7 STUNNING NEW PROMO PICS FROM HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS
Source: Blastr

Seven new promotional images from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I were just released, and in addition to getting us excited about the penultimate installment in the film franchise, seeing Harry all grown up also reminds us how far we’ve come since we first saw the boy wizard on screen in 2001.

SEE THEM ALL HERE.

What makes sci-fi epic Metropolis so influential?
Source: BBC News

At two-and-a-half hours long, Fritz Lang’s 1927 classic Metropolis was considered too long for audiences in the heyday of the cinema and it was cut, re-edited, and re-released.

Now, thanks to the discovery of the 25 minutes of lost footage unearthed in an Argentine museum, Metropolis has been put back together the way the director intended.

WATCH PART OF THE REPORT HERE

WAS IT BAD TIMING THAT BEFELL KICK-ASS AND SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD?
Source: Screencrave

As you might’ve heard by now, two ultra-cool comic book movies with seemingly everything going for them – Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – crashed & burned in theaters. But why, Screencrave? Good question. There are many reasons already elaborated on by critics as to why the two movies failed, but perhaps most of it boils down to bad timing and crazy cultural shennanigans.

READ MORE HERE

NEW ‘RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE’ CLIP FEATURING THE EXECUTIONER HITS THE WEB
Source: Aceshowbiz

Another clip from “Resident Evil: Afterlife” has been made available for viewing pleasure. It gives a look at a scene similar to the footage screened in London last weekend but this one is shorter. Featuring heart-pumping music, the newly released clip shows Ali Larter’s Claire Redfield who fights off Executioner Majini in what looks like a shower room.

READ MORE & WATCH THE CLIP HERE

A varied bag of news today from old classics to new ones. My favoritw is the Deathly Hallow promo pics, it’s one of the movies I’ve been waiting for. But what grabbed your attention?

JOIN THE DISCUSSION IN OUR FORUMS HERE.

Why Predators is the sequel we’ve been dying for

by Jeff Otto at Sci Fi Wire

Deep in the jungles of Austin, Texas, the Predators are readying for the hunt. Yes, I said Texas. When Predators hits screens this summer, few audience members will ever guess that the bulk of the film was shot in Texas, and during winter to boot.

Predators picks up where the original movie left off, as if Predators 2 and the Alien vs. Predator films never happened. Although the project is very close to Rodriguez’s heart, he is serving in more of an overseer role as producer. He hands off the directorial reins to Nimrod Antal, a strong vote of confidence for the young director, especially considering the scope of Predators, the largest undertaking yet for Troublemaker.

Read More here

Is Matthew Vaughn The Right Director For ‘X-Men: First Class’?

by Rick Marshall at MTV News

News broke this morning that Matthew Vaughn would direct “X-Men: First Class,” the upcoming film that takes Professor X and his mutant students back to their early days. But is the “Kick-Ass” director the right filmmaker for the job?

No stranger to high-action projects and colorful characters, Vaughn made a name for himself with films like “Layer Cake,” which helped Daniel Craig land the role of James Bond; “Stardust,” a fantastic adventure based on a novel by Neil Gaiman; and “Kick-Ass,” a live-action adaptation of Mark Millar’s ultraviolent comic book series.

Read More here

Secrets Of Iron Man’s New Suits

By Meredith Woerner at io9

Shane Mahan, head honcho at Stan Winston’s studio, filled us in with all the new details about Iron Man 2‘s new army of menaces, and Tony’s new armor. Plus find out why no one could actually “be” Iron Man.

So can you fill us in on Iron Man’s suit, what’s are his stats? I read that in theory, it was supposed to weigh 600 pounds. How has that changed?

The trick to these kinds of things is, you have to present it in a way that feels the part, when actually it’s quite light. The suit has to feel like it’s being made out of metal. The height of the suit is 6 foot 5, and 600 to 800 pounds has always been the number that we kicked around with the design team.

Read More here

Godzilla’s New Design?

by Peter Sciretta at Slash Film

Earlier this year it was announced that Legendary Pictures, the company behind 300 and The Dark Knight, was developing a new American remake of Godzilla with producers Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Brian Rogers. A director has yet to be announced, but I’ve heard that they are looking for a darker/more realistic take on the property. Could this be it?

Twitch has discovered a couple photos on Flick of a design model for Godzilla. Could this be the creature’s new look for the new American Remake? The author WoGzilla left the following accompanying comment with one of the images:

“great detail I was told by a good friend in the movie biz. that this was one of the design’s they were considering for the new 3D Godzila….! if you have new info on this movie, i would like to post it . thanks ”

Read More here

Planets of the Apes Prequel Rise of the Apes Announced for Summer 2011

by Peter Sciretta at Slash Film

20th Century Fox has announced a June 24th 2011 release date for the Planet of the Apes prequel Rise of the Apes. The Escapist helmer Rupert Wyatt will direct from a screenplay by Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa.

Fox has released the official plot synopsis:

RISE OF THE APES (tentative title) is an origin story in the truest sense of the term. Set in present day San Francisco, the film is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.

Read More here

Watch The Trailer For J.J. Abrams’ Mysterious New Movie

By Meredith Woerner at io9

No, it’s not a prequel to Cloverfield, as many suspected. The trailer for Super 8, which premiered before Iron Man 2, is a wholly original Steven Spielberg-J.J. Abrams collaboration. Here’s the new trailer.

We’ve been DYING for an intelligent Area 51 movie, and who better to work on on an alien picture other than genre overlords Spielberg and Abrams?

Read More here

Why don’t Bollywood sci-fi movies work at box office?

By Abhishek Kaul, IANS

“Rudraksh”, “Alag”, “Love Story 2050″ and “Prince” – all belong to the sci-fi genre, but the other common factor linking these movies is they were duds at the box office.

Trikha feels the movie flopped because the audiences failed to understand the concept.

“Star cast plays a vital role in determining the fate of any movie. Sometimes the cast overcomes a story rather than the concept of the movie; that is what happened with ‘Alag’. Also, many among the audience fail to understand the science involved in it. If ‘Alag’ had got a global market, it surely would have done well,” he said.

The phenomenal success of James Cameron’s Oscar winning 3D sci-fi epic “Avatar” has reportedly compelled Rakesh Roshan to defer a sequel to “Krrish” due to the lack of technological logistics here.

Read More here

I never thought about Sci Fi in other countries. I know it does well enough (more so this year) in the States and Canada, and I know Stak Trek has a huge fan base in Germany. In the Super 8 article, the author mentions “friends” that tried to help whatever is inside escape, but I assumed it was someone trying to either expose the cover up or completely destroy whatever was inside. I’m not sure how I feel about another Godzilla movie, although that statue does look awesome.

Does anyone know anywhere else where Sci Fi is either huge or non-existent? Will you go see Super 8?

Source: The Huffington Post

The movie Kick-Ass, based on the comic book of the same name, is ostensibly about a nerdy teenage boy who decides to take a stand against evil by trying to become a superhero. But the character who steals the show is purple-wigged and foul-mouthed vigilante, Hit Girl. Played by 13-year old Chloe Grace Moretz, Hit Girl is a pre-pubescent weapons expert and cold-blooded killer. True, Hit Girl has an alter ego, a conventionally adorable, pig-tailed schoolgirl named Mindy; but Mindy only exists to literally disarm the bad guys, allowing Hit Girl access where a more conventional (i.e. adult and male) hero might fail. Blood, gore, sudden death, and the C-word then fly.

Sound fun? Lots of people think so and Kick-Ass has done pretty decently at the box office, earning mostly positive reviews. Yet Kick-Ass also drew fire from disconcerted movie-goers like film critic Roger Ebert, who found the film “morally reprehensible.” You could definitely conclude that this is one of those “my cup of tea/not my cup of tea” calls; after all, if the idea of a potty-mouthed girl killer creeps you out, you can always head next door to, say, How to Train Your Dragon. And, in fact, that may very well be what has happened. For months hyped as the next mega-blockbuster, the heir apparent to Avatar, Kick-Ass instead experienced a surprising 50% drop-off in box office last weekend and ended in relatively ignominious fifth place.

I think we do crave female heroines, especially with a sincere lack of them around recently. What do you think? Where is the next gen of Buffy? Or Sydney Bristows?

READ MORE HERE

THE RAVEN: RICARDO DE MONTREUIL’S EXCELLENT NEW SCI-FI SHORT MOVIE

Ricardo de Montreuil’s latest short film is “The Raven,” a futuristic science fiction thriller that follows Chris Black, who “possesses a power that could lead to the destruction of the current regime, and they will stop at nothing to destroy him. The chase is on as Chris runs for his life in this sci-fi thriller set in an alternate and futuristic Los Angeles.”

It’s really well-done, and on a bare-bones budget of $5,000.

Oooh, that looked good – what do you think?

READ MORE HERE

JOIN THE DISCUSSION IN OUR FORUMS HERE.

Edward Saves Bella from Victoria in the Snow — New TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE photo released

So you’ve seen the new TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE trailer on Oprah, right? And you’re dying for some new pix? Check this one out — it’s from a very romantic and dramatic scene in which Edward and Bella (big faves Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart) are trying to get away from Victoria, who is out to murder them. Soon after this, supposedly, Edward will be knocking down a tree and finding Victoria clutching to its branches!

More here

All these images are getting me hyped up about Eclipse.  So far, it looks kick ass and I’m relieved to say the least. It would be so easy to screw any of these movies up (as I believe Hardwicke did in Twilight) – but New Moon was so much better and I believe Eclipse will be too. Now they just need to get the right directors for Breaking Dawn.

