The 86th annual Academy Awards were really fun to watch. Ellen Degeneres did a fantastic job hosting, and I enjoyed the show she put on. It was also insanely predictable, at least, for me it was. Overall, I'm happy with all of the films that won. My favorite win of the the night was Spike Jonze taking home the Oscar for Best Original screenplay for Her. That was such an amazing movie, and I really wanted it to win that award, but I wasn't sure it would happen. My favorite speech of the night came from Best Actor winner Matthew McConaughey. I was never really a big fan of his, but over the last couple of years he has sure blown up into an amazing actor who has starred in some really incredible films. Then that speech he gave last night won me over, and now I'm on team McConaughey.

Here's the winner score card:

Gravity - 7
12 Years a Slave - 3
Dallas Buyers Club - 3
Frozen - 2
The Great Gatsby - 2
Blue Jasmine - 1
Her - 1

Below you will find the full list of nominations and winners. Look it over and let us know what your favorite Oscar win was!

BEST PICTURE

“12 Years a Slave”
“American Hustle”
“Captain Phillips”
“Dallas Buyers Club”
“Gravity”
“Her”
“Nebraska”
“Philomena”
“The Wolf of Wall Street”

BEST DIRECTOR

David O. Russell, “American Hustle”
Alfonso Cuaron, “Gravity”
Alexander Payne, “Nebraska”
Steve McQueen, “12 Years a Slave”
Martin Scorsese, “The Wolf of Wall Street”

BEST ACTOR

Christian Bale, “American Hustle”
Bruce Dern, “Nebraska”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave”
Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”

BEST ACTRESS

Amy Adams, “American Hustle”
Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”
Sandra Bullock, “Gravity”
Judi Dench, “Philomena”
Meryl Streep, “August: Osage County”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“American Hustle” – Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
“Blue Jasmine” – Written by Woody Allen
“Her” – Written by Spike Jonze
“Nebraska” – Written by Bob Nelson
“Dallas Buyers Club” – Written by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“Before Midnight” – Written by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
“Captain Phillips” – Screenplay by Billy Ray
“Philomena” – Screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
“12 Years a Slave” – Screenplay by John Ridley
“The Wolf of Wall Street” – Screenplay by Terence Winter

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Lupita Nyong’o, “12 Years a Slave”
Jennifer Lawrence, “American Hustle”
June Squibb, “Nebraska”
Julia Roberts, “August: Osage County”
Sally Hawkins, “Blue Jasmine”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Barkhad Abdi, “Captain Phillips”
Bradley Cooper, “American Hustle”
Michael Fassbender, “12 Years a Slave”
Jonah Hill, “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club”

BEST ANIMATED FILM

“The Croods”
“Despicable Me 2”
“Ernest & Celestine”
“Frozen”
“The Wind Rises”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

“The Grandmaster”
“Gravity”
“Inside Llewyn Davis”
“Nebraska”
“Prisoners”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Michael Wilkinson, “American Hustle”
William Chang Suk Ping, “The Grandmaster”
Catherine Martin, “The Great Gatsby”
Michael O’Connor, “The Invisible Woman”
Patricia Norris, “12 Years a Slave”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“The Act of Killing”Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
“Cutie and the Boxer” Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher
“Dirty Wars” Richard Rowley and Jeremy Scahill
“The Square” Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer
“20 Feet from Stardom” Morgan Neville

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

“CaveDigger” Jeffrey Karoff
“Facing Fear” Jason Cohen
“Karama Has No Walls” Sara Ishaq
“The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed
“Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall” Edgar Barens

BEST FILM EDITING

“American Hustle” Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten
“Captain Phillips” Christopher Rouse
“Dallas Buyers Club” John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa
“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger
“12 Years a Slave” Joe Walker

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“The Broken Circle Breakdown” Belgium
“The Great Beauty” Italy
“The Hunt” Denmark
“The Missing Picture” Cambodia
“Omar” Palestine

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

“Dallas Buyers Club” Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews
“Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” Stephen Prouty
“The Lone Ranger” Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

John Williams, “The Book Thief”
Steven Price, “Gravity”
William Butler and Owen Pallett, “Her”
Alexandre Desplat, “Philomena”
Thomas Newman, “Saving Mr. Banks”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Alone Yet Not Alone” from “Alone Yet Not Alone”
Music by Bruce Broughton; Lyric by Dennis Spiegel

“Happy” from “Despicable Me 2”
Music and Lyric by Pharrell Williams

“Let It Go” from “Frozen”
Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

“The Moon Song” from “Her”
Music by Karen O; Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze

“Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Music by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen; Lyric by Paul Hewson

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

“American Hustle”
Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Heather Loeffler

“Gravity”
Production Design: Andy Nicholson; Set Decoration: Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woollard

“The Great Gatsby”
Production Design: Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn

“Her”
Production Design: K.K. Barrett; Set Decoration: Gene Serdena

“12 Years a Slave”
Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Alice Baker

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

“Feral” Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden
“Get a Horse!” Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim
“Mr. Hublot” Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares
“Possessions” Shuhei Morita
“Room on the Broom” Max Lang and Jan Lachauer

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

“Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)” Esteban Crespo
“Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)” Xavier Legrand and Alexandre Gavras
“Helium” Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson
“Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)” Selma Vilhunen and Kirsikka Saari
“The Voorman Problem” Mark Gill and Baldwin Li

BEST SOUND EDITING

“All Is Lost” Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns
“Captain Phillips” Oliver Tarney
“Gravity” Glenn Freemantle
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Brent Burge
“Lone Survivor” Wylie Stateman

BEST SOUND MIXING

“Captain Phillips” Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith and Chris Munro
“Gravity” Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick and Tony Johnson
“Inside Llewyn Davis” Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland
“Lone Survivor” Andy Koyama, Beau Borders and David Brownlow

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

“Gravity” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and Eric Reynolds
“Iron Man 3” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Dan Sudick
“The Lone Ranger” Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams and John Frazier
“Star Trek Into Darkness” Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann and Burt Dalton

A few years ago we posted a fun short film called "Cardboard Warfare" which featured a bunch of guys running around with cardboard weapons and blowing shit up. It was incredibly fun, and the filmmakers upped the ante in their latest film, "Cardboard Warfare 2.5: World of Warplanes." This time they take the battle to the skies, and it's pretty spectacular. The short was directed by Clinton Jones, and here's a synopsis:

Three pilots celebrate Fred Christensen's birthday on the long flight home. HQ interrupts their celebration with a urgent order. The pilots are forced to go on their last mission together after learning they aren't going to make it back home.

This is a seriously fun, action-packed adventure that I think you'll really enjoy, so check it out!

Sony Pictures has released a couple of great motion posters for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for you to check out. They come from Empire, and they feature Spider-Man having a blast swinging through New York City. I've also included some promo photos. The movie is set to be released on May 2nd, 2014 and I'm really hoping the overload of villains in the story won't screw it up. 

This is the latest video from Freddie Wong's Rocket Jump. It's called Knife Guyz, and it features some guys awesomely playing around with knives. The video comes with the following note,

"...We can't possibly be that good, can we?"

With a little help from some special effects, they can! 

Yahoo! Movies

Paramount Pictures has released the first poster for Michael Bay's Transformers: Age of Extinction. It features Mark Wahlberg as the main character in the film Cade Yeager, and I imagine this is the first of several posters that will include characters from the movie.

The movie is set to be released on June 27th.  The crazy looking action film also stars Jack Reynor, Nicola Peltz, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Sophia Myles, Li Bingbing, T.J. Miller, Han Geng, and Titus Welliver.

Some possible story details have leaked from the upcoming Terminator: Genesis movie currently in development at Paramount Pictures. The movie is being directed by Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World), and it stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor, Jason Clarke as John Connor, and Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese. The information that has come to light is from Movie Hole, who says it comes from a very reputable source that they believe is "one-hundred percent on-the-money."

So, if you don't want anything spoiled for you I suggest you don't read ahead. I do have to say though, this sounds like a really cool concept that almost plays out like Back to the Future Part 2 and J.J. Abrams' Star Trek. The movie is described as a fresh reboot of the series, and now let's get into the meat of it...

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

So apparently Schwarzenegger’s character is the connective tissue between the the films, much like Leonard Nimoy’s "Old Spock" was the connective tissue with the Star Trek movies.

The source tells them that the film "encompasses an original plot, it also – like Back to the Future Part II, which saw Marty and Doc having to revisit the events of 1955 again for the film’s last quarter – returns to and revisits some of the most memorable moments from the first two Terminator movies." The writers have found an awesome way of paying tribute to the original two movies and at the same time introducing a new scenario as well as some new characters.

These are the nitty gritty details that have been revealed:

"Thanks to that ever-dependable alternate timeline device, and time-travel (which has always been a part of the series), Taylor’s film will take us back and forward between the future, 1984 (“The Terminator”), 1991 (“Terminator 2 : Judgement Day”) and other important and influential time periods in the life of the Connor family.

Firstly, we will indeed be revisiting the events of the original 1984 film again. The ‘Terminator’ from the future will arrive on earth, attack some punks (keen to see who they get to play ‘Bill Paxton’), and then slaughter his way through a bunch of Sarah Connors’ – until he finds the correct target. And all the characters that appeared in the Cameron original, like Detective Hal Vukovich (played by Lance Henriksen in the original), Lieutenant Ed Traxler (played by Paul Winfield way back when), Sarah’s roomie Ginger (Bess Motta in the ’84 film) and, yep, even Pugsley the Iguana, return. So, yep, we’ll likely get to see Schwarzenegger back in the leather jacket and cool sunglasses he wore in the original. And, of course, Kyle Reese (Courtney) volunteers to go back to 1984 and save Sarah – just as he did first time around. But don’t expect everything to work out like it did in the original.. something is going to play out different.

And then, we’ll also be taken back to the events of the sequel. The scene where the T-1000 (played by Robert Patrick in “Terminator 2 : Judgement Day”), posing as a cop, visiting John Connor’s home, where he meets – and consequently kills – foster parents Todd (Xander Berkeley) and Janelle (Jenette Goldstein), is in there. As are several other key moments.

And then we’ll be going back to moments we haven’t seen on film before – such as scenes with young Sarah and her parents.

Obviously, revisiting these events is intentional. As is usually the case with a film using the alternate timeline device, obviously something hasn’t gone right (maybe the Terminator succeeds in killing Sarah this time, around? I don’t know – just guessing) or something that happened in the past has greatly changed the future, meaning Connor’s resistance crew from the future have to ‘go back’ again. I’m not privy to all the why and how – just the when’s at the moment."

I think this idea sounds freakin' brilliant. They've found a way to make a lot of fans happy. At least, the concepts presented here got me excited for it! I hope it all turns out to be legit. I'm not sure how they will deal with Schwarzenegger's age, but I imagine they'll have to touch him up with some special effects. We'll just have to wait and see how this new trilogy turns out. In the meantime, let us know what you think about these potential story details.

The movie is set to be released on July 1st, 2015.

Rickey

The annual "In Memoriam" tribute at the Oscars can be a tear jerker. Last year the industry lost a lot of talented individuals who brought entertainment into our lives. The video features several prominent names from the entertainment industry who are no longer with us. Some of those include Ray Harryhausen, Paul Walker, Philip Seyour Hoffman, and Harold Ramis. A few people were overlooked this year, such as actor Dennis Farina and producer James Jacks who brought us movies like Raising Arizona, Dazed and Confused, Tombstone, Mallrats, The Mummy, Rat Race, and a ton of other films.

Artist James Hance is currently working on an art series he calls Sandy Salvage, and the illustration you see above is a part of it. It's called "Game Over," and it gives us an awesome Star Wars and Aliens mashup with Jawas playing around on a loader. 

yakonusuke

Sony Pictures has just acquired the rights to an awesome-sounding new movie called Winter's Knight. It's a viking mythology based origin story of St. Nick and Christmas. There was an intense bidding war for the film between Sony, Warner Bros. and Universal, but Sony won it, and they paid $1 million for the spec that will be written by newbie scribes Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton.

