The Screen Rider

Might Sound Crazy, But It Ain't No Lie...

2009-05-04T15:43:00.007-04:00

Bye, bye, bye! Well folks, I'm a little bit sad and a little bit elated to be telling you that this will be the last official post of The Screen Rider. Read on and you'll understand...

This has been an amazing outlet for me to talk about, criticize and make fun of everything related to film and television, but I have received a higher calling. No, I'm not talking about Jesus, or Xenu or Steve Guttenberg. But rather, I have been hired as an intern for a production/talent management company in Los Angeles and will be leaving in less than 3 weeks.

While there's a chance that I may have the time to maintain the blog, it would surely be less frequent (which isn't saying much since we've been slacking lately...but that's mostly been due to my upcoming graduation from college and preparation for this gig in LA) and I also have to keep my nose clean, since I will have to sign confidentiality agreements, and don't really want to be bashing and criticizing films so publicly if I'm going to be working for any other film production companies.

Let me just say that it's been fun while it lasted. I loved getting any feedback on our stories, and I've gotten in touch with other great film bloggers as well.

You can still follow me on Twitter (@ScreenRider) as well as the other contributing writers Harry Nelson (@hcnelson), Phil Wrighthouse (@philwrighthouse) and Wes Cummins (@Wes_Cummins). Once again, thanks for reading, and if we make a comeback, you guys will be the first to know. Smoke'em if you got'em.

'Iron Man 2' Gets Even More Awesome

2009-04-23T09:10:00.011-04:00

Two of my favorite character actors have joined Iron Man 2, according to /Film.

Clark Gregg, who recently directed the Chuck Palahniuk adaptation Choke, and can be seen in the comedic goldmine that is The New Adventures of Old Christine is thankfully back as Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. In the first film, Coulson was used to introduce the concept of S.H.I.E.L.D., which is expected to be a very big part of any subsequent Iron Man film. Gregg is so good at this type of role (see In Good Company) and played really well off of Gwenyth Paltrow's Pepper Potts.

And speaking of extremely attractive ladies, Kate Mara (We Are Marshall) is going to play a role that, as of right now, is being kept secret. Paltrow is coming back and the eye candy factor is going to go off the charts with Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, so it should be interesting to see where Mara fits in. Even though Shooter was kind of horrible, We Are Marshall is in my top three sports movies of all time, and Mara was a big part of that in a smaller role.

Iron Man has been my favorite superhero since I was a kid. It was the character that got me into comic books, an obsession that continues to this day. The first Iron Man film was everything I could have hoped for and, from what I've heard so far, the second installment just will add to the awesome hybrid director Jon Favreau has established of comedy, drama, and action film, except without all of the origin story to plow through this time. I will say, though, that I'm extremely saddened by the rumors that the Demon in a Bottle storyline won't be addressed in this film. The story arc, which explores Tony Stark's alcoholism, is one of the best comic arcs I've ever read and should definitely be checked out by anyone interested in Iron Man as a character.

The release date for Iron Man 2 is May 7, 2010 and is shooting right now.

Columbia Pictures Finds 'The Lost Symbol'

2009-04-22T11:20:00.009-04:00

With Angels & Demons fast approaching for release on May 15, it's no surprise Variety reports that Columbia Pictures has jumped ahead about 5 months to begin negotiations for Dan Brown's third novel in the Robert Langdon centered series, The Lost Symbol.

The book isn't set to be published until September 15, but since Sony has the rights to the Robert Langdon character, they are acting fast to finalize a deal. Since negotiations have just began, there's no official word on the return of Tom Hanks, or series director Ron Howard returning, but since this franchise is such a huge investment and payoff for Columbia Pictures, I imagine they will do everything in their power to get them back for a third go-round.

Seriously though, how much trouble can a symbologist get into? I mean it's the same damn problem with something like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. You're investigating a crime scene. How dangerous can that be? Robert Langdon needs to calm down or he's going to get into some Mr. Bean type of trouble here before too long. Oh, he's so wacky!

Angels & Demons releases this summer on May 15. Check out the trailer right here.

[Catch-Up] Final Trailer for 'Harry Potter' Is Explosive

2009-04-22T10:49:00.010-04:00

Warner Bros. has released what is apparently going to be the final full length trailer for this summer's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This just keeps getting better and better.

The trailer speaks for itself having more spectacular shots of the Death Eaters' attack on London, some dueling between Harry and Draco Malfoy, more dueling between Harry and Snape, and just some all around great shots of what looks to be the most action-packed Potter film yet.

There's also plenty of room for teen angst and hormones as we get an inkling of romance between Harry and Ron Weasley's younger sister Ginny as well as some problematic tension between Hermione and Ron. I've heard some rumblings that there's a lot more of the relationship content film in this one than in the series past. I think we'll be fine as long as the film doesn't come off like a Judy Blume book. Seriously though, if J.K Rowling came out with Are You There God? It's Me, Harry Potter you know it would fly off the shelves.

Anyway, check out the trailer below and get excited when this film gets released two days earlier than previously announced on July 15. You guys think this could be the best Potter yet?

[Catch-Up] Poster Premiere: 500 Days of Summer

2009-04-22T10:24:00.004-04:00

Awhile back we called your attention to a little vote Fox Searchlight was having that allowed you to choose the poster for what looks to be one of my favorite films this year, 500 Days of Summer. Now the votes have been counted and here's the winner for all to see across the world. I'm really glad that one of the designs I liked was chosen. There's tons of pictures of Zooey Deschanel which is always a good start for any poster. And I can't be sure, but there may actually be about 500 pictures of her character Summer on the poster itself, and there don't seem to be any obvious duplicates. Anyway, I can't wait to see this film. If you missed the trailer you can check it out right here.

ScreenRider Has Been a Real Jerk Lately...

2009-04-22T10:15:00.005-04:00

All right everyone, it's been a rough past couple of weeks. As I'm sure you've noticed, we haven't posted in the past couple weeks. Things have been pretty crazy here in Indiana. The corn is growing too fast to be worried about movie news.

In all seriousness, my graduating college is upon me and there has been plenty to do to make sure that all my loose ends are tied up.
But, now we are back with a vengeance, and will be posting regularly once again. We'll catch-up on some old stories as well as stay up to date with the most recent news.

Thanks to everyone who has stuck around, and will continue to check the site regularly, and for those of you who vocalized your dissatisfaction with our infrequent posting recently, we thank you for your feedback. We now return you to your regularly scheduled movie and TV news.

ScreenRider Original: "I Think I Fucked a Vampire"

2009-04-08T16:53:00.008-04:00

Here we are with a look at something not-so-Hollywood related, but important nonetheless. This is the ScreenRider exclusive premiere of a short comedy people are calling "shot with a camera, edited on a computer, and on the internet."

But seriously, the title says it all. Just do us a favor and check out this ScreenRider original short film written and directed by our occasional contributor Harry Nelson. As you can see it's called I Think I Fucked a Vampire and it's probably NSFW just to be safe (the language is rocking the f-bombs and more).

The film was shot in one 10-hour day, and will be premiering at a local theater right here in West Lafayette, Indiana this month. If you like it, feel free to toss it around to your friends, on your Facebook, or Twitter or even MySpace. You can watch it embedded below, in HD over at YouTube, or on Harry's official film site for I Think I Fucked a Vampire

I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to leave your comments below or contact Harry Nelson through his Facebook page, or his personal Twitter account.

'The Hangover' Lasts Even Longer in New Trailer

2009-04-03T11:01:00.004-04:00

Earlier this week we played catch up with a trailer that looks like the sleeper comedy hit of the summer. Now we have a full length theatrical trailer for The Hangover that amps up the laughs even more. In case you missed our synopsis before here it is again: A Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him. This will be the morning after that none of these guys will forget.

In this trailer we get a shot of the groom-to-be, Justin Bartha (who you may remember as the comic relief sidekick Riley Poole in the National Treasure films) and the lead-up to what will be one chaotic bachelor party. The groomsmen, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, trace their steps and get more than they bargained for as they find themselves in possession of a baby, a tiger, a police car, but not the groom. Zach Galifianakis is going to blow up after this movie, and I hope everyone gets a chance to discover his comedic genius. The film comes out on June 5, but until then, enjoy the trailer below.

Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Bruno' Trailer Says Vassup!

2009-04-02T20:57:00.004-04:00

Today, an international Red Band trailer for Sacha Baron Cohen's summer comedy Brüno. The picture above was coupled with the release of the trailer and you'll understand its significance after you check it out.

The trailer plays off of his now famous antics for 2006's Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. While the trailer is funny, I was expecting a bit more. There's no doubt that this will be hilarious, but I was hoping that the first trailer would make a bit more of a splash. But there's some great moments, and if anything, this is simply like a teaser. I remember not being too thrilled when Borat was being advertised, but at the time I was also unfamiliar with Cohen and his characters. If anything I'm still happy because it seems like Brüno is a character who will not be so easily imitated by all of your stupid friends who ruin the movie for everyone else.

Anyway, check out the trailer below, but be wary, because it's Red Band and it's most assuredly NSFW at all. What do you think?

Early Review: Fast and Furious

2009-04-01T12:11:00.006-04:00

There's really only one way to describe this film. You know when your friend has a really cool story, and it's actually hilarious, and since you're really good friends you're around him all the other times he tells it? Well now that story sucks doesn't it? Welcome to Fast and Furious. I had a chance to catch an early screening of this (at least it was free) and it was less than stellar, even for this type of movie.

The tagline for this film is "New Model. Original Parts." First of all I don't know why anyone would want a new car with old parts, but good try with the cleverness (it's about all the wit you'll see in regards to this film). Second of all, the problem with all the "original parts" coming back (this fourth installment which a friend of mine has dubbed 4 Fast 4 Serious brings back original cast members Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster) and that's where the money went, because it's certainly not in the action sequences. But let's begin at the beginning...

So The Fast and the Furious was a fun little, adrenaline rushed, popcorn flick. No doubt. Aside from the mediocre writing and consistently terrible acting, there's some great races, chases and action, and I even enjoyed the slightly innovative techniques of using footage shot from outside of the car, then in one full move sweeping into the driver's seat of the car, swirling around, and then back out the other side of the car. It's a combination of real footage, CG and green screen work, but it was fast-paced and made for a good edit. All that goes out the window with this one.

Here's the story (and there's a spoiler here, but it has to be said because the spoiler is the inciting incident for the rest of the film): Dominic Torretto (Diesel) and Letty (Rodriguez) are teamed up with some people south of the border and are stealing gas for street races as they work to get closer to some hotshot drug dealer. Long story short, Letty is killed, and Dom is off to find out just who's responsible. Meanwhile, in pursuit of the same drug dealer we find Brian O'Conner (Walker) working for the FBI trailing this same drug dealer, and as we come to find out, Letty had been working undercover for him while in Mexico with Dom. Now in order to actually get face to face with this drug dealer, Dom and Brian, driven by revenge and duty respectively have to enter a street race to try and get a job running drugs back in Mexico. Everything stems from their previous relationship to each other, and the loyalty and strange friendship they have with each other.

The problem with this flick is it's just not as fun as the first one (which is the pinnacle of these films). The races are bland and unexciting. They couldn't even give Brandon T. Jackson (Alpa Chino from Tropic Thunder) any good one-liners during a street race. One of the "action sequences" takes place in a series of tunnels through a small mountain range on the border. It's just simple swerving and no suspense or tense moments at all. And then they revert back to these tunnels for the "climax." It's neither fast (especially in the pacing of the film) or furious.

And while dialogue was never a strong suit in these movies, it's like they're not even trying. It's the most contrived, amateur writing I've heard in a long time. And it doesn't help that Paul Walker is back (who is basically a poor version of Hayden Christensen) or that Vin Diesel still looks and talks like an ape.

There are two midly interesting tidbits about this film. Vin Diesel is working along with some Asian guy in Mexico, and apparently this guy is from Tokyo Drift, BUT when he makes reference to it, it's like he hasn't been there yet (something like "I hear there's some crazy shit going on in Tokyo"). So it looks like this film happens between the second and third movies. But my favorite tidbit is something that I created myself. There's a green Gran Torino, similar to the one in the film Gran Torino, but it's just tricked out. I'd like to think that Thao (the kid who bonds with Clint Eastwood) got caught up in the gang life and tricked out this car, and somehow or another he got killed or lost it in a race. What I'm saying is, the most fun I had in this flick was wishing other things would happen in it. Save your life and save your money, and just put this in your Netflix Queue if you really have to watch it.

'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' Leaks on the Interwebs

2009-04-01T10:21:00.004-04:00

Someone at 20th Century Fox is going to be fired. Late last night, Twitter and the IMDB forums were alive with chatter as a DVD quality workprint of X-Men Origins: Wolverine found its way online.

In no way is this an April Fool's joke, but it's serious business. Several other sites have verified its legit, and I took a glance at it myself at a couple minutes at different points in the movie, and it's certainly a working edit of the film.

But what a lot of people are pointing out, and this is something I agree with to a certain extent, that this won't exactly be the film we'll see on May 1st. Apparently this cut does not include any of the new footage that director Gavin Hood and the cast shot when there were worrying re-shoots in Vancouver months ago. Also along this note, the print also has unfinished effects including completely unfinished CG models of characters, green screen work and more.

We're not going to link to where you can find this leak or anything like that. If you really, REALLY want to find it, then I'm sure you will. But let me just say, that if you're looking to enjoy the movie, just hold off and in exactly one month, you'll get to see it on the big screen. It's not like you don't know what's going to happen anyway. Wolverine will get his claws out menacingly, be sarcastic, cut some stuff, blow some things up, and then Ryan Reynolds will make another joke. Game over.

'Back to the Future' Remake is in Spielberg's Hands

2009-04-01T09:40:00.006-04:00

A remake of the 80's hit Back to the Future is in perfect hands as it was announced that it will be directed by one of the original trilogy's producers, Steven Spielberg. And who better to fill the shoes of the young time traveler Marty McFly then his golden boy Shia LaBeouf.

Spielberg took the time to make this announcement himself to quell any fear some of us loyal Back to the Future fans may have, and he said he will be very true to the original, besides the stuff that he decides to change. It will be updated for modern day, and so the time machine will "most likely take the form of a Hybrid of some sort. If you're going to time travel today, you're going to have to be green about it," Spielberg said in his announcement.

But the big question is who will step into the eccentric, 1.21 jiggawatt fueled shows of Dr. Emmett L. Brown? Spielberg saves that for last as he says, none other than Johnny Depp will step into the shoes once filled by Christopher Lloyd. It took some real convicing according to Spielberg, but it was the money that got him. Real pirates gold from what I'm told. And finally, one more thing, who's taking on the role of big buff meathead Biff Tannen? None other than the muscle man himself Vin Diesel. I simply cannot wait to see this come together.

The announcement video is over at Spielberg's official site. What do you guys think?

Fox Announces 'House' and '24' Crossover Finale

2009-04-01T09:15:00.007-04:00

Big news from Fox Network for two of its high profile shows. It was announced today that for the season finales of the action-drama 24 and the medical-drama House M.D. that these two worlds will collide for one big 2 hour finale event.

Not all details were revealed since there's still no word on how 24 plans to wrap up the terrorist plans currently on-going, but here's what is known as of now:

Dr. Gregory House will first be called upon to attempt to cure and ailing Jack Bauer (after he recently came into contact with a biological weapon) giving House the most difficult task he's had yet: creating a cure.
The outcome of the above is given even less time when House must diagnose a terrorist suspect when he suddenly becomes ill in typical House M.D. fashion where no one is sure what the diagnosis is.
House's team will not be with him (as House travels to FBI headquarters to meet Jack Bauer) but they will be in contact via phone.
The dynamic between Bauer and House will be hilarious and tense.
Finally, this will most assuredly be in real time, so House is really working against the clock without any commercials to pass more that five minutes time.

