Entries Tagged 'News' ↓

Michael, Chris, Dan, and Steve gaze into the Cinema Verdict crystal ball for a look at what we can expect from Hollywood this summer, from Iron Man 2 (May 7) to Piranha 3-D (Aug 27) and everything in between.

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As the 2010 edition of WonderCon comes to a close in San Francisco, I decided to sneak out the Moscone Center and write up my thoughts and feelings about this year’s convention. For me, this was my first visit to WonderCon, and even though people told me this year’s attendance didn’t seem to be as high as usual, I was still impressed by the large crowds storming the exhibition floors and panel room. If attendance is down indeed, I think it’s pretty safe to say it’s because this year’s WonderCon took place during Easter weekend.

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Ah, the Toronto International Film Festival. If there’s a better festival, I haven’t been able to gain access to it yet. The eponymous Midnight Madness program, which hosts some of the festival’s most esoteric, bloody and gloriously genre filmmaking have announced their lineup this year, and It’s A Doozie. Some serious star power will be staying up until 3AM at the good old Ryerson Theater this year. From the press release:

“This year’s Midnight Madness lineup is a showcase of some of the most highly anticipated thrillers and chillers of the year,” said Colin Geddes, TIFF programmer. “Bloody proms and zombies seem to pop up as main themes, but I’ve made sure to inject some truly bizarre action into the mix with animated plastic toys from Belgium and Russ Meyer inspired fighting femme fatales.”

The Diablo Cody-penned Megan Fox horror film Jennifer’s Body will open the program. Some early standouts in the Madness set are Daybreakers with Ethan Hawke, George A. Romero’s new zombie film Survival of the Dead, [REC] 2, Ong Bak 2: The Beginning with Tony Jaa and Australia’s The Loved Ones.

Hit the jump for a list of all the films and a brief synopsis.

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For all those who thought Curly Joe was The Stooges downfall, this trumps it. One of the worst ideas in cinematic history: A new Three Stooges film — not a biopic, an actual Stooges adventure — starring Benicio Del Toro as Moe, Sean Penn as Larry, and Jim Carrey as Curly. Seriously. This is not a joke. The Farrelly Brothers (Something About Mary) are behind it.

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Sans writer, director, or cast, Paramount and Dreamworks have secured July 1, 2011 as the date for Transformers 3, the third (and final?) chapter in the franchise. Scared another studio would snatch up the coveted holiday weekend slot, studio execs are betting Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen will be well enough received by audiences to warrant a third picture. This move also puts the Autobots and Decepticons squarely between the tag team of Spider-man 4 (May 6) & Thor (June 16) and Captain America (July 22), ensuring a Mighty Marvel Summer. (Marvel Comics’ Transformers ran for 80 issues between 1984-91).

UPDATE: Somebody’s gonna get fired. Director Michael Bay responded to the news of a Transformers triquel in 2011 on his blog… “Paramount made a mistake. They asked me on the phone and I said yes to July 4… but for 2012. Not 2011! That would mean I would have to start prep in September. No way. My brain needs a break from fighting robots.”

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Here we go. What originally appeared to be a lame attempt by Fox to milk even more money out of a failing X-Men franchise may just have some fascinating merit after all. Hugh Jackman returns to one of the most compelling characters of his career in a tale that sticks very close to Logan’s origin story (revealed over the years in bits and pieces but cemented by Paul Jenkins and Andy Kubert’s compelling mini-series in 2001), but tweaks the X-Men and Project X history by throwing Gambit, Beak, and Fred J. Dukes (The Blob) into the mix. This one’s a crap shoot. Early word from the set was that the production was a nightmarish mess, and I’m not really sold on Liev Schriber as Creed or Ryan Reynolds as the whacked out Deadpool. But it very well could turn out to be the sleeper of the summer. Continue reading →

As reported everywhere on the internet today, the new Star Trek trailer has hit the interwebs the way a brick hits the windshield of a Ferrari going at 80 miles an hour–OH GOD FLYING GLASS EVERYWHERE!

But seriously, this is as close as a “must see” trailer gets, if only to see how J. J. Abrams has spun the classic Trek mythos into a movie franchise people might actually want to see. It is pure awesome compressed into a Quicktime file. More after the break.

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Happy Birthday, Paddington Bear!  Well, close enough.  Actually, he made his debut on October 13, 1958 in a book by British author Michael Bond, and the rest is history. Those who have grown up reading his books or watching the cartoon series on Nickelodeon’s Pinwheel will be pleased to know that Warner Bros. is doing a live-action movie based on Bond’s creation. The film is being written by Hamish McColl (Mr. Bean’s Holiday) and will present Paddington as—you guessed it—a CGI creation. As tempting as it sounds, let’s hope and pray it’s not another Scooby-Doo or Garfield. A tentative release date of Summer 2010 is set.

Unconfirmed rumors are swirling around LA that George Clooney has stolen the role of “The Lone Ranger” away from Nic Cage in Disney’s next big Bruckheimer franchise picture. Johnny Depp has already signed on to play Tonto, from a script by Pirates scribes Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. This would be great move for all parties involved and give George the opportunity build off an otherwise fine performance as Bruce Wayne in the dismal Batman and Robin.

Pirates fans left wanting more at the close of At World’s End have reason to celebrate. Walt Disney Chairman Dick Cook welcomed Johnny Depp to the stage of Wednesday, during the studio’s yearly showcase presentation. Decked out as Captain Jack with a Lone Ranger mask, signaling both his return to the mega-billion dollar franchise and his upcoming role as Tonto in Jerry Bruckheimer’s re-imagining of The Lone Ranger. The studio also announced a third installment in the National Treasure franchise, moved up the sequel to Pixar’s Cars to coincide with the unveiling of the new Radiator Springs (my verbiage, not theirs) area at Disney’s California Adventure, gave updates on many other projects including Oprah’s vocal participation in The Princess and the Frog, and screened an unfinished print of the new 3D animated feature Bolt for the assembled masses at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre.

You can catch all the gory details over at ( ).

Oh, and the teaser for The Princess and the Frog — set in 1920s New Orleans, complete with music by the one and only Dr. John — can be found after the jump. Continue reading →