Natalie Portman Cast in Thor Movie

Harvard-educated and Academy Award-nominated geek goddess Natalie Portman (Star Wars, V for Vendetta) is about to take on another nerd-friendly property by starring opposite Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek) in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Thor adaptation, which hits theaters in 2011. Kenneth Branagh (Henry V, Hamlet) will direct.

Portman will play Jane Foster, the titular Norse deity’s first love. A nurse employed by Thor’s alter ego, Dr. Donald Blake, Jane made her debut in 1962 in the pages of Journey Into Mystery.

The film also stars relative unknown Tom Hiddleston as the villainous Loki, Thor’s adoptive brother and arch nemesis.

It’s great that Marvel continues to attract top-tier talent to these projects, and I can’t wait to see what Branagh does with this lesser-known Marvel icon. It’s also exciting to watch this united cinematic Marvel Universe unfold in future films. Iron Man 2 arrives in theaters next May, The First Avenger: Captain America hits June, 2011, and The Avengers—which will bring together all of the heroes under the Marvel Studios banner—will be released in May, 2012.

For more info, head over to Marvel.com.

Watch Ms. Portman spit rhymes in the clip below (via Hulu/YouTube).

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Scores More Than $200 Million in Five Days

Hate it or love it, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen raked in $108 million domestically over the weekend, earning $200.1 million since its June 24 opening, The Associated Press reports. The Michael Bay sequel had the second-best five-day gross of all time, trailing behind 2008’s The Dark Knight by just $3.7 million.

Despite being panned by critics, word-of-mouth on Revenge of the Fallen has been surprisingly positive. It seems as though most filmgoers are willing to overlook the film’s pacing, storytelling and continuity flaws in order to lose themselves the spectacle of it all. I wish I could join them.

It’s not that I hate this film. I still thoroughly enjoy the original Transformers and I think the action scenes in this installment are some of the best we’ve seen in quite some time. But it’s a fairly entertaining 90-minute film that’s stretched out to a mind-numbing two-and-a-half hours. And far too much of that time is dominated by pointless and often irritating filler material.

Read my full review at Broken Frontier.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Has Record-Breaking Opening

Despite being pummeled by critics, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opened strong on Wednesday, June 24, earning $60.6 million in ticket sales, The New York Times reports. The sequel, directed by Michael Bay, has set a new record for a Wednesday opening, besting 2007’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which earned $44.2 million on its opening day.

Most critics are calling Revenge of the Fallen loud, cluttered and downright stupid. In his review, Roger Ebert describes it as “a horrible experience of unbearable length, briefly punctuated by three or four amusing moments.” He adds, “If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination.” Ouch.

However, Paramount Pictures said audience opinion has been overwhelmingly positive, with exit interviews on opening day showing that 91 percent of ticket buyers thought the film was better than or as good as the original Transformers.

Watchmen Director’s Cut to Screen in Select Theaters

Did you love Zack Snyder’s Watchmen? If so, you’ll be pleased to learn that a director’s cut of the film will be hitting select theaters in Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis and Dallas the weekend prior to its July 21 DVD and Blu-ray shelf date, according to the The Hollywood Reporter. The cut includes 25 minutes of unseen footage.

The weeklong theatrical Watchmen event will culminate in San Diego on July 25 with a special screening at Comic-Con International. Snyder will attend to talk about the film and answer questions from fans who may or may not be dressed as Rorschach. If you’re going as Dr. Manhattan, I think everyone—Mr. Snyder included—would appreciate it if you wore pants. In that case, accuracy be damned!

The screening will be a BD-Live session, meaning that Blu-ray owners can watch the movie at the same time as the Comic-Con crowds, listen to Snyder’s commentary and even submit questions. The screening will be archived, so fans can revisit it anytime they want.

“Comic-Con, it isn’t just comic book fanatics, it's cinephiles as well,” said Snyder at a June 24 Warner Bros. press event. “It'll be cool to discuss what people are thinking.”

The Hollywood Reporter notes that a theatrical re-release of this film is unusual, as the big-budget comic book adaptation is generally considered a financial disappointment. Watchmen earned just $107.5 million domestically.

However, Snyder has no regrets. “I’m proud of this movie,” he said. “It does everything I wanted it to.”

Is Michael Bay Done With Transformers? Nope.

It was reported last week that pyrotechnic auteur Michael Bay would be leaving the Transformers series after the second film in favor of smaller, more personal projects. Wait, what?

“After the three-and-a-half years I've spent making these movies, I feel like I've had enough of the Transformers world,” Bay was quoted as saying. “I need to do something totally divergent, something without any explosions.”

Many news sources took this to mean that Bay is growing tired of blockbusters, but the director confirmed that the press is exaggerating. Without explosions and visual effects, wouldn’t his movies consist almost entirely of military fetishization, glistening half-naked women and product placement? Not that I’m complaining about glistening women, but this story doesn’t add up.

As reported by FilmDrunk, Bay revealed on his official message board that what he meant was that he needs time off from the undeniably demanding Transformers franchise to pursue other interests, not that he was abandoning action films entirely. He wrote, “Love press how they spin. Never said it—just wanted a vacation is more to the point.”

Phew. I was worried there for a second.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits U.S. theaters June 24.

Rupert Murdoch, Scientology Linked to Wolverine Leak

It’s old news that X-Men Origins: Wolverine leaked online on March 31—more than a month before the film’s theatrical release. But did you know that 20th Century Fox head Rupert Murdoch may have been indirectly responsible?

Let’s recap. After the film leaked onto the Internet, FoxNews.com showbiz columnist Roger Friedman reviewed the unfinished workprint. While Friedman’s review of the Fox-produced film was overwhelmingly positive, News Corp. accused him of promoting piracy and promptly fired him. He now writes for The Hollywood Reporter, and is filing a wrongful termination lawsuit against his former employer.

Friedman’s attorney, Martin Garbus, told the New York Daily News’ Rush & Molloy column that the pirated copy seen untold times through illegal online downloads can be traced back to Murdoch, who asked the studio to make him a DVD copy of the movie.

“Apparently, somebody made another copy for themselves,” Garbus said.

Friedman also claims that he was canned due to his frequent criticism of Scientology in his columns, citing a campaign spurred by Scientologist Kelly Preston—wife of John Travolta—to have him fired. While in Memphis attending the funeral of Isaac Hayes, a Scientologist, Preston allegedly saw Friedman at the Peabody Hotel and called him a “religious bigot.”

Friedman was later told to go easy on Fox’s Valkyrie, which starred noted Scientologist Tom Cruise. In addition, Friedman says his editors prohibited him from writing about the January death of Preston’s son, Jett. The Wolverine incident, Friedman charges, was the justification the company needed to finally give him the axe.

“I’ve seen how Scientology intimidates even the most powerful media,” said Garbus. “That seems to be what happened here.”

It’s baffling that this overblown fiasco is swirling around such a mediocre film.

Fox Wants Ridley Scott for Alien Prequel

Awesomely, it seems as though 20th Century Fox is not going to be moving forward with a prequel to its 1979 sci-fi classic Alien without the original director, Ridley Scott, at the helm. Entertainment Weekly has the full story.

While it was previously reported that relatively unknown director Carl Rinsch was in line to reboot the franchise, Fox sources told EW that this is simply not the case. However, Scott himself has yet to comment.

I don’t necessarily think that a prequel to Alien is necessary. I’m aware that, from a business perspective, brand recognition is extremely important in idea-starved Hollywood. However, do we really need an expository film to shatter the mystery that made the original film so fascinating in the first place? Just introduce new characters in the same film universe, write a good script and pretend that those terrible Alien vs. Predator movies never happened. By starting fresh with a completely new sequel story, the film won’t be as tethered to decades-old continuity and will have far more room to grow.

Regardless, it’s cool that Fox isn’t rushing things, and it would be even cooler if Scott finally returned to science fiction.

