Upcoming Movies – The Hobbit (2012)

Upcoming Movies – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
(Opening Date: December 14, 2012)

——————–

And now, a two month old trailer!

The Hobbit is the prequel to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. The book The Hobbit is quite dis-similar in tone to The Lord of the Rings (it is much more kid friendly), so it will be interesting to see how they tie this to the previous movies.

After much speculation, director Peter Jackson has returned to the series. Martin Freeman is the new Bilbo, and a more perfect casting there could not be. A lot of the old gang is back (including a few characters who were not in the books). Ian Holms reprises his role as “old Bilbo”, Elijah Wood is back as Frodo, and even Orlando Bloom will appear as Legolas. There are good reasons to bring them back though, so hopefully it won’t seem jarring.

The trailer is below.

I must admit to getting goosebumps when that song kicks in. The movie seems very close to the tone of The Lord of the Rings, but perhaps not as intense. That is fine by me, as The Hobbit has to build up to the first three.

I think the footage we see here is purely from the first movie, which will be released in December 2012. The second part, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, will come in December 2013.

 Tomatometer Rating Guess: 88%

—————————————-

Feel free to leave a comment!

—————————————-

Upcoming Movies – Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)

Upcoming Movies – Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
(Opening Date: June 22, 2012)

——————–

Having just started to go through the US version of The Office, it is somewhat of a coincidence for me that a trailer for a new Steve Carell movie should pop up today. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is directed by Lorene Scafaria, whose biggest accomplishment so far is to write the screenplay for Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. This is her first directing credit. Check out the trailer below. 

We all know Steve Carell as a great comedic talent, but he often is better than the actual movie in which he stars (Evan Almighty, Date Night, Get Smart,  etc.) This one is going in a different direction than his usual comedy stylings though. He still playing a nebbishy guy, but the tone here is not buffoonish slapstick. There looks to be some genuine sweetness here. Whether it goes sappy or not, only time will tell, but I am looking forward to this one.

And of course it’s always good to see the under rated Keira Knightley, she always brightens up a movie. Oh, and Patton Oswalt!

Tomatometer Rating Guess: 72%

—————————————-

Feel free to leave a comment!

—————————————-

Upcoming Movies – The Bourne Legacy (2012)

Upcoming Movies – The Bourne Legacy
(Opening Date TBA 2012)

——————–

The Bourne Trilogy are great examples of the spy action genre, with Matt Damon coming to embody the amnesic Jason Bourne. (Also a member of the big three “JB” spies… James Bond, Jack Bauer, and Jason Bourne.) News of a fourth film was met with equal measures scepticism and curiosity, especially as Damon would not return. This fourth would be not be a prequel, sequel, or even a reboot, but a “side-quel”, a movie that takes places in the same universe as the original series but not featuring the lead actor. Many of the supporting cast will appear, including Albert Finney, David Strathairn, Joan Allen, Scott Glenn, and adding Ed Norton (ugh…), Oscar Isaac, and Jeremy Renner as the new lead, Aaron Cross. The director is Tony Gilroy. Check out the trailer below.

 

It doesn’t really show too much, does it? Those criss-cross bands… arg… But visibility issues aside, Renner is a good action man, having proved himself in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. But he looks rather generic to me… I don’t know if he will have the personality that Damon has. But it is perhaps unfair to judge so early, and against such a revered predecessor as well.

The director, Tony Gilroy, wrote the first three movies and the new one as well. He also directed the awesome George Clooney movie Michael Clayton, and for that reason alone I am cautiously optimistic. Michael Clayton showed Gilroy’s great directorial style. It was measured, slick, and just really, really, good. Hopefully The Bourne Legacy has a bit of that.

Here’s hoping The Bourne Legacy is worthy to sit on the shelf next to Damon’s version!

Tomatometer Rating Guess: 78%

—————————————-

Feel free to leave a comment!

—————————————-

Upcoming Movies – The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Upcoming Movies – The Amazing Spider-Man
(Opening July 3, 2012)

——————–

A new trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man debuted today. Directed by Marc Webb, it stars Andrew Garfield as the titular character. Filling out the cast are Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, and Denis Leary. Watch the trailer below.

