Posted Sep 29th 2008 10:45AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Drama, Fandom, Trailer Trash, Movie Marketing, Monday Morning Poll, Trailers and Clips
.jpg)
The first trailer for
Will Smith's new flick has just arrived online, and it's called
Seven Pounds ... and it was directed by Gabriele Muccino (
The Pursuit of Happyness) ... and it definitely looks like one of them tear-jerkers. (For those obsessive, need-it-right-now folks, you can watch the trailer after the jump.) In the film, Smith plays a guy who's feeling guilty about mistakes he's made over the years, and so he decides to help change the lives of seven total strangers. In doing so, he winds up falling in love with one of the aforementioned strangers, played by
Rosario Dawson. So here we have a movie about giving to others, it comes out December 19 (right in time for Christmas), and it stars our most precious A-list actor. Mmmm ... makes you just wanna wash it all down with a slice of apple pie.
Seven Pounds marks Big Willie's second trip to the multiplex this year, after first starring in the summer superhero action/adventure
Hancock. A quick glance at his previous two films spots a similar pattern of action blockbuster and quiet drama -- and even though Smith will always guarantee you great numbers on opening weekend no matter the genre, one wonders which version of the man you all prefer? For ten bucks, would you rather spend it watching Will Smith kick ass on a $200 million budget, or would you prefer to spend the time with his gentler, Oscar-nominated side? Or, would you rather watch the man star in more straight-up comedies, a la
Hitch?
How do you like your Will Smith?
Related: Fan Rant: Will Smith Needs to Play a VillainContinue reading Monday Morning Poll: Will Smith vs. Will Smith
Posted Aug 11th 2008 10:02AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, Remakes and Sequels, Monday Morning Poll, Polls
.jpg)
I'm heading out to watch
Star Wars: The Clone Wars later on today, and while a part of me is excited to be revisiting some of my all time favorite characters, the rest is sort of "eh" about the whole thing. And I'm not sure why, either. It's funny, too, because Campea over at
The Movie Blog wrote up a similar piece recently where, prior to attending this film's premiere, he was trying to figure out why he wasn't excited about going to see a brand spanking new
Star Wars movie. For him, it seems dude wasn't keen on watching another between-episode story.
Me? Not sure. I really enjoyed the last
Clone Wars series, and ever since the original flicks I've always wanted to see this time in the
Star Wars mythology played out a bit more. Honestly, I think I'm just spent on summer movies. I mean, is it just me or does it feel like
Iron Man came out seven years ago already? I'm hyped out. I'd rather spend the last days of summer watching simple comedies or dramas (especially before a heavy awards season) than with a beloved franchise like
Star Wars. So yeah, for me maybe it's the release date. A movie like this in late February, early March or early April and my excitement level is higher. End of August and, well, I'm just burnt. Still, though, I really do hope it rocks.
What about you? Are you excited for a new Star Wars movie?
Posted Jul 21st 2008 11:02AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Monday Morning Poll, Polls
Now that
The Dark Knight has
shattered box office records, it's only fair to start discussing the inevitable third installment. Of course, we hope Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale and their team will return for a third film, but we know that's not guaranteed. However, there's no way Warner Bros. is going to ditch Batman while he's on top, and so we should assume serious talk of another sequel will take place within the next month or so. In the meantime, that leaves us to talk and talk and talk and talk. Today, let's talk Batty's next enemy.
I'm going to leave the poll off today's post because there are just so many Batman villains through the years that it's impossible to narrow it down to four or five for a poll. I'd much rather give you my two cents and then open up the discussion in the comments section below. That being said, I don't think I'd like to see someone like Penguin or Catwoman (both are kinda boring in my opinion) -- buuuuuut, I wouldn't mind Riddler showing up to drive Gotham wild with all sorts of ridiculous riddles (and imagine that viral scene). But maybe he's too close to Joker, so perhaps we could go with Deadshot, Black Mask (who actually makes sense in the Nolan-verse) or The Mad Hatter.
How about you? Which villain would you like to see show up in the next Batman film?
Posted Jul 14th 2008 11:02AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Monday Morning Poll, Polls
.jpg)
Finally. After God knows how many trailers, TV spots, viral sites, movie posters, merchandise, fan art, contests, Batman Anonymous meetings ("Hi, my name is Earth ... and I'm addicted to Batman), and an assortment of tomfoolery,
The Dark Knight will officially arrive in theaters this Friday. And I've heard shows are already sold out through March 2011. Right on! That said, this might be the week you want to reflect back and read your favorite Batman comics, watch your favorite Batman movies, or spend some alone time with your favorite Batman.
