New ‘Green Lantern’ Promo Art

Green Lantern comes out this summer with massive expectations. Can Ryan Reynolds pull off the role of interplanetary hero Hal Jordan? Will audiences embrace the alien worlds, power rings, and other space opera elements of the story?

Whether you think Green Lantern is going to be a huge hit or a disappointment, we can all agree that debating the movie has been a lot of fun – as has looking at all of the interesting promotional and concept art that has hit the web in the past year. To that end, we have a new round of promo art from Green Lantern, via the Daily Blam.

The images, which show Ryan Reynolds flying through space as Green Lantern don’t bring anything new to the table, but they offer yet another look at GL’s much-debated costume. Check out all four images below.

–

–

This week, we named Green Lantern number five on our list of 20 most anticipated movies of 2011. Why such a high spot on the list? Because Green Lantern is not only one of the biggest comic book movies coming out this year, but also one of the riskiest.

So far, fans have had mixed reactions to most everything that Warner Bros. has put out, from the first official trailer to Green Lantern’s new power battery. While that’s not a definitive sign that the movie will be bad (comic book fans are notoriously fickle), it does put the pressure on director Martin Campbell and company to put out a truly impressive finished product.

With the notable exception of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, Marvel has pretty much dominated comic book movies in Hollywood over the last decade. If Green Lantern doesn’t show us the goods, then DC may have a rough time enticing new fans to watch movies about the company’s lesser-known characters.

Source: The Daily Blam

View the original article here

Movie Image Roundup: ‘Green Lantern’, ‘Three Musketeers’, ‘Cars 2′ and More [Updated]

[UPDATE: Check out some new hi-res Pirates of the Caribbean 4 images!]

There are over 150 movies releasing in theaters this year and you can get a detailed look at each month’s releases in our Massive 2011 Movie Preview. As the year progresses, we can expect PR departments from various studios to begin ramping up the marketing pushes on all of these films.

One way they build excitement for a film is by releasing still images, which usually consist of behind-the-scenes material, freeze frames from the movie (out of context of course) or occasionally a “cell phone reporter” will snap a picture or two while a film is shooting. Sometimes a studio will just take a Hi-Res still from the latest trailer and call it “new.”

Today we have 26 different images from 11 different films of various styles – some good, some bad, but all interesting. Let’s kick things off with a trio of Green Lantern images.

-

WB has been catching a lot of heat for their decision to use an entirely CG Green Lantern suit. What’s odd is that these pictures of Tomar-Re and Sinestro (Mark Strong) in full CG Green Lantern Corp outfits look amazing. Hopefully they will be able to match that quality with Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern outfit when the film releases. The makeup used to increase the size of Peter Sarsgaard’s head to the proportions of evil genius Hector Hammond is quite impressive, though.

Green Lantern hits theaters on June 17th, 2011.

Source:  Cine Heroes (via Coming Soon)

-

Johnny Depp hits the high seas again this summer in Pirates of the Caribbean 4, and this time his characters, Captain Jack Sparrow, is on the hunt for the legendary fountain of youth. But of course, things can’t ever go easy for Captain Jack: this time around he has the most feared pirate of the all on his tail: Blackbeard (Ian McShane). If that weren’t enough, Jack has unfinished drama with Blackbeard’s spunky daughter, Angelica (Penelope Cruz), as well as his traitorous first mate, Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). In these new hi-res images we see Blackbeard’s wrath, and Captain Jack’s attempts to tip-toe his way to treasure.

CLICK EACH IMAGE FOR A HI-RES VERSION

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides hits theaters on May 20, 2011.

Source: Disney

-

Even though The Three Musketeers have been seen onscreen more than two dozen times, director Paul W.S. Anderson has decided to once again update the classic Alexander Dumas tale – in 3D no less. Today we have our first good look at the Musketeers – Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), Porthos (Ray Stevenson) and Aramis (Luke Evans) – as well as, the intrepid, young and fearless D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman).  Even though they are “updating” the story, Three Musketeers so far appears to have an authentic  17th century look to it.

Three Musketeers will be in theaters on October 14th, 2011.

Source: Summit Entertainment

-

Last month we discussed the Worst Belated Sequels in movie history – that is to say a franchise that had too had too much delay between films. Scream 4 could possibly join this list as it’s been 11 years since Scream 3 sliced through theaters – though early screen tests suggest Scream 4 might be good. Most of the original actors and actresses have returned for Scream 4 and below we see Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and reporter Gale Weathers-Riley (Courtney Cox) together, as well as, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) in the familiar position of being attacked by the Ghostface killer.

Scream 4 will be in theaters on April 15th.

Continue to more new movie images…

« 1 2 3View All»

View the original article here

Industry Insiders Bash ‘Green Lantern’ in Defense of Blake Lively

Jan 18, 2011 by Rob Keyes 

In discussing the star potential of Blake Lively, industry insiders take shots at ‘Green Lantern,’ explaining its critical reception will not affect Lively’s future.

With mixed reaction to its first trailer and negative feedback for the title character’s CGI costume, Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment’s big screen introduction to Green Lantern may have some challenges to overcome in bringing their Emerald Knight to mainstream audiences.

