Movies: Ghosts and Monsters Top the Box Office

This just in Dreamworks Animation announced their next animated film called "Poop on a Stick" and it is already projected for a $60 million opening! This coming on the heel's of "Monsters Vs. Aliens" opening this weekend to an expected $58 million from 4,104 sites and a killer $14,181 average. The opening was no where near the last two "Shrek" films but on par with last year's Dreamworks offering "Kung FuPanda" which opened to $60 million last June. "Monsters" did play in around 2,000 3d theaters and with the elevated ticket prices a matching of "Panda's" haul was expected. But it is still a solid opening for the commercial juggernaut.

The real surprise of the weekend came at the number two spot where the Virginia Madsen starring "The Haunting in Connecticut" scared up $23.1 million from 2,732 sites for a very strong 8,422 average. The fright flick was projected to finish in the mid teens but made an almost 10 million dollar jump. The tally once again proves the allure of horror films released in the early months of the year.

This move was not unlike the one experienced by last week's number one film "Knowing." The Nicholas Cage thriller, which surprised insiders to lead the frame last week, held strong falling only 40 % to an estimated $14.7 million for a total cume of $46 million.

40% is a great hold for a science fiction film as they typically lose 50-60 percent of their audience but the true hold over of the week is the laugher "I Love You, Man" which lost only 29% of it's audience. It came in with a strong $12.6 million tally and a cume of $37 million. The Paul Rudd starring film should continue it's strong hold and be headed towards 60-80 million.

Rounding out the top five is the under performing "Duplicity" which fell by 45% to an estimated $7.5 million for a two week gross of $25 million.

Overall the Box Office was up a whopping 58 percent over a year ago when "21" led the box office with 24.1 million.

1	Monsters vs. Aliens	$ 58,200,000			4,104	1	$ 14,181	$ 58,200,000	Paramount
2	The Haunting in Connecticut	23,010,000			2,732	1	8,422	23,010,000	Lionsgate
3	Knowing	14,700,000	24,604,751	-40.3	3,337	2	4,405	46,215,000	Summit
4	I Love You, Man	12,600,000	17,810,270	-29.3	2,717	2	4,637	37,007,000	Paramount
5	Duplicity	7,556,000	13,965,110	-45.9	2,579	2	2,930	25,639,000	Universal
6	Race to Witch Mountain	5,637,000	12,786,041	-55.9	3,268	3	1,725	53,295,000	Buena Vista
7	12 Rounds	5,300,000			2,331	1	2,274	5,300,000	Fox
8	Watchmen	2,750,000	6,801,114	-59.6	2,010	4	1,368	103,291,000	Warner Bros.
9	Taken	2,700,000	4,057,695	-33.5	1,961	9	1,377	137,074,000	Fox
10	The Last House on the Left	2,611,000	5,776,160	-54.8	2,251	3	1,160	28,459,000	Universal

Movies: Bizarre "Stooges" to Hit Big Screen

I don't know about you but when I think Sean Penn I think hilarity and I definitely think physical comedian. If this sounds like a bizarro description of the recent Oscar winner to you,well, then we have entered the Twilight Zone.  The most serious man on Earth has been cast as Larry in the Farrelly Brothers directed "The Three Stooges"  Joining Penn are Che Guevera himself Benicio Del Toro as Moe and elastic comedian Jim Carrey as Curly.  The film will not be a biopic of the three actors but a comedy about the antics of the three characters.  

The cast is certainly star studded and out of the box. My first thoughts were to discount this but I'm sure Penn and Del Toro can do anything and say what you want about Carrey but he is a brilliant physical comedian.  I'm looking on with curiosity.

Video Games: Zelda Back on "Track"

We have a new Legend of Zelda game headed our way and we are getting it by year's end! The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks has our hero as the conductor of a train that transports from,where else, dungeon to dungeon.  It looks like a spiritual, if not actual sequel, to Windwaker and Phantom Hourglass.  The big N is not sharing the plot just yet so for now just feast your eyes on the embedded trailer courtesy of CNET.

Video Games: Nintendo Jogs it's Memory

We only had to wait a paltry 2 1/2 years but the days of cleaning out the fridge are over. 

Because at the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco Nintendo unveiled (and launched) their new SD card interface titled System Menu 4.0.  This update will, in some way, solve the storage problems that comes from the Wii only have 512mb of internal memory by unlocking that SD slot on the front of your console.  You can now transfer and even download  your Virtual Console and WiiWare titles to the card and play them right from there, sort of.  You don't actually run them off the SD card. When you choose a game, say Super Metroid, the Wii actually transfers a virtual copy of the game onto an allotted space on the system's internal memory.  So, if you have a full console you still won't be able to play said game.  But never fear Samus fans the big N has created contingency called Auto Manager that will give you the option of moving files to the card so you can free up some space.

