Iron Man 3 is the 16th film to cross that threshold, with the other fifteen being:

• Ladybugs
• Monkeybone
• Goodburger
• Spy Kids 3
• All five of the Resident Evil Movies
• Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj
• Air Bud: Golden Receiver
• Take This Waltz
• Picture Perfect
• JCVD
• Major League 3: Back to the Minors

I can’t believe I was able to rattle off that whole list just from memory.

Harryhausen’s family posted this obituary on The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation Facebook page that sums up the man much better than my Medusa jokes ever will.

The Harryhausen family regret to announce the death of Ray Harryhausen, Visual Effects pioneer and stop-motion model animator. He was a multi-award winner which includes a special Oscar and BAFTA. Ray’s influence on today’s film makers was enormous, with luminaries; Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, George Lucas, John Landis and the UK’s own Nick Park have cited Harryhausen as being the man whose work inspired their own creations.

Harryhausen’s fascination with animated models began when he first saw Willis O’Brien’s creations in KING KONG with his boyhood friend, the author Ray Bradbury in 1933, and he made his first foray into filmmaking in 1935 with home-movies that featured his youthful attempts at model animation. Over the period of the next 46 years, he made some of the genres best known movies – MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1949), IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA (1955), 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957), MYSTERIUOUS ISLAND (1961), ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. (1966), THER VALLEY OF GWANGI (1969), three films based on the adventures of SINBAD and CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981). He is perhaps best remembered for his extraordinary animation of seven skeletons in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963) which took him three months to film.

Harryhausen’s genius was in being able to bring his models alive. Whether they were prehistoric dinosaurs or mythological creatures, in Ray’s hands they were no longer puppets but became instead characters in their own right, just as important as the actors they played against and in most cases even more so.

Today The Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation, a charitable Trust set up by Ray on the 10th April 1986, is devoted to the protection of Ray’s name and body of work as well as archiving, preserving and restoring Ray’s extensive Collection.

Tributes have been heaped upon Harryhausen for his work by his peers in recent years.

“Ray has been a great inspiration to us all in special visual industry. The art of his earlier films, which most of us grew up on, inspired us so much.” “Without Ray Harryhausen, there would likely have been no STAR WARS”
George Lucas.

“THE LORD OF THE RINGS is my ‘Ray Harryhausen movie’. Without his life-long love of his wondrous images and storytelling it would never have been made – not by me at least”
Peter Jackson

“In my mind he will always be the king of stop-motion animation”
Nick Park

“His legacy of course is in good hands
Because it’s carried in the DNA of so many film fans.”
Randy Cook

“You know I’m always saying to the guys that I work with now on computer graphics “do it like Ray Harryhausen”
Phil Tippett

“What we do now digitally with computers, Ray did digitally long before but without computers. Only with his digits.”
Terry Gilliam.

“His patience, his endurance have inspired so many of us.”
Peter Jackson

“Ray, your inspiration goes with us forever.”
Steven Spielberg

“I think all of us who are practioners in the arts of science fiction and fantasy movies now all feel that we’re standing on the shoulders of a giant.
If not for Ray’s contribution to the collective dreamscape, we wouldn’t be who we are.”
James Cameron

But seriously, yo momma is so ugly she turned Medusa into stone.

BUT WHAT OF CARSON DALY? HE WAS BEING GROOMED, I THOUGHT!!!

The good news here is that Leno will probably go away sometime next year, and Justin Timberlake will get even more exposure on Fallon’s new Tonight Show outlet, making himself known to the four or five American’s who didn’t know who Justin Timbertree was, but sure loved those wacky headlines and that black fella who led Leno’s band with the big smile.

Conan O’Brien was unavailable for comment, as at press time, he was gently petting a hairless cat and laughing maniacally.

Now we know.

Because these films make bajillions of money, it only makes sense that The Scorpion King would want in on some more sweet, sweet spin-off action. He recently spoke quasi-enthusiastically to Empire about the probability of a spin-off film starring his character, Luke Hobbs.