This is the best thing to happen to television since The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones. Fans of one show who happen to not be fans of the other won't be confused as an hour long clip show will play before the finale to give people some insight into the characters they may not be so familiar with. If you'd like to see a teaser trailer for this epic television event, head right over here to the official Fox website, because unfortunately the trailer cannot be embedded. Does this get you excited?

Poster Premiere: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-03-30T14:45:00.005-04:00

MSN Movies UK shot up this new poster for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince along with five other single character posters. Each of them are cool in their own right, and would be great lined up one right next to the other. This one is obviously Harry Potter standing in the London Underground with copies of the Daily Prophet blowing in the wind. You can see Lucius Malfoy on that one in the lower left hand corner and another one has a headline about a Death Eater attack targeting Muggles that we've seen evidence of in the previous trailers.

The other posters feature Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon)looking ready to kick some ass, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) looking sly and cute at the same time, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) decked out in Quidditch garb, Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) looking disappointed like my parents, and Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) looking like a hardcore wizard James Bond.

This is one of my most anticipated films of the summer, and these posters maintain my hype. I wonder when they'll have the poster of Dumbledore kissing a dude, or Hermione at the point in her life when she starts living at Muggle truck stops giving out "favors" for "Fizzing Whizbees."

Overdue...Don't Even Try to Avoid 'The Hangover'

2009-03-28T16:02:00.006-04:00

This post has been long overdue for a few weeks. This trailer came out of nowhere when I went to my midnight screening of Watchmen awhile back and I've been waiting for it ever since. I give you, The Hangover.

This looks like a great, chaotic comedy and may even be a sleeper hit of the summer. The film stars Ed Helms (NBC's The Office), Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers) and Zach Galifianakis (The Comedians of Comedy) as three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him.

There's a mysterious baby, a missing tooth, and Mike Tyson air drumming to Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight." It's everything anyone could ask for. I've been wanting to see more of Galifianakis in films since seeing his stand-up a couple years back, and Ed Helms is always a good addition. Bradley Cooper is certainly making a name for himself, but it's hard to see him outside of his douchebag role in Wedding Crashers. It's an odd trio, and none of them are really big names, but that's what makes this even more interesting.

Anyway, this comedy looks like a blast, and I'm looking forward to seeing it when it comes out June 5. It's not everyday you get to see a trailer that depicts your future life. What do you guys think?

George Lopez Goes Late Night for TBS

2009-03-28T16:00:00.007-04:00

George Lopez has become one of the most popular Mexican-American comedians working today. While I personally don't enjoy too much of his comedy, any Mexican is better than Carlos Mencia, who is really only a pretend-Mexican.

Well now, according to Variety, George Lopez is getting a huge chance to gain an even bigger following when he steps into the already crowded late night talk-show ring for TBS later this year. This move follows TBS recent dive into original content production after creating shows like 10 Items or Less and the comedian led Frank TV (led by the superb impressionist, but not so great comedian Frank Caliendo of Mad TV fame).

While Lopez has a large niche audience in the growing Hispanic population (no that's not a dig at immigration, in fact, I myself am half-Mexican), I'm not sure if he'll be able to last very long. His late night show won't have a strong lead-in like other late night start-ups on network television, and though he's pretty much a household name after his successful sitcom run, Lopez just isn't that strong of a comedian to catch my attention. Though it can't be any worse than Jimmy Fallon's attempt, a point and time might come when TBS will have to change their slogan to "TBS...Very Funny...Well Sometimes...Mostly Not...Whatever."

The show is supposed to start airing its 34-week initial run sometime this November. Will you guys be checking it out?

Netflix Adds Facebook Integration, and More

2009-03-28T15:59:00.006-04:00

Last week, Netflix announced some news that allows you to push your Netflix activity to your Internet social circle via Facebook, as well as the new face of rating genres on the Netflix site.

First, the Facebook integration is a nice new little feature, but as of now it only pushes your ratings to your Facebook news feed. It would be nice to see integration of updates on what you've added to your queue, or when you watch something via Instant Viewing. Maybe that's just further down the road. Linking Facebook with your Netflix account is easy. All you have to do is click right here, to be taken to a page on the Netflix site where you input your Facebook login information, and just like that it's done. Obviously you must have both a Netflix account and a Facebook account for this to work.

Second, Netflix is changing the way we rate genres. The way it used to go is the same 5 Star System used to rate individual movies was used to rate genres and sub-genres. Netflix has changed this up a bit, and now allows for more specific and accurate suggestions from both your individual movie ratings and a new genre rating system called "Taste Preferences."

Originally this was just a small test (that I was somehow chosen to be a part of) but last week Netflix announced that this new feature would be rolled out to all users this week. Below is some brief information about this new feature, but if you want, head over to Hacking Netflix to read a full write-up that I sent their way about Taste Preferences. But here's the short version.

You'll be able to find this new feature under the Movies You'll Love tab.

Then from there you will be able to rate your Taste Preferences. No longer will you use the 5 Star System for rating but a new ratings system saying how often you like to see movie with certain elements, styles or storylines (Often, Sometimes, or Never).

After you rate this Taste Preferences you'll begin to see more specific and niche-oriented suggestions on your main page much like the one below.

This new feature should roll out to everyone this week, so keep an eye out so you can start rating your personal Taste Preferences. If you're a Netflix user, what do you think of these new features?

Poster Premiere: 'Star Trek'

2009-03-28T15:29:00.003-04:00

Here's a new poster for this summer's Star Trek, and it goes to light speed...at least I think so. This could be a pretty butterfly, or an arm with a hammer coming out of its sleeve. It's a cool enough design, but it looks like a Rorschach test, or the Enterprise flying through a bunch of liquid adamantium.

This week, three other posters were released as well. They are all international posters, and the imagery is much cooler than this one. Two of them you can check out here and here. Both of them are similar to other blockbuster "floating head" style posters like this Iron Man poster. The final one is my favorite, and it's reminiscent of the Independence Day poster.

Anyway, it's not the posters that keep getting me excited for the movie. It's the amazing trailers. May 8 can't get here soon enough if only because this will give hardcore nerds a break from furious masturbation for a a couple hours.

[Catch-Up] 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' Trailer

2009-03-28T15:18:00.004-04:00

After we had the spectacular trailer premiere for Where the Wild Things Are, now comes a look at another film based on yet another beloved book from my childhood, the computer animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

The premise is simple, wacky and allows for plenty of fun. A scientist trying to solve world hunger encounters a problem of global proportions in the town of Chewandswallow, after he invents a machine that causes food to rain from the sky.

The animation style is a bit different then what we're used to seeing, and while the trailer makes the film seem somewhat childish (I know it's based on a kids book, but it can still have quality content) there's a certain charm to it. Combined with the fact that there's sure to be plenty of gags with the different kinds of food falling from the sky (in 3D no less), this looks like a very promising family film.

On top of that the cast is what has my attention. Bill Hader puts to use his commanding voice talents as goofy scientist Flint Lockwood and plays along with the voices of Andy Samberg, Tracy Morgan, Anna Faris, James Caan and even the infamous Mr. T.

You can check out the trailer below, and the recently released poster for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs right here. What do you guys think?

'Taking Woodstock' with Demetri Martin

2009-03-26T10:21:00.006-04:00

Demetri Martin is currently known as a breath of fresh comedy with his brilliant use of drawings and wordplay in his stand-up, as well as channeling the late Mitch Hedburg in his quirky everyday observations on his Comedy Central show, Important Things with Demetri Martin. While he looks like a young and upcoming comedian in his early 20's, Martin is actually 36 years old. He's appeared on HBO's Flight of the Conchords and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and had a small part in The Rocker, but now he's taking to the big screen with the lead role in Ang Lee's new film Taking Woodstock.

This period comedy follows the story of Elliot Tiber, stuck working at his parents failing motel in the Catskills in the summer of 1969. But when he finds out that some sort of hippie gathering called Woodstock needs a place to go down, he gladly offers a helping hand to help bring some tourism to his family's failing business. Based on a true story and book of the same nam e by Elliot Tiber himself, Ang Lee's throwing a curveball here with a movie completely unlike anything he's done before.

The trailer has all sorts of great moments, many of them involving a cast of oddballs at Woodstock including Emile Hirsch, Eugene Levy and for some reason Liev Schreiber in drag. The film looks like a lot of fun, and I'm really looking forward to see what Ang Lee can do with some comedic, not-so-steamy subject matter. But of course it's Woodstock so there's bound to be some sex. Trailer is below and the film comes out August 14th of this year. What do you guys think?

[Catch-Up] Poster Premiere: Terminator Salvation

2009-03-25T16:12:00.006-04:00

Here's the most recent poster for this summer's Terminator Salvation. Though simple, the imagery is very cool. A human hand grasping the skull of a decapitated Terminator has a very ominous feeling for what looks like an intense war between humans and machines. The last trailer was pretty fantastic, and really sets us up for a different kind of Terminator story, with all the familiar feelings that the first two films gave us (including the now confirmed return of Linda Hamilton for some brief voiceover work as Sarah Connor). Another poster was released not too long ago featuring a menacing Terminator with a chain gun, and torn clothes on its skeleton. Thanks to Internet Movie Poster Awards as always for providing us with our movie poster images.

Sean Penn, Jim Carrey, Benicio Del Toro: Three Stooges

2009-03-25T13:54:00.004-04:00

Well a small portion of this news was rumored awhile back, and I thought we'd heard the last of it, but today comes official word that Sean Penn, Jim Carrey and Benicio Del Toro are in line to take on the roles of The Three Stooges in a Farrelly Brothers film about the classic comedic trio.

I'll just let that soak in for a second. Good? Okay...this news isn't necessarily disheartening for anyone looking forward to a movie about The Three Stooges, but honestly it's just an odd assembly of actors. Let's break it down by actor:

Sean Penn. Fresh off his Oscar winning role in Gus Van Sant's Milk, Penn's not exactly the funniest of actors, but he's taking on the role of frizzy haired stooge Larry. The last genuinely funny role he had was as the now iconic surfer dude Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High (unless of course you count I Am Sam, but that's just mean). While a lot of people don't have faith in his comedic abilities, I think it's a great chance for him to show what he's got, and I really don't doubt that he could pull it off despite lack of comedy experience.

Jim Carrey. After his not-so-comedic comedy run with Yes, Man last year, Carrey's got a lot to prove in my book. Certainly gaining 40 pounds to take on the hefty role of my personal favorite stooge Curly is a good way to get my attention (and that's exactly what Carrey is doing), but it's definitely going to be an uphill struggle to truly convince me. Carrey's got slapstick down, and great comedic timing and performances behind him, but I'm going to have to wait to see a trailer before I back this choice completely.

Benicio Del Toro. This for me is the most out-of-left-field decision. He might look like the bowl-cutted Moe, but the only vaguely funny role that Del Toro has had was his turn in Guy Ritchie's Snatch (no, not Madonna), and maybe in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but that's stretching it. And besides that's a whole different tone of comedy than what we're going to see come from the stooges.

Combine all this uncertainty and craziness with the fact that The Farrelly Brothers are helming this movie and they haven't had a decent film since 1998's There's Something About Mary (arguably 2000's Me, Myself and Irene) and you've got yourself one hell of a clusterf*ck. The film isn't going to be a biopic, but a straight comedy, which puts even more weight on the Farrelly's to deliver. Let's hope they wrote the majority of this script back when they still had the funny in them.

I'm all for giving this movie a chance, if anything just because if brings these actors together in an unlikely comedic team, but I just don't know if that's going to be enough for audiences who probably don't even know who The Three Stooges are. What do you guys think?

'Where the Wild Things Are' Trailer is Enchanting

2009-03-25T13:25:00.009-04:00

We just shot up the poster today, and mentioned the trailer coming out this weekend, but lo ad behold, The Ellen Degeneres Show beat everyone to the punch, and they exclusively premiered the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are. But now we have the trailer for you online in all its glory.

The trailer really is mesmerizing, and contains only one line of dialogue, but this movie looks like it's going to be everything that it should be. Spike Jonze has always had a unique, though somewhat dreary filmmaker's eye, and this film is no exception. It'll be interesting to see how much the subject matter of the film appeals to kids and if it can live up to the hype that the status of book forces upon on it.

If you're unfamiliar with the story, it follows Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world--a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler. The film features the voices of Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine), James Gandolfini (heard in the trailer), Catherine O'Hara (Home Alone, Best in Show) and Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under, Can't Hardly Wait). Making the trailer even more fantastic, is the use of The Arcade Fire's lyrically relevant song "Wake Up." I'm now ridiculously excited for this movie.

The last time I was excited for a movie with the words "wild things" it was because I had just hit puberty and Denise Richards and Neve Campbell kissing was oh, so intriguing to me. This will be a completely different experience I think, unless the movie goes spiraling out of control into a threesome with Matt Dillon and the aforementioned career-dead actresses.

Check out the trailer below. What do you think?

[Catch-Up] 'Year One' Trailer is Pre-Hysterical

2009-03-25T11:24:00.005-04:00

Yeah it's a pun, big whoop, wanna fight about it? Last weekend the theatrical trailer for Harold Ramis' prehistoric comedy Year One was seen with the release of I Love You, Man and what a surprise it's also on the internet.

If the Super Bowl teaser spot wasn't enough of an indicator of just how hilarious this comedy will be, then this trailer should do it for you. I've always loved the comedic take on historical times when they just have characters use contemporary speech. Jack Black and Michael Cera set out on what is being called "the very first road trip," where they are sure to encounter many nefarious characters and shenanigans abound. In the trailer, another glimpse of Cain (David Cross) and Abel (Paul Rudd) is seen (though not as hefty as the clip that was released back in January), and we also are introduced to the love interests for Cera and Black's characters, Juno Temple and Olivia Wilde respectively.

Hopefully, the movie doesn't disappoint and blow hard like the first poster released for Year One. A terribly photoshopped, Superbad rip off that looks like it's the cover for a straight-to-DVD feature, or a movie that Jack Black and Michael Cera did before they had real careers. Check out the hilarious trailer below.

[Catch-Up] Poster Premiere: Where the Wild Things Are

2009-03-25T10:51:00.004-04:00

Here's the first official teaser poster for Spike Jonze's adaptation of the classic children's book of the same name Where the Wild Things Are. All the stills have done nothing but get me childishly excited for this film, and this poster is no exception. They've nailed the look of the wild things, and the visual style is magical without being whimsically exaggerated. Recently some new stills from the film were released and they do not disappoint. If you want to check those out, you can see them over at USA Today. The first trailer for Where the Wild Things Are will be attached to Monsters vs Aliens (which also has the potential to be a good flick) this coming weekend and is said to be quite a long trailer. We'll be sure to post it as soon as its online. In the meantime, are you guys excited for this one?

Ricky Gervais' 'This Side of the Truth' Gets Release Date

2009-03-25T10:11:00.004-04:00

Ricky Gervais upcoming comedy This Side of the Truth (which is also his feature film directorial debut) has just received a release date, and this comes straight from the mouth of comedic genius himself. In the video we've embedded below that comes straight from his blog, Gervais and co-writer and co-director Matthew Robinson confirm that the title (which apparently has been the point of some contention online) is indeed This Side of the Truth, and that the film will be released on September 25, 2009.

If this is the first you've heard of what looks to be a promising Fall comedy, here's the simple rundown. The story is set in a world where the concept of lying doesn't exist and no one has ever lied, or even thought about lying. But one day, a writer (Gervais) discovers this deceptive ability and uses it for his own personal gain. What has me most excited about this one (besides Gervais involvement) is a cast that includes Jonah Hill, Jason Bateman, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Patrick Stewart, Christopher Guest, John Hodgman, Bobby Moynihan and Stephen Merchant.

Ricky Gervais had an underrated comedy last year in Ghost Town (if you haven't seen it, you need to) and this looks to be a great venture for him. My only problem with Ricky Gervais is despite his routine of being a downright prick being hilarious, part of me thinks he's actually like that. Combine that with the fact that he looks like a toad, and then I just start feeling bad for him. Not as bad as I feel for Mike Myers though.

