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Interview: ‘Chernobyl Diaries’ & ‘Paranormal Activity’ Writer/Producer Oren Peli

Roth Cornet — Sat, 26 May 2012 00:28:36 +0000

Produce Oren Peli has become a well known entity in the horror world over the last several years. He is the writer/director of the original Paranormal Activity and the producer behind the remainder of the franchise.

Additionally, he’s gone on to produce several other terror-filled offerings including Insidious, upcoming The Lords of Salem and television’s The River. His latest film Chernobyl Diaries, which opens in theaters this weekend, is set in the city of Prypiat that once housed the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. The chiller follows a group of friends who sign up for an “extreme tour” through the abandoned city while vacationing in Europe – only to find themselves stranded where they are not so alone after all.

We had the opportunity to speak with the writer/producer recently ...

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11 Great Tommy Lee Jones Roles Josh Brolin Could’ve Played

Anthony Ocasio — Fri, 25 May 2012 22:14:57 +0000

Now that Josh Brolin is impressing the world with his portrayal of a young Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black 3, we wondered what it would look like if Brolin replaced Jones in some of his most iconic movie roles. Check out what we came up with.

(TLJ Fact: EVERY Tommy Lee Jones role is a great role)

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10 Celebrities Who Would Be Great ‘Men in Black’ Aliens

John Hanlon — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:36:09 +0000

A pop singer. A songwriter. A provocateur. But an alien? Lady Gaga has been massively successful in her career but this Friday, the truth about this meat-wearing woman will be revealed when she’s seen as an extraterrestrial in Men in Black III. In a celebrity-as-alien cameo that the Men in Black series has become infamous for, she reportedly appears alongside fellow celebrities like director Tim Burton and pop superstar, Justin Bieber.

With that in mind, we at Screen Rant came up with a list of ten celebrities that would make great aliens in a Men in Black film. Barry Sonnenfeld has said that he only wanted to use celebrities that would still be well-known in ten years, so we, too, used that criteria in judging our selections.

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‘Men in Black 3′ Spoilers Discussion

Ben Kendrick — Fri, 25 May 2012 18:45:54 +0000

While our readers are already talking about this movie in the comments section of our Men in Black 3 review, this is the place where you can discuss Men in Black 3 spoilers without concerns about ruining the movie for folks who haven’t seen it yet.

If you’re posting comments here, assume that anyone in the conversation has seen the movie – if you haven’t seen the movie, we would recommend you don’t read the comments here until you have.

We’ve set up a poll below where you can rate Men in Black 3 for yourself. Other than that, feel free to discuss the film and all its surprises!

Note: There is a poll embedded ...

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‘Dark Knight Rises’ Banners & Promo Art; New Footage to Air On MTV

Sandy Schaefer — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:12:27 +0000

Bat-fever is starting to spread, now that Warner Bros. has initiated its marketing blitz for The Dark Knight Rises. Just over the past few days alone, several new TV spots, banners, and screenshots have been released.

Today, we have an additional pair of Dark Knight Rises posters to share, along with a handful of promo art tie-ins. Furthermore, it has been announced that even more unseen footage is slated to premiere during the 2012 MTV Movie Awards show (which is right around the corner).

Warner Bros.’ first two television promos for Dark Knight Rises have already done a lot to win over fans who were left unmoved by the dramatic, slow-burn approach of the film’s theatrical trailers. That’s to say nothing of the recent wave of dark, foreboding, posters, depicting a war-zone Gotham overrun by Bane (Tom Hardy) and his forces, with Batman (Bruce Wayne) and the Gotham ...

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5 Movie Roles Will Smith Needs to Play

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:45:00 +0000

(NOTE: We first published this a few years ago, but have dusted it off in honor of Men in Black 3 (read our review). It is meant to be humorous and satirical, in case you’re wondering).

I’d only be half-kidding if I were to say that 75% of the time that a new leading man role is announced, I hear at least three people in our comment sections nominating Will Smith for the part. In fact, in my line of work I hear the name “Will Smith” mentioned so many times that it’s becoming something of a neurotic tick in my brain. Now that Men in Black 3 is here, Smith’s name has resurfaced once again in the cultural zeitgeist.

It never seems to matter what the role in question is: people seem to think that Will Smith – ...

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SR Geek Picks: Hipster X-Women, A Hulk Silent Film, Nic Cage Vs The World & More!

Justin Vactor — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:29:33 +0000

Welcome to Screen Rant’s “Geek Picks,” where we collect the finest movie-related geekery from around the web for you. Today you’ll find a silent film version of The Hulk; A creepy Loki action figure; a tie-dyed Captain America shirt; and Darth Vader’s favorite snack. All that and more on this edition of SR’s Geek Picks!

Happy Geek Pride Day! How will you be celebrating? I will be checking out Men In Black 3 (read our review) in IMAX 3D and looking at pictures of Tom Hiddleston from today’s Geek Picks, trying to get some of his cool to rub off on me. If I may make a suggestion, why not spend your day checking out Wired’s look at the 35 greatest Star Wars tributes of all time. That is, when you’re not checking out today’s Geek Picks.

SR Geek Picks: Hipster X-Women, A Hulk Silent Film, Nic Cage Vs The World & More!

New ‘Prometheus’ Featurettes Focus on Logan Marshall-Green & Ridley Scott’s Vision

Sandy Schaefer — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:10:10 +0000

Hollywood may have a questionable obsession with prequels right now, but Ridley Scott’s Prometheus looks to be one of the better ones on the horizon. The film aims to expand the mythology of the Alien franchise, explore provocative questions about the beginnings of human existence, and include narrative threads that link it directly to Scott’s 1979 sci-fi/horror classic (at least, during the last eight minutes).

Part of the way Prometheus seeks to accomplish said task(s) is by doing more than just redressing the characters and plot of Alien under the pretense that it’s offering additional, substantial insight on the events of its predecessor (The Thing prequel, looking at you…).

Previously-released clips and viral videos for Prometheus have offered an early look at the film’s important players, such as Weyland Industries rep Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) and android “David” (Michael ...

Click to continue reading New ‘Prometheus’ Featurettes Focus on Logan Marshall-Green & Ridley Scott’s Vision

‘The Tomb’ Set Photos Reveal Silver-Haired Schwarzenegger & Stallone

Sandy Schaefer — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:53:16 +0000

It’s ironic that sexagenarian Hollywood action movie titans Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone’s future vehicles are all about looking to the past.

That list of upcoming projects includes Sly’s throwback to 1980s buddy movies (Bullet to the Head), Ah-nuld’s homage to classic westerns and films like Die Hard (The Last Stand), this summer’s Expendables 2 - which is a second round of old-fashioned, testosterone-fueled action – and finally the prison escape thriller, The Tomb, which pairs Schwarzenegger and Stallone together in more than a limited capacity.

During a recent interview with ET on the Tomb set, Stallone spoke out about his desire to keep Hollywood’s old-school approach to action filmmaking alive:

“This genre unfortunately is becoming… let’s just say it’s fading away. You have the superheroes today which are possessed with all extraordinary powers; they can blink and a fireball comes out of there. It’s great. And then you ...

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‘Men in Black 3′ Director Barry Sonnenfeld Talks Will Smith & Big Heads

Roth Cornet — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:39:32 +0000

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones will reprise their roles as Agent J and Agent K, respectively, when director Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black 3 opens in theaters this weekend. The seed of the idea for the film was planted a decade ago when Smith had a eureka moment one rainy evening on the set of Men in Black 2, and told Sonnenfeld that for number three he wanted to see J travel back in time.

The director wryly advised that they finish the one they were making and then worry about what came next. With the passage of the ensuing years, the idea developed until Smith, Sonnenfeld and team Men in Black felt it was time to return to the world of aliens, secret agents and Ray Ban™ sunglasses.

Men in Black 3 finds J 15-years into his work as an ...

Click to continue reading ‘Men in Black 3′ Director Barry Sonnenfeld Talks Will Smith & Big Heads

‘Iron Man 3′ Adds Another Villain; Jon Favreau Returning as Happy Hogan

Andrew Contrada — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:55:05 +0000

With big names like Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, James Badge Dale and Rebecca Hall joining returning series veterans Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Don Cheadle, Iron Man 3 is shaping up to be a promising new entry in the popular film series. By comparison, it seems almost trivial that obscure actor Ashley Hamilton is apparently in talks to play equally obscure Iron Man villain, Firepower. Then again, it’s unclear how, exactly, this character fits into the larger story line based on the Iron Man “Extremis” storyline, leaving open the possibility that Firepower will, in fact, play a pivotal role.

In other Iron Man 3 news: Former franchise helmer Jon Favreau confirmed on Twitter that – while he won’t be directing ...

Click to continue reading ‘Iron Man 3′ Adds Another Villain; Jon Favreau Returning as Happy Hogan

‘RED 2′ Looks to Add More Star Power With Anthony Hopkins

Jason Marrero — Fri, 25 May 2012 02:14:29 +0000

If we look back at the extraordinary career of Anthony Hopkins it is plain to see that he has never been afraid to tackle any type of role. Whether it’s been a cannibalistic psychiatrist serial killer, or an Asgardian ruler, Hopkins has always seemed to excel under any circumstances that the script calls for. At 75 years young, Hopkins has shown no signs of slowing down.

Recently it was announced that the Oscar-winning actor would return to reprise his role as Odin in Marvel’s Thor 2, and one thing that’s for certain is Hopkins does not plan on getting out of the game while he still has so much to give us. It would be too easy for him to call it a career and join Sean Connery on Hollywood’s R.E.D. (Retired and Extremely Dangerous) list.

Speaking of RED - THR is reporting that ...

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Zoe Saldana Onboard for ‘Machete Kills’

Sandy Schaefer — Fri, 25 May 2012 00:02:24 +0000

Danny “Machete” Trejo has revealed that Robert Rodriguez will start shooting the sequel to his Grindhouse trailer-turned-movie, Machete Kills, in about three weeks (from the time of writing this).

In addition to Trejo returning as Machete Cortez, Mel Gibson is onboard as the film’s James Bond-style villain. Machete Kills will also pack a whole lot of girl-power – as the cast includes returning players Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez, along with series newcomers Amber Heard and Sofia Vergara.

During a recent interview with Moviehole, Trejo announced more than just the planned start date for shooting on the Machete sequel; he also let loose the news that fan-fave starlet Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek) is yet another lovely lady who will show up in Machete Kills. Trejo held off on dropping any specific character or plot details about ...

Click to continue reading Zoe Saldana Onboard for ‘Machete Kills’

Back to the Future: Hollywood’s Fascination with Prequels

Niall Browne — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:33:30 +0000

The release date for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus is looming, and the marketing materials won’t have you know it, but the film is a prequel to Scott’s 1979 film, Alien. The term “prequel” is something of a dirty word in Hollywood these days, and therefore, Scott refers to the film as having “strands of Alien‘s DNA”. Okay, so that clears things up.

The notion of the prequel doesn’t just show Hollywood’s dearth of originality – it also illustrates that they have little faith in their audience. We can no longer just imagine that characters had lives before they appeared onscreen – now those pre-lives also have to be shown. It’s the cinematic equivalent of meeting someone for the first time and then telling them your life story up until that moment.

The prequel isn’t a new phenomenon, though: Zulu Dawn (1979) predated the ...

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Chris Hemsworth Talks ‘Thor 2′; Mads Mikkelsen Circling Villain Role [Updated]

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:29:31 +0000

[UPDATE: Scroll Down to Find Out Which Actor Could be Playing the Villain in Thor 2.]

The glow of success is still shining bright around The Avengers - but that doesn’t mean the cast of the film is getting any rest. Robert Downey Jr. is already into production on Iron Man 3 with writer/director Shane Black (Lethal Weapon), while Chris Hemsworth is already gearing up for Thor 2, this time under the guidance of Game of Thrones director, Alan Taylor.

With the Iron Man and Thor sequels speeding down the pipeline, the superhero movie rumor mill is already churning with speculation and about what is coming in “Phase 2″ of Marvel’s Avengers movie universe. While we know Iron Man 3 will feature a story about a nanotechnological virus unleashed as a terrorist ...

Click to continue reading Chris Hemsworth Talks ‘Thor 2′; Mads Mikkelsen Circling Villain Role [Updated]

‘Need for Speed’ Movie Revs Engines; Looking to Hire ‘Act of Valor’ Director

Jason Marrero — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:57:59 +0000

Every great competitor has an equal rival attached to their legacy. One might argue that without one, the other would not exist. Ali had Foreman, Jobs had Gates, Marvel has DC and Mario has King Koopa (sorry, Luigi). In Tinseltown, where the mantra seems to be “anything you can do we can do better”, we see rival studios trying to one-up each-other all the time. For every Raging Bull there’s a Rocky. In the latest tale of rivalry, Dreamworks studios will attempt to do battle with the Fast and the Furious series by creating its own race car franchise – but not just any franchise.

Get ready for the Need for Speed.

According to Variety, Dreamworks is close to nabbing director Scott Waugh for the film version of the ...

Click to continue reading ‘Need for Speed’ Movie Revs Engines; Looking to Hire ‘Act of Valor’ Director

New ‘Men in Black 3′ Clip Ties In With Viral YouTube Marketing

Rob Keyes — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:11:58 +0000

With shows like Lost and films like The Dark Knight popularizing the idea of viral marketing to take advantage of the excitement and word-of-mouth potential from their respective fanbases, it’s practically become the norm for major summer blockbusters to employ similar types of alternate reality games (ARGs). The Avengers did it with their Acura-sponsored online campaign which let fans sign up to join the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization (I joined!) and right now, Men In Black 3 is doing it as well.

Allow me to ~~blow the cover~~ introduce you to BugEyes, a kid who goes by Bugeyes126 on YouTube. He’s a fictional character (or is he?) determined to find the truth behind the Men in Black and expose them. As we found out today, he also makes a brief appearance in the film itself.

The first video from BugEyes appeared March 1st where he introduced himself, a ...

Click to continue reading New ‘Men in Black 3′ Clip Ties In With Viral YouTube Marketing

SR Geek Picks: Angry Bird Avengers, Vader vs Batman, Custom Boba Fett Shoes & More!

Justin Vactor — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:10:48 +0000

Welcome to Screen Rant’s “Geek Picks,” where we collect the finest movie-related geekery from around the web for you. Today you’ll find a Harry Potter necklace; Hulk smashing The Kardashians (please make this a TV show); another Star Wars cake and a sweet shirt from the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man film. All that and more on this edition of SR’s Geek Picks!

To kick things off today, it appears Kick-Ass 2 will be focusing on my favorite psychopathic teenager Hit-Girl. In an interview with Digital Spy the Kick-Ass creator revealed the sequel is going to begin with a 30 minute Hit-Girl opening act. Yes please! Chloe Moretz killed it (no pun intended) in the first film and getting to see her play in that world again is going to be a real treat. I can’t wait!

Angry Bird Avengers

Click to continue reading SR Geek Picks: Angry Bird Avengers, Vader vs Batman, Custom Boba Fett Shoes & More!

‘Ted’, ‘Life of Pi’ & ‘Red Lights’ Land New Release Dates

Sandy Schaefer — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:47:42 +0000

Paramount shocked the movie blogosphere yesterday, when it removed G.I. Joe: Retaliation from this year’s summer slate barely a month before it was due to open in theaters. Universal is taking advantage of the change – by bumping up the Seth MacFarlane comedy Ted to take Joe‘s previous spot.

Fox has also moved up Ang Lee’s Life of Pi adaptation to take the November 2012 release date previously occupied by Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity (which Warner Bros. has pushed back to 2013). Meanwhile, Millennium has selected a release date for Red Lights, the new thriller from Buried director Rodrigo Cortés.

MacFarlane’s feature-lenth writing/directing debut, Ted – or as we like to call it, Family Guy with a Teddy Bear - is now scheduled to arrive on June 29th, instead of two weeks later on July 13th. The R-Rated ...

Click to continue reading ‘Ted’, ‘Life of Pi’ & ‘Red Lights’ Land New Release Dates

‘Dark Knight Rises’ Banners, Images & TV Spots: Sassy Catwoman, Terrorist Bane [Updated]

Sandy Schaefer — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:39:37 +0000

[UPDATE: We've added even more Dark Knight Rises banners and images!]

Warner Bros. has begun stepping up its marketing for The Dark Knight Rises this week. The studio stumbled a bit at first, by unveiling a Photoshop-heavy poster that left many fans grumbling about poor craftsmanship – but quickly recovered thereafter with a handful of dark, slick, character banners.

A handful of new screenshots and behind-the-scenes pics from Dark Knight Rises have emerged online, along with the film’s first official television spots (scroll on down to watch those). Whereas the film’s theatrical trailers are more subdued and gradually build to a booming conclusion, these TV promos inject more energy and humor into the proceedings.

The first of these Dark Knight Rises TV spots offers a more direct summary of the film’s storyline than any other promo to date: ...

Click to continue reading ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Banners, Images & TV Spots: Sassy Catwoman, Terrorist Bane [Updated]