Those who grew up in the 80s remember the classic pro-earth propaganda cartoon series Captain Planet and the Planeteers fondly. Whether it was living through the Planeteer that you related to the most, or just being a huge fan of a superhero that turned grime into healthy plants, the show was a nostalgic hit.

Most recently, there have been more and more rumblings that a live-action film based on the adventures of Captain Planet and how he would clean up our current society in their polluted, disrespectful ways.

We’re a few years away from seeing anything happen with this film, but that hasn’t stopped world-renowned actor Don Cheadle from putting together a web short in which he shows how he’d play the character. Here’s a hint, it’s not as campy as it was 20 years ago.

Check out the Funny or Die short after the jump, and see if you can find some pretty cool cameos in the video as well (perhaps a Community student and friend of Napoleon Dynamite?). Let’s hope that the studio sees this and takes Cheadle’s take on the hero to heart.

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There’s a scene midway through The Guard where Brendon Gleeson and Don Cheadle have an extended conversation in a pub. Cheadle’s explaining some details of the drug ring and criminals the two are trying to stop. Gleeson looks like a boy being handed his homework assignment and is far more engaged in his beer and the pub’s shoot-’em-up arcade game.

Then you notice that Gleeson’s plastic arcade gun is pressed directly against the screen—he’s cheating. Now if you don’t know anything about arcade games you may miss it, even if you do, you may miss it, and while it doesn’t quite save the scene from being some overly long exposition, it’s a fantastic character touch. And that’s kind of the The Guardin a nutshell: a movie that’s willing to make sacrifices of pacing, plot, and whatever else if it can just have some more fun with its protagonist.

And, for the most part, it works, thanks to Gleeson, who plays Boyle, a roly-poly Irish West County policeman who sees himself as slightly above the law. He’s not the type of fellow who’d commit actual murder, mind you, but he doesn’t mind stopping off at the pub for a quick pint while on duty or even sampling a spot of acid now and then.

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In addition to HBO, Showtime has also usually been a home for good original drama and comedy programming. From Weeds to The Tudors, Californication, Dexter and the recent The Borgias, the network has been pulling out all the proverbial stops to up the ante for pay cable entertainment.

Following that line, Showtime has given series commitments to two new show: the drama Homeland and the comedy House of Lies. Both have received 12-episode orders.

Homeland, which comes from 24 showrunner Howard Gordon, stars Claire Danes, Damien Lewis and Emmy-winner Mandy Patinkin. House of Lies stars Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell.

Here’s more info on each show:

Homeland, produced by Fox 21, is based on Gideon Raff’s Israeli series Prisoners of War. written by Gordon, Raff and Alex Gansa, it tells the story of Carrie Anderson (Claire Danes), a CIA officer battling her own demons, who becomes convinced that the intelligence that led to the rescue of Scott Brody (Damian Lewis), a U.S. soldier who had been missing and presumed deal for nine years, was a setup and may be connected to an Al Qaeda plot to be carried out on American soil. Mandy Patinkin plays Saul, a veteran CIA Division Chief who is Carrie’s (Danes) boss and mentor.

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Hard to believe it’s already that time but the countdown has begun for the release on DVD and Blu-ray of this summer’s biggest hit Iron Man 2. The film may have gotten 90% of the geeks across the globe excited in theaters, but the special features on the Blu-ray are sure to get that last 10%.

The big combo pack will be the Blu-ray edition, of course, and should be chock-full of features and extras to keep you entertained. Check out a complete list of the features below, and be sure to grab Iron Man 2 on Blu-ray and DVD September 28th.

Disc 1 (Blu-ray):

• Feature film with optional commentary by Jon Favreau (HD)
• S.H.I.E.L.D. Data Vault (HD)— Extend your knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with high-level clearance into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s digital data vault. Interact with select scenes from the movie that include new layers of graphics and insider information. View case files, dossiers, S.H.I.E.L.D. training films, tech details and more.
• Previsualization and Animatics (HD)

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It seems like Marvel can do no wrong with casting and news for their upcoming Avengers flick. First, fanboy superstar Joss Whedon is announced as the director, and now it seems fan favorite Jeremy Renner will be taking on the role of Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye.

Speculation started a few months ago that the Hurt Locker actor would join the upcoming Joss Whedon-helmed Marvel pic, The Avengers, but not much evidence came through to make us believe it was going to happen. It seems that it was true all along, as Jeremy Renner is currently finalizing the deal with Marvel Studios to carry the bow-and-arrow. From THR:

Renner’s involvement was initially rumored last fall, although the actor, who was in the middle of the awards derby with his war thriller “The Hurt Locker,” was at the time more taken with Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled drama and was being heavily courted by Universal for “Battleship.”

Renner never joined “Battleship,” and while he still has definite interest in Anderson’s film, that project is still cobbling financing and has seen its start pushed back several times.

Renner saw a chance to take on work in a role that, while key, is not starring in nature and will allow him to slide into Anderson’s film if it should come together.

The actor will be joining an already full cast of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Sam Jackson, Don Cheadle, Chris Hemsworth, and Scarlett Johansson. If you are one to believe IMDb’s rumored casting, that group also includes Malin Akerman as The Wasp and Nathan Fillion as Ant Man.

Joss Whedon’s The Avengers is currently set for release on May 4, 2012.

Hamburger Hill (1987) is an intensely, well acted Vietnam War movie which shows seasoned combat troops at their very best. The film follows a group of men of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division as they are ordered to assault a hill fortification of Vietnamese trenches and bunkers from May 10,-20, 1969.

