Rumor: Sam Raimi Wants Morbius for a Spider-Man 4 Villain

by Alex Billington

It looks like the Hollywood vampire craze has hit Sam Raimi, too. Apparently the most recent issue of Empire (via SlashFilm) includes a quote from Raimi where he says: "I like it in the Marvel comics when Spider-Man fights Morbius. He's really cool. A vampire! I like that combination of superhero plus supernatural." While this is obviously not confirmation that Morbius will be in Spider-Man 4, it's our first hint at a villain we might see in the upcoming sequel. I'm sure most people would claim that the excess of villains was what hurt Spider-Man 3 the most. So is using Morbius next time an improvement?

In the comics, Morbius is a living man who is given vampiric abilities via scientific means. He first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #101 in 1971. As we all know, The Lizard is another villain that fans are hoping to one day see, which would make Morbius a bit more of a possibility. Both characters "use the same technology but have different animals involved in their research… one having blended with a lizard the other a vampire bat." The next question is whether Morbius and The Lizard alone would be good enough villains for one movie. I guess I just can't see two "animals" being the villains for a big movie like this.

Now that we pretty much know who the villains will be in Iron Man 2, it's time to turn our attention to Spider-Man. What villains do you want to see? Can both Morbius and The Lizard be equal enemies?

Source : www.firstshowing.net

First Look: New Michael Myers Mask from Rob Zombie's H2

by Alex Billington

Now that we know Rob Zombie is directing the sequel to his own Halloween from 2007, progress is finally being made on the project. The first reveal is a maquette of the new mask that Michael Myers will be wearing in H2: Halloween 2. The photo comes from Zombie's own MySpace blog, where he mentions that make-up artist Wayne Toth is "back on the case working the greatest Michael ever." The photo at the top is from Zombie's original Halloween to reference any changes. It doesn't look like that much of a modification, but then again, I'm not a big Halloween fan so I'm not able to pick out all the minor differences.

Note: While it doesn't officially say that this is only a maquette, I'm guessing that this is just an early sculpt of the mask and that it obviously won't be orange and it will have hair in the end. Thoughts?

Between this and the Friday the 13th remake, I'm actually a lot more excited for the new Friday the 13th. I'm not a big horror fan as is, but when I saw Rob Zombie's Halloween, I really wasn't able to get into it at all. On the flip side, though, I've seen a lot of the new Friday the 13th and already think it looks a lot better. Rob Zombie is both writing and directing H2: Halloween 2 which is already slated for release on August 28th later this year. Are there enough fans of Rob Zombie's reboot to keep this franchise going? And those of you that are hardcore Halloween fans — what do you think of this new mask? Good or bad?

Source : www.firstshowing.net

New Astro Boy Concept Art Photos from Imagi

by Alex Billington


I'm really conflicted here. While I hated that teaser trailer for Astro Boy that hit in November, new images have popped up and I'm starting to wonder whether my opinion was wrong that first time. That teaser looked ridiculously cheesy and just plain bad, yet these images remind me of Hayao Miyazaki or even something from Pixar. Stop messing with my mind Imagi! The animation house has released a batch of new concept art photos for Astro Boy on their official website this week. This isn't the first time we've seen some cool concept art for this movie, which is why I'm still really conflicted. Trust me, I really want this to turn out awesome in the end, so as long as it turns out as good as all of these images look, I'll be satisfied
.

Set in futuristic Metro City, AstroBoy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist to replace the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving father's expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the man who had rejected him.

Astro Boy is directed by ex-Disney animator David Bowers, of Flushed Away previously, with a screenplay written by Timothy Harris, of Brewster's Millions, Kindergarten Cop, and Space Jam previously. Imagi Animation, the studio behind TMNT last year, is developing this animated film which is based on Osamu Tezuka's manga series. Astro Boy will arrive in theaters everywhere on October 23rd, 2009.

Source : www.firstshowing.net

John Travolta's 16-year-old son dies in Bahamas

By Assosiated Press

NASSAU, Bahamas - John Travolta's teenage son, Jett, died in the Bahamas after falling ill and hitting his head at his family's vacation home, police said Friday. A house caretaker found Jett, 16, unconscious in a bathroom late Friday morning. He was taken by ambulance to a Freeport hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a statement from chief police superintendent Basil Rahming.

The teenager had last been seen going into the bathroom on Thursday and had a history of seizures, according to the statement. Police said they are planning an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Another police spokeswoman, Loretta Mackey, said Jett apparently hit his head on the bathtub.

A spokeswoman for Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport said she could not release any information because of privacy concerns.

Jett was the oldest child of Travolta and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, who also have an 8-year-old daughter. The family arrived on a private plane Tuesday and had been vacationing at their home in the Old Bahama Bay resort community.

"The Travolta family has become like family to us at Old Bahama Bay and we extend our deepest sympathies to them," said Robert Gidel, president of Ginn Resorts, the property's owner.

Source : www.yahoo.com

EW's Huge First Look at 11 Big Movies of 2009

January 1, 2009
Source: Entertainment Weekly
by Alex Billington

From Harry Potter to Terminator, Wolverine to Watchmen, Entertainment Weekly has a huge first look at the biggest movies of this upcoming year. On this exciting first day of 2009, they've debuted a batch of never-before-seen photos from at least 11 different movies, including Public Enemies, Year One, Where the Wild Things Are, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, and Land of the Lost. With the addition of the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen photos from earlier this week, it undoubtedly looks like 2009 is already shaping up to be one hell of an exciting year! Definitely take a look at this batch of new photos below if only to get you in the mood for the great year of big blockbuster movies ahead (or soothe that hangover).

From the top to the bottom, left to right: Where the Wild Things Are, Public Enemies, Year One, Public Enemies, Terminator Salvation, Pixar's Up, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Julia & Julia, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Angels & Demons, Land of the Lost, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

What are you looking forward to? There's quite a bit to choose from, so what is at the very top of your list right now? Obviously Watchmen is at the top of mine, especially after that new featurette we ran yesterday. It's closely followed by Transformers 2 and Terminator Salvation. How about Public Enemies? Or Year One? I'm very interested in Land of the Lost and of course and Harry Potter. The more I see of Angels & Demons, the more I'm getting excited for that, too, because I think Ron Howard and Tom Hanks pulled it off this time. Anyway, thanks to EW for these great photos and for kicking off 2009 in style.

Source : www.firstshowing.net