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Dr. Seuss Style BATMAN Character Art

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Here's a great series of awesome Dr. Seuss-inspired Batman character art created by DeviantArt artist DrFaustusAU. It would be cool if there were actually books like these that kids could read. I love the fun titles as well. Check out the art and tell us what you think!


Chris Evans To Star in SNOW PIERCER From THE HOST Director

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Now that Chris Evans is making some good money as Captain America, he can choose to star in indie pictures like Puncture. Variety reports that the actor is in talks to star in Snow Piercer from The Host director Bong Joon-ho. The script was penned by Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook (Oldboy), who is also producing.

Set in "a world covered in snow and ice, the story follows a train full of travelers who struggle to co-exist." Filming is planned to begin in March, but unfortunately, there is no distribution in place. Snow Piercer marks Joon-ho's first US directing gig. The project is drawing a lot of attention in Hollywood. 

Evans is currently filming another indie, The Ice Man, about famous mob hitman Richard Kuklinski. I think it is a great idea for Evans to branch out with films like this. I am looking forward to seeing The Avengers, that is for sure. 

What are your thoughts?

Source: Variety (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118048637)

THE WOMAN IN BLACK - Classic Hammer-Themed Poster

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Here is a cool old-style Hammer-themed poster for The Woman In BlackThe period ghost story was directed by James Watkins and stars Daniel RadcliffeCiaran HindsLiz WhiteJanet McTeerAlisa KhazanovaTim McMullanRoger AllamDaniel CerqueiraShaun DooleyMary StockleyCathy SaraDavid BurkeVictor McGuire, and Lucy May Barker.

Here's the synopsis:

The story follows a young lawyer, Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe), who is ordered to travel to a remote village and sort out a recently deceased client's papers. As he works alone in the client's isolated house, Kipps begins to uncover tragic secrets, his unease growing when he glimpses a mysterious woman dressed only in black. Receiving only silence from the locals, Kipps is forced to uncover the true identity of the Woman in Black on his own, leading to a desperate race against time when he discovers her true intent.

The movie hits theaters on February 10th, 2012. This movie looks really creepy, and I am looking forward to seeing it. What are your thoughts?

Source: Den Of Geek (http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/1202768/exclusive_official_oldstyle_hammer_poster_for_the_woman_in_black.html)

Photos From Westercon 1980 Are Awesome!

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Here are some cool photos from Cons of yesteryear thanks to Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society (via The Mary Sue). These images are from the  Westercon convention in 1980. I love the pics. Some are way out there and hard for me to guess, while others are really clear. 

Check them out below and share your thoughts. One thing is for sure, Cosplay has come a long way since the 80's:


 

Source: The Mary Sue (http://www.themarysue.com/convention-photos-from-the-1980s/)

PROMETHEUS - Awesome New Photo Featuring Noomi Rapace on an Alien Craft

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Here's another awesome new image from Ridley Scott's Prometheus featuring Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw investigating an alien type ship. I absolutely love the look of this film. The suit Rapace is wearing is so cool-looking, and then you have the crazy looking alien spacesuits in the background. This movie is going to be so badass!

The image comes from the LA Time's Hero Complex, and screenwriter Damon Lindelof shared a few of his thoughts on the scope of the amazing looking film...

The movie is definitely epic in its scope. One of the filmmakers that we ended up talking about to a fair degree of redundancy was David Lean, who directed ‘Lawrence of Arabia.’ We wanted to make the movie feel big by having the characters be small in big spaces, That connected to the larger themes we were talking about — that we’re all just these little gnats crawling around on our little planet.

The film also stars Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, and Logan Marshall-Green and is set to hit theaters on June 8th, 2012. Click the image to enlarge.

Here's a short synopsis:

Ridley Scott, director of "Alien" and "Blade Runner," returns to the genre he helped define. With PROMETHEUS, he creates a groundbreaking mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

Source: Hero Complex (http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2012/01/14/prometheus-damon-lindelof-ridley-scott-photos-alien-prequel/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=57774)

Geek Art: Emma Frost Pin-up Art

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Today's Geek Art features a sexy little pin-up of Emma Frost created by CGHUB artist WarrenLouw. What do you think of this one?

