There was some speculation that since The Avengers was noticeably lacking at this years Comic-Con that we would see something instead at Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, California. It turns out that this speculation was right!

Disney will be showcasing the film at the Anaheim Convention Center during their D23 Expo taking place on Saturday, August 20. Little details about exactly what will occur involving the film hasn’t been released, but you can be sure whatever news comes from this we here at BSR will be sure to bring it to you like the giddy geeks we are! You can check out the full press release on the D23 Expo below!

Exclusively at Disney’s D23 Expo August 19-21 at the Anaheim Convention Center, Disney film fans will go behind the scenes to explore the exciting roster of projects on the horizon at The Walt Disney Studios, with a variety of panel discussions, sneak peeks, and exhibits.

On Saturday, August 20, Rich Ross, chairman, The Walt Disney Studios; Sean Bailey, president, Production, The Walt Disney Studios; John Lasseter, chief creative officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios; and Kevin Feige, producer and president, Marvel Studios, will present a not-to-be-missed look at The Walt Disney Studios’ upcoming film slate, which includes Disney’s The Muppets, John Carter, Disney-Pixar’s Brave, Marvel’s The Avengers, Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, Oz: The Great and Powerful, and more.

With projects from Disney, Pixar Animation Studios, and Marvel Studios, this special presentation will feature never-before-seen footage and all-star appearances by Jason Segel, Kermit, and Miss Piggy (Disney’s The Muppets), Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, and Willem Dafoe (John Carter), Kelly Macdonald and Kevin McKidd (Brave), Jennifer Garner (The Odd Life of Timothy Green), Jack McBrayer and Sarah Silverman (Wreck-It Ralph), cast members from Marvel’s The Avengers, and other surprise guests.

In celebration of 25 years of moviemaking magic, five sessions will be devoted to the artistry and technical wizardry of Pixar:

* A Conversation with the Pixar Creative Team – Enjoy a rare opportunity to spend some time with the key figures responsible for Pixar’s unprecedented success, including John Lasseter (chief creative officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios), Jim Morris (general manager, Pixar Animation Studios), Pete Docter (director, Monsters, Inc., Up), Andrew Stanton (director, Finding Nemo, WALL-E), Bob Peterson (co-director, Up), Lee Unkrich (director, Toy Story 3), Mark Andrews (director, Brave), and Dan Scanlon (director, Monsters University).

* The Characters of Monsters University – Director Dan Scanlon and Production Designer Ricky Nierva discuss how they combine hair, horns, and a lot of heart to bring the wonderful Monsters University characters to life.

* Michael Giacchino’s Music of Pixar – In this musical presentation, award-winning composer Michael Giacchino explores his early influences through the creation of modern-day classic scores from Ratatouille, Up and Cars 2.

* The Art of Brave – Production Designer Steve Pilcher and Shading Art Director Tia Kratter show how they and their team put paint to canvas and fingers to computer keys to create the stunning visuals of Scotland for Disney•Pixar’s upcoming film Brave.

* Pixar Shorts – This retrospective screening of the animation studio’s legendary short films will be followed by a panel discussion with several of the filmmakers, including Ralph Eggleston (director, For the Birds), Andy Jimenez (director, One Man Band), Angus MacLane (director, BURN-E), Pete Sohn (director, Partly Cloudy), Teddy Newton (director, Day & Night), and Enrico Casarosa (director, La Luna).

Expo attendees will also have access to advance screenings of an all-new 3D version of The Lion King, presented by RealD 3D, coming to theaters and homes this fall, and the upcoming ABC holiday special Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Out on the Expo floor, fans can explore the world of The Walt Disney Studios at their leisure with comprehensive exhibits, including:

* Walt Disney Studios Animation Pavilion – Experience the art, technology, culture, and legacy of Walt Disney Animation Studios with filmmaker demonstrations, drawing classes, book signings, meet-and-greets, and art exhibits.

* Walt Disney Studios In-Home Entertainment Pavilion – Dive into cutting-edge home entertainment technology and learn what the future holds for Disney movie fans, with sneak peeks of upcoming films in breathtaking high-definition Blu-ray 3D™ and more.

