Gotta love those fan-friendly filmmakers. Next Saturday the Hobbit-makers (Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro) will participate in an online Q&A session -- and you'vewe've been invited to contribute some queries! Got a question about the cast? The second film? SMAUG??!? Then make sure you're signed up in advance, and get your question(s) ready!
ComingSoon.net tipped me off first, but you can see a full invitation from Mr. Jackson right here. Here's a snip: "We ask all fans with an interest in The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings to send one question to this website. Ask us anything! Guillermo and I will select and answer the 20 most common questions, so we can both attempt to address the key issues as best we can ... In addition to answering your 20 questions -- for the entire hour we'll take additional live questions and chat about the projects with anyone who's interested."
(Dramatic pause)
ANYONE WHO'S INTERESTED? Holy macaroni, my geek-meter just overheated. Hell, I don't even need to ask a question (anything I'd want to know would probably be covered by a smarter geek than me), but I cannot WAIT to read the transcription of this chat session. Ugh, I can't believe we have to wait over two years for this Hobbit movie, but what sweet torture it is.
When Heath Ledger passed away earlier this year, he left the planet as one of this generation's great actors; a guy who battled many personal demons off the screen, for sure, but one who gave everything to the role. And while we won't get to see his latest creation on the big screen until July 18th, early footage shows Ledger's version of Batman's arch-nemesis could go down as the darkest, baddest and craziest we've ever seen. My question to you, then, is: Will it be enough to land Ledger another Oscar nod come next year?
Sure, the Academy isn't all too keen on recognizing superhero movies unless we're talking about special effects or sound editing, but with bigger actors taking on riskier comic-related roles, isn't only a matter of time before one of these guys (or girls) turns out a performance worthy of a gold statue? Are these characters not meaty enough; are they not conflicted, troubled and crying out for a hug? If an Oscar can go to Javier Bardem for playing a sadistic, calculated murderer in No Country for Old Men, and Johnny Depp can be nominated for playing a sadistic, calculated murderer -- both in the same year -- I see no reason why Ledger's Joker can't be taken into consideration.
It's early still, I realize that -- but should this guy turn in the kind of performance we're all expecting, shouldn't he be recognized with an Oscar nomination? What are the chances here, folks?
Like most mega-pathetic movie spazzes, I bought this box set the day it came out. (Actually I bought this version, got home, freaked out, and brought it back to the store to exchange for the correct one.) The first "Adventures of Indiana Jones" package came with a fourth disc that has a two-hour documentary on the whole series, plus a handful of brief featurettes on stunts, sounds, magic, and music. Definitely some good stuff, but the movie discs (NOT sold separately) were entirely bare-bones affairs.
So there are two things that are welcomely different about the second Indiana Jones box set: A) Now you CAN purchase the movies individually, and B) there's no extra disc: This time around the extra features are on the "main feature" discs. This sounded pretty good to me, as I've been hoping for more "flick-specific" supplements on the re-issue ... but here's where I get a little annoyed: Obviously the new goodies are of a very high quality (given that they were overseen by DVD magic-man Laurent Bouzereau), but ... why so skimpy? I'll offer a few nerdy gripes and then offer a theory as to why this stuff happens, followed by a complete list of all the new features found on the latest Indy DVD set...
Joel Silver thinks he will, and he would probably know. Silver gave a long interview with Moriarty over at AICN, where the long and torturous road of Sgt. Rock was brought up. And the answer was surprisingly optimistic: "I'm going to make that. I'm going to make that very soon. With Guy Ritchie, I think." When pressed for more details, Silver would only reply with, "I hope so."
First, does anyone else think it's crazy that DC Comics would deliver a movie about a humble soldier on-screen faster than the Green Lantern or Wonder Woman? When I think of must-see DC properties, Sgt. Rock doesn't come to mind -- but that might just be me.
And if you're unfamiliar with Sgt. Rock, Wikipedia has his long and glorious WWII history. The short answer is that he is the WW2 soldier to end all soldiers, having fought in every campaign there was. Depending on who you talk to, he either died in the war or lived on to perform covert operations for the United States.
George Roush over at Latino Review grabbed one crazy exclusive. While touring the creature effects shop for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, he spotted a photo of a familiar X-Man: Hank McCoy, aka Beast. (Non comic book nerds may remember him as Kelsey Grammar with blue fur.)
It was not a drawing, but an actual photo, possibly computer generated. (Roush thinks it was an actual person in a Beast getup, though.) It was unmistakably of a young Beast, leaping through the air. And it was tagged Magneto.
Roush casually asked what the heck that was all about, and was told in a "isn't it obvious" way, "This is young Beast from the prequel they're gonna be doing. Magneto."
There's no real explanation as to what McCoy would be doing in a Magneto storyline, or how they would meet up. It is as random a choice of mutant as we're seeing with another X-Men: Origins film. I don't get it. Both Magneto and Wolverine are strong enough to stand on their own two storylines, which is why they were chosen for origin films in the first place. Is there some studio clause stipulating that they must choose a certain number of mutants to accompany the title character? It cannot be coincidence. I am willing to bet it means there will never be an X-Men 4, and that they are using these guest-star appearances to float more spin-offs. I'm probably overthinking that, and it is just a way to make more action figures.
When Marvel officially announced the release date for Thor last week (June 4, 2010), news quickly followed that Matthew Vaughn was no longer directing, a script was being fine-tuned and Marvel was in search of an actor to fill Thor's mighty shoes. Seeing as he's blonde, a very popular actor and has starred in films like Troy, the first name to pop into the minds of fanboys (and girls) everywhere was Brad Pitt. And whaddya know: Latino Review is saying this week that Pitt is at the top of Marvel's wishlist. Who woulda thunk it?
On paper, this does seem like a logical -- and realistic -- choice. Pitt is at a similar point in his career as Robert Downey Jr., Edward Norton and even Johnny Depp (who surprised fans by starring in three Pirates of the Caribbean films for Disney). If there ever was a right time for Pitt to take a leap and "do one for his kids," Thor would be that project -- especially since his gal Angelina has already starred in two Tomb Raider flicks. But then the guy would have to sign for at least three films (most likely), not to mention the fact that he'd need to be in phenomenal shape. Plus, perhaps Troy was Pitt's Thor, and maybe he's tired of all those giant blockbusters; maybe he'd rather do some smaller stuff.
However, then you look around Hollywood and, honestly, who else could play the Marvel superhero? Taking into consideration the move by Marvel to hire bigger names for their films, is there anyone else who could muscle-up and play Thor? Or is Pitt the only name that could truly bring this project to the next level?
Mother's Day was Sunday, making this a little late. But come on – one day out of the entire year for Mom? That's still 364 that she spends worrying about us, so I think it's safe to say that she deserves an extra nod past the official holiday. Mine certainly does, because as a geek mom, she works overtime. All moms do, but geek moms have it a little harder since their children are usually oddballs. So while this column is about my mom, I really want to salute all the geek moms out there. From the ones who didn't protest when you wanted to be MadMartigan, to the Sarah Connors and Maria Starks who inspire heroic offspring, they deserve our undying thanks.
My mom hails from the first generation of geeks. Her yearbook makes mention of Star Wars. She lined up with her then boyfriend (and my future dad) to see The Empire Strikes Back, and remembers discussing "What did Yoda mean when he said 'There is another?'" with people in line for Return of the Jedi. (For the record, she thought Han Solo would be the other Jedi.) She is the only "older" woman I know who is actually incensed by the idea that Greedo shot first.
Two new TV spots for The Dark Knighthave arrived online over at The Tube; both of which, I'm sure, are making the primetime rounds as we speak (I know one of them debuted during Sunday night's Survivor finale). The two spots (check out one above and the other after the jump) are pretty Joker-centric, with some brief comedy thrown in via Bruce Wayne and Alfred/Lucius Fox. I gotta say I'm loving Heath Ledger's performance more and more each time another bit of video arrives. It's amazing he pulled off this role, especially since most of us counted him out when his casting was first announced: "Heath Ledger as The Joker? Really? Seriously? Is that a joke?" Well kudos to him -- I, for one, cannot wait to see this whole thing play out on the big screen.
Question: Will you be seeing The Dark Knight in IMAX or in a conventional theater? July 18th baby!
Another new (and improved, in my opinion) image of Samuel L. Jackson as The Octopus in The Spirithas been revealed, courtesy of Comic Con Magazine (click image to enlarge). Directed by Frank Miller (Sin City, 300), and based on the graphic novel by Will Eisner, The Spirit follows rookie cop Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht) who returns from the dead to fight crime in Central City. Jackson plays The Octopus, The Spirit's main nemesis -- a villain who plans to wipe out all of Central City and kills anyone unlucky enough to see his face. (That said, I guess we're all doomed -- damn you Comic Con magazine for showing us this dude's face!)
Also starring in the flick are Scarlett Johansson (as the Octopus' secretary, Silken Floss), Eva Mendes (as Sand Saref), Jaime King (as Lorelei Rox) and Paz Vega (as Plaster of Paris). Gotta love the names in this one. If I may recommend myself for the sequel; I could play Dynamo Clorox III. Sweet! The first trailer for The Spirit was released during New York Comic Con, and I'm sure the cast and crew will have plenty of goodies for the folks attending San Diego Comic Con in July.
The Spirit arrives in theaters on December 25 (Happy Birthday Jesus, indeed!). Check out our gallery below.
It might not be the best quality image, but the first glimpse of Justin Chatwin (War of the Worlds) as the anime hero, Goku, has finally hit the net -- and I have to admit, it doesn't look half-bad. A dedicated Dragonball Z fan submitted a scan from the Japanese magazine Shonen Jump to the Dragonball fan site (see to the right; click to enlarge) and even though it's blurry and covered in Japanese, it does give me hope that the film won't be a total disaster. Fox has kept a tight grip on updates for the film, and other than a few MySpace entries from co-star Emmy Rossum, the most we have gotten was a leaked teaser poster.
Dragonball was written and directed by James Wong and tells the story of Goku, a young man locked in a struggle with the evil Piccolo (James Marsters) over some mystical globes known as 'dragon balls'. The debate over whether or not Chatwin was going to be able to pull off the classic manga character was a big source of contention among fans. It's not like it's easy to ignore the obvious racial 'disparity' in hiring Chatwin to play a guy that normally looks like this.
So what do you think? Now that we have finally seen Chatwin in all his manga glory, will it be enough to silence detractors? Or will it be the last piece of the puzzle that proves they were right all along?
Dragonball will arrive in theaters on April 8th, 2009.
A whole crop of new images from The Incredible Hulk have hit the net, including the one above showing some assistant dude (Tim Blake Nelson) holding the super serum that's eventually injected into Tim Roth (which, of course, gave him super powers and turned him into Abomination). Ah, but those of us at New York Comic Con were told that this serum is, in fact, the same kind used to create Captain America. Additionally, First Showing is running around claiming there's a shot of Captain America's shield on Tony Stark's workbench in Iron Man -- and, while they've watched the scene several times and say it's true, I don't believe anyone from the Favreau camp has confirmed this yet.
Now thatIron Man has literally destroyed the box office, it will be interesting to see how their second self-financed film does when The Incredible Hulk hits theaters on June 13. The two scenes we watched at Comic Con were enough to convince me that this version of Hulk will definitely kick a bunch of ass. That's a given. But will it succeed with fans? (Something tells me there's already a whole bunch of people who will hate this film regardless, but that's their problem -- we'll certainly go in with an open mind and an open heart). Definitely check out all those new images (mixed with some older ones) in the gallery below.
It's always the comic book chicks you don't expect. Variety has announced that Platinum Studios, Top Cow Production and Arclight Films are teaming up to bring Top Cow's Witchblade to the big screen. No word on who will direct, or star, but production is expected to take place in Australia, starting in September. So expect a bunch of announcements on that front soon.
Witchblade has had a surprisingly long lifespan -- it has been a best-selling comic book series with Top Cow since 1995, but most people remember the TNT television show which ran for two seasons. The story centers on a mystical, jewel-encrusted gauntlet that gives extraordinary powers to the chosen wearer -- and that is always a specially chosen female in each generation. It also has the power to, apparently, magically remove all your clothes as seen to the right. (Something missing from the television show.)
I know I should be all "Yeah, this is exactly what I was talking about -- comic heroines!" but it really isn't. If done right, maybe, but she's hardly what I was hoping for. While the Witchblade concept isn't any goofier than admantium claws or eating the sun, I saw it as silly, and never warmed to it. Maybe it's because I have never really understood Top Cow's line of comics. All of my guy friends always say "You're awesome because you don't read those!" I never understood that either, because while they do specialize in kickass women like Witchblade and Tomb Raider, I never thought they were really written for chicks because of all the T&A. I always feel kind of funny reading them. (Yes, I've read them. What my guy friends don't know when they praise me is that I have many issues of Tomb Raider hidden away. Well, I guess they know now. Oh well!)
According to early estimates from Box Office Mojo, this summer's second big-budgeted extravaganza failed to pick up more than $20 million at the box office this weekend, with the poorly-reviewed comedy What Happens in Vegasfinishing right behind in third. Of course,Iron Man took the top spot for a second week in a row with roughly $50 million, while Speed Racer -- which some projected to take home at least $30-40 million -- came in second with $20.2 million, as What Happens in Vegas slid into third with $20 million. Rounding out the top five were Made of Honor ($7.6 million) and Baby Mama ($5.7 million).
So what happened to Speed Racer? Part of the reason had to do with its targeted audience, which, supposedly, was kids, though kids weren't very familiar with the cartoon the film was based on. That, and the flick clocked in at over two hours -- a running time that's been mentioned a lot this weekend, as well as one that's way too long for a PG-rated kiddie adventure. That said, its PG-rating scared away those adults who grew up with the cartoon; people who, most likely, were looking for something a bit more skewed toward adults (especially when Iron Man came out the weekend before and kicked a whole lot of ass). Nevertheless, I'm pretty sure we can rule out that Speed Racer franchise at this point.
Coupla questions for ya: Why do you think Speed Racer failed to power across the finish line in spectacular fashion? Also, what happens to the Wachowski Brothers now? Will folks think twice before giving them $150 million and free reign?
The trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Warshas hit the net via Yahoo! Movies. Those who caught the broadcast of it on the 8th were lucky, as the Yahoo trailer is in less than ideal condition: just when things started to get good, the sound cut out on me! (So take my opinion with a grain of salt.) While I got all nostalgic and excited upon hearing Obi Wan's Theme (one of John Williams compositions, I think), the rest didn't fill me with much confidence. It looks less like a trailer for a movie trailer than one for a video game -- and not because of the animation, but because it mostly is made up of "Look, how cool!" shots. But, like I said, the sound died when the plot started to pick up, so I will re-watch it when the glitches clear up and form a new opinion. If it worked for you, please tell me if I'm wrong -- and if it is way better than a video game trailer.
The Clone Wars hits theatres August 15th. I wonder if Star Wars fans are already lining up?
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.
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 ...
Gotta love those fan-friendly filmmakers. Next Saturday the Hobbit-makers (Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro) will participate in an online Q&A session -- and 
Joel Silver thinks he will, and he would probably know. Silver gave a long interview with Moriarty over at 
George Roush over at 
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1. "Reasons To Burn Rubber (#5): Family-operated Burger King drive through. Fast. Hot. Creepy." -- Anthony M.
Discuss: Could Heath Ledger Land an Oscar Nod for His 'Dark Knight' Performance?
EXCLUSIVE: New 'Blindness' Images Ahead of Cannes Premiere Tonight!_thumbnail.jpg)
Cannes 2008 in Pictures: Day One -- Movie Posters Everywhere
