Upcoming Prometheus goes more in your face viral than a chestbuster or a facehugger!

I have to say that aside from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Dark Knight Rises, Ridley Scott's upcoming Prometheus may be the film I'm most anticipating in the 2012. Not only is it the director's first return to science fiction in 30 years it also boasts an all star cast including Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, and Academy Award winner Charlize Theron. Couple that with the fact that it also takes place in the Alien franchise universe and most fanboys are ready to have a full on geekgasm.

Just exactly how much Prometheus will contain elements from the Alien films has been the subject of much speculation. Some have said the influence will be massive while others state it will be a slight brushstroke. Ridley Scott revealed the other day that the industry in charge of the Prometheus (the name of the spaceship in the film of the same name) will be none other than the Weyland Corporation. For fans of the original Alien films the Weyland-Yutani corporation was often referred to as "The Company" as Scott envisioned a future where only a few major companies owned the entire world. Actor Guy Pearce will be portraying owner Peter Weyland in the film. The full degree of Alien influence won't be known until June when the film is released.

Until then audiences will have to content themselves with the viral campaign that 20th Century Fox started. Said campaign began just today and not surprisingly involves Peter Weyland addressing an audience at a Technology, Entertainment, and Design conference some eleven years in the future. Picture Steve Jobs to the nth degree and you'll get an idea of what Pearce's character is all about. The video can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxdx4Qd-_yg

Prometheus opens June 8.

Aragorn vs Batman in Director Scott Cooper's new film

Have to say this story had me stand up and take notice. Several days ago Christian Bale signed on to play in director Scott Cooper's (Crazy Heart) upcoming revenge tale Get out of the Furnace. Bale will play a recently released ex-convict who returns home to start a new life only to find his younger brother has been violently murdered. As you might suspect this sets the original American Psycho's screws loose and he becomes obsessed with destroying the man who killed his brother.

Currently, actors like Channing Tatum, Casey Affleck, and Garrett Hedlund are after the part of Bale's younger brother, however that isn't the exciting news. What's exciting is that Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings, Eastern Promises, A Dangerous Method) may play Bale's main antagonist in the film. Batman and Aragorn in the same movie? Who do I have to kill to get a ticket?

Right now the report is just rumor however I think this would be a great fit. Mortensen* has already proven he can play tough, even evil characters. Furthermore, how can a film with two highly talented actors like Bale and Mortensen be a bad film? (You may insert Ishtar jokes now.) Seriously though Get out of the Furnace would just be your average run of the mill action flick if it didn't have Bale and Cooper attached. Throw in Viggo Mortensen and you've got a recipe for box office success.

*You have to check out Mortensen in The Prophecy. He plays one of the slickest versions of Satan I've ever seen on screen.

Men in Black III Big Willie Style!

Still not sure how I feel about the upcoming Men in Black III. The first film was fantastic, the second an unmitigated disaster, and the latest one has been a decade in development. I have a nasty suspicion that the third film could go the way of Terminator: Salvation and if that is the case, the strongest deneuralizer in the world isn't going to wash the memories away of a horrible third film.

Now comes the news from director Barry Sonnenfield that the plot for MIBIII was entirely Will Smith's idea. For those not in the know the upcoming premise of the film involves Agent J (Smith) traveling back in time to save the life of his partner Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones/Josh Brolin). I actually don't have a problem with Smith being the sole impetus behind MIBIII's plot. What I do have a problem with is that filming began when the SCRIPT WASN'T EVEN FINISHED. According to Sonnenfield the second and third acts weren't even complete when production began to roll. This does not bode well for the film in my opinion. That's like starting to cook a meal who's ingredients may spoil while you are waiting for the guy from Lowe's to come in and install the oven!

When asked about this tumltuous situation, Sonnenfield stated, "Was it responsible? The answer is if the movie does well, as I think it will, it was genius. If it's a total failure then it was a really stupid idea." Thanks for clearing that up Bar. The rest of the world couldn't have possibly come to that conclusion on their own. I have a strong suspicion that audiences will be experiencing the latter rather than the former come May.

Men in Black III opens May 25th.