* Inside Tides: Pirates of the Caribbean Film Prop Collection – Get an up-close look at an exclusive collection of detailed set pieces, props, and costumes from the billion-dollar blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Tickets to D23 Expo 2011 are available at D23Expo.com. Admission includes access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 Expo and can be purchased for single days or for three full days of festivities. Admission is $42 for a one-day adult ticket and $32 for children 3-12. Three-day passes are $121 for adults and $91 for children. Members of D23: The Official Community for Disney Fans will receive a discount on admission as well as early entry to each day of the D23 Expo for themselves and their guests. More details about D23 Expo entertainment, events and special guests will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans can keep up with all the news by visiting D23Expo.com, as well as by following “Disney D23” on Twitter and Facebook.

About D23 Expo 2011

The D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings the entire world of Disney under one roof, providing attendees with unprecedented access to Disney films, television and theme parks. For schedules, live updates, interactive features and tools, polls and much more, check out the D23 Expo mobile app at www.D23mobile.com! To be part of the D23 Expo conversation, make sure to follow @DisneyD23 and tag your tweets with #D23Expo. For questions during the D23 Expo, get answers by sending tweets to @D23Expo.

It has been announced that Marvel has two dates slated for film releases in 2014, and of course there is a lot of speculation surrounding exactly what these movies will be. Kind of lost in the mix of this bit of news was an interesting bit:

Marvel has apparently reacquired/bought back the rights to The Punisher and Blade.

This should come as exciting news to fans of these characters as the Marvel in-house productions have been mostly the best stuff to hit the big screen out of all Marvel character films, so we may be seeing some (more) solid films featuring these characters.

Of course, the Blade franchise was pretty successful and helped to pave the way for R-rated superhero flicks but The Punisher seemed to struggle to find an audience over the course of two films. I personally didn’t mind the Thomas Jane version of the character and thought the first movie was a good build up to a darker and more gritty sequel but instead we got Punisher: War Zone.

It will be interesting to see what Marvel does with these characters in the future. My guess is we will most likely see reboots of both franchises as opposed to direct sequels, but the question will be whether or not we get appropriate R-rated versions or watered down PG-13 films. In either case it could be a while before we see or hear anything with Marvel busy with all of the Avengers heroes and a handful of films supposedly in the pipeline for a bunch of other characters including Dr. Strange and Iron Fist. While I’m not a huge fan of The Punisher and Blade, I enjoyed their films just fine and would definitely hit the theaters for another go around with them.

What would you like to see in future Punisher and Blade movies knowing now they would be produced in-house at Marvel? Sound off in the comments below!

When the Cassidy family finds a Liam Murphy (Simon Delaney) dressed in a red vinyl spacesuit passed out on their living room floor they’re happy to believe that he’s an alien rather than a burglar. Murphy adopts the name Zonad and becomes an instant celebrity in the tiny, and very naïve, town of Ballymoran.

Zonad is a lowbrow parody that is clearly inspired by old-school Mel Brooks by way of Gary Ross’ Pleasantville. The majority of its plot is based around Zonad’s conquest to sleep with the entire female population of Ballymoran starting with the young, beautiful and willing Jenny Cassidy (Janice Byrne).

Zonad played at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival where it was met with a general sense of enthusiasm but failed to pick up distribution for a North American theatrical release. Frankly, I’m not surprised. The film is amusing but it isn’t intelligent enough to play to art house audiences and isn’t vulgar enough to appease the mainstream hordes. It’s better than most of Syfy’s original films but can’t compete with the likes of Galaxy Quest, Spaceballs or even the lackluster Paul in terms of budget or wit. In fact, Zonad feels like one of the fantasy stories in Gentlemen Broncos, albeit not nearly as juvenile, stretched into a feature film. I’m not sure if that is a compliment or not.

Bonus features are limited to a fairly boring and sadly generic commentary from directors John and Kieran Carney and a trailer.

Despite my affinity for fantasy films it wasn’t until this week that I really sat down to watch Conan the Barbarian for the first time. The film certainly looks good on Blu-ray with only a little digital tinkering here and there to keep the film from looking its absolute best. The colors are a bit drab but that has more to do with the art direction and costume design than any fault of the transfer. The audio is fantastic as dialogue is perfectly clear and Basil Poledouris’ score is appropriately bombastic.

