Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Alright- this isn’t really so much a trailer as it is a sneak peek… the “trailer” itself is mostly behind the scenes… but the footage that they DO show will make your mouth water-

Enjoy the Sneak Peek over at Trailer Addict before you read on…

I have quite of few cinematic heroes- for quite a few various reasons, but Robert Rodriguez is right at the top of that list… The man makes movies the way that I would like to make movies, fast, cheap all while leaving an impact you think about for days to come… Think about the first time you saw Sin City and how you walked away hoping it spawned a whole new style of film making… which it did.

Now think of the guy that brought you the Mariachi universe- hell, even think on the originality of From Dusk til Dawn- then put his influence on the Nimrod Artal directed film Predators. from what I’ve gathered- and from what I’ve seen- Robert Rodriguez approaches every single one his films in a way that makes the next year of production and post-production seem like the greatest, most fun job in the industry- and that laid back- “helluva time” attitude on set, most certainly translates into every one of his films…

Now, I’m not gonna lie to you and say I had ANY idea Rodriguez was even working on a new Predator movie, so when I was sent this link late last night I about wet myself at the title… then I saw Robert Rodriguez talking to the camera about how HE was working on it… and… welll… at that point I had to change my knickers!

I’m sitting and watching, somewhat disappointed at the fact that it isn’t an actual trailer (still excited nonetheless) when I recognize a nose- wait is that Adrien- YES it IS Adrien Brody! And Laurence Fishburne!? Get right outta town!

Look, I’m not saying that the actors are gonna make the movie good, I’m not saying that the Producer/Director team, although seemingly perfect (and in this humble bot’s opinion, the only time a sequel should have been made), I’m not saying this dynamic is gonna make the movie good, I’m not even saying that I’m getting an extremely strong “Alen”/”Aliens” vibe… (in the sense that I can see Predators being Predator’s “Alien”.

The last thing I want you to pay attention to is when Rodriguez says: “the idea of the film was to not make it feel like the 5th or 6th film in a series- but the first.”  I love that he says this, because that’s what a good sequel tends to have, the feeling that there is history and a back story- but the film itself lives and breathes as its own movie… one that teenagers should be sneaking out to see on the big screen then playing Predators in their backyards with their make shift tree branch machine guns and their pine cone hand grenades…

This movie is gonna be one bad-ass joy ride of action and Sci-fi awesomery…ness!!  two words: Predator Hounds

That is the LEAST I expect from a Rodriguez version of Predator. I am positive it’ll be so so very much more- anyway a friend of mine just walked into the coffee shop with his copy of the new Starcraft Beta- I’m about to get very distracted (and maybe you can expect a write up on that…maybe…)

ALSO! if you’re interested in finding out as much as humanly possible about the upcoming film- The Hollywood Reporter has an in depth run down of the “Predators” event that took place at SXSW recently- you can read here… and a follow up article here with even more info here.

I’m about to talk to you about three trailers- two of which I’m intensely interested in seeing the films, one of which I’m still debating on even watching the trailer… I’ll decide if I’m going to watch the trailer for Twilight by the time I’m done writing this post… either way you’ll still get the link- Let’s get started:

Harry Brown looks to be the story of an aging widower who takes it upon himself to investigate his best friend’s murder… It’s kind of like Alfred took Mr. Wayne’s example to the next step and goes on a vigilante rampage… it looks amazing!

Here you can find the International Teaser and here is the Red Band Trailer… its not as good a quality, but the trailer is much more in depth into what the movie will be like…

The international Teaser doesn’t really give anything away and somewhat gives the impression that this is just another generic revenge movie with an aging actor, I love Michael Caine but when I saw this trailer I was a bit disappointed, but was going to see the movie either way.

But, what I gleened from the Red-Band is that Harry is that the film makers take the revenge flick to a slightly more subtle level, make it a bit more personal than most, Harry Brown looks like a ‘conflicted’ vigilante- he’s not just hell bent on revenge and trying desperately to kill anyone and everything that is evil- but more of a man that keeps putting himself into situations where he’s driven to kill… given a reason so he can justify it to himself, but… eventually (by what I can tell) becomes the thing he is fighting against the most… (still somewhat generic sounding sure, but watch the trailer and you can see the subtlety of the films approach shining through)

At least that is one way I can see it going- the other way I can see it going is a straight-forward, powerhouse shooter where Harry Brown is relentless, doesn’t have ulterior motives and just cleans up the streets. Michael Caine is brilliant… just amazing… and to see him step into this role takes me back to a simpler time of 70’s revenge flicks, and this is why I can see it going either way…

Next, a film I’m so ridiculously excited for you might have to commit me:

If you refer to my earlier write up on the Teaser for Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood (its at the bottom of the page) you’ll catch just a small sample of how excited I WAS for this film… this new trailer has driven me to the brink of sheer pants poopery! (and may I suggest taking the download time to watch it in HD)

I don’t think I can even begin to explain the vast storyscape it looks like Scott has created for this film- or the detailed story and scenery- or the deep and layered characterizations- or the heart and soul put into every frame.

I won’t even touch upon how brilliant, kick ass and powerful Cate Blanchett is shaping up to be as my dream version of Marian, or how Mark Strong is one of the best villains of our time and can’t wait to see him as whoever he is playing in this film (because as far as I can see- he isn’t the Sheriff… maybe he’s Gisborne- if Gisborne is in this version)

I don’t think I’m gonna even talk about how it looks like the battle at the Dover cliffs will be one of the most epic in cinematic history… (hello beach landing again!)  And just forget the fact that I’ve watched this trailer for the sixth time in a row now…

I hold strong to my prediction that Robin Hood, or Marian is going to die at the end of the film… and I predict that this film is going to show us why Robin Hood is a true legend and not just some bedtime story.

Okay- and finally… Last and extremely least…

After the Robin Hood trailer I decided that I wasn’t going to ruin my day by watching this trailer- I’ve actually survived this whole mess without seeing either of the other movie’s OR their trailers… what I will do is post the link for the just released Twilight: Eclipse full trailer for you to watch and decide on your own… (thanks to joblo.com for stomaching it enough to put on their servers)

I still am going to make some predictions on the film- for my own amusement:

1. Its gonna have sparkly skin.
2. There will be a lot of crying over a break up with a fake vampire… I say the word fake because real vampires… don’t sparkle.
3. Robert Pattinson is going to remain a heartthrob amongst pre-pubescent teenage girls… I mean… with those pronounced anorexic cheek bones, how couldn’t he!?
4. Someone is going to talk with a bad accent. Maybe they’re trying for a subtle “Brooklynsilvania”: you know… Al Capone meets Dracula…
5. I’m never, ever, never, ever going to see this movie… what the rest of you do behind closed doors is entirely up to you- just don’t wave it in my face…
6. A lot of people are going to hate me for this last bit of the post…

Enjoy the trailers- then go out and watch a movie!

Arata Vol. 1 Copyright VIZ Media

Let’s start off this update with something for the ladies with the newly released Shojo manga, “Arata: The Legend”. Shojo, for those who don’t know, are manga specifically geared towards women, so you can expect plenty of pretty girly-men and romance throughout. VIZ has been kind enough to summarize the plot for us, here:

In a world where humans and gods coexist, Arata is the unfortunate successor to the matriarchal Hime Clan–unfortunate because if he’s not cross-dressing to hide his gender one minute, he’s fleeing for his life the next! When Arata winds up in the modern world and switches places with a boy named Arata Hinohara, it’s a wonder which Arata is actually better off…
In Volume 1, Hinohara is the spitting image of Arata, so he suddenly finds himself fighting people after his life! As he navigates through this foreign world filled with power-hungry warriors, who will come to his aid? One thing’s for sure–it’s not easy being Arata!

Yes, that’s right. It seems to be a cross-dressing take on “The Prince and the Pauper” where the male Arata is forced to dress as a woman to keep his position in line as the clan’s next matriarchal ruler. Expect plenty of shenanigans as a result, and a fair share of  Yoai undertones in this teen manga.

Next up, the very hot-button issue surrounding “Dance in the Vampire Bund” and Funimation. For those not familiar with this, basically Funimation acquired the rights to show Bund and announced they would censor said anime for some more questionable content. Of course, there was a huge backlash against this decision, and Funimation was bombarded with rage until yesterday they made the announcement that while the stream would still be censored, DVD and Blu-ray releases should be able to remain uncensored unless the last episode of the series really cross taste borders. (Source: Anime News Network)

So there is a ton of issues on both sides of the fence. On one side, censoring is bad, and really shouldn’t exist with private DVDs for home use. On the other hand is Bund, which is pretty intense. The main character pictured here. (Sorta NSFW), while being about seven-hundred years old, has a very young appearance. With scenes depicted of not so family-friendly behavior, this could further drive those people we’re trying to convince that anime is a valid, moving form of expression. It’s a tough debate, but at least we’re seeing some kind of compromise.

That’s it for this week, but don’t forget to leave your thoughts on censorship in the comments below.

Let me start by saying I’m a fan of Christopher Nolan… even Insomnia (which according to a few, isn’t his best) is a film I can get behind.

As far as storytelling goes- I believe he really knows what he’s doing… but as far as storytellers go- he really doesn’t like telling ’stories’! When it comes to leaks, sneaks and spoilers- Nolan and his crews are notorious for not giving ANYthing away. When we as fans want our whistles whetted- we usually have to wait for the movie to come out. So when Swank sent me the link to this article I was unduly excited to find out what I might find out about his up and coming projects!

Turns out- when I read the recent LA Times article interviewing Christopher Nolan himself, it was the same old story- nothing new- but somehow it still instilled me with a deep seeded excitement for ALL THREE of Nolan’s up and coming projects: Inception, Superman and DK3

If you’ve read any of my movie trailer articles you know that I do not like reading up on or researching any films… and try to keep myself implicitly separated from the stories that I’m most excited about- this is done in order to keep me pleasantly surprised… Anyway- Its a rare thing for me to read articles like this and all I can say is that I’m glad this was the one I chose to do so… Nothing was given away! For example, this single paragraph about Inception:

Leonardo DiCaprio is a dream thief of sorts in what may be Hollywood’s first metaphysical heist film. The movie is the most complicated undertaking of Nolan’s career — it was shot in six countries and tells a tale that flips between reality and three levels of dream-time —

I mean- that’s all I’ve heard about this movie besides the few trailers I’ve seen and now I’ll most definitely be in mid row at the theatre scarfing popcorn at midnight opening day- if they allow it. As for the next Batman… its when the article talks about how Nolan and his brother would approach the new Superman that got me stoked for both pieces…it is also the only thing in the entire post that could be considered new information:

“A lot of people have approached Superman in a lot of different ways. I only know the way that has worked for us that’s what I know how to do,” Nolan said, emphasizing the idea that Batman exists in a world where he is the only superhero and a similar approach to the Man of Steel would assure the integrity needed for the film. “Each serves to the internal logic of the story. They have nothing to do with each other.”

So- if you are looking for some actual new information or some kind of leaked tidbit of spoilerage- than you’re completely out of luck… this has nothing. But as far as diving a little (very little) deeper into the thought process of Christopher Nolan, I think it offers some interesting insight- if you feel like interpreting and having a guess at what it all means.

As the post says, Nolan…

…sees no value in revealing all of his tricks before the curtain goes up.

If anything- this has made my brain start stewing on a Christopher Nolan Batman/Superman movie… could you imagine!? Read the article and tell me if any of you gleened anything I might have missed…

Nolan is genius.

Finally they’ve got this beast on the interpipes!

Sit back, try to relax, kick off your size 10’s, slip into your sheepskin nerd-boots and prepare to be transported through time and space… the time: 1982, the space: Disney’s vision of the internet in… 1982…

Watch the official trailer here! (thanks to movie-list for putting it in a handy place for us) Or if you’re feeling adventurous- go to the official site and sift through all the flash for it: Alright, now that you’ve indulged in this eclair like visual feast let me give you a run down of my thoughts…

I was sitting in the dimly lit, pre-pubescent filled movie theater waiting for Alice in Wonderland: 3D to start, thinking to myself “How in the world did so many parents let their kids out on a school night for a midnight showing of this film? Where have we come? In my day…” because I’m so old, you see, “…my parents would have laughed in my face at the mere mention of going to a movie at the witching hour…” come to think of it, they’d laugh in my face now, even though I’m a big boy and make grown up decisions.

Anyway, I was sitting there thinking all of this to myself when the lights went out, the crowd audibly buzzed, then cheered! Then- …a 3D Friskies commercial played… the night’s movie going experience was off to an amazing start- as I watched a bunch of playful kittens romping through a cartoon world of leaves and other fantastical things, I felt my voice begin to crack- was I already transforming back into a child like innocence? was I going through the inglorious “backwards puberty” due to a 3D Friskies commercial!? The answer? No. But the mood in the room and that certain special atmosphere created by the excitement of ANYthing 3D, definitely got the ball rolling.

Now, I could bore you with the details of all the thoughts that flashed through my brain during all the trailers I watched that night, but I’m not going to. You see- I’m here to write about one trailer… and frankly you’re probably here to read about one trailer and are utterly confused as to why I haven’t written about it yet… me too.

As the trailer for Tron: Legacy began I didn’t know what I was watching, all I did know is that the music  and the cinematography and the editing of the trailer put flashbacks of The Dark Knight into my head… I was hooked. I mean- knowing nothing about the film, I was almost certain that it was shot by Wally Pfister- (but upon looking it up, I was wrong)… At about the point I was really intrigued- The shot of his motorcycle approaching the arcade popped up and I noticed the dilapidated “Tron” video game sign, just for a split second… I’m not sure anyone else noticed at first- but that was the point that I was no longer a baritone, I was 10 year old me, eagerly anticipating the arrival of what seemed like Christmas…

It was a downward progression of excited yelps and enthusiastic clapping from then on- I vividly remember two shots from the trailer that just lept out and punched me in the throat as “deal clenchers”: the first- “Brunette on a Couch”; I was at the movie with three of my friends, one girl, my room mate and a friend who’d never even heard of Tron before (no worries, I chastised him thoroughly)- but, as this shot laid itself across the silver of the screen and the actress gave that seducing look over her shoulder, all four of us, yes, including the girl, gave an audible “OH EM GEE” gasp… apparently, we were all running on instinct by that point of the trailer, and I mean- you’d have to be made of stone to not think that that girl was FLY!

The next shot was the: “Blond guy from every 80’s movie about the future strumming an air guitar” shot; This shot basically summed up my thoughts about EVERY. SINGLE. 80’s Fantasy film- first I thought “BOWIE!”; then I thought- “RUNNING MAN!”; then I thought- “BLAde Runner…?”; then I thought- “Hey- those are Jeff Bridges eyes they’re showing! its about time!” …you see, by that point the trailer was ending…

It was also by this point that I was looking at my friends who knew what they were watching and they were all all looking at me and the kid who didn’t know was shouting “What the hell is Tron!?” yet we were all giddy as to the coolness of what we’d just witnessed… Needless to say- it put me into the exact mood I needed to be in to watch Alice… and I didn’t even like the original Tron as much as this is making it sound!

Anyway- to sum this film up and to give a prediction or two on story- Obviously its about Bridge’s character’s son joining the world of Tron… but as for why? My guess- an even worse virus than before… and only his son’s understanding of modern day programming can help save… Tron…

Either way- it is going to be epic. I think that Tron is one of those underground, cult phenoms with so much nostalgic potential that no matter what, people are going to watch it. Even those who don’t know what it is. I know I will be there- Right along side Iron Man 2…

Hooray for Internets and their unrelenting fan bases! Ghostbusters got two kick-ass wins this week. The first involving a much needed patch (plus possible DLC) for Ghostbusters: The Video Game’s online play. The second is IDW addressing why Schoening and Eatock’s comic wasn’t picked up.

Jame Eatock posted this earlier this week:

IDW explained to Schoening and Eatock why they turned down their 10-page pitch, as well as IDW’s plans for the franchise. Apparently these plans also involve the two of them working on a Ghostbusters related project. Which is pretty awesome.

IDW Editor, Tom Waltz explained where they were coming from on the GBFans Forum. I’m very surprised how out of their way IDW has gone to keep the Ghostbusters fan community happy. Included below is what Tom posted:

Hello, everyone.

First of all, let me thank every GB fan on this board for your dedicated support to this great franchise. It’s great to see fans interacting so passionately, no matter what the debate may be, or what side you happen to take. Just shows there is still a lot of Ghostbusters love in this world, and I’m happy for it.

Secondly, please know that we at IDW — starting with myself as the GB editor, and all the way through the editorial ranks and beyond — also love the Ghostbusters. We would never have taken on the license if we didn’t. We are passionate fans, too, first and foremost, and we want to do big, exciting things with the property and its beloved characters.

That said, we’ve been catching a bit of heat lately about Dan and James’ rejected pitch, and not always fairly. The truth is this — the pitch was rejected for many reasons that I won’t go into here, other than to say none of it had to do with quality. Dan and James put together a professional, high-quality pitch, and we did take notice. Matter of fact, I’ve been talking recently with both gents about doing some GB stuff for IDW in the near future — I love their work, as does the movie studio.

No, it won’t be their 10-issue story — right now, the direct market is not a viable avenue for a maxi-series of that sort. Sad but true. The direct market simply is what it is, and as much as we’d like to do a long series like the one James and Dan pitched, or even an ongoing series (and, trust me, I’d LOVE to be editing a GB ongoing), it isn’t feasible at this point in time. GB sales would have to jump dramatically for us to even consider it — and, again, it’s purely a business decision and has nothing to do with James’ or Dan’s creative talent, nor IDW’s perceived lack of love for the property. Comic books, though nobody likes to admit it, are a business, and we publishers are at the will of retailers and comics buyers — and right now, as popular as it is with folks on this forum, Ghostbusters is not getting the kind of direct market pre-orders/orders or interest that would justify anything beyond one-shots and/or four-issue mini-series. The numbers are good, but we need them to be great.

Furthermore, I have to admit to being offended by some who, because our previous offerings haven’t been to their tastes, are saying our past creators and editorial teams didn’t possess true love or understanding of the franchise. One, that is blatantly false — every creator we’ve worked with sought us out because they love GB and genuinely wanted to be a part of the universe. Two, everything we publish is first scrutinized and approved by the movie studio, and nothing goes to the printer until they bless it front to back, top to bottom — and, yes, we do rewrites and redraws all the time. I’d like to think that, after all this, if the studio gives it the thumbs up, then you as fans are, indeed, getting bonafide Ghostbusters stories, duly approved by the very people who brought you Ghostbusters in the first place. Does that mean you have to like what you get? No… you don’t, and we acknowledge and respect that not everyone will be happy with our output. But please never think we’re just doing these things on our own without any passion for the property, or any input from the studio, because that is just not true.

All this being said, I, like all of you, want more Ghostbusters. My goal as the editor of the property at IDW is to build our numbers to the point where we can do an ongoing series — and with your help, I might just be able to do that. How can you help? By letting your retailers know you want more Ghostbusters comics ordered and stocked in their stores, by positively supporting the books that have come before and are yet to be published (and we’ve got some good ones coming), and by making sure the next GB movie is a huge hit, which will carry over into comics sales, I have no doubt.

We are all on the same team, folks. Flame wars and in-fighting do nothing for the cause but weaken it. Instead, let’s get fired up and get the world thinking and talking about the Ghostbusters again in nothing but good ways!

I know I want that to happen… what about you?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I really do appreciate it.

I’ll see all of you in the funny books.

Tom Waltz
Editor
IDW Publishing

Thanks to Proton Charging for keeping up on GB news.

I know, I know… its been quite some time since I’ve posted- its been a busy time in my life… But what truly matters is that I’m posting now, and more importantly- what I’m posting about!

Two trailers I’ve seen in the past three days have brought tears to my eyes from the sheer, unadulterated, childhood glee with which they did instill me with. The first being Tron: Legacy… the only problem is this trailer is not yet available online, but rest assured that once it is, I’ll be all over it!

The second trailer was of course the newly released visual barrage from Iron Man 2. Go ahead and read/watch Swank’s post so you can understand what I’m about to lay upon you!

If the originally released trailer didn’t get your blood pumping, your pores sweating and your nerdgasms gasming- then you are most probably a hippie zombie: no pulse and still waiting for the “Dawn of the Age of Aquarius” to hit theaters…  but EVEN IF you are a soulless, flesh eating believer in free love and intolerant to comic books- this new trailer should have you running to the local home depot and have you fashioning next year’s Halloween costume out of rain gutters, duct tape and plumbing supplies!

Three reasons this movie is going to be better than most movies:

1. Sam Rockwell. Remember how I don’t ever read up on a movie before I see it, because I don’t want to know if my deductions from watching a trailer are correct until I see said movie? Ya, well it wasn’t until just this very second that I found out that my favorite actor is in this movie as none other than Justin Hammer. I can’t personally think of a better Yin to Downey’s Yang (not what she said) I honestly became school girl giddy and got a little choked up at the thought when I saw his face…

2. The Wrestler vs. Paul Rusesabagina vs. (insert the REST of the seemingly perfectly cast movie here) I think everyone can, except for a few Scarlett naysayers, agree that this flick’s cast looks somewhat… pardon my redundancy… perfect.

3. Suitcase Armor and Warmachine. Ya. Rock out with your geek out. I don’t care that these were more than 3 reasons… I’m seeing this movie- and I’m probably seeing it more than once.

• Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
• Animated Feature Film: Up
• Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart
• Actor in a Supporting Role: Christopher Walz in Inglourious Basterds
• Actress in a Leading Role: Sandra Bullock in The Blindside
• Actress in a Supporting Role: Mo’nique in Precious
• Art Direction: Avatar
• Cinematography: Avatar
• Costume Design: The Young Victoria
• Directing: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
• Documentary Feature: The Cove
• Documentary Short: Music by Prudence
• Film Editing: The Hurt Locker
• Foreign Language Film: The Secret in Their Eyes (Argentina)
• Make-up: Star Trek
• Musical Score: Up
• Original Song: Crazy Heart
• Animated Short Film: Logorama
• Live-Action Short Film: The New Tenants
• Sound Editing: The Hurt Locker
• Sound Mixing: The Hurt Locker
• Visual Effects: Avatar
• Original Screenplay: The Hurt Locker
• Adapted Screenplay: Precious

All in all this wasn’t a terribly surprising year in just about any category.  Though I know Dr. Cyborg is livid by the awarding of Best Director to a woman.  (He remarked, “I don’t know whether I should send hate mail or my dirty laundry.)  I thought Tarantino would have been able to take it, but I think the Academy is going to continue their long history of snubbing him.

And I knew I needed to see the Hurt Locker before, but now I REALLY need to see it.

You can watch all of the acceptance speeches by going over to the Oscars website.

Tonight brought us another Oscar broadcast, but more importantly, it brought us another trailer for Iron Man 2.

This one fleshes out some scenes and ideas from the first trailer and completely blows some things out of the water.  It also serves as the first real introduction (other than a simple visual) of both Scarlett Johannson’s Black Widow and Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer.

And that suitcase Iron Man suit was incredible.

I really hope this one can top the first one and lead into a tremendous Avengers picture.

Click here to check out the trailer on Apple.

The BBC is reporting that Harrison Ford has said the he, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg have agreed on a “germ of an idea” for the fifth installment of the Indiana Jones saga.

“The process works like this,” he said. “We come to some basic agreement and then George goes away for a long time and works on it.

“Then Steven and I get it in some form, some embryonic form.

“Then if we like it we start working with George on it and at some point down the line it’s ready and we do it.”

For those of us who thoroughly enjoyed the fourth film, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, this is extremely good news. Ford will be pushing 70 soon and I would love to see everyone’s favorite archeologist back in action.

Since Indiana Jones films haven’t always been released in the order in which they occur (Temple of Doom happens before Raiders of the Lost Ark), I’d like to see them try to get Sean Connery out of retirement and reprise his role as Henry Jones, Sr. again.

And I want to see Sallah one more time.

In any case, I’m excited. Excited for more details. You know…personally…