LET'S HEAR IT FOR ... STEVE GUTTENBERG

Seriously. How can you not like this guy?? Here's a recent piece from The Observer in the Big Apple, written by Spencer Morgan

About two years ago, Steve Guttenberg walked into the showbiz haunt Crustacean on Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills.

“I walked in and the maitre d’ made a big deal for me,” said Mr. Guttenberg. The Goot—as he’s known to his friends—appreciated the show. To hear him tell it, eating in public in Los Angeles is a dangerous business for an actor whose last box office hit was Three Men and a Baby in 1987.

“All of a sudden, the maitre d’ says, ‘Get out of the way!’” said Mr. Guttenberg. “And they literally threw me to the side and Tom Cruise came in. And he sat Tom Cruise and said, ‘I’m so sorry, but you know, Tom Cruise.’ And I’m like, ‘Holy fuck.’”

To read the rest of the piece, click HERE.

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TARANTINO CHATS WITH PITT/DiCAPRIO

Variety reports that Quentin Tarantino is chatting with Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt this week in regards to his upcoming WW2 epic "Inglorious Bastards."

Tarantino met with Brad Pitt in France on Tuesday to talk about the possibility of Pitt playing the key role of Aldo Raine. He'll talk with DiCaprio for the role of the villain Hans Landa on Thursday.

This is the first time either actor would be appearing in a Tarantino-helmed project which is currently seeking a co-financing partner to handle offshore territories. Shooting commences this Fall in Germany and France.

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BERT & ERNIE GONE GANGSTA

Said it before and I'll say it again: Steve at Sand Cotton finds the best videos. This one is pure genius, if not for the editing alone. Watch, enjoy and don't drink anything cuz you'll spit it out.

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FIRST NEGATIVE REVIEW FOR 'THE DARK KNIGHT'

It was bound to happen. While "The Dark Knight" is currently getting 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the first bad review of "The Dark Knight" has surfaced. Film critic for New York Magazine David Edelstein calls it “a morbid affair”, claiming that “It could only be darker if Batman died. From what has been written, he is right -- The Dark Knight is not Adam West’s Batman, it’s not Tim Burton’s campy Bat and it’s not even Frank Miller’s vigilante. Edelstein comments that when Burton’s Batman came out critics complained that the film was too violent for kids. “Wait’ll they get a load of this,” he says. Like Kevin Smith said - this is "The Empire Strikes Back" of comic book movies.

Here's a sample:

Bat Out of Hell
They don’t make superhero franchises much darker than this.
By David Edelstein

Even if the death of Heath Ledger hadn’t already draped it in a funeral shroud, The Dark Knight would be a morbid affair: It could only be darker if Batman died. (He does die a little, on the inside.) The director, Christopher Nolan, has decided to get real with the thing. Forget Gotham City—or Anton Furst’s splendid Gothic Gotham of Tim Burton’s Batman, which summoned up the freaky superhero’s inner landscape of vaulted arches and gargoyles. We’re now in a modern, untransformed Manhattan, where the Joker’s opening bank heist unfolds in a tense, realistic style with multiple point-blank shootings. It’s a shock—and very effective—to see a comic-book villain come on like a Quentin Tarantino reservoir dog. But then the novelty wears off and the lack of imagination, visual and otherwise, turns into a drag. The Dark Knight is noisy, jumbled, and sadistic. Even its most wondrous vision—Batman’s plunges from skyscrapers, bat-wings snapping open as he glides through the night like a human kite—can’t keep the movie airborne. There’s an anvil attached to that cape.

To read the rest of the review, click HERE.

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THROWING DOWN AT 80?? (hilarious)

Major props to my bloggin' buddy Steve at Sand & Cotton for diggin' this gem up. Seriously... He finds the best crap online. In any case, this one is for all you aggressive types. Study this video and ask yourself if you wanna be "the old dude who fights." This is how it will end up... Calm yourself.

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'HEAVY METAL' MOVIE PUT ON HOLD

This one would've been awesome... David Fincher's remake of 1981's "Heavy Metal," the animated film based on the long-running erotic and sci-fi fantasy magazine of the same name, has been nixed by Paramount.

Fincher, who has directed subversive films such as Zodiac and Fight Club, along with animator Tim Miller and current Heavy Metal publisher Kevin Eastman, will shop the film to other studios.

