Mary Poppins Returns just got even more British. Colin Firth has signed on for the Disney sequel, joining Emily Blunt as the practically perfect nanny and Lin-Manuel Miranda as her lamplighter buddy Jack. Also starring are Meryl Streep, Ben Whishaw, and Emily Mortimer. Find out which character Firth is playing below. 

Variety reports Firth is in negotiations to play William Weatherall Wilkins, president of the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank. Here’s hoping those tongue-twisting names will be incorporated into the lyrics of a song at some point in the movie, because otherwise what is even the point? As previously reported, Streep is Mary Poppins’ cousin, Topsy, and Mortimer and Whishaw play Jane and Michael Banks.

Disney’s original 1964 Mary Poppins was based on the first of P.L. Travers’ eight books about the magical nanny. Mary Poppins Returns is a sequel based on the other installments. The story picks up about two decades after the original, in Depression-era London. Jane and Michael Banks are all grown up, and Michael has three children of his own. But when tragedy strikes, the Banks family is revisited by Mary Poppins, who helps them rediscover joy and adventure in their lives.

Rob Marshall is directing Mary Poppins Returns from a script by David Magee. The sequel will feature an all-new score by Marc Shaiman and all-new songs by Shaiman and Scott Wittman. John DeLuca and Marc Platt are producing with Marshall.

Firth last appeared in another sequel, Bridget Jones’s Baby, and recently wrapped yet another sequel, Kingsman: The Secret Service. His other upcoming projects include Rupert Everett’s Oscar Wilde biopic The Happy Prince, Thomas Vinterberg’s survival drama Kursk, and James Marsh’s yachting drama The Mercy. He also had a hand in one of this fall’s most highly praised dramas, though you might not know it unless you sat through the credits: he was a producer on Jeff Nichols’ Loving.

Disney has Mary Poppins Returns out December 25, 2018.

The post Colin Firth Joins Disney’s ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ appeared first on /Film.

Earlier today we saw the first Logan trailer, which is cut to Johnny Cash‘s cover of NIN’s “Hurt.” Perhaps not a terribly subtle song choice, but it’s pretty damn effective. The fun nod to Mangold’s Walk the Line aside, the song choice also hints the filmmaker is bringing audiences a slightly different offering from the superhero genre, and that was the Mangold and 20th Century Fox’s intent with the trailer.

Below, James Mangold discusses Logan’s timeline and his aspirations for the film.

Mangold believes Cash’s music makes the trailer stand apart from the “standard, bombastic, brooding orchestral, swish-bang, doors opening and slamming, explosions kind of methodology of some of these movies.” Another way Mangold wants Logan to stand out from the herd? By making the stakes less global, more personal. Logan isn’t saving the world this time.

In an interview with Empire, Mangold talks about how his film is driven more by character than conventional genre spectacle:

Hugh and I have been talking about what we would do since we were working on the last one, and for both of us it was this requirement that, to be even interested in doing it, we had to free ourselves from some assumptions that had existed in the past, and be able to change the tone a bit. Not merely to change for change’s sake, but also to make something that’s speaking to the culture now, that’s not just the same style — how many times can they save the world in one way or another? How can we construct a story that’s built more on character and character issues, in a way as if it almost wasn’t a superhero movie, yet it features their powers and struggles and themes.

To make the character more vulnerable his healing powers have been slowed down. The Logan we see in the trailer is scarred and battered, a true depiction of Old Man Logan. Mangold explains Jackman and him had the freedom to play with certain rules and traditions from the X-Men series:

One of the things we all thought about as we worked on this film is, well, we don’t want to rebuild everything. We want to have some questions. In order to make a different Logan, and a different tone of a Wolverine movie, we felt like we couldn’t hold on to every tradition established in all the movies religiously, or we’d be trapped by the decisions made before us. So we questioned whether Logan’s healing factor causes him to heal without even a scar. We imagined that it may have when he was younger, but with age, he’s getting older and ailing. Perhaps his healing factor no longer produces baby-soft skin. So we imagined he heals quickly, still, but it leaves a scar. The simple idea was that his body would start to get a little more ravaged with a kind of tattooing of past battles, lacerations that remain of previous conflicts.

Although Mangold wants to dig deeper under Logan’s skin, that doesn’t mean we’re not going to see the character unleash his claws and go berzerk in Logan. Mangold promises visceral, R-rated action, which, based on the trailer, relies far more on practical effects and real environments than CGI:

This represents] to me the kind of aggressive, classical Wolverine action that we want in the movie – more of something that fans have been asking for, for a really long time. We’ve been limited in one way or another from giving it to them, but I think we’ve got the go-ahead to really go for it on this picture. So we’re really trying to deliver what folks have always imagined those kind of battles would look like. There is a lot of high-octane action in the movie. We’re just trying to do it very differently and very viscerally.

Mangold doesn’t have much to say about Laura Kinney (Dafne Keen) or Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook). He’d prefer to maintain a little mystery regarding those characters. The director does say Holbrook brings some humor to the villain, though, and that Keen’s character is a part of the film’s family. Mangold tells Empire that Logan, first and foremost, is a movie about family. Based on the trailer, and Jacob’s breakdown, this family is going to get put through the wringer next March.

Logan opens in theaters March 3rd, 2017.

The post James Mangold Reveals ‘Logan’s’ Timeline and Talks Unique Tone appeared first on /Film.

This year didn’t mark a special anniversary for The Iron Giant, the animated film from director Brad Bird which hit theaters in 1999, but the movie did finally hit Blu-ray for the first time, finally giving fans the HD version of the movie they’ve wanted for years.

Now another treat for fans of The Iron Giant comes from Sideshow Collectibles in the form of a gorgeous maquette that stands over two feet tall. Check out some photos of the maquette after the jump, and find out how much money it will rip out of your wallet.

Here’s the The Iron Giant maquette from Sideshow Collectibles:

Standing at 25.5 inches, this isn’t a collectible figure you can play with, but the head is slightly articulated and has light-up eyes. Plus, if you get the Sideshow exclusive version, then you get a magnetic “S” that sticks right on his chest to turn him into Superman.

Now for the bad news. The Iron Giant maquette is going to cost you $699.99 if you want him to sit on your shelf. That’s not surprising coming from Sideshow, but this particular collectible does seem to be worth the cash, because it looks incredible. It’s available for pre-order right now.

But if you don’t have the cash for this kind of collectible, don’t forget that The Art of The Iron Giant book came out last month too, and not only is it well worth your cash, but it’s also significantly cheaper than the maquette.

The post Cool Stuff: Sideshow’s ‘The Iron Giant’ Maquette Is Exquisite appeared first on /Film.

This week has been chock full of updates regarding Wolverine 3. After Hugh Jackman promised a reveal regarding the X-Men spin-off sequel earlier this week, we got a teaser poster with an official title and some intriguing plot details. The film is called Logan, and it will see the mutant known as Wolverine aged, not healing as quickly or efficiently as he used to, and he’s drinking all the time. In addition, we heard that he’s been taking care of an aging Professor X, whose powers have become unstable as well.

To follow up those details, we now have our first official look at Patrick Stewart as Professor X in a new Logan photo. It’s clear he’s not doing well in the year 2024, and he might even be losing his sight.

Here’s the photo that director James Mangold posted to Twitter:

Taken w/ Leica S 007 Summicron 100mm, ISO 3200 1/250 ƒ3.4 — by JM pic.twitter.com/Jhwsf7uBhv

— Mangold (@mang0ld) October 6, 2016

In addition to Professor X’s powers fading, his memory isn’t what it used to be either. Sometimes he even forgets who Logan is, even though he’s been taking care of him for awhile. Plus, if you look at the photo above, his left eye looks a little cloudy, indicating that he might be losing some of his sight as well. Adding to a change in his appearance, he’s no longer wearing those finely tailored suits, opting to wear something that your grandfather might wear while watching JAG.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Patrick Stewart version of Professor X died for good this time, especially since this is supposed to be his last turn in the role. This is supposed to be a send-off for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine as well. So this could prove to be a very emotional sequel in the X-Men franchise, not to mention having a drastically different and darker tone than the previous entries in Wolverine’s solo outing.

