Soon To Be Released From Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. has announced release dates for their upcoming J. Edgar, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and Gravity.

Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Leonardo Dicaprio as the founding FBI director, J. Edgar will see a limited release on Wednesday, November 9th, expanding to theaters everywhere two days later (Friday, the 11th). The 11th puts the film up against Immortals, Jack and Jill, 11-11-11 and, in limited release, Melancholia.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close will open in limited release on Christmas Day, opposite The Darkest Hour, We Bought a Zoo, In the Land of Blood and Honey and the domestic release of The Adventures of Tintin. Opening the prior Monday of that same week are also The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. The film, which stars Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, will then go wide on January 20th, 2012, opposite Haywire, Red Tails and Underworld Awakening.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is being delayed from its January 27, 2012 date until February 10th. There, it goes head to head with Safe House, The Vow and the 3D re-release of Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menance.

Further out, the Alfonso Cuaron 3D sci-fi film Gravity has been dated for November 21, 2012. It will go up against 47 Ronin and Rise of the Guardians.

Via ComingSoon.net

On and Off With Green Lantern

So much smoke has been blown in our faces since the release of Green Lantern. There have been reports of a sequel being considered filled with uncertainty in abundance. Just yesterday a quote from Jeff Robinov went up with him saying a sequel was being considered but that it needed to be dark and edgier to gain a better opinion from the populace. Hollywood Reporter talked with the CEO of Warner Bros., Jeff Bewkes, who had this to say about the floundering property;

"It did not live up to expectations - fell fairly far short of those," Bewkes said. Still, he didn't rule out a sequel at this point, saying that he was not in a position to tell at this time if there will be one. "We will be deciding that in due course," he said. Sources had previously told The Hollywood Reporter that Warner Bros. was not giving up on a sequel.

Bewkes, however, calmed Wall Street concerns about TW's plans to use superhero films from its DC arm to fill the void that will be left after the final film in the Harry Potter franchise. "I'm not concerned about DC's strategy," Bewkes emphasizing, predicting that it will be "a major contributor" of hits and franchises in the future. He pointed to a planned Superman film and next year's latest Batman release as upcoming projects.

This has honestly been one of the most disheartening situations concerning a film that I've been involved with. Green Lantern has such a rich history in the comics and I had very high hopes that this movie would perform well and be a huge property for Warner Bros. Unfortunately it has ended up about as bad as it could possibly be. Even though I enjoyed the movie immensely it still wasn't what it should have been and certainly feels like a missed opportunity. I also feel a lot of critics were very unfair towards the movie and in no way is it as bad as many have made it out to be.

It's all a waiting game at this point. High home video sales could potentially give the studio an extra incentive to go forward with the sequel. With such a poor performance and negative response though, I don't see any reason why they'd even begin to think of a second film.

Hunger Games Soundtrack

LIONSGATE®, a leading global entertainment company, together with Universal Republic today announced a sweeping partnership on the soundtrack to the highly anticipated Lionsgate motion picture event THE HUNGER GAMES, which will be in theaters everywhere on March 23, 2012.

Unlike typical soundtracks, this collection will not only include music being recorded by major artists for inclusion in the film, but a series of companion recordings that will feature new songs directly influenced by the themes and subject matter of THE HUNGER GAMES, all recorded by some of music’s most successful and acclaimed artists.

Said Lionsgate’s Head of Music Tracy McKnight, “We are absolutely thrilled to be joining forces with Universal Republic. There is a tremendous opportunity for us to draw from so many different musical genres with this soundtrack. The setting for THE HUNGER GAMES ranges from what could be perceived as the rural Southern part of the U.S. all the way to the most advanced metropolis imaginable, and it all takes place in a vividly imagined future. The list of artists that could participate, and the opportunities for them to write and record, are really unlimited.”

The film’s Executive Music Producer and co-composer T Bone Burnett will produce many of these recordings, and will oversee all production. It was previously announced that Burnett will be collaborating with composer Danny Elfman on the film’s score, which will also be released by Universal Republic.

