Screen Gems' "Battle of the Year" Trailer

Battle of the Year is the Olympics of break dancing, a tournament held every year that attracts all the best teams from around the world, but the Americans haven’t won in fifteen years. Los Angeles Hip Hop mogul and former B-Boy Dante (Alonso) wants to put the country that started the Sport back on top. He enlists his hard-luck friend Blake (Holloway), who was a championship basketball coach, to coach his team. Armed with the theory that the right coach can make any team champions, they assemble a Dream Team of all the best b-boys across the country. With only three months until Battle of the Year, Blake has to use every tactic he knows to get twelve talented individuals to come together as a team if they're going to bring the Trophy back to America where it started. Inspired by the actual World championship held yearly in France.

Screen Gems Via ComingSoon.Net

"Man Of Steel" Official Site Is Up Up And Away

Not much of note there yet, but the Man Of Steel Official Site has soared on to the interwebs. The site features links to the Official Facebook Page & WB Twitter Page. Black background with the Kingdom Come inspired Superman pose from the Comic Con teaser poster with the new Man Of Steel work mark on the page along with 2013. There is now also a link to the Apple Trailers where you can view the new Man Of Steel teaser.

HD "Man Of Steel" Trailer

After only one night playing in frot of The Dark Knight Rises The Brothers Warner have decided to release the teaser for Zack Snyder's Man Of Steel online. Although it's nice to see it in all it's HD glory, I'm still not impressed. I'm geeked that a new Superman flick is coming out and from what I know it sounds like it's going to be damn good, however the marketing is curious.

Although it is really damn early, why soar out of the marketing gate by releasing a teaser so similar to Superman Returns? The imagery is breathtaking, but butterflies and seabirds don't sell Superman. The general public wants fisticuffs and they are certainly going to get that when the film drops, but lets show them that right off the bat. The bootleg from the Man Of Steel Comic Con presentation showed off some of that action, probably should have shown some of that fellas.

Below is trailer 1A, or the Kevin Costner as Pa Kent voiceover version.

“In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Cavill) is a young twentysomething journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond anyone’s imagination. Transported to Earth years ago from Krypton, an advanced alien planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question – Why am I here? Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Costner), Clark soon discovers that having super abilities means making very difficult decisions. But when the world needs stability the most, it comes under attack. Will his abilities be used to maintain peace or ultimately used to divide and conquer? Clark must become the hero known as “Superman,” not only to shine as the world’s last beacon of hope but to protect the ones he loves.”

Yahoo Movies

A Statement on the Tragedy in Colorado

I can only hope I have earned the right to state this, but on behalf on the entire staff here at Think McFly Think, we would like to extend our deepest condolences for the victims and their families involved in the tragic movie theater shooting this morning in Aurora, CO.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

An Op-Ed Piece: A Response to 'The Dark Knight Rises' Reviews

This little story has been bugging me for the past 48 hours - especially since this morning when I saw Rotten Tomatoes shut down its comments section for The Dark Knight Rises when film critics who gave "rotten" reviews started receiving both death and rape threats - and I wanted to put my two cents out there for you guys to read, so here it goes:

If you haven't noticed by now, The Dark Knight Rises - while getting very good reviews (great reviews actually considering it's not only the third entry in a film series but also the third in a comic book film series, period - is not getting the outstanding and universal acclaim it's predecessor - The Dark Knight - received back in 2008.

Currently, as I write this piece, TDKR sits at an 86% rating on RT (123 reviews; 106 positive, 17 negative) which by all accounts is pretty dam good.  However, many are making note of the fact that Christopher Nolan's second film in his Batman trilogy, TDK, had a final rating of 94% on RT (282 reviews; 264 positive, only 18 negative total).

While many have been making a fuss over this (seriously, browse through some message boards and you'll see fanboys are freaking out who haven't even seen the film yet), and I want to provide both a logical and rational reason behind this.

When TDK opened back in 2008, the hype behind it was extraordinary.  Mostly due to the fact of the late Heath Ledger's death, the film became a cultural and cinematic landmark; a movie that not only transcended the comic book genre, but also any genre film period.  It earned phenomenal critical reviews, was adored by the masses, and oh yeah, made over $1 billion at the box office.  Not to mention, it forced the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to expand their Best Picture category from 5 to 10 nominees after many felt the film was snubbed of a nomination that year.

Even though all these accolades were nothing short of well deserved, you have to understand the reality of the film by taking into account its predecessor.

2005's Batman Begins - without a doubt a solid, well-made film - was nowhere near as well received nor as good as its successor, TDK, would be.  It was the return of Batman on film after the disastrous Batman & Robin in 1997, and to many was thought of as a job well done after such a bad taste left in moviegoers mouths just eight years prior (for those wondering, BB earned a 85% rating on RT; 261 reviews with 222 positive and 39 negative).

Therefore, TDK - as great as it was - was almost certain to be given better reviews by default, as it would be compared - subconsciously or not - to its predecessor, BB.

This is exactly what the issue is with TDKR.

It has both the blessing and the curse of being the final chapter in Christopher Nolan's trilogy preceded by TDK, a film that is not only considered the best comic book movie ever made but also one of the best movies in our past decade.  The expectations are at such a high level they are almost impossible to meet.

This is what I am getting at.  Of course TDKR is going to be less well received than TDK, it has to follow in its footsteps.  I am not at all saying TDKR is going to be a lesser film (I feel it will be a greater one) but critics and viewers alike who see it are going to do nothing but compare it to TDK by default, just like they did with BB.  It's just the reality of the human mind.

Put it this way, if TDKR was following up BB, don't you think the reviews would be more positive?  Exactly.

Here's what I think and feel is going to happen: at first, many are going to say they liked TDKR, but didn't think it was as good as TDK.  They're going to say Bane was no Joker, the movie didn't have the magic, whatever.  But over and in time, this last entry in the trilogy will become regarded as the better, more engrossing film.  It will be watched and re-watched over and over again, and as years pass, the cultural wave that made TDK so successful will fade, and it will be realized that The Dark Knight Rises, is the superior and fittingly, final film, in Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy.

Thank you very much.

Hot Toys Finally Reveals Bane

It seems like Hot Toys has teased their Bane 1/6 scale for as long as Bane was initially announced as the villain. Now one day removed from the midnight premiere, the company has finally released photos of their highly anticipated rendition of the next big bad for Batman. Some people will get picky and tell you that it could be better, but I think the head sculpt looks very realistic and his overall uniform is done quite well. Check out the specs for the figure below.

The Bane Sixth Scale Figure features:

• Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises movie
• Newly developed head sculpt with mask (Not Detachable)
• Approximately 30 cm tall
• TrueType body with over 30 points of articulations
• Five (5) pieces of interchangeable palms including:
• One (1) pair of fists
• One (1) pair of relaxed palms
• One (1) left open palm
• One (1) leather-like brown jacket
• One (1) dark brown shirt
• One (1) green combat vest
• One (1) pair of leather-like brown gloves
• One (1) pair of grey military pants
• One (1) pair of dark green combat boots
• One (1) broken Batman mask
• One (1) square figure stand with metal nameplate and movie logo

Andrew Stanton Going Back to the Well - Directing Finding Nemo 2

You can't help but think Andrew Stanton is returning to safe-ground like a dog with its tail between its legs. Animation has been good to him (I present two Academy Awards as Exhibit A) but John Carter was intended as his transition to live-action. Something meant to stick. Why go back to the medium?

Because Carter, while a creative triumph, has gone down in the mere five months since its release as one of the all-time commercial flops. While it will take years for its reputation to stop being linked to its theatrical failings, Stanton still has to work. But what could he possibly do now following such an infamous turkey?

Hey, how about Finding Nemo 2!

Reports "TOLDJA," he will direct the sequel to one of Pixar's highest grossing features based on an original concept. The trade-off, probably what sparked Stanton's interest in going back to the well, is the promise Disney will back his sophomore live-action effort. A fair trade, in the event the Mouse honors it – nothing is set in stone on said verbal agreement reportedly.

Christian Bale Congratulates That Person

Despite now being an Oscar winner and the star of one of the most successful superhero trilogies of all time, Christian Bale must be resigned to the fact that he will always be reminded about Newsies, the Disney movie musical that failed miserably at the box office in 1992 but found new life as a cult-hit on home video.  Bale starred as Jack Kelly, the leader of a group of New York city newsboys who went on strike over an unfair newspaper price hike in 1899.  It's also the movie that had Bale singing with a painfully fake NY accent while clomping around on a pretend horse.

However, a stage version of Newsies opened on Broadway this year and has become a huge hit.  The show won two Tony Awards last month, and has been playing to sold-out houses all summer.  So inevitably, Bale was asked about Newsies on Broadway while promoting The Dark Knight Rises in this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly (which is also celebrating it's 987th Batman cover this year...at least it seems that way):

One of your past movies is now a hit Broadway musical: Newsies.  Have you seen it?

