After a listless start, Men in Black 3 kicks into a second gear that is as much fun as I wanted from the sequel.  The exact moment when it reaches second gear is at J’s “time jump,” when Will Smith jumps off the Chrysler building and into 1969.  The visuals that flash by as he plummets may be the most thrilling minute-long sequence I see all summer.  While Sony is saving the whole sequence for theaters, we have a new behind-the-scenes featurette that shows how they transported Smith from a small bluescreen room to the heights of the skyscraper.  Additionally, we have two creature featurettes that elaborate on the design of a) a disturbing, gruesome effect that will haunt me forever and b) a big fish.  Watch all three after the break.

Fifteen years ago, Men in Black was released in theaters.  It further cemented Will Smith‘s star status, gave his high-energy style a perfect foil with Tommy Lee Jones‘ dour-yet-playful performance, and provided a fun, upbeat experience that was delightfully silly and bizarre (I still crack up when Smith tells Jones, “Awww.  You brought that tall man some flowers!”).  Strangely, Men in Black 3 doesn’t draw strength from anything that made the original film an enjoyable experience.  Instead, the latest sequel finds its heart in supporting characters, and letting special-effects makeup guru Rick Baker run absolutely wild as he swings his marvelous alien creations into the 1960s.  It’s a shame that Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones’ performance, and the humor can’t match Baker’s bravado and creativity.

If you needed an additional excuse to go see Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin in Men in Black 3 this weekend, how about this one: you’ll also see a six-minute preview of The Amazing Spider-Man.  Theater-goers who attend Thursday’s midnight showings of Men in Black 3D in IMAX will also get a sneak peek of one of the most anticipated movies of the summer.  Perhaps the trailers, clips, featurettes, images, posters, viral videos and interviews weren’t enough for you; maybe even this four-minute extended trailer hasn’t satiated your appetite.  If that’s the case, go buy your tickets for the midnight showing of MiB3 and get set to enjoy six minutes of Spidey!

Oh yeah, there’s also the third installment in the Men in Black franchise to enjoy.  Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, Men in Black 3 also stars Emma Thompson, Jemaine Clement, Alice Eve, and Nicole Scherzinger. Hit the jump for more information on the preview of  The Amazing Spider-Man and Men in Black 3.

Sony has released six new images from Men in Black 3.  Most of the new images feature the film’s aliens, and makeup artist Rick Baker explained how these extraterrestrials differed from the ones in the previous movies:

”When I saw the ’60s part, I said, ‘I think we should do retro-looking aliens based on a lot of the aliens that were in films from the ’50s and ’60s that I love,”’ says makeup artist Rick Baker. ”It was actually an idea I’d tried to push in the first two movies and they didn’t go for it, but I figured with the time travel it would be perfect.”

The movie has had its share of script problems, but the aliens look terrific.  I’d expect no less from the seven-time Oscar winner.  Hit the jump to the check out the images.  Men in Black 3 opens in 3D on May 25th.

Even if Men in Black 3‘s story turns out to be a complete disaster, at least the makeup special effects will be quality.  New set photos show that makeup artist guru Rick Baker (the white-bearded gent in the above image) has once again worked his magic, and there are going to be more fun aliens this time around.  The set photos also show that, as expected, Jemaine Clement‘s villain has some creepy peepers hiding behind his aviator sunglasses.  There’s also nice set photo of the heavy’s sweet ride.

Hit the jump to check out the set photos.  The film also stars Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Alice Eve, Bill Hader, Michael Stuhlbarg, Nicole Scherzinger, and Emma Thompson.  Men in Black 3 opens in 3D on May 25th.

Following yesterday’s trailer, Sony has released ten new images from Men in Black 3.  The images provide the first official look at Alice Eve as the young Agent Oh (the older Oh is played by Emma Thompson) and at the film’s villain (Jemaine Clement).  As you can see, bikers in fringe jackets were the most terrifying look one could have in the 1960s, which is where Agent J (Will Smith) goes to save young Agent K (Josh Brolin) and the world.  The previous villains have had some weird defining physical attribute (the skin-sack bug in Men in Black, and the tentacle-wielding Serleena in Men in Black II), and I’m willing to bet Clement’s character has something going on with his eyes.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  Men in Black 3 opens in 3D on May 25th.

The first look at Jemaine Clement as Men in Black 3 baddie “Yaz” has gone online.  Yaz’ plot is to kill Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) in the past (the younger K played by Josh Brolin) and Agent J (Will Smith) has to go back to 1969 to save his partner and the world.  We didn’t know much about the character beyond his name and his part in the story, but the set photo shows he’s an Easy Rider fan.

Hit the jump to see the set photo and what Clement had to say about his character.  The film also stars Alice Eve, Emma Thompson, and Johnny Knoxville. Men in Black 3 opens in 3D on May 25th.

The first trailer for Men in Black 3 has gone online.  The plot for the sequel involves J (Will Smith) going back in time to rescue K (Tommy Lee Jones).  If I didn’t know that the script was most likely a mess, I would be slightly excited after seeing this trailer.  Smith is back with his full-blown charisma and Josh Brolin is a pitch perfect young K.  Maybe there’s a chance that somehow the script worked itself out?  I’d certainly rather see a good MIB movie than a bad one.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film stars Alice Eve, Emma Thompson, Johnny Knoxville, and Jemaine Clement.  Men in Black 3 opens in 3D on May 25th.

Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black III has had an unorthodox production schedule.  The film started shooting in November with an incomplete script, scheduled a hiatus from December to mid-February to fix the rest of the script, and then pick back up and finish the movie.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures took this bizarre route because they wanted to take advantage of tax breaks in New York City and spring weather.

However, the hiatus has now passed and the script still isn’t finished.  As we reported last week, screenwriter David Koepp (Spider-Man) has been brought in to fix the script by Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder) and later Jeff Nathanson (Rush Hour 2).  But THR reports that those re-writes aren’t going smoothly as the project is caught between Sonnenfeld, producer Walter Parkes, and star Will Smith.  Hit the jump for more details.

Regardless of its quality (or lack thereof), people are likely to check out Dinner For Schmucks based on its menu of comic talent. Pop-com director Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, Austin Powers series) offers up funnymen and frequent co-stars Steve Carell and Paul Rudd (The 40 Year-old Virgin, Anchorman) as the film’s main comic courses, along with The Hangover’s Zach Galifianakis and Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement as potentially humorous side-dishes. Like a food critic – or, more fittingly, like one of those minions who tests the king’s entrée to make sure it isn’t poisoned – let me warn you: despite its ingredients, this Dinner is cold, tasteless and oddly unfunny.  More after the jump:

A new trailer has gone online for the animated film Rio.  Like this year’s animated family film Alpha and Omega, Rio centers on a pair of animals who are trying to fuck.  Okay, that might be a bit of an over-simplification.  They’re a pair of rare macaws (voiced by Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg) who are brought together to mate but are then kidnapped so they can be sold on the bird black market.  Judging by the trailer, it could be amusing.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars the voices of George Lopez, Jemaine Clement, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Mann, will.i.am, and Jamie Foxx.  It’s set to open in 3D on April 8th.

The oft delayed production of the third entry in the popular Men in Black franchise is about to begin filming, but the shooting schedule has just taken an unusual turn.  Production on the film is set to begin tomorrow, but the cast and crew will take a two-month hiatus when they wrap for the holidays. The LA Times reports that the plan for the 3D film is to shoot through Christmas week, and then shut down production until mid-February. The project seemed to be rolling right along, with copious amounts of casting news/rumors in the past few weeks, but it appears that there are a few problems behind the scenes.

Apparently screenwriter Jeff Nathanson (Catch Me if You Can) is being brought in to work on a new draft of the script, previously written by Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder). Specifically, scenes surrounding the time-travel aspect of the film involving a young Agent Kay being played by Josh Brolin, are said to have some issues.  For much more on the hiatus, hit the jump.

Whatever your thoughts on the upcoming Men in Black III may be, they are gathering quite the cast. First the film landed Jemaine Clement and Josh Brolin, and then added Emma Thompson. Now Gemma Arterton, Alec Baldwin, and Sharlto Copley are in negotiations, according to Pajiba, and their potential roles were also revealed. Clement has been pegged as the villain Yaz, while Brolin will play a young Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). Meanwhile, Arterton would play a secretary at MIB headquarters in 1969, while Baldwin would play the boss.

Copley has the most interesting role, as he would portray a “fast-talking Yoda type alien.” I definitely look forward to what batshit crazy visual that turns into. There is also the role of Thompson, who plays the modern MIB boss. Oh, and for all you Nicole Sherzinger fans, she is in negotiations to play Yaz’s girlfriend as a cameo. Did I mention the film will be in 3D!? Filming is set to being this month and will wrap in February.  Men in Black 3 gets released May 25, 2012.

Not only have Flight of the Conchords officially landed, they’ve made quite the imprint on recent pop culture.  The musically comedic duo has brought their unique style of self-deprecating humor all the way from New Zealand over to the states.  They’ve had a successful half-hour HBO comedy special, which ultimately led to two full seasons of their own television series on the same network. They’ve won a Grammy and are continuing to watch their careers skyrocket, including an appearance on the upcoming season of The Simpsons (which is a sure sign that you’ve made it). On top of all that, they have recently released Flight of the Conchords: The Complete Collection on DVD.  Hit the jump to check out my full review of this mutli-disc DVD set:

Fox announced the guest voices for the 22nd season of The Simpsons this morning at the TCA’s in Los Angeles.  Included in the record setting season is Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Hugh Laurie, Halle Berry, Ricky Gervais, Daniel Radcliffe, Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, Mark Zuckerberg, Mike Scioscia, Martha Stewart, Paul Rudd, Rachel Weisz, Cheech & Chong, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Alyson Hannigan, Danica Patrick, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Joe Mantegna.

They also sent out the synopses for a few of the episodes.  If you’re one of the people that still cares about The Simpsons, hit the jump for a lot more info: