This week on The Collision, we’ll be looking back at 2012 and looking ahead to 2013.  We’ll reflect on last year’s disappointments, sleeper hits, and the challenge of knowing what could be the hits and misses of the coming year.  We’ll also comment on what we’re looking forward to, and as always, finish up with our recommendations.

Click here to listen to the new episode of The Collision, click here for the previous episode (“Race and Django Unchained“), click here to add the podcast to your RSS, and click here to find us on iTunes. To keep up to date with The Collision, you can follow us on Twitter at @MattGoldberg, @AdamChitwood, and @DrClawMD (Dave Trumbore). Hit the jump to check out the trailers for this week’s recommendations.

We haven’t talked much about the under-the-radar hockey picture, Goon, since earlier this year, but writer/star Jay Baruchel lit up the Twitterverse today with talk of a sequel.  The original starred Sean William Scott (American Pie) as Doug Glatt, the black sheep of his brainy family who works as a bouncer until an opportunity arises for him to be an enforcer on an underdog semi-pro hockey team. There is no word yet as to the plot of the sequel, but Baruchel will return to write the script with Jesse Chabot, director Michael Dowse will also return to direct the sequel; Evan Goldberg, who co-wrote the original, will return as a producer.  Hit the jump to hear from Baruchel himself.

Inspired by the book Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey Into a Minor Hockey League, the hockey comedy Goon follows Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott), a bouncer at a local bar who ends up in a bloody fist fight that catches the eye of the Halifax Highlanders. Hampered by his lack of hockey playing ability, Doug joins the minor league team at the encouragement of his hockey-obsessed best friend (Jay Baruchel) and quickly becomes its mammoth-sized star.

At the film’s press day, actor Seann William Scott talked about being new to the game of hockey, how lucky they were not to get hurt with more than a few bruises, playing the earnest guy and the training he had to go through to bulk up, while producer/writer/actor/lifelong hockey fan Jay Baruchel talked about how terrible he is at hockey even though he’s such a big fan of the sport, getting to meet the real guy that the film was inspired by, the influence of Slap Shot, starting Seth Rogen’s feature directorial debut, The Apocalypse, at the end of April, and voicing Hiccup for both How to Train Your Dragon 2 and the Cartoon Network TV series. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

As the film is available on demand starting today, we’re happy to bring you an exclusive TV spot for the hockey comedy Goon this afternoon. The film stars Seann William Scott as a bouncer with a penchant for fighting who joins a downtrodden hockey team. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the movie, and both Steve and Matt were huge fans. In his review, Matt described the pic as “just the right mix of sweetness, vulgarity, and offbeat humor.” This short TV spot does a great job of selling the humor and hockey aspect in a matter of seconds, and I can’t wait to see the full film.

Hit the jump to watch the TV spot. Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, and Alison Pill also star. Goon is available VOD starting today and hits theaters on March 30th.

A new trailer for the hockey comedy Goon has been released. This is the fourth trailer we’ve seen thus far, but it’s arguably the best yet. Seann William Scott stars as a guy who has a knack for fighting that’s recruited to join a hockey team. While the film doesn’t appear to be anything mind-blowing, there are more than a few laughs in this trailer. Steve and Matt caught the film at TIFF and loved it, so I’m looking forward to checking it out once it’s released.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also stars Jay Baruchel (who co-wrote the movie), Live Schreiber, and Alison Pill.  Goon opens March 30th, 2012.

We’ve got a batch of new posters to share with you today. First up is the extraordinary new poster for Zhang Yimou’s The Flowers of War. Poster art is definitely not dead, and this gorgeous one-sheet is proof. The film stars Christian Bale in the Chinese period pic about the invading Japanese Imperial Army taking over Nanking. The UK quad for Coriolanus is pretty great as well. Marking Ralph Fiennes’s feature directorial debut, the film is based on Shakespeare’s tragedy of the same name. The new poster for Underworld: Awakening is a bit uninspired (not to mention confusing; why does Kate Beckinsale want to shoot met?), and the poster for the hockey comedy Goon is underwhelming as well, especially when compared with the film’s previous posters.

Hit the jump to take a look at the posters. The Flowers of War opens in China on December 16th (and in the U.S. sometime in December), Coriolanus opens January 20th, 2012, Underworld: Awakening opens January 20th as well, and Goon will be available VOD February 24th, and in theaters March 30th. [Update: We've been asked to take the Underworld poster down. An official version should be released soon.]

The first trailer for the hockey comedy Goon has gone online.  The movie centers on a sweet, simple-minded guy (Seann William Scott) with the talent for being the ever-loving piss out of people, which makes him ideally suited for the occupation of hockey thug.  I caught the flick at TIFF and thought it was painfully funny, and I’m glad that it’s coming to a wider audience.  The trailer does a good job covering the plot, showcasing Scott’s terrific performance, and it doesn’t give away too many of the great jokes.  Hit the jump for more. [Update: The red band trailer for the film has just been released, so we've included that after the jump as well.]

At the end of Scott’s review for Human Centipede 2, you’ll find the film’s poster.  That poster is less horrifying and the movie is probably less horrifying than Adam Sandler’s upcoming “comedy” Jack and Jill.  I’m starting to suspect that Sandler may be some kind of evil genius who is conducting a social experiment to see just how awful he can make his movies and why people keep coming to see them.  Or he just likes money and doesn’t give a shit if his movies are terrible.

There’s also two new posters for Goon, a movie I dug when I caught it at TIFF.  Seeing a close-up of Jay Baruchel miming cunnilingus is also less horrifying than anything related to Jack and Jill.  Hit the jump to check out the posters.  Jack and Jill opens November 11th.  Goon has distribution but no release date has been announced.

The 2011 Toronto International Film Festival has come to a close.  We covered the hell out of it and we’ve got loads of interviews still to post.  Today, TIFF announced the winners in three award categories for Canadian films and the winners of the Cadillac People’s Choice Awards.  Nathan Morlando’s crime drama Edwin Boyd (pictured above) won Best Canadian First Feature Film, Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar picked up the award for Best Canadian Feature Film, and Ian Harnarine’ Doubles With Slight Pepper was awarded Best Canadian Short Film.  As for the Cadillac People’s Choice Awards, Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now? won the top prize, Jon Shenk’s The Island President won in the documentary category, and Gareth Evans’ The Raid picked up the award for The Cadillac People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award.

Hit the jump for the full press release along with a list of all the films that were sold to distributors.  Keep in mind that just because a film didn’t sell during the festival, that doesn’t mean it won’t be picked up for distribution in the near future.

The international trailer for the hockey comedy Goon has gone online. The film is currently screening as part of the Toronto Film Festival, and centers on a bouncer with a penchant for fighting who joins a downtrodden hockey team. The trailer is decidedly goofy, with the flick looking a bit like an R-rated version of The Mighty Ducks. The cast of Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber and Alison Pill is impressive, with Pill getting the bear’s share of laughs from this trailer. Matt caught the film at TIFF and was a fan, calling it “just the right mix of sweetness, vulgarity, and offbeat humor.”

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. Magnolia’s Magnet Pictures recently picked up the film for distribution (via Heat Vision). Michael Dowse (Take Me Home Tonight) directs from a script by Baruchel and Evan Goldberg.

Jay Baruchel found success with his first venture into screenwriting, the hockey comedy Goon.  The movie premiered Saturday at the Toronto International Film Festival, and is expected to come out of the fest with a distribution deal.  The actor/writer is not one to rest on his laurels, and is already setting up his next project—another sports comedy—with writing partner Jesse Chabot.  Variety reports Baruchel and Chabot will adapt the 2005 non-fiction book Baseballissimo by Dave Bidini.  The book “charts the author’s family adventures in Nettuno, the baseball capital of Italy, where American G.I.s introduced the game in 1944.”  Rush frontman and “baseball fanatic” Geddy Lee optioned the book last year, and will team with A71 president David Miller and Bidini to produce.

I love a good sports comedy, and given Matt and Steve’s reaction to Goon, Baruchel and Chabot are the right men for the job.  Currently, the duo is also working on Random Acts of Violence and Exorcism Diaries.  Read the synopsis for Baseballissimo after the jump.

Hockey, as viewed through the eyes of Michael Dowse’s Goon, is 60 minutes of fighting occasionally interrupted by moving a puck around on an icy surface.  It shouldn’t bother hockey aficionados or anyone else too much since the film is delightfully crass, painfully funny, and grounded by a cuddly performance from Seann William Scott.  The movie has a big place in its heart for George Roy Hill’s Slap Shot but it’s not trying to upstage its predecessor or make itself the heir-apparent.  It’s just trying to make you hurt from laughing so hard.

Two new posters have been released for the hockey comedy Goon. The film centers on a bouncer who discovers his talent for both skating and fighting and joins a downtrodden hockey team. Seann William Scott plays the lead role, with Liev Schreiber, Jay Baruchel, Eugene Levy and Alison Pill rounding out the cast. Baruchel co-wrote the script with Evan Goldberg, with Michael Dowse (Take Me Home Tonight) directing.

Hit the jump to see the posters, which feature the bloodied faces of Scott and Schreiber. Goon will screen as part of the Toronto Film Festival that kicked off yesterday.

Damsels in Distress (starring Greta Gerwig and Adam Brody), Goon (starring Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, and Liev Schreiber), Page Eight (starring Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz, and Ralph Fiennes), and Violet & Daisy (starring Saoirse Ronan, Alexis Bledel, and James Gandolfini) are all playing at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.  We have images for these films.  We think you’d like to see them.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The 2011 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 8 – 18th.

The 2011 Toronto International Film Festival has announced the films playing in their Canadian Features line-up and the seven films from first-time filmmakers in the “Canada First!” line-up.  Notable movies in the Canadian Features program include Edwin Boyd (starring Scott Speedman, Kevin Durand, and Brian Cox), Goon (starring Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, and Liev Schreiber), and Guy Maddin’s new film Keyhole (starring Jason Patric and Isabella Rossellini).  Previously announced films A Dangerous Method and Take This Waltz will play as part of the Canadian Galas program.

Hit the jump to check out the full line-up for the Canadian Features and Canada First! programs.  Click here for the Galas and Special Presentations and click here for the Documentaries, Midnight Madness, and other TIFF programs.  The 2011 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 8 – 18th.