A Glimpse at Mickey Rourke in Iron Man 2

On June 9, Paramount Pictures released an early look at Mickey Rourke (Sin City, The Wrestler) as Iron Man 2 baddie Whiplash, who will face off against billionaire industrialist Tony Stark in Jon Favreau’s hotly anticipated superhero sequel. The publicity photo—now making its rounds on the Web—was originally published by USA Today.

In the accompanying article, Favreau explains that Whiplash, aka Ivan Vanko, is a Russian weapons designer who works for Stark’s competitor Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell). He has created his own version of the Iron Man suit, complete with a pair of whips powered by a glowing chest piece similar to Stark’s.

"The technologies are definitely related," says Favreau. "That’s part of the core theme of the film."

Favreau explains that, in some ways, his ultimate vision for the character—an apparent amalgam of the Marvel Comics’ version of Whiplash and Iron Man villain Crimson Dynamo—was largely influenced by Rourke’s casting.

“It was very important that the villain be as compelling as can be. … Once I thought of Mickey in that role, it made me understand how to shape the story.”

Iron Man 2 hits theaters May 7, 2010.

Michael Bay: “Haters Beware”

In a June 7 post on his website, Shoot for the Edit, Transformers director Michael Bay boasts that the upcoming sequel, Revenge of the Fallen, will feature 42 robot characters in all, with a level of animation detail far surpassing that of the 2007 original.

“…you can really feel empathy for them,” Bay writes of the computerized Autobots and Decepticons populating his latest blockbuster. “What is also very different is the sheer scale of the movie. We have been very tight holding back much of the best imagery in commercials and trailers.”

That’s great, as a major problem with most summer films these days is that they put their best moments front and center in the promotional materials.

Bay adds that the best way to watch Revenge of the Fallen when it hits theaters on June 24 is on an IMAX screen.

“For IMAX, I created a slightly longer cut with more robot fighting,” Bay says. “Four scenes were shot on IMAX cameras so the screen will fill the full IMAX screen for these scenes.”

He ends the post with a parting shot at his detractors: “Haters beware.” Undoubtedly, the filmmaker’s latest ode to product placement and explosions won’t be for everyone. However, if you love giant robots that fight each other while occasionally turning into cars and trucks, Revenge of the Fallen should be an awesome time at the movies.

I’ll see ya there.

Random Bloggery for June 7

I would write a full review of The Hangover—which opened June 5—but to spare you all from a long-winded examination of Zach Galifianakis’ comedy stylings, I’ll just say that it’s hilarious and that you’d all be doing yourselves a favor in checking it out before all of the catch-phrases are ruined for you by drunk people at parties this summer.

On the gaming front, I recently picked up the Punch Out!! remake for the Nintendo Wii. Having already played the original 8-bit version repeatedly on the Wii’s Virtual Console, I was skeptical as to whether a graphical update and the addition of motion controls warranted the $50 price tag. Fortunately, it's worth the money if you're a fan of the original game.

The motion controls are pretty neat, but the game really does play best if you turn the Wii Remote on its side and use the classic Nintendo control style. Punch Out!! requires very precise timing and, unfortunately, the motion controls just aren’t as accurate as they need to be against the game’s harder opponents. However, no matter what control scheme you prefer, the unique multiplayer is a hell of a lot of fun.

Speaking of Nintendo, they made some interesting announcements at last week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, including New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Not groundbreaking stuff by any means, but they look to be promising titles, even if they're both retreads.

Watch the trailer for Super Mario Galaxy 2 (via G4TV) below.

Video Games - E3 2009 - Video Game Trailers

Will Bryan Singer Return to X-Men?

Finally, some good prequel news. Director Bryan Singer—who helmed the first two X-Men films—told Total Film (as reported by the Coventry Telegraph) that he’s interested in returning to the series with X-Men Origins: Magneto. Singer left the franchise to direct 2006’s Superman Returns, leaving X-Men: The Last Stand in the hands of Brett Ratner. As we all know, that third installment in the series received mixed reviews from fans and critics, as did Gavin Hood’s mediocre X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which opened this year.

