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

03/17/2010



Martin Scorsese Recruits Chloe Moretz For Hugo Cabret





Martin Scorcese has begun arranging his lineup for the upcoming movie adaptation of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. According to Deadline Hollywood, Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) will play the young titular character and Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass) will take the part of Isabelle, a local shop keeper’s goddaughter. Ben Kingsley and Sasha Baron Cohen will also have roles in the feature.

If you haven’t had the chance to read The Invention of Hugo Cabret, it is a unique experience. In its over 500 pages of text and unbelievable illustrations (it won the Caldecott Medal) it conveys a touching story that could lend itself to a stunning film adaptation. The book itself feels cinematic. Cabret is a twelve-year-old orphan living in the walls of the Paris train station, whose goal is to finish building and operating an automaton his deceased father began years before. He thinks the automaton, when working, will write out a message from his father.

Having Scorsese attached to the adaptation is encouraging and could make for a particularly exceptional film.


Michael Bay Wants You For Transformers 3





For anyone dreaming of frolicking in the land of CGI and explosions, Craigslist has an opportunity for you. Collider caught an ad seeking extras for Michael Bay’s Transformers 3. The listing offers the basic film details as well as an agreement to pay participants $200 a day. Sorry Mr. Bay, but it’s going to take a lot more than $200 to get me affiliated with this franchise.

Here is the information in the posting:

Spielberg is back to work again.

Release Date: July 1, 2011
Studio: DreamWorks Pictures (Paramount)
Director: Michael Bay
Screenwriter: Ehren Kruger
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Tyrese Gibson
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Plot Summary: Bay and Spielberg are working on the plot for the next chapter in the Transformers saga due in theaters 2011

Pre Casting Starting, ***Contact Casting 1-877-464-9526*** For Background Scene work. Extras Are needed. No Experience Req. Union and Non-Union OK.

* Location: LA
* Compensation: 200 a day
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
* Phone calls about this job are ok.
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.


PostingID: 1632726060



Unless you’re interested in the opportunity there’s nothing too interesting here except one minor omission, Josh Duhamel. Based on the past two films, you’d think Duhamel would get billing over Gibson. Is Duhamel out? Is he just not involved in this scene? Did the folks at DreamWorks think Gibson’s name would attract more applicants? Duhamel is nice to look at, but considering his impact in terms of the plot in the last two films, it doesn’t really matter.


ShoWest: Universal Premieres Trailers For Despicable Me And Get Him To The Greek





Universal Pictures President Adam Fogelson was the first to admit he wasn't exactly the most logical choice to introduce ShoWest's tribute to the $100 million-plus grossing pictures of 2009. He admitted up front that Universal had its first bad year in a long, long time, and bright spots like It's Complicated and the surprise hit Fast and Furious didn't make up for a bunch of flops he didn't bother to name.

But with a new year comes hope, and Fogelson presented footage from three summer films that Universal is hoping will turn the tide-- Robin Hood, Get Him to the Greek and Despicable Me. The trailers shown for the latter two films were actually brand-new, one of them a red-band take on what we've already seen (Greek, obviously) and one the first full trailer for a film that only had a teaser before.

First, Greek. It actually took me a while to even recognize the differences, since the structure of the trailer is nearly identical to the green-band trailer that debuted online a few weeks ago (you can watch it here). We again see Jonah Hill's character dragged into nightclubs by Russell Brand's outrageous Aldous Snow, forced to shove cocaine up his ass like a drug mule, and showing up to meet Meredith Vieira with vomit on his jacket. The only difference was a little more of Aziz Ansari, playing a fellow record company assistant, talking about a night of partying right at the beginning, and a few extra seconds of every scene we've already seen, adding a bit more dirty humor. For example, when Jonah Hill is having sex with girl on the toilet, she winds up flushing the toilet by accident and splashing him with water. Little stuff like that that's a lot funnier than it sounds here. Expect that red-band trailer to show up online shortly.

Despicable Me marks Universal's first 3D animated film, and stars Steve Carell as a supervillain saddled with three kids to take care of while he tries to execute his grandest stunt yet-- stealing the moon. Yeah, it's a plot that's really familiar-- even Jackie Chan did it in Spy Next Door-- and it's unclear exactly how having these kids around will benefit the plot, other than tossing in a lot of boilerplate "Look what those crazy kids did!" jokes. In one scene Carell's villain character Gru is laying out his diabolical plan in drawings when one of the kids' drawings makes its way in there. Har de har.

Of course, it's a one and a half minute trailer, and last year at ShoWest I saw scenes from another animated comedy that looked totally unpromising-- and it turned out to be the legitimately hilarious Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. So I'll avoid being too harsh on Despicable Me despite the unpromising trailer. It'll likely be online before too long to give you a chance to judge for yourself.

Keep checking back for more from ShoWest 2010!


New Kick-Ass Posters Go Vintage







Now that we’re approaching Kick-Ass’s April 16th release date, the film is finally getting to see the light of day. But as the praise and criticism begin to pour in, so does additional promotional material.

Even after assembling a series of perfect posters, Lionsgate has decided to throw a few more our way. Kick-Ass, Hit Girl and Red Mist each get their own vintage propaganda-style image and, I must say, they’re pretty damn convincing. Perhaps not enough to convince me to suit up myself, but definitely to get my ass to the theater. Check out all three posters for yourself below courtesy of IMP Awards.


SXSW Film Festival Awards 2010 Prizes







The SXSW Film Festival continues on until Saturday, but tonight the Austin film festival announced its 2010 batch of awards. As always, even though I’ve been running around the festival like a madman cramming as many movies as possible into my brain… I’ve managed to miss seeing any of the winners. I have however heard nothing but good things about Brotherhood, which I hope to catch at a repeat screening before I leave. It’s no surprise to see it winning for Narrative Feature.

Below is the complete list of 2010 SXSW Film Festival winners. For our coverage straight from the festival go here.

Feature Film Jury Awards

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Winner: Marwenco[/b]
Director: Jeff Malmberg
Runner-up: War Don Don Director: Rebecca Richman Cohen

NARRATIVE FEATURE
Winner: Tiny Furniture Director: Lena Dunham
Special Jury Award – Best Ensemble: Myth of the American Sleepover Director: David Robert Mitchell
Special Jury Award – Best Individual Performance: Brian Hasenfus in Phillip the Fossil Director: Garth Donovan

Feature Film Audience Awards

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Winner: For Once in My Life Director: Jim Bigham & Mark Moormann

NARRATIVE FEATURE
Winner: Brotherhood Director: Will Canon

*Audience Awards for Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, 24 Beats Per Second, Lone Star States, and Midnighters will be announced on Monday, March 22, 2010.

Short Film Jury Awards

NARRATIVE SHORTS
Winner: Cigarette Candy Director: Lauren Wolkstein
Runner Up: Teleglobal Dreamin' Director: Eric Flanagan

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Winner: Quadrangle Director: Amy Grappell
Runner Up: White Lines and The Fever: The Death of DJ Junebug Director: Travis Senger


Magnet Pulls In Monster and Centurion





If you've been checking Cinema Blend this past week you'll have seen all kinds of news and reviews coming in from SXSW and ShoWest courtesy of our fearless leaders Josh Tyler and Katey Rich. Earlier today, Josh posted a review for Monsters, an alien infestation flick set in northern Mexico, sorely lacking in plot and the aforementioned aliens.

But according to THR, Magnet Releasing was, "blown away by Monsters" and therefore is going to be bringing it to the general public. Exactly when and in what capacity, wide release, limited, or direct-to-DVD, has yet to be determined, but despite Josh's misgivings about the film, it sounds like there's enough positive going on for it to be enjoyable. Keep your fingers crossed for at least a limited theatrical release.

Swept under the rug by THR is that Magnet also picked up director Neil Marshall's latest film Centurion which follows the legendary 9th Roman Legion on the path to their disappearance. Anyone who's seen the trailer for this will know just how awesomely badass it looks so this should be big news coming out of SXSW. There are very few reviews as of yet for the Descent director's latest effort, but chances are, with the muscle he had in front of the camera, and the talent he had behind it, Centurion will be a sure fire hit.

More on when we'll be able to see Monster and Centurion for ourselves when the news becomes available.


Dakota Goyo Will Play Hugh Jackman's Kid In Real Steel





What in the world are we supposed to make of this movie Real Steel, in which Hugh Jackman plays a father living in a future where robots box each other and uses these competitions to bond with his child? If that weren't weird enough, it's being directed by Shawn Levy, who's made a mint with the Night at the Museum films but doesn't exactly seem to have "dystopian future" in his blood.

Now a kid has signed on to join the madness-- THR reports that 11-year-old Dakota Goyo will play Jackman's son, a "street-smart, tough, charming kid with a hard, untrusting outer shell which hides a warm enthusiastic spirit beneath." So, in other word, John Connor?

The only place you really would have seen Goyo before is 2007's Josh Hartnett vehicle Resurrecting the Champ, which I did not see so I've got nothin'. Production on the film begins in June. Is the world ready for another Dakota child star, so soon after Dakota Fanning became a full-fledged teen?



these and more at Latest Movie News & Rumor

03/18/2010



Got Real Boobs? Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 Wants Them





With the early summer start date for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides sailing ever closer, casting directors are feverishly trying to fill out their cast. Some key roles have already been filled by the obvious players --Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush-- as well as newcomers to the series Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz.

But what if you need to fill a scene with scantily clad women showing off their bodacious breasts? Well send out a casting call of course. Moviehole got their hands on a casting breakdown recently shipped out to agencies in hopes of landing some ladies who will wear the film's extensive wardrobe better than others. The call reads as follows:

Beautiful Female Fit Models. Must be 5'7-5'8, Size 4 or 6 - NO BIGGER OR SMALLER. Age 18-25. Must have a lean dancer body. MUST have real breasts. Do not submit if you have implants. This is a show and tell of costumes with the director and the producers. Plan on an entire day of trying on clothes and being photographed.

Professional Dancers who are Swimmers. Females ONLY. Age 18-30. All ethnicities. YOU MUST have an extensive dance/swimming resume. We will be shooting in Hawaii.


So if you've spent money attaching softballs to the front of yourself, navigate away and forget this even happened. Your self esteem will be better for it. But if you're rockin' what the gods gave you in a big way and are willing to show off your curves in some fancy pirate outfits, get yourself an agent and get your rack to L.A.

Now if only I could send out casting calls like this for Friday nights. Ladies?


The Mechanic Trailer: Jason Statham Fixes Ben Foster





Jason Statham deserves to be in better movies. Maybe this is the start of a new direction? The Mechanic looks brutally promising. In it he’s pitted against the highly underrated Ben Foster, who plays one of the best Western villains every in 3:10 to Yuma. Here he’s back in the bad guy role and no matter what this movie is, having him tearing up the screen can only elevate the material.

The film’s a remake of a same-named movie which starred Charles Bronson. Maybe this is heresy, but I’m going to say it: Jason Statham is the closest thing we have to Bronson reincarnated. That he’s the one doing this is perfect.

The first trailer for The Mechanic is here. Be warned: If you haven’t seen the movie it’s remaking it may contain a major spoiler. On the other hand they threw it in the trailer, so maybe it’s not the spoiler it seems to be. Watch:


trailer link >>> YouTube - The Mechanic - Trailer


Bateman Could Be Aniston's Baby Daddy In The Switch Trailer





The premise powering The Switch (formerly titled The Baster) is one of those ridiculously awful Hollywood premises that usually results in an equally ridiculous and awful rom-com. But the tone of the movie’s first trailer, in spite of its premise, is kind of perfect. There’s a rhythm to it that reminds me of the good old days when Mike Judge movies were still good. You know, before Extract. Maybe Jason Bateman has landed in something good this time.

It stars Jennifer Aniston as a woman who impregnates herself through artificial insemination. Bateman’s character is not a candidate because he’s kind of a neurotic mess, but somehow the sperm gets switched and Bateman, unbeknownst to everyone involved, is actually the father. Years later Aniston moves back into town with her son, and the similarities between them are hilarious and hard to ignore.

Watch the first trailer for The Switch below or in HD on Apple.


trailer link >>> YouTube - The Switch Trailer 2010


Eat, Pray, Love Trailer Sends Julia Roberts Around The World





Based on the popular book by the same name, Eat, Pray, Love casts Julia Roberts as a woman who is not looking for a man. Will she find one anyway by the time the movie’s over? This is Hollywood, so probably. I haven’t read the book, ladies, let me know how it turns out. I’m hoping there isn’t a dude at the end of her inspiring journey around the world. Find out why that’s my hope right here.

In the meantime, the first trailer for Eat, Pray, Love is online. Watch it below or in HD on Yahoo.


trailer link >>> YouTube - [New] Eat, Pray, Love - Trailer HD 2010


ShoWest: The Karate Kid Comes With Spectacle And Dragons





Even hours before today's screening of The Karate Kid, Sony was setting itself apart from the rest of the studios showing films at ShoWest. The main ballroom where lunch was served was decked out in Chinese imagery and a giant statue of the film's logo, and wandering the halls of the convention center were masses of women in red traditional Chinese dresses.

But as it turned out, that was just the very, very beginning. Before the screening began over 100 performers took the stage, wearing masks and dragon costumes and uniforms, carrying spears and drums, doing everything from turning cartwheels at the center of the stage to simply flanking the entire audience. It was a remarkable spectacle, capped off with a shower of confetti from the ceiling and a parade back out. The only thing imaginable that could have topped it was a star like Will Smith taking the stage-- and as it turned out, that's exactly what happened.

Along with Karate Kid director Harald Zwart, Jada Pinkett Smith and Sony exec Rory Bruer, Smith was on hand to present his son Jaden with ShoWest's breakthrough star award. Jaden, who would be showing plenty of the family star power in the movie to come, kept it brief onstage: "My dad prepared a whole speech for me and it had a bunch of funny stuff in it, but I'm 11 and I'm nervous. So thank you!"

In The Karate Kid, though, Smith had no trouble talking, playing the smartass Detroit kid Dre who winds up living in Beijing when his mom (Taraji P. Henson) takes a job there. If you've seen the 80s classic this movie is based on, you know what happens next-- a wise martial arts master (Jackie Chan) takes Dre under his wing not only to teach him kung fu, but to help him survive in this strange new culture. Filmed on location in Beijing and the surrounding area, The Karate Kid carries a great sense of Chinese authenticity and a great late-career performance from Jackie Chan, who is moving on from martial arts star to wise guide-- a smart move. As for Smith, he's still clearly learning the family trade, but the Smith genes travel-- kid holds his own.

It's hard to say exactly what the movie's run time was, given that it was preceded by the giant dragon spectacle, but it felt at least two hours long, which is far too long for a very devoted remake of The Karate Kid. I would expect to see a good bit of the film cut before its June 11 release, putting more focus on the fight scenes and the relationship between Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. Nothing in the new Karate Kid makes a convincing argument to leave the original behind, but with a little bit of streamlining Sony could easily make this a hit for both the people who loved The Karate Kid the first time around and their children.





Sony Wants To Spider-Man Ghostbusters 3 And Ivan Reitman Won't Let Them





Recently, all indications were that Ghostbusters 3 was go with original franchise producer and director Ivan Reitman in the director’s chair. Even Bill Murray seemed, finally, to be on board. Now though, NY Mag says there’s trouble.

The problem is Reitman himself who, along with Murray, Ramis, and Akyroyd all have a contract which gives them veto power over any sequel. Only, word is that Sony doesn’t want Reitman involved. Instead the studio wants to take a Spider-Man approach to the franchise by hiring a hot young director (like Marc Webb) to take it over and reboot it with twentysomethings in the lead roles. Unlike Spider-Man they aren’t starting the whole story over exactly, the old Busters would be involved, but it sounds like their goal is to launch a new franchise with a bunch of kids… and they don’t want those kids directed by the rapidly aging Reitman.

Reitman is directing a rom-com for Paramount called Friends with Benefits, so there’s some hope that he might get busy and let Sony go ahead on Ghostbusters 3 without him. Yet, word is that Reitman thinks he can do both movies and Vulture makes it sound as though he has no intention of getting out of the way. Sony doesn’t want him, Reitman isn’t going to let them do it without him… Ghostbusters 3 could be in trouble.

