Thursday, July 31, 2008

Lionsgate Finds God & California

Chris Millis author of "Small Apartments" has sold the rights to his upcoming novel before its release. The newest book is called "God & California" and Lionsgate will be developing the book for a theatrical relase. The story follows an Iraq war vet and a disgraced Catholic priest who travel from Gotham to California in a pink 1975 El Dorado in a week, breaking the Ten Commandments one by one. (Sounds like a really interesting story, that has huge potential) Millis said casting could go any number of ways. "The protagonist is a young, early- to mid-20s guy, and then there's a mentor figure who's the drive-along partner," he explained. "I usually leave the roles open to interpretation -- I'm surprised at who people suggest." Follow the link to read an excerpt from God and California.


Thoughts on God & California? Sounds like an amazing script? Have you read Small Apartments? Did you know it has also been adapted to film by Deviant Films?

Pixar's UP Teaser Trailer Soars!

Pixar is a constant stream of hits. Everything that has come out of the studio has been gold at the box office and has also equally been a good film. Toy Story, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Cars, The Incredibles, and Monster's Inc. were all amazing films and Pixar's newest looks to be just the same. Up is relasing May 29th 2009 and our first teaser trailer is here. Not much is shown, but we do finally see the front of the old man that wev up to this point, have only seen his back. The graphics are as per usual top notch and amazing. Enough blabber....Scroll down for Up teaser trailer.

Up Teaser Trailer


Thoughts on Up? Does Pixar have another hit on its hands?

My Best Friend's Girl Red Band Trailer

Dane Cook's newest comedy is the ultimate test of friendship when his best friend (Biggs) hires him to take his ex-girlfriend (Hudson) out on a lousy date in order to make her realize how great her former boyfriend is. The film looks to be a very typical comedy, but like Good Luck Chuck has some very racy humor and this newest rad band trailer definately gives you the brink of it. My Best Friend's Girl releases September 19th in wide release. Scroll down to watch the red band trailer.

My Best Friend's Birl Red Band Trailer



Thoughts on My Best Friend's Girl? Look like it will be worth your $9?

Torchwood to Captain America?

During the Torchwood panel at Comic Con John Barrowman, the star was asked if there was any truth to the rumor that he would be playing Captain America in the upcoming Marvel film First Avenger: Captain America set to release May 6th, 2011. Barrowman later admitted, "there had been discussions with his agents and meetings on that very issue." He went on further to say that Captain America has always been his favorite comic book hero.

The question is can John Barrowman carry Capatin America? He definately is not a star and will not attract people to the theater. Marvel would be wiser to look further into real star potenial for the role. Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, or even Leo DiCaprio would be real strong choices for Captain. Captain America is being written by Zack Penn, David Self, and Jack Kirby and directed by Nick Cassavetes. Avi Arad is again producing for Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures.


Thoughts on John Barrowman as Captain America? Can he put butts in the seat? Should Marvel/Paramount continue looking for a star to fill the role? 2011 feels a long ways off!

Trek Fashion True to Original Series!

Trekmovie.com has updates on the new Star Trek uniforms that will be utilized in the JJ Abrams directed feature. "TrekMovie has talked about the uniforms with multiple sources and has confirmed that, just like on The Original Series, Scotty (Simon Pegg) and Uhura (Zoe Saldana) will be wearing red as will other actors and extras in engineering, security and communications. Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Bones (Karl Urban) will be we in Blue, as will others in science and medical. And Sulu (John Cho), Chekov (Anton Yelchin) will join Kirk (Pine) in command gold."

The newset Trek film in the long franchise has said to feature the biggest wardrobe on any of the films or television series. "Most past films in the franchise have very little variety of wardrobe, but this new film has the biggest set of wardrobe of any Trek film, even more than Star Trek The Motion Picture. Many of the characters will be seen in both their Starfleet uniforms as well as civilian clothes. There are also Starfleet uniform variations including Academy uniforms, pressure suits, and apparently different versions of the Starfleet uniforms for some scenes set on another starship." Check out the Star Trek site for the only trailer and some wallpapers of each of the castmembers.


