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SDCC: Fox Presents 'Max Payne' and 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery & Suspense, Fandom, Exhibition, DIY/Filmmaking, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, ComicCon

I'm not exactly sure how a scheduled block of round-table interviews turned into a half-organized two-headed press conference, but that's pretty much how it went down in this particular convention hall room. (Sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm just trying to give you a taste of the chaos that goes on here: Nothing's on time, nobody seems to have the right answers, and a lot of time is simply spent ... waiting. (It's fun AND frustrating!)
But to be fair, it's not every day you sit in a room populated by Mark Wahlberg, Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, and Mila Kunis (among others) -- but there we were! (We, um, weren't allowed to take photos -- at a press conference. Don't ask me.) After much waiting and friendly nerd-banter among patient movie folks, the cast and director of Max Payne walked in to share their thoughts on their upcoming videogame adaptation.
Mr. Wahlberg was quick to note that, while he wasn't much of a game player, he was very excited about playing a kick-ass action hero. Interviewers wanted to know why the actor chose a popcorn movie after The Departed, and one even poked a little fun: "So you won't be running away from the wind in this one?" (A cute quip, but a little classless.) When the questioners focused on director John Moore, he was his typically enthusiastic self, promising fans a gritty good time that delivers the mayhem. And just as the adorable Mila Kunis was about to explain how her character is actually a kick-ass assassin-type...
SDCC Update: 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' Poster!
Filed under: Action, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Images, ComicCon, Posters

Walking around Preview Night here at San Diego Comic Con and, well, we kinda stumbled upon this poster (click image to enlarge) for X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The film wasn't supposed to have a major presence here at Con, so it's nice to at least see a poster for the flick, which hits theaters on May 1, 2009. We'll have a whole bunch of photos for you from Preview Night here at Con in just a little bit -- in the meantime, what do you think about this poster? Does it get you excited for the film? Starring Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber and Danny Huston, X-Men Origins: Wolverine will claw its way into theaters next summer.
For complete coverage of the 2008 San Diego International Comic Con, check out the official Cinematical Comic Con Hub.
Film Blog Group Hug: The 'Twilight' Edition
Filed under: Casting, Fandom, Exhibition, Newsstand, Movie Marketing
Boy, you miss a few weeks work to move 2,000 miles, and you fall behind on all kinds of things going on in the world of Twilight. All you Twilighters have, no doubt, been keeping up to speed with everything that's been going on out there -- you're making plans to attend Breaking Dawn parties, planning what you're going to wear, entering giveaway contests, and getting your Twilight-inspired costumes put together (who knew there were so many varieties of vampire fangs out there?).
I know, you have it much more together than I do on all the Twilight madness, but hey, I've been on the road with four kids, a dog and a cat all crammed into a 1998 Ford Windstar, moving back to Seattle, so I'm just now getting around to catching up. So here's a rundown of all-things Twilight for you -- in case you, like me, have been having a busy summer.
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly Go Unscripted
Filed under: Fandom, Movie Marketing, Unscripted, Trailers and Clips
It's finally time for Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly to bunk together in Step Brothers, which means it is time for another edition of Moviefone's Unscripted -- questions from the readers and questions off the top of their heads all mixed into one! Above you can check out an exclusive clip, which you won't see in the Moviefone segment, where Ferrell discusses Anchorman 2. After that, head over to Moviefone and spend a few minutes with the funny men. They chide Moviefone for the title of this series, and then they discuss focusing the hate, little baby ham hands, and one heck of an awesome shot-by-shot remake idea they had. When you hear what it is, remember the movie's shower scene and imagine the possible sexiness.
Step Brothers opens this Friday.
EXCLUSIVE: 'Lakeview Terrace' Poster Premiere
Filed under: Thrillers, Movie Marketing, Posters
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Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Lakeview Terrace, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington, and Patrick Wilson. Oh, the watchful eye of Jackson. This time around, he plays one of the creepiest types of bad guys -- a cop who can't be stopped. While a neighborhood like Lakeview Terrace sounds great and all, it becomes anything but when an interracial couple (Washington and Wilson) move next door to Jackson's racist cop. The man in blue starts off subtly -- an annoying light here, an awkward scare there, and then goes into full-on creepy neighbor to get the couple to hit the road. But Wilson will have none of that and crazily decides to take on the imbalanced cop.
Lakeview Terrace will hit theaters on September 19.
Cinematical's Comic-Con Preview!
Filed under: Festival Reports, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, ComicCon
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In less than 24 hours, myself, Scott Weinberg and Elisabeth Rappe will be in San Diego, overdosing on all things geek for the next five days. That's because the 2008 San Diego Comic Con is upon us, and there are literally hundreds of different things to do. We'll be sitting on panels (catch yours truly on the Masters of the Web panel), attending panels, interviewing stars, hanging with Storm Troopers, playing with cool toys, going to screenings (Fanboys, Tropic Thunder, Mutant Chronicles, etc ...) and, well, getting our dance on at some of the coolest parties this side of the galaxy. It's intense. We're excited. And if you're not able to attend, then you best be checking out Cinematical all day long later this week as we'll be shoveling out tons and tons of content.
And speaking of content, here's a taste of what you can expect from your pals at Cinematical:
Panel Coverage:
Masters of the Web
When: Thursday, July 24th -- 10am.
Who: Robert Sanchez (IESB.net), Garth Franklin (Darkhorizons.com), Mike Sampson (Joblo.com), Erik Davis (Cinematical.com), John Campea (TheMovieBlog.com), Brad Miska (Bloody-Disgusting.com), Eric "Quint" Vespe (Aintitcool.com), Devin Faraci (CHUD.com), Paul Christensen (Movieweb.com), and Kellvin Chavez (Latinoreview.com). Moderated by directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank 2, The Game). Room 32AB
Watchmen
When: Friday, July 25th -- 11:55am
Who: Zack Snyder, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson
Much, much more after the jump ...
SDCC Exclusive: 'Bitch Slap' Poster and Photos
Filed under: Action, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Movie Marketing, Images, ComicCon, Posters
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Love it! Cinematical just received this poster and a whole slew of photos from the upcoming flick Bitch Slap, which will definitely have a presence at this week's San Diego Comic Con. Described as "a post-modern, thinking man's throwback to the "B" Movie/Exploitation films of the 1950's - 70's as well as a loving, sly parody of the same," Bitch Slap stars folks like Kevin Sorbo, Michael Hurst, Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor, as well as Julia Voth, America Olivo and Erin Cummings.
Bitch Slap was inspired by films like Dragstrip Girls, Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill and Kung Fu Nun, and a cool fun fact is that the very awesome Zoe Bell (Kill Bill 1 & 2, Grindhouse) did all the stunt work on the film. Check out the flick's official website for more information and a trailer, and definitely check out the totally rad photos in the gallery below with the synopsis after the jump. (Warning: Lots of cleavage in below gallery. Might be NSFW.) All three of the main girls will be at The Con along with the filmmakers, so we'll try to get you some more sweetness later this week.
Who's ready to get slapped?
More 'Dragonball' Updates
Filed under: Action, 20th Century Fox, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Posters
Well, if you aren't used to seeing Justin Chatwin as the beloved hero Goku in the big- screen remake of Dragonball Z, then feast your eyes on the Japanese poster for the anime update (courtesy of DBthemovie.com). Once again, good old Goku and his Dragonball are front and center with no one else in sight -- would it have killed Fox to give fans a peek at some of the other characters?Dragonball is based on the classic manga about a warrior named Goku (Chatwin) sworn to protect mystical orbs known as dragonballs from an evil warlord named Piccolo (played by James Marsters). I know there is a lot more to the story, but considering all the changes that have been promised, it would probably be best if fans don't get too caught up in the details.
Just last week, Marsters told the Japanese magazine Jump Square, "Definitely the story of this movie is different from the original. But it's a necessary change because we need to condense the long story of the original for a movie, for example, some characters in the original don't appear in the movie. And we try to give it a more gritty and graphic feeling."
Strange New Photos from 'Crank 2: High Voltage'
Filed under: Action, Lionsgate Films, Movie Marketing, Remakes and Sequels, Images
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You know, I've seen a lot of 'behind the scenes' photographs over the years, but these latest from Crank 2: High Voltage win the "what the heck is going on here?" award, hands down. The LA Times is now hosting 19 new images from the set of the follow-up to the 2006 action film. In fact, I have to be honest with you: I can't for the life of me figure out why directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor would need a giant foam head of Jason Statham -- but now that it has my interest piqued, it had better be good.
This time around, our favorite hit man Chev Chelios (Statham) has to chase down a Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a bum ticker. But that's not all: on top of everything else, Chev has to keep his heart running on jolts of electricity (where's James Bond's dashboard defibrillator when you need it?). Joining in on the fun are Amy Smart (who we saw on set a few months ago in a 'questionable' costume), Dwight Yoakum, Bai Ling, and a cameo from '80s cautionary tale, Corey Haim (and for his sake I hope things went better on the set here than they did on Lost Boys 2).
Crank 2: High Voltage is expected arrive in theaters in 2009 -- maybe by then we'll know what all those big foam heads were about.
Harvey Weinstein Explains Why He Dumps Movies
Filed under: Animation, Drama, Exhibition, The Weinstein Co., Home Entertainment, Movie Marketing, Cinematical Indie
If Harvey Weinstein didn't exist, someone would have to invent him. One week his garbage gets recycled into source material for The Village Voice, the next he and his brother Bob cut a 95-film, multi-year deal with Showtime and resurrect Scream. And then he gives a wide-ranging interview with The Hollywood Reporter which includes his explanation for why The Weinstein Co. created Third Rail Relasing, a new distribution label. Is it to showcase undiscovered independent gems? Introduce the world to global filmmaking talent?
No, it's for dumping the garbage. He told THR: "We should have had Third Rail two years ago, t's a good way of differentiating between what we really believe in, and what has been for ancillary value."
Third Rail recently released Death Defying Acts, with Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones, admittedly only to fulfill a contractual obligation. Other barely there releases this year include music doc Lou Reed's Berlin, Hong Kong action flick Flash Point, and Aussic croc thriller Rogue. (I really liked the latter two, by the way.) The widest release (48 theaters, per Box Office Mojo) was George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead, which made just under one million dollars. But I guess Harvey didn't "really believe" in any of them.








