Kevin Smith Sets Sights on Krampus Anthology Inspired By Smodcast Show

Remember when Kevin Smith said he was going to retire from filmmaking following Clerks III? Well, it’s been some time since that announcement and Clerks III has yet to materialize, though it seems a the director wants to begin shooting the sequel April 7th. After that, is his time in the director’s chair over? Not quite. Smith has now announced that he hopes to shoot and release Comes the Krampus! after Clerks III. In other words, Smith’s retirement is not still on hold.

Comes the Krampus! will be an anthology horror film along the lines of Creepshow and is based off one of the many shows in the Smodcast Network, Edumacation. Taken from Episode 20 of the aforementioned show “Big Man on Krampus,” in which the legend of Krampus is discussed at length. Smith’s Edumacation co-host Andy McElfresh banged out a script for the anthology in less than a month (the show aired 12/23/13). McElfresh, Smith, Jason Mewes, and more (including Smith’s wife, Jen) will be directing the various segments of the film.

Krampus, is the bizzaro version of Santa Claus essentially. Instead of a jolly fat guy who travels the globe delivering joy under your Christmas tree every year Krampus is often a hideous creature who simply loves to eat children. Comes the Krampus! will be a series of four shots along with one framing story to tie them all together. Smith expands on the idea by saying that the script as is could be a very low budget effort not unlike his latest Smodcast film awaiting release, Tusk.

In other Smodcast news, Smith was originally toying around with another Smodcast topic being adapted to film, Helena Handbag. The director has since decided to switch that project up and will be adapting it as a musical instead with The Book of Mormon as his muse.

Each of these bits and pieces of news kind of have me excited. I’ve been listening to Smodcast for years and I have often found Kevin Smith to be very creative and funny, even if I do get kinda burned out by hearing a lot of the same jokes from show to show. I still really like Red State (though more for Michael Parks than anything else) and I have a morbid curiosity to see how Tusk turns out, but I think Smith still has a lot of things he can accomplish in the film industry so to see his retirement put on hiatus for a little bit isn’t all bad news to me.

What do you think of the idea for Comes The Krampus!? Are you a Kevin Smith fan? What’s your favorite Smith film? Thoughts on all his upcoming projects? Sound off below!

Via: Silent Bob Speaks – Krampus, SBS – Helena Handbag

Trailer Reaction: ‘Maleficent’

Everyone loves a good villain. Sure, we root for the hero and want to see them win at some point before the end, but many movies succeed because their villain is so memorable. One such example is Disney’s 1959 animated adaptation of Sleeping Beauty, which featured the scheming enchantress of evil, Maleficent. Well, 55 years later Disney has decided to cash in on the appeal of the horned and slickly dressed villainess with a spin-off movie entitled (creatively enough) Maleficent, which is set to release on May 30th of this year & a new trailer has just dropped.

As the trailer blatantly points out, “You Know the Tale”; Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) is a wicked fairy who lives outside of an unnamed kingdom in the dark forests. One evening, at a party celebrating King Stefan’s (Sharlto Copley) newborn daughter Aurora, Maleficent crashes the festivities to place an irrevocable curse on the child. However, this prequel/re-imagining seeks to explore Maleficent’s motives for such an act, which seems to promise a more political rift between her and the king which results in warfare between the kingdom and Maleficent’s magical army from the forest. In the middle of all this conflict, an adolescent Aurora (Elle Fanning) must try to find a middle ground between the forest she’s grown to love and the kingdom she’s destined to rule. Watch the trailer below:

Based on this trailer, there’s a lot to like about Maleficent on an aesthetic level. The film looks gorgeous in terms of production, costume and visual effects design. It’s quite clear that veteran visual effects and art director Robert Stromberg (whom won Academy Awards for his art direction on Avatar and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland) has made sure that his directorial debut will be stunning to see. The trailer also makes sure to emphasize the dark fantasy nature of the story, most notably with the moments of Angelina Jolie gleefully taking on the part of a wicked magical enchantress and the use of Lana Del Rey’s haunting cover of “Once Upon A Dream”, the central song from Sleeping Beauty. 

So, the film is definitely getting across what it wants to convey visually… but is the content there? Maleficent as a villain worked in her original form, but is there really enough to her to make a spin-off film worth it? Based on what limited details we have, I’m really not that sure. While I did mention the film looks stupendous, I’d still say it looks fairly reminiscent of many a post-Lord of the Rings trilogy fantasy film that’s come out in the last ten years or so. Big tree creatures, warring factions racing at each other, magical side creatures, etc. It all just feels so familiar and having a first time director mostly known for his visuals and not his story telling worries me even more.

