Category: Movies

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may have left critics cold, but that didn’t stop a lot of other people from shelling out for a ticket. Enough people did so, in fact, that Paramount dated a sequel before the first film’s opening weekend was done. And now it seems they’ve found the guy to steer that ship.

According to a new report, Earth to Echo helmer Dave Green is looking to helm Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2. Screenwriters Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec, who penned the last movie, will write and executive produce. More about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 director after the jump.

TheWrap reported Green is currently in early talks for the gig. If Green closes his deal he’ll be taking over for Jonathan Liebesman, who directed the last film.

Though filmmakers have teased the possibility of bringing in classic baddies like Krang, Casey Jones, and Bebop and Rocksteady, no plot details have been revealed at this point. But we can reasonably expect all four reptilian heroes (Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello) to return, and probably April O’Neil (Megan Fox) and Vernon Fenwick (Will Arnett) as well.

Green made his feature directing debut this summer with Earth to Echo, an ET-esque adventure about a bunch of kids who encounter an alien. It got mixed reviews but performed solidly at the box office, earning $45 million on a $15 million production budget. Also on his to-do list is Lore, a Warner Bros. comic book adaptation starring Dwayne Johnson. (Not to be that Warner Bros. comic book adaptation starring Dwayne Johnson.)

The last Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a flop with critics, earning a paltry 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was a tonal mess — too grown-up for kids but too kiddie for grown-ups — and bizarrely prioritized April over the Turtles. Nevertheless, it was a definite commercial hit, raking in $477 million worldwide.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 will land in theaters June 3, 2016.

The post ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2′ to Be Directed By ‘Earth to Echo’ Helmer Dave Green appeared first on /Film.

Powered by WPeMatico

Page 2 is a compilation of stories and news tidbits, which for whatever reason, didn’t make the front page of /Film. After the jump we’ve included 36 different items, fun images, videos, casting tidbits, articles of interest and more. It’s like a mystery grab bag of movie web related goodness.

Header Photo: Daisy Ridley custom action figure and jetbike

Top 10 Movie Spin-offs of All Time

Women directed a third of the Sundance 2015 competition films

Outlaws t-shirt

Ten Really Good Things in Film Biz 2014

There’s No Canonical Reason Stormtroopers Can’t Be Black

Akira inspired Star Wars: The Force Awakens art by Laurie Greasley

Happy Birthday, SMS! Best Text Messages in TV and Film

30 Great Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix Streaming Right Now

Birdman art by Kitty Rouge

Create your ideal James Bond film with this cast generator

How are Samurai Films Responsible for Star Wars?!?

Best Of 2014: 20 Breakthrough Performances

Movie theater creates Smaug replica

6 Reasons There’s a Black Stormtrooper in STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS Trailer

Someone Used Lines From ‘Breaking Bad’ To Make The Ultimate Rap Song

9 Holiday TV Movies So Bad You Just Have to Watch Them

Continue Reading Page 2 >>

The post Page 2: Star Wars, Akira, Birdman, Breaking Bad, Michael Bay, David Lynch, Commando, Hunger Games, LEGO, Harry Potter appeared first on /Film.

Powered by WPeMatico

The Sundance Film Festival is rolling out announcements quick for the 2015 festival. We just got the first wave of programming yesterday, and the fest has already come out with a giant second wave of announcements.

This time, we’ve got the Spotlight program, which is a set of films that have played other festivals that Sundance wants to give more time to, including ’71, The Tribe, and White God. Then there’s the Midnight program, which features Knock Knock, from director Eli Roth and star Keanu Reeves, and Room 237 director Rodney Ascher‘s new film Nightmare, about sleep paralysis. The program also has The Hallow, from the director just set to helm The Crow remake, and It Follows, which is a great slow burn of suspense.

Finally, there’s the New Frontier program, featuring some of the more out-there films in the fest. (And consequently the ones that I’ll personally be excited to see.) Check out the new wave of Sundance announcements below.

SPOTLIGHT

6 Desires: DH Lawrence and Sardinia / United Kingdom, Italy (Director: Mark Cousins) — In winter 1921, DH Lawrence and his wife journeyed to Sardinia, and he chronicled their experiences in Sea and Sardinia. Now, Mark Cousins retraces Lawrence’s footsteps. The film is conceived partly as a letter to Lawrence — or “Bert” — a detail that’s typical of the film’s inviting sense of conversational intimacy. International Premiere

’71 / United Kingdom (Director: Yann Demange, Screenwriter: Gregory Burke) — ‘71 takes place over a single night in the life of a young British soldier accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. Unable to tell friend from foe, he must survive the night alone and find his way to safety. Cast: Jack O’Connell, Paul Anderson, Richard Dormer, Sean Harris, Barry Keoghan, Martin McCann.

Aloft / Spain, France, Canada (Director and screenwriter: Claudia Llosa) — Aloft tells the story of a struggling mother, Nana, and her evolution to becoming a renowned healer. When a young artist tracks down Nana’s son 20 years after she abandoned him, she sets in motion an encounter between the two that will bring the meaning of their lives into question. Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Cillian Murphy, Mélanie Laurent, William Shimell. North American Premiere

Eden / France (Director: Mia Hansen-Løve, Screenwriters: Mia Hansen-Løve, Sven Hansen-Løve) — Mia Hansen-Løve’s electronic-dance-music epic follows the rise and fall of a DJ (based on her brother, Sven, a contemporary of Daft Punk) who gets into the rave scene in 1994 and spends the next 20 years navigating the French club scene. Cast: Félix de Givry, Pauline Etienne, Greta Gerwig, Brady Corbet, Arsinee Khanjian, Vincent Macaigne.

Girlhood / France (Director and screenwriter: Céline Sciamma) — Oppressed by her family, dead-end school prospects, and the boys law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of free-spirited girls. She changes her name and dress, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping to find a way to freedom. Cast: Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Mariétou Touré, Idrissa Diabaté, Simina Soumaré.

The Tribe / Ukraine (Director and screenwriter: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy) — Set at a Ukrainian boarding school for the deaf, the film’s narrative unfolds purely through sign language without the need for employing subtitles or voiceover, resulting in a unique, never-before-seen cinematic experience that engages the audience on a new level. Cast: Grigoriy Fesenko, Yana Novikova, Rosa Babiy, Alexander Dsiadevich.

Wild Tales / Argentina, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Damián Szifrón) — Inequality, injustice, and the demands of the world cause stress and depression for many people. Some of them, however, explode. This is a movie about those people. Vulnerable in the face of an unpredictable reality, the characters of Wild Tales cross the thin line dividing civilization and barbarism. Cast: Ricardo Darín, Julieta Zyberberg, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Darío Grandinetti, Erica Rivas, Oscar Martínez.

PARK CITY AT MIDNIGHT

Cop Car / U.S.A. (Director: Jon Watts, Screenwriters: Christopher D. Ford, Jon Watts) — Two 10-year-old boys steal an abandoned cop car. Cast: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim. World Premiere

The Hallow / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Corin Hardy, Screenwriters: Corin Hardy, Felipe Marino) — When a London-based conservationist is sent to Ireland to survey an area of ancient forest believed by the superstitious locals to be hallowed ground, he unwittingly disturbs a horde of terrifying beings and must fight to protect his family. Cast: Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, Michael Smiley. World Premiere

Hellions / Canada (Director: Bruce McDonald, Screenwriter: Pascal Trottier) — Teenage Dora Vogel must survive a Halloween night from hell when malevolent trick-or-treaters come knocking at her door. Cast: Chloe Rose, Robert Patrick, Rossif Sutherland, Rachel Wilson, Peter DaCunha, Luke Bilyk. World Premiere

It Follows / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Robert Mitchell) — After a strange sexual encounter, a teenager finds herself haunted by nightmarish visions and the inescapable sense that something is after her.Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe.

