To further prove the fact there isn’t an original idea in Hollywood…We are now looking at a remake of a comedy classic: ‘Arthur’. Russell Brand fresh off the beach in ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ and reprising the same character (Aldus Snow) in the new “Get Him To The Greek’ in 2010 wants the martini glass and top hat and to remake ‘Arthur” Just because your English and play a funny drunk doesnt qualify you to screw with comedic greatness. ‘Arthur’ was about Dudley Moore ,the laugh he had, the lovable little drunk and the great conversations he had With Hobson his butler and best friend. NO ONE ELSE BUT JOHN GEILGUD CAN PLAY THAT ROLE. I think both of them will roll over in their graves if this happens. Liza, if they call you for a cameo…just say NOoooooooo! I like Russell Brand and think he is very funny but Dudley Moore is and will always be ‘Arthur’.

Every year, the night before the Oscars are handed out, Hollywood stars and starlets go into a tent on the Santa Monica beach and honor the best in independent cinema of the last year.

The nominees for the 2009 Independent Spirit Awards were announced yesterday.  Good on Mickey Rourke and ‘The Wrestler’ for scoring nominations for Best Actor and Best Feature.  Congrats also go out to We Are Movie Geeks blogger, Jonathan Levine, for ‘The Wackness’ getting a First Screenplay nod.

The nominations:

Feature
‘Ballast’ 
‘Frozen River’
‘Rachel Getting Married’
‘Wendy and Lucy’
‘The Wrestler’

Director
Ramin Bahrani, ‘Chop Shop’
Jonathan Demme, ‘Rachel Getting Married’
Lance Hammer, ‘Ballast’
Courtney Hunt, ’Frozen River’
Tom McCarthy, ‘The Visitor’

Male Lead
Javier Bardem, ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’
Richard Jenkins, ‘The Visitor’
Sean Penn, ‘Milk’
Jeremy Renner, ‘The Hurt Locker’
Mickey Rourke, ‘The Wrestler’

Female Lead
Summer Bishil, ‘Towelhead’
Anne Hathaway, ‘Rachel Getting Married’
Melissa Leo, ‘Frozen River’
Tarra Riggs, ‘Ballast’
Michelle Williams, ‘Wendy and Lucy’

Supporting Male
James Franco, ‘Milk’
Anthony Mackie, ‘The Hurt Locker’
Charlie McDermott, ‘Frozen River’
Jim Myron Ross, ‘Ballast’
Haaz Sleiman, ‘The Visitor’

Supporting Female
Penélope Cruz, ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’
Rosemarie DeWitt, ‘Rachel Getting Married’
Rosie Perez, ‘The Take’
Misty Upham, ‘Frozen River’
Debra Winger, ‘Rachel Getting Married’

Screenplay
Woody Allen,  ’Vicky Cristina Barcelona’
Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, ‘Sugar’
Charlie Kaufman, ‘Synecdoche, New York’
Howard A. Rodman, ‘Savage Grace’
Christopher Zalla, ‘Sangre De Mi Sangre’

First Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black, ‘Milk’
Lance Hammer, ‘Ballast’
Courtney Hunt, ‘Frozen River’
Jonathan Levine, ‘The Wackness’
Jenny Lumet, ‘Rachel Getting Married’

Cinematography
Maryse Alberti, ‘The Wrestler’
Lol Crawley, ‘Ballast’
James Laxton, ‘Medicine for Melancholy’
Harris Savides, ‘Milk’
Michael Simmonds, ‘Chop Shop’

The 2009 Independet Spirit Awards will be aired live on the IFC network on February 21st, 2009 at 5:00 ET.

Source: Spirit Awards Official Site

THE WORST

This week, we bring you the downs, the worst, the film-world equivalent to naval lint.  These are the worst films of the year, our own Bottom 10 of 2008.  Of course, this list was put together before the end of the year, so who knows what God awful gems we may have put added by January 1, 2009.  Something tells me ‘Bedtime Stories’ could have made the cut.

