Sorry Shatner; No Trek Sequel For You
It’ll break William Shatner’s heart to hear, but J.J. Abrams confirmed this week that none of the Original Series cast members would be making an appearance in the upcoming sequel to 2009’s Star Trek.
Oldboy Casting Rumors: Clive Owen and Mia Wasikowska
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 18, 2011 in Cinema, Comic Books
Two new pieces of news are floating around regarding Spike Lee’s remake of Park Chan-Wook’s film Oldboy. While Josh Brolin had been confirmed to be playing the leading man (Dae-su), several other important parts were left un-cast. However now we have two names popping up: Clive Owen is being offered the role of the villain (Woo-jin), and Mia Wasikowska the role of the lead female (Mi-do). I think Clive Owen is a perfect choice, and I love him as an actor. He simply needs more roles to breathe in, and this could be a great part for him. Read more…
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Poster Reminds You, Yes, It’s Still Real
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 16, 2011 in Cinema
I was skeptical when a movie adaption of Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter was announced. Sure, it made for a fun book, but let’s face it, so much gets lost in translation when most books hop over to the big screen. I’m honestly surprised this film got much of a budget at all, given how terrified many studios seem to be of new ideas. Why make something original (well, an adaption of something original) when you can churn out another sequel? The answer is simple, I think: vampires. Read more…
Pointless and Excessive? The Expendables 2 Trailer
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 14, 2011 in Cinema
Much like G.I. Joe: Retaliation, The Expendables 2 is one of those films that has the potential be much better than the first, or just really really bad. However, unlike the one for G.I. Joe, the trailer for The Expendables 2 doesn’t really help its case. It actually starts out promising. Bruce Willis mentions something to Stallone about having to pay back his debt, but that’s it. Suddenly, we’re treated to an impressive list of action stars with some nifty cut-aways and nothing more. There’s something ironic about spending the last 30 seconds of that trailer just list the stars. Then again, after the first film — whose plot could be summed up in one word, “dismal,” — we really shouldn’t expect much. Let’s just hope there’s more to it than a few explosions.
Giving G.I. Joe Another Shot
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 13, 2011 in Cinema
Earlier today, Machinima gave us the first trailer for the upcoming film, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and I hate to admit it, but it looks pretty good. Of course, after how terrible the first film was, that’s not much of an achievement. Not surprisingly, those silly, over-the-top, accelerator suits are missing in action, along with The Baroness, previously played by Sienna Miller. Instead, we’ve got Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Bruce Willis — not a bad trade by any means, but I think I might miss Sienna a bit, even if she didn’t really add much. If the trailer is any indication, expect to see more Byung-hun Lee, and Ray Park, as both ninjas are featured throughout. I find that promising, since they were easily the best thing Rise of Cobra had going for it. Read more…
Movie Poster Madness: Spider-Man Gets His Gloom On
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 11, 2011 in Cinema, Comic Books
It’s a movie poster kind of day it seems, and another addition is The Amazing Spider-Man, being directed by Marc Webb. It looks to be a fun and enjoyable look at Spider-Man, plus I did like Andrew Garfield in The Social Network, so I’m excited to see his work here. A new poster isn’t anything truly groundbreaking, but in this case I have a bone to pick with this one. Hear me out, okay? Read more…
The Latest Dark Knight Rises Poster
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 10, 2011 in Cinema, Comic Books
Well have to wait until next Summer to actually see the new Batman film, but here’s a preview of the poster for The Dark Knight Rises which features the tagline “The Legend Ends”: Read more…
Spockulations; The Wrath of Robocop?
Today, Vulture published a report stating that Benicio Del Toro will not be appearing in J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Trek sequel after negotiations between the actor and studio broke down last Wednesday. Read more…
New Images from Ridley Scott’s Prometheus Show Alien “DNA”
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 3, 2011 in Cinema
When news first broke of Ridley Scott creating a prequel to Alien, many people were rightfully excited. While that specific project broke down, it turned into something equally interesting: Prometheus. Now, I’m not using Alien “DNA” in the literal sense. Instead, I’m referring to Ridley Scott’s original comments about the film, in that it will share many “strands of Alien’s DNA” and have similar underlying themes. That fact is incredibly apparent with these new images released to tide us over until the inevitable trailer release. Read more…
Bizarre Men in Black 3 Posters
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 30, 2011 in Cinema
Here’s the official teaser posters for Men in Black 3, featuring what appears to be Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones or Josh Brolin, with letter art. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m not exactly a Men in Black fan, so maybe I’m a bit biased, but I’m not really sure why they decided to go with these images. It doesn’t help that I can’t even tell which Agent K is being depicted — previous drafts of the script had Agent J going back in time to team up with a young Agent K played by Brolin. Since they decided to start production on the film without a completed script, there have been numerous re-writes, and although Brolin and Jones are set to make an appearance, nobody is really sure how the plot will play out. Maybe it’s a good thing that I’ve found the image so ambiguous.