Knock Knock / U.S.A. (Director: Eli Roth, Screenwriters: Eli Roth, Nicolas Lopez, Guillermo Amoedo) — Two beautiful young girls walk into a married man’s life and turn a wild fantasy into his worst nightmare. Cast: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana De Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, Colleen Camp. World Premiere

The Nightmare / U.S.A. (Director: Rodney Ascher) — A documentary-horror film exploring the phenomenon of sleep paralysis through the eyes of eight people. They (and a surprisingly large number of others) often find themselves trapped between the sleeping and awake realms, unable to move but aware of their surroundings while subject to disturbing sights and sounds. World Premiere

Reversal / U.S.A. (Director: J.M Cravioto, Screenwriters: Rock Shaink, Keith Kjornes) — A gritty psychological thriller about a young woman chained in a basement of a sexual predator and manages to escape. However, right when she has a chance for freedom, she unravels a hard truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor. Cast: Tina Ivlev, Richard Tyson, Bianca Malinowski. World Premiere

Turbo Kid / Canada, New Zealand (Directors: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell, Screenwriters: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell) — In a post-apocalyptic future, The Kid, an orphaned outcast, meets a mysterious girl. They become friends until Zeus, the sadistic leader of the Wasteland, kidnaps her. The Kid must face his fears, and journey to rid the Wasteland of evil and save the girl. Cast: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Aaron Jeffery, Edwin Wright. World Premiere

NEW FRONTIER FILMS

The Forbidden Room / Canada (Directors: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Screenwriters: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Robert Kotyk) — A submarine crew, a feared pack of forest bandits, a famous surgeon, and a battalion of child soldiers all get more than they bargained for as they wend their way toward progressive ideas on life and love. Cast: Geraldine Chaplin, Caroline Dhavernas, Roy Dupuis, Udo Kier, Charlotte Rampling, Karine Vanasse.World Premiere

Liveforever / Colombia, Mexico (Director: Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters: Alberto Ferreras, Alonso Torres, Carlos Moreno) ­— Driven by the music and dancing she finds along the way, a teenager leaves home willing to try anything her provocative and tolerant city has to offer, even if she burns out in the process. Inspired by the best-selling novel “Que viva la música” by Andres Caicedo. Cast: Paulina Davila, Alejandra Avila, Luis Arrieta, Juan Pablo Barragan, Nelson Camayo, Christian Tappan. World Premiere

The Royal Road / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jenni Olson) — This cinematic essay, a defense of remembering, offers up a primer on the Spanish colonization of California and the Mexican American War alongside intimate reflections on nostalgia, butch identity and Alfred Hitchcock’sVertigo — all against a contemplative backdrop of 16mm urban California landscapes. Cast: Jenni Olson, Tony Kushner. World Premiere 

Sam Klemke’s Time Machine / Australia (Director: Matthew Bate) — Sam Klemke has filmed and narrated 50 years of his life, creating a strange and intimate portrait of what it means to be human. World Premiere

Station to Station / U.S.A. (Director: Doug Aitken) — Station to Station is composed of 60 individual one-minute films featuring different artists, musicians, places, and perspectives. This revolutionary feature-length film reveals a larger narrative about modern creativity. World Premiere

Things of the Aimless Wanderer / Rwanda, United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Kivu Ruhorahoza) — A white man meets a black girl, then she disappears. The white man tries to understand what happened to her while also trying to finish a travelogue. Things of the Aimless Wanderer is a film about the sensitive topic of relations between “locals” and Westerners, about paranoia, mistrust, and misunderstandings. Cast: Justin Mullikin, Grace Nikuze, Ramadhan Bizimana, Eliane Umuhire, Wesley Ruzibiza, Matt Ray Brown. World Premiere

NEW FRONTIER INSTALLATIONS

1979 Revolution Game 
Artists: Navid Khonsari, Vassiliki Khonsari

1979 Revolution Game presents an innovative approach to non-fiction storytelling. Designed to engage players with an immersive “on the ground” experience of the Iranian Revolution, the game integrates an emotionally impactful narrative with interactive moral choices and intuitive touchscreen gameplay while remaining true to history. 

Assent
Artist: Oscar Raby

This immersive documentary uses virtual reality technology to put the user in the footsteps of Director Oscar Raby’s father, who in 1973 was a 22-year-old army officer stationed in the north of Chile, on the day when the Caravan of Death came to his regiment.

