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The 15 Dumbest Horror Movie Characters

Max Evry — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:00:04 +0000

Dimension

People in horror movies do the darndest things, don't they? We've all had a "Don't go in there, you idiot!" moment or twelve while watching fright flicks. Horror sure does bring out the stupids.

This counter-intuitive behavior makes it seem like these folks are handing over their lives on a silver platter, so in honor of this weekend's "Evil Dead" let's celebrate the good, the bad and the dumber-than-a-bag-of-hammers of the genre. Appropriately enough, our first entry comes from that franchise.

15. Ash, 'Army of Darkness' (1992)

Universal

Body Donor: Bruce Campbell
IQ Fail: Even in the semi-serious first "Evil Dead" Campbell's Ash was a few french fries short of a Happy Meal, but by this third entry he had devolved into hubris incarnate. His buffoonery lands him in the Middle Ages, where he's forced to do battle with skeletons raised after he misspoke three lousy words he was supposed to remember ("Klaatu verata nicto"). His idiocy is enhanced in both versions of the ending, where he ditches a 14th century kingdom and a hot girl to go back to his 20th century hardware store job, or when he accidentally takes too many drops of a sleeping potion and awakens after the apocalypse.

14. Millburn, 'Prometheus' (2012)

Fox

Body Donor: Rafe Spall
IQ Fail: How's this for a numbskull: A supposed scientist, who gets scared s**tless after seeing a 2000-year-old dead alien corpse and then gets mad lost, finally falls in friggin' lurve with a giant alien penis worm gaping with vagina dentata. Tell us something, Mr. PhD who wears glasses and acts smart, how was that thing NOT gonna violate your face holes until you die? It's an honest question that deserves an honest answer.

13. Clark, 'The Thing' (1982)

Universal

Body Donor: Richard Masur
IQ Fail: It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for. In terms of screenplay logic, making Clark — a.k.a. the guy who spent the most time with the dog that turned out to be a shapeshifting alien — into a big ol' red herring makes sense. However, once they realize Clark is human, what excuse does he have for acting like a stunned Martian for the whole movie? Guess being a dog master in a remote arctic outpost doesn't require Mensa membership.

12. Barbara, 'Night of the Living Dead' (1968)

Anchor Bay

Body Donor: Judith O'Dea
IQ Fail: In the 19th century, quack doctors used vibrators to treat female hysteria. What's the 20th century cure? A dude smackin' some sense into her, apparently. The scene where Duane Jones slaps Judith O'Dea in "Night of the Living Dead" stands as one of the proudest moments in horror as an African American crossed the color line and was allowed the privilege of hitting a white woman to calm her the hell down. It's a great scene, and elicits deserving cheers when watched with an enlightened audience. Of course, when Barbara sees her undead brother at the end she still can't tell the difference between a living dude and a zombie. Traumatized or not, that's moronic.

11. Renfield, 'Dracula' (1931)

Universal

Body Donor: Dwight Frye
IQ Fail: So yeah, this guy is way dumb. He ignores villagers who tell him Count Dracula is a bad mama jamma, then gets taken to the castle by a coach driven by a bat! Hey dude, I dunno about you but we'd be all like, "Hey, just drop us off right here at the corner of the cemetery, can walk the rest of the way, thanks." Nope, he stays with Dracula and winds up becoming the Count's personal raving slave monkey. Wipe that grin off your face, Renfield … if The Count from "Sesame Street" were here he'd be like, "How many idiots? One … ONE! ONE IDIOT! HAHAHAHA!"

10. Franklin, 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' (1974)

MGM

Body Donor: Paul A. Partain
IQ Fail: We love it when the dumbest guy is the first to die by chain saw. Though the paraplegic Franklin elicits initial sympathy, he truly reveals himself to be dead weight once things go sour and our heroes are suddenly smack in the middle of a survival situation. Abandoning a cripple sounds cruel until you meet this whiny, worthless sack of crap. "If I have any more fun today I don't think I can take it!" he lamely grumbles after four way hotter people pushed him around in his damn wheelchair all day. You're no picnic either, Franklin, and frankly the group should have left you when you comically rolled down the hill and fell on your cracker ass.

9. Dr. Samuel Klein, 'The Exorcist' (1973)

Warner Bros.

Body Donor: Barton Heyman
IQ Fail: Doctors think they know everything, but the truth is they only know like seven-tenths of everything, or something like that. So when this Klein dude tells Ellen Burstyn that the possessed Regan just needs therapy, he's wrong … DEAD WRONG. Actually, just "wrong" — he doesn't die, but you get the idea. "Mrs. MacNeil, the problem with your daughter isn't her bed, it's her brain." It's not her bed or her brain, it's a centuries-old demon named Pazuzu! If Dr. Klein had done more archaeological digs in Iraq he would know this, but even a layman knows moving objects around with your mind is not in the DSM.

8. Brom Van Brunt, 'Sleepy Hollow' (1999)

Paramount

Body Donor: Casper Van Dien
IQ Fail: Brom is the 19th-century equivalent of a schoolyard jock, picking on the pale nerd that is Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp). Upset about the moves Crane has been putting on his fiancé Katrina (Christina Ricci), he fools the uptight constable into thinking he sees the Headless Horsemen, only when both of them have an actual encounter with the supernatural being Crane warns Brom that the Horseman doesn't care about them. Brom pays no heed, engages the Hessian in battle and gets chopped right down the middle. Perhaps this was revenge for Ray Park, the stunt man who played the unceremoniously halved Darth Maul just a few months prior. Either way, if a monster ain't after you, don't fight it. Period.

7. Judy, 'Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood' (1988)

Paramount

Body Donor: Debora Kessler
IQ Fail: As far as movie Judys go, between this lamebrained teen and the little girl from "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer," the latter probably has a better chance of survival against Jason Voorhees. He attacks her boyfriend while they're camping out in a tent, and she thinks if she cocoons herself in her sleeping bag she'll be safe. Nope. Jason picks up the sleeping bag and hurls her against a tree like a human piñata, killing her with one whack. One whack!

6. Dewey Riley, 'Scream' movies (1996-2011)

Dimension

Body Donor: David Arquette
IQ Fail: We're not sure ol' Dewey should be allowed to stay deputy sheriff of Woodsboro, seeing as how many times he's been stabbed in the line of duty. This dopey cop somehow survived all four "Scream" movies despite his skin being a magnet for knives. Arquette's naturally spacey tendencies add to the soft-headedness of the character, but also make him likeable, like a puppy with a limp.

5. Wendy, 'The Shining' (1980)

Warner Bros.

Body Donor: Shelley Duvall
IQ Fail: Oh, Wendy. Besides being pretty slow on the uptake when her husband Jack (Jack Nicholson) is clearly going cuckoo bananas, she makes a huge mistake right at the beginning. Let's say your husband is an alcoholic who drunkenly beat your son, but has since been dry for a few months. How can you bring equilibrium back to your family and marriage? Why, let's hole up in the middle of NOWHERE in a massive hotel built on an INDIAN BURIAL GROUND where the previous caretaker MURDERED HIS FAMILY. There's no way Jack's sanity, already hanging by a thread, will snap. Nuh-uh. Never gonna happen. Nope.

4. Micah, 'Paranormal Activity' (2007)

Paramount

Body Donor: Micah Sloat
IQ Fail: Like Wesley Snipes said in "White Men Can't Jump": "Always listen to the woman." Instead of shutting the damn camera off and taking his wife out of that house, lunkhead Micah does everything that she and a noted demonologist (!) tell him not to do, like taunting or communicating with the bastard spirit via Ouija boards and stuff. Even if all this was fake as hell, wouldn't you have to at least be a dick to keep ignoring your wife's demands? Of course, he has to be a dick in order for the movie to exist, 'cause any other sensible human being would have sold that camera on eBay about 20 minutes into this thing.

3. Anna, 'Maniac' (1980)

Anchor Bay

Body Donor: Caroline Munro
IQ Fail: A beautiful woman in New York can never be too vigilant about the many creeps that dwell around every corner. Unfortunately, Anna can't see murder when it's an inch from her face, with evil incarnate in the form of Joe Spinell's frightful visage. Spinell is playing a killer/mutilator of women, but even if that were not true he's still ugly-ass Joe Spinell, and in what universe can Joe Spinell bag a babe of Caroline Munro's magnitude? Only in a script by Joe Spinell, which this is. She still seems smitten with this cretin who looks like he was rubbed with ham, even as he detours their second date to visit his mom's grave. RED FLAG, lady!

2. Mayor Larry Vaughn, 'Jaws' (1975)

Universal

Body Donor: Murray Hamilton
IQ Fail: "It's all psychological. You yell 'Barracuda,' everybody says 'Huh? What?' You yell 'Shark,' we've got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July." Makes sense. Except … sorry, Mr. Mayor, don't mean to question your airtight logic, but even though you're concerned about summer tourism don't you think people will stay away when other people are getting EATEN? Vaughn's reprehensible disregard for human life in the name of commerce is a form of lunacy that's become all too common in this day and age. It takes a Chief Brody-type to come along and say, "Larry, the summer is over. You're the mayor of Shark City."

1. Little Maria, 'Frankenstein' (1931)

Universal

Body Donor: Marilyn Harris
IQ Fail: Don't talk to strangers. It's pretty basic, but somewhere along the line Maria's dopey hayseed daddy didn't take two minutes to school his little girl about not talking to GIANT LUMBERING MONSTERS. You don't do that! C'mon! Instead, ol' Boris Karloff comes fumbling out of the bushes and Maria doesn't skip a beat in inviting this clearly malevolent implement of destruction to share her flowers. *Le sigh* How many kids got 'ta get drowned before they learn not to trust monsters, and that goes for Godzilla, King Kong, that thing in "Super 8" or any of them? E.T. is the exception that proves the rule.

Damon Lindelof Dishes on 'Prometheus 2'

Scott Harris — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:54:02 +0000

Fox

Last summer's sci-fi epic "Prometheus" wasn't exactly universally loved, but one thing has to be said for it: It certainly got people talking. And that talking is still going on, as one rumor or report after another about the upcoming sequel "Prometheus 2" seems to hit the internet every other day.

So why should today be any different? This week's big "Prometheus 2" news: Damon Lindelof has explained at length to Slash Film just why "Prometheus 2" isn't "Alien," why he's not writing it and why anybody who blames him for "Prometheus 2" sucking even before it exists is probably mental.

First, some quick backstory: Bloody Disgusting recently ran a story saying that production on "Prometheus 2" had devolved into a complete mess because of the way Lindelof set up the ending to "Prometheus," which does not lead into "Alien" but rather sets up its own sequel. And since Lindelof isn't writing "Prometheus 2," nobody including director Ridley Scott knows where the story is supposed to go, so there's wringing of hands, gnashing of teeth and renting of garments all over Hollywood.

Okay, got it? Well, Lindelof says that's all a bunch of complete crap. [note: Spoilers for "Prometheus" follow]

"During the creative process of Prometheus, all involved (that includes Fox and Ridley) had a strong desire for this film to launch off in its own way so that by the end, it would not connect directly to the original 'Alien,' but instead run parallel to it," Lindelof said. "Taking the strong foundation that Jon Spaihts had already written, I worked on the script to this end — and yes, during that process, Ridley did occasionally riff on what he felt might happen next as Shaw and David's Head ventured off of LV-223 in search of wherever The Engineers had come from."

So far so good, right? But according to Lindelof, a simple scheduling problem derailed the happy train to sequel town: Lindelof was committed to the Brad Bird project "Tomorrowland," while Scott had already lined up both "The Counselor" and "Child 44." As a result, Lindelof decided it would do a disservice to "Prometheus 2" if he tried to cram it in alongside all their other projects.

"As to whether Ridley and Fox are 'freaking out' about me not working on a sequel, well that's news to me," Lindelof said. "I retain awesome relationships with both. More importantly, the idea that there aren’t many, MANY writers out there capable of taking the reins is sort of ridiculous. I did not map out a trilogy and then walk when the going got tough. Anyone who says otherwise doesn’t know me and doesn’t know the truth."

So there you have it, discussion over.

Until the next rumors hit, of course. See you then!

50 Upcoming Movie Sequels (Yep, 50)

Max Evry — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:00:48 +0000

Universal

Sequels are awesome, plain and simple. Returning to familiar characters and worlds we love is like covering yourself with a warm blanket, although when a sequel is bad it can be like a blanket covered in potato bugs and lice. Studios love sequels because seven times out of ten they open huge, no matter how good they are.

With that in mind, here's 50 of your favorite titles all preparing to get new installments. Some of them are deep into pre-production while others have barely gotten out of the pitch stages, but you'll be salivating at the thought of some of these sweet babies finally making their way to the screen.

'Paranormal Activity 5'

Paramount

Attached: Unknown
Status: The law of diminishing returns seems to have caught up to Paramount's annual license to print money, and even though the last "Paranormal" grossed half its predecessor, producer Jason Blum is gonna keep pumping out a new scarifying unit. While Katie Featherston will no doubt make an appearance in possessed form, the true comeback kid is original writer/director Oren Peli, who will craft the script for the first time since "PA1," but only time will tell if he'll come back to direct as well. His follow-up directing effort, "Area 51," has yet to see the light of day, either for blowing the lid off Roswell or (more likely) 'cause it stinks. | Read More
Release Date/Year: October 25, 2013

'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'

Attached: Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Jason Clarke, Andy Serkis
Status: Director Rupert Wyatt pulled off the hat trick of making "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" a solid hit despite Tim Burton poisoning the well a decade prior. His original vision for the sequel involved "Full Metal Jacket"-style combat between humans and the ape uprising, but this cool-sounding idea didn't gel with Fox brass, who hired "Cloverfield" helmer Matt Reeves to take over. Pre-production is moving along steadily, with a healthy James Franco-less cast crowed by MVP Andy Serkis as the Che Guevara-esque monkey revolutionary Caesar. | Read More
Release Date/Year: May 23, 2014

'Jurassic Park IV'

Attached: Colin Trevorrow
Status: Here's a project with a history. Since the early 2000s a fourth entry in the JP franchise has been in steady development, with an early script by William Monahan and John Sayles that featured (we s**t you not) hyper-intelligent talking dinosaur commandos with guns. Yeah. That idea went to the dirt farm, and recently Mark Protosevich ("Thor") and husband/wife team Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver ("Rise of the Planet of the Apes") produced a concept that clicked with the studio. Manning the production is Trevorrow, whose "Safety Not Guaranteed" showed an assured grasp of sci-fi and comedy. With "Jurassic Park 3D" wetting people's appetites, now all that's left is to reunite the original trio of Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum and we'll be all set for nostalgia overload. | Read More
Release Date/Year: June 13, 2014

'Transformers 4'

Attached: Mark Wahlberg, Jack Reynor
Status: At first he thought he was out, and then they pulled him back in. Michael Bay seemed like he was through with this series after he essentially leveled Chicago in "Dark of the Moon," but clearly he still has feelings for Optimus Prime and company. Sans Shia, the franchise will move forward in a not-quite reboot/not-quite sequel fashion, with Bay's "Pain & Gain" star Wahlberg leading the charge of the Autobots for this go-round. This fourquel will shoot in Detroit, which luckily comes pre-destroyed, and supposedly involves humans building their own Transformers and having to deal with the repercussions of that, ala "The Terminator." YAWN. | Read More
Release Date/Year: June 27, 2014

'Dumb and Dumber To'

Attached: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels
Status: Peter and Bobby Farrelly haven't hit a home run in a while, and their "Three Stooges" movie was tepidly received at best. Carrey's star seems to be waning these days as well, which is why it makes sense that the old gang get back together to track Harry and Lloyd in their older-but-not-wiser years. Part of the story is rumored to involve one of them having fathered a child in the past, and having to find said child in order to get a much-needed kidney transplant. Unfortunately Daniels' run on "The Newsroom" and Warner Bros. reluctance to give it the green light may keep it from reaching screens despite a finished script. | Read More
Release Date/Year: 2014

'The Expendables 3'

Lionsgate

Attached: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jackie Chan
Status: Sly Stallone's love letter to his generation of bare-knuckled cinematic badassery continues to thrive, hence a third entry appears to be in the cards. Besides nabbing Chan's chop socky for an extended role, Nicolas Cage is also in the running to bring his brand of crazy. Steven Seagal was approached but will not be in the film, and Stallone has stated his script will revolve around younger recruits to the mercenary game. Supposedly Stallone's wishlist also includes Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood, Wesley Snipes and Sigourney Weaver.| Read More Release Date/Year: 2014

'Vacation'

Attached: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate
Status: In a series that has already survived three sequels and some direct-to-DVD atrocities, doing a soft reboot in the spirit of the original doesn't seem like such a bad thing. Hot writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein ("Horrible Bosses") were brought on to write and later asked by New Line to direct it as well, with "Hangover" star Helms as an all-grown-up Rusty Griswold leading his own clan across country. Fans are hopeful for an Anthony Michael Hall cameo, but with Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo doing "Vacation" Super Bowl commercials as the Griswolds it doesn't seem like a stretch to have them in on it too, perhaps dying en route like poor Aunt Edna. | Read more
Release Date/Year: 2014

'Zoolander 2'

Attached: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Jonah Hill
Status: While Stiller has reprised really really really good-looking model Derek Zoolander on SNL numerous times since 2001, a bona fide sequel has sparked to life in the last few years. A script was written by Justin Theroux ("Tropic Thunder") featuring Derek and Hansel (Wilson) feeling old and irrelevant in Europe. Will Ferrell's villainous Mugatu will have a prominent role if it gets made, but right now Stiller seems to be occupied with his "Walter Mitty" remake. | Read More
Release Date/Year: 2014

'Marvel's The Avengers 2'

Attached: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson
Status: Phase 2 of the Marvel movieverse will begin this summer with "Iron Man 3" and culminate in another nerdgasm team-up likely to surpass the staggering grosses of the first "Avengers." Master of arms Joss Whedon will return to the director's chair and offer quips aplenty, but as for who will enhance the already considerable group dynamic is unclear. Edgar Wright's "Ant-Man" is scheduled for 2015 as well, so that character may be involved, but persistent rumor has mysterioso android The Vision in the frame to do some avenging. With scripting nearly complete, it's only a matter of time before we know if Downey Jr. can be wooed back into the fold for one last go-round as ol' shellhead. | Read More
Release Date/Year: May 1, 2015

'Star Wars: Episode VII'

Attached: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Status: Perhaps the most long-awaited sequel in history, and one we were told over and over would never happen, Lucasfilm was sold to Disney late last year to the tune of $4 billion with the promise of strip-mining the "Star Wars" legacy, a key selling point for the studio. Indeed, the plan is to churn out a new trilogy and at least three solo films (literally: one will be about Han Solo) over the course of six years. Considering fans have had decade-long breaks between trilogies, that's a serious feast or famine scenario. Michael Arndt ("Toy Story 3") is scripting this follow-up to "Return of the Jedi" with the aid of OT script vet Lawrence Kasdan, and director J.J. Abrams will boldly go where he's already gone before in that other "Star" franchise. Make no mistake — this is the big one, folks. | Read More
Release Date/Year: Summer 2015

'Pirates of the Caribbean 5'

Disney

Attached: Johnny Depp
Status: Depp has one of the fullest dance cards in Hollywood, but that doesn't mean he's adverse to earning a nine-figure payday, which he's rumored to get up front for his participation in the next installment of Disney's flagship franchise, pun very intended. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" scribe Jeff Nathanson will again bring nothing to the table for a long-running adventure series that sunk its potential long ago.
Release Date/Year: July 2015

'James Bond 24'

Attached: Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris
Status: With the biggest-grossing Bond ever under his belt, "Skyfall" director Sam Mendes has moved on to greener pastures, leaving a vacated director's seat for some new lucky so-and-so to make their mark. Who could add new life to what has become, at least by "Skyfall," an almost self-reflexively meta-franchise? Not Danny Boyle (ain't interested), not Chris Nolan (busy with "Interstellar"), maybe Ang Lee, perhaps Tom Hooper, but we'd really love to see Martin Campbell come back after crafting the greatest Bond movie ever, "Casino Royale." | Read More
Release Date/Year: Fall 2015

'The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun'

Attached: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
Status: We loved the hell out of Steven Spielberg's first "Tintin" flick, which played like the "Indiana Jones" sequel we always wanted. The plan was always to have Spielberg's producing partner (and unofficial co-director) Peter Jackson take the reigns on Part 2, but given the Kiwi's ever-expanding commitments to two (then three) "Hobbit" movies the date for motion capturing keeps getting pushed. Scripting is being done by British TV vet Anthony Horowitz and rumored to be based on Herge's twin stories "The Seven Crystal Balls" and "Prisoners of the Sun," with the inventive Professor Calculus at the center of things and an expanded role for bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson. | Read More
Release Date/Year: Christmas 2015

'Avatar 2 & 3'

Attached: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
Status: Yeah, did you know the most successful movie of all time was gonna get a sequel? Huh. James Cameron made enough money off the first one to build his own space fleet but is currently deep into scripting the return to Pandora, which will reportedly explore the oceanographic wonders of the planet as well as neighboring planets in that system. We likely haven't seen the last of the big bad mining corporation or Sigourney Weaver's Grace Augustine. Reportedly each of the two back-to-back sequels will tell a self-contained story free of cliffhangers but will form an overarching trilogy. No story specifics yet, but expect exponentially larger battles and perhaps some cute Na'vi babies. | Read More
Release Date/Year: 2015/2016

'Mission: Impossible 5'

Attached: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton
Status: "Ghost Protocol" was the most successful entry in the series, with the Burj Khalifa-climbing antics taking it to new heights. Christopher McQuarrie has become Cruise's go-to guy in recent years, penning "Valkyrie" and the aborted "Top Gun 2," not to mention directing him in the modestly successful "Jack Reacher." Now Paramount is courting him to write the script for a fifth "M:I" with an eye to direct. Also returning to the fold is J.J. Abrams, who will continue to oversee the series as producer despite commitments to a galaxy far, far away.

