Empire Awards 2008

Best Newcomer
Sam Riley (Control)

Best Comedy
Hot Fuzz

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Stardust

Best Horror
28 Weeks Later

Best Thriller
American Gangster

The Sony Ericsson Soundtrack Award
Control

Best British Film
Atonement

Best Actress
Keira Knightley (Atonement)

Best Actor
James McAvoy (Atonement)

Best Director
David Yates (Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix)

Best Film
The Bourne Ultimatum

Done In 60 Seconds
Titanic

Empire Inspiration Award
Guillermo Del Toro

Outstanding Contribution To British Film
Shane Meadows

Empire Icon
Ewan McGregor

Source: Empire Online

Wolf Man

Below is the first image from the forthcoming Wolf Man remake, starring Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins.

The film has had a troubled gestation, with director Marc Romanek replaced by Joe Johnston just a few weeks before filming. There are also rumours of rewrites to the script, despite the strong buzz surrounding Andrew Kevin Walkers original screenplay.

Speed Racer

Looking disturbingly like ancient PC game Megarace, heres the international trailer for the Wachowski brothers' forthcoming family actioner Speedracer

The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus

Reuters have confirmed the earlier rumours that Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law will be completing Heath Ledger's role in Terry Gilliam's forthcoming fantasy film.

Ledger's footage will remain in the film, with the producers stating that "since the format of the story allows for the preservation of his entire performance, at no point will Heath's work be modified or altered through the use of digital technology."

Gilliam makes it clear that the production was restarted "with the blessing and support of Heath Ledger's family" and that he was "delighted that Heath's brilliant performance can be shared with the world. We are looking forward to finishing the movie and, through the film, with a modicum of humility, being able to touch people's hearts and souls as Heath was able to do."

Source: Reuters

Alien vs Predator 3

Various sources report that 20th Century Fox are pushing ahead with a third Alien vs Predator film. Despite the critical drubbing the seond film took, it still managed to pull in $130 million overseas, and given the lack of stars the films are relatively cheap to make. No word yet as to whether any of the cast or directors of the second film are returning.

Source: Cinematical

The Dark Knight

The above new image from The Dark Knight is taken from an interesting New York Times article, which talks about the reinvigoration of the franchise following Batman and Robin, and concentrates on the working methods of director Christopher Nolan. It also has some interesting thoughts on the interplay between Batman and the Joker:-

Mr. Oldman’s police lieutenant, Jim Gordon, warns about the perils of escalation: that Batman’s extreme measures could invite a like response from the criminal element. And sure enough, a deadly new villain, the Joker, emerges to wreak havoc.

In a political context this would politely be called an “unintended consequence.” (Gotham as Baghdad, anyone?) Mr. Nolan doesn’t deny the overtones. “As we looked through the comics, there was this fascinating idea that Batman’s presence in Gotham actually attracts criminals to Gotham, attracts lunacy,” he said. “When you’re dealing with questionable notions like people taking the law into their own hands, you have to really ask, where does that lead? That’s what makes the character so dark, because he expresses a vengeful desire.”

Despite some lingering concerns as to whether the film will contain too much in terms of character and plot, this film is increasingly looking to be the one to watch this summer.

Battle For Red Cliff

Following a disappointing time in the USA (only Face Off coming anywhere close to expectations), John Woo is returning to Chinese language filmmaking for his next film, Battle For Red Cliff. Below is the Japanese trailer, which certainly promises a return to form



Source :Twitchfilm

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Final poster for the forthcoming Indiana Jones film, which does a nice job of capturing the style of the originals

The Incredible Hulk

Universal have been quiet on The Incredible Hulk so far, which has led some people to suggest they don't have particularly high expectations for the film. The full trailer is scheduled to premiere on March 12th across all MTV channels in the US, and below is the teaser for this. That's right, we now have trailers for trailers....



Source: Aint It Cool News

Ice Age 3 - Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Above is a snapshot of the theatre standee for the third Ice Age fim which hits cinemas next summer. Rather confusingly the film seems to pit the characters from the previous films against dinosaurs, although historical accuracy has never been the series' strong point.

Source: /film

The Sopranos

Count this one as a rumour at present, but the owner of 'The Satin Dolls' strip club claims to have the inside track on a possible Sopranos film.

The Satin Dolls doubles as the Bada Bing club, which of course features heavily in the series. The owner, Nick D'Urso, says he has put back a planned refit of the club after he "got an inside tip that they're going to do a movie, so I don't want to make any major changes ... I'm not going to reveal my sources, but we got a call from somebody (working) on the script."

There has been talk of a Sopranos movie since the series ended, but little in the way of concrete information. The final episode certainly left room for a continuation.

Source:Cinematical

The Dark Knight

If you remember our previous post on this film, people have been invited on the Dark Knight website to leave their phone number if they wanted to join Harvey Dent's campaign for District Attorney. Those that joined up have received a message, recorded by Aaron Eckhart, as follows:-

“Hello, I’m Harvey Dent, Assistant District Attorney of Gotham, and I’m calling to ask for your support. We all know what’s wrong with Gotham. Crime is out of control. And instead of protecting our streets, too many cops have become criminals themselves.

This is why my mission has been to stamp out police corruption, and this is why I’m considering a run for district attorney. But I can’t do it alone. I need to know if you, the people of Gotham, want change. Do you want a Gotham free from the grip of criminals and the corrupt? Are you ready to join a crusade to take back our city? If this is a change you desire, if you are fed up with living in fear, go to ibelieveinharveydent.com and see how you can join the struggle to take back our city. I’m ready to fight for Gotham, if you are ready to fight too.”

The website www.ibelieveinharveydent.com has also been updated with new pictures and information

Source: /film

Wanted

New trailer for the slightly cheesy looking Angelina Jolie action flick

Wanted Exclusive Trailer

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Iron Man

New, somewhat photoshoppy, Iron Man poster

Source: Aint It Cool News

Tropic Thunder

Above is the first image from Ben Stiller's forthcoming comedy Tropic Thunder. Stiller directs and stars in the film, which tells of a group of actors forced to fend for themselves when dumped in the jungle by the director of the latest film.

Starring alongside Stiller is Jack Black, to the rear, and Robert Downey Jr. If you dont recognise Downey Jr in the picture above, he's the one in the middle. Downey Jr plays a serious actor who, when offered a role originally written for an African American, decides to dye his skin rather than have the role rewritten. Some people are concerned this plot point may cause controversy and it will be inte resting to see how it is handled in the publicity surrounding the film.

Steve Coogan and Nick Nolte also star in the film, which is due for an August release.

Source: Cinematical

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

USA today has the first still from Kevin Smith's forthcoming comedy 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno'.

The article also talks about box office expectations for the film, and related concern that the title may prove a turn off for some viewers. Smith is sanguine about this stating that '"We're just hoping that by the time the movie comes out, if the marketing people do their jobs right, it's a word that people will kind of get over'.

Box office analyst James Bock feels the risque title could work to the film's advantage, suggestint that "It's one of the best titles of the year"

MST3k presents Samson -v- the Vampire Women

I know these dont really fit in with the news based direction the site is taking, but what the hell, these are great...

Burn After Reading

Following the Oscar success of 'No Country for Old Men', the Coen brothers next film, 'Burn After Reading' will be getting a wide release on 12 September in the US.

The film stars George Clooney and tells of a CIA vet, played by John Malkovich, who gets fired writes his memoir as revenge . His wife mistakenly leaves the memoir at a gym, where it is discovered by a trainer (Brad Pitt)who try to turn the discovery to their advantage. Clooney is charged with recovering the memoir. The film is apparently a fairly lightweight comedy, which will be a change from the intense drama of their previous film.

Source: cinematical

The Onion Movie

The Onion Movie, a film based on the famous satirical website, will finally hit DVD later this year. The movie was filmed way back in 2004, but is only now seeing the light of day. The trailer, below, makes the film look like a cross between The Day Today and Kentucky Fried Movie.

Whilst there are some laughs in the trailer this looks like an idea which could struggle to maintain momentum over the length of a feature film. Some of the film's supposedly more topical material may also suffer as a result of the delays in the film's release.



Source: /film

No Woman No Cry

The Weinstein company are jumping on the musical biopic bandwagon, having pruchased the rights to 'No Woman No Cry', Rita Marleys autobiographical account of her life with husband Bob Marley. The book focuses on the ups and downs of their life together prior to Marley's death from cancer in 1981 at the age of just 36.

The film is set for a late 2009 release with a script from 'Working Girl's Lizzie Borden and Rita Marley executive producing.

Source: Variety

Rosemary's Baby

Platinum Dunes is in talks to remake Roman Polanski's horror classic Rosemary's Baby.

Dunes, which specialises in remakes of horror films including the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Amityville Horror and forthcoming Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday 13th reworkings, is turning it's attention to the tale of a woman who believes she has been impregnated by the devil.

The original was a masterpiece of subtlety and understatement, which are two words that cannot be used to describe Platinum Dune's output to date. Still we'll reserve judgment until we hear more details.

Source: CHUD.com

Crazy on the Outside

Tim Allen will make his directing debut with 'Crazy On The Outside'.

The film tells of a prisoner who upon being granted parole is forced to live with his eccentric sister and has trouble adjusting to life outside.

Allen will also star in the film, alongside Ray Liotta, Carrie-Anne Moss and Kelsey Grammer.

No word on whether Allen will bring his real life experience to the role. Allen served two and a half years in prison in the late 70s after trying to sell a large amount of cocaine to an undercover narcotics officer.

Source: Variety

Prince Caspian

New behind the scenes clip from the forthcoming Chronicles of Narnia sequel



Source: Empire

Hellboy 2

poster art for the forthcoming Hellboy sequel, designed by Drew Struzan

The Dark Knight

Following a hiatus as a result of the death of star Heath Ledger, the marketing campaign for The Dark Knight has begun again in earnest. As previously indicated, the next stage of the ad campaign will focus on Harvey 'Two Face' Dent.

The first step in this new approach appears to be another viral marketing campaign. Visitors to www.ibelieveinharveydent.com are invited to enter their e-mail address and phone number to join Dent's campaign for District Attorney. We assume that at some point in the future those who participate will be sent a link to some new material on the film, currently rumoured to be a new trailer.

Of course by completing these forms you are also passing your contact details to Warner Brothers and probably setting yourself up for a lifetime of marketing spam, so proceed carefully if you get wound up about such things.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Variety reports that the new Indiana Jones film will premiere at the Cannes film festival on May 18th, four days before it's worldwide release.

Whilst some lament the takeover of the film festival as a launching pad for summer blockbusters, premiering the film at Cannes guarantees a shed load of publicity for both the film and the festival.

Source: Variety

The Love Guru

It's been a long time since we've seen Mike Myers in a live action film. To be frank, this doesn't look promising, with Myers just repeating his Wayne World / Austin Powers shtick, although the trailer's worth watching for the sight of Justin Timberlake with an afro.

Iron Man

New Iron Man trailer. The buzz is increasing for this film, and this trailer seems perfect in tone. The only niggle at the moment is some obvious CGI effects, but hopefully this will be sorted before the films May 2 release date.

Disney Sequels

Aint it Cool news reports that Disney will be releasing sequels to one of their biggest franchises and a cult classic in 2011.

Tron 2 , some 29 years after the original film, will be shot in 3D. Other than that little is known about the film.

Meanwhile, and perhaps less surprisingly, we can also expect a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film. The sequel is likely to concentrate on Johnny Depp , with the other actors unlikely to reprise their roles

Source: Aint it Cool News

Pineapple Express

New uncut trailer for forthcoming Seth Rogen / Judd Apatow stoner comedy "The Pineapple Express'

New Line Cinema calls it quits

Following disappointing box office on their recent films, New Line Cinema has announced it will be no longer exist as a seperate entity but will instead operate in a 'much smaller' capacity as a unit of Warner Brothers. Chairmen Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne will be stepping down from their roles

From Pink Flamingos to A Nightmare on Elm Street and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, New Line has been responsible for some of the most memorable cinema of the last 30 years , however they have struggled with their recent release slate and their attempt to move into blockbuster territory (Rings notwithstanding...). Many people have been speculating that the studio was in serious trouble following the failure of The Golden Compass last year and it appears this is the end result.


Source: Cinematical

Cocaine Cowboys

Mark Wahlberg and Leonardo Di Caprio may be reuniting in a feature film adaptation of 2006 documentary Cocaine Cowbays. The film tells the story of Miami's cocaine trade int the 1970s.

More details at /film.

BBFC bans 'Murder Set Pieces'

The BBFC have refused a DVD certificate for psycho thriller 'Murder Set Pieces' stating that "to issue a certificate to Murder Set Pieces, even if statutorily confined to adults, would involve risk of harm within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, would be inconsistent with the Board’s Guidelines, and would be unacceptable to the public."

according to the BBFC press release "Murder Set Pieces is a feature with a single-minded focus on the activities of a psychopathic sexual serial killer, who, throughout the film, is seen raping, torturing and murdering his victims. Young children are among those terrorised and killed, and their inclusion in this abusive context is an added concern. In relation to the adult victims, there is a clear focus on sex or sexual behaviour accompanied by non-consensual pain, injury and humiliation."

They go on to state that the content of the film "also raises potential legal questions, for instance in relation to the Protection of Children Act 1978, as well as possible breaches of other legislation such as that on obscenity."

In recent years the outright banning of a film in the UK is a rare event, and even then is mostly confined to 'adult' titles. However the BBFC has been under pressure in recent weeks and this may be the first sign that they are taking a tougher stance in an attempt to head off further calls for a reform of the censorship system.

Source: Variety

Get Smart

New trailer for forthcoming comedy / actioner Get Smart

Wall E

Whilst the creators of Short Circuit prepare their inevitable lawsuit heres the final poster for forthcoming Pixar film Wall-E



Source: Aint It Cool News

Where the Wild Things Are

Our previous post on this matter suggested that Warner Brothers were not entirely happy with Spike Jonze's adaptation of the children's book Where the Wild Things Are. Latest news is that the film has now been pushed back to an October 2009 release date, which would tally with reports that the film will be extensively, if not completely, reshot. Whether Spike Jonze will be involved in any reshoots remains to be seen.

Source: slashfilm

The Tooth Fairy

Following the success of The Game Plan (in the US at least), Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson appears to be pursuing further roles in more family orientated fare. To this end he has just signed on to play 'an ordinary man who's brought in to try to save the tooth fairy kingdom'.

If that sounds a little like the Santa Clause then you won't be surprised to learn the film will be directed by Michael Lambeck, who was responsible for the second and third films in the series.

Of slightly more interest is the fact the script was written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, who in the eighties were responsible for such classics as Splash, Nightshift, City Slickers, Spies Like Us and Parenthood.

Admittedly the premise sounds terrible, but there's always the possibility we could be surprised, no? No.

Source: Cinematical

Gotham Knight

As the behind the scenes clip posted a few weeks ago seems to have been pulled, here's a few stills from 'Gotham Knight' the new animated Batman DVD which will hit shelves before The Dark Knight premieres. The film features a selection of stories, with some big name comic writers on board, animated in an anime style. The film is intended to bridge the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, in a similar style to the Animatrix.





Source: Kung Fu Rodeo

Starship Troopers 3

Coming, one presumes direct to DVD, soon.




Source: Empire online

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

The first (kind of) behind the scenes footage from Kevin Smith's next film has just gone online at Quick Stop Entertainment. The clip parodies the recent Matt Damon / Ben Affleck songs that have been doing the internet rounds after featuring on the Jimmy Kimmell show. This version misses out the beeps and is definitely not safe for work / the fainthearted. With this in mind, we're not embedding the clip on the site, but click on the link below to watch.


I'm F-----g Seth Rogen

Zack and Miri stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks and is due for release in late 2008.

MST3K presents Mr B Natural

A short from the MST3K team

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Following the Morgan Spurlock pastiche posted earlier, heres a new poster for the next Indiana Jones flick, this time with newcomer Shia Lebouf (rumoured to be playing Indy's son) featured prominently.

Edit: Several internet sites are now suggesting the above poster is fake.

Source: Cinematical

Bourne 4

Univeral pictures have announced that a fourth Bourne film is in the works, with director Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon both returning.

Both star and director have numerous other projects in the pipeline, which means it will be a few years before this film gets underway. Whilst the last film seemed to tie up the series, the box office for the last film meant a continuation was always likely.

Source: Slashfilm.com

Hellraiser

The Hellraiser remake is officially moving forward. Whilst early word had Clive Barker reworking his original script, the word is that Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan will now be writing. The duo were previously responsible for writing Saw 4 and 5, which doesnt bode well.

Source: CHUD.com

Where in the world is Osama Bin Laden?

New poster for the forthcoming Morgan Spurlock documentary.

Source: Cinematical

Razzie Winners

Worst Picture:
"I Know Who Killed Me"

Worst Actor:
Eddie Murphy, "Norbit"

Worst Actress:
Lindsay Lohan, "I Know Who Killed Me"

Worst Supporting Actress:
Lindsay Lohan (as Aubrey), "I Know Who Killed Me"
Lindsay Lohan (as Dakota), "I Know Who Killed Me"

Worst Screen Couple:
Lindsay Lohan & Lindsay Lohan, "I Know Who Killed Me"

Worst Remake or Rip-Off:
"I Know Who Killed Me" (Rip-Off of 'Hostel', 'Saw' and "The Patty Duke Show")

Worst Prequel or Sequel:
"Daddy Day Camp"

Worst Director:
Chris Siverston, "I Know Who Killed Me"

Worst Screenplay:
Jeffrey Hammond, "I Know Who Killed Me"

Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie:
"I Know Who Killed Me"

Source: Variety

Independent Spirit Award Winners

Best Feature : Juno

Best Director : Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)

Best Male Lead : Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Savages)

Best Female Lead : Ellen Page (Juno)

Best Supporting Male : Chiwetel Ejiofor (Talk to Me)

Best Supporting Female : Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)

Best Screenplay : Tammara Jenkins (The Savages)

Best Cinematography : The Diving Bell & The Butterfly

Best Foreign Film : Once (Republic of Ireland)

Best Documentary: Crazy Love

Best First Feature : The Lookout

Best First Screenplay : Diablo Cody (Juno)

More details at cinematical.com , who have in depth coverage of the event

X Files 2

This has been captured on a camera phone and therefore:-

a) Is poor quality; and

b) Will probably be pulled sooner rather than later.

Nonetheless, this is the first look at the X Files 2 trailer.





Source: Aint it Cool News

Odeon Says No To Rambo

The UK's largest cinema chain, Odeon, is apparently refusing to screen this weekend's major new release Rambo. Variety quotes the chain as stating:-

“Owing to commercial reasons, Odeon has made the decision not to screen the film ‘Rambo’ across its cinemas in the U.K.,”[...] “As the U.K.’s largest cinema chain, Odeon offers its guests a wide range of film genres to appeal to many different audiences. As such the decision not to screen ‘Rambo’ will free up screens to show alternative popular new films such as ‘Jumper,’ ‘Be Kind Rewind’ and ‘Juno’.”

Whilst other theatre chains will still be showing the film, this move will no doubt hurt Rambo's commercial prospects in the UK. It is assumed the argument is over the split of revenues between the cinema and distributor, but there is nothing to suggest this is being handled differently to other movies. In any event cinema's have long made their money from concession stands rather than ticket sales, as this recent article shows .

Source: Variety

Destino

Destino was an intended collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali. The film was begun in the 1940's but abandoned. In 2003 Roy Disney finished the project and since then the film has been shown at a number of festivals. The short (15 min) film is now being released on DVD, with a host of extras, as part of the Disney's Treasures series.

Below is a short clip from the film, which combines classic era Disney animation with Dali's surreal imagery.

The film is set for a November 11th release in the USA, with no UK date as of yet




Source: Cinematical

The Happening

The full trailer for M Night Shyamalan's next movie has been released.

I kind of lost interest in Shyamalan after the ridiculous ending to Signs, and reviews of his most recent movies havent been kind. At first glance the trailer doesnt do anything to allay fears, coming across as a generic 'end of the world' thriller the kind of which we have seen numerous examples of over the last few years.



The Happening upons on June 13th.

Iron Man

The new Iron Man poster has just been released, and offers a detailed look at the costume design.

Source: Screenrant.com

RIP Ben Chapman

The original Creature from the Black Lagoon, Ben Chapman, died today aged 82. Chapman played the creature on land, whilst underwater scenes featured swimmer / stunt man Ricou Browning.

Whilst Chapman had no other roles of note, the Creature from the B;ack Lagoon remains a fifties horror classic, espeially in it's original 3D version). Below is the original theatrical trailer:

Toy Story 3

In an article regarding computer game adaptations of forthcoming movies, the Wall Street Journal gives a first indication of the plot of the upcoming Toy Story 3. The short description is as follows :-

In Pixar’s upcoming movie “Toy Story 3,” Woody the cowboy and his toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, leaves for college.

This outline certainly seems more in line with the themes explored in Toy Story 2 than the previous plan for the film, which involved the characters traveling to Japan.

Toy Story 3 will be released (in 3D) in Summer 2010.

Source: Wall Street Journal, Cinematical

Public Enemies

More casting news has been announced for Michael Mann's forthcoming period gangster film 'Public Enemies' which features the FBI's attempts to catch various gangsters in the 1930s. Christian Bale will play the lead FBI agent, attempting to bring down Johhny Depp's Dillinger.

New to the cast are David Wenham (Faramir in Lord of the Rings), as a member of Dillinger's Crew, and This is England star Stephen Graham as Baby Face Nelson. Giovanni Ribsi and Stephen Dorff will also feature.

Source: Variety

Dark Knight

It's blurry as hell , but various sites have pictures of this Dark Knight action figure which was on display at a recent toy fair.

The image seems to confirm that we will see Two Face at some point in the movie, although current thinking is that this will be at the conclusion as a lead in to the third film. With rumours of the Scarecrow also returning from the first film, and of course Heath Ledger's Joker, there is a slight worry that the film may be too crowded, and Spiderman 3 certainly suffered from multiple villains. That said, director and co-screenwriter Christian Nolan did a great job with the first film, and this remains one of the films to watch this summer

Sex and The City

New full length trailer, for those who like this sort of thing



Edit: The high quality version has been pulled, but the one above is still availabe. Not sure how long this will last.

My Blueberry Nights

Guardian Unlimited has an exclusive clip from Wong Kar Wai's English language debut 'My Blueberry Nights', which opens this weekend.

Reviews for the film have been variable to say the least, and it remains to be seen how Kar Wai's Eastern sensibilities will transfer to a mainstream American fim.

Akira

Further to yesterday's news that a live action Akira movie is on the way, sources are today reporting that the lead character, Kaneda, will be played by Leonardo Di Caprio.

Di Caprio is picky with his projects, and this casting certainly suggests that the studio has it's weight behind the film, however Di Caprio is considerably older than the character in the original film / comics.

Black Hole

David Fincher's next film will be 'Black Hole' an adaptation of Charle's Burns graphic novel about a new STD known as 'The Bug' which rapidly spreads amongst a group of teenagers. The screenplay is by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary.

Source: Variety

Akira

Warner Brothers have announced a live action remake to 'Akira', which will hit cinemas in two parts in 2009.

The original Japanese film was to a large extent responsible for introducing anime to a western audience, and has been a major influence on sci-fi flicks since. How well the film will adapt as mainstream summer blockbuster is not easy to predict however, and the original story will no doubt be substantially reworked.

Source: Variety

Where the Wild Things Are

Spike Jonze's forthcoming film version of 'Where the Wild Things Are' appears to have hit a major roadblock, with suggestions that the entire film may be reshot. Whilst the word being put around is that this is due to technical issues, with the combination of creature suits and CGI being more difficult to accomish than envisioned, other sources are stating that Warner are unhappy with the tone of the film and the lead child actor.

Chud.com has the full story.

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows

Despite rumours of various big name directors being attached to the final Harry Potter movie, it appears that David Yates director of both Order of the Phoenix and the fortcoming Half Blood Prince, will be staying on board for the final installment. Current plans are to split the film into two, with an Easter and Christmas release, both to allow the story to breathe and also no doubt to allow Warner to squeeze as much money as possible from the franchise.

Source: Chud.com

Street Fighter

20th Century Fox is about to start filming a new 'Street Fighter' movie, and have today announced that the film will star Kristin Kreuk (Smallville's Lana Lang), Michael Clarke Duncan and Chris Klein (American Pie, Rollerball). Little is known about the film, other than that the focus will be on the Chun Li character.

