michelle rodriguez Tagged Articles at Cinematical
'Machete' and the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Casting Twists
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Horror », Casting »
The Machete casting news is official. Buried in a longer article, Variety has listed the final cast list for the feature-length adaptation of Danny Trejo's man with the knives. Almost all the rumors are correct, with the exception of Jonah Hill. The roster: Trejo, of course, plus Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Steven Seagal, Lindsay Lohan, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, and Jeff Fahey.Strange? Yes. Surprising? Yes. Perfect? I don't know. Now don't get me wrong -- you could fill the film with tween celebs and I'd still head out to see it as long as Danny Trejo was the star. Yet while I usually love big casting twists, this one isn't invoking a reaction either way. It's not due to disinterest, as I've been dying for this to become a reality for a long time -- from rumors of a DVD spin-off, to big-screen potential, to love of Machete as a gun-toter, to silly fangirl hopes from a fake poster.
Robert De Niro and Jonah Hill Join Rodriguez's 'Machete'?
Filed under: Horror », Casting », RumorMonger »
(if this rumor is true, we officially have the strangest casting of 2009 so far. Here's Elisabeth Rappe reporting on a wicket Machete rumor for Horror Squad.)While you'll have to file this firmly under "rumor" and "dreams," you can do an air punch at the very thought of just who Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis lined up for Machete. Bloody Disgusting reports that joining Danny Trejo in the Grindhouse spin-off are the following: Michelle Rodriguez, Jonah Hill, and (wait for it) Robert DeNiro.
Pause for a moment and repeat that: Robert DeNiro will share the screen with Danny Trejo in Machete. While it's still unconfirmed, BD notes that the source is none other than the one who sent them news of the Alien and Predator reboots, and those turned out to be true. So you can keep hope alive that you'll see DeNiro rocking the grindhouse world.
Read the rest at Horror Squad
New Theatrical Trailer for 'Fast & Furious'
Filed under: Action », Universal », Remakes and Sequels », Trailers and Clips »
Say what you will, but The Fast and Furious franchise has always been a guilty pleasure for gear-heads and novices alike -- just don't look too close for things like character development, or, say, a plot...because by now we all know these movies are about watching shiny things motor at the speed of light. If you don't believe me, go take a look at the new theatrical trailer for the latest installment over at Yahoo! Movies, because it's chock full of all the engine revving and glowering from the driver side window you have come to expect from any film starring Vin Diesel behind the wheel of a 68 Dodge Charger.The whole cast from the original flick is back this time around, as Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) reunite to take on a common enemy with the oh-so-delightfully tacky name of Rico (Don Omar). Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster return to play the two women in Toretto's life (his girlfriend and little sister respectively), but let's be honest, these gals are just window dressing to the action at hand.
The latest installment was directed by Justin Lin, who is usually credited with making the better sequel (Tokyo Drift) in the franchise, so it's probably for the best that he took the driver's seat this time around. Furious will be premiering a new trailer during the Superbowl (a coveted time slot to say the least), so it looks like Universal has pretty big expectations for the action flick. One thing is for sure, these movies might not be winning Oscars any time soon, but as long as they give me a few more tricks like this; you can count me in.
Fast & Furious will arrive in theaters on April 3rd.
First Image from James Cameron's 'Avatar' Finally Revealed!
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Movie Marketing », Images »
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I'm not sure it was well worth the wait for a behind-the-scenes photo like the one above, but I will admit it's very nice to see an actual image from James Cameron's Avatar that didn't leak online with a ton of "Is it real or is it fake?" baggage towing behind. The LA Times have debuted the first official image from the Titanic director's much-anticipated sci-fi epic, due in theaters on December 18, 2009, and it shows director James Cameron pointing at something while star Sam Worthington (wearing a backpack of some sorts, as well as something on his wrists) looks on. We're not entirely sure what set they're on, but it looks like the inside of a ship.
This digital 3-D flick (which is a mix of CGI and live action shot on special cameras developed by Cameron) tells of a paraplegic ex-marine war veteran (Worthington) who's sent to establish a human settlement on the distant planet of Pandora, but winds up in a battle against the planet's indigenous population, the Na'vi. Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Zoe Saldana and Giovanni Ribisi also star. No word on when the first trailer will arrive (possibly in front of X-Men Origins: Wolverine or during the Oscars??), but one imagines we'll see more of Avatar within the next couple months.
Universal Release Date Shuffle: 'Wolfman' Back, 'Furious' Up
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Horror », Romance », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Universal », RumorMonger », Distribution », Family Films », Remakes and Sequels »
I was originally going to start out this post by going off on those studios that habitually change dates on their releases and wait until the last minute to do so. Instead, I'll try to remain positive and emphasize one particular studio that has given us a head's up on the shuffling of their 2009 slate: Universal.Of utmost priority is director Joe Johnston and star Benicio del Toro's take on The Wolfman, which has been bumped back from this spring to next November (not unlike The Box). Usually, such shuffling might seem like a bad thing, but about six more months to polish what I'm guessing are so very many special effects sounds like a fair enough compromise (which isn't to suggest that Oscar-winning make-up wizard Rick Baker didn't do a fine job the first time around). Also moving back is Ridley Scott's Nottingham, now pushed to a TBD date in 2010.
Exclusive Clip: 'Battle in Seattle'
Filed under: Drama », Fandom », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
Cinematical has just received this exciting exclusive clip from Battle in Seattle, directed by Stuart Townsend. In theaters this weekend, Battle in Seattle tells the true story of what happened when tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Seattle to protest the World Trade Organization. Starring folks like Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta, André Benjamin and Michelle Rodriguez, the film follows several different points of view -- from protesters and police to delegates and doctors. In the clip, Woody Harrelson plays a SWAT officer who begins to take the taunting of protesters a little too personally. Check it out after the jump...
Warning: The following clip contains foul language.
The Whole Pit Crew is Back in the 'Fast and Furious' Trailer
Filed under: Action », Universal », Remakes and Sequels », Trailers and Clips »
I suspect that this trailer for Fast and Furious -- that's The Fast and the Furious, Part IV: Articles Result in Wind Resistance, or 2 Fast 2 Furious x 2 -- just made a wide number of gearheads moist over the triumphant return of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker as they drive fast and glare hard in a combined effort to save their careers.
Diesel and Walker find themselves reunited with Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster of the hollow but entertaining original, and the whole photogenic ensemble find themselves directed by Justin Lin, a.k.a. the guy they brought in to direct the hollow but tiresome three-quel that none of these actors were themselves a part of (okay, so Diesel made the briefest cameo, yippee for that). The stunts, though, appear to be more along the practical lines of the first two films, so perhaps a happy medium can be struck between their relative entertainment value and the numbing antics of Tokyo Drift.
Fast and Furious leaves skid marks in theaters next June.
Vin Diesel Directing 'Fast and Furious' Prequel
Filed under: Action », Universal », Movie Marketing », Remakes and Sequels »
Were you out there feeling like there were still just too many unanswered questions in The Fast and the Furious franchise? Okay, probably not, because that's like asking for CliffsNotes for an episode of The Hills. But, I guess somebody out there felt there was some explaining to do, because Coming Soon reports that Vin Diesel (who plays muscle car driver extraordinaire, Dominic Torretto) will be directing a 20-minute prequel to the upcoming Fast and Furious.There aren't many details on the short, but starring alongside Diesel will be Michelle Rodriguez, who will reprise her role as Letty, and Sung Kang will also be returning as Han. Diesel did not provide any details about the story for the short, but for those of you who are well versed in the world of Fast and Furious, you can probably guess that it will act as a tie-in to bring together the events of the second and third films.
I'll admit I was surprised to discover that Diesel has already directed before. Mainly they were other short films, but back in 1997, he wrote, directed, and starred in Strays, a drama about hustlers, and of course, there are still those long-standing rumors about Diesel directing his own Hannibal (not the cannibal) feature. Nobody knows for sure where the Fast and Furious prequel will appear first, but the obvious choice would be online. There is also a chance that to drum up a little business Universal will premiere it on TV, or as an extra on the DVD. One thing is for sure, unless Justin Lin has the running time of Fast and Furious down to 70 minutes, I doubt we'll be seeing it in theaters.
Fast and Furious is scheduled to open on June 5th, 2009.
First Official Photos from 'Fast and Furious'
Filed under: Action », Universal », Movie Marketing », Remakes and Sequels », Images »
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Well, if you have a soft spot for the Fast and Furious franchise, then I'm sure the above picture will make you feel warm and fuzzy all over -- or, at the very least, just a little nostalgic. Sure we got to see some photos of cars, but blurry shots of a few cars was hardly the scoop of the century. At least now we're getting the first official stills (courtesy of USA Today) from the fourth installment of the racing franchise. So for anyone who might have missed those earlier shots, here is your chance to see Toretto (Vin Diesel) and O'Connor (Paul Walker) together again. Furious also brings together writer/director Justin Lin (who directed the third installment of the series) with series vets Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez (reprising their original roles).
For the latest film in the series, Diesel's underground racer and Walker's undercover cop will reunite to take down a common enemy. There was some early speculation -- possible spoiler warning -- surrounding the return (and reported demise) of Rodriguez's character, Letty, and there were even some photos floating around that would support the theory. Either way, I'm not one of those people who feed off spoilers, so I'm going to let that particular plot point stay a mystery for now. But since I'm not the type to judge, you can take a look here -- but don't say I didn't warn you.
Fast and Furious will arrive in theaters on June 5th, 2009.
'Fast and The Furious 4' Gets a Title and Official Plot!
Filed under: Action », Universal », Remakes and Sequels »
For fans of The Fast and the Furious franchise, there were still a few pretty big questions hanging over the movie. Mainly, just what exactly was this movie going to be about ... other than fast cars that look real cool when they go real fast? Well, wonder no longer because Universal has announced the official title and the final plot synopsis for the latest installment of the racing franchise. Now titled Fast and Furious (yo, they left out the 'the!'), the story centers on reuniting Dom Torretto (Vin Diesel) and agent Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) along with vets from the first film (Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez).According to Universal's description, "When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Diesel) reignites his feud with agent Brian O'Conner (Walker). But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanuever him."
So far there have been a few on-set photos, and don't forget there was an early script review from Latino Review back in November. It would seem that it might have been legit since it got some of the details right (including some spoilerific details regarding the fate of Rodrgiuez's character, Letty). Director Justin Lin is already talking about making one more film before retiring the series, but we'll have to wait to see how high gas prices climb first. Fast and Furious will arrive in theaters on June 5, 2009.
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
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Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
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Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
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