Friday, July 30, 2010

Video: Muppet Videos Galore

We thought we'd keep things light this Friday, but giving you two great Muppet videos. The first is a very old one. It is an early Muppet pitch for La Choy Chow Mein. You see the Muppets talking about making the video, plus some behind the scenes footage of Jim Hensen, as well as Muppet "stunts". It's like Mad Men, but with more explosions!



As a bonus video, here is the newest Muppets YouTube video, featuring the Swedish Chef making Pöpcørn. Always enjoyable.


Thursday, July 29, 2010

New Coupon Code

Buy 3 get 1 free! Enter coupon code FREE1 during checkout. Coupon only good through Sunday.

Video: 'Yogi Bear' Teaser Trailer



The first trailer for Yogi Bear is out, and so far it appears to be a movie that the kids will love, and the adults will grudgingly sit through. It stars the voice talents of Dan Aykroyd as Yogi and Justin Timberlake as Boo Boo. Tom Cavanagh aka Ed plays Ranger Smith.

Not to detract from the movie more, but I'm really not a fan of the CGI animation combined into a live-action film, ala the Chipmunks. And do we really need to see a couple of rotund bears pulling off their shenanigans in 3D?

On the upside, anything that gets people, kids in particular, thinking and talking about saving state parks is a good thing. The film will also feature Rabid Rider, the third of three new Looney Tunes shorts. The first two were apparently pretty good.

The verdict: the film will be no pic-a-nic for adults to sit through, but the kids will love the over-the-top gags.


Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Rihanna to Star in 'Battleship'



Sigh. Sometimes it seems like Hollywood has completely run out of new movie ideas. Take the new movie Battleship by Universal, which will be based on the board game. Yes, we are now basing our movies off board games.

At least it will star the gorgeous Rihanna, making her film debut. It will also star Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) and Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood), and has director Peter Berg signed on as well.

To be fair, this is not the first movie to be based on a board game. Clue comes to mind. However, at least the game Clue had characters, and a murder mystery to solve. With Battleship, E-5, A-3 does not a movie plot make.

As for what the plot does involve, we know that Kitsch and Skarsgard play brothers and naval officers whose battleships join forces to repel aquatic alien invaders. Board game meets aliens, ok we're intrigued. Battleship is to set sail on May 25, 2012.

With all the water from these ships, someone better get out their umbrella-ella-ella. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Full Cast of 'Avengers' Announced



Another great nugget out of Comic-Con: The cast of The Avengers was unveiled, and by none other than Samuel L. Jackson. Marvel confirmed that Joss Whedon is indeed directing the flim. Other big names added to the all-star cast include Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) as Hawkeye, and Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac and Shutter Island) as Bruce Banner.

Whedon is very excited about the two latest additions. He said Renner will keep his character Hawkeye down to earth and grounded, and keep the role from becoming "silly". Whedon also revealed that Ruffalo was his "first and only choice for Bruce Banner."

Others on the cast include Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Clark Gregg (S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury).

Some rumors were dispelled, including the one swirling that Nathan Fillion was to play Ant-Man in the movie. Both Whedon and Fillion shot this down; Whedon by saying Ant-Man isn't in the movie, and Fillion by saying he has no time in his schedule even if the part existed.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Video: New Comic-Con Trailer for 'MegaMind'



Lots of great stuff came out of last week's Comic-Con in San Diego. In addition to the costumes, panels, and stars, there were also plenty of new trailers, including this one for MegaMind.

This new trailer shows insight into the premise of the film, which revolves around the question "What if the bad guy won?" We see the evil MegaMind (Will Ferrell) as he finally defeats Metro City's hero, Metro Man (Brad Pitt). However, he finds that life without his nemesis is boring, so he creates a new hero to take Metro Man's place. In this trailer we get our first glimpse of this new hero, Titan (Jonah Hill). We also get to see more of Roxanne Ritchi, reporter and Metro Man's girlfriend, voiced by Tina Fey, as well as MegaMind's Henchman, Minion (clearly someone was on the same page as Despicable Me), voiced by David Cross.


MegaMind hits theaters November 5, 2010.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Tonight We Dine In Hell 2: Electric Bugaloo, '300' Sequel in Works



Yes, there will be a sequel to 300. Or rather, a prequel. The prequel part makes sense, considering [spoiler alert] pretty much everyone dies in the first film. 300 director/co-writer Zack Snyder and fellow 300 co-writer Kurt Johnstad have started writing Xerxes. No one has been named as director of the new movie yet, but it seems likely Snyder will again assume that role.