I do still have some hope for Maleficent, though. Jolie looks like she’s definitely embracing the part and providing a lot of devilish charm. It helps that we have up and comers like Elle Fanning and Sharlto Copley in key supporting roles who can probably pick up the slack as well. Plus, there’s also the biggest factor in the movie’s favor: the screenwriters. There are two credited writers for Maleficent, one of which is Linda Woolverton who is responsible for some of Disney’s biggest hits of the last twenty years, for better (The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast) or worse (Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland). The second is Paul Dini, a veteran of television writing best known for his work on Bruce Timm’s DC Animated Universe, especially Batman: The Animated Series. Dini and Woolverton are both responsible for some of the more memorable female characters of my generation’s childhood, whether they be Belle or Harley Quinn. Characters with dimension and flaws, yet are also strong in their own individual ways. Surely, they can give this potential cash in enough character to make it worth my cold hard cash, right?

But what about you out there? What do you think of the trailer for Maleficent? Do you think the villain can carry the film? Or is there another Disney villain far more worthy of a stand alone project? Personally, my vote still goes to Hades from Hercules.

Via YouTube

The Doctor wears Prada – twelfth Doctor outfit revealed

The BBC have released the first official image of Peter Capaldi in full costume as the twelfth Doctor which you can check out below.

 

 

It’s stylish and simplistic and I am very happy about it. It immediately points to a no nonsense, more mature Doctor. It also channels the Third Doctor Jon Pertwee.

Detractors on the internet have grumbled that it is too simplistic, that there’s no iconic piece or that it is too similar to the Eleventh Doctor’s final outfit. Whilst a comparison can be drawn, why can’t the Doctor be influenced by the previous outfit. Perhaps he liked the cut, or the length?

When eleven’s costume was revealed we (the general naysayers of internet) complained that it was dull. There was no praising of the “iconic bow tie” because it was Matt that made it iconic. I think some people were so caught up in the way they wanted that they can’t remove themselves from that. A constant scarf would never work and I don’t believe it would suit this Doctor. The more casual, cardigan style was interesting but I’m very happy with the new direction of the Doctor or perhaps a return to a more classical feel that is arguably quite daring for the show to do now given it’s audience. I commend them.

What do you make of the Eleventh Doctor? Comment below.

Megan Ellison Abandons Ship Financially on ‘Terminator: Genesis’

After forking over $20+ million to acquire the rights to make a new Terminator film, Annapurna Pictures’ Megan Ellison has decided not to invest in the revival of the series. That doesn’t mean Terminator: Genesis is dead though, as Ellison’s brother David and his company Skydance is picking up the tab, likely with the help of Paramount Pictures. Megan’s cold feet however did not cost her the opportunity to retain an executive producer credit on the film.

It’s been speculated that Ellison’s change of heart comes from the fact that she’s been focused on more award-worthy cinematic ventures. Some of the more recent projects she’s been involved in are Zero Dark Thirty, The Master, Her and American Hustle. If more highbrow cinema is her preference, then it would seem obvious that a Terminator reboot and its two planned sequels are indeed out of her jurisdiction. Ellison indeed did state that Annapurna’s focus for right now was on independent cinema, but that as an executive producer she would be working closely with everyone involved and remains passionate about the project as a whole.

As long as the film is financed, I don’t really care who picks up the bill. I soured quickly on the last two Terminator films after my initial viewings. I don’t know that a reboot is the answer or that it will even be half as good as Cameron’s original films, but I also know that I’m not entirely ready to just let the series die with Terminator: Salvation as its swan song.

With Arnie returning in the flesh and not in some ridiculous CGI callback, Jason Clarke and Emilia Clarke on board to star and Alan Taylor on board to direct, I am at the very least cautiously optimistic about Terminator: Genesis so far. Only time will tell how the final product plays out and we have yet to see who will fill the role of Kyle Reese. There’s a long way to go, but here’s hoping the film one: sees the light of day, and two: doesn’t completely suck.

What are your thoughts on a Terminator reboot? Thoughts on Annapurna pulling out as an investor? Who should play Kyle Reese? Sound off below!

Via: Deadline

Gal Gadot signs a deal for 3 films, including a ‘Wonder Woman’ feature

It has been reported that the actress recently cast in the role of Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot, has signed a three movie contract deal to play the Amazonian warrior. The movies are said to be the upcoming Batman vs Superman film, a Justice League film, and *le gasp* a Wonder Woman stand alone film. Excuse me as I die in shock at that last one. In addition, sources say Gadot will be making $300,000 per film.

Despite the popularity of Wonder Woman and the rest of the members of the Justice League, it is difficult to say how these films will do in theaters. Man of Steel was met with much criticism and the fan base remains divided over it. Because of the first film’s split reception, Batman vs Superman and the future Justice League film are facing waves of early skepticism. In addition, Gadot’s Wonder Woman is not immune from the public’s criticism, even though we have yet to see any photos or footage of her in action.

While I am thrilled with the long overdue announcement of a Wonder Woman film, I’ll admit I have my concerns. This is because the few times when a woman has been the headliner of a super hero movie, the results have been less than stellar. We have only gotten three movies starring a female hero from both Marvel and DC and they are all terrible. Marvel released Elektra, and DC released Catwoman and Supergirl. This is not because of the characters. Each one of these heroines has been involved in at least one compelling story at some point in her history. The material for a good movie is there, studio support is the missing factor.

I want people to think about this for a minute. There have been 47 Marvel live action movies and only one of them has featured a super heroine as the star. There have 9 animated Marvel films and none of them have starred a super heroine. DC has had 43 live action movies. Two of those starred super heroines. There are 36 animated DC films and only one of those are staring a super heroine films. Between Marvel and DC there are 135 live action/animated films. Only 4 of those have starred a super heroine, and only one of those have been good. Interestingly enough, it was the Wonder Woman animated movie.

These numbers and the quality of the previous films make me wonder how well the upcoming Wonder Woman movie will fare. DC’s track record indicates that they handle their super heroines very poorly and so far there is not one little bit of news that gives me faith in this film. The fact that we got our first Superman movie in 1951, our first Batman movie in 1966, and are JUST NOW getting our first Wonder Woman movie is beyond sad. Wonder Woman is the third part of DC’s holy trinity and it’s taken this long for us to even cast her for the big screen. DC, I applaud you for finally giving us the Wonder Woman movie we have wanted for so long. NOW MAKE IT A GOOD MOVIE!

What are your thoughts on the upcoming Wonder Woman movie? What storylines should DC and Warner Bros. pull from for the film? Let us know in the comment section!

Source: Variety

Ash & Fern: When you just can’t break up with a show

Breakups are hard.  I think we’ve all been there.  There was a show that you loved so much.  Maybe it was because it was such a clever idea, unlike anything you’d ever seen on TV before.  Or maybe it just had that actor that you really liked. Or maybe you liked the books.  For the first season (or seasons) you watched it religiously and loved every minute.

One day, it’s just not as good anymore.  Then there’s another show premiering at the same time that you want to watch.  Show number one gets demoted in your queue, but hey, you’ll get to it eventually.  Until you don’t.  Suddenly you have 11 episodes taking up space on your DVR and you know deep down that it’s over.  Why is it so hard to just cancel that series recording?!

 

Right now I’m in the midst of two such breakups.  Neither is easy, and if I’m honest, neither of them is going very well.  These are two shows that I once loved.  I’m hoping that talking about it here can finally help me move on.

First up, I’m about to admit something that I’m not proud of, but here it goes.  For the first few seasons, I loved The Vampire Diaries.  I liked it so much that for 2 or 3 years it won the weekly battle for Thursdays at 8:00, which we all know can be a tough timeslot.  I won’t pretend that it had nothing to do with how hot Ian Somerhalder is, but let’s move past that.  Overall it was pretty entertaining.  Vampires. Werewolves.  Abs.  Good stuff.*

*FYI that will most likely be the most girly paragraph I ever write in this blog. I apologize. 

I don’t know exactly when I started getting bored, but it hit me like a brick wall.  At this point I truly couldn’t care less about some ridiculous undead love triangle, no matter how hot those three parties might be. Or maybe it’s just the absurd overabundance of supernatural creatures with varying degrees of humanity gracing our TV screens today.

Despite the fact that I truly don’t care what happens anymore, and the fact that it is taking up precious space on my DVR, I still haven’t been able to bring myself to delete it. I have no idea why.  Maybe I’m worried that one day I’ll wake up and miraculously care again.  I think the odds of this are extremely low, but it’s the best explanation I’ve been able to come up with so far.

My other future ex is not nearly as embarrassing.  I have watched every single season of How I Met Your Mother.  Even the last few which have been increasingly terrible.  This show was fantastic when it premiered 9ish years ago. No one had ever done anything like it. Barney was hilarious.  It has produced several episodes that I will always remember as genuinely good television.  And I’ve definitely spent some time trying to figure out which of my friends could most easily be conned into a Slap Bet. 

