Welcome to The Extras! A daily dose of all the smaller movie related news, clips and just plain cool stuff that you might have missed!

Let’s face it, we all are going to get old and wrinkly one day. Doesn’t mean we have to stop being geeks though. I can just see myself as a grandpa using this Imperial AT/AT Walker:

And the already impressive cast of Angelina Jolie’s Sleeping Beauty story, Maleficent, gets even better, as Juno Temple has signed on to play the pixie, Thistletwit.

Do you know how to fire ...]]>  

Welcome to The Extras! A daily dose of all the smaller movie related news, clips and just plain cool stuff that you might have missed!

Let’s face it, we all are going to get old and wrinkly one day. Doesn’t mean we have to stop being geeks though. I can just see myself as a grandpa using this Imperial AT/AT Walker:

And the already impressive cast of Angelina Jolie’s Sleeping Beauty story, Maleficent, gets even better, as Juno Temple has signed on to play the pixie, Thistletwit.

Do you know how to fire an automatic rifle at a running “so-called” hero so that all your bullets hit the ground just behind his feet? Maybe you should become a member of Cobra! If you want to know what it takes to be a member of the masked criminal organization then just head on over to CobraSpecialForces.com

New poster for Nicolas Cage’s Stolen. Well, I’m guessing it’s Cage based on the name at the top, because either somebody went all Photochop-suey on his face, or that’s his hillbilly lookalike, Cletus.

According to the LA Times, Taylor Kitsch is being kept afloat by Battleship after John Carter Debacle.

FilmSchoolRejects lists 8 Awesome Fictional Games Featured in Movies. Man, I really need to get the Running Man: Home Version. The kids will love it! And probably die!

You ladies might want to check out the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, as featured on the cover will be some Magic Mike muscly man-flesh. Guys, you may want to scroll down really fast.

Disney is developing a film adaptation of the best-selling children’s novel and Tony Award winning Broadway play, Peter and the Starcatchers. The Crow reboot writer Jesse Wigutow is producing the script.

Movies.Com asks Is This the Saddest Dark Knight Rises promotional display? Yes. Yes, it is. I’m crying giant bat-tears here.

This time-lapse video showing the installation of a digital IMAX screen is pretty cool. In a very nerdy kind of way.

Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass will be making a documentary about Spanish football giants Barcelona FC, titled Barca. Prepare to witness the most kinetic games of soccer ever.

Here’s first on-set look at Scarlett Johannson in Hitchcock, the story of the making of Psycho. ScarJo will be playing Janet Leigh (pictured in the insert below), who starred in the rotund master director’s slasher film and instilled a fear of showers in an entire generation of women. No wonder old ladies smell funny.

Catvengers Assemble! By the gods, I can’t believe I just posted that. Please forgive me.

And I know we generally keep it pretty light-hearted around here on Extras, but this is some serious business. Nick Stahl, who played in Thin Red Line, Sin City and, most famously, was John Connor in Terminator 3, has gone missing according to LA police. The actor was last seen on Wednesday 9 May by his wife Rose Murphy. Thus far there are no leads as of yet, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as we find out more.

And since we really need a pick-me-up after that bit of sobriety, I present you with the coolest thing I’ve seen all week. Hell, probably even all year.

Gareth Evans’ The Raid has been hailed by many as the greatest action movie of our generation. Unfortunately, down here in not-so-sunny South Africa, it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing a cinematic release of the violent masterpiece any time soon, or even at all.

So to drown your sorrows, I present to you acclaimed animator Lee Hardcastle’s version of The Raid. Made with claymation cats. If you’re still reading this sentence instead of clicking the video after what I just typed before this, then I’m not sure what you want out of life in terms of entertainment.

And so we’ve come to the end of the day. And the start of the weekend. Have a fun one guys!

Jessica Alba looks likely to return, as do several other big names, but what about the real star of the first film, that hulking mountain of pain and bad attitude, Marv, who was portrayed by Mickey Rourke?

Oh yeah, he’s totally returning.Even though he wasn’t much of a fan of the laborious prosthetics that he had to wear on ...]]> It’s been a rollercoaster ride in the development cycle of the second Sin City film, but it seems that Robert Rodriguez and creator Frank Miller are finally ready to wow the world once again with some doses of stylised ultra-violence and cheesy dialogue.

Jessica Alba looks likely to return, as do several other big names, but what about the real star of the first film, that hulking mountain of pain and bad attitude, Marv, who was portrayed by Mickey Rourke?

Oh yeah, he’s totally returning.Even though he wasn’t much of a fan of the laborious prosthetics that he had to wear on his weathered face, Rourke has confirmed that he will return, even though he was pretty much overcooked more than my steak from last night, at the end of his badass story.

Rodriguez is back in the directors chair, while William “The Departed” Monahan is helping out with the script. Shooting begins later this year, for a October 2013 release.

Those dastardly Nazi scientists have been hard at work, in order to create ze super-soldiers, and its ...]]> The actor who always seems to be caught in the midst of a perpetual death cycle and wintery memes is back, this time with a more modern day story wherein he’ll be tackling the might of Hitler and his Captain Aryan project, in the upcoming horror-action flick, The Fourth Reich.Bean will be assuming the role of a Sergeant Major, who leads a crack team of soldiers behind enemy lines, but soon find themselves facing the full might of Germany and mad science run amok.

Those dastardly Nazi scientists have been hard at work, in order to create ze super-soldiers, and its up to Bean and his crew to put a stop to their nefarious plans.

Or die trying! (R50 on this one)

So far, Sean Pertwee has signed up, alongise Craig Conway and special effects legend Tom Savini, to appear in the film. Shaun Robert Smith, is handling directing duties, with Michael “Deathwatch” Basset executive producing, with shooting scheduled for summer.

Sean Bean tackling Nazi super-soldiers? While I dance for joy at the thought of a new guilty pleasure for my collection, internet meme writers will no doubt be ululating at the thought of all the new material that is coming their way.

Ridley Scott’s return to science-fiction with Prometheus may be all the rage currently, but it’s his “other return to science fiction” that may end up eclipsing even that. Up until now we haven’t really known much about the proposed 2nd Blade Runner film, except that we felt like kicking puppies when we first heard that another one was being made, a feeling that luckily (for the puppies) passed when we realized that Scott would still be in the driving seat, and that there would be no dreaded reboots of our beloved dystopian vision of the future.

Ridley Scott’s return to science-fiction with Prometheus may be all the rage currently, but it’s his “other return to science fiction” that may end up eclipsing even that. Up until now we haven’t really known much about the proposed 2nd Blade Runner film, except that we felt like kicking puppies when we first heard that another one was being made, a feeling that luckily (for the puppies) passed when we realized that Scott would still be in the driving seat, and that there would be no dreaded reboots of our beloved dystopian vision of the future.

Probably adding to that sense of fanboy well-being  is the news that Scott has brought on a very familiar face for the project, and that it’s now finally been officially confirmed that the new film will be a sequel and not a prequel\reboot as some feared.

According to the press release, the original Blade Runner screenwriter Hampton Fancher – who was also instrumental in initially acquiring the rights to Phillip K. Dick’s story “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep“, from which Blade Runner was adapted - will be joining Scott in developing the story idea for this sequel. That doesn’t mean that he will eventually be writing the actual script though, but one can hope. And sacrifice a few a virgins to the Geek Gods. (What? Just me? …Awkward…)

As to what this story would be about, the press release only reveals that it will be taking place an undisclosed number of years after the original. And don’t get your hopes up for Harrison Ford’s Deckard making an appearance, as not only is he probably far too busy off being/not being a replicant, but according to an interview that Scott gave The Daily Beast, our lead character will be sporting some lady-bits. No word yet on whether those bits will be android in nature or not though:

“I started my first meetings on the Blade Runner sequel last week. We have a very good take on it. And we’ll definitely be featuring a female protagonist.”

Here’s the press release in its entirety:

LOS ANGELES, CA, MAY 17, 2012—Hampton Fancher is in talks to reunite with his “Blade Runner” director Ridley Scott to develop the idea for the original screenplay for the Alcon Entertainment, Scott Free, and Bud Yorkin produced follow up to the ground-breaking 1982 science fiction classic, it was announced by Alcon co-founders and co-Chief Executive Officers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove.

The filmmakers are also revealing for the first time that the much-anticipated project is intended to be a sequel to the renowned original. The filmmakers would reveal only that the new story will take place some years after the first film concluded.

The three-time Oscar-nominated Scott and his “Blade Runner” collaborator Fancher originally conceived of their 1982 classic as the first in a series of films incorporating the themes and characters featured in Philip K. Dick’s groundbreaking novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, from which “Blade Runner” was adapted. Circumstances, however, took Scott into other directions and the project never advanced.

Fancher, although a writer of fiction, was known primarily as an actor at the time Scott enlisted him to adapt the Dick novel for the screen. Fancher followed his “Blade Runner” success with the screenplays, “The Mighty Quinn” (1989) and “The Minus Man” (1999). He has continued to write fiction throughout his career.

Scott also will produce with Alcon co-founders and co-Chief Executive Officers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove as well as Bud Yorkin and Cynthia Sikes Yorkin. Frank Giustra and Tim Gamble, CEO’s of Thunderbird Films, will serve as executive producers.

The original film, which has been singled out as the greatest science-fiction film of all time by a majority of genre publications, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1993 and is frequently taught in university courses. In 2007, it was named the 2nd most visually influential film of all time by the Visual Effects Society.

State Kosove and Johnson: “It is a perfect opportunity to reunite Ridley with Hampton on this new project, one in fact inspired by their own personal collaboration, a classic of cinema if there ever was one.”

Released by Warner Bros. almost 30 years ago, “Blade Runner” was adapted by Fancher and David Peoples from Philip K. Dick’s groundbreaking novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and directed by Scott following his landmark “Alien.” The film was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Visual Effects, and Best Art Direction). Following the filming of “Blade Runner,” the first of Philip K. Dick’s works to be adapted into a film, many other of Dick’s works were likewise adapted, including “Total Recall,” “A Scanner Darkly,” “Minority Report,” “Paycheck,” and the recent “The Adjustment Bureau,” among others.

Sean Connery, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis combined have nothing on the amount of lines that Arnie delivered to his defeated foes over the years.

So let’s celebrate with a quiz, and see how many quotes that you can recognise, from the former bodybuilding champ.

Here’s your first five, a selection of quotes that’s easier than the Austrian economy right now;

Bradley Cooper’s latest film, The Words, has a trailer online. Except it’s apparently not a very good one. The film recently showed at Sundance where most people who got to see it, really enjoyed it. And judging by a quick glance online, most of them agree that this trailer really doesn’t do the film justice by making it come off almost as an overcoming-the-odds love story, when in fact its focus is a dramatic and moralistic struggle between a down-on-his-luck writer (Bradley Cooper) who becomes famous off a found manuscript which he passes off as his own, and ...]]>

Bradley Cooper’s latest film, The Words, has a trailer online. Except it’s apparently not a very good one. The film recently showed at Sundance where most people who got to see it, really enjoyed it. And judging by a quick glance online, most of them agree that this trailer really doesn’t do the film justice by making it come off almost as an overcoming-the-odds love story, when in fact its focus is a dramatic and moralistic struggle between a down-on-his-luck writer (Bradley Cooper) who becomes famous off a found manuscript which he passes off as his own, and the manuscript’s original author (Jeremy Irons).

I’m still looking forward to the film, based on what I’ve read about it, particularly how first time directors Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal directors successfully manage to weave several narrative threads together, but I don’t think this trailer will be winning over many new fans. See for yourself and let me know what you think.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Rory Jansen, a struggling writer, aspires to be the next great literary voice. When he discovers a lost manuscript in a weathered attaché case, he realizes he possesses something extraordinary that he desperately wishes he had created. Rory decides to pass the work off as his own and finally receives the recognition he desperately craves. However, he soon learns that living with his choice will not be as easy as he thought as he faces a moral dilemma that will make him take a hard look at the man he has become.

In their directorial debut, Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal have crafted a subtle tale that examines how overwhelming desire can lead to unforeseen and unwanted consequences. Bolstered by a strong cast, led by Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Irons, The Words adeptly assembles multiple narratives that reveal how one man’s lost legacy holds the life of another man captive.

One For the Money: Love her or hate her, Katherine Heigl stars in this adaptation of the hit franchise-spawning mystery novel by Janet Evanovich. Mixing action and comedy, One For the Money sees Heigl ...]]> This weekend you totally have to watch…. The Avengers. Again.
Yup, it’s a bit of a dud week at South African cinemas with only 3 new films opening locally. And none of them are exactly major drawcards. So, treat the next 7 days as a chance for an older release catch-up, or an opportunity to regain your breath before the seasonal blockbuster storm rages back to hurricane strength from next Friday.

One For the Money:
Love her or hate her, Katherine Heigl stars in this adaptation of the hit franchise-spawning mystery novel by Janet Evanovich. Mixing action and comedy, One For the Money sees Heigl play an unemployed woman who accepts a job as a bounty hunter. She sets her sights on a notorious bail-jumper – who also just so happens to be her ex (Jason O’Mara).

So you can imagine my joyful surprise (there may have been a yelp or two. I apologize) to discover this morning that MGM have not only released the first, really great looking poster for Skyfall, but have also given us some exciting news about the trailer.

The James Bond series has always had very iconic posters (the gravity defying one for You ...]]> With all the massive genre films being released this year, you could easily forget that James Bond’s 25th adventure is just 6 months away. You can forget, I mean, but not me. No, I am a devout 007 fanboy.

So you can imagine my joyful surprise (there may have been a yelp or two. I apologize) to discover this morning that MGM have not only released the first, really great looking poster for Skyfall, but have also given us some exciting news about the trailer.

The James Bond series has always had very iconic posters (the gravity defying one for You Only Live Twice has always been my favourite), but since the 2006 reboot with Casino Royale, the posters have been very… well, bland. Despite the crazy amount of explosive scenes to choose from, they always just seem to have Daniel Craig walking somewhere. This is James Bond, not Pepe LePew! He doesn’t just walk you down!

And now we once again get a “walking” shot for this poster, but what makes this different is that somebody put a bit of thought into it. The shot is immediately evocative of the classic gun barrel motif always employed in the series’ opening credits, but look closer and you’ll notice that Bond is actually taking his leisurely stroll down a tunnel. Specifically the tunnels beneath London, where it is said a huge action sequence takes place.

Besides for this instant classic poster, MGM also revealed that in just three days time, on Monday morning at 08:30 British time (about 07:30 for us) we’ll be getting our first proper look at first time Bond director Sam Mendes’ first outing, when the first trailer will be released. You can bet your shaken not stirred martinis that I’ll have that up here as soon as it drops.

Synopsis:

In “Skyfall,” Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. 

But now Neeson will be returning to the role that catapulted him into action hero status, despite being old enough to be a grandfather. And judging by these three first-look images from Taken 2, this is still one mean ou toppie.

Look at ...]]> While Liam Neeson had certainly done action-type roles before (Darkman, anybody?), it will always be 2009′s Taken that will be seen as the start of his “Badass My Way Around The World” tour, which eventually culminated in him getting into a fistfight with a few Arctic wolves not too long ago.

But now Neeson will be returning to the role that catapulted him into action hero status, despite being old enough to be a grandfather. And judging by these three first-look images from Taken 2, this is still one mean ou toppie.

Look at his grim-set face in that final picture. Want to take a gander at how many craps he gives about the fact that he is currently sending Unnamed Terrorist #1 to an early grave, depriving Mrs Unnamed Terrorist #1 of a husband? I’d hazard it to be somewhere between zero and zilch.

My only concern is that Oliver Megaton, who replaces Pierre Morel in the director’s chair, will seriously need to up his game. His Transporter 3 was an overyly stylized mess, and while Colombiana was a step in the right direction it was a slightly above  average stride at best. By contrast, the first Taken was not only universally praised but was also a massive commercial hit as well. Having a budget of only $25 million it eventually went on to make $226.8 million globally. Talk about some big shoes to fill.

Synopsis:

Liam Neeson returns as Bryan Mills, the retired CIA agent with a particular set of skills who stopped at nothing to save his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) from Albanian kidnappers. When the father of one of the kidnappers swears revenge and takes Bryan and his wife (Famke Janssen) hostage during their family vacation in Istanbul, Bryan enlists Kim to help them escape, and uses the same advanced level of special forces tactics to get his family to safety and systematically take out the kidnappers one by one. 

(Source: Entertainment Weekly)

Welcome to The Extras! A daily dose of all the smaller movie related news, clips and just plain cool stuff that you might have missed!

We start off today with the latest Prometheus viral video which seems to be bucking the currently Prometheus promo material trend, by NOT ACTUALLY GIVING AWAY THE ENTIRE PLOT. What it does give, is an intriguing look at Noomi Rapace’s De Elizabeth Shaw as she asks for some assistance from Guy Pearce’s Peter Weyland.

The Avengers has become the 9th highest grossing film of all time in just 23 ...]]>

Welcome to The Extras! A daily dose of all the smaller movie related news, clips and just plain cool stuff that you might have missed!