Release Date/Year: 2015

'Finding Nemo 2'

Pixar

Attached: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres
Status: Soon after Andrew Stanton's "John Carter" face-planted at the box office, the Pixar great went immediately back to his comfort zone with a sure-to-please sequel in order to keep his dark masters at Disney happy. The news was great for Brooks as well, who reportedly signed a very lucrative deal to revive the voice of Marlin, and we suspect another celebrity will be brought in to voice a more grown-up Nemo. This is exactly the kind of get-out-of-jail-free card Stanton needs in the wake of a massive bomb, and his deal stipulates he'll get another shot at live action afterwards. | Read More
Release Date/Year: 2016

'Kung Fu Panda 3'

Attached: Jack Black
Status: With Pixar cashing in on sequel after sequel, it's starting to make rival DreamWorks look a little less mercenary in their creative endeavors. It helps that, under the helpful guidance of Guillermo del Toro, the studio has been having a creative renaissance in recent years, enough to rival Pixar. The last two "Kung Fu Panda" films were dynamite, and this threequel brings director Jennifer Yuh Nelson back to the fold. Most interestingly, this will be the first American animated feature co-produced in China, with roughly one-third of the animation being done over there ... under the watchful eye of Chinese censors, of course. |Read More
Release Date/Year: March 18, 2016

'Ghostbusters III'

Attached: Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis
Status: After "Ghostbusters II" was supposedly an unhappy experience for all involved (including the audience), a third film has remained elusive. Aykroyd wrote a script set in Hell in the mid-'90s with Ben Stiller in mind for the lead, but Bill Murray's lack of interest kept the proton packs uncharged. In recent years Sony has attempted to reignite the project, throwing writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg at it to no avail. Recently scribe Etan Cohen, who crafted a not-too-shabby "MIB 3," was brought in to do damage control on the script, although word is Bill Murray will have none of it, despite occasionally suggesting he might. If it does happen, Ivan Reitman would direct again, and the baton would be passed to a new generation of spirit chasers a la Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, et al. | Read more
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Army of Darkness 2'

Attached: Sam Raimi
Status: A fourth "Evil Dead" always seemed destined for the land of "never gonna happen," and it turns out that feeling was correct. An "Evil Dead 4" isn't going to happen … it's going to be called "Army of Darkness 2!" The 1992 cult classic brought a new level of silly to the Deadite universe, with Bruce Campbell's Ash giving us plenty of sugar while fighting off the medieval dead. Recently Raimi confirmed that he and brother Ted Raimi have begun writing a preliminary script, and with the announcement that Sam is stepping away from the "Oz" property it could very well wind up being his next picture. Perhaps fans need only read the words of the Necronomicon in order to summon it … | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Bill and Ted 3'

Attached: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter
Status: It's one thing when fans berate filmmakers into begrudgingly making a sequel, but it's a whole other joy to see the actors and creators themselves take the initiative to will a sequel to life. That's what seems to be happening with "Bill and Ted," as Reeves and Winter have been beating the drum to make it happen for several years. The writers of "Excellent Adventure" and "Bogus Journey," Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, have written the script and Dean Parisot ("Galaxy Quest") is on board to direct. The story has the now middle-aged duo still trying to write a song to change the world and will see them hop back in the phone booth traveling to the Stone Age. Respectfully, the late George Carlin's Rufus will not be recast. Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Chronicle 2'

Fox

Attached: Unknown
Status: The idea of a found footage superhero movie turned out to be a highly lucrative one, hence FOX commissioned original writer Max Landis to pen a sequel. Unfortunately, Max's papa John Landis let it slip that FOX wasn't keen on the new evolution Max wanted to take the story in. He has stated that, in an interesting twist, the actual found footage content of the first movie will play a significant role in the second, possibly involving people using the film to look for clues about the mysterious meteor or to track the whereabouts of lone survivor Matt Garetty (Alex Russell). | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Who Framed Roger Rabbit 2'

Attached: Robert Zemeckis
Status: Here's another one that's been a long time coming, originally discussed as a prequel called "Roger Rabbit: The Toon Platoon" until Spielberg became antsy about satirizing Nazis. Disney changed it into a "Star is Born"-type story about Roger's ascent in show business, but a really crappy CGI test and ballooning budget forced them to cancel the project altogether. Director Robert Zemeckis recently tried to revive it as a direct sequel with original writers Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seaman, although Bob Hoskins' retirement from acting threw another banana peel under the film. P-P-P-P-P-PLEASE!

Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Beetlejuice 2'

Attached: Tim Burton
Status: In development since the early '90s when it was originally titled "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian," the sequel has been dead and buried in development hell for ages until screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith was brought in to resurrect the ghost with the most. Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder both seem game to reprise their roles as Beetlejuice and goth chick Lydia, although neither Geena Davis nor Alec Baldwin have been confirmed to continue their haunting as the Maitlands. Supposedly the story will be set in the present, over 25 years after the original took place.
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'The Legend of Conan'

Attached: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Status: Arnold starred in two outings as the willful Cimmerian warrior, where he taught us what is best in life ... but what about what is best in death? In the early '00s original director John Milius (with the help of the Wachowski Brothers) wanted to capture the later period of Robert E. Howard's Barbarian when he was "destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow." The resulting script, "King Conan: Crown of Iron," was scuttled after Ahnuld went off to governate California, but now that he's back in the movie game he wants to cap his career with a last hurrah as Conan. Paul Verhoeven of "Total Recall" has expressed an interest in making it, but a director will not be chosen until after writer/producer Chris Morgan ("Fast Five") completes his draft. | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Untitled Pee-wee Herman Project'

Attached: Paul Reubens
Status: Back in the '90s Reubens was desperate to escape his Pee-wee persona, but over the last few years he's been more than happy to clip on the bow tie and get back to his most iconic character. Although several scripts were written, including one set in The Playhouse aimed at kids and another one aimed at adults, it took comedy powerhouse Judd Apatow to get Reubens back to "Big Adventure" basics: a road movie. Paul Rust, a.k.a. the dude from "I Love You Beth Cooper," is penning the script with Reubens and filming is expected to happen imminently. An ideal director would be someone like Michel Gondry, who has been approached in the past.

Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Prometheus 2'

Fox

Attached: Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace
Status: Okay, so "Prometheus" was not the be-all, end-all of "Alien" prequels, and there's some pretty dumb stuff in it, like that scientist who just LOVES the penis snake vagina worm thing that winds up eating his face. It also was STUNNINGLY gorgeous to look at in 3-D and had the showstopping C-section scene. In other words it was a mixed bag, but a mixed bag that made money, so FOX and Ridley Scott are pursuing a sequel that will take Dr. Shaw (Rapace) and the head of android David (Fassbender) to "Paradise," the mere name of which sounds frightening as all get-out. Thankfully, writer Damon Lindelof, responsible for much of the lamer stuff in the first one, will not be back. | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Smiley's People'

Attached: Gary Oldman
Status: Tomas Alfredson's "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" was a brilliant character study of how a life of espionage is really no life at all. Oldman completely disappeared into the part of the cunning, taciturn British intelligence officer George Smiley, earning some of the best accolades of his career, so it's no wonder there was immediate talk of following it up with John le Carre's sequel novel "Smiley's People." Alfredson and screenwriter Peter Straughan are expected to be back, as is most of the stellar cast that didn't bite the dust in the first one.
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Oz the Great and Powerful 2'

Attached: James Franco, Mila Kunis
Status: Sam Raimi's trippy trip into L. Frank Baum territory has become this year's first smash hit, with Disney already starting development on a sequel. Writer Mitchel Kapner is already figuring out what to do next with Franco's huckster wizard, with dozens of books by Baum and others to pilfer from. Unfortunately Raimi, who balanced the tongue-in-cheek spectacle so expertly, will not be back. | Read More

Release Date/Year: Unknown

'21 Jump Street 2'

Attached: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum
Status: Hill and Tatum's surprising chemistry led to "21 Jump Street" being 2012's first tried-and-true sleeper hit. Luckily this irreverent take on the old FOX TV show about high school narcs left things open for an obvious sequel where the boys do some damage in college. Unfortunately, Johnny Depp probably won't return for another cameo, seeing as how his Tom Hanson hilariously ate a bullet. Hill confirmed that he and original screenwriter Michael Bacall were writing it last summer, but directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have yet to commit. | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Indiana Jones 5'

Attached: Harrison Ford
Status: Steven Spielberg and George Lucas really s**t the bed on that last one, but they want to make it up to us. Strangely, another punch to the gut doesn't sound like proper recompense, but George Lucas seems determined to make it happen. Last time he spoke of it Lucas mentioned that they were still in the process of looking for a good maguffin for Indy to go after, and that even though he was retired from making blockbusters he might make an exception for "Indy 5." Thing is, Disney now technically owns the property, and have stated that "Star Wars," not Indy, is their big priority.
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Bubba Nosferatu: Curse of the She-Vampires'

Fox

Attached: Ron Perlman, Paul Giamatti
Status: "Bubba Ho-Tep" has slowly become of the last decade's most prominent cult titles, and Don Coscarelli's joke title at the end credits has slowly been inching towards reality … but not without some serious snags. First, original star Bruce Campbell dropped out for ambiguous "creative differences." Then, when Ron Perlman took over the role of Elvis the funding dried up, despite a very enthusiastic Paul Giamatti keen to play Colonel Parker. Hopefully The King can get back on his feet and kill him some vampires.

Release Date/Year: Unknown

'TRON 3'

Attached: Olivia Wilde, Cillian Murphy, Garrett Hedlund
Status: Yes, "TRON: Legacy" didn't exactly set the world on fire, but it did okay enough that Disney is seriously considering going back to finally get one of these damn "TRON" movies right. Joseph Kosinski has "Oblivion" on the way, and we imagine the success or failure of that Tom Cruise vehicle will have a big hand in whether or not the helmer will return to the gaming grid for more light cycle chases and Bruce Boxleitner cameos. | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Hot Tub Time Machine 2'

Attached: Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke
Status: What many people were figuring would be the next "Hangover"-size comedy smash became just a moderate hit at the box office but made enough of a profit on DVD for MGM to consider greenlighting a sequel. Thing is, John Cusack apparently wants nothing to do with it, or they want nothing to do with him. Something like that. Steve Pink will again direct a script by himself and Corddry … now all they need is a big star from the '80s to anchor it all. Paging Matthew Broderick? | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Independence Day 2 & 3'

Attached: Will Smith, Bill Pullman
Status: You'd have thought that a sequel to one of the biggest sci-fi hits in history would be a no-brainer, but somehow Will Smith and director Roland Emmerich just lost track of the time, and now here we are 17 years later and still nothing to show for it. Smith's full dance card has been the big issue, as well as his asking price of $50 million for the two films — tentatively titled "Independence Day Forever" — but producer/writer Dean Devlin may also be developing a version without Smith. Somehow betting the farm on Bill Pullman coming back doesn't seem the best strategy. Some have surmised that Smith's character may now be the President in the timeline of the film, which would be an interesting switch.
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Super Troopers 2'

Attached: Broken Lizard, Brian Cox
Status: Who wants a mustache ride? One of the early '00s' brightest indie comedies had many pegging comedy troupe Broken Lizard as the second coming of Monty Python, but duds like "Club Dread" and "The Slammin' Salmon" kept that from actually happening. Jay Chandrasekhar and the rest of the gang hope to jumpstart things with a sequel, which finds the boys getting into trouble while patrolling the Canadian border.

Release Date/Year: Unknown

'The Girl Who Played With Fire'

Sony

Attached: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara
Status: David Fincher barely left his stamp on 2011's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" remake, and if you've seen the Noomi Rapace original you know there's not much different except the ending and the amount of money they blew. Contract negotiations with Daniel Craig have apparently soured to the point where Sony has discussed with writer Steven Zaillian the possibility of making it without his Mikael Blomkvist character. It also seems that interest in Stieg Larsson's books has waned, but Fincher remains somewhat committed, exclaiming that "We've got to make it our own thing." | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Venom'

Attached: Josh Trank
Status: Although this would be less of a sequel to "Spider-Man 3," where Venom slithered into his first big screen iteration, it may not be entirely a reboot either. "Hunger Games" director Gary Ross was originally signed to direct a script by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese but has since been nudged out/replaced by "Chronicle" helmer Josh Trank, who will have to wait until his duties on the "Fantastic Four" reboot have been fulfilled. | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Bridget Jones's Baby'

Attached: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant
Status: Hot "Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig was originally brought in to revive the nearly decade-absent Bridget but ultimately decided that a Brit would do greater justice to Helen Fielding's romantically flustered heroine. Peter Cattaneo, who made "The Full Monty," was brought in, but so far the greenlight from Universal has been less than forthcoming. | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Triplets'

Attached: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Eddie Murphy
Status: So here's the deal: The first time Arnold had a short brother; now he has a black one. Hilarity! Eddie Murphy has been put forward as the likely co-star for this over-25-years-later follow-up on Julius and Vincent where they discover yet another genetically mismatched sibling. Ryan Dixon and Josh Gad will script, the latter presumably writing in his trailer between setups on sitcom "1600 Penn." | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Clerks III'

Attached: Kevin Smith
Status: After threatening us with a book or a possible Broadway musical, wake-n'-baker Smith finally put his nose to the grindstone and began typing away on a modestly-awaited third installment on March 8 of this year. The publicity-happy Twitterer even posted a photo of the cover of the first draft. "I jumped out of bed at 4:20 this morning and started writing CLERKS III," he wrote. "It's been like hanging out with old friends. And after 2 hours of tapping the keys and giggling, I have come to a conclusion ... CLERKS III will be the best film I'll ever make." Well aren't we pleased with ourselves? | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Snow White and the Huntsman 2'

Universal

Attached: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth
Status: Trampire antics aside, the first "Snow White" was a solid four-quadrant hit for Universal, who's aching for a franchise that doesn't involve Vin Diesel and cars. In a bit of posturing swagger the studio hired big gun writer David Koepp ("Jurassic Park," "Spider-Man") to begin drafting a sequel before the first came out, but there was always question about whether or not Stewart would headline again. With her return now confirmed, its clear Universal knows where their bread is buttered and left cheatin' director Rupert Sanders with only his divorce to occupy him. | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Blade Runner 2'

Attached: Ridley Scott, Hampton Fancher
Status: Dear sweet lord, please don't let this actually happen. "Prometheus" proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that, while still a visual master, story-wise the 75-year-old Ridley Scott is completely off his rocker. More than any other film on this list, "Blade Runner" has the most geek cache ... and would also be the most harmed by a sequel, good or bad. Let's hope that this is nothing more than Scott's make-work project for original screenwriter Fancher. Harrison Ford has been mooted as a possibility to return as either Rick Deckard or another, older Replicant.

Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Bad Santa 2'

Attached: Billy Bob Thornton
Status: Terry Zwigoff's misanthropic 2003 comedy was a surprise smash that never needed a follow-up, and given Billy Bob's spotty track record since then we're not itching to see a cheap, potentially direct-to-DVD cash grab. In a move that shows just how artistically inclined they are, Dimension Films hired two writers (Johnny Rosenthal and John Phillips) to draft competing scripts, with the winner going into production. Classy. Thornton keeps saying this is a go-project, but we'll ask Santa to put a stop to it if he can. We've been really good, honest. | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Terminator 5'

Attached: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Status: We don't know if the mercenary strip-mining of this franchise will continue unabated, but there is definitely interest in making another one of these, even after the last "Terminator" proved to be anything but a "Salvation." What we do know is that John Connor has become the Rusty Griswald (i.e. played by a different actor each time) of the series, so expect Ashton Kutcher or someone of his ilk to step into Christian Bale's shoes. The screenplay is being penned by James Cameron's right-hand lady Laeta Kalogridis along with "Drive Angry" helmer Patrick Lussier, and the Governator seems prepared to come back in some capacity, most likely in a home for retired T-800s. | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'The Lost Symbol'

Attached: Tom Hanks
Status: Hopefully visionary helmer Mark Romanek ("Never Let Me Go") can inject some much-needed pizazz into what has become a lurching, fatigued series under Ron Howard's guidance. The original "Da Vinci Code" got by on the popularity of the book, but by "Angels and Demons" people had gotten tired of Catholic conspiracies and Hanks' weird hairdo, hence it only made about half the original's haul. If Hanks can get away from his Broadway turn in "Lucky Guy" long enough to reprise Robert Langdon once again, it could pave the way for Dan Brown's forth book "Inferno" as well.|Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Sherlock Holmes 3'

Warner Bros.

Attached: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law
Status: Downey's trusty "Iron Man 3" writer Drew Pearce is on the case, but director Guy Ritchie could return only after he takes on the TV adaptation "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." (possibly starring Tom Cruise). With arch-villain Moriarty vanquished at Reichenbach Falls in "Game of Shadows" there's really no big baddie left to fight … except Holmes' addiction to cocaine. Release Date/Year: Unknown

'The Thomas Crown Affair 2'

Attached: Pierce Brosnan
Status: While the 1999 "Thomas Crown" was a straight-up remake, the sequel aims to remake another classic '60s caper flick, "Topkapi," and at one time was known as "The Topkapi Affair." This double remake attached mad Dutchman Paul Verhoeven ("Robocop," "Basic Instinct," "Showgirls") as the new director, likely to enhance the glitzy middle-aged sensuality quotient. Now with Verhoeven out of the picture and original helmer John McTiernan facing a jail sentence, it's gonna take some new blood and a helluva lot more star power than the former Bond to bring this project back to life.
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Horrible Bosses 2'

Attached: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jamie Foxx
Status: The zany comedy about three schmucky guys getting back at their bosses played like "Nine to Five" with dudes and did boffo business. The tricksy trio are gonna be back to even more scores with perhaps even higher-grade celeb bosses than last time. Seth Gordon will return to direct and John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein will again write, but at what point do these guys stop being oppressed workers and start being just straight-up bullies? | Read More
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'Austin Powers 4'

Attached: Mike Myers
Status: This one scares us a lot. Granted, just about any time the number "4" is next to a title we start to worry, but considering the shagadelic British spy became annoying somewhere around the middle of the first movie, we're not looking forward to it. Mike Myers running the spy spoof ever further into the ground might be his only option after "The Love Guru," but we'd much rather see Wayne and Garth in their 50s. Thankfully this is still only a germ of an idea being noodled with/pitched in Myers' head.
Release Date/Year: Unknown

'xXx: The Return of Xander Cage'

Attached: Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson
Status: An attempt was made to supplant Vin Diesel's extreme sports spy Xander Cage with a doughy Ice Cube for the first sequel "State of the Union," but the idea of a new xXx for each installment went the way of the dodo when it tanked. Well if it ain't broke don't fix it, so the plan is to bring back Diesel and original helmer Rob Cohen, with recent masterminds of the "Terminator" franchise John Brancato and Michael Ferris providing the screenplay … that is, if anybody still cares.
Release Date/Year: Unknown

Ridley Scott's Next Big Project: YouTube

Scott Harris — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:39:57 +0000

Fox

It's barely been two weeks since we learned that Ridley Scott is hard at work on "Prometheus 2" and frankly, just the idea of that movie exhausts us. But it appears that the 75-year-old director has more energy than we do, because according BuzzFeed, Scott has announced that he will be teaming up with the online content provider Machinima to produce 12 all-new, all-original sci-fi short films for distribution on their YouTube channel.

In space, no on can hear you hit the "like" button.

And it won't just be sci-fi master Scott himself turning out these new viral sci-fi sensations. Scott's production company, Ridley Scott and Associates, also has ties to such top notch talents as Kathryn Bigelow, Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes and Neil Blomkamp. And for RSA president Jules Daly, the idea of getting the world's best directors to create YouTube clips is a match made in heaven.

"There is a plethora of great talent here and sometimes they don’t have a platform for great ideas that would work well in shorts," Daly said. "It could be an established director wanting to try something new, or a brilliant young director from Sweden who surprises us. This is the future, it’s new territory we believe we must investigate."

Scott, of course, agrees.

"RSA has always been at the forefront of creating innovative work," the legendary director of "Alien" and "Blade Runner" said. "With new media transforming the way audiences connect with films and filmmakers, Machinima is a great partner for us as we embark on this new model of delivering original content to fans. It’s a tremendous opportunity for pushing the creative boundaries for both our filmmakers and the audience."

All we can say is, look out, funny cat videos. Because sh*t is about to get very, very real on YouTube.

'Prometheus 2:' Well, It Can't Be as Disappointing as the First One, Right?

Scott Harris — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:29:59 +0000

Fox

Hey guys, remember "Prometheus?" Last summer, everyone was totally psyched up for Ridley Scott's long-awaited prequel to his 1979 masterpiece "Alien." And then the movie actually came out and it was, like, the most confusing mess of nonsense ever put together.

Well, if you're into that sort of thing then we've got some good news for you, as star Noomi Rapace has revealed to indieWire that Scott and company are already hard at work on a script for "Prometheus 2."

Geez, the bruise on our forehead from all that slapping hasn't even healed yet!

Not that we blame Rapace for the shortcomings of "Prometheus;" she was totally cool in it, which is why we're stoked to hear Rapace say that she's up for a second go-round.

"I met Ridley in London a couple of weeks ago," Rapace said. "I would love to work with him again and I know that he would like to do another one. It's just like we need to find the right story. I hope we will."

As for the story, naturally she's not as down on Damon Lindelof's script for "Prometheus" as most people.