 

GAME OF THRONES - Great Collection of Fan Art

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MLP vs. The Last Dragon, by Megan Ferguson

Game of Thrones season 2 doesn't premiere on HBO until April, and I'm extremely excited about seeing how it turns out. There's no doubt it's going to blow us away just like the first season. To help tide you over until then, here's a awesome collection of fan art inspired by the book and TV series. I hope you enjoy the art below!

The North by Kali Ciesemier

Daenerys by Grant Gould

Game of Thrones meets Iron Man with a twist of Princess Bride. By Michael Dialynas

Ned Stark, Depressing Meteorologist, by Fansieto

By =Tsabo6

Game of Thrones coffee ad, via Sticks Stones and Herringbones

Brienne of Tarth by Tijuana Picnic/Gogopicnic

Nouveau Cersei by Elisa Poggese

A Song of Ice and Lemoncakes by~Dragoninstall

Daenerys and Khal Drogo, via Tristyn Pease 

Bran and Hodor by Joel Christian Gill/Roaches Have Wings.

Arya by Maré Odomo

Cover art by Rory Jas

"A Mind Needs Books like a Sword Needs a Whetstone" by Grant Gould

Rickon and Shaggydog by Burton Durand

You Know Nothing Jon Snow by Anii at Squid Salad

Game of Thrones characters by Chris Bishop

Throne of Games by AlecFritz on DeviantArt

Khal Drogo by Anna Stępień/SnowApples

Jon Snow by Anna Stępień/SnowApples

Khal Drogo and Daenerys by ilias kyriazis

Daenerys by Tei Iku

Ned Stark by Douglas Holgate/House of Skulduggery

Jon Snow, via Tristyn Pease Thing Blog

Daenerys by Gela/Space Fish Room

House Mottos by Renaud Forestié 

Your Nice New Outfit: Daenerys by Phil Noto

Game of Clones by Geekleetist

Jon Snow by JMichek

Battle of the Trident by Jayson Mondala

Source: Via: io9 (http://io9.com/5873783/totally-bitchin-game-of-thrones-fan-art-[nsfw])

THE HUNGER GAMES - New Image featuring Katniss, Effie & Haymitch

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Lionsgate has release this new image for the upcoming highly anticipated film adaptation of The Hunger Games. featuring the characters Katniss, Effie and Haymitch. I can't wait to see how well director Gary Ross brought this story to life. I like what I've seen so far!

The movie has a wonderful large cast of actors that includes Jennifer Lawrence, Josh HutchersonLiam Hemsworth,Woody HarrelsonElizabeth BanksStanley TucciDonald SutherlandWes BentleyToby JonesAmandla StenbergAlexander LudwigIsabelle FuhrmanJacqueline EmersonPaula MalcomsonDayo OkeniyiJack QuaidLeven RambinWillow Shields and Lenny Kravitz

Here's the Synopsis:

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon KilikSuzanne Collins' best-selling novel, the first in a trilogy published by Scholastic that has over 16 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following.

The movie is set to be released on March 23rd, 2012.

Source: LA Times (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-ca-year-in-movies-2012-pictures,0,7270124.photogallery)


GANGSTER SQUAD - New Image Featuring Brolin, Gosling, Nolte and Patrick

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Here a nice new image from director Ruben Fleischer's new film Gangster Squad, featuring Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Anthiny Mackie and Robert Patrick. There's no doubt in my mind that this is going to turn out to be a pretty badass period cop and gangster film. I love movies like this, and I'm looking forward to seeing this one. 

Here's the synopsis:

Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and—if he has his way—every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It's enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop... except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen's world apart.

Warner Bros. Pictures has set the films release date for October 19th, 2012.

Source: LA Times (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-ca-year-in-movies-2012-pictures,0,7270124.photogallery)

AMC Confirms MAD MEN and THE KILLING'S Return Date

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Jon Hamm recently mentioned that the fifth season of Mad Men was going to return to the small screen on March 25. THR reports that AMC confirmed this date at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. The network also announced that the sophomore season of The Killing will premiere on April 1. This is great news for fans, both shows will have two-hour premieres.

Mad Men's premiere was penned by creator Matthew Weiner and directed by Jennifer Getzinger, The premiere kicks off at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, and then will return to its regular 10:00 p.m. timeslot. The second episode will mark Hamm's directorial debut. 

The Killing's two-hour premiere will begin at 8:00 p.m., and will then return to its regular scheduled of 9:00 p.m. the next week. The shows lead, Mireille Enos, won an Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. AMC hopes to gain more viewers, and will begin offering all 13 episodes of the first season On Demand starting March 5.  I loved the first season, which was some of the most engaging TV I had ever seen. The cast is phenomenal and the script kept me on the edge of my seat. 

AMC continues it's streak of great TV with Comic Book Men. This looks like a really cool reality show that geeks will love. The show premieres on February 12th after The Walking Dead at 10:00 p.m.
I highly recommend that you consider checking out The Killing if you have not already. Mad Men is a show I need to keep watching. What are your thoughts on this news?

Source: THR (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/mad-men-season-5-premiere-killing-season-2-281907?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thr%2Fnews+%28The+Hollywood+Reporter+-+Top+Stories%29)

SONS OF EMPIRE - Star Wars & Sons of Anarchy Mashup

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Here's a wonderfully badass image called Sons of Empire created by MesteMaker. The image is a great mashup of the TV series Sons of Anarchy with Star Wars. What do you think?

Source: Unrealitymag (http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2010/11/23/the-sons-of-empire-are-hell-on-wheels-errr-air/)

69th Annual Golden Globe Awards Winners List

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I thought the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards was actually kind of entertaining. I thought Ricky Gervais was pretty entertaining this year, but it wasn't a shock as it was last year. We were all expecting him to be a little raunchy anyway. Other than that, there were a lot of surprises this year. 

George Clooney taking home Best Actor and The Descendants winning Best Picture was a surprise to me. I saw the movie for the first time a couple of days ago, and I loved it, I just didn't think it would win anything especially with the films it was up against. I thought Hugo, Moneyball, The Help, and War Horse all had a better chance of winning, but I'm happy The Descendants took home the top prize. I still have yet to see The Artist, but I hear it is amazing and that it deserved to win Best Picture Musical/Comedy. It's no surprise that Meryl Streep would win Best Actress, she wins everything she's nominated for. I was hoping that Rooney Mara would take home the award though for The Grl With The Dragon Tattoo. I also loved loved that Martin Scorsese won Best Director for his wonder film Hugo, that made me very happy.

Check out the full list of winners below and tell us what you think about who won! The winners are in bold. 

BEST PICTURE: DRAMA
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse

BEST ACTOR: DRAMA
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

BEST PICTURE: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
My Week With Marilyn

BEST ACTRESS: DRAMA
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin

BEST ACTOR: COMEDY/MUSICAL
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love
Owen Wilson, Midnight In Paris

Best Comedy TV Series
“Enlightened”
“Episodes”
“Glee”
“Modern Family”
“New Girl”

BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Actor, TV Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
David Duchovny “Californiacation”
Johnny Galecki “Big Bang Theory”
Thomas Jane “Hung”
Matt LeBlanc “Episodes”

Best Actress, TV Drama Series
Claire Danes “Homeland”
Mireille Enos “The Killing”
Julianna Margulies “The Good Wife”
Madeleine Stowe, “Revenge”
Callie Thorne, “Necessary Roughness”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Flowers of War
In the Land of Blood and Honey
The Kid With a Bike
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-series or TV Movie:
Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story”
Kelly Macdonald “Boardwalk Empire”
Maggie Smith, “Downtown Abby”
Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family”
Evan Rachel Wood, “Mildred Pierce”

BEST SCREENPLAY
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Descendants
George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon, The Ides of March
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian, Moneyball

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
Paul Giamatti, “Too Big to Fail”
Guy Pearce, “Mildred Piece”
Tim Robbins, “Cineme Verite”
Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family”

BEST ACTRESS: COMEDY/MUSICAL
Jodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristin Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage

Best Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Hugh Bonneville, “Downton Abbey”
Idris Elba, “Luther”
William Hurt, “Too Big to Fail”
Bill Nighy, “Page Eight”
Dominic West, “The Hour”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Lay Your Head Down,” Albert Nobbs
“Hello Hello,” Gnomeo and Juliet
“The Living Proof,” The Help
“The Keeper,” Machine Gun Preacher
“Masterpiece,” W.E.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Howard Shore, Hugo
John Williams, War Horse
Abel Korzeniowski, W.E.

Best Drama TV Series
“American Horror Story”
“Boardwalk Empire”
“Boss”
“Game of Thrones”
“Homeland”

Best Actor, TV Drama Series
Steve Buscemi, “Boardwalk Empire”
Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”
Kelsey Grammer, “Boss”
Jeremy Irons, “The Borgias”
Damian Lewis, “Homeland”

Best Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Romola Garai, “The Hour”
Diane Lane, “Cinema Verite”
Elizabeth McGovern, “Downton Abbey”
Emily Watson, “Appropriate Adult”
Kate Winslet, “Mildred Pierce”

Best Television Series – Miniseries/Movie
“Cinema Verite”
“Downton Abbey”
“The Hour”
“Mildred Pierce”
“Too Big to Fail”

Best Actress, TV Comedy Series
Laura Dern, “Enlightened”
Tina Fey “30 Rock”
Laura Linney “The C Word”
Amy Poehler “Parks and Recreation”
Zooey Deschanel “New Girl”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER - New Poster and Behind the Scenes Video

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A fun new movie poster and behind the scenes video has been released for the highly anticipated adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's incredibly cool novel Abraham LincolnVampire Hunter! The film is being directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted), and stars Benjamin Walker as Abe Lincoln. The story focuses on the president who, after having his mother murdered by the monsters, is on a quest to rid the world of the evil vampires. The cast also includes Anthony MackieJimmi Simpson, and Mary Elisabeth Winstead.

Here's the Synopsis:

Abraham LincolnVampire Hunter is a re-imagining of the 16th President's life that depicts him as an axe-throwing, highly accomplished killer of vampires -- an obsession of his since those bloodsuckers supposedly took the life of his mother. Lincoln eventually learns that the vampires have fled to the southern states of the U.S. and are concocting a plan to conquer and enslave the entire country -- this in turn leads to the Civil War between the Union and the Confederacy, the latter of which the vampires are aligned with. 

The movie is scheduled to hit theaters on June 22th, 2012.

 

 

TOTAL RECALL Remake Gets an Official Synopsis

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This Total Recall remake starring Collin Ferrell is going to be awesome! I never thought I would get excited about this movie, but I was completely sold after seeing some mind-blowing footage from last years Comic-Con. It looks like director Len Wiseman has done something extremely cool and very different with this story. 

The action thriller also stars Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, John Cho and Bill Nighy. Here's the official synopsis for the film released by Sony Pictures:

"Total Recall" is an action thriller about reality and memory, inspired anew by the famous short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick. Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he's got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life - real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world – Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.

The film hits theaters on August 3rd, 2012 and I suspect we'll be seeing a first trailer for the movie sometime in the near future. What are you expecting from this film, and re you looking forard to it? 

Science Explains Finding Nemo: They're Just "Fish Drunk"

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"WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Turns out the tale of a clownfish father swimming across the Australian current to rescue his son isn't all that far-fetched after all. New Scientist recently published an article stating that under the influence of carbon dioxide, clownfish are more likely to engage in risky behavior. So was Marlin in Finding Nemo "fish drunk" when he set out to rescue his son?

As the article states, carbon dioxide in the ocean acts like alcohol on fish, leaving them less able to judge risks and prone to losing their senses. Such behavior includes but is not limited too:

exploration of dangerous habitats

ignorance of natural predators

and the ruining of jokes.

So Marlin was "fish drunk" off carbon dioxide this whole time?! I can see it. In fact, it makes the movie much more hilarious if you look at it this way. Let's not forget he wasn't the only clownfish getting silly off that "ocean drank" though...

Email Me: MickJoest@Geektyrant.com Twitter: @MickJoest


COMMUNITY Cast Reimagined as X-MEN Characters!

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Here's another piece of fun Community fan-art featuring the cast of the series as characters from the X-Men universe. The art you see here was created by Aviv Or, and it goes right along with the Community Hero and Villain Batman art we've seen in the past by Kinjamin. Check out the art and tell us what you think!


Joss Whedon Developing a Supernatural Romance Film

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Writer and director Joss Whedon is currently in post-production on The Avengers, has wrapped an adaptation Much Ado About Nothingand is already started prepping his next film project. This guy is determined to keep himself busy! This news was revealed in a recently interview with actress Abigail Spencer (Mad Men) who has just officially signed on to star in Whedon's new project. Here's what she had to say in an interview with Vulture,

His next movie, I start that next month. It’s my first time [doing a project with Whedon], but I’ve always wanted to work with him. I’m so excited to do it.

There aren't any major details on the project yet, but she did tease that

It’s the most romantic film in the history of time. It’s a supernatural romance.

With TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Whedon's always been good at telling supernatural romance stories, so this sounds like a project that Whedon fans can get really excited about. It will be cool to actually find out what the story to this film is. 

Geek Art: Boba Fett Is Dead

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Today's cool piece of Star Wars Geek Art comes from artist Dave Palumbo. It's called Boba Fett is Dead, and it's a variant cover for the new Dark Horse mini-series Blood Ties 2. What do you think of it? 

BATTLESHIP - New International Poster and Image

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Peter Berg's Battleship looks absolutely ridiculous, but I'm looking forward to seeing it. There's no doubt it's going to be a fun popcorn flick.

Universal Pictures  has released this new international poster and image, both showing off crazy-big spacecrafts rising up out of the ocean.

Here's the synopsis:

Peter Berg (Hancock) produces and directs Battleship, an epic-scaled action-adventure that unfolds across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force. Inspired by Hasbro's classic naval combat game, Battleship stars Taylor Kitsch as Lt. Alex Hopper, a Naval officer assigned to the USS John Paul JonesBrooklyn Decker as Sam Shane, a physical therapist and Hopper's fiancee; Alexander Skarsgard as Hopper's older brother, Stone, Commanding Officerof the USS Sampson; Rihanna as Petty Officer Raikes, Hopper's crewmate and a weapons specialist on the USS John Paul Jones; and international superstar Liam Neeson as Hopper and Stone's superior (and Sam's father), Admiral Shane.

The film hit's theaters in May of 2012. Check out the trailer for the movie below and tell us what you think!

 

Watch Andy Serkis as Ceasar in RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Without VFX

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As you've probably heard by now, 20th Century Fox is trying to get Andy Serkis a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Academy Awards for playing the CGI ape Ceasar in Rupert Wyatt's awesome movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I think it would be incredibly interesting if he did get the nomination, and I hope he gets it just to see what happens and to get peoples reactions. I doubt he would win though. Maybe one day there will be a new award added for Best Motion Capture Actor. For those of you not sure if an actor dressed up in a mo cap suit should be nominated for an award, here's a video showing off Serkis' acting talent without all the CGI effects. 

James Franco thinks that Serkis should be nominated and recognized for the role and his talent of motion capture acting. He recently wrote an article posted on Deadline sharing his thoughts on the matter, saying...

The new Planet of the Apes film, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, belongs to Andy Serkis. Narratively it was always his film: I play an emotionally stilted scientist who in the process of mistakenly unleashing a lethal virus on the human race, learns to care for others;

Serkis gets to play Caesar, essentially Che Guevara in chimp form. There is no question that his character arc is much more dynamic and fascinating, it is the story line that takes the franchise’s central theme of culture/racial/species clash and turns it on it’s head by making the maligned apes the unequivocal heroes.  We get to watch the fall of mankind and enjoy it because we root for the underdogs, the apes.

