Mar 14 2008'The Deal' Trailer, Starring Silver Age Burt Reynolds
With poker card-themed movies like 21, The Grand, and now The Deal burping their way up from the late-night bowels of ESPN at an alarming rate, each needs a special gimmick to separate itself from the pack. 21 takes the loosely-based-on-a-true-story route; The Grand goes the way of wacky improvised characters. So how does The Deal set itself a part? It's the only one to star the withering face skin of Burt Reynolds, stretched tightly over an anonymous actor's face as a crude mask, the facial hair drawn in with marker to simulate the look of classic '80s Burt. Truly a horrifying touch.
Continue Reading "'The Deal' Trailer, Starring Silver Age Burt Reynolds"
Mar 14 2008Exclusive: I Believed in Harvey Dent!
With the Dark Knight marketing campaign in full swing for the July release, campaign vans for fictional D.A. Harvey Dent have been visiting cities across America, sending out a message of hope for Gotham that the majority of pedestrians didn't seem to understand. I reluctantly headed to Manhattan's Lower East Side, camera in hand, to see what it was all about. Here's what happened...
Mar 14 2008'What Happens in Vegas Poster' Hints at Double Entendre
Huh-ho! I totally get it, Kutch! Cameron Diaz--that blonde dolt--is standing there thinking "Get Lucky" only refers to her winnings in Vegas! But all it took was that knowing grin and a point and I knew my man Kutch was talking a whole different kind of "lucky"! That is so awesome!
Judging by both this and the trailer, acknowledging the viewer is apparently a pretty big theme in What Happens in Vegas--probably falling just behind the theme of hilarious, Punk'd-style pranks and the theme of nonsensical court judgments for the sake of wacky plot development.
'What Happens in Vegas One-Sheet [Cinematical]
Mar 14 2008'Strangers' Trailer Becomes an Acquaintance
I just got back from the Harvey Dent campaign trail, so there will be a full report coming shortly. In the meantime, here's a trailer for The Strangers, a new horror film in which Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman are terrorized by three masked assailants. To make things worse, they don't even know these perpetrators! (They're strangers.)
Continue Reading "'Strangers' Trailer Becomes an Acquaintance"
Mar 14 2008'X-Files 2' Kiss Was a Hoax??? OK Then
X-Files star David Duchovney is claiming the recent kiss between himself and co-star Gillian Anderson (remember last week?) was a fake, mildly disappointing us loose fans who didn't realize they already slept together in the series, stripping us of our vague, passing excitement at the romance. Isn't that right, Double-D?
Pictures of stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, locked in a full-on kiss as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, appeared on Internet fansites alongside breathless speculation about the characters' are-they-or-aren't-they romance."We staged that," Mr. Duchovny told reporters.
Remember how breathlessly we discussed the issue, gasping for precious air as we choked out our hopeful prayers? It was all for nothing.
I guess you just can't trust a kiss anymore--and that's not even counting the exhausting dangers of mono. Unless this is just a clever, typically X-Files-style cover-up of leaked information, meant to lead us off track! Whatever. Let's move on to speculating whether or not Mulder does it with an alien.
Filming of The X-Files sequel wraps [National Post]
Mar 13 2008Dates and Times for Showing Belief in Harvey Dent
The "I Believe in Harvey Dent" Dark Knight site that showed up a few days ago has been updated, now providing specific dates, times, and locations where you can meet up with the Dentmobile on its fictional campaign trail. I'll begrudgingly head over tomorrow and report back. Just don't be jealous when I come home with a button or some crap.
It looks like some of the locations were visited today. Has anyone done this already?
I Believe in Harvey Dent [Official Site]
Mar 13 2008Apatow's Cohorts Making Muppet Movie
Like Peeps or reunion concerts, the Muppets are one of those things that seem really appealing until I actually have a taste. I even went so far as to buy The Muppet Show first season DVD over a year ago, but have yet to come anywhere near finishing them. Every time I pry open Kermit's rectangular torso and pop in the disc, I'm reminded that, despite the endearing characters, there's a limited amount of enjoyment I can derive from a crooning Sandy Duncan. At that point, I have to face the facts: as much as I love The Muppet Show, it really could have used some better writers (and let's not even get into the quality of some of the Muppet films).
