A new clip from G.I. Joe: Retaliation has been released.  In the upcoming sequel, the Joes are at war with the Cobra as well as the U.S. government, which is being led by an imposter President.  It’s a slight embellishment to say that Jinx (Elodie Yung) and Snake Eyes (Ray Park) “fight” in this clip unless “fight” means Jinx swinging swords wildly at Snake Eyes and hoping to hit something.  The blindfold doesn’t seem to be doing much good as a teaching tool.

Hit the jump to check out the clip.  The film also stars Dwayne Johnson, D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Jonathan Pryce, RZA, Ray Stevenson, Channing Tatum, and Bruce Willis.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens in 3D on March 28th.

Paramount Pictures has released a batch of new high-resolution images from director Jon M. Chu’s upcoming sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  The follow-up’s story finds the Joes disbanded and outnumbered as they must square off against not only the Cobras, but also threats within their own government.  These images highlight the ensemble cast sporting an array of weapons, as well as lots and lots of ninjas.

Hit the jump to view the images, and if you missed any of Steve’s set visit coverage be sure to check out 25 things to know & video blog recap, along with his interviews with Dwayne Johnson, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park, Elodie Yung, D.J. Cotrona, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and Chu.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens in 3D on March 28th.

Paramount has released a new four-minute extended clip and featurette for Jon M. Chu’s upcoming sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  The clip showcases the an action sequence with a shit ton of ninjas that takes place on the side of a mountain, while the featurette focuses on the numerous vehicles and weapons that are used in the film.  The sequel’s story finds the Joes disbanded and outnumbered as they must square off against not only the Cobras, but also threats within their own government.

Hit the jump to watch the clip and featurette, and if you missed any of Steve’s set visit coverage be sure to check out 25 things to know & video blog recap, along with his interviews with Dwayne Johnson, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park, Elodie Yung, D.J. Cotrona, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and Chu.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens in 3D on March 28th.

I’ve patiently waited for the opportunity to include Veronica Mars in the Top 5. As one of my favorite pop culture artifacts, I’m thrilled that this past week has finally afforded me the chance. That said, I’ll reserve any and all debate regarding the impact and merit of its now famed Kickstarter campaign for after the jump. For now, I’ll just say that, as much as I loved the show, I didn’t feel shortchanged by its somewhat abrupt finale. Moreover, I never felt like I needed a movie to bring some sort of closure to that world and its characters. Don’t get me wrong, by series end I wanted more VM in my life. But maybe that’s a good thing. Looking back I’d much prefer a series leave me wanting more than continually ask me back every week when it can barely muster even a shadow of its former self (cough…The Office…cough).

In addition to more Mars talk, this week’s collection also includes our G.I. Joe: Retaliation set visit, the first red-band trailer for Kick-Ass 2, Jurassic Park 4 naming its director, and all of our SXSW 2013 coverage to date. Keep reading for a brief recap and link to each.

Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes are locked in battle atop a snowy cold mountain.  Somehow Storm Shadow has gotten the upper hand and he’s got Snake Eyes pinned to the ground.  Try as he might, Snake Eyes can’t escape.  While they’ve battled many times, they’re always equally matched, and it’s hard for either to get the upper hand.  But not this time.  On this day, it looks like Strom Shadow is finally going to win.  But as he applies even more force with seething anger in his eyes, all of a sudden, Jinx appears from behind and she’s got some sort of breathing device that she puts on his nose and mouth, and a second later, Storm Shadow falls unconscious.  I then hear director Jon M. Chu call cut.

But let me back up a second.

As I type these words I’m on a plane back to Los Angeles.  It’s Wednesday, October 26, 2011 and yesterday I got to spend all day on the set of G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  While I’m clearly in the minority as I really dug the first film, after getting to see a great looking sizzle reel on set, watch the filming of two big action scenes, and speak with Chu, Byung-Hun Lee (Storm Shadow), Ray Park (Snake Eyes), Elodie Yung (Jinx), Dwayne Johnson (Roadblock), DJ Cotrona (Flint), and Ray Stevenson (Firefly), and producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, I’m 100% sure the sequel is going to be even better.  Hit the jump for more.

One of the reasons why G.I. Joe: Retaliation looks better than the first film is, quite simply, Dwayne Johnson.  I’m of the opinion that if you want to make any franchise better, all you need to do is add The Rock.  Look what Universal did with Fast Five…they added Johnson and it’s the best of the series.  And in the G.I. Joe sequel, Johnson has been brought in as Roadblock and he’s front and center leading the Joe’s against Cobra.

During a fantastic group interview on set when the production was filming in New Orleans, Johnson talked about how he got involved in G.I. Joe, why he wanted to play Roadblock, the WWE, his weapons, working with director Jon M. Chu, the Fast and Furious franchise, interacting with his fans on social media, and so much more.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

As I’ve said many times, while it’s always great to talk to actors, if you really want to find out why certain decisions were made on a film, you always want to talk to the director and the producers.  In the case of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the set of which I visited in 2011, the one who provided the most of the information about the sequel was Lorenzo di Bonaventura (who also produced the first G.I. Joe and a few other movies like the Transformers franchise, Red, Red 2, Salt, , The Last Stand, Side Effects , Jack Ryan, and many more).

During an extended group interview on set, di Bonaventura talked about the differences between Retaliation and the first film, the sequel’s tone, Cobra Commander’s mask, Destro, the action, new castmembers like Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis, director Jon M. Chu, the merchandising, the humor, and so much more.  If you’re a Joe fan, it’s a great read.  Hit the jump to check it out.

While some had issues with the first G.I. Joe movie, most would agree the casting of Byung-hun Lee as Storm Shadow and Ray Park as Snake Eyes was dead on.  So when Paramount decided to make the sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, while they brought in a lot of new actors, I was extremely happy they kept Lee and Park as Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes.

During a group interview on the set when Retaliation was filming in New Orleans, Lee talked about returning for the sequel, the training, how Storm Shadow has a bigger role in the sequel, the fight scenes, the difference between making movies in Hollywood and Korea, his action figure, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

When you think of G.I. Joe, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow immediately come to mind for most people. After all, they’re two of the coolest characters in the “Joe” universe and they have a long history. If you’re one of those people that love the characters, you’re going to be happy to learn that G.I. Joe: Retaliation spends a lot of time with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.  We get to see their backstory, watch some great fights, and the film uses the silent interlude storyline from the comics for part of the film.  As I said, fans of the characters are going to love what director Jon M. Chu is planning.

When G.I. Joe: Retaliation was filming in New Orleans, I got to visit the set and participate in a group interview with Ray Park (Snake Eyes).  He talked about his new costume and weapons, the fight sequences with Storm Shadow, working with Elodie Yung (Jinx), and a lot more.  Hit the jump to read what he said.

While many wondered if Jon M. Chu was the right choice to direct G.I. Joe: Retaliation, after spending the day on set while the production was filming in New Orleans, I became extremely confident that he was going to deliver a kick-ass G.I. Joe movie.  I say this because not only did he say all the right things during a group interview, he did the most important thing: he showed us some of the movie!  The sizzle reel we watched demonstrated that he’s got a great handle on the material and I really believe this is the G.I. Joe movie fans have been waiting for.

During the interview Chu talked about how he got involved with the project, the silent fight sequence, the new cast, working with Hasbro, the tone, the soundtrack, what he’d like to see in future installments, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

If you saw the first G.I. Joe movie, you might have noticed Jinx in the background of two scenes (she was training in the P.I.T.T. and in the background of General Hawk’s speech).  However, in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, not only is Jinx being played by a new actress (Elodie Yung), her character has been given a lot more screentime including some major action sequences with Snake Eyes.  If you’re familiar with the G.I. Joe cartoons and comics, you’re definitely going to see a few things you recognize.

During a group interview with Elodie Yung on the New Orleans set, we talked about how she got cast, the action scenes, working with RZA as Blind Master and director Jon M. Chu, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for what she had to say.

One of the new actors and characters making an appearance in G.I. Joe: Retaliation is D.J. Cotrona as Flint.  When the first Joe movie came out in 2009 (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra), many fans were disappointed that Flint didn’t show up.  Clearly Hasbro/Paramount and the filmmakers heard the fans, as Flint is a huge part of the sequel.

During a group interview on the New Orleans set of Retaliaion, Cotrona talked about how he was cast, how Flint plays into the story, the action scenes, his relationship with Lady Jaye and Duke, his costume and the weapons,  whether he has scenes with Snake Eyes, what it was like to almost play Superman in George Miller’s Justice League movie, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

We’re happy to debut three new images from director Jon M. Chu’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation today.  The exclusive shots feature looks at Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, and D.J. Cotrona and in uniform, and one thing’s for certain after looking at these images: G.I. Joe is packed with some incredibly intimidating gentlemen.  The sequel’s story finds the Joes disbanded and outnumbered as they must square off against not only the Cobras, but also threats within their own government.  The trailers promise some incredibly theatrical fight sequences and ninja avalanches, so Retaliation should hopefully be quite the entertaining moviegoing experience.

Also starring Elodie Yung, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Stevenson, Walton Goggins, RZA and Adrianne Palicki, G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens in 3D on March 28th.  Hit the jump to view the new images.

Check out the latest clips from the following movies:

• Spring Breakers – Recently premiering at SXSW, this new clip from Harmony Korine’s film features the introduction of James Franco’s character, Alien.  There’s also some bonus behind-the-scenes footage.  Also starring Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine, Spring Breakers opens in limited release on March 15th and expands March 22nd.
• The Place Beyond the Pines – A new clip from Derek Cianfrance’s crime drama stars Ryan Gosling and Ben Mendelsohn planning a heist.  Also starring Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes, The Place Beyond the Pines opens in limited release March 29th.
• G.I. Joe: Retaliation – The new clip from Jon M. Chu’s sequel pits Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) against Snake Eyes (Ray Park).  Also starring Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, Adrianne Palicki, Elodie Yung and D.J. Cotrona, G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens March 28th.

Hit the jump to watch the clips.

Over the last few days, we’ve been treated to some character featurettes, recruitment videos and clips from director Jon M. Chu’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  Today, three new character featurettes have been made available.  They focus on Channing Tatum’s Duke, Adrianne Palicki’s Lady Jaye and D.J. Cotrona’s Flint, and reveal a few new bits of footage. (Cotrona’s might be a bit spoilery as there is an odd appearance of another cast member, though it’s out of context.)

Also starring Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park and Elodie Yung, G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens March 28th.  Hit the jump to watch the featurettes.