No More News

For those of you who are still reading this, (probably 2.5 of the original 6 or so readers), We've decided to make a change to the blog. If you haven't noticed, we've been on a hiatus for a while. But we're back. However, from now on we aren't going to post news. If you want movie news, there's thousands of other sources to get it. We are for sure not the best place to get it either. From now on Film Notion will be movie reviews and the occasional feature article. If you still want movie news, here are some great sites where you can get it.

-Cinemablend
-The Playlist
-Worst Previews
-Latino Review
-The Hollywood Reporter
-Obsessed With Film

and that's just a few of the many, many great sites for finding the latest news and rumors on upcoming film projects.

Thor Trailer Leaks Online!

Visitors to the 2010 San Diego Comic Con, had the chance to get a first glimpse at the new Thor movie; set for a release in May of 2011. Although recording is strictly prohibited, someone got ahold of the video itself and decided to share with the rest of the world wide web. Here is the surprisingly high quality leaked trailer for Kenneth Branagh's Thor (which of course will be in 3D). Watch it quickly, cause there's a good chance it'll be removed.

It looks kind of generic to me. Nothing new to see. It feels almost like a SyFy channel movie. But who knows, it could be a neat film. I won't lose all hope now.

-MV

Michael V's In-depth Review of Inception

Inception is like a full meal for your mind. It fills up all the empty space in your head and makes you work a bit at digesting what it gives you. Unlike a lot of other movies, Inception doesn't condescend to it's audience. At times it may seem blatantly expository, but I believe it’s only expository to the point that such a complex concept needs to be for viewers to start putting the pieces together themselves. It's a hugely budgeted movie that manages to use its visual effects as a complement to an intriguing and original story rather than a substitute for it, which seems very rare nowadays. Although upon a second viewing I did pick up on a few plot holes and flaws, this film still may be the most visually, intellectually, emotionally, and philosophically fulfilling experience I've ever had in a theater.

Peter Jackson In Negotiations to Direct THE HOBBIT

Last week we reported that there was a good chance that Neill Blomkamp (District 9) would be directing The Hobbit after Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hell Boy) dropped out. Now that seems this is not the case. according to WME Entertainment,

"...not only is Blomkamp not doing the movie, no one from MGM/United Artists or Warner Bros. has even contacted them about his directing the film."

Blomkamp instead, is working on a mysterious sci-fi project called Elysium.

So who will take the reigns? Well according to an article by Deadline.com, Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) will indeed be taking on the two-part Hobbit project, and is in negotiations right now with Warner Bros., MGM, and New Line. Looks like the fans' prayers have been answered.


-MV

First Teaser Trailer For David Fincher's THE SOCIAL NETWORK

David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en) is wrapping up his Mark Zuckerberg biopic, The Social Network about the founding of the social networking site, facebook. The new teaser trailer has been released, and I must say, It doesn't fail to intrigue. David Fincher has proven himself as a great director before, but some people were suspicious about a "facebook movie." I think now that people are starting to lose their doubts about the project. The teaser is quite simple and doesn't give a whole lot away, but does build some anticipation for the film. Take a look for yourself. The Social Network is based off of a Ben Mezrich book entitled The Accidental Billionaire: The Founding of Facebook, A tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal. It stars Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland, Zombieland) as Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg and Justin Timberlake (Alpha Dog, The Love Guru) as Zuckerberg's friend and associate, Sean Parker, the founder of Napster. It is slated for a release on October 1, 2010.




-MV

THE GREEN HORNET Trailer is Here!

The trailer for The Green Hornet staring Seth Rogan debuted tonight, and it looks like it'll be a fun time. It seems to be fast-paced and action-packed as well as genuinely funny. I'm very excited about the casting. Especially Chirstoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds). The trailer is below. The film will is directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind, Rewind) and will be in theaters January 14, 2011.

