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Which Director is Strongest With the Force?
Like many Star Wars fans, it took us a while to process the news that the creator and caretaker of the greatest sci-fi epic of all time, George Lucas, had sold Lucasfilm Ltd. to Disney. And, as if that news wasn't momentous enough, Disney concurrently announced that plans were already underway for an all-new Star Wars movie, a sequel to the original trilogy that would likely be the first movie in a new trilogy.
Minds thoroughly blown, we started to think about the future of the franchise. Jar Jar Binks and Hayden Christensen's horrible acting had really hurt the prequel trilogy and Lucas' constant meddling with the original trilogy tested our faith in ol' grey beard even further. With Lucas out of the picture, could the franchise regain its former glory?
In the days following the announcement, it was revealed that Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) had been hired to write the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode VII, while rumors continue to swirl that Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class) is in the running to direct. Do you think that Vaughn is the right man for the job or would you like to see J.J. Abrams (Star Trek), Jon Favreau (Cowboys & Aliens) or someone else direct? Who do you think has the vision to chart the course of the future of the Star Wars franchise?
Rate the Top 10 Best Directors To Helm Star Wars: Episode VII >>
Posted 11.13.12 by BrentJS -
Though most of us are unaware of it, every single face-to-face interaction we have with another human being contains countless social cues and signals, from subtle micro-expressions to nuanced body language gestures, collectively referred to as "social signaling." As Michael J. Arena writes, these "unconscious social signals" are "evolved from ancient primate signaling mechanisms" and they help us effectively communicate our "intentions, goals, and values." These signals are learned through our interactions with other human beings, so any lack of these interactions, particularly in our developmental years, can seriously impede our ability to socialize with others. Though quite rare, more than a few children have been discovered living alone in the wilderness, and, despite what Hollywood would have us believe, these "feral children" are often permanently inhibited from acculturating into society because they were unable to learn these important social signals.
the strange truth behind the fiction >> Posted 11.09.12 by BrentJS -
Since his performance in 2010's Inception, British actor Tom Hardy has been appearing non-stop in a variety of roles: A MMA fighting sibling in Warrior; a British spy in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; the villainous (and hard to understand) Bane in the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises; and yet another role as a spy in the upcoming comedy This Means War. With Hardy already slated to play Max Rockatansky in the upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road (shooting this April), the actor is also lining up a trilogy of movies to follow.
According to The Wrap, Hardy is attached to star as Al Capone in the gangster trilogy Cicero for Harry Potter director David Yates after being mentioned as a possibility last year. The movies will track Capone's rise and fall from the slums of Brooklyn to being one of the top mobsters in Prohibition-era Chicago.
more on Cicero; Hunger Games actress heads into the future >> Posted 01.13.12 by Ryan -
Ever since the BBC re-launched its popular sci-fi hit, Doctor Who, tongues have been wagging about when it would make the inevitable move to the big screen. Now Whovians and Who-ligans alike have their answer: 2013 or 2014. Not only that, but Variety is reporting that the director has been announced, helmer of the last four Harry Potter movies, David Yates. On the assignment, Yates has said, "We're looking at writers now. We're going to spend two to three years to get it right. It needs quite a radical transformation to take it into the bigger arena."
More about the Dr. Who movie >> Posted 11.14.11 by reelz -
Poor Eric Draven, will no one make your story? Again?
The reboot of The Crow continues its unlucky streak, which last saw star Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) exit the project due to scheduling conflicts, or after realizing that he had signed up for a reboot of The Crow that was cursed, whichever you believe.
The "reinvention" of The Crow has been in the works since 2008, when Stephen Norrington (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) was set to write and direct the movie. After working on several drafts of the screenplay, including one from musician/screenwriter Nick Cave, Norrington left the project in October 2010 after an unnamed star requested yet another new script.
more bad news for The Crow; good news for The Twilight Zone >> Posted 10.17.11 by Ryan -
It was one of the moments Harry Potter fans had been dying to see throughout the entire series — the kiss between Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson). And in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, fans got what they wanted.
In a scene taken from the upcoming Blu-ray release of the final Harry Potter movie, director David Yates talks about how Watson and Grint prepared for their big onscreen kiss.
They're like brother and sister, they were both very nervous. Emma's really smart and she decided that if she was going to avoid 27 takes she was going to get it right the first time.
watch the Blu-ray clip >> Posted 09.20.11 by Chris -
Now that the Harry Potter madness is coming to a close, what's next for director David Yates? Well, he's been developing an idea for an "origin story" (who isn't these days?) about famed Chicago gangster Al Capone. The current title is Cicero, and Vulture reports that Tom Hardy may be joining the project.
You might know Hardy from his strong ties to Christopher Nolan. Hardy appeared as a conman in the mind-bending sci-fi drama Inception, and he'll star as the super-intelligent, super-strong villain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.
It's unclear whether or not Hardy would play Capone, but the project is apparently moving forward, based on a script written in the '70s by Walon Green, the screenwriter for The Wild Bunch.
Posted 07.15.11 by reelz -
It's just a little over two weeks until the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and Warner Bros. is keeping a steady stream of clips and featurettes coming. The first featurette, released three weeks ago, showcased an early screen test with stars Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Emma Watson (Hermione), and Rupert Grint (Ron).
This new featurette explains horcruxes and touches on a small deviation from the book that will be included in the movie. Radcliffe and director David Yates explain that Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) slowly loses his mind as the different portions of his soul are destroyed one by one. This is definitely a pretty small change from the book (where it was explained that Voldemort's soul was so decimated that he couldn't tell it was being destroyed), but could add some dimension to the profoundly evil character. It's certainly a better change than the attack on the Burrow that movie makers added to Half-Blood Prince.
watch the featurette >> Posted 06.30.11 by Mandy -
The first theatrical trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was released just over two weeks ago and now Warner Bros. has released the first TV spot for the movie. David Yates, director of the last three Harry Potter movies, returns to the helm to chronicle the climactic battle between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in this final installment in the franchise based on the incredibly popular book series by J.K. Rowling. While there does not appear to be any new footage in this TV spot, it does take all of the most action-packed scenes from the trailer and condense them down into a 33-second spot so powerful and in-your-face that it might just give you whiplash (watch at your own risk).
watch the new tv spot >> Posted 05.14.11 by BrentJS -
Last week, a bootleg version of the opening scene from the upcoming sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, was leaked online. The scene showed Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) discussing the Elder Wand with Mr. Ollivander (John Hurt), and was captured by someone using a video camera to record a television in a version of the scene that included English subtitles despite the fact that the scene was already in English.
A new featurette gives fans a high-res look at the scene (sans subtitles) and blends in new footage with footage of a previously released behind-the-scenes featurette, including interviews with producers David Heyman and David Barron, and a special introduction from director David Yates.
watch the video >> Posted 04.18.11 by Ryan