City of Ember
This is the film that our Jette Kernion said is "one of the most gorgeous-looking films I've seen this year" (2008). It's the tale of a city in darkness -- a community that houses the likes of Saoirse Ronan, Tim Robbins, and Martin Landau, and is led by none other than Bill Murray. If thoughts of the future and rousing family fare are your cup of tea: Buy It on DVD. Sadly, there's no Blu-ray at this time.

Repo! The Genetic Opera
Unfortunately, this rock opera didn't live up to some expectations. But nevertheless, we're talking about a flick that had the cojones to cast Paris Hilton, and gave many rabid Buffy fans the opportunity to see Anthony Head belt out lyrics once again. Rent it, on DVD or Blu-ray, if you can handle a little blood and rock beats.

Max Payne
It came, it screened, it died. Max Payne was the action movie without action, the video game adaptation with serious plot changes. Perhaps in the right hands this still could have meant something amazing, but as it is, Payne fizzled. Skip it on DVD and Blu-ray. Elisabeth Rappe has a review of the DVD right here.

Cinematical has just received this exclusive final poster for Igor (click image to enlarge), who just looks like the most adorable little awkward hunchback I've ever seen. With a voice cast that includes folks like John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Eddie Izzard, Christian Slater ... and, well, look at the poster for a complete rundown ... Igor centers on that dude in purple right there -- the hunch-backed assistant to an evil scientist who has dreams of winning the Evil Science Fair and becoming a Mad Scientist too. (And some kids wanna be doctors and lawyers -- screw that!)

Igor arrives in theaters on September 19, and it really does look like a lot of fun. Go check out the trailer after the jump; it's kinda like Young Frankenstein meets Tim Burton meets a CGI flick you won't mind spending a few bucks on. Pull the switch!

Kidding? Yes, that's right, as in kids, young 'uns, rug rats. This week on Trailer Park, we're scoping out previews of movies that are for or about the kiddies.

The Rocker
Kid is a relative term, but the teens populating this comedy are kids from where I'm sitting. Probably best known for playing Dwight on NBC's The Office, Rainn Wilson stars as a washed up 80s rocker who was booted out of a succesful band right before they hit it big. Kind of like Pete Best but with spandex and big hair. His teenage nephew's band is playing at the prom and they need him to fill in. The gig goes well and Wilson's character ends up touring with the band. There's a definite hint of School of Rock, but Wilson is so appealing in the role that I've chosen to overlook that and the groin injury joke (a hokey device that is often a deal breaker for me). Here's what Erik thought of the trailer.

Both of the upcoming animated releases that aren't Wall-E or Space Chimps got new trailers yesterday. Here's one for Igor (and here's a link to the poster we premiered a few weeks ago), and here's one for Kung Fu Panda.

Kung Fu Panda looks like it'll be just a step or two above -- *shudder* -- Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Igor, on the other hand, looks like a charmer: the premise is inherently nerdy, requiring viewers to think back to the original Frankenstein films (or at least Young Frankenstein, or Van Helsing in a pinch) to get the joke, and the trailer has a few big laughs.

The biggest upside of Kung Fu Panda coming out on June 6th: those of us who frequent AMC Theaters will no longer have to endure the Kung Fu Panda-themed pre-movie interlude exhorting viewers to shut up. I'm not sure how many more times I can listen to Jack Black tell me that he can hear me texting before I have an aneurysm. But I guess I should be grateful AMC is no longer airing that horrid Three Doors Down "Citizen Soldier" video pimping the National Guard (because no one screams "role model" to teenagers like the lead singer of Three Doors Down). That thing gave me nightmares.

Cinematical has just received this creepy (but oddly adorable) exclusive teaser poster for Igor (click on the image to enlarge), an animated film coming to us via The Weinstein Co. this September. Igor features the voice talent of John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Eddie Izzard, Jennifer Coolidge, Molly Shannon, Jay Leno, Arsenio Hall ... it gets better ... and James Lipton -- playing himself! Talk about a voice cast sent from the comedy Gods! Igor is the story of a mad scientist's hunchbacked lab assistant whose greatest dream is to win the coveted first place award at the annual Evil Science Fair. This one looks like all kinds of fun -- I mean, look at that poster. Look at that face. How do you not love that face? How do you not want to take Igor home with you, cuddle up on the couch, watch a monster movie marathon and -- if time allows -- destroy the world? I know I do ...

Igor arrives in theaters on September 19.

There are a few animated movies on the way that I've been dying to see. One is Jackboots on Whitehall, which is challenging every last bit of my anxious patience, and the other is Anthony Leondis' Igor. Luckily enough, at least for the latter film, a release date has finally been set. Unfortunately -- it's almost a year from now -- October 24, 2008. But still, the film is on its way, and we're sure to see much more about it soon since The Hollywood Reporter has posted that the Weinstein Co. and Exodus Film Group have teamed up with CKE Restaurants for some greasy movie marketing.

CKE owns Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, and over 3,000 locations are going to participate in the usual throng of movie/food linkage. Igor will take part in Cool Kids Combos and "four custom-designed Igor premiums," as well as displays and an online campaign. But that's just the first step. Soon we'll also see the throng of action figures and play sets, plus nine Igor books. Basically, the crazy helper should be everywhere. To refresh your memory, Igor is a feature film based on a short, where a mad scientist's (Dr. Schadenfreude) assistant, Igor, aims to win the Evil Science Fair. The idea on it's own is brilliance, but the film boasts one heck of a voice lineup that includes John Cusack as Igor, Steve Buscemi as a lab rat named Scamper, Jennifer Coolidge as the village vixen named Jaclyn, Eddie Izzard as Schadenfreude, and John Cleese as a doc named Glickenstein.

So before you get all excited; no, the Weinsteins are not remaking the 1990 Charlie Sheen and Michael Biehn action 'classic'. Instead, Variety reports that the Weinsteins have announced their first joint-production with Exodus Films: the animated family film, Navy Seals. Justin Eick has reportedly signed to pen the script for the CG flick about an elite group of Navy "super dolphins" (and even though they're dolphins, I'm holding out for "frickin' laser beams attached to their frickin' heads") who are captured by some bad guys. Their only hope for escape is a rag-tag group of neighboring seals -- and we're talking actual seals, by the way, flippers and all. Exodus' chief executive was quoted as saying the story was "inspired by the very real heroics that marine mammals have played in the defense of our country." -- which might be a little heavy-handed for a family comedy, don't you think?

The Weinsteins and Exodus first crossed paths when TWC picked up Exodus' first animated feature, Igor. That film is set for release on October 24 and stars John Cusack (as Igor), John Cleese, and Steve Buscemi. Seals will be the first co-production to come out of the partnership that was announced during the Cannes festival earlier this year. Now, both companies will work together as a one-stop shop to develop, produce, and finance a slate of animated films. It's no secret that the Weinsteins have had a rough year when it comes to the bottom line, and so you can't blame TWC for wanting to cover their bets with two animated films. I just hope they're ready for the competition.

Slow bit by slow bit, the Weinstein Co.'s CG monster movie Igor is getting closer to the screens, but it's not without its share of excitement. Back in March, John Cusack replaced Christian Slater in the title role -- a move still good for the movie, but I can't help but mourn for Slater's participation -- I think his voice would've been great for a wacky scientist. Now we've got another main actor hitting the dust. Jeremy Piven is now out as Igor's nemesis, Schadenfreude, and flamboyant actor Eddie Izzard is in -- it's a pretty big shift in style, but I'm sure it will work just fine. The Hollywood Reporter tried to contact Piven's rep for word on why he left the project, but have yet to hear back.

Unsurprisingly, this change comes with some other news -- the film's producer, Exodus Film Group, has signed a deal for a series of comic books based on the film. This will include adaptations of the movie as well as prequels and sequels. Each series -- the film, prequel and sequel are set to come out starting in May or June of 2008, with the sets published in book form before the film's October 2008 release. If you want to catch up on the project, you can check out my post here, which gives a list of links dating back to 2005.

John Cusack will officially be lending his voice to tell the story of a brilliant underdog named Igor. Chris McKenna, who wrote for the animated series American Dad, penned the film, which is titled after its main character. Igor tells the story of a gifted scientist that, due to undisclosed reasons (physical abnormalities perhaps?), must live his life in the shadow of the acclaimed Dr. Glickenstein. In an effort to move out from under his oppressive wing he creates a huge monster to win in an Evil Science Fair.

Igor was originally set to be played by Christian Slater (who voiced the character in the short film), though there's no word why he dropped out. Cusack will do wonders with the role and is supported by an incredible cast including Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, and Jay Leno. Who will be playing the huge, prize winning monster? None other than the ridiculously funny Molly Shannon. It is comforting to see Shannon working after her long success on SNL that until recently -- thanks to the likes of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph -- was often times death to a woman's career. I hope to see her in larger roles in the near future. The Weinstein Co. -- still going strong since their split with Miramax in 2005 -- is producing the film and John Cusack will also be starring in another Weinstein Co. produced film later this year. Maybe it's just me, but he's still dreamy even when you can only hear his voice.

Well, when it comes to animation, voice actors are definitely out, to the chagrin of some popular voice actors like Billy West. As the years go by, Hollywood actors have waltzed in and whisked up the juicy roles, one by one, successfully taking over the biggest piece of the pie. There were the days when professional voices were big; then some stars took on a few key roles; and now, even the last-billed characters seem to be getting famous voices. Continuing with this new tradition, the upcoming CG tale Igor has added two more big names to its cast.

To get up to speed about this tale that takes place on Malaria, you can check out the Cinematical timeline. The news started way back in July of 2005, and continued through October of 2006. Based on a short film, the feature will follow a mad scientist's assistant who wants to win at an Evil Science Fair. Christian Slater is the assistant Igor, John Cleese and Jeremy Piven both voice doctors, Steve Buscemi is a lab rat and Molly Shannon is the giant monster named Eva, that Igor invented to win big at the Fair. As for the new names... Of course, no fairytale landscape is complete without a King, so Jay Leno will voice Malaria's Machiavellian ruler, King Malbert. And for the complete opposite of surprise casting, Jennifer Coolidge will bring life to a village vixen named Gretchen (although it says Sybil in some news clips) -- the girlfriend of Dr. Schadenfreude (Piven). At the very least, in a world where "Philosopher" becomes "Sorcerer" and "Minimoy" becomes "Invisibles," I'm glad that Igor isn't afraid of a little schadenfreude.