-MV

New CollegeHumor Video Makes Fun Of Spiderman Reboot

The guys at College Humor have always brought us videos that are both clever and high-quality. If you've never heard of them, you're missing out. They've now come out with a video poking fun at the people behind the Spider-man movies, the people behind the upcoming reboot, and Hollywood in general. I thought it was a real laugh and wanted to share it. Let's hope that even though all the stuff in the video is probably happening, that Columbia Pictures and Mark Webb are able to pull the Spider-man reboot off well.

Here's the link to the video.

-MV

THE TILLMAN STORY Trailer: Looks Like A Thrilling and Captivating Documentary

I'm not going to say much about this one. Only that this looks very interesting, and I can't wait to see it. Here's Sundance Film Festival's description of the documentary film:

"Pat Tillman never thought of himself as a hero. His choice to leave a multimillion-dollar football contract and join the military wasn't done for any reason other than he felt it was the right thing to do. The fact that the military manipulated his tragic death in the line of duty into a propaganda tool is unfathomable and thoroughly explored in Amir Bar-Lev's riveting and enraging documentary."

Here's the trailer:

-MV

Marvel To Introduce Audiences To C-list Superhero's Through A Series Of Short Films?

It was recently reported that Marvel plans on releasing full length films of some not-so-well-known characters, in addition to their more famous ones like Iron Man and Thor. However, it seems risky seeing as how characters like Luke Cage and Dazzler don't have as large of a fanbase as Spider-man or The Hulk. Because of this, Marvel might have some trouble getting people in the seats.

However, they may have come up with the perfect solution. According to an article by Latinoreview.com, Marvel is planning on doing showing 10 minute short films before their feature films that explore characters like The Black Panther and Dr. Strange, and to test the waters to see if audiences are interested in the characters. This should still be considered a rumor though, until confirmation comes from the studio.

If this is true, will Marvel use the same actors in the shorts as they do in the would-be features? If so, then they'd better get cracking on casting, because the next Marvel film, Thor is slated for a release in May of 2011.

-MV

Neill Blomkamp Is Reportedly Directing THE HOBBIT

According to an article by TheOneRing.net, a reliable "spy" informed them that he saw the breakdown for the upcoming The Hobbit film, and that it said Neill Blomkamp (District 9) would be directing the long-awaited prequel to The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Blomkamp has a good relationship with Peter Jackson (who is producing the film and directed the original trilogy) after working together on District 9, and I wouldn't be surprised if this rumor is true. TheOneRing.net says this:

"[The spy] stated it as cold, hard, unsurprising fact. We haven’t been able to get a verification but the tip stated some other information on the side that fits with other info from other sources. A bunch of little pieces of information, some rock solid, some unclear, start to form a big picture that looks like it could have Blomkamp in it."

So things aren't too clear, but I'd say there's a good chance that Blomkamp will direct. I'd actually be excited for a Blomkamp-directed Hobbit. He did a phenomenal job on District 9, and although The Hobbit has a very different feel from that movie, I think he could pull it off. Let's hope things are cleared up at San Diego Comic Con in July.

-MV

No Gore, Guts, or Sex in BREAKING DAWN (At Least Not On Screen)

Breaking Dawn is the fourth installment in the insanely popular Twilight Saga, and like the other books in the series, it will be made into a film. Because of the length of the source material (756 pages), the movie will be divided into two parts, the first of which is slated for a release in November of 2011 and will be directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Kinsey). The script will be written by Melissa Rosenberg.

In an interview with The La Times, Rosenberg said,

"On the fan site, on Facebook, all the comments are 'It has to be R rated! You have to show the childbirth! Gore and guts and sex!'... It's actually more interesting to not see it. You know, you can do childbirth without seeing childbirth ... It doesn't mean it's any less evocative of an experience."

In the book, the main character Bella looses her virginity, and gives a very bloody birth to a vampire/human hybrid baby that eats it's way out of the womb. A teenage werewolf then falls madly in love with this baby for...some reason.

In order to maintain a PG-13 rating, the filmmakers plan on toning down the graphic themes and avoiding showing any "R-rated" events on screen, but rather convey the ideas in a more veiled and discrete way. Some people are disappointed about this. They want as faithful of an adaptation as there can be (not to mention some entertaining sex and violence).

How do you think the film should be approached?