Fortunately, Green Lantern has all the financial support it needs and more importantly, talent to back it up. Starring alongside Ryan Reynolds is Blake Lively as Carol Ferris. New York Magazine’s Vulture column put up a feature a few days ago about Green Lantern and her future as a Hollywood superstar, asking industry “insiders” about their thoughts on her career thus far, and her potential going forward. While no one was named, several agents and managers shared their thoughts on Lively, a few making a point to talk about Green Lantern… in a rather negative fashion.

After discussing her role in Gossip Girl and her strong performance in The Town, the article movies into the “What Hollywood Thinks” section, where they reference Lively’s biggest role to date, and only currently confirmed upcoming performance, as the leading lady in Green Lantern – Here is the paragraph we’re looking at:

And both are also quick to say that should the forthcoming Green Lantern flop (and it’s been a troubled production), it won’t hurt Lively much. Says the manager, “Whatever the mistakes were with Green Lantern, she needs to not react to them and do an indie movie just because a big superhero movie didn’t work. It’s always about the role and the director. The hotter the person, the easier it is, and she’s very hot right now.” The agent adds, “Even though Green Lantern is supposed to be terrible, it doesn’t mean it’s not going to do extremely well and enhance her foreign value. Clash of the Titans was horrendous, but it didn’t slow down Sam Worthington any.”

The author(s) indicate that the film has been a “troubled production,” followed by the agent and manager discussing the “mistakes” with Green Lantern and how it’s “supposed to be terrible.” And with a cherry on top, it’s compared to Clash of the Titans, Warner Bros.’ poorly received (critically) summer blockbuster that went through the infamously rushed post-conversion 3D process. As far as I know, none of these involved have seen the film so perhaps they’re talking about Ryan Reynolds’ contentious costume.

How will Blake Lively's career be affected by Green Lantern?

Before writing this up, I contacted the author and verified that the quotes are not coming from Lively’s agent or manager, so take from it what you will. There’s a good chance it’s all hearsay from people that have little to nothing to do with the production or people involved with the production of Green Lantern. This is how bad rumors start.

Follow us on Twitter @rob_keyes and @screenrant.

Green Lantern arrives in 2D and 3D theaters on June 17, 2011.

Source: New York Magazine

View the original article here

Green Air Products GAP CT-DH-4P Atmospheric Controller

US $24.93
End Date: Wednesday Jan-19-2011 5:26:25 PST
Buy It Now for only: US $24.93
Buy it now | Add to watch list

View the original article here

The Green Hornet Review

Screen Rant’s Vic Holtreman reviews The Green Hornet

Hey, are you old enough to remember when everyone freaked out about Michael Keaton being cast as Batman because he was a comedic actor, didn’t have the look nor the stature to play the iconic masked vigilante – but in the end it turned out to be a daring bit of casting and pretty damned cool?

Well that didn’t happen with The Green Hornet.

The Green Hornet movie has a (troubled) history going back to mid-2007 when rumors first floated that Seth Rogen would be playing the titular hero (and writing the script). Initially Stephen Chow (director of the hysterically funny Kung Fu Hustle) was set to play the role of Kato (the sidekick), and then came word that Chow would be directing as well. Well a few months passed and that sequence reversed itself: Chow was not going to direct (due to creative differences) but would still play Kato. A few more weeks go by and Chow bowed out of the project completely.

Having seen the final product, I am left seriously wondering what a Stephen Chow-directed Green Hornet film would have been like.

I’m sure I will be hit with the standard “Hey, can’t you just enjoy a fun movie?” argument, so let me preface this review by saying that I am a fan of director Michel Gondry’s very funny Be Kind Rewind. And while I’m not a huge Seth Rogen fan, I did enjoy Superbad, which he co-wrote.

Enough preamble. In this latest incarnation of The Green Hornet, Britt Reid (Rogen) is the son of a newspaper magnate who didn’t have time for him as a child (his mother died when he was young). Dad is stern and has high standards – and Britt rebels by going the opposite direction and ending up as a 30 year old, irresponsible party boy. After one last “I’m disappointed in you” his father dies of a bee sting (he’s allergic), leaving the newspaper and wealth to a son who is not only unprepared for the responsibility – he doesn’t want it.

He comes to know Kato (now played by Jay Chou), who was not only his father’s auto mechanic (garage full of gorgeous, rare automobiles), but he makes an incredible cup of coffee using an espresso machine he built himself. Britt comes to learn that his father was paranoid about security and has had Kato build some pretty hard core defenses into “Black Beauty” – a very cool black sedan from the late 60s. They become friends (kind of) and with both of them feeling the need for some excitement (and maybe, purpose) one thing leads to another and they decide to form a crime-fighting duo. But in order to be more effective (and this really doesn’t make much sense) they decide that the best way to help people and be “the good guys” is to pretend to be bad guys.

While Kato has extreme martial arts skills in addition to apparently being able to assemble multiple heavily armored and weaponized cars from scratch in the span of days (by himself), Britt has basically zero skills. Of any sort, whatsoever. While this is obviously to be milked for laughs, within the context of the film (especially as it moves ahead) it seems more ridiculous and annoying as it goes on.

Jay Chou and Seth Rogen in 'The Green Hornet'

While their goal is to disrupt gang crime in Los Angeles, they draw the attention of an old school crime boss named Chudnofsky (played by Christoph Waltz, who was amazing in Inglourious Basterds). Chudnofsky, while seemingly on his way out as young up and comers try to take over is not someone to be trifled with – in fact he’s even more dangerous than ever because he feels like he’s losing respect and authority among the crime bosses in the area. Also drawn into the fray is Cameron Diaz (less annoying than usual) as Britt’s secretary/assistant. Britt and Kato are clueless about the workings of the criminal mind and she happens to be very well versed in that based on her degree in journalism.

As you can probably guess, eventually the duo gets in over their head and have to not only figure out how to save themselves from being killed, but how to overthrow Chudnofsky as well.

I have to say, Green Hornet started out (surprisingly) on a very high note. The opening scene with Waltz as the older gangster meeting with a younger, disrespectful younger crime boss (who I won’t name to keep the surprise) started out cautiously, but just got better and better as it went on. It was, in fact, damn funny. But immediately on its heels comes the aftermath, in which there are a lot of people killed, which kind of hits you upside the head right as you come off a very funny scene. That point notwithstanding, the film does an excellent job of introducing and establishing the main characters within the span of the first 10 minutes or so. Films have tried to do that before and failed (*cough* The Losers *cough*).

We see that yes, Britt is a complete ass and Kato is a faithful, hardworking guy. We soften a bit (JUST a bit, and temporarily) towards Britt as he wants to learn about Kato and what he did for Britt’s father, and it’s fun to watch Kato introduce Britt to the cool stuff he worked on and did for dear, departed dad, and gives insight into what sort of person he was. Although it starts down the “ridiculous” slide, their excitement about doing something exciting and adventurous is almost contagious – and their first experience taking down a bunch of street punks is fun and a super-cool action/fight scene.

Unfortunately, that right there (about 20-30 minutes in) ends the “high note” and is where the downward slide begins.

Reid continues to be an insufferable ass throughout the entire film, and the longer it goes on the dumber it seems that he’s out there risking his life against seasoned criminals. Sure, Kato is there to watch his back – but that brings up another point: Why in the world is this supposedly very grounded and intelligent guy sticking around a flighty, irresponsible egomaniac who takes him for granted?

There are many car chase scenes, all very hyper-kinetic with lots going on – and here is another sticking point: There was more than one instance where their chase through the city causes police cars to go flying into other vehicles – if they’re truly trying to be “the good guys,” what about all the collateral damage they’re causing? Bystanders just driving nearby, taking the bus, etc. whose vehicles get totally destroyed (with passengers within)? Oh and there was one scene included to show off the bullet proof glass where during a police chase, a cop pulls up next to them and opens fire. Really? Cops shoot at you when you just try to outrun them without having shot first? And don’t get me started on the scene where they use missiles in an unconventional manner to get out of a tight spot.

Cameron Diaz seemed almost like a character inserted after the script was written, and James Olmos didn’t make much of an impact, even with his built in gravitas. Christoph Waltz also seemed almost like his scenes were spliced in from a different film – all very disconnected and odd-feeling.

There were other things that didn’t work, either… It seemed quite seriously like those involved (Rogen?) really, REALLY wanted this to be an R-rated movie, but were locked into PG-13 due to the subject matter. Why do I say that? Because I can honestly not remember the last time I watched a PG-13 with so much profanity. I didn’t try to keep count of the number of s-bombs Rogen drops in the film, but I would have lost it anyway – had to be at least a couple dozen. Add to that one or two a-holes, b*tch and I don’t know what else. Frankly, it felt completely superfluous and it just added to the obnoxious, unlikability of Rogen/Britt. You can have an obnoxious protagonist, but when you start rooting for the bad guys, you have a problem.

Cameron Diaz and Seth Rogen in 'The Green Hornet'

And that’s the problem with Rogen’s Reid – the guy is such a monumental jerk that it’s hard to get past it. He treats the guy who is keeping him alive in the field like he should be happy to be allowed to come along, he’s a disgusting example of an over-cocky, sexually harassing pig with his secretary (Diaz), and just all around supremely annoying. By the end of the movie you’re not hoping for redemption, you’re hoping someone puts him in the hospital.

Also, this was pretty violent for a PG-13 movie that is sure to attract parents to bring their kids. Sure, you have violence in PG-13 movies, even superhero movies – but do we need close ups of two different people who’ve been crushed to death in a “light-hearted” semi-superhero comedy? If you’re thinking this looks like a “fun” romp the kids would enjoy, I recommend you reconsider and leave them at home for this one.

Will you like it? Maybe. Some of the audience I attended the screening with seemed to enjoy it. Am I saying it’s not funny or not worth seeing? No. There were moments beyond the first act where I laughed – not a lot, but a couple. There were tons of cool action scenes and Jay Chou’s martial arts fights were exciting (when you could tell what was going on due to the super fast editing in some scenes), and director Michel Gondry did some interesting things, visually. These items and the first act are why I’ve gone as high as 2.5 stars on this.

But overall, The Green Hornet is an uneven mix that’s not nearly as funny or enjoyable as it could have been.

-

 Loading ...

View the original article here

Movie Poster Roundup: ‘Green Hornet’, ‘Sucker Punch’, ‘Thor’

A sleek black automobile that’s been enhanced with machine guns, rocket launchers, and beanie bag throwers (you read that correctly); gorgeous young women armed to the teeth for combat; and a big, blonde, bearded superhuman carrying his deadly hammer are on display in today’s movie poster roundup.

There’s a new one-sheet for this week’s release, The Green Hornet; an elaborate banner for Zack Snyder’s upcoming Sucker Punch; and a French poster for the comic book flick that will kick off the Summer 2011 movie season, Thor, to check out as well.

Director Michel Gondry’s The Green Hornet gets the honor of being the first anticipated tentpole pic to be released in 2011 (sorry, Season of the Witch). Evan Goldberg co-wrote the radio serial/TV show/comic book movie adaptation with his Superbad pal Seth Rogen, who also stars as the Green Hornet (a.k.a., playboy Britt Reid). Asian pop star Jay Chou takes over Bruce Lee’s iconic role as Kato, the brains and brawn behind the Hornet and his operation to fight crime in the streets of Los Angeles.

Recent clips and TV spots have done a good job highlighting the stylish action scenes from Green Hornet (specifically, the “Kato Vision” combat sequences), promoting the movie as mostly just a fast and fun popcorn flick. The film attracted a fair amount of negative buzz back in mid-2010, but recent word of mouth has been much more positive (check back here on Friday to read our verdict).

The Green Hornet and Kato get to wreak havoc on the streets of L.A., thanks to their virtually indestructible and technologically-advanced ride, the Black Beauty. Have a look at the damage left in the vehicle’s wake in the Green Hornet poster (via IMP Awards) below:

There’s a good chance you were more interested in admiring the snazzy visual design of the images or footage released for Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch than actually bothering to find out what exactly the film’s plot is. For those who want to know, here’s the basic gist of said plot:

She has been locked away against her will, but Babydoll (Emily Browning) has not lost her will to survive.  Determined to fight for her freedom, she urges four other young girls—the outspoken Rocket (Jena Malone), the street-smart Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), the fiercely loyal Amber (Jamie Chung) and the reluctant Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish)—to band together and try to escape their terrible fate at the hands of their captors, Blue (Oscar Isaac), Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino) and the High Roller (Jon Hamm).

These girls’ attempts to escape their cruel captors is brought to life via vivid fantasy sequences that pit the leather-and-fishnet-clad ladies against samurai, deadly soldiers, fire-breathing dragons, and giant mechanical monsters. Sucker Punch may not have the most well-developed or layered of storylines, but Snyder knows how to create beautiful visuals and stunning action – so that definitely works in the film’s favor.

Check out the new Sucker Punch banner below:

(CLICK FOR LARGER VERSION)
-

Son of Odin and owner of the all-too-cool silver hammer Mjolnir (not Maxwell – kudos for getting this joke), Thor makes the jump to the big screen this summer, under the direction of Shakespeare lover Kenneth Branagh. The film adaptation of the mythological tale-turned-Stan Lee comic book stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular blonde bruiser, who is cast down to live amongst the mortals on Earth after his dad (Anthony Hopkins) tires of his arrogance and thoughtless action.

An official trailer for Thor was released just over a month ago and fans were overall quite receptive to the footage on display – more so than they were after watching the preview for another comic book flick, Green Lantern (for more on that subject, see our Thor vs. Green Lantern trailer showdown).

This new French poster for the film only features the all-mighty Thor in the flesh, but there’s still something cool about the image of Hemsoworth, dressed up in futuristic armor and gazing out dramatically into the distance as his red cape flaps in the wind – we all know it’s true.

Check out the French one-sheet (via CloneWeb and Fantasy.fr) below:

The Green Hornet roars into regular, 3D, and IMAX 3D theaters around the U.S. this Friday, January 14th.

Sucker Punch blasts its way into theaters on March 25th, 2011.

Thor arrives in 2D and 3D theaters on May 6th, 2011.

View the original article here

Eva Green, Naomi Watts & A New Batmobile Join Batman 3? [Updated]

Since the beginning of November there have been rumors circling The Dark Knight Rises regarding the casting of not one, but two new female lead characters. While it’s been impossible to confirm which characters Christopher Nolan will add to this trilogy-concluding Batman film, the shortlist of actresses reportedly mentioned in consideration are nothing short of the top talent in the industry.

The candidates initially reported included Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Blake Lively, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway and Keira Knightley. With Portman pregnant and Lively playing the leading lady opposite Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern, the list narrows. According to the latest rumors, only one of these candidates will be joining the cast of The Dark Knight Rises.

Collider has the exclusive on several exciting and important details on The Dark Knight Rises from reliable inside sources. Since they cannot attain official confirmation, they have labeled the following information as a “rumor.”

The most important update comes on the casting front with Naomi Watts (listed above) and Eva Green rumored to have joined the cast of Batman 3. Their source is unable to confirm who is playing who from the DC Comics, but assumes that Green will be playing the villainous Talia al Ghul, with Watts portraying the character of Vicki Vale, a reporter previously played by Kim Basinger in Tim Burton’s first Batman (our man Ben Kendrick nailed that one).

[Update: THR reports this information as false and list six candidates scheduled to test for the roles over the next two weeks. Find out who they are here.]

