There have been a lot of Hobbit related stories in the last few days, including the debut of the first teaser for the film. Now in addition to that first footage we are also getting the first one-sheet for the film, just in time for the Christmas cinema rush.

The poster does a great job evoking the sense of starting a grand adventure, and the focus on just Bilbo in Bag End is appropriate. Compared to the first Lord of the Rings one-sheet that focused on Frodo and the ring, this poster feels right as the beginning of the whole saga. The dutch angle and harsh lighting might seem a rather odd choice at first, but then you realize how off putting an uncomfortable leaving the Shire is for Bilbo and it all makes sense.

Everything we have seen from this movie up to this point has been amazing, it is finally starting to feel like there is a new Peter Jackson directed Tolkien film coming in less than a year. This poster helps set the tone for a two year adventure that brings us back into the glorious world of Middle Earth.

You can see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey next year and the full poster after the jump.

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There’s an old saying that goes something like “don’t fix something if it isn’t broken”. The people that manage Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s career obviously know this saying very well. When he broke the bank in Disney’s The Game Plan, they thought it may be a good idea to use him in a reboot of the classic Escape from Witch Mountain film.

That movie raked in millions as well, so what’s next? How about a sequel to a film from only a few years ago that was so bad, it forced Brendan Fraser out of the acting game completely. That’s where Journey 2: The Mysterious Island comes into play. Here’s the Rock-centered premise.

Young adventurer Sean (Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist–a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret. Unable to stop him from going, Sean’s new stepfather (Johnson) joins the quest. Together with a helicopter pilot (Guzman( and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter (Vanessa Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant (Caine) and escape before seismic shock waves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.

Can this franchise be saved by Dwayne’s comedic charm? Or will this fall under the umbrella of “bad ideas” that New Line has masterminded over the past years? Decide for yourself after the jump with the first trailer. Journey 2 hits theaters February 10th.

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The music from the Lord of the Rings films might very well be the best ever written for a film. Howard Shore often considered the entire project as his opera, structured in a sweeping and broad style that worked hand in hand with the epic story. So it is a natural that 10 years later the music is still exciting fans around the globe.

The music has been revisited again, this time being constructed as a symphony in six movements. The full twelve hours of music from the original films has been pared down into the six movements, each reflecting one of the six books of the original Lord of the Rings novel.

“Maestro Ludwig Wicki personally selected the musicians who comprise The 21st Century Symphony Orchestra and who perform on this recording,” said Shore. “Over the past four years he has perfected this music in Lucerne, Switzerland. His precision and supreme musicianship is evident throughout the recording. I congratulate him on his success and thank him for his masterful approach in bringing this score to life.”

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As we inch closer and closer to the release of Peter Jackson’s next trilogy in the world of Lord of the Rings, we’re getting more and more gifts and treats to get us excited for the upcoming films. The first image we saw showed us that this world looks an awful lot like the last one we all visited, and now we’re getting treated to a brand new image showing off some of the film’s cast.

Taken from their official Facebook page, we’ve got the very first image of the three brother Dwarves from the film, Nori (played by Jed Brophy), Ori (Adam Brown) and Ori (Mark Hadlow). Here’s the official description that followed the image.

DORI, NORI & ORI
These three brothers, all sons of the same mother, could not be more different from each other. Dori, the oldest, spends much of his time watching out for Ori, the youngest; making sure he’s not caught a chill or got himself killed by Wargs or Goblins. Nobody quite knows what Nori gets up to most of the time, except that it’s guaranteed to be dodgy and quite probably, illegal. Dori, Nori and Ori are intensely loyal to each other – and whilst they are perfectly happy fighting amongst themselves, woe-betide anyone who means harm to one of these brothers.

Check out the full-sized image after the jump and get ready as Jackson’s Hobbit hits theaters in parts next year.

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OK, horror fans, what’s better than relaxing on the couch with a scary movie, good friends, and a large pizza while the scares roll in? Not a whole lot, that’s what. That’s exactly what we’ve got for you with a brand new Rite Twitter Giveaway!

Be sure to stick to our Twitter feed later today as we tweet out a horror trivia question. If you’re the first few tweeter with the right answer, you will win yourself this sweet prize pack:

-Papa John’s Pizza Card

-iTunes gift card for the purchase of The Rite

It’s going to be a pretty deep horror question, so be sure to get your brains ready, watch our Twitter feed, and check out the synopsis and clip from The Rite after the jump to prepare you. Good luck!

