News and Rumors for 12-18-08 (Iron Man 2 , Halloween 2, and Keanu Bebop?!)

Actor cast to play Tony Stark's father in flash backs for Iron Man sequel.

Tim Robbins will play Tony's WWII scientist father, Howard according to Latino Review.

Howard will be used in flashbacks that will tie the film in the eventual release of the Captain America film. Rumors are also swirling that other Marvel b-listers will appear, like popular character Hawkeye.

Regardless, of what the story or cameos turn out to be it's nice to see Marvel continuing their trend of casting quality actors in genre pictures.
Rob Zombie announces who will play Michael Myers in his Halloween Sequel.

... And it will be Tyler Mane again according to Zombie's Myspace page.

This comes as a surprise to basically no one but it's nice that Rob is giving Tyler more work. This is especially true because Mane's other big role, Sabertooth, went to a completely different (yet more talented actor) for the Wolverine spin-off.
Keanu Reeves wants to do a live action Cowboy Bebop film.

According to MTV's Movie Blog. Here are a couple quotes from their piece:

Reeves revealed that this outline for the flick is currently focusing on the origins of the fictional “Bebop” drug developed by the military, which provides its users with a brief surge of superhuman reflexes and awareness. “We’re taking the Red Eye [story], the beginning part of the series,” he explained, “and then we’ll deal with the end of the series. We’re trying to figure out [the time frame]. We’re looking at the story right now.”

Since the beloved 26-episode show (as well as the feature film) didn’t necessarily maintain a linear style of storytelling, Reeves said that somewhere between the Red Eye origins and the “Bebop” conclusion, they’ll be picking out various highlights for their own use.

“Yeah, it’s so episodic and so disconnected. We’re trying to figure out what pieces to put together to tell one story,” he explained. “Because it’s such a short form, to make a 2 hour version [will be tough]. And it’s got so much of an origin-story obligation; you’ve got to get people up to speed, but you don’t want to do much of that. There are a lot of things to take into consideration, but we think we can do something good."

I have never seen Cowboy Bebop. Though Keanu seems like a fan of the material. Which is always something that gets my interest in a project up.

Patton Oswalt begs you to see Punisher: Warzone.

Comedian, writer, and actor Patton Oswalt recently posted to his MySpace blog an entry imploring people to get out and see the brilliantly subversive (seriously) Punisher: Warzone. I agree whole heartedly with everything Patton wrote. So much so, that I am going to transcribe the entire post for you below.

"THE "IS THIS HAPPENING?" MOVIE CLUB

There's a floating, secret society of movies that includes such illustrious titles as RUNNING SCARED (the Paul Walker version, not the Hines-Crystal-Smits one), ANACONDA, and the immortal, why-hasn't-Criterion-done-a-release DEEP BLUE SEA.

These are the kinds of movies where, while you're watching it, usually with a group of friends, you think (or say aloud), "Is this HAPPENING?"

"Did I just see a from-inside-the-snake-view of John Voight being eaten?"

"When did this Paul Walker action movie become a Pasolini kid-rape parable?"

"Wait -- did I just see Samuel L. Jackson get eaten by a shark? Oh wait -- now ANOTHER shark is coming along and pulling his head off while the first shark swims off with his body?"

The reason you're so brain-cracked as you watch these movies is that, unlike on-the-borderlands fare like THE STORY OF RICKY, DEAD ALIVE and ICHI THE KILLER, these are boilerplate, wide-release films put out by major studios. In thousands of theaters, all across America, for anyone to see. And yet they contain winking corpses, black-light massacres and Saffron Burrows stripping down to bra and panties so she can electrocute a genius-level shark.

Somehow, someone tricked someone else at the MPAA and, let's face it, the studio itself to let these wonderfully transgressive movies loose to roam the countryside.

Well, it happened again.

PUNISHER: WAR ZONE is THE BEST time I've had at the movies this year. I've seen better films. MUCH better films. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, THE DARK KNIGHT, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN and RACHEL GETTING MARRIED I'm sure, someday, will influence my work and make me think twice before I let slide something hack-y and un-original.

But I didn't ever feel like standing up on my chair and cheering. None of them made me cackle like a railyard hobo who's found half a cigar and a can of beans. And none of them had a scene where Dominic West, in Frankenstein makeup, convinces black, Chinese and Irish gangs to put aside their differences and act as cannon-fodder in his hissy fit vengeance scheme against Frank Castle, aka The Punisher.

People are not shot in this film. They have holes blasted through them or are turned into sticky mist.

People are not punched in this film. They have their faces pummeled off.

Children are not threatened. They are un-fixably scarred for life.

The film does not contain a hero. It does not contain an anti-hero. It contains a glowering Brit who huffs around in a bullet-proof body canister like he's searching for the perfect toilet to unleash a ten burrito dump. He's just as awful as the villains he dispatches and, unlike scores of other action heroes, does not utter a single clever or ironic quip. He'll plug someone and already be turning away, scanning the horizon for something else to kill. He's played by Ray Stevenson, but could have easily been played by Ray Stevens. He's more a force of destruction than Jason Vorhees or Michael Meyers could ever dream on.

Keep in mind, all of this mayhem, insanity and just-plain bugfuckedness is contained in one of the most beautifully shot films I've seen this year. It's almost distracting, how gorgeous cinematographer Steve Gainer's palette is. It's like he studied BLACK NARCISSUS and THE RED SHOES right before shooting a snuff film.

And director Lexi Alexander, a former stunt woman and kick boxing champion, has just groin-punched her way to the front of the line in the Nutball Director's Pantheon. Make room, Miike! Step aside, Kounen!

PUNISHER: WAR ZONE is still in theaters. Barely. It took ten days for it to body-crawl past 7 million dollars.

Won't you make a pasty shut-ins Christmas dreams come true? Won't you call up an old friend, perhaps an unhinged asshole you've been avoiding , and take them to see PUNISHER: WAR ZONE? Or maybe the whole family, while you're still digesting Christmas dinner? How amazing would it be if PUNISHER: WAR ZONE rallied, and beat MARLEY AND ME and BENJAMIN BUTTON on Christmas Day?

It'd help an angel get his wings, I bet."

If that does not convince you to give the film a chance (or see it again), I don't know what will. If you want to read more from Patton head to his official site located HERE.

The film's official site is located HERE as well.

Sources: MySpace

Thomas Jane decides to "Give 'Em Hell" and you can watch!

Thomas Jane has kept a low profile since last year's under seen and vastly under appreciated horror film The Mist. In that time he has completed a couple different films. One is The Mutant Chronicles (soon to be reviewed on this very site) and the other is Give 'Em Hell, Malone.

Jane has often said that he is a fan of genre projects. Both of these films play into that preference.

...Malone follows Jane as he plays a

... tough as nails private investigator squareing off with gangsters and their thugs to protect a valuable secret.

The movie is directed by Russell Mulcahy (Highlander and Razorback). The film wrapped principal photography just a little over a month ago and within days of this event a rough-cut trailer appeared on the internet. It's available below for your viewing pleasure.



As a fan of Thomas Jane and 70's 'Grindhouse' cinema. I have to say I'm really looking forward to see how this one turns out.

Marvel debuts a trailer for it's next two animated DVD releases!

The films will be called Hulk vs. Wolverine and Hulk vs. Thor respectively.

The trailer for both films is located here.

I personally think that these look like a lot of fun. After seeing the surprsingly good Dr. Strange animated film, I am willing to give Marvel's Animated DTV divison more chances.

Credit for the image : Andy Mort
Source: Newsarama

Rumor and News for 12-16-08 (new Crow, Tr2n, and Zombie's return to the director chair)

Hollywood continues it's attempt to remake or sequel-ize every film property in exsistence. Sometimes this is a good thing... other times not so much. Here are three news items that cover this very topic. I will let you decide where they fall on the spectrum of quality.

The Crow to be remade by original Blade Helmer, Stephen Norrington.

According to this article in Variety...

Here is an excerpt:

“Whereas [ the original film's] director [Alex] Proyas’ original was
gloriously gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and
mysterious, almost documentary-style,” Norrington told Daily Variety.

Norrington has not made a film since the disasterous adaption of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Where titanic clashes with the film's star, Sean Connery, drove them both from the film business. Regardless of that film's quality, Norrington's other work (Blade and the underseen The Last Minute) shows him to be a writer director of some quality with a very unique vision. If a remake has to happen, Stephen Norrington seems like a good fit to me.

Star of Fox's House tv series to star in Tr2n (the sequel to 1982's Tron).

Actress Olivia Wilde to play a

worker in the virtual world who tries to help fight Master Control Program, ... [the] nemesis in the original film.

According to this article from The Hollywood Reporter.

I have no idea who this is. However the news that Jeff Bridges is returning as 'Flynn' and the positive reaction to the test footage screened at '08 San Diego Comic Con have got me really interested in this project.

Rob Zombie to direct a Sequel to his 'reimagining' of the original Halloween.

Again, Variety said so, here.

I'm fairly indifferent to this news. I've yet to see Rob's take on Halloween (the negative buzz kept me away) but I dearly love his brutal and darkly comedic The Devil's Rejects. So, while it's nice to see Rob returning to film... I personally wish it was on a more personal project, like the mysterious Tyrannosaurus Rex that he has been quietly promoting for months.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine debuts on Myspace!

The trailer for the troubled spin-off to the X-Men franchise has debuted on MySpace of all places. Check it out at the link listed below.

Click Here - Then come back and tell me what you thought of our first glimpse at one of the few, sure fire hits of the, writer strike affected, 2009 summer film season.

My thoughts on it? Well, I have heard about the struggles between Fox head honcho Tom Rothman and Indie film darling (and director of this film) Gavin Hood. Arguments over tone and directions had a lot of fans worrying that this film could be another X-Men 3 or even some thing as terrible as Fox's Ghost Rider film.

Well... so far so good. The trailer sells the film very well. It appears to be epic in ambition if not necessarily in scope. Hugh Jackman, as always seems like he was born to play the mutton chop-wearing anti hero and Liev Schriber seems to be having a ball as his nemesis, Sabertooth.

I remain cautiously optimistic about the whole thing.

Besides Who doesn't love the idea of Ryan Renolds playing the wise-cracking mercenary DeadPool? If anything we have to support ol' Ryan cause god knows his other atempt at action stardom, Blade 3, failed miserably despite his best efforts.

Sources : Chud, AintitCool, Myspace

Watching The Curtains Part.

I love film.

I have loved film for as long as I can remember. Watching Gene Kelly sing in the rain, Steven McQueen drive like a madman through the streets of San Fransisco , and Clint Eastwood shoot down half the west are memories that are as near and dear to me as any birthday or graduation.

Throughout my life I have shared this love in silence. While A lot of my friends would be willing to go to the theater with me every weekend, none of them devoured and absorbed every bit of film detail like I did. I had to know everything about the films I had seen or were about to see. I use to think I was weird at worst and obsessed at best.

Then I discovered The internet film community and realized I was not alone at all. I discovered critics, other fans, and even film makers who loved this unique art as much as I do. It was exhilirating and overwhelming all at once.

Where to begin with it all?

Hopefully, that is the point of this site. I want you to follow me along in my love affair with film. I want you to let me show you some of the truly wonderful things I've discovered, introduce you to some of the great people I've met and ... maybe... just maybe... you'll find something to fall in love with yourself.

It all begins here, at your easy access point to the world I love so much. A curb cut leading to a world of wonder...

Right now though, It is time to silence the cellphones and lower your voices because the room just went dark and the curtains have parted.

The show is about to begin.