Movie Release :

Friday, January 30, 2015

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

The Avengers Face Ultron in This New 'Age of Ultron' TV Spot

Posted:


Did you miss seeing this new TV spot for "Avengers: Age of Ultron" last night? Maybe you don't have a TV, or you got up to go to the bathroom, or you scroll through commercials on your DVR - hey, we're not here to judge.

Anyway, there's not a ton of new stuff happening in this spot that we haven't seen before. We do get a better look at Iron Man's fancy Hulkbuster suit, and there's more Iron Man-on-Hulk action, but that's about it.

Or is it? Over at Hitfix Harpy, Donna Dickens notes that we could be getting a glimpse of the elusive Grey Hulk. "But that bit where the Hulk kicks the cop car like Rocket Raccoon kicks grass? The warm color palette used in every other shot of the Hulkbuster fight is absent, replaced with muted blues that indicate a different sequence. So is it the new color scheme that makes Banner's alter ego look different, or it could be that we're seeing Grey Hulk?" The Grey Hulk is the more subdued version of the Hulk, which is not to say that the grey guy is totally chill; he's just sort of slower to Hulk out. Take a look, and let us know what you think.

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" opens May 1.

Marvel's Avengers: Age Of Ultron..L to R: Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) ..Ph: Jay Maidment..?Marvel 2015

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Check Out This Terrifying New Dinosaur From 'Jurassic World'

Posted:

Jurassic WorldThe Indominus Rex is here, and it's freaking terrifying. The official site for "Jurassic World" introduced this creepy new "attraction," with all sorts of high-tech details that would make anyone rethink booking a vacay to this resort. It's 40 feet long, and it can run up to 30 miles per hour - at least, that's how fast it can run when it's safely in its dino-jail. Who knows how fast it could run if when it escapes?

If that doesn't put the fear of dinosaurs in you, contemplate this. According to the official website, "Indominus' teeth are being constantly replaced - a genetic distinction common to all theropods as well as nearly all sharks." Sounds like a great idea, guys. Thanks a lot.

"Jurassic World" opens on June 12.

[Via CinemaBlend]

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Tatiana Maslany Nabs Lead Role in 'Star Wars' Spinoff: Rumor Alert!

Posted:

Tatiana MaslanyAccording to Total Geeks, via Comic Book Movie, the ridiculously talented and adorable "Orphan Black" star Tatiana Maslany has beaten out actresses like Rooney Mara and Felicity Jones for the lead role in Gareth Edwards's forthcoming "Star Wars" spin-off movie (the one due in the winter of 2016). This is still very much a rumor, so take it with a grain of salt, although multiple reports have stated that she was very much in the running, so the fact that she has possibly nabbed it aren't so far fetched.

Plot details have yet to be revealed about the spinoff film, which many have theorized involves one or more of the series' legendary bounty hunter characters. As Comic Book Movie points out, the actress had to recently pull out of an off-Broadway play because of scheduling conflicts with an upcoming film. Might this be the film?

What do you think, if this is indeed the casting decision?

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

This 'Game of Thrones' Season 5 Trailer Is the Best Thing You'll See All Weekend (VIDEO)

Posted:


UPDATE: HBO's official "Game of Thrones" Season 5 trailer has been added below.

While everyone is gearing up for the Super Bowl on Sunday, it was easy to overlook the fact that the "Game of Thrones" IMAX fan event just happened nationwide, where they screened two episodes of the beloved fantasy series in the astounding large theatrical format. (Bet that was pretty cool.) Of course, to cap off the night's entertainment, they screened an exclusive preview of season 5. Some sneaky minx had a video camera, recorded it, and even in low quality, it's pretty much the coolest thing you'll see all weekend (discounting, of course, Sunday's "Tomorrowland" spot...)