More Human Than Human: Is Blade Runner Slowly Becoming Real?
While reading an interesting interview with a medical ethicist and I was suddenly struck by how much this premise reminded me of the 1982 classic film Blade Runner: “Do you think that granting corporations the rights of people in the Citizens United case is disturbing? Then contemplate the fact that corporations have been patenting human genes and tissues at alarming rates — in the last 30 years, more than 40,000 patents have been granted on genes alone.” Read more…
The Wholly Family: Terry Gilliam’s New Film Has a Facebook Page
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 26, 2011 in Cinema
As an animation fanboy I’ve always loved Terry Gilliam since I came across his Monty Python work in my youth, however it was his directing work on the classic film Brazil which made me a true believer. Gilliam’s new film is called The Wholly Family and there is an official Facebook page that just went up for it, plus a trailer on his website. The film has a very Federico Fellini feeling to it and stars Cristiana Capotondi. Here are some still from the Facebook page and you can find the official trailer here: Read more…
The 99th Birthday of Hollywood Technicolor Films
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 26, 2011 in Cinema
99 years ago today the silent film The Toll of the Sea opened in New York City. While this film wasn’t the first feature length color film (that honor goes to With Our King and Queen Through India from 1912) and not even the first Technicolor film (that honor goes to The Gulf Between from 1917) it was a real breakthrough: This was because it was the first film to use the two-color Technicolor process which allowed the film to be shown on a standard film projector, as where previous color films required a special projector which would simultaneously several reels of film that were projected through a beam splitter. Read more…
Abrams’ Trek Sequel Going 3D; Hits Theaters in May 2013
It looks as though Star Trek 2, as it’s still tentatively titled, finally has a firm release date. Unfortunately for us, it’s over a year away. While I had been holding out hope, I’m not really surprised, seeing as they’ve taken so long to get under way. On the bright side, the film will be shot in 3D, so those of you who aren’t already over that fad, or who’ve recently purchased one of those over-priced 3DTVs are in for a treat. (Protip: Black Friday deals are great, but Cyber Monday is where its at. I recommend scouring Amazon for one if you’re interested.) Some other juicy details leaked out this weekend. Abrams confirmed the rumor that he’s been in talks with Benicio Del Toro for a role in the new film, and announced that composer Michael Giacchino will be returning for the sequel. The script is “finished,” but is currently going through its third draft of revisions. Star Trek 2 will hit theaters May 17, 2013.
Are Klingons Making a Comback?
With filming just weeks away, new rumors are starting to surface regarding J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Star Trek sequel. Early rumors claimed the film would focus more on crew itself rather than pitting them against as single adversary, while others seemed to suggest that the Kirk and company could match wits with a classic villain like Harry Mudd or Trelane. Sources recently claimed that Abrams had approached Benicio Del Toro to fill that void, but we’ve yet to hear anything further regarding his involvement, if it’s indeed happening. This latest rumor, however, seems to suggest that we might even see the return of the Klingons.
A Breathtaking Blade Runner Fan Film: XXIT
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 10, 2011 in Cinema
I just came across this amazing short film made by Stargate Studios which is a tribute to Blade Runner. If they had done nothing but the opening animation here I would have been blown away, but they took it to the next step and work with some live actors. If you’re a film snob it’s too easy to forget that the original film was done on a budget of $28 million, but just remember that what you’re seeing here was done with no budget and you’ll be impressed: Read more…
The Art of Weta; a Virtual Exhibition
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 9, 2011 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections
It’s hard to fathom how much work goes into designing our favorite films. Often times we take it for granted. We’ll go to to the theater, or play a game and we’ll love every minute of it, but that’s it. It’s not often that we sit back and ask how it came to be. This week, Weta Workshop, a design studio known for their on films such as Avatar, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, among others, decided to answer that question for us. They’ve posted the first part of an on-going series detailing some of their stunning works and giving us some insight as to how they came about. The cool part, of course, being that Weta actually manufactures many of these designs for resale, so if you’re a collector and you don’t mind spending a few bucks, one of these pieces might even catch your eye, not to mention your wallet.
Phoenix Wright Live-Action Full Length Trailer
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 8, 2011 in Cinema, Videogames
I’ve noticed that many sites seem to be posting a short thirty second trailer for Takeshi Miike’s live-action adaptation of Phoenix Wright, so here’s the latest full length trailer. As far as I’m concerned, they’ve really hit the nail on the head. Everything seems so spot on, from the overly dramatic acting to the gaudy costumes. It seems as though Miike decided to stick as close to the source material as possible, and I’m sure everyone who plans on watching it will be extremely grateful as a result. As some of you may recall, this isn’t his first attempt at adapting a game to film. Back in 2007, he directed Ryu ga Gotoku Gekijōban, a live-action take on Sega’s Yakuza franchise. The film won’t be released until February, s0 don’t expect to see it fan-subbed anytime soon. With any luck, someone might decide to license it for domestic distribution sometime next year.
Calling Bruce Willis: An Actual Asteroid Approaches Earth!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 8, 2011 in Cinema
Today a giant asteroid is heading towards Earth — and sadly it won’t hit, which will deny us any entertainment value. And sadly this event mirrors the plot of the terrible 1998 film Armageddon which pretty much represents every terrible cliche that I hate about producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Bruckheimer was the polar opposite of the golden age of indie films that dawned but too quickly disappeared in the 90s — Jerry knew how to make a picture that looked great, kept your heart beating yet said absolutely nothing of any lasting value. Read more…
Blade Runner Sequel Still Happening; New Cast, No Deckard
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 7, 2011 in Cinema
Many of us were psyched when Ridley Scott announced plans for an upcoming film set in the Blade Runner universe, but until recently, news has scarce. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Scott gave us a bit of an update regarding the project. In addition to stating that it’ll be the next film on his plate, Scott hinted that the film would actually serve chronological sequel, though it won’t feature any of the original cast, or even the character of Richard Deckard. I’m not sure how I feel about that, especially since the first film left so many unanswered questions. The film, of course, was loosely based on the Phillip K. Dick novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and while there have been several novelized sequels that try to bridge the gap between the two, it’s hard for anyone to really consider them cannon. Considering this new film will take the series in a new direction, I wonder if we’ll ever see a proper sequel. Still, it’s pretty awesome that we’re even going to get one in the first place.
Bond 23 is Go, and Its Name Is…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 4, 2011 in Cinema
Skyfall? Sounds kind of … video game-y, doesn’t it? But that’s its name, Daniel Craig is back, Sam Mendes is directing, two lovely new Bond Girls are joining the ranks, and Javier Bardem is the bad guy. This one is reportedly unrelated to the plot arc from Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace (thankfully), instead dealing with the relationship between Bond and M. It seems like everything is in its right place — good thing MGM’s financial problems didn’t kill the series for good, especially since the last two films were so excellent. Who’s pumped for Craig vs. Bardem, man? Can’t wait for November 9th, 2012. Read more…
Garrett Hedlund May Ride Another Glowing Motorcycle
Garrett Hedlund’s made a name for himself based on his starring role in Disney’s highly successful TRON: Legacy, but it looks like he might start getting typecast. No, not based on the role he played, but on the vehicle he drove! He might be trading in his lightcycle for a Neo-Tokyo motorcycle, according to reports, as he’s been offered the lead role in…oh, no. Not this again. The live-action Akira remake? Wasn’t this thing dead in the water, like, months ago? Why do the Warners want to throw so much money at this project? Oh well. At least Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter got offered parts as well. Maybe they can class up the joint. Read more…
Does Independance Day Deserve a Sequel?
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 1, 2011 in Cinema
It looks as though Fox may finally be ready to move on their plans to produce two back-to-back sequels for their 1996 sci-fi hit, Independence Day. It’s no secret that Sony’s been eyeing the project since earlier this year, but with the scripts finally penned, and Roland Emmerich’s schedule free and clear for the foreseeable future — his latest film, Anonymous hit theaters last weekend — its looking more and more likely. Will Smith hasn’t committed to reprising his role as Captain Steven Hiller, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility. Smith’s reportedly asking for $50 million, and budgetary concerns may prevent that. However, judging by the runaway success of the first film, Fox might justify cutting a big enough check. Either way, the show will go on, with or without him. Of course, that begs the question, do we even need Will Smith, or these sequels for that matter?
A Beetlejuice Sequel?
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 29, 2011 in Cinema
I’m not really sure where this lies on the good news-bad news spectrum, but: a) apparently someone wants to make a new Beetlejuice movie, b) it’s a sequel, not a reboot, and c) they want Michael Keaton to come back for the role. Allegedly, screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith and producer pal David Katzenberg have received Tim Burton’s blessing to make a new film starring our garish ghoul friend, but securing Keaton might be a different beast entirely. Grahame-Smith says that their idea is definitely worth Keaton’s time, but man, Michael Keaton ain’t exactly getting any younger. But hey, I think we can all agree on one thing: thank heaven it’s not a remake/reboot. Read more…