Birdly
Artist: Max Rheiner

Flying is one of the oldest dreams of humankind. Birdly is an experiment to capture this dream, to simulate the experience of being a bird from a first-person perspective. This embodiment is conducted through a full-body virtual reality setup.

Dérive
Artist: François Quévillon

This interactive installation uses the audience’s body motions and positions to explore 3-D reconstructions of urban and natural spaces that are transformed according to live environmental data, including meteorological and astronomical phenomena.

Evolution of Verse
Artist: Chris Milk

Chris Milk, working with visual effects powerhouse Digital Domain and virtual reality production company VRSE.works, has created this photo-realistic CGI-rendered 3-D virtual reality film that takes the viewer on a journey from beginning to new beginning.

Kaiju Fury!
Artist: Ian Hunter

A dark energy experiment leads to a devastating attack by monstrous Kaiju, and you are standing at ground zero — all in 360-degree, stereoscopic 3-D cinematic virtual reality. You will “be there” as the beasts lay waste to a crumbling city and humanity makes its last stand. Cast: Susie Abromeit, Bill Lippincott, Daniel Martin, Brian Dodge, Vincient Chiantelli.

Paradise
Artist: Pleix

Paradise is certainly not paradisiacal if you look at it through our eyes. But neither is it totally devoid of humor, melancholy and absurdity. Perhaps it is first and foremost life as it is, and then a touch exaggerated in the digital overdrive.

Perspective; Chapter I: The Party
Artists: Rose Troche, Morris May

A young college woman attends a party with the intention of shedding her “shy girl” persona. At the same party, a young man is after a similar reinvention. They meet, drink, and misinterpreted signals turn into things that cannot be undone. Virtual reality simulators let viewers experience both characters. Cast: Tabitha Morella, Caleb Thomas, Zachary Zagoria, Anna Grace Barlow.

Possibilia
Artists: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

Possibilia is a multi-layered narrative experience from acclaimed directing duo the Daniels. The story of two quarreling lovers splits exponentially into more and more possible worlds as their relationship unravels. Cast: Alex Karpovsky, Zoe Jarman.

Project Syria
Artist: Nonny de la Peña

More than one million children have fled Syria and news reports indicate children are being specifically targeted in the violence. By combining pioneering virtual reality technologies with audio and video captured during a real event, audiences feel transported to the powerful scene, becoming witnesses as the intense tragedy unfolds.

The VR works of Felix & Paul
Artists: Félix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël

Felix & Paul’s groundbreaking live-action virtual reality experiences range from independent documentary to fictional work with major Hollywood studios and stars. These experiences let viewers sit in the room with musicians making music, roam the Mongolian plains with yak herders, and experience an encounter with the afterlife.

Way to Go
Artist: Vincent Morisset

It is a walk in the woods. It is an astonishing online and virtual reality interactive experience, a restless panorama, a mixture of hand-made animation, 360-degree video capture, music, dreaming, and code; but mostly it is a walk in the woods, c’mon!

Zero Point
Artist: Danfung Dennis

Zero Point, a 3-D and 360-degree documentary for the Oculus Rift headset, creates an entirely new digital dimension. From combat training simulations to research labs at Stanford to indie game developers and hackers, this immersive experience highlights the future of virtual reality.

The post Sundance Film Festival 2015 Midnight Slate Features Eli Roth, Rodney Ascher, and ‘It Follows’ appeared first on /Film.

Powered by WPeMatico

An adaptation of the profane, funny and strange Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon comic book series Preacher never got off the ground as a film, but the TV series adaptation is steadily moving forward. Developed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (This is the End, The Interview), the series now has a pilot order. AMC made the deal for a Preacher pilot, scripted by Rogen and Goldberg.

That means we’ll soon hear casting choices for the characters, likely beginning with Jesse Custer, the preacher of the title who is imbued with the power of Godly persuasion… and wants to confront God as a result.

Variety had the news first, and the show’s official Twitter account echoed it shortly afterward:

#AMC officially orders a Pilot episode of #Preacher ! http://t.co/bKW6PUEEAM Coming from the minds of @Sethrogen and @evandgoldberg

— Preacher AMC (@Preacher_AMC) December 4, 2014

Neal Moritz’s company Original Film is producing, with Rogen, Goldberg and Moritz as exec producers working with showrunner Sam Catlin. Rogen and Goldberg will likely direct the pilot when it shoots in summer 2015. The earliest we’ll likely see the pilot is 2016.

The pair said,

’Preacher’ has been our favorite comic since it first came out. Garth Ennis is one of our idols and it’s an incredible honor to be working on this. We promise we won’t make too many dick jokes and ruin it.

When AMC announced the development of the show, the network released this synopsis:

Preacher follows Reverend Jesse Custer, a tough Texas preacher who has lost his faith, has learned that God has left Heaven and abandoned His responsibilities. He finds himself the only person capable of tracking God down, demanding answers, and making Him answer for His dereliction of duty. Accompanying Jesse on his journey is his former girlfriend and a friendly vampire who seems to prefer a pint in the pub to the blood of the innocent. On his tail is one of the most iconic bad guys in print – an immortal, unstoppable killing machine named the Saint of Killers – a western lone gunman archetype whose sole purpose is to hunt and kill Jesse.

The post AMC Orders ‘Preacher’ Pilot appeared first on /Film.

Powered by WPeMatico

Could Frank Miller be doing another Batman comic book series. Want to hear Chadwick Boseman talking about Black Panther? Who is Judy Greer playing in Ant-Man? What did David Ayer say about the cast of Suicide Squad? How is The Thing going to move in Fantastic Four? Where can ladies buy some incredibly amazing Guardians of the Galaxy clothing? Read about all this and more in today’s Superhero Bits.

Variety has a story on a new wave of Guardians of the Galaxy tied to the Blu-ray release.

There’s a new controversy surrounding Batwoman according to IO9.

Variety got Chadwick Boseman to talk about Black Panther with Logan Lerman.

The Sony hack did contain some information about the Amazing Spider-Man.

Here’s Matt Nable as Ra’s al Ghul and Katrina Law as Nyssa al Ghul in Arrow via SHH.

Images of Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron were posted online, but then deleted.

Ultron will appear on the show Marvel: Disc Wars. Watch a clip, via Comic Book Movie.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and The Flash both got ratings bumps this week.

Continue Reading Superhero Bits >>

Due to the amount of graphics and images included in Superhero Bits, we have to split this post over THREE pages. Click the link above to continue to the second page of Superhero Bits.

The post Superhero Bits: Fantastic Four, Ant-Man, Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad appeared first on /Film.

Powered by WPeMatico

Not only is Beca back for Pitch Perfect 2, so is her signature plastic cup. Also after the jump:

• Felicity Jones will join Tom Hanks in Inferno
• Mel Brooks signs on for Hotel Transylvania 2
• Stephen Hawking would like to be a Bond baddie
• The Paranormal Activity franchise is going 3D
• The Wanted 2 script is still being written
• The Rocky spinoff Creed is looking for extras
• Silent Night, Bloody Night 2 is in the works
• Tom Cruise has a close call while shooting M:I 5

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 actress Felicity Jones has booked another franchise. She’s set to join Tom Hanks in Inferno, the third installment in Ron Howard’s series of films based on Dan Brown’s books.

The latest film will have Harvard symbologist Henry Langdon (Hanks) waking up with amnesia in an Italian hospital. Jones will play a doctor who helps him recover his memory. The two then team up to stop a plague connected to Dante’s Inferno. [Deadline]

In Hotel Transylvania, Adam Sandler voiced the vampire dad to a teenage daughter (Selena Gomez). In Hotel Transylvania 2, he’ll be dealing with some daddy issues of his own. Mel Brooks has just been cast as Vlad, the estranged father of Sandler’s Dracula.

The sequel has Vlad, a cranky “old school” type, coming to town after a mix-up. His arrival sends everyone’s life into disarray, most of all Dracula’s. “He doesn’t treat Dracula with a lot of respect and they’re often at odds. It makes for some wonderful comedy,” said Brooks. Check out new pics from the animated sequel below.

[USA Today]

Stephen Hawking has been in entertainment news a lot lately thanks to The Theory of Everything, a biopic in which he is played by Eddie Redmayne. But it sounds like Hawking wouldn’t mind grabbing a little screen time of his own.

“My ideal role would be a baddie in James Bond,” revealed the famed astrophysicist. “I think the wheelchair and the computer voice would fit the part.” We can’t say we disagree, though he’s probably a little late for Bond 24. Good thing there’s always Bond 25. [THR]

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension will go where no Paranormal Activity movie has ever gone before. And no, we’re not talking about the “ghost dimension, whatever that is. What we mean is that the fifth Paranormal Activity film will be released in post-converted 3D — a first for the series.

3D seems somewhat contrary to the usual found-footage aesthetic, but we’ll see how it pans out. Greg Plotkin is directing the next entry in the horror franchise from a script by Jason Pagan and Andrew Stark. Paramount Pictures is reportedly fast-tracking the film for release on March 13, 2015. [Bloody Disgusting]

A lot will have changed for the Bellas in Pitch Perfect 2, but Beca’s affection for “Cups” apparently isn’t one of them. The latest Pitch Perfect 2 poster has Anna Kendrick front and center, in the middle of performing her signature tune.

[MTV UK]

Wanted 2 entered development before Wanted even hit theaters, but six years later it’s still in development. However, producer Marc Platt insists it isn’t stuck there — the script is still moving forward.

We have a script that’s getting pretty good. To do a sequel when it wasn’t really set up for a sequel – one of our main characters dies in it. You don’t want to just retread a similar story, but when we get the script to a certain bar, there will be a sequel. It’s taken a while because it’s challenging, as I said, because we lost a main, main character, so where that James McAvoy character goes now… we have good ideas though. It’s coming along.

As for Mark Millar, who created the original Wanted comic book, Platt says he is “involved” in some capacity.

He’s always going to be involved but he’s not going to write the screenplay which is far along, as I said, but he’s always going to be involved because the tone he puts forth is so much his tone and I think the film captured that dark humor of his really well.

Last we heard, the sequel was going to have McAvoy’s Wesley bringing in a new female recruit, but it’s unclear if that’s still the plan. [Coming Soon]

Creed is coming to Rocky’s hometown. The Ryan Coogler-directed spinoff is slated to start shooting in January, and the hunt is already on for extras in the Philadelphia area. More specific details can be found on Facebook.

Michael B. Jordan leads the new movie as the grandson of Apollo Creed, the boxer played by Carl Weathers in earlier Rocky movies. Determined to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps, the young Creed convinces Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to train him in the ring. [On Location Vacations]

Silent Night, Bloody Night is getting a sequel, four decades after the original hit theaters. Retrosploitation has announced that Silent Night, Bloody Night 2: Revival will shoot this month, with Jennifer Runyon (To All a Good Night) already booked in a supporting role.

This won’t be the first attempt to bring back the 1974 classic. A remake called Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming was released last year but barely got any attention. [Facebook via Dread Central]

Tom Cruise doesn’t mind a little danger, as evidenced by the fact that he does a lot of his own crazy stunts. Still, he probably wasn’t expecting to find himself in peril off of the Mission: Impossible 5 set.

A new video shows Cruise nearly getting hit by a bus while shooting the action-packed sequel in London. He doesn’t actually get injured, or you’d have heard about it already, but it looks like a pretty close call nonetheless.

Let this serve as a PSA to all Americans heading to England, famous or not: traffic goes the other way over there. [THR]

The post Sequel Bits: ‘Mission: Impossible 5′, ‘Pitch Perfect 2′, ‘Paranormal Activity 5′, ‘Inferno’, ‘Creed’ appeared first on /Film.

Powered by WPeMatico

Chris Rock is back in full force right now. His new movie, Top Five, which he wrote, directed, and stars in, opens in a couple weeks. And he also wrote an incredible essay for THR on what it’s like to be black in the Hollywood system. Read that link, then come back here to watch the Top Five red-band trailer. This edit has a lot of cursing and a great scene with Kevin Hart alluded to in the essay, but it doesn’t give away the movie’s funniest scene. (Be thankful for that, as the funniest bit is also one of the more unexpected moments.)

Top Five also stars Rosario Dawson, J.B. Smoove, Gabrielle Union, Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd, Jay Pharoah, Anders Holm, and Michael Che.

Top Five opens on December 12. Trailer via Clevver Movies.

Pulsing with the rhythm of his greatest stand-up, Chris Rock’s TOP FIVE takes things to the next level, reveling in the high and the low, and blending a star-studded comedic romp with an irresistible romance. TOP FIVE digs under the surface of show business, politics, rap, and the exigencies of being black and famous today—holding it all up to the light in the way only Chris Rock can. Mingling echoes of Woody Allen and Dick Gregory with the energy of Kanye West and Jay Z, TOP FIVE is an original and radically new kind of American movie. Written, directed by, and starring Chris Rock, TOP FIVE tells the story of New York City comedian-turned-film star Andre Allen, whose unexpected encounter with a journalist (Rosario Dawson) forces him to confront the comedy career—and the past—that he’s left behind.

The post ‘Top Five’ Red Band Trailer: The Chris Rock Comedy, Uncensored appeared first on /Film.

Powered by WPeMatico

Page 2 is a compilation of stories and news tidbits, which for whatever reason, didn’t make the front page of /Film. After the jump we’ve included 36 different items, fun images, videos, casting tidbits, articles of interest and more. It’s like a mystery grab bag of movie web related goodness.

Header Photo: Bad Robot

The Playlist’s 15 Best Film Scores Of 2014

I Love Remakes, Reboots, Sequels And Prequels

These Studio Ghibli Shoes Are Loaded With Characters

Variety Announces 10 Directors to Watch for 2015

Why Jackie Chan movies are so much fun to watch

NECA’s Ripley and Dallas action figures available for preorder

Stop overthinking the ‘Star Wars’ trailer

5 Surprising Things You Learn Designing Movie Monsters

Explore Inside Endurance from ‘Interstellar‘ on New Interactive Site

Mr. Skin’s Top Nude Scenes Of 2014 And Worst Puns

Wes Anderson Presents: Star Wars Force Awakens Trailer

Just How Excited Should We Let Ourselves Be About the New ‘Star Wars‘?

Do You Wear Movie T-shirts? You’ll Definitely Want Some of These

The 35 Greatest Murder Mystery Movies Ever Made

‘Jurassic World’ Parody Trailer Suggests It Might Be the Same Movie as ‘Jurassic Park’

The 25 Best, Recent Netflix Movie Releases (Films Released In the Last 2 Years)

Continue Reading Page 2 >>

The post Page 2: Star Wars, Studio Ghibli, Alien, Interstellar, Wes Anderson, Jurassic World, Transformers, Hobbit, Inside Out, Tron appeared first on /Film.

Powered by WPeMatico

What’s up with these Inhumans and could it have anything to do with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D? How can you get a choose your own adventure Batman comic book? Which actress is the latest rumored to play Supergirl? Want to see the full cast of Powers? Would Rebecca Romijn play Mystique again? Was Christian Bale ever asked to return as Batman? Is Warner Bros. happy with the status of Sandman? And what does Mark Hamill have to do with Spider-Man? Read about all this and more in today’s Superhero Bits.

A new version of the Batman: Arkham Origins graphic novel will be a choose your own adventure read. Read more on Hollywood Reporter.

A man who passed away due to cancer wrote a touching obituary where he admitted to being Spider-Man.

Entertainment Weekly posted the first images of the cast of Powers, including Michelle Forbes as Retro Girl.

Badass Digest has some interesting, albeit very spoilery, details about some other villains who may pop up in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

The producers of Arrow and The Flash talk about this week’s crossover.

Speaking to Esquire, Christian Bale said he never talked to anyone about reprising his role as Batman after The Dark Knight Rises.

Comic Book revealed that Marvel is doing a 50th anniversary Inhumans variant cover for Uncanny Avengers #1.

IO9 has a very, very interesting interpretation of that cover, linking it to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Continue Reading Superhero Bits >>

Due to the amount of graphics and images included in Superhero Bits, we have to split this post over THREE pages. Click the link above to continue to the second page of Superhero Bits.

The post Superhero Bits: Supergirl, Batman v Superman, Inhumans, Powers, Sandman, Groot appeared first on /Film.

Powered by WPeMatico

The Wire is coming to HD at last, but perhaps not quite in the form you want. The show was formatted for a 4:3 aspect ratio when originally shot and broadcast, and that’s how it was released on DVD. But for The Wire HD remasters, which will first be available on HBO Go and for digital purchase before eventually appearing on Blu-ray, the show has been formatted for a 16:9 presentation. Note the word “formatted” there rather than “cropped,” as the choice is intentional and important.

Reaction to this news, especially coming so soon after The Simpsons debacle on FXX and the Simpsons World portal, was quick, and very negative. In short, seeing such concessions made to a project like The Wire — a creator-driven, serious drama that originally played to a limited fanbase —  is a sign that the aspect ratio war is basically over, and we’ve lost.

But in the case of The Wire, the situation is more complicated than that. Let the show’s creator David Simon explain.

Here’s some text from the initial release from HBO:

The entire series has been beautifully re-mastered in 16×9 Full-Frame HD from more than 8,000 reels of original 35mm camera negative, allowing for a tighter fit on widescreen TVs and computer/tablet screens. The original negatives were scanned, edited, dust-busted and color-corrected with great care and attention taken to stay true to the look and feel of the original Standard-Definition 4×3 version.

That drew ire incredibly fast. Then Simon weighed in, and his explanation of the complex process made the sitauation, well, more complex.

And over the past several months, looking at some of what the widescreen format offered, three things became entirely clear: First, there were many scenes in which the shot composition is not impaired by the transfer to 16:9, and there are a notable number of scenes that acquire real benefit from playing wide. … But there are other scenes, composed for 4:3, that lose some of their purpose and power, to be sure. … More fundamentally, there were still, upon our review, a good hundred or so scenes in which the widening revealed sync problems with actors who would otherwise have remained offscreen, or even the presence of crew or film equipment.

In short, the series was shot on film, and framed for 4:3, which leaves a fair amount of visual information unused on either side of the negative. That information can now be seen in some of the 16:9 masters. Check out the chart below for a vague representation. For original The Wire negatives, what we saw broadcast would be in the 1:33 television box with rounded edges, but there’s likely exposed information all the way out to the sides of the 1:33 full aperture box.

So opening the frame to 16:9 doesn’t always mean cropping the original 4:3 image down, which is good. (Thought it does sound like some cropping has been done at times.) There’s likely a lot of extra information on the side of the TV Safe frame to use in these remasters.

This process does change the framing of scenes, which might not always be good, as Simon alludes above. It also means that, since the camera and monitors would have been calibrated to show the “TV safe” area, crew and gear were sometimes allowed to be visible outside that frame, which means they have to be cropped out, or in many cases digitally painted out. Simon notes that HBO has done much of the latter.

(This whole process is akin to the reason we used to see the boom mic drop into frame in some full-frame TV presentations of old movies. Those films might have been composed to be projected at 1.85, but shot with full-frame exposure, allowing a clumsy full-frame TV transfer to display information never meant to be projected.)

There’s much more detail on this in Simon’s piece linked above, which you should read in full. David Simon, at least, seems to have made peace with this whole process.

At the last, I’m satisfied what while this new version of The Wire is not, in some specific ways, the film we first made, it has sufficient merit to exist as an alternate version. There are scenes that clearly improve in HD and in the widescreen format. But there are things that are not improved. And even with our best resizing, touchups and maneuver, there are some things that are simply not as good. That’s the inevitability: This new version, after all, exists in an aspect ratio that simply wasn’t intended or serviced by the filmmakers.

The post ‘The Wire’ Remastered in 16:9; David Simon Explains the Changes appeared first on /Film.

Powered by WPeMatico