The film will be directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, who was also responsible for previous video game adaptation Doom.

The most surprising news is that this is scheduled for a cinema release, despite the distinct 'direct to DVD' feel of the endeavor.

In any event, it's a step up from this...



Source: Variety

Star Trek Delayed

JJ Abram's Star Trek reboot, originally set for a Christmas 2008 release, has been pushed back to May 2009.

Whilst the studio states that the delay is part of a 'major reshuffle' of the studios forthcoming film release dates, rumours persist that Abrams was unhappy with the script being shot. As a result of the writers strike no further changes could be made, but now the strike is over the director seems to be taking the opportunity to rework the screenplay.

Final Destination 4

Whilst the third Final Destination film suffered from diminishing returns, the film obviously took in enough money for a further sequel, which begins filming next week. The twist this time is that the film will be shot in high definition 3D. The Final Destination films have always been gimmicky in nature, and doubtless the 3D format will bring some imaginative twists to the films set pieces.

With this and the forthcoming Piranha remake, 3D seems to be slowly making it's way back into exploitation cinema, bringing back memories of such 80's classics as Friday the 13th part 3 and Jaws 3D.

Source: Creature Corner

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Presents - Hobgoblin

Be Kind Rewind

In a promotional tie in for 'Be Kind Rewind', the website 'Film Making Frenzy' has been running an online competiton inviting readers to send in their own 5 minute remakes of Hollywood blockbusters. Whilst the quality is variable to say the least, some of the creativity on show is impressive.

Be Kind Rewind opens in the US and UK on Feb 22nd

Grindhouse

It looks like Grindhouse may be getting a very limited UK release in it's original form after all. Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright will introduce a screening of the film at the Prince Charles Cinema in London as part of the forthcoming 'Frightfest' horror movie festival. The film will then get a limited cinema release at the end of March.

Source : Empire Online

Hancock

New trailer for Will Smith movie Hancock, in theatres this July. Comedy superhero movies don't tend to do too well (see Mystery Men and My Super Ex Girlfriend for two recent examples), but this has a good pedigree, with Will Smith and Jason Bateman starring. Apparently the script has undergone substantial rewrites from the more adult orientated first draft, titled 'Tonight, he comes' but hopefully enough originality has been retained to make this a little different from the usual summer blockbusters.

Be Kind Rewind

The Guardian has an interview with Michel Gondry in which he talks about the inspirations behind his film work. His latest film, Be Kind Rewind, opens on Friday.

The Hobbit

Empire Online has an interview with Guillermo Del Toro, who is pegged to direct the forthcoming 'Hobbit' movies. Whilst many sites are reporting that Del Toro is definitely on board, it appears this is not necessarily the case. Del Toro states:-

"I wish it was definite, but it isn’t. It’s still in talks, there are still a lot of 'T's to cross and 'I's to dot. It’s certainly not certain yet"

Taken with news earlier this week that the executors of Tolkien's estate are suing New Line Studios over unpaid royalties from the Lord of the Rings films, the future of the Hobbit is looking increasingly shaky. On the upside if the deal were to fall through it would free up Del Toro to make his long awaited HP Lovecraft adaptation, The Mountains of Madness

The Dark Knight - Gotham Knight

Dark Knight - Gotham Knight

Prior to the release of The Dark Knight, Warner Brothers is releasing a DVD entitled Gotham Knight. Produced by Bruce Timm, who is responsible for the Batman animated series, the film is similar to the Animatrix, with a series of short anime style films bridging the gap between Batman Begins and the new film.

Many leading comic book authors are involved, and the animation looks fantastic. Below is a ten minute promo clip for the film, which I assume will be released sometime before July

And the hi def winner is....

It looks increasingly like the format war between HD DVD and Blu Ray is coming to an end, with Blu Ray the victor. This article from IGN discusses the developments of the last few weeks in detail.

Even with a single format, high definition discs still have some significant problems going forward. The price of the players are expensive and the increase in picture quality over DVD is only evident with a TV size larger than most people have or want in their homes. Furthermore, there appears to be an increasing trend downloads downloading rather than physically purchasing a disk. All off this suggests that blu ray will be, at best, a niche product like laser disc before it.

Diary of the Dead

Another new interview with George Romero in which he talks at length about his new film, 'Diary of the Dead' which has opened in the USA today, to mixed reviews.

The films MySpace page (remember myspace?) has a number of clips from the film.

See also my earlier post below which contains another interview with Romero and an archive TV show in which Jonathan Ross discusses his work.

The Imaginarium of Dr Parnussus Casting

Aint it Cool News has the details of the actors who will be completing Heath Ledger's role in 'The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus', the Terry Gilliam film Ledger was part way through filming prior to his death last month.

3 Actors will be taking the role - Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. Apparently the film is split between 'real life' and fantasy worlds. Ledger had finished shooting the former of these and was about to start work on the fantasy sequences. There are three such sequences in the film and a different actor will be playing the Ledger part in each.

