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MOVIE NEWS FOR JAN 15 PART 1: DAYBREAKERS, PERCY JACKSON, IRON MAN 2 & MORE

whatategilbertgrape (online) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 04:44:43 +0000

Source: latimesblog

‘DAYBREAKERS’ SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE SUBSIDERS

Patrick Kevin Day talked to Steven Boyle, the creature effects man behind “Daybreakers’” hordes of vampires, about the inspiration for the mutated Subsiders’ appearance.

An Australian billboard showing the physical deterioration of a pretty young woman over two years of drug abuse inspired “Daybreakers” creature designer Steven Boyle to give the film’s badly mutated “Subsiders” vampires similar characteristics. “When people see the Subsiders, I wanted them to feel pity and disgust before they felt fear,” Boyle said. While some of the vampires got away with minimal makeup, performer Bryan Probets had to wear a full-body foam latex suit. Everything was covered except for the inside of his ears and the soles of his feet.

Read more here…

Source: filmofilia

THREE NEW PERCY JACKSON POSTERS

We’ve got today for you three posters for the upcoming epic “Percy Jackson and The Olympains: The Lightening Thief “ featuring a look at Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman), Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) and Grover Underwood (Brandon T. Jackson).

Percy Jackson synopsis: It’s the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus and assorted monsters have walked out of the pages of high school student Percy Jackson’s Greek mythology texts and into his life.

Read more here…

Source: beforeitsnews

LEGION: DIRECTOR ALREADY HAS TWO SEQUELS PLANNED

Although the action horror movie Legion doesn’t hit theaters until Jan. 22, director and co-writer Scott Stewart says he already has plans for two more films that could be done in very different genres — provided of course that the film does well.

Stewart co-wrote the script for Legion along with Peter Schink. But in a rare Hollywood case of keeping it in the family, the director also also co-wrote the four-issue comic book from which the film is based, Legion: Prophets with Tom Waltz for IDW Publishing. The comic which came out last November is considered a prequel to the film, and characters mentioned or referred to in the movie are fleshed out in the comic book.

Read more here…

Source: gainsville

MOON AND OTHER SCI-FI FLICKS THAT DON’T TALK DOWN TO YOU

There are two different kinds of science-fiction movies. The more common variety are basically action movies set in space or the far-flung future. Because of the setting, these movies are considered sci-fi, although they have absolutely nothing to do with any discipline of science. This would include “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” “Terminator” and the like.

While some of these movies can be terrific, I rather prefer the other kind of sci-fi – what I like to call cerebral sci-fi.

In this type of movie, the ideas are what drives the story. While often set in the same fantastic locales of regular sci-fi, these films are rich with though-provoking concepts, using science and psychology to tell a story that inevitably deals with the nature of man. There can be special effects in cerebral sci-fi, but they don’t need elaborate effects because they have science (or something close to it, anyway).

Read more here…

The Subsiders in ‘Daybreakers’ were viciously ugly and evil looking. They were a stark contrast between their ‘healthier’ vampire brethren. They had to be in order to show the degenerative breakdown through the lack of sustenance. One did feel pitiful and quite shocked at how they looked. I gather the faint sulfur smell from the latex body suit helped with the actor’s portrayal of desperation.

What do you think of the new Percy Jackson posters? I say…meh. They look a bit recycled.

What do you think of Iron Man 2 being released in Imax? I’m all for it.

If Legion is a great film, then bring on the sequels. What do you think?

Moon was a fantastic movie. I need to review this film soon. It was intelligent and thought provoking. Sam Rockwell held his own, alone. Have you seen Moon? Do you agree with the article?

MOVIE NEWS FOR JAN. 11TH: NEW VAMPIRES, BOOK ADAPTATIONS, AND HOLLYWOODS LACK OF NEW IDEAS

Staar84 — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:17:25 +0000

By Erin McCarthy at Popular Mechanics: How to Stop a Daybreakers-Style Vampire Epidemic

In Daybreakers, a bat bites a man and infects him with a disease that turns him into a bloodsucker. Within 10 years, only 5 percent of the human population is left. The remaining 95 percent of the people on earth now take their coffee with a healthy dose of human blood.

At least that’s what we think happened—Daybreakers, out Jan. 8, never explicitly states how the disease spread, saying only that “it started with a single bat.” Directors (and twins) Peter and Michael Spierig aren’t being specific, either. “I don’t want to get into it too much, because the whole story of what happened before might actually become a graphic novel,” Michael says. “It starts during a war, and it spreads through infection of war wounds and grew through soldiers returning home. That’s kind of how it evolved.”

Could real-life scientists stop a Daybreakers-style global outbreak without resorting to wooden stakes? “In this scenario, if you’re bitten, there’s close to 100 percent probability of becoming infected,” says Christopher Crnich, an infectious disease expert and faculty at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “There aren’t any infections out there with that level of transmission efficiency.”

Read More here

by Jeffrey Sullivan at the Celebrity Cafe:

Willem Dafoe Weighs In on “Twilight” vs. “Daybreakers”

Just in case you haven’t heard, vampires are the new fad to hit the teen scene. “Daybreakers” is the newest movie to capitalize on that trend, and film star Willem Dafoe said recently on MTV.com that “Daybreakers” actually predates the”Twilight” novels by about a year. Writer/directors for the movie, Michael and Peter Spierig, sold the script to Lionsgate in 2004, well before the first “Twilight” novel came out.

“Daybreakers” is a story in which vampires have completely taken over, spreading their bloodsucking nature to most of the world. But they have run into a major problem: they’re running out of humans and therefore their life source. If humans go extinct, then so do vampires.

“I thought the approach was really fresh,” he said in a recent MTV interview. “It’s such a well-established genre that usually people are doing takes on it. It’s very flexible, the vampire mythology, you can use it to serve lots of things. God knows it’s a great metaphor for talking abou everything from sex to romance to power to colonialism to, you name it.”

Read More here

“Priest,” with Paul Bettany, to Cast a New Light on Vampire Hunting

Set in the backdrop of a world ravaged by war between man and vampires, Paul Bettany plays a priest in an old western-type town. He turns against the church he is sworn to obey in order to save his niece from marauding vampires who captured her, and kills a lot of vampires in the process. There is going to be some great gory makeup in this movie.

He gets help from a young wasteland sheriff, who is also part vampire, adding to his conflicted emotions, in order to save his lost relative. Cam Gigandet, who played James in the “Twilight” series, has been confirmed as the young sheriff. Christopher Plummer, Karl Urban and Maggie Q are also joining the cast.

Read More here

By Maggie Galehouse at Chron: There’s an art to translating books into movies

The Lovely Bones arrives in movie theaters Friday. Fans of Alice Sebold’s book will see it in a new light: as part of an old Hollywood tradition that turns beloved books into major motion pictures.

It’s a tradition with mixed results.

“When we deal with adaptation movies, we always compare the movie to the book,” says Karen Fang, who teaches film studies and literature at the University of Houston. “But that’s not the way the film industry thinks about the issue. The industry is only interested in what’s going to make money.”

To studios, adaptations are presold commodities. “That’s the pitch,” Fang says. “A filmmaker says, ‘I want to make Lord of the Rings. It will be expensive, but there are millions of Tolkienites out there.’ ”

Read More here

By Martin A. Grove at ABC News: Hollywood No Longer an “Original Idea Town”

One of the myths about moviemaking is that the movie gods prize originality and are wide open to writers with something new to pitch.

“It used to be an original idea town. It’s now all about underlying rights,” Craig Titley observed when he talked about his screenplay for 20th Century Fox’s “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief.” Percy, who learns he’s the son of Poseidon, discovers the gods of Mount Olympus and assorted monsters are alive and well and walking among us. Titley, who has a Ph.D. in mythology, was able to put his academic training to good use here.

But the slowdown in selling originals doesn’t have him complaining. “I’ve always pretty much been a gun for hire doing assignments and adaptations so business is booming from where I’m sitting.”

Titley sees an original side to adapting: “I like adaptations where there’s a lot of room to wiggle and be creative and bring in new elements as opposed to something where you’ve got to treat the source material as sacred.”

Read More here

I’m a strong believer that if a book is good enough to warrant a movie, then it should be as close to the book as possible, not a jumping off point for the “creativity” of the screenwriter. And while some movie based on books can introduce people to reading (which I’m all for), it’s proof that Hollywood is officially out of ideas. It’s good to see so many “anti-Twilight” vampire movies. Not that I don’t love Twilight, but my first experience with vampires was predatory vampires-and I like them that way. So I’m looking forward to Daybreakers and and this new one.

What do you think of the surge of new vampire moves? Happy, or just sick of them, period? What do you think of all the book adaptations recently? Should Hollywood stop? Which book do you think should be adapted next?

MOVIE REVIEWS: DAYBREAKERS

krystal109 — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 08:12:16 +0000

OBS loves everything supernatural and that includes all forms of media for it. Today I bring you a double feature review of Daybreakers by OBS staff members Rose and Krystal.

Brought to you by OBS staff members Rose & Krystal

Name: Daybreakers
Rated: R
Running time: 93 minutes

Directors: Peter and Michael Spierig

Synopsis
The year is 2019. A mysterious plague has swept over the earth, transforming the majority of the world’s population into vampires. Humans are now an endangered, second-class species – forced into hiding as they are hunted and farmed for vampire consumption to the brink of extinction.

It’s all up to Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), a vampire researcher who refuses to feed on human blood, to perfect a blood substitute that might sustain vampires and spare the few remaining humans. But time and hope are running out – until Ed meets Audrey (Claudia Karvan), a human survivor who leads him to a startling medical breakthrough. Armed with knowledge that both humans and vampires will kill for, Ed must battle his own kind in a deadly struggle that will decide the fate of the human race. © Lionsgate

Review

The Story by Krystal
Daybreakers was written and directed by the brothers Peter and Michael Spierig and bought by Lionsgate in2004. These two brothers probably don’t sound familiar to you and that’s because they are. Completely new to the Hollywood scene, these new faces have brought us a truly original story that can be called anything from a horror with lots of gore to a thought evoking tale of humanity with subtle undertones.

Another vampire movie, following the release of the Twilight Saga, one might think Daybreakers just another movie trying to ride the supernatural teen angst gravy train. Luckily for us all, it is far from this. The movie, categorized as a horror, definitely belongs there and I’d never want it to change. On the surface the vampire society is a clean and civil world, but underneath it is a world on the brink of burning to ash. And as the vampires slowly starve, they become more violent. Nowhere near teen or angst, these vampires are dark, dangerous and nowhere near seductive (well maybe after all it is Ethan Hawke).

That covers the violence, but what about the thought evoking tale? In a world where humanity is going extinct and the vampires are running out of blood, no one is safe. The vampires seek to hunt down and harvest every human until there are none left. This brings up the ultimately common morality issue of what’s right and what’s wrong and who really is the dominant race. Also below the fight for survival, there are subtle undertones of humanities overuse of natural resources, with blood being a metaphor. When is it too late to start looking for a substitute and will a substitute really be the answer or will a cure, a change in the way humanity thinks, be the only real way to solve the crisis.

Dark, original and thought provoking, this movie is a great watch for anyone who can appreciate the subtle undertones of a film and still love the gore and violence that it embraces.

The Visual Look by Rose
Visually stimulating, the cinematography has a slight film noir feel to it, all awash in dark muted blue tones during the night scenes, which are only highlighted with subtle tones of red, but of course, for this is fitting. Daytime scenes are quite bright, most likely to emphasize contrast between the two ‘worlds’.

The Acting by Krystal
Ethan Hawke as Edward Dalton: Oh Edward… oh wait wrong Edward. Over the years we have seen Ethan Hawke do all types of films from Gattaca to Training Day to Great Expectations. While I have seen much better performances, as listed above, he still make a great vampire. His cool almost uncaring demeanor is a rouse to cover the truth behind his motivation of finding a blood substitute.

Michael Dorman as Frankie Dalton: Probably the most surprising character and actor in this cast, Michael plays Edwards younger brother and ‘maker’. This New Zealand born Australian living actor doesn’t just play a pretty face though, he’s the servant to Bromley’s demands and the dark core of what humans are capable of when they don’t want to lose their lap of luxury. On the other hand, Frankie’s role is not just one of servitude and darkness; he has the pleasure of being the character with the biggest character arch (quite possibly the only other one with an arch besides Edward himself). From betraying his brother all the way to his great sacrifice at the end, Michael portrays Frankie with an emotional range and openness uncommon among the rest of the characters.

Overall
I enjoyed that the movie was overall serious in tone, and didn’t get carried away with itself, as some movies in this genre do. Albeit, there are a few funny one-liners here and there to break up the tension. My favorite one is said by Elvis after Dalton asks him “Is it safe?” to which Elvis replies “As safe as bare backing a five dollar hooker”. Classic! I also liked that the combat/car chase scenes weren’t gratuitous, they all lent themselves to story, instead of being used as mind numbing theatrics.

From start to finish, Daybreakers is one hell of a ride, you should surely get on.

Rating: 9/10 stars

For more on Daybreakers by both reviewers, check out their individual reviews here:

Daybreakers by Rose HERE
Daybreakers by Krystal HERE

MOVIE NEWS FOR JAN 8TH – PART TWO: GHOST RIDER 2 AND DAYBREAKERS

Caro — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 02:26:29 +0000

Ghost Rider 2 Motors Ahead: Spirit of Vengeance may film this year

www.empireonline.com: Ghost Rider, motorcycle hero, may be riding through Europe with his head on fire sooner rather than later (ie. sometime this year), according to a Collider interview with producer Mike De Luca.

