Sun, February 27, 2011 Follow Jamie Williams, Myself, and a little bit of Tweet from our fellow writer Matt Rapier as we comment on the good and the bad of the Oscars and the Red Carpet. Hope to see you somewhere out there in Twitterspace. So please forgive the front page as we focus more on our Tweets and yours, if only for tonight. So look to the center of the site and Come Tweet With Us.
Fri, February 25, 2011 
Earlier in the evening Heat Vision broke the news that Viggo Mortensen was a "person of interest" for the upcoming Superman flick that I have decided I am going to call "Superman Starts". It was either that or "The Adventures Of Superman". The roll that Mortensen is supposedly up for is none other than Mr. Planet Houston himself, Zod.
Our friends over at Moviehole, after reporting said news and rightfully taking a jab at the Zod redux idea, revealed another contender. According to them, Daniel Day-Lewis is also being considered for a role in "Superman Starts" and they have come to the conclusion that it is General Zod.
I have to agree with Moviehole here. This doesn't sound all that original, granted it is all in the delivery. Didn't "Superman Returns" essentially remake "Superman: The Movie" while at the same time, act as a vague sequel? Is "Superman Starts" aiming at the same thing, just wearing a different costume? Hard to tell at this stage, because we have so little info, but if it walks like Ursa and smells like Zod...
Fri, February 25, 2011 
When that short-list of G.I. Joe 2 directors was leaked by Latino Review, fanbitches got vitriolic against John Chu as one of the finalists. Suddenly it was "If they hire him, I won't watch it!" and "Oh no, please God, no!" How much do you wanna bet those reactions came from his association with Justin Bieber?
I loved G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra. But it was retarded. As. Fuck. We're not talking about high art here, people. But a movie based on a cartoon that's purpose was to sell toys to kids. Don't start putting that movie or cartoon on a pedestal! Never had problem with Chu's candidacy. Guess it's a good thing some of us were rational...
Because "TOLDJA" reports Paramount just hired him.
Before you start stomping your feet, holding your breath and throwing a tantrum, remember if it wasn't for them losing The Avengers to the Mouse and their need of summer 2012 inventory, you most-likely wouldn't be getting a G.I. Joe sequel. So be grateful for Christ's sake.
If we're going to complain about who should have been hired, please shed a few tears for Rob Cohen.
Fri, February 25, 2011 
What's that? General Zod isn't the big baddie in Superman: The Man of Steel? Why's that, you say? Oh because its director Zack Snyder gave a non-denial last year and as we all know, filmmakers never, ever lie when the details of their projects leak out. Thank God, I was worried for a minute...
So the power-hungry Kryptonian general will be duking it out the newly-cemented Man of Steel Henry Cavill in the next year's epic superhero reboot. Heat Vision says director Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan have mutually locked in on a "person of interest" to swing superpowered punches against Supes: Viggo Mortensen.
Intriguing choice, I'll give them that. I was always leaning towards Eric Bana myself.
But will they be able to secure the Lord of the Rings alum? Well for one thing, they haven't even met with the guy. He also remains in negotiations for Snow White & the Huntsman for Universal. An even bigger issue is that White will be one of Superman's main box-office competitors as both tentpoles are set for December 2012 releases.
So despite the optimism of both productions arranging to have their fair share of Viggo – it's going to be one or the other who gets him: not both.
Fri, February 25, 2011 
"Rise of the Apes" is an origin story in the truest sense of the term. Set in present day San Francisco, the film is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.
Fri, February 25, 2011 
Close your eyes. Open your mind. You will be unprepared. ‘Sucker Punch’ is an epic action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality. Unrestrained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, and her incredible adventures blur the lines between what’s real and what is imaginary. She has been locked away against her will, but Babydoll (Browning) has not lost her will to survive. Determined to fight for her freedom, she urges four other young girls—the outspoken Rocket (Malone), the street-smart Blondie (Hudgens), the fiercely loyal Amber (Chung) and the reluctant Sweet Pea (Cornish)—to band together and try to escape their terrible fate at the hands of their captors, Blue (Isaac), Madam Gorski (Gugino) and the High Roller (Hamm). Led by Babydoll, the girls engage in fantastical warfare against everything from samurais to serpents, with a virtual arsenal at their disposal. Together, they must decide what they are willing to sacrifice in order to stay alive. But with the help of a Wise Man (Glenn), their unbelievable journey—if they succeed—will set them free.
Fri, February 25, 2011 
When sad-sack loser Frank (Wilson) sees his ex-addict wife (Tyler) willingly snatched by a seductive drug dealer (Bacon), he finds himself bereft and wholly unable to cope. But soon he decides to fight back under the guise of a DIY superhero called Crimson Bolt. With a hand-made suit, a wrench, and a crazed sidekick named Boltie (Page), the Crimson Bolt beats his way though the mean streets of crime in hopes of saving his wife. The rules were written a long time ago: You are not supposed to molest children, cut lines or key cars; if you do, prepare to face the wrath of the Crimson Bolt!
Fri, February 25, 2011 
As much as I've been belly-aching about Andrew Garfield being afflicted by "new guy" syndrome, it's not like he's playing Ben Reilly in The Amazing Spider-Man. Whoever takes over for Matt Damon in The Bourne Legacy, on the other hand, won't be Jason Bourne. They'll be some other assassin, possibly on the run we don't know.
The details are scarce except to say its set after The Bourne Ultimatum and Tony Gilroy is in the director's chair this time around. Normally, I'd say not playing Bourne himself, especially following immediately after Damon, was a good thing and would make it easier for the audience to accept him. But this feels like being one of those replacement Duke cousins on The Dukes of Hazard.
The Bourne Legacy, as a film, might work. But I'm hard-pressed to think the general public will be accepting of a movie with Bourne's name in the title, and you can bet money they'll use clips of Damon either in the actual film or its marketing, but no Bourne.
Nevertheless the search is on for the "new guy" and via three outlets (Variety, TOLDJA and What's Playing – in the order that the info got out) are the actors in contention for the unnamed lead *Deep breath*:
This list ranges from names being thrown around the production offices to some who've recently met with Gilroy.
Filming is expected to start this coming spring for an August 2012 release. So a sizeable portion of those guys won't be available and why some of them were even reported given that reasoning, and the fact they're already booked for other gigs, I don't get. Hit-whoring, I guess.
But I'd lean more on the cheaper, lesser-known actors among that group (Evans, Isaac, Lutz and Pitt stick out), assuming others won't be thrown into the mix.
Thu, February 24, 2011 
Oh Les Miz, you've teased us about this before, as this ad from a program of the original Broadway production (which I still own) proves. The self-proclaimed World's Most Popular Musical has had a movie version "in the works" almost as long as it's been playing to sold out crowds on stages all over the world. Keep in mind, the show premiered in 1985.
Well, talk about a movie version has started up again, and while I will beleve it when I see it, it does seem to be showing some serious signs of life. First, the 25th Anniversary concert DVD that was released this week ends with this caption: "Coming Soon – Universal Pictures proudly announce the musical motion picture of Les Misérables. A Working Title-Cameron Mackintosh film."
Uh-huh. Again, I will direct your attention to the image on the right to remind you that we've heard this song before.
But today, some more interesting news. The LA Times is reporting that The King's Speech director Tom Hooper has been offered the directing gig for the Les Miserables film. No word yet on whether the Academy Award nominee will be taking the job, but in an earlier interview with the LA Times, he did show an interest in directing another historical drama.
Les Miserables certainly fits that description: based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo, the musical is the story of Jean Valjean, an ex-convict in 19th century France who spends decades evading a ruthless police inspector amidst horrific poverty, human suffering, and a student revolution against the government. You know, the typical stuff you'd find in a musical.
Actually, it happens to be my favorite musical (I've seen it 9 times), and as much I'd love to finally see a movie version, having been let down in recent years by big screen adaptations of Rent, Phantom of the Opera, and The Producers, I think I'd rather have no Les Miz movie than a screwed-up Les Miz movie.
But if it's done right, then hell yeah, I hope this happens.
Thu, February 24, 2011 You heard remarks from some, by no means all, saying how Warner Brothers missed the boat during the Superbowl with the absence of TV spots for Green Lantern, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows – Part II and The Hangover Part II.
I'd say in the case of the first, those complaints are legit. A big-budget comic-book property centered on a superhero not that well-known by the general public, starring an actor yet to make his mark commercially solo and a concept that, on paper, sounds silly. Yeah, that needs to be pushed hard as soon as possible.
But the final Potter installment sells itself (that franchise has been in that luxury position for years), and the Hangover sequel has that delicate balance to walk between letting the audience know it's coming but also making sure not to give practically every joke away in its marketing.
Apple has the teaser in glorious Quicktime and a one-sheet featuring a monkey, which I'm always a sucker for. Noticeably no feces slinging though. Or Mel Gibson. To be fair, that might be intended as a surprise. You can also check the teaser out below. Don't expect much though.