Well Street Fighter has hit the theaters. Just for context, a year ago I wrote this about Street Fighter:

Now, if you’re sitting there reading that cast list and thinking “my dear sweet lord, this this is going to be horrible”, let your mind be at peace. The good news is that the man who directed such classics as Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds and Cradle 2 the Grave, Mr. Andrzej Bartkowiak is directing so there’s nothing to worry about. Oh wait a second… all those movies SUCKED. Yeah, not a lot of hope for this disaster in the making.

And sure enough… as of this moment Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li is sitting at a big 0%. Maybe it’s just me… but I can’t remember another wide release film that held a 0% after being released in theaters. Who knows… maybe it’ll get lucky and someone will give it a positive review in the next few days… but I think the odds of that are pretty low.

So the big question here is… is anyone surprised?

There has been a lot of speculation running around about the possibility of Megatron appearing in Transformers 2 “Revenge of the Fallen”. In recent days certain bits of information has leaked out that has suggested that Megatron will indeed be there in spite of Michael Bay earlier insisting that Megatron would NOT appear in the film (although keep in mind he also earlier said that he would lead false information about the film).

Well, earlier today Movie Blog reader “Paul” gave me the heads up on an actual Megatron toy being sold on Ebay that is clearly packaged as from the Transformers 2 movie. The interesting thing is that Megatron seems to have tank treads for legs and feet bolstering the rumors that Meg would be back as a Tank.

Personally, I’m thrilled that Megatron will be back.

Here’s my theory. The autobots and decepticons decide togeher to raise Megatron up because they need his help too to fight “The Fallen”. I have nothing to back that up with, its just a wild theory.

So are you happy to see Megatron back?

Just as we get the 2 year tentpole lineup from the Brothers Warner, the obvious oversight was a Green Lantern movie. Well word has it that they are still working on making that happen, but its just not yet. Now wild speculation and rumour hit the net with a large dose of doubt on it. Apparently Anton Yelchin is being rumoured as the Green Lantern.

ScreenRant offers:

Just when the Green Lantern movie was starting to sound cool - epic script and Martin Campbell as director, comes a rumor that is NOT good news. It seems that for some bizarre reason, Warner Bros. wants to go “young” on the Green Lantern movie. The word from Latino Review is that one actor being considered to wear the emerald and black tights is:

Anton Yelchin.

Among the reasons I think this guy would be completely wrong for the role are pretty much the same reasons that had that Teen Titans of a Justice League movie shoved back in the can, never to be opened again.

They already struggled with the idea of a cast of 20 somethings as the Justice League, and in due time (and violent slaps to the melon) WB pulled the plug on the idea. So why would they revisit this angle with Green Lantern? Why not just piss in their own cornflakes and let Jack Black back as Hal Jordan and make the thing a goofball underdog comedy?

Now I have nothing against the actor. I actually enjoyed Charlie Bartlett, and he is no stranger to iconic roles playing the young Chekov in the upcoming Star Trek as well as Kyle Reese, the man who would sire John Connor in Terminator Salvation. My issue here is this guy who turns 20 next week playing a seasoned Air Force Test Pilot?

My only reaction is that if they are going with this guy (or someone similarly aged) are they altering the Hal Jordan resume? Will they be changing something about the character’s past that will allow for a younger actor to play Hal? Maybe he will play a younger Hal in flashbacks - oh please let that be it!

Hal Jordan’s occupation as a Test Pilot was largely that he was fearless. Abin Sur (the previous Lantern) crashes on Earth and predicting his demise tells the ring to find someone who is pure of heart and born without fear. Thus the ring CHOSE the noble honest and fearless test pilot as his new master. Removing the idea that the ring chooses its wearer alters a core element of the character and much of the moral conflicts he will face.

I do hope this rumour turns out wrong, or at very least somewhat inaccurate. I really look forward to a Green Lantern film but I want a believable guy to be the Guardian of sector 2814.

Your reputation precedes you Mr McKay and Ferrell! It’s not what you know in Hollywood it’s who you know. These two have pitched an idea to a few studios and Sony was quick to find a gun on which to jump and greenlit the McKay and Ferrel movie B-Team with an unfinished script and is already gearing up for production.

ComingSoon shares:

The comedy was pitched around town on Tuesday by Endeavor and CAA, and Sony co-president Matt Tolmach moved quickly. The trade says that Tolmach was comfortable committing to a film without a finished script, because Columbia worked in exactly the same fashion on “Talladega Nights” and Step Brothers, both of which were set up with a pitch and the collaborative track record of McKay and Ferrell.

You have to have a lot of faith in these guys. Either that or they are the masters of the sales pitch.

There isn’t even a finished script yet, and Sony is all ready to pat them on the ass on the way out the door with a big stamp of approval.

All we know about the movie so far is that it is about Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as second string cops. That’s it. Maybe this will be the realization of the cop show that Wahlberg was a fictional star of in the movie Boogie Nights (Brock Landers and Chest Rockwell?) after trying to create “serial porn”. But perhaps without the porn.

Speculation exists that Sony shouldn’t fall in love with the title “The B-Team” with the big screen adaptation of the “A-Team” in production and declaring copyright on the name could prove to be difficult.

I was never much of a Richard Pryor fan, but I cannot deny the mark he left on the world of comedy and I was far from disliking him. His double take and his stunned dumbstruck look are legendary. Eddie Murphy once beat Pryor out for the role in Trading Places in 1983, and now he will get to fill Pryor’s shoes again, portraying his idol and role model in a dramatic biopic of the comedian’s life.

Cinematical says:

A few different sources (EW, Hitfix) have confirmed that Eddie Murphy will play legendary comedian Richard Pryor in a new drama called Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? for director Bill Condon, who’s reuniting with Murphy following their 2006 hit Dreamgirls.

After Dreamgirls, I am surprised that Murphy didn’t strike out in movies where he could play to his dramatic strengths. Instead he began the downward spiral of family friendly films that have been more miss than hit. I don’t dislike all his films since, but I do prefer movies in which Murphy can say fuck. Comedy works for him, and always has. But he can do more.

And what an honour it must be to be able to play the part of the very man that inspired you to get into your profession to begin with. A rare opportunity indeed.

In Eddie Murphy’s feature presentation stage act Raw, he does an amazing Richard Pryor impersonation, and he has the voice and idiosyncrasies down, but he just doesn’t LOOK like Richard Pryor when he does it. Pryor’s comedy was just as much the contraversial colourful language as it was his facial expressions and reactions, so I hope that Murphy can pull those off to give us a convincing portrayal.

Total Film Magazine will have a special Star Trek issue dedicated to the release of Star Trek will have 4 different covers and we get our first look at them here:

The cover images come alongside a still from the movie depicting the antagonist Nero “on screen” which will also be featured in one of the articles.

And remember the “Star Trek Experience” attraction in the Vegas that closed due to drastic decline in admissions combined with a breakdown in negotiations with their property managers at the Vegas Hilton? Well SciFi Wire confirms that the attraction will reopen at the nearby Neonopolis Mall in Downtown Las Vegas on May 8, 2009 just in time for the release of the new film. The attraction will feature old classic draws as well as new retail shop and restaurant inspired by the rebooted franchise.

Via

Apparently the upcoming Streetfighter: Legend of Chun-li has an ending that is so blatantly obvious they are setting it up for a sequel.

MTVMovies Blog says:

Now, I’m not going to tell you who lives and who dies over the course of the movie. But suffice it to say, the sequel would revolve around an “Enter the Dragon”-like martial arts tournament that would bring all the “Street Fighter” characters together. And, well, let’s just say that some returns would be easier than others.

Now just because it is set up for a sequel with an obvious teaser ending, and the writers and actors are all willing to come back really doesn’t mean they WILL come back or that anything has been given the green light yet.

However, it sounds like the movie they are hoping to head into next is more what the fans might have wanted NOW. I applaud them on a bold move of focusing the storyline around one of the secondary players on the character selection screen, and I do think that Chun-Li had a lot more story to her than the main characters did. But with an “Enter the Dragon” style martial arts tournament follows closer to the concept of the game itself.

So I think that it would make sense that after they finish with Chun-li’s story, everyone would come back with grudges and rematches in mind in a bloodsport of martial arts tournament. Which of course would involve the core storyline of Ken and Ryu, the classic player one and two. Their entire purpose revolved around proving themselves to be the best fighters. Pretty simple, but with some movie to set them up into it that is all you need to make a movie about those two.

They had me on board from the get go. I was willing to give this a chance. Anything would be better than that VanDamme flick. But then they released a pile of scenes to tease you with some action and I was turned off completely. Like finding out your date used to be a man.

MTV does have another article about the lack of stunt doubles and how signature moves were incorporated into the movie to make sure everything fit in the Street Fighter world. Judging by the fight scenes in the bits they published last week not only do they need a sound editor, but they should have used stunt doubles for the fighting anytime they could.

Interestingly enough, the interviewer asks each star of the movie what THEY would do if they were a streetfighter and without exception - even Michael Duncan Clark - gave examples of how useless they would be in a fight. “I’d just hug it out,” grinned McDonough, the film’s villain. “I’m a lover; that’s what I do. I’m Bison the hugger.”

And these were good choices for action stars??

The X-Men are on their 3rd/4th? incarnation of an animated series, and I lost track of how many Spiderman cartoons there was, so why not let last year’s highest cashing film for Marvel have a whack at the animated tv series.

Iron Man will be coming to the small screen soon with Iron Man: Armoured Adventures and we get our first peek here.

Obviously not canon with the movies, but the whole point is to make a series that appeals to kids since they are your target merchandising market. So I can forgive the “way too young” looking Stark in the Iron Man digs, and the action does look pretty nifty. I also really dig the style. Very appropriate for such a tech-centric character.

What I am having a hard time with is the only real glimpse of dialogue we get is “I have rocket boots and you don’t” Groan.

Hopefully that will be the moment in the opening credits that changes with every episode with little Starkyboy offering up a different quip every episode.

The show will air on Nicktoons in the US starting in April 09.

Via

With the New Star Trek poised to overwrite history all that went before/after will be sealed in its own discontinued parallel universe, but the cast of Star Trek The Next Generation had a reunion of sorts and it may be the last time all of them are in the same room together. The entire cast will be offering its services to voice a cameo appearance of their popular characters on an episode of Family Guy.

IESB.net shares:

In the episode titled “Not All Dogs Go to Heaven,” the “Next Gen” crew (Patrick Stewart, Levar Burton, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, Wil Wheaton, Denise Crosby, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes) will provide guest voices as the Griffin family heads to the annual Quahog “Trek” convention.

“Stewie blows a fuse when he doesn’t get a chance to ask his favorite ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ cast members any questions,” reads the logline. “He devises a plan, builds a transporter and beams the entire cast to his bedroom so they can spend a fun-filled day together in Quahog.

One thing I love about the Simp… Family Guy is that they get voice actors to actually voice their cameo parts. The scenes are funny enough when a celebrity makes a cameo and they dont HAVE to use the orignal voice actor for the part - its animation. But its just far funnier when they do.

I am really eager to see how they play out this episode.

Was anyone really surprised when they created a sequel to Neverending Story.. twice? Seriously. The title says it all. Its Never Ending!! But what I honestly didn’t expect was that they might remake Neverending Story.

The irresistible Nerdy Bird tipped me off:

“The Kennedy/Marshall Co. (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) and Leonard DiCaprio’s shingle Appian Way are in discussions with Warners about reviving the 25-year-old franchise with a modern spin,” said THR. No word on who would direct the new take but original producer Dieter Geissler is already on board.

I really don’t need them to remake this movie, but lets put it up to The Rules.

1) The original has to have a good story Wonderful story. Instant classic. Can’t say the same for the sequels or the two TV Series you didn’t know about that it spawned. But the movie was a fairy tale for the kid in all of us. Who didn’t want to ride a luck dragon and chase down bullies!

2) Majority of current audience hasn’t seen the original I don’t believe most of today’s audience will have seen this. My kids have because well.. they are MY kids. The failed sequels (Jack Black was in Part3) didn’t draw enough attention and the live action tv series only got 13 episodes.

3) Original has to be at least 20 years old Check.

4) The story would benefit from a modern telling The original has some dated 80s cheese in it, but frankly it holds up. I don’t think there would be a benefit in changing anything to make it modern.

Not that our rules will stop it from getting made, but it doesn’t need to by our standards. However, any movie can be remade and made better if its handled right. We don’t think it qualifies for a remake, but maybe someone will get in here and create an instant classic. I just don’t have hope that they can top the first.

If they do, I hope they cling to the idea that Bastion is reading a BOOK. I really don’t want to see an updated version where Bastion is playing a new fantastic online video game and finds out that he is affecting a fantasy world with his mouse.

Remember that awesome Robin Hood movie Russell Crowe was attached to? I remember reading a LOT about it and then it dropped off the planet, but now we get more news with the announcement that Robin will be staring lovingly into the eyes of Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian. Guess the ball is rolling again!

MTV shares:

Last week MTV News caught up with Ridley Scott, who finally revealed just what was going on with “Nottingham” — it was now “Robin Hood” with Russell Crowe as the titular archer. Now Robin has found his lady love, as Variety reports that Maid Marian is to be played by the lovely Cate Blanchett.

Now correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t this film supposed to be a different look at the Robin Hood story, called Nottingham?

I seem to recall that Crowe was going to be playing the Sherriff of Nottingham as we were told the Robin Hood story from the Sheriff’s point of view. Then later it was rumoured that Crowe would be playing a conflicted and good Sheriff duty sworn and under the boot of Prince John and hides his identity and becomes Robin Hood to fight against the oppression of the replacement ruler while the Lionheart was on the Crusades.

I thought that was a wonderful idea for a movie and also really liked that they were going with a mature cast. Rumours that Sienna Miller was to be his Maid Marian didn’t sit well with me. But to hear of Cate Blanchett in the role is exciting.

Cate has the presence and grace of nobility and few her age could say they look as beautiful, which is a fine character for the nobel that steals the heart from the Prince of Theives.

Either way, I hope that this works out well, and its good news that they are finally moving forward with this.

In the Marvel Ultimates comic book, Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD was remodeled to tribute Samuel Jackson. So in a surprise appearance in the closing credits of last year’s Iron Man, fans were giddy to find out that Samuel L Jackson was playing the part literally drawn for him. Since then it has been up in the air as to his return, but now that the dust has settled, Sam Jackson has himself a NINE movie deal to play the character.

MovieWeb offers:

While the casting uncertainties continue to mount around certain Marvel Studios films, it seems they’ve locked in one actor for a very long haul. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Samuel L. Jackson has inked an unprecedented nine-picture deal with Marvel Studios to portray Nick Fury.

Now as unprecedented as this may be, it isn’t like they are signing a deal for Nine Nick Fury films. Just that as the character seems to be making the rounds in all Marvel films dropping hints to the Avenger Initiative, when Nick Fury shows his face, that face will be Jackson.

Eventually this scattered cameo rampage might build into some involvement in the Avengers movie and climax in a full fledged S.H.I.E.L.D Movie, and if it does, Jackson has the papers to say they use him.

I like the consistency, and I love the mounting excitement they are bringing with their films. Crossing over the characters really unites them as one world, and one team. And when that one team assembles, I hope it is a big event. Then the lesser knowns can have their own films etc… The possibilities are endless.

And yes. DC/WB is paying attention.

Total Recall easily sits in the top 5 Schwarzenegger films that I just love. And now it looks like the Verhoven film from 1990 is going to be getting the remake stamp.

FirstShowing shares:

Power producer Neal H. Moritz is currently developing a “contemporary version” of Total Recall at Columbia Pictures.

Total Recall is one of only a handful of films (Blade Runner being another) based on a short story by sci-fi author Philip K. Dick. “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” follows a man haunted by a recurring dream of journeying to Mars who buys a literal dream vacation from a company called Rekall Inc., which sells implanted memories.

Total Recall has a special place for me as it marked the day I was old enough to go see a Rated R film (legitimately). It came out on my birthday and I proudly showed the ticket girl (she herself not old enough to see the movie) my ID and I was IN.

Blood, Action, Special Effects! Even a cameo appearance by the Triple Breasted Whore from Eroticon 7! My innocent eyes were peeled open.

Fortunately for me it turned out to be a great action flick with a cool storyline. When I found out it was also based on a Philip K. Dick short story, I tracked it down. My geekdom was challenged as well as my sexual identity as my friends giggled when I went to the bookstore looking for Dick. But I digress…

Total Recall getting a remake? Lets check that with The Rules to see if its a good idea.

1) The original has to have a good story Check. The movie version elaborated on Dick’s story, but if either are the source material I am in.

2) Majority of current audience hasn’t seen the original The original is a Schwarzenegger classic, but it might be hit or miss as to who might have seen it. I’d say majority haven’t though enough have that it won’t be considered obscure.

3) Original has to be at least 20 years old By the time they get around to making this, it will JUST be 20.

4) The story would benefit from a modern telling I think this story foundation is solid. Philip K Dick is an incredible writer and though he died in 82, his stuff never gets old. I only hope that in adapting this remake when they say “a more contemporary version” that they go with a dramatic sci-fi thriller instead of the splodey action genre popular back then.

So the votes are in and TMB approves of this remake.

So who should play the lead if this isn’t going to be all action like the 1990 film version?

I could see Liam Neeson, or maybe cast Nic Cage to save his career. Someone mature and sincere. Who do you think?

The Redband Trailer for Adventureland has hit the net. Now we all know why they label some trailers as “Redband” right? Cleverly enough so do the producers of Adventureland.

And judging by the trailer, with all the qualifying redband stuff in this film they prove that if you are going to get an R rating… earn it!

It really has that Superbad feel, which is a good thing. I loved the crap out of that movie. Hopefully this will have a deep meaningful plot buried in all that cussing and vulgarity so this isn’t just a display of how many times we can say bad words and have sex in one movie.

Via

Warner Brothers knows how to keep happy and for that you have to stay out of the rain - you make a shelter. So while they are building their own comfort zone of financial stability they keep their tent up with tentpoles.

And this tent will have a LOT of tentpoles over the next couple years.

ComingSoon offers:

The folks over at Warner Bros. have been keeping busy in the last 24 hours setting new release dates for all of their upcoming tentpole and franchise pictures for 2010 and beyond according to Exhibitor Relations.

The breakdown goes something like this

December 25, 2009 Sherlock Holmes

July 15 2011 -
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II
(Same weekend as Marvel Films’ The Avengers)

I was surprised that Sherlock Holmes and Jonah Hex are listed as “tentpoles” but that might be in part of my interest for the films. My opinion on these might change once I see a trailer, but so far neither of these have my interest above casual, though they are both on my radar. I will certainly see them both.

Placing some of these movies in direct competition with others might seem unwise at first, but considering the specific titles, I dont know that Inception will hurt Thor, or vice versa, but I know that come July 2011, I will have one busy weekend at the theaters. I might even bring my kids!

Which of these are you most looking forward to from the Brother’s Warner?

Movies are being announced based on classic board games and I struggle to think of why, but the one board game that did make a successful leap to the big screen was the Tim Curry romp “Clue”. Now Gore Verbinski has been attached to direct this remake of a film based on a board game.

FilmJunk says:

Combining the best of two current Hollywood trends, the remake and the board game movie, Universal Pictures have reportedly hired Gore Verbinski (The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean) to direct a movie based on the murder mystery game Clue.

Now back in the 80s, there was a rare phenomenon that revolved around the first attempt at this movie.

There were multiple releases of the same movie, and like the game every time you played it, the results were different!

Now imagine an ensemble cast of characters taking on the iconic chromatic roles of Professor Plum, and Colonel Mustard (updated with a new version of the Clue Board Game last year with a video game designer and former athlete instead of Professor and Colonel) with an assortment of murder weapons and some dramatic “whodunnit” mystery suspense and you have a hit. But that wasn’t all. The movies were advertised as one of three versions.

You could watch the movie trying to figure out who did it, but aside from some slight changes, the first three quarters of the film were the same. Then at a turning point Tim Curry would announce that he had figured it out and would run you through the cause an effect of each person’s motives, where they were and at what time and how they did it all the while trailing along the cast in a wild energetic re-enactment.

The whole thing was a fun movie, and it was the first of its kind to draw people to a theater guaranteeing a different ending depending on which showing they went to. It was original and never again attempted at the boxoffice.

Can this work again? Will people go multiple times to see different endings? Or do you think they will remake this movie as a classic murder mystery film with only one ending intact?

Perhaps they will run the cast through the exercise of multiple endings which might end up on the DVD release to recreate the original charm (and adding value to the DVD release) but only one ending will see the big screen.

Check out this clip from the original. Pure Genius.

Joss Whedon has his cult following - the Whedonites, and he has earned this respect of the masses on his roller coaster career. I do have a lot of respect for a guy who has as much talent and presence as he does and is still very down to earth. Well recently Joss put out a bit of a commentary where he shares a theory as to why Marvel Films are more successful than DC films, and it is an interesting read.

First Showing shares:

Joss begins by saying: “With that one big exception (Batman), DC’s heroes are from a different era. They’re from the era when they were creating gods.” For a bit of background and perspective before we continue, DC Comics was founded in 1934 (originally as National Allied Publications), while Marvel Comics was founded in 1939 (as Timely Publications). Batman was created in 1939, Superman was created in 1932. On the Marvel side of things, Spider-Man was created in 1962, and Captain America was created in 1941.

“The thing that made [rival publisher] Marvel Comics extraordinary was that they created people. Their characters didn’t live in mythical cities, they lived in New York. They absolutely were a part of the world. Peter Parker’s character (Spider-Man) was a tortured adolescent.”

“DC’s characters, like Wonder Woman and Superman and Green Lantern, were all very much removed from humanity. Batman was the only character they had who was so rooted in pain, that had that same gift that the Marvel characters had, which was that gift of humanity that we can relate to.”

This hits home for me, and while I was always a big Marvel fan I couldn’t quite explain why I didn’t like DC as much. Oh I loved my DC Comics, but there was certainly a difference in feel and presentation to the characters. My favourite DC Character is Robin (the most recent Robin) because he is more than just Batman’s sidekick, but also because he is a “real boy” who deals with real issues on top of being a superhero. (And despite him being my favourite I still say he shouldn’t be in the new Batman films …yet)

Even Batman on some level is elevated to demigod status because in real world terms he is not a “common man” what with all the millions of dollars and celebrity status he holds. Even in a real world he would be hard to relate to as an everyday guy.

But this theory that Whedon has also brought me to thinking about other movies. People complain about Transformers and that they hate how it focuses on the humans and not enough on the Robots. While I agree they could shift the balance away from the people a little more, that Human element is what connects you to the film, and to remove them completely would make the movie less emotionally involved.

When you watch a movie about two warring robot factions coming to earth with no human connection at all, you would be more drawn to a “I hope they just leave” kind of story instead of the Autobots fighting their own war while protecting the humans, and the humans in kind helping out the Autobots. Now there is a connection.

Of course there are a dozen other factors that come into play when considering why one company’s comic books make better movies. The writers, actors, directors and everyone involved affect the quality of the film. We have seen two Hulk movies that were both based on the same character and told a similar story, but they were both very different films.

The article does speculate on Joss’ assumption that DC movies are not as successful, since by the numbers more Marvel films have failed than DC has put out. So his theory isn’t flawless, but it is an interesting look at the difference that DC and Marvel have always had and how this may be affecting their efforts to adapt these properties to film.

With Alvin and the Chipmunks getting a “squeakel” after its success in the theaters and assault to adult minds everywhere, Warner Brothers were eager to find another animated classic that would be sure to enrapture the minds of children and bleed parents dry with merchandising!

Right in their sights is the star resident of Jellystone Park - Yogi Bear! And Eric Brevig will be taking on the director’s chair.

Yahoo shares:

Director Eric Brevig is picking up Yogi Bear’s pic-a-nic basket.

Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia, who executive produced “That ’70s Show,” are writing the screenplay for “Yogi,” which will offer a new take on the half-century-old title character and his sidekick Boo Boo, who get into a series of misadventures in Jellystone Park.

I couldn’t imagine where a writer would start when given the task of a Yogi Bear movie. There really wasn’t much plot to the cartoon aside from Yogi stealing food from park patrons and the Ranger chasing him past repeated background images.

Guess a clean slate is easier to work on while bringing this very two dimensional character into the 3d world.

But Eric Brevig has had LOTS of effects experience in some pretty big effects films, so he should do well. At very least it should look good. I thought the Chipmunks fit into the real world despite how silly the concept was. Why not Yogi?

Green Hornet has seen its share of hiccups lately, from Stephen Chow dropping out, to rumours of filming delays and now Seth Rogen has gone on record to assure us that everything is back on track. And they have their director.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director - Michel Gondry!

MTVMovies Blog says:

His new “Green Hornet” collaborator is none other than Michel Gondry, the eye-popping auteur who gave us “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Be Kind Rewind,” and too many classic music videos to list here. Capping off an exhaustive search, the “Pineapple Express” funnyman said Gondry is the perfect director for his comedic take on the crime-fighting newspaper publisher who first slipped into his green mask in 1936.

I had been holding out hope that they would not be making the Green Hornet into a comedy. I do enjoy a good pulp adventure styled superhero film, though still working up the courage to see The Spirit.

I would have liked to have seen Seth Rogen step away from the comedy and try something new. I love the guy, and his comedy is just the kind of thing that sends milk out my nose so I will go see anything with him in it. But his comedies are not adaptations of existing properties. Now he is taking on a lesser known superhero property and making it into a comedy? This mix is like cola in my cereal.

But this Michel Gondry fella has some experience with comedy stuff and knows how to get dark and earthy when he needs to. It might take some time and a trailer or three for me to get used to Green Hornet as a comedic character, but at least if they are going that way they have a good director on board.

Wild casting rumours are all a buzz over Twilight Saga’s New Moon. With something this popular the fanbase is always quick to express their opinions over any shred of news as to who will play who.

The latest silliness is that the Immaculate Queen of Pop herself wants a role in the movie - Madonna!

MTVMovies Blog says:

Lindsay Lohan wants to be in “New Moon”! Hilary Duff is clamoring to be a part of the second installment of the “Twilight” saga! “Lord of the Rings” star Sir Ian McKellan as Aro! “Harry Potter” wizard Alan Rickman as a member of the Volturi!

None of the rumors above can beat the mother of all rumors: Madonna is going to be in “New Moon”!

Casting rumours are part of the fun of anticipating a film. Even if you don’t have an interest in the franchise you still find yourself wondering what the movie might turn out like if your favourite actor would get one of the defining roles in the movie.

Madonna? I haven’t liked her as an “actress” since Desperately Seeking Susan. She was good in that, and I haven’t really cared since. Still love her music, and her stage shows. Brilliant performer. But no actress.

All the other names that seem to get thrown in the goblet seem to be publicity names for the most part. Actors who want a role that will bolster their public image. They don’t necessarily want to play the role for the experience of the character or anything deep like that. They just want that big name movie on their resume.

Personally, with something THIS big and with a fast track plan to monopolize on the popularity this would be the perfect opportunity to cast relative unknowns who are not only less expensive to cast, but may have some untapped talent you will then be credited for exposing. Frankly, adding a big name celebrity to the cast is hardly going to draw MORE attention to the film.

I wonder how these actors feel when they are NOT pursuing these roles and they hear rumours that they are?

Recently I have been getting a lot of emails letting me know of clips coming out for Watchmen and I was reluctant to post them because, well they seemed to be releasing a new one every day.

Who am I to deny you these clips? So for the sake of those who want to see every last moment of the film they can before it comes out, I gathered all the clips I could here, starting with a 9 minute complilation on Youtube that I found that has some of the shorter clips all together.

RamsesIII

Prison Break

There is some crossover, but for those of you who have that craving for a little Watchmen, there ya go!

Also, buzz says that “the Squid” may not be in the movie, but it “is in the movie” (The computer Dr Manhattan is working with is called the Sub QUantum Intrinsic Device.)

So twenty years after the second chapter of Ghostbusters we get one step closer to the rumoured third chapter.

Dan Aykroyd let drop news that the script will be done soon, and they hope to be filming Ghostbusters 3 in Fall.

ScreenRant says:

I apologize in advance…Ghostbusters 3? I’ve heard that the writers of the Office are currently penning a script? How is this coming along, and should we look forward to this movie seeing the light of day? Thanks Dan!

Dan Aykroyd: Script is commenced early summer. Hope to be in production by late fall 2009

So while Aykroyd was promoting the open of the House of Blues, people couldn’t resist badgering him about Ghostbusters.

So with the writers of the Office, we can be guaranteed some quirky humour, but no confirmation if this will be a next chapter with the same cast (they could use the work), a passing of the torch or a next generation. At very least Aykroyd is involved, so hopefully they can recapture some of the charm of the original.

So who you gonna call?

In the first staring role since Signs, Mel Gibson is BACK!

After the fiasco of his DUI charge and some drunken blunders, Mel has been shadowed by his own reputation. But now in a historical epic, Gibson returns to thea Civil War epic to play the most notable senior officer the South has ever given us. Mel is The Colonel!!

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live after the Oscars, Gibson sat down with the late night host, and this spoof trailer was shown. I think Mel Brooks should return to the world of Spoof films and show them how it’s supposed to be done and team wup with Mel Gibson to tell the biopic story of The Colonel.

That would be finger lickin good!

The Oscars are a popularity contest among the Silver Screen Elite. Clearly not a popularity contest of blockbusters or income. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need a suspense filled Oscar show to present the winners. So it was interesting to see what films the Academy is keeping an eye on in the next year. Who will be the next Slumdog Millionaire?

Latino Review shares the list:

The movies that they previewed were Sherlock Holmes, Funny People, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Public Enemies, Julie & Julia, The Soloist, Up, Fame, Terminator Salvation, Inglourious Basterds, 500 Days of Summer, Amelia, Old Dogs, Angels & Demons, Whatever Works, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Monsters vs. Aliens, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and much more!!

Personally I have my eye on 500 Days of Summer because I have yet to be disappointed by anything with Zooey Deschanel in it and it looks like a great film. That and the Soloist. However I was a little puzzled when another carbon copy Eddie Murphy Family film was on the list and then followed up by G-Force with action super spy guinea pigs in it.

Those are on the hopeful list? I can see why some are on their list, while others I wonder if someone was bribed to put them on the list.

What movies do you think will be on the plate for Oscar nominations next year based purely on what little we have seen of this year’s releases?

Leaving no stone unturned for a peek at what might be set for us with Shrek’s latest installment “Shrek Goes Fourth”, the synopsis for the film has turned up sourcing a document from the Copyright Office.

MovieWeb shares:

After challenging an evil dragon, rescuing a beautiful princess and saving your in-laws’ kingdom, what’s an ogre to do? Well, if you’re Shrek, you suddenly wind up a domesticated family man. Instead of scaring villagers away like he used to, a reluctant Shrek now agrees to autograph pitchforks. What’s happened to this ogre’s roar? Longing for the days when he felt like a “real ogre,” Shrek is duped into signing a pact with the smooth-talking dealmaker, Rumplestiltskin. Shrek suddenly finds himself in a in a twisted, alternate version of Far Far Away, where ogres are hunted, Rumplestiltskin is king and Shrek and Fiona have never met. Now, it’s up to Shrek to undo all he’s done in the hopes of saving his friends, restoring his world and reclaiming his one True Love.

So some paper pusher is doing his diligent job and now we can dig into those resources to get a tip to the new film.

