Debuting yesterday, the new trailer for Steven Spielberg’s wartime drama War Horse was met with mixed response. While it’s clearly being presented as Oscar bait (and no doubt the prolific director will have a reserved seat at Kodak Theater on Feb. 27), the grandeur and melodrama highlighted in this latest trailer has some folks still on the fence. Check out the latest trailer and let us know what you think. War Horse arrives in theaters on Christmas Day.
A new international trailer for Spielberg’s other December movie, The Adventures of Tintin, arrived today. Not much new here with the exception of some dialogue, but Tintin continues to pick up momentum as it approaches its December 21st release date. Take a look at the new trailer below.
When it comes to Luc Besson, he’s not exactly well-known for his long list of Oscar-nominated and Academy Award-winning movies. Rather, the French filmmaker is known more for his entertaining, high-octane action flicks ranging from La Femme Nikita and Leon: The Professional to launching the Transporter franchise starring Jason Statham.
So when the first trailer for The Lady appeared with Michelle Yeoh’s name as the lead actor, one would expect a kung-fu action fest to unfold before your eyes. After all, Yeoh apprenticed and co-starred with legendary action star Jackie Chan in a number of movies, so take a look at the trailer for The Lady and let us know what you think.
Good change of pace for Besson and Yeoh? Or should they get back to action flicks? The Lady doesn’t have a U.S. release date yet but opens in France in late November.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” a mental health professional explains in the latest trailer for The Human Centipede II as he attempts to comfort the mother of Martin, Tom Six’s latest deranged medical mastermind. Of course, there is always something to worry about when your protagonist is a squat sexual deviant who fantasizes about stitching 12 people together in the most nauseating fashion imaginable, and even more so when you know that audience members at last week’s premiere were so disgusted by the vile images before them that some vomited in the theater while others just passed out. So yes, you should worry, and if your stomach is strong enough, you should cautiously click through to watch the grossest movie trailer of all time.
It’s not exactly nauseating because of what is shown but because of what is implied via the images inside this 120 second Centipede sequel sneak peak. Blunt knives. An overweight loner (Laurence R. Harvey) who is bizarrely obsessed with Six’s first film The Human Centipede and determined to build his own 12-pede.
(The fact that he wears a lab coat while working as a parking garage attendant and lovingly fingers stills from the original film will not help his case in court.) A third party describing centipedes as phallic symbols. Dull knives, cleavers and a funnel. Bound and gagged future ‘pede members writhing in terror. Incision marks drawn in Sharpie. Screams.
Verdict: If you can barely make it through this two-minute promo without gagging (like me), you probably won’t be running to theaters on October 7 to see The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) on opening day.
[via Yahoo!]
Now that Comic Con is over and that week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly is old news, Sony has released the images contained in that issue online and in high res. You can find all of the images below, in full resolution. There’s nothing really new if you haven’t seen the last issue of EW (with Spidey on the cover), but they are nice high-resolution versions of the images from the magazine without being obscured by magazine text.
If you're one of the many who remember the day you first bought Pearl Jam's debut album, 'Ten,' and then listened to it until the cassette melted into your stereo, then get ready to feel old. Yup, it's been a full 20 years since 'Ten' came out and established Pearl Jam as one of the defining voices of the grunge era, and not only have they been kicking ass ever since, but apparently they've been filming their musical journey all along.
With an upcoming tour on the horizon to celebrate their 20th anniversary as band, we now have our hands on the first trailer and exclusive poster for the upcoming rockumentary, 'Pearl Jam Twenty.' As per the studio:
'Pearl Jam Twenty' chronicles the years leading up to the band's formation, the chaos that ensued soon-after their rise to megastardom, their step back from center stage, and the creation of a trusted circle that would surround them -- giving way to a work culture that would sustain them. Told in big themes and bold colors with blistering sound, the film is carved from over 1,200 hours of rarely-seen and never-before seen footage spanning the band's career. 'Pearl Jam Twenty' is the definitive portrait of Pearl Jam: part concert film, part intimate insider-hang, part testimonial to the power of music and uncompromising artists."
Check out the trailer and the poster:
They're definitely going for the 'U2 3D' effect with the poster, but who cares -- this will be awesome and it's sure to have one hell of a soundtrack.
Directed by Cameron Crowe, it's set to hit theaters on Sept. 20 for one night only before getting a week-long run on Sept. 23, and it features the many members of Pearl Jam (obviously) along with appearances from Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and the late, great Layne Staley from Alice in Chains. We don't know about you, but we're already dusting off our ripped jeans and plaid flannel for this one.
Yet another look at the web-slinger's origins? Too bad the Tobey Maguire version is still fresh in viewers' minds
Andrew Garfield stars as the swinging man-about-town in the upcoming "The Amazing Spider-Man," and some critics say it's far too soon for a franchise reboot. Photo: Facebook
Best Opinion: New York, Indie Wire, Entertainment Weekly
The video: Is it too soon for a Spider-Man franchise reboot? That was the overwhelming consensus when The Amazing Spider-Man was announced, barely three years after Sam Raimi's Tobey Maguire-led trilogy finished its theatrical run. Now, the trailer for the new film, directed by (500) Days of Summer's Marc Webb, with The Social Network's Andrew Garfield filling out Spidey's suit, has been released. (Watch the clip below.) The new rendering (due in summer 2012) focuses, just as Raimi's did in 2001, on Peter Parker's first awakening as a super-hero. There's the spider bite, the awkward experimenting with powers, and hints of the tragic death that catalyze Parker's heroism.
The reaction: Sigh, says Kyle Buchanan at New York, it's "that same, familiar tale." Sigh, indeed, says Kevin Jagernauth at Indie Wire, and the two-and-a-half-minute clip is plagued by a "truly wonky, gimmicky," point-of-view web-slinging sequence that seems better suited for a video game or amusement park ride than a big-budget franchise reboot. The trailer is "disappointingly not amazing or even, well, good." And yet, this first glimpse at least looks "darker" than Raimi's trilogy, says Darren Franich at Entertainment Weekly, with its "moody music" and "David Fincher-y shots" of Parker in high school. If the film really is this "darkly emotional," it could be a "legitimately interesting," if premature, revisiting of the Spidey tale. Check it out:
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Assassination Game (2011) Trailer - Scott Adkins & J.C. Van Damme [HD]
Fairy-tale fever seems to have struck Hollywood, with all signs pointing to the hallowed green halls of the Emerald City. Oz has suddenly become the premier destination for a battalion of producers, directors and studios stampeding to stake their claim for the next lucrative franchise from the lands of children's literature. An avalanche of sequels, prequels and just plain freaky distortions of the original material looms just over the rainbow, including live action, CGI, stop-motion animation, classically adapted, steampunk renditions, dark takes and contemporary visitations. Nothing is sacred in the magical land of Oz anymore.
Warner Brothers just won a copyright infringement case on Oz-related merchandise that could give them the upper hand as these icons return to the screen. The ruling states that filmmakers who wish to create a new version of a literary work—even one in the public domain—must be careful not to use copyrightable elements of characters that first appeared in protected motion picture versions of the works, meaning screenwriters and directors will have to craft their characters carefully without trading on previous renderings. Easier said than done, Dorothy.
As with our feature on Frankenstein projects in the laboratory, many of these Oz projects will get lost, trip or stumble, never making it to the screen. Whatever the results, that swirling crystal ball is showing there may be a whole lotta Oz in your future. One thing is certain ... ruby slippers, flying monkeys, charlatan wizards and feuding wicked witches are steadily marching toward Tinseltown.
Here's Hollywood's current Oz lineup so you can click your heels and keep score at home ...
OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
The most visible of all Oz projects in development. Disney swung hard and hired Spider-Man director Sam Raimi to command this prequel centering on the legendary wizard (James Franco), telling the story of a carnival barker who accidentally discovers the magical land of Oz and is mistaken for a sorcerer.
Robert Downey Jr. was attached to star, but commitments to Sherlock Holmes 2 and The Avengers delayed production and he exited. Rachel Weisz is negotiating to play Evanora, the wicked broom rider of the East opposite Black Swan's Mila Kunis as Theadora, the nasty one of the West. (Who knew they had names?) Michelle Williams plays sugary-sweet Glinda, and affable Zach Braff is the great Oz's faithful assistant.
