Those who had the dedication to sit through nearly 4 hours of film in the theater when Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse hit cinemas worldwide are tough. Not for the four-hour film stint, but because they managed to sit through Death Proof without tearing out their eyes.

Thankfully, we all had a selection of great, fake trailers in between the films to keep us entertained. Trailers directed by names like Eli Roth, Rob Zombie, and Edgar Wright, which are all still rumored to be in the works as real films. We all know that Rodriguez’s Machete is being planned, and almost ready to start.

After seeing those trailers, it was only a matter of time before the YouTube generation got their hands on some fun footage, and made it look like a Grindhouse film. What better film than something as depressing and cheap-looking as Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler.

Check out the masterpiece after the jump. Also, be sure to check out all of our other Fan Film Friday links while you’re at it.

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With the departure of Marc Guggenheim, this leaves me a little dismayed with FlashForward and last night’s episode was a bit of departure and not that good. It did, however, expand on some characters, rather than just focusing on Fiennes and Cho. We spent time getting to know Courtney B. Vance’s character of Stanford Wedeck, who is Head of the FBI LA office, and Christine Wood’s character Janis Stark.

We open on Fiennes, Cho, Vance and guest star Barry Henley as Agent Vreede, walking out of some building.  Fiennes and Vance are talking and Vance says something about not telling anybody anything about his [Fiennes] flash forward or they are”d.o.a.” Fiennes is on the phone with Janis Hawk telling her something about funding.  Getting into a car, they are immediately set upon by a black SUV and hit with a Rocket Propelled Grenade blowing up the car, seemingly killing all four inside.

Cut back 39 hours, and the four of them are in a basement taking a lie detector test. Apparently they are in Washington, D.C for a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on what the various  agencies are finding on the black out case, and they have to take the test for the hearing.  After the test, Fiennes talks with his sponsor who tells him to go to AA meeting which Sophia Walger overhears the sponsor talking about while he fixes some stuff around the house.  He’s apparently helping them out around the house while Fiennes is away doing document support for Vance in DC.

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Anybody who’s been to a theater in the past year or so knows that zombies are all the rave today. From Sony’s Zombieland bringing in nearly $65 million in a matter of weeks, to the sudden resurgence in the work of George A. Romero, zombies are neck-and-neck with vampires these days.

With that said, of course the craze is bound to hit the video game world, as it did in spades with last year’s Left 4 Dead. The game managed to cram every zombie movie scenario into a first-person shooter to make you feel like you were really fighting for your life against an army of the undead, as scary as that sounds. While there were some pretty haunting moments in the game, there really isn’t anything as cathartic as blowing up zombie heads.

Like clockwork, game developer Valve (along with EA Games) is releasing the sequel to the highly-praised game this year around the same time. The characters are all new, as are the settings, but the most important is the new storyline. Many games these days are more compelling than some films, and the newest trailer for the game only proves that further.

Check out the Zombie Survival Guide trailer after the jump, and be sure to race to the game stores on November 17th when the game gets a nationwide release.

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The new biopic Amelia stars two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank as the aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. Often remembered more for her mysterious disappearance than her aerial accomplishments, the new movie tries to steer focus back to her highly publicized, if short lived career as a professional female pilot. Only eight years after the Nineteenth Amendment granted women the right to vote, Earhart burst onto the public radar in 1928 by being the first women to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, becoming an instant celebrity. Just nine years later, on July 2, 1937 while attempting to circumnavigate the globe, her plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean, giving birth to several theories and myths regarding her death.

Directed by Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake) Amelia is a visual feast, as expected by a director that seems to delight in filming rich colors and textures—the only thing Vanity Fair had going for it was the exquisite Indian-influenced production design, while Monsoon Wedding, a personal favorite, burst with it’s saturated color choices. What impressed me the most was the aerial footage, vast and luscious and beautifully shot, they transported the audience and inviting us to experience the wonder and infatuation Earhart must have felt while in the cockpit.

Watching the film, you GET why Earhart risked her life and spent a fortune financing her voyages. At a time when women were barely able to work outside of the home, she was sailing through the sky (phenomenon that is viewed more as a tedious hassle by modern day travelers, than the improbable feat it actually is) and accomplishing feats that only a few men had successfully done before her.

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Halloween is officially 8 days away (7 if you celebrate on the 30th), so it would make sense for a studio like Lionsgate to put out lots of genre films to coincide with the spookiest of holidays, right? Wrong, because according to them, March is the new Halloween. Whatever that means.

There is a brand new teaser out for Season of the Witch, starring Ron Perlman, Stephen Campbell Moore (The Bank Job), Ulrich Thomsen (Hitman), and yes, Nic Cage. Also, don’t be surprised that a film about witches isn’t coming out around Halloween, because director Dominic Sena’s last film, Whiteout, sat on the shelf for nearly a year before a soft release.