“THE HUNGER GAMES is a highly imaginative and thrilling narrative that combines edginess, raw emotion and themes of freedom,” stated Monte Lipman, President and CEO of Universal Republic Records. “And these are the same qualities we will be considering as we start building this innovative new music collection. We are not only looking for great music, but a diverse array of music that speaks to the universal themes of the movie.”

The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Lenny Wohl, EVP Music Business Affairs, and by Universal Republic’s head of Business Affairs Michael Seltzer.

Not knowing much about the books, I did some research on the great Wiki and found the story to be very interesting. For a movie like this, which I assume is aiming to be a franchise for the company, I normally prefer a musical score to accompany the story being presented on the screen. Twilight has also used the mainstream style and it just throws the events off a little bit for me. They may incorporate a mix of both and that could be fine as well. If the artists chosen create original tracks that help the emotion of the story then I won't have any problem in the decision to go this route.

In Time Official Trailer

A few sleek posters were released at Comic-Con for the upcoming sci-fi movie In Time and now we get an official trailer. Definitely putting off a creepy vibe but it has me interested for the time being. Check out the trailer above.

Synopsis: "In a future where people stop aging at 25, the rich get to live forever, while the poor have to work like dogs to buy more time - but when Will Salas’ (Justin Timberlake) mom’s (Olivia Wilde) time is up, he goes on the run from a corrupt police force to save her."

Dr. Strange Conjuring Directors

With a majority of the mainstream superhero properties already having a turn in the spotlight, studios have begun dipping their toes into uncharted waters. This year saw the release of several lesser known comic book characters that resulted in a rather mild reaction from the general public with Thor and Captain America and a hefty disinterest in Green Lantern. You can't help but wonder how the "C" and "D" list heroes will fare in the public eye when a property as sure as X-Men once was also turned out lukewarm results. Still the genre continues on with reboots abound and attempts to bring characters to the big screen that it seems only devoted fans would care for.

Last June revealed that Marvel was intending to go forward with a Doctor Strange film by hiring Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer to pen a treatment for the hero with magic hands. The duo recently turned in drafts for Conan and Cowboys And Aliens so handling the magical side of the Marvel universe may fit them well. Twitch is now reporting that the duo has indeed turned in a script to the House of Ideas with positive enough reaction to have the draft forwarded to several directors to oversee the project.

The site also notes that Edgar Wright's Ant-Man draft has also been turned in giving some sign of Marvels comment to these character concepts that are bizarre and relatively unknown. I'm quite excited to see some of the weirder areas of comics explored but it doesn't necessarily translate to success with the general public. Hopefully these characters will be welcomed to enough success for the companies to turn out some profit from them.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger is the story of Steve Rogers, a scrawny young man with a heart full of determination who has been rejected on several occasions by the U.S. military. His life changes when Dr. Abraham Erskine realizes the great potential residing within, and offers him a chance to be the subject of a "super-soldier" serum injection which transformes him into Captain America.

Before entering the theatre I had such a strong feeling that Captain America would be the must see film in the superhero genre this year. Unfortunately, I walked out feeling under whelmed and disappointed. It doesn't rank among the worst by any means, just somewhere along with the mediocre.

The positives brought with this film include the seamless integration of Chris Evans' head onto the body of a 90 lb weakling, the set pieces, and a movie that you can take your entire family to without worry of it being too much for the young ones. Director Joe Johnston does a fantastic job of making the time period very believable. Other than these few things, I can't find much with the movie that kept my attention.

The movie starts off at a slow pace, giving some insight into Steve Rogers' personality. He obviously is not a fan of bullies and never backs down from a situation where the person is bigger or stronger than he is. His eventual sidekick, James "Bucky" Barnes, is introduced early on as he arrives to save Steve from an alley beating. They go out on a date with two ladies and Dr. Erskine overhears the buddies talking, realizing he has found the perfect subject for his experiment in Steve Rogers.

