Sat, December 14, 2013 Clocking in shy of two minutes, the teaser trailer for Interstellar, the space exploration adventure from director Christopher Nolan, doesn't show much besides stock footage, narration from lead Matthew McConaughey and spellbounding music from composer Hans Zimmer.
I want more already. Classic tease, Nolan.
Fri, December 13, 2013 
There is a belief held by John Landis and the Zuckers straight actors are funnier than comedians on film. A sight gag or a line of dialogue gets a bigger laugh if the actor plays it with conviction. The straighter he plays it, the greater the laugh. As funny as the Naked Gun movies are, Leslie Nielsen was the glue that held it together. Nielsen, a classically trained dramatic actor, played Detective Frank Drebin as serious as he did from his leading man days.
Variety reports Paramount is restarting the franchise as a vehicle for Ed Helms.
Helms is an amusing and likeable fellas on camera, and screenwriters R. Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon are working the police procedural spoof to fit the Hangover actor. Nobody wants Helms to imitate Nielsen. That would be a waste of time, money and talent. They are obliviously going to go in their new direction. Only... that would, if I had to guess, involve making Drebin in on the joke. Make him as zany as the sight gags around him. Big mistake.
Assuming that's their big plan to distinguish themselves from Nielsen and the Zuckers.
Wed, December 11, 2013 "The epic action of Edge of Tomorrow unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world. Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Tom Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to little more than a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again...and again. But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy."
Tue, December 10, 2013 "An epic rebirth to Toho's iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world's most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence."
Mon, December 9, 2013 
The concept is weird, the first look at co-star Channing Tatum will be an Internet Meme sensation in no time and let’s face it, this first trailer is underwhelming. But there is something about Jupiter Ascending, the sci-fi actioner from the Wachowskis, that has me.
The plot details, as scooped by Vulture, is so bizarre it has two outcomes ahead of it; so out-there, it works or so out-there, what in God's name were they think?! Too soon to a pick a side based on the first showcase of footage to a feature that can’t be released till the end of next July.
But... I'm strangely confident.
"Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) was born under a night sky, with signs predicting that she was destined for great things. Now grown, Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job cleaning toilets and an endless run of bad breaks. Only when Caine (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along – her genetic signature marks her as next in line for an extraordinary inheritance that could alter the balance of the cosmos."
Fri, December 6, 2013 
Don't know about you. But when it comes to Special Features, the only thing that interests me is the screen tests. Those few minutes of crucial footage showing whether the no-name actor is right for the role and the blockbuster in question can rest on their shoulders.
You can't show everyone who tested. I get it. Nothing but a landmine of legal red-tape to get past and nobody ever wants to admit they put themselves out there and failed. But one can't understand why they exclude said clip of the actor who got cast. Don't talk about how awesome so-and-so was, show it.
So I was perturbed to hear the DVD/Blu-Ray for Man of Steel didn't showcase anything from Henry Cavill's screen tests. The British thespian first wore a prototype red-and-blue design for Superman: Flyby, the ill-fated relaunch via McG, and by all accounts, so impressed he was cast. Then it fell apart and when Bryan Singer took over, he opted to go in another direction and made Superman Returns. And when it came time to re-restart for Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan, Cavill was once again called upon, this time wearing a replica of the Christopher Reeve design. And we all know how the rest of that story turned out.
Not breaking news or anything, but we figured this was a cool enough li'l item you good readers would like to see; a twenty-one year-old Cavill from the Superman epic that almost was nearly a decade ago.
Thu, December 5, 2013 
After a week of hype, including quick-clips and posters, the first trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is here. The Avengers effect is in full force. They weren't fooling. It is all about the Sinister Six. Eh, eventually.
You have to commend them for going all out. Even if it still looks like it's aping the 2002-2007 Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire iteration and the whereabouts of Richard and Mary Parker is not a plot thread many preferred seeing continued. Not in the slightest bit am I saying this sucks. On the contrary, this single trailer is an improvement above everything we saw from The Amazing Spider-Man pre-release. But that feeling of "I've seen this before" lingers.
"We've always known that Spider-Man's most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that a greater conflict lies ahead. It's great to be Spider-Man. For Peter Parker, there's no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen. But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro, Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp."
Wed, December 4, 2013 
There is no right way for Universal to handle Fast 7. In the days following the tragic death of co-star Paul Walker, conversation naturally went to how the studio would proceed. Production was already under the gun to meet its July 2014 release date.
The Wrap reported yesterday one such option on the table was scrapping it altogether and starting over. I heard some cry, "NO WAY!" But this situation is so unprecedented, who was to say otherwise. Internal rumblings on how far along filming, and Walker's work, varied too. One thing that his material was finished and then the tragedy occurred, such as the case with Heath Ledger on The Dark Knight, and another it was halfway complete.
This afternoon the studio confirmed Fast 7 is at a standstill for the remaining time:
"Right now, all of us at Universal are dedicated to providing support to Paul's immediate family and our extended 'Fast & Furious' family of cast, crew and filmmakers. At this time we feel it is our responsibility to shut down production on 'Fast & Furious 7' for a period of time so we can assess all options available to move forward with the franchise. We are committed to keeping 'Fast & Furious' fans informed, and we will provide further information to them when we have it. Until then, we know they join us in mourning the passing of our dear friend Paul Walker."
Wed, December 4, 2013 
Whatever they call it, one thing is for sure. Zack Snyder's Superman/Batman Team-Up is filled like a stuffed jalapeño. Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, maybe the Serial Killer from Girls as Nightwing and, yep, the Rumor-Mill pegged it right. Wonder Woman is officially in the mix.
The Amazon princess will be played by Gal Gadot. She was in The Fast & the Furious 6 this summer but for the life of me, I don't remember her. Here's a puff-piece quote from Snyder:
"Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe. Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character."
Is this de facto going to be Justice League or are they saying that for later? Can't imagine why wait if they're so many superheroes in what was supposed to be Batman Vs. Superman (or Superman Vs. Batman, Warner Brothers hasn't decided) and before that a straight-forward solo sequel to Man of Steel.
Wed, December 4, 2013 
Last month, we at TMT had the privilege of chatting with filmmaker Ron Newcomb for Rise of the Fellowship.
His love-letter to all things Tolkien is now available for your viewing pleasure on DVD at Walmart, Amazon and iTunes. What better time to watch this Middle Earth homage as The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug breathes fires in cinemas next week?
"A group of Lord of the Rings fans embark on an amazing and amusing journey in director Ron Newcomb’s fantastical and fun adventure. Rise of the Fellowship, features Lord of the Rings Online. This comedy was written in honor of online gamers and The Lord of the Rings. Full of Tolkien-references and good-hearted parody, Justin Moe, Emma Earnest, Jayme Bell, Alyssa Jacobsen, and Cole Matson star in a film that 'will keep the audience laughing throughout and, at times, provide real tension' (LOTRO Players)."
Check out the trailer on YouTube and purchase the DVD on Amazon, stream it at Walmart via Vudu or view it on iTunes.