Poster Premiere: Angels and Demons

2009-03-25T09:50:00.004-04:00

Here's the new poster for Sony Pictures blockbuster prequel, Angels & Demon s, with Tom Hanks reprising his role as symbologist Robert Langdon from the 2005 film The Da Vinci Code. While the poster isn't anything remarkable, it's a little harder to market a movie that doesn't have some sort of clear artifact or plot device to easily illustrate. The Da Vinci Code marketing was easy because of all the iconic pieces of art that could be used, and several more items from the story that lead Langdon from one clue to the next. My personal favorite from The Da Vinci Code marketing was a poster seen only at Las Vegas ShoWest theater exhibition conference that you can see right here. My only wish was that they would have made it so that you could only see the "So dark the con of man" when the poster was under blacklight and it was positioned in the lower right hand corner like it's supposed to be.

As I commented, when the trailer was released awhile back, this looks like it could trump its predecessor. And of course the ole Christian backlash will come sooner or later to ensure that all those who weren't going to see the movie still don't see it, and those planning on the movie may still do so, but with a bit more spite. Enjoy, you blasphemous buffoons!

Spring Break Broken! Sorry Everybody!

2009-03-19T23:42:00.004-04:00

Okay, everybody, it's been a little late coming, but the past week and a half has been crazy.

If you aren't aware by now, The Screen Rider is maintained by college students, and this current week has been our Spring Break, hence the lack of news updates and posts. The previous week our updates were few and far between, simply because of the debacle of exams and such that are thrust upon us just before we attempt to enjoy our vacation.

While personally, my vacation hasn't been filled with the most relaxing of times, that's neither here nor there. We will resume regular posting this weekend, including catching up on some old news, staying up to date on the current stuff and getting up to speed on new releases in theaters, on DVD and Blu-Ray, and new episodes of our favorite shows. We've got some exciting features coming up, and new installments we're going to try out on you guys.

Thanks for being patient from all of us here at The Screen Rider!

Quick Flicks: Lex Luthor Needs a Bailout

2009-03-11T14:51:00.004-04:00

You know, there's so many crazy schemes by super villains to bring out the end of the world, or take down their arch nemesis that no one ever stops to think of the financial burden of being one of the most evil geniuses in the world. Lex Luthor feels this pain, and apparently so does his wallet. In this Funny or Die exclusive, Jon Hamm (from AMC's Mad Men) steps into the role of Superman's arch nemesis to ask the government for a corporate bailout. It's really great to see Hamm doing stuff like this as well as his still going character arc on 30 Rock. While I can't help but think how funny this would've been with Gene Hackman or even Kevin Spacey, it's really great seeing Hamm get worked up while wearing an offputting bald cap.

New 'Up' Trailer Introduces Us to Dug the Dog

2009-03-11T13:36:00.006-04:00

Disney and Pixar have finally given us a trailer that provides us with an idea of the adventures to be had by Carl Fredricksen and Russell in this summer's Up. While the previous trailers have done a lot of set up of our two main characters and the house carrying-balloon vessel, this one introduces us to many of the dangers and sights to be seen, as well as a villain and a very entertaining dog.

In their adventures, Carl and Russell encounter exotic birds, some villainous old man in a huge blimp and finally...Dug the Doug. Dug is the first talking animal to interact with humans in any of Pixar's films thus far. Remy from Ratatouille only squeaked and gestured, the bugs from A Bug's Life never talked to people, and the monsters from Monsters, Inc. don't count simply because they are invented creatures. However, Dug doesn't talk in the way other Disney animals talk. His master invented some sort of collar that turns his thoughts into auditory communication. Dug is going to be a really fun addition to the crew, and once again Pixar is blowing all other animated features out of the water with their original stories, carefully crafted characters and remarkable animation.

The really disturbing thing about Dug the Dog though is the potential world people would live in if their dogs were able to communicate like humans. There would be weird sex happening for sure and I really hope Disney/Pixar tackles this sensitive issue. Wow, that's awkward. What do you guys think of Dug the Dog?

New 'Star Trek' Trailer Beams Me Up (Not Like That)

2009-03-11T13:29:00.004-04:00

Last week, nearly everyone who caught Watchmen (which I have a review of coming up soon), was treated to a new trailer for J.J. Abrams franchise reboot of Star Trek. If the movie is anywhere near as good as the trailers are making it out to be, Star Trek will no longer be liked by the lonely and obsessed Tribble-loving fanboy and fangirl Trekkies. If this film hits as hard as it looks like it's going to, Star Trek will be mainstream cool.

Nearly everything Abrams has touched (Lost, Mission:Impossible 3, Cloverfield) has turned to solid gold success. There's no doubt in my mind that he's the next Spielberg. He's handling Star Trek with the love of a geek, but he's not isolating it from those who aren't familiar with the series. The cast is young, and even though he looks a bit too young, the more I see of Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, the more bad ass he seems. Zacahry Quinto (Heroes' only interesting character Sylar) already had my support for Spock, but I still want to see some more of Simon Pegg as Scotty. Within this trailer we get some great new action shots, and new footage of Eric Bana as alien villain Nero, and even House M.D.'s Jennifer Morrison as Kirk's mother.

I'm definitely pumped for Star Trek, but it's going to take some getting used to that Star Trek might be cool enough to get you laid by a girl who isn't dressed up as some sort of Vulcan dominatrix...or for that matter, any girl...period. Do you want to see Star Trek?

New 'Harry Potter' Trailer Punches You in the Face

2009-03-11T10:36:00.004-04:00

If Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is going to be half as good as the trailers have been letting on, then I may actually be able to forgive Warner Bros. for delaying it from last November to this July.

The trailer (released last week) lets us in on more of the story (though there are few who haven't read the Harry Potter series, there's no telling how story elements may change in the adaptations). The guiding light through this film is the past. And unless a memory from Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore reveals, the future may be doomed. This memory revolves around the mysterious boy Tom Riddle, who became the much feared Lord Voldemort. There are some really great visuals here, and the tone of this trailer loses any humor from the previous previews.

It's been great seeing this series devlopment from simple magic and whimsy to dark, ominous fantasy. Hearing Harry yell, "Fight back, you coward!" is a great moment, especially if you know who he's yelling at. The coolest addition to this film, and an element not found to be extremely prominent in the book is the scene in London, where Death Eaters are attacking Muggles. J.K. Rowling approved this modification to the story by screenwriter Steve Kloves to make the danger to Muggles, and the revelation of the wizarding world seem more immediate and threatening. It certainly will add a level of realism to the series, which up to this point has pretty much existed in its own world, with little reference to the non-magical world surrounding it. I can't wait to see it realized on screen. What do you guys think of the trailer?

Dakota Fanning to Do Drugs, Party Hard

2009-03-05T10:37:00.006-05:00

Dakota Fanning has always shown talent way ahead of her years. She's only just turned 15 years old, and she's already worked with the likes of Steven Spielberg, Sean Penn, Denzel Washington and Tom Cruise, had a controversial film at Sundance last year, voiced the titular character of Coraline, and even did a little stint on Family Guy.

Now comes word from Variety that the teen star is in negotiations to play lead singer Cherie Currie in The Runaways, a biopic about the all-girl rock band from the 70's of the same name. Twilight star Kristen Stewart is already in line to play Joan Jett and this will be the second film Fanning and Stewart work on together after they complete the Twilight sequel, New Moon. The real life Currie joined the band around the same age fanning is now, and found herself engulfed in the rock star life, succumbing to drugs and alcohol.

Now that's she's getting older, she's taking even more dark, gritty and dramatic roles and after her role in I Am Sam at age 7, I'm just not sure she ever had a childhood. I'm constantly reminded of the sketch Amy Poehler starred in on Saturday Night Live, The Dakota Fanning Show where she had varying guests on and was constantly baffling and worrying them with her intellectually advanced observations on society, art and the like. Hopefully she doesn't go the Macaulay Culkin route and start fighting bears. Macaulay Culkin did that right?

You Choose the Poster for '500 Days of Summer'

2009-03-05T09:45:00.004-05:00

Just like Captain Planet used to say, "The power is yours!" Film news blog /Film says that Fox Searchlight has asked their readers to take part in deciding which poster will be distributed to market their film 500 Days of Summer (which we premiered the newest trailer for yesterday). But it's not like you have to log into a special website or anything, so as far as I'm concerned Fox Searchlight also asked me, readers of The Screen Rider and everyone else on the Internet to vote for which poster they'd like to see make the cut. My personal favorites are the two with all the little Polaroid pictures of Zooey Deschanel, mainly because I could look at that many pictures of her and never get bored, but also because it looks like there could actually be 500 pictures of her as her character Summer in those posters. If you want to vote, just head on over to Fox Searchlight's voting page, and make your decision. If you're Republican, I'm sorry but there isn't any vote you can make that will ruin the fibers of humanity, but better luck next year! POLITICS WHOA!!

New 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' Trailer is Shiny

2009-03-05T07:10:00.005-05:00

20th Century Fox released what is apparently the final trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine in what might possible be the worst decision to market a big blockbuster such as this. The trailer debuted late last night over at USA Today with some new character pictures to accompany it. The video is pitifully small when embedded, and the full screen just makes the video look even worse. Luckily our friends over at Trailer Addict were able to snag it as well for us to enjoy in a bigger format.

While it's not perfect, this is the best trailer yet. Count me slightly anxious for this to be released but proceeding with caution. More footage of Gambit is always a plus, and a look at what appears to be a young Scott Summers (aka Cyclops) just discovering his optic blast capabilities. I'm still a huge critic of the Michael Bay level of explosions though. It borders on parody.

And I have a very weird bone to pick with some of the sound effects/design in this trailer (which I really hope are't the final effects to be used in the film). This is a strange nitpick, but it's only because I saw the movie I'm going to reference so many times as a kid that this just entered my mind. The sounds that are used when Gambit hits his staff into the ground and various other structures with kinetic energy is EXACTLY the same sound that the huge water splashes made when the sprinkler turns on in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. If you want to compare them, the clip for the sprinkler scene can be found here (the action starts at about 1:12 into the clip).

There's also just a lot of shots and action just taken directly from other films. The cut of Wolverine dragging his claws along that Hummer, causing it to flip over is just like the scene in The Matrix Reloaded when Morpheus slices his sword into the Twins Escalade (go to 4:31 in the clip). And the later shot of Wolverine landing on top of the helicopter is very reminiscent of an equally ridiculous scene in Live Free or Die Hard with John McClane jumping onto a jet. Granted this is a comic book movie, but this is a bit overkill in my estimate. It just feels like they're trying to hard.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine hits theaters on May 1st, and I pray that people don't think Wolverine is gay after Hugh Jackman's Oscar hosting last month. We already have a gay mutant and his name is Perez Hilton. What do you guys think of the new trailer?

WTF?!?! - LOST

2009-03-04T23:17:00.007-05:00

Alright, new segment time! Also *spoiler alert* don't read if you haven't seen the latest episode of Lost. If you can't tell by the title this one is going to be skewed at those television shows that always seem to leave you wanting more, or in most cases going WTF! So I've decided to start off with Lost because it's the best show on television that leaves me with that feeling. I'm also thinking of doing Heroes. But let's move on.

So time travel huh? Really? Well if my numerous viewings of Back to the Future (Parts I, II, and III) have taught me anything (how did Locke hit 88 mph anyway?) it's that time travel is a fickle mistress. Look at Part 2, alternate time line anyone? That's right if you travel in time you could come back to the 1980s and live in a casino. I don't know about you but Marty looked a gift horse in the mouth on that one. But let's not talk about my so called addictions but focus on the WTF of Lost.

So we finally caught back up with the gang that John left behind (Sawyer, Juliette, and the two weird guys that were introduced last season, and what's up with the talking to dead people thing? I think someone at Lost saw The Sixth Sense and decided "What the hell? We've already got a smoke monster and other shady dealings might as well.") So back to Lost, we catch up only to find out that surprise, it's been three years for them as well now. So the dead/undead guy is the only one that didn't lose three years, that's probably why he had to die, some kinda cosmic balance thing. No three years then you're going back in a coffin... at least he had nice shoes. So Sawyer sweet talked his way into the Dharma Initiative, which I'm actually looking forward to seeing more of (enigmatic bastards!) and surprise, surprise bedroom eyes landed the other hot chick on the island and fellow time traveler, the lovely Juliette. But the question is posed "Is three years really long enough to not love someone?" I'm going to go out on a limb here and say he and Miss I-lost-a-three-year-old-boy-and-no-one-has-seemed-to-notice-yet are doing the horizontal tango in the next three episodes. Also Ben gets eaten by a polar bear. Calling it!

Go ahead make your own predictions, it doesn't matter anyway. Come the end of Lost it's all going to be a dream of Locke's, and Kate will still be alive just in the shower... oh wait that was Dallas...

If you have any suggestions of shows to add post them.

'Public Enemies' Trailer Hates Indiana

2009-03-04T16:29:00.006-05:00

If you weren't excited about Public Enemies, you damn well better be now. The first trailer for this Johnny Depp/Christian Bale face-off just hit the net, and it's really quite remarkable that a period, action thriller can feel just like a summer blockbuster should.

The film looks fast paced, Untouchables-esque, and superbly fun. However, my only complaint is that Michael Mann's shooting style takes me out of the time period a bit. It makes what's happening on the screen feel modern for some reason. Not only are his handheld, intimate camera angles a bit too contemporary, but the HD digital video look also heightens this feeling. But fortunately it doesn't play against the quality look of the movie itself.

This is going to be a breath of fresh air in the summer blockbuster bonanza with fighting robots and superheroes, and the trailer embedded below gets me extremely excited. I gotta say though, this trailer has a bone to pick with my current and home state of Indiana. I mean was it really necessary for Johnny Depp's John Dillinger to say, ""I have absolutely nothing I want to do in Indiana." Go ahead and rub it in Edward Scissorhands!

Kevin Smith No Longer Handling 'Dicks'...Kinda

2009-03-04T01:23:00.008-05:00

The title of Kevin Smith's recently announced project is the focus of a bit of nonsensical controversy similar to that of the experience his last film, Zack and Miri Make a Porno had on its journey to DVD shelves.

When Variety announced Kevin Smith's involvement in the film title A Couple of Dicks with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan set to star, they included a bit of disconcerting information. Apparently the hailed script is now being titled A Couple of Cops getting rid of any hilarity that comes from the title.

This censorship and pandering to over sensitive conservatives is, dare I say, complete bullshit. Including the phrase "Make a Porno" on a DVD is absolutely going to ruin children's lives and turn them into nothing but unwholesome little heathens. And now this clever double entendre which is merely a reference to a word that meant detective in a time much more conservative than now will never be used.

It just pains me to see such ludicrous precautions taken with creative properties that might hurt the oh so fragile eyes, ears and thoughts of our apparently innocent children who certainly don't have the ability to see far more offensive content right here on the Internet. Why didn't they call Sex and the City: The Movie by the less vulgar nomenclature Intercourse and the City or Be Careful Because These Women Are Gross? Bullshit.

UPDATE: On the View Askiewniverse message boards Kevin Smith acknowledged that A Couple of Cops is only a temporary title. Still...the title was great to begin with.

Cinema Bits: Christopher Nolan, Megan Fox and More

2009-03-04T01:21:00.007-05:00

Casting news abound for this installment of Cinema Bits:

The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2)has been added to the cast of this upcoming Disney film in the role of the villainous magician Horvath, The Hollywood Reporter announced. The film is based around the iconic animated segment of the same name from Disney's Fantasia (which seriously needs to be re-released on DVD and Blu-Ray). Molina joins Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel in this film helmed by National Treasure director Jon Turteltaub. The story centers on an average college student (Baruchel) who is reluctantly recruited to work for a sorcerer named Balthazar Blake (Cage). The man gives him a crash course in the art and science of magic to prepare him for a battle against the forces of darkness in modern Manhattan. This is perfect since Nic Cage probably thinks he is a wizard in real life anyway.

