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It really was about time that Christopher 'Notorious B.I.G.' Wallace received his own biopic. Unfortunately, judging by what I've seen so far, Notorious has been flirting with being one step up from a movie of the week -- and for someone so influential in music history, that's a shame. The latest poster for the biopic has just been released, and like most of the marketing for this film, it leaves you feeling a tad underwhelmed.
Before being crowned "the savior of East Coast hip-hop", Christopher Wallace could have been just another statistic. But, during his short career, he created some of the most influential sounds in hip-hop -- along with launching his producer, Sean 'Diddy' Combs into the spotlight. Notorious was directed by George Tillman Jr. (Barber Shop) and stars Jamal Woolard as Wallace, Angela Basset as his mother, Violetta, and Antonique Smith (RENT) as his ex-wife, Faith Evans.
A few posters have already been released, but in most cases they looked like rejected covers from Source magazine (if you don't believe me, take a gander at some of the previous one-sheets). By the looks of it, this latest poster is going for a decidedly more 'dignified' look -- and in this case, dignified seems to mean ripping off of the Ray poster. Luckily, no matter what the posters or the trailers may look like, at least this movie is going to have one hell of a soundtrack. Check out the full version of this poster after the jump.
Notorious arrives in theaters on January 16, 2009.
Another 'Notorious' Poster for Biggie Smalls Biopic
Continue reading Another 'Notorious' Poster for Biggie Smalls Biopic
Exclusive: 'The Reader' Poster Premiere!
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See larger version in gallery below
Cinematical has just received this exclusive final poster for The Reader, starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. Directed by Stephen Daldry (The Hours) and based on Bernhard Schlink's bestselling novel, The Reader is one of those talked-about flicks currently circling the Oscar pool trying to decide when it should jump in. From the synopsis:
THE READER opens in post-WWII Germany when teenager Michael Berg becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, a stranger twice his age. Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her. The two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair. Michael discovers that Hanna loves being read to and their physical relationship deepens. Hanna is enthralled as Michael reads to her from "The Odyssey", "Huck Finn", and "The Lady with the Little Dog." Despite their intense bond, Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left confused and heartbroken.
Eight years later, while Michael is a law student observing the Nazi war crime trials, he is stunned to find Hanna back in his life – this time as a defendant in the courtroom. As Hanna's past is revealed, Michael uncovers a deep secret that will impact both of their lives. THE READER is a haunting story about truth and reconciliation, about how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another.
The Reader opens in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco on December 10, before expanding on December 25 and opening nationwide on January 9. Check out the film's official website here, the trailer here and a larger version of the poster below.
Gallery: The Reader
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Geeky: New 'Star Trek' Trailer and Flash 'Terminator: Salvation' Poster!
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A new trailer for J.J. Abrams' Star Trek has just debuted over at AICN, but be warned that it's exactly like the other trailer save for one particular scene that comes right at the end. Yup, I won't tell you exactly what happens, but one look at the image above and you can imagine what you'll see. This particular scene was part of the four Cinematical screened last week, and it takes place on the icy planet where Kirk (Chris Pine) gets sent to. It's there where he meets an older version of Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) and a younger version of Scotty (Simon Pegg). Check out the trailer over at AICN. Star Trek hits theaters on May 8.
Also, a brand new motion poster for Terminator: Salvation just arrived online (check it out at this link). Really digging these flash posters -- this particular one begins on an overhead shot of Los Angeles before slowly transforming into the face of our favorite robot via explosions and fire. Oh, and don't forget that memorable score. Sweet. Terminator Salvation hits theaters on May 22.
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Fan Made: Noir-Style 'Terminator' Poster
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Not long ago, we featured a noir-style fan made poster for Transformers, created by this dude Timothy Lim. Now, thankfully, Lim has gone and created another gem -- this time for Terminator, with text by John Liem. And it's important to point out the text because it's absolutely perfect for this poster, and totally captures this vintage noir-type vibe. I feel like they don't make many cool movie posters anymore.
I forget where I read a recent complaint about this (feel free to point me in the right direction), but this person was saying how one of the great things about heading to the movie theater used to be to see which cool new movie posters they had on display. These days, it seems studios are obsessed with the floating heads, and, with the exception of a few, there's just way too much junk out there. Bring back the cool movie posters! Check out a larger version of this Terminator poster (and the previous Transformers poster) in the gallery below, and you can buy a print of the Terminator one over here.
[via Superpunch]
Stuff and Things: Arrested Development Movie Develops Some More
Here are some stuff and things for your lazy Sunday:
-- News of that planned Arrested Development movie has finally found its way to the trades, with both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter saying that series creator Mitch Hurwitz is real close to signing a deal to write and direct the film. Ron Howard (who narrated the show), as well as the original cast, are all expected to return (we hope).
-- Two more Star Trek character posters have arrived online, with one featuring Eric Bana as the Romulan villain Nero, and the other shows Zoe Saldana as a very sexy Uhura. These end a pretty busy week for Trek, which began with the debut of the film's first full-length trailer and a special presentation of footage by director J.J. Abrams. Check out larger versions of these posters, as well as the other two previously released character posters, in the gallery below.
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-- The 5th Annual Big Apple Film Festival came to a close last night, where yours truly moderated six very fun Q&A sessions over the course of the four-day fest and was on hand for the final awards ceremony. Winning Best Feature was The Living Wake, with The Project taking the fest's Cityscape Award (which goes to the film that best exemplifies the city of New York). Thanks to all those Cinematical readers who stopped me to say hello!
-- Looks like Universal plans to turn those Jason Bourne films into the next James Bond franchise, as Variety tells us the studio has cut a deal with author Robert Ludlum's estate which gives Universal exclusive rights to not only the Jason Bourne character, but also a first look at other Ludlum novels. As far as a fourth Bourne film goes, Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon have already signed on, and George Nolfi is currently writing the script.
EXCLUSIVE: Final Poster for 'The Spirit'!
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Cinematical has just received this exclusive final poster for The Spirit, which sports Frank Miller's (300, Sin City) solo directorial debut and stars Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, Sarah Paulson and our favorite fangirl, Jaime King. Based on Will Eisner's famed comic book series. The Spirit tells of a rookie cop who returns from the dead to fight crime in the shadows of Central City and square off against the villainous Octopus (Jackson), who kills anyone unlucky enough to see his face ... all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader. Check out a larger version of this poster in the gallery below.
Gallery: Final 'The Spirit' Poster
The Spirit is due in theaters on Christmas Day.
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Check Out the Official Poster for 'The Wrestler'
I imagine that I should feel my cinematic fandom pulsing, eager to see Mickey Rourke pull out talent that many thought was long-gone, when I look at the awesome one-sheet for The Wrestler (courtesy of Fox Searchlight) over there to the right (see larger image in gallery below). And of course, I'm eager as all hell to see what Darren Aronofsky has come up with. But instead of counting down the days to the December 17 premiere, I'm feeling an almost unstoppable urge to climb on my desk and get my elbow ready, Macho Man-style. It's probably a good thing I'm home alone. The Wrestler does, however, take a good deal from that world, as it deals Rourke's Randy -- an ex pro wrestler who considers going back to the ring even though it could kill him. James Rocchi's glowing review described: "Randy's part Hulk Hogan, part Randy "The Macho Man" Savage."
So here I sit, wondering whether I should get renting some old-school wrestling discs and remember the days of Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and the rest before next month. And this also makes me wonder: If you're going to see The Wrestler, are you doing so as an anxious cinephile, or is this tapping into old-school WWF love for you as well?
Gallery: The Wrestler Poster
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Continue reading Check Out the Official Poster for 'The Wrestler'
First Look: Judd Apatow's 'Funny People'
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This isn't the first official poster for Funny People, but it is our first official look at the marketing campaign for Judd Apatow's third directorial effort. Along with this image, Universal has announced a partnership with MySpace where you can win a walk-on role in the film. What you do is head on over to the flick's official MySpace page, become their friend, and then in 100 words or less leave a comment explaining why you should win the role (maybe you're, like, totally the biggest Apatow junkie on the planet!). Additionally, Judd prepared a special message on YouTube announcing the contest, which you can view after the jump.
Starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman, Funny People focuses on the stand-up comedy circuit and one comedian's near-death experience. It arrives in theaters on July 31, 2009.
Stuff and Things: Who Watches The 'Star Trek' Men?
Some stuff and things for you on this glorious of Mondays ...
-- Paramount has unveiled two brand new Star Trek posters that look sorta creepy and horror movie-ish (especially the Kirk one to the left). These come in advance of the brand new trailer, which is due to play before Quantum of Solace this weekend (it will arrive online a week from today at 7am EST, according to the official movie website). AICN has a description of the trailer, but I've always found trailer descriptions to be quite boring. Nevertheless, if it gets you off, head on over there. The rest of you can check out those posters above in larger form in the gallery below.
-- In addition to those two Star Trek posters above, a brand new Watchmen poster featuring the character of Rorschach has been released. Check it out in the gallery below (hint: it's the first image). OH, and about the ending ... director Zack Snyder DID, in fact, change it. But there's only one, and it was the ending they had from the very beginning. He tells Dark Horizons all about it, but beware of spoilers.
More after the jump ...
Continue reading Stuff and Things: Who Watches The 'Star Trek' Men?
The Cuter, Cuddlier 'Porno' Poster
I'm not exactly sure where IMP Awards dug up this alternate poster for Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno, but for my money, it's an equally creative and eye-catching way to sell the stars compared to the current stick-figures-and-'Porno'-free campaign ... a campaign which, it should be said, hasn't stopped the flick from grossing $20 million by this past weekend, which is about on par with most of Smith's recent work and (again) not bad for an advertising angle that didn't push either his name or the faces of leads Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen.Besides, I really don't think the bright colors and cute animals would have led anyone to believe that the (admittedly sweet) Zack and Miri falls in line with, say, Happy-Go-Lucky, but we'll honestly never know if swapping colors for controversy would've had the same effect. (Hey, I still think that the Canadian poster would've done just fine.)
Check out this new (cutesy?) poster after the jump ...
Cinematical's Stuff That Happened Last Week
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So we heard you actually traveled to Transylvania last week in order to get into the Halloween spirit of things, but then totally forgot a computer and never managed to check Cinematical. Good news for you -- Here's a bunch of stuff that happened last week:
Halloween Stuff
Discuss: Movies That Shouldn't Have Scared You, But Did
Cinematical Seven: Horror Movies for Girls
Cinematical Seven: The Horror of Fairy Tales
Cinematical Seven: Greatest Supporting Performances in Horror Films
Cinematical Seven: Plain Old Creepy Flicks
400 Screens, 400 Blows: Going Psycho
Discuss: Your Favorite Scary Movie of All Time
Watch This: Freddy Krueger: Registered Offender
We Guess This Stuff is Kinda Important
Chris Nolan Opens Up About The Dark Knight, Batman 3 and Justice League
Downey Jr. Suits Up for Both Iron Man 2 and The Avengers
WB Hires a Writer for the Ninja Scroll
American Pie Returning to Theaters?
The Hobbit in 3-D? Del Toro Says Maybe
Um, Joaquin Phoenix Retires from Acting?
Is Samuel L. Jackson the Baddest Mofo? Sno'nuff!
Spider-Man 4 Gets a Pulitzer Prize-Winning Writer
Exclusive Stuff
Kevin Smith on the Alternate Title for Zack and Miri, on Financing and Casting Red State, on Judd Apatow and on the Origins and Original Cast of Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Exclusive Clip: A Christmas Tale
Exclusive: Fanboys Poster Premiere and New Pics
Exclusive: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Behind the Scenes Galleries
Exclusive Clip: Until the Light Takes Us
Reviews and Stuff
The Haunting of Molly Hartley
Zack and Miri Make Porno
Dear Zachary: a letter to a son about his father
Indie Spotlight: New Releases for October 31
Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 10/28
Continue reading Cinematical's Stuff That Happened Last Week
Exclusive: 'Fanboys' Poster Premiere and New Pics!
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Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Fanboys (which I can safely say is a film we've all been waiting a long time to see), along with a handful of brand spanking new images. Luckily Mr. Weinberg and myself managed to catch a screening of the flick back in July during Comic Con and I'm happy to say Fanboys is a funny, heartwarming geeky trip full of countless movie references (most of them Star Wars related) and plenty of memorable quotes. Oh, and did I mention Kristen Bell in a Slave Leia costume? Yes sir. (And you can see two pics of her as Slave Leia in the gallery below.)
