Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Interview With Liam Neeson For Clash Of The Titans


After the jump, you can check out an interview with Liam Neeson about his role as Zeus in the remake of Clash of the Titans. He discusses why Zeus made human beings, the character Perseus, the Kraken, his attraction to the project, and working with Ralph Fiennes. Footage courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

Caught amid a war between the gods, Perseus, the son of Zeus, is helpless to save his family from Hades, god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus leads a band of warriors on a dangerous quest to prevent Hades from overthrowing the king of the gods and laying waste to the Earth.

Clash of the Titans was directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Alexa Davalos.

The war begins on April 2nd.

Yak's Pub - My Name Is...


For more Yak's Pub, go here!

Finally! Eclipse Pictures With No One About To Kiss!


Summit fired over three new stills from the upcoming The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Note that in these photos, there's no one holding each other, staring dreamily into each other's eyes, or looking like they're about to start making out. There may not be a whole lot of action or gore happening in them, but it at least gives me SOMETHING to hang on to as far as hope for now. In the picture above, it looks like the vamp family is looking at something pretty scary or crazy, which also gives me hope. I mean, if it makes vampires look that worried or shocked it's got to be bloody or disturbing, right? I'm actually just messing around. I like the Twilight movies and all their romantic teen angst. After the jump you can check out all three of the new pics.



Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between Edward and Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse was directed by David Slade and stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Peter Facinelli,and Bryce Dallas Howard.

The sun goes dark on June 30th.

News Briefs:


Another fabulous day of reporting movie news. Today we've got a new Godzilla heading towards the U.S. to wreak havoc on us all. There's some gory new images from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Not only will there be a Clash of the Titans, but brace yourselves and your breakables for a War of the Gods! Want to meet Daniel Craig on the set of Cowboys and Aliens? Got $10,000? Click below to see more of todays headlines.

There's another Greek titans movie? With Stephen Dorff??

Rumor control: Two Independence Day sequels locked??

New Godzilla coming to destroy your town

There's bad buzz, but creators defend Clash of Titans' 3-D

Outraged by Kick-Ass' cursing, murderous kid? Too bad

Bloody New Stills from 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'

From 'Let Me In' to 'The Killing Fields'

Theatrical Trailer for 'The Black Waters of Echo's Pond'

Rogue Pictures Heads to 'The Dark Fields' in 2011

Timur Bekmambetov Opens the 'Casebook Of Victor Frankenstein'

Eight New Clips to Give You Some Shelter from the Storm

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Screenplay Writer Revealed

New UK Rec 2 Trailer Home to New Footage

Hot Tub Time Machine Director Gets Hairy With Werewolves of Reseda

*UPDATE* Dimension Teases Us With Halloween 3D Twitter Page

Teaser Trailer For Stuart Beattie's New Movie, Tomorrow: When The War Began

Brand New Trailer For Knight And Day Starring Tom Cruise

Iron Man 2 Domestic Poster

Red Band Trailer For Romero's Survival Of The Dead

Iron Man 2 Black Widow Character Poster

More Iron Man 2 Cups From 7-Eleven!

Another Kick-Ass TV Spot

Chris Hemsworth on Chris Evans and The Avengers

Who Does Jay O. Sanders Play in Green Lantern?

UPDATE: First Look at Scott Pilgrim: The Video Game!

2 New Toy Story 3 Characters: Meet Chunk And Chatter

Comedy Director Parisot Changing Pace With Graphic Novel Adaptation

The Next Star Trek Could Start Shooting This Year!

Rare Star Wars Set Photos Capture Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford Clowning Around

Daniel Craig And Aliens Up For Auction

Dallas Sci-Fi Expo - April 24th - 25th


Official Pix and C2 Ventures are bringing the science fiction celebrities, comic book artists, and vendors back to the Dallas / Fort Worth, TX area again for their semi-quarterly Sci-Fi Expo on April 24th and 25th. It's all taking place at The Richardson Civic Center (411 W. Arapaho Rd.) in Richardson, TX just north of Dallas.

This time around, they have got some really awesome guests appearing for the first time ever and some returning to greet there fans again. Newcomers at this show are Bruce Boxleitner (Tron, Tron Legacy, Babylon 5, Heroes), Mira Furlan (Lost, Babylon 5), Kate Vernon (Battlestar Galactica), Deep Roy (Star Trek, Return of the Jedi, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Transformers II, X-Files, and Chronicles of Narnia), Dickey Beer (Stuntman for Return of the Jedi who played Barada, Biker Scout, Gamorrean guard, Stormtrooper, and Boba Fett), Alan Harris (several different roles in the Star Wars movies including Bossk, Cloud city guard Merril, and more), and Roger Christian (Set director of STAR WARS: A New Hope - helped craft the very first R2 for George Lucas out of wood, 2nd unit director for Phantom Menace, production designer for Alien). Returning actors for this show include Richard Hatch (Captain Apollo on the original Battlestar Galactica series, Tom Zarek on the new Battlestar Galactica series), Daniel Logan (Young Boba Fett in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, voice of Boba Fett on Star Wars - The Clone Wars TV series), and Mike Edmonds (Empire Strikes Back - Ugnaught, Return of the Jedi - Logray).

After the jump, you can see more of the confirmed guests and get more info.

Every Official Pix and C2 Ventures event is a blast and well ran. I recommend attending whether you're a loyal convention goer or new to the whole idea. For more info on the con, go here.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

TFW's Extended Film Fest & More Guests Added!