That’s quite an eclectic cast, really, and they all seem to fit like a glove into their roles. And who would have though to put Marc Webb in the director’s chair? His biggest previous movie was the whimsical romantic dramedy 500 Days of Summer, although he does have an extensive career with music videos.

That a reboot was fast tracked so soon after Sam Raimi’s very succesful franchise has been a bit controversial, not to mention with the seemingly odd choice of director. On top of that the movie sends Peter Parker back to high school, and goes with a different girl friend. Despite all that I was kinda looking forward to this version, mainly because I flat out didn’t like Raimi’s films. It was too shiny and plastic (in both look and story), with forced humor and wooden acting. This version (at least in the trailer) seems to have more going or it.

Here is the first trailer released for the movie. Check out that awesome final shot!

And so, the reign of the superhero movie continues. Superhero movies have been the moneymaking force in cinema for the last decade, since X-Men started it all in 2000. I don’t know if this is necessarily a bad thing, as they are getting better and are in general decent movies. But this is a huge bubble, and it must break sometime. I mean, it has to, right?

Tomatometer Rating Guess: 82%

—————————————-

Feel free to leave a comment!

—————————————-

UPCOMING MOVIES – The Hobbit (2012-2013)

UPCOMING MOVIES – The Hobbit (2012-2013)

The Hobbit is easily one of the most anticipated movies of the next while. The tone of this prequel to The Lord of the Rings is going to be a tough one to nail down, as it is quite honestly a bit sillier than the later book and movie. Fans will be waiting on December 14, 2012, when the first of the two parter will be released (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), followed by The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Information is slowly being released to us, and I’m here to sum up all that we know so far.

Peter Jackson is teasing us with behind-the-scenes videos and the occasional picture, and we do have a complete cast list of course. In fact the movie is about 20% shot. The excitement builds!

THE CAST

Returning cast members include Sir Ian McKellan as Gandalf, Andy Serkis as Gollum, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Orlando Bloom as Legolas ,and Christopher Lee as Sauruman.

New cast members include Martin Freeman as Bilbo, Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Smaug, Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakensield, Stephen Fry as the Master of Laketown, and Sylvester McCoy  as Radagast the Brown.

(For the full cast list, head to IMDB.com.)

THE PICTURES

1. Martin Freeman as Bilbo (below)

2. Sir Ian McKellan as Gandalf (below)

3. Three Dwarves Dori, Ori, and Nori (below)

4. Two Dwarves Oin and Gloin (below)

THE VIDEOS

Peter Jackson has released two behind the scenes videos, available below.

Video 1

Video 2

TRIVIA

1. Andy Serkis, who plays Gollum, is also the second unit director of the two movies.

2. Jed Brophy, who plays Nori, also worked with director Peter Jackson in Braindead, Heavenly Creatures, LOTR: The Two Towers, LOTR: The Return of the King, and King Kong.

3. Robert Kazinsky was originally cast as Fili but had to drop out for personal reasons.

4. The two movies are being shot at 48 frames a second, a first for a major film. To read Peter Jackson‘s explanation, see the article at SlashFilm.com. (You should be checking that site often anyway, it’s a great one.)

5. The Master of Laketown’s “conniving civil servant” Alfrid (a character who I believe is invented for the movie) will be played by Ryan Gage, who originally had a much smaller part but was “promoted” to the larger role.

——————–

Thoughts? Comments? Leave them below!

——————–

UPCOMING MOVIES – October 2010

Upcoming Movies – October 2010

Just to clarify, this is not a list of My Eagerly Anticipated movies, just an observation of what we see coming to us in the future. (Though some of them of course I will look forward to seeing.) In no particular order, here is the Upcoming Movies - October 2010 post.

—————————————- 

 —– The Way Back —–

Peter Weir is one of my favourite directors, and his last movie was the excellent Master and Commander:: The Far Side of the World. He has a great way of making thoughtful, smart, and entertaining movies without sacrificing crowd-pleasing abilities. I look forward to this greatly.

Release Date: Sometime in 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

 —– The Tourist —–

Johhny Depp and Angelina Jolie star in what looks to be an entertaining thriller. Directed by word-check defying Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, it looks like Depp is being given a great chance to be wryly funny, and Jolie a chance to be sultry, both of which they do well.

Release Date: December 10, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

-

 -

 —– The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader —–

I must admit I enjoyed the first movie in this downtrodden series. The second faltered, and frankly it looks like they are changing the storyline from the book hugely in this one. I hope this doesn’t affect the film, but I guess we’ll see.

Release Date: December 10, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

 —– 127 Hours —–

Danny Boyle’s follow-up to the succesful, but in my view over-rated, Slumdog Millionaire, is a true story about a man who finds himself trapped while mountain climbing. James Franco stars in what will essentially be a one-man show. It definitely looks interesting.

Release Date: November 5, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

 -

-

-

-

 —– The Tempest —–

Julie Taymor, director of the under-rated Across the Universe and Titus, returns to the Revised Shakespeare gig with this star-studded film. Critics seem to be iffy on the film, but my interest is piqued.

Release Date: December 10, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

-

 —– Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 & Part 2—–

While I hate to jump on band-wagons, I truly enjoy this series, and this penultimate movie is shaping up to be the most epic of the Potter films yet. With Bill Nighy and Cirian Hinds added to the cast we can now officially say that every British actor has participated in the franchise.

Release Date: November 19, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

——————–

What do you think? Interested in any of these? Any other upcoming movies you really want to see? Leave a comment!

—————————————-

UPCOMING MOVIES – July 2010

Upcoming Movies – July 2010

Just to clarify, this is not a list of My Eagerly Anticipated movies, just an observation of what we see coming to us in the future. (Though some of them of course I will look forward to seeing.) In no particular order, here is the Upcoming Movies - July 2010 post.

———-

—– Rango —–

Johnny Depp has been compared to a chameleon many times before, but it was usually in reference to his immersive acting techniques. Here he plays one, or at least voices one. Gore Vebrinski directs this animated film, which is apparently about a chameleon with an identity crisis. All I can say is the trailer makes it look hilarious.

Release Date: March 4, 2011 —– TRAILER —–

–

-

-

—– Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 & Part 2-—-

I will definitely admit to being a bit of a Potter fan, and while the first teaser did not really draw me in, this one certainly does. Apparently this shows footage from both Part 1 and Part 2 of the movie (as they are releasing the final book as two movies). Daniel Radcliffe looks suitably out for revenge, and the movie looks plain great. Here’s hoping it has a darn sight better pacing than the last film, which tottered dangerously on the edge of being boring in parts.

Release Date: November 19, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

—– Little Fockers —–

…and the franchise continues with another cleverly named (?) movie starring Ben Stiller. That’s all I have to say about that I guess.

—– Release Date: December 22, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

–

–

-

-

—– Despicable Me —–

With this film I am somewhat reminded of the good old days when Pixar and Dreamworks would each release a similar film close to each other (Finding Nemo and Shark Tale, A Bug’s Life and Antz). Now Dreamworks and Universal are going at it. Personally my vote is with this, the Universal effort. Steve Carrell always elevates his material (see Date Night), and the rest of the cast is nothing to laugh at. Or, I guess, hopefully will be. “It’s so fluffy!”

Release Date: July 9, 2011 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

-

-

—– The American —–

First of all I must say that I love this poster. It is unique, and its retro design is awesome. The movie itself seems to be George Clooney in Michael Clayton mode, but maybe… maybe a bit too much so. I really hope this movie is good, as I think George is one of our best leading men, especially in respect to the pictures he chooses. Good Night, and Good Luck was incredible, Michael Clayton was very good, here’s hoping this will be good as well.

Release Date: September 1, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

-

—– Megamind —–

Here is the second half of that Dreamworks/Universal showdown. The Dreamworks entry is Megamind, starring Will Ferrel and Brad Pitt (apparently doing a George Clooney impression, I could have sworn it was Clooney.) This looks like it relies a bit too much on Will Ferrel’s improv, which never appealed to me that much I must admit. One can hope though!

Release Date: November 5, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

-

—– Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore —–

What did we do to deserve this? I pity the real critics who will HAVE to sit through this. As a blogger I don’t have to. Thank God.

Release Date: July 30, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

-

—– Scott Pilgrim vs. The World —–

I’ve never read the graphic novel that this is based on. Apparently is has a ton of geek cred, and I have to admit I love the all out style of this trailer. And the tagline is great, perfectly encapsulating the style and nerd appeal of the movie. “An epic of epic epicness”. Too cool. Or nerdy… Ah, same thing.

Release Date: August 13, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

-

—– The Adjustment Bureau —–

Of all the movies on this list, I think this is the one that I am really hoping is good. Matt Damon is an extremely dependable leading man, and I generally love Phillip K. Dick adaptations. Emily Blunt is good too, and we have Terrence Stamp making an appearance too. The director, George Nolfi, wrote The Bourne Ultimatum. However the trailer seems a bit… off. Cross fingers…

Release Date: September 17, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

-

—– Rio —–

I don’t know, I think this looks rather decent. It isn’t relying on marketing its voice actors, which is a good sign, I think. The cast includes Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg, two quality actors. I found myself chuckling during the trailer I have to admit.

Release Date: April 8, 2011 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

-

-

--

—– The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader —–

I enjoyed the first Narnia movie, but the second wasn’t quite as good. I think the trend is continuing. This kids in this series would need the acting abilities of the Harry Potter cast, and I don’t think we really have that here. Listen to the reading of the line “Not in this world”. Cringe. And not to be a little snot, but there are WAY too many things in the trailer that just simply are not in the book. The White Witch? She died in the first one, and this makes the second time they’ve tried to shoehorn her into a book she is not part of. Add that to pretty unconvincing CGI… Oh well. Maybe sometime someone will get these adored books right. Or at least, make good movies out of them.

Release Date: December 10, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

——————–

What do you think? Interested in any of these? Any other upcoming movies you really want to see? Leave a comment!

—————————————-

Upcoming Movies – Inception (2010)

UPCOMING MOVIES – Inception (2010)

——————–

Christopher Nolan has more geek cred now than Nintendo, Tolkein, and Stan Lee put together. Naturally every movie he puts out (until he loses said cred, of course) will be hyped no end, and will be eagerly anticipated. Needless to say, ever since the first poster for Inception (left, which many have criticized for its extreme resemblance to a certain Dark Knight poster), the buzz around the movie has increased exponentially, especially because of the extreme secrecy Nolan is keeping around the film’s details. More information is being released however, with both a new poster and two trailers, the first of which is only a teaser. You will find links to the two trailers below.

———-

TRAILERS

———-

———-

———-

———-

First of all “Holy Cast, Batman!” Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Caine,  Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy,

Ken Watanabe, Marion Cottilard, Tom Hardy, Tom Berenger and Lukas Haas are all featured here. Many of them have received their own character posters as well (which are just stunning). Those can be seen here. My personal fav’s are the ones of Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Point Man”), Cillian Murphy (“The Mark”) and Tom Hardy (“The Forger”).

The following plot snopsis is from IMDB.

Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan directs an international cast in an original sci-fi action movie that travels around the globe and into the intimate and infinite world of dreams. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved.

Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming. This summer, your mind is the scene of the crime.”

———-

Eh!? Eh!? Pretty sweet sounding, eh? (He said, sounding more and more “fanboyish” by the moment…)

The music in the trailers have been singled out for praise already. It is not the work of Hans Zimmer (though it certainly has his electro-orchestra vibe), but the work of  an “up-and-comer” named Zach Hemsey (his blog is here). The brassy, electronic, and throaty blast, underscored by crescendos and fervent basses and cellos is tense and full of anticipation. It’s also a bit repetitive  but that can be forgiven for its original sound.

The trailers are full of men in suits, and I can’t help wonder if that is a touch of Nolan, who is known to wear suits all the time. Whatever reason, it produces a great effect. Guys in suits look so much more… capable, than anyone else. And that shot with the suited Joseph Gordon-Levitt (I think its him) spinning the bodies in the zero-gravity sequence is chilling. It’s the suit I’m telling you…

—

Which brings us to the dream sequences that we see. Spinning corridors, water everywhere, a cityscape turning in on itself… this is some freaky stuff. I can’t wait to see how they will work within the plot of the movie.

All in all I think we can all admit to being a little psyched to see this movie. It has a stellar cast, a director who has done some great things (but still has his best ahead of him I’m sure), a thrilling idea at its core, and a budget large enough to accomplish that vision. July the 16th can not come soon enough!

——————–

Have anything to say? Are you excited for this or not? Either way, feel free to comment!

——————–

Upcoming Movies – Coriolanus (2011)

Upcoming Movies - Coriolanus (2011)

———-

Shakespeare adaptations are pretty few and far between, but recently when one gets the chance to be made the time frame is usually changed. Richard III (1995) was bumped into the 1930′s, Hamlet (2000) was bumped into modern-day, and Julie Taymor’s Titus Andronicus was everywhere (everywhen?). Personally I like modernizations of Shakespeare (Richard III is one of my favorite movies), so I perked up when I heard of the upcoming movie Coriolanus, to be released sometime in 2011. It is based on Shakespeare’s play of the same name, and is apparently about ( according to IMDB) “A banished hero of Rome who allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city.” Ralph Fiennes is directing and starring in it, and has updated the story to modern times.

The second reason I got excited was when I saw the killer cast, which includes Ralph Fiennes as Coriolanus, Gerard Butler as his nemesis, Vanessa Redgrave as his mother, and Brian Cox as a scheming senator. This is also Ralph Fiennes directorial debut I believe.

The movie is being shot in Belgrade, and Fiennes has got the Serbian army helping, and apparently he will be using their tanks as well. This is a good thing, as Shakespearian tradegies generally need scope.

Today I ran across the following pics and found myself getting even more excited for the release of this movie. UPDATE: The trailer has arrived! Find it here.

(All pictures are from the Daily Mail website.)

———————-

Here we see Ralph Fiennes as General Coriolanus, surrounded by what appear to be his bodyguards/soldiers/goons.  We can see that this movie will have a gritty aspect to it, and Fiennes looks suitably creepy with that slouch and shaven head.

——————–

This looks to me like Fiennes is giving Gerard Butler direction here. I love this look, the grimy rooms and military uniforms. Butlers beard deserves a movie of its own I think…

——————–

Kaboom! The bard plus explosions! You’d be forgiven for thinking this is a shot from The Hurt Locker, as the cinematographer of that film, Barry Ackroyd, has also been pulled in for Coriolanus. Although it’s hard to tell for sure, I think the two soldiers here aren’t main characters.

——————–

Here we see two of the other leads, Vanessa Redgrave as Fienne’s mother (in front of a kneeling Fiennes), and Brian Cox as Menenius, a Senator (far left). Despite the gritty look of the first pics, we can see that pagentry and finery will have its place. Rumour has it that Redgrave is brilliant in her role. Here’s hoping!

—————————————-

Comments? Questions?Are you looking forward to this film? Either way, feel free to leave a comment!

—————————————–

UPCOMING MOVIES – March 2010

Upcoming Movies – March 2010

There’s just a short Upcoming Movies article for now. Just to clarify, this is not a list of My Eagerly Anticipated movies, just an observation of what we see coming to us in the future. (Though some of them of course I will look forward to seeing.) In no particular order, here is the Upcoming Movies - March 2010 post.

———-

—– Robin Hood —–

For those worried that Ridley Scott seemed to have copied Gladiator for his Robin Hood flick, it seems those fears are put to rest a bit in the newest trailer. My interest went up a bit, I think.

Release Date: May 14, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

-

—– Iron Man 2 —–

Jon Favreau  looks to repeat his huge Iron Man success with the sequel, which of course unleashes more villains, played by Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell.

Release Date: May 7, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

-

—– Tron Legacy —–

The original Tron was ground breaking in its special effects, and while Tron Legacy won’t be that important in the history of film, its design is breath-taking in my opinion.

Release Date: December 17, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

-

—– How To Train Your Dragon —–

The latest family film from Dreamworks hits our screens later this month. It features Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, and Craig Ferguson, among others.

Release Date: March 26, 2010 —– TRAILER —–

-

-

-

-

——————–

What do you think? Interested in any of these? Any other upcoming movies you really want to see? Leave a comment!

—————————————-