Beyond the recently revealed details, all we know is that Essex Corp. is involved and Mr. Sinister will be the villain. There have also been rumors of the female version of Wolverine, known as X-23, having a role as well. Here’s hoping we learn more about the movie soon and get a look at Boyd Holbrook, Richard E. Grant, and Elizabeth Rodriguez in the movie too.

With a release date set for early next spring on March 3, 2017, we should be getting a teaser trailer soon, so stay tuned.

The post New ‘Wolverine 3’ Photo Shows How Much Professor X Has Aged appeared first on /Film.

Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures have mapped out a plan for its star-studded Ocean’s Eleven spinoff. The studio has announced a 2018 release date for Ocean’s 8, which stars Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter. Gary Ross is directing.

THR reports Ocean’s 8 will arrive at the height of the summer movie season on June 8, 2018. It’ll open directly against Paramount’s Transformers 6, and should serve as a nice bit of counter-programming for audiences tired of watching giant CG robots go at it with each other. Also opening around that time are Disney’s Han Solo spinoff (May 25), Pixar’s Toy Story 4, and Universal’s Jurassic World sequel.

Bullock leads Ocean’s 8 as the sister of Danny Ocean, George Clooney’s character from Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s movies. Like her brother, she’s a charismatic thief. She organizes a heist to take place at the Met Gala, and recruits a colorful team to help her pull it off. Blanchett plays her right-hand woman (basically, the Brad Pitt to Bullock’s George Clooney). Soderbergh is producing.

Speaking to /Film’s Jack Giroux this summer, Ross explained how Ocean’s 8 would be like the Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven films. “I think it’s a pretty similar tone,” he said. “This is very much an extension and a continuation.” He went on to praise the “amazing tone” of the earlier films, and talked up his collaboration with Soderbergh on the project. “We discuss the cinema a lot, the shooting style, the rhythm, the editing style, and the music. We discuss it all,” he said. “I’m in no way trying to reinvent the tone, and I’m thrilled and honored to be extending it. It’s really fun to work with.”

Ross is directing Ocean’s 8 from a script he wrote with Olivia Milch. Susan Ekins will executive produce. The project has been in development for years, but hit a speed bump when producer Jerry Weintraub passed away last year. The project finally got back on track last year when Ross signed on. Shooting begins this month in New York.

The post ‘Ocean’s 8’ Sets Summer 2018 Release Date appeared first on /Film.

If you like keeping up with these kind of things the title for the Blade Runner sequel has just been announced, Blade Runner 2049.  We realize this does not say much other than set the sequel thirty years after the first film. Other than that everything is super top secret.  We already know that Harrison Ford is returning, so are Ridley Scott (in a producing role) and the first film's writer Hampton Fancher. Newcomers to the sequel are Ryan Gosling and what should excite everyone the most is Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario, Prisoners) who has been wowing us all throughout his career.  What do you think of the title? I immediately thought of all those future universe spin off comics that started popping up in the...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

RedLetterMedia has finally posted their epic feature-length takedown of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. You might remember that independent filmmaker Mike Stoklasa’s 70-minute video review of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace went viral in 2009. The review was posted in seven parts on YouTube, and presented from the point of view of his character “Harry S. Plinkett.” Mr. Plinkett followed up those reviews with take-downs of the other George Lucas Star Wars films and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

And now he has returned with a one hour and forty-five-minute video essay on the current and future of the Star Wars franchise, and oh yeah, a review of JJ Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Hit the jump to watch RedLetterMedia’s Force Awakens review.

RedLetterMedia’s Force Awakens Review

Plinkett, using his own trademark humor, takes a look not at just Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but Hollywood’s new obsession with cinematic multiverses. No one is unscathed. Disney is a big mega corporation beating a dead horse in a cinematic assembly line that will never end; Kathleen Kennedy sells George Lucas down the river, the movie blogs and video essayists lack any real insight and we are all lemmings buying into it all.

Plinkett always errs on the side of jokes and entertaining sidetracks, but at an hour and forty-five minutes in length (still 30 minutes shorter than the movie itself), this video review does feel a bit too long.

His tangents could have easily been better as their own video essays. For example, he spends over twenty minutes alone lampooning the Star Wars ring theory. He does so of course while including clips of galactic space aliens farting from Phantom Menace, because why not? I’m not sure the Star Wars ring theory needed this much dissection, and I’m not sure what it has to do with The Force Awakens.

In the end, we learn that presenting imagery from two films side by side can be very compelling, even if it doesn’t mean anything, which may be why Plinkett devoted a whole section on the hypothesis. Also, it gives Plinkett a chance to tear apart George Lucas’ lack of planning when writing the original and prequel trilogies.

Another tangent spends fifteen minutes going off on the recent boom of Star Wars prequel defenders, placing blame on websites trying to fill dead space with stupid listicles filled with dumb observations. The section comparing the then-current events from the first Bush administration to the politics in the prequels is engaging. But again, it’s material that may have been better off as its own separate video essay.

It’s not until almost an hour into the video (nearly the mid-point) that Plinkett begins to dig into the Force Awakens itself. So if you just want to see him dissect the JJ Abrams Star Wars sequel, I suggest you just skip to the 53-minute mark.

As for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Plinkett calls it “a soft reboot scam that tricked billions of people.” As much as Plinkett hates the prequels, he agrees with George Lucas that at least they were trying to do something different. It’s ironic that Plinkett seems so obsessed with Lucas’ unused ideas for the Star Wars sequel trilogy and the filmmaker’s criticism of Disney and the film. He uses a clip from George Lucas talking about the problem with modern moviemaking and presents it side by side with video of the making of The Force Awakens.

The biggest problem with this review is that it’s being published ten months too late. Submitting a side-by-side comparison of A New Hope and The Force Awakens has already been done by a dozen other video essayists, and I don’t think Plinkett adds anything new. Again, as Plinkett explained earlier, the juxtaposition of footage from two separate films can be very compelling, but does it really mean anything? Plinkett’s observations in this video were a lot more obvious, and lacking the depth that I loved from the reviewer’s takedowns of the Star Wars prequels. More absorbing is the section in which Plinkett writes his own fanfiction version of how he would have told this particular story and a tangent on how the movie features too much fan service, a criticism I am more than happy to co-sign.

I don’t know what Stoklasa is trying to say in the section dealing with the diversity of The Force Awakens. His character Mr. Plinkett is obviously racist, and I understand that is part of the joke. While Plinkett calls the racist boycotts against the film’s casting “stupid,” the character believes that the movie’s diversity was the result of Disney’s meddling. I have sound knowledge that the film’s diverse cast was something director JJ Abrams really pushed for, and was not the product of a megacorporation’s interference. This section as a whole seems not to have a definitive conclusion, it just feels weird.

Leave your thoughts on the new RedLetterMedia’s Force Awakens review in the comments below.

The post Watch: RedLetterMedia’s ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Review appeared first on /Film.

A monumental shift came to the video game world this year with the arrival of long-awaited virtual reality headsets. Crytek, a major game studio known for state-of-the-art technology, launched The Climb, a game that emulates real rock climbing. We spoke to executive producer Elijah Freeman ...

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There’s been a lot of speculation lately about who could take over as the next 007. Could it be fan-favorite Idris Elba? Are the U.K. bookies on to something with Damian Lewis? But in fact, the answer has been right under our noses the whole time: The next James Bond will probably be Daniel Craig.

The actor confirmed he’s in for one more film, and added that he’ll “keep going as long as [he’s] physically able.” Read the Daniel Craig James Bond future comments after the jump. 

In a recent interview with The Daily Mail, Craig revealed that he is likely stick around for at least one more Bond movie. “I’m contracted for one more – but I’m not going to make predictions.” Actually, he went even further than that. Referring to the physical demands of the role, he added, “It’s getting harder. But such is life. I’ll keep going as long as I’m physically able.”

The idea that Craig might stick around for Bond 25 isn’t new. We’ve known for years that Craig is under contract for five films (Spectre is his fourth). However, it seems worth reiterating as there’s been so much talk lately about when Craig might hand over his Walther PPK, and who should pick it up next.

In fairness, some of the speculation is fueled by comments Craig has made himself. When an Esquire writer asked him last month whether he wanted to do another James Bond movie, Craig replied, “At this moment, no. I have a life and I’ve got to get on with it a bit. But we’ll see.” More recently, he told EW he’s given his Bond future “no thought whatsoever.” “I just need a break,” he added.

When Craig does return for Bond 25, though, it’ll be without his Skyfall and Spectre director. Sam Mendes has said he does not intend to return for another movie.

Spectre opens November 6, 2015.

The post Daniel Craig Likely to Stick Around for ‘Bond 25′ appeared first on /Film.

Nostalgia is king right now, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone to hear that one man set out with a goal to purchase all 678 games from the original Nintendo Entertainment System video games from 1985.

We all have dreams, and Jay Bartlett‘s was to track down every single one of those video game cartridges (or Game Paks if you want to be more accurate). But he decided to make it a little more challenging. Essentially creating his own real-life video game, Bartlett set out to collect all these video games in just 30 days, and to make it even more difficult, he decided not to buy any of those games online.

Now see a bit of his journey the Nintendo Quest trailer, teasing a documentary chronicling his adventure and also the history and legacy of Nintendo.

Here’s the Nintendo Quest trailer from Vimeo (via The Robots Voice):

The Kickstarted project doesn’t seem to be quite as well put together as something like The King of Kong, but it does look like there’s an interesting story to be told, if only because of all the video game stores Bartlett has to visit to complete his quest. But that voiceover has to go, and there’s one particular talking head that just feels very artificial and cheesy.

Still, as someone who grew up on the NES but isn’t too familiar with the rarity of certain games and some of the early history of the gaming system, I’m betting there are some fascinating details to be found in this documentary.

Some people might think this guy is wasting his time and money, but like the documentary says, no matter what happens this trip is going to be fun. Maybe he’s not spending his money on these games, but rather spending it to create memories. There might be cheaper or more efficient ways of doing that, but who am I to tell someone how to live their life? I still buy action figures to display proudly and keep me single forever.

One man. 30 days, 678 games. No online purchases. It’s the premise that launched a film over 10,000 miles in the making and showcases the adventure of video game rock star, Jay Bartlett, a fanatic collector in pursuit of his dream to own a complete official North American NES library. Along the way, filmmaker Rob McCallum examines the enduring legacy of the NES and Nintendo.

Nintendo Quest will be available on Vimeo beginning October 2nd.

The post ‘Nintendo Quest’ Trailer: Can One Man Buy All 678 Original Nintendo Games in 30 Days? appeared first on /Film.

Few musicians are as equally mysterious and revered as Daft Punk, the electronic music duo which consists of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, both always concealed by sleek suits and helmets at every public performance.

And now a feature length film is on the way called Daft Punk Unchained, touted as the first ever documentary about the electro duo responsible for such feats of musical genius as the TRON Legacy soundtrack, the album Human After All, and the more recent radio hit “Happy,” featuring super producer and singer Pharrell Williams.

Watch the Daft Punk documentary trailer below!

Here’s the trailer which recently surfaced on BBC Worldwide (via FirstShowing.net):

It’s just a tease of the documentary, and sadly it doesn’t really do much to stir up interest. It’s a collection of clips from TV appearances and reiterating what fans already know about the duo.

The only intriguing part is the end of the teaser when it’s hinted that this documentary just might end up showing Daft Punk without their gear on. Though that could just be a way of generating hype and teasing how this documentary will show Daft Punk in a light we’ve never seen them in before

Daft Punk Unchained has actually already premiered on the Canal+ TV station in France (which also leads us to believe that the ending shot is just a clever gimmick, because otherwise that kind of reveal would have been all over the web), but it’s only been made available in French so far. But thankfully, this trailer teases some kind of worldwide release before the year is out. Unfortunately, there isn’t a specific release date available yet, so we’ll just have to be patient.

Daft Punk Unchained, directed by Hervé Martin Delpierre, is the first independent film which explores an exceptional pop culture phenomenon of the last twenty years: Daft Punk. Between fiction and reality, magic and secrets, theatricality and humility, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo have created a unique artistic universe. Throughout their career they have remained determined to control every link in the chain of their creative work.

The film highlights key moments of their story, from their first school band in Paris to their historic concert at Coachella festival in 2006 and their spectacular triumph at the 2014 Grammy Awards for the album « Random Access Memories ». In an era of globalisation and the expansion of social media, they have refused to show their own faces and they orchestrate every detail of their appearances as robots.

The documentary includes archives of radio interviews with Daft Punk, rare footage and exclusive interviews with their friends and close collaborators from Pharrell Williams to Nile Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder, Kanye West, Michel Gondry, Paul Williams, Peter Lindbergh, Leiji Matsumoto and Pete Tong.

Stay tuned for any information on a release date before the end of 2015.

The post ‘Daft Punk Unchained’ Trailer: A Documentary About the Electronic Music Duo appeared first on /Film.

During a recent camping trip along the Rideau Waterway I went for a brief hike into the woods near our campsite at Davis Locks and stumbled upon an interesting geological formation. This extensive outcropping of unusual rocks on Lake Opinicon had me take a closer look which led me to a rugged cliff like area. A collection of strewn stones and odd formations were visible that looked curiously man made. Of course wanting to investigate further, I climbed these rocks for about 20 minutes to the summit where tucked beneath a stand of trees I came across an unusual stone cairn. It’s purpose unknown, the structure was compiled of rocks piled into a rectangular formation with purposely placed stone steps leading into it. The stones of the structure were placed atop an existing boulder protruding from the ground, as well as a split rock also situated in the ground. It looked like a kid’s fort built on the top of a cliff. Yet it seems like a lot of effort the kids went to  in building the structure, but perhaps kids years ago were more resourceful than kids today. I inspected the structure for other details that may reveal its purpose, but still the answer was not clear. I photographed it and proceeded to descend the cliff back to camp. Eventually I wanted to ask others what they thought it was to see if we could solve the MYSTERY OF THE STONE CAIRN.

Returning to Ottawa I emailed some photos of the mystery structure to experts in the field of archaeology to see if they could give their opinion as to what it was. A response soon came back that it was some sort of old mining operation structure, a flagpole base or a lime kiln. I personally don’t think it could be a mining operation since I have come across these before and there is no indication the area had any active mining. With the canal lock in close proximity a flag pole base could be an option, but the size of the structure measured about 8 feet by 6 feet and about 4 feet tall, which makes it seem like an unusual candidate for a flag pole base. A kiln is a possibility, but it seemed so crudely put together that it seems unlikely it would be used for heating/kiln purposes.

Doing my own research into what it could be, a looked into the previous history of the land where it rests. Research shows the parcel of land was first owned in 1797 by a Loyalist by the name of Walter Davis from Connecticut , of which the lock is named after. A former member of the American Rangers, Davis moved to South Crosby Township where he set up new life for himself as a Loyalist, building a home and mill on the site of rapids that once connected Lake Opinicon to Indian Lake. This would later be taken over by Col.John By during the construction of the canal system in 1826 when the locks were constructed and the rapids diverted and channelled elsewhere.

Did Davis build a stone lookout atop the cliff overlooking his property? The structure is situated on the highest point of land that overlooks both lakes and commands an impressive view where you would be able to see anyone approaching for miles. As a former American Ranger, perhaps Davis knew to take the strategic high ground to build a mini stone fort lookout. However, why was this not destroyed in the almost 200 years it could have been sitting there by the various other people that came into the area?

I contacted another source who may have answers, a historian who specializes in the history of the Rideau canal. Upon receiving the photos of the structure he was also mystified as to its purpose and given the GPS coordinates, went to investigate for himself and inspect it for clues that may reveal its purpose. Upon closer inspection he concluded it is just a “children’s fort” and which could date it to almost any period (1800s or even early 20th century).

This conclusion is in part because he could not can’t see any other purpose for it. He quotes from his investigation it is “Sloppily built (so not an official structure) and uses local field stones. The few squared stones actually appear natural or minimally worked (I can’t see any obvious tool marks) and they clearly form steps into the structure.” However, he still thinks it is open to other theories and says his analysis is “just a guess on my part, I’m not an expert, so still open for interpretation. However I don’t see it as anything Walter Davis Jr. would have done, there’s no reason for it.”

Looking further into the land owner Walter Davis who is from Connecticut, I attempted to see if there was a connection to the state he came from. Perhaps there was a typical North Eastern United States stone building technique that was common to that area Davis brought with him to Canada. A quick Google search revealed that Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont all have an incredibly high number of these mystery stone cairns as well. Is there a connection to some kind of Eastern US farming practice? Maybe they used these stone cairns to burn brush or store garbage.

Another theory put forward by a historian is that these mystery stone cairns are based on aboriginal spiritual practices built by the indigenous people of the area. “Stone Structures of the NorthEastern United States” is a website dedicated to the study of these mystery stone structures found in the woods and forest regions of the NorthEastern United States. They refer to these structures as a “cairns” which are “an intentionally constructed pile of stones. It is built one stone at a time. Cairns have been used by humans in the northeastern United States as far back in time as 5,000 years ago and continue to be used today. Cairns were built by both Native American Indians and white settlers. They were used by the Native Americans for ceremonial purposes and by white settlers for utilitarian purposes.”

Comparisons of the Opinicon stone structure and the ones presented at Stone Structures.org are almost identical. They give an example of a cairn that uses a “base stone” the same as the Opinicon cairn. The base stone cairn is built upon an above ground boulder, below ground boulder with exposed top, above ground bedrock called an outcrop, or surface level exposed bedrock. Base stone ranges from ground level up to three to four feet high.” The use of a split stone in the base, also like the Opinicon Cairn “exhibits a total split or crack in the base stone. Split stone cairn sites are said to be a spirit portal to the Underworld, utilized by Native Peoples during a “Spirit Quest”. In his book “Vision Quest” author Steven Foster recounts how the piling of stones to form a structure is an ancient practice of “communication” between the living and the dead, where you would enter the structure and connect with loved ones passed and the spirits of nature. Foster says they are usually constructed at a “beautiful. prominent place, where it could be found easily.”

So, there you have it. A mysterious stone structure sitting in the woods south of Ottawa overlooking Lake Opinicon. To conclude, here is what was said it could be:

-a flag pole base

-a lime kiln

-a mining structure

-a kids fort

-an aboriginal spirit cairn

My thoughts lean towards it being some kind of lookout post our Loyalist friend Davis built when he arrived from Connecticut to the area in 1799. Yet the location is most serene, surrounded by rocks of unusual shapes and geological compounds. Situated high above two gorgeous lakes at rapids that once connected the two in a tranquil forest also lends itself to the plausible theory it was an ancient spiritual structure that has remained as such to this day.

If anyone else has other ideas or theories, please pass them on and perhaps we may eventually solve the MYSTERY OF THE STONE CAIRN.

UPDATE!

Since this post was published it was brought to my attention that the stone structure is actually a British Ordinance watchtower post from the 1800s. If this is the correct answer, then the structure I think should be studied in further detail and an archaeological analysis and/or preservation of the site should be undertaken to preserve this unique piece of early Rideau Canal history. The answer submitted is copied and pasted below:

“If you were camped at Davis and went up the trail to the high ground on the opposite side from the lock office there was a British ordinance watch tower that looked off across to Opinicon lake and this is what remains of the base .Cliffe Pennock the turn of the19 century Opinicon barber/photographer took different shots of the lake from this vantage point and they ended up with other Post card publishers of the day like Valentines of Montreal.”

SOURCES

http://www.uelac.org/Loyalist-Info/detail.php?letter=d&line=60

https://books.google.ca/books?id=_DuPuV5hzyEC&pg=PA47&lpg=PA47&dq=stone+cairn+spirit+quest&source=bl&ots=h8J25Abs8M&sig=dEvBBj3JDKRlemqURao6ochrREw&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=stone%20cairn%20spirit%20quest&f=false

http://www.nativestones.com/cairns.htm

http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/countyatlas/searchmapframes.php

http://www.stonestructures.org

Any true horror fan or cinephile knows what ties the iconic horror films Psycho and Halloween together. But for those who may not be aware, we’ll enlighten you.

The 1960 film from Alfred Hitchcock stars Janet Leigh as Marion Crane while the 1978 slasher from John Carpenter stars Jamie Lee Curtis. The former was one of the earliest scream queens in cinema’s history while the latter gained the status in the 70s and 80s, only to reprise it in the late 90s with Halloween: H20. But their real link is that Janet Leigh is Jamie Lee Curtis’ mother.

And as a tribute to her iconic mother, Jamie Lee Curtis has recreated the iconic shower scene that nearly everyone should be familiar with by now in an image that teases an homage scene from the upcoming Fox horror comedy series Scream Queens, in which Curtis is one of the stars.

Here’s how Jamie Lee Curtis recreates Psycho on her Instagram page:

Just recreated, with help from the amazing crew, a shot by shot of my mother's famous shower scene from Hitchcock's PSYCHO for @screamqueensfox #screamqueens Ryan Murphy and co. wrote it into a special episode and it felt right! Honoring the Royal legend that is/was/will always be, Janet Leigh. Thought all fans of the genre would love it! #honorthymother ????@joaquin_sedillo show debuts in a week on FOX 8pm 2hour premiere!!!!

A photo posted by Jamie Lee Curtis (@curtisleejamie) on Sep 15, 2015 at 9:54am PDT

As Curtis notes, this isn’t all we’ll see of the recreation, at least if we choose to keep watching Scream Queens after it debuts on September 22nd at 8pm Eastern on Fox. This scene won’t be in the pilot, but will apparently air in a later “special” episode, likely closer to Halloween, and probably chock full of more horror homages as well.

That’s a pretty spot-on recreation of the iconic scene from Psycho, but that’s not hard when you’ve got a whole crew working to replicate that sequence.

By the way, for a fun bit of trivia, Janet Leigh also appears on screen with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween: H20. She plays Norma, the assistant to Laurie Strode at the private school her son (Josh Hartnett) attends where she just happens to be the principal. Leigh delivers a cheerful “Happy Halloween” to he daughter as she leaves work for the weekend. Cool?

The post POTD: Jamie Lee Curtis Recreates Her Mother’s Iconic ‘Psycho’ Shower Scene appeared first on /Film.

Last year brought rumblings of LeBron James being sought for Space Jam 2, but they turned out to just be rumors. This year, however, speculation has grown about the basketball star stepping into the world of Looney Tunes after signing a new deal with Warner Bros. for future film and television projects.

But even though new trademarks for Space Jam were filed last month, there’s no guarantee it will happen at all. In the meantime though, basketball star Blake Griffin had some fun with the Looney Tunes, specifically Marvin the Martian, in a new commercial that has the two facing off on a slam dunk contest. It’s as close as we can get to a Space Jam 2 right now. Watch the Blake Griffin Marvin the Martian match-up after the jump!

Here’s the Nike commercial with Blake Griffin and Marvin the Martian (via Cartoon Brew):

The blending of live-action and animation has gotten much better since Space Jam debuted in 1996, nearly 20 years ago, but this is purely a commercial for Nike tennis shoes, so it’s hard to get too excited by the content on display here. But at the very least, this goes to show you that Warner Bros. is still having fun bringing famous athletes in to play around with their iconic animated characters.

Now that LeBron James has proven he can do comedy with some of the best in the business with a key supporting role in Judd Apatow’s movie Trainwreck alongside Bill Hader and Amy Schumer, it’s the perfect time to make it happen. There will always be the endless fight as to whether or not LeBron is as good as Jordan, but that shouldn’t stop him from following in his footsteps and making Space Jam 2 a possibility for a new generation of basketball and cartoon fans.

Having someone like Blake Griffin, who isn’t bad in front of the camera either, wouldn’t be a bad addition in a supporting role. After all, the rest of the basketball stars in Space Jam were positively terrible actors. Come to think of it, even though Michael Jordan had a lot of fun in the movie, he wasn’t that great of an actor in it either. So LeBron James might actually get a chance to be better than Jordan at something other than basketball.

For those curious, the commercial was directed by Spike Brandt from Warner Bros. Animation with the animation being done by a veteran crew that includes Dale Baer, Dan Haskett, John McClenahan, Jeff Siergey, Neal Sternecky, Bill Waldman and Dean Wellins. If there ever is a Space Jam 2, hopefully these animators are brought in for it.

