First Look At The New "Thundercats"

As a child of the 80's I'm always curious to see how cartoons from my childhood are redone, below is the first offical image from the new show.....



Here's the official press release:

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) has begun production on ThunderCats, an all-new animated series for Cartoon Network, based upon the iconic 1980s action classic. ThunderCats is the newest series from WBA, joining Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which was recently renewed for a third season, and the following forthcoming programs: The Looney Tunes Show, MAD, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and Young Justice. The announcement was made today by Sam Register, Executive Vice President, Creative Affairs, Warner Bros. Animation.

"In addition to being Warner Bros. Animation's first anime series, ThunderCats marks our most ambitious foray yet into fantasy," said Register. "The realism and dynamic visual style we've achieved are sure to thrill viewers, and the cool weapons, vehicles and technology should help the show appeal to a diverse audience."

The 21st century reimagining of the series marks a creative collaboration between WBA and Studio4°C, one of the most vibrant animation studios in Japan, with credits including The Animatrix, Gotham Knights and Halo Legends. WBA is working closely with Studio4°C, utilizing the latter's expertise to give the ThunderCats characters a new cutting-edge look while remaining true to the compelling storylines and mythology of the original series.

"We at Studio4°C are excited to be in this creative partnership with Warner Bros. Animation to bring ThunderCats to life," said Eiko Tanaka, President and CEO, Studio4°C. "This collaboration combines the strengths of our two companies — high production values and great storytelling — toward reintroducing this classic fan-favorite to a new audience."

Roaring to life through WBA and Studio4°C's use of the Japanese animated artistry of anime, ThunderCats characters Lion-O, Mumm-Ra, Panthro, Cheetara and others will spring off the screen with realistic cat-like characteristics inconceivable in previous incarnations.

The new ThunderCats will appeal to viewers who have loved the characters all their lives as well as young newcomers to the franchise. A sweeping tale combining swords and science and boasting ferocious battles with the highest of stakes, the grand origin story of Prince Lion-O's ascension to the throne – and of those who would thwart his destiny at any cost — takes on epic dimensions in this sharp new telling. As the forces of good and evil battle each other in the quest for the fabled Stones of Power, Lion-O and his champions learn valuable lessons of loyalty, honor and mortality in every episode.

ThunderCats is executive produced by Sam Register (Teen Titans, Ben 10, Batman: The Brave and the Bold). Michael Jelenic (Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Wonder Woman) and Ethan Spaulding (Avatar: The Last Airbender) are the producers.

MOVIE REVIEWS: NO STRINGS ATTACHED

IN THEATERS

NO STRINGS ATTACHED



Lifelong friends Adam (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma (Natalie Portman) attempt to avoid falling in love after falling into each other's beds in this comedy exploring the complexities and quirks of having friends with benefits. Adam was a typical, hormonal 14 year old when he first came on to Emma at summer camp -- and got shot down in flames. In the years that followed, however, Adam and Emma continued to cross paths until eventually, they both caved to their animal instincts. Despite an intense session of earth-shaking sex, however, Emma makes it clear to Adam that the last thing she wants is a committed relationship. And thanks to the fact that Adam's father (Kevin Kline), a fallen television star, has just begun dating his son's ex-girlfriend, the horrified bachelor has developed an aversion to monogamy as well. At first their casual stance on sex worked great for both; Emma could focus on her career instead of allowing her emotions to dictate her decisions, and Adam could play the field without fear of hurting her feelings. Over, time, however, a funny thing happened -- Adam began to develop feelings for Emma that he never had for any of his countless conquests. Before they both know it, love has reared its ugly head and they've gotten too emotionally involved to cut the relationship off cold. But is commitment in the cards for the couple that always swore it would never get serious, or has the time come for them to finally part ways once and for all? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Ivan Reitman

Cast: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Greta Gerwig, Cary Elwes.

Release Date: Jan 21, 2011

Rated R for Sexual content, language and some drug content

Runtime: 1 hr. 50 min.