Inception - Leonardo DiCaprio has signed on to take part in The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan's next project (according to Variety). Film is supposed to start production later this year and though the script has been kept under tight wraps, Warner Bros. has described the film as a "contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind." That's about as helpful as saying it's "a film with a story told through various shots, dialogue and with the help of actors." And I'm sure fanboys are still crying that Nolan isn't jumping to direct a follow-up to The Dark Knight. Are they that eager to miss out on another Best Picture nomination? ZING!

Megan Fox casting - The Hollywood Reporter got the news that Transformers vixen Megan Fox has signed on to take part in two different comic book property films. The first is called Fathom which has Fox playing "a young woman named Aspen who learns she is a member of a race of aquatic humanoids who possess the ability to control water." And if you check out this illustration, she's definitely got the goods for this part. The second project is the already announced adaptation of Jonah Hex, in which she will star alongside Josh Brolin and John Malkovich. She will be portraying Leila, "a gun-wielding beauty and love interest of Hex (Brolin), a scarred bounty hunter tracking a voodoo practitioner (Malkovich) who wants to raise an army of undead to liberate the South." Megan Fox could get a role playing a refrigerator in an ALF movie and I'd definitely go see it, so these sound great.

Sucker Punch - With Watchmen hitting theaters in a couple days, Entertainment Weekly says director Zack Snyder has already gathered up his cast for this action fantasy film. Offers have gone out to Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia) for the lead role of Baby Doll, as well as supporting roles for Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Evan Rachel Wood, and Emma Stone. Story is set in the 1950s, and follows a girl who is confined to a mental institution by her stepfather, who intends to have her lobotomized in five days. While there, she imagines an alternative reality to hide her from the pain, and in that world, she begins planning her escape, needing to steal five objects to help get her out before she is deflowered by a vile man. We can also guarantee that there will be unnecessary slow motion.

New '500 Days of Summer' Trailer Warms Me Up

2009-03-04T01:11:00.008-05:00

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel absolutely shine in the new trailer for the much buzzed Sundance hit 500 Days of Summer. The trailer further confirms my suspicions that this will be the next Garden State as far as an indie film getting some mainstream love. If Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel stay on top of their game, they will both be a couple of the best actors of our generation.

If you're unfamilar with 500 Days of Summer we ran the first trailer for it back in January right here and included it on our list of Sundance movies to look forward to. Here's the official plot synopsis just to refresh your memory: Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't. This post modern love story is never what we expect it to be -- it's thorny yet exhilarating, funny and sad, a twisted journey of highs and lows that doesn't quite go where we think it will. When Tom, a hapless greeting card copywriter and hopeless romantic, is blindsided after his girlfriend Summer dumps him, he shifts back and forth through various periods of their 500 days "together" to try to figure out where things went wrong. His reflections ultimately lead him to finally rediscover his true passions in life."

The film is said to have a hellacious soundtrack (just like Garden State) and does contain some musical-type numbers (rightly so considering much of the experience listed under director Marc Webb's short filmography on IMDB is in music videos). I'm really looking forward to seeing this when it sees wider release this summer, on July 17. Hopefully Marc Webb won't go the way of Zach Braff and direct one awesome feature (Garden State) and then simply go back to playing his character on Scrubs. Of course that should be easy since Marc Webb has never been on or even involved with Scrubs. But still...don't screw this up Webb! What do you guys think of the trailer?

Quick Flicks: World Builder by Bruce Branit

2009-03-04T01:07:00.006-05:00

Bruce Branit is a digital visual effects artist, and while you may not know his name, you've certainly seen his work on shows like Pushing Daisies and Lost (including the infamous smoke monster pictured right), and films like Peter Jackson's King Kong, Sin City and Titanic.

Now Bruce has went ahead and created (writing, directing, producing, editing and of crouse visual effects) his own short film that he points out on his Vimeo page, "was shot in a single day followed by about 2 years of post production." And the long post-production certainly shows in World Builder which we've embedded below. Branit himself describes the film in one brief sentence, "A strange man builds a world using holographic tools for the woman he loves."

The visual effects are stunning containing realistic textures and remarkable motion tracked graphics. While the visual effects are certainly the focus, the short narrative itself is pretty wonderful too. After watching World Builder, you should also take a look at his demo reel that contains much of the impressive effects work he did on the aforementioned shows and films. Personally, I was surprised to see that the plane Locke and Boone discover from the first season of Lost was a digital creation. I figured it was a lightweight set piece made to hang in the trees rather than a real plane, so well done Mr. Branit.

"Chuck" Has Real Finale, Hopes for Future

2009-03-03T21:15:00.005-05:00

The list of TV shows that I have to make time for every week is relatively small, for the amount of shows that I love. One of the shows that I make time for and see every week is Chuck, the geek-centered spy comedy. While Chuck is really good as a stand-alone show from week-to-week, it really shines in a couple of longer-term areas, mainly the battle Chuck Bartowski goes through every week of whether or not he wants to be a spy and how he must deal Sarah, his "handler" whom he loves.

Well, in an age where no TV show is safe and you don't know if your favorite show is going to get a true ending, there is hope.

This week, from Wonder Con in San Francisco, creator Josh Schwartz (he of Gossip Girl fame) told the press that the finale to Chuck's second season would be "a game-changer" and would be a jumping off point for a new season. He went on to say that it is the ending they've had in mind since the show began.

This news made me pretty darn happy, considering that Chuck taps into my geekiness, my dopey romantic and my comedy sides. Like I said in my article about Life on Mars' cancellation, good writing is a rare commodity on TV and should be cherished.

Schwartz went on to talk about Chuck's chances for a third season, which he's optimistic about, saying that NBC has been supportive of the show from a creative standpoint. While I love to hear this news, it makes me wonder what if ABC managed their network the same way?

"Life on Mars" Cancelled

2009-03-03T20:38:00.002-05:00

It's hard for me to come up with a pithy, witty headline for a story about Life on Mars getting the axe. Life on Mars was my favorite new show of the season and one of the few shows I made time for every week.

The news came down Monday night from Variety. Life on Mars can be added to the long line of British shows that didn't make the switch across the pond. Keep in mind that for every Office, there's a Coupling and countless other shows that were adapted for US audiences and didn't find an audience.

The best news to come out of this garbage dump of a situation (to borrow a phrase from Brenda from Juno) is that Life on Mars will get an ending and the mystery of Sam Tyler and why he has been transported to 1973 will be revealed.

This came as really sad news for me. I feel like shows that have the writing, plots and charismatic actors like Life on Mars aren't around much anymore. Sure, it might have been hackneyed at times, but melodrama is part of all of the top TV dramas on right now. Life on Mars delved into a lot of existential thought and reminded me, at its best moments, of the Watchmen graphic novel, where it is really a philosophical discussion between characters. I hope that everyone involved with the show can find something of a similar caliber to work on next.

Remakes, Reboots, Re-Imaginings, Oh WHY!?

2009-03-03T19:43:00.003-05:00

Last week a trio of remakes or whatever the hell we're calling them nowadays were announced or received some key updates in production. First of all, yes that picture to the right is from the 90's Saturday morning computer animated Canadian show ReBoot and while it has nothing to do with this update, whenever I hear the annoying industry buzz word "reboot" when referring to a remake I can't help but think of this show from my childhood. Moving on...

First off is a remake from some of our childhoods, but not really mine. The Neverending Story is being eyed by Warner Bros. and some other key production companies for an update. Hollywood Reporter says, "The Kennedy/Marshall Co. (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Leonard DiCaprio's shingle Appian Way are in discussions with Warners about reviving the 25-year-old franchise with a modern spin." While this isn't one of my nostalgic films, I did have a chance to watch it a couple years ago, and I gotta say, even for a kids movie, it's pretty awful. Wolfgang Petersen (the same man who brought us President Han Solo, I mean, Air Force One, directed it back in 1984 (the title actually being Die Unendliche Geschichte and it really does feel like an 80's German movie.

Next up is another modern spin, but this time on a 90's sci-fi, some might say, classic. According to Hollywood Reporter Paul Verhoeven's Arnold Schwarzeneggar vehicle, Total Recall is set for a contemporary update. Even if this film hadn't already been made, it probably would have inevitably been put into production since properties based off author Phillip K. Dick's short stories seem to be pretty hot (such adaptations include Minority Report, Paycheck, Next, A Scanner Darkly and Blade Runner. The original story (called We Can Remember It for You Wholesale) "follows a man haunted by a recurring dream of journeying to Mars who buys a literal dream vacation from a company called Rekall Inc., which sells implanted memories. The man comes to believe he is a secret agent and ends up on a Martian colony, where he fights to overthrow a despotic ruler controlling the production of air."

And finally, this last bit of news is simply an update on an already announced project. British comedian Russell Brand (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) has been set to star in a remake of the classic Dudley Moore comedy Arthur for about 3 months now, and last week Variety got the scoop of a screenwriter finally getting attached to the project. Peter Baynham (who worked on Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan and this year's upcoming Bruno with Sacha Baron Cohen) Arthur is about a boozy playboy whose plan to marry into a wealthy family goes awry when he falls in love with a working class gal.

Frankly the only one of these that I'm interested in is the Arthur remake, because Russell Brand is an absolute comedic gem. Otherwise I'm getting sick and tired of all these remakes coming out of Hollywood. Let's get some original ideas and stop recycling old ones. Sure it might be fun to see a story played out with all the technology we have available to us to truly visualize what we might not have been capable of decades ago, but I'm sick of this sort of Hollywood factory assembly line cranking out the same stuff year after year. What do you guys think?

Poster Premiere: Public Enemies

2009-03-03T17:21:00.006-05:00

Here's the first poster for this summer's action thriller Public Enemies. From IMDB, "acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard in the incredible and true story of legendary Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger (Depp), the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoovers fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Bale), and a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public. No one could stop Dillinger."

Poster has been said to be reminiscent of one of The Dark Knight poster featuring the Joker but I like to think it's a bit more reminiscent of the Dick Tracy poster seen here, but that's just because I love that poster series.

Trailer is supposed to hit sometime later this week, so as soon as it's released we'll have it up here for your viewing pleasure. Johnny Depp versus Christian Bale is an exciting prospect. Women just want to see them wrestle in creamed corn, while men just want them to kill each other so there's one less celebrity male ruining our libidos. Also I hope that no one got in front of the lights while this was in production. Are you excited for Public Enemies?

Kevin Smith to Direct "A Couple of Dicks"?

2009-03-02T23:00:00.004-05:00

Writer/Director Kevin Smith is the reason I'm writing anything about movies, let alone anything for this website. His films were the first movies I saw that made me say, "There's more to this than a stoner comedy," or "He's saying something really profound here and packaging it in profane jokes. It's perfect!" His are the films that made me want to study film more and eventually write about it.

My history makes the news that /Film reported today (through ERC Box Office) even more exciting. Smith will apparently be directing A Couple of Dicks with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan in the starring roles. The film, which was part of the famous 2008 Black List of the best unmade screenplays, is about two LA cops tracking down a famous, vintage baseball card.

A Couple of Dicks marks a couple of changes in Smith's career. First, this will be his first film without the support of the Weinstein brothers, whether it be for Miramax or The Weinstein Company. The Weinsteins were the two who pulled Clerks out of Sundance obscurity and made it a cult classic and Smith a major name. Since, then, they've had a hand in every one of Smith's projects and have been as loyal to him as he has been to them. But, with the failure of Zack and Miri Make a Porno, I think Smith was looking to break some of those ties. On his podcast, SModcast, he told the story of the failure of Zack and Miri and named the lack of publicity of the movie as one of the deciding factors.

This project also marks the first time Smith will be directing something for the big screen that he didn't write himself, which was something he used to say he would never do. He directed the pilot for the CW comedy Reaper, which wasn't his script either. As an avid fan, I'm really intrigued in what he will do with a fresh voice and some new, foreign material.

A Couple of Dicks is already slated for a January 29, 2010 release.

'Terminator Salvation' Changes the Game

2009-03-02T22:15:00.008-05:00

Today saw the release of the new Terminator Salvation trailer from Yahoo! Movies and this just keeps looking better. While the first trailer highlighted much of the action and explosions, this one gives us some insight into the story that will unfold.

It's 2018 and Skynet is rounding up humans, and using their stem cells to help create more human-like cyborgs. This frightening prospect is made all the more pressing when John Connor (Christian Bale) and his team are made aware that a recently captured soldier, Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), may not be who or even what he thinks he is. He's a Terminator. From IMDB, "Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind."

This one is going to up the ante in pinning humans against the most agile looking Terminators we've seen yet. Obviously the effects change the capabilities of the iconic sliver clad cyborgs, and this is going to make for a much more intense battle. While I'm getting more excited about the film, I'm becoming internally conflicted about whether or not I'll be able to justify hating the epic fail force that is McG. Oh well, I guess if I ever really need to remember the hate, I could watch Charlie's Angels or just remember that HE CALLS HIMSELF McG!! Anyway check out the trailer below.

Cinema Bits: Friday the 13th, Twilight and More

2009-03-02T13:12:00.004-05:00

Here's some brief snippets of news for ya:

Twilight: Eclipse - Though the second installment of the Twilight series, New Moon, isn't anywhere near completion, that hasn't stopped Summit Entertainment from shopping around for a director for the third film in the series. Entertainment Weekly thinks that Drew Barrymore might be on the candidate list for that job. While her director debut hasn't been seen yet (Whip It! featuring Ellen page), she has done a lot of work behind the camera as a producer for her own production company Flower Films (responsible for romantic fare such as He's Just Not That Into You and Music and Lyrics). It seems like Summit is really desperate for a woman's touch on these steamy vampire flicks, so I would like to recommend Quentin Tarantino.

Friday the 13th Sequel - After an impressive box office showing a couple weeks ago, scribes Damian Shannon and Mark Swift are already working on a sequel. Hollywood Reporter's Risky Biz Blog comments, "Unlike the sophomore efforts of other franchises, the new Friday is expected to be not a sequel so much as a follow-up, those familiar with the project say. Jason Voorhees will be the villain, of course, but the new picture is expected to use elements of the original franchise more as a jumping-off point than as a template." I really don't understand how a follow-up is any different than a sequel. They could call it a frazzle snazzle and it still wouldn't make it any different than the inevitable sequels of any horror franchise. But I enjoyed this re-boot, so bring it on!

Richard Pryor Biopic - Entertainment Weekly reports that writer/director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) is shopping around his script around the late iconic comedian, Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? to various studio subs and independent distributors with Eddie Murphy attached to star. While I'd love to see a movie about Richard Pryor's life I just don't know if he's the right guy for the job. Unless of course he's going to play every member of Richard Pryor's family and fart a lot.

Up in the Air - Variety updates that Jason Reitman's (Juno) forthcoming adaptation of Walter Kirn's novel of the same name has just added Jason Bateman to the cast mix. Bateman will star alongside lead George Clooney in the story of "a professional who specializes in "career transition counseling" (a euphemism for firing people) looks to accomplish his two main goals in life: to accumulate 1 million frequent flier miles, and to land a job at a mysterious management company called MythTech."

Quick Flicks: 'Bat Fight' Featuring Will Ferrell

2009-03-02T12:25:00.005-05:00

Who will win in an epic 70's musically styled bat fight between Will Ferrell and Craig Robinson? There's only one way to find out as they face off in this short from Funny or Die. Ferrell appears still in the wardrobe of his character from HBO's new series Eastbound and Down and this just makes me want to be on the set of any movie with Will Ferrell, just for the chance of appearing in a short such as this. Enjoy!

Poster Premiere: Terminator Salvation

2009-03-02T10:54:00.004-05:00

Here's another teaser poster for the upcoming summer blockbuster Terminator Salvation. Obviously just the name Terminator is a selling point for the film, so it's no surprise that the poster only mentions lead actors Christian Bale and Sam Worthington by name rather than in photo. However, Yahoo! Movies also released along with this one sheet image a banner image containing not only the above Terminator but also characters John Connor (Bale) and Marcus Wright (Worthington) that you can see here.

