Three Directors Shortlisted For CAPTAIN AMERICA 2!

The highly-anticipated superheroes ensemble THE AVENGERS will be unleashed into theaters in just over a month. That aside, Marvel Studios has already shuffling their post-AVENGERS projects. Among them is CAPTAIN AMERICA 2. Original director Joe Johnston won't be back for the second round, and instead the studio has shortlisted three directors: George Nolfi (THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU), F. Gary Gray (THE ITALIAN JOB) and Joe and Anthony Russo (TV's Community, YOU, ME AND DUPREE).

Of all the shortlisted directors, the oddest choice is the Russo brothers whose directing credits are mainly sitcoms and comedies. So to see them helming a big-budget action adventure like CAPTAIN AMERICA 2 is definitely an eye-popping surprise. However, an insider has revealed that the Russo brothers made a good first impression with Marvel Studios' president of production, Kevin Feige.

Kevin [Feige, Marvel Studios' president of production] is a 'vibe guy.' He likes to see if he gets along with people before he'll decide about spending the next two years with them. And apparently, they hit it off with Kevin in the room.

Final decision for the director to helm CAPTAIN AMERICA 2 is likely to be made as early as mid-April, and shooting might be rolling at the end of this year. CAPTAIN AMERICA 2 is scheduled for a 2014 release.

New Superman Logo Is Updated In Zack Snyder's MAN OF STEEL!

Warner Bros. has unleashed a new banner for Zack Snyder's upcoming Superman reboot, MAN OF STEEL, which hits theaters on June 14, 2013. That's not all -- check out the updated Superman logo in the banner below as well, which I must admit, a bravura move to tweak the iconic symbol into something more appropriately darker.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito And Eddie Murphy Are In Talks For TWINS Sequel... Titled As TRIPLETS!

Last May, there are possible reunion between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito to reprise their popular roles as Julius and Vincent Benedict from their 1988's successful comedy collaborations of TWINS, but none are actually confirmed yet. Well, Universal and Montecito Pictures is now in talks with both of them to develop the sequel after all -- which is now titled as TRIPLETS.

TRIPLETS will see twin brothers Julius and Vincent discover that they have third sibling. And here's the bizarre twist about that third sibling -- the role will be played by Eddie Murphy!

The movie is still looking for its director, but original helmer Ivan Reitman will be attached as one of the producers.

Three Exciting Upcoming Movie Posters From 2012 HK's Filmart!

Check out three posters from upcoming movies below, which featured in the recent 2012 Hong Kong International Film & Television Market (FILMART). Among them are Donnie Yen's 3D action-fantasy blockbuster titled ICEMAN COMETH (due 2013), a remake of Yuen Biao's popular vehicle of the same name. Then there's the highly-anticipated sequel to last year's 3D SEX AND ZEN: EXTREME ECSTASY, which simply titled as SEX AND ZEN II 4D: THE GOD OF SEX, and lastly 3D BAUHINIA HEROINE, a highly-anticipated superhero blockbuster starring leng mou Chrissie Chau.

Experience TOTAL RECALL With 30-Second Teaser Trailer And Movie Banner!

An official 30-second teaser trailer has released for Len Wiseman's upcoming sci-fi reboot of TOTAL RECALL, which debuts in theaters on August 2. Check out the video below, plus a new banner has also arrived featuring Colin Farrell as Douglas Quaid.

Joel Kinnaman Has Few Juicy Bits To Say About ROBOCOP!

While the highly-anticipated reboot of ROBOCOP won't be hitting theaters until August 9, 2013, lead actor Joel Kinnaman has already spilled some beans about what we would be expecting for the upcoming movie. First, he revealed his ROBOCOP suit will be revamped with a new feature where we can see his eyes through a see-through visor. Here's what he had to say below.

RoboCop is going to be a lot more human. The first movie is one of my favorite movies. I love it. Of course, Paul Verhoeven has that very special tone, and it's not going to have that tone. It's a re-imagination of it. There's a lot of stuff from the original. There are some details and throwbacks, but this version is a much better acting piece, for Alex Murphy and especially when he is RoboCop. It's much more challenging. It's not going to be jaw action. They're still working on the suit and how it's going to look, but the visor is going to be see-through. You're going to see his eyes.

Interestingly enough, Kinnaman also pinpoint that the movie will be dealing with real science and the study of neurons in the body.

There's a lot of neuroscience now raising the question, 'Is all the intelligence in the human body in the brain?' and they're finding out that, no, it's not like that. The body has intelligence itself, and we're much more of an organic creature in that way. It's not a control tower that does everything.