Travis:

1. Disaster Movie
2. Space Chimps
3. College
4. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
5. Beer for My Horses
6. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
7. Twilight
8. 10,000 BC
9. Blindness
10. Leatherheads

Ram-Man:

So, apparently the bros at Warner are going to release a slew of different special editions in an effort to get fanboys to buy, buy! They’re really going hard body with the marketing, offering a batpod replica, batman mask, joker mask, joker action figure, Ledger’s ashes … well no, not really, but I wouldn’t put it past them.  Best Buy is also aiding the cause by having their own special editions… Confused much? I’m with ya.  Whatever happened to just watching the movie? I understand fans are infatuated with the behind the scenes process, especially with an over inflated flick like this, there’s so much the fans want to know.

But isn’t this overkill? I mean, I’m a TDK fan as much as the next guy, but times are tough… Will purchasing multiple copies of the same product make me an authentic fan? Hardcore? Gotta admit, it’s a great marketing ploy on behalf of the studio. Fanboys are willing to purchase different variant covers for essentially the same comic book issue, why would a billion dollar grossing comic book movie be any different to them?

I guess my gripe isn’t so much with the 9 different versions of the film, but maybe it’s the fact that I’m coming to terms with being broke via a faltering economy.

So the question remains… who will be waiting on line at their local Best Buy, Midnight December 9th? Show of hands please. (Raises hand) Yes, I know I’m a tool.

Oh! And let’s not forget the the two - disc complete score of the film James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer, also released on the 9th… Jeez how much is this all gonna cost? I’m just a fan, why are the warner ho’s molding me into an aficionado?

First comes the standard 1-disc edition, for those buyers who just don’t care about flashy extras or DVD art. There will be no bonus features on the one-disc, so buy carefully. True fans will be opting for the 2-disc set, which includes these delightful extras:

* Gotham Uncovered documentary
* Featurettes (Batman Tech: The Incredible Gadgets and Tools, Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight)
* 6 episodes of Gotham Cable’s Premier News Program
* Galleries (The Joker Cards, Concept Art, Poster Art, Production Stills)
* Trailers and TV spots

And if that wasn’t enough, the 2-disc DVD art will feature alternate art under its cardboard sleeve — it seems the Joker savaged each and every one of them with markers and crayons (see gallery below).

There’s also a third edition the really hardcore among you will be standing in line for, and that’s the limited edition pictured above. It doesn’t come with additional features, but is secured in a steel DVD case and accompanied by a replica Batpod.

Via [Super Hero Hype ]

Looking for that special something for that special geeky someone this Christmas?  Think they have it all?  Well, you probably haven’t checked out the Clay Guy yet.  The guy’s name is Barry Crawford, and he makes hand finished resin castings of some of the coolest characters ever to grace the big and little screen.

Check out these awesome figures:

And these are just a sampling of what Barry has to offer on his site.  On his site, Barry offers over a hundred different characters.  Like us, the guy is a movie geek, and he knows what he’s doing when crafting one of his figures.  And, yes, that hockey mask on Jason Voorhees is removable.

Check his site out.  It’s www.clayguy.com or you can email Barry at barrycrawford1@juno.com.

In the last few weeks, the French directors behind ‘Inside’, Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, parted ways once again with Dimension films on one of their horror properties.  First it was the remake of ‘Hellraiser’.  Then it was the followup to Rob Zombie’s version of ‘Halloween’.

Now comes the rumor, and it is a rumor, mind you, that Zombie could be sitting back down in the director’s chair for yet another ‘Halloween’.  An “insider”, take that for what you will, phoned an editor over at Shock Till You Drop and informed him that Zombie was stepping back in as director of the sequel.

With ‘Halloween 2′ expecting to start shooting in March, this puts Zombie’s long- gestating ‘Tyrannosaurus Rex’ project on the back burner.

What do you think?  Is Zombie the right choice to continue the new ‘Halloween’ franchise?  Are Maury and Bustillo ever going to follow up ‘Inside’ with another film?  Is all of this a highly-crafted ruse by John Carpenter to end the ‘Halloween’ franchise once and for all?  Let us know what you think below.