Though I’m not exactly eager to see Ghostbusters without Reitman at the helm, you can almost see Sony’s point of view here. The man hasn’t had a hit since the early 90s. His last few movies have been flops at best and cinematic travesties at worst. Reitman is now the director of Evolution and My Super Ex-Girlfriend. It’s been a long time since he made anything worth watching. Are we sure we want him in charge of Ghostbusters 3? Maybe he’s just not that guy anymore.


Dwayne Johnson Looks More Like The Rock In New Faster Image





A handful of kiddie movies hasn’t softened Dwayne Johnson. Check out this image of The Rock in his upcoming film Faster from USA Today. Clearly his Tooth Fairy costume is slimming because here he looks enormous, WWE enormous.

The officer in this photo must not have a handle on him for long, because Johnson plays an ex-con determined to avenge his brother’s killing. Carla Gugino and Billy Bob Thornton join him as detectives who follow close behind while connecting the dots between the ongoing chase and the brother’s murder. Those lucky enough to be at ShoWest can check out the film tomorrow, but for the rest of us, we’ll have to wait to see Johnson back in fighting form until November 19th.


Ashton Kutcher And Katherine Heigl Get Killers Posters


Not to be confused with that other movie in which a famous actor lures a famous actress into the life of a spy, comes Killers in which Ashton Kutcher does the same to Katherine Heigl. Their movie may not be particularly original, but they seem intent on looking cool while they do it.

We have the first two teaser posters for Killers below. It’s all about the sunglasses and, for some reason, Katherine Heigl has stolen Columbo’s coat. Take a look:





Quentin Tarantino Wants Lady GaGa To Be His Next Assassin





The ultimate union of oddities could be upon us. According to MTV in the UK, Lady GaGa and Quentin Tarantino engaged in an interesting conversation. Apparently, the Academy Award nominated director is considering putting the queen of curious clothing in his next film.

Maybe Tarantino was just really flattered she incorporated the Pussy Wagon from Kill Bill in the music video for “Telephone,” the song she sings with Beyonce. Someone close to Tarantino said, “Quentin is a huge fan of GaGa and loves her whole personality. He has already sounded her out on a couple of projects, one of which would see her playing an assassin.” That source added, "Movies would be a huge new venture for GaGa but she's excited at the prospect and Quentin has told her she'd be a natural."

At first the concept of GaGa going big screen is a little off-putting, but in Tarantino I trust, so if he thinks she’s ‘a natural,’ I’ll take his word for it. She can definitely put on quite a show during live performances and in music videos, perhaps that ability can translate. Hopefully Beyonce will give her a tip or two before any plans are solidified and GaGa ventures out in front of the camera.


these and more at Latest Movie News & Rumor

03/19/2010



Knees And Elbows! Ong Bak 3 Teaser Trailer





If you're looking for a deep, character driven story from your action movies, then the Ong Bak series is not for you. But if you're willing to sit down, read about five lines of subtitled dialog, and watch one of the most impressive marshal artists in the world send flying spin kicks into the throats of his opponents, then you should be thrilled that this franchise is getting a threequel.

Tony Jaa never ceases to amaze with his boundless ass-kicking skills and that looks to be the case again in this teaser for Ong Bak 3. Chances are he'll be fighting some oppressor who is trying to pillage his land for elephant tusks... again... but there's no doubt the fight choreography will be steps above his last effort in Ong Bak 2, and that is saying something.

The gang over at Ropes of Silicon have the trailer, which you can view below. No elephants were harmed in the making of this article.


trailer link >>> Knees And Elbows! Ong Bak 3 Teaser Trailer


ShoWest: Even Unfinished, Harry Potter 7 Looks Fantastic





It was pretty bold of Warner Bros. to show off as much of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as they did, given that much of the effects work was unfinished and a major character-- Ralph Fiennes' noseless Voldemort-- had dots on his face marking the future digital alteration that really makes him who he is. But they weren't just bold in what they showed us, but how they did it-- the first scene of the extended trailer was Harry and Voldemort's confrontation in the woods outside Hogwarts. Harry, bloodied and visibly terrified, approaches a cold Voldemort (flanked by Bellatrix Lestrange); Voldemort taunts Harry, "The boy who lived, come to die."

The footage shown came from all sections of The Deathly Hallows, so it's impossible to tell where they will split up the two movies. We saw little bits of everything, from the seven Harry Potters escaping from the Dursleys house (totally surreal) to the attack at Bill and Fleur's wedding to the escape from Gringotts on the pale dragon and even Hogwarts on fire. With unfinished effects it's hard to really say how it all looks, though some of the most effective moments were the simplest-- Ron and Harry's fight in the tent, Harry visiting his parents' graves, running away from the Snatchers in the woods, Harry defiantly telling Voldemort that he stays alive "because I have something worth fighting for."

Basically, it's hugely exciting for anyone who's a fan of the book-- but that's been the case for every Harry Potter trailer and sneak peek thus far, so why should we have expected anything different. The cool, smoky cinematography that really marked Half-Blood Prince seems to be continuing in this one, and the newfound acting skills we saw in many of the young actors will likely be coming in handy. There was no sign of some of the key characters, like Draco Malfoy and Professor McGonagall, but I expect just as much good stuff from them too.

One odd moment-- one of the final shots was of Hermione riding a broom, by herself, escaping from a fireball that's likely the curse that Crabbe and Goyle set off in the Room of Requirement near the end. Did Hermione ever ride a broom by herself in the books? Is this a change that will mean something bigger, or just something convenient so the movie doesn't have to bother explaining that Hermione isn't good on a broom? It's the kind of nitpick that only the geekiest Harry Potter fans will ever care about-- but that's what you have me for, isn't it?



ShoWest: Christopher Nolan Shows Off Amazing Inception Footage





Before this afternoon's Warner Bros. presentation at ShoWest I asked Christopher Nolan how much he was about to reveal about Inception, and he replied "Not much." And while the selected footage he showed off revealed very little about the story, and exactly what's causing all the amazing visuals and fight scenes, it was all stunning. Almost too much to process, really-- the minute I started scrawling notes about people falling down snowy mountains, it was on to a scene of Joseph Gordon-Levitt floating in zero gravity and tying up a bunch of corpses.

Perhaps the biggest plot detail revealed is that Leonardo DiCaprio's investigator character isn't just using technology to jump into peoples' minds, but into their dreams-- as he sees it there are people who would use this dream-investigation technology for evil, and it's up to him and partner Joseph Gordon-Levitt to stop them. One of the few dialogue scenes involves the two of them explaining their job to Ken Wantanabe's character, though it's unclear exactly who he is and if he's on their side during the action scenes we see later. And despite initial speculation that Gordon-Levitt may be a villain character, he and DiCaprio seems to be partners-- though DiCaprio does let him have it in one scene, which might mean a rift develops between them that makes Gordon-Levitt the villain in the end.

We finally get to see Michael Caine in the film, seemingly some kind of recruitment officer for the agency that employs DiCaprio, convincing Ellen Page to join his time. "Like job placement?" Page asks, making both of them chuckle. Will Michael Caine's character basically be DiCaprio's equivalent of Alfred? We can only hope so.

There was a lot more Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the footage, which convinced me he's more of a lead role than I previously believed, but there was also intriguingly little of Marion Cotillard-- we see her holding a gun a few times, but mostly she's shown crying or smiling or hugging DiCaprio. Her character may very well be the most mysterious of them all.

It's hard to describe much of the scenery featured in the movie, from the elevator opening into a room without gravity to the city folding up and falling into the ocean and Ken Wantanabe's gorgeous office. Because so much of the movie apparently takes place in dreams, much of the imagery follows no rules of logic-- just beauty. I'm not sure how much of the Inception footage screened today will ever make it into a trailer or online-- Nolan seemed mostly to want to throw a bone to the exhibitors who will be showing his crazy esoteric movie-- but it made me all the more excited for what Inception had to offer. In the midst of a really impressive WB presentation, Inception was probably the most exciting of all.

There's lots more still to come from today's Warner Bros. presentation, so keep checking back!


ShoWest: Sex And The City 2 Plot Details Revealed





A lot of exciting new films showed some of their first- ever footage during this afternoon's Warner Bros. panel, but one of the ones revealing the most was Sex and the City 2, which is still tightly under wraps even though it hits theaters in just two months. Director Michael Patrick King and stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis all took the stage to introduce a new trailer for the film, which-- at last!-- revealed some actual plot. A lot of the rumors we've heard were true, but there were a lot of new wrinkles too. Here are the highlights:

-- Stanford and Anthony are in fact getting married, in a lavish ceremony where Carrie wears a tuxedo (very fashion-forward, of course) and Stanford wears a white tux, "Like a virgin." Stanford and Anthony both stomp on the glass like Jewish grooms, and Liza Minelli officiates. Fabulous!

