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The Many Uses of Green Screen Virtual Backlot Demo Video

It seems like this video has been floating around for a while, so it's not anything too new, but it just hit digg tonight, and that's where I first saw it. The video is called "What You See Isn't Always What You Get" but it's actually a demo reel for Stargate Studios, a visual effects company that specializes in virtual backlots (which is what this kind of green screen removal is). A lot of the footage from this looks like it comes from TV shows like "Ugly Betty", "Grey's Anatomy", and "Heroes", but the same green screen techniques are used in movies as well. If you didn't think green screen was used that often, just watch this and you'll be amazed.

Watch This: Denzel's Fight Training Video for The Book of Eli

I know this came out a few days ago, but it's still awesome to see. And I'll tell you right now that The Book of Eli is hands down my favorite movie of January. I haven't seen all of the movies playing next month, but I have seen a few of them, and nothing compares to how completely awesome this movie was. The story is great, the visuals are great, the actors are all fantastic, but the fight scenes in particular were truly badass. And that's what this new behind-the-scenes video focuses on. Denzel Washington did do all of his own stunts for The Book of Eli and trained with some of the very best fight trainers in the industry. Check it out!

Jeremy Renner Says He Definitely Won't Be Playing Hawkeye

At the end of November, about a month back, The Hurt Locker star Jeremy Renner revealed that he had been talking with the guys at Marvel about playing the superhero character Hawkeye in their upcoming Thor and Avengers movies. It seemed all a bit sketchy to begin with, even though Renner had been quoted as saying: "Hawkeye could be interesting. They're going to send me some stuff on it." But it turns out it was all just an idea that never turned into a reality and all of the early discussion about it may have even killed it in the end. Renner gave an update to Movieline in a new interview, explaining what happened with Marvel.

New Photos: Channing Tatum Stars in The Eagle of the Ninth

The only new photos worth posting today are from Kevin Macdonald's The Eagle of the Ninth starring Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Denis O'Hare, and Mark Strong. This is a Roman epic adventure about a young soldier who endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem. It's directed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play) and based on Rosemary Sutcliff's novel of the same name. Thanks to Yahoo we've got our first look at six new photos from Eagle of the Ninth (including one above) to compliment that photo from November. Check 'em out below!

Second New Full-Length How to Train Your Dragon Trailer

DreamWorks Animation has quietly debuted a second new full-length trailer for their next movie, How to Train Your Dragon. This isn't available in high definition anywhere yet, but thanks to SlashFilm we've got a embeddable version for your viewing pleasure below. Is it just me or does it seem like DreamWorks is just a little bit worried that no one is looking forward to How to Train Your Dragon? Hence the elaborate intro with footage from all of their past movies. This doesn't look terrible, it just doesn't look great either. The voices seem off and the story just seems mediocre as well. Watch this and let us know what you think?

Rumors: Worthington as Flash Gordon, McAvoy as Ian Fleming

Some interesting casting rumors for you to chew on today. Our friends at Pajiba are reporting that James McAvoy has been cast as James Bond creator Ian Fleming in a biopic in development at Animus Films and Palmstar Entertainment. The film will supposedly focus on the (younger) years in Fleming's life (when he was in the British Navy) that gave him inspiration for the character of James Bond. Additionally, the not-as-trustworthy website HollyScoop is reporting that Sam Worthington is in the running for the role of Flash Gordon in Breck Eisner's remake of the 1980 sci-fi film. I actually like the sound of both rumors.

Star Trek Sequel is Starting Pre-Production Next December?

Apparently this little quote was first published last week, just before Christmas, and I'm not sure how we missed it. But considering there is no other news worth reporting this week, and because Star Trek is one of favorite movies of this year, I thought I'd feature it today anyway. In an MTV article looking at actress Zoe Saldana's upcoming 2010 slate, they highlight a quote from her that mentions that the Star Trek sequel will be "going into pre-production around this time next year." That's not necessarily shocking or surprising, but it's good to hear that they're pushing to get started fairly soon, because I'm already anxious to see this.

These Ain't Just Opening Credits: The Art of the Title Sequence

The opening moments of any film are truly pivotal in fully capturing the audience's attention amidst the opening of snacks, late audience arrivals and post-trailers chatter. Some movies just throw you right into the story, while others like to ease you in with a not-so-distracting credit sequence that runs throughout the opening scenes. But then, there are some movies which have meticulously crafted opening sequences to not only make sure you know damn well the people who worked so hard to bring it to you, but also to introduce you to the world where you'll spend the next few hours. And herein lies The Art of the Title Sequence.

Avatar Continues to Break More IMAX Records Every Week

Hollywood has shut down for the week, so there isn't much news to report. However, James Cameron's Avatar seems to still be kicking ass at the box office, landing in the #1 this spot last weekend and topping $600 million worldwide in just over 10 days. IMAX sent out a press release last night stating that Avatar is breaking more and more IMAX records, which is impressive because The Dark Knight set the bar quite last year. "To have reached $39 million from 249 screens in just 10 days demonstrates that moviegoers clearly understand the value of experiencing Avatar in IMAX," said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX.

Must Watch: Second Phenomenal Teaser Trailer for Inception

Warner Bros has finally put out the second teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan's Inception in glorious high definition (via Apple). This already hit theaters last Friday in front of Sherlock Holmes, so a few of you might've already seen it. And it's essentially the same version as the French trailer we ran last week as well. The more I see from Inception, the more excited I get, and I'm already pretty pumped. Chris Nolan seems to be giving us more and more of the story in each new trailers, but I still don't know what it's about besides the idea of going into someone's dreams. Next to Tron Legacy, this is my most anticipated movie of 2010.

Acme Archives Selling Limited Edition Avatar Concept Art!

Did you end up loving James Cameron's Avatar? Are you a believer that it's going to change movies forever? Well, if you loved it that much, you can buy some rather expensive but gorgeous prints of concept art from Avatar over on Acme Archives. I think a few of these were first introduced at Comic-Con, but thanks to SlashFilm we know that Acme is currently selling four different concept art prints that can be purchased on paper, canvas, or vistachrome, which is "a highly saturated vibrant image laminated on 1/4 inch plexi and mounted on wood with metal standoffs." That'd look pretty awesome hanging on my wall!

Joe Johnston Planning to Shoot Captain America Next June

We haven't heard much from Marvel recently about The First Avenger: Captain America, which is still slated for release in July of 2011. What we do know, though, is that Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, Jurassic Park III, The Wolfman) is directing and the screenplay is being written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (of all three Chronicles of Narnia movies). Fangoria (via ComingSoon) just published a teaser piece for their upcoming issue that has an interview with Joe Johnston talking about Wolfman. However, near the end of the article they drop a little tidbit about Johnston's plans to start shooting Captain America in June.

Director John Waters' Funky Picks for the Best Films of 2009

Hearing the name John Waters, you should already expect this list to be quite eccentric, and that's exactly why I'm featuring it. We'll be seeing plenty of the big Oscar on all kinds of best of lists, so why not feature a few films that you probably haven't heard of or never saw? Waters posted his complete list on artforum.com (thanks to Anne Thompson for the link) with explanations for every film. For example, on why he included Whatever Works: "Gerontophilia never seemed so appealing. This time, Woody goes a little gay and lives to tell about it with lovely, comic success. I am so mad I don’t have this director’s career." Read on for his list!

Interview: Lord Blackwood Himself, British Actor Mark Strong

If you've seen Sherlock Holmes, or at least seen the trailer, then you probably know who Lord Blackwood is. British actor Mark Strong plays Blackwood, Holmes' "depraved adversary" in the movie, and is not only quite devious and brilliant, but also seems to have supernatural powers. Just before I talked with director Guy Ritchie, I got on the phone with Mark Strong. Despite the sinister nature of the villain's he plays, he's one of the most down-to-earth and incredibly humbling actors I've ever had the pleasure of interviewing. This time my focus was on Sherlock Holmes, but I also threw in a few questions about John Carter of Mars.

Mamoru Oshii Developing a Live-Action Tetsujin 28 Movie

Anime and manga fans should be excited by this news. Anime News Network (via SlashFilm) is reporting that acclaimed Japanese director Mamoru Oshii (of Ghost in the Shell and The Sky Crawlers animes) is directing a live-action version of the Tetsujin 28-go manga. I'm guessing that most Americans don't know anything about Tetsujin 28-go, but it's one of the most popular and beloved mangas in Japanese history. The story is about a three-stories-tall giant remote controlled robot named Tetsujin 28 that also "inspired" the 1964 anime series Gigantor. Most people will probably recognize the Tetsujin 28 design seen above.