Why? Well, the brass at Paramount felt the film would be too raunchy and edgy and would not appeal to a mainstream audience. Since when does edgy and raunch not appeal to the masses? Sounds like a bullcrap idea to us.

Granted, while the film's content is erotic and violent, its form will also be unusual, with approximately 10 segments lensed by different directors and sewn into a single film. The project will go on the back burner until another studio swoops in and saves the day. Let's hope!

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R.I.P: COMIC ARTIST MICHAEL TURNER DEAD AT 37

I just found out this morning that one of the industry's leading and most influential (and most copied) comic book artists has succumbed to his long illness. Here is his obit via the Associated Press

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Michael Turner, a comic book artist who drew covers for major titles such as "Superman/Batman," "The Flash" and "Civil War,'" has died. He was 37.

Turner died June 27 at a Santa Monica hospital of complications related to cancer, said Vince Hernandez, editor in chief of Aspen MLT, the Santa Monica publishing company Turner founded in 2003. Turner had battled bone cancer for eight years.

Through his company, Turner created online comic adaptations for the NBC series "Heroes" and published his own titles, including the best-selling "Fathom," a deep-sea story about a female superhero.

He also drew covers for large projects such as DC Comics' "Justice League" and Marvel's "Civil War" and was a regular cover artist for "Superman/Batman" and "The Flash."

"He was definitely one of the most popular and influential comic-book artists working right now," said Andrew Farago, curator of San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum. "He was very, very much in demand as a cover artist on high-profile projects."

Ryan Liebowitz, general manager of the Golden Apple Comics store in Los Angeles, said Turner's name was synonymous with special-edition covers that often became collectibles. The milestone 500th issue of "Uncanny X-Men," due out next week, will feature a special-edition cover by Turner.

Turner was also known for drawing female comic book characters that evoked both innocence and sex appeal and exuded energy.

In 1994, the budding artist was hired by Century City-based Top Cow Productions after an editor saw his work at the Comic-Con convention in San Diego.

At Top Cow, Turner co-created "Witchblade," a comic about a voluptuous female detective who fights evil after discovering a mystical glove. The comic went on to make Top Cow's name and set the standard for Turner's future work.

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'DARK KNIGHT' B-FOOTAGE (VIDEO)

It's almost here ... Next Thursday we'll all get the see "The Dark Knight." Until then, though, here's a little Bat Treat ...

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TOBEY MAGUIRE FREAKS OUT (again)

Your rich. Got millions. Oh, and let's not forget your're the face of one of the most profitable film franchises in the cosmos and ... the biggest problem in your world is driving away from the stalkarazzi. We thinks that Tobey should invest in a pair of Ray Bans. And maybe chill out a little, dude. We know the pappers are crazy, but chill... Take a lesson from Clooney. Make them your buddies...

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IS IT POSSIBLE TO LOVE A MOVIE TOO MUCH?

Do you think this kid likes "The Karate Kid"??

Sean Cunningham goes around the world to find the locations, fans, and stars of his favorite movie - "The Karate Kid." He fulfills his childhood dreams or training and entering a Karate Tournament. Check out the rest of the documentary HERE.

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DARK HORIZONS 'DARK KNIGHT' REVIEW

Online film journalist Garth Franklin and his Dark Horizons is one of the best film sites on the 'Net. No ifs, ands, or buts... He just published his review for "The Dark Knight," and much like the Slashfilm review, it's a rave. Check it out...

Doing exactly what a sequel should do, "The Dark Knight" takes the already superbly crafted world created in 2005's "Batman Begins" and corrects its few flaws while expanding on both its potential and premise. The result is a decidedly darker, richer, more ambitious and more mature follow-up.

Great comic book films of late like "Iron Man" and "Spider-Man 2" may be more polished and crowd-pleasing, yet "Batman Begins" remains the most intriguing and influential effort of the superhero film genre to date. Artfully constructed, unflinchingly committed to its style, crisply shot, gorgeously designed and superbly acted - it's a film that works beautifully for what it is and remains just as strong after multiple viewings.

Yet Katie Holmes' performance, awkwardly filmed action, stilted humor, and a distinct tonal shift can admittedly detract from director Chris Nolan's otherwise excellent creation. The same goes for the grand-sweeping location-heavy gritty human drama of the first half being awkwardly fused with increasingly sound stage-enclosed comic book villainy in the second. The flaws are very minor, most seemingly driven by commercial needs rather than a lack of artistic ability, but they are enough to not so much diffuse but certainly dilute the edge off the enjoyment for a decent sized portion of the audience.

"The Dark Knight" has no such schizophrenic mood swings. Right from the start the film establishes itself as a sprawling epic.

To read the rest of the review, click HERE.

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HILARIOUS: WHAT IF MICHAEL BAY WROTE 'THE DARK KNIGHT'?

The dudes at Spill have created a faux screenplay (Lord, let's hope it's fake) written by director Michael Bay for his take on The Batman. It's hilarious and filled with all the Bayisms that filmdom has come to embrace (if you're a suit) or loathe (or you're a film enthusiast).


For those under a rock, Michael Bay is an American film director and producer who has given us the gems:

"Transformers," "Armageddon," "The Rock," "Pearl Harbor," "Bad Boys" and its sequel "Bad Boys II"

He's also one of the members of the Los Angeles music video production company Propaganda Films. His style? Fast edits, dodgy camera movement; slick pace; gorgeous actors and music. LOTS of loud music.

Bay and Wydncrest Holdings recently bought the special effects company Digital Domain from James Cameron and Stan Winston. He also runs his producing company, Platinum Dunes, that produces horror genre films (mostly commercially successful remakes of 1970s films).
To read more of the script, click HERE.

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IT HAD TO HAPPEN...

... Sin City is feeling the pinch. Being that I was there a year ago to the day getting hitched on 7-7-7, I feel this post in pretty apropos. Yup, the good-time capital of the U.S. has hit a losing streak. Check out Guy Adams' report on an epidemic of bankruptcies, foreclosures and mass lay-offs in America's fastest-growing city.

Down and out in Las Vegas

Since the day Las Vegas was created in the shimmering Nevada desert, visitors have been drawn by one simple promise: "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". The motto adorns the city's road signs, and has inspired everything from its souvenir T-shirts to the local tourist board's seductive advertising campaigns.

These days, that motto is imbued with a worrying sense of irony. Because America's most outrageous city is facing a growing multitude of problems, and they all boil down to a single, unavoidable point: right now, far too little happens in Vegas, because not enough people are actually staying there.

The onset of global slowdown, high petrol prices, and a nation-wide housing slump is spelling disaster for a town that owes every aspect of its wealth – from that gaudy replica of the Eiffel Tower to those scale models of Venetian canals and the Pyramids of Egypt – to its ability to inspire free-spending hedonism.

With Americans cutting back on luxuries, and the price of transport rocketing, the so-called "Vegas vacation" is facing the axe. This week, as the nation celebrated Independence Day, major hotels were taking stock of a fall in all-important room occupancy rates from their usually impressive 95 per cent levels to nearer 80 per cent.

To read the rest of the story, click HERE.

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MARK MILLAR: THE BEST WRITER IN COMICS

I've always admired Mark Millar. Not only does he seem like a heck of a guy to grab a beer with, but his work on Marvel's "The Ultimates" rivals almost anything by Frank Miller or Neil Gaiman. His writing is highly entertaining without coming off as pretentious. In any case, one of his comics, "WANTED," was recently made into a little action yarn starring an actress named other than Angelina Jolie. Yup... Flash-forward. It was the highest-grossing 'R' rated June opening ever. In any case, check out this great interview. Also check out his fabulous online forum at Millar World.

Scots comic writer Mark Millar is toast of Hollywood after Wanted
By Rick Fulton

Mark is the man behind the story of summer blockbuster Wanted, which hit cinemas last night.

And if Angelina and Scots star James help him to box office glory, Mark knows how he'll celebrate - take a day off and go to Ayr with wife Gill and daughter Emily, nine.

Laughing, the writing wizard, of Glasgow, said: "I can't drive so I won't be buying a flash car. We live in a nice house already and I dress the same as I did at university.

"There's actually nothing to spend it on. If things turn out well at the weekend I'll take Monday off and me and the family will go to Ayr for the day. But I'll be back at work on Tuesday morning."

Life couldn't be much better for Mark right now. Not only is he one of the best-selling comic book writers in the world, Wanted is the first in what could be a long line of film adaptations of his work.

Released in the UK and America yesterday, he knows that across the pond he won't get a No.1 movie as Pixar's latest animated movie, Wall-E, is also released this week.

To read the rest of the story, click HERE.

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'QUANTUM OF SOLACE' DOSSIER

Check out this awesome piece by Tom Burns... It's pretty much everything you want to know about Bond's upcoming adventure. Also, check out the new teaser poster.

James Bond Dossier: What We Know About Quantum of Solace

Have you gone on the internet in the last 36 hours? Are you a man, woman, or child who has, at one point, expressed even a passing interest in motion pictures? If so, I'd wager that 90% of you have already been forwarded the link to the beyond bad-ass trailer for the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, a trailer that debuted online this week and already has Bond fans drooling onto their shaken-not-stirred vodka martinis.

(If you're part of that lonely 10% who haven't seen the trailer yet, you can check it out right here. How cool is the trailer? Well, we think people will immediately stop mocking the title - it wasn't warmly received by online pundits - because, even though "Quantum of Solace" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, with a trailer as exciting as the one that just hit the 'net, they could re-title the film "Mr. Bond's Wonder Emporium" and we'd still be preordering our opening night tickets as early as possible.

But how did we get here? Perhaps more than any other film series, the Bond franchise has been relaunched again and again - going from the quiet cool of the early Connery years to the blink-and-you'll-miss-it Lazenby chapter to the '70s swingin' Roger Moore era, back to a balding, half-assed Connery Bond (damn you, Never Say Never Again), moving on to the doomed-though-not-as-bad-as-you-remember Dalton legacy and floundering out with the Pierce Brosnan "always had potential but never really delivered" 007. But then Bond was relaunched yet again with 2006's Casino Royale - starring a blonde Bond, no less - and something strange happened. The relaunch worked. Not only did it work, but it blew Bond into the stratosphere, giving the secret agent a level of cool cache that he hadn't seen since Goldfinger and re-making Bond into a truly international film icon. Casino Royale pulled Bond out of the fanboy subconscious and made him once again relevant (and desirable) across all film demographics. 500 bucks says you would've been hard-pressed to find more than five women in the opening night crowd for The World Is Not Enough. But trust us, Quantum of Solace will be packed with hordes of new female Bond converts of all ages, all hoping to console poor 007 over the loss of his tragic love Vesper.

To read the rest of the piece, click HERE.

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WOLVERINE PIC LEAKED

Thanks to Filmonic, check out this ominous new promotional shot of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in the forthcoming "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." The pic is a scan from the latest issue of Empire Magazine.

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THE FINAL 'DARK KNIGHT' TRAILER

Enjoy this trailer for "The Dark Knight" which premiered at last year’s Wizard World Chicago. It's recently been officially released online. Packed with action and very little dialogue, watch for the tease of Two-Face at the conclusion.

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HAPPY JULY 4!!!

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'GODFATHER' ON BLU-RAY

Paramount is set to release the "Godfather" trilogy in Blu-ray format on September 23rd. The films have undergone a painstaking year-long restoration for optimum picture and audio quality.

To get the full scoop, click HERE.

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SLASHFILM PUBLISHES ITS 'DARK KNIGHT' REVIEW

Peter Sciretta at Slashfilm is one of the best film journalists online. Bar none. He's been given the go-ahead to publish his review for "The Dark Knight" and it's an out-and-out rave. Not a fanboy fave. A fave for serious film critics. He calls it the "Empire Strikes Back" of comic films...

Here's an excerpt:

I have been given the go ahead to review The Dark Knight, but this is the type of film that I need to see at least two or three times before attempting such a task. The film is so very expansive, so incredibly epic. I decided that instead of a full review, I will just share my first impressions. But lets first talk expectations. Going into 2008, I was looking forward to only a few films, The Dark Knight being one of them. As you probably already know, WALL-E was at the top of my list, and Pixar’s latest didn’t disappoint. I was very sure that WALL-E would end up being my favorite film of the year, and it is… errr WAS. That is until I saw The Dark Knight. I screened the film on Saturday night in Los Angeles, and now that I’ve had a few days to think about the film, I thought I would share my ten spoiler-free reasons why I believe that The Dark Knight is a masterpiece - an almost flawless comic book movie adaptation.

1. The Movie is Epic - The Dark Knight is not just a superhero movie. It is the first comic book adaptation to transcend the genre. Imagine one of the greatest crime thrillers of all time which just happens to have a guy who dresses in a bat costume and fights crime. Think Godfather 2 or Heat, with a insane terrorist who paints his face like a clown and goes around killing random people. It’s expansive in feel and tone. It’s the type of film which you make a point to refer to as a “film” instead of a “movie”.

To read the rest of the review, click HERE.

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