It is quite a while before we are thrust into any action and the first scene comes after the transformation of Rogers. Immediately after being injected and gawked at by everyone in the room, one of Johann Schmidt's (The Red Skull) Hydra agents is revealed. Erskine is shot and killed, then off goes Roger after him. As the agent flees in a vehicle, Steve chases him on foot while leaping over tall chain linked fences and crashing through shop windows.

After that Rogers is put on display in a sort of side show act, speaking to crowds in theatres and military men stationed elsewhere, wearing a crude version of the Captain America costume. He finally tires of doing this and goes on his own to save some captured U.S soldiers and gets the famous moniker. A team assembles and an important person parishes, but its hard to care for it because everything moves so quickly. I couldn't believe that I was watching the climax when it happened.

The final showdown with Cap and Skull was anticlimactic. The dialogue was sprinkled with cheese while the two engaged in a very short and sloppy fisticuffs battle while the Red Skull's air carrier flew wildly in the sky. The last scene was so forced by the upcoming Avenger movie that I have no problem in saying it is the worst ending of these tie-in films until the big team up happens. Iron Man 2 and Thor both suffered a bit as well with being too focused on what lies ahead rather than what is happening now.

The movie was slow to start off and once Steve Rogers became Captain America it felt like everything was rushed into the ending. I am still a bit unsure of what exactly the Red Skull's scheme was and all that action the TV spots and trailers promised ended up being mainly what was shown in them. I didn't go in just wanting to see action but the previews I've seen feel very misleading now.

Chris Evans was believable as Captain America. The problem with this character is there was never a true threat for him to face. He was never down and out with his back against the wall other than before his transformation. As soon as he became Cap, he plowed over enemies and performed super feats that I didn't feel like he would have any trouble saving the day.

Hayley Atwell handled the role of Peggy Carter well enough with what she was given. She never became that "damsel in distress" mainly because there was never a situation for her to be such a victim. She and Steve share an attraction towards one another that develops as well as it should but never gets to it's ending point.

The biggest disappointment has to be Hugo Weaving's Red Skull. He generally commands the roles he chooses, leaving a stellar performance. I thought he would steal the movie away from everyone else but I ended up feeling like he had been ripped from an episode of Adam West's Batman show. Hokey, cheesy, over the top, whatever you want to call it, he never felt menacing enough at any point to be a problem for Cap.

As the most uninteresting comic to film property this year, the First Avenger tries valiantly to pay tribute to classic action of the past with wholesome entertainment but fails to offer any true threat for the hero. The movie market has become overloaded with "superhero" films and at a time when they need to demand our attention, Captain America doesn't do so for me.

Eight Glowing "Green Lantern" Clips

Well here is the ultimate test of willpower. 8 Green Lantern clips have surfaced online through Trailer Addict. I've embedded them above and below. This is like an itch on my nose but my hands are tied down so I'm unable to scratch. Some of these may have spoilerish content so watch at your own risk. The movie is only about a week away now so I'd suggest waiting for the movie to be released. Once you've watched the film in theatres then go crazy with these clips online as the wait begins for the Blu-ray/DVD release.

World Of Green Lantern Featurette

Omelete.com has a great new 5 minute video giving us more insight into the movie. Interviews with Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Mark Strong and Martin Campbell are included throughout the featurette. Some people haven't been too high on Lively's delivery of lines in the trailers, but from the clips shown here I think she will do just fine.

New Green Lantern Clip

Blog of Oa has a great video from G4's Attack of the Show that features an interview with Michael Clarke Duncan and also a quick clip of Kilowog training Hal Jordan on Oa. Check it out below.

3rd Green Lantern Trailer

Yahoo! Movies has debuted a new Green Lantern trailer! This one has been made to preview for upcoming movies being released in 3-D. The narration by Tomar-Re in the beginning is a fantastic touch. It just keeps getting better.