Wednesday 21 November 2012

A SEQUEL I DIDN'T WANT LOOKS COOL DESPITE MY SCORN

When I heard that some unholy producers had decided to create a sequel to Korea's genre-bending "monster movie" THE HOST, I winced. Why wouldn't I? It would likely be an hollow, uninspired, reanimated corpse of the original, right? That's what usually happens when a second film fires up without any of the original creatives attached. It smelt like a cash grab. But then this test footage appeared online. The film may still turn out to be poop, but so far, it looks pretty great.

Sweet video and links after the break: 

Monday 4 June 2012

CAT SHIT ONE IS THE BEST WAR SERIES STARRING RABBITS YOU WILL EVER SEE


Yes, the title is actually Cat Shit One. And despite being animated and despite featuring cute looking rabbits as soldiers, it really is quite authentic. It's also one of the best war story series of any kind once you settle in and get used to what you are looking at.

Video after the break

PAPER DOLL VERSION OF PROMETHEUS TRAILER RULES



Share this little piece of awesome with as many folks as you can. I absolutely love it. I was grinning through the whole thing and I'd be more than happy to sit through the feature length version too.

Click on the pic above to view at YouTube.com

LOHAN CHANNELS LIZ TAYLOR - SORT OF





The interwebs are abuzz with talk of how closely Lindsay Lohan resembles Liz Taylor in the first shots from her Lifetime Network TV movie, Liz and Dick. Personally I think the biggest difference between the two is that Liz Taylor wasn't a vacuous, self-absorbed attention whore, but I could be wrong.
No I'm not.

Here's a link to more pics on JoBlo.com


7 WEEKS OF RESHOOTS FOR WORLD WAR Z FILM


According to DailyMail.com, zombie blockbuster World War Z, starring Brad Pitt, based on the bestselling novel by Max Brooks is not in good shape and an additional seven weeks of reshoots have been scheduled to correct whatever horrible problems are ailing that project. An entire movie can be shot in that time, so I'm guessing that an early cut of the film has scared the living bejeesus out of whomever is in charge. They had already pushed the release date back from December 2012 to June 2013, so this shoot sounds like it's been deep in the weeds for a while. Here's hoping that after all the extra effort (and money!), they actually do that awesome book some justice.

FIRST (BLURRY) SHOT OF A KLINGON FROM STAR TREK 2!

So the good folks over at AintItCoolNews.com have scooped a leaked image from the new Trek Movie. Apparently J.J. Abrams visited MTV recently and some keen observer noticed this shot on a monitor behind the director's chair. Word is this is a helmeted Klingon and it's the first look at what the new film series is planning for the classic bad-guy aliens.

HALL OF ARMOR SHOT FROM IRON MAN 3

As a kid reading Iron Man comics, one of my favorite images from the books was the "Hall of Armor" which always featured Tony Stark walking by or choosing a suit from his many specialized suits of armour.


This first shot from the set of Iron Man 3 appears to be simply of all the suits used so far in the Marvel films, but here's hoping that at some point in the future we'll see the undersea armour, the space armour or even the Hulk-Buster armour all featured in the books. Looking forward to this film cleaning the bad taste of #2 (which it was) out of my mouth. Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) this time around and that's got to be a good thing.

SIGHTHOUND REVIEW: VACANT STARE AND THE HUNTSMAN

The central concept behind Snow White and The Huntsman was more than worthy of all the effort and money thrown behind it, but unfortunately a lazy script and a dial-tone performance by one of the leads killed any hope of it being great.
Read my review after the break.

Thursday 31 May 2012

FIRST SHOTS OF LIAM NEESON IN TAKEN 2

 All I really want is the knowledge that somewhere out there Liam Neeson is snapping the necks of punks. It makes me feel secure that all is right in the universe. The first shots of Taken 2 have just been released, and I will now, officially sleep better tonight.

