All Articles by Jackson Cresswell

New Book Leaks Details of Upcoming TOY STORY Short

Posted: December 31st, 2010 at 6:46 pm

After three hugely successful films spanning 15 years, what’s left for the CGI heroes of Toy Story to do?  Go tropical of course.

We recently reported that the characters of Toy Story 3 would be returning to theaters in a short attached to Pixar’s upcoming Cars 2.  Details of a Hawaiian honeymoon-themed Toy Story short have leaked in the form of a summary of a yet-to-be-released children’s book entitled Play-cation. Published in a joint effort of Random House and Disney, Play-cation tells the story of Barbie and Ken’s honeymoon immediately following the events of Toy Story 3.  Full details after the jump:

Behind-the-Scenes Footage for TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON

Posted: October 26th, 2010 at 1:04 pm

Entertainment Tonight is apparently dedicating a chunk of air time to Michael Bay’s latest opus Transformers: Dark of the Moon and they’ve released a short teaser video that shows off some behind-the-scenes footage.  Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of exploding things, a lot of people (including Josh Duhamel and Shia LaBeouf) standing around staring at things exploding, some people (or possibly robots) parachuting into the middle of Chicago, and Patrick Dempsey is there too.  There’s little sign of the giant CG robots, but there is a brief glimpse of a what appears to be a NASCAR-style stock car tearing ass down the middle of a debris-ridden Chicago street.  It’s probably a safe bet that the car is probably going to turn into a robot at some point.

Hit the jump to see the video and to read the synopsis for Transformers: Dark of the Moon.  The film is set to open in 3D on July 1, 2011.

First Trailer for Charles Ferguson’s INSIDE JOB

Posted: August 23rd, 2010 at 4:21 pm

In 2008, the stock market took a bit of a stumble that resulted in the loss of millions of jobs, homes, and trillions of dollars.  The aftermath left many people wondering just what the hell happened.  Inside Job, the newest political documentary from Oscar-nominated director/producer Charles Ferguson (No End in Sight) “traces the rise of a rogue industry and unveils the corrosive relationships which have corrupted politics, regulation and academia” and uses Matt Damon’s narration to do so.  Check out the trailer after the jump.

New Posters for TRON: LEGACY, LITTLE FOCKERS and CENTURION

Posted: August 3rd, 2010 at 4:33 pm

Two of the biggest movies of the upcoming holiday season, Sci-fi actioner Tron: Legacy, and the Ben Stiller/Robert De Niro comedy, Little Fockers have released new posters.  In addition, Magnolia Pictures has tapped renowned British comic artist Simon Bisley to create a new poster for Neil Marshall’s latest thriller, Centurion, featuring the film’s main characters played by Michael Fassbender and Olga Kurylenko.  Hit the jump for more:

Elizabeth Banks to Star in Disney’s Live-Action Tinkerbell Movie, TINK

Posted: July 14th, 2010 at 9:59 pm

Following the success of their last live-action princess movie, Enchanted, Disney has begun work on Tink, a non-animated film based around Peter Pan’s tiny sidekick.  Elizabeth Banks is attached to play the pixie.  Banks also helped to develop the movie along with Max Handelman who helps run the actress’s production company.  The project has followed development exec. Matt Smith from Wonderland Productions to its current home at Offspring.

The script is being co-written by Elizabeth Wright Shapiro and the mono-named McG.  McG is a terrible director, but maybe with his role limited to co-writer/producer, his damage will be minimized.  According to Variety, the concept for the film is too “play with the mischievous nature of the Tinkerbell character,” which sounds to me like there will be a fair amount of self-parody, much like Enchanted.

In addition to taking on the title role on Tink, Banks can also be seen in The Details with Tobey Macguire, The Next Three Days with Russell Crowe, and will continue to appear on 30 Rock.

Trailer for MIDDLE MEN Starring Luke Wilson and Giovanni Ribisil

Posted: June 16th, 2010 at 11:38 am

If you’re reading this right now, you’re probably on the internet.  If you’re on the internet you’re probably aware of the vast amount of porn that’s on the internet.  Writer/director George Gallo’s Middle Men tells the based on a true story of how the internet went from something that–in the words of Jack Harris (Luke Wilson)–“sucked” to being a place filled with naked people.  In less than 2 and a half minutes, the trailer introduces a plethora of intriguing characters, a rags to riches montage, and a Notorious B.I.G. song.  It’s a good trailer is what I’m saying.

The film co-stars Giovanni Ribisi, Terry Crews, Gabriel Macht, and James Caan.  Hit the jump to see the trailer and read the synopsis.

DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM Blu-ray Review

Posted: June 4th, 2010 at 6:55 am

In 2004, District 13 was released.  The stylish action flick combined an urban dystopia, a corrupt government and parkour-heavy action set pieces.  Plus it was written and produced by action guru Luc Besson.  District 13 tells the story of Damien, an ex-elite soldier-turned-police officer and Leito, a good-hearted criminal from the projects and their attempt to keep the government from blowing up the crime-ridden, quarantined District 13.  Spoiler Alert: They do.  Fortunately for action fans, District 13: Ultimatum follows in its predecessor’s footsteps and maintains everything that made the first movie fun.  Hit the jump for the full review.

Jason Sudeikis Joins HORRIBLE BOSSES Starring Jason Bateman and Charlie Day

Posted: May 26th, 2010 at 9:44 pm

Saturday Night Live‘s Jason Sudeikis has been added to the cast of Seth Gordon’s Horrible Bosses, a dark, in-the-workplace comedy.  For anyone unfamiliar with Sudeikis’ body of work, he’s currently SNL’s resident straight man, filling the void left by Chris Parnell.  According to THR, “Sudeikis will join Jason Bateman and Charlie Day as a trio of friends who conspire to murder each others’ bosses. Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell are two of the offending office tyrants, while Jamie Foxx is a colorfully named scam artist who dishes killing advice to the three regular guys.”

While Bosses is not Jason Sudeikis’ first movie, (He also starred in The Rocker and The Bounty Hunter) if the cast is any indication, it may turn out to be his most successful.  If your Sudeikis-lust can’t be held off until Bosses speculative release in the Summer of 2011, fear not. There will be no shortage of Sudeikis movies, in the foreseeable future as the man has also just finished up The Farrelly Brothers’ Hall Pass co-starring Owen Wilson (Marmaduke).  Additionally, Sudeikis has a role in the newest Drew Barrymore rom-com, Going the Distance.

James Cameron Talks AVATAR 2 and Pimps 3D

Posted: May 13th, 2010 at 12:10 pm

Avatar director James Cameron was in South Korea for the technology convention “Seoul Digital Forum” to talk about 3D.  In case you didn’t realize it, the man is a fan of 3D.  That may have something to do with the 2.7 billion dollars worldwide that Avatar pulled in.  According to the AP, Cameron said that “Avatar has proved that 3-D technology is not just a fad but a revolution changing how the audience chooses to consume media and entertainment content,” and called it “a premium experience.”

Throwing around phrases like “3D renaissance,” Cameron continued to sing the praises of the technology.  He compared 3D to color and sound in movies, claiming that 3D could become the new standard “in a couple of years.”  However, the direct said that while the technology is there, and he’s even seen some cool 3D laptops.  The lack of content is a problem:” “If you play all the 3-D movies in existence on your fancy new 3-D TV, it will keep you entertained for about 3 days. This content gap is the biggest hurdle for the rapid adoption of 3D TV.”

Of course, what you want to know about is Avatar 2.  Hit the jump for what he had to say about the highly-anticipated sequel.

Colin Farrell and Toni Collette Get Sucked into FRIGHT NIGHT Remake

Posted: May 10th, 2010 at 10:00 pm

As you may know by now, the 1985 cinematic opus, Fright Night, is getting remade.  Now, according to Heat Vision, Colin Farrell has joined the cast in the role of Jerry Dandridge, the murderous vampire neighbor that happens to be incredibly charming and, given Farrell’s casting, potentially Irish.  Farrell’s part was played brilliantly by Chris Sarandon in the original.

Farrell joins Toni Collette (United States of Tara) and Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Terminator: Salvation) in the cast.  Yelchin is slated to play the part of Charley Brewster, the young man that intends to prove, with some help from local-pulp horror-show-host Peter Vincent, that Jerry is killing people.  Collette will play Jerry’s mom.  In the original, Charley’s mom proved that she wasn’t the greatest parent when she becomes enraptured by Jerry, the suave, suspected-vampire, despite her son’s protests.

Hit the jump for my thoughts on the project and a synopsis of the original.  Also, click here to read what producer Mike De Luca had to say about the remake when Steve interview him in January.

Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson to Star in Lost Stanley Kubrick Script LUNATIC AT LARGE

Posted: April 13th, 2010 at 2:46 pm

A widely-considered lost Kubrick script entitled Lunatic at Large is moving forward and now has Iron Man 2 co-stars Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson attached.  The writer/director of some of the greatest movies ever made (2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, etc.) is not letting a little thing like being dead keep him out of the movie biz.  According to The Playlist, the script for Lunatic was found buried among Kubrick’s archive of stuff, after the director’s death in 1999.  The screenplay, based on a treatment by pulp-writer Jim Thompson who also wrote Kubrick’s 1957 film Paths of Glory was then passed to Stephen Clarke who completed the script.

The script isn’t a new discovery, though, and story details were published in the New York Times back in 2006. Hit the jump for more.

Could Alice Eve or Hayley Atwell Play Peggy Carter in THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA?

Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 8:35 pm

The casting rumors around The First Avenger: Captain America continue to swirl even after the announcements that A) Cap will be played by Chris Evans (Fantastic Four, Sunshine) and B) that Sebastian Stan (Gossip Girl) will be playing sidekick Bucky Barnes.  Now, according to E!, a pair of British bombshells are in the running to play Sharon Carter (Captain America’s occasional girlfriend/Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.).  Meanwhile, another Brit actress is reportedly out of the running.

Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League) and Hayley Atwell (The Duchess) are both being strongly considered for the role and will have screen tests in London this week.  Also of note, Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Carribean) is reportedly no longer under consideration for the role despite being the actress most familiar to American audiences.  The E! article goes on to say that Eve is currently “the front-runner” for the role of Carter.  But remember, at one point in time John Krasinski (The Office) was thought to be the front-runner for the title role.

A few extra pictures of Alice Eve and Hayley Atwell after the jump:

New Red Band Trailer for MACGRUBER

Posted: April 1st, 2010 at 2:43 pm

Saturday Night Live doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to big-screen adaptations.  It’s Pat: The Movie, anyone?  So it’s understandable to be skeptical about Macgruber, a movie based ostensibly on a sketch that only lasts about 30 seconds and always ends in Will Forte being exploded.  That said, the red band trailer does have its moments.  For instance, watching Macgruber tear out the throat of a henchman and his homoerotic explanation wrestled a smile from me.

It’s an action comedy, which is something that Saturday Night Live has never done before and I think it shows.  If the main character wasn’t named Macgruber, you’d have a hard time convincing me that it had anything to do with SNL.  The fact that Macgruber is carrying an R-rating, whereas every other SNL flick has been PG-13, is also a bit of a welcome surprise.  Then again, I would not be surprised if the whole thing culminates in a giant warhead exploding.  There’s no doubt that this movie is going to be stupid, but with a decent cast (Val Kilmer, Ryan Phillipe, Kristen Wiig), lots of explosions, and a plethora of dick jokes, it might be fun too.

Hit the jump to check out the new trailer along with the official synopsis.  MacGruber hits theaters on May 21st.

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 VOL. XVII DVD Review

Posted: March 30th, 2010 at 7:39 am

Despite being off the air for over a decade, Mystery Science Theater 3000 retains a rabid cult following.  It is these fans that love this collection the most, but anyone with a sense of humor worth a damn can find something to laugh at as Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo, and either Joel Robinson or Mike Nelson sarcastically rip on otherwise non-entertaining movies.

Seeing as how this is the 17^th Volume of the show to make it to DVD, you might think that this collection would be mostly made up of B-grade material, but you’d be wrong.  The four cinematic masterpieces run through the wringer in this set are: The Crawling Eye, The Beatniks, The Final Sacrifice, and Blood Waters of Dr. Z.  More after the jump:

Jon Heder Walks Away From Comedy Central Sitcom

Posted: March 29th, 2010 at 10:17 pm

A weekly sitcom produced by Will Ferrell (Anchorman) and starring Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) and Chris Parnell (the funniest parts of SNL) sounds like an idea that’s too good to be true, right?  Production was set to begin next month, but EW is reporting that Jon Heder has decided to part ways from the as-yet-unnamed Comedy Central series over “creative differences” about the character.  Keep in mind that Heder willingly played a helmet-wearing, booger-eating, mentally handicapped paperboy alongside Rob Schneider in The Benchwarmers.  Hopefully, Heder’s departure isn’t a sign of the show’s quality but combined with Comedy Central’s checkered past of original series, I’m a little wary.

The series is reportedly about a man who is forced to move back in with his parents.  As we reported a couple weeks ago, Horatio Sanz, who co-starred with Parnell and Ferrell on SNL, is also attached to the project.  And though I would personally like to see them play the parents, this seems unlikely at best.

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