epic movies, wow movies!

Last time we heard, there was a rumor that Stallone was pondering a Rambo 5. Originally, it was going to be about a kidnap thriller, that then jumped into a sci-fi “Predator” story, with Rambo hunting a weird creature; a “government experiment gone wrong”. Thankfully that whole crazy plot was scratched. Stallone, who is currently making the rounds for his upcoming action release, The Expendables, was asked about that still possible Rambo 5, or a more plausible Rambo 0.

JoBlo reports:

On Rambo 5:
“The character came full circle [in the fourth film]; he went home. For Rambo to go on another adventure might be misinterpreted as a mercenary gesture and not necessary.”

On Rambo Prequel:
“I certainly think this is worth pondering,” was his response. “It’s intriguing to find the whys and wherefores of how people have become what they are. The traumas, the loss and the tragedy of being in Vietnam would certainly be a great challenge for a young actor, and it would be ironic that Rambo directs younger Rambo having played it for twenty years plus…”

I enjoyed both of Stallone’s last efforts for Rambo and Rocky. Both had great endings; coming full circle for both stories. I’m all against any more sequels to both of this great franchises. That said, I’m all in favor of Stallone taking a stab at telling the story of young John Rambo. That, I would be interested in watching. Who was John Rambo before he became the Rambo we all met in First Blood? Maybe Stallone can direct a young actor, and set a film that tells us about John’s early years. He can go back to the Vietnam War, and tell us what happened to John there. That would be cool. If he can manage to maintain the mood the last Rambo had, this prequel thing does have potential.

What do you guys think? Do you want a Rambo 0? Or a Rambo 5?

He is one of the busiest man in Hollywood. With already plenty of movies on his directing/producing development list (including Star Trek 2, Mission Impossible 4, Super 8, etc.), J.J. Abrams has just added one more. Abrams’ very successful company, Bad Robot, is planning on telling the story of one peculiar robot.

HollywoodReporter states:

J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot banner are tackling the tale of a robot set in the Victorian Age. Paramount has picked up rights to “Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel,” a graphic novel-picture book hybrid by Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett, the creators of comic book series “Heartbreakers,” for an adaptation to be produced by Abrams and his banner.

“Boilerplate” purports to tell the story of the world’s first robot, who, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fought alongside Teddy Roosevelt and Lawrence of Arabia, journeyed to the South Pole and was involved in the silent movie business before disappearing on the battlefields of World War I.

Abrams has yet to disappoint me. Mostly all of his movie and TV ideas, have become successful. From reading the story’s description, all I could keep thinking about was “a robot Forrest Gump”. If there was someone involved in incorporating that feel to this story, Abrams is the definitely the man.

What do you guys think of this story? You interested in watching this tale? Will Abrams deliver?

RedBox has plans of entering the digital world. They want to stay relevant, and compete with the likes of NetFlix, iTunes, etc. But, before doing this, what else can they do to expand their services and gains regarding their kiosks? Well, how about offering the new standard for movies: Blu-rays.

Variety reports:

Redbox is giving Blu-ray rentals a green light. The company, which rents movies for $1 a day through its thousands of kiosks across the country, said it will start stocking Blu-ray discs in its boxes and make the movies available for $1.50 per night. “The Book of Eli,” “Bounty Hunter,” “Brooklyn’s Finest” and “Green Zone” are among the first Blu-ray titles Redbox will offer, with the number of films and copies varying per kiosk. Redbox will supply Blu-ray discs to 13,300 of its kiosks nationwide and plans to make them available to its complete network of 23,000 machines by the fall. Each kiosk holds 630 discs

RedBox should’ve done this a long time ago. But, it seems that they couldn’t proceed with this plan until wrapping up a series of legal disputes with various studios, including Warner Bros., Fox and Universal. Apparently, RedBox has to wait to wait until a film has been available on homevideo for 28 days before it can stock them in its kiosks.

Now that they’ll be offering Blu-rays, are you more inclined on using RedBox? Do you think the pricing is fair enough?

As we all know by now, Mark Ruffalo will become Bruce Banner/Hulk in Marvel’s The Avengers. He will be replacing Edward Norton (The Incredible Hulk). Here’s an interview with the actor, after he was introduced at his first ever Comic-Con adventure.

EW reports:

What was it like appearing en masse at Comic-Con last weekend and being introduced to 6,500 screaming comic book fans?

It was very exciting — and I realized I had some pretty big shoes to fill. Those were my heroes up there! I was a comic book fan growing up. I loved The Hulk and The Avengers — it’s just strange to be entering that world as an actor. I never would have imagined that before.

You had never been to Comic-Con before?

No, I had not. I was very, very nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. That’s as close you’re going to get to being a rock star as an actor. The fans — they have very strong feelings toward their comic book heroes.

You’ll be playing Bruce Banner, The Hulk’s human alter ego. What are your thoughts on the character?

He’s a guy struggling with two sides of himself — the dark and the light — and everything he does in his life is filtered through issues of control. I grew up on the Bill Bixby TV series, which I thought was a really nuanced and real human way to look at The Hulk. I like that the part has those qualities.

Did you have any trepidation taking the role, given the very public way Marvel split with Edward Norton?

I’m a friend of Ed’s, and yeah, that wasn’t a great way for all that to go down. But the way I see it is that Ed has bequeathed this part to me. I look at it as my generation’s Hamlet.

When do you start shooting?

Sometime in the winter. I’m not sure.

Mark Ruffalo is a class act. Like I stated before, he’s one of the best actors in Hollywood for quite some time now. He’s by far, one of the most underrated. I have no doubt that he will give us a great Bruce Banner; even if it’s just little screen time, or a lot.

What do you guys think of Ruffalo?

The Gears of War franchise is one of the top-selling video game franchises in history. It’s been said for a while now, that a movie adaptation will happen. Most people expect a GOW movie to be a $200 million plus budget manifestation on screen. Today, we get news that those plans and expectations can be scratched.

IGN reports:

Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski recently appeared at San Diego Comic-Con Cinema Blend about the long-gestating game-to-film adaptation, where he said that due to budget cuts by New Line Cinema the project is being retooled as a lower-budget sci-fi film along the lines of District 9.

This jives with recent updates that revealed the film’s $150 million budget had been slashed, original director Len Wiseman had walked away from it, and that the project had “gone back to the drawing board.”

Disctrict 9 is one of my all-time favorite sci-fi movies. It was an original story, with great action and awesome looking special effects. It even got some Oscar nominations, including Best Picture in 2009. The cost of doing D9? Around some $30 million. How much did it make? About $210 worldwide. So can GOW be done D9 style (low budget), and be successful? Yes it can. As long as the story adaptation is strong, and the effects are well done like in D9, GOW can be successful. I believe it would make more money than D9, since it’s got a huge video game following and plenty of marketing strong points to exploit. And if going low-buget is what it takes for this film to be finally get done, then they should do it already.

What do you think? GOW going D9 style, a better option, than say, going Avatar style?

Like promised, the rumor mill is spinning like crazy as to who will be the next Superman. We all know the script is written (Nolan/Goyer), but we’ve still haven’t gotten any confirmation or real news about the future film. We’ve heard that Brandon Routh would love to come back. We’ve heard that Chuck’s Zachary Levi was being considered for the role (rumor already shot down). So, today we’ve got news that WB Bros. is seriously considering Jon Hamm.

ScreenRant reports:

According to our friends at Think Mcfly Think, one candidate for the gig is fan-favorite Jon Hamm of Mad Men fame.

TMT’s source claims that Warner Bros. has “seriously considered” Hamm for the role but the actor is 39 years of age, a tough sell if they want to make a franchise out of this (which they do).

As any other rumor, let’s talk about the possibility for a while, before it’s shot down, or it really sticks in the end. Jon Hamm is an excellent actor; he’s really good in Mad Men, and I also enjoyed him doing some comedy in 30 Rock, alongside Tina Fey. I have no doubt that he would be make an awesome Superman. My only concern is that he’s almost 40; and if WB plans to make a franchise a la Nolan’s Batman, the age factor hurts a little bit. On the other side, maybe Nolan’s Superman story, has an already established older Superman going about his role in the world, before all hell breaks loose. Taking this into consideration, getting Hamm to be Superman, would be an perfect decision. I guess we’ll find out.

WB has said that The Man Of Steel would probably be out on December 2012, just after Batman 3 that summer. If I where them, I would start moving already, just like Marvel is going about The Avengers (2012). Please WB, give us the director already at least. Then move on towards who’s going to be Superman. Wouldn’t it be awesome for them to reference or hint at Superman or Batman in The Green Lantern (2011)? C’mon WB/DC get you stuff together!

What do you guys think? Routh or Hamm? Anyone else on your mind for Supes?

Wouldn’t Jon Hamm, with shades of gray/white hair, be an awesome Superman for THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS? Damn.

Tina Fey is currently one of the most hard working, powerful, and successful women in the entertainment business. After her last film, Date Night, alongside Steve Carrell, made around $150 million worldwide, it appears Fey has found her next project.

JoBlo reports:

The film would star Fey and Streep as a mother and daughter while the film “spotlights the thorny and funny sides of mother-daughter relationships.” I don’t doubt that there’s humor to be mined from such relationships but perhaps I’m looking for something more in the vein of the absurdist “30 Rock” humor than a familial comedy-drama.

Stanley Tucci, who recently co-starred with Streep in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and JULIE & JULIA, has signed on to direct the film for Sony Pictures, who just picked up the rights to the film. Steve Buscemi, yes that Steve Buscemi, is producing the film.

I love Fey’s work in SNL and 30 Rock. I’ve also enjoyed her in the movies she’s been involved; Mean Girls, Baby Mama and Date Night. Although the premise seem pretty simple, I’m sure we’ll have a good time watching Fey and Streep go at it onscreen. Looking forward to this combination, even if it’s for a couple of laughs.

What do you guys think? You like this combination? What would you like the comedy to touch on?

Also, is it just me, or Tina Fey somehow/sometimes seems hot to me. Am I alone on this? Hopefully not.

A Redband Trailer for Let Me In, the remake of the Swedish Let the Right One In is online. I don’t know exactly what is Redband about it, but that’s what they are calling it.

For those not following the transition from the critically acclaimed Let the Right One In, the film is about Abby, a mysterious 12-year old girl, who moves next door to Owen. Owen is a social outcast who is viciously bullied at school and in his loneliness, forms a profound bond with his new neighbor. Owen can’t help noticing that Abby is like no one he has ever met before. As a string of grisly murders occupy the town, Owen has to confront the reality that this seemingly innocent girl is really a savage vampire.

While the description makes eyes roll as “yet another vampire movie” groans follow, the original is more of a drama that focuses more on the relationship of these two young people and the vampire thing is very secondary to the plot.

Its very well done, and a fresh look at a vampire story. I hope this remake does it justice.

The trailer has a similar but still different feel than the original film.

And Chloe Moretz is playing Abby. This young actress is phenomenal and I feel like we may never see the end of her career.

The addage that art imitates life is a circular logic as life often imitates art.

But not wanting to be outdone in this day and age, we get art imitating life imitating art that imitates art! And in the high art of pornography, we get exactly that.

In Zack and Miri make a Porno we get a look at the ambitions of a slacker setting out to spoof pop culture in porn, and while he isn’t the first to suggest it, one particular pornographer is making his mark on the industry with Batman XXX and This Aint Star Trek XXX.

And now Axel Braun announces he will produce the most expensive porn film ever made. Star Wars XXX.

In 3D!

Geekscape shares:

At today’s signing at the Geekscape booth, director Axel Braun, who we saw in a recent episode promoting his Batman XXX (and the director of This Aint Glee), revealed official plans for Star Wars XXX 3D, from Vivid Video! And according to Axel, this will be the “most expensive porn film ever made… likely to become the highest grossing too.”

In addition to a full press release, Axel gave Geekscape one major piece of news: “yes, Chewbacca WILL fuck”!

Oh my.

You know there is going to be at least one scene where Slave Leia is going to get some and finally put to screen that decades old fantasy that even present day Carrie Fisher cannot jog from my memory.

Chewbacca might be a bit disturbing though. The only love he ever showed in the movie was towards Han and I am not going there.