When asked if he would return for another X-Men film, Singer said in the interview that he “would love to return to that universe.” He later added, “The only thing that concerns me about Magneto is that if the prequel were to follow the track I used in X-Men, which is Magneto's history in the concentration camp, then I've lived in that world.”

"Apt Pupil, X-Men and now Valkyrie...I've lived in that Nazi universe for quite a while. I just might need to take a little break before I do something like that."

In other words, a Singer-directed Magneto film might happen, but not just yet. The Coventry Telegraph notes that the Magneto project has yet to move forward officially.

While some may disagree, I rank Singer’s X-Men films among the best comic book film adaptations, and I would love to see him tackle Magneto’s backstory. Singer already gave us a glimpse of a young Magneto (then Erik Lehnsherr) as he was torn away from his parents in a Nazi concentration camp at the beginning of the first film. Why not let him expand on that?

Or, we could always go the Wolverine route and throw in Dazzler as the USO girl who rescues Magneto—played by Zac Efron—from the gas chamber through the power of dance. You could even cast Lady Gaga and include her sure-to-be hit single “Magnetic” on the soundtrack.

Damn, I just gave Fox an idea, didn’t I?

Bottoms Up at the MTV Movie Awards

Like a lot of people old enough to know better, I tuned in to the 2009 MTV Movie Awards and, since I’m not a Twilight fan or a teenage girl, I wasn’t all that impressed with the broadcast. Aside from some funny moments from host Andy Samberg—including a song tribute to action movie characters who nonchalantly walk away from explosions—and some brand-new footage from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, the whole affair was pretty bland. But, then again, at 25, I’m far removed from MTV’s target tween demographic.

Of course, everyone is talking about Sacha Baron Cohen (as gay, Austrian fashion journalist Brüno) aerially tea-bagging Eminem. Dressed as an angel, Cohen descended from the rafters until a “wire malfunction” placed him upside-down in front of the rapper with his ass cheeks exposed just inches from his face. As one might expect, Em was hardly amused, exclaiming “are you fucking serious” before making a hasty—and angry—retreat. It made for some interesting television, to say the least.

In the end, it’s very likely that the headline-grabbing incident was completely staged despite Eminem’s apparent outrage. After all, Eminem’s got a chart-topping album, Relapse, in stores now while Cohen’s Brüno hits theaters July 10. Everyone benefits from the barrage of free publicity.

Watch a clip of the cheeky stunt below.

MTV Shows

Alien Prequel Film Confirmed

Please make it stop. Apparently, 20th Century Fox is planning on a reboot to its Alien franchise, which would take place prior to Ridley Scott’s 1979 original.

In an interview with Collider.com’s Steve “Frosty” Weintraub, Ridley’s brother Tony Scott (The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3), revealed that relatively unknown director Carl Rinsch is in line to helm the project.

Another Alien movie makes sense from a financial standpoint, I suppose. Scott’s film and James Cameron’s 1986 follow-up, Aliens, are two of the most revered science fiction films of all time. Since then, however, sequels have ranged from mediocre (Alien: Resurrection) to downright terrible (both Alien vs. Predator movies). Fox hasn’t known how to properly handle this property for over two decades, so why would anyone be the slightest bit excited about a prequel, of all things?

Furthermore, one of the things that made the original Alien so cool was that we knew absolutely nothing about this terrifying creature. A prequel film would shatter that mystique. And, knowing Fox, it’ll be rated PG-13 to cement lucrative tie-ins with 7-Eleven and Taco Bell. I bet you can’t wait to taste the Facehugger Fiesta Bowl.

Random Bloggery for May 31

Wow, I can’t believe it’s almost June. Sooner than we’d all like to admit, we’ll be talking about the great “Summer of 2009” in the past tense. I’m not too sure I’m prepared for that.

This weekend, Pixar’s Up and Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell hit theaters, and should prove to be a nice change of pace for everyone who’s already getting tired of big-budget franchise blockbusters. If you’ve seen either of those movies, I’d love for you to share your thoughts.