Though October is considered a dead financial month for films, it was nice that the trailer tried to cover it up by proclaiming that “Halloween is for Amateurs.” March isn’t a much better time, but it is where bad horror films go to die, so don’t expect much on March 19th when Season of the Witch opens nationwide.

Check out the first teaser trailer after the jump!

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Cirque du Freak: the Vampire’s Assistant, directed by About A Boy’s Paul Weitz and based on the series of young-adult novels by Darren Shan, is a surprisingly good movie with all the requisite scares, humor, characters and excellent performances (at least by most of the cast) you could want. Its a good time at the movies unencumbered by many of the things which handicapped something with similar subject matter like Twilight. The real trick here is that the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously and in so doing, manages to be fun and entertaining as well as, at points, quite scary.

Going in to this film I was pretty ignorant of the subject matter and its origins, never better illustrated by my wondering why so many teenagers were in the screening of this film during Fantastic Fest. Also, having not read any of the 12 books of the Cirque Du Freak saga, I can’t say how faithful an adaptation it is of the book. But having any prior knowledge of these characters or reading the books is not really a prerequisite for enjoyment of this film. The world created by director Weitz and the rest of his team is fully populated and realized and envelopes you from the first moments. Its a world that anyone, child or adult, should have no trouble understanding and becoming enthralled by.

Fortunately, the filmmakers accomplish this without the need for lots of gore or real violence (the film carries a PG-13 rating) so this film, because of these reasons and due to its origins in the young adult series of novels, is suitable for most teenagers and adults alike. Although, adults may not appreciate one or two of the jokes that fall flat and may wish the film spent more time with the intriguing supporting characters rather than with the film’s two teenage leads, they will still find this a charming and entertaining good time.

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Because I’m a big fan of Hulu, if true, the news that the service will begin charging viewers is very disappointing. Of course I realize that things cannot always be free, nor should they always be free. However, Hulu already has ads during its programming so it isn’t really “free” for the viewer. In many ways its just like broadcast television, only on the Internet.

My favorite part of the article, though, is the quote from News Corp.’s Deputy Chairman Chase Carey who said of the service: “I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content. I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value,” he said.

I guess he’s never actually visited the Hulu website and seen the ads? And really, who doesn’t love corporate speak? What he’s saying is that we won’t appreciate the value of something free until we pay for it? Sure, that makes sense.

Although, I guess in one way it is true. Once Hulu starts charging for content I, and I’m sure many others, probably won’t be watching its content anymore. So, it that respect I guess I will appreciate the value of it. . . once its gone.

Spider-Man 3 was far from great but I will say Thomas Haden Church gave a pretty good performance as reluctant villain Sandman. Like Alfred Molina (Dr. Octopus) before him and Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin) prior to that. Church brought a tragic element to the role. Yes, they all ended up portraying villains but you kind of felt sorry for them. I’ll even go so far as to say as much as Venom sucked in the last film, Topher Grace had an ounce of that innate misery in his portrayal of Eddie Brock.

Well, perhaps we’ll see that again in Spider-Man 4 as Dylan Baker will be reprising his role as Dr. Connor. While we have yet to see his true villain side manifest as The Lizard in the films maybe it will finally happen. Collider reports:

“Baker joked with “Trick-r-Treat” writer/director Dougherty about his role in the film, with Dougherty saying that Baker’s character was “just appearing in the background” and that the possibility of the Lizard would just be “a cocktease for another year”. Baker apparently joined in the joking, but it’s unclear whether he was actually confirming a small role for Connors or if he was giving a wink and a nod.”

Come on Sam Raimi, give the fans what they want: The Lizard!  You’ve teased us for three films now, it’s time you gave Baker some green scaly skin and sharp fangs to do battle with Spider-Man. Perhaps more importantly, Baker fits the bill for that tragic quality I talked about above.

Speaking of actors that are due a real role in Spider-Man 4, Raimi confirmed that Bruce Campbell will also return for the film, “I promised him we would write something because I really love putting him in the pictures,” he told the network, adding, “I promised him a good meaty role.”

So, just what kind of “meaty role” do you give a guy who has played a different character in every film?  If Internet rumors hold any water Campbell could dawn the mask of Mysterio.  It would be a perfect role for Campbell when you consider the origins of the character (from Wikipedia):

“Debuting in Amazing Spider-Man #13, Mysterio is Quentin Beck, a special effects wizard and stunt man working for a major Hollywood studio with dreams of making a name for himself in the film industry. However, he came to see his career in special effects as a dead-end job, but realized that his expertise in illusions could make him an effective supervillain.”

Gee, a guy trying to make a name for himself in the film industry? Sure, Campbell is already a name in the industry, but this sounds like the perfect downtrodden character Campbell could really get into.  Here’s hoping this is one Internet rumor that will pan out.

Spider-Man 4 is set for a May 2011 release date.