While there's some rumblings of concern over the films rating (McG says he's trying to get the R-rating that he and the fans want, but many feel the studio won't let it out without a PG-13 stamp from the MPAA), I'm still looking forward to see how this turns out. We'll see even more when a new trailer premieres this weekend in front of Watchmen.

'Adventureland' Drops F-Bombs in Red Band Trailer

2009-03-02T10:52:00.004-05:00

The new red band trailer for the upcoming comedy Adventureland directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad) hit the nets last week, and it just confirms why it's one of the few wide release films coming out during this terrible dead time from January through April that I'm actually interested in seeing.

The trailer itself just highlights the vulgarity and raunchiness that truly makes this a fun R-Rated comedy. If you're unfamiliar with Adventureland, it's "a comedy set in the summer of 1987 and centered around a recent college grad who takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park, only to find it's the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world."

This made a good splash at Sundance, and will certainly be a breath of fresh air when it hits theaters on March 27. Check out the trailer and let us know what you think!

Netflix Watch: 'Dear Zachary'

2009-02-27T00:48:00.012-05:00

There are those films that you watch and, as soon as your done crying, perhaps slobbering, and catching your breath again, you vow never to watch that film ever again...even though it's one of the best you've ever seen and want to recommend it to everyone you see on the street.

That's how I feel about Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. The documentary takes a bit of explaining and is somewhat complex, as most truly great documentaries are.

Dear Zachary was made by filmmaker Kurt Kuenne as a way for Zachary, a relative newborn, to get to know his father in the words of those who loved him the most. Zachary's father, Andrew, was killed in 2001, before he was born. Andrew was killed by his former lover, Shirley, who also happens to be Zachary's mother. So, in order for Zachary to one day know his father, Kuenne interviews anyone he could find who knew Andrew, starting from his childhood and ending with the morning that he died.

The film then turns into a chronicle of the legal battle Andrew's parents, Zachary's grandparents, enter to try to not only get Shirley convicted of the murder (she got away initially on technicalities and shoddy prosecution, in the eyes of everyone in the documentary, and fled to Canada), but to win full custody of Zachary.

Kuenne takes all of the interviews that he has culled and uses all of his filmmaking experience to give the audience a gut-punch of emotion. Dear Zachary will have you feeling a gigantic range of emotions: wishing you had known Andrew Bagby when he was alive, such a warm and funny soul; straining from laughter at the stories that are told about Andrew; wanting to save Zachary from his less-than-stable mother; sympathy for Zachary's grandparents at having to deal with the tragic death of their son and then the battle to have a piece of him with them.

Dear Zachary is also so different from other documentaries because not only is Kuenne a great documentarian, but he was also Andrew's best friend. He didn't read about the story in some newspaper and decide to make a film about it. For Kuenne, Dear Zachary is truly a passion project, which shows in every frame of film and second of cold, tragic narration.

Like I said, Dear Zachary hurts. It hurts bad. It hurts like few movies do. But, it's a good hurt. It's a hurt that you will want to tell others about and give them the DVD and warn them that, even though it's heartbreaking, you will be so moved and touched and somewhat lifted by the entire package that they should watch it anyway.

This week, Dear Zachary came out on DVD and I'm really tempted to buy it. But, I feel, whether I buy it or not, everyone should at least put it in their Netflix queue (it is also available via Netflix's Instant Viewing streaming) and be ready to be truly and deeply moved.

Samuel L. Jackson is Back as Nick Fury

2009-02-25T18:12:00.002-05:00

A while back we reported on the disappointing news that the economic crisis killed any possibility that Samuel L. Jackson would be taking on the role of Nick Fury for Iron Man 2. But today comes some great news because according to Variety, Samuel L. Jackson and Marvel have come to an agreement not only for his portrayal of Nick Fury in the sequel to Iron Man, but the potential appearance in as many as nine other Marvel films.

This deal would obviously include involvement in the eventual film for the ensemble hero team The Avengers and maybe the other individual hero films leading up to it (including Thor and Captain America). Variety also references another title called The Shield which I can only assume would follow the exploits of the unit known as S.H.I.E.L.D., but this is the first I've heard of it. So maybe there's an as yet officially unannounced movie dedicated specifically to Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.

Let's hope that this deal sets the tone for some more happy endings to negotiations (mainly for Mickey Rourke who is on again/off again as a potential villain in Iron Man 2 following a lowball offer from Marvel for the role). Iron Man 2 is set for release May 7, 2010 with principal photography set to begin this spring.

Slumdog Not-So-Millionaire Actually

2009-02-25T09:58:00.009-05:00

The day after Slumdog Millionaire's big Oscar win, much of the cast that was flown from Mumbai enjoyed their success by celebrating in Disneyland (pictured left). But only recently was some of this film's great success rightfully shared with a couple of the young cast members who so magnificently brought the fairytale story and its characters to life.

Almost a month ago, UK periodical The Telegraph ran a story highlighting the unimproved livelihoods of two of the child actors. Rubiana Ali and Azharuddin Ismail who play the youngest versions of main characters Latika and Salim respectively, were discovered to still be living in impoverished conditions in Mumbai and apparently not compensated very well for their work in the film.

The article highlights support via money that continues to come each month for books (filmmakers did help to get the children into school for the first time) as well as food. The article also notes that a trust fund was established for the child actors to receive if they are still in school when they turn 18. However, the negative here is the payment for the actual work for filming. The child actors were paid considerably less than the comparable situation when poor Afghan children starred in the film The Kite Runner. This has resulted in Rubiana and Azharuddin to still be living in the slums.

Until now that is. Danny Boyle as well as a local housing association in Mumbai have both acted to provide the actors and their families with quality residences (as reported by UK's The Daily Mail). While this sentiment is very thoughtful and fantastic, my question is why the hell didn't this happen sooner? Fox Searchlight really couldn't afford to get these kids into a nicer place? Even a hotel would have been better than their former state (as you can see in pictures evidenced in the article itself). I could understand maybe some sort of delay or hesitation with as many kids that appeared in the film, but the other central child actors are either middle class or pretty well-off in their own right. In the meantime these children who worked to make this film the genuine spectacle and wonder that it was got the shaft.

I think it's great that movement has been made by Boyle, Fox Searchilight, and Mumbai officials to keep these children safe and nourished, but the fact that the action to get them into real residences is only now just happening after the Oscar win seems like damage control to me. Boyle was obviously aware of the problems that may arise from using or not using real children from the slums for the movie when he told The LA Times "It was a difficult moral question. Do you exclude kids from the slums? If you exclude them, then it feels morally wrong. But if you include them, it raises another set of moral questions -- how do you care for them after the movie is finished?" While they were aware of this predicament, it seems very odd and disappointing that there was even one minute after this movie was finished filming that these children had to return to their impoverished homes for anything other than to pack their stuff, collect their familes and live in a real home. Anyway, it's good to see these kids getting what they deserve.

Gore Verbinski Goes from Pirates to Murder with 'Clue'

2009-02-25T09:57:00.008-05:00

All right, Hasbro, let's calm down a little shall we. Transformers was a fun flick okay and we admitted it. But then you started getting crazy. Ridley Scott is attached to direct a movie based off the real estate trading game Monopoly (thrilling), Candyland is on its way to giving us a cavity (sweet), and Stretch Armstrong will be stretching into big screens soon enough (insert stretchy joke here).

Now we're looking at a film based off another Habsro property, but this one has already seen a decent adaptation. Variety announced Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski is lined up for an update to Hasbro's classic murdery mystery game Clue.

Of all the aforementioned Hasbro product based films coming out, this game is certainly one that has the potential for a decent narrative. The only problem is we've already seen this play out in the very enjoyable first adaptation of this game with Tim Curry, Michael McKean, Christopher Lloyd and Madeline Kahn and I just don't know if this is necessary. An updated cast might give the film a fresh facelift, but the real question is whether or not the film will have the same dark comedic tone as the original or will just go all out serious murder mystery.

For me what would really peak my interest is if they went the route of the original film and released it to the public with several endings at different theaters. We're all used to the ending on the DVD that simply lays out the 3 different endings for us, but when it was released in theaters, depending on where you saw the movie, your ending could've been completely different than another audience's experience. Unless something on along that lines is brought to the table, then I just don't see this being anything more than dust in the wind. Who knows how long it will be before this comes out anyway what with Verbinski also being attached to Rango (with Johnny Depp), a re-make of the cult classic Heavy Metal, and an adaptation of the video game Bioshock.

'Shrek Goes Fourth' Plot Revealed

2009-02-24T21:25:00.004-05:00

While I enjoyed the first Shrek, I must say the sequels are only getting worse. Shrek 2 certainly contained some of the charm and edgier family fare that the first executed so nicely, but Shrek the Third was just boring and stumbled over itself. Now we have a plot synopsis that helpful blogger Alex Litel stumbled upon via some sort of copyright registration website for the fourth installment of the unconventional fairy tale franchise. Actual page (of copyright site) cannot be found now, but luckily he copied the synopsis to his site.

Shrek Goes Fourth - After challenging an evil dragon, rescuing a beautiful princess and saving your in-laws' kingdom, what's an ogre to do? Well, if you're Shrek, you suddenly wind up a domesticated family man. Instead of scaring villagers away like he used to, a reluctant Shrek now agrees to autograph pitch forks. What's happened to this ogre's roar? Longing for the days when he felt like a "real ogre," Shrek is duped into signing a pact with the smooth-talking dealmaker, Rumplestiltskin. Shrek suddenly finds himself in a in a twisted, alternate version of Far Far Away, where ogres are hunted, Rumplestiltskin is king and Shrek and Fiona have never met. Now, it's up to Shrek to undo all he's done in the hopes of saving his friends, restoring his world and reclaiming his one True Love.

While the Shrek series isn't as fresh as it started out, their plots are usually top notch, but the writing has been less than remarkable. I just don't know how long Mike Myers can be mediocre before he implodes upon himself either. Hopefuly his turn in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds will help. Will you see Shrek Goes Fourth?

Cinema Bits: Ghosbusters 3, Terminator, and More

2009-02-24T20:51:00.009-05:00

Got a bunch of updates, so PAY ATTENTION!

Ghostbusters 3 - We've known that a script was being worked on by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky (producers of NBC's The Office), but now we have word from Dan Aykroyd answering some online questions for The Boston Globe that "Script is commenced early summer. Hope to be in production by late fall 2009." Weird wording, but this is great news for everyone who has ever hoped for another Ghostbusters.

Terminator: Salvation - Linda Hamilton is in negotiations to reprise her role of Sarah Connor for the next installment of the Terminator series...sort of. MTV Movies Blog reports that while she won't be appearing on screen, her role is said to simply be voiceover. This is a nice way to bridge the mythology gap that always seems to exist between franchise sequels that are more than a few years apart. This will be a nice way to give cohesion to the series, and help us to continue forgetting Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn - The blog Upcoming Film Scores reports that John Williams will be scoring the first installment of the forthcoming Tintin trilogy which is set to be directed by longtime collaborator Steven Spielberg. This isn't much of a surprise as there aren't too many Spielberg films Williams hasn't composed music for. This just guarantees that we'll have a great score to accompany what should be a great start to a hopefully fun new film series.

Ebert and Roeper Return? - In his weekly online Q&A from his website, Roger Ebert fielded a question that resulted in some interesting information. In running through the gamut of all the review shows he's done, he concluded with "Another chapter to this saga will begin when Richard [Roeper] and I shortly announce a new movie review program." This development seems problematic considering Ebert's health conditions and his lack of ability to speak. Not sure what kind of show this will result in. Maybe someone will read his reviews or maybe Ebert is gonna review movies Stephen Hawking style. Either way I will continue to love Ebert's top notch film analysis.

Watchmen - At a press junket (information via Collder) director Zack Snyder said that the final running time of Watchmen for the DVD release of the film will be 3 hours and 10 minutes (that's not including the apparent 15 minutes of animated footage used in what is called the Black Freighter elements). As I have not yet read Watchmen (simply so I can watch the movie objectively) I'm not entirely sure what the Black Freighter portion of the story consists of, but this DVD is going to be chock full of goodness for Watchmen fans.

Superman Returns Sequel - After some poking around on the Legendary Pictures website, film fan and blogger Alex Litel noticed some slightly eyebrow raising information about an upcoming follow-up to the disappointing franchise reboot Superman Returns. The website lists the title Superman Unleashed as part of its films in development with a vague and brief plot synopsis: "Ramping up the action of its esteemed predecessor, the sequel to Superman Returns promises to raise the stakes and take the audience to heights of action that no other superhero movie can achieve." This information on the site has since been taken down but screenshots of the site can be seen at Alex's blog.

'Arrested Development' Movie is Go for Launch, Seriously

2009-02-24T19:27:00.008-05:00

No Michael Cera didn'tpull a Lindsay Lohan. But he did however, make an Arrested Development movie a bit more realistic. According to Kristin Dos Santos over at E! Online, sources close to the negotiations of said TV-to-film venture said that longtime hold out Michael Cera has agreed to reprise his character George-Michael Bluth for the big screen. His holdout hasn't been one of holding himself in high-esteem and not looking back at his career, but rather of caution in his thriving career (especially after warming teenage girls hearts in Juno).

This comes after a great bit of news from executive producer (as well as the show's narrator) Ron Howard that he let out to Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet at the Oscars this past weekend. Howard said, "It's looking very much like we're going to make [the movie], but we've now been asked to stop offering any details. It's cloaked in a little mystery, but it's looking good."

I'm usually not too keen on any television shows making their way to the big screen. Some concepts work better on television than they do on screen, so when I hear about a Lost movie or anything like that I don't feel any excitement. However, this is one show that never got the time or respect it deserved on air, and with such a great cast and amazing writing, this is sure to impress.

Michel Gondry to Fly with Seth Rogen on 'Green Hornet'

2009-02-24T14:46:00.005-05:00

There was internet tug of war of sorts when there was a report from Sundance saying The Green Hornet feature might not take the flight into production this year, but then Seth Rogen kindly let us know that everything was going to plan.

Now a big push forward for this project has manifested itself via tons of separate updates. My first finding of the news came from the official Sony Pictures Twitter as well as film industry periodical Production Weekly. Variety even went and tossed up this pitiful blurb (which may be expanded by the time you click) that confirms director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Be Kind Rewind) will helm The Green Hornet starring Seth Rogen. Gondry was said to be attached to a Green Hornet project back in the 90's with George Clooney and Jason Scott Lee set to star and Robocop writer Edward Neumeier scripting. Now it looks like the project has made its way back into his hands.

This film now has my full attention. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my favorite films, and while Be Kind Rewind was sloppy and slow I love how much of a labor of love it was for Gondry (the Sweded films were just magical). His style is charming, full of passion, and simply fresh in a medium becoming incresingly formulaic. I can't wait to see his take on an action film such as this.

Looking Forward: The Films of 2009

2009-02-23T17:43:00.008-05:00

Last night at the conclusion of the 81st Academy Awards during the credits everyone was given a vague and not exactly informative look into the films we can look forward to in the coming year. While it's pretty much a guarantee that most of these films will not see awards placement next year, there are some cool never-before-seen clips (though they are all covered by music) for some highly anticipated 2009 films like:

Sherlock Holmes with Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, and Robert Downey, Jr.
Public Enemies with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale
Julie and Julia with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams
Fame with Kelsey Grammer and Megan Mullally
Amelia with Hilary Swank and Richard Gere
Whatever Works with Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood
Old Dogs with Robin Williams and John Travolta
The Boat that Rocked with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Emma Thompson
An Education with Peter Sarsgaard and Alfred Molina
Imagine That with Eddie Murphy and Thomas Haden Church
G-Force with Nicolas Cage and Steve Buscemi

And there's also clips for summer blockbusters from trailers we've already seen like Terminator: Salvation, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Funny People and more.