This seems a clever way of finishing the film whilst allowig Ledger's work to remain, although there is a danger it may pull the audience out of the film, particularly knowing the surrounding circumstances.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Trailer

John Cleese Interview

The Onion AV Club has a fairly lengthy and wide ranging interview with John Cleese.

More Hobbit Trouble

CNN reports that the people responsible for handling Tolkiens literary estate ,together with the publishers of his books, are suing New Line pictures over their failure to pay royalties from the Lord of the Rings films. Apparently the studio agreed to pay the estate 7.5% of the gross of the films yet this has not been forthcoming. New Line has also allegedly refused requests for audits of the accounts of the second and third films in the trilogy.

This sounds a lot like the complaints both Peter Jackson and the stars of the films have had with New Line in previous lawsuits.

As well as damages, the trustees of the estate also seek to terminate New Line's rights to other Tolkien properties, which would obviously effect the forthcoming 'Hobbit' films.

I imagine this will settle sooner rather than later, as following the failure of the Golden Compass New Line will be desperate to move forward on what is essentially a sure fire blockbuster.

Incredibly Strange Film Show - Romero Interview

Jonathan Ross interviews George Romero and Tom Savini, and provides a retrospective of their careers in this episode of 'The Incredibly Strange Film Show' from 1989.

Romero is currently doing the rounds to promote his latest film, 'Diary of The Dead' and Chud.com has an interesting interview with the director here in which he sheds some thoughts on the impetus behind the latest film. Reading between the lines and taken in conjunction with some other recent comments, you get the impression that Romero was not entirely happy with how Land of the Dead turned out. Diary sounds interesting, but the seeming reliance on CGI effects seems worrying. The film opens in the US this weekend, and the reception it receives will likely determine whether the UK gets a theatrical release or whether this one goes direct to DVD.

RIP Roy Scheider

RIP John Alvin

John Alvin, who died this week, was responsible for some of the most well known poster art of the last 30 years, including ET, Bladerunner and Gremlins. This article at Aint it Cool News contains numerous examples of his work.

Bafta Winners

British Film : This is England

Orange Rising Star Award: Shia Lebouf

Film not in the English Language : The Lives of Others

Adapted Screenplay:The Diving Bell & The Butterfly

Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)

Special achievement (first film): Matt Greenhalgh (writer of Control)

Special Visual Effects: The Golden Compass

Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)

Animated Film: Rattatouille (however it's spelt)

Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody (Juno)

Director: Joel & Ethan Coen (No Country For Old Men)

Actress: Marion Couttard (La Vie En Rose0

Actor: Daniel Day Lewis

Film: Atonement

Writers Strike to End

Variety reports that a tentative agreement has been reached with the Writers Guild of America which should bring the 4 month writers strike to an end. This means that TV production will resume before the end of the season and the Oscar ceremony should proceed as normal. Expect to see feature films which had been put on hold due to the strike, notably Da Vinci Code prequel 'Angels and Demons' moving forward quickly.

The agreement seems to allow for a percentage payment for work streamed free (ad supported) on the internet, but only after an initial 14/21 day period. I would guess that most streaming is during this period so i'm not sure how much financial benefit this will bring the writers. There is also no mention of an increase in dvd residuals, which was one of the main sticcking points in initial negotiations. No doubt there will be more details in the coming days and weeks as both sides try and spin the agreement as a victory.

Titanic 2

I would imagine lots of people have already seen this, but it's definitely worth a watch. Some people have too much time on their hands....

Sweeney Todd Trailer Causes Complaints

This article from the Guardian suggests that people are walking out of Tim Burton's (excellent) screen adaptation of 'Sweeney Todd' not having realised it is a musical. Certainly the trailer goes to great lengths to disguise the fact, selling the movie as a gothic horror. This perception is backed up by a number of people I have spoken to who were unaware of the films nature, with one or two even dropping plans to see the film once they were told.

Reminds me of the 'Adaptation' tv spots from a few years back which tried to sell the film as a romantic comedy and of course the hundreds of trailers for foreign films that try their hardest to disguise the fact they are not in english.

Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus

Despite rumours that the film would be canned following the death of star Heath Ledger, Quick Stop Entertainment reports that the film is going ahead, and that Heath Ledgers footage will remain within the film.

The official site has also gone live within the last few days, which suggests that the film may be moving ahead. Other rumours have Johnny Depp coming aboard to complete the film, with the characters change in appearance part way through the film somehow written into the script.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Presents - Revenge of the Creature

More about MST3K at their website

Free Movies Online

A large selection of movies have fallen out of copyright and into the pubic domain. This website has a long list of such movies, together with links to view the films, either via streaming or download. The websites somewhat out of date and I would recommend downloading the films (many of which are now available in FLV format for smaller download size) rather than viewing them on the postage stamp sized window the streaming links default to.

Theres a lot of crao on there, but also some classics including the original versions of Nosferatu and House on Haunted Hill and a selection of Richard Fleischer Superman cartoons.

My Name is Bruce Trailer

Bruce Campbell stars as himself in this upcoming comedy / horror, in which a small town who knows Campbell from his movies seeks the actors help when under attack from a real life monster, Anyone who has read Bruce Campbell's autobiography or heard his commentary tracks knows he doesn't take himself too seriously and this trailer looks fun, although I cant help but think the idea might be stretched over 90 minutes.

Oscar Screeners Released Online

Interesting article about flm piracy, in particular the leak of screeners of oscar nominated films.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Trailer

A japanese toy company has posted a flyer showing a selection of toys based on the Indiana Jones fims, including the titular 'crystal skull' from the forthcoming fourth flick. It seems the rumours about the skull being if an extra terrestrial nature are true. Whilst Indy vs Aliens seems an odd idea at first, the earlier films have all had supernatural undertones to various extents so it's not that much of a stretch.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35500

Film Preservation Documentary

'Keepers of the Frame' an interesting (honest) documentary about fim preservation is available here .


more details on the film's IMDB page

The Thief and the Cobbler

The Thief and the Cobbler is an animated film which was begun by animator Richard Williams in 1964. It lay unfinished for over 20 years until, following the success of his work on 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit', he was given funds to complete the film. Unfortunately he failed to meet the time and budget constraints put on him by the studio and the film was take out of his hands. A rushed and severely edited version of the film was released in 1995, to commercial and critical dismissal.

Despite this the film is revered by animation fans, who over the years have sought to reconstruct Williams original vision. Several 'reconstructed' versions of the film have been produced by fans, the most recent of which was completed in August 2006. This version, though rough around the edges, shows what could have been and showcases some fantastically designed and detailed hand drawn animation.

Much more about the film can be found on the wikipedia entry linked to above. But the main reason for this post is that the fan reconstruction is now available, in it's entirety, at google video here. For comparisons sake the original cinema cut can be found here. Finally, a documentary on the director and his work, with an emphasis on 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' is here.

Arrested Development - The Movie

Arrested Development Movie

All This and World War 2...

The A-Team' Movie

John Singleton's A Team movie is starting to shape up, with indications that he wants Woody Harrelson as Murdoch and Ice Cube as B A Baracus. Both not bad choices, although the film itself still comes across as a gigantic waste of time.

Singleton Wants Woody Harrelson in 'The A-Team' Movie - Cinematical

The Dark Knight

Full trailer for ''The Dark Knight"

The Dark Knight Movie Trailer

John Landis Interview

Edgar Wright recently organised a mini film festival in Los Angeles, showing double bills of some of his favourite films. As part of this event, Edgar had Q & A sessions with many of the individuals involved in the films, including John Landis, Joe Dante and others. The Q & A's are available as podcasts at the link below. Please be aware that sound quality is variable!

Metroblogging Los Angeles: bLA Podcast: John Landis and Edgar Wright

The House that Dripped Blood Review

The House that Dripped Blood is one of a number of Amicus portmanteu horror films released in the 1960s and 1970s. All the films consisted of a number of short stories, usually with a twist in the tale, loosely linked by a framing device.

Unfortunately, house is one of the lesser Amicus films. Only the third tale has any real bite, and a great cast (Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Ingrid Pitt and Denholm Elliott to name but a few) are sadly wasted.

The first tale has an interesting premise, albeit one that has been dealt with many times before and since, in which a writer is haunted by his own character, but the tale is let down by a disappointing twist and a final few seconds which seem to make no sense whatsoever.

The second tale introduces Peter Cushing (looking like an aged Jason King) who, shortly after moving into the titular house, comes across a waxwork musuem containing an effigy of his dead lover. To be frank, this one made no sense whatsoever and the whole segment was rendered even more laughable by the bizarre late seventies clothing Cushing is wearing, in particular an ever more tasteless selection of neckerchiefs.

Things finally begin to pick up with the third tale, a genuinely creepy story of a stern father (Christopher Lee) who hires a nanny for his somewhat unusual daughter. While the father's behaviour initially seems cruel it soon transpires the daughter is not all she seems. There is an unusual sense of foreboding throughout, and the ending is one of the few chills in the movie.

Unfortunately, things rapidly plummet downhill again with the final tale. A vain horror movie actor (Jon Pertwee), in a quest for authenticity, obtains a genuine vampires robe and begins to take on some of the qualities of its erstwhile owner. Once again, an interesting premise is let down by poor execution. The story features some of the most laughable vampire / flying effects commited to celluloid and no matter how hard you try it's impossible to forget youre watching Worzel Gummidge as a vampire. Even Ingrid Pitt cant save this one.

One final point, and a bugbear for countless films of this type, is the framing device, in which a policeman (and later a real estate agent) recount the tales of terror. How the fuck they can recount events which they did not witness and in which the participants have been variously strangled, beheaded, melted and vampirised is beyond me.

For a much better example of the Amicus anthology films, check out 'Dr Terror's House of Horrors', which apart from featuring an unpleasantly racist segment involving Roy Castle and voodoo jazz, provides much more entertainment and has a more interesting and pleasing framing story.