April Fools! 2013 Edition

Posted in Entertainment,Hilarity,Technology,Video by Scott Meisner on April 1st, 2013

Here we are again: April Fools Day. Only this time around it’s 2013 and no one is safe. We start, as is tradition, with Google’s masterful pranks. It’s all after the break…or is it. (Click here for more…)

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Despicable Me 2′, ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’, ‘Riddick’

Posted in Movies,Video by Scott Meisner on March 23rd, 2013

Here we have trailer numero dos for Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me 2. In it the minions are as entertaining as ever, and we get a better sense of what Steve Carrell’s Gru is up to this time around. The all-star voice cast lineup also includes Kristen Wiig, Al Pacino, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, Steve Coogan, and Ken Jeong. The animated flick is set to open July 3. After the break, catch a time-lapse clip of the “Despicablimp” getting made and pushed out across the nation.

Also after the break, watch more trailers! (Click here for more…)

‘Kick-Ass 2′ red-band trailer reintroduces the amazing Hit Girl and a vengeful Red Mist

Posted in Movies,Video by Scott Meisner on March 16th, 2013

Three years later we are finally getting a sequel to the breakout superhero flick Kick-Ass. Jeff Wadlow (Never Back Down) replaces Matthew Vaughn as director (Vaughn is still onboard as a producer) and stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse reprise their roles as Kick-Ass, Hit Girl, and the vengeful Red Mist, respectively. (Red Mist, however, bestows a new name unto himself in the sequel but I’ll won’t spoiler the reveal here.) Joining the cast is Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes, the leader of the city’s band of vigilante superheroes. A spectacularly red-band trailer packed with gory action and a foul-mouthed (not-so-little anymore) girl awaits.

Kick-Ass 2, based on Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr.’s graphic novel, hits theatres August 16.

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Spring Breakers’, ‘Upside Down’, ‘JOBS’, ‘Oz: The Great and the Powerful’ & ‘Pacific Rim’

Posted in Movies,Video by Scott Meisner on February 2nd, 2013

A groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow today and you know what that means–spring comes early. And when it does there’s a scandalous movie coming out to celebrate the occasion. Disney girls Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens are all grown up in director Harmony Korine’s upcoming flick Spring Breakers, also starring Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, and James Franco with dreads and a grill. Basically it’s about four college girls who party too hard, land in jail, and get springed free by a local drug dealer. The trailer promises sex and drugs and money and girls. If that’s your speed, March 22 is the day to remember.

Jump after the break to view more trailers. (Click here for more…)

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Pain & Gain’, ‘The Great Gatsby’ & ‘The Smurfs 2′ [Update: 'This Is The End' & 'The Incredible Burt Wonderstone']

Posted in Images,Movies,Video by Scott Meisner on December 19th, 2012

Before he could move onto the next Transformers movie, director Michael Bay called up Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to star in his upcoming action (comedy?) film Pain & Gain. In typical Michael Bay fashion you can expect lots of explosions and gags. A quick synopsis: “Based on the unbelievable true story of three personal trainers in 1990s Miami who, in pursuit of the American Dream, get caught up in a criminal enterprise that goes horribly wrong.” The movie also stars Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, and Ed Harris. It opens April 26, 2013.

Jump after the break for more trailers.
(Click here for more…)

New ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ teaser trailer, plus Benedict Cumberbatch villain is “named”

Posted in Image cache,Movies,Video by Scott Meisner on December 17th, 2012

Two weeks ago Paramount gave us a first look at J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek sequel Into Darkness with a grim poster and an announcement trailer that introduced us to the film’s big baddie played by the one and only Benedict Cumberbatch. Today the studio provides a new teaser trailer, the one that’s attached to screenings of The Hobbit. New footage is mixed with brief glimpses we’ve seen before, including that special moment between Kirk and Spock that was originally added to the ending of the Japanese version of the announcement trailer. In this go around, Bruce Greenwood’s Captain Pike takes over most of the narration duties in a plea to his Enterprise successor Captain Kirk. “There’s greatness in you. But there’s not an ounce of humility,” he says. “You think that you can’t make mistakes. But there’s going to come a moment when you realize you’re wrong about that and you’re going to get yourself and everyone under your command killed.”

To learn the film’s antagonist’s name, jump after the break. (Click here for more…)

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Now You See Me’, ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ & ‘Oz: The Great and the Powerful’

Posted in Movies,Video by Scott Meisner on November 24th, 2012

If you’ve seen Christopher Nolan’s The Illusionist, this new magic flick should inspire you to visit theatres soon. Now You See Me tells an intriguing story about a group of magicians who perform seemingly impossible tricks on the road. In this first trailer for the movie, we see them performing on stage in Vegas and somehow they are able to magically rob a bank in France and teleport and shower the money all across their astonished audience. A large ensemble cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Melanie Laurent, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Common, Michael Kelly, and Elias Koteas; rounding out the cast are Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, giving this even more of a Chris Nolan feel. But he is not at the helm; Louis Leterrier (TransporterThe Incredible Hulk) is.

So how do they do it? Is it magic? Is it technology from the future? Morgan Freeman opens the trailer with this:  ”Come in close, because the more you think you see, the easier it’ll be to fool you.” And he ends it like this: “Look closely, because the closer you think you are, the less you’ll actually see.” You figure it out when Now You See Me hits theatres on June 7.

Jump after the break for more trailers. (Click here for more…)

Movie trailer round-up: ‘World War Z’, ‘Jurassic Park 3D’ & ‘A Good Day to Die Hard’

Posted in Movies,Video by Scott Meisner on November 10th, 2012

After reports of numerous setbacks including reshoots and rewrites, the film adaptation of Max Brooks’ popular novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is on track to release June 21, 2013. Directed by Marc Forster (Quantam of SolaceFinding Neverland) and written by Matthew Michael Carnahan (State of Play) with help from Damon Lindelof (Prometheus) and Drew Goddard (Cloverfield), World War Z stars Brad Pitt as a United Nations worker attempting to stop widespread zombie outbreak. Despite the public setbacks, the material stitched together in this first-look trailer is exciting and intriguing to say the least. Unlike the walkers Rick Grimes has to face in AMC’s The Walking Dead, the zombies here are mighty fast and travel in extremely large hordes. The plan is to expand Brooks’ novels (“Z” is preceded by two “Zombie Survival Guides”) into a trilogy of movies, all depending on how the first one performs at the box office. With a trailer as suspenseful and intense as this, anticipating World War Z‘s release won’t be hard to do.

Jump after the break for more trailers. (Click here for more…)

A Halloween treat: ‘Despicable Me 2′ trailer starring the Minions!

Posted in Movies,Video by Scott Meisner on October 31st, 2012

Universal picked the spookiest holiday of the year to release a new trailer for their upcoming animated sequel Despicable Me 2. Like the teaser that came before it, this lengthier trailer stars the little yellow Minions as we watch them tuck one of the girls to sleep and then get abducted by aliens! And these are very picky extraterrestrial beings because they spit out the alley cat that mistakenly gets sucked up into the beam of light. The sequel’s official synopsis follows; unfortunately it does not offer much in terms of where the movie will take us exactly.

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s worldwide blockbuster, Despicable Me, delighted audiences around the globe in 2010, grossing more than $540 million and becoming the 10th-biggest animated motion picture in U.S. history. In Summer 2013, get ready for more minion madness in Despicable Me 2. Chris Meledandri and his acclaimed filmmaking team create an all-new comedy animated adventure featuring the return of Gru (Steve Carell), the girls, the unpredictably hilarious minions…and a host of new and outrageously funny characters.

Yes, Steve Carrell is back as the voice of Gru, who interestingly barely makes an appearance in this trailer. Other returning voice actors include Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove and Kristen Wiig. Al Pacino has signed on to voice the villain. Illumination Entertainment CEO Chris Meledandri produces and original directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud are back as well.

Despicable Me 2 is out July 3, 2013 and then the Minions will go on to headline their very own spin-off feature in 2014.

Happy Halloween!

‘Evil Dead’ remake trailer is red-band, as in blood red

Posted in Movies,News,Video by Scott Meisner on October 24th, 2012

Cult classic horror film Evil Dead (1981) is getting a remake. Though a new director Fede Alvarez is steering the 2013 reboot, original helmer Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell have expressed their faith by contributing as executive producers. Raimi, along with Diablo Cody and Rodo Sayagues, also helped pen the screenplay. The synopsis should read familiar:

In the much anticipated remake of the 1981 cult-hit horror film, five twenty-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin. When they discover a Book of the Dead, they unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival.

Campbell’s Ash Williams is no longer the protagonist. He is replaced by Suburgatory star Jane Levy and she is surrounded by Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, and Elizabeth Blackmore.

Watch the extremely gory, violent, and quite terrifying red-band trailer. Nothing seems campy about this one. Jump after the break to see the trailer teaser (released yesterday) featuring commentary from New York Comic Con that’ll amp anticipation guaranteed.

Evil Dead rises again this spring on April 12, 2013. (Click here for more…)

Kanye West drops “White Dress” for RZA’s “Iron Fists” soundtrack

Posted in Movies,Music,Video by Scott Meisner on October 14th, 2012

Wu Tang Clan leader RZA is about to make his directorial debut with The Man with the Iron Fists, a martial arts film that promises a bloody good time. The cast is led by Russell Crowe, Lucy Lui, and RZA, and the pedigree behind it is high with Eli Roth writing (with RZA) and producing and Quentin Tarantino is credited as “presenting” the movie.

