Pandorum DVD Review

Here’s one I missed in theaters so I’ll give you the rundown of the DVD. Pandorum is a sci-fi/horor/thriller set in the distant future. Earth is exponentialy overpopulated and humans have looked to the stars for a new start. Light years away the planet Tanis is discovered and is found to be similar to Earth. An enormous ship is built to transport thousands of people in hypersleep to inhabit the planet. Pandorum is the story of everything that goes wrong on that mission. Engineer Bower (Ben Foster) and Lt. Payton (Denis Quaid) wake up from hyper-sleep to a seemingly empty, dying ship, with foggy memories of what their mission is. Bower quickly learns they are not alone while making his way to restart the ships reactor.

From here on out the pieces of Pandorum is a blend of many sci-fi horror films. Think Alien meets The Descent meets Resident Evil. One of the things I loved about Pandorum was the absence of the cheesy special effects I was expecting. Real sets were used in place of the green screens that seem to dominate most modern sci-fi flicks. Though green screens are used, they are clearly used sparingly.

The special features of the DVD give a good look into the intricate sets that were constructed for the film. Ive read a lot of bad reviews of Pandorum, but I would have to
disagree. I wold definitely recommend you all go rent it an let me know what you think.

Rating: R

Released: 25 September 2009

Running time: 108 min

Cast: Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster

Directed By: Christian Alvart

Written By: Travis Milloy

I must admit, that the only reason I watched the big game, was to catch all the new commercials and trailers. So without further babling on my end, here they are in all their glory.

First up, we have the new preview for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, and Alfred Molina. The film is scheduled for release on the May 28, 2010.

Next we have Tim Burtons adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, staring the ever so popular Johnny Depp, alongside Mia Wasikowska, and Anne Hathaway. Personally I am a bit put-off by the fact that Tim Burton will be directing, but that is just me talking (a non-Burton fan). But I must say that there is no better man for the job than Johnny Depp. This role is right up his alley. Alice in Wonderland will release on March 5, 2010.

This next trailer blew me away, Robin Hood. I have been waiting for the trailer to appear since I first heard the news. Granted I hadn’t searched too hard, but I was excited about it. It was just a matter of time before Hollywood got their hands on Robin Hood, and who better to play the man in tights than Russell Crowe. Robin Hood is scheduled to release May 14, 2010.

This next preview isn’t completely new, but does give a look at some before now, unseen footage, The Last Airbender. Not a film I am overly excited about, but it does look interesting, and I am sure it will do well. The Last Airbender was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and will release on July 2, 2010.

And finally we have Shutter Island. Personally I think this film looks awesome, and I absolutely love the preview. Shutter Island stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, and is scheduled to release on February 19, 2010.

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen. The “Big Game” through the eyes of a MovieGuy.

I can’t decide if I’m excited to hear about Weird Al’s new movie or if I’m just a little bit creeped out by it. On the one hand, I’ve always enjoyed Weird Al’s parody songs. Of course, I’m not old enough to remember “I Lost On Jeopardy” and “My Bologna”, songs of his that were popular back in the ’80s, but I have heard the re-runs. On the other hand, I just can’t imagine someone who sings a song like “Cavity Search” making a regular appearance on a TV station whose average viewing audience is somewhere around the age of 10. So, I’m not really sure how I feel about Weird Al’s new movie. I suppose I will have to wait until it comes out to make up my mind.

But considering that Weird Al’s new movie has been in the works for a few years already, I may not have to worry about it. According to Weird Al’s own interview with himself, just inking the contract has taken 2 years and the script hasn’t even been green lighted yet. The folks at Cartoon Network seem to be pretty pleased with the concept of Weird Al’s new movie though. The movie will feature a teenage protagonist and be geared toward a younger audience. And, of course, Weird Al himself will have a regular supporting role. As to who the lucky teenager will be, we’ll just have to wait and see who is still a teenager when this movie finally goes into production.