The post Waiting for ‘Space Jam 2’? Here’s Marvin the Martian vs Blake Griffin in a Dunk Contest appeared first on /Film.

We’ve already seen a fair share of mash-ups involving this summer’s blockbuster favorite Mad Max: Fury Road. Recently someone made an Adventure Time version of the trailer, and before that someone took elements of Mario Kart and inserted them into the trailer. And now we’re getting an almost real-life version of the latter mash-up done in quite the professional manner, complete with impressive stunt work.

For those who don’t know, there’s a Mad Max video game arriving in stores the same day that Mad Max: Fury Road hit shelves on Blu-Ray and DVD. And the folks at Devin Super Tramp were asked to team up with Warner Bros. Games to make a viral commercial for the video game where they recreate the non-stop chase from Fury Road with GoKarts and paintball guns, and it’s impressive as hell.

Watch the Mad Max Fury Road GoKart video below!

And if you want to see how they pulled it off, check out this behind the scenes video as well:

These come straight from the Devin Super Tramp YouTube page. They’re known for showcasing some pretty wild stunts and physical activities, so it’s not surprising to see them getting pretty physical and daring with some of these stunts done for this viral commercial for the video game.

If you’re wondering how this video looks so good, with help from Warner Bros. Games, it was professionally done, shot on the RED Dragon, filmed in 6k and downscaled to 4k for YouTube. The production took place over two days in Green River Utah with the assistance of the CBR stunt team from the state to really bring the action to life.

This is one of the coolest viral videos created to promote a video game that I’ve ever seen, and it makes me wish those custom GoKarts were available for purchase, because I would go blasting through the desert in one of those all summer. If you want to see the trailer for the Mad Max video game arriving next month, just head over here.

The post VOTD: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Impressively Recreated with GoKarts and Paintball Guns appeared first on /Film.

The following article originally appeared on ClimbingNutrition.com. Whether you’re looking for help sorting through supplements, need advice on how to fuel yourself for your project, or just want some general tips for using nutrition to stay fit and healthy in your sport, Climbing Nutrition is the place.

 

 

There is a camp amongst athletes that favors a high-fat, low-carbohydrate approach. Their enthusiasm is fueled almost entirely by the work of three researchers (Stephen Phinney, Jeff Volek, and Tim Noakes), who despite over 30 years worth of research have yet to produce any notable studies that demonstrate a low-carb diet to work better than—or even equally as well as—a high-carb diet.

Now don’t get me wrong—what these researchers study is incredibly important, and by no means has their research been worthless. In many cases they’ve revealed aspects of fat-adaptation that we might not know about otherwise. They’ve also done significant work to elucidate the potential benefits of low-carb diets for different disease states. So I do respect these researchers and the work they do—I just can’t find any solid justification for their hypothesis that a low-carb diet would benefit an athlete.

At best, what we’ve seen in athletes who go low-carb and become “fat-adapted” is a mere preservation of performance without any notable improvements. Furthermore, this “preservation” only applies to submaximal aerobic exercise—high-intensity exercise performance is usually severely compromised. Thus, the evidence that going low-carb benefits any athlete’s performance (let alone a climber’s) is weak, mostly anecdotal, and often driven by dogma.

I hope you, my climbing reader, are not a carb hater—but I’ve also learned to be proactive in my approach. You may not fear carbs today, but the anti-carb camps are pernicious. Let me start the immunization process by sharing some bullet points on why going low-carb is a terrible idea for a climber.
 

Going Low-Carb? Say Goodbye to Power!

At first glance, carbohydrates are not a significant source of power for a climber. The only study that has examined energy system use in climbers found that carbohydrates only supplied about 10-20% of the total energy for a climb (through anaerobic glycolysis, anyway). By contrast, creatine supplied 40% and the generic “aerobic energy” pool (which could be either fat or carbohydrates) supplied about another 40%. Without further study, we can’t know for certain how much aerobic energy was supplied by either carbohydrates or fats, so that is perhaps a moot point…

…Or maybe it’s not. We know that carbohydrates are capable of producing over double the ATP (cellular energy) through aerobic respiration than fats are (16.7 mmol/sec vs 6.7 mmol/sec). In the energy systems article mentioned above, the researchers hypothesized that the aerobic system’s primary purpose in climbing is to regenerate the spent creatine molecules back into energy-containing creatine phosphate molecules. Given the short amount of time a climber has between holds to regenerate creatine, and given that carbohydrates are capable of restoring about 2.5x as much creatine as fats, which fuel do you think is more capable of sustaining power and power endurance? The answer should be clear.
 

Low-Carb Diets Make Exercise Feel “Harder”

Several studies show that restricting carbohydrates increases perceived exertion. Briefly put, “perceived exertion” is how our body and brain communicate in order to prevent you from over-exercising and suffering catastrophic muscle failure. When dietary carbohydrates go down or ketones (a byproduct of a low-carb diet) go up, so does perceived exertion.

In case you think perceived exertion is something you can just push through, think again. “Perceived” exertion is essentially a proxy for “actual” exertion and determines to a large extent how long your body will let you exercise before you get fatigued. In trials, perceived exertion is inversely correlated with time to fatigue, meaning that the harder you think you’re working the sooner you actually fatigue—even if you’re doing the exact same amount of work as you could normally do in better conditions (like with a higher carbohydrate diet)!
 

Fewer Training Adaptations Are Made on a Low-Carb Diet

Finally, low-carb diets may actively impair training adaptations, at least over the long-term (and at least in untrained endurance athletes). In one study, untrained cyclists undertook an 8-week diet and training routine where one group consumed a high-fat diet and the other a high-carbohydrate diet but otherwise exercised and ate the same. At the end of the study, the high-carb group had improved by a not-so-small 56% compared to the high-fat group! That’s a pretty remarkable difference.

How much does this study have to do with climbers? Perhaps not much, since we’re not endurance athletes—but consider the implications of the previous two points in conjunction with this one. If you can’t climb with as great of power, and you can’t climb for as long, then assuming all other factors are equal you will definitely improve less than a climber who can train longer and harder. I won’t go so far as to say you’ll improve 56% less (some of that figure can be explained away by metabolic adaptations), but my money will always be on the athlete who supplies their body with the necessary energy for high-intensity training.
 

Conclusion

Climbing is tough, gritty, powerful work, and carbohydrates are simply more capable of fueling that work (aerobically and anaerobically) than fat is. If you skimp on carbs, you’re potentially limiting your climbing potential both in terms of power and endurance. Likewise, the evidence that a high-fat diet confers any special advantage to climbers (or any athlete) is limited.

I don’t predict the high-fat athlete craze to disappear anytime soon; in fact, I suspect it has yet to peak. But I do hope you resist the urge to make such dramatic changes to your diet when the evidence so clearly indicates that the “fat-adapted climber” is an idea without merit. If your goal is improved performance—pushing your limits as a climber—then you’re going to need the help of carbs.
 

Want to learn more?
Read Five Basic Lessons on Carbohydrates, and other great nutrition articles at ClimbingNutrition.com. Follow Climbing Nutrition on Facebook for the latest updates.

 
 

The post Climbing Nutrition: Don't Be a Carb Hater appeared first on Climbing.

Sony has officially announced that they will be releasing Bad Boys 3 in February 2017 and Bad Boys 4 in July 2019. More details after the jump.

Not much more is known at this time. Sony dated a dozen upcoming films which included the Bad Boys sequels: Bad Boys 3 is scheduled to hit theaters on February 17th 2017, while Bad Boys 4 will hit theaters two years later: on July 3rd 2019.

In June 2015, we learned that writer-director Joe Carnahan (The Grey) was circling the action sequel, while Will Smith and Martin Lawrence were being courted to return. Carnahan was in early talks to rewrite the script by David Guggenheim (Safe House), and possibly direct.

Comedian/actor Martin Lawrence appeared on Conan in August 2014 and announced that Bad Boys 3 was in the works:

“I believe so. Yes. I just talked to Jerry Bruckheimer yesterday and he said its real, they’re working on the script, they’re getting close and it all looks good.”

