There has been a growing trend with the studios recently to NOT show advanced copies of their films to critics. According to Craig’s Flix Picks, 7 films were withheld from the critics last year… there have already been 8 this year.

Folks… whatever your opinion is of film critics… WHEN A STUDIO WON’T SHOW IT’S FILM TO CRITICS IN ADVANCE, IT’S A BAD SIGN AND MAJOR RED FLAG.

There are obviously exceptions to every rule, but generally when a studio KNOWS a film sucks so bad that they can’t risk letting bad reviews get out… you know something is wrong. The sad part is… we stil fall for it.

4 of the 8 films not shown to critics have opened at #1. The Studios gamble pays off. Don’t let the public know how bad the film is… and they can still make big money on opening weekend before word gets out about how bad their movie really is. So do yourselves a favour… and send the studios a mesage: If you notice that there are no reviews available for a film that’s opening up, DON’T SPEND YOUR MONEY ON SEEING IT until the following week once some reviews and word of mouth have got around about it. You could save yourself $10 and teach the studios a lesson.

D-War is a film that I’ve been following with much anticipation for the last year or so. I was surprised to find out that a much cleaner version of the D-War trailer had become available and I let it slip under my nose. But oh well… that happens. Not sure what D-War is?

“D-War” is a special effects sci-fi pic which combines Korean folklore, US actors and production talent wrapped up in a tight Korean digital effects package. The film is the story of a huge, giant serpent that devastates Los Angeles in its hunt for a girl who can transform it into a dragon.

This film looks like a whole boat load of fun. According to M&C the film cost a whopping $145 million to produce (honestly… the move does look like fun… but the effects aren’t THAT good).

Oh yes! Giant dragons and serpents destroying LA! Now that’s a fun Saturday afternoon my friends! D-War (Dragon War) opens at Cannes in May. To see the D-War trailer you can go here.

There has been a bunch of speculation and rumour floating around about the possibility of a new Star Trek film being in the works. Yeah well… you can put those to bed right now… because it ain’t happening. The good folks over at CinemaBlend offer us this:

The latest issue of sci-fi magazine Dreamwatch features an interview with Doug Mirabello, assistant to Trek producer Rick Berman, who has confirmed that the Jendresen script has indeed been jettisoned and there are now no plans to bring back Star Trek in any form in the forseeable future.

On the Patrick Stewart rumors, Mirbello says, “It’s more likely that some executive had a casual conversation with him and brought up some hypotheticals which he ran with when some reporter asked him about Star Trek… From what I’ve heard Patrick wouldn’t do another Trek movie unless they paid him Professor X money.”

So there you have it. Can’t say I’m too broken up about it. Every single one of the “Next Generation” films have been big disappointments and the Star Trek fan base has been shrinking steadily with no new fans being brought on in years. It is indeed time to put this franchise to sleep. Maybe a new TV property… but even that is “ify” at this point.

There has been more bad news than good coming out of X-Men 3 land, but this interview with director Brett Ratner is at least a little encouraging. In an interview with Sci-Fi Wire, Ratner says that one of the most important things to him on this project was staying true to the tone and feel that Bryan Singer set with the first 2 X-Men installment. Here’s some of what was said:

In casting the new actors, Ratner said that he tried to remain true to Singer’s vision. “I thought, ‘If Bryan was directing this movie, who would he hire?’” he said. “I was very careful, not because I want to make sure he’s happy with the movie—although I care what he thinks and I respect his work—but I didn’t want to have fans saying, ‘Where did that come from?’”

This is good news. The only question is… did Ratner succeed? We’ll know the answer May 26th.

The tale of John Travolta is both an inspiring one… and a sad one. The man’s career was DEAD for more than 10 years… and then suddenly he burst back on the scene with a string of hit films. That string got snapped when he decided to make a film himself based on the work of the deceased figurehead of his religion (Scientology)… and the world was subjected to what is in my opinion the single worst film in the history of Hollywood “Battlefield Earth“. The man has had flop after flop after flop since.

So what does the man do? He decides to make his own film again! This time it’s a romantic comedy (oh joy). The good folks over at Moviehole offer up this:

Travolta has written a romantic-comedy, which he tells the site, will film in the U.K. “It’s a tear-jerker. Fans will love it, but there’s a love theme throughout”, he says, adding that he also plans to sing the movie’s theme song

Travolta will sing the theme??? Oh well that fixes EVERYTHING then (please note tone). This could get scary.