The studio also landed Kon-Tiki directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg to bring the project to life. They will start working on this film after they are finished with Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Apparently the story is based on L. Frank Baum's 1902 book The Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus. Baum is also the author of The Wizard of Oz. This has the potential to actually be a pretty epic movie. Here's a little run down on the book for those of you not familiar:

Santa Claus, as a baby is found in the Forest of Burzee by Ak, the Master Woodsman of the World, and placed in the care of the lioness Shiegra. The Wood Nymph, Necile, breaks the law of the forest and takes the baby because she desires to raise a child of her own as mortals do, convincing Ak that since he made the law, he can allow an exception, and agrees to have both Necile and Shiegra care for the baby. Necile calls him Claus, meaning "little one" in the old Burzee language, but Queen Zurline gives him the more formal name Neclaus, "Necile's Little One" (According to a footnote "Nicholas" is an erroneous name based on common convention). He is educated by the immortals of the Forest, including:

The Fairies who watch over humans

The Wood Nymphs who watch over trees

The Gnomes who watch over rocks

The Knooks, who watch over animals

The Ryls who watch over flowers

The Sleep Fays who bring sleep to the world

The Light ElvesThe Sound Imps

The Wind DemonsThe Water Spirits

Upon reaching young adulthood, Ak decides it is time for Claus to see how other mortals live. He sees war, brutality, poverty, child neglect and child abuse and is frustrated by mortals' very existence. Ak encourages him not to shy away from the mortals, because he is one, and must learn to live among them, as he cannot reside in Burzee as an adult. He settles in the nearby Laughing Valley of Hohaho, where the immortals regularly visit and assist him, and Necile gives him a little cat named Blinky.

There's no word on how much of the book will be incorporated into the film, but there are enough ideas in there to bring audiences one hell of an awesome Santa Claus movie.

Via: Deadline

via: XombieDirge

Artist Josh Lane always takes a fun and unique approach to well-known geek properties. Take, for example, his series which featured skeletal surveys of sci-fi spaceships. The amount of detail and forethought that go into his artwork is incredible. In this “Hero-Glyphics” series, Lane puts popular comic-book and sci-fi heroes into hieroglyphic form. Again, look for the little details in each piece! Much like real Egyptian hieroglyphs, each symbol helps tell the story.

Prints are available for purchase here.

While we wait for the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Lost Missions to start, we have a new clip to share with you. It's from an episode called "Voices," and in it Yoda begins a secret quest with a little help from a friend.

In the final 13 episodes "some of the deepest mysteries of the conflict between the light and the dark sides of the Force are revealed. An intrepid clone trooper discovers a shocking secret, Anakin Skywalker's closest relationship is tested to its limits and what Master Yoda discovers while investigating the disappearance of a Jedi could forever change the balance of power in the galaxy." 

The entire series, including the final season, is set to be released on Netflix on March 7th.

Once there was a tree… and he loved a little raccoon.

I just so happen to have a copy of The Giving Tree within reaching distance of my laptop. I also have the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy saved on my desktop. Those two facts probably clue you in to how much I love this mashup illustration from by Isaac Goodart. The piece is titled “The Giving Groot,” and it puts a nice Marvel twist on Shel Silvertstein’s classic children’s book. (via: Neatorama)

Fans around the world want to see what Zack Snyder has up his sleeve for Batman Vs. Superman. As time goes on we will learn more and more about the movie, but I just can't wait to actually start seeing stuff from it. In a recent interview with the LA Times, Snyder talked about the film, which is set to go into production in about a month. 

"We’re getting ready to start shooting in a month or so. It’s going great. I’m very excited. It’s very fun to get into this world with different heroes coexisting in the same universe, but a lot of balls in the air as they say. As a fan, it’s an amazing opportunity. You know, Superman and Batman in the movies have never existed in the same frame together. So it’s an interesting historical thing. We were just testing the suits, right? The new Batsuit and the Superman suit. It wasn’t even with the actors, right? It was just to see ‘em. I was standing there, they were standing next to each other. And I was like, 'Guys, someone take a picture! This has never happened before.' We slightly dork out. Like, 'Are you kidding me?!'"

Hopefully that picture leaks online sometime in the near future! A few of the main characters have been cast in the film, including Henry Cavil as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Some fans aren't happy with the choices, others are. When asked about the casting choices and the fanboy outcry, the director said,

"There are two ways to think about it. We know the material. Unfortunately, the fans don’t know the material. So, we’re casting according to what’s happening in the script. And we’re hoping that leads to enough originality, enough perspective on what we’re doing that you get something fresh and exciting. I understand the canon. I’m not crazy. I know what these characters need from a mythological standpoint. I think Jesse is going to be an amazing Lex. Let’s not forget he was nominated for an Academy Award. It’s not like I just grabbed my friend to play the guy! This guy’s the real deal. By the way, in looking at all the talk-back, you can get all different perspectives in there too. Some people are hating to hate. Some people — someone did some fan art. And you look underneath and someone wrote, 'I guess I can see it.' Honestly, are you kidding me? Just stop it! It’s reassuring and frustrating at the same time."

I personally find it entertaining to watch and read the fan reactions of these announcements. A lot of people like to rant, it's just what geeks do. I do it too! I just think it's funny that once they release a photo or footage, most of the fans that were complaining will change their minds and be crazy excited about it. Just like when Heath Ledger was cast as The Joker. Synder went on to talk about the film he's making, saying,

"[The movie] literally takes the Man of Steel and Batman universes and explodes them. You’re not as tied to the mythology. In Man of Steel, we had to create an origin story, a mythology, and there’s a lot of energy into that, which we love doing. Don’t get me wrong. But when you think about how fun it is too — now that you’ve got these characters — to now let ‘em loose. That’s fun!"

The movie will be released on May 6th, 2016. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of Man of Steel, I'm still really excited about this flick. How can I not be?! It's Batman and Superman together for the first time on the big screen!

Blue Ruin was shown earlier this year at Sundance, and there was a lot of positive buzz surrounding it. It heard nothing but good things. I really wanted to see it, but unfortunately I wasn't able to get into a screening for it, so I'll just have to wait for another opportunity. 

The film was written and directed by cinematographer turned directorJeremy Saulnier, and it stars Macon Blair as Dwight Evans, "a mysterious outsider whose quiet life on the margins is turned upside down when he returns to his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. Proving himself an amateur assassin, he winds up in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family."

Blue Ruin looks like a seriously intense movie, and it will be released in theaters and VOD on April 25th.

The award for Best Animated Short at the Oscars this year went to a fantastic film called "Mr. Hublot." The story is set in a mechanical world, and it follows a man with OCD who brings a robot puppy into his life. The short was written and directed by Laurent Witz, and here's the synopsis:

Mr Hublot is a withdrawn, idiosyncratic character with OCD, scared of change and the outside world. Robot Pet's arrival turns his life upside down: he has to share his home with this very invasive 

This is really a beautifully made, fantastic film, and now you'll see why it won the award. Enjoy the show! 

Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was such a fantastically fun movie. One of my favorite scenes was the action-packed sequence when Bilbo and the dwarves were escaping Thranduil’s realm in wine barrels. The sequence is 7-minutes long, and we have an amazing behind the scenes video showing how it was made, called "Creating a Waterlogged Action Sequence-Design FX." The sequence was created with a combined 98 hours of footage from aerial shots, green-screen sets, live-action shoots, and complex CG environments. Watch how they pulled off the awesomeness below! Thanks to Wired. 

Video game developer Rocksteady has returned to the Batman franchise and announced their upcoming new game, Batman: Arkham Knight. The news comes from Game Informer, who released a few pieces of art along with the first adrenaline fueled announcement trailer! This thing is sure to blow fans away.

The story will take place one year after the events of Batman: Arkham City and as you can see from the art, it will finally introduce the Batmobile into the franchise! The map for Gotham City will be expanded as well to include another area that is much larger than "Arkham City" and provides more space for the Batman to drive his Batmobile around in. The driving gameplay is designed to integrate smoothly with Batman's gliding and grappling traversal. Our hero will also be chasing down villains such as Scarecrow, Penguin, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, and more.

The game is set to be released later this year for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Now watch the trailer!

I'm a huge fan of Robert Zemeckis' Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I've seen the movie countless times over the years, but until today I've never heard of the pig head sequence. The scene was fully completed, but was eventually cut from the film. The scene features Eddie Valient (Bob Hoskins) with a giant toon pig head.

The scene offers up an explanation as to why Eddie awkwardly comes into his office to meet Jessica Rabbit. He's shirtless, wearing a tie, and drying himself off in the final cut of the film. Before he came out he was actually washing off his giant cartoon pig head in the sower.

There's a behind the scenes video that shows the scene and how it was made. It's actually included in the special features of the DVD, but I just never watched it until it popped up online. SFX supervisor Ken Ralston talked about the scene saying,

"What we ended up doing was to make a mold of the pig’s head in silicon rubber. The, we got ordinary kleenex tissues and lined the mold with a mixture of water, sugar and kleenex tissues. We got a cotton candy machine and made enough spun sugar to pack the inside of the tissue paper with cotton candy. This time, Bob Hoskins wore the pig’s head. He goes into the shower and pulls the curtain across. He reaches out for a bottle marked turpentine, which was actually just water. We had prepared the paper and cotton candy head by making lots of very fine cuts with a scalpel so that when Hoskins started pouring the bottle’s contents on his head, the cotton candy and tissue would immediately dissolve. It all happened very quickly. And then when he pulls the shower curtain open, he has pink stuff all over him. Finally, we have a shot of the pink cotton candy going down the drain."

Zemeckis wanted to keep the scene in the film, but had to remove it to tighten things up a bit. Thanks to cinetropolis and Super Punch for the heads up on this video!

A few days ago producer Joel Silver talked about Terry Gilliam's vision of Watchmen and went into detail on how he would have ended the movie. It definitely would have been a very different and interesting take on the property. You can read up on that here. During an interview with The Huffington Post, Zack Snyder responded to Silver's criticism.

When talking about Gilliam's ending where Dr. Manhatten prevents his own creation he said, "Right, and if you read the Gilliam ending, it's completely insane." Producer Deborah Snyder added, "The fans would have been thinking that they were smoking crack." You never know… they may have been smoking something. Alan Moore probably was when he wrote it! Snyder went on to discuss why he went on to make the film he did:

"Yeah, the fans would have stormed the castle on that one. So, honestly, I made Watchmen for myself. It's probably my favorite movie that I've made. And I love the graphic novel and I really love everything about the movie. I love the style. I just love the movie and it was a labor of love. And I made it because I knew that the studio would have made the movie anyway and they would have made it crazy. So, finally I made it to save it from the Terry Gilliams of this world."

I ultimately really liked what Snyder did with the movie. It was just a very well-executed film, and the changes he made to the ending really didn't bother me at all. The director then talked about the comic book movie genre saying, 

"That's the problem with comic book movies and genre. And I believe that we've evolved -- I believe that the audiences have evolved. I feel like Watchmen came out at sort of the height of the snarky Internet fanboy -- like, when he had his biggest strength. And I think if that movie came out now -- and this is just my opinion -- because now that we've had Avengers and comic book culture is well established, I think people would realize that the movie is a satire. You know, the whole movie is a satire. It's a genre-busting movie. The graphic novel was written to analyze the graphic novel -- and comic books and the Cold War and politics and the place that comic books play in the mythology of pop culture. I guess that's what I'm getting at with the end of Watchmen -- in the end, the most important thing with the end was that it tells the story of the graphic novel. The morality tale of the graphic novel is still told exactly as it was told in the graphic novel -- I used slightly different devices. The Gilliam version, if you look at it, it has nothing to do with the idea that is the end of the graphic novel. And that's the thing that I would go, 'Well, then don't do it.' It doesn't make any sense."

There's a lot more to read in full interview, which you can check out here. In the end I'm just happy that after all those years of trying to get it made, Watchmen actually made it to the big screen! I'm completely happy with Snyder's version, but it also would have also been really interesting to see the film brought to life in Gilliam's signature style. 

Marvel has unleashed an action-packed, extended TV spot for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and it features all kinds of cool new footage! Everything I've seen from the movie so far has been so amazing, and this latest spot plastered a big ol' smile on my face. The movie will be released on April 4th, and my expectations are high. Bring it on Marvel.