Well, with that I’m off to make my cross-country trek to San Diego for this year’s Comic-Con. Be sure to check back early (well, maybe not that early) and often for updates, because I’m not stopping until I catch my red-eye home Sunday night. See you all on the other side.
-Rick
Posted in News, Notes | No Comments »
There’s still time for you to enter our Baghead signed poster giveaway, so keep those entries coming! The contest ends at midnight EST on Friday; here’s where you need to go to find out how to enter:
Win A “Baghead” Signed Poster!
We’ll be choosing the winner (via random draw) over the weekend, so be sure to check back Monday to find out if you’ve won!
Posted in Contests, Notes | No Comments »
Jenna Dewan and Luke Goss are attached to star in “Magdalena,” an adaptation of a comic book featuring a hot, holy warrior. Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla Motion Pictures, Platinum Studios and Top Cow Prods. are behind the project.
With Comic Con set to remind everyone just how powerful the geek dollar has become (and The Dark Knight’s $200 million backing it up), it’s time to keep the comic book projects coming. Magdalena is just one of several comic adaptations announced today, but as far as I’m concerned it’s the most interesting. And that’s because it stars Step Up’s Jenna Dewan as a “hot, holy warrior” - my favorite kind.
Along with Witchblade, Magdalena is the second superheroine for Top Cow’s production company, and I’m liking their style. Forget dudes in suits, bring on the ladies in leather. Geek or not, that’s something we can all agree on.
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21 capitalized on a lack of competition in theaters, and it looks to do the same now that it’s on DVD, seeing as how it’s the only new release of the week. I can’t say I was particularly interested (the mediocre reviews turned me away), but people love a pseudo-true story scam flick and 21 has that in spades (sorry, I couldn’t help it). I know it’s not much of an endorsement, but you could certainly do a lot worse - and if nothing else, 21 could end up an entertaining if forgettable rental.
That leaves us with a belated mention to Shutter, which hit shelves last week. A remake of the 2004 horror/thriller and starring Joshua Jackson and Rachael Taylor (aka the chick from Transformers who wasn’t Megan Fox), Shutter left me pleasantly surprised. The scares may not be heavy or gruesome enough to satisfy genre fans, but it helped that the acting was a notch above your usual ghost story. Jackson has clearly put his Pacey days behind him as a photographer with a dirty secret, and Taylor proves she’s more than worthy of better roles (whether she gets them is another story). Throw in David Denman (Roy of Office fame) in a solid supporting role and you’ve got a visually impressive, yet slightly mild, suspense flick. Certainly worth a rental if you’re into that sort of thing.
Posted in News, Rants & Raves, DVD | No Comments »
Not that this news comes as much of a shock, but Empire has word from Sir Ian McKellen himself that he’ll be returning as Gandalf in Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming Hobbit adaptation:
“Well, I haven’t had the contract yet but it’s everyone’s intention that I play Gandalf so yes, I will be returning to the role. Although it’s not until 2010, I’m very much excited about returning.”
As for the film itself, McKellen is excited to work with del Toro, even if it means Peter Jackson will no longer be at the helm:
“To get an international film-maker of his standing who adores the original trilogy, well I don’t think you could possibly find a better replacement… I think the look will be very much as it was, Weta is still involved, it’s still the same workshops, the same designers, I’ll be there, Andy Serkis (now confirmed to return as Gollum) will be there and Peter Jackson will still be around - not that he’ll interfere too much - so it’ll seem like the old family is getting back together again.”
And that ought to have Lord of the Rings fans feeling a lot more comfortable.
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You just know Comic Con is approaching, because there are precious little scoops and trailers floating around the ‘net these days. Luckily, Terminator 4 director McG has a little something for us on his production blog. And if you’re still worried about the Charlie’s Angels helmer taking on the storied franchise, perhaps this will put your mind at ease:
“Every morning and every night Christian [Bale] and I work on the story. Sam [Worthington]’s contribution has been excellent. We are committed to putting the story and character first and then supplementing that with action and visual effects. It is our intention to make a film on a large scale with the nuance and subtext of a high quality independent picture.“
And after seeing how well Christopher Nolan and Bale did that with The Dark Knight, is it just wishful thinking that Terminator: Salvation could turn out the same? I sure hope not.
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More Movie Babes:
Anne Hathaway Pictures At “Get Smart” Photocall
Emma Stone Pictures At “The Rocker” Premiere
Charlize Theron Pictures At LA “Hancock” Premiere
Amanda Seyfried At “Mamma Mia!” UK Premiere
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Believe it or not, but I haven’t seen The Dark Knight yet. Yeah, I know for a movie blogger that’s akin to Anderson Cooper saying “You know, I totally missed the election results last night,” but between my uber-condensed 2 day Just for Laughs trip and racing home for my buddy’s bachelor party (which I’ll be doing later this afternoon), I just haven’t had the time. Of course, all this could’ve been avoided had Warner Bros. invited me to a pre-screening (ahem, what’s up with that guys?).
Anyway, just because I haven’t seen it yet doesn’t mean you can’t tell us what you thought about the most anticipated movie of ‘08. So let’s hear it below: did The Dark Knight live up to the hype, or were your expectations set impossibly high by all the buildup? And how was Ledger’s Joker? Oscar-worthy?
*Update:* Now that I’ve finally seen it (at a sold-out Monday night show no less), I’ve got to agree, The Dark Knight is just plain fantastic. Between packing and finalizing Comic Con plans, I’m too disoriented to write a proper review, but I will say this: Nolan has taken comic book movies to a whole nother level. Ledger was transformed as the Joker (and if he doesn’t get a courtesy Oscar nomination, I’ll be shocked), and I found myself continually surprised by how much depth the movie had. It’s not all that rare when a superhero flick ventures into the murky world of morality, but it certainly is when one works as well and as powerfully as The Dark Knight did. My favorite movie of the year so far, and wholly deserving of a 5 can rating.
Posted in Reviews |
Ready for your latest round of British tabloid rumors? I thought so…
According to The Sun, “Movie bosses want to bring back cocky fighter-pilot trainee Maverick 22 years after the first film.”
A script outline has been written, and apparently all they need now is for Cruise to say yes. Considering Tom’s ongoing “relationship problems” with Paramount (who own the rights to the film), expect him to shoot down this rumor - with missiles this time, not guns.
But just for kicks, here’s the proposed plot: “The idea is Maverick is at the Top Gun school as an instructor — and this time it is he who has to deal with a cocky new female pilot.”
Wow, reversing the roles? How clever! I can’t believe it only took them 22 years to come up with that…
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Djimon Hounsou has partnered with Dynamite Entertainment to star in and produce a bigscreen feature about immortal sorcerer Thulsa Doom, a central figure in the Conan the Barbarian and Kull comicbooks.
Nothing like hearing your computer’s fried two days away from a cross-country trip to the madness that is Comic Con, but the show must go on I suppose…
Anyway, if you guys remember a few months back, Djimon Hounsou started the Internet rumor mill a-churning with reports that he would be playing a franchise-able comic book character, but wouldn’t reveal which one. Looks like we’ve found out.
Between the Conan remake, Red Sonja (yes, it’s back on, and so are Robert Rodriguez and Rose McGowan apparently), and now Thusla Doom, Robert E. Howard is back at the multiplex in a big way. James Earl Jones played the sorcerer in the ‘82 Conan, and Hounsou’s version will reportedly “showcase the origins of the flawed hero and show how his road to hell was paved with good intentions.”
Funny… I always thought the road to hell was paved with lame cliches.
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