Oscar Thoughts

I've decided not to say too much about the 84th Oscars ceremony this year if only because of the circumstance that there really isn't much to say. Angelina Jolie looked like she hadn't eaten since last year's Oscars, Ben Stiller and Emma Stone took awkward to a new level, and Billy Crystal's face looks like F. Murray Abraham in Star Trek: Insurrection. The crop of movies this year was less than stellar, the host a retread, and the ceremony itself was less compelling than a day old can of Campbell's soup.
I remember a period of time from about 1995 to 2006 when I loved watching the Oscars. The jokes were funny, the races compelling, the fashion intriguing. Now everything is too predictable. Most people know what's going to win before the ceremony even begins, and lately the winners have been low budget little seen movies. I sincerely wish sometimes that the Oscars had a viewer component to it, where moviegoers could cast their vote for the best in each category. Since the Academy consists of only about 6,000 members and people who watch films number in the billions, I think that the latter have a better idea of what constitutes the "best" than the cinema elite.
Having said all this there were a few interesting moments throughout the night. I thought the best speeches were Spencer, Plummer, and Streep. For Spencer you see how much the award meant not only to her, but to her family, her friends, and the state of Alabama. Those were emotions that you simply can't act. Plummer came off as slightly pretentious however it was nice to have an actor admit that they've always wanted an Academy Award ("I've been preparing my speech since I was in the womb") rather than going with the hackneyed, "It was an honor just to be nominated." Sure it was. Lastly, I thought Streep's speech was the most sincere and humble. She was genuinely shocked that she won (as was I) and it was an incredible act of class that Streep went and hugged Viola Davis. However, unless Streep* plans to stop acting I think her statement that "this will be the last time I'm up here" is a little premature.
There were some funny moments too such as Billy Crystal entreating George Clooney to buy the Dodgers and Zach Galifianakis telling the audience "Hello I'm Zaff Ganiliakopoplisss...." I also thought it was fantastic when Billy Crystal did the "I know what they're thinking" bit. Having just a grunt in the mind of Nick Nolte cracked me up.
Additionally, I liked the fact that the Academy asked certain actors what their feelings about movies are. All of them, especially Jonah Hill and Ed Norton came off very sincere and it was nice to get a look into how actors in general feel about movies. Furthermore actors sharing their first movie experiences was particularly refreshing.
Overall however, I thought the production was extremely bland and that's due in large part to the crop of movies this year. Next year I sincerely hope that there are not only some major contenders but that the Academy really shakes things up and chooses a host or hosts that might stir some controversy. How about getting the cast from Modern Family to host? Or The Simpsons? My only early prediction for next year is that The Hobbit will be nominated in multiple categories including Best Picture and Director, and that The Dark Knight Rises has a 50/50 shot of being the first comic book film to be nominated for Best Picture.
Who knows? Maybe the Academy can take next year's Oscars from a vanilla flavor to vanilla bean.

See bigger martinis! New Bond film "Skyfall" will release in IMAX this fall

*

IMAX is kind of like the Eli Manning of the movie industry. It's not as flashy, or enticing, or will sell as many tickets as Peyton--er--3D but it does deliver high quality entertainment. Personally I'll take anything on a bigger screen over something in 3D seven days out of the week.

Well Bond fans rejoice! This November's Skyfall, which marks the 23rd James Bond film and the 50th year since the franchise began, will be released in IMAX theaters. Unfortunately the film is not being shot with IMAX cameras. Rather it is going to be remastered to match IMAX level sound and picture quality.

I'm not saying that Skyfall won't be good on an IMAX screen even though it is not being shot with IMAX cameras, I just don't know if it is worth it. I'd hate for it to be a tedious and unflattering upgrade like studios sometimes do with 3D conversions. I'm much more interested in seeing The Dark Knight Rises in IMAX because director Christopher Nolan used IMAX cameras and nearly fifty minutes of the film is shot specifically for IMAX. To me this seems like a money grab by the studio to scoop up an extra couple of bucks. Oh well. No one ever said movie studios were magnanimous.

Skyfall releases this November and stars Daniel Craig as 007 for the third time.

*In case you are wondering who this is and why it's not Daniel Craig I'll fill you in. This lovely lady happens to be French actress and model Berenice Marlohe who will co-star in the upcoming Bond film. Now SHE'S someone I wouldn't mind seeing on IMAX. Or in person for that matter.

Advance tickets can't satiate Hunger Games fans

Check out some of the films currently playing at my local movie theater:

Gone, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Chronicle, Journey 2, Wanderlust, Safe House, The Vow, This Means War, Tyler Perry's Good Deeds

To say that there is a dearth of quality films at the cinema right now is like saying Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun has had a tough couple of months. Typically January, February, and March are bereft of any quality movies. These are the months movies go to die.
That's why March 23rd can't come quick enough for me. It's the day that The Hunger Games gets released. And apparently fans of the novels share my anticipation. In spades.
Executive Vice President Rick Butler of online movie ticket seller Fandango reports that The Hunger Games has just become the biggest first day ticket seller that the sight has ever seen*. Considering that it's not a summer month, that the film is not a sequel, and it's not about emo vampires who sparkle in the sunlight, that's saying something. Even more impressive? Tickets went on sale YESTERDAY. Amazing.
Fox had Star Wars, New Line had The Lord of the Rings...could Lionsgate have finally found their franchise? Based on recent events I'd say yes. Furthermore, The Hunger Games not only has an excellent shot of having the biggest opening for a March release ever, but might very well be tops at the box office until The Avengers hits the first week in May. Move over Bella and Edward here comes Katniss and Peeta.
The Hunger Games releases March 23rd and the sequel Catching Fire is set for a November 2013 release. Assuming the Mayans are wrong.

*The Hunger Games may be the record holder now but just wait until presale tickets start for The Dark Knight Rises. TDKR is going to leave THG in the dust like Usain Bolt blowing by a fat kid.

CAN YOU SMEELLLLLLL WHAT THE HERC IS COOKING??!!!!!

Interested in seeing Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson portray the most well known demi-god of all time?

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK JABRONEY!!!

All that matters is what director Brett Ratner thinks apparently.

According to "Variety," the man who just brought you an Eddie Murphy film not involving a fat suit, is recruiting the former WWE wrestler to play the title role. Said movie will involve ancient Greek mythology but will be largely based on Steve Moore's 2008 graphic novel "Hercules: The Thracian War."

Obviously at this point old Dwayne is nowhere close to signing on the dotted line but I think the choice makes sense. Johnson definitely has the body for it. Besides I think Kevin Sorbo is waiting on cars at Sonic or something. A lot of people rag on Johnson but honestly I think he's ten times the actor Arnie, Van Damme, or Chuck Norris* ever were. Plus he's already had experience with ancient mythology action with The Scorpion King.