The update also allows you to use mega sized 32GB  SD cards which should make the space issue a non starter.  However, in true Nintendo fashion, the update is not without it's quandaries.  You can still not run save data from the card.  Because using memory cards, something we've been doing for a better part of 15 years, is a little out of Nintendo's depth. That gripe aside with Wii Speak and now this we finally have a fully functioning console!

Fanboy Remix Podcast Episode 1.4 "Synecdoche, New York""

Bobby and Brian return after a week's hiatus for the Fanboy Remix Podcast. In our troubled fourth installment we wrestle technical issues, battle over the status of Sam Raimi as a horror director, debate if Quidditch can get you laid and struggle to pronounce the name of the movie we are reviewing. Despite this we manage to review two Disney films and the newest Charlie Kaufman work "Synecdoche, New York."

FBR Episode 1.4 "Synecdoche, New York

Mac: Option click for direct download
PC: Right click and save as


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Movies: Bobby's DVD Corner 3.24.09

Namaste, Wilkkomen, and greetings I'm your intrepid reporter and managing editor Bobby Shortle and I thought I'd try my hand at a weekly DVD column. I will attempt to run over the week's major releases and give you an idea of what I think is worth your scratch. I'm going to start small but if you enjoy the column please get in contact with me and I'll expand it. Without further ado let us dive deep into the dark waters of retail and see what we find.

Quantum of SolaceA very good action film and a middle of the road Bond film. I felt it took too much from the Bourne films and lost alot of the British flair that Casino Royale seemed to balance so well. That being said you can do a lot worse it's worth a watch for the opera house scene alone. The disc itself includes 8 featurettes the longest being the 24 minute "Bond On Location." This is a big week for 007 because....

Never Say Never Again, Moonraker, The World is Not Enough


It's a Blu-Ray and Bond kind of week as three films from three eras hit shelves. Connery's Never Say Never Again, Roger Moore's Moonraker and Pierce Brosnan's The World is Not Enough. All three were much maligned upon their respective releases and have fared no better as time passed. That being said the previous Blu-Ray releases have been solid discs with outstanding transfers. So, if you like the suave Englishman you could do worse.

Bolt

2008 was a great year for animated films and although Bolt wasn't the best of the big three (Wall E and Kung Fu Panda being the others) it was certainly a return to form for Disney Animation Studios. They stopped trying to impersonate Dreamworks and got back to telling solid stories. All Disney films are sites to behold on Blu-Ray so if you are picking it up there you won't be disappointed. As far as features there is:
All-New Exclusive Super Rhino Short
Deleted Scenes
A New Breed Of Director: A Filmmaker's Journey
Act, Speak! The Voices Of Bolt
Creating The World Of Bolt
Miley Cyrus And John Travolta Sing The Song I Thought I Lost You In Studio
DisneyFile Digital Copy

Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter

From the desk of fucking awesome shit Watchmen companion Tales of the Black Freighter hits shelves this week. The DVD also contains a mockumentary "Under the Hood" which is pulled from the appendix of the novel. My better judgment says to leave this and wait for the catch all Watchmen DVD to hit later this year. But since when does DVD buying have anything to do with better nature?

The Lost Watch 5.09

Egads, Losties! We had ourselves a crazy week with “Namaste” hitting our TV’s evening. This episode was one of those great mid-season-could-have-been-a-finale/premiere episodes where all kinds of crazy crazy shit happened!

Before we go any further…is Christian alive or dead? This appearance might lend itself to the “alive” argument, but it could have also been a “Ghost of Christmas Past” kind of setting where Christian could interact with the environment without interacting with the events occurring. Like a pensieve, Harry Potter style. It’s the question I think the most about at this point, and what’s fascinating is that it can be stretched to question other things about our sordid Island past. Like, was Locke’s father/the original Sawyer dead when he was brought back to the Island and the Island reanimated him? Could Locke be one of our own hero’s daddy? Fathers and sons have always been thematically important to the show and I think the Christian quotient may lead to reveals about both the Island’s “powers” and connections amongst the castaways. I’m tellin’ ya!
The baby Ethan reveal blew my balls away. I have nothing more to add to this.

The entire episode was jam-packed with juicy, juicy bits, like any time Hurley came by to close out a scene or the reunion of Juliet and Kate at Orientation. I even jizzed myself a little bit when I realized Ajira Air Flight 316 was landing on the very runway (nay, the foundation!) that Kate and Sawyer had built during their time in captivity with the Others, circa Season 3. The meat and potatoes of the episode, though, was the meeting of Jack and James.

