Still wondering how Michael Shannon will look like as General Zod in a costume? I'm sure it's not going to be that ridiculous-looking parachute costume right? Well, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Michael Shannon talks about what fans will expect for the all-new version of General Zod in Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, MAN OF STEEL. Here are the excerpt below.
So you're not saying "Kneel before Zod" while wearing parachute pants?
[Laughs] Yeah, the flowy costumes don't really... that's not the style nowadays. Everything's skintight.
Do you have a costume? A Krypton outfit?
There's two different modes. There's something that I have to wear a motion-capture suit for, because if I actually wore it, I wouldn't be able to move. It's a very big…thing. I actually don't know what it's going to look like, I just know that it's very cumbersome. There's another thing that I wear that's an actual costume. It's pretty simple. There's no paisley or anything.
You don’t get to wear a flowing cape or anything like that?
I don't know. That's the thing about these movies. I could have an elephant head.
Let's hope Zack Snyder and his company get the costume right without making General Zod looks like clown in MAN OF STEEL.
An action movie set in the Appalachian Mountains, KILLING SEASON centers on an American military veteran (De Niro) who has retreated to a remote cabin in the woods. When a rare visitor in the form of a European tourist (Travolta), appears on the scene, the two strangers unexpectedly become friends. However, the visitor is actually a former Serbian soldier seeking vengeance against him. What follows next is a tense, action-packed battle across some of America's most forbidding landscape that proves the old adage: the purest form of war is one-on-one (hence the tagline).
KILLING SEASON is expected to hit theaters in 2012.
Come 31 October (which is tomorrow, by the way!) will be none others than celebrating Halloween! Apart from dressing up in Halloween costumes and putting scary makeup, watching horror movies is another part of tradition to celebrate the particular season. So here are the TOP 10 MUST-SEE HORROR MOVIES DURING HALLOWEEN NIGHT I have compiled right below.
No zombie movies will ever be completed without mentioning George A. Romero's groundbreaking classic DAWN OF THE DEAD. In fact, this Romero's follow-up to his landmark 1968's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was a superior movie in all counts. Blessed with Tom Savini's tour de force makeup effects and fascinating social commentary on capitalism, this independently-produced low budget zombie movie (at a measly cost of $1.5 million) remained one of the key horror movies in the 1970s that subsequently paved way for modern generation of many horror filmmakers.
The movie that started the "found footage" craze. Made at a shoestring budget of $600,000, directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez has created a terrifying faux-documentary style that cleverly uses the effect of screaming, heavy breathing, running and strange voices to its full advantage without relying heavily on excessive gore to do the tricks. Watch out for the particular creepy finale.
When we mention zombie movie, the first name that came to mind is George A. Romero. But in werewolf movie, it's none others than John Landis' landmark genre classic AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. An inventive mix of horror and comedy, this horror movie is mostly benefited from Rick Baker's groundbreaking makeup effects. The famous werewolf transformation remains as timeless as ever, and no amount of state-of-the-art CGI widely used today can compared the way Baker did so well in the past.
One, two; Freddy’s comin’ for you/ Three, four; better lock you door/ Five, six; grab your crucifix/ Seven, eight; gonna stay up late/ Nine, ten; never sleep again... One of the most groundbreaking horror movies in the '80s, Wes Craven's highly-influential classic was a terrifying genre piece that skillfully juggles between dream and reality. This movie is of course, also best known for its iconic character, Freddy Krueger (played by Robert Englund).
This is the movie that made the tired slasher genre fresh again. Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson has brilliantly tweaked the typical slasher genre inside out by presenting SCREAM with dark sense of humor, clever whodunit, and of course, genuine thrills from start to the disturbing finale. Subsequent sequels that followed are pale in comparison because this remained the real deal.
