"Anna Karenina" (2012) - First pictures

First pictures were released from upcoming period drama "Anna Karenina", based on the novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy.

Keira Knightley looks gorgeous, but very miserable, as Anna. And she should be, because her character's fate is very unfortunate. It is not the first time she works with a talented director Joe Wright, and every time they end up making a great film.

Other parts are played by Aaron Johnson and Jude Law. We can see that Anna is very happy dancing with Johnson's character and looks nervous near Jude Law, who plays her husband. If you read the novel, you know how this love triangle ends.

This film is going to be in cinemas this fall.

Pictures - Focus Features

"Frankenweenie" (2012) - First poster

Yes! "Frankenweenie" team reveals its first poster. It is the second time, when a poster turns out to be something more than just a 2D picture. There is no music, unlike "The Hunger Games" teaser poster has, but I really like that lightning strike. Spooky.

To watch it in motion, you have to like the official Facebook page of this animated film.

More about "Frankenweenie" (2012)!

"Struck By Lightning" (2012) - First Trailer

"You can inspire others to write while writing yourself."

Before today I have never heard about Chris Colfer (I don't watch "Glee"), but it turns out he is a talented young man and his new film is going to be interesting. He wrote the script himself and he is producing it.

"Struck By Lightning" looks like an ordinary high school story, but it isn't. One guy wants to make a newspaper and to achieve this goal he needs a good team. But the problem is everyone is extremely lazy and indifferent in his school. Plus everybody hates him, because of his workaholism and exactingness.

The trailer is smart and funny, so I hope the film will be as unusual and engaging.

Directed by Brian Dannelly, who has worked on different TV series, "Pushing Daisies", "Weeds", "United States of Tara".

Top-5 movies of the week - 17.02 - 23.02

1."Rampart"
Woody Harrelson plays a cop, who hates everyone. He likes his power and beating people. And nobody can stop him, because there will be a huge corruption scandal. Also starring Cynthia Nixon, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Ben Foster and Steve Buscemi.
Trailer.

2."Thin Ice"
Two men want to earn some money by selling a very valuable violin, which is no use for its present owner. But everything goes wrong, when they end up killing an innocent man. One of these accidental criminals starts blackmailing his associate, who is played by Greg Kinnear. Yes, since that night he is walking on the very thin ice, which can melt very fast under him. Crazy criminal comedy, which has to have an unexpected ending. But I doubt it will be a happy ending.
Trailer.

3."The Secret World of Arrietty"
Tiny people live in one huge house with normal family. They don't want to be discovered, so secretly borrow different things and food. It is dangerous for young girl Arrietty to join her father in such night campaigns, but she is brave. So everything is good, until a boy sees her... and they become good friends. Its creators are the people, who made "Spirited Away" and "Ponyo", it promises many adventures, plus critics love this story.
Trailer.

4."The Vow"
I like Rachel McAdams very much, but I dislike Channing Tatum even more. It was hard to figure out will she save the film, or will he make it bad, and turns out that she wasn't enough. The story is about a newlywed couple, who survives a serious car accident. He is fine, but she lost her memory. She doesn't remember not the whole past, but just him. Low critics rating can frighten the big film-addicts, but the audience says it is ok romantic comedy.
Trailer.

5."Dorothy and the Witches of Oz"
An old fairytale is back thanks to the director Leigh Scott ("Frankenstein Reborn", "King of the Lost World", "Exorcism: The Possession of Gail Bowers"). It is the first not-so-creepy film for him, which kids can actually watch. This time Dorothy is a young writer, who moves to New York. But once she discovers that all her stories aren't a fiction, but memories, she has to go figure out how to fight the evil witch to save the both worlds. It reminds a bit Burton's "Alice In Wonderland". The special effects look good, and the cast includes Christopher Lloyd, Billy Boyd and Sean Astin, who are great actors. So it has to be a nice family film.
Trailer.

Posters - iTunes movie trailers

Why I'm interested in "Lovelace" (2012)

One very risky film hit the theatres in 1972. It was directed by Gerard Damiano, and called "Deep Throat". This film started a revolution in the cinematography. It gained many fans and haters, who did what they could to destroy lives of actors, director and producers. Many puritan politics were pissed off by this "masterpiece". Yes, it was a pornographic flick, but it also was something more, something new and crazy. It was a different kind of art.

Linda Lovelace portrayed the main character. She was just a woman with her big dream, she wanted to love and be loved. There is nothing criminal in it. Linda showed her body to the whole world, but we will never know the truth behind her risky fame and short-termed success. Later she became an activist of the anti-pornography movement, but no one can tell why she wanted to forget her past.

"Lovelace" is a biopic about her. Amanda Seyfried plays Linda and, due to the set pictures and stills, she really resembles this porn star. I hope this film will make clear all dark spots in her biography, showing not only consequences, but also the reasons why she changed so much before that fatal accident. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman are in charge of this story, which is very promising, because they've made before a few unusual and provocative films together.

If you are going to watch "Lovelace", please watch at least a documentary "Inside Deep Throat". You will be shocked of the stories, which the creators of that porn film tell. It is unbelievable how many secrets they kept, how hard it was to screen this film and how little money they made, despite "Deep Throat" profit was very high.

Poster - COLLIDER

"Machete Kills" - First poster

Crazy and bloody story about the hard life of Mexican people in USA is not finished. Danny Trejo has to take a weapon in his hands again and kill hard, which is obvious from the title. I knew there will be another film, but it looks like it will become a trilogy. The third film is rumoured to be called "Machete Kills Again... In Space!". Yes, Rodriguez will make it insane.

"Machete" is one of my favourite Robert Rodriguez's films, so I'm definitely waiting for its sequel. I hope the cast includes the actors, with whom he's already worked (Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Jessica Alba).

Poster - Den of Geek!

"Battleship" (2012) - Official Trailer

"My dad said they'd come. He said we ain't alone. He said one day w'd find them, or they'd find us."

Many of you probably saw this trailer - I personally watched it twice in the cinema - but I included this film into The Most Anticipated Films of 2012 poll, so it's time to tell you why it has many chances to become a blockbuster.

"Battleship" trailer causes some controversial thoughts. First of all, it looks similar to some "Transformers" scenes. There also were some ocean battles. Second of all, its cast is very unpredictable. There are Liam Neeson and Alexander Skarsgård, whom I like, but it is a debut for the world famous pop-singer Rihanna, who has no experience in playing serious parts. Taylor Kitsch also appears in "Battleship", as Brooklyn Decker does. I remember him very briefly in "X-Men Origins - Wolverine", and she played very stupid part in "Just Go with It".

The director is Peter Berg, who is known for filming "Hancock", "The Kingdom", and playing in "Smokin' Aces". If he didn't change, this film will be very average.

Special effects look impressive and beautifully made on the big screen. If it's made in 3D, it might not disappoint. But "Battleship" isn't for people, who have a seasickness.

Not very promising? But if "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" became one the most successful films in the history, so why this one can't?

"Battleship" will be out this summer.

"The Avengers" (2012) - Extended Super Bowl Spot

American football fans are always exited about the annual Super Bowl, but movie fans are not less intrigued. Of course, the latter ones aren't guessing who the winner will be, but what new footage from upcoming films will be shown in the Super Bowl commercials.

"The Avengers" is going to be one of the future blockbusters, and of course it got another promo. Again there are many explosions, terror, huge lightning strike and one unforgettable team of modern superheroes.

"Mr.Stark..."
"Captain?"

The more I see videos from "The Avengers", the more I think that Iron Man (aka Tony Stark) and Captain America will have a hilarious relationship. If I'm right, we'll discover on May 4.

Directed and written by Joss Whedon.
Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner.

More about "The Avengers" (2012)!

If you are waiting for this film for a very long time, vote for it here: The Most Anticipated Films of 2012 (you can choose 5 films).

"I have an army."
"We have a Hulk."



Ready for action! (click to enlarge the pictures)

"The Hunger Games" (2012) - Second Trailer

New theatrical trailer for "The Hunger Games" is out, but it shows nothing new. We see that Jennifer Lawrence's character, Katniss Everdeen, will have some romance with Peeta Mellark, played by Josh Hutcherson, and Gale Hawthorne, played by Liam Hemsworth. But this video doesn't show the danger, because of which Katniss decided to take part in this championship instead of her young sister. She is desperate and scared, and all we see is some glamorous party and running in the woods. Also there is no 'catch phrase', no tagline, which can intrigue the audience. Ok, maybe it's time for me to read this trilogy and figure that out by myself.

Directed by Gary Ross.

More about "The Hunger Games"!

Top-5 movies of the week - 03.02 - 09.02

It's been a while since I picked top-5 films of the week, but it's time to continue.

1."The Woman in Black"
I'm not a big fan of horrors, but for this one I waited really long. It's the first film for Daniel Radcliffe since Harry Potter series ended, which is very important, because he has to prove that he won't leave cinema for theatre, and is going to star in different kind of stories. James Watkins' "The Woman in Black" is a very dark and creepy story, so I hope to be scared a few times.
Trailer.