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In honor of the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American War between the states, this week’s pick is the 1993 epic Gettysburg directed by Ronald F. Maxwell and adapted from the novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. The film dramatizes the events of the Civil War’s most decisive battle. The film stars Tom Berenger (Lt. General James Longstreet (CSA), Jeff Daniels (Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain (USA), Martin Sheen (General Robert E. Lee (CSA), Kevin Conway (Pvt. Buster Kilrain (USA), C. Thomas Howell (Lt. Thomas Chamberlain (USA), Richard Jordan (Brigadier Gen. Lewis A. Armistead (CSA), and Sam Elliot (Brig. Gen. John Buford (USA).

The film opens with narration and a map concerning the movement of the Confederate States of America’s Army of Northern Virginia which was planning an offensive into the north in order to lure the Federal Army of the Potomac into a decisive action which could end the fighting and allow total succession of the south from the rest of The United States of America. The narrator (Morgan Sheppard) tells how Lee’s army advanced through the mountains of West Virginia into Pennsylvania undetected.

Lee hopes that the army will succeed and if so, A letter has been prepared by Confederate President Jefferson Davis and is to be delivered to the desk of President Abraham Lincoln once the Army of the Potomac is destroyed, and Lee’s army controls a huge area north of Washington D.C. What both armies don’t realize yet, is that the most decisive and bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil is about to commence in and around the small Pennsylvanian town of Gettysburg.

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Real life on again/off again couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long team up in this sweet romantic comedy that realistically depicts the good, the bad, and the ugly about long distance relationships. Erin (Barrymore) and Garrett (Long) meet in a bar in New York one evening.

The two quickly bond over their mutual love of the retro arcade game Centipede, and spend the rest of the evening together. Erin is up front, and lets Garrett know that she won’t be staying in New York much longer.

Her summer internship is going to be over in six weeks, and she will be returning to Stanford to complete school.  They both agree to keep things casual for the next few weeks.

Why is it that when we make these types of vows, we always end up falling the hardest? Naturally the two fall hopelessly in love, and are completely inseparable for those few weeks before she leaves. They share a tearful, protracted good-bye at the airport, and decide to keep the relationship going, despite the distance.

Thus begins our voyeuristic look into the trials and tribulations of their  long distance relationship.  Texting, late night phone calls, more texting, loneliness and uncertainty, and infrequent weekend visits.  Erin and Garrett each face temptations with comely co-workers (Kelly Garner and Oliver Jackson Cohen).

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So, you’ve just clicked on my column and your wondering what the frak a commentary of Sex and the City 2 is doing on the epitome of all things geek, also known as The Flickcast? Well, Sex and the City 2 is the epitome of geek sheik… for women. Before continuing, I would ask all guys to scroll down as there are helpful hints on how to survive the Sex and the City 2 experience with your girlfriend.

There are some movies I will wait in line with my fired-up guy friends to experience the madness of a 12:01 screening, such as The Dark Knight. With $3 million in box office cash coming from midnight screenings, it seems some women are yearning for similar evening excitement. I thought about planning the typical midnight screening party and then smarted up. Many a lady enjoy a relaxed, less-crowded Saturday afternoon flick, so I thought I‘d give it a shot.

Since SATC 2 worships luxury brands, what better way to experience this film than with luxury accommodations? I skipped the lines, the sticky seats, and booming sound and opted instead for a screening reminiscent of a 60’s era Pan Am first class flight. Arriving at Gold Class Cinemas in Pasadena, I walked into a modern lounge where I chillaxed for a bit. I was then escorted by the cute wait staff into a private-like screening room that sat around 40.

My first piece of advice to those good guys who willingly accompany their gals is to drink and sit in very comfy chairs. My chair just so happened to be a red suede recliner that featured a happy green button that when pressed brought servers to our seats with stiff Flirtinis, pillows, blankets, and duck tacos in hand.

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If you were one of many fans who thought that if Peter Jackson wasn’t going to direct The Hobbit a really great alternative was Guillermo del Toro, prepare to be disappointed. After spending the last two years developing the adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien classic as his next directing effort, Guillermo del Toro has announced he is now stepping down as director of the project.

The director was obviously disappointed about the decision but said: “In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming “The Hobbit,” I am faced with the hardest decision of my life,” Guillermo wrote in his announcement on “Lord of the Rings” fansite TheOneRing.net. “After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures.”

