- Must Watch: Destructive Trailer for Roland Emmerich's 2012 (169 Comments)
- First Grueling Trailer for The Twilight Saga: New Moon (150 Comments)
- Does This Final New G.I. Joe Trailer Convince You to See It? (109 Comments)
- Profile on Marvel Studios with Big Updates from Kevin Feige (80 Comments)
- Must Watch: First Trailer for Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island (79 Comments)
- Visual Effects Supervisor Charles Gibson Directing The Goblin (Jun 21, 2009)
- Sony Dumps Steven Soderbergh's Moneyball Movie Last Minute! (Jun 21, 2009)
- Producer Joe Gatta Updates Rodriguez' Red Sonja Movie (Jun 20, 2009)
- Latest Updates from David S. Goyer on The Invisible Man (Jun 19, 2009)
- Sly Stallone's The Expendables Could End Up Being PG-13? (Jun 19, 2009)
| Inglourious Basterds | 8.5/10 |
| Star Trek | 9/10 |
| Monsters vs Aliens | 5/10 |
| Sin Nombre | 8.5/10 |
| Duplicity | 7.5/10 |
Apparently Half-Blood Prince is Oscar Nomination Material?
So says Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com. I'm not supposed to tell you what I think of the new Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince just yet, but I can tell you I completely agree with what Paul said in his article. If you read my Twitter, then you probably already know what I thought of it. But let me use some of his quotes to explain. "The Potter-loving beast in me has been unleashed having witnessed a film that was not only exquisite in its production values, but was also charming, funny, scary, enchanting, moving (stop me, the adjectives could go on and on) and dare I say, sexy." Did I tell you that I wholly agree with him?
Brandon Routh is Superman No More, But Does it Matter?
Early this morning I was sent a link to an article on the Brazilian movie site Omelete where they had a few new quotes from Brandon Routh who they caught up with on the set of Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. We've heard plenty of unconfirmed details about the status of Superman inside of Warner Brothers, but not all of it was accurate. Routh (via a rough translation) says that he knows nothing about what's currently going on and, most importantly, that his contract to play Superman has since expired. "But if they call me again, back to the character without thinking twice [sic]!" But does it really matter though?
Sound Off: Public Enemies - What Did You Think?
Now that you've seen it, what did you think? Hitting theaters today is Michael Mann's very highly anticipated 1930's gangster movie Public Enemies about real life bank robber John Dillinger. Its got one hell of a cast - Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard - but are they more than just familiar faces? It seems like it could be as good as The Untouchables, but does it ever reach those heights? Does Mann's realistic HD camera style work for this story or is it too glossy for a period piece? Did it live up to all of your expectations? Sound off below, leave your thoughts, and let us know what you thought of Public Enemies!
Michael Bay is a Drug - And It's Time to Quit
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has raked in over $400 million worldwide. Double its budget. Almost $50 million more than Star Trek and loads more than Pixar's Up, the previous top two. It's a smash. A commercial juggernaut. And its been out just over a week. But to say I'm surprised just wouldn't be the truth. No matter how critically flayed ROTF was bound to be after the tepid response to its predecessor - sliced to bits by critics and dragged asunder by the very fanboys at which the film is aimed - it was destined to destroy. Even when the bile started to spew just before its release, I don't think there was ever any doubt.
Will Paramount Convince Michael Bay to Return for Transformers 3?
That's an interesting question. A year ago, everyone would've instantly said yes, without a doubt. But it's a whole different situation now. I can't actually take credit for that question - it comes from Peter Sciretta at SlashFilm. Here's how he looks at it: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has earned an incredible $200 million in only 5 days at the box office. Sure that means most people saw it, but most hated it, or at least a majority of them did. It holds a steady 20% at Rotten Tomatoes and 6.7 on IMDb. There's no doubt about it - Paramount will finish the trilogy with Transformers 3, probably in 2011. But will Michael Bay return?
The Weekly Moviegoer - Favoring the Ticket Kiosk
Expect long lines at your local box office this week thanks to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Public Enemies, and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. But remember you can always avoid the long line at the ticket booth by buying your tickets at a ticket kiosk instead. No, you don't have to have already purchased your tickets online. As long as you have a debit or credit card, you can just walk up to a kiosk and get your tickets easily and quickly. Plus, you avoid at least one impolite theater employee. Certainly this isn't a new concept, and you're probably reading this and wanting to comment with something like, "how is this news?"
Christopher Nolan's Batman 3 - It Starts and Ends with Time
In the recent weeks passed, there has been a lot of talk (coming from this Batman-on-Film.com article or this MTV piece from Christian Bale) about what I'll refer to as Batman 3, or to put this prospective film in context, the third film of what I always hoped (expected) would be Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy (essentially, what is the sequel to The Dark Knight). That talk has all been negative, unfortunately. Film journalists, bloggers, and fans alike (as seen here) have been waxing pessimistic about the rumors that Nolan may not return to what is, ostensibly, both his largest and, in my opinion, very best work to date.
Sound Off: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - What Did You Think?
Now that you've seen it, what did you think? It only took Michael Bay and company two years to bring us a sequel to the exciting and explosive hit Transformers from 2007. Now he's back with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and it's bigger, it's longer, it's taller (in IMAX), and it has more robots than you could ever want, but is it actually better? Does the Fallen kick some serious robot ass? Does it have any story problems? Are there just too many robots? Or is it the most exciting action movie this summer? Sound off below, leave your thoughts, and let us know what you thought of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen!
Marc Webb's 500 Days of Blogging #1 - Dudes in Love
I was skeptical. Last year after the second test screening of a rough cut for 500 Days of Summer – a rogue but fortunately very positive review popped up on the website, FirstShowing.net. It was so good, in fact, I thought it may have been written by someone involved with the movie which would have completely sucked any meaning out of the praise. I shot off an email to the host and that's how I first met Alex. Thankfully neither the reviewer nor Alex himself had any affiliation with our film. I'm here to change that. It turns out Alex grew up in Colorado Springs - the same city where I went to school at Colorado College.
Sly Stallone's The Expendables Could End Up Being PG-13?
We've already had at least one big battle this year about a movie's rating (as in, Terminator Salvation). I don't want to start another one, but this is an interesting discussion worth having, especially in relation to a movie I'm excited to see. A few websites were recently on the set of Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables (including AICN) and as part of the visit, they got to talk with producer Avi Lerner. Lerner, who gave UGO these quotes, not only talked about Rambo 5 and that it might eventually happen, but that The Expendables would be testing for both PG-13 and R ratings and the studio would then decide once the reports came in.
Rumor: Uh Oh, Warner Brothers to Revive Teen Wolf?!
The rumor mill is a'spinnin' at full tilt today and we've got a hairy bit of speculation for you. The guys over at Moviehole are reporting that a remake/reboot of the 1985 classic (is it even a classic?) Teen Wolf is in early development. Yes, the story of the high schooler who makes friends and learns how to slam like Kobe after he discovers he's a werewolf (just like his father!) but ends up learning just who his friends really are is soon to be coming to theaters (again). Take note, though. By early development, they mean very, very early. Warner Bros. is currently shopping for a writer, but the studio isn't yet sure "which way [they want] to go."
Mission: Impossible 4 Officially in Development for 2011!
Damn is 2011 starting to look like a great year! Just last week we ran a somewhat sketchy rumor that J.J. Abrams would return to produce another Mission: Impossible 4 with Tom Cruise. It came from a very small blurb in TV Guide - but it looks as if they just beat the Hollywood Reporter to the punch. Now THR is officially reporting that Paramount has put M:i:IV on the fast-track for a 2011 release. It's not a surefire prospect - both Cruise and Abrams have so many other projects in the works, that neither will confirm what they're doing next or if they'll even have the time to get to Mission: Impossible by 2010. We can only hope!
The Weekly Moviegoer - Pump Up the Volume!
People are so noisy and disrespectful at the movies. Often I find myself trying to enjoy a good comedy, and the audience goes and ruins it by laughing out loud, causing me to miss whatever dialogue follows a joke or bit of slapstick. Who knows if I've missed an important line of exposition or a successive joke because of these rude outbursts? It's no wonder that I tend to wait for comedies to hit DVD, when I can watch them in the privacy of my own home and hear every bit of it over my light guffawing. Obviously I'm kidding… mostly. Although I've never been a loud laugher, I appreciate the sound of a crowd in amusement.
