With the release of the Avengers’ Blu-ray and DVD coming up in September, the marketing is in full-force with videos teasing the special features and deleted scenes. Below the break we have Bruce Banner asking about a Commodore 64, actors singing the praises of Samuel L. Jackson’s skills, and Joss Whedon explaining some of his method to making the film. I suppose the marketing is doing its job, because now I’m pretty interested in seeing more of these deleted scenes! Read more…
I was just devastated to read that director Tony Scott has committed suicide. Of course most fanboys know his bother Ridley Scott who directed Blade Runner, however Tony Scott has always had a special place in my heart. Scott hit Hollywood gold with Top Gun in 1986, but my favorite film of his was The Hunger which he made in 1983. And of course I also loved True Romance which featured a script by Quentin Tarantino and some great scenes — my favorite being the one between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken: Read more…
Though sci-fi is an incredibly broad genre, modern sci-fi can occasionally feel pigeonholed into following the most popular franchises. That’s why this map by Ward Shelly is so fascinating, even if it’s been around for a while. It charts the growth and many off-shoots of fiction to show where science fiction came from and its relation to other genres and its own subgenres. From the horror of Frankenstein to the fantastic ideas of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, through the pulp magazines and dystopian novels, all the way to the Star Trek and Star Wars explosion, it’s an intriguing look at where some of our most popular stories come from. Read more…
After The Avengers was released back in May, I wanted a sequel right away. It didn’t help that Marvel’s usual post-credits teaser was prominently shown before the credits even finished rolling. I want to know what Thanos is grinning about, if the Skrulls Chitauri are going to cause more trouble, and how anyone could top the citywide brawl at the film’s climax. Sadly, it sounds like fans will have to wait a while longer. Read more…
Of all the amazing props Weta helped to create for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I’m sure this ring has been the most requested. It’s no surprise, really. Setting aside the lore, and the fact the entire series centered around the ring itself, it’s one of the few props you can wear in public without drawing too much attention. Until now, Weta only offered a solid gold version which retailed for ~$3,300.
According to our sources Raiders of the Lost Ark will be re-released in IMAX format from September 7th until the 13th. This will be up excitement for the release of the Blu-ray box set which should be out on September 18th. This new release won’t feature any changes to the original special effects which makes this fanboy very happy.
This brilliant infographic is titled From Kane to Nolan: Seventy Years of Batman and is by Blair Erickson. To see the full sized version just click on the image below: Read more…
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 12, 2012 in Cinema, Fandom
After threatening to destroy a city and nearly doing so, you would imagine the penalty for a supervillain would be pretty severe. And it is! Just not how you might expect. Let’s just say Bane has a lot of community service lined up. Starring Chris Kattan of Saturday Night Live as the recovering Bane (who does a pretty good job with the voice), this short ends up being pretty clever. Just don’t get stuck in traffic with him.
Take a moment next time you watch E.T. or Alien, and really pay attention to the effects that helped make those movies so memorable, because you’re looking at the work of Carlo Rambaldi. He designed the cuddly extra-terrestrial from Steven Spielberg’s film, among many other popular works. He also famously created the effects for 1971’s A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin dog mutilation scenes, which at the time, were considered so realistic the film’s director was prosecuted for animal cruelty, only to be proved innocent by Rambaldi’s film props. He passed away at 86 after a long illness, and will be dearly missed.
Warner Bros. sure does want to make a Justice League film. After their darling, Christopher Nolan, has said he’s done with superhero films, they began searching for someone else to take the reigns of their comic book properties. And with the success of The Avengers, they’re eyeing the pie quite hungrily. Now, according to Variety, they’ve approached Ben Affleck about directing the Justice League film. Whether he’ll accept or not is up in the air, but in the meantime you can try and imagine how Affleck’s League might turn out!
It seems a number of factors will play a role in limiting the release of Peter Jackson’s high-frame rate cut of The Hobbit. This version of the film will feature a full forty-eight frames per second, that’s twice the number of frames you’re used to seeing in theaters. While that sounds amazing, some of the footage shown at CinemaCon actually seemed a bit too realistic for many fans in attendance. That initial negative reaction, combined with the fact that many theaters may be lacking the technology to display the higher frame-rate, has caused the studio to consider limiting its release. Read more…
Since everyone seems to be complaining or celebrating the news that Fox is pushing forward with a Prometheus sequel, I thought I would try to bring a different opinion to the table. While having Michael Fassbender (the best character of Prometheus) and Noomi Rapace return along with director Ridley Scott is good news in my book, I can understand why people may be hesitant about the return to the Alien universe. However, I think a sequel will actually end up solving several problems that existed in the first film. Spoilers for the end of Prometheus after the break! Read more…
It might not be what you’d expect, but Chewie, The Movie may be happening. Collider reports that Peter Mayhew, the actor who played the famous wookie, is currently working with Fanboys director Kyle Newman to flesh out the biopic which recounts Mayhew’s experiences while playing the iconic role. The initial script seemed promising enough to make the Hollywood blacklist, so it’ll be interesting to see if the project takes off. Given Newman’s previous dealings with Lucasfilm, I’m sure getting George Lucas to sign off on it won’t be too difficult. We’ll just have to wait and see.
