The press conference for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull just wrapped. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were on hand with the cast to answer questions about the film. Of course, many of the questions were directed at Ford and Spielberg, but a few were tossed to other cast members as well.

Spielberg, asked whose idea it was to revisit the franchise, said that the idea first came up when Harrison Ford said at the Academy Awards several years back that he'd be interested in wearing Indy's hat again; he noted that he was the hardest to convince that the world really wanted another Indy film. Asked whether there will be further sequels, Spielberg said that that depends on whether people want one, and that they'll keep an ear to the ground to gauge audience reaction to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; if there's interest, though, he said there will be more to come. So, good news for all you Indy fans out there.

I just walked out of the completely packed press screening of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. James will have his review up shortly, but before the press conference begins, I wanted to give you my quick initial impression of the film, which is: Indy 4 is a nicely satisfying continuation of the franchise, and will please most Indy fans.

Though the first act drags a bit, the latter two-thirds of the film pick up the pace, and the film is packed with all the familiar elements fans have come to expect from Indiana Jones. John Williams's classic score still thrills, and the film, for the most part, meets the expectations set when you hear those familiar first bars of the theme song. Harrison Ford is older, of course (aren't we all), but still brings the role all the charm, daring and humor Indy should have. Shia LaBeouf holds his own alongside Ford, bringing to his role a combination of swaggering bravado and hidden vulnerability that mirrors the younger Ford in the earlier films. And it's great to see Karen Allen back on the screen for the sequel, still full of sass; although she is saddled with a couple of lines of fairly cringe-worthy dialog, you just can't help but like Marion.

You know, if I were an immortal creature of the night, I probably wouldn't be working in a strip club. But seriously, if you were all powerful, would you bother having a day job? Let alone one that has you spending your evenings fighting off 'pole chafing'. Oh well, I guess I've been watching vampire movies long enough to recognize the honored tradition of the stripping undead. The latest contribution, according to Horror Movies.ca, will star Ray Winstone (Beowulf) and go by the name of Live Girls.

Rob Green is set to direct the story of a married man (Winstone) who begins to frequent a strip club and becomes obsessed with the lead dancer, Anya. As to be expected, these ladies are little more blood sucking than you would normally find in your average peeler bar, and our hero begins to find himself changing in unexpected ways. When he returns with another wronged man to uncover the mystery behind this club, it's all fangs and arterial spray from there.

But before you get too excited about Girls, keep in mind that Winstone already has three other projects on the go, and Green is in production on another film. Not to mention that this particular movie hasn't been listed anywhere official for either Green or Winstone. So, stay tuned to Cinematical for any news that comes our way.

By the time this review is over, I will have spent more time thinking about Fool's Gold than the writers of its script. This...thing...is one of the sloppiest pictures released by a major studio in recent memory. What can you say about a "romance" with no romance, a "comedy" with no laughs, an "adventure" with no excitement? Though I certainly wasn't rubbing my hands together in anticipation walking in to the theater, I thought this would at least succeed at being an enjoyable time waster. "Attractive people wearing few clothes in exotic locales -- I can handle watching that for a few hours," I thought to myself. But I was wrong. So very wrong. The whole affair is about as compelling as a two-hour fart.

I don't ask a great deal from romantic comedies. I don't need every one to be Annie Hall or When Harry Met Sally or Love, Actually. I don't even need them to be particularly good -- I kinda enjoyed The Holiday, for God's sake! Give me a few laughs, appealing leads, a warm squishy feeling, and you've done your job. Plainly, the makers of Fool's Gold did not do their job. Listen, I know Valentine's Day is coming up, so heed this warning -- if you see this crashing bore of a movie on a first date, your relationship is doomed, cursed even. Do not speak on the way home, avoid eye contact, just go your separate ways and don't speak of the evening again.

Lucasfilm has released a brand new photo from the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. From the looks of it, that's Indy himself (Harrison Ford), Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) and I believe that's Mac (Ray Winstone) in the background. All three seem to have stumbled into an ancient temple of some sort, with statues and cobwebs galore. I don't know about you, but that set is definitely vintage Indy -- right down to the fire torch in Indy's hand. Why are they there? What's in front of them? And will LaBeouf wear that cruddy leather jacket for the entire film? All of these questions (and more) will be answered when the much-anticipated sequel arrives in theaters on May 22.

Note: Shia Labeouf's name in the film is apparently Mutt Williams. Do you get it? Mutt? Like his father, who was named after the dog. Cute, huh?

[via MTV Movies Blog]

Most of us are probably painfully aware of the stress of the holidays when it comes to familial relationships. Films about families tell the one story that practically anyone can relate to. So in the spirit of feeling better about ourselves I've compiled a list of some of the most dysfunctional families in film. Maybe after taking a look at some big-screen dysfunction, we can sit back and take a little solace in that at least none of us have to sit down to Christmas dinner with any of the people on the following list.

1. Spanking the Monkey

Before he was famous on You Tube for his demented freak-out on the set of I Heart Huckabees, David O. Russell was famous for making the unthinkable; a comedy about incest. Monkey stars Alberta Watson as Susan Aibelli; a lonely and depressed mother who develops a sexual relationship with her son after they are left alone together for the summer. Jeremy Davis stars as her son and the subject of this unlikely coming-of-age story. The film might not be for the weak of heart, but it did manage to win an audience award at Sundance in 1994, and was responsible for turning Russell into the megalomaniac we've all come to know and love.

2. Ordinary People

Besides going down in infamy as the film that beat Raging Bull out of a 'Best Picture Oscar', this 1981 drama about a family dealing with the loss of it's 'favored son' was the directorial debut of Robert Redford. Timothy Hutton stars as the younger brother who is readjusting to life after a botched suicide attempt. Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore also star as the parents to Hutton and Judd Hirsch as the prototypical 'earthy NY Jewish' psychiatrist. So for anyone who watched Mary Tyler Moore as the epitome of 'chirpiness' during the seven year run of her self-titled series, get ready to be blown away, because her performance as a cold and repressed suburban mom is one of the best there is.

A brand new poster for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has arrived online (click on the image for a larger version), and for the first time we catch a glimpse of a poster that definitely brings us back to the look and feel of the first three films. There's Indy (Harrison Ford) in his classic outfit with fedora hat and whip in hand, standing in front of a burning skull that looks pretty damn evil. Underneath you get the film's title in classic Indy font, as well as the release date: May 22. A little older, wiser, this time around Indiana Jones is on the hunt for a mysterious crystal skull, which, when in ones possession, creates great powers. He'll be reuniting with his old Raiders flame, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), as well as getting to know his son, as played by Shia LaBeouf. Ray Winstone and Jim Broadbent will show up playing a fellow archaeologist and fellow professor, respectively, while Cate Blanchett is said to be playing an evil Russian. Additionally, John Hurt will be playing the long-lost (and thought-to-be-dead) Abner Ravenwood. So, does this poster pump you up ... or not so much?

[via IndianaJones.com]

One flies, one runs and the other whips:

For a film that hasn't released anything official in weeks, we all love to talk about Justice League of America. I'm convinced I'll enjoy writing about this film more than I'll enjoy watching it. So the AFI awards were held in Australia the other night, and Moviehole reports JLA director George Miller was in attendance to NOT talk about Justice League. Well, that's not entirely the case -- he did say the film was still very much on track, with filming to begin early next year. So ... where's the greenlight? Additionally, Miller said the film will have a different name when it goes before cameras. A different name? How do you make a Justice League film and not use the words 'Justice League' in the title? Either Miller was alluding to a fake title being used in order to hide the production (a la Rory's First Kiss, aka The Dark Knight), or he's out of his f**king mind. You make the call.

Will there be another Bourne film? A fourth installment? Ya know, the one where Jason Bourne forgets ... his house keys! Coming Soon sat down with producer Frank Marshall, who was fairly optimistic when asked about a fourth Bourne flick. He says, "There were only three books written. I know they've written a fourth but it wasn't written by Ludlum. Look, we would love to continue the franchise. We just need a great story, and we're not going to do it unless we have a great story, but we are working on coming up with one, and Matt said to me, 'Look, you hand me a great script, I'm in.' Unfortunately, we're not able to do any writing at the moment, but we're all thinking about it." Here's my question: Why would they need a fourth book from Ludlum? It's not like the first three were ever taken into consideration.

Finally, in another interview with Frank Marshall over at MTV (the man is sleeping around with every movie site, it appears), he finally revealed who Cate Blanchett and Ray Winstone will be playing in this summer's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Do you wanna know? Do you really wanna know? Okay, here goes: As far as Blanchett's character, Marshall said she's "playing the villainess in Indiana Jones" and that she "makes a great villain." We all knew she was the villain, but there's your confirmation. And Winstone? Marshall described his character, Mac, as "a sort of cross between villain Belloq and friend Sallah. He plays an archaeologist competitor to Indy. Friend and competitor." Also confirmed was Jim Broadbent's character, who will play a "Yale colleague of Dr. Jones that sort of replaces Marcus Brody." Myself? I'll be playing the guy who cannot wait to see this freaking thing.

Comingsoon.net has made what seems like a perfectly reasonable assumption to me: that the first trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -- I'll never like that title -- may debut during the Super Bowl on February 3rd. Paramount has already declared that the trailer will arrive in February, but it was assumed in some quarters that the premiere would be attached to Paramount's biggest February release, The Spiderwick Chronicles. But really, is that a big enough event? The trailer would be a far bigger deal than the movie it's attached to. Putting the Indy 4 trailer up during the Super Bowl makes infinitely more sense to me, and I can't imagine the marketing department at Paramount isn't thinking the same thing. Additionally, CS also reports that the first trailer for Star Trek XI will most likely play before Cloverfield in January. And The Dark Knight is on schedule to debut its new teaser in front of I Am Legend on December 14.

In other Indy 4 news, fans of Ray Winstone may want to see the film if just to say farewell -- the actor appears to be so exhausted by filming that epic and his other recent projects that he's now actively considering retirement. "I've achieved it [career success] and now I'm finished," he's gone on record as saying. "I'm going to let me girls [his kids] get on with it and they can look after me. No more -- seriously. That's it." Winstone's role in Indy 4 is as Mac, a sidekick character that will presumably pick up the slack of not having Denholm Elliott be part of the script. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull -- nope, still don't like it -- is scheduled to hit theaters on Memorial Day.

I dunno... There may be something to this "secret" thing. Just yesterday I wished that Henry Rollins would make the movie rounds again, and I wake up today to find out that he is. However, this is probably more a case of good timing, since I imagine this whole deal was made before my wish. Anyhow, The Hollywood Reporter has listed the cast that are a part of an upcoming action thriller currently called the Untitled Gehenna Project. It's strange, diverse, and kind of irresistible -- Cuba Gooding Jr., Taryn Manning, Ron Perlman, Henry Rollins, Valerie Cruz (The Dresden Files), and Ray Winstone have joined a cast that includes Jason London (the Dazed one, not the mallrat), Franky G (Saw), Zack Ward (Transformers), Stephanie Jacobson (Razor), Bill Moseley (Repo! The Genetic Opera), Sarah Ann Morris (Las Vegas), and Brandon Fobbs (The Wire).

The only thing more surprising than that group of actors is what they get to do. It seems that the film is about a group of elite soldiers who are on a covert mission "to retrieve a missing scientist from an undergound lab." Cruz sends them on the mission, and Perlman is the scientist -- so far, so believable. But get this -- the group consists of Gooding, London, G, Ward, and Manning. Yes, Taryn Manning is an elite soldier. While this strange collection of tough guys/girl are on their mission, they happen upon a priestly Rollins, "who tells them that an 'ancient evil' has been released, causing their greatest fears to come to life." (Team him up with Cheech's tough priest in Machete and they'd be an unstoppable force of religious power.) Rounding things out is Winstone, who is the ed-head of the group, and Moseley and Morris, who are part of the research team.

Keith Kjornes wrote the script, and it's going to be directed by Jason Connery, who just happens to be 007 Sean's son. The script sounds like any strange thriller, but man, this cast is weird enough that it could be completely enjoyable, in that pulp sort of way.