Last night I turned to Xbox Live to check out Shane Carruth‘s Upstream Color for the first time. While not quite as impenetrable after one viewing as its predecessor, 2004′s Primer, Upstream still demands the utmost attention of its viewers in exchange for the slightest hint of clarity. The dialogue is sparse, the setting is ever-changing, the editing is heavily dependent on juxtaposition as a way of creating meaning, and the sound design/foley work is turned up to “11″ at times. Whereas Primer played more to the intellect behind making time travel a reality, Upstream is an extremely visceral experience that is more interested, or at least more successful, in eliciting an emotional response than explaining how a rare organism can be harvested, used as a method of mind control, and ultimately link humans to pigs. The exact degree to which it succeeds will vary from viewer to viewer but it’s ultimately an experience I recommend taking in.

Of course a movie like Upstream lends itself to more than a few lines of my humble analysis, but that’s not actually why we’re here. In this week’s Top 5 you can check out the first trailer and poster for Alfonso Cuaron‘s Gravity, a generous number of set pics from director Jonathan Liebesman‘s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, Steve’s exclusive phone interview with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, the first trailer for Ender’s Game, and a look at Iron Man by the Numbers. A brief recap and link to each will greet you after the jump.

Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for director Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity and it looks incredible.   The story centers on an astronaut (Sandra Bullock) who is stranded alone in space following a catastrophic event aboard a spacecraft.  George Clooney also stars, but Bullock is rumored to spend the majority of the screentime in the film utterly alone.  The pic was originally slated to open last year, but was subsequently pushed back so that more time could be spent on the visual effects.  Based on the trailer, the time was well spent.  Gravity looks like it could be one of the year’s best films.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  Gravity opens in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D October 4th.

The first poster for one of the most anticipated films of the year has arrive.  We got our first incredibly brief look at footage from director Alfonso Cuaron’s long-awaited sci-fi film Gravity last night ahead of the trailer debut on Thursday, and this first poster does a magnificent job of teasing the vast and dangerous nature of space in the film.  The story centers on an astronaut (Sandra Bullock) who is stranded alone in space following a catastrophic event aboard a spacecraft.  George Clooney also stars, but Bullock is rumored to spend the majority of the screentime in the film utterly alone.  The pic was originally slated to open last year, but was subsequently pushed back so that more time could be spent on the visual effects.  With a master like Curaron at the helm, this is sure to be unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Hit the jump to take a look at the poster, and check back here tomorrow to watch the first trailer.  Gravity opens on October 4th in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D.

Want a little tease of footage from children of Men-director Alfonso Cuaron’s highly anticipated upcoming sci-fi drama, Gravity?  Well, you got it!  The visual effects-heavy 3D film stars Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) as an astronaut stranded alone in space following a catastrophic event onboard a spacecraft.  George Clooney (Ocean’s Eleven), as glimpsed in this teaser, has a supporting role.  Further details are under wraps, but the film is said to have an unbroken 17-minute opening shot and will feature plenty of mind-bending effects.  Warner Bros. recently announced that the film will open on October 4th of this year.  Hit the jump to check out a brief bit of footage and be sure to return on Thursday when the first trailer hits. 

Fresh off their Oscar wins for producing Argo, it appears that producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov are zeroing in on yet another project from the same source writer.  Joshuah Bearman wrote the 2007 Wired article that was adapted into the screenplay for Argo, and now The Wrap reports that Clooney and Heslov are planning to produce an adaptation of Bearman’s upcoming article “Coronado High.”  As the article has yet to be published, further details are fairly thin.  The story is said to involve “a group of teenagers who are used to smuggle drugs in Coronado, California,” which is a wealthy resort city near San Diego.

Sony Pictures is in talks to acquire the project, and it is being planned as a potential directing vehicle for Clooney.  The multitalented Clooney is currently directing the WWII film Monuments Men, which he co-wrote with Heslov and also stars in.  That film is set for release this December.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has already announced their dates for the 86th and 87th Oscars, and if you want to play long-term prognosticator, you should keep an eye on George Clooney‘s The Monuments Men for 2013 nominees.  The Columbia Pictures/20th Century Fox co-production tells the true story of an unlikely World War II platoon made up of museum directors, curators, and art historians tasked by FDR with going into Germany and rescuing artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves before they are lost forever.  In addition to producing and co-writing the script, Clooney stars alongside an outstanding cast that includes Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, John Goodman, and Hugh Bonneville.  The first set photos have leaked online, and they show Damon in uniform, and Clooney rocking a mustache.  This should go over well with pro-mustache members of the Academy.

Hit the jump to check out the set photos.  The Monuments Men is due out December 18th.

Production has commenced on George Clooney’s fifth feature directorial effort, the action-thriller The Monuments Men.  The Columbia Pictures/20th Century Fox co-production tells the true story of an unlikely World War II platoon made up of museum directors, curators, and art historians tasked by FDR with going into Germany and rescuing artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves before they are lost forever.  Clooney directs, stars in, and produces the film alongside his Smokehouse Productions partner Grant Heslov, with whom he also co-wrote the script.  Moreover, Clooney has assembled a truly remarkable cast that includes Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, John Goodman, and Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey).

Unfortunately Daniel Craig is not listed as part of the cast in the official press release, so it appears that he may have dropped out of the film.  Hit the jump for more, including the full press release.