Star Trek Writers Kurtzman and Orci on Ideas for the Sequel
It's almost too early to already be looking forward to the next Star Trek sequel, but that's how Hollywood works. Especially since screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have to turn in a finished script by the end of the year. Back in May, right after Trek hit theaters, we posted an update looking at some story ideas for a sequel - potentially involving the villain Khan or even William Shatner in some way. However, Orci insists that at this point they don't have a story or even a premise for the sequel. But at least they know where to start. SciFi Wire talked with the writers recently about how they're planning to tackle the sequel.
Discussion: What if Paramount Merged with Sony or Universal?
This isn't news - it's all a rather crazy claim from a Wall Street investor. But there is a great discussion worth having. In a Forbes article published yesterday, veteran investor Mario Gabelli claims that "Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures could merge with Sony Pictures, Universal Studios or another movie studio amid a wave of consolidation in the industry over the next few months." It's a very lofty prediction, especially since Paramount is one of the studios who is doing very well right now (and will be doing even better when Transformers 2 opens next week). But the discussion is whether this could be beneficial if it ever happened.
The Weekly Moviegoer - Watching Terminator with Motion Seats
As much as I enjoyed Terminator Salvation for what it is, I left the movie theater thinking I'd never have reason to watch it again. But I was wrong. Last week, while visiting my grandmother in Arizona, I felt compelled to revisit the relatively disappointing yet sufficiently entertaining sequel when I drove out to the Ultrastar Cinemas Surprise Pointe 14 movie theater in Surprise, AZ, for a first-hand trial of the new D-Box motion seats. I previously wrote about these fun auditorium furnishings a couple months ago in a column about cinema gimmicks, but I just had to experience the seats for myself. And how was the experience?
Sound Off: The Hangover - What Did You Think?
Now that you've seen it, what did you think? Holy sh*t, I can't believe the MPAA let them show that! The Hangover is this summer's underdog comedy that might just become a breakout hit. Its got a crazy hilarious concept, the perfect cast, and some top notch marketing. But how is it as a movie? Any good? Does it live up to those brilliant trailers or is it just a drawn out and boring extension of those two-minutes. How was Mike Tyson's cameo? Was Zach Galifianakis as funny as he looked in the trailers? Who else stood out from the cast? Sound off below, leave your thoughts, and let us know what you thought of The Hangover!
Will You Be Able to Watch Nearly 3 Hours of Avatar in 3D?
We're all anxiously waiting for James Cameron's Avatar and hoping that it will change cinema as we know it. I, for one, am anxious to see if it finally shows us what 3D is truly capable of, in terms of enhancing the storytelling (and not just being used as a sales gimmick). But I know people always complain about the glasses and the eye strain of 3D. SlashFilm reports that they talked with producer Jon Landau at E3 today and got confirmation that Avatar is at least two and a half hours long, maybe even three, depending on how Cameron cuts it together in the end. Will you be able to watch nearly three hours of Avatar in 3D?
Could Bryan Singer Return for More Superhero Movies?
Don't get your hopes up. After the dismal debut of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I started to think back to the older X-Men movies, and I realized the only reason they were as great as they were is because Bryan Singer had directed them. I know Valkyrie wasn't as widely appreciated as most of his past movies, but I love Singer, he's an amazing director who just gets better as time goes on. Anyway, when Total Film talked with Singer recently (via The Geek Files blog), they asked him about his thoughts on X-Men 3 and if he might ever return to the comic book movie world to direct something like, say, X-Men Origins: Magneto.
Sound Off: Pixar's UP - What Did You Think?
Now that you've seen it, what did you think? Pixar is back again with their 10th feature film - Up. We all know the story, we all know the characters, but is it as incredible as every past Pixar movie? I've heard other friends of mine say that Carl and Russell just haven't captured his interested the way Remy or Wall-E or Sulley or Nemo or Mr. Incredible have previously. But is that just an early misconception? Is Up really one of the best movies of the year? Or just boring kid's entertainment? How does it rank up against other Pixar movies? Sound off below, leave your thoughts, and let us know what you thought of Pixar's Up!