Disney has released a new trailer for John Carter of Mars on their website.

I can’t find it on youtube or Apple yet, but you can watch it on their site here.

It’s a fantastic, much more in depth look at the film and I get more and more excited for it with each thing I see. If you’re interested you can read about my excitement for it in the print piece I wrote for City Weekly.

And for those I’ve heard complain about the movie because the aesthetic is a little bit like Attack of the Clones, let me say first: Attack of the Clones is awesome. Second: It’s okay to like stuff that’s like other stuff. No one will think less of you. In fact, I’ll think less of you if you don’t.

I hope this movie ends up as great as it is in my head right now.

For those of you who have no frame of reference for how great this movie could be, the first three books in the series are .99 cents (combined!) on Amazon for the Kindle. They are worth 10 times that, at least. Buy them here, now.

Thanks to the Digital Dorm, we have the list of the top ten illegally downloaded movies of 2011.  Take a glance at the titles. Are you surprised?  Is something shockingly omitted?

The list includes the title of the film, the number of downloads, and the worldwide box office gross.

1. Fast Five – 9,260,000 Illegal Downloads   $626,137,675

2. The Hangover II – 8,840,000 Illegal Downloads   $581,464,305

3. Thor – 8,330,000 Illegal Downloads           $449,326,618

4. Source Code – 7,910,000 Illegal Downloads         $123,278,618

5. I Am Number Four – 7,670,000 Illegal Downloads           $144,500,437

6. Sucker Punch – 7,200,000 Illegal Downloads        $89,792,502

7. 127 Hours – 6,910,000 Illegal Downloads $60,738,797

8. Rango – 6,480,000 Illegal Downloads        $245,155,348

9. The King’s Speech – 6,250,000 Illegal Downloads            $414,211,549

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – 6,030,000 Illegal Downloads     $1,328,111,219

Interesting to note are the movies not on the list:  Transformers:  Dark of the Moon, Pirates of the Caribbean:  On Stranger Tides, and Twilight:  Breaking Dawn Part 1.  These were some of the highest grossing films of the year, so do we assume that everyone who saw them did it the legal way?

And Roger Ebert discusses his theories on why movie revenue is dropping but fails to mention illegal downloads.  But isn’t it all tied in together?  If you choose not to go to the theater to see a movie for any of the reasons he mentioned (noisy patrons, high ticket prices, expensive refreshments, etc.), then you simply choose another method in which to view the latest release.

I am in no way advocating illegal downloads, but I think it’s a good idea for the movie industry to look at why it’s so prevalent.  I actually love going to the theater and watching the trailers while the smell of popcorn permeates the air, but I’ve also had such experiences ruined by unruly film-goers and chatty seat companions.

And should a box of Junior Mints really cost $4.00?  I think that’s the real crime!

After watching this trailer you have to ask yourself why anyone lets Ridley Scott direct anything but science fiction films.

I think this trailer also puts to bed any idea that this isn’t part of the Aliens films. It has Alien written all over it, from the title design, to the sets, to the feel and tone, all the way down to the derelict spacecraft.

I have no idea, really, what this movie is about, but this trailer just rocketed it up to my list of movies I’m most excited for next year.

You can also download it from Apple.

Prometheus hits theatres in June 2012.

The Public Relations team at Lucasfilm are second to none and I absolutely love working with those guys.

This promotional item came with my Jabba-melting holiday card.

Those guys are the best. And I didn’t think I could be more excited to see The Phantom Menace in 3D, but now that I see a 3D chocolate Maul AND the new logos and stuff, I’m dying to see it.

Dying.

Happy Holidays.

Good news and bad news! The first trailer for Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is finally here! The bad news is we have to wait almost an entire year to see the actual film… Damnit.

In any case, you can check out the trailer in glorious HD over at Apple.com!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is directed by Peter Jackson and stars Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchette, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans, Elijah Wood, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving and Orlando Bloom. The film hits theaters December 14, 2012.

UPDATE:

Apple has uploaded the trailer and in HD.

Get it while it’s hot.

Okay, know I’m finally pumped for this movie.

I think they’re really going to break him. Knightfall, for all its faults, is one of my favorite stories and this just cranked my waning excitement up to 11.

Hey party people, Dagobot here!

The fandom of ‘The Hunger Games’ have unlocked the 100 piece puzzle and with that the reveal of a NEW poster. Thoughts?

March 23rd can’t come quick enough.

I can’t even describe how excited I am for more ass kicking from The Expendables. The first one was just one big  guns/explosions/face-kicking boner fest and this looks to be more of the same, which is just fine with me!

Today on Anime Update: we’ve got some awesome new releases from Funimation, news about the next film from The Girl Who Lept Through Time director Mamoru Hosoda, and more fun videos to share from our Japanese youtube searches!

First up on this week’s update: Funimation has some great new releases out today on DVD and Blu-ray – the biggest of which includes the release of the highly anticipated Dragon Ball Z – Level 1.2.

“Fear the sinister Saiyan onslaught! Celebrate the heroic return of Goku! And prepare for an epic showdown with Vegeta! For the first time ever, Dragon Ball Z is available in HD on Blu-ray! This amazing collection presents episodes eighteen through thirty-four of DBZ in unparalleled picture quality. A team of experts worked around the clock to put the greatest anime in history on the cutting edge of modern technology. This spectacular Blu-ray version of Dragon Ball Z is restored from film – frame by frame – with steps taken to ensure a pristine picture free from any imperfections. The classic 4:3 format is captured in true 1080p HD featuring the original color and epic special features! You may think you’ve seen all there is to see in the Dragon Ball Z universe, but you’re wrong. Take home this seventeen episode collection today, and fire your next Kamehameha Wave in the brilliance of Blu-ray!”

After the huge success of Level 1.1 (you can read my review of 1.1 here), I’m personally looking forward to picking up 1.2 so that I can continue watching through the (original) episodes in all their high-definition, ultra-restored glory! Seriously, the episodes look and sound amazing, and I highly recommend this release to any Dragon Ball Z fans out there (especially if you didn’t purchase the DVDs and are looking to upgrade from VHS like I was!).

Also out today from Funimation is the Yu Yu Hakusho: Eizou Hakusho OVA on DVD.

“The pulse-pounding action of Yu Yu Hakusho continues with a must-see OVA collection that’s never been released in the United States. Catch up with your favorite characters, feast your eyes on brand new animation sequences, and get the lowdown on this Shonen classic from the actors themselves. No hardcore fan would be caught dead without a copy of this one-of-a-kind collection featuring a highlight reel of the greatest fights scenes in the history of the series – and a horrifying journey into the nightmares that keep these brawlers up at night. You’ve been calling yourself a fan of Yu Yu Hakusho for years, and now it’s time to prove it. Pick up your copy of the OVA collection today! If you’ve got the guts for it.”

Next up on this week’s update:

Summer Wars and The Girl Who Lept Through Time director Mamoru Hosoda will be bringing us the film Ōkami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki (The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki) next summer in Japan – July 2012. Both The Girl Who lept Through Time and Summer Wars received critical acclaim in Japan and were extremely well received overseas – so it will just be a matter of time before a North American distribution company scoops this release up for distribution sometime later in 2012 (or early 2013). The story itself is told over a period of 13 years – a tale of love, loss, and life for a family of “half-wolves.” The Japanese website and teaser image can be found here.

Finally on this week’s update:

I’m happy to bring you another video from the depths of my Youtube history. – A Happy Holidays / Japanese Christmas commercial from Segata Sanshiro! (Author’s Note – Segata Sanshiro’s name is somewhat of a word pun and in the commercial when he says “Sega Saturn – SHIRO!” it means “You MUST play Sega Saturn!”)

Don’t know who Segata Sanshiro is? He’s a video game legend! You absolutely need to watch this next video and learn more!

This is the movie I wanted to see in the first place.

This actually looks awesome.

The action doesn’t look too cheesy and the story looks just right on the cheesy scale. Seriously, unfurling COBRA banners on the White House gave me a chill.