“Possibly… after this one. After the next one. Possibly. I’m not quite too sure. I know that’s the goal, and we continue to build that character and have him take shape, form. But yes, can’t wait.”

So nothing set in stone yet. The makers of The Fast and the Furious want to get the character right first.

My calculator tells me that’s a staggering $63 per benefactor. That’s a lot of nerd-money! “Nerd money” is just like regular money, but just spent on really nerdy things like Veronica Mars movies. Rob Thomas, the series producer, offered a sincere thank you and told the world he was taking the raise international, which I didn’t know was something that had to be done, as I just figured that anyone with an internet connection could give money to Kickstarter.

Maybe Rob Thomas can divert some of these funds to a Party Down film, which would probably cost about $50k and mean more to me personally, which is what the world exists to do: fulfill me.

“Insane” is a fairly subjective term, so let’s just consider this an opinion piece in the misguided hope that everyone will respect this list as one man’s opinion, which he has a right to. And those who take issue with any selections or omissions will understand that not everyone has the same taste, and insanity is in the eye of the beholder.

Predictably, none of the entries on this list were mainstream hits. Probably because when studio execs are sitting around a table, berating their assistants and spit balling summer tent-pole ideas, they normally aren’t building franchises around films which log lines contain the word “insane.”

But they should. Here are the most insane movies of 2012. Like, Busey level insane.

Holy Motors

Although it didn’t really enter the public consciousness (probably because it was weird and foreign), Holy Motors was critically acclaimed (also probably because it was weird and foreign). The film follows a man who exits a portal in his apartment and finds himself in several surreal situations with studio audiences, often with the uneasy ambiance of all-too-quiet dream.

It’s also in French, which adds to the insanity, and it features pop star Kylie Minogue prominently, which is pretty insane in and of itself.

Holy Motors is the type of ultra high-concept film that defies categorization or even expectation, along the lines of Von Trier’s Dogville, but much better.

The Cabin in the Woods

Insanity, thy name is Whedon. Cabin on the Woods, the long-gestating horror film produced by fanboy favorite Joss Whedon, did a lot of things at once. It served as a satire (a funny one at that – just reference the “giant molesting tree”), a genuinely scary horror film, and a meta-mystery.

The fact that the film sat on the shelf for so long, normally a kiss of death, seemed to add to the anticipation and allure, as though it was too hot for theaters.

Beyond the wacky concept (which I’m really not at liberty to divulge), the final 30 minutes of the film just become batshit-crazy, introducing a wide variety of villains, both familiar and hilariously contrived, with mayhem following shortly thereafter.

It’s a common refrain, but rather than listening to an explanation of why a movie is crazy or weird, and have the surprises given away, just see the movie!

Safety Not Guaranteed

What’s most insane about this film about a time-traveller taking out a classified ad for a companion is that the basic premise is rooted in truth. Someone actually took the ad out, with the qualifications that the companion’s safety was “not guaranteed,” and that the poster had “only done this once before.”

For a movie that follows such a whimsical premise, the casting of the ridiculously non-whimsical Aubrey Plaza as a journalist figuring out what the hell is up with that ad serves as a very nice counterbalance.

The sci-fi time-travel aspect of the plot often takes a back seat to the characters’ personal journeys, but as with many insane films, the last scene pays off nicely for those who have the patience.

It’s a quirky, cute movie that probably won’t make many best-of lists, but that’s why this list exists: To take in the weird with the great.

Project X

From producer Todd Phillips, who has made quite a name for himself with feature films that depict epic days and nights of debauchery, comes this film that, in verite style, depicts a high school house party gone completely wild.

By all accounts, the film is a misfire that aims for the accomplishments of a Cloverfield, albeit in a party atmosphere, but the ambition of the film is startling. The whole “found footage” approach is a very difficult one to get right, and holding back on the adult content handicaps the film by targeting it at clearly a younger set, even though the younger set is largely filtered out by the R rating.

