Trailer: Paranormal Activity 2 (teaser)

So I usually don't watch horror movies or horror/thrillers (unless they're really good like Se7en) because they're usually terrible. But I was just too curious when it came to Paranormal Activity, a little film that cost $10,000 to make (probably all spent on the nice camera) and made over $100 million. I ended up really enjoying the film and found it to be quite creepy indeed and mildly disturbing. So now we have the sequel which took some battling between studios (naturally) and ended up with a random director I haven't heard of and with the original director producing. I'm a little hesitant because of this change in directing, but as long as they do their absolute best to maintain the creepy feeling without showing anything drastic or gory, I'll be happy. Still, this trailer isn't all that exciting. Sure, it looks like Katie (from the first one) is back and standing in a doorway looking creepy. But how and why? Is the demon possessing a dead body? Idk, this is one I'll have to wait on for reviews and a general consensus that it's just as good as the first and/or better before I venture to the theatre. There's been too many times when a first movie is really successful and then a big studio jumps on with intentions of millions of more dollars and doesn't give a crap if the movies good at all as long as the first few weeks are good before news gets out that it sucks. Darn those studios. Well at least it's not in 3D. Yet.

Trailer: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows (Part I & II)

Finally, after that little excuse for a trailer from the MTV movie awards, we get this real trailer that is actually quite exciting. I was surprised to find it shows so much, including Voldemort about to kill Harry (I don't care about spoiler warnings because everyone's read the books by now) and various scenes of Hogwarts in ruins and people battling there. The best part was the two wizard "armies" charging at each other. Such a classic movie scene, it'll be interesting to see how it turns out in the Potter world. Hopefully it includes people getting blasted everywhere. But seriously, these movies should be really dark. I really hope they take it as far as they can for a PG-13 rating because there's no way in hell they'd make it R. Although, it probably could if they included all necessary violence to make it realistically intense and whatnot. But whatever, David Yates has done a good job so far with the last two movies, so I have faith these final two will be just as good and, hopefully, a lot better. I sorta wish Voldemort could win though....just because he's Ralph Fiennes.....oh well. As long as Snape looks cool in the end I guess I'll be happy.

Trailer: Valhalla Rising

I had no idea this movie existed till today when I saw it over at cinematica and I think it looks creepily awesome. Nicolas Winding Refn, the director, also did Bronson which was an interesting movie, to say the least. Brutal and bizarre, but well done. This gives me hope for Valhalla Rising. Like I've said before, I love movies with old medieval fighting and vikings/barbarians and such, and this one looks really visually stimulating on top of it. The crazy guys with brown mud/paint all over them, various barbarians and more crazy looking people all in dark, rich scenery just looks so exciting. I really doubt this will open anywhere near where I live, but if it does, I'll be there for sure. Anyway, just thought this looked really interesting and crazy....just enough to spark my interest with its cool visuals. 

Trailer: Red

I'd read a little tidbit about this movie a while ago but didn't take too much notice. Now that I finally noticed the trailer (that's been out for God knows how long), I'm intrigued. Although Bruce Willis has really done nothing (NOTHING) worth while lately, this could be at least more fun than other movies. First of all, it has a huge cast. Helen Mirren, Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich (looks hilarious as usual), Mary Louise-Parker, Richard Dreyfuss, Brian Cox, and even Karl Urban, the guy who played Eomer in Lord of the Rings. A plot concerning retired spies/assassins getting back into it again isn't exactly new but Malkovich, Freeman, and Mirren are the ones who could make this film for me. I don't know about you, but I really enjoyed watching Freeman be badass in Wanted. Malkovich is usually interesting and ever since Being John Malkovich and especially since Burn After Reading, I believe he's discovered a better funny side. And as for Mirren, I think it'd be fun to watch an elderly British woman kick some ass as well. However, the director, Robert Schwentke isn't very reassuring since he's done movies like Flightplan (awful) and Time Traveler's Wife (heard it was awful). Still, it could be cool, and at least maybe Malkovich will be as funny as he looks in the trailer. 

