Earlier this year I got to visit the set The Incredible Burt Wonderstone with a few other online reporters while the production was filming at the Wadsworth Theater here in Los Angeles.  Directed by Don Scardino (whose directed almost forty episodes of 30 Rock) and written by Horrible Bosses screenwriters John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the film stars Steve Carell as a magician whose relationship with his partner (Steve Buscemi) becomes strained after the arrival of a hipper illusionist (Jim Carrey).  Burt Wonderstone also stars Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin, James Gandolfini, Jay Mohr, Michael Bully Herbig and a lot of real life magicians, many of whom were the inspirations for the film.

While on set we got to watch a great scene featuring Carell and Buscemi wearing some outrageous costumes, conduct interviews with a lot of the cast, and we learned a lot about the film.  As a fan of the cast and the filmmakers, it was a really fun day on set that I can’t wait to share with you closer to release, which is March 15.  Until then, check out the first images from the film and the full synopsis after the jump.  Look for the trailer in the coming days.

Boardwalk Empire‘s third season ended on such a completely different note from both last season’s finale and most of the season; namely, it was intensely satisfying, and almost made one forget the many mistakes and narrative pitfalls that plagued most the episodes leading up to this one.  There was plenty that was set up well for another season, but “Margate Sands” could have worked just fine, in many ways, as a series finale (luckily though, it doesn’t have to).  In the end Nucky comes out on top — he always does — but at what price?  It was a question that has cast an ever-darkening shadow over him and those in his life since the first season, and never has he seemed at such a crossroads as now.  Was it all worth it?  Hit the jump for why it was worth it — for us at least — sticking around for this final hour.

This past weekend, I was invited to participate in a collegiate experience for Disney/Pixar’s Monsters University, the prequel to 2001′s Monsters, Inc. Directed by Dan Scanlon (Tracy), Monsters University features the returning vocal talent of John Goodman as Sulley, Billy Crystal as Mike Wazowski and Steve Buscemi as Randall Boggs and takes place when the monsters were cutting their teeth in college. To get into the school spirit, we were invited to USC’s campus to attend a tailgate and the game against #1 ranked Notre Dame. But the real highlight of the day was getting to see not only a post-converted scene from the upcoming re-release of Monsters, Inc. in 3D, but the first footage from Monsters University itself!

Monsters, Inc. 3D screams into theaters starting December 19th, which will have to tide you over until the release of Monsters University on June 21st, 2013. Hit the jump for my review of the sneak peek footage. 

What a long, strange trip it’s been.  The chief complaint about this odd season of Boardwalk Empire has been its wandering.  The journey has been uncertain both for the series and the characters within.  There have been some absolutely fantastic small moments throughout, but on the whole, the series has had trouble defining itself this year.  Making the choice it did to end the second season — putting Nucky in the position of going Full Gangster — has been difficult on viewers who appreciated the parts of the show that were more than a shoot-em-up.  But “Two Impostors” handled the balance exceptionally well, culling down other stories to focus back on Nucky. Whether or not it’s too late remains to be seen.  Hit the jump for why, with all due respect Mr. Custer, this ain’t no time for a last stand.

If you haven’t seen director Genndy Tartakovsky’s Hotel Transylvania (or were considering seeing it again), then perhaps a new animated short will give you the incentive to do so.  Airing in front of the 3D animated feature will be Goodnight, Mr. Foot, a 2D short directed and animated by Tartakovsky himself.  The short will screen exclusively in Regal Entertainment Group cinemas starting tonight, just in time for Halloween.

Hotel Transylvania features the voices of Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade and Fran Drescher.  Hit the jump to see the full press release and new images from the 2D animated short, Goodnight, Mr. Foot.

A couple of new posters and related images to share with you today.  We’ve got the first poster and a new image from director John Moore’s A Good Day to Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis as John McClane alongside his estranged son (Jai Courtney) as they take on those evil Commies no-goodniks Russian bad guys.  A twist on McClane’s signature catch phrase lets us know what he thinks of their country.  If you missed the trailer, check it out here. A Good Day to Die Hard opens February 14th, 2013.

We’ve also got the US poster for Walter Salles’ On the Road, starring Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart and Sam Riley. An adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel,  On the Road drives into theaters on December 21st.  Hit the jump to check out the new posters and images for each film. 

It’s been “Back-to-School” time for kids for a little while now and the students at Disney/Pixar’s Monsters University are no exception.  The official website for the Monsters, Inc. prequel is a brilliantly designed marketing scheme fronted by the MU admissions and welcome page. The fully-functional website includes links for prospective students, alumni and faculty, as well as a breakdown of the various schools (ie School of Scaring, School of Liberal Arts & Monstrosities) and even an events calendar.  Why, they’ve even got a fully functional store so you can buy some gear from your favorite fictional alma mater! Someone definitely had fun with this site.  If you’re a fan of Monsters, Inc., you’re going to enjoy it!