Unfortunately, as with most shows that hold on past their expiration date, things turned sour a couple of years ago.  The characters became too predictable.  Ted became too pathetic.  The hijinks became too ridiculous.  Worst of all, it stopped being funny. 

 

Yet I still force myself to watch it every week.  I have no idea why.  I told myself I needed to hang on long enough to meet the mother.  I’d put in too much time to give up before then.  Now we’ve met.  What else is holding me hostage?! 

The thing is, there is SO MUCH good TV now.  I hate that my fear of moving on is keeping me tied down to the bad.  I know some people “hate watch” shows, which actually sounds pretty fun.  (And it sort of sounds like what I do any time I’m forced to watch a romantic comedy.) But that’s not what I’m doing here, I’m just genuinely not enjoying them anymore.

I guess a TV breakup is just like any other.  Of course you don’t want anyone to get hurt, but it’s going to happen.  It’s better to just rip the band-aid off so everyone can move on.  It’s not healthy to drag things out.   

So now that it looks like I’m about to have some free DVR space, anybody out there have any shows you’d like to set me up with? 

Blumhouse’s Latest Creeper ‘Oculus’ Gets A Trailer

I have a hesitant respect for what Jason Blumhouse has done with his production company so far. Blumhouse has helped get some of my favorite modern horror films out there (Paranormal Activity, Sinister and Insidious), but also a few titles I’m far less enthusiastic about (Paranormal Acitivyt 4, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones and Lords of Salem). The hit and miss nature of the production company’s films so far is why I’m a little skittish when I see its name attached to a trailer. Such is the case for the newly released trailer for Oculus, a film directed by Mike Flanagan and starring Katee Sackhoff.

It was one thing to see the Blumhouse logo before the trailer, it was an entirely new level of hesitation when I saw the WWE Studios logo right before Blumhouse. I have almost zero positive experiences with films that have the WWE Studios seal of approval (has anyone out there seen The Day? One word review: yikes). That being said, this trailer really got under my skin. It doesn’t employ the ridiculous “audience reaction” angle, it isn’t found footage and it looks downright creepy. It certainly has an Insidious/Sinister vibe and the voiceover of the child talking about a mirror is very fairy tale-esque, but there are some images in this trailer that if you linger on them long enough will probably haunt your dreams tonight, like this one:

oculous_creepychick

Apart from Katee Sackoff, the film has no universally recognizable faces or names, something I think really helps small horror films like this. Additionally, Oculus’ director has not yet been tainted by Hollywood’s standards, so it’s quite possible that the film could be a sleeper hit. Oculus has a simple enough premise that doesn’t sound all that fresh: A woman tries to exonerate her brother, who was convicted of murder, by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon. Just that though, could be enough to get some butts in the seats even though it’s April release date is not typically a hotbed of horror success- save for the Evil Dead remake from last year.

Aside from the images in the trailer, something else giving me some hope that this might be worthwhile is the positive buzz from the Toronto International Film Fest last year. Oculus received 2nd place at the festival in the Midnight Madness section of the People’s Choice category. Don’t take my word for it though! Check out the trailer and decide for yourself!

 

What did you think of the trailer for Oculus? Did you happen to catch it at TIFF in 2013? What are your thoughts on Blumhouse Pictures or WWE Studios?

Via: YouTube

 

‘Ant-Man’ Crawls Into Former Release Date For ‘Superman/Batman’

Well if they won’t do it, someone should – that seems to be the mindset of the Marvel execs as they have apparently taken advantage of the recent departure of the Man of Steel sequel on July 17, 2015 and set Ant-Man in its place.

After recently announcing Paul Rudd as their pint-sized hero and Michael Douglas joining the cast to play Hank Pym, the studio originally eyed a July 31st release. With Warner Bros. announcing the Superman/Batman flick would fall back into 2016, Marvel decided not to waste any time by moving into the now vacant July 17th date, except for some Untitled Peter Pan Adventure (or Pan according to Variety) currently resting now in Ant-Man‘s tiny shadow.

As someone with noob level comic experience, I have absolutely no knowledge about the Ant-Man mythology. It’s because of that lack of knowledge that I had no place to weigh in on the casting of Paul Rudd or Michael Douglas, but do intend on seeing the film in spite of my comic ignorance. I’d be lying if I said Ant-Man taking place of the Man of Steel sequel didn’t bum me out a little bit, mostly since I had a little Man of Steel knowledge and the fact that my favorite hero, Batman, would be appearing might have also played into my excitement.

antman_logo

Looking at the current July 2015 forecast it doesn’t appear that Ant-Man will have a lot of heavy hitting competition. Of course, the schedule could change at any time. Right now it appears that only Terminator: Genesis and the Despicable Me spinoff Minions could cut into Marvel’s opening numbers, but even then I think simply baring Marvel’s brand, Ant-Man will have little to worry about come opening day. The weekend following the 17th shows only a film called Trainwreck starring Amy Schumer and directed by Judd Apatow.