-- The desert location where we saw all the girls in the preview is Abu Dhabi, where Samantha has somehow has hooked them up with a weeklong trip. There were scant details reviewed about the actual trip-- they ride camels, they hit up a lavish nightclub, Samantha ogles some dude-- but there was one surprise waiting for them overseas...

-- Carrie runs into Aidan in a market, and quickly the two are spending a lot of time together in Abu Dhabi, causing Charlotte to scold Carrie "You're playing with fire." Looks like Carrie is once again getting itchy feet in a relationship, except this time it's Aidan who's the other man.

-- SPeaking of itchy feet, Charlotte seems to feel a little overwhelmed by life with two children, and based on the rumors about Harry having an affair with a hot Irish nanny, he's feeling the same. Miranda, on the other hand, is sick of being in the office and wants to get home and spend more time with her family. Both Charlotte and Miranda seem to be taking the Abu Dhabi trip as a chance for a much-needed break.

-- The hormone pills that are rumored to be part of Samantha's plot make an appearance early on, though it's not clear that they're for menopause-- she just says she's using them to be younger.

-- Carrie and Big do not have a baby-- she says they're "somewhere between wed and a baby"-- and Carrie gives him a watch that says "me and you, just us two." There are clearly babies on the brain, though, and Carrie's likely fling with Aidan might be a result of all that anxiety. Also Penelope Cruz shows up at a bar looking flirtily at Mr. Big, so rumors of him cheating may turn out to be very true as well.

Overall the character was a lot more appealing than I expected it to be, with much less focus on designer labels and rich-people activities, and much more focus on the wicked humor that made the original show so enjoyable. There was at least no song from Fergie about looking for labels and love-- they used "Empire State of Mind" instead-- so that's a definite step forward.

We've got much, much more to report from the Warner Bros. panel at ShoWest, so stay tuned!


ShoWest: Rumored Flash Director Berlanti Isn't Committed To Anything





A few weeks ago we heard rumors that Warner Bros. long-gestating Flash movie may be finally off and running with a director. Word was that Greg Berlanti was the top contender to helm the superhero picture. Now a few weeks later, it sounds like there’s still no firm commitment for him to direct The Flash.

In fact Berlanti wouldn’t even comment on the rumors that he might be in the running for the film. But tonight at ShoWest he did tell us that he's not committed to do anything until after he finishes his current movie, Life As We Know It.That means, if indeed he’s really in talks to direct it at all, work on The Flash would have to wait until late this year. Life As We Know It isn’t due to be released until December. The Flash maybe off and running at Warner Bros, but if Berlanti really is directing, he’s not running very fast yet.


ShoWest: Transformers 3 Script Finished, Shooting This Summer





We caught up with Transformers star Josh Duhamel at ShoWest today, and he offered an update on the status of Transformers 3. In case you’re were wondering, it sounds like he’ll be in it.

What’s more Duhamel says he met with Michael Bay yesterday and the Transformers 3 script is now complete. They’re preparing to start filming it this summer. If Bay sticks to what he told us a few weeks ago, that should mean at some point this summer Duhamel and the Transformers cast will show up in Chicago and Moscow, where scenes from the film are slated to be shot. Chicago Blenditos: Beware of evil transforming robots.


Singer Talks X-Men: First Class





This week, Bryan Singer sat down with the L.A. Times and discussed some upcoming ideas and movement within the X-Men film universe. Singer is coming back on board with the franchise to direct X-Men: First Class, a prequel to the first X-Men movie released in 2000. The movie will focus on the relationship between Professor X and Magneto. The newest X-Men installment looks to dive into how these two united, formed the school for mutants, and what exactly lead to their eventual split. Additionally, the feature will use younger versions of the original X-Men to detail how it is they came to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters (read: badass mutants).

Having Singer back in the X-Men mix has this fan more than a little excited. X2 remains one of my all-time favorite comic book movies and really showed how an adaptation could handle the depth and humanity of characters whose genetic makeup allows them to perform the extraordinary. And while X-Men pales somewhat in comparison, I found it fascinating to read how exactly that movie turned the world of comic book flicks up on its head. Singer will bring a singular focus back to a franchise needing more than a little tweaking. X-Men: Evolution and X-Men Origins: Wolverine were decidedly inferior products after the first two movies, and proved a cast of characters like these super freaks need a deft touch. There are some timing issues with Singer’s quasi-reboot, but this is a franchise that needs a comeback. Singer is just the man to do it.


Even The Kick-Ass Cast Thinks It's Too Violent





Kick-Ass hasn’t even been released yet and already there are rumblings from parent groups who plan to protest the film. At issue is the character of Hit Girl, an eleven-year-old masked avenger played by eleven-year-old Chloe Moretz. Hit Girl engages in unspeakably brutal violence throughout the film, murdering bad guys in the most vicious, graphic fashion imaginable. Towards the end of the film, a great deal of violence is done to her as well and audiences will see an eleven-year-old kid brutally beaten and bloodied by the movie’s adult bad guy, played by Mark Strong.

So it’s no surprise that Kick-Ass might be too violent for some people. What is surprising is that it was also too violent for its cast. During his press conference this past weekend at SXSW, director Matthew Vaughn revealed that he was unable to make the film’s final fight scene as brutal as he wanted because Strong refused to cooperate.

Says Vaughn, “I wanted Mark to stamp on her head in the fight and really kick her around the room, but he refused to do it.” It seems Mark was as uneasy with the movie’s violence against children as parents are. Vaughn explains that Strong, “He felt uncomfortable about stamping on her head.”

It’s worth noting that Strong was not present to promote the film, so he couldn’t address his reasons for refusing to do the scene himself. But when it comes to violence against kids, there’s are lines that Hollywood almost never crosses. Kick-Ass crosses all of them and it makes sense that Strong would be uncomfortable with being the guy required to deliver the punishment.


Reese Witherspoon To Play The Pioneer Woman





In the world of blogs about moms raising kids and their daily lives, you can't beat The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond's blog about her life on an Oklahoma cattle ranch that includes gorgeous photography of the cows, the kids, the food and the products she's giving away, along with a wry voice and hilarious stories to tell. In the blog-to-book-to-movie formula that Julie & Julia kicked off last summer, Drummond's blog is an easy candidate.

And so here we are, with Deadline Hollywood reporting that Sony has picked up the rights to the blog, and is develpoing the project as a potential star vehicle for Reese Witherspoon. The story will follow Drummond's decision to move to Oklahoma from Los Angeles after falling in love with her husband, and the process of adapting to life way, way out in the country. It's a story Drummond has written as a kind of online novel Black Heels to Tractor Wheels-- you can read it here, or it will be published in book form next year.

You've got to immediately assume this will resemble pretty closely Witherspoon's own Sweet Home Alabama, in which she also plays a city girl who decides to embrace the country life. But Drummond's blog has a voice all its own, and Witherspoon remains appealing despite starring in a string of bad movies lately. I'm going to hold out hope for this one, and not just because I love the Pioneer Woman's recipes.





these and more at Latest Movie News & Rumor

03/21/2010



The Human Torch Has Been Offered Captain America





Chris Evans, long rumored to be a top contender for the lead role in Marvel’s upcoming Captain America movie, has won the role… if he wants it. THR says he’s been offered the part.

If true, Marvel’s offer to Evans would be a multi-picture deal. He’d be committed for at least three Captain America movie as well as appearances in other Avengers, superhero team-up movies in which Cap is likely to figure prominently.

There could be a problem though. Evans is already committed to an Anna Faris rom-com called What’s Your Number?, scheduled to shoot around the same time. Seriously though, if the guy has any sense, he’ll drop that and go with the First Avenger.

This would be Chris Evans’ second turn playing a superhero. He’s already done two movies as the Human Torch, another Marvel Comics character and member of the Fantastic Four. Captain America is an entirely different ball of wax from the Torch who’s sort of a wild, irresponsible ladies man. America is a more serious, honor and duty driven character. Still, Evans should be a perfect fit. He’s a proven talent as an actor and he’s got the all-American good looks necessary to play Steve Rogers and his alter-ego Captain America. This could work.