 

In July, Lawrence publicly called upon his Bad Boys co-star Will Smith to make a third film happen. Last we heard, David Guggenheim (Safe House) was hired to write a script for Bad Boys 3, with the hope is that Will Smith and Martin Lawrence would sign to return. Novelist Peter Craig had previously worked on the threequel. At that time, Michael Bay wasn’t involved in the project, despite making the first two movies. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer said in April 2014 that Bad Boys 3 was a victim of bad timing:

It’s so funny because we’ll get Sony real excited to make the movie, and then Will [Smith] is off doing two movies. And then, Will will come back and be real excited about it, and Sony will say, ‘Well, maybe it’s not the time for this.’ And then, Ride Along came out and was a big hit, and now they’re all excited to make the movie, but Will is off doing something else. It’s just trying to get everybody together to make it. But, we’re working on the script. We have a lot of faith and hope that we’ll do it.

Fans have been asking for a third Bad Boys film for a while. Will Smith has said in the past that he had an idea for Bad Boys 3, but added that the reason the film wasn’t getting made is because director Michael Bay) “is too expensive now.” And it looks like the Bad Boys sequels will happen with Bay in the directors chair, which will disappoint some fans of the franchise.

Carnahan seems like a solid choice to take over as he has experience with big-budget action, thanks to The A-Team, and his resume is full of other macho thrillers like The Grey, Smoking Aces, and Narc. His last feature was Stretch, a dark comedy-thriller that went straight to VOD. Outside of movies, Carnahan most recently worked on episodes of The Blacklist and State of Affairs. He signed on earlier this year to rewrite and direct DreamWorks’ Motorcade.

The car chase sequence in Bad Boys 2 is very under-appreciated, and is probably (wait for it.. hyperbolic statement coming up… in 3…2…1..) one of the best car chase action sequences of the last decade (seen below).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m2jql7T8Gs

The post ‘Bad Boys 3′ and ‘Bad Boys 4′ Coming In 2017 and 2019 appeared first on /Film.

One of Tim Burton‘s best films is still Edward Scissorhands starring Johnny Depp. This year just happens to mark the 25th anniversary of the peculiar suburban fantasy about a misfit creation named Edward who has scissors for hands who ends up being taken in by family who in many ways is just as strange as the title character. So what better time to revisit the neighborhood where Burton’s story unfolds?

Just by looking at the suburban setting of Edward Scissorhands, you would think that the entire neighborhood was a film set. But it’s a real neighborhood, and it’s still around to this very day. But it looks remarkably different than it did in 1990 with one key difference that changes its entire appearance. See the Edward Scissorhands neighborhood 25 years later after the jump!

Here’s a gallery of images comparing the movie to the neighborhood today (via Imgur):

25 Years Ago Edward Scissorhands was filmed near my house

As you can see, the biggest difference between the neighborhood from 1990 and today is the more prominent presence of trees. It seems many more have been planted, or maybe just simply grew in the past 25 years, changing the vibe of the suburb completely. It just goes to show you just how much empty space can actually add, whether it’s within a location or a single frame of a movie.

It’s just a shame to see that one of the residents hasn’t decided to have a bush sculpture in the same fashion that Edwards Scissorhands provided to his neighbors in the movie. That would be a nice touch. And someone demolished Edwards Scissorhands’ creator’s spooky castle! Because it was totally real, right? Right

Anyway, don’t forget that this year marks the 25th anniversary of Edward Scissorhands and there will be a new special edition Blu-Ray for you to pick up if you’re so inclined.

The post What Does the Neighborhood from ‘Edward Scissorhands’ Look Like 25 Years Later? appeared first on /Film.

The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set will be released by Disney in North America and is now available for pre-order for $224.99. The U.S. release of this set appears to be an Amazon exclusive. Shipping is free with or without Amazon Prime. The set includes the following films: Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo and The Wind Rises. An international trailer and details about bonus features included in the set, can be found after the jump.

The material in the Japanese, European, and Australian collections differ slightly, but here is what we know the North American release of the set will include in terms of bonus materials:

• Yuki no Taiyo (Yuki’s Sun), a 1972 television pilot based on a manga by Tetsuya Chiba that was directed, storyboarded and animated by Hayao Miyazaki.
• Episodes 26, 27, and 41 of the 1972 anime series Akado Suzunosuk (Little Samurai), featuring storyboards by the filmmaker.
• An Uncut version of Miyazaki’s Retirement Press Conference.
• A book featuring The Great Dichotomy: Looking at the Works of Hayao Miyazaki by Tomohiro Machiyama, which “explores the themes and techniques of this revered Japanese filmmaker, and selected text from Hayao Miyazaki’s initial notes and creative proposals for the production of each film.”

The set doesn’t include Miyazaki’s work on the TV series Future Boy Conan, and doesn’t appear to include the Chage and Aska music video for On Your Mark, which was pulled from Asian release of the set. The set is due out on November 17th 2015, so preorder now. You can watch a trailer for the International version of the The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray set below (note: artwork and some details may be different):

The post The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set Now Available For Pre-Order In The U.S. appeared first on /Film.

Earlier this month, we got a small tease of Will Ferrell making America’s pasttime even greater in the HBO documentary special Ferrell Takes the Field, featuring the comedy star playing every position in baseball, on ten different Major League Baseball teams.

Now the full trailer has arrived, showing just how the Anchorman and Step Brothers star shook up the ball diamond. Even if you’re not a fan of baseball at all, this looks like it’s going to be thoroughly entertaining. Watch the full Ferrell Takes the Field trailer after the jump!

Here’s the trailer, straight from HBO:

The special was taped on March 12th this year when Ferrell went to five different spring training ballparks, being traded around to the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. As a Midwest guy, I’m pretty happy he played for both Chicago teams.

Ferrell describes his short baseball career perfectly, “There’s no doubt I turned some heads today. I brought passion to the field, dedication, ability and a lot of ignorance.” No matter how much ignorance he brought to the table, Ferrell can be seen pitching, catching, batting and even arriving to one game by helicopter, right in the middle of the field, like a damn American hero.

All of this was done in tribute to Bert “Campy” Campaneris, a professional ballplayer for the Kansas City Athletics who played all nine positions in baseball while playing against the California Angels on September 8th, 1965. But he also did it to help raise awareness and money for organizations dedicated to fighting cancer, including Cancer for College, which helps individuals adversely affected by cancer to realize their dream of a college education.

In a speech addressing the historical day in baseball, Ferrell said:

“They say nothing’s more American than heading to the ballpark, grabbing a hot dog and watching nine guys from the Dominican Republic make magic on the field. But today I learned they are wrong. Make that eight Dominicans and one guy from Irvine, California.”

If this proves to be something fans like to see, I wouldn’t mind seeing Ferrell doing this for football, basketball and hockey. We could have a little sports documentary special franchise brewing here.

Ferrell Takes the Field will premiere exclusively on HBO on Saturday, September 12th at 10pm Eastern/Pacific time.

The post ‘Ferrell Takes the Field’ Trailer: Will Ferrell Brings Passion and Ignorance to Baseball appeared first on /Film.

Were Harry Potter a real person, he’d be turning 35 this Friday. To wish him a happy birthday, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon brought on a special guest in last night’s episode: Drunk Ron Weasley, played by Simon Pegg.

Unfortunately, Ron pretty quickly gets sidetracked, threatening to show off his “Fifty Shades of Ginger” and weeping over his recent marital woes with Hermione. Watch the Drunk Ron Weasley video after the jump. 

Well, it didn’t go much worse than Drunk Ron Weasley’s last appearance on the show, when he chugged an entire glass of beer before confessing that Hermione had left him for Neville Longbottom.

Fallon seems to be on a tear through the Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation cast. Earlier this week, he also engaged Tom Cruise for a Lip Sync Battle, which you can see below:

The post LOL: Simon Pegg Returns as Drunk Ron Weasley for Harry Potter’s Birthday appeared first on /Film.

"The fatty falls down and everyone goes home happy!" jokes Chris Farley with a hint of sincere embarrassment, on The Late Show with David Letterman. This was true. No other Saturday Night Live (SNL) alum of that era - Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Rob Schneider - made me roll on the floor with laughter like Chris Farley. It was his childlike innocence, manic energy and great physical abandon that made him so magical.His drug overdose in 1997 came as no surprise to many, as the rumors of his drug and sex fueled escapades were widely publicized. I Am Chris Farley, directed by Brent Hodge (A Brony Tale) and Derik Murray (I Am Bruce Lee, I Am Evel Knievel) and co-produced by Kevin Farley, Chris's...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]

Just yesterday, we brought news of a new Blu-Ray release for the Back to the Future trilogy, including a set with the entire animated series from the 90s, for the first film’s 30th anniversary. Appropriately, the new Blu-Ray set arrives October 21st, 2015, the same day Marty McFly and Doc Brown traveled to the future in Back to the Future Part II.

It turns out that won’t be the only way you can celebrate the classic time travel trilogy, because buried in a press release for the new Blu-Ray set is word that the entire Back to the Future trilogy will also be returning to theaters that same day. And there’s another cool item fans will want to pick up this fall as well.

Find out more about the Back to the Future trilogy in theaters after the jump!

Since the release is still three months away, specifics on where the Back to the Future trilogy will be screening have not been revealed. The press release merely says to “Check local listings for show times,” so we’ll have to wait for more information on that front. But previously only the original film had been re-released for anniversary screenings, so this is pretty cool.

Something else we’ll have to wait for more details on is a new picture disc vinyl soundtrack release for Back to the Future, which will be available on October 16th. We’ll likely get to see the artwork for that as the release gets closer.

But if you’re really craving some Back to the Future this weekend, AMC is having a marathon of all three films in honor of the 30th anniversary. So if you’re one of those people who doesn’t own the movies for some reason, and you just like to watch them on television, then this Sunday, July 19th is your day. Here’s the schedule for the marathon on AMC this weekend:

SUNDAY, JULY 19th

“Back to the Future” at 11:00 a.m. ET/PT
Teenager Marty McFly is sent back in time to 1955, where meets his future parents in high school and accidentally becomes his mother’s romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by causing his parents-to-be to fall in love, and with the help of eccentric scientist Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown (Lloyd), he must find a way to return to 1985.

“Back to the Future II” at 1:30 p.m. ET/PT
McFly and Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown travel to 2015 to prevent McFly’s future son from ending up imprisoned. However, their presence allows Biff Tannen (Wilson) to steal Doc’s DeLorean time machine and travel to 1955, where he alters history by making his younger self wealthy.

“Back to the Future III” at 4:00 p.m. ET/PT
While stranded in 1955 during his time travel adventures, Marty McFly discovers that Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown, trapped in 1885, was killed by Biff Tannen’s great-grandfather Buford. Marty decides to travel to 1885 to rescue Doc.

“Back to the Future” at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT
Encore showing.

All this leads up to the premiere of AMC’s new eight-part sci-fi drama series Humans, which will begin at 9pm Eastern that night. You can check out the trailer for that new series right here.

Otherwise, stay tuned for details on all the forthcoming Back to the Future 30th anniversary celebratory releases coming later this year (like the Hot Toys version of the DeLorean and Marty McFly from Back to the Future Part II). As a huge fan of the trilogy, I know I’ll be on the lookout for whatever I can get my hands on.

The post Entire ‘Back to The Future’ Trilogy Returning to Theaters in October for 30th Anniversary appeared first on /Film.

Brad Bird‘s The Iron Giant is getting polished and upgraded for a theatrical rerelease. Warner Bros. and Fathom Events announced today that a remastered version of the 1999 animated classic, enhanced with brand-new footage, is coming to cinemas for a limited engagement this fall. More details on the Iron Giant rerelease after the jump. 

EW reports the new cut of The Iron Giant, called The Iron Giant: Signature Edition, will play in theaters across the country on Wednesday, September 30 at 7 PM. If you can’t make it, don’t sweat it. There’ll also be an encore presentation on Sunday, October 4 at 12 PM. A digital HD release follows later this fall.

The Iron Giant is an adaptation of the 1968 novel The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. Hogarth is a rebellious kid growing up in Maine in 1957, at the height of the Cold War. He befriends a 50-foot robot who’s fallen from outer space (voiced by Vin Diesel), and must protect him when the U.S. government comes after him.

The film flopped hard when it first opened in 1999, grossing just $23 million on a budget of $70 million. But reviews were excellent, and in the years since it’s attracted a much wider following. As has its director. After making his feature directing debut on The Iron Giant, Bird went on to helm such films as The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and Tomorrowland.

Said Fathom Events CEO John Rubey in a statement:

We can’t wait to bring this family favorite back its home on the big screen. The Iron Giant is meant to be seen and heard in movie theaters and this is a great chance for fans new and old to enjoy this classic, remastered with new scenes.

Details on which theaters will be showing The Iron Giant: Signature Edition have yet to be revealed. For more info, keep an eye on the Fathom Events page. In the meantime, here’s the first poster.

A cool new poster for an old friend. See #TheIronGiant at #SDCC & learn more about the #SignatureEdition #rerelease pic.twitter.com/iPmXQZ3Fyn

— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) July 8, 2015

The post Brad Bird’s ‘The Iron Giant’ Coming Back to Theaters With Brand-New Footage appeared first on /Film.

Everyone knows my love-hate relationship with sequels and reboots. As a general rule, I'm not a very big fan of either, but there's always an exception to every rule, right?

I loathe the money grab, but if there's a compelling reason to continue making films in a series and a good story, then I'm pretty much all for it. Enter the Rocky series. The first two films were worthy, but then... Read More

Even though Avengers: Age of Ultron just hit theaters nearly two months ago, Marvel Studios has to keep its eye on the future, and that includes the two-part sequel Avengers: Infinity War. Production on the two-part release won’t begin until late next year at the earliest, but since we’ve heard from Chris Evans that the shoot will last a whopping nine months, it doesn’t hurt to get a head start.

And if a new casting call is to be believed, Marvel is already looking to assemble on-screen talent for Avengers: Infinity War, and with the casting call comes the rumor that a key Marvel villain other than the presumed bad guy Thanos (Josh Brolin) will be terrorizing the cinematic universe. Find out who the other Avengers: Infinity War villain might be after the jump.

Acting Auditions (via MovieWeb) is claiming that Avengers: Infinity War Part I will feature the Magus. For those who don’t know anything about that character, here’s what the casting call offers up:

Adam Warlock’s bad side, the Magus, separates from his body and assembles the Infinity Gauntlet. Magus creates doppelgangers of Earth’s heroes as part of his plan to recreate a universe of evil.

This feels like something that was just lifted from the comic books for the purpose of sparking a rumor (if so, mission accomplished). First of all, the website from where this casting call originates is pretty schlocky.

Second of all, it seems weird for a brief synopsis to just throw out a name like Adam Warlock, who for those who don’t read comics is one of the more obscure names in the Marvel universe, with the assumption that everyone is familiar with the character. That doesn’t really sound like the kind of information Marvel would include when sending out an early casting call for one of their most anticipated projects of the next few years. But there’s always the chance it’s a very intentional red herring just to create confusion and misdirection.

However, there’s certainly a possibility that Adam Warlock and the Magus could play a key part in Infinity War: Part I before Thanos arrives in Part II. On the fan side, Adam Warlock has been one of the most talked-about potential inclusions for the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers films ever since Thanos’ presence was made known. And the Guardians of the Galaxy tag at the end of Thor: The Dark World featured a bit of set dressing that looked a lot like a key part of Warlock’s story, though Guardians writer/director James Gunn later claimed his intention was not to suggest Warlock so directly.

Plus, for a two-part sequel, having the Avengers fight evil versions of themselves would be quite the spectacle. At the same time it also feels very Saturday morning cartoonish and a little too outlandish, even for a comic book movie like this.

Since it’s early days for the two-part sequel, take this rumor with a grain of salt. All we know for sure is that both parts of Infinity War will be written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, using brand new IMAX cameras. We’ve got plenty of time before production is supposed to begin on The Avengers: Infinity War, so stay tuned for anymore updates.

The Avengers: Infinity War Part I arrives on May 4th, 2018.

The post Another Marvel Villain Besides Thanos Rumored for ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ appeared first on /Film.

There’s a book to be written on the decade and a half development of George Miller‘s Mad Max: Fury Road. At varying times, plans for the film featured a roster of other projects which came and went as Fury Road itself soldiered on.