Frank Miller, the writer and artist behind 300, is behind this project as well. He has already penned the six part book, also called Xerxes, which will be released by Dark Horse Comics next year. The story follows Xerxes and his search for godhood.

Zack Snyder plans for Xerxes to have a similar look and feel as 300, so prepare for more strikingly intense visuals, and fierce fighting scenes. I say bring on more super slo mo!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Rumor Mill: Riddler in 'Batman 3', Possibly Played by Inception Star



We love a good rumor. Ahead of the official start of Comic-Con, First Showing announced that The Riddler will be a character in Christopher Nolan's Batman 3. Even better, the name swirling around the most for the role is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Gordon-Levitt is one of the stars in the current Christopher Nolan flick Inception, which: go see, seriously. He was also in (500) Days of Summer and was on 3rd Rock From the Sun.

Here's what we know: Christopher Nolan likes working with actors he has worked with in the past. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt has worked with Nolan (and did a great job), and they seem to have a good working relationship. Gordon-Levitt's status about the role is listed as "interested". Nolan has admitted he won't recast the iconic Joker, brilliantly played by the late Heath Ledger. With the need for a new villain, the Riddler seems like a good bed.

All this adds up to a juicy rumor, but one that would make me very happy if were confirmed.

Image source: FirstShowing.net

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Video: New John Madden Film 'The Debt' Trailer

This is the first trailer for The Debt, the new film from director John Madden. It is a remake of the 2007 Israeli thriller of the same name. The movie tells the story of three young Israeli Mossad agents on a secret mission to capture and kill a notorious Nazi war criminal in 1965. Thirty years later, a man claiming to be the Nazi surfaces in the Ukraine, and one of the former agents must go back undercover to seek out the truth.

The Debt stars Helen Mirren as Rachel Singer, one of the former agents, Jessica Chastain as the young Rachel Singer in the 1960s, Ciarán Hinds as David, another Mossad agent, Sam Worthington as the young David, Tom Wilkinson as Stefan, the third agent, Marton Csokas as the young Stefan, and Jesper Christensen as Vogel, the Nazi.

Director John Madden is probably best known for his direction of Shakespeare in Love, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. He has also directed Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Proof, and Killshot.


Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Video: 35mm - 35 Films in 2 Minutes

This clever video by Pascal Monaco features cute animation that represents 35 movies. The concept from each movie is boiled down to a smartly simplified idea or image. Enjoy the clip, and see how many you can spot. The full list of films is below.

35mm from Pascal Monaco on Vimeo.

Singing in the Rain
Full Metal Jacket
Carrie
The Wizzard of Oz (the red shoes)
Strangers on a Train
North By Northwest
Sleepless in Seattle/Groundhog Day
Mad Max/Lost Highway
Citizen Kane
The Tin Drum
Apollo 13

Friday, July 16, 2010

New 'X-Men' Casting: Kevin Bacon and More



There has been a flurry of casting decisions lately for the new X-Men movie, X-Men: First Class. The latest announcement is that Kevin Bacon will be playing the lead villain. His name and character details are being kept under wraps, although there is some speculation he will play Mister Sinister.

Jenninfer Lawrence has been cast to play Mystique, previously portrayed by the incredible Rebecca Romijn. Lawrence received plenty of acclaim for her role in Winter's Bone.

Also recently added to the cast are Nicholas Hoult as Beast, James McAvoy as Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, and Caleb Landry Jones as Banshee. Aaron Johnson is reportedly going to portray Cyclops, and Alice Eve and Lucas Till are said to be in negotiations to play Emma Frost and Havok respectively.

Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) will be directing the movie, with shooting starting this summer in London. Bryan Singer, director of the first two X-Men movies will be a producer. The movie is set to hit theaters June 3, 2011.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Video: 'Devil': A Good M. Night Shyamalan Movie?

Gasp. This trailer for Devil actually looks really good, despite the fact it's from M. Nigh Shyamalan.

Perhaps that's because you can't go wrong with a claustrophobia-meets-horror plot: five people stuck in an elevator, and one of them is Satan. Or perhaps this movie looks good because he had less creative control with this project. The story concept was his, but the script was written by Brian Nelson (30 Days of Night). Shyamalan also didn't cast the actors, and the film was directed by John Erick Dowdle (Quarantine).



