NEWS: Marvel Updates Their Upcoming Slate...

Over the weekend, FirstShowing attended a special Producer's Guild of America panel on producing Marvel films, where head honcho of Marvel Kevin Feige, updated us on his companies slate of films, with quite a few interesting pieces of news...

- The one thing they really want to bring back from Iron Man for the sequel, is the films great sense of humor, so expect a pretty funny action film...

- They are about halfway done with shooting the film...

- Scarlett Johansson's character in the film supposedly has "two sides." She comes in as an aid/assistant for Stark, and ultimately ends up as Black Widow...

- Feige confirmed the previous reports of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston being cast as Thor and Loki in the upcoming Thor film...

- Kenneth Branaugh is not allowing the actors to use Shakespearean language like the comic book often did...

- Feige confirmed that Captain America will be primarily a period piece set during WWII...

- It's a "safe bet" that we will be seeing Caps trusty sidekick, Bucky, when the film roles around in 2012...

- He also said that Edgar Wright will be doing a rewrite of his script for Ant Man, a film he's still schedule to helm, after production of Scott Pilgrim is done...

- Which leads me to the last note, they will be announcing ANOTHER film for release in 2012 in the upcoming months, and while there is not hint at to what it may be, since he basically announced Ant Man, it's something else, that no one knows about yet...

What do you all think the film could be? Sub-Mariner (starring Zachary Quinto of course)? Hulk 2? Spidy 5? I personally think the best bet may be Dr. Strange, since there have been quite a few hints at that film being put into production, but then again, that's just me. What do you all think?

Go see something good!

NEWS: Monster's Inc. Sequel?

You bet your blue furry ass!

Ever since its release, the first Monster's Inc. has always been rumored to be getting a sequel. With brief statements like director Pete Docter's "We've thought about it" at last years Comic-Con, to the insane ramblings of fans on random website forums, along with the Incredibles, Monster's Inc. is easily one of the most sequel ready films in the Pixar canon. Well, it appears as though it's about to get kicked into gear.

In a closed doors licensing fair this weekend in Las Vegas, Pixar revealed that not only will the be working on Cars 2 to go along with Toy Story 3, but they will also be putting into production sometime in the near future, Monster's Inc. 2. While members of the session are allegedly told to keep all information hush hush, rumblings have been coming out of it and it all looks like it points to a new Monster's Inc. film.

However, as /Film points out, the signs have been pointing there for quite some time.

Pixar fansite The Pixar Blog started receiving strange searches this past January for variations of “‘monsters 2013 pixar”. The interesting thing about the searches is that they were coming from inside Pixar, from the Pixar.com domain. I know, circumstantial at best. But now that we know a sequel is definitely in the works, it seems a bit more likely that it’s being groomed for a 2013 release.

This is beyond good news. Monster's Inc. is a great film, and Pete Docter, who recently did Up, is a phenominal film maker. Cars 2 will probably be far superior to the first film, and Toy Story 2 is easily better than the first film, so Pixar, as much as they have come out and said they "aren't in the sequel business", they seem to be damn good at it. All in all, it's phenominal news, and here's to hoping that Pixar keeps shelling out original films, along with these much anticipated sequels.

Go see something good!

REVIEW: The Hangover...

There are genres in the world of cinema, that, no matter the case, I will in some way shape or form be excited for a release of a film within it.

Broad sex comedy is not one of them, yet there was something about The Hangover that had be excited. However, I was left a bit underwhelmed.

The Hangover is the newest film from Todd Phillips, whose probably best known as the man behind the solid comedy, Old School. It is a broad comedy that doesn't have to deep of a plot. It's simply a tale about three guys; Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) who are unable to remember what happened the night before, and in turn lose their friend Doug (Justin Bartha), who just happens to be getting married in two days, after his bachelor party in Las Vegas. A comedy of errors ensues that features everything and everyone from a White Chapel Wedding to Mike Tyson, and everything in between. However, it doesn't have one thing that really makes a great film; substance.

The film follows three friends, all of which, are given a mixed bag of performances. The biggest name star of this film is Bradley Cooper, who has been on quite the rampage lately. After making it kinda-big with performances in Wet Hot American Summer and particularly Kitchen Confidential, he may be most famous for playing the obnoxious fiance in Wedding Crashers. However, with a turn in He's Just Not That Into You and rumors of taking over The Green Lantern and maybe even Face of the A-Team, he's bound for an even bigger time in the years coming. And here's to hoping, because this film sort of proves that his shtick may be getting old.

Phil is a school teacher who is bored in his married life (think same character from He's Just Not That Into You), and while he's fine in the role, within the film you can definitely get an Old School aesthetic from it (he's basically the same character as Vince Vaughn's in Old School), and he doesn't really fill the depressed shoes like Vaughn did. It's a bit one note, and where you see a glimpse of heart at the end, when Alan begins to break down a bit, he sticks to close to the mud of his beginning character point, that it's all sort of for naught.

Ed Helms is also in the same boat. Helms plays Stu, a dentist who is set to propose to his obnoxiously controlling girlfriend, who has not only cheated on him, but has beaten him two time earlier in their relationship (it's not as vicious as it sounds, but it's a major character point). He sticks with her because he's afraid to leave, and while his character does change, it feels a bit forced. He does have a relationship with a hooker, where much of the films heart comes from near the end of the film, but it's to little to late. The film is apologetically dark and vulgar, but that doesn't exclude the possibility of a character arch for it's two primary leads.

However, Galifianakis saves this film, at least as much as his bearded character can. He plays Alan, the soon to be Brother-in-Law of Doug's, and who happens to be smart, but socially not all there. Every single line coming out of his mouth and involving him are pure gold. He has pitch perfect comedic timing, and hits almost every single note. The film also allows him to do almost anything he wants, and this freedom allows him to crack jokes about everything from Haley's Comet, to Who Let The Dog's Out (the biggest miss for him).

Allowing these characters to destroy Vegas is Todd Phillips, who besides Old School has helmed such epic comedy classics like Starsky and Hutch and Road Trip (just a little sarcasm there? I think so), and this film is somewhere in between in quality, but beyond any of his previous canon in vulgarity. Phillips pretty much has free reign with what he wants his characters to do, and while this doesn't always work, it does lead to many a laugh. There are a few flawed comedic set pieces (particularly a pointless dessert piece and a bit involving getting a tiger out of a hotel room), but this film will really leave you in the aisles. It's more Road Trip than Old School, but it's a film that can only be made with two, or three, giant balls.

But that's really where the quality ends.

The films main flaw comes in it's overall substance. While it IS simply a broad comedy (that really works in that form), other comedies such as I Love You, Man have shown us that broad comedies can have something a bit more substantial. The film is about three friends looking for their lost buddy, and that's basically it. It's a plot that allows these characters to run around Vegas, and while that's fun to watch, it doesn't make for anything more. When many people go on vacations, they either take their digital cameras with them, or buy a disposable camera, and this is basically the disposable camera version of a film. It gives you a ton of laughs in the moment, but once you are done, you simply toss it to the side.

The film's pacing is also really weird, particularly in the opening 20 minutes. The opening 20 minutes is the lead up to the "morning-after", and it basically feels like top 40 mixtape with dialogue in between. You basically go from meeting a character, then a Rhianna song, meet another character, T-Pain song, drive to Las Vegas with a Flo Rida song on it, repeat. It's an uninspiring soundtrack, and where the voice of the film feels very fresh for a wide release comedy, the soundtrack is on the other end. The script is solid, and while the look of the film and direction features some inspiring looks (the use of Aronofsky's snory cam for example), doesn't really make me stand up and cheer. Vegas is a beautiful place, and the film while beautiful, doesn't do much beyond your standard comedy fair. It is more cinematic than a standard comedy, but it doesn't have many shots you will be remembering, except on little photo at the end of the film.

However, the film will hit huge with audiences, as it did with the pack of hyenas that I saw it with. You all will be quoting it for the rest of your lives when you see it, so go check the damn film out. Just don't expect to see anything particularly interesting.

THE HANGOVER - 7/10

Go see something good!

POSTER: Julie and Julia...

So in between playing the Wii version of Dead Rising, and sleeping, I have decided to post a pretty interesting poster. It's nothing visually special (except for Amy Adams looking hot, that seductress), but the film itself is an interesting piece of cinema. Check out the final poster for the upcoming Nora Ephron film, Julie and Julia, recently posted on Sony's Twitter!



