Rojo

Although most might have already seen this trailer in front of Hancock, it is just making its online debut today. The first trailer for The Day the Earth Stood Still remake has launched below and it actually looks surprisingly promising. I don't have as big of a problem as most do with Keanu Reeves, but it wasn't actually his scenes that made me think this could be pretty damn good. Be aware that this is not a direct remake, but more of a re-imagining, and with that in mind I get shivers watching some of these epic scenes unfold. Of course it reminds me of Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, but with a much different feel and with Keanu as the eerie alien Klaatu instead. I'm very curious to hear what people think of this remake now that we've got this trailer, since the reaction was initially negative. Is there hope?

Watch the first trailer for The Day the Earth Stood Still:

Trailer temporarily removed by 20th Century Fox. It will return again this afternoon bigger and better - stay tuned!

The Day the Earth Stood Still is directed by Scott Derrickson, of only The Exorcism of Emily Rose previously, with a script written by screenwriter David Scarpa, of only The Last Castle previously. There are a lot of fresh creative minds involved in this project who haven't yet had a lot of experience. The film is a remake of Robert Wise's 1951 sci-fi classic of the same name. Fox is releasing the re-imagined The Day the Earth Stood Still on December 12th later this year.

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The last time we mentioned Cirque du Freak was when I questioned whether Willem Dafoe had a creepy fascination with vampires. Dafoe had just been cast alongside of John C. Reilly, Salma Hayek, Patrick Fugit, Ken Watanabe, and Chris Kelly. The film is a rather twisted and fantastical tale about a 14-year-old boy who visits a traveling freak show and is drawn into the world of vampires, werewolves and bearded ladies, eventually giving up his own normal life to go on the road with the Cirque Du Freak. Apparently the story has a lot more to do with vampires, but I don't want to spoil any of it. Empire has revealed the first photo from the film featuring John C. Reilly as Larten Crepsley and newcomer Chris Kelly as Darren Shah.

It's unfortunately quite hard to see Reilly in this photo below. I wish we could get a closer look at his face, because he looks like an awesome vampire, but alas this is all we've got. Cirque du Freak sounds like one of the most unique and refreshing horror films in a while, which is why I'm so interested. Plus the cast is just phenomenal and I can't deny actors like John C. Reilly and Ken Watanabe.

Cirque du Freak is directed by ex-producer Paul Weitz of About a Boy, In Good Company, and American Dreamz previously. The script was written by Brian Helgeland of Paul Greengrass' upcoming Green Zone as well as L.A. Confidential, Conspiracy Theory, Mystic River, and Man on Fire previously. The film is based on a series of novels of the same name written by Darren Shan. Universal hasn't set an official release date for this yet, but we can expect to see it sometime by the end of 2008.

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I knew it! When I was discussing the success of Sex and the City with some friends, I mentioned that one of the only other franchises that could bring big female crowds to the theaters is Friends. But then I thought to myself, there's absolutely no way that it would happen! The show (thankfully) ended four years ago and they all went on their own separate ways, plus how the heck could they turn a 30-minute sitcom into a movie? Well, The Daily Mail claims that a big screen adaptation will happen "within the next 18 months." Frankly, I don't believe it, any word of it. It's just too, well, ridiculous, to be true. I know that Hollywood is looking for ways to recreate the financial success of Sex and the City, but I just don't think this Friends movie is going to happen. Keep dreamin'!

An "inside source" claims that the entire cast is now "keen" on returning to reprise their roles "under the right circumstances." They say that the success of Sex and the City "got their wheels spinning about how a Friends film could be just as big, if done right." These lines are so outrageous, that it truly is hard to believe any word of it. Check out this little bit about Jennifer Aniston. "As the biggest star of the Friends franchise, Jennifer can't help but look at what's happened with Sarah Jessica Parker and the Sex And The City film and be a little jealous. What's held back a Friends movie so far is that people were worried that Jennifer had simply become too famous to play Rachel again. But the truth is that Jennifer is finally willing to do it, and she'd love to work with that whole team of actors and producers again." Is this for real?

