J.J. Abrams Thinks You Are An Idiot

The Mystery Box is J.J. Abrams' thing. He is simpatico with keeping everything, even minuscule details like character names, titles and even costumes, in the dark. The fun in being surprised is appreciated, yes. But it goes so far with J.J. to hear him suggest it's all someone else's doing is not funny; it's an insult to our intelligence.

Well Star Trek Into Darkness came and went and with Abrams off on Star Wars: Episode VII, he's seemingly on an Apology Tour for the iffy-received Wrath of Khan retread. Right down to whose fault it was to keep Benedict Cumberbatch's true identity a secret. Only he's lying his ass off as he puts it "truthfully" to MTV:

"The truth is because it was so important to the studio that we not angle this thing for existing fans. If we said it was Khan, it would feel like you've really got to know what 'Star Trek' is about to see this movie," he said. "That would have been limiting. I can understand their argument to try to keep that quiet, but I do wonder if it would have seemed a little bit less like an attempt at deception if we had just come out with it."

Sure, J.J. Paramount loved keeping the most famous Star Trek baddie played by an actor not known to anyone outside of the Internet under wraps. Part of taking responsbility involves being a man and actually owning up to your mistakes. Blaming it on the studio, especially in such a laughable manner, is pretty weaselly.

Bryan Singer Going Full-On Oliver Stone in Latest X-Men: Days of Future Past Viral

Last Friday was the 50^th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. That was all the focus on the 24/7 news networks. Besides those reflecting including some old enough who were alive in 1963, the loonies came out of the woodwork too. It can't be proven beyond a reasonable doubt Oswald acted alone. And it wouldn't be enough for them anyway.

So given the timing, it will be viewed as inappropriate by some. But for the rest of us, it's a clever piece of viral marketing for X-Men: Days of Future Past. According to The Bent Bullet, Magneto was secretly tried and convicted of the president's murder.

If it sounds familiar, Matthew Vaughn said he was floating the idea around for his First Class sequel before Fox went to Bryan Singer instead. That might explain why he and Jane Goldman have "Story by" credits since Days of Future Past is all Singer.

Batman Vs. Superman Vs. Shitty Titles

Batman Vs. Superman was never a good title. But it wasn't the worst either. It said it all right there and sometimes that's all you need. It has been the assumed title since the Man of Steel sequel-cum-Batman-franchise-sabotage-project was announced back at Comic Con, with no acknowledgement from helmer Zack Snyder and Warner Brothers making passing references.

Either this is their way of playing the field or an attempt at making Batman Vs. Superman sound incredible by comparison (That's how I see it). The studio has registered the follow titles, reports Fusible:

• Man of Steel Battle the Knight
• Man of Steel Beyond Darkness
• Man of Steel Black of Knight
• Man of Steel Darkness Falls
• Man of Steel Knight Falls
• Man of Steel Shadow of the Night
• Man of Steel The Blackest Hour
• Man of Steel The Darkness Within

Besides being awful titles, what happened to the colons? Are you that grammatically depraved, Warner Brothers? If so, congratulations, you've now made me even less interested in this than I already was.

Go Home, Hollywood, You're Drunk - It's a Wonderful Life Getting a Sequel

Ten years ago, my old man and I were channel-surfing when we caught Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory; a childhood favorite for many including the Williams household. I leaned over and remarked, "You know they’re remaking that?" The words straight from his mouth, "NO, not every movie needs to be remade, you know."

One imagines my father, and fathers elsewhere, might suffer cardiac arrest at this headline from Variety. A sequel to It's a Wonderful Life is in the works. The Frank Capra/Jimmy Stewart Christmas classic everyone watches on NBC the first Saturday night of every December - one of the few films to quickly disappear from theaters but slowly become a national treasure that touched the hearts of the public, not seen since The Shawshank Redemption. Yes, for no logical reason, besides its IP value, it will exist.

Producers Bob Farnsworth and Allen J. Schwalb are interviewing with directors to tell the story of George Bailey, the grandson of Stewart's kind-hearted, but troubled, everyman shown how the world would be a better place if he wasn't born. An idea we should all laugh at since it's been done before as an homage to the Capra film, including a Beavis & Butthead Christmas special.

