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I caught the very entertaining Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer as part of the Slamdance 2008 line-up -- and I knew I had another indie horror flick on my hands that was worth hyping. (Review here.) Bolstered by a canny script and some strong work from actors Trevor Matthews and Robert Englund, JB:MS is a colorfully scrappy little monster movie with a very sly tongue-in-cheek attitude, and I'm certain it's a movie that the horror geeks will embrace once Anchor Bay unleashes it later this year. And those horror geeks have been pretty patient, so here are a few new goodies.

Under the jump you'll find a brand-new Jack Brooks poster (which is slightly different from the one Bloody-Dee is sharing right here), but there's also a newly-redesigned website for the monster maniacs to click around in. The movie will open in its native land (somewhere called "Canada"?) throughout July, but fest-freaks can meet Jack Brooks when he plays at Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival on July 5. As far as U.S. distribution goes, that's up to the merchants of mayhem over at Anchor Bay.

I guess whether we like it or not, viral campaigns are hot, hip and here to stay. Universal pictures has launched the viral site for Timur Bekmambetov's Wanted, and it all revolves around a shadowy group known as the Fraternity of Weavers. Now for the tricky part: to crack the code on the website you must enter five secret words to earn a peek at the handbook for the fraternity -- plus you get a little bit more info behind Angelina's bad-ass hand tattoo. So if you're the kind of person who likes puzzles, then feel free to figure it out on your own. But, if you're like me and a little impatient, you can click over to Coming Soon and they have the solution -- I won't spoil it here.

Wanted is based on Mark Millar's graphic novel about an everyday schmo (as played by James McAvoy) who turns out to be the heir to a secret society of assassins. Angelina Jolie stars as Fox, the second in command and mentor to McAvoy. Morgan Freeman plays the elder statesman and co-founder of the group, while hip-hop artist Common stars as the weapons expert, The Gunsmith.

The viral site provides plenty of background info on the history of the ancient fraternity, but for the most part it's a bunch of spiritual mumbo-jumbo about fate, destiny, the Cathars, and ancient weaving cults -- oh, and plenty of Wikipedia links. There's also a sign up page if you're interested in becoming a member of the fraternity (hazing optional?). One imagines more viral goodies will most likely show up at some point before Wanted opens in theaters on June 27th.

One might accuse the director of Saw 2, Saw 3 and Saw 4 of "playing it safe" with his first three movies -- and that may be true -- but there's little denying that writer / director Darren Lynn Bousman is going out on a big limb with his fourth feature, Repo! The Genetic Opera. Based upon Bousman's own stage play (and short film), Repo tells the story of a futuristic world in which vital organs are sold, bought, traded ... and repossessed. And if the plot isn't strange enough, yep, Repo is indeed a full-bore rock opera. The trailer looks like a cross between Moulin Rouge, Phantom of the Paradise, Hostel and (of course) The Rocky Horror Picture Show -- which means (at the very least) we're looking at one fairly strange concoction here.

Lionsgate has yet to announce their release plans for Repo!, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to report. First off, feel free to pick through the newly-updated official site, which is full of bombastic music, creepy photos, and the aforementioned promo clip. Also, it looks like Bousman recently invited a few horror freaks to take a look at a rough cut, and the early responses have been pretty darn positive. Here's hoping Lionsgate figures out what they want to do with the flick sooner rather than later. It's not every day you get to see a horror musical starring Paul Sorvino, Bill Moseley and Paris Hilton.

We thought it would arrive as part of After Dark's 2007 event, but since unrated flicks cannot screen as part of AD Horrorfest, at least there was a good reason for the delay. And now with the U.S. release of Xavier Gans' Frontier(s) only a few weeks away, it only stands to reason that we'd be treated to a new poster, trailer, and website for the freaky French fright flick.

May 9 is when the stylish horror salad bar will hit the cinemas, but if you're not presently a part of the release pattern, fear not: You can pick up the DVD only a few days later. Click here to delve into the nutty, nasty world of Frontier(s), which is full of dangerous downloads, powerful pictures, and some decidedly violent videos. And then, since you're already hanging out at Cinematical anyway, feel free check out my review of the flick right here. Word is that the DVD will contain some extra goodies for the horror freaks; I shall update this post as soon as I receive an official note from After Dark.

Before I even start, I should probably admit to you what usually will make my male friends' jaws drop in disbelief. I have never seen a Rambo movie. Sure, I have a passing knowledge of the franchise, but to be honest it was just never my thing. The official website for the latest installment has gone live with lots of flash, but very little substance. There is the promise of plenty of things to come, including shooter games, video mash-ups and something called Instruments of Force ... whatever that could be. Plus, there are the usual offerings of cast and crew profiles, downloads, and galleries in case you're in the market for a Rambo icon.

Sylvester Stallone wrote, directed and produced the story of the infamous vet now living in the 'wilds' of northern Thailand running a longboat and catching poisonous snakes for a living. After a group of missionaries go missing, our hero dusts off his headband for another adventure. After a few title changes and a couple of teaser posters (the Banksy-inspired one was definitely the strangest in the bunch); not too mention some pretty grisly teaser footage released for Cannes, the film finally revealed the official trailer back in October. Filled with plenty of explosions, machetes and a fairs share of mumbling -- even with my limited knowledge of Rambo, I know the film should satisfy those die-hard fans out there. Now that the site is live, the trailer has been yanked from most channels and the web site will be your one stop shop for all things Rambo. (John) Rambo is set for release on January 25th, 2008.

You know you must like an actor when you are willing to sit through a film you are convinced you have already seen dozens of times before. The new website for the crime drama Pride and Glory has launched with fancy new photos and a theatrical trailer. Pride was co-written by Joe Carnahan and director Gavin O' Connor, and was inspired by O'Connor's childhood growing up in a home full of policeman. O'Connor was quoted as saying, "My father was a New York City detective, and I grew up in that world. It's a celebration of honest cops, which was everything my father was about. Though it is fictional, it is an homage to my father". New Line president Toby Emmerich had reportedly been a big fan of the script and made sure that the project found a home at New Line.

The film focuses on a family who are at the center of a police corruption scandal that could ruin not only their careers, but tear apart the entire family. Norton stars as a good cop up against crooked cops and the "Blue Code of Silence" when he is put in charge of solving the murder of four police officers. Joining Norton are Colin Farrell as the the black sheep of the family (as to be expected) with Jon Voight stepping in as the patriarch. The part had originally gone to Nick Nolte, but due to a knee-injury he had to be replaced by Voight. Pride and Glory will hit theaters on March 14th, 2008.

[via Latino Review]

The new website for the heist comedy Mad Money has gone live with its first full-length trailer. It is pretty much what you would expect from a harmless little comedy, so if you are looking for a hard-edged crime flick, you are definitely in the wrong place. Along with the trailer, the website has the usual photo galleries and downloads (you can check out Cinematical's exclusive gallery here). There is even the chance to win a little of your own 'mad money' in a sweepstakes. Directed by Callie Khouri, the film stars Katie (or Kate; I can never keep it straight) Holmes, Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton, and Ted Danson. The story centers on three employees of the Federal Reserve who pull together for a plot to steal the money that is going to be taken out of circulation.

Khouri is probably best known as the writer for another famous female 'buddy film'; Thelma and Louise. Money is a pretty light-hearted flick so I doubt we'll be seeing Keaton, Holmes, and Latifah going over a cliff in a protest of patriarchal control. Mad Money will be Holmes' first big-screen role since Batman Begins and Thank You for Smoking back in 2005. As we all know, Holmes wasn't invited back for The Dark Knight and there were even a few thinly veiled shots directed towards her in the press over the whole matter. Since all that Wonder Woman talk never panned out either, for the sake of her career I only hope that comedy vets like Keaton and Danson can help keep Mad Money afloat at the box-office. Maybe then, Holmes will get credit for being something other than Mrs Tom Cruise. Mad Money hits theaters on January 18th.

It's early September and you know what that means! Kids going back to school, a nice drop in the humidity ... and the beginning of another marketing push for yet another Saw movie. Trailers, websites, blood drives, icky-sticky poster art ... if there's one thing Lionsgate does well, it's market those horror flicks. And I guess it's an easier sell when the movies deliver the goods. (OK, Saw 3 was the weakest of the trilogy, but it's still a helluva lot creepier than most of the wide-release horror flicks!)

Anyway, here's the brand-new Saw 4 website, complete with teaser trailer, wallpapers, production notes and some memorably ooky Charlie Clouser music. For horror fans hoping for a little new spice in the series, let's hope it'll be provided by screenwriters Marcus Dunston and Patrick Melton. (They wrote the fan-favorite Feast, but are complete newcomers to the Sawniverse.) October 26 is when the third Saw sequel arrives -- and Saw 5 a year after that. (No doubt.)

Special note to parents: Saw 4 is rated R for "grisly bloody violence and terror throughout, and language." But if you already let your 7-year-old see the first three flicks...

By the looks of the new site for the vampire flick 30 Days of Night, this movie is going to be one nicely designed bloodbath. Sony just launched the fancy flash site for the film version of Steven Niles' graphic novel about a group of vampires descending on a small Alaskan town for a non-stop feeding frenzy.

Night is directed by David Slade (Hard Candy) and the script was written by Stuart Beattie (3:10 To Yuma). Josh Hartnett stars as a local sheriff trying to keep a group of locals alive, and Ben Foster (who gave us a behind the scenes look at the film, last February) is an ancient vampire that is none-too-pleased with the attention-drawing antics of his kind. The site looks like it was designed in the spirit of the original graphic novel, plus, along with the teaser clips and downloads, there is the promise of a nifty-looking shooter game.

There has already been talk of shorts set in the Night universe produced by Sam Raimi's Ghosthouse, more comic books, and don't forget the possibility of multiple sequels (Ryan got the chance to speak with Niles about the film, as well as female lead Melissa George). So, combined with the solid teaser trailer Scott told us about last month, it's looking like this graphic novel has the potential to spawn a whole new horror franchise. The film is also expected to get a little extra buzz with the cast, along with Slade and Raimi, answering questions about the film for a ComicCon panel this weekend -- stay tuned for that report. 30 Days of Night hits theaters October 19th.

If you thought a majority of the big ComicCon news swept through with yesterday's Paramount panel, think again. Warner Bros. is set to make their presentation this afternoon. And you know what that means -- dun dun dun -- The Dark Knight. It would appear as if Warners lit the Batman torch a bit early, as another one of those teaser websites popped up online last night. This one is a play on those old Army recruitment posters, but one that's been hijacked by the Joker. A clock in the upper right-hand corner counts down to the time the Warners panel is supposed to begin and coordinates within the site lead to San Diego. And you know what's in San Diego, right? No, not the Padres -- the Con!

I have to say, the Joker does have a way with words. His little recruitment speech almost has me wanting to join up. Here's a taste: "Enjoy a career in a lucrative, ultra high-profile field. Our associates make their own hours, enjoy great benefits and, in some cases, work from home." Sign me up dude! From what we understand, Warners will unveil the first teaser for The Dark Knight this afternoon (which may or may not be the one we linked to yesterday). Along with the teaser, it's our hope we'll get some additional photos or something. Anything. Along with The Dark Knight, Warners will also be offering up previews of Zack Snyder's Watchmen, Kate Beckinsale's Whiteout, Steve Carell's Get Smart and the supernatural flick One Missed Call. Stay tuned into Cinematical as we'll once again be liveblogging the Warner Bros. panel for all fans who insist on receiving info the minute it's announced. Meanwhile, The Dark Knight arrives in theaters on July 18, 2008.