If you can't already tell, I'm not a fan of Friends at all. I despise the show and would be very upset to see it come to theaters. It may make some money and cause droves of girls to flock to the theaters yet again, but that doesn't mean it's any good. I actually have a minor amount of appreciation for Sex and the City, but not for Friends. As of now, The Daily Mail claims that Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer will all be back soon enough. If we don't get confirmation soon, I'm going to say this was one big load of crap. It just sounds too far-fetched to come together with a worthy script. Who does want to see a Friends movie?

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Yet another genuine Judd Apatow success! Not only did the trailer for Pineapple Express already boost M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" song into the spotlight, but now we've got another tune that was made just for the movie that's sure to top the charts soon enough. The legendary Huey Lewis was actually asked to record the theme song for Pineapple Express and obliged (no shit?). Now a month or so before the movie hits theaters, the soundtrack has made its way online (via MySpace) where you can already hear the sweet sounds of Huey Lewis and the News' official theme song titled just "Pineapple Express." As wonderfully joyous as this amazing creation is, it still doesn't beat out both "Back in Time" and "Power of Love" from Back to the Future. Either way, you definitely need to listen to this!

So for some clarification, director David Gordon Green previously explained the story of Huey Lewis to MovieWeb. "Our only input was, we told him we wanted it to sound like his 80s work that we loved so much. And we wanted to have the plot in it. And we wanted to have him say the title as many times as he could. There is a lot of alto sax." Brilliant. All you need to do to listen is head over to the MySpace page and fire it up. After enjoying "Pineapple Express," you can sample the rest of the songs on the soundtrack as well. However, I'm trying to experience them all first in the context of the movie before listening to them individually. "How did we get into this mess? Pineapple Express!"

Pineapple Express isn't even in theaters until August 8th, more than a month away, but I've already been saying that it's going to be this year's Superbad. It's going to reignite the stoner movie genre and show us all how much fun smoking some weed can truly be (disclaimer: we do not support smoking anything of any kind, unless you're going to see Pineapple Express). Besides Tropic Thunder, this is the one comedy that I'm looking forward to more than anything else this year. I haven't had some quality laughs in a long time and I'm expecting this to finally deliver them. Plus, with Huey Lewis singing the theme song, I don't know how they could go wrong! Did Huey charm his way onto your playlist today?

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Not only does the latest issue of Empire featuring an awesome photo of Harry Potter all bloodied up, but USA Today has also published an article on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Remarkably, the sixth film is already due out in theaters in only five more months - just over a year since we all saw Order of the Phoenix last summer. Harry, who is now 16 years old in the film, starts to develop that teenage sense of attraction, and that never mixes well with magic. If you're a Harry Potter fan, and have read Deathly Hallows multiple times over, you might want to take a look at this new photo and read on for a brief teaser.

One of the biggest revelations that the producers had this time around was that now that the last book is out, they've got to work hard to make these films stand out. Producer David Baron says, "We had to make this film a worthy successor to the last — and a successful stand-alone film in its own right." This time the focus is on the evolution of Draco Malfoy "into a malevolent force" as well as Harry's feelings for Ginny Weasley. We'll also be introduced to Jim Broadbent as potions teacher Professor Slughorn and get to see Harry develop some interesting concoctions after he discovers a book marked with "The Property of the Half-Blood Prince." But of course, you already knew that. Excited yet? I know I definitely am!

Update! We've added these three new photos below from USA Today as well. You can click each one of them to see a few more photos from the film.

Director David Yates (of Order of the Phoenix) also chimes in with some details about the romance. "They're about to kiss, then the bloody Death Eaters turn up and cause all sorts of anarchy." How about this teaser instead? Yates explains that he chose to let the actors improvise scenes, including "one between Harry and Ginny that is fraught with romantic tension." As for Ron Weasley, he's not left out either. Ron eats some charmed chocolates and is "overcome with romantic fervor." And in turn, "he's in a daze and madly in love, which is kind of alarming to any warm body who comes into close proximity." Yates adds, of the abundant romance at Hogwarts, that "there's a kind of maturity that is quite adventurous."

