VideoETA News

'Bourne' lives on with new poster and trailer

So, Matt Damon didn't want to make any more Jason Bourne, that's ok. The studio just went to the next actor on their list and decided to reboot the franchise.

If you think about it, the only franchise where this level of actor switching has worked is when the character in question is Bond. James Bond. So, for Universal to decide to move forward with another Bourne movie took some real... Read More

New 'Spider-Man' trailer looks, well, 'Amazing'

I admit it. I was down on The Amazing Spider-Man.

It's not like I can hide from it. The evidence is here and here.

Let's be honest, I wasn't just down on the movie, I found it to be redundant and unnecessary. It was simply the latest example of Hollywood's obsession with sequels and remakes.

Everything that I saw up to this point told me the same thing. This was exactly the... Read More

VideoETA Podcast #3: I'm Super! Thanks for Asking!

We went MIA (not to be confused with the middle-finger waving M.I.A.) in January for our podcast and there are many factors that contributed to our radio silence, but the biggest contributor was Tim's alien abduction. It's true, Tim had a Close Encounter of the Not So Kind Variety and I made the executive decision to suspend all podcast activities until the aliens finished their probing.

Don't fret, Tim's back and... Read More

Check out all of the Super Bowl movie ads right here

In the age of the tease and the tease before the tease, it should shock absolutely no one that Super Bowl ads are starting to leak out before the big show. Personally, I think the ads are more effective when they are new and the potential to be blown away is still there.

Of course, I'm also the one who doesn't like to watch previews to next week's show of our... Read More

Kristen Bell loves Sloth (no it's not a 'Goonies' reference)

OK, I've officially changed my mind. I used to think that the week between Christmas and New Year's was the slowest news week of the year, but I'm beginning to think that it's the week leading up the Super Bowl instead.

It doesn't help matters much that the Golden Globe awards are done and the Oscar nominations are out and that anyone who is anyone is recuperating from their little Mountain... Read More

Ferris Bueller returns on February 5th (Updated with full commercial)

If there is one character from John Hughes' universe that I would want to most check in on in adulthood, it is Ferris Bueller. He was an iconic, if not flawed, high schooler and you can only imagine what trouble he would get into in the business world.

Sadly, John Hughes is no longer with us and we will never know what his vision would entail of his classic character, but... Read More

Skip 3D, watch 'Star Wars Uncut' instead

Many of you know that the Star Wars films are getting re-released in 3D starting with The Phantom Menace next month, but you may want to save your money and watch this instead. You know how I feel about 3D in general and the new Star Wars trilogy specifically, so this probably doesn't come as much of a surprise.

You may recall that Tim has mentioned something about the Star Wars... Read More

'Hugo' scores big with 11 Oscar nominations

When the 84th Academy Awards nominations were announced this morning we knew that there were going to be some snubs and surprises, but we just didn't realize how "huge-o" the surprises were going to be.

I would wager that the biggest surprise came in the form of Hugo's 11 nominations that bested Golden Globes darling The Artist's 10 nominations and sets up a wide open race in which there are very... Read More

'Dazed & Confused's Wooderson returns for a music video & more

It's not often that we simply just post cool videos that we've seen online, but sometimes they are just too awesome not to share. And what would be more awesome than Matthew McConaughey reprising his Dazed and Confused persona of Wooderson?

That's right, nothing.

But before we get to that, I noticed that this week seems to be the week of mixing music and movies together to create pure awesomeness. So, why... Read More

'Resident Evil: Retribution' trailer suffers from identity crisis

Is it a commercial for Sony electronic products? Or is it a trailer for the latest Resident Evil movie from Sony? Does it really matter?

The answer is both and yes, it does matter.

We have talked about product placement in movies before and last year documentary film maker Morgan Spurlock even made a whole movie devoted to it. We all know that Sony is perhaps the studio most guilty of product... Read More

Five Bad Films: Living Screen Icons

Our first article was such a huge success, that it only makes sense like any good Hollywood studio that we crank out the sequels. In this installment we turn the camera on to those who are used to the bright lights and attention, the screen icons.

For our purposes, we define screen icon as an actor that literally owns the box office. They are the top 1% of the 1% and... Read More

Current films go retro for Alternate Universe Movie Posters

What if modern hit films were made 30-60 years earlier? Who would be cast? What would the movie posters look like? Those are the questions answered by an artist named Sean Hartter (http://hartter.blogspot.com) in his series of Alternate Universe Movie Posters. (Editor's Note: See correction at bottom. The following belong to Peter Stults (http://www.behance.net/PeterStults).)

Not only are the designs impeccable but the retro casting of current movies is simply brilliant. Check... Read More

Quentin Tarantino shares his favorite films from 2011

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino didn't release a movie in 2011, but that didn't stop him from sharing his opinion on what was great (and not so great) at theaters last year. You might recall that last year's list caused a bit of a stir as Tarantino has particular likes and sticks to his guns.

Well, 2012 still has that new car smell and even through Tarantino is in the middle of filming... Read More

'The Artist' is top dog at the Golden Globes

Who says that you can't teach an old dog new tricks? That old wives tale was obliterated last night both literally and metaphorically as The Artist took home the most Golden Globes with three, but may have been upstaged by their cuddly co-star Uggie the dog.

The other old dog of the night was Harvey Weinstein who not only brought the unconventional The Artist to the light of day, but also... Read More

Why 'The Dark Knight Rises' is destined to fail (UPDATED with comments)

The Dark Knight Rises is certainly going to be a box office behemoth. This is a fact that Tim and I agree upon, but just because a movie makes a ton of cash does not mean that the film is good, or even well-liked by hardcore fans.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace grossed over $431 million at the box office, good enough for 7th on the all-time list... Read More

Best movies of 2012 that you don't know about yet: John's list

By now, I'm sure that you've read our list of movies that we think will be heating up the box office charts in 2012 and probably Tim's, shall we say, negative rant on the state of cinema. But now I'll attempt to shed a little light into those darker corners of the release schedule.

While, I head on over to Tim's office to remove all of the sharp objects, peruse my... Read More

Best movies of 2012 that you don't know about yet: Tim's list

As John alluded to in our post predicting the biggest box office films of 2012, I think this will be another down year for Hollywood. Overall movie theater attendance was the worst it's been in 16 years (http://www.ifc.com/fix/2011/12/declining-movie-attendance-2011). I believe it'll continue to fall this year as there's no end in sight for rising 3D ticket prices and a terrible movie-watching experience. Not to mention that many cinemas treat you... Read More

Our 2012 top box office pick 'Rises' above all the rest

This year is certain to be one to remember. If for no other reason, 2012 will either be the year in which a great race of people were vindicated or mocked as the original Harold Camping.

While Tim and I usually agree on a lot of things, one thing we can't come to agreement on is this year's business at the box office. Tim thinks that 2012 will continue in the... Read More

Elizabeth Olsen goes long in 'Silent House' trailer

I have to admit it. There's really only one reason that Tim and I are posting this trailer.

And that reason is Elizabeth Hot Olsen. And yes, I'm pretty sure that is her legal middle name.

What? It's not? Well, then it ought to be, no?

Anyhow, our misplaced lusting aside, there is something intriguing about Silent House other than starring the talented, and yes beautiful, Olsen child. As you will see below,... Read More

Alan Arkin gets iced in 'Thin Ice' trailer

I've always like Alan Arkin, so I'm not entirely sure why there's a lot of hostility against him in the new trailer for Thin Ice. Actually, it's a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, but that's only scraping the tip of the ice berg when it comes to this movie.

Greg Kinnear looks to be the real star of the film as an insurance salesman who... Read More

I know it's 'Wrong,' but why?

One of the few fresh breaths of air to blow through Hollywood last year was French musician turned film director Quentin Dupieux. Much like the tumbleweed antics of his movie's protagonist, a tire, Dupieux practically came out of nowhere, shocked those that saw him and exited stage left, presumably never to be heard from again.

Well, we can officially put that last bit of speculation to rest.

Quentin Dupieux's next film Wrong... Read More

Kevin Smith's 'Hit Somebody' back to one movie, eyes June shoot

It's been a great while since we've checked in with our friend Kevin Smith, but rest assured that he's keeping busy. No, really, 2011 was an extremely busy one (http://silentbobspeaks.com/?p=424) for the retiring film maker.

While it doesn't appear that he'll be slowing down any in 2012, what with a new reality TV show debuting on AMC on February 12, a slew of live podcast dates (http://seesmod.com/) and one night... Read More

Great vs. Good film making, or why Fincher is a God

It's not often in life when you can truly compare apples to apples. And when you compare apples to oranges, there are just some people that have a natural disposition to apples or oranges.

Don't worry, we didn't become a fruit website overnight, but the metaphor fits with the movie that I caught over the weekend, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I enjoyed the books and thought, like many others,... Read More

Five Bad Films: Directors We Love

I guess if the news is slow, then the only thing left to do is generate your own content, right? This is a series that I've been thinking about lately and I hope to flesh it out and turn it into a semi-regular piece if it catches on.

The basic concept is that I'm a bit sick and tired of all of the "Best of" lists that seemingly proliferate movie sites... Read More

Russian 'Avengers' trailer provides new footage

How slow is it around these parts this week? Well, this news story should give you some sort of an idea.

Apparently, a Russian version of the teaser trailer for The Avengers popped online today and while it's precisely two minutes in length (the same as the American trialer), there's a miniscule amount of new footage in this trailer.

So yes, what amounts to maybe 10 seconds of new footage of a... Read More

A dozen films worth seeing in theaters in 2012

Well, we all know that 2012 is poised to be an epic year. First, there's that whole Mayan "end of the world" thing to think about towards the end of the year. But, more importantly, between now and then Hollywood may just yet redeem itself at the box office.

I'm not sure if Hollywood was hedging its bets just in case there's any truth to these Mayan Apocalypse rumors or not,... Read More

POV tabulates the best documentaries of 2011

I love documentaries. Instead of simply being entertained by a work of fiction, sometimes I'd rather learn about a subject. The experience makes me appreciate different facets of life here on this big blue marble. In other words, I believe it makes me a better person.

PBS's POV (http://www.pbs.org/pov/) is the perfect place for documentary fans. They showcase all kinds of documentaries on their blog. The series regularly airs the films... Read More

Revisit the films of 2011 in this wonderful montage

It's funny. The week between Christmas and New Year's is one that is traditionally slow in Hollywood.

The main reason for this is that the studios traditionally used to shut down for that week and enjoy the spoils of their good year. Given the ever-changing landscape of film, I highly doubt that they continue this practice to this day, but it does mark a good time for us to reflect back... Read More

'Prometheus' looks epic, familiar in trailer

So, the big question about Prometheus ahead of its June 8, 2012 theatrical release is whether it is or isn't a prequel to 1979's Alien. Today's trailer debut only helps to muddy the waters even further.

There are some very direct connections to Ridley Scott's iconic film and many indirect connections. The bottom line is that despite what Scott and company say officially, the trailer feels like this is a prequel... Read More

Critic Roger Ebert picks his 20 best films of 2011

I love holiday traditions. Posting film critic's annual "Best of" list is one of the things I enjoy most around this time of year. Not showcasing Ebert's picks would be like not decorating our Festivus Pole.

Equal parts obscure and mainstream, Ebert's list of the 20 best films for 2011 has a lot to offer. You'll find validation for some of your favorites as well as a few "I've never heard... Read More