If you’ve followed the Top 5 for any amount of time you’ve probably already deduced that I like to use the opening paragraph in an anecdotal fashion. Whether I’m spinning a recap of my latest pop-culture excursions or using the latest wedding I’m attending as a gateway for complaining about the pop-culture excursions I’d rather be partaking of, I try and keep this space at least loosely based around entertainment. That said, this week is no different as I finally had the chance to sit down with writer/director David Ayer‘s End of Watch last night. I won’t do the film the disservice of reviewing it in two sentences, but I will say that I found Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña‘s chemistry to be excellent and the action to be consistently suspenseful/captivating. Is the script’s attempt to tie nearly every encounter the partner’s undertake into an interconnected climax a little bit of a stretch? I think so. Nevertheless, End of Watch is still a cop drama that pushes almost all of the right buttons.

But enough of my reviews in 100 words or less, in this week’s trek down memory lane is the first official image and trailer for A Good Day to Die Hard, Taken 2 interviews with Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen and more, a recap of all our James Bond / Skyfall coverage from the past week, Frankenweenie interviews with Tim Burton, Winona Ryder and more, and finally a look at some classic video games that we feel deserve an HD remake.

Frankenweenie, from director Tim Burton and screenwriter John August, is a charming, macabre and heartwarming tale, about Victor (voiced by Charlie Tahan), a young boy who, after unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life, but quickly faces unintended and sometimes monstrous consequences for his actions.  The voice cast also includes Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Winona Ryder and Atticus Shaffer.

At the film’s press junket, actor Martin Short spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about how much fun it is to work in the creative atmosphere that Burton establishes, how working with Burton on Frankenweenie compared to when they first worked together on Mars Attacks!, the fun of getting to create three different characters for the film, how impressed he was with the finished product, what makes Burton’s movies so special, and why he enjoys getting to have such a varied, multi-generational career.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Director Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie is set to open in theaters on October 5th, but we have some previews to share with you today.  Two new clips have gone online for Disney’s stop-motion animated film that was based on Burton’s original idea and 1984 short film.  One of today’s clips shows young Victor Frankenstein (voiced by Charlie Tahan) in the process of resurrecting his deceased pet dog, Sparky (Frank Welker).  The second clip reveals that Victor’s secret is out, when classmate Edgar (Atticus Shaffer) pops by to share in Victor’s success.  The behind-the-scenes featurette is a bit spoilery and spotlights a good amount of plot points, but it does show some interesting puppetry work behind the camera.  Hit the jump to check it all out.

We recently brought you access to a 360-degree tour of Tim Burton’s stop-motion animated Frankenweenie set and tonight we’ve got a new clip to share with you.  Folks who attended this year’s Comic-Con event may remember it, but those of you who weren’t in attendance can now enjoy it, too.  The clip centers on Mr. Ryzkruski (Martin Landau), the creepy science teacher that inspires Victor’s (Charlie Tahan) curiosity.  Writer/director Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, also featuring the voices of Winona Rider, Martin Short, Christopher Lee and Catherine O’Hara, opens October 5th.  Hit the jump to view the clip.

Have you ever wanted to set foot on a movie set without having to deal with all the pesky credentials like education, experience and talent? Well, you’re in luck, because Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie has all new interactive tours that give you a 360-degree view of a working set.  The virtual tours are guided by some of the production’s creative team who are kind enough to explain the process of animating a stop-motion film.  If you look closely, you’ll even notice some new characters and creatures in the film that haven’t been revealed before.

Writer/director Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, featuring the voices of Charlie Tahan, Winona Rider, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Christopher Lee and Catherine O’Hara, opens October 5th.  Hit the jump to take the tour!

The first trailer for the animated feature Dorothy of Oz has been released.  The CG-animated musical centers on Dorothy (Lea Michele) returning to the Land of Oz, only to find that the kingdom and its inhabitants are in grave danger from a wicked Jester (Martin Short).  The low-budget film comes from the studio Summertime Entertainment, and the visuals are sadly a far cry from Pixar or DreamWorks Animation.  That said, the colorfulness and strange cast of characters would have been a big pull for me as a kid so maybe this will play better to younger audiences.  The film is almost reminiscent of the dark and twisted unofficial sequel Return to Oz, but with decidedly more singing/Broadway stars.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The voice cast also includes Dan Aykroyd, Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, James Belushi, Bernadette Peters, Hugh Dancy, Megan Hilty, and Oliver Platt.  Dorothy of Oz will open sometime in 2013. 

A new full-length trailer for Tim Burton’s stop-motion animated feature Frankenweenie has been released.  The pic is a feature-length adaptation of Burton’s 1984 short film of the same name, which centered on a boy who takes a page from Frankenstein and brings his dead dog back to life.  This trailer is actually really great, and has me hoping that Frankenweenie might be a return to form for Burton.  The director’s recent output has been a bit, shall we say, lacking, but Frankenweenie promises the mix of creepy and goofy that he so expertly displayed with Beetlejuice (though I said the same thing about early trailers for Dark Shadows and we know how that turned out).  I’m really loving the quietly strange tone, and the visuals are gorgeous in black-and-white.  Between Frankenweenie and ParaNorman, hopefully we’re in for some truly original and offbeat stop-motion animated features in the next couple of months.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film features the voices of The film features the voices of Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, and Martin Landau. Frankenweenie opens in 3D on October 5th.