The New Robocop Trailer is Not Bad!

The Robocop do-over still has that "Uh, why?" apprehension. Unless it matches the perfection of the 1987 film, it's never going to shake that. But I keep going back to one thing. Everything following the originating Paul Verhoeven masterwork was garbage. They took something intended as a one-and-done and turned it into a franchise with little idea of what made it work.

It helps that the new trailer is good. Everything about Samuel L. Jackson feels too... much. His character is supposed to be a right-winger in the vein of Limbaugh; so I'm assuming he will turn out to be evil, knowing the filmmakers' politics. The polished, black suit still hasn't completely won me over. Something feels awkward about Joel Kinnaman sitting on a desk bullshitting with partner-in-crime Michael Williams (It probably works within context).

But you have to hand it to them. They are slowly getting us to accept this.

Jon Favreau Directing The Jungle Book

It is a credit to his talent the career of Jon Favreau has such range. From character-actor to filmmaker responsible for Elf, ten years since its release its turned into an annual tradition on television like It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story, and Iron Man, single-handedly launching Marvel Studios as a force to be reckoned with and being the guy who backed Robert Downey Jr. when few others would.

The last couple of films haven't been so hot, and to if I'm being completely honest here I would prefer a return of his IFC series Dinner For Five, I won't balk at whatever he does next. Again the guy has range. Deadline reports he's in negotiations to direct The Jungle Book, a new update of the Rudyard Kipling novel of Mowgli, the Indian boy raised by wolves. Justin Marks will adapt the screenplay.

The Single Best Piece of Marketing for Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World dropped last weekend overseas and opens this Friday here, a model that won't stop until a Marvel Studios film bombs. That won't happen with the God of Thunder though I'm still not anticipating anything close to thunderous receipts. The trailers haven't done much for me.

Not sure if this is a credit to this TV spot or the general blandness of the marketing but this Comedy Central ad is easily the best showcase for the sequel. A send-up of the funny AT&T ads; a wise-ass talks to kindergarten-aged children. Except with Loki (Tom Hiddleston playing along like a champ).

Hugh Jackman Staying in The Wolverine Business

Suspicions arouse X-Men: Days of Future Past would be a means not only to restart or in some cases, correct mistakes of films past but serve as a graceful exit for star Hugh Jackman. Wolverine may be ageless but the Australian star is pushing 50 and the last thing everyone wants is a repeat of Roger Moore's latter tenure as James Bond.

It "helps" the last few X-Men installments have had dwindling returns stateside. But the upswing is The Wolverine, the lowest earner domestically, sits as the second bigger worldwide thanks to a strong international gross. That, along with strong early reactions to next May's Days of Future Past, is music to Fox's ears.

The studio has begun negotiations with director James Mangold to return to the fold for a third solo Wolverine feature with Jackman once again sporting the adamantium claws and rigorous exercise regime making him the object of desire for your wife and jealous for the rest of us schmucks.

While Jackman has never ceased from his loyalty to the franchise, and character, that has made him what he is today, my hope was he would follow the path of Robert Downey Jr. Lay off the solo entries (as good as last July's Japan-set sequel was; save for the third act) and stick with the group dynamic.

Not everything X-Men related has to be about Wolverine, you know.

Source: Deadline

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Trailer # 3

Here's another trailer of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug to remind you it still exists.

‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.

Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company continues East, encountering along the way the skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of giant Spiders in the treacherous forest of Mirkwood. After escaping capture by the dangerous Wood-elves, the Dwarves journey to Lake-town, and finally to the Lonely Mountain itself, where they must face the greatest danger of all – a creature more terrifying than any other; one which will test not only the depth of their courage but the limits of their friendship and the wisdom of the journey itself – the Dragon Smaug.

X-Men: Days of Future Past Trailer

The first trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past is here. If you happened to attend the San Diego Comic-Con last July (or caught the bootleg copies before Fox legal had YouTube yank em faster than Quicksilver), the footage here is nothing you haven't already seen minus the Inception score.

Not that that is a bad thing. It isn't. The footage adequately sets the tone for what to expect this Memorial Day weekend.