Well, it turns out my hope for improved Muppetry may be become a reality, with news that Forgetting Sarah Marshall writer/star Jason Segel and director Nick Stoller have signed on to make a new film with the popular felt cast. And judging by the quality of the trailers for the duo's upcoming comedy, I'd say Segel and Stoller's Muppet film have a good chance at revitalizing the franchise. Or at least make something as good as this Candice Bergen Muppet Show I'm trying to push through.
Mar 13 2008New 'Pineapple Express' Trailer
I've already professed my unbridled enthusiasm for the Seth Rogen/James Franco action-buddy-stoner-comedy Pineapple Express, so I won't continue assaulting you with reasons this is one of the few summer films I have genuine expectations for. Suffice to say, there's a new trailer under the cut, and an official, finished version of the leaked R-rated one from last month.
Mar 13 2008New 'Speed Racer' Trailer is So Cool Beans
A new domestic trailer to Speed Racer has arrived, forcing some retro kitsch into its computer-generated candy world with the addition of a "cool beans!" moment. Aside from conspicuously dated slang, the new trailer also gives us disturbing hints of incest, and the shocking revelation that the protagonist--whose birth name is Speed Racer--has had an unnatural fascination with speed racing for his entire life. Who would have thought? Despite all the eye-roll-inducing dialogue--true to the series but not really much worse than Matrix lines--I'm finding myself strangely drawn to the Wachowskis' psychedelic, phsyics-free racing fantasy.
See some speed racing and Matthew Fox playing Racer X like an android Batman, under the cut.
Continue Reading "New 'Speed Racer' Trailer is So Cool Beans"
Mar 13 2008'Beverly Hills 90210: The New Class'?!
In news that will appeal to my friends' older sisters fifteen years ago, the CW network has plans to fight for relevancy by developing a spin-off to '90s teen soap Beverly Hills 90210. Details as to whether any of the original actors, sideburns, or zip codes will reprise their roles are still scarce. But if none of the actors return, and it's only a spin-off in that it's about California's rich 30-somethings posing as high schoolers, isn't that just an even lamer The OC? I can only see this being decent if they do it Saved by the Bell-style, getting Ian Ziering to return as the principal's nerdy, semi-retarded assistant. Or, since the actors are probably in their 40s, they're just about the right age for 90210: The College Years.
Thanks for the tip, Jason.
'90210' spinoff on fast track [Reuters]
Mar 13 2008'Incredible Hulk' Trailer
Judging by its trailer, The Incredible Hulk may not go down as the franchise watershed moment that Batman Begins was--in fact, I'm pretty positive it won't. But at least it's got a couple giant green freaks fighting each other in the streets of Manhattan, and that's something. Hopefully it won't go the Ang Lee route and include comic panel transitions, lest we momentarily forget we're watching a comic book turned into a movie. If you didn't catch it on every single Viacom station last night, watch the new trailer, below the cut.
Mar 12 2008Alpha Human Cast in 'Spaced' Remake
Did you realize the perfect human has been created in a laboratory? It's true! And he's been cast as the lead in the ill-conceived, Simon Pegg-less American adaptation of the British sitcom Spaced! Fox's head of casting, Marcia Shulman, found Australian über-man Josh Lawson, and described his perfection to the Hollywood Reporter:
We all have been describing him as Matthew Perry meets Robin Williams.
Matthew Perry and Robin Williams--in one body??? Does science know no bounds? Will the lab create a Debra Messing/Kathy Griffin chimera for the female lead, and if so, will Lawson mate with her? God, can you imagine that beautiful, hilarious progeny? You wouldn't be able to look at it without breaking into spontaneous laughter and applause.
Meteoric rise to 'Spaced' [Hollywood Reporter]
Mar 12 2008'Lost Boys 2: The Tribe' Trailer Holds the Haim?
The strangely earnest introduction from Corey Feldman--in which he somehow says "raise the stakes" with a straight face--does a good job setting the tone for Lost Boys 2: The Tribe, a movie in which lines like "it wasn't wine--it was blood!" are said so soberly that you hardly realize how hilarious it is someone said "it wasn't wine--it was blood!" Plus there's all the vampires, vampire hunting, and Feldman you'd expect from a Lost Boys sequel. Recommended only if you're an obsessive fan of the original, or if you've adapted into a nostalgia-based life-form.
