This comes courtesy of ComingSoon.net, who had the exclusive debut. You can head over there for a super huge version if you like. It's a good looking poster, and a big improvement over the cartoonish promotional artwork from the first film. I dig the simple, to-the-point posters like this, so much classier than cramming the entire cast in. It does seem as if he has wandered into sepia-toned Sparta, though.
Other than the official videos released by Zack Snyder, it has been shockingly quiet on the Watchmen front. (And if you missed the videos, there's one on set design and one on costuming so far.) It was, unsurprisingly, a tight set. Those who visited (ahem) still aren't allowed to publish anything about it.
While watching the two behind-the-scenes videos thus far, I saw all those extras and wondered "How the heck did they keep them all quiet?" Well, they didn't. One of them has been sending quiet reports to Comic Related throughout production -- and the amount of stuff she knows is incredible. I'm amazed this has been lurking in a corner of the Internet and no one noticed. She was an extra during many a crucial scene -- and she has written the first description of Billy Crudup's performance as Doc Manhattan.
Her latest post features numerous photos, and a map, illustrating the sets. Start there and work your way backward. Now that this is hitting the wider Internet, it may be yanked, so enjoy it while you can. Those who have not read the graphic novel may want to avoid it, as it's full of spoilers. Those who have, and are worried about Snyder's handling of the material, will find many an answer here. If you too want to see the movie fresh, I will save your innocence and assure you of one thing -- the ending remains unchanged.
It is the wee hours of the morning here in the Colorado Rockies -- and when they said the teaser trailer was to debut Friday, they weren't kidding. They wanted you all to wake up to it. How nice of them!
It is up courtesy of Yahoo! Movies (along with a bunch of new photos), so unfortunately we can't embed it. While it looks better than I expected it would, there isn't much to inspire a lot of excitement for me. I thought the one thing this movie would have in its favor was a new location. But despite being located in China, it manages to boast as many desert battles as the previous two installments. Now, I know there are deserts in China, but that isn't exactly the geography the country is most famous for. Wouldn't you take advantage of the beautiful mountains and bamboo forests? Unless, of course, you were banking on using those dissolving sand effects again, already evident on the poster. (They do venture into the Himalayas at some point from the looks of things. Dissolving snow effects?)
Still, it looks like there are some impressive action sequences. Those terracotta soldiers have always given me the creeps, so bonus points for managing to play on one of my archeological fears. And its nice to see Brendan Fraser again -- like Johnny Depp, he must have a portrait of himself aging in an attic somewhere. His movie son looks older than he does.
The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor will be released August 1st. What do you think -- a good way to spend the end of the summer, or are you just going to buy another ticket to Indiana Jones?
(In addition to the trailer, Universal released a slew of new Mummy images. Check those out in the gallery below.)
Does the one-time location for Rebel Without a Cause deserve to be mentioned among the most famous real world locations for science fiction movies? There's a great chart at oobject that they're simply calling "15 scifi movies 15 famous architectural locations." The description reads in part: "Science Fiction Movies and famous architecture have a particularly strong tradition, however the link is not always flattering. Since much science fiction deals with a dystopic vision of the future, architecture is often seen as part of the environmental cause."
Griffith Observatory (pictured above) in Los Angeles is listed as #10 (ranked by their user votes) because of its setting for James Cameron's The Terminator. I put a few samples in the gallery below, along with a couple of my personal favorties; visit oobjectto see all their selections and the current rankings.
What do you think? Did they capture the very best real world locations for science fiction movies? What are your favorites? No fair including natural wonders -- i.e. Glen Canyon, Utah, where the first part of the original Planet of the Apes is set, or Vasquez Rocks, where everything from Army of Darkness to Star Trek was filmed -- they have to be man-man structures.
The first trailer for City of Ember has just arrived online (watch it above or over on the film's official site). Cinematical premiered the teaser poster for City of Ember not long ago, and it looks like the folks from 20th Century Fox and Walden Media are itching to get the buzz going on this one by debuting a trailer long before the film's October 10th release date. This will also be the same trailer that plays in front of Prince Caspian this weekend. Based on the best-selling novel, City of Ember was produced by Tom Hanks and stars Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan, Tim Robbins, Martin Landau, Toby Jones and Harry Treadaway. Directed by Gil Kenan (Monster House), the synopsis for Ember looks like this:
"For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights - underground. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing . . . and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker. Now, two teenagers in a race against time, must search Ember for clues that will unlock the ancient mystery of the city's existence, and help the citizens escape before the lights go out forever."
What say you? I think it definitely has potential, especially with that cast. (Seems like a cool book, too.)
Gotta love those fan-friendly filmmakers. Next Saturday the Hobbit-makers (Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro) will participate in an online Q&A session -- and you'vewe've been invited to contribute some queries! Got a question about the cast? The second film? SMAUG??!? Then make sure you're signed up in advance, and get your question(s) ready!
ComingSoon.net tipped me off first, but you can see a full invitation from Mr. Jackson right here. Here's a snip: "We ask all fans with an interest in The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings to send one question to this website. Ask us anything! Guillermo and I will select and answer the 20 most common questions, so we can both attempt to address the key issues as best we can ... In addition to answering your 20 questions -- for the entire hour we'll take additional live questions and chat about the projects with anyone who's interested."
(Dramatic pause)
ANYONE WHO'S INTERESTED? Holy macaroni, my geek-meter just overheated. Hell, I don't even need to ask a question (anything I'd want to know would probably be covered by a smarter geek than me), but I cannot WAIT to read the transcription of this chat session. Ugh, I can't believe we have to wait over two years for this Hobbit movie, but what sweet torture it is.
When Heath Ledger passed away earlier this year, he left the planet as one of this generation's great actors; a guy who battled many personal demons off the screen, for sure, but one who gave everything to the role. And while we won't get to see his latest creation on the big screen until July 18th, early footage shows Ledger's version of Batman's arch-nemesis could go down as the darkest, baddest and craziest we've ever seen. My question to you, then, is: Will it be enough to land Ledger another Oscar nod come next year?
Sure, the Academy isn't all too keen on recognizing superhero movies unless we're talking about special effects or sound editing, but with bigger actors taking on riskier comic-related roles, isn't only a matter of time before one of these guys (or girls) turns out a performance worthy of a gold statue? Are these characters not meaty enough; are they not conflicted, troubled and crying out for a hug? If an Oscar can go to Javier Bardem for playing a sadistic, calculated murderer in No Country for Old Men, and Johnny Depp can be nominated for playing a sadistic, calculated murderer -- both in the same year -- I see no reason why Ledger's Joker can't be taken into consideration.
It's early still, I realize that -- but should this guy turn in the kind of performance we're all expecting, shouldn't he be recognized with an Oscar nomination? What are the chances here, folks?
Yes, I imagine right about now the folks at Marvel Productions are sporting grins wide enough to swallow their own ears. Iron Man held the number one spot for two weeks in a row, taking in $177 million since its release last week, making it the top grossing film of 2008 so far. The superhero blockbuster pulled in more than last week's two new releases combined, with Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz's comedy What Happens in Vegas edging out the Wachowskis more family-friendly adaptation of Speed Racer. Here's the final tally. 1. Iron Man: $51.1 million 2. What Happens in Vegas:$20.1 million 3. Speed Racer:$18.5 million 4. Made of Honor:$8.1 million 5. Baby Mama:$6.2 million
Just one solitary new release for this week. Will it be enough to dethrone Marvel's golden avenger?
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian What's It All About: A year has passed since the events of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, but when the Pevensie siblings return to the world of Narnia, they find that 1,300 years have gone by and the land is under the tyrannical rule of King Miraz, though young Prince Caspian is the rightful heir to the throne. Why It Might Do Well: Being the sequel to a successful flick ($65 million opening weekend with a total of $744 million worldwide) and the only major release hitting U.S. theaters this week, things are looking good for the Narnian economy. And the 88% fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com can't hurt. Why It Might Not Do Well: I suppose if another Grand Theft Auto game should suddenly come out... Number of Theaters: 3,800 Prediction: $65 million
Like most mega-pathetic movie spazzes, I bought this box set the day it came out. (Actually I bought this version, got home, freaked out, and brought it back to the store to exchange for the correct one.) The first "Adventures of Indiana Jones" package came with a fourth disc that has a two-hour documentary on the whole series, plus a handful of brief featurettes on stunts, sounds, magic, and music. Definitely some good stuff, but the movie discs (NOT sold separately) were entirely bare-bones affairs.
So there are two things that are welcomely different about the second Indiana Jones box set: A) Now you CAN purchase the movies individually, and B) there's no extra disc: This time around the extra features are on the "main feature" discs. This sounded pretty good to me, as I've been hoping for more "flick-specific" supplements on the re-issue ... but here's where I get a little annoyed: Obviously the new goodies are of a very high quality (given that they were overseen by DVD magic-man Laurent Bouzereau), but ... why so skimpy? I'll offer a few nerdy gripes and then offer a theory as to why this stuff happens, followed by a complete list of all the new features found on the latest Indy DVD set...
Get what you can through older clips like the one above, because it looks like Moaning Myrtle is getting more to moan about. Snitch Seeker, a Potter fan site, contacted Shirley Henderson's agency, and they confirmed: "I'm sorry to report that Moaning Myrtle has not made it into the latest film." That's right -- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will get none of the moaning cutie. In the realms of the plot, this means that Myrtle won't be able to console Draco Malfoy after Harry performs the Sectumsempra spell on the tow-headed wannabe baddie.
I'm beginning to wonder if the final two-parter announcement is not only to handle all that's packed inside the last installment, but to have enough room to give all the beloved characters their time on screen. At least, with two films, I would hope that they wouldn't have to cut anyone completely out. The only thing that sucks more than a character cut for time, is a character cut when the time is already doubled.
What say you, Potter fans? Is Myrtle an okay exclusion?
A new trailer for The Incredible Hulkhas just arrived online, and I'm definitely diggin' it. This is the trailer currently playing before Speed Racer, and, is it just me, or is that a little tease of the classic TV show's music there at the end. Have we heard any of that yet? Maybe I missed it in another trailer, but I first noticed it just now -- and, man, did it take me back.* This new preview gives us a whole lotta Hulk and no Abomination -- just Hulk running and smashing things, like those two cars he's holding up at the end. (Does insurance cover a monster destroying your automobile?) The Incredible Hulk stars Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt and Tim Blake Nelson. The film marks Marvel's second self-financed flick, following the very successful Iron Man, and it was directed by Louis Leterrier (The Transporter, The Transporter 2). So now that you've gotten a good look at three trailers and tons of images from the film, whaddya think? Worth a shot? As good or better than Iron Man? Check our our pretty massive Incredible Hulk gallery, and sound off below ...
*The music is also featured at the end of the second trailer; thanks to Peter for pointing that out.
The last time I saw my awesome amigo Nacho Vigalondo, it was at a Sundance party during which he was A) very thrilled to have his film play the festival, B) mega-elated that writer/producer Steven Zaillian would be involved in the English-language remake of his film (Timecrimes), and C) seriously drunk and hanging out with an overworked karaoke machine. When I pressed him for additional details, he said something to the effect of "I don't know yet, but .... Steve SALE-IAN, man! He wrote Bobby Fischer and Gangs of New York, man..." To which I responded, "Yeah, dude. Damn good writer. Plus Schindler's List, A Civil Action, American Gangster,and the awesome Falcon and the Snowman!"
The drunken Spaniard's eyes went absolutely wide: "Steve SALE-IAN is remaking my movieeeee!" He was like a little kid on Christmas morning, I swear. It was an awesomely sweet thing to see. But since we weren't really sure about Mr. Zaillian's specific attachment to the remake, this fresh news is also pretty exciting. Wouldn't it be cool if the Timecrimes remake had a Steve Zaillian screenplay and a director named ... David Cronenberg?? (I've seen Timecrimes more than once, and I think Mr. Cronenberg would be a perrrrrrrrfect fit for this time-travel / serial killer material.)
The United Artists re-do is still in the very early stages, so we could see a lot of personnel changes before the American version of Timecrimes hits the scene -- but given how positive the reaction has been among festival audiences, flick-buyers, and remake makers, we might just see it a little sooner than later. In the meantime, keep an eye out for the original film, which is a favorite among the Magnolia gang, and should be getting a release some time later this year.
