Milla Jovovich Brings It In New “Resident Evil” Pix.

The trailer for the sixth installment in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s long-running evil zombie franchise landed yesterday. Now here’s some new pix of the movie’s star (and Anderson’s wife) model/actress Milla Jovovich kicking some butt:


And a synopsis:


“Alice is captured by Umbrella and awakens in the heart of their operation facility; as she moves further in the complex more of her past is unveiled and continues to hunt for those responsible for the outbreak. Her quest takes her and her newfound allies from Tokyo to New York, Washington, D.C. and Moscow. After a “mind-blowing” revelation, she is forced to rethink everything she once thought to be true.”

(h/t HeyUGuys)

Posted in action, Film News, Sci-Fi | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Thomas Edison Produced The First On-Screen Kiss.

This is pretty fascinating (from Brain Pickings, via IO9):

“Thomas Edison is responsible for some of the most significant, and is even credited as the inventor of the movie industry itself. But besides his visionary take on technology, he also had a keen eye for what audiences wanted, from his YouTube-like 1984 boxing cats to his 1901 footage of legendary aerialist Charmion’s trapeze strip-tease. It comes as no surprise, then, that Edison is also responsible for the very first on-screen kiss in cinema, featuring Canadian actress May Irwin. A mere 23 seconds in length, it was filmed in his Black Maria studio in New Jersey in 1896., at a time when public kissing was greatly frowned upon by Victorian society. In that era, the act of kissing was referred to as “sparkin’” if it took place indoors, usually the parlor, or “spoonin’” when performed outdoors, in a secluded spot far from the public’s eye.

From 1896, here it is:

And to think it would only take about a century to get from that chaste smooch to “Basic Instinct” and “Shame.”

Posted in Hollywood and History, Our Films, Ourselves, Thinking About Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Serious “Dark Knight Rises” Spoiler Released.

Thirteen-year-old actress Joey King drops a major plot point on Christopher Nolan’s Bat-Saga. Click through for the details. I don’t want to give too much away, but it confirms long-standing speculation about the presence of a certain adult actress (who may or may not be French) in the film.

Spoilers ahead.

Posted in action, Film News, Summer Blockbusters, Superhero Cinema | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

New “Resident Evil: Retribution” Trailer Released.

Via SpoilerTV:

The Milla Jovovich-starring movie hits U.S. screens in September.

Posted in action, Film News, Sci-Fi, Trailer Trash | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“The Artist” Takes London Honors.

British filmgoers may have complained about the lack of dialogue, but that didn’t stop “The Artist” from taking honors at the London Film Critics’ Awards.

The Wrap has the skinny:

“The Weinstein Co. film won three prizes, including Film of the Year, at the 32rd London Film Critics’ Circle Awards on Thursday. Director Michel Hazanavicius and actor Jean Dujardin won best director and actor, respectively.

The trophies are the latest for the nearly silent black-and-white film, which also won over critics at the Golden Globes, Cannes, AFI and Critics’ Choice.”

Read the full story here.

Posted in comedy, Film News, Silent Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Report: Kristen Wiig in Negotiations To Star In “Walter Mitty.”

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Saturday Night Live star Kristen Wiig is in talks to star in negotiations to star alongside Ben Stiller in a new film adaptation of the James Thurber short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”

The 1947 original starred Danny Kaye as Thurber’s daft dreamer who imagines himself in all sorts of situations.

THR Reports:

“Mitty will be Wiig’s first big studio gig since her breakout starring role in last year’s comedy Bridesmaids. The comedienne, who shot two independent projects, Imogene and Revenge of the Jolly!, over the summer, has been very careful about selecting her next role.”

Shooting is to start in April with filming in New York and Iceland, THR reports.

Read the full story here.

Posted in comedy, Film Noir, Golden Age of Cinema | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

New “Hunger Games” Poster and Image Released.

I really have to get around to reading the books …

And here’s Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson getting ready for a scene where Lawrence’s character Katniss becomes something called “The Girl on Fire.”

Posted in Film News, Sci-Fi, Spoiler-itis | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Butt-Kicking Women To Lead Weekend Box Office.

Kate Beckinsale’sUnderworld” sequel and “Haywire,” the Steven Soderbergh-helmed film starring MMA champ Gina Carano both open this weekend.

But according to TheWrap, it’s Beckinsale’s sultry-but-deadly vampire who will win the weekend:

“Kate Beckinsale’s “Underworld: Awakening” is expected to triumph over Relativity’s “Haywire,” starring Mixed Martial Arts badass Gina Carano as a black ops superagent-gone-rogue, and the rest of the box-office competition, which includes Fox’s “Red Tails,” about African American pilots during World War II, and an expansion of Warners’ “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” 9-11 drama.”

Still, it’s rare to have one female-led actioner opening in a single weekend, let alone two. So score one for the sisterhood.

Posted in action, Film News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Has Hollywood Finally Found Its Wonder Woman?

"Going Haywire" star Gina Carano in American GQ this month.

Someone (Not David E. Kelley) start writing a script. It looks like Gina Carano, the MMA-champ-turned-star of Steven Soderbergh’sGoing Haywire” is interested in playing the ageless Amazonian princess:

NYMag’s Vulture has the skinny:

“Q: People have suggested you play Wonder Woman.

A: ‘I know! We even had a Wonder Woman reference in the film — did you catch it? One of the cops said something to me like, “Oh, chill out, Wonder Woman.” And I thought that was so funny. I said to Steven, “You know there’s a little rumor about me and Wonder Woman.” And he said mischievously, “Oh, that’s interesting.'”

Posted in action, Film News, Superhero Cinema | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Nicholas Cage: Expect A New Kind Of “Ghost Rider.”

Via ComicBook Movie, the veteran actor lets audiences know what to expect from the continuing adventures of everyone’s favorite Satanically possessed undead motorcycle rider:

“Johnny Blaze is in a much different place in this movie, It’s a much edgier, almost cynical interpretation compared to the first Ghost Rider. Because in that movie, Johnny was trying to keep everything at bay, to keep things from erupting.”

“I couldn’t get my head around how I was supposed to perceive something like that to be a hero, so I was automatically attracted to that complexity. It’s easy to love Superman, it’s easy to love Captain America, but it’s a challenge to love the Ghost Rider. As I got older that carried on into my dramatic work – I’m always looking for flawed characters who have a pathos and a kind of tragedy to them.”

Read the full story here.

Posted in action, Film News, Summer Blockbusters, Superhero Cinema | Tagged , , | Leave a comment