I'm not supposed to be working right now (took the day off to celebrate getting older), but I just had to pop on and show you folks this hysterical video from Funny or Die. It's called I'm a Marvel .. and I'm a DC, and for anyone who thought those Mac/PC spoofs were getting old and tired ... definitely check this one out. In the video above, Iron Man and Batman square off in a fight ... of words ... to determine who's the better superhero. Stick with it, because they really get into it after awhile -- when Iron Man goes off on the Batman viral stuff, I just about lost it; same goes for the "at least kids can go see my movie" rant. Best part of the whole thing: they use action figures ... and the voice work ain't that bad. Who do you think has the better argument?
Just when I thought the day would end without a single bit of funny ... The Promotiontrailer has finally arrived! You've probably heard us talk about this movie a good gazillion times already, but if you haven't, listen up: It's really good and stuff. Yes, a bunch of us here at Cinematical saw The Promotionwhen it premiered at SXSW in March and we absolutely fell in love with its characters, its story, its performances and its charm.
Written and directed by Steve Conrad (writer of The Pursuit of Happyness), The Promotion stars Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly as two guys who REALLY want to land the new managerial job at the supermarket across town. In fact, both will go to great lengths to get that job -- and, while the premise sounds sort of played, silly and uninteresting, the execution is wonderful. This is truly one of my favorite films of the year so far, and we hope you like it too. Moviefone just premiered the new trailer (see above), and they did a pretty good job setting the film up for you, tone and all. As I've said, it's Election set in a supermarket -- so when you watch the trailer, keep that in mind.
There's all sorts of madness going on at Marvel right now in the wake of Iron Man's ridiculous opening weekend. Marvel's Kevin Feige was promoted to God and now it's time to start looking toward the future. While we await the release of Marvel's second self-financed flick (The Incredible Hulk) later this summer, The Hollywood Reporter tells us Matthew Vaughn is no longer directing Thor (currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 4, 2010, not July 4 as previously reported -- unless HR made a typo). According to HR, Vaughn's holding deal expired. In the meantime, Marvel is waiting for a script polish from writer Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend).
On what we should expect from Thor, Feige says, "It's very much a Marvel superhero story but against the backdrop of nothing you've seen before. " He then described the flick as a "period fantasy in the vein of The Lord of the Rings." Sounds pretty cool to me. Who do you think they should get to direct Thor? Heck, why not throw Peter Jackson on it -- I'm sure fans would freak over that one.
Additionally, and this is just a rumor right now, HR also claims that Hulk might be featured in Iron Man 2 (due out April 30, 2010). They don't go any further than that except to say we should expect cross-referencing in all these films now that Marvel has control over the movies its characters are in. However, one thing's NOT for sure right now -- and that's Robert Downey Jr.'s participation in the Iron Man sequel. He's signed on, but HR says Marvel may have to "sweeten the pot to reward the movie's star." Oh, they'll sweeten ... or else millions of fans will look to bring on a world of hurt.
We brought you a bunch of brand new G.I. Joe character photos yesterday, but Paramount just sent over a whole batch of those same images (plus a few others) in beautiful hi-res. These photos include characters like Duke (Channing Tatum), Hawk (Dennis Quaid), Ripcord (Marlon Wayans), The Baroness (Sienna Miller), Destro (Christopher Eccleston), Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Breaker (Saïd Taghmaoui), Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee). With the exception of Cobra Commander (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), that's our primary cast.
Check out all these images (in hi-res) in the gallery below. G.I. Joe hits theaters on August 7, 2009.
Things seem to be getting a tad confusing over on the Transformers 2front. As of now, Michael Bay and his team plan to begin production in early June ... IF there isn't an actor's strike. (I know, another strike -- we're sick of 'em too.) Regardless of what might happen, they still need to cast this monster -- and that's where all this he said/she said is coming into play. Not long ago, Jonah Hill was rumored to be in negotiations for a part opposite Shia LaBeouf, but that's no longer happening. Now, if Michael Bay is to be believed, Australian actress Teresa Palmer is no longer in the film and was never considered in the first place. This is odd, because we were under the assumption that Moviehole (who first reported the casting) actually spoke to Palmer and SHE confirmed her own involvement.
Over on his personal blog, however, Bay denies everything. In a very brief statement, he says: "No we have stopped negotiating with Jonah, and Teresa Palmer was not considered for a role." Um, okay. If you say so. To further complicate the situation, IGN now reports that another Aussie actress, Isabel Lucas, has been cast in the role of Alice in Transformers 2. This bit of news comes via her management agency, Meissner Management, who list the actress as having that role. She's relatively new to the block, and will have parts in the upcoming vampire flick Daybreakers, as well as the HBO miniseries The Pacific.
No official word on Palmer or Lucas, so we'll have to wait and see if Michael Bay has anything to say about these latest rumors. Cute girl, though, I'll give her that.
