Screen Rant

Smallville Ratings Are Improving: Best In A Year

Bruce Simmons — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:10:26 +0000

Even though Smallville has been stuck in the death slot of Friday nights, (thanks, CW), the ratings for the Tom Welling-starring fantasy series are improving.

Now admittedly Smallville is not capturing 8 million viewers like NBC’s Law & Order or 7.9 million viewers like Ghost Whisperer on Friday nights, but it is picking up.

Smallville drew in 2.76 million viewers in overnight numbers from last night. But more importantly, the show won the demographic of adults between 18-34 & men 18-34.

It also hit a new season high and their best performance in these categories in over a year, since September of 2008.

Though the increases are roughly about 8%, something is better than nothing. Matching their best performance from a year ago is also good.

Whether this is from a grassroots effort of word of mouth or people are just catching on to the show with it’s new, slightly darker approach… who cares, right? As long as it improves enough for The CW and the powers that be to consider carrying the show into a 10th season. That’s all we, the fans care about.

With that said, keep telling folks you know. Hit up bulletin boards you visit and mention how much you like the show. Don’t forget to mention why, with good compelling reasons. Try to keep the enthusiasm to great points that folks can understand, like how Smallville is an interesting re-imagining of a classic comic, or whatever else you like about the show. Just keep it up. Never give up gang, never!

The Gory Nielsen Stats:

Adults	18-34	(1.3/4)
Men	18-34	(1.5/7)
Men	18-49	(1.5/5)

Total Viewers: 2.76 million.

Quick Rating Explanation Of (A/B):

A is an estimated percentage of the entire database of TV households or group tuned in to a program.
B is the percentage of households using television who are tuned in.

I hope that makes sense. It’s a tiny delineation between the numbers, but that’s what I have to work with!!!

Source: TV By The Numbers

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Win A G.I. Joe DVD Prize Pack! – Winner!

Vic Holtreman — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:40:20 +0000

And we have our winner!

Alejandro Olivo - Lompoc, CA

Thanks to everyone who entered – we have more cool contests on the way before the year is out!

Lots of contests going on here after we laid low for a while… Next up we have a G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra DVD Prize Pack to give away.

G.I. Joe comes out today (November 3rd) on DVD and Blu-ray and thanks to the folks at Paramount Home Entertainment we have not only the two-disc DVD, but also some cool goodies to go along with it.

Here’s the official G.I. Joe DVD/Blu-ray announcement:

The ultimate elite fighting force hit the big screen to defend the world and ended up conquering it in the worldwide smash hit G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra, which earned over $280 million at the global box office. The action-packed, visually arresting adventure based on Hasbro’s immensely popular action figures including DUKE, SNAKE EYES, STORM SHADOW and the BARONESS makes its eagerly-awaited Blu-ray and DVD debut in two-disc sets and a single-disc DVD on November 3, 2009 from Paramount Home Entertainment. Directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy), G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra stars a hot young cast including Channing Tatum (Public Enemies), Marlon Wayans (Dance Flick), Sienna Miller (Factory Girl), Joseph Gordon-Levitt ((500) Days of Summer), Rachel Nichols (“Alias”) and Ray Park (X-Men), as well as veteran actors Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point) and Christopher Eccleston (Gone in Sixty Seconds).

And here’s what one lucky person will win:

Two-disc Special Edition DVD
Night Raven Jet with Air Viper (Toy)
M.A.R.S. Troopers (Action Figures)
G.I. Joe Poster

Here’s an example of some of the behind the scenes footage you’ll find on the 2-disc set:

While you’re waiting to hear whether you’ve won, click on the following link to entertain yourself with the “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra – Basic Training” iPhone game.

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Win Fawlty Towers Special Edition Remastered DVD Set

Vic Holtreman — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:03:06 +0000

Are you a fan of Fawlty Towers? Ever even heard of the show? Well it’s where John Cleese headed for a brief time after Monty Python back in 1975 and 1979. The show only ran for 12 episodes, but every single one of them is hysterical, and many are funny enough to bring tears to your eyes (that’s not PR, that’s my opinion). Fawlty Towers also starred Prunella Scales, Connie Both and Andrew Sachs.

Well it’s the 30th anniversary of the show and the episodes are being re-released in a special edition, remastered DVD set – and we have four (4) copies to give away!

Here’s the official description and background on the British TV series:

Hot off the runaway success of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, John Cleese embarked on his now-legendary sitcom, Fawlty Towers, . One of the most memorable and best-loved characters in British comedy, Basil Fawlty is a much put-upon, hardworking hotel manager whose life is plagued by dead guests, hotel inspectors and other assorted riff-raff. Of course his biggest headache is his “little nest of vipers,” his nagging wife Sibyl, the unflappable Polly and the trainee waiter from Barcelona, Manuel, who has marginally more intelligence than a monkey.
Premiering in the UK in 1975 and airing in continuous PBS syndication ever since, , Fawlty Towers, has received three BAFTA Awards, Best Comedy Performance for John Cleese and two for Best Situation Comedy. In addition, the beloved sitcom is the BBC’s top-selling comedy series of all time on DVD.

If you’re REALLY a fan and want an additional chance to win, there is a Fawlty Towers lookalike contest where you can upload pics of yourself as any of the characters above over at the Fawlty Towers DVD Facebook page.

To enter here you must do TWO things:

1. Send an email to contests@screenrant.com with the subject “Fawlty Towers Contest” and your full mailing address.

2. Subscribe to Screen Rant’s email newsletter, which delivers the day’s stories (coincidentally) once per day to your inbox. You can sign up with the convenient form below.

Yes, I know – TWO whole steps. (If you’re already receiving our daily newsletter you just need to send in an email entry.)

Contest ends on Tuesday, November 10th and is open to residents of the continental United States and Canada. Winners will be randomly selected.

Good luck!

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Poster Friday: Kick-Ass, Avatar, Green Zone, Wolfman & More!

Rob Keyes — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:59:26 +0000

Happy Friday everyone! For our first Friday of November 2009, we’ve again gathered the latest posters to come out for this week’s poster round-up. So, before you head out to see this week’s opening movies, namely The Men Who Star at goats, A Christmas Carol, The Box and The Fourth Kind, check out the latest promo sheets below.

Screen Rant’s wall this week now includes new one-sheets for Kick-Ass, The Wolfman, Conan, The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse, Clash of the Titans, Scream 4, A Single Man, Avatar, Machete, Green Zone, Let Me In, Tell Tale and The Men Who Stare at Goats.

We also have a few bonus items for this year’s Pixar movie, Up.

Let’s get to it.

To start, here’s the first (awesome) batch of Kick-Ass posters that IGN premiered yesterday:

Continue to the next page for the other Kick-Ass posters and more!

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‘A Christmas Carol’ Review

Vic Holtreman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:13:34 +0000

Short Version: There are already so many great adaptions of the classic Dickens story – this one adds nothing but CGI and gimmicky 3D effects.

Screen Rant reviews A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol is one of my all time favorite Christmas stories. Maybe because most of the year I feel like a somewhat cranky Ebenezer Scrooge but once Thanksgiving is over my mood lightens over the spirit of the upcoming holiday. It seems that every few years someone feels the need to do an update on the classic tale, and sometimes it works. Heck there have certainly been a lot of versions over the years (over two dozen on TV and in movies according to IMDB), and I’ve enjoyed many of those myself.

This time director Robert Zemeckis (who seems intent upon never making another live action film as long as he lives) brings us another 3D, IMAX, CGI motion-capture extravaganza. If the number of buzzwords there don’t tell you what this film is really about, then I can’t help you.

The movie stars Jim Carrey in a variety of roles, most notably old Scrooge himself. The Scrooge character, with it’s caricature-like features is actually the most effective one in the film (thankfully, since he’s the lead). Carrey also plays the three ghosts that come to haunt Ebenezer as well as Scrooge at younger ages. We also have Gary Oldman playing primarily Bob Cratchit and Bob Hoskins (briefly) playing Scrooge’s old boss Mr. Fezziwig. I mention these two in particular because someone made the decision to make the characters look very similar to the actors portraying them. I don’t know what effect they were going for, but I can tell you what the result was: Creepy.

It was just bizarre watching a CGI character that looked so much like Oldman, but not – with the only semi-human animatronic look that defines the “uncanny valley” (the very subtle things that aren’t right in attempted photo-real computer animated portrayal of humans). Most of the characters suffered from the same thing – it was like watching an animatronic display at Disneyland.

On the other hand there were glimpses of amazingly realistic people in the film – but these were always at a distance. There was one scene where I wanted to believe that they inserted a live actress into the film just as an “Easter Egg.” I respect Zemeckis for what he’s doing, I really do – he’s trying to push the frontier when it comes to people rendered as CGI. Problem is you have to get it PERFECT, otherwise your brain just kind of short-circuits looking at this “almost-real” person on the screen. This is why most CGI animated films use caricatures of humans – it’s easier for the mind to accept. By making blue-skinned, overly tall aliens with odd facial features I think James Cameron will get around this in Avatar.

And speaking of the upcoming 3D Cameron-helmed extravaganza, A Christmas Carol is in 3D. I’ve said many times before that I’m a fan of of 3D cinema, but not when it’s used as a gimmick. Overall I really enjoyed the 3D look of the film but there was one sequence that was stuck into the film that just didn’t belong and was there only for the sake of showing off the roller coaster effects and exaggerated 3D in the film. It was at least a five minute sequence and I was mentally tapping my fingers waiting for it to be over so we could get back to the story. Side note: There seemed to be a little tribute to the “tiny Ash” scene from Army of Darkness.

So what did I like? The story, of course, but they don’t get credit for that. I did enjoy the opening scene, which was very effective in showing just HOW miserly and feared Scrooge was. On the flip side, I also really enjoyed the “post-mean” ending of the film – it really gave us more time with the repentant Ebenezer than I’ve seen in any version to date.

Besides what I’ve mentioned, what I didn’t like was that the film was all over the spectrum in terms of tone – sometimes it was goofy-funny, and at other times had scenes that I think will scare the heck out of little kids. When his doorknob comes to life, that’s a heck of a scare and Marley’s jaw coming loose was worthy of a horror movie IMHO. Of course then they put a little “ha ha” moment on the end of that one, but by then your kids has had the poop scared out of them. Oh, and I have to mention the ghost of Christmas past – one of the most unexplainedly ridiculous characters I’ve ever seen on screen. Then again, maybe it’s me, some people were laughing at it, but frankly I was perplexed by the point of what is was doing and thought it was just plain stupid.

No doubt there will be comments below wittily calling me a Scrooge, but you’re too late, I did that in the opening paragraph. But seriously, as I said, I love this story – and I wish that Zemeckis had left the CGI behind and made it a live action film based on the classic tale.

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Add Your Name to the ‘Paranormal Activity’ DVD Credits

Anthony Ocasio — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:54:03 +0000

Paramount asked the public to demand that Paranormal Acitivity be played in their hometowns and the public did just that by not only pushing the supernatural thriller to the number one position against Saw VI, but also helping it become the most profitable independent film ever made.

As of now, Paranormal Activity has earned almost 6,000 times its original production budget of $15,000; as a expression of gratitude to moviegoers around the world, Paramount wants to make sure that you, the fans, are personally thanked for all your support by allowing you to submit your name to be featured in the “Thank You” section of the film’s credits when it’s released on DVD.

“The success of Paranormal Activity would not have been possible without the million-plus fans who went to the ParanormalMovie.com official website and demanded the movie in their home town. They demanded the movie and they got it. So now we are giving them credit where credit is due.”

While no dates have been announced for the DVD release of Paranormal Activity, those interested in having their names included in the credits have until Monday (11/9/09) at Noon (Pacific Standard Time) to visit this site and register your name. Hopefully the DVD will not only include the names of all the fans, but also Paranormal Activity’s original ending, as well as the alternate endings and recut scenes.

After submitting myself to the website, I couldn’t help but notice some familiar names…

Bea O’Problem
Maya Normusbutt
Al Coholic

It seems that many patrons of Moe’s Tavern in Springfield, [INSERT STATE NAME] are fans of Paranormal Acitivty. And why wouldn’t they be… I’m sure one thing they’re not used to in that town is an entertaining movie (cough – The Simpons Movie – cough).

Still, if you want your name to be included in the DVD credits, you better hurry as you’ve only got 3 days left.

Paranormal Activity is now playing nationwide

Source: Paramount [via: Shock Till You Drop]

http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/films.php?id=4223

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The Box Review

Vic Holtreman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:51:48 +0000

Short Version: Do yourself a favor and find the original 30 minute Twilight Zone episode of The Box and watch that instead.

Screen Rant reviews The Box

Well this is going to be a short review because I don’t want to spend any more time on this movie than I have to. The Box is based on Button, Button – a very short story written by Richard Matheson that was used for an old episode of the classic TV series The Twilight Zone. It was written and directed by Richard Kelly, the man behind the cult classic Donnie Darko and the poorly received Southland Tales.

BTW, personally I think it’s obvious, but this review does tell you whether or not they push the button.

The film takes place in 1976, around the time we started sending probes to Mars. This is the (very thin) reason the film takes place back then – it could have easily taken place today, but then the pacing of the film might not have made as much sense (I’ll get to that later). Cameron Diaz and James Marsden star as a mid-30s couple living in Virginia. He works at Nasa as an optical engineer but has aspirations to be a space shuttle astronaut, she works as a teacher at a private school at which their son attends. They’re living paycheck to paycheck and money is tight (and despite seeming to be a bright guy, mid-30s Marsden is driving a Corvette despite their financial status).

They receive a package wrapped in plain brown paper early one morning: A black box with a glass dome covering a red button. Very simple, but well-crafted. It is locked, and later that day the mysterious Arlington Steward (the ever sophisticated Frank Langella) arrives with a key to the box, a briefcase with one million dollars and half his face CGI’d away and scarred in a terrible burn injury. He makes the offer: Press the button and somewhere, someone you do not know will die, but you will then receive one million dollars tax free.

Decisions, decisions.

Well a couple of things have coincidentally (or, not so much) just happened to cause the financial noose to tighten a bit more, making the deal tempting them (to the wife in particular). They vacillate between calling the police (telling anyone and the deal will be off), just returning the box, and assuming that even if the guy IS crazy, maybe they can get the money. After all, the person killed “might be some murderer on death row.”

Frankly, maybe it’s just me (and I really hope it’s NOT), but the movie lost me here. If someone showed up at your door and made this offer, with the guarantee that SOMEONE WOULD DIE if you pushed the button, would you? I sure as hell wouldn’t, even for a million dollars.

The husband does decide to open the box, not knowing what to find, but it’s just empty – not even a transmitter to notify anyone if the button had been pushed. Still, he is leery. In the end, the wife pushes the button, Steward arrives with the money, and assures them that the box will be given to someone they do not know.

Didn’t see THAT one coming.

Of course writer/director Richard Kelly realizes this, and in order to keep the movie *cough* interesting *cough* puts in a ton of oddities that could’ve drawn you in with the mystery, but instead just get annoying as they continue to pile on top of each other. In the end what made for a great, short morality tale is made so convoluted by trying to stretch it out into a two hour movie and give explanation to the hows and the whys that you’ll be dying to be done with the movie and get out of the theater.

I found it interesting that it was set in the 70s because the pacing of the film reminded me of movies from that time period. Looking back, a lot of the movies made then seem agonizingly slow in moving the story along, and that’s the case here. In the last 30 minutes or so it feels so completely disjointed, jumping helter-skelter from scene to scene that you’ll wonder what the editor and director were thinking.

I’ll give it two stars for concept and Frank Langella, but that’s being generous – I wouldn’t even call this a rental.

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‘Halo Legends’ Animated Feature Coming in 2010

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:37:58 +0000

The Halo franchise is going the Animatrix route by releasing a series of anime short films in a collected anthology entitled Halo Legends. The collection will feature seven stories told across eight episodes, all serving to expand the mythology of the Halo universe, much in the same way that the recently-released Halo 3: ODST sought to do.