Mickey Rourke Reveals Whiplash's Iron Man 2 Fate?





Someone should probably explain spoiler alerts to Mickey Rourke. Comic Book Movie uncovered an interview with him in the May 2010 issue of Total Film, where he seems to reveal the ending of Iron Man 2 or, if not the ending of the film then the ending for his character Whiplash.

Here’s what Rourke revealed. Warning: This could be a huge spoiler so don’t read any further if you don’t want to know.

Well, the only thing I can tell you is that they had decided to kill me and we did film it with Gwyneth Paltrow. And then they came to New Mexico and re-shot it and now it’s left up in the air…


So could be a spoiler… or maybe not. It sounds like even Rourke isn’t entirely sure what Whiplash’s ultimate fate is. Is he killed by Pepper Pots? Shouldn’t his death scene involve Robert Downey Jr.? We’ll find out May 7th.



Dr. Horrible 2 Happening As A Movie?





Plans are underway to bring back Neil Patrick Harris’s frustrated, quasi-evil, super villain for a sequel to Dr. Horrible. Shot in under 5 days Joss Whedon’s original series debuted as a web series, but Harris says they may have bigger plans for Dr. Horrible 2.

Speaking to MTV he revealed, “Apparently they're making a 'Dr. Horrible' sequel — a feature film, I hope.” That doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be a big budget extravaganza, part of Dr. Horrible’s charm was its low-budgetness. Harris explains, “You don't want to necessarily make the feature film be an $80 million giant movie, because it defeats the purpose of what the first film was made to be… "Then again, you don't want it to be so low-brow that it's not worth paying money to see as a movie.”

Harris was quick to reiterate that nothings set in stone yet and they’re still discussing how to get the sequel done. But Dr. Horrible 2 on the big screen? It could work. Watch Neil Patrick Harris’s full discussion of Dr. Horrible’s future below:

clip link >>> Dr. Horrible 2 Happening As A Movie?


Zombieland Director Turns Down Mission: Impossible 4 For Danny McBride?





When Zombieland became a huge hit last fall, director Ruben Fleischer had at least one guaranteed job lined up next-- directing Zombieland 2. But much as Marc Webb got handed his own giant franchise after the success of (500) Days of Summer (that would be Spider-Man), Fleischer apparently has also been considered for a gigantic sequel. And he turned it down.

According to Deadline Hollywood, Fleischer's name has been mentioned in connection to Mission: Impossible 4, which J.J. Abrams will be producing but not directing. But what Fleischer is really interested in is 30 Minutes or Less, a pizza delivery guy caper comedy that will star Danny McBride. Matthew Sullivan and Michael Diliberti wrote the script that has been picked up by Sony, which, of course, also distributed Zombieland.

Can we all just agree that we'd see pretty much whatever Fleischer wants to make next, whether it's a random comedy or some giant blockbuster? I would wonder how equipped Fleischer would be to handle something as big as M:I 4, where as a smaller action comedy like 30 Minutes or Less would allow him to retain more of the style we all loved in Zombieland. I'm mainly wondering what kind of cojones it is taking to turn down a gigantic tentpole in favor or something weirder.


ShoWest Interview: Christopher Nolan Talks Inception





I've already told you everything I was able to glean from Christopher Nolan's ShoWest presentation of footage from Inception-- meaning, aside from lots more stunning visuals, we don't know all that much still. Nolan is notoriously clever about keeping his mouth shut, and won't fall prey to even the most elaborate red carpet questions. Since I'm not at all capable of trickery like that, I knew there was no chance of my getting him to spill the plot of Batman 3.

But still, I got to talk to Christopher Nolan, and that in itself is cool. Check out the video below, in which he talks about how he and his brother Jonathan Nolan came up with the idea, how he feels about revealing some Inception secrets before the movies come out, and what he showed that day at ShoWest.

For more ShoWest coverage, click here.


clip link >>> ShoWest Interview: Christopher Nolan Talks Inception


ShoWest Interview: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis And Todd Phillips





A year ago Warner Bros. brought footage from The Hangover to screen at ShoWest, and they brought down the house even with a crowd that wasn't exactly the target audience. Given that movie's phenomenal success, The Hangover was brought up a whole lot during this year's Warner Bros. presentation as well, all leading up to what everyone in that room was hoping would be its spiritual successor: Due Date.

Starring Robert Downey Jr. as a father frantically trying to get back to Los Angeles in time for the birth of his child, and Zach Galifianakis as the road trip buddy he's unwillingly paired up with, Due Date seems on all counts to be this decade's answer to Planes, Trains and Automobiles, about two mismatched pals trying to get home by hook or by crook. Director Todd Phillips took the stage alongside Galifianakis and Downey Jr. to introduce the clip, which is pretty much The Hangover as a road movie-- Galifianakis is toting a chronically masturbating dog, Downey Jr. gets the hell beaten out of him by a wheelchair-bound Danny McBride, and Jamie Foxx takes the two of them on a joy ride. It was a red-band trailer to be sure, which means it's likely we'll see a green band version first, but I imagine even that one will be funny.

Phillips and Galifianakis were being honored that night at the ShoWest closing night awards ceremony (Director of the Year and Comedy Star of the Year, respectively), so they didn't need Due Date's spectacular performance to be the toast of the show-- but it sure didn't hurt. Looking just as juvenile, ridiculous and hilarious as The Hangover, Due Date seems likely to take that Couples Retreat spot this November as a fall movie that performs like a blockbuster summer comedy.

I also had the chance to talk to Phillips, Galifianakis and Downey Jr. on the red carpet before the event, where Coming Soon's Ed Douglas and I did our bet to grill them, but mostly they wanted to joke around with each other. Trust me, that's worth watching on its own. Also check out at the beginning where Phillips reads my badge and says he's a fan of the site. He didn't need to suck up to get me to look forward to his movie, but hey, it didn't hurt.


clip link >>> ShoWest Interview: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis And Todd Phillips


Watch 10 Action-Packed Minutes From Clash Of The Titans





Clash of the Titans is a movie determined not to waste your time. You’re there to see all Sam Worthington fight unholy monsters and there’s every indication that this is exactly what it delivers. We have ten killer clips from the film. In them Sam finds himself battling giant scorpions, Medusa, fleshy-headed mutants, the Kraken, and other creatures which simply defy description. Every second kicks total ass. Yeah ok, there’s a little talking. Mostly though, it’s the pointy end of the sword delivered by Worthington.

Watch all ten Clash of the Titans scenes below and damn the gods.


clips link >>> Watch 10 Action-Packed Minutes From Clash Of The Titans


these and more at Latest Movie News & Rumor

03/22/2010



Weekend Box Office: Alice Still The Cash Queen





im Burton's Alice in Wonderland rode high for a third weekend, taking in another $34 million and bringing its total box office to $265 million. That performance comes against three new comers, two of which were packed with major names that underperformed.

Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler didn't generate at lot of heat with The Bounty Hunter, banking only $21 million. Meanwhile Jude Law and Forest Whitaker slumped in at a distant fourth place with only $6 million for Repo Men. Apparently in the midst of a massive national debate about health care isn't the best time to release a movie about men who rip artificial organs from the bodies of people who don't pay their bills.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid fared only a little better, snagging a close second place spot with $21.8 million. Not bad for a movie directed by the guy who made Hotel For Dogs on a budget of only $15 million.

Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning got a very luke warm reception. The Runaways banked only $803,000 in just over 240 theaters. Meanwhile Ben Stiller's adventure into the realms of indie dramatic comedy got more serious attention, earning over $100,000 on just 3 screens.

For the full weekend top ten check out the chart below:





Pixar's The Bear And The Bow Retitled As Brave





In this wild world of the Internet, the first hint many of us get at activities planned by studios is the registration of a domain name. It's how people got word of the existence of Cars 2 and Disney's planned name change of Rapunzel to Tangled, and now the domain name clues have struck again-- with added accomplices at the patent office.

The movie in question is The Bear and the Bow, Pixar's first film set to star a female character and is set for a November/December 2011 release. Stitch Kingdom noticed that Disney filed several patent applications related to the title "Disney Pixar Brave," for all kinds of merchandise; here's one link, where they plan to put the title on "bags, coin purses, fanny packs, key chains, umbrellas, wallets" etc. etc.

The logical choice to bear the title is definitely Bear and the Bow, which has not been promoted one bit with that title. People burned by Disney's backing away from Rapunzel in favor of Tangled may see this as another example of trying to de-girl a movie, but I think it's a concise and logical choice. It does, however, make one more Pixar title, after Up, that's damn near impossible to Google.


First Full Twilight: Eclipse Scene Puts Bella And Edward In Bed





The first ever, complete scene from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse has appeared online. It comes from the Twilight: New Moon DVD released on Friday, included on the disc as a special treat for devoted Twilight fans. It’s not bad timing either, with Kristen Stewart’s Bella-free movie The Runaways debuting this weekend to solid reviews.

The Eclipse scene is heavy on Bella and Edward. They lay in bed, re-hashing the same will Bella become a vampire or won’t she argument. Having read the books, you Twilight fans already know the answer, but find out how Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson handle the scene in the video below:


clip link >>> First Full Twilight: Eclipse Scene Puts Bella And Edward In Bed


SXSW: John C. Reilly Dates Jonah Hill's Mom In Cyrus





John's (John C. Reilly) life has stalled. He still hasn't recovered from his divorce from Jamie (Catherine Keener), despite her already having found a new guy. She talks him into reluctantly coming to a party with her and the new beau, hoping maybe he'll start meeting people and move on with his life. After a few disastrous attempts at chatting up random partygoers, John drunkenly launches into a rousing chorus of Human League's "Don't You Want Me," and magic happens. Once the female singer joins in, so does Molly (Marisa Tomei), and they soon prove that their harmonizing extends further than just impromptu karaoke. They begin dating, and everything is great...but she seems to be hiding something. That something turns out to be a 21-year-old, home-schooled son named Cyrus (Jonah Hill), and his relationship with Molly proves to be the sort that won't easily tolerate any interlopers. Soon a war of wills begins between John and Cyrus, and to the victor go the spoils...Molly.

Cyrus is perfectly cast. Reilly makes John just pathetic enough to need a kick in the ass to get on with his life, but not pathetic enough that he's an easy joke or unlikeable. His awkward attempts to meet girls at the party are incredibly endearing, with his failure arising not so much because he's socially inept but because he's just out of practice. You can tell that he had genuinely thought Jamie would be the woman he'd spend the rest of his life with, and the prospect of suddenly having to start all over again is just exhausting to him. He sells every aspect of the character's journey, from the initial attempts to win Cyrus over, to the realization that Cyrus is trying to sabotage the relationship, to his eventual determination to best Cyrus at his own game of mind-fucking. Even when he's threatening to punch out a kid half his age, Reilly still manages to be sympathetic, to such a degree that it's easy to understand why writer-directors Mark and Jay Duplass thought Reilly was the only actor who could play the role.

Jonah Hill does an impressive job holding his own against Reilly. Cyrus is the most crucial role in the script, and the hardest to pull off. Initially, he's got to seem a little weird, but not off-puttingly so. If he tips his hand too soon, the broader comedy of the second half of the movie won't work nearly as well. Hill plays Cyrus' bizarre relationship with Molly well, giving off a constant strange vibe without ever spilling over into creepy (well, not too often, anyway). Every aspect of the character, from his way of speaking to his wardrobe makes him come off like a middle-aged dad, which is only buttressed by the fact that Cyrus interacts with Molly more like a husband than a son. Hill shines mid-way through the film in a scene where John and Cyrus put all their cards on the table and confront each other, only to be interrupted by Molly and having to play nice. Both the dialogue and their performances operate on multiple different levels during this sharp scene, and Hill's delivery of the line, "In some ways, it's almost a weird sort of victory" is one for the ages.

Marisa Tomei continues her late-career renaissance, doing a solid job in the somewhat thankless role of Molly. Not that she isn't a well-written character or that Tomei's performance is lacking, but she's simply outshone by Reilly and Hill. While the conflict between those two is the spine of the story, she does have her share of important moments -- the moment when she comes home and realizes that John has met Cyrus, the scene where John first tells her about Cyrus' mind games. She shows believable chemistry with Reilly, and she makes her unhealthy relationship with Cyrus seem sympathetic, if no less unhealthy.

All of the performances of course rest on the script by the Duplass brothers. They've done a great job turning the usual love triangle tropes on their head by replacing the jealous ex-boyfriend with the over-attached son, and the script's humor walks the line between broad comedy and genuine emotion well. The film falters a bit toward the end, when Cyrus' behavior becomes so over the top, but it rallies by having John react believably, and then plays out a nice little reversal of the typical third-act structure for a romantic comedy.

Cyrus is a funny, uncomfortable outing buoyed by great performances by all involved. The Duplass brothers' next film, Jeff Who Lives at Home, will star Jason Segel and Ed Helms and is poised to be the moment they break into the mainstream. If Cyrus gets much attention, that breakthrough might just come even sooner.


Stockwell Will Pen A Wrinkle In Time





There’s a new wrinkle with the feature adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel. According to The Hollywood Reporter Jeff Stockwell has been brought on board to pen the script for A Wrinkle in Time. Cary Granat’s Bedrock Studios will produce the story of Meg Murry, Charles Wallace Murry, and Calvin O’Keefe as they search through space and time for Meg and Charles’s scientist father.

Stockwell and Granat and both in familiar territory here. The former adapted Bridge to Terabithia and The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys while the latter produced Journey to the Center of the Earth. These movies, all based on popular children’s literature, were generally well-received by critics and fans alike.

Like The Chronicles of Narnia, L’Engle’s classic resonates with a wide range of audience (hell, it’s been on bookshelves for thirty-eight years), and carries fairly overt Christian themes making a potentially dicey situation for the film’s writer. Stockwell has a sizeable task in front of him, but given a big budget, films like A Wrinkle in Time have a chance to be both visually stunning and emotionally connected to the viewer without losing much of the book’s power.


these and more at Latest Movie News & Rumor

03/23/2010



Marvel's Director Decision: Who Should Assemble The Avengers?





Now that Captain America has been cast it's time for Marvel to take the next big step forward on their multiple-movie, superhero universe project. Everything they've done and will do in Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and The First Avenger: Captain America culminates in a still far off summer tent pole team-up movie called Avengers. For Marvel it's a monumentally important film, but perhaps even more critically a desperately difficult one. Whoever ends up directing it will be tasked with handling a massive ensemble cast of established stars, a huge budget, a massively effects heavy movie, decades worth of established comics mythology, and the unreachable expectations of a billion fanboys. Directing The Avengers will require a special sort of talent.

Thanks to Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier we know that Marvel already has a mysterious short list of directors they want in charge of this monumentally important project, and we know that Leterrier is on it. No offense Louis, but we're hoping you're pretty far down on it. Avengers is too important a project and Marvel, you can do better. The obvious choice for the job is Jon Favreau, but he's already made it clear that he's taken himself out of the running. That means it's up to us to steer Marvel in the right direction. Hey Kevin Feige, before you make that horrifying call to Brett Ratner, consider hiring one of these directors instead:



Timur Bekmambetov

Timur Bekmambetov is a Russian director best known in America as the guy at the helm of Wanted, on which he worked closely with comic creator Mark Millar. In Russia, he's also known as the director of their Night Watch series, the most popular movies in Russian history. They're kind of like The Matrix with vampires. He's no stranger to event movies and he's a pro when it comes to adapting comics. Who knows how he'd handle such a massive, ensemble cast but Bekmambetov's take no prisoners, blockbuster style could be a fascinating way to approach Marvel's Avengers team-up movie.



Alfonso Cuaron

Curaon directed what is without a doubt the best of the Harry Potter movies in Azkaban, which means not only does he have a knack for gorgeous visual effects he's had a lot of experience dealing with a large, ensemble cast. More importantly, he's ridiculously talented at pretty much anything and everything. He's made his name handling all manners of different subject matters and styles with unmatched ability. His last movie, Children of Men was easily one of the best science fiction movies of the past decade, and used gritty realism in contrast to the fantasy reality of Azkaban. He's done everything from sex movies, to kids movies, to futuristic war. He's never done superheroes and though he has a few projects in early stages of development, he hasn't done a movie since 2006. Cuaron is due for a big return and it doesn't get any bigger than Avengers.



