Posts with tag featured
Posted May 9th 2008 4:02PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Fandom, Family Films, Movie Marketing, Contests, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
Welcome back to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game where, in order to play, you need to
really hate snakes. Hate 'em! Last week we asked you to write funny captions for a photo from
Speed Racer, which hits theaters with a whole lotta color this weekend. Congrats to
Anthony M. for painting a very bizarre, yet hilarious picture in our heads. (We still love ya BK!)
1. "Reasons To Burn Rubber (#5): Family-operated Burger King drive through. Fast. Hot. Creepy." --
Anthony M.2. "Mario's Illegitimate Family..... (shhh, princess peach doesn't know)" --
Joshua B.3. "Just keep your hands at 10 and 2, buckle your seatbelt, and are you sure you don't want to put some clothes on?" --
Nathan T.
See full image and all captions
This week, well, you may know this guy from somewhere. Can't place the face? Here, we'll help -- it starts with an 'Indiana' and ends with a 'Jones'. Put it together and you have one of this summer's most anticipated films -- not to mention we've been looking forward to this sequel for the past 20 years. But before
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hits theaters on May 22, you're going to want to get reacquainted with an old friend -- and that's where we come in: The winners of our three favorite captions will take home one Indiana Jones The Adventure Collection DVD boxed set, which includes:
Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Temple of Doom &
The Last Crusade. That's it to the right; ain't it purty? (Click to enlarge.) In honor of our friend Indy, it's now time for you to start whippin' out those captions! Sound off below ...
Read the official rules for this contestPosted May 8th 2008 10:02PM by Eric Kohn
Filed under: New Releases, Movie Marketing, Cinematical Seven, Columns
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Whether or not shows like
Aqua Teen Hunger Force or
The Simpsons succeeded in translating their television dynamics to the big screen depends on your point of view, but the release of
Speed Racer this weekend raises a more specific question about the viability of turning an animated series into a live action spectacle on the big screen.
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and
Underdog both suggest how this goal can go wrong -- namely, by imploding on its absurd conceits. You may disagree with the inclusion of some of the following titles, all of which culled their material from animation, but it's fair to say that each of them takes its subject matter at face value, allowing the natural ingredients of the original sources to remain intact. Well, maybe not
Super Mario Bros., but that one is a special case (fire away, if you must). Until somebody makes an
Animaniacs movie with real actors, I'm sticking to this list.
1. Popeye (1980)
Robert Altman's offbeat ode to the famous Fleisher cartoon starring the spinach-eating strongman and his darling Olive Oil is the great misunderstood work of the director's career. Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall manage to bring utterly ridiculous characters into a realm of believability that you could never imagine when watching the show. Suddenly, Popeye made sense -- goofy, almost surreal sense, but sense nonetheless -- in the real world. Thanks to veteran adult cartoonist Jules Feiffer's screenplay and a soundtrack so catchy Paul Thomas Anderson borrowed from it twenty years later in
Punch-Drunk Love, the classic status of
Popeye can't be denied.
Continue reading Cinematical Seven: When an Animated Series Goes Live Action ... and Gets it Right
Posted May 8th 2008 2:52PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Images
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We brought you a bunch of brand new
G.I. Joe character photos yesterday, but Paramount just sent over a whole batch of those same images (plus a few others) in beautiful hi-res. These photos include characters like Duke (Channing Tatum), Hawk (Dennis Quaid), Ripcord (Marlon Wayans), The Baroness (Sienna Miller), Destro (Christopher Eccleston), Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Breaker (Saïd Taghmaoui), Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee). With the exception of Cobra Commander (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), that's our primary cast.
Check out all these images (in hi-res) in the gallery below.
G.I. Joe hits theaters on August 7, 2009.