The bonus features are a bit unbalanced with director John Milius and Arnold Schwarzenegger providing a rather bland audio commentary. Fortunately the hour-long documentary Conan Unchained does a much better job of presenting the film and the various aspects of its creation from script to screen. The package also includes six delted scenes, two trailers, a still gallery of production drawings, concept art and publicity photos as well as a brief split-screen special effects segment. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are two brief featurettes. The first examines the art of sword making and fighting while the other is a collection of archival interviews.

Now on to the part where I upset some of you, I found the film itself to be poorly paced and somewhat boring at times. Clearly screenwriter Oliver Stone and director John Milius have set out to make Conan the Barbarian a fantasy epic and they’ve certainly made a long film with high production values. There’s also no question that Arnold Schwarzenegger was perfectly cast and that his performance, while predictably stiff and occasionally ridiculous, is what made the film a success and launched the former body builder’s career as an actor. But is there any depth to Conan? No, not really. He’s just an angry youth looking to revenge his parents’ murder at the hands of the villainous Thulsa Doom (the always excellent James Earl Jones). Not that I was expecting Gone with the Wind but after so many years of hearing how great the film was I hoped for something less fluffy. I wish I had a sense of nostalgia for the film that might endear me to its weaknesses but if I’m going to spend a couple hours watching a fantasy-adventure I’d rather be watching The Lord of the Rings. Am I being too hard on Conan the Barbarian? Yes, of course I am. The film was a remarkable achievement and despite its slow patches manages to entertain in ways that the recent Clash of the Titans remake could only dream of. I just wanted it to be more than what it was.

Disney announced 2014 release dates for two brand new Marvel films this week. But they’re untitled, which leaves a lot up to the imagination. What could they be up to?

The first is slated for May 16, 2014.

The second comes out June 27, 2014.

Both of those are huge summer dates, May more than June. These must be heavy hitters they’re very confident about and want to stake out the territory aways in advanced. Speculation about what movies these are run rampant. Could they be doing another Captain America movie in 2014? Could it be Dr. Strange and Ant-Man, two films that seem perpetually near happening? What if these are for the Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. movie that’s been rumoured?

The great thing about this announcement is that Marvel Studios has built up so much good will that literally ANYTHING they announce in these spots will more than likely be great.

Two other big notes from the report that these come from (on Box Office Mojo) is that Pixar is also launching an untitled film on 5/30/2014. And Parker starring Jason Statham (based on the books and Graphic novel) comes out 10/12/12.

Browncoats have some reason to get excited: There’s a new film set in the Firefly universe on the way. That’s the good news.

The bad news? It’s sort of a fanfilm set in the past and periphery of the universe.

The good news? The guy has $1 million to do it.

From the Westmorland Gazette (the local paper from where the film is being shot):

The film, called Lost Transmission, follows the lonely adventure of Blake, captain of a mining ship, with no-one but his computer to talk to after war breaks out on Earth. But he leaves the planet to find life on other worlds.

Filming is expected to start in early 2012, and will be split between Cumbria and America.

This is a very interesting concept to me. Though I still want to see more adventures of Captain Mal and his crew on the Serenity, I want to see the world itself explored more. Like Star Wars, it’s a rich universe with plenty of stories to tell. With only 14 episodes of a show and one movie, there’s all the room in the ‘verse to make it interesting. And the concept isn’t terrible. I love movies about lone men on spaceships and this could very well end up being a good one.

And it’s probably a smart marketing move for him to say it’s an unofficial Firefly movie. But does that make this fanfiction? How does that work?

Only time will tell.

For more about the project, check out the Westmorland Gazette.

Bryan Young is author of Lost at the Con and Man Against the Future.

UPDATE: According to i09, they contacted the film company who vehemently denies any connection to the Firefly universe.  They said they were misquoted in the paper.  The filmmaker was inspired by Firefly.  Though if Fox were smart they’d step in and let it have a better connection.  With $1 million already ponied up, all it could be for them is money in the bank.

*Warning* Potentially spoilery set photos below. The image above is an officially released photo. Click for high-res.

We have already had our first looks at Bane and Batman from Christopher Nolan’s third and final installment in his Batman saga, The Dark Knight Rises, and now we have our first look at Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman from the film!

The photo above is an officially released photo from the studio and below you will find two more pictures from the set of the film in what looks to be the same scene in which we saw Bats and Bane previously. You can see those below (or not for those of you trying to avoid any and all potential spoilers)!

There’s no doubt they are definitely going for a more “real world” look for Kyle, which is on par with what Nolan has done with all the Batman characters in his Bat-universe, but I must say I was expecting some form of cat ears or something to give a hint of “Catwomaness”. It does appear she is rocking some form of goggles though, which is pretty in line with most recent iterations of the character. Of course, we don’t know the context of this (these) particular shots and who knows what Nolan has up his sleeve for Kyle for this third Batman film – also keeping in mind that the official The Dark Knight Rises site where the official image was posted clearly refers to her as Selina Kyle, not Catwoman. So we may never even hear her referred to as such other than maybe her being referenced to as a “Cat burglar” if anything. We will just have to wait to find out when The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 20, 2012.

Below are the aforementioned set photos of Selina Kyle which are reportedly not Anne Hathaway, but most likely a stunt double.

Sound off in the comments below with your thoughts on Selina Kyle’s look!

Amazon has been running a 58% off sale on more than 200 anime titles for the past couple of weeks (this includes full series). If you haven’t had the chance to go take advantage of it yet, I highly recommend you do before the sale runs out this coming Monday (August 8th). Normally I’m not the type to go promoting one specific website to purchase anime from – but this sale means a lot to those of us who could use a little discount to help expand our media collections. Many of you already know that full anime series can get really expensive! The most prolific series – Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Bleach, etc. – can be especially draining on the wallet!

I picked up a couple of my favorite series last week on Blu-ray. Samurai Champloo came out on Blu-ray on May 24^th and I got it for only $22.99 (discounted from USD $54.98). And I just couldn’t resist getting all the Full Metal Panic incarnations – including Fumoffu – which was only $18.49. (Seriously, I can’t get enough of that series, and it looks awesome on Blu-ray.)

If you’ve had any doubt about picking up your favorite anime on Blu-ray let me assure you that the newer series do look and sound a lot sharper in that format, BUT – buyer beware – they rarely come with the special features that the Japanese Blu-ray releases get (what’s the deal with THAT, import companies?)! I’m sure the argument is that it’s not cost effective to translate the extra features, but I do wish we could occasionally see a behind the scenes segment or interviews with Japanese voice actors and creative staff. Saying “Special Features” on the back of a box should not mean, “We put three trailers on here that you would normally have to look online for!”

Great titles (many of them staples for your anime collection) included in the sale on Blu-ray are: Evangelion 2.22: You Can [not] Advance ($16.49), Summer Wars ($15.49), FLCL ($19.49), Eden of the East: The King of Eden ($13.99 Blu-ray DVD combo pack), and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete ($12.99 – If you haven’t seen Complete do yourself a favor and see the HUGE chunks of the story that were cut out from most American releases of this movie. I went back and was shocked to see how much of the story had been cut from both of the DVD versions I had purchased.).

DVD discounts in the sale include: My Neighbor Totoro ($18.99 for the two disc special edition), Trigun ($21.99 for the complete series), Dragon Ball Z Season Six: Cell Games Saga ($16.99 – along with several other seasons offered for around $16), Ponyo ($18.99), and Ouran High School Host Club ($29.99 for the complete series).

After sitting through Scream of the Banshee I wasn’t sure if I was up for a second After Dark Original film. Nonetheless I sat down with The Task (a title that is begging for negative headlines) and you know what? It wasn’t remotely as painful to watch as Scream of the Banshee was (but also not quite as entertaining as Banshee’s audio commentary from director Steven C. Miller).

The Task is reality television gone awry (although not in the glorious way that Death Race 2000 is) as six young contestants are locked in an abandoned prison to compete for $20,000. To win the cash prize the contestants need only to complete their assigned tasks, which are based on their greatest fears, and survive until morning. But with the ghost of a ruthless warden wandering the hallways there’s no guarantee that they’ll be alive come first light of dawn.

It’s not hard to see where this is heading but Kenny Yakkel’s (Syfy’s upcoming 51) script at least throws in a couple of twists towards the end to keep the film from being entirely obvious. The characters are a predictable mix of stereotypes but so are the casts of just about any reality television show. The performances are generally good, particularly from the actors playing the contestants. There is a little gore but probably not enough to entice those that simply want to see heads roll. I suspect gorehounds would rather watch a film about the warden’s twisted ways rather than just being teased by his ghost. Overall The Task is light on real scares but heavy on atmosphere and it works just well enough to be entertaining.

The only bonus feature is a brief behind-the-scenes bit with interviews with the British cast (which explains a couple of British phrases coming from the film’s American characters).

Alright movie buffs, the time has come for the Salt Lake City Film Festival! Running August 18-21 in our lovely downtown you will be treated to an array of award winning films from various festivals such as SXSW, Dallas International Fim Festival, SF International Asian American Festival and more! We here at BigShinyRobot will be on hand covering the different films showing throughout the weekend as well as interviewing actors/directors from the film to keep you friendly readers in the know while festivities unfold. The schedule and film summaries are available on their website. Day time screenings will run you a scant $5, and evening shows will be $10. Read the press release below for the full set of information and check back regularly for updates as the Film Festival gets closer.

The Salt Lake City Film Festival schedule has been finalized and we couldn’t be more excited!

The Festival will be taking place at various theaters around Salt Lake City over August 18 to the 21, and in addition to nearly 30 films, the SLCFF has put together an exciting weekend all around.

With films from all over the world (and more than a couple from right here in our own backyard) we’ve turned this year’s Festival into a three-day event that will be impossible to pass up.

Our opening night feature, SILVER TONGUES, will premiere at the Broadway Center on Thursday night August 18 at 7:30 pm. The film follows Gerry and Joan, two lovers driving from town to town, donning different personas to deceive and destroy people they meet along the way. Each manipulation begins to take its toll and the performances begin to spiral out of control, threatening their very relationship. The film wowed audiences at the 2011 Slamdance Film Festival and took home the Grand Jury Sparky award for Best Narrative feature. The film will be followed by a reception in the Broadway Lounge with music, light food, desserts, coffee and beer provided by our generous sponsors. All ticket holders for the opening night feature will have full access to the reception.

Some of the other films being screened include SURROGATE VALENTINE, directed by Utah and SLCFF alum Dave Boyle, EVERYDAY SUNSHINE, BAD FEVER, co-produced by David Fetzer of the New Works Theater Machine and shot locally, SUBWAY PREACHER, PARADE, BETTER THIS WORLD and many more.

Don’t think we’ve forgotten about the night owls, either. We’ve teamed up with BREWVIES CINEMA PUB again this year to provide late night programming on both Friday and Saturday night.

We’ll also be hosting various Q&A discussions after the films throughout the weekend, spotlighting some of the talented folks coming in to support their films. Simon Arthur (SILVER TONGUES), Dennis Ho (SUBWAY PREACHER), Lev Anderson (EVERYDAY SUNSHINE), the cast and crew from PARADE will all be in town to talk about their films as well as scores of others and a few that we’re keeping as a surprise.

We couldn’t be prouder of the lineup we’re presenting this year and we hope you’ll all join us for what is sure to be an exciting weekend. Tickets for matinee screenings are only $5 and evening screenings are $10, making it one of the most financially accessible independent festivals experiences around.

More information on all the films, ticket information and schedule can be found at our website www.saltlakecityfilmfestival.com or www.slcff.com and I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the festival, so don’t hesitate to get in touch.

And before the Festival gets underway, we’ve also got a few events to get you in the mood.
The Sloppy Summer Smorgasbord will be held at Kilby Court (741 S. 330 W.) on July 31 at 6 PM featuring Nolens Volens, Giraffula, Spirit Master and Bearclause and on August 13, we’ll be hosting an evening of music, prizes and fun at the Urban Lounge (241 S. 500 E.) with Palace of Buddies and Zangief. Both events will include a special preview of the films we’ve got lined up.

Thanks and we hope to see you all there!