Warner Bros. has released an eleventh TV spot for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and it's loaded with more new footage! This one kind of puts a focus on the character Gollum. Most of it shows off the Riddles in the Dark chapter of the story. Five more days to go!!!
Source: Warner Bros. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18rbZmhVyBE)
Martin Sheen confirmed that he will be returning for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 according to CBM. Sheen was interviewed by RTE Television's 'The Late Late Show' where he confirmed that he will return for the Marc Webb sequel.
"They've called me back, I don't know what the part is gonna be, but I'm going to be 'Uncle Ben' once again in Spider-Man next year. We shoot it in February."
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Source: CBM (http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=71020)
Artist Jeff Victor has created these great cartoon style designs showing the evolution of five of the characters that actress Natalie Portman has played over the years. I thought Portman was incredible in Black Swan, who is your favorite character that she's played?
To see the evolution of Johnny Depp Click Here.
Universal Pictures has released four new featurettes for Les Miserables, many of which focus on the design aspects of the production such as costumes, production design and hair & make-up. One of them also features the new song written exclusively for the film called "Suddenly". The movie has been getting rave reviews many of them saying it's got the makings of an Oscar winner.
Universal's Les Miserables is a captivating cinematic event that is an ideal fit for The IMAX Experience. The enhanced visual spectrum and precise, powerful IMAX sound will transport audiences to 19th-century France, where they will feel as if they are there on set as Tom Hooper's ensemble cast performs Les Mis' classic soundtrack.
The movie stars Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Samantha Barks, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. It comes out on Christmas day!
Source: Awards Daily (http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2012/12/07/design-featurettes-for-les-miserables/)
Here's some really cool storyboard art from Frances Ford Coppola's 1979 classic war movie Apocalypse Now. The art you see here was created by Dean Tavoularis. If for some reason you haven't watched this movie yet, do it now! This is is such a great and crazy movie!
During the on-going Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade Green Beret who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe.
Source: Flavor Wire (http://www.flavorwire.com/349534/awesome-storyboards-from-15-of-your-favorite-films/9#content_top)
The awesome full world premiere trailer for Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider reboot aired during Spike's Video Game Awards, and it looks pretty damn impressive. The "Survivor" trailer shows of the gritty, action-packed look at Lara Croft's first insane adventure. This is the story of how she gained the confident badassery that she needs survive.
I've enjoyed everything I've seen from the game so far, and I'm looking forward to see how the Croft's adventure really began. This game looks so freakin' cool, and this is an amazing trailer!
The game is set to hit stores on March 5th 2013 for PlayStation 3, Xbox360 and Microsoft Windows. What's your favorite Tomb Raider game from the franchise?
When a sudden storm destroys her research vessel, a young and inexperienced Lara Croft finds herself stranded on a mysterious and remote island hidden off the shores of Japan. Despite several signs of various inhabitants the island is oddly deserted, and an uneasy feeling settles in as strange sounds emerge from the shadows.
With only her determination, inner strength, and resourcefulness to help her, Lara must overcome the challenges of a harsh and unforgiving journey that will take her across a vast island wilderness and deep into the claustrophobic and menacing underground tombs from the island's past.
As she struggles to prevail through brutal combat encounters and treacherous exploration, Lara will be pushed to her limits and forced to adapt to her situation in order to survive and escape from the lethal predators that stalk her every move.
Here's the world premiere trailer for 2K Games' Bioshock Infinite which premiered during Spike TV's Video Game Awards. The trailer shows off a ton of the epic action-packed gameplay. It looks like a lot of fun, and it seems like fans of the franchise are excited about it.
The trailer shows the two main characters of the game, Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth, meeting for the first time, and they are almost immediately thrust into a crazy terrifying adventure! Most of the trailer shows the characters blasting their way through the streets of the floating city of Columbia. We also get to see the new combat and Sky-hook systems in action!
Set in 1912, players assume the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, sent to the flying city of Columbia on a rescue mission. His target? Elizabeth, imprisoned since childhood. During their daring escape, Booker and Elizabeth form a powerful bond -- one that lets Booker augment his own abilities with her world-altering control over the environment. Together, they fight from high-speed Sky-Lines, in the streets and houses of Columbia, on giant zeppelins, and in the clouds, all while learning to harness an expanding arsenal of weapons and abilities, and immersing players in a story that is not only steeped in profound thrills and surprises, but also invests its characters with Emotional ties that will continue to set the bar in gaming.
The game will be release on March 23rh, 2013 on the XBox 360, Playstation 3, and Microsoft Windows. Enjoy the trailer!
Matt Ferguson continues to do some amazing geek movie art. His work on The Dark Knight Rises is a thing of sheer beauty. You can buy his work here for a very reasonable price. Check out more of his work on his Tumblr.
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Here's a couple of new photos from Iron Man 3 featuring veteran Chinese actor Wang Xueqi, who was recently confirmed to play a new character named Dr. Wu in the film. It was previously speculated that he would play Chen Lu/Radioactive Man, but it doesn't look like that's the case. Apparently the role will be small a small one, unless something is being hidden from the fans. The photos feature the actor with Robert Downey Jr., Gweneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle.
Xueqi is considered the Chinese Sean Connery, and has had a successful 25 years, appearing in films such as Yellow Earth (1984) and The Big Parade (1986), Huang Jianxin’s Samsara, and Zhang Yimou’s Codename Cougar (1989), and more recently the award-winning Forever Enthralled (2008) and Bodyguards and Assassins (2009).
The movie will start shooting in Beijing, China today Monday, December 10th.
The first trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's sci-fi adventure film After Earth has hit the internet giving us our first look at the movie which stars Will Smith and Jaden Smith. This is an international trailer, and it features a monotone Will Smith talking to his son about the planet they crash landed on, and about choosing not to feel fear. Young Jaden is forced to survive on the future planet earth on his own. It looks like it could be an interesting movie, but I really hate that flat monotone feel of all of Shyamalyan's characters. The way Smith is talking to his kid seems unnatural.
I'm not the biggest fan of Shyamalan's recent work, and I can't help but look for everything I don't like about what I see. But there are things I did like such as the setting, the special effects and the visuals. What has yet to be seen is if the story, script and acting will be good.
Synopsis:
One thousand years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape from Earth, Nova Prime has become mankind’s new home. Legendary General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) returns from an extended tour of duty to his estranged family, ready to be a father to his 13-year-old son, Kitai (Jaden Smith). When an asteroid storm damages Cypher and Kitai’s craft, they crash-land on a now unfamiliar and dangerous Earth. As his father lies dying in the cockpit, Kitai must trek across the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon. His whole life, Kitai has wanted nothing more than to be a soldier like his father. Today, he gets his chance.
The movie is set to be released on June 7th, 2013. Check out the trailer for yourself and let us know what you think!
Here's a Japanese poster for Sam Raimi's fun looking fantasy adventure, Oz The Great and Powerful. This looks like it's going to be a great film. I especially liked the last trailer for the movie, as it's got some classically cool Raimi moments. The movie stars James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Zach Braff.
Official Synopsis:
Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.
The movie hits theaters on March 8th, 2013.
It's that time again. The time when Kotobukiya shows off the latest statue in their Marvel Bishoujo line. For this entry Koto focused on everyone's favorite phaser extraordinaire Kitty Pryde. Even better is how they threw in Kitty's dragon pal Lockheed (for more on the little purple guy check out his bio here). Kitty has one of the more conservative costumes featured in the line thus far, and I actually kind of dig that. Not every statue or character needs to be pouring out of their costume.
While that's great in its own right, the costume itself is a bit dull. That's not Koto's fault, that's just the hands they were dealt. Personally I think it needs that little something extra to get me to open up my wallet. The paint application is stellar as always, but the colors themselves are dull (with the red belt being the main exception). I would love to see some visual representation of her phasing ability. Something along the same lines as what they did with the Invisible Woman statue earlier in the line. Even if it was something going through her, just that little touch of personality and character specific flare. Again, its well done and everything from the paint and sculpt is top notch, but for me there's just a bit of specialness (is that a word?) missing. Just my two cents though, so if you disagree (or agree) make sure to let me know in the comments or on twitter @KnightofOA.
Paramount Pictures and director J.J. Abrams recently held a press screening event in which they showed off the nine minute preview for Star Trek Into Darkness. This is the same footage that fans will see when they go see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in IMAX. Unfortunately we weren't there, but several other people were in attendance and it seems like the over all feeling of the footage screened was very positive. It sounds like Star Trek Into Darkness is going to end up being yet another great Star Trek movie we can look forward to seeing!
Abrams was in attendance, and while introducing the preview he talked about the title saying...
People say "Into Darkness – lot of darkness, very doom and gloom" and there is a lot of intensity in this film, but it is also fun too, which you will see in this beginning.
Here's a collection of what some of the other websites said about the footage shown!
AICN:
So who the hell is Cumberbatch playing? Gary Mitchell? Sybok? The Gorn? I don't know, but it's a big deal. Noel Clarke's character asks Cumberbatch directly, and we get a slow, portentous push-in underscored by a menacing Giacchino cue. Not the Khan cue, however.
So what conclusions can we draw from the STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS prologue? Well, the gang's all back, the Enterprise is lurking underwater on the aforementioned planet (they can't surface for fear of violating the Prime Directive), and the sense of fun Abrams established with the first film is very much in evidence. Obsessive speculation aside, these opening nine minutes are a tremendously effective tease for what will hopefully be one of 2013's most entertaining movies.
Earlier this evening, I took the biggest Star Trek fan I know to see the nine-minute prologue that will be screened in IMAX venues in front of the release ofThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and based on his reaction, I’d say JJAbrams and crew have absolutely nothing to worry about when the film hits theaters in May of 2013
The stuff with Kirk and McCoy is very funny, and a nice reminder of just how strong the chemistry is with this cast. Same with the stuff between Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Spock. The moment they bring in the main theme by Michael Giacchino is perfect, lovely and thrilling at the same time. I really love the look of these films, and the alien world is beautifully realized, as is the London of the future. I like that we pick up with the crew in the middle of an adventure and we see how they’ve come together now with the time that has passed since the end of the first film. Abrams and his screenwriting team, Robert Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof, all seem to get the dynamic that makes Kirk, Spock, and McCoy such great archetypes.
But what I can say is that I was impressed with what I saw in two ways. Firstly this looked like nothing seen before in Trek. Most of the first nine minutes were shot with IMAX cameras and seeing that in IMAX 3D truly is extraordinary. The quality of the visual imagery was on par with The Dark Knight Rises. Also some of the shots shown used 3D to great effect. It wasn’t in your face, but it really brought you in to the strange new world presented in this opening segment. The second way this preview is like nothing scene in Trek before was the scale of the thing. Even more than the 2009 Star Trek, it is just a treat to see the universe that we love so much realized in such a grand (and expensive) way.
And the sounds are equally as impressive as the visuals. Once again the same gang of best in class sound designers (including Academy Award winner Ben Burtt) are on the case. Also the preview features all new music by Michael Giacchino (another Oscar-winner). The music at times was original for Into Darkness, but then there were also flourishes which called back to some of the musical cues and themes from 2009′s Star Trek, including when we see an exciting (and surprising) reveal of the USS Enterprise.
While the first nine minutes of Star Trek Into Darkness doesn’t really explain much of Cumberbatch’s character, of whom we see for a second, we still want more. Between Giacchino’s score and what’s going on with the Enterprise crew, it gets your adrenaline pumping but still holds enough mystery to keep you intrigued on how the movie’s main events will unfold. Before the footage was shown Abrams said that there’s ‘…a lot of intensity, a little bit of gloom but a lot of fun.’ You definitely get that right off the bat and we can’t wait to check out more.
What’s revealed in the first nine minutes of Star Trek Into Darkness isn’t so much telling as it is intriguing, moreso for the Trek fans out there who’ll get every little familiar line of dialogue and nod to the O.G. Trek series, of which there are many. But fair warning, Trekkies: Judging from this tease and the footage Paramount has already released, Abrams knows that you’re reading into every little clue — and he’s playing you like a violin.
Here’s why: Star Trek Into Darkness opens in a prologue, in a beautifully shot, blue-tinged London, Stardate 2259.55. A couple (Noel Clarke and Nazneen Contractor) wake up and drive their hover car to visit their child in the hospital. We don’t know their names, or hear them speak, but we wonder; could their last name possibly, just possibly, be Singh?
Trust me, if you loved Abrams’ first Star Trek, you’re going to be extremely happy watching this footage.
The footage also did an impressive job showing off the power of IMAX and 3D. While I never got the sense of vertigo that I felt while watching Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol last year, the amount that the giant format adds to the scope is unquestionable. Furthermore, Abrams certainly seems to be taking advantage of the extra dimension as well. More than just bits of sparks and ash coming out at the camera, the director isn’t above playing with the ‘it’s coming right at you!’ experience of 3D.
The one clever moment in the footage came next; one of Pitt’s daughters has a talking doll that counts. It begins counting as we watch the victim of the ‘zombie’ begin the process of ‘re-animating.’ It takes 12 seconds to go from bitten to utter spastic with yellow pupils.
Everything else was dead generic, though. It could have been any ‘panic in the streets’ movie, and the bloodlessness (which, again, could be related to the unfinished FX, although I suspect it’s because they’re shooting for a ridiculous PG-13) made it all the more uninteresting. The footage felt like the opening cinematic of some kind of a cheap zombie game full of crummy Quicktime Events. Nothing I saw told me why I wanted to bother seeing 90 to 100 more minutes of the same thing.
The clip opens with a sequence set in futuristic London, with a couple visiting a comatose girl at a children’s hospital, and Cumberbatch’s character informing the distraught father that he possesses the ability to cure the child.
Cut to Class M Planet Nibiru, where Kirk (Chris Pine) and Dr. Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban) are running through a field of red trees and diving into vibrant blue waters, attempting to flee from a tribe of aliens who, it seems, are on the verge of extinction unless the crew of the Enterprise can prevent that volcano from exploding.
It’s Spock who’s in a position to deploy a device designed to render the eruption inert, but he finds himself perilously close to death standing on a rock inside the volcano amid rivers of lava.
Also seen in the sequence are John Cho as Mr. Sulu, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Simon Pegg as Scotty and Anton Yelchin as Chekov.
There was certainly no shortage of spectacle, which bodes well for fans of the franchise.
The introduction indicates that the film does not pick up directly after the end of the first film – instead it shows that the starship Enterprise is already into its mission, and that the crew has been working together for a while. The relationships seem more established – and Kirk is put into a position where he must choose between the needs of the many or the needs of the few. It also depicts the USS Enterprise in a situation we haven’t seen before, and we have no doubt that Trekkies will debate the viability of the ship’s ability to function in this environment.
As to the impact of the IMAX prologue/preview… did it knock the crowd in attendance off its collective seat? I’d have to say no. However… it did leave us all wanting more and was ultimately successful as a result. The opening minutes of the first Star Trek film are incredibly difficult to top, and the Into Darkness prologue did not have the impact of the similar preview of The Dark Knight three years ago.
This morning on Good Morning America they gave a little preview of the upcoming new trailer for the Lone Ranger featuring some new footage from the film. It also reveals that Tonto (Johnny Depp) is teaming up with The Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer) to seek justice. Justice for what, has yet to be seen, but I found two separate origin stories of the character though that give a little insight. The character's background might be a combination of these two descriptions along with some added material. Maybe he's seeking justice because the white man stole his land?
The first tells the story of how the masked man and Tonto first met. "According to that tale, Tonto had been caught in the explosion when two men blew up a gold mine they were working. One of the men wanted to kill the wounded Tonto, but the Lone Ranger arrived on the scene and made him administer first aid. The miner subsequently decided to keep Tonto around, intending to make him the fall guy when he would later murder his partner. The Lone Ranger foiled both the attempted murder and the framing. No reason was given in the episode as to why Tonto chose to travel with the Lone Ranger, rather than continue about his business."
In the other version Tonto rescues a man named Reid, "the sole surviving Texas Ranger of a party who was tricked into an ambush by the outlaw Butch Cavendish (although later reference works referred to the future Lone Ranger as "John" Reid, no first name was ever given to the Lone Ranger in either the radio or TV series). Tonto recognizes the ranger as someone who had saved him when they were both boys. He refers to him by the title "ke-mo sah-bee", explaining that the phrase means "faithful scout" in the language of his tribe. Tonto buries the dead rangers, and The Lone Ranger instructs him to make a sixth empty grave to leave the impression he, too, is dead."
Synopsis:
The Lone Ranger, is a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice—taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.
The movie also stars Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, James Badge Dale, Ruth Wilson and Helena Bonham Carter. It's set to hit theatres on July 3, 2013.
A twelfth TV spot has been released for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which hits theaters in four days! The anticipation is killing me! I actually just re-watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy this week in preparation, and I was once again reminded how amazing those movies are!
There's a lot of mixed reviews out there for The Hobbit, but even the bad ones won't sway me from my excitement for the film. Check out the latest TV spot which has got some more new footage! I can't wait to go back to Middle Earth!
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever ... Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths ofguile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities ... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
Paramount Pictures has released a new image from Star Trek Into Darkness, and it reveals the big mystery of who's behind the glass in that extended Japanese trailer. As I suspected, it was Benedict Cumberbatch behind the glass, we knew Spock (Zachary Quinto) was there, and it looks like Kirk (Chris Pine) is part of this scene as well. Who knows what's going on here, but I still think that this scene plays a role in turning Cumberbatch into the villain of the story. He doesn't look too happy behind that glass, and he'll be seeking revenge for whatever happens to him next.
The movie comes out on May 17th, 2013! Thanks to Omlette and Collider for the photo! What do you think is going on here?
Synopsis:
In Summer 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness. When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.
With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.
Epic has released a new trailer for their upcoming Gears of War prequel, Judgement. The new trailer shows off some of the new environments & cogs players we will see on March 19th. Also getting the spotlight is the new villain KARN, who will serve as the main antagonist in judgement. After the job they did with RAAM in the Gears of War 3 DLC, I'm excited to see what they do with KARN.
That said, after watching the trailer Judgement looks like a somehow prettier version of Gears 3 -- which isn't bad at all btw, it's just not going to convert anyone who already doesn't love the series. With a few new additions, such as the new streamlined control scheme and free for all mode, Judgement looks to be another refined step forward for the Gears franchise, just not a necessarily innovative one. Peep the trailer below and tell us what you think!
Here's another fun video from The Fine Brothers, in which they recorded the reactions of several kids and pre-teens as they watched the trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It's an assortment of fun reactions to the film. They also talk about The Lord of the Rings and the original Hobbit animated movie. At one point they ask the kids how old they were when The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring came out, let me just say it made me feel really really old. Damn, time flies by so fast! My favorite part though is the reaction of the kids when the Fine Brothers tell them that they cried during The Lord of the Rings movies. Did you cry during the films? It's OK to admit it.
Structure Kill is a great horror comedy short film directed by Stephen Vitale. The scene takes place in a parking garage, but as the description for the short states, this is "Not your typical horror film parking structure scene." There's a couple of fun twists in the story that I really enjoyed. Check it out!
Structure Kill from Stephen Vitale on Vimeo.
As you all know, Samuel L. Jackson played Jedi Master Mace Windu in the prequel trilogy, and now that Disney and Lucasfilm are going to make more films, he wants back in on the action! He even throws out an example of how his character can come back. Here's what he had to say when talking to E! News.
I'm not surprised but totally geeked by the idea of there being more Star Wars. It's like, okay, Obi-Wan was dead when episode four started, so maybe everyone thinks I'm dead and we'll find out what happened to Mace Windu. I can come back as one-armed or a one-handed Jedi that's still around that didn't actually die.
I could do that or be a ghost hologram. I don't care, I just want to stay associated with the franchise.
As to why he wants to come back to be in more Star Wars films he said,
I just always loved it. I always loved the idea of it, that there's this whole civilization out there somewhere else that's just as much fun and different and diverse and wild as we are.
I think any fan of this franchise would love to be a part of it in someway or another! It will be interesting to see what characters from the franchise they will be including in the future films that they make. They sky is the limit though, and anything can happen. As long as it's good and makes sense in the universe, everything will be okay.
