Ian Somerhalder starring in ‘Cradlewood’

hollywoodreporter.com: Ian Somerhalder, star of the CW’s “The Vampire Diaries,” has signed to topline the romantic gothic fairy tale “Cradlewood.” Hand Picked Films and Instinct Entertainment are behind the indie being directed by Harry Weinmann.
The movie centers on an Australian woman living in Boston with the heir to an incredible fortune whose family history is swirled in a legend that tells of a pact made with a demon which ensures that whenever a boy is born into the family, the father is killed. The heir suspects his girlfriend is pregnant, and after strange events occur, he comes to believe he will die if he continues to fall in love.
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So it seems Ian is deep into the supernatural-genre – not bad I’d say. What do you think of his new project?

Moira Buffini’s ‘A Vampire Story’

mtv.com: Had enough of vampires yet? Not if the weekend’s Scream Awards are any indication. So it’s a safe assumption that you’re open to more adaptations of vampire stories to watch in between installments of the “Twilight” franchise and episodes of “True Blood.” Try Moira Buffini’s British play “A Vampire Story,” which is now headed to the big screen.
One of the play’s characters enrolls in school – because what 200-year-old goth kid doesn’t want to suffer through more of the hell of being tormented by teens? – which obviously aligns “Byzantium” with the “Twilight” movies, regardless of whether it deserves such a connection.
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Who wouldn’t want to sell their vampire movie as a vampire movie these days? Are you looking forward to “Byzantium”? Do you have room for yet another teen vampire movie?

Maggie Smith back to work

rte.ie: Two time Oscar winner, Maggie Smith, has been praised by her colleagues for returning to work after being treated for cancer.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes directed the 74-year-old ‘Harry Potter’ actress in ‘From Time to Time’, which was filmed immediately after she was treated for breast cancer.
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I’m really glad to hear that Dame Maggie Smith aka Prof. McGonagall is back after her treatment.

The Top Grossing Supernatural Films of All Time

shocktillyoudrop.com: An interesting assessment courtesy of the Box Office Mojo team. BOM posted on their homepage a list of the top grossing supernatural films of all time and thought it was worthy enough to share.
1.) What Lies Beneath (2000)
2.) The Blair Witch Project (1999)
3.) The Ring (2002)
4.) The Grudge (2004)
5.) The Others (2001)
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I do not agree completely with this list – what about you?

Could ‘The Tudors’ Jonathan Rhys Meyers star in ‘X-Men Origins: Magneto’?

showtimefan.com: MTV’s film bloggers tell us Sir Ian McKellan won’t be part of X-Men Origins: Magneto, even though he’s played the character in every installment of the franchise thus far.
Magneto needs to be recast, and MTV’s “Secret Identity” suggests five hot actors who could do the complex villain justice. Tudors’ star Jonathan Rhys Meyers made the list, thanks to his calculating turn as a gold-digging tennis pro in Woody Allen’s Match Point.
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What do you think? Do you like Meyers for Professor Xavier’s nemesis?

Movie Review: Paranormal Activity

military.com: The no-budget ghost story “Paranormal Activity” arrives 10 years after “The Blair Witch Project,” and the two horror movies share more than a clever construct and shaky, handheld camerawork.
“Paranormal Activity” opens with a title card, thanking the families of Micah Sloat and Katie Featherstone as well as the San Diego Police Department, an immediate signal that the “found footage” we’re about to see won’t have a happy outcome.
The entire film takes place at the couple’s cookie-cutter dwelling, its layout and furnishings indistinguishable from just about any other readymade home constructed in the past 20 years. Its ordinariness makes the eerie, nocturnal activities all the more terrifying, as does the anonymity of the actors adequately playing the leads.
The thinness of the premise is laid bare toward the end, but not enough to erase the horror of those silent, nighttime images seen through Micah’s bedroom camera. “Paranormal Activity” owns a raw, primal potency, proving again that, to the mind, suggestion has as much power as a sledgehammer to the skull.
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I’m not sure if I want to see this movie on the big screen – what about you? Have you seen it yet or are you going to see it the next days?

9 Best Eco Apocalyptic Science Fiction Films of All Time

treehugger.com: There’s nothing like a vision of a world gone to hell to get the point across.
Movies have the power to hit messages home with people around the world, regardless of class, race, or socio-economic background. In these nine post-apocalyptic movies, ranging from the 1960’s until next month the death destruction, and general bleak futuristic visions are all based on environmental disasters.
1.) The Matrix Trilogy
2.) Children of Men
3.) Blade Runner
4.) Mad Max Trilogy
5.) Logan’s Run
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I really love this list. What about you – disagree or think he missed something?