Their batting average might not be all that stellar, but I'm still rooting for the After Dark team. In theory, their idea of snatching up eight indie / foreign horror flicks a year and offering them a brief theatrical run is fantastic. And I've no doubt that the AD crew does the best they can with the flicks and funds that are available, but let's face it: Their track record isn't exactly sterling, now is it? (Their flick recap can be found after the jump.) But things seem to be looking up in After Dark country: According to The Hollywood Reporter, the scrappy little distributor plans to get a lot more involved in the production side of the equation.

They've already announced Sean Ellis' The Broken* as the first AD08 title, but now we seem to have movies two and three. Production begins this month in Romania on both Faithless and Perkins' 14, the former a thriller about a woman on the run from domestic abuse, the latter a serial killer chiller. (Hey, the less I know about the plots, the better.) Faithless comes from the team of Stewart Hopewell and Tim Long, while Jeremy Donaldson's Perkins' 14 was apparently the winner of a screenwriting contest at Massify.com, which is kind of interesting. That flick will be directed by Craig Singer, whom Horrorfesters will remember from Dark Ride. This pair of flicks marks AD's first return to full-on production since 2006's An American Haunting.

(* Saw it at Sundance; dug it.)

Since Paramount and producer J.J. Abrams refuse to unleash any further details regarding Cloverfield, all we're left with are these weird promotional websites and this brand new spy report from the set. Since I take everything with a grain of salt, I'll advise you to do the same -- although the spy (most likely a production assistant of sorts) seems to know what he/she is talking about. Turns out we're not the only ones who don't know what the hell this movie is; according to the spy: "I'm working on this shoot, and even we don't know what it is." Nice. However, they do go on to reveal certain details that you may or may not be interested in. Beware of possible spoilers below ...

First, the spy does confirm that the film is currently being shot in downtown Los Angeles under the name "Slusho." And about that name, the spy says: "The ID tags for the shoot on the trucks say "Slusho: You can't eat more than 6" and a drawing of a slurpee-like drink." I'm not sure whether that has something to do with the film, or if it's there to throw people off, but it is one of the stranger taglines I've ever seen. Additionally, the spy points out a few interesting tidbits regarding the trailer we all watched prior to Transformers and the Godzilla rumor everyone keeps talking up. "On a take in the scene you all saw (the trailer) at + 30 seconds after impact movie time, just a couple of us were told by Mr Reeves that we are seeing a giant foot stomp down (this is at the point where the tower explodes). Not Godzilla, but it is interesting..." I wish they would've further explained how they know it's not Godzilla (he had feet, right?), but if this person is to be believed, then we can cross off all Godzilla talk for the time being.

Another peculiar note has to do with all this Ethan Haas nonsense. Who is Ethan Haas, and why is he so important to the film? Well, the spy doesn't seem to know either, but they do say it all "kinda makes sense (to me at least) from some of the dialogue I've heard." Kinda makes sense? Not a lot to go on there. So, to recap: Look for Slusho, no Godzilla and all this Ethan Haas stuff "kinda makes sense." Well, to me, it sure as hell doesn't. Here's hoping we get some more info before all the conspiracy theorists lose their sh*t.

UPDATE: The official trailer has finally been released via Apple. So for those who missed it and/or suffered through one of those grainy leaked versions, you can check it out now. Enjoy!

Shooting is officially underway on Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods (working title), and surprisingly no photos have leaked online yet. Of course, as I type this, I'm sure someone is uploading an image of something related to the next Indiana Jones adventure. A pair of socks, perhaps? To kick things off, however, the powers that be have decided to follow in the footsteps of Speed Racer and throw up a little promotional video interview with Shia LaBeouf so that he can talk about how much he loved watching the Indy films as a kid, and about how strong Harrison Ford's handshake is. I'm not sure what it is about this kid, but one minute in and you feel like you've known him forever. He's extremely personable, very down to earth, and almost has an orgasm talking about the first time he watched Ford walk out of his trailer with the fedora on. Buddy, I'd probably feel the same way.

Apart from the video, IGN tells us that word has it the film will "begin with a bang," literally. Apparently, the opening scene will involve some sort of nuclear detonation - which would follow along the lines of those reports that indicate director Steven Spielberg and his gang are recreating Nellis Air Force Base in Deming, New Mexico (a site that tested nuclear weapons in the late 50s, which is right around the time when this fourth installment takes place). Expect a lot more reports from the set of Indy 4 as production heads to New Haven, Connecticut on June 28. Since it's pretty much a given that every movie news site on the planet will be sending someone to New Haven, I'll be curious to see if the studio releases their own pics ahead of time in an attempt to beat the inevitable spy photos that are sure to make their way online during the shoot. Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods is scheduled to swing into theaters on May 22, 2008.

Folks from New Haven, Connecticut finally have a reason to wake up in the morning and shout, "Heck yeah -- I'm from New Haven!" That's because it appears a little movie production is about to arrive in town; one that just so happens to go by the name of Untitled Indiana Jones Fourth Installment Adventure Series. That's right New Haven, Steven Spielberg and Co. want you! Well, actually, they don't want you -- they want your town, your streets, your shops and for you to get the hell out of the way. According to the New Haven Register (who are all over this breaking story), the production will "include some kind of car chase on Chapel between College and High streets." A car chase? In New Haven? What are the old farts up to?

As predicted, Spielberg's spokesman Martin Levy acknowledged the shooting, but said he had no details on it whatsoever. Liar! Although it is interesting to note that The Register claimed the film will star both Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. Last I checked, I didn't know Connery had officially signed on. Were they speculating? Were they fed the wrong information? Or do those folks in New Haven know more about this pic than the rest of us? Although Levy refused to shell out filming dates, one local merchant said she was told production would take place on June 28 and June 30. In order to obtain the look and feel of 1950s America, the Indy 4 crew will be converting a number of local shops to fit their needs, and have asked other owners to make their storefronts look "appropriate to the era." No word yet on whether filming will take place at Yale, but apparently New Haven was chosen because "they like the look of Yale," so says Barbara Lamb, director of the city's Office of Cultural Affairs. I hope you folks over in New Haven have your cameras ready; the internet expects you to snap the first photos of our 60 year-old hero next month. Good luck!

Though Amazon.com has yet to initiate its widely-anticipated foray into the movie rental business (currently expected to be launching next month), it has today announced its intention to get into production. The company recently acquired the rights to The Stolen Child, the best-selling debut novel by Keith Donohue, and is now in the process of tracking down a screenwriter and director. The book actually sounds really disturbing -- it tells the story of "a 7-year-old [who] is kidnapped by forest-dwelling changelings, who replace him with a look-alike." The kid ends up "[roaming] the woods with a pack of feral children" while his replacement tries to fit in with his new family. YIKES.

Interestingly, Amazon's main role in the film will be in advertising. Sort of like Starbucks recently did with Akeelah and the Bee, Amazon will use its website to promote the hell out of the movie when release time comes. While this is sure to be incredibly annoying (I'm envisioning a movie-related version of ESPN's endless, odious shilling of their crappy cell phones), it'll be sure to get the film a massive amount of exposure, since everyone and their brother uses Amazon for, well, everything. And, if you click on the book title above, you'll get an idea of what they have in store -- for some reason, Amazon's been pimping the hell out of the novel for a while.

Earlier this month, Scott told us how Robert Rodriguez's half of Grind House had its production shut down. Depending on whom you speak to, this was due to either budget concerns or an art exhibit (I'm hoping the latter seeing as that one would just be so ego-tastic.)

Well now, Bloody Disgusting reports that Rodriguez has definitely canceled production and, even if he resumes at a later point, it won't be till at least next year. Official word is said to be coming soon. No one knows where this leaves Tarantino's Death Proof, but folks are alluding to a possible Kill Bill scenario in which the two films will come in a part 1 and part 2 type of format. The film was supposed to be released on December 1, but now all we can do is play the waiting game to see if and when that release actually happens. Man, I was so looking forward to these films. This just sucks.