Naomi Watts as Vicki Vale in The Dark Knight Rises

If Eva Green (Casino Royale) is playing Talia Al Ghul, that does confirm previous rumors and works to tie in the events of Nolan’s Batman Begins which of course, featured Liam Neeson playing Talia’s father, Ra’s Al Ghul.

Another possibility follows the other common rumor that Christopher Nolan and co. will be basing the story of The Dark Knight Rises on the Batman: Prey graphic novel which would put Green in the role of Catwoman instead, and previous casting addition Tom Hardy into the role of Dr. Hugo Strange.

Now to the other details from Collider’s scoop:

New design for Batmobile is similar to Tumbler, but more streamlined.New Batcave same as old with circular pad for Batmobile.There will be an armory of Batsuits (like Iron Man 2?).We will see the Batcomputer in the cave.Shooting begins May 6th.Post-production begins November 28th.

They also hint towards what’s likely going to be the introduction of another new Batsuit, which we expected would happen anyway. In movies like this, you always need a new costume for each movie to help sell some toys.

Hopefully, official confirmations will roll out soon. But regardless of how accurate this information may be, we all have a lot to look forward to as Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale aim to finish their run with the Batman franchise. We can however, say for certain that The Dark Knight Rises will not be in 3D and will star Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Tom Hardy.

The Dark Knight Rises begins production in May and is scheduled for theatrical release on July 20th, 2012.

Follow us on Twitter @rob_keyes and @screenrant

Source: Collider

View the original article here

Geoff Johns Shows Off The Green Lantern Known as Tomar-Re

Green Lantern is, along with Thor, one of the most highly anticipated superhero films of next year. But whereas Thor’s trailer garnered nearly universal acclaim in the geek community, Green Lantern’s trailer has been criticized for its over reliance on hokey CGI and Iron Man-meets-Van Wilder comedy stylings.

The creature designs on the other hand have thus far been fairly well-received. Though we’ve only seen a few – Kilowog, Sinestro and Tomar-Re, for example – they’ve all looked pretty good, or as good as can be expected this early in the production process. Now, courtesy of Green Lantern issue #61, we’ve got the clearest look yet at Tomar-Re with a personalized note from author Geoff Johns.

Click the pictures below to see the full scans:

For those that don’t know the first thing about the fishy-looking Green Lantern known as Tomar-Re, Geoff Johns, the current writer of the Green Lantern comic book and the Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment, has the full rundown:

“Growing up on the planet Xudar, Tomar-Re comes from a peaceful avian race that focuses their efforts on the arts and sciences instead of war. His nature to examine everything has led the Guardians of the Universe to appoint him the archivist and protector of the sacred Book of Oa. When not studying the nature of the Corps, Tomar-Re patrols sector 2813 where he developed a close friendship with neighboring sector 2814’s Green Lantern, Abin Sur. Tomar has taken an interest in Abin’s replacement, Hal Jordan. Though Hal is not one for details, Tomar hopes to teach Hal what it means to be a Green Lantern.”

As Chief Creative Officer, Johns got an inside look into how the Green Lantern design team brought the various Green Lanterns and creatures to virtual life:

“We’ve watched test after test supervised by digital effects master Jim Berney based on the amazing design work by Grant [Major] and Ngila [Dickson]. Their passion for detail is much like Tomar-Re’s. Something I found extremely interesting was the mix of motion capture and straight-up animation they used in creating the Green Lantern Corps. Some of the more humanoid Corps members like Tomar-Re and Kilowog started with motion capture, but most of their flying and movement beyond simple interaction was animated, some based on the movement of insects or animals and others created completely from scratch – giving them all a unique, and alien, feel. It’s this attention to detail – from the scales on Tomar-Re’s skin to the way he turns when he flies into the air – that will give the Green Lantern Corps more life than it’s ever seen.”

Lastly, for those doubting the quality of the coming Green Lantern film, Geoff Johns, who has absolutely no reason to exaggerate the quality of anything related to Green Lantern ever (nope, no sir, nuh-uh!), is here to reassure you:

“With talented people like Grant, Ngila and Jim and his team pouring their heart and soul into [the movie], it makes you realize even more than you might already know how truly amazing the Green Lantern universe is.”

In the note, Johns referenced the fishy, scaly texture of Tomar-Re’s suit (above), which is very reminiscent of the muscular texture of Hal Jordan’s suit. Does this mean that the suits visually reflect the biological nature of the creatures who wear them? It seems that way, yes. It’s very possible that this creative choice will prove to be incredibly successful, but I have to wonder – did we really need to complicate something that was already working? Perhaps the busy look of the Green Lantern suits is one of the reasons they haven’t worked for so many. Sometimes, as they say, less is more.

You can find the above images in the back of the most recent issue of Green Lantern (#61), written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Doug Mahnke. The Green Lantern movie, directed by Martin Campbell and starring Ryan Reynolds, hits theaters June 17th, 2011.

Source: Green Lantern #61 by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke

View the original article here

‘Thor’ vs. ‘Green Lantern’ DC/Marvel Movie Trailer Showdown!

Well it’s about that time -- time to kick open the doors and once again instigate the age-old battle between DC Comics fans and Marvel Comics fans, this time in the arena of the silver screen.

