Last week, Warner Bros. released a trailer for The Iron Giant: Signature Edition. This is a digitally remastered version of the 1999 film that will include two new scenes that were cut from the original movie.
There might be another reason behind this remastered version of the film. It seems the studio might have bigger plans in store. Vin Diesel took to his Facebook page and posted a very intriguing comment:
“I have been very lucky to have played so many interesting characters... one of the first and one of my favorites is... the Iron Giant.
P.s. Don't be surprised when you hear WB announce the sequel.”
What?! A sequel?! I never in a million years thought that would ever happen. If you follow Diesel on Facebook, then you know when he teases something he means business. He doesn't tease things that don't happen or aren't true. He also said "when you hear," not "if you hear."
Diesel will obviously be involved with the project if it happens. My two big questions are will Brad Bird return to write, direct, or produce it? And will it be traditionally animated or CG animated?
If Bird comes back to write and direct a traditional animated sequel to Iron Giant, I will explode with excitement. What I don't want to see happen is a half-assed direct to video movie. If that's the case they might as well just not do it.
What would you like to see happen with this sequel?
The Iron Giant is getting a theatrical re-release on Wednesday, September 30th, and Sunday, October 4th when it will be released on DVD/Blu-ray.
The first trailer for Will Smith's upcoming film Concussion has been released. The movie revolves around the ongoing controversy of head injuries in the NFL. Smith plays a forensic neuropathologist named Dr. Bennet Omalu. He is the person who discovers the first case of CTE in a professional football player. He makes an effort to save lives by letting the world know about his discovery, but as you might expect, the NFL denies his findings and attempts to block his efforts to get the word out.
The movie was written and directed by Peter Landesman, and it has a great supporting cast that includes Alec Baldwin, Luke Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Arliss Howard, Paul Reiser, David Morse, and Albert Brooks.
The film is based on the David vs. Goliath journey of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of football-related brain trauma in a pro player and fought to bring awareness to the public. In his search for the truth behind the devastating malady, Omalu’s quest humanizes the price paid by professional athletes in impact sports but also by people who challenge the status quo as it exposes the political, cultural and corporate interests that fuel the business of sports.
The movie is being produced by Ridley Scott, and it looks like it will be a powerful drama. It is actually based on based on a 2009 GQ article titled "Game Brain" by Jeanne Marie Laskas. The director talked about why he made the movie in an interview with mmqb:
"I gravitate towards stories of David versus Goliath, the small man versus the machine. Whether it is Bennet Omalu or Gary Webb, a reporter who discovered the cocaine trafficking with the CIA and was destroyed by the Washington Post and the CIA and others. In my writing career as a journalist, it was little man against the machine so I think I am just hard-wired for that narrative. When I heard about Bennet Omalu, I recognized that the story operated on a number of levels that made it completely unique. As an immigrant coming to America, who discovers a dangerous detail about the most American of things, America’s sacred cow, who then is forced to tell America about itself as a disaffected Nigerian, it was an extraordinary opportunity to explore what it is to be an American. And it was a gorgeous way to understand what it is to be a citizen of this nation. And then there was the sports element. I played football for two years in college, I love the game, I am an athlete, I love sports and I watch football. I went to Brown, the powerhouse. I thought this was another way to un-peel the layers away from the theater of it and the pageantry of it to get to the humanity of it."
The movie will be released in theaters on December 25th.
We got an awesome 1/6 scale collectible action figure of Avengers: Age of Ultron Hawkeye from Sideshow Collectibles to review. We decided to do another video review, and this one features GT's Drew, who had no idea what figure he was reviewing until he uncovered it in the video. It's always fun to get the initial reaction upon seeing these awesome figures that are produced by Sideshow and Hot Toys. If you want to pre-order one of these bad boys, click here! I included more photos of the figure along with all the specs below the video.