Two more shots after the break:

Wednesday 30 May 2012

LEARN HOW TO TAIL ANOTHER CAR IN 1974


Thanks to this vintage two-part training video from the CIA called "Follow That Car",  the next time I find myself in 1974 trying to follow a "target" driving an awkward little British sedan, I'll be all over that goon like a bad suit.

Video after the break:

BEHOLD THE IRON, MAN!

Original Source: Dan Sheridan's TwitPic

BILL PAXTON: ITS FAR FROM GAME OVER, MAN

The AV Club has posted a great interview with Bill in their Random Roles column, and in it, he reflects on many of the iconic characters that he's portrayed including "Chet" from Weird Science, "Hudson" from Aliens, his six year run on TVs Big Love and most recently as "Randall McCoy" in Kevin Costner's Hatfield and McCoys miniseries.  Oh, Hudson....
Read the interview here:

Tuesday 29 May 2012

TELLER CONSULTING THE EXORCIST STAGE PLAY. YES. YOU READ THAT RIGHT.


Once in a blue moon a project appears that once again, gets me excited about the idea of being involved in a live theatre production. It happened today. When I read that an incredible group of world-class talent had assembled to adapt THE EXORCIST for the stage, well...  it got me thinking...

THE CREDIBLE HULK

Source: Lamar Forte

Monday 28 May 2012

DUPIEUX'S LATEST IS WRONG AGAIN

I love director Quentin Dupieux's unique brand of provocative insanity. This past week at the Cannes Film Festival, he premiered a short film called "Wrong Cops" and it's all kinds of fun. He's been cool it for everyone to enjoy, and it seems to be the first of a series of Wrong Cops vignettes.  I hope you've got the 13 minutes to check it out:(*Warning NSFW - potty language and bad attitudes)

Friday 25 May 2012

NEIL GAIMAN SPEAKS AND INSPIRES


Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite people. He has already inspired me many, many times over the course of my life, but when I found this recording of his inspirational speech to the graduating class of The University of The Arts 2012, I settled in and tried to soak up as much of this brilliant man's insights and encouragement as possible. I encourage you to do the same. Click here or on the photo.

Thursday 24 May 2012

GARY OLDMAN IS EXACTLY WHAT THE ROBOCOP REBOOT NEEDS TO "STAY OUT OF TROUBLE"

They are rebooting Robocop, and although I hate Hollywood's inane love affair with reboots, I actually look forward to this one. Why? Well, Gary Oldman sure helps, but in fact, if you can look past the dangerous, expectation-filled title, there's a very new film brewing here.

Wednesday 23 May 2012

BRANDON CRONENBERG IS HIS DADDY'S SON



Brandon Cronenberg, son of director David, has just shown his latest film, Antiviral at Cannes and it seems to be getting pretty mixed reviews. Word is, Brandon's work is the kind of film a kid who's dad made Videodrome would grow up and make. Duh. The first clip certainly looks interesting, though. Have a look after the break.

Tuesday 22 May 2012

INSIDE JAWS FILMUMENTARY A MUST SEE

If you are not yet familiar with the term "Filmumentary" then sit down and get comfortable. It's truly one of the best ways to celebrate movie magic and it's absolutely free. It will actually heighten your love of films such as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and shortly Jaws. For real. Do NOT miss this. 

OZZIE WEB SERIES "EVENT ZERO" LAUNCHES

Event Zero is a new web series from Distracted Media, the award-winning team that brought you the worldwide internet smash hit movie 'The Tunnel'. It's free, it's cool and the first mini-episode is available right now.

NEW DARK KNIGHT RISES POSTER ART

Chris Nolans' final Batman film is getting ever closer and to make sure we somehow didn't forget about it in the midst of an amazing year for genre film fans, the marketing goons have released another 6 poster images.

TONS OF NEW PROMETHEUS FOOTAGE!

Holy shit balls! A new featurette focused on Charlize Theron was just released and it is chock to the gills with fresh footage from Ridley Scott's new sci-fi/thriller/horror/allthingsawesome "Prometheus"!

video after the break.

CONTROLLING ROBOTS WITH YOUR MIND-TODAY

 When I first saw Honda's Mind-Machine Interface years ago, I knee-jerked. In almost the same moment I went from "Whoa!" (excited), to "Whoa." (anxious).  The beneficial applications seem obvious, but what other applications, not so benign, might this technology find it's way into?

Video after the break

SPACEX LAUNCHES DRAGON INTO ORBIT!

 At 3:44 a.m. SpaceX successfully launched its Dragon capsule into low Earth orbit atop its Falcon 9 rocket and in doing so, became the first private company in history to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station. It's kind of a big deal.

 Video after the break

HELP THE WORLD SINK "BATTLESHIP": DON'T GO.

"Dumb and Dumber" was dumb. "Anchorman" was dumb. "Anchorman 2" looks just as dumb. But all of those films are arguably funny and benign. I pay to see them and I laugh, feeling good about my investment. "Battleship" is not dumb. It's stupid. By design. And it's inexplicably proud of it.

Monday 21 May 2012

BIG CHIEF IS THE BEST MUSTACHED PAPER TOY EVER

Milan-based inspirational blog "Think" is a creative outlet for Luca Gentile's design studio. Clearly he has all kinds of cool stuff going on, but he's also responsible for one of the funnest paper toys on the web: The "Big Chief". He's totally free, downloadable and you can start building one of your own right now.


BOND IS BACK WITH A BEAUTIFUL TEASER

The new Bond movie "Skyfall" looks to impress. The previous effort, famously hamstrung by the writer's strike, frustrated fans and it's creators alike, but with a new director and star Daniel Craig's determination to make the best Bond movies possible in full swing, "Skyfall" seems like a safe bet.

Watch the awesome teaser trailer after the break:

"THE MASTER" ALREADY HAS A HOLD OF ME

Paul Thomas Anderson's "There will be blood" literally blew my mind. I found myself grinning through most of my first screening because it had been a long time since I'd felt that excited and arrested by a cinema experience. So when I discovered that his follow-up would be called "The Master" and very much "inspired by" the early years of Scientology and specifically it's deranged founder L. Ron Hubbard, I couldn't wait. And now the wait is almost over. The first clip is up and it does not disappoint.


NEW YUM YUM TOY LINE LOOKS ODDLY DELICIOUS

So the UK's creative team of Beth and Jonny (known as "Yum Yum") have been around for a few years releasing some fun animated shorts, but they're about to jump into the urban toy game with an initial 5 piece, 5" boxed toy release that's all kinds of fun. Check some cool pics and videos after the break. I love kung-fu granny and naked popcorn guy.



Sunday 20 May 2012

BRILLIANT VIRAL MARKETING FOR "PROMETHEUS"

Holy snap do I wish I lived in Paris.
"The Saint-Martin subway station has been closed since 1939, but the marketing team behind Prometheus has transformed it into the surface of Ridley Scott's alien world. By the looks of it, passengers won't be able to disembark, they'll merely be able to snatch glimpses of it as their train passes by.


Do not miss this awesome video after the jump:

GUILLERMO DEL TORO ON HITCHCOCK: A MASTER CLASS

Recently, director Guillermo Del Toro was in Toronto at the Lightbox Theatre to teach a sold-out crowd about the genius of Alfred Hitchcock. I was there. I recorded the whole thing, and now I'm sharing it with you. Enjoy!


Thursday 17 May 2012

6K AND INNOVATION = INDIE HORROR HIT

Over at AINTITCOOLNEWS.COM, long time contributor Ambush Bug has posted a nice interview with the creators behind the new film "Entrance". It was made with a budget of six thousand dollars and a solid understanding of both filmmaking and how to scare the living shit out of young women.

As an indie filmmaker myself I love reading about how rising creatives beat the odds and do something cool with almost no resources. Six thousand bucks is nothing, so colour me impressed.  I was also impressed with their sources of inspiration. They've embraced the spirit of some great older films by directors most of the younger generation have never even heard of.

The article can be found right here:

Wednesday 16 May 2012

"BEING ABLE TO TELL A COMPELLING STORY IS THE RAREST SPECIAL EFFECT"

Charlie Jane Anders over at io9.com has posted an interesting article on Josh Trank and his found footage superhero flick "Chronicle". The title quote from Trank says it all.

Trank's film made a sizable amount of coin and got people's attention. Trank himself has now been secured to help develop the reboot of Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four franchise and may even end up directing that one. Not bad for a guy who's only made one film. The simple trick, is to make a good one.

The entire article can be found here:

Monday 14 May 2012

“THEY HAD NO SCRIPT, MAN!”

There's a pretty interesting article over at FILMDRUNK.COM where Jeff Bridges is quoted as saying that there was literally no real script or written dialogue for the first Iron Man film. He also goes on to say...
 “You would think with a $200 million movie you’d have the sh-t together, but it was just the opposite. And the reason for that is because they get ahead of themselves. They have a release date before the script, ‘Oh, we’ll have the script before that time,’ and they don’t have their sh-t together.’”

The whole article can be found here. 


Saturday 12 May 2012

CARROLL SHELBY, AUTOMOTIVE SUPERHERO, DEAD AT 89

Photo from the New York Times Company

The man responsible for the Shelby Cobra, an armada of high-performance mustangs and even Dodge's revered supercar, the Viper has died. During the 60's he made it possible for American manufacturers to compete head-to-head with the European superpowers like Ferrari and Maserati and he did it all from the most humble of beginnings. He was a real-world superhero, and he never once sowed down until illness forced him to exit the world this past week. He was just beginning to enjoy a new, reinvigorated relationship with Ford and he had plans to do much, much, more and now he's gone.
I'm saddened by the loss of yet another brilliant pioneer, innovator and larger-than-life hero.

The NewYorkTimes.com posted a nice article and retrospective right here.

THAT'S WHY CARS IN MOVIES NEVER START

The folks over at JALOPNIK.COM posted this funny explanation as to why cars in movies - especially Horror movies- never start when the character on screen really, really  needs them to. Yes. I see now. :)

The entire article is right here.

THE AVENGERS TRAILER GET'S "SWEDED"

Ha! I love it. These folks have the art of "Sweding" down and this had me grinning through the whole trashy mess. Who says you need an epic budget to capture an epic story? Here it is: Avengers Trailer #2 - SWEDED!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F4CW6jzVuRs#!

Thursday 10 May 2012

HENSON AND DEL TORO TO TAKE ON 3D PINOCCHIO

So here's some cool news: Apparently Guillermo Del Toro (HellBoy, Pan's Labyrinth, other cool shit) has been working with the Henson Workshop (The source of all things wonderful in the universe) developing a 3D, Stop Motion Pinocchio project. Better yet, it's actually going to happen. And it's chock full of awesomeness...



More after the break.

THE FUTURE OF CINEMA WITH DOUGLAS TRUMBULL


Douglas Trumbull recently appeared on the AIN'T IT COOL NEWS video show with HARRY KNOWLES and discussed his vision of the future of cinematic entertainment. It's fascinating and if you have any interest in movies at all, you'd better check these videos out. Something much more revolutionary and more immersive than simple 3D or even 48 frames per second is coming if Trumbull has anything to say about it!  Get comfy. The videos are after the break:


ART SPIEGELMAN DISCUSSES THE LATE, GREAT MAURICE SENDAK


I've found a remarkable article in THE NEW YORKER online where comic book master Art Spiegelman (Maus), talks about his friendship and collaboration with "Where the Wild Things Are" author Maurice Sendak. Sadly Sendak died recently on May 8 of complications related to a stroke and with him now gone forever, I'm very pleased to be able to read more about the man from another very gifted creative.

The attached panel is from the collaborative project called "In the Dumps" in which they both illustrated themselves and shared the drawing duties evenly. It's a fascinating project and article.

The entire article can be read here.

ONLINE CUSTOM CAR ARCHIVE A REAL TREASURE


The Rik Hoving Custom car Photo Archive is one of the greatest online resources for old custom cars I've ever found. The above photo is of the very famous "Hirohata Mercury" that became the epitome of 50's customizations. The page on that George Barris-built masterpiece is right here, but the entire website is a treat to wander through for anyone who's ever taken an interest in the first generation of custom car builders.
I grew up at car shows and would see and hear about many of these great projects, so this site is a real walk down memory lane for me. And my memory lane is lined with slow moving "cruisers" like the Hirohata Merc. Rumbling and crawling down the curbside lane so you could get a good look at the people on foot.  It was much later than the 50's when I "cruised the strip" in my custom 62 Studebaker Hawk, but I did have a cassette tape of genuine 50's radio -commercials and all-  to play to get into the mood. Yeah. I'm old enough to remember when gas was cheap. *sigh*.

Have a look at really rare photos of a culture where buying a car off the rack just ain't cool daddy-o.

Visit the Rik Hoving Custom Car Photo Archive right here 

Wednesday 9 May 2012

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY ATTRACTS VIPS AT LOCAL COMIC SHOP


 Tim Morris, owner of THE COMIC BOOK COLLECTOR and Batgirl

Check it out: Batgirl and the 1966 Batmobile both showed up to hang out at my uncles Comic Book store, THE COMIC BOOK COLLECTOR this past Saturday (May 5) for an industry-wide special event. They actually live up to the name of the day and hand out free comic books for as long as the supply holds out. I guesstimated Tim Morris and his staff gave away free stuff to two thousand visitors, many in cosplay costumes wearing and comic book merchandise from 9AM to 5PM. It's an amazing event and if you missed out this year, then mark it on your calendar so you get the reminder next May. 

Check out more photos after the break. 

MOVIE TRAILER: ARGO



Ben Affleck's new film ARGO looks great, despite the fact that this real-life tale of Canadian triumph has been spun into American propaganda, but hey... we're used to that, right? Check out the trailer:


I love the fake movie element and can see why they ran with that. Killer cast all around. The former Mr. J-Lo/Daredevil has been on a terrific roll lately and I expect to enjoy this one as well. Don't miss!



MOVIE TRAILER: KILLER JOE


Recently, Matthew McConaughey has gotten famous for walking around with his shirt off, but this new film proves he might actually remember how to act too. 

Word on the street is that William Friedkin's new film, KILLER JOE, based on the stage play by Tracey Letts (who also wrote the screenplay) is all kinds of nasty goodness. It went over big at SXSW and it's headed your way. It certainly has my attention.

Check out the trailer below, but be careful friends. 
This one's rated NC-17


 






MOVIES VS. FILMS

So the good folks over at FILMSCHOOLREJECTS.COM have boldly posted a list of "The 10 Greatest Movies of all Time." And shortly afterward, nerd brawls broke out all over the world.

The list is a solid one though. I like those guys and I've got no issue with it. You can read about how their list came to be, the parameters/rules used and all that jazz right here, but here also is my two cents on how anyone could justify such a list and the verbiage used. *Ahem*...

  1. This is a list about personal opinion and nothing more. Period.
  2. The list is a list of the greatest "movies" of all time. Not the greatest "films" of all time. 

Now back off for a second. I know that sounds pretentious, but stay with me... 

I believe the word "movie" reflects more to the simple experience of watching a motion picture up on the silver screen. It's a personal perspective driven largely by how the movies make us feel as individuals or as members of a group of like-minded enthusiasts (sometimes referred to as fans, nerds or geeks). 


Conversely, I believe the word "film" would reflect titles known more for their artistic, cultural and technical impact and should be assembled with a more neutral perspective that takes into account how these films have inspired, enlightened and affected the worldwide community as a legitimate work of art more than as simple entertainment. 

But hey, I like comic books, so what do I know? 

Finally, the correct pronunciations of each word: 
Movie: MOO-BEE
Film:  FILLUM


You're welcome.