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‘Firefly’ & ‘Reaper’ Stars Alan Tudyk, Tyler Labine To Star In Horror-Comedy ‘Tucker and Dale’

Some of the most-entertaining and just straight fun times that you can possibly have at a movie are the times that you go and see a good horror-comedy flick. There is no denying this. Movies like Shaun of the Dead, Slither, and (as it's looking) the upcoming Zombieland all offer a unique mixture of laughter and fear that without a doubt leaves you with a warm smile on your face after viewing; the experience is almost medicinal.

Now comes word that a brand new indie horror-comedy movie called Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is on the way, and its stars already have us sold on the movie's potential! Firefly's own pilot Alan Tudyk will play Tucker, while Dale will be played by Tyler Labine, who is best known as Sock on the despicably-canceled Reaper (Read: ‘Reaper’ Canceled: The CW Decides It Wants To Be Just Like Fox When It Grows Up). [...]

Watch Now: New Red Band Trailer For Judd Apatow’s ‘Funny People’

Universal Pictures has released a new red band trailer for Funny People, the new movie from comedy king Judd Apatow that stars Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen.

Apatow himself refers to the movie as a serious one that he has attempted to make even funnier than his not-so-serious comedies. It tells the tale of George Simmons (fittingly played by Sandler), a stand-up comedian who has moved on to super stardom via mainstream family movies. One day the star discovers that he has a rare disease and will likely die. In his last days, he realizes he doesn't have much and befriends a young and up-and-coming comedian who helps him write jokes.

The movie carries a great supporting cast as well, including: Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, and others. Funny People will be released on July 31, 2009. [...]

Monty Python To Reunite For Their 40th Anniversary; Documentary To Follow

The boys of legendary comedy troupe Monty Python rarely get together anymore. Reunions have been rumored many times, but in the past ten-plus years, the group has only gathered together two times: once for a group interview in 1998, and a second time in 2002 for the George Harrison memorial.

Now The Independent is reporting that of the six-man group, four will reunite for a live stage show based on their very own Life of Brian called Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy). Python members Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam will appear in the show, while John Cleese can't make it due to a scheduling conflict and of course Graham Chapman passed away in 1989.

The show, which will reference many classic sketches, stars Eric Idle, who also wrote it with John Du Prez. The rest of the Monty Python guys -- including another Flying Circus regular Carol Cleveland with Neil Innes -- will make appearances within the production. [...]

DVD Review: ‘True Blood’ Season 1

True Blood
Season 1 DVD
Series Creator, Writer, Director: Alan Ball
Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Nelsan Ellis
HBO Home Entertainment
Release Date: May 19, 2009

By taking the blood of the night into our bodies, we water the flowers of our souls.
Nothing is real.
Everything is permitted.

Deep south. Rednecks. Vampires that live among us. These are the main components to True Blood, the ultra-graphic HBO show from Alan Ball (American Beauty) which has completed their first incredibly successful first season and is currently moving into their second season.

The show is based on the The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of books and follows young Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a simple southern belle with the mysterious ability to read minds who works as a waitress at Merlotte's, the local bar in Bon Temps, Louisiana -- a religious town that doesn't have any known vampire residents. One day in this quiet town, a vampire named Bill (Stephen Moyer) shows up at the bar, and Sookie immediately greets him with a glowing curiosity which turns into real chemistry after she saves his life. This newfound vampire connection has Sookie's boss Sam (Sam Trammell) and best friend Tara (Rutina Wesley) angry and watching carefully. Unfortunately, right around the time that Bill the vampire shows up, multiple women in this small town start showing up dead and no one really knows why -- but many are quick to point a sharp finger, either at Bill, or at Sookie's ladies man brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten), who is always romantically (physically) connected to the victims [...]

Universal Studios CityWalk To Celebrate The Life Of Michael Jackson

In memory of Michael Jackson, CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood will be transformed into Universal Moonwalk, a massive outdoor celebration of the performer and his legendary career, on July 9, starting at 7PM.

The free event will include screenings of Jackson's Thriller music video/short movie and his The Wizard of Oz remake, The Wiz. Along with the screenings, a special live dance retrospective will be performed. This dance retrospective will showcase the many years and styles of Michael Jackson's musical offerings and dancing styles.

As we all know, Michael Jackson died last month after suffering cardiac arrest at the age of 50 after years of incredible stress and unfathomable amounts of medications were just far too much for his body to handle anymore [...]

Comic Review: ‘Dusk’ Vol. 1

Dusk Vol. 1
Written by David Doub
Pencils by Maki Naro, Jerry Gonzales, Franc Czuba
Inks by Chris Scott, Jerry Gonzales
Letters by Jaymes Reed
Independent

A newly turned vampire must resist his own unnatural urges in order to save his wife’s life. A chance encounter with a private investigator leads to a reunion between a vampire hunter and the husband she’d almost forgotten. A teen’s mystical dalliances place a curse on his school that few, if any, may survive.

These are the tales of Dusk, David Doub’s independently published Gothic horror comic. Collected in this trade paperback volume are the first four issues of the black & white series, created and written by Doub, illustrated by Maki Naro, Jerry Gonzales, Franc Czuba, and Chris Scott, and lettered by Jaymes Reed.

This was a difficult review for me to pin down. Typically, I have a prevailing feeling after finishing a given book that will guide me through the process of writing about it, but in this case, I was left very much in limbo. I have negative things to say, yet I can’t bring myself to give a wholly bad review. I have positive things to say, yet I’d be remiss if I just fluffed it and went on my way. So, I’m going to try something new [...]

New Economy-Size Batch Of ‘Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince’ Images

Here we are, kids. Next week, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will finally be released to rabid fans -- unless of course Warner Brothers decides to delay it again, in which case rabid fans would turn into riotous mobs.

For this glorious last storm toward their release date, WB has put out a gigantic pile of official images -- many are official images, while a couple are behind the scenes shots. Even better yet, there's a handful of pictures included that are quite interesting to those (myself included) who have not read the books yet.

This sixth installment in the franchise will see Harry Potter discovering a mysterious book with an inscription claiming that it is the property of the Half-Blood Prince which contains and teaches Potter some incredibly powerful new spells. At the same time, Dumbledore begins to personally train Harry and retrieves the dark memories of Voldemort's past to show him. [...]

Significantly Dated: ‘12:34:56 7/8/9’

Forget December 21, 2012. Those Mayan's wouldn't know a significant date if they stared at the sun and the moon and the stars for thousands of years from huge monuments built specifically to track the movements of these objects throughout the heavens and their unique relationship to the tiny speck of dirt we call earth. PAH!

Tomorrow is 07/08/09. So at 12.34 and 56 seconds (both AM and PM) it will be -- I am told -- 12:34:56 7/8/9 [...]

Deal: ‘Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman’ Seasons 1-4 DVD

Today’s Gold Box deal of the day over at Amazon is Lois & Clark - The New Adventures of Superman - The Complete Seasons 1-4 on DVD for only $83.99.

For this discounted price, you get all four seasons of the 1990's television series starring Dean Cain as Clark Kent/Superman and a pre-Desperate Housewives Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane, Clark's colleague and love interest.

Note, this sale is today for one day only and is valid while supplies last [...]

Movie Review: Public Enemies

Public Enemies
Directed by Michael Mann
Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Channing Tatum
Rated R
Release date: July 1, 2009

Michael Mann is one of our best modern masters when it comes to weaving elaborate and starkly realistic cinematic tales of cops and criminals. There is very little black and white in his world. The characters in Mann’s crime dramas who work on opposite sides of the law are always portrayed as equals, and often as shadows of one another. Instead of the musty pulp novels, mildewed comic books, and scratchy 16mm film prints that fuel the imagination of Quentin Tarantino, another filmmaker well versed in making virtuoso action films, Mann, like fellow filmmaking contemporary Martin Scorsese, finds his inspiration in the real-life exploits of the modern day outlaws and the law enforcement officials sworn to bring them in.

His big-screen crime stories (and the various classic television series he has been partly or fully responsible for, such as Miami Vice and Crime Story) are powered by an engine of ruthless intelligence and feelings of isolation and loneliness. In his films you could tell Mann’s sympathies often resided with the criminals instead of the police, who were usually portrayed as being ready and able to go beyond the limits of the law to nab their quarry, but Mann could not be accused of glorifying the criminal lifestyle. His thieves and assassins were coolly professional in their work but emotionally distant from the rest of the world. They had the world at their feet but never chanced enjoying the ill-gotten fruits of their labor for fear of breaking the carefully constructed code that reduced their risk of being arrested by the authorities or even cut down in a hail of gunfire. We liked them for who they were even if we could not condone what they did. Mann did not judge either. He just showed things for how they could be. At the end of his crime stories his criminal anti-heroes usually ended up dead or alone as a result of venturing outside their own limits to have a taste of life, and most importantly love [...]

Brian K. Vaughan Breaks Hearts; Leaves ‘Lost’ Writing Team

Very recently an episode of Top Chef Masters aired in which chefs created dishes using only Dharma Initiative-approved food items from the show Lost. These dishes were served to the show's writing and producing team, including Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, and Brian K. Vaughan. As a massive fan of Lost, I recall being reminded of how awesome it was knowing Vaughan -- creator of amazing comic books like Y: The Last Man, Pride of Baghdad, and Runaways -- was also a part of this special show. Now this is no more, as it has been confirmed that Brian K. Vaughan has left the show to move on to other things.

In a brief, passing moment during a Q&A session, Damon Lindelof was asked what Vaughan was like, to which he simply replied "Unfortunately he has left for greener pastures. When he first came on the show Jorge Garcia was ecstatic because he’s a huge fan of his work." This depressing news was later confirmed by ABC. [...]

’80s TV Cop ‘T.J. Hooker’ Getting Movie Treatment

With the recent avalanche of remakes and reboots being announced, I can say in all honesty that it's actually a bit of a breath of fresh air to hear about a new TV adaptation.

T.J. Hooker, the Aaron Spelling show that starred William Shatner and Heather Locklear, is now being developed into a big screen feature length action comedy. The show followed T.J. Hooker (Shatner), a cop who voluntarily demotes himself after his partner is slain so that he can train rookie cops and get back to the hands-on work. One of the rookies he teams up with is a cocky young kid who doesn't make things easy for Hooker. It ran from 1982 to 1986.

Chuck Russell is currently in talks to direct the adaptation. He's best known for his work helming The Scorpion King and The Mask, but also has done The Blob (1988), Eraser, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. He was a producer on Michael Mann's Collateral, as well. [...]

DVD Review: Weapons

Weapons
Directed by Adam Bhala Lough
Starring Nick Cannon, Paul Dano, Mark Webber
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 3, 2009

I knew I was headed for trouble when I saw Nick Cannon on the cover of the DVD for the movie Weapons. But I am forever an optimist, so I decided to give it a shot. Just because Mr. Cannon's claim to fame is being on basic cable and marrying Mariah Carey doesn't mean he can't act or pick good movies to star in, right? So after watching this movie, was I proven wrong? Sadly, no.

Weapons is just about near every idealistic student film you have ever seen. Right off the bat, a murder occurs at a fast food restaurant and Reggie (Cannon) is killed. For the rest of the film, the movie follows Reggie as well as other youths in a series of disjointed flashback vignettes that explains how Reggie ended up dead and why the murder occurred in the first place. The whole point of the film is to explain that even the smallest event can have devastating results but after watching 30 minutes of the film, does it really matter? [...]

MP3 Deal: The Scorpions ‘Love At First Sting’

Yes, yes, yes, bring the metal \m/\m/

Today’s MP3 album deal of the day over at Amazon is Love At First Sting by The Scorpions for only $1.99.

For those of you who are not familiar with this German metal outfit, allow me to tell you that yes, yes are, and Love At First Sting is the album that you'd know them from, thanks to their mega-hit "Rock You Like a Hurricane." Yup, it's on this album, so if you want that song, this is the way to go.

Released in 1984, the entire album is filled with great tunes like "Big City Nights," "Bad Boys Running Wild," and the power ballad "Still Loving You." The must-have "Still Loving You" and "Rock You Like a Hurricane" are two bucks on their own right there, which makes this deal definitely worth it [...]

Nimród Antal Confirmed As ‘Predators’ Director; Fox Trying To Fix Their ‘AvP’ Boo-Boo

In the not so distant past, Latino Review caught word that Nimród Antal was the top choice to direct the Rober Rodriguez-produced reboot Predators for Fox and Troublemaker Studios. Now, this news has been confirmed directly from Rodriguez himself to Ain't It Cool News.

Antal is still fairly new to the game, but he has directed movies like Kontroll and Vacancy, with another on the way called Armored. The director was among a handful of talents being considered for the job, including Marcus Nispel (Friday the 13th) and Neil Marshall (The Descent). Rodriguez ultimately chose Antal after noticing many impressive skills and virtues that reminded him of a young Quentin Tarantino -- most of which was his ability to work with various well-known actors without issue. This trait stood out due to the fact that Rodriguez wants Predators to have strong story as well as a great cast fueling the action flick. He also is putting the work into creating awesome creatures and avoiding CGI as much as humanly possible, which is worthy of celebration. [...]

Movie Review: Year One

Year One
Directed by Harold Ramis
Starring Jack Black, Michael Cera
Rated PG-13
Release date: June 19, 2009

There are a lot of stock catchphrases that are widely used by people to describe movies that I have grown tired of hearing. Reading a review of a film that is described as a “rollercoaster thrill ride” or a performance is hailed as being a “tour de force” stinks of laziness and unoriginality by the critic. Specifically there are two descriptions that apply to Year One that I am deathly sick of hearing across the board: “Check your brain at the door” and “the actors looked like they had fun making the movie."

A movie like Year One wasn’t made to be dissected into deeper meaning. Zed (Jack Black) and Oh (Michael Cera) are hunter-gatherers who are kicked out of their village for being worthless and forced into the world on their own. They have a variety of encounters that are loosely based on stories from the Bible. Dumb cavemen weaving in and out of biblical stories. That’s pretty much it. I’d like to be able to go into detail but the movie simply doesn’t provide that opportunity.

All told, Year One is Harold Ramis directing Jack Black and Michael Cera in a Judd Apatow-produced comedy. Based on the credits you would have expected that even if the whole thing didn’t work, it would have at least had its moments. It did not. Why? Because it was Harold Ramis directing Jack Black and Michael Cera in a Judd Apatow comedy. None of those names is strong enough to carry a film on its own anymore because they all rode the waves of their respective success into the ground [...]

Comic Review: Captain America: Reborn #1

Captain America: Reborn #1
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Penciler: Bryan Hitch and Butch Guice
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release date: July 1, 2009

I should be more excited about this. I have loved Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America since I picked up the first trade. It’s probably my favorite book that I’m currently reading on a monthly basis. So why is 'underwhelmed' the first word coming to mind? I’ll tell you why: it’s mostly that too much of Captain America: Reborn #1 is spent recapping info that was recapped two weeks ago in Captain America #600. So what we get is a second issue in a row of set-up; well-illustrated set-up, but set-up nonetheless.

This issue follows from where Issue #600 left off. Sharon Carter and the Falcon take the gun that killed Steve Rogers to Hank Pym for some investigation. They discuss Sharon’s memories from when she was under the Red Skull’s control and how she saw what could be one of Dr. Doom’s Time Platforms and that the Red Skull may have already brought Steve back. Meanwhile, the current Cap and the Black Widow try to track down the Time Platform so they can see what it really is. Unfortunately, the Platform is in the custody of Norman Osborne, so they have to break into a H.A.M.M.E.R. facility, where all does not go according to plan. Finally, we get a hint of what may be happening to Steve, and how he may be brought back [...]

Tim Minear Developing Resurrection Of ‘Alien Nation’ For Sci Fi

The Sci Fi (SyFy? If we all refuse to acknowledge that, will they change it back?) channel has already far and away proven that they can take an old TV series, completely restructure it, and create one of the best shows of all time. Now that Battlestar Galactica has come and gone, Sci Fi is developing a new potential series based on Alien Nation with fanboy favorite Tim Minear writing.

Alien Nation first started as a movie starring James Caan in 1988 that turned into a 1989 TV series on Fox. The show was canceled after one season, but has seen five new TV movies made since then, as well. The show is basically a social observation using a fictional setting and aliens known as "Newcomers" who were at first made to live away from humans, but now have been allowed to reside among us; of course this doesn't stop racism from continuing. The original movie for which this new project is being based followed an L.A. cop (Caan) whose partner is killed while investigating the Newcomers. When the first alien police officer comes to his department, he volunteers to join up with him in order to sneakily try and investigate the death of his former partner. [...]

DVD Review: ‘Lost’ The Complete Second Season (Blu-Ray)

LOST
The Complete Second Season, Blu-ray Edition
Starring: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Dominic Monaghan, Terry O'Quinn
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Release date: June 16, 2009

I didn't start watching Lost until the second season was underway. All I knew about it before then was that everyone who watched the show was on the edge of their seats talking about numbers and hatches and "others." All I saw was some people staring down a metal shaft with confused looks on their faces. Oh how little I knew back then.

Things really change in the second season. The survivors learn a lot more about the history of the island, the Dharma Initiative, and "The Others." The writers also found a plausible way to introduce several new characters into the series as we see what happened to the people in the tail end of the plane (though off camera issues would result in many of the having short lived stints on the show.) We also get to meet Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick), the man whose fate is intricately tied to the island and who knows what caused the crash of Oceanic 815 in the first place. Then there's 'Henry Gale' (Michael Emerson), possibly the best addition to a TV show's cast... ever.

Season two also showed the first signs of weakness in the show's writing. While entertaining, some episodes seem to drag on, rehashing the same plot over and over in an attempt to fill in the gaps between the first and last episodes [...]

Guy Pearce Joins Katie Holmes In Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark’

It's been a while since we heard that Guillermo del Toro was attached to remake the 1973 TV movie Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Recently the project has begun to heat up with the announcement of Katie Holmes being cast, and now comes word that Guy Pearce is in final negotiations to star in the movie. Nine-year old Bailee Madison -- who already has almost 20 IMDB listings -- has also been cast.

The movie was about a man whose young daughter moves into his creepy house with him and his girlfriend. Eventually the young girl discovers that the house is also inhabited by demons who want to make the little girl one of their own -- though her father refuses to believe this to be true.

If you haven't figured it out yet, Pearce will of course play the father; Holmes will play his girlfriend, while Madison will naturally play his daughter. Guillermo del Toro wrote the script with Matthew Robbins and he is producing with Mark Johnson. One of del Toro's understudies, Troy Nixey, will be directing the movie adaptation. [...]