Finally!  After being pulled from the 2012 schedule altogether last summer and moved to an unspecified 2013 date, Warner Bros. has at last announced a firm release date for director Alfonso Cuaron’s highly anticipated upcoming sci-fi drama Gravity.  The visual effects-heavy 3D film stars Sandra Bullock as an astronaut stranded alone in space following a catastrophic event onboard a spacecraft.  Further details are under wraps, but the film is said to have an unbroken 17-minute opening shot, plenty of mind-bending effects, and a supporting turn from George Clooney.

On the crowded October date, the film will face off against the Vince Vaughn comedy The Delivery Man, the Liam Hemsworth/Gary Oldman thriller Paranoia, the 3D re-release of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and the sequel Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.  Here’s hoping we see a trailer soon.  Hit the jump to read a synopsis for the film.

Disney has announced a slew of release date changes.  Briefly:

• The Muppets 2 will be released on March 21, 2014.
• Maleficent has been pushed back from March 14, 2014 to July 2.
• 1952, director Brad Bird’s collaboration with screenwriter Damon Lindelof, will hit theaters in 3D on December 19, 2014.
• Pirates of the Caribbean 5 has been given a July 10, 2015 release date.
• The 3D re-release of The Little Mermaid on September 13, 2013 has been removed from the schedule.
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy will be released in 3D.

Hit the jump for more details, including the confirmation of George Clooney in 1952 and Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean 5. [Update: Brad Bird has now stated via Twitter that 3D has not been discussed for 1952, so Disney's press release may have been mistaken.  This doesn't mean the film absolutely won't be in 3D, just that Bird hasn't OK'd it yet.]

George Clooney seems committed to putting together one of the most impressive casts in recent memory with his upcoming directorial effort The Monuments Men.  The period drama centers on a group of art experts selected by the U.S. Government to chase down the stolen art of Europe during World War II, and Clooney is already set to star alongside Daniel Craig, Jean Dujardin, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville, and Bob Balaban.  Now Deadline reports that friend and frequent collaborator Matt Damon is negotiating to join the cast.

Clooney co-wrote the film with Grant Heslov and will also star and direct.  The premise sounds a bit like Clooney is mounting his own period version of Ocean’s Eleven, and with a cast this spectacular it looks to be one hell of a movie.  Hit the jump to read the synopsis for the novel The Monuments Men.

Director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum) is set to helm an untitled crime picture written by Chris Terrio (Argo) and starring George Clooney (The Ides of March). Little is known about Terrio’s script other than that it’s an original story that centers on New York crime syndicates. Clooney will also produce with Grant Heslov through their Smoke House banner set up at Sony in a first-look deal. The team previously produced Argo and will once again team with Terrio for his new project and bring in Greengrass as director and producer. Hit the jump for more.

With Rise of the Guardians opening this week, I recently got to see the finished film and it’s really well done.  Not only is the animation great to look at, it’s got a strong story that’s character driven and it doesn’t rely on stupid jokes.  In addition, unlike most superhero films that spend half the time introducing characters by explaining their origin and showing off their powers, what’s fantastic about Rise of the Guardians is that we join almost everyone in the middle of the story.  If you’re not familiar with the story, it  revolves around the rebellious Jack Frost (Chris Pine) teaming up with other mythical figures North aka Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), E. Aster Bunnyman aka Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), Tooth aka The Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the Sandman to battle the evil Pitch (Jude Law).  Here’s my video blog review and all our previous coverage.

To help promote the film, last week I got on the phone with composer Alexandre Desplat.  We talked about how he got involved in Rise of the Guardians, his extremely busy year, his collaboration with the director on animated movies versus live-action features, and more.  In addition, we also talked about some of his other projects like Ben Affleck‘s Argo, Kathryn Bigelow‘s Zero Dark Thirty, George Clooney’s The Monuments Men, other possible future projects, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

George Clooney (Ocean’s Eleven) is reportedly in talks to star in Disney’s 1952, an extraterrestrial pic in the vein of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  Written by Damon Lindelof (Star Trek) and  Jeff Jensen, 1952 will be directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles).  Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the picture is said to center on the journey of a middle-aged man and his contact with alien life.  We previously reported that the title is a reference to a banker’s box of files and documents that had been left in Walt Disney’s personal development lab.  The contents of the box were documents and primary source materials that look like someone had been working on a project about alien contact.  Additionally, “1952″ could refer to the appearance of seven UFOs on radar at Washington’s National Airport.  Hit the jump for more, including how this affects Bird’s schedule and chances to direct Star Wars: Episode VII.

George Clooney has lined up an incredible cast for his next film, Monuments Men.  As we previously reported, the story centers on a group of art experts selected by the U.S. Government to chase down the stolen art of Europe during World War II.  Aside from the terrific premise, Clooney, who co-wrote the film with partner Grant Heslov, will star alongside a cast that includes Daniel Craig, Jean Dujardin, Bill Murray, and Cate Blanchett.  Dujardin, Murray, and Blanchett had previously been mentioned in connection with the film, and Craig is a strong addition along with other new cast members John Goodman, Bob Balaban, and Downton Abbey‘s Hugh Bonneville.

Hit the jump for more.

Three of Tinsel Town’s brightest stars are about to secure the dough to make their next motion pictures*:

• Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox will team up to finance and distribute George Clooney‘s WWII-era art heist drama Monuments Men.
• Paramount Pictures closed a deal to acquire the T.S. Nowlin script Our Name Is Adam, with Tom Cruise attached to star as an astronaut who travels back in time and works with his younger self.
• Paramount is also eying Adam Sandler’s next comedy, an untitled project that Sandler will shoot after Grown Ups 2. [Update: Hit the jump for the title and info on Sandler's upcoming comedy.]

More on each project—including some surprise Bill Murray goodness—after the jump.