The Last Stand Trailer Makes Good Use of Aged Arnold Schwarzenegger

It is a run-of-the-mill actioner, right down to Johnny Knoxville as the comic relief. But The Last Stand was always going to make or break on the ability of Arnold Schwarzenegger to acknowledge he isn't as fast and as strong as he used to be. Something clearly void from The Expendables catalogue.

There are some truly unflattering shots, including one shameless posted above. Can imagine online memes from freeze frames will make their way shortly. Seeing Arnold, in his mid-60s, still at it and not pretending to be The Terminator or Commando anymore, is refreshing.

Red Dawn Trailer

No matter the nationality of the baddies (In a deliciously racist move, the studio changed the villains from Chinese to North Korean thinking few would notice the difference - a sadly accurate fact), the Red Dawn remake is finally coming. It's not from MGM anymore. Film District is putting it out and in a "We know this is garbage" sign relegating it to Thanksgiving weekend.

Yahoo! Movies has the trailer. Fair to say, there's a reason this rotted on a shelf for two years, outside of MGM's fiscal woes.

Russell Crowe Looking Like Russell Crowe in Noah

Hairy, pudgy, and, using proven scientific facts (Translation: his reputation), loud, pain-in-the-ass for the director, it's hard to differentiate first glances at Russell Crowe. Unlike those Jor-El pictures. That was a first look (albeit: unofficial taken on location between takes) to sink your teeth into. A full body shot in Kryptonian armor and the Superman suit tucked underneath.

What USA Today has is a head-shot from Darren Aronofsky's Noah. It leaves much to the imagination. Same adjectives apply for this first look as the others. Add "Smelly looking" too.

Oh Yeah, Joss Whedon is Directing Avengers 2

Rest assured this doesn't appear to be a repeat of the summer-long negotiation tactics, eventually went public to sway favor with fandom it got so heated, between Marvel and Jon Favreau over Iron Man 2. We know how well that turned out.

Joss Whedon has signed on to write and direct The Avengers 2, Disney big-cheese Bob Iger revealed this afternoon at the Disney Investors Conference Call. No release is in place but we wouldn't be too far off to guesstimate a summer 2015 date is in order. Whedon will also spear-head a "Marvel-based" television series for ABC, confirming those rumors from a few weeks back.

This is 40 Trailer is All Over the Place

It relied on "We are Young" as the background music to a fault, yes. As if that song wasn't over-exposed as it. The first trailer for This is 40, the "sort of sequel" to Knocked-Up, set up the narrative. Getting older sucks. But at least there's your significant other to go through those aches and pains, and kids maturing into li'l pains in the asses with, right?

The second trailer for Judd Apatow's latest, from Yahoo! Movies, doesn't fare as well. Trying to juggle a lot of themes here. Not that they aren't relatable. But stick to one and run with it. Feels like Apatow to reaching for too much here.

First Official Look at Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln: As Awesome As You'd Hoped

Let's not get ahead of ourselves with silly "Oscar talk." But when Daniel Day-Lewis announced in the title role of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, it was unavoidable. Oscar #3 notwithstanding, you knew, at the very least, it was going to be an awesome performance and God help us when we got our first official look at Lewis in character.

True, there were set pictures awhile back. Not taking away from those (They helped quench our thirst) but seeing Lewis all decked out as our greatest U.S. President, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, does wonders. I want a trailer ASAP. Wait, forget that, and just give me the finished film. Can't wait till November!

The Great Gatsby Leaving Christmas 2012 for Summer 2013

Remember Titanic vs. The Man in the Iron Mask?

December 25th was supposed to be Round II in the epic question of if Leonardo DiCaprio could kick his own ass at the box office. This time, the actor is headlining Django Unchained and The Great Gatsby. Both touted as Oscar contenders and, hopefully, commercial hits. Alas we'll never know the outcome.

Warner Brothers figured two Leos in one day was too much and announced this afternoon the 3D Gatsby courtesy of director Baz Luhrmann is vacating Christmas Day, and the 2012 awards circuit, to an unspecified summer 2013 date arguing competition is too fierce. Ironic since Django's shoot went overscheduled and concerns arose if it could make its release date.

The move is not off logically-speaking. They're right. This Christmas is packed with the afore-mentioned Django, Jack Reacher, Les Miserables, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, This is 40 and Zero Dark Thirty fighting for your $10.

Where they lose me is moving to summer. The studio has that packed with The Hangover 3, Man of Steel, Pacific Rim and 300: Battle of Artemisia. Where do they expect to slot Gatsby and why move there if they already have their ducks lined up? Unless one of their tentpoles has also been delayed?

Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty Teaser Trailer

The teaser trailer for Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty is here, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, along with first-look images and an interview with Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal:

Doesn't matter what Bigelow or Boal says. There will still be those who insist Zero Dark Thirty is nothing more than a glorification of President Obama's move to send Osama bin Laden straight to Hell. They insist it isn't and I'll take them at their word.

But it left Sony worried enough to bump its release from October to December, some speculating the move would strength Obama's re-election chances (It wouldn't - this election is all about the economy, kiddos). Whole thing is irrelevant. That bastard's elimination was a victory for everyone; left, right and center.

Bryan Singer Confirms X-Men: First Class Sequel is Days of Future Past

No matter the skill of the director, competence in the writing and dynamic of the leads, there's always going to be certain restraint when making a prequel. The sky isn’t the limit. You can’t just go in any direction you want. There remains that sandbox forced to play in, when you’d prefer to try the swings instead.

That was the overriding issue with X-Men: First Class, a prequel that bucked the trend, thanks to its tight direction from Matthew Vaughn and the chemistry between James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. Those two were such a great fit together; it was enough to make a whole trilogy about their budding friendship.

Unfortunately even when playing fast and loose with continuity (Noticeably the X-Mens without Bryan Singer's fingerprints), Charles Xavier had to be a paraplegic. Erik Lensherr still had to let his own demons get the better of him to become Magneto. Chuck and Erik couldn't overcome their differences and becomes lifelong pals. Then add to the equation the timeline between the Cuban Missile crisis finale of First Class and the "not-too-distant" future of 2000's X-Men.

That might be a couple of decades worth of happenings (Imagine the 70s set film with Dazzler and done to the tune of Moonraker or the Walter Hill-style 80s-set installment with the muscled-up Strong Guy) but it still loses suspense due to the rules already in place of what has to happen. Unless a deus ex machina comes along to mess everything up, like say, time travel and tampering resulting in a new streamlined series of events, perhaps?

Speaking to IGN Movies, producer Singer confirms those rumors from two months back. The forthcoming sequel to Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class will be Days of Future Past. That's the well-regarded Chris Claremont/John Byrne story (Issues #141-142 of Uncanny X-Men, FYI) of a bleak future with mutants near extinction and a time-travel attempt to change that future.

This treads into murky territory for a franchise that, so far, has avoided such devices. It also comes off as playing second-fiddle to what J.J. Abrams already did with Star Trek. Rebooting thanks time-travel. Doesn't matter the intention. Makes it look as if they saw how great Trek turned out and said, "Hey we can do that too!" Loses a certain uniqueness, shall we say.

It's early on and truthfully as long as Singer and Vaughn are still onboard to shepherd the franchise, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. But I have to admit, it's by a thread.

Ridley Scott & Fox Start Not-Definite Movement on Hypothetical Prometheus Sequel

Things are in the "actively pushing ahead" stage (Their words; not mine) for a sequel to Ridley Scott's Prometheus, per THR.

Were a follow-up to the Alien prequel to happen, it would be without the contribution of screenwriter Damon Lindelof. Deals for Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender are in place however. In other words, the pair and most likely their dead co-stars, had sequel clauses in their contracts.

One of those "Maybe the studio and filmmakers will kinda, sorta, if everything comes together but we're not sure do that sequel!" stories. Reads more like speculation, and since Prometheus didn't have big financial returns nor was it received overwhelmingly critically-speaking, this rubs me as non-news. Don't set your calendars, or hopes, just yet.