When I was growing up in the 1990's, Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park took movies to a whole new level for me. Dinosaurs were brought to life on the big screen like we had never seen them before. They were created using a mix of animatronics and CGI effects. I had never seen Dinosaurs so close to being so real before! It was so damn cool! The man that helped make that happen was special effects legend Stan Winston, and we have some great behind the scenes footage from the Jurassic Park films that are pretty freakin awesome. They show off the massively fierce Tyrannosaurus Rex, as well as the stealthy sleekness of the Raptors and more.

Thanks to Stan Winston School for sending us a link to these videos! Watch them below and share what you felt when you first saw Jurassic Park.

In this Jurassic Park T-Rex rehearsal footage, Stan Winston's live-action dinosaur effects team puppeteers the full-sized Tyrannosaurus Rex animatronics as a warm up before shooting the unforgettable "Main Road Attack" scene in JP 1.

Raptor test footage from Jurrasic Park: The Lost World.

Stan Winston Studios "Compy" hop test from The Lost World: Jurassic Park, SWS puppeteers rehearse the rod puppet Compsognathus in preparation for filming the scene with Steven Spielberg on The Lost World set.

In this Jurassic Park III rehearsal footage, Stan Winston's live-action dinosaur effects team runs (literally) an upper torso Raptor puppet through its paces in Balboa Park, near the Stan Winston Studio.

In this JURASSIC PARK 3 special effects behind-the-scenes video from the Stan Winston Studio archives, special character effects artists test the Pteranodon suit used in the movie.

We have the U.S. Trailer for Joe Nesbo's Headhunters, thanks to our friends at /Film. The film was directed by Norwegian director Morten Tyldum (Fallen Angels, Buddy). It stars Aksel Hennie, Synnøve Macody Lund, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Lars Gudmestad and Ulf Ryberg penned the screenplay.

Here is the synopsis:

HEADHUNTERS stars the talented Aksel Hennie (Max Manus) as Roger, a charming scoundrel and Norway’s most accomplished headhunter. Roger is living a life of luxury well beyond his means, and stealing art to subsidize his expensive lifestyle. When his beautiful gallery owner wife introduces him to a former mercenary in the possession of an extremely valuable painting, he decides to risk it all to get his hands on it, and in doing so discovers something which makes him a hunted man.

Headhunters arrives in theaters on April 27. Watch the trailer in HD at IMDB and below.

I am very excited to see this film and hope it is playing in my area. I love the gritty tone and violence of this intense thriller. If the film keeps me on the edge of my seat as much as the trailer does, then I will be very happy. 

What would you do if you were being hunted by a mercenary?

Here's an awesomely entertaining 1960's cartoon style re-cut of the latest trailer for Marvel's The Avengers. The recreated trailer takes the audio from the trailer and edits it together with animation clips from the classic 1960's Marvel cartoons.

The trailer was created by YouTube user LeoCurbeloFilms, and here's a note:

I recreated the Avengers Trailer from February 2012 with animation clips from 1960's Marvel TV cartoons. The only cheat was Nick Fury, but the clips are from his first appearance in an "Iron Man" episode from 1995. I also borrowed a Paramount logo from the same era to fit with the look. Black Widow was a tough find since she was a shadow character and appeared very rarely.

Watch the reimagined trailer below, and let us know if you like it or not! 

Here's a side by side comparison of the two trailers.

Here are three new images from Tim Burton's Dark Shadows adaptation. They show Johnny Depp, Jackie Earle Haley, Michelle Pfiefer, and the interior of Collinwood Manor.

Here is the official synopsis:

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Depp) has the world at his feet--or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles. Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis (Haley) and David's new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.

Dark Shadows comes to theaters on May 11th. Take a look at the pictures, and share your thoughts.

Do you think Johnny Depp makes a good vampire?

Follow me on Twitter @Jim_Napier, Google+ and Tumblr

Ben talks about the Troll Hunter director's new project, updates on a LEGO movie, a Ouija board movie getting new life, Bill & Ted 3's script, and Zoe Saldana joining Christian Bale in Out of the Furnace.

Ouija just will not die and is once again moving forward after budget woes put it on hold. Deadline reports that the Hasbro-branded project has been reconfigured, and Universal Pictures is planning a 2013 release. The studio previously shelved the project, which had McG directing and a budget over $100 million. The new incarnation will cost around $5 million.

Hasbro’s Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir, Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form, and Blumhouse Productions are producing the film. A low budget makes complete sense with the addition of Blumhouse's Jason Blum, the Paranormal Activity producer responsible for turning out low-budget yet high-grossing films. McG will not be directing this version, but that is for the best in my opinion.

This type of lower budget film should be something fans can come to expect more and more. The idea of $100 million-plus features make little sense, when movies like Chronicle and Project X can have such high returns. Lower budgets allow filmmakers to be more creative while filming. 

Follow me on Twitter @Jim_Napier, Google+ and Tumblr

Dwayne Johnson is in high demand for action films and has signed on to star in two new films. Variety reports that Johnson has finalized a deal with MGM to play the title role in Brett Ratner's Hercules, which is slated to being shooting in New Zealand this October.  

Ryan Condal adapted Steve Moore's graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian War. The project will be produced by MGM's Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, and Jonathan Glickman with Peter Berg and his Film 44 partner Sarah Aubrey, as well as Barry Levine of Radical Pictures, whose Jesse Berger will executive produce.

Deadline reports that Johnson has also signed on to star in Ciudad for directors Joe and Anthony Russo. The intense action thriller is being produced by Eric Gitter and Peter Schwerin of Closed on Mondays Entertainment (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World), as well as Emmett/Furla Films's Randall Emmett & George Furla. 

Follow me on Twitter @Jim_Napier, Google+ and Tumblr

Here's the theatrical trailer for Adam Sandler and Andy Samburg's new R-rated comedy That's My Boy. I honestly never thought I would see Sandler go back to the kind of comedy that made him famous in the first place. As you will see in the trailer, Sandler channels his old 1990s self.

The film also stars Leighton Meester, James Caan, Eva Amurri, Susan Sarandon, Milo Ventimiglia, Will Forte, Colin Quinn, Todd Bridges, Vanilla Ice, and Ian Ziering.

We previously posted a red-band trailer, but the one you are about to watch has been approved for all audiences. It also gives us a little more background on the characters of the story.

Here's the Synopsis:

While still in his teens, Donny (Adam Sandler) fathered a son, Todd (Andy Samberg), and raised him as a single parent up until Todd's 18th birthday. Now, after not seeing each other for years, Todd’s world comes crashing down on the eve of his wedding when an uninvited Donny suddenly shows up. Trying desperately to reconnect with his son, Donny is now forced to deal with the repercussions of his bad parenting skills.

The movie is set to be released on June 15th, 2012. Do you think this looks like it will be a good Adam Sandler film?

Here's a couple little casting tidbits for you!

Kristen Bell will be voicing the lead role in a new Disny animated film called Frozen. The film is a 3D CG animated adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s story The Snow Queen, and will include some original songs, some of which Bell will sing herself.

The original story follows Gerda and Kay who are the best of friends. "They live across an alley from each other and happily chat, play, and tend their lovely rose garden. The children are happy until tragedy strikes Kay. His eye and heart are pierced with fragments of a mirror, and the loving boy Gerda knew vanishes. The Snow Queen has put him under her spell and taken him to her palace of snow and ice. It is up to Gerda to find him and bring him home to the love that awaits him." The movie is scheduled for November 27th, 2013.

Then there's Zoe Saldana, who's been cast alongside Christian Bale in Relativity Media's Out of the Furnace. The movie is a revenge thriller that follows an ex-con who, once released from prison, is given no choice but to avenge the death of his brother. It's described as being a gritty throwback to films of the 1970s. It will be directed by Scott Cooper, who previously directed Crazy Heart. 

Source: THR (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kristen-bell-some-girls-frozen-disney-neil-labute-296847)

Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and Chris Wedge have all reunited for a fourth time to bring us Ice Age: Continental Drift. I'm not the biggest fan of the Ice Age films. It's just not my kind of humor, but the kids love it to death, and of course, they are going to want to see it. 