Thoughts on new Star Trek film? Will a re-boot work? Are you interested in it? Can JJ revive the series?

Requiem for Robocop

Through all the madness of Comic Con, reviewing movies, and other stories I have been working on, I realized I have yet to touch on the re-boot of Robocop. The original ROBOCOP is a fucking masterpiece! Paul Verhoeven is an amazing director and the Criterion Collection version of ROBOCOP is one of my favorite movies of all time! It is everything you want in a movie, hard, gritty, violent, and still really delivered on message, when is a person no longer human? Peter Weller was so cool as Murphy/Robocop to me as a kid, and he still is just as kick-ass! My biggest dilema with a re-boot or re-invision of Robocop, is the first film still holds up. It stands the test of time. Sure it has alot of old stop motion animation, but it all still looks real good. Nothing seems cheesy to me, like when I watch Clash of the Titans (imagine how cool that could be now, without puppets!), there is stuff that is laughable, Robocop is different. Everything throughout the film works on every level. I will have a hard time adjusting to a new Robocop when the original has such high marks!

I can understand why producer Mike Medavoy wants to bring Robocop back to the theaters. Alot of themes from the original film are still very prevelant even more so in some regards in our society. I completely agree with Medavoy when he told MTV News, "The themes of machines and technology, for instance, that's certainly become even more prevalent today in terms of man giving up certain things to his creations and his technology and his reliance to that. It's pretty provocative stuff," he said. "You've got people today with all kinds of different implants and mechanical implants. Where does that person become no longer human? After the first one? After 50 percent of the brain gets replaced? A lot of the themes that we dealt with in the original are still very interesting to us." Medavoy's lip-service is appealing, he has hit on the main themes that I really enjoyed (along with the violence) in Robocop! The fact that he and Brad Fischer went out and hired Darren Aronofsky to direct the re-boot makes me believe they are indeed trying to put out the best film they can. Like what Platnium Dunes has done with a few horror franchises or WB with Batman, Medavoy & Fischer look to rebuild the franchise. The two have been very mum on just what the script will entail, all they've said is, "All will be revealed...it will be guided to the big-screen by Aronofsky, the director of "Requiem for a Dream" and "Pi," whom is one of the brightest and most intelligent filmmakers around." Aronofsky is a great director (although, I hated the Fountain) and I am very interested to see what he does with the Robocop franchise.

Why question is remains, can they make a better version of Robocop? What the producers talk about re-booting was covered so well by Verhoeven and doesn't need re-telling. It will be interesting to see updated CG ED-209 (if that is even in the film). My biggest fear is that they use CG for the actual suit of Robocop. I hope that they will follow Marvel's pattern from Iron Man and build a fully functional suit for whoever plays Robocop to wear. The filmakers have made a point to say that the film will be in the same vein as the original with the rating. They are making the film for a hard R rating, not a PG13. That is also pleasing news but again, the hard R was done perfectly by the original, so why tamper with it? Robocop is still in very early stages of production, but is slated to release sometime 2010! Below is the first one-sheet for the film.


click on image for higher resolution



What are your thoughts on a re-boot of Robocop? Is it neccessary?

Beverly Hills Cop 4 has its Writers!

Variety is reporting today that Brett Ratner is further gearing up to direct Beverly Hills Cop IV with Paramount financing the film. Ratner and Paramount have gone out and hired Michael Brandt (Wanted) and Derek Haas (3:10 to Yuma) to pen the script. Ratner and Murphy have gone on record that the film will definately be R rated and will ignore the terrible 3rd film in the franchise. Ratner further said about the idea behind the script, "I like it a lot. These guys know how to write action. If Eddie Murphy can come in and help punch up with the script with some nice cuss-sprinkled jokes, we "could" have a winner here." (Ratner should calm down, his track record is pretty terrible)

I have always loved the first two Beverly Hills Cop films, they were so hiliarious and really had decent stories. The third film, was obviously pure shit, but I think Murphy can actually bring back Alex Foley in a great sequel (Jury is still out of Ratner). If the boys at Paramount can bring back Taggart and Rosewood characters too, the film might actually be pretty good. Again there is alot of development before I get completely behind this one, and plenty to come on this project for sure. The film will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and hopes to begin production next year for a 2010 release.


Thoughts on a Beverly Hills Cop IV? Can Murphy redeem himself from his onslaught of bad PG13 films? Will Ratner actually make a good film? Can Murphy go back to a hard R, with cursing and sex-riddled jokes? Time will tell!

Review - Machine Girl

Ami and Yu's parents have killed themselves and Ami is left to raise her teenage brother Yu. Yu is often bullied at school by a teen who is a ninja-yakuza. Yu and is friend are bullied to the point of death and Ami sets out on a vicious death path to find her brothers killers. Throughout her vendetta, she loses her arm and has a machine gun built to replace it. Ami must infiltrate the yakuza hideout and avenge her brothers death even if it means losing her own life.

Review - Baby Mamma

A very successful, middle aged, and single vice president of a natural foods company, has decided she really wants a child of her own before it is too late. Unfortunately for Kate Holbrook, she has found out that she has a million-to-one shot of ever birthing her own child. Completely distraught, she looks to find a surrogate mother to carry her eggs for her. Kate hires a surrogate who seems like the most unlikely of canidates and trouble ensues. Along the way Kate meets a smoothie business owner who she falls quickly for and develops a very interesting relationship.

Inglorious News for Pitt & Universal!!

Entertainment Weekly reported yesterday that Brad Pitt will play Lieut. Aldo Raine in Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards. "Quentin Tarantino's uberviolent WWII project Inglorious Bastards has finally found its star." This news comes alongside another tidbit that the film has also found its production company in Universal Studios. This is the first time Tarantino will work outside of the Weinstein Company. EW reported, "After three weeks of very public negotiations...sources say the movie will land at Universal Pictures." Eventhough Universal will produce, the Weinstein Company will still be involved in a small manner with financing and international distribution. Rumors were are swirling that tarantino was courting Leo DiCaprio for another role in the film, but EW has said they were false. "Rumors that Tarantino is also courting Leonardo DiCaprio for the role of Col. Hans Landa are false." Who knows Tarantino could still be looking to get Leo, time will tell. Inglorious Bastards is set to start shooting in October and be ready for Cannes in 2009.


What are your thoughts on Inglorious Bastards? Who else should QT persue for leading roles in the film? Will Inglorious Bastards be a big hit for Universal and Tarantino? Is Pitt going to finally start doing some more worthwhile projects?

This Week's Releases...

Releasing Friday August 1st

In Wide Release:

Universal's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperpor is the newest installment in the popular franchise. This time around Rob Cohen directs Brendan Fraiser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, Luke Ford, and Isabella Leong in the series as the film shifts gears to China. In the Far East, trouble-seeking father-and-son duo Rick and Alex O'Connell unearth the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin -- a shape-shifting entity who was cursed by a wizard centuries ago. The newest in the series looks to have retained the same feel from the original films and should look to try and take out The Dark Knight from the #1 spot at the box office this weekend.

Kevin Costner stars as Bud Johnson, an apathetic, beer slinging, lovable loser, who is coasting through a life that has passed him by, except for the one bright spot in his mundane existence, his precocious, over achieving twelve-year old daughter, Molly. She takes care of them both, until one mischievous moment on Election Day, when she accidentally sets off a chain of events which culminates in the presidential election coming down to one vote, her dads. Suddenly, Bud Johnson, the nobody, becomes the voice for everybody when the world realizes that his vote will be the one that elects the next president. Politicians invade the small town of Texico, New Mexico and its unwitting inhabitants, waging war for Bud's vote.


In Limited Release:

Based on Clive Barker's short story and scripted by Jeff Buhler, Bradley Cooper stars as an inquisitive photographer who comes across Mahogany (Jones), a butcher who uses the subway system as his killing floor. But who is he killing for and where is he delivering the meat of his victims? This film looks to be extremely gritty and very violent, oh yeah brutal! Early reviews have been strong, so go to a small indie theater and see this one!

