Pop 'n' Fresh

Star Trek photos out

Okay, I'm a geek. We know this. I liked Comic Con. A lot. I squeed when Findlay finally got the Sci-Fi Channel (that was before it became the cheesy horror channel).

So I am just about salivating over the upcoming J.J. Abrams-helmed "Star Trek" reimagining. And now we have photos to whet my appetite even more:

First we have on the bridge of the USS Enterprise (left to right): Anton Yelchin as Chekov, Chris Pine with a nice shiner as James T. Kirk, Simon Pegg as Lt. Montgomery Scott, Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, John Cho as Sulu and Zoe Saldana as Uhura.

 

Then Captain Kirk crawling out of what appears to be an ice hole in which his shuttle has crashed:

Producer Damon Lindelof confirmed that the pic is real and said: "It seems to be some sort of icy embankment. I will confirm that it is an ice hole, or an ice crater. ... We're going to remain deviously guarded about the plot of the movie, but I can say that the scene was shot in Los Angeles and it is a very good looking set.

"Basically once he gets out of that crater, he's in an icy place and there are many effects that follow," he continued. "But for that particular image, it is what it is."

The only other thing he would say is that the scene takes place at the heart of the story, both chronologically and conceptually. "This is right around the midpoint of the movie," he said. "One of the things that's at the heart of the Trek universe ... is the idea of the away team. The idea that it's not just about people shooting around in a starship, but they also go down to these planets."

And, of course, the new Vulcan death grip:

 

I'm going to die during the wait. Paramount Pictures (ever-so-short-sightedly) pushed the release back from Christmas to May 8, 2009. That's seven loooooong months until I can see me some Captain Kirk. Maybe I'll take a page from Cartman's book and try to cryofreeze myself until then...

-Mariah

Movie Poster Madness!!!

My apologies for the lack of posts recently. My only excuse is the excellent football and flood coverage that I've been wading through and tackling as of late (hahaha...ha...heh...eh...).

In any case, here's a little something that Courier editor Sean Corp pointed out to me: a test on your movie poster knowledge. It's a quiz put together by EmpireOnline.com that strains your brain to try and identify letters from the titles of (duh) movie posters.

And even though Sean got 28 correct, I myself scored a 29 before I left work. Though, for some reason, I get the feeling that this is one of those things where even if you win, you lose...

Oh, well - still fun!

- Jason

3, 2, 1 Blastoff...

We've fled the country!

That's right - your faithful entertainment bloggers have left the States and headed to Polaris Convention, a fan-run scifi/fantasy gathering in Toronto, Canada. We packed our bags and left Ohio Friday for some Canadian geek love all weekend long.

We got ourselves checked in and spotted the con regulars - Indiana Jones, a few Ghostbusters, aliens aplenty and, of course, vampires.

The first item on our agenda was the Blast-Off Party, an exclusive event where a limited number of attendees get to mingle with all the multi-day guests.

The Blast-Off Party was like being a band geek waiting for the prom queen to do the rounds, if the prom was a smoking hot scifi actor or two. It was fun and everyone was amazingly nice, but I was definitely feeling the high school vibe.

We stood around a cocktail table waiting for the forced social interactions with Jason Dohring (Josef on "Moonlight") and Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto on "Torchwood"). And stood. And stood. And stood.

I wandered off to flirt with some Stargate fans in hopes of free drinks, but nothing. And still the boys kept to the far side of the room with the more rabid fans.

Fortunately Chandra knows how to get things done and managed to accidentally whine to the right people (Monique, the head of autographs, and Monique, the convention chair), who then made it their mission to drag Gareth and Jason over for our obligatory expensive moment of interaction with stars.