A slew of character images and corresponding character info from Tim Burton’s upcoming stop-motion animated film Frankenweenie have gone online.  The pic is a feature-length adaptation of Burton’s 1984 short film of the same name, which centered on a boy who takes a page from Frankenstein and brings his dead dog back to life.  This new batch of images along with character info gives us a better idea of what to expect storywise, and also gives us a chance to marvel at the impressive character designs.

Hit the jump to check out the images and character info.  The film features the voices of The film features the voices of Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, and Martin Landau.  Frankenweenie opens in 3D on October 5th.

The black and white, stop-motion animated 3D film Frankenweenie, from director Tim Burton and based on the ideas in his 1984 live-action short, is a heart-warming tale about a boy and his beloved dog.  After unexpectedly losing Sparky, young Victor (voiced by Charlie Tahan) sews him back together and harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life, but quickly faces unintended and sometimes monstrous consequences for his actions.  The voice cast also includes Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Atticus Shaffer and Winona Ryder.

During an early press day for the film, in which we got the chance to preview nearly 30 minutes of the film, director/producer Tim Burton talked about expanding the original story from his short, where the idea originally came from, casting actors that he hadn’t worked with in a while to voice some of the characters, how the stop-motion medium has changed over the years, his hope that younger audiences will want to explore the monsters that he’s paying tribute to in the film, and post-converting to 3D.  He also talked about the fact that Seth Grahame-Smith is working on writing Beetlejuice 2 and that he might be interested in getting involved depending on what he thinks of the script, the rumor about him doing a Pinocchio movie with Robert Downey Jr., and that Big Eyes is in the works, but that you never know what will be ready to go next.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

A new trailer and poster for Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted have gone online.  The Madagascar movies aren’t going to redefine animation or family films, but I still giggled thoughtout this trailer.  I found the first movie surprisingly enjoyable, but the sequel was a letdown.  Judging by the trailer, Europe’s Most Wanted looks like a bit of silly fun, and I’m absolutely fine with that.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer and check out the poster. The film features the voices of Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Frances McDormand, Bryan Cranston, Jessica Chastain and Martin Short. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted opens on June 8th.

The first trailer for Tim Burton‘s Frankenweenie has gone online.  Half of the trailer is the set-up for people who never saw Burton’s 1984 live-action short of the same name.  A young boy loses his beloved dog, digs up his bet, and brings him back to life Victor Frankenstein-style.  The second half of the trailer shows the fun ways that Burton is going to expand on his original concept, and that seems to involve bringing in other staples of the Frankenstein movies–namely, Igor and the Bride of Frankenstein.  After seeing the trailer, I’m eager to see the other ways Burton will try to expand on his original short-film.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and the new images.  The film features the voices of Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, and Martin Landau.  Frankenweenie opens in 3D on October 5th.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to bring you this afternoon. First up, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, and Martin Short have been added to the voice cast of DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. It’s a curious bit of news, as the film hits theaters in a matter of months and a full trailer has already been released, but I’m assuming the three are up for minor roles. Heat Vision’s report doesn’t specify what characters Chastain, Cranston, and Short will be lending their voices to, but Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Sacha Baron Cohen are all reprising their roles from the first two films.

The plot finds the zoo animals yet again trying to make their way back to New York City, but this time they find themselves on the wrong side of the law in Europe. Frances McDormand voices the villain in the pic, which hits theaters June 8th. Hit the jump for casting news regarding Ben Stiller’s directorial project The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

It’s been a long journey for Three Amigos to be considered a classic worthy of a 25^th anniversary Blu-ray release. The film hit screens to a resounding response of critical and audience indifference in 1986, but has gradually come to be regarded as something of a cult classic. It’s difficult to know why it failed. Maybe it was because it was a Western made past the genre’s expiry date, maybe the release date was ill timed, or maybe it’s just a strange comedy that was always destined to appeal to a small, but loyal fanbase. Regardless, the film now seems to have the reputation it deserves as one of John Landis and Steve Martin’s more beloved comedies and while the new Blu-ray isn’t exactly overflowing with nostalgic special features, it’s still a nice treat for fans. Hit the jump for my review of Three Amigos on Blu-ray.

Patrick Stewart adds gravitas to anything he does.  That’s why he’s so funny when he does something like Extras or Family Guy.  Stewart will be bringing his unmistakable voice to the upcoming 3D CG-animated musical Dorothy of Oz and we’re happy to announce that he’ll be making his first Comic-Con appearance on Saturday, July 23rd in Hall H at 4:30-5:30.

In addition, we have exclusive video of him speaking about his character “Tugg”.  Stewart also talks about working again with fellow voice actors Kelsey Grammer and Martin Short and what he finds so appealing about animation and Dorothy of Oz in particular.  Hit the jump to check out the exclusive video.  The producers of the film are Summertime Entertainment, Ryan Carroll, Roland Carroll and Bonne Radford.  Dorothy of Oz is set to arrive sometime in 2012.

Walt Disney Studios has released the official synopsis for Tim Burton’s feature-length adaptation of his own 1984 short Frankenweenie:

After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.

Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, and Atticus Shaffer will voice the characters in the 3D black-and-white stop-motion animated film, due October 5, 2012.  Hit the jump to see the full production notes.