Details emerge about Romero's ...Of The Dead

Devonshire Productions has released the official synopsis for the film which inexplicably will not be called Island of the Dead even though that would have made perfect sense.

“On a small island off North America’s coast, the dead rise to menace the living. Yet…the islanders can’t bring themselves to exterminate their loved ones, despite the growing danger from those the once held dear. A rebel among them hunts down all the zombies he can find, only to be banished from the island for assassinating his neighbors and friends. On the mainland, bent on revenge, he encounters a small band of survivors in search of an oasis on which to build a new life. Barely surviving an attack from a mass of ravenous flesh-eaters. They commandeer a zombie-infested ferry and sail to the island. There, to their horror, they discover that the locals have chained the dead inside their homes, pretending to live ‘normal’ lives…with bloody consequences. What ensues is a desperate struggle for survival and the answer to a question never posed in Romero’s Dead films: Can the living ever live in peace with the dead?”

Apparently, the movie is a direct sequel to Diary of the Dead, Romero's one misstep in the series (yeah, I said it). I love the dead films and Romero but I have to admit that this is the first that I'm not truly excited about. My hope is that the documentary gimmick of the last film works better this time around. I've seen the promo trailer (which has since disappeared from the net) and it looks a little bit better. The quality was pretty rough and this is definitely another low budget affair (a good thing).

...Of The Dead is due sometime in 2009

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Movie v2.0

Showbiz Spy is reporting that Sarah Michelle Gellar is in talks to reprise her role as Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a feature film with creator-director Josh Whedon.

Gellar ended her run on the super awesome series in 2003. An "insider" reports, "There is an idea for a script and to pick the story up with Buffy older and maybe even a mother". Wow, Buffy would be older. What a scoop!

As you may know, the continuation of the series has been taking place in a fabulously geeky comic book run "Season 8". Why aren't you reading those?

Stay tuned for more details. This could be friggin' awesome. Kinda makes me wish they'd just cancel "Dollhouse" and get it done.

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"Blood Diner- First they greet you, then they eat you!"

Ahhh, the 80's. When horror movies weren't just a bunch of creepy kids and uninspired remakes. Sure, John Carpenter's "The Thing" was a remake, but that was one of the best movies ever made, Carpenter went to the original source material and made it his own. In the 80's, horror movies could be anything they wanted to be, in some cases a comedy, and in some cases, some of the craziest $#&! I have ever seen. Which brings me to 1987's "Blood Diner".
Having grown up in the 80's, and loving horror movies, I thought I had seen it all. I used to scour my local video store, (until Blockbuster put them out of business, then I went there) watching each and every one. From "Last House on the Left", to "House", to "The Stuff", I thought there were no surprises left until I was checking out my On Demand and saw "Blood Diner".
The description said it was a tribute to Herschell Gordon Lewis' "Blood Feast", and it featured "Naked Kung Fu", and that was all I needed to hear, so I sat back and gave it a look.
It's really difficult to describe this film because it's just so bat poop crazy, but it basically tells the story of two brothers- Michael and George who own a vegetarian restaurant. When they're not working, they're resurrecting their dead, serial killer Uncle Anwar and putting his brain in a jar. They also saved his penis for some reason. Also, it's not vegetarian dishes they're serving, nope, it's human flesh. Really, if you're going to set up a front for serving dead people to people would a vegetarian restaurant be you first choice? Those people are gonna know, man!
Turns out Uncle Anwar needs his nephews' help resurrecting a 2 million year old Goddess named "Sheetar" for a "Blood Buffet". The loyal nephews set out killing women and using the various parts to construct a body for Sheetar. This leads to a naked aerobic massacre, dismemberment, and yes, some naked kung fu.
There is just so much going on in this movie, I don't want to say anymore because you really should see it for yourself. A woman gets her head pushed into a deep fryer, and she's running around and bumping into things with her head looking like a giant jalapeno popper! Sorry, I had to share that one.
Directed by Jackie Kong, who also helmed "The Underachievers" and "Night Patrol", (which looks to be a shameless, sexed up rip-off of "Police Academy"), and starring no one you ever heard of, "Blood Diner" is a classic. Yes, it is seriously one of the most entertaining movies I have seen in a long time. You just can't take your eyes off it, wondering what's going to happen next.
Now for the bad news, this little gem is not available on DVD in the U.S. You can only get it from a company in Germany called Dragon, and it's rare. I just checked, and there is only one copy on ebay and it's up to almost $30. So buy it, or get the VHS copy, check On Demand, write your congressman, do whatever it takes because "Blood Diner" is worth it.

