Thread: Movie News ( Cinema Releases, Movie Ratings & Reviews )

03/05/2010



Green Lantern And Sucker Punch Will Be In 3D





So do you guys really still want us to tell you when upcoming movies are going to be converted to 3D? Have you not gotten the memo that, unless it's a sequel to Precious or a Lars von Trier movie, it's going to be in 3D, whether you like it or not? OK, fine, I guess we'll keep reporting these things at news.

The latest to slap those goofy glasses on your face are Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch and the Ryan Reynolds-starring Green Lantern, which have beeb recently renamed with 3D in the title, as caught by Box Office Mojo (via Movieline). Given that Snyder has been promising Sucker Punch as a gonzo action movie, and that Green Lantern is a superhero movie, none of this should surprise you. You should be annoyed, but not surprised. This is how things work now.



Guy Ritchie Directing Excalibur?





Arthurian legend seems to be the new, hot property in Hollywood. Bryan Singer is working on some form of Excalibur movie, but there’s another, competing Excalibur in production written by Warren Ellis. And now that version is rumored to have an equally high-profile director. Pajiba says Sherlock Holmes helmer Guy Ritchie is may be attached to direct.

The difference between Ritchie and Singer’s version it would seem is that Singer’s is more of a direct remake of the classic Excalibur film wheras Ritchie’s is reported to be more in the mold of Star Wars. It’s more specifically about the gathering of Arthur’s knights.

There’s a wrench in the gears though. Both of these directors are pretty busy with other projects. Singer has X-Men: First Class and Battlestar Galactica also in the works while last we heard Ritchie was supposed to be fast tracking a Sherlock Holmes 2. In fact a few weeks ago here we learned that Warners was in such a rush to get a Sherlock sequel done that Ritchie was forced to abandon his planned adaptation of DC Comics Lobo. That has to mean that we won’t be seeing either Richie or Singer’s take on Excalibur, if indeed either of them ever happen, any time soon.


Johnny Depp Loves Captain Jack So Much He'd Do Seven Pirates Films





Since when is Johnny Depp so gung-ho about Pirates of the Caribbean? Did Tim Burton put something in his tea? Parade posted a slew of quotes from Depp and amongst them is this glowing statement about how much Depp loves Captain Jack Sparrow: "I can't wait to get back in costume. Some people will say, 'Aha, Depp sold out by doing the sequels.' But it was never an issue for me. I love Captain Jack so much I'd do Pirates 7 if they asked me."

Since when did anyone criticize him for doing sequels? Well, Curse of the Black Pearl is better than Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End, but it’ safe to say the concept was worthy of a franchise. Anyway, the current tension stems from a recent comment Depp made after Dick Cook left Disney. Referring to the fourth film he said, “There's a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment.” Then came the news that Depp was more in the Captain Sparrow spirit when Rob Marshall boarded the project. Four months later, Depp is still Pirates giddy and all is right in the world.

Clearly, Depp also took the time to talk Alice. When asked about working with Burton he said, “To be honest, he could have asked me to play Alice and I would have said yes.” He had a surprising response to a question about getting that déjà vu feeling on the set. "My whole ride in this business since day one has been pretty surreal. It defies logic. I'm still completely shocked that I get jobs and still am around." Another surprising Depp tidbit? His kids’ favorite movie is Edward Scissorhands. “It's funny because they have a difficult time watching it because it's their dad.” And on a more serious and sincere note, “I think meeting the mother of my children, Vanessa, completely changed my life. When I watch her with our kids, I can't think of anything more beautiful in the world.” All together now … aww!


First Trailer For Zack Snyder's Legend Of The Guardians





In the last few days we've been hit with a lot of news about "Zack Snyder's owl movie," from the title change that dubbed it Legend of the Guardians instead of Guardians of Ga'Hoole to the first character images that debuted earlier today. Now to top it all is the premiere of the movie's first trailer, which just popped up at Yahoo! Movies.

You can watch it embedded below or click over there for the glorious high-res version. Honestly, I'm not totally sure what to make of it. It strikes me as your classic hero's journey, in which a youngster in inspired to greatness when he joins the legendary warriors he's always admired-- except, you know, it's taking place in a giant tree where owls live. All kinds of famous voices, from Helen Mirren to Lost's Emilie de Ravin, pop up, and some of the battle sequences carry a similar thrill to all that banshee-riding in Avatar. But an entire movie? About heroic owls? Forgive me for not quite being sold just yet. Luckily they've got until September 24 of this year to get me on board.

Given the title change and the release date, though, you know what this movie is reminding me of? The Seeker: The Dark is Rising, which came and went quickly in the fall of 2007, despite being an adaptation, like Guardians of a beloved children's book. Is this one doomed to the same fate?


youtube link >>> YouTube - 'Legend of the Guardians' Trailer HD


Freida Pinto Back On Bond's Babe Radar





Next Bond girl rumors are only slightly more numerous and wrong than Batman 3 casting rumors, and the thing about this rumor is that we’ve heard it before. It was in March of 2009 that Slumdog Millionaire babe Freida Pinto was first rumored to be up for a role in the next James Bond movie. That rumor went nowhere, and now it’s reared its ugly head again.

Mid Day says Pinto is back on the Bond 23 shortlist as potential hottie material for 007’s next outing. What makes this rumor a little more likely this time is that now, we actually know for Bond 23 is happening. Sam Mendes is directing and the film is fast tracked for a 2011 release, which means that a Bond babe shortlist almost certainly exists out there somewhere. It’s just a question of whether Freida is actually on it, and whether James Bond wants to sleep with her. Scratch that. Look at her. Of course he does.

Freida however, is a citizen of a country in which Richard Gere was burned in effigy for hugging one of their actresses too hard. They’re afraid to show kissing in their movies, and so they substitute line dancing for human intimacy. What’ll they do when Britain’s syphilis-ridden super-agent puts Latika in erotic lingerie and has his way with her, unprotected of course? Say goodbye to your passport, Daniel Craig.


Make Fun of Avatar, See If James Cameron Cares





If you sift through enough Joan Rivers and Ryan Seacrest garbage on E! you occasionally can dig up a nugget of interesting information. Today, Christina Gibson over at the entertainment giant posted a few quips from the man everyone is dying to hear from, James Cameron.

Apparently at this weekend's Oscar ceremony, there was a planned skit involving Ben Stiller and Sacha Baron Cohen which would poke fun at Avatar. The skit was cut and when presented with that information, Cameron had this to say:

“I don't know anything about that...I don't produce the Oscars. If they want to poke fun at Avatar Sunday, that's OK by me.”



Of course he would be OK with it. Sticks and stones can't penetrate the $2.5 billion of padding around that man's sensibilities. However, I personally couldn't be happier that skit was done away with. Aside from the fact that I think those kinds of skits should be left to MTV, I generally just don't like Stiller or Baron Cohen.

In the generally light-hearted spirit of the Oscars, it's safe to assume that there will be quite a lot of fun being poked at Avatar anyway, and with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin hosting, the other films will probably get a generous ribbing as well. Check out the Oscars this Sunday at 7pm EST.


these and more on Latest Movie News & Rumor

03/06/2010



Robert De Niro Signs On For Midnight Run Sequel





Robert De Niro, seriously, what is going on? The actor widely regarded as the best of his generation hasn't made a good movie decision since 2000's Meet the Parents, and that's almost negated thanks to the awful sequel that followed it. Sure, he founded the Tribeca Film Festival, which is a great addition to New York City, but those of us who like him as an actor can be forgiven for wanting more.

And now he seems to be making one of his most baffling decisions yet. Deadline Hollywood is reporting that De Niro has signed on to a sequel to Midnight Run in which he starred as a bounty hunter hunting down a mob accountant, played by Charles Grodin. Because Grodin is retired from acting and also has good sense, he won't reprise his role, so it'll be someone else getting pulled by the ear. It probably won't be all that hard to find someone else to get on board-- high-profile remake, original star on board, all that-- but I can't be the only person who sees this as an awful idea. Isn't there a manager or somebody in De Niro's life who can prevent things like this from happening?


Benicio Del Toro Will Go Undercover In Making Jack Falcone





Jack Garcia was a Cuban-born FBI agent. He was also an investor in a strip club, a jewel thief and an extortionist. No, he wasn’t moonlighting to make some extra cash; he was in the business of undercover investigation. He participated in 100 covert operations, but none could compare to the degree of dedication required to infiltrate the Gambino Crime family. Under the alias Jack Falcone, Garcia successfully took down 39 members of the infamous New York crime organization.

According to Deadline Hollywood, a movie about Garcia is in the works and it’ll star Benicio del Toro. The project will reunite del Toro with his Che writer and director, Peter Buchman and Steven Soderbergh. Buchman penned the script and Soderbergh, who’s currently fishing for a director, is on board to produce. The duo originally had Making Jack Falcone set up at Paramount, but DH predicts the studio will soon let it go.

I don’t quite understand why they would ditch the project, considering this seems like a fantastic filmmaking idea with a fascinating character at its core. Garcia had everything working against him. At 6’4” and 390 lbs, blending in wasn’t really an option and even being of Italian lineage, his Cuban heritage posed a major problem. With help from his handler, Garcia went through ‘The Mob School’ and came out extremely knowledgeable of every little nuance down to the broccoli band wallet. Thanks to this training he was offered the mafia’s highest honor, becoming a made man, just before the FBI closed the investigation.

So, is del Toro capable of acting as well as the man he’s trying to portray? He might need to put on some pounds in order to make it truly convincing, but if any actor can do it, it’s del Toro. The guy’s played everything from Samoan Attorney Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to American actor Lawrence Talbot in the recently released The Wolfman.


Vin Diesel Says Fast Five Is Headed To Brazil





While the fourth Fast and Furious film-- called just Fast and Furious, of course-- brought it all back home by taking place in Southern California and Mexico, the fifth film is apparently getting more adventurous. Vin Diesel has been updating fans about plans for the upcoming movie on his Facebook page (via Slashfilm), and recently posted the following:

Had a meeting with Justin Lin today regarding the Fast saga… some daring but fascinating thoughts in terms of action set pieces… and relationships, old and new. The team is on their way to Brazil this evening, to scout, and to see what selection of cars there are. P.s. Will be talking to DT next week, maybe he can let me show some concept art of Riddick… Peace.



Being an exotic location that Americans are recently interested in, not to mention the home of plenty of drug gangs for our heroes to get caught up with, Brazil seems like a logical next step for the Fast and Furious franchise. Diesel and Paul Walker are both on board, along with director Lin.


Ridley Scott's Alien Prequel Will Be In 3D





While we talk nonstop about prequels and sequels and reboots of movies that no one really cares about, I keep forgetting one actually exciting thing that's happening: Ridley Scott himself is directing a prequel to Alien. Sure, it has about even odds of turning out horribly, but still, the notion of a master filmmaker returning to the story that made him a legend is intriguing, even if none of us think he's got the skills anymore.

Not to rain on your parade, but there's now a bit of news about Scott's Alien prequel that may make you roll your eyes. Shadowlocked (via Slashfilm) has confirmed with the film's art director Roger Christian that the film will be shot in 3D. I know, I know: duh. But he also had some encouraging things to say about the film, including his hopes for a trilogy:

e has a very clear understanding of where this should go. They kind of stopped dead one of the greatest horror franchises there's ever been, and it had legs to go on. So I'm hoping he'll revive another three.



Three more Alien films on top of all the bad ones (and two genius ones ) we've already got? I'm tempted to cry overkill, but who knows how it might pan out. Scott may be waiting for Robin Hood to get in theaters before properly starting work on Alien, but I'm dying to hear more about where he's going with this



Scott Porter And Michael Cassidy Will Not Be Captain America





While it's still totally possible that Jim from The Office will wind up playing Captain America, there are two names from the shortlist released last week that you no longer need to worry about. Movieline has noted that Scott Porter has taken the lead in a CW pilot called Nomads, while Michael Cassidy has confirmed via Twitter that he's no longer up for the part.

Still in the running are John Krasinski, Mike Vogel, Patrick Flueger, Chace Crawford and Garret Hedlund, all of whom are presumably in the gym right now trying to build up the proper muscles. Porter likely saw a better opportunity on television-- at least one that didn't require him to sign a nine-picture deal-- and jumped for it, while Cassidy's reasons for bailing are unknown. Hopefully more actors will step up and admit whether or not they're out of the running so we can get this damn thing cast already.


Rachel Nichols Will Play The Love Interest In Conan The Barbarian





Rachel Nichols has already had a part in two major summer blockbusters, Star Trek and G.I. Joe, so why not make it a hat trick? Latino Review is reporting that Nichols has signed on to play Tamara in Conan the Barbarian, a martial arts master who serves as the Queen's bodyguard in Conan's world.

Actually, I'll just give you the casting breakdown they provided and let you take it from there. Nichols is building a reputation as "that hot girl who is convincing at action," so this role makes sense as continuing the trend. Will this be a part that actually helps her break out past her male co-stars, though? I have my doubts, but who knows.

Tamara is 18 to 24 years old, Caucasian or Middle Eastern, open to all ethnicities; beautiful, studious, correct, a novitiate of a Greek influenced monastery. A master of martial arts, she has been trained to be the Queen’s servant, bodyguard and best friend. She and many other female bodyguards to the queen have been in hiding most of their lives because of the curse of Acheron, which would take the queen’s life to bring almost immortal power to its king. When Khalar Singh, a powerful warlord with ambitions to become the king of Acheron, storms the monastery and captures all of the novitiates, she is separated from Ilira, the one she must protect. With all of her strength and will, Tamara is determined to find and rescue her. She finds herself in league with Conan because of a mutual need to find Khalar Singh. She is not in the least intimidated by Conan’s size or grim demeanor and their alliance eventually blossoms into something that surprises them both…


Two More Tracy Morgan Comedies On The Way





Warner Bros. must be pleased with the way Cop Out performed, because the studio has booked Tracy Morgan for another comedy. ID Theft will feature Morgan as a dad struggling with financial troubles. When a suburban father’s credit card winds up in his hands, he decides to use it as an easy way out. The script comes from SNL writers Colin Jost and Rob Klein.

Warner Bros. isn’t the only studio investing in Morgan. As reported by Deadline Hollywood, Paramount has him in their own comedy called Freshman Roommates, in which he’ll star alongside TJ Miller. There are no plot details for that one, but the studio is courting Blades of Glory’s John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky to work on a new draft of the script because the original writers, John Mulaney and Nick Kroll, are no longer available.

Morgan is great, but only in small doses. Can we really handle one let alone two more feature films with him in the lead? At least he has a promising co-star in Freshman Roommates. Miller was actually in Cloverfield, but he played Hud, the man behind the camera, so we rarely saw his face. However, he has a supporting role in She’s Out of My League and while he does overdo some of his gags, much like Morgan, his humor is rather refreshing


these and more on Latest Movie News & Rumor

03/07/2010



New Tron: Legacy Trailer May Not Be Online Any Time Soon





More than a few of you have bought an Alice in Wonderland ticket this weekend just to see the new Tron: Legacy trailer we told you about last Saturday. A few of you walked away disappointed. Reports are that the trailer did not play with IMAX 3D versions of the film (and it’s not playing with 2D versions either), and if that’s how you’re saw it, you’re stuck waiting until the trailer debuts on the internet. One problem: It won’t be online any time soon.

It should officially hit the internet next week, rumor suggests that the earliest it might arrive is on Tuesday the 9th, but it’s by no mean certain and it seems that Disney is in no rush. Instead they seem to be intent on using the trailer to push the 3D format, rather than advertise their movie to as many potential fans as possible. Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski tells MTV, “It was important to me that when people see it for the first time, they have the opportunity to see it in 3-D on a big screen. The entire second half of the trailer is in 3-D. On your iPhone, it's not quite the same.”

While in the theater is obviously the ideal place to see any trailer, especially a 3D trailer, just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean people will be watching it on their iPhones. I plan on blasting it through my surround sound speakers in high-def, in the privacy of my own home. That may not happen for a few days yet. If they're really so serious about people seeing it in the best possible format, then wouldn't it make sense to have it playing with IMAX versions? Or is this really just an attempt to inflate Alice in Wonderland's 3D box office totals? It's not like it needed the help.

Normally delaying a trailer in this way would result in an epic number of bootlegs hitting the internet, but Disney’s lawyers have been on the job all weekend. Video posted to YouTube vanishes as quickly as it appears, buried in cease & desist orders. Bootlegs may exist, but unlike any other high-profile trailer in recent memory, Disney has done a thorough job of making sure they’re not widely accessible. Enjoy the waiting. We’ll let you know as soon as the first official Tron: Legacy is available.


The Runaways Explode In A Full Trailer





A full trailer for The Runaways has arrived and it’s not all Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning running around smashing stuff! Well, a little of that, but there’s some actual footage in this one as compared to the teaser. The video actually portrays the film as being Cherie Currie’s (Fanning) more so than Joan Jett’s (Stewart).

The Runaways is two for two with trailers and it’s really having a strong influence on me. There’s a natural tendency to scoff the film because it keeps Stewart in her typical angsty teen role, but hey, that’s what it calls for. As for Fanning it seems as though the older she gets the wider her range grows. Even with my enthusiasm for the leading duo, it would have been nice to get somewhat of a look at the rest of the band like Scout Taylor-Compton as Lita Ford and Alia Shawkat as Robin Robins (some sort of version of Micki Steele.) Oh well, they’ll have to wait until the film gets its limited release on March 19th, or until it opens wide on April 9th. Regardless, the trailer is quite good.


youtube link >>> YouTube - 'The Runaways' Trailer HD


Knight And Day To Arrive A Week Early On June 25th





Knight and Day will arrive seven nights and seven days earlier. According to Variety, Twentieth Century Fox has decided to move the Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz action comedy up a week from July 2nd to June 25th in an effort to dodge some competition.

First and foremost, the studio wants to give the film its time to shine before the release of Warner Bros’ Leonardo DiCaprio starrer Inception on July 16th and Sony’s Angelina Jolie starrer Salt on the 23rd. On top of that, Knight and Day’s original debut date would only give it five days before the The Twilight Saga: Eclipse arrives and we all know what happens when a new Twilight movie hits; the entire world practically shuts down.

But of course, June 25th isn’t opposition-free. Knight and Day will now be going up against Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Chris Rock in Grown Ups. This could be risky considering both films will be aiming for those looking for a good laugh. On the other hand, if Grown Ups gets panned, moviegoers would flock to see Knight and Day. However, there’s always the chance Knight and Day could suffer from some critical backlash of its own and everyone will just stick with the previous week’s releases Jonah Hex and Toy Story 3.


Director Marc Webb's Spider-Man Update





It’s been a whole two weeks since we’ve heard any new Spider-Man gossip. Clearly the moment Marc Webb stepped foot on the red carpet for the Spirit Awards that was going to change. Webb was certainly minding his words while chatting with MTV, but did offer a few comments on his highly anticipated 2012 3D superhero reboot.

Webb called Peter Parker a ‘legend’ and explained, "That mythology is appealing to me and it has been for a long time. It's just a dream come true." But of course, that dream was someone else’s just a few years back. When questioned about the original series’ director Sam Raimi, Webb humbly said, “He did something fantastic, but I do think the mythology of Spider-Man is wide and vast, and there's more opportunity to explore that cinematically.”

Now to the good stuff, casting. He dodged questions of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s potential involvement by saying, “We're casting a wide net. That's really all I can say at this point.” He got a little chattier when discussing collaborating with James Cameron and Avatar producer Jon Landau. "I talked to James and Jon a little bit." He further explained, "It's such an enormous undertaking. I'd like to talk to those guys more. They're fantastic representatives for 3-D and we'll be talking more about that."

I saved the best for last. Webb concludes the interview by saying, "In the coming weeks, more will unfold." Yes! Something to look forward to! The biggest development will certainly be when the man behind the mask is announced, but at this point, any official developments will be welcomed.


Frankel Will Start Filiming The Big Year In May





A movie about birds that doesn’t have the winged assassins killing everything in some quaint small town? You got it. According to Production Weekly , the film version of The Big Year is set to start in May, with David Frankel (Marley and Me ) at the helm. The Big Year, by Mark Obmascik, is the story of bird watching. But not just any bird watching; fanatical guys who will stop at nothing to catch a glimpse of some of the rarest birds in North America. Yes, it’s a comedy.

Some big names are linked with the story of three men who brave any element to see the most birds in the shortest amount of time. Dustin Hoffman, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and producer Ben Stiller are all going to strap on the binoculars, fill up the fanny packs, and take us ornithological tour-de-force (have those words ever been muttered before?) in the quest to, wait for it, look at a ton of birds. Who would have thought this much star power would get attached to something so seemingly boring? The mundane theme may produce the most laughs.


these and more on Latest Movie News & Rumor

03/08/2010



Oscars Reaction: Why It's Business As Usual Despite Making Awards History





This year the Academy expanded the Best Picture category to 10 films in order to better include the blockbusters, the movies people have actually seen, the ones that represent the populace as a whole. But then the awards turned out to be a rallying cry for the indies, as The Hurt Locker walked away with seven statues, and movies like Crazy Heart and Precious-- movies that were made before anyone knew if they would get distributed-- took their share as well.

