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Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 29, 2013 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Were you one of the few people excited about the entirety of the Star Wars series — well, as of now — being converted into 3D and returned to theaters? Then prepare to be disappointed, as Lucasfilm has officially dropped plans to continue with the remaining five films. Apparently, the 3D version of The Phantom Menace last year did poorly, only pulling in $23 million domestically. In addition, all the hardcore fans it was being marketed to treated it like a blatant cash grab. Attack of the Clones would have followed this September, with Revenge of the Sith in October. Read more…
Tags: 3D, Disney
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 28, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
The latest film in the X-Men saga, Days of Future Past, has started gaining steam with director Bryan Singer announcing some new casting. Well, actually, it’s an old cast, coming back: Anna Paquin, Ellen Paige, and Shawn Ashmore – aka, Rouge, Kitty Pride, and Iceman form X-Men: The Last Stand. They’ll be featuring along with Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence. Basically, this next X-Men film is going to be packed with big-name actors from future and past X-Men storylines. The general gist of the story is the future version of the X-Men team contact their past selves to prevent a terrible event in the future. A little vague, and with enough potential for a sort-of reboot? Yup! We’re good here. Read more…
Tags: X-Men
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 26, 2013 in Anime, Cinema 
Wondered what happened to that live-action Robotech we were supposed to get? Or perhaps you just forgot about it entirely. I know I did – and it has been in development since 2007. So who knows if we’ll ever see it in theaters, but we’re one step closer now: Warner Bros. has chosen a director for the film. Nic Mathieu is a popular commercial director and this will be his first feature film, so good luck, buddy! Perhaps Warner saw the oncoming Pacific Rim and are preparing for a wave of giant robot films? Read more…
Tags: Macross, Robotech
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 23, 2013 in Cinema 
Hopefully you’ve seen some of the previous work of Honest Trailers, a series of videos by Screen Junkies that produces more frank, insulting trailers for various films. Their latest trailer skewers Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, the fourth Indiana Jones film that I prefer to pretend never happened. Read more…
Tags: Indiana Jones
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 21, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Here, let’s start your week off right, with the first official Kick-Ass 2 picture of Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars & Stripes and his dog, Sophia. Yes, you heard right, Jim Carrey is in Kick-Ass 2. I’m positive it will be hilarious. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is also there as the titular Kick-Ass, but really, the news here is a non-fuzzy camera phone image of Carrey. Although here’s something to fix in post before the film arrives: the word “Toronto” in the background. Pretty sure Kick-Ass doesn’t take place in Canada, guys. Anyway – I’m excited to see this, as I enjoyed the first film, flaws and all!
Tags: kick-ass 2
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 15, 2013 in Cinema, Star Wars 
With Star Wars becoming such a phenomenon over the years and possessing such a rabid fanbase, it’s really fun to see how things might have turned out if, say, the casting had gone differently. At one point, Lucas had offered the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi to Toshiro Mifune, well-known for his roles in Akira Kurosawa’s films like Seven Samurai and Yojimbo. Star Wars itself was heavily influenced by Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress (among other films), so it’s not surprising. But apparently, Lucas may have offered Mifune an additional role: Darth Vader. Read more…
Tags: Akira Kurosawa, Darth Vader
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 14, 2013 in Cinema 
Danny Boyle is back, and his latest film, starring James McAvoy, looks to be another mind-bending suspense-filled tale. Trance will be about an art thief who is part of a heist that goes wrong – and it seems he took the missing painting. However after being hit in the head, he can’t remember where he put it (or so he claims), so he’s hypnotized to help him remember all the juicy details. Of course, given Boyle’s penchant for trippy visuals and mental games, using hypnotism isn’t going to be that easy. Looks like McAvoy will be having his head toyed with a bit. Get out of my head, Charles! Read more…
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 13, 2013 in Cinema 
Jurassic Park 4? Yeah, that’s happening. Why? Because DINOSAURS. Universal Pictures has set a release date for the fourth film in the series for June 13th, 2014. As always, studios throw dates out and then get the talent for the movie, so currently it’s lacking a director. A script has been finished though, by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Steven Spielberg is currently on as the producer. I’m sure we’ll hear rumors of Steven coming in to direct, but right now it’s all up in the air. Perhaps some fresh talent would reinvigorate the series? I’m curious to see how everything will pan out, but not very optimistic. Read more…
Tags: Jurassic Park
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 11, 2013 in Cinema 
Now that Christopher Nolan is done with the world of Batman, everyone is wondering what he will do next. We might have our answer now: Steven Spielberg was previously set to direct a sci-fi film called Interstellar, about wormholes and their potential for time travel, written by Jonathan Nolan. Spielberg has now dropped from that film, moving on to other movies. Who else better to pick it up than Jonathan’s brother, Christopher? It seems the duo will team up again to tackle the project, but Christopher will reportedly be changing things up from Spielberg’s version, though it will still be a “heroic interstellar voyage.” But really, all you had to say was “Nolan directing a sci-fi space film” and I’d be on board. Read more…
Tags: Christopher Nolan
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 10, 2013 in Cinema 
Jurassic Park is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a 3D rerelease in theaters starting April 5. Of course, the movie wasn’t originally shot in 3D, so the film will undergo a conversion process that better be well done, unlike most films converted to 3D after the fact. But if you’re up for watching the landmark film in the biggest way possible, you may want to consider the newly announced one-week engagement in IMAX 3D. Read more…
Tags: Dinosaurs
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 7, 2013 in Cinema 
Drive was one of my favorite films of 2011. The pounding 80s music, and slow, tense pacing made for a really memorable experience, and it seems to have really taken a hold as a cult hit, so I thought I’d bring this to your attention. The director, Nicolas Winding Refn, has his next film coming out this year, called Only God Forgives – and Ryan Gosling is in it again. The story follows a man living in Bangkok who gets sucked back into the criminal underworld after his brother’s death. He’s lead right to the Angel of Vengeance, a former cop who seems to rule the dark crime world. Watch the short teaser below! Read more…
Tags: Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn, Only God Forgives
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 6, 2013 in Cinema 
Industrial Light and Magic is one of the biggest special effects companies in the business – they certainly seem to be everywhere. Their work on the Avengers was great stuff and recently they put up a video showing how they composed what they call the “tie-en” shot near the end of the film where all the heroes swoosh past the camera in dramatic fashion. If you’re curious how they made several separate shots seem like one large continuous one, then check out the video below! Read more…
Tags: The Avengers
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 5, 2013 in Cinema, Videogames 
Who knows if this is just Disney getting with the times, or perhaps a carefully planned marketing move, but either way it looks like a win for consumers: Wreck-It Ralph will be available digitally on February 12th, weeks before it arrives on DVD and Blu-ray March 5th. This is following the recent trend of releasing films earlier on digital distribution services, and it seems to be working out. Wreck-It Ralph will be Disney’s first film they’re doing this with, and it couldn’t suit its market better. I think many of the fans of the movie would rather have it digitally! Hopefully this will continue into the future. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Wreck-It Ralph
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 3, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
If you saw The Dark Knight Rises, you’d know Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a certain Bat-related character. There are hints that he’s being considered to play Batman in Warner Brothers’ Justice League movie. But according to Deadline, he may be opting for another, lesser-known superhero role on the other side of the fence. Read more…
Tags: Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 3, 2013 in Anime, Cinema, Videogames 
Dang, Atlus, slow down! Just yesterday I’m writing about the Devil Survivor 2 anime, and now there’s a teaser trailer for a Persona 3 anime adaptation! Read more…
Tags: Atlus, Persona 3
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 1, 2013 in Cinema 
With The Hobbit still fresh in everyone’s minds, there’s still plenty of time for fan parodies. In the vein of Epic Rap Battles of History, we see Smeagol taking on Gollum in a battle of words. If only things were this simple in all of Middle-Earth. While I won’t spoil who wins, they both receive a little help from a famous pop singer (not really).
Read more…
Tags: Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 31, 2012 in Cinema, Comic Books 
With Dredd coming out on DVD and Blu-ray on January 8th, it’s no surprise that the marketing machine is spinning up. IGN has a short clip that goes into a bit of the work done to make the world Dredd takes place in. It’s not super-detailed, but it’s getting me interested in checking out Dredd finally when it releases. I missed out on the chance to catch it in theaters, and I heard great things about it, so now I’ll have a chance to redeem my nerdy self. Watch the video below. Read more…
Tags: Dredd, Judge Dredd
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 17, 2012 in Cinema 
Remember G.I. Joe: Retaliation? It looked like a much better, or at least more entertaining, G.I. Joe movie, and it was supposed to come out this past summer – until it was inexplicably delayed until March 2013. Rumors swirled about new scenes with Channing Tatum being added, or editing the film for a 3D release too (which it now has), and who knows how true those are, aside from the obvious 3D. Still, this new trailer seems to indicate the film is back on track despite its rocky production and looks to still be solidly entertaining – and not horribly embarrassing. Watch the trailer below. Read more…
Tags: G.I. Joe
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 16, 2012 in Cinema 
Django Unchained is almost here… along with Christmas Day. The hype train is in full gear, so what better way to get ready for the movie than by spoiling yourself watching 3 new clips from it? Maybe you’re like me and can’t help yourself, or maybe you just want to get a feel for the tone of the film. Either way, you can catch Leonardo DiCaprio chewing the scenery and Christoph Waltz trying his best to keep Jamie Foxx in line. If you’re looking for a little bit of Samuel L. Jackson, he shows up in the final clip, intimidating Kerry Washington. Watch them after the break! Read more…
Tags: Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 15, 2012 in Animation, Cinema 
You may have seen a few pieces of art relating to this before, but here’s your first Disney-approved look at their next CGI film: Frozen. They’re following in Tangled’s (excellent) footsteps and applying traditional animation style to modern CGI tech, and of course, renaming old fairy tales so as to attract a larger audience. In this case, as you may have gathered, this film is based off of the story of the Snow Queen. It’ll be starring Kristen Bell as Anna, along with what the PR calls an “extreme mountain man” to find her sister, the Snow Queen (Idina Menzel). If they can do what Tangled did – or better – I think we’ll have another winner on our hands. I’m not sold on Bell as the main character… but the art looks great! Read more…
Tags: Disney, Frozen
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 14, 2012 in Cinema, Comic Books 
I guess using Flash to create moving posters is a new and hip thing right now for the movie industry, eh? The Wolverine is the next film starring Hugh Jackman as the adamantium-boned mutant, directed by James Mangold, who previously helmed such films as 3:10 to Yuma and Walk the Line. The story will feature Wolvie in modern-day Japan, and I’m sure he will encounter plenty of ninja and samurai. He’s even wielding a katana himself, as is no surprise – when in Rome, and all that. The motion poster here has Wolverine brooding over a Japanese cityscape while rain pours down. I’d make some joke about him needing an umbrella or warning him he could catch a cold, but we both know that would end painfully for the both of us. Watch the poster below! Never thought I’d say that, huh? Read more…
Tags: The Wolverine
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 14, 2012 in Cinema 
I like giant robots. Do you like giant robots? I also happen to like giant monsters… Fighting giant robots. It’s silly, it’s fun, and ridiculously cool. So that’s why I’m so excited for Guillermo Del Toro’s latest, Pacific Rim. It combines all the trappings of Japanese giant robot anime with the giant monsters of Godzilla – and it looks to be succeeding. The robots (called Jaegers) are built by various countries around the world to combat the Kaiju, huge, evil monsters that are crawling out of a portal at the bottom of the ocean. So, of course, we have two pilots who have to team up and work together to combat the alien menance. With rocket punches. Oh yes. Read more…
Tags: guillermo del toro, Pacific Rim
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 12, 2012 in Cinema, Comic Books 
I admit, I’m not the biggest Superman fan. The character is often just too powerful, removing tension and making everything around him dull, and when combined with his unwavering good nature, I find it hard to care about any of his problems. Why worry when you can throw any problem into the sun? If Superman’s personality is altered or presented in a different light (Red Son), then I can find enough interest to stick around. Fortunately, that seems to be what’s going on in this full trailer of Man of Steel. Read more…
Tags: DC Comics, Superheroes, Superman, Warner Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 10, 2012 in Cinema, Comic Books 
It seems 2015 is going to be jam packed with big films. We already have so many heavy hitters like Justice League, Avengers 2, Star Wars: Episode VII, and more (and who knows if they’ll hit their respective dates anyway). But Fox is throwing another one on the pile: The Fantastic Four. Fox has been trying to reboot the film series for a while now, and with them marking the calendar it seems they’re ready to move forward. Currently we have no story details, but Jeremy Slater will be scripting the project, with Chronicle director Josh Trank set to helm it. A much more promising set of folks than last time around, wouldn’t you say? While I’d love for the Fantastic Four to come back to Marvel, for now this seems to be an adequate substitute. Read more…
Tags: Fantastic Four, Marvel
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