Gareth David-Lloyd, who is just stunning enough to make my heart go pitter-patter, wandered by first. From this British import, we learned:
- An accent will forgive nearly any sin and takes men from cute to swoon-worthy
- Everyone wants to know what it was like to kiss John Barrowman
- He hasn't seen "Bruce Almighty"
- He'll be guesting at San Diego Comic Con and meeting up with friends during the appearance. We gave him the skinny on New York Comic Con and plenty of warnings about how not to get killed by crazy fans or mobbed by comic book geeks, but he may still be in trouble

Things I Learned in six minutes about Jason Dohring:
- He's as not tall as I thought he was (seriously, I had him at 6'5" or so in my head, but he only towered over me a little)
- He's heading a little more mainstream. Apparently getting beloved projects canceled over and over again is less than fun and he's hoping to reach a wider audience
- What a levy is and how that's not going to save the world
- Chandra doesn't shut up (kidding!). But she did get Jason talking about social issues and the plight of Northwest Ohio (for those not in the know, Jason was born in Toledo - though he moved away at age 3) and how Jason could fix things. Don't think I'm not writing your manager, man.
- Rich people are weird. Okay, not weird, but very different from you and me. Jason was planning to visit the nanny who helped raise him while in Toronto. Very sweet that he would go see her, but I believe he's the first person I've met who had a nanny and told me about it.
- I'm not as fangirl as I thought I was and Chandra is not a fangirl at all (despite all efforts to the contrary). Of our little group, we were the only ones who talked (one of us more than the other, but) and it was a serious conversation with no squeeing.

Things I learned from the two second drive-by by Ellen Muth:
- She drinks fast
- She runs faster

Today we have press conferences, photos, Q&As and all sorts of fun stuff with the above celebs, as well as authors Tanya Huff and Kelley Armstrong.

More later...

- Mariah (with comic assistance from Chandra)

Twilight sneak peek

It's going to be a bloody good summer. The blockbuster movie season kicks off this weekend with "Iron Man" and there are so many more good ones to come (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the Sex and the City movie, Prince Caspian).

But one of the movies that gets my heart racing is "Twilight" due out in December and based on the New York Times bestselling novel. Slash Film has already caught onto the craze, theorizing that Twilight might be the next Harry Potter.

Even Time magazine (and Orson Scott Card) thinks author Stephenie Meyer is something special. She was selected as one of the 100 most influential people of 2008. Her latest book and the first outside the Twilight series, "The Host" comes out May 6 and we'll see if the magic continues.

Until then, check out this preview of the movie:

- Mariah

del Toro to travel to Middle Earth

As promised during his Comic Con panel, it's been about a week and the official announcement has come down: Guillermo del Toro has been tapped to direct "The Hobbit," the Lord of the Rings prequel.

The man who throws himself so utterly into any
project is doing just that with this one. Del Toro is moving to New Zealand for the next four years to work with LOTR director Peter Jackson's production teams and delve into Middle Earth.
Based on del Toro's previous work (Hellboy and the movie which scarred me for line, Pan's Labyrinth), I have high hopes for this movie.

Any thoughts? Regrets? Screams of outrage/excitement?

- Mariah

Forgetting Sarah Marshall? Done

Judd Apatow could accurately be labeled the brainchild behind the current state of comedy in  America.

As director, producer and writer, he’s been involved with some of the funniest films of the past decade, including "Anchorman," "The 40 Year Old Virgin," "Knocked Up" and "Superbad." Apatow movies have found a way to skillfully and delicately straddle the line between raunchy laughs and the kind of "aww, ain’t that sweet" sentiment typically reserved for run-of-the-mill romantic comedies.

After such consistently stellar works, the Apatow legacy was bound to hit a bump in the road somewhere (I’m giving him get out of jail free card on "Kicking and Screaming").

That bump is named "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."

Heavier on the romantic aspect and lighter on the comedy portion than the previously mentioned films, "Forgetting" isn’t nearly as memorable.

The problem? It’s not that funny.

  The depressed Peter (Jason Segel, left, from CBS’ "How I Met Your Mother") heads to Hawaii to help him get over the loss of his TV star girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), who left him for a cheesy British pop star, Aldous Snow (the quite funny Russell Brand). Peter arrives at the hotel to find Sarah is also vacationing there, with the cheesy British star — not exactly what Peter had in mind.

In the meantime, Peter develops a mini crush on Rachel (Mila Kunis, "That ‘70s Show," right), the hotel  front desk girl. Over the course of the next week, the four constantly run into each other, prompting an assortment of awkward situations and changes in romantic feelings.