Now, keeping in mind that the footage is crummy and amateurish (thanks to Live for Films for alerting us to the link), it still is incredible, epic, and awe-inspiring. Things to keep an eye out for: Tyrion's epic '80s power beard (the Little Lion has a mighty mane!), Littlefinger coaching Sansa in the art of being a sneaky bad-ass, Cersei's vengeful rage, Dany pretty much owning all, and that tumbling, Egyptian-ish goddess statue. Things are about to get real. It's not until you see something like this that you remember how good "Game of Thrones" is and how much you desperately miss it.
Post by Game of Thrones.
game of thrones season 5

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

How Indie Filmmakers Have Transformed TV

Posted:


It's a paradox. Independent films -- the kind that are often dramas or comedies about everyday people, rather than superheroes -- have all but vanished from theaters, which now show mostly popcorn action blockbusters. And yet, many of the filmmakers who used to make those indie movies have found a home on TV, where that same character-driven sensibility makes their work a critical and commercial success.

Exhibit A is surely Lena Dunham. Her 2010 movie "Tiny Furniture" never played in more than 21 theaters or sold as much as $400,000 in tickets, but her HBO series "Girls," which has a similar directorial and thematic approach, has made her a star.

In recent years, a number of her fellow indie directors and writers have made the same transition, from the art-house to your living room, mostly via premium cable or streaming outlets Netflix and Amazon. Alongside Dunham at HBO, there's Cary Joji Fukunaga ("True Detective"), Andrew Haigh ("Looking"), Lisa Cholodenko (mini-series "Olive Kitteridge"), and Jay and Mark Duplass ("Togetherness"). Filmmakers who've found a home making series at Showtime include Matthew Carnahan ("House of Lies"), Morgan Spurlock (last year's "7 Deadly Sins"), and Diablo Cody ("The United States of Tara").

On Netflix, indie auteurs-turned-TV showrunners include David Wain and Michael Showalter (who are turning their cult film fave "Wet Hot American Summer" into a series), John Fusco ("Marco Polo"), and Michael McGowan (the upcoming "Between"),And then there's Amazon, new home to Roman Coppola ("Mozart in the Jungle"), Whit Stillman ("The Cosmopolitans"), and, as of earlier this month, that most independent of independent filmmakers, Woody Allen, newly hired to create his first TV series.

It's not just the premium-subscription outlets, either. The mainstream broadcast networks have attracted some indie talent. Cholodenko ("The Kids Are All Right") is behind next month's NBC mini-series "The Slap." In March, "12 Years a Slave" screenwriter John Ridley has "American Crime" debuting on ABC. Last year, CBS signed Greta Gerwig ("Frances Ha") to write and star in spin-off "How I Met Your Dad."

Even this year's Sundance Film Festival -- perhaps the last place on earth where the illusion of a healthy theatrical market for independent films still exists -- is screening TV projects, including the upcoming HBO documentary series "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst," the seven-episode animated series "Animals" (a Duplass brothers project without a network commitment yet), and "Going Clear," the much-touted Scientology exposé by Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney, which is scheduled to air on HBO in a few weeks. (Indeed, HBO is Gibney's primary backer these days.) The SXSW and Tribeca film festivals have started screening TV content as well.

"Now the dream is to write and direct an indie film, get into Sundance, and then use that to become a big-time TV series creator like Lena Dunham, or a showrunner or a TV director," Reed Martin, author of indie-filmmaking guidebook "The Reel Truth," recently told the New York Times.

How did this happen? A lot can be chalked up to business changes that crippled the independent film industry -- the collapse of the DVD market, the conversion to digital projection (something a lot of art-houses couldn't afford), and especially the overall decline in the theatrical exhibition business. These changes have made it much harder for once-prolific filmmakers like Mike White (creator of HBO's two-season series "Enlightened") and the Duplass brothers to get their movies seen in theaters.

At the same time, TV has exploded, creating new opportunities for directors. At first, many filmmakers, including Nicole Holofcener, Lynn Shelton, and Allison Anders, were moonlighting there as directors of individual episodes of TV shows, keeping their careers active during the increasingly long intervals between their theatrical films. But eventually, indie auteurs were making deals to create their own shows. The economics and audience preferences of the small screen have made TV much more welcoming than ever to the indie sensibility.

As Time magazine TV critic James Poniewozik noted this week, TV may actually be a better creative medium for these filmmakers than film. After all, it's more hospitable to lengthy explorations of character and relationships. You're not bound by the 90-to-120-minutes time limit of a feature film, you don't have to focus so much on plot, and you don't even have to think of an ending -- at least not right away. And right now, at least, TV programming executives are offering showrunners tremendous creative freedom, allowing for the kind of edgy content that the indie film scene used to pride itself on.

What's more, there are good economic reasons for indie filmmakers to do TV. Instead of hunting for financing, you get paid up front. Instead of hunting for distribution, you have a guaranteed platform and a likely audience of millions. If you're on premium cable or streaming, you don't have to worry about ratings because there's a built-in subscriber base. And for now, at least, these subscriber outlets have lots of money to throw at directors who are accustomed to telling colorful stories (and occasionally, attracting prestigious stars) on a modest budget. "TV is where all the money is," Martin told the Times, "and where a lot of the creative risk-taking is celebrated these days."

Finally, it's worth noting that TV has always been a more female-friendly business than filmmaking. Hollywood filmmaking, of course, has always been a men's club and a boy's fantasy playground, but even in the indie film world, it's been hard for women to get financiers, distributors, and film crews to take them seriously as directors. TV, however, has long recognized its place in a domestic sphere where women are more in control -- of both the viewing decisions and the purchases of sponsors' products. That doesn't mean there's gender parity behind the camera yet, but women writers and directors are still more commonplace in TV than in film. Modern-day series creator/stars like Dunham, Tina Fey, and Mindy Kaling are continuing a TV tradition that goes back to Mary Tyler Moore and Lucille Ball.

All that creativity is great for the TV industry, but not so great for the indie film business. Those older, well-educated viewers who enjoy watching indie-style content in the comfort of their living rooms are the same former filmgoers who've all but stopped going to the art-house theaters. Much of the indie world has already pinned its hopes on video-on-demand, with films debuting on pay-per-view cable the same day as (or even before) their theatrical debut, a practice that theater owners fear is doing even further damage to their business. The mainstream Hollywood studios have all but given up making thoughtful dramas and comedies, the kind of films that win Oscars, having left that playing field to the indies (it's why so few studio smashes, save "American Sniper" and "Gone Girl," are competing this year for Academy Awards against indie films that drew much smaller audiences to theaters). If the indies, in turn, abandon that sort of fare to television, then film will be nothing more than expensive action spectacles, broad comedies, and cheap horror films.

And the TV business isn't likely to be an indie haven forever. The current largess from subscriber outlets can't last indefinitely, especially if subscriptions plateau. Content is migrating from cable to streaming, even as creators and platform providers continue to struggle to figure out how to monetize online video. Mobile viewing remains inhospitable to any kind of long-form content, whether a feature film or a TV series. And a future where movies, TV, and online video are increasingly indistinguishable means the differences in quality, creativity, edginess, and prestige between one medium and another are likely to flatten over time, with everything trending toward a comfortable mediocrity.

But maybe creators don't have to take sides. Allen, for example, isn't about to abandon his prolific filmmaking career just because he's doing an Amazon series. And other creators, like Jill Soloway (who made the Sundance feature "Afternoon Delight" and won a Golden Globe earlier this month for the Amazon dramedy series "Transparent"), continue to work both sides of the street. Her unique point of view is apparent whether she's working on a premium cable series (she won an Emmy writing for "Six Feet Under"), a streaming show, her own woman-oriented video curation site (wifey.tv), or an indie feature. "It's a rare, rare movie that's about humans or about families or about people that can really make it theatrically," Soloway told Time. "Independent filmmakers already have their heads around people on their couches watching their movies. For me coming out of Sundance and having Amazon offer this opportunity it felt like I was going to get to make a movie and I already had distribution." So maybe it doesn't matter what platform she uses, as long as we get to enjoy her storytelling.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

10 Crazy Emotional 'Parenthood' Moments

Posted:


Farewell, "Parenthood." You gave us six beautiful seasons of sentimental, gut-wrenching, tears-streaming-down-our-faces scenes. In fact, there are too many to count considering pretty much every episode required a box of tissues. And boy did last night's series finale not disappoint when it came providing those touching -- well, downright heartbreaking -- moments we've come to expect.

