The Disney Parks Blog has released three new amazing images in the Annie Leibovitz Disney Dream Portrait Series, begun around four years ago.
Olivia Wilde (Tron) is featured as the Wicked Queen from Snow White, and in the role as her Magic Mirror is Alec Baldwin. Wilde’s makeup is perfect as the Queen, and her expression truly captures the haughtiness of Disney’s earliest villain.
Next we see Penelope Cruz and Jeff Bridges (also recently seen in Tron) as Belle and the former Beast. The scenery in this image is gorgeous and very reminiscent of the balcony at the Beast’s castle in the animated film. The trademark yellow ballgown is also exquisite, though I would imagine someone wearing a dress that voluminous would weigh a bit more than this image would indicate. Fabric is heavy. Also, I’m not even sure if Bridges and Cruz were photographed at the same time. He doesn’t appear to really be looking at her.
The final image is of Queen Latifah as Ursula the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid. This is such a dynamic image, with her tentacles moving in all different directions and the spray of the ocean against the rocks. The expression of glee on her face makes me wonder if she’s been casting spells on merpeople again. Naughty naughty Ursula.
You can also view some of the earlier portraits in the series on io9. I have always been rather fond of the Rachel Weisz as Snow White image, but you’ll also find Tinkerbell, Cinderella, Peter Pan, and spinning teacups.
Of course, we already knew Hugo Weaving was playing. the Red Skull. We even got a split second glimpse of him in the Captain America trailer. Now, thanks to Entertainment Weekly, we get a full shot of Weaving in full Skull regalia.
It is interesting to note that in this shot, the Red Skull is wearing a comics-perfect insignia of the evil Hydra organization in his belt buckle. Before you get into a tizzy though, EW in their article explicitly states that the Red Skull is the end product of Nazi super-soldier experimentation. This is thankfully true to the character, and all I can say is, at least he’s not Italian!
The EW article is also chock full of other useful information, such as the fact that, in the movie, the Super-Soldier serum amplifies traits already present in the subject. For instance, if you’re a paragon like Steve Rogers, you become Man Plus. If you’re a not-so-goodnik like Johann Schmidt, you become a symbol of death. It’s also worth mentioning that the title of the movie will be The First Avenger for international release, due to concerns about the name “Captain America” no being salable overseas.
So, enjoy the pic, share your thoughts, and be sure to read the rest of the EW article, for more general Cap info, including the full interview with director Joe Johnston.
StarWars.Com broke the news today that Star Wars 3D, starting with Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, will begin hitting theatres on February 10, 2012.
Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox announced today that the 3D theatrical launch of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace now has an official release date — February 10, 2012! Set against the thrilling and exotic backdrop of a “galaxy far, far away,” Star Wars is perfectly suited to the immersive 3D theatrical experience, and Episode I delivers some of the Saga’s most stunning and spectacular sequences — from the Naboo invasion to the Tatooine Podraces to the climactic lightsaber battle between Darth Maul and the Jedi.
Supervised by Industrial Light & Magic, the meticulous conversion is being done with utmost respect for the source material, and with a keen eye for both technological considerations and artistic intentions.
No word yet on a release pattern for the rest of the films, though early speculation indicated a yearly pattern. I’m not as convinced of that, though, because this would be worthy of a Summer tentpole release on its own in 3D, not relegated to early February. Though anything is possible.
Like Han said of our heroes in the garbage masher, so too can I say for my wallet, “One thing’s for sure. We’re all gonna get a lot thinner.”
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures announced yesterday that Diane Lane will be filling the role of Martha Kent in Zack Snyder’s upcoming Superman reboot! This is only the second major role cast in this film thus car aside from Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman – though, rumors do have Kevin Costner circling the role of Jonathan Kent. No further news or rumors have surfaced lately on possible Lois Lane casting, or if Lois will even be in this film.
I think this is great casting, not only is Diane Lane ridiculously easy on the eyes, she’s a fantastic actress that could bring a lot to this adoptive mother role. Personally, I think Kevin Costner would make a great Pa Kent to Lane’s Ma Kent, so I’m hoping there’s some truth to that rumor! With two major parts filled in Snyder’s Superman “reboot” I can say I am pleased with the casting thus far and I’m excited to see what other names surface for the remaining characters yet to be cast. Is it possible that Snyder could be putting together the best Superman film to date? I certainly think the guy is capable of it, but Superman has been an awfully tough character to bring to the big screen so it’s going to be interesting to find out.
Zack Snyder’s Superman film is set for release in December 2012.
Official Press Release:
DIANE LANE CAST AS MARTHA KENT IN WARNER BROS. PICTURES’ AND LEGENDARY PICTURES’ NEW SUPERMAN MOVIE
BURBANK, CA, March 2, 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that Oscar®-nominated actress Diane Lane will play Martha Kent, the only mother Clark Kent has ever known, in the new Superman movie to be directed by Zack Snyder.
Snyder stated, “This was a very important piece of casting for me because Martha Kent is the woman whose values helped shape the man we know as Superman. We are thrilled to have Diane in the role because she can convey the wisdom and the wonder of a woman whose son has powers beyond her imagination.”
Lane will star with Henry Cavill, who was recently announced as the new Clark Kent/Superman.
Lane earned an Academy Award® nomination for her performance in the 2002 drama “Unfaithful.” She most recently starred in the family hit “Secretariat.” She next stars in the HBO feature “Cinema Verite,” opposite Tim Robbins and James Gandolfini. Lane’s long list of film credits also includes “Nights in Rodanthe,” “Hollywoodland,” “Must Love Dogs,” “Under the Tuscan Sun,” “Perfect Storm,” “My Dog Skip,” “Chaplin,” “The Cotton Club” and “A Little Romance,” to name only a portion.
Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are the producers of the film. The screenplay is being written by David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Nolan. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are serving as executive producers.
Slated for release in December 2012, the new Superman movie will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
I honestly can’t wait until I can just type the headline “Captain America Trailer” without the word “Description” trailing it. The good news is though, that according to many sources out there we could be seeing the trailer as early next week, current speculation is attaching it to Battle: LA – but, we’ll have to wait and see.
I was able to track down this description that appeared earlier today on Super Hero Hype, who received this information from tipster “RealIrOnMaN” who claims he saw the trailer at the Russian Movie Expo :
* Steve (Pre Super-Soldier Serum) gets beaten by someone on the streets. Takes a part of garbage can as his shield. The guy, that beat Steve: “You just don’t know when to give up, do you?” Steve (looking all angry at this guy): “I can do this all day!” Sadly, Steve takes another beating from the guy.
* Steve: “Why me?” (chamber, full of scientists, generals. Steve gets inside the vita-rays capsule) Abraham: “Because alignment, because of value, of strength, because of value of power.” Steve gets injected by something, saying: “That wasn’t so bad.” Someone replies to Steve: “That was penicillin.”
* First look at Howard, looking real smart & classy. Chester Phillips: “We are going to win this war because we have the best man!” Abraham to Howard: “Now, Mr. Stark!” Chester Phillips: “They will personally deliver (or something, I don’t remember) Hitler to the gates of hell!” * Really good & long view of Steve’s painful transformation into Super-Soldier. Lights out! *Some army music plays* Everyone is shocked to see the brand new Steve Rogers. Howard Stark & Abraham Erskine are amazed.
* Steve & the Howling Commandos are inside some factory, with Schmidt’s goons around. Johann takes his human mask off & we get to see first full & clear shot of Red Skull’s face, that now looks even more violently red, than it was in the tv-spot. Cut to Howling Commandos wrecking shit and kicking butt, big explosions (some of them we’ve seen in the tv-spot), flying spaceship (here it looks incomplete, more CGI-ish), HYDRA firemen making a fire circle around Cap & HYDRA men in the forest near some car.
