FIRST LOOK: Paprika Director's Dream Machine...

One of the best modern animated films I’ve seen in the past 10 years, is sadly something that not many of you have seen, at least if the buzz around it is any statement. Hell, I can only find the thing at ONE local rental shop.

Paprika is the name of the stellar film that I am speaking of, and comes to us from the insane dome of Satoshi Kon. I’m not the biggest anime fan, at least it’s not something I’m to versed in, but this is what truly got me back into the mood of watching anime, when I first saw the film back in 2007. It’s basically an animated version of what David Lynch dreams of in one of his coke induced benders, so if you know me, that is something that I would dig. That said, I also think it’s weirdly accessible, so if you have a chance, see it.

So one can expect any news on Kon’s new film, The Dream Machine, to be something I write about. Well, make that a gaurentee, especially after seeing these stills from the films official website (via Twitch Film).





Now, I know, you are saying, what the hell? Well, here’s a little insight from Kon himself, from an interview he gave last year:

On the surface, it’s going to be a fantasy-adventure targeted at younger audiences. However, it will also be a film that people who have seen our films up to this point will be able to enjoy. So it will be an adventure that even older audiences can appreciate. There will be no human characters in the film; only robots. It’ll be like a “robot movie” for robots.

This film, while being one of the most anticipated of yours truly, looks rather underwhelming. Sure, the pictures themselves are beyond gorgeous, but personally, when a director has made a film like Paprika, and then to do something this seemingly gentle as /Film put it, really looses a bit of the intrigue. Sure, these are simply photos, and outside of that I don’t have much information, but it still leaves me wanting more.

However, I don’t that Kon will make something as light and soft as these pictures hint at. Don’t be surprised if my thoughts on this change. I know I won’t be.

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FIRST LOOK: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse OMG OMG OMG!!

Like, oh my god, People Magazine, like, totally has the first photo from what is sure to be like, the greates movie ever made, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG!!! I'm like, totally freaking out right now! I'm freaking out so much that I have to turn down the All Time Low I have like, totally blasting in my poster filled room, and scream!! OMG OMG OMG OMG!

Yeah, I have a gun to my brain too...



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FIRST LOOK: The Kung-Fu Kid...

I know, I know, blasphemy right.

"How could they?" we all decried. "They are literally crapping on my childhood," we all lamented.

However, that hasn't stopped the new remake of the classic Karate Kid. Not one of my personal favorites, this has a lot of nostalgia attached to it, no matter what you thought of the film. Many of us were raised having seen this film, and were better human beings for it.

The same can not be said for the people behind this truly uncalled for remake. Today we have the first set of on set photos from the cinematic equivalent of a aged hooker coming out of retirement for one last frolic between the std-infested sheets of her consumers. Enjoy, if you are so inclined.



As you probably know by now, Jaden Smith plays Dre, a skateboarding video game buff who is forced to move to China after his single mother (Taraji P. Henson) is forced to transfer to the China for work. Of course, unable to speak Chinese, Dre finds it hard to settle in, and gets beat up by the local bully. Jackie Chan plays Mr. Han (the Mr. Miyagi character), a maintenance man who spots Dre’s black-eye and offers to teach him both martial arts and Chinese, so he can defend against the students of Li Quan Ha’s Fighting dragon school of Kung-Fu.

Directed by Harald Zwart (The Pink Panther 2) and written by Chris Murphy and Steven Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness). Filming on the remake has begun in Beijing, and is expected to last until mid-October.

(Thanks to /Film for the heads up, and the above synopsis)

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FIRST LOOK: Duncan Jones' Mute...

So, one of the films that I haven't had the pleasure of seeing this year, and regrettably so, is Duncan Jones' first film, Moon. Well, what may have made a bigger splash was rumors that he was working on a Blade Runner style sci-fi film, with a mix of science fiction and film noir. Those two things combined sounds brilliant on it's own, and throw in David Bowie's son as the film maker, and you have me hooked.

However, nothing much has been talked about in regards to this film. That is, until now. On the Liberty Films (Jones' production company) official website a special project is highlighted as in development called Mute (we last talked about it here).

From that page, we now have our first glimpse at what the film may very well end up looking like. And I must say, it's beyond amazing. Check out the new concept art below!



On the site, the following statement was below the above photo:

In Development. Writers: Duncan Jones (Moon) and Mike Johnson (Sherlock Holmes). Director: Duncan Jones. Producer: Stuart Fenegan. Project currently in preproduction and set to shoot in Berlin early 2010 with Studio Babelsburg.

All I know is that this project is definitely on my radar. Not quite sure what else we know about the film, as there hasn't been much rumbling online about the project, but with this getting released, and the 2010 shoot date, expect some more news to come very soon.

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FIRST LOOK: Sylvain Chomet's Jaques Tati written The Illusionist

Yesterday, I posted my 15 most anticipated films for the rest of 2009. However, I think I may need to revise this list, as I completely forgot about this upcoming project from Sylvain Chomet, whose last feature length film is my favorite animated feature of all time, The Triplets of Belleville.

Yes, I know that there is not an announced release date, but it will be one of my most anticipated films every year, because of exactly the same reason why these photos are getting their own post here at I Are Movies. Not only are they STUNNING to look at (seriously some of the most amazing animation I have ever seen), but the pedigree behind it is monstrous.

Not only is Chomet directing the film, but the film is also based upon a never produced script of written by Jaques Tati! Here is the official synopsis:

“story of a dying breed of stage entertainer whose thunder is being stolen by emerging rock stars. Forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theaters, garden parties and bars, he meets a young fan who changes his life forever”.

I know a lot of people have had problems with Chomet, as not only a film maker, but as a critic of Americans (often showing them as fat asses in Mickey Mouse ears), but he is easily one of my favorite animation directors. He's on the level of Miyazaki for me. Not with the canon that Miyazaki has, but when I hear a Chomet film is released, I'm GOING to see it. I can't wait to see this. For more photos, click HERE.

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FIRST LOOK: Where The Wild Things Are: The Video Game...

How did THIS slip through the cracks?

So it appears as though, not only will Warner Brothers be in full marketing swing come pre Wild Things October, but along with a novel and a soundtrack, there will also be a video game adaptation of Where The Wild Things Are. The first photo was released about a month ago, and while in class this afternoon, scouring the web (particularly the Playlist), I discovered THIS little diddy of a photo.

Here's the scoop straight from the aforementioned Playlist:

Well, the video game is naturally hitting in October as well and here's your first look (via GameInformer). Warner announced today that the game will also be available via Wii, PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS, but didn't set a specific street date yet.

What do you do in the game? "players assume the role of Max and can explore the island of the Wild Things, journey across its dangerous terrain, overcome obstacles and battle creatures," says GamePlanet. Sounds a little run-of-the-mill, but then again, we're not gamers.

Now, you may be thinking that this is a bit lame, but to me, this could be a really great game. It's basically an adventure movie, so really, adapting this to the video game, along with having the story be inspired directly from both the book and the brilliant looking film, has me excited. Sure, it is a game based on a film, but personally, this will not only look great, as the first photo does, but will have the same whimsical charm and creepy feel of the Spike Jonze film.

What do YOU think?

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FIRST LOOK: John Cameron Mitchell's 'Rabbit Hole'...

Most of the time, when I have the opportunity to bring you all some sort of first look, it's of some big budget sequel, or some high up director's next project. However, with this one, it's something a bit more interesting.

John Cameron Mitchell is not only one of the most controversial directors working today, with films like Shortbus and his debut feature, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, but he's also one of the most interesting. Coming off his great last film, the aforementioned Shortbus, Rabitt Hole is one of the more interesting project coming down the pipe.

And now I have the opportunity to bring you a first look at this anticipated, at least by yours truly, project. The film stars Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, and adapated by David Lindsay-Abaire from his very won award winning play, this film centers on a couple and how they differ in coping with the death of their young child.



This is the first studio film from Mitchell, who really doesn't seem to fit the studio system. However, if this film keeps his patented look and feel, this will be one of the more interesting projects to hit you multiplex. Check out The Playlist for more photos and information on this project!

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FIRST LOOK: Hope Davis As Hillary Clinton...

So, it's Friday, which means very little new film news. However, one thing I do have the chance to bring you guys, is the first set of photos from the set of Peter Morgan's upcoming film, The Special Relationship, which stars Michael Sheen and Dennis Quaid as Tony Blair and Bill Clinton the the titular relationship during their head of their countries. The photo features Hope Davis who will portray Hillary Clinton, and it looks really interesting. She is a great actress, and I'm really interested in seeing her take on this person. Check out one of the photos below, and the rest can be seen HERE.



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FIRST LOOK: Fringe; Season 2 Premiere...

So, it is no shock to any reader of this site that I am quite the fan of FOX TV's new hit drama, Fringe. Fringe was actually my new favorite television show of last year, including shows like Dollhouse, Lie To Me, and True Blood.

It then should not freak anyone out that I would devote an entire post to a few photo's from the set of the show's season 2 premiere. These show many things, but most interestingly, they show the hot new brunette that is reportedly taking over for the fallen Kirk Acevedo. So there's not much else to report, so check one photo below, and then click the link for the rest!



Click HERE for the rest.

Season 2 starts Thursday, September 17th at 9 p.m.

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FIRST LOOK: Natalie Portman in Your Highness...

The first photo of Natalie Portman from the set of David Gordon Green's Pineapple Express follow-up, Your Highness, has been released. There's really not much news to this, but outside of Toronto Film Festival news, which I am sadly no longer attending as of about 2 months ago, there's not much new to report. Also, in Your Highness news, Justin Theroux, writer/actor extrodinaire, has signed on to play the films main antagonist. This is great news, as not only do I think the guy can write a mean script, but he is also quite the great actor.

Check out the set photo below. (via natalieportman.com)



For those of you who don’t know, David Gordon Green is following up his stoner action movie Pineapple Express with a stoner medieval comedy called Your Highness, also starring James Franco and Danny McBride. Ben Best wrote the script, which features “an arrogant, lazy prince (McBride) who must complete a quest to save his father’s kingdom.” Franco plays Bride’s relatively more heroic brother, Zooey Deschanel is his bride, and Portman is a warrior princess who is love interest for McBride.

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FIRST LOOK: The NEW Freddy Kruger

The title of this post really says everything.

Early this year it was not only announced that the much talked about reboot of the Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise was going into production, but a new Freddy had been cast, and was none other than Rorschach himself, Jackie Earle Haley. Well, ComingSoon has given us our first look at what the character will look like. Sure, it's primarily shadow, but you can obviously tell that they are trying to keep the same aesthetic.



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FIRST LOOK (Kinda): Scarlett Johansson in Iron Man 2...

This is just kind of a first look.

Late last week, Entertainment Weekly threw up a few photos, al beit low quality, from the set of the upcoming Iron Man 2 film. While the film has just finished principal photography, not much has come from the set outside of the director, Jon Favreau, and his tweets, until now. Marvel Studios has released a new photo of Scarlett Johansson from the set of IM2.

Johansson plays Russian superspy Natasha Romanoff (aka the Black Widow), who is hired as Stark’s assistant which inevitably sparks romantic tension between Stark and former assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), who’s been promoted to CEO of Stark Industries. Iron Man 2 hits theaters on May 7th 2010. It's not much to look at, but outside of some ComiCon '09 schedule updates, it's all we really got.

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FIRST LOOK: Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox...

So, a few days ago, Fox Searchlight released the very first photo from the upcoming Wes Anderson directed adaptation of The Fantastic Mr. Fox. However, the photo was of pretty low quality, and while it was pretty mindblowing, it left more to be desired, at least in quality. However, that has all changed with the recent release of a higher quality photo, along with a brand new pic, showing the look and feel of the film. These pics look phenominal and really really creepy. When I first thought of this project as a Wes Anderson film, this is basically what I imagined. Check out the pics below!





Fantastic Mr. Fox features George Clooney and Cate Blanchett as the voices of Mr. and Mrs. Fox (seen holding the lantern above), Bill Murray as Mr. Badger, plus Meryl Streep and Anjelica Huston as well as Jason Schwartzman. If you're looking for some extra details, Brandon put together a full-length article back in March about the book and the movie. The film is now a Fox Searchlight release and these two photos are all that we've seen so far, though I've heard that we'll see a trailer attached to Aliens in the Attic at the end of this month. Let us know if you're still looking forward to this or are just going to wait to see a trailer first.

FIRST LOOKS: Eminem Gets Funny and Dakota Fanning is a Runaway...

Over the past couple of weeks, a ton of new photos for highly anticipated films have been released, and two of the most interesting or buzzed about online come to us from two quite different films.

About a month ago, rapper Eminem told sources at MTV that he had filmed a role for the upcoming Judd Apatow directed cancer comedy, Funny People. No one really knows about what exactly his role will be, but those who have read the script have looked at two possibilites. During the film, Adam Sandler's character goes to many of his A-list celebrity friends to let them know that he has a terminal illness. Marshall Mathers is either one of these buddies, or will be taking over for Bruce Springsteen as a celebrity who drops some knowledge for our hero to think about.

Well, the first photo of him from the film has been released, and while it's nothing special for the most part, it is interesting to see him in an Apatow film. I think he is a fine actor, and should fit perfectly in what will be a comedy right up his alley. Raunchy as all hell.



Another photo was released yesturday, that not only brought a lot of buzz to the interwebs, but brought a lot of joy to my heart. This photo comes to us from the set of The Runaways, a feature film about the legendary all girl punk band, starring Dakota Fanning, who this is the first photo of in costume, and Kristen Stewart, who plays Joan Jett. I love this photo, and the story behind this film is truly interesting. What do YOU think?



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FIRST LOOK: Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett...

Directed by music video director Floria Sigismondi, The Runaways tells the story of the famous all girl punk group, that launched the careers of artists including Joan Jett and Willa Ford. Starring in the said film is Twilight star Kristen Stewart, and while the film has not started shooting a shot yet, the people over at Jezebel have picked up a photo of the star getting prepped for what is a perfect role for the indie starlett. Starring along side Dakota Fanning, the film will follow the band through their rise, and the ultimate conclusion, their rough break up. Check out the photo, and tell me what you think! I personally find it awesome, and think that this may be an instance of sheer perfect casting...



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FIRST LOOKS: A Couple Of Dicks, Jonah Hex, and Avatar...

So, there really hasn't been a ton of news coming out over the past day, so instead of making a few separate posts looking at all of these films, all of which would be a bit smaller than I would like, I've decided to combine these pictures in one single post. It's called the First Look.

The biggest photo release comes off of the set of Kevin Smith's first studio backed film, A Couple Of Dicks. It stars Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, and is Kevin Smiths first attempt at not only a studio film, but a buddy cop film. While there isn't much to the film, it is nice to see that the film is actually getting done rather quickly, as it just hit the streets of New York for filming this week. Check out one of the photos below, and for more, click on the link after for more!



The comedy about two cops (Willis and Morgan) whose adventures include locating a stolen, mint-condition, 1952 baseball card, rescuing a Mexican beauty queen, and dealing with gangsters and their laundered money. Smith is currently shooting this in New York and will have A Couple of Dicks ready for a February 26th release from Warner Brothers early next year.

For more photos click HERE (AccidentalSexiness)

Then there is the first photos off of the set of Jonah Hex, at least involving Josh Brolin as the titular character. There have previously been a set of photos released with Megan Fox as her yet to be named character, and now it's time for the reveal of what Brolin will look like as Hex. It looks a bit cool, but it's obvious that they will be including more visual effects to make the patented look of the character pop more. Nothing to interesting, but like what I said above, it's just nice to know the film is getting made, even if it's not by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor.



The story in this movie will follow Jonah Hex, as seen above, a disfigured bounty hunter who tracks a voodoo practitioner that wants to raise an army of the undead to liberate the South. Former Pixar animator Jimmy Hayward, who is a big fan of both comics and westerns, is directing.

Finally, but probably most badass, we have the first real look at the powersuit that will be at the core of the upcoming James Cameron's world destroyer, Avatar!



Check out more photos here!

Can you just say a LITTLE bit badass. Just a tiny bit.

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