In 1978 artist Ralph Bakshi's animated Lord of the Rings was released, but not everything they animated made it into the final cut of the movie. Thanks to his son, Eddie Bakshi, a couple of those scenes have been restored "from the cutting room floor." They include Gangalf fighting the Balrog.

There's some more information on these scenes from a retrospective on the film over on BoingBoing. It's a great informative essay on the movie, and it features details on the mixed reception and the creative decisions that led to these two scenes being cut from the movie. They even managed to talk to Ralph Bakshi himself, so that has some cool insight. 

"...some of the scenes from that 1978 classic have been rescued from the "cutting room floor," Bakshi, now 75, said when I reached him via email this week.

"Eddie Bakshi, Bakshi's son, has been busy scanning in original "cel" artwork from Bakshi's archives, timing them to the cartoon's original exposure sheets, and posting the scenes on Bakshi's Facebook page. (The Facebook page also includes clips from Bakshi's other films, though it appears none of these are new.)

"The particular Rings footage that has been restored comes from the Gandalf vs. Balrog fight sequence, and it is brief. One clip is a three-shot, 12-second sequence of the two characters falling into the void, titled "Gandalf recalls fighting the Balrog." The other is a 10-second shot described as "Gandalf duels with the Balrog and smashes into the endless staircase." In the film, the Balrog battle was recounted via minimally-animated still images."

I remember seeing these animated films for the first time. I absolutely loved them. The style and art is just beautiful. We don't see stuff like this anymore, and it's a shame. 

If you haven't heard of the Japanese anime Attack on Titan yet, you'll be very happy that I'm introducing it to you today. This is seriously one of the funnest and most badass anime series that I've seen in a long time, and it's about to get an English dubbed version. We've included a piece of fan art by goruditai, a trailer, and four awesome clips from the upcoming English dubbed series. Here's a description of the series: 

When the man-eating giants called Titans first appeared, humans retreated behind massive walls. After a hundred years of safety, a colossal-sized Titan smashes through the defenses, unleashing a flood of giants and carnage in the streets. Eren Jaeger watches helplessly as one of the creatures devours his mother.

He vows to kill every Titan walking the earth.

Eren and his surviving friends enlist to fight against the insatiable monsters. The future looks bleak, but there's more to Eren than meets the eye: he may be humanity's last hope against extinction. From the director of Death Note and High School of the Dead comes the series Anime News Network calls "an intense, visceral, and graphic thrill ride." The Titans have come to feast. Anything can happen. No one is safe.

The English dubbed version is set to be released on June 6th, 2014, and I'll definitely be picking it up for myself. A second season is in development but won't be released until 2015. I would love to see the series adapted into a live-action feature film. It would be insanely epic! 

Here's a fun trailer for an Evian ad that is tied in with The Amazing Spider-Man 2. It gives us an great tease of Baby Spider-Man, and it's pretty damn adorable. The ad is called "The Amazing Baby & Me," and the full version will be released April 2. I'll make sure to get it posted for you. It looks like it could be awesome! 

It looks like very bad things are in store for several of the characters in the finale of The Walking Dead Season 4. We've got a promo trailer and sneak peek for the episode which is called "A Terminus," and it's not hard to tell that this Terminus place is filled with wolves in sheep clothing. This season is not going to end well, and people will die. I've also included a couple of behind the scenes videos for last night's episode, "US."

The gang over at Screen Junkies brought together a few cast members from the insane-looking film Cheap Thrills, which looks like it going to be a really jacked up movie full of jacked up scenes. So the subject matter of the video they put together with them is very appropriate as they discuss the most disturbing f***ed up movie scenes from f***ed up movies. 

There are few things more memorable than a truly f***ed up movie scene. We enlisted the stars and director of the new movie "Cheap Thrills" to find out which ones stand out as the most disturbing of all time.

This is a really fun discussion, and they point out some pretty great stuff during it. What is one of the most jacked up movie scenes you've ever watched? 

Comic book artist Paolo Rivera revealed a new piece of movie poster art that he created for Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Solider. The poster has a fun, old school 1970s-style retro feel to it that we don't really see in official movie posters these days. I've also included a couple of concepts that the artist came up with below. The movie opens in theaters on April 4th, and it seems everyone that has seen it loves the shit out of it, so that's good! 

AostaSera

A few photos from the set of Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron have surfaced and they give us our first far off look of the villain Ultron, along with new photos of Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).

If you don't want to get a tease of what Ultron looks like pre-CGI, then I suggest you don't scroll down to look at the other images. If you do look at them, realize that this is not going to be the final look of the character. As I'm sure you all know, there's a ton of CGI work that needs to be done to bring him to life.

I'm pretty confident that we'll get out first look at some footage from this movie at San Diego Comic-Con, so if you're going, you don't want to miss the Marvel panel. 

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After getting our first look as Camren Bicondova as a young Selina Kyle and Donal Logue as detective Harvey Bullock, we now have our first photo of Sean Pertwee as Alfred Pennyworth.

The character is described as a "tough-as-nails ex-marine from East London, Pennyworth has loyally served the Wayne family. Now, in the wake of their tragic deaths, he’s fiercely protective of the young Bruce Wayne — the boy who will eventually become Batman."

He definitely looks like he's going to be a badass character in the series. 

20th Century Fox has released a new behind the scenes photo from director Matt Reeves' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The image features Toby Kebbell, who plays the ape character Koba, and according to Empire, "seems to be stirring the pot in the ape city, riproaring his way through a scene at the Ape Village. Guns, as this photo indicates, will play a crucial role on both sides of the ape/human chasm this time out."

Hopefully we get another trailer soon that gives us a better look at what the story will entail. In the film, "a growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species."

The movie is set to be released on July 11th. It also stars Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Enrique Murciano, Kirk Acevedo, and Judy Greer.

Check out this amazingly beautiful series of medieval fantasy art by concept artist Yang Qi. I love the style and feel of the world that Yang has created. There's some incredibly cool character designs and scenes included here. I'd love to see these images brought to life. 

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn released a new close up photo of Karen Gillan as Nebula in his new sci-fi adventure film for Marvel. She's going to kick so much ass in this role! She looks great, and it's such a cool character design. Gunn calls the character "our interplanetary Clint Eastwood." 

The badass female villain is in league with Ronan, and she will have a brutally epic showdown with her ex-colleague in crime, Gamora, played by Zoe Saldana. I've also included a couple of gifs of the character from All Things Marvel.

I'm really excited for this movie, and I'm looking forward to seeing Gillan in action and kicking ass. 

We've got a collection of some really cool, clear, close-up photos giving us out best look yet at Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye on the set of Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron. Looks like Scarlet Witch is conjuring some kind of spell, while Hawkeye is shooting arrows and looking around in the same costume we saw him in last time. It's kind of a shame he didn't get a costume upgrade. As for Quicksilver, it looks like he'll be running around a lot. Thanks to Getty for the images!

Officially licensed Star Trek themed beer is on its way. It's called Klingon Warnog, and it's a hand-crafted Roggen Dunkel, described as "a bold beer suited for the harsh Klingon lifestyle." This is the first Star Trek branded beer to hit the U.S. It was brewed by Tin Man Brewing Company in Evansville, Indiana, and here are the details:

“Warnog’s aroma is predominantly mild banana and clove produced by the German wheat yeast, supported by subtle sweet malt character from the use of Munich malt. The flavor draws heavily from the blending of the rye malt and traditional clove character, creating a very rich and unique flavor. The inclusion of wheat and caramel malts help to round out the mouthfeel of this beer, making this Dunkelweizen hearty enough to be called a Klingon Warnog.”

The big question is… will it actually taste good? Or is it just another thing for Star Trek fans to collect for fun? The brew will debut Tuesday at the Nightclub & Bar Show in Las Vegas and ship later this year to the United States and Canada.

Via: Scified

This is the first official concept art that we've seen from director Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World. It reveals a futuristic new visitor center on the island of Isla Nublar in the film. The art comes from conceptual artist Nathan Schroeder who has also worked on other films such as Star Trek and The Avengers. 

I've enjoyed all of the Jurassic Park movies, and it's going to be really cool to see this world brought back to life. The story takes place 22 years after the events of the first Jurassic Park movie, and so far the cast includes Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins, Josh Brolin, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong, and maybe Jason Schwartzman. The movie is set to be released on in June of 2015.

This incredible piece of Brainiac fan-art comes from artist Ballo, and it was created for CGHUB's Comic-Con art show. Here's what the artist had to say about villainous DC Comics universe character.

I redesign a character called Brainiac from DC Superman Universe. My main goal was to do a cinematic character with a scifi film look. 

I really do love the design for this character, it's simply badass. 

During a recent interview with The Scotsman, actor Chris Evans talked about playing Captain America for Marvel. He revealed that he actually turned the the role down twice before he took it, and that Marvel originally wanted him for a nine picture deal, which ended up being brought down to six. 

The conversation apparently turned to the 1940s sequences in the first film, Captain America: The First Avenger. They then started talking about the period costumes, specifically the army leather jackets created by Aero, the Scottish leather design specialists. They go on to say,

One jacket appears briefly at the start of The Winter Soldier, when former soldier Steve Rogers pays a visit to a present-day Captain America exhibition at the Smithsonian. “They were great jackets” he says enthusiastically. “I loved the fit and the look. One of them may even have come home with me.” And then he mentions that he’s just been measured up for another period jacket for his next Avengers film. Does that suggest the Captain will return to his past in the The Avengers: Age Of Ultron? Evans looks briefly agonised, realising that he might be confirming an unauthorised plot detail ahead of that film’s 2015 release. “Maybe,” he says coyly.

It's always fun getting more backstory on Steve Rogers, and it will be interesting to see where they go with it in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Of course it might not be a big deal, maybe he will just be wearing the vintage period jacket in modern times. It's just an interesting little tidbit I thought I'd share. 

Dwayne Johnson has revealed the first poster for his new fantasy action film Hercules. Needless to say he's extremely pissed off and on a kick ass path of destruction. The poster came with the following quote:

"Become the man you were born to be"

The first trailer for the film will be released online tomorrow, so stay tuned for that. It will be interesting to see if the trailer for the Brett Ratner-directed film gets audiences excited or pushes them even further away.

Haunted by a sin from his past, Hercules has, in the film, become a mercenary. Along with five faithful companions, he travels ancient Greece selling his services for gold and using his legendary reputation to intimidate enemies. But when the benevolent ruler of Thrace and his daughter seek Hercules' help to defeat a savage and terrifying warlord, Hercules finds that in order for good to triumph and justice to prevail... he must again become the hero he once was... he must embrace his own myth... he must be Hercules.

The movie is set to be released on July 25th.

The fourth season of American Horror Story has been given a title: American Horror Story: Freak Show. It's completely appropriate as the next chapter in the anthology series will be set at a spooky Carnival, which I can't help but think will be awesome.

The news came from creator Ryan Murphy, who previously said that the next season will take place in the 1950s and that it will be the final run for series star Jessica Lange. No other casting has been officially announced yet, but I imagine we'll see the usual suspects return for more insanity. 

I've really enjoyed watching this series, and I'm so excited to see what Murphy has planned for the next chapter. 

Via: THR

Here's a creepy fan-made teaser trailer I found.

Tomorrow we are going to get another full trailer for Tom Cruise's sci-fi action film Edge of Tomorrow. This is a 30-second sneak peek teasing a little of what will be included in the upcoming trailer, and it includes some really cool new footage. I love what I've seen from this Doug Liman-directed film, and I think is has the makings of a crazy awesome movie. The film also stars Emily Blunt, and here's the synopsis:

The story unfolds in a near future in which a hive-like alien race, called Mimics, have hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, shredding great cities to rubble and leaving millions of human casualties in their wake. No army in the world can match the speed, brutality or seeming prescience of the weaponized Mimic fighters or their telepathic commanders. But now the world’s armies have joined forces for a last stand offensive against the alien horde, with no second chances. Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and then dropped—untrained and ill-equipped—into what amounts to little more than a suicide mission. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an Alpha down with him. But, impossibly, he awakens back at the beginning of the same hellish day, and is forced to fight and die again…and again. Direct physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop—dooming him to live out the same brutal combat over and over. But with each pass, Cage becomes tougher, smarter, and able to engage the Mimics with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt), who has lain waste to more Mimics than anyone on Earth. As Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated battle becomes an opportunity to find the key to annihilating the alien invaders and saving the Earth.

It will be released in theaters on June 6th!

20th Century Fox still plans on moving forward with that sequel to Prometheus 2, and they've hired Green Lantern scribe Michael Green to rewrite the script for it. Green also recently worked on the script for Ridley Scott's new Blade Runner movie. I can't say I'm a big supporter of him working on this movie as Green Lantern had a terrible script. 

The news comes from The Wrap, which also reveals that the movie will start production this fall and be released in March of 2016. Scott will start work on it when he is finished with his Moses film Exodus. 

The report also give some details on what we can expect to see in the sequel, saying that the goal for Green is to write a sequel that is "much more alien-y and in line with the terrifying tone of past films in the franchise. Additionally, the sequel is expected to feature multiple ‘David’ androids, which means there will be more than one Michael Fassbender on screen at the same time."

I enjoyed Prometheus despite all of its ridiculously story problems and plot holes. Hopefully this sequel is a much tighter, well-rounded film that fans can enjoy even more.