The release of Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron has fans pumped to see the Earth's mightiest heroes assembling again to save the world from the menacing artificial intelligence, Ultron! Following the reveal of Black Widow, Sideshow Collectibles and Hot Toys are thrilled to present the widely-anticipated Hawkeye Sixth Scale Collectible Figure!
The movie-accurate Hawkeye Collectible Figure is specially crafted based on the image of Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and features a newly developed head sculpt, new outfit, improved articulation for action poses, a freshly designed bow and arrows, as well as a specially designed figure stand.
Expand your Avengers: Age of Ultron collection with this extraordinary marksman!
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
The Hawkeye Sixth Scale Collectible Figure features:
Authentic and detailed likeness of Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye in Avengers: Age of Ultron
Approximately 30 cm tall
Body with over 30 points of articulation
Movie-accurate facial features with detailed wrinkles and skin texture
Six (6) pieces of interchangeable palms with finger tabs on left palms including: - One (1) pair of relaxed palms - One (1) right palm for holding bow - Three (3) left palms of different styles for holding arrow
Each head sculpt is specially hand-painted
Costume:
One (1) dark burgundy long sleeve top
One (1) black and dark burgundy long jacket with straps and guards
One (1) pair of navy blue pants with belts on waist and straps on thighs
One (1) pair of black boots
Weapons:
One (1) fully-opened purple and black colored bow
One (1) folded purple and black colored bow
One (1) speed loader with nine (9) arrows
Thirteen (13) individual arrows and nine (9) interchangeable arrowheads of different styles
Accessories:
One (1) quiver
One (1) pair of arrow speed loaders
One (1) pair of sunglasses
Specially-designed figure stand with Hawkeye nameplate and the movie logo
Jim Gordon really seems to have his work cut out for him in Gotham Season 2. The guy is doing everything he can to clean up Gotham, and it looks like things are going to get even worse with the rise of the villains this season. This latest promo trailer is called "The Monsters Are Coming," and it offers fans more a tease of what is to come. Poor Gordon is going to need all the help he can get! Gotham returns on September 21st, and I can't wait jump back into this crazy world.
The good. The evil. The beginning.
Everyone knows the name Commissioner Gordon. He is one of the crime world’s greatest foes, a man whose reputation is synonymous with law and order. But what is known of Gordon’s story and his rise from rookie detective to Police Commissioner? What did it take to navigate the multiple layers of corruption that secretly ruled Gotham City, the spawning ground of the world’s most iconic villains? And what circumstances created them – the larger-than-life personas who would become Catwoman, The Penguin, The Riddler, Two-Face and The Joker?
GOTHAM is an origin story of the great DC Comics Super-Villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer/writer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist,” “Rome”), GOTHAM follows one cop’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering between good and evil, and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time.
The Metal Gear Solid series has always been inspired by spy films of the '60s...but what if its roots were well-known indie film directors instead? While this video is not the highest quality of production, it more than makes up for that with its hilarious concept. See the trailer featuring Bill Murray (but not really) below.
As you know, Marvel has been slowly building up to Thanos' reign of terror in the two-part Avengers: Infinity War story arc. During an interview with MTV, actor Josh Brolin talks about his villainous character, and when asked if he would show up in Captain America: Civil War he says,
“I don’t know which one I’m in. That’s a Kevin Feige question. I know the trajectory of what they’re doing, but I don’t know exactly which one I’m in.”
The actor is then asked about the fan reaction to him in the MCU, and he seems to love it.
“I love going into a comic book store and a guy connecting me with Thanos, and seeing the incredible regressive awe that happens. Like you see them lose 30 years in can’t-breathe awe. That’s fun, and I have a lot of respect for those fans. I’m excited about doing it, I really am.”
It's so cool to see that Brolin is genuinely excited about playing this role. When he was first cast, I thought he was the perfect choice, and I'm so glad that he and Marvel were able to work out a deal to make it happen. Brolin is also asked which Avenger he is looking forward to taking on the most, and his reply is perfect:
“I don’t have a favorite because it’s me against all of them. I think the entirety is what I’m most looking forward to. Each and every one. I’m bringing the wrath.”
