The 70s Weren't Kind to Professor X

Day or so back, a Russian fansite spotted Hugh Jackman lounging around the X-Men: Days of Future Past set. The only thing to take from those pictures is confirmation Wolverine won't sport the same aged look, as depicted in the famous comic arc. They've cemented (since the 2000 intro film) Logan physically stopped aging past 35-ish. So there’s not much one can do to steer away at this point.

Surprisingly, that doesn't hold true for Professor X. From Bryan Singer's Twitter (Where else?) is the first look at James McAvoy on set and in character. Less dapper than we're used to see old, err, young Chuck. Hairier too with the hashtag "Serpico."

Only that's closer to Jim Morrison or Charles Manson, Bryan.

Gravity Trailer

It has been too long since Alfonso Cuaron has had a film in theaters. That alone shot aware for his latest project Gravity.

Then details started filtering out. Of its space setting, of the heavy usage of motion-capture, Cuaron pulling up his sleeves and filming it in 3D, plans for the opening 20 minute introduction with no cut-away.

And then the delays, from losing original stars Angelina Jolie and Robert Downey Jr. to settle with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney to the release date setbacks (It was originally set for last year; currently scheduled for this October). I say this. All of this wait... it's worth it, thanks to this trailer.

Superman Suits Up With National Guard Heroes In Man Of Steel Spot

He might be played by an Englishman but make no mistake. A real attempt is being made to reestablish the strong American roots of Superman for Man of Steel. It's not a coincidence we've seen several official production stills with Henry Cavill standing in front of the American flag.

That association continues with this ad for the National Guard, titled Soldier of Steel, including new footage of Supes in action. Thanks to Hey U Guys for the head's up.

Jurassic Park 4 in Hibernation

Productions get delayed all the time for a multitude of reasons. It's not always indicative of a bad product in the making. But when said project is a month shy of principal photography, and a headline making release date looming over their heads, yes it means something is wrong.

Amid rumors began last night by miscellaneous crew who had just received word they lost their jobs, Universal has suspended Jurassic Park 4. The studio yanked the fourquel from its June 13, 2014.

Good luck getting any reason behind this decisively vague statement they released:

"In coordination with filmmakers, Universal has decided to release Jurassic Park 4 at a later date giving the studio and filmmakers adequate time to bring audiences the best possible version of the fourth installment in Universal’s beloved franchise."

They're saving face here. What about is anyone's guess. Could be they don't have faith in Colin Trevorrow (hired in March) and his ability to deliver a pricey effects-driven blockbuster. They insist he will stay onboard to direct. Or it may be economically driven, i.e. too expensive to produce in such a short amount of time and expect profitability.

Jurassic Park 4 will see the light of day. The brand-name is too big to let languish in Development Hell forever.

Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity Gets a Poster

As its October release approaches, the time has come to see Gravity, the 3D space-thriller from Alfonso Cuaron. Entertainment Tonight gets first dibs on the trailer this Thursday where they, as always, focus their efforts on talking over the footage instead of letting us experience it ourselves.

While we wait, Warner Brothers presents the poster via Twitter.

Captain Phillips Trailer

The pedigree is there. Paul Greengrass directs. Script authored by Billy Ray. Tom Hanks plays the title role. Not expecting high art or anything paraded about come awards time. It looks too straight forward for snotty Oscar voters.

But for what it is going for, Captain Phillips looks content as a "Based on A True Story" nail biter, judging by the trailer.

Source: The Guardian

The World's End Trailer

It's the end of the world as we know, and I feel buzzed.

The trailer for Edgar Wright's The World's End is here and, good news, it looks like a worthy conclusion to the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy.

Source: MSN UK

The Butler Is the Best Parody Trailer In Years

On the basis on subject matter, it is nothing past Oscar bait we'll forget about in a year. Throw in the name actors playing U.S. Presidents and The Butler is a Funny or Die video. Only it's not going for laughs or even aware of its own parody, which is a shame. It's been too long since a comedy won big at the Oscars.

Did Lee Daniels not realize how out of hand this was getting with John Cusack as Richard Nixon?

Source: Yahoo! Movies

Ender's Game Trailer

In the near future, a hostile alien race (called the Formics) have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander, Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and the International Military are training only the best young children to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a shy, but strategically brilliant boy is pulled out of his school to join the elite.

Arriving at Battle School, Ender quickly and easily masters increasingly difficult war games, distiguising himself and winning respect amongst his peers. Ender is soon ordained by Graff as the military's next great hope, resulting in his promotion to Command School. Once there, he's trained by Mazer Rackham, himself, to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race.

RIP Ray Harryhausen

Ray Harryhausen, the legendary effects wizard responsible for the pioneering stop-animation work in Mighty Joe Young, Jason & the Argonauts and The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad, has passed away at the age of 92.

His family took to Facebook to make the announcement this morning:

"Raymond Frederick Harryhausen
Born: Los Angeles 29th June 1920
Died: London 7th May 2013.

The Harryhausen family regret to announce the death of Ray Harryhausen, Visual Effects pioneer and stop-motion model animator. He was a multi-award winner which includes a special Oscar and BAFTA. Ray’s influence on today’s film makers was enormous, with luminaries; Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, George Lucas, John Landis and the UK’s own Nick Park have cited Harryhausen as being the man whose work inspired their own creations.

Harryhausen’s fascination with animated models began when he first saw Willis O’Brien’s creations in KING KONG with his boyhood friend, the author Ray Bradbury in 1933, and he made his first foray into filmmaking in 1935 with home-movies that featured his youthful attempts at model animation. Over the period of the next 46 years, he made some of the genres best known movies – MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1949), IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA (1955), 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957), MYSTERIUOUS ISLAND (1961), ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. (1966), THER VALLEY OF GWANGI (1969), three films based on the adventures of SINBAD and CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981). He is perhaps best remembered for his extraordinary animation of seven skeletons in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963) which took him three months to film.

Harryhausen’s genius was in being able to bring his models alive. Whether they were prehistoric dinosaurs or mythological creatures, in Ray’s hands they were no longer puppets but became instead characters in their own right, just as important as the actors they played against and in most cases even more so.

Today The Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation, a charitable Trust set up by Ray on the 10th April 1986, is devoted to the protection of Ray’s name and body of work as well as archiving, preserving and restoring Ray’s extensive Collection.

Tributes have been heaped upon Harryhausen for his work by his peers in recent years.

‘Ray has been a great inspiration to us all in special visual industry. The art of his earlier films, which most of us grew up on, inspired us so much.’ ‘Without Ray Harryhausen, there would likely have been no STAR WARS’
George Lucas.

‘THE LORD OF THE RINGS is my ‘Ray Harryhausen movie’. Without his life-long love of his wondrous images and storytelling it would never have been made – not by me at least’
Peter Jackson

‘In my mind he will always be the king of stop-motion animation’
Nick Park

‘His legacy of course is in good hands
Because it’s carried in the DNA of so many film fans.’
Randy Cook

‘You know I’m always saying to the guys that I work with now on computer graphics “do it like Ray Harryhausen’
Phil Tippett

‘What we do now digitally with computers, Ray did digitally long before but without computers. Only with his digits.’
Terry Gilliam.

‘His patience, his endurance have inspired so many of us.’
Peter Jackson

‘Ray, your inspiration goes with us forever.’
Steven Spielberg

‘I think all of us who are practioners in the arts of science fiction and fantasy movies now all feel that we’re standing on the shoulders of a giant.
If not for Ray’s contribution to the collective dreamscape, we wouldn’t be who we are.’
James Cameron"