Sounds like your pretty basic action-packed Marvel trailer, enlightening us a little more to the story this film is going to tell. I keep going back and forth on exactly which movie I’m more excited for, Thor or Captain America: The First Avenger. As of this moment, since I have actually seen a lot of what Thor has in store for us, I’d have to throw my hat in that corner, but this upcoming Cap trailer could change everything. . .
It’s no secret around the Big Shiny Robot headquarters (Kill-tacular-tron’s unfinished basement) that I am no fan of award shows. The Oscars, the Emmys, Golden Globes, and various music awards – I dislike all of them. I have always thought they were just masturbatory and pretentious. In fact, during the Golden Globes Mr. Simon Pegg pretty much summed up my same feelings via his Twitter account:
And the award for best contortionist goes to the film/television industry for patting itself on the back so frequently and with such vigour.
Now, the context of this tweet may have been tongue in cheek, only Simon Pegg could note his true feelings about this, but none-the-less, this simple tweet rang true for me.
Don’t get me wrong, I love movies and many television shows. I spend a lot of my free time diving into various universes portrayed on screen and becoming completely taken in by them. However, the thought of awards for “Best Picture”, “Actor In a leading role”, etc. being handed out by a group of people who are deemed to be foremost experts in film has always seemed a bit ludicrous and self indulgent to me. Shouldn’t these types of awards be determined by the public for whom these films are made? Why is a specific group of film industry folk telling “us” who is this year’s “Best Actress”? And, yes, I know, some award shows do work this way – but I’m referring to the Oscars, the “Super Bowl” of awards shows, the award everyone strives to take home. To me, this makes the whole idea seem so self-congratulating.
That all being said, I feel a little BSR background is in order here. I am one of “those” geeks who also enjoys sports. It’s a conundrum; growing up I would go to soccer practice then come home and read some comics – thoroughly enjoying both. Now, with my organised sports days behind me I find myself indulging my geeky side a little bit more often than my “jock” (for lack of a better term) side, but you’ll still find me following my favorite NFL, NBA, MLB, and college football teams closely and watching all the big games. For BSR co-founder Swank-mo-tron and I, this leads to a bit of conention. I find the Super Bowl, for example, to be exciting and fun to watch. The teams involved have fought their way to the top to play in the big game – winning games in the regular season, coming up with a solid playbook, and playing their hearts out. In my head, they’ve earned the right to be there and that’s what makes this event so epic and exciting to watch. But Swank’s brain doesn’t work that way. Much in the way that I see awards shows, he finds these events to be pointless and masturbatory. I argue that these guys have trained and practiced hard to get to the top of their game to be professional athletes, but it falls on deaf ears – just like when he tries to explain to me whats so great about the Oscars.
In the interest of full disclosure, Swank and I “got into it” a little bit yesterday. I spent Oscar night poking fun at the event and growing more and more irritated at the fact that three-quarters of my Twitter feed took it upon themselves to live-Tweet the event. As we were hashing things out like gentlemen (only three of four “f-bombs” were used) he said, “The Oscars are like my Super Bowl”. Something clicked and I’ve been thinking about that statement the last few days. Just like professional athletes, actors and actresses hone their craft to be at the top of their game; taking on daring and emotional roles, striving to portray a character on screen that will immerse the audience in that world for 120 minutes and make an emotional impact. Why shouldn’t they be awarded for this? Natalie Portman trained like crazy and lost weight for her role in Black Swan and gave a great performance, should her efforts go unrecognized? I suppose they shouldn’t.
I wouldn’t say at this point I’ve had a complete change of heart, but I think I may be starting to understand. I may never be able to get past the pagentry and self-indulgent overtones of the ceremony itself, but I think I get the intentions and what these awards mean to these professionals in the film industry, and for next year’s Oscars I’m willing to keep an open mind. So, I’d like to issue a challenge to Swank-mo-tron: I invite you, sir, to come watch the Super Bowl with me this year, with an open mind. Good food, good alcohol, and an exciting event that you may just enjoy in the right environment – even if that amount of enjoyment is so small it’s unmeasureable. In turn, I am willing to watch the Oscars with you next year, again with an open mind trying to find the enjoyment that so many people apparently find in this event. After each event, we will provide the good readers of BSR with some commentary on our experiences and any new insights we may stumble across during this experiment – possibly finding some understanding and common ground in the gap between movie buffs who enjoy award shows, and sports fans who enjoy big sporting events.
If you were like me, you were mad Hailey Steinfeld didn’t win the Oscar for True Grit. She owned that film. And she certainly wouldn’t have dropped the F bomb like Melissa Leo in her acceptance speech- frickin’ potty-mouth.
But she spoke to MTV on the Red Carpet and revealed she is circling the lead role in the heavily anticipated (by me at least, and by my wife- who teaches middle school English) dystopian novel The Hunger Games. From their interview:
After much speculation (including reports Hailee had previously met with “Hunger Games” producer Nina Jacobson), she confirmed that she has met with director Gary Ross to discuss the much-coveted role of Katniss Everdeen. And while nothing’s official, she did say that she’s very much still in the running:
“It’s definitely something that we’re taking one day at a time and making sure that everything is in place,” she explained.
Don’t know The Hunger Games or it’s two sequels? Check them out. But a quick summary: in the not-too distant future almost everyone lives in poverty, and each district sends gladiators to fight in matches to the death in televised amazing violence. Oh, and the gladiators are teenagers. So our story follows Katniss and how she transverses the Hunger Games, defying the despotic rulers of her country and inspiring others. And while this is a young adult book, I have no frickin’ clue how they will make this a PG-13 movie, which is what they have promised.
Other people supposedly circling the role include Chloe Moretz, who certainly showed us how much ass she can kick in Let Me In and Kick Ass, but I gotta go with Steinfeld in this. I know Hollywood is looking for another Harry Potter type franchise here. But Harry Potter is like Tom Clancy or John Grisham– The Hunger Games is like George Orwell or John Steinbeck. So just like The Grapes of Wrath needed Henry Fonda, someone with a lot of acting chops, I think Hunger Games needs a similar touch. So, gotta go with Steinfeld. Certainly being able to bill the movie as featuring “Academy Award Nominee…” can’t hurt in making this both a commercial success and a critical hit.
Hoping we get an update on this soon, and it goes from rumor to reality. I know a lot of you robots have read this book- what do you think? Is there anyone better than Steinfeld for this role?
I had reservations about last night’s Oscar ceremony going in. I’ve been watching the Oscars as far back as I can remember and I’ve always enjoyed them the least when someone “unlikely” hosted them. I like both James Franco and Anne Hathaway but they didn’t exactly instill confidence in me. Not really anyone has since Jon Stewart who, to date, is still my favorite Oscar host.
But I have to say I was impressed with the fact that they pulled it off quite capably. They were charming, their jokes were no less hilarious, and they were used in all the right ways.
I know there are a lot of people who couldn’t care less about the Academy Awards, but for those of us who really care about film and the movies, this is like the Superbowl. A Superbowl for normal people who are a little bit too intellectual for their own good. But at its best the Oscars is a celebration of movies, and I know we all love movies. This ceremony was no different. From the opening montage (seen below) and right into the introduction of Gone With the Wind moments later, this was an honoring of cinema and the art of making movies for the last 83 years. And for a movie fan, it’s enjoyable as hell.
There were a lot of highlights in the ceremony, especially for comic book fans. Aside from the fact that two of the Avengers were nominated against each other in the same category (Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and Mark Ruffallo (Bruce Banner), Best Supporting Actor), there were comic book and geek references abound. Perhaps one of the best moments was when Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law presented awards for Best Visual Effects and Editing and bickered about Iron Man himself being caught in a hotel with a hooker dressed as Batgirl… er… Wonder Woman…
My favorite moments of the Oscars always seem to be those that gravitate toward the old Hollywood. The Bob Hope segment where he introduced presenters was a particular highlight. But I always love the retrospectives of past Oscar winners. The orchestral musical piece they presented was a highlight for me, and not just because they played Star Wars.
But the absolute standout of the night for me was Barack Obama’s brief appearance. Not because I appreciate the fact that we have a President who is young enough to care about some of the things in the popular culture, but because of what he came on to say. As part of a montage of people being asked what their favorite songs from movies were, Obama offered “As Time Goes By” which would have been my answer, too. In fact, I have it as a ringtone on my phone and Casablanca is one of the greatest movies of all time and it’s use of music is second to none.
As far as the actual awards being handed out, there were few surprises. It’s bizarre to see that Trent Reznor is now an Academy Award winner, and that Queen Amidala has an acting Oscar. Inception took home quite a few Oscars in all of the most relevant categories for it.
The King’s Speech took home the biggest honor and I’ll have to see it. But I swear to god if they release an edited PG-13 version of the film so “more people will see it” I’m going to pirate the shit out of the R rated version.
It was also nice to see Star Wars well represented. From mentions of Irvin Kershner and Grant McCune during the In Memoriam section (which had a soundtrack of Charlie Chaplin’s brilliant “Smile” going on underneath), to the fact that the voice of Yoda on The Clone Wars, Tom Kane, announced the Oscars, made my day.
And perhaps it was all of those Star Wars references that made this viewing of the Oscars an unforgettable one for me. I went to see it at Brewvies Cinema Pub for The Big Movie Mouth-Off’s special theatrical presentation of it, and for some reason every time there was a Star Wars reference, everyone in the theatre would shout my name, you know, as though I would miss the reference. It was perhaps the most fun I’ve had watching an Oscars ceremony and I hope we make this a habit.
But until then, keep watching movies.
As for you, is there a moment more than others that stood out in your mind? Or an award that should have gone to someone else? Sound off below.
Okay- so the title was only a little misleading… This isn’t an official Killzone movie- but its bad ass nonetheless. Kudos to Clinton Jones ‘aka’ Pwnisher on this stylish well put together- and “clean” fan film-
Alpha Team has 4 minutes to get of Helghan! They split up into 2 groups, one upstairs, and one downstairs. While making their way through the trenches, EVAC is shot down, and Alpha Team is forced to make it to safe zone before the air strike hits!
I hope you’re going to have a great Oscar night, and while we may all have our favorites for best picture (True Grit was my favorite, but I think The Social Network and The King’s Speech are also very deserving), this year we have one of the most important issues of our time as the subject of one of the nominees for best documentary.
In Gasland, director Josh Fox travels across America to learn about the effects of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as a method to drill for natural gas. Despite the rhetoric about how clean natural gas is compared to other fossil fuels (kind of like saying it’s the least ugly stepsister), fracking is causing major problems across the US.
One of our favorite local bloggers in Texas, TXSharon, has been documenting these same problems living on top of the Barnett Shale. We don’t have a clip we can embed from Gasland, but I’ll use this as a placeholder:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amqXocVjpJA
Fox’s filmmaking is beautiful, frightening, humorous where possible, wry, and dismally depressing all at the same time. But he educates you on this terrible problem seeping up from the ground, and he makes you a little bit hopeful that we can find ways to get energy that don’t destroy our water supplies. That don’t ruin suburban neighborhoods or productive farmland.
Enjoy the Academy Awards, hopefully surrounded by some good, geeky friends and family. And even if “Exit Through the Gift Shop” wins for best documentary, make sure you see Gasland as soon as possible.
This is cross-posted from my work blog. My day job is working for a consumer advocacy group called Public Citizen in our Austin, TX office – hence my robot name CitizenBot (also my love for Orson Welles). Hope this wan’t too educational- but I’m excited to get to mix work and fun at the same time.
