As I wrote last month, if you had told me that the dad on Malcolm in the Middle would become one of my favorite actors, I’d never have believed you.  But after years of amazing work on AMC’s brilliant drama Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston has shown that he can transform himself into any character and make it believable.  It’s probably why during the last few hiatuses he’s landed small but important roles in films like Drive, John Carter, The Lincoln Lawyer, Red Tails, Larry Crowne, and this summer’s remake of Total Recall.  In director Len Wiseman’s film, Cranston plays Vilos Cohaagen, who was originally played by the great Ronny Cox.  Just like the original, Cohaagen is a close friend and ally of Quaid/Hauser (Colin Farrell) who wants to see his friend return home.

Last week I got to talk to Cranston in San Diego for Comic-Con 2012.  We talked about making Total Recall, what he collects (if anything), the experience of being at Comic-Con, his preparation process, Ben Affleck‘s Argo, the final two seasons of Breaking Bad, how he’s directing an upcoming episode, and if the final season go longer than eight episodes.  Hit the jump to watch.

Last weekend, shortly after Pacific Rim‘s awesome panel in Hall H at Comic-Con, I got to sit down with Charlie Hunnam for an extended video interview.  As a huge fan of Undeclared (he played Lloyd) and Sons of Anarchy, I’ll admit to being pretty excited to finally get a chance to talk with him.

During our wide ranging conversation, we talked about what’s coming up on Sons of Anarchy, how long he thinks the show will last (he’s signed for seven seasons), what it was like to work for Guillermo del Toro on Pacific Rim, who he plays, if the script changed a lot on set, the practical effects, how he prepares for a role, and a lot more.  In addition, Hunnam revealed he was almost a lead in Hellboy II and that he’s a giant Game of Thrones fan and he hoped to meet Khaleesi (Emilia Clarke) at Comic-Con.  Hit the jump to watch.

“Because I said so.”  Have four words ever been so chillingly, yet rousingly, delivered? Walter White’s Season Five conversation ender put the definitive mark on his transformation from mild-mannered science teacher to ruthless drug kingpin.  The brilliance of Breaking Bad is that this transformation can be viewed either as a triumph of Nietzschean ‘Superman’ ethics or as the moral turpitude of hubris run amuck.  Sure Walter White is a badass – but he’s also a very bad, bad man.  Breaking Bad is one of the only shows in recent memory that can ‘have its cake and eat it too’ – at once both celebrating and decrying Walter’s actions.  How does it get away with this? Because it’s just so freaking good… ‘Because it says so’.

At Comic-Con last weekend, Vince Gilligan and the entire cast were on hand for a roundtable discussion regarding the show.  In today’s edition, creator Vince Gilligan discusses how his vision of the show changed (or didn’t) since day one, takes exception to the notion of Walter White as a sociopath, puts down any Breaking Bad movie rumors, and more.  For the full interview, hit the jump.

Anything that I write this week will ultimately prove miniscule and severely unimportant in the wake of the Aurora, CO tragedy. While it’s an unfortunate truth that lives are senselessly lost every day for reasons that defy any and all logic, the fact that this particular incident took place in an atmosphere so many us of cherish and during an event that was so genuinely anticipated has made this all too familiar story one that really hits home. All of this said, I’ll refrain from pretending to know or understand the first thing about what the victims of the shooting are going through. Instead, I’ll just offer my sincerest condolences to all those involved.

In an impossible segue, this week’s Top 5 is headlined by The Dark Knight Rises while also shining our weekly spotlight on The Punisher‘s new short film Dirty Laundry, the first poster and new trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson‘s The Master, Joss Whedon taking out a giant one-eyed monster in the 5-year-old inspired short film Scary Smash, and an ode to our nearly infinite supply of Comic-Con 2012 coverage. A link and brief recap for each rests after the jump.