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Review:

Rom-com movies can be good when you have a smart script and a cast that focused. No String Attached is not one of those films. The worst part of it is that at its base it’s got an interesting conceit that could be something interesting fresh. Instead it’s the recycled beaten to death cliché you expect from the worst offenders in the genre. The script attempts to be edgy by being raunchy but it can’t mask what is just horrible comedy writing. Jokes fall flat throughout delivering only the slightest chuckle occasionally which is mostly due to the supporting cast. Natalie Portman seems to be having a good time, slumming it in a genre dominated by Katherine Heigl and Jennifer Anniston. She does a passable job but it seems more like she just needed her palette cleaned after The Black Swan. Ashton Kutcher curious ability to continue to find work as a leading man especially with this performance as he sleep walks through his scenes. It’s so bad that when he delivers the “big” line at the end of the film it carries all the weight of a feather. Making matters worse is that Portman and Kutcher share zero chemistry on screen and their characters are unbelievably matched. The supporting cast fare slightly better and make the more painful portions of this dreadful film slightly watchable. Even with that it’s hard to keep from wanting to douse your face in acid once this overlong film comes to an end.

D-

"Dark Knight Rises" Villains Revealed

A press release from Warner Bros. Pictures has confirmed the two key members of Batman's Rogues Gallery that will appear in the much-anticipated upcoming "The Dark Knight Rises" - Catwoman and Bane. Check it out below:

"Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises.” She will be starring alongside Christian Bale, who returns in the title role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Christopher Nolan stated, “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.”

In addition, Tom Hardy has been set to play 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.”

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/19122/-dark-knight-rises-villains-revealed

First Look At "X-Men: First Class" Cast

After sitting through the eye gouging bad X-men Origin Wolverine, I don’t know if I have any sort of hope for any future outings, even though Darren Aronofsky’s The Wolverine is intriguing, but this cast shot looks kind of fun….

Courtesy of DarkHorizons.com



The first photo from "X-Men: First Class", the 60's set prequel to the franchise, appeared on MSN today and has been confirmed. MSN later took it down at 20th Century Fox's request that the photo is unauthorized which suggests it's not a final version.

In the photo from L TO R: Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert, January Jones as Emma Frost (aka the White Queen), Jason Flemyng as Azazel (aka Nightcrawler's father), Nicholas Hoult as the Beast, Lucas Till as Havoc, Zoe Kravitz as Angel Salvadore, Jennifer Lawrence as Raven Darkholme (aka Mystique), and James McAvoy as Charles Xavier.Courtesy of DarkHorizons.com

[Trailer 3] Battle: Los Angeles

What originally looked like another Skyline mess is looking more and more impressive, hopefully it can back up the promise shown in the trailers, Jonathan Liebesman whose directing is hardly got an impressive resume, this one in particular looks very impressive....

MOVIE REVIEWS: THE KING’S SPEECH

IN THEATERS

THE KING’S SPEECH



Emmy Award-winning director Tom Hooper (John Adams) teams with screenwriter David Seidler (Tucker: A Man and His Dreams) to tell the story of King George VI. When his older brother abdicates the throne, nervous-mannered successor George "Bertie" VI (Colin Firth) reluctantly dons the crown. Though his stutter soon raises concerns about his leadership skills, King George VI eventually comes into his own with the help of unconventional speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Before long the king and Lionel have forged an unlikely bond, a bond that proves to have real strength when the United Kingdom is forced to flex its international might. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Tom Hooper

Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall.

Release Date: Nov 26, 2010

Rated R for Language

Runtime: 1 hr. 51 min

Genres: Drama

Review:

The King’s Speech is the definition of an award’s/actor’s movie. It’s the type of film that allows actors to flex their considerable muscle. Colin Firth is front and center with a character that’s complex, distant and thoroughly conflicted. Firth is only half of what makes this film work. The always impressive Geoffrey Rush is stellar working with Firth. Their chemistry is what drives the film and while there are larger historical event that are addressed this friendship is central to the story. It’s wonderful relationship to watch and especially once Rush’s character starts to break down “Bertie’s” walls. Firth is most impressive during a one on one exchange with Rush after the death of King. Helena Bonham Carter is impressive in limited screen time as the supporting and loving queen. Director Tom Hooper doesn’t have much work to do but he still crafts an elegant film that lovely to watch and rarely drags. Hooper most impressive work is at the beginning and end of the film by making thing like a microphone and typed words seem incredibly terrifying. He allows the audience to feel every bit of trepidation and fear that the character feels as he struggles through each work. The finale is like watching a maestro direct an orchestra that has you hanging on each and every word.

