(500) Days of Summer
Directed by: Marc Webb
Written by: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Clark Gregg, Geoffrey Arend, Matthew Gray Gubler

The term “romantic comedy” is not particularly well-regarded nowadays, thanks to years of formulaic and sappy love stories manufactured specifically as light entertainment for couples who are out on a date. But movies about relationships don’t always have to be cheesy and predictable. Take Marc Webb’s directorial debut, (500) Days of Summer, for instance. It’s an amusing movie about falling in and out of love that certainly doesn’t play by the rules of your standard rom-com.

The movie has a unique take on the life cycle of love, jumping back and forth through time to examine the various stages of a relationship removed from their chronological sequence. It’s a clever and intriguing concept, and one that is supported by two fantastic actors. Unfortunately, as daring as this movie is, it’s hard to shake the feeling that there is another set of rules that it is catering to instead: the art house indie dramedy.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have to admit, when they first announced a Tron sequel at last year’s Comic Con, I was intrigued but not really all that sure how well the concept would work 28 years later. It’s true that digital graphics and computer animation are a thousand times more advanced than they were back then, but the entire idea of getting sucked into a computer’s grid-like world now just seems dated somehow.

Well, nevermind, you can forget all that because the first trailer for Tron 2 (now titled Tron Legacy) has finally been unveiled online, and it has completely blown me away! I guess this is basically the same footage that they Comic Con attendees got to see last year, and it’s just a single scene showing off an intense light cycle duel. But man, the look and feel of this is absolutely gorgeous… I can only imagine how it will look in 3-D. The movie is supposed to be out sometime in 2010, and I, for one, can’t wait. Check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

Read the rest of this entry »

When it was first announced earlier this year that there was a movie in development called Hot Tub Time Machine, I don’t think anyone believed that it would actually get made. But hey, let’s not forget, we are living in the post-Snakes on a Plane era, and thus, the first trailer for Hot Tub Time Machine has finally arrived online. So guess what? It’s happening!

To be honest, I like the goofy concept, which simply involves a group of four grown-up friends who accidentally travel back in time to the ’80s to relive their teenage years. I also like the cast, which includes John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry and Clark Duke, plus Chevy Chase, Lizzy Caplan and Crispin Glover. The problem is, this movie really could go either way, and the trailer looks like it was simply thrown together in a couple hours (on the plus side, it is red band, so John Cusack gets to drop a few F-bombs). I am guessing this will appeal mainly to the Harold & Kumar crowd, but who knows, it could end up being the sleeper hit of 2010! Hot Tub Time Machine is directed by Steve Pink (Accepted) and hits theatres on February 26th. Soak up the trailer after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Well if you’re a fan of movies, TV, video games, books or comics, and you’re not in San Diego this weekend, you’ve probably already been following coverage of the San Diego Comic Con this week via one or more of your favourite websites. It’s basically the largest convention of its kind anywhere in the world, and while it used to be primarily focused on comics alone, the explosion of comic book movies, licensed properties and media crossovers in recent years has turned it into perhaps the biggest annual pop culture event, period. But what is it about this gathering that keeps people coming out? When something becomes so huge and so crowded, does the average attendee really get their money’s worth, or do they just end up spending all their time waiting in lines?

I’ve never been to the SDCC, but I have been to the Fan Expo in Toronto a few times, and I have to admit that while the atmosphere was fun, I didn’t really get much out of it other than a couple of autographs and a few graphic novels (which I probably could have just bought online anyway). I know part of the appeal is that it’s a gathering of like-minded people, but once it gets so big that it includes everyone on the planet, does that camaraderie still exist? It seems to me that what once was a place for fans to interact has now become a big PR event dominated by major corporations. But I guess free swag and celebrity appearances are still irresistible to some people. What do you think… are fan conventions worth all the effort? Is Comic Con still about the comics, or is it now being overshadowed by the Hollywood presence? Do you wish you were in San Diego right now? Give us your thoughts here on Open Forum Friday.

Canadian horror guru David Cronenberg continues to move away from the creepy genre films that filled the first 25 years of his career with the announcement of another new project being added to his plate this week. In addition to the Robert Ludlum adaptation The Matarese Circle which he is currently developing, he will also be adapting a novel by postmodern author Don DeLillo called Cosmopolis. It will be a co-production of Paris-based Alfama Films and Cronenberg’s own Toronto Antenna Ltd, and starts shooting next year in New York and Toronto.

Cosmopolis is the story of a 28-year-old multi-billionaire who drives across Manhattan in a limo to get a haircut. Yep… that’s it. Of course, a few things happen along the way, but the story all takes place in the course of a day. As far as I know, it doesn’t involve any orifices or bodily fluids either. Clearly this is not typical Cronenberg territory, and what’s more, it doesn’t even sound like a book that many people would find suitable for the big screen. Still, he did adapt J.G. Ballard’s Crash, and even Cronenberg’s other recent, more mainstream films like A History of Violence and Eastern Promises maintained elements of his style throughout. Are you a fan of the “new” Cronenberg, or would you rather see him get back to directing something horror-related?

While the jury is still out on whether or not we’ll ever see a live action Halo feature film, it looks like the popular video game will be making is about to make the transition to yet another medium: 2-D animation. In the vein of The Animatrix and Batman: Gotham Knight, Microsoft and Bungie have announced Halo Legends, a series of short anime films to be available via Xbox Live sometime in 2010 (and also, eventually, DVD and Blu-ray).

Studios involved in the project include Production I.G., Studio 4C, Bones, Casio Entertainment, and Toei Animation, while the creative director of the whole thing is Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed, Appleseed Ex Machina). For more info on the project, check out an article over at the L.A. Times where they also reveal that Ubisoft is working on some live-action films based on Assassin’s Creed. The first teaser trailer for Halo Legends is embedded after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Some lucky folks at the San Diego Comic Con this week were among the first audiences to see footage from James Cameron’s highly-anticipated sci-fi film Avatar (not to be confused with M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender). Approximately 25 minutes of 3-D footage screened yesterday, showing off an unparalleled marriage between CG and motion capture technology including an action sequence where Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana fight a group of alien creatures in a jungle. Reactions seem to be very positive, raving over the detail in the CG and the fluidity of the animation, but stopping just short of a creating a complete shift in the medium.

So here’s the good news: you too will be able to check out a preview of Avatar before the end of the summer, and it won’t be in the form of a simple trailer either. Fox is going all out to create hype for the film by proclaiming Friday, August 21st to be “Avatar Day”, where as many IMAX and digital 3-D theatres as possible around the world will screen a 15 minute preview of the movie — absolutely free of charge. What a great idea. This will guarantee that people see it for the first time in an optimal environment, and after giving them a little taste of the magic, they’ll be sure to come back for more. So be sure to mark August 21st on your calendars, kiddies… do you think Avatar will deliver the goods?

With the first trailer for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland getting mixed reactions from people around the web this week, it seemed like a good time to go back and look over the man’s filmography and discuss the highlights and lowlights. Some people think he’s a brilliant filmmaker, while others say he is overrated and has been repeating himself for years, but I think we can all agree he has still done some pretty memorable flicks. My question is, which one is the best? Cast your vote in this week’s poll and then try to justify that choice in the comments below!

The first trailer for the post-apocalyptic drama The Book of Eli has finally hit the web this week. It’s been a while since The Hughes Brothers have directed something for the big screen (2001’s From Hell, to be exact), but this looks like a movie that will probably put them back on the map. It’s certainly no Menace II Society; rather it falls in the action/sci-fi realm. I am guessing it will get more than a few comparisons to I Am Legend, but the main difference here is that for once I don’t think there are any zombie-like creatures involved (don’t quote me on that).

Denzel Washington stars as Eli, a man wandering the scorched desert landscape with the goal of protecting a book that can save humanity. It seems like there is probably some kind of spiritual prophecy type deal going on here, although the trailer doesn’t focus on it too much save for the final word “Believe”. The supporting cast includes Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, and Michael Gambon. Check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think. The Book of Eli is scheduled to hit theatres on January 15th, 2010.

Read the rest of this entry »

This weekend is one of the few that doesn’t wasn’t claimed by a highly anticipated blockbuster this summer, probably because no one wants to follow up Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. While that movie will still probably dominate the box office, there are three new wide releases competing for your money including the animated action-comedy G-Force, the horror film Orphan, and the Gerard Butler/Katherine Heigl romantic comedy The Ugly Truth. In select theatres we have the political comedy In The Loop and the Kevin Spacey dramedy Shrink, but it’s also a good weekend to catch (500) Days of Summer or The Hurt Locker if you still haven’t seen either one. What are you planning to see this weekend?

• G-Force
• The Ugly Truth
• Orphan
• In The Loop (limited)
• Shrink (limited)
• The Answer Man (limited)
• (500) Days of Summer (expanding)
• The Hurt Locker (expanding)