I'm actually more concerned that Brett Ratner is doing this film. Not only is he an A1 uberdouche, outside of Red Dragon his films aren't that good. (And no you don't get to throw the Rush Hour series in my face. Those movies weren't good either.) It's too bad John McTiernan (Predator, Die Hard) couldn't do this film. I think the match up between Johnson and him would be epic. Here's a brief synopsis:

"Fourteen-hundred years ago, a tormented soul walked the Earth that was neither man nor god. Hercules, powerful son of the god king Zeus, received nothing but suffering his entire life. After twelve arduous labors and the loss of his family, this dark, world-weary soul turned his back on the gods, finding his only solace in bloody battle. Over the years he warmed to the company of six similar souls, their only bond being their love of fighting and the presence of death. These men and woman never question where, why, or whom they go to fight; only how much they will be paid. Knowing this, the King of Thrace has hired these mercenaries to train his men to become the greatest army of all time. Hercules begins to question King Cotys' motives when he takes his army out to battle and sees them practice on innocent men, women, and children of their neighbors. Deep in his soul something stirs, but is it enough to stop a mad king and his army of the damned from marching across Greece - or even Olympus itself?!"

There's no production start at this time and no other cast members have been announced. Johnson can currently be seen in Journey 2 and Ratner can be seen eating cheese and making racial slurs on Howard Stern.

*Hopefully Chuck Norris won't read that part of my post, break into my house, and round house kick my face into the keyboaeknmfa;jcvoenrfeln vlajaldjfalknjflienfl.....Oops. Too late.

My Oscar Pics!!!

Ahh!! Oscar time! A special evening where the entire the world (and by that I mean the people who aren't watching HBO or The Walking Dead on AMC) gets to see all the snubs, surprises, and ego stroking that Hollywood has to offer. And that's just in Jolie and Pitt's limo on the way to the ceremony.

In all seriousness, even though the Oscars have become tedious and their choice of hosts uninspired (Billy Crystal when you could have had Kermit? FAIL) I'll still tune in. Why? On the off chance that I might see an upset victory, an atypical acceptance speech, or even a moment of actual humor. I'm usually disappointed on all three levels, but like Charlie Brown I keep coming back to kick the ball even though I know Lucy is going to grab it away at the last second. At least I won't have to watch the corpse formally known as James Franco, Frankenstein his way through a half assed hosting job.

But I digress.

The real purpose of this article is to provide my own personal Oscar picks. Furthermore, in keeping with tradition I will also state not only who will win but who should win. As you can imagine the two are too often mutually exclusive. I've limited my selections to the following categories: picture, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, and director. So without further ado....

BEST ACTOR NOMINEES:

Brad Pitt for Moneyball

George Clooney for The Descendants

Gary Oldman for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Demian Bichir for A Better Life

Jean Dujardin for The Artist

WHO WILL WIN: George Clooney. It's a tight race between him and Dujardin but based on the fact that 80% of the races tend to be popularity contests anyway I say Clooney edges out Dujardin. Just barely.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Gary Oldman. His restrained, reserved, and calculating depiction of George Smiley was simply fantastic. Oldman is more of an actor than Clooney or Pitt will ever hope to be and the fact that he's never received an Oscar nod before this year is a shame.

BEST ACTRESS NOMINEES:

Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs

Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady

Viola Davis for The Help

Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn

WHO WILL WIN: Viola Davis. Her performance in last year's The Help was a revelation and she is the clear front runner although 17 time Oscar nominee Streep is right in her rear window. Look for Davis to become only the second African American to win the award for Best Actress.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Rooney Mara. Outside of Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood I can't think of a performance in recent memory where an actor or actress invested themselves so completely at every single level--physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. However, this being her first nomination and being so young it probably won't happen.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR NOMINEES:

Kenneth Branaugh for My Week with Marilyn

Jonah Hill for Moneyball

Nick Nolte for Warrior

Christopher Plummer for Beginners

Max Von Sydow for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

WHO WILL WIN: Christopher Plummer. The 81 year old veteran actor, who was also brilliant in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, unquestionably will take home the gold. Not only is he the front runner, but he's got nostalgia and the public on his side.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Christopher Plummer. His portrayal of an elderly man who comes out of the closet to his son shortly before his death carried the film. Plummer's interaction with Ewan MacGregor was simply brilliant.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS NOMINEES:

Berenice Bejo for The Artist

Jessica Chastain for The Help

Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids

Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs

Octavia Spencer for The Help

WHO WILL WIN: Melissa McCarthy. This is actually my upset pick of the night. Call me crazy but I just have a feeling that the Emmy winning star of television show "Mike and Molly" will hijack a gold statue here. Her performance in Bridesmaids was about the only redeeming thing from the most overrated movie of 2011.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Octavia Spencer. Again another top notch performance beside Viola Davis. Her tenacity and humor was something to admire and even better to watch.

BEST DIRECTOR NOMINEES:

Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris

Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist

Martin Scorcese for Hugo

Alexander Payne for The Descendants

Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life

WHO WILL WIN: Martin Scorcese. Most think that it's an even toss between Marty and Hazanavicius, but I think the old Goodfella will squeak out his second Academy Award win in the directing category.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Martin Scorcese. As interesting as The Artist was, it was a silent film. Hugo was a much more challenging film to put together based on the fact that it centered around two actors that were children, and from a set perspective it was mesmerising. Marty squeezed all of he could out of the film and added the pulp. I just don't see that beating a silent film.