This movie about a party gone bad is probably best presented in the background, on mute, of a party that’s going well.

This Must Be The Place

The trailer does most of the heavy lifting here. An aging androgynous rocker (think Robert Smith), living a quiet life in Britain, goes back to New York to right a wrong committed to his deceased father during WWII.

While that logline doesn’t exactly scream “INSANE,” the film features a very, very, very, very bizarre character played by Penn. Normally off-putting in a gruff standoffish manner, his portrayal of Cheyenne is off-putting because of his timid, freakishly timid demeanor.

It might be a welcome departure from the characters that Sean Penn normally plays, and the character of “Sean Penn” that he plays in real life, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not equally crazy and weird.

I didn’t know Andy had an inclination for entertaining, besides his well-documented experiences in Here Comes Treble. Oh well. I guess you miss a lot of new information when you don’t watch a show for its last five years.

Anyway, for the millions of our readers that are huge fans of Roseanne Barr and late-era The Office, this is your Woodstock. Make hay while the sun is shining.

Community gets John Goodman, The Office gets Roseanne. Seems about right.

The project won’t tackle the arc laid out in the first six films, but rather tackle some Jedi-heavy stuff in the style of samurai. Hmm. Sounds promising. While no one will confuse Zack Snyder for P.T. Anderson, he’s a director that can leave his fingerprints on a future installment right out of the gate.

Equally of interest to fanboys is what this report would mean to Snyder’s potential direction of DC Comics answer to The Avengers, Justice League. Perhaps he can still get the jump on both films, but probably not without delaying one of them. A real Sophie’s Choice for fanboys. Tragic.

Swatting, get it?

Anyway, some dumbass was arrested at his parents’ house on December 10th after having targeted no less than Ashton Kutcher and Just Bieber in his swatting hijinks. HOWEVER, this boy was apparently not responsible for the Miley Cyrus swatting incident, which is…just too bad.

The little shit reported shots fired through a TTY device, then led the police to fall upon the Beebz’s house, probably scaring the Canadian teenager till he shat himself in fear.

Funnyman Ricky Gervais is in talks to play the (human) lead character in the next installment of the Muppets movie, taking over for Jason Segel, who won’t be acting in or writing this iteration.

Gervais’ role is subject to much speculation as the script is being kept super-duper top secret mostly because people have a tendency to get weird and emotional about the Muppets in a manner that is truly baffling. Disney can’t be blamed in wanting to keep those weirdos at bay.

Anyway, he seems like a through-and-through good guy that would probably do right by Jim Henson, the franchise, Disney, and all those weirdo fans, so I formally request we accept this as good news.

But the cameo isn’t without context, as Amy Poehler‘s character Leslie Knope has mentioned off hand on several occasions that she carries a flame for the veep, and would do naughty, unnatural things to him if afforded the opportunity.

Barack Obama has pronounced his affection for the show in the recent past, and since Joe Biden is his vice president, Joe Biden has to like everything that his boss does as is stipulated in Article IX, Subsection V of The Constitution That I Just Made Up.

So now the characters of Boy Meets World, a show I was a couple years too old for, are now parents with a tweenage daughter. Well, it’s nice to know that we’re all getting old together, I guess.

In tangential news, William Daniels, the guy who played Mr. Feeny, is 85 years young, which means that he will undoubtedly be making appearances on the show, probably as a really old life coach that lives in the Matthews’ guest bedroom, because that’s how the world works. All your important teachers in elementary school end up living with you in the twilight of their years.

Disney has announced its acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd. for $4.05 billion along with plans to produce Star Wars Episode VII for a 2015 release, followed by episodes VIII and IX. Besides the extraordinary payday, George Lucas, who will not be directing the next sequel, was motivated to sell in order to cement his legacy as the creative genius who created the Star Wars franchise rather than the jowly asshole who almost destroyed it.

It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come.

