TRAILER - Get Smart

So, am I the only one not laughing? I may have thought one or two shots were funny, but I certianly never laughed.
Granted, I'm not a big fan of comedies these days. They're either too grounded in obnoxious college humor or they're so child friendly that they come off as stupid. This "Get Smart" seems like the later.
I had some reservations for it when I saw the first teaser and ever since then my expectations for this movie have been dropping like an atom bomb.
Here's the international trailer (or so it looks). I'm sure North America will be getting an ever so slightly different trailer soon.

Norton Adds Some Clarification on Hulk

Edward Norton, star and co-writer of "The Incredible Hulk," recently clarified that this new Hulk has nothing to do with Ang Lee's film and he intends on sticking with it for awhile:

"First off it's utterly unrelated to that film. (Ang Lee's "Hulk.") This is in no way a response to it or picking up from it. I think like Chris Nolan and those guys did with Batman, we just said: 'We're going to start completely with our own version of this myth or saga.' To me the whole thing was to envision it in multiple parts. We left a lot out on purpose. It's definitely intended as chapter one."

Furthermore you can expect the first teaser for the film to be shown during the Super Bowl.

Emmy and Eriko Talk "Dragonball"

Emmy Rossum, who plays Bulma, and Eriko Tamura, updated their respective blogs about "Dragonball." some interesting stuff is in there.

Emmy Rossum, updated her blog while traveling apparently:

"Since the new year I've been back on the set of "Dragonball." In addition to working in Durango, we've been shooting in some pretty remote yet stunning locations. So, I've been litterally "out of range" for a few days at a time. We shot in Mexiquillo, about 2 hours outside of Durango where the landscape is amazing and looks - in places - much like the forests of New England. The dense green trees reminded me of New Hampshire and Maine, and made me feel very at home. The sunrises and sunsets are really spectacularly beautiful.

Mexiquillo is pretty remote, and there weren't any hotels around, so we were actually "camping" in log cabins, all together. It was exactly what you'd imagine, campfires at night with smores and kumbaya... Okay,
maybe not kumbaya, but we did do the smores! Its been a LOT of fun, especially bonding with the cast. All the actors get along great! After only a few weeks shooting we already have inside jokes and pretty much know each others life-stories.

I've been listening to some harder music to access the edge inside me to bring to the character, some Linkin Park and Dream Theater. I'm enjoying developing the character and training, learning to ride a motorcycle has been thrilling.. Its manual, so I've been learning all about clutch and throttle (don't laugh, this is all new to me!) And I think I'll be able to drive a stick-shift car after this film too!

Right now I am writing from a helicopter (with my costars, Chow Yun Fat, his lovely wife and Joon Park). We are on our way to the desert where we will be filming for the the next few days. I am the lucky one who gets to sit up front with the pilot (who was very careful to instruct me not to touch anything; knobs, controls or otherwise) Chow and Joon are taking pictures in the back and we are having a lot of fun. The landscape is alternating between, rolling sand dunes, green mountains dotted with cactus and farms layed out in geometric order with terracotta colored earth."

Ms. Tamura had some interesting stuff to say about her costumes. (Translation by dragonballmovieblog.com):

"Shooting is going really well! Everyone is surprised. My part is very interesting, but I still cannot talk about it. Jim, Producer Tim, and Peter, who had flown to the set the day before yesterday, as well as the crew, are all in good spirits.

My wardrobe is very diverse, and it takes a long a time to put on the make up and decide the clothes I wear for certain scenes. Some of the wardrobe for certain scenes has not appeared as of yet. A studio movie like this is a very time consuming job for everyone.

Moreover, I am very honored to be working with the competent Chow Yun Fat. Our first scene filmed together was last week, for 2 or more hours, in the interior of a mountain. We met, and he greeted me very kindly. We were able to talk, and he seems like an interesting, gentle person."

Cool stuff. Good or bad, the movie will be interesting, that's for sure.

"Machete" Poster

Robert Rodriguez's faux trailer from "Grindhouse," "Machete," has been rumored to become a straight-to-DVD movie due how much the crew enjoyed the process of making the trailer. Sadly this poster really isn't proof of that and is simply something that was made for kicks. In any case it's a pretty cool poster and if Rodriguez's film does get finished and released on DVD I hope this is the cover we see on it. Click to enlarge:

Iron Man Picture... Again

They keep reeling these out don't they? This seems to be the second or third picture of a particular scene because it looks similar to some of the older ones. Click to enlarge:

Farewell - Heath Ledger, 1979-2008

It is with great shock that I write this already well known information-- I just didn't feel right without putting it on my own blog. Heath Ledger, 28 years old, died in New York today, January 22, 2008. He died due to an apparent drug overdose. He was found in Mary-Kate Olsen's New York apartment in cardiac arrest. (As far as we know, no foul play was involved.) It is unknown what happened once the paramedics were called, but he died shortly after.
Ledger just recently finished shooting all his scenes for the upcoming "The Dark Knight," the sequel to "Batman Begins." The role of "The Joker" will be his last.
My deepest condolences to his family and friends. May God be with them and Heath.

2008 Oscar Nominations

They have arrived. Anything you agree with? I can very much say I'm unhappy that both "American Gangster" and "Zodiac" were snubbed. "American Gangster" is a bit more surprising I suppose, but the lack of "Zodiac" is disappointing simply because it was probably Fincher's best. But this is what happens when a high calibar movie gets released so early in the year: It becomes forgotten in the excitment of summer blockbusters. (I suppose "Gladiator" is one of the few exceptions.) "Eastern Promises" is, naturally, the movie I thought was screwed over the most. Meanwhile the glorified chick-flick "Atonement" gets its undeserved place in the best picture rankings.

I'm very, very happy to see "Juno" nominated for best picture and Ellen Page nominated for best actress. I predicted they would be nominated, but win? I wish. Viggo Mortensen was at least nominated for best actor. But due to the lack of his movie's popularity I doubt he'll get it. Yet again, I wish he would.

As of right now my greatest hope lies in "No Country for Old Men." I would love "Juno" to get it, but I don't see it happening. "There Will Be Blood" will probably get it, though I've yet to see it. So I don't know whether or not it deserves it. Perhaps I'll see it soon. (Not that any of this matters. The Academy is full of crap anyway, hence the lack of "Eastern Promises," "American Gangster" and "Zodiac." So naturally... I'm going to watch it.)

Overall, I'm disappointed in the best picture nominations, but most of the others make sense. Here's the list:

Best Picture

Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman - Juno
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Actor

George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away from Her
Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose (La môme)
Laura Linney - The Savages
Ellen Page - Juno

Best Supporting Actor

Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

Best Supporting Actress

Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Ruby Dee - American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Amy Ryan Gone - Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

Best Original Screenplay

Juno - Diablo Cody
Lars and the Real Girl - Nancy Oliver
Michael Clayton - Tony Gilroy
Ratatouille - Brad Bird
The Savages - Tamara Jenkins

Best Adapted Screenplay

Atonement - Christopher Hampton
Away from Her - Sarah Polley
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Ronald Harwood
No Country for Old Men - Joel and Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood - Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Animated Feature

Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf's Up

Best Cinematography

Roger Deakins - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Seamus McGarvey - Atonement
Janusz Kaminski - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Roger Deakins - No Country for Old Men
Robert Elswit - There Will Be Blood

Best Art Direction

Arthur Max and Beth Rubino - American Gangster
Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer - Atonement
Dennis Gassner and Anna Pinnock - The Golden Compass

Best Costume Design

Albert Wolsky - Across the Universe
Jacqueline Durran - Atonement
Alexandra Byrne - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Marit Allen - La Vie en Rose
Colleen Atwood - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best Documentary Feature

No End in Sight
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
Sicko
Taxi to the Dark Side
War Dance

Best Documentary Short

Freeheld
La Corona
Salim Baba
Sari's Mother

Best Film Editing

Christopher Rouse - The Bourne Ultimatum
Juliette Welfling - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jay Cassidy - Into the Wild
Roderick Jaynes - No Country for Old Men
Dylan Tichenor - There Will Be Blood

Best Makeup

Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald - La Vie en Rose
Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji - Norbit
Ve Neill and Martin Samuel - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Best Original Score

Dario Marianelli - Atonement
Alberto Iglesias - The Kite Runner
James Newton Howard - Michael Clayton
Michael Giacchino - Ratatouille
Marco Beltrami - 3:10 to Yuma

Best Original Song

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - "Falling Slowly" from Once
Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz - "Happy Working Song" from Enchanted
Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz - "So Close" from Enchanted
Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz - "That's How You Know" from Enchanted
Nominees to be determined - "Raise It Up" from August Rush

Best Animated Short

I Met the Walrus
Madame Tutli-Putli
Even Pigeons Go To Heaven
My Love
Peter and the Wolf

Best Live Action Short

At Night
The Substitute
The Mozart of Pickpockets
Tanghi Argentini
The Tonto Woman

Best Sound Mixing

Scott Millan, David Parker, and Kirk Francis - The Bourne Ultimatum
Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff, and Peter Kurland - No Country for Old Men
Randy Thom, Michael Semanick, and Doc Kane - Ratatouille
Paul Massey, David Giammarco, and Jim Steube - 3:10 to Yuma
Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell, and Peter J. Devlin - Transformers

Best Sound Editing

Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg - The Bourne Ultimatum
Skip Lievsay - No Country for Old Men
Randy Thom and Michael Silvers - Ratatouille
Matthew Wood - There Will Be Blood
Ethan van Der Ryn and Mike Hopkins - Transformers

Best Visual Effects

The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Transformers

Best Foreign Language Film

Beaufort (Israel)
The Counterfeiters (Austria)
Katyń (Poland)
Mongol (Kazakhstan)
12 (Russia)

TRAILER - Star Trek (Teaser)

I've always been a casual Star Trek fan. I've enjoyed most of the movies and was a big fan of "The Next Generation" and "Voyager." Of course I've seen more reruns of the original series than I realize, but I could never get in to "Deep Space Nine." Now that I've described, in short, my enjoyment for the series I have to say J.J. Abrams may have transformed the franchise with his new Star Trek movie acting as both a prequel and restart to the original series. It feels darker, more alien and, as odd as this sounds, more down to earth. The teaser could be described with one word: Haunting. The idea of building a massive space craft to travel in to the unknown regions of space seems scary again. Lets hope the movie pulls off a feeling that's similar to the teaser:



Christmas, 2008.

Werewolves Attack in X-Files?

Some consider this a spoiler... I don't, it's just a matter of time until we get the synopsis anyway. It looks like the next X-Files will follow Mulder and Scully tracking werewolves instead of aliens. (Or perhaps werewolves and aliens? What if we get a double-doozy?) Anywho, here's some interesting pictures on the set of "X-Files 2." (No I will not announce what site it came from.) Click to enlarge:

New Narnia Stills

When I saw "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" I thought it was a fun fantasy adventure to be sure. But classic or groundbreaking? It seemed "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" had left "Narnia" in the dust. But with every passing trailer, picture and remarke concerning "Prince Caspian," I can't help but get excited. It really does seem like it will be better than the first and darker to boot. These new images enhance that prediction of mine as even the CGI looks better. Click to enlarge: