Category Archives: Film

The New ‘Oz’ Trailer Hits and Actors Hint at a Sequel

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When I reported on the first poster for Sam Raimi’s Oz: The Great and Powerful, I admitted that I was skeptical about how Oz would hold up to the classic images from the 1939 film. After seeing the trailer, however, my excitement has increased immensely.

I think the thing that really struck me was that they’ve done the beginning in black and white and done Oz in color, just like in The Wizard of Oz. It’s a small thing, I know, but it’s nods like this that will get fans on board right away. I have to say, though, Oz has a distinctly Wonderland feel to it, probably due to the fact that it has the same producers.

The cast will include James Franco as the young wizard from Kansas and Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz as the witches Theodora, Glinda and Evanora respectively. The movie will be released March 8 in the US and the UK.

While I was searching around for more info on the film, I found this interview with James Franco and Mila Kunis from back in April. They both describe the characters they play, and James hints that this film could start a franchise.

What do you think of the new trailer? And the possibility of more trips back to Oz?

Leave your opinions in the comments!

A True Asgardian Switch: Zachary Levi to Play Fandral in Thor 2

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If anyone’s been listening to the buzz surrounding the next Marvel adaptation, Thor 2 has officially confirmed rumors that Chuck’s Zachary Levi will be replacing Josh Dallas as Fandral, one of the Asgardian adventurers fighting alongside Thor. Continue reading →

‘Frankenweenie’ Gets a New Trailer That Calls Back to Traditional Monster Movies

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Disney has just released a new trailer for Tim Burton’s upcoming Frankenweenie, a child-like adaptation of the 1931 film Frankenstein. This trailer imitates the monster movie trailers of old:

Due to be released October 5 in the US and October 17 in the UK, the film stars the voice talents of Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and Martin Short.

Click here for more details about the origins of the film and to see the other trailer.

What do you think of this new trailer?

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

The Dark Knight Rises: New Clips From the Film and Interviews with the Cast

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The press train for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises is giving  away new footage and information faster and faster these days in anticipation of the July 20 release.

There have been quite a few interviews going around with the people who worked on the film. Over at ABC News, Nolan talked about the trilogy as a whole, the vision of the series he set out to make and his feelings about leaving it behind. For a lengthier interview, you can check out the entire press conference that followed the first screening which received a standing ovation from critics. It includes the entire cast, director and screenwriters where they talk about their characters, the original creation of Batman and what he represents as a hero. It is well worth the 35 minutes it takes to listen to. Access Hollywood also has an interview with Nolan where he talks about Bane as a villain, choosing the actor to play him and what he represents in the series.

Clips from the upcoming film have also been released on talk shows as the cast goes on the promoting circuit. The first shows Gordon and Blake discussing Batman, the second Bruce and Lucius getting a look at a new vehicle for Batman, and the last shows Selina Kyle and Bruce dancing while she justified her lifestyle:

Clip #1

Clip #2

Clip #3

Click here for more Batman news!

‘Mockingjay’ Officially Split in Two, Release Dates Announced

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While all of us have been waiting with bated breath to see who would be cast in the newest installment of the Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Lionsgate have been hard at work making decisions about the future. Mockingjay, the third book in the trilogy and the epic conclusion to the story of Katniss Everdeen and Panem, will be coming out on November 21, 2014, but that’s not all.

Continue reading →

New Images from ‘The Hobbit’ from Comic Con Scroll

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The recent release of ‘The Scroll’ for Comic Con ’12 is a breath of fresh air for all of those waiting for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to be released. For any who have been keeping up to date on breaking news and press releases about this film it is nice to finally be getting something other than bad news about casting, directing, locations, and so forth. This little teaser is exactly what the community needs to finally feel assured that this movie is actually going to happen.