This movie has brought together a pretty solid cast of actors to lend their voices to some new characters. This group includes Nick Frost, Rebel Wilson, Aziz Ansari, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage, and Jennifer Lopez. I guess a paycheck is a paycheck no matter who you are.

Here's the synopsis:

Scrat’s nutty pursuit of the cursed acorn, which he’s been after since the dawn of time, has world-changing consequences – a continental cataclysm that triggers the greatest adventure of all for Manny, Diego and Sid. In the wake of these upheavals, Sid reunites with his cantankerous Granny, and the herd encounters a ragtag menagerie of seafaring pirates determined to stop them from returning home.

Ice Age: Continental Drift opens up in theater on July 13th, 2012. Watch the trailer below, and let us know if you think this franchise should die already.

Source: Apple (http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/fox/iceagecontinentaldrift/)

Stephen Wildish has created yet another movie alphabet poster, this time focusing on horror films. Wildish is the same designer who created the Alphabet posters for the Films of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Now can you name all of the horror films that have been included in the poster?

Source: Laughing Squid (http://laughingsquid.com/horror-film-alphabet-poster-that-quizzes-your-horror-movie-knowledge/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+laughingsquid+%28Laughing+Squid%29)

Last week Warner Bros. pulled Sylvester Stallone's next action film, Bullet to the Head, from the release schedule. It was supposed to be released in April. According to Twitch, the reason for the pull was that Stallone wanted to take over the final cut of the film and is now overseeing the editing of it. They also say that it's now looking like it will end up being released sometime in November.

Walter Hill directed the movie, which follows "a New Orleans hitman (Stallone) who teams with a New York City detective in a high-stakes investigation that leads from the dingy back alleys of New Orleans all the way to the power corridors of Washington, D.C. The unlikely duo, brought together by two vicious murders, take on all who stand in their way, and are willing to sacrifice everything to exact revenge." The cast also includes Jason Momoa (Conan), Sung Kang and Christian Slater. (What's he been doing these days?) 

Are you looking forward to seeing another Stallone action spectacular?

Source: Twitch (http://twitchfilm.com/news/2012/03/breaking-sylvester-stallone-taking-over-final-edit-of-bullet-to-the-head.php)

For years Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment have been trying to get a movie made about Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. At one point Brett Ratner was attached to direct the film, and actors such as Robert Downey Jr. and Hugh Jackman were rumored as being up for the role of Hefner. The movie was to "tell the story of how Hefner evolved from a puritanical upbringing to become the godfather of the sexual revolution." Nothing ended up happening with the project, and now it's over at Warner Bros. with legendary producer Jerry Weintraub attached to develop it. Weintraub has produced films such as The Karate Kid and Ocean's Eleven franchises.  

There's no information on what part of Hefner's life the movie will follow, but there's a rumor that they are in talks with Harry Potter scribe Steve Kloves to take on the script. It's no secret that Hefner has led a very interesting life, and there's obviously a big audience out there for a film like this. Are you in that target audience? Are you interested in seeing a movie about the life of Hugh Hefner?

Source: Deadline (http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/hugh-hefner-movie-playboy-founder-film-warner-bros-jerry-weintraub/)

For all you Community fans, here's a cool trailer cut showing us the dark side of the show and its characters. The trailer takes certain scenes from the series and makes it look like a dark thriller about crazy people. It's entertaining and definitely worth checking out, so enjoy!

Source: NBC (http://www.nbc.com/community/video/the-darker-side-of-community/1348853)

Today's awesome Geek Art comes from comic artist Skottie Young, and it's called Avengers Vs. X-Men Babied Out.  As you can see, all of these Marvel characters have been re-imagined as crazy rambunctious superhero babies. I thought this was a really fun image that you would enjoy, so enjoy!

Source: Skottie Young (http://www.skottieyoung.com/2012/02/avengers-vs-x-men-babied-out.html)

Sony Pictures has released ten new images from Men in Black 3, and they give us our first look at Alice Eve and Nicole Scherzinger. The full trailer for the film was released yesterday, and it looks like it's going to be a fun movie. It looks better than the last one. In case you haven't seen the trailer yet, click here to check it out.

The movie was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and also stars Will Smith, Jemaine Clement, Emma Thompson, and Michael Stuhlbarg.

Here's the Synopsis:

Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back... in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K's life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him -- secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

The movie hits theaters on May 25th, 2012. Are you looking forward to it? Do you think the time travel retro element will be cool?

Here's an awesomely cool fan-made CG animated short film pitting Superman against the Hulk in an epic battle battle of greatness. It was done pretty well for a fan film. I especially love the fact that we get to see Christopher Reeve's Superman take on The Hulk. Superman Vs. Hulk was created by YouTube user mhabjan, and there's two parts to it. Watch them below and let us know what you think! Who are you rooting for, and who do you think would win in this fight?

Fox has cancelled Terra Nova, but the show may find a life on another network. Deadline reports that the show from producers Steven Spielberg and Peter Chernin will not have a second season. Jason O'Mara and Stephen Lang lead the cast of the show set 85 million years in the past. Despite the show's 259 practical sets and 16 months of post-production, it could not maintain an audience.

It seems as though Terra Nova was doomed from the very beginning. The pilot script was penned by Craig Silverstein and Kelly Marcel, but Silverstein was not able to stay with the project because his CW pilot Nikita was picked up to series. I noticed a change in tone from the pilot to the next few episodes, so this makes sense. The problems did not end there.

Brennan Braga was brought on to run the show, and then Rene Echevarria was hired to assist. The series went through 2 writing staffs and had issues with casting, which caused a delay in production that cost $660,000. The two-hour pilot had had a budget of $14 million, and it cost about $4 million for each subsequent episode. Fox marketed Terra Nova heavily, which helped the pilot do well. The show overall had modest ratings and did well on DVR. Terra Nova's two-hour season finale drew a 2.2/6 in adults 18-49 and 7.2 million viewers.

The pilot episode was really cool, but the remaining episodes did not hold my attention, and I stopped watching the series. It is a shame that such an expensive show could not draw an audience, but there are a few reasons why I feel that this show failed. 

1. More Dinosaurs - Just like Christopher Walken needs more cowbell, Terra Nova needed to have more dinosaurs. 
2. Poor Writing - The show was doomed when Silverstein could not come back to write the episodes after the pilot.
3. Casting - While both O'Mara and Lang are fairly solid, they are not the best people to lead a cast. I also felt that the rest of the cast was awful, and I could never feel for them. 

 What do you think of the series being cancelled? Do you want to see this show end up on another network?

Follow me on Twitter @Jim_Napier, Google+ and Tumblr

This must be a sign of the end of the world. John Landis' Animal House is being turned into a Broadway musical. The Playlist (via New York Times) reports that the classic raunchy comedy will feature music by the Barenaked Ladies!?!?! Michael Mitnick is on board to write a libretto for the musical as well.

Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Casey Nicholow (The Book Of Mormon) will oversee the production. The project is still in the early stages of production, so no start date or cast has been announced. 

I think my biggest gripe about this news is that the Barenaked Ladies are involved. Their clean image as a band makes no sense with the type of comedy that was in Animal House. Watch the trailer from the film below and share your thoughts.

Will you pay to see Animal House: The Musical?

Follow me on Twitter @Jim_Napier, Google+ and Tumblr

Source: The Playlist (http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/animal-house-being-turned-into-a-broadway-musical-with-songs-by-the-barenaked-ladies)

The Japanese have developed a device to stop anyone from talking with just the click of a button according to Metro. Taking advantage of a natural phenomena, the device muddies the users brain by shooting back their speech through a speaker at a couple millisecond delays. This makes the user lose track of their thoughts, and renders them unable to speak until the device is turned away from them. It's also thought that this device could be useful to keep people with stuttering difficulties from having fits.

Who would you like to shut up?

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

Source: Metro (http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/892199-new-speech-jammer-device-stops-people-from-talking)