It looks good, and it leaves me wanting to see more. I even like the opening text with the upside-down New York City skyline. Let's hope this is the movie to break the mold of this graph (and help us forget about The Last Airbender).

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Video: Improv Everywhere's 'Star Wars' Scene on NYC Subway Car



Improv Everywhere, the group of performers who create scenes in public places, are at it again. This time they brought a scene from Star Wars to a New York City subway car.

The scene, where Princess Leia first interacts with Darth Vader, is reenacted to the amusement of the other riders. "The white walls and sliding doors on the train reminded us of the rebel ship from the movie, and we thought it would be fun to see how people would react to a surprise appearance by the iconic characters," the troop said of the project.

This comes from a long line of fun missions from Improv Everywhere. They also do the No Pants Subway Ride every year, and were responsible for the Ghostbusters scene in the New York Public Library and frozen Grand Central.




In other Star Wars news, Mark Hamill has revealed that he will be appearing a the annual fan convention Celebration V in August. Luke Skywalker will be there to meet fans and sign autographs. He will also be present on the Celebration Stage. This appearance is in addition to the previous announcement that Jon Stewart would be there to interview George Lucas.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Edward Norton Will Not Play the Hulk in 'The Avengers'



Marvel Studios has fired Edward Norton from his role as The Hulk/Bruce Banner in the upcoming film The Avengers.

Unfortunately, they did it in a rather classless and unprofessional way. Kevin Feige, President of Production for Marvel Studios said "our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members." Yikes. I know Norton's Incredible Hulk wasn't that great of a movie, but it certainly wasn't so bad as to warrant a callous press release. And while Norton may have a reputation for having some strong opinions, he's a great actor with a lot of solid working relationships.

So now that Edward Norton is out, who will join director Joss Whedon in his superhero film? Already signed on are Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and Chris Evans as Captain America. Some rumors indicate Joaquin Phoenix may be the new face of the Hulk. And of course, his appearance as the Hulk in The Avengers could lead to The Incredible Hulk 2.

No matter which direction they go, we wish the best of luck to both Edward Norton and Whedon and his Avengers. The film is still scheduled to open May 4, 2012.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

'Bond 23' Canceled



We reported earlier that the upcoming James Bond movie was delayed. Sadly, we now report that MGM is canceling it altogether.

This shouldn't come as a huge surprise, especially considering the other problems the studio has been having (i.e. The Hobbit delays). Director Sam Mendes has moved on to other projects, including an adaptation of John Williams' 1960 western novel Butcher's Crossing, and On Chesil Beach. Script writer Peter Morgan has also moved on, as has writer Neal Purvis, who will be working on the scripts for Johnny English 2 and The Mission Song. Agent 007 aka Daniel Craig has of course picked up other projects as well - he will be the lead in the English version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Of course, the Bond series is too popular to die altogether. Someone will pick it back up, and hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

New 'Spider-Man' Reboot Details



Last week Sony announced they finally cast the new Spider-Man: Andrew Garfield is to portray Peter Parker in the upcoming reboot.

He beat out other up-and-coming actors for the role, including Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass), Anton Yelchin (Star Trek and Terminator Salvation), Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), and Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot and Jumper). Garfield appeared in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Lions for Lambs, and is playing Edwardo in the upcoming The Social Network.

While this new superhero role is a big break for the rising actor, Sony is certainly making him work his way up the web, er, ladder. Garfield is set to earn $500,000 for his first Spider-Man film. In comparison, Tobey Maguire made $4 million for Spider-Man, and even more for the other two parts of the trilogy. Before we start pitying Garfield too much for his mere $500k, keep in mind he should earn $1 million for a sequel, and $2 million for a second sequel.

It will be interesting to see what Andrew Garfield and director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) can do with this reboot. But I'll take anything that can erase Spider-Man 3 from my memory.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

New Pee-Wee Herman Movie In Development



Judd Apatow is developing a new film for the iconic Pee-Wee Herman. Paul Reubens, Pee-Wee's creator, is co-writing the movie with Apatow. This new adventure will take place on the road.

Pee-wee's Big Adventure was Pee-Wee's first film. It came out in 1985 and spawned the Emmy award winning show Pee-wee's Playhouse. Reubens started reviving his character earlier this year, and will have a 48-performance show on Broadway starting October 26.

It will be interesting to see how Apatow combines Pee-Wee Herman type humor with his own Knocked Up/40-Year-Old Virgin style humor.