"It's interesting because people, most people I've talked to who see the movie, see things that are quite different," Rapace said. "Some people who see the movie many times and discover new things. There are all these religious aspects and there are very interesting conversations. And for me, if we do a second one, there are a lot of things to explore in there and to continue."

Frankly, we're most surprised to hear that there are people who have seen the movie "many times." But then again, it probably was foolish to expect storytelling clarity from Lindelof, who is best known for endlessly and randomly jerking fans around on "Lost" for six years. Lindelof, for what it's worth, won't be doing the script for "Prometheus 2," but Rapace wouldn't reveal who is working on it.

Whoever it is, though, it has to be better than the first one. Right? Right?!

Planet Fanboy's Best Moments of 2012

Jordan Hoffman — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:00:28 +0000

Columbia

2012 is all over and the Mayan prophecy killed us all. Luckily, we at Planet Fanboy slipped this into our system prior to the day we all died, so the cockroaches have something to read as they feast on our corpses. So pull up a seat, Scritchy and Scratchy, and learn about the year that was.

2012 opened nicely. Qui-Gon Jinn looked death in the eye and slowly let death win in "The Grey." But he did it in a very picturesque way while reciting poetry in his head, so it made for a terrific movie.

George Lucas finally let loose with his "Red Tails" project and it wasn't very good but we all got to shrug our shoulders and say "well, that is absolutely the last time George Lucas will make any news this year."

Fox

We thought we were absolutely finished with found footage pictures, but "Chronicle" came out of nowhere and blew our socks off with one of the best superhero origin stories in a long while. (Surprise: it's a supervillain and, no, eff you, that's totally fair the movie's been on iTunes for months now.)

"Ghost Rider 2" proved that Nicolas Cage still hasn't hit rock bottom. Maybe he should just start a kickstarter campaign to pay off his huge debts and leave the movie-going public out of this.

Disney spent nine zillion dollars on adapting "A Princess of Mars" into "Dune" meets "Tron Legacy" and thought changing the name to "John Carter" would help. It wasn't a terrible film, I mean did you SEE what Lynn Collins was wearing, but that could only entertain us for so long. Luckily good movies were just around the corner.

That's right "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" was released just a. . .oh, wait, sorry, wrong yearly wrap-up. Yes, "21 Jump Street" was released just a week later and was far funnier than it had any right to be. This was followed by kickass dystopian females ("The Hunger Games") and kickass dystopian Indonesians ("The Raid: Redemption.") If Katniss Everdeen should ever find herself in a locked-down high-rise building, we might be on to something. (I think I just came up with the premise of "Silver Linings Playbook 2: Golden Linings.")

Next thing ya know we were all on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier playing Galaga. "Marvel's The Avengers" destroyed any reasonable expectations of how good a summer movie could be, collecting Earth's Mightiest Heroes in a fun and funny adventure that can rank with "Jurassic Park" or "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

"Avengers" was so awesome that the back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back suckage of "Battleship," "Men in Black 3," "Snow White and the Huntsman," "Prometheus," and "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" didn't matter. Nothing could damage the glow of "Avengers."

Fox

Well, that's not exactly true. "Prometheus" had so much potential (and it LOOKED so damn cool) that Ridley Scott's blunder still kinda stings. Should Scott and company try to re-launch that ship once again, they'll find no safe harbor on Planet Fanboy! We have spoken!

The summer rounded out with great comedies like "Ted," "The Campaign" and "The Dark Knight Rises."

What? What? "Why so serious?" if I may borrow a quote. Listen, "The Dark Knight Rises" is an energetic film (anything with a propulsive Hans Zimmer score is going to get your blood rate up) but between Muffled Bane and the overwhelming amount of plot holes, the best thing to do is just to embrace the film as a big, lovable disaster. Like your drunk uncle. It's the drunk uncle of superhero movies.

The "smarter season" for Fanboy films didn't disappoint. "Dredd," "Looper," "Skyfall" were terrific and proved once and for all a theory I've long held: movies with double-letters in their single-word title are the way to go.

2012 ended with the biggest wet kiss to fandom in quite some time: Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." To big fat Tolkien nerds it is a revelatory experience – for nonfans, a Bataan Death March of endless yapping, eating and walking through fields plus a laundry lists of swords with names.

On Planet Fanboy, we like swords with names.

We also believe in the theory of spontaneous generation, so hopefully the cockroaches kept some food in the fridge. There's a good chance we'll be back again next week.

The 10 Best Trailers of 2012

Scott Harris — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 21:00:42 +0000

Warner Bros.

There's a certain art to making a great movie trailer. And frankly, hardly anybody seems to have mastered that art.

Indeed, for every halfway-interesting trailer that comes out there are ten more that give away the entire plot, deliver nothing but obvious jokes about farts and crotch punches or are simply a series of incredibly fast jump cuts with weird music playing over them. In short, they are crap.

Which is why we're so happy to celebrate the 10 Best Trailers of 2012. Because when a trailer is great, it's not just memorable and exciting to watch, it's also defying the odds. And in today's Hollywood, that kind of risk-taking is the rarest thing of all.

10. 'Man of Steel'

Zack Snyder faced a significant challenge when putting together his first trailer for "Man of Steel." After all, there have been so many Superman movies in the past that fans already have very specific ideas of how a Superman film should look. Snyder had to both surprise and somehow satisfy fans with his first clip, making his take seem like something new while still being familiar. And he knocked it out of the park and clear into the stratosphere with this elegant and powerful clip. You will believe a man can fish.

9. 'Argo'

With it's heady and offbeat mix of gritty political intrigue and Hollywood in-jokes, "Argo" could have been a very tough sell for director Ben Affleck. As complex as the real life story is, boiling it down to a two-minute clip that both does the film justice and makes any kind of sense ... well, it was no small task. The fact that "Argo" is now an international box office hit and a frontrunner for the Oscars shows you exactly how well he succeeded. Will it win Best Picture? It's too early to tell, but it's definitely in the conversation for Best Trailer.

8. 'Life of Pi'

The story, on the face of it, is simple: A kid gets shipwrecked with a bunch of zoo animals. But what Oscar-winning director Ang Lee has done with the trailer for "Life of Pi" is anything but simple. With its literally breathtaking renditions of nature in motion, "Life of Pi" is a trailer best seen on the biggest screen you can find, preferably in 3-D. But in lieu of that, you can at least lose a little bit of your breath right now by checking out one of the most visually stunning clips in years.

7. 'Zero Dark Thirty'

Stark and severe, the trailer for Kathryn Bigelow's follow-up to her Oscar-winning masterpiece "The Hurt Locker" exudes menace and tension from the first frame. The voiceover, the grainy satellite imagery and the black lines of redaction inching relentlessly across the screen create a sense of creeping unease that mounts with each passing moment. And when the payoff comes in the form of a shouted "When was the last time you saw Bin Laden?," it hits like a punch to the stomach. A serious film and a deadly serious trailer.

6. 'Django Unchained'

Quentin Tarantino is pretty much unmatched when it comes to style. And almost nobody uses music as well as Tarantino does. It's no wonder then that his trailers are consistently among the best Hollywood has to offer. And this clip for his upcoming revenge drama "Django Unchained" is certainly no exception, with bold colors, cool dialogue and that unmistakable Tarantino style. The "D" may be silent, but your jaw hitting the floor isn't.

5. 'Iron Man 3'

What do you do to follow up one of the three highest grossing blockbusters in the history of cinema? That's the question facing Marvel Studios after "The Avengers" rolled up more than $1.5 billion worldwide. Frankly, under that kind of pressure, we'd just stay in bed and pull the blankets up over our head for the next year. Marvel went a different direction, though, amping up the drama, tension and action to create this instantly unforgettable trailer for "Iron Man 3." Lightning apparently does strike the same place three times.

4. 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'

Here's the formula to guarantee you will have an awesome movie trailer. Step One: Bring back stars from one of the most popular and successful film franchises in history, "The Lord of the Rings." Step Two: Deliver an adaptation of one of the most beloved books of all time, J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit." Step Three: Include jaw-dropping vistas, incredible special effects and amazing cinematography, not to mention a truly spine-tingling ballad performed by a company of dwarves. Oh, and have Peter Jackson direct all of it. Simple, right? You'll think so once you've taken yet another look at one of the most hotly anticipated films of the decade.

3. 'The Master'

Enigmatic. Obscure. Intriguing. Director Paul Thomas Anderson pretty much threw every bit of conventional wisdom out the window when he put together his first trailer for "The Master," focusing instead on the performance of Joaquin Phoenix and giving film fans something very out of the ordinary for a teaser: Food for thought. There's no hint at all of a plot, yet this strangely intimate and compelling clip somehow shows you exactly what "The Master" is really about. If the goal of a trailer is to get viewers to want to see the film, then few trailers this year succeeded as well as "The Master."

2. 'Prometheus'

Ridley Scott is no stranger to crafting compelling, epic and memorable trailers; his teaser for the 2000 Best Picture winner "Gladiator" remains one of the best trailers ever. So it's no surprise that his latest film, "Prometheus," also boasts a fantastic trailer. Too fantastic, as it happens; many viewers went away from the theater disappointed that the film wasn't as cool as the preview. Oh, well — that's just one of the dangers you face when make 'em as good as this one.

1. 'The Great Gatsby'

This trailer basically has everything. It's like a blueprint for how to make awesome trailers. Big stars? Check. Terrific acting and memorable lines? Check. Stunning visuals? Check. And amazing music that sets the whole thing off? Check and mate. Baz Luhrmann has been crafting cult classic hits for 20 years now, but with this trailer, he just put himself at the top of the mainstream heap as well. Here it is, the best trailer of 2012.

Get more Best of 2012 here.

'Prometheus' Blu-ray Will Answer Questions, Promises Producer

NextMovie Staff — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 20:37:11 +0000

Fox

An in-depth look at the release of 'Prometheus' Blu-ray promised answers to the many mysteries of Ridley Scott's sort-of "Alien" prequel, as the Blu-ray's producer Charles De Lauzirika debuted his content-packed disc (including a 3+ hour doc titled "The Furious Gods") at a London event this week.

"For a film as complicated as this you have to try to capture everything you possibly can and figure it out later," said Lauzirika during his presentation, "but along the way you're starting to identify interesting story threads in terms of the making of the film. What are more problematic issues, what are more interesting abandoned ideas. I always love that part of it, when you see so much work put into things and those get put off to the side because they didn't organically mesh with things as they were developing."

Check out the full report on Film.com!

Brigitte's Home Movies tackles the "Prometheus" Blu-ray:

My Favorite Movie: Logan Marshall-Green

Max Evry — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:00:28 +0000

Getty Images / Amazon

"'The Dresser' with Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay. I think it's a great story about the theater, and you have two performances which I think are some of the greatest.

"I just think it's an incredible movie, and an incredible play too."

Logan Marshall-Green learned to love theater when he was cast in his mother's plays growing up. In 2004 he won a Drama Desk Award for his role in Neil LaBute's "The Distance From Here." He parlayed that success into roles in films like "Across the Universe" and "Prometheus," which arrives on Blu-ray and DVD today.

New on DVD and Blu-ray: 'Prometheus' and More

Robert DeSalvo — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:00:41 +0000

Fox

This week: Years after directing the sci-fi masterpieces "Alien" and "Blade Runner," Ridley Scott returns to science fiction with the harrowing and ambitious "Alien" prequel "Prometheus" with Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and Michael Fassbender.

Also new this week is the movie-musical "Rock of Ages," the Edgar Allan Poe-themed mystery thriller "The Raven," and the Blu-ray debuts of "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," "Little Shop of Horrors" and "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"

'Prometheus'

20th Century Fox

Box Office: $126 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 73% Fresh
Storyline: Ridley Scott returns to the sci-fi realm with this ambitious quasi-prequel to "Alien" about a group of explorers that set out to a distant planet to learn more about and possibly confront the creators of mankind, a super race known as the Engineers. Prometheus crew members include scientist Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), Weyland Corporation monitor Elizabeth Shaw (Charlize Theron), Weyland founder Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) and the fastidious android David (Michael Fassbender).
Extras! Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D, "Prometheus" is a mind-teasing movie that begs you to explore its seven hours of illuminating bonus features such as deleted and alternate scenes, plus access to "The Peter Weyland Files" and a commentary track by Scott.
We Say: This stunning, thinking-man's sci-fi spectacle is an awe to behold, so seek out the biggest HDTV screen (preferably a 3-D one) you can and buckle up as the Prometheus journeys to the edge of the universe to ask important existential questions about mankind. They aren't all answered in the film, but the movie's shared DNA with "Alien" and the slithery creatures the crew encounters will please longtime fans of Scott's first sci-fi masterpiece.

'Rock of Ages'

Warner Bros.

Box Office: $39 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 41% Rotten
Storyline: This energetic musical — an adaptation of the Broadway production — follows two aspiring singers (Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta) as they navigate the hard-rock scene on the Sunset Strip in 1987 that is coming under fire from a religious group headed by Catherine Zeta-Jones. Tom Cruise stars as Stacee Jaxx, a rock god set to perform at the Bourbon Room despite the protests. Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand and Mary J. Blige costar in memorable numbers.
Extras! Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain seven "Defining a Decade" featurettes, a "Legends of the Sunset Strip" featurette, and immediate access to select songs.
We Say: This movie — featuring the arena-rock anthems of Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Guns N' Roses, Journey, Poison, Whitesnake and more — knows it is cheese, so viewers with fond memories of this era will be more receptive to the humor, like when Cruise's pompous rocker sings "I Want to Know What Love Is" to a Rolling Stone reporter's behind. Zeta-Jones, Baldwin and Russell also seem to be in on the joke, but leading lady Hough comes across as too earnest and seems to have dropped in from another decade entirely.

'The Raven'

Rogue Pictures

Box Office: $16 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 22% Rotten
Storyline: This dark thriller follows the final days in the life of macabre writer Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack) as Baltimore police investigate a series of murders that seem to be patterned after Poe's stories. Alice Eve costars as Poe's fiancée who becomes a target of the copycat killer, and Luke Evans plays the police chief who enlists Poe's help in solving the mystery.
Extras! The most interesting bonus feature — a Blu-ray exclusive — is "The Madness, Misery and Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe," which examines the continuing fascination with the legendary author.
We Say: This seems to be the year of historical figures being roped into preposterous plots (see "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"), but there are a few chills to be found in this gothic tale if you get beyond the familiar setup. For Poe fans looking for a historical biopic of their favorite writer here, quoth the reviewer, "Nevermore!"

'E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial' Blu-ray

Universal

Box Office: $435 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 98% Fresh
Storyline: Steven Spielberg's 1982 blockbuster about a young boy named Elliot (Henry Thomas) who takes in an alien visitor after it's left behind by its spaceship still warms hearts as we root for Elliot to help E.T. "phone home." Dee Wallace plays Elliot's mom and a young Drew Barrymore appears as Elliot's sister.
Extras! The best supplements include the 50-minute "The Evolution and Creation of 'E.T.'" featurette with Spielberg talking about the story's origins, and the recent "'E.T.' Reunion" in which Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy reunite with the main cast and reminisce about how it changed all of their lives.
We Say: It's important to note that this Blu-ray debut is a remastered version of the original theatrical movie — not the 2002 rerelease with controversial digital alterations. Spielberg regrets those changes (did you read that, George Lucas?), so what we have here is the original classic that we remember looking and sounding appropriately out of this world.

'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?' Blu-ray

Warner Bros.

Box Office: $9 million (worldwide)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% Fresh
Storyline: Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) is a former child star who lives in a decaying Hollywood mansion with her sister Blanche (Joan Crawford), a movie star forced into retirement after a crippling accident left her in a wheelchair. When a TV movie marathon of Blanche's movies results in more fan mail being sent to the Hudson sisters' home, a jealous Jane torments her sister and tries to resurrect her childhood act while slowly losing her grasp on reality.
Extras! This Blu-ray debut packaged in a handsome Digibook with photos is packed with many vintage featurettes, including a 1967 BBC profile on Crawford and a 1994 TNT feature about Davis.
We Say: Davis and Crawford had a long rivalry offscreen before teaming up for this 1960 campy horror show that reinvigorated their careers and earned Davis her last Oscar nomination. It's fascinating — and, frankly, scary — to watch Davis unravel on-screen as the older actress dons little-girl clothes and mentally regresses to a childlike state. If you are one of those people that wonders why older black-and-white titles need a Blu-ray upgrade, check out the inky blacks and deep shadows in the Hudson house and the look of pure madness in Bette Davis' eyes.

Also New This Week:

"Dial M for Murder" Blu-ray 3D
"Little Shop of Horrors: The Director's Cut"
"Strangers on a Train" Blu-ray
"Red Dawn" Blu-ray
"Werewolf: The Beast Among Us"
"Dead Ringer" Blu-ray
"The Barrens"

Watch This Week's Episode of Brigitte's Home Movies!

Are the 'Blade Runner' and 'Alien' Universes Entwined?

Max Evry — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:36:13 +0000

Fox

Oh Marvel, what hath thou wrought? Now that their shared universe of superheroes has raked in mad cheddar at the global box office, everyone is clamoring to create their own shared movieverse, be it with DC Comics characters or Tom Clancy novels.

In another example of movie synergy, Collider is reporting that there is an aster Egg on the new "Prometheus" Bu-ray which ties the "Alien" prequel to Ridley Scott's other sci-fi masterpiece "Blade Runner," albeit pretty flimsily.

Amid the special features on the disc fans will find a letter supposedly written by "Prometheus" corporate figurehead Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) in which he clearly refers to his "mentor and long-departed competitor" which could only be Eldon Tyrell (Joe Turkel), CEO of the Tyrell Corporation in "Blade Runner"

Not-so-subtle hints include saying that the man ran his company "like a God on top of a pyramid overlooking a city of angels," that it "literally blew up in his face," and that his Replicants were "genetic abominations he enslaved and sold off-world." Yeah yeah, we get it already!

Fortunately this is nothing rock solid, merely a little piece of fan service to create buzz for the Blu-ray by making news outlets write speculative stories… WHOOPS!

We are actually in London right at the moment for 20th Century Fox's "Prometheus" Blu-ray release event, and even the Blu-ray's producer Charles De Lauzirika said "if it's in the film it's canon, if it's not it's not canon." There you go, speculation over.

Our 'Prometheus' Blu-ray Giveaway Is Otherworldly

NextMovie Staff — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 18:00:50 +0000

20th Century Fox

If you're like us, you really liked "Prometheus" but left the theater somewhat perplexed. Ridley Scott's sorta-prequel to "Alien" has gorgeous visuals, at least one squirm-inducing abortion sequence (shudder!) and first-rate performances but definitely leaves several questions regarding, well, almost everything unanswered.

At least a few of these blanks will be filled in now that one of the year's most imaginative yet maddening films is hitting Blu-ray and DVD. The home video release of "Prometheus" contains many behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes that dig deep into the film's convoluted sci-fi mythology and help paint a clearer picture of Scott's stunning vision ... while still retaining a sense of mystery, of course (you have to leave some things for the sequel!).

You may be chosen to take a peek behind the "Prometheus" curtain as we've got three Blu-ray combo packs set to leave our port and dock with three lucky winners. Enter our giveaway for your chance to blast off with this crew of deep space explorers as they go looking for answers about the origin of our species and find nothing but face-hugging trouble.

To enter, just shoot us an email at NextMovie@MTV.com and include your name, address, birthdate and be sure to copy and paste the following statement:

"By sending this email, I accept and agree to: (1) the Official Rules of the 'Prometheus' Blu-ray Giveaway and (2) MTV Networks’, a division of Viacom International Inc., Nextmovie.com Terms of Use and Privacy Policy."

The contest runs from now until 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012. Entrants must be at least 13 years old and reside in the U.S. Click here for complete rules and further details.

As an added bonus, all entrants will be signed up for the fun and useful UpNext newsletter. As an UpNext subscriber, you'll receive weekly updates on the hottest releases, events and merch from the world of movies.

Summer Movies Poll: Biggest Disappointment

NextMovie Staff — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:00:09 +0000

Warner Bros. / Warner Bros. / Universal

NEXT: What was the worst movie of the summer? >>

PREVIOUS: What movie was the biggest surprise of the summer? <<

Summer Movies Poll: Standout Female Star

NextMovie Staff — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 12:00:59 +0000

Sony / Warner Bros. / Universal

NEXT: What was the best comedy movie of the summer? >>

PREVIOUS: Who was the standout male this summer? <<

This poll will close on Aug. 30, 2012, at 12 p.m. ET

Tyler Perry Taking Madea Into Outer Space?

Max Evry — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 22:05:00 +0000

Tyler Perry (Getty Images)

With this week's seventh film in the ever-expanding Madea franchise, "Madea's Witness Protection," Tyler Perry has taken his gun-toting, sass-talking granny character to new levels of absurdity. What's next, "Madea Vs. Aliens?"

Quite possibly.

Perry talked to BlackFilm about the movies that influenced him most, and the "Star Trek" supporting player brought up his unabashed love of science fiction… while dissing Ridley Scott's recent return to the genre.

"I love Sci Fi, I love the 'Alien' movies and the 'Alien' franchise," said Perry. "I was very disappointed with 'Prometheus,' but I love that whole franchise. Those are my favorite movies. I’m actually working on a sci-fi movie right now."

When pressed for further details on the subject Mr. Perry was not too forthcoming.

"No, but I’m writing a sci-fi movie that I’m really excited about," he confirmed.

Given Perry's penchant for moralizing, dressing in drag, and having his own Atlanta-based Tyler Perry Studios at his command, we can only imagine what sort of amazing Afro-centric science fiction masterpiece he is capable of conjuring.

"Alien Vs. Predator Vs. Madea" could be a pretty formidable cross-franchise mind melter. Aliens may have acid for blood and Predators can turn invisible, but Madea is a kung fu master with that handbag of hers.

In all likelihood, he's probably working on something original, but you never know. Maybe all "John Carter" needs is a few slaps upside the head to sell more tickets...

What Did Fassbender Say to the Engineer in 'Prometheus'? Now We Know

Max Evry — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 14:17:16 +0000

Fox

Over the course of Ridley Scott's frustratingly ambiguous space epic "Prometheus" the only thing we really learn about the oddball android David (Michael Fassbender) or his motivations is that the dude liked to touch everything. A lot.

One of the biggest mysteries was *SPOILER* what exactly David uttered in unsubtitled Proto-Indo-European to the giant engineer douche who then goes on a pointless killing spree, but Stu Holmes over at The Bioscopist got the skinny directly from Dr. Anil Biltoo of the SOAS Language Centre in London.

The good doctor was not only the language consultant for the film, he also played the digital instructor giving David his afternoon lessons in the gibberish-y precursor to Sanskrit, Ancient Greek, and Latin from way-back in the day around 3700 BC.

Here's what David asked the nice tall grey jelly man:

"/ida hmanəm aɪ kja namṛtuh zdɛ:taha/…/ghʷɪvah-pjorn-ɪttham sas da:tṛ kredah/"

Give it to us in English, doc!

"This man is here because he does not want to die. He believes you can give him more life."

Okay, well that makes sense. David is working on orders from billionaire eccentric Peter Weyland, who has hidden aboard the good ship Prometheus with the express hope of meeting a benign god who might extend his life so he may live out more fun-filled days with an IV drip and a catheter inside his old-ass body. Good idea.

Dr. Biltoo enticed us with the promise that a whole conversation between the engineer and David -possibly over tea and crumpets- took place but was cut for time.

"We’re all going to have to wait for the Director’s cut to see if the conversation between the Engineer and David – and there was indeed originally a conversation, not merely an utterance from David – yields any fruit," said Dr. Biltoo.

Check out the stars of 'Prometheus' at their premiere

View Gallery »

'Madagascar 3' Rocks 'Rock of Ages' At The Box Office

Scott Harris — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 17:51:35 +0000

DreamWorks

What was supposed to be a big weekend for new movies turned out to be a big weekend for old movies, as holdovers "Madagascar 3" and "Prometheus" took the top two spots at the box office following disappointing debuts for "Rock of Ages" and "That's My Boy."

According to Film.com, "Madagascar 3" held on to the number one position for the second week running thanks to a strong $35.5 million take, while second place "Prometheus" brought in an additional $20.1 million. "Rock of Ages" finished in third with $15.1 million, while "That's My Boy" wound up way back in fifth with just $13 million.

For a full run down of the weekend box office, including figures for returning hits "Snow White and the Huntsman" and "Men in Black 3," head to Film.com.

'Madagascar 3' and 'Prometheus' Battle For Box Office Crown

Scott Harris — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 17:15:58 +0000

Dreamworks Animation

It was a huge weekend at the cinema as "Madagascar 3" battled "Prometheus" right down to the wire for the title of box office champion.

And the winner? Well, according to Film.com, "Madagascar 3" took in an estimated $60.4 million to edge out "Prometheus," which brought in a strong $50 million. The one-two punch helped Hollywood land one of its biggest non-"Avengers" weekends of the year.

Plus, it was a record-breaking weekend for "The Hunger Games," which inched over the $400 million mark domestically, becoming just the 14th film ever to reach that lofty plateau.

For a full rundown of box office results, including figures for "Snow White and the Huntsman," head to Film.com.

Damon Lindelof Recruited to Re-Start 'World War Z'

Bryan Enk — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 21:59:05 +0000

Getty Images

Damon Lindelof has been called to "War."

The "Prometheus" screenwriter is about to get intimately familiar with the undead as he's signed on to provide some re-writes for "World War Z," according to Heat Vision.

Production on "WWZ" has been a troubled one, with its original release date of December 2012 being pushed to Summer 2013. Extensive reshoots are being planned for the fall, with Lindelof set to concentrate mostly on the film's third act.

Lindelof is known for being a storyteller who keeps certain plot details close to the vest, as any fan of "Prometheus" and/or "Lost" (of which he was a co-creator) will tell you. Might he be planning on bringing a bit of elusive mystery to the story of a global zombie pandemic and its devastating effects on the world as we knew it?

"World War Z," which is based on the anthology novel by Max Brooks, is being directed by Marc Forster, who must be just about fed up with "script problems" after he flew blind for most of the time on the last 007 film, "Quantum of Solace." Brad Pitt is producing the film, as well as starring alongside Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale and Anthony Mackie.

"World War Z," with any luck (and decent reshoots), will hit theaters on June 21, 2013.

17 Burning 'Prometheus' Questions Answered

Jordan Hoffman — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:00:46 +0000

Fox

Noomi Rapace's Elizabeth Shaw wants answers. There's a good chance that after you see "Prometheus," you will, too.

Astoundingly gorgeous yet fundamentally frustrating, "Prometheus" seems poised to be the most analyzed and debated big budget Hollywood release this year.

Its intentional ambiguity is a nice nod to its ancestor (1979's "Alien" has more than its share of elliptical moments) but this new one seems doubly excited to leave its viewers in the dark, especially considering how today's megaplex fare seems to spoon feed us.

(Editor's Note: If you haven't yet seen "Prometheus," read no further. Spoilers abound!)

Luckily, I've seen "Prometheus" and, in case you didn't already realize it, I'm a frickin' genius. As such, I have answers to the most common questions in the film – even if director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Damon Lindelof continue to plead the fifth.

Obviously, these are wall-to-wall spoilers, so proceed with caution.

1. What the hell was that pre-title sequence all about?

That was one of the Engineers on Earth, jump-starting the creation of man. (In case you didn't know, the Greek mythological figure Prometheus didn't just steal fire and get a harsh punishment from Zeus, he also CREATED mankind, for which, oddly, he doesn't get as much credit.)

2. Wait, so did the giant blue man make those cave etchings with the stars? The ones future scientists will be able to chart to LV-223?

There is absolutely no evidence to support this in the text, but I believe the Engineers imprinted these images on early man – kinda like how the people in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" all felt compelled to design images of Devil's Tower.

3. How can an android, even one as technologically advanced as David, read dreams?

Fox

You gotta just accept that one. Maybe dreams give off electrical discharges that, in future years, will be reconstructable? But this is a question like "if 'Prometheus' is set before 'Alien,' why does it look more modern than 'Alien'?" It's not a real question.

4. Why did those awesome roving spheres that make the 3-D map, that are ostensibly looking for life forms, not pickup on those earthworms?

That's annoying, ain't it? I can only guess that the spheres don't recognize life forms that small, or that the indigenous life on LV-223 consists of properties Human tech isn't hip to. (Like silicon-based life as opposed to carbon-based, c.f. Star Trek, "The Devil in the Dark," 1967.)

However, the spheres were able to pick up on the giant snake that the worms turned into once the evil black goo mixed with them. That means the spheres would recognize the goo-derived aspects of the snake. This makes sense, because the goo came from the Engineers' world and the Engineers, as we later discover, have the same DNA as us.

Still, you'd think the black goo alone would have biological elements of a recognizable nature that the spheres could detect, but I'm not an expert in black goo. Maybe it only becomes "alive" when it mixes with other living matter.

5. Where did the snake come from?

I just answered that. David started messing with the canisters of black goo and it mixed with the earthworms to become giant snake monsters not dissimilar to the Dionaga from "Episode IV."

6. Why did David grab the canister of goo?

I believe that Peter Weyland told David on the down low that, listen, we're not just here to talk to our Gods and try and stave off death. We've also got an obligation to our investors to grab anything that can be of scientific or technological interest.

I don't think, however, Weyland knew specifically about the goo in advance, or knew what it could do.

7. Why did David poison Charlie with the goo?

One of the principal themes of "Prometheus" is creation. Most (but not all) humans feel compelled to procreate. Peter Weyland designed David to have as many human characteristics as possible. He wants to be a real boy, like Pinocchio or Lt. Commander Data. However, he is unable to create life. He even discusses his wonder at creating life with Charlie. He knows that if he poisons Charlie and if Charlie is intimate with Elizabeth Shaw, he will impregnate her with a lifeform based partly on his design. This will also be seen as a "take that, Dad!" to his father, whom he feels the need, in some ways, to impress or "one-up."

8. Okay, so HOW did David know that he could do all this with a drop of goo in Charlie's drink?

No frickin' clue. It's a big problem with "Prometheus." The only answer I can give is that David, like Data, is smart. He figured it out. I have a hunch that this is something being "saved for the sequel," which, again, is a cop-out. You shouldn't have questions like this saved for a sequel.

9. How did Idris Elba know that LV-223 was a testing ground for Engineer WMD?

Again, no idea. I was right there with him and I didn't put that together. Hell, I actually saw MORE of the story, through the power of cross-cutting, and I didn't put that together. My hunch is that Elba's character knew this through the power of the almighty "Studio Note." Somebody read Lindelof's script and said, "you need someone to come in and explain this point."

10. How did David know how to find the Engineer's ships?

He's got sensors.

11. How did David know how to manipulate the ship?

He's Data! He's really smart. How many times do I have to tell you?

12. Why cast Guy Pearce and put him in awful makeup? There are no 90 year-old actors out there? Is Guy Pearce such a box office draw?

No, he isn't, but having him involved meant they could make that cool viral video of him as a young businessman. That's the only excuse I can think of for that bad makeup.

13. Why did the Engineer go batty and start killing people? Was it something David said?

I think David was on the level and said whatever it was that Peter wanted to say to him. The Engineer, however, has been asleep for a thousand years. He's grumpy. But he knew that he had to kill humans. What does he see? Humans! So he starts killing.

14. This is LV-223 and "Alien" takes place on LV-426. What's the deal?

Well, there are some missing pieces between the end of "Prometheus" and the beginning of "Alien."

LV-223 is left with dead engineers, a derelict ship and a room full of black goo canisters. LV-426 has dead engineers (or at least one), a derelict ship (or at least one) and a room not full of canisters but of Xenomorph eggs. It's a different place. (Or an altered place that is coincidentally timed with a change in stellar cartography – so not bloody likely.)

This means that somehow some sort of similar event is happening on LV-426. Maybe it was a second WND testing site?

Also, as is evident solely in "Alien," someone needed to have communicated back to Weyland-Yutani the potential of the Xenomorph on LV-426 to make it of interest to them. That means either the surviving characters of "Prometheus" do it or other characters we haven't met yet do it. This is not a direct prequel.

15. Wait, so, about the Xenomorphs. The aliens from "Alien" that we know and love. We don't see them until the very end of the movie, when we see (and take a deep breath here) the biological by-product of a half-Engineer and a black goo inseminated human fetus. But if they all have the same DNA, why does this create a Xenomorph when the other critters in "Prometheus" are clearly not Xenomorphs?

I could be a jerk and say things like "it needs to be second-generation" or it was the fact that Shaw's creature was ripped out before its full term, but the real answer is this: the fans.

If there wasn't a Xenomorph in the movie, everyone would go nuts. So why not throw it in there in the very last frame? It'll make people happy, they'll leave the theater with a smile, tell their friends to go see it, cause the film to make money, inspire a sequel and, well, by then someone will have thought up a good answer.

16. Why do the Engineers create us just to kill us?

That's not for this movie to answer. That's between you and your God.

17. Okay, why does Idris Elba listen to Stephen Stills so far into the future?
The classics stay classic.

Come back every Thursday for more intergalactic musings on Planet Fanboy and follow its fearless leader Jordan Hoffman on Twitter!

In Space No One Can See These 4 'Prometheus' Clips

Max Evry — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 20:00:11 +0000

Fox

Ridley Scott defined sci-fi terror with 1979's "Alien," so it's only fitting that the director would redefine the genre with "Prometheus," a prequel that takes many detours into rabbit holes of philosophical pondering.

What are they pondering, exactly? Only the nature and purpose of mankind's origin, that's all. No biggie. Oh, and there's monsters! This epic stars Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba and the amazing Michael Fassbender as a robot to be reckoned with.

1. Vickers apparently has an uptight person crammed up her behind.

2. "Paging Easter Island. You have left your giant head in the lobby."

3. Michael Fassbender gets into a philosophical debate over whether blondes have more fun.

4. Captain Janek's plans to get back to Hooters by 10 p.m. are dashed.

8 Great 'Alien' References in 'Prometheus'

Jordan Hoffman — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:00:34 +0000

Fox

If you follow the development of major motion pictures, you may know that "Prometheus" was first conceived as an unambiguous prequel to "Alien." After a time, director Ridley Scott decided this wasn't a good idea, so he gave an already-written script to Damon Lindelof for a thorough revision.

We'll never know why decided against making it an official prequel, though it might be that since "Aliens" followed "Alien" he'd have to call this new one "Alie." And that would just look weird.

As filming progressed, it was admitted that "Prometheus" was in the shared universe with "Alien." Now that I've seen the film, I'm here to tell you this is all needless jibber-jabber. There are similarities with the "Alien" films both big and small and, luckily, I was paying close enough attention that I can share them with you now.

Warning: Below are spoilers that will enter your system and burst out of your chest.

Before Bishop, Before Ash

One of the best surprises in "Alien" is the revelation that Ian Holm's character Ash is a robot. (And an evil robot at that!) James Cameron's follow-up "Aliens" featured Lance Henriksen's on-board A.I. named Bishop.

Bishop's identity isn't kept from us, indeed we open up with his inhuman dexterity with a knife. Similarly the opening scenes of "Prometheus" introduce us to Michael Fassbender's David, an eerily perfect, slightly threatening and fastidious caretaker/language expert/cinephile. You never knew a robot could be this blonde.

Two Points

As the crew spends two years in cryogenic stasis (much like they did in "Alien" and Sigourney Weaver's Ripley did in between the next two films) David prepares himself for the forthcoming mission.

During a spookily-shot montage we see him riding a bike around a gym, making trick shots with a basketball. You might think this is nothing, but three other colleagues besides myself saw this as a direct homage to Weaver's defiant basketball pwnage in "Alien Resurrection."

Visual Similarities Over Easy

Once the crew wakes up, they do just like we all do: vomit from nervous system trauma and then have breakfast.

Fox

The breakfast scene in "Prometheus" serves the same function as the one in "Alien." It is an opportunity to suss out the collected characters and observe them interact in a low-key setting. The gag is that it looks EXACTLY like "Alien." The room is designed the same and the camera make near-identical slow swoops from afar using long lenses. When Sean Harris starts complaining about his wages, just as Yaphet Kotto did in "Alien," you have to wonder if maybe the homage is going a bit too far.

MILF – Mom I'd Like To Fly (With)

In "Alien" the on-board ship computer is called "mother." (It's spelled MU-TH-UR which I'm sure is an acronym for something but I'll leave it to fanfic authors to fill us in.)

There's no "mother" on Prometheus, but when David addresses the corporate boss of the expedition, Charlize Theron's Meredith Vickers, he calls her ma'am. Now, despite the fact that every good Briton knows that it's "ma'am as in ham, not ma'am as in palm," she STILL pronounces it "ma'am as in palm." Plus he gives it a special spin to make it basically sound like he's almost calling her "mum." There's no way for longtime "Alien" fans not to notice this and wonder...

Building Better Worlds

It is soon discovered that David's true allegiance is to the corporate outfit that is funding the Prometheus' scientific exploration. That company is run by Peter Weyland, played by Guy Pearce in some ridiculous old age makeup.

Those of you with sharp memories will remember the printed-but-not-stated name of "the Company" in the other films being the "Weyland-Yutani Corporation." (It could be you are recalling the name from geek chic T-shirts, too.)

During an exposition hologram you'll even see the same tagline "building better worlds." You may not notice it, though, because there's also an adorable dog in that scene.

The Engineers

"Prometheus" is all about mankind's desire to speak to his creator. Our lead scientist, played by Noomi Rapace, is convinced that we've been seeded by aliens who live on LV-223. (Not to be confused with LV-426 from the other films, but the fact that they are both LVs is another similarity.) We first see them as holographic projections and later as giant Karloff-esque blue guys. However, when they wear their spacesuits, they look an awful lot like the guy discovered in the derelict ship sending the distress transmission – the guy fans have been calling the Space Jockey for years.

At the end of the film there's a money shot. A gun emerges with a seat that's identical to the one in the other film. Everybody goes "yay!"

The Xenomorph

Lots of people get killed in "Prometheus," but not by those nightmarish, black creatures with the elongated heads and projecting chompers. Heck, they're not even in the movie. Until the VERY LAST SHOT.

How it gets there, and, more importantly, why it gets there is something movie goers will be arguing about until the "Prometheus" sequel.

The Strong Female Lead

Another seldom seen creature is found in both the "Alien" films and "Prometheus" - an intelligent, strong and forthright woman central character.

Think that is too vague to be included in a list of similarities between these films? You clearly aren't watching enough big budget Hollywood movies then, are you?

But before you go telling your pamphlet-distributing aunt to go see this flick, know that "Prometheus" is just like "Alien" in its readiness to leer at its female lead as it runs in terror wearing thin white underpants.

Come back every Thursday for more intergalactic musings on Planet Fanboy and follow its fearless leader Jordan Hoffman on Twitter!

GALLERY: Our Shameless Shrine to Michael Fassbender

NextMovie Staff — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 22:00:24 +0000

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In addition to having the kind of name you want to repeat ad infinitum — frankly, we can't choose between him and Benedict Cumberbatch for earworm of choice — Michael Fassbender is an actor worth a close look. It seems like he appeared overnight and took over Hollywood; after his brief but excellent turn in 2009's "Inglorious Basterds," he appeared in basically every movie ever, including critically applauded roles in "X-Men: First Class," "Jane Eyre," "A Dangerous Method," and, of course, "Shame," the movie where he showed his ding-dong, forever insuring a place for "Fassbender's Little Fassbender" in our cultural lexicon.

Fassbender currently stars as the android David in Ridley Scott's "Alien"-semi-prequel "Promethus," and we thought it was the right time to enjoy a full gallery of Fassbender photos, proving he can capture our hearts with or without his pants.

GALLERY: Guys Holding Their Balls (in Movies)

Ben Freiburger — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:00:14 +0000

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Guys really love their balls. They love holding them, whacking them and chasing them with glee. And sometimes, men just like to gaze at their balls fondly. Yes, it's hard to get between a dude and a ball if his mind's set on playing with it.

A recently released photo of Michael Fassbender from the highly anticipated sci-fi epic "Prometheus" got us in the mood to explore this (totally wholesome and impossible to misconstrue) subject matter. So to keep you well-rounded on the topic, here's some great moments between man and man's true best friend.

Is 'Prometheus' an 'Alien' Prequel? The Answer, Once and for All

Max Evry — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:00:54 +0000

Fox

Is director Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" a full-on prequel to his 1979 sci-fi horror masterpiece "Alien" or not?

That's the question movie fans have been asking for months and we're going to answer it for you, once and for all. The answer, friends, is yes ... basically.

Scott has been adamant that while "Prometheus" "carries the DNA" of "Alien," it is an original piece of science fiction that delves into everything from biotechnology to artificial intelligence to the origins (and possible destruction) of mankind itself.

Those are lofty goals for a summer movie about the title spaceship star trekking to a hostile planet, but we're gonna walk you through the evidence that this is indeed an "Alien" prequel no matter how look at it. As Michael Fassbender's David says, "Big things have small beginnings."

Fox

Logos and Music

The first thing we noticed from the movie's initial teaser trailer is the "Prometheus" logo, prominently placed in the foreground of its collage of sci-fi awesomeness. It reveals itself one piece at a time in precisely the same deliberate hieroglyphic-style manner as the "Alien" opening credits did. You can hear echoes of eerie alarm sound effects used in the original movie as well.

According to Bleeding Cool, select pieces of Jerry Goldsmith's original 1979 score will be used in the film, which they believe is already incorporated into the recently dished-out soundtrack listing on Amazon. Other intriguing track titles on the album include "Infected," "Hammerpede," "Space Jockey" and "Birth."

This is all before we even get into the bevy of visual links seen in various stages of the "Prometheus" promo campaign …

Fox

Peter Weyland

When we recently viewed a 15-minute preview of the film in 3-D, one key sequence involved Guy Pearce under mounds of old age makeup as multibillionaire Peter Weyland.

Consider Weyland the lynch pin that holds the whole "Alien" universe together. Seriously.

Weyland-Yutani is the greedy corporation in "Alien" that sends the doomed Nostromo crew out to fetch the acidic starbeast they always had designs on capturing, taming and weaponizing, much to Ripley's disapproval.

Peter Weyland and his deep pockets are what kickstart the voyage of the Prometheus, but it's Charlize Theron's corporate viper Meredith Vickers who jeopardizes everyone on board. Oh, and the entire human race.

It was Weyland who kicked off the viral marketing campaign for the film, with a younger Pearce starring in a fake Ted Talk from 2023, wherein he oozes charisma and sleazebaggery while relating the myth of Greek titan Prometheus, who stole fire from Zeus and tossed it to us humans.

Some other familiar tech from James Cameron's "Aliens" can be glimpsed at the Easter egg-loaded Weyland Industries homepage, including a "Storm Rifle" — an early version of the Colonial Marines' Pulse Rifle — and the awesome Power Loader that Sigourney Weaver fights the Alien Queen with. Perhaps these items are just thrown onto the site as fan service, but we pray they wind up in the film somehow.

A similar wealthy industrialist figurehead was previously played by Lance Henriksen as Charles Bishop Weyland for the non-canon "Alien Vs. Predator" in 2004.

"The Prometheus is owned by an entrepreneur called Peter Weyland, and is played by Guy Pearce," says Scott. "That's the connection between the two films, and nothing more. 'Prometheus' is a new film, a new world, and is full of new ideas. And of course new monsters as well."

There might be some new oogie boogies in there, Ridley, but there are definitely a few more connections to sort through, including …

Fox

David

From that icy synthetic voice to the milky blood in his veins, Fassbender's David is every bit as beguiling and potentially threatening a corporate tool as his predecessors, Ash (Ian Holm) in "Alien," Bishop (Henriksen) in "Aliens" and Call (Winona Ryder) in "Alien Resurrection." He even follows those movies' android naming scheme: A, B, C, D.

A chilling, Apple-esque viral promo ad from "Weyland Industries" was released featuring Fassbender addressing the camera as he simulates various emotional states, including crying. Supposedly Fassbender also used Scott's "Blade Runner" Replicants as a frame of reference for his soul-bot performance, as well as Olympic diver Greg Louganis.

David functions as housesitter for the Prometheus while the crew is in hyper sleep, but even though he is made to serve man he just might develop his own artificially intelligent agenda.

The Derelict Ship

The crew visits the Juggernaut, an enormous crescent-shaped spacecraft that will appear onscreen as enormous as the Empire State building. Fans of the first film recognized this immediately as the derelict spacecraft the Nostromo crew explored in the original 1979 movie. Designed by Swiss evil genius artist H.R. Giger, the ship also made its way into the director's cut of 1986's "Aliens" when Newt and her family stumble on a facehugger and wind up infecting a whole colony with Alienitus.

Spoilers be damned, Fox has chosen to feature money shots in the trailer of the Juggernaut going down in a big explosion that sends it hurtling back to the planet's surface, so we can pretty much guarantee that no matter what happens to Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) or any of her teammates, they will leave this ship as derelict as Ripley and company found it.

Who is inside that ship and why they're heading to Earth is another question, but we know at least one of them is …

The Space Jockey

Along with the above alien ship, this big creep is the biggest bullseye in the "Is it or isn't it an 'Alien' prequel?" derby.

Straight from the original film, where he sat in his chair lifeless as a statue with his ribcage burst open from the inside, the man affectionately known in geek circles as The Space Jockey is seen bright-as-day in the new trailer strapping into his chair/final resting place. We will finally figure out who he is and what came out of him, though images seem to indicate that it might merely be a suit or shell concealing an even more ominous figure.

Xenomorphs?

This is the biggest question mark of this whole enterprise, whether or not they'll include the iconic beasts that put the "Alien" in the "Alien" franchise?

"No. Absolutely not," Scott told Dark Horizons emphatically. "They squeezed it dry. He (the Xenomorph) did very well. He survived, he's now in Disneyland in Orlando, and no way am I going back there. How did he end up in Disneyland? I saw him in Disneyland, Jesus Christ!".

H.R. Giger's terrifyingly phallic creature is indeed an animatronic fixture for children to enjoy at Disneyworld's MGM tour, and it's true that Fox basically strip-mined any last ounces of terror or enjoyment we could glean from it with the "AVP" movies.

But as far back as early last year Sky Movies were reporting that there would be plentiful Xenomorph action, and the rumors still persist.

Scott also confirmed that original "Alien" designer Giger is "doing a little bit of work for me. He's been doing some murals, big murals, which we'll see in almost one of the first chambers we encounter when we land where we're gonna go."

"We present the evolution of these nasty bits and pieces of creature evolution in a logical and biological fashion," says Scott in the press notes. Adds Special Make-Up Effects artist Neal Scanlan: "Each stage of a creature's life cycle has a distinctive purpose. For our xenobiology, we brought in new elements that are not necessarily backward from those in Alien, but are of a similar DNA. Many of Ridley's references are derived from nature – plants, vegetables, sea creatures and other animals. Nothing is invented."

In a "Paul is dead" moment, Fox released a scary chunk of audio (via Bleeding Cool) which, when played backwards, reveals what sounds like one truly demonic medical operation. There's a lot of flappy, squishy sounds and some dude screaming "Cut it off, cut it off, cut it off!" and "You’re making it worse, it's tightening, it's breaking my arm!"

From the sounds of it, this might just be scary enough to have the impact of the original's legendary "chestburster" scene.

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So Is It An 'Alien' Prequel Or What?

Duh. No need for a debate. No need to bring in Perry Mason. This case is closed.

Well, basically. Having not seen the whole enchilada yet, we must confess that Scott and his screenwriters Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof may have built in a few curveballs which detour wildly from the "Alien" mythology. That is, after all, what makes "Prometheus" so much more enticing than your average prequel: the glimmer of a truly original summer blockbuster.

So spring that trap, fellas, and give us the thrill of the unexpected once again. Our chests are bursting with anticipation.

Originally published May 14, 2012.

'Prometheus' Trailer Redone: Now With 100% More Paper

Scott Harris — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 19:16:03 +0000

Youtube

Just how great is Ridley Scott's already-iconic trailer for "Prometheus?" It's so great that even if you take out all the visuals and replace them entirely with construction paper cutouts and drawings, it's still one of the most powerful trailers in recent memory.

How do we know this? Because someone actually did just that and we've got the results right here for you to marvel over.

And not only have the folks form the YouTube collective The Receptionist done the "Prometheus" trailer justice, some might even argue that they've managed to improve on the original by allowing fans to focus on things like the expert pacing, the chilling audio and the amazing use of tiny paper puppets.

Still skeptical? Check out the all-paper "Prometheus" trailer, courtesy of indieWire, and see for yourself:

NextFactor Q&A: 'Prometheus' Star Logan Marshall-Green

Max Evry — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:59:18 +0000

Getty Images

In "Prometheus," Logan Marshall-Green plays Charlie Holloway, an extreme archeologist who, along with fellow scientist Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), leads a crew across space to discover the key to mankind's creation. That key may turn out to be a slithery, bloodthirsty monster or two.

Raised in the theater, Marshall-Green nabbed a Drama Desk Award for his role in Neil LaBute's play "The Distance From Here" in 2004. After several small roles in films like "The Great Raid" and "Across the Universe," not to mention a nine-episode arc on TV's "The O.C.," he gained attention as one of the leads in the horror film "Devil." With "Prometheus" he's now found himself in one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer.

We talked to this up-and-comer about his fidelity to the "Alien" franchise, playing Tennessee Williams in an upcoming biopic, and the truth about what he did with that first Hollywood paycheck.

What was it like being on set with a movie god like Ridley Scott?
Well, you know, it wasn't underwhelming. It would be an understatement to say exciting! Surreal at times, and very real most of the time. That's what makes him so great -- and working on a Ridley Scott movie so great -- is you walk into it and you have to pinch yourself. Then you find out he's just an amazing collaborator. He wants to make a great movie and he wants you to help him. He wants you to make big choices and find them on your own and own the characters. He trusts you implicitly with the character, and he just wants to play. He gathers A-people all around him.

Also Check Out: Interview with "Prometheus" Star Idris Elba

He did a lot of stuff practically; like when you come onto that set the big giant head is there, right?
Yeah, when that head was revealed ... I stayed away from that room on purpose, I knew something was behind that door. [laughs] The sets are entirely built, functional, wet, and we're exploring them in a very organic way. When you're seeing all that fear, awe, and search [it] is all real on our faces.

20th Century Fox

Did you feel any sense of debt to the fans of the "Alien" franchise?
No, we felt that if we had a debt to anyone it was to the scene, to the characters, and to the story. That never came on set. We were aware of what we were shooting, it's a totally different story, and that would only be in our way. No one was thinking of a history with this movie, 'cause we were trying to make history.

You have a couple things coming down the pike, including "Black Dog, Red Dog" with James Franco. What can we expect from that?
I have no idea myself, so you probably want to ask James. I still don't know what I shot, it was kind of a whirlwind.

You're also playing Tennessee Williams in "Lonely Hunter."
Yeah, I'll be doing that later in the fall.

Are you doing a lot of prep for that?
Right now just trying to read everything I can and mentally get into the man himself, and then physically I'll start working on it in a few weeks. I have a few other things I'm going to be doing before so I have to balance Tennessee very delicately. I'm around some other male characters that are a lot different.

What was your first acting gig?
It was in one of my mom's [playwright Lowry Marshall] plays. I was in so many I can't remember. My first real acting gig was probably playing Mamillius in my mother's "Winter's Tale." My mom and dad are both in theater so I grew up acting and being a little theater brat as well.

How were you discovered?
If I was discovered by anyone it would be Stephen O'Neil, who saw me in a play at Williamstown, and introduced me to my team who I'm still with today. He was the first person to introduce me to the film and TV world. Other than that I just assumed I would be a theater actor my whole life.

Whose career in Hollywood would you like to have?
Paul Newman, of course, but I don't think I'm as good a person as Paul. His philanthropy …

It's not too late to start making your own salad dressing.
Yeah, I'd like to make my own hot sauce, I think, before salad dressing. Again, I'm sure I'm not nearly the culinary genius that Paul Newman was. Billy Crudup as well. I've always admired Billy's choices, I've always admired his dedication to stage, and of course his talent.

Getty Images

What would you be doing if you weren't acting?
Hiking. Backpacking.

What did you buy with your first Hollywood paycheck?
I think drugs. [laughs] Some booze and drugs, but I don't do drugs anymore and I don't drink anymore. My publicist is squirming right now, by the way. [laughs] No that's not what I bought, I'm just kidding with you.

Okay, what did you actually buy?
Poker chips at a casino. No, I'm kidding, I didn't buy that either. I don't remember, to tell you the truth. I do a lot of off-Broadway theater, so I think it went straight to rent in New York.

We would have also accepted "cute cuddly puppies."
[laughs] I'm not responsible enough to have puppies.

Who's your dream love interest on-screen?
Oh wow. Well, Sigourney Weaver in "Year of Living Dangerously." That car scene with Mel I think is one of the hottest scenes of all time. I've always been quite attracted to Sigourney Weaver.

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Got some "Alien" cred in there too.
You like that? It's true cred, 'cause it's real, I mean it.

What would be your dream role?
I think Iago in "Othello."

Mac or PC?
C'mon, do I even need to say?

Mac, right?
Of course.

New York or L.A.?
New York. New York Mets just had their first no-hitter last night, and I watched it at 3:30 in the morning.

"Potter," "Twilight," or "Hunger Games"?
"Hunger Games," but the book, not the movie.

Rock or rap?
Both.

Beer or wine?
Beer.

Bieber or Timberlake?
JT!

"Alien" or "Predator"?
"Alien."

GALLERY: 'Prometheus' Premiere Lands in London

Bryan Enk — Thu, 31 May 2012 22:04:29 +0000

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We'll soon know all of the secrets of "Prometheus." But a lucky few in England got to know them first.

Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce and other brave pioneers walked the red carpet at the world premiere of "Prometheus" in London. Logan Marshall-Green was also on hand to be mistaken for Tom Hardy and director Ridley Scott sternly looked on as only he can.

Check out our collection of pics from the premiere and blast off with "Prometheus" on June 8.

9 Movie Gadgets We Desperately Need

Jordan Hoffman — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:39:11 +0000

Columbia Pictures

This weekend, Will Smith and his expensive sunglasses are taking you back in time. Back to the 1960s, for the action of "Men in Black III" and back to the late 1990s, which is when you last thought about "Men in Black."

There's been much jawing among we fanboys about the awesome looking aliens that celebrated special effects designer Rick Baker has created – and, man, they are really great fun.

But for me, the "MIB" are all about the whacked-out gadgets. Indeed, the most famous of 'em all makes our list of 9 nifty gadgets most coveted on Planet Fanboy, which, as luck would have it, happen to be written below.

9 – The MIB Neuralizer

I don't know about you, but I say a lot of stupid stuff that comes back to bite me in the ass. To co-workers, check-out clerks, heck, even to the cat – I am a walking larynx of regrettable remarks and inadvertent insults. What I wouldn't give for this silver gewgaw the size of a robust rectal thermometer. One zap and all the embarrassment is gone.

The Neuralizer would also come in handy when dealing with editors who turn down ideas for pitches, claiming "we've already done an article just like that."

8 – Bane's Sleep Apnea mask

Warner Bros.

Obstructed breathing is no laughing matter. When the "soft palate" in the back of the throat gets so relaxed that air can not get into the lungs without a log-sawing snore, there's a good chance the noisy slob in the bed next to you is not getting enough REM state sleep.

While most common among the obese, this condition can strike anyone, even the remarkably fit terrorist played by Tom Hardy in the forthcoming "The Dark Knight Rises." What looks best about the thing Bane has strapped to his face (which, we're pretty sure is part of a Positive Airway Pressure device, right?) is that it looks menacing and gives you a demonic twinge to your voice. I'd really love to strap into one of these things.

7 – Mjolnir, Thor's Hammer

As Marvel is sure to remind the more conservative members of the movie-going audience, Thor and his fellow Asgardians are not Gods. They are space aliens and, while this may cause some to scratch their heads over Faster-than-Light travel and Fermi's Paradox, it should quell any faith-based epistemological concerns.

Therefore, Mjolnir may seem as if it is a totem steeped in a theological mythos, but it is, in fact, just a cool piece of whacked-out sci-fi technology. I mean, just imagine: a hammer that can fly! What else do they have, a tape measure that can breathe under water?

6 – That Thing Tony Stark Poked Bruce Banner With

While on the topic of "The Avengers," let's remember that some of the big ticket items like Cap's shield or the Helicarrier isn't what makes the movie so memorable. The heart of the picture is the relationship between the characters. The li'l mini-taser (or whatever the heck it is) that Stark uses to prod Bruce Banner is, in some ways, the most important gadget in the movie.

He isn't REALLY zapping Banner hoping he'll hulk out, he's doing it in a playful manner to show that he has trust in the guy and would really like to be his friend. His science friend. His BESTEST science friend. Awwww. . . .

If I got my hand on this doohickey I'd give all of my favorite fellow film writers a zing in the side in the hopes of joining forces with them and then riding off into the sunset.

p.s. You want to click that link above. You do.

5 – Kamal Khan's Loaded Dice From 'Octopussy'

I play a lot of backgammon. An Xbox 360, PS3 or souped-up Alienware PC may impress some of you, but a game that's over 5000 years old with infinite permutations (yet isn't as complicated as chess) is just my speed.

Problem is, I'm only a so-so player, no matter how much louched Arak I drink. The Afghan prince baddy from this dopey Roger Moore-era 007 flick had it all figured out, however, with a set of loaded dice that always turned up boxcars. No fear of the doubling cube had he!

If I had access to this bit of whiz-bang gizmology I'd be the Sultan of Steinway street, dusting all the immigrants in New York's backgammon district! A man can dream.

4 – Hidden Camera That Is Also an Eyeball From 'Doomsday'

Rogue

Not everyone remembers the Neil Marshall flick "Doomsday," but it'll be a long time before I forget a movie where Dr. Bashir from "Deep Space Nine" plays the Prime Minister of England, Rhona Mitra wears a tank top and young cannibals chow down for supper while the music of the Fine Young Cannibals plays.

Our heroine, Major Eden Sinclair, has a cybernetic ocular implant – basically, an eyeball she can pop out and stash somewhere when she needs a hidden camera. Yeah, anyone can go to Radio Shack to buy a little jobber to hide in a potted plant – but how badass is it to GAUGE OUT YOUR OWN EYE when you want to spy on your cheating husband?!?! I gotta get one – maybe they'll extend the line and I can rip off my nose to place in the kitchen to sniff out what's for dinner.

3 – Rodney Dangerfield's Golf Bag from 'Caddyshack'

I don't golf, but if I did I'd demand to keep my clubs in a bag that could serve drinks and play Journey's "Anyway You Want It" with the flick of a switch.

Hey, everybody, we're all gonna' get laid!!

2 – Michael Fassbender

In this summer's "Prometheus," the acting unit known as Michael Fassbender is finally playing a role it knows intimately – an artificial intelligence.

This construct of pure beauty has been wowing audiences for a few years with its perfect physique and remarkable peripherals. (We trust you've all seen "Shame.") I don't know what I would do with a Fassbender of my own, but I'm sure it would please the wife to keep it handy.

1- The 'Hot Tub Time Machine'

Time travel is a real passion for me, and something I plan on doing some day. (The fact that you are reading this means it hasn't happened yet, because writing lists isn't something someone who got a visit from his older self begging him to go to law school still does.)

There are many more compact methods of time travel (indeed, "Men In Black III" features one) but there's nothing that is quite as refreshing as a hot tub. Little known fact: moving in four dimensions can sometimes dehydrate the skin, so this is truly the best way to go.

Come back every Thursday for more intergalactic musings on Planet Fanboy and follow its fearless leader Jordan Hoffman on Twitter!

'Prometheus' Star Logan Marshall Green Will Be a 'Lonely Hunter'

Amanda Bell — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:31:04 +0000

Getty Images

Logan Marshall Green's making all the right moves to nudge his way into the spotlight.

The "Across the Universe" and "Devil" alum will be getting a real shot at the big-time this summer when Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" finally drops in June, and he's already lining up for what comes next after a sure-to-be-successful blockbuster debut.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Green has signed onto to star in Deborah Kampmeier's "Lonely Hunter" as the iconic American playwright Tennessee Williams.

He will star opposite Jena Malone, who will play the central Carson McCullers, the celebrated writer whose life and works are explored in the story.

Kampmeier - who serves as writer, producer and director on the project - said in the announcement of Green's casting, "Logan is amazing for Tennessee Williams. People think of him as a leading man but I think he’s also a character actor in a leading man's body."

She added, "He is so talented and with his theater background and training he is perfect for the role. With such great work coming up for him we are happy he can do this."

Logan Marshall Green is also currently filming "Black Dog, Red Dog" with James Franco and Olivia Wilde.

10 of This Summer's Blockbusters Re-Imagined as Indies

NextMovie Staff — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:00:27 +0000

NextMovie

Summer movies season is all about the blockbusters -- action movies with fist fights and guns blaring. Ch-ching!

But blockbusters aren't the only kind of movies at the multiplex this summer; they share space alongside quieter, more critically acclaimed fare. And let's face it, inside every loud, attention-grabbing, big-budget action movie, there's also a sensitive indie just wanting to get out. Right?

That's how we like to think of it, anyway. With our friend Old Red Jalopy, we've put a spin on 10 summer blockbusters to picture them as smaller, less explosion-heavy films instead. After all, it's not such a huge leap to see "The Avengers" as a moodily dysfunctional family, or Sylvester Stallone as an aging soldier contemplating the limits of his own mortality (with or without guns).

Take a look at these posters for 10 blockbusters re-imagined as thoughtful indies. And if some of you are even more likely to see them now, hey studios, we've got some marketing ideas for you ...

More NextMovie Originals

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The 20 Sexiest Men of Summer 2012

Elisabeth Rappe — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:00:58 +0000

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Summer isn't just the season for blockbusters. It's also the time of beefcakes. Oh sure, good-looking men abound in movies all year, but there's something about the hottest months that really brings them out, takes off their shirts, and makes them run, leap, and roll in slow motion.

This year seems especially easy on the eyes. We have the usual slate of superheroes (all of whom look fantastic in their capes and codpieces), soldiers and assassins, but with the extra spice of an android, a vampire, a medieval warrior, and a whole stable of male strippers. Any one of those is enough to make the season, but the combination is enough to make you glad theaters are air conditioned.

For now, here's a preview of summer's sexiest men to keep you feeling the heat until May and beyond.

The 20 Sexiest Women of Summer 2012

Daniel Hubschman — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:00:56 +0000

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What would a blockbuster be without a damsel in distress to save, or a femme fatale to fight? A whole lot less fabulous, that's what.

Throughout the world, the summer movies season is synonymous with chiseled male champions braving larger-than-life adventures. But judging by the crop of broad comedies and action extravaganzas being offered up in the coming months, it looks like the ladies may give their A-list counterparts of the opposite sex a run for their money.

Have a look at 20 starlets who are going to steal the cinematic spotlight.

The Top 30 Must-See Summer Movies of 2012

Max Evry — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:00:12 +0000

Columbia Pictures / Warner Bros.

'Tis the season for massive explosions and people running from them.

Summer movies are coming, and iconic superheroes will dominate as "Dark Knight Rises," "Avengers," and "The Amazing Spider-Man" duke it out for box office supremacy, while the sci-fi derby includes fresh takes on the "Alien" saga ("Prometheus") and Philip K. Dick ("Total Recall"), plus a return visit to MIB headquarters.

Of course, it's not all grenades and gunshots. Just see a shirtless Tom Cruise in "Rock of Ages" and everythingless Channing Tatum in "Magic Mike" representing for the ladies this summer.

We count down the biggest and best blockbusters for beating the summer heat.

30. 'Battleship'

Universal

Release Date: May 18
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Rihanna
The Scoop: "John Carter" sank, but this feature version of the perennial Hasbro board game may be just the ticket to keep Taylor Kitsch's career afloat. The decision to go sci-fi with invading aliens as the heavies is clearly the filmmakers' attempt to capitalize on the success of "Transformers," but with costars Liam Neeson and singer Rihanna in tow, this could be one unsinkable "Battleship." | Watch the trailer

29. 'Bel Ami'

Magnolia Pictures

Release Date: June 8
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci
The Scoop: R.Pattz is a beautiful friend indeed to the many lovely ladies in this 19th-century romp. The "Twilight" superstar plays Georges Duroy, a French libertine using his cunning and sexuality to broker his way from one powerful woman's bed to another. Based on the novel by Guy de Maupassant, this one's sure to get the more literary-minded audience's home fires burning. | Watch the trailer

28. 'Sparkle'

TriStar

Release Date: Aug 17
Starring: Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Derek Luke, Cee Lo Green
The Scoop: Whitney Houston's swan song is a remake of the 1970s cult classic, which she adored as a child. The late singer was set for a big-time comeback, including a soundtrack produced by R. Kelly, before her tragic death in February. Houston and "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks are "Giving Him Something He Can Feel," and audiences will be floored. | Watch the trailer

27. 'The Expendables 2'

Lionsgate

Release Date: Aug 17
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Scoop: A second helping of brawny, gun-totin' geezers was inevitable after the mighty $275 million haul their pyrotechnics brought in two years ago. Stallone has ceded the director's chair to Simon West ("Tomb Raider," "Con Air") but returns as writer and star, playing mercenary Barney Ross, who leads his team into a trap in which one of them gets whacked. They recruit new members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) to get some of that sweet, tasty revenge we like so much. | Watch the trailer

26. 'What to Expect When You’re Expecting'

Liongate

Release Date: May 18
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Brooklyn Decker
The Scoop: The go-to chick flick of the summer is based on the classic baby manual and follows five couples as they navigate the ups, downs and hormones of pregnancy. Oh, and don't worry, guys, because Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, Thomas Lennon, Rob Huebel and Matthew Morrison will be on hand for some much-needed bro time. | Watch the trailer

25. 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation'

Paramount

Release Date: June 29
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, Bruce Willis, Adrianne Palicki
The Scoop: Because one just wasn't enough. The Joes are back, but this time those Cobra scumbags have hatched a scheme to get their kung fu grip on the White House and eliminate America's last line of defense. Tatum returns as Duke, but it's Johnson as Roadblock and Willis as the original "Joe" who are running the show this time around. Did we mention ninjas swordfighting off a cliff face? POW! | Watch the trailer

24. 'People Like Us'

DreamWorks

Release Date: June 29
Starring: Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Jon Favreau
The Scoop: You might know the name Alex Kurtzman as one of the kings of franchise screenwriting with "Transformers," "Mission: Impossible" and "Star Trek" under his belt. Instead of making a splashy debut as a director, he wrote this grounded drama (along with partner Roberto Orci) about a man named Sam (Pine) who has to deliver $150,000 to a 30-year-old alcoholic sister he's never met. He encounters her troubled 12-year-old son and probably learns something about himself, too.

23. 'Katy Perry: Part of Me'

Getty Images

Release Date: July 5
Starring: Katy Perry
The Scoop: This concert documentary chronicles the life of the world's biggest female pop star, from her humble beginnings as a gospel singer to when she kissed a girl and liked it. If you really want to have fun, try hopping back and forth between the theater showing this film and another one showing ex-hubby Russell Brand's "Rock of Ages." | Watch the trailer

22. 'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World'

Focus Features

Release Date: June 22
Starring: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Adam Brody, Derek Luke, Connie Britton
The Scoop: Here's a perfect 2012 comedy for the Mayan-minded. With an impending asteroid about to smush the Earth into a pancake, a man teams up with a neighbor to road-trip across an apocalyptic U.S. and reunite with his childhood sweetheart. We'd never have thought to cast Carell opposite Knightley, but that unlikely chemistry might just prove magical, especially given the unconventional nature of the script. | Watch the trailer

21. 'ParaNorman'

Focus Features

Release Date: Aug 17
Starring: (voices) Casey Affleck, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
The Scoop: From the 3-D stop-motion geniuses at Laika -- the very patient animators who brought us "Coraline" -- comes this slab of spooky fun revolving around an outcast kid named Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who communicates with the dead to protect his sleepy New England town from a horde of ghosts, witches and zombies. The trailers are awesome, with some incredible puppet animation and a hilarious "Monster House" vibe to the story.

Also Check Out: Summer Movie Polls

20. 'Men in Black 3'

Columbia Pictures

Release Date: May 21
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Emma Thompson, Alice Eve
The Scoop: Call it cautious optimism, but despite some clunky-looking effects and tales of production woes (delays, unfinished scripts), we're still amped to see Will and Tommy back in black. With Josh Brolin doing a so-dead-on-it's-scary Tommy Lee Jones impersonation as a '60s-era Agent K, this will indeed be like walking into a time machine. | Watch the trailer

19. 'To Rome With Love'

Sony Pictures Classics

Release Date: June 22
Starring: Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page
The Scoop: Woody Allen made box office magic with last summer's "Midnight in Paris," so let's see if he can strike gold twice in a row. The Woodman continues his globetrotting (London, Barcelona, France) with this trip to the boot of Europe as famous Italians (Benigni) mix with American tourists (Baldwin, Eisenberg, Page) in four interconnected comedic vignettes. Throw in an Academy Award-winning Spaniard (Cruz) and Allen himself, and you've got yourself a heaping plate of laughs al dente.

18. 'Magic Mike'

Warner Bros.

Release Date: June 29
Starring: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer
The Scoop: Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody ("Juno") remarked on an episode of "WTF with Marc Maron" that when she released her stripping memoir, it resulted in criticism and controversy, and she wondered if this film -- based on Channing Tatum's teen experiences takin' it all off in Tampa, Florida -- would bring the "21 Jump Street" star equal scorn. Only one way to find out, as Steven Soderbergh directs a beefcake wonderland eager to please. Tatum is, to put this tastefully, the Jedi stripping master, while Pettyfer is his Padawan disciple, and the ladies should look forward to some red-hot "lightsabers." | Watch the trailer

17. 'Moonrise Kingdom'

Focus Features

Release Date: May 25
Starring: Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman
The Scoop: With Ed Norton as a cigarette-smoking Boy Scout troop leader, Bruce Willis as a sheriff with translucent glasses and Bill Murray as a disenchanted father, this couldn't be anything but a standard-issue Wes Anderson affair. The director of "The Royal Tenenbaums" always has something delightfully eccentric up his corduroy sleeves, and his tale of two young kids in a runaway romance will not disappoint. | Watch the trailer

16. 'Rock of Ages'

Warner Bros.

Release Date: June 15
Starring: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise
The Scoop: Tom Cruise likes his old-time rock 'n' roll Bon Jovi-style as he belts out "Wanted Dead Or Alive." Word on the street is Cruise brings down the house, but for backup you've got pros Russell Brand and Mary J. Blige waiting in the wings to make sure this Broadway musical takes it to the next level. Adam Shankman ("Hairspray") directs. | Watch the trailer

Keep Reading: Top 30 Must-See Summer Movies of 2012 (15 - 1) >>

It's a Wet Hot Alien Summer

Jordan Hoffman — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:00:37 +0000

Fox

People of Earth! So long have you spun there, quietly destroying yourself with greenhouse emissions and Go Large Whoppers. For eons, we have hoped to visit you! And this summer, many of my extra-terrestrial brothers, sisters and zblopnorgs are coming to raze your cities, destroy your culture and slurp up your natural resources.

Most of us were planning to go to Rigel IV this year, but it was that last HD simulcast of The Jonas Brothers Live at Six Flags that finally sold us. (Not just the catchy pop tunes, but the crowd reaction shots of people enjoying churros. On our world, doughnuts only exist in one shape!)

Think I'm fibbing? For four of your Earth months there will be a nonstop cinematic invasion of little green men. There's no way you won't be getting anally probed by at least one of these films.

'The Avengers'

Forgetting for a moment that "Thor" wisely side-stepped any theological issues by pitching Norse Gods as simply beings from some place in the sky called Asgard, why do you think Earth's Mightiest Heroes, "The Avengers," are Assembling? Just to appear on Slurpee cups?

No! They are defending you, puny Earthers, from an invading horde of Skrulls that aren't called Skrulls. They are the Ultimates variation of the Skrulls known as the Chitauri. Chitauri, in case you didn't know, are shapeshifters that come from the "Lower Fourth Dimension," which used to be a cool neighborhood but is now totally gentrified. And the excitement to see them get Hulk smashed transcends galaxies.

'Battleship'

Universal

You never realized it, but all those late nights at your grandfather's kitchen table were spent in preparation for a full-on interstellar battle. (Note: Yahtzee is actually training to defend against hail, frogs and smiting of the first born.)

Peter Berg's tribute to naval heroes fending off leftover CGI from Michael Bay's cutting room floor is actually playing in Europe right now. So if you want to fly over and tell us how we aliens look in "Battleship," please do so.

'Men in Black 3'

The first MIB has the retro feel of your misguided, mid-century attitude that there was something "campy" or "fun" about an invasion from a distant star. My people are doing everything to combat this truly offensive belief, trust me.

This newest installment, set back in the 1960s (oh, your concepts of time travel are SO fourth dimension!) looks to be heavy on this antenna 'n' green skin approach, but also features some prime Big Willie Weekend jams!

'Prometheus'

Sorry, there are some us on my planet who won't be able to tell you much about "Prometheus" just yet. Even a galactic barrier can't protect from an accidental spoiler, and we're trying to go into Ridley Scott & Damon Lindelof's kinda-sorta prequel to "Alien" with as much of a tabula rasa as possible.

We saw a picture on the Internet of a close-up eyeball with some sort of moving, translucent, wormy contact lens and thought - no! - we're not looking at anything else til opening night!

'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World'

Focus

You may think that this funny-sad Steve Carell/Keira Knightley vehicle wouldn't have anything to do with aliens, but that's where you are so wrong. The plot kicks off with word of an asteroid aimed right at Earth. And whom do you think guided it on its course, eh? (And, if you've ever seen "The Andromeda Strain," who knows what little buggers will be on that thing, amirite?

'Red Lights'

This terrible Cillian Murphy/Sigourney Weaver/Robert DeNiro drama that angered up my blood at the Sundance Film Festival may or may not involve extra terrestrial lifeforms. You'll have to watch it yourself to find out how or why. I gotta tell ya, though, who ever green-lighted this "Red Lights" turkey surely has tastes that are NOT OF THIS EARTH.

'Neighborhood Watch'

This comedy, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, directed by The Lonely Island's Akiva Schaffer and starring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard "Next Big British Import" Ayoade seemed to have everything going for it . . .and then the phrase "neighborhood watch" became a little icky. . .

We hope you puny Earthlings will look beyond arbitrary associations with timely current events and feel outrage for a whole other reason - that this looks nowhere near as good as last year's overlooked "Attack the Block."

'Total Recall'

A hulking bodybuilder lives a life of a mild construction worker, but he yearns for an adventure on Mars. He goes to a memory implant facility and - oh, wait. . . that's not in this? No Mars? Ah. And you see why we're always blowing you up, right?

So until Summer 2013, I conclude by saying "MEEEEBBBBOOROOOORP ZMMMMMBBBR" - ech, excuse me, the cat just walked on my keyboard. Where was I? Ah, I conclude by saying "Keep watching the skies! But when that gets boring, go to a movie."

Come back every Thursday for more intergalactic musings on Planet Fanboy and follow its fearless leader Jordan Hoffman on Twitter!

Summer Poll: Which Movie Are You Most Excited About?

NextMovie Staff — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:00:52 +0000

Summer Movies Poll 2012: Best Movie

There's a lot coming up in 2012, with nothing bigger than this summer's slate of blockbuster movies ... well, unless you count a presidential election, the Olympics and the possible end of the world.

Okay, fine, so maybe this summer movie season is only the fourth biggest thing about 2012, but it's still pretty darn huge, with a near-unprecedented lineup of all-star superhero movies, long-awaited sequels, fairy tale reimaginings and bold franchise reboots.

Which movies have you ready to laugh, cry, gasp and swoon this summer? Let us know which of this summer's big movies you're most excited to see -- then come back every day to vote in a brand-new poll.

This poll will close on May 2 at 12 p.m.

Michael Fassbender's Android Makes a Sales Pitch For 'Prometheus'

Jenni Miller — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:09:52 +0000

Fox

The latest piece of the "Prometheus" puzzle has arrived online, and it's a must-see.

The new clip, "Happy Birthday David," is the sort of thing companies play internally to school employees on the dangers of sexual harassment; in this case, Michael Fassbender's android David explains who he is, what he does and why he's the perfect employee in what's likely a promo video for Weyland Corporation.

David blends in perfectly, he assures us, despite the fact that he's wearing the face of one of the sexiest men alive. He can also play chess with himself, he enjoys the delights of fresh flowers, and he can do things that humans "might find… distressing or unethical." Tell us more!

Over tinkering music, David is being questioned by, one might guess, Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce). As The Playlist points out, Fassbender's soft-voiced 'bot and his list of things that make him sad make him sound like another famous robot, HAL 9000 of "2001." The shot of David playing chess with himself also alludes to HAL's chess-playing skills.

Although he says he does not feel human feelings, David looks solemn when listing what makes him sad. ("War, poverty, cruelty, unnecessary violence" are his turn-offs, in case you're keeping track.) Clever programming or a robot ready to go rogue?

Details about Ridley Scott's new sci-fi film is doled out in crumbs, and it looks like the video of Peter Weyland's TED Talk was just the first of many that Fox hopes will go viral to tantalize finicky "Alien" fans. What do you think? Is it working?

GALLERY: All the 'Prometheus' Photos So Far

NextMovie Staff — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:46:04 +0000

View Gallery »

Sometimes the more you know about a movie, the less excited you are to see it. Explanation and revelation often has a way of taking all the fun out of a film that's been shrouded in secrecy. But unlike a lot of highly anticipated mystery flicks, the more we learn about "Prometheus," the more we can't wait for June 8 to finally get here.

Ridley Scott's sci-fi epic marks the A-list director's return to the genre that made him a household name with "Alien" and "Blade Runner." At this point, we don't care if "Prometheus" is an "Alien" prequel or not (it is, sort of, but whatever) — we just want to see it.

Take a look at a master filmmaker's brave new world.

WonderCon 2012: Aliens, Abe Lincoln & 'Amazing Spider-Man' Hit Anaheim

Chase Whale — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 23:44:21 +0000

Getty Images

Watch out, San Diego Comic-Con. Your brother WonderCon has a new home, and apparently, some renewed movie and star power.

Moving south this year from San Francisco to Anaheim, WonderCon unspoiled its most impressive movie slate yet, playing host to summer 2012 blockbusters like "The Amazing Spider-Man," "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," "Snow White and the Huntsman," "Battleship" and "Prometheus," plus a host of other comic and genre-friendly fare looking to build buzz among fanboys and girls.

The rain-filled three-day convention attracted its fair share of celebs, too, with Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, Emma Stone, Michael Fassbender, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill all presumably making the short drive down from Los Angeles.

The highlights:

"Prometheus." This was the panel of all panels to attend on Saturday. Director Ridley Scott, making his highly anticipated return to sci-fi, was joined by red-hot stars Charlize Theron (also on hand for "Snow White") and Michael Fassbender. Before screening the stunning new trailer, Scott discussed a possible sequel: "If we're lucky, maybe there'll be a second part to all of this." He followed that up, saying, "The film does leave you with some big, ongoing questions."

Scott also discussed why he shot the film entirely in 3-D; his background in filmmaking comes from visuals and he finds using CGI and computer animation helpful to progressing his creative process. "What I learned from this film, the more you animate digitally ... [the more] you can do anything want ... The challenge is "how original you're going to be.""

A crowd member asked Scott if it was difficult to return to a genre he built his life on early in his career. The answer: not at all. "We're damn lucky to be doing the profession that we do," he said. "I am relieved I'm still allowed to do it."

Getty Images

"The Amazing Spider-Man." Director Marc Webb, producer Matthew Tolmach and star Emma Stone discussed differentiating this reboot from the previous trilogy, saying there will be more of a focus on Peter Parker's family. "I wanted to create a world that felt emotionally and physically grounded," Webb said.

Webb brought a five-minute clip from "Spider-Man," which had some unrendered effects (you can see the wires and green screen), but that didn't affect the crowd's warm response. There have been many naysayers regarding Spidey's reboot, but it's becoming obvious Webb and his team are beyond passionate about this project. This new footage (coming to interwebs soon?) will no doubt swing a lot of doubting heads the other way.

"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter." A hilarious video from Tim Burton, a producer on the film, introduced the panel for this genre masher, before Seth Grahame-Smith (author and screenplay co-writer), Timur Bekmambetov (director) and Benjamin Walker (star) took the stage and introduced a meaty action clip.

When talking about Lincoln, Walker said he wanted to play someone who is "strong" and "makes compassionate decisions." Plus, he just wanted to "cut some heads off." Bekmambetov discussed the feature adaptation process, saying they wanted to "keep the tone and fun of book," but also wanted to bring something new and fresh for the book's fans, revealing that there is a central villain that was added for the film version.

"Battleship." Director Peter Berg and stars Brooklyn Decker and Alexander Skarsgård joined the WonderCon game to talk about this unlikely "adaptation."

"Frankly, it doesn't lend itself as the most logical thing to adapt into a film," said Berg, who brought a new trailer and two clips -- the first introducing Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch), brother to Skarsgård's Stone, who clearly has his eyes on Decker's character (and why shouldn't he?), and the second giving us a nice juicy look at the movie's alien life forms, which appear to be ape-like E.T.s in full metal jackets.

Getty Images

"Snow White and the Huntsman." Director Rubert Sanders was joined by stars Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart (who went at it a bit at last year's San Diego Comic-Con) for a look at this dark take on the classic fairytale, unveiling a five-minute clip full of knights shattering to pieces, mythical creatures and dwarfs.

When asked about her stunts, Stewart admitted she hurts herself a lot, and had a fear of riding horses because she shattered her wrists riding as a kid. Theron, meanwhile, won first f-bomb-dropping honors at the convention, when describing her character, Queen Ravenna: "Everyone has an idea of her, and there's something nice about f**king with that idea." When someone in the audience asked her how she played evil so well, Theron brought the house down: "That's because I'm a bitch ... Picasso had his blue period, this is my bitch period."

"Resident Evil: Regeneration." Writer/Director Paul W.S. Anderson took the stage to show a new teaser, which is a lot like the first one we saw back in January. "We wanted to make it the biggest and best 'Resident Evil,'" he exclaimed. "It's an epic movie."

Anderson's partner-in-crime (and life) Milla Jovovich joined soon after, and proved yet again that she loves herself a Con, screaming "MORTAL KOMBAT!!!" into the mic upon her arrival. Someone from the audience brought up the fact that she's the first female action hero to do five films in the same franchise. This note pumped up Jovovich as she talked about her character in the series, and how even though she's a complete badass, she still cannot get used to the world that's been overrun by zombies. A sequence of action-packed clips followed.

"Looper." This panel was another anticipated showcase, mostly because we haven't seen a thing about Rian Johnson's time travel movie. That changed with the presentation of the incredible first trailer, featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a time-leaping assassin contracted to take out an older version of himself (Bruce Willis).

The film is very noir-heavy and Johnson has made Gordon-Levitt almost unrecognizable by giving him a prosthetic nose. Johnson and Gordon-Levitt talked about their relationship (they first worked together on Johnson's first film, "Brick") and it's very clear they have built a solid friendship. Gordon-Levitt had profuse praise for the future legacy of his director, saying "They [moviegoers] will talk about him just as much as they do Chris [Nolan] and Steven [Spielberg]." We hope so.

New 'Prometheus' Trailer Sets WonderCon On Fire

Scott Harris — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:50:41 +0000

20th Century Fox

In Greek mythology, Prometheus was a Titan who felt the wrath of Zeus for giving mankind the secret of fire. In modern day movie mythology, on the other hand, Ridley Scott is doing everything in his power to make sure mankind doesn't learn the secrets of his upcoming sci-fi epic "Prometheus."

Until now, that is.

Yes, Scott finally debuted the brand new, full length trailer for "Prometheus" at WonderCon over the weekend and while the crafty director still wouldn't answer any questions about the film, the clip pretty much speaks for itself. Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Idris Elba visiting a mysterious alien world is awesome enough -- and realizing it's actually an "Alien" world is even better.

Add in the fact that according to The Hollywood Reporter, Scott teased that "if we're lucky, there'll be a second part," and it's no wonder this trailer is already burning up the internet. Prometheus would be so proud:

WonderCon Watch: 13 Things You Need to See

Jordan Hoffman — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:00:52 +0000

20th Century Fox

Somewhere between the Vesuvian nerdsplosion that is San Diego Comic-Con and the Mets-like hometown disappointment of its New York cousin lies the spirited and sensational WonderCon. Usually located in San Francisco, this year WonderCon is happening in Anaheim, a place I just now learned is not a section of L.A. (They have their own post office and everything.)

If you aren't going (like, how do you even get to Anaheim?) properly timed check-ins to ye olde Internet ought to net some cool breaking news, as well as Twitpics of Power Girl/Poison Ivy/Zatanna cosplay. (I call that one the Neopolitan.)

Here are the 13 things you want to keep an eye on.

Friday

12:30 p.m.: Get Thee to Middle-earth

Unless Gandalf is keeping new footage of "The Hobbit" under his (very tall, pointy) hat you won't see clips at new WonderCon, but LOTR fanatics can still check in with the gang from TheOneRing.net. The brain trust from Middle Earth's finest web community will host a panel, and will also show you where to get a discount on the finest Elven jewelry.

1:30 p.m.: Spotlight on Mark Waid

A legendary comic book author, Waid has done some outstanding work for both DC and Marvel. Right now he is tearing it up with a revolutionary run on "Daredevil." Considering that there are reboot rumors for New York's favorite blind lawyer, now might be a good time to get reacquainted with the character.

3 p.m.: 1982 Remembered

Now that Alamo Drafthouse has announced that they are recreating the Summer of '82 with a season-long series of screenings, it is all but universally accepted that it isn't just nostalgia – the summer that gave us "E.T.," "The Thing," "Blade Runner," "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," "The Road Warrior" etc. really DID kick ass. A panel of experts will try to break it down, as well as look ahead to summer 2012 to see if it can compare.

Sony

3:45 p.m.: '21 Jump Street'

It's the final stop on a publicity tour that has taken Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill across country in ridiculous biker shorts. If all the rave reviews haven't convinced you, I'm sure the antics of these two bromantically involved stars will get you motivated to check this flick out.

It'll be curious to see if they clear the family-friendly main ballroom for the (no doubt) F-bomb-laden panel, or maybe the boys will be on their best behavior. If you get a question in during the Q & A, ask them if the sequel will be called "22 Jump Street." They totally love that one.

6:30 p.m.: Superman vs. The Elite

If you are a fan of the DC Animated Original Films series you've probably thought that some of 'em were good enough to play in a theater. ("Batman: Year One," "Wonder Woman," and "Green Lantern: First Flight" especially.) Well, I've been to more than my fair share of Cons and the opening night premiere of the latest animated DC movie is always a treat.

This new one, based on the 2001 Action Comics one-shot "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way" looks like one of the best ones yet, and there'll be a post-screening Q & A with George Newbern (voice of Superman), writer Joe Kelly and Grand Caliph of the DC Animated Universe Bruce Timm.

Also Check Out: Get full coverage on WonderCon 2012 from MTV Geek

Saturday

10:30 a.m.: Spotlight on Scott Snyder

There's a man who has revolutionized the way we consider the iconic character of Batman and brought him to an entire new audience. That man's name is Christopher Nolan. Then there's Scott Snyder who's been knockin' it out of the park lately with terrific, quintessential Detective Comics and Batman runs. In an era when to be classic is to be radical, Snyder (whose current "Swamp Thing" run is nothing to sneeze at, either) is a true comics talent.

11 a.m.: 'Adventure Time'

I haven't gotten around to watching "Adventure Time." (What, you want I should lie to you? My trusted readers?) However I know it is freaking awesome and chances are you are insane for it. Well, the producer will be up there answering questions and maybe showing some new stuff. Hit refresh on Twitter like a beast and maybe you'll get some scoop.

12:30 p.m.: 'Sound of My Voice'

I may have to double check, but this might be the first time a film that premiered at Sundance is getting the comic book convention treatment.

Don't let the movie's provenance scare ya. From writer/star Brit Marling (of the mediocre "Another Earth") comes an absolutely fantastic low-budget sci-fi head-scratcher about time travel, religious cults, investigative journalism and creepy basements. I absolutely love this movie to pieces, so take advantage to get in on this one early.

1:15 p.m.: 20th Century Fox Panel a/k/a the Big Event

I can't even say the word "Prometheus" without quivering. The greatest movie of 2012 (I'm pretty sure) will debut some footage and two dudes named Ridley something and something Lindelof will be there.

Are you kidding me?! Ridley Scott is returning to space and Damon Lindelof is the one taking him there. The glimpses we've seen so far look amazing and I fully expect to be parsing every moment of this panel for connections to the larger "Alien" tetralogy. (I guess that's sexology if you include "AVP" and "AVP:R," though sexology really sounds like a Prince album.)

The cherry on top will be a presentation for the goofy-lookin' "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter." I'm just hoping for its sake they don't try to follow-up after "Prometheus."

Universal

2:30 p.m.: Universal Panel

This will include footage of "Transformers Go Swimming" (also known as "Battleship"), with a visit from director Peter Berg, model-turned-actress (allegedly) Brooklyn Decker and Alexander Skarsgard. We don't know if Skarsgard will be bringing the little circle he puts over the last "a" in his name.

Of more interest (at least to me) will be an early peek at the potentially awesome "Snow White and the Huntsman." I still can't get over how terrific that first trailer looks. The director Rupert Sanders will be there and I will PayPal $5 to the first person who asks him what it was like to work with Julia Roberts.

3:30 p.m.: 'Lockout'

This one is a bit of a mystery – which is usually a good thing for events such as this. Guy Pearce and Maggie Grace face bad guys in a prison in outer space. Luc Besson co-wrote the script. The ball's in your court, WonderCon. Wow us!

4:15 p.m.: Sony Panel a/k/a The Other Big Event

Okay, I got this idea for a character. He's kind of a dork, but he's got a big heart. He gets bitten by a radioactive... I dunno... something gross. A silverfish. He then discovers he has its powers, and with it, responsibility. I'll call it "The Amazing Silverfish-Man." You like it? I dunno, I think it still needs work.

And, scene.

Anyway, "Amazing Spider-Man." You wanna see new scenes, Sony wants to show 'em to you. Emma Stone and director Marc Webb (Webb!!) will be there, too.

Also: there's a new "Resident Evil" movie. It's called "Resident Evil: Dear God How Many Of These Are We Going To Make." It stars Milla Jovovich and was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (probably.) I can't wait to half-watch this at my friends' house when we're waiting for pizza to show up, either.

More importantly: did you ever see a movie called "The Brothers Bloom?" It was a fun, crafty movie with Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo. The dude who made it, Rian Johnson, has a new one about time travel called "Looper." Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt and Paul Dano are in it and my spies tell me it is terrific. After WonderCon, we'll know more.

6:30 p.m.: Ralph Bakshi's 'Wizards'

The King of Adult Animation, Ralph Bakshi, is gracing WonderCon with his presence. It is the 35th anniversary of his futuristic fantasy epic "Wizards" and if you've never seen it before, there's not much I can say to prepare you. It is some freaky stuff with psychedelic mix of animation techniques. Bakshi's a real quirky character, so an opportunity to see him speak should not be missed.

Sunday

This the day to just explore the booths on the show floor. And for those of you at home to play along as friends send pics of their discoveries.

Remember, if anyone asks, yes, you absolutely can take giant steel swords home on a plane.

Come back every Thursday for more intergalactic musings on Planet Fanboy and follow its fearless leader Jordan Hoffman on Twitter! Check out previous Fanboy columns here!

'Snow White,' 'Prometheus' and Channing Tatum Score NewNowNext Noms

Bryan Enk — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:17:16 +0000

Universal

Now this is our kind of awards show!

Did we say "Now?" We meant "NewNowNext," the annual awards ceremony hosted by Logo that honors the many rising stars of the entertainment industry. It's a lot more, well, fun than most other awards shows, featuring tongue-in-cheek categories such as "Most Addictive Reality Star," "TV You Betta Watch" and "'Cause You're Hot."

Channing Tatum scored himself a nomination in that latter category in anticipation of his highly anticipated turn as a male stripper in this summer's "Magic Mike." Our future Superman, Henry Cavill, was also nominated for his steamy work on "The Tudors," as was Paul Patton for being the hottest IMF team member in "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (besides Simon Pegg).

Kudos also to Josh Hutcherson, who's nominated as a "Next Mega Star" for his role as Peeta Mellark in "The Hunger Games." "Games" will be well on its way to making a zillion dollars at the box office by the time the winners of the NewNowNext Awards are announced, otherwise it probably would've been nominated as a "Next Must-See Movie" -- the rather eclectic nominees in that category are "Magic Mike," "Moonrise Kingdom," "Prometheus," "Snow White and the Huntsman," "Ted" and "The Avengers."

The movie-related nominees are below, and you can see the entire list at The Live Feed. The Fifth Annual NewNowNext Awards will air on Logo on Monday, April 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

NEXT MEGA STAR
Lizzy Caplan ("New Girl")
Josh Hutcherson ("The Hunger Games")
Michael B. Jordan ("Parenthood")
Elizabeth Olsen ("Kill Your Darlings")
Emily VanCamp ("Revenge")

'CAUSE YOU'RE HOT
Channing Tatum ("Magic Mike")
Henry Cavill ("The Tudors")
Jessica Lange ("American Horror Story")
Naya Rivera ("Glee")
Novak Djokovic (tennis player)
Paula Patton ("Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol")

NEXT MUST-SEE MOVIE
"Magic Mike"
"Moonrise Kingdom"
"Prometheus"
"Snow White and the Huntsman"
"Ted"
"The Avengers"

Guy Pearce Changes the World in New 'Prometheus' Teaser

Bryan Enk — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:07:33 +0000

20th Century Fox

We will most certainly indulge a new look at Ridley Scott's sci-fi epic.

Guy Pearce appears in an extended "Prometheus" teaser as technology mogul Peter Weyland (hmm!), a key speaker at a technology convention known as TED 2023. TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is described as a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, and Weyland has a rather radical one: he intends to build the first convincingly humanoid robotic system.

And you know where that's headed: Parker (Yaphet Kotto) one day exclaiming, "Ash is a goddamn robot!" in the original "Alien" movie (which, in this timeline, has yet to happen).

Ridley Scott and screenwriter Damon Lindelof have done a great job in taking steps to create a complete world for "Prometheus" (and expanding the "Alien" mythology) with conjuring up the TED Blog, where you can read more about the organization and Weyland's career as a driven and controversial industrialist (whose company, Weyland Industries, will one day team up with the mysterious Ms. Yutani to create Weyland-Yutani, "The Company" of the "Alien" films).

Get ready to build a better world and check out this TED Talk from the future. "Prometheus" opens June 8.

Ridley Scott Reveals the Missing Link Between 'Alien' and 'Prometheus'

Jenni Miller — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:13:44 +0000

20th Century Fox

The plot of Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus' has been kept fairly secret since it's appeared on our radar like a looming planet in the sky. Is it a sequel to the seminal sci-fi film 'Alien'? Is it a prequel? Is it just in the same universe? What the frak?

Scott's spilled a bean or two recently, and while it's only a small detail, we're sucking it up like a hungry face-hugger. The first link between the two movies is Guy Pearce's character, a businessman who owns the ship Prometheus.

Total Film ferreted out the following information Scott quote from fansite AVPGalaxy:

"When the first 'Alien' movie and 'Blade Runner' were made, I thought that in the near future the world will be owned by large companies. This is why we have the Tyrell Corporation in 'Blade Runner', and Weyland-Yutani in 'Alien'. They sent the Nostromo spaceship.

"The Prometheus is owned by an entrepreneur called Peter Weyland, and is played by Guy Pearce. That's the connection between the two films, and nothing more. 'Prometheus' is a new film, a new world, and is full of new ideas. And of course new monsters as well."

Wouldn't it be glorious and insane if Scott threw in a connection to the "Blade Runner" sequel, too? Serious fans of "Alien" and "Blade Runner" are already aghast (although deadly curious!) about these sort-of sequels. Some of us are even skeptical that the "Blade Runner" sequel will be made at all, although it was recently reported that Harrison Ford is in talks to reprise his career-defining role as Rick Deckard.

In any case, we're wondering if Pearce's role is the only thing that "Alien" and "Prometheus" has in common. Maybe a Jones 2.0?

What do you think?

View Gallery »

2012 Preview: The Year in Fanboy, Part 1

Jordan Hoffman — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:00:15 +0000

Universal

Here at Planet Fanboy we like to be prepared. We don't just waltz down to the metroplex and stare up at the marquee and go "uhhhhhhhh" like mindless drones who deserve to be shot out of an airlock into deep space.

This is serious business.

I don't know about you, but I've got my whole year of movie watching planned out. Feel free to crib from my sheet, and if we have the option to go to a theater with one of those soda machines with seven hundred flavors, let's go there.

Here's Part 1 of the 2012 preview:

The Rest of January:

A cold cruel month that isn't all that welcoming for quality fanboy cinema. Short of seeing Ra's Al-Ghul/Qui Gon-Jin battle wolves in "The Grey" on Jan 27, this is an opportunity to catch up on all those unopened Blu-rays.

February 10 – "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in 3-D"

Lucasfilm

Because we all need to see Watto's big anti-semetic stereotype schnozz in 3-D! We're going to this, but we're going to talk back at the screen the whole time. (Except for during the podrace and the Darth Maul parts.)

February 17 – "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance"

I've actually seen this movie already. It's horrible. It makes the first one look like "Iron Man." There's one funny part where Nic Cage goes all "not the bees!"-style crazy. You'll love that when you see it on YouTube.

March 9 – "John Carter"

Yay! The first real fanboy movie of the year, and its in the "300" calendar slot. Considering how well Pixar's Brad Bird made the jump to live action with "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol," I'm hoping Andrew Stanton can continue the trend. Frankly, the trailers only have me somewhat-sold, but considering how starved I'll be for giant interstellar beasts by March 9th I'll be lapping this up.

March 16 – "Wrath of the Titans"

A sequel nobody asked for by a director nobody likes. I have a theory. The theory is that this is actually gonna be a great deal of poppish, breezy fun. Let's wait and see.

March 23 – "The Hunger Games"

Lionsgate

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm sure it's gonna be great. And I'm also sure there's a good chance there's a girl who named her cat Haymitch who'll want to go with you. Just be true to yourself and be sure to make a few loud references to Kinji Fukasaku's "Battle Royale" on line.

April 23 – "Cabin in the Woods"

Here's another one I've been lucky enough to see and I can tell you that IT IS AWESOME. This Whedon-penned film starts off as just another really clever horror flick, but then they peel the curtain back and OHMYGOD you have no idea how awesome this gets. Josh Lyman from "The West Wing" steals the show – and that's nothing I ever expected to saywithout the influence of drugs or alcohol.

May 4 – "The Avengers," Excuse me, "Marvel's The Avengers."

I'm still waiting for the great big "fooled you!" on this one. Never in the history of modern cinema has there been a crescendo of big
budget films leading to a team-up like this. I hope they say "Assemble" like five hundred times.

May 11 – "Dark Shadows"?

I dunno. Go see "Avengers" again.

May 18 – "Battleship"

Film 44

Oy. Go see "Avengers" again.

May 25 – "Men in Black III"

The most troubled production in recent history had had an unprecedented amount of reshoots. But the first “MIB” was a landmark
and the second one was fun, too. (Probably. I don't really remember that one too well.) Fingers crossed on this one, I want it to be good.

June 1 – "Snow White and the Huntsman"

This has one of the best teaser trailers out there right now. And in addition to great special effects and Charlize Theron looking spooky it has every British actor ever. It's like "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" with dwarves instead of intelligence agents.

June 8 – "Prometheus"

Excuse me, I need to clean up. I just thought about that trailer again. Here's the thing: Ridley Scott, at least on a visual level, is at the absolute top of his game right now. He just hasn't had a good script in a decade. Enter Damon Lindleof, a quasi-"Alien" prequel and Charlize Theron and Magneto and the original "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and it is shot in native 3-D and it explains the origin of the Space Jockey and hff...gfff...hfff. I need my asthma inhaler!

"Prometheus" is, very much, the most anticipated movie of 2012 on Planet Fanboy.

June 15 – "Jack the Giant Killer"

Meh.

Come back next Thursday for Part 2 of The Year in Fanboy — and come back every Thursday for more intergalactic musings on Planet Fanboy. Follow its fearless leader Jordan Hoffman on Twitter!

First 'Prometheus' Trailer Gives Humanity the Gift of Awesome

Scott Harris — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:37:10 +0000

20th Century Fox

There's an art to making a good teaser trailer; you have to provide just enough to the audience to get them excited without giving away the whole kit and kaboodle too early. You know, why pay for the movie milk when you've got the trailer cow for free? Or... something.

So, yeah, it's an art. But luckily for all of us, director Ridley Scott is an artist like no other, which helps explain why his one minute teaser clip for "Prometheus" is about the coolest damn thing you're ever likely to see.

And if the trailer is to be believed, maybe the last.

The story of "Prometheus," which is set to arrive on June 8, has been shrouded in secrecy ever since Scott began working on it, oh, thirty some odd years ago. But while the legendary director of the sci-fi classics "Alien" and "Blade Runner" has been coy, now that we've seen the trailer, there can be no doubt that the rumors are true: "Prometheus" is definitely some kind of prequel to "Alien."

Not that the trailer actually gives much away, other than the fact that bad things are going to happen in space to a bunch of star actors like Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron (not to mention Idris Elba, who seems to be sporting a really fine mustache). But one listen to the signature sound of that hair-raising "Alien" shriek and you know that this summer, everybody in the theater is going to be able to hear you scream.

Here it is, the first trailer for "Prometheus," courtesy of Apple Trailers:

The Trailer For The First 'Prometheus' Trailer Is A Real Tease

Scott Harris — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:13:31 +0000

20th Century Fox

When it comes to new movie trailers, there are trailers and then there are trailers, you know? But rarely is there a trailer for a trailer.

Until now.

If you're one of the gazillions of fans eagerly awaiting your first look at director Ridley Scott's wildly anticipated "Alien" prequel (?) "Prometheus," well, we have good news and bad news for you. The good news? There's a brand new trailer for "Prometheus!" The bad news? It's actually a trailer for the real trailer, which won't be out for three more days. Sounds like someone is playing with fire.

Of course, "Prometheus," which marks Scott's first return to the world of "Alien" since he created the original 1979 classic, isn't just chock full of superstar acting talent like Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce and Idris Elba; it's also one of the most secretive projects since the development of the A-bomb.

So at this point, anything we can get at all about "Prometheus is worth a few squees, even if they're tempered by having to wait another 72 excruciating hours for the full trailer treatment. Check it out, courtesy of Apple Trailers — and get ready for the tease of your life:

50 Movies We Can't Wait to See in 2012 - Page 2

Scott Harris — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:00:23 +0000

'Rock of Ages'

Getty Images

Release Date: June 1
Starring: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise
The Scoop: One of the most popular and acclaimed Broadway musicals in recent memory, "Rock of Ages" tells the story of a couple of small-town dreamers who get caught up in the big-city spotlight -- and it tells that story using the transformative power of '80s rock. That's enough for us, but if you're somehow not sold, the film version of "Rock of Ages" also features a Who's Who of Hollywood stars, including Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Bryan Cranston and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Rock on!

'Snow White and the Huntsman'

Universal

Release Date: June 1
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron
The Scoop: What if the classic fairy tale "Snow White" was actually a dark and moody fantasy epic? That's the premise behind "Snow White and the Hunstman," which features "Twilight" superstar Kristen Stewart as the titular heroine and Chris Hemsworth ("Thor") as the huntsman sent to kill her. Oh, and the evil queen? Well, thanks to Charlize Theron, who knows a thing or two about murdering rival chicks (see: her Oscar winning performance in "Monster"), we're pretty much going to be avoiding apples for the rest of our life. One of the most anticipated films of the year.

'Prometheus'

20th Century Fox

Release Date: June 8
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson
The Scoop: If it seems like decades since director Ridley Scott last filmed a sci-fi flick, that's because it has been. But since his previous two efforts in the genre happen to be the undisputed classics "Alien" and "Blade Runner," well, chances are the wait was worth it -- especially since "Prometheus," which stars the original "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Noomi Rapace, looks to be a prequel to the original "Alien." So will lightning strike a third time? "Prometheus" is set to prove that when you play with fire, you're going to get awesome.

'Jack the Giant Killer'

Getty Images

Release Date: June 15
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor
The Scoop: If you think vampires, zombies and robots have all pretty much been exhausted at this point, don't worry, because the next big thing is coming -- literally. Yes, it's giants! "Jack the Giant Killer" stars Nicholas Hoult ("X-Men: First Class") as a regular dude who leads an expedition into the land of giants in order to rescue a princess in a modern mashup of "Twilight" and Jack and the Beanstalk." Stanley Tucci, who is required to be in everything (and be awesome in everything) costars, as does Ewan McGregor and noted non-giant Warwick Davis. No spoilers here, but our money is on Jack.

'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'

20th Century Fox

Release Date: June 22
Starring: Benjamin Walker, Rufus Sewell, Dominic Cooper
The Scoop: If you study history closely, you can learn all sorts of fascinating details. For instance, did you know that our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, was actually a noted vampire hunter? Okay, it's not true, but imagining Honest Abe throwing down with Nosferatu is awesome enough that we're more than willing to overlook any (minor) historical inaccuracies. Benjamin Walker ("Flags of Our Fathers") plays Lincoln, who, after his mother is murdered by a vampire, decides to eradicate the creatures -- creatures which also happen to be behind the institution of slavery. Suddenly that whole Civil War thing makes a whole lot more sense.

'Brave'

Disney/Pixar

Release Date: June 22
Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson
The Scoop: Pixar has made a living -- and some undeniably great films -- by turning fish, insects, cars and robots into wonderfully animated main characters, but aside from "The Incredibles," actual humans have been few and far between. That's set to change in a big way when "Brave" hits theaters. Stepping squarely into Disney Princess territory, "Brave" tells the story of a plucky medieval Scottish lass who rebels against the traditional female role forced on her. Unfortunately, her desire for independence may unleash a hideous evil on the world, which means one thing: quest time! We'd pretty much follow Pixar into hell itself, so if they're "brave" enough to make this movie, we're "Brave" enough to watch it.

'G.I. Joe: Retaliation'

Paramount

Release Date: June 29
Starring: Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, Ray Park
The Scoop: The first "G.I. Joe" wasn't exactly an overwhelming success, but thanks to J.J. Abrams dragging his feet on "Star Trek 2," Paramount suddenly had a giant, blockbuster-sized hole in their 2012 schedule. And who better to call in an emergency than America's most trusted special agents, the folks at "G.I. Joe"? Things look a little bit different this time around -- Channing Tatum returns as lead Joe, but half the cast has been jettisoned in favor of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson -- and expectations are much higher, as "Step Up" and "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" director John M. Chu steps up behind the camera. The forces of evil have no shot.

'Magic Mike'

Getty Images

Release Date: June 29
Starring: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Olivia Munn
The Scoop: Speaking of Channing Tatum, the beefy star is doing double duty on June 29, as "Magic Mike" and "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" go head-to-head at the box office. But they probably don't have quite the same target demographic anyway; "Magic Mike" is the story of a veteran male stripper (that's Tatum -- try not to hyperventilate, ladies) who takes a newbie ("I Am Number Four"s' Alex Pettyfer) under his wing. This one is directed by Steven Soderbergh, who was hoping Tatum could draw on the experiences he gained working a stripper himself as a young man.

'The Amazing Spider-Man'

Columbia Pictures

Release Date: July 3
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans
The Scoop: Considering Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy is one of the most successful franchises in film history -- and considering it just ended five short, short years ago -- the folks behind this reboot have some pretty big expectations to fill. Luckily, they've got a not-so-secret weapon: Emma Stone, who plays Gwen Stacy opposite spideriffic love interest Peter Parker ("The Social Network" star Andrew Garfield). We're not sure how amazing this "Spider-Man" is going to be, but we're very sure just how amazing Stone is -- and our Awesome-Sense is tingling like crazy.

'Ted'

Getty Images

Release Date: July 13
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane
The Scoop: Seth MacFarlane can pretty much do anything he wants to do inside his Fox animation empire, but it turns out that what the creator of "Family Guy," The Cleveland Show" and "American Dad" really wants to do is direct. Hence "Ted," MacFarlane's directorial debut, which stars Mark Wahlberg as a mostly normal guy with one fairly major quirk: His best friend is his fully sentient childhood teddy bear (voiced by MacFarlane, naturally). That becomes an issue when Wahlberg meets the woman of his dreams (Mila Kunis, aka the woman of everyone's dreams). Sorry, Fox, but it looks like MacFarlane may have just found himself another career.

'The Dark Knight Rises'

Warner Bros.

Release Date: July 20
Starring: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
The Scoop: When "The Dark Knight" came out in 2008, it became the second highest-grossing film of all time. And the expectations are even higher this time around thanks to a little movie director Christopher Nolan did in his spare time: "Inception." With the "Dark Knight" trilogy and the Christian Bale era both set to come to an end -- and with "Inception" stars Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt cranking up the fan dial -- "The Dark Knight Rises" is poised to become the film event of the summer. We're not sure how you can go higher than the perfection of "The Dark Knight," but if anyone can find a way to rise even further, it's Nolan. We can't wait.

'Neighborhood Watch'

20th Century Fox

Release Date: July 27
Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill
The Scoop: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill bring the star power and name recognition to this comedy, about a group of bros who form a neighborhood watch to get out of the house and accidentally end up having to save the world. But it's the man behind the camera that has real comedy fans buzzing: Akiva Schaffer. Schaffer, you see, is one third of the "Saturday Night Live" comedy splinter group Lonely Island, and you don't need to be on a boat to know that means major league laughs. His first film, "Hot Rod," wasn't exactly a smash, but with that under his belt, Schaffer is poised to knock "Neighborhood Watch" out of the park. Guess that island won't be lonely for much longer.

'The Bourne Legacy'

Getty Images

Release Date: August 3
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton
The Scoop: Matt Damon may be gone, but his film legacy lives on in the form of "The Bourne Legacy," which examines the world of the "Bourne" series without technically being a straight sequel or prequel. Instead, Jeremy Renner heads a mostly new cast as the spy community and the other castoffs from Project Treadstone wrestle with the aftermath of "The Bourne Ultimatum." Film fans looking for some continuity between films can rest easy, as Joan Allen returns in the role of upper level agent Pamela Landy -- and Tony Gilroy, who wrote the first three films, writes and directs -- but this time around it's Renner, not Damon, who will make the movie sink or swim or kill a guy with its bare hands. Or all three at the same time. Hey, it is a "Bourne" film after all.

'Total Recall'

Columbia Tristar

Release Date: August 3
Starring: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Bryan Cranston, Jessica Biel, Bill Nighy
The Scoop: Philip K. Dick is dead, alas, but his legacy lives on in the unending stream of sci-fi films adapted from his novels and short stories. And just when you thought there were no more to adapt, Hollywood has started remaking the legendary sci-fi author's earlier films, such as this redo of the 199o hit "Total Recall." While the original was a classic tongue-in-cheek Arnold Schwarzenegger action romp, though, the remake -- which stars Colin Farrell in the Arnold role -- aims to be a much more serious and gritty take on the tale of a man who messes around with his own memory and ends up fighting mutants on Mars as a result.

'Warm Bodies'

Getty Images

Release Date: August 10
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich
The Scoop: The summer of Nicholas Hoult continues on August 10 as the star of "Jack the Giant Killer' takes on a menace of a decidedly ... deader variety in "Warm Bodies." Hoult plays a zombie who ends up beginning a relationship with a living girl. What she doesn't know? Well, the fact that he ate her last boyfriend. That will tend to put a damper on things, assuming the whole "zombie" part didn't do that already. So can Hoult do for zombies what R.Pattz did for vampires? If anyone can make the walking dead seem sexy, it's him.

'The Expendables 2'

Lionsgate

Release Date: August 17
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Jason Statham, Jet Li, et al.
The Scoop: If you've ever wanted to raid the local rest home, today is the day, because chances are it will be emptied out as everyone heads to the theater to see their peers in action in "The Expendables 2." Okay, we kid. We're actually stoked to see Sly Stallone and his ragtag crew of action film veterans get back on the big screen, especially since Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger are expected to have much bigger roles this time around. Despite the title, this pop culture grouping is quickly becoming irreplaceable.

'ParaNorman'

Focus Features

Release Date: August 17
Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
The Scoop: "ParaNorman" writer-director Chris Butler may not be a familiar name, but fans of animation are certainly familiar with his work as the storyboard artist on films like "Coraline" and "Corpse Bride." Now he's taking that off-kilter aesthetic to new heights, as "ParaNorman" -- which features voicework from the likes of John Goodman, Caesy Affleck and Anna Kendrick -- tells the tale of a kid who uses his ability to speak with the dead to save his town from an ancient curse. Zombie movies: They aren't just for adults any more.

'Argo'

Getty Images

Release Date: September 14
Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman
The Scoop: Director Ben Affleck -- yes, director is his primary credit these days, thanks to "The Town" and "Gone Baby Gone" -- also stars in this amazing true story about the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. Featuring an all-star cast that includes Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Kyle Chandler and more, "Argo" relates how a group of hostages managed to escape by pretending to be the crew of a fake movie invented by the CIA. "Good Night and Good Luck" writer Grant Heslov cowrote the screenplay with Affleck, so yeah, this one pretty much has awesome all over it. Is it too early for 2013 Oscar buzz yet?

'Savages'

Getty Images

Release Date: September 28
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively
The Scoop: Based on Don Winslow's bestselling thriller of the same name, "Savages" tells the story of two potheads (Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch) who are blackmailed by Mexican drug lords after their shared girlfriend (Blake Lively) is kidnapped. Naturally, they embark on a mission to save her. And since "Savages" is directed by Oliver Stone, you can pretty much bet the house that all hell is going to break loose -- which may explain why notorious hell-breakers Uma Thurman, John Travolta and Benicio Del Toro are in the cast. It's always interesting when Stone goes to work.

'Frankenweenie'

Disney

Release Date: October 5
Starring: Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short
The Scoop: Way, way back in the day -- we're talking the early '80s -- an unknown artist by the name of Tim Burton developed a short film by the name of "Frankenweenie" for his bosses at Disney. And they hated it. Fast-forward over two decades and Burton, who in the interim has become an icon of cinema, finally gets his chance to realize his vision of a feature-length "Frankeweenie" film. Take one part Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and two parts "The Nightmare Before Christmas," and you'll have the formula for perhaps the most offbeat animated film of the young century. Looks like Burton gets the last laugh this time -- and best of all, we all get to laugh with him.

'The Gangster Squad'

Getty Images

Release Date: October 19
Starring: Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Josh Brolin
The Scoop: When you see the name of director Ruben Fleischer in the credits, you know it's a certain type of black comedy; after all, this is the guy who brought the world "Zombieland" and "30 Minutes or Less." But not so fast, folks, because "The Gangster Squad" has the kind of cast that serious dreams are made of, with Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Nick Nolte and a half dozen other big names powering the story of the cops who cleaned up L.A. in the 1940s. Now that's a gang we'd like to be part of.

'My Mother's Curse'

Getty Images

Release Date: November 2
Starring: Seth Rogen, Barbra Streisand, Adam Scott
The Scoop: Buddy comedies are a dime a dozen, and road movies are just about as cheap. You know what costs a little bit more, though? A buddy road comedy starring Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand. That's right: Rogen and Streisand -- THE Barbra Streisand, mind you -- play a mother and her inventor son who embark on a road trip in a quest to get backing for his latest crazy idea. An idea crazier than Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand costarring in a buddy road trip? Good luck getting funding for that, pal!

'Skyfall'

Sony

Release Date: November 9
Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem
The Scoop: For a while there it looked as though we might never get another James Bond movie, or at least not one while Daniel Craig was still young enough to shake his martini. Luckily all the legal woes that had the franchise stuck in limbo have been cleared up, meaning "Skyfall," Craig's third mission for her Majesty's Secret Service, is a go. And this time around there's a new wrinkle -- or several of them -- as the story focuses on the secret past of Dame Judi Dench's unflappable M. Can Bond save the day again? Unless you're Chicken Little, we're guessing this is one "Skyfall" you can rest easy about.

'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2'

Summit

Release Date: November 16
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
The Scoop: Yes, you read that date right: Even though filming on "Breaking Dawn - Part 2" has long since been completed, New Line has decided to sock away some savings for a rainy day by waiting an entire year to release the final installment of "The Twilight Saga." That's basically a form of cruel and unusual punishment for the franchise's billions of fans, but we're guessing that any resentment over the long wait will be erased with one final look into Robert Pattinson's smoldering eyes. And hey, look at the bright side: The delay means you have another whole year to revel in "Twilight" mania. Oh, yeah.

'Gravity'

Getty Images

Release Date: October 19
Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney
The Scoop: Director Alfonso Cuarón has made some pretty sweet movies -- think "Children of Men," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Y Tu Mamá También" -- so you'd think he wouldn't have much trouble finding stars to appear in his upcoming sci-fi drama about an astronaut who is trapped in space after an accident. But one star after another came and went through "Gravity's" long development process. Luckily, though, Cuarón's own personal gravity finally captured two bona fide A-listers: George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, who's in the lead role. With that kind of star power, chances are you'll have a hard time staying out of this film's orbit.

'The Silver Linings Playbook'

Getty Images

Release Date: November 21
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Julia Stiles, Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence
The Scoop: Bradley Cooper does the rom-com thing in this adaptation of a novel by Matthew Quick. He and his abs star as Pat Peoples, an ex-teacher who is committed to a mental institution for four years. When he finally emerges, he decides to try and get back together with his former wife, with "The Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence acting as a go-between. And you thought your ex was crazy! David O. Russell ("The Fighter") handles directing duties.

'Les Miserables'

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Release Date: December 7
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter
The Scoop: This high-powered adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel of the French Revolution has a lot to live up to, considering the "Les Miserables" musical is one of the most popular and successful shows in history. Director Tom Hooper knows a thing or two about period pieces, though -- you might know his last film, "The King's Speech," or his Emmy-winning miniseries "John Adams" -- and with a cast that includes Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe, he certainly has the talent to pull it off.

'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'

New Line

Release Date: December 14
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage
The Scoop: The most unexpected part of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is the fact that we're getting to see the film at all. Hard to believe, but by the time this thing comes out, it will have been nine long years since Peter Jackson finished off "The Lord of the Rings" by winning 11 Oscars and earning enough money to buy a whole herd of miniature giraffes. Legal matters, though, sent "The Hobbit" into limbo for the last decade, which will make it all the sweeter when Martin Freeman finally gets to don his hairy prosthetic feet and embark on J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary quest as Bilbo, the hobbit who had the courage to leave home to find a dragon. About effing time.

'Life of Pi'

Mariner Books

Release Date: December 21
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Suraj Sharma
The Scoop: First off, before you panic, there's not really any math in "Life of Pi." Pi happens to be the name of an Indian kid who survives a shipwreck only to find himself stranded on an island with a menagerie of weird animals. Based on the novel of the same name by Yann Martel, "Life of Pi" is directed by Ang Lee, who previously won an Oscar for helming "Brokeback Mountain." "Life of Pi" was originally scheduled to debut on December 14, but wisely moved to avoid being steamrolled by "The Hobbit," so adjust your calendar accordingly.

'This Is Forty'

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Release Date: December 21
Starring: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, Melissa McCarthy
The Scoop: Paul Rudd and his best bro Judd Apatow are back together for another comedy from the Apatow factory, this time with a bit of a twist: Rudd and costar Leslie Mann are reprising their roles from the 2007 film "Knocked Up," with Jason Segel in support this time instead of vice versa. So what can you expect from "This Is Forty"? Well, given the cast and the pedigree, expect more of the patented Apatow humor -- and don't be surprised if a couple of years from now there's another spin-off featuring one of this film's supporting players.

'World War Z'

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Release Date: December 21
Starring: Brad Pitt, Matthew Fox, James Badge Dale
The Scoop: There are zombie movies, and then there are zombie movies starring Brad Pitt. Which are you going to go with? Well, if you answered Brad Pitt, then you're in luck, because "World War Z" stars Pitt as a member of the human resistance fighting back in a war against the zombie horde. He's joined in his efforts by Matthew Fox ("Lost") and the always awesome James Badge Dale ("Shame"). And it's not just the talent in front of the camera that deserves a nod; directed by acclaimed filmmaker Marc Forster ("Monster's Ball," "Finding Neverland"), this adaptation of the popular Max Brooks novel was produced by Pitt from a screenplay cowritten by "Babylon 5" creator J. Michael Straczynski. Zombies, you don't stand a chance.

'Django Unchained'

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Release Date: December 25
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson
The Scoop: Quentin Tarantino might have killed Hitler in his last movie, but that was pretty much just a warm-up for his most audacious film yet, "Django Unchained," which stars Jamie Foxx as a runaway slave who returns to the plantation to wreak vengeance on those who mistreated him. An all-star lineup of superstars (Leonardo DiCaprio, anyone?) and Tarantino favorites (Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson) round out this revenge fantasia. A Tarantino movie about slavery? That comes out on Christmas day? We're not sure the Internet will be able to handle it.

'The Great Gatsby'

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Release Date: December 25
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton
The Scoop: The novel that has been described as the quintessential American story is being adapted for the big screen by a fairly unlikely figure: the unabashed ambassador of all things Australian, Baz Luhrmann. Frankly, though, it's hard to imagine the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic being in better hands, especially with Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan on board in the lead roles. Of course, audience attention may be a bit split -- DiCaprio's collaboration with Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained," comes out the same day -- but that's fine, as a Luhrmann-Tarantino double feature is a real Christmas gift.

'Lincoln'

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Release Date: December
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones
The Scoop: There are films with serious pedigrees, and then there's "Lincoln," which exists on a whole different level: The story of America's most beloved and revered figure is being directed by Steven Spielberg, with acting legend Daniel-Day Lewis in the lead role. He's also supported in this adaptation of the Doris Kearns Goodwin book "Team of Rivals" by the stellar Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tommy Lee Jones among many, many others, leaving us with just one question: Is Spielberg also going to adopt a third name for this production? Either way, "Lincoln" is the perfect way to cap off what is shaping up to be a great year of cinema.

Everything We Know About 'Prometheus' So Far

Scott Harris — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:00:30 +0000

20th Century Fox

Ever since Ridley Scott announced his upcoming sci-fi epic "Prometheus," fans have been scrambling for scraps of information, trying to learn all they can about the movie that may or may not be a prequel to Scott's 1979 classic "Alien."

You can finally relax, because thanks to our brand-new guide, the whole world is about to be clued in on Everything We Know About "Prometheus" So Far. It may not quite be the gift of fire, but trust us: When it comes to movies, this is the next best thing.

Release Date: June 8, 2012

Star Power: One thing "Prometheus" is definitely not lacking is star power, as arguably the hottest actor on the planet -- Michael Fassbender -- anchors an all-star lineup that includes international sensation Noomi Rapace as well as Idris Elba, Guy Pearce and Oscar winner Charlize Theron. Everybody in Hollywood would jump at the chance to work with Scott; these are just the ones who asked "how high."

Next Factor: When the original "Alien" hit theaters over three decades ago, it turned Sigourney Weaver into an overnight superstar and introduced the world to the idea of the action heroine. So European actress Noomi Rapace has some pretty big shoes to fill in her first American leading role. But given her mesmerizing performance as Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish adaptation of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" -- not to mention her upcoming costarring role in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" -- we think Rapace is poised to become the Next Big Thing, not just here, but around the world. Ripley would be so proud.

Also Check Out: Next Factor: "Sherlock Holmes" Star Noomi Rapace

Behind the Camera: Well, it's Ridley Scott, so there's not a whole lot more that needs to be said. But just to cover our bases: Scott's previous sci-fi efforts, "Alien" and "Blade Runner," are considered by many to be arguably the two best sci-fi movies of all time. He's also been nominated for the Best Director Oscar three times ("Thelma and Louise," "Gladiator," "Black Hawk Down") so ... yeah, he's pretty much reason enough to see the movie.

20th Century Fox

Movie Math: "Alien" x "Alien3" ÷ "Aliens" - "Alien: Resurrection" = "Prometheus"

Backstory: The "Alien" franchise has a long and (mostly) distinguished history. With Scott leaving after the first film, the sequels were done by James Cameron (whatever happened to that guy?), David Fincher (whoever that is) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Best Director nominee for "Amelie"). But once the whole "Alien vs. Predator" thing happened, the studio was like, let's ... dial this back a bit. That opened the door for Scott to return with "Prometheus," a project that has been in gestation even longer than that alien larva in your abdomen. It took several more years to get the movie off the ground, but now it's finally here. Whatever it is.

In a Nutshell: This is usually the part where we tell you about the plot, but since nobody except Scott seems to know what it's about, we can't exactly do that. Here's what we know, though: While Scott is being cagey about whether or not this is an "Alien" prequel, comments by the cast in media interviews suggest that "Prometheus," while not a direct prequel, will take place in the "Alien" universe and detail events such as the life and death of the Space Jockey seen at the beginning of "Alien." The name "Prometheus" refers to the ancient legend of the being who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity, only to be punished by Zeus with eternal torture. We're guessing that name is no coincidence -- meaning you can expect to see a lot of on-screen punishment for the discovery Rapace and her crew unleash on the universe.

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The Buzz: Fans have been waiting over three decades to see what Scott might do with another "Alien" film. Plus, considering the "Alien" franchise was once one of the most prestigious in film, the possibility that Scott can restore it to its former glory and pave the way for more high concept, ass-kicking sci-fi art/action films is almost too good to even hope for. Add in international buzz over Rapace and Fassbender and you have a film poised to become not just a fan favorite, but an international phenomenon.

Why We're Psyched: Pretty much everything we mentioned above applies to us as well -- hey, we're big movie fans, first and foremost -- but we're also really curious to see what Scott does with 3-D. A lot was (rightly) made over 69-year-old Martin Scorsese's raving about his 3-D experience with "Hugo," but Scott is actually older (74!) and has also been waxing poetic about the power of 3-D cinema. His protégé James Cameron might have set the bar high with "Avatar," but if anything can beat that mark, it's Scott and "Prometheus." Grab your glass, because this is going to be an experience you won't want to miss.

Next Factor: 'Sherlock Holmes' Star Noomi Rapace

Cassie Carpenter — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:00:29 +0000

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Swedish actress Noomi Rapace first dazzled American audiences with her riveting portrayal of punk hacker Lisbeth Salander in the original film adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s best-selling Millennium Trilogy (including "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"). All cheekbones and attitude, the black-lipsticked Salander -- and the woman who played her -- caught Hollywood’s jaded eye. Starting Dec. 16, Rapace stars alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows." Not bad for an actress who only learned English three years ago.

Age: 31

Hometown: Hudiksvall, Sweden

What She's Done: Long before David Fincher’s planned adaptation, Rapace filmed all three movies in the Millennium Trilogy back to back. It took a full year, and during that time the actress was Salander more often than she was Rapace. Salander is an inspiring survivor who, through the course of the trilogy, is beaten, raped, shot in the head, falsely accused of murder, and institutionalized. Twice. "I think that I've always been fascinated by people who can turn anger into strength," Rapace told NPR.

What She's Doing Now: In "Sherlock," she plays a scrappy gypsy fortune teller named Sim who serves as a linchpin for unraveling Holmes’ Moriarty case. Sim is fast with a blade and quick on her feet in the boys' club otherwise known as a Guy Ritchie film -- a rare place for any woman.

Shout Out: "We were all big fans of hers, and when we met her, she was already full of ideas about the character," Ritchie says in the press notes. "I loved working with Noomi because she’s ballsy and smart and totally committed -- all the qualities we were looking for in Sim."

Reminds Us of: Rooney Mara in "The Girl With the" ... oh wait, strike that. Reverse it. Rapace is far more concerned with altering her appearance than resembling anyone else. She told Buzzine, "Many times, people expect me to be like Lisbeth and to come in as this aggressive, black-dressed, hard-rock girl! But I’m an actress. I can be fat and blonde, or skinny with black hair. I can transform myself for whatever it takes."

Working with Ridley Scott: After Scott saw "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" three times, Rapace became his first choice for the lead in his quasi-"Alien"-prequel "Prometheus." Rapace beat out Gemma Arterton, Carey Mulligan, Olivia Wilde, Anne Hathaway, Abbie Cornish and Natalie Portman for the role of Elizabeth Shaw in the highly anticipated film, out June 2012.

"I feel like my character is the heart in the movie,” Rapace revealed to Collider. “You follow her, and she changes. In the beginning, she’s a believer. She believes in God and she has a very strong faith. She is a scientist and an archaeologist. She’s on this mission, and she’s full of hope. In the middle of the movie, things happen and she changes into more of a warrior. And in the end, she’s such a survivor."

What's Next: Aside from "Prometheus," Rapace will be starring in the thriller "Dead Man Down" with Colin Farrell, and she might do a movie called "Passion" with director Brian De Palma before that.