However, all is not completely lost as the director also indicted he would stay on the project co-writing the screenplays for parts one and two with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Phillippa Boyens. Of course, now that del toro has stepped down it would seem like a perfect choice would be for Jackson to step up and take over the film.

After all, he’s been intimately involved with the production and did a pretty good job with those Lord of the Rings movies. Sadly, with Jackson’s other commitments, he won’t be taking on the film either.

“New Line and Warner Bros. will sit down with us this week, to ensure a smooth and uneventful transition, as we secure a new director for ‘The Hobbit,’ said Jackson. “We do not anticipate any delay or disruption to ongoing pre-production work.”

Well, there you go. With del Toro out and Jackson out, who’s the best choice to take on The Hobbit now?

(Intro to be read in Carrie Bradshaw’s voice-over): There I was, on my way to meet one of my gal pals for a early screening of Sex in the City 2. I’d pulled out my best pair of shoes from Target and paired it with my favorite perfectly worn blue jeans and a top from Forever 21. It was going to be a great night. The Cosmos would pour freely, and my friend and I were certainly in for a little female bonding while watching a fabulous film.

But I couldn’t help wondering while I drove toward the beckoning lights of downtown-do we really need a sequel to Sex and the City? After all, the first movie seemed to be the perfect little send-off for the fans.

Society has been resisting the opulent due to all the financial funk, and I couldn’t decide if this movie depicting the NYC foursome enjoying a decadent Middle Eastern vacation is what people want to see right now.

In the case of a sequel, is less more?

I don’t know much about Michael Patrick King, but that man knows how to indulge. Lavish set pieces, lush scenery, and colorful (though their beauty is highly debatable) costumes abound, and as pure escapism, the movie works. Once you start analyzing the plot and genuinely start to critique the movie, it absolutely falls apart, but I don’t think the target demographic for this movie will care.

Fans of the show who have been eagerly anticipating this film will not be disappointed. They know exactly what they are getting into, and I don’t think anyone expects to have their mind blown over this film. Let’s face it, this is the female equivalent of Transformers. It’s an event movie. and it has a built-in audience.

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We all know that art mimics life, and most video games mimic film, but does it become redundant when film mimics games mimicking film? Earlier this year, the highly anticipated cinematic PlayStation 3 game Heavy Rain was released, which follows several people in a rainy metropolitan area whose lives are affected by a serial killer.

The game’s main attraction is its rich storyline and deep (and sometimes boring) cutscenes that move it along. It looks like a few studio heads have decided to swap the computer-generated characters with real actors, as former New Line execs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynn, now of Unique Pictures, have recently picked up the rights to adapt the game into a full-length feature. From Deadline Hollywood:

Using their own money, Shaye and Lynne posted top bid in an auction held by CAA on behalf of game developers Quantic Dream.

Heavy Rain has sold 1 million units since its release in February.  Players hunt the “Origami Killer,” a serial murderer who drowns his victims four days after they are abducted, leaving only a small origami figure and an orchid on the corpse. The game becomes a procedural in which four characters try to solve the crime after another potential victim is kidnapped.

Unique has a first look deal with Warner Bros, but Shaye liked it enough to use his own money and not wait for approval to buy it. A deal should be sealed shortly.

Those who have played the game realize that this isn’t all that necessary, seeing as how the game plays out like a complete movie on it’s own. But with its one-dimensional voice work and the possibility of a cool Saw-like franchise, it only makes sense that a studio would be willing to scoop it up.

When Platinum Dunes announced plans to remake the original Nightmare on Elm Street, I had mixed feelings. I was a fan of the original series, and watched all seven movies. I even watched that dreadful Friday night program Freddy’s Nightmares. I guess you could say I have a soft spot for the film series.

However, when Jackie Earle Haley was announced as the new Freddy Krueger, he was fresh off an electrifying performance as Rorschach in Watchmen, and I was officially on board with the remake. I couldn’t think of anyone better to step into the role previously played by Robert Englund.

So while watching the remake, I was surprised at how odd it was to see someone else play the role. I didn’t dislike Jackie Earle Haley’s performance (though I do wish he hadn’t sounded exactly like Rorshach), but I guess I didn’t realize that Robert Englund had become synonymous with Freddy Krueger in my mind.

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