We knew they were coming… It’s time to meet The Muppets, circa 2011. Jason Segel stars in this modern-day take on Jim Henson’s 1976 creation. Flight of the Concords‘ James Bobin is at the helm and Nicholas Stoller co-wrote the script with Segal. The trailer plays out like a cheesy rom-com with Segal and Amy Adams, but the situation gets turned on its head a little more than halfway through. Enough talk, enjoy!
Disney’s The Muppets lands in theatres November 23, 2011.
Director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson present The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn in eye-popping 3D and on the edge of uncanny valley. The duo is taking advantage of Jackson’s Weta Digital company for the Polar Express-esque visual effects. Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) is a credited writer, and the cast of voices include Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost. The trailer is certainly adventurous but until I see the animated characters speak it’s hard to grade the level of pure realism instilled here. The Secret of the Unicorn, the first of three proposed movies to make a Tintin franchise, hits theatres December 23, 2011.
The third and final chapter in Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise is set to bow in July 2012, and today we have our first look at the villainous Bane. Actor Tom Hardy certainly beefed up for the role–just look at those protruding back muscles! Add that muzzle contraption into the mix and we’ve got ourselves one formidable baddie to face off against the Dark Knight. Interestingly Warner Bros. released this image as part of a grander viral campaign for the film. If you direct your browser to the movie’s official site you’ll hear a brief sound byte; the chant was analyzed and found to contain the phrase “The Fire Rises.” Those that tweeted out the hashtag #TheFireRises contributed their Twitter profile picture to a user-generated mosaic that makes up the Bane image. Eventually the image was uploaded to Facebook and then everywhere else. The studio created the Twitter handle @thefirerises, so if you’re hotly anticipating the film I’d advise you to follow that for more updates surrounding the viral campaign. Don’t be surprised if a similar game is played to reveal another character, next time perhaps one Selina Kyle?
The Dark Knight Rises hits theatres July 20, 2012.
Michael Bay & James Cameron Talk 3D from Michael Bay Dot Com on Vimeo.
So who do you think has more expertise working with 3D technologies, Cameron (Avatar) or Bay (Transformers)? Spoiler alert: It’s the guy who dreamed up Pandora.
In related Transformers news, Paramount has shifted the premiere of the third installment from Friday, July 1 to Wednesday, June 29. Catch the latest trailer after the break. Continue reading Michael Bay & James Cameron talk 3D
YouTube’s been offering movies to rent since 2009, but the streaming service never really popped due to lack of popular content. Things are about to change. Thanks to super-duper partnerships with major Hollywood studios like NBC Universal, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros. the collection of rentable movies from YouTube just got a whole lot more exciting. In a press release, YouTube says that customers can expect classic films such as Caddyshack, Goodfellas, Scarface, and Taxi Driver to blockbuster new releases like Inception, The King’s Speech, Little Fockers, The Green Hornet and Despicable Me to start making their way into the video store shortly. New titles will continually be added to the library every week. The renting process is simple and works similarly to competitors out there (read: Apple TV, etc.). Sign into your YouTube account, browse the movies library, and rent a movie with your credit card. Pricing ranges from $2.99 to $3.99 depending on SD/HD resolutions and new releases vs. older selections. Interestingly the press release notes that the site supports video in up to 4k resolution, but I don’t see studios uploading that kind of quality in the foreseeable future. Once a movie is rented, customers will have 30 days to begin watching and once the movie is played it will vanish from existence in 24 hours. Note that movies are strictly streamed over the Internet and not downloaded locally. They are viewable on PCs and Google TVs only for the time being. YouTube is trying to differentiate itself by including “YouTube Movie Extras,” free behind-the-scenes videos, cast interviews, parodies, clips and remixes from YouTube’s unique community of content creators alongside the rentable movies.
Head over to youtube.com/movies to check out the new and highly improved movie selection. Full PR with FAQ after the break.
[Via YouTube 1, 2] Continue reading YouTube adds 3,000 movies from major Hollywood studios to its stable
On May the 4th Lucasfilm and Twentieth Century Fox outed a press release detailing the impending Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray. The nine-disc ultimate collection releases September 12 internationally and on September 16 in North America. All six films can be viewed in 1080p high definition and 6.1 DTS Surround Sound. The collection includes over 40 hours of bonus content like “vintage documentaries, audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes moments, interviews, prop and costume turnarounds, retrospectives and more.” Jump after the break to find the aforementioned PR to get the full lowdown. Also, make sure you open up the gallery below to get a look at the fantastic box art for the original and prequel trilogy Blu-ray bundles. Oh, and May The 4th be with you!
[Via StarWars]
Continue reading Star Wars comes to Blu-ray September 16, with bonus content galore
Warner Bros. released a new Green Lantern trailer this week, and this one might just be the most exhilarating of them all. There’s plenty of Hal Jordan as Green Lantern, but this time around we get to see more of Parallax the universe destroyer, the mad scientist Dr. Hector Hammond, and the infinitely gorgeous Blake Lively. This movie is going to be EPIC. It lands in theatres June 17 in 3D.
The Glee kids are kicking off their second nationwide Glee Live! In Concert! tour later this month. If you missed out on purchasing tickets, Twentieth Century Fox and Glee creator Ryan Murphy have plans to make things right. This summer a feature film based on the concert will hit theatres and they’re going to call it GLEE LIVE! 3D! (so many exclamation points!). The film will comprise of the tour’s musical numbers, including the memorable “Don’t Stop Believin'” cover, and some behind-the-scenes action. It’ll all be captured in three dimensions, with director Kevin Tancharoen (Fame, Mortal Kombat: Legacy) and producer Ryan Murphy calling the shots.
Says Murphy: “This tour was all about going out and performing for our amazing fans who have supported our show from the beginning, but due to the limited time we had to travel during our hiatus, there were only so many cities we could get to before we had to resume work on the television series. We knew that not every fan who wanted to attend a concert would get that opportunity. Now, thanks to our friends at Twentieth Century Fox Film, we’ll be able to bring the concert experience to movie theaters across the country in full three dimensional glory. We promise every passionate ‘Gleek’ a cinematic experience that will have them singing and dancing in the aisles.”
The concert film releases August 12 and will remain in theatres for a limited two-week run…that will likely be extended due to the hit FOX show’s rabid fanbase.
[Via EW]
Here is the very first image from the set of the upcoming super hero epic The Avengers, released by Marvel. Not that exciting, I know; but when you really think about it, it kinda is. Director Joss Whedon has broken ground on the movie that will bring together Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and oh so many more Marvel favorites.
On April 24, the day before principal photography for the film began, Whedon marked the occasion with a short but sweet blog post on the fansite Whedonesque. Here’s an excerpt:
Hi Pumpkins, joss here. Tomorrow we start shooting (I THINK I’m legally permitted to say that). Day one. That’s right. We’ll be shooting the pivotal death/betrayal/product placement/setting up the sequel/coming out scene, at the following address: [Marvel Lawyers rush in, take Joss’s keyboard, blowtorch a picture of his family like in “Stormy Monday”, drink his milkshake, leave the seat up, fluff his pillows, violently unfluff his pillows, leave]
Oh, Joss. You’re going to want to read the rest here. Right! The Avengers assemble in theatres May 4, 2012.
Yup, Michael Bay just kicked it up a notch. In a nutshell, Optimus Prime is mad at the human race because we never made him privy to this information: during our mission on the moon in the ’60s, man discovered an entire Decepticon army including Optimus’ long lost predecessor Sentinel Prime. And then all hell breaks loose on Earth. Shia LaBeouf, his new girlfriend Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and John Turturro’s Agent Simmons all make appearances here.
The third installment of Transformers makes it way to theatres July 1.
Marvel has been releasing new trailers for X-Men: First Class left and right. It’s starting to feel like their losing control of the marketing campaign; attempting to round up all the released trailers has proven tricky. Anyhow, set aside some time to watch the four trailers I’ve managed to find today. A nearly three minute version is embedded above, and the remaining three can be accessed after the break.
X-Men: First Class starring James McAvoy as Professor Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto hits theatres June 3. Continue reading Trailers: X-Men: First Class
LOTR fans, check it: To celebrate the ultimate Blu-ray release of Peter Jackson’s masterpiece, AMC is going to screen all three Director’s Cuts of the Lord of the Rings films this summer! They will be release chronologically over the course of three weeks leading up to the Blu-ray collection release date that is June 28. Here’s the plan. Each movie will be see new life in theatres for one night only. Fellowship of the Ring will play on June 14th, The Two Towers June 21st, and the trilogy will conclude with the screening of The Return of the King on June 28th. Tickets can be ordered today. Head over to AMC’s website and see if the extended cuts will be playing near you. And if you’re curious, the twice aforementioned LOTR ultimate Blu-ray collection is up for preorder at Amazon; it’ll cost you $83.99. So worth it! Should hold you over until Jackson’s next journey to the Shire.
[Via TheOneRing]