These guys are out of control! They never stop. Just when you start to think that one convention event couldn't possibly get any bigger or better, you're proven wrong. The coordinators over at Texas Frightmare Weekend appear to never stop working. They have added two additional nights of movie screenings AND red carpet events with the actors, directors, and people behind the films that are showing.

On top of all that, they've added two more guests! Special Effects master and director Robert Hall will be in attendance. Robert is the director of the already cult-classic Laid to Rest and the upcoming Old Scratch. He also runs the Almost Human special FX house, whose work was just seen recently in The Crazies. Also added to the Christine reunion, is bad boy Buddy Repperton himself - actor William Ostrander.

After the jump, you can check out the press releases.

GUESTS: Robert Hall and William Ostrander

We're pleased to welcome back Robert Hall, director of Laid to Rest and Fear Clinic as well fx designer for The Crazies. Rob will premier exclusive footage from his upcoming film Old Scratch only at Texas Frightmare Weekend 2010.

In addition, we'll also round out our Christine reunion with bad boy Buddy Repperton himself, William Ostrander.

We aren't done yet! We'll hit you with even more guest and event announcements in the coming days.

TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND ANNOUNCES EXTENDED SLATE FOR 2010 TEXAS FRIGHTMARE FILM FESTIVAL

TITLES INCLUDE US PREMIERE OF “2001 MANIACS: FIELD OF SCREAMS,” GEORGE ROMERO’S “SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD,” AND ADAM GREEN’S “FROZEN”


DALLAS, TX, March 29, 2010 – Texas Frightmare Weekend announced it has extended the dates for its companion Texas Frightmare Film Festival this year (April 28 – May 1). Highlights from the lineup include the US Premiere of Tim Sullivan’s 2001 MANIACS: FIELD OF SCREAMS, George Romero’s SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD and Adam Green’s Sundance hit, FROZEN.

Green’s FROZEN stars Shawn Ashmore, Emma Bell and Kevin Zegers and follows the life or death choices a trio of skiers and snowboarders must make when they find themselves abandoned on a ski resort chairlift. The film, which was a surprise hit at the Sundance Film Festival in January will screen at the Studio Movie Grill in Lewisville on Wednesday, April 28 at 7:00PM.

Romero’s SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD is the 6th film in his vaunted zombie series. The film follows characters from his prior outing DIARY OF THE DEAD and takes them to an island community inhabited by two feuding factions of locals divided not just by their approach to the zombie threat, but to years of family disputes. The film, which adds an unlikely western flavor to Romero’s legendary themes, will screen at the Studio Movie Grill in Lewisville on Thursday, April 29 at 7:00PM.

Sullivan’s 2001 MANIACS: FIELD OF SCREAMS follows the mayhem that ensues after the failure of a fresh group of unsuspecting Northerners to show up for their annual Guts N' Glory Jamboree, inspires the residents of Pleasant Valley to take their cannibalistic carnival on the road and head to Iowa where they encounter the cast and crew of a reality show. The film will screen at the Studio Movie Grill in Lewisville on Thursday, April 29 at 9:00PM. Attending the screening will be Sullivan along with cast members Bill Moseley, Christa Campbell, Kevin Ogilvie, Ryan Fleming, Lin Shaye, Katy Johnson, Jordan Yale Levine, Nicole Rae and Kathryn Le.

The screenings will feature red carpet entrances populated by several stars and filmmakers of the films as well as the horror and the genre stars attending Texas Frightmare Weekend.

Screenings on Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1 will take place at the Sheraton Grand Hotel (4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, Texas).

Texas Frightmare Film Festival Director Loyd Cryer said, "The film festival component has always been an important part of our convention. After all, we are here to celebrate and highlight the work of horror legends and genre fan favorites, so adding two additional nights of theatrical screenings to see their films was something we always knew we wanted to do. And it’s a thrill, in our fifth year to have grown to that point already."

The Texas Frightmare Film Festival titles include:

BLOOD NIGHT: THE LEGEND OF MARY HATCHET

Director: Frank Sabatella

Cast: Nate Dushku, Samantha Facci, Danielle Harris, Bill Moseley, Samantha Jacobs

The film focuses on a group of teenagers celebrating the anniversary of the death of a local axe murderer that suddenly find themselves face to face with the realities of the haunting urban legend.

DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW

Director: Frank De Felitta

Cast: Charles Durning, Robert F.Lyons, Lane Smith, Larry Drake

The film tells the story of a retarded man, who after being unjustly accused of attacking a young girl, hides in a cornfield disguised as a scarecrow only to be hunted down and shot. Later, after it is revealed he saved the girl from a vicious dog attack, members of the search posse begin being stalked and killed by a mysterious scarecrow.

THE FINAL

Director: Joey Stewart

Cast: Marc Donato, Jascha Washington, Whitney Hoy, Justin Arnold

The film follows a group of high school outcasts that decide to take revenge on the kids that have tormented them.

FROZEN

Director: Adam Green

Cast: Shawn Ashmore, Emma Bell, Kevin Zegers

The film follows the life or death choices a trio of skiers and snowboarders must make when they find themselves abandoned on a ski resort chairlift.

LONG PIGS

Directors: Nathan Hynes, Chris Power

Cast: Anthony Alviano, Paul Fowles, Nathan Hynes, Chris Power

The film shows the results after two desperate young filmmakers stumble upon their ultimate subject, a 33 year old cannibalistic serial killer, who has agreed to let them document every aspect of his horrifically violent life-style.