Oficial Synopsis: Based on the real life experience of director Paul Weiland, England, the summer of ’66 and the country is about to be consumed by World Cup Fever. For 12-year-old Bernie the biggest day of his life is looming, the day he becomes a man - his Bar Mitzvah. But his plans for the perfect day begin to go awry when his father’s business starts to fail, forcing the family to scale back on their plans. Even more disturbing, the World Cup Final is scheduled for the same day as his passage into manhood. Parents Manny and Esther (MARSAN and BONHAM CARTER) assure Bernie that England won’t possibly make the finals, and refuse to change the date of the Bar Mitzvah. Bernie’s only solace comes from his relationship with asthma specialist, Dr Barrie (REA). As the big day approaches, everything seems to be going perfectly wrong: Manny’s business fails and the family home catches fire, and older brother Jimmy has a serious injury. And to everyone’s shock, England keeps winning games and inching towards the climactic final round. As his parents realize just how much they have let Bernie’s once-in-a-lifetime moment fall by the wayside, they come up with their own ambitious plan to make Bernie’s Bar Mitzvah day one to remember.

Official Synopsis: Wilson (Scoot McNairy), a twenty-nine-year old aspiring writer new to Los Angeles, just had the worst year of his life. With an unsold script, no concrete plans and no date, he’s convinced Los Angeles is where love comes to die. Before Wilson can spend another day locked up in his bedroom hitting his bong and getting caught in compromising positions while looking at pictures of his best friend’s girlfriend, his roommate browbeats him into posting a personal ad on Craigslist. When Vivian (Sara Simmonds), a sexy, sarcastic and seemingly blind-date-from-hell responds, the two strangers embark on an unexpected, chaotic and hilariously awkward journey through the black-and-white streets of Los Angeles hoping to meet the right one before the stroke of midnight.

Official Synopsis: "Frozen River" is a dramatic feature film which takes place in the days before Christmas near a little-known border crossing on the Mohawk reservation between New York State and Quebec. Here, the lure of fast money from smuggling presents a daily challenge to single moms who would otherwise be earning minimum wage. Two women- one white, one Mohawk, both single mothers faced with desperate circumstances- are drawn into the world of border smuggling across the frozen water of the St. Lawrence River.


What are you seeing this weekend? Will The Dark Knight continue its dominance?

Venom Movie In Works!!

Ever since the release of Spider-Man 3, there have been thousands of rumors that Sony would bring the baddie, Venom, to the theaters in his own feature. Until now those only felt like rumors! Sony has decided to move forward with a stand alone spin-off feature of Venom! Hollywood Reporter is saying Jacob Estes has been hired to pen a script to the spin-off villain film. Estes wrote Mean Creek back in 2004 and has penned a few screenplays since then. Moving forward with this project may prove to be a sticky situation. Sony may also hire other writers to help pen a new draft of Estes script or write a whole new script altogether. Sony is also not too sure that Topher Grace should continue as Venom in the spin-off! Topher Grace played Venom in Spider-Man 3 and Sony should do the best it can to distance itself from that film. Hiring a new actor to play Venom seems like a smart move and I seriously doubt Topher Grace could really draw in a crowd at the box office.

The question also arises is how they will do the Venom film? Will it be an origin tale? If so why, wasn't that in Spider-Man 3? Will Sony stick with Eddie Brock incarnation of Venom? Didn't Eddie die at the end of Spider-Man 3? There are others who dawn the symbiote suit, Angelo Furtunato and Mac Gargan which would make for a great story. Angelo Furtunato's father, Don, buys the Venom symbiote in an auction for his son. Angelo wanted to become famous and powerful as Venom, and intends on proving himself to his father by killing Spider-Man. Angelo fails and the symbiote deems Angelo a coward and drops him mid-air, allowing him to fall to his death. The symbiote then sought to find someone with a shared hatred of Spider-Man and propositions Mac Gargan/Scorpion to become his host. Mac instantly accepts the offer and becomes Venom. Mac Gargan character is the most recent Venom in the Marvel world of comics. Whatever Sony's decision is, it will be heavily written about. Spider-Man and Venom are huge properties in the Marvel and Sony world for that matter. Sony is also currently working on the 4th Spider-Man which is slated for 2011.


