Wed, November 28, 2012 
Blue prints of the Jaeger (the sky-scrapper sized robots used to save humanity) courtesy of Wired and videos from the Kaiju Emergency Alert System and "news reports" of San Francisco under attack.
This is more like it. Stop telling us how cool Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim looks, and show us. Trailer should be up relatively soon.
Wed, November 28, 2012 
Every week, let alone day, is a new revelation. George Lucas is selling the Empire to Disney. They're making new Star Wars movies. Wait, it's a new trilogy. Strike that, a new trilogy and more! Lucas gave Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher a head's up. Hamill and Fisher are coming back! Eh, they're probably coming back! Harrison Ford awoke from his decade long coma! He said he's game too! So on, and so forth.
And then there's the mountain of directors. Some by choice said, "Don't look at me!" Others cornered into an answer. Whether or not, any were realistic candidates to begin with.
Amid the chaos, what is certain? Michael Arndt writing Episode VII. The Oscar-winning Pixar scribe was the first big announcement following our shell-shocked reaction to new Star Wars pictures. Then the news Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg would serve as writers and producers for Episodes VIII and IX.
THR, realizing things haven't been confusing enough, are here to fix that:
"But now insiders tell THR that while Kasdan and Kinberg have indeed been hired to work on the Star Wars franchise, they will be writing separate projects (hence the reason why they also would receive producer credits), not necessarily Episode VIII and Episode IX.
Their scripts could turn into official 'Episodes' in the main Skywalker storyline, or they could form the basis for spinoffs focusing on side characters. Disney CEO Robert Iger said the goal is to release a Star Wars movie 'every two to three years,' and some could easily focus on other pieces of the expansive mythos (similar to Marvel’s Avengers universe). Disney and Lucasfilm declined comment."
The profit Disney earns from Episode VII alone will come close to the $4 billion they spent purchasing Lucasfilm. Take your sweet time and focus on the sequel trilogy. Each film at a time. Then start playing the spin-off game. Your current plan is a bit... much.
Tue, November 27, 2012 
Mixing the best of both worlds, or those willing, if not contractually bound, to return.
X-Men: Days of Future Past is expected bring the 1960s cast and that of the "Not too distant future" from the Bryan Singer/Brett Ratner films to a head. Singer took to Twitter to announce James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult are back to represent the First Class side of the coin. The surprise, however, arrived from his second tweet.
Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are too with "More to come..." Anna Paquin? Rebecca Romijn? Surely Hugh Jackman cameos recreating the iconic cover of Uncanny X-Men #141.
Giant sentinels and new continuity, here we come.
Mon, November 26, 2012 
Don't wanna count my chickens before they hatch. But it sounds definite Star Trek Into Darkness isn't the Abrams, Kurtzman, Orci, Lindelof remake of Space Speed. That alone is reason to rejoice.
The official plot synopsis is here from Paramount (We Are Movie Geeks got it up first):
"In Summer 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness.
When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.
With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.
As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew."
That sounds like Benedict Cumberbatch's unspecified villain is Gary Mitchell. Something co-star Karl Urban said aloud months back in July. Thank God.
It is hypocritical, I'll admit, to being fine with doing a round-about retelling of Where No Man Has Gone Before but scolding doing the same for Space Seed. But Khan was made famous to the public by The Wrath of Khan. Everyone knows Ricardo Montalbán and his chest (rubber or real) and the Moby Dick references.
Gary Mitchell is a character regulated to classic Star Trek and open for a new generation of film-goers to discover.
Mon, November 26, 2012 
Iron Man is fun. The appeal is Robert Downey Jr. charming the pants off his co-stars onscreen and us the audience watching. Mixed with the latest suits and Marvel universe references, Shellhead is the light and frothy alternative to the dark and brooding superheroes taking up multiplexes.
That's why the Iron Man 3 trailer was a shock. No subtly or reading into something that wasn't there, that footage said, "This time, shit gets dark!" And that got great fan reaction. It offered something new from the usually fun franchise.
Until Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige reneged:
"It's not a serious movie, but we seriously dig into exploring more of Tony. The trick is just trying to make great movies. We try to make them all great, all different and all fresh. What you'll see in Iron Man 3 is some very unique directions that were taken."
Nobody's expecting Tony Stark to lose at the end or the tone to be "cut your wrists" dark. Hey, little kids love Iron Man. But it's not what you directly told us from the trailer? Thanks for pulling a fast-one, Kev.
Source: The Western Australian
Mon, November 26, 2012 
Ah, Justice League.
Living in an environment where The Avengers is the third-biggest movie of all-time, Warner Brothers is lagging behind. Badly. Much worse offense considering they own DC Comics. Disney still has to share meaty portions of the Marvel pie with Sony and 20th Century Fox. Yet they can still yield Earth's Mightiest Heroes on the silver screen.
No reason why they can't figure it out. But they haven't. Not one to tarnish their relationship with Christopher Nolan, they left him alone to "do his thing" on the Dark Knight trilogy. They tried, and failed, to ignite Green Lantern. That puts all the pressure on The Man of Steel. It's not enough to ask if the Superman relaunch warrants a sequel. Not anymore it isn't. The Brothers Warner must ponder if Henry Cavill's Kryptonian do-gooder can be what Robert Downey Jr. is for Disney/Marvel, what Hugh Jackman is for X-Men. Can he be the face of the Warner Brothers/DC cinematic universe?
Hey! U Guys were the first to approach the subject to helmer Zack Snyder. He shot it down. It was the early days however. Cavill just cast, principal photography long from starting and no idea how the material would come together on set and in the edit bay.
His answer fine-turned, more open-ended, shall we shall, and less dismissive for the New York Post:
"'I don't know how 'Justice League' is going to be handled. Honestly, I don't,' Snyder says. 'But 'The Man of Steel' exists, and Superman is in it. I don't know how you'd move forward without acknowledging that.'
When asked whether he had conversations with the studio about integrating 'Man of Steel' into a larger superhero universe, Snyder treads carefully.
'Um, how can I answer that?' he wonders. 'I can't really say anything to that, because that's a big spoiler. I will say, yeah, they trust me to keep them on course.'"
The marketing blitz for The Man of Steel begins soon; a trailer in front of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, more production stills (Likely the "Exclusive Reward" touted for sharing The Dark Knight Rises' DVD/Blu-Ray release on Facebook) and we're hearing its presence will be felt at next year's Super Bowl.
But it comes down to how the new Superman is received in June. Until then. It's all talk, answers and, in most cases, non-answers.
Tue, November 20, 2012 
UPDATE: THR reports the deals are closed. Kasdan and Kinberg will write and produce the sequels.
How excited should we be for Star Wars: Episode VIII and IX?
Episode VII remains without a director, cast or release date, save for a vague 2015 promise. Disney went high-class hiring Oscar-winner Michael Arndt. That hasn't stopped them from lining up additional scribes.
Per "TOLDJA," the House of the Mouse (turned House of the Force) is rumored to be commissioning Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg for the latter chapters of the third Star Wars trilogy.
Yes, that Lawrence Kasdan.
The man responsible for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and Raiders of the Lost Ark. The screenwriter (later an accomplished director in his own right) who penned the greatest sequel of all-time and greatest action/adventure film could return to the universe he helped to steer as George Lucas handed responsibility to he and director Irvin Kershner.
It sounds on the "too good to be true" side. Not my believing Kasdan being approached (No doubt he has), but if his return to that galaxy far, far away is a good idea. Not the same guy who wrote the Star Wars sequels thirty-plus years ago. So you can't expect the same results. Just setting yourself up for disappointment, though it's interesting Disney and producer Kathleen Kennedy want him for the middle chapter when everything goes to Hell. Just like in The Empire Strikes Back. Not a coincidence, folks.
Wed, November 14, 2012 
True or false, the history books will state the tragic passing of Heath Ledger, and the accompanying rumors of "Playing the Joker made him kill himself" and so on, shot public awareness of The Dark Knight to Must-See status. A disputable claim, but many have counter-pointed that argument stating the popularity of its predecessor Batman Begins, strong word-of-mouth in its original theatrical run and home video sales. I've heard many say the real dealmaker was Warner Brothers' then-unheard of decision of attaching the opening sequence in front of I Am Legend at select IMAX screenings that prior Christmas 2007.
Paramount is taking note. The first nine minutes of Star Trek Into Darkness, the centerpiece of their 2013 lineup, screens on 500 IMAX theaters of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Said opening set-piece is said to be one of several in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek sequel filmed with IMAX cameras, just like The Dark Knight. Obvious the studio doing their best to replicate the winning strategy; can't say I blame them. Assuming, a trailer will be attached to non-IMAX prints of Hobbit that weekend.
Wed, November 14, 2012 
Mission: Impossible may have started as a vanity franchise for Tom Cruise to show every four-five years how awesome it is being Tom Cruise. But you have to hand it to him. He's had the smarts to not stick with the same director. The charm is seeing Cruise handing the IMF keys to someone different every time out (regardless of pre-Mission filmography) to varying success.
Brian De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams, Brad Bird and... Chris McQuarrie?
The Oscar-winning Usual Suspects scribe is the favorite for Mission: Impossible 5. One could interpret the hiring-to-be as a sign Cruise and Paramount’s ecstatic reaction to Jack Reacher. Possible, then again this also spells to me, Paramount's planned "Clancyverse" (starting with Kenneth Branagh's shooting Jack Ryan reboot and Without Remorse, planned to be written/directed by McQuarrie) stalled.
He doesn't scream the obvious choice and that's why it's good.
Wed, November 14, 2012 
The first trailer for Oz: The Great & Powerful didn't scream Sam Raimi or The Wizard of Oz. Odd thing to say, I realize, given what a delicious combo the two were.
This second trailer injects plenty of Oz for you, your parents, your kids and anyone else who's ever seen the 1939 masterpiece (which is to say everyone) to recognize. I still don't get the Raimi vibe, the reliance of CG/green-screen everything is too much and while James Franco is a fine actor, albeit overexposed, I'm still not sold.