Now, while I'm not the biggest Nora Ephron fan, the writer and director of Sleepless in Seattle, Mixed Nuts, Michael, You've Got Mail, I am a fan of this superb cast. Meryl Streep is, well, Meryl f****** Streep, and Amy Adams is such a phenominal young actress (please, if you haven't, go see Sunshine Cleaning, it's a great film). However, the supporting cast holds its own too, with the likes of the great Stanley Tucci, and the stellar young actor, Chris Messina, who is probably most famous from his role as the stuck up hubby from Vicki Christina Barcelona. The story is pretty fun, and while I'm sure it won't be anything more than a fun time, who knows, with a cast like that, you really can't go wrong. Oh, and in a summer of really testosterone pumping, chest beating, ball breakers, this is the perfect film to head out with your love, and have a date. Do it guys, it is a sure-fire hit.

The film follows Powell, a government employee who decides to cook her way through legendary cook Julia Child's classic cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in one year's time out of her small Queens kitchen. Powell blogs her daily experiences, gaining a loyal following along the way.

Go see something good!

NEWS: Avatar to Run Over 2 & 1/2 Hours?

This is a bit of an interesting story.

It isn't news that I'm hugely anticipating James Cameron's upcoming epic, Avatar. 14 years in the making (4 in actual production), Avatar has been held back over the years due to lack of technological advances. Now it is only 5 months away, and the official runtime, or at least the current cut, is running at, get this, just over 2 and a half hours long.

This brings up an interesting dilema.

While in Up this past weekend, I began to get quite the headache, and that film, with the short, ran at just 102 minutes long. I wear glasses, so not only is this going to be a bit of a pain for the old noggin, but it's also going to be quite annoying to keep moving my glasses around.

That said, there are just a couple of films, if any, that I'm anticipating more on a sheer technical level. They have created entire new cameras and 3-D technology/motion capture for the film, and as I tweeted this week during the Ubisoft's E3 Showcase, just hearing Cameron speak on the film gets me insanely interested. This is easily one of the most anticipated films of the year for yours truly, at least in the top 10, and it may be there simply for the fact that I'm interested to see what the hell Cameron has up his sleeve, and it will be interesting to see how the 3-D will play into the storytelling, instead of simply a gimmick.

While the actual runtime isn't known, /Film says that is in the 2 1/2-3 hour range, and coming from Cameron (Aliens ran 2 hours, 17 minutes (plus an extra 17 mins for the special edition); The Abyss ran 2 hours, 18 minutes (plus an extra 33 mins for the special edition); Terminator 2 ran 2 hours, 17 minutes (plus an extra 17 mins for the special edition); True Lies ran 2 hours, 21 minutes; and Titanic ran 3 hours, 14 minutes) 3 hours doesn't seem like a stretch at all.

Will you be able to watch almost 3 hours of a 3-D film? Is Avatar something you are interested in? For me, both of those have an aswer that rhymes with yuck fes.

Go see something good!

NEWS: Stuff I Missed...

There isn't to many HUGE news stories this afternoon, so instead, I'm bringing you all the noteworthy headlines, just in one huge cinematic clusterf***.

- To start off with a very sad note, actor David Carradine has passed away, accourding to reports by BBC. May he rest in peace...

- Warner Brothers has released a new TV Spot spotlighting the cameo from Arnold Schwartzeneggar...

- 500Days.com has a spotlight on the 500 Days of Summer OST...

- Chris Pine has joined the cast of Tony Scott's Unstoppable...

- Street Kings scribe Kurt Wimmer has been tapped to pen the script for the much talked about Totall Recall reboot/remake...

- Robot Chicken writer Dan Milano is working on the script for a Short Circuit remake...

- Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke is set to helm a new age adaptation of the Shakespeare play, Hamlet, with Emile Hirsch set to star...

- Taraji P. Henson will star as the mother in the Karate Kid remake...

- Here's the first trailer for Final Destination 4...

The Final Destination trailer in HD


- Javier Bardem has joined the cast of Oliver Stone's Wall Street 2...

- Stretch Armstrong, the film based off of the toy of the same name, has gotten an April 2011 release date...

- Danny Boyle may return to Mumbai for his next film, an adaptation of Maximum City...

- Finally, Arnold Schwartzeneggar is in talks for a minor part in the upcoming remake/reboot of Predators...

Come back later for more news, notes, a DVD review (I'm going to bring back a once a week DVD review of a more classic/modern classic film), and a review of (hopefully) the Hangover.

Go see something good!

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.

Go see something good!

POSTER: Spider-Man 4 Teaser Poster...

AICN has a complete batch of new teaser posters from The Licensing Show in Las Vegas, and one of those posters happens to be a new teaser for Spider-Man 4, which can be seen below!



Other posters include Iron Man 2, Shrek 4, and the upcoming Dreamworks animated superhero pic, Oobermind, which all can be seen HERE.

Go see something good!

NEWS: Easter Eggs Found In Up...

One of the things that Pixar has done rather well is making their films seemingly fit in one world. While I will post me and my significant other's One World Theory about Pixar sometime next week, during many, if not all of Pixar's releases, there have been numerous Easter Eggs that point to this one world idea, or at least the fact that these films have connections to one another. Up is no different. Thanks to /Film for the heads up!

- Standard John Ratzenberger Cameo: Construction Foreman Tom

- A113: a reference to the classroom number that was used by Animation students like Lasseter and other Pixar crew, is found as the Courtroom number.

- Carl’s court summons features the number 94070, the Zip Code where Brad Lewis (Pixar Producer/Director) was once Mayor.

- Buy N Large logo on some of the Construction Workers hats

- The Generic Grape Soda from the Buzz Lightyear commercials is on Carl’s Hat.

- A stylized Pizza Planet truck is seen as the house lifts off and we get a view looking down at the street

- Lotso the Bear (Toy Story 3) is under the girl’s bed as the house and balloons float by, as well the Luxo Ball is on the floor of her room.

- Many Oakland landmarks and oddities make appearances.

Click here for even more!

Go see something good!

POSTER: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World...

There's a small little comic book franchise that will be making its way to the big screen from the hands of Shaun of The Dead helmer Edgar Wright. That franchise is Scott Pilgrim, and it is set to star Michael Cera as the titular character, and the films teaser poster has been released, and it looks awesome!



Go see something good!

NEWS: Is The Bioshock Film DOA?

Early this year, news came out that it may be clear sailing for the much talked about adaptation of the 2007 hit video game, Bioshock. Well, that ship may have just sank.

In a recent interview with the LA Times, Gore Verbinski admitted that the production of BioShock has been halted, which isn't the new news, but then went on to say that Universal has felt that it may be best to move the production of the film outside of the US to lower the already rocketing budget, he said he wasn't sure he wanted to do that.

Verbinski, who is currently working on the animated film "Rango," isn't confident about "BioShock's" making it to the big screen. It's been previously reported that the film is on hold due to concerns about its escalating budget. Verbinski tells the Times that it could probably get made, if it is shot in one of those foreign countries that offer a generous tax credit. And he's not sure whether he wants to go overseas for the year-plus it would require to make it.

The film has been stalled due to huge rocketing budget costs since this past April, and it looks as though that film is nearly dead. I personally hope that this film DOES get made with Verbinski at the helm, but maybe it may be best to hold the film until his finishes Rango, his upcoming animated film, and maybe even after the much talked about Lone Ranger adaptation. I don't know exactly what the budget costs are due to, but it's obviously visual effects and location costs, so maybe given 5-6 years, it may be more viable. The game IS only going to be 2 years old this year, WITH a sequel to be released late '09. So who knows. As of this second though, the film is dead.

Go see something good!

NEWS: Cameron Talks Avatar...At Least The Videogame...

So today was the official start of E3, and alongside the hoopla over the horribly timed Project Natal for XBox360, the first trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic, and the announcement that Metal Gear Solid will be making it's way to the afforementioned 360, there was one huge piece of news, that also swept over to the film world.

During Ubisoft's showcase, director James Cameron made an appearance to primarily talk Avatar, the videogame, but also drop some hints as to what we can expect from the film itself. I had a chance to check out the showcase live during G4's broadcast, but the geniuses over at /Film actually wrote down his key points:

- Ubisoft acquired a graphic design company named Hybride, which is creating over 100 of the CGI shots for the film.

- Cameron said that the film takes place in the 22nd century, on a large Earth-like moon called Pandora, with rain forests, 1000-foot tall trees, and many different types of critters. He described the Na’vi as 10 feet tall and striped like tigers.


- Weta provided Ubisoft with all the assets , models, and animations used in the movie. Cameron says that the game will have its own creatures, weapons and settings, some of which was designed by Ubisoft, and some of which were created specifically for the game only by Weta. Cameron says that he even incorporated assets that Ubisoft created for the game into the movie. because he liked the designs so much.

- The game tells a story that parallels the film, so you could play the whole game without spoiling the movie.

- The player can choose to be either human of Na’vi, and the who the bad guy is depends on which side you choose to play as.

- Cameron said that most video games based on movie properties kinda suck, and that he hopes revolutionize the model of movie to video game adaptations.

- “This film is way beyond anything I’ve ever done before, which is why its taken four years to date, and we have seven months to go,” said Cameron. “The live-action portion was filmed with cameras that took us 9 years to develop.”

- Ubisoft has been working on the game for over two and a half years.

- It will be the first major stereoscopic video game title developed in 3D from the ground up.

- Ubisoft also announced that they will be working with Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson on a video game version of the upcoming Tintin movies.

- No footage was shown during the press conference, but a demo will be available to press at E3.

- Cameron said that playing the new demo was the first time he’s ever been scared while playing a video game.

/Film reader Person Mcdude adds:

- He said that the air on Pandora isnt breathable by humans, so they genetically engineered a hybrid human/naavi, hence the name “avatar”.
the hybrids are able to control robots by “jacking” their nervous system into the robots. while jacked in, the individual is in a comatose state, but their consciousness is able to move the robot as if it were an extension of his/her body.

- One of the overriding themes of the movie is learning to view things from another perspective. Cameron hinted at a showdown between the mechanized, technologically reliant humans vs. the natural, more primal, almost tribal like Na’avi. The main character, a human (worthington?) becomes increasingly sympathetic towards the Na’vi and must choose sides at the end. he sounded very excited and said this was a huge, amazing fight scene.

Awesome, awesome and awesome. I only wish that they would have shown some footage of not only the videogame, but the film itself. Sort of like a movie based videogame tv spot. Something. Instead, we get to see the look and feel of the film, or what we all think could be the look of the film, via these three screenshots (thanks to Ubi.com)...





Go see something good!

TRAILER: Star Wars: The Old Republic First Cinematic Trailer...

I'm a big nerd, so of course, when E3 rolls around, I kind of get into a videogame coma. Give me two two liters of Mtn. Dew, a laptop, and G4, and you have what can be called the ultimate slouch fest. Well, it all pays off when I get to post things like this awesome trailer for the upcoming MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic. No, it's not game footage, but it IS from Bioware, so it's pretty damn close. THIS is easily the best thing out of the Star Wars Universe in years, and is better than Episodes 1-3, Clone Wars, and any of the horrible games, at least since Knights Of The Old Republic, which I still love to this day. See it for yourself below!



Go see something good!

WTF: Where's Waldo? Well, In Your Cinema...

Yeah, I know what you are saying. WTF is Where's Waldo doing in a cinematic form? Well, Universal, who seems more like a pimp than a film studio, has now moved from molesting Hasbro for everything they have, and is now moving onto a film adaptation of the famous children's book, according to THR.

Before you all get out your guns and put them in your mouths, this isn't the first time that an adaptation of the book has been tried (or should that make you get them faster?) Originally planed for a Paramount/Nickelodeon release, the film was originally described as "Waldo, now 30, ends up traveling through time after accidentally activating a malfunctioning travel machine." Yeah, nothing hugely impressive or cool, but at least it's not a film about some random guy who can't be found. Actually, if you give this to Spike Jonze, you would have a masterpiece. Think Being John Malkovich but just more crazy. Now I'm even more depressed. Not to mention that this IS the studio that will be behind Monopoly, Stretch Armstrong, Battleship, and Candyland.

Go see something good!

TRAILER: New Moon...

For those who care...



Go see something good!