Editor’s Note: This is the first report from a new Los Angeles based Big Shiny Robot correspondent who goes by the name of FrankYaegerBot.  I’m told it’s a reference to some video game or another…  In any case, we sent him out to cover the premiere of “Malice in LaLaLand” from Vivid Entertainment.

For those of you who have never been to an adult film release party, let me tell you, it’s nothing like you’ve ever imagined and the same time everything you’ve ever imagined all rolled into one magnificent event. To quote Hamlet, “Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.”

What follows is a dream finally come true.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the powers that be at Big Shiny Robot saw fit to bestow upon me the opportunity to cover the release party for Vivid Entertainment and Miss Lucifer Productions new animated/ live action hybrid “Malice in LaLaLand”. The event took place at the very chic nightclub Boudoir in West Hollywood last Saturday evening.

Upon arrival I felt like a god. Albeit a giddy, aroused, adolescent god, but a god nonetheless. Excited to wield my new found powers. One of those being the ability to cut past everyone in line with my BSR press credentials. I kept my head held high as I waltzed past the common folk waiting to get in, the bouncer lifted the velvet rope that lead me to the doorway. A drape hung over the front entrance; I took a deep breath and walked in.

I felt like Steve Trevor entering the bountiful land of Themyscira. I say this in great truth to help illustrate, for at that very moment when I pulled back the drape, a seemingly multiplying pageant of pure enrapturing femininity did bombard my sight. Women as far as the eye could see. Adorned with outfits ranging from mammary mashing corsets, to free breathing bosoms lightly enswathed with semi see-through tops, to ripe posteriors peaking out of the shortest skirts this side of sector 2814.

The place was packed and I was shoulder to shoulder with all the other losers gawking and drooling like I was. But there was work yet to be done.

So with the will power of a demigod, I made my way past the hordes of delectable dancing debutants and began scouring the club for some of the main cast to interview including the likes of the (Entourage’s) Sasha Grey, (Superman XXX’s) Andy San Dimas and (Detroit Rock City’s) Ron Jeremy.

I walked, waited and walked for a solid forty minutes, trying to speak to those around who looked to be in charge. In hopes that I might learn where the stars were or when they would arrive.

As I began to kneel to ask for help from on high, a lovely young lady at the bar struck up conversation. She told me of her duties on set as a production assistant and I told her of my plight, to which she promptly responded, “I can introduce you to the director”. The prospect of not leaving empty handed was so tremendous that I nearly cried. The giddiness had begun to return as I followed this angel on her approach to one of the V.I.P. tables where the director, Lew Xypher, stood with drink in hand. At this juncture I wasn’t going to waste anymore time wondering how I’d gotten so lucky. So I got right to the hard-hitting questions.

FYB: What attracted you to the project?

LX: I wanted to do something completely new. There are a lot of good movies in the adult entertainment world but they are almost all the same. We wanted something different. Our production company based in Europe wanted to approach things very technically and filmic. Which is why we shot on 35mm film.

FYB: Was it difficult working the 2D animation into live action film?

LX: It wasn’t too difficult. It was very hands on. I worked with the talented Jeremy Ley. He is a great storyboard artist and illustrator from Australia. I worked on the animation and special effects myself. To have that temporary comic book style in it was fun.

FYB: So you have experience in animation?

LX: 25 years ago, I started in animation. I began in 2D and later moved into 3D animation. I’ve incorporated it into some of my music video projects. Animation has always been in my roots. I studied fine arts; I painted a lot and moved into computers. (Laughs) Well, on Mac. I love art and always read comic books.

FYB: What comics did you read?

LX: Every kind. I love French comics. Belgian comics like Tin Tin. I grew up with Tin Tin and the Belgian comic culture.

FYB: Are there any U.S. comic influences?

LX: I like Batman and all the superheroes. In Belgium I bought them all; from Batman, Superman to the Green Lantern to Hulk.

FYB: What are some of your influences?

LX: I love movies and I love comics. I really loved The Dark Knight, especially the scenes with the Joker. They are very strong. It’s one of my favorites. I am a big fan of Tarantino and Hitchcock. If it’s a good movie I like it. (Laughs)

FYB: Would you say this was a kind of a dream project?

LX: (Laughs) No, it was a test project. My goal is to do mainstream.

FYB: So what’s next for you?

LX: I have some mainstream projects. Some people want to work with us on a sequel or prequel to “Malice” or another project like it. And, I think I’ll do both. (Laughs)

FYB: Good luck on your future projects and congratulations.

LX: Thank you very much.

As the director walked a way I was shocked and excited that we had found our way from the topic of adult entertainment to comic books and back within such a short lapse of time.

In elation I clicked stop on my tape recorder and twirled it like a six-shooter, pocketed it and headed to the bar for a celebratory drink. This had been no small feat, though the interview was brought upon by shear luck; it was a victory in my book. By the time I finished my drink the event had come to a close and the general populace had been allowed in. Seeing that the night had drawn to an end I decided to take my winnings and be on my merry.

Which is when I saw him, yes, that’s right the lord of porn himself. Mr. Ron Jeremy. He wasn’t very talkative. In fact by the look in his eyes, you would have thought I had just interrupted a eulogy. But I was dead set. I swung in close and exacted a handshake. It was clearly going to be the extent of our exchange. Then I went on my way, as he was busy talking to a couple of ladies.

In closing for those who do not know whom Ron Jeremy is. He is the long lost son of Lou Albano who played Mario on Club Mario back in 89’. You know, the one with the Zelda and Super Mario cartoons. Okay so that last part is not entirely true but they do share a striking resemblance.

And with that, this reporter is signing off.

Editors Note: Come back tomorrow for FrankYaegerBot’s review of “Malice in LaLaLand”

In honor of its 25^th anniversary, the Walt Disney Company has released The Black Cauldron as a Special Edition DVD.  The film, Based on Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain books, is the story of a boy named Taran who find himself involved in a quest to locate the magical Black Cauldron before the Horned King finds it and uses it for evil.  Taran is aided by the pig Hen Wen, beautiful Princess Eilonwy, and furry little Gurgi during his daring quest.

In this scene, Taran first meets Princess Eilonwy, and it quite clear that she is not the typical damsel in distress:

The Black Cauldron was made after animator Don Bluth (The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail) left the studio.  Often considered dark by Disney standards, it was a failure at the box office and deviated quite a bit from Alexander’s books.  This was a low point in Disney animation history, when the styles of yesterday clashed with the new blood in the studio.  With Bluth and others gone, morale was low. It would be a few years before Disney found its way again with the successes of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. 

However, Cauldron is not a terrible film.  It just feels a bit out of place when compared to the brighter and happier Disney films with singing fish and dancing candlesticks.  The PG rating for an animated film also worked against it, particularly in the early 80’s.   

Bonus features include a deleted scene with the Fairfolk and The Witches’ Challenge Game, in which players must solve riddles to possess a magical sword.

Behind-the-scenes artwork and photos are also available on the DVD, as well as a trivia game and a classic Donald Duck cartoon from 1952.

I’m like the whisper on a wind- alwyas there, but not always talking. I figured you didn’t miss me- but I’m back with a few trailers… Trying to pick ones you’ve probably not seen, or didn’t think to see…

Priest – ” target=”_blank”>Paul Bettany as a bad assed, face tattooed Priest takes on a load of the vampires from I Am Legend. Eventually he’s joined by Maggie Q and a cowboy and together they take down everyone’s nemesis: Church

Rife with painfully obvious wire action, choired staccato, plastic looking “concept” guns and a whole hell of a lot of SteamPunk- this looks like it is going to be the very same fantasy action movie we’ve seen a thousand times… relying heavily on artistic design, and special effects and hoping that their stellar cast of actors can make the seemingly stoic script somewhat believable and something I’d care for.

There are two things about this trailer that make me feel that I could be very surprised by this film: ONE- The cast; Paul Bettany has been a favorite of mine since (yes, I’m about to admit this) A Knight’s Tale, not to mention that that Bones from Star Trek is in it and Christopher Plummer; TWO- The shot where Karl Urban (the cowboy) is ‘conducting’ a scene of chaos and fire- its the kind of shot that takes MY imagination down the dozens of roads the scene could play out like in the actual film itself… it paints the picture of Karl Urban’s character as the ultimate swagger, or that the film could be utilizing a gutsy story telling device for that one scene in particular (who knows, maybe like the scene in Magnolia where all the characters sing along with Aimee Mann, a concept that by all means shouldn’t work, but is beautiful). But, I digress… any time I see a shot like that one- my hopes are lifted in the hope that the next film I see with something like that in it- is gonna give me something (even if its a small something), its going to give me something new… hopefully.

So- until I see that something new, I’ll continuing hoping.

A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop – The tables  have been turned as the Director of Hero remakes an American film– A.W.A.G.N.S. is the Chinese remake of Blood Simple.

This trailer opens strong with a scene showing a man hiring another to kill his wife and her lover- its then followed by several quotes of people praising the film and cuts of action within the movie set to strings- pretty standard fair by trailer terms… The film looks solid and definitely worth watching.

That being said, the trailer itself isn’t that impressive… the concept on the other hand has me overtly excited!  I am actually very surprised that Japan, China, France, Great Britain, Russian, Africa, Mexico, Spain, and EVERY OTHER COUNTRY ON THE PLANET didn’t jump on to this concept a whole lot sooner (we’ll just pretend that India hasn’t been doing it since the inception of Bollywood). But, America has been remaking the rest of the world’s films for years and making billions off of their original ideas… it is about time that one of them did the same! In fact, I’d be a little stoked to see if this opens a flood gate of foreign remakes… I’d LOVE to see a German New Wave redux of Gone With the Wind, or a Neorealist Italian version of Big.

Hobo With a Shotgun – This movie… is EXACTLY what the title suggests. (unrated trailer- be warned)

Winner of the contest to make a fake trailer for a Grindhouse film that Rodriguez and SXSW held- After it won the ‘fake trailer’ contest, Hobo was given a ‘shot’ to be shot…….

Is it sad that this is sort of the role Rutger Hauer was born to play? This trailer has it all- Swat team ninjas, gallons of blood, bad prosthetic limbs, manhole decapitations, and a hobo with a shotgun… that is LITERALLY everything.

127 Hours – this movie is based on the story of Aron Ralston… if you don’t know the story- DON’T look it up- because, knowing what happens makes this trailer harder to watch…

Let me start by saying that Danny Boyle is my favorite director and directed my 2nd favorite movie of all time… anyway- this trailer really doesn’t give much away on the incredible story that this man lived… and I’m not sure that it is enough to wet anybody’s appetite. I guess, if their audience is “those that know the story” then they’ve hit the nail on the head, but as far as average joe goes, I don’t think that what is shown in the trailer is enough to get someone amped to go watch a guy ride a bike through the desert…

Enter The Void – How does one describe this film from just seeing the trailer?

Remember earlier when I mentioned “seeing something new” from the shot where the world is deleted behind the girl as she talks about their parents anniversary- I knew this was gonna be definitely different.

This trailer sorta smashes convention in miniature story telling by telling us pieces of the story then showing us imagery that tells a different story- all in such a way that the overall story is still presented to us, but  we have to take a moment to really think about what it all means… I saw elements of an underground party scene mixed with the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister, splashed with a dash of the supernatural and maybe even science fiction. This film is NOT going to be your run of the mill ‘popcorn’ flick. Judging by the trailer alone, this film is geared for an audience of up and coming “film buffs” and “film snobs”. This is the kind of film that art students, hipsters and surrealist-french philosophers have been waiting for as a flagship for their causes…

This conclusion of course, was created solely by seeing no more than the trailer- so don’t take my word for it….

Monsters – Post Apocalyptic Alien Invasion Film…. need… I describe it ANY further?

In a very gritty- and District 9 feeling sequence- this trailer has won my heart in a way that only post apocalyptic alien invasion films could… I truly believe that even though a slew of other films have already done this- the gritty, hyper “realistic” approach to sci-fi and fantasy will always work, its how our minds are able to shut off and say- “oh ya, that’s actually possible”. By grounding such a ridiculous concept as Alien Invasion or Zombie Infestation into a reality based world, a world we are used to, or a world we could possibly see happening, then we as an audience are able to join the experience and are taken along for the ride… but the moment you have a priest with a tattoo of a cross on his forehead jumping 120 feet into the air because he has invisible wires attached to his hip- we as an audience watch the experience from an outside perspective, much like that of an adult listening to a child’s latest adventure… its far fetched but the adult (usually begrudgingly) listens with a smile on their face, pats the kid on the head and says “I’m proud of you for having such an imagination…” then rolls their eyes as they walk away.

I truly believe there is room in this world for both types of stories… there is nothing more amazing than the imagination of a child- but that’s because the child is the only one actually experiencing the story- they don’t have the capability to share the experience with others… wouldn’t it be great if there was a film maker with childlike imagination and the ability to share the experience with others…..? I mean… its not like anybody like that exists…

Sucker Punch – A crazy chick escapes crazy situations by being crazy good with a sword.

I’m not gonna lie- I have no idea about this film, other than it is going to be a big hit amongst comic book fans. Although, I don’t think I can in good conscience give it a different first look than that of Priest generic, steampunk, action… but this time the special effects are a million fold better than that of what priest seems to have.

I guess what it comes down to for me (and don’t get me wrong, Sucker Punch looks to be incredibly kick ass awesome) is that I am not seeing that “something new” I’m seeing a combination of several things that could potentially make this something new– but, knowing nothing of this piece, all I can say is that what I saw was: the mechazoids from the last Matrix movie, the dragon and castle from Harry Potter, the set design from Dark City, the art design from Moulin Rouge, Ninja Scroll, Kill Bill and basically every anime on the planet…

The potential for “newness” is there- but, this guy aint holding his breath just yet.

Okay! That’s all for now- hope to see you in the near future.

Earlier this year MGM Studios was in the toilet. The same MGM studios that was set to produce The Hobbit and the next Bond film – so naturally, there has been a lot of questions and concern about when these anticipate projects would get going again finally.

Well, it looks like there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. The sale of MGM to Spyglass Entertainment seems to be moving forward at a steady pace, which means MGM can get back on it’s feet and start moving forward – so much so that potential start dates for these flagship films are being thrown around.

The Hobbit

We recently heard that MGM is fighting to have Martin Freeman play the lead role in the film by offering him a shooting schedule that would work around his other commitments. This idea, of course, makes no sense if MGM doesn’t have a planned production date yet, but it now appears that they may. The Bolton News caught up with Sir Ian McKellen about the film and not only did he confirm that he will be returning as Gandalf (there was some question after comments he made earlier this year), but has said that the aim is now to begin production this January.

Bond 23

. . . director Sam Mendes, who has been attached to Bond 23 since January, has taken himself out of the running for The Hunger Games due to his commitments to MGM. In the article, it’s stated that the next Bond film could get started as early as next summer.

Looks like good news all around, so hopefully these films will start moving forward at a more steady pace as soon as this stuff with MGM and Spyglass is finalized!

[Source: CinemaBlend]

For all of you Star Trek fans out there just chomping at the bit for news on a sequel, this should hold you over. Great friend of BSR and regular forumer, Substance Dii, brought this story from Trekmovie.com to our attention.

SFX Magazine (based in the UK) has a lengthy interview with Abrams, Orci, and Kurtzman on their thoughts and plans for the much anticipated sequel to Star Trek. In it, they mention their methods on going about choosing a “baddie” for the next film and how it really stems from what they determing the main characters “need” to drive a good story:

Kurtzman: Starting at a premise of what you want to see and then working a story around it is not how we do it. You have to start with what is the right story. And that if you can say “That’s a story that Khan fits into”, that’s how you get to that. Not deciding on a menu list of items and then seeing if you can’t string them all together.

You can check out Trek Movie’s brief rundown of the interview at the link above and then check out the full thing in SFX Magazine when it hits shelves in October!

Being the huge Star Trek fan that I am, I have nothing but confidence that these guys will make a great follow up to their first film. They are approaching everything from a story perpective in exactly the right way and have mountains of respect for the original material. Personally, as far as a villain goes, I know it sounds like this is coming from way out in left field, but I would like to see this original crew go up against the Borg (maybe all this time travel and change in the space-time continuity attracted their attention?). I would love to see Abrams’ take on these guys and it would be something new introduced to this original crew while still be a very familiar threat to the Star Trek universe and its fans. No matter the direction they choose to go though, I’m sure it will align perfectly with this refreshed Star Trek universe they have created.

Who (or what) would you like to see as the villain in Abrams’ next Star Trek movie? Sound off in the BSR Forum!

The talented composer John Williams returns to the world of Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, according to Hollywood News. Williams composed the scores to the first three Potter films and is responsible for Hedwig’s Theme, considered the main theme of the series and is heard in each film. He chose to score Memoirs of a Geisha instead of the fourth Potter film The Goblet of Fire and earned an Academy Award nomination for his efforts.

His last Academy Award win was for 1993’s Schindler’s List, directed by friend and primary collaborator Steven Spielberg. Williams’ music appears in some of the most popular films of all time, including Star Wars, Jaws, Jurassic Park, and Indiana Jones. His music is some of the most recognizable ever produced.

Williams’ involvement will be a nice bookend for the Potter series. He started it in The Sorcerer’s Stone, and he is the one to finish it. His most recent project was 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, so fans are undoubtedly awaiting something new and exciting from the legendary composer. However, they must wait until July 15, 2011 for the second half of Deathly Hallows to be released.

The first part of Deathly Hallows will be composed by Alexandre Desplat, who scored Twilight: New Moon. Look for it in theaters November 19.

UPDATE: We’ve heard reports that our initial report has been proven false, but he news regarding Williams has been reported by the Leaky Cauldron: http://tiny.cc/715qm.

While they have updated the site to indicate they are still awaiting “official” confirmation, THEY received the news from Potterish.com (who reportedly received the info from WB in Brazil).

As far as we know, this story is still good and will continue to update you if that changes.

What is James Cameron up to now? It seems he wants to take his 1994 hit movie True Lies and make it a television show. This is not the first time James Cameron has done television as he was the co-creator and executive producer of Dark Angel which aired from 2000-2002. Rene Echevarria who worked on the entire run of Dark Angel is working on the True Lies remake as it’s main writer and show runner. For a link of the entire article go Here.

So what do you think? Is True Lies a movie which could work as a TV series or will Cameron’s foray into television flop like the first time?

Earlier this week, sharp-eyed fans found a simple, But pretty awesome Easter egg in the source code of the Tron Legacy Official Soundtrack website, right here. Hidden in the code is an ASCII image of a young Kevin Flynn, pictured below:

While this most likely may be a bit of humor on the programmer’s side, We want to know what you think. Is it a goofy prank, or something more significant to the film?

Don’t forget to check out the OST site as well, just the hints of the music Daft Punk has composed for the film should get you properly excited for the December 17th release date.

You may be asking youself, “Why is Arse-Bot writing about this?” Well, it’s simple, I’m sure there are more than a few closet Twilight fans out there in BSR! Land who would like to be in the know of when this hits DVD shelves, and who am I to neglect them of this information? So, for all of you responsible for bringing this horrible age of mopey, whiney, pussy-ass, don’t-drink-human-blood, pedophile “Vampires” upon the rest of the population, here you go.

It’s coming to DVD December 4, 2010. There’s two editions, a single disc, and – for all you true Twitards out there – a two-disc edition. The two-disc edition will probably feature a fuck-ton of special features that aren’t worth my time copying and pasting here. But I’m not an unreasonable man, so here.

Also, becuase I am such a nice guy, for all of you out there who would like to go waste another $8.50 to see this in theaters, it’s coming back to theaters on September 13. Why? Because apparently that’s Bella’s birthday. In case you’re wondering, the appropriate response to that statement is, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Judas, I can’t wait for the last movie to come out so this nightmare will end . . .

Wast this necessary? Absolutely not. Did this entertain Arse-Bot for 10 minutes? Yes it did.

It was only a matter of time. With Captain America: The First Avenger rolling at full steam now, we were bound to get a sneak peak at Steve Rogers in full Cap attire. Well, Daily Mail is the first one to snag some set photos featuring our patriotic hero himself filming a motorcycle chase scene – from Agents of  H.Y.D.R.A.! The report states that that isn’t actually Chris Evans in the costume, but a stunt man, but it’s still pretty cool to see the costume “IRL” – and Zombietron should be thrilled that there are wings painted on his helmet/mask thing!

My first impression was that the costume looks a little cheesy, but sometimes things don’t translate from a basic set photo (Yes, I know that’s ironic coming from me, who just layed in to the set photo released earlier today of January Jones as Emma Frost – but that was more about casting complaints, not the costume . . . and the personal grudge I seem to be holding against FOX). Also, if I remember correctly, the costume stems from something Steve Rogers is forced to wear to support the troops at a USO-type show – which he then modifies into the costume he continues to wear. So maybe this is the former?

In any case, pretty exciting to see! You can check out two of the photos below, and the rest of them along with a set report over at Daily Mail!