Posted on Thursday, April 19th, 2012 by Peter Sciretta
Paramount Pictures has given us the exclusive poster premiere for the Cobra Commander Character Poster for G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Or at least it was supposed to be exclusive, but apparently there was a leak on some international websites. Hit the jump to check out the full poster.
Posted on Tuesday, April 17th, 2012 by Germain Lussier
The popularity and cultural significance of Star Wars is largely derived from its merchandising. That’s a fact. George Lucas definitely crafted a fantastic trilogy of movies but the initial popularity, eventual collectibility and amount of money derived from little plastic men has helped facilitate everything that came after it. Seems like an interesting story, no?
Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys is an upcoming documentary that not only tells that story, but attempts to delve into the psyche of a person who has spend years and years searching for, as well as thousands upon thousands of dollars buying, Star Wars toys. (*Raises hand in shame*)
Directed by Brian Stillman, the documentary will be finished and available for purchase later this year. To get people excited, a short teaser trailer has been released. Check it out below. Read More »
Posted on Wednesday, April 11th, 2012 by Angie Han
On the one hand, Universal’s Battleship looks, frankly, kinda stupid. It’s an adaptation of a Hasbro toy, along the same lines as Michael Bay’s dumb (but occasionally fun) Transformers franchise, and early spots and footage did nothing to suggest it’d be anything more than an uninspired, cynical cash grab.
On the other, there’s some promising talent both in front of and behind the camera: Friday Night Lights director Peter Berg at the helm and his Friday Night Lights stars Taylor Kitsch and Jesse Plemons in the cast, plus Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgard, Hamish Linklater, and Liam Neeson. And while I wouldn’t go so far as to say the film looked smart, I respected that it seemed perfectly aware of what it was — mindless popcorn entertainment, no more and no less.
But all of that ambivalence was based more on the marketing team’s efforts than on the film itself. Now that the first early reviews are rolling out, however, we’re getting a much better sense of what, exactly, Berg is offering us next month. Read all about Battleship‘s early buzz after the jump.
Posted on Monday, March 19th, 2012 by Peter Sciretta
I’ll be completely up front with you — I really have had no interest in the movie Battleship since it was announced. Even the recent action-packed Michael Bay-lite trailers didn’t win me over. I just didn’t see the point of making a big screen adaptation of the Battleship board game. And I also didn’t understand why an adaptation of that board game would involve an alien attack. It just didn’t make sense to me. Despite loving director Peter Berg‘s previous films and recently discovering the awesomeness of Friday Night Lights (the tv series), I just didn’t care.
When Peter Berg stepped onto the WonderCon stage in Anaheim, you could tell he was on a mission. Why a movie based on a board game? Why aliens? Berg made his pitch and somehow was able to change my mind — I now am excited to see this film.
Peter Berg never wanted to make a movie based on a board game. He wanted to make a naval movie but Hollywood wouldn’t let him.
Posted on Tuesday, March 13th, 2012 by Angie Han
Taylor Kitsch‘s John Carter may not quite have been the blockbuster hit that he and Disney were hoping for, but the star will take a second stab at leading a major action franchise when Peter Berg‘s Battleship hits this summer. Inspired by the Hasbro game, the film stars Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgard, Rihanna, and Liam Neeson as naval officers dealing with an otherwordly force that threatens to destroy our planet. The new trailer downplays the plotlines and character moments we glimpsed in earlier trailers, choosing instead to dive right in to expensive, explosive Transformers-style action. Watch it after the jump.
Posted on Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 by Angie Han
Everything old is new again in today’s Sequel Bits, which looks to the ’90s, the ’80s, and even the 19th century for inspiration. After the jump:
Posted on Monday, March 5th, 2012 by Germain Lussier
Last August, Universal decided not to move ahead with the film version of Hasbro’s board game Ouija. The film was reportedly a $100 million plus adventure in the mold of Pirates of the Caribbean, produced by Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and directed by McG from a script by Tron: Legacy writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Universal deemed that project too expensive and let it go. Last we heard, a new screenwriter was reworking the property and other studios were being courted.
Monday, Universal revealed they’re back on board with the board game, though it’s now sporting a totally revamped look. Once costing over $100 million, the new version will cost closer to $5 million. I’m not missing a zero. Five million dollars. To help with that, they’ve brought along producer Jason Blum who made hits out of other micro budget films like Paranormal Activity and Insidious. A 2013 release is planned. Read more after the jump. Read More »
Posted on Monday, March 5th, 2012 by Angie Han
When news first broke that Warner Bros. was developing a Lego film, we groaned at the thought of yet another film based on a beloved childhood property (see also: G.I. Joe, Transformers, Battleship, etc.). But then Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs helmers Phil Lord and Chris Miller boarded the project, and the idea of a Lego movie suddenly got much more interesting — especially when Robot Chicken‘s Chris McKay signed on to co-direct as well.
During this weekend’s press junket for their new film 21 Jump Street, Lord and Miller offered a few more details on what we could expect from the Lego movie, including a potential title, the status of the film, it’s look, its tone, and even a tiny hint about its plot. More after the jump.