Director Dan Scanlon’s Monsters University, featuring the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, opens June 21st, 2013.  Hit the jump for images from the site. 

Though the series is only three episodes into its third season, HBO has already renewed the period drama Boardwalk Empire for a fourth season.  Ratings have been steady with last year’s numbers, so THR reports that HBO went ahead and gave the greenlight for season four, set to air in 2013.  The third season premiere garnered 2.9 million viewers, on par with the season two premiere.  Moreover, the cumulative total of viewers from repeat airings was a healthy 7.2 million viewers.

I’ve only seen the first season of the Steve Buscemi-fronted drama, but our TV expert Allison Keene has been keeping tabs on the show with her weekly recaps.  If you’re behind or want a refresher on past episodes, you can check those out right here.

For reasons unknown there seems to be a difficult balance between a show that’s too slow versus the kind that roars by so fast that the myriad plot points are lost as we try to lay catch up while collecting our jaws off of the floor. In the first camp you have series like Mad Men, Treme and Boardwalk Empire, which all take a great deal of time in character study, something that can make viewers impatient, especially if there are ambivalent feelings about the characters in question.

When someone asks a Mad Men fan what the show is about, there’s usually silence. What is it about? What even happens? Compared to Breaking Bad or Sons of Anarchy, nothing really happens … yet so much happens in ways that are difficult to describe. I once heard Mad Men described simply as a postcard from the 1960s, which seems accurate but too simple. Similarly, Boardwalk is about Prohibition and bootlegging in Atlantic City, sure, but it’s about so much more than that. While Nucky’s story is always tied into that theme, many of the side-narratives are not. Some of them are successful in keeping us interested and, occasionally, some are not. But “slow” doesn’t have to mean boring. For more on that and why you should never trust a man you can buy off in five minutes of meeting him, hit the jump.

Six clips from the animated film Hotel Transylvania have been released.  Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack), the story centers on Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) trying to throw a party for his daughter Mavis’ (Selena Gomez) 118th birthday, but his plans go haywire when a human (Andy Samberg) comes to the monsters-only hotel and develops a crush on Mavis.  The film looks to have some funny bits, and I’m sure kids will get a kick out of the monster comedy aspect.

Hit the jump to check out the clips.  The voice cast also includes David Spade (Griffin the Invisible Man), Steve Buscemi (Wayne the Werewolf), Kevin James (Frankenstein), Molly Shannon (Wanda the Werewolf) and Cee Lo Green (Murray the Mummy). Hotel Transylvania opens on September 28th.

Along with True Blood and Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire stands as HBO’s current marquee series, which means they pull out all the stops when it comes to their Blu-ray releases. With the third season fast approaching, the beautiful second season set hits shelves to help the uninitiated catch up. There’s no better way to enjoy what has become one of the best shows currently on television. Hit the jump for the full review.

A new trailer for the upcoming third season of HBO’s drama series Boardwalk Empire has been released.  I’ve only ever seen the first season of the show, but I’m aware of how last season ended and it looks like things will be decidedly dark when the show returns.  The trailer also teases the new character played by Bobby Cannavale, but it’s sadly light on Michael Shannon.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The third season of Boardwalk Empire premieres on HBO Sunday, September 16th at 9pm.

From acclaimed animation director Genndy Tartakovsky comes the new family comedy, Hotel Transylvania, featuring the voice talents of Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez.  The picture centers on Dracula (Sandler), who runs a resort for monsters and goes into over-protective parent mode when a human boy (Samberg) shows up and courts his daughter (Gomez).  Eight new colorful character posters are now available for your viewing pleasure.

Steve Buscemi, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, David Spade, CeeLo Green and Molly Shannon also lend their voices to Hotel Transylvania, which opens September 28th.  Hit the jump to see the posters.

HBO has set the dates for two of its acclaimed returning series this fall, both of which will be starting in with their third seasons - Boardwalk Empire (starring Steve Buscemi), which will air Sunday, September 16, and Treme, which will start Sunday, September 23.  Treme, which will return for 10 episodes, usually premieres in the spring, but HBO chose to start Game of Thrones earlier than last year, and pair it with two new half-hour series, Girls and Veep rather than the New Orleans-based drama.  Still, the wait for fall may benefit the series, which will now be running after perhaps a more appropriate intro in Boardwalk Empire.

Treme will also be adding two new characters in its third season – Sam Robards (The West Wing) will portray a restaurant investor (hopefully for Janette!), and Chris Coy (True Blood) will be on board as a character based on reporter A.C. Thompson.  Hit the jump for more on Treme’s upcoming season, along with some scoop on the season premiere of Boardwalk (spoiler alert for the latter, though with ample warnings).