I heard something close to this buzzing around a while ago, so this may just confirm it or tighten the plot. I really hope that this turns around the Shrek series. My excitement for the franchise dwindled exponentially as the series went on crashing hard on the third. Maybe Meyers can recover and give us a better chapter this time out?

I mean he can’t do worse than Love Guru right? Please tell me he can’t.

Hollywood is a fast paced town, and in this internet age, nothing needs to wait. Books are getting movie rights sold before the book even hits the shelf and sequels are announced before the first movie even comes out. Twilight is no different.

It looks like the third book in the series is already out of the blocks and running as Twilight’s Eclipse gets a greenlight.

Summit Entertainment has given the greenlight to the third film in Stephanie Meyer’s popular Twilight series. According to Variety, the film will be titled Eclipse, and it will have a release date of June 30th, 2010.

Just like New Moon got re-branded as “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon” I am sure this will quickly become “The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse”

But I think the rapid fire production schedule of this franchise is just further proof of the flash in the pan sensation that this has become. I am sure that the producers behind this movie are hoping to monopolize on the popularity of the series before it fades away and loses its luster.

It is a smart plan. They don’t give the Twilight fans a chance to lose their excitement and they still maintain their audience. If they dragged out the series with a film every other year, they could still potentially make as much money provided the fanbase stayed strong, but with technology as it is today, and a film like this that doesn’t require an effects heavy post photography process, firing these out as fast as possible maximizes their returns.

The big screen adaptation of Land of the Lost is fast becoming a Will Farrell comedy. Which is good news if you are a Will Ferrell Fan, but maybe not so good if you are a Land of the Lost fan. Land of the Lost was an adventure film, filled with all the wonder of this strange new world. I keep wanting to like this because of my nostalgia for Land of the Lost, but Ferrell keeps reminding me that this isn’t it.

I have said it before and I will again. I am just tired of Will Farrell’s comedy. So far what I have seen of this film in trailers and promo clips, I flip flop from recalling just why I love Ferrell and then I get tired scenes like the one above that reminds me why I am tired of him.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Will Ferrell and I think he is fine for his sort of comedy. If this is what you are going for, there is no better man for the job. But I think that I have seen his stylings a little too frequently and its just going on too long for me. Nothing serious, just not all that excited for it.

Anna Friel might be the only thing that saves me and gets me to watch this. I don’t know that I could resist.

Via

We had plenty of Oscar stuff last night and everyone else is feeding you Oscar results this morning, but I couldn’t help but share more of the Apatow Love. With my second favourite pothead buddies, we have the Pineapple Express inspired clip from the Oscars that introduced the Best Comedy category and I couldn’t resist sharing it with you International Friends who might have missed it.

I love the line, I got all the movies NOT nominated for an Oscar. “Man, I hate comedies.”

Classic.

via

The Trailer for Funny People has hit the net and I was expecting the same laugh-a-thon that Apatow films ususally deliver, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that despite the guaranteed laughs, there is a real touching story in here and that only makes me want to see it more.

Judd Apatow’s latest film Funny People is a little bit different than previous attempts. Sure, the whole gang is there with the addition of Adam Sandler into the mix, and of course we get to see the sexy Leslie Mann once again, but as much as those movies have a little heart, some bromance, real character conflict, this one seems to have that in spades. This rollercoaster of emotion laid behind a comedy theme is a one-two punch that is sure to be effective.

I just hope the “one that got away” storyline is not burdened with that chick flick stereotype of the target girl’s current-boyfriend-is-a-jerk thing.

Sandler is a good fit for the Apatow Pack, and I am really looking forward to seeing this.

Via

Amazing. Simply amazing. That’s what I thought of the Oscar ceremonies held earlier tonight up the street at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. So much was done completely right, and only a few things didn’t work very well. It was a very different show than in previous years, but refreshingly so.

BEST LINE OF THE NIGHT: “And now ladies and gentlemen, the Craigslist Dancers!”

I guess I’ll start off with Hugh Jackman as the Oscar host. I’ll be honest with you, I was really hoping to see him in the Wolverine outfit at some point and that didn’t happen. That being said, I was SO HAPPY to see an actual MOVIE STAR hosting the Oscars this year instead of some television personality. That’s been an issue of mine for a few years now. Call me crazy, but I think a night commemorating and celebrating the best of the year in the MOVIE business… should be hosted by someone IN the movie business. Hugh Jackman fit that description, and was a fantastic host for the show. I’ll go as far as to say it was the best job done by a host since Steve Martin did it. He was fantastic. I hope he returns next year.

I LOVED the way they presented the acting awards. Having 5 previous winners come out to name and honor the nominees was a brilliant idea and I thought made those categories very special. I was hoping they were going to do the same thing for the Best Director award as well. I hope this is a tradition they continue in the future for the show. It was also very symbolic having 5 performers who are already immortalized welcoming in the newest member making the ascension. Beautiful.

The one major misstep I think the show made was with the top hat musical number with Jackman and Beyonce. I can understand why they did it… and I thought it was a good idea… but it just didn’t work. It felt a little clumsy and lacked spark or any sense of excitement. Instead I just kept waiting for it to end so we could move on. Other than that I have no real complaints.

The 3 most obvious locks of the evening (Ledger for Best Supporting Actor, Man On Wire for Best Documentary and Wall-E for best animated) all won their respective categories. So really… besides Departures winning best foreign film over Waltz with Bashir, there were no real BIG surprises… which is fine.

I think most people knew Slumdog was going to be the big winner on the night. 8 Oscars was a wonderful evening. By the time it came down to Best Picture there was no more drama left… we all knew it was going to win. Well deserved win for a beautiful film.

Some people seem surprised that Mikey Rourke didn’t win Best Actor. I’m not sure why. He did indeed give an Oscar worthy performance in The Wrestler… but clearly (in my opinion anyway) not AS Oscar worthy as Sean Penn in Milk (which I contend is the best performance Penn has ever given. It was such a strong and wonderful group of nominees for Best Actor. You wouldn’t have heard me complain had any of them won. It was nice to see Richard Jenkins getting the recognition he so well deserves too!

I think there would have been riots in the streets if Heath Ledger didn’t win. He did deserve it and it was a nice touch that his family accepted the awards on his behalf.

Thank goodness they cut the “Best Song” nominees down to just the one medley. I’ve always hated that so much of the Oscar screen time got dedicated to one of the least important categories of the evening.

Less montages! Yay!

Once again the “In Memoriam” part of the Awards were very special. However I didn’t like how the director of the show kept pulling the cameras away from the screen so that I couldn’t really tell who was up on the screen or read their names properly. I wish they just kept it on the screen the whole time. Other than that it was well done.

The show felt like it had a really nice pace unlike some in recent years.

So that does it. Sorry… but the Oscar Party here at the house was a little too lively to do a Post-Oscar Podcast.

Viva the 2009 Oscar show. I loved it. Here’s hoping next year’s goes just a smoothly and is just as entertaining… just no more top hat song and dance numbers please.

Here are the Oscar results for the 2009 Academy Awards. Kris (InContention.Com) is in the other room and already wrote out the list… so I’m just going to be a blatant content thief and copy and paste his stuff instead of just retyping it all out (It’s been a long day… I’m lazy)

Best Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk”
Best Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Best Adapted Screenplay: “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Original Screenplay: “Milk”
Best Art Direction: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Best Cinematography: “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Costume Design: “The Duchess”
Best Film Editing: “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Makeup: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Best Music (Original Score): “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Music (Original Song): “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Sound Editing: “The Dark Knight”
Best Sound Mixing: “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Visual Effects: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Best Animated Feature Film: “WALL-E”
Best Foreign Language Film: “Departures”
Best Documentary Feature: “Man on Wire”
Best Documentary Short: “Smile Pinki”
Best Short Film (Animated): “La Maison en Petits Cubes”
Best Short Film (Live Action): “Toyland”

Tally:
“Slumdog Millionaire” — 8
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” — 3
“The Dark Knight,” “Milk” — 2
“Departures,” “The Duchess,” “Man on Wire,” “The Reader,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” “WALL-E” — 1

Ok, for the last few years I’ve talked about how much copious amounts of ass the new Battlestar Galactica TV show kicks. It started getting a bit weak in season 3, but recently it has returned to it’s most awesome ways.

I was also a fan of the original series… but it wasn’t nearly as good as the new incarnation. Still, the mythology behind both are just amazing. With that said, my friends over at IESB have mentioned that Universal is looking at developing a new feature film for Battlestar Galactica… but it would be based more on the old show rather than the new. They quote IGN with the following:

From IGN, Universal Pictures is planning to turn the TV series Battlestar Galactica into a feature film with series creator Glen A. Larson being lined up to script and produce it.

We were informed that the film will be based on the original BSG series from 1978-79 rather than the recent reboot from Sci Fi Channel. The story followed a band of humans who were the only survivors of a devastating attack on their colonial homeworld by the vicious cybernetic race known as the Cylons. The survivors, led by Commander Adama, embark on a journey through space aboard the military vessel Battlestar Galactica to find refuge on a distant planet called Earth.

I really don’t know how I feel about this. On the one hand a Battlestar Galactica movie would rule. On the other hand I’d MUCH rather see a film based on the new incarnation that the old.

I admit there really wouldn’t be anywhere to go with one based on the new incarnation since they’re getting ready to end the series, but it would still be my preference if they could find a way. Although… I must admit seeing a new version of the original Cylon attack on the Colonies and nearly wiping out the entire human race would be sweet. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

From our friends over at CHUD: Rian Johnson is not only programming a really fun film festival at LA’s New Beverly Cinema, he’s doing some good while he’s at it. And you can still be a part of it, even if you live outside of LA.

Rian has donated an ultra rare painted Brick poster that was used to advertise the film at Sundance. How rare is this canvass edition? Only people who worked on the movie have one. That’s right - you can’t buy this painting anywhere. The only other way to get this painting is to break into Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s house and steal his. That’s how rare it is.

But you can become the proud owner of this amazing historic movie collectible AND you can help out the good people at AIDS Project Los Angeles by placing a bid on the painting at this eBay auction. AIDS Project Los Angeles does a ton of good work with and for people with AIDS, including helping them get medical care, improving their quality of life, helping them find and maintain safe and secure housing and more.

Place a bid now. This is an exciting opportunity for you as a film lover to own a unique collectible and a beautiful piece of art, and to make someone else’s life just a little bit better.

And if you’re in LA, come out tonight for the double feature of House of Games and The Spanish Prisoner. Rian will be there in person introducing both films!

Right up front, I think Superman Returns was an awesome movie. No, it wasn’t a great COMIC BOOK movie, but it was a great movie. Often it’s the other way around… great comic book movies that aren’t all that great as movies. Know what I mean?

Anyway, one of the biggest (and very legitimate) complaints people had about Superman Returns was the complete lack of action. There was no one for Kal-El to fight and all he basically did (action wise) was go around and lift stuff. Whheeeee.

At any rate, we’ve known for a while now that another Superman movie was in the planning stages. It now appears that a working title has even been assigned to it. “SUPERMAN UNLEASHED”

Our friends over at Slashfilm give us this:

Alex L just sent me a link to a password protected page from the official Legendary Pictures website that lists “Superman Unleashed” as one of their upcoming films in development. The temporary plot synopsis included follows:

“Ramping up the action of its esteemed predecessor, the sequel to ‘Superman Returns’ promises to raise the stakes and take the audience to heights of action that no other superhero movie can achieve.”

So from this we learn a couple of things:

1) This new Superman movie will be a sequel and not another reboot
2) The title at the moment is “Superman Unleashed”

At first, I thought the title sounded a bit dumb…. but then I thought about it and now I think it’s actually very smart. Think about it… if the major complaint from most people about the previous film was the lack of action… then a title like “Unleashed” implies for the audience a much more uninhibited Superman. Perhaps some Kryptonian ass kicking will be in order.

It is probably just a working title, but I personally like it.

Now the most important thing is to get Brandon Routh back.

Again I find myself falling back on a toy release for movie news. I really dislike doing this, but with all the buzz about Deadpool being in the X-Men Origins Wolverine film, this sheds some light on the character that might make fans happy.

Latino Review tips:

This new toy from the X-Men Origins: Wolverine line shows a really scarred up Deadpool with marks all over his upper body and face paint

This is the hokiest packaging for a film related toy I have ever seen. But as far as Deadpool goes, I don’t get the strapped on arm blade things. Is he trying to make fun of Wolverine? Deadpool always was the joker.

Fans were outraged to see Ryan Reynold’s face in the previews, but a while back I reminded the International Friends that in the comics there was a running gag that Deadpool used an image inducer to hide his scarred and disfigured face, and that he made himself look like Tom Cruise. I really hope they nod to this reference in the books and have him name drop Ryan Reynolds as his face of choice.

Likely we will get to see the Reynolds face, and this scarred version as implied by the toy, but who knows if we will get to see the full red mask suit? I really hope so.

Linda Hamilton’s character may have already passed away by the time depicted in the upcoming Terminator Salvation, but that doesn’t seem to stop the fans from wanting her in the movie. Speculation over flashbacks or narration roles were wild on the net, and it looks like we might just get Linda yet!

ComingSoon.net quotes Linda Hamilton talking to MTV

“We are talking”… “I haven’t read it yet. I don’t know what direction they will go in.”

While she awaits the specifics in a script, Hamilton already knows what her role generally would be. “My contribution would be voiceover,” she said. “I would probably be very happy to loan my voice depending on what the material is. Wait and see. They’re already writing it. We’ve been negotiating it.

While other sites are already reporting this as a done deal, I simply remain positive that it will happen. She does say “we are negotiating it” so its not final yet.

It makes sense to have her come back. Linda Hamilton really proved herself in the Terminator franchise.

If you go back and watch the original, she was the very model of a typical waitress who just happened upon the worst scenario possible. The whole paradox upon which everything began had a very simple and normal woman being the birth mother of the future’s salvation.

Then in the sequel, this very modest waitress had completely transformed into a buff, badass gun toting warrior destined to raise her son with the skills and heart to lead the rebellion against the machines.

So to have her reprise her role even as a voiceover likely to remind us of the mission at hand or maybe chronicle her fate is not only a fanservice tribute, but it is a nod to Linda Hamilton as to the role she played in this franchise.

With all the early reviews coming out for Watchmen buzz is escalating and I am near wetting myself with anticipation. But I found an article today that really sums up my fears I have about its reception. Are the casual movie patrons ready for Watchmen?

/Film

Reviews of Watchmen have started to leak online, and the consensus thus far is the movie is extremely faithful to the graphic novel (with exception of the ending) and possibly to a fault. Most fans of the graphic novel seem to love the film, but some wonder if viewers who haven’t read the book might think. For example, Time Blogger Matt Selman says it was “one of the most powerful experiences” he’s “ever had” but later wonders if mainstream audiences will be “utterly baffled, bored, or totally love it?”

When I found out that Watchmen was going to be a feature film, I re-read the book and came to much of the same conclusion.

I can forgive them for altering the ending so this has a little more of a Hollywood climax. Without giving anything away, this character rich and deep thought provoking milestone in comic books didn’t exactly ramp up to a heart racing action scene, however it does leave you with an event that will forever change the world around them and leaves you with a sense of completion of each of the characters’ conflicts.

I think fans of the book will get that. Even with a Hollywood ending.

But with people absolutely trashing Superman Returns for its story driven screenplay and criticizing its lack of action, is the general public going to appreciate Watchmen, or will they be drawn to the movie for its dark and intriguing trailers and walk away unsatisfied?

All the buzz around this film is seemingly coming from those familiar with the book, and I honestly don’t know if this is going to be a big hit or not.

At very least this release will be a fan tribute. Finally after so long we can see the graphic novel on screen and even if it fails at the box office I know I will have a bluray copy of this to add to my collection and the circle will be complete.

It’s been 43 years, 10 movies and more than 700 episodes of six TV series of Star Trek, and after the fanbase has essentially died out the studio has decided that Star Trek shall rise from the ashes and really hit it out of the park without any of the baggage of what has come before.

No easy task, and Yahoo has a great article laying out what was, and how they got to the point of starting over.

The films based on Gene Roddenberry’s 1966 space Western serial have not been mega-hits, and, more importantly, they have failed to draw big audiences in increasingly crucial overseas markets. The top-grossing “Trek” feature was 1996’s “Star Trek: First Contact,” which grossed $146 million worldwide, with only $54 million coming from international (1979’s “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” actually has sold the most tickets in the series).

So rather than continue to milk a languishing franchise, Paramount essentially has started over, holding on to core elements of the “Trek” universe while courting a new audience as wide as the galaxy.

I hadn’t realized that the Trek films were so luke warm with results. Knowing how rabid the fanbase was, how could it fail? Yet it never managed to achieve the financial success its dedicated fans seemed to think it deserved.

Let’s face it. Film fans are pessimists. We love to find anything to bitch about and complain about. So with such a die hard group of fans like Trekkies, we already knew they were going to complain.

Trek90210 and other nonsense trendy catch phrases were thrust about griping about how this is destined to ruin Star Trek, while they wait in line to see the latest revamping of Batman’s franchise praising it and vibrating with anticipation.

The article lays out some of the obsticles and efforts made in this reboot/sequel that will offer up a staple in Trek films and timetravel from the very end right back to the beginning to start anew.

Great efforts were made to not alienate the existing husk of a fanbase and remind you that this is not the geeky Trek you were afraid to give a chance after seeing that awkwardly twitching pimple faced nerd offer you a “Live Long and Prosper” instead of a handshake.

The overall encouragement is that they are aware that the Trekkies are not their target audience, but they do not want to alienate them either. I have faith that they are making every effort to make this epic.

I have previously been a strong advocate in giving Kristen Kreuk a chance at action and I was looking forward to the Streetfighter: Legend of Chun-Li film. Well in a daring move of anticipation halting glory, eight clips showing off the film have been released to the net.

Of the eight available I chose the one that at least has Kreuk in an outfit and hair that pays tribute to her in game appearance.

This is utterly embarrassing. I was eager to see what they were going to do with this and I really do like Kriesten Kreuk, but her role in this is sadly miscast (has nothing to do with her only being half-Asian) but I also think that EVERYONE in this movie was miscast. The only person that comes close to embodying their character is Michael Duncan Clark. I was even hoping Vega would be cool, but that was a sad disappointment as well.

I honestly thought with the right direction and choreography that this could have been an incredible film but after seeing this clips I cringe at the thought. The dialogue is painful, the action is mediocre and for some reason every movie is associated with some hokey swooshy sounds like they were trying to mimic classic Kung-Fu cinema. I have officially given up any hope that this movie will be good. Up until now, everything looked decent.

Somewhere, VanDamme is nodding in approval knowing that from this day forward, he will no longer be teased for that lame Streetfighter movie he did.

MovieWeb has 8 clips for you to abuse your senses with and it basically spells out the whole plot, so you can now skip the film knowing you have seen the best it has to offer.