I’m also excited about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which hits U.S. theaters on June 24. While fairly mindless, Michael Bay’s original Transformers ably tapped into what it means to wow summer audiences in a satisfying fashion. Sure, it’s loud and heavily dependent on special effects, but it’s hard to feel cheated after watching Transformers. McG should take notes if he winds up helming additional Terminator flicks. A lot of folks might despite him, but Bay certainly has style.

On August 7, another Hasbro property makes its big-screen debut with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. After Transformers turned out surprisingly well in 2007, I was oddly confident that Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing) might have a hit on his hands. This likely won’t be the case. This movie looks friggin’ awful. If you need proof, watch the clip below.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

The Trouble with Terminators

Remember how I said in my last post that I’d deem Terminator Salvation a success if it delivered “robots and explosions” and “a minimum of facepalm moments”? Well, the movie had plenty of robots (check) and a ton of explosions (double check). As for facepalming stupidity, well, they went overboard (check times three).

Don’t get me wrong, there are those of you out there who might enjoy Terminator Salvation and I won’t hold it against you if you think I’m being harsh toward this mindless summer popcorn flick. But summer movies don’t have to be this mindless—particularly when they’re cashing in on a beloved property like Terminator. To add insult to injury, the phenomenal television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was canceled just days before this overwhelmingly average sequel opened.

However, scorned fans can take comfort in the fact that Terminator Salvation opened in second place at the domestic box office over the Memorial Day weekend with $51.9 million, trailing behind Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. The Associated Press reports that the Ben Stiller comedy toppled the machines, earning over $70 million.

If you’re still unsure as to whether or not Terminator Salvation is worth your cash, check out my review at Broken Frontier. If you’re clamoring for a night at the movies, you’re better off seeing Star Trek again.

Fanboys: A Wort Report Review

While it may not be the most joyous anniversary for some hardcore Star Wars fans, The Phantom Menace hit theaters 10 years ago today on May 19, 1999. To commemorate the infamous occasion, the Star Wars-centric comedy Fanboys hits DVD after a brief stint in select cities earlier this year.

Directed by Kyle Newman and starring Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel and Kristen Bell, Fanboys is billed as a love letter to the film saga and its fans and in many ways it succeeds at that. At its best, this film is a decent road comedy peppered with Star Wars references that taps into the communal power of fandom. However, non-fanboys need not apply. These aren't the laughs you're looking for.

Set in 1998, Fanboys follows a group of Star Wars geeks on a cross-country journey to Star Wars creator George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch to catch an early glimpse at a work print of the highly anticipated (and later widely reviled) prequel film. One of the characters, Linus (Marquette), is dying of cancer, adding an element of urgency to the whole affair. In all likelihood, he won’t live to see the film premiere.

Fanboys’ cancer subplot was a major point of contention prior to the film’s release, with studio execs fearing that it would cast a shadow over an otherwise fairly lighthearted goofball comedy. Fortunately, the subplot is handled delicately—as cancer is never funny—but it seems unnecessary and cheap. When the fanboys tangle with a group of frothing Trekkies, we should be chuckling. Instead, we’re reminded that one of the characters has just months to live. It just doesn't feel right for this kind of comedy, and makes the entire film tonally uneven.

For Star Wars fans—Fanboys’ one and only audience—there’s a lot of fun to be had. Unfortunately, whenever this film isn’t mining Lucas’ franchise for laughs it’s just a paint-by-numbers, occasionally raunchy comedy. The premise is great, but Newman never delivers on it fully.

That said, the cast does a great job with the material they’re working with and makes the film watchable if not entirely memorable. Fogler (Balls of Fury) is entertaining as the sex-crazed Hutch, while Baruchel (Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder) brings an awkward charm to the bespectacled Windows. Huntington (Detroit Rock City, Superman Returns) and Marquette (Just Friends) give some dramatic weight to the story as two estranged childhood friends, and the adorable Bell (Heroes, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) plays every geek’s dream girl as Zoe. She also shows up at the end of the film in Princess Leia’s metal bikini from Return of the Jedi. Take note, ladies: That’s the way to a fanboy’s heart.