Danny Elfman does the score! Shooting starts July with a planned March 2013 release.
DOROTHY OF OZ
Set to open in theaters in spring 2012, this lavish animated version comes from indie studio Summertime Entertainment and is directed by Disney animation veteran Dan St. Pierre. An awesome voice cast includes Glee's Lea Michele as Dorothy, Dan Aykroyd as the Scarecrow, Kelsey Grammer as the Tin Man and James Belushi as the Cowardly Lion.
The cartoon outing is based on an original story by Baum's grandson Roger S. Baum, as Dorothy returns to Oz to help her friends defeat an evil entity known as the Jester. Sappy Canadian pop star Bryan Adams has written songs for the project. Ouch, that cuts like a knife.
THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ
John Boorman (Deliverance, Excalibur), whose 1974 sci-fi film Zardoz was inspired by Baum's book, enters the mix with a big-budget CGI-animated version of The Wizard of Oz with no catchy dance numbers, primed for a 2012 release. The British director states they're still deep in production and word is the story is dark.
This will be Boorman's first animated feature and the script was written by Ron Mita and Jim McClain (Robots). Baum's material is ripe for creative interpretation and Boorman, who deftly adapted Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur for his visionary King Arthur epic, may strike gold again.
OZ: RETURN TO THE EMERALD CITY
Here's the second of Warner's two Oz flicks in the works. In this modern-day sequel, Chicago lawyer Dorothy Neil, granddaughter of the original Dorothy, is whisked away to Oz with her boss's daughter where they team up with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion to take down a tyrannical witch who threatens to destroy all the magic in Oz. (Why do they ALWAYS do that?)
This project originated back when comic artist Todd McFarlane offered Thunder Road Productions an Oz film based on his "Twisted Land Of Oz" toy line. Thunder Road passed but decided to develop an Oz update of their own. Screenwriter Josh Olson (A History Of Violence) pitched them a family-friendly fastball right down the plate and Warner was in love. Producer Basil Iwaynk (The Town, Clash of the Titans) could direct.
TWISTED LAND OF OZ
This is one we'd truly sign away our immortal souls to see. It's a project based on Spawn-daddy Todd McFarlane's disturbingly cool line of Oz action figures that debuted in 2003. The horrific playthings feature a sexy, S&M Dorothy, monstrous Tin Man, a savage Cowardly Lion and demonic Scarecrow along with an entire demented host of supporting characters. This one is definitely somewhere WAY, WAY over the rainbow.
According to McFarlane, the script is currently getting some second draft revisions but thinks his sick toybox might be a little too scary for Warner Brothers to embrace. Scary? Wait, we love scary!!
WICKED
Gird yourselves for Universal's musical adaptation of Gregory Maguire's best-selling novel. It's an origin story that tells how the Wicked Witch of the West became Oz enemy number one. Wicked opened on Broadway in 2003 and is still packin' 'em in every night. Kristin Chenoweth originated the glittering role of Glinda in the stage show and will surely reprise it in the big screen version with Wicked star Idina Menzel.
Wicked writer, Winnie Holzman has finished the screenplay but no casting choices have been finalized. JJ Abrams, James Mangold (Walk The Line) and Rob Marshall (Chicago) have been discussed as directors for the girl-power gala.
DARK OZ
The sinister Caliber Comics Oz series was first optioned way back in 2008, with Pearry Teo set to direct and Pras Michel of The Fugees lined up to star. Teo has visions of giving the film a decisive steampunk look, distinguishing the project from the scrambling mob of similar versions. Scriptwise, Dorothy returns to Oz to find that it is under the spell of three evil kings- the Scarecrow, the Lion and the Tin Man! This production is currently on hold pending financing and distribution issues.