The tentatively titled Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is, as previously reported, an update by David Goyer of his own decade-old treatment, from the days when Stephen Norrington was sniffing around the franchise, and Mark Steven Johnson was still only the director of Grumpy Old Men.

De Luca says that, as GR is “a unique blend of theology and action”, the production team are liking Nic Cage’s idea to take the Flaming Skull to Europe: “we could avail ourselves of a lot of religious sites and history that aren’t available in the US. We want to be as fresh and new as we can get in terms of getting away from that pseudo-western thing.”

More here

Ethan Hawke: Daybreakers is a subversive vampire movie

scifiwire.com: Some actors might get a call from their agent about starring in a modest-budget vampire movie written and to be directed by neophyte Australian brothers—and hang up faster than hell. But not Ethan Hawke. He got exactly that call about Daybreakers, co-directed by Peter and Michael Spierig (Undead). Hawke agreed to meet them at a New York City cafe near his home, heard their pitch, signed on and ventured to Australia for the shoot, and the resulting film opens today.

“To be honest, when I got this script it was 2007,” Hawke said in an exclusive telephone interview. “I was doing a Tom Stoppard play in Lincoln Center, and the play was about mid-19th-century Russian radicals. Twilight (and True Blood) hadn’t come out yet. So this seemed like the most original damn idea I’d ever heard of. It seemed so retro to do a vampire movie. If I’d gotten the script today, I’d probably be thinking, ‘No way I’m doing a vampire movie.’ But the funny thing is, whatever the given genre—if it’s a cop movie or a western or a vampire movie—these things are never new. It’s just whether or not you have something new to say.”

And the Spierig brothers, Hawke felt, had something worthwhile to say. “They are these two twins from Australia, and they have the same kind of glint and passion in their eyes for movies that all the best directors I’ve ever worked with do,” said Hawke, a two-time Oscar nominee. “They had something original that they wanted to do with this thing, and I liked it.”

More here

It’s kind of difficult for the fans when some of the original cast members don’t come back, and it changes the mood of the movie sometimes. So lets hope that changes to the script and cast still draw the attention of its fans. What do you think od a sequel? Did you watch the first one? Are you a Ghost Rider fan?

I guess that people wasn’t expecting so many vampire movies at a time, some started there projects before all the vampire madness began. But still, Daybreakers is different and hopefully it will give good things to talk about. Will tou be seeing the movie?

Come back and give OBS your opinions and reviews!

OBS PRESENTS: MOVIE POSTERS FOR DAYBREAKERS

krystal109 — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 01:56:35 +0000

Brought to you by OBS Staff member Krystal

Here at Open Book Society we like to see things from every angle. Movie posters are what sells people’s opinions of a film and like a book cover it has to be appealing. Also like books, movie posters can look differently depending on where they are made. Whole campaigns revolve around films, everything from viral web content to poster’s for every character in the movie.

In honor of this weeks movie highlight I have choosen Daybreakers. Probably one of the strangest and most drastic difference from teaser to final product, when it comes to the posters, Daybreakers looks to be an awesome film.

Check back later tonight for a double review by authors Rose and myself.

International Poster

In 2019, a major viral outburst transformed a majority of the world’s population into vampires 10 years before the start of the movie. With only a handful of humans left to provide blood for the starving population of vampires, extinction is a very real risk for the new dominant species of humanity.

These vampires are depicted as being immortal, and possessing similar physical appearances as regular humans. Vampires are depicted as having yellow tinted irises and pale skin. They also have most of the ‘classic’ vampiric traits; lack of a reflection, fangs, vulnerability to sunlight and stakes through the heart. They also have no pulse.

In response to the dwindling blood supply, the vampires seek to hunt and farm the remaining humans for their blood and to find a blood substitute to prolong their existence. If a vampire doesn’t drink blood, then they will transform from having a recognizable human form into a violent, uncontrollable, and bat-like creature of the night. A secret team of human and ‘cured’ researchers try to uncover a way that would rescue the human race.

At the same time, small factions of surviving humans wish to repopulate the species, often using violent means to retain their humanity. ~ wikipedia

International Poster

For these and much more check out our forum here.

When I first saw the teaser poster (the red one) I immediately thought 28 Days Later. It was only later that I found out wat this film truely was. Just looking at the first two posters, it’s as if they fired the whole team and made a new one. Perhaps they were tired of copying the 28 Days Later theory or maybe it’s because Daybreakers is not a zombie-like film.

I really like the billboard poster because we see the characters, unlike all the international ones. The juxtaposition of Ethan Hawke between Dafoe (light) and Neill (dark).

Which is your favorite? Are you going to see the movie?

MOVIE NEWS FOR JAN. 8TH: DAYBREAKERS, DISTRICT 9, AVATAR, AND BOOK OF ELI

Staar84 — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:50:05 +0000

from Joseph McCabe at FearNet: ‘Daybreakers’ Directors on Making Vamps Nasty Again

Australian filmmakers Michael and Peter Spierig may soon win the thanks of old-school vampire fans everywhere — for taking the undead, at least on screen, back to their proper satanic roots with Daybreakers. (In the wake of Twilight, Vampire Diaries, and True Blood this is no mean feat.) I was one of the first online journos lucky enough to chat with the Spierig brothers upon completion of their new epic, way back in October of ’07. Hit the jump to read the conversation we had, and decide if you think Daybreakers is worth checking out when it, at long last, opens this Friday, January 8.

Vampires are hot again right now, but you’ve been working on Daybreakers for some time. What sparked the project?

Peter: It’s a genre that we certainly love. When we came up with the concept it wasn’t so much that we wanted to do a vampire movie. We just liked the story, and it just so happened that there were vampires. There are certain parallels that you can make between vampirism and certain things that are going on today. We kind of liked that concept, too. And while our film has some of that, it’s ultimately about making something that’s entertaining and fun. We just thought it was a really cool idea, and kept developing it. It’s very different to any vampire film that’s out there.

Read More here

By Meredith Woerner at io9: Daybreakers Directors Working On A Mysterious 1940s Alt-History

One thing the Daybreakers directors love, and excel at, is world-building. And we’ve got the exclusive update on the new worlds they’re building, including Warner Bros.’ space-pirate reboot of Captain Blood, and another mysterious 1940s alternate-history film.

While chatting about the vampire world the Spierig brothers created, they shared updates on their next two in-the-works science fiction films, including the scoop on a fascinating new project set in an alternate history during the 1940s.

Michael Spierig: We’re working on Captain Blood, at the moment. And that’s Captain Blood, the original Errol Flynn pirate movie. We’re taking that and turning it into a space pirate movie.