Apart from that, Kinnaman has stated the violence will be toned down in the reboot, unlike the extremely violent version director Paul Verhoeven has depicted back in 1987. Yup, among them is the infamous bloody execution scene where Officer Alex Murphy is shot to death by a gang of ruthless criminals.

Yeah. It's going to be different. But it's very good. I was looking to do a big movie and to show that I can carry a big movie, and I couldn't be happier that this is going to be one of those big movies, a blockbuster, but that is also a real movie. A movie-movie. It's going to have a political satire to it too. I'm super stoked. Especially with this director. José Padilha is a badass. He's the real deal.

That's not all! He finally revealed there will be a few tributes to the original ROBOCOP.

It's going to have a couple of throwbacks, but it's a re-imagination, man. This director is an amazing and wonderful guy. José Padilha is a wonderful director.

For now, I'm particularly curious about what Jose Padilha's decision to tweak the original ROBOCOP suit design. After all, he's one of the most iconic characters ever seen and it will be an uphill task for him to convince the die-hard fans as well as generating new fans to look forward for the new ROBOCOP movie.

THE HUNGER GAMES (2012)

RATING: 2/5

With the highly-lucrative HARRY POTTER franchise already ended last summer, and THE TWILIGHT SAGA quadrilogy is nearing its end this coming November, Hollywood is looking for the next big thing in turning another popular young-adult novel into successful movie franchise. That adaptation turns out to be the first novel in Suzanne Collins' best-selling trilogy called THE HUNGER GAMES (the other two are CATCHING FIRE and MOCKINGJAY). Described as a teenage version of THE RUNNING MAN (1987) meets BATTLE ROYALE (2000), THE HUNGER GAMES has been generating a lot of strong buzz even before its initial release. However, I hate to say that this so-called "one of the most anticipated movie events of the year" is hugely overrated.

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21 JUMP STREET (2012)

RATING: 3.5/5

When I first came to know that (yet) another old TV show is dusted off for a big-screen adaptation, I wasn't that excited at all. After all, that show happens to be the once-popular 21 Jump Street which starred then-young Johnny Depp who became a star here before he gradually earned his distinctive reputation in the Hollywood cinema. Back then, the story about an undercover police unit composed of young-looking officers specializing in youth crime is refreshingly new. But now, it's seriously a worn-out cliche. Then there's the casting of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum -- oh, wait -- Channing Tatum does a comedy? I smell an immediate recipe for disaster here, but directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord's (2009's CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS) live-action debut here seriously caught me by surprise . For all those naysayers out there, this big-screen version of 21 JUMP STREET is surprisingly funny and very entertaining as well.

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THIS MEANS WAR (2012)

RATING: 1/5

Crude, childish, uninspired, lazy, awful... I can go on and on, because McG's latest action-romantic-comedy THIS MEANS WAR sees him hits a new low since 2003's CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE. On paper, THIS MEANS WAR looks gamely potential: it has three charming leads of Chris Pine, Tom Hardy and Reese Witherspoon and a high-concept premise that recalls the work of TRUE LIES (1994) and MR. & MRS. SMITH (2005). Too bad what is presented on screen is completely a garbled mess that neither funny or romantic. Even McG botched big-time the way he orchestrated the action sequences. Well, something is terribly wrong here...

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Here's The Lizard In THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN New Poster!

I guess a lot of die-hard fans and viewers alike have been anticipating what The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) would look like in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, due on July 5. So here it is, fanboys... the new poster has finally unveiled the super villain's full look right below.

Stephenie Meyer's THE HOST Teaser Trailer!

This year will see THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 comes to its epic conclusion. Next year, we have another adaptation of author Stephenie Meyer's first post-TWILIGHT novel, called THE HOST, which debuts in theaters on March 29, 2013. Check out the first teaser trailer below, which stars Saoirse Ronan as Melanie Stryder, one of the few humans left who hasn't been taken over by the Souls, an alien race with the capability to possess a human body from the inside out.

David Cronenberg's COSMOPOLIS First Teaser Sees Him Back In His Old Roots!

Ever since David Cronenberg has somewhat mellowed down with his bizarre filmmaking style since A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005) onward, I'm sure a lot of die-hard fans out there has been longing his comeback to his old roots. Well, judging by his upcoming thriller here called COSMOPOLIS, the first teaser below does indicate that Cronenberg hasn't completely left his roots after all! Check it out.

Starring Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche and Paul Giamatti, COSMOPOLIS follows the story of Eric Packer (Pattinson), a multimillionaire golden boy on a 24-hour odyssey across Manhattan as he moves from place to place in a limo. The movie is expected to hit U.S. theaters on May 23.

PAINTED SKIN 2 Full Trailer Is Packed With Fantastical Eye Candy!

Forget about that ill-fated Gordon Chan's PAINTED SKIN (2008), because the new full-length trailer from Wuershan's PAINTED SKIN 2 (a.k.a. PAINTED SKIN: THE RESURRECTION) looks positively right in its supernatural romance tone. Well, at least judging by the footage below. You be the judge.

PAINTED SKIN 2 stars Zhao Wei, Zhou Xun and Chen Kun, and the movie is set to hit China on June 28.

Robert De Niro Is Back For MIDNIGHT RUN Sequel!

Once upon a time, Robert De Niro was one of the greatest actors of his generation best known for portraying gangster and tough-guy role. Back in 1988, when he branched out to play against type in an action comedy called MIDNIGHT RUN, I wouldn't expect he could pull it off such role. But to my surprise, De Niro turned out to be an excellent comedian as well. For those who watched MIDNIGHT RUN before, I'm sure (everybody) agreed it was one of the best action comedies ever made.

More than two decades later, Universal has finally dusting off MIDNIGHT RUN to warrant for a long-overdue sequel. The good news is, Robert De Niro has attached to reprise his famous role as bounty hunter Jack Walsh. Only this time the sequel isn't going to direct by original helmer, Martin Brest but (ahem) Brett Ratner. The sequel will be written by G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA scribes David Elliot and Paul Lovett, who are both actually rewriting Tim Dowling's original draft. The sequel to MIDNIGHT RUN will continues the storyline of Walsh, who was last seen setting free the turncoat mob accountant The Duke (Charles Grodin) at LAX and walked away with a huge sum of cash he'd use to open a coffee shop. It remains unclear whether Charles Grodin will reprise his role or not since he has been retired from acting ever since the '90s.

Nicholas Tse And Lau Ching-Wan's GHOST BULLETS Trailer Is Finally Here!

Forget about the odd-sounding title of GHOST BULLETS here, because it's hard to resist this upcoming mystery thriller starring Nicholas Tse and Lau Ching-Wan, who both team up together as a pair of detectives attempting to solve a series of murders in Shanghai. Produced by Derek Yee and directed by Lo Chi-Leung, this Chinese movie blockbuster is scheduled to hit theaters sometimes this year. In the meantime, check out the intriguing first trailer below.

THE THREE STOOGES New Trailer Is All About Finger-Poking And Other Wacky Tortures!

I have a strong feeling that the Farrelly brothers will hit big time again with their upcoming comedy, THE THREE STOOGES, which hits theaters on April 12. At least this is what I see in the latest wacky trailer right below. Ouch!

ONE FOR THE MONEY (2012)

RATING: 2/5

Believe it or not, the big screen adaptation of ONE FOR THE MONEY, which was based on the first novel in Janet Evanovich's best-selling series of novels featuring feisty bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, has been in development for nearly two decades. But despite all the time invested and potential franchise might be in bloom (since Evanovich has went on publishing 18 successful novels and still counting), it's sad to say that ONE FOR THE MONEY is nothing more than a strictly by-the-numbers effort weakened by predictable script and forgettable characters.

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NIGHTFALL (2012)

RATING: 1/5

Two years ago, Roy Chow's highly-anticipated directorial debut in MURDERER (2009) was a serious train-wreck of a movie which featured terribly absurd plot and especially a ridiculously over-the-top performance by Aaron Kwok. And now he's back with another psychological thriller. At the first glance, his new movie entitled NIGHTFALL is simply hard not to miss. After all, it features two of among most top-notch Hong Kong actors working today -- Nick Cheung and Simon Yam. Coupled with an intense trailer and the infamous "wanted by police" poster which has attracted mass popularity among the public, there's no doubt that the marketing campaign so far has done a truly effective job to lure the viewers into seeing the movie. Unfortunately the movie itself is a polar opposite. Instead of what could have been a strong thriller turns out to be a complete cop-out. I'm sad to say that like MURDERER, NIGHTFALL is yet another cinematic embarrassment that totally wasted the talents of Nick Cheung and Simon Yam.

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New Action-Packed Trailer Plus Extended 5-Minute Preview From SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN!

Rupert Sanders' directorial debut in the highly-anticipated SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth, is shaping up as one of the must-see summer movies of the year! Well, at least judging by the new action-packed trailer presented here. But that's not all, there is also an exclusive 5 minute preview for the movie as well! Check them out right below.

 

 SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN hits theaters on May 31.

First Look At Johnnie To's New Crime Movie DRUG WARS!

No Hong Kong movie will ever be complete without a Johnnie To movie shown in the theaters. Forget about his recent romance drama ROMANCING IN THIN AIR, because I bet a lot of die-hard fans are eagerly waiting for his upcoming crime picture entitled DRUG WARS, which also sometimes called as DARK WARS. And at the same time, here's your first look at the pictures from the movie.

Nicholas Tse And GALLANTS Director Derek Kwok Team Up In A Big-Budget Firefighter Movie!

15 years ago, Lau Ching-Wan was once starred in Johnnie To's popular firefighter movie, LIFELINE (1997) -- a particular genre rarely explored in Hong Kong cinema. But Emperor Motion Pictures has recently announced that they will invest almost HK$100 million on their firefighter movie tentatively titled as SPECIAL RESCUE SQUAD HERO. Nicholas Tse will star in the movie and as usual, he will commit most of his own stunts involving dangerous scenes in the fire and explosions. Award-winning director Derek Kwok (GALLANTS) will be directing the big-budget firefighter movie. It is reported that he has spent more than half a year on research in hopes to showcase more realistic side of Hong Kong firefighters.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Promo Artwork Sees Batman Vs. Bane!

Now that Christopher Nolan has finally completed his much-anticipated, trilogy-finale of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, here's the promo artwork which showcased Batman (Christian Bale) battling out against Bane (Tom Hardy). Check out the image below.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES hits theaters on July 19 in both normal and IMAX format.

More Slaying Mayhem In The New ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER Trailer!

Check out the new trailer below from Timur Bekmambetov's new action-horror hybrid in ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, which will hit theaters on August 2. Loads of slow-motion orgy of violence and acrobatic action scenes to look out for!

New PROMETHEUS Trailer Brings Back The Classic Horror Of ALIEN!

Here it is, fanboys! Twentieth Century Fox has finally unleashed the new trailer for Ridley Scott's upcoming summer blockbuster, PROMETHEUS, due June 7. Check out the eerily suspenseful footage below to witness a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, which ultimately lead them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe.

Spanking New Look Of Snake Eyes In G.I. JOE: RETALIATION Revealed!

A lot of die-hard fans had previously complained that director Stephen Sommers mishandled their G.I. JOE's most iconic character, Snake Eyes (Ray Park) with mouth appeared in his black mask in 2009's G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA. But fret not, because replacement director Jon M. Chu has finally done justice by revamping the overall look of Snake Eyes (again played by Ray Park) sans mouth in the upcoming sequel, G.I. JOE: RETAILIATION, due on June 21. Check out the photo below.

Vincent Zhao Reveals The Reason Behind His Departure From SPECIAL IDENTITY!

Once upon a time, every action fans are looking forward for what would be a dream martial-art stars combo between Donnie Yen and Vincent Zhao in Clarence Fok's upcoming action thriller, SPECIAL IDENTITY. However, the production went sour when Vincent Zhao was reportedly unhappy with the movie's production crew as well as his dissatisfaction towards the changes of the script without his approval. Zhao eventually left the production even after reported meetings between Donnie Yen and the production crew.

In a recent interview, Vincent Zhao has stepped out and revealed his side of the story surrounding his troubled experience with the movie production. He claimed that it was Donnie Yen who demanded major script changes, including changes to previously agreed fight scenes. Those particularly changes have ultimately led Zhao's character reduced into supporting role than sharing a lead performance with Donnie Yen. Not only that, he also complained that there are frequent arguments on set, with Yen acting like a big shot -- yelling and swearing at the movie crew as well as the director.

However, SPECIAL IDENTITY director Clarence Fok denied arguments on set and even continued expressing his support for Donnie Yen. He stated that the script had to be changed because it was not good enough. SPECIAL IDENTITY cinematographer Peter Pau said that Yen is very professional and it's a pleasure to be working with him. As for Yen himself, he has not publicly spoken against Zhao's allegations but did wrote on the Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo that he is disappointed and hurt, but not shaken, and he will make his movie even better.

Tim Burton's DARK SHADOWS First Trailer Has Finally Unleashed Its Quirkiness!

Finally! Here's the first trailer from Tim Burton's highly-anticipated vampire comedy, DARK SHADOWS starring Johnny Depp. Check out the quirky footage below.

In the meantime, here's a lengthy synopsis for the movie:

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles. Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David's new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.

DARK SHADOWS casts its way into theaters on May 10.

Do You Want to Experience Different Life? Here's TOTAL RECALL Teaser Trailer!

The highly-anticipated remake of Paul Verhoeven's TOTAL RECALL won't be hitting theaters until few months away on August 2. But you can now viewed the first teaser trailer for the upcoming Len Wiseman-directed, sci-fi adventure starring Colin Farrell. Check out the footage below.

THE AVENGERS Japanese Trailer Features Some Exciting New Footage!

Check out the Japanese trailer for the upcoming superheroes ensemble blockbuster, THE AVENGERS -- with some never-seen-before new footage included! One word I got to say -- wow.

Take A Tour On This New Poster Of THE HUNGER GAMES!

For those who live in either Los Angeles, Atlanta, Phoenix, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Minneapolis, Seattle and New Jersey, there will be meet-the-fan mall tour sessions with THE HUNGER GAMES cast and crew. In conjunction of the tour, Lionsgate has released an exclusive poster which features Jennifer Lawrence. Check out the image below.

THE HUNGER GAMES hits theaters on March 22.

BATTLESHIP New Trailer Offers More Spectacular Mayhem!

More action! More explosion! And that is what the new trailer has to offer for Universal's upcoming sci-fi action adventure, BATTLESHIP. Take a look at some new footage below to see Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson and Rihanna battle against the alien force in order to save the mankind.

BATTLESHIP unleashes in theaters on April 18.

THE AVENGERS Character Posters!

Still anxious for the highly-anticipated release of THE AVENGERS? In the meantime, check out a bunch of new character posters below, featuring Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Chris Evans as Captain America and Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man.

Joss Whedon Denies That The Skrulls Or The Kree Will Be Featured As THE AVENGERS Villains!

As we all know by now, the upcoming superheroes ensemble of THE AVENGERS will be featured Loki (Tom Hiddleston) as the chief villain. But there have been a wide speculation that the movie will be featured more than one villain. Among them are either the much-rumored Skrulls or the Kree. Unfortunately, during an interview with director Joss Whedon at the SXSW festival, he stated it's none of the above. Here's what he had to comment below.

It's the Vulcans (he joked). I don’t know a lot about the Marvel universe, and I thought there were Vulcans. I know we’re going to get a lot of emails about that one.

I will say only this: It is not the Kree or the Skrulls.

Those two aliens are Marvel mainstays and have enormous backstories. They have a big life of their own that just could not be contained in a film where I already had seven movie stars. What’s probably happening is that I just said something that Marvel didn’t want me to. It’s weird to be fired so late!

The Skrulls — they can shape change. That’s a whole thing. I’ve already got Loki. He’s got magic. Once you got magic along with your Iron Man and your Black Widow — it’s a real juggling act.

Hmm, is Whedon trying to pull Christopher Nolan on us? (You know, misdirection). Anyway, we still have a short months to go before we can find out who are the villains beside Loki in THE AVENGERS.

SEEING RED - THE CURSE OF THE MARS

For more than a decade, any sci-fi genres that involves planet Mars are nothing more than a series of cursed box-office and/or critical disasters. With the exception of Paul Verhoeven's highly-successful TOTAL RECALL (1990), the rest of the major Hollywood's like-minded blockbusters didn't stood a chance. Not even the more recent outing of the mega-budget sci-fi epic of JOHN CARTER can break the jinx once and for all. As of now, the movie only grossed a disappointing $9.82 million in the opening day on Friday and looks poised to open the weekend with less than $30 million -- a terrible start for such movie that cost a hefty $250 million to make. It's really hard to believe though, considering all the superb talents involved in the production including one of Pixar's top directors, Andrew Stanton (A BUG'S LIFE, FINDING NEMO, WALL-E). You can read my review on JOHN CARTER here. Anyway, here are the list of the major Hollywood blockbusters that shared the similar fate like JOHN CARTER did.

MISSION TO MARS (2000)

Back in 2000, MISSION TO MARS was one of the highly-anticipated spring movie releases. It's easy to see why because it was a big-budget sci-fi epic directed by Brian De Palma that combined "the science of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY with the emotion of APOLLO 13", and boosted with a talented ensemble of Gary Sinise, Don Cheadle and Tim Robbins. Even the special effects by the Industrial Light and Magic is top-notch. So what's not to like? Unfortunately Brian De Palma was clearly out of his league here -- MISSION TO MARS was unbelievably boring and lack of urgency needed to sustain the viewers' interest.

RED PLANET (2000)

Just so you know, 2000 was the banner year for sci-fi genre involving Mars. After the ill-fated response of MISSION TO MARS, the following attempt, RED PLANET suffered the similar fate. Even though the movie wasn't as boring as MISSION TO MARS, RED PLANET was pretty much a middling effort with less-than-stellar cast (Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss) while South African-born former commercial helmer Antony Hoffman's feature-length debut is lacking of certain visual flair to justify its $80 million budget tag.

JOHN CARPENTER'S GHOST OF MARS (2001)

On paper, JOHN CARPENTER'S GHOST OF MARS looked promising enough -- a sci-fi horror hybrid set in Mars. But what could be a then-comeback feature for famed cult director John Carpenter turned out to be a complete disaster after all. What we had here instead was a low-rent, B-grade fright flick. It wasn't particularly creepy or frightening at all. Even those so-called "Ghost of Mars" are just laughably bad pasty-faced ghouls resembled of someone like Marilyn Manson. Seriously? Is that supposed to scare the viewers?

Will the Mars-themed movie genre ever going to break the jinx one day? After the latest failure of JOHN CARTER, the next like-minded genre going to come to theaters soon on August is Len Wiseman's remake of TOTAL RECALL. Whether that movie going to be successful or not is anybody's guess for now.

JOHN CARTER (2012)

RATING: 2/5

A century ago, famed American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs penned the Barsoom series. His extensive vision in the series has inspired many sci-fi filmmakers including Flash Gordon series, George Lucas's STAR WARS, James Cameron's AVATAR, and countless others. And now the long-awaited, big-screen adaptation of the Barsoom series is finally arrived. Judging by the outlook of the sci-fi epic titled as JOHN CARTER, this project is simply a can't-miss cinematic experience. It was directed by Andrew Stanton, responsible for some of the most beloved Pixar's animated features ever made including 1998's A BUG'S LIFE, 2003's FINDING NEMO and 2008's WALL-E. As a matter of fact, he also had a hand in the script alongside with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon, who was responsible for the screenplay of 2004's SPIDER-MAN 2. Blessed with a lavish budget of $250 million, it's natural that many will predict JOHN CARTER is set to be one of the most successful sci-fi epics ever made. Unfortunately, what you seen in the screen instead, is all smoke-and-mirrors.

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Director Joss Whedon Reveals His Approach For THE AVENGERS Sequel!

With short months away from the highly-anticipated superheroes ensemble THE AVENGER kicking off the official summer 2012 movie season, director Joss Whedon already has a few ideas about what he would like to do in the sequel.

So will the sequel will be bigger than the first movie? Surprisingly, his answer is a complete opposite. Here's what he had to say below.

By not trying to. By being smaller. More personal, more painful. By being the next thing that should happen to these characters, and not just a rehash of what seemed to work the first time. By having a theme that is completely fresh and organic to itself. I want to know what makes them tick, what makes them flawed, what makes them fight - and ultimately, what makes them awesome. I go to these movies for those moments when the heroes define themselves, either through action or deliciously overwritten speeches.

THE AVENGERS 2 will be more character-driven drama? Hmm, that would be interesting to look forward to.

RAMBO 5 Will Sees The Title Character Gets Killed?

Not long ago, Sylvester Stallone is supposed to deliver his final RAMBO series titled as RAMBO V: SAVAGE HUNT but ever since then, the project has been stalled. However, Stallone remains optimistic that he still wants to do one last RAMBO movie before hanging up his iconic character for good. In fact he has a definitive idea what is he going to deliver in RAMBO 5. Here's what he had to say below.

I'm dying to do another Rambo. He's in Arizona on the border. It will involve him going into Mexico. I don't think Rambo likes Mexicans.

That's not all, Stallone also planned to put his iconic character dying off at the end as well. Interesting.

HAYWIRE (2012)

RATING: 1/5

On paper, Steven Soderbergh's first foray into action-movie territory is certainly too good to give this a miss -- HAYWIRE stars former MMA fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano (who was best known in TV's reality show called American Gladiators) and favors clean-cut fight choreography unlike most like-minded movies (read: shaky-cam) shown these days. Unfortunately, what you have read or seen in the promotional materials that have been heavily advertised all this while, isn't exactly the kind of straightforward action-packed extravaganza you would hope for. Instead HAYWIRE is an artistic farce disguised as a B-grade action wannabe and worst of all, it's unbelievably boring.

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