You can get the full scoop on Weird Al’s Blog.

You have got to check out this teaser for A.D., a CG animated zombie flick/horror/adventure. The teaser was written/created by Haylar Garcia, directed by Ben Hibon (Codehunters) and produced by Bernie Goldmann (300) and Tarik Heitmann.

A.D. - CG Animated Zombie Flick

The teaser doesn’t reveal much of a plot, but more of an idea. The new look of the animated zombies is simply incredible. I can’t wait to see more as the storyline, and characters progress. Personally, I see HUGE potential for a possible video game, and predict that a possible film, or video game, will be thoroughly bad-ass.

For more information, and hi-res images head on over to ZombieInfo.

A.D. Poster

A friend of mine recently asked me if I’d heard anything about the new George Lucas CGI Musical. I thought he was joking so I asked him for the punch line. I figured it would have something to do with animated Ewoks in pink tutus or Luke Skywalker and Princes Leia waltzing to the hauntingly melodic tunes of the Jedi Symphony Orchestra. But, apparently, it’s true. Rumor has it there IS a George Lucas CGI Musical in the works. And it has something to do with fairies!

The only thing we know for sure is that Lucas is keeping everything under wraps. No one is even revealing who’s idea this is (Do you blame them?). Generally, Lucas prefers to work with a concept of his own creation but, in this instance, we don’t know which came first – the idea or the script.

While it’s too soon to know any details, Lucus and crew are currently in pre-production at Skywalker Ranch and the director is none other than Kevin Munroe. Munroe also directed the action-packed CGI version of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and he’s working from a script written by David Berenbaum, of “Elf” fame. So maybe I wasn’t that far off the mark. Instead of tap-dancing Wookies, the new George Lucas CGI Musical will feature a gang of giant, speaking turtles line dancing with armored fairies from Planet-X!

If you have already seen Mad Max one, two and three, what is stopping you from seeing mad Max 4? Absolutely nothing, that’s what! There is some new and exciting news coming out about Mad Max 4: Fury Road which is the fourth installment in the Mad Max franchise. Even though Casting directors and the entire staff are trying to keep the public away from knowing too much about this new movie, some exciting news has slipped by these “important” people. In two words, you will know that this film is worth seeing: Nicholas Hault.

As you movie lovers and goers know, Nicholas Hault has been cast in many prime roles in the 21st century films such as A Single Man and About A Boy. Hault will be playing the character, Nux, and he will be joined by other acting greats such as Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. Also, the birds in Hollywood have been singing about Teresa Palmer and Adelaide Clemens possibly coming into the fourth installment as well.

The details are not final regarding Fury Road but if all goes as scheduled (and rumored) filming will begin this summer and come out later in 2011. Get ready for one of the most anticipated movies of 2011 with Nicholas Hault joining the star studded cast!

More information on the Spiderman 4 debacle! Apparently both Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi are both for sure out of the continuing franchise. Yesterday Sony Pictures gave an official press release stating that director Marc Webb would be taking the job. The job of Peter Parker has still not been decided and rumors will probably continue to fly for quite some time. During the press release Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, hinted at a re-hashing of Spiderman’s origins. As this is exactly what Raimi and Maguire did it seems like an awful restart to the franchise. We’ve already seen the radioactive spider thing and having him learn to use all his powers so going back and doing all that yet again seems way too repetitious.

According to some that have seen the script reports are that Peter Parker already has his powers while in high school, so with luck there won’t be as much of the learning curve going on in these films. Especially since those of us that will be going to see this new Spiderman have most likely gone to see the first three.

Another reason these movies are getting a huge push is because of money. Sony didn’t want to have to wait two or three years between each of these blockbusters. They already had James Vanderbilt writing Spiderman 5 and 6 before Spiderman 4 even went into production. This coupled with story and villain choices and Raimi wanting a higher budget than Sony wanted to give led to a failed attempt. A big reason for this was the ballooning salaries of those actors that had contracts only for a trilogy leading to contracts needing to be renegotiated for the following movies.

Now with a new, younger and unknown, cast Sony can better control most of these costs. It seems the new budget only $80 million, much lower than Raimi’s problematic Spiderman 4. I’m still unsure what to think of this upcoming film. I know its a business and needs to be about making money, but sometimes I wish it could just be about making a good film.

Sleeping Beauty - Maleficent

According to Ain’t It Cool News it seems Tim Burton might be continuing his collaboration with Disney in a remake of Sleeping Beauty. Its title is rumored to be Maleficent. Maleficent was the evil fairy in the Disney classic that cast a spell on Princess Aurora causing her to sleep until rescued by Prince Charming. Although this is all still just a rumor, it seems to be right up Burton’s alley. Sleeping Beauty will be similar in style to that of Alice in Wonderland and will then focus on Maleficent.

It’s likely that Burton will employ many of his same cast, girlfriend Helen Bonham Carter and good friend Johnny Depp, but maybe he’ll surprise us and actually go outside of his seeming comfort zone for another film. The other not so exciting part of this film is that it seems very reminiscent of another fairy tale that has been redone with a modern feel while focusing on the evil character. The novel and musical Wicked. Wicked is the alternate tale of the Wizard of Oz in which the main character is the Wicked Witch of the West.

It was believed Burton was going to do a film adaptation of the 1960’s Gothic television show Dark Shadows after Alice in Wonderland, but that film is a long way from ready to shoot and so Sleeping Beauty could be the next film he does.

Iron Man 2 is announced to be released May 7th, 2010. The hugely popular Marvel character, Iron Man, was first introduced to audiences in 2008. Robert Downey Jr played the super hero with Jon Favreau directing. Downey Jr’s portrayal of Tony Stark has been fantastic and continues in Iron Man 2 with director Jon Favreau returning. The world is aware that Tony Stark is the superhero Iron Man. He is under immense pressure to release his technology to the military. The public, press, and government are all pushing for him to release it, but Stark is unwilling to let go of his invention. Gwyneth Paltrow returns as Pepper Potts, Starks assistant and lover.

Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, and Don Cheadle round out the cast. Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke will be playing Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko/Whiplash respectively. Both eventually villains to Iron Man. Sam Rockwell plays another industrialist that rivals that of Stark Industries. Rourke on the other hand builds a set of whips based off of Stark’s technology and is taking the fight to Iron Man.

Along the way it would seem that Tony Stark needs help with these new villains and creates another Iron Man-like suit for his friend and confidant Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes played by Don Cheadle. This ally is known by many in the comic world as War Machine. This movie seems to be packed with as much action and plot twists as the first. The visual effects seem stunning and with this all star cast Iron Man should be a hit this coming summer.

Iron Man 2 Poster

Rating: Not Yet Rated

Runtime: Un-known

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle

Directed By: Jon Favreau

Writers: Justin Theroux

Further to the teaser trailer released late-2009, a new expanded trailer for Kick-Ass has emerged, showing more of the cast and extended action scenes.  I don’t think I’m the only person looking forward to this film, and this new trailer has only piqued my interest further.

Aside from Aaron Johnson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who have been discussed before, we have the first shots of Nicolas Cage as Big Daddy, both in and out of costume, and I have to say it looks as though he’s having a lot of fun in this and may be rediscovering exactly what it was that made him cool in the first place.  If we have Werner Herzog to thank for that after seemingly reinvigorating him in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, then I’ll be first at his door with a basket of muffins.  Also, Mark Strong, my current Actor Who Should Be In Everything Everywhere, plays Frank D’Amico and brings the necessary menace required.

The whole trailer comes across as a teenage Watchmen, with a sense of humour where Zach Snyder’s effort had a rod up it’s ass.  Watchmen was one of my favourite films of 2009, so I’m VERY excited for Kick-Ass.

Release Date: April 16th, 2010

Cast: Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz, Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong

Dir: Matthew Vaughn