- Twilight's First Official Photo and Why I'm Passing
- Rumor: Matthew McConaughey Possibly Captain America - Blasphemy!
- Sound Off: Iron Man - What Did You Think?
- Must Watch: Second Full Trailer for The Dark Knight!
- V for Vendetta Director, James McTeigue, Takes on Revelation (May 9, 2008)
- Donnie Darko Getting an Unnecessary Sequel?! (May 9, 2008)
- Pirates' Gore Verbinski to Direct BioShock Movie! (May 9, 2008)
- Frank Miller Bringing Buck Rogers Back? (May 9, 2008)
| Speed Racer | 8/10 |
| Iron Man | 10/10 |
| Iron Man | 9/10 |
| Baby Mama | 7.5/10 |
Hancock is a Darker Blockbuster Than You Might Imagine
This year's big 4th of July film is one starring the one-and-only Will Smith, who usually resides in that spot anyway. Although I may have a bit of disdain for Hancock, the talent involved is undeniably strong: Peter Berg (The Rundown, The Kingdom) directing, Akiva Goldsman (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, I Am Legend) and Michael Mann (Ali, Collateral, Miami Vice) producing, and of course Will Smith. However, an interesting tidbit about the darker, more violent nature of the film has recently been revealed in a New York Times article. In it, Berg speaks about the more adult undertones related to the character of Hancock, as originally created by first-time writer Vincent Ngo. It seems this isn't the light-hearted comedic blockbuster that we've all imagined it would be.
Confirmed: Anchorman News Team Definitely Returning!
After initially reporting a rumor back in February that Will Ferrell wanted to bring back Ron Burgundy in an Anchorman sequel, we now have some confirmation. Collider recently caught up with Will Ferrell's friend and collaborator Adam McKay, who directed Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and the upcoming Step Brothers. McKay told him that they're definitely going to do Anchorman 2, but probably not for another two years. Hell yes! I don't mind the wait - just bring Ron Burgundy back! He's one of the greatest characters Will Ferrell has ever created and the other members who make up the news team are some of the best comedians around.
So Indiana Jones is Even 'Gramps' in the Movie, Too!
As we near the May 22nd release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the marketing saturation is beginning to pick up and the hype continues to build. I know each and every day I get more and more excited. I'm hosting my own Indiana Jones marathon this week and will be going all out in the next few weeks in preparation for Indy's triumphant return. One aspect that so many people can't get off of their minds is how old Harrison Ford looks. He's now 65, but that doesn't mean he still can't kick ass. I stumbled across this brand new TV spot this morning and discovered that even in the movie, Shia LaBeouf calls him "gramps!" I've heard other people call him that on their own, but apparently it's actually a joke in the movie, too! Enjoy the new TV spot below.
Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins Announced as PG-13
The Halcyon Company made an official announcement today stating that the upcoming Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins will be officially rated PG-13. I'm not entirely sure why they made such an effort to make sure the rating was this well known, especially when they haven't even really started filming, but it's a topic worth discussing. The important thing to note: all three of the past Terminator films have been rated R. This is the very first time any Terminator movie will be PG-13. This is similar to Live Free or Die Hard last year, which was the first Die Hard movie to be rated PG-13. Is this a concern?
Sunday Discussion: This Summer's Worst of the Worst
I'm currently basking in the glory that is Iron Man and Speed Racer - two great movies to kick off the this summer. And as much as I wish I could sit back and enjoy every last movie that'll grace the glorious big screen over the next few months, alas there are some nasty duds coming up. I'm not one to really nitpick the big ones, but this time there are at least five movies that really stand out. Partially inspired by Kevin Carr's Eight Summer Movies That Are Sure to Suck Ass article and partially inspired by the thought that every movie so far has been great is too good to continue, I've decided to look at this summer's worst of the worst today. Watch out though - some of these movies have really gotten under my skin and it's rare to see me let loose on these utter piles of cinematic crap.
The Future of Iron Man: Alcoholic Tony Stark, War Machine, and Beyond!
Now that we've all (hopefully) seen Iron Man and experienced one of the greatest Marvel movies since at least Spider-Man 2, it's time to look forward at the future of Iron Man, War Machine, and more. We already mentioned last Friday that Iron Man 2 might be in the works for a 2010 release, but that's not all. There are so many different doors that have now been opened given Jon Favreau has successfully brought Iron Man to the big screen, including other Marvel universe collaborations, but we'll get into that more below. You've been warned - there are abundant spoilers contained within, so only read onwards if you've seen Iron Man and want to discuss the potential future of the character. If you're ready, let's get down to it!
Wanted Already Getting a Sequel? Really?
One of this summer's upcoming comic book adaptations that seems to have the least amount of buzz is Wanted. While I do think it could be fairly entertaining, I just don't think it's up there with the likes of Iron Man, Hellboy II, or The Dark Knight. And odd bit of news has recently been discovered surrounding Wanted - a sequel is already in the works. In fact, it has been since September of last year. SlashFilm recently discovered an interview over at Pajiba with the film's writers, Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, who said back in September of last year that they were already hired to write a sequel.
Since When is Jackass an Acceptable Word in Trailers?
Not that I have a problem against using the word jackass, but I'm wondering since when has it been actually allowed in "Approved for All Audiences" trailers?! I was just watching the new Hancock trailer again and I noticed that "jackass" is used twice in that trailer alone. And then I remembered last night before Iron Man I saw the (awful) trailer for The Love Guru twice and remembered hearing the cute little Verne Troyer saying "put me down jackass" at some point in that one as well. I thought a few years ago even a hint of profanity was kept far and away out of trailers. But now jackass is acceptable? Since when did the MPAA get so soft?!
Sound Off: Iron Man - What Did You Think?
Now that you've seen it, what did you think? The 2008 summer movie season has officially kicked off with Iron Man - the latest superhero flick from Marvel courtesy of director Jon Favreau and actor Robert Downey Jr. Did it live up to the hype and your expectations? How did it deliver? Is Iron Man really the right movie to kick off this year's summer movie season? And the best question yet - does Iron Man kick Spider-Man 3's ass when it comes to the first week in May? Sound off below, leave your thoughts, and let us know what you thought of Iron Man.
First Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Teaser Poster
We now have the official teaser poster for the upcoming The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Finally every major summer movie has a poster; for the longest time this movie sat scheduled without a poster, or a trailer, or hardly any imagery - but now that's changed. Although this isn't much of an introduction, it should be enough to hold us over until the first trailer which better be in the next few weeks or this movie is screwed. With that being said, take a look, and importantly, sound off and let us know below - is anyone looking forward to this movie this summer?
Five Glorious New International Dark Knight Posters
And you thought that amazing poster last week was all we'd get! Five new international posters for The Dark Knight have just appeared courtesy of the Brazilian site Omelete. Most of today will probably end up being dedicated to The Dark Knight, given we've got another viral marketing game hitting 12 cities at 5:30PM, and the trailer is supposed to premiere later on in the evening. However, if you just can't handle your excitement, then feast your eyes on these beauties. While they're technically international, a few of them might show up around your own neighborhood or eventually in theaters near you.
Sunday Discussion: What Will This Summer Be Like?
By the time I write next week's Sunday Discussion, we'll be well on our way into the summer movie season. Not only will Iron Man be out, but we'll have seen new trailers for The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, and Indiana Jones 4. Now I'm curious to hear about the buzz for this upcoming summer season. For the first time today I heard someone tell me that this summer is nothing in comparison to last year - although there were endless sequels hitting theaters, which meant the excitement had built over about seven years, by the end nothing had really delivered. Spider-Man 3 was a let down, Pirates of the Caribbean 3 was mediocre, and Transformers was the only one that a majority seemed to enjoy. What will this summer be like? Does it already look like it'll end up better than last year?
It's Official - Guillermo del Toro Directing The Hobbit!
Guillermo promised us an official announcement this week - and now here it is. Late Thursday afternoon it was 100% confirmed - the soon-to-be legendary director Guillermo del Toro is officially attached to direct The Hobbit. Variety confirms the announcement today from executive producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, New Line president Toby Emmerich, and MGM president Mary Parent. Guillermo will move to New Zealand for the next four years to work with Jackson and WETA in order to produce the new two Hobbit films back-to-back - which will be released in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
Rant: Did Batman and Robin Really Screw Things Up THAT Much?
As I was writing my article on the G.I. Joe tidbits yesterday morning, I noticed a line in the original io9 post that read, "the costumes may look a bit Batman & Robin-esque (power-armor-breasts!)…" That final mention of Batman & Robin finally put me over the edge, because that's not the only time I've heard it mentioned when critiquing superhero costumes. The other time was when we released the first batch of Watchmen costume photos - there were numerous mentions of Batman & Robin and the disastrous nipple-laden Batsuit that George Clooney wore. I'm not questioning whether the movie itself was a screw up (that's a given), I'm questioning whether Batman & Robin really screwed up everyone's interpretation of costumes so much that we now always have to reference it when talking about superhero costumes?!
EW's Wacky Summer Box Office Predictions
When it comes to box office predictions, I usually try to stay out of the game. Not only is it nearly impossible to accurately judge how well a movie will perform (at least I think), I prefer to just enjoy movies and not sit around analyzing the financial side. The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, the summer movie preview edition, features a page of box office predictions made by the EW staff. This where things get a bit ridiculous - they rank The Dark Knight at #6, below Iron Man (at #5) and Hancock (at #3). Wow, I thought EW was smarter than this? Does anyone really think Hancock will preform that well? Or more importantly, do they really think Iron Man is going to perform better than The Dark Knight? How could they screw up this summer's box office predictions so bad?
The Year So Far - What Are Your Favorites?
We're just about launch into the summer movie season, but before we get there, I want to recap the year so far. To be honest, it's been a very unimpressive first half of 2008. There really haven't been too many stand out movies. I've got a few of my own favorites, but there hasn't been anything that I'll really remember for the rest of the year (like 300 last year and V for Vendetta the year before it). We had Cloverfield, but we all knew that was coming, and then of course Rambo; but besides those two, nothing has been that extraordinarily good. I'm hoping this is an exception and not a pattern for 2008, because I've got really high hopes for the summer. Let's take a look at my own favorites from the year so far.
Does This Excite You? New Poster for Wanted
The last few posters that have been released recently (with the exception of the beautiful Hellboy II poster), have been fairly unimpressive. We talked about the new Strangers one yesterday. Now it's time to talk about the new Wanted poster. I really don't know what is going on with Universal. They seem to have set dates a mere two to three months from a film's release to introduce a poster (is this testing a new marketing strategy?). We barely got The Incredible Hulk poster a few weeks back, we don't yet have a Mummy 3 poster yet, and finally we have the very first poster for Wanted.
What Happened To The Great M. Night Shyamalan?
Is it just me or does everyone hate him? Over this past weekend at the New York Comic Con, and almost everywhere I go, I always talk with people about the upcoming summer and what they're looking forward to the most. One movie that seems to always get left out - The Happening. If I had to take a guess right now, I'd say it'll be one of the biggest flops alongside of The Love Guru and What Happens in Vegas this summer (but all that could change). Although The Happening isn't high up on my own list, it's discouraging to find that M. Night Shyamalan, whom I greatly appreciate as a filmmaker, has seemingly lost everything that made him great. Am I wrong? What happen to M. Night Shyamalan?
Does This Scare You? New Poster for The Strangers
I'm trying to gauge the level of interest and the level of scariness of this upcoming movie - The Strangers. It is one of the only horror movie hitting theaters this entire summer (besides maybe The X-Files: I Want to Believe or Baghead or Midnight Meat Train), which goes to show that Universal seems pretty damn confident in it. STYD has debuted the latest poster which features nothing more than a scene cut directly from the trailer (how original). It's interesting that they chose this photo because I'm guessing they think it's going to creep people out enough to get them to see it. So I'm wondering, does it scare you?
Sunday Discussion: What Should Guillermo del Toro Direct Next?
Sorry for the delay in getting this up today, as I was traveling all day trying to get home from my trip to both Los Angeles for Speed Racer and New York for the Comic Con out there. Speaking of the NYCC, I must say, I love Guillermo del Toro more than just about any other director. Not only is he a brilliant filmmaker, but he's the funniest guy to hear speak live. He's got so many great ideas and has one hell of a mouth. Not only did he speak about Hellboy II extensively this weekend, but del Toro also introduced yet another new project called Saturn and the End of Days. While we wait a few more months until Hellboy II hits theaters in July, I thought it would be a good time to ask - out of all of del Toro's projects coming up, what do you want to see him direct next?