All Articles by David Lane

DARK SHADOWS Giveaway

Posted: May 8th, 2012 at 9:02 am

With director Tim Burton‘s Dark Shadows opening this weekend, we’ve been given some movie related swag to giveaway to some of our readers.  Starring Johnny Depp, and based on the 1970s TV series, the film is filled with Burton and Depp’s signature offbeat comedy, has eye-popping visuals and is set in the 1970s with a contemporary feel.  In addition to Depp, Dark Shadows stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Lee Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, Gulliver McGrath, Jackie Earle Haley and Bella Heathcote.  Hit the jump to see what you can win and how to enter.  You can also read our recent interview with Depp and Burton here.

New Images from SPARKLE Starring Jordin Sparks

Posted: March 15th, 2012 at 4:07 pm

A few new images from the remake of Sparkle have gone online. The story was inspired by the legendary female singing group The Supremes and stars Jordin Sparks, Tika Sumpter, and Carmen Ejogo as three sisters who start out singing at their local church, and go on to find great success—and troubles—as a Motown girl group. The film sadly marks the first and last film role for Whitney Houston since 1996’s The Preacher’s Wife. Collider was able to spend some time on the film’s set, and you can read or listen to our interview with Houston and producer Debra Martin Chase here.

Hit the jump to see the new images. Derek Luke, Mike Epps, Cee-Lo Green, and Omari Hardwick also star. Salim Akil (Jumping the Broom) is directing and R. Kelly wrote new original songs to add to the Curtis Mayfield score from the original. Sparkle will be released in theaters on August 10.

4 Clips from R-Rated Teen Comedy PROJECT X

Posted: February 22nd, 2012 at 9:40 am

It’s been compared to Superbad and is touted as being produced by Todd Phillips, the director of The Hangover, but the time has come for Project X to grow up and stand on its own. We’ve seen a pretty encouraging trailer and now we have 4 clips from the R-rated teen comedy to let you decide amongst yourselves whether it’s the biggest party movie ever created.  I spoke to Steve after he caught an early screening and he said it’s extremely funny and absolutely rated R.  He also said it’s going to be a big hit for Warner Bros.

Directed by Nima Nourizadeh, the film stars Thomas Mann, Miles Teller, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Dax Flame, Nichole O’Connor and Alexis Knapp. Project X opens March 2th, 2012. Hit the jump to check out the clips.

DEATH RACE 3 Begins Filming in South Africa with Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, and Ving Rhames

Posted: December 13th, 2011 at 7:01 am

Universal 1440 Entertainment has announced that filming is currently underway on Death Race 3 in South Africa.  Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, Fred Koehler, Robin Shou, and Tanit Phoenix reprise their roles from Death Race 2, joined by franchise newbies Dougray Scott and Hlubi Mboya.  Universal 1440 executive Glenn Ross promises fans:

“Death Race 3 will exceed their expectations with even more explosive action, elaborately outfitted cars, inventive weaponry and death-defying stunts that have made the franchise such a huge fan favorite.”

Death Race 2 director Roel Reiné returned to helm the sequel; Mike Elliott, Jeremy Bolt, and Death Race director Paul W.S. Anderson are back on board as producers.  Hit the jump for the official synopsis and the full press release.

Find Out How You Can Use Your Geek Powers for Good by Donating Used DVDs, Video Games, and Comics

Posted: November 23rd, 2011 at 5:30 pm

This Friday will be the start of the heaviest shopping weekend of the year.  People rush to get the best deals they can find and they will find plenty.  Some will upgrade their DVDs to Blu-rays.  Old games will be left on the shelf as gamers go for the new releases.  The stack of old trade paperback comics will grow higher as readers opt for the latest collections or go for digital versions.  So what happens to the old DVDs, video games, and comic books?  Usually, they’ll be forgotten, sold on eBay, or traded in for store credit.  But this is a time of year where we should not only give to our friends and family, but to those who would greatly appreciate the entertainment we no longer use.

As a volunteer working in the Family Library at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, I can tell you our selection of movies, video games, and comic books would be cherished more than you can know.  While we treat this entertainment as a fun diversion, to patients and their families it’s a needed comfort and distraction.  Hit the jump for details on how you can donate and help not only children and families this holiday season but for years to come.

MSN FilmFan Video: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER and FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS

Posted: July 24th, 2011 at 8:00 am

We’ve previously explained that in order to bring our readers the best content possible (including Comic-Con 2011 coverage), from time-to-time we host sponsored content on the site. The MSN FilmFan video series is one such article.

Each week, the host pits two films opening that weekend against each other and states his case for which one is the better pick to go see. This week, Captain America: The First Avenger and Friends with Benefits go head-to-head.

MSN FilmFan Video: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 and WINNIE THE POOH

Posted: July 15th, 2011 at 10:48 am

We’ve mentioned before that, in order to bring you the best possible content, we here at Collider will take part in sponsored content deals from time to time. This is one of the those articles. As part of our ongoing promotion for the MSN FilmFan video series, we’re hosting one video a week for five weeks. Each Thursday or Friday we’ll be bringing you the latest video, which features the host pitting two films opening that weekend against each other, giving his recommendation as to which is your best bet.

This week host Sami Jarroush presents Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and Winnie the Pooh. Hit the jump to check out his thoughts.

MSN FilmFan: Best and Worst of 2011 So Far

Posted: July 8th, 2011 at 8:39 am

As we previously explained, every now and then we here at Collider host sponsored content in order to pay for things that make the site even better for our readers (like full-scale Comic-Con coverage). The MSN FilmFan video series is one of those sponsored content articles.

We’re promoting the series for four weeks. Every Thursday or Friday, there will be a new video featured here. For most of the installments, host Sami Jarroush pits two films opening that weekend head-to-head, weighing the pros and cons of each before giving his recommendation as to which one you should go see. This week, Jarroush is joined by Chief Film Critic for MSN Movies Glenn Kenny. The two give a rundown of the best and worst films of the year so far. Hit the jump to check it out.

MSN FilmFan Video: TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON and LARRY CROWNE

Posted: July 1st, 2011 at 5:00 am

Last week we explained that, as part of actually running Collider and being able to pay for things like full-scale coverage of Comic-Con, from time-to-time we accept offers for sponsored content to be hosted on the site. This MSN FilmFan Video Series is one of those sponsored content articles.

To help raise awareness for the show, we’ve made a deal to promote the series for the next four weeks. Every Thursday or Friday there will be a new video that features the FilmFan host giving a rundown of what movies are opening. He chooses two, and pits them against each other, stating his case for why one is the better choice over the other. This week, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Larry Crowne are pitted against each other. Hit the jump to watch the video.

MSN FilmFan Video: CARS 2 and BAD TEACHER

Posted: June 24th, 2011 at 2:30 pm

Before getting into this sponsored article, we wanted to explain to you a little about how Collider works. First off, we are not a corporate-owned site; we’re entirely independent. While this gives us complete control over our content, and we wouldn’t have it any other way, it also means that we don’t have some shady transnational corporation to help pay our bills. This in mind, from time to time, we’re offered advertising campaigns. In addition to these advertising campaigns, we’re also offered the chance to run sponsored-content articles.  Steve vets these offers carefully, and makes the decision for or against based upon what’s best for Collider. We love our readers. You guys are the reason we do this, and ultimately you keep the site alive. But to bring you even more content, like full-scale coverage at Comic-Con, we’ll once in awhile accept offers like this sponsored-content article.

Which brings us to our deal with MSN for their new MSN FilmFan Video Series. To help raise awareness for the show, we’ve made a deal to promote the series for the next five weeks. Every Thursday or Friday there will be a new video that features the FilmFan host giving a rundown of what movies are opening. He chooses two, and pits them against each other, stating his case for why one is the better choice over the other.  The video is actually fairly honest, with the host citing news sources and Rotten Tomatoes scores to help justify his decision.  Hit the jump for the video, which pits this weekend’s new releases Cars 2 and Bad Teacher head-to-head.

First Trailer for THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN – PART 1

Posted: June 5th, 2011 at 2:42 pm

The first trailer The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 has hit the net.  In the first half of the final chapter of the Twilight series, “the newfound married bliss of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is cut short when a series of betrayals and misfortunes threatens to destroy their world.”  Taylor Lautner, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Michael Sheen, and Dakota Fanning star under the direction of Bill Condon (Dreamgirls).  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 opens November 18.  Watch the trailer after the jump and let us know what you think in the comments.

New VOD Service IndiePix Unlimited Shines Spotlight on Independent Films

Posted: April 27th, 2011 at 7:39 am

As a courtesy to one of our newest advertisers, IndiePix, we took a look at their new website IndiePix Unlimited.  IndiePix is a subscription-based VOD site that offers independent movies.  And when I say “independent” movies, I mean it in the truest sense of the word.  You won’t find Hollywood stars slumming it for awards in these movies.  I’m for anything that gets independent movies out to as many viewers as possible provided artists are fairly compensated for their work.

I watched a few of the films and the picture quality was solid and the movies ran at a solid framerate on my hardwired Internet connection.  As far as navigating the website, it’s not a bad interface, but it could use some improvements since it’s difficult to know where to start when you haven’t heard of any of the movies.  While the site does offer a “Feature Picks” section, there needs to be some stronger guidance to get viewers into the groove of finding movies they might like.  Most importantly, at some point in the not-too-distant future, the site needs to connect with hardware such as Roku to get the movies away from the computer and onto your TV because personally, I’d rather watch movies on my couch than at my desk.  Ultimately, the site has a lot of potential and I’m interested to see how it grows.  Click here to check it out.  IndiePix Unlimited is currently in beta testing.

*This article is a sponsored post by IndieClick.

Details on the Slurpee/THOR Promotion

Posted: April 14th, 2011 at 7:14 pm

As part of the Slurpee (R) brand’s promotional campaign on Collider this month, we’ve got the details on the special Thor promotion running at 7-Eleven (R) in anticipation of the film’s May 6 release. Thor is partnering with the Slurpee brand for 7-Eleven goers to “Become the Thor of Your Store.” Four premium Thor Slurpee cups and straws are now available at your local 7-Eleven store. Additionally, there’s a free Slurpee iPhone/Android app that unlocks exclusive Thor content for your phone. Simply text “App” to 711711, or visit the Android Marketplace or App Store to download the app. Each check-in on the app unlocks Thor wallpapers, Marvel Digital Comic-Book Subscriptions and rewards points that can be redeemed for things like movie posters and Slurpee swag.

Last but not least, a special “Blue Lightning Blast” flavor is available at 7-Eleven this month. “Drop the hammer on your tongue with a thunderous new taste that could only have come directly from the magical world of Asgard. Side effects include a blue tongue and a powerful compulsion to wear tights and grow your hair out.” In short, drink “Blue Lightning Blast” and see the new movie Thor, starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings and Anthony Hopkins. Thor hits theaters in 3D on May 6.  Click here for all our Thor coverage.

*This is a sponsored content article that is a part of Slurpee/7-Eleven’s promotional campaign ad-buy on Collider.

YI YI Criterion Blu-ray Review

Posted: March 24th, 2011 at 6:56 am

Calling Yi Yi a masterpiece and the late Edward Yang one of the greatest Taiwanese directors is fair, but deserves some context — after all, outside of Ang Lee, most Taiwanese film directors are best known to film festival patrons. But Yang’s films stand apart from his peers for his global sensibilities. Perhaps this should come as no surprise — he studied electrical engineering in the U.S. and has claimed that Werner Herzog and Michelangelo Antonioni are two of his biggest influences. Alongside Hou Hsiao-Hsien (City of Sadness) and second generation new-waver Tsai Ming-Liang (What Time is it There?), Yang’s works have been revered in international film festivals (Yi Yi won the best director prize at Cannes). However Yi Yi is still the only one of his pictures available stateside. My review of Criterion’s Blu-ray of Yi Yi follows after the jump.

GREEN LANTERN Invades WonderCon

Posted: March 7th, 2011 at 2:30 pm

Warner Bros. has just announced that the some of the cast of Green Lantern will be attending WonderCon in San Francisco on Friday, April 1.  Specifically, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Peter Sarsgaard.  They’re planning a special Green Lantern talent signing and panel featuring the cast.  The signing begins at 4 p.m., followed by the panel discussion at 5.

In addition, Warner Home Video will present the World Premiere of the Blu-ray and DVD feature Green Lantern: Emerald Knights on Friday evening in the Esplanade Ballroom, immediately followed by a panel discussion featuring filmmakers and voice cast members.  Panelists will also take part in an autograph session on Saturday.  The all new DC Universe Animated Original Movie weaves six interlocking stories of the Green Lantern Corps’ rich mythology around preparations for an attack by an ancient enemy.  Hit the jump for more info:

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