Thoughts on a stand-alone Venom film? Will it be interesting enough? Will it be as big as the Spider-Man franchise? Would this film be made with kids or adults in mind? Is Venom actually not gonna look like a pussy?

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Ghostbusters 3, Ramis & Apatow Teamup!?!?!

That's right, rumormill tonight is on fire with the idea that the 3rd long proposed and awaited Ghostbusters film is actually in the works! Dread Central is reporting this evening, that all four original Ghostbusters have signed on to make a third film! Yes, all four, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson have agreed in principle to making the film. For years now, Aykroyd and Ramis have been very hot on the idea of making a third film, they have even kicked a few scripts around. Bill Murray is another story and has been reluctant at best, about returning to the role. That seems to have changed more recently, with the four-some getting back together to make the recent videogame that is set to release in October. All four recorded voice-overs and did motion capture for the game. During the creation of the game Aykroyd had said the game would be the third film. That seems to have changed too!

What comes next, is a bit surprising! Judd Apatow will produce alongside Ramis the film and his normal team of comedians will be playing new recruits for the Ghostbusters. This could mean Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill will be in Ghostbusters uniforms taking over the reins! Things are in real early stages and not much is revealed about the proposed plot, but word is the original team will be handing down the ghostbusters to a younger team. If you follow the video game synopsis, it actually makes alot of sense. The synopsis goes as follows: The year is 1991, it is two years since the events of Vigo plagued NYC. Now the Ghostbusters are going strong and looking to franchise out the business. You play as a new recruit in Ghostbusters International, and just as you get started with GBI an ancient evil descends upon NYC and a few familiar faces show back up. From that synopsis, the plot works itself right into what is being rumored for another film. Judd Apatow would seem to be perfect to help write the third film and bring in his comedic team to play the new recruits. Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd, Danny McBride, and others are doing exactly what Murray and Aykroyd were doing in their prime. Rogen seems to pop up in everything now days and Apatow is money at the box office! There is plenty more to come on Ghostbusters 3 for sure!


What do you think of Apatow & Ramis teamup for Ghostbusters 3? Does Seth Rogen feel like he is in just about everything right now? Do you want to see anothe Ghostbusters? Does the idea of the original team passing the torch to Apatow and company work?

Protected by The Spirit One-Sheet

I saw these posters while walking around San Diego's gaslamp district in alot of the businesses windows. The newest one-sheet from Lionsgate in promotion for The Spirit is the best thing I have seen for the film. I am a big fan of Frank Miller and Will Eisner's The Spirit, but the film looks to be so stylized and so weird, it just might be terrible. They have a great cast and I like the look of the black and white, but some of the material that has been shown is so over-done and so surreal, I have been a little turned off. From what I hear, so were the fans at the panel Friday at Comic Con! The Spirit was considered the biggest bomb of Comic Con and a real disapoinment, considering they have been hyping it for the last three years there. Regardless of my opinion, the newest one sheet is pretty damn cool and simply genius advertising! Scroll down to see it and all of the other onesheets that have been released for The Spirit coming this Christmas.


Click on any of the posters for a higher resolution



Rest of The Spirit One-Sheets that have released







What are your thoughts on The Spirit? Why was Frank Miller so grumpy at Comic Con this year? Is it, cause he knows The Spirit is shit? Will you see The Spirit?

Please God, No!! Angelina Wants Catwoman Role!

On monday, Julie Newmar talked with NY Daily News, and said that she thinks Angelina Jolie would be perfect as Catwoman if her character were to appear in the next film. Julie Newmar had onced played the iconic role in the original Batman Television series. Newmar even said, "Angelina would own the part." Newmar went on to say, "My industry friends tell me [she] has made inquiries about the role."