In the last month we’ve been graced with the first real looks at two upcoming movies featuring second-tier characters from the DC/Marvel universes: Thor and Green Lantern. Now, based on what we’ve seen in the Green Lantern trailer and the more recent Thor trailer, it’s time to discuss which comic book house is making the better product in the era of “Comic Book Movies 2.0?.

If that term -- “Comic Book Movies 2.0? -- doesn’t sound familiar, it’s because I just made it up (feel free to use it). I personally define the era of “Comic Book Movies 1.0? to be that time period running from the late 199os through the early 2000s, where films like X-Men, Spider-Man and Hulk turned comic book properties into Hollywood’s new golden calf. That “1.0? era ended around 2009 with Chris Nolan and The Dark Knight, which launched us into this “2.0? era, in which comic book movies are not just popcorn blockbusters, but serious (not to be confused with “dark”) cinematic ventures that attempt to be deep, complex, insightful and artistically refined, in addition to being fun and epic.

We could debate the shift in comic book movie eras for an entire post, but we can all acknowledge that DC, Marvel (and every comic book publisher in between) are currently ramping-up to make comic book movies in a way that has truly not been seen before: with comic properties as studios’ major tentpole focus; shared movie continuities; unique and visionary directors at the helm; and of course, money, money, money being invested.

2011 will truly kick off the era of Comic Book Movies 2.0, with Thor, Green Lantern, and Captain America leading the charge. With all that said, let’s get to the trailers, shall we?

It’d be nice if we had the trailer for Captain America: The First Avenger to add to this mix, but for now Thor and Green Lantern are what we have to work with. I’ll post both trailers below for those who haven’t yet seen them, then we’ll compare them according to specific criteria:

-

Sure, we could talk about the casts of Thor and Green Lantern as a whole, because both movies feature an impressive cast of actors. However, in terms of these first trailers it’s the two leading men playing the titular comic book heroes who receive the majority of the focus, and will inevitably be responsible for carrying their respective films. So it’s the two leading men we shall discuss:

While Australian movie fans are probably familiar with Hemsworth’s work, American movie fans are still getting to know him. Hemsworth was featured in the indie flick Ca$h -- but admittedly, a lot of people didn’t catch that flick. The actor also had a brief but intense bit part in A Perfect Getaway last year -- but again, a lot of people are just now catching that flick on cable. Unfortunately for Hemsworth (and Marvel) the actor’s two big American projects -- the Red Dawn remake and the Joss Whedon horror film The Cabin in the Woods -- either of which might’ve made Hemsworth a household name -- both fell by the wayside thanks to the MGM Bankruptcy. Guess Hemsworth put his faith in the wrong studio…

Most American audiences will know Hemsworth best from the opening sequence of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot, where he played Captain Kirk’s father, George Kirk. While people may not immediately recognize that G. Kirk is the guy playing Thor, most will certainly acknowledge that -- while brief -- his Star Trek performance left a positive impression of Hemsworth as an actor.

As for Thor? Well Hemsworth has certainly beefed himself up to look the part of a warrior god and truly fits the mold of the character in terms of attitude. The intensity is there, the touch of humor (“Oh no, this is Earth isn’t it?“) and even some deeper Oedipal themes are successfully conveyed in his expressions when he confronts his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), in the trailer. If there were any doubters before, I think most fans are now breathing easy that marvel picked Hemsworth as their Thor.

Most people know Ryan Reynolds as the funny handsome charmer scamp from films like Van Wilder, The Proposal, or Waiting. Despite those comedic associations, Reynolds has proven he has range, playing dark and intense characters in films like The Amityville Horror remake and Buried; he also showed action/comedy chops in comic book flicks like Wolverine and Blade Trinity.

By now Reynolds is a household name, has been dubbed “Sexiest Man Alive” and (until yesterday) was married to one of the most famous actresses on the Hollywood A-list. So he’s a natural and prudent choice to help Warner Bros. give Green Lantern the mainstream appeal the character needs.

However, the fanboy community is still torn over the decision to cast Reynolds as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan. It’s not that they don’t like Reynolds, it’s just that some geeks feel that his funny handsome charmer scamp personality would’ve been much better suited to the character of The Flash (another DC movie on the horizon) rather than the more serious character of Hal Jordan. But despite the light tone of the first Green Lantern trailer, we here at Screen Rant know that the film will explore some dark themes; and while Reynolds can no doubt handle those darker moments, inevitably there will be other moments where flashes his charm or goes for a laugh, and that will leave some GL purists groaning and rolling their eyes.

VERDICT: He might not yet be tested on American shores, but Chris Hemsworth as Thor looks to be the early frontrunner.

Continue to direction, design and effects…

« 1 2 3View All»

View the original article here

Three New ‘Green Hornet’ TV Spots

We recently got a double-whammy of Green Hornet awesomeness when the second domestic and international trailers hit the web. Now we have even more promo materials to get you excited for this latest superhero movie, in the form of three brand new TV spots.

Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) directs Seth Rogen and Jay Chou in The Green Hornet, with the acting duo playing the titular superhero and his assistant, Kato. Rogen and Chou are joined by Cameron Diaz and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Bastards) as the love interest and villain, respectively.

The Green Hornet stars Rogen as playboy-turned masked superhero Britt Reid, who teams up with his recently-deceased father’s assistant, Kato (Chou), and sets out to fight crime in the streets of L.A. via a technologically-enhanced, 1960s model Imperial car dubbed the “Black Beauty.” The two eventually hatch an ingenious scheme to take down the leader of L.A.’s criminal underworld, Benjamin Chudnofsky (Waltz): pose as criminals themselves, in order to get closer to the man.

Check out the three new Green Hornet TV spots below:

I love the Iron Man vibe that The Green Hornet is constantly giving off -- that mix of fun action with wry comedy should hopefully provide the same sort of entertainment that made the first, and a lot of the second, Iron Man so enjoyable. Rogen is obviously an unlikely superhero (he’s admitted that himself on many occasions) but in a way that’s a good thing, since it means he’ll be more relatable as an everyman who gets swept up in this fantastical world.

Even more of a strange choice than Rogen was Gondry as a director. He was an unusual choice because he’s only ever done smaller-scale, very intimate films (he was one of the last directors I’d think of for a superhero movie) but by the looks of things he was an inspired choice for The Green Hornet. His inventive visual style should hopefully set the film apart from the million-and-one other superhero movies out there.

Green Hornet is set to hit 3D and regular theaters on January 14th, 2011.

View the original article here

Automotive Social Media Marketing; Google Adwords Target Car Buyers Seeking Green Vehicles

November 22nd, 2010 | Videos

First time here? Subscribe to Social Media eXchange for more interesting content

A­utom­­otiv­e­ S­ocia­l M­­e­dia­ M­­a­rke­ting; Google­ A­dwords­ Ta­rge­t Ca­r Buy­e­rs­ S­e­e­king Gre­e­n V­e­h­icle­s­

View the original article here

Early Look At Parallax In ‘Green Lantern’

Green Lantern fans were in a frenzy last week when the official trailer for director Martin Campbell’s film adaptation hit the web, along with a new poster that showed off the planet Oa.

While Ryan Reynold’s Hal Jordan will have to face off against the psychic Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) in Green Lantern, he will also have to battle the living embodiment of fear itself, Parallax – and now we have a better idea of what that villainous creature will look like in the film.

Readers may recall the following excerpt from the official Green Lantern synopsis:

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.

It was revealed six years ago, in the comic book retcon miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth, that Parallax is in fact an alien parasite that wreaks havoc on planets by causing their populations to destroy themselves out of fear and paranoia.

The Daily Blam! has provided the following picture – which reportedly comes from an upcoming issue of the Green Lantern comic – of the creature Parallax, much like it will appear in the movie adaption:

.

.

The fact that Parallax will appear in Green Lantern, in combination with the monster’s shared history with Hal Jordan from the original comic (Parallax was behind the character’s villainous turn back in the ’90s), suggests that the film may overall strike a darker tone, similar to the recut Green Lantern trailer, rather than the more comedic atmosphere of the official theatrical preview.

It should also be noted that Parallax’s presence in the Green Lantern movie suggests a trilogy arc that could include recent famous Green Lantern storylines like “The Sinestro Corps War“, “The War of Light” and “Blackest Night“.

.

.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!!! (Rollover text below to read)

At the very least, Parallax will likely be responsible for Sinestro’s (Mark Strong) eventual betrayal of the Green Lantern Corps and the creation of his yellow power ring.

.

.

Green Lantern hits 2D and 3D theaters in the U.S. on June 17th, 2011, so we’ll find out for certain then.

Source: The Daily Blam!

View the original article here

‘The Green Hornet’ Trailer #2 Looks More Promising

Early rumors pegged Michel Gondry’s The Green Hornet as a lame campfest in the vein of Frank Miller’s woebegone adaptation of The Spirit. Sony Picture’s decision to delay the film’s release until January 2011 seemed to only confirm that it was a disaster in the making -- one that would feature unnecessary post-production 3D as well.

A second theatrical preview for the Seth Rogen-starring comic book flick has been released and it does a better job of selling the movie as a competent mix of action and comedy than the first Green Hornet trailer did.

Here is the official Green Hornet synopsis, in case you’d forgotten:

Britt Reid (Rogen) is the son of LA’s most prominent and respected media magnate and perfectly happy to maintain a directionless existence on the party scene -- until his father mysteriously dies, leaving Britt his vast media empire. Striking an unlikely friendship with one of his father’s more industrious and inventive employees, Kato, they see their chance to do something meaningful for the first time in their lives: fight crime. But in order to do this, they decide to become criminals themselves — protecting the law by breaking it, Britt becomes the vigilante The Green Hornet as he and Kato hit the streets.

The Green Hornet has been doing unexpectedly well at early test screenings and there have even been rumblings that Sony Chief Amy Pascal has even begun to talk seriously about a sequel. But does the latest trailer for the Green Hornet indicate that this is a successful franchise in the making? Watch it below and find out:

Rogen co-wrote the Green Hornet screenplay with his Superbad partner, Evan Goldberg, but the Knocked Up star has always seemed like an odd choice for the role of a playboy-turned-masked-vigilante -- largely because his most recognizable screen persona is that of a scruffy, unfit slackster.

One thing the second Green Hornet trailer does well is play up the noticeably thinner Rogen’s lack of physical prowess for laughs and make the fight scenes with Kato (Jay Chou) look all that more hyper-stylized -- as they should be. There’s a glimpse of a “Kato-vision” sequence here that justifiably looks to benefit from the 3D effect as well.

It also helps that more of the jokes (especially the gas gun gag) are actually funny this time around and that the film’s tone seems to shift from serious to tongue-in-cheek without ever going too far in either direction.

The Green Hornet arrives in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D theater in the U.S. on January 14th, 2011.

Source: Sony Pictures (via Yahoo! Movies)

View the original article here

‘Green Lantern’ Trailer: Costume Transformation Shot By Shot

Well, the Green Lantern trailer is finally here, and fan reaction is… mixed at best.

Opinion is split on everything to do with this Green Lantern movie – whether Ryan Reynolds is right to play Hal Jordan, if Blake Lively can act (I say yes), whether the movie looks too cartoonish and not “dark” enough, etc. However, one hot topic of debate currently raging is  whether Green Lantern’s CGI costume looks good…or just plain silly.

Rather than force you to play the Green Lantern trailer over and over as you drum on your mouse for that shot-by-shot effect, we here at Screen Rant thought that we might make things easier by actually giving you a shot-by-shot, hi-resolution image sequence of Hal Jordan (Reynolds) powering up his ring and “putting on” his Green Lantern uniform.

First check out the trailer in its entirety, then we’ll stack the images of Reynolds transforming into Green Lantern below, so you can check them out:

I have to admit that I think the CGI costume effects are pretty well done… right up until I get to that final image of the finished costume.

It should be understood that at this point the CGI effects are not finalized and are going to be polished in the coming months – so they’ll likely look much better when the finished product hits theaters. (Remember the unfinished effects in that Iron Man superbowl TV spot fans were once up in arms about?)

But, as loyal fans we should – nay, must – help the filmmakers find their way. So it’s in that helpful spirit that I’d like to present three things about the Green Lantern movie costume that I think could use some improvement:

The colors are way too light in tone. Not every superhero outfit has to be “dark,” but when you think about it, it would make more sense for GL’s costume to be darker, with the green aura of the ring bearer’s will providing the light. If a Green Lantern dies, and their light fades, it would look more fitting if their uniform had a darker tone to it (the absence of light). But that’s just me.

The actual “skin” of the outfit makes me feel like they might has well have gone with some cheap plastic/latex costume and skipped the CGI altogether. The color tones and “feel” of the outfit (especially around Reynolds’ wrist and hands) reminds me of the Hal Jordan action figure I used to play with when I was a kid.

I know in my heart and soul that there was never going to be an easy way to pull off a mask like the one Hal Jordan wears (whether it was CGI, makeup, or costume piece). However, the mask they’ve gone with strips Reynolds of virtually any chance he has of NOT looking silly. I will admit that in a previous magazine cover image, the GL mask actually played (thank you, airbrushing); in this trailer image, not so much. You can call me a blasphemer, but personally, I think the filmmakers would’ve been better off going with the “armor mask” worn by Green Lantern Kyle Rayner. But again, that’s just me.

-

Enough of my opinion – how do you guys feel after taking a closer look at Ryan Reynolds in the Green Lantern costume? Did the closer analysis sway your opinion, or do you feel the same way as before?

Green Lantern will try and shine in theaters on June 17, 2011.

View the original article here

Full ‘Green Lantern’ Trailer (Plus 40 New Images)

A few days ago Entertainment Tonight released a brief preview for the long-awaited Green Lantern trailer and now the full version is finally available.

The Spanish MSN website posted the Green Lantern trailer seemingly early and while it features Spanish subtitles, the video itself is in complete English. In it we get to see Abin Sur’s crashed ship, him passing the ring and responsibility to Hal Jordan, several cool shots of space, the planet Oa and the many other intergalactic members of the Green Lantern Corps.

Watch and see what you’ve been waiting for:

Head to Apple for the HD Green Lantern trailer [Updated with YouTube version for now].

The production value and most certainly the score of the trailer help bring that feeling of epicness and should put behind most negative feelings some may have towards the preview footage. Warner Bros. is not holding anything back in terms of character reveals and the extremely heavy sci-fi feel of the books.

Fans of the Green Lantern comics should feel very happy that they are keeping very true to the comics and world set up in the books. And while Ryan Reynolds’ CGI costume is often a topic of debate, within the context of the trailer it doesn’t look so out of place even though I still think it looks a tad too fake from the final scene of the trailer, notably in the mask. I hope it improves in the many months left before the summer 2011 season kicks off as the Reynolds’ costume looks a lot better in this Green Lantern poster art that showed up on the Apple site as well:

And here are over 40 screen grabs from the trailer for your viewing pleasure:

Along with Strong as Sinestro and Peter Saarsgard’s Hector Hammond (pre and post-giant head), the most rewarding part of the trailer is getting a better sense of the acting range that audiences have to expect from Reynolds and that fans want from Hal Jordan.

Green Lantern is is directed by Martin Campbell and stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett. It is based off a screenplay written by Greg Berlanti, Michael Goldenberg, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim.

How do you feel about the Green Lantern movie now?

Green Lantern arrives in 2D and 3D theaters on June 17, 2011.

 Loading ...

Follow us on Twitter @rob_keyes and @screenrant.

Source: MSN, Apple

View the original article here