I have no doubt that he will. Avengers: Infinity War - Part I and Part II will start shooting next year with Joe and Anthony Russo. These are sure to be the biggest Marvel films yet. Part I opens May 4th, 2018, and Part II May 3rd, 2019.
There was something very special about the cartoon series of the '80s and '90s. We just don't see that kind of animated awesomeness these days! Most of the series we see today come off as being lazy and cheap.
Today, I had to share something with you that embodies the spirit of everything we loved about '80s and early '90s cartoon series. It's the opening sequence to Super Turbo Atomic Ninja Rabbit, which is the greatest cartoon that never existed!
As I watched this animated opening sequence my heart was completely filled with joy and wonder. My hope is that someone sees this and actually wants to turn it into a real animated series because I would watch the shit out of it.
The video was created and directed by Wesley Louis of The Line , and it came with the following note:
Wesley Louis drew 'Super Turbo Atomic Ninja Rabbit' as a comic when he was 13. It was time to realise the dreams of a geeky kid by animating the intro to the best TV-series that never was. 'Super Turbo Atomic Ninja Rabbit' A love letter to Saturday morning cartoons from the 80’s and 90’s.
Support our independent films by purchasing this radical 108 page digital art of book 'Super Turbo Atomic Ninja Rabbit - Groundworks' available here gumroad.com/theline
Now watch the opening sequence for yourself and bask in its totally radical glory!
Here's a trailer for a new Nicolas Cage film that seemed to come out of nowhere. The film is a supernatural horror thriller called Pay the Ghost. The story follows a father (Cage) whose son mysteriously vanishes on Halloween night. From there he goes on a hunt to find him, and in the process begins to unlock a much larger mystery. As many of you already know, I enjoy watching these kinds of movies, and this one looks intriguing to me. It's got a really strange vibe to it, and I'm interested in seeing how the story actually plays out.
Oscar® winner Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas) stars in this intense and chilling thriller about one man’s desperate search for his missing child. One year after his young son disappeared during a Halloween carnival, Mike Cole (Cage) is haunted by eerie images and terrifying messages he can’t explain. Together with his estranged wife (Sarah Wayne Callies, The Walking Dead), he will stop at nothing to unravel the mystery and find their son—and, in doing so, he unearths a legend that refuses to remain buried in the past.
The movie was directed by Uli Edel (The Baader Meinhof Complex), and it opens in theaters and on VOD on September 25th. Thanks to IGN for the trailer.
Legendary horror director Wes Cravenpassed away yesterday. Here are five things you may not have known about him:
Freddy Krueger Was Real
One of Craven's iconic characters was inspired by several real life events. It's rumored the name "Freddy Krueger" was in part taken from the name of a childhood bully of Craven, but the actual design and look of Krueger comes from a much scarier part of Craven's childhood: he modeled the outfit and face of Krueger on a homeless man that watched him through his bedroom window one night as a child. The man stared at Craven in his bed for around ten minutes before going away, and the filmmaker never forgot the experience or the terror it gave him.
Finally, the actual legend of Freddy Krueger was inspired by real life events! Craven was inspired for the concept after reading an article in a newspaper. According to Blastr:
I’d read an article in the L.A. Times about a family who had escaped the Killing Fields in Cambodia and managed to get to the U.S. Things were fine, and then suddenly the young son was having very disturbing nightmares. He told his parents he was afraid that if he slept, the thing chasing him would get him, so he tried to stay awake for days at a time. When he finally fell asleep, his parents thought this crisis was over. Then they heard screams in the middle of the night. By the time they got to him, he was dead. He died in the middle of a nightmare. Here was a youngster having a vision of a horror that everyone older was denying. That became the central line of Nightmare on Elm Street.
Lastly, we all know that Craven himself appeared as a Krueger lookalike in Scream.
He Had A Video Game
At 1997's E3, Craven debuted a game in development with Cyberdreams that was set for release later that year. Titled Wes Craven's Principles of Fear, the game was meant to be conceptual and to get to the base of some of our darkest fears in life. No footage for the game exists (the website is archived though) and the project folded when Cyberdreams went belly up later that year. This is the same company that made the cult classic I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, so you can only imagine what kind of bizarre product would've came from the final product!
By the way, Craven was awarded a bronze award at the Expo for interactive storytelling in gaming...based solely on the prototype.
He Was Originally Supposed To Direct Superman IV
Yes, Craven was originally tapped to film Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, but was removed due to creative differences with Christopher Reeve. Sadly, no more is known about exactly what happened, but Reeve was very involved with the character development of Superman throughout the films. Honestly, it's probably best Craven didn't direct that film...
His Mother Had Never Seen Any Of His Films
It's been well documented that Wes Craven was a product of a bad upbringing. His abusive father died when he was four and left him of the care of his extremely religious and judgmental mother. Perhaps it's no coincidence, then, that a trademark of Craven's films seems to have children in danger or dying, and strong themes of family dysfunction.
All that said, I'm sure Craven still loved his mother, he just didn't want to expose her to the art form brought on by her impact on his life.
He Told Drew Barrymore Horrific Stories On Set To Keep Her Sad And Scared
Craven wanted a legitimate feel for Scream and as such, had to play a bit of a villain to some of his actors and actresses. To keep Drew Barrymore looking stressed, sad, and scared on set, Craven would tell her horrible stories of animal cruelty and killings. This was a bit devastating for Barrymore at the time, as she is a well-known animal rights activist.
Yes, this is a weird way to end this article as typically post mortem posts only focus on the positive...but I think in the spirit of Wes Craven, it's fitting. Craven was well known for inserting ordinary people into over the top and brutal circumstances. He didn't have heroes, or untouchable rules...he portrayed people as ordinary, and sometimes bad things happened to them. That's what Craven gave to the horror world, and that's what people should take away from his legacy.
I was surprisingly impressed by the first trailer for The Shannara Chronicles, and now MTV has released a second trailer that continues to promote the fantasy series' stunningly massive scope.
The show is based on the series of novels by author Terry Brooks, and though the fact that it's on MTV might give you some pause — I certainly didn't take it seriously until I saw the trailers, considering how MTV isn't exactly synonymous with quality television these days — Jon Favreau's name as an executive producer might cause you to raise your eyebrow. Here's a quick synopsis:
Set thousands of years after the destruction of our civilization, the story follows an Elven Princess, Amberle, a half-human half-elf, Wil, and a human, Eretria, as they embark on a quest to stop a Demon army from destroying the Four Lands.
The fact that the show is shot in New Zealand should tell you pretty much all you need to know about what kind of amazing locations they're able to capture, and for the first time since I was fifteen, I might actually willingly tune into MTV to check this out when it premieres in January. Check out the new trailer below:
I love learning new things about movies that I love! You may have already known this, but I was completely oblivious to it until just recently. Heath Ledger's introduction of The Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight was an homage to Cesar Romero's introduction in the 1960s Batman TV series.
I discovered this little tidbit of information on The Gothamite, and it came with the following comment:
To the left is Cesar Romero as The Joker in the very first appearance in Batman 66'. This is how the character was introduced to the audience. 42 Years Later, we are reintroduced to a new version of The Joker in The Dark Knight, played by Heath Ledger, wearing a similar mask. This is a little known homage to the 66 Batman show and, had you been familiar with the mask, would have tipped you off about who is Joker BEFORE the mask reveal!
I haven't watched the original Batman series since I was a kid, so this is something I would have never caught unless I rewatched them or spent so much time on the internet looking to find cool stuff to post on the site.
Is this something you were already aware of, or is this a new bit of trivia for you as well?
I was pretty surprised to learn that Bill Murray was going to make a cameo in Paul Feig's Ghostbusters reboot. After years of saying no to a third film, he finally broke down and said yes to the new movie. The actor already shot his cameo, in which — spoiler alert — he plays a ghost debunker.
In a new interview with Vulture, Murray opened up about his role, and what led him to jumping back in the Ghostbusters universe. He says:
“I thought about it for a very long time. Like, many, many months. No, that’s not right. I was seriously thinking about this for years, really… It kept eating at me, and I really respect those girls. And then I started to feel like if I didn’t do this movie, maybe somebody would write a bad review or something, thinking there was some sort of disapproval [on my part].”
Murray went on to admit that after the second film, he didn't want to reprise his role as Peter Venkman again, but he said he enjoyed the time he spent with the director and cast members like Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, who he refers to as“a great hope.” He continued:
“You know, they were incredibly nice to ask me, and I really enjoyed being there,” Murray said. “They have such a jolly group, and they are going to have great success with this project. I didn’t want to overshadow [them] or anything, and I feel really good about it.
"I like those girls a lot. I mean, I really do. They are tough to say no to. And Paul is a real nice fellow.”
The Ghostbusters reboot stars Kristen Wiig as Erin Gilbert, Kate McKinnon as Jillian Holtzmann, Melissa McCarthy as Abby Yates, and Leslie Jones as Patty Tolan. It also co-stars Andy Garcia as the Mayor of New York City, Michael K. Williams as Hawkins, Matt Walsh as Rourke, Chris Hemsworth as the Ghostbusters’ secretary, and Neil Casey as the villain. Dan Aykroyd is also set to have a cameo in the film.
The movie will be released in theaters on July 16th, 2016.
With Star Wars: The Force Awakens finally coming out in just a few months, excitement for Star Wars is ramping up by the day. While those who are hoping to learn everything possible about the new movie are continually looking forward, it can also be helpful to take a look back at different aspects of the original movies to see what can be learned, re-contextualized, or even to search for clues as to what might be coming up next.
Last week, we wrote about the top 5 Star Wars weapons that aren't lightsabers, but in direct opposition to that, this post is concentrating solely on the famed weapon of Jedi and Sith alike. HalloweenCostumes has put together an infographic breaking down all of the lightsabers that have visibly appeared in the accepted canon (which includes the films, Star Wars Rebels, and The Clone Wars), and since I'm not as completely immersed in Star Wars lore as many of my fellow writers on this site, this served as more of a reminder for me of all of the different styles the weapon has seen throughout the years. Which one is your favorite?
Woody Allen is one of the world's most prolific directors, having directed at least one movie per year since 1982, so it's not surprising that he's currently in production on yet another film in Los Angeles. (Well, considering he hasn't filmed in L.A. in years, the location may be the only surprising thing about this.)
His newest movie, which we still don't know anything about and doesn't have a title yet, was supposed to star Bruce Willis as one of the leads, and despite the fact that Willis was photographed filming on set last week, the actor and director have parted ways, supposedly due to "scheduling conflicts" with Willis' appearance in the Broadway version of Stephen King'sMisery. But since there's a pretty good chance he's known all about that schedule for a while, and there have been many stories out there about how he's not exactly the easiest actor to work with (including a prominent breakdown from Kevin Smith about the nightmare that was Cop Out), many are assuming he was actually fired from the movie.
Well, Deadline is reporting that Steve Carell has stepped in to take over for Willis, and once again, since we don't know anything about this character, it's tough to speculate about whether or not he's right for the role at this point. We do know that Carell has worked with Allen before in 2004's Melinda and Melinda, so if Willis really was fired, it's easy to see how Allen could have called up a previous collaborator he knew he could work with to fill those shoes (if that's actually what went down - details are obviously sketchy on that end).
The rest of the cast includes Blake Lively, Parker Posey, Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeannie Berlin, Corey Stoll, Ken Stott, Anna Camp, Stephen Kunken, Sari Lennick, and Paul Schneider, and the movie will be in theaters next summer.