News: Michael Fassbender to play Magneto in "X-Men: First Class"

I'm not sure how many of you are aware of this, but this little film called "X-Men: First Class" has been in the works for a little while now. Nothing's been filmed yet, but Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, Layer Cake) has been signed on to direct this Magneto origins story. And now the news is in that Michael Fassbender is officially Magneto. So far only Fassbender and James McAvoy (Atonement) are for sure and McAvoy is playing Charles Xavier, of course; he's British after all. Other than that, there's only "rumors" for other roles such as Mystique, Emma Frost, and Dr. Henry McCoy aka The Beast. Now that Fassbender is on board along with McAvoy, I'm starting to get quite interested in this film. I'm sure everyone is well aware of how ridiculous and cheesy (terrible) X-Men Origins: Wolverine was, so I was unsure at first. But now things are looking up. On top of this casting news, I forgot the presence of Matthew Vaughn. Layer Cake is an awesome movie starring Daniel Craig in a little known role in a drug trafficking, British underground-crime movie that's very similar to Guy Ritchie's movies and just as good. Kick-Ass was pretty good and had some cool action and a few interesting characters (unfortunately Kick-Ass wasn't one of them). So I believe I'm officially interested in this movie now and eagerly await more news. How about you? 

News: Peter Jackson FINALLY agrees to direct "The Hobbit"!

Everyone LOTR's fan in the world is (or has) probably peeing their pants at this news because Peter Jackson, director of the famed trilogy (like I needed to remind you of that), is trying to get the reins for "The Hobbit" passed over to him. Apparently he's working with MGM, Warner Bros., and New Line to get them to let him do it. For the longest time these studios have rejected Jackson as director and even Jackson himself has said he didn't want to direct it. But finally, after Guillermo Del Toro dropped out due to other projects piling up and pre-production on "The Hobbit" taking far too long, he wants back in. I know this is exactly what I wanted to happen and hopefully now the rest of the cast featured in "The Hobbit" from the trilogy (Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis, etc) will be more inclined to reprise their roles. Although the notion of a new director creating his/her own interpretation of Middle-Earth according to "The Hobbit"'s story could be interesting and new, I think it's best to stick with someone who's done it right before. Plus, the studios should be in favor of this move because Jackson's name on the film will guarantee all previous fans of the trilogy to return expecting something just as great. Well, I'm really glad this is moving forward and things are looking pretty solid for Jackson. Let's just hope nothing last minute and stupid happens.

News/Rumor: Guy Ritchie's pick for Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes 2?

Even though this is still just a RUMOR, it's the best rumor I've heard for a while. I saw this "rumor" pop up over at cinematical and was ecstatic. Right after the first Holmes came out back in December rumors exploded everywhere about who would play Professor Moriarty in the sequel since all we saw of him in the first was a bit of swirling black cape and a nifty hidden pistol. On top of that, everyone seemed to think it was going to be a big name actor. For some reason Brad Pitt was the first to be rumored and then even Russell Crowe. But now it's been revealed that director Guy Ritchie wants none other than the Butcher himself. The script is still in the works and nothing's been said to Day-Lewis and nothing else is set in stone, but the question is still out there. There's no doubt Day-Lewis would kill this role, he's brilliant at everything he does, and I for one would LOVE to see him play a villain again like he did in Gangs of New York (see above pic). The first Holmes was good mostly because of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law's great chemistry, they were really fun to watch. Day-Lewis would make this mixture so epic, some people may explode (including me). Anyway, lets hope Day-Lewis may be inclined to lay aside the ridiculously intense, oscar-worthy stuff for a little bit so we can enjoy him in some good old mystery and action.

Trailer: The Green Hornet

I've been posting a lot of trailers lately....but that's because new ones are just coming out for potential award winners this fall/winter and then very special teasers for next spring/summer. This "teaser" is trying to fall under the 'very special for next year' category, but I don't see it being that 'special'. Michel Gondry hasn't done a movie since Be Kind Rewind (which was apparently terrible), and I'd hope his next movie would be better seeing as The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was fantastic and Science of Sleep good too. But the Green Hornet? Starring Seth Rogan as the said hero? I like Rogan just as much as the next person but I don't see him being that much different in an action movie than his bumbling self in Pineapple Express, minus the stoner humor. Can he actually be a badass superhero? Or is this going to be more of a comedy? I forgot Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) was the bad guy in this and I wish this extensive trailer could've taken the time to show us more of him instead of more guns and things blowing up. Anyway, this doesn't look that different to me....should I be excited?

Trailer: Centurion

I've been following this movie for a while and it seems like it's going to get a limited release which is a pity because it looks pretty awesome. It looks like Gladiator but without all the talking parts and just pure blood & guts action and excitement across some cool scenery and being chased by some grisly, menacing bad guys (Including Olga Kurylenko from Quantum of Solace as that woman barbarian with the blue war paint). So far news on this movie makes it sound really entertaining and gruesome. I must admit, I love old Roman war stories like these, especially when they include old Celtic warriors. Plus, Michael Fassbender is the main character in this (the guy shouting "I'm a soldier of Rome!" at the end). For those who don't know, he was in 300 and Inglourious Basterds (the British spy), and also Jonah Hex. The more I realize how many different genres and roles he's done, I realize he's actually a pretty talented guy so I'm excited to see him finally take the lead here. I don't know about you, but I'm excited. (Also, it's a restricted trailer which means a few throats getting cut).

Trailer: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Am I the only one who thinks this trailer makes the movie look like Alice in Wonderland? All the colors are so bright, there's a glowing white lady, small bouncing people, a guy unravels a scroll at the screen (exactly like the Mad Hatter did), etc. Wow, now that I actually had to list these similarities, it's WAY too similar. Besides that, ummmmm, ok? It looks just like the other two. I'll still see it, of course, because I grew up with the books. The same went for the last two. Even though I didn't like the first one very much, I saw Prince Caspian out of devotion to the series and liked it a bit more than the first, but not much. On top of that, Prince Caspian only did so-so at the box-office, falling pretty short of the first. So much so that Disney decided to let go of the project which left fans panicked wondering who, if anyone, would take it back up again. Thankfully, Fox stepped in to produce, keeping Michael Apted as director and all the original cast, etc. (Btw, I forgot Bill Nighy voices Reepicheep the mouse). And now we finally can rest assured with this trailer and the December release date. But still...I will see because of the series.....but will it really be that good? I wasn't so impressed by this trailer. But we'll see.

Trailer: The Girl Who Played with Fire

And here's the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I'm quickly becoming attached this trilogy and its characters and I hope this one is as cool as the first. But I also hope there isn't as much rape as the last one....that was not fun. Hopefully it's just her killing the people who used to rape her. Not currently raping. That would be preferable. Also, why are trailers for foreign films always so bad? That's one thing I have to say for American film making, we sure know how to make a good trailer. Then again, there are some bad ones out there....but those are always the movies that obviously don't care that everyone knows the movie is going to be terrible. Not even a trailer can hide that sometimes and it's best to not try.

Watch This: a good reason for an Assassin's Creed Movie

So I'm mostly excited about this because this next game looks really cool (with a multiplayer option to it!), but like I said in my Prince of Persia review, someone better make Assassin's Creed soon. Persia was already very close to the gameplay and style of fighting of Creed but I still think Creed could be a lot cooler. Plus, everyone loves Renaissance Rome and Europe in general. Now put a bunch of assassins in there running around on rooftops and it should be really fun to watch. Like this trailer. Make sure to watch it in 720p too!

Discuss: Who's to direct "The Hobbit"?

Some of you may have been following any latest news on the pre-production of The Hobbit (probably not). But really anyone who loves the trilogy (which is everyone) should be mildly interested since now the film is without a director. At first, the original writers of the trilogy (Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh) were set to write the thing along with Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) who was also set to direct. Now since Del Toro has 10 listed projects in development according to IMDB, a number of them he's also directing, he's dropped out because The Hobbit is just taking too long to get everything ready for filming.

So the question is: which great (or not great) director will take over now? There's been suggestions flying all over movie blogs and websites for a while now with the likes of Neil Blomkamp (District 9) and Sam Raimi (Spiderman) thrown in. One poll I saw even included Tarantino. I don't know what idiot did that, but he should be shot. And now there's a rumor that David Yates, director of the last two Harry Potter movies including parts 1 & 2 of the Deathly Hollows, is at the top of the list. 

Review: Splice

Splice is the newest feature from director Vincenzo Natali who garnered some fame from his most popular film, Cube. I have to say, I wasn't a very big fan of Cube and found it to be pretty cliche in most respects. It's so easy to come up with ways to play off of the human survival instinct (specifically turning against your fellow humans/friends) which was the whole point of Cube. Yeah the characters being stuck in a giant cube with booby traps everywhere was kind of fun but more cheesy than anything else. 

Now comes Splice with the likes of Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley (pictured) playing two brilliant young biochemists working on splicing genes together for this company to come up with a new form of synthesizing protein to make a profit, naturally. But they want to go further than making weird, blob creatures like "Fred" and "Lucy", they want to incorporate human DNA into a new experiment, but no way are the big corporate leaders gonna let them do something controversial like that. But they do it anyway, and what they get is Dren: a female part human thingy.

Taken at face value, this is your typical experiment-gone-bad movie

Trailer: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1

OH MY GOOOOOOOOD!!!

Well sorta. It is pretty exciting to know there's finally a new trailer but I feel like this was hardly different than a fan made trailer with scenes from the other movies. Of course we get a little snippet of the dragon that !SPOILER! guards the vault in the Goblin bank and then John Hurt as Ollivander and Ron yelling at Harry, but not much else. I've never really been that attached to these books. I read them all in one summer and liked them (especially the last one) but I'm still a bit indifferent. I do hope they handle certain things in this one well (especially in regards to Dobby and don't hold back too much with violence and what not cuz that's what makes this one so good/intense). But books aside, have you seen the cast for this!? It's already a well known fact that literally every famous British actor currently living has been in at least one of these movies and they're added a few more now as you can see over at IMDB. I'm especially excited for Rhys Ifans as Xenophilius Lovegood who, if you did not know, played Gavin Cavanagh in Pirate Radio aka The Boat that Rocked. He was hilarious and eccentric in that movie and he should be brilliant as Mr. Lovegood. Bill Nighy (also in Pirate Radio) also makes an appearance as Rufus Scrimgeour, the new minister of magic. In all, I think I'm most excited to see how these new members of the cast fit into the Potter world.

Movie Mashup: "Pure" by Jacob Bricca

Pure from Jacob Bricca on Vimeo.

Well that was fun, wasn't it? That's what you're supposed to think after watching any of these movies featured in this wonderfully edited mashup by Jacob Bricca which showed up over on Vimeo. I think it's interesting to see how many similar action sequences are featured in nearly all of these movies. People running in front of cars, getting smashed through windows, semi-trucks in deadly car accidents, helicopters blowing up, and of course explosions, explosions, EXPLOSIONS. Some of these movies are really good (see list at the end of video), far better than your average action movie but even then they still feature many similar chase sequences and fall back on old action ploys just like poor action movies like Point Break and Speed (sorry Keanu). Just goes to show how much audiences have come to expect the same thing from action movies and still seem to complain about movies all "being the same" or "too similar." Well, it's our fault in the end, really, for making such movies famous and then every other filmmaker wants to copy them. Isn't that funny? Anyways, great video.

Remake Drama: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I saw the movie adaptation of this recently popular Swedish book and was pleasantly surprised. I had no idea what it was about when I went into it and was slightly disturbed by its gritty material and dark storyline, but it had great characters and an interesting mystery that keeps you intrigued even throughout the 152 minute running time. But no sooner had seen this great Swedish film than I read online a few days later that Hollywood is already planning an American remake.

I'm sure by now everyone's realized Hollywood is running out of ideas for original screenplays so almost everything is now at the mercy of being REMADE. Even though some freak out about this trend, it's not all that bad a lot of the times and you quickly forget about these remakes (such as The Wolfman because it sucked). But when you remake a foreign film that came out like 3 months ago, that's taking it a bit too far.There's nothing you could do to make this movie any better. At least, it'd be very difficult. 

Trailer: Gulliver's Travels, wtf?

So I started watching this like "OK, seems like a normal Jack Black movie, he's out of luck, tries to do something out of the ordinary, is awkward around a certain woman", then comes the Bermuda Triangle? OK, still, I can put up with this.....then in matter of seconds there's Billy Connolly! Emily Blunt! and JASON SEGEL? And they're all tiny? What's going on?! Obviously this is a Tim Burton type story....but how the heck do these other actors fit in? And is this a kid's movie? That'd be a new one for Jason Segel. But the main problem I have with this is how will this story be entertaining the whole way through? What else can they do but constantly come up with more ways to make the difference in size between Black and these tiny people funny? He plays Foosball with them? Also, I have no idea how to spell "Foosball", I've never had to try and spell that before in my life. But seriously, this movie looks BORING. And Emily Blunt, you were just nominated for an Oscar and The Wolfman was bad enough, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THIS MOVIE? Have some respect for yourself. Geez.

Who else loves Michael Haneke?

First of all, LOOK at this guy. He should probably live in the middle of nowhere in the attic of a broken down house, beaten by relentless stormy weather, writing about life and its mysteries while the rest of us humans eagerly await his next dissertation. On the other hand, he could just put on a long white robe and say things like "the Nine have left Minas Morgul." Either way, he looks AWESOME.

But that's beside the point. What I really mean is this guy is brilliant. I've only seen Cache, Funny Games, and just recently The White Ribbon and I already think he's more inventive and mind boggling than any other director out there. Unless you count Von Trier but that's just going for pure shock/gross value. 

The first time I saw Cache I was just confused. I had to look up what the whole thing meant afterwards, but I do remember that I was enthralled by how intense it all was. I really don't know how to explain it, but I don't believe there's any other director out there who can create such subtle tension from dialogue and just the characters themselves being who they are. He creates very real people. The White Ribbon for instance had one of the largest casts with the most depth to each character I have seen for the longest time. I can't think of another movie that does such a fantastic job except perhaps Magnolia. As for Funny Games, the premise of that film is easy to find tense and frankly quite terrifying and disturbing even without being too violent.