No, I havent.

Are you surprised that this early flop in your career has had the cultural life that it's had?

Of course! Yes! These things never have any sense.  I'm incredibly happy for them.  They're having the success that our movie never had.

Do you have any interest in seeing it? 

I'm not really into musicals.  But I wish them the best.  And I'm sure the person playing the character I played exceeded whatever I did, and congratulations to them.

As a Newsies fan myself - I saw the movie in theaters twice in 1992 (both times, my friends and I were the only people in the theater), and I'm seeing the Broadway version for the second time next week - I've always thought that Christian Bale has been an awfully good sport when it came to this movie and its almost fanatical adoring fanbase.  Musicals clearly aren't his thing, especially this particular musical, and he's certainly under no obligation to see the show.  Honestly, it's doing fine whether he shows up or not.  I just thought it was nice to see him congratulate the cast.

I did get a laugh out of him not knowing the name of the person playing Jack Kelly on stage.  That would be Jeremy Jordan, who received a Tony nomination for Newsies, and will be appearing on the next season of Smash on NBC.  According to the liner notes of the Newsies cast album, he was such a big fan of the original film that he'd been wanting to play Jack since he was nine years old.

But does he exceed Bale in the role?  I'll let you decide:

 Here's the new stage version:

I tend to prefer the new Broadway edition, but in fairness, the show underwent some major re-writes to fix some issues that movie had.  For instance, Jack is now an artist instead of an aspiring cowboy, so Jeremy Jordan is spared the indignity of pretending to ride a horse in his version of "Santa Fe".

Now hopefully we can get the cast of Newsies to congratulate 'that guy' after whatever blockbuster success The Dark Knight Rises has at the box office this weekend. 

He's Back! Thomas Jane as The Punisher!

Even though it's hard to believe 8 years have passed since Thomas Jane starred in 2004's The Punisher, one thing that can be taken away from the film - whether you like it or not - is that Jane kicked ass in the role.  The man put his heart and soul into the film and it's a shame he never got a chance to do it again...or does he?

Over the weekend at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego, Jane got to debut his own personal fan-made short film, entitled Dirty Laundry, in which he reprises his role of Frank Castle AKA The Punisher (though he's never referred to either by name and you don't truly get confirmation until the last few seconds).

I must say, if Marvel were smart, they would do a TV show with Jane as the star through say AMC (hey they did Comic Book Men, why not The Punisher?) or HBO.

That would be awesome.

Weekend Box Office: July 13-15

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  Ice Age: Continental Drift - $46 million

2.  The Amazing Spider-Man - $35 million

3.  Ted - $22.1 million

4.  Brave - $10.6 million

5.  Magic Mike - $9 million

6.  Savages - $8.7 million

7.  Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection - $5.6 million

8.  Katy Perry: Part of Me - $3.7 million

9.  Moonrise Kingdom - $3.6 million

10.  Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted - $3.5 million

In this calm-before-Batman weekend, Ice Age: Continental Drift took first place as expected, earning an estimated $46 million.  While that's on the low end compared to this year's other animated films so far (Brave, The Lorax, and Madagascar 3 all opened north of $60 million), it's still a solid opening for the Ice Age series and it should continue to hold up well as the kiddie counterprogramming film next weekend.  Overseas, the fourth Ice Age film has earned an excellent $339 million.

The Amazing Spider-Man drops to second place with $35 million, but overall it's actually doing very well.  It's just a 44% drop from last weekend, and it managed to cross the $200 million mark domestically.  Of course, it didn't get there nearly as quickly as the Raimi films did, but with $521 worldwide so far, it sure doesn't look like audiences have completely rejected a new Spider-Man series either. 

Ted continues its run as the sleeper hit of the summer, earning another $22.1 million.  The film has now earned $158 million domestically, and I'm hope I'm not the only one dreading the thought that we likely to see a sequel to this.  It was funny, but one movie was plenty.

Getting *that* much closer to becoming Pixar's 10th film to earn more than $200 million, Brave held its own against the new Ice Age movie to earn $10.6 million.  It should pass $200 million this week.  Woohoo!

In limited release, Beasts of the Southern Wild expanded its theater count to 81 and earned $775,000, giving it a per-screen average ($9,568) that second only to Ice Age 4 this weekend.  Not bad.

Next weekend...do we even have to say it?  The Dark Knight Rises opens in theaters.  And that pretty much speaks for itself.  Enjoy, Batfans!