The good folks over at Latino Review have put up the official 1 sheet for the upcoming latest video game-to-movie adaptation “Silent Hill“. To see a larger version of the Silent Hill poster you can go here.

They’re synopsis for Silent Hill goes something like this:

The eerie and deserted ghost town of SILENT HILL draws a young mother desperate to find a cure for her only child’s illness. Unable to accept the doctor’s diagnosis that her daughter should be permanently institutionalized for psychiatric care, Rose (Radha Mitchell) flees with her child, heading for the abandoned town in search of answers — and ignoring the protests of her husband (Sean Bean). It’s soon clear this place is unlike anywhere she’s ever been. It’s smothered by fog, inhabited by a variety of strange beings and periodically overcome by a living Darkness that literally transforms everything it touches. As Rose searches for her little girl, she begins to learn the history of the strange town and realizes that her daughter is just a pawn in a larger game.

Now don’t get me wrong, there hasn’t been anything wrong with the trailers or images I’ve seen for Silent Hill… but I just can’t get excited about ANY video game movies… because they have all without exception SUCKED no matter how much promise they seemed to have. Nothing will convince me otherwise until one finally proves it on the big screen. Man I’m so jadded.

It looks like the reports of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s demise as Conan may have been greatly exagerated. Hollywood North is reporting that the big man is still very much in the mix for King Conan should Arnold lose or not run for Govenor again (it looks like he wouldn’t stand a chance at re-election at this point).

“…Jeff Robinov (President of Warner Bros. Films) is definitely hoping that Arnold loses the race for a 2nd term as governor,” says the site, “so he can make his place back into feature films with King Conan”.

The story would revolve around an older, wiser, more diplomatic ‘King’ Conan, who secretly craves the adventures of his youth and trains his son to follow in his footsteps. “If Arnold loses the next term, Warner Bros wants the new Conan epic shooting on a gruelling gorilla schedule, around the clock, starting March 2007 for a December 2007 release date.”

Let’s face it, Arnold isn’t at all the physical presence that he used to be, and I don’t think any of us could buy him jumping around in a leather loin cloth with sword in hand killing baddies. BUT… if this story is true and we see Conan in a more elder sage role… then I think this could be wonderful news.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go put towls down on my floor before Doug and Darren arrive for The Audio Edition… because Doug is going to wet himself when he sees this news.

Ok, this sounds hillarious…. even if not totally original. Looks like the Wedding Crashers team of director David Dobkin and Vince Vuaghn are teaming up again, this time in a Holliday movie about Santa’s lesser known brother “Fred Clause”.

Yes, it does sound a bit like a Bad Santa rip off… but I don’t care. I think this has “classic” wirtten all over it (It should be pointed out that I’ve said that before and been TOTALLY wrong). Doug once said it best “Vince Vuaghn is Oprah for men, and I’m ready for my dose.

A project like this also really lends itself to the Frat Packs trend of lots of cameos by each other. I suspect we’ll see Wilson brothers, Stiller, Black, Ferrell all in there at some point too. Maybe Ferrell could appear as an elf. Now THERES an idea!

I really hated the first Spawn movie. It’s not that it was the worst film in the world (but it was pretty damn bad), but my displeasure was compounded by the fact that I was sooo looking forward to it. Some of the effects were pretty good for it’s day, but overall it was just a junk movie.

Could redemption be in the cards? Apparently the Canadian creator of Spawn Todd McFarlane has announced that there is indeed a Spawn 2 that will be in theaters by the end of 2007. The good folks over at Hollywood North reported the following:

“I’m in the middle of the script and will have to do some rewrites, but I’m hoping by the end of the year, I’ll be behind the camera,” McFarlane said. “You can do wonderful movies for under $10 million…I’ve got the money, so I’m going to write it, produce it and direct it.”

McFarlane said that the film will be focused on the character ‘Twitch’. “Spawn doesn’t utter a word in this film…the guy with all the speaking parts is Twitch…

A full length film like Spawn (that will require it’s fair share of visual effects) for UNDER $10 MILLION BUCKS?!?! And a film where the main character doesn’t even speak?!?! Hmmm… sounds like this one will turn out just as bad as the first. Hope I’m wrong about that.

The hit TV show “The Soproans” is coming to an end… but the creator of the show isn’t ruling out a big screen 1 shot movie at some point in the near future either. The good folks over at MSNBC give us this:

“It may be that in two or three or four years I could be sitting around and get an idea for a really great ’Sopranos’ movie,” David Chase told The New York Times in a joint interview with James Gandolfini, star of the HBO series. “I don’t think that will happen. But if one morning somebody woke up and said this would make a really good, concise, contained ’Sopranos’ story, I wouldn’t rule that out.”