Not only do we know it is moving ever closer to a release date but now also have an idea as to how accurately the movie will be following the book story. Jackson was generally praised for his skill at faithfully adapting the books to film, though many a fan lamented the few cuts and alterations which were made. The biggest question on everyone’s mind this far has essentially been whether or not Jackson wants to follow the Hobbit storyline as neatly as he did in the LotR trilogy, or if he even can do so and still make a good film.

The scroll release seems to allay some of these worries. From the left to right the scenes seem to fairly correctly demonstrate that at least the main structure, and some of the particular details which carry it, of the plot are being replicated on film as accurately as can be done. While designed as a children’s book, the Hobbit tells a story which has the power to captivate all audiences, especially those waiting to see on the big screen just how the events of the LotR series come to be.

The story told on the scroll is not complete, but it is a tantalizing and promising glimpse!

See the full scroll here.

Have the pictures of ‘The Scroll’ captivated you? Which scene are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments!

Simon Says ‘I’m Here’ in the cast of The Mortal Instruments

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In a twist that surprised even Cassandra Clare herself, the casting for Simon Lewis has been determined for the upcoming Mortal Instruments film!  Though originally this news was not supposed to be released until July, our favorite author/blogger posted the whole story just yesterday—and made no secret of the fact that she is absolutely thrilled with the casting (no sarcasm whatsoever).

For those of you who haven’t read the books (yet), Simon serves as the ever-loyal Duckie to Clary’s Andie.  He’s the endearing best friend, sidekick—and happens to hold an unrequited love for the main character.  And, per usual, Clary is completely blind to it all.  To top it all off, Simon also spends a good portion of the first book as a rat—and I’m not speaking figuratively.

Can I get a sympathetic ‘aw’?

So who’s the lucky guy playing the unlucky-in-love Simon?  None other than Robert Sheehan from Cassandra Clare’s beloved TV show, Misfits.

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Isn’t he cute?  And while I haven’t really seen him act in anything, he looks like he might be able to pull off the requisite endearing qualities, but what do you think?  Are you as happy about this casting as Cassandra Clare seems to be?

Oh, and as an added bonus…check out the sneak peek movie posters for City of Bones!  They have a certain minimalist appeal, don’t you think?

Lionsgate Releases Facebook App to Track ‘Catching Fire’ Casting

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And right at the top is Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee. We knew that he had been offered the role, and this confirms that he has accepted and is officially the Head Gamemaker for the 75th Hunger Games.

The app itself is definitely worth a browse. It has boxes for every tribute that they have yet to cast and clickable boxes for the characters that they already have, where you can learn about the character and the actor playing the role. What I found the most interesting is that there are two unlabeled boxes, one with a female silhouette and the other with a male.

I’ve been trying to think about who other than the tributes need to be cast for this film, and I came up with a few ideas. Spoilers, kinda (highlight to see text): There are the two runaways headed for District 13 that Katniss meets in the woods, possibly a brief glimpse of President Coin at the end, the whistling man from District 11 who gets shot and the Head Peacekeeper of District 12 who whips Gale.

Who do you think the blank boxes are for? My guess is that if they are unlabeled it’s because the name might be too spoiler-filled.

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Click here for more Hunger Games/Catching Fire news!

‘You Can’t Ask Why About Love,’ According to the New Anna Karenina Poster

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EDIT: Check out episode #16 Anna’s Love is a Battlefield where we discuss the novel and episode #19 All the World’s a Stage where we discuss the film.

The new adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina released a new poster in anticipation of it’s release on September 7th in the UK and Nov 9 in the US. A few weeks ago, the first poster and trailer were released with a decidedly glitzy tone. The new poster seems to be stepping away from the grand-ness of the first, but keeping that classic period film feel while declaring, ‘you can’t ask why about love.’

With the title character standing solo center stage and the train baring down on her in the background, this poster reminds me much more of the images that come into my own head when Anna Karenina is mentioned.

What do you think of the new poster? And the new tagline?

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

The Secrets of Nicholas Flamel to be Revealed on the Big Screen!

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ImageTo be perfectly honest, I wonder how many people immediately think of Harry Potter when they hear the name ‘Nicholas Flamel’.  A month ago, that would have been my first response.

But now?  My mind immediately jumps to the bestselling series by Irish author Michael Scott, featuring the famed alchemist and his wife, Perenelle, as the mentors of 15-year-old twins who are prophesied to be the keys to the fate of the world.  With ancient mythologies meeting the modern world over an ancient prophecy, the first book, The Alchemyst, reminded me more of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series than Harry Potter.

And I absolutely loved it.

Even better, this great read is now set to become a major motion picture!  Film rights to the first book have been granted to the Australian studio, AMPCO Films.  Production is due to begin in February, with Michael Scott himself in charge of providing the script for the movie.  So hopefully, fans of this New York Times bestselling series can rest easy with the thought that the script is safe in the hands of the author.  After all, who better to make sure that the film stays faithful to the book?

In the meantime, I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with Scott’s writing by reading The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, if you haven’t already.  Trust me when I tell you that the elixir of eternal life is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the secrets of Nicholas Flamel.

‘Noah’ Coming to Theaters in 2014 with Sir Anthony Hopkins, Emma Watson and Russell Crowe

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While 2007 brought us Steve Carell’s hilarious modern day portrayal of the biblical tale Noah’s Ark in Evan Almighty, 2014 promises a more classic retelling of the story. Darren Aronofsky, the director of Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan, co-wrote the script for Noah with John Logan and the film is set for a March 2014 release.

The cast will include Russell Crowe as Noah and pair him once again with his A Beautiful Mind co-star Jennifer Connelly who will be playing Naameh, Noah’s wife. Logan Lerman and Douglas Booth will be playing Shem and Ham, two of Noah’s three sons. Emma Watson is also attached to the project, playing Ila, which I’m guessing is going to be the wife of one of the sons.

There’s not much information on the project yet, but it broke into the news this week with the announcement that Sir Anthony Hopkins has joined the cast as Noah’s grandfather Methuselah, the 969 year old man who’s death causes God to delay the flood in mourning.

What do you think of this cast? Leave your opinions in the comments!

The Dark Knight Rises: Cast Interviews, Featurettes and Standing Ovations

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With the release date for The Dark Knight Rises closing in, the powers that be are giving out tons of new tid-bits to amp up the anticipation. Although after the news broke that the first screening inspired a standing ovation from critics, I’m not sure it’s possible to be more excited.

But while we endure the next 10 days of waiting, we can tide ourselves over with 13 minutes of new footage in this featurette from The Movie Box:

And if that’s not enough for you, there’s always Jake Hamilton’s interviews with all the big names in the cast and Christopher Nolan:

(via Hypable)

As you may have guessed considering my previous articles about the possible direction of the film, I was particularly interested in learning more about the John Blake character played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. A rookie cop under Commissioner Gordon, he’s described as a seemingly lone optimist in a city of lost hope. I like the idea the he is a reincarnation of Commissioner Gordon the younger years, but I wonder if all the speculation around his character is for naught.

We do know, however, that the ending has been a closely guarded secret and for that to be necessary, there must be something unexpected coming our way. Can July 20th get here faster please?

What piece of new information rekindled your excitment for the film? Leave your answers in the comments!

Adaptation #12: AL: Vamp Hunt (dig)?

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Episode #12 brings to you the host’s opinions on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter the film and comes to the conclusion that we should write all the scripts in Hollywood from now on.

Download This Episode – iTunes – Twitter – Facebook – Tumblr

Continue reading →

‘Oz: The Great and Powerful’ Gives a First Look at the Land of Oz

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Following in the ‘grand’ tradition of two similarly themed films coming out around the same time, 2013 is set to bring us two more treks into the the world of Oz created by L. Frank Baum. One is animated and follows the novel Dorothy of Oz by Baum’s great grandson Roger S. Baum. The other is the live action Oz: The Great and Powerful that we got a first look at this week with the release of its first poster.

Oz is meant to be a prequel to the 1939 film that explains how the wizard became the wizard. Directed by Sam Raimi, the cast will include James Franco as the young wizard from Kansas and Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz as the witches Theodora, Glinda and Evanora respectively. Disney, as well as the producers of  Alice in Wonderland are behind this film, and I think the poster shows it.

Written by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire, it will interesting to see how the team approaches this classic story and the land that has become so iconic. I’m personally a fan of the casting, especially Michelle Williams as Glinda, as she definitely has a ethereal quality that I think is perfect. As for the poster, I like the direction that they seem to be taking with the feel of it, but that’s not to say I’m all in on this concept.

Oz exists in a purely 1939, advent of technicolor, Judy Garland-inhabited place for me and going back seems a little like messing with something sacred.

How do you feel about the poster and a journey back to Oz? Leave you thoughts in the comments!

10 New Pictures from ‘The Hobbit’

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In case you’ve been out of the loop lately, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released this December as the first part of Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the novel by JRR Tolkien. The second part, The Hobbit: There and Back Again will be released December 2013. Though there have been quite a few photos released already, ten more have come our way this week, along with some matching quotes.

Martin Freeman admits he doesn’t think of himself as ‘particularly hobbit-y,’ Ian McKellen assures that Gandolf is the same wizard we all love and Andy Serkis inspires a little concern by saying that Gollum ‘lurks under [his] skin.’ Possibly even more importantly, Peter Jackson attempts to put novel fan worries to rest about the returning characters in the film by simply stating, ‘it will make sense.’

Check out all the photos and the full quotes at Entertainment Weekly.

Just because of this news story, I rewatched the trailer and am now extremely excited for December. There is just nothing like the look and feel of these movies to get your heart buzzing. Just because I can, here’s the trailer that was released last December. Here’s hoping we get a new one soon!

Do you have any concerns for the film? Tell us what they are in the comments!

Lionsgate Has Chosen Its Tribute: Jena Malone Offered Part of Johanna

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Last week rumors were flying about who was the front runner for the part of Johanna Mason in the upcoming Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire. Today, the suspense, about Johnna at least, is close to ending.

It has been confirmed that Jena Malone was offered the part and is now in negotiations. Although this isn’t technically a confirmation that she will be playing Johanna, my guess is that this wouldn’t have been confirmed unless Lionsgate expected smooth sailing. Especially since the part will involve a contract for not just Catching Fire but also both parts of Mockingjay.

Malone has grown up on screen (remember her as the over-dramatic Anna in Stepmom?) and has a load of accomplishments under her belt. Most recently she played Nancy in the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, but as we are talking about the badass Johnna Mason, I feel compelled to bring up her performance in Sucker Punch. Definitely Johanna-worthy.

I’m not opposed to this casting, though I will admit I was hoping for someone a little less well known. To me, Jena has a big presence that is completely her own. That is a great thing to have in Hollywood, but for a character that fans already feel like they know, it might be a handicap. Still, if she has the acting chops that I think she does, she’ll be able to pull it off.

UPDATE (07/23): Lionsgate Officially Announces Jena Malone as Johanna.

What do you think of Jena for Johanna? Leave your opinions in the comments!

Click here to check out more Hunger Games news.

Love for Phantom of the Opera Never Dies…But Its Sequel Might

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Apparently, love never dies…even when you’re not entirely sure how or when or what the hell happened.

This is the lesson I learned yesterday when Corey, Dorin, and I went to the one-night-only film premiere of Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to his musical phenomenon The Phantom of the Opera. Like many POTO fans, I was understandably apprehensive about this continuation of the story. I mean, who doesn’t love the original ending, particularly on the stage show? When Christine and Raoul row away together and the Phantom mysteriously disappears, leaving only his white mask behind. I’ve seen the stage show twice, and it has never failed to give me goosebumps, that last shot of the illuminated Phantom mask before the spotlight dims. The air of mystery seemed so much more satisfying than any happy-ever-after could have provided. How can you follow it up? Continue reading →

‘Weeds’ Star Hunter Parrish Up For Role of Finnick Odair

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Last we joined Finnick-watch 2012, Armie Hammer (Mirror, Mirror) was topping the short list for the role of Finnick Odair in next year’s Catching Fire. Garrett Hedlund (TRON: Legacy) was also in the running, but now a third actor has been thrown into the ring.

Hunter Parrish, who plays Silas on Weeds, said in an interview with The Daily Beast that he is up for the part. After being disappointed by being passed over for the role of Peeta in the first film, he’s trying not to get his hopes up, but by the interviewer’s description, he seems to really want it.

Hunter Parrish, Garrett Hedlund, Armie Hammer

To be honest, if I got to choose based on these three guys, I’d go with Hedlund. Parrish just doesn’t quite strike me as the Capitol’s notorious ladies man.

Who do you think would make the best Finnick? Leave your opinions in the comments!

For more Hunger Games news and discussions click here.

‘Silver Linings Playbook’ Trailer Starring Jennifer Lawrence

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Coming this November, Jennifer Lawrence stars in a new comedy opposite Bradley Cooper. Silver Linings Playbook is an adaptation of the debut novel by Matthew Quick published in 2008. It follows the story of Pat Peoples (Cooper) after he is released from a mental institution and attempts to recreate himself for his estranged wife in the hopes of winning her back. Along the way he meets the widowed Tiffany (Lawrence) who has her own mental skeletons and the two form a uneasy friendship.

The film is written and directed by David O. Russell and also stars Robert De Niro and Julia Stiles. Watch the first trailer below:

Continue reading →

This Week in Marvel: An Ant, A Fly, Guardians and Big Hero 6

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Speculations have been flying about Marvel’s plan to extend their film universe and this past week a few articles have brought to light some of the things they have in store. Though most of the official announcements won’t be made until Comic-Con next week, here’s what we know so far:

First up is Guardians of the Galaxy, due to release in 2014. The Guardians are 31st century heroes that defend our galaxy against various threats. The most exciting part about this development is the potential for crossover with the Avengers. The Guardians film story line is going to lead into that of the second Avengers film due out in 2015. For those of you that stayed in the theater long enough to see the cameo in the credits of the last Avengers movie, the character Thanos will be involved in the Guardians storyline.

Another Avengers tie-in that just wrapped on a test reel is that of founding Avengers member Hank Pym. Pym is a scientist that developed a serum to make himself tiny, dubbing him Ant-Man. This project has been tabled in the past, and the test reel is just the first step in getting it back on track, however with the success that Marvel has been having this year, it’s not a surprise that they are picking it back up. Director Edgar Wright shot the reel last month, but has other projects to complete before the plans for Ant-Man can be fully realized. Maybe this will contribute to an Avengers 3 storyline…

Disney is also getting in on the Marvel action. Earlier this week, Disney confirmed that they are working on an animated film based on Big Hero 6. While the Avengers are based in America, Big Hero 6 fight for the Japanese government. There’s not too much information on this project yet, but it just goes to show that Marvel are reaching deeper into their vault of characters for inspiration.

The last bit of news is on an indie film that was recently put into motion by Alan Brewer and Steven Goldman, the Human Fly. Based on a real stunt man, the character boasts a steel skeleton and performs stunts for charity. This is not a project that Marvel will be involved in, however. And really, who can blame them? They’ve got quite enough on their plates as it is.

I have to hand it to the Marvel planning team, they really know what they’re doing. If that hadn’t been obvious before with all the credit cameos they strategically throw into the end of their movies, it is becoming even more so now that we can see the plan forming for the next three years worth of Marvel films.

What Marvel project are you most looking forward to? Leave your answers in the comments!

For more comic book news click here.