I’ve gone on record before that I sadly yet firmly believe that G.I. Joe is going to be the biggest disappointment of the summer of 2009. I so want this movie to be so good… but it won’t. I so hope I am so wrong.

A new trailer has hit. It’s in English with french subtitles. To be honest, the trailer looks pretty sweet… but so did the trailer for Phantom Menance… so take it with a grain of salt:

This is just a taste of things to come I think. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Disney has indeed now bought into part ownership of the popular video streaming site Hulu.

After weeks of speculation, The Walt Disney Co. on Thursday announced that it has joined NBC Universal, News Corp. and Providence Equity Partners as a joint venture partner and equity owner of video content aggregator Hulu.

Under the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, Hulu will offer full-length episodes of current and library Disney TV programs such as “Lost,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Private Practice,” “Ugly Betty,” “Scrubs,” “Greek,” “Hope & Faith,” “Less than Perfect,” “Wizards of Waverly Place,” “Phineas and Ferb,” “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” “General Hospital,” “The View” and “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” which will be streamed on an ad-supported basis.

Methinks the day of scheduled TV watching are beginning to draw to a close. It started with TiVo and DVRs, then iTunes… now there are tons of channels for TV (and movie) content. Hulu is one of the better services, and with the studios buying into these sorts of services it’s only a matter of time now. TV is entering it’s final days.

It will be interesting to see how this sort of thing will effect movies. I’ve always argued that the movie going experience is unique from television, and I still believe that. These new trends will undoubtedly have an effect on the movie world… what is yet to be seen is what KIND of effect and to what extent.

I never did warm up to the first Night At The Museum flick. It wasn’t horrible… it just never hit the chord for me. No big deal. I don’t have tons of faith in the sequel either, but even I’ve got to admit this new Night at the Museum 2 trailer is pretty charming (aside from the part with the little Einsteins which was very lame.

Check out the new Night at the Museum 2 trailer (make sure to click the higher quality option:

The release of the new Start Trek movie is getting closer and closer… and while I have some major reservations about the film, I can’t help but be excited about it at the same time. I love Sci-Fi and I love Star Trek… so this is something I’m pumped for.

Last night on lost, they showed some clips from the upcoming movie. This is is of Kirk getting in some trouble against a snow monster. (video via iO9)

The only thing I don’t like about this video is that it reminds me a little too much of that scene from Phantom Menace when they’re in the little mini-sub running from the sea creature.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock From the Sun and will for some unexplainable reason be Cobra Commander in the new G.I. Joe movie) has always been very talented, we’ve seen that even more in the last few years. He’s going to be a powerhouse for years to come. Rainn Wilson on the other hand is pretty much dead weight if he’s not on “The Office” (which he is flat out amazing on). Man he was horrible in “The Rocker”. Anyway…

Word has come out that the two of them have joined Natalie Portman in her new flick “Hesher”. Coming Soon gives us this:

The story centers on a loser twentysomething who invades the life of an awkward 13-year-old who is living with a pill-popping father and grandmother. Gordon-Levitt is playing the title character, a good and bad influence on the boy’s life. Wilson is the dad trying to keep his family together after the death of his wife. Portman, who is producing the film with Lucy Cooper, plays a supermarket worker for whom the kid falls for after she saves him from a bully.

Here’s the thing… I always sort of like Wilson, but he was SOOOO bad in The Rocker, I’m just dreading seeing him in anything anymore. Oh I’ll probably give this one a shot… and I hope Wilson knocks it out of the park… but he scares me now. It kills me that he’s in Transformers 2. Thankfully it’s a small part.

Because of how brilliant he was in The Dark Knight, a lot of people forget that it wasn’t Heath Ledger’s last movie. Ledger was working on the Terry Gilliam movie “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” when he died. As you may recall, instead of scraping the movie, they finished it with Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell all stepping in to play Ledger’s character to finish the project.

The problem has been that no one has picked up the film, and it’s looked like it never hitting the screens was a very real possibility. Until now.

Now, we are happy to report that “Doctor Parnassus” will have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 22nd. It is expected that an acquisition will be announced soon after.

This is good news. I’ve got to admit I’m more interested in seeing this movie for the way they handle the three actors stepping in to pick up for Ledger than I am to see Ledger himself (although that is obviously also very interesting to me). (source: WorstPreviews)

This is kind of an odd / cool little story. Writer Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho, Rules Of Attraction, Less Than Zero) wrote a book that came out back in 2005 called “Lunar Park“. In the book, the main character is… well… himself. It’s a story that follows (in a semi-autobiographical way) his “tale that details the early fame he received when his literary career took off in the Eighties, then blurs it with such fictional details as terrorist attacks, ghost hauntings, and a marriage to an actress.”