If you're anything like me, you have completely given up on the next installment of Transformers having even a whiff of plot, and instead you are just going to sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Speaking of, it looks like it's going to be quite the show, too. The keen eyes over Comic2Film noticed that in the Dolby News release for ShoWest 2008, Transformers 2 was listed as a 3D film slated for 2009.
There have been plenty of updates for the film lately, but unfortunately most of them turned out to be smoke and mirrors -- just ask Teresa Palmer. But, a 3D release could be the real deal, even though we haven't heard a peep from Michael Bay on the matter. Kind of surprising, too, considering he is not the kind of guy who likes to keep quiet about these sorts of things.
Transformers 2 is scheduled to start filming on location in Pennsylvania this June, but everything is going to hinge on whether or not the SAG strike can be averted. A 3D release does make sense if you think about it, especially since the only way to top the FX of the first film is to have them flying off the screen at the audience this time around. (Yay! A monster truck is flying toward me at 150mph! Ain't this fun!)
Weigh in below and let us know if you think 3D is the way to go for our robotic friends, or will it just be an excuse for Bay to spend even more time on the FX and even less time on the script?
Okay, I'm going to try to write this post without pissing off a gazillion people. See, our resident Twilight expert, Kim, is flying to France right now, and so I'm the lucky guy left to write about Twilight. And speaking of the biggest teen vampire film to hit the states since The Lost Boys, a brand new poster for Twilight has been released by Summit Entertainment. (You can check it out to the right and click to enlarge.) Additionally, we've decided that now is the time to introduce our official Twilight gallery (see below). Fans of the film should definitely save that gallery link and check back daily as we'll be adding more photos real soon.
And there's more! CulturePulp's Mike Russell tipped us off to this super funky comic strip he created, which was inspired by a recent trip of his to the set of Twilight. The comic strip is supposed to compliment an article he wrote for The Los Angeles Times. The comic is a damn funny read, as Mike takes you through a scene where they're playing vampire baseball and running at 30mph. Don't know, but it sounds good.
Confession time! I've never read Twilight, and I have absolutely nothing against the book or its fans. However, the only thing that worries me about this film is Kristen Stewart. Hate me forever, but she always plays the disturbed, "I have several emotional issues that stem from my childhood" kinda gal. Not a bad thing, mind you, but I've never seen her give us an ounce of power, of energy, of anything, really.
So here's a question for you fans: Do you think Kristen Stewart is the right actress to play your beloved Isabella Swan? Have you seen her other films? (Or maybe Isabella is a really boring person, because then Stewart would be excellent in the role.
It might not be the best quality image, but the first glimpse of Justin Chatwin (War of the Worlds) as the anime hero, Goku, has finally hit the net -- and I have to admit, it doesn't look half-bad. A dedicated Dragonball Z fan submitted a scan from the Japanese magazine Shonen Jump to the Dragonball fan site (see to the right; click to enlarge) and even though it's blurry and covered in Japanese, it does give me hope that the film won't be a total disaster. Fox has kept a tight grip on updates for the film, and other than a few MySpace entries from co-star Emmy Rossum, the most we have gotten was a leaked teaser poster.
Dragonball was written and directed by James Wong and tells the story of Goku, a young man locked in a struggle with the evil Piccolo (James Marsters) over some mystical globes known as 'dragon balls'. The debate over whether or not Chatwin was going to be able to pull off the classic manga character was a big source of contention among fans. It's not like it's easy to ignore the obvious racial 'disparity' in hiring Chatwin to play a guy that normally looks like this.
So what do you think? Now that we have finally seen Chatwin in all his manga glory, will it be enough to silence detractors? Or will it be the last piece of the puzzle that proves they were right all along?
Dragonball will arrive in theaters on April 8th, 2009.
Other than the official videos released by Zack Snyder, it has been shockingly quiet on the 
Gotta love those fan-friendly filmmakers. Next Saturday the 
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
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The last time I saw my awesome amigo 
If you're anything like me, you have completely given up on the next installment of Transformers having even a whiff of plot, and instead you are just going to sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Speaking of, it looks like it's going to be quite the show, too. The keen eyes over Comic2Film noticed that in the Dolby News release for ShoWest 2008, 
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