THE RETELLING

Director: Emily Hagins

Cast: Kristoffer Aaron Morgan, Jessica Wilson, Richard McDermott, Simone Heim

The film is about a young boy and his family that face an unsettling presence at the home of his ailing and blind grandfather. The young boy and his new friend investigate the source and discover a murder from the past that may have finally found its connection to the present.

RODRIGO GUDINO SHORTS

The founder and president of Rue Morgue Magazine presents 3 shorts:

THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF MISTER HOLLOW

Director: Rodrigo Gudiño, Vincent Marcone

THE DEMONOLOGY OF DESIRE

Director: Rodrigo Gudiño

THE EYES OF EDWARD JAMES

Director: Rodrigo Gudiño

SPIRIT CAMP

Director: Kerry Beyer

Cast: Julin, Brandon Smith, Denise Williamson, Roxy Vandiver, Alyssia Dujimovich

The film follows the clash that follows a street smart "goth girl" after she is forced to attend cheerleader camp as part of her rehabilitation from a juvenile correction facility. When members of the spirit squad start turning up dead, the girls must put aside their differences and struggle to survive the murderous rage of a crazed psycho-killer lurking among them.

SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD

Director: George A. Romero

Cast: Richard Fitzpatrick, Athena Karkanis, Heather Allin, Kenneth Welsh, Alan Van Sprang

The film follows characters from his prior outing DIARY OF THE DEAD and takes them to an island community inhabited by two feuding factions of locals divided not just by their approach to the zombie threat, but to years of family disputes.

SWEATSHOP

Director: Stacy Davidson

Cast: Ashley Kay, Peyton Wetzel, Brent Himes, Melanie Donihoo

The film focuses on a young woman and her friends break into an abandoned warehouse and begin setting up an impromptu party. Unbeknownst to them, something lurks in this dark place...and they are about to pay for their mistake.

TEXAS FRIGHTMARE MASSACRE

Director: Joe Francis

Cast: Joe Francis, Parrish Randall, Tristan Lavelle David Ayers

The film is a horror comedy about a nerd that goes to Texas Frightmare Weekend with his stepsister and her boyfriend. Upon realizing that they are not his friends and that he can’t rely on his movie heroes, he goes on a murderous rampage.

2001 MANIACS: FIELD OF SCREAMS

Director: Tim Sullivan

Cast: Bill Moseley, Christa Campbell, Kevin Ogilvie, Ryan Fleming and Lin Shaye

Mayhem ensues after the failure of a fresh group of unsuspecting Northerners to show up for their annual Guts N' Glory Jamboree, inspires the residents of Pleasant Valley to take their cannibalistic carnival on the road and head to Iowa where they encounter the cast and crew of the reality show.

Texas Frightmare Weekend will feature appearances by John Carpenter, George Romero, Lance Henriksen, Doug Bradley, Kane Hodder, William Katt, Margot Kidder, Derek Mears, Julian Sands and over forty genre icons.

Highlights will include a CHRISTINE reunion with stars Keith Gordon, Alexandra Paul and John Stockwell. Also, one of the final 2 remaining 1958 Plymouth Fury cars used to film the movie will be at the show for fans to see.

Premiere Props will also auction over 500 props and collectibles from films like RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE, BOOK OF ELI, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, CHRISTINE, PIRANHA 3-D, BEASTLY, LETTERS TO JULIET, TAKERS and EASY-A. Additional props and fright fare will be announced courtesy of top genre studios and production companies like Lionsgate, Ghost House Pictures, Sony, Screen Gems.

Texas Frightmare Weekend will also feature the 3rd Annual Zombie Walk sponsored by Moxley Manor as well as the 3rd Annual Hearse and Shock Rod Show.

The Texas Frightmare Film Festival and Texas Frightmare Weekend will run April 28 – May 1, 2010. Passes and tickets are currently on sale online at www.TexasFrightmareWeekend.com.

SXSW 2010 - Predators Press Conference Audio



You've read all about what was said at the Predators Press Conference at SXSW in Austin, TX on Saturday, March 13th. Now you can actually HEAR it for yourself. Producer Robert Rodriguez, director Nimrod Antal, and actor Adrien Brody answer audience questions about everything from what they did to prepare for the film, what they thought of the original Predator film, what to expect when seeing the film, and more. Of course, Rodriguez can't escape a Q&A without being asked the token question about Sin City 2 and even has some pretty cool news to share about Spy Kids 4. It's in four parts, but is most definitely worth hearing all the way through. Reesa Cruz-Hawkins did the honor of recording this historic moment. Check it out after the jump!




Sam Worthington For Clash Of The Titans


You can check out an interview with Sam Worthington about his role as Perseus in Clash of the Titans after the jump. He discusses his character as a hero, Medusa, working with director Louis Letterier on the stunt and action scenes, the locations, working with Gemma Arterton, and what audiences will get. Footage appears courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

Caught amid a war between the gods, Perseus, the son of Zeus, is helpless to save his family from Hades, god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus leads a band of warriors on a dangerous quest to prevent Hades from overthrowing the king of the gods and laying waste to the Earth.

Clash of the Titans was directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Alexa Davalos.

The war begins on April 2nd.

Yak's Pub - Protical


For more Yak's Pub, go here!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Trailer For Jet Li's The Warlords


After the jump you can check out the trailer for the upcoming action / drama The Warlords. This thing has been making it's way around the world since December of 2007, and has finally landed at Magnet Releasing to get into theaters here in the States. It looks pretty cool. That part where the dude grabs the sword while it's being plunged into a soldier is already classic!Still don'tt know if it's playing any time soon in the Dallas / Fort Worth, TX area, but if I hear anything, I'll let everyone know.


Set in the midst of war and political upheaval during the Taiping Rebellion of the 1860s, General Pang barely survives a brutal massacre of his fellow soldiers by playing dead, and joins a band of bandits led by Er Hu and Wu Yang. After fighting back attackers from an helpless village, the three men take an oath to become "blood brothers," pledging loyalty to one another until death, but things quickly turn sour and the three men become embroiled in a web of political deceit, and a love triangle between Pang, Er Hu and a beautiful courtesan.

The Warlords was directed by Peter Chan and stars Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Xu Jinglei.

It comes out in a limited run this coming Friday, April 2nd. You can also check it out on VOD, Amazon, and XBox Live right now!

News Bites:


Wow. I had to dig deep today to find even 30 news stories that I thought would be of interest to other people that may share my taste or read the site. When you write about Battlefield Earth, you know you're desperate to fill space. Haha! There are some nuggets I managed to pull out of the ground, though. There's an interview with the Clash of the Titans writers. We get conflicting stories about if The Hobbit is being stalled or started soon. Dennis Hopper finally gets a Hollywood star. There's also new trailers from Iron Man 2, The Last Airbender, Toy Story 3, and The New Daughter for you to check out. It's all right after the jump!

Battlefield Earth writer APOLOGIZES for the movie

Adam Green Talks 'Hatchet 3', 'Frozen' DVD/Blu-ray, and Upcoming Projects (Sorta)!

Interview with 'Clash' Writers Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay

Full Casting for Urban Horror-Thriller 'Comedown'

Final Teaser for 'Bio-Slime' Brings the Sticky, Gross Goodness!

A Horrific Discovery in Exclusive 'Shelter' Clip

Syfy Offers First Sneak Peek at Mega Piranha

New Trailer for The New Daughter

The Hobbit Hobbled?

New Last Airbender TV Spot!

Iron Man 2 TV Spot!

New Banner for The Losers

Shawn Levy Compares His Robot Boxing Movie To Rocky

Sofia Vergara Plays With Smurfs

Mark Millar Says He Turned Down X-Men 4

Gollum Says The Hobbit Is Shooting Soon

Horrifying New Toy Story 3 Teaser, And Find Out How To See The Movie Early

Rachel Weisz Could Be James Bond's Next Villain

A frail Dennis Hopper gets Hollywood star

Makers of Clash of the Titans remake explain what they've done to the classic

Get Ready For The Shogun Warriors!

Matthew Vaughn To Direct Bloodshot

Animation Progression For How To Train Your Dragon


I've always thought it was cool to see how an animated film comes into being. DreamWorks hooked us up with a couple of frames of animation progression for their new 3D hit, How To Train Your Dragon. It's amazing how this stuff gets from the sketched storyboard to the finished polished CGI stage. After the jump, you can check out another couple of progression examples and just be amazed at the talent it takes to make these films. Click on the picture to see the photos bigger.

A Viking teenager named Hiccup lives on the island of Berk, where fighting dragons is a way of life. The teen's smarts and offbeat sense of humor don't sit too well with his tribe or its chief... who just happens to be Hiccup's father. However, when Hiccup is included in Dragon Training with the other Viking teens, he sees his chance to prove he has what it takes to be a fighter. But when he encounters (and ultimately befriends) an injured dragon, his world is flipped upside down, and what started out as Hiccup's one shot to prove himself turns into an opportunity to set a new course for the future of the entire tribe.

How To Train Your Dragon was directed by Christopher Sanders and Dean DeBlois. It features the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, and Craig Ferguson.

The movie flies into theaters on March 26th.

Win Ewan McGregor Autographed Ghost Writer Poster!

CONTEST IS OVER! IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN E-MAILED, THEN YOU WERE TOO LATE! SORRY!

Well, we've got a special treat for one lucky person out there. It's a poster for Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer autographed by Ewan McGregor and Olivia Williams! That's right, you can own young Obi-Wan Kenobi's autograph! How cool is that? All you've got to do to enter the drawing is answer the following trivia question and e-mail it to moviegeekfeed@ymail.com. As usual, the hint for the question is Wikipedia. All entries must be received by Friday, April 2nd at midnight. After the jump you can see the question and a bigger picture of the actual signed poster.

Here you go:

What character did Ewan McGregor play in a 1996 episode of Tales from the Crypt entitled "Cold War?"

Bella's Truck Big Hit At New Moon Party


Picture taken by James Pickering
We got some really cool pictures from the The Twilight Saga - New Moon DVD Release Party at Borders Bookstore in Lewisville, TX on March 19th from James Pickering of A Galaxy Called Dallas website. James hosted the party and had local girl Sterling Biegert out with her pride and joy, Bella's beat-up rusty red Chevy pick-up from The Twilight Saga. Biegert let people get there picture taken where Edward Cullen, Jacob Black, and Bella have all parked their behinds for a donation to the owner's favorite local charities that benefit children and abused women. After the jump, you can read an excerpt from James' report on the Party and see a couple more photos.

Picture taken by James Pickering
"For a guy who is not into the whole sparkly vampire thing, I really enjoyed myself last Friday night. If you missed it, March 19th the Borders in Lewisville hosted a New Moon DVD release party and invited everyone out to celebrate. In attendance was one old beat-up, red Chevy pick-up owned by local girl, Sterling Biegert.

Things kicked off about 9:30 when the Biegerts arrived with the truck. There was already a crowd waiting outside in anticipation, even the staff kept asking where they were. Once we got them parked, a line was formed and for a small donation you could actually sit inside and pretend you were Bella. Some folks even brought there own props and I don’t know how many times I heard the line “I sat where Robert Pattinson sat” or how many times they took pictures of the dent in the left rear fender.

Inside the Borders Books, there were games and refreshments and at quarter to midnight another line formed and the countdown started. Many folks went home that night satisfied as well as the staff. Even the ones who dreaded the night full of teens actually enjoyed themselves."

Picture taken by James Pickering
For the rest of the report and to see even more pictures from the The Twilight Saga - New Moon DVD Release Party, go to A Galaxy Called Dallas.

Picture taken by James Pickering

Saturday, March 27, 2010

News Bites:


It's been another fun-filled couple of days in movie news. It's amazing how much stuff can happen in 48 hours in Hollywood. We've got a Tron Legacy viral promotion coming out this week. They've announced that Narnia 3 - Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Gulliver's Travels, and Buck Rogers will all be released in 3D. According to SuperHeroHypre, Robert Downey Jr. will don the armor again for Iron Man 3. Horror director Ti West will not be helming The Haunting in Georgia when it begins shooting in the Summer. Read on for more after the jump!

Tron Legacy viral promotion unfolding next week

A surprise cameo and other Clash of the Titans secrets

New Buck Rogers blasts off in 3-D

'Incredibles' helmer on 'Mission: Impossible IV' list

Fox to Release Narnia 3 and Gulliver's Travels in 3D

Rumor Control: Brian Cox Not Starring in 'Scream IV'

Two TV Spots, EPK for 'The Black Waters of Echo's Pond'

Magnet Releasing Officially Announces Acquisition of 'REC 2', Tons of New Stills!

'The Haunting in Georgia' Shooting This Summer... Without Ti West

'2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams' Cover Art Debut!

Japanese Trailer For The Last Goofybender

Angelina Jolie As Maleficent? I Could See That.

New 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' Trailer

Cool Tron Legacy Animated Poster

Scott Pilgrim vs the World Teaser Trailer

First Look at Ashley Greene on the Set of The Apparition

Almost Human EFX Takes a Ride on the Creep Van

Pre-Order Tales of an Ancient Empire; Work-in-Progress Screengrab & Behind-the-Scenes Clip

Another Name Thrown into the Ring to Direct The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn

Paramount and Platinum Dunes Bringing Us Existence 2.0 Adaptation

Bryan Singer to Produce X-Men: First Class

The Losers Set Visit with New Character Banners!

Alternate Trailer for The Last Airbender Online

Downey Suiting Up for Third Iron Man?

Angela Bassett Joins Green Lantern Cast

New Children's Book The Search For WondLa Goes To Paramount

Louis Leterrier Wants To Tackle Y The Last Man?

Mattel Goes Straight To Developing Their Own Movie Franchise

John Singleton To Direct Taylor Lautner In Abduction

D.C. Comics Legend Dick Giordano, Dead at 77

Yak's Pub - The "New" Original


For more Yak's Pub, go here!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Bloody Disgusting's The Eclipse Review


We haven't had a chance to see the supernatural / romance film The Eclipse, so we figured we would post a review by BD from Bloody Disgusting. We figured that if any true horror fan would review it the way we would, then it would them. So here you go:

Unlike certain other recent “romantic horror” films (this even shares the title with one’s upcoming sequel) Conor McPherson's The Eclipse takes time to develop its characters, which not only makes the story far more interesting, but also allows for the scares (which, to be fair, are fairly limited - more on that later) to really work; I must admit I got jolted twice, whereas I'm usually amazed if they can get me once.

The film concerns a would-be writer (Ciarán Hinds) who volunteers for the annual literature festival in a seaside town in Ireland. He gets directly involved with two of the authors: a celebrity novelist played by Aidan Quinn, and a horror novelist (Iben Hjejle), with whom Quinn had a one night stand with some time before (and wants to continue the affair). So yeah - it doesn't exactly scream horror, but that's actually what makes it work. There are only five attempts at scares in the entire movie, two of which made me jump and one (the first) just plain creeped me out. And the reason they work so good is that the love triangle plot was compelling enough for me to keep forgetting that there was a horror element to the proceedings, catching me off guard.

Now, because the focus is on the romance/character study, "horror and nothing else" fans will probably hate the film (expect to see the word "boring" thrown around a lot if you read any reviews). The horror elements are never really expanded upon - don't look for a scene where Hinds fights the ghost or digs up town records in order to find a bunch of exposition, because it's not there. All of the ghost appearances are the result of his character's guilt manifesting itself. For example, the first couple of "appearances" seem to be of his (still living) father-in-law, who is in a nursing home and was left behind when the festival began (Hinds forgot to pick him up). Most movies would just have this sort of character flaw play out in a normal way - Hinds would realize his error and call the guy to apologize, or drink, or whatever. In this movie he gets pulled into the ground by a bloodied arm (whether the apparitions are real or psychological is never explained, nor does it matter). But they never go beyond that - brief but largely successful scares that help reflect the character's state of mind.

Hinds is terrific in the film. He's in all but one or two scenes, and those non-Hinds scenes suggest that the film will be a complete study of all three characters, but ultimately the film is solely about his character's grief (his wife died before the film began - hence why he is in charge of looking after his father-in-law) and how he tries to put himself out there after living in borderline seclusion for so long. It's a sad portrait (Quinn provides the film with its few moments of humor), which could border on depressing with a less appealing actor in the role, but Hinds makes it not only watchable, but enjoyable. You really feel for the guy and want him to break out of his shell.

My only quibble is that they suggest some stuff and never really develop it into a meaningful plot thread. Hjejle's character writes ghost novels, and they sort of suggest that she, like Hinds, is haunted by apparitions as well, but never go beyond that hint. Granted, the film is about Hinds' growth, but it seems odd to bring it up and not do anything with it; she could have just as easily been a romance novelist for all the purpose her horror background serves to the story. I guess we can assume that Hinds takes an interest in her because he thinks she can help him understand why he is seeing these things, but she's also a very attractive woman in his age group (not that he fawns all over her), so I don't think anyone in the audience would think much of it if they struck up a friendship without any supernatural-based connotations. Then again it's also an incredibly short film (88 minutes), so maybe there was more to it and it was cut to keep the focus on Hinds (and again, keep the audience from thinking they were watching a traditional horror movie).

Magnolia is putting this one out, which means it will probably debut on VOD at the same time as its theatrical release. I'm sure it will play just as well at home (I doubt it will be playing in more than a handful of screens across the country), but if it IS in a theater near you, see it that way. Magnolia has consistently released interesting genre fare over the past few years, and I don't want them to abandon theatrical releases due to everyone simply watching them On Demand.

Yay...Yawn...Director Revealed For Paranormal Activity 2


Well, here's some news that will no doubt thrill countless numbers of you out there. They've finally found a victim...er, I mean director to bring the sequel to Paranormal Activity to the big screen. Lots of people are of the opinion that this could only end up being a failure on the epic scale of Blair Witch 2. Personally, I don't know how anyone with a working knowledge of a camera couldn't improve on the original P.O.S. I don't know how one person (me) could have so much hatred in their heart for a simple roll of celluloid, but believe me it is possible. After the jump, you can see a screen capture of original director Oren Peli's personal note of singing optimistic approval for the choice of Kip Williams to take the helm of this monstrosity that could only be equated with the Titanic. Of course, he approves - it's more free cash in his pocket.


Reesa Likes Her Ride In The Time Machine


Three thirtysomething under-achieving best friends and one of their twentysomething nephews take a vacation to a ski resort, trying to recapture their 80’s heyday when each one experiences a run of bad luck. During a drunken party in the outdoor hot tub, an energy drink shorts the electric controls, and the foursome find themselves back in the party-hardy 1986.

Nothing says 80’s movies like John Cusack as Adam, who just had a painful break-up with his girlfriend. His best buddies are Lou (Rob Corddry) - a party animal who can’t seem to find a party; Nick (Craig Robinson), who is obsessed with the idea that his wife cheated on him; and Adam's twentysomething nephew, Jacob (Clark Duke), who can’t leave his basement and video games. After a drunken Lou almost kills himself by locking himself in his garage while singing 80’s power ballads in his running car, the guys decide to go back to the ski resort where they had the best time ever. However the resort is all rundown, there’s a dead critter in the hot tub, and the bellboy (Crispin Glover) is missing an arm. Suddenly, the tub is all bubbling and functioning so they dive in for a Hangover-type night. The next thing they know everything around them has changed, the resort is full of young people, ladies are wearing leg warmers, and the bellboy has 2 arms again. They look in the mirror and they see themselves as they looked in high school.

Chevy Chase shows up as the hot tub repairman, looking as confused as they are and who gives them cryptic advice about the hot tub. The guys think they should not mess with the time line and just let history repeat itself. This includes Lou getting beat up. It also includes Adam getting sliced over the eye when he breaks up with a girlfriend, and getting to playing music again with his band. Jacob gets an eyeful when he sees his mom as a loose party girl and then later gets a surprise by discovering his father. After many misadventures, they can’t help to try and change their destinies.

This movie will delight anyone who can relate to the 80’s. Directed by Steve Pink (co-producer of High Fidelity) and written by Josh Heald, Sean Anders, and John Morris (Anders and Morris also did She’s Out of My League), this comedy is consistent in the nostalgic nods to the audience. The personalities of the actors really deliver without becoming annoying or trite. Like She’s Out of My League, that also did multiple screenings, there’s a sharp wit and the film doesn’t constantly dumb down the humor. Of course, as a Cusack fan, one can be assured that the work will always be satisfying. I personally didn’t find it quite as hilarious as some, but then this wasn’t exactly in my generational reference. Anyone who finds That 70’s Show amusing will enjoy this film. Just be glad they didn’t cast Ashton Kutcher in Cusack’s role. I suspect after this movie is released, there may be an increase of hot tub parties in your neighborhood. (Review by Reesa Cruz Hawkins of Dallas Movie Screenings)

The Karate Kid Trailers


We've posted the first two trailers for the upcoming remake / reboot / whatever you want to call it for The Karate Kid after the jump. I'm looking at it as a different movie in general. It has the same themes as the original version, but it's just a whole different character dealing with the same types of problems as the first series' Daniel character. It's kind of like another Next Karate Kid - same theme, different character. You know what would be really cool? If they put Chris Tucker in this and called it The Karate Kid's Rush Hour. Now there's an idea! Yeah, I don't know where that bit of randomness came from either. I apologize.


In Columbia Pictures' The Karate Kid, 12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's (Taraji P. Henson) latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts "the karate kid" on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.

The Karate Kid was directed by Harald Zwart and stars Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan,and Taraji P. Henson.

The movie comes out on June 11th.

Shrek Forever After Character Posters


DreamWorks and Paramount just sent us pictures of the character posters for the highly anticipated animated sequel, Shrek Forever After. There's six of them featuring Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Puss in Boots, Rumpelstiltskin, and Gingy. My favorite one is the angry Gingy riding a lion-shaped cookie carrying a lollipop sickle. Very cool. You can check them all out together right after the jump.

After challenging an evil dragon, rescuing a beautiful princess and saving your in-laws' kingdom, what's an ogre to do? Well, if you're Shrek, you suddenly wind up a domesticated family man. Instead of scaring villagers away like he used to, a reluctant Shrek now agrees to autograph pitch forks. What's happened to this ogre's roar? Longing for the days when he felt like a "real ogre," Shrek is duped into signing a pact with the smooth-talking dealmaker, Rumpelstiltskin. Shrek suddenly finds himself in a twisted, alternate version of Far Far Away, where ogres are hunted, Rumpelstiltskin is king and Shrek and Fiona have never met. Now, it's up to Shrek to undo all he's done in the hopes of saving his friends, restoring his world and reclaiming his one True Love.

Shrek Forever After was directed by Mike Mitchell and stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and Antonio Banderas.

Look for it in theaters on May 21st.

Twilight Indian Actor At Dallas Indian Market This Weekend!


I just got wind of this today, but definitely wanted to help promote it. I'm sure there's a lot of people out there that don't know about it. The 21st Annual Texas Indian Market and Southwest Showcase is this weekend at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, TX. The event starts today and goes through Sunday, March 28th. Among the many activities that are going on during the whole weekend, they have a few pretty cool actors that will be on-hand to meet and greet their fans. Scheduled to appear are The Twilight Saga's Gil Birmingham (Billy Black - Jacob Black's father). He's also been in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You can also meet Irene Bedard (voice of Disney's Pocahontas, Steven Spielberg's Into the West, Smoke Signals), Steve Reevis (Dances with Wolves, Geronimo, The Missing), and Moses J. Brings Plenty (Pirates of the Caribbean, Hidalgo). Other very cool attractions at the event include Navajo Weaving Market, Native American Books & Music, Indian Food Court, and Photo Opportunities with a bald eagle, and more. Cost is $10 for adults and 13 and under are free. Go to the official website for more info.

Reesa Wants To Train A Dragon, Too!


Synopsis:
A Viking teenager named Hiccup lives on the island of Berk, where fighting dragons is a way of life. The teen's smarts and offbeat sense of humor don't sit too well with his tribe or its chief... who just happens to be Hiccup's father. However, when Hiccup is included in Dragon Training with the other Viking teens, he sees his chance to prove he has what it takes to be a fighter. But when he encounters (and ultimately befriends) an injured dragon, his world is flipped upside down, and what started out as Hiccup's one shot to prove himself turns into an opportunity to set a new course for the future of the entire tribe.

Review:
On the island of Berk lives a hardy tribe of Viking whose lives are centered on killing dragons that besiege their village, steal their animals, and destroy their homes. A Viking teen named Hiccup is not a big help when it comes to defense and everyone tells him to stay indoors and out of the way.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Jay Baruchel) is the brainy son of Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), an old-school chief of a Viking tribe. He doesn’t understand his son’s wry humor, sophisticated observations, or his ability to create these mechanical devices that could help in their battle with the dragons. Hiccup sneaks out with his bola-shooting cannon and manages to hit the most feared dragon of all, the Night Fury - the one that is so fast and dangerous no one has ever seen it. Of course no one believes him.

He sneaks away and finds the dragon entangled in the bola. Armed with a small knife, Hiccup thinks if he kills the dragon he will be accepted by the tribe and respected by his father. But looking at the defenseless creature, he can’t bring himself to do it. So he unties the dragon’s bonds. The black dragon with the green cat-like eyes stares him down, but then flies away. Hiccup realizes that he’s just not cut out to slay anything.

Returning to the village, his father thinks it’s about time that Hiccup mans up and takes his place among the Vikings. He decides to send him to dragon school along with the other village teens while the rest of the warriors take their long ships out to find the dragon nest. Gobber the Belch (Craig Ferguson) is the blacksmith missing a leg and hand from his misadventures is in charge of the dragon school. His teaching methods are to put the teens in the arena and release a captured dragon and see how they react. Astrid (America Ferrera) is the embodiment of a strong Viking fighter. She’s fearless in her attacks, but becomes suspicious when Hiccup begins to win each competition.

Hiccup returns to the forest and finds that the dragon he released has lost a rudder wing on his tail and can’t fly. This makes him feel guilty for his part in the injury and he slowly befriends the dragon which he names Toothless. He builds him a wing, but the only way it works is if it’s manually opened. That means he has to fly on the dragon to manipulate the controls. Through his friendship with Toothless, he realizes everything he has learned from 300 years of Viking dragon lore is incorrect. He uses the knowledge discovered through his experience with Toothless in his dragon training. When he earns the right to face his first dragon to the death, he realizes that he must convince his tribe to no longer slay dragons.

Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois (Mulan, Lilo & Stitch) took over as co-directors about a year and a half before the project was due. They rewrote the story that had closely followed the 2003 children's novel by British author Cressida Cowell, which was too young and sweet. The dragon was changed from a smaller version in the book to the Night Fury. The CGI-animated movie has been created for 3D and considering the recent releases in this format, this is a way better product. The technical know-how would be nothing without the excellent story, though. The characters are entertaining and heartfelt. The family dynamic with the father, son, dragons, and friendship work so well with the action sequences that one forgets that the characters are animated. This is one movie that will keep the parents as happy as the kids. (Review by Reesa Cruz Hawkins of Dallas Movie Screenings)

MovieGeekFeed.com Nominated For Rondo Awards!


We are extremely honored to have been written in and nominated for a few different Rondo Awards for 2009. How cool is that? CollectoramaShow.com, which is one of the best collectibles websites out there, nominated us for three different categories. They're numbered as they are on the ballot. Here you go:

14. Best Website - MovieGeekFeed.com
25. Writer of the Year - Eric Shirey
28. Favorite DVD Reviewer - Eric Shirey

If you feel like supporting our website, then please click on the banner below and write in a vote for us. We're honored to be appreciated for all our hard work.

Our sister blog, www.amicusproductions.blogspot.com, was nominated in the category of Monster Kid of the Year. I (Eric Shirey) actually do that blog as well. It is basically the ONLY website completely dedicated to the classic Amicus Productions films. We also cover the new Amicus movies. If you want to vote for me as Monster Kid of the Year for that, then that would be awesome. It's number 29 on the Rondo ballot.



About The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards:

The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards were created by David Colton and Kerry Gammill at the Classic Horror Film Boards in 2002. The awards are fan-based, and have no connection to any commercial sponsor. Anyone in fandom can vote or propose nominees.

The 'Rondo' award itself, shown at right, features a bust sculpted by illustrator Kerry Gammill, and cast by modeler Tim Lindsey.

The statuette is a miniature version of the bust of Hatton seen in the Universal film, HOUSE OF HORRORS (1946). The Rondos have been praised by recipients for
their quiet beauty and evocation of classic horror.

Nominees for the Rondo are selected from suggestions by horror fans, pros and enthusiasts offered all year at the CHFB. Each year's nominees are finalized by classic horror fan David Colton (taraco@aol.com), with the help of more than 20 classic horror fans from around the world, and with expertise in all parts of fandom.

Each year, nominees for Best Model or Collectible are developed with the help of the Universal Monster Army! Thanks, UMA!

Voting is by an electronic ballot or by email to taraco@aol.com.

Unveiling Of Elaborate Toy Story Mural


Disney sent us a press release about the recent unveiling of a Toy Story mural constructed by 6 different Boys & Girls Clubs from Washington DC, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Denver, and Los Angeles completely out of LEGO bricks. The one-of-a-kind mural was built to support the March 23rd release of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 on Blu-ray. Pixar Story Supervisor Jason Katz (Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3) and LEGO Master Builder Erik Varszegi joined the Hollywood Boys & Girls Club when they put together all six sections. You can check out the official press release, video, and more pictures after the jump.

Disney, Boys & Girls Clubs and LEGO Systems, Inc team
up to support Toy Story & Toy Story 2 High Definition Home Entertainment Debut


Tuesday, March 23, 2009 – Hollywood, CA – Pixar Story Supervisor Jason Katz (Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3) and LEGO Master Builder Erik Varszegi joined kids from the Hollywood Boys & Girls Club to assemble a one-of-a-kind mural in support of the Toy Story & Toy Story 2 release on Blu-ray™ (March 23). Kids from six different Boys & Girls Clubs across the US in regional markets each built a portion of the elaborate Toy Story mural out of LEGO® bricks, which were joined together for the first time in Los Angeles. Participating Cities included: Washington DC, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles.

One of the most beloved movies of all time comes to life in LEGO® form! Buzz Lightyear and Woody are joined by other favorite characters in minifigure form as the adventure builds in the playroom with LEGO sets inspired by classic Toy Story and Toy Story 2, as well as the much-anticipated June release of Toy Story 3.

This March 23, 2010 Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) proudly presents the eagerly awaited high definition debuts of Disney•Pixar’s original animated classics Toy Story and Toy Story 2. In 1995, Toy Story made history as the first feature-length computer animated film and, together with its beloved sequel Toy Story 2, helped establish Disney•Pixar as creators of unrivaled quality family entertainment. Now, viewers can rediscover these wondrous tales of what happens when humans leave the room - and toys come to life - as Toy Story and Toy Story 2 debut on Disney Blu-ray™+ DVD Combo Pack, followed seven weeks later by the Special Edition DVDs.

For the first time ever, these two groundbreaking films are presented with eye-popping 1080p high definition picture and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound, along with hours of innovative new bonus features. Also included are exclusive sneak peeks at Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story 3, hitting U.S. theaters on June 18, 2010.

Disney’s relationship with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) has spanned more than 50 years. As early as 1963, Walt Disney served as an honorary member of the Board of Directors and did a public service announcement for the “Boys Club,” the official name of the organization at the time. In recent years, Disney has donated millions in financial and in-kind donations as well as volunteer services to support Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Jonah Hill For How To Train Your Dragon


Here's an interview with Jonah Hill for his role as Snotlout in DreamWorks' animated fantasy How To Train Your Dragon. He discusses his character and persona, the animation process, accepting the role, and the range of the audience. Footage appears courtesy of DreamWorks and Paramount.


A Viking teenager named Hiccup lives on the island of Berk, where fighting dragons is a way of life. The teen's smarts and offbeat sense of humor don't sit too well with his tribe or its chief... who just happens to be Hiccup's father. However, when Hiccup is included in Dragon Training with the other Viking teens, he sees his chance to prove he has what it takes to be a fighter. But when he encounters (and ultimately befriends) an injured dragon, his world is flipped upside down, and what started out as Hiccup's one shot to prove himself turns into an opportunity to set a new course for the future of the entire tribe.

How To Train Your Dragon was directed by Christopher Sanders and Dean DeBlois. It features the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, and Craig Ferguson.

The movie flies into theaters on March 26th.