Are you guys going to do for Captain Blood what you did with Daybreakers and spend a ton of time world-building?

Peter Spierig : Yes, there’s a lot of that. In science fiction, you have to understand how it all works. We’ve been writing a script for a year now that’s another science-fiction film as well. It’s a period film it’s set largely in the 40s. We’ve spent a lot of time researching, just an enormous amount of time. We’ve almost over-researched, we probably need to put some of the research away and get out of the script for a moment.

Read More here

by Patrick Lee at Sci Fi Wire: Will District 9‘s sequel be a prequel instead?

Last July, we posted about District 9 director Neill Blomkamp’s plans for a sequel to his hit movie, for which he just got nominated for a Producers Guild Award.

This week, he elaborated a bit on his plans for a follow-up—which might be a prequel instead, but definitely not a TV show—to the Los Angeles Times’ Hero Complex blog:

“A television show I wouldn’t really want to do. That would be…well, I just don’t want to do that. But a sequel might be interesting. I know what I’m doing next so it wouldn’t be right away. But the concept of aliens in Johannesburg is such an appealing idea to me and the issues of race and how they meet. All of the things that I had going on with it. I wouldn’t mind messing around with it again.”

Read More here

from Stuart Levine at Variety: FX buys rights to ‘Avatar’

FX has landed bigscreen’s biggest fish, acquiring the basic cable rights to James Cameron’s “Avatar.”

Terms of the FX deal weren’t disclosed, but it looks to be more than the standard pact, with FX laying out an estimated $25 million-$30 million. That’s a bit higher than other recent bigscreen purchases, but due to the nature of the movie’s global gross and demand from other networks, Fox was able to get a substantial increase.

Cabler can begin airing “Avatar” toward the middle of 2012 and will likely have a window that extends toward the end of the decade. Most deals last four years, but negotiations allowed for an extended window.

Read More here

via Reelz Channel: The Book of Eli Gives a Nod to Its Predecessors

As a post-apocalyptic western, The Book of Eli clearly has a lot of cinematic influences. Although its filmmakers are taking pains to make sure it doesn’t get pigeonholed as a western genre piece, they have been quite upfront about how much they were inspired by the Sergio Leone/Clint Eastwood series of spaghetti westerns.

In a recent interview with Sci Fi Wire, co-director Albert Hughes also acknowledged some of Eli‘s more apocalyptic influences. One that he points to in particular is the 1975 cult classic A Boy and His Dog. A couple of explicit nods to this dystopian forerunner were even included in the movie itself. In the background of one of the scenes is a wall poster for A Boy and His Dog, and in one shootout sequence a rooftop sniper is packing the exact gun that Don Johnson used in that movie.

Read More here

I can’t wait to see Daybreakers and Book of Eli. They look amazing. I think a District 9 prequel could be really cool, I’d love to see why the aliens stopped here. I’d rather see that then the aliens returning. And FX has been buying up a lot of big movies lately-first Twilight and now Avatar. It’s an improvement over corny 80′s action movies anyway.

What would you like to see in a District 9 prequel? What do you think about Space Captain Blood?

OBS PRESENTS: MOVIE RELEASES FOR JANUARY 8TH

krystal109 — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:00:53 +0000

Last week I didn’t bring you any releases because there was none, but this week we have one of the films that I’ve been looking forward to for ages: DAYBREAKERS. Nothing else needs to be said here damn it. This was number one of my must see this year, so go see it.

Daybreakers (Nationwide)

Horror (R)

(From comingsoon.net) Two-time Academy Award nominee® Ethan Hawke plays Edward Dalton, a researcher in the year 2019, in which an unknown plague has transformed the world’s population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race.

Yes, it’s finally here. All I’m going to say is check back Friday night for a Daybreakers review because you know I’m going to be writing one. I just love dark evil vampires… none of that mysterious teen angst seductions bullshit here.

Are you interested in seeing this movie?
Why or why not?

OBS TOP 5/10: WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2010 EDITION

Staar84 — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:14:20 +0000

In December we gave you what the best of the year was… now we have put together a list of what to look forward to in 2010. Check out out lists for the can’t miss books, movies and TV shows coming up this year. What should you pay attention to in 2010? Read on to find out!

Top 10 Books You Should Buy in 2010 – Krystal

1. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (5/2010)
What can possibly happen to Miss Sookie Stackhouse next? I can’t wait to see, especially after we posted the first chapter in December.

2. The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (9/7)
Cassandra Clare’s books have always peaked my interested and I’m really looking forward to seeing what this new series has to offer.

3. Vampire Diaries The Return: Shadow Souls by L.J. Smith
I can’t wait for both the TV show and the books to pick up again this year. I just have to have my yearly dose of Stefan Salvatore.

4. Burned by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast (4/27)
Emily-June is in love with House of Night series and I can’t wait to see her reactions on our forum after she reads it.

5. The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong (4/1)
Kelley Armstrong is back again with even more from The Darkest Powers series. What is in store next for Chloe this tie around?

6. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (7/20)
After the hype of Shiver, I really am looking forward to Maggie’s new book.

7. Everlasting Life by Cate Tiernan
OBS owner Dawn was the one who introduced me to Cate’s work and it is brilliant. If you haven’t checked her out, do so now.

8. The Necromancer by Michael Scott (5/2010)
Michael Scott’s Nicholas Flamel tales are perfect for any fantasy lover. Although not well known to YA reader’s this series is great.

9. Hourglass by Claudia Gray (3/2010)
Part of Claudia’s Evernight series, this book is a definite read for me. I really hope guys enjoy it as well.

10. Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison (2/23)
This is for all you Kim Harrison fans, you know who you are.

Top 5 Movies of 2010 – Chris’ Version

1. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2/12)

2. Clash of the Titans (3/26)

3. Robin Hood (5/14)

4. Eclipse (6/30)

5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (11/19)

Top 10 Must See movies of 2010 – Krystal Version

1. Daybreakers (1/8)
Ethan Hawke as a dark and sexy vampire, need I say more?

2. Eclipse (6/30)
This was hard to put second and only is because I don’t want to suffer ’til June.

3. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (12/10)
Oh Narnia, how do I love thee, why must you only be out every 2 years?

4. Iron Man 2 (5/7)
Robert Downey Jr. rocked my world in the first film, let’s see if he can do it again.

5. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2/12)
I’m a Greek myth fanatic and therefore I will either love or hate this movie, only time will tell… and my review.

6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (11/19)
It’s not a proper November without a Harry Potter movie now is it. I’m looking forward to the end, but also wishing it wasn’t coming so soon.

