VideoETA News

When the whole isn't greater than the sum of its parts

We've all heard the old sports adage, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Usually, it refers to a team that comes together and plays better than their collective talent would suggest that they are capable of playing.

Think George Mason making it to the Final Four. Think Joe Namath and his Jets.

Sometimes, this adage holds true in film as well. You look at the box office success... Read More

Empire: 50 Iconic Movie Stills

Sometimes with the advent of technology, we forget that movies are simply single stills moving past a light source at 24 frames per second (usually). That basically "moving pictures" is nothing more than an optical illusion.

We also tend to forget just how iconic a single frame can be. Think about Titanic and that one shot of Leonardo DiCaprio becoming "the king of the world." That one still encapsulated the entire... Read More

'Now you know... the rest of the story'

Paul Harvey passed away earlier this year, but if ever there was a news story that would fit his trademark line, this is it.

Hollywood seems to be in a period of great infatuation with the ambiguous ending. You know the drill, invest two or three hours of your life and hold back your exploding bladder to finally get to the story's resolution, only to have the movie cut to black... Read More

'Kick-Ass' takes form with trailer, poster

Have we reached a point of saturation for comic-related movies? The results at the box office seem to point to no.

With that in mind, it's not very surprising that it feels like every other news story we post is related in one way or another to a comic movie. The latest comes in the form of comic book turned feature film Kick-Ass.

The basic plot revolves around a comic book geek... Read More

'Chipmunks,' 'Tinker Bell' are surprises up for Oscars' Best Animated Feature

Twenty films have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category at next year's Oscars. Under rules for the category, a max of five will actually be nominated.

According to the Associated Press (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091111/ap_en_mo/us_oscars_animated_films), 20 is a record number of submissions in the category. The previous best was 17 in 2002.

The list includes some clear favorites including Up, Coraline, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. The inclusion of the upcoming animated/live-action... Read More

A movie by any other name?

Would Citizen Kane be the classic example of American filmmaking that it is today had it been given another name? What if it were called "Rosebud"?

If you're a fan of Family Guy, you'll probably get where I'm going with this. If you're not, don't worry, I'll clue you in a bit later.

I was scouring the Internet today (aka doing my job) and I came across this very cool video put... Read More

The world ends in '2012,' or does it?

If you've seen any of the previews at all for the upcoming disaster porn flick 2012, then you know that director Roland Emmerich picks up where he leaves off in Independence Day. The guy likes to destroy things, as much as I'm sure Michael Bay likes to play with robots and blow stuff up.

Forget the French, I think Emmerich easily holds the record for the number of times he's destroyed... Read More

Someone dial 9-1-1, these stars are in need of some medical attention!

So, there I was sitting in my doctor's office this morning for my annual physical and three things popped into my head.

First, I'm so glad that I'm still young enough that my physical doesn't involve re-enacting the "Moon River" sequence from Fletch. "You using the whole fist, doc?"

Second, always schedule your yearly appointment in the Summer when less people are sick. I'm sure that I caught something in the cess... Read More

New trailer for animated 'How to Train Your Dragon'

The minds who brought you Shrek and Kung Fu Panda are working on an instructional video?

Well, not exactly. How to Train Your Dragon is DreamWorks Animation's adaptation of the kiddie lit book series by Cressida Cowell. The studio just released a trailer for the film coming next Spring.

It's the story of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. The young Viking warrior isn't as fierce or heroic as he is expected to be.... Read More

Back to the woods, 'Blair Witch 3' coming?

They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. "They" obviously never spoke with Blair Witch Project co-creator Eduardo Sanchez.

In an interview with the Toronto Star (http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/718352--blair-witch-creator-eduardo-s-nchez-contemplates-sequel), Eduardo quipped "I wouldn't be completely honest with you if I said I wasn't jealous of Paranormal Activity."

The ultimate irony may be that the success of Paranormal Activity, which many are calling a direct descendent of the Blair Witch phenomenon,... Read More

Hugh Jackman is out, and the Oscars host goes to... (Updated)

One thing is for certain. On March 7, 2010, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will host their 82nd annual Academy Awards. The one thing that's not certain is who will host the biggest awards show of the year.

In case you haven't been following along, Hugh Jackman took his hat out of the ring for consideration as host (http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/10/29/hugh-jackman-out-who-should-host-the-oscars-this-year-instead/) and it's stirred the pot in terms of hosting duties... Read More

What's that gun? IMFDB catalogs firearms in film

Of course we all love IMDb, the Internet Movie Database. But there are times when the all-encompassing movie and television resource isn't enough.

Thankfully we have sites like the Internet Movie Firearms Database (http://www.imfdb.org/index.php?title=Main_Page) (a.k.a. IMFDB). This destination catalogs the weapons featured in popular movie and TV shows. It's a wiki-style resource which lives on user submissions.

You can search or browse the site by movie/show, actor or even particular firearm. I... Read More

Wired's Top 10 Halloween Movies for Kids

We may get caught up in the gore and horror that makes Halloween fun for adults but it's important to remember that the holiday is really about the kids. Dressing up in costumes and trick-or-treating are among my favorite childhood memories. I hope that will be true for my young kids as well.

Thankfully, Wired's Geek Dad blog (or "Eeeek Dad" are they've redubbed it this week) has a list of... Read More

'Smokin' Aces 2' hits DVD on January 19, watch trailer now

I'm sure there's no coincidence that Universal announced their direct-to-video sequel to Smokin' Aces the same week that Boondock Saints II is set to hit theaters. It's called theatrical drafting and while it's usually timed to have the title street the week a big theatrical title comes out, this approach might actually pay off.

While the two titles are anything but kin, they are in the same gritty violence vein. With... Read More

Vampire cheat sheet could be a life saver

I admit it. I'm jaded.

There are very few things that come along that really excite me these days, however, this vampire chart from io9 (http://io9.com/5391215/top-50-vampires-the-ultimate-score-sheet) is one of them.

The chart (which we could only include partially to the right because of its massive size and awesomeness) summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of 50 popular vampires throughout popular culture. Included in the list is everyone from Count Chocula to Blacula to... Read More

Metromix's '10 Scariest Non-Horror Movies' from this decade

Local entertainment web site network Metromix has published a very interesting movie list. They've chronicled, in no particular order, this decade's 10 scariest non-horror movies.

Yes, that's right. Scary movies that can't be classified as true horror.

Think about it: what's more scary? Going into a horror movie expecting to be scared or going into a comedy or drama flick and getting the surprising thrill of a lifetime? There are only so... Read More

'Gentlemen Broncos' to offer up Halloween laughs

Sometimes studios bank on counter-programming to make a quick buck at the box office. That's why you see a glut of chick flicks that come out on Super Bowl weekend and the weeks leading up to it.

So, with a veritable death match being waged at the box office for this weekend's Halloween receipts between horror heavyweight Saw VI and underdog Paranormal Activity, Fox Searchlight decided to bow quirky comedy Gentlemen... Read More

Is DirecTV's 'Tommy Boy' ad in poor taste? (Update)

OK, I'll admit this post is only tangentially associated with movies. I've been battling the flu for the past few days so I'm hoping you'll give me a free pass.

DirecTV has been running a series of TV ads which take a classic film and insert the present-day actor with new dialogue that promotes their satellite services. They've produced commercials featuring Charlie Sheen in Major League and Sigourney Weaver in Alien.... Read More

FunnyorDie.com spoofs this weekend's box office

I will admit that I'm a pretty big Saw fan and that I actually look forward to getting out on opening weekend each year to see the new installment. Well, this year through circumstances out of my control, I didn't get out to see it.

And judging from this weekend's box office results, I'm not the only one from the Saw faithful that didn't pack theaters as in past years. In... Read More

New 'Sherlock Holmes' poster teases perfectly

There are few films that I'm looking forward to more in the balance of 2009 than Sherlock Holmes. Sure, I'm a sucker for movies set in what I like to call "Jack the Ripper London" (you know what I'm talking about), but this movie seems to re-launch the whole Sherlock Holmes character for a new generation.

And before you pile on about how I'm so anti-remake and how I'm a hypocrite... Read More

Celebrate the Halloween 'Season' with a trailer for Nic Cage's horror flick

'Tis the season for scary movies. In this case, perhaps I should say tease the season for scary movies.

Lionsgate just released the following teaser trailer for the upcoming horror flick Season of the Witch starring Nicolas Cage. It'll be attached to Saw VI in theaters.

It's a fantasy thriller set in the 14th Century.... Read More

A new 'Star Wars Trilogy' on the horizon?

You know the old saying, "never say never."

Well, it seems that George Lucas didn't learn his lesson with the prequel trilogy or last year's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull about when to let sleeping dogs lie.

According to 3D Movie blog MarketSaw (http://marketsaw.blogspot.com/2009/10/exclusive-lucasfilm-gearing-up-another.html), Lucas and his cronies are seriously considering a new trilogy of films to add to the Star Wars landscape. Of course, the rumor (and... Read More

Quentin Tarantino lists the best films since he broke into the business

Quentin Tarantino is one of those polarizing figures in film, you either hate him or you love him. I tend to be firmly planted in the love camp, but when I found his list of top 20 movies since he started making films, I started to question that love.

I mean seriously, Friday? Are you smoking the same stuff that Ice Cube was in the movie?

And I know that Q Ball... Read More

'Toy Story' tops list of greatest animated films

A recent poll of 4,000 movie fans ranked the 1995 film Toy Story as the best animated film of all-time. Market research firm OnePoll queried fans aged seven to 65 to determine the favorite.

Disney released movies counted for eight of the top 10 and 17 of the 20 best. Disney-owned Pixar produced three of the top 10, including Toy Story. The only non-Disney movies were Shrek (Dreamworks), Ice Age (Blue... Read More

Mel Gibson returns with a kick-butt trailer

Pop quiz, hotshot. Name the last movie that starred Mel Gibson in the leading role.

Give up? Yeah, we didn't get it right either. However, if you said 2002's Signs, give yourself a big pat on the back.

Believe it or not, the supernatural spooker was Mel's last starring role. Of course, Mel has been plenty busy what with directing a couple of movies (The Passion of The Christ and Apocalypto) and... Read More

Five seconds of hilarity

Sometimes we're really slow to catch on to things. Tim and I would both like to think that we are on the bleeding edge of the entertainment and web spheres, but sadly things like this put us in our place.

Today, as I was going through my normal routine looking for something that might tickle your movie fancy as our readers, I stumbled across this on YouTube.

Read More

I wanna rock: Trailer for the upcoming British comedy 'Pirate Radio'

Rock 'n roll is at the heart of my most beloved movies. Flicks like Almost Famous, The Doors, Spinal Tap, Wayne's World, and Dazed and Confused are near the top of my all-time faves. The upcoming movie Pirate Radio is destined to be on that list too.

The film tells the story of a unsanctioned offshore radio station which broadcast raucous rock music for starved British teens who only had the... Read More

Andy's new look: Is 'Toy Story 3' a bad move for Pixar? (Updated with comments!)

The new 3D double feature of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 has increased everyone's anticipation for Toy Story 3 next June. I, on the other hand, am starting to wonder if Pixar is messing with a classic.

No, this isn't another rant against the evils of 3D. Instead I'm debating that this may not be the best direction for computer animation powerhouse Pixar.

I watched the teaser trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f-MYl-HzNw) for Toy... Read More

Kevin Smith wants '80s sound for 'Dicks'

Dust off your Casio and favorite synthesizer, director Kevin Smith is looking for a little '80s sound to go with his throwback buddy cop movie A Couple of Dicks. And according to Empire (http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=26005), he has the ultimate 1980s composer in mind.

"As I'm putting the flick together, I see it as a real throwback to the 80s buddy cop genre. So I'm putting some music on this scene, see if... Read More

The Griswolds are going on another 'Vacation'... sort of

There are few indisputable facts in this world. We all die. The taxman will always take his share - and then some. And finally, that I will rail against any and every attempt to remake the classic movies of my youth.

This story is sort of in the vein of that last statement. Over at The Hollywood Reporter (http://www.heatvisionblog.com/2009/10/vacation-sequel-from-new-line.html), they are reporting that New Line has plans to develop a sequel/reboot... Read More