Why This Latest Gremlins Talk Could Be Real

Not the first time Warner Brothers and Amblin started a dialogue for a new Gremlins movie – sequel or remake. Where previous reports relied on Joe Dante opining, and confessing he wouldn't be asked to direct whenever that day should come or Chris Columbus saying he's open to the idea, there's weight to this update.

Jurassic Park 4 got approved. So what, you ask? Amblin's been sitting on their 80s/90s properties forever. For whatever reason, collecting dust, and residual paychecks and fading into our memories of wearing out the old, oversized VHS copies or catching repeats on TBS. Until this sudden fire under their ass.

Now Warner Brothers is willing to play ball and meet Steven Spielberg's price-tag (his upfront producing fee plus a surely obese share of box-office receipts). Not a sure sign this will happen but... a sign prospects are better than ever.

Source: Vulture

"Jug Face" Trailer

The pit has spoken. Dawai, the potter of a backwoods community, has crafted a face on a ceramic jug of the person that the pit wants sacrificed.  Ada, pregnant with her brother’s child, has seen her face on the jug and hides it in the woods, determined to save the life of her unborn. If she does not sacrifice herself however, the creature from the pit will kill everyone in the village until she does. 

"Mud" Trailer Featuring Matthew McConaughey, Michael Shannon & Reese Witherspoon!

MUD is an adventure about two boys, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and his friend Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), who find a man named Mud (Matthew McConnaughey) hiding out on an island in the Mississippi.  Mud describes fantastic scenarios—he killed a man in Texas and vengeful bounty hunters are coming to get him. He says he is planning to meet and escape with the love of his life, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), who is waiting for him in town. Skeptical but intrigued, Ellis and Neckbone agree to help him.  It isn’t long until Mud’s visions come true and their small town is besieged by a beautiful girl with a line of bounty hunters in tow.

Are You Ready To Rock? Movie Moan Is Back!

Since it's been so long, I wouldn't be surprised if you'd given up on us.  But I'm just letting all you lovely people know that Movie Moan has returned for its seventh year and the first episode of 2013 is now just a click away.  Either click on the Movie Moan tab at the top of the page or click right here

And it won't just be long ass podcasts we'll be bringing you this year.  We're also going to dip out toes into the realm of movie commentary (unless we suck at it), more retrospective specials, and more on-camera video content. 

So stick with us and hold on tight.  As ever, thank you for your support.

"The Iceman" Trailer

Inspired by actual events, The Iceman follows notorious contract killer Richard Kuklinski (Academy Award^® nominee Michael Shannon) from his early days in the mob until his arrest for the murder of more than 100 men. Appearing to be living the American dream as a devoted husband and father; in reality Kuklinski was a ruthless killer-for-hire. When finally arrested in 1986, neither his wife nor daughters have any clue about his real profession. Co-starring Academy Award^®  nominee Winona Ryder (Black Swan) and Chris Evans (Avengers, Captain America), The Iceman is directed by Ariel Vromen (Danika) from a script he wrote with Morgan Land (Rx). Ray Liotta (Goodfellas), David Schwimmer (“Friends”), Robert Davi (“Profiler”) and Danny Abeckaser (Alpha Dog) round out the cast. The film features cameo appearances by Stephen Dorff (Public Enemies) and James Franco (127 Hours). Millennium Entertainment will release The Iceman May 3, 2013.

Russell Crowe Talks "Man Of Steel" & Broken City (Care)

Reelz.Com had a five minute plus chat with Russell Crowe. Fresh of his stint in Les Miserables, Crowe was answering questions via satellite about his upcoming flick Broken City (Care), but more importantly also gave some insight into Man Of Steel. Starts at the 3:50 mark .

"It's really complicated...I think Zack Snyder...he was given a great deal of responsibility. It is a massive undertaking...it takes you on the ground to Krypton...it takes you to a planet where the sun is 4 times larger than ours. This Superman is not just floating through the air being held up by a wire, this Superman is SUPERSONIC"

'The Last Stand' is Currently Sitting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes...100%!

I wouldn't even consider this news and I had no intention of writing about this tonight but it can't help but go unnoticed:

The Last Stand - the comeback film for Arnold Schwarzenegger - which looks like nothing more than a action heavy B-movie is currently at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Arnold is, as he promised, back, and it turns out that is good news indeed." 

-Drew McWeeny, HitFix

"What elevates this formulaic tale is Schwarzenegger, in a part specifically tailored for his comeback, and the fast-paced action pieces by the gifted Korean director."

-Emaniel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

"A credit to Kim Ji-woon and his collaborators... With the right audience of like-minded people THE LAST STAND could well be one of the most unabashedly fun experiences you'll have at a theatre this year."

-Jason Gorber, Twitch

Now, don't get ahead of yourself so quickly, there's only been 9 reviews counted so far, but just the fact that the film is off to perfect start is nothing short of shocking (just for reference, Terminator Salvation started off with 3 positive reviews out of 8 and you saw where that one went...never hit above 33%).

Could Arnold's big comeback film be better than we anticipated and actually end of doing above average business?  I never pegged this film to do any higher than $50 million domestically with about another $75 million overseas (bigger fan-base over there) but if these positive reviews keep up, that number might very well change.

Keep up with the link below as The Last Stand just might kick some serious ass both critically and commercially:

The Last Stand - Rotten Tomatoes

Magnolia Pictures Takes N. American Rights To "Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me"

The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnolia Pictures announced today that they have acquired North American rights to BIG STAR: NOTHING CAN HURT ME, the definitive documentary about the beloved and influential 70s rock band Big Star. Directed by Drew DeNicola and Oliva Mori, the film was produced by Mori and Danielle McCarthy, executive-produced by John Fry, founder of Ardent Studios, with Gill Holland and David Armillei, and co-produced by Brian Sprouse.

Founded in Memphis by Chris Bell, and fronted by rock legend Alex Chilton, the original Big Star lineup also featured Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel. Together less than four years, the band flirted with mainstream success but never achieved it. Nonetheless, they produced a body of work of seminal importance to pop and alternative music, influencing major artists like REM, the Replacements, Elliot Smith, the Flaming Lips and countless others.

For die-hard fans and newcomers alike, BIG STAR: NOTHING CAN HURT ME is a treasure, featuring rare music, never-before-seen footage and in-depth interviews with the original band members, family, friends and artists they influenced. Years in the making, the film captures important voices from the Big Star era that have since passed on.

“Drew, Olivia and Danielle have done a terrific job capturing the amazing story of one of the greatest bands of the 1970s, recreating an truly special time and place in music history,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles. “Big Star fans will rejoice.”

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Magnolia, and to join their stellar roster of great films," said director Drew DeNicola.

The deal was negotiated by Magnolia SVP of Acquisitions Dori Begley with Josh Braun of Submarine. Magnolia plans a theatrical release later this year.

Zack Snyder - From Superman to Star Wars?

Kathleen Kennedy promised Star Wars spin-offs in addition to the new trilogy. She wasn't fooling.

Awhile back, Zack Snyder said he wasn't interested in directing Episode VII. A suspicious statement since seemingly nobody asked him and, if you'll recall, he made similar proclamations about Superman years before taking the Man of Steel gig. Something seemed up. It was.

Vulture says Snyder is developing a Seven Samurai-style epic set in the Star Wars universe. The works of Samurai director Akira Kurosawa are all over the original trilogy. George Lucas took heavily from Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress for Star Wars (Notice I didn't say Episode IV or A New Hope!) and even contemplated hiring Toshiro Mifune for Obi-Wan. And lest we forget, Battle Beyond the Stars!

That still doesn't settle matters on Episode VII (Still without a director; not Snyder) and what of Snyder's hints of more Superman films or even Justice League Warner Brothers is Hellbent for 2015? With announcements like this, sounds like those plans to play in the WB/DC sandbox aren't permanent.

Julianne Moore IS Lindsay Lohan in Carrie

If you watched the Golden Globes last night, and if you didn't, Tommy Lee Jones disapproves, you heard talk about how "brave" Julianne Moore was playing Sarah Palin. Tell me, Jay Roach, how "brave" it is to play someone half the country hated outright the moment she was John McCain's VP (and who made said film) and the other half stopped caring about when she became a living cartoon.

But no, Jay, it was "brave." Keep making your "political" comedies on HBO. We all know you can't pay people to sit through your shitty theatrical comedies, so aim for pay-cable. Moron.*

Anyway Julianne Moore is in the Carrie remake (recently re-slotted from March to October 2013) playing the religious-nut mama of the title character. Here's the poster from Facebook and whether or not she's supposed to look like Lindsay Lohan is up for debate. I'm going to say it was intentional.

*Not a Palin fan/supporter, but it had to be said.