In the background the whole time was would-be juggernaut Avatar, which took home three fairly minor technical prizes-- art direction, cinematography, and visual effects-- and likely left millions of fans wondering what in the world this tiny war movie was doing taking away all the awards from the movie they loved. It's a worthwhile question-- Avatar is doubtlessly the movie among this year's Best Picture nominees that will be most discussed in 50 years, and it's fair to assume The Hurt Locker's triumph over Avatar will be considered the way we talk about How Green Was My Valley topping Citizen Kane, or Annie Hall over Star Wars. The Academy has always moved in mysterious ways, far removed from the desires of the fanboys or the public at large. That's something that no amount of James Cameron whizbang CGI magic can ever change.

Even though Harvey Weinstein didn't exactly clean up tonight-- Inglourious Basterds' only win was Christoph Waltz when it deserved far more-- he can breathe a sigh of relief for himself and his kind. Indies are not dead, at least at the Kodak Theater. Movies that take risks beyond the financial and technological will still be rewarded here, and movies made for grown-ups with strong stomachs are still the prime currency. That's a sentiment that changes from year to year, of course-- sometimes they reward difficult masterpieces like No Country for Old Men, sometimes they go for the glitz of a Chicago-- but had Avatar prevailed this year, it would have cued a lot of hang-wringing, yet again, about the wholesale death of the indie film. It didn't happen. Everyone, Harvey Weinstein and anyone else, can be grateful for that.

There are tons of individual things to be excited about, from the masterful Michael Giacchino winning the first of many Oscars for his Up score to the wonderfully surprised winners for Best Documentary Short, Music By Prudence. Kathryn Bigelow's history-making win for Best Director deserves its own article, but how can I even express the strange joy of seeing a Best Director winner in a dress? The Oscars have always been about taking your joy wherever you can find them, whether it's perversely loving the excruciating interpretive dance sequences (which made an unwelcome comeback this year) or somehow predicting the winners for both sound categories when no one else in your Oscar pool did. But even if you did miserably on your predictions-- I know I did, and we'll get into that tomorrow-- it's worth being glad about the night's happenings, that people who deserved prizes got them, and that the very notion of a small movie made good was reinforced one more time. I even liked Avatar more than The Hurt Locker, and I can get behind that.

As for the production of the ceremony itself, it felt longer than it has in recent years-- that Neil Patrick Harris dance number feels like it happened a month ago-- and there was no reason on this earth to deny the Best Original Song nominees the chance to perform but provide interpretive dances for the Original Score nominees instead. Letting Jeff Bridges ramble on as much as he pleased was a nice touch; cutting off the director of live-action short winner The New Tenants was obnoxious. Hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were loose and enjoyable, except when they felt so underrehearsed and awkward that the tension between them no longer seemed intentional. Like I said, the Oscars are about finding your individual moments of joy. This year's presentation often felt so herky-jerky and amateur that the people who delight in schadenfreude were probably the ones finding the most joy of all.

And so it goes-- done with this year's Oscars, on to the next. The game hasn't been changed, really, and despite one particular history maker boasting both a directing statue and two X chromosomes, the awards this year represented what they always have-- films that stand up for something, and more importantly, are willing to campaign to prove it. As remarkable as it is to see a movie that made only $13 million in theaters win Best Picture, this year's prizes mostly represent business as usual-- solid Oscar campaigns with compelling narratives to back it up, and somewhere in the mix, an actually good movie to take it all home. That's how its always been done, and no matter how happy we may be tonight to see this or that favorite take home a prize, we all know that nothing this year changed it.


Iron Man 2's Explosive New Jimmy Kimmel Trailer Is Online Now!





The new Iron Man 2 trailer which was supposed to debut tonight after the Oscars on Jimmy Kimmel Live is now, also online. And wow is it ever. You’ve never seen any Iron Man trailer quite like this. All the questions we’ve had, all the speculation, it’s all laid out here in one of the most eyepopping superhero trailers you’ll ever see.

A few quick hits from the trailer: Black Widow is Tony Stark’s notary public, the portable suitcase Iron Man armor is shown and confirmed, Sam Rockwell has a pretty pivotal role and seems to be the brain behind Whiplash’s evil, there’s a detailed recruiting discussion between Sam Jackson as Nick Fury and Tony Stark, oh and don’t miss a pretty fan freakin tastic shot of Tony Stark letting Black Widow try out the armor that is not to be missed. I’m sure you can spot at least half a dozen more revelations in this thing given time. Expect a detailed, screencap gallery of still images on Cinema Blend a little later. For now, what are you waiting for? Watch the new Iron Man 2 trailer!


-- trailer link >>> http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Iron-...Now-17425.html


Oscar Winners: Complete 2010 Academy Awards Results





Last night the speculation, prognostication and debate came to an end when the 82nd Academy Awards sorted through the nominees and picked their winners. We were there with you every step of the way with our insane, bigger than ever, Oscar Live blog. Thousands of people tuned in to watch the Oscars with us, and you can see the entire blog below all of the nominees.

But first, here's the complete list of this year's winners. The Hurt Locker took the biggest prizes, winning Best Director and Best Picture, coming away with a stunning six nominations in all. See all the results below, winners in red.

BEST PICTURE

Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

BEST DIRECTOR

Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air

BEST ACTOR

Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

BEST ACTRESS

Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo'nique, Precious

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Quentino Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman, The Messenger
Joel & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Peter Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy, Up

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell, District 9
Nick Hornby, An Education
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche, In The Loop
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Ajami, Israel
El Secretro de sus Ojo, Argentina
The Milk of Sorrow, Peru
Un Prophete, France
The White Ribbon, Germany

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Princess and the Frog
The Secrets of Kells
Up

ART DIRECTION

Avatar Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
Nine Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
Sherlock Holmes Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
The Young Victoria Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Avatar Mauro Fiore
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Bruno Delbonnel
The Hurt Locker Barry Ackroyd
Inglourious Basterds Robert Richardson
The White Ribbon Christian Berger

COSTUME DESIGN

Bright Star Janet Patterson
Coco before Chanel Catherine Leterrier
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Monique Prudhomme
Nine Colleen Atwood
The Young Victoria Sandy Powell

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Burma VJ Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
The Cove Nominees to be determined
Food, Inc. Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
Which Way Home Rebecca Cammisa

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
Music by Prudence Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
Rabbit à la Berlin Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

FILM EDITING

Avatar Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
District 9 Julian Clarke
The Hurt Locker Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
Inglourious Basterds Sally Menke
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Joe Klotz

MAKEUP

Il Divo Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
Star Trek Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
The Young Victoria Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

ORIGINAL SCORE

Avatar James Horner
Fantastic Mr. Fox Alexandre Desplat
The Hurt Locker Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
Sherlock Holmes Hans Zimmer
Up Michael Giacchino

ORIGINAL SONG

Almost There from The Princess and the Frog Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
Down in New Orleans from The Princess and the Frog Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
Loin de Paname from Paris 36 Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
Take It All from Nine Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart) from Crazy Heart Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

ANIMATED SHORT

French Roast Fabrice O. Joubert
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte) Javier Recio Gracia
Logorama Nicolas Schmerkin
A Matter of Loaf and Death Nick Park

LIVE ACTION SHORT

The Door Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
Instead of Abracadabra Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
Kavi Gregg Helvey
Miracle Fish Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
The New Tenants Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

SOUND EDITING

Avatar Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
The Hurt Locker Paul N.J. Ottosson
Inglourious Basterds Wylie Stateman
Star Trek Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
Up Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

SOUND MIXING

Avatar Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
The Hurt Locker Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
Inglourious Basterds Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
Star Trek Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

VISUAL EFFECTS

Avatar Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
District 9 Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
Star Trek Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton



The Hogwarts Express Arrives At The Wizarding World of Harry Potter





All aboard the Hogwarts Express! This actual locomotive doesn’t really take you from London to Hogsmeade. In fact, it doesn’t look like it’ll take you anywhere at all, but it does makes for a very authentic looking prop at Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Check out the official details via Muggle.net:

The Hogwarts Express arrives at Hogsmeade Station as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter continues to develop at Universal Orlando Resort. As guests enter Hogsmeade, they will be greeted by the iconic, smoke-billowing steam engine, made famous in the Harry Potter books and films for transporting students to a world of magic and wonder. Opening in Spring 2010 only at Universal Orlando Resort, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will feature multiple themed attractions, shops and a restaurant.

So the train is more of a welcoming committee rather than a means of transportation, but still a beautiful addition to the park. It’ll be especially striking when James and Oliver Phelps, Bonnie Wright and Tom Felton arrive for the spring 2010 grand opening. Those are the folks confirmed to attend the momentous event, but Muggle.net expects the main players as well as J.K. Rowling to be on hand too.

Check out the Hogwarts Express below and expect to see more actual photos (not concept art) hit the web as we approach opening day.


Weekend Box Office - Alice Visits Box Office Wonderland





With the February doldrums past, Hollywood
started rolling out some of its bigger guns and this weekend the first blockbuster of the season rolled out with both barrels blazing.

Alice's return down the rabbit hole took in an estimated $116 million for a hugely successful number one debut that marks the highest ever March opening. That title was previously held by 300 which banked $70 million back in 2007.

Tim Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland overtook Avatar as the largest ever opening for a movie released predominantly in 3D. The good news is that Avatar has one less record to blab about. The bad news is, this is the start of a 3D revolution that will serve no other real purpose than to drive up ticket prices.

It can be easily argued that Alice in Wonderland's financial success has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it was 3D with one exception: ticket price. How many people out there wouldn't have seen the movie if it hadn't been in 3D? Probably none. How many people who saw it in 3D paid more for their ticket than those who saw it in the limited 2D theaters? All of them. And was it worth the extra money to see Helen Bonham Carter's already CG enlarged head bulging out of the screen? No.

In a painfully distant second, Training Day director Antoine Fuqua's latest offering Brooklyn's Finest saw a dismal $13 million opening. And just think, if he'd released it in 3D with 3D ticket prices he probably could have easily banked $18 million.

For the full top ten weekend, check out the chart below.






Mo'Nique Explains Her Oscar Politics Comments





If you were part of our Oscar live chat tonight (and if you weren’t, you missed something pretty special), then you know that one of the biggest questions on just about everyone’s mind was: What the hell is Mo’nique talking about. She appeared calm and dignified, but made a few vague, angry references to her Best Supporting Actress being a victory over politics. Huh?