You can also add to that list “If it’ll make me money”, because we all know THAT is the criteria on which a possible Sopranos movie hinges. If it’ll make someone lots of money… you can bet your sweet ass that it’ll get made. And honestly, a Sopranos movie that is totally free of it television shackles with bring in a TON of cash at the Box Office.

I’ll go on record right now and say that by 2008 a Sopranos movie will have been announced. Mark my words… or take great glee in telling me how wrong I am… it’s all good. :)

Here’s an interesting story that I’m really not sure how I feel about. The good folks over at M&C give us this:

An underground global movement called the ‘Guerrilla Girls’ has rankled Oscar officials with a billboard of a transvestite King Kong in Los Angeles. The billboard — near the Kodak Theatre where the Oscars will be handed out next Sunday — depicts Kong wearing a dress and makeup holding an Oscar statuette, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

The sign — which cost $4,500 a month — reads: ‘Unchain the Women Director. Women directed only 7 percent of the top 200 films of 2005,’ and ‘No woman director has ever won the Oscar. Only 3 have been nominated.’ The sign was created and funded by 13 women`s organizations, including Women in Film and the Fund for Women Artists.

Those are some pretty shocking numbers really. Only 14 of the topp 200 films this past year had female directors?!?! Wow. I didn’t expect it to be that low. However, before jumping to conclusions, the question has to be asked… are these numbers due to Hollywood not giving female directors a chance, or is it that there aren’t enough quality female director’s in Hollywood right now? The answer is probably somewhere in between.

I thinnk it would just be ignorant to suggest it’s 100% either one or the other… but clearly there is an issue that should be looked at. I don’t know what the answer is.

To be honest, if I had $20 million to invest in a movie (I’d probably develop a drug and sex addiction), I’d probably want my movie to be in the best hands (man or woman). But I certainly wouldn’t give it to a female director JUST BECUASE SHE’S FEMALE. So does my attitude just perpetuate the problem? What do you think? I think I’ll bring this up on the Audio Edition later.

More Marvel comic characters are coming out way, and this one looks REALLY interesting. It has been confirmed that director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, The Hulk) has signed on to produce a film based on the Marvel character Shang-Chi. The good folks over at M&C give us this:

Announced back in 2003 under the working title of ‘The Hands of Shang-Chi, the movie will be based on the Marvel Comics hero of the 1980’s - 90’s, a young Kung-Fu master (Shang-Chi) who learns his father is the world’s worst criminal and he must face him in battle.

Sounds fantastic to me! The EVEN BETTER news on this is that Woo-Ping Yuen (fight choreographer ‘Kill Bill’, ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ - director ‘Drunken Master’) is singed on to direct the film. How many ways can you say “ACTION”. I’m salavating already. MMMmmmm… King-Fu goodness.

I know a lot of people (including me) are looking forward to May 19th, the release date of The Da Vinci Code. However, it looks like there could be a legitimate threat to its coming out party. According to the great folks over at FilmRot, the project is caught up in a huge legal battle from authors of another book that claim Dan Brown’s project plagiarized their own. This could cause MAJOR problems.

The 10 million claim by co-authors Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, who wrote the book (Holy Blood and The Holy Grail) in 1984, is for breach of copyright on the grounds that the structure of their book was plagiarised by author Dan Brown for The Da Vinci Code. If the judge upholds the claim, there could be a lengthy delay or even ban on the film, which is expected to be the biggest British film of the year.

THere have been other court battle stories this year that have threatened release dates… but this one looks like it could have some teeth to it.

In the end though… the studios themselves will put up settlement money if they have to. They don’t want they’re $100 million+ investment to get hurt over $10 million in court actions. Still… it’ll be interesting to see how this turns out.

The Stay Alive trailer has hit the web… and all I can say is “Whhoopdy-Fricken-Do”. Don’t let the title fool you… this isn’t a sequel to John Travolta’s “Staying Alive”. Staying Alive has 3 extra letters in its title than Stay Alive does… and it appears it also has some kind of quality to it… unlike Stay Alive.

Here’s the Stay Alive synopsis:

After the mysterious brutal death of an old friend, a group of teenagers find themselves in possession of Stay Alive, a next generation horror survival videogame based on the spine-chilling true story of a 17th century noblewoman known as “The Blood Countess.”

Ooooo… so it’s a game you play… but once you PLAY it, you become cursed to die. You see your horrible fate in the game and that happens to you in real life. Wow… haven’t seen any of that before have we. Oh wait… yes we have… it was called The Ring, The Ring 2, Final Destination, FearDotCom and many many others all rolled into one.

This trailer is just terrible and gets ZERO interest from me for the film

If you want to see the Stay Alive trailer you can go here.

As some of you may have noticed, Richard Brunton is no longer with The Movie Blog. Richard is a terrific writer and top notch guy who we wish all the luck in the world to. Richard joins a growing list of fantastic Movie Blog Allumnists and will most most likely be doing other online projects, and we’re sure his will be just as great as the others. You can be sure that when Richard’s new projects are ready to launch we’ll let you know about it.

The new Stick It trailer has hit the web… and the best thing I can say about it is that I’ll give anything with Jeff Bridges in it a chance. But that’s about as far as the nice things I have to say goes.

The synopsis for Stick It looks like this:

Haley Graham (MISSY PEREGRYM) is a rebellious 17 year-old who is forced to return to the regimented world of gymnastics after a run-in with the law. A judge sentences Haley to her ultimate nightmare - attending an elite gymnastics academy run by legendary coach Burt Vickerman (JEFF BRIDGES).

Sound silly. Well you’re right. The Stick It trailer doesn’t do much to improve upon the synopsis. It just looks… well… dumb. But still, as I said above I will give anything with Jeff Bridges a chance. This guy is a Hall Of Fame actor who deserves better roles than this at this point in his career. Although I will say this… Gymnastics is an absolutely BRUTAL sport that I could never have even DREAMED about being capable of participating in. These people are the best athletes in the world bar none. At least the trailer gives you some sort of appreciation for that.

If for some reason you want to see the Stick It trailer you can just go here.

Here are some of the other movie related stories making their way around the web today:

- Some cool Silent Hill Images Although I just can’t seem to get excited about this film for some reason

- Study says Oscar winners live longer Yikes… I guess there’s another reason why I need to get moving on my documentary

- James Cameron to do another Water Romance

- Interview with David Morse about 16 Blocks I’m SOOOO Happy they’re giving this guy headline billing with Bruce Willis and Mos Def… I’ve been saying for year that Morse is one of the most underused and under valued talents in Hollywood. I’d still like to see him get his own lead.

- More Ultraviolet clips and artwork online Once again, I just can’t seem to get excited about this one. It looks like it was made by a bunch of student filmmakers with a small budget. Kind gives me the same feeling as Aeon Flux did. Guess we’ll see.

- Terry Gilliam says “Pirate all you want” Hmmm… I wonder how many studios are going to want to fund his projects now?

- Daredevil 2 looks like it’s a go!!! Just without Ben Affleck

Tom Cruise is reported to be attached to a up coming western project titled 3:10 to Yuma, which is a remake of the 1957 version staring Glenn Ford. To me this is good news. I enjoy a good western, and I have posted previously that this seems to be a genre which comes and goes. With Brad Pitt’s Jesse James movie on the way, this picture will have a promising follow up audience.

Regardless of Cruise’s wacky behavior and tabloid exposures, I think he’s a dynamite actor. The Last Samurai was an amazing picture from all aspects and I still question how Cruise was overlooked for an Academy award for his performance.

Freeze Dried Movies gives us the scoop on Cruise and 3:10 to Yuma.

Tom Cruise has been interested in many Sony features recently, and is reportedly favoring a remake of 1957’s Western ‘3:10 to Yuma’ according to Variety.

The script penned by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas with a rewrite by Stuart Beattie is what is said to have brought Cruise’s interest, and is favoring the role of the films villain. Attached is director James Mangold and is aiming to start filming this summer.

I am going to remain optimistic towards this movie. I have confidence in Cruise and when the cowboys aren’t making out, I can get into it.

No, that’s not a black and white picture you’re looking at. It’s Spider-Man in a black costume, and man I think it looks sweet. Also, don’t think that this is some fan made picture. This is right from the official Spider-Man 3 website my friends.

That Spider-Man is in a black costume is clear. What is NOT so clear is what’s behind the black costume. Is it just a black version of his costume? Or is the black outfit some how related to the Venom symbiote? Your guess is as good as mine.

Either way, Sony certainly isn’t wasting anytime in getting the marketing machine reved up for Spider-Man 3. I mean come one! We’re still over a year away from Spider-Man 3’s release date (which is May 4th by the way.

So what do you think? DO you like the outfit? Do you think it’s just an outfit or do you think it has something to do with Venom? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Click here to see a much larger version of the picture.

Director Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin) has his next goal in his sights. Knocking up Anne Hathaway! Well… not literally. You see Apatow is naming his new film “Knocked Up”, and from what I’m reading, it already looks like a winner.

The good folks over at CinemaBlend give us the following:

Last we heard about the project, it was to be fuzzy funnyman Seth Rogen’s bid at a starring role. Rogen has been working with Apatow since Freaks & Geeks, and he’s become a little like Apatow’s muse. The Hollywood Reporter says Hathaway is the latest addition to the cast, and it’s probably safe to assume that as the movie title suggests, she’ll be with baby.

The film follows the adventures of a twenty-something guy who discovers he impregnated a one night stand. Comedy, poignancy, and hopefully a great closing credits dance number ensues.

I just loved Seth Rogan’s work in 40 Year Old Virgin and I think he would be a dynamite comedy lead. It’s also mentioned that another 40 Year Old Virgin vet, Paul Rudd, is also attached to the project. I can’t wait for it. But is it believeable that Rogen could score with Hathaway? I hope so… cause that means there’s a chance for me too! Damn!!! As if Anne Hathaway isn’t one of the most beautiful creatures on the planet.

I guess it was really only a matter of time, but the “King of all Media” (a title that I am trying to wrestle away from him) Howard Stern is launching his own film festival. Now this could get interesting.

So what kind of films would be submitted at a Howard Stern film festival? The imagination certainly could run wild. But according to the Associated Press, nothing feature length at all:

Submissions of the films, which need to be five minutes or less, will be accepted until April 11. The top three films will earn cash prizes and air on Howard TV On Demand. The winner’s share will be $15,000.

5 minutes in length huh? I think this is a great idea… you can cram some pretty good stuff in 5 minutes.

Hmmm… I wonder if Doug and I should produce something for that?

Ok, get ready for a comedy that I think will rival or even beat Talladega Nights. The new John Malkovich film called “Art School Confidential” looks just freaking hilarious, and the trailer has now hit the web.

Some of the faces you’ll recognize in the Art School Confidential trailer are Sophia Myles (Tristan & Isolde, Underworld), Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge, Vanity Fair) and Joel Moore (Dodgeball, Grandma’s Boy).

I’ve got to admit, about 15 seconds into the Art School Confidential trailer I thought it looked like crap… and then I started laughing my fool ass off the whole rest of the way. As a side note… if John Malkovich ever NOT totally brilliant?

An untalented young man believes that art school will provide success and the girl of his dreams, only to get embroiled in a murder that makes him a celebrity for his artistry.

You can see the Art School Confidential trailer by going here. Get ready to laugh a lot.

Staying on the documentary vein, The Real Dirt On Farmer John looks just hilarious! It appears to be a documentary about this farmer whose family has been working this particular farm for generations… the thing is the guy is also wildly flamboyant, a hippie, and has all the other farmers whispering of Devil Worship and orgies on his farm.

The synopsis looks like this:

Tracks the Peterson family farm for 100 years, from the early 20th Century to today. Through John Peterson’s personal story, including touching home movies from his childhood in the 50s, we follow the adventures of this family farmer ñ who is also a gifted writer and artist ñ through the hippie-70s, the farm crisis of the 80s, and 90s.

I loved this trailer and can’t wait to see the film for myself. If you’d like to see The Real Dirt On Farmer John trailer you can go here.

You know, I’m one of the few people I know (male anyway) who actually really likes Colin Farrell as an actor. No, he doesn’t always pick the best movies to appear in, but he’s solid. Sadly, it looks like his “lame streak” (New World not withstanding) will continue for another if the new Ask The Dust trailer is any indication.

Colin Farrell stars alongside Salma Hayek (who also isn’t half bad). The synopsis for the trailer looks like this:

In the Robert Towne-directed adaptation of John Fante’s Depression Era novel, Hayek will play the fiery Mexican beauty Camilla who hopes to rise above her station by marrying a wealthy American. That is complicated by meeting Arturo Bandini (Farrell), a first-generation Italian hoping to land a writing career and a blue-eyed blonde on his arm.

To me the Ask The Dust trailer felt slow, predictable and boring. Not much to entice me to the theater. But you never know.

To see the Ask The Dust trailer you can just go here.

I want to see more Jessica Biel please. Looks like I will according to Cinematical. Biel has joined the cast of Next, a film about a man who can see his own future (played by Nicolas Cage). Due to Cage’s characters power, the FBI catch’s wind of it and begins to hunt him down. Biel will be the love interest and perhaps be the mother of Cage’s child, that is if they survive.

The Movie Blog has discussed the age gaps between leading men and their leading ladies before. Cage, who is forty two, is eighteen years older than Biel. Which isn’t all that big of a gap, but realistically I don’t know many twenty four year old women who are chasing after forty year old men. Then again I have a hard time dating twenty one year old’s.

I love Biel. After seeing her saucy character in The Rules of Attraction (“Oops, rusty pipes”) I became a fan. She’s an OK actress and extremely easy on the eyes. I always look forward to seeing her in a tight pair of jeans.

Biel will play Cage’s love interest (she runs afoul of terrorist, somehow), and Julianne Moore also has a major role in the film. Directed by Lee Tamahori of xXx: State of the Union and Die Another Day “fame,” Next isn’t expected in theaters until 2007.

I’ve been getting more and more into documentaries as of late, and this one has really captured me. The films is called Unknown White Male, and from the little I gather from it, the movie follows a guy who had suddenly lost ALL of his memory. EVERYTHING GONE and it sort of follows him from there.

Interesting questions are raised like “Who are we really”? “Are we just a collection of the experiences we’ve had or is there something deeper”. You know, questions I ask myself while watching cartoons and debating with Doug over who would win in a Conan vs. The Highlander fight.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Just imagine waking up tomorrow with no memory of today or any other since the day of your birth. Imagine living without a history, without experience, no relationships, no past troubles. Imagine starting your life over again, making a new set of friends, finding new talents and falling in love for the first time.

At any rate, I highly suggest checking out the trailer. You can see the Unknown White Male trailer over here.

Via Wired News, actor Damon Wayns has been fighting with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s for 14-months in attempts to trademark the word “Nigga” for a clothing company.

Wayans wants to dress customers in 14 kinds of attire from tops to bottoms, and use the controversial mark on “clothing, books, music and general merchandise,” as well as movies, TV and the internet, according to his applications.

But, so far, his applications have been unsuccessful. Trademark examiner Kelly Boulton rejected the registration dated Dec. 22, citing a law that prohibits marks that are “immoral or scandalous.” A previous attempt by Wayans was turned down on identical grounds six months earlier.

Though a very controversial term, Wayans’s trademark attorney is using past cases to support the request. Reference to the Washington “Redskins” and a California company titled “Dykes on Bikes” -which is owned by two lesbian entrepreneurs- are noted in the article.

What are your thoughts? Do you think that efforts to commercialize the term are a good idea or bad. If Wayans sells t-shirts would I be able to wear one and not get stomped? Keon Rhodan who has been selling clothing items with the logo “nigga” for years says no way.

Though attempts to commercialize “Nigga” coincide with a generational shift in how the word is perceived, the clothing is still likely to test some boundaries, as Rhodan demonstrated in a phone interview … “You couldn’t wear it,” he said.

I’m all for actors perusing other ventures, but this one may be a stretch. On the other hand, you can’t beat good old fasion controversial brouhaha.

Hey there folks… John here.

As most of you know, I’ve been playing with ways to incorporate more video into The Movie Blog. However, there have been a few porblems. A few weeks ago when I put up the first filmed Audio Edition, so many people tried to download it that the site crashed. So I started hosting the next weeks video on a couple of other remote sites of mine… and they crashed too. I tried Bittorrent, but a lot of people complained to me that they don’t use Bittorrent yet… so that wasn’t really an option.

So along came the good folks at You Tube! From now on (or at least for the time being) the video versios of the Monday Audio Edtions as well as my upcoming 3 minutes film reviews will be hosted there on a page called Movie Blog TV.

The video streams pretty fast there and it solves all my bandwidth problems. Is this the final solution for video at The Movie Blog? Probably not… but for now it’s a great step.

Right now there are only 3 videos up in there… but more will be added this week. Is this the perfect solution? No… it’s not. But it’s pretty good for now.

To go to Movie Blog TV you can click here.

To just see the February 20th 2006 Audio Edition you can click here.

Now I can focus on improving the technical side of things like better sound, video and lighting. This is a work in progress.

Ahhh the wonderful world of the Internet. I love it so. I have stated before that I did my Masters thesis in Social Computing, which is pretty much Web 2.0 stuff. What is Web 2.0? To describe it simply, The Movie Blog falls into the Web 2.0 category because it’s a Blog and caters towards an online community. Community is the key phrase.

I recently have been fooling around with yet another movie community outlet Flixster. Flixster is pretty neat and if your into collaborating on movies you’ll have a blast.

Here’s how Flixster works. First you set up your free account, set up your profile and invite some friends. Then you take a quick movie quiz. Basically they toss a number of titles at you and you rate them and provide a review if you wish. This information helps you connect with others who share similar movie tastes. You can join groups and chat it up on your favorite movie topics.

Flixster also has an In Theaters section where it lists all of the current pictures being shown on the big screen. You can read other users reviews, add your own reviews and tag them as “I want to see it” or “No interest”. The same goes for DVD’s an your personal movies list.

If your into movies and online communities, Flixster is much fun and entertaining. Check it out and look me up while your there, I’m listed as Berf.

File this one under one of the stupidest things I have ever heard in my life (well, maybe that’s an exaggeration… but you get my point). A group of people who evidently don’t know anything (did that sound insulting? Good… it was meant to) have started an online petition at a site called “Craig Not Bond.Com”.

What’s the point? They’re trying to get the studio to stop production on the new Bond film and replace Daniel Craig who is the new James Bond. According to the good folks at Yahoo News quote the lunatics (oh sorry… I mean “fans”) as saying:

“EON Productions angered fans around the world when they fired Pierce Brosnan at the height of his popularity as Bond,” said a statement on the site. “To add insult to injury, EON cast a short, blond, odd-looking Daniel Craig in the role of Bond.”

“Craig, described by The New York Times as having a ‘pale, flattened face and large, fleshy ears’ is a terrible choice for Bond. If EON Productions and Sony Pictures will not accept they’ve made a big mistake, then Bond fans promise to boycott Casino Royale!”

Ummm… so let me get this straight. This bunch of clowns want the studio to halt their multi-million dollar production that’s already filming and fire Daniel Craig as Bond because…. they don’t like his look?!?!?!

Notice it’s not because they think he’s not a good thespian… it’s because they don’t like his look. HOW FRIGGING STUPID! Acting is not about the “look”. It’s about what that actor can emote, what they can portray, what kind of presence the actor can project from the big screen. Nowhere does it say “JAMES BOND IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE THIS”.

Who knows, maybe Craig will suck as Bond. Or maybe he’ll be the best Bond of all time. Who knows. I don’t know yet… and I can guaran-damn-tee you that the clowns over at “Craig Not Bond” don’t know yet either. He’s a decent actor, and the studio apparently believes in him. So give the guy his one shot and see what he can do. Oh… and get a life while you’re at it.

You know… there are some things that can be funny in this world… that just shouldn’t be turned into a movie. I just had the displeasure of seeing the “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector” trailer, and although I find Larry the Cable Guy’s stand up comedy sometimes pretty funny… this guy should NOT be permitted to make a movie. There is a difference between the screen and the live stage.

Our good friend Josh Tyler even makes an observation about where the trailer is hosted:

We have the first trailer for the film, and rather appropriately it’s hosted by the most low-rent, lousy website on the internet: Geocities. If websites were ethnic groups, then Geocities would be the website ethnic group most likely to leave a car up on blocks in the front lawn. Or in this case, the website most likely to host a movie trailer for a film staring Larry the Cable Guy.

Hehehe… Geocities. If for some reason you want to subject yourself to the Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector trailer, you can go here.

Kirk Douglas is a god among men, and the new Illusion trailer shows the man still has it. This is a beautiful trailer with a pretty original idea and apparently executed pretty damn well. Not sure what Illusion is? Here’s a quick synopsis:

The story of a famous Hollywood film director, Donald Baines (Douglas), nearing death, whose life was filled with fame and riches, but devoid of love. Haunted by the memory of a son, Christopher (Goorjian) that he abandoned and never knew, Baines is “magically” given three views of the son’s journey.

The Illusion trailer is one of those rare ones where I found myself dying to see more. The story is gripping and tragic all at the same time. I can’t wait to see this one.

You can see the Illusion trailer here.

Walt Disney’s new “The Wild” trailer has hit the web, and all I seem to be able to think to myself is “hmmmm… now where has I seen this before? Did Disney send me an advanced screen copy and I just forgot about it? No… that’s not it. Oh wait… I DID see it already… only it was called Madagascar”.

No really folks… it’s like I was watching a new directors cut of Madagascar. You had the zoo… the Lion, the Giraffe, instead of the Hippo and Zebra you had a Koala Bear and a Squirrel, instead of the Penguins you have a coupe of Chameleons, on leaves the zoo… the others break out to find them and zanny adventures ensue.

I mean, it’s cool hearing Kiefer Sutherland’s voice in there… and to be honest it looks much better than Madagascar (which still isn’t saying much)… but it looks like the same fricken movie. Oh well… decide for yourselves.

You can see The Wild trailer here.

If what we have read about the follow up Fantastic Four movie is true, then we will be seeing the shredder of the cosmos Silver Surfer. This would be great on many levels. For one this character is great and would allow for some “fantastic” effects and of course set the primer for the Silver Surfer feature film.

Yesterday Freeze Dried Movies posted a quickie with a few movie news tid bits. Among these items of interest was the possible casting of Keanu Reeves as the Silver Surfer.

Keanu Reeves is being mentioned as a possible candidate to play the Silver Surfer. He would most likely play the role in the second Fantastic Four film. Considering we have all seen Reeves in Point Break its not a stretch to see him doing the Silver Surfer.

I failed to validate this else where on the net, but of course I only made it to page four on Google.

I don’t mind Reeves, Point Break is a cool flick -Lori Petty was super hot in it-, I enjoyed Constantine and the Matrix trilogy -most of it any way-. So if the prophet who foresaw this casting is correct, I’m on bored. What do you think?

For some time now we have been chatting and digging up what we can find about the anticipated Transformers live action film. Though this is listed as rumor and a weak one at that, the folks over at IESB have drudged up a few scary comments from director Michael Bay.

Michael Bay and company has been very busy working on the Transformers and their back story. From I was told they are trying to put something together that would sound somewhat scientifically plausible … The Transformers are going to be Bio-Mechanical?!

Allow me to repeat myself, this is all rumor -thus far-. The article goes on to note the extreme disappointment in the fans this would bring if it ever did transform from fiction to fact. I personally couldn’t agree more, this is a major franchise opportunity and primer such as this would simple turn this geek away all together. On the other hand there is good news.

On a positive note, early concept design of our beloved robots are nothing less then spectacular. According to our insider “They look fucking awesome!”

With any luck we will be able to dig up some of these concept drafts. Thank the maker for Internet leaks!

This is terrific news… although not “in stone”. Look like Steven Spielberg was giving an interview to an Israeli newspaper and let the following slip:

“I haven’t given up making entertaining films, but over the last decade I have been making some films that express the respect I have for history,” Spielberg said.

“I am about to make ‘Indiana Jones 4,’ which is, as far as I am concerned, the sweet dessert I give those who had to chow down on the bitter herbs that I’ve used in ‘Munich.’”

When you put that together with the fact that George Lucas has already said that he thinks Indiana Jones 4 would be ready to start production THIS YEAR and be released NEXT year, it certainly looks like all the pieces are FINALLY in place for Indy to start his final adventure.

Remember, this isn’t exactly an “official announcement” from the big guys… but it’s pretty darn close. I’d look for something official within the next 2 weeks. GLORY! (via)

Producer Frank Marshal has already said that Jurassic Park 4 is not high on the Steven Spielberg priority list right now… which had me slightly wondering if the big Dino movie would ever really get made at all (Heaven’s knows we don’t really need it). But Marshal has put those doubts to rest.

The good folks over at CinemaBlend give us the following:

Marshall spoke to the London Free Press and assures that they have “a good script now.” Hopefully this version is free of the commando dinos rumored to be hanging around in some earlier versions. Whatever is in this one, they’re in no rush to producer it. He says, “we should have that one up and running next year for release in 2008.”

This timelime seems to fit in with Spielberg’s announcment that he’s ready to go into production on Indiana Jone 4 THIS YEAR! (See above story)

I just loved Infernal Affairs. It’s just one of the best crime dramas I’ve ever seen in my life. I only regret that I haven’t gotten around to watching Infernal Affairs 2 yet. I really need to do that.

Well now actor Tony Leung and director Andrew Lau are hooking up again for another crime drama. The good folks over at Canada.Com give us the following:

“I should be returning to work in April for a Hong Kong movie by Andrew Lau,” Cannes-best actor-winner Leung told reporters on the sidelines of a press briefing on Hong Kong’s Entertainment Expo. “It’s a detective story, a bit of cop-robber,” said Leung. “This time we hope it has more of the flavour of a detective novel. There’s more thinking involved. It’s more suspenseful. We hope to give audiences a new look for the cop-robber genre.”

Sounds good! Sing me up.

No work at this point as to when such a film will be released… or if it will even screen for North America… but I’ll be keeping my eyes open for this one for sure.