AMC Releases ‘The Killing’ Teaser Trailer & Featurette

After a hat trick with hit original series Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, AMC doesn’t intend to slow down any time soon. In addition to Hell on Wheels, production on the first season of The Killing is wrapping up for a March 2011 debut. The cable network has released a short promo and a featurette to whet the appetites of murder mystery fans.

Billed as a character-focused alternative to more standard police procedurals, The Killing follows an investigation into the murder of a Seattle girl. Each of the thirteen episodes covers exactly one day, and the narrative jumps between the lead investigator, the girl’s grieving parents and the mayor of the city.

Based on Danish miniseries Forbrydelsen, the show will explore the motivations and emotions of its characters as they follow the clues to find the murderer. According to executive producer Venna Sud:

“What we’re trying to do with this show is take the genre and turn it on its head… This is all about the secrets we have… it’s about how worlds collide, how there’s very little separation in a city, how everything sort of comes together around this murder investigation.”

Sud’s previous working includes writing and producing two seasons of CBS’ Cold Case. Other crew members include executive producer Mikkel Bondesen (Burn Notice, The Good Guys) and associate producer Shana Fischer (Dirty Sexy Money). Mireille Enos will lead the series as Detective Sarah Linden, the lead detective of the murder case. Fans of HBO’s Big Love will recognize her as Jodeen Marquart, one of the leading wives. Bill Campbell of The 4400, Enough and The Rocketeer plays the mayor, who has a special interest in both the case and the detective. Michelle Forbes (True Blood, Battlestar Galactica) and Brent Sexton (Deadwood) round out the cast as the victim’s grieving parents.

Watch the promo and featurette below:

If the sneak peek and the cast and crew interviews are anything to go on, The Killing will focus heavily on grief and betrayal. The acting and production design looks subtle and muted -- even the Northwestern setting lends itself to a contemplative and bleak atmosphere. Between that and the character-focused nature of the series, AMC is taking a big gamble. Mainstream audiences seem to be much more interested in glitzy whodunits like Numb3rs and the various CSI incarnations. However, cable networks have had much more success with more ambitious versions of the police procedural, like The Closer, Southland and Justified. AMC hasn’t tackled anything quite like this yet, but if their recent work is any indication, the new show will be one to keep an eye on.

The Killing starts its freshman season in March on AMC.

Source: Zap2it

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‘Real Steel’ Teaser Trailer – Robot Battles With Heart & Purpose

In ‘Real Steel’ Hugh Jackman is a ex-fighter who gets a second chance a glory in the ring by training and battling robots. Does the teaser trailer look better than ‘Transformers 3'?

Yesterday brought us the Transformers 3 teaser trailer. Today, as if in response to Michael Bay’s third entry in his battling robots franchise (which he swears is the best yet) comes the teaser trailer for Real Steel, the movie starring Hugh Jackman (The Wolverine) as a fighter who gets a second chance at glory in the ring via the world robot battling.

If you aren’t familiar with this flick, check out the Real Steel official synopsis for the lowdown on what the movie’s story is about:

A gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near future [the year 2020], where the sport of boxing has gone hi-tech, “Real Steel” stars Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring.  Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next.  When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender.  As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.

Now that you know the setup, take a look at the Real Steel teaser trailer:

I don’t know what Michael Bay has planned for Transformers 3, but I do know that the previous entries in that franchise haven’t offered the same level of robot fighting thrills that I see in just one minute of Real Steel footage. I also like the fact that human beings in this movie actually play a relevant role (serving as the heart and spirit of the ‘bots) rather than just being vehicles for dumb humor and/or money saved on CGI effects.

Speaking of effects, we know from early Real Steel set photos that the film will be using a mix of practical animatronic robots and CGI to create the action-packed fighting scenes, which, for me, automatically puts it ahead of Michael Bay’s work in Transformers in terms of both aesthetic and believability. Finally, in just quick flashes of footage I was able to distinguish several different robot characters -- a feat Transformers has NEVER achieved.

It’s inevitable that Real Steel and Transformers: Dark of the Moon will be compared, and though both films have only put out teaser trailers, the combination of an actual coherent and emotionally-grounded story, better use of human actors, layers of metaphor and a well-balanced mix of old and new effects place Real Steel as the early top contender in my book. Plus, I’d be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn’t prefer Hugh Jackman over Shia LaBeouf as their leading man of choice. At least when Jackman yells his voice doesn’t crack like a prepubescent teenager. Just sayin’.

Real Steel is slated to hit theaters and IMAX on October 7, 2011 (an indication that it is indeed more than a mindless blockbuster popcorn flick). After seeing both teasers, which film are you looking forward to more -- this or Transformers 3?

Source: YouTube

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‘Transformers 3′ Teaser Trailer Coming With ‘Narnia: Dawn Treader’ & ‘TRON: Legacy’

There is new drama regarding the 3D format of Michael Bay’s third entry in the Transformers franchise, entitled Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Yet another movie website recently ran a post claiming that Bay is having trouble working with 3D and that Transformers 3 is suffering as a result.

Bay has yet again responded via his own platforms, and is still maintaining that Transformers 3 was shot in cutting-edge 3D and will look amazing onscreen…as we will soon be able to see for ourselves.

For those with long memories, this Transformers 3 3D issue has popped up and been swatted down about a handful of times since production on the film began. We here at Screen Rant even managed to incur the wrath of Bay for a story we ran on the matter.

By now it’s pointless to continue tossing out conspiracy theories – and more to the point, why argue about this 3D issue when we can judge the first footage from the film within the next couple of weeks?

While swatting down the latest naysayer claims, Michael Bay let this little hint slip about a Transformers: Dark of the Moon teaser trailer:

“…I will give full details of my process and why I liked 3D in the next week right before the Transformers announcement piece comes out on Tron and Narnia.”

For those who aren’t movie buffs eager to see the two films Michael Bay referred to: the next installment in Fox’s Narnia series, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, will be in theaters on December 10th, while Disney’s sci-fi sequel TRON: Legacy will be packing 3D theaters on December 17th. If the Transformers: Dark of the Moon teaser trailer is to be released alongside those two films, we should expect it to debut online (albeit in 2D) anytime within 10 – 14 days from now – at least by my estimation.

Check out the early synopsis for Dark of the Moon below:

In this new movie, the Autobots and Decepticons become involved in a perilous space race between the U.S. and Russia, and once again human Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf)  has to come to the aid of his robot friends. There’s new characters too, including a new villain in the form of Shockwave, a longtime ‘Transformers’ character who rules Cybertron while the Autobots and Decepticons battle it out on Earth.

There will supposedly be a lot of reveals in the film about the intertwined histories of humans and the robots from Cybertron, with the usual big battles and massive explosions you expect from Michael Bay.

Ironically enough, due to all this controversy over the 3D format, what might’ve otherwise been viewed as another lackluster sequel in a so-so franchise is now going to be a lightning rod for scrutiny. Expect hardcore movie fans and Blogosphere reporters alike to put this film under a hi-res microscope – and don’t be surprised when somebody posts a shot-for-shot analysis of the 2D teaser trailer to determine the potential quality of the 3D (or lack thereof) in every frame.

Look for the Transformers 3 teaser trailer in front of The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader on December 10th and TRON: Legacy on December 17th.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon will be in (3D) theaters on July 1, 2011.

Source: Michael Bay Forums

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Mysterious New Teaser for Neill Blomkamp Project ‘AGM Heartland’

Since director Neill Blomkamp blew audiences and critics away with his Academy Award-nominated science-fiction film District 9, the director’s name has been attached to several different Hollywood movies.

Last fall, Blomkamp talked about a “very violent” and “very unique” original sci-fi film that he wanted to make. Then, there were the constant rumors of Blomkamp directing The Hobbit (which have since been squashed). On top of that, we learned today about another possible Blomkamp project, except this one may not even be a film.

Working off a reader tip, /Film recently discovered a short video credited to Neill Blomkamp that appeared online with the latest digital edition of Wired Magazine on the iPad. The video, which appears to be a sort-of viral teaser, shows two young men coming across an alien-like carcass stamped with “18.12 AGM Heartland Pat Pend USA” and “US Inspected And Approved.”

Check out the mysterious clip for yourself below.

Peter Sciretta at /Film did some digging into AGM Heartland online and learned that a Beverly Hills company called Sable Productions had recently filed a trademark claim for the phrase. On its trademark filing, Sable said:

“Entertainment services by way of an online website with video, audio and textual content and images featuring characters and storylines about a fictional genetic engineering company that produces genetically engineered and altered organisms.”

Per the language in the trademark filing, the assumption that the video is a teaser trailer for a possible film seems unlikely. Rather, Blomkamp looks like he’s involved with an interesting documentary style web project focused on genetically engineered livestock (and the presumably terrible company behind it).

If  AGM Heartland does end up taking off as a web narrative of some kind, it would be a pleasant surprise from Neill Blomkamp. As web technology continues to evolve, the Internet should continue to grow as a viable destination for filmmakers looking to share their interesting projects on a smaller scale.

Seeing interesting projects from directors like Blomkamp only proves that the medium doesn’t matter, only the message.

Source: /Film

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‘Cars 2′ Teaser Poster, Image, And Official Synopsis

A teaser poster has been released for Disney/Pixar’s ‘Cars 2', along with the first image and official synopsis for the animated sequel.

Glistening metallic vehicles with colorful personalities and pun-heavy names will ride rampant onscreen in Disney/Pixar’s sequel, Cars 2, which arrives in theaters next summer.

The first image from the followup to the 2006 merchandising hit Cars has been unveiled and with it comes an official plot description and teaser poster for the new adventure with hot red racing stud Lightning McQueen (whose engine made noises eerily similar to Owen Wilson’s voice in the first film ).

Wilson will return to voice McQueen in Cars 2 and will be joined by Pixar stalwart John Ratzenberger, along with Bonnie Hunt, who provides the vocals for the royal blue Porsche and McQueen love interest (still not sure how that works), Sally Carrera. Monk‘s Tony Shalhoub and Cheech Marin (last seen onscreen as Machete‘s “holy” brother, Padre) will also lend their voices to the Cars sequel, along with the redneck funnyman himself, Larry the Cable Guy, as the trusty rusty tow truck, Mater.

Read the official Cars 2 synopsis below, followed by the first image released from the animated pic:

Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take their friendship to exciting new places in ‘Cars 2' when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.  Torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret spy mission, Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world.  Adding to the fast-paced fun is a colorful new all-car cast that includes secret agents, menacing villains and international racing competitors.

Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter is co-directing Cars 2, alongside Rataouille producer Brad Lewis. The story for the first Cars bore a resemblance to the Michael J. Fox comedy, Doc Hollywood (with cars instead of southern townies, naturally) and had its charms, but the sequel looks to both amp up the number of racing sequences – which can be glimpsed in 3D this time – and give more screen time to Mater, in the hopes that he’ll work as more than just a one-note comic relief.

A teaser trailer for Cars 2 was released last month and it suggested that the film will be a fun adventure for the whole family that avoids the tear-inducing drama of this year’s Toy Story 3 – and, given the nature of the Cars universe, that’s probably for the best.

Check out the Cars 2 teaser poster below:

Cars 2 rolls into 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D theaters in the U.S. on June 24th, 2011.

Source: Disney/Pixar, Yahoo! Movies

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