7. Alice in Wonderland (3/5)
Tim Burton better not destroy this brilliant book, that’s all I have to say about that.

8. The Wolfman (2/12)
Rose would kill me if I didn’t put this up here. So here it is – shut up Rose.

9. The Last Airbender (7/2)
As much as I love what I’ve seen for this, I’m really concerned that M. Knight Shyamalan might destroy the original show’s work.

10. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (7/16)
This would probably be a lot higher on my list if Nick Cage wasn’t in it, but who knows it could shock the hell out of me.

Top 5 TV shows you have to watch in 2010 – Krystal

1. Lost: Season 6 (The Final Season)
Duh, and all for you Rose.

2. True Blood: Season 3
Also duh, in fact why isn’t this #1… Oh right because I have no idea when the hell this is coming back. Supply me dates HBO.

3. Vampire Diaries: Season 2
After last seasons awesomeness, how could they not make a new season. More naughty Damon and sexy Stefan, please.

4. V: Season 1
To be continued… that’s what were were left with only a few episodes in last year. Now they have to deliver the rest, or I’ll smack them.

5. Smallville: Season 9
I sadly only catch this series once in a blue moon, not the Alyson Noel kind, and I really want to pick it back up… at least I own all the seasons on DVD.

So much to buy and watch this coming year. I have no idea how i’m going to manage the time, money to do all this. I hope you enjoyed our list.

Let us know if you agree. If not, WHY?

ETHAN HAWKE TALKS DAYBREAKERS, PLUS NEW PHOTOS

whatategilbertgrape (online) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:30:41 +0000

via dreadcentral

ETHAN HAWKE TALKS DAYBREAKERS

When you think of Ethan Hawke, I can almost guarantee that you wouldn’t necessarily associate him with the horror genre. But that’s one thing the seasoned thespian (Hawke stays busy both on the big screen as well as in the theater) is about to change this Friday when Daybreakers gets released.

Dread Central recently had the opportunity to talk with Hawke during the LA press junket to find out his thoughts on working in the genre, what drew him to the project, and how he feels Daybreakers matches up against that tiny little phenomenon known as Twilight.

Read more here…

via scifiwire

18 PICS FROM BLOODY VAMPIRE FILM DAYBREAKERS

Lionsgate has released a full gallery of images from the upcoming vampire thriller film Daybreakers, which you can view below.

The gallery features stars Ethan Hawke, Isabel Lucas, Sam Neill, Claudia Karvan and Willem Dafoe.

Read more here…

Move over Twilight, something wicked this way comes via Daybreakers, which portrays vampires how they should be; ugly, scary, bloodthirsty and menacing. Ooooh, I’m so excited. I truly hope this movie lives up to all the hype. What did you think of the photos? Will you be seeing Daybreakers?

MOVIE NEWS FOR JAN. 2ND: DAYBREAKERS, AVATAR SEQUELS, AND FARENHEIT 451

Staar84 — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:11:51 +0000

from Prairie Miller at News Blaze: Daybreakers Movie Review

What with the rabid quest for dwindling supplies of oil on an increasingly depleted Planet Earth these days, likewise running amok on screen is imperialism as predatory metaphor, in Avatar and now the post-apocalyptic vampire binge Daybreakers not far behind. Which is not far fetched at all, considering that hemoglobin guzzlers of ancient lore like Count Dracula aka Vlad The Impaler, symbolized for the fearful masses a brutal and exploitative ruling class treachery of supernatural magnitude, that did so to speak seem to bleed them dry.

While Daybreakers boasts several truly freaky when not surreal interludes involving terrifying vampires and squeamish meat market experimentation on doomed humans, the proceedings are fatally bogged down by too many convoluted cautionary plot points and famished feeding frenzy detours. A little more subtlety and less emphasis on pigging out for its own sake, would have gone a long way towards appeasing audience appetites for a satisfying horror thriller instead.

Read More here

by Adam Rosenberg at MTV News: James Cameron Planning ‘Avatar’ Trilogy, Director Tells MTV News

We’re still fresh off the opening weekend success of James Cameron’s long-awaited “Avatar.” Doesn’t matter though. It is now time to start thinking about what’s next for the world of Pandora, and for the Na’vi people.

Cameron isn’t exactly ready to start the cameras rolling on a follow-up. He’ll probably wait until awards season is over at the very least. Whenever he does get started on the continuing story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his Na’vi mate Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), we at least know that he’s got a broad strokes plan in mind for where life will take them next.

“We’ll follow Jake and Neytiri,” Cameron told MTV’s Josh Horowitz in an interview at the pre-release “Avatar” junket in London. “I have a trilogy-scaled arc of story right now, but I haven’t really put any serious work into writing a script,” he said.

Presuming the director pulls together a new script in a reasonable amount of time, we could see more “Avatar” as soon as 2012, 2013. Perhaps even sooner, if Cameron gets his way.

By Tony Marcus at Suite 101: Farenheit 451 new Film and Graphic Novel

Artist and illustration Tim Hamilton has created a graphic novel version of Ray Bradbury’s sci-fi classic Farenhneit 451. And Darabont has an adaption of the book currently in development. In the graphic novel, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, The Authorized Adaptation (publ. Hill and Wang), Hamilton works deliberately with a restricted palette limiting his colors to dark blues and greens. But this makes the fire scenes all the more stark and potent.

Tom Hanks was set to star in Darabont’s film adaptation but the star was forced to drop out due to other commitments. Darabont is said to be currently looking for a new lead to secure the full go-ahead for the film. There has been a long story with regards to attempts to remake a film of Farenheit 451. Prior to Hanks involvement there was a proposed Mel Gibson version and Brad Pitt was also touted for the lead role. In repeated interviews Darabont has said the project is close to his heart and that he is determined to make the film. Darabont will be able to take advantage of contemporary budget and production techniques to include details from the book that were excluded from the earlier version. For example Bradbury describes a robotic dog that Truffaut ignored but Darabont has said that he will recreate and film.

Read More here

I still haven’t seen Avatar, but if it’s as good as I’ve heard, some sequels could be cool. And I would have loved to see Tom Hanks star in Farenheit 451, but I think Brad Pitt could work too.

Do you think Avatar deserves sequels? Who do you think should star in Farenheit 451?

MOVIE NEWS FOR DEC. 29TH: WOLFMAN, DAYBREAKERS AND WHAT’S COMING UP IN 2010

Staar84 — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:53:56 +0000

from werewolves.com: Emily Blunt Talks The Wolfman

Taylor Lautner and Chaske Spencer aren’t the only hot wolves that we’ll see on the big screen in 2010 and much before we see the Eclipse in June, we’ll get to see other big names such as Emily Blunt, Anthony Hopkins, and Benicio Del Toro either take on wolf forms or fight them. All of this will happen in the movie The Wolfman, which is due in theaters in February 2010. In this werewolf movie that’s set early in the 1800s, a brother returns to his hometown in England upon his brother’s fiance’s insistence, to investigate the disappearance of his brother. Upon arriving, he and the rest of the family quickly find out about all the horrors that lay there, and just how both brothers fit into it all.