First off, no official word has even been said that there will be a sequel to The Dark Knight. I am sure Warner Brothers will in some way continue to Batman franchise, but if Christopher Nolan will come back, is still very much up in the air. Christian Bale is signed onto a 3 picture deal for Batman, so he still has one film to fulfill his obligation. Christopher Nolan, on the other hand does not have the same deal, and has been very coy to this point, on if their will be another film in his Batman Universe. Reason would have you believe, that Nolan will want to complete his story arc that he has setup with his first two films. Nolan has really covered the first 2/3rd's of the batman evolution, and a third chapter would only seem like common sense. Christopher Nolan is deservedly riding the glory of his masterpiece, The Dark Knight. When all the dust settles, I am sure Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan, alongside David Goyer will begin working on a final chapter in their batman story.

My question is Catwoman the best choice of a villain for third film? To have Catwoman as the main villain, is a bad choice, no question! She is a nice compliment to another villain, but not the central figure. Tim Burton did a good job of this in his dark and zany Batman Returns, with Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Danny Devito as the Penguin. David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan have said in recent interviews, that for now, they are inclined not to bring the catwoman character into ther story. Bruce Wayne or Batman needs a "loved and lost" character, in the comics that charcter was usually Catwoman. However in Nolan's world of batman, Rachel Dawes took on that role, and was done perfectly in retrospect. So there really is no need to have catwoman in the next batman film with the themes that Nolan is touching on.

Nolan and his team have already set up two villains for the next film. Remember, Scarecrow is still alive and well, and if you think Two-Face didn't survive that fall, you have another thing coming! Batman also has so many villains that have not been brought to life on the big screen, and some that could be done so much better. Dr. Victor Fries aka Mr. Freeze, is a perfect example. What Arnold Schwarzenegger did in Batman & Robin was not Victor Fries! I could only imagine what someone like Patrick Stewart or Ben Kingsley could do in that role. There are plenty of other villains that have not yet graced the big screen that would work very well in Nolan's vision. Roman Sionis/ Black Mask, Floyd Lawton/ Deadshot, or Dr. Thomas Elliot/ Hush all seem to fall right into place with Nolan's themes and vision of batman. Again, giving alot of reasons why there is no need for a catwoman in the next Nolan batman film.

If for some reason, Nolan and his team decide that catwoman is necessary to their development of batman, please God NO ANGELINA JOLIE! For all that is sacred, keep that role away from her! Angelina Jolie is a crappy actress at best! She does not deserve to be able to dawn the catwoman suit. Sure everyone thinks Jolie is easy on the eyes, but so what! I know there are plenty of people that completely disagree with me, but I assure you, she would ruin a batman film. She is a terrible actress, every movie she makes, she plays the same role! She is always the badass chick that every guy wants! Tomb Raider, Hackers, Gone in 60 Seconds, Wanted, Gia, the list goes on and on! I know, I know, catwoman is once again that very same role and seems to be purrfect for her, but it is just not true! Angelina must never be catwoman!


What are your thoughts? Angelina as Catwoman? Should Nolan even include catwoman in his batman series? If he does, who should play her? Will Nolan make another batman?

The Brothers Bloom One-Sheet!

Two days ago the first trailer for The Brothers Bloom was released and today the official one-sheet has been released. The film is written and directed by Rian Johnson (Brick) and stars Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, and Rachel Weisz and follows two Con-Men who decide to pull one last con on a eccentric heiress. The Brothers Bloom releases October 24th. Scroll down for the official One-Sheet!



Click on one-sheet for higher resolution



Thoughts on The Brothers Bloom?

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince Trailer

Harry Potter and the half-Blood Prince is set to come out November 21st and its first teaser trailer is out! Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the 6th movie in the acclaimed book series that has been apdated to film and this time Harry must uncover Lord Voldemort's past. The film looks to be in the same tone as the last three were, which each film has grown considerably darker. I have grown to really enjoy the Potter film series and will finally read the books once all the films have come out (there is no point in starting now). Below are a few screen captures and the teaser trailer, enjoy!!

Scroll down for pictures and trailer










Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Trailer



Thoughts on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Trailer? Did you know young Tom Riddle/Voldemort is Hero Fiennes-Tiffin (Ralph Fiennes nephew)?