Apparently backstage Mo’nique clarified things. MTV says she explained it this way, “Through this journey and process, some journalists and some reporters wrote, 'Somebody needs to teach Mo'Nique a lesson; someone needs to teach her how the game is played.” Apparently she’s referring to the practice of nominees campaigning to win their Oscar. But she claims she didn’t, and says “I am proud to hold this Oscar in my hand, because the Academy said, 'We are not willing to play the game.”


these and more on http://www.cinemablend.com/news.php

03/09/2010



New Iron Man 2 Character Images






We’ve got brand new, super high-res, Iron Man 2 character images for you. The plan for most of these, it would seem, is to use them ad standees and poster advertisements in movie theaters. Though I’m not exactly sure what purpose the first image below is supposed to serve in Paramount’s grand marketing plan, except to sit there on your computer and be completely awesome. Iron Man experts, help me out. Is that Tony Stark staring at an earlier model of War Machine or is that just an empty, extra old Iron Man suit he happened to have laying around in his living room for when he gets nostalgic for the good old days? No?

Check out all four new images below. Click on each one for ultra high-res versions. Your computer needs a new wallpaper.


Second Tron: Legacy Trailer Is Finally Online!





You may have seen it in front of Alice in Wonderland over the weekend, but now the second trailer for Tron: Legacy (though technically it's the first official trailer since the previous version was really just effects test footage, but you know what we mean) is finally available online! Telling the story of Flynn's son (Garrett Hedlund) and how he hunts for his long-lost father (Jeff Bridges, of course), the trailer combines the glitzy visual effects we saw in the teaser with, you know, actual plot. While we're all still high from seeing Jeff Bridges win his Oscar last night, this is a definite must-watch.


trailer link >>> Second Tron: Legacy Trailer Is Finally Online!


Zoe Saldana Goes Live-Action In New Poster For The Losers





We’ve just gotten our hands on a brand new poster for the sure to be kick-ass Zoe Saldana, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans starring action movie The Losers. Based on comic, it’s about a special forces team sent to Bolivia and betrayed. Presumed dead, they decide to even the score by, well, shooting the hell out of everything. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, check it out here.

For now, here’s the brand new poster. Below it, you’ll find the previous teaser poster which was, rather awesomely, just an comicbooked version of this new, live-action one sheet. Very cool.


Watch George Clooney's Space Suited Up In The Air Deleted Scene





Up in the Air was my favorite movie of the year and even though it lost to The Hurt Locker last night, I’m fine with that. Anything but A Serious Man. Still, you have to wonder what else the movie might have done to curry favor with Oscar voters. Maybe if they’d put George Clooney in a space suit? Wait a minute, they did!

The following clip contains a scene shot for Up in the Air but never used. The kids are calling it a “deleted scene”. In it, George Clooney is depicted making his way through the airports and hotels which comprise Ryan Bingam’s life in a full, moon-ready, oxygen tanked, space suit. The idea here was, I’m sure, to depict how disconnected Ryan is from his life and everything around him by using an obvious metaphor. It’s actually a really well-done scene and while I think removing it from Up in the Air was definitely a good decision, director Jason Reitman does a brilliant job of making a rather unsubtle idea more subtle and nuanced than you’d expect . Check it out:

video link >>> Watch George Clooney's Space Suited Up In The Air Deleted Scene


4 More Kick-Ass Character Posters







Because you just can’t get too much Hit Girl, we have four more new Kick-Ass character posters for you. These are classified as “Outdoor Art” which I guess means if you’re sitting on a bench waiting for a bus, there’s a good chance that you could be staring into the face of the Red Mist. For those of you with cars however, this may literally be your only chance to see them.


Hiccup Soars In New How To Train Your Dragon Clip


We’ve seen a handful of trailers and TV spots for How to Train Your Dragon, but it’s nearly impossible to gauge the film’s potential without a clip. Thanks to Coming Soon, we bring you an actual clip and a new featurette from the DreamWorks Animation fantasy film about the long-standing feud between Vikings and dragons.

This clip features our hero, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel). He’s a bit of an oddball on the island of Berk especially in the dragon slaying department and this clip shows it. Rather than take advantage of an injured beast’s weak condition, he decides to help him fly again. Not only does the clip reveal the film’s soft side, but its adventurous one as well. If the footage is this impressive on the computer, imagine what it’ll look like in 3D.





Hot on the heels of that clip is this featurette detailing the six different types of dragons. There’s the Gronckle, the rock eater resembling a bulldog, the Deadly Nadder, the swift and aggressive beast with the power to melt steel and the Night Fury, a dragon so mysterious there’s no confirmed statistical data. Well, except that your best chances to survive a Night Fury attack is to hide. There’s also the Monstrous Nightmare, the biggest of the bunch and paradoxically, the smallest species called the Terrible Terror. Lastly, there’s the Hideous Zippleback, a two-headed beast that doesn’t breath fire, but creates explosions.

This featurette may be a little on the boring history lesson-esque side, but you’ve got to admit, these are some creatively designed creatures. It seems as though Hiccup’s new friend falls under the Night Fury category. The Night Fury is the most intelligent of all the breeds, so if any dragon is trainable, it’s him.


clip link >>> Hiccup Soars In New How To Train Your Dragon Clip

Sopranos Creator's First Feature Film Is A Rock Drama





You woke up this morning got yourself a...guitar? According to Deadline.com the much anticipated movie from Soprano's creator David Chase movie will not be a Soprano’s movie (working title: Tony and Carmella Hit Hollywood). Instead, Chase’s first film will be the story of a group guys who form a rock band in the 1960’s.

The way I see Chase’s new movie playing out it this: Bunch of guys meet up and form a band in the 1960’s. There are some good times at first and they get insanely rich and famous. But then things turn ugly. All of the band members are fighting and it seems like their whole world is going to crumble. Even though they’ve reached the pinnacle of success, they all just want more, more, more. Then just when things may or may not work out for the band, and we’ve invested all of our time in their story; the screen fades to black for 30 seconds of silence. Roll credits. Thanks David Chase. I hope this movie bombs just for how you ended The Sopranos.

All partial kidding aside, Chase was always a guy with clear vision (even if the rest of us couldn’t always see it) and The Sopranos incorporated the music industry and its machinations into various story arcs throughout the series. Chase clearly has a passion here which could turn into a success on the big screen.


these and more on Latest Movie News & Rumor

03/10/2010



Twilight Eclipse Trailer Arrives Online Thursday!





Grab a bag of glitter and plan a night at home around a computer with your friends. The first trailer for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is almost here. We’ve just learned it’s being released on Thursday, March 11th at 6:00AM PST / 9:00AM EST. The Eclipse trailer will really be more of a teaser. It’ll clock in at only 90 seconds long and, as for what it will contain, werewolves, vampires, and Bella looking at one of those two possibilities longingly is a sure bet.

But with the Twilight Flu being what it is, odds are you won’t want to wait till Thursday, so there will also be a teaser for the teaser released on Wednesday, March 10th. That’ll only be a 10 second long version of the 90 second teaser, long enough for Tyler Lautner to flex his muscles or something. That shows up in the morning at around 9AM PST.

You’ll be able to see both the teaser and the teaser for the teaser here on Cinema Blend, as soon as they debut. Stick around, we’ll have them for you and so will the movie’s official site. Or if you want to wait a few extra hours, it’ll officially debut in theaters this weekend in front of the new Robert Pattinson movie Remember Me.


Krasinski Will Not Be Cap, But Chris Evans May





So this will be the third post to day regarding the casting of Captain America, and guess what? NONE OF THEM TELL US A DAMN THING. Of course, the most important post I am referring to is the post by Katey earlier today that said John Krasinski, best known for his role as Jim Halpert on The Office, was the frontrunner for the role. In actuality, he's been removed from the casting process entirely.

The folks over at Deadline are reporting that the search continues for the man to play the coveted role of Steve Rogers in Joe Johnston's The First Avenger: Captain America, though the list has been narrowed to three. Those actors include the previously mentioned Mike Vogel and Garrett Hedlund, as well as a disappointing third name: Chris Evans. According to the article, John Krasinski, Chace Crawford, Scott Porter, Michael Cassidy and Patrick Flueger were all screen-tested for the role, but will not be getting the part.

Let me start off by saying that John Krasinski would have made a bad Captain America. While being 6'3", the man's frame is simply too lanky to hold any muscle without looking awkward, and can you really see him bossing around Tony Stark? There is no authority there, and one of the key elements of Cap's character is his leadership. That said, Chris Fucking Evans? As in the man who actually makes every movie he's in worse due to his presence? Evans has had his chance playing a superhero when he made those two godawful Fantastic Four movies. Time for someone to brush him aside roughly and scream, "NEXT."


De Niro Will Roam The Sidelines As Vince Lombardi





Robert De Niro will have to start practicing his motivational speeches. According to Variety, Mr. Focker will star as Vince Lombardi in a feature film about the legendary Green Bay Packers coach. De Niro will start roaming the frozen tundra of Lambeu Field for the expected 2012 release date. ESPN, Andell Films and the NFL are all attached to the story of probably the most famous coach in football history.

I get a little worried when I see former employers, specifically employers who have reputations on the line, OK’ing a script about one of their icons. Specifically, I wonder about how gritty and real the story will be or if the whole feature will be a feel-good, Lombardi love fest pre-approved by the NFL. For it to be a truly great sports film Eric Roth’s (The Curious Case of Benjamin Blah, Blah, Blah) script will have to give every gritty detail about the years Lombardi spent walking the sidelines for the Green Bay Packers.

Most professional football biopics (Brian’s Song, Invincible) center on the player and his feel good story. This is one of the first I can remember about a coach. I guess the coaches just don’t make for good stories, but the consummate motivator Lombardi may be the one exception. I just want to hear De Niro ask once, “If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?”



Forest Whitaker Is Dr. Jekyll No More





Remember that crazy plan to have 50 Cent and Forest Whitaker co-star in a Jekyll and Hyde reboot? Well, it turns out it was too crazy, for Whitaker at least. Shock Till You Drop is reporting that while out promoting his upcoming film Repo Men, Whitaker has confirmed he is no longer attached to the project.

Now what? Let’s hope Warner Bros. ditched the idea all together. First off, having Whitaker playing Jekyll and 50 starring as his wacked out counterpart Hyde is ludicrous (no pun intended). Whitaker is fine, but I don’t know if I’d be able to handle 90 minutes of 50’s monotone drawl. Now that Whitaker is out of the picture, who could the studio possibly find to keep moviegoers interested? More importantly, what established actor would even sign on to this project?

We also already have that Keanu Reeves Jekyll and Hyde remake. Is there really a need for two? Then again, director Nicolas Winding Refn recently ditched that one, so there’s always the possibility that that could get pushed aside for the time being. I’m not particularly thrilled about either remake, but if I had to be pulling for one, it’s certainly Reeves’.


Red Band Repo Men Trailer Performs Open Heart





There’s a new trailer for Repo Men and it’s a restricted, red band look at the film. Since this is a movie about brutal hitmen removing organs, that translates into a couple of surgery money shots involving organ replacement. If you’re interested in seeing it, then you’re probably in for a lot more of that when you buy a ticket.