Q: You have a couple of big projects coming out in 2010, with The Wolfman and Gulliver’s Travels. What’s it like working in such fantastical worlds?

Emily Blunt: It’s funny because The Wolfman was a different kind of genre for me. The thing with The Wolfman is that it’s quite hard to do those genres sometimes because you want to have the characters react in a very real way to something that’s so otherworldly and supernatural that you’ve never had experience with that yourself.”

Read More here

from Ace Show Biz: New ‘Daybreakers’ Clip: Vampire Attack

“Daybreakers” unleashes the monster in new clip. When a mysterious plague has swept over the earth in year 2019, majority of world’s population have turned into vampires. These blood-sucking creatures are hunting the humans which are now endangered species.

Humans are forced into hiding as they are hunted and farmed for vampire consumption to the brink of extinction. It’s all up to Edward Dalton, a vampire researcher who refuses to feed on human blood, to perfect a blood substitute that might sustain vampires and spare the few remaining humans.

Starring Ethan Hawke as Edward, Isabel Lucas as Alison and Willem Dafoe as Elvis, “Daybreakers” will be released in theaters across U.S. on January 8.

Read More here

By Michael Cieply at the New York Times: Ready for 2010, Some Films Shot Way Back When

Go to a new movie in early 2010, and chances are good you’ll end up with an eyeful of 2008. And the star you see promoting that film may look a wee bit older than the one up there on the screen.

Thanks to some deliberate scheduling bumps and the lingering effect of Hollywood’s long-passed writers’ strike, a surprising number of the new year’s first releases —from major studios like Paramount and Universal as well as from minimajors like Lionsgate and the Weinstein Company — were actually shot about two years ago.

Even older is “Daybreakers,” a futuristic vampire thriller starring Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe, set for release in early January. As the film was being shot in 2007, Heath Ledger was working on his Oscar-winning performance in “The Dark Knight,” and Michael Jackson was nearly two years away from announcing a comeback tour that would become the subject of a posthumous movie long since released by Sony Pictures.

Read More here

from Fandango.com: 10 for 2010

Goodbye, 2009! With 2010 just around the corner, here’s a look at some of the most anticipated movies coming soon.

Iron Man 2: Tony Stark’s back to enjoying his billionaire, playboy lifestyle, and still finds time to upgrade his iron suit and enforce the peace. Colonel James Rhodes joins him in suiting up, and fans can’t wait to see them square off against new foes: Russian arch nemesis Whiplash and sexy Russian spy Black Widow.

Alice in Wonderland: In Disney’s Burtonized version of the classic children’s story, Johnny Depp plays the Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway is in a dream-entranced White Queen and Helena Bonham Carter is the big-headed Red Queen. Alice has pretty much forgotten about her first trip to Wonderland, so it’s a whole new adventure for her in her return, and she’s taking us along for the journey.

Clash of the Titans: Director Louis Leterrier from Incredible Hunk resurrects the 1981 mythological adventure Clash of the Titans. Sam Worthington plays Perseus the mortal son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) who embarks on a perilous journey in order to win the hand of the imprisoned princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos).

See the rest here

2010 is shaping up to be a good year for movies. Daybreakers looks so good and I’m so excited for Alice in Wonderland (and seeing Liam Neeson as Zeus!)

What movies are you looking forward to for 2010?

MOVIE NEWS FOR DEC. 16: NEW TRAILERS FOR ALICE IN WONDERLAND & ROBIN HOOD, PLUS VAMPIRES, THOR, HOBBIT, ZOMBIES, AND INFLUENTIAL SCI FI

Staar84 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:38:17 +0000

From Mike Scalise at Movie Fone: ‘Alice in Wonderland’: Even More Wonderfully Weird in Full-Length Trailer

When the first trailer for Tim Burton’s live-action take on Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ premiered at Comic-Con in July, it seemed like Burton had all the pieces in place for another goth-stained, Burtonesque classic: Mia Wasikowska as a 19-year-old Alice, Helena Bonham Carter as the diminutive, treacherous Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as the rival White Queen, and Johnny Depp’s orange-haired Mad Hatter bouncing manically in between them.

But we only caught glimpses of Burton’s Wonderland then, snippets of landscapes, hints at the twists and turns Burton made to the famous fairy tale land. In this full-length trailer, we see Wonderland bloom in full: a place that’s as dark and fog-ridden as it is vibrant and mysterious.

Read More here

By Meredith Woerner at i09: Daybreakers Explains How You Doomed Us All To A Viral Vampire Future

Learn how we’ll all evolve into vampires in the future, in this new Daybreakers breakdown video. Plus, tips on how to capture wild humans. vampire death-scene wallpapers, and new posters.

At the Daybreakers sponsored site Capture Humans, there’s a Facebook video that, once hooked up to your page, will explain the viral “gift” that is vampirism — by establishing you and all your Facebook friends as the original vampires. It’s actually pretty fascinating and helps build the vampire world that exists in Daybreakers. See if you can catch the picture I used for “patient zero.” It also gives a bit of background to the Bromley and Marks “blood bank,” where future vampires will keep their currency. The “population control” is pretty intense as well.

See the video here

by Ethan Anderton at First Showing: Thor Writers Taking on Futuristic Vampire Flick Damn Nation

As books, television and movies are increasingly inundated with insulting excuses for vampires, the only light at the end of the tunnel is the January release of Daybreakers. However, it looks like vampires might get a redemption as THR’s Heat Vision reports that Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz (who recently wrote Thor for Marvel) have signed on to adapt Damn Nation, a Dark Horse comic book which tells a story of the survivors of an attack from “inhuman nocturnal predators.” The action takes place after an evacuation of the US as the government has relocated to London while scientists search for a solution.

A return to form for vampires is wholly necessary right now to undo any damage done by the fashion ad worthy incarnations of the classic blood suckers seen in pop culture today (e.g. Twilight, Vampire Diaries, etc).

Read More here

via Sci Fi Wire:

Trailer makes Robin Hood look like Lord of the Rings

The steal-from-the-rich-and-give-to-the-poor saga of Robin Hood makes for a lighthearted and playful story, right? At least that’s the way it’s always been, considering the countless movies and TV series so far. But if we’re to judge by the new trailer from director Ridley Scott, his upcoming onscreen reunion with Gladiator star Russell Crowe will result in a Robin Hood who’s more of a medieval action hero.

Robin Hood, which also stars Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian, hits theaters May 14, 2010.

Is Peter Parker heading to the Shire?

Well, seeing how it doesn’t seem possible for one guy to play two of the most beloved genre characters of the past 100 years, rumors that Tobey Maguire, who plays Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi’s superhero film series, might be in the running to play Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming two-part film version of The Hobbit may be a little hard to swallow.

Yet that’s exactly what Latino Review says might be going down, based upon a hint that Maguire would be working on a movie with The Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro “in the near future.” Latino Review further claims that Maguire’s agency is indeed in talks to have the Brothers star appear as the brave little hobbit Bilbo.

Read More here

Three Kings director to be brains of Austen Zombies movie?

We reported earlier that Natalie Portman will be producing and playing Elizabeth Bennet in the new filmed version of Seth Grahame-Smith’s Romero-ized take on Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Well, according to Pajiba.com, it looks like this mash-up of manners and monsters will get a director in the form of indie dynamo David O. Russell, who has made Spanking the Monkey, Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees and who shows a fondness for genre through his producing duties on Outer Space Astronauts.

While those who know Russell’s work might think his absurdist and quirky take on filmmaking might not dovetail with the traditions of English social comedy that are the cornerstone of the “straight” parts of Grahame-Smith’s “expansion” of Austen, his dialogue and tackling of themes hint that he is a really literate guy and might be able to pull off this hybrid.

Read More here

By Fred Topel: 11 movies that changed sci-fi (and 9 that didn’t)

James Cameron promises that this week Avatar will revolutionize not only cinema, but also science fiction itself. It seems like the movies that actually mark changes come out of nowhere and don’t make such big promises, but we’ll see. As we await the highly anticipated return of Cameron, check out the movies that actually did revolutionize sci-fi—plus those that made those big promises but fell short of delivering on them. First, those that changed things …

The Day the Earth Stood Still
For a while, sci-fi had been the genre of throwaway mutant monster movies, perhaps with a little touch of Red Scare metaphor. The original Robert Wise Day brought social statement to the forefront. The drama of an alien invasion and a destructive robot also made people think about humanity’s capacity for violence.

Read More here

By Lauren Davis at io9: Check Out New Iron Man 2 Footage. True Blood Gets Its Werewolf and Doctor Who Revisits an Old Enemy.

Tony Stark loses his head in Iron Man 2 footage. True Blood finally casts the werewolf Alcide, and the Eleventh Doctor will inherit one of the Tenth Doctor’s most popular enemies. Plus Inception, Toy Story, Forbidden Planet, and Chuck spoilers.

Iron Man 2: Entertainment Tonight premiered a few moments from the film, including a scene where Pepper kisses Iron Man (well, his helmet, anyway).

Read More here

The more I see of Alice in Wonderland, the more excited I get. The same is true with Daybreakers. And Robin Hood looks like a mix of Gladiator and Lord of the Rings, but in a bad way. I’m still not sure about it.

What do you think of all the videos? Which movie are you looking forward to the most?

MOVIE NEWS FOR NOVEMBER 27TH

Chris54 — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:59:00 +0000

Ashley Greene: Breaking Dawn may be split to create fifth Twilight film

NEW MOON actress Ashley Greene has hinted that the Twilight saga’s fourth movie, Breaking Dawn, may be split into two parts, like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Greene, 22, plays vampire Alice Cullen (adoptive sister of Robert Pattinson’s Edward Cullen) in the Twilight films. Breaking Dawn will be based on the fourth and final teen romance novel in Stephenie Meyer’s series.
She said: “We have finished filming Eclipse and one would assume that, if New Moon does as well as Twilight, then we’ll start filming Breaking Dawn next year.

“The only thing is, Breaking Dawn is a very large book so it would be a really long movie. We’re thinking they might decide to split it into two parts, like they did with Harry Potter.”

Ashley is staying in the realm of the supernatural when she stars in her next project The Apparition, which begins filming in February. The ghost story, inspired by true events and written and directed by Todd Lincoln, is about a young couple haunted by a presence unleashed during a college experiment.

New DAYBREAKERS Movie Trailer

This new movie trailer for the vampire film Daybreakers is awesome! It looks like we are actually going to get a fun and decent sci-fi vampire movie. I was impressed with the first trailer, and this one makes the film look even better.

In the year 2019, a plague has transformed most every human into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival; meanwhile, a researcher (Ethan Hawke) works with a covert band of vampires (Willem Dafoe, Claudia Karvan) on a way to save humankind.

Avatar: Making A Scene Featurette

As the release date approaches for James Cameron’s much-debated sci-fi/fantasy extravaganza, Avatar, the curtain that’s been hanging over the film for nearly a decade and a half keeps on getting pulled further and further back.

Today, we have a 10-minute clip from Avatar that provides the proverbial “anatomy of a scene.” Looking at it, you can see just how much work (and revolutionary special effects work) went into each and every sequence Cameron put together. It’s pretty interesting. Check it out.

Now earlier this week, we posted the “Thanador Chase” sequence, which had first been screened on “Avatar Day” back in August. As I mentioned in that post, the Thanador chase was my second favorite segment of the Avatar Day screening – my top fav was indisputably the “Banshee Flight” sequence that is now featured in this new 10-minute featurette

Right now it’s the “cool thing” to hate on Avatar (hell, even South Park is doing it) – but I think that despite what people want to say about how the special effects look, or how the story is a rehash of other “going native” yarns, when this film hits theaters on December 18th, and people get the full 3D IMAX experience, a lot of that mockery is going hush down REAL quick.

TODAY IN MOVIE NEWS: AVATAR, STAR TREK, IRON MAN, VAMPIRES AND MORE

whatategilbertgrape (online) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:43:32 +0000

JAMES CAMERON’S AVATAR: A RACE TO THE FINISH

via wsjonline

Less than a month before the scheduled release of James Cameron’s new movie, “Avatar,” some scenes from the costly special-effects extravaganza remain unfinished. Pressure to complete the project by the Dec. 18 release date has risen to the point where crews are working “24-8″—that is, eight days a week—said producer Jon Landau during a break from supervising the work in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Mr. Landau said that around 30 minutes of the movie remain incomplete, with issues ranging from sound mixing to more serious aspects like visual effects. The total running time is likely to fall between 2½ hours and two hours 40 minutes, not including credits.

Read more here…

IRON MAN 2 TRAILER AND NEW MOON SELLING OUT

via scifiwire

Supherhero Hype reports that the new trailer for Iron Man 2 may be attached to the Christmas release of Sherlock Holmes, which also stars Robert Downey Jr.

Twilight fans really, really want to see the upcoming sequel, New Moon: On Wednesday, it became the top pre-seller in MovieTickets.com’s history, fueling speculation that the movie will rack up especially big grosses after its 12:01 a.m. Friday opening at the domestic box office, Variety reported.

Read more here…

PATRICK STEWART OPEN TO STAR TREK CAMEO, NOTHING MORE

Thousands lined up to hear Patrick Stewart speak in the massive Marriott Marquis hotel ballroom at Dragon*Con over the weekend, and according to CNN.com, the Star Trek: The Next Generation and X-Men star didn’t disappoint, revealing his thoughts about possible roles in both franchises.

The bottom line is that a return as Professor Xavier is still possible, but a future for Jean-Luc Picard … not so much.

Read more here…

GOT THE STAR TREK BLU-RAY? DID YOU SEE THE R2-D2 CAMEO?

via scifiwire

Don’t know about you, but one of the first things we did when we got our hands on the Star Trek Blu-ray this week was to go straight to the scene of the first attack by the Narada on Starfleet vessels to see if we could spot the rumored cameo by Star Wars‘ R2-D2.

Read more here…

ANOTHER VAMPIRE MOVIE PICKED UP, BUT THIS ONE’S A COMIC BOOK

via comicbookmovie

Aurora Productions & Platinum Studios are banding together on a movie adaption of graphic novel “Nightfall” which was published by Platinum. The story centers on a guy who finds out just how crap life can get when he discovers that the prison he just entered is controlled by vampires.

Variety is reporting Aurora Productions has indeed teamed up with Platinum Studios to develop a feature length movie of Platinum’s comic book property Nightfall.

Read more here…

UPCOMING VAMPIRE FILM DAYBREAKERS PUTS SOME BITE BACK INTO THE GENRE

via blogcritics

Lionsgate Films has released a new TV spot for the forthcoming much anticipated vampire film Daybreakers. Set in the year 2019,Daybreakers shows us a future where vampires rule the world and humans have been driven to near extinction. The problem with that is the dwindling blood supply created by the farming of the human race as fodder for the vampires.

Read more here…

DOOMSDAY BOOM AT MOVIEHOUSE

via miller-mccune

Call it a doomsday boom or an end days buffet, but chilling and thrilling conclusions seems to be everywhere I look. Besides doom-laden news reports from climate to economy, the Discovery Channel has Earth without People, great novelists like Margaret Atwoodand Kazuo Ishiguro have joined chroniclers of humanity’s swan song, yet it’s really been the big screen where ending it all gets the most splashy, big-budget play nowadays.

At times bleaker than you imagine (The Road, father and son battle last-day cannibals); other times apocalypse can be oddly hilarious (Shaun of the Dead, a zombie plague comedy of manners). Sometimes our own machines turn on us (Terminator Salvation); more often, though, some virus leaves us sterile (Children of Men) or, more frequently, turns us to undead flesh-cravers (I Am Legend). If that’s not enough, movies have been regularly serving up the planet’s plummet via pollution (WALL-E), climate change (The Day After Tomorrow), dragons (Reign of Fire), and, just for good measure, some fine wrathful deity action (2012, The Book of Eli and Legion).

Read more here…

PLANET 51 – A MISUNDERSTOOD ALIEN, BUT NOT AS SMART AS E.T.

via nytimes

The agreeable but flagrantly unoriginal “Planet 51” belongs to the mix-and-match school of animated moviemaking that operates on the plaintive hope that familiarity is the surest path to the box office. Almost every element of the film, created by Ilion Animation Studios, based in Madrid, is borrowed from earlier films, then tweaked (and invariably softened) to become a reference rather than a copy.

Directed by Jorge Blanco, from a story by Joe Stillman, it portrays the inhabitants of Planet 51 in a faraway galaxy as smaller, green, Shrek-like creatures with antennas, webbed feet and squished noses.

Read more here…

MOVIE NEWS FOR 11/19 STAR TREK 2, PERCY JACKSON, DAYBREAKERS & THE SECRETS OF THE IMMORTAL NICHOLAS FLAMEL

Dawn — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:08:29 +0000

We’ve got big spoilers for Star Trek 2! (12?)

Director J.J. Abrams confirmed to us that the follow-up to his hit Star Trek won’t hit theaters until 2012, speaking last night at a party at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles to celebrate today’s DVD/Blu-ray release. But that could change. And the creators gave us tantalizing hints about the sequel’s timeframe and other story points.

Producer/writer Damon Lindelof told us that he thinks it’s impossible to be done sooner. “Yeah, I think that we would be hard pressed to get it on screens by 2011,” Lindelof said. “If that’s the case, we’d better get to writing right now.”

More here

Is Percy Jackson’s mythology too close to Harry Potter’s magic?

Here at the Hero Complex, we’ve circled “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” as a project to watch next year, so we’ll bringing you lots of coverage of its odyssey as a Hollywood venture. Today, Rachel Abramowitz has a report on the similarities between two magical youngsters, one named Percy and the other named Harry.

In February, moviegoers will get a chance to meet a character who is already a titan of the bookshelves: Percy Jackson, the rebellious 12-year-old hero of Rick Riordan’s bestselling novels, who discovers that he is the demigod son of the Greek sea god Poseidon. But will newcomers to the saga find themselves thinking of a certain boy wizard who discovered his own supernatural heritage within the walls of Hogwarts?

more here

Upcoming Vampire Film Daybreakers Puts Some Bite Back in the Genre

Lionsgate Films has released a new TV spot for the forthcoming much anticipated vampire film Daybreakers. Set in the year 2019, Daybreakers shows us a future where vampires rule the world and humans have been driven to near extinction. The problem with that is the dwindling blood supply created by the farming of the human race as fodder for the vampires.

More here

Lorenzo di Bonaventura To Produce Adaptation of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel — The Next Harry Potter?

G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra/Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has signed a deal to produce a big screen adaptation of Michael Scott’s six-part fantasy book series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. di Bonaventura tells Variety that “Michael’s fantastic series is a natural evolution from Harry Potter,” but will it come close to the popularity of the teen wizard series?

The series tells the story of fifteen-year-old twins Sophie and Josh Newman as they adventure across several continents with the immortal alchemyst Nicholas Flamel. With the exception of Josh and Sophie, all of the main human characters in the books are real. As for the mythological characters, Michael Scott has gone back to the original myths and legends. Here is the official description from the first book, The Alchemyst:

More here

What did you think of the first Star Trek? Are you looking forward to #2? (no pun intended.)

We will be doing a book club on Percy Jackson early next year. I’m not sure yet if it’s too similar to Harry Potter, what do you think?

Daybreakers looks kick ass. Is that a movie you’re looking forward to?

I have no idea what might be the next Harry Potter. Some say Twilight already filled that role. What say you?

Open Society Book Club Discussions and Reviews » daybreakers

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ETHAN HAWKE TALKS DAYBREAKERS, PLUS NEW PHOTOS

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MOVIE NEWS FOR NOVEMBER 27TH

New DAYBREAKERS Movie Trailer

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MOVIE NEWS FOR 11/19 STAR TREK 2, PERCY JACKSON, DAYBREAKERS & THE SECRETS OF THE IMMORTAL NICHOLAS FLAMEL

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