It’s easy to imagine this entire endeavor going horribly, horribly wrong, especially considering how the prequels turned out. But I’m somewhat optimistic. Disney did a fine job relaunching The Muppets last year, which is a good sign. And as of late, the biggest problem with the franchise (besides annoying fans like me) has been Lucas himself. Perhaps some new blood is just what Star Wars needs. Or maybe it will turn out like John Carter. Either way, now I have a reason not to kill myself for the next decade, and for that, I’m grateful.

Hmm. Let’s spend the rest of this article enjoying some Carl Weathers (the character) Arrested Development trivia, then we’ll all blow out early and enjoy the rest of the day.

• His idea of stew is hot water and vegetables from craft services.
• He buys all his cars at police auctions.
• He’s likely to get bumped off his flight and pocket the cash.
• He carries on friendly conversations with Dave Attell.
• He is not above drinking wine off other people’s tables if a fight breaks out.

Put your favorite quote/fact in the comments.

(Cue sad tuba music)

After seeing the mess that was made of Total Recall, it’s no surprise that people are losing faith in the remakes of recent, not-THAT-great action films that certainly don’t need to be remade. Robocop‘s costume is somehow sillier than it was back in 1987, and that superheros that try to look badass generally look pretty ridiculous.

Maybe it will come out the same weekend as that Red Dawn remake that’s been kicking around for four years. DOUBLE FEATURE!

Here’s what I think when I see the photo:

• He’s in a temple! That’s a place of peace! Put those claws away, Wolverine!
• There’s a limit to how muscular superheroes can get before they lose their efficacy. At some point, they start to really look like those bodybuilders at the gym, and you just can’t take them seriously any more. Wolverine crossed that line about two movies ago.
• He doesn’t LOOK like a guy who’s crazy about showtunes.
• How’s someone from the Pacific Northwest so bronze?
• I wonder if he’s wearing Lululemon yoga pants. I feel like he should be wearing Lululemon yoga pants.

Because it’s Brett Ratner, and nothing about this makes any sense at all, the script is penned by Nzingha Stewart, who’s a hip-hop video director by day, and a rebooter of oddly esoteric 80s coming-of-age films by night.

No word yet on who could play The Flamingo Kid, but because it’s Brett Ratner, we’re going to slide our betting chips over to the “41 year-old Chris Tucker” spot on the gaming table. Now we play the waiting game.

Finally, we can bet that the film will come in way under budget due to the omission of money-wasting rehearsals.

The name of the song will be “Skyfall,” which goes in quotes because it’s the title of a smaller work, and that’s how that rule works.

It’s always fun to see how the singers will shoehorn the movie title into the lyrics, and I’m sure Adele will be no exception. Perhaps the “skyfall” will be from love, and it’s like, a metaphor. Maybe skyfall will be heartbreak.

Yeah. That could work for her.

This may be a thin premise for a news story, but dammit, it’s MY thin premise for a news story, so let’s drag it out by referencing some stuff that the show ascertained that Lucille Austero really likes:

• Carl Weathers
• Club sauce
• Spicy club sauce
• Stan Sitwell

Shit. That wasn’t a very effective stalling technique at all.

I’m taking my stuff and going home. Article’s over folks.

The film takes place in the days following the Cherbobyl disaster and centers around conversations had between Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev while they took a spa vacation together in Iceland to begin considering peace between their nations. That would mean this movie is set in 1986, which means Reagan’s former co-star Bonzo the Chimp won’t factor into the story. So, Andy Serkis‘s agent can stop leaving so many voicemails. (THR)

Mike Birbiglia’s Sleepwalk With Me opened on 30 screens (as opposed to The Avengers on 4,000) but has since had its order doubled to 60 in light of strong turnout. If it does well with that, more screens will be added. Thus, Whedon has sent out a plea to his loyal fans to boycott Sleepwalk With Me thus preserving his title.

Granted, this was done all in good fun, but I really don’t appreciate being told what to do. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some Weed Killer to drink. (THR)

Hmmm. Rogue outsider who has controversial methods but gets results…trying to think if any other shows have done something like that. Nope. New ground is being broken here, folks.