-MV

"Oz: The Great and Powerful" will be directed by Sam Raimi

Oz: The Great and Powerful is a highly talked about upcoming prequel to 1939's The Wizard of Oz. It is being produced by Disney, and there have been plenty of rumors about who is to direct it. It was first thought that Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Away We Go) would direct, but we found out that was not true. Then, after the news that Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hell Boy) would not be helming The Hobbit came out, it seemed that he was tied to the project. Others like Baz Luhrmann, Tim Bekmambatov, and Adam Shankman were rumored to direct.

Just a couple of days ago, we heard that Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Spider-man) may take the reigns on the film, and now it has been confirmed.

This is...bitter-sweet for me. The film does seem like a great vehicle for Raimi, but I think he'd be better suited for some other projects. Say...The Hobbit? Ever since I heard that Guillermo del Toro would not be directing The Hobbit, I began wondering who else could take his spot (since Peter Jackson is out of the question). And the obvious answer for me was Sam Raimi. The horror films from early in Raimi's career were a massive inspiration to Peter Jackson (Director of The Lord of The Rings Trilogy), and lead him to create some of his films like Brain Dead and Bad Taste. Since Peter Jackson did such a great job on The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, and he and Sam Raimi have such similar origins, I figured Raimi would be a good choice to direct The Hobbit. Unfortunately, he's going to be busy with this movie. Let's just hope The Hobbit is put in good hands. Which would not include the hands of Brett Ratner.

The movie will star Robert Downey Jr. as The Wizard, and will be in (gasp!) 3D...how original. It will be about how The Wizard got to Oz and how he became it's ruler. I enjoy Robert Downey Jr. as an actor and Raimi as a director. Hopefully they can make the best out of this film, and not have it turn into another Burton-esque nightmare like Alice in Wonderland.

-MV

Sofia Coppola's SOMEWHERE trailer is released

In the past years, Sofia Coppola has held her own as a filmmaker, even in the shadow of her legendary father Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather). She's made such critically acclaimed films as The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation, and was the first American woman to be nominated in the Best Director category in the Academy Awards. She also won Best Original Screenplay at the 2003 Academy Awards for Lost in Translation. Here's the trailer for her upcoming film Somewhere.

Here's what it's about: Johnny Marco is a bad-boy A-list actor stumbling through a life of excess while living at Chateau Marmont Hotel. Cocooned in this artificial world, Johnny has lost all sense of his true self. Until, that is, his 11-year-old daughter Cleo shows up and begins to anchor him. Johnny’s fragile connection to real life slowly revives in her presence. So when the time comes for Cleo to leave, his sense of loss is palpable, but the gift of hope she has also brought him leads to a beautiful denouement.

Sounds and looks a bit like Lost in Translation, but should be good nonetheless. I enjoy Coppola's work, and am excited to see how the young Elle Fanning (Dakota Fanning's sister) does in this film.

-MV

Sequels and Reboots and Rip-Offs; Oh My!

Why does every movie being put into production seem to be either a reboot, a sequel, or based off some other material? Can nobody come up with an idea of their own anymore? When there are "Viewfinder" and "Magic 8 Ball" movies going into pre-production, you know Hollywood's screwed. There's even talks of rebooting Transformers, and Columbia Pictures is beginning to cast for a Spider-man reboot. A [mainstream] screenwriter seems to no longer be someone who creates original and captivating stories; it's more of someone who modifies somebody else's work to pacify an ever-changing audience.
(read more-->)

Michael C's In-depth review of IRON MAN II

Alright lets get started......

I'm sure Hollywood is only getting better at entertaining us, while convincing us that we don't need good acting, smart plots or intriguing stories. This film (while not necessarily a testament to that) helps you see what I mean.

So often sequels these days lose the sense of humor and class that the first one had and drone on far to long without much sense of direction. This film tried to capture the same spunk and wit as the first, it failed. But luckily it didn't try so hard that it ruined the film, instead you were just aware that the movie was not as good as the first. (read more-->)

MACHETE Trailer is Here!