Anyway, it looks like he’s landed Benicio Del Toro to play him in the movie. Another Odd / Cool thing about this story is that Easton Ellis is a white dude… and according to Ellis that’s part of the reason Del Toro was attracted to the part.

“Benicio would actually be playing Bret Easton Ellis,” the author said of his new, unlikely doppelganger. “It’s a strange bit of casting.” According to Easton Ellis, it was their physical differences that attracted the “Traffic” star to the role. “I think he’s interested just because he’s rarely offered Anglo parts.”

This sort of quirky little story sounds like something Del Toro would shine in. I’ll be curious to see if this actually come to fruition or not. (source: MTV)

I read a cool theory this morning that I just love the idea of. What if Ferris Bueller was like Fight Club?

Its a theory that re-imagines the exact same movie, but applying the twist of Fight Club to the characters. Its all in Cameron’s head. Ferris isn’t real.

/Film explains the theory created by “Cool Papa Bell”

One day while he’s lying sick in bed, Cameron lets “Ferris” steal his father’s car and take the day off, and as Cameron wanders around the city, all of his interactions with Ferris and Sloane, and all the impossible hijinks, are all just played out in his head. This is part of the reason why the “three” characters can see so much of Chicago in less than one day — Cameron is alone, just imagining it all.

It isn’t until he destroys the front of the car in a fugue state does he finally get a grip and decide to confront his father, after which he imagines a final, impossible escape for Ferris and a storybook happy ending for Sloane (”He’s gonna marry me!”), the girl that Cameron knows he can never have.

This just give me one more reason to watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off - not that I needed another reason. The movie is a classic.

This reminds me of a recent episode of How I Met your Mother where Barney seems to be the only one who “gets” movies. He sees Karate Kid as being about Johnny learning to take defeat with some pride after being beat by some talentless punk from the poor part of town. Or how Terminator is about the Terminator.. not the resistance, or Sarah Connor. Look at the title.. Terminator.

Are there any movies that you can twist its original intent and make it work with a different point of view?

I’ve only heard a few things here and there about an upcoming project called “Unicorns”. It’s an indie film about a young girl who turns to a fantasy world when her first boyfriend turns into a prick and becomes abusive. According to sources, Johanna E. Braddy (TV’s “The Riches” and the upcoming movie Fame) and Kyle Gallner (The Flash on Smallville and the upcoming new Nightmare on Elmstreet movie).

I like the sounds of this… and I oddly love movies with Unicorns… but is it just me or does this project sounds a little bit too much like Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth? (source: Dark Horizons)

Way back in the day Marvel did these comics called “What the-?!” and they were basically just spoof comics of the Marvel Universe. Well now they are riffing on Robot Chicken and using the action figures to play out stop motion animated versions of those comics.

Just in time for the premier of X-Men Origins Wolverine, we get the second episode of Marvel’s What the-?!

Love the closing credits song. Listen for the trademarked “snikt” in the background.

Via

Spawn was one of the biggest comic phenomena outside of the major labels. There is something so raw about the story that struck a chord with a very large audience. With an audience and popularity like that, it was no surprise that a Spawn movie was made. Sadly is sucked harder than Jenna Jameson. But still, the character has so much appeal, you knew it would only be a matter of time before another shot was taken at it.

Spawn creator (and massive hockey fan) Todd McFarlane has been talking about another Spawn project for years… but now he says he has 5 offers on the table from various studios ranging from big special effects budgets to smaller gritty indie type budgets. He also mentioned he’s like to write and direct it himself… which is why I think he’s leaning towards the smaller budget offers because the larger ones probably wouldn’t let him do that part himself… but I’m speculating.

I think another crack at Spawn is a good idea even though I hated the first one. However, like George Lucas, I think Todd should let someone else direct. He should develop the story and then hand it off. Just my opinion.

McFarlane said something else quite interesting. He said his idea for the next Spawn movie wouldn’t be a “comic book” movie, but more a straight scary movie. Not exactly sure what he meant by that. I guarantee you the bigger studios that are interested in Spawn would want it to be a comic book movie. And honestly I think that would be better.

So what do you think? New Spawn a good idea or bad one? Should McFarlane direct or hand it off? (source: iesb)

It wasn’t all that long ago that looked at parts in comic book movies as a desperate measure. But recently, being in a decent comic book flick can completely make a career. We all knew who Christian Bale was before Batman Begins… but he wasn’t nearly as big or popular or held in such high regard until taking up beh bat mantle. Look what Iron Man did for Robert Downey Jr. And with his success in Sin City, is it any wonder a mega star like Bruce Willis would consider going back to the comic book well?

MovieWeb is reporting that Bruce Willis is in talks to start in an adaptation of WildStorm/DC comic “Red”.

Red sees Willis as an ex-black-ops agent who comes back into action when a high-tech assassin comes after him and the woman he loves. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian are producing. Writing the screenplay are Erich and Jon Hoeber. Currently Willis and Co. are negotiating with Summit regarding the role. Richard Donner could be directing.

To me this sounds like a very good fit. Willis doesn’t have much time left to do these kinds of roles. Yeah Stallone is doing action into his 60’s… but Bruce Willis ain’t Sylvester Stallone. I hope he goes for it. But even if he doesn’t… I’d like to see this one happen.

I’ve been very excited about the Ridley Scott Robin Hood project. Not just because it’s Ridley Scott… not just because it’s Russell Crowe (best actor on the planet)… but because the myth of Robin Hood is so universal and timeless. Action, adventure, chivalry, it has it all.

But the project has gone through a lot of changes from the original idea. At first it was going to be called “Nottinham” and focus more on the story of the Sheriff, then Crowe was going to play both roles… now he’s just Robin Hood. And now it’s been announced that even though they’ve already started shooting, they’ve hired another writer to re-do the script.

The folks over at Worst Previews give us this:

The screenplay will now be reworked top to bottom. The first script was written by “Kung Fu Panda” scribes Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris. It was later re-written by Brian Helgeland (Mystic River, LA Confidential) and the new writer coming in to take over is Tom Stoppard (Brazil, Empire of the Sun, Shakespeare in Love).

Man, this can’t be good.

Roger Rabbit was such a ground breaking film in so many ways. Not only was it visual hilarious with the combination of animation and live action, but the story and dialog in and of itself were just hilarious. And has there ever been a sexier cartoon character than Jessica Rabbit? I submit to there has NOT.

It’s always amazed me that considering the enormous popularity and success of Roger Rabbit there there has never been a sequel. Well… that may be changing as Robert Zemeckis has recently dropped that we may be seeing another Roger Rabbit film. FINALLY!

The guys over at AICN chime in with this:

The only thing that I’ll say is this… Please, Mr. Zemeckis… what makes Roger Rabbit work is that he’s a 2-D toon in a 3-D human world. I can see you updating it with crazy awesome CGI via performance capture, but unless you have a brilliant idea that can explain why 2-D Roger is now 3-D ultra real Roger you’re going to lose a lot of the magic that made the original film work.

I totally agree. Roger Rabbit (and Jessica) need to stay in the 2-D animation realm. Maybe have other 3D characters… that could actually be a part of the plot… but keep Roger and Jessica 2D!

I am so excited about this!

Star Wars is, and always will be a universal culture all unto itself. Disney even has what they call “Star Wars Weekends” (which you can read more about here).

To help build the excitement for the upcoming Star Wars weekends, Disney has produced these amazing little posters. Here’s the funny thing… these great posters aren’t viewable by the public at Disney. They’re only posted around the employee only areas. The idea for them is just to get the STAFF pumped and excited for the events. Pretty cool.

Anyway, these posters come to us via the good folks over at Cinematical.

X-Men is not just a popular movie franchise, but it has held its own corners of TV Land as well. Any of the Live Action attempts failed at the pilot stage, and the only one to have any wings to it was Mutant X, which had a strong resemblance to the X-Men, based on Marvel’s concept of mutants and even bore the Marvel branding during the credits despite having nothing to do with the Marvel Universe.

But the various animated series have been fairly successful and it all owes its success to the first series to dare a season after the failed X-Men 80s pilot Pryde of the X-Men.

LatinoReview

Walt Disney Home Video has released two DVD volumes of the popular 1990’s ‘X-Men’ animated series. Launched in October of 1992 by the Fox Network, the series aired on Saturday mornings and met tremendous success. For the first time comic book fans were given the opportunity to see their favorite X-Men stories told in an animated form that honored the original material. The “Night of the Sentinels” two-part episode originally aired as a “sneak preview” even though it truly wasn’t ready for broadcast. There were many animation errors in these two episodes, but the errors were later corrected when Fox re-aired the pilot in early 1993.

Back in the day these were the first collected TV Series I ever bought. Granted being the dinosaur that I am, this was available in VHS format with ONE EPISODE per tape. I had the entire first season of videos including the three part season finale that dealt with the Dark Phoenix Saga.

For the most part, this animated series was the closest thing to the comics of that same time.

I liked X-Men Evolution, and the new Wolverine and The X-Men and there will likely be 3 dozen more animated series. This one just reminds me of a simpler times and I will likely pick it up out of nostlatia sake. But also because I never had the second season. My favourite episode (with Nightcrawler) was on that second season.

Julia Child is the celebrity, but in telling her story this film turns to the true story of someone less celebrated.

/Film calls it:

“Based on two true stories, Julie & Julia intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends…until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible. ”

I am a sucker for anything with Amy Adams in it, and in this trailer, I find her to be utterly plain… which is the point. She still maintains her charm while showing how the life of someone unremarkable becomes fulfulling and paralelling that with another true story. It is a very interesting way to tell a story of someone notable, while using someone who isn’t.

I really want to see this.

There is no movie coming out this summer that I am expecting to be more disappointed by than G.I. Joe. After seeing Channing Tatum’s terrible performance in “Fighting” last week, my expectations have dropped even lower.

This film has been handled wrong right from the begining. The wrong director (really… you want the director of Van Helsing to direct this?!?!?!), the wrong cast (aside from Dennis Quaid and maybe Ray Park)… basically I have no hope for this movie. I’m crossing my fingers I’m dead wrong and it turns out good… I’m just not expecting it at all.

Anyway, there will be a new trailer for G.I. Joe hitting the web on Friday according to our friends over at MoviesOnline. I hope it’s better than the first one and gives us some reason for optimism.

“Red Tails”, a movie about the true story of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen… black pilots who fought for their country back in WW2… a country that treated German Prisoners of war better than they treated them because of the color of their skin, is moving full speed ahead and have just added another cast member. Rick Simon/Major Dad himself Gerald McRaney.

McRaney joins an already fairly solid cast with the likes of Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Bryan Cranston, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Tristan Wilds, Cliff Smith (aka Method Man), Kevin Phillips, Rick Otto, Lee Tergesen, Andre Royo, Ne-Yo and Elijah Kelley.

MovieWeb give us this:

According to The Hollywood Reporter, McRaney will play General Luntz, the officer who assigns the Red Tails as bomber escorts during missions over Nazi held territory.

It’ll be interesting to see something without the words “Star” or “Indiana” in the title from the mind of George Lucas.

I am excited as hell about this one. MovieWeb reports: John Wells and Don Murphy, through their respective companies John Wells Prods. and Angryfilms, have teamed up to develop the independent comic The Forgotten for the big screen.

Ok, so what’s the big deal right? Just another little indie comic that gets a movie deal that may or may not ever actually make it to the screen. Well… the big deal is that the story has a fantastic and very unique angle to it. The synopsis looks like this:

the comic centers on a man who, no matter what he does or whom he meets, is forgotten five minutes later. While it gives him great power and leeway as far as investigations and problem-solving, it leaves him incredibly alone. When the son of a long-lost friend is charged wrongly with murder, he uses his powers to get to the bottom of a conspiracy.

I love it! It’s almost like a reverse Memento. This one is going to stay on my radar!

I know I know I know. Here we are talking about all this Transformers and Wolverine and Clash of the Titans stuff… when deep down what you’ve really been dying to know about is “John… what’s that status on the Sex and the City sequel?!?!?!”

Well good news SATC fans. They’ve just moved one step closer to getting the film going. Mr. Big, Chris Noth, has officially signed on to appear in the next film.

The good folks over at Variety give us this:

In a seven-figure deal, Chris Noth has committed to “Sex and the City 2,” the sequel to be directed by Michael Patrick King for New Line Cinema. The pic shoots in early September, and Warner Bros. has set a May 28, 2010, release date. The original grossed $412.6 million worldwide.

Look, I admit it… I didn’t think the first Sex and the City movie was all that bad… it was WAY too long, but overall it was pretty decent, and even though I’d never seen a single episode of the show, I had no problem understanding what was going on.

This is going to one of those movies where people will say “it doesn’t need a sequel”, but they don’t understand the women who love Sex and the City don’t watch it for the story… they watch if for the characters. And sooooo… they’ll be back to watch again.

I became an instant fan of Danny Huston after watching his performance in 30 Days of Night as the main Vampire Marlow. I don’t think a Vampire character has ever creeped me out as much as he did in that flick.

Anyway, we mentioned yesterday that Clash Of The Titans was already filming, and it appears they’ve just added Huston to the cast to play the mighty god Poseidon. NICE!

The movie has am impressive cast that already includes Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Sam Worthington. Directed by action expert Louis Leterrier, I find myself getting really pumped for this one.

Huston is playing William Stryker in this weekends X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Jackie Chan is the man. When a performer… any kind of performer… does things so well that he almost becomes a genre in an of himself, you’ve got something really special. Jackie Chan one of those guys. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny the massive influence he’s had on the movie industry or the amazing career he’s carved out for himself and the fact that he paved the way for guys like Jet Li and Tony Ja to become recognizable names in North America.

Chan’s career is now about to hit another milestone. He’s planning his 100th movie project. The folks over at Yahoo News give us this:

The 55-year-old “Rush Hour” star said on his Web site he will co-direct the film tentatively called “Chinese Zodiac” with Stanley Tong (also directed Chan in Rumble In The Bronx, with shooting to take place in China, Austria and France. The brief statement seen Wednesday did not give further details. Tong, whose credits include the TV series “Martial Law” and the comedy movie “Mr. Magoo,” directed Chan in the 1995 action film “Rumble in the Bronx” and the 2005 fantasy “The Myth.”

I’ve always thought it was a shame that Jackie Chan was never really (in my opinion) used properly in the North American movie market, aside from perhaps the first two Rush Hour movies (I really loved the second one). I hope the 100th will be something special.

Holy fricken sweet uncle Marty soggy pants!!!!! I don’t care what anyone says… this trailer looks damn amazing. The new Transformers 2 trailer has been leaked on the web. This is a low quality cam version… see it while you can:

**SORRY GUYS. THE BACKWARDS THINKING SUITS AT PARAMOUNT HAVE REQUESTED WE TAKE THE TRAILER DOWN. HEAVEN FORBID WE HELP GET PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MOVIE**

Thanks for the link.

When a new valid one goes live we will post it right away.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: One of the greatest and most quotable lines from any movie in the 80’s was the immortal one spoken by Gordon Gekko (portrayed brilliantly by Michael Douglas) in one of the greatest 80’s movies “Wall Street” where he says “Greed is good. Greed works”. The line is not one that I’d want to teach my kids in the future, but it is one that pretty much captured the economic temperature of the 1980’s.

There is a sequel to Wall Street in the works under the title “Money Never Sleeps” (I freaking love this title by the way). It’s been in the works for a while… got shut down… but now has the green light again with Oliver Stone set to direct it, Michael Douglas returning to the role that won him his Oscar, and apparently Shia LeBeouf who is in talks with the studio to join the project.

This is amazing news (the sequel being given the green light again). Gordon Gekko is one of the most amazing characters to hit the screen in the 80’s and I’ve been dying to see more of his story post-prison (he goes to prison after the events of the first movie).

And hey… if you want to know more about the script for “Money Never Sleeps”, our friends over at Latino Review put together this great little video outlining the plot. Check it out.

To the best of my knowledge (there are those who disagree with this… but I’ve not been able to confirm it) director Christopher Nolan is not signed on to do a third installment of his Batman franchise. I think there is very little doubt that he will in fact be back… but he’s not obligated at this point.

There has been a lot of speculation that if Nolan didn’t come back, then Christian Bale wouldn’t come back. I’ve tried to tell people that Bale IS contractually obligated for a third film and has been for a long time. But now Bale himself confirms that.

In a recent conversation with the folks over at TotalFilm, Bale says:

“Will we do a third movie? It’s got to be the right story. You can’t make something like The Dark Knight and then come out with something disappointing. I would like it if people say, ‘You’ll never make a good third movie.’ I say, ‘OK, let’s make a third movie in that case, let’s prove them wrong. But that’s just me. The fact is, I have to! I’ve signed up! Chris doesn’t. So I’m in a bit of a fix if he says he doesn’t want to!”

So now that we’ve confirmed the obvious, perhaps we can move on. But like I said earlier, the chances of Christopher Nolan not returning for the next Batman film are painfully slim to none, so none of this speculation will matter anyway.

The WGA is a grotesquely political body. We saw that in the recent writers strike, and now we see it again. Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight Director’s Christopher Nolan’s brother and co-writer) had made major contributions to the script of the new Terminator Salvation script… and yet… he was not allowed to be credited.

His contributions to the script were so significant that director McG earlier said Nolan was “the lead writer of the film.” and “I don’t know how the WGA rules work but honest to goodness, we did the heaviest lifting with Jonah”. And yet… this “lead writer” who did the “heavy lifting” doesn’t get a credit. Help me out here.

Our friends over at /Film looked into it a bit more and give us this:

I called the Writers Guild of America to find out, and they told me that the FINAL “Written By” credits for the film list only John Brancato and Michael Ferris, the duo that wrote Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines and the original script for Terminator Salvation. The WGA told me that the credits are not currently in arbitration, and that Jonathan Nolan is NOT listed on the final credits. Of course, this doesn’t mean that Nolan didn’t have a large contribution to the film. Changes in dialogue, character, mood and tone can mean the difference between a good movie and a bad movie. But WGA arbitration is a strange, often disputed and sometimes political process. Nolan would have had to change 51% or more of the story to earn a credit.

So if an actor is only in 5 minutes of a movie… less that 5%… then they get a credit. But someone who contributes as much as Nolan did to the script doesn’t get a credit. I’m not going to pretend to understand the interworkings of the WGA political machine, and I’m sure this happens all the time… but it’s still really messed up.

Remember when we got that first peek at Megan Fox on the set of Jonah Hex in her Western Frontier Saloon Gal outfit? Well it was all covered up by a long sweater, but you could get the idea.

Well MovieGab is taking away what was left to the imgination and now my pants don’t fit right.

Megan Fox is pure eyecandy. She’s never going to win an Oscar, but she could give up acting and just do posters for the back of teenager’s bedroom doors and still have a long and healthy career.

I have a soft spot for westerns and the loose morals of saloon girls, so this works for me on a number of different levels. She could do this role butchering a southern drawl and I would still go see it.

MovieGab has a few more shots.

Sometimes I question the right of humanity to exist. This story only makes me doubt it even more. According to Jessica Alba, there might be a Good Luck Chuck 2 on the horizon. No… really. I wouldn’t make up such lies.

Look, I like Dane Cook as a person. I’ve met him on a couple of occasions and I can tell you he seems like a legitimately cool guy. Very polite, very generous with his time and very personable. I’d watch the next UFC with him for sure. But the man can NOT act to save his life. Not in the least. He has no business being in movies, and one of the best examples of that was the original Good Luck Chuck.

Our friends over at Latino Review give us this very disturbing news:

Jessica Alba, via Twitter, updated fans of Good Luck Chuck (fans being Dane Cook and his friends) that there might potentially be a sequel. From Jessica’s Twitter page:

I have good news Before I go, this is for the good luck chuck fans :) Just recieved word that Good luck 2 may Get the greenlight!

Dear heavens… someone just shoot me now. This was a HORRIBLE movie and didn’t do too well at the box office. When in the hell would a studio want to make another one? Are they just trying to throw anything together to fulfill their contracts with Alba and Cook?

Alba may be the only person in Hollywood today who is a worse actor than Cook… so I guess the two go well together. Uggg.

Russel Brand is sure getting his name out there, and most recently he is attached to a remake of Drop Dead Fred. The story of a woman and her childhood imaginary friend from the early 90s will be updated.

ComingSoon shares:

The 1991 original starred Phoebe Cates as a wallflower who loses her job and husband during the course of a lunch hour. Forced to live back home, she’s reunited with her childhood imaginary friend (Brit actor Rik Mayall), who promises to help but causes more havoc.

The trade says the take for the update is to make a film in the tone of Beetlejuice, building a universe around the concept of imaginary friends. Brand would play the trouble-making pal.

Now we get to play the “Remake Game” and compare this to our list of our extensive but in no way absolute 4 Rules Before Making a Remake!

1) The original has to have a good story I loved the original Drop Dead Fred. It was a heartwarming story that appeals to the inner child in all grown ups - that tug back to a simpler time when it was OK to have an imaginary friend, and seeing the two worlds collide. Yes, the story is a good one and well worth repeating.

2) Majority of current audience hasn’t seen the original Ask anyone about this movie. Go now and ask “Have you seen Drop Dead Fred” and I guarantee the reaction will almost entirely be the same. Slight pause, glancing up and to the right, then a moment of recognition and a “Yeah I remember that” and at best people will think Carrot Top was Fred. This movie might still be on a vague radar ping, but most people haven’t seen the original, or if they have, its been so long that it doesn’t matter.

3) Original has to be at least 20 years old This year will be 18, so by the time its made it might be. Or damned close.

4) The story would benefit from a modern telling This is the pants kicker for me. I don’t think it would BENEFIT from a modern retelling. Aside from the fashion sence that said bold busy patterns and padded shoulders were in, this movie will pretty much be the same if told in a modern retelling. I do like that they want to hit up a broader concept that imaginary friends come from a parellel existance and have “rules” and such, but that too was touched on in the original.

So my verdict is that I wouldn’t mind seeing Drop Dead Fred remade. Of course my sway has a lot more to do with seeing Russell Brand just OWN a role where he plays a silly imaginary friend that leads our main character into crazy hijinks, but it just makes sense to me.

Brand is one of those guys you either love or hate, but for this type of role, I could barely imagine anyone BUT him doing it.

There was a time where I would have committed unspeakable acts of evil in exchange for Amanda Peet accidentally brushing against my crotch while walking past me in a crowded bar. I’m not saying I would have sold my soul for one night with her… but I’m pretty sure nothing else would have been out of the question.

However, I’ve fallen out of love with her, especially as an actress recently as she seemed to be a one hit wonder with her performance in The Whole Nine Yards. And now she’s joined an even more questionable project… Gulliver’s Travels with Jack Black. Yahoo News gives us this:

The modern retelling follows travel writer Lemuel Gulliver, who heads to an assignment in the Bermuda Triangle only to end up on the secret island of Lilliput, home to a population of industrious tiny people. Peet will play Black’s editor and potential romantic interest. “Monsters vs. Aliens” co-director Rob Letterman is helming the picture, which was written by Nicholas Stoller and Joe Stillman.

I’d love to see Peet come back strong and reestablish herself… I just haven’t liked what I’ve seen from her recently. But hot damn that is one beautiful woman.

I’ve got a soft spot for once famous celebrities reemerging onto the public stage in some odd roles. At one point in time there was no bigger star than Don Johnson. When Miami Vice was at the height of its popularity, Johnson was not only outrageously popular… but he was a fashion icon for men as well… something I’ve never seen happen since. It seemed like every other guy walking down the street was dressed like Sonny Crockett.

Johnson is back… and he’s not a cop this time. He’s playing a porn director in the new project “Born To Be A Star”. The folks over at ComingSoon give us this:

Nick Swardson is starring as a small-town nerd who learns his quiet and demure parents were famous porn stars in the 1970s. This motivates him to leave northern Iowa for Hollywood, hoping to follow in their footsteps and fulfill his destiny as the biggest adult-film star in the world. Johnson plays a down-on-his-luck director who discovers Swardson and gives him a shot.

It’s a funny concept, even if it does remind me a little too much of Boogie Nights… with Don Johnson just playing the same role essentially as Burt Reynolds did… but hey, this one is a comedy so let’s see how it pans out.

The original Clash of the Titans is a bad movie in so many ways… but also CLASSIC in so many ways as well. When I first heard that they were lining up to do a remake of it, I actually thought it was a great idea. Some time ago I got my hands on a copy of the script, and I remained a believer that this remake could be great. Then they announced the director, Louis Leterrier (who also directed the Transporter and the new Hulk movie) and the cast, (Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes) and I was sold.

The movie has now gone from pre-production and is filming full speed ahead. The good folks over at ComingSoon give us this synopsis:

In Clash of the Titans, the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.

Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades??? Wicked! Mark my words… this is going to be a very fun movie.

Robert Sanchez at IESB.net ambushed Tom Rothman of Fox at the Wolverine Premier in Arizona to ask about some of the projects coming down the line. Robert asks him about returning to the Alien franchise for a prequel, and this is Rothman’s answer:

Rothman said of the possible Aliens film, “There’s been some talk. Ridley Scott, Ridley is right now working on Robin Hood, but I think he’s toying with the idea and that would be great for us. I mean, it’s always been a matter of, really, if you can get the originator to do it that would be the greatest thing, so I’ve got my fingers crossed, all of them.”

The article also hits up on some other key tidbits that I will fire out bullet point style

- Robert Sanchez of IESB has Sources.
- Robert Rodriguez will be rebooting Predators (Rothman calls him Creative Godfather -writing/producing)
- Daredevil Reboot is eventually going to happen
- Wolverine Stingers will hint at what films will come next in the X-Franchise
- No comment on Reboot Fantastic Four
- You better be at Comic Con if you want to see more about Avatar.

The intersting quote by Rothman in the interview is that he describes Avatar as “THE movie that will change the way we see movies” but then continues to say that even if it wasn’t for the revolutionary effects and technological marvel, the real thing to look forward to is the “totally great kickass emotionally driven story”.

That makes me more excited for the movie than any of the tech advancements it promises to reveal.

Check out IESB.net to see the video of the Interview.

The newest trend in Hollywood today is all the rage. Who wants to pick up a phone and call someone, or even have your people talk to my people. That is just so 2008.

Now if you want someone to know what you are thinking or perchance have a request for them, you just drop it in an interview! And the proper ettiquette for replying? Also mention it in an interview!

I’m sure everyone will be asking him this question today, but during the press day for Star Trek, I spoke to Leonard Nimoy (Holy shit.. What a legend) and asked him if Michael Bay had contacted him about voicing a robot in Tranformers 2.

Leonard looked right at the camera and said loudly, “Call me, Michael! Call me!” he said he heard Michael was afraid to get a hold of him for some reason, but he’d gladly be a part of Transformers. Then he again reiterated to the camera, “Call me, Michael!”

I never had any doubt that Nimoy would turn down even a piddly handful of cash to do a voice role like this. It is a cool fanservice for him to have a part of the Transformers feature films after he was a voice in the 1986 animated feature.

Remember, this is the guy who hand delivered a surprise screening of the new Star Trek to fans who gathered to watch Wrath of Khan in a small cinema and lets not forget his tribute to Bilbo Baggins!

But I kind of get that awkward feeling that we are standing close to one of those conversations where people say things to each other with that tone that makes you realize they want you to be listening.

Just do lunch and make it happen already!!

The score of a film can solidify its message, bridge logic to emotion, and punctuate impact in a way that gives you chills. So even with popcorn summer blockbusters, they want to make sure they get it right. Linkin Park’s “What I’ve Done” was a good match for Transformers, and so Michael Bay will have the rock band put together another song for Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. But they will also be lending their theme song into the overall score which will earn them a composing credit.

FirstShowing says:

Michael Bay has of course turned to Linkin Park again to write another song for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, but is that all they’re doing? A news break on singer Mike Shinoda’s official blog announces that Linkin Park has not only been working on a song, but that song is being used as one of the themes, which is going to be part of the score for the film. Additionally, he mentions that he’s been working with none other than Hans Zimmer.

The musical score and how each song relates to one another in the movie can make or break it.

I constantly talk about how painful the score is in Ladyhawke (one of my all time favourite films) and how the movie is a testament to overcome such BAD score. And I have to say that I really like Linkin Park’s stuff. Instrumentally I find it to be some of the greatest rock stuff on the market, and to tie in one of their songs into the melody of the score is a great idea.

The last time we got a sampling of clips from a movie it ruined any anticipation I had for the film entirely. So as I hit up the clips I did so half flinching waiting for something to offend me.

It didn’t happen. Check out this clip giving premise to Nero.

And a nice Easter Egg dropping the Abrams “Slusho”

Kirk is always been known as the ladies man, and it sends Trek in a new light to have Kirk hitting on Uhura. I don’t mind that at all as to me, it just punctuates that there is no canon not worth deviating from. Nothing saying they didn’t have history from the academy.

Fresh start people! Loving it.

MovieWeb has three more clips to check out.

Its the ones closest to you that hurt you the most.

I have a lot of hope for X-Men Origins Wolverine. I have been reveling in these movies for a long time now. As a comic book collector I have been waiting a LONG time and this is a golden age. Then some retard steals the movie and puts in on the net unfinished. A lot of the criticism trying to rain on my parade are basing their assessment of the movie on an unfinished cut.

But this assessment is based off an unfinished workprint that is said to be missing some footage and a lot of effects.

FilmJunk says:

Director Gavin Hood said that Fox had a tradition of hiding “easter eggs” in their films (the hidden scene at the end of X-Men: The Last Stand, for example), and although he didn’t say how many different endings there would be, at least one of them is related to the Deadpool character. Apparently Fox is hoping that fanboys will go see the movie multiple times in order to see each of the different stingers after the credits.

I have no doubt that they would want to add footage, finish the movie, hell they might even be taking the critiques as the biggest un-invited test market of all to make some tweaking changes.

But multiple endings?? Does this just sound like “insurance for boxoffice receipts” to you?

I am torn, because if this leak never happened I would probably geek over this like a good little fanboy. But right now it feels like a counteroffer.

I don’t want this to taint my anticipation of the film, but on the other hand it might actually give me more hope as the idea sets in.