Here’s the premise: In Repo Men, humans have extended and improved our lives through highly sophisticated and expensive mechanical organs created by a company called The Union. The dark side of these medical breakthroughs is that if you don’t pay your bill, The Union sends its highly skilled repo men to take back its property…with no concern for your comfort or survival.


trailer link >>> Repo Men Synopsis, Plot & Repo Men Story - Jude Law & Forest Whitaker - In Theaters March 19, 2010


Aragorn Will Replace Hans Landa as Freud





Well here’s a psychosexual development. Deadline says Viggo Mortensen will replace Christopher Waltz as Sigmund Freud in the upcoming movie The Talking Cure. Waltz left after taking a role in Water for Elephants or as I call it: The Most Overrated Book of the Decade. Mortensen will step in as the backup plan and star as the Austrian psychoanalyst.

I can’t help but think Waltz would have been perfect in this role as a dude who did cocaine while basically mapping out the subconscious. It would have offered the complete antithesis of his Oscar-winning role as “The Jew Hunter,” in Inglourious Basterds. He would have played a Jewish-Austrian who narrowly escaped the Nazi’s wrath. But alas, Waltz has moved on, leaving Mortensen to take the reins as a Freud. Mortensen is, most assuredly, an adequate replacement in the story of Freud’s relationship with his pupil Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender).

The Talking Cure, and here I totally agree with Tim Adler, is an absolutely terrible name for a movie that could explore and uncover one of the most interesting men of the 20th Century. With any luck, Viggo can bring some of his intrigue and a little je ne sais quoi to a role full of sex, drugs, and super-ego.


Jude Law Says Sherlock 2 Will Film Sometime This Year





While Jude Law didn't have as much information about Sherlock Holmes as Liev Schreiber did about his own upcoming sequel, we were able to press the erstwhile Dr. Watson for a few details at today's press conference for Repo Men.

He was very careful not to say anything was for certain, but admitted that as soon as Sherlock Holmes became a box office hit, "We started throwing out ideas of where it could go and what should happen next. Mine of course involved Sherlock HoImes being locked in a box and Dr. Watson..." He then pumped up his arms into a heroic stance and got a big laugh from the assembled press.

The closest he came to admitting there was a sequel was saying, "I don't know for sure, but I think we are probably doing another one. I think it's sometime this year." Of course, his co-star Robert Downey Jr. has already had to bail on one project in order to film Sherlock 2, so Law is being very, very cautious at this point. When discussing other projects, he said he was considering doing a play in London either this summer or early next year, and also mentioned shooting for 10 days on Steven Soderbergh's Contagion at the end of this year. Does that mean that the Holmes shoot will fit into late summer and early fall? Sounds like it from here.


Liev Schreiber's Sabretooth May Not Make It Into Wolverine 2





I think we all saw this coming. It doesn’t look like Liev Schreiber will make it into Wolverine 2. The next Wolverine movie is slated to head to Japan, loosely following a story laid out for the character in the comics in which Wolverine and gets all samurai. Normally where there’s Wolverine there’s Sabretooth, but talking to the press today Liev, who played villainous nemesis Sabretooh in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, revealed that may not be true this time.

At today's press conference for Repo Men, Schreiber told us everything he knew about the next film thanks to his dinner date from last night:

I just had dinner with Hugh [Jackman] last night, who has just read the first draft of the script and he's really excited about it. It's still not clear whether or not Victor will be present in the Japan storyline. In the Japan storyline as I remember it from the Wolverine comics, Victor was not there. So I don't know. Of course I'm crossing my fingers. I love the character so much, to have the chance to do it again would be a lot of fun. But I'm not sure.

Unless they shoehorn in a flashback or some sort of foreshadowing, it looks like Victor won't make it. But that’s alright. Do we really need more Sabretooth anyway? The character’s already been in two X-Men movies, both the first X-Men played by Tyler Mane and X-Men Origins played by Schreiber. I’d rather see Wolverine fight Silver Samurai.


Even Monkeys Recognize The Uncanny Valley





Much like James Cameron, Robert Zemeckis has always been a director on the cutting edge of film technology. The most recent way he has cemented this title is through his exclusive use of motion capture in The Polar Express, Beowulf, and A Christmas Carol. There is a serious problem with this filming technique, however, and it is called "the uncanny valley."

To put it simply, the Uncanny Valley is that creepy feeling you get when you look behind the eyes of motion capture characters and discover the lack of a soul. To be more scientific about it, it is a theory that "when robots and other facsimiles of humans look and act almost like actual humans, it causes a response of revulsion among human observers." (Thanks Wikipedia!) One word you might notice is stuck in there is "theory;" the uncanny valley has not yet been proven as scientific fact. Thanks to some monkeys it might be proven soon.

In the recent issue of Scientific American (preview the article here), a study was recently conducted at Princeton University where macaques were presented both real and animated images of monkey faces and the time looking at the faces was calculated. According to the results, the monkeys were quick to turn away from the animated faces, which scientists speculated was because, "realistic animations might resemble sickly or diseased animals because they lack subtle cues of health such as normal skin texture and hue—and that an aversion to such sights may have evolved to keep us healthy."

So there it is. You were totally in the right when you started crying at the sight of Santa Clause, King Hrothgar and Ebenezer Scrooge. On that same note, don't punish yourself for ogling the sight of Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother. You are only human after all.


John Krasinski Is The Captain America Frontrunner





You may think Captain America ought to have bigger muscles, a stronger jaw or less of a tendency to give reaction shots to the camera, but too bad: John Krasinski is apparently now the favorite to play Steve Rogers. Fox 411 has a source telling them, "It's very likely that he will be the new Captain America. He is a favorite among the key decision makers and has been asked to come back for more this week."

They've also got representation from the other sides, the geeks working at Marvel who aren't so wild about Krasinski in the role (like many of our commenters): "It's a surprise and we are bracing ourselves for 'that guy from 'The Office'' to land Captain America. They are not really looking at the other guys, so it's time to get ready to work with him."

Given that we've been hearing rumors that Cap would be cast about a week ago, it wouldn't surprise me to see this news become official very, very soon. So guys, how do we feel about this? Now that Jim Halpert has entered fatherhood, is it time for the next logical step of saving the world? And how will this affect The Office, given that superhero movie shoots can drag out far longer than the average TV hiatus? Is it time for Jim to take his own turn taking art classes in New York or, like Andy, going through anger management? They might manage to piss off Marvel fanboys and Office fans in one fell swoop.


Dane Cook And Jonas Brothers Want Captain America Role





We have our Iron Man, we have our Nick Fury, we have our Hulk, and we have our Thor. What we don't have is our Captain America. It has now been more than a month since director Joe Johnston told us that we would be getting our Cap casting soon, but here we are four weeks later and Jim from The Office is the best we've got. But for those getting impatient, I have a scary thought to present to you: the long wait may truly be in our best interest. Why? Because without patience, Dane Cook or a Jonas brother could get the role. Commence screaming.

Cook's interest in the role was discovered on his Twitter account, where he recently posted:

Im minus 7% body fat now, bones replaced w/lightweight scandium alloy! Had 2 get shredded 4 Captain America audition & standup tour.



Followed by this post four hours later:

@Marvel_Freshman r u really auditioning 4 Captain America? Dc: I did already. They might b goin young. I say go RDJr route-gimme the part!



Cook, I have watched Robert Downey Jr. movies, I have watched Robert Downey Jr. interviews, Robert Downey Jr. is a true actor. You're no Robert Downey Jr.

As for the brothers Jonas, the news comes from gossip website (Read: unreliable source) Hollywire, which has reported that both Joe and Kevin Jonas have read for the lead role in the film. While I can laugh at the Cook news as nobody in their right mind would hire that obnoxious fool to lead a superhero movie, Disney's ownership of Marvel and Marvel Studios puts the Jonas news in a entirely new, and scarier, department. As Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock would say, "You can't fight synergy...it's bigger than all of us." While I pray Disney doesn't have the balls necessary to alienate an entire legion of comic book fans by putting one of the two siblings in the lead role, the source also states that they are in contention for "other characters in the film." I just have one thing to say to that: keep those purity rings wearing bastards away from Bucky.



these and more on Latest Movie News & Rumor

03/11/2010



Steve Martin Going Bird-Watching With Owen Wilson And Jack Black





Loyal as I am to Jack Donaghy-- er, I mean Alec Baldwin-- it seems obvious to me that Steve Martin was the more successful of Sunday's Oscar hosts, probably just a little because he's done it several times before. And as an Oscar veteran, Martin knows fully well how to capitalize on that buzz, and has taken the moment to join relative whippersnappers Owen Wilson and Jack Black in Big Year, a comedy about bird-watchers. Yeah, really.

As THR reports it, the project has been in development for ages at Fox 2000, and at one point Dustin Hoffman was on board for Martin's role. The film , based on the 1998 book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, follows three men who try to outdo each other in a bird-watching competition. The original nonfiction book apparently used the bird pursuit as a fairly bittersweet reflection of the mens' lives, but I can see the movie version quickly devolving into an escalating series of pranks that inevitably result in someone accidentally killing one of the rare birds. Please, for the sake of everyone's dignity-- not least the audience's-- don't let it go this way. We all know these three actors are capable of more, and given a script as intelligent as they are, they could make something pretty spectacular together.


Wall Street 2 Pushed Back To September Release





So maybe they'd planned to use a Carey Mulligan Oscar win to bump the box office of Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, and when that didn't pan out they scrapped it? Whatever the cause, THR is reporting that Fox has pushed Oliver Stone's sequel to his 1987 film from an April 23 release date to September 24.

Given that the marketing campaign for the film has been virtually nonexistent, aside from a glossy Vanity Fair photo shoot, we probably should have seen this coming. The April 23 date was actually pretty clear for a movie like Wall Street, with just the rom-com The Back-Up Plan and the action comics adaptation The Losers up against it, but it and all its competition would have been annihilated just a week later by Iron Man 2. September, on the other hand, is traditionally more open, both for potential blockbusters and Oscar hopefuls. Are they positioning Michael Douglas for yet another Oscar run as Gordon Gekko? Or is this a September dump-off? Given how little they've shown us of the film so far, it's impossible to tell.


New Robin Hood Trailer Turns Lambs Into Lions





The full trailer for the Ridley Scott directed Robin Hood movie has arrived, and it brings with it the claim that it delivers “the untold story” of the man who became the legend. That suggests there’s something new here, something we haven’t seen in the dozens upon dozens of other Robin Hood retellings which have already been made. If Ridley really has discovered some new twist on this tale, it’s not in evidence in this trailer.

Instead what we get is a lot more of what you expect. A lot of noble talk of justice, people shooting arrows, Robin Hood looking brave (and older than he ever has before) while making speeches and leading the charge. Actually if there’s anything different in this Robin Hood take it’s that it seems at some point Robin Hood trades in his band of Merry Men for a full fledged army. While that might be new to the Robin Hood tale, the massive cavalry charge against an opponent is definitely something we’ve seen before, and a lot of it.

So here’s the new trailer. See it in HD on Yahoo or see it embedded below. Watch and get excited. It may not be particularly fresh, but Robin Hood never really gets old.


trailer link >>> New Robin Hood Trailer Turns Lambs Into Lions


Tron: Legacy's New Lightcycle Battle Banner





We’ve just gotten our hands on a new lightcycle themed banner for Tron: Legacy. This time, it’s a battle. The blue lightcycle and the yellow lightcycle seen solo in the previous two banners are fighting it out. My money’s on blue.

Cool as this is, I’m hoping Disney gives some love to the old school lightcycle too. If you watch the trailer closely you’ll see this, a classic Tron lightcycle with closed canopy. Can we get that on a banner too? Probably not.

Disney has also just unveiled a first look at the Tronorail! They're redecorating their park monorails in honor of the new movie. More details and high-res images at our sister site GFR.





Let Me In Producer Simon Oakes Promises Fidelity To The Original





The American fanbase of the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In are all still holding their collective breath, as the U.S. remake goes into post-production and gets ready to try and prove that an American remake wasn't a horrible, horrible idea. To begin that campaign, the movie's producer Simon Oakes got on the phone with journalists, including Cinematical, to talk about their plans for the new film.

First of all, and perhaps most importantly for some fans, the movie will likely be R-rated, which means much of the blood and violence perpetrated by and around children will carry over from the original. Really, the central idea seems to be to stick as closely to the original as possible:

Frankly, [you must] not muck about the basic tenets of the story, which is important. More than anything else, stay true to the imagery and mystique and the mythology of the original, and set it in the right time as well, not update it in terms of its timing. Set it in that [early '80s] era.



There will be some changes, though, and if anything the film may be made even scarier in order to appeal to a broader horror audience:

If you call it a faithful remake, I think that's true to say that's what it is. It's not a re-imagining; the same beats [are there]. Maybe the scares are a little bit more scary. We haven't been able to ramp that up quite a lot, obviously, for budgetary reasons. We've played a little bit with some of the chronology, without giving too much away.



Oakes's full interview is really informative for fans of the original film and worth a read. As the post-production process continues I'm sure we'll start seeing a lot more about the film, which stars Chloe Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Keep those fingers crossed for good measure.


Marion Cotillard Has Boobs On Her Face





Funny or Die has developed quite a habit for getting generally serious actors to cut a little loose and make with the funny, be it Jon Hamm showing up as Lex Luthor proposing a bailout for LexCorp, or getting Charlize Theron to sit down for an incredibly awkward interview with Zach Galifianakis. Their newest video, featuring French Academy Award-winning actress Marion Cotillard, puts all of them to shame.

The video is titled, "Forehead Tittaes w/ Marion Cotillard" so I am fairly certain that most of you can figure out what you will be seeing: Marion Cotillard has a pair of tits on her head. It's not so much hysterically funny as it is bizarre to see the woman who played Edith Piaf so brilliantly strap funbags to her head to stop the men in her office from looking down her shirt. Check out the video below, and watch for a cameo from a fellow Oscar-nominated actress, Taraji P. Henson


clip link >>> Marion Cotillard Has Boobs On Her Face


Bigelow Turned Down Spidey Reboot Job





Sunday night was kind of a big deal for Kathryn Bigelow. And by that I mean she became the hottest director in Hollywood overnight. Over the next year, and probably longer, Bigelow is going have every film in production to pick and choose from. While it will certainly intensify over the next few months, however, that is not to say that she hasn't already had a couple of major offers that she has already turned down. It turns out that one of those job offers was at the helm of Sony's rebooted wall-crawler franchise.

The Los Angeles Times has run a feature on some of the top Oscar winners and what their next move will be. While it mentions what we have already known about Bigelow for months now, that she will be reuniting with Mark Boal, who also took home the Oscar, for a pet project titled Triple Frontier, it confirms the rumor that she turned down Sony's offer to direct the new Spider-Man movie, which now has (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb attached.

That officially makes two directors from this year's Best Director pool who were offered the gig and turned it down (they wanted Cameron as well). But who's to say how Bigelow's direction might have turned out? Prior to her six year absence from feature films, the director was known for her work in the action genre, be it the Keanu Reeves classic Point Break, or the Harrison-Ford-as-a-Russian movie K-19 The Widowmaker. It's not clear why she turned down the film, but let's hope it had something to do with a "Fuck Sony, Go Sam Raimi" mentality.


these and more at Latest Movie News & Rumor

03/12/2010



Shrek Forever After: Trailer #2





The final installment in the venerable, seemingly never-ending Shrek franchise is coming this May, in which we find our friend Shrek trapped in a world in which he never existed, thanks to the tricksy Rumplestiltskin. In the new trailer, which debuted today at Yahoo! Movies, we get a good sense of just how different this world is. Fiona is leading a hard-charging army, Rumplestiltskin has made himself king of the land, and Donkey-- well, Donkey is pretty much the same. You wouldn't expect them to mess with a good thing, would you?

You can check out the new trailer, which still fails to give any truly good reason for this movie to exist, below. Shrek Forever After opens May 21 this year.


trailer link >>> YouTube - Shrek 4: Forever After - Trailer 2 HD by TrailersXP


New Prince Of Persia Poster: All Together Now





Above you can see a new poster for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which features Ben Kingsley looking menacing, Gemma Arterton looking sultry, and Jake Gyllenhaal looking heroic and hairy but not remotely Persian. It's basically the character posters we've been seeing for months now, except with everyone in one place this time. In other words, big yawn. I don't know why this movie feels so much more hyped than, say, Iron Man 2, which comes out a week earlier, but it's becoming the new Alice in Wonderland in terms of "movies for which I am sick of writing about promotional materials." Just get the damn movie out there already. In the meantime, check out the poster below and ponder the meaning of the big red cloth tied around Jake's waist.


Hugo Weaving In Talks To Play Captain America's Red Skull





In all of the chaos that has surrounded the casting of Captain America for Joe Johnston's First Avenger: Captain America, it has been kind of easy to forget that there are other characters in the film (after all, the hero's name is in the title). But where you have a superhero, you need a supervillain, which for Cap has always been the Red Skull, the former Nazi general officer who has been doing battle with Cap since the character's introduction in 1941. The casting process for the Red Skull has been all but silent since we learned he would be the villain in February. Until now, that is.

THR reports that Mr. Smith himself, Hugo Weaving, is currently in talks for the role as the evil German combatant. Weaving most recently played Inspector Abberline in Johnston's The Wolfman, which was released last month to not-so-great results. The news source says that the results of the negotiations should come out in the next few days.

One doesn't have to look any further than The Matrix films to know that Weaving has the skills to play a more-than-formidable opponent. I can't vouch for the actor's ability to put on a German accent, but frankly, anything has to be better than this:


clip link >>> YouTube - Captain America vs red skull


John Cho Confirms Harold And Kumar Holiday Movie





The modern day Cheech and Chong are getting back together for a little holiday revelry, Christmas spirit and rampant bong hits under the mistletoe. In an interview with Collider.com, John Cho spoke about the reality of a new installment to the Harold and Kumar franchise, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas. The upcoming movie would have a holiday theme, take place a few years later, and involve the pair of misfits doing whatever it is stoners do for the celebratory season. Smoke out of ornaments perhaps? Some of the logistics are still up in the air, like Kal Penn’s availability, but the movie looks like it’s going to happen.

For as silly as the Harold and Kumar movies are, they each have a dose of commentary within them. While they were searching for White Castle, the two were really trying to carve out their own niche in the world without being downtrodden by the man. When they headed off to Guantanamo Bay we really got a speech on, *gasp*, racism and politics. This one will hopefully be a commentary on all the nonsense and rigmarole involved with an increasingly ridiculous American holiday season. And yes, not to fear, Neil Patrick Harris will be back for some more.

Sidenote: I didn’t know this, but while I was searching for a good marijuana slang term to use, I came across “Christmas tree.” How often do you think that reference will come up in the movie?


Hugh Jackman Reveals He'll Play Racist Sheriff In Selma





It was a little strange to learn that Hugh Jackman was the first official cast member of Lee Daniels' historical film Selma, given that it focuses on Martin Luther King Jr. and President Lyndon Johnson and their roles in the 1965 Civil Rights March. I mean, Jackman wasn't going to be playing either of those characters, right? Um, right?

Now Wolverine himself has stepped in to explain things, and yes, he is definitely playing an appropriate role. He'll play Jim Clark, an Alabama sheriff who violently arrested several of the marchers, as he told Vulture. Given that he knew he probably wasn't supposed to admit even that-- "that's enough trouble for one night," he told them-- he declined to explain any further. But Clark's Wikipedia page notes that he was responsible for "Bloody Sunday," in which he ordered his mounted police to charge a group of peaceful protesters. A year before his death in 2007, he told a local newspaper he'd do the same thing again if given the chance. Sounds like a fascinating, brutal guy, and a big change of pace for the sunny and well-liked Jackman. Can't wait to see how this turns out.


Omnibus Comedy Pulls In The Likes Of Kate Winslet And Naomi Watts





Last month during the junket for Cop Out, Seann William Scott mentioned that he had been working on a short comedy film along with Johnny Knoxville and Gerard Butler that would be part of a larger omnibus project. It sounded strange and intriguing but he didn't have too many details for us, so I assumed it was something tiny that we'd only hear about much later.

But now the main details have emerged, and it's even more fascinating than I imagined. In a press release Relativity Media officially announced the project, currently called Untitled Comedy and made up of a series of short sketch comedies directed by the likes of Peter Farrelly, Brett Ratner, Elizabeth Banks (!), Bob Odenkirk and Griffin Dunne, with more directors to be announced. Alongside Scott, Butler and Knoxville are actors like Kieran Culkin, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Patrick Warburton, Chloe Moretz, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet, and yes, Elizabeth Banks.

If none of that sells you, here's how producer Charles Wessler describes the film: "We all sat down and came up with what we think is a hilarious through-line for the movie. Given the amount of pot I had smoked, at least I think it is hilarious.”

There are no details on included on what any of the sketches will be about, or exactly how good a director Elizabeth Banks is, but still, I'm beyond intrigued. Check out the official release below for the full cast list, and keep an eye out as we learn more about this totally bizarre and potentially amazing project.

Relativity Media, LLC (RML) announced today it has begun production on the UNTITLED COMEDY project. In January, Relativity Media came aboard to co-finance and co-produce the project, and will arrange distribution through one of their studio partners. Production will continue thru late May.

Peter Farrelly, Charles Wessler, GreeneStreet Films’ John Penotti and Relativity Media’s Ryan Kavanaugh are producing the project. Executive producers are Tim Williams of GreeneStreet Films and Tucker Tooley of Relativity Media. Co-producers are Tom Gormican and Marc Ambrose. Rocky Russo and Jeremy Sosenko also serve as associate producers. Witness Protection Films also serves as a production company partner.

Originally set up at Overture Films, the project kicked into high gear after the producers met with Relativity Media last December. The brainstorming session lead to a revamp of the central premise of the film. The new team created the template for a unifying storyline for a series of sketch comedies in the vein of the 1970s hits Kentucky Fried Movie and Groove Tube.

"Relativity has been the perfect partner through the extraordinarily complicated process of putting this movie together. We are thrilled to be underway,” commented Farrelly.

The filmmakers who have already completed their work are Peter Farrelly, Brett Ratner, Elizabeth Banks, Bob Odenkirk, and Griffin Dunne. Additional directors will be announced shortly.

The growing cast includes, Elizabeth Banks, Gerard Butler, Kieran Culkin, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Knoxville, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz, Liev Schreiber, Sean William Scott, Tony Shalhoub, Emma Stone, Matt Walsh, Patrick Warburton, Naomi Watts, and Kate Winslet. The producers will announce additional cast members as further deals are solidified.

“We all sat down and came up with what we think is a hilarious through-line for the movie,” said Wessler. “Given the amount of pot I had smoked, at least I think it is hilarious.”

Penotti added, “This has been one of the most fun and challenging projects we have ever undertaken. We are completely blown away by the caliber of talent that this project has attracted. It is a testament to the quality of Charlie and Pete’s original concept.”

Farrelly and Wessler are long time collaborators, working on many of the classic Farrelly Brothers comedies including There’s Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber and Shallow Hal.




Exclusive SXSW Preview: Meet The Characters From Lovers Of Hate





As we speak Cinema Blend's intrepid Head Honcho Josh Tyler is on his way to Austin, Texas for the annual adventure of debauchery that is SXSW. If you're like me, you're probably insanely jealous of everyone who gets to spend the next week in Texas, eating barbecue and watching movies and carrying around rifles everywhere they go (that's what happens in Texas, right?)

But take heart, fellow homebodies-- this year a little bit of SXSW is coming to us. Starting Monday IFC Films is bringing "Direct From SXSW" to most cable On-Demand channels, giving you the opportunity to watch three SXSW films without having to stand in line or even buy a ticket. You can catch Le Donk and & Scor-Zay-Zee, the next film from This Is England director Shane Meadows, or the documentary The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights, about the band's Canadian tour. Or you can take a chance on a little indie called Lovers of Hate.

Normally I'd tell you to be wary of some untested micro-budget indie, but I caught Lovers of Hate at Sundance this year and adored it-- you can read my review here. Tomorrow I'll be bringing you my Sundance interview with the cast and director, but before that we've got the first of three exclusive new promos for the film, that act kind of like teasers for the trailer that debuts tomorrow. The first will introduce you to central character Rudy (Chris Doubek), who's recently been kicked out of his house by his long-term girlfriend and is making money as a census taker despite being homeless. Later we'll see how he winds up breaking into the mountain home where his brother is staying, only to find that his ex is shacked up there with him. I promise, hilarity ensues. Check out the exclusive new promo below, and stay tuned tomorrow for the second promo, our interview and the brand-new trailer.


trailer link >>> Exclusive SXSW Preview: Meet The Characters From Lovers Of Hate


Jason Bateman And Ryan Reynolds Will Switch Bodies





Ever since The Hangover became a massive, massive hit, we've seen a lot-- and I mean a lot-- of comedies greenlit hoping to ape that movie's success. Now it's time for the next script from Hangover writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore to have its chance; Deadline Hollywood reports that Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds have been cast in the body-switching comedy.

The Playlist dug up a few more details on the script, about what happens when a pair of best friends-- the responsible guy and the lazy man-child-- switch bodies. No one is saying which character will be played by which actor, but I could honestly see either of them doing either role. Bateman showed impressive range in a supporting role in last year's State of Play, while Reynolds' broad comedic appeal makes him well-suited to pretty much any role.

The film is being directed by David Dobkin, who directed Lucas and Moore's pre-Hangover hit Wedding Crashers, and recently bailed on directing Neighborhood Watch. The guy is a proven hitmaker with standard buddy comedies, but the body-switching angle may throw a whole wrench into things. It worked for Zac Efron and Lindsay Lohan; can it work for an R-rated comedy as well?


Woody And The Gang On The Loose In New Toy Story 3 Poster





You’d think that after about a dozen posters, we’d have had enough promotional material for a movie, but not in Toy Story 3’s case. Empire has yet another image for the franchise’s upcoming installment and it’s just as spectacular as its predecessors. In fact, it pops a bit more than the rest.

This is the first image to hint at the film’s potential in 3D. It features Woody and the Toy Story alums emerging from a storage box to check out their new digs, a daycare center. Can the folks at Disney do no wrong? Okay, that’s pushing it, but in regards to the Toy Story franchise, it might not be. Every single item from the film’s trailers down to the solo posters introducing us to the newest cast members are perfect. The film doesn’t hit theaters until June 18th, so if the studio has more, bring it on!


these and more at Latest Movie News & Rumor

03/14/2010



SXSW: Predators Trailer And Footage Seen, It's Badass





Tonight Austin’s SXSW audience was hunted by Predators, and few escaped unmarked. Sequel producer and Austin native Robert Rodriguez showed up with director Nimrod Antal in tow to unveil a first look at their new installment in the once glorious (but since faded) Predators franchise. Their plan is to take it all back to its roots, to make it dark, gritty, bloody, and rated-R again. This is a direct sequel to the original 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, ignore those other disasters in between, though you won’t need to see the first one to hop on board their new one.

Predators is far from finished with post-production, but the duo showed two, slightly different trailers for the film along with sixty seconds or so of mostly completed footage. The first trailer should be released for general consumption in front of Repo Men, coming soon to a theater near you. While you wait, here’s what I know: Predators is going to be badass.

The trailers are atmospheric, creepy and clearly geared towards marketing the film as horror, not thriller/action as the most recent Alien vs. Predator movies have been. It introduces all the primary characters while revealing little of their intentions. It’s suspenseful and dark. More than a Predator movie, it reminded me of the original Alien movie in tone. The score they use is haunting and there’s little doubt that this is a very rated-R film.

The story, as explained by Rodriguez is this: A tribe of predators has kidnapped a group of humans, the most deadly killers to be found on planet Earth, and dropped them on an alien planet which serves as a predator game preserve (note: It is not the predator home world). Think of it like a fisherman stocking his pond with trout. The primary trout here are played by Adrien Brody (who has seriously bulked up and against all odds is utterly convincing as a total badass), Topher Grace (who still looks like Topher Grace), Danny Trejo, and Alice Braga. They’ve been dropped in with no idea how they got there or who brought them, and they don’t really get along.

Here’s where we get into spoiler territory. So if you don’t want to know, bail out now.

The clip shown features Laurence Fishburne’s introduction. He shows up after our leads have landed, as a human character already on the planet. He’s utterly kickass, both here and in the trailer, chewing scenery up and spitting it back out. Rodriguez describes his character as “the one who got away”. He’s survived on the predator hunting preserve for an unspecified period of time, he knows all the tricks, and he’s figured out a way to beat them at their own game. The predators’ game involves real hunting techniques the likes of which we’ve never seen before, leading to the development of some of those new types of predators mentioned previously. Yet somehow, Fishburne’s character has survived.

Rodriguez and Antal talked at length about the film. Detailed bullet points containing everything they revealed follow:

# The idea for the movie came from a 1996 script by Robert Rodriguez, but it’s been rewritten extensively since his script featured a return by Schwarzenegger’s Dutch from the original movie, while this movie does not.

# The original Predator design from the original movie is in there, used for the first time since the 1987 movie. It’s a small part, but Rodriguez describes it as” a total flashback”, like seeing an actor you haven’t seen in a long time on screen.

# Predators won’t be in 3D.

# The movie uses primarily practical effects. The predators are all actors in costumes, there are no CG predators. Green screen was used only on a few brief sequences. They shot on location in Hawaii and in places around Austin.

# Predators will definitely be rated-R. Fox may be planning an Unrated DVD.

# James Cameron told Rodriguez that he came up with the original design for the Predator mouth used by effects guru Stan Winston.

# Their first attempt at a trailer was rejected by the MPAA, and it ended with the Predators title fading out to leave only the “R”, a clear hint at their intention to deliver a gritty, hard-R film. You won’t see that in the trailers which were finally approved.

# The film will introduce new kinds of never before seen predators. The concept was to develop the “ipod of predators”. Rodriguez explains these streamlined predators as being part of a different tribe from the ones we’ve seen before. It’s like the difference between “wolves and dogs”. New predators include Falconer predators, a massive Flusher predator they call “Mr. Black” (referred to in some internet rumors as a “Super Predator” which is just a meaningless script description), and you’ll see predator dogs along with airborne predator creatures.

# Rodriguez and Antal wanted each human character on the planet to feel like they could be a character in their own solo story.

# Expect to see lots of different alien creatures, including predator animals and other “prey” brought to the planet by predator hunters.

# You’ll see two different predator tribes in the movie.

# All of the film’s characters are new and how they get to the planet is new.

# There is a reference in the film to the original movie in the form of something a character believes was a ghost story. This character will recognize the original predator for what it is when it’s seen.


Predators Poster





And of course, after it was all over, Rodriguez left us with lovely parting gifts, pictured below. In particular, he gave everyone an autographed version of the first ever Predators poster. See it in higher-res here.


New Images And Plot Details For Sex And The City 2





Even thought it's set for a May 27 release date, Sex and the City 2 have managed to stay top-secret, with just a teaser trailer and only the vaguest plot details to go on. Now, for some reason, the secrecy has been broken by the British tabloid http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1257362/Sex-And-The-City-2-Sneak-peek-Carrie--Cos-Moroccan-adventure-upcoming-sequel.html>The Daily Mail, which got its hands on a handful of promo images and way more plot detail than we've gotten so far.

Well, some plot detail at least-- there's no confirmation that Carrie and Big's marriage will run into trouble or that Carrie will get pregnant, and there's barely even speculation on why the four women wind up in Morocco for what looks like a solid chunk of the film. But we do know that Samantha runs into ex-boyfriend Smith Jerrod again, while also finding a new paramour in English actor Max Ryan.

The promo images don't give away any plot, of course-- they're all about the clothes-- but they're fun to look at anyway for fans of the show and otherwise. Check out a few of the best ones below, and head to the Daily Mail for the rest.