A

MOVIE REVIEWS: CATFISH

ON DVD

CATFISH



Love and identity become twisted across the lines of the Internet in this documentary from filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Nev Schulman is a photographer who one day received a surprising e-mail message -- Abby, an eight-year-old girl in Michigan, had seen his picture in a newspaper and wanted permission to paint a portrait from it. Nev gave his OK, and when he was given a copy of the painting, he was struck by how good it was, assuming that the girl was either a genius or a fraud. Nev tried to contact Abby's family, and somehow ended up in contact with Megan, Abby's sexy 19-year-old sister. As Nev fell into an increasingly complicated on-line relationship with Megan, he decided it was time to meet her in person, but when he traveled to Michigan and tracked her down, Nev learned that Abby and Megan's family were not at all what he expected them to be. Ariel Schulman, Nev's brother, began filming his brother's adventures from his first contact with Abby, and in Catfish he and Henry Joost tell this strange story from beginning to end. Catfish received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director: Ariel Schulman , Henry Joost

Cast: Nev Schulman, Angela Wesselman-Pierce, Ariel Schulman

Release Date: Sep 17, 2010

Rated PG-13 for some sexual references

Runtime: 1 hr. 34 min.

Genres: Documentary

Review:

Anyone whose spent any amount of time on the internet knows were Catfish is going within 15 minutes of the film’s runtime. The marketing campaign try to sell it as a thriller with a massive “shocking” reveal but the truth is far more mundane yet true to life. The authenticity of this documentary is an interesting topic because there are plenty points were you can feel the filmmakers are pushing towards a resolution they already knows exist. So is it a documentary if its creator’s force or encourage the situation at hand? That is up to each viewer to decide for themselves, along with whether this is a mean spirited ruse to capture something real via artificial means. What Catfish (the other Facebook movie as it’s been commonly called) is, is an on the ground sample of the times we live in, the networks we use that try to make our world so much smaller but also includes a vast chasm of unknown which can’t be breached without person to person contact. Once breached, our artificial avatar based lives tend to vary greatly in the light of actual sunlight. Catfish is fascinating in concept and intriguing throughout but there does seem to be a bit of an exploitative undertone, especially in the last act, where our main character appears to lack any empathy for what’s he’s discovered. Perhaps that in of itself is another, if unintended, statement about the times this film encapsulates.

B-

[Trailer] John Carpenter’s THE WARD

Carpenter's first film since the awful Ghost of Mars (2001), trailer doesn't fill me with a lot of hope as it looks fairly pedestrian and the January release date (known to be a dumping ground for studio’s crap) makes me more than a tad apprehensive.

Time will tell if Carpenter is able to capture any of that magic from the 70’s or 80’s…

QUICK HIT MOVIE REVIEWS: SPLICE & SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD

ON DVD



*Synopsis from www.rottentomatoes.com
Superstar genetic engineers Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) specialize in splicing together DNA from different animals to create incredible new hybrids. Now they want to use human DNA in a hybrid that could revolutionize science and medicine. But when the pharmaceutical company that funds their research forbids it, Clive and Elsa secretly conduct their own experiments. The result is Dren, an amazing, strangely beautiful creature that exhibits uncommon intelligence and an array of unexpected physical developments. And though, at first, Dren exceeds their wildest dreams, she begins to grow and learn at an accelerated rate - and threatens to become their worst nightmare.

Rated: R

Running Time: 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed By: Vincenzo Natali

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Horror

Review:

Splice is a confounding movie in that it’s overly self serious tone would be fine if it’d just stuck to its smarts which permeate it’s first 2 acts. Instead it de-evolves in a hodgepodge of eye rolling moments and dialogue in it’s final act which makes you wonder whether you’d been taken for a ride by the director, who also helmed the wonderful cult favorite Cube. It’s a real shame because before the final act there is a plenty to like here, the acting, direction and plot are refreshing original even if the story is a modern Frankenstein tome.

C-




*Synopsis from www.rottentomatoes.com
Immediately following the events of "Diary of the Dead," "Survival of the Dead," is the 6th film from George A. Romero to look at a world where Humans... Immediately following the events of "Diary of the Dead," "Survival of the Dead," is the 6th film from George A. Romero to look at a world where Humans are in the minority and the zombies rule.Off the coast of Delaware sits the cozy Plum Island where two families are locked in a struggle for power, as it has been for generations. The O'Flynn's, headed by patriarch Patrick O'Flynn (Kenneth Welsh) approach the zombie plague with a shoot-to-kill attitude. The Muldoons, headed by Shamus Muldoon (Richard Fitzpatrick), feel that the zombies should be quarantined and kept 'alive,' in hopes that a solution will someday be found.The O'Flynn's, who are clearly outnumbered, are forced to exile Patrick by boat to the mainland, where he meets up with a band of soldiers, headed by Guardsman Sarge (Alan Van Sprang). They join forces and return to the island, to find that the zombie plague has fully gripped the divided community.As the battle between humans and zombies escalates, the master filmmaker continues to reinvent the modern horror genre with wicked humor and pointed social commentary.

Rated: R for strong zombie violence/gore, language and brief sexuality

Running Time: 1 hr. 30 min.

Distributor: Magnolia Pictures

Directed By: George A. Romero

Written By: George A. Romero

Genre: Horror


Review:

Survival of the Dead is a tonally odd film in Romero’s Dead series, especially after the impressive if didactic Diary of the Dead. It’s difficult to get a feel for it until you realize that Romero is making more of a horror comedy than a straight up horror film in his usual vein. You always have to respect Romero’s desire to do what he wants and while it’s an interesting if odd choice, personally I would have liked to have seen a sequel to Diary, in the end Survival of the Dead feel flat and unremarkable.

C

MOVIE REVIEWS: THE FIGHTER

IN THEATERS

THE FIGHTER

Mark Wahlberg stars in Paramount Pictures' inspirational docudrama exploring the remarkable rise of Massachusetts-born, junior welterweight title winner "Irish" Micky Ward. A determined pugilist whose career in the ring was shepherded by his loyal half-brother, Dicky (Christian Bale) -- a hard-living boxer-turned-trainer whose own career in the ring was nearly sent down for the count due to drugs and crime -- perennial underdog Irish Micky rebounded from a disheartening series of defeats to win both the WBU Intercontinental Lightweight title and the WBU Light Welterweight title thanks to a fierce combination of determination and hard work. David O. Russell directs from a script by 8 Mile's Scott Silver and Paul Attanasio (The Bourne Ultimatum). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: David O. Russell

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Jack McGee

Release Date: Dec 17, 2010

Rated R for some violence, sexuality, language throughout and drug content

Runtime: 1 hr. 54 min.

Genres: Documentary, Drama

Review:

Films based on sports stories always have inherent obstacles to clear to make an impression. Those obstacles are simple in that the plots are all identical, underdog rises get to the big game fight etc., and the faux sports never feels truly authentic. As a result this genre always has to work a bit harder than most. The Fighter works as a true life Rocky story because it’s a thoroughly compelling story about family and dysfunction with the sports aspect almost an afterthought. David Russell delivers a film that engaging from the moment it begins. It features some of the best all around acting from its stellar cast. Mark Wahlberg is soft spoken and heartfelt throughout, he tends to blend in to the background from time to time. It’s not really because of anything Wahlberg does but the other parts are meatier roles. Case in point, Christine Bale’s amazing performance as Mickey’s crack addict / trainer Dicky. Bale is a method actor through and through and here he’s manipulated his body to another extreme similar to what he did in The Machinist. His appearance and mannerism are just spot on throughout especially when you see footage of the real person. Bale has shown incredible versatility over the past couple of years and this role should give him the accolades and Oscar he’s deserved. Amy Adams is also impressive playing against type and does it extremely well. Melissa Leo reeks of authenticity as Mickey’s mother and manager. As a whole the cast share fantastic believable chemistry that boosts the story’s emotional center making everything ring true.
A-