A companion film called Furiosa was planned at one point. Even earlier on, that movie was envisioned as an anime prequel or companion to Fury Road. Now we’ve got designs from that abandoned Mad Max anime, done by Mahiro Maeda, thanks to a Japanese TV show. 

Some background: back in 2009, after one attempt to make Fury Road had failed, and Miller’s development of Justice League was also scuttled thanks to a writer’s guild strike, Miller told MTV he was working up an R-rated 3D Mad Max anime:

The anime is an opportunity for me to shift a little bit about what anime is doing because anime is ripe for an adjustment or sea change. It’s coming in games and I believe it’s the same in anime. There’s going to be a hybrid anime where it shifts more towards Western sensibilities. [Japanese filmmaker Akira] Kurosawa was able to bridge that gap between the Japanese sensibilities and the West and make those definitive films.

That script was co-written with Nico Lathouris. More recently, Miller told The Playlist “We were going to do [‘Furiosa’ as] an anime before [Fury Road] was delayed a second time when we were rained out of Australia. But because we were delayed that didn’t happen, and so we’ve got that script, and we’ve got another one.”

More succinctly, he told CinemaBlend, “…as part of this digging down deep, we did write backstories – so we were going to do an anime based on the Furiosa character.”

Some designs for the film were done by Mahiro Maeda, the anime designer behind Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, and who worked on designs for Evangelion and contributed animation to Nausicaa, Castle in the Sky, and Porco Rosso. Reportedly, these Mad Max designs ended up incorporated as inspiration for Fury Road.

Thanks to a Japanese TV show and Crunchyroll, some of those designs can be seen:

You can see the full Japanese TV report here, albeit in untranslated form.

As for the story itself, Miller said weeks ago,

It’s more Furiosa’s story and how she came about. Even though it’s a chase, to really make the film as authentic as possible we wrote backstories to every vehicle, to every character. We knew Nic Hoult’s character Nux from the moment he was conceived, we knew who his parents were, how he became a War Boy.

The post See ‘Mad Max’ Anime Designs by Mahiro Maeda appeared first on /Film.

One of the things that makes Han Solo such a great character is how little we know about him. We know he’s a Corellian smuggler with a long history before we meet him in the Cantina on Tatooine and he won the Millennium Falcon gambling with Lando. And while we’ve heard tons of rumors about a movie possibly filling in those innumerable holes, this week Lucasfilm dropped a massive piece of information about Solo’s past in the pages of their latest Marvel comic.

We won’t spoil it above the jump, but it’s in Star Wars #6 and it’s a game changer. Go and read the comic now or, find out the Han Solo past reveal below.

Massive spoilers for Star Wars #6 below.

In the comic, Han and Leia are on a mission to find a new home for the Rebel Alliance. They will, eventually, settle on Hoth but that hasn’t happened yet. Solo sets them down on a remote planet that he says only he knows about when a mysterious ship follows him there. It’s as if this person has been waiting for him and knew he’d return.

The person’s ship, which looks like the back of the Millennium Falcon and the front snout of an X-Wing comes onto the planet, spots solo with Leia and fires. Solo is scared, runs, when this happens.

You’re final major spoiler warning.

3.

2.

1.

HAN SOLO WAS MARRIED?!?! And remember, these comics are 100% considered part of the Star Wars canon.

The Solo/Leia storyline in this issue ends with these frames so we don’t yet know if Sana Solo is lying or not. But Han’s reaction seems like she isn’t.

By the way, since we’re already spoiling things from this issue, it features an awesome battle between Boba Fett and Luke Skywalker in Ben Kenobi’s hut on Tatooine as well as the moment Darth Vader finds out the name of the person who blew up the Death Star. That being his own name.

If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ve got to be reading these comics. They are absolutely incredible.

But as for Han Solo, can you believe this?

The post Latest Marvel ‘Star Wars’ Comic Reveals Huge Piece Of Han Solo’s Past appeared first on /Film.

Another day has come, and even more craziness has surfaced on the internet in honor of Mad Max: Fury Road. We’ve already seen some custom LEGO vehicles inspired by George Miller‘s non-stop desert chase, not to mention a mash-up with Mario Kart, and an even stranger but perfect mash-up with The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

But now the glory of Mad Max: Fury Road is starting to seep into the real world. First up, the War Boys have taken to Amazon.com with over-excited reviews of an edible chrome spray (It’s not official Mad Max chrome spray, but it’s still a lovely spray). In addition, some skilled musicians have put together some intricate sheet music that will allow you to riff on the guitar just like the beloved Doof Warrior.

Being your journey to Valhalla after the jump!

For those who aren’t creative bakers or cooks, you may not know that there are edible color sprays out there made for decorating desserts. And it just so happens that Wilton’s Silver Color Mist has caught the affection of a group of internet-savvy War Boys who couldn’t be more excited to be witnessed, all shiny and chrome, with the glory of this chrome spray all over their face. Here are some of the reviews that began popping up on Amazon (via Uproxx) a few days after Mad Max: Fury Road hit theaters:

And that’s not all. Some of the War Boys apparently didn’t buy into the guarantee of heading to Valhalla, and had to ask about the product. The seller clearly didn’t get the joke, but plenty of users were able to step in and give the answers they needed:

But if glorious chrome isn’t what you’re looking for, maybe you’re looking for some Doof rock. By now everyone has heard plenty of chatter about the Doof Warrior wielding a flamethrowing guitar in Mad Max: Fury Road, and word on the street is that the character already has an official backstory that’s been written. But fans might be more interested in the music that the Coma-Doof Warrior (played by Australian musician iOTA) belts out into the desert, flames and all. If you don’t remember what that sounds like, take a listen:

Thankfully, Soundslice (via The AV Club) has put together intricate and detailed sheet music that will show you what notes to play. Make sure you pay attention to the notes on the sheet music though, such as the fact that this is to be performed with your eyes closed for authenticity purposes. And don’t worry about the pyrotechnics, because there are cues for when you’re supposed to activate the flames too. Now all you need to do is get to building a flamethrowing guitar. And we’re sure it won’t be long until we see someone showing off one of those online too.

What a day! What a lovely day!

The post LOL: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Inspires Chrome Spray Glory on Amazon and Doof Warrior Sheet Music appeared first on /Film.

On Friday word got out that Disney had pulled the plug on Tron 3. The studio had been dragging its feet on greenlighting the film, even as development continued for a fall shoot.

But the reaction from fans was much swifter and more definitive. An online petition asking Disney to revive Tron 3 has been making the rounds, with 10,000 signatures so far and counting. Read all about the Tron 3 petition after the jump. 

Fan Lucas Lowman started the Tron 3 petition on Change.org. Here’s his official statement:

Tron: Legacy grossed over 400 million dollars and helped more fully realize the world created in the original Tron. It’s a shame that Disney has elected not to move forward with a third Tron film as the universe is ripe to be explored. Sign this petition so that we may show Disney that The Grid is too great to never be shown again and to prove that Flynn lives.

Lowman’s goal is 15,000 signatures. At time of posting he has over 11,000. Fans have also been voicing their support on Twitter under #FlynnLives.

Disney hasn’t said why exactly it’s decided not to move forward with Tron 3. One anonymous exec suggested Disney simply had too much on its plate already:

Things in the queue got ahead of it and we have such a big slate out in front of it, we started to think, ‘Where does it go?’ And it’s a pretty big investment to make if you are not even sure when you are going to release it.

Others have theorized that the recent disappointment of Tomorrowland has given Disney cold feet. Tron: Legacy was a hit, grossing $400 million worldwide, but it also cost $170 million to make. And that’s not even including marketing costs.

Whatever their reasoning, it’s clear Disney has thought long and hard about this. Tron 3 seemed well on its way, with director Joseph Kosinski and stars Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde all set to return, before the studio decided not to proceed.

If the numbers simply aren’t in Tron 3‘s favor, a petition alone probably won’t be enough to change Disney’s mind. But it can’t hurt, especially if the studio is on the fence. If you want to sign the Tron 3 petition, click over to Change.org.

The post ‘Tron 3′ Petition: 10,000 Fans and Counting Rally Behind Cancelled Sequel appeared first on /Film.