The show will be produced by Kelsey Grammer because, hey, Frasier, and the rogue academic will be modeled on a Freakonomics-type academic, which apparently will be such a source of influence that they felt compelled to mention it in a press release and probably paid those Freakonomics authors some likeness rights.

I really think this is going to be the year NBC bounces back, guys.

The sweet is that the boy, Zachary is a beneficiary of the Make-A-Wish foundation, and his request was twofold: To meet Hellboy and become Hellboy.

Which is totally badass.

He got to do both as Ron Perlman, the man behind the mask, got together with the special effects and makeup folks, sat for four hours, and gave the kid what he wanted. It wasn’t made public what Zachary’s ailment is, but regardless of that info, this is a heartwarming story of someone in Hollywood being nice for a change.

Don’t get used to it.

A quick look at some of America’s all time favorite law enforcers makes it obvious that while all cops are good guys, they aren’t all the same. In fact, some probably got a shoddy accredited online criminal justice degree. Here’s a quick run down on the “toughest” and “weakest” of the all time:

Los Angeles is of course the superstar in glamour with Hollywood nearby. It’s no surprise that LA TV cops follow suit, with the aesthetically pleasing Baywatch, a show famous for gorgeous lifeguards saving lives and keeping life on the sandy shores safe. While, the girls are certainly worth watching, they truly aren’t much of a match in a fist fight. Rating: Weak.

Law and Order brings the uniquely New York style of tough to the forefront, where brains and a hard-bitten attitude and style count for more than rough and ready brawn. The lawyers take center stage, but they can hold their own with both the cops and the criminals. They don’t need guns, because they are masters of the law and the legal system, and they know it. Rating: Tough.

Walker Texas Ranger is the iconic Texas-style cop drama. The show starred martial arts expert Chuck Norris, as a State Ranger, who believes in the code of the Old West. He is aided by his partner and best friend Sgt. Jimmy Trivette, who handles the modern day niceties like computers and internet connections. No one is going to call Walker a pansy. Rating: Tough.

Any time fashion statements take center stage on a cop show, the tough factor kicks down at least three notches. Such is the case with Miami Vice. While the characters certainly ranked high for a certain ‘80s cool factor, after all they had fabulous boats, fabulous cars, and fabulous lighting, Don Johnson’s perennial five o’clock shadow isn’t enough to make this a hard core cop show. Rating: Weak.

And then there is Chicago, with the highly rated, but super tough and violent “The Untouchables.” Few cop shows have ever captured the gritty drama of clearing out the mafia while rooting out corruption in their own law enforcement agencies like this one did. Chicago Rating: Tough.

But if you are really going to stamp a region for their cop shows, Los Angeles can be forgiven for the Baywatch rating. After all, Los Angeles is home to the granddaddy of all cop shows, “Dragnet” which opened with the famous, “This is the city…” and that city was Los Angeles and it was a very tough place. In addition Adam-12 and Highway Patrol were both filmed in Los Angeles and based on actual California cases. So when it comes to a regional rating, you have to rate Southern California as, Tough enough.

Of course, it isn’t all about tough. Those glamour shows are great fun to watch as well. For a real life drama, shoot ‘em up fun, fashion sense, car chase galore and whodunit mystery, there’s nothing like TV cops.

The Future of Grey’s Anatomy (AOLTV)

21 Epic Eyebrow Fails (Smosh)

The Weirdest Types of Storage (SocialHype)

Olivia Munn Pics Leaked (CelebJihad)

Georgia Graham Hotness (CagePotato)

The 25 Moods of Nic Cage (Holytaco)

The Hottest Denver Nuggets Ever (DonChavez)

No One Wants To Get Married Anymore (JustAGuyThing)

Suprising Turn-On’s For Women (MadeMan)

The Hottest Babes on the Net (DoubleViking)

Ron Perlman Goes Transgender (MovieLine)

What Women Wish Guys Knew (ModernMan)

Paula Labaredas Hotness (Ehowa)

Lauren Cohan Is Walking Dead Sexy (Gunaxin)

Gotta Love Ryan Gosling (NextMovie)

When Gorgeous Goes Gross (GuySpeed)

Taking Smack Fail (TotallyCrap)

20 Awesome Celebrity Look A Likes (TotalProSports)

5 New Shows For Robert Rodriguez’s Network (TuVez)

Chicken Wing Chat: Edge (NextMovie)

Hockey Coach Goes Ballistic (BuzzerBeat)

The Future of Community & Fringe (HuffTV)

How Many Calories Should You Eat To Lose Weight (BuiltLean)

The Best of Angelina’s Legs (Smosh)

The Most Embarassing Wedding Ever (SocialHype)

Dakota Fanning In A Dress (CelebJihad)

Joe Rogans Favorite Ultimate Fighter Moments (CagePotato)

25 Terrifying Animal People (Holytaco)

New England Patriots Cheerleader Hotness (DonChavez)

The Best of SXSW (MadeMan)

The Hottest Babes on the Net (DoubleViking)

John Carter: Fact & Fiction (MovieLine)

Woman Explains Female Birth Control (ModernMan)

Sophia Bush Bikini Pics (Ehowa)

Lauren Cohan Is Sexy (Gunaxin)

In Defense of John Carter (NextMovie)

Champions Who Cried (GuySpeed)

Epic Close Call (TotallyCrap)

Kimbo Slice Knows Whats Up (CagePotato)

Epic Adidas Cowboy Sneakers (TuVez)

3 Messi Goals in 3 Minutes (BuzzerBeat)

Don Draper Tells All (HuffTV)

Miraculous Meme Paintings (Smosh)

Stunning Celebrity Closeup Pictures (SocialHype)

Rihanna In Mesh (CelebJihad)

Todays MMA WAGS (CagePotato)

Meet Your Sisters New BF (Holytaco)

Bar Rafaeli Twitpics (DonChavez)

Acceptable Ways To Dress Your Kid Up (JustAGuyThing)

The Best Ultrabooks Under 1K (MadeMan)

Hotties of the Internet (DoubleViking)

The Garbage Pail Kids Are Back! (MovieLine)

25 Things Lethal Weapon Taught Us (ModernMan)

Emma Roberts Hotness (Ehowa)

Rocio Diaz Gallery (Gunaxin)

Chat With The Edge (NextMovie)

Getting Naked With Glee (GuySpeed)

Wedding Pic Pose Fail (TotallyCrap)

Giroux Scores A Beauty (TotalProSports)

An Inexpensive Guide To SXSW (TuVez)

Chicken Wing Chat: Edge (NextMovie)

Hockey Coach Goes Ballistic (BuzzerBeat)

The Future of Community & Fringe (HuffTV)

How Many Calories Should You Eat To Lose Weight (BuiltLean)

The Best of Angelina’s Legs (Smosh)

The Most Embarassing Wedding Ever (SocialHype)

Dakota Fanning In A Dress (CelebJihad)

Joe Rogans Favorite Ultimate Fighter Moments (CagePotato)

25 Terrifying Animal People (Holytaco)

New England Patriots Cheerleader Hotness (DonChavez)

The Best of SXSW (MadeMan)

The Hottest Babes on the Net (DoubleViking)

John Carter: Fact & Fiction (MovieLine)

Woman Explains Female Birth Control (ModernMan)

Sophia Bush Bikini Pics (Ehowa)

Lauren Cohan Is Sexy (Gunaxin)

In Defense of John Carter (NextMovie)

Champions Who Cried (GuySpeed)

Epic Close Call (TotallyCrap)

Kimbo Slice Knows Whats Up (CagePotato)

Epic Adidas Cowboy Sneakers (TuVez)

http://www.builtlean.com/2011/01/18/how-many-calories-should-you-eat-to-lose-weight/