Source: Shock Till You Drop

Before you question me for posting an article about a made-for-TV Hallmark movie, let me explain… I am paying attention to this one in particular because it hits close to home. The film tackles an issue in America (and obviously other cities in the world) that is lacking in awareness. The film is based on a true story about Brad Cohen, from the book co-written by Lisa Wysocky. Brad Cohen is a man with Tourette Syndrome who overcomes his obstacles and becomes a great teacher. It’s refreshing to see a movie that offers support of people with Tourette Syndrome instead of using it as a comical crutch like so many movies have recently done. (i.e. Duece Bigelow, etc.) To my recollection, the last relatively “known” movie to depict Tourette Syndrome in a realistic light was ‘The Tic Code’ starring Gregory Hines.

It is extremely difficult to get an accurate figure on how many children and adults are affected by Tourette Syndrome, but authoritative estimates place it around 200,000 in the United States alone. Having myself been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at the age of 12, my experience growing up was significantly influenced by how my ”tics” were perceived by those at school, both from students and teachers alike. I can attest that without promoting awareness of Tourette Syndrome and encouraging an understanding of it, the experience of young people with Tourette Syndrome can often be difficult. I am fortunate that most of my tics have subsided with age, and with the help of some very wise people in my life, but this is not the case for many. I encourage everyone make an effort to watch this movie, especially if you have children… have them watch it with you as well.

‘Front of the Class’ is scheduled to air on CBS: Sunday, December 7, 2008 @ 9:00pm EST.

The national Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc. is very excited to announce the Hallmark Hall of Fame TV presentation of Front of the Class, which will premiere on Sunday, December 7, 2008, at 9:00 pm EST on CBS.

Front of the Class is inspired by the true story of Brad Cohen, a young man diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome who overcomes considerable odds to become a gifted teacher. Based on Brad’s award winning book, Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had, this poignant TV feature is an accurate and inspiring depiction of this much misunderstood neurological disorder.

The adult Brad is played by Jimmy Wolk (The Spiral Project) and young Brad is played by Dominic Scott Kay (Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End). Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) and Treat Williams (Everwood) play Brad’s parents.

When growing up, teachers and other adults - even Brad’s father - interpreted his involuntary sounds and sudden jerking movements as attempts to get attention. He was teased by other kids. As a result, he hated school, until his school principal recognized and acknowledged that Brad’s acting up was actually a result of his Tourette Syndrome symptoms. His principal chose to use an all-school assembly to educate both the faculty and his fellow students about the disorder. This dramatic incident was pivotal in helping Brad win their understanding and acceptance.

At that point, Brad decided to become the teacher he never had. But that ambition was more easily stated than achieved. Despite an impressive college record and glowing recommendations, getting a job was an almost insurmountable challenge. He was turned down in 24 consecutive interviews. His 25th interview finally resulted in a job offer.

Brad’s openness about having Tourette Syndrome, as well as his easy-going manner and gentle humor, quickly won over his young students. In addition to the standard curriculum, the students learned valuable lessons in understanding and tolerance. At the end of the year, Brad was named Georgia’s outstanding first-year teacher.

Oscar winner Peter Werner (Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy) directed from a script by Tom Rickman (whose screenplay for Tuesdays with Morrie won a Humanitas Prize and Writers Guild Award; the film won six Emmys, including Outstanding Movie). Andrew Gottlieb (The Russell Girl) is the producer; Brent Shields (Sweet Nothing in My Ear) and Tim Shriver (Amistad) are the executive producers.

– Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc.

I never thought I’d be bringing you news from Ryan Seacrest’s radio show, but here it is.  He was talking with ‘Twilight’ star Kristen Stewart on his KiisFM show when the subject of the film’s sequel, ‘New Moon’, came up.  Stewart told him that the sequel begins shooting in March, just four short months away.  

If you give two or three months for principal photography and another three months for post-production, that means ‘New Moon’ could potentially get a release sometime late next year.  As ‘Saw’ has become an October tradition, the ‘Twilight’ series could easily become a November tradition.

For the full interview with Stewart, as well as Seacrest actually reading from the ‘Twilight’ novel, check out the ‘Twilight’-themed page KiisFM has set up on their site.

So far, ‘Twilight’ has made $119 million, almost tripling its $37 million budget in two weeks.

So, what do you think?  Is one year enough time to put together a solid sequel to ‘Twilight’?  Would you like to see the ‘Twilight’ movies get punched out as fast as the ‘Saw’ films?  Let us know by commenting below!

Source: KiisFM

Here we have the first look at Gambit from the new ‘Wolverine’ film courtesy of Empire Magazine.  The card-carrying (literally) mutant who can manipulate kinetic energy is played by Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights).

Not sure if Kitsch was the perfect choice for this role, but it’s great to see the talented actor getting such a prime part in a huge movie.

What do you think of Gambit’s look?  Let us know below!

On a side note, if you’re not watching Friday Night Lights, you are missing out on the absolute best series television has to offer.  Be sure to check it out when it comes back to NBC in January.

Source: Empire Online

Warner Bros and Break.com are holding an online contest for people to submit a video about the funniest thing that’s happened to them when they said YES.  You can check it out at: http://www.break.com/yesman/yesman.html

Prizing is: Grand Prize $2500 Am Ex Gift Card, 2nd Prize $1500, 3rd Prize $750

source: Allied

Here are some new set photos for the upcoming movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. This movie stars the late Heath Ledger in his last performance. Enjoy the pictures and check out this movie when it opens to theatres some time in 2009.

The Movie Geeks were standing in the lobby of the Tivoli Theater this past Sunday night waiting to go in to see ‘The Wrestler’ when the topic of movie length came up.  More specifically, a couple of us were railing on the 152-minute running time of ‘The Dark Knight’, and a couple of us had no problem with the film being that long.

Keep in mind, the average length of a Bollywood film is 14 days.  I just made that up.  It’s more like 3 hours, but all that singing and dancing can get pretty monotonous.

So, what do you think?  Are movies getting too long?  Should studios force their directors to cut more out of their films?  What’s the perfect length for a film?  Would you rather a film be too long or too short?

Let us know!  Comment below!

Apparently, on May 8th, 2009, you will be able to go up to the box office of your local movie theater, slap down $12 bucks, and spout out, “Hey, I want a ticket for ‘Star Trek’ on the IMAX, biotch!!!”  Then, after you get out of jail, you can go enjoy that movie on the IMAX.

Yes, JJ Abrams “reimagining” of the classic television series is getting converted to 70mm prints for projection on the 72ft X 53ft screen.  ’Star Trek’ will show on IMAX screens across the nation followed shortly next summer by IMAX presentations of ‘Night at the Musem 2: Battle of the Smithsonian’, ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’, and ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’.  All of this IMAX hoopla is due to how well ‘The Dark Knight’ did this past summer.

What do you think about ‘Star Trek’ on the IMAX?  Too many?  Want more films on the IMAX?  Let us know below!

Source: First Showing

The St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) has closed for 2008. This year’s festival brought us dozens of fine films from all nations around the world. We had a Swedish 12 year old vampire, a wrestler fighting off extinction, a 10 year-old’s view of the Holocaust and an Indian boy who wins big on the local game show.  Every year the St. Louis Film Critics Assoc. Each year the association gives the “Best in Fest’ award to the critic’s selection as the best feature-length narrative film in the festival. This years jury consisted of: Oscar “Movie Guru” Davis (KSDK-TV), Cate Marquis (St. Louis Jewish Light), Mark Glass & Rob Levy (KDHX-FM), Calvin Wilson & Joe Williams (ST. Louis Post Dispatch) and Sandy Olmsted (Cinematic Skinny). I’m sure after long deliberation the field was narrowed to six films.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (UK/US)

The Class (French)

I’ve Loved You So Long (French)

O’Horton (Norwiegen)

The Wrestler (US)

Slumdog Millionaire (UK/India)

The winner of the 2008 Best in Fest Award is Slumdog Millionaire!

