Kevin Costner Drops Out of Django Unchained

Way to go, Kevin Costner.  I may have been wary of your villain-playing ability at first, but I was starting to actually look forward to seeing you as a sadistic slave trainer in Django Unchained.  I thought you could pull it off.  I believed in you.  And what do you do?  You drop out of the movie.  I’m ashamed.

Django Unchained Casting News

  

In case you’ve been meditating in the Himalayas or something and haven’t heard, Quentin Tarantino is working on a film, a spaghetti Western by the name of Django Unchained.  If you haven’t heard of the original Django, it’s a 1966 spaghetti Western about a badass cowboy named Django who drags a coffin around everywhere.  It’s awesome.  Watch the trailer. Actually, watch the whole goddamn thing.  Anyway, there are only two official Django movies, but there have been tons of unofficial sequels. Now, from what we know so far, Django Unchained doesn’t seem like it will be a sequel to the original so much as it will an homage.  Shadow and Act has reported that the Django in Tarantino’s film will be a freed slave in the Deep South who receives training in the subtle art of ass-kicking from a German bounty hunter, and then decides to use this training to save his wife from an evil plantation owner. Basically, this movie is going to be to slavery-era America what Inglourious Basterds was to World War II.

At this point, Tarantino has already completed the script (which is sure to be awesome), and casting has begun.  So who’s been cast?

The Dark Knight Rises: Marion Cotillard Isn't Playing Talia al Ghul?

Ever since her casting was announced, it’s been thought that Marion Cotillard will be playing Talia al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises.  After all, it makes sense.  Ra’s al Ghul played a large role in Batman Begins, and to have his daughter show up in the final film of the Batman trilogy would be a nice way of wrapping things up.  Of course, Cotillard’s character was officially described as “a Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help a still-grieving Bruce Wayne resume his father’s philanthropic endeavors for Gotham” by the name of Miranda Tate, but everyone just kind of assumed that this was just a cover for Talia.  Cotillard also referred to her role as “a secret”, which we all took to mean “I’m playing Talia al Ghul, bitches!”  It also didn’t help that Cotillard was photographed on set wearing this vaguely exotic ensemble.  Now, in a recent interview, Cotillard has spoken out about her role.  Sort of.

The Dark Knight Rises: Juno Temple Talks About Her Role

When Juno Temple was cast in The Dark Knight Rises some time ago, the word was that she would be playing “a street-smart Gotham girl”.  Not all that much to go on, but it was enough to start up some fan theories.  All kinds of ideas were tossed around – Batgirl, a female Robin, Harley Quinn – but the most popular (and plausible) theory by far was that Temple would be playing Holly Robinson, Catwoman’s teenage prostitute gal-pal. Now, a new interview with Miss Temple has been released, and it seems to point towards the Holly Robinson theory being correct.  

First Teaser Trailer for The Hunger Games Movie via VMAs - How is it? (Plus Director Commentary!)

 EDIT: Oh. Spoiler alert. If you haven't read The Hunger Games already, what are you waiting for! READ!!!

The first official trailer for the new Hunger Games movie adaption was released during the VMAs yesterday. While it doesn't show too much (it is a teaser trailer), it's the first time we've seen footage of the movie. So, how was it?

Ace Attorney Movie News: Cast, Set Photos, and More

It’s official – a live-action Gyakuten Saiban (that is, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney) movie is in the works.  Really.

Rumors about an Ace Attorney movie started about a week ago, when director Takashi Miike spoke of his next film in an interview for The Huffington Post, saying:

"It is a very light comedy that I am filming now, a court drama, based on a video game, the Nintendo game DS."

Aaand of course the fans (myself included) went wild, because, you know, there are only so many Nintendo DS games involving court cases.  Shortly after Takashi Miike’s interview, the film was officially announced, much to my excitement.

So… who’s gonna be in it?  Where are they filming?  What’s the story?  We’ve got answers.  Sort of.

Candy Land Movie = Lord of the Rings + Candy?

Awhile back, it was brought to my attention that a Candy Land movie is being made.  Now, I was already aware of the Battleship movie currently in the works (which I am not at all happy about), but this was still pretty shocking news for me.  I mean, what could possibly be done to make Candy Land into a movie?  It’s a board game.  About candy.  Enough said.  Still, after giving the idea some time to sink in, I calmed down.  After all, I thought, it’ll just be a harmless little movie aimed at small children.  Sure, it’ll probably suck, but who cares?  It’s not like they expect us to take it seriously or anything, right? 

Wrong. 

A few days ago, EW released a statement from Candy Land screenwriters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger which read:

“We envision it as Lord of the Rings, but set in a world of candy.”

Lord of the Rings.  With candy.  Damn these people.  Damn them all to hell.

Anyway, I couldn’t really visualize what Lord of the Rings in a world of candy would look like, so I decided use my incredible Photoshop skills to create some pictures to help me out.  The results are not at all encouraging.

Three Tough Girls Making Their Way From Book to Screen

Whenever I read a book and find out they’re making it into a movie, at first, I’m pretty excited. Once I let the idea digest a bit, I realize how terrified I actually am of the results. The movie industry just doesn’t seem to know what it’s doing when it comes to these types of movies. If they put in everything it would be way too long, I get that. Sometimes certain things don’t transfer so well to the big screen, I get that. But that doesn’t give them any right to totally butcher the excellent storyline and characters.