Let's remember this beloved series the best way we know how: by crying our eyes out. Here are a few of the most memorably tear-jerking moments in "Parenthood" history. (Spoilers ahead!). So long, Bravermans.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Super Bowl Facts: 21 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About the Big Game

Posted:

Super Bowl FactsSuper Bowl XLIX is just two days away and Moviefone has football fever.

But we're not here to talk about the Patriots. Or even the Seahawks. We're here to share the weirdest, most incomprehensible facts about the Big Game. (Don't get us started on the hundreds of tons of guac that America will be putting down on Sunday.)

From the original cost of a Super Bowl ticket to the most unlucky teams in football, here are 21 mind-blowing facts you probably don't know about the NFL's biggest game.

1. The Super Bowl will be broadcast in 34 languages around the globe!

2. Look at the person to your right, then look at the person to your left. One of you will place some sort of wager on the Super Bowl. That is, as long as you're an American.

3. The Super Bowl coin toss has resulted in heads and tails an equal 24 times.

4. The opening kickoff in a Super Bowl was returned for a touchdown only once. Devin Hester accomplished the feat in Super Bowl XLI.

5. Thirty-five points is the most scored in the first half of a Super Bowl, courtesy of the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXII.

6. Of the first 48 Super Bowls, a quarterback has been named Super Bowl MVP 26 times.

7. A defensive player has been named MVP 9 times. The last to do it? Seattle Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith just last year.

8. Minnesota and Buffalo have had some tough breaks. The two teams have played in four Super Bowls without winning one, a record for most appearances without a title.

9. On the flip side, there are four current NFL teams who have never played in a Super Bowl (Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, and Jacksonville).

10. The Denver Broncos have lost the Big Game more than any other team in history. Don't feel too bad for them, though; they've also won a couple of times.

11. Back in 1967, a ticket to Super Bowl I cost just six dollars. As of Thursday morning, the cheapest ticket for Super Bowl XLIX was $8,070. Yes, that's cheapest.

12. The series finale of M.A.S.H was the most-watched program in television history for 20 years until Super Bowl XLIV. It's also the only other event to surpass 100 million viewers in America.

13. Nine of the 10 most-watched U.S. television programs in history were Super Bowls.

14. No Super Bowl game has ever gone past regulation, and only a combined 5 AFC and NFC Championships have gone to overtime.

15. A 30-second commercial spot for Super Bowl I cost about $40,000. Today, a 30-second spot will run you about $4.5 million.

16. Last year, Renée Fleming was the first-ever opera singer to sing the national anthem.

17. When the New England Patriots played the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, it was the first time two reigning Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Eli Manning, were facing off against each other. Coincidentally, Manning won his MVP versus Brady's undefeated Pats in Super Bowl XLII.

18. Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest day of the year for food consumption in the U.S. Thanksgiving is the first.

19. Reportedly, eight million pounds (or more!) of guacamole will be eaten on Super Bowl Sunday.

20. As far as pizza goes, Domino's expects to sell about 9 million slices for the Big Game, nearly 50% more than a typical Sunday.

21. Thought the Super Bowl was the most-watched sporting event in the world? Think again. The Champions League Final takes the prize. That's a soccer (ahem, football) match!

[Sources: TIME, New York Post, The FW]

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best of Late Night TV: John Oliver's Self-Tasering and Conan O'Brien's 'Clueless Gamer' (VIDEO)

Posted:


If you're like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don't worry; we've got you covered. Here's the best of what happened last night on late night.

"Scandal" is back (best news ever), and Kerry Washington stopped by "Jimmy Kimmel Live" to talk about her completely addictive show, and --more importantly -- her birthday. Find out why this TV star sends her parents a gift every year instead of getting them herself!

Jimmy also had a round-up of celebrities including Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, John Krasinski, Chris Evans, Steven Tyler, and Eli Roth on the show to defend Tom Brady in the wake of Deflate Gate, and take full responsibility for what happened to those infamous balls. Welcome to #IamTheLockerRoomGuy.

John Oliver visited "Late Show" and told David Letterman a story about how he tasered himself while performing for the troops. Well that's one way to make people laugh....

Finally, Conan O'Brien recently flew to Phoenix to challenge Patriots player Rob Gronkowski and Seahawks player Marshawn Lynch to a game of Mortal Kombat X. The results? Literally amazing. See for yourself.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...