The acting in this TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON clip is a little...(puts on glasses) ROBOTIC. YEEEEEEEEA!

So, yes the fanboy is writing about TRANSFORMERS again, and this time with a more sobering look at what we can expect from this movie in terms of acting, which has never been director Michael Bay's strong suit. In it we see newcomer Rosie Huntington-Whiteley introducing Sam (Shia LaBeouf) to her boss, played by McDreamy himself, Patrick Dempsey.

Not gonna lie guys... she can't act very well.  It reminded me of my "acting" debut back in 3rd grade.  And Sam obviously hasn't changed or matured at all from the previous movie but that's to be expected.  I'm not gonna lie, this make me dread the non-robot parts of the movie.  So, let's hope something good comes out of having McDreamy a cameo here. 

As a bit of little news the release date has now been pushed back to June 29th according to Deadline. I feel this bodes well for our Summer Bet, because this means the movie will be further apart from HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 and so people will feel like they have more money to spend in this movie.

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The future of Kevin Smith's Red State

A few months ago, Kevin Smith announced that RED STATE, his new horror movie, would premiere at Sundance, but he was refusing to do press for the movie.  So, for press to gain access to tickets at the festival, they had to request tickets two days in advance for the slim chance of receiving a seat.  For someone who said he wasn't saving seats for press in his movie, when Red State premiered, my (Jonesy's) twitter was overrun with tweets from bloggers who had secured a ticket.  Interesting...

The real story of the day wasn't the movie (though many reviews are up at /Film, The Wrap and HitFlix), but it was the events that transpired after.  Apparently, Kevin Smith was going to auction off for a distributor.  However, he prompted to by the movie from himself for $20 and said it would be self-released under Smodcast Pictures.“Selling my film would be like having a baby and then selling it to somebody else to raise,” Smith said.  “I can’t speak for the movie by myself. I’m not the only one. I’m just the writer/director." 

Before its release, Smith is planning a "Red State USA Tour" where Smith, personally, will travel across the US promoting the film and participating in a Q&A after every screening.  You can view tour dates here.  Smith claims he will not spend any money on conventional advertising, and just promote through the tour. Also, tickets for these shows are rumored to be anywhere from $50-$100.

Smith also announced, at a seemingly perfect opportunity, that Red State is his second-to-last film.  After his last project, entitled HIT SOMEBODY, Smith will focus on producing. 

For someone who is anti-press, Smith sure knows how to stir the blogger-sphere and get people talking.  I've heard more about the Red State before and after than almost anything else about Sundance.  Whether you agree with Smith's angle of distribution or even if you agree with his views on studio involvement and advertising, the man knows what he's doing.  He got everyone talking about it, interest is stirred, and I'm sure it will pay off in the long run.

Red State  is set to release October 17, 2011.

It's official: Batman has its villian and villianess

 

Finally, all the casting rumors swirling around The Dark Knight Rises can be put to bed.  This morning LA Times broke the news that Anne Hathaway has been cast as Catwoman.  Christopher Nolan states, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story.”


 Couldn't agree more!  I, Jonesy, have loved Hathaway since her debut in The Princess Diaries and loved her even more in her raw performance in Rachel Getting Married.  She will put a fresh spin on the role that was made iconic by Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry made Razzie award winning.


 I, Javi, am not all that excited for this casting, but since I trust Nolan, I will be cautiously optimistic about it. My apprehension mostly comes from the type of character that Selina Kyle/Catwoman is, which is one of a seductress and a complete bad-ass.   Catwoman first appeared in Batman #1 back in 1940 and has had a varied history from going from a stereotypical villain where she was a cat thief (ha ha get it?), to an unlikely ally and even romantic interest to Batman.  I know that Hathaway is not all "PRINCESS DIARIES", and she is a very talented actress with a wide range, but it's the fighter/thief side of Catwoman's personality that I find it difficult to believe Hathaway could pull off.

She will be joining Tom Hardy, who has been cast as Batman's other villain, Bane.  Nolan said, I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman’s most formidable enemies.”  Bane first appeared Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (January 1993). He was a prisoner that was experimented on and had a steady supply of venom, which endows him with super strength.  He is most famous as the enemy that broke Batman's back in the mid 1990's, and he has since become one of the more dynamic and rather interesting villains in Batman's Rouge's Gallery. After the atrocity that was committed during BATMAN & ROBIN, it will be interesting to see if Nolan will take advantage of the nuances and complexities of this character.


Finally, I, Javi, will say that it is interesting that both of these characters are first purely antagonistic towards Batman, but at certain points they both become either allies or anti-heroes.  I think that there is a lot of ground to mine from and it will be interesting to see where Nolan goes from here.  




The Dark Knight Rises is set to release July 20, 2012.