With RZA’s background in mind, it should come as no surprise that the soundtrack for Iron Fists features a lineup of great rappers. They include Ghostface Killah, Talib Kweli, Raekwon, Pusha T, and Kanye West. The track headlined by Kanye West and produced by West, RZA, Tapez, and Boogz is called “White Dress” and it sits above for your listening pleasure. If anything it will take you back to Ye’s College years as you’ll instantly recognize the classic sound.

After the break you’ll find the full soundtrack tracklist plus a trailer for the movie. The music releases October 23, and the The Man with the Iron Fists hits theatres November 2.

Update: The entire soundtrack is now available to stream for free here.

01 The Black Keys and RZA: “The Baddest Man Alive”
02 Ghostface Killah, M.O.P, and Pharoahe Monch: “Black Out”
03 Kanye West: “White Dress”
04 The Revelations: “I Forgot to Be Your Lover” [ft. Tre Williams]
05 Talib Kweli and RES: “Get Your Way (Sex as a Weapon)”
06 Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Kool G. Rap: “Rivers of Blood”
07 Method Man, Freddie Gibbs, and StreetLife: “Built for This”
08 24 Carat Black: “Poverty’s Paradise”
09 Killa Sin: “The Archer”
10 RZA and Flatbush Zombies: “Just Blowin’ in the Wind”
12 Corrine Bailey Rae: “Chains”
13 Pusha T and Raekwon: “Tick Tock”
14 Frances Yip: “Green is the Mountain”
15 The Wu-Tang Clan: “Six Directions of Boxing”
16 Mabel John: “Your Good Thing Is About to End”

Movie trailer: Anthony Hopkins is ‘Hitchcock’

Posted in Movies,Television,Video by Scott Meisner on October 10th, 2012

Is Alfred Hitchcock rising from the grave? No, but you might make a double take when you watch this trailer for Hitchcock, a biopic that follows the famed director as he attempts to get one of his most adored films Psycho into theatres. Directed by a Brit Sacha Gervasi, the movie is based on Stephen Rebello’s non-fiction book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho and it stars Anthony Hopkins as a convincing Sir Alfred Hitchcock, Helen Mirren as Hitchcock’s wife Alma Reville and Scarlett Johansson and James D’Arcy as the leads of Psycho, Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The good-looking cast appears up to the challenge in this premiere trailer, and with a November 23 release date the movie will be up for contention at this year’s Oscars.

With Hitchcock releasing next month, the master of horror is getting the star treatment this year if you also factor in HBO’s upcoming TV film The Girl. This one stars Toby Jones as Hitchcock and it explores his questionable relationship with actress Tippi Hedren, the girl who starred in his films The Birds and Marnie, played by Sienna Miller. The Girl airs Saturday, October 20th at 9PM on HBO. The trailer sits after the break. (Click here for more…)

Adele is selected to sing the new Bond theme song “Skyfall”, hear it here

Posted in Audio,Images,Movies,Music,Video by Scott Meisner on October 4th, 2012

With every Bond movie comes a title sequence theme song. For Bond 23 aka Skyfall, the Grammy-award winning sensation Adele was chosen to produce the latest 007 track. She collaborated with producer Paul Epworth, the man who helped her turn “Rolling In The Deep” into the massive hit it has become. Adele’s vocals shine in this composition definitely worthy of the James Bond seal of approvement. What do you think? Thumbs up? Purchase the track at iTunes.

Skyfall opens November 9. And while you’re here, check out some snazzy posters in the gallery below.

Update: A new trailer that features Adele was recently whipped together. Check it out after the break.

(Click here for more…)

Movie trailer 2: ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’

Posted in Movies,Video by Scott Meisner on September 20th, 2012

This week Warner Bros. dropped the second official trailer for the first of three Hobbit films in Peter Jackson’s arsenal. More dwarves, more Gandalf the Grey, more Bilbo Baggins, and yes, more Gollum. Watch it here.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits theatres December 14, 2012.

Movie trailer round-up: Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’, Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Mama’, hot comedy ‘The Oranges’ & ‘Wreck-It Ralph’

Posted in Movies,Video by Scott Meisner on September 13th, 2012

Steven Spielberg has found his stride again. In Lincoln he tells the historic tale… As the Civil War nears its end, President Abraham Lincoln clashes with members of his cabinet over the issue of abolishing slavery. Daniel Day-Lewis plays our sixteenth President to a T, Sally Field is Mary Todd, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Robert Todd, and Tommy Lee Jones is Thaddeus Stevens. Rounding out this all-star cast is Lee Pace, Jackie Earle Haley, Gregory Itzin, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, and Jared Harris as Ulysses S. Grant.

Lincoln is out November 9.

Jump after the break for more trailers. (Click here for more…)

‘Paranormal Activity 4′ trailer is in the present with demon Katie’s presence

Posted in Movies,News,Video by Scott Meisner on August 4th, 2012

All of the activity has led to this, or so says the tagline of the upcoming Paranormal Activity film. In the fourth installment of the scary franchise, returning directors Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost (Paranormal Activity 3, Catfish) jump back to the present making PA 4 a true sequel to PA 2 (if you can recall, last year’s PA 3 took movie-goers to the ’80s as they discovered protagonist Katie’s backstory. 27 seconds into this extended, delightfully frightening trailer you can clearly see the camera’s timestamp display November 2011 so you can expect a story that will take place following the scares as seen in the second film. Katie (Katie Featherston) and her son Hunter are back to terrorize a mother and daughter in their demonic ways. Zack Estrin (The River, No Ordinary Family, Prison Break) wrote the script.

Paranormal Activity is out this Halloween season, as is tradition, on October 19. Spy the poster after the break. (Click here for more…)

A 5-minute 41-second trailer for ‘Cloud Atlas’, a genre-defying film from The Wachowskis & Tom Tykwer

Posted in Movies,News,Video by Scott Meisner on July 29th, 2012

Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future.

That is the official synopsis out now for the upcoming film Cloud Atlas. Written for the screen and directed by siblings Andy and Lana Wachowski (The Matrix) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run), Cloud Atlas is adapted from a 2004 novel written by David Mitchell. The epic tale tells multiple stories and intricately weaves them all together. It spans across centuries and travels between the past, present, and future. And it cannot be delegated to a single genre; Cloud Atlas is a romance story with elements of action-adventure, fantasy, mystery, and sci-fi. It’s also being described as political and philosophical. “Why keep genres separated?” exclaims Andy Washowski.

It’s got a great cast: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Zhou Xun , Keith David, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, and Hugh Grant. And get this: The majority of these actors will be playing multiple characters in the film. “We all see this amazing opportunity to use the entire cast in multiple roles,” the filmmakers explain. “We love actors and we saw this chance to not just play different characters, but different ages, different races, different genders. Representing a core concept of the book: an idea of connectedness and karma, each character inheriting the consequences of their lives.”

To spread the word of their upcoming genre-defying epic, the Wachowskis and Twyker released a very long trailer maxing out at 5 minutes and 41 seconds. You’ll really get a sense of the massive scope Cloud Atlas brings to the table, both visually and in its storytelling format. For more, jump after the break to watch the filmmakers discuss how the movie came together and what movie-goers can expect from such a unique work of art.

Cloud Atlas hits theatres October 26. (Click here for more…)

Movie trailer: ‘Oz: The Great and Powerful’

Posted in Movies,Video by Scott Meisner on July 15th, 2012

Sam Raimi, the director of the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy, is back in Oz The Great and Powerful. In it he tells the fantastical origin story of The Wizard of Oz, a character originally invented by L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The story serves as a prequel to the famous 1939 film starring Judy Garland. A synopsis follows:

When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot–fame and fortune are his for the taking–that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity–and even a bit of wizardry–Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

Oz: The Great and Powerful opens March 8, 2013 in 3D.

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Dredd’, ‘Taken 2′, ‘V/H/S’, ‘Monsters University’ & ‘Hotel Transylvania’ [Update: 3 more trailers!]

Posted in Movies,News,Video by Scott Meisner on June 24th, 2012

Lionsgate is outputting a remake of the critically panned Sylvester Stallone vehicle Judge Dredd. The new one is simply called Dredd and it stars Karl Urban (Star Trek) as the judge, jury, and executioner. He is assigned to rookie Cassandra Anderson (played by Olivia Thirlby) and together they attempt to take down prostitute turned drug lord Ma-Ma (played by Game of Thrones‘ Lena Headey). The film, directed by Pete Travis (Vantage Point) promises to return “the celebrated character to the dark, visceral incarnation from John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s revered comic strip.” Will the remake end up being better than the corny original? You be the judge.

Dredd opens in 3D on September 21.

Jump after the break to view more trailers. (Click here for more…)

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Gangster Squad’, ‘The Watch’ & ‘Total Recall’ [Update: 'The Campaign']

Posted in Movies,News,Video by Scott Meisner on May 10th, 2012

The director behind Zombieland and 30 Minutes or Less is back with a star-studded gangster pic. Ruben Fleischer has rounded up Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Michael Peña, and Sean Penn to helm Gangster Squad. And here’s what it’s about:

Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and–if he has his way–every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart. “Gangster Squad” is a colorful retelling of events surrounding the LAPD’s efforts to take back their nascent city from one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time.

Yeah, from the looks of this trailer Gangster Squad is going to be one entertaining movie that cannot be missed. Unfortunately we have to wait for October 19 to roll around before we can see it. Perhaps these next two summer movies will hold you over until then… jump after the break! (Click here for more…)