Man, this news truly bums me out. Variety reports that Picturehouse and Warner Independent Pictures are shutting down. It's not like this is shocking news; ever since New Line folded, it was all pretty much a given that both Picturehouse and Warner Independent would either close or merge in some way -- but it still stings for those who, like me, were big fans. In a statement, Warner Bros. president and COO Alan Horn claims this move won't stop the studio from taking more chances on young, indie voices. He says, "After much painstaking analysis, this was a difficult decision to make, but it reflects the reality of a changing marketplace and our need to prudently run our businesses with increased efficiencies. We're confident that the spirit of independent filmmaking and the opportunity to find and give a voice to new talent will continue to have a presence at Warner Bros."
On a personal note, Cinematical has worked with folks from both Picturehouse and Warner Independent Pictures, and have always found them to be wonderful people who truly care about spreading these little indie films as far and wide as they can. Here's hoping that love, that heart and that passion will not disappear. We wish all those involved good luck in their future endeavors.
Cinematical was just sent this exclusive clip from the upcoming Youth Without Youth DVD, starring Tim Roth, Alexandra Maria Lara, Bruno Ganz and Andre M. Hennicke. Produced, written and directed by the legendary Francis Ford Coppola, Youth Without Youth follows linguistics professor Dominic Matei (Roth) who, in 1938, gets struck by a bolt of lightning and starts aging backwards, from 70 to 40. There's seemingly no limit to the wonder and love he can find in his new youth. He pursues lost dreams, endless knowledge and the secrets of life until his secret is discovered. Now he must use his increased intelligence to keep his powerful secret safe from the wicked powers that would use it for evil. The above behind-the-scenes clips shows how the filmmakers went about aging Tim Roth through make-up and other wacky techniques. (And, personally, I just love Tim Roth in anything -- so I'd watch something like this a bunch of times.) Here's a question: What's the first thing you'd do if you started aging backwards?
Youth Without Youth arrives on DVD and Blu-ray High-Def on May 13th.
Paramount has released the remainder of the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullphotos in anticipation of the film's May 22 release date (two weeks from today!). A few early (and negative) reviews can be found at the usual places, but I'm still holding out hope. I really think this is the sort of film you have to go in and just have fun with -- don't expect a masterpiece or an Oscar winner; expect to smile, laugh and cheer for a few old friends (and some new ones). Indiana Jones is truly an event film, so instead of rambling on about a plot you're already aware of and a cast you've seen mentioned a thousand times, we'd like to know what your plans are for seeing the film. Have you made them yet? Are you going with a group of friends on a particular day at a particular time? Will you wait to hear the buzz off the first weekend? Are you seeing it at all?
Check out all those new images in the gallery below, then tell us how you plan to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Gallery: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Not for nothing, but this could be the oddest piece of movie marketing I've ever seen. So we already know there's a petition out there to stop Uwe Boll from making films, and this came about after the infamous director told FEARNet that he'd quit making films if one million people signed a petition. For about a week or so, a number of people tried to capitalize off the dude's ridiculous antics, and Boll even viewed the whole thing as pretty good (and free) press since his new film Postal was debuting on May 23.
Cut to today: Cinematical received a press release in our inbox letting us know that Stride Gum is now "supporting the efforts of StopUweBoll.org in their attempt to convince famed film director Uwe Boll to stop making video game-based films." Oh yes, Stride Gum. Makers of ... gum. And if one million people sign this petition by May 23rd (opening day for Postal), then all one million folks will receive a digital coupon for a free pack of gum. Wait, I don't know if you were paying attention just then -- I said a FREE PACK OF GUM!
Seems odd that this promotion would coincide with the opening day of Boll's latest film, which, honestly, leads me to believe that Stride Gum is helping to promote Postal by supporting a petition calling for that film's director to quit the industry. I've seen filmmakers do some weird things before (including Uwe Boll), but this has to take the cake. Yeah, so sign the petition and look out for that free pack of gum.
(And don't thank us ... we're just doing our job.)
Above: Lost star Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Heavy Duty, who serves as the G.I. Joe Team's heavy ordnance specialist with a passion for classical guitars and Bach. He is described as being unafraid of any situation despite heavy enemy fire. (for a larger look, head over to Coming Soon).
Paramount has released a crop of new photos from the upcoming live-action G.I. Joe flick; most of which appear to be different from those that leaked online not long ago. This seems to be a pretty easy film to market -- there's, like, 250 characters to eventually show us, and so they may as well unveil them a little at a time. Still not crazy about this whole special-ops look, but what can you do. Who's not in this film? I'd love to list the entire cast (which also includes folks like Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller and Dennis Quaid), but I think my fingers will go numb. There's a lot of folks in this thing; trust me. After the jump, check out the three other photos, as well as a little bit of info via our good friend Mr. Wiki.
G.I. Joe is due out in theaters on August 7, 2009.
Now that George Lucas and his crew are preparing to launch the first big-screen Star Wars flick in all CGI, some folks are wondering whether that means he'd be down to eventually continue the saga where Return of the Jedi left off -- especially since it wouldn't be hard to bring back original actors like Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher to do the voice work. Fans, of course, would publicly bash such a move ... even if they'd secretly been wishing for the return of Luke, Leia and Han for years. So, would Lucas do it? Is he considering it?
In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, the Sith King himself claims there will be no such film from him. Lucas says, "There really isn't any story to tell there. It's been covered in the books and video games and comic books, which are things I think are incredibly creative but that I don't really have anything to do with other than being the person who built the sandbox they're playing in." He continues, "I get asked all the time, 'What happens after "Return of the Jedi"?,' and there really is no answer for that. The movies were the story of Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker, and when Luke saves the galaxy and redeems his father, that's where that story ends." Star Wars: The Clone Wars arrives in theaters on August 15, then heads to Cartoon Network and TNT for a weekly series.
Would you rather see a CGI Star Wars flick that takes place during The Clone Wars or after Return of the Jedi?
For those who've been waiting to see Rainn Wilson absolutely rock out in The Rocker, a brand new trailer for the film has just premiered over at Yahoo. Originally, this flick was supposed to hit screens about a month or so ago, but it's since been pushed to August 1 -- and, from the looks of this trailer, I can totally see this being that late-summer comedy hit that builds buzz and ends up doing quite well at the box office. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for 80's drummers who get a chance to win back a piece of stardom by playing their nephew's high school prom.
The Rocker follows Robert "Fish" Fishman (Wilson), a once successful drummer with a prominent '80s hair band who was tossed to the side right when their popularity began to grow. Now, years later, when Fish's nephew needs an extra drummer for his prom band, that dude from The Office steps up to the plate and takes these kids on one helluva wild ride. Check out the trailer and let us know what you think. Can Rainn Wilson hold down the fort on this one all on his own?
Cinematical has just received a whole bunch of new images from the upcoming film Swing Vote, starring Kevin Costner, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper and Paula Patton. I'm loving the concept behind this one -- imagine if an entire presidential election somehow came down to one vote ... and it was yours. That's exactly what happened to Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner), a simple man living a simple life -- and Swing Vote follows Bud, as well as his 12-year-old daughter, when they're suddenly thrust into the national spotlight.
Grammer and Hopper play both presidential candidates, while Nathan Lane and Stanley Tucci chime in as their campaign managers. Additionally, a whole mess of real-life personalities will pop up -- like Larry King, Bill Maher, Arianna Huffington, Tucker Carlson and more. With the country stressing out over our current presidential election, it'll be nice to take in a sweet comedy that pokes fun at this ridiculous process and the even more ridiculous people who take part in it. Can't we just elect an average guy ... like Bud?
Check out the gallery below for a slew of brand new pics from the film. Swing Vote arrives in theaters on August 1.
Truth be told, the above video is from a television show and not a film. BUT, since David Cross (one of my favorite comedians) is in, like, every other movie these days, I felt we could let this one slide by. Plus, this is one of my most favorite Cross moments ever -- and anytime I have the chance to post a video from Mr. Show, I will take it without asking any questions. For those not familiar, Mr. Show with Bob and David was a sketch-comedy program on HBO long ago, starring David Cross and Bob Odenkirk. The above video, titled The Audition, happens to be one of my personal favorite segments from the show -- so much so that my friend and I bring it up all the time. Surfing around earlier, I stumbled upon the video over at Funny or Die and, well, it was fate. So here ya go -- enjoy your afternoon!
Favorite Mr. Show sketch? Sound off below.
Warning: Foul language (f-word) used toward the end.
Ever since Marvel announced release dates for a slew of new comic book-related films yesterday, the internets have come alive with scoopers. We were a bit burned on the last rumor Cinema Blend reported, so take all three of these with a huge grain of salt.
Captain America: According to CB, Matthew McConaughey is the first name to hit the possible cast list. The film, now titled The First Avenger: Captain America, has been given a release date of May 6, 2011, and so I wouldn't expect a name to sign on for awhile. That's not to say there isn't a wish list floating around -- and, if one did exist, I imagine McConaughey's name would be on it, along with several others. I'm sure fans already hate the idea of seeing Mr. Rom Com himself show up as their beloved Captain America, but I actually think it's a good choice -- an interesting choice -- and one I'd definitely support. With the right script, he'd bring the looks, the muscle and the charisma. (Actually, I could kinda see him playing Thor, too.)
Iron Man 2: Yes, work will begin on this monster right away as a release date of April 30, 2010 is already in place, giving Jon Favreau and his team two years to get what will soon become the world's most highly-anticipated sequel in the can. But what will it be about? Well, CB claims that one of the plot lines being considered involves Sam Jackson returning as Nick Fury in order to team up with Stark to go after a terrorist called The Mandarin (featured prominently in the comic books as one of Iron Man's greatest villains). They also claim Marvel may throw a Thor cameo into the sequel to further tie The Avengers thing together, and also because Thor will debut his own film a couple of months later on July 4, 2010.
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Full 'G.I. Joe' Cast Photos!
Fan Rant: The Selling Out of Heath Ledger