And was it my computer's choppy video playback skipping over him, or was Corey Haim conspicuously missing from this trailer?
Continue Reading "'Lost Boys 2: The Tribe' Trailer Holds the Haim?"
Mar 12 2008Full-Length 'WALL-E' Trailer
Pixar has upped their effort to blanket any fading, hazy memories of Short Circuit with images of their smaller, cuter model, today releasing a third and final trailer to WALL-E. Unfortunately, this was also the preview that made me suddenly realize, wait a minute, this would be incredibly stupid if it weren't being acted out by an adorable droid.
How had I never before realized the wacky, slapstick humor over a shallow love story--that seems so charming when animated--is the same schlock that fills the scripts of Rob Schneider movies? And I'm pretty sure the joke where WALL-E is thrown to the back of the shuttle, only to be slammed to the ground when internal gravity is regained, was already done by Harland Williams in Rocketman. Would I still chuckle as WALL-E's hand is crushed by his stronger female companion if the robot were Jack Black, his fingers squeezed between the meaty paws of Gwenyth Paltrow in a robo-fat suit?
Have slick computer graphics tricked the public into falling for what's truthfully a pretty stupid script? Or is the point that these kind of jokes should be reserved for animation, and Pixar knows that? I don't know what to think anymore, but the film definitely got harder to enjoy once I started picturing Will Ferrell playing the part in the naive style of Elf.
'WALL-E' Trailer [Apple]
Mar 12 2008'Meet Bill' Poster Looks Pensively Familiar
Like Garden State? Then you'll love Meet Bill! Or at least the part where he recreates awkwardly staring at the camera while matching the wallpaper. I can't wait for the scene where Jessica Alba plays him life-changing indie music.
Meet Bill Poster [IMPA]
Mar 11 2008'Righteous Kill' Trailer: De Niro, Pacino Acting Tough
You ever wonder what it would be like to get modern screen legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino to star as partners in a classic cop story? From this trailer, it looks like it's a lot like when you let two old guitar legends improvise--producing a meandering, two-hour long riff that no one wants to listen to--except with more acting like a tough guy.
The director probably said something like, "You guys freeform, do your schtick, whatever you want--we'll give Leguizamo or 50 Cent some lines that will sort it out in the end." We'll see how that works out, but still, nice call throwing the Rolling Stones song in the trailer, giving the vague impression this might be a sub-par Scorsese film.
Continue Reading "'Righteous Kill' Trailer: De Niro, Pacino Acting Tough"
Mar 11 2008'JCVD' Trailer is... Pretty Good?
Is it a possible that a semi-fictional account of the life of Jean-Claude Van Damme--if made effectively sad and funny, tragically self-aware of the actor's joke-like status and resumé, while adding a plot about his involvement in a bank robbery--could actually be pretty great? Strangely, if this trailer to JCVD is any indication, that just might be the case. It feels a bit forced-edgy-Snatch-eque at times, but there's still something oddly compelling about it. Who would have thought Van Damme would do a scene as a father in a courtroom custody battle that wouldn't end in his snapping the judge's tibia with a jump kick?
Mar 11 2008'Ask a Ninja' if 'Killer Tomatoes' is Being Remade (He'll Say Yes)
Always eager to cash-in on any property with a built-in fan base, no matter how small or ironic, Day of the Dead and Terror Train remaker M. Dal Walton III has acquired the rights to remake the debatable cult classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! What's more, he's got some other guys with a built-in fan base--the web-popular-but-confusing-to-your-parents Ask a Ninja guys--to write and direct.
"'Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!' is the masterwork of a generation," Nichols said. "We can only aspire to recapture that magic." No changes to the original plot have been revealed, but it still is expected to revolve around killer tomatoes.
While rapidly cutting to different angles of a verbose, single-shot monologue definitely gives these guys the necessary experience to direct a feature, I have to wonder how they're going to work in a frenetic Will Ferrell impression. And will ObamaGirl do the soundtrack/gyrating?
Honestly, if producers are willing to gamble on the talent of some internet-popular phenoms, they should be giving the chance to the Lasagna Cat guys. And not make it Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!
'Killer Tomatoes' ripe for redo [Hollywood Reporter]
Mar 11 2008'Forbidden Kingdom' Poster Pairs Two Legends
After what has seemed like a meaningless, empty eternity, one of the most long-awaited, highly-anticipated cinematic pairings in history is finally happening: Jackie Chan is starring alongside Adam Duritz's hair.
And here's the trailer from a few months back.
Mar 11 2008Edgar Wright Discusses 'Ant Man'
After a long silence about the man-who-can-shrink-and-also-communicates-with-ants project, director Edgar Wright has finally has some good news about his forever-in-development Ant Man adaptation. Preview: he's still working on it, and handling it perfectly.
It’s written and [Joe Cornish and I are] doing a second draft of it. It’s going to be less overtly comedic than anything else I’ve ever done. It’s more of a full-on action adventure sci-fi film but with a comedic element – in the same spirit of a lot of escapist fare like that. It’s certainly not a superhero spoof or pastiche and it certainly isn’t a sort of Honey I Shrunk The Kids endeavour at all.Ah well, it could be Scott Lang, it could be Hank Pym, it could be both – okay it is both, now there’s an exclusive for you.
Words can't describe how excited this makes me (OMFG! comes close, but isn't really a word, and is obnoxious). I can't imagine anyone better to handle an oddly-powered B-list superhero than the man behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. How could this be any better? Maybe if he were also doing a Blue Beetle/Booster Gold action buddy comedy, but that's the only way.
Edgar Wright Talks Ant Man [Empire]
Mar 11 2008Mark Wahlberg as 'Max Payne'
It's hard to get too excited about the first shot from Max Payne: the costume is just Mark Wahlberg in a black jacket, the film follows the sorrowful tradition of being based on a video game, and it's a video game that relies heavily on slow-motion "bullet time" effects--meaning we'll get more of the "awesome" slow-motion gunfire treatment Wanted is based around that we already tired of during The Matrix era.
Anyway, now that I've beaten down your expectations, here's the first look at Mark Wahlberg in Max Payne.
First Look at Mark Wahlberg as Max Payne [Dark Zero]
Mar 11 2008First 'Monsters vs. Aliens' Shot in ULTIMATE 3-D
DreamWorks has passed along some new information about upcoming kiddie-style B-movie, Monster Aliens, including the above shot of a giant gaunt woman and some monsters, a cast list, and the bitter threat of even higher ticket prices.
Reese Witherspoon as Susan Murphy, a modern-day California girl who has the bad luck to be hit by a meteor on her wedding day and grows to be 49 feet, 11½ inches tall (a wink at 1958's The Attack of the 50-Foot Woman). Captured by the military, she's renamed Ginormica.Joining her giantess to fend off Rainn Wilson's evil alien Gallaxhar are Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie), the jellylike B.O.B. (Seth Rogen) and the half-ape, half-fish Missing Link (Will Arnett). Kiefer Sutherland speaks for Gen. W.R. Monger (get it?), and Stephen Colbert is the president.
Good to hear Rogen could find time from being in every other comedy to join this, and that they were able to nail several quirky television actors popular with hip, young demographics--hearing the voices of House and Dwight Schrute should distract me from the mediocre attempt at one-upping Pixar--but what's the deal with the higher ticket prices?
Continue Reading "First 'Monsters vs. Aliens' Shot in ULTIMATE 3-D"
Mar 11 2008Del Toro Covered in Blood for 'Wolf Man'
Yeah, that's right. I've stooped to poorly editing Kool-Aid pitchers into Wolf Man set shots in the hopes of making blood appear to be splattered punch residue, making it seem that Benicio Del Toro really loves Kool-Aid. What of it?
Puerto Rican Werewolf in London [Bauer-Griffin]
Mar 10 2008'Ice Age 3' Has Dinosaurs, Apparently
It's hard to say it much better than Meg, who sent this in: "New poster for Ice Age 3. What the hell?"
What the hell indeed. I only have vague memories of catching part of Ice Age on TV, but I don't remember there being dinosaurs. So they're just adding dinosaurs, now? I'm not saying a cartoon has to be history book-accurate, but come on, at least have some consistency. I'll graciously accept a Flintstones-style world--where man meets dinosaur meets mammoth meets the voice of Ray Ramano--but you have to start me there. To begin with a reasonably faithful vision of early mammals and then say, "You know what? Besides using one to open a stubborn can, I'm basically out of sabre-tooth tiger jokes. How about we add dinosaurs?" is more lazy and insulting than usual. Adding dinosaurs after mammals? Come on. And why is it so big? Is this like Godzilla or an actual dinosaur? Do they know the difference? What the hell?
Mar 10 2008Gervais Blogs, Giggles About 'This Side of the Truth'
The usually funny (if not self-indulgent) Ricky Gervais has started a video blog covering the production of This Side of the Truth, his upcoming comedy about the first man to lie in a world where no one has. Only three are up so far, and, typical of Gervais's home videos, they mostly focus on his shrill laughter and ridiculing his underlings. Still, it might be worthwhile if you're a fan of Gervais, and at least he doesn't call it a "vlog".
This Side of the Truth: Ricky's Blog... [RickyGervais.com]
Mar 10 2008'10,000 B.C.' Wins Inaccurate Representation of Prehistoric Weekend Box Office
1. 10,000 B.C. - A solid $35.7 million gives it the March record for f***ing up kids' understanding of the past.
2. College Road Trip - $14 million--a typically Raven number.
3. Vantage Point - Which of eight unique perspectives led you to contribute to Vantage Points' $7.5 million: overpowering boredom, desperation to find a way to spend two hours of your life, Matthew Fox, or whatever the other five could be?
4. Semi-Pro - Another $5.9 million, immediately spent on hilarious web-banner advertisements.
5. The Bank Job - Sounds like it wasn't a "bank job" for the Jason Statham flick, taking in only $5.7 million! Haha--banks are related to money!
Weekend Box Office Results [Box Office Mojo]
Mar 10 2008Harvey Dent Asks You to Take Some Pictures, Visit Dentmobile
No stranger to persuading the fanatical and/or gullible into providing free advertising, The Dark Knight viral campaign is at it again. You may remember a few months ago when the Joker demanded that cos-players everywhere hit the streets and take pictures dressed as the vilain; now future Batman villain Harvey Dent is making a similar request, asking that you take pictures of yourself holding his campaign signs and upload them to his campaign site.
What's more, the "Dentmobile"--presumably some sort of fictional mobile campaign vehicle--will be making stops at select US cities. I have no idea what that means exactly, but when it happens, I'll try to get out there with a camera to find out. Because that's what serious, legitimate reporters do.
Wanting to see a movie has never involved so many embarrassing trials. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
I Believe in Harvey Dent [Official Site]
Mar 10 2008Beyonce as Etta James in 'Cadillac Records'
I had my doubts that Beyonce would be able to pull off the role of such a legend, but she really does look the part of Black Harpo Marx. Is there nothing Beyonce and a wig can't do?
At Last, Beyonce as Etta! [Page Six]
Mar 10 2008Two New Internationally Epilepsy-Inducing 'Speed Racer' Trailers
Equal parts video game, hallucinogen, and exposition, two new international trailers for Speed Racer have found their way online in all their blinding, over-saturated glory. I don't know why the Wachowskis keep releasing trailers when it's obvious that the in-theater seizures are going to be the real publicity builders.
Continue Reading "Two New Internationally Epilepsy-Inducing 'Speed Racer' Trailers"
Mar 10 2008'Tropic Thunder' Humorless Teaser Trailer
Many traditionalists will argue that a teaser trailer to a comedy should, in some way, hint at the presence of humor--that there should be some indication that comedy may occur. Not so, says this trailer to Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder, noting that Robert Downey Jr. in blackface and a man saying "motherf***er" could almost be considered humor if you've never smiled before.
But seriously, were there jokes in this? Where? More importantly, why does it look like a fan-made trailer, cobbled together from available production stills and an Entertainment Weekly feature?
Continue Reading "'Tropic Thunder' Humorless Teaser Trailer"
Mar 10 2008'Indiana Jones' Has Another Poster
Thank god someone's finally getting to seriously promoting this thing. I was getting worried they were going to stop after the sixth poster, but this new one really drives home the point that this will be nearly a parody of an Indiana Jones movie.
'Indiana Jones' could rescue a shaky summer [USA Today]