But this narrative structure is only half of the story; there is also an acting revolution that has taken place.  Andy Serkis is the undisputed master of the newest kind of acting called “performance capture,” and it is time that Serkis gets credit for the innovative artist that he is.

When Serkis was hired to play the inimitable character, Gollum in Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings trilogy it was initially only for his voice, the character was meant to be entirely animated. But Serkis got so physically involved in the production of thecharacter’s odd voice – Serkis was inspired by his cat coughing up a hairball – that Jackson decided to find a way to capture the performance so that it could be translated into a digitally rendered character. This was the birth of performance capture as we know it, the process that led to the nuanced performance behind King Kong, the blue things in Avatar, and now Caesar. Audiences are used to large scale effects: impossible explosion, space travel, fantastic fairytale worlds, boys in tights swinging around New York, men with Squids for faces, but there is still a disconnection that happens when a character’s outer surface is rendered in a computer like Caesar’s was. We want to forget that there is a human underneath, the effects are so  well rendered we either forget that the spark of life in it’s eyes and the life in its limbs is informed by a breathing human or we are so drawn into the ontology of the character we can’t grasp its artistic origins or exactly how it was created. What this means is that we can enjoy such a character – enjoyment testified by the response to such films as Avatar, Return of the King, andPlanet of the Apes – but we don’t give artistic credit where it is due.

I, as much as anyone, can get anxious when I think about the future of movies and the possibility of the obsolescence of actors, or at least actors as we know them, but after making Apes I realize that this is backward thinking. Performance Capture is here, like it or not, but it also doesn’t mean that old-fashioned acting will go the way of silent film actors. Performance Capture actually allows actors to work opposite each other in more traditional ways, meaning that the actors get to interact with each other and look into each others eyes. For years computer technology forced actors to act opposite tennis balls if a movie wanted to have CG creatures, but now the process has come full circle so that actors playing CG creatures can perform in practical sets, just like the “human” actors. In acting school I was taught to work off my co-stars, not to act butreact and that was how I would achieve unexpected results, not by planning a performance, but by allowing it to arise from the dynamic between actors, and on The Rise of the Planet of the Apes that’s exactly what I was able to do opposite Andy as Caesar. And Andy got to do the same because every gesture, every facial expression, every sound he made was captured, his performance was captured.  Then, what the Weta effects team did was to essentially “paint” the look of Caesar over Andy’s performance.  This is not animation as much as it’s digital  “make-up.”  There are plenty of Oscar winning performances that depended on prosthetic make-up to help create the characters: John Hurt’s in The Elephant Man, Nicole Kidman’s in The Hours,Sean Penn’s in Milk. Those actors depended on make-up artists to augment the look of their characters, but the performance underneath came solely from the actors. Well, that’s exactly the same position that Andy is in, his problem is that the digital “make-up” is so convincing that it makes people forget that he provides the soul of Caesar. That soul, the thing that was so compelling about that film, came from Andy, and the way he rendered that soul is of equal importance, if not more important than the photo
realistic surface of the character.

Andy doesn’t need me to tell him he is an innovator, he knows it. What is needed is recognition for him, now. Not later when this kind of acting is de riguer, but now, when he has elevated this fresh mode of acting into an art form. And it is time for actors to give credit to other actors. It is easy to praise the technical achievements of this film, but those achievements would be empty without Andy. Caesar is not a character that is dependent on human forms of expression to deliver the emotion of the character: despite the lack of any human gestures, and maybe two or  three words of human speech Caesar is a fully realized character, not human, and not quite ape; this is no Lassie and this is no Roger Rabbit, it is the creation of an actor doing something that I dare say no other actor could have done at this moment.

After watching the video, and reading Franco's article, do you think Serkis should get the nomination?

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