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Posted May 8th 2008 12:02PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Fan Rant
You know, I have always had a dislike for the collectible business. Most children of the 70's and 80's probably do, as we were generally left crying because our
Transformers or
Star Wars collections were incomplete. My own bitterness arises from not being able to get a figure of April O'Neill, the redheaded reporter and best friend of
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That was the first time I learned that
adults collected these things -- and not to play with, but to sell for ridiculously high prices. And I learned it courtesy of my dad, who knew guys hoarding April O'Neill figures, and who wouldn't cough one up to a fellow cop for his young, geeky daughter.
So, this story from
the New York Post reporting Heath Ledger's Joker figure selling out everywhere makes me sad and angry. It's not that kids are being denied a Joker figure (I really do not think young children should be anywhere near
The Dark Knight, and I'm pretty liberal about kids watching dark movies), but that Ledger's death is being shamelessly exploited on eBay. Because you know as well as I that those figures wouldn't be flying from the shelves if Ledger hadn't passed away earlier this year. I have no doubt it would be popular, but no one would be buying 30 of them. They wouldn't be going for $55.00 a pop. (Actually, it looks like that's some hyperbole, as a brief glance suggests it's more in the range of $30-$40, but it's still the principle of the thing. Sell enough and you've turned a tidy profit.)
Continue reading Fan Rant: The Selling Out of Heath Ledger
Posted May 7th 2008 12:02PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Comedy, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Images
Cinematical has just received a whole bunch of new images from the upcoming film
Swing Vote, starring
Kevin Costner,
Kelsey Grammer,
Dennis Hopper and
Paula Patton. I'm loving the concept behind this one -- imagine if an entire presidential election somehow came down to one vote ... and it was yours. That's exactly what happened to Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner), a simple man living a simple life -- and
Swing Vote follows Bud, as well as his 12-year-old daughter, when they're suddenly thrust into the national spotlight.
Grammer and Hopper play both presidential candidates, while Nathan Lane and Stanley Tucci chime in as their campaign managers. Additionally, a whole mess of real-life personalities will pop up -- like Larry King, Bill Maher, Arianna Huffington, Tucker Carlson and more. With the country stressing out over our current presidential election, it'll be nice to take in a sweet comedy that pokes fun at this ridiculous process and the even more ridiculous people who take part in it. Can't we just elect an average guy ... like Bud?
Check out the gallery below for a slew of brand new pics from the film.
Swing Vote arrives in theaters on August 1.
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Posted May 6th 2008 9:32PM by Jeffrey M. Anderson
Filed under: Cinematical Seven, Lists
A good comeback is like a great third act in American lives; it's the triumphant return, the end of the story. James Cagney retired in 1961, then made a triumphant comeback in 1981 with Ragtime. But a good movie never deals with the aftermath of the comeback. Just as often as not, the comeback leads to nothing. Cagney died a few years after the hubbub. Though we all love a good comeback, the following is a list of comebacks that weren't the end of the story, and didn't provide the inspiring coda that they could have.
1. Sylvester Stallone in Cop Land (1997)
Stallone's is one of the most fascinating, dramatic careers in cinema. His fame is so huge that his name and face -- or at least his characters -- are known the world over. He had a fairytale rise to fame with Rocky (1976), complete with tales of writing it in a weekend. He has a lot of charisma, and earned an Oscar nomination for acting. He has directed eight feature films and contributed to the screenplays for nearly twenty. People whisper about how smart and savvy he is behind the scenes.
Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Comebacks That Didn't Take
Posted May 6th 2008 1:02PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, The Geek Beat
In the glorious aftermath of
Iron Man, Marvel announced the dates for who was to follow in his titanium alloyed footsteps, and not surprisingly there's nary a superheroine among them.
I'm a little late to this conversation – even Defamer was calling for a superchick movie last week, but we all know you're stylish if you arrive late to the party. And frankly, as a geek girl, I'm given a pass and can talk about this stuff whenever the mood strikes me. Plus, if I had done it last week, we wouldn't have gotten to talk about all those cool comic books.