I don’t think we expected much else, but Collider recently reported that Indiana Jone’s producer, Frank Marshall, said just that: to him, Indy has taken his last ride. I’m sure some fans might’ve wished for a better ending to the series than Crystal Skull, but I think another film might hurt more than help. We had heard inklings that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg had been thinking about another film, but Marshall says there’s “no idea, no Macguffin.” Maybe we’ll hear more in the future, but I’m fine with this – you got a solid three movies, Indy. You’re set, in my book.
If you’ve been wondering what the Matrix creators have been up to since Speed Racer, here’s your answer: Cloud Atlas. Based on the novel of the same name, the Wachowskis are partnering with director Tom Tykwer to adapt the story for film. It looks to be mighty impressive in scope and scale, and this trailer reflects that, clocking in at 5 minutes and 42 seconds. I’m really interested to see how this project turns out, so once October 26th rolls around, I’ll have to hunt down a theater to see this at!
If you’ll take a step back in time with me and recall the excellent short film RUIN, by Wes Ball, that was posted online earlier this year, I’m sure you’d remember something along the lines of: “that was a pretty awesome short film.” Yes, I know, reading minds is a talent of mine. I also thought it could maybe work as a feature-length film, and it seems Fox read my mind. They’re in negotiations now to secure film rights with Wes Ball directing and McG producing. If you haven’t seen it yet, take a watch, and then imagine a full-length live-action movie in that style. Interested?
You may have caught it in front of your Dark Knight Rises screening this weekend, but here it is online and easy to catch: the first teaser trailer for Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, the new Superman reboot. There’s not much happening here, aside from giving us a look at Clark Kent’s journey across the world, and it’s very nicely shot. However, Snyder being the director makes me a little hesitant – yet, perhaps Christopher Nolan (producer) can reign in Snyder’s over-the-top style. We’ll find out next year.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 20, 2012 in Cinema, Fandom
By now you’ve heard it all, so I won’t recap the story. My heart goes out to the family and friends of those who were murdered in Denver last night. The opening night of a film is an event that many fans look ahead to for months on end, and for someone to exploit this is a very depressing thought. In the days ahead many folks in media will focus on the madman that did this and his motives, but I’d ask that everyone think of those who are the victims of this crime.
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 20, 2012 in Cinema, Fandom
You’ve just got to give him a break, crimefighting can take a lot out of you. Although I would think recognizing faces is an important part of being the “world’s greatest detective” and all that. Anyway, College Humor has done it again and made a high production-value parody of The Dark Knight that’s also funny. Speaking of the Dark Knight, how many of you went to go see The Dark Knight Rises already? If not, I bet you’ve got some plans this weekend.
When we first mentioned Marc Zicree’s Space Command kickstarter back in June, the project had already hit its goal of $75,000. I knew early on that the project would prove popular but I didn’t expect the fundraiser to be quite this successful. By the time the kickstarter came to its conclusion, Zicree had managed to collect nearly three times that amount for a total of $221,267 — a rousing success to say the least. Not only will they be producing the first film, but hopefully this outpouring of support will allow them to continue to create more down the line. Now, all we have to do is hope they deliver what we’ve all come to expect — a task Zicree and his team are more than suited for. For more information on the project, check out their kickstarter page or click here.
If you’re a big enough fan, you likely own every one of these films already, but now Marvel’s giving you a reason to buy them all again. Introducing the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled! This ten disc set comes with the six films that make up the current Marvel universe and is loaded with all kinds of extras. In case you’re unsure which films we’re talking about, its The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger and finally, The Avengers. Oh, and did I mention it comes with a Tesseract?
I had wondered what Sam Raimi had been up to, and now I know – Oz: The Great and Powerful. Based off of L. Frank Baum’s Oz books, it sets out to tell the story of how one man, (James Franco) who eventually becomes the Wizard of Oz. It’s giving me some Alice in Wonderland vibes, but truth be told, I have more trust in Raimi than Burton. I’m interested in how the final film will turn out, but you certainly can’t say it doesn’t look gorgeous!
Sadly, The Amazing Spider-Man doesn’t seem to be amazing enough for many critics and fans alike. True, not every reboot can be as successful as the last, but you can’t really blame Sony for trying. It’s been years since the last Tobey Maguire film and even I have to admit I was a little sick of the kid. Nevertheless, we’ve got ourselves a new Spidey, so we may as well learn to cope. The first step might be to picking Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man Augmented Reality App for your favorite iOS device — mind you, an iPhone 4, 4s, or iPad 2 on up, is required.
It’s been a long time coming, but the wait is almost over. Set for release this September, Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventuresdelivers all four Indy films in stunning high-definition for the very first time. Each film will feature full 1080p restorations, and new 5.1 DTS-HD audio tracks. They even restored Raiders of the Lost Ark using a 4k scan of the original negatives, so I’m sure it’ll look absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, the collection also includes Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but as if to make up for that fact, Amazon has discounted the box set from its list price of $100 to just $75. Read more…
