from the world's biggest entertainer distracted the city's people, if only for two hours.

The 31-year-old's set was full of attitude, soul and passion and she paid tribute to the town with a cover of Sam Cooke's classic song 'Change is Gonna Come' as a video montage of Detroit themes played behind her all-girl band. Kid Rock, Eminem, Joe Louis, The Renaissance Center, a United Auto Workers logo and a motivational quote from Henry Ford all apperared.

Continue reading: Beyonce Enlivens Ailing Detroit With Sam Cooke's 'Change Is Gonna Come'

A new trailer has been released for ‘Elysium,’ Neill Blomkamp’s follow-up to his well-received debut feature District 9. Set in the year 2145, the movie follows a number of wealthy Earthlings who have relocated to a paradise space station named Elysium, where there is no poverty, no war, no sickness and strict immigration measures in place.

However, after an unexpected turn of events that leave tough guy Max (played by Matt Damon) fighting for his life, he agrees to attempt a risky scheme to save himself. Blomkamp earned plenty of acclaim for District 9, and Elysium appears to fall into similar territory. According to the Los Angeles Times, the director showed off 10 minutes of footage from the film to journalists in Hollywood on Monday, with Damon (participating via video-link) saying he “could not pass up the chance” to work with Blomkamp because he’d admired District 9 so much. That movie was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars for its story of an extra-terrestrial race forced to live in slim-like conditions in South Africa.

Continue reading: Will Matt Damon Starring ‘Elysium’ Better Blomkamp’s ‘District 9’? (Trailer)

"Jodie Foster comes out!" were the cries from the entertainment press following the actress' Golden Globes speech on Sunday (January 13, 2013) during which she cleared up any ambiguity surrounding her sexuality and made a heartfelt plea for privacy in Hollywood. Foster - who was accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Beverly Hilton Hotel - told the star-studded audience, "I already did my big coming out about a thousand years ago in the stone age, in those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends, and family, co-workers and then gradually, proudly, to everyone who knew her."

"If you had been a public figure since the time you were a toddler, if you had to fight for a life that felt real and honest and normal against all odds, then maybe you too would value privacy above all else," she added. Ok, so everyone applauded Foster's openness (several audience members even cried), though after a long and distinguished career, is the 50-year-old still considered amongst Hollywood's premier band of leading ladies? Quiz anyone on their favourite Jodie Foster movie and the answer will invariably be Taxi Driver, The Accused or Silence of the Lambs, the latest of which hit cinemas in 1991. Ok, so there's been a couple of good movies since - most notably Panic Room (2006) and Inside Man (2006) - though shouldn't a two-time Oscar winner have been offered stronger roles in the supposed peak years of her career? Perhaps Foster still has award-winning roles ahead of her, ala Meryl Steep, Helen Mirren and Glenn Close. 

A recent directorial foray with The Beaver didn't turn out well. Although the comedy-drama had an interesting premise, Mel Gibson's central performance was panned by critics. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw said, "Contrived, self-admiring and self-pitying, unfunny, burdened with a central performance which is unendurably conceited and charmless." Perhaps things will turn around for Foster with Elysium, District 9 director Neill Blomkamp's forthcoming sci-fi set in the year 2159, where the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population reside on a ruined earth. Sounds a reasonable enough sci-fi offering, though something in the script has attracted Matt Damon to play the lead role of Max. Foster will play a government official.

Continue reading: Jodie Foster Comes Out; But Is Her Movie Career Still Alive?