James’s ascension to the top of the survivor heap has been just as much about him actually living long enough to become the leader, as it has been about him growing into the role much more naturally than either Jack or Locke (or Ben, for that matter) had when the position was thrust upon them. He is the true embodiment of a leader forced into the position: unwitting, yet completely willing to act when the moment arrives. His defense of this position was eloquent, particularly the bit about Churchill, and properly asserted his dominance on the Island.

Jack seemed all too happy to let someone else lead the way, a position I didn’t expect, but was pleasantly surprised to witness. I super-dug his moment with Juliet, but I loved that he took the Juliet-James pairing in welcoming stride. He just seems genuinely happy to return to a universe that can make sense to him, even if it doesn’t always work to his advantage.

I do think, though, that Sawyer came out at the end. To so blatantly mark your territory to an “opponent” who has clearly stepped aside was “the Old Sawyer” and one that I kind of thought we were done with. It’s not that I expected the two of them to crack open some beers and play a game of pinochle, but I don’t think Sawyer’s parting remarks were entirely necessary. I don’t think that I disagree with the idea that James wouldn’t revert back into his old ways when his former nemesis comes back to New Otherton, but I was hoping for a little bit more maturity, a running trait in all of the men that come into my life!

Before we part ways for another several days, I’d like to touch upon the question of why Sun and Ben aren’t with the rest of the survivors in 1977. Our host, Bobby, believes that Sun’s intentions may be keeping her from achieving her goal. After all, she did make a deal with Whitmore before flying to L.A. to meet up with the rest of the 6. I think this is a compelling argument, and one I can’t refute for lack of any substantial evidence. He also thinks Ben couldn’t be in two places at once, but quickly took that back once it was pointed out that Sawyer had to have existed in two times at once during the skipping-Island factor. We can easily, though, continue to trace the ill-intentions theory with Ben, though I think it can be filtered down even farther.

I don’t think Ben is supposed to have ever come back to the Island at all. I think that his not being with the rest of those “present” in 1977 is the Island’s way of shunning Mr. Linus. Conversely, the Island is testing Sun due to her mal-intent. Interesting questions…

And so, fellow Losties, we’ve meet then end of our weekly pow-wow.

Keep twiddling those dials,

WAIT!!!

Daniel Farraday...where is he? I don't know! I don't know!?

~Romulus

Movies: Cage Box Office King!

So, you can count me in the shocked category on this Sunday afternoon because math thriller Knowing has landed Nicholas Cage on top of the box office once again. The Alex Proyos(Dark City, The Crow) film nabbed $24.8 million on 3,332 screens for a $7,447 average. Prior to this weekend's haul most industry experts were tracking the film at third place bow and around $15 million for the weekend. That prediction was blown out of the water when the sci fi offering pulled in $8.9 million on it's first day. Knowing once again proves the muscle that Cage brings to genre pictures.

Finishing very strongly (and right on expectations) was the Paul Rudd, Jason Segal vehicle I Love You, Man the laugher co-starring Rashida Jones toke in an estimated $18 million with a $6.641 average from 2,711 sites. This opening is right on target with other comedies of it's ilk with Role Models and Forgetting Sarah Marshall pulling in $19.2 and $17.7 million respectively. There is great word of mouth on Man and it should hold up as well as those other pics did.

The other new release of the week Duplicity opened decently in third place with $14.4 million. The Clive Owen/Julia Roberts vehicle failed to incite the same kind of fire as the similar Mr. and Mrs. Smith which bowed in the summer of 2005 to a whopping $50 million. That movie had the benefit of the summer season and a spicy Angelina Jolie/ Brad Pitt off screen tryst. Still, there was a day when a Julia Roberts movie would not be third banana.

The top five was rounded out by a couple of holdovers. Disney's Race To Witch Mountain fell 46% for an estimated $13 million and Watchmen continues its precipitous fall losing 62% of its audience for a weekend haul 0f around $6 million. The two films have gathered $44 million and $98 million respectively.

I did want to note one more top ten film. Coraline swept back into 3-d theaters this weekend and in doing so only lost about $600,000 weekend to weekend. It came in at number 10 with around 2 million bucks. It's nice to see such a well made film really resonating with a main stream audience. It's total cume now sits around $72 million.

1	Knowing	$ 24,813,000			3,332	1	$ 7,447	$ 24,813,000	Summit
2	I Love You, Man	18,005,000			2,711	1	6,641	18,005,000	Paramount
3	Duplicity	14,402,000			2,574	1	5,595	14,402,000	Universal
4	Race to Witch Mountain	13,004,000	24,402,214	-46.7	3,187	2	4,080	44,715,000	Buena Vista
5	Watchmen	6,720,000	17,817,301	-62.3	3,510	3	1,915	98,060,000	Warner Bros.
6	The Last House on the Left	5,921,000	14,118,685	-58.1	2,402	2	2,465	24,047,000	Universal
7	Taken	4,100,000	6,568,651	-37.6	2,661	8	1,541	133,139,000	Fox
8	Slumdog Millionaire	2,700,000	5,002,777	-46.0	2,067	19	1,306	137,202,000	Fox Searchlight
9	Madea Goes to Jail	2,510,000	5,108,532	-50.9	1,835	5	1,368	87,208,000	Lionsgate
10	Coraline	2,143,000	2,718,231	-21.2

Movies: "Year One" Trailer

The first trailer for writer/director Harold Ramis' upcoming prehistoric comedy Year One recently came online. In it, Michael Cera and Jack Black star as prehistoric hunter-gatherers who are banished from their village and end up on a journey across the ancient world, meeting all kinds of people along the way including Paul Rudd,Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt, David Cross and the delicious Olivia Wilde.

You can head on over to Yahoo and see the trailer in a plethora of formats.....HERE

Video Games: Milano Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts!

Source: Variety

Ghostbusters: The Game has taken a hit in nostalgic cred but a major step up in the hotness meter as Alyssa Milano has signed on to voice Dana Barrett in the Atari published game. The part was originally played by Sigourney Weaver who declined the chance to reprise her roll.

How weird is the world when you can get the normally aloof Bill Murray to come back but not Rick Moranis or Sigourney Weaver. Milano is a good actress my only pause is that it might sound out of place. She is certainly saying the right things though. Milano stated "I have so much respect for that character in the movie that I hope I do the position that she is in justice. I was just flattered to be asked to be part of 'Ghostbusters'."

Ghostbusters: The Game hits the PS3. XBOX 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PS2 and PC on June 16th.

Movies: Set My Ring of Power to Stun!

It seems DC/Warner Brothers might not be so far off from launching on of their major heroes to the big screen and they are looking to Captain James T. Kirk to do it.

Chris Pine who is all set to play the non Shatner Kirk in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot may be slipping on that all powerful ring and becoming the Green Lantern. That's word over at IESB anyway, where they report that Pine is at the top of the casting list.

This would mark the first major hero outside of Batman and Superman to make it to the big screen. (I don't count Catwoman and neither should any rational human being).

The film would be the story of Hal Jordan, a test pilot who was given a power ring by a dying alien, Abin Sur, and who became a member of the Green Lantern Corps, an interstellar organization of police overseen by the Guardian of the Universe.

Casino Royale director Martin Campbell is set to helm with an eye on a December release date.

Movies: Whitaker Expendable, 50 Cent Necessary!

How do you go from Oscar winner to a sort of popular rapper? For the answer to that you must ask Sylvester Stallone. It has been rumored for a few days the Forrest Whittaker would have to back out of Stallone's macho epic The Expendables due to scheduling conflicts the only question was who was to replace him? Naturally Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson of course! I don't quite get how they are playing similar folks but it might just come down to the fact that they needed to start shooting and 50 was available.

For those of you who don't know what The Expendables is it's the story about the US with the help of other Nations secretly put together a squad of its most trained military personal to finally over throw the dictator who has caused devastation in South America for over 20 years. The team sets out on its mission to complete the assassination but with little help from the nations as they try to keep the mission secret. After they realize that there will be no outside help they rely on their own sources to fight not only the dictator's army but also the Governments that set them up.

The plot is whatever I know but take a look at this cast!
Hale Caesar is Curtis Jackson
Toll Road is Randy Couture
Monroe is Eric Roberts
Tool is Mickey Rourke
Bao is Jet Li
Lee Christmas is Jason Statham
Lacy is Charisma Carpenter
Barney 'the schizo' Ross is Sylvester Stallone.

Movies: "Sorority Row" Trailer

The horror remake train is still at full steam. This year we've had Friday the 13th. My Blood Valentine and Last House on the Left and now there is Sorority Row. The remake of the 1983 film House on Sorority Row stars a bunch of nameless pretty people and of course Princess Leia. Head on over to MySpace for all sorts of HD goodness.

Movies: "Up" Making History at Cannes

Source: Variety

Pixar continued their dance up the Hollywood prestige ladder today with announcement that their latest film Up would open the Cannes Film Festival. This marks the first time in a history that an animated film and a 3d film of any kind will kick of the festival. Up will, of course, screen out of competition.

Pixar has always been a genius factory but Wall-E was heralded by many critics as being the best film of the year and one of the best Sci Fi films of all time. However, it is said that Disney brass including John Lassester have been disappointed with the Box Office takes and think taking it to France will make people take notice. Cannes has obviously taken notice.

"Cannes has demonstrated for many years its interest in animation by selecting films from DreamWorks, as well as films that use animation differently," said Thierry Fremaux, the fest's director. "It's audacious to open the festival with an animated film, but we're conscious of our duty: By stretching its boundaries, cinema remains universal."

"It's a great honor for the Walt Disney Studios, and our incredibly talented cast members at Pixar Animation Studios, to have 'Up' selected as the first animated feature to ever open the Cannes Film Festival," said Disney chairman Dick Cook. "We are so proud of this terrific movie and can't wait to share it with the film making community and festival goers."

Disney Animation Studios head John Lasseter said, "This is a huge step for animation and further supports our belief that a great animated film is simply a great film."

Movies: Transformers 3 Has A Date!!

Dreamworks and Paramount are jumping on the money train or should I say money autobot a little early this year.

Three months from the release of the second film the two studios announced that "Transformers 3" will hit theaters on July 1st 2011. This move continues the trend of Transformers marking out the July 4th holiday weekend.

Megatron joins Thor, Captain America, and Spider-man who were allready in habiting the dog days of 2011. Variety reports that: " No deals have been inked with director Michael Bay or franchise stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. Nor has a writer been hired for the third installment."

I could feign anger at Hollywood's consistent relase date before script trend but honestly it's a story about huge robots who change into cars. How much does the script really matter.

Movies: Sin City 2?

I'm still convinced that we will not know when "Sin City 2" is coming until Robert Rodriguez finishes shooting it in his garage. But Rosario Dawson decided to tease us a little bit this weekend. Both with the above photo and with this quote:
“Yeah, I talked to Robert [Rodriguez] and Frank [Miller]... They actually just finished the script for ‘Sin City 2’ a few months ago.”

Count me in no matter what.

Movies: "Thirst" Trailer

Korean "Oldboy" director and all around genius Park Chan-wook is laying his golden finger upon the vampire genre. "Thirst" tells the tale of a beloved and devoted priest from a small town volunteers for a medical experiment which fails and turns him into a vampire. Physical and psychological changes lead to his affair with a wife of his childhood friend who is repressed and tired of her mundane life. The one-time priest falls deeper in despair and depravity. As things turns for worse, he struggles to maintain whats left of his humanity.The trailer is embedded below!

Television: Dollhouse Episode 1.5: True Believer

Sorry for the late update, weekends aren’t easy when you work retail. But alas, I have come bearing greatness in the form of the latest Dollhouse episode, True Believer. Lately the episodes of Dollhouse have been getting progressively better and this episode held true to that theory, for the most part.

Echo gets sent into a closed religious community as a pawn of the ATF after they discover a note that says “save me” that supposedly came from one of those on the inside. It doesn’t help that the leader, who prior to his epiphany from God, was a wanted felon. Fun stuff. Echo however, doesn’t know she’s being used. She has been imprinted to truly believe she had a prophetic dream that brought her to the community… and she’s blind. Eliza really shows her range her, which is such a big sigh of relief! She is fantastic, playing just the right amount of innocence and wisdom at the same time. I’m really beginning to believe in her as our leading lady.

On the flip side, the actual story seemed interesting at first, until we find out that the ATF guy was an ex-cop who has a vendetta against the ex-felon, and planted the note in the first place as an excuse to raid the place. And so ex-cop is just as vile and petty as the ex-felon, *yawn*, and then Echo’s handler Boyd saves the day. Go Boyd! He’s like the newer generation of a Watcher, and totally has a Giles-esque relationship to Echo. And he kicks major ass. There’s nothing to not like about this guy.

But this isn’t before Dominic, head security of the Dollhouse, tries to seemingly take out Echo by knocking her out and leaving her in a flaming house. Ok, they really need to fire that guy. All he ever does is moan about how Echo needs to be brought to the ominous “Attic”, where it seems they take those dolls who don’t want to be played with anymore. I think he’s working for Alpha.

Speaking of, when can we finally SEE this guy? Apparently the next episode is the one that “changes everything” as the over-dramatic preview announced, and I’m hoping there’s going to be more on Alpha, what he’s doing and why he’s doing it. And also, Patton Oswalt guest stars. Well that’ll be interesting.

Sidenote: Whedon apparently has 5 years of this show planned out. Why does this not surprise me?

Until next time… another week, another imprint.

Movies: Weekend Box Office

Hey everybody sorry for the lack of posting the last few days. There was a family emergency so I'm just now getting back to old computer. I'll be back later today or tomorrow with my Battlestar review but for now here is the weekend box office estimates. I'm sad to see "Watchmen" fall so far.


# Title Mar 13 - 15 Mar 6 - 8 % Chg. Theaters Weeks AVG Cumulative Distributor

1 Race to Witch Mountain $ 25,000,000
2 Watchmen 18,070,000
3 The Last House on the Left 14,658,000
4 Taken 6,650,000
5 Madea Goes to Jail 5,130,000
6 Slumdog Millionaire 5,025,000
7 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 3,100,000
8 He's Just Not That Into You 2,900,000
9 Coraline 2,655,000
10 Miss March 2,350,000

Top 5 $ 69,508,000 $ 82,036,259 -15.3
Top 10 85,538,000 97,720,570 -12.5

Top 10 vs. 2008 85,538,000 101,905,424 -16.1
Top 10 vs. 2007 85,538,000 100,707,696 -15.1

Hamm is Luthor!

Sorry for the misleading headline but I figured it would grab your attention. A new video recently went up on FunnyofDie.com and you should give it a whirl!

"Lex Luthor Bailout" with Jon Hamm from Jon Hamm

Movies: Marvel Release Date Shake Up!

Only one more bit of Marvel news today I promise! Today Marvel Studios announced a lot of new release dates for their upcoming films.  Including the announcement of their first co-produced Spider-man picture.  I'm kind of excited about this delay.  I thought all these films were coming too fast anyway.  Now they will at least have the appropriate time to gestate and be the awesome movies we know they can be.  Below is an excerpt from Nikki Finke's column....

“This new schedule strongly sequences Marvel’s movie debut dates, big screen character introductions and momentum. It maximizes the visibility of our single character-focused films, leading to the highly anticipated release of the multi-character THE AVENGERS film in 2012,” said David Maisel, Chairman, Marvel Studios.

Sony Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ SPIDER-MAN 4 is slated for May 6, 2011. To date, all three motion pictures in the phenomenally successful SPIDER-MAN franchise have generated nearly $2.5 billion worldwide theatrically.

Below is Marvel Studios’ 2010-2012 updated release schedule for its slate of self-produced and financed feature films:

Marvel Studios Feature Film Pipeline
IRON MAN 2: formerly May 7, 2010, now May 7, 2010
THOR: formerly July 16, 2010, now June 17, 2011
CAPTAIN AMERICA: formerly May 6, 2011, now July 22, 2011
THE AVENGERS: formerly July 15, 2011, now May 4, 2012

The release date for IRON MAN 2 remains unchanged.

Movies: Scarlet a Widow and Rourke a Ruski

The internets is a buzz today with Marvel news.....

Mickey Rourke is in baby!! Marvel has ponied up the dough for Randy the Ram to play a yet to be named Russian villian in "Iron Man 2."  This is a big win for the film as it strengthens an allready stellar cast.  Rourke will join Downey, Paltrow, Jackson, Rockwell and....

It is being reported in the trades that Scarlett Johansson is all set to play Iron Man frienemy Black Widow in the upcoming "Iron Man 2."  The roll was originally offered to Emily Blunt but she had to bow out when Fox exercised it's option and put her in "Gulliver's Travels."  

Rourke? Johansson? Thoughts anyone...

Movies: "Twilight" Franchise Going Classy?

Variety and Nikki Finke are reporting that Summit Entertainment has inked "The Orphanage" director Juan Antonio Bayona to direct "Eclipse," the third film in the Twilight franchise.

Considering that "New Moon" the second film in the series has not yet started production a directorial announcement may seem strange. However, it is to be noted that "Eclipse" is due out in just over a year from now so Summit had to get a move on.

This choice of director is a great one.  In fact it reminds me of Alfonso Cuaron helming "Prisoner of Askaban" except for the fact that the Potter series comes from far superior source material. Bayona is a disciple of Guillermo Del Toro and a really talented guy in his own right. So, I'm anxious to see what he does with the franchise.  

The Lost Watch 5.08

Hello, Losties. Sorry it’s been a week longer than originally planned, but with this week’s mini-hiatus, I thought I’d hold the column to this week. So without further ado, here’s this week’s reaction to last Wednesday’s episode, “LaFleur.”
As simply put as possible, I really loved it.

One of my favorite questions raised by the show since the Season 3 finale has been what has everybody else been doing if three years have passed in “real” time. The idea those left behind could be literally anywhere at any time was a thrilling possibility. The reveal of this answer could have been a total let down or blown my balls away and changed how I feel about life in general.

But, as usual, Lost took the path of – and I say this not as a put-down at all – total least resistance. Considering where the show has been building with the handful of survivors left on the Island over the course of this season, looking back on “LeFleur,” nothing should have been shocking. However, the continuous payoffs of Sawyer and Juliet really coming into their own as leaders and as a new breed of heroes really elevated “LaFleur” over the “revelations” of last week’s “Bentham,” in my modest opinion.

Sawyer is walking a clear path of consciousness at this point in his character’s development, and considering there’s really no one else who could stand in for the more “absolute extreme” characters (ie, Jack or Locke or Ben), Sawyer’s manning-up is cool to me.

And Juliet. And Juliet. When Sawyer decides to go help Michelle Dressler and Juliet falls right in step…something in their characters felt absolutely right to me. I’ve felt all season that these two were going to get together, but their love story in this week’s episode takes these characters to new dimensions. Sawyer has literally been running for his life since well before he ever stepped onto our Island. Juliet’s been shouldering her own burden through three years of attending in vain to the pregnant on the Island. Joining this era of the Dharma Initiative, the two can settle into a (most deserving) faux-normality. The proof? When has Sawyer ever stopped to smell the flowers? Sawyer doesn’t need someone who could bolt as quickly as Kate could/would/has. He needs more than an intellectual equal in his partner. He needs someone who would fit with him, and Juliet fits that pattern to a T, much better than I think Kate ever could.

Ironic that I’ve been totally Team Jack in the war of Kate’s affection (and look how well that turned out…surprise!), but now I don’t want the two of them to eff up what may be my second favorite couple on the show (behind Bernard and Rose). That’s not true…I do love me some Jin and Sun. Sawliet might be #3.

And for the Juliet haters (like my mother)…if you can’t get on board with this chick, you’re just jealous. I’ve been sold by Juliet since Season 3 and I think this last episode cements her lack of ill intent on our heroes, her sincerity within her own plight and how right she is for Sawyer at this point in the story. Juliet’s one of our heroes. Deal with it!

Another thing this week’s episode got 100% right is the scene with Sawyer and Richard. Once upon a time, we would wait at least a season, maybe two, to get a payoff scene between characters like that. Even until recently upon a time, Sawyer would have made up some kind of crazy awesome story about what happened to those bodies instead of telling the absolute truth. I love the moments on the show where everybody gets clued in on that which everybody already knows everything that everybody knows and would need to be clued in on, but typically they come in someone slipping a Claire is Christian’s daughter to Jack at his father’s funeral. These reveals are generally stumbled upon. This conversation was blunt, here’s-what’s-going-on, let’s-get-rocking awesomeness.

In typical Lost fashion, I’m sure this established happy factor going on in New Otherton will be destroyed by the return of the Oceanic 6, et al. But one question I never asked myself before “LaFleur,” is whether or not I would want the Foundies to join back up with the Losties at all. This is the greatest contribution of this latest batch of episodes: we knew those who went back would somehow come back to the Island, but do we want them there anymore? Even taking Sawliet out of the equation, should Sun be home tending to the baby? Didn’t Kate vow to watch over Aaron?

We’ll have to wait ANOTHER week to find out just how much the Island will shake with the landing of the 6, but until then, I’m going to bask in the residual love of Sawyer and Juliet…

Keep twiddling those dials,

~Romulus

Movies: Saturn Award Nominees

The nominees for the 35 annual Saturn Awards were announced today. The Saturn Awards which are put on by The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films are a specialty award show catering to genre films. Head right over to their official website for all the details!

Science Fiction Film
"The Day the Earth Stood Still"
"Eagle Eye"
"The Incredible Hulk"
"Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
"Iron Man"
"Jumper"

Fantasy Film
"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Hancock"
"The Spiderwick Chronicles"
"Twilight"
"Wanted"

Horror Film
"The Happening"
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army"
"The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"
"Quarantine"
"Splinter"
"The Strangers"

Action / Adventure / Thriller Film
"Changeling"
"The Dark Knight"
"Gran Torino"
"Quantum of Solace"
"Traitor"
"Valkyrie"

Actor
Christian Bale, "The Dark Knight"
Tom Cruise, "Valkyrie"
Robert Downey, Jr.. "Iron Man"
Harrison Ford, "Indiana Jones & Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Will Smith, "Hancock"

Actress
Cate Blanchett, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Dark Knight"
Angelina Jolie. "Changeling"
Julianne Moore, "Blindness"
Emily Mortimer, "Transsiberian"
Gwyneth Paltrow, "Iron Man"

Director
Clint Eastwood, "Changeling"
Jon Favreau, "Iron Man"
David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight"
Bryan Singer, "Valkyrie"
Steven Spielberg, "Indiana Jones & Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
Andrew Stanton, "Wall-E"

Network Television Series
"Fringe"
"Heroes"
"Life On Mars"
"Lost"
"Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"
"Supernatural"

Movies: Loki Might be Joshin!

This story comes to us courtesy of IESB and JoBl and tells tale of a Thor casting rumor. Apparently Josh Hartnett is in the running to play the god of mischief himself Loki.

For those of you unaware Thor is the story of, well, Thor who is the Norse god of thunder. He is sent to earth by his father Odin to learn humanity and humility. Loki is his brother and constant fly in his ointment. Kenneth Branaugh is set to direct for a July 2010 release. Thoughts on Hartnett as Loki?

Movies: "Drag Me To Hell" Trailer!!!