SURRENDER DOROTHY
We first heard of this project in 2002, with Drew Barrymore attached to star from an Oz-inspired script written by Zach Helm (Stranger Than Fiction). Similar to Oz: Return To The Emerald City, Barrymore would play a descendant of the original Dorothy Gale, who has to stop the original and still-living Wicked Witch of the West from taking over the kingdoms of Oz and Earth, using the atomic power of her ruby slippers.
It was announced last year that Barrymore was thinking of directing the film as a follow-up to 2009's Whip It. Munchkins on rollerskates? Hmm, she may have something there.
LAND OF OZ
The other Wizard of Oz film being developed at Warner Brothers under their New Line banner. Shrek Forever After screenwriter Darren Lemke is adapting the original novel in the series as a faithful, non-musical version.
Brought to you by Temple Hill, the production company behind the Twilight saga, Oz skips back to where it all began and reportedly follows the book page for page. Rumors say this one's head may be on the emerald chopping block if Warner passes.
OZ WARS
This one has a high salivation factor. Oz Wars is a new stop-motion animated film set within the vast fantasy world first visited in The Wizard Of Oz. The project is fronted by The Corpse Bride co-director Mike Johnson and merrily joins the crowded competition.
Variety reports Vanguard Films will be producing the movie. Johnson was quoted as saying: "It's an animated action-adventure story, but unlike most animated films, it's not just for kids. The Land of Oz will be reimagined using stop-motion to create a world that's dark, slick, sexy and dangerous." Really? You had us at dark!
THE WITCHES OF OZ
This baby is in the can and awaiting a distribution deal. Originally set for television, it may get a 3-D release in theaters or be destined for the direct-to-video bin. It's another sequel to the first book and follows successful children's author Dorothy Gale as she discovers her stories about a magical land are actually repressed childhood memories. Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Christopher Lloyd and Lance Henriksen star opposite newcomer Paulie Rojas as Dorothy. Writer/ director Leigh Scott is known for his cheap, knockoff films like Transmorphers, but behind-the-scenes clips show there were a few bucks spent on the production.
Exhausted? That's an army of Oz assaulting us over the next few years. Which one do you think will move on down the yellow brick road?
With Comic-Con around the corner (the fest overruns San Diego July 21-24), fans can expect a flood of superhero-related news items to spread across the Internet as studios line up future tentpoles and kick start viral marketing campaigns. And even though Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises isn’t expected to have much of a presence at the convention, the anticipated sequel just made a pre-Con splash by tossing a teaser poster into the mix.
Check it out the first ever Dark Knight Rises poster below:
It’s bleak. And it’s not just the washed out, black-and-white tones. It appears to suggest that major skyscrapers in Gotham are crumbling to the ground … a stark contrast to bright lights and bustle that was reflected in posters for The Dark Knight. Either that or massive pieces of popcorn are popping in Gotham. Maybe Bane (Tom Hardy) and Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) have a delicious scheme cooked up for the Caped Crusader?
Speaking of the announced antagonists, they’re noticeably absent from this teaser poster. Some of the best marketing for The Dark Knight gave us glimpses of Heath Ledger in his Joker outfit, working his bloody smile into the imagery. It immediately created a memorable image that this poster doesn’t quite convey. Bonus points for working the Bat signal into the design, though. Look closely, and you’ll see.
Hopefully we’ll get even more in the teaser trailers that are supposed to be attached to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 this weekend. And then there’s always Comic-Con, where Warner could continue to generate buzz for a sequel that doesn’t really need it.
“The president has initiated Ghost Protocol,” intones an über-serious Tom Wilkinson at the start of the trailer for Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. “The entire IMF has been disavowed.” Yikes! What happens now, super agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise)? “So, what happens now?” Yes — just asked that question. Stop being difficult and just cue up some Eminem — the first trailer for the fourth Mission: Impossible film is live and online.
Directed by Brad Bird, and starring Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Josh Holloway (early guess: bad guy), Paula Patton, Lea Seydoux, Michael Nyqvist, and a gun-toting Simon Pegg, the trailer for Ghost Protocol promises pretty much exactly what you’ve come to expect from the Mission: Impossible series: double crosses, disavowed agents, skyscraper shenanigans, sexy cars, sexier women, explosions, and Tom Cruise running away from something. Also, Tom Cruise dodging massive wrecked machinery — in this case, a wrecked car. Fingers crossed Bird has as much fun in his live-action feature directorial debut as J.J. Abrams did with Mission: Impossible III, still one of the more under-rated summer blockbusters to come out in recent years.
Liv Tyler won’t be in The Hobbit. While her Arwen character is an ancient immortal and thus technically alive at the time this prequel story takes place, Tyler confirmed awhile back that she hasn’t been asked to show up on set. So if you’re looking for a new female elf character to replace the Arwen in these new Middle Earth movies, who do you cast? Evangeline Lilly, of course. She’s like Liv Tyler, except without the Aerosmith connection.
Hobbit director Peter Jackson confirmed her involvement today on his Facebook page. Lilly has been hired to play a character newly created specifically for the feature version of The Hobbit. She’ll be a Woodland Elf named “Tauriel”. That name even has a translation already, because of course that’s how back-story obsessed author J.R.R. Tolkien would have wanted it, were he the one inventing this new elf-babe. PJ says “Tauriel” means “daughter of Mirkwood”. So now you have a pretty good idea of where she lives.
The addition of Lilly is important, not only because she’ll look good in pointy ears, but because it could help solve one of the 4 big story problems we predicted Peter Jackson would encounter in adapting Tolkien’s book for the screen. If Evangeline’s role is big enough, it could help clear up problem #4, which is that the original Tolkien version of The Hobbit contains no female characters. None. In Hollywood, the general consensus seems to be that girls need someone to identify with, if you want them buying tickets.
Evangeline isn’t the only person getting in the Middle Earth makeup chair down in New Zealand. Jackson has also confirmed the casting of actor Barry Humpries, to play the Goblin king. This is a villain character encountered by Bilbo and his Dwarf companions on their journey. You won’t see a lot of him, but he does play a pivotal role in the story. Jackson says he’ll portray the character “in much the way Andy Serkis created Gollum”. In other words, you won’t actually see him on screen, but you will see a computer generated character created based on his performance.
Paramount Pictures has released the first images of Sacha Baron Cohen as The Dictator.
The film, due out May 11, 2012, tells the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed, the studio said earlier this year.
It is inspired by the novel Zabibah and The King by Saddam Hussein.
Producing alongside Baron Cohen are Scott Rudin, Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel.
'The Muppets' continues the trailer absurdity with 'The Fuzzy Pack' an action/comedy followup to 'Green With Envy,' the romcom tinged trailer of earlier this week. This one features bogus press quotes and your first look at a couple of the celebrity cameos you can expect to see this November, namely, Wanda Sykes and Danny Trejo!
The Muppets' hits theaters November 23, 2011. Synopsis: When Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater, they help Kermit reunite the Muppets to stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater.
Yesterday, we got a first look at the U.S. and U.K. teaser posters for director Steven Spielberg's Peter Jackson–produced 3D motion-capture animation adaptation of Belgian artist Georges "Hergé" Remi's comic book series 'The Adventures of Tintin.' Today, we get the trailer.
Aside from a few still images and the poster, Spielberg has kept 'Tintin' a mystery. But from the looks of things, the director's affinity for revolutionary special effects ('Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' 'Jurassic Park') has been put to good use here, with the motion-capture technology pioneered by Spielberg's real-life friend and 'Back to the Future' collaborator Robert Zemeckis looking sharper than ever.
However, one secret remains: Where is the rest of the film's title? The full title had been 'The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn,' however, the subtitle is absent from both the poster and the trailer.
Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis and Daniel Craig star in the flick, which hits theaters Dec. 23. Check out 'The Adventures of Tintin' trailer after the jump.
Quentin Tarantino reportedly wants to cast Lady Gaga in one of his upcoming films. The director and singer are both in Cannes this week, where Gaga recently performed for a star-studded crowd that included Tarantino.
A source told U.K. tabloid The Daily Mail, “It’s no secret Quentin’s been eyeing up Gaga for a role in one of his up-and-coming films. And now they’re both in Cannes, he’s keen to show off his movie star credentials.” .