For those of you still waiting on your live-action Halo movie, it seems as though you’ll have to make due with Legends for now, so, if “universe expansion films” like The Animatrix or Batman: Gotham Knight haven’t turned you off completely to this sort of thing, check out these highlights from the Halo Legends official press release:

Go deeper into the Halo universe than
ever before with Halo Legends, an all-new, CG and traditional anime
PG-13 experience that presents enthralling new stories from one of the
world’s most popular video game franchises. Produced by 343
Industries, a part of Microsoft Game Studios, the exciting
tales-beyond-the-games will be distributed February 9, 2010 by Warner
Home Video as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ for
$29.98 (SRP) and $34.99 (SRP), respectively, as well as single disc
DVD for $19.98 (SRP) due date for all versions is January 5, 2010.
The chapters will also be available On Demand and Digital Download.
The individual episodes fall within Halo’s 26th Century mythology as
the battle between humanity and aliens rages on in an attempt to
protect Earth and mankind’s expansive number of space colonies. The
dramatic, action-packed stories feature characters and locales
familiar to Halo fans, and episodes range in length between 10 and 17
minutes – resulting in nearly two hours of animated adventures.
Halo Legends -- 2 Disc Special Edition version will have several hours
of incredible bonus features, including:
The Making of Halo Legends – An introduction to Halo Legends followed
by a making-of segment for each episode.
Halo: Gaming Evolved – Explaining the Halo phenomenon from its
inception as an Xbox video game to a present day entertainment
franchise.
Audio Commentary with directors Frank O’Connor and Joseph Chou
Widescreen (1.78:1)
Halo Legends Blu-Ray versions will be loaded with bonus materials,
including all the great extras from the 2-disc Special Edition as well
as Halo: The Story so Far, an overview of the Halo universe up until
the end of Halo 3.

Much like previous universe-expanding anime features, each “episode” of Halo Legends will be helmed by a famous anime director, and all of the episodes will produced (and written) by 343 Industries, a division of Microsoft Game Studios (the creators of Halo). The “animetion” studios involved with the project are all pretty famous, respectively responsible for such notable anime series such as Ghost In The Shell, Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, Dragonball Z, Patlabor, Macross Plus, Vampire Hunter D, and of course, The Animatrix and Batman: Gotham Knight.

Check out a trailer for Halo Legends:

Right now, I’m kind of split on these “universe expansion” anime films; I loved The Animatrix but only felt so-so about Batman: Gotham Knight. Personally speaking, the actual storyline behind Halo has always taken a back seat (as in waaaayyyyy back) to the run-and-gun excitement and multiplayer mayhem of the games, but I know, for example, that there is a whole genre of fan-fiction dedicated to expanding and exploring this particular sci-fi universe, so I guess that devotion warrants something like Halo Legends being released. I’ll definitely be checking it out.

What about you -- does Halo Legends sound interesting (especially to those of you who aren’t already fans of the game)?

As stated, Halo Legends will be available on February 9, 2010.

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Bruckheimer Talks Pirates of the Caribbean 4

Anthony Ocasio — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:35:49 +0000

Last week, Steve “Frosty” Weintraub over at Collider ventured over to über-producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s office in Santa Monica to get an early look at the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time trailer. After viewing the trailer, Weintraub ran into Bruckheimer and took the time to ask him some questions regarding the upcoming fourth addition to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, entitled, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

The three questions Weintraub chose to ask were:

What’s up with the script?
When are they going to shoot the film?
Did the regime change at Disney cause any problems?

Bruckheimer’s responses were that they’ve got a script for the film (especially if the reports are true that it’s based on a book); they’re looking to start filming next year and that the “resignation” of Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook will not affect the production of the film in the slightest. Weintraub also notes that the way Bruckheimer was speaking to him about the project, it looks as if the previous reports of the plot being the search for the fountain of youth are true.

While I wouldn’t consider Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End as entertaining as the previous two, I would happily welcome another installment. My only concern is that maybe Jerry Bruckheimer has too many things on his plate. While I’m sure he has an extremely large plate, if you look at what he’s got going on right now you start to wonder how much influence he really has on things.

As of now, Bruckheimer has 7 television series on the air, 2 films completed and ready for release and 20 projects “in-development” including the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean and the third National Treasure film. That doesn’t exactly leave you much time for a hands-on approach.

Still, say what you will about his films and television series, JB definitely earns his money.

YEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides has a tentative release date of Summer 2011.

Source: Collider

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World Series Snags Most Viewers in 5 Years

Scott Miller — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:20:10 +0000

This year’s World Series battle between the valiant Philadelphia Phillies and the evil empire of the New York Yankees (oh, did I mention I’m from the Philadelphia area?) drew an average 19.4 million viewers and a 6.2 Nielsen rating, according to THR.

Remember the muttering about how the country wanted an LA/NY World Series? Didn’t seem to keep people from tuning in anyway.

That 6.2 rating is the largest single-year ratings increase in the history of the World Series. The obvious change came in the form of the Yankees making to the series – although I’d like to think some of that boost was due to Philly’s Chase Utley turning in one of the greatest World Series performances in the history of the sport. Wednesday’s game 6 (the last in the series) averaged 22.3 million viewers and a 7.4 rating among adults 18-49, up 41% in the demographic from 2008.

Higher ratings for Fox (which annually broadcasts the World Series), inevitably meant lower ratings for most of the competing programming on other networks, including ABC’s Cougar Town and Eastwick and CBS’s CSI: New York whose numbers all hit series lows. Oddly enough, those that prefer the fashion and confrontation of the catwalk to that of the baseball diamond drove The CW’s America’s Next Top Model ratings to a season high.

Now if only they would stop playing that same Jay-Z song all over the streets of NYC…

A final game that saw a Yankees 7-1 lead in the fifth inning reminds me more of recent Superbowl blowouts than the edge-of-your-seat fare Fox was surely hoping for. Did you think the World Series on the whole was entertaining, or did the thrill dissipate early for you?

Source: THR

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‘2012′ To Have Spin-Off TV Series 2013?

Ross Miller — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:43:40 +0000

Probably THE spectacle movie of 2009 is going to end up being Roland Emmerich’s latest big-budget disaster flick, 2012, which focuses on the Mayan prophecy that the world will end in December of the year 2012. The $200 million, special-effects laden, film stars the likes of John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Woody Harrelson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton and Danny Glover, and is set to crash into theaters in a week’s time.

However, with a film of this size, you know the buck rarely stops at one. In this case, Emmerich is already looking ahead at making more out of his latest disaster tale. Recently news surfaced that there was a 2012 sequel spin-off TV series in the works (yes, they’re thinking about furthering this seemingly finite disaster story). But wait, how can there be a sequel, in any form, of 2012… isn’t it supposed to be about the end of the world? That’s what I thought, but apparently that’s not exactly the case. Thanks to Cinemablend we have some info on what the spin-off show might take:

[SPOILERS ahead]

As was speculated by a lot of people, the series would be called 2013, and apparently it will focus on the aftermath of the cataclysmic events that swarmed the world in the film. Emmerich says, “it’s not the bright happy future everyone was imagining [when the film ends].”

“At the end of the film, there is a band of survivors on giant rescue boats. The series follows those boats to Africa, where they land and find survivors of the massive tidal wave that struck the continent, and they’re none too happy about having been left behind.”

[End of SPOILERS]

As for what kind of tone the show would have, Emmerich made mention of both Lost and District 9,which, as Cinemablend points out, leads us to believe it will entail complex and very involved storylines, a huge cast and gritty realism. That all sounds great, but what I wanna’ know is what kind of budget it will have? I mean, 2012 had a couple of hundred million to play with to make the effects look jaw-dropping (granted, we haven’t seen the movie yet, but from the trailers that appears to be very much the case). However, that’s just not feasible for an ongoing TV series, and since a lower budget (usually) means less impressive special effects, the TV series is inevitably going to pale in comparison to the movie.

Would a TV budget maintain the spectacle of 2012?

That’s assuming that the TV series would follow suit in terms of spectacle being the focus. Just because the movie is about spectacle doesn’t mean the TV series can’t use that as a launching point to focus on other elements, such as characters and storytelling (something I think we can all admit isn’t the strengths of Emmerich’s films). I’m not saying it will, but there’s always a possibility.

Of course, this is all talk at this point as 2012 has yet to open and prove itself a box office success. I have no doubt that it will make an absolute ton of money, considering the amazing visual effects it boasts, along with the fact that it’s suited to audiences worldwide (it’s the world that’s in peril, not just America!). But all the same, Emmerich and Co. will need to hold off to see how it does at the box office before they go ahead with their plans for making anything more out of the property.

What do you think of a 2012 sequel spin-off TV series being planned? Are you surprised to find that there’s more to the story beyond the movie? Since the TV show can’t really have the same gargantuan budget, what do you think it would be like?

2012 opens in theaters on November 13th, 2009. Now word on when 2013 would hit the airwaves.

Sources: Cinemablend (thanks to SciFiWire)

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Jaroo is the Hulu for 80’s Cartoons

Anthony Ocasio — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:35:12 +0000

Hankering for some Captain N? In need of the Superhuman Samurai Cybersquad? Been wondering what Penny, Brain and Inspector Gadget are up to? Well, we’ve got just what you need as The Cookie Jar Company has just launched Jaroo.com, a Hulu-esque video site with full-length episodes of over 50 television series that anyone who remembers when Saturday morning was “Saturday morning” will enjoy.

Jaroo.com launches today with one of the largest selections of full-length episodes of popular kids television programming and movies, both current and classic. The new free premium video destination for kids of all ages will initially offer over 50 popular TV series with more than 500 episodes available on-demand, any time, making entertaining your child or inner-child just a simple click away. Full episodes of such longtime favorites as “Inspector Gadget”, “Johnny Test”, “Super Mario Bros.”, “Zelda”, “The Adventures of Paddington Bear” and “Madeline” as well as the exclusive U.S. premiere of “Mona the Vampire” are available on Jaroo.com.
Additional shows include “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!”, “Horseland”, “Liberty’s Kids” and live-action favorite, “Cake”, plus many more. New episodes and shows will be added daily, with over 2,000 episodes offered over the next three months to ensure Jaroo.com will always remain fresh.

You might be wondering who exactly this Cookie Jar Company is because it’s not a name you remember when you think back to your childhood. Well, The Cookie Jar Company not only produces many children’s programming on the air now (Arthur, Care Bears, Doodlebops), they also purchased all the companies we remember from the end of our favorite shows; FilmFair, Cinar, and the infamous DIC Entertainment.

With their acquisitions came the entire back catalog of television series and cartoons from the 80’s and 90s. While Jaroo.com is now only 3 days old, they’re still presenting an impressive catalog of shows that any child of the golden age of Saturday mornings will enjoy.

Still, it’s not so much the current catalog that I’m interested in, but some of the gems that I’m hoping they’re looking to add as Jaroo expands to the number one video site for nostalgic viewing

What are these gems I speak of? Well, just some little shows such as C.O.P.S., Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?, The Little Lulu Show and cult Nickelodeon shows, Space Cases and Are You Afraid of the Dark?

…did I forget to mention that unlike Hulu, Jaroo is not region-locked? So, fans of the world, have at it.

Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, Jaroo.com is now open for business.

Check it out!

Source: Destructoid [via: Giant Bomb]

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‘Yogi Bear’ Adds Aykroyd, Faris & Timberlake

Ross Miller — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:12:47 +0000

Ever since a live-action, 3D Yogi Bear movie was announced back in February this year, there hasn’t really been any movement on the news front regarding it. However, fast forward to now and we may have our main cast in the form of Dan Aykroyd, Anna Faris and Justin Timberlake.

Aykroyd is in negotiations to voice the titular character in Yogi Bear, with Faris set to play a nature documentarian who follows the antics of Yogi in the fictional Jellystone Park. Timberlake is also in talks to join the project, possibly playing Yogi’s sidekick, Boo-Boo. The film is being directed by Eric Brevig (Journey To The Center of the Earth), and produced by Donald De Line and Karen Rosenfelt as a live-action/CGI hybrid in the vein of Alvin and the Chipmunks and Garfield (aim high, why don’t you?).

What’s suspiciously absent from The Hollywood Reporter’s article is the fact that the movie was supposedly being developed for 3D. When it was announced earlier this year, that was one of the points of discussion, as it increasingly has become with this slew of 3D movies as of late. However, with this latest news 3D wasn’t mentioned – just live-action/CGI. So does that mean Yogi Bear will be regular ol’ 2D after all? Or will it still fall in line with what seems like every second movie these days and jump out at us in three-dimensions?

As I said back in February, I don’t think adapting Yogi Bear into a half-live-action feature film is the worst idea in the world, but it certainly has the potential to be real crap. More and more it’s (sadly) sounding like the project will be in the vein of the aforementioned Alvin and the Chipmunks and Garfield, the latter of which features Aykroyd’s Ghostbusters buddy, Bill Murray (didn’t Murray warn you Dan? ). If Yogi Bear can improve on those movies it’ll be a success… In a way…

Faris is a bit of a stale comedic actress, IMO, with only a couple of films of note in which she shines (Just Friends and Observe & Report). She recently lent her voice to a couple of other big-budget animated films, namely Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. I’ve never seen why anyone puts Timberlake in movies – even when he’s tried to be serious and really go for it, he’s really paled in comparison to the talent around him (most notably in Black Snake Moan).

It’s just a voice Timberlake will be lending to Yogi Bear, but still, couldn’t they have gotten someone else? Will his name alone be enough to draw people? I think the target audience (read: kids) would see it regardless of who does the voices, so why not get a good, quality voice actor instead of going for a big (music star) name?

What do you think of the cast they’ve attached so far for the live-action/CGI Yogi Bear movie? Do you think they should adapt the classic cartoon to the big screen or leave it be?

Yogi Bear is hoped to start shooting this December, and has a planned release of sometime in 2011.

Source: THR

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‘Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut’ In Stores November 10th

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:54:06 +0000

Ever since Watchmen came out we’ve heard tale of an “ultimate cut” that would offer fans the TOTAL Watchmen experience, including the full-length director’s cut of the movie, with the added bonus of having animated segments from the Tales of the Black Freighter tie-in film spliced in with the live-action footage, much in the same vein as was done in the original Watchmen graphic novel.

Back in July we gave you some early details about the extras Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut would offer, but now you can find out for yourself as this super-special edition is slated to hit stores everywhere next week!

Amazon is pre-selling both the DVD and Blu-ray versions of Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut for around $30. You can take advantage of that low price by going HERE. As for what special features the new edition(s) will offer, check out this break down:

Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut Blu-ray:

Disc 1:
• Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut Film
• Audio Commentary with Zack Snyder and Dave Gibbons

Disc 2: Over 3 Hours of Special Features
• The Phenomenon: The Comic that Changed Comics
• Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes
• Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World
• Watchmen: Video Journals
• My Chemical Romance Desolation Row
• Under The Hood
• Story Within A Story: The Books of Watchmen

Disc 3: Digital Copy of the Theatrical Version

Disc 4: Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comics; BD-Live

Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut DVD:

Disc 1:
• Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut Film
• Audio Commentary with Zack Snyder and Dave Gibbons

Disc 3: Digital Copy of the Theatrical Version

Disc 4 and 5: Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comics

I know that true Watchmen fanboys like me have been holding off for months from buying their home copy of the film, wanting to get the full-on, 9.6-hour, all-format, full special feature Watchmen experience. I like that they haven’t left out a single thing – the spliced Black Freighter scenes, Hollis Mason’s Under The Hood documentary, the full director’s cut version of the film, even the motion comic! And it doesn’t matter if you’re a fancy-pants Blu-ray owner, or a run-of-the-mill DVD owner, you won’t get shorted a thing. It’s all there.

If you were a fan of Zack Snyder’s take on Alan Moor and Dave Gibbons’ legendary comic book yarn, I recommend you take advantage while the prices are low (I know I will be!).

As stated, both DVD and Blu-ray versions of Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut will be available this Tuesday, November 10, 2009. Let us know what you thought once you’ve seen the full version of the movie.

Source: Amazon

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‘Green Lantern’ Director on Special FX & New Set Location

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:54:30 +0000

Last time we checked in on the progress of The Green Lantern the shoot had pulled out from down under in Sydney, Australia (thanks to inflating costs of production) and was looking for a new locale in which to conduct its principal shoot, which WAS set to begin in January.

Now, thanks to The Geek Files, we have updates from director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), letting us know where the Green Lantern shoot has moved to and what kind of challenges they’re facing in bringing the intergalactic adventures of the emerald warrior to the big screen.

First up, you should know that previously rumored shooting locations like Mexico and Canada have been revealed as just that – rumor. Green Lantern has in fact come on home to the U.S. of A. and tapped the city of New Orleans as the location for its principal shoot, which is now set to being in April, 2010.

That’s not just good news for those who have been wishing for Hollywood to stop outsourcing the movie making process, it’s also good news for residents of New Orleans, as the Green Lantern was reportedly set to create approx 500 jobs for crew members and workers in Sydney. Though it’s not certain, I’m betting a similar number of workers will still be needed for the New Orleans shoot…

Next, Campbell discusses the challenges of making a superhero movie that not only takes place here on planet Earth, but also contains a huge intergalactic component, complete with various alien races, worlds – and oh yeah, all those f/x needed to bring conjurings of the Lanterns’ emerald power rings to life onscreen:

“It’s daunting. Just the process, something like 1,300 visual effects shots, it’s mind-blowing, quite honestly…[The ring is] energised by a battery on the planet of Oa, which taps into the willpower of everyone in the universe…From that ring you can form constructs. So if you got into a fight, you could form a giant fist. Or a fighter plane.”
“He’s the only superhero to my knowledge who regularly goes to another planet. Superman and Batman were essentially locked into a particular city. The Lantern isn’t so Earthbound.”

Having a superhero who isn’t “Earthbound” makes for an expensive motion picture – probably why Warner Bros. is throwing $200 million at the project to make sure Green Lantern gets done right. No doubt DCE/WB is hoping to do for their second-tier hero what Marvel was able to do for Iron Man, i.e., turn GL into a household name and a smash-hit movie franchise property.

Snagging popular leading man Ryan Reynolds to play Green Lantern was a good first move, though the open casting call for movie’s many yet-to-be-filled supporting roles still has fans like yours truly waiting on the opinion fence to see if the necessary players will be put in place to give this film a shot at greatness. Remember, Iron Man came out of the gate boasting a killer cast, instilling a sense of cofindence in the project before the first frame was ever viewed by the masses…

Are you happy that Green Lantern is shooting in New Orleans? And what do you think about the massive f/x demands the movie is facing? Can Martin Campbell pull it off – will Green Lantern become the next Iron Man?

The Green Lantern starts shooting in April, 2010 (as stated), and is still slated for a June 17, 2011 release.

Source: Empire Online

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Spider-Man 4: Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin is Done

Rob Keyes — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:16:28 +0000

In recent weeks, there’s been some chatter as to what characters, or more specifically, villains, we will see in the upcoming fourth installment to the Spider-Man franchise.

First, we heard arguably crazy speculation that Bruce Campbell’s larger role in Spider-Man 4 would see him playing a villain such as Mysterio. Unlikely in the eyes of many fans, but we followed that up with a report on director Sam Raimi discussing the Spider-Man 4 villains where he admitted he favored the idea of The Lizard but wasn’t keen or familiar with the idea of Carnage.

Then, we finally got one confirmation on the topic of potential villains: Dylan Baker would in fact be returning as Dr. Curt Connors in the next movie but that didn’t necessarily mean he’d be transforming in the scaly green two-armed lizard, especially not if you can take Baker’s words as complete truth (he says he’s a background character). Of course, this was followed with more rumors where it was said that The Lizard could be Spider-Man 4’s only villain.

So, what about going backwards and playing with the villains of before? A little hard seeing as how in the first two movies, the bad guys died and it’s doubtful we’ll get Venom again this time around with his own spin-off coming (I think we’ll see Venom in either Spider-man 5 or 6).

MTV had a chance to chat with the talented Willem Dafoe who of course played Norman Osborn in the first Spider-Man. With the Spider-Man 4 in development with a confirmed release date and plenty of headlines to go around, MTV took the opportunity to ask the actor if he’ll be making a return to the franchise in any form (even though he’s dead).

There wasn’t much from Dafoe’s response other than he said he hasn’t been called but he thinks it’s possible (or that’s just a standard media-trained response):

“I think it’s possible… But I haven’t heard anything.”

Admittedly, Raimi and company do go out of their way to tie each movie to the previous but from all accounts it seems that Spider-Man 4 will be a fresh start where Sam Raimi will have “full control” over the project and they may distance themselves from the existing trilogy. We’ve had three movies of goblins, it’s time to move on.

The Green Goblin story is over, Harry and Norman Osborn have passed, and so there’s no real reason to have Dafoe return unless it involves Peter having flashbacks or Mysterio creating illusions of Spidey’s prior villains. That (Mysterio’s illusions) would be a neat way to at least have a scene for every character we’ve met in the trilogy – makes for an interesting look-back and Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire conclusion movie for their part in the franchise (I don’t expect to see them back after Spider-Man 4).

I love Dafoe as an actor but I think he’s served his role in the Spider-Man franchise and that it’s time to move on. Don’t count on seeing him again.

What did you think of Dafoe’s portrayal of the Green Goblin and would like to see him cameo again in another Spider-Man movie in memory, flash-back or illusion?

Spider-Man 4 starts production next March and is scheduled to hit theaters May 6, 2011, the year of the super hero.

Source: MTV

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The Fourth Kind Review

Vic Holtreman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:05:38 +0000

Short Version: IF you let it draw you in with its factual approach, The Fourth Kind will creep you out more than Paranormal Activity.

Screen Rant reviews The Fourth Kind

After the extreme split in opinions on Paranormal Activity (I liked it), I was curious to see The Fourth Kind to see which side of the fence I fell on. I can understand how you can either love or hate the former, and I have a feeling something similar will happen with this film: Either you buy into the whole premise and let it suck you in, or you stand back and call B.S. on the whole thing.

The Fourth Kind opens unexpectedly, with Milla Jovovich as herself talking plainly to the audience. She speaks matter of factly and seriously, telling us the details upon which the film we are about to see are based. In addition to actors portraying real people (most of whom will have their names changed in the film) there will be scenes of actual video shot during the events portrayed in the movie. It will be disturbing, she tells us.

What will be so disturbing? The account of Alaskan psychologist Dr. Abigail Tyler (played by Milla), taken from her notes, videotapes (and a personal interview by director Olatunde Osunsanmi) which tells the story of the strange nocturnal experiences of a number of residents of Nome Alaska in the Summer/Fall of 2000. A number of townsfolk have all been experiencing the same unique visions and sleeplessness at night – similar in details that could not be coincidental, and they’ve individually turned to her for help in determining what these things mean.

They all share visions of being watched by a strange white owl in the middle of the night. This sounds goofy, but when they intercut footage of the actual people in her office relating their story – each on their own and each story with the same details – the creepiness factor starts to escalate. And it only gets worse as Dr. Tyler delves deeper into their psyches to unearth buried details via hypnosis.

What starts her down the path of “something really weird is going on” is the fact that going back to the 1960s there have been (for a town of its size) an awful lot of unexplained missing people in Nome. The FBI has gone out multiple times to try and find answers and has always come up blank. One of her sessions leads to a very tragic event, putting her at odds with the town sheriff who believes she is stirring people up and causing harm. Eventually things come to a head, get really crazy and out of hand, and bring us to the present day interview that is threaded throughout the film.

The creep factor comes in from assuming that what you’re watching is, in fact, true and that the homemade videos are all in fact legitimate. However I will say that the farther you get into the film the more you have to suspend your disbelief – especially with some of what appears in the supposedly real camcorder footage. I won’t give anything away, but you’ll understand if you see the movie.

If you don’t buy into that concept at least a little bit, then The Fourth Kind will leave you as cold as Paranormal Activity did for people who didn’t go along for the ride with that film. However if you let it get in your head, I think you’ll find that The Fourth Kind is even more effective at freaking you out and causing you some nervousness after you turn off the last light at night and head off to bed.

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Japanese Avatar Trailer & New TV Spot

Rob Keyes — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:42:04 +0000

A few days back we got a look at the new three-and-a-half minute international trailer for James Cameron’s Avatar and it was incredible.

Not only did it vastly improve over the first theatrical trailer, it provided a much deeper glimpse into the story of the film, its characters and its many awesome action sequences -- all wrapped up in one big beautiful 3D colorful experience.

With the launch of Avatar’s Full-on marketing, we now have two more videos to share with you: The Japanese Avatar trailer and a brand new 30-second TV spot that aired during the final World Series game last night.

To start, here’s the Japanese trailer that’s in English with Japanese subtitles:

Next up, the high-octane TV spot for Avatar which flips through plenty of action scenes along with a few quick scenes of some of the characters:

As I’ve said before, I’m completely sold on this and have been for a long time. I expect seeing this in IMAX 3D will be quite a unique experience and the only way to truely appreciate what the film has set out to do. That’s not to say it won’t be kick-ass movie in regular 3D or even in non-3D screens.

James Cameron’s Avatar cast includes Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana as its stars alongside Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi and CCH Pounder.

If you missed it, check out the behind-the-scenes Avatar featurette.

What do you think of these promo videos and the last trailer?

Avatar brings us all to Pandora December 18, 2009.

Source: MovieWeb

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SR Picks [Video]: X-Men Fan Becomes Pyro

Rob Keyes — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:52:16 +0000

This is one of those ideas I’d say is very bad but at the same time, it’s pretty damn cool.

Everett Bradford put up a YouTube video to demonstrate what he calls “The Prometheus Device” and since then, it’s been popping up on geek and tech sites all over the web.

The device emulates what we see from the character of Pyro in X-Men 3: The Last Stand, sans his power to manipulate the fire once launching it out of his palm. Check out the demo video for the neat-but-incredibly-dangerous device below.

I’m impressed by both the device, its functionality and the bravery of its user, Mr. Bradford. I expect this dude will easily get a job with this spreading all over the net like wild fire. Get it?

This video went up on Monday and he promises a follow-up to go through the components and its construction so if you’re interested in how it was made, check his YouTube channel in the coming days.

Screen Rant does not endorse the use of technological devices to emulate super human powers.

What do you think of the flame thrower? Maybe he’s gunning for a role in X-Men 4?

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Two More Clips from Roland Emmerich’s ‘2012’

Anthony Ocasio — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:35:23 +0000

Columbia Pictures recently released two more clips from the upcoming disaster movie, 2012. These clips, while not as long as the five minute clip we previously posted, still have yet to show anything that makes me feel like this film will be anything more than a money-grab at the end of the world. (Which, I guess, would be the perfect time to do it).

In the first clip we find a zombie-free Woody Harrelson playing “crazy” internet blogger Charlie Frost who knows everything there is to know about the end of the world and warns Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) that, in typical movie fashion, the destruction will start in Hollywood, California. (It’s movies like this that always make me feel better about living in Michigan. So far it looks like I’m surviving Independence Day and when Skynet becomes self-aware on Judgement Day).

In the second clip we find the Curtis family in a cargo plane being flown my some “Russian” pilots who appear to be trying to mimic Peter Stormare’s wonderful Soviet cosmonaut shtick from Armageddon. The clip concludes with the family Curtis attempting to drive a Bentley out of the back of the plane with a plucky Russian as the comic-relief. (I bet it’s the first time that was written… Russian comic-relief).

Still, if you’re in the belief that words can’t describe movie clips, check them out for yourself:

I don’t know about you, but I’m a fan of disaster movies; if there’s a disaster, I’ll watch it – in movie form. For some reason, this film just doesn’t feel like my preferred disaster movies (The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Armageddon, The Core), but more of a parody. Scenes that are supposed to feel climatic – feel humorous. I know these are only clips, but even with the previous five minute clip or movie trailer, I could care less about what’s going on. I hope that this isn’t a trend that’s happening with Hollywood disaster films, as Nicolas Cage’s Knowing (released earlier this year) was also underwhelming with a horrible ending.

So, if 2012 ends up being anything like Knowing, we can go into this movie knowing that aliens are behind it all. If that’s true, my only hope would be that someone early on takes some notes from M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs and “swings away.”

…cause we all know that aliens hate water(???)

2012 opens nationwide on November 13, 2009

Source: Cinema Blend

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