Pop Culture Buzz

(FROM WIKIPEDIA.COM)

“Quantum of Solace” is the 22nd James Bond film by EON Productions, due for release in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2008 and in North America on 7 November. This is the sequel to “Casino Royale” (2006) and it is directed by Marc Forster, and features Daniel Craig’s second performance as James Bond.

But Bond is also on a rampage and seeks revenge for the death of his one time love Vesper Lynd (from “Casino Royale”), and is assisted by Camille (Olga Kurylenko), who also wants to kill Greene. The title was chosen from an unrelated short story in Ian Fleming’s For Your Eyes Only (1960).

WATCH THE KICK ASS TRAILER BELOW:

(synopsis from Wikipedia.com)

“Burn After Reading” is an upcoming comedy film, set for a September 12, 2008 release, starring John Malkovich, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt, and made by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film is due to premiere on August 27, 2008 when it will open the 2008 Venice Film Festival.

According to the Coens the plot will focus on the world of the CIA, physical fitness in Washington, D.C., and internet dating. The film is the brothers’ first since the Academy Award winning No Country For Old Men and has been described by Tilda Swinton as “…a kind of monster caper movie. All of us are monsters - like, true monsters. It’s ridiculous. It’s much lighter than ‘No Country for Old Men.’”

WATCH THE “BURN AFTER READING” MOVIE TRAILER BELOW:

FROM WIKIPEDIA.COM

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is slated for release on August 15, 2008 in the United States. It will be the first “Star Wars” film to be released to theaters since 2005’s “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” and will be the first animated Star Wars feature film in theaters.

It will also be the first film in the series not to be released by 20th Century Fox (Warner Bros. will handle distribution on behalf of co-production partner Cartoon Network). It will also be the first Star Wars film not released in the month of May. The film is intended to precede the animated TV series of the same name to air on Cartoon Network.

In this Augusts’ animated “The Clone Wars”, even the human characters are Power Mac–generated creations of Industrial Light & Magic. So, the question is, will fake, unrealistic-looking, computer-generated characters look any less stupid reading lines of fake, unrealistic-sounding George Lucas dialogue?

The trailer below doesn’t give me much hope that this movie will be as entertaining as the first three classic “Star Wars” films. The last three “prequels” may have made tons of money but they only soiled the cool image of the originals with bad acting, terrible CGI characters like Jar-Jar Binks and too much soap opera dialog.

I wish Lucas would create a new universe of characters instead of resurrecting his two biggest movies (”Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars”) just for profit; I mean was anyone really begging for sequels to these franchises? The huge success of “Indian Jones & The Crystal Skull” only proves that America can be tricked into watching mediocre fluff based on sentimentality alone.

It’s a fact that action themed cartoons don’t make money at the box office. Just look at past flops like “The Road to El Dorado”, “Titan A.E.”, “Final Fantasy” as proof. So I won’t be surprised if this “cartoon” is a direct to DVD hit. Do you think George Lucas has finally gone too far? Watch the trailer for “The Clone Wars” below:

This movie should really piss off some people. I for one am excited to see Maher’s scathing views on religion brought to the big screen by the director of the genius film “Borat”. Even the poster art (an image of Maher’s face appears in toast and in a cloud) is hilarious and pointed!

I have very similar beliefs as Maher so this film will be a delight for me to watch in a theater, others may think that we are all going to hell just for mentioning atheism. No matter what you believe in this movie is sure to be a huge lightening rod during the elections later this year! Check out the controversy below:

“TWILIGHT” SYNOPSIS FROM WIKIPEDIA.COM

Seventeen-year-old Isabella Swan moves to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father, Charlie. There, she finds herself drawn to a mysterious classmate, Edward Cullen, who is revealed to be a 108-year-old vampire.

Although Edward discourages the romance, they soon fall in love. When the arrival of three nomadic vampires puts Bella’s life in danger, Edward and his family must band together to save her before she is killed.

The movie trailer below looks like the recent sci-fi action hit “Jumper” but with a teen vibe. Let’s hope the action is more of the focal point and not the romance. I’d hate to see a vampire version of “90210″ or “Dawson’s Creek”. Watch the sneak peak trailer below:

This movie is an adaptation based on the memoir of ”Philadelphia Inquirer” columnist John Grogan’s life with his yellow Labrador retriever, that stars Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. The story is a collection of anecdotes about Marley running wild in Grogan’s home and looks at the dog’s 13-year life.

The plot follows a family as they learn important life lessons from their adorable, but naughty and neurotic dog. This movie looks too white washed and corny for me, which is too bad because I like Aniston. I can’t stand Owen Wilson so I will most likely catch this on Netflix. Why the studio thinks people need a “teaser” for a run of the mill romantic comedy that comes out this winter, I have no clue!

JENNIFER ANISTON & OWEN WILSON (W/ “MARLEY”)

I saw the trailer for “Madagascar 2″ before the delightful “Kung Fu Panda” sneak peak last night and I am a huge fan of the first, so I loved this new footage of the sequel. I am a huge fan of cartoons and the first “Madagascar” was a fun, silly little romp that had some great voice work moments by Chris Rock and David Schwimmer. It looks like the follow up will be another smash for Dreamworks in 2008!

Check out the trailer for the sequel below!

THE PLOT:
A war of wills takes place between two men who want to run the same grocery store in “The Promotion”, a comedy from writer and director Steve Conrad. Doug (Seann William Scott) is a seemingly ordinary guy who works as the assistant manager of a supermarket near Chicago.

When the owners of the market announce they’re opening a new branch near Doug’s neighborhood, he applies to become manager of the new store, and both he and his wife (Jenna Fischer) assume he’s a shoo-in to get the job.

But Richard (John C. Reilly), a gregarious recent hire at the store who has relocated to Illinois from Canada, announces he’s also applying for the management position, and a keen rivalry develops between Doug and Richard even as they strive to act like friends on the surface.

As the competition grows between Doug and Richard, their personality flaws become increasingly evident — Doug’s short temper, Richard’s history of drug abuse — and when Richard’s wife (Lili Taylor) leaves him, the contest starts taking an uncomfortable turn.

“Australia” is an upcoming period epic film directed by Baz Luhrmann. Written by Luhrmann and screenwriter Stuart Beattie with Ronald Harwood also later credited, “Australia” stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

The story takes place during the bombing of Darwin in Australia during World War II. Production took place in Sydney, Darwin, Kununurra, and Bowen. The movie will be released on November 13, 2008 in Australia, and on November 14, 2008 in the United States.

NICOLE KIDMAN & HUGH JACKMAN

The movie takes place during World War II, where Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman - an English aristocrat) is left in control of a cattle station in Australia. She is assisted by an Australian drover (Hugh Jackman), with whom she becomes romantically interested. He helps to drive the cattle across the property as they are under the threat of nearby Darwin being bombed.

Luhrmann’s breathtaking visual style made “Moulin Rouge” a groundbreaking musical, can he do the same for the sweeping epic period piece? The scope and look of this trailer have me drooling already. I smell Oscar nominations! Watch the gorgeous trailer below:

TAKEN FROM WIKIPEDIA.COM

“City of Ember” is an upcoming film by Walden Media based on the 2003 novel “The City of Ember” by Jeanne Duprau. The novel was adapted by Caroline Thompson, and the film will be directed by Gil Kenan and stars Bill Murray, it will be released on October 10, 2008.

The story follows two kids, Lina and Doon. They live in the City of Ember, where the sky is always dark. As Ember’s power source begins to fail and the lamps start to flicker, they search for clues that will unlock ancient mysteries about the city and save the people of Ember.