2."Albert Nobbs"
When I heard that Glenn Close is going to play a man I was astonished, but when I saw its first promotional pictures I understood how extraordinary this actress is. A woman dresses up like a man to succeed something in life, but when she falls in love, it threatens to destroy her whole life.
Trailer.

3."Chronicle"
We saw a few films about ordinary people, who want to become superheroes, but "Chronicle" is about people with real power, who doesn't want to save the world. It is the debut of the director, Josh Trank, but it looks like a good action/fantasy story.
Trailer.

4."The Grey"
Liam Neeson plays one of the unfortunate people, whose plain crushed somewhere in Alaska. They want to survive, come back and forget it all happened. But snow and wolves are their worst enemies, which aren't easy to conquer. Directed by Joe Carnahan, it promises to show us a horrifying life and death fight.
Trailer.

5."Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
This film must be the one, which surprised many critics, when it got a Oscar nomination for Best Film. But there are Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, who won a few Oscars in their lives. Besides, its director, Stephen Daldry, was nominated for his every film! Impressive team, isn't it?
This story is about the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, and the consequences. A little boy thinks that his father left some kind of message for him, which he desperately wants to find. So his New York City tour starts and can lead to an unexpected discovery.
P.S. Its trailer almost made me cry.
Trailer.

Posters - COLLIDER

10 Reasons to Be Exited about "DARK SHADOWS"

"Dark Shadows" is still one of the most anticipated films of 2012 due to the readers of my blog, so I decided to make a list about why people are waiting for it.

1. Tim Burton may have messed up a little with Disney's "Alice in Wonderland", but he is still one of the most talented Hollywood directors, who manages to create unforgettable dark stories. He is in charge for upcoming "Dark Shadows", and this time he can't disappoint us.

2. One great man is in, so we need two more. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are those actors without whom I can't imagine Burton's creation at all. And if those two team up with the latter everyone knows the film is going to be magical and crazy in a good way.

3. Its genre is a gothic-horror tale, which is rare, but very impressive to watch. Creepy decorations, mystical locations, old manor... It will give us lots of chills, but in a very pleasant way.

4. Danny Elfman, who made some great scores for animated musicals as "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Corpse Bride", now is writing a soundtrack for "Dark Shadows". If there is a song, I guarantee it will become very famous.

5. This film is based on the old TV series of the same name, which is No. 19 in TV Guide's list of the 25 Top Cult Shows Ever! along with "Star Trek", "The Simpsons", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" etc. Plus it has a very high IMDB rating (8.2). Promising, isn't it?

6. The main events happen mostly with one clan, which proves again that some families have lots of skeletons in their closet.

7. There will be blood, because where a vampire goes, death comes along him. It isn't going to be very violent, more like "Sleepy Hollow" style, but this time Depp's character won't faint every time he sees blood.

8. Makeup is an important part of creating the characters, especially when some of them aren't alive. If you saw at least one promo picture you know that makeup artists did a great job making them very unlike themselves. It's not the first time Johnny Depp wears eyeliner, but this time he doesn't look like Captain Jack Sparrow at all.

9. Besides Depp and Bonham Carter, the cast includes other good actors - Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonny Lee Miller, Eva Green and legendary Christopher Lee. They also can't mess up this film.

10. "Dark Shadows" will be out in May, so we have some time to catch up watching its original TV series, and probably in a month or so we'll get a first trailer. I think it is a perfect timing, because it isn't very short or very long time to wait (unlike "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey", which I've already expected for two years and there is still left so many months to its premiere).

Picture - Dark Shadows news page

Poll: The Most Anticipated Films of 2012

Finally I'm writing about the most anticipated upcoming films of this year. I included in this huge poll films of different genres, directed by famous and not directors, with young and award-winning actors. Maybe someone finds here something interesting besides his regular tastes. But there are no feature films, which I'm going to include in the next poll.

You can choose 5 films, which you are definitely going to see and waited for them since the previous year (or even longer).

My picks are (they shouldn't affect you choice!):
1. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
2. "Django Unchained"
3. "Dark Shadows"
4. "The Expendables 2"
5. "Les Misérables"

"SKYFALL" (2012) - First picture

Empire website released the very first image from upcoming 23rd James Bond film. It is called "Skyfall", and Daniel Craig continues playing its legendary main character. This picture was made while filming at the Four Seasons hotel in London. Everyone knows that James Bond films are more for guys, but I doubt that this particular promo can attract the sterner sex with Craig's muscular almost naked body... On the other hand now I'm waiting for it.

"Skyfall" stars a bunch of good actors - Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench, Helen McCrory, and is directed by the Academy Award winner Sam Mendes. The film opens this fall.

"Dark Shadows" (2012) - Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer picture

New image from upcoming Tim Burton's film is released. Now we have a better view of two main characters - Barnabas Collins and Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. I can't remember when Johnny Depp had such a short haircut. And with this make-up he really looks like a vampire, because it is very hard to tell how old is he. Michelle Pfeiffer still looks much older than she is, but due to her natural face shade her character is a human.

Also starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Chloe Moretz, Eva Green, Jonny Lee Miller.

"Dark Shadows" will be out in May.

More about "Dark Shadows" (2012)!

Picture - COLLIDER

"John Carter" (2012) - First trailer, stills and thoughts

"You are ugly, but you are beautiful. You will fight for us."

There are some rumours that "John Carter" is going to be one of the next year's blockbusters. Let's see why (or why not).

Main character, John Carter, was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and he is almost 100 years old, because appears in different stories since 1912. John comes to Mars and discovers there a whole new civilization. Wait a minute... Don't those aliens look familiar? I bet they do for everyone, who has ever seen George Lucas' "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace", because they are very much like the inhabitants of Tatooine, where Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader) was raised.

Pixar's guy Andrew Stanton is a director of this film. He is famous for some great feature films, like "Finding Nemo", "Toy Story" series, "Monsters, Inc." and "WALL-E". But I'm not sure that it's a great idea for him to make an action story of such a kind.

Taylor Kitsch plays the main part and he looks like Jake Gyllenhaal in "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time". And isn't his costume borrowed from Jason Momoa, who starred in "Conan the Barbarian"?

Tons of special effects are used to create huge armies of funny and dangerous looking creatures. Landscapes sometimes look beautiful here, but after I saw "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" trailer, it's hard to impress me. And there will be 3D. I start liking this film less and less.

The only thing I surely like is the song from the trailer below. It's "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin.

First trailer




Future hero?

Meet the aliens

No story without a beautiful girl

Oh, Mark Strong is also here

The City and that beautiful view of Mars

Did they borrow something from "Cowboys & Aliens"?

Are you exited about "John Carter" or not interested in it?

"FRANKENWEENIE" (2012) - First pictures

Do you like "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Corpse Bride"? If yes, it's time to be very exited. Tim Burton is making a full-length remake of his old short film "Frankenweenie", made in 1984. It's a story about a very talented boy. His dog died, and this boy wants to bring him back. He makes it successfully, but all people around are freaked, though the dog still is a very nice and friendly pet.

Over 200 puppets are made for this remake, which sounds very impressive. Winona Ryder will voice one of the characters, along with Martin Landau, Martin Short and Catherine O’Hara. The score has to be created by Danny Elfman.

In the next year we will have a chance to watch this story on the big screen and in 3D.

A few stills and a picture of Mr.Burton on the set were released. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Follow me on Twitter to get fresh news about this upcoming film.

"The Hobbit": Fifth Video Blog from the Set

"The main reason for going on location for the project is to capture the scenic beauty of New Zealand."

Peter Jackson presents another video from the set of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". As he promised in the previous one, he takes us on locations, where they are filming some interesting scenes. You can see the crew traveled a lot (and probably will travel more). I'm again impressed how many people are working on this story - they say there are over a five hundred workers and dozens of trucks were used to take all stuff out of the studio. Looks like everything has been packed (WC cabins; coffee makers; costumes; cameras; actors; fake hair for beards, feet and wigs; giant plants and trees; cows, pigs, ducks etc).

Elijah Wood said such touching words about coming back after 11 years. It must be a great feeling to film there again.

Even Prime Minister of New Zealand came to visit "The Hobbit" team. They say Hobbiton was built for real this time and it will be left untouched for those, who would like to visit this place. I'm first in that row. 

Now this video is my favourite among others, because I'd gave many things to have a chance to work on such a wonderful project and to film on those locations. New Zealand is very picturesque. And I'd like to retire in Hobbiton too, especially if Peter Jackson will settle there. What a neighbour he could be!

Next video from the set will be released early in the next year.

Watch previous videos from the set of upcoming duology "The Hobbit":
1st video,
2nd video,
3rd video,
4th video.

More about "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (2012)! (all pictures, stories, news, set videos, Peter Jackson's statements etc.)



And a few interesting pictures from the set (click on the image to enlarge it):

Peter The Great

Peter The Funny 

Floating dwarves

If some unreleased pictures will leak, guess whose fault it will be...

Andy Serkis is busy gathering flowers

Map of New Zealand magically turns into a map of the Middle-Earth 

Occupying the space of a football field

Sentimental Elijah Wood

Peaceful Hobbiton

Next movie star

Peter and his team are wishing us a "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"