For those of you who've been living on the Death Star for the past couple years, Fanboys tells of a group of friends who, prior to the release of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, decide to drive across country and break into Skywalker Ranch in an attempt to show their friend the film before he dies of cancer. Fanboys stars Dan Fogler (in his funniest role by far), Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell, Chris Marquette, Sam Huntington and more cameos than you know what to do with (let's just say Seth Rogen plays two roles). As of right this very second, it looks like we'll finally be able to catch Fanboys in theaters on February 6, 2009.
Click below for a larger image of the poster and below that to enter our gallery of exclusive new photos.
Gallery: Fanboys Poster
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Stuff and Things: Miley Cyrus Plays Venom as Zombies Dance in Los Angeles
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[photo via LA Weekly]
Here's a round-up of some stuff (and things) currently making waves online:
--They hosted a Zombie Dance-Off in Los Angeles over the weekend as part of Thrill the World '08 where, according to LA Weekly, folks gather to perform the zombie dance from Michael Jackson's Thriller in 91 cities in 12 countries across the world "in an attempt to hold the world record for the most people to do the 'Thriller' dance at one time ..." Check out the photo above and this video of the actual performance (and is that a zombie slave Princess Leia -- right on!) ...
-- Natalie Portman is taking on some more adult roles as Variety reports the gal has signed on to star in Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, opposite Scott Cohen and Charlie Tahan. Portman will play a woman who fixes her marriage through bonding with her stepson.
-- While Anne Hathaway stars in Dancing with Sheba, Amy Adams has signed on to headline the film Daughter of the Queen of Sheba. This one, based on the life of NPR correspondent Jacki Lyden, tells of a woman who "uses her mother's madness and delusions to empower herself." See, and all I did was use my mother's cupcakes to gain weight. Clearly I came out a winner in the end.
-- Cracked has up some leaked excerpts from Miley Cyrus' "Memoir", and since we're talking about those warped minds over at Cracked, I wouldn't exactly take this too seriously. Among the different chapters ("Chapter Twelve: Insanity Fair! Lol. No, But Seriously, This Was Humiliating") was this image of Cyrus as Venom. [via Superpunch]
New Watchmen, Star Trek posters after the jump ...
Continue reading Stuff and Things: Miley Cyrus Plays Venom as Zombies Dance in Los Angeles
Exclusive: 'Dark Streets' Poster Premiere
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Click image to enlarge
Cinematical has received this exclusive poster for the film Dark Streets, which is being described as an "atmospheric film noir musical fantasy" (right on) starring Gabrial Mann, Bijou Phillips, Izabella Miko and Elias Koteas. Featuring music from Etta James, Natalie Cole, Aaron Neville, Richie Sambora and Chaka Khan, among others, Dark Streets follows a naive playboy and owner of the city's hottest nightclub whose life begins to spiral out of control upon investigating the shady death of his rich pop. Reviewing the film from this year's CineVegas Film Festival, Cinematical's Eric D. Snider noted that there are "many things to admire about Dark Streets" -- adding the "sumptuous cinematography and smooth, fluid camera movements bring the nightclub performance scenes to life, while the rest of the film plays with light, shadows, and colors."
Dark Streets will sing and dance its way into theaters on December 5th. Check out a larger version of the poster in the gallery below.
Gallery: Dark Streets Poster
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Exclusive: 'I Can't Think Straight' Trailer and Poster Premiere!
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Cinematical has just received this exclusive trailer and poster for the film I Can't Think Straight (view trailer below and see poster after the jump). Co-written and directed by Shamim Shaif (and based on her own autobiographical novel), the film tells of a secret passionate love affair between two women from very diverse backgrounds and their struggle to come to terms with their true feelings for one another before it all gets in the way of the rest of their lives. Starring Lisa Ray, Sheetal Sheth, Antonia Frering, Dalip Tahil and Nina Wadia, I Can't Think Straight is due in theaters on November 21. Check out the brand new trailer below, and the sexy, seductive poster (along with an official synopsis) after the jump.
Continue reading Exclusive: 'I Can't Think Straight' Trailer and Poster Premiere!