The laugh potential is there — some of the material felt like it should be funny, but it seems to fall flat upon delivery. Attempts to be humorous seem almost sad and pathetic, probably because Peter is too depressed to be funny. Segel’s slow, monotone delivery doesn’t help the chuckle factor, either. He just doesn’t seem to have the presence needed to consistently deliver the laughs — which is unfortunate, since he also wrote the screenplay. It appears I may not be the only one who feels this way

"Forgetting" is best when the relatively unknown Brand is cheesing it up as the obnoxious rocker boyfriend. An R-rated version of his song "Inside of You" is worth an encore, and his frank and whimsical view of sex feels more genuine than anything else here. Bill Hader (Seth Rogen’s police partner on "Superbad") as Peter’s stepbrother is the other consistently funny component, urging Peter to stray far from the woman who brought him to Hawaii in the first place.

One of the most disappointing aspects in "Forgetting" is the dialogue, which doesn’t hold a candle to the witty and ridiculously out-there stuff being said in other Apatow movies. Rarely is there more than a fleeting "huh huh huh" laugh to be found.

The film goes the usual chick-flick route in its (stay with me here) "boy loves girl, boy loses girl, boy finds another girl, first girl wants boy back, boy loses second girl, boy realizes first girl isn’t right for him, boy hopes to get second girl back" plot, and attempts to play the "aww, ain’t that sweet" card by the end. Unfortunately, the "aww" factor doesn’t make up for the previous two hours of mediocrity.

Going in, I wanted "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" to be hard to forget.

Unfortunately, little in it was worth remembering.

Joel

Lionsgate to Ackles: "Be Mine!"

Lionsgate is in final talks with Jensen Ackles, right, from Supernatural, to play a lead in "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," a remake of the 1981 original.

The actor has voiced concern about slipping into film while working on Supernatural, but maybe Jared Padalecki's jump into the horror as a lead in Friday the 13th helped to convince him that mixing ghosts and gore can be accomplished.

If anyone can do it, Ackles can. His professionalism and talent shine through the roles he takes on, much like his co-star's. With Padalecki and Ackles, a show can't go wrong and Lionsgate would be lucky to get one half of that amazing team.

Patrick Lussier is directing the film and will add this one to an impressive list of horror movies on his resume such as Dracula 2000, Scream 3 and Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later.

If Ackles accepts the role, he will be cast as Tom, a good guy with great looks who returns to his hometown of Harmony 10 years after a fatal Valentine's Day where 22 people were killed.

Tom becomes a murder suspect and rekindles feelings for his childhood sweetheart, Sarah.

The part of Sarah has already been cast with the lovely Nurse Betty from Pearl Harbor, Jaime King, left.

I'm not sure if I can handle the 3-D portion of this film, though, even with two talented stars in the leading roles and a great director. Seeing a crazed murderer coming at me from the big screen is scary enough, but seeing it actually jump off that screen and lunge for me is quite another.

Ackles, I admire you, but I think this is one movie remake I might have to skip. No worries, I won't be watching your buddy Padalecki run from the guy in the hockey mask, either.

If either of you ever find the time to do some fun action or maybe a romantic comedy or two, though, let me know.

My Bloody Valentine 3-D is set to be released Jan. 23, 2009.

~Chandra

Friday the 13th Remake

I'll be the first to admit, I don't like "Friday the 13th." Ever since I was little and was treated to some guy in a hockey mask shooting some girl in the eye with a crossbow, I was sold on never watching it again.

Now things might change.

Platinum Dunes is producing a remake for New Line and Paramount which means it's probably going to be bloodier and gorier than the one released when I was 4, but that also means there will be newer and more interesting actors that I have a chance of recognizing.

One such actor? Jared Padalecki, right, of Supernatural on the CW. He's been in "Cry Wolf"  and "House of Wax." See a pattern yet? Our Mr. Padalecki tends to enjoy the creepy. He also plays the part of Thomas Kinkade in "Home for Christmas," which by some people might also tip the creepy scale.

The movie is set for release in February 2009 on Friday the 13th of course and has a fun aka really really creepy Web site to promote it. Padalecki will not be wearing the hockey mask, left. He'll be the person investigating the happenings at the lake where everything goes awry.

Whether I see it or not has a lot to do with if I can stomach the gore just for a glimpse of Jared. Honestly, I doubt it. Seeing glimpses from between my fingers, as my hands will be over my eyes the whole time, most likely won't be worth it.

~Chandra