We start off today with the latest Prometheus viral video which seems to be bucking the currently Prometheus promo material trend, by NOT ACTUALLY GIVING AWAY THE ENTIRE PLOT. What it does give, is an intriguing look at Noomi Rapace’s De Elizabeth Shaw as she asks for some assistance from Guy Pearce’s Peter Weyland.

The Avengers has become the 9th highest grossing film of all time in just 23 days. Well, damn.

A Warner Bros shareholder wants Morgan Freeman to button his lip about his personal politics during the promo tours of The Dark Knight Rises. Keep quiet about politics? Is this dude crazy? Does he know he’s talking to Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela?!

On this past weekend’s episode of SNL, Nic Cage appeared with a second Nic Cage and discussed how they would like to star in every movie. Every movie. So of course somebody like Matheus Candido took it upon himself to give us a glimpse of what this reality would be like.

You can engage with more of the Cage outrage over on the Facebook page. (Dr Seuss, eat your heart out!)

As I mentioned in my recent review of Shame, it truly was a… well… shame that Michael Fassbender was not at the least nominated for an Oscar for his performance as sex addict Brandon Sullivan. Many people were quite upset by the nomination snub, and as it turns out, Fassbender was one of them. And he also suspects one golden moment in the film as the reason why he was given the cold shoulder, as he tells GQ magazine:

“At the beginning people (say), ‘You’re going to be going to the Oscars,’ and you’re like, ‘Whatever, doesn’t matter, don’t think so.’ But after a while it does penetrate. After a while you’re like, ‘Anyway, so I’m going to the Oscars…’ And you start to believe it. And I did. I thought I was going. And then I found out I wasn’t and I was upset. I was very upset by it. The first reaction was, ‘What the f**k?’ It’s a vanity thing. It does become important to you. And it shouldn’t.”

Referring to one of many explicit scenes for him in the film, in which he urinates on camera, Fassbender posits:

“That peeing cost me an Oscar.

“After a certain point you worry that it kind of detracts from the movie. But there’s nothing I can do. I just have to laugh it off. I can. Pretty much.”

A few days late in posting this, but here’s a video of Hugh Jackman wishing all you matronly ladies a Happy Mother’s Day from the set Les Misérables. Aw, ain’t he a sweetheart.

Despite all the legions wishing it to be so, Joss Whedon has not yet committed to handling the reins for The Avengers 2. Seems that making a billion dollar movie really takes it out of you.

“You know, I’m very torn. It’s an enormous amount of work telling what is ultimately somebody else’s story, even though I feel like I did get to put myself into it.

But at the same time, I have a bunch of ideas, and they all seem really cool.”

Joss, I beg you, go through door no. 2! The world can never have enough Whedon cool ideas!

A Japanese Johnny Depp lookalike meets his American counterpart:

Johnny Jap?

Inspired by Avengers’ total destruction of the Box Office, Pajiba lists the 10 Biggest Second Weekend Film Grosses of All Time.

Scratching your head trying to figure out just how all the Marvel movies link up together? Well scratch no more (seriously, it’s starting to scab), thanks to this handy Official Marvel Movie Universe Timeline!

Click to enlarge that sucker.

It’s official. The Geeks have inherited the Earth. And for those of you who’ve not jumped on the bandwagon yet, BadAssDigest list 5 Ways To Be A Better Nerd.

Ever wanted to look up Marilyn Monroe’s skirt? Well now you can. A nearly 8 metre tall statue of the blonde bombshell, recreating possibly her most famous scene from The Seven Year Itch, has been unveiled in Palm Springs, California.

Perverts.

The Academy announces the US winners of the 2012 Student Academy Awards. Which apparently almost nobody even knew existed, which is rather sad, if you ask me.

This week’s face-off over on JoBlo pits Tim Burton’s Batman vs Chris Nolan’s Batman Begins. Here’s a spoiler: The one with the guy dressed as flying rodent wins.

And we end today on this cool anime and Star Wars inspired animation from Sean Soong, entitled SubWars. It took Soong 9 months of work to put this 5:00 mins worth of animation together, but it sure as hell shows it.

And that’s all for today. Heads up for those of you that read my Diablo 3 launch article over on Lazygamer yesterday, as PART 2 has now gone live. Or dead. Depends how you look at it.