The troops of the 3rd Battalion nicknamed Hill 937 “Hamburger Hill” because it chewed men up like a meat grinder. In fact, according to military historians, the battle for “Hamburger Hill” was one of the last major ground battles fought in Vietnam before American personnel became downsized due to the unable to be won nature of the war, and against America’s enemies.

The film stars a group of up and coming actors, many who went on to becoming huge stars including Dylan McDermott (SSgt. James Frantz), Steven Weber (Sfc. Dennis Worcester), Courtney B. Vance (Spc. Abraham “Doc” Johnson), Michael Boatman (Pvt. Ray Motown), and a young Don Cheadle as (Pvt. Johnny Washburn).

One of the main reasons I have always enjoyed this film is because it shows the hardships, camaraderie, and the dedication that each of these men had for each other while facing some of the most brutal combat in the war. The main characters open up to one another and begin to learn about each others lives as well as what their plans are when they get out of the war.

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Many, many moons ago I recall waiting with a bunch of my geeky and not-so-geeky high school pals in a never-ending line around the block for the  highly-anticipated 12:01 showing of Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It was a showing at our local theater, before the days of stadium seating and online ticketing. I remember that the film held a certain magic in the hours before it started.

Energy was buzzing all around us. While waiting, my friends and I played poker, tossed a football, answered trivia from boys dressed as Jedi Knights, and talked about which starship would win in a battle. Anyone who goes to Comic-Con’s geekest panel of them all, “Starship Smackdown”, knows the Millennium Falcon has been taken out of the running for winning one too many times.

But, I digress. There was excitement, magic, and a new hope that this film would be great. Sadly, I was a bit disappointed. As were many others that day.

As I waited for my friend to arrive at the 12:01 Arclight Hollywood Dome showing of Iron Man 2, I recalled those days with a bit of nostalgia. As I looked around the theater, I realized the movie-going experience had evolved.

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With the Iron Man 2 release just two weeks away, we are eating up anything and everything given to us about the upcoming super hero blockbuster. Earlier today, director Jon Favreau, who seems to be the main source for all information being spread about his film, posted links on his twitter account to the two newest movie posters for the film.

The first shows one of the villains Iron Man and War Machine will be facing, Whiplash. Though it looks like Mickey Rourke may not have actually even showered since The Wrestler, if there is any actor who can portray this insane amalgam of the comic book versions of Whiplash and Crimson Dynamo, all while bringing the character from obscurity to a household name, we have faith that Rourke is the one.

The second poster promotes the IMAX showings of the film with an image of Tony Stark’s slick new briefcase armor, which has been seen in various trailers for the film.

Check them both out in full after the jump, and stay with us as we draw closer to Iron Man 2‘s release on May 7th.

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Hard to believe, but this Wednesday marks the one month countdown before we get to witness Iron Man 2 in theaters across the country. Quite a journey the fans have been on, from the very first set photos that were released, to the first news of Olivia Munn’s casting in the film to the first trailer.

Now that time is coming where marketing is getting bigger and better, in anticipation for the film’s May 7th release date. With that comes a brand new clip from the film, which shows off Iron Man making his way to a big fancy stage in the center of Stark Expo. This is basically a much longer cut of the scene we’ve seen in several trailers.

Check out the clip after the jump, and be sure to catch Iron Man 2, starring Robert Downey Jr, Samuel L. Jackson, Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Sam Rockwell, in theaters and IMAX on May 7th.

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The Internets basically exploded on Sunday night when news first came that a brand new Iron Man 2 trailer had been released. As if the Oscars hadn’t even happened, fans and geeks alike turned to their laptops in droves to check out the brand new Tony Stark goodness, and nobody was disappointed.

Today, not even 48 hours after the trailer was released, we’re bringing you even more stuff about the movie, like an aftershock of awesomeness. Today, a few brand new images have just dropped online, giving us more Iron Man, War Machine, and even Whiplash. Plus, we threw in a couple older ones as well just for fun.

Check out the images after the jump. Be sure to catch Jon Favreau’s Iron Man 2, starring Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, and Mickey Rourke, in theaters on May 7th.

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As promised, the latest trailer for the much anticipated Iron Man 2 made its debut after the Academy Awards during Jimmy Kimmell Live, and boy is it cool. In this new one we’re given more action, more fighting, more story, more comedy and more Robert Downey, Jr. All of those elements, and more, come together for a very exiting trailer indeed.

Another great thing we get to see finally is the much rumored “suitcase armor” which Tony Stark carries with him for those little emergencies — like when he’s attacked by a whip-wielding Mickey Rourke as Whiplash. It’s also great to see more of Don Cheadle as he comes into his own as War Machine, the always cool Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.

Check out the latest trailer, courtesy of the folks at MySpace, after the jump. Iron Man 2 blows audiences away starting on May 7th. That day can not come soon enough.

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Are you excited for this summer’s Iron Man 2? Do you know French? Then you’ll love this new clip that the kind folks at French MSN.com put up. The second half of the video is the trailer that we’ve all seen before, but it’s the first half that has all new footage.

Director Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, and Scarlett Johansson all chat about some of the effects in the upcoming film, and some of the things they’re doing to introduce Stark’s newest opponent, Whiplash. The character is more of a hybrid of both Crymson Dynamo and Whiplash from the comics, with Dynamo’s backstory and Whiplash’s abilities and name.

With a screenplay from Tropic Thunder’s Justin Theroux, Iron Man 2 is set to hit theaters and IMAX on May 7th of this year. Along with Rourke, Downey, and Johansson, the film also stars Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Check out the french footage, courtesy of MSN.fr here. They don’t allow embedding, sorry.