Watch the trailer for Romero's new film, "Of the Dead"

From bloodydisgusting, On a small island off North America's coast, the dead rise to menace the living. Yet...the islanders can't bring themselves to exterminate their loved ones, despite the growing danger from those the once held dear. A rebel among them hunts down all the zombies he can find, only to be banished from the island for assassinating his neighbors and friends. On the mainland, bent on revenge, he encounters a small band of survivors in search of an oasis on which to build a new life. Barely surviving an attack from a mass of ravenous flesh-eaters. They commandeer a zombie-infested ferry and sail to the island. There, to their horror, they discover that the locals have chained the dead inside their homes, pretending to live 'normal' lives...with bloody consequences. What ensues is a desperate struggle for survival and the answer to a question never posed in Romero's Dead films: Can the living ever live in peace with the dead?

Watch the trailer here

Thor movie update

From darkhorizons, IESB reports that the character of Donald Blake has been added to the end of the script of Kenneth Branagh's upcoming "Thor" film.

Before now, the script was set entirely in the land of the Norse Gods but the introduction of this character is essential to how Marvel will tie Thor into its proposed "The Avengers" movie which is set in a contemporary timeframe.

The scene itself apparently has Blake discovering the magical Norse hammer Mjolnir and turning into Thor. Branagh himself will also have an acting part in the "Thor" film which opens July 2010. "The Avengers" film is currently scheduled for July 2011.

Låt den rätte komma in (Let the right one in)

(2008) ****1/2

Oskar is a twelve year old Swedish boy, very much on his own. His parents are divorced, other kids at school bully him, and his only hobbies are collecting newspaper clips about murders and enacting his own revenge fantasies. His life changes completely when he meets Eli, a mysterious twelve year old girl who moves to his apartment complex. Eli warns Oskar they can never be friends. As the body count begins to rise in the quiet village, the reason for Eli's warning becomes apparent.

This movie forced me to confront two of my movie-related prejudices: foreign films and child actors. I am in favor of other cultures and other languages, but I tend to find subtitles distract and take me out of the movie. Not so here. The movie is relatively low on dialogue so one hardly needs the unobtrusive and spare subtitles. The story is original and beautifully filmed, the violence is portrayed in a realistic (almost matter of fact) manner, and the children were totally believable in their respective roles.

"Låt den rätte komma in" is one of the most effective horror movies I've seen this year. Catch it in the theater if you still can.

New Friday the 13th television spot

Check it out here

What's the R-rated movie you were too young to be watching?

From EW, It occurred to me recently, as I was preparing for interviews with '80s heartthrobs Adrian Zmed and Christopher Atkins (castmates on VH1's Confessions of a Teen Idol, premiering tonight) that I shouldn't have been a fan of Bachelor Party and A Night in Heaven when I was 15. (I was probably even younger the first time I saw those R-rated movies on TV. I'm just guessing. And being generous.)

Obviously, I turned out okay -- even if I couldn't ask Atkins any questions about playing a stripper in A Night in Heaven because I was sure he'd be able to tell, over the phone, what a pivotal role that performance played in my coming of age. So let's all share the R-rated movies we now realize we were too young to be watching.

[JPX] Halloween was definitely one I saw when I was way too young. I first saw it on television (with commercials) when I was 11 and it absolutely terrified me.

Commissioner Gordon (bad Batman movies) has died

From moviehole, Pat Hingle, known to film audiences as Commissioner Gordon in the "Batman" movies, has died at the age of 84.

Family friend Michele Seidman says Hingle died at his home in Carolina Beach shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday.

Seidman says he decided to settle in the coastal town after shooting the movie "Maximum Overdrive" in the area in 1986. He lived there for more than 15 years.

Hingle's many film credits include "Brewster's Millions" (1983), "Baby Boom" (1987), "The Grifters" (1990) and "The Quick and the Dead" (1995). He played the role of Commissioner Gordon in Tim Burton's "Batman" and "Batman Returns" and again for Joel Schumacher in "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin".

Stupid movie still on top of box office

By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

On a rare weekend when no new wide-release movies came out, Marley & Me capitalized by taking the top spot for the second straight weekend.
The comedy about a rambunctious Labrador retriever snapped up $24.1 million, according to studio estimates from box office trackers Media By Numbers.

The film has done $106.5 million since its debut Christmas Day.

Adam Sandler's comedy Bedtime Stories was second with $20.3 million, lifting its overall ticket sales to $85.4 million.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button had a strong hold from its debut, dropping just 31% to do $18.4 million for the weekend and $79 million overall. The Brad Pitt tale appears headed for more than $100 million and, unless The Dark Knight is nominated for a best-picture Oscar, could be the only blockbuster among the Academy Award best-picture nominees.

Tom Cruise's World War II thriller Valkyrie also continues its strong run, taking fourth place with $14 million and raising its total to $60 million.

Jim Carrey's comedy Yes Man rounds out the top five with $13.9 million. It has done $79.4 million in three weeks.

The Daniel Craig World War II drama Defiance, which opened Wednesday in two theaters, had a healthy debut of $120,000, or $60,000 a screen.

Rocket Man

I posted that kickass clip in case anyone was wondering about my new avatar (because it's clearly the talk of the town.) There are 3 Rocket Man cliffhanger serials - King of the Rocket Men, Radar Men From the Moon and Zombies of the Stratosphere. All of them rule equally.

Music Friday - Fantômas

While AC was busy not seeing the Dandy Warhols in Chicago on New Years Eve, I was lucky (?) to catch avant garde supergroup Fantômas’ only US appearance at the Great American Music Hall and I’m still trying to make sense of it. In addition to his bat shit crazy solo work, you may remember singer Mike Patton from Faith No More, Mr. Bungle (skip to 1:15 to begin, worth it!), Tomahawk, Peeping Tom, Lovage, Crudo or a host of other projects. Keeping up with him over the years is a full time job on its own but it can be very rewarding. I'll never forget the Tomahawk stage show a few years back which featured two morbidly obese men wearing diapers, one on each side of the stage, slowly swaying their hips and snapping their fingers throughout the entire set.

Fantômas may very well be the least “pleasant on the ears” of all and that’s not an easy feat. Comprised of Patton, the drummer from Slayer, the bassist from Mr. Bungle and the guitarist from the Melvins, they specialize in the scary, the disturbing, and the freakishly disturbing. I picked up their first album over a decade ago but sold it back because it made me feel weird and gross. I was told you have to see them live to "get it" and this I can now confirm.

The Horrorthon highlight of the evening for me was Rosemary’s Baby but I was a little disappointed that they didn’t play the Twin Peaks theme. Still, it was comforting to see that Patton hasn't lost any of his crazy over the years and live he is just as unpredictable as ever. A nice mindf@%k of a kickoff to 2009.

Well, have you ever seen them in the same room at the same time?

I don't know much about The Grateful Dead, but I do know the inexplicably well-kept secret that Dead rhythm guitarist Bob Weir (left) and JPX and Johnny Sweatpants's father (right) are THE SAME PERSON. Look at the evidence before your eyes! It's undeniable!

So guys, I hear your dad's gonna go on some long "conferences" in 2009 again, followed by an army of hippies in vans. Maybe he'll get you those tie-dyed shirts he's been promising you for your whole lives. Nah, who am I kidding.

If this is a sample of 2009, AC's gonna like this year

from dead.net:
Happy New Year, everybody!! Hope and change are in the air! So what better way to kick off 2009 than to confirm what’s been buzzing in the rumor mill for some time: The Dead will be touring for the first time in more than four years, with nearly twenty shows spread across a month from mid-April through mid-May! Details will be announced here soon, so keep your eyes on dead.net!