81st Academy Awards Review (with Videos)

2009-02-23T00:13:00.010-05:00

Well the 81st Academy Awards have come and gone as you may have seen from our list of winners from yesterday's ceremony. But with the show taking on a new face and having so many changes throughout, I only thought it appropriate to go through some of my favorite highlights of the night. Overall it wasn't a spectacular ceremony as the Oscars are always a bit dull, but it could've been way worse without a comedian at the helm.

I must say though that while Hugh Jackman put on some spectacular musical performances and really showed his theatrical chops, what really was annoying was his constant reference that "The musical is back!" It's always back at least once a year. Along with that, I have to say that he didn't really do much hosting. Will Smith was practically on the stage longer for the technical awards presentation. These new additions and formatting didn't really revamp the show (it was still slow and mostly boring even for a movie buff) but that doesn't mean there weren't things to enjoy from the ceremony

Before I go on with the list of pros from the show, I have to comment on the actual awards themselves. Basically there were no real surprises. After all, I had 10 correct predictions out of the 11 I made on here (Damn you Best Foreign Film).

But the one award that there's a lot of backlash and seemingly unnecessarily so, is that Mickey Rourke didn't get Best Actor. Let me just say that I had all my eggs in the Mickey Rourke basket for a long time, but changed my tune after I saw Milk. Sean Penn's performance was one for the books. In speaking with some friends, I slowly came to change my mind in that Rourke's performance, while stirring, isn't too much of a departure from his real life. He had a lot of inspiration to pull from in his own life for those emotions on screen. That's not to discredit his performance because putting that much heart-wrenching drama into a character is not easy. But Sean Penn's portrayal of Harvey Milk was just a complete departure from anything he's done before. I was pleased with this outcome, and don't think that the Penn-Hate-Train has any steam,.

Anyway, here's some of the stuff I really dug from the ceremony:

The opening musical number was really fun. The stage pieces and progression through each film was like watching Michel Gondry tackle the Academy Awards with his patented "Sweded" production quality straight from Be Kind Rewind. It was great to see Jackman comment on The Dark Knight for fanboys, especially as a star of comic book movies himself
The 2008 Film Yearbook montages were edited together so meticulously. I can't imagine going through the hours of films and coming out with those montages which so brilliant play off one another. Each cut made the films interact with each other and it was just fantastic. There are some low quality captures of these montages for the Action and Romance movies of 2008 here and here (one is mislabeled on YouTube but it's the correct video). Comedy received a special treatment we'll highlight below.
Very cool presentation method for the acting nominations. Having a previously awarded actor or actress prepare a personalized nomination sort of speech was slightly long winded, but was also a personal touch to the usually borning nomination reels. You can see the nominations presented by 20 other actors for Best Actor/Actress and Best Supporitng Actor/Actress right here
Tina Fey and Steve Martin presenting the awards for adapted and original screenplays had some of the greatest laughs of the night. Also I always love seeing the clips with the script content superimposed over them like they were subtitles.
This commercial for Jimmy Kimmel's show featuring Tom Cruise. It's not Oscar related. Big whoop, wanna fight about it?
Will Smith screwing up reading the teleprompter and making a reference to Boom Goes the Dynamite. Oh to be Internet famous!

Finally my most favorite part of the entire ceremony is the video I've embedded below that highlights the comedy films of 2008...sort of. It's an original short by Judd Apatow featuring Seth Rogen and James Franco as their characters from Pineapple Express. All I have to say is Janusz Kaminski needs to do more comedy...you'll see what I mean.

What did you guys think of all the changes and new approach to the show?

81st Academy Award Winners

2009-02-22T18:54:00.041-05:00

Here we are updating live with the winners of the 81st Academy Awards! Reactions and ceremony review will be up shortly after! Stay Tuned!

Best Supporting Actress - Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Original Screenplay - Dustin Lance Black for Milk

Best Adapted Screenplay - Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Animated Feature Film - WALL-E

Best Animated Short Film - La Maison en Petits Cubes

Art Direction - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Costume Design - The Duchess

Makeup - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Cinematography - Slumdog Millionaire

Short Film - Spielzeulgland (Toyland)

Best Supporting Actor- Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight

Documentary Feature Film - Man on Wire

Documentary Short Film - Smile Pinki

Visual Effects - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Sound Editing - The Dark Knight

Sound Mixing - Slumdog Millionaire

Film Editing - Slumdog Millionaire

Original Score - A.R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire

Original Song - "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire

Best Foreign Language Film - Departures (Japan)

Best Director - Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actress - Kate Winslet for The Reader

Best Actor - Sean Penn for Milk

Best Picture - Slumdog Millionaire

And that's it for our live coverage of the winners of the 81st Academy Awards. Tomorrow we'll have a review of the revamped ceremony and some reactions to the surprises (or mostly lack thereof) .

Movies from Release Date Hell

2009-02-21T16:59:00.011-05:00

If one thing has been difficult over the past two months it's been getting excited each weekend for new releases. Between January and April is what is considered to be the off-season for films. Most of the releases during this time either aren't stand-out enough/too risky for the summer blockbuster run, or simply not awards contenders. Some of the releases may at one time have been considered for these popular spots, but either were plagued by re-shoots or bad focus group screenings and thus had a release date change.

January only brought one release that was a must-see for me (Liam Neeson's action-packed, Taken which had already seen release in Europe almost a year earlier) and it delivered the goods. February brought the enchanting Coraline (you can check out my review here) and surprised me with a fun slasher flick in Friday the 13th (review also posted).

But now I find myself struggling to remember what movies are coming out each weekend, because there's so much interminable dross out there to distract us (Thanks, Tyler Perry for this weekend's contribution to my list of Movies That Could Kill Me in your increasingly Ernest P. Worrell attempts at film with Madea Goes to Jail). Below are the major releases coming up in March and April that I will be seeing in theaters, and are really the only flicks to have any excitement about (even mild) until summer blockbuster season hits in May. Note: This doesn't include many of the indie or limited release movies since I'm not counting on them being released in our charmingly artistically declined Midwest state.

Watchmen - March 6
Based on the most praised graphic novel of all-time, this Zack Snyder directed picture turns the concept of a superhero team to a darker side for a social commentary on heroism. This one is also going to be released in IMAX and if the trailers are any indication then the visuals alone should make for good theater-going fare. But honestly, if you haven't heard of this film by now, then this movie just isn't for you.

I Love You, Man - March 20
Jason Segel and Paul Rudd team up in this bro-mantic comedy. We profiled the red-band trailer for this film a few weeks back, and it looks to join Forgetting Sarah Marshall as one of my favorite recent comedies. Surely more laughs will be brought in from supporting cast members Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live), J.K. Simmons (Juno and Spider-Man) and Jon Favreau.

Adventureland - March 27
Superbad director Greg Mottola helms this film that is probably easiest described as Waiting... set in an amusement park (it even has Ryan Reynolds in a similar role as the all-knowing long-time employee). Jesse Eisenberg (Squid and the Whale) and Kristen Stewart (of Twilight pandemonium) are in the roles of romantic leads supported by other park employees including Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig. Check out the trailer here.

Observe and Report - April 10
We've already highlighted the less than stellar poster, and mostly amusing red-band trailer for this upcoming comedy starring Seth Rogen. The trailer wasn't top notch, but I just have a feeling that this one is going to be along the lines of Pineapple Express in turning the action genre on its head with some great 80's nostalgic comedy and action sequences in the form of a rag tag team of mall security guards. Seth Rogen has a career that every comedian should be envious of right now.

The Soloist - April 24
This unfortunately was one of those movies that got plagued by low focus group scores and was pushed back out of awards contention. Way back. The trailer makes the film look very heartwarming and containing great performances from both Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr. I genuinely laugh everytime Foxx points to the sky and asks Downey, "Are you flying that plane?" And Downey says nonchalantly, "No, I'm right here." Check out the trailer here.

This is a short list, and while it could be made long with the aforementioned indie and limited release films, these are the ones that I'll be able to realistically catch, and therefore am already excited. If you're angry that I didn't put down Fast and Furious or Race to Witch Mountain then sound off below.

Poster Premiere: Observe and Report

2009-02-21T16:26:00.003-05:00

Here's the uninspiring and plain one sheet for the upcoming April comedy Observe and Report, starring Seth Rogen. While this poster looks lazily slapped together (the picture of Rogen looks like it was part of another worse poster design and just cut and paste into a tattered paper template) I can't stress enough how much I don't want this movie to get lost in the shuffle simply because a far more exhausting and mind-numbing film called Paul Blart: Waste of Time was released beforehand. With an R-Rated MPAA stamp this almost ensures Observe and Report as a higher caliber of comedy. You can check out the trailer we posted a couple weeks ago as well to gauge for yourself.

81st Academy Award Predictions

2009-02-21T16:18:00.004-05:00

And so the 81st Academy Awards are upon us airing live tomorrow night on ABC at 8pm EST. While wardrobes are being finalized, performances rehearsed and nerves racked, those of us not involved with the telecast other than as observers are simply making predictions and waiting for what has been dubbed Hollywood's biggest night.

Below I've included my predictions for the major awards (including Best Foreign Film and Best Animated Film). I've included additional comments as far as who I think should win if it is contrary to my actual predictions. Feel free to sound off in the comments with any disagreements or with a full list of your own predictions.

Best Picture - Slumdog Millionaire

But I wouldn't be upset to see Milk take home the big prize

Best Actor - Sean Penn for Milk

Sean Penn took home the SAG award which is a pretty good indicator, and the more I think about it, the more impressive his role as Harvey Milk was. Rourke gave an excellent performance but really had a lot of personal hard times to inspire his rough around the edges, emotionally collapsing character portrayal in The Wrestler.

Best Actress - Kate Winslet for The Reader

If I had my way, I honestly would probably go with Meryl Streep for Doubt. Her performance struck me more, but that might only be because The Reader wasn't wholly remarkable as a film. But Winslet seems like the favorite.

Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight

This is pretty much as close to a guarantee as you can get. The late Heath Ledger has the most buzz and has received all the right praise and awards to have this one in the bag.

Best Supporting Actress - Penelope Cruz for Vicky Christina Barcelona

While she didn't get the SAG or Golden Globes, she certainly seems like the choice to win. My personal choice is Viola Davis for her brief role in Doubt. While her screen time was minimal, hers was a very powerful performance that really struck a chord.

Best Director - Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

Same with picture, Gus Van Sant could easily snag this award for his directing Milk and I wouldn't be disappointed.

Best Original Screenplay - Dustin Lance Black for Milk

With Slumdog Millionaire being an adapted screenplay I think that Black is almost as close of a shoe-in for this award as Ledger for Supporting Actor

Best Adapted Screenplay - Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire

This is also almost a lock-in since Milk is an original screenplay and out of competition with Beaufoy

Best Animated Feature - WALL-E

This was most assuredly the best animated feature from last year and if it doesn't get it then for shame.

Best Foreign Feature - Waltz with Bashir

I am not prepared to actually comment on any of the foreign film nominees this year, but this is getting all sorts of acclaim and thus it's my pick.

Best Documentary Feature - Man on Wire

Truly a hidden gem in the world of documentary films, this is a heavy favorite, and I really enjoyed seeing its narrative come to life thanks to the wonders of Netflix Instant Viewing.

Here Come the 'Little Fockers'

2009-02-21T14:20:00.005-05:00

This still of Robert DeNiro to the right basically expresses my complete disapproval on the fast tracking of the Meet the Parents three-quel Little Fockers. The project has been announced for years, but Hollywood Reporter says Universal is looking to jump into production for a principal photography start date as early as summer. However, film is moving forward without franchise director Jay Roach.

So who will be in the director's chair for the third go round? Universal is looking at some directors with a variety of comedic styles. First up is Paul Weitz, the man responsible for bringing back the raunchy teen sex comedy (for better or worse) with American Pie. His work has been of varying quality between the enjoyable but not memorable In Good Company and the tongue in cheek, somewhat satirical American Dreamz.

A less than stellar candidate is Peyton Reed who is responsible for keeping Jim Carrey locked in career hell with the disappointing Liar, Liar re-tread Yes, Man. Reed had success with the unconventional not-so-romantic comedy The Break-Up, and may be able to replicate the awkward, realistic clashes between families in Little Fockers, but he wouldn't be at the top of my list.

My personal favorite candidate who could really breathe some fresh air into the Ben Stiller franchise is David Wain. Fresh off last year's Role Models, whose trailers did not do it justice, Wain also directed the equally hilarious cult comedy Wet Hot American Summer. Wain could really bring something new to a franchise that while it has enjoyed over $800 million in international box office, has had less than fresh comedy material.

While Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand's participation in Meet the Fockers helped a bit, it certainly wasn't groundbreaking. Basically by now we've come to expect Ben Stiller's socially awkward antics facing up to Robert DeNiro's dispproving, conservative nature. It's time for a change of pace. Are you guys interested in seeing some more Fockers or do you want this and other seemingly other unnecessary sequels to Focker off?

First 'Funny People' Trailer is...Well, Sad...But Funny Too!

2009-02-20T18:28:00.004-05:00

The first trailer for Judd Apatow's upcoming comedy set in the world of stand-up comics, the aptly named Funny People. Of course it's funny but the trailer really strikes an emotional chord too. Along with some great jokes coming from Seth Rogen and Adam Sandler there are some scenes that really pull at your heartstrings and I think this is going to be a real tearjerker. Apatow has a really great way of crafting comedy in the face of life-altering and potentially tragic situations, and this one just takes it to the next level. I can only assume his next comedy will be set during some sort of terrorist attack, and then no one will be able to stop him. Check out the trailer below.

Poster Premiere: Inglourious Basterds

2009-02-20T11:47:00.010-05:00

Empire magazine got the scoop on three new posters for Quentin Tarantino's upcoming WWII re-make Inglourious Basterds. From the looks of the posters and the trailer that we featured last week this movie could rival Pulp Fiction as his best work.

For those unfamiliar with the original and differently spelled Inglorious Bastards, or Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato (that's right it was originally an Italian film about American soliders), it was billed as "Whatever the Dirty Dozen did, they do it dirtier!" So that should give you a pretty good frame of reference for what the film will be like.

With Tarantino at the helm and his penchant for violence mixed in with a bit of story this should turn out to be one hell of a war film. I really want to know why all those names are on that bat. You can check out the other two posters here and here.

'Prison Break' on Parole

2009-02-18T15:45:00.008-05:00

Reports from Variety show that Prison Break will not be returning next fall. This comes at a disappointment to many fans, but in reality how many times can you break out, go on the lamb, get caught again, etc. before you jump the shark. Oh wait, they already did... I like to think it was with the brain surgery, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Representatives from FOX say they are axing Prison Break in favor of developing new shows as well as promoting some in the their first season, like Lie to Me. This is good news for shows like Dollhouse.

The only real fear at this point is that FOX will do what it always does and cancel good shows before they really need to. Case in point Arrested Development, Firefly, The Loop, Wonder Falls... I don't think I really need to go on. So to all the folks at Prison Break enjoy your parole, but remember the hotel is only paid for through two months so good luck finding a job with your record.

Agree to Disagree - The Trilogy Meter

2009-02-18T10:37:00.006-05:00

Here is something put together by blogger Dan Meth over at his website that visualizes his enjoyment of each film in their respective trilogies in the form of bar graphs.

Dan comments on the inevitable disagreements and preemptively responds to any backlash by saying, "I know other movie geeks are going to have disagreements and that’s fine. And yes, I know some of these movies went more than 3 sequels, but none were ever meant to. These are rated purely on my enjoyment level on each film and nothing else. Frankly I’m surprised by how many sequels were better than the original. And I’m not surprised that the 3rd movie is never the best."

And so, here are my discrepancies with the chart stated in a declarative manner but not meant to be written as facts (but they probably are *wink*):

Temple of Doom is definitely not better than Last Crusade
The Matrix: Reloaded is not THAT bad of film at all. Reloaded and Revolutions get lumped together in poor quality, but Reloaded set up for an awesome conclusion and Revolutions ruined it all.
Why is Jurassic Park so low? That film has most certainly held up over the past 16 years, especially in the visual effects department
Die Hard with a Vengeance is much more fun and feels more like part of a trilogy than Die Hard 2 does.
Rambo: First Blood is overrated and not even on the same playing field as the equally leveled Star Wars
The Godfather Part III is bad but not worse than Spider-Man 3 in any capacity whatsoever.

What are your disagreements with the Trilogy Meter?

'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' Three One-Minute Promos

2009-02-18T00:50:00.011-05:00

The more I see of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the less excited I become. There I said it. The first trailer that came out a couple months ago was action-packed for sure, but it felt a bit over the top. Now with these three new one-minute promos that aired during Fox's prime-time schedule, I'm not exactly impressed.

One of the more worrisome elements is that a lot of the forced humor that turned Wolverine into a walking punchline in X-Men: The Last Stand stuck around, and that's a bit disheartening. Also, I don't know if I'm the only one still skeptical, but I haven't seen Liev Schreiber (Defiance) do anything that makes me like him as Sabretooth yet. Hugh Jackman has already done a bit of damage control on those reshoots in Vancouver, but unless something amazing comes out before May, then I might need some more reassurance.

So far the only things sustaining a decent amount of interest and dare I say excitement are:

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine because he's just so damn good at it
Gambit being in the movie at all. This was a character that deserved the full fledged X-Men treatment, and it's good to see him on screen.
Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool. Despite Blade Trinity falling flat on its face, I enjoyed Reynolds character and it'll be good to see him in something other than mediocre romantic comedies again.
Dominic Monaghan as Beak. I just want to see how he plays in a comic book movie.
Any potential cameos from other X-Men.

Otherwise, some pretty spectacular footage is going to have to come out in the form of a new trailer to get me truly hyped. The three one-minute spots are embedded below. They work together a bit, so watch them in order.

Cinema Bits: The Expendables, Shia LaBeouf and more

2009-02-17T21:34:00.017-05:00

The Associate - Variety reports screenwriter William Monahan (The Departed) has been tapped to adapt the John Grisham novel as a starring vehicle for Shia LaBeouf with Paramount Pictures distributing. "LaBeouf will play a Yale Law School student with a sordid secret that leaves him vulnerable to blackmail. He's manipulated into taking a job at a law firm and working on a multibillion-dollar lawsuit." Doesn't sound particularly exciting, but I really enjoyed Matt Damon in John Grisham's The Rainmaker, so this could work out.

The Expendables - Ain't It Cool News got info that Arnold Schwarzeneggar is joining the upcoming action bonanza written and directed by Sylvester Stallone. Unfortunately he won't be joining the titular team, but will rather be playing himself as California governor. The Expendables tells the story of a covert team sent in to South Africa to take out a tyrannical dictator. Rest of the cast already includes Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Forest Whittaker, Dolph Lundgren and Eric Roberts. Sounds like a good old fashioned action flick in the same vein as Rambo.

The Days Before - Production Weekly reports via Twitter that negotiations are underway to have Robert Downey, Jr and Reese Witherspoon in the Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) directed film. Story is best described as a sci-fi Groundhog Day where an alien race is traveling through time and destroying the human race yesterday, and the yesterday after that. So everyday the human race was destroyed yesterday, and today and one man has to convince the world each day that they will be destroyed, over and over again. Yeah, I'm confused too, but it sounds like an very intriguing concept.

Quick Flicks: 'The Uncler' featuring Alyssa Milano

2009-02-17T18:11:00.007-05:00

These days America is facing some tough times. A crumbling housing market and auto industry, and the still withering economy are all taking their toll on the people. But if one thing is for sure people are craving entertainment more than ever to keep away worry (especially after this past weekend's box office). Now to give us a little bit of inspiration, Funny or Die has given us a glimpse into the ultimate underdog story. The story of a comeback, the story of redemption. It's the story of America.

Eerily similar to Academy Award nominated film, The Wrestler (TONGUE IN CHEEK), The Uncler follows Uncle Sam on his rough road to get back to the pedestal he was once placed upon. Directed by Jake Szymanski known better for the series of High Five videos on Funny or Die, The Uncler also features Alyssa Milano who really makes you do a double take in portraying Marisa Tomei's character from The Wrestler. And so without further adieu I give you...The Uncler.

'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' Full Teaser Trailer

2009-02-16T11:44:00.007-05:00

The trailer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that was attached to Friday the 13th this past weekend is now online. The trailer puts all the attention on the action and visuals and doesn't have any of the typical exciting orchestral hits. There's this sort of techno-tronic beat subtly running through it all with some semblance of music towards the end, very similar to the Super Bowl spot. This trailer contains everything from that 30 second spot and much much more. Can't wait to see more of this. We've embedded it below, or you can check it out in HD over at Yahoo Movies.

Review: Friday the 13th

2009-02-15T15:43:00.007-05:00

To say that Friday the 13th has all the cliché elements of a standard slasher film (that even the most dense of film-goers come to expect) would be a great understatement. But to say that I didn't have a great time watching the iconic hockey-masked killer Jason Vorhees take out some lustful, drug and alcohol abusing Abercrombie and Fitch template teens would be a complete lie. To make this even more clear: I hate horror movies, and I had a hell of a time with this hybrid sequel/reboot. Unfortunately because of the nature of this film, my review is filled with spoilers. So reader beware...

Friday the 13th isn't exactly a complete re-imagination of the original and now staple horror franchise. The story of this 2009 update begins where the first left off, and while it's not necessary, I wholly recommend that you see the original before you check this one out. If you haven't seen the original Friday the 13th by now, then it's completely your fault for not knowing that the killer in the first film is not the hockey-mask clad killer we all know today, but rather his mother. Jason is simply the now grown-up young boy who died at Camp Crystal Lake due to the now expected irresponsible behavior of the camp counselors who allowed Jason to drown. His killing spree begins after he sees his murderous mother killed by the Final Girl at the conclusion of the original film.

Fortunately this information is giving to us in the form of a re-creation of this final scene. The action is cross cut with the opening credits, and either the woman playing Mrs. Vorhees (Nana Visitor) is a great impressionist, or the audio from Betsy Palmer's 1980 performance was used for her voice. Jason sees the Final Girl cut off Mrs. Vorhees head, leaving Jason only with a picture necklace of his mother, and a rage to take out on unsuspecting teenage campers.

Flash forward 20 years, and some fresh teen blood is looking for some prime marijuana for these five campers to sell back home. Unfortunately this heavenly stash of herb is within Jason's territory at Camp Crystal Lake. No time is wasted in the drinking and sex romps with female nudity abound, and it's just as little time it takes for Jason to make his first kill. The next 20 minutes are very intense.

Jason moves right on to take out the couple sexing it up in the tent. Jason moves on with more terror as he targets a couple exploring the abandoned cabin that Jason occupied as a young boy. He succeeds in taking out the guy, as the female half of this couple, Whitney (Amanda Righetti) runs away from the cabin and back to the campsite where she finds her struggling friend with his leg stuck in a bear trap. Sure enough Jason shows up out of nowhere, dispenses with the guy. And at this point, we have our Final Girl and this movie seems like it's only going to be 30 minutes long. As Whitney tries to escape, Jason runs up on her, raising his machete and swinging down and then - cut to black, fade in title: Friday the 13th. I love it.

And here is where the movie begins just as every other slasher movie does. There's a group of good looking kids heading off on a camping trip/vacation full of bad decisions. We're introduced to the mostly unfamiliar cast Danielle Panabaker (Sky High), Travis Van Winkle (Megan Fox's boy-toy from Transformers), Aaron Yoo (Shia LeBeouf's sidekick from Disturbia) Julianna Guill (slutty girl), Arlen Escarpeta (token black guy, but with a self-aware twist), Ryan Hansen, and former almost-one-hit-wonder Willa Ford, singer of the song "I Wanna Be Bad." All of the cast does their job as eye candy and douche bag teens that you just want to see get massacred. This is perfectly fine because I don't want character development, I just want them to die.

The characters that we're really supposed to care about become Clay Miller (Jared Padalecki) as he's looking for his sister Whitney who has been missing for a month and a half, and the only character out of the hormone crazed vacationing teens who takes an interest: Jenna (Danielle Panabaker). It's not surprise with this story, that Whitney is still alive (the excuse being that she looks like the picture of Jason's mother in the aforementioned picture locket). This is an interesting plot device, and makes the other characters all the more disposable (though there are a couple surprises as to who lives and dies). These surprises combined with the expected orchestral rises in deceptively not scary scenes, and inexplicable sudden appearances of Jason behind the victims make for some good times.

This movie isn't going to win any awards obviously (with lines like "Where are you, gun?!") but the film delivers exactly what people wanted to see (surely the film's release actually on Friday the 13th of February helped, but over $40 million is still a hefty take). The establishment of Jason's character is quick, and maybe even a little sloppy, but a couple cool elements like the introduction of the hockey mask and a couple tongue in cheek moments (mostly involving the token black guy) really give this film a fun flare. This is a movie to watch late at night with a group of friends and just leave your brain at the door. My personal fun was all the more highlighted by a decorated theater complete with bloody tent, and costumed Jason Vorhees who walked through the theater during the beginning of the movie. I won't see movies like The Uninvited or The Unborn, but I'll take another Friday the 13th anyday.

'The Taking of Pellham 123' Trailer

2009-02-13T13:56:00.006-05:00

Remakes are held to such more scrutiny than original films. There are a lot of different views on remakes, re-boots, re-imaginings or whatever the hell you want to call them. If a it's a re-imagining of a successful film, then it damn well better do the original justice. If it's a reboot of a franchise then it has to be the complete opposite of what the original was attempting to do. And even if it's a remake of a film that isn't necessarily held to extremely high esteem, it's highly subject to default skepticism. Such is the case with The Taking of Pellham 123.

Now I have to admit, that I have not seen the original yet (it's in my ever growing Netflix queue), but I don't think that a remake of the 1974 film of the same name warrants any automatic backlash. First of all, I dare anybody to call any of the characters in the original film iconic or put the film in a Top 100 list. It's not happening. Personally, since the film is also an adaptation of a book by Morton Freedgood, it should be looked at just the same. How many different adaptations of the Lord of the Rings trilogy or the Chronicles of Narnia series have been made. That's an extreme example, but no one gets pissed about those. People have said that this is a remake that doesn't need to be made. It's not like they're remaking The Godfather.

Personally, I think the Tony Scott directed film looks like a great return of John Travolta to the action genre and pinning him up against the formidable force that is Denzel Washington. The trailer doesn't give too much away in the vein of plot other than that Travolta and a team of terrorists are holding the Pellham 123 train hostage for ransom, and Denzel, as the subway dispatcher and Trainsit Authority lieutenant has to negotiate. The intersting element that comes into play is where are these hostage takers going to go once they get their money (they're trapped in the subway tunnel system with nowhere to run). Trailer is embedded below for your thoughts.

Cruise and Stiller's 'Hardy Men' Gets a Writer

2009-02-13T13:24:00.005-05:00

It's been over two years since it was announced that Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller were looking to team up for The Hardy Men, a comedy based off the classic book series The Hardy Boys. Well today we got word from The Hollywood Reporter that Men in Black scribe Ed Solomon will be inking the Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) directed comedy for 20th Century Fox.

Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller have long been friends, and they've proven their comedic chops together before in an MTV Movie Awards short where Ben Stiller portrayed stunt double Tom Crooze. Then again they teamed up, though never really together on screen, in the Stiller directed comedy Tropic Thunder with Tom Cruise in the Golden Globe nominated role of enraged and over-the-top studio executive Les Grossman.

Personally I think Cruise and Stiller together as a duo on screen makes for a hilarious movie. Cruise's rants and anger explosions in Tropic Thunder were some of the favorite parts of the film, and it really turned down the bashing on his career a bit. I'm looking forward to this going into production soon. For your enjoyment we've included the Tom Crooze: Mission Improbable short below.

Trial of the Century: 'The People vs George Lucas'

2009-02-13T11:29:00.005-05:00

A lot of people are really mad at George Lucas. They feel he has chipped away at the cinematic legacy he created not only with the Star Wars universe but in the adventures of Indiana Jones. Fanboys and fangirls alike have all argued back and forth about the endeavors of Lucasfilm Ltd and all the secret going-ons at Skywalker Ranch and their impact on each of their lives.

Now one film sets out to settle the debate, or at least hear both sides of the argument. The People vs George Lucas "delves into the impassioned feelings and opinions expressed by fans and foes of legendary screen icon George Lucas, and the many debates surrounding his legacy."

IMDB describes the film that, "will use a courtroom debate approach to explore the issues of filmmaking and fanaticism around one of the industry's most famous franchises and its creator. The innovative film combines filmmaker and celebrity interviews with fan films - submitted via the film's site - to make this the world's first digitally democratic feature documentary."

Hopefully this will actually take into account legitimate arguments and debate regarding George Lucas' career and also some really embarassing characters similar to those seen in the Trekkies documentary. My favorite comment in the trailer (embedded below) someone recounts about George, "He had a pile of scripts that he would show my but never let me read them. He would say these are the movies I'm gonna make. None of those movies have been made."

That reminds me a lot of what Spielberg said at the beginning of a behind the scenes documentary from the Indiana Jones DVD set about Temple of Doom, "When George and I were in Hawaii and I agree to direct Raiders [of the Lost Ark], George said that if I did wind up directing the first one that I would need to direct three of them. He said that he had three stories in mind. It turns out George did not have three stories in mind. We had to make up all the other subsequent stories."

Anyway this should be a pretty interesting documentary for anybody who was and is a fan of Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Check out the trailer for this upcoming documentary below.

'X-Men' Animated Series Finally Hits DVD

2009-02-13T11:07:00.003-05:00

When I was a kid, I never missed Saturday morning cartoons. Often times I was up before my parents, and eagerly awaiting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and X-Men. I even remember back when Pizza Hut had a big X-Men promotion and you would get a VHS tape of an episode of the X-Men animated series. The one I had was Night of the Sentinels and I wore that tape out like no other.

Nostalgia for my childhood is something very close to my heart, and now I have will have the chance to go back and revisit my love of the cartoon X-Men. According to TV Shows on DVD, on April 28 Volume 1 and Volume 2 of the X-Men animated series will be coming to DVD. Each volume is a two disc set and between the two of them have 32 episodes (and these episodes apparently include the Dark Phoenix saga as well).

Coming up, I've got a look back at some of my favorite childhood shows that have yet to be released on DVD. But for now I have for your enjoyment and childhood glee, the majesty of the opening titles of X-Men the animated series. Classic.

Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds' Trailer

2009-02-13T11:01:00.003-05:00

"You haven't seen war until you've seen it through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino."

That about sums up the trailer for Quentin Tarantino's eagerly awaited war film Inglourious Basterds. And no that's not a typo. Plot synopsis: During World War II a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers."

The film stars Brad Pitt, in a role quite unlike any other he's played before, commanding a great cast of his soldiers (including B.J. Novak from The Office and Samm Levine from Freaks and Geeks) as they go on a warpath trying to take down the Nazi stronghold in Germany.

This trailer is as fun as hell, and I'm even more interested to see what role Mike Myers plays in the film. Check it out below.

FINALLY! 'Stretch Armstrong' Hits the Big Screen

2009-02-13T10:34:00.005-05:00

You know, I was pretty flabbergasted when I found out there was a Candy Land movie being made. But these movies about childhood toys just keep getting better and better.

Variety reports that Universal pictures has hired Steve Oedekerk (Bruce Almighty) to pen the script to a feature length film featuring everyone's favorite flexible friend, Stretch Armstrong. You can understand the appeal here I think. I mean the guy bends, and stretches and even ties in knots.

There's gotta be a time when people are just going to give up on Hollywood. But when stuff like this keeps happening, it's really difficult to see what possible flagrancy can be committed that will turn audiences away.

All I know is that I continue to eagerly await other adaptations of toys and games. For example, could you imagine a Crossfire movie ("You'll get caught up in the - CROSSFIRE!")? It'd be kind of like Tron but with a lot more balls and leather jackets. Or for that matter, Hasbro owns NERF products! Why aren't we making an action movie with NERF weapons. Surely that's how people will fight in the future. I hope you're listening Uwe Boll. The ball is in your court.

"Smells Like" A Crappy Remake for Freddy Krueger

2009-02-12T22:45:00.017-05:00

After the successful re-imagining of Halloween and the pending opening weekend for the remade Friday the 13th (which is actually Part 2 *spoiler alert* the Mom was the killer in the first one!) everyone seems to be cashing in on bringing back mediocre serial kilers for another 20 movies or so.

Freddy Krueger is the latest victim, and has just been given his director. The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Biz Blog reports Samuel Bayer, the man responsible for Nirvana's award-winning "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video will be bringing you the latest installment of everybody's favorite dream-invading bad guy.

I don't know how comfortable I feel with a music video director making the leap to film, but then I stepped back and realized that this film is just another in the line of horrible slasher remakes that keep popping up. And it's kinda hard to mess up a slasher flick. Start creepy music, think killer is there but WAIT it's just a cat, turn around and get hit with an axe. It's pretty formulaic. Which leaves me with one hope, and that is that Hollywood decides to remake Child's Play, but this time he gets trapped in an Elmo doll. Kids will never see Sesame Street the same way...

Cinema Bits: Halloween 2, Jonah Hill, Jonah Hex and More

2009-02-12T19:53:00.008-05:00

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Today Paramount Pictures announced that they have bumped up the release date for the action-packed sequel from June 26 to a whole two days earlier on June 24. That has to be such better placement for box office positioning. I'm making my sarcastic face right now.

The Matarese Circle - Variety announced today a collaboration between Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington to work on this adaptation of a thriller by Robert Ludlum (author of the Bourne Trilogy books). Film focuses on "two bitter enemy spies who, after spending two decades trying to kill each other, grudgingly team up against the Matarese, a powerful group at the root of a conspiracy." Writers Michael Brandt and Derek Haas (Wanted) are updating the book's Cold War elements for modern times. Distributor MGM also has the rights to the follow-up book The Materese Countdown for a potential sequel.

Jonah Hex - John Malkovich has been cast to do battle against Josh Brolin in this adaptation of a DC Comics publication. Josh Brolin has been set as the facially deformed former Confederate soldier-turned-gunslinger Jonah Hex for awhile now and Malkovich's casting places him opposite Brolin as Quentin Turnbull, a plantation owner who apparently has sworn vengeance against Hex for causing the death of his son during the Civil War. Horton Hears a Who director Jimmy Hayward is directing

The Adventurer's Handbook - Universal has acquired the rights to a high profile spec script written by Jonah Hill and his writing partners Max Winkler (Henry "The Fonz" Winkler's son) and Matthew Spicer. Variety says the film is a "comedy in which a quartet of pals go on a global adventure, inspired by the hardcore stories of explorers whose tales are chronicled in [Mick] Conefrey's book [The Adventurer's Handbook]. Multiple studios were interested in the film bidding back and forth until the deal went to universal for a seven figure sum. The script was so high profile that EW reports, "The script was sent over on red, watermarked paper so it couldn't be photocopied. Multiple studios were interested in the project described as an edgy, broad comedy." Jonah Hill and Jason Scwartzman have already signed on to star.

Untitled Social Networking Teen Thriller - This one speaks for itself in that "WTF Really?!" kind of way. Hollywood Reporter announced that Dimension Films is looking to make some bank off the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook by mixing up a teenage thriller based around one of these sites. Bob Weinstein commented, ""Online social networking is a widespread phenomenon that interests me greatly. Combining it with a suspense thriller is a new and fresh way to explore this new trend." Almost as fresh as having cell phones being the killer. Oh wait...

H2: Halloween 2 - Heroes speedster girl Brea Grant has been cast in Rob Zombie's slasher sequel. Bloody Disgusting reports that Grant will be playing "Mya Rockwell, Laurie Strode's co-worker at Uncle Meat's Jave Hole. " Whatever that means. She's been a breath of fresh air on Heroes despite the cast being unable to sustain its big numbers. Should be interesting to see her in this type of film.

Cinema Bits is a recurring installment here at Screen Rider providing you with brief snippets of casting, production and all things newsworthy in movies and television.

'Angels & Demons' Gets the Full Trailer Treatment

2009-02-11T13:48:00.004-05:00

Let's be honest here, Ron Howard's adaptation of Dan Brown's best selling novel The Da Vinci Code, was nothing to marvel at. It wasn't terrible by any means, but it wasn't captivating either. I was expecting more of the same when it came time for the prequel, Angels and Demons, to go into production. The teaser trailer and the Super Bowl spot for the film pretty much confirmed that for me.

And then comes this new trailer that sweeps the rug out from under me. Whoever edited this trailer should edit every trailer from here on out. It does exactly what a trailer is supposed to do: get people excited to see the movie (and that's coming from someone who had little interest and no excitement to see it). My friends and I have talked before about how trailers are better than the movies most of the time, and are inherently misleading. I hope this isn't the case with this one. Check it out below. Does this get you excited for Angels and Demons?

Spielberg's 'Lincoln' Logs in to 2009 Release Schedule?

2009-02-11T12:57:00.008-05:00

It's been known for several years now that Steven Spielberg has planned on doing a biopic about the arguably greatest president that our country has ever seen: Abraham Lincoln. It has also long been known that Liam Neeson would be filling in the shoes of Honest Abe when this historical drama panned out. But what hasn't been known is when Lincoln would actually get made.

We got a bit of a hint and some hopes earlier this week when screenwriter Tony Kushner (who is writing Spielberg's Lincoln) spoke at a discussion in a Harvard University Institute of Politics panel discussion called Looking For Lincoln: In His Time and Ours -- A Conversation on the Meaning of Abraham Lincoln.

Jeffrey Wells over at Hollywood Elsewhere broke the story when he received an e-mail from one of his readers highlighting some new info on the picture.

"the decision will be made on Lincoln next week" and that if the green light is given the film will be "out by Christmas."

The film "only covers two months of his life," my guy says, and that "the first draft covered four months and [was] 500 pages."

The 13th amendment -- the abolition of slavery and involuntary servitude -- "is a big thing in the movie."

This is certainly some interesting news, but I'm not entirely confident that Spielberg can get this film off in time for a Christmas release. I know he worked a near miracle in starting Munich in June of 2005 and having it ready for release in December, but Lincoln will be a period drama on a much more epic scale, especially if Civil War enactments come into play. The driving force behind this fast track is most likely Liam Neeson's strong presence at the box office when Taken took the number one spot in the box office a couple weeks ago. I'm not going to hold my breath on this happening, but if it does I'll be glad to see it finally go into production. We'll keep you posted.

Poster Premiere: 'H2: Halloween 2'

2009-02-11T12:55:00.003-05:00

The teaser poster for Rob Zombie's follow-up to his 2007 franchise reboot Halloween has just hit the nets. It's a pretty basic teaser poster with a creepy, newsprint looking close-up of the signature Michael Myers mask and a title dubbing of H2. I'll admit I'm not a fan of Rob Zombie's films, but for some reason I enjoyed a decent portion of Halloween.

My one complaint about the film should be reason enough for me to hate it, but for some reason I don't. I hated the fact that the origin story of Michael Myers reduced him to a prototypical serial killer who murders because of his terrible childhood. It turns Myers into an emo kid with parental issues rather than keeping the mystery and fear of a character who has no method to his madness. What saved the film for me was it's tone and style in the slasher elements of the film. Myers has a much more threatening presence and his gritty, dirty mask adds to that scary demeanor. All I know is that the original sequel to Halloween is one of the best horror sequels ever made, and this once again has a lot to live up to.

FX and ABC Gear Up Competition for NBC's 'Heroes'

2009-02-11T12:33:00.004-05:00

NBC's Heroes has had some struggle maintaining and attempting to recreate the great first season of television they provided us with. Unfortunately Heroes has fallen privy to cliches and plots take straight out of other comics and I have become increasingly less interested in a majority of the cast (only Sylar has kept my interest throughout the series entire run).

Luckily two other networks are throwing their hats into the ring with a couple different takes on the superhero genre.

First up MTV reports that FX is bringing established comic book series Powers to the small screen. The comic is "set in a world where superpowers are relatively common but not mundane. It follows the lives of two detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, police officers in a homicide department devoted to cases that involve "powers" (people with superpowers). Walker himself used to be a costumed superhero named Diamond, but became a police officer after he lost his abilities. Though stripped of his powers, he still retains his contacts within the superhero community." I hope this turns out to be the show that Heroes desperately wants to be.

So it's basically Law & Order meets Heroes. Could you imagine District Attorney Jack McCoy with superpowers? His fists would undoubtedly be named Law and Order and his superpower would be Justice.

ABC's foray into the superhero world is a bit lighter, but also takes a cue from other TV shows as well. The Hollywood Reporter says the network is adapting the British television show No Heroics for American television. Series follows a group of superheroes and their lives outside of being heroes, smoking cigarettes, paying the Sidekick Tax (even if they don't have a sidekick), and hanging out at the local bar The Fortress (where everyone has to follow these rules: "No Masks, No Powers and No Heroics." Series' like The Tick (also based off comics) have tackled the superhero genre as comedy before, and the less than stellar film Mystery Men made some sort of effort. I think this is a show I can get behind, but I'm always leery at some American adaptations of British television (fortunately The Office found its footing after the first season). I'd love to check this series out before its adaptation hits America.

Are you guys looking forward to some fresh fuel for the superhero fire on television?

Cinema Bits: X-Men, Star Trek, Transformers and More!

2009-02-11T09:51:00.008-05:00

Not everything warrants a full fledged blog posting all by itself, and thus The Screen Rider presents to you: Cinema Bits. This feature will be a collection of briefs over small tidbits of news you may have missed.

Star Trek - Paramount Pictures announced that it will be attaching a new trailer for the J.J. Abrams directed franchise reboot with copies of Watchmen when it is released on March 6. Both the first trailer and the Super Bowl spot were pretty intense, but I wonder how many people will suddenly be excited about this film when the target demographic seeing Watchmen, more than likely already knows about Star Trek

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - From Transformer World 2005 (I'm not sure why their website is called this) comes the first picture of the titular Transformer known as Fallen. The picture is that of some sort of toy that will be released. This should be a pretty epic villain considering the villains who don't get title focus are GINORMOUS as was seen in the Super Bowl TV spot.

X-Men: First Class - The last time we heard about this upstart, it was announced that Josh Schwartz (creator of series like Chuck, Gossip Girl, and The OC) would be writing the script, and there was much speculation about whether he would make his directorial debut with the film. Well Schwartz recently talked to MTV and told them he hasn't been asked to direct and "would be terrified to have the first thing I direct be a giant franchise movie." He did go on to rule out any focus on the Dark Phoenix storyline, which is the crux story of the X-Men universe, simply because it was done (albeit poorly) in X-Men: The Last Stand. Still no word on who this young, first class of X-Men will be.

Untitled Woody Allen Project - Variety reported that Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins will star in Woody Allen's next film set to shoot in London this summer. They are the first to join what is said to become an ensemble cast, but in typical Woody Allen fashion the script, plot and even title are being kept under tight wraps. I loved Vicky Christina Barcelona, and look forward to any Woody Allen project.

Untitled Adam Sandler Ensemble Comedy - Variety announced negotiations with Kevin James, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider and David Spade to all star in a comedy directed by Dennis Dugan (who nailed comedy with Happy Gilmore and then gouged out its eyes with You Don't Mess with the Zohan). The film will follow "five best friends from high school who reunite 30 years later on a Fourth of July weekend." Dugan and Sandler's Happy Madison Productions have made some real agonizing comedic films, but I'll wait for a trailer before I rain on this parade.

The Rum Diary - The film based on the Hunter S. Thompson novel of the same name just picked up recently Academy Award nominated actor Richard Jenkins, and Aaron Eckhart to join the cast (according to The Hollywood Reporter). Similar to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (a film that made me feel like I was on drugs, but not in a good way) the film follows journalist Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) on a drug and alcohol binge as he comes to term with the fact that his life may never get any better as he sulks away in 1950's San Juan.

Cinema Bits is a recurring installment here at Screen Rider providing you with brief snippets of casting, production and all things newsworthy in movies and television.

Review: 'Coraline' in 3D

2009-02-09T17:53:00.009-05:00

If there's one thing I hate, it's when movie advertising creates a swarm of misinformation in an audience with all of the name dropping that is done in trailers. Who knows how many people still think Tim Burton directed The Nightmare Before Christmas. While that's not an earth-shattering mix up, when you mention a name like Burton or Steven Spielberg as the producer of a film, the only thing that registers is the name. Obviously that's how to sell a movie, but that's not how you create respect and real recognition for a film or its director.

Having said that, I really hope people learn the name Henry Selick (the guy who actually directed The Nightmare Before Christmas) because he's truly a filmmaker with a unique vision, and has a very secure niche in the increasingly impressive realm of stop-motion animation. It's his creativity and dedication to stop-motion that shines in the mesmerizing adaptation of Neil Gaiman's best selling children's book Coraline.

From the opening credit sequence, the intricacy of the animation and tone of the film is easily seen. This is a twisted world where even the simple stitching of a small doll, and the placement of black button eyes has a creepy and ominous feel to it. Our story follows Coraline, a slightly misunderstood and ignored girl who is just looking for some social interaction. Her parents aren't neglectful, they're just not entirely interested in Coraline's endeavors (for that matter they aren't that interesting themselves). Coraline and her family share a large house (like a tri-plex) with two fat old stage performing women, and a crazy rat circus trainer and live down the road from an adventurous boy named Wybie and his grandmother.

These characters don't exactly entertain or occupy Coraline more than a fleeting instant and she's bored beyond belief until she finds the door; a small door, barely big enough for a person to fit through. The door is bricked shut during the day, but then at night, it leads to a house not entirely different from her own...at least at first. She finds her family in the house but much more loving and caring, (even exciting and at times wacky) almost like a dream. Even the characters who live in the tri-plex are better versions of themselves. Oh, and they all have buttons for eyes. There's good food, gifts, and magical wonder, all for Coraline. But then things get weird when her "other parents" in this world ask her to stay, on the condition that she replace her eyes with buttons.

From then on, the dream isn't what it once was. Coraline quickly begins to learn the lesson of being be careful what you wish for. Her once sweet "other mother" becomes a twisted, sullen version of herself, and is nothing more than a witch-like (or maybe spider-like) woman. Coraline soon finds herself in peril and realizing the horrifying thought that she may not see her real parents again.

Similar in style to The Nightmare Before Christmas, Henry Selick crafts this amazing world for the story to exist in with gothic imagery and dingy colors contrasted to the saturated and bright "other world". In this world, it's normal for Coraline to have blue hair, and her friend Wybie to drive around with some sort of skull painted camera-helmet. The animation is flawless. I can't even count how many times I was taken aback by the action on screen and just filled with awe and respect for the amount of time that goes into crafting each scene. These animators workdays usually consist of getting about 3 or 4 seconds of the film shot in a day. That's unbelievable. Dakota Fanning provides a perfect mature and wise-for-her-age voice for Coraline, and Teri Hatcher is great transforming from Coraline's bland real mother to the threatening "other mother." Their voices bring these characters to life right along with the smooth stop-motion animation.

And what really immersed me in this film is seeing it in Real D (the new 3-D). It adds so much depth to the picture like you're watching it happen in front of you. 3D has lost it's gimmick of just having things come flying at the screen (though that's all the more cool with the great progress 3D technology has made). But I had the most childlike wonder and feelings when the door to the "other world" opened and the passage literally stretches backwards into the screen. Coraline shines and can blow many computer animated movies out of the water with it's attention to detail and well crafted story. Just like Coraline, you will find yourself enamored by this new world. However, you won't have to take your eyes out and replace them with buttons. But you might want to do that if you see The Pink Panther 2.