Fanboys isn’t a bad film, but it’s not all that inspired. Rent it, get your geeky friends together, grab some brews and enjoy it for the Star Wars nods, the barrage of cameos and an amusingly accurate depiction of what it was like to be a Star Wars fan in 1998. Just set your expectations low—advice that would have probably been far more useful in the months before Jar Jar Binks reared his orange, floppy-eared head in that spring of 1999.

But then again, I saw The Phantom Menace nine times in theaters that summer, so I'm really not one to rant about how disappointing it was. All I can say is that fanboys work in mysterious, befuddling and sometimes embarrassing ways.

Phasers & Demons

Ron Howard’s Da Vinci Code sequel Angels & Demons topped the U.S. box office this weekend, earning $48 million in its first three days of release, the Los Angeles Times reports. However, J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek came in at a close second with $43 million, bringing the franchise reboot's domestic total to $147.6 million since its May 7 release.

Star Trek earned $75.2 million in its opening weekend, excluding Thursday night showings, with attendance dropping only 43 percent in its second week of release.

According to Don Harris, Paramount’s executive vice president of distribution, word of mouth for Star Trek has been incredibly strong. While most audience members were men over the age of 25 in its first week, the film has attracted a broader assortment of moviegoers since then.

“We did surveys in the same theaters as last weekend and found that we're getting more parents, we're getting younger and we're getting more women,” said Harris.

Women flocking to Star Trek? Now that’s science fiction.

Spielberg Debunks E.T. Sequel Rumors

The National Enquirer recently reported that director Steven Spielberg and actress Drew Barrymore were secretly discussing a sequel to E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial. Thankfully, this just isn’t true. Your childhood memories are safe—for now at least.

As pointed out by Slash Film, the director guest edited the 20th anniversary issue of Empire magazine—now on sale—and said he has absolutely no interest in a sequel to the 1982 film. He writes in the letters to the editor section, “I’m never going to make E.T. II—E.T. is a closed story. It had a beginning, middle, and a definite ending, and we had nowhere to take it except to go home with him. Nor did I want to bring him back to Earth for a second time.” That's sound reasoning if I ever heard it.

Slash Film notes, however, that Spielberg was at one point interested in an E.T. follow-up called E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears, which would involve E.T. rescuing Elliott and his friends from evil aliens. Spielberg decided against this idea, saying it “would do nothing but rob the original of its virginity.”

So yeah, the National Enquirer was wrong. Shocker, right?

When IMAX Isn’t IMAX

Apparently, not all IMAX screens are created equal. On May 12, comedian Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation, I Love You, Man) wrote on his blog that after paying an extra $5 to see Star Trek: The IMAX Experience at an AMC Theatre in Burbank, California, the screen in question wasn’t an IMAX screen at all. While slightly larger than a regular movie screen, it was nowhere near the 72-foot IMAX standard. A rip-off? You bet.

As it turns out, screens at national theater chains such as Regal and AMC are bearing the IMAX name and charging a higher IMAX price for a decidedly non-IMAX experience. Sounds like false advertising to me.

Click here to read Ansari’s vitriolic blog post about this "FAKE IMAX" deception.

Star Trek: D-A-C Hits Xbox Live Arcade

Okay, so you’ve seen the new Star Trek flick. What now? You could brush up on your Shakespeare with The Klingon Hamlet or, if made-up alien languages aren’t your thing, you can download Star Trek: D-A-C on Xbox Live Arcade.

Inspired by the new J.J. Abrams film, Star Trek: D-A-C is a top-down space shooter that allows Xbox 360 gamers to wage war as either the Romulan Empire or the Federation in a variety of online competitive or co-op multiplayer game modes. Team combat supports up to 12 players at a time.

Players can choose between three ship types from each faction, including flagships, bombers and fighters. Federation players will be able to take the helm of the all-new U.S.S. Enterprise featured in the film.

Star Trek: D-A-C will run you 800 Microsoft Points ($10), which seems like a pretty good price for this type of shooter. But what do I know? Damn it, I’m a blogger, not an economist!