BEST PICTURE NOMINEES:

The Artist

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Moneyball

The Descendants

The Help

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

The Tree of Life

Warhorse

WHO WILL WIN: The Artist. Take this one to the bank. Like last year's The King's Speech this is a film that could be made in any era and since the Academy's trend is to reward non-big name movies the golden statue, I think the same will hold true on Sunday night.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Warrior. Yes I know it is not nominated but this is my blog and this is where I get to extend the digit that is right next to my index finger towards the Academy. I think it's a travesty that Warrior, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy are not nominated in the best picture category. They are all excellent films that I think got jipped. Warrior worked at every level. It was a modern day Rocky with excellent performances, a fantastic script, great fight scenes and a riveting ending. Shame on you Academy.

Well that's my picks folks! Tune in next week for my thoughts on the ceremony.

YIPPIE KAI AY MOTHERF**KERS!! Jai Courtney cast as John McClane Jr in Die Hard 5

I didn't think Live Free or Die Hard was necessarily a bad movie, just unnecessary. After Die Hard with a Vengeance I didn't really see a need to revisit the action franchise made famous by Bruce Willis. Live Free or Die Hard turned badass John McClane into a superhero when he's really supposed to be a good cop thrown into a desperate situation. Taking out a helicopter with a car was ridiculous.

Like it or not however there will be a fifth installment in the Die Hard franchise. The new film will actually go international, with Bruce Willis's character heading to Moscow to reclaim his son John "Jack" McClane Jr. Little is known about the plot other than the two are estranged and "must work together to keep each other alive and keep the world safe for democracy." Riiiight. In any case after beating out such actors as Paul Walker and Aaron Paul, the role fell to Jai Courtney, who plays Varro on the Starz channel's television show Spartacus: Vengeance.

Now Courtney's character is being billed as a badass like his father so I'm wondering if they are planning to reboot the franchise? God I hope not. The original Die Hard is hands down the best action movie of all time, and I'd hate to see them tarnish its legacy by doing a half assed reboot.

Director John Moore (Max Payne, Behind Enemy Lines) will take the helm and the film is set to release Valentine's Day of next year. The fact that February is usually a dead month for films might actually spark me to see the movie. However, depending on the dailies, the studio could always push it up for a summer release, like they did for Ridley Scott's upcoming Prometheus. The title of the latest (and hopefully last but probably not) film is A Good Day to Die Hard. Currently there is no production start date or any other cast details but I will keep you informed as they become available.

Man of Iron takes on steely court room defense attorney

The "Perry Mason" television show was a little before my time. Starring Raymond Burr, the show ran from 1957 to 1966 so this is obviously an era more affiliated with my parents than myself. The electrifying defense attorney made a habit of not only getting his clients off but also finding the real culprit of the crime.

Well Warner Bros. believes (as do I) that veteran actor Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes) will fit into the role very nicely. Downey has signed on to play the titular character and will also produce the film with wife Susan through his production company Team Downey.

Interestingly enough the film will not be based on the 1950s and 60s television show but on the original Earle Stanley Gardner books. Consequently the film will actually be set in 1930s Los Angeles. It sounds to me like a perfect fit for Downey considering all the period pieces he's done before.

Marc Guggenheim is currently negotiating to write the script. At first I was a little weary of this because Guggenheim also wrote the abominable Green Lantern which was a disaster to put it lightly. However, apparently Guggenheim used to be a lawyer and has already written scripts for courtroom dramas such as "The Practice" and "Law and Order." Guess if John Grisham can do it so can Guggenheim.

Puss in Boots takes up pallet to play Picasso

I don't often report on foreign films but this one really sparked my interest. Antonio Bandaras (Once Upon a Time in Mexico) is set to play famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso* in an upcoming film.

The film 33 Dias will be directed by Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura. Rather than a straight biopic, 33 Dias (days) will focus on one of Picasso's most famous paintings, the well renowned "Guernica."

I don't claim to know much about Picasso but apparently this painting was done in reaction to Nazi Germany's 1937 destruction of the Basque town of Guernica by Hitler's Luftwaffe. Apparently the notoriously tortured artist struggled mightily with painting "Gurenica" as the internal turmoil will be a key part of the film.

The film will begin shooting next summer in Paris and Guernica and will be in both Spanish and French. Famous cinematographer Vittorio Storaro will be capturing the film. He previously won an Academy Award for Francis Ford Copolla's 1979 film Apocalypse Now.**

I'm not so sure if I like the choice of actor here. I have no real issue with Bandaras as an actor, I just don't know if I see him as right for this role. He will be playing a 56 year old Picasso in this film who by then was bald. I don't know if Bandaras has the range to play one of the most famous artists of all time. I think Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) would have been a much better choice.

*Pablo Picasso's full name is Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso. Wow.

**Apocalypse Now was actually Lawrence Fishburne's first film.

Sly and Arnie's upcoming picture "The Tomb" gets its badguy

Ever since Jim Caviezel's* epic turn as Jesus Christ** in 2004's Passion of the Christ, I've found it very hard to buy him as a villain. After all when you play quite arguably the most well known good guy in history, it's hard to imagine that person as say Freddy Krueger.

Well in an effort to buck the stereotype and increase his range, Caviezel has just signed on to play the main antagonist in Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone's*** upcoming movie The Tomb. Caviezel, who currently stars on CBS's Person of Interest, will play the prison's warden. Mark Canton the casting director for the film revealed this information just last week on "The Matthew Aaron Show."