It's a surprising fact, but the comic book world is a lot more accepting of tough women than mainstream Hollywood. There are no doubt loads of men and women who disagree with me, pointing to Frank Miller or the unrealistic body expectations. No doubt there are a lot of damning storylines and panels ("
Quiet, or Papa spank!"), but I find much of it easy to shrug off. I'm as staunch a feminist as you can find, but I've never been able to completely shake my fist at the industry because, dammit, there was Wonder Woman and Jean Grey. From the start, comic book heroines were strong individuals, capable of action. A glance through Marvel or DC titles show plenty of women who kick ass as heroes, villains, and all the ambiguity in between.
And they've been doing it for years! Wonder Woman was battling villains when women were still being run out of the workplace – and sporting a mini-skirt while women were still unusual in pants. Of course, they show leg, of course they are extremely pretty and curvaceous, but so what? The men are all cleft-jawed and ripped like gods, so we're hardly seeing a fair shake for either gender there.
Continue reading The Geek Beat: Those Comic Book Broads Don't Need No Movies!
Posted May 6th 2008 12:02PM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
If I asked you to name a half-dozen Marvel characters besides
Spider-Man,
Wolverine, and
The Hulk, you'd probably have no problem. But if I asked you to rattle off six DC Comics superheroes besides
Superman and
Batman, your response might sound a little like this: "Well,
The Flash, of course. And
Wonder Woman. Oh,
Aquaman! Um ...
Green Arrow and
Green Lantern, I suppose..." and then I'd rudely interrupt you with mentions of
Hawkman and
Martian Manhunter before you started shaking your head in either confusion or disbelief in my nerdiness. (I can never tell which is which.)
I know all about the
Justice League movie problems and the inability to get
Wonder Woman flying, but really: After seeing how well-received
Iron Man was -- and after hearing about Marvel's plans regarding
The Incredible Hulk,
Thor,
Captain America, and
The Avengers -- I'm starting to feel a little bad for DC Comics' movie division. But here's the thing: As a character of popular culture,
Iron Man (born 1963) is not exactly a
Spider-Man or even close to a
Superman -- and still Marvel and Paramount were able to bang a really excellent blockbuster out of the guy. (And let's not forget that a relatively obscure Marvel character called
Blade pretty much kick-started this comic-flick renaissance.) Does anyone doubt that a character like
The Flash could have similar results? Given the right cast and crew, I'm thinking
The Flash could be one hell of a fun flick. So let's get moving already!
Continue reading Discuss: DC Comics Needs to Keep Up, Movie-Wise
Posted May 5th 2008 9:02PM by James Rocchi
Filed under: Action, New Releases, Tribeca, Warner Brothers, Theatrical Reviews, Family Films, Comic/Superhero/Geek
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I don't know a lot about
Speed Racer aside from what I've gleaned from the theme song over the years -- apparently, the young man's a demon on wheels -- so, in many ways, I'm the best possible audience for Larry and Andy Wachowski's new big-screen interpretation of the character. Originally a Japanese animation program exported and re-dubbed for the American market in the '60s,
Speed Racer has now been revived and revitalized for now. And the Wachowskis have created a blast of pure pop family fun;
Speed Racer's a bright, bold visual spectacle designed for kids.
And why shouldn't it be? Or, rather, how could it not? This is a property where one of the supporting characters is, after all, a monkey; any fully-grown individual hoping for an adult action film or racing realism is looking in the wrong place.
Speed Racer plays like a car-crazed visual wonder -- it looks and feels like what pop artist Roy Lichtenstein would dream if you locked him in a room full of gas fumes, gave him only candy to eat and showed him nothing but
Tron, Indianapolis 500 footage, episodes of the '60s
Batman TV show and
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. All at the same time. With the volume very, very high.
Continue reading Review: Speed Racer
Posted May 5th 2008 12:02PM by Eric D. Snider
Filed under: Fandom, Fan Rant
Cranky Eric© sez ... Hey, people who make movies: Stop putting scenes after the closing credits. If you want me to watch it, put it IN THE MOVIE, not after it.
It has been well established that when a list of names starts scrolling up against a black screen, the movie is OVER. You're done. Whatever story you had to tell, you told it.
That's the way movies work.
You want to put something cute after the credits, fine. Knock yourself out. A lot of times that stuff is fun. But it doesn't count as an actual part of the story. If it's something we need to know,
tell us. Don't hide it after the list of gaffers and production assistants and humane society certifications.
Oh, what, at the end of the last
Pirates of the Caribbean -- after the 37 minutes of credits have rolled -- it turns out Elizabeth has a son and is standing around waiting for her once-in-a-decade evening of romance with Will? No she doesn't, and no she isn't. Because the movie ended 37 minutes earlier, when the closing credits started. Whatever happens after that is just you horsin' around. Doesn't count. It's not canon.
Continue reading Fan Rant: Quit Tossing in Extra Scenes After the Movie's Already Over
Posted May 5th 2008 10:02AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Deals, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek
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Folks expected a huge opening take for
Iron Man, but $201 million worldwide? Damn. And doesn't it feel a whole lot better when a film that makes that kinda money actually
deserves to make that kind of money? Anyway, as expected, Marvel went absolutely nutty over this news and,
while announcing quarter one profits, took some time to give us tentative release dates for
Iron Man 2,
Thor,
Captain America and
The Avengers. Marvel Entertainment will not release a film in 2009, but first up in 2010 will be
Iron Man 2 on April 30. Two months later, on July 4, 2010
, Thor will debut in theaters. So, like this summer, we'll be getting two Marvel flicks in 2010 -- and if
Thor wants to claim fourth of July weekend, that film better know how to kick some serious ass. You don't jump on July 4th without knowing you have a set -- know what I mean?
Similarly, in 2011, Marvel Entertainment will debut another two films. First, on May 6, 2011, we have
The First Avenger: Captain America (new title I believe). Then, in July, the biggie --
The Avengers! There was no word of an
Ant-Man film in there, though last we heard it was in development with Edgar Wright attached. Honestly, unless they push
The Avengers to 2012, I don't see where
Ant-Man could fit in. Additionally, I imagine we'll have to wait to see how well
The Incredible Hulk does, seeing as they may want to sequel-ize that one too. Otherwise,
Iron Man will be the only franchise to debut a sequel prior to an full-on
Avengers flick.
Phew. Chime in, folks. What do you think about it all?
Posted May 2nd 2008 4:02PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Comedy, Fandom, The Weinstein Co., Movie Marketing, Images
God, I love this movie.
Cinematical has received two exclusive stills for
The Promotion, directed by Steve Conrad (writer of
The Pursuit of Happyness and
The Weather Man). You can check out larger versions of both photos in the gallery below, but listen up: Go see this flick when it arrives in theaters this June 6. I'll give you the same pitch I've been giving everyone else: Picture
Election in a supermarket with older main characters. This isn't some stupid, cheesy broad comedy -- it's intelligent, it's hysterical and it features what is perhaps the best performance from
Seann William Scott I've ever seen.
Essentially,
The Promotion (
read our review here) is about two nice guys who just happen to be going for the same job as manager of a new supermarket opening up across town. Toss in a slew of random characters, a well-written story and witty dialogue, and
that's The Promotion. Yes, there are a bunch of other comedies opening up this summer with bigger stars, bigger budgets and bigger marketing campaigns. I'll say this, though: 10 bucks
The Promotion turns out better than all of them. Easily my favorite comedy of the year so far.
Now stand up, walk over to your calendar and draw a big red circle around June 6. Underneath, in that little box, scribble in: "Need to see The Promotion." You'll thank us later.
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Posted May 2nd 2008 1:02PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Independent, Tribeca, Sony Classics, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Images, Posters
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Cinematical is absolutely stoked to have received this exclusive poster for
The Wackness (click on the image to enlarge), which just enjoyed its New Yawk premiere at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival earlier this week. Directed by the very talented Jonathan Levine (
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane),
The Wackness centers on the relationship between a pot dealer with no friends (
Josh Peck) and a therapist (
Ben Kingsley) on the verge of a mid-life crisis. And did I mention that neither one is getting laid? Set in 1994 New York City, the film just oozes mid-nineties and definitely captures every ounce of what it was like to grow up during that particular time period.
Olivia Thirlby,
Famke Janssen and
Mary-Kate Olsen also star (as the three lovely ladies our two heroes
really want to get with).
I
managed to catch The Wackness at a screening a few days ago with a young, hip New York crowd who absolutely devoured the flick. It's dope, it's mad funny and it brings just enough nostalgia to help you remember what it was like when you were unlucky and in love with not a clue what to do. Seriously, go see this one with a group of friends and have a blast.
The Wackness arrives in theaters on July 3.
Posted May 1st 2008 9:20PM by Kim Voynar
Filed under: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Mystery & Suspense, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Images
Holy Cullens! Hold onto your seats, all you Twilight fanatics. This is the first official ensemble piece with final hair, makeup and costume (those other photos, we believe, were test shots, but this one gives our first official look at the characters inside the Twilight universe) Click on the image for a larger view -- you know you want to -- then let's take a moment to dissect the loveliness, shall we?
I know all you hardcore Twilighters know these characters, but for those who don't, we have, from left to right: Ashley Greene as Alice Cullen; Kellan Lutz as Emmett Cullen; Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan; Robert Pattinson as uber-hot vampire Edward Cullen; Nikki Reed as Rosalie Hale; and Jackson Rathbone as Jasper Hale.
We've been covering the various bits of Twilight news, set visit write-ups and behind-the-scenes goodies extensively here, but this is the first time that we've seen the cast in character like this. Aside from the fact that the image looks totally cool and perfectly captures that "Twilight-vibe," can I just say that any doubts anyone out there is still harboring about Robert Pattinson as Edward should be totally laid to rest by this picture?
Continue reading EXCLUSIVE: First Official Pic of 'Twilight' Cast!
Posted May 1st 2008 4:02PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Drama, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Contests
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So check out this pretty nifty
Redbelt poster. Now what's interesting about the image above is that it's a "fight poster," which means it's not an actual poster FOR the movie, it's a poster promoting the big fight that takes place IN the movie. Talk about something cool to add to your geeked-out movie collection, huh? Not only that, but this poster also comes signed by David Mamet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ricky Jay, David Paymer, Emily Mortimer, Renato Magno, John Machado, and Joe Mantegna. Uh, yeah -- something tells me a lot of you folks might want one of these. Fine! Take them all, you bloody scavengers! Here's how this will play out:
You leave a comment (prior to 5PM EST on Monday, May 5) telling us why you're itching to see
Redbelt. We'll then choose five random commenters, all of whom will be sent the fabulous poster featured above. It's
that easy!
Redbelt arrives in theaters in New York and LA tomorrow and nationwide on May 9. Check out the film's trailer, as well as the official rules for this contest, after the jump.
Continue reading CONTEST: Who Wants a Signed 'Redbelt' Poster?
Next Page >
This week, well, you may know this guy from somewhere. Can't place the face? Here, we'll help -- it starts with an 'Indiana' and ends with a 'Jones'. Put it together and you have one of this summer's most anticipated films -- not to mention we've been looking forward to this sequel for the past 20 years. But before Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hits theaters on May 22, you're going to want to get reacquainted with an old friend -- and that's where we come in: The winners of our three favorite captions will take home one Indiana Jones The Adventure Collection DVD boxed set, which includes: Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Temple of Doom & The Last Crusade. That's it to the right; ain't it purty? (Click to enlarge.) In honor of our friend Indy, it's now time for you to start whippin' out those captions! Sound off below ....jpg)
