We’re going to do things a little bit differently here. As I am currently covered in bruises (saddle sore from galloping through Arizona’s finest dry washes), confused about what time it is (one hour time difference, way to play it up), and jonesing for still MORE turkey, I cannot be expected to deliver on our normal Sunday routine. I cannot expect y’all to want to sit through it either. So we’re going to keep things clean, and we’re going to keep them simple.

Also, NEW MOON won everything, ever (again), but at least OLD DOGS didn’t crack the top three. (more…)

This week brings us the release of this summer’s blockbuster TERMINATOR SALVATION on DVD and Blu-ray. An extended director’s cut of the film by McG is also being released (only on Blu-ray). It is said that this version of the film will contain an extra 40 minutes as well as have an R-rating, as opposed to the theatrical cut’s PG-13 rating.

The title-o-the week I’ll be rushing out to buy:

Most definitely PAPER HEART, an unconventional film that blends fantasy and reality to explore that complicated, fascinating, crazy thing called love. The film stars comedian Charlene Yi (KNOCKED UP), as she journeys across America exploring love in all its various forms, hoping to discover what the word truly means and if it does in fact exist. Fortunately for her, she gets some first hand experience as she develops a back-and-forth relationship with actor Michael Cera (JUNO). It was one of my favorites of this summer and a must see for anyone who has ever been in and A) captivated B) confused D) all the above by love.

Check out all the key releases for this week after the jump! (more…)

There’s production purgatory and then there is this. A script written 50 years ago by renowned playwright and screenwriter Tennessee Williams (A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE) just now making its way to the silver screen. The film is THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND, once proposed to be the third collaboration between Williams and director Elia Kazan (A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, BABY DOLL). Fast forward some decades later, the film is now being directed by actress turned director Jodie Markell and stars Bryce Dallas Howard (who took over for Lindsay Lohan), Chris Evans, Will Patton, and Ann-Margret.

THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND tells the tale of “young and rebellious socialite Fisher Willow, tainted by a family scandal, boldly hires farm hand Jimmy Dobyne to be her escort for the elaborate party season. As her passion for Jimmy grows, Fisher defies social convention and the burden of history to risk everything for a chance at real love…until the loss of a priceless diamond sets off a series of accusations and betrayals that threaten to shatter their hopes for the future.” (IMDb)

Check out the trailer after the jump! (more…)

Being virtually unknown, prior to his upcoming action film ARMORED, director Nimród Antal was likely already dealing with a level of doubt from fans of the PREDATOR series. Throw into the mix that Antal recently announced the controversial casting choice of Adrien Brody to take over Schwarzenegger’s role from the original and it seemed that fans were virtually ready to hunt him down and skin him alive. Well, Antal has something to say about that!

“I think when we cast Adrien, there were a lot of people going, ‘What?’ but at the same time, if we cast a Vin Diesel in that role or if we cast anyone who is Arnold-esque, we would have been attacked for doing that. So we decided early on to go in a very different direction as far as the casting process, but it turned out fantastic. He plays a mercenary in the film and if you look at the guys in Iraq and Afghanistan today, they’re not ‘yolked-out’ Schwarzenegger-looking guys. They’re all very wiry and thin guys, and I think it’s going to play well.”

I find myself disagreeing with Antal in that if an Arnold-esque actor had been cast, that people would have been upset. The whole reason it appeared that people were upset over the choice of Brody in the first place is that he is not Arnold-esque. Not that this choice negates the man’s ability as a director or his capability of making the next chapter in the PREDATOR series. I cannot comment yay or nay to this, as I have not yet seen any of his films. It simply makes me suspect of his vision.

Antal, who says he partial to practical FX over CGI, added “We are trying to stay with the original as far as the monster and the atmosphere and the tone of the film, but we are trying to do something new and contemporary and feels fresh.”

Let’s hope Antal finds this happy medium. And has a little a lot of help from producer Robert Rodriguez, who gave Antal the reigns in the first place.

Source Coming Soon

This is the first I’ve heard of this movie, but already I’m intrigued, even if the concept of placing people in a single location and observing them as they descend into their primal instincts is a bit played out. When Hitchcock made LIFEBOAT, the idea was almost unfathomable, but today, movies like CUBE and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY have turned it into a cliche, but it’s a cliche I enjoy watching.

In EXAM, “eight talented candidates have reached the final stage of selection to join the ranks of a mysterious and powerful corporation. Entering a windowless room, an Invigilator gives them eighty minutes to answer one simple question. He outlines three rules they must obey or be disqualified.” The twist comes when the candidates discover that none of them have been given a question to answer. (more…)

Rating: 1/10

Writer: David Diamon and David Weissman
Director: Walter Becker
Cast: Robin Williams, John Travolta, Seth Green, Kelly Preston, Conner Rayburn, Ella Bleu Travolta, Bernie Mac, Luis Guzman, Matt Dillon, Justin Long

I hated OLD DOGS. I’ll just get that out of the way right off the bat. But I didn’t hate it because it’s the “in” thing to do or because I don’t like silly, fun family movies. I hated the film because no one involved with it gave a shit about what they were doing and that is completely evident by the lazy and stupid conglomeration of empty flickering lights on the movie screen meant to represent a movie. What OLD DOGS really represents is a large group of people doing something strictly for money with no thought about storyline, character development, story structure, humor, or decency. And if I’m wrong about the motivations behind this film, then screw everyone involved with the film even more because they clearly have no idea how to make a movie. (more…)

Find me a person that says they do not love Muppets and I will show you a person with a piece of foam where their heart used to be! But imagine how much you will love them performing, as an ensemble, a classic rock song!

For your viewing pleasure, I present to you your Found Film Friday for November 27th, 2009. The Muppets singing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

See it after the jump! (more…)

Before STAR TREK made him one of the hottest young stars currently in demand, Chris Pine was working steadily on a bunch of smaller projects. Now that our new Captain Kirk has piloted the Enterprise and its crew into the critical and popular stratosphere, any project with the name “Chris Pine” attached is going to get a lot of buzz – even if it’s just an independent flick that not a lot of people have heard of.

A few months ago, that film was CARRIERS, Alex and David Pastor’s deadly virus flick, starring Pine. While CARRIERS didn’t break any box office records (heck, it was only in theaters for a week), it still got a bunch of buzz just from Pine’s name alone. The next example of the Pine-effect could very well be SMALL TOWN SATURDAY NIGHT, a little indie from first-time feature writer and director Ryan Craig. The film, slated for release sometime in 2010, stars Pine as a country singer-songwriter with a bit of a conflict on his hands.

Hit the jump to see the full poster for SMALL TOWN SATURDAY NIGHT, and to learn a bit more about Pine’s next release. (more…)

Earlier this week, I showed you the trailer for Focus Features’ upcoming GREENBERG. Starring Ben Stiller, the latest from Noah Baumbach (THE SQUID AND THE WHALE), GREENBERG’s first poster makes generous use of the recognizability of both Stiller and Baumbach (or, at least, his previous work), and the quirkiness we should expect from the flick.

And, of course, it tells us one very important thing about Stiller’s titular Roger Greenberg – “he’s got a lot on his mind.” It’s not the most breakthrough poster of the year, but I like the simplicity and overall feel of it.

Hit the jump to see the full poster for GREENBERG! (more…)

Jeremy Renner seems destined to become the next big Hollywood star, and after his performance in THE HURT LOCKER, he definitely deserves it. Unfortunately, none of the major casting rumors involving the young actor seem to be panning out.

There was talk last month that he would be part of George Miller’s MAD MAX remake, but that deal seems to have fallen through. There were also rumors that Renner would be playing Captain America in Marvel’s THE AVENGERS, but when asked about the roll, the actor told Empire some interesting news. (more…)

There hasn’t been much word on the next CHRONICLES OF NARNIA film circulating around lately. In fact, there has been next to none. I am not the biggest fan of these movies – I personally think they have made the films too kid-friendly – but the stories that the films are based upon are pretty brilliant.

The last time we brought you all some news and pictures concerning THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER was all the way back in mid-August. Well, thanks to their Facebook fan page, we are all being treated to the first three production stills. Up to this point, we have had to settle for paparazzi-style snapshots. The pictures aren’t too fantastic, but hey, we’re still a ways away from a big NARNIA advertising push. Check out the photos, complete with descriptions provided by the film’s official Facebook page, after the jump. (more…)

J. Michael Straczynski has now fully made the transformation from comic book writer to screenwriter, having penned the Clint Eastwood-directed drama CHANGELING and the most recent NINJA ASSASSIN. The writer also has a few notable projects on the docket, including a FORBIDDEN PLANET remake, a film for Jerry Bruckheimer as well as one for Ron Howard. Straczynski also wrote drafts for WORLD WAR Z and a potential SILVER SURFER spin-off, which he recently spoke to Collider about.

“What happened was when FF2 didn’t do as well as they hoped it would do, it caused them to call into question a Silver Surfer movie. The script that I wrote picked up right where FF2 left off. So if they do a Silver Surfer film down the road, it’ll have to be its own separate things.”

When asked about the tone of his SURFER script, Straczynski said “It was definitely adult fare. I wanted to tell the origin of the Surfer and get into that whole thing.”

(more…)

A new poster has been released for the post-apocalyptic action film THE BOOK OF ELI.  The film is directed by the Hughs Brothers, known for such films as DEAD PRESIDENTS and FROM HELL, and stars Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Michael Gambon, Mila Kunis, and Ray Stevenson.

I can’t say that this film is entirely my cup of tea, but overall the cast is quite impressive and I especially love Gary Oldman, so I suppose I am mildly interested to see this future-so-bleak-we-have-to-wear-shades film, if only to see Oldman in the role of Carnegie who is supposed to be a “bad guy” character.

The poster shows a bearded Washington looking very cool and ready to kick some post-apocalyptic ass. I’m not sure why they didn’t go for a more striking image to spark more interest in the action of the film. I do like the aesthetic of the poster though as it has a muted tone but still manages to look really crisp. Check out the full poster after the jump. (more…)

It was announced that Australian actor Guy Pearce has joined the cast of the film THE HUNGRY RABBIT JUMPS. Nicholas Cage and January Jones are already attached to the film, which is set to begin shooting next month in New Orleans.

Not much is known about the film. ,What we do know is that it centers on a man (Nic Cage) who becomes involved with a gang of vigilantes after his wife (January Jones) is brutally attacked. Roger Donaldson, director of THE BANK JOB, DANTE’S PEAK, and THIRTEEN DAYS is directing the film, which is the debut script from Robert Tannen. (more…)

Rating: 8/10

Most people only know John Woo from his American films. This includes movies like FACE/OFF and BROKEN ARROW, which, although they offer plenty of action, don’t do the director justice. If you haven’t seen his pre-Hollywood stuff, do yourself a favor and add A BETTER TOMORROW or HARD BOILED to your Netflix queue.

Inexplicably, when Woo left the wonderful Hong Kong movie scene to work in Hollywood, his movies paid the price. They went from energetic roller coaster rides to generic Hollywood dribble. Maybe it’s because of the convoluted multi-year process that it takes to get a project off the ground in Tinseltown. In 1980s Hong Kong, when Woo was coming up in the business, a movie could go from concept to filming in a couple of weeks, sometimes starting filming without a completed script! Whatever the reason, I do know one thing: John Woo is back. In RED CLIFF he not only returns to the director’s chair China after being absent for 16 years, he also returns to form. (more…)