Sam Raimi Teases Morbius as Villain For Spider-Man 4

From slashfilm, CHUD have been lucky enough to receive a clip of Sam Raimi talking to FearNET about the villain for his fourth Spider-Man film. While Raimi’s reaction isn’t so plain and simple that we can take it as a 100% guarantee of the character they have in waiting in the wings it does make one player a clear front runner. You might argue that Raimi is playing games with us here, but that doesn’t seem to be his style at all.

The FearNET interviewer asks Raimi about the possible role in Spider-Man 4 for a vampire - by which they mean Morbius, I’m sure. Raimi then responds in a deliberately mannered style, ironically turning his “What? I don’t know anything about that” into a virtual wink at the camera. You won’t fail to get what he’s driving at with the tone he uses.

Read more here

Testosterone!!

Expendables Trailer

Have a great holiday weekend people!

ABC’s trailer for the V remake looks promising

Film franchises turn back time with 'origins' stories

By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

Hollywood is finding more profit in moving backward in time than forward.
Origins stories are all the rage with studios. X-Men and Star Trek had huge debuts to kick off the summer. And Terminator Salvation, opening nationwide today, brings audiences back — or forward, depending on your perspective — to the "Judgment Day" war that began the series in 1984.

Nervous that moviegoers are weary of sequels, studios are downplaying the continuing stories entirely. For this summer's franchise pictures, numerals have been retired — except for Halloween 2. There's this week'sNight at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (the second installment), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (also Part 2, June 24) and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (the third chapter, July 1).

But executives say origins stories offer bonuses no sequel can. They allow filmmakers to recalibrate decades-old series to court younger moviegoers.

"You have to start somewhere," says Lauren Shuler Donner, producer of Wolverine. "An origins story is like getting to know somebody. When you meet someone and like them, you want to know where they came from. It grounds your franchise."

Or helps it take off. Star Trek enjoyed a debut twice as large as any in the 11-movie franchise. X-Men Origins: Wolverine opened with $85 million, the year's largest debut.

Some executives credit Batman with the surge in origins stories.

"Batman Begins really showed how much a back story can free you up creatively," says Chris Aronson of 20th Century Fox, which released Wolverine. "You don't have to confine yourself."

Origins also are a key device in turning old franchises over to new audiences, says Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures.

"It's the perfect way for parents to show their kids the movies they grew up on," says Moore, whose studio released Star Trek. "If you can keep the core idea that worked years ago, suddenly you have two groups that want to see your movie."

Horror, in particular, has been ripe for re-starts. Halloween and Friday the 13th rebooted to big numbers.

"People know a lot about these movies, so you have a built-in curiosity," says Halloween director Rob Zombie, whose sequel is due Aug. 28. "But you talk to these kids, and they haven't seen the original. An origins story will be their original."

Heath Ledger's New "Dr. Parnassus" Photos

From worstpreviews, Today we have seven new photos from Heath Ledger's last film called "The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus," featuring several shots of Ledger. Click on the link below to check them out.

The new movie tells the story of Dr. Parnassus and his extraordinary Imaginarium - a traveling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom.

There are several US distributors trying to get their hands on this movie, which will premiere at the film festival on May 22nd. An acquisition is expected soon after.

Check them all out here

Octo sez: I like this one best

First Images From M. Night Shyamalan's Airbender

From cinemablend, In some circles, M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender is controversial because of the whitewashed casting choices. For others, no one has any idea what this whole movie is about, but we hope Shyamalan can finally make another good movie after a long string of flops.

For all of us, though, it's worth taking a look at the first images from the film, posted today at USA Today and showing off stars Dev Patel and Noah Ringer. The accompanying article tells us a little bit about the story, featuring Patel as "firebender" and Ringer as the airbender capable of manipulating the weather. There's also a cute joke from Patel about how 12-year-old Ringer could beat him up. But mostly you want to see the photos.



USATODAY story here

New Halloween 2 image

From bloodydisgusting, Michael Myers has a giant boo-boo on his head and only his mother can kiss it and make it better. Beyond the break you can take a look at a brand new look at Myers in Rob Zombie's H2: Halloween 2, arriving in theaters August 28th from Dimension Films. It's that time of year again, and Michael Myers has returned home to sleepy Haddonfield, Illinois to take care of some unfinished family business. Unleashing a trail of terror that only horror master Rob Zombie can, Myers will stop at nothing to bring closure to the secrets of his twisted past. But the town’s got an unlikely new hero, if they can only stay alive long enough to stop the unstoppable.

Ghost Caught On Film In British Museum

From geekology, Some BBC employee allegedly took a picture of a ghost at a museum in England. This is the picture, and, quite frankly, I just don't see it. Unless it's an Arab smoking a hookah with a hand down his pants. That I can see.

Mr Sandys, 30, was photographing at the reputedly haunted Edward Jenner Museum in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, and captured the image on his camera.

"It was a bizarre formation of light showing a mystery figure in a doorway," he said. "I am sure it was not caused by sunlight or dust in the air.

"I checked again and looked in the doorway but I could see nothing."

He went on: "As a BBC employee I wouldn't dare doctor an image or I would lose my job."

Same here, Mr. Sandys -- I would never doctor an image for fear of losing my job. BWAHAHAHAHA! No but seriously, how can you be sure it wasn't the sunlight and dust? What are you, some kind of dustologist? And, if so, is it true dust is mostly fly assholes and eyeballs?

Worst Idea Ever: Hollywood to Make Bubblegum Adaptation

From slashfilm, Has it really come to this? The search for the a bankable property or popular story started off simple and innocently with adaptations of popular books, sequels, and comic book films. And in the last two decades, we’ve had video game movies, theme park ride adaptations, cartoons/anime turned live-action, tv to film, movies based toys and action figures, and most recently board game film adaptations.

But now Hollywood is sinking to new lows. Tonight it was announced that Michael Eisner is adapting a a film based on bubble gum. That’s right — GUM!

Eisner’s Tornante Co. has hired newcomer Mark Hammer to write a feature adaptation of Bazooka Joe, the comic strip that comes packaged with Bazooka bubble gum. I’m not even sure today’s kids even know who Bazooka Joe is, nevermind care to see a movie about the character. Heck, I do know who Bazooka Joe is, and wouldn’t want to see a movie about him.

Now that I think of it, I’m not even sure I really know anything about the character. I thought the whole point of the comic strips were a set-up and punchline to a child-friendly joke that usually wasn’t very funny at all. My favorite part of Bazooka Joe (aside from the gum), was the comic-tinged fortune which was included on the bottom of the comics.

This story gets even better. The screenwriter that has been hired not only has no credits to his name, but he will be graduating from Chapman University this weekend. Apparently Hammer wrote a spec script titled Sonny Takes Peru, which made the studio rounds but didn’t get picked up. He used the screenplay as a writing sample which got him a chance to pitch his take on the bubblegum adaptation.

Is there any chance a movie based on a character from a comic strip which came inserted in a piece of bubble gum? Not likely.

Haiku Hump Day: Who is The One?

Results in wicked late. Whoah.

Nice work people! Some notable absences, but I understand you all have lives. Just know you were missed.

Making this kinda quick because I have to go to bed. Winner's at the bottom, here are some of my faves.

My very own lady jumped in for a few, and my favorite was the one telling the story of her jumping in for a few:

Julie

Can't logon at work,
So I'm writing some haikus.
Machines ain't no threat.

A nice little reminder that we've still got a ways to go before the AIs replace us.

I liked this one of Chris's for selfish reasons, because it reminded me of the one haiku I brought to the occasion

Do not try to write.
Only recognize the truth.
There is no Haiku.

Johnny Sweatpants did his usual cutting through the Gordian knot move with this beauty:

I would have eaten
The red pill AND the blue pill
With a shot of Jack

And Handsome Stan was on particular fire, both for courting newbies and stuff like this:

Damn! Oracle dead
Bring in the backup lady
Just like on Night Court

I never even watched enough Night Court to know they did that and I still think that's hilarious. And then:

That Architect speech
Lots and lots of big, big words
Took me three viewings

I actually found a transcript of his speech right after I saw Reloaded the first time. Very helpful. "Your five predecessors were, by design, based on a similar predication, a contingent affirmation that was meant to create a profound attachment...." Jesus.

Stan's best, imo:

"No spoon" - I get it
That's what I use every time
I eat "no yogurt"

In the end, though, I'm choosing not The One, but rather The Two, and they're Mr. and Mrs. AC.

AC herself for this great Flight of the Conchords reference:

how hot's trinity?
very hot. she's so hot she's
making me gay. bitch!

I like how your being a different gender than Brett allows you to subsitute "sexist" with "gay" and thereby meet the syllable requirements.

The real hook, though, was this one by Mr. AC

Robotic squid thing
Why do you harass me so?
Now I must zap you

Something so wonderfully detached about this, as if the speaker were unfamiliar enough with the Matrix future as to 1) use grandparent language like "robotic squid thing" and "zap", and 2) be unaware why it was harassing him. And yet this person actually is there and is being subject to all the trials that world has to offer. Plus "now I must zap you" is a great turn of phrase.

Maybe 50PageMcGee can enlighten the group about a similar quote on his voicemail's outgoing message.

Thanks party people!