Sunday, July 31, 2011

Box office report: It's a tie! 'Cowboys & Aliens' and 'The Smurfs' both open to $36.2 mil


From ew, In the battle between gruff cowboys and (cute, little blue) aliens, nobody apparently won. At least not yet. Both Cowboys & Aliens and The Smurfs grossed $36.2 million, according to studio estimates. This will all become clearer Monday morning. Until then, revel in the fact that we have an extremely rare tie here.

However, despite the photo finish, this is a much more favorable outcome for The Smurfs than it is for Cowboys & Aliens. The latter film, a $163 million Western/sci-fi concoction starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, was expected to easily win the weekend. Its pedigree was first-rate, with Jon Favreau (Iron Man) directing and Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, and Brian Grazer producing. Yet the PG-13 film struggled to attract younger moviegoers, who may have been turned off by the Western elements. According to Universal, 63 percent of the audience was 30 or older.

Its mediocre reviews may have discouraged those on the fence, too, and CinemaScore graders handed the film a “B” rating, indicating merely okay word of mouth. (CinemaScore participants are usually very generous, so a “B” grade is nothing to boast about) Cowboys & Aliens performed slightly better than the summer’s other Spielberg-produced alien flick, Super 8, which debuted to $35.5 million. However, that picture cost only $50 million to produce and didn’t feature any big-name stars.
The biggest selling point for The Smurfs was the Belgian critters themselves, although having the impossible-to-hate Neil Patrick Harris couldn’t have hurt, either. The $110 million live-action and animation hybrid was the recipient of some very unflattering reviews, but the market was clearly hungry for a new family film. Sony simultaneously marketed the picture to both children and nostalgic adults who grew up with the Peyo comics and animated show, and that gambit seems to have paid off. The Smurfs garnered an “A-” score from CinemaScore audiences, with those under 25 giving it a solid “A.” Screens showing the movie in 3-D accounted for 45 percent of its opening gross.

The weekend’s third new release, Crazy, Stupid, Love., opened in fifth place to a respectable $19.3 million. The Warner Bros. romantic comedy, starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, and Emma Stone, registered a slightly better debut than last week’s Friends with Benefits ($18.6 million). Crazy, Stupid, Love is yet another victory for adult comedies this summer, joining prior hits The Hangover Part II, Bridesmaids, Bad Teacher, Horrible Bosses, and the aforementioned Friends with Benefits. The $45 million movie also continued Carell’s impressive box-office streak — the actor hasn’t had a flop since 2007′s pricey Evan Almighty. CinemaScore audiences gave Crazy, Stupid, Love. a “B+” grade, while reviews were mostly positive. The PG-13 film particularly appealed to older women, with 71 percent of the audience at least 25 years old, and 64 percent female.
Among holdovers, Captain America: The First Avenger fell a steep 62 percent for $24.9 million. After two weekends, it has tallied $116.8 million, which is slightly behind what Thor had accumulated at the same point ($119.5 million). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 dropped 54 percent for $21.9 million, pushing the final Potter movie past Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to become the series’ top-grossing entry at $318.5 million. Also, Warner Bros. says Deathly Hallows will pass $1 billion worldwide today, becoming the first Potter film to do so and only the ninth movie ever to join the billion-dollar club.
In limited release, the British sci-fi comedy Attack the Block debuted to a decent $130,000 at eight theaters. Sundance indies The Devil’s Double and The Guard took in $95,000 and $80,400 at five and four locations, respectively. Miranda July’s The Future collected $28,200 at one New York theater, while the filmed-by-YouTube-users documentary Life in a Day disappointed with only $45,500 at 11 locations.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Happy Birthday Octo!!

As those of you who could attend my party know - the family members that couldn't make it were there in 70's spirit!  Here is of Octo in all his patchwork glory.

Hope you have a great day, Sweetie!!

My new favorite song and video

Friday, July 29, 2011

Rumored ‘Expendables 2′ Cast


From slashfilm [excerpt], With director Simon West preparing to shoot The Expendables 2 soon aiming at an August 17, 2012 release, it’s high-time we heard something about his cast. We expect that surviving members of the original – Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews, Jet Li and possibly Bruce Wills – could all return but, according to an interview with the CEO of the “biggest film studio” in the country the film will shoot, Bulgaria, joining the cast are John Travolta, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

First Trailer For The George Lucas Produced Red Tails


(via cinemablend)

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Wally Wood's 22 Panels that Always Work!!


"Or, some interesting ways to get some variety into those boring panels where some dumb writer has a bunch of lame characters sitting around and talking for page after page!"

Legendary EC Comics/MAD magazine artist Wally Wood (one of the "holy" triumverate of Wood, Elder and Davis working under Kurtzman and Gaines in the 1950s) drew this comic book artists' compositional guide, called "22 panels that always work," I'd never seen this before but apparently it's very famous...an awesome peek behind the scenes of the magical art of comic books. (Wood was also famous for saying, "Never draw anything you can copy, never copy anything you can trace, never trace anything you can cut out and paste up.")

Click for big version.

According to the Wikipedia article, it's been made into a short film, and "In 2011, cartoonist D.J. Coffman had all 22 panels tattooed onto his left arm."

Harrison Ford fights with Chewbacca on Jimmy Kimmel

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Caption Contest me hearties!



Family Goddamn Circus



Spider-Man



Archie



Gil Thorpe



Unnamed comic by Windsor McCay



Make me LAHF, you silly people!

Monday, July 25, 2011

ASSEMBLE


Okay, I know that the clues and teaser scenes in all those Marvel movies over the past few years have been intrusive and irritating, but nevertheless I admit that I'm totally sold on this Avengers scheme, now that the Joss Whedon (!) payoff movie is actually in production. (It had seemed like one of those Hollywood pipe dreams that don't actually come true.) When I was a kid, I vaguely hoped this kind of thing (essentially live-action "Super-Friends," minus the weirdo sidekicks) would happen, but those hopes faded as I got older and grew more aware of the realities of Hollywood.

In "Origins of Marvel Comics," Stan Lee wrote about the monetary value of bringing characters from one comic book series into another, since a popular property like Spider-Man could boost sales of a weaker title like "Fantastic Four" (especially if he appeared in the cover art). Which was great, and they did it constantly...but obviously it didn't cost anything to have Jack Kirby or Gene Colan draw Spidey rather than drawing somebody else. (They own the characters, the stories, the names, the logos, and even the drawings..so it's just India ink at a dollar a bottle, right? And a salary you're paying anyway.) But orchestrating the cinematic equivalent is vastly more difficult and expensive -- a long-term chain of steps that can fail if any of the intermediary fail (which is why they're on their third Hulk).

But wow, what a payoff! Look at the glorious multi-poster banner! Look at Johannsen and Downey, Jr. next to Evans and Hemsworth! (With Hopkins, Rourke, Paltrow, Bridges and, um, Loki looming in their pasts! And all-new weirdo sidekicks!) Yeah!

Steven Spielberg officially announces Jurassic Park 4


From denofgeek, A few days ago, director Joe Johnston, on the promotional campaign for his latest film Captain America, mentioned that he may be taking up the reins on the Jurassic Park franchise, and even hinted that his involvement may herald a new trilogy of dinosaur-themed movies.

“We are in discussions about Jurassic Park 4," Johnston told Screen Rant. “The most important thing I can tell you is that it starts a new trilogy that will go off in a different direction - a completely different direction that is very exciting, and different from anything we’ve seen.”

Over at the San Diego Comic-Con, meanwhile, Steven Spielberg’s been promoting his own forthcoming movie, which is, of course, Tintin. While on the discussion panel talking about that film, the topic of conversation turned to the JP franchise, and Spielberg has officially announced that Jurassic Park 4 is, indeed, on the way, and that it already has a writer attached. He further stated that they had a story in mind, and that the film will be with us in the next two or three years.

It’s little more than a news snippet for now, admittedly, but for our the inner child in us who loves nothing more than to watch big dinosaurs breaking things, we’re more than a little excited about this prospect.

Never-Before-Seen Superman Returns Opening Now Online


From cinemablend, Even is you hated Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns -- and there is a vocal audience who vehemently opposes Singer’s made-over Man of Steel – you have to admit that there are a handful of scenes that work incredibly well. Superman’s mid-air rescue of a crumpling airplane certainly qualifies. The hero’s attempt to recharge his solar-powered battery also strikes me as an incredibly beautiful scene, nicely rendered by director of photography Newton Thomas Sigel. And Singer’s opening credits, which marry Marlon Brando’s words of wisdom to John Williams’ iconic score, give me chills every time I watch.

Too bad that’s not how Singer planned on opening his 2006 blockbuster. Instead, Singer filmed a scene in Superman’s ice-crystal spaceship that illustrated what the director eventually spelled out on a title card: That the hero abandoned Earth to investigate the remnants of his former planet, Krypton. The roughly five-minute sequence, which cost an estimated $10 million, featured Brandon Routh in a grey Superman suit as he explores a space rock and unearths a very familiar logo. It features no dialogue, and adds very little to the overall film. So, it was scrapped. Until now. JoBlo has the clip up this morning.

See it here

Caption Contest Results


Kudos to Octo for being the only Bloom County entry. I thought sure some of you would have something to say about those torpedos on her chest.

Panel 1

Lady: Hello, I'd like to leave a personal ad.

Panel 2

Lady: Single white female tied to bed and gagged seeking any and all men who want to come over and do it with a bound, naked woman. Must leave gag on.

Panel 3

Lady: It's a joke, you see. It's my twin sister who'll be tied to the bed, rutted by strangers over and over!

Panel 4

Milo: That... that's horrible...

Lady: Oh pish posh! It's a birthday tradition. Last year she framed me for murder and sold my house!

Gasoline Alley goes to Johnny Sweatpants for this entry:

Panel 1

“Crusty Pete! L’il Joey and I were discussing what it takes to be a man. Do you have any wisdom you’d be willing to dispense?”

“I sure do. You see Joey, being a man has nothing to do with money and power. You must take personal responsibility for your actions and make informed decisions based on science and reason.”

Panel 2

“Hey wait a minute, aren’t you the homeless guy that got arrested for public masturbation at the baseball game last week?”

“Well to be honest, 99% of the time “being a man” involves the penis.”



Mother Goose and Grimm had some great entries, but I have to give it to Octo for this entry:

Batman: Okay, how about this one: fuck, marry, kill, with me, the Joker, and...

Wonder Woman: Kill you, Bruce. It's always kill you.

Family Circus also had a bunch of great entries. Julie takes the win for having Jeffy talk smack to Gramma:

"You can stick that shirt up your ass, Grandma. I'm going to church like this."

Finally, Felix the Cat goes to our newest blog member, my friend Abduscias for showing us the wolf's sensitive side:

"Felix! I just finished helping this cross-dressing wolf get ready for his date tonight! Now I have to reapply his lipstick all over again! Dammit!!!!"

So the overall winner is....(drum roll)...Octopunk! Congrats, Wednesday is in your hands now!

WTF?


As I entered a Target over the weekend I was assaulted with the above scene. I recognize that I no longer have to go “Back to School”, but kids in New England only ended their school year a few weeks ago thanks to a generous amount of “snow days” that had to be made up. I know I’ve said this in previous posts but it TOTALLY bums me out when I see “Back to School” displays in department stores. I didn’t particularly enjoy school and decades later I still get that sinking feeling whenever I see this kind of signage. When September rolls around, I want to put the barrel of a shotgun in my mouth. I feel sorry for kids, but more importantly I feel sorry for me. Believe it or not the Back to School display supplanted the summer display of lawn furniture and bug spray. Sigh. At least I’m comforted with the knowledge that this display will be taken down soon enough to make room for Halloween…

Marvel unveils ‘The Avengers’ concept art giving us the first look at The Hulk

Box office report: 'Captain America' stands proud with $65.8 million; 'Harry Potter' plummets, still huge


From ew [excerpt], This weekend, Captain America: The First Avenger was on a quest to avenge the disappointing box office results of recent superhero movies like X-Men: First Class and Green Lantern, and according to weekend estimates, it looks like Cappy has succeeded! The patriotic Paramount/Marvel tentpole earned a strong $65.8 million this weekend, bettering the opening of Thor, which hammered out $65.7 million during its debut in May. (Let’s wait for final numbers on Monday before we declare this the best superhero opening of the summer.) Captain America wasn’t a weakling in the per theater average department, either, as it found a terrific $17,719 at each of its 3,715 locations. Only 40 percent of the opening figure came from 3D screens, though—yet another low number for the format.

Full report here

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Amy Winehouse Dead at 27


"Police were called by London Ambulance Service to an address in Camden Square NW1 shortly before 16.05hrs today, Saturday 23 July, following reports of a woman found deceased. On arrival officers found the body of a 27-year-old female who was pronounced dead at the scene. Enquiries continue into the circumstances of the death. At this early stage it is being treated as unexplained."

Read the rest here

This makes Amy the latest member of the forever 27club. She joins Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Brian Jones who all died at the age of 27.

This really bums me out, all else aside she was musically great.

Friday, July 22, 2011

From the greatest news ever department, KISS comes to Riverdale to meet Archie


From kissasylum [excerpt], The Archie characters have survived a lot in their more than 70 years of publication, but things in Riverdale are sure to get interesting in November.

KISS is coming to town.

"It's the biggest band in rock history crossing paths with Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and Sabrina," said Alex Segura, who's writing the four-issue story with art by Dan Parent. "Two major pieces of Americana joining forces for the first time."

It may seem like an odd pairing, to put the milkshake-sipping teens from Archie with a hard-rocking band like KISS. But the story, which begins in Archie #627, sees Riverdale invaded by monsters from another dimension. Their presence makes the town ripe for a visit by the KISS personas: Demon, Starchild, Spaceman and Catman.

"The Riverdale gang are looking to cast a protection spell to protect the town before Halloween," Segura said. "Of course, that means Sabrina is coordinating things. But when the spell goes awry and a cabal of dangerous monsters appear, who's going to stop them? Enter KISS. Can the Archies team up with the rock legends in time to save the town from the legion of monsters? Stay tuned. Oh, and zombies. There'll be zombies."

Read the full article here, (you know who you are)

‘Prometheus’ Footage Description: Ridley Scott Cross-Breeds ‘Alien,’ Kubrick and ‘Mass Effect’


From slashfilm [excerpt], I realize that what everyone wants to know is how the footage looked. In short, I loved it. Alien is real touchstone film for me, and while Ridley Scott says that the DNA of Alien is in Prometheus and everything else will be different, that’s not what the footage says. The footage very clearly comes both from the man who made Alien and takes place very much in the same world and is connected to that tale. What exactly was shown? How about Michael Fassbender crying, Charlize Theron seemingly doing naked pushups (something Damon Lindelof referenced on stage a few times), a shot of a giant head, some very beautiful images of space-suited characters in various states of distress, and a lot more. Read more after the break.

Read full post here

'Beavis and Butt-Head' take on 'Jersey Shore': First video from MTV's revival is here

Pee-Wee Herman Q & A at Comic Con

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Comic-Con 2011: 'Star Wars' deleted scenes revealed


From ew, The complete Star Wars saga is coming to Blu-Ray in September, and those gathered at the annual Comic-Con screening of fan-made films got a sneak peek at some of the deleted scenes that will be featured in the six-film package.

Forgive us for adding our own context, but it’s a short clip. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for everything that’s happening in these scenes.

Oh, and Luke — stop picking at that thing. You’re only going to make it worse.

Octopunk: IMAX good, 3D meh


I just saw Green Lantern in 3D the other night and I decided me and 3D are through. That is, if the movie is also showing in 2D and neither version is on an IMAX screen, I'm saving my money. When I was looking for showtimes for GL I unconsciously thought "might as well see it in 3D for the fullest experience," but two or three times during the movie I said to myself "Oh yeah, this is in 3D. I forgot. Yeah, I guess that thing is up here and that other thing is back there." But then I'd forget about it again.

What I question is the whole idea that movies need to progress as far as possible into reality. I'm just not sure that assumption is correct. A couple of times when I've seen depictions of holographic TVs (in comic books, or articles about THE FUTURE), it's been people watching miniature characters on a tabletop, like the chess board on the Millenium Falcon. And I always thought that was lame; I want backgrounds, setting, stuff, displayed on a screen. Until you've got a working holodeck for me, I don't see the need to go in there.

But IMAX is different. I freaking love IMAX, when it's actually on an IMAX screen that towers over me (somehow they're allowed to show IMAX movies on normal screens and I don't get that at all). It's got to be the right movie to take advantage of it; there have been times when, like my 3D experience, I just kind of forget that it's there. But for Speed Racer, Sucker Punch, Dark Knight, Tron Legacy, the big stuff is the right stuff.

Yep, there's a Paranormal Activity 3 just in time for Horrorthon


From ew, In my experience, only good things can come from saying the words “Bloody Mary” three times, particularly if you have a hangover. But the first trailer for Paranormal Activity 3 indicates that doing so can, literally, cause hell to break loose. The clip also suggests that the third entry in the hugely successful horror franchise will be, at least in part, an origin story for the demonically-plagued Katie and Kristi.

Comic-Con Alcatraz Review: J.J. Abrams strikes gold again


From slashfilm, Welcome to another J.J. Abrams-produced mystery island show. Alcatraz was one of several new TV series premiered at San Diego Comic-Con Wednesday night, and it was by far the standout.

The series centers around a mysterious event in 1963 that made 302 Alcatraz prisoners and guards vanish without any explanation. For some reason we don’t yet know, a prisoner named Jack Sylvane (Jeffrey Pierce) appears in present day Alcatraz and makes his way to San Francisco to seek payback from those who’ve done him wrong. It’s up to a spunky young police officer (Sarah Jones), assisted by a geeky Alcatraz expert (Jorge Garcia), to stop Sylvane, all the while dealing with a mysterious federal agent (Sam Neill) who clearly knows more about the Alcatraz disappearances than he lets on.

Review here

That sucks - great white jumps on to research boat


From cnn [excerpt], Shark researchers in South Africa didn't have to go far Tuesday to find a specimen - a 10-foot great white shark leaped into the back of their boat. And rather than a story of the big one that got away, this is a story of a big one they couldn't get rid of.

The boat, from Ocean's Research in Mossel Bay on South Africa's southern coast between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, was chumming in the waters around Seal Island and monitoring the activity of four sharks as part of an ongoing study, researchers reported on their blog.

“Next thing I know I hear a splash, and see a white shark breach out of the water from the side of the boat hovering, literally, over the crewmember who was chumming on the boat's port side,” field specialist Dorien Schroder wrote on the blog. He pulled the crewmember to safety while others jumped out of the way of the 1,100-pound shark.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

When George C Scott watched the trailer for Adam Sandler's new film Jack And Jill


I'm not a fan of Adam Sandler movies and his latest looks like it might be the worst film ever made. Check out George C. Scott's reaction when he's forced to watch it.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Comic strip update

I'm sorry I didn't post these sooner. For your viewing please are the original comic strips from last week's contest, enjoy!

Dennis the Menace

Superman

Gil Thorp

The Cisco Kid

For Better For Worse

A moment of silence for Borders: The book retail giant is no more


From ew, Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for Borders. Hemingway is just one of many authors whose books you’ll no longer find lining the shelves of the popular — but not popular enough — book chain, after a financial white knight failed to materialize to save the company from insolvency. Borders Group, after months of trying to find a solution to its bankruptcy problems, has decided to liquidate, starting as early as this Friday. The company’s nearly 400 stores will be closed and its 10,700 employees laid off — a major blow, both literal and moral, to the continued existence of physical bookstores in an era of increasing e-book readership.

The company released a statement announcing their intention to liquidate after 40 years of business. “Following the best efforts of all parties, we are saddened by this development,” Borders President Mike Edwards said in the statement. “We were all working hard towards a different outcome, but the headwinds we have been facing for quite some time including the rapidly changing book industry, eReader revolution and turbulent economy have brought us to where we are now.”

12 Hilarious Old Baseball Cards


If you’re a professional athlete, you’re pretty much guaranteed of scoring with the ladies … unless, of course, you look like Sloth and have a name that brings to mind a particularly debilitating strain of gonorrhea.

See them all here

8 Lines That Would Have Ended Star Wars Real Fast



See them all here

The Avengers trailer leaks (very bootleggy)

Caption Contest, and the winner is...

Good lord you people make me laugh! I thought the strips were pretty difficult this week and I’m pleased to see that you guys took the challenge and didn’t disappoint. One thing I like about this contest is the slow trickle of posts over several days – it’s like reading the daily comics page in a newspaper, only a lot funnier (I only wish my public shaming of Handsomestan and 50p would have generated some heat from those guys). I always find it difficult to choose a “winner” in this contest because it’s all hilarious to me. I’m going to adopt JSP’s approach and rather than choose my favorite strip I’m going to choose the individual who made me laugh with the most strips.

Catfreek had me laughing out loud with her For Better For Worse



Panel 1

"Waaaaaater......p..p..please. I'm p..p..parched."

Panel 2

"D..d..dying...here. Need w..w..water noooow."

Panel 3

"You know you could have cut all the drama crap and just asked."

Panel 4

"Oh my God! Is this urine?"

Perfect!

I loved JSP’s Gil Thorp,



Panel 1

“You look familiar. Where have I seen you before?”

“Trust me, if you knew my true identity it would blow your mind.”

Panel 2

“There’s something about Rival High’s coach that completely terrifies me… Holy crap, it’s Evil Spock!”

Panel 3

KABOOM!

Octo’s Superman is terrific; it’s not only funny but is addresses an issue that everyone always wonders about.



Panel 1

Lois Lane: Okay, that's it Superman! Tear my clothes off now! Bend me over something! Why do you keep denying me?

Superman: Great scott!

Panel 2

Superman: You know how I like it, Lois!

Lois: God damn you! Well of course I'll do it because you just saved my life, but after that I'm getting a nice, reliable farmboy fuck from Clark Kent!

Panel 3

Superman: Thaaat's it... take off the funny hat... slowly, so slowly...

Panel 4

Narrator: Fifteen minutes and three hundred super-orgasms later...

Superman: Whew! Finally ready to bang Lois without killing her. Guess I should rescue that plane I hit first.

Everyone’s entries for The Cisco Kid and Dennis the Menace were funny as well. Laugh for laugh I’m awarding Catfreeek the win this week. She sprang out of the starting blocks early and generated 5 great strips – congrats!

Box office report: 'Harry Potter' scores biggest opening weekend ever with $168.6 mil


From ew, Hello, trifecta. After scoring the largest midnight debut and opening day, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 also landed the big one: best opening weekend.

According to studio estimates, the PG-13 wizarding movie collected $168.6 million this weekend, surpassing The Dark Knight‘s record $158.4 million and giving Warner Bros. the two best opening weekends ever. However, when adjusted for inflation, Knight would still be king with approximately $173 million in today’s ticket prices. Nevertheless, everyone involved with the eighth and final Potter film should be mighty proud. Not only did the movie bring in record-breaking amounts of moolah, but it’s currently the best-reviewed wide release of the year, according to both Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes. And it received an overall “A” rating from CinemaScore audiences.

Full article here

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Wen hasst du am meisten? Wie weit würdest du gehen? Heute is der tag zum handeln.


Barney Miller's and my supernatural teen thriller 7 Souls was just published in Germany, so I awoke to a big thick bubbly envelope containing two German hardcover first editions of Seven Souls (They kept the English title).

Wow! I have never in my life been in a situation like this: I'm flipping through a book I can't read (because it's in German) but those are my sentences and I can see the English product names and place names ("Das taxi raste über den Central Park South") poking through. Somebody sure went to a lot of fucking trouble and drank a lot of German coffee while wrestling with our sentences.

Obviously stuff gets translated all the time (and Google will do it in three seconds). I'm just blatantly grooving on the excellence of getting something like this in the mail! Zowie wowie.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Fun!



(Vulture.com) Yesterday, during our ongoing look back at the Harry Potter films, we chose Sectumsempra as the all-time best spell in the series, as it taught us what happens when bad spells happen to good wizards. But let's be real. These are magical spells! All of them are really cool. To pay tribute to some of our favorite magical moments, YouTuber and all-around masher-upper Gen Ip compiled for us 58 of the series' spells from the Hogwarts crew, set to the hypnotizing beats of Alexandra Malmquist's remix of the Harry Potter theme music.

(dcd - NYMag is tricky - when you embed they sneak a preview in - stick with it though, it really is cool.)

Warner Bros To Reboot Batman Franchise After The Dark Knight Rises?


From perezhilton, Schumacher may not be returning, but then again neither will Christopher Nolan as director, or Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne, because after The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters, Warner Bros will be completely rebooting the Batman franchise.

Here's what WB chief Jeff Robinov had to say about it:

“We have the third Batman, but then we’ll have to reinvent Batman…Chris Nolan and [producing partner and wife] Emma Thomas will be producing it, so it will be a conversation with them about what the next phase is.”

Well at least Christopher Nolan will be involved on SOME level. That makes us feel a bit better about it.

Guess we'll see who they bring in to direct. How about they go the comedy route and bring in Judd Apatow for this one? LOLz.

We're thinking James Franco as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Harold Ramis as Alfred, Leslie Mann as Bruce's love interest, and Seth Rogen Jason Segel Jay Baruchel Jonah Hill as the new Joker!

And hey…if they want to stay conventional for this reboot, that's fine! They can bring in Apatow when they reboot the franchise again in 2020.

John Carter trailer

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 getting solid positive reviews


Theatrical Review (by Dustin Putman): It is difficult to believe that in just four months of this writing, the "Harry Potter" film series will be marking its tenth anniversary. Now, with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," that series has come to a stunner of a conclusion that should make proud just about everyone: the adoring fans of J.K. Rowling's rabidly popular novels, viewers who have not read the books but have followed and enjoyed the movies, and the passionate actors and filmmakers who have dedicated the better part of a decade of their lives to ensuring justice would, indeed, be served. What began as relatively light family-friendly fantasies with 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and 2002's "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" has, over the course of the six proceeding motion pictures, deepened and matured along with its characters. This franchise, now complete, stands deftly alongside such epic genre achievements as the "Star Wars" saga and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Moody, sprawling, complex narratives interweaving a life-or-death struggle between good and evil with the, some might say, just as delicate and prickly act of coming of age, these films have transformed confidently and comprehensibly into anything but kiddie fare. And, as it turns out, the best was saved for last.

Full review here

Clint Eastwood's Son is Male Lead in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D"


From worstpreviews, It was recently reported that Alexandra Daddario (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) has been cast as Heather, the female lead in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D," which is a directed sequel to Tobe Hooper 1974 film.

Now comes word that Clint Eastwood's youngest son Scott Eastwood (Invictus, Gran Torino) has also joined the cast as Carl, the male lead. His deals is for a trilogy of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" films. Other cast members include Tania Raymonde, Bill Moseley and Sue Rock.

The new movie will be directed by John Luessenhop (Takers) and is set to hit conventional and 3D theaters on October 5th, 2012.

'The Howling' movie franchise continues its legacy of terrible sequels

The Amazing Spider-Man first look


From toplessrobot, Entertainment Weekly has a feature on The Amazing Spider-Man movie reboot, and WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THE SUIT. Did Peter make it out of basketballs or something? Can you even sew a basketball? Is that one of his new powers? Christ.

See a bunch of new Spider-Man pictures here

‘The Pirates! Band of Misfits’ Trailer: Aardman Animation’s High-Seas Stop-Motion Adventure


(via slashfilm)

Malevolent

 2018  ***1/2 It's 1986 for some reason, and a team of paranormal investigators are making a big name for themselves all over Scotland. ...