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First Image from 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1'

Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, Newsstand, Harry Potter, Images



Amidst all this nonsense over The Twilight Saga franchise, Warner Bros. does not want you to forget that they're gearing up for one helluva two-part finale when it comes to their just-as-popular Harry Potter franchise. The first official image from Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 has arrived online courtesy of USA Today, and right off the bat we have our three franchise heroes, Daniel Radcliffe (as Harry), Emma Watson (as Hermione) and Rupert Grint (as Ron). They look sort of determined in that image -- as if they're about to lay the wizardry smackdown on some unlucky evil soul.

Director David Yates tells USA Today, "It's going to feel very real. We're going for a vérité approach. Being away from Hogwarts, they're like these three refugees on the run. They're out in the big bad world, facing real danger, unguarded by those wonderful benign wizards at Hogwarts. They don't have a home to go to. We're kind of pulling away from the magic a bit and bringing more reality to it." The first installment, which hits theaters on November 19th, 2010, find our heroes dropping out of school and roaming the streets of London in search of Voldemort's remaining three Horcruxes. Says Grint, "They're paranoid. It's quite a scary world because the Snatchers and Death Eaters are running around everywhere. Harry, Ron and Hermione are just camping out in random places, living rough, in regular clothes."

Sounds pretty badass. I like the sound of a grittier, real-world Potter film -- how come they didn't get Michael Mann to shoot this one? Watch it when it drops in November; meanwhile the second (and final) installment will arrive in 2011.


First (Official) Look at 'The Karate Kid' Remake - Updated with More Photos

Filed under: Action, Sony, Family Films, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Remakes and Sequels, Images


Update: Check out three more images in the gallery below.

The initial trauma over Columbia's remake of The Karate Kid seems to have passed for the children of the 1980s, enough that the first official image (not counting the teaser poster Erik Davis posted in September) shouldn't be salt in the wound. Instead, you might be thinking "Hey, for the first image of The Karate Kid, shouldn't there be, you know ... karate?" Yes, yes there should. But instead People Magazine gave us a tender look between the new kid, Jaden Smith, and his mentor, Jackie Chan. 1980s children will be relieved to know that his name isn't Mr. Miyagi, but Mr. Han, and he's a maintenance man who befriends the troubled and unhappy boy who's been relocated to China. He also can kick major ass.

Smith and Chan give a few excited quotes for Kid. Smith reveals he trained for four months with the film's fight coordinator, Master Wu, which was probably interesting enough to warrant its own training montage. As he became wise in the way of karate, he learned discipline that extended all the way to his personal habits. "His dad told me that Jaden had changed," says Chan. "When he takes his shoes off, he doesn't throw them in the corner, but puts them away neatly!"

Admittedly, there could be some lovely Chinese eye candy in this. One sequence will take place on the Great Wall of China, so we're in for at least one (hopefully) breathtaking sequence that could actually rival any crane kick Ralph Macchio performed. The Karate Kid hits theaters on June 11, 2010.

First Glimpses of 'The Voyage of The Dawn Treader'

Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, 20th Century Fox, Family Films, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Remakes and Sequels, Images


Over the holiday weekend, we received our first official glimpse of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. This is a film that hasn't really attracted a lot of fervent interest or rumor-mongering, something that seems to have marked the ill-fated series as a whole.

But Dawn Treader is coming, with Michael Apted at the helm and 20th Century Fox directing its trade wind. I know I've stated it a million times before, but this is one Narnia installment that I'm desperate to see. It was my favorite of the books, and the film might actually work on a level that Wardrobe and Caspian haven't. There was more to be mined from those first two books than the films managed, but Dawn Treader is rather glossy and adventurous, a series of "What's that -- oh no!" moments that should make for a pretty entertaining movie. Sure, there's the heavy handed morality tale of selfish cousin Eustace, but that's a pretty simple thing to translate since it's a lesson as old as Grimm's -- bad kids are punished, regardless of religious inclination!

Narnia has chosen to launch its first images in a very unlikely place: Facebook. A production blog has started up there, and the first images were tacked onto the end of it. It should be fun to follow along with as we inch closer to its release date of December 2010. Meanwhile, the photos are in the gallery, and they certainly are pretty to look at.

'Shrek Forever After' to Be Last 'Shrek' Film ... for Now

Filed under: Animation, New Releases, Family Films, Remakes and Sequels, Images



I have a personal kink when it comes to a good old fashioned fairy tale subversion. I can't explain it, but there's just something about messing with those classic tales that never fails to amuse me -- so you can see why I have a soft spot for the Shrek franchise. News of a fourth film first hit back in 2007 and now USA Today gives us our first look at the fairy tale comedy, as well as (good?) news that the fourth installment of the franchise, Shrek Forever After, will be the last (and as much as I liked the first two films, I'll admit that by the time we had reached Shrek the Third, the charm was wearing a little thin).

Bill Damaschke, head of creative production at DreamWorks and Mike Mitchell (Sky High) gave some hints as to what we should expect from Shrek Forever After, and according to Mitchell, this time Shrek is feeling out of touch with his inner ogre, so he strikes up a deal with Rumplestiltskin (voiced by Walt Dohrn) to change his life. But things don't work out as planned and Shrek finds out that life in Far Far Away has changed for the worse in his absence. Franchise favorites Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) will return and some of the new additions to the cast are Kathy Griffin and Kristin Schaal (Flight of the Conchords) as witches and part time Ogre hunters, and Mad Men's Jon Hamm as the leader of the ogre underground.

Gaze Upon 'The Losers' and 'Jonah Hex'!

Filed under: Action, Warner Brothers, Fandom, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Images, Western


At last, some comic book news that isn't centered around Batman or Spider-Man! Omelete got their hands on some official images from two of Warner Bros' upcoming comic flicks, Jonah Hex and The Losers.

We've seen paparazzi glimpses from the Hex set of Megan Fox and Josh Brolin, but there's nothing like a well-lit and spooky shot, especially when your actor looks good enough to have walked off the page. If you're a fan of the haunted gunslinger and are unconvinced, you might be comforted by the sight of his Confederate gray and mangled lip. I can't say how excited I am for this film. Jonah Hex is a character who has more in common with High Plains Drifter than the capes and superpower crowd, and I think that will surprise and delight a lot of "newbies" who still equate DC Comics with Batman.

Next up, we have our first official look at The Losers! Aren't they a handsome bunch? This is based not on the DC war squad from the 1970s, but on the Vertigo spinoff by Andy Diggle. The Losers are a Special Forces team abandoned and left to die by their mysterious commander, Max. They regroup, vow revenge, and let the bullets fly. I have hopes that this one will be a solid action flick, the kind we all long for from the 1980s. The cast is certainly a lovely one: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Columbus Short, Idris Elba, and Oscar Jaenada are our fine Losers, and Jason Patric will be the villainous Max. You can see the whole line-up of them here, along a very sexy shot of Saldana. Even I can appreciate a lovely lady when she's packing guns. Now, if they'll just release a photo of Morgan to match ...

The photos are below in our gallery. Spend your Turkey Day geeking out.

Exclusive Images from 'Did You Hear About the Morgans?'

Filed under: Comedy, Movie Marketing, Images, Trailers and Clips



Cinematical has just received six exclusive new images from Did You Hear About the Morgans?, starring Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker as a New York Couple on the verge of divorce who witness a murder and, in an attempt to salvage their marriage (and save their lives), they join the witness protection program. But that's when things really get interesting, because the program sends our uptight, urban city dwellers all the way to the backwoods of Wyoming -- where the loud, obnoxious sounds of the city are replaced by the soft, calming sounds of nature. Will that be enough to save the marriage, though?

Sam Elliott, Mary Steenburgen and Elisabeth Moss also star in this comedy directed by Marc Lawrence (Forces of Nature, Miss Congeniality), who last worked with Grant on the charming Music and Lyrics. Will Grant's pairing with Sarah Jessica Parker work just as well as his on-screen pairing with Drew Barrymore did? I think maybe ... Head after the jump to check out the film's latest trailer, and click into the gallery below for the rest of the images. Did You Hear About the Morgans? hits theaters on December 18th ... just in time to give you folks who aren't in the mood for James Cameron's big flashy blue alien movie a little piece of comedic hilarity.

Exclusive 'Nine' Poster Premiere!

Filed under: Music & Musicals, Movie Marketing, Images, Trailers and Clips, Posters



Cinematical has just received this sexy new poster for the upcoming movie-musical Nine, directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago), and starring ... well, who isn't starring in this film? We've got the sensational, bound-to-be-nominated-for-Best-Actor-again Daniel Day-Lewis, followed by a plethora of gorgeous female co-stars like Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren.

Based on the popular Broadway show, Nine follows a famous film director named Guido Contini (Day-Lewis) who's struggling to juggle all of the different dysfunctional personal and professional relationships in his life. You'd be hard-pressed to find an Oscar-related list that doesn't already include Nine as a shoe-in for multiple nominations, including Best Picture. Early reviews are already touting it as a must-see, and I can kinda see why -- this poster alone gives us at least five reasons right off the bat.

Nine is set to roll out into theaters in limited release on December 18th and nationwide on December 25th. Click on the image below to view the full poster, then head after the jump to watch the film's trailers.

Fan Rant: The Ridiculous, Disgusting Photoshopping Must End!

Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Images, Posters



I love image editors like Photoshop. They've allowed me to make boring pictures funky, wipe the years off old and worn memories, and even get rid of the errant hair or blemish to make that nice photo truly shine. But I would give it all up and wipe my hands of them if it meant that the programs would be pulled out of the hands of Hollywood and the image-fixing machine.

We're getting bombarded by all sides. It's bad enough that lazy frakking poster creators actually shovel out horse poop like the embarrassingly terrible poster for The Takers, one that doesn't even bother trying to match the skin tones of the stars' heads with the stunt bodies, or thinks Paul Walker has massive Science of Sleep-like hands.

But we're also getting a never-ending onslaught of body de-hancements. I really can think of no better word for the folks like Ralph Lauren who are Photoshopping their models into sick, skeletal bodies. Adding to the pack is W Magazine, as BoingBoing shares. They scored an interview with Demi Moore and threw her up on the cover. While she may have discussed her dislike of being called a cougar, methinks she'd have more of an issue with what they did to her body. She's already ridiculously thin, but still, they edit. It looks like they tried to give her an "hourglass" shape (I use that term begrudgingly because it really doesn't apply when we're talking about skinny women who are Photoshopped to look curvy.), but worst of all -- they wiped out part of her already pencil-thin legs and were too lazy to make sure it matched. You can see part in the image above, look at the hip on the right, or in its full glory after the jump.

Interview: Tim Burton at the MoMA

Filed under: Fandom, Exhibition, Interviews, Images



New York's Museum of Modern Art is hosting a retrospective for Tim Burton that spans the artist's career so far, from doodles on paper, Polaroids, sketches, full-blown paintings, sculptures, and, of course, movies. The MoMA will be showing 14 of his films, and Burton himself curated a collection of films that inspired him, aptly titled "The Lurid Beauty of Monsters." Burton was on hand to talk to the press, comparing his joy at the show to "an out-of-body experience." He said, "In my life, I've had many surreal, great things happen -- meeting my idol, Vincent Price; being able to make movies; and this one, I think, tops it in the sense that it's the most amazing and surreal, and that's what you look for in life, is these great and incredible [experiences]."

The MoMA's Ron Magliozzi, Assistant Curator, and Jenny He, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Film, worked feverishly to uncover work from the artist's 27-year career, even touring his house to find art for the show. Burton also created seven new statues for the exhibit.

The show opens November 22nd and ends April 26th, 2010. You can see a selection of the art on display in the gallery below.

Cinematical: What's the most personal piece in the collection for you?

Tim Burton: Well, it could be any of a number because I noticed the ones that freaked me out so much that I can't look at, which is a lot of it, I think it's a lot of that early stuff. Stuff that I didn't even know I had. I don't even know where they found some of that really early stuff. 'Cause it's, as they [Ron Magliozzi and Jenny He] pointed out, it was all just kind of personal and private, so there's a lot of that in there. Mainly, the early stuff, I'd say. Stuff that – I don't know where you actually found stuff that I actually got decent grades on! Because I don't remember that at all! [Laughs]

Lots of Very Cool 'Up' Concept Art

Filed under: Animation, Fandom, Images



Now that Pixar's Up has officially landed on DVD and Blu-ray, artist Paul Conrad has posted a bunch of the concept art from the film that he worked on, like the above image (which I pieced together) that includes the original digital photo that inspired "Paradise Falls" alongside the faux magazine article that Ellie first thumb-tacks in their living room. Some interesting tidbits we learn from Conrad's blog:
  • According to one image, Paradise Falls was at one point called Angel Falls.
  • Initially, 185 Wilderness Explorer Merit Badges were created for Russell, though they only used 47 in the film (see all 185 over at Conrad's site).
  • The bird's name was originally Gary, and then later changed to Kevin.
  • Additionally, several soda cap badges were also created eventually leading to the single Grape Soda cap that young Ellie pins on young Carl (see all the soda cap designs over at Conrad's site).
There's also tons more over on the site, including concept sketches for the airlines tickets, collectibles in Carl's living room, sketches for the map of South America, a jet stream image that Russell was to show Carl in the film, and a story about the mailbox hand prints. Check out a couple more below and the rest over at Conrad's site.

 
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