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Internet Rumor Alert: The Three Stooges

Variety is reporting that the Farrelly Brothers are set to direct "The Three Stooges" starring Jim Carrey, Benecio Del Toro (!) and Sean Penn (!!). Del Toro will star as Moe, Penn will star as Larry and Carrey will gain 40 lbs to star as Curly. Early April Fool's Day joke? We'll see.

Supposedly, Penn is studying with voiceman Billy West. The movie won't be a biopic, rather it will be an actual Three Stooges comedy. This is going to be a disaster.

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ANIMATION MONDAY

FREAKY ROBOTS: THE GREAT DEBATE


TEEN GIRL SQUAD: EPISODE 1


SETH MCFARLANE'S 'THE BARTENDER SAYS...'

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GUITAR HERO GREATEST HITS

I know there are plenty of you out there who wish that the creators of Guitar Hero: World Tour had gotten on the ball a lot sooner with the whole four person ensemble format, so that you could have enjoyed all the classic songs from the first releases the same way. Well, don't fret (get it?) because Activision is hard at work to bring you Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits -a compilation of the all of all the fan favorites from Guitar Hero 1-3 and Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's.

On the downside there is no doubt that there will be a handful of great songs that will slip through the cracks of this 'best of' offering, but I'm sure that the final playlist (of 48 songs) will have more than enough to keep you sated, plus whatever downloadable content may come later. All of the modes from World Tour will be in the package, including eight player online battle of the bands, the Guitar Hero music studio, the rockstar creator and, of course, career mode. As an added incentive Greatest Hits will be turning away from the 'cover tracks' they used the first time out and utilizing master tracks for the new game. This, along with the newer features from WT (improved hammer-ons, pull-off mechanics, sustained notes, three-note chords, the touch-sensitive slide bar, the addition of Bass Guitar tracks) means that the note play for each song will play differently than in the first offerings. So, if you think you've already mastered all the songs, think again.
Though no official playlist has been released at this time, eight songs have been confirmed: "Them Bones" by Alice in Chains, Queen's "Killer Queen," "Nothin' But A Good Time" by Poison, Rage Against The Machine's "Killing in the Name," "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts's "I Love Rock N Roll," Heart's "Barracuda." and Dragonforce's "Through the Fire and Flames!" (The monster track from GH3). Expect Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits (or GH:GH) to be available for Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 and PS2 this June.

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DVD releases for Mar. 31st, 2009

TOP PICKS:
- Marley & Me (2-Disc Bad Boy Edition)
- The Real Ghostbusters: Volume 1
- Slumdog Millionaire

OTHER RELEASES:
- Baby Einstein: World Music
- The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations
- California Dreams: Seasons 1 & 2
- Goosebumps: Return of the Mummy
- Goosebumps: The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight
- Handy Manny: Manny's Green Team
- Hannah Montana: Keeping It Real
- Hope & Faith: Season 1
- In Plain Sight: Season One
- Marley & Me (Single-Disc)
- The Other End of the Line
- Pokemon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior
- Ricky Gervais Out of England: The Stand-up Special
- Schoolhouse Rock!: Earth
- Seven Pounds
- Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Big Journey
- Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Season Four, Volume One
- Xombie: Dead on Arrival

COOL BLU-RAY RELEASES:
- The Matrix 10th Anniversary Edition
- Pitch Black

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ICE AGE 3: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS

Here is the new trailer for Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs coming to theaters (in 3-D) on July 1, 2009 and I must admit, it looks pretty good.
[Hit the HQ button for better quality]

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BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM

Here is walk-thru of one of the incredible areas from the upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum game coming soon to the PS3 and Xbox 360. I know that Batman games in the past have had a tendency to disappoint, but this game looks like it may have the goods. Take a look as one of the creators gives you a first-hand look at this impressive game.

For more information and features visit www.batmanarkhamasylum.com.

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Dora's Unwelcomed Makeover

Dora the Explorer's getting a makeover and mothers are not happy about it. A couple weeks back Mattel announced that the little cartoon star would be growing up, which didn't seem to rile too many people up, but once a promotional photo of the tween Dora started circulating parents immediately voiced their disapproval. Phone calls to Mattel and Nickelodeon started pouring in and online petitions started popping up everywhere asking what's next: "Dora the fashionista with stylish purse and stilettos?" Apparently, parents don't want a figure that their little girls look up to dressed in pumps and a miniskirt (unless it's the latest Bratz doll).

Mattel assures parents, though, that this more mature Dora is aimed toward tweens who may have grown up with Dora, but have moved out of the original show's demographics. This newer version is here to teach young ladies what's really important in life: Shopping, fashion, gossip, makeovers, and that looks are all that matters. Don't worry moms and dads, the younger, more innocent version isn't going anywhere. The original sweet little Dora and Boots will still be there to entertain your little ones...for now.

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'THE GOON' MOVIE

We finally have a look at David Fincher's upcoming movie The Goon from Dark Horse Entertainment and Blur Studios. Fincher will be producing the new CG-animated endeavor which should hit theaters early to mid-summer of 2010. Not much info on the cast and crew has been released at this point, including the director, but I guess we can always hope that Fincher will take on that role himself. David Fincher is of course the director of such critically acclaimed movies as Se7en, Fight Club, Panic Room, Zodiac, and last year's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, in case you were wondering.
For those unfamiliar with The Goon, it is a noir comic published through Dark Horse Comics. Created by Eric Powell in 1999, the comic follows the unusual happenstances of a nearly unstoppable powerhouse brawler (The Goon) and his tough and scrappy sidekick (Franky) who collect and enforce for notorious, yet mysteriously absent mobster Labrazio. While Goon goes toe to toe with everything from ghosts to mad scientist to giant spiders who welch on payments, his main foil is the Zombie Preist and his mob of undead cohorts who terrorize the townsfolk who live around Lonely Street. This book has a little of everything -paranormal, science fiction, horror, comedy, and plenty of action. If you're looking for an enjoyable read, you can't go wrong with The Goon and with Fincher helming the upcoming movie I think we're in for a real treat.

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MORE FROM DISNEY/PIXAR'S 'UP'

Here is a new clip from Disney/Pixar's 'UP' coming to theaters May 29, 2009. In this pretty funny clip Russell is having a bit of a...personal issue and Carl is feeling less than accommodating. Poor Russell.

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WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE trailer

Here is the new trailer for Spike Jonze's interpretation of the literary classic Where the Wild Things Are (and no, that doesn't mean West Hollywood).

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VENTURE BROS. SEASON 3 ON DVD

After months of waiting, one of the coolest shows to ever come out of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block finally re-emerges with the release The Venture Bros.: Season 3 on DVD (and for the first time on Blu-Ray). This is one show that never seems to disappoint with it's quirky storytelling and outrageous characters. No two episodes are alike -at all, and yet there is a solid continuity throughout. I would recommend this series to anyone who has felt that Adult Swim has been falling short of it's former glory and is looking for something more. And if the release of the season 3 episodes wasn't enough, tell me that this isn't the coolest DVD cover ever. In case you don't recognize the style it's based off of the old Atari 2600 packaging art, which is doubly ironic because of the very popular game for the 2600 titled Venture that didn't even come with said standard Atari package art because it was produced by Coleco for the 2600. Now THAT would have been even cooler, but it's still awesome none-the-less. If I could just get it in poster size...

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Sam Raimi's Drag Me To Hell: New Trailer

Drag Me To Hell is in theaters May 29th from Raimi's Ghost House Pictures. Not sure if I'll dig this based on the trailer alone but I'm willing to give it a shot. If Raimi can pull this off I might just forgive him for Spidey 3. Well, maybe.

Please be Rated R. Please...

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DVD releases for Mar. 24th

TOP PICKS:
- Bolt (Deluxed DVD Edition/Digital Copy)
- Quantum of Solace (Two-Disc Special Edition)
- The Venture Bros.: 3rd Season
- Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter & Under the Hood

OTHER RELEASES:
- 2 Fast 2 Furious (2-Disc Limited Edition)
- A Woman Called Golda
- Andy Richter Controls the Universe: The Complete Series
- Big Stan
- Bolt
- The Cake Eaters
- Doctor Who: Mega Set - Volume 2
- The Fast and the Furious (2-Disc Limited Edition)
- The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2-Disc Limited Edition)
- Happily N'Ever After 2
- Lilo & Stitch (Big Wave Edition)
- Master of the Game
- Never Say Never Again (Collector's Edition)
- Neverender
- New York City Serenade
- The Odd Couple (Paramount Centennial Collection)
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- Passengers
- Quantum of Solace (Single-Disc)
- The Riches: Season 2
- Runaway: The Complete Series
- Secrets of the Furious Five
- Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird
- Side Effects
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars - A Galaxy Divided
- TCM Archives: Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume Three: William Wellman at Warner Bros.
- To Catch a Thief (Paramount Centennial Collection)

COOL BLU-RAY RELEASES:
- Goldfinger
- Moonraker
- Never Say Never Again
- Quantum of Solace
- The Venture Bros.: Season Three
- Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter & Under the Hood
- The World is Not Enough

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CLIP FROM 'WHERE THE WILD THING ARE'

Here is a clip of test footage from the upcoming movie Where the Wild Things Are. Director Spike Jonze will be bringing the ever-popular children's book by author/artist Maurice Sendak to life. The story (for those of you who aren't familiar...both of you) is about a young boy named Max who likes to cause mischief and is sent to bed without any supper. During his solitude he creates a new world filled with monsters who live wild in the woods and crown Max their king after he basically beats them in a staring contest.


The first adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are was in 1973 [see below] and then in 1983, Disney actually planned production on a CGI version of the story to be directed by John Lasseter (founder of Pixar), but it never made it past test shots. Jonze's live-action version of the classic is set for release on October 16, 2009 (my birthday). Hopefully we'll have a trailer to post here sometime in the near future.

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SUPERMAN/BATMAN NEXT TO GET THE ANIMATED TREATMENT

DC has been consistently putting out top-notch direct to DVD animated movies since the release of Justice League: New Frontier and it looks like that trend won't be stopping anytime soon. Following the release of Green Lantern: First Flight in July, DC is gearing up to take on one of my favorite DC stories of all time, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Originally written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by the amazing Ed McGuinness, the Public Enemies storyline kicked off the highly successful Superman/Batman series (a revamp of the classic World's Finest Comics title which ran from 1941 to 1986 and featured Superman and Batman team-ups). The premise of the storyline was that then president Lex Luthor declared a state of emergency for the planet when a mysterious astroid of Kryptonian origin was discovered rocketing toward the Earth. Never one to miss an opportunity, Luthor immediately places blame solely on Superman claiming that he is responsible and that the only way to stop the impending doom is to stop Superman. President Luthor then puts an exhorbinant bounty on Kal El's head, which brings out all the big gun villians trying to cash in on the job. Through it all, Batman faithfully sticks by his side and risks it all to save his friend and in the story you see just how different and similar the two are at the same time. It's the subtle way that these two seemingly different personalties overlap that's the real appeal to this story. If that aspect gets overlooked for the feature you'll lose the heart of the story and it will just become another all action/no substance movie. Public Enemies is the story I use to introduce new readers to comics. It's entertaining, it's enthralling, and the artwork is just fantastic. There is no release date set yet for Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, but I would recommend to anyone with a love of comics (or even a slight curiousity) to go out and pick up the storyline in TPB today.

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DVD releases for Mar. 17th

DVD RELEASES:
- A Pup Named Scooby-Doo: Complete 2nd, 3rd & 4th Seasons
- Angel Wars: The Messengers
- Barbie Presents Thumbelina
- Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season
- Bunnytown: Hello Bunnies!
- Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season 7
- Elegy
- JAG (Judge Advocate General): The Eighth Season
- Married With Children - The Complete Tenth Season
- Mr. Belvedere: Seasons 1 & 2
- The Nanny - The Complete Third Season
- Punisher: War Zone (2-Disc Special Edition)
- Punisher: War Zone (Widescreen & Full Screen Edition)
- The Spectacular Spider-Man, Vol. 2
- The Spectacular Spider-Man, Vol. 3
- The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 5: 1946-1948
- Van Wilder: Freshman Year
- The Zeta Project: The Complete First Season

COOL BLU-RAY RELEASES:
- The Princess Bride
- Tin Man

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