Gaga and Tarantino have known each other for a few years and he famously lent her the Pussy Wagon from his Kill Bill movies for her video for Telephonelast year. Tarantino also reportedly introduced Gaga to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who stood side stage at her Cannes performance. The source told The Daily Mail, “Tarantino knows Gaga’s a big fan of Brangelina. When she heard they were both in Cannes, too, she mentioned that she’d love to have them come and watch the show. So Quentin gave his pal Brad a bell to ask the couple to join them. As one fiery woman to another, Gaga’s always been really into Ange and she thinks the glamorous location of Cannes is just the place for them to get pally.”
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Tarantino recently announced that his next film will be Django Unchained starring Will Smith. We’ll see if Gaga ends up cast in that one too.
DisneyPirates 4: Johnny Depp, left, and Geoffry Rush return as Capt. Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa for a ride on stranger tides.
Hollywood's summer movie season officially kicks off Friday, and I don't even have my spray-on tan yet. The first Friday in May is happy time for theater owners who hope to see streams of fans pouring into potential blockbusters for the next four months. And what creative wonders have the movie wizards prepared?
What else? Sequels, prequels, reboots and remakes.
The biggest trend is not content, but format: Several films arrive in pricier 3-D. Also on the horizon, new movies from Terrence Malick, Jodie Foster, John Lasseter and Jon Favreau, who has combined two of our favorite genres for "Cowboys & Aliens." A sneak peek at the next 16 weeks of cinema:
MAY
Friday, May 13
"Bridesmaids"
Cast: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, John Hamm.
Buzz: A longtime single woman watches her best friend walk down the aisle and must find a new life. Plugged as the "female 'Hangover,' " but with more sex. "Saturday Night Live's" Wiig co-wrote and stars.
"Everything Must Go"
Cast: Will Ferrell, Rebecca Hall, Laura Dern.
Buzz: After a man loses his wife and his job on the same day, he moves into his front yard. Based on Raymond Carver's short story "Why Don't You Dance?"
"Priest"
Cast: Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Maggie Q, Christopher Plummer.
Buzz: An angry warrior priest battles vampires in a post-apocalypticworld. And in 3-D. Homilies will never be the same.
Friday, May 20
"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"
Cast: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush.
Buzz: The third one was kind of lame, or was it the second one? Oh, well. Capt. Jack Sparrow returns to find the Fountain of Youth and battle Blackbeard (Ian McShane) in 3-D.
Thursday, May 26
"The Hangover Part II"
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis.
Buzz: The first "Hangover" was sharply made, hilarious and, refreshingly, not your typical bawdy comedy. No. 2 is already beset by semicontroversy (Mel Gibson was denied a role after some cast members objected, PETA objected to the treatment of monkeys, and Mike Tyson's tattoo artist is suing), but prospects are good for giggles. The main cast remains intact, and this time the lads are headed for trouble in Bangkok.
"Kung Fu Panda 2"
Cast: Voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan.
Buzz: Po and the Furious Five take on a new villain in the not-so-aptly named Valley of Peace.
Friday, May 27
"The Beaver"
Cast: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin.
Buzz: A deeply depressed man communicates through a beaver hand puppet with a British accent. Gibson's various offending-everyone antics delayed the release of this film for months. The classy Foster alsodirects.
Also in May: Michelle Williams shakes things up on the rugged Oregon Trail circa 1845 in "Meek's Cutoff" . . . "Super Size Me's" Morgan Spurlock dissects branding and marketing in "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" . . . A veteran New York Times photographer is celebrated in "Bill Cunningham New York" . . . and the struggles of a 14-year-old are explored in the World War II drama "Winter in Wartime."
JUNE
Friday, June 3
"X-Men: First Class"
Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, January Jones.
Buzz: McAvoy, as Charles Xavier, has a gift for turning potentially predictable roles into memorable turns, so there may be hope for the latest "X-Men," an origins story that takes us back to 1963 and the Cold War. Jennifer Lawrence ("Winter's Bone") plays Mystique.
Friday, June 10
"Super 8"
Cast: Gabriel Basso, Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney.
