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Another Dazzling, Funky Look at Tron Legacy
16 December 2009 1:07 PM, PST
The original Tron had more than a few fans. This we know for sure. And the new film, Tron Legacy, Disney's CG-amplified sequel to the story that put Jeff Bridges inside the game, looks to have enough cool factor to capture a few more. Our friends at Coming Soon stumbled upon a brand new promotional image for the film, which reminds us of the neon-glowing chaos that is to come from director Joseph Kosinski and crew. Personally, I couldn't be more excited, as Tron is one my guilty pleasures from my youth. And while I was too young to catch the original on the big screen, I have no doubt that this modern day update will at least show us something neat. Tron is due in theaters and IMAX 3D on December 17, 2010. …
- Neil Miller
Hot Tub Time Machine Trailer: Combining Twitter and Viagra!
16 December 2009 12:51 PM, PST
In the beginning, there was something kitschy about the next comedy from Accepted director Steve Pink. Titled Hot Tub Time Machine, the movie follows four friends (John Cusak, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry and Clark Duke) who are transported back to the 80s by a hot tub at a ski resort. Yeah, kitschy, and ripe with potential. After seeing the first trailer -- which MGM debuted on Yahoo earlier today -- I'm convinced that this movie will not only be kitschy and silly, but also uninspired and in many ways downright stupid. This is usually where I would explore some of the alleged humor from the trailer, but I think I will just let you drink it in for yourself below. But know this, there's something terribly unfunny about every moment of this trailer that does not involve Craig Robinson. That does not bode well for the film. Hot Tub Time Machine is in theaters March 19, 2010. …
- Neil Miller
The Lost Generation: A Decade of Teen Movies
16 December 2009 12:31 PM, PST
The best teen movies reflect modern youth culture and alter it—they transform the vernacular, fashion, and the trajectory of the genre itself. They are original and smart (even mid-dick joke). Some are raunchy comedies, some are stark dramas, some defy classification, but all are unflinchingly honest (even mid-dick joke). Though they very seldom win awards, the best teen movies usually compel repeat viewings and somehow seem to intuit the needs and tastes of generations to come. Here are 15 of the decade’s most memorable explorations of all the intrinsic charms and traumas of teendom. Most likely to influence future filmmakers: Brick (2005) Writer-director Rian Johnson overhauled the teen genre, the noir, and blew everyone’s mind by setting this brilliant whodunit in a high school. The dialogue is tight and heavily stylized, borrowing from 1940s hardboiled slang, and the engrossing detective plot is fueled by all of the mean and dirty social politics of high school. Most …
- Amber Humphrey
The 10 Most Memorable Performances of the Decade
16 December 2009 7:57 AM, PST
As a part of Fsr's Decade in Review I've been tasked with coming up a list of the most memorable, landmark performances since 2000. Since I wanted the list to be only 10 performances I had to set out a string of criteria to follow. 1. If the performance happened before 2005, why has it stuck with us? Likewise, if it occured after 2005, why will we remember it? 2. No impersonations -- as good as Jamie Foxx and Jaoquin Pheonix may have been in their biopics, I have to give more credit to original creations here. You may not agree with my logic, and that's fine, but don't expect to see famous celebrity impersonations here. Foxx's performance will never be more memorable than the man himself, so why would it be a defining performance? 3. Academy Awards do not help your chance of being on this list. For example, in ten years we won't remember what movie Renee Zellweger won an Oscar for …
- Josh Radde
Austin Film Critics Agree, The Hurt Locker is Best of ‘09
16 December 2009 7:05 AM, PST
The wonderful group of fine professional film critics and journalists known as the Austin Film Critics Association -- a group that includes the membership of yours truly and Fsr Managing Editor Dr. Cole Abaius -- has announced its award winners for the year 2009. Within said winners are plenty of unsurprising results, including the unanimous support for Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, which took home Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography. We also delivered the Best Actor award to Colin Firth, whose performance in A Single Man seems to have him right in the Oscar hunt with George Clooney (Up in the Air) and Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart). Among the surprises, Mélanie Laurent came out of nowhere to take Best Actress for her role in Inglourious Basterds, with co-star Christoph Waltz winning yet another Best Supporting Actor award (I wonder if he'll win the Oscar...) Two fantastic choices (my votes, for …