Over the years I've personally become a huge Harry Potter fan, eventually picking up the suitcase box set last year. I love the series and am always excited for the next installment, even if it doesn't turn out to be amazing, like Order of the Phoenix. I'm already looking forward to Half-Blood Prince even though we still have quite a while left. The whole Harry Potter series is truly an iconic franchise in film history and I always smile when I think about all of it coming together in one big conclusion in 2011. For now we'll focus on Half-Blood Prince, due out on November 21st. Take a look at the new cover photo from Empire below and let us know if you're excited for Half-Blood Prince as much as us!

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Another new full trailer for Fernando Meirelles' Blindness has finally debuted online. The trailer has been playing in front of Wanted this weekend and is a vast improvement over the first teaser trailer. I've been waiting for Meirelles to show me something even somewhat reminiscent of City of God (one of my all-time personal favorites), in terms of brilliance not necessarily subject matter, but I haven't seen it yet. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that Blindness is it. This latest full trailer finally shows me that this might have the potential to be that good. I love the music, even though we're all familiar with it, but it adds such an uneasy tone to the ending and allows us to somewhat feel the fear that all of these blind people have. If you haven't seen it yet, make sure you watch this trailer for Blindness today.

Watch the full trailer for Fernando Meirelles' Blindness:

A doctor's wife becomes the only person with the ability to see in a town where everyone is struck with a mysterious case of sudden blindness. She feigns illness in order to take care of her husband as her surrounding community breaks down into chaos and disorder. I'm guessing there is a lot more to the story then what's written in that brief synopsis. However, I prefer to go into this completely blind and with as little knowledge as possible - I think there will be much more to take away from it going in that way.

Blindness is directed by legendary Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles of City of God and The Constant Gardener previously. The film is based on a novel by Nobel Prize winning author Jose Saramago with a script written by actor-writer Don McKellar, of Highway 61, Last Night, and The Red Violin. Blindness is currently set to open in theaters on September 19th. The latest poster is featured below.

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With the battle for superhero supremacy at the box office this summer, there's obviously going to be a film that brings up the rear. Midway through the season, we securely have that last place decided, and it is Will Smith's Hancock. Despite Smith's superhuman credentials, Hancock struggles to rise above messy special effects, an ill-suited director and a supremely bumpy storyline. While indeed there are funny moments, the film stumbles around in confusing fashion, much like it's liquor-loving lead character. Drunks can be funny at times, too, but they're more often sloppy and loud, much like the film.

Will Smith stars as the degenerate, conspicuous superhero who cares little for people or property, reluctantly getting involved in emergencies only when it suits him. Often, his rescues cause more damage than they prevent. In one of those instances, Hancock destroys an entire train and the surrounding area in order to save Ray (Jason Bateman). Thankful, Ray offers to lend his PR craftiness to the widely criticized superhero, promising to turn his image around. Charlize Theron plays Ray's wife, who, along with their son, Aaron, help to break down Hancock's bum-like, hardened exterior. The superhero learns such things as how to softly land without destroying roads and complementing others' work - Hancock's real superhuman feat is telling another "good job."

Ray Embrey attempts to help fix Hancock's public image in Hancock.

These earlier scenes are where Hancock is most enjoyable due in no small part to Smith's forthright swearing. When Hancock threatens to put his "foot up the ass" of a leering, elderly woman, you can't help from busting out in laughter. Same goes for a bystander that accuses him of smelling of liquor. His reply: "That's because I've been drinking bitch!" How Hancock has a PG-13 rating is a bit of a surprise, considering the various F-bombs Smith drops.

Equally surprising is the director's effort. Peter Berg's intimate, coarse directorial work on The Kingdom was fitting and well-executed for the action and subject matter. Berg brings a large amount of that flavor to Hancock, pairing style and substance like socks and sandals - the combination just doesn't work. Hancock begs for blockbuster polish and bow-ties, smoothly shot scenes of suspense that wrap up nicely, which take the audience for a pure popcorn ride. Instead, Berg resorts to tight shots, hand-held cams and disorientating special effects. Berg's sensibility for gritty realism and an air seriousness and drama - Theron and Smith do know how to emote - just doesn't work for an off-beat superhero that drinks and swears. Hancock should be fun and flashy, not studied and emotional.

Hancock fights in a considerable number of special-effects laden scenes in Hancock.

Where the film equally falls down is in the plot. While Hancock starts off as a tale of a lonely, bitter superhero trying to love himself and others, it abruptly morphs into a story about Hancock's purpose and origins. Either plot line by itself would be fine, but the joining of the two is done with shoddy effort. At just over an hour-and-a-half, the team could have spent more time sanding down the stories' seam, but that wouldn't have helped explain the bizarre bad-guys after Hancock. Led by a less-than-imposing Eddie Marsan (Mission: Impossible III, Miami Vice), the troupe of villains is never developed and feels totally contrived. Hancock has another more meaningful force to battle, but we'll leave that detail in the film.

Despite Hancock sitting solidly in last place on the chart of superhero movies out this summer, the film will still do well. Smith has an installed base that will venture out to see Hancock, however sub-par it might be. Fans of Smith will enjoy the special effects and comedic quips, while genre followers will be sadly disappointed. For those who now feel let down, be like Hancock and go have a drink instead.

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I'm admittedly a big fan of Matt Damon - he always does a fantastic job in every movie. We already showed you a few photos previously of Damon in Paul Greengrass' thriller Green Zone, but they weren't too exciting. Now courtesy of Empire, we've got the first official photo and Damon looks different enough to warrant a mention. As a reminder, the film, being directed by The Bourne Ultimatum's Paul Greengrass, is a thriller about a pair of CIA agents on the trailer of certain Weapons of Mass Destruction and a foreign correspondent following their mission. Although most people are getting tired of Middle East and Iraq War films, I think Green Zone will be a refreshingly entertaining journey into that part of the world.

Greg Kinnear stars as the other CIA agent and is accompanied by Amy Ryan. Additionally, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs, and Yigal Naor also star. Check out the latest issue of Empire for more details on Green Zone.

For those unaware, the Green Zone is the nickname of a 4 square mile area in central Baghdad that is the international presence in the city. The contrasting Red Zone refers to parts of Baghdad immediately outside the perimeter, but is also loosely applied to all unsecured areas outside the off-site military posts. Damon explains why he thinks Green Zone will be different than the other politically fueled Middle Eastern set films. "[We're] not trying to make a statement… Particularly with a movie that costs $80 or $90 million. Hopefully this will feel like an accurate portrayal of what things were like for these guys. You can't do a polemic – you should be blogging if that's what you want to do."

Green Zone is directed by Paul Greengass of Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum as well as Bloody Sunday and United 93. The script was written by Brian Helgeland, of L.A. Confidential, Conspiracy Theory, Mystic River, and Man on Fire previously. The film is rather loosely based on Rajiv Chandrasekaran's non-fiction book The Imperial Life in Emerald City. Universal Pictures is releasing Green Zone sometime in 2009, but hasn't set an official release date yet.

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The Mutant Chronicles is a new independent sci-fi thriller starring Ron Perlman, Thomas Jane, John Malkovich, and Devon Aoki. It doesn't even have a distributor yet, but Thomas Jane is such a big supporter of the film and has wanted to get it out there, that he has put out an awesome teaser trailer for the film on his website. If you're a fan of science fiction or dark, explosive, moody thrillers, than you'll want to catch this. In a distant sense it reminds me of Dune, but I really just love its originality and independence more than anything. I've definitely gained some interest in this after watching the teaser trailer. The film will have a special screening at the San Diego Comic-Con this July, so if you're out there, be sure to check it out. Otherwise, watch the new teaser trailer and be sure to let us k