The Judd Apatow gang always markets the crap out of their movies, and the promotional blitz is in full force for their latest, Walk Hard. Posters are everywhere, they released the "R" Rated international trailer to the internets, they took out a very cool "For Your Consideration" ad in The Hollywood Reporter, and John C. Reilly is rocking the country on the "Cox Across America" tour, which I was lucky enough to check out this week. And now you can watch the first ten minutes of the film online! Head over to http://rocklikecox.com/myspace/ to enjoy. If you figure it costs ten bucks to see a movie, and the movie is 100 minutes -- this is one dollar's worth of entertainment for free!

You have to verify your age to see the clip -- the film is Rated "R" after all, but this ten minutes is strictly "PG." Sorry, folks. (By the way, has anyone under the age of 18 ever been dissuaded by an age verification? You can enter any birthdate you want! It's not like they're asking for a thumb print or something! Fools! Let's move on.) The clip mainly focuses on Dewey as a boy, played by Conner Rayburn, and it builds to a 14 year-old Dewey's declaration "Just wait 'till you see what happens now." I must say, I only laughed out loud once during the clip -- the line "How are we gonna follow that?" got to me -- but I have a feeling this is going to be a very funny movie. I'm checking it out Wednesday night, and I'm muy excitedo. How about you guys, thoughts on the opening scenes?

In case you weren't aware, Owen Wilson's first interview since being holed up in a hospital following an apparent suicide attempt took place the other day via MySpace's Artist on Artist series. The interview itself was finally posted online somewhere around 10pm EST last night, and after watching it, I must say it's definitely one of the most awkward interviews I've ever seen. Basically, director Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson talk to one another about The Darjeeling Limited -- only problem is, they're not together in the same room. They're miles upon miles apart, and through some special effects magic, it appears as if both are sitting next to each other having a conversation. I tried embedding the actual interview into this post, but for some reason it wasn't working ... and our tech folks are normal people who have off on the weekend. Unlike myself. So you can check out the interview for yourself over here.

Of course, everyone and their publicist was wondering whether Owen would open up at all and talk about what went down a few months ago. I'll save you all the time now: he did not. And the reason why the interview seemed awkward probably had to do with the fact that both men were not together in the same room (although at one point it was funny to see them play off that). Owen seemed tired, and a tad out of touch, as if it took hours to convince him to do this. Anderson tried his best to remain lively, tossing questions out to Owen, following up on them, but the whole thing just seemed forced. That's nothing against The Darjeeling Limited -- I happen to be one of the few who actually loved the flick -- but I wish the boys got into it a little more. Perhaps I'm reading into it too much (and feel free to tell me that), but something definitely seemed off here. Let us know what you think.

The user-generated movie Faintheart begins shooting in the UK this week, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The first of its kind, Faintheart was put together via MySpace as the previously announced "MySpace Movie Mashup"; the writer, director, cast and other members of the production were apparently found via calls on the film's MySpace page. Some, such as writer David Lemon and director Vito Rocco, won competitions voted on by members of the networking site and a celeb jury, which included Sienna Miller and Anthony Minghella. Other positions, such as storyboard artist, could be acquired through job postings on the film's MySpace blog. The movie does feature some professional stars, though, including Jessica Hynes (you know her as Shaun of the Dead and Spaced's Jessica Stevenson -- she recently changed her stage name), Trainspotting's Ewan Bremner and Eddie Marsan, who will be making up for this by appearing in Mike Leigh's next film. Now the movie, a romantic comedy centered on the world of Viking battle re-enactments, which is being produced by Vertigo Films and FilmFour, with backing from the UK Film Council and Screen VM, is ready to go.

If we've learned anything from ideas like Project Greenlight and Spielberg's On the Lot, we can assume that the mainstream reception of Faintheart will not be too favorable. After all, the public likes its movies made by executives, businessmen, lucky "talents" and really talented people who have put in their time without success before breaking out. The same thing has been learned with the music business. Just because a person wins American Idol, that doesn't mean he or she is going to have a #1 album (nor does it mean he/she would make a good movie). Sure, the internet has possibly been helpful in suggesting things to filmmakers here and there, but overall, we can't trust people who live on the internet to make important decisions. Can we? There have been other internet-based film competitions, including two involving Spike Lee -- Babelgum's Online Film Festival and LiveMansion: The Movie (which seems to be competing with MySpace for the "first online-community-made" tag -- but obviously MySpace has them all beat with brand recognition. But then I wonder, will Faintheart even use a "MySpace Presents" banner? Regardless of the brand recognition, some people are sure to think such a connection is silly.

I don't mean to sound cynical, but I'm not surprised that the new environmental documentary The 11th Hour timed the release of a new trailer with the recent Live Earth festivities to capitalize on a little free press. The official MySpace page has the theatrical trailer, with an introduction by DiCaprio himself. The 11th Hour was produced by DiCaprio, and he also narrates. Directed by Leila Conners Petersen, the film's 'manifesto' is to "explore how we've arrived at this moment -- how we live, how we impact the earth's ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course". There is also an official site up and running with plenty of educational resources as well as some extra info on the various talking heads that appear in the film. There is a pretty wide spectrum; from Professor Stephen Hawking, to Ray Anderson, an interior furnishings mogul who has become one of the best examples of how industry and environmentalism can peaceably co-exist.

This is probably a pet project for DiCaprio, who has been pretty involved in a variety of environmental causes over the years, and has been a vocal supporter of Power Point presenter extraordinaire, Al Gore. To be honest, the trailer alone has already scared the bejesus out of me -- and strangely enough, it almost looks like a big-budget action picture -- with the added bonus of emotionally scarring images of penguins overrun by trash heaps and shameful footage of Hurricane Katrina victims. While this doesn't exactly seem like a fun night at the movies, it's the kind of film you almost feel guilty about not watching. The 11th Hour is slated to hit theaters on August 17.

With production wrapped on one of next summer's biggest films, director Jon Favreau stopped by his MySpace page to answer a few Iron Man questions and talk up the film's presence later this month at San Diego ComicCon. First off, he apologizes for there not being an Iron Man trailer in front of Transformers. However, he does promise to "reveal something very cool very soon." On his Iron Man ComicCon plans, Favreau notes: "We've secured a prime slot Saturday afternoon [July 28] in the big room at SDCC. We will split an hour with Marvel and Hulk and plan to cut something together to reward the fans for their interest, support and patience. In addition to our Saturday afternoon presentation, we will be doing a signing and poster giveaway at the Marvel booth on Saturday. Paramount is also doing a rundown of its slate on Thursday which I will do my best to attend as well."

By "cut something together," I assume that means he will unveil the first Iron Man trailer. Unfortunately, you'll have to be in San Diego to see it. But don't worry, we've got you covered -- Cinematical will be on the ground, scoping out any and all ComicCon exclusives. While we don't yet know if we'll be able to share actual video with you, we'll do everything in our power to make sure you're just as informed as that guy who's sitting in the first row sporting a "Vegas, baby!" t-shirt for all the world to see. Following his ComicCon announcements, Favreau next moves on to some questions about the villains in the film; essentially, how many are there and what sort of role Iron Monger/Mandarin/Obadiah Stane plays. Favreau stated that they are "essentially using the books to inspire our story" and that "fans should have no problem piecing together what's what." He also says that they've left plenty of room open for sequels (that make sense), but as always it will depend on how well Iron Man does when it's released on May 9 of next year.

Finally -- and this should certainly incite a debate -- Favreau addressed those rumors that have suggested Samuel L. Jackson, Hilary Swank and Favreau himself play roles in the film. As you may or may not know, Jackson was said to be shooting scenes as fellow Marvel superhero Nick Fury, while Swank was supposedly a Shield agent and Favreau, a Vegas security guard. Are they true? Favreau says, "There is no truth to any of these rumors." Then, at the bottom, he writes: (Well, maybe one is true.) Ah, but which one? Hopefully we'll find out sooner rather than later ...

Or is it SuperMax? Or Prison Break: Season 3? Or Green Arrow in: Oops, I Dropped the Soap? Either way, it appears the "cool" thing these days is for filmmakers to show up on their MySpace pages to help give fans more info on their highly-anticipated upcoming projects. Rob Zombie has used MySpace to promote the hell out of his re-imagining of Halloween (due out this summer), and Jon Favreau has provided a few updates from the set of Iron Man over on his space. Now, writer David S. Goyer (Batman Begins) is throwing his name into the mix. In case you missed it, Goyer has been hired to write a Green Arrow film (based on the popular character from DC Comics) ... with a pretty big twist.

Instead of it being a straight-up superhero flick, pic will follow Green Arrow after he's framed for a crime, stripped of his identity and thrown in a Super Max prison. Not just any prison -- this is a prison filled with DC supervillains. Now, in order to win back his freedom, the Green Arrow must team up with some of the same monsters he helped put away in order to plan an escape. It's an idea I personally love (because, for once, we're getting something different!), but apparently the majority of you aren't fans of Goyer's concept. Well, the man himself talked more about the film and its origins on his MySpace page; based on what he said, perhaps you'll change your mind. Or not.

According to Goyer, "The basic concept actually came about through Justin Marks, a terrific young writer my wife Jessika (a producer) had previously worked with. They thought the idea of a prison-break story set in a jail designed exclusively for super-villains was a cool one. And I heartily agreed. After some discussion, we decided it would be fun to frame a super-hero and toss him into the meta-human mix." Really, and here I thought it was because Super Max sounded better than Death Warrant 2. Goyer then goes on to talk about why they chose the Green Arrow, saying it was because of his "hard-hitting, moralistic tendencies." I guess I'll remain in the minority here thinking this is one of the finest superhero-themed ideas to emerge during a time when our movie theaters are being bombarded by masks, capes and super powers. And who's to say a film like this won't help launch a Green Arrow franchise, with a second film giving the fans what they really want -- to see Green Arrow as Green Arrow? And who's to say they won't get that in this film? If there's any advice I can give, it would be to trust David Goyer. The man is one helluva writer, and I'm sure he'll deliver a quality flick.

[via IGN]

Last night, I came real close to bumbling my way into a super secret Transformers screening over at the AMC in Times Square. Though I was there to (unfortunately) see Blades of Glory, the girl guarding the list originally thought I was supposed to see Transformers. Since Cinematical was depending on me to provide you with a review of Blades, I reluctantly had to inform her I was there for that movie ... and not Transformers. Needless to say, I whimpered my way up to theater number one and took my seat next to someone who apparently finds Jon Heder to be the funniest person in the history of ever. But I digress.

Seeing as the internets were out to rub the whole situation in my face this morning, I was not at all surprised to find that Transformers now has a spiffy new MySpace page, featuring two brand new pics of Optimus Prime and Megatron staring down one another. In fact, folks can then choose a side (good or bad) when deciding who they would rather be friends with: the robots trying to destroy the earth or the ones trying to save it. Those same two pics are now part of two new one-sheets for the film as well. Both robots look pretty rad, and I'm now convinced this film will kick some major ass ... even if Shia LaBeouf annoys me to no end. Transformers is set to invade theaters on July 4, so choose your sides now ... and choose wisely.

Since John Carpenter's theme music for Halloween is probably one of the most recognized theme songs in movie history, you can imagine the outcry when a MTV interview with director Rob Zombie reported that he was not using the original music in his "re-imagining" of Carpenter's film. In the interview, Zombie was quoted as saying, "The plan was at some point to [remake it], to change it around, the actual way it sounds now doesn't really work with what we're doing." But it looks like all that upset was in vain as Ain't it Cool News has since reported that Zombie has corrected the article on the MySpace page for the film.

Zombie posted "Now I get it, MTV misunderstood what I was saying about the music. Oh well, I am still shooting and haven't even begin to explore the music side of things yet. I always planned on using the original theme since the beginning." Zombie is still promising plenty of changes; including no cameos from original cast members or re-creations of some of Carpenter's famous shots. But he seems determined to keep the music in one form or another -- although I can't help but worry another "re-imagining" could include "Halloween: The Dragula Remix."

If you've ever sat through a dreadful film and thought to yourself "Man, I could do a better job directing than (insert name of hack director here)," then this announcement might be just what you've been waiting for. According to Variety, social networking site MySpace is joining forces with production companies Film4 and Vertigo Films to give one lucky MySpace member a shot at directing a feature film. Before you go hitting your browser to fire up your MySpace page in all its eclectic glory, one word of warning -- you can only participate this time if you happen to live in the United Kingdom. Yes, that's in Europe. Sorry.

The lucky winner of the contest, dubbed the "MySpace Movie Mashup," will be picked by a combination of celebrity jury -- which includes such actual celebs as actress Sienna Miller and director Anthony Minghella -- and an online tally of votes from the winning director's short films on MySpace. After the director is selected, MySpace users will then be invited to contribute to the development, casting and marketing decisions for the film, which is scheduled to shoot in October for a Summer 2008 release. The competition will be officially launched Feb. 7 at a party in central London.

Even though this is only for those of you who live in the UK I have a hard time believing that it will continue that way for very long. If this first contest is even remotely successful and yields any sort of decent product, they would have to consider doing a version here in the US. After all, this is where MySpace started and where we have more wanna-be directors than any other country in the world. So, be patient and get your short films ready. Our time is gonna come soon enough.

The big-screen version of Justice League favorite The Flash seemed to be safely on its way to production; David Goyer was working on a script, and Ryan Reynolds had been attached as a possible lead. But now, it looks like there's been a definite bump in the road. Goyer has officially been removed from the Warner Bros. adaptation and has confirmed it on his MySpace page. Word came shortly after Joss Whedon informed us via a statement to whedonesque.com that he too has left Warner's Wonder Woman project.

Goyer notes: "The God's honest truth is that WB and myself simply couldn't agree on what would make for a cool Flash film. I'm quite proud of the screenplay I turned in. I threw my heart into it and I genuinely think it would've been the basis of a ground-breaking film. But as of now, the studio is heading off in a completely different direction. I expect you'll hear of some new developments on that front shortly."

You would have thought that Warner Bros. would have had some faith in Goyer since he has plenty of experience when it comes to comic book scripts. The man wrote the original treatment for Batman Begins and also provided the outline for Nolan's Batman sequel The Dark Knight . Goyer also has big-screen versions of Thor and Captain America in the pipeline. There's no word on who is replacing Goyer on the project, or whether Reynolds still has a shot at the lead. Since WB hasn't made their announcement yet, fans should speak now or forever hold their peace.

How easy could it be for Paramount to cast the new "young" Star Trek movie? Hire the kids of the original stars. That is what Chris Doohan suggests, anyway. On his MySpace blog (and in the comments section of a previous Cinematical post), he claims that he should at least be considered for the part of young "Scotty", the character originally played by his late father, James Doohan. He even gives a few good (to him) reasons: "1. I kind of look like my dad. 2. I can do a great Scottish accent. 3. We share the last name. 4. I like money."

He isn't sure how to go about auditioning for the part, but he's attempting a write-in/call-in campaign. On his blog, he supplies an address and phone number (that might not work, he says) for Paramount Pictures. If he can't get the Scotty role, he would at least like a walk-on role, something he also had for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I think it would be funny if Paramount went completely against Chris' wishes and instead cast his twin brother, Montgomery, but it isn't likely producers would consider either brother. They are more likely to go with somebody with more acting experience than appearing as himself on Breaking Bonaduce. They may not cast a rising star like James McAvoy, but if Chris thinks he has a chance, he's dreaming.

[via Fark.com]

When an actor can go from Billy Bibbit to Chucky, it's some kind of career trajectory, I'm just not quite sure which kind. Brad Dourif's career spans over 30 years, and ranges from Oscar caliber films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Lord of The Rings to a slew of thriller and horror credits like Color of Night and Critters 4. Also, I personally have a soft spot for his role in one of my favorite X-Files episodes. To the point: Rob Zombie has announced the casting of Dourif as Sheriff Brackett in his upcoming remake of Halloween, on the official Halloween MySpace page.

Dourif is just the latest in a round of interesting hires that include Adrienne Barbeau, Clint Howard, and Courtney Gains, but there is apparently no word yet on which characters those actors will play. Zombie's Halloween re-make -- or maybe I should call it a re-imagining -- might be the last chance to sort out the mess that the Michael Myers franchise has become. I'm still ticked off about the two hours of my life I'm never getting back by watching H20. Dourif is an old pro when it comes to horror, though, so this latest hire is a positive omen. Great or not so great -- I'm thinking Halloween will probably fall somewhere in between.

Let me be honest with you right from the start, because all good relationships are based on honest, open communication, right? Full disclosure: I'm not exactly a fan of MySpace. Despite being more or less within the generally accepted MySpace demographic, I really am not particularly fond of the social networking website. No knock against you if you are, it just isn't my bag. It is, however, increasingly becoming the bag of Hollywood, as it is now entirely common to find movies using the popular site to advertise themselves. Sometimes they get "clever" and use a character from the movie as the MySpace, but often they just create a page for the movie itself.

While I've not really been a fan of this, I fully understand it. The site is enormously popular, particularly among the age range a lot of these movies aim towards. And while I've come to accept it, something still screams out about the inherent wrongness of a Frank Miller's 300 MySpace page. And yet here it is, in full glory, asking you to be its friend. And it has quite a lot of friends. How, exactly, one is friends with a movie which has no discernible ... you know ... being of its own, I don't really know. Maybe I'm just jealous.

Like any true-blue horror geek with a few dollars to spend, I already own John Carpenter's original Halloween on DVD. (There are only about 43 different versions, most of 'em from that multiple-dip factory known as Anchor Bay.) But what if, say, you're a young horror nerdlet who doesn't have the expendable income with which to construct a fantastic DVD collection? What about those fans? Who will think of the children??

Well, apparently Rob Zombie will. In preparation for his own adaptation of the October Classic, Zombie and MySpace have collaborated to offer you ... a free movie! Yes, that's right: Go pop some corn, turn off the lights and put your cellphone on mute, because you're invited to watch Halloween for FREE! Hooray!

OK, so the screen is really small and your little speakers might not deliver Carpenter's mega-slick score in flawless fashion, but I do believe I mentioned the word "FREE" a few times, so let's not whine about the details. (I wonder if they'll leave P.J. Soles' finest scene intact...)

[Thanks to good ol' JoBlo for the tip!]

What's the best way to give your own flagging video distribution a shot in the arm? Buy the most popular one on the planet. Google announced today that it was buying the popular online video sharing service YouTube for a cool $1.65 billion dollars in stock -- really nice payday for a company that hasn't even turned two yet.

YouTube is one of the most popular websites on the planet, breaking into the top ten with sites like Yahoo, MySpace, and of course -- Google. Earlier this summer, it was reported that YouTube was serving upwards of 100 million videos a day, with 65,000 new ones uploaded by users every day. That number will surely climb as they have more money and server space available to them through Google. Google's own GoogleVideo service tried to compete with YouTube, adopting a similar look and feel, but they never could match the popularity of the upstart company. If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em.

Now, why should movie lovers pay attention? With the announcements of both Apple's iTunes movies, and Amazon's Unbox services, mainstream movie distribution on the web has become something to start thinking seriously about -- ya know, it's not just speculation around the water cooler anymore. While there are other sites on the web that offer movie downloads, both Apple and Amazon have been the first mainstream sites to offer them in an easy-to-understand and affordable format. Google seems to be setting the stage for their own effort in the same arena.