What do you think? Have you been looking at all the images floating around the internet? Or are you trying to stay away from them so they don’t spoil it for you?

Iron Man sequel promises plenty of bang

Alyssa Braithwaite at the Sydney Morning Herald

World peace – it’s the top wish of beauty pageant contestants everywhere. But it’s just no good for superheroes.

In Iron Man’s second big-screen outing, it’s six months later and billionaire inventor Tony Stark’s super-powerful armoured suit has attracted the attention of warmongers and terrorists. Acting as a deterrent, it prompts an unprecedented period of peace – East/West relations are at an all-time high and nations are co-operating.

But that wouldn’t make for a very exciting sequel to the hit 2008 film, would it?

‘‘Yeah, we’d have a very boring movie,’’ says Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau, laughing. ‘‘Peace is great in real life, but when you go to the movies you want to see things blow up…So we get around to that, and that’s where Mickey Rourke comes in.’’

Read More here

The Hex Files

by David Hofstede at Cowboys and Indians

Given the current Hollywood obsession with movies based on comic book characters (Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Batman) it was only a matter of time before some of the classic comic book cowboys also found their way to a theater near you. And it is no surprise that from a diverse and colorful variety of Western characters that have entertained readers for decades, including Kid Colt, the Ringo Kid, and the original Ghost Rider, the first comic book cowboy to merit the big-screen treatment is Jonah Hex.

Modern westerns, much as we would prefer it to be otherwise, are hardly a guarantee of box office success. But with Jonah Hex, elements of science fiction and horror are mixed with traditional cowboy action, making the character an easier sell to teenage moviegoers. And while Kid Colt and the Two-Gun Kid haven’t been viable comic book characters since the days when fans bought their adventures off spinner racks at 7-Eleven, Jonah Hex remains a popular seller for DC Comics. The current series published its 50th issue in December 2009.

Read More here

Mark Hamill Directing His Own Comic Book Movie?

by Sandy Schaefer

The star of the original Star Wars Trilogy is set to direct a movie which will be based off a comic book of his own creation – likely The Black Pearl.

Mark Hamill revealed over the weekend at the Los Angeles Comedy Shorts Festival that he is prepping to direct a modestly-budgeted film based off a comic book of his own writing.

While Mr. Luke Skywalker himself wouldn’t reveal specifically which of his comic creations he’d be bringing to the big screen (apparently, his partners on the project have asked him to wait until after the Cannes Film Festival in May), he did drop a few hints that indicated it would be the dark, satirical tale The Black Pearl.

Read More here

6 Stars Who Could Be The Next Female Action Hero

by Meredith Woerner at io9

Who will be the big screen’s next Sigourney Weaver? We’ve had a few years now without any great action movies starring women, but 2010 could be the year this changes. Here are six picks for the action heroines of tomorrow.

Zoe Saldana: Sure Zoe Saldana blew our minds, jumping from flower to flower with Jake Sully, praying after she kills Pandoran puppies, and finally battling the big power suit to defend her man. Plus she suffered no fools aboard Star Trek‘s Enterprise as Uhura. But up until now she’s still been playing second fiddle to Kirk, Spock and James Cameron’s jungle wilderness. That could be changing — Saldana’s next film, this Friday’s The Losers, promises to show us a much deadlier side of Zoe.

Read More here

When I starting reading the Action Hero article I thought “The next Sigourney Weaver? Really?” When I think of female action heroes, I think Milla Jovovich. Come on, The Fifth Element? Ultraviolet? Resident Evil? She’s the current female action hero, no question. She could actually kick someones ass, not just act like she is.  I think Zoe Saldana is right behind her though, although Chloe Moretz is up there too. The more I hear about Jonah Hex the more I want to see it. At first I thought another Wild, Wild West, but I think it will be way better.

What are you hoping to see in Iron Man 2? What do you think of Mark Hamill doing a comic book movie?

Rupert Grint’s new interview about the final Harry Potter & Life after

It’s just before 6pm and Rupert Grint has finished for the day. I feel like saying “Hard day at the office?” But I don’t. After all, the red-haired one from Harry Potter must be feeling it right now. He’s been filming the final instalment of the hit franchise based on the J K Rowling novels for just over a year now. “We haven’t got long left,” he says. “Just the final parts of the second part of the film.” Not that exhaustion has set in yet. Rather, a feeling of uncertainty has enveloped him. “It’ll be strange saying goodbye,” he says.

With Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows split into two films (the first due out in November, the second in July 2011), it will be some time yet before we bid farewell to Grint’s character, Ron Weasley, and all the other Hogwarts pupils. But for the 21-year-old, a life-changing experience that began half his life ago is due to end this June when filming finishes. “It’s a weird feeling actually,” he admits. “I never really thought it would end. I never really saw this day coming.”

In truth, I’m expecting to find a rather nervous figure before me. It can’t be easy facing the prospect of unemployment for the first time. While most actors are hardened to it, Grint, and his co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have probably been institutionalised by their time at Leavesden Film Studios, the former Rolls-Royce factory on the outskirts of Watford that has been the home to Harry Potter since shooting began in 2000. “I don’t know if I’m good enough to have a long career,” he told one interviewer last year. “I’ve got a bit of an inferiority complex about my acting. My self-esteem is quite low in that sense.”

Read more HERE

Why Is Whedon Rewriting Cap and Avengers?

It was good news the day I saw on iFanboy that Joss Whedon was supposedly in talks to direct and polish the script for the Avengers movie. I was even happier when I saw the rumours that Whedon would be rewriting the Captain America script. Whedon has a history of polishing movie scripts that go on to be very impressive films.

But is there a connection?

I think there is, and I think it might give us a clue as to Marvel’s intentions for the two films, as well as future films.

Captain America is really the key here.

The Captain America movie is set to be released a year before the Avengers movie. That makes sense. Add him into the plethora of individual character movies being released before the big team up. But he’s not like the others, and I don’t mean simply that he’s the most important character to the Avengers. He’s a man out of time. His origin isn’t some acid spill or technological genius brain. He’s a super-soldier from the 40’s who wants to smack Hitler right in the face.

So how does he end up fighting with the Avengers?

Well there’s a bomb and a fall and an iceberg and some sketchy science, but let’s just say that he makes it safe and sound to the present – whenever that may be – and helps create the Avengers.

You can’t do Captain America without doing a WWII story. You simply can’t do a Cap story without his origin. Without Bucky and the super-soldier serum and Hitler bashing. It just can’t be done. Or shouldn’t.

Read more HERE
 

Release Schedule of ‘Green Lantern’ Trailer and Teaser Poster

(from aceshowbiz.com) Beside confirming when the official sneak peeks will arrive, an insider also reveals that Hal Jordan will wear the iconic domino mask in the film.

Many pictures from the set of “Green Lantern” have surfaced on Internet lately, but one can expect to see more sneak peeks from the film in the near future. According to a contributor for Comic Book Movie, he has got some information from an effects supervisor at Sony Imageworks who has confirmed when the official picture and trailer from the movie will come out.

According to the insider, a trailer for the upcoming superhero film will be screened at forthcoming San Diego Comic Con International which will be held on July 21-24 this year. Meanwhile, teaser posters for the movie are planned to come out in theaters within this fall.

“Green Lantern” tells the story of Hal Jordan, an ordinary man chosen by a dying alien named Abin Sur to receive a green energy-powered ring used for protecting the planet. Blake Lively is cast as Jordan’s love interest Carol Ferris, while villainous Sinestro will be tackled by Mark Strong. The action adventure flick is planned to hit U.S. theaters on June 17, 2011.

Kick-Ass: A Really Entertaining,Shallow, Ultraviolent Action Comedy

Kick-Ass doesn’t boast deep, meaningful characters, nor is it a film about the fate of the human condition—not really, anyway. It is, however vulgar, violent, and juvenile—a fun movie to watch. The film, which is based on a series of graphic novels by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., tells the story of a totally average high school kid Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who dons a wetsuit and decides to be a superhero. At first it’s all kind of a fun game. Dave gets shanked on his first real outing, of course—but after a long stay in the hospital and installation of steel-reinforced bones, he finds himself back in a position to, well, kick ass. Thanks to the YouTube revolution, Dave’s alter ego Kick-Ass makes 17,000 MySpace friends overnight and becomes an underdog hero. Then things start to get really crazy.

“Like every serial killer ever knew, eventually fantasizing doesn’t do it for you anymore,” Dave narrates. That comparison is frighteningly apt; sometimes giving yourself an alter ego is enough to unleash the id, and daydreaming just doesn’t cut it. Dave meets fellow heroes Hit-Girl (Chloë Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage), whose idea of vigilante crimefighting involves machetes, katanas, every kind of firearm imaginable, and buckets of blood. Hit-Girl and Big Daddy have daddy-daughter bonding time over new weapons, the merits of Kevlar and hot chocolate (with extra marshmallows). However adorable their personal relationship may be, they have an agenda: they’re out to avenge Hit-Girl’s mother (Big Daddy’s wife) who died because drug kingpin Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong) had Big Daddy locked up. D’Amico’s son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who hungers for his father’s power, helps lure Kick-Ass into a web of trickery by creating his own superhero alter, Red Mist.

Read the rest HERE

What did you think about today’s movie news? Do you think Rupert will make in Hollywood after Harry Potter ends? What do you think about the new Green Lantern poster and screen shots, will you see the movie? Lastly, have you seen Kick-Ass? If not, are you going to? What did you think?