Last weekend at Comic-Con, I got to sit down with Jessica Biel for an extended video interview.  While she was in San Diego to promote director Len Wiseman‘s Total Recall (she plays Melina), during our wide ranging conversation we talked about her favorite movies, what it was like to make Total Recall, will David O. Russell‘s Nailed every get released, The A-Team‘s disappointing box office, director Sacha Gervasi‘s Hitchcock (she plays Vera Miles), what she collects, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Though everyone expected the Comic-Con crowd to go crazy when people like Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro took the Hall H stage for panel presentations last week, the person who actually got some of the loudest applause was Pacific Rim actor Charlie Day.  Yes, there are a large number of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans at the Con, but Day is also insanely funny and an all-around awesome guy; it’s not hard to see why he’s so well liked.  He shined as one of the leads in one of last year’s best comedies, Horrible Bosses, and last week at Comic-Con Steve got the chance to speak with the actor for a bit.

During their brief conversation, Day talked about del Toro’s atypical approach to CGI in Pacific Rim and gave an update on the upcoming Horrible Bosses sequel.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

The all-new season of Doctor Who doesn’t premiere until later this year on BBC America, but in the meantime, the cast and creative team headed down to Comic-Con for a presentation and panel, and to debut footage for the show’s loyal and dedicated fans.  This season will see the last days of the Ponds, with Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) returning for their final rollercoaster voyage with The Doctor (Matt Smith), and then see a dramatic turn of events when The Doctor meets a new companion, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman.

During this interview, showrunner Steven Moffat and producer Caroline Skinner talked to the press about being half-way through in shooting this new season, what fans can expect from the upcoming episodes, how epic it is to say goodbye to Amy and Rory, how emotional the read-through was for the final episode with The Ponds, why New York was the perfect place for their farewell, what makes time travel into the past more fun than time travel into the future, and how the introduction of Jenna-Louise Coleman’s companion has changed things.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.

Last Friday night at Comic-Con, Marvel premiered their latest short film Item 47.  Directed by Louis D’Esposito (Co- President of Marvel Studios) and starring Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Bradford, Maximiliano Hernández and Titus Welliver, Item 47 is about a hard-luck couple who get their hands on an alien gun that falls from the sky after the events of The Avengers.  For more on the short (which will be available on The Avengers Blu-ray) click here.  You can also watch my extended video interview with D’Esposito here.

The day after the premiere, I got to sit down with Jesse Bradford and Maximiliano Hernandez for an extended interview.  We talked about being at Comic-Con, how they got involved in the project, if the script changed during production, whether they’ve been signed for more Marvel movies, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

While the prequels have a poor reputation among many Star Wars fans, Star Wars: The Clone Wars has proven that there are worthy stories to be told within that time period.  The cartoon show has introduced new characters and shown many more die.  While it certainly follows Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the side characters are put in constant mortal peril and it creates a thrilling journey.  Darth Maul has been revived in the series despite missing half of his torso (he’s a little stir-crazy when we first meet him), and the panel talked quite a bit about the upcoming season while also explaining the tremendous Umbara story arc that was one of the highlights of Season Four.

Instead of having the voice cast twiddle their thumbs as they rarely make creative decisions, last Saturday’s panel featured the talents of supervising director David Filoni and head writer Matt Michnovetz moderated by Star Wars author Pablo Hidalgo.  Hit the jump for the full recap of one of the most lively and interesting panels at Comic-Con this year.

At this year’s Comic-Con, I was able to sit down with Karl Uban for an extended video interview.  Urban was at the Con to promote his upcoming hard-R adaptation of the comic book series Judge Dredd.  For those unfamiliar with the film, Dredd is an adaption of the 2000AD comics character Judge Dredd, and it stars Urban, Olivia Thirlby, and Lena Headey.  The film follows Dredd and rookie Judge Cassandra Anderson (Thirlby) fighting through a tower that’s crawling with thugs in their attempt to bring down drug overlord Ma-ma (Headey).  I actually got to see the film at Comic-Con and it’s great.