Buzz: A hybrid of home movies and alien horrors from writer-director J.J. Abrams. Strange things start happening in a small Ohio town in 1979. (Set but not shot here.)
Buzz: Megan McDonald's book series comes to the screen with Beatty as Moody, a third-grader determined to beat the summer blahs.
Friday, June 17
"Mr. Popper's Penguins"
Cast: Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury.
Buzz: In this family comedy, Mr. Popper's problem is a shipment from Antarctica that includes six slap-happy penguins. Cue the cuteness.
"Green Lantern"
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard.
Buzz: The superhero is re-imagined with Reynolds as Hal Jordan, the dude with the special ring and intergalactic responsibilities.
Friday, June 24
"Cars 2"
Cast: Voices of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Bonnie Hunt.
Buzz: Pixar genius John Lasseter returns to put pedal to metal with LightningMcQueen and Mater traveling overseas for a big race and super spy-jinks thanks to new cars Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer).
"Bad Teacher"
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, Lucy Punch.
Buzz: As the title suggests, Elizabeth (Diaz) is a crummy educator. She does, however, have a plan to marry a meal ticket and escape the classroom. Former love buddies Diaz and Timberlake buried the breakup hatchet and agreed to co-star.
Also in June: Terrence Malick's long-awaited, "The Tree of Life" with Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain . . . Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts in "The Art of Getting By" (formerly titled "Homework") . . . Mike Mills' "Beginners," with Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer . . . and the adaptation of Joe Dunthorne's novel, "Submarine," about a 15-year-old trying to save his parents' marriage.
Buzz: Megan Fox was dumped for Huntington-Whiteley, but LaBeouf is back for No. 3 as the Autobots discover a lunar secret. The first "Transformers" was an absolute blast. No. 2 was a mammoth drag. Director Michael Bay, the master of excess, owes us one.
Buzz: This summer's lots-of-cute-guys movie is aimed squarely at the young-girl demographic. A romantic comedy in which a teen is mistaken for an heiress and reaps the attendant high-life benefits.
"Larry Crowne"
Cast: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts.
Buzz: It's the first feature film Hanks has directed since "That Thing You Do" in 1996, and he's in good company. He co-wrote the script -- about a recently fired guy who heads to community college -- with Nia Vardalos ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding"), and cast Roberts as his love-interest teacher.
Friday, July 8
"Zookeeper"
Cast: Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb.
Buzz: A romance-challenged zookeeper discovers a scary secret about his animals: They talk. A mixture of live-action and CGI, with the voices of Cher, Adam Sandler and Nick Nolte.
"Horrible Bosses"
Cast: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis.
Buzz: The universal fantasy of ousting awful employers is played out by three working stiffs who have a diabolical idea for getting rid of Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell and Kevin Spacey.
Friday, July 15
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint.
Buzz: Did they really need to mess with a good thing by adding 3-D to the Hogwarts equation? There's plenty to delve into in Harry's world without added gimmicks, but Warner Bros. is going all out as it says farewell to the wildly profitable series. Hard to believe it all began in November 2001, four years after J.K. Rowling published her first Harry book in England. What a ride.
"Winnie the Pooh"
Cast: Voices of Jim Cummings, Craig Ferguson, Tom Kenny.
Buzz: Disney returns to A.A. Milne's Hundred Acre Wood for new adventures with Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit and the gang. Created using the old-fashioned method: hand-drawn animation.
Friday, July 22
"Captain America: The First Avenger"
Cast: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving.
Buzz: Marvel hopes for more marvelousness as Steve Rogers (Evans) is transformed into a supersoldier to take on the Red Skull (Weaving).
"Friends With Benefits"
Cast: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson.
Buzz: Didn't Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher just make this movie? They did, except it was called "No Strings Attached." Timberlake and Kunis are the new comely duo. Two friends share a bed. Issues ensue.
Friday, July 2
"Cowboys & Aliens"
Cast: Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford.
Buzz: Things get a little weird in the OldWest of 1873when outer-space interlopers arrive.
"Crazy, Stupid, Love"
Cast: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone.
Buzz: Recently separated Cal (Carell) becomes the wingman for a real player (Gosling) and learns the ways of modern romance.