J.J. Abrams

Looking for a great ensemble film with great action sequences? Try and remember all the way back to the beginning of summer in 2009 and you'll find director J.J. Abrams' Star Trek. Yes, it was the movie that got Chris Hemsworth the lead in Thor, but that isn't the point. Overuse of lens flare aside, in just two hours the film was able to give complete back stories to its two main characters while paying dedicated attention to its source material. What more can you really ask from the director of The Avengers? Throw on the fact that he has no problem taking on an existing series and you have a formula for a perfect Avengers director.



Kenneth Branagh

When Kenneth Branagh was announced as the director of Thor, geeks worldwide did a spit-take and exclaimed, "The Shakespeare guy?" This reaction was somewhat warranted: Branagh has never been seen as a big budget director, and, yes, five of the directors 13 credits are based on Shakespeare plays. But giving Branagh the reigns of both Thor and the Avengers would give the series continuity, and if you imagine the presentation that Branagh must have delivered to producers and look at the film's incredible cast, it seems certain that everyone involved knows exactly what they're doing. Unlike Iron Man or Captain America, Thor takes place in a much larger universe, incorporating not only his character on Earth, as disabled medical student Donald Blake, but in the Norse world of Asgard where he is the God of Thunder. Branagh is the man Marvel brought on to direct the most epic aspect of the Avengers team and that level of filmmaking will be needed for their team-up.



Paul Greengrass

Paul Greengrass's gritty, realistic, shaky-cam style might seem like a strange fit for a superhero movie but, before Snyder's version took off, he was actually pretty far along on his own Watchmen take. Greengrass is obviously interested in superhero movies of a sort, and he's already attempted to make the most unfilmable superhero movie at all. . His close-in style could be a way to handle the project's otherwise overly bloated budget Allow Greengrass to give some of the film's super-powered fights a more intimate tone and you'll keep Avengers awesome while saving money on expansive CGI. It's unlikely that Marvel could get him interested, it's hard to imagine Greengrass taking the reigns on something so many other directors have already had a hand in defining, but The Bourne Ultimatum is easily one of the best action movies of the decade and if you can get the guy who made that on board with the Avengers then you take him.



Zack Snyder

With two comic adaptations already under his belt, there is little chance that Zack Snyder would balk at the chance to direct such an epic comic book movie event flick. He has proven three times now that he's capable of creating fantastic action sequences, and, as seen in Watchmen, he has no trouble balancing a group of superheroes, and giving each one plenty of screen time to appease fans (though credit for that should be shared with writer Alan Moore). Since Marvel announced a plan to amalgamate all of its characters in to one film, critics and fanboys alike have wondered if the task is even doable. So why not give it to the man who tackled the "unfilmable" graphic novel?



Brad Bird

You can have your Dark Knight or your Spider-Man 2, even though it's computer animated, Brad Bird's The Incredibles is the best superhero story ever put to film. He's never done live-action before, but recently he's flirted with making the jump from animation, and his talent is too impressive to be limited by format. In a way, The Incredibles is exactly the kind of team-up movie you'd want Avengers to be, minus the familial element. For Bird, super-team-ups are old hat. Better still, he's already shown the ability to jump in and build on material started by others. Ratatouille was originally someone else's film before Bird was brought in at the eleventh hour to take the reigns and bring it back on track. He may not have experience with big-budget, live-action effects but with movies like The Iron Giant and The Incredibles already under his belt he's proven a mastery over brilliant storytelling on an epic scale.



Mark Millar

Millar may not yet be a well known name amongst movie fans, but he holds the rank of royalty in the comic book world. While he has yet to direct a feature, he has served as a producer on both of hi movie adaptations, Wanted and Kick-Ass. More recently Millar announced that he'll be begin making his directing debut with a superhero flick of his own creation this summer in his native Scotland. In the comic book world, most know of him through his work on Civil War, which is as big an ensemble work as there is in comics. Sure there's little chance that Marvel would take a project so monumental and place it in the hands of someone so inexperienced, but few out there that have dipped their toes into both the film and comic worlds like Millar has.



Bryan Singer

People look at the task of making a multi-superhero film as though it has never been done before. Not only has Bryan Singer done it, but he did it twice. In both X-Men and X2, Singer utilized his large cast perfectly, spending enough time with each of the main characters to create depth without sacrificing structure. To truly see how deft the director was in doing this, all you have to do is watch Brett Ratner's jumbled mess in the third installment. Hell, going from Wolverine, Jean Gray, Professor X, Rogue, Cyclops Storm and Magneto to just Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Hulk might be a walk in the park for Singer.



Jonathan Mostow

Jonathan Mostow is the most "gettable" director on this list and maybe for Marvel, the one that might end up making the most sense. He first got attention back in 2000 for directing the capable submarine movie U-571 and he followed that up with the extremely divisive Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. While fans may debate the merits of making a third Terminator movie there'd no denying that in it Mostow showed a serious talent for pulling off massively eye-popping, big-budget battle sequences. More recently he directed the capable sci-fi thriller Surrogates, based on a graphic novel. There again, Mostow showed a real talent for visually stunning effects sequences, even when saddled with what was rather mediocre script. He's experienced with the comic book genre, he knows big-budget action, he's done a movie in which he joined an existing franchise midstream, and while in the past he's been rumored for mostly dead in the water projects like Sub-Mariner right now he doesn't seem all that busy. Marvel, give him a call.


Popeye Gets Animated In 3D





Grab a can of spinach and practice your favorite sea shanty, Popeye the Sailor Man is headed back to theaters. When last seen it was 1980 and Robin Williams played him in a better than its reputation movie directed by the late, great Robert Altman. This time, they’re ditching the notion of using an actor and going CGI.

Variety says Sony is playing an all computer animated version of the iconic cartoon character. Avi Arad, the mind behind Marvel’s past success with Sony on Spider-Man, is set to produce it. Sony’s also behind that strange, live-action/CGI mix Smurfs movie which is on the way. Popeye fits in well with that strategy, whatever that strategy is. Making things with pre-existing name recognition? If I had to guess, that’s probably it.

Maybe it’ll work as an animated movie, but I’d rather see them bring Robin Williams back. Put his now elderly Popeye in a nursing home with Bruce Campbell’s Elvis and call it Bubba Bluto. Now that’s a movie I can get behind. At the least Sony, consider hiring Robin Williams for voice work. I hear he'll work for spinach.


Spy Hunter Gets A Warner Bros. Tune Up





Spy Hunter is back on the road yet again. This is the third time Hollywood has tried to get a movie based on the classic videogame of the same name off the ground. In its original incarnation John Woo was making it with The Rock. Then Paul W.S. Anderson was supposed to be involved. Now it’s back to the drawing board.

The game the Spy Hunter movie will be based on was pretty simple. In it players drove a car armed with weapons like machine guns, smoke screen, and oil slick down a highway full of bad guys. It’s kind of like Knight Rider without the talking car. There’s not much story here, which leaves plenty of leeway to do pretty much whatever when writing the script.

Variety says Warner Bros. picked the Spy Hunter franchise out of a heap of titles it got when it bought the rights to Midway Games library earlier this year. They’ve turned it over to Dan Lin and Roy Lee of Vertigo to produce with Chad St. John writing the script. But odds are you don’t care about any of that. You want to know if they’re going to re-hire The Rock.

So will The Rock be involved again? Warner Bros. hasn’t started casting yet but after this movie failed to get made twice with him in the lead role, it’s hard to imagine they’d want to tempt fate by doing it again. The better bet here is to go in an entirely different direction. Besides, Dwayne “The Rock” is much too busy making horrible family movies nobody wants to see.


Austin Powers 4 Is Still Happening, And It's Unimaginable





Mike Myers talked about making another Austin Powers movie after The Love Guru was revealed to be one of the worst movies ever made, but we haven’t heard anything about it in a couple of years. It seems it’s still happening. Powers director Jay Roach offered an update on Austin Powers 4 to MTV and says Mike is “working on ideas for it, people are definitely talking about it and I'm all good for it.”

One problem: Anyone who saw Love Guru and Austin Powers 3 knows that Mike Myers is as out of jokes as the Austin Powers franchise is out of gas. Powers peaked with number 2 (insert Myers wink at the camera here). Where could they possibly take this franchise that won’t bore us to death? He’s been to the moon with a midget inside his pants. What’s left? Roach thinks there’s more to do. He says they’re taking it, “Somewhere you haven’t thought of.” I guess that means it’s going to be funny?

Here’s my Austin Powers 4 pitch, and it’s really the only thing that makes any sense. No one cares about Austin Powers or that Goldmember jerk from the third movie. The only thing anyone’s even remotely interested in seeing is Doctor Evil. So ditch Powers entirely and just make this a Doctor Evil movie. Use Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible web series as a template, insert the requisite number of shorn scrotum jokes, and maybe you’ll have something. Ok you probably won’t have something but at least you’d be giving it your best shot


300 May Get A 3D Re-Release





People rail against remakes and reboots, but if you think that’s lazy, you haven’t seen anything yet. The next step for Hollywood is re-releases, and 3D gives them the perfect excuse to do it.

Director Zack Snyder tells Superherohype that his Spartan battle movie 300 may be converted to 3D and re-released in theaters to earn a few extra dollars. Apparently they’ve already done a ten-minute segment of the film and shown it to him and now they’re talking about doing the whole thing.

There’s a lot of fun to be had in seeing classic movies in a theater, or even soon to be classics. I missed The Matrix in theaters the first time around (I know, what was I thinking) but managed to catch it a few years later during a one night only replay event. Though by then I’d seen it dozens of times on DVD and yes, even VHS, in theaters it was something else entirely. Epic. Classic movies benefit just as much. Monty Python’s Holy Grail is a blast when seen with a big audience and I’ll never forget seeing Excalibur at the old and now sadly dismantled original Alamo Drafthouse in Austin. But to re-release movies just so you can shove them in front of audiences in 3D… I don’t know if I’m on board with that. I guess if any movie lends itself to it, then 300 does. For Snyder’s film, it makes a certain kind of sense. Disney’s already done it with Nightmare Before Christmas, and that was a blast. Let’s just make sure greed doesn’t lead Hollywood to take it too far. Wizard of Oz does not need a 3D re-release.


It's Official: Chris Evans Is Captain America





Last week we learned here that Chris Evans had been offered the much coveted role of Steve Rogers aka Captain America in Marvel’s The First Avenger: Captain America. Now he’s accepted and it’s official. Chris Evans is Captain America.

Forget the litany of actors rumored to be up for this role, the names in contention have run the gamut from Matthew McConaughey to Chris Pine. Evans has it, what will he do with it?

First it’s worth noting that this isn’t his first superhero character. He did two movies as Johnny Storm, the Human Torch and member of the Fantastic Four. Storm, however, was a very different character from Cap. The Torch was cut from the wisecracking playboy mold, and Evans pulled it off capably. America on the other hand is a flag-waving, poster boy for the American ideal. Wisecracks and womanizing aren’t his stock and trade. In many ways, he’s a lot less fun. He’s more like Superman than Spider-Man.

But don’t worry, Evans has range. Don’t file him away as just another pretty boy. Though he first rose to prominence in the forgettable and mostly shallow parody Not Another Teen Movie, Evans has shown flashes of real talent. Check out Danny Boyle’s Sunshine in which he plays a complex astronaut haunted by strange forces at work on a journey to re-ignite the Earth’s sun. Though the movie received somewhat mixed reaction, Evan’s performance was the subject of praise. Chris has the all-American looks to play the character and, more importantly, there’s every reason to believe he can really, truly act.

He’ll get a chance to prove it playing Rogers, a far more complex character than the Human Torch. Rumor has it that the first America movie, The First Avenger: Captain America will be a period film set in World War II. Steve Rogers is a young soldier who volunteers for a series of government experiments to create a super soldier. They work, but rather than putting him into battle they turn him into a celebrity and use him as the American poster boy for the war effort, which explains the red, white, and blue costume. Circumstances change though, and Rogers rises up to become Captain America and kick Nazi ass.

Presumably the first movie will end with America somehow cryogentically frozen. He’ll be unfrozen in the modern era for the next in Marvel’s series of Avenger films where he’ll become the anchor for their new group of team-up superhero movies. For Marvel’s Avengers plan to work, Chris Evans has to work. He’s the lynchpin nearly half a dozen different movies hinge on. Don’t worry, Evans can handle the load.





Is Blank Slate A Female Jason Bourne?





Will they call it the Bourne Identity Gender Crisis? According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bold Films has picked up a spec script referred to as a lady version of The Bourne Identity. Doug Cook and David Weisberg (The Rock, Double Jeopardy) have written “Blank Slate” about, and here I will just quote the website so I don’t do this ridiculousness any injustice:

the CIA which, in order to investigate a murdered female agent, implants the agent's memories into the damaged brain of a female convict. The agent's lethal abilities also are implanted, and soon the convict goes rogue to discover the truth about the murder.


Oh boy. Forget, for a second, that the title sounds like a romantic comedy about a guy who gets amnesia and falls in love with a different girl other than his terrible girlfriend. Are we really talking about implanting memories into a convict? I can suspend disbelief as much as the next guy, and the Bourne movies require a decent amount of that, but what part of this movie seems intriguing? And where, except the amnesia part maybe, does it appear to be a female Bourne movie? Additionally, if they planted the memories into the convict, couldn’t they just then ask the convict to tell who killed the agent? Should I have this many questions after a two sentence movie description? Probably not. Oh and in case you were wondering, Bold Films recently released Legion so the bar is already set pretty low.


Bullet-Riddled Poster For The Losers





The Losers has a new bullet-riddled poster, and it’s kind of cool. One problem: Who are these people? You’ll recognize Zoe Saldana but the movie’s other known quantity Chris Evans has been relegated to a tiny picture in the background in order to make room for people you won’t recognize. At least they have really big guns.

The Losers centers upon the members of an elite U.S. Special Forces unit sent into the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The team find themselves the target of a lethal betrayal instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as Max. Presumed dead, the group makes plans to even the score.


Bryan Singer May Not Return To X-Men After All?





All indications have been, up till now, that Bryan Singer was locked up to return to the X-Men franchise he started at Fox by directing their new prequel X-Men: First Class. In fact just a few days ago Bryan was out talking about his plans for the franchise. Now, maybe not. Hit Fix claims they’re looking for some one else.

So what happened? Well if their rumor is accurate, then it sounds like X-Men 3 all over again. Back then, Singer was supposed to direct the third installment in the X-Men franchise to complete the story he started telling in X2 with the death and hinted at Phoenix resurrection of Jean Grey. But Singer got distracted, decided he wanted to do other projects first, and Fox got tired of waiting for him. Now he could be doing it to them again with First Class.

The thing is, Singer is signed to direct a movie called Jack the Giant Killer for Warner Bros., and he can’t get out of it. Fox on the other hand, wants to get moving on another X-Men movie and, maybe they don’t want to wait for Singer. The last time this happened we got the horror of Brett Ratner, who ruined the franchise with his blah third installment. So who will they get to stand in for Singer this time? Nobody’s talking but HitFix claims their list of names will make “fanboys happy”. Unfortunately that rarely ever results in a good movie. When he was first hired for X-Men, Singer wasn’t exactly a fanboy friendly name, but he turned out to be perfect. I’d feel a lot better about this if they focused on finding a good director and worried a little less about what fanboys want. On the other hand, at least they aren’t pulling a Spider-Man.


Hemsworth Cut From The Expendables To Make Room For Plot





Between Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Steve Austin, Eric Roberts, and Terry Crews, not to mention cameos by Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Expendables is as jam packed with stars as a movie as a movie can be. It promises to be two hours of explosions, muscles, guns and blood. But did you know that there is actually a story? Well, there is, and Stallone has evidently become concerned about it to the point that he has begun to remove characters from the final cut.

Speaking with Australian website What's Playing, actor Liam Hemsworth, brother of Chris Hemsworth, who we will all know as Thor by next summer, revealed that his character has been let go from the film after Stallone realized he had made the whole thing too big with too many characters.

The most surprising thing about this story is that Stallone has actually spent more than a millisecond thinking about the plot of this film. This just in: nobody will give a shit. The most entertaining part of The Expendables, outside of the list above, will be the wait to see who shows up next from our favorite 80s action films. One thing is for certain though - when the film premieres and still doesn't have a cogent story line, nobody will be more disappointed than Mr. Hemsworth.


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