The critics also annouced another award, The inaugural “Under The Radar Award”. The Under The Radar Award is is given to the film that drew less attention from the audiences but did well in international film festivals. The 2008 winner of the “Under The Radar” Award is The Unknown Woman (Italy).

The S.L.I.F.F. is an annual festival that runs 10 days during the fall. If you missed this years, check the theaters, DVD racks or WeAreMovieGeeks.com to see where you can catch some of the festival films from this year. Make a note on your calender now!,  so that you don’t miss out next year!

Paramount Pictures has released these two, new character posters to follow up the ones they’ve already released for Kirk and Spock.  This time we have one for Nero (Eric Bana) and Uhura (Zoe Saldana).

The idea of character posters is starting to get annoying.  Basically it seems like a cheap way to sell a whole bunch of posters.  Having said that, it’s always great to see new pics of Nero.  I have a feeling he’s gonna be up there with Khan as one of the great, ‘Star Trek’ villains.

Paramount has also launched the official site, where you can watch the trailer, view the photos, and download wallpapers of your favorite ‘Star Trek’ characters.

Source: Paramount Pictures/Official Site

Can I first say that James Earl Jones is BACK!!!! Okay the movie Earth is how Walt Disney Studios will celebrate Earth Day 2009. This is the first feature length nature documentary from its new production banner, Disneynature. This amazing new film from award winning British producer/director Alastair Fothergill, whose credits include the Emmy and Peabody award-winning “Planet Earth” series  and “The Blue Planet.” The movie will take audience viewers on an extraordinary tour of our home planet as its never been seen before. The film is narrated by my favorite person who has the voice of God James Earl Jones. I am totally on board for this movie hits theaters. To get a better look at this new movie click on the URL to check out. http://www.canmag.com/nw/12854-disney-earth-poster-trailer

Source: www.canmag.com

Ryan Reynolds is back for another comedy set to rock you. The movie ‘Adventureland’ is set in the summer in the late 80’s. The movie concerns an uptight recent college grad who is forced to take a minimum wage job at the local amusement park after realizing he can’t afford his dream European tour. The experience helps him to loosen up a bit as he finds first love, forms new friendships and matures just in time to enter the real world in the fall. This film is set to open worldwide on March 27th.

With ‘Twilight’ opening tomorrow, Summit Entertainment is focusing on their new venture, ‘Astro Boy’. ‘Astro Boy’ was created by the “God of Manga”, Osamu Tezuka, in the early 1950’s. This new adaptation will take place in futuristic Metro City. ‘Astro Boy’ is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist to replace the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving father’s expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the man who had rejected him. For a more visual idea here is the link to see the trailer of this new movie. http://www.canmag.com/nw/12847-astro-boy-trailer-poster

Source: www.canmag.com

Haven’t you always wanted to know how Fidel Castro actually got into power?  Well here is a movie that is going to show you the way. The movie ‘Che’ is a two part movie that will focus on not only Castro  but a man named Che, a man with the same goals of overthrowing the dictator of Cuba. The official synopsis of the film is, On November 26, 1956, Fidel Castro sails to Cuba with eighty rebels. One of those rebels is Ernesto Che Guevara, an Argentine doctor who shares a common goal with Fidel Castro - to overthrow the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

I personally think this will be a great movie, because we already remake everything else.  Why not an individual that we put in power. So have fun looking at the photos of this upcoming movie.

Source: www.canmag.com

There we have the new poster for ‘Underworld: Rise of the Machines Sith Lycans’.  It’s brought to us courtesy of Shock Till You Drop.

The site also posted a bunch of new pics from the film.  Check ‘em out!

What do you think?  Excited for this sequel even though Kate Beckinsale isn’t returning?  Let us know below!

‘Underworld: Rise of the Lycans’ comes out on January 23rd, 2009.

Source: Shock Till You Drop