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Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 6, 2015 in Anime, Cinema 
It’s not that I’m against DreamWorks making a Ghost in the Shell live-action remake. The original manga has been translated into various anime forms, from movies to TV shows to reboots, so the series has proven to be mutable enough that live-action could work. It’s that I’m against the kind of movie Hollywood would make. Having Rupert Sanders ready to direct Bill Wheeler while Avi Arad and Steven Paul produce is alright, but the first actor has been confirmed: Scarlett Johansson will star. She’s a great actor and would make a fine Major Kusanagi, assuming she gets the lead role. But, uh, the character is Japanese, not white. Read more…
Tags: Ghost in the Shell
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 5, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books 
In one of the most open interviews Sam Raimi has done, the director has taken to talking about Spider-Man 3 and the circumstances surrounding it. On Chris Hardwick’s Nerdist podcast, Raimi hinted at the reasons behind the film being… generally not good, and said, “If a director doesn’t love something, it’s wrong of them to make it.” Hinting at his dislike of a certain popular villain character, when asked if he’d do it differently if he had a second chance: “[…] if I had a different story with characters that I cared about that I thought was engaging and true to the Spider-Man universe, yes. In a second. I love Spider-Man, so that was never the issue.” Listen to the full podcast to hear even more! Read more…
Tags: sam raimi, Spider-man
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 4, 2015 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections 
I think we’re reaching the point where we can safely say: if something exists, someone has remade with LEGOs. Plus, how many times am I going to get to tag a post with both “Lego” and “Alfred Hitchcock”? Yes, Bricktease has remade the Psycho shower scene with LEGOs, and it’s stunningly accurate. Sure, it’s hard to do the more subtle finger movements (“Can you see the quotations I’m making with my claw hands?“), everything else is spot-on. To show just how accurate they are, Bricktease has also uploaded a side-by-side comparison video with the original scene. Good work, guys! The tension is still there, even in brick form! Read more…
Tags: Alfred Hitchcock, Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 3, 2015 in Cinema 
Talk about left field: Neill Blomkamp, the director of District 9, has been posting concept art on his Instagram from an Alien film he was working on. Yes, really. Blomkamp doesn’t really elaborate too much, aside from saying “Was working on this. Don’t think I am anymore. Love it though.” Theories abound, one mentioning that perhaps Blomkamp and Sigourney Weaver began brainstorming an idea while working together on his upcoming film (currently in post-production), Chappie. Either way, this seems to be fairly dead, especially with Blomkamp posting the concept art freely… although perhaps it’s a power play to garner interest? Well, probably not. Gaze upon the gorgeous art below! Read more…
Tags: Alien, neill blomkamp
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 3, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Actually, yes it is. Marvel has released a teaser… for the teaser trailer… for Ant-Man. It’s all very silly, and it’s also very, very small. The teaser for the teaser trailer has been released at an ant-sized resolution, making it not very useful if you want to make out any details, but incredibly useful for generating hype. The teaser trailer itself (in a human size) will air during the series premiere of Agent Carter on January 6th at 8PM ET on ABC… But that’s not the only teaser for a trailer Marvel released! They also teased a new Age of Ultron trailer which will arrive on January 12th during the College Football Playoff National Championship at 8:30pm ET. If you’re a Marvel fan, the next week or so should be pretty good! Read more…
Tags: ant-man, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 2, 2015 in Cinema 
The special effects business is a tough one. You don’t have to look far to see many issues coming up amongst hardworking VFX folks. They’re talented people, and this latest video from Industrial Light and Magic shows off their work they did on Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While ILM didn’t do all of the VFX for the movie (there were over 900 VFX shots!), this is a sampling of the impressive digital effects and CGI models they created for Black Widow and Falcon. This kind of behind-the-scenes work is always really compelling to me! I’d love to see even more in-depth looks at how they create and build each scene from scratch! Read more…
Tags: captain america, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 1, 2015 in Cinema 
If you’re reading this post as it goes live at midnight in New York, Happy New Year! There are surely fireworks going off all over the place, but if you need more, Screen Junkies have pieced together this supercut of explosions in movies. Naturally, this is more celebratory instead of exhaustive, but that’s beside the point. Watch things blow up and see how many explosions you recognize! Yes, you could just read the summary on the video’s YouTube page, but where’s the fun in that? Read more…
Tags: Retro Movies
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 31, 2014 in Cinema, Horror 
Ghostbusters may have horror elements, but I think the humor is where it shines. But in Paul Feig’s all-female reboot, the director is aiming to make his version scarier. Though the film will stay in PG-13 territory (unlike Feig’s R-rated comedies), the new film will definitely be aiming to be a scary comedy. I always thought the original Ghostbusters had its scary moments, especially that librarian ghost, but I suppose it’s not actually that scary. But as long as the horror doesn’t interfere with the comedy (or the team’s chemistry), I could see it working. Then again, I don’t see why we need a new Ghostbusters movie anyway. Nothing against the concept of a lady Ghostbusters team, but the achievements of the original actors is going to hang heavy over production.
Read more…
Tags: Ghostbusters
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 30, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Vin Diesel’s latest Facebook post has rumors surfacing that Diesel may be appearing in Marvel’s fall 2018 movie Inhumans. See, Diesel posts these kinda strange self-affirmations, featuring himself, to his Facebook page. His new cover image shows him wearing a shirt with the comic book logo for Inhumans, with “Are You Inhuman?” behind him. (The phrase and font had previously been used in ads for “Inhumanity,” a 2013 event.) “But wait!” you say, “Vin Diesel is already playing a part in Marvel movies! He voices Groot!” Yes, but he doesn’t perform motion capture for Groot, and there’s a perfect part set up for him in Inhumans. Read more…
Tags: Inhumans, Marvel, Vin Diesel
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 22, 2014 in Cinema 
Robert Rodriguez is going to be creating a live-action adaptation of Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta’s Fire & Ice. This isn’t a huge surprise, as he originally said he’d be making this a few years ago, and, well… now he is! Bold Films has been financing the film’s pre-production and now they’re logging in with Sony. Of course, Sony wants this to be a multi-film saga and possibly establish a world for many future sequels and spin-offs. Obviously. Still, the visual style will probably be the big draw here, especially given that Rodriguez has proven himself dedicated to that angle before. I’m excited to see how a live-action version will look! Read more…
Tags: Robert Rodriguez
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 18, 2014 in Cinema, Television 
Cookie Monster may have already parodied The Lord of the Rings, but has he really confronted the temptation of the One Ring? Sir Ian McKellen joins him in a new video to help explain the word “resist.” But when McKellen shows Cookie Monster the One Ring, he doesn’t see the appeal, since he’s “not much of a jewelry guy.” But a cookie? That could easily be his precious… Read more…
Tags: Lord of the Rings, Sesame Street, Sir Ian McKellen
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 15, 2014 in Cinema 
Back at Comic-con news broke of a new King Kong film titled Skull Island, which would focus on the original island and a group of adventurers who explore it — and of course, Kong himself. The film has now gotten a new release date (March 10th 2017) and a new title (just so you don’t forget what this movie is about): Kong: Skull Island. Yup. They just added “Kong” on the front. The film will be directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and will star Tom Hiddleston in the lead role. No real story details are available yet aside from that we’ll see the “mysterious and dangerous home of the king of the apes as a team of explorers ventures deep inside the treacherous, primordial island.” Oh, and this actually takes places in “an entirely new, distinct timeline.” Ok. Read more…
Tags: King Kong
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 14, 2014 in Cinema 
Ridley Scott is making headline a lot these days, eh? With his latest film, Exodus: Gods and Kings, fully whitewashed and ready to release, he’s also been chatting about Blade Runner 2. Scott has leaned away from the idea of directing it in the past month or so, but he apparently heard back from Harrison Ford on his impressions of the script: “I sent him [the script] and he said ‘wow, this is the best thing I’ve ever read.’ It’s very relevant to what happened [in] the first one.” High praise, it seems. I hope it actually is as good as Scott portrays it to be. In lieu of him, who do you think should direct the film? I’m not 100% sure, but I think a good name to suggest would be Nicolas Winding Refn. Since we can’t replicate the success of the original, why not try something totally unique and different? Read more…
Tags: Blade Runner, Harrison Ford, Ridley Scott
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 14, 2014 in Cinema 
No, Colbert doesn’t interview Cumberbatch directly. He doesn’t interview a puppet, either. No, he’s interviewing the real live Samug. Er, well, as real as CGI is, anyway. Yes, they animated an entire sequence in which Stephen Colbert interviews Samug (who appropriately busts through the set), and he’s voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. You may know Colbert is a huge Tolkien fan, so this is probably an interview he put a lot of work into. They discuss making the movie, recent news topics, and even throw a Sherlock joke in there. It’s all very cute. Colbert seems to be ratcheting up the impressive guest list, first with the President and now with Samug. Who’s next? Read more…
Tags: Stephen Colbert, The Hobbit
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 13, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Perhaps you already ran out and picked up Guardians of the Galaxy. If you did, you can already see this brand new blooper footage! But, if you’re like me and are saving money for the holidays, it’s nice to see Marvel sharing the blooper reel with the internet at large. Although, I will say, blooper reels seem to be getting shorter and shorter — or is it just me? Of course, no modern blooper reel is complete without some “real” bloopers featuring the CGI cast members (aka Rocket and Groot) screwing up a scene too! Those are always seem a bit more forced, just due to the fact that the animation is put over a voice actor’s flubs, but hey! It’s all in good fun. Bloopers below! Read more…
Tags: Guardians of the Galaxy
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 12, 2014 in Cinema 
The new Mad Max film looks suitably crazy. In fact, it barely resembles a modern film in many ways, with tons of practical effects and some general weirdness that usually gets smoothed out in Hollywood. Who knows if it’ll actually end up being good, but it sure does make for some amazing trailers and visuals. George Miller has done a lot of stuff over the years, but seeing him come back to Mad Max is nice. The movie features Tom Hardy as Max and Charlize Theron as Furiosa (which is a ridiculous but awesome name) who’re both described as people “of action” in the movie’s description. Check out the trailer below! Read more…
Tags: mad max
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 11, 2014 in Animation, Cinema 
I know that Pixar’s next movie is called Inside Out, but to me, this is a Cranium Command movie. Inside Out is about the emotions that live inside all of our heads and make our decisions; the movie focuses on the mind of a teenage girl. Similarly, Cranium Command was an Epcot ride about the person who lives inside our head and makes our decisions (along with other parts of the body); the ride focused on the body of a teenage boy. Sure, the new trailer for Inside Out is funny and charming. But more importantly, seeing as Cranium Command was closed years ago, this is the closest thing I’ve got to one of my favorite Epcot attractions! Read more…
Tags: Inside Out, Pixar
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 9, 2014 in Cinema 
Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla may have gotten some mixed-to-positive reception earlier this year, but it still doesn’t count as a “true” Godzilla film. Toho, the original Japanese producers, haven’t made a new movie since their 2004 send-off Godzilla: Final Wars. But twelve years later, in 2016, the hiatus will end and Toho will release a new Godzilla film. A story and cast will be announced later, while production will start in Summer 2015. This seems to be a full reboot, so it likely won’t have any ties to the previous Millennium Era films. Toho claims that Japan’s film industry can now achieve Hollywood-style effects without spending Hollywood-level money. Hopefully that means they’re still planning to use plenty of practical effects, and hopefully use people in suits instead of CG monsters.
Read more…
Tags: Godzilla, Toho
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 6, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Yes, that Deadpool movie is really happening now. Ryan Reynolds will definitely return to play the merc with a mouth, the LA Times has confirmed. Not too surprising, since we knew Reynolds wanted to return to the role. In other news, Benedict Cumberbatch has also been officially confirmed as Doctor Strange. Surprise! And also on the plate: Krysten Ritter will play Jessica Jones in an upcoming Marvel Netflix series (essentially, she’s a washed-up superhero who opens up her own detective agency, which is a great concept for a show). Tons of casting, although Reynolds will probably never meet up with the other two. What a shame! Read more…
Tags: Deadpool, Doctor Strange, Jessica Jones
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 5, 2014 in Cinema 
The fictional terrorist organization Spectre has been an important part of the James Bond franchise (Dr. No), but a messy rights battle kept the movies from using them in the last few films (this is also why the group Quantum was introduced, to take its place). Last year, the rights were finally settled, and now it appears that they have wasted no time integrating Spectre back into the films. In particular, Christoph Waltz has been cast as the main villain, named Oberhauser, but practically everyone assumes him to actually be Ernst Blofeld, the leader of Spectre. Now, the title of “Spectre” has been confirmed, and first teaser poster definitely resembles the Spectre logo quite a bit… Hmm! In addition to Daniel Craig and Waltz, Spectre will also feature Andrew Scott, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, and Noami Harris. Read more…
Tags: James Bond, Spectre
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 4, 2014 in Cinema 
We’ve got the first footage of Terminator: Genisys, the reboot of the franchise that also sees Arnold Schwarzenegger return to his iconic role. Apparently, not just the T-800 is back, as we get a glimpse of a T-1000. I don’t think Robert Patrick is returning for this one, but since the T-1000 could look any way it wants, that’s not an issue. Honestly, everything looks solid, and that time machine is particularly cool, but I just don’t see reboots like this getting as much play as the originals. Read more…
Tags: arnold schwarzenegger, Terminator Genisys
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 3, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Can we admit that despite WB’s questionable direction of their DC Cinematic Universe, the Suicide Squad movie actually sounds good? WB just put out a press release announcing the stars of the film, and it is a very solid cast. We’ve got: Jared Leto as the Joker, Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney is Boomerang, Cara Delevingne as Enchantress, and Tom Hardy as Rick Flagg. They haven’t picked their actress for Amanda Waller yet, but rumor says that Oprah Winfrey is their top pick, with Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer also being considered. With Fury‘s David Ayer writing and directing, Suicide Squad may survive having Man of Steel‘s Zack Snyder as its producer. Read more…
Tags: DC Comics, Suicide Squad, Warner Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 30, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Everyone wants to ask James Gunn about Guardians of the Galaxy 2. So much so, he went on Facebook and posted about the movie and answered some comments! His post is mainly about his desire to make a good movie first, rather than constantly try to create a shared movie universe. “I know George Lucas, Kevin Feige, John Favreau, etc, had ideas where their films would potentially lead in the face of success. But I don’t think it ever got in the way of making that first movie count as if it was the last, of making it something wonderful that people would love whether it led to other films or not.” He then went on to say, “I don’t want Nova right now because I think Quill being the only earthling is important.” Maybe Nova will get his own movie later! Read more…
Tags: Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 28, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Here it is, folks: the teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. There’s not much footage there, but what is there looks pretty great. You’ll get some classic trilogy vibes from this, trust me. There’s still plenty of new stuff — it’s not all old references and I’m honestly liking a lot of the elements they’re showing here. Plus, we finally get a good look at our two leads. I won’t spoil anything for you, aside from that yes, it ends with a fade to black and a lightsaber ignition sound, just like we all expected. Now get below the jump and watch it. You know you want to! Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, The Force Awakens
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