I have yet to meet a person that doesn't like the majority of Pixar's films. Sure, there's some we like more than others, in my opinion Cars 2 is by far the worst movie they've made to date. Other than that, the studio has created a great collection of timeless characters.

Artist Wonchan Lee has created a series of minimalist posters as a tribute to Pixar, and each poster captures the soul of the characters they created. The artist had this to say in a statement,

Turning the most realistic 3D animation into the simplest vector graphic... Everybody loves Pixar, which means you wouldn't want to do anything to let them down. Because it has really broad demographics, in terms of age bracket and cultural background, it was very challenging to come up with something that pleases such a wide audience whilst satisfying myself as an artist and as a fan of Pixar, too.

He's done a great job with these posters. Check them out, and tell us what your favorite Pixar film is.

The first Avengers film doesn't come out until May 4th, but Joss Whedon is already thinking and talking about where he would like to see a sequel go. We know that we will see an Avengers 2 happen, as the first film is guaranteed to be a huge success. Whedon had some very interesting things to say about his vision for the sequel saying, The Avengers needs to be "smaller" and "more personal."

That in itself is an interesting statement because usually a sequel to a movie of this magnitude would end up being even bigger than the first. Of course, as we've seen with big tentpole sequels in the past, that has proved to be not very effective because there are things lost when you go bigger. When asked about how he would top The Avengers he said,

By not trying to. By being smaller. More personal, more painful. By being the next thing that should happen to these characters, and not just a rehash of what seemed to work the first time. By having a theme that is completely fresh and organic to itself.

Is it just me, or is Whedon the filmmaker and director we all hoped he would be? I love where his head is. The guy knows what he's doing. He goes on to use The Godfather II as a joking example, "by having flashbacks to young Michael Andolini escaping Sicily to come to New York, where he will be called Corleone. Sequels are always better when that happens."

Whedon went on to discuss giving each character enough screen time so that audiences will see what makes them so awesome,

I want to know what makes them tick, what makes them flawed, what makes them fight - and ultimately, what makes them awesome. I go to these movies for those moments when the heroes define themselves, either through action or deliciously overwritten speeches.

You gotta love Whedon. He's saying everything we want to hear, and the awesome thing is that he'll follow through with what he says. He knows exactly what he wants to do, and I wonder if he's already written an outline or story treatment for the sequel. Let's hope Marvel and Disney decide to bring him back to make it happen. 

What do you think about what Whedon had to say?

Lionsgate has released a great new TV spot for The Hunger Games, and it's got a bit more new footage for fans to check out. They're still holding back on the intense action sequences, but I'm actually more excited about the movie because of that. It's kind of fun not knowing how they will turn out. 

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 movie is set to be released on March 23rd, 2012! It's so close I we can taste it! Watch the new spot and hit us up with your thoughts! Do you wish the trailers had shown more of the action from the film?

The movie has a wonderful large cast of actors that includes Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Amandla Stenberg, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jacqueline Emerson, Paula Malcomson, Dayo Okeniyi, Jack Quaid, Leven Rambin, Willow Shields, and Lenny Kravitz. 

Community will be back on NBC March 15th. In celebration of its return, YouTube user The Dolo Reel created an awesome trailer mash-up for the sitcom using the style and music from Ridley Scott's Prometheus. This video edit turned out great, and I hope you enjoy it!

We've come across a couple of brief interviews with action film legends Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Stallone offered up a little update on a possible fifth Rambo film from Macleans saying,

I'm dying to do another Rambo. He's in Arizona on the border. It will involve him going into Mexico. I don't think Rambo likes Mexicans.

I'm sure he'll eventually get around to it. The film was being developed at one point and was called Rambo: Savage Hunt, which you can read about right here. But after being greenlit, the film fell apart and development stopped, and he was done with it. Apparently he's now ready to put the red headband back on and kill some people. 

The Arnold Fans recently caught up with Arnold Schwarzenegger and asked him about his upcoming schedule, which includes films such as The Tomb with Stallone and a film called The Unknown Soldier. He recently finished his work on The Expendables 2 and The Last Stand. Here's what he had to say, 

The next movie I'm working on again with Sly is The Tomb which will be a prison movie. We are both caught in the most difficult prison to break out of, which is a huge ship out in the ocean, so you can't escape. But of course, we figure it out!

Then we're going to do The Unknown Soldier which is going to be with the Bandito Brothers that did Act of Valor, the number one movie right now and is getting such notoriety because they shot if for 4 million dollars and it looks like 100 million dollar movie because they got military and shot real action stuff which makes the movie so big and very successful, great story and everything. Those directors are doing Unknown Soldier, we start shooting sometime in June. Hopefully by that time my shoulder will be OK so I can do the stunts, but I'm looking forward to all that.

I'm looking forward to seeing Arnold back in action! I grew up watching his films, and even though his age has caught up to him, I'm still looking forward to seeing him kick some ass. 

What are your thoughts on Stallone jumping back in Rambo mode? Are you excited for Schwarznegger's action film comeback?

Disney is gearing up Robert Stromberg's Maleficent for production. I imagine the film will start shooting soon as it will be Angelina Jolie's next movie. Today it's being reported by Twitch that Elle Fanning (Super 8) is currently in talks to take on the role of Princess Aurora, a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty, in the film.

Fanning is an extremely talented young actress that is a great choice for this role. So far in her career as an actress she's worked with David Fincher in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, J.J. Abrams in Super 8, Francis Ford Coppola in Twixt, and Cameron Crowe in We Bought a Zoo. That's an impressive list of directors, who obviously see that she has talent and like working with her. 

I hope she ends up getting the role; I think she'd be great playing opposite Jolie. What do you think?

Here is a sweet poster for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back thanks to FYMP. The poster can be purchased on Etsy by Poster Inspired.

I love the use of orange color tones in the poster. If you were going to design a Star Wars poster, which film would it be for?

Follow me on Twitter @Jim_Napier, Google+ and Tumblr

Here is a sweet collection of fan art for Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, thanks to Albotas. Ryan Gosling was awesome in the film, and looks ultra cool in this collection of Fake Criterion Covers by midnight marauder.

The cover with yellow and the very top one are the best ones out of the bunch. Which is your favorite fake cover? I hope that Criterion will add Drive to their collection.

Follow me on Twitter @Jim_Napier, Google+ and Tumblr

Filmmaker and ocean explorer James Cameron is headed back into the water. This time he is teaming up with National Geographic and headed to the Mariana Trench, which is the deepest and darkest point in the ocean. Cameron will travel 7-miles down in a specially designed submarine.

This is all part of a 3D documentary that Cameron is making called Deepsea Challenge. And the point of it is to expand our knowledge and understanding of these largely unknown parts of the planet. He'll spend 6 hours down there collecting information and doing research, a lot of which might end up on the big screen in the Avatar sequels. 

Here's some more information from the official press release:

Cameron’s historic "Deepsea Challenge" expedition will be the first extensive scientific exploration by a manned vehicle to the Mariana Trench's lowest point, the "Challenger Deep." Cameron plans to spend six hours at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean trench, some 200 miles (322 km) southwest of Guam, to collect samples for research in marine biology, microbiology, astrobiology, marine geology and geophysics."

Relying on advanced engineering and technologies created by Cameron and his team, successful field tests were completed this week off the coast of Papua New Guinea. They included untethered deep-water dives — including one to a depth of more than 5 miles (more than 8 km) — in the revolutionary, single-pilot DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible, the result of an eight-year engineering effort and the deepest-diving manned marine vehicle in existence. The public will be able to follow Cameron's progress on the expedition at www.DEEPSEACHALLENGE.com; on Twitter by following @DeepChallenge or using #deepseachallenge; or on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/deepseachallenge.

The deep trenches are the last unexplored frontier on our planet, with scientific riches enough to fill a hundred years of exploration. National Geographic, which has been exploring the world for nearly 125 years, is the ideal partner to help usher in a new era of deep-ocean research and exploration that supports leading scientific institutions in answering questions about the deepest, unexplored parts of the Earth. Our goal is to build a scientific legacy for generations to come. It's also to inspire people across the globe to celebrate exploration and to explore with us online and through the media we produce.

Rolex is also a natural partner in this venture — unique in having reached the Challenger Deep 52 years ago and in its celebrated, century-long history of supporting exploration and helping push the boundaries of human and scientific endeavor.

The Challenger Deep has only been reached once in a manned descent, on Jan. 23, 1960, by U.S. Navy Lt. Don Walsh and Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard in the bathyscaphe Trieste. They spent approximately 20 minutes on the ocean floor before returning to the surface. Now, 52 years later, Cameron's DEEPSEA CHALLENGER represents breakthroughs in materials science, unique approaches to structural engineering and new ways of imaging through an ultra-small, full ocean depth-rated stereoscopic camera. Cameron's CAMERON | PACE Group, which supplies 3-D technologies and production support services, has provided the capability to document the historic expedition in high-resolution 3-D. 

Some believe the golden age of exploration is behind us. On the contrary, I believe we are at the beginning of our greatest age of exploration," said Terry Garcia, National Geographic's executive vice president for Mission Programs. "We salute James Cameron for his commitment to science and exploration, and we are delighted to be part of this groundbreaking adventure to the deepest and least explored point on Earth.

In 1960, an experimental Rolex Deepsea Special watch was attached to the hull of the Trieste and emerged in perfect working order after withstanding the huge pressure exerted at 6.78 miles (nearly 11 km) below the surface. The DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible will carry a new experimental wristwatch, the Rolex Deepsea Challenge, strapped to its manipulator arm, renewing the pioneering engineering challenge the Swiss watchmaker took up 52 years ago with the Trieste. 

Our affinity with the deep also extends to active and sustained support of renowned marine researchers, supporting excellence and innovation in the advancement of human knowledge," said Gian Riccardo Marini, Chief Executive Officer of Rolex SA. "I am convinced that James Cameron is bringing us to the threshold of a long-delayed revival in marine exploration. We are proud to have such a passionate and longstanding admirer of Rolex, and to return to the Challenger Deep on this historic venture to help unravel the secrets of the ocean's deepest places.

Cameron was named a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence in 2011. While working on his film "Titanic," he took 12 submersible dives to the famed shipwreck two and a half miles down in the North Atlantic. The technical success of that expedition led Cameron to form Earthship Productions, which develops films about ocean exploration and conservation. Since then he has led six expeditions, authored a forensic study of the Bismarck wreck site and done extensive 3-D imaging of deep hydrothermal vent sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the East Pacific Rise and the Sea of Cortez. Cameron has made 72 deep submersible dives, including 33 to Titanic. Fifty-one of these dives were in Russian Mir submersibles to depths of up to 3.03 miles (4.87 km). 

Cameron has written and directed numerous films, among them "Avatar," "Titanic," "True Lies," "Terminator 1 and 2," "The Abyss" and "Aliens." His films have blazed new trails in visual effects and have set numerous performance records, both domestically and abroad, including 11 Oscars for "Titanic." "Avatar," a 3-D science fiction epic reflecting five years of development of new production technologies, was nominated for nine Oscars and won three. "Avatar" is the highest-grossing film in history, surpassing the previous record holder, "Titanic." 

The DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition will be chronicled for a 3-D feature film for theatrical release on the intensive technological and scientific efforts behind this historic dive, which will subsequently be broadcast on the National Geographic Channel, and documented for National Geographic magazine. Cameron also will collaborate with National Geographic to create broad-based educational outreach materials. 

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, is the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE Project's primary science collaborator. For nearly a decade, Scripps has been involved with James Cameron in developing new ways to explore and study the deepest parts of the oceans. With its decades-long history of deep-sea exploration, Scripps is recognized as a world leader in investigating the science of the deep ocean, from exploring the deep's geological features to researching its exotic marine life inhabitants. 

The expedition also is collaborating with the University of Hawaii, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Guam. Additional funding for education and digital outreach has been provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which supports original research and public understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Scientific research permits for the dive have been secured from authorities in the Federated States of Micronesia.

If you have read any of my previous posts, you will know that David Fincher is one of my favorites, if not my favorite director. He has a mind-blowing sense of what makes a movie great. When I heard he was set to direct/produce a 26 episode series for Netflix called House of Cards, I was super stoked.

The series is going to be Netflix’s step into the world of original content. The show is based on the 1990 British mini-series of the same name. The American version will star Kevin Spacey alongside Robin Wright. The story will follow a politician (Spacey) who becomes more corrupt as he rises in power.

Now here is where the problem starts. THR reports that Netflix has committed $100 million to this project, and yet the rumor is that Fincher is butting heads with the studio Media Rights Capital over budget issues. I will not pretend that I know everything there is to know about financing a movie. However, I do know that if I have a proven director like Fincher working with me, I will do everything I can to make sure he has everything that he needs. Apparently, it has even come to the point where Fincher has threatened to walk away from the project if these issues don’t get resolved. 

Reps at MRC claim that nothing is wrong and everything is moving according to schedule. The only delay in production was conflicts in Spacey’s schedule. So, instead of starting production this month, it will start in April. 

To you or me $100 million is a lot of money, and with that amount you would think that all budget issues would be solved. Evidently when you have a director like Fincher on the job, you need to be prepared to spend more. Netflix is responsible for what they have already put into the show, anything beyond that is the responsibility of MRC. With friction starting between Fincher and MRC, it is safe to assume that $100 million is already spent or spoken for. 

For those who have worked with Fincher, budget is a constant battle for him:

David is fantastic, but David isn’t easy,” says Bill Mechanic, who ran Fox when Fincher made Fight Club. “If you don’t know how to manage a budget, [using Fincher] probably isn’t the smartest thing to do.

I am always excited to see what Fincher has up his sleeve and can’t wait to start watching this series, if it gets made. I think that it will help Netflix with their transition and possibly change the way we watch our favorite TV shows. Let us know what you think.

McMurphy Out!

Tyrants!

I was lucky enough to get into an advanced screening of John Carter last night in Century City, CA.  Despite being a huge sci-fi fan, my knowledge of the John Carter/Barsoom book series is limited at best. However, I do know that its author Edgar Rice Burroughs is the forefather of the modern science fiction genre. Everyone from Frank Herbert to George Lucas and on has drawn inspiration from his works. And coincidentally, this film is being released on the centennial of John Carter's first literary appearance in 1912.

Seeing the first teaser trailer six months ago got me excited about the movie and its scope, especially since Taylor Kitsch (from Friday Night Lights, one of my favorite shows) was the lead, though I immediately heard from a number of sources that the movie was crap and expected to tank.

Regardless, I still wanted to give John Carter a chance. And I’m very glad I did.

Review:
We meet a John Carter who is a former Confederate soldier been broken by the Civil War and huge personal losses hinted at in flashbacks. 3 years after the South surrendered to the North, all Carter wants is to find gold out West and run away from his pain. Unfortunately, a contingent of US Army soldiers led by the always awesome Brian Cranston, find Carter and tries to force him into helping deal with the Apaches raiding settlements out West. Of course, Carter wants nothing to do with anyone’s conflict. This leads to a rather hilarious sequence of Carter trying to repeatedly escape the Army soldiers, only to get more heavily restrained each time he’s recaptured.

Carter of course escapes properly this time, stealing Cranston's horse and now having to run from both the Army and the Apaches. Carter is able to hide out in a mysterious cave that seems to spook the Apaches chasing him. But after tangling with an odd looking human (more on that later), Carter is transported to Mars, or Barsoom as the locals call it. At this point Carter has no clue that he’s no longer on Earth.

The first thing Carter notices is because of Mars’ lower gravity, his strength and leaping ability have been greatly increased. He then finds himself drawn into the conflict between the various species on Mars, the human-like Red Men and the gigantic, four-armed Tharks. The latter species clearly clues Carter in that this isn't the old Southwest anymore.

Two factions of the Red Men, the cities of Zodanga and Helium are at war. And Zodanga, led by the evil Sab Than (The Wire alum Dominic West) is winning thanks to a powerful solar weapon that is laying waste to the Helium forces. But its appears that Than is merely a puppet of a much more sinister foe known as Matai Shang, played by the ubiquitous but always welcome Mark Strong. And in what is clearly not a coincidence, Shang looks like a twin of the odd-looking humanoid that Carter tangled with on Earth.

Dejah Thoris (the lovely and talented Lynn Collins), princess of Helium and a scientist of Helium’s Royal Academy, has been attempting to find a way to level the playing field through science. But when that fails, she is being forced to marry Sab Than by her father the Jeddak or king of Helium (Ciaran Hinds) in order to save Helium from annihilation.

Meanwhile, Carter is found by a tribe of Tharks led by Tars Tarkus (voiced by Willem Dafoe). Carter and Tarkus’ relationship starts of rocky, especially with Carter's desire to just get home and collect his gold treasure. But it is the beginning of a legendary friendship between Carter and Tarkus.

Carter soon finds himself rescuing Dejah as she tries to flee her impending marriage to Sab Than. Dejah, after witnessing John Carter’s powers and prowess in battle, wants him to help her defeat Sab Than and his forces. Just like with the US Army forces on Earth, Carter wants nothing to do with anyone’s conflict. But as he gets to know Barsoom and its various cultures, regaining his humanity and finding love in Dejah Thoris, Carter chooses to save Barsoom from what could be extinction.

The ending of the film leaves it open to potential sequels, should there be a desire for more John Carter films.

What worked:
I’ll try and keep this as spoiler-free as possible.

All these Pixar directors are really hitting it out of the park in their live-action debuts. Andrew Stanton really did a great job in his portrayal of Barsoom. The cities for both lead factions of the Red Men Martians had distinct looks that separated the two cultures.

Utah as Barsoom looked amazing. I am really glad that they choose a real environment over massive green screens. Utah gave Barsoom a texture and realism that has been missing from other sci-fi films like the Star Wars prequels.

It was an extremely smart decision to not bludgeon the audience over the head with too much exposition at once. Obviously the audience knew a bit more than the title character, but we found out more about Barsoom and its cultures as Carter did. What also worked for me were the film's more comedic aspects, which played well with the crowd I watched with.

Of course, there are the little things that make world building so fun. For instance, all Martians, Thark or Red Man, have blue blood. And Tharks hatch out of eggs, but propsective mothers fight over new hatchlings because parentage is kept a secret. This last point becomes part of a pretty cool B-plot for the Tharks.

Taylor Kitsch did a good job as John Carter. Granted, Kitsch was rather uneven in the beginning of the film, but as it progressed he really did get more comfortable in the role. All in all, a good casting choice and hopefully a launching pad for Kitsch’s film career.

But the standout belonged to Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris, giving probably the strongest acting performance in the film. She played Dejah Thoris as smart, assertive, a bad-ass warrior princess, and a perfect match for Kitsch’s Carter. Plus, it was an X-Men Origins: Wolverine reunion for those two. Ha! I read articles about while Andrew Stanton was very faithful to A Princess of Mars, the source material the movie was based on, he revamped Dejah Thoris to be more than just the typical damsel in distress. Smart move on Stanton's part.

Then there was the Woola, a Thark pet and Carter’s loyal sidekick during the film. The Woola was the Martian equivalent of Uggie the dog from The Artist, which was a good thing. He ended up saving Carter more than once. I expect many a Woola plush toy to be sold in the future.

The B-plots within the Tharks tribe including a power struggle for leadership between Tarkus and the savage Tal Hajus (voice unrecognizably by Thomas Haden Church) and Tarkus’ shamed daughter Solas (voiced by British actress Samantha Morton). All those plots never dragged down the film and gave more depth to the Thark characters.

Mark Strong’s Matai Shang proved to be a great foil for John Carter. His demeanor and motivations were cold and calculating. Barsoom was just another target of his species’ machinations and John Carter was an aberration that needed to be removed.

What didn’t work:
Honestly, I could have done without any 3D. The film was converted after filming and it actually made certain parts of the film look bad, like when Carter was standing next to the 15-foot-tall CGI Tharks.

Certain scenes in the middle were a bit cheesy and dull. Plus, the romance between Dejah and Carter felt rather forced.

Also, Sab Than did feel rather clichéd in his villainy, but as noted earlier in my review, he was just a puppet for Matai Shang’s greater schemes.

Conclusion:
Overall, John Carter was a fun ride. It was flawed, but entertaining. Sci-Fi fans will love the world-building. Kids will love the Tharks and definitely the Woola. But even non-sci-fi fans will find something to love in this film. Check it out, but not in 3D mind you.

A ten minute sneak peek is below if you need further convincing.

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Ben talks about Max Landis writing Chronicle 2, Kiefer Sutherland as Robin in Tim Burton's Batman, Joss Whedon talking about The Avengers 2, Piranha 3D director taking on the vampire tale Undying Love, and Zorro Reborn screen-testing a director.

Ridley Scott's Prometheus is one of the few films that I would gladly pay extra to see in IMAX 3D. As a huge fan of the Alien franchise, and as incredible as this movie looks, I can't wait to see this film in all its insane glory on the big screen. This one of the most anticipated films of the year for many movie geeks, and the release date is only three months away! It was officially announced today that it will get released in IMAX 3D on June 8th, 2012, which is the same day it releases in non-IMAX theaters as well. It would have been cool if it would have got a little earlier release date in IMAX, but thankfully we don't have to wait any longer either. 

Here's the official press release:

IMAX Corporation and Twentieth Century Fox today announced that Prometheus, the summer’s scariest action event picture and director Ridley Scott’s return to the genre he helped define, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® 3D format and released in IMAX® digital and film theatres domestically and in a select number of IMAX theatres internationally, starting June 8, 2012. 

Sir Ridley directs and produces the film, which is written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof. Prometheus: An IMAX 3D Experience features a stellar international cast that includes Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green and Charlize Theron.

“Ridley Scott is one of the best storytellers of our time, whose groundbreaking films Alienand Blade Runner changed the landscape of the science-fiction genre,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “We’re excited about Prometheusand proud to add him to the prestigious list of directors whose films have been presented in IMAX.”

The IMAX release of Prometheus will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX 3D Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie. 

Director Ron Howard is currently filming his Formula One racecar film Rush in London, and thanks to Comingsoon, we have our first look at Chris Hemsworth as British Formula One driver James Hunt. He sure looks a hell of a lot like the real Hunt as well. The film tells the story of three-time Formula One champion Niki Lauda and the driver’s near-fatal racing accident in 1976. Hunt is Lauda's rival in the story. 

Here's more detailed description of the story:

Rush deals with Lauda’s famed rivalry with the English race driver James Hunt, both on and off the track. For those unfamiliar with the Formula One legend, on August 1, 1976, Lauda very nearly burned to death after his Ferrari swerved off the track in only the second lap of the German Grand Prix, crashed, and burst into flames. Lauda lapsed into a coma and ultimately lost his right ear; Hunt would go on to win the race.... Lauda so detested Hunt and was so obsessed with beating him that just six weeks later, he dragged himself out of bed and finished fourth at the Italian Grand Prix. Hunt would go on to win both the Canadian and U.S. Grand Prix, and, after Lauda dropped out of the Japanese Grand Prix due to heavy rain, he ultimately wrested the 1976 World Driver’s Championship title from Lauda, winning by a single point. 

Below the images you'll find a photo of what Hunt actually looks like.

Source: ComingSoon (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=87861)

Bleeding Cool reports that the military police in the Brazilian city of Taubate are so up to their ears in violent crime, they've gone and hired a Batman to help clean up the streets. That's right André Luiz Pinheiro is a 50 year old retired soldier, big fan of Batman, and bad ass who will be taking to the streets in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the town in costume.

Nothing is known at this point about the details of his work other than he will "be working to help pacify the city and its high crime levels," so anything is possible.

Let the record show that Taubate is also home to one of the most dangerous gangs in the world, the Comando de Capital. They're known for the usual things, such as routine kidnapping, murder, and robbery all to demoralize and reduce public faith in the government. Its primary focus is civilian targets, and I'm guessing, now the guy running around dressed as Batman. Here's hoping he's as clever as Bruce Wayne, because this dude just plastered a huge target on his back.

Best of luck Mr. Pinheiro! Hopefully the next national headline about you will be positive!

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

Source: Bleeding Cool (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/03/08/the-brazilian-military-police-recruit-batman-seriously/)
Source: You Say Too (http://www.yousaytoo.com/10-most-dangerous-gangs-in-the-world/1871989)

True Blood's Michael McMillan is having a good week. Variety reports that Warner Bros. is developing Lucid, the comic book mini-series from Archaia Entertainment. Akiva Goldsman is on board to develop and produce the project. The book was created by Zachary Quinto’s production banner Before the Door, which is on board to adapt it for the big screen.

Lucid was first introduced at Comic-Con in 2009, and was described as "a tale of what would happen to Harry Potter if he grew up and joined the CIA." WB is looking for every possible replacement for the Harry Potter franchise, so this deal makes a lot of sense.