The first trailer for "Drag Me To Hell," Sam Raimi's return to horror film making,debuted at Yahoo movies today. All I can say is hell fucking yeah. We have one of the greats going back to doing what he loves. People who don't know Evil Dead or any pre Spider-man Raimi will be in for a major shock.

Click the picture to peep the trailer!

Movies: Fantastic Again?

According to IESB 20th Century Fox is looking to reboot the "Fantastic Four" franchise. They plan to tone down the campiness and turn the production more towards an "Iron Man" like tone. The reboot would mean a totally different team. So, that mean Alba is out,Gruffold is out and Tim Story is out. However, Chiklis and Evans being out is not the best news. Evans as the Human Torch was the saving grace of both mediocre films.

I'm glad they are deciding on a new direction I just can;t put much faith in Tom Rothman's capabilities of letting a good hero movie happen.

Television: Let the Ratings Be With You!

The long gestating "Star Wars" live action television show is getting itself underway. George Lucas revealed to MTV that this new show will he show will center around minor characters from the mythology between REVENGE OF THE SITH and the original STAR WARS. We will follow the Rebel Alliance as it slowly gains strength against the Empire. There will be no Storm troopers nor Jedi.

It doesn't seem to matter how many Jar Jars, Jake Lloyds or gay Hutt clan members Lucas gives me I still find myself stoked beyond belief at this news. I'm always hungry for more of the universe and hopefully with television budget constraints Lucas can make something more akin to the first trilogy. Thoughts?

The Fanboy Remix Podcast Episode 1.3 "Watchmen"

Brian and Bobby return for the third episode of Fanboy Remix where they discuss "Watchmen," the evil that is Brett Ratner and stumble upon a golden idea for a new SNL film.

Episode 1.3 "Watchmen"
Mac: Option click for direct download
PC: Right click and save as


Subscribe on iTunes

Television: Dollhouse Episode 1.4 Recap

Spoilers within, for those who have missed this episode!

It is no secret that I am a big fan of all things Joss Whedon, so when word was out last year of him creating a new series with Eliza Dushku as the lead, I waited with baited breath. Now, Dollhouse has already aired it’s fourth episode this past Friday, and though slow going at start, the series is picking up momentum.

So we kicked off this week’s episode of Dollhouse with Echo as a midwife helping to deliver a baby. Well, that’s something different from the usual promiscuous scamp she’s been portraying in opening sequences. And shortly after her wipe, we learn Echo, Sierra, and Victor are grouping together, having lunch together on a repeated basis, at the same table… you know what this spells… dolls, taking over the world. Dum dum DUM.

The set up for Echo this time? She’s a sassy, smart-ass criminal mastermind trying to steal a painting with a couple of other cat burglars. The attitude is reminiscent of her role as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer… in fact; many of the personalities she’s been “imprinted with” seem to fall in Faith territory. I’m not sure if it’s Dushku who can’t seem to expand herself beyond that point or if it’s just the material she’s given, but it’s all sort of becoming a little predictable. I do have faith (no pun intended) that she can pull other “personalities off”, it just seems a little too soon to tell yet.

So there they are breaking and entering as any good thief does, and Echo is suddenly remotely wiped, cradling her knees and asking “can I go now?” over and over. Yikes. Way to screw up mid-theft. So now Sierra (portrayed by the sort of attractive, sort of alien looking Dichen Lachman) is being sent to the rescue with the same personality Echo was originally imprinted with. Lachman seems to do an awesome job playing the same exact character as Dushku, in fact, she’s dead on. The two even share some of the same lines, and it’s rather convincing that they both have become the same personality.

Dushku plays her wiped doll state very well. It’s probably the most interesting she is so far on the show, when she’s vulnerable and uncertain and you really feel for her in the situation. It’s also when we start to see her becoming self-aware, a little at a time. She even holds a full, albeit disjointed, conversation with one of the other burglars, which is a step up from her repetition of phrases she’s heard. I slowly see it coming together, and with every moment she gives us with insight to her consciousness I get chills. Knowing Whedon, this is heading to something good.

Especially so when we have a faceless villain called Alpha, who is himself a “doll gone wrong” (and seems to be the culprit behind this remote personality wipe). It seems he has become aware and was also equipped at his most basic state with some killer instincts (yes, pun INTENDED there), since what we do know is at one point he massacred quite a few dolls and escaped. My thinking is he knows Echo is becoming aware, and instead of killing her, wants to bring her over to his side so to speak. And with rumors that Alan Tudyk of Firefly could be the actor playing him, the build up to the reveal is even more exciting.

Well that’s it for now until next Friday, with what seems to be the most interesting episode so far; Echo is sent blindly (literally) undercover by the FBI to a religious cult village. Oh Joss, you are your religious jabs. I love ‘em!