Just in time for Cinco De Mayo, Robert Rodriguez has released the trailer for Machete, scheduled to hit theaters, September 3rd.

It's nearly word for word the same as the original. Machete's original trailer was included in theaters, in a set of other faux trailers before Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse (2007) double-feature. Some of the shots are even identical, but this one seems a tad bit more ridiculous. Lindsey Lohan playing a nun...who...kills people? Perfect!

The movie will apparently attack Arizona's new policy against illegal immigration. Hopefully this agenda doesn't get too distracting from the expected roaring rampage of revenge though. I'm excited for some mindless action and crappy acting, and I'm super psyched to see Danny Trejo and Stephen Seagal fight. So I don't know about you, but you can count me in for this B-movie homage. Let's hope it's funny enough! - MV

Here's the link to the trailer.

Plot: The feature version of the trailer finds Machete (Danny Trejo), a renegade former Mexican Federale, roaming the streets of Texas after a shakedown from drug lord Torrez (Steven Seagal). Reluctantly, Machete takes an offer from spin doctor Benz (Jeff Fahey) to assassinate McLaughlin (Robert De Niro) a corrupt Senator. Double crossed and on the run Machete braves the odds with the help of Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), a saucy taco slinger, Padre (Cheech Marin) his "holy" brother, and April (Lindsay Lohan) a socialite with a penchant for guns. All while being tracked by Sartana (Jessica Alba), a sexy ICE agent with a special interest in the blade slinger.

No Green Light For ANCHORMAN 2 says Mckay

According to a twitter post by Adam Mckay, the writer director of Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy, the film's much anticipated sequel will not be happening. He tweets,

"So bummed. Paramount basically passed on Anchorman 2. Even after we cut our budget down. We tried."

The stars of the original have went on to become very successful. However, with great success, comes a bigger pricetag. Fortunately the actors were willing to lower their paycheck to hopefully be part of the second installment. But apparently that wasn't enough for Paramount. They are most likely concerned that it won't preform well based on the not-entirely-awesome box office ratings that Anchorman had during its theatrical release.

Paramount is neglecting to realize however, the insanely large cult following the film has gathered. And with so many people who love the first film, a sequel is bound to be a box office success, as well as a well made and hilarious comedy, if kept in the right hands. But who knows, maybe Paramount has made the right choice in ditching this promising comedy for more important and audience-drawing films like...The Magic 8 Ball Movie(???).

What do you think?

-MV

Take a look at the MICRO REVIEWS for April.

Click Here to see our micro reviews for the movies that we just so happened to see this April. The reviews include "A Clockwork Orange," "Fight Club," "Mystic River," "Whip It," and more.

Michael V's In depth Review of KICK ASS

CAUTION: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

“I always wondered why nobody did it
before me. I mean, all those comic
books. Movies. TV shows... You’d
think that one eccentric loner
would have made himself a costume.

This thought is what drives Dave Lizewski to become that eccentric loner. He dons a green wet suit and hits the streets, looking to help out humanity and fight crime. However, he soon finds that he’s in over his head. Throughout the whole movie, even at it’s lightest points, there’s this lurking sense of dread and danger, as the back of your mind thinks, “What the f*ck is this kid thinking?!?!”. However, Dave is determined and ignores his common sense for a dream. This brings him into a world of violence, death, and deceit, that he didn’t expect, and that provides bushels of entertainment for the audience. Kick Ass is a powerfully refreshing story that manages to be both down to earth and over the top. It’s use of tweaked cliches serves as a great way to satire and pay homage to many other superhero/action movies. Perhaps the best way to sum it up would be to say it is infinitely entertaining and possibly the greatest example of deconstruction on screen... (read more-->>)

Michael V's In depth Review of TWILIGHT and NEW MOON

I recently was forced by my insistent sister and mother to watch the two Twilight films. About a year ago, I had read both of those books to see what all the hype was about. But I stopped after the second one, deciding I had better things to fill my mind with than a book series that so blatantly manipulates the masses of teen girls who read it. To me, Twilight is like Chef Boyardee. People really like it, but it is not, by any means, quality stuff. Nor is it good for you...