Entertainment Tonight took a trip to the set of  The A-Team and got some behind the scenes footage. While they primarily speak to Bradley Cooper (Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck) and Jessica Biel (as yet unnamed former love interest of “Faceman”) there is a brief meeting with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (Sgt. “B.A.” Baracus) and his iconic mohawk.

I wish I could say the clip gives us riveting information about the upcoming film. Unfortunately, ET decided to delve into “the big question”, “Is there an A-Team love story?”  Seriously, ET? Show me one person who actually asked that question.

Anyway, ET went there and in return we get to see some of the most inane banter between Jessica Biel and an ET reporter ever. In other farthest-thing-from-spoiler-news we also find out Cooper’s dietary habits to get in shape for the role. Way to go ET! You truly know how to bring the fans what they want (please note sarcasm).

Alright, complaining aside it’s finally good to see some video of these actors as their respective characters.The A-Team comes to theaters June 11, 2010.  Check out the clip after the jump.

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Welcome to The Pull List Comic Reviews! It was a great week for comics as every issue got a really good score, including a surprising (for me, anyway) Pull of the Week. As always, WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

PULL OF THE WEEK:

Sugarshock – Dark Horse Comics – $3.50 US
Writer: Joss Whedon Artist: Fábio Moon
Score: 9.5

Being the lead singer and guitarist of a band can require quite the juggling act, but what if one of those tasks involved saving the Earth? Luckily for us Earthlings, Dandelion has it all under control… somewhat. You see, her band, Sugarshock, has been requested in a battle of the bands, except there are no bands, and they’ll be battling to the death with the planet’s future on the line. Will they save the day or fall between the cracks into obscurity, or worse?

This isn’t your ordinary band, however. The drummer goes by Wade, who also happens to be an alien princess who looks human and can’t say “no” to groupies. Her “mystically enhanced bodyguard,” L’lihdra, doubles as the band’s other guitarist and the bassist is Robot Phil, which pretty much says it all. If there ever was a more rag-tag team of misfits, I’ve yet to see it.

I don’t know where to even begin with this issue. Originally appearing on MySpace’s Dark Horse Presents anthology in 2007, the three-part story is collected here along with Fábio Moon’s sketchbook and Editor Scott Allie’s notations, making for a nice, complete package. In other words, this is as close to perfect as I’ve seen since I started writing the Pull List Comic Reviews. Joss Whedon, who has always had a firm grip on female leads, inflects his usual witty banter but ups it to a whole new level. His characters are, in some cases, out of this world, and you can’t help but fall in love with every single one of them.

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Today, French telecom giant Nokia filed suit in U.S. District Court against Apple alleging copyright infringement on 10 of its technology patents. The company says the patents “relate to technologies fundamental to making devices,” that are compatible with GSM, UMTS, or 3G WCDMA, and wireless LAN technologies.

The claims involve wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption technologies. Nokia says Apple has been in violation of these patents since the iPhone launched in 2007. Additionally, Nokia says it has invested more than $60 Billion in research and development, but says Apple has not agreed to appropriate licensing terms for these technologies.

Nokia, which recently posted a loss of $836 Million, parhaps sees Apple as a worthy target, especially in light of Apple’s recently reported 7% increase in iPhone sales. I’m not saying that Nokia is suing Apple simply for economic reasons, but seeing as one company is going down while another is going up, the timing sure is interesting.

No matter what the relative merits of Nokia’s suit are, sit back and settle in for many long years of litigation. Apple is not a company that goes quietly and if they expect to get a dime out of Cupertino, Nokia had better be prepared to fight.

If you’re a fan of Ninjas and hot chicks who kick considerable ass then the character Psylocke is one you should definitely get to know. Now, thanks to Marvel, if you haven’t had the pleasure of her acquaintance yet, you can know get to know Psylocke up close and personal in her very own mini-series. But first, if you check out the info in this official press release, you can find out how to get a cool Psylocke sketch book for the mini-series right now.

Check out all the info below. Also, be sure to click through for a larger preview of the cover to Psylocke #1.

Torn from the pages of Uncanny X-Men, the most dangerous mutant ninja assassin is getting her own mini-series, and you have a chance to go behind the scenes of Psylocke for FREE! Discover the Psylocke Sketchbook, courtesy of Marvel Digital Comic Unlimited, right here! Red hot writer Christopher Yost and fan favorite artist Harvey Tolibao provide in depth commentary on never before seen sketches from the upcoming series!

What sends Psylocke into a murderous frenzy? And how is Wolverine involved? Fans can’t afford to miss this sneak peak into an explosive story of betrayal and revenge! This highly anticipated mini-series promises to change the already significant role of Psylocke forever! Be sure to check out the Psylocke Sketchbook for FREE right here!

Don’t forget to get your hands on the very pulse-pounding Psylocke #1, in-stores November 11th!

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