"The Smurfs"
Cast: Neil Patrick Harris and the voices of Katy Perry and Jonathan Winters.
Buzz: The blue brigade lands in New York City in a blend of live action, animation and 3-D.
Also in July: Kristin Scott Thomas plays a journalist in "Sarah's Key" . . . 19th-century China is seen through the eyes of two young girls in Wayne Wang's "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" . . . "The Devil's Double" charts 1980s intrigue in Baghdad . . . and "Another Earth" ponders the discovery of a duplicate planet.
AUGUST
Friday, August 5
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
Cast: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow.
Buzz: The umpteenth rendering of man and primate defying evolutionary and cultural codes. The apes are CGI and not played by Roddy McDowell.
"The Change-Up"
Cast: Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Olivia Wilde.
Buzz: Bateman and Reynolds switch bodies. See: "Freaky Friday," "13 Going on 30," "Like Father Like Son," "The Hot Chick," "17 Again" et al.
Friday, August 12
"The Help"
Cast: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer.
Buzz: Kathryn Stockett's best seller about improbable friendships and black housekeepers in early 1960s Mississippi comes to the screen in the hands of Tate Taylor (an old friend of Stockett's). The terrific cast includes Cicely Tyson and Sissy Spacek.
"30 Minutes or Less"
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari.
Buzz: A pizza-delivery dude is kidnapped and forced to rob a bank in this action-comedy from "Zombieland" director Ruben Fleischer.
Friday, August 19
"One Day"
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson.
Buzz: Glimpsed on July 15, on and off for two decades, the friendship/love of Em and Dex evolves. Director Lone Scherfig's ("An Education") take on David Nicholls' novel.
"Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World"
Cast: Jessica Alba, Jeremy Piven, Joel McHale
Buzz: A couple of 10-year-olds (Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook) are needed to save their mom, the world or both.
"Conan the Barbarian"
Cast: Jason Momoa, Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang.
Buzz: No Arnold this time. It's Jason Momoa (from "Game of Thrones") as the Big C, fighting to save the nations of Hyboria from supernatural evil.
"Fright Night"
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Buzz: Another night, another remake. Yelchin stars as Charlie Brewster, a high school senior who has some bloodsucking suspicions about his mysterious new neighbor.
Also in August: Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce scream in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" . . . Elizabeth Banks and Paul Rudd look for laughs in "Our Idiot Brother" . . . Emma Bell and Nicholas D'Agosto go thrill-seeking in "Final Destination 5" . . .Juno Temple and Jeremy Dozier star in "Dirty Girl" . . . and the space mission saga "Apollo 18" arrives early from its previously announced 2012 release date.
The first full trailer for Transformers: Dark of the Moon is finally online at Apple.com, and you can watch it there in high-res or embedded below. It starts off with a fiery crash on the surface of the moon, touches on the awesome astronaut footage you saw in the teaser trailer, and only gets more over the top from there. Yeah, you know you've gotta see this.
Michael Bay has been promising for months now that the third Transformers film would be more coherent and also more spectacular than the disastrous Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and so far we're liking what we're seeing-- robots wreaking havoc both on earth and on each other, some truly stunning footage of a city on fire, and what looks like actual dramatic stakes for our hero character Sam Witwicky. Yes, he's also once again shouting "Optimus!" up to the skies, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's love interest character still seems to only spend the movie gazing open-mouthed at something and crying, but let's not start quibbling yet. That building folding in on itself looks awesome-- on that I think we can all agree.
For more on Transformers: Dark of the Moon visit our Blend Film Database. The movie hits theaters on July 1, and you will not be able to avoid it between now and then.
For a full breakdown of the new trailer - split into 105 screencaps - head on over HERE.
The film is due to make bank on 3D/2D theaters come July 15, 2011.
Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think? Excited to see this movie?
The film begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione go back to Hogwarts to find and destroy Voldemort's final horcruxes, but when Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again.
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All you art collectors out there. Here is a chance to get a Giclee copy of some of Ian M Sherwin work. Ian is planning on doing a whole series of Marblehead, Massachusetts paintings. His work is amazing.
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