Which brings us to this week's super awesome Monday Morning Poll: Who is your favorite Batman? For this we're sticking solely to folks who've played the Caped Crusader on the big screen. Since a lot of Bat-fans have come to adore Kevin Conroy's voice performance, we'll include both live action and animated versions. For me, it's a toss up between Christian Bale and Michael Keaton. Bale has the looks and the charm, but Keaton had that "insanity factor" -- one look in his eyes and you knew this guy had a few screws loose. Tough choice. Where do you stand?
Posted Jul 7th 2008 11:32AM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Monday Morning Poll, Polls
.jpg)
With the arrival of this weekend's
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, we find ourselves (once again) discussing *damn* how great a genre filmmaker
Guillermo del Toro is. I mean, he's a wonderful filmmaker all around, but I include the word "genre" as an indication of my respect for the man. He's so knee-deep in horror, dark fantasy, and pulp fiction that I doubt he'd even WANT to do a straight courtroom drama. (I'd go see it though.) One of the most creative storytellers since the also-awesome Terry Gilliam, Guillermo del Toro hopes you'll want to take another spin with
Hellboy this weekend, and that got us thinking ... if you could convince the director to do
another sequel, which would it be. And why, knucklehead?
For me, I'd love to see another movie in the vein of
The Devil's Backbone, but then again ... I wouldn't really
want a sequel to that particular masterpiece. But fine, once the man is all done with his
Hobbit movies, I say let him resurrect the
Blade franchise. His chapter was (far and away) the best of that series.
Posted Jun 23rd 2008 11:02AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Animation, Fandom, Monday Morning Poll, Polls
.jpg)
Well, the time has finally come for another funtastic Pixar film to hit the big screen. This Friday,
Wall·E touches down on earth, and naturally its impending arrival has got us thinking about those nutty dudes over at Pixar who took giant risks, worked their asses off and revolutionized the world of animation. I'm fully aware that naming your favorite Pixar film is kinda like naming your favorite child, but it's fun to look back over the years and attempt to come up with the one Pixar flick that entertained us the most.
Which do you hold closest to your heart? I'm sure everyone has a soft spot for the original
Toy Story, but most folks I've spoken with feel
The Incredibles was the best all-around Pixar film. Me? I'm a
Monsters, Inc. guy. Yup, that's my favorite Pixar film. I just remember having so much fun watching
Monsters, Inc. for the first time -- more fun than I had watching any other Pixar flick (with
Toy Story and
The Incredibles following closely behind). My least favorite is
Cars, though I was sick the one time I watched it and have been meaning to give it another chance. Should I? Which is your favorite Pixar film (feature, not short)? Feel free to tell us why in the comments below ...
Posted Jun 16th 2008 12:35PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Monday Morning Poll
First off, I need to apologize because I was supposed to provide our second
Incredible Hulk review late last week, but life got in the way and I never produced it for you. I know, I'm a horrible person and I've given myself 27 lashings as punishment, though I'm sure
Scott's review of the film helped you decide whether to see it or not. Truth be told, I wasn't that crazy about it -- but I'm also not a huge fan of Bruce Banner or the Hulk as characters. Banner, to me, is too depressing; how do you root for a guy who wants to hide in the corner? Sure, there are other loners like Batman and Spider-Man, but both of those guys have some fun toys to play with (like a car and a web). Banner has the Hulk, who, well, smashes things. Yay!
But anyway, Marvel gave fans a good flick with tons of action, crazy special effects and more than a few geeky nods to the comics and to
The Avengers. Following the successful opening weekend of
Iron Man, all we talked about was the sequel. Now that
The Incredible Hulk seems to have won back more than a few fans, what are your feelings on a sequel? I've heard some say they'd rather Hulk return as a villain in
The Avengers film (tentatively due out in 2011), but would you rather the guy get another solo flick too? Where are you at with this character? Do you want a franchise? Can you picture one?
Posted Jun 9th 2008 12:40PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Box Office, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Monday Morning Poll
.jpg)
The summer weekends are about to get a whole lot more competitive starting this Friday with the debut of two pretty big flicks,
The Incredible Hulk and
The Happening. On one hand, you have the return of a character who didn't do so well last time he was in theaters. On the other, you have the return of a writer-director who didn't do so well last time he was in theaters. Thus, both men (or monsters) are looking for a bit of redemption this time around. But who will get your money, that's what we're interested in finding out this week. Who will you be giving a second chance to? The Incredible Hulk or The Incredible M. Night Shyamalan?
The Happening marks M. Night's first R-rated feature, which means the film's audience is already somewhat limited. Meanwhile,
The Incredible Hulk (rated PG-13) has already
started using the success of Marvel's
Iron Man to help launch its opening weekend at the box office. That said, I think it's pretty obvious as to which film will make more money than the other, so instead of going down that road, tell us which one you'll be seeing and why. Or, perhaps, you're not interested in either one? Sound off below ...
Continue reading Monday Morning Poll: 'The Happening' or 'The Hulk'?
Posted May 26th 2008 12:02PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Monday Morning Poll
Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone! While I've been spending most of the weekend out at my imaginary mansion in The Hamptons, the rest of you were busy reserving just over two hours of your time for
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. We've already asked you
what you thought of the film (and we'll be asking again later to catch up with those who saw it at the end of the weekend), so now it's time to jump ahead and ask ourselves whether we want this franchise to continue.
Both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg have said they'll
continue making Indiana Jones films if the fans want them. Since Harrison Ford is getting up there in age, one imagines a fifth film would involve
handing the franchise over to Shia LaBeouf, though we don't know that for sure. What say you? Is it time to retire Indy once and for all? Did this latest installment prove there's not much gas left in this tank? Or, did you absolutely love the film, wonder why it took so long for a fourth one to hit screens and immediately ponder a wonderful future with lots more Indiana Jones-related films?
Sound off ...
Posted May 19th 2008 11:32AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Fandom, Remakes and Sequels, Monday Morning Poll, Polls
.jpg)
If there's one thing we've come to expect from every Indiana Jones film, it's that Indy will be joined by a sidekick (and a beautiful woman) on all his adventures. These sidekicks are there for comedic support, mostly, but also to help Jones get himself out of (and into) a jam or three. In
Raiders of the Lost Ark, the large, round and cuddly Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) helped Indy search for the Ark of the Covenant -- but, really, how could you count out the tough-as-nails Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), who also acted as a sidekick (and lover) in this one.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom introduced us to Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan), who stuck with Indy through thick and thin from start to finish and was, perhaps, Indy's most loyal sidekick.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade found our hero partnering with two old dudes: Professor Henry Jones (Sean Connery) and Dr. Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott); the latter of which finally got to leave campus and join Indy for what we all thought would be his final big-screen adventure. Which brings us to
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, where, this time, Indy is once again teamed with someone much younger than he is: Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf). Oh, and there's also 'Mac' George McHale (Ray Winstone), though I don't know how big of a role he plays as sidekick because, well, I don't see
Crystal Skull until tomorrow. For the purpose of this poll, though, we'll include everyone (so you can come back to vote after you see the latest installment).
After you vote in the poll, definitely tell us why you chose who you did in the comments section below.
Posted May 12th 2008 11:32AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Box Office, Fandom, Family Films, Movie Marketing, Monday Morning Poll
-(2).jpg)
Ever since
the numbers were released yesterday, anyone and everyone (as well as anyone
who is everyone) has been talking
Speed Racer -- specifically, how a $120 million Hollywood blockbuster could open with only $20 million at the box office. You can blame
Iron Man, you can blame the marketing, you can blame the blogs for trashing the film all year long, you can blame Christina Ricci's weird haircut, or you can blame that judge on
Project Runway for saying, "You can never have too much color!" Fact is, it missed the mark.
But what could've helped
Speed Racer make more money in its opening weekend? The running time has been mentioned a lot in the past 24 hours, but a running time doesn't exactly woo audiences into the theater. Is the film's marketing 100% to blame? Should the trailers have been cut differently? Should they have stressed that this was a film for kids? Should they have added a little viral action into the mix? Or what about overall? From the beginning, were the Wachowski Brothers the right folks for the job? Should they have gone the animated route instead -- or maybe the animated 3-D route? Should they have made this a film for older kids; slap on a PG-13 rating?
In your opinion, what could've helped
Speed Racer -- both in its opening weekend and in its development as a feature film?
Posted May 5th 2008 11:02AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Monday Morning Poll
In case you haven't heard by now,
Iron Man took home a whopping $201 million worldwide over the weekend, with that amount pretty much split right down the middle between domestic and international. Not only is it the second best non-sequel opening ever, but it also proved that Marvel (now self-financing their films) is in it to win it ... big time. Fortunately, folks won't have to wait long to see if Marvel will strike gold twice -- in a little over a month from now (on June 13, to be exact),
The Incredible Hulk will debut in theaters. Last time a
Hulk film was in theaters, Ang Lee directed and Marvel did not self-finance the flick. After seeing what
Iron Man did to the box office over the weekend (and what fans thought of the film), something tells me we're in for a completely different kind of re-boot this time around.
Right from the start, folks haven't been giving
The Incredible Hulk a fair shake, myself included. It took a long time to get those first images, and even longer for a trailer. But now that the film's marketing campaign is in full swing, I'm starting to see the fans turn. I witnessed the full "field scene" from the trailer at New York Comic Con last month, and I can assure you it looked awesome. Everyone is talking up the
Iron Man cast, but have you noticed that
The Incredible Hulk cast is just as good (not to mention I think Tim Roth will play a better villain than Jeff Bridges)? And now that
Iron Man killed, does that change anything for
The Incredible Hulk? Do more people now want to see it? Are expectations higher? Sound off below in the poll and in the comments section ...
Posted Apr 28th 2008 11:02AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, New Line, Remakes and Sequels, Monday Morning Poll
After waves of speculation and mass musing,
Scott brought us the news we've been wondering about for months last week:
Guillermo del Toro is going to the land of
The Hobbit. Since then,
we've got questions about whether or not this news is actually welcome, and
just this morning, rumored word that Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis are on board -- "all bureaucracy pending."
Del Toro plans to use Peter Jackson's films "as canon," but there will be changes afoot. As Eugene noted earlier, there will be a different color palette for the world of the hobbits, and instead of inundating us with a film full of stunning CGI, Guillermo is anxious to make a lot more use of animatronics.
Will this change only be subtle, or will it look like an entirely new film that only has a few familiar faces? It's certainly possible to make a film that visually fits -- each
Harry Potter director has added touches to their films to make them stand out while still creating a cohesive series. However, we've got to keep in mind that the seas haven't been smooth where Peter Jackson and this fantasy world is concerned. Eric Kohn brought up the "smells of George Lucas" thoughts in his post, and you have to wonder if Guillermo will be free to build his world in peace, and if behind-the-scenes issues could tarnish this whole affair.
Posted Apr 14th 2008 11:31AM by Kim Voynar
Filed under: Fandom, Movie Marketing, Monday Morning Poll
My daughter and I are huge fans of the Twilight series. We've both read all three existing books -- Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse -- and are marking the days off on a mental calendar until the August 2 release date of the fourth book, Breaking Dawn, and my daughter and I could discuss the books endlessly.
We've had countless conversations about whether Bella should become a vampire, or if Stephenie Meyer will ever stop teasing us with that and let Edward turn her, already. And whether Bella will have a vampire "superpower" once she does turn, and what that power might be. And which characters we like the most. And so on, and so on, as I'm sure the rest of you hardcore Twilight fans do.
Continue reading Monday Morning Poll: "Twilight" Watch -- Which Character Are You Most Like?
Posted Apr 7th 2008 11:32AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery & Suspense, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Remakes and Sequels, Monday Morning Poll
A copy of the brand spanking new
Cloverfield DVD (which hits shelves on April 22) arrived in the mail late last week, and after only watching the special features, I have to say I was pretty pleased with it. The two alternate endings (
which we posted earlier today) weren't that mind-blowing, but the behind-the-scenes featurettes are fun to watch. Out of the deleted scenes and bloopers, my favorite part was watching how they shot the party scene in the beginning. There's no music in the background (that was all added later on), and so you have this packed apartment with kids, and Hud is shouting, but the entire room is silent, pretending to talk and dance. Very comical to watch. (You also get previously-released trailers for
Star Trek and
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.)
Anyway, as we approach the DVD release date, a ton more viral material is starting to hit the web. To be completely honest with you, I get lost in this stuff and don't have the time or patience to spend hours sifting through it all. For those interested, check out posts over at
Bloody Disgusting and
Slashfilm to get caught up. Reaction was certainly mixed after
Cloverfield finally debuted back in January, and after an initial surge at the box office, numbers dropped off significantly. But that won't stop folks
from pumping out a sequel, which may or may not focus on the
Cloverfield monster's mother. (On the DVD, a special effects dude does clarify that the monster is an infant and scared. Oh, and another guy refers to the monster as "Clover." Unfortunately, no one mentioned a thing about the satellite that falls into the water at the very end. However, I did not listen to Reeves' full commentary on the film; only on the endings.)
I was one of those that really enjoyed
Cloverfield for what it was -- a creepy, original monster flick designed for the YouTube generation. That said, I'm not sure they could deliver another completely unique experience in a sequel. But what do you think?
Next Page >