Despite my initial comments I think this is an inspired choice. Caviezel is a fantastic and extremely underrated actor and I think this role will be right in his wheelhouse. I only have two concerns. One is that the stars of this film are Arnie and Sly not Caviezel. However, based on past history I can guarantee with reasonable certainty that Caviezel will outshine Arnie and Sly. Reason being that Caviezel is an actor while Sly and Arnie are moviestars. I'm sure the studio will probably promote this as two action superstars however. My other concern is how Caviezel will play the role. Does he do a straight up bad guy routine ala Bob Gunton from The Shawshank Redemption or as a person doing his job? I'm almost hoping for the latter if only because we've seen too much of the former on screen.

Stallone can next be seen in next month's Bullet to the Head while Schwarzenegger has The Last Stand and The Expendables 2 coming out later this year.

*If you want to see an extremely underrated movie with Caviezel and Dennis Quaid, check out 2000's Frequency. It's very good.

**I still believe that Caviezel should have been nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Jesus. The role was not only heart wrenching but very physically demanding. Chalk it up to the release time (February 2004) and the controversy surrounding the film.

***Bit of fun information: Stallone's first name is actually Michael. Sylvester is his middle name.

Vampire movie onslaught continues: Russell Crowe in talks to join Dracula film "Harker"

Man with the slew of bloodsucker films and television shows over the last few years you'd think Hollywood was being run by the undead. Twilight, 30 Days of Night, Let Me In, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, and even the upcoming Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Well like the porn star said to her director, I guess there's always room for one more.

Oscar winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator) is currently in talks to join the film Harker a re-imagining (natch!) about the Dracula myth. In the original novel by Irish writer Bram Stoker, Jonathan Harker was a lawyer imprisoned after going to Dracula's castle. His love Mina Harker eventually gained the interest of Dracula himself. In Harker Crowe would play Jonathan Harker as a Scotland Yard detective investigating a series of murders perpatrated by the titular King of the Undead. Sounds a little like Jack the Ripper meets a Dracula film from Hammer Studios.

Director Jaume Collett-Serra (Unknown, Orphan) will direct. Crowe has not officially signed yet. At the moment he's shooting Les Miserables and may be up for the role of Noah in Darren Aranofsky's new film. As interesting as Harker sounds (and believe me I love my vampire tales--hell I'm writing one myself) if I was Crowe I'd chose the Noah project without hesitation. Aranofsky is one of the best directors working today and if I'm an actor I don't pass up an opportunity like that.

Autobots, Decepticons, and Michael Bay to explode onto the screen again

(This poster was just too funny. If you've never seen the South Park episode where they trash Michael Bay you're doing yourself a disservice.)

Well you knew this was coming. It was inevitable as...well...an explosion in a Michael Bay film. Paramount Pictures recently announced that they are going ahead with a fourth installment of Transformers and the incredible exploding director himself, Michael Bay*, will be back to helm another go round of robot mayhem. First Bay is set to shoot the upcoming film Pain and Gain with Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg, and then....it's robot time!

Paramount has already set a release date for June 29th, 2014. If it wasn't for the fact that A) I love my life and B) I want to see both Hobbit films, I'd almost wish that the Mayans' prediction for the end of the world was true, just to stop this movie from happening. Alas when a franchise has made over $1 billion worldwide, studios will ride the moneytrain until people stop coming...just ask the producers of the Saw franchise.

After Pain and Gain Bay plans to sit down with Steven Spielberg and flesh out a story that will essentially be a reboot of the franchise. That may explain why Mr. Fergalicious, Josh Duhamel (who acted in the first three films) has not been contacted. In an interview with E! Online Duhamel revealed that none of the actors have been contacted about a fourth film including Tyrese, Rose Huntington-Whiteley, or Shia Labeouf. (If I remember correctly Shia wasn't planning on returning anyway.)

My question is why reboot this franchise? Are they going to make it darker like every other superhero movie now? What is Optimus Prime going to reveal he was molested by a toaster as a kid? Get real. This is a franchise about robots blowing shit up. There's no need to reboot this film. In fact except for the almighty dollar there's no need to make another sequel either.

*Megan Fox apparently referred to Michael Bay as "Hitler" on the set in an interview. It's no coincidence that she wasn't in the third film.

Cowabunga Dude! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set to kick some shell on the big screen again!

One of my fondest childhood memories were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Donatello*, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo were part of my daily existence. I loved the cartoon, the Nintendo games rocked, and I saw the 1989 film** in a drafty theater with my Mom and sister when I was ten.

Several months ago Paramount and Platinum Dunes acquired the rights to a live action version of the "heroes on the half shell" and hired writers Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec to pen the script. Both co-wrote Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, which was a solid film, if not as good as everyone seemed to think it was.

And now we have a director. At the helm of this cinema tour de force will be none other than Jonathan Liebesman. Liebesman directed the abysmal Battle L.A. and his upcoming film Wrath of the Titans debuts next month. Confidence on this film is not high Ghostrider.

Unlike the initial films, the turtles will be CGI/motion capture and will involve turtles, mutagen, April O'neil, Casey Jones, and a rat sensei. It will be interesting to see whether this will be a kid friendly film or a darker adventure as we've seen in recent superhero movies. I'm hoping for darker.

Let's just hope they don't get Jackie Chan to play Shredder.

*Donatello was actually voiced by Cory Feldman in the original film.

**While the first film was fantastic, the second film had Vanilla Ice and was subtitled "Secret of the Ooze." Oy-vey.

From the "I can't make this shit up department" Nazis from the moon invade Earth in film "Iron Sky"

I seriously don't know whether to laugh, cry, or shake my head at the idea of this movie. I mean really what else is there to say? Iron Sky is about a Nazi invasion from the moon. Let me repeat that for the people in the back: A NAZI INVASION FROM THE MOON. Check out a brief synopsis of the film:

As World War II comes to an end in 1945, Hans Kammler and other German scientists make a breakthrough in anti-gravity research. From a secret base in the Antarctic, Nazi spaceships are sent to the "dark side" of the Moon to establish the military base "Schwarze Sonne".[4] Their plan is to build a powerful fleet and return to conquer Earth. The film is set in the year 2018 when their descendants finally return.

If the idea sounds like something a twelve year old obsessed

with science fiction and WWII history cooked up on his MacBook Pro, you would not be alone. That was exactly my initial reaction. Even more ridiculous? The President of the United States in this film is a very thinly veiled representation of Sarah Palin. Hey I guess if you're going to go bat-shit crazy insane on a science fiction film, you might as well go whole hog. Palin being President and Nazis attacking from the moon are about on par in terms of plausibility. Iron Sky is being billed as a "science fiction comedy." Phew! Based on the plot I thought for a second there that it was documentary.

As if the premise wasn't strange enough, other aspects surrounding the film are just as out there. The Finnish film, shot in English and German, (?) premiered just this past week--in Berlin. Not only that but the film received a standing ovation! I guess there's no accounting for taste. The trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py_IndUbcxc received 5 million hits in the last week alone. With such overwhelming positive responses, distributors are snatching up the film faster than a fat kid grabbing the last slice of pizza. One of the first in line? Shoval Studios, one of the biggest distributors for the country of...wait for it...ISRAEL. (Insert WTF exclamation here.) In case you were wondering, America has also hopped on the band wagon as distributor Entertainment One scooped up the rights. No news on whether this will be a theatrical release or straight to DVD, but my guess is the latter.

Having said all this I actually watched the trailer and, well, I've gotta say it's piqued my interest. How can it not? The whole premise is provocative. I'm not saying this film is going to be on par with Raging Bull (hell it might not even be on par with Biodome) but I'm going to reserve judgement until I see the film.

At the very least it will be fun to review.

Testosterone Explosion! Stallone back for Rambo 5 and teaming up with the Governator for movie "The Tomb"

Hey you know what they say, action stars don't age they just don't ever go away. While the former is patently false, the latter is definitely true and two of the biggest 80s and 90s action stars, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger are about to roll out with more explosion laden guy movies than the late Kim Jong Il's DVD collection.*

Just over half a year ago I'd reported that Sean Hood (Conan the Barbarian) wrote a script called Rambo: The Last Stand that he was trying to pitch to Stallone. The project itself was placed on hold and many doubted it would even come to fruition. Quite honestly I wasn't sure I wanted to see another Rambo as the last film seemed like an appropriate ending, ala Rocky Balboa.

Apparently my opinion doesn't matter. Hood posted on Twitter (which is of course always accurate, just ask Rob Lowe) that "Rambo 5 on hold as Sly finishes Expendables 2 He hasn't decided if R5 will be an "Unforgiven" or a "passing of the torch." Two points here. I would rather not see a "passing of the torch" because Stallone is Rambo. Period. It'd be like recasting Indiana Jones. Secondly, I think the "Unforgiven" angle might be a good idea. The last time we saw Rambo on screen he returned home to the US to be with his father. A Rambo film within the United States might actually be a good thing. The first film was set in the U.S.A. so this might bring it full circle.

And if the concept of another Rambo wasn't enough to get your adrenaline flowing, Sly will also be teaming up with Ah-nold in the upcoming film The Tomb after Expendables 2 has wrapped.

Here is a brief synopsis:

THE TOMB follows Ray Breslin (Stallone) who is the world’s foremost authority on structural security. He’s analyzed every high security prison and has gained a vast array of survival skills. But all Ray’s ingenuity and knowledge are about to be put to work in the most challenging test he's ever faced: escaping from the master prison of his own design.
Schwarzenegger, in the role of Church, plays a complex inmate with multiple shades of grey. He’s the guy who fights to keep the prisoners from losing their humanity in their darkest hour as they struggle together to stay alive.

While Miles Chapman originally wrote the script, Jason Keller has since re-written the script. Mikael Hafstrom is also set to direct.

As intriguing as this plot sounds I already see a few issues. Does anyone really think Arnie can pull off "a complex inmate with multiple shades of grey"? Let's be honest, most of Arnold's past characters have been about as psychological deep as a kiddie pool. Detective John Kimble from Kindergarten Cop wasn't exactly Hannibal Lecter. This seems like a role more suited for Liam Neeson. Secondly, anytime someone has to "re-write" a script completely I get the willies. It usually means that either the script sucked to begin with or it wasn't as audience friendly as the studio wanted it to be. Either one is a huge problem. Last I'm not really sold on Hafstrom as a director. His previous credits include 1408 and The Rite, not exactly box office powerhouses.

The Tomb starts shooting later this Spring and Rambo hopefully in late fall.