A landmark of modern horror movie, John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN was widely compared to Alfred Hitchcock's seminal PSYCHO (1960) -- which both of them shared the similar slasher genre style. Blessed with Carpenter's impeccable direction and Dean Cundey's sneaky camerawork, they have created a series of genuinely frightening horror movie where gore is kept to the bare minimum and everything are mostly suggestive -- a clever move that is even more compelling. Not to forget also, is the iconic killer himself -- a silent boogieman dressed in serviceman's uniform and white deformed mask who frequently stalked his victim with a knife. The long-take POV scene at the beginning and the long-tracking shot of finale where we see Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) trying to fend off the killer, but seemingly killing him over and over again, only to have him rise again -- are simply unforgettable.
Forget about the so-called prequel. John Carpenter's THE THING remained the one and only best there is. It's a terrifying exercise of paranoia and claustrophobia blessed with Dean Cundey's brilliant camerawork and Ennio Morricone's chilling music. The movie is best remembered for Rob Bottin's elaborate special effects that brings vivid life to its scary creatures.
Before slasher genre became all the craze especially during the '80s, one must never forget that it was master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock who started it all at the first place. PSYCHO was no doubt among his finest genre masterpiece to date, with memorable performances from Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. Then there's Bernard Herrmann’s screeching violin score and of course, the ever-popular "shower scene" where Marion (Janet Leigh) eventually meet her doom as she suffered from multiple stabs by an unseen killer.
Isolation and claustrophobia has never been this scary in Stanley Kubrick's underrated masterpiece, THE SHINING. Blessed with John Alcott's groundbreaking camerawork where he and Kubrick pioneered the Steadicam shot (in a memorable scene where the camera follows Danny from behind, played by Danny Lloyd, riding his Big Wheel bike through the winding corridors of the hotel) and unforgettable haywire performance by Jack Nicholson ("Herrreee's Johnny!"), THE SHINING was a visually outstanding motion picture that remained a benchmark for many inspiring horror filmmakers till today.
And here's my reigning champion of all time -- William Friedkin's THE EXORCIST! This is the movie that shocked the viewers until today. Highly controversial at the time of its release, THE EXORCIST had paved intense debate among critics, community leaders and even religious leaders because of its controversial subject matter. The then-young Friedkin was a highly-promising director on the top of the world. He cleverly used Dick Smith's tour de force makeup effects to enhance realistic scare and nerve-shattering sound effects to the max. The particular finale was the most horrifying set-piece among all, as Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) and Karras (Jason Miller) worked together to perform exorcism in order to cast out the Devil out of Regan's (Linda Blair) body.
Stallone will plays Ray Breslin, an architect of an inescapable prison, who must break out of his own high-tech facility, after he is framed by persons unknown. Sounds like TV's Prison Break to me.
Stallone is currently the only official person on board for the project, with no production start date and no director is attached at this moment.
Director James Mangold is certainly a versatile director who can almost takes on any genre. There's the police drama COP LAND (1997), the romantic comedy KATE & LEOPOLD (2001), the musical biopic WALK THE LINE (2005), the western 3:10 TO YUMA (2007) and the action comedy KNIGHT AND DAY (2010). Now he's on the verge on his most ambitious project to date: THE WOLVERINE, a sequel to the much-maligned X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE (2009). According to Mangold in a recent telephone interview with The Playlist, he has cited his influence and the direction he's going to take in THE WOLVERINE. Here's what he had to say below.
You could actually just tell a story about this amazing character from the start, just the way they do when you really read a comic. You don’t have to spend the first hour saying how they were born; you can actually just find them in an emotional space, in the middle of action, and what happens is you’re not crowded with cutting to nine other action heroes. You can really make a movie about this dude.
I think part of the reason I’m doing this picture has been because it isn’t to me a conventional superhero movie. It isn’t an origin story, so I’m freed from that burden, and it also isn’t a save-the-world movie, which most of them are. It’s actually a character piece; I actually think it has more in common with ‘The Outlaw Josey Wales’ and ‘Chinatown,’ what we’re doing, than the conventional, ‘will Wolverine and his compatriots save the world from this thermonuclear device’ question.
I think that this movie is much more an intense psychological and action-packed character piece, that’s much more about Logan getting lost in this very unique and insulated world of Japanese culture, gangster culture, and ninja culture. The fighting is going to be unique because it’s all influenced by Japanese martial arts.
I think more than anything, it’s a character piece, asking really interesting questions that are what pulled me in about what it means to be immortal. What is it to live forever, when you lose everyone you’ve ever loved? Either you watch them get killed, or you just lose them by attrition. What is it to feel the burden of saving mankind through all of its mistakes, over and over and over again. What’s the toll it takes on you as a living being that is somehow living this Frankensteinian, eternal life? And there’s a lot of interesting dramatic questions we’re going to deliver on as well as some really inventive action.
I like to think that we’re out to make that Wolverine movie that people have been looking forward to seeing, which takes on some of the darker and more intense aspects of the character, and his own journey, that have not necessarily been possible in the origin story that they did or obviously when he’s sharing so much time as a character with so many others in X-Men.
Wow, citing Clint Eastwood's THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES and Roman Polanski's CHINATOWN for THE WOLVERINE is really something to look out for.
Told entirely in first-person POV, CATEGORY SIX is written by John Swetnam which detailed around the worst tornado in US history, as survived by a group of high school students. Most of the action seen in this "found footage" movie will be captured via cell phones, smart books, and other recording devices.
Written by Skip Woods, who is currently penned A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD a.k.a DIE HARD 5, BLACK SANDS centers on a loner who decides to wage war against a corrupt weapons manufacturer and his private army. That is certainly sounds like a perfect action vehicle for Schwarzenegger.
BLACK SANDS is expected to start rolling on April 1, 2012. Schwarzenegger is currently have his hands full filming THE EXPENDABLES 2, before he moves to THE LAST STAND.
It's obvious that the filmmakers are going extra length to make a testosterone-driven action extravaganza in THE EXPENDABLES 2. However, tragedy occurred on the set of THE EXPENDABLES 2 in Bulgaria when a stuntman died. Not only that, another stuntman was injured in the scene, which involved an explosion. Here's what Nu Image/Millennium Films had to say below.
It is with great regret that we confirm this unfortunate accident. Our hearts go out to the families and those on the production affected by this tragedy. The filmmakers are working closely with the authorities in responding to and investigating this accident.
So far, the identities of both stuntmen were not revealed to the public, in consideration of their families. Apparently the accident took place during a second unit shoot in Oganyanovo, Bulgaria.
When Warner Bros. came to us about it, we said the only way we'd do it if we got Tim [Burton's] blessing and involvement, and we got that, and the star of the movie has to be Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, and it's a true continuation 26 years later. Not just throwing him in as a cameo going, 'Hey, it's me. I endorse this movie.' We're not there yet [with Keaton] because we don't have a film to present to him.
In the meantime, Katzenberg is also stated that BEETLEJUICE 2 is a sequel, not a remake of any kind.
As of now, things are looking great here. I really hope that Michael Keaton and Tim Burton agree to sign for this sequel.
Check out the second trailer from Brad Bird's upcoming MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE GHOST PROTOCOL below, and I must say, this is destined to be one of the most entertaining action blockbusters of the year!
Come April 4, 2012, The Farrelly brothers will unleashed their long-gestating dream project THE THREE STOOGES to the big screen for the first time ever! Now take a look at the official photo of Curly (Will Sasso), Larry (Sean Hayes) and Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos) doing the infamous poses right below.
After speculations of Kerry Washington (RAY) has been picked the female lead for Quentin Tarantino's upcoming spaghetti western epic DJANGO UNCHAINED for a December 25, 2012 release, she is finally confirmed to appear in the movie after all. She will play Broomhilda, the wife of Jamie Foxx's titular character who is a former slave turned bounty hunter. He goes on an epic quest to save her from the hands of the evil Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).
Both Washington and Foxx had previously collaborated in the Oscar-winning RAY (2004).
As you can see, J.J. Abrams has finally geared up for the long-delayed STAR TREK sequel. And rumor has it that the sequel won't be titled as STAR TREK 2 after all. Unfortunately there's no further detail of what STAR TREK sequel should be called instead. In the meantime, here's actress Zoe Saldana who played Nyota in 2009's STAR TREK, had something to say about the current status of the sequel's production:
We still haven't gotten a script yet. We're very excited to read it and get back into space.
The original crew from the 2009's STAR TREK, including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, John Cho and Karl Urban will be back for the sequel. As of now, release date is yet to be determined.
So far, the most spectacular attraction in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE GHOST PROTOCOL trailer is no doubt the Burj Khalifa scene where Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) scaled the tallest building in the world! Now check out this exciting behind-the-scene featurette where we get to see how daring Tom Cruise is willing to go the extra length of performing his own stunt at the Burj Khalifa! I kid you not. Check out the video below.
Now here's the good news: The brothers have planned to reunite original stars Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels in their titular characters, and even already hired SEX DRIVE screenwriters Sean Anders and John Morris to come up a screenplay. Peter and Bobby Farrelly are hoping to direct the movie themselves.
Start date is yet to be determined, although it is highly likely DUMB & DUMBER 2 would be Peter and Bobby Farrelly's next directorial efforts.
I know that a lot of die-hard fans out there have been longing for Eddie Murphy to return to his iconic role as Axel Foley in BEVERLY HILLS COP IV. But all hope is about to vanish once and for all, when Murphy has reported he's not doing BEVERLY HILLS COP IV anymore. Instead the next BEVERLY HILLS COP we going to see is a TV series. Here's what he had to say below.
They're not doing it. What I'm trying to do now is produce a TV show starring Axel Foley's son, and Axel is the chief of police now in Detroit. I'd do the pilot, show up here and there.
At the same time, he also went on to explain the reason behind the failure to launch BEVERLY HILLS COP IV at all.
None of the movie scripts were right; it was trying to force the premise. If you have to force something, you shouldn't be doing it. It was always a rehash of the old thing. It was always wrong.
No BEVERLY HILLS COP IV? That is sad. Personally I think a fourth movie could actually be made after all.
In 2007, acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has helped his protege and first-time director Juan Antonio Bayona crafted a spooky and richly-textured "haunted house" horror movie in THE ORPHANAGE. Four years later, del Toro attempts to replicate the successful formula again with another first-time director (Troy Nixey) in a remake of a 1973 made-for-television horror movie DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK. But this time, del Toro's second attempt in tackling "haunted house" horror genre is an awfully tired slog that is neither scary nor interesting in many levels.
Bond 23, or tentatively titled SKYFALL won't be hitting theaters until late 2012. But there's a strange rumor that acclaimed director Sam Mendes (AMERICAN BEAUTY, ROAD TO PERDITION) is planning to ditch plenty of stunt and action scenes from his first Bond movie. As bizarre as it sounds for a Bond movie with little action in it, it also rumored that Mendes wants to lean more on "characterful performances" that will make his movie worthy for Oscar considerations.
If the rumor turns out to be true that this will be the first Bond movie with little action and more character-driven drama, then color me disappointed. As much as I admired Sam Mendes' directorial efforts, changing the way how a Bond movie should look is definitely a huge mistake. I mean, a refreshing change of pace is a welcoming sight like the one Martin Campbell did so well in 2006's CASINO ROYALE, but not this one. It just feels ridiculous.
Check out the new poster below from Brad Bird's upcoming action-packed sequel MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE GHOST PROTOCOL which features the hooded Tom Cruise in the center, along with his co-stars including Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and Simon Pegg. The movie hits theaters on December 15, 2011.
Check out the new poster below from David Fincher's highly-anticipated remake of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO which features Daniel Craig superimposed with Rooney Mara.
The long-gestating remake project of Wang Yu's MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE (1976) was originally directed by BODYGUARDS & ASSASSINS Teddy Chan but subsequently bowed out. Replacing him is INFERNAL AFFAIRS director Andrew Lau, and THE GUILLOTINES is finally rolling back into production with Peter Chan in charge as the producer. Now take a look at the first poster of the movie below, which also features the titular weapon as well.
With a combined gross of more than $190 million at the box-office, both PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (2007) and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (2010) were no doubt one of the most successful low-budget horror movies ever made in recent memory. And like it or not, here's PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3. Yes, it's more of the same old "found footage" horror genre you've already seen before. But kudos goes to CATFISH directors duo Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman manage to showcase some effective jolts and even some inspired tinkering within its formulaic structure.
2005's SIN CITY was truly a work of art. The Robert Rodriguez-Frank Miller-and-Quentin Tarantino collaboration was a hit among critics and die-hard fans of the comic book. Since then, rumors have been constantly pouring every now and then for the long-awaited sequel. Rodriguez has recently revealed at San Diego Comic-Con that a script was ready and the project could go before cameras before the year's end. Now there's an update from Miller that there are some tinkering still to be done on the script while spring of 2012 is the more realistic start date instead. Apart from that, Miller also confirms that the iconic character of Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba) and Marv (Mickey Rourke) will make an appearance for the second time. Here's what he had to say below.
Sin City' number two is primarily an adaptation of the book 'A Dame to Kill For'. It also features the short story, 'Just Another Saturday Night' and two new stories. One involving Jessica Alba's character, Nancy Callahan, that I came up with for the movie in order to tie things together and make it be more united with the first.
Well, it's good to hear that the long-gestating SIN CITY 2 is finally making progress.
Ever since CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER hits theaters about four months ago, a lot of people have speculated that the first movie's WWII setting will jumped into present day for the sequel. Well, it looks that way but unfortunately, it's not entirely so. According to screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely during press rounds with The HD Room, they have indicated that the sequel will be primarily set in the modern day. Here's what Markus had to say about the comment.
I think it's safe for us to say that it's primarily set in the modern day. That seems to have been the biggest question people have been wondering about regarding the sequel... [W]e've been left with room to explore Cap entering the modern day wondering, 'What is all this? What's happened to the world' and so on.
Additionally, here is McFeely's point-of-view:
We made a movie where the world was in context for Steve Rogers. It was a movie where it was a more pure time, where there were clearly black-and-white, right-and-wrong, good-and-evil scenarios. And Cap is a guy who symbolizes that. Now he's in the now, and there is nothing black-and-white. So what do you do with that guy? How does he react to a much more uncertain time? So you're given this huge new palate to work with, but you can keep him the same.
Heavily promoted as South Korea's first 3D IMAX blockbuster, the highly-anticipated SECTOR 7 has also been touted as the next "ultimate monster movie" since Bong Joon-Ho's groundbreaking hit, THE HOST (2006). In fact, from the look of the promotional trailer, SECTOR 7 looks promising enough as a fun-filled summer popcorn blockbuster. Actually I got a high hope for this one, but unfortunately SECTOR 7 is a jaw-dropping disappointment from many levels. Yeah, it is that bad, especially given all the high-profile talents involved in this big-budget production.
By the way, THE STAND had previously being adapted as a TV mini-series back in 1994. The mini-series, which stars Gary Sinise and Molly Ringwald, has won 2 Primetime Emmy awards for Makeup and Sound Mixing category.
Throughout the four RESIDENT EVIL movie series in the past, you can say Milla Jovovich's leading role as the gun-toting and blade-wielding Alice is an invincible character who has survived (endless) zombie-infested holocaust. But not according to this behind-the-scene photo, though. Likewise, Jovovich continues to use her personal Twitter account to interact with her die-hard fans with frequent updates of her husband Paul W.S. Anderson's upcoming sequel, RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION. Take a look below, as she sports a bloody neck wound along with the question, "What happened to Alice?"
So what do you think? Is the character of Alice finally done in RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION or is it something else entirely?
Multi-talented superstar Angelina Jolie has added another feather in her cap with what looks like a promising directorial debut in a war romance entitled IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY. Check out the first trailer below.
IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY is an intense and heartbreaking drama revolves around a Muslim woman (Zana Marjanovic) and a Serbian soldier (Goran Kostic) who both fall in love days before the Bosnian war. Director Angelina Jolie is also responsible for the screenplay. And judging from the trailer, it does looks Oscar-worthy to me.
Apparently Gordon-Levitt wants to get involved in DJANGO UNCHAINED, even though he already have his hands full with tight scheduling conflicts. It remains sketchy what role Gordon-Levitt would have play in DJANGO UNCHAINED.
After the two highly-successful entries of IP MAN (2008) and IP MAN 2 (2010), (everyone) have been anticipating that martial-art superstar Donnie Yen will return for IP MAN 3 to complete the trilogy. But early last year, he has disappointed a lot of fans that he has ruled out the possibility of appearing in another IP MAN movie.
But all that might change when he has finally stated that he may consider shooting IP MAN 3. And you might be asking: when is it going to be? Well, he's currently very busy shooting other movies till the end of next year, in which during this particular period, he would like to explore every acting opportunity he can to try on different kind of characters. So I guess maybe on 2013?
Though it's a long wait before we might finally get to see IP MAN 3, but at least it's a great news that Donnie Yen does gives his fans a glimmer of hope after all.
Up-and-coming actress Rooney Mara is currently hot on her heels getting involved in what could her breakthrough performance in David Fincher's upcoming THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO remake. She is also rumored to be attached to take the female lead in the Hollywood remake of Park Chan-Wook's revenge thriller OLDBOY, in which she will star alongside Josh Brolin. Apparently Mara has officially rejected to star in the movie.
Hmm... that is sad to hear, but let's hope the filmmakers manage to find better replacement for her.
Based on the classic TV series, the story revolves around two agents for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement - Solo and his Russian counterpart, Illya Kuryakin - saving the world from the evil forces of THRUSH. They were agents of United Network Command for Law Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.) who fight the forces of Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity (T.H.R.U.S.H.).
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E is expected to start shooting by early next year.
When a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster like THE AVENGERS, you would easily thought that the camera equipment is something that an ordinary consumer like us can't afford to own one. Well, not for THE AVENGERS. Apparently cinematographer Seamus McGarvey has revealed that some scenes were shot using an iPhone! Here's what he had to say about resulting such unconventional method right below.
The beauty of photography or cinema is that you make every choice based on the content at hand. On The Avengers, I did a couple of shots on the iPhone and they are in the movie. In fact, they are in the trailer! I understand that sometimes there is no choice and you have to go for the cheapest option, but if you are limited for choice, you can still make poignant decisions that will effect the look of the film.
However, McGarvey didn't reveal which shots were made using the iPhone.
Despite numerous development problems, the much-troubled live-action version of AKIRA is finally greenlighted by Warner Bros. with Jaume Collet-Serra (UNKNOWN) set to direct. Apart from that, Garrett Hedlund (TRON: LEGACY) has emerged as frontrunner to lead the role, although no offer has been made yet.
When original director Ron Howard has opted out to direct Dan Brown's latest blockbuster novel THE LOST SYMBOL after previously tackled THE DA VINCI CODE (2006) and ANGELS & DEMONS (2009), speculations has been raised of who's going to take over the director's chair instead. Now Sony has apparently found their replacement -- Mark Romanek (NEVER LET GO), who has emerged as frontrunner to helm THE LOST SYMBOL.
Steven Knight and Dan Brown are responsible for the adapted screenplay, while Tom Hanks, who play Robert Langdon in the first two installments, is expected to return as well.