One of the reasons anime is so much fun to watch is because of how over-the-top and crazy it is. The more insane it is, the more entertaining it becomes. The YouTube channel Sugar Zaza has released a hysterical short film called Anime in Real Life, and it features the epic battle between two men, and the last slice of pizza at a party. The short was created by Or Paz and Tom Trager, and it perfectly captures the greatness of anime, bringing it to life in the most absurd of ways.
Chloe Moretz is forced to survive an alien apocalypse in the new sci-fi thriller The 5th Wave. The movie is an adaption of the book series written by Rick Yancey. The film tells the story of a character named Cassie (Moretz) who is on the run and desperately trying to save her younger brother after four waves of a deadly extra-terrestrial attack that left most of Earth decimated. This seems like it has the potential to be a decent movie, but we'll just have to wait and see.
The movie has a solid supporting cast that includes Liev Schreiber, Maika Monroe, Nick Robinson, Maggie Siff, Maria Bello, and Ron Livingston. The 5th Wave was directed by English filmmaker J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed) from a script written by Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich). Sony Pictures will release The 5th Wave in select theaters on January 15th, 2016.
Mario loves collecting coins by busting through bricks, so if you were forced to come up with a connection between him and Indiana Jones, I suppose the easiest one to draw would be that in a sense, they both could be seen as treasure hunters. Indy's motives may be a little more pure ("it belongs in a museum" is a frequent catchphrase of his, after all), but they're both just regular, working guys who overcome incredible odds in order to achieve their goals.
It seems that artist Jayson Hotchkiss finds some sort of connection between the two, since he's created this mash-up piece of art entitled "The Temple of Shroom" that features Mario in full-on archaeologist mode. On his DeviantArt page, he says this is actually a coloring of a tattoo commission, so someone out there loves this image enough to have it permanently inked on his or her body. What do you think about it?
A man stays home to get some work done while his family goes on a vacation. His doorbell rings, and two beautiful young girls are standing in the rain, asking if they can use his phone. No big deal, right? Wrong. This is the setup of Knock Knock, and since it's an Eli Roth movie, things are going to get out of control pretty quickly, and you can probably imagine the dark turn it's going to take.
The film looks like Roth's take on a home invasion movie with a strong thematic message about how giving into temptation can be one's downfall, and while it will obviously have some shock value to it (a given, considering the director), the trailers — including this newest one from Apple — have me intrigued. Joey saw the movie at Sundance earlier this year and absolutely hated it, which somehow makes me even more interested to see it. Check out the new trailer below, along with two posters of the girls who make Reeves' character's life a living hell.
Knock Knock arrives in theaters and On Demand starting on October 9th.
Evan Webber (Keanu Reeves) is living the dream. Just look at his beautiful, successful wife, his two wonderful kids, and his truly stunning house—which he designed himself. Of course he did. Things are going so well, Evan doesn't even mind spending Father's Day alone while the rest of his family heads out for a beach weekend. And then there’s a knock on the door.
The two young women (Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas) standing on Evan's doorstep are where Evan's dream takes a nightmarish turn. Given co-writer/director Eli Roth's well-deserved reputation for creating cinematic discomfort, it should come as no surprise what happens next: Things get weird, and then dark, and then much, much, much darker. But this is no splatter film, so Roth keeps the horror nice and psychological as Evan's life—and house—get ripped apart, piece by beautiful piece.
It's no secret that Suicide Squad shares some similarities with the 1967 World War II classic The Dirty Dozen, so Vulture has put together a quick little mashup video that uses footage from David Ayer's upcoming film set to the trailer narration for the older film. It's a pretty straightforward mashup — nothing too crazy or inventive here — but it may be a good reminder to add The Dirty Dozen to your viewing queue to rewatch it (or, for our younger readers, watch it for the first time) before Suicide Squad arrives next year.
The upcoming supervillain opus "Suicide Squad" is more than a little based on the concept from "The Dirty Dozen," so we made the implicit explicit.
