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"The force is strong with this one."
The new year has brought one piece of incredible movie news after another for sci-fi fans, but none has sparked as much debate as Disney’s plans for its recently acquired Lucasfilm assets and the Star Wars movie franchise. January was dominated by questions and rumors about who would be chosen to direct the sequel to Return of the Jedi, currently titled simply Star Wars: Episode VII, with the month closing out with fiery debates over whether the man who reignited the Star Trek franchise for Paramount, J.J. Abrams, was the right choice to reignite Star Wars for Disney. Only eight days into February and the internet is practically melting down over the news that Disney is also developing solo movies featuring a young Han Solo and the mysterious bounty hunter Boba Fett.
With Star Wars on our minds, we decided that this would be a fitting time to find out how you would rank the original trilogy of movies — Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi — against other sci-fi movies of the same era. Put down those sabacc cards, pour yourself a glass of blue milk and choose the best sci-fi movies of the 1970s and '80s.
Rate the Top 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies (1970s - 1980s) >>
Posted 02.08.13 by BrentJS -
So, you're looking at the movie listings for this coming weekend and The Last Stand catches your eye. You've heard that it's legendary bodybuilder-turned-actor-turned-Governator-turned-actor Arnold Schwarzenegger's first headlining role in an action movie since Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines back in 2003, but you were either too young to fully appreciate Ah-nuld in his prime or you simply weren't into "those types of movies" back in the day and now you're afraid if you go see the movie with your friends you'll look like a big dork when they start quoting lines from his old movies and you're clueless. Never fear, you can learn everything you need to know to be conversant in Schwarzenegger in less than 8 hours of moviewatching with the prepper course we've put together for you.
muscle up on your Schwarzenegger knowledge with these flicks >> Posted 01.15.13 by BrentJS -
Arnie wasn't lying when he said, "I'll be back."
The Austrian Oak, Arnie, the Governator, Ah-nuld, ...whatever you call him, Arnold Schwarzenegger is in a class all to himself. Born in Thal, Austria, in 1947, Schwarzenegger rose up from his humble background as the rebellious son of a local police chief in post-War Europe to dominate the world of professional body-building — three Mr. Universe and seven Mr. Olympia titles between 1968 and 1980 — and then he set his sights on Hollywood. Despite one mouthful of a last name and a thick accent, Schwarzenegger tackled Hollywood with the same zeal he put into bodybuilding, becoming Sylvester Stallone's chief competitor for the title of '80s action mega-star, starring in a string of monster hits that, all told, have earned over $3.8 billion at the worldwide box office.
After climbing as high as he could in U.S. politics (limited by the fact that he was born overseas), Schwarzenegger is once again in the entertainment business, popping up in a cameo role in Stallone's ode to he-man action movies, The Expendables, before playing a more significant role in The Expendables 2. Schwarzenegger will team up with Stallone again in the action-thriller The Tomb, take on Mexican drug lords as an aging small-town cop in The Last Stand and is rumored to be involved in some way with a planned fifth movie in The Terminator franchise. Whether Schwarzenegger's second act in Hollywood has a hope of matching his first remains to be seen, but let's look back on the movies that made him great and pick the best ones.
Rate the Top 10 Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies >>
Posted 10.07.12 by BrentJS -
International posters for director Nimród Antal's Predators have recently been released, showing up on three Italian websites. Produced by Robert Rodriguez, Predators is a direct sequel to Predator (ignoring Predator 2) and focuses on a group of disparate, dangerous humans who are transported to the alien hunters' planet to provide them with sport.
see the three new posters >> Posted 05.20.10 by BrentJS -
When filmmaker Robert Rodriguez was hired by Fox to revitalize the Predator franchise—first as a writer and later as a producer—he said that he he wanted to go back to the conventions of the original movie, but update it for a modern audience. The jungle setting of Guatemala became a jungle planet that serves as a "game preserve" for the alien hunters, and Arnold Schwarzenegger and his beefy cast were replaced by a group of warriors with more realistic physiques. Hello, Adrien Brody! In a new series of Predators featurettes, Rodriguez introduces three of the stars of the movie and gives a brief profile of their characters and tactics.
watch the Predators featurettes >> Posted 04.22.10 by BrentJS -
The first official poster for director Nimród Antal's Predators was recently unveiled at the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, now in its last day of programming. The poster was followed by producer Robert Rodriguez introducing the first footage of the movie in a behind-the-scenes featurette that gave a first look at the new Predators and also revealed concept art of another monstrous creature that the movie's heroes will have to face.
Now, the first official trailer for the movie has debuted online. In keeping with Antal's recent statements about wanting to maintain the horror element of the movie by keeping "the monster in the shadows," not much more is seen of the Predators in the trailer that hasn't already been revealed in the featurette. What you do see is just how terrified the hardened hunters and soliders—and one serial killer—--are of the creatures that have collected them for their "game preserve," which will have you sitting on the edge of your seat.
Posted 03.19.10 by BrentJS -
Most of the initial buzz coming out of the currently ongoing South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, has focused on the world premiere of director Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass. In addition to being a crowd-pleaser, Kick-Ass generated mostly positive reviews from critics.
However, another highly-anticipated genre movie that had fans at the festival talking is the Robert Rodriguez-produced Predators, a direct sequel to the original Predator (ignoring Predator 2). While the Nimród Antal-directed movie is four months away from release and did not screen in its entirety, the first official poster for the movie debuted and fans in attendance were offered a first look at some of the finished footage in a behind-the-scenes featurette that includes commentary from Rodriguez, as well as concept art and a glimpse at a monster more terrifying than the Predators themselves.
Thankfully, for those of us unable to attend SXSW, the featurette has now been made available online, courtesy of Movieweb. Enjoy!
Posted 03.16.10 by BrentJS -
Another A-list talent has reportedly been added to the increasingly impressive cast of Robert Rodriguez's production of Predators. According to Shock Till You Drop (STYD), Laurence Fishburne will join Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody in the Nimród Antal-directed sequel to Predator (ignoring the original sequel, Predator 2).
It should be noted, however, that STYD does not cite a source for the information, and "Roland," the character Fishburne is said to be playing, is not mentioned in an early script review. It should also be noted that Predators was supposed to begin filming last month, so the addition of Fishburne at this stage is somewhat surprising.
Posted 12.18.09 by BrentJS -
When producer Robert Rodriguez declared his new film Predators a direct sequel to Predator (and ignoring Predator 2), many were expecting the sort of beefy cast that was assembled for the 1987 original. So, when it was first announced that Academy Award-winning actor Adrien Brody was cast in the lead role, the reactions of fans and critics were not overwhelmingly positive.
One of the more scathing responses to the news came from Jarett Wieselman of The New York Post who wrote:
If I was combing through a crowd of actors for one I could trust to get me to the chopper, I'd blow right past Adrien Brody and keep holding out for a hero.
In a recent interview with Coming Soon, Predators director Nimród Antal explained his decision to cast Brody by saying that he wanted his soldiers to look more authentic than the original's cast.
I think when we cast Adrian, there were a lot of people going, "What?" but at the same time, if we cast a Vin Diesel in that role or if we cast anyone who is Arnold-esque, we would have been attacked for doing that. So we decided early on to go in a very different direction as far as the casting process, but it turned out fantastic. He plays a mercenary in the film and if you look at the guys in Iraq and Afghanistan today, they're not "yolked-out" Schwarzenegger-looking guys. They're all very wiry and thin guys, and I think it's going to play well.
With Schwarzenegger's recent, albeit digital appearance in Terminator: Salvation, many have wondered if he might make a return appearance in Predators as Dutch. In June, it was reported that Rodriguez had "reached out" to Schwarzenegger to appear in a supporting role, but Antal's recent statements seem to indicate that he is looking toward the future of the franchise rather than to its past.
Time will tell. We'll see, but we are trying to stay with the original as far as the monster and the atmosphere and the tone of the film, but we are trying to do something new and contemporary and feels fresh.
Posted 12.01.09 by BrentJS -
The jungles of Hawaii could soon be visited by a famous predator. Or rather, several famous Predators. Reel Hawaii recently reported that producer Robert Rodriguez's movie Predators may be partially shot in Hawaii.
Scouts for 20th Century Fox's $40-million creature feature are back on the Big Island for their third week of scouting Hawaii, most of it where a lot of jungles have been looked at. The production would film for 18 days with an October start if the Hawaii portion is a go.
Rodriguez has gone on record as saying that Predators is not a relaunch; it's a direct sequel to 1987's Predator. Rodriguez said that the film will not take place on earth and that he hopes that "people will forget all the bad sequels and only think this one and the original exist."
Nimród Antal (Vacancy) will direct from a script by Rodriguez, Michael Finch and Alex Litvak.
Posted 08.31.09 by BrentJS