Now Eragon, it is probably one of the worst movies I have ever seen, even excluding my reader’s point of view all together. Honestly, who can feel okay about a movie that cuts the complete middle half out of a great book in exchange for some CG action sequences? I’m certainly not. Someone needs to shove a book in one of the industries faces. It might do them some good. With The Hunger Games, The Help, and One for the Money (The first in the Stephanie Plum series) movies coming out soon, they better shape up or I’m going to continue to feel sourly disappointed towards the industry when it comes to these kinds of movies.

The Dark Knight Rises Cast Gains a Judge and a Priest

More casting news (again) for The Dark Knight Rises!  Two new actors have been cast, one playing a judge and the other a priest. 

The Dark Knight Rises Gets Three New Cast Members

More news on The Dark Knight Rises – the updates just won’t stop!  As it turns out, casting is not yet complete, despite the fact that filming has already begun.  Specifically, news of three new cast members has just surfaced, though their roles haven’t yet been revealed, once again leaving us fans to speculation.

The Dark Knight Rises: First Official Image of Tom Hardy as Bane

A quick update, but an exciting one: the first official image of Tom Hardy as Bane has been released!  So, what exactly will Bane look like in The Dark Knight Rises? 

Bane as seen in DC Comics.  In case you hadn't noticed, he likes breaking peoples' backs.

The Dark Knight Rises: New Set Photos, Plot Rumors, and Cast Member

More The Dark Knight Rises news, everyone – and this time it’s a bit more substantial.  First, we’ve got some more bright and shiny new photos that have been leaked from the shooting in India, and a supposed eyewitness report of the actual shooting to go with them.  Even more interesting, however, is the news of an unexpected new cast member. 

The Dark Knight Rises: Marion Cotillard Interview and Set Photos

Two new snippets of news about The Dark Knight Rises just came out, and I must say, things are really starting to point towards the Talia al Ghul rumors being true.  What we’ve got here is an interview with Marion Cotillard and some leaked set photos, both of which are actually quite revealing (especially when coupled with the news of the India shoot, and Josh Pence playing a young version of Ra’s al Ghul).

Talia al Ghul will fuck your shit up.

Llama List: The Top Ten Opening Title Sequences

When you watch a movie, do you pay attention to the opening titles?  If you do, then you know I’m right in saying that they can be really awesome.  If you don’t, then you should probably start.  While at times opening titles can seem somewhat tedious and unnecessary, they can also be used as a great tool to both showcase creative techniques and set the tone of the film.  In celebration of this underrated art, I decided to pick my top ten favorite opening title sequences. 

You wish you were this cool.

The Dark Knight Rises to Shoot in... India?

As I’ve previously mentioned, The Dark Knight Rises is filming in Pittsburgh.  Now, however, some new information has come to light: according to The Daily Bhaskar, filming will also take place in Jodhpur, India.  So… what exactly does that mean for the movie?

Hopefully this will happen at some point.  I'm sure they could work it in.

The Dark Knight Rises: Hugo Strange Rumors Revived

Just quick update on a recent rumor that’s been making the rounds:

For some time, one of the more popular ideas about The Dark Knight Rises was that Robin Williams would be playing Dr. Hugo Strange, a creepy-looking bald scientist dude. Then I think the story switched to Tom Hardy playing him or something weird like that. Anyway, these rumors have long since been dismissed as complete bullshit, but now it seems they're back for another round.

Told you he was creepy.

Superhero Movie Predictions: Trailer Deathmatch

As you’ve no doubt noticed, superhero movies are all the rage right now. Studios have also noticed this, and are churning out film after film featuring all sorts of tight-wearing do-gooders, often without bothering to give any consideration to the quality of the film. I, for one, do not wish to pay to see these shitty movies, and I’m guessing I’m not the only one. So, in order to separate the good from the considerably less good, I’m going to watch the trailers for several upcoming superhero films, and guesstimate how much I would like them based on said trailers. Oh, and I’m also going to guess what their Rotten Tomatoes scores will be, mainly so that I can feel all good about myself if I get them right. Although, I’ll probably get them completely wrong, so maybe not…

Status Update: Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Dark Knight Rises

As it turns out, Christopher Nolan has pulled another fast one on us. That’s just how he is, that tricky bastard. But then, I guess that’s why we love him. Anyway, barely a day after I posted my Dark Knight Rises update, I found myself browsing the web, only to discover that Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s roles in the film have both been revealed. Needless to say, they aren’t what anyone expected…

Christopher Nolan planning his next round of mind-fuckery.

Status Update: The Dark Knight Rises Casting News & More

Lately there’s been quite a lot of information flying around the internet about The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan’s third (and seemingly final) Batman movie. Very little news has actually been officially confirmed as of yet, but rumors of all sorts have been making the rounds, so of them stranger than others. Being a huge fan of the Nolan Batman movies (and Nolan movies in general, for that matter), I took it upon myself to do a little research on the film and see what I could find. Anyway, my goal here is to attempt to sort through as much information as I can, hopefully separating fact from rumor as I go (which is easier said than done, I might add).

Justin Bieber and Kim Darby: Seperated at Birth?

I finally got around to watching the original True Grit (1969) last night. It was interesting to see how it compared to the version that came out last year, and is a good movie in its own right. And while I can't say for sure whether I liked the 1969 version or the 2010 version, I do know one thing for sure.

Kim Darby looks exactly like Justin Bieber.