Cinematical

You know, there really isn't any point complaining about Hollywood remaking old TV shows into movies -- why, you may ask? Well, mainly because it seems like it's going to happen no matter what we do. So while I understand when fans get a little bent out of shape when their favorite show is next in line for a 're-imagining'; for the life of me, I don't understand why anyone would feel the need to get all protective over 21 Jump Street. Last year the news broke that Jonah Hill was writing an adaptation of the cult TV show, and immediately there was an outcry that he would be turning their beloved series into a comedy. But, for fans of the teen cop drama, there is still hope, because in a recent interview with Complex, Hill gave an update on his remake and told them that "[Sony execs said] they were gonna let me make my kind of movie-an R-rated, insane, Bad-Boys-meets-John Hughes-type movie-and I told them the second they don't, I'm not gonna be involved anymore," -- and Hill has proven already that he has no qualms about walking away from projects that aren't working for him.

After the jump; so what exactly does Hill have planned for his Jump Street remake?

Great Odin's beard! It looks like a sequel to Adam McKay and Will Ferrell's comic classic Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy has gotten a little closer to reality. During a press event for Land of the Lost in Australia on Monday, Ferrell told the Aussie radio DJs Jono & Dano that, "he expected to meet with Paul Rudd and Steve Carell "next week" to discuss ideas...and salaries: "[Because] believe me, I'm not taking a pay-cut. No way!" -- It's a long segment, but if you have the time, Ferrell drops the 'Burgundy bomb' around the 8:20 mark.

McKay and Ferrell have been hinting at a sequel as far back as last summer, and they told Entertainment Weekly that they were already developing a script that would fast-forward Ron Burgundy to the 80's. Now, normally the word sequel is a cause for concern when it comes to a favorite flick, but I have to admit; it's an idea that has tons of possibilities. I mean, who wouldn't love to see the Ron in the world of cable news pundits? I wonder if Burgundy would be a Fox News or a MSNBC kind of guy? Nobody can play a lovable blow-hard like Farrell, and as long as the whole thing doesn't become overrun with bad '80s jokes about Rubik's Cubes and Thriller jackets, we should be good, right?

We've all had a few days to let the news sink in that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is getting a feature film reboot, and is if that wasn't enough; that the creator, Joss Whedon, would not be a part of it. As to be expected, fans were ticked, and just for the record, I am one of those die-hard Buffy fans with DVD collections and Season 8 comics lining my wall. But, maybe it's because lately everything is up for grabs when it comes to remakes and reboots, because when I heard the news, I was surprisingly calm about the whole thing. Now last week I asked fans if there was a chance they were being a little too hard on a certain time-traveling robot, but then I realized I should probably try and follow my own advice when it comes to something I love. So I ask myself: Is a 'Whedonless' Buffy necessarily a bad thing? Well, I have to tell you, there is a part of me that thinks that the Buffy reboot isn't doomed to fail, and here's why:

By all appearances, it looks like the gouging of Twilight fans is going to continue unabated. There I was thinking that $255 to attend a fan convention was a steep price, but as it turns out it can get much, much, worse -- because if a weekend talking Twilight just isn't enough, now you can get your own Twilight-themed vacation courtesy of Vancouver Twilight Saga Set and Sightseeing Tours. Their tag line is: "By Fans...For Fans," and if you believe their website, Twihards willing to make the trip to Vancouver are going to get an awful lot for their money.

The tours are run by self-proclaimed fans who will pick you up in a luxury car and take you on tailored excursions to relive moments from the film, visit sets from the latest installment, New Moon (just as long as you book your tour at the right time and aren't hauled off by security for trying to cut off a piece of Robert Pattinson's hair), or help you camp outside the cast and crew's favorite bars and restaurants for a photo op. They even guarantee that they will refund your money if you don't get to meet the star of your choice. Personally I would want to score a minute with Michael Sheen just to ask why exactly he agreed to be in this film, but that's probably just me.

So how much will all of this Cullen-goodness run you? Well, there is a sliding scale on the price tag, and it can get as cheap as $60 an hour or you can go for the Cadillac of tours and shell out two grand for a custom designed trip. With a price tag like that, you can guarantee that only the dedicated will be attending. But, at least unlike some other movie vacation-destinations, the Twilight fans don't have to schlep all the way out to New Zealand for their fan fix.

You know, I always thought that Lara Croft got a bum-rap on the big screen. When she should have been the love child of James Bond and Indiana Jones, what we ended up with was a bored Angelina Jolie pouting her way through half-baked plots. Now, we already knew that a 'reboot' was in the works, but it looks like there are going to be a lot of changes in store for Ms. Croft. During a press event for Terminator Salvation, producer Dan Lin spilled the beans that the Tomb Raider reboot will in fact, be a prequel. Lin told journalists, "... - it's a great origin story that we're going to tell. A very character-oriented I would say more realistic than the past Lara Croft movies."

According to Lin, casting for the role has yet to begin (now that Megan Fox is out of the running), but they are definitely looking for someone a little younger this time around. Whether the choice for a younger Croft is to capitalize on multiple flicks, or just to pander to the mall crowd, I couldn't say. But what I do know is that I think an adult Lara Croft is a much more exciting proposition than a precocious teen with a Nancy Drew complex -- and isn't it about time that we got some fully grown ladies fighting the good fight on the big screen again, anyway?

The project is still in the early stages of development, but Lin has warned fans that we might be getting a less 'active' Croft this time around, saying, "I would say it's like Terminator - character-driven action. I think for me the Lara Croft games and movies have gone a little too action-oriented. I wanted to have action, but with character." Now I might have only played a few of the Raider games, but seriously? When were those things about characters?

Tell us what you think about a young Lara Croft, and who you would like to see take over where Jolie left off.

Warning: This is going to get a little 'spoilery', so if you haven't seen Terminator Salvation you might want to bookmark this baby for later.

It was the moment we were all waiting for this summer season: the resurrection of Terminator. The trailers were looking good, there was a Nolan in charge of rewrites, and for god's sake we even had Batman as John Connor -- how could this go wrong? Well, if you happened to catch the movie over the weekend you know just how wrong it was. It's time to play Monday-morning quarterback in the aftermath of one of this summer's biggest letdowns, and so let's try to answer one question: whose fault was it?

McG
There might be plenty of votes for McG as the culprit. He doesn't have the greatest track record for quality films, but I thought he pulled off a much better movie than expected. The cut-happy editing of Charlie's Angels was long gone and he had some great action set pieces, but that doesn't mean he made a good film. All of his trademark flaws were on display: uneven pacing, character motivations are glossed over or not even addressed; not to mention some stunning gaps in logic -- mainly: can someone explain to me why a techno-overlord like Skynet would build a machine that they can't control?

After the jump; find out who else earned the last three nominations...

LEGOs really are the perfect toy, aren't they? Think about it: no pesky gender divide about what boys and girls like, they thrive off of pure imagination, and they come in handy for some pretty geeky fan art. Now, we've already seen Silence of the Lambs done in LEGO, recreations of our favorite scenes, but now an industrious group of individuals at Speckyboy Design Magazine have compiled some great examples of movie posters that are made of those oh-so adaptable plastic building blocks. There's a poster here for everybody, including a few nods to the current summer movie season (my favorite just might be the Inglorious Basterds recreation courtesy of Dr. Sinister -- it's not easy to find a bat that small), but we've also got some classics like Jaws by LegoLyons, and Rocky by Marcin ImpreSariO to round out the mix.

So it just goes to show that with a little imagination and a few plastic blocks, there is no limit to what a fan can, or will do. Check out some of our favorites in the gallery below.

I think we all know there have been a few 'mishaps' on the path to stardom for Shia LaBeouf, but I'm convinced the man still has a pretty bright future ahead of him. It takes a fair amount of natural charm (and skill) to pull off some of the so-so films that pepper his resume (ahem, Eagle Eye), but somehow the guy manages to walk away from every crappy film with his dignity intact, and more importantly, with another project coming down the pipe. But, like every other actor who came before him, what LaBeouf really wants to do is direct ... a music video ... and now he's made his directorial debut in the form of a music video for Hip-Hop artist Cage, titled I Never Knew You.

The actor has been a long-time supporter of Cage, and back in 2007 he told Vanity Fair that he was going to be directing a feature film based on the rapper's life. According to Cage's bio, he was "Born to a heroin-addicted father and a distant mother, he battled drug addiction and was institutionalized for 18 months, where he became a test subject for Prozac and tried several times to end his life before discovering hip-hop as a vehicle to express his inner-torment." So while tough luck stories are all fine and dandy, you're probably wondering: but is the video any good? Well, the bad news is that it isn't mind-blowing – pretty standard MTV fare. But the good news is that it's definitely a start in proving LaBeouf can handle himself behind the camera -- not to mention that a celebrity director guarantees Cage a few more headlines.

Watch the video below and tell us what you think about LaBeouf as a director...

If you were one of the people fantasizing about a nasty courtroom battle between the fashion outlet American Apparel and Woody Allen, get ready to be disappointed. It was announced on Monday, that Allen,"...had accepted a $5 million settlement in his lawsuit against the manufacturer, American Apparel, and Dov Charney, its founder and chief executive." Now if you remember, Allen had launched a suit against AA for at least $10 million after the clothier used an image from Allen's film, Annie Hall, of the director dressed as a Rabbi. When Allen found out about the ad, plenty of name-calling ensued, and AA's lawyers were ready and willing to take their fight to court in hopes of proving that Allen's image wasn't even worth that much thanks to his scandalous past.

Most of Allen's fans saw the incident as a clear-cut case of copyright infringement, but Charney and AA had a different take on their use of the image. In discussions with AA's PR representative, I confirmed that AA had intended the billboard to be a comment on the public perception of AA as a brand; or to put it in movie terms, AA was the Alvy Singer to the media's Grammie Hall. Sure, it's a good use of a movie reference, and I do see their point. But something isn't clicking when on one hand Charney says, "My intention was to call upon people to see beyond media and lawsuit-inspired scandal, and to consider people for their true value and for their contribution to society" and at the same time he was mounting a legal defense that seemed to be the opposite of his intentions (you can read Charney's full statement about the case on their website).

If there is anything more fantastic than seeing Betty White flip off Ryan Reynolds; I haven't found it. In a nifty new marketing piece for the romantic comedy The Proposal; Sandra Bullock, Reynolds, and Betty White sat down to make a video for Funny or Die, and even at the age of 87, Ms. White proves once again, that she is still one of the best comedians around. Posing as a 'behind-the-scenes' look, both Bullock and White get a chance to terrorize Reynolds to comic effect. But, that's not the only reason to click play, because frankly it isn't often that you get to see someone tell a comedy icon to "suck a hot ****".

Now I have to tell you, I've got nothing against either Bullock or Reynolds, but there wasn't a chance in hell I was going to be lining up to see The Proposal. Romantic comedies usually aren't my thing at the best of times, and this one seemed to be one of those films that was counting on the charm of its two leads to sell tickets; rather than things like, you know, a story -- plus I can't help but think that both of these actors really deserve better than this. But, I give credit where credit is due, and no matter what I may think of The Proposal, one thing is for sure: this is a funny little video. It may even be funnier than the film it's supposed to be promoting...what do you think?