During my interview with Urban we talked about the positive reviews for the film, the R rating, how he never takes off his helmet and how he got involved in the project, his process for getting ready for a role, his thoughts on how the film turned out and more.  In addition, we also talked about the Star Trek sequel including working with the IMAX cameras, what his first few days on set were like, and being able to film on a fully-built Enterprise set, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

The Vampire Diaries, the CW’s answer to HBO’s vampires and more show, begins its fourth season this October.  While nowhere near as graphic as True Blood, the show does feature plenty of fun for fans of the genre.   In three seasons so far, fans have witnessed some supernatural shenanigans, multiple make out sessions, and lots of brooding.  At this year’s Comic-Con, fans and press got a chance to ask the cast questions during a panel in Ballroom 20 and via one on one and roundtable interviews.

Collider got to speak one on one with cast members Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Michael Trevino, and Zach Roerig.  While all remained tight lipped about potential spoilers for the season, they did speak freely about where their characters were headed, what else they were working on, and what would happen if they met up with the cast of True Blood in an alley.  Check out all five video interviews after the jump.

The original Tron, though groundbreaking, played to a less than box office smashing success.  In the years since, a loyal and oft times vocal fan base has seen their beloved property pass through many different hands and into many different forms since the original film appeared.  When Tron: Legacy hit Comic Con International a few years ago, the buzz surrounding the film included the announcement of a cartoon series called Tron: Uprising.   This year, Disney XD came to Comic Con in force to create buzz for the new series with a panel and press day.

Producers Charlie Bean, Edward Kitsis, and Adam Horowitz, cast members Tricia Helfer (Voice of The Grid) and Bruce Boxleitner (Voice of Tron) and Art Director Alberto Mielgo spoke to Collider in one on one video interviews.  They had plenty to say about Tron in all it’s forms, the fans, and what to expect from the new series that bridges the gap between the original Tron and Tron:Legacy.  Check out all the video interviews after the jump.

The all-new season of Doctor Who doesn’t premiere until later this year on BBC America, but in the meantime, the cast and creative team headed down to Comic-Con for a presentation and panel, and to debut footage for the show’s loyal and dedicated fans.  This season will see the last days of the Ponds, with Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) returning for their final rollercoaster voyage with The Doctor (Matt Smith), and then see a dramatic turn of events when The Doctor meets a new companion, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman.

During this interview, co-stars Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill talked to the press about how much more emotional things will get before their characters leave the show, their favorite moments on the show, how satisfied they were with their departure, the reason they wanted it to be a final goodbye, and how surprised they’ve been by the fan love for their characters.  Darvill also talked about doing a play next, before shooting a series called Broadchurch (written by Chris Chibnall), and Gillan will shoot Not Another Happy Ending in Glasgow, before going to Alabama to shoot a horror film called Oculus.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.

While at Comic-Con for a presentation in Hall H, actress Milla Jovovich spoke with the press about the fifth installment in the popular Resident Evil franchise.  In Resident Evil: Retribution, which resurrects Michelle Rodriguez’s character from the first film, Alice (Jovovich) fights alongside a resistance movement in the continuing battle against the Umbrella Corporation and the undead.  During the interview, Jovovich talked about where things pick up with this film, the bigger nature of the story, the biggest challenge with this movie, and the possibility of a sixth and final film.  She also talked about the Ice Cats book she wrote when she was seven years old, that strongly resembled ThunderCats, and her preference for action figures over Barbie dolls.  Check out what she had to say after the jump.

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for the political comedy The Campaign.  The film centers on an incumbent candidate (Will Ferrell) who doesn’t expect to be opposed in his run for a fifth-term, but he finds an unexpected challenger in the unassuming and dim-witted Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis).  Ferrell and Galifianakis showed up for a surprise Hall H panel at Comic-Con last week, and this trailer has bits of footage from the hilarious reel that was shown.  There are a ton of alternate takes from the “dinner table scene” that are really, really funny, so hopefully those show up in the finished film.

Along with the trailer, YouTube video from the Hall H panel has also appeared online.  There’s really not much information from the film to be gleaned during the Comic-Con panel, but it’s funny as hell to watch Ferrell and Galifianakis respond to audience questions.  Hit the jump to watch the new trailer and Comic-Con panel.  The Campaign opens on August 10th.