The family fantasy film genre has become so oversaturated that even “Prince Caspian” didn’t match expectations. The same thing happened to last years much hyped flops “The Golden Compass” and “The Spiderwick Chronicles”. This movie better contain something we haven’t seen before or it may just become another bloated special effects turd.

BILL MURRAY STARS IN THIS WINTER’S FANTASY FILM TITLED “CITY OF EMBER”

WATCH THE “CITY OF EMBER” MOVIE TRAILER BELOW:

TAKEN FROM WIKIPEDIA

“Blindness” is an upcoming dramatic thriller film that is an adaptation of the 1995 novel “Blindness” by José Saramago about a society suffering an epidemic of blindness. The film is written by Don McKellar and directed by Fernando Meirelles with Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo as the stars.

The novel’s author originally refused to sell rights for a film adaptation, not wanting it to fall into the wrong hands. Meirelles was able to acquire rights with the condition that the film would be set in an unrecognizable city. The director chose São Paulo as the primary backdrop for Blindness, though scenes were also filmed in Toronto, Canada and Montevideo, Uruguay.

With all the characters aside from Julianne Moore’s character being blind, the cast was trained to simulate blindness. Meirelles also stylized the film to reflect the lack of point-of-view that the characters would experience. “Blindness” will premiere as the opening film at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2008, and the film is commercially scheduled for limited release in the United States on September 12, 2008.

JULIANNE MOORE STARS IN “BLINDNESS”

WATCH THE “BLIDNESS” MOVIE TRAILER BELOW:

FROM WIKIPEDIA.COM

“The X-Files: I Want to Believe” is the second feature film based on the TV series The X-Files, following the 1998 film. The sequel is directed by the television series creator, Chris Carter, and written by Carter and Frank Spotnitz. The film was first anticipated in November 2001 to follow the conclusion of the ninth season of the TV series, but it remained in development hell for six years before entering production in December 2007 in Vancouver.

The stars of the TV series, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, return to reprise their roles as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. The premise of the film is not yet publicly known, but many of those involved, including Carter, Duchovny and 20th Century Fox, have spoken of the film as one that would stand alone and be apart from the “mythology” of the television series. The film is currently scheduled to be released on July 25, 2008.

“Finding Amanda” is a comedy out this summer starring Brittany Snow and Matthew Broderick. The plot revolves around a television producer with a penchant for drinking and gambling, who is sent to Las Vegas to convince his troubled niece to enter rehab.

The trailer below doesn’t give much hope that this quirky little film will be able to fit in amongst the huge blockbusters that are being released this summer. In a sea of multi-million dollar special effects monsters this movie doesn’t have a chance. Thank god for Netflix.

“Hamlet 2″ is an upcoming comedy film written and directed by Andy Fleming and starring Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, Amy Poehler, and David Arquette. It was produced by the same team that made “Little Miss Sunshine.”

In this irreverent comedy, a failed actor-turned-worse-high-school-drama teacher (the hilarious Steve Coogan) tries to save his department from budget cuts by staging an incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Steve Coogan is one of the UK’s most hilarious comedians and actors. He has had little success here in the States, but after viewing this movie trailer I am convinced this film will be a mild hit. Besides being a major crowd favorite at this year’s Sundance Movie Festival, critics are already praising this drop dead comedy as a winner!

FROM WIKIPEDIA.COM

The Spirit (also known as Will Eisner’s The Spirit) is an upcoming 2009 American film adaptation based on the newspaper strip The Spirit created by Will Eisner. Frank Miller (”300″ and “Sin City”) wrote and directed the film, which stars Gabriel Macht as “The Spirit” and Samuel L. Jackson as his nemesis, The Octopus. The movie’s release is scheduled for January 16, 2009.

The film series will not begin with an origin story, but will instead open with the adventures of The Spirit already having begun.The film will be more contemporary than the ’40s and ’50s era of the strip and will aim for a “timeless feel.” Check out the trippy comic book style movie trailer below: