True Detective Trailer: HBO Breaks Ground On New Series

September 11, 2013 mikey0085 Leave a comment

HBO is no doubt an innovator when it comes to home entertainment. Over the years we’ve been treated to original and edgy entertainment that breaks the monotony of your typical TV drama. The premium network has consistently utilized visionary geniuses to write programs. They have taken books and brought the pages to life in shows such as True Blood and Game of Thrones. They have even given us looks back in time, to flawless recreations of worlds like Boardwalk Empire

With the 2014 TV season coming on deck, it would appear the innovators of TV entertainment are about to do it again. The new original series True Detective will follow two of Hollywood’s favorite front men, Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. Getting into a new TV show isn’t always easy, but when two of some of the well-respected actors in the movie business agree to star on your TV show, you got a pretty good shot.

As exciting as it will be to have McConaughey and Harrelson play the role of detectives Cohle & Hart, prepare to take the good with the bad.HBO is terming this series an anthology series. Essentially this means that it will follow two new detectives in a case each season, much like the model American Horror Story has adopted. What’s also interesting is, according to HBO Watch, that the show is already cleared for an 8 episode season, committing to a full season order without an initial pilot order. It does make sense considering the hoops HBO probably had to jump through to convince two major movie stars to come aboard for the project. So with that said, I would not get too attached to detectives Cohle and Hart, as this will likely be a one season deal.

The idea of this show does seem exciting. The show will focus on the detectives working on an investigation of a serial killer, one that is still an open case 17 years later. It also appears that HBO will attempt to stick with the feel of the down home southern country vibe that we’ve had with True Blood for the past 6 years, as the landscape will be bayou bound in Louisiana. No doubt you can expect twisty, suspenseful writing with exceptional acting. The show will air in January of 2014. You’re probably not gonna want to miss this one.

POP CULTURE

J.J. Abrams’ Mysterious New Project Is Revealed

September 11, 2013 James Henshaw Leave a comment

As you may know, last month, J.J. Abrams teased a trailer for a mysterious new project he was working on that wasn’t Star Wars Episode VII. In true Abrams form, he didn’t let on as to what the project was and the internet dissolved into a rumor frenzy. One popular theory was that this was a promo for Believe, an upcoming TV project from Abrams and Children of Men director Alfonso Cuaron.

Earlier this week, J.J. Abrams not only revealed to EW the second half of the trailer, but the usually tight lipped Abrams revealed the mystery behind the project itself.

The project is a book called S. based on an idea by Abrams and written by Doug Dorst, an American novelist and short story writer who is the author of the award winning novel, Alive in Necropolis.

S. is described as being “about the relationship between a grad student named Eric and a college senior named Jennifer. They trade notes in the margins of a (fictional) 1949 novel by a mysterious author named V.M. Straka.”

In typical Abrams tradition, S. will go beyond the ordinary and contains the novel within the novel as well as plenty of handwritten notes between Jennifer and Eric “a conversation that plunges them into the unknown,”. S. will also expand the reading experience, with extra details such as newspaper clippings and a napkin with a map drawn on it.

Abrams told EW “I could not be more excited for people to get their hands on this book. It is difficult to describe because while it is a compelling mystery and love story, it is also much more than that. The work that everyone has done on S. is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Frankly, I’m amazed it was even possible to do this project at all.”

S. is to be published by Little, Brown on Oct. 29.

Movie News & Opinions

Stargate Reboot Trilogy On the Way? Yes Please.

September 10, 2013 Michelle L. Mattock Leave a comment

Approach your Stargate and start dialing the address to FUN! Yes. I said that.

According to Digital Spy, director Ronald Emmerich, creator of Stargate, says that he wants to reboot the movie with a film trilogy! Emmerich has already approached MGM with the sequel and will soon be looking for a writer and start fulfilling some loyal fans’ dreams in extending the Stargate universe!

The previous cast members of the original Stargate movie, Kurt Russell (Big Trouble in Little China, Tango & Cash) and James Spader (Sex, Lies & Videotape, Lincoln) will not be joining the cast in the reboot trilogy because, as Emmerich explained, the actors look completely different and “it would not look right”. Agreed! Especially considering it has been almost 20 years since the initial film offering.

But that is not the only reason I would not choose Russell and Spader to play two of the coolest sci-fi characters ever, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Col. Jack O’Neil. In the TV series that followed the original movie, Stargate SG-1, these roles are played by Richard Dean Anderson (O’Neil) and Michael Shanks (Jackson).

I would say that I am a big fan of this particular series. Although there were other spinoffs such as Stargate Atlantis & Stargate Universe, as well as film releases Stargate: the Ark of Truth, Stargate: Continuum, and the animated series Stargate Infinity, SG-1 lasted the longest with 10 seasons.

If the reboot is going to include a movie trilogy, one major question I have is who would play these two? Or are the characters going to be from another one of the spinoff series? I would assume that the characters will be the same as the original movie. So who is going to fill the shoes of freakin’ MacGyver?!

Richard Dean Anderson is now 63 years old, leaving his reprising of the role very unlikely. Michael Shanks, however, is only 43 years old and is still… I’m sorry but I have to… incredibly sexy. I vote him!

Here is Shanks as Hockey legend Gordie Howe in a Bio-Pic on the Hall of Famer from CBC earlier this year. — Shanks as Hockey legend Gordie Howe in a Bio-Pic on the Hall of Famer from CBC earlier this year.

If you have any great ideas about who should play O’Neil and Jackson, feel free to comment below! We will keep you updated as more information is revealed.

No More Blood: True Blood’s Final Season Announced

September 10, 2013 mikey0085 Leave a comment

It’s Sunday night and after a long weekend of drinking, rejection, and excessive drinking you have to unwind. You have probably been here before and you know only one thing is gonna fix this weekend: Anna Paquin’s boobs. And thanks to the miracle of premium cable, this has been a great cure-all option for six years. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO has confirmed this substance is officially on its last legs. The hit HBO television program, True Blood, has run its course, and season 7 will be the final chapter.

This comes as a blow to the many loyal viewers that have kept up with the Bon Temps crew for several years but to some people, not so much. Ratings for the show have not grown over the last few seasons and some have said since Alan Ball left the show, the age is starting to show. Yet still, I thought season 6 was nothing short of fantastic. It had a way of pulling you in closer week after week and prompting a sudden gasp of air just as the credits would roll. When it comes to character development, everyone on the show has pretty much peaked out. In the last couple seasons we got to see Eric Northman return to the Viking roots. Bill Compton has come full circle from vampire to mainstreamer to vampire back to good old vampire Bill. And Sookie Stackhouse has basically uncovered all the skeletons in the family closet. So in reality, there’s not a lot left to tell. The season 6 finale set up, what appears to be, an epic ending in a staple of modern entertainment. A lot of questions still have to be answered and surely will.

[quote]Together with its legions of fans, it will be hard to say goodbye to the residents of Bon Temps, but I look forward to what promises to be a fantastic final chapter of this incredible show. -HBO President Michael Lombardo.[/quote]

Historically, HBO has produced shows that made an impact on our generation, such as The Sopranos, Entourage, Eastbound and Down and The Wire. Although those shows were great and entertaining for years, there always seems to be an ambiguous feeling at the end, almost a feeling of uncertainty that it is truly done. Shows like Entourage have been rumored to make comebacks or even movies. As far as True Blood goes, one can only hope that the show will give the fans a decisive ending that will leave everyone with a feeling of closure. Stay tuned folks, the true death is coming.

Movie Trailers

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane: Trailer For It’s Long Awaited US Release is Finally Here

September 8, 2013 ryancroftj Leave a comment

So here’s a trailer for a film that premiered at TIFF in 2006, then in 2008 was released to theaters in the UK, and subsequently released on DVD in the UK the same year. That means almost seven years to the date of its premiere, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is finally getting a US release. Jonathan Levine directed this horror flick and has since moved on to bigger and more critically praised projects such as The Wackness, the incredibly sad and funny at the same time film 50/50, and the comedic zombie tale Warm Bodies. Starring in the titular role of Mandy Lane is Amber Heard (Never Back Down, Paranoia). The story is as follows: a group of teenagers invite a shy but popular girl, Mandy, to spend the weekend at a secluded ranch with them, and are soon terrorized by a stalker of hers. Sounds interesting with just enough originality in the ‘cabin in the woods-type’ trope to peak my attention. Check out the trailer below:

Honestly, the trailer doesn’t impress me too much, but the fact that they’re getting it out to theaters 7 years after it premiered, when it can already can be bought on DVD outside the United States, has to say something of the quality. That said, reviews have been very divided with some praising it, and others saying it diverges from what could be a clever story. Also, others who have reviewed it recently have said the hype of this long awaited release is too big for what the film deserves. But, while not horror flicks, The Wackness and 50/50 were two of my favorite movies the years they came out, so anything Levine makes is a must-see to me. Joining Heard is Whitney Able from the under appreciated sci-fi flick, Monsters (sequel’s coming out), and Anson Mount from the TV series Hell on Wheels.

The film is already out on VOD, and is set for a theatrical release October 11.

Movie News & Opinions

No Benedict Cumberbatch? No Problem, as Tom Hiddleston Takes Over Role for del Toro Film

September 8, 2013 Anna Coffman Leave a comment

Director Guillermo del Toro ran into a bit of a snag recently with his upcoming thriller Crimson Peak. His leading man dropped out of the film to take the lead in another project. This in itself seems like a huge setback – but when you realize that leading man was Benedict Cumberbatch, it becomes an enormous setback. Cumberbatch, who left Crimson Peak in order to take the lead role in James Gray’s Lost City of Z adaptation, is still fresh on everyone’s mind thanks to his portrayal of John Harrison/Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness. How do you top the in-demand Cumberbatch? You replace him with a god: Tom Hiddleston, Loki himself.

According to Screen Crush, The Avengers actor will join Charlie Hunnam, Jessica Chastain, and Mia Wasikowska in del Toro’s gothic film. Other details about Crimson Peak, which is scheduled to begin filming in early 2014, have been trickling out. The story will center around young author Edith Cushing as she discovers that her new husband isn’t the charming man he appeared to be. Del Toro has described the thriller, which takes place at the turn of the century, as a “gothic romance with ghosts” and “dark and stormy and wind-swept.”

Seeing Hiddleston in a film with a darker tone will be an interesting departure from his recent family-friendly Marvel Universe appearances (including reprising his role as Loki in Thor: The Dark World). His upcoming roles also seem to have him sticking to his sweet and charming side. Before we see him in Crimson Peak, we will hear Hiddleston as the voice behind Captain Hook in Disney’s animated Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy and he will appear in Muppets Most Wanted, both set to be released in 2014. On the opposite side of the spectrum, del Toro has promised that Crimson Peak will include “very visceral, physical violence.” Let’s see how Loki can handle it.

Grizzly Bomb

Monthly Archives: September 2013