- Neil Miller
Weekly DVD Drinking Game: The Hangover
16 December 2009 6:47 AM, PST
We at Fsr love to drink. And we know that many of you love to drink, as well. This shared love has led us to a brand new (though not exactly new) feature here at Fsr: The Weekly DVD Drinking Game. Every week we will chose a DVD release and give you a few simple steps toward drunken stupidity (or cinematic tolerance). This week we're not only giving you one, not two, but three drinking games. Behold, the third in our series... What what? The Hangover is out on DVD and Blu-ray? Do I really need to explain why this movie deserves its own drinking game? And now, to cover our butts… This game is only for people over the age of 21. Please drink responsibly, and don’t drug your new friends with roofies. Take A Drink Whenever…. Someone gets hurt Someone takes a drink Someone talk on the phone The guys figure out a clue from …
- Kevin Carr
The 20 Best Foreign Language Films of the Decade
16 December 2009 5:00 AM, PST
As part of our epic, two week long Decade in Review, master of the Foreign Objects Rob Hunter lays down his picks of the best foreign language films of the decade. I can reel off the best foreign films of the year without pause and feel fairly confident that I haven't missed anything notable, but best of the decade? Adding to the difficulty is the fact that of the thousands of films released each year in other countries very few of them actually ever reach our shores in any official capacity. Then there's the issue of release dates... do I use the year the film was first released or the year it finally reached the Us? There's way too much gray area here, so we're going to simplify things a bit. This is my list of the best foreign language films of the past ten years, and I highlight that ownership because I don't expect it to …
- Rob Hunter
9 Films that Influenced Inglourious Basterds
15 December 2009 2:15 PM, PST
Last night, Universal held a special Blu-ray and DVD launch party for Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds at New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles. The festivities included cast and crew appearances, as well as a screening of the film. But of all the happenings of the night, perhaps the most interesting was before the screening, when Tarantino introduced the cast in attendance and showed several 35mm trailers from his own famous personal collection of films. He explained that these were some of the films that influenced him to make Inglourious Basterds. And since Basterds is one of the favorites films of 2009 around here, I thought I would put together the list of 9 trailers that were shown last night, along with an IMDb link, plot synopsis and trailer (or clip) for each film. It goes without saying that if you loved Inglourious Basterds, these too should be in your Netflix queue: The Dirty Dozen A Major with an …
- Neil Miller
First Inception Poster Revealed via Online Game
15 December 2009 1:01 PM, PST
It's the most mysterious movie since the last time Christopher Nolan made a movie, though at least we knew that one was about Batman. This time he's got Inception, a thriller in which "your mind is the scene of the crime." For the past few months, the film's official website has been nothing but a spinning top, a metaphor for something yet to be revealed. Today, according to several of our readers who emailed in, the top stopped and became a link. Upon following the link, we were taken to a Mind Crimes game in which users create a maze of sorts (We didn't play it, but several readers said that it wasn't very difficult). At the end of the game, the user is rewarded with the following first teaser poster: After only one trailer and with another one on the way, attached to Sherlock Holmes, it is still difficult to have any sense of Nolan's film …
- Neil Miller
2009 at the Movies: The Trailer
15 December 2009 12:05 PM, PST
It is important that we make ourselves ready for the onslaught of video mashups and montages for the year that was 2009, as it's bound to happen. The first comes to us from Justin Niemeyer, who cut together this fast-paced trailer mashup for Hollywood.com. In 150 cuts and just over a minute and a half of runtime, Niemeyer captures the energetic tone of the year's trailers, one that saw plenty of action, plenty of sexiness and plenty of beautiful animation. Try and see how many of your favorite films of 2009 you can spot in the video below. …
- Neil Miller
The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards Nominations
15 December 2009 11:28 AM, PST
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the nominations for The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards, which can be seen below. As you can see, there are several lovely surprises. This includes love for Inglourious Basterds, which earned Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay nods. As well, Avatar received an expected set of nominations from the Hfpa, which were the first members of the press to see and go ga-ga over the film. James Cameron's film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Original Song. The leader in awards nominations was Up in the Air, receiving 6 nominations. And Best Picture frontrunner The Hurt Locker received noms for Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Director. The awards presentation, hosted by Ricky Gervais, will be broadcast live on Sunday, January 17 at 8pm Et on NBC. Best Motion Picture - Drama Avatar (20th Century Fox) The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment) Inglourious Basterds …
- Neil Miller
This Week In DVD: December 15th
15 December 2009 11:10 AM, PST
Rob Hunter loves movies. He also loves hunting Nazis. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs. So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs. Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD. And don't forget to check out Neil Miller's hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases! The Hangover Pitch: The funniest movie released this past June... Why Buy? Personally, I think it's probably funnier than anything else this year, but comedy is subjective so I scaled the pitch back a bit. The …
- Rob Hunter
MTV Hires Teen Wolf Cast; Tries to Capture Twilight Magic
14 December 2009 11:26 PM, PST
The legacy of Michael J. Fox and Jason Bateman are about to be tarnished a bit by the Twilight movement. Or at least, that's how the history books will remember it -- if in fact, it makes it into the history books. MTV has assembled a cast for its upcoming television remake of Teen Wolf, the reinvention of the classic 1985 guilty pleasure that his been called the "most average movie of all-time" by members of this site. We hold it so dear that it has become the basis for the rating system employed by Reject Radio. And like any average movie from the 1980s, or popular teen novel series, this movie needs more teen abs. Providing the abs and angst will be Tyler Posey (pictured above), Tyler Hoechlin, Crystal Reed and Dylan O'Brien. Posey will play Scott McCall, a dorky high-school student who gets a rush of new powers, including the ability to attract girls, after …
- Neil Miller
Robin Hood Trailer: This is Bloody Rock ‘n Roll
14 December 2009 10:45 PM, PST
The first trailer for Ridley Scott's Robin Hood -- which stars Russell Crowe as the bow-wielding outlaw of Sherwood Forest -- has hit the web via YouTube this evening, and man does it rock. Literally. Pumped over a heavy soundtrack are shots of Crowe looking very Gladiator-esque in merry ole England, alongside the likes of Cate Blanchett as Maid Marion, Mark Strong as Sir Godfrey and Matthew Macfayden as the Sheriff of Nottingham. This clip reel style teaser certainly has some intensity, even though it isn't showing us much. However, I do like the darker tone that is being hinted at with this first look. Who knows, we just might get that seriously badass Robin Hood movie we've always wanted. Universal will released Robin Hood on May 14, 2010. …
- Neil Miller
Lord of the Rings Blu-ray is Coming, But It Won’t Be The Last
14 December 2009 7:40 PM, PST
Die hard fans of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings franchise could be the most punished DVD buyers in the history of film. They've been through so many incarnations of the trilogy on DVD that it could be prosecuted in a court of law. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, which distributes the former New Line property, has released the standard editions, extended editions and several "collector's edition" box sets for the series since the release of Return of the Kind in 2003. On April 6th, the distributor will release the first ever High Definition edition of Lord of the Rings in a 9-disc Blu-ray set that will include all three films and seven hours of special features. The special features will be comprised of featurettes and behind the scenes information seen in previous DVD releases, as well as featurettes from LordOfTheRings.net and HD trailers. The wild card is commentary tracks, which …
- Neil Miller
Reject Radio: Episode 29: Pull, Pull, Pull On His Beard
14 December 2009 7:24 PM, PST
Brought to you by: Hype - Do your part by telling everyone that Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel will change filmmaking forever. This week, on a very special episode of Reject Radio, I demand to sing through most of the episode, Rob yawns until the Avatar discussion, Neil triumphantly returns to do his Zombie Chewbacca impression. We also manage to review Invictus, Slammin' Salmon, The Princess and the Frog, and A Single Man. Listen Here: Download This Episode On This Week’s Show: Segment 1: Ripped From the Headlines [0:00 - 24:00ish] Apparently Spider-Man 4 Rumors Aren't Enough to Rouse Any Interest Even rumors about Josh Brolin joining Men in Black 3 Don't Make Anyone Happy Wait. They're Thinking of Josh Broling? Did They Even See Hollow Man! Man on Wire Might Go Fiction Because of J.J. Abrams Wolfman's Got Nards, and an R-rating Triumphant Return Neil Mill Trailer Round Up: Round Two for The Crazies with brilliant musical …
- Dr. Cole Abaius
New Photos Reveal Russell Crowe in Action as Robin Hood
14 December 2009 6:51 PM, PST
Ridley Scott is back in the past, working on yet another epic period action film with Russell Crowe. This time, instead of going all the way back to the time of the Gladiator, Scott is taking on the story of Robin Hood, the master thief of Sherwood Forrest. Thus far, we've seen plenty of photos from the set hitting the web, all of which were of the spy variety. Until today, we have not seen anything official from Universal, the studio bankrolling the project. Australian publication The Courier Mail has published a new photo set today, which includes our first shots of Cate Blanchett as Maid Marion, and a few shots of Crowe as the film's title character getting some sword-driven action. It's the sort of photo set that proves our general intuition about a film like this -- it looks right. And based on the pedigree of Scott as an action director, we …
- Neil Miller
Say Cheese: Kristen Stewart Unzips for ‘The Runaways’
14 December 2009 6:49 PM, PST
While a lot of the film site buzz seems to be surrounding the actress who isn't old enough to buy a beer legally getting nude or playing a stripper or something for Meet the Rileys, I find it much more appealing for Kristen Stewart to show a little skin the lazy way. The Al Bundy way. It's not sexy - it's just a flippant disregard for finishing the dressing process in the morning. And finally, we get to see a picture of her as slovenly such, alongside Twilight: Omg Moon co-star Dakota Fanning (who I am convinced is actually Woody Harrelson doing some serious method work) in the upcoming flick The Runaways. Check it out for yourself: Rope of Silicon has an even bigger, clearer image as well as the news that Apparition has picked up the film and will drop it in our laps in march. We all, deep down, wanted …
- Dr. Cole Abaius
Nic Cage Displays Model Parenting in Kick-Ass
14 December 2009 6:18 PM, PST
Over the weekend, a screening of the upcoming Matthew Vaughn film Kick-Ass -- based on a comic by Wanted writer Mark Millar -- brought down the house at Bnat, the annual Austin birthday party for Ain't It Cool News headgeek Harry Knowles at the Alamo Drafthouse. Witnesses said that Kick-Ass, which played second to last in the 24-hour marathon style party, out-shined the James Cameron epic Avatar, a film that's been getting some serious love from critics, including yours truly. And while we're skeptical of the buzz from Bnat, as attendees had been sitting through 20+ hours of movies before seeing the heavy-duty CGI masterwork Avatar, we are excited about the prospects of Kick-Ass, a movie that takes to the notion of real-life costumed crime fighters, if those crime fighters were idealistic kids with no real powers. Ugo has released two looks at one of the film's most fascinating characters, Big Daddy, played …
- Neil Miller
To-Do: Get to Sherlock Holmes Early for the Trailers
14 December 2009 6:00 PM, PST
If you're like me, you like to get to the movies early for the previews -- or trailers. This love and desire for 2-3 minute looks at upcoming films on the big screen stems from my childhood, as I've often found myself more excited about the highlights of an upcoming film than the prospect of actually seeing said film. Twisted, I know, but it's who I am. The release of Warner Bros. Sherlock Holmes on Christmas Day presents an interesting opportunity for folks who like previews (and the early-look grabbing geeks who faun over every still image from the upcoming projects of their favorite filmmakers). Along with the movie (which is good), there should also be several interesting trailers, which I explore below. Keep in mind that these trailer may or may not be attached to Holmes in all markets, but as far as we've been told, this is the slate: Iron Man 2 Director Jon Favreau delivers …
- Neil Miller
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