As I’ve said before, I know nothing about Ant-Man so I can’t accurately predict what kind of audience the film will bring in. However, given that Marvel plans to make the character part of The Avengers I imagine that the studio will be using that to their advantage when it comes to marketing the film. It will also be a test to see just how much of a box office draw Paul Rudd is or if everyone will attribute the film’s success to simply being a Marvel property.

What do you think of the new release date for Ant-Man? Thoughts on the Ant-Man comics in general? Is Paul Rudd right for the role? Sound off below!

Via: Variety, Box Office Mojo

Watch: Quentin Tarantino and Steve Buscemi Rehearsing ‘Reservoir Dogs’

Are you still reeling from the news that Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight has been postponed indefinitely? Well Tarantinites, let’s calm our frustrations by returning to a simpler time. The year is 1991; George H.W. Bush was still president, The Simpsons was still considered controversial and a young filmmaker was prepping his first film. That film? Reservoir Dogs.

Footage of Quentin rehearsing some scenes from his debut with future Boardwalk Empire star and Gollum-look alike Steve Buscemi recently hit the internet. The scenes in question involve Buscemi’s Mr. Pink talking to Mr. White (played by Harvey Keitel in the final film version, subbed by Tarantino here). Said scenes include Pink and White arguing about a potential set up, leading to a back & forth in the bathroom and walking outside. You can watch the full rehearsal video below:

It’s interesting to see a young and hungry version of Quentin at work, long before he had a self assured status and celebrity life style. He and Buscemi also display this intriguing chemistry that makes me wonder if Tarantino could have handled the Mr. White role himself. Then I remembered his other attempts at acting and felt glad that his role as Mr. Brown in the final film was respectfully short. That being said, the footage still shows that Tarantino had a lot of potential at the time, particularly with how he already had all the shots perfectly planned out even during this rehearsal process. Also, there’s not much to say about Buscemi beyond the simple fact that the guy had the scenes down even before the official cameras started rolling.

With the reveal of this footage, I’m curious to see what other rehearsal video featuring Tarantino could pop up? Pulp Fiction? Kill Bill? Django Uncha… well, maybe Tarantino wouldn’t want that online. What about you people out there? Post your own rehearsal requests in the comments below!

Via ScreenCrush

Tarantino Puts ‘The Hateful Eight’ On The Back Burner For Now

Y’see people, this is why we can’t have nice things. Famous writer/director Quentin Tarantino has made it known that the leak of his script for The Hateful Eight has led him to halt the film’s progress. Tarantino had this to say about the affair:

“I gave it to three actors: Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Tim Roth. The one I know didn’t do this is Tim Roth. One of the others let their agent read it, and that agent has now passed it on to everyone in Hollywood… I’m not making this next. I’m going to publish it, and that’s it for now. I give it out to six people, and if I can’t trust them to that degree, then I have no desire to make it.”

Now, I’m against leaking scripts. If someone wants to officially release it before (or even after) the movie or show has been made that’s one thing, but taking someone’s story and putting it out into the world without consent before the project even has had a chance to be made is a dick move and people should have enough personal integrity not to be scumbags and do it.

That being said, I think this whole”well, I’m just going to take my ball home” response from Tarantino is an overreaction. I get that you’re hurt Quentin, but why deny the film to your fans who were getting excited to see it? You suspect  the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the people who rep Bruce Dern? Fine, go after those guys then, but don’t take it out on us, your  movie-going audience, especially for something we didn’t do.

I love a good western and I like most of your movies (Inglourious Basterds didn’t do anything for me) so I was very much anticipating what you were going to do with this, but now you’re going to tell me I don’t get to see this movie just because the script got leaked? That sucks dude, and I feel bad for you, but don’t punish the fans, Tarantino. Go forth and make your movie and let that fire in your gut push you to make it the best damn movie you’ve ever done.

“I am not talking out of both sides of my mouth, because I do like the fact that everyone eventually posts it, gets it and reviews it on the net. Frankly, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I like the fact that people like my shit, and that they go out of their way to find it and read it. But I gave it to six motherfucking people! “

That’s a bit more like it Quentin, now go do what you were born to do and make the freaking movie already. We, the fans, are waiting.

As always, we want to hear from you. Let us know in the comments below what you think of this whole mess and go ahead and tell us your favorite and least favorite Tarantino flick.

Via Deadline