McMillian wrote the story, which was illustrated by Anna Wieszczyk. The four-book series "takes place in a parallel universe where magic is real and world leaders have secret agents working to fight off supernatural threats. Main character is a young agent, recently appointed 'Protector of the Realm,' who must use his skills as a covert spy and combat mage to stop an occult technology dealer." A screenwriter has yet to be hired to adapt the project.

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Source: Variety (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118051236.html?cmpid=RSS%7CNews%7CLatestNews)

Tom Hardy has added another Warner Bros. project to his slate. Variety reports that The Dark Knight Rises star is set to produce and headline an untitled motorcycle movie set in the 1960's. The screenplay will be penned by Mark L. Smith (Vacancy, The Hole) for the untitled picture. The story will have Hardy playing "a Vietnam vet, returning to San Francisco and forming a biker gang." Not much else is known about the project at this time.

The Inception star recently appeared in Warrior and This Means War and will be seen in The Wettest County after he plays Bane this summer. If you have not seen Warrior, I highly recommend you check it out. 

This sounds like a cool project for Hardy, and one that will add some diversity to his resume. I like the idea of a period biker movie. What is your favorite role Hardy has played so far?

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Source: Variety (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118051237)

Today's Geek Art comes from artist Andrew MacLean and features a Backflipping Batman. Yeah I can see how Batman might find it difficult to do a backflip... especially with that cape of his. 

Source: Geek Draw (http://geekdraw.com/main/2012/3/8/backflipping-batman-and-the-exasperated-heroes-of-andrew-mac.html)

A fifth Mission: Impossible is inevitable after the success of Brad Bird's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. THR reports Viacom CEO Philippe Daumanat made a statement at Paramount's annual shareholder meeting that a sequel is happening for the Tom Cruise action franchise. A shareholder asked Daumanat if there were "any plans to develop an additional sequel." He responded briefly, "Oh, yes."

The film is Cruise's highest grossing film with a $679.6 million take at the box office. Before this his biggest grosser was Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds in 2005 ($591.7million). 

The first film of the franchise is still a fun watch, but Ghost Protocol is an awesome action film. Bird did fantastic with his first live-action feature film. I would love to see him sign on to direct the fifth film. Are you looking forward to more Mission: Impossible?

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Source: THR (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fifth-mission-impossible-movie-tom-cruise-philippe-dauman-297712)

Watch this incredibly powerful short film called Kara, which was created by Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream. The film was made on the Playstation 3 and the amazing thing is it was made entirely in real time, and is not a pre-rendered cut-scene. This was made to basically show off how awesome this new graphic technology is.

Kara's foundation is the studio's new engine, and the reason they made Kara is to reveal what it's capable of before the team moves forward on its next future game creations. According to Eurogamer, "Kara's not just the product of new tech and a better understanding of the PlayStation 3's architecture - she's also the result of a new approach to motion capture at Quantic Dreams, and an investment in the more sophisticated techniques that have become the norm in Hollywood's CG industry as the studio moves across to using full-performance capture."

CEO and founder David Cage had this to say about Kara and what they are trying to accomplish,

What we call full-performance capture is shooting the body, the voice and face at the same time. Most studios right now in the game industry use what we call split performance, which means you shoot the face and voice on one side and then you use the body, and not in one take

It works okay - there have been some great games made using this process, and Heavy Rain was done this way. But we felt that if we wanted more emotion, and more performance from the actor we needed to have everything from the same take, and we needed to shoot everything at the same time.

So we invested a lot in our motion capture studio. Heavy Rain was shot with 28 cameras, and we've upgraded the studio to 65 cameras. Now we can shoot several actors - their body and their face - at the same time. It's not a small change, but at the same time this is how Avatar and Tintin were shot, and it's how the CG industry works because they know how much you gain from shooting face, voice and body at the same time.

It's amazing to see where technology is headed. The future of movies and video games is very bright and filled with amazing possibilities. This short film Kara shows us what this future looks like.

Kara is voiced by Valorie Curry of Veronica Mars and Twilight: Breaking Dawn. As you will see in the video, she gives an incredibly powerful performance. It's really quite an emotional short. Watch the film, and tell us what you think!

Source: Via: The Awesomer (http://theawesomer.com/kara/157223/)
Source: Eurogamer (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-03-07-introducing-quantic-dreams-kara)