Robert Downey Jr. Will Join Alfonso Cuaron In Space For Gravity





It was just a few weeks ago that we reported that Angelina Jolie may have bailed on Wanted 2 in order to make Gravity with Alfonso Cuaron, and not long after that the news came that Gravity wouldn't be happening either after Universal ditched the project. Now another A-list star has come on board to breathe life back into the whole thing.

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Robert Downey Jr. is negotiating to take one of the lead roles in the film-- not the one Jolie would have played, but the male lead. Downey Jr. and a yet-to-be-cast Jolie replacement would play members of a space exploration team who are outside the station when it is destroyed, killing everyone else on their team. Warner Bros. now has the project, and plans to start production this summer, finishing just in time for Downey Jr. to make Sherlock Holmes 2 in the fall.

It goes without saying that Downey Jr.'s participation in any project is likely to make it worth seeing, and the prospect of the actor returning to drama after a hugely successful stint in comedy and action is even more intriguing. Too bad Jolie won't be out there in space with him-- I like the idea of them teaming up-- but presumably it won't be hard to find an actress of equal caliber now that Downey Jr. is on board.


Dustin Hoffman Making His Directorial Debut With Quartet





Dustin Hoffman has been part of the movie industry for so long it would make sense to assume he'd stepped behind the camera once or twice. But as it turns out, his directorial debut is only coming up right now-- Screen Daily is reporting that Hoffman will direct Quartet for BBC Films, with Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay and Albert Finney in the lead roles.

The BBC Films angle makes it possible that the movie will only show up on television, but Hoffman's directorial debut may be enough of a lure to get people into theaters as well. The story is about four retired opera singers living in a retirement home and planning a concert for Verdi's birthday. Hoffman likely won't be playing a role in the film, and Ronald Harwood-- who won an Oscar for The Pianist-- is writing the screenplay.


SXSW: Six Reasons Kick-Ass Will Kick Your Ass





Tonight the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival kicked off proper with a kick to the ass. Director Matthew Vaughn introduced his adaptation of Mark Millar’s hyper-violent, deconstructive superhero comic Kick-Ass to around 1,000 fans and film lovers inside the Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin, Texas. While Vaughn may have been jetlagged after a flight from London, the amped-up crowd seemed to have no such problem.

“Why hasn’t anybody in real life ever tried to become a superhero?” That’s the question Kick-Ass uses as a launching point, as voiced by thoroughly average high school student Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson). After Dave decides to turn his spandex fantasies into reality as a costumed crime-fighter for the YouTube generation, Kick-Ass answers that question in brutal, hilarious fashion. It kicked my ass. It kicked the audience’s ass. Here are six reasons why Kick-Ass will kick your ass, too.





The Audacity

Most people reading the Kick-Ass comic have probably had the same reaction I did: “There’s no way in hell they can make this into a movie.” Kick-Ass the movie may not be quite as over-the-top as the comic when it comes to gore – for those of you familiar with the source material, the “car crusher” scene doesn’t play out in extreme close-up like it did on the page – but for the most part the film sticks to its guns. And knives. And bazookas. And industrial-size microwaves. Kick-Ass makes no apologies, pulls no punches, and only gets crazier as it goes.





The Director

Matthew Vaughn has made a name for himself with the slick Layer Cake and the underrated Stardust. His style meshes perfectly with Kick-Ass’s blend of four-color craziness and harsh, bloody reality. Remember when Ang Lee tried that weird thing in Hulk where he tried to cinematically evoke comic-book panels with split-screen? Remember how it didn’t really work very well? Lee could learn a few things from Vaughn. From shots that mimic panels from the source material, to Big Daddy’s illustrated rogue’s gallery and comic-style backstory, Vaughn’s Kick-Ass speaks the language of the source material without ever becoming distracting or showy about it. Vaughn manages both the blood-soaked action and the comedy equally well, which is crucial. With material this out there, you’ve got to land the laughs if you hope to carry the audience’s suspension of disbelief past the 11-year-old with the fondness for butterfly knives.





The Script

Kick-Ass reunites Vaughn with screenwriter Jane Goldman, who collaborated with him on Stardust. While the film has its weak points, it’s a lean, efficient translation from comic page to screenplay. Fitting eight issues of comic into a couple hours of movie time isn’t that tricky, but Vaughn and Goldman have smartly reconfigured and restructured the story from the page in several ways. Some of their changes are surprising – making Red Mist’s secret identity apparent from the get-go – and some are just bizarre. Kick-Ass’s means of entry to the big climactic showdown, for instance, is hilarious in the moment, but oddly out of character with the rest of the film’s more realistic approach (well, as realistic as a movie starring a katana-wielding pre-teen can be). Still, most of the changes give the story a more cinematic pacing than the comic. Most importantly, Kick-Ass is damn funny, both porting over and building upon Millar’s bleak sense of humor.





Nic Cage as Big Daddy

Not Big Daddy the character so much as Cage’s specific portrayal of him. He’s got a lot to answer for after that whole bee incident, and if anything will get him out of the dog house, it might just be his Big Daddy. Played pretty straight on the page, the big-screen Big Daddy is just spectacularly odd. The snorting laugh. The extra facial hair he glues on before going into battle. The inexplicable speech pattern he takes on while in costume, one part William Shatner, one part Rain Man. To be honest, I have no idea why Cage does half of what he does in this film. I’m not even sure if I like it. But I’ll sure as hell remember it.





Hit Girl

If there was one element I expected to be watered down from the comic, it was Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz). However, Kick-Ass doesn’t shy away at all is its portrayal of Big Daddy’s sidekick/daughter. The movie never once winces as the pint-sized death-dealer slices, shoots, and stabs her way through dozens of mob goons…but you might, especially during an introductory scene that will send parents groups into paroxysms of outrage once word gets out. It’s brazen, it’s insane, and it’s a little uncomfortable, quite frankly. If you don’t find yourself so offended that you walk out, Hit Girl has some of the movie’s best moments. The big question, however, is just how many audience members will stick around long enough to see them?





The Best Friend

Early in the film while cataloguing his ordinariness, a pre-Kick-Ass Dave admits that he isn’t even “the funny one” among his group of friends. Best friend Marty (Clarke Duke) then spends every scene he’s got proving that thesis. Aaron Johnson does a perfectly fine job as a sort of real-life Spider-Man without the webs or the wall-crawling, but anytime he’s on screen with Duke, he doesn’t have a chance. Coupled with Sex Drive, this is the second time Duke has played a second-banana best friend who steals every scene from the supposed lead. Forget Johnson; I want to see that guy try his hand at saving the world.



Disney Will Close Zemeckis's Studio





Today, Robert Zemeckis’s ImageMovers Digital studio got dropped into its own Uncanny Valley. According to The L.A. Times Disney announced it would shut down the motion-capture studio and lay off close to 450 workers. Maybe this is all part of Disney’s “Let’s just stop bankrolling and producing super creepy-looking movies” campaign.

ImageMovers is most known for such digital productions as A Christmas Carol, The Polar Express, and Beowulf. Not surprisingly, two out of these three movie are the prime examples of the Uncanny Valley phenomenon. ImageMovers Digital has one more production, Mars Needs Moms, in the pipeline, and Disney will adhere to its 2011 release date. Additionally, Zemeckis is creating a 3-D version of the Beatles' Yellow Submarine, which is great news because the original wasn’t weird enough. Disney has said they will keep a production deal alive with Zemeckis, but his studio and its employees are kaput.


American Take On Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Goes For Fincher?





The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo is a best-selling novel originally written in Swedish, but the recently released Swedish film adaptation failed to make much of a splash when released over here, so you know what that means: American remake! The Scott Rudin-produced project was announced last December, but we haven't seen much movement on the project until today.

Vulture reports that David Fincher, who most recently directed The Social Network for Sony, is favored by the studio to direct Tattoo. There are no deals in place whatsoever, and Fincher is also reportedly working on a Heavy Metal movie, but the studio likes him right now, and Fincher's name is a good one to have attached to pretty much anything.

Speaking of good names, Carey Mulligan is apparently also interested in playing the central character of Lisbeth, the lead character who is also a computer hacker. Mulligan's full of Oscar prestige right now, and Fincher is a director we'll watch do anything-- even something as dull as Benjamin Button. Someone, please get to work on making this a reality.



Seven New Images From How To Train Your Dragon





Later this month we'll see the release of the latest DreamWorks Animation project, How To Train Your Dragon. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm hearing from those who have that it's one of their best yet-- and that's saying a lot for the studio that also brought us Kung Fu Panda and Monsters vs. Aliens. Jay Baruchel voices the movie's main character, a Viking kid who can't do anything right until he becomes the only person in his tiny village to befriend, rather than fight and fear, the nearby dragons.

You're probably looking forward to it as much as I am, so to whet your appetite, we've added seven new images to our full photo gallery. Click on the terrified villagers below for a link to the full gallery. How to Train Your Dragon opens March 26.


Photo Gallery : Images and posters for How To Train Your Dragon


Joaquin Phoenix Playing Edgar Allan Poe?





Well here's some strange news for your Friday. While no one was ever truly convinced that Joaquin Phoenix was abandoning acting in favor of some kind of rap career during that weird publicity stunt phase last year, we haven't seen his name attached to any movies since. But now, if The Playlist is properly reading a report out of India, the dry spell may be ending in order for Phoenix to play Edgar Allan Poe.

Yeah, I'm as surprised as you are. The news comes from Mumbai-based sound recordist Resul Pookutty, who talked to the Mumbai Mirror about his next project, an adaptations of Daniel Stashower's novel The Beautiful Cigar Girl, based on a true story from Poe's life. Pookutty told the paper that Phoenix would be playing Poe, but didn't give any details about the film's director or other cast members, or how this entire project came together completely under the radar. If it's filming in New York as Pookutty says, though, I'd expect more details to be leaking out before too long.


Exclusive SXSW Preview: Lovers Of Hate Promo 2





Yesterday we brought you the first preview of Lovers of Hate, a film that debuted this year at Sundance and will be playing the SXSW festival this weekend. It's also one of three SXSW films you can catch starting this Monday on your on-demand cable system, thanks to the IFC Films "Direct From SXSW" program.

Today we've got the second of three short clips from the film that introduce you to the central character, Rudy (Chris Doubek), as he prepares to crash his brother's ski resort house only to find that his ex is holed up their with him. In this edition Rudy gets into the exclusive gated community through sheer determination-- and muttering curse words under his breath.

Check it out below, and come back Monday for the final installment of the promos, as well as our Sundance interview with the full Lovers of Hate cast and crew.


Promo Clip >>> Exclusive SXSW Preview: Lovers Of Hate Promo 2


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