Chris Hemsworth as Thor

[source: MTV news]

I think he looks awesome as Thor. What are your initial reactions?

If you’re anything like me (and you’re probably considered normal if you aren’t), you’re absolutely looking forward to this weekend. No, not because it’s Easter weekend, but because Clash of the Titans is coming out! I mean what’s more entertaining, a rabbit who gives kids rainbow-colored eggs or Sam Worthington kicking some mythological ass and standing up for us puny humans? If you’re bringing a date to the movie this weekend, and I hope my readers are cool enough to get dates, you can definitely impress her with some of these facts about Greek mythology that will surely score you some points.

Greek Mythology and Clash of the Titans 101

1. Perseus is played by Sam Worthington, the same actor who appeared in the number 1 movie of all time Avatar and in Terminator: Salvation as Marcus.

2. The story behind Clash of the Titans involves Perseus leading a band of men against Hades, ruler of the underworld.

3. Perseus’s father is Zeus, king of the gods, and his mother is Danaë, a human.

4. Perseus in the original myth must defeat the Gorgon Medusa and bring her head as a gift to Polydectes. He would later offer the head to Athena, who places it on Zeus’s shield.

5. The Kraken is a terrible sea monster that is fated to kill Andromeda, Perseus’s future wife.

6. Pegasus is the name of the badass winged horse that Perseus tames at some point in the film.

Now that you’ve had a quick history lesson, it’s time to go enjoy yourself at the movies this weekend! I’m so excited to see how the gods will be portrayed in relation to humans, specifically if they can pull it off without seeming cheesy.

Clash of the Titans Trailer

Check out the second trailer for the movie.

Sam Worthington Interview on Clash of the Titans

Here’s a great clip of Worthington discussing the film.

Are you watching Clash of the Titans this weekend? Don’t forget you can also see the movie in 3D!

The revamped Conan the Barbarian movie that has been in development limbo at several studios is finally coming together. Lionsgate will be releasing the film domestically, and it looks like they’ve just about finished rounding out the cast. The movie will be directed by Marcus Nispel. Take a look at the list of actors attached so far.

Jason Momoa is Conan the Barbarian

Other Actors

• Ron Perlman as Conan’s father
• Rose McGowan as an evil witch (and not Red Sonja???)
• Rachel Nichols
• Stephen Lang
• Bob Sapp
• Leo Howard
• and Said Taghmaoui

Mixed Feelings

The first thing that comes to mind for me when reading about this project is that the casting of Momoa to reprise the role that Arnold made famous is a mistake. But then again, I also questioned Heath Ledger as the Joker when I first heard the news. Momoa, most famous for his Baywatch and Stargate TV shows, could really bulk up if given time. I’ve decided to wait and see before jumping to any conclusions this time and any Conan is better than no Conan at all in my mind.

And while it’s always easy to criticize casting choices, it becomes rather difficult to choose a worthy Conan when you think about it. I’m interested to see who you would have chose as the conquering barbarian if given the opportunity, rather than just screaming “Dear God noooo!!!” like all the other netizens.

Arnold Schwarzenegger the Original Conan

Who would you have chosen to play Conan?

M. Night Shyamalan is at it again with his latest offering, The Last Airbender, based on a popular Nickolodean animated series that’s popular with children and many adults. I’ve always been a huge M. Night fan, though critics and most of you didn’t take too kindly to The Village and Lady in the Water. Okay, so maybe I didn’t like Lady too much either. M. Night is much more of a director than a writer, and that’s becoming apparent now that the Last Airbender superbowl TV spot has found its way online. People are raving about it, and I can see why.

M. Night lends his vision to an animated world that is very much in need of a director with vision. It’s a great combination – I was already impressed by the first trailer.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Superbowl TV Commercial

Check out the superbowl TV spot.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Teaser Trailer

And for those of you who have never heard of it, check out the first trailer.

The action still looks a little silly to me, but the world M. Night is creating seems fantastic, almost similar to what Peter Jackson did with Lord of the Rings. I for one am hoping M. Night is able to bounce back from his recent decline to fulfill the potential everyone knows he has. He certainly has rich source material to draw from that will allow him to focus on what he does best: directing.

Are you impressed by what you see so far in the superbowl commercial and teaser trailer?

By now, you’ve heard of how wildly successful James Cameron’s latest 3D adventure Avatar has been doing in theaters. Even my parents have seen it, and they’ve only seen Passion of the Christ and Titanic in theaters. That’s big. It means that the reach and pull of the movie is beyond the typically targeted demographics. But for all its hype, technology and $500 million budget, why did the movie have such a simple (read: generic) plot?

This may surprise you, but just because you’ve heard someone (or many) call the plot to Avatar “dumb” doesn’t meant that the writer, James Cameron, is dumb. His success is already a testament to this. Nor should you be foolish enough to believe that Cameron was so egotistical that he didn’t employ top writers and editors to check over his script, or that there weren’t many versions of it despite what anyone says. I’m convinced that the main reason Cameron chose this plot is because it is a universal and lasting story, one that all audiences even in the future will be able to relate to and understand.

Dances with Wolves Test

Still don’t believe me? Okay, try this. Approach anyone age 21 and younger and ask them what Dances with Wolves was about. Then ask them to name the lead actor in it, Kevin Costner. Keep trying this and you’ll keep seeing blank faces or encounter prolonged “I can’t quite remember…” statements. Many audiences in the future will judge the movie on its own merits, and will not compare it to films in the past no matter how close the association. Horror remakes continue to do well because despite their repetitive nature, they’re still new for someone. And more importantly, the formula works.

That’s right, I said it: Formula.

“A man who does not know himself encounters a new land, and discovers that he shares more in common with the ____________ than his own people.”

How many times do we have to sit through this type of plot? It’ll never end, I assure you, because it’s a great story despite how many times it’s been done. You can tweak it all you want, but it’s all the same – The Last Samurai anyone? Self-discovery is what’s important here, and at some point, we all really can relate to it. And let us not forget, Cameron wrote this movie as a “game-changer,” one that would be measured by the movies that came before it and after it. While that likely won’t happen, that was the intention and the movie will certainly be remembered as a milestone for the movie industry. The Silver Age, the Golden Age, and now the 3D Age. When people watch this movie 40 years down the line however, the story is what will help to keep the movie’s place in history, not the technology that made it so special today.

Avatar is not genius because it’s new, it’s genius because it’s old but feels new.

Top 5 Reasons Sam Worthington is Here to Stay

Not convinced? Here are 5 reasons you’ll love seeing Worthington next year, and why you’ll continue to see him even more after.

1. He out-acts Christian Bale. It takes a strong actor to outdo Bale in his own film, who has been known to go all out for roles. Especially hot off the success of The Dark Knight. Worthington showed his acting ability by holding his own and then some against Bale and received acclaim for his portrayal of Marcus. Many critics believed he stole the show completely.

2. He has serious acting credentials. Just take a look at Worthington on IMDB and you’ll see a list of some notable films he’s acted in in the past, including Hart’s War. He’s also serious about research, as we heard he sent one of his friends down to the last Comic-Con to check out the latest in intellectual property and movie trends.

3. Clash of the Titans. Move over Harry Hamlin, there’s a new titan in town. Worthington will be starring in a remake of the 1981 classic sans robotic owl, and the trailer looks pretty awesome. By giving himself an opportunity to work with the likes of Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Gemma Arterton, Worthington is positioning himself brilliantly among a cast that will refine his abilities.

Clash of the Titans Trailer

4. Looks. Did I have to mention it? No. But let’s face it, looks matter when it comes to building the next big acting machine. My girlfriend took one look at him and was instantly ready to buy tickets to his next movie. Don’t believe me? Just wait till he’s nominated as the next sexiest man of the year.

5. Avatar. That’s one powerful word if you know anything about Hollywood. James Cameron. Those are two more. Worthington may be the luckiest bastard in the world for landing the lead role in the movie many believe will revolutionize the film industry. We’ve already seen other studios gearing up to offer 3-D movies of their own, but nothing will compare to the impact of Cameron’s $400+ million production. Fans of Cameron are highly anticipating his latest offering since Titanic, a movie that will never be beaten at the box office. Ever.

Avatar Extended Trailer

Of course, there’s always a chance that Avatar won’t go well with critics or audiences. The movie could tank, leaving Worthington to rebuild slowly over time. It could happen. Will it? Nope.

Hollywood Needs Better Casting

This isn’t the old days when David Carradine could pass as a Chinese kung fu master. And while it’s not necessarily news, it comes as a surprise to me that the producers of the Prince of Persia movie would choose an American actor to play an ethnic role. Jake Gyllenhaal, although a great actor in his own right, should not have been selected. Hasn’t anyone learned anything from the recent Dragonball movie flop? GMR recently did some research to confirm that Jake Gyllenhaal is indeed white.

No Need for High Profile Actors

There is no doubt in my mind that the movie will go on to become a huge box office success thanks to Hollywood marketing, but that’s more so because of the great concept of the film versus the actors chosen. We’ve seen how Paranormal Activity and Transformers II performed so well in theaters without any real star power – the fresh concepts won out. Someone in Hollywood should be willing to take the risk on an unknown Persian actor for the sake of authenticity if nothing else.

Would you appreciate Hollywood taking a risk in an unknown actor and aiming for a more authentic film?

Check out the all new trailer for Prince of Persia: Sands of Time starring Jake Gyllenhaal and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

Plot: Set in medieval Persia, the story of an adventurous prince who teams up with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world. Which is why after the prince was tricked by a dying Vizier to unleash the Sands of Time that turns out to destroy a kingdom and transforms its populace into ferocious demons. In his effort to save his own kingdom and redeem his fatal mistake, it’s up to the prince and the princess to return the sands to the hourglass by using the Dagger of Time, which also gives him a limited control over the flow of time.

[source: IMDB]

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Movie Poster

Will you be on time for opening night?

Avatar – James Cameron

Avatar Official Poster

What did you think of the Avatar trailer?

Johnny Depp Unhappy

There’s a reason you should be worried if you’re a pirates fan, and it’s the fact that Johnny Depp, the actor who was nominated for a Best Actor award for his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow, is currently unenthusiastic to say the least about the departure of Dick Cook, a Disney studio executive who was a driving force behind the franchise’s success. Depp only commented that he was “shocked and very sad” at Cook’s leaving. An unhappy actor leads to all kinds of set trouble, and the ultimate quality of the product has a higher chance of being compromised. We’ve all heard about what it’s like to be part of a chaotic production, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the “Stranger Tides” referred to in the movie could be realized rather quickly. Depp is not the type of actor to express dissatisfaction to earn a higher paycheck, so when he expresses his doubt, I’m buying it. You savvy?

Sparrow Obligated to Sail

As noted in many reports, Johnny Depp is contractually obligated to do a fourth Pirates film if it is indeed produced. Even as a critical failure, the Pirates name alone is surely strong enough to produce decent revenues for Disney. But do we really need a new film from a critical standpoint? The last movie in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, did a nice job of wrapping up the jumbled story arc involving William Turner and Elizabeth Swan, played by Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. A fourth film would have to abandon the mysticism of the sea in favor of a more grounded action-adventure story. If there’s one man who can right this ship however, it’s Johnny Depp.

Yarghh! So how about it matey? Would you be open to sailing the blue seas with Jack Sparrow in a fourth film?

[Source: LA Times]