*Kim Jong Il reportedly had a DVD collection numbering over 5,000. I'm thinking Team America: World Police was probably not a part of it though.

The Boondock Dwarf! Billy Connolly to join the cast of The Hobbit

Hard to believe that we are approaching nearly a year (March 21) since Peter Jackson's The Hobbit began filming and apparently the casting isn't done yet. In a press release director Peter Jackson announced that veteran actor Billy Connolly (The Boondock Saints, The Last Samurai) will be joining the cast. Connolly will be playing Dain Ironfoot, the second cousin to Thorin Oakenshield.

While Dain's role is small it plays a pivotal part in the Battle of Five Armies, something audiences won't see until the second film is released in 2013. For those who have read the book, Dain and many of his fellow dwarves, come to the aid of Thorin during the Battle of Five Armies.

Personally I think this is an amazing addition. I've always respected Connolly, and his role as Noah "Il Duce" MacManus in both Boondock Saints movies is just excellent.* It will be interesting to see if he incorporates his Scottish accent into the role.

*I even liked his role as Billy MacGregor in the television show Head of the Class.

HOO-HA!! Al Pacino to bring explosive and out of place yells to Despicable Me 2

I only saw about half of the first Despicable Me but what I saw I enjoyed. The minions were hilarious and it was different to see Steve Carrell as an animated bad guy. That a film will have a sequel after grossing $543 million worldwide is as inevitable as people pointing out how hot Tom Brady's wife is.

What was not inevitable was Tony Montana joining up for the sequel. Universal Pictures and Illumination has just announced that Oscar winner Al Pacino will be joining the cast of Despicable Me 2. Nothing is known about the role other than he will being playing opposite of Steve Carrell's character of Gru.

This is actually the first animated film that Pacino has ever been a part of. Let's hope he tones it down a bit to make a family friendly film. I've heard he's already referred to the minions (seen in pic above) as "f**king cock-a-row-chez." Just kidding.

"Hey laser lips! Your mama wants to remake my movie!" Short Circuit remake in the works

You know I might as well start calling this blog Remake Central, because I'm starting to feel like that's all I report about. And now I have to report about another one, this time one of my favorite childhood movies: Short Circuit.
Apparently Dimension Films plans on remaking the 1986 movie that starred Steve Guttenberg* and Alley Sheedy. Screenwriter Matt Lieberman who penned the epic film Dr. Doolittle: Tail to the Chief will write the script, while Hop and Alvin and the Chipmunks director Tim Hill will lead this Titanic fated crap fest.
There are no story details available but according to the vapid soul crushing producers also known as the Weinstein Bros., the film will be "family friendly." Makes me angry enough to want to disassemble these guys.
Filming is set to begin late this year with a release date of next summer.

*Where the hell is Steven Guttenberg anyway? It's like he fell into a black hole.

Does Ridley Scott Dream of Electric Sheep? Or possibly just reteaming with Harrison Ford for New Blade Runner?

Harrison Ford has the distinct rarity in the analog of science fiction/fantasy cinema of playing not one, not two, but three iconic characters: Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and....Rick Deckard.

While a few short years ago Ford reprised the second role on the list, now comes the rumor that he may in fact be returning for the third one.

Even before Ridley Scott's upcoming film Prometheus began filming, rumors flew that Scott's next film would be a "reimagining" of Scott's groundbreaking 1982 science fiction film Blade Runner. While Alcon Entertainment categorically denied that the film would have anything to do with Deckard, it appears that that might (strong emphasis on might) not now be the case.

Apparently Ford is in very early talks to join the new Blade Runner. However, this doesn't necessarily mean this could be a direct sequel rather than a "reimagining" as was once thought. While that remains a possibility I think it likely that Ford might show up for five minutes just for nostalgia's sake. It would be pretty hard to have a direct sequel when the original film was set in 2019 only seven years from now. Also there is the additional fact that there are currently no androids in existence. Although to be fair Scott doesn't seem the type of director to go the whole nostalgia route.

Frankly I hope the "reimagining" of Blade Runner doesn't happen. Philip K. Dick, who wrote the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? upon which Blade Runner is based on, must be turning over in his grave. Even though I wasn't originally a huge fan (like most critics of the time) I now recognize it (like most critics of the present time) what a groundbreaking piece of cinema that film was. I'd really hate to taint that with some half-ass "reimagining." About the only saving grace is that Scott intends to return as director.

Ridley Scott's next film, Prometheus, releases this June 8th and stars Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, and Charlize Theron. Harrison Ford meanwhile is set to begin filming the adaptation of Orson Scott Card's film Ender's Game and (supposedly) later this year return for a fifth go round as Indiana Jones.

"It's my Clint in the box!!!" Justin Timberlake to team up with Eastwood and Amy Adams in "Trouble with the Curve"

So much for JT slowing down and focusing on music again. The former boy band member and one of the best SNL hosts of all time is joining Amy Adams and Clint Eastwood in director Robert Lorenz's Trouble with the Curve.

Timberlake will play Eastwood's friend Johnny Flanagan, a former major league pitcher and current scout for the New York Yankees. He's supposed to be the possible love interest for Adams which, as you can see from the picture above, is far from a bad thing.

This actually marks the first time that Eastwood will appear in a film where he's not directing since 1993's In the Line of Fire, which Wolfgang Peterson directed. Even more interesting is that despite being an assistant director on twenty films and working with Eastwood on Mystic River and Flags of our Fathers, this will be Lorenz's first directorial debut.

Filming starts later this year with a release date of late 2013.

Prequels to Watchmen?

"Brother can you spare a dime? Or a half eaten Quizno's sub?"

Director Zack Synder's work is often maligned. Most people thought Sucker Punch was God-awful and even though 300 has a strong following (myself included) many, like my close friend, feel the film was a homo-erotic blood fest. I wholeheartedly disagree but that's a post for a different time.

Then there's 2009's Watchmen. If you are going to do a movie based on the quintessential and perhaps best graphic novel ever created, you better do it right. For the most part I thought Snyder was successful. It did a fantastic job of examining Cold War and nuclear fears during the 1980s. Furthermore, it did a great job of deconstructing the "superhero" concept through characters like The Comedian, just like the graphic novel did. Jackie Earle Haley's performance as Rorschach was Academy Award worthy and despite a distinct change to the ending, overall I loved the film.*

One guy who didn't appreciate the film was the graphic novel's writer Alan Moore. He went so far as to insist that they remove his name from the credits, that's how upset he was.

Wednesday's news from DC Entertainment didn't please him either.

DC Entertainment released a statement that DC Comics would be running a series of comics this summer called "Before Watchmen." The comics will examine the back story of characters like Rorschach and Nite Owl. This is an obvious precursor to possible movies as Watchmen prequels and sequels have been talked about since the film was released three years ago. However, I question whether or not sequels or prequels to Watchmen are even needed. Aside from the fact that the film was fine on it's own, it barely made $185 million worldwide after a $130 million budget. In addition to poor reviews I just don't see how followups to Watchmen would fair well.

As I mentioned, Alan Moore was not pleased by the announcement from DC Entertainment calling the move "completely shameless" and that DC is "still apparently dependent on ideas that I had 25 years ago." Moore goes on to say that the move "only weakens the argument that comics are an authentic form of literature. As far as I know there weren't that many prequels or sequels to 'Moby Dick.'"

While I agree with Moore's contention that DC's move indicates a lack originality on their part (just like Hollywood!), his later comments bare a little analysis. I'm actually of the opinion that certain graphic novels should be considered literature, Watchmen being one of them. After all Time magazine named Watchmen #99 out of the top 100 novels of the 20th century and despite the fact that they once gave Hitler the Man of the Year Award, their stamp of approval comes with a high degree of credibility. Other graphic novels such as Art Spiegelman's Mauschwitz, which retells the story of Jews during the Holocaust through the platform of cats and mice, or In the Shadow of No Towers (also by Spiegelman) about the WTC bombing, fall into the category of literature. Hell I'll even include Moore's The Dark Knight Returns based on it's in depth look into media and psychology.

Notice I said certain graphic novels. Cowboys and Aliens doesn't fall into that category. And boy does Moore have testicular fortitude for comparing Watchmen and himself to Moby Dick and Herman Melville. Let's not get crazy here Alan. While I sincerely respect your contributions and how groundbreaking Watchmen was, I'm not putting you or the work on par with Hawthorne, Dickens, or Sophocles just yet. Why he said that last part is beyond me.

Maybe the beard roots are starting to eat into his brain.

*Incidentally I also think the Watchmen blu-ray is one of the best out that there and the Director's Cut is the best of any film I've ever seen.

Rebootcop?? Apparently the remake of Robocop isn't dead yet

While it isn't the best film (it doesn't even rank on my top ten for sci-fi flicks) 1987's RoboCop will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first rated R film I ever saw.* Also how can you beat the tag line? "Part man. Part machine. All cop." Classic!

The idea of a remake (reboot? re-imagining? who the f knows anymore?) keeps getting kicked around, as it has for the last two years. I've been hoping that the whole thing would just die out. Sadly this is not the case.

"The Hollywood Reporter" reports that MGM just hired Gran Torino scribe Nick Schenk to rework the Robocop screenplay. This is about the third person who has had to "rework" this script. That should tell you something. The fact that MGM hired Schenk doesn't improve my confidence either. I thought Gran Torino was an incredibly overrated film and I don't understand why it received all the accolades it did.

Director Jose Padilha has his own vision of what he wants the film to be:

"‘RoboCop’ the first movie was fantastic,” he told us. “But even if there was no movie, the concept of ‘RoboCop’ is brilliant, first because it lends itself to a lot of social criticism, but also because it poses a question, ‘When do you lose you humanity?’ The way it does that is by replacing body parts with machine parts, and that’s very smart because guess what? It’s going to happen!” “I have my take on it,” he continued, “And I can tell you this: In the first ‘RoboCop’ when Alex Murphy is shot, gunned down, then you see some hospitals and stuff and then you cut to him as RoboCop. My movie is between those two cuts. How do you make RoboCop? How do you slowly bring a guy to be a robot? How do you actually take humanity out of someone and how do you program a brain, so to speak, and how does that affect an individual?”

So he wants to combine RoboCop with Sophie's Choice? While I appreciate the sentiment and that Padilha wants to examine the humanity issue--it's freakin' RoboCop! I don't know about you but I have zero interest in seeing a two hour film that explores the time building Robocop. If you're going to reboot this film at least keep it close to the original source material. I want to see this film made about as much as I want to see Tom Brady win another Superbowl this Sunday, which is to say not at all. MGM do the right thing here and throw this reboot on the trash heap.

*If anybody tells you that I covered my eyes when I watched the part where the dude melts at the end of the movie--they're lying.