Hunger Games

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory Docurama, $29.95 Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's documentary was completed before the men known as the "West Memphis Three" were freed from prison after 17 years, and while the filmmakers have added an epilogue about the hasty, unsatisfying resolution to the frustrating murder case, the third installment of this ongoing story still feels out of date for most of its two-hour running time. The case, though, remains fascinating, especially given the new evidence that Berlinger and Sinofsky have unearthed about another possible suspect in the killing and mutilation of three 8-year-old boys.

Katniss Everdeen gets her golden mockingjay pin as a gift in “The Hunger Games,” but fans will have to shell out $999 to score a replica of the token on Target's website. The retailer, in a partnership with the Lionsgate studio, is making 100 of the 14-carat pins that it is selling in conjunction with the DVD and Blu-ray release of the “Hunger Games” film. Seems like an expensive way to commemorate a hardscrabble character from an impoverished district? Target is also offering 100 leather “Katniss” hunting jackets for $349 each.

Executives at Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. received significantly increased bonuses in the last fiscal year, following the Santa Monica studio's successful launch of "The Hunger Games," its acquisition of Summit Entertainment and a more than 100% rise in its stock price. Details on the compensation of top executives at Lions Gate were disclosed in the company's proxy filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission before its annual meeting, which will be held Sept. 11 in Toronto.

EXCLUSIVE: When "The Hunger Games"hit big in the spring, many blogs were quick to point out the movie's similarities to "Battle Royale," a 2000 Japanese hit about teenagers in a totalitarian state fighting for survival in a government-imposed competition. Now a long-stalled U.S. remake of "Battle Royale" could be restarted -- as a TV series. In the last few weeks, the CW has had talks with the project's Hollywood representatives about the possibility of turning the property into an English-language show, said a person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak about it publicly.

Is Hollywood having a blowout year or a dismal one? The confounding answer: both. This weekend, "The Dark Knight Rises"is expected to dominate the box office, joining "The Avengers"and "The Hunger Games"in a small, elite group of high-profit 2012 blockbusters. Buoyed by strong reviews and an eager fan base, director Christopher Nolan's final Batman movie will probably debut with around $190 million in ticket sales, and has a shot at surpassing the three-day "Avengers" record of $207 million.

Screen legend Peter O'Toole announced Tuesday that he is retiring from acting . "It's time for me to chuck in the sponge," he said in a statement. "To retire from stage and screen. The heart for it has gone out of me; it won't come back. " O'Toole, who turns 80 on Aug. 2, achieved international stardom and his first Oscar nomination for David Lean's 1962 "Lawrence of Arabia," an Academy Award-winning epic. O'Toole was 27 when he earned the coveted title role. He went on to earn best actor nominations - but no wins - for 1964's "Becket," 1968's "The Lion in Winter," 1969's "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," 1972's "The Ruling Class," 1980's "The Stunt Man," 1982's "My Favorite Year" and 2006's "Venus.

Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has joined the cast of "The Hunger Games" sequel "Catching Fire" as head gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee, according to Lionsgate, the studio behind the movies. Hoffman will play the sly orchestrator of the 75th annual Hunger Games, replacing the previous gamemaker, Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley), who met an early demise after allowing heroine Katniss Everdeen to manipulate the previous games. Hoffman will enter the fictional world of Panem, playing opposite "Hunger Games" cast members Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson.

Talk about long-term planning. Lionsgate on Tuesday announced dates for the next three (!) movies in its flagship "Hunger Games" series.   “Catching Fire,” directed by Francis Lawrence, will come out just before Thanksgiving in 2013, while the two “Mockingjay” movies will be released in November 2014 and November 2015. By the time the final “Hunger Games” movie rolls around, so much time will have passed that we'll be long past this presidential-election cycle and knee-deep in the next one. In making the announcement, Lionsgate revealed its intention not to play the game that “Twilight” studio Summit and “Harry Potter” company Warner Bros.

Lionsgate plans to make its next three "Hunger Games" movies an annual event every November from 2013 through 2015. The Santa Monica studio announced Tuesday that it will release "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" on Nov. 21, 2014, and "Mockingjay Part 2" on Nov. 20, 2015. The company has already scheduled the second picture, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," for Nov. 22, 2013. The news demonstrates how critical it has become for Hollywood studios to stake out the best release dates for their event movies as early as possible.

 Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has joined the cast of "The Hunger Games" sequel "Catching Fire" as head gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee, according to Lionsgate, the studio behind the movies. Hoffman will play the sly orchestrator of the 75th annual Hunger Games, replacing the previous gamemaker, Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley), who met an early demise after allowing heroine Katniss Everdeen to manipulate the previous games. Hoffman will enter the fictional world of Panem, playing opposite "Hunger Games" cast members Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson.