Not too long ago we took a look at Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, a sci-fi prequel to Alien that looks to be quite epic. Of course, looks isn’t exactly the right word as we haven’t seen anything besides a few Hi-Res images which you can check out here.
Monthly Archives: December 2011
Upcoming 2011-12 NBA Preview: Central Division
EASTERN CONFERENCE – CENTRAL
CHICAGO BULLS
Last Season: 62-20, Division Champions, 1st Overall in East, Lost to Miami in Eastern Conf Finals
Key Losses: Rasual Butler, Kurt Thomas
Key Additions: Richard Hamilton, Brian Scalabrine (resigned), Nikola Mirotic (draft), Jimmy Butler (draft)
Main Rotation: Starters – Derrick Rose, Richard Hamilton, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah; Key Reserves – Keith Bogans, Ronnie Brewer, Taj Gibson, Kyle Korver, C.J. Watson, Omer Asik
Continue reading Upcoming 2011-12 NBA Preview: Central Division
Movie Trailer Roundup: Wrath of the Titans, The Dictator, Lock-Out and MORE!
Wrath of the Titans
Perseus embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, who has been targeted for capture by his traitorous son, Ares, and his brother, Hades.
Stars: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Bill Nighy, Rosamund Pike, Edgar Ramirez, Danny Huston
Release Date: March 30th, 2012
Continue reading Movie Trailer Roundup: Wrath of the Titans, The Dictator, Lock-Out and MORE!
Trailer is Here for ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’
After hearing all of the worrying issues that caused Guillermo del Toro to leave the director’s chair in pursuit of other projects, and the long period of relative silence from production, it’s a relief to find some footage of Peter Jackson’s upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit today, in the form of a gorgeous trailer courtesy Collider.
Kind of nostalgic, isn’t it? It’s really nice to see that budget problems and creative changes don’t appear to have affected Peter Jackson’s interpretation of Middle Earth at all, and it’s a little embarrassing to admit how happy I am to be back in Bag End, and to see some old faces once again.
In addition to the trailer above, Collider also included a beautiful poster, along with the movie’s official synopsis:
“The Hobbit” follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.
Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever … Gollum.
Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
The trailer is vague, but if you’ve read the book you’ll know that things look as dedicated and faithful to the source material as all of the Lord of the Rings films before it. Of course, they’ve kept Smaug and the other creatures out of sight for the time being, which is a maddening tease, particularly after reading the massive feature on del Toro that was written in the New Yorker back in February. The interview, in addition to delving into the filmmaker’s fascinating story and older work, eventually went on to describe in detail some of the amazing designs del Toro has come up with for his fantastical creatures, including The Hobbit‘s iconic dragon:
“Smaug’s body, as del Toro had imagined it, was unusually long and thin. The bones of its wings were articulated on the dorsal side, giving the creature a slithery softness across its belly. “It’s a little bit more like a snake,” he said.
Smaug’s front legs looked disproportionately small, like those of a T. Rex. This would allow the dragon to assume a different aspect in closeup; the camera could capture ‘hand’ gestures and facial expressions in one tight frame, avoiding the quivery distractions of wins and tail […] Smaug’s eyes, del Toro added, were “going to be sculpturally very hidden.” This would create a sense of drama when the thieving Bilbo stirs the beast from slumber.”
There’s a lot more about Smaug’s description and concept in the full article, and all of it sounds awesome (The article is a must-read). Obviously the dragon might not feature at all in the upcoming movie, as An Unexpected Journey is only the first half of the story, but it’s a safe bet that del Toro would pour that same dedication and creativity into all of Middle Earth’s inhabitants, and I desperately hope that Peter Jackson is incorporating as much of his designs as possible into the final film.
I’m really excited for The Hobbit films, if you can’t tell. The trilogy is arguably the largest cinematic event of our generation, but even on top of that, I always felt the Hobbit was the best of the novels. The potential for these final Tolkien adaptations is paralleled only by our expectations of them – it’s a lot to overcome, but Jackson has proved before he doesn’t shy away from huge undertakings. 2012 can’t come fast enough.
#7 – Countdown to Christmas: ERNEST SAVES CHRISTMAS
I hope all of our readers are getting in the holiday spirit – our countdown is winding right down! For today’s installment, I pay tribute to 1988’s classic comedy, Ernest Saves Christmas. As I’m sure you all agree, the collection of Ernest movies are the top-tier of incredible film making. His characters are unforgettable, his facial expressions are laughable, and they exhibit the ultimate in story-telling and delivery. Know what I mean, Vern?
In Ernest Saves Christmas, Ernest must – you guessed it – save Christmas. Santa Claus is getting on in years and must pass down his profession to Joe, who Santa has chosen to carry on the torch. However, when Joe is reluctant to believe and his lazy-eyed agent is annoyed by his presence, Santa is thrown in jail and must save Christmas – with the help of Ernest P. Worrell, of course.
Now, if it’s one thing Ernest can do, it is impersonate bizarre characters, and this film is replete with them. His seedy congressman character springs Santa out of jail. His dentally-challenged back country snake farmer gets Santa into a closed movie set to speak with Joe. And who can forget the curmudgeon old woman with the neck brace – my personal favorite.
In the end, Joe embraces the magic of Christmas and steps up to be the new Santa Claus. Ernest saves Christmas, it snows in Florida, and Santa can get back to being the Sultan of Agrabah. It truly is a Christmas miracle!
I submit that if you do not find the character of Ernest enjoyable, you are either lacking a sense of humor or you were born without a childhood. These movies are freaking hilarious. Good for the whole family to enjoy. Plus, as adults, we can make a nice drinking game and take a shot every time Ernest says, “Know what I mean?”
Ernest embodies everything great that the 80s had to offer, right down to his styling wardrobe. Jim Varney (may he rest in peace) is like so many other great artists – his brilliance was never fully appreciated. I won’t say he was type-cast, at least not to his relatives, but found a niche as one character and one character only, and played the shit out of it. I have to give him major respect for that.
2/5 Snoopies, Vern!
Dexter: Season 6 Finale – “This is the Way the World Ends”- SPOILERS AHEAD
The season finale for Dexter begins where the last episode left off; Dexter is in the lake where Travis left him. Lucky for Dex, a boat full of Cubans fleeing to America pull up and fish him out of the water, thus saving him from impending doom. Shortly after this, the boat’s captain decides to rob his passengers and Dexter is forced to harpoon him and dump the body overboard. Then, as the boat gets near the coast, they all abandon ship and swim up to the shore. USA! USA!
Dexter calls Jamie to pick him up and she has Harrison with her. Seeing the little man walking now is so crazy! Seems like just yesterday he was crying in a pool of Rita’s blood…
Travis is clearly getting a little impatient with his ending the world. He is yelling at dead bodies and braking random coffee tables (which breaks my heart, because I have yet to buy coffee tables for my house). Deb goes to visit Dexter because she was worried. They get called to a crime scene which is the house Travis was in, the dead couple still lying on the floor. Seeing Deb all hot and bothered by Dexter makes me laugh out loud. She is stumbling over her words and breathing all heavy when he walks by her. I understand… although it is creepy for her to want him growing up as his sister, he is the sexiest man she is around on a regular basis. As Travis pulls up to the house and sees that it is overrun by Miami Metro, he goes to Dexter’s home.
Continue reading Dexter: Season 6 Finale – “This is the Way the World Ends”- SPOILERS AHEAD