I will admit something to you. When I first heard about HBO’s planned adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones, I was skeptical.

Fortunately, that was put to rest almost immediately by the show’s awesomeness and since then it has become one of my favorites. Of course, if you’re a huge fan of the show like I am, you can’t wait for the new season to arrive. It’s coming early next year, but in the meantime, HBO has released a first-look trailer for it.

The trailer (or teaser if you prefer) includes footage from the fantasy series’ second season as well as comments by the series writers/executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

Game Of Thrones returns with new episodes in April.

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There are few films upcoming as anticipated as The Hobbit. The predecessor of The Lord of the Rings represents a return to Middle Earth and everyones favorite race of furry feet halflings. Telling the tale of Frodo’s uncle Bilbo who… wait, does anyone really need a run down of what The Hobbit is? Didn’t think so.

So when co-star and 2nd unit director, Andy Serkis, lets loose that a teaser for this massive film is due out this Christmas, it is news.  Serkis told IGN in a recent interview that we should be seeing our first glimpse of the new film this holiday season. Best speculation points to either Tintin or the new Sherlock Holmes film.

Tintin would make a lot of sense because Peter Jackson is that film’s producer and the previously mentioned Serkis is also in the film. That said, Sherlock Holmes: A Gane of Shadows is a Warner Bros. production, and it might behoove WB to keep the excitement of this teaser in the family.

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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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I have a horrible confession to make. It’s something that eats away at me everyday. I have yet to watch Game of Thrones. Now, this hurts for many reasons, but chief among them is the fact that I am such a fan of Fantasy and Sean Bean, yet here I sit writing a review instead of spending my precious time getting caught up with the show that seems tailor made for me.

Despite that I think I have been strangely fortunate, I have been eager to write a score review sight unseen. Usually I listen to the music, then see movie and let whole experience guide my opinion. For once I am able to judge a work based solely on how it works on the album. So lets see how that works.

Game of Thrones is actually not a film score, but rather the score from HBO’s hit new series based on the books by George R.R. Martin. It was written by up and coming film composer Ramin Djawadi, another in the line of talented composers who were shepherded into the film world by Hans Zimmer.

Unlike Klaus Badelt and Stephen Jablonsky, Djawadi has yet to have a break out hit score. He did write the music for Iron Man, but the sound lacked a tight, cohesive hook that tied the project together. If his work on Game of Thrones is any indication, this will be remedied very soon, Djawadi has crafted a moody, melodic master work that incites amazing imagery in the mind.

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When the TV series Game of Thrones was first announced it was, at least for me, regarded with a bit of skepticism. It looked sorta cool but I had to wonder how it one be once it got going. Fortunately, it turns out I had nothing to worry about.

The show, which is about to air its fourth episode this Sunday, started out a bit slow but over the last few weeks has gotten progressively better and now, I have to admit, I’m hooked.

Now, to get you readhy for this Sunday’s episode, we’ve got aclip from it to show you (after the break, of course). In this episode, called “Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things”, Ned (Sean Bean) looks to a book for clues to the death of his predecessor, and uncovers one of King Robert’s (Mark Addy) bastards.

Robert and his guests witness a tournament honoring Ned. Jon takes measures to protect Samwell (John Bradley) from further abuse at Castle Black; a frustrated Viserys clashes with Daenerys in Vaes Dothrak; Sansa (Sophie Turner) imagines her future as a queen, while Arya envisions a far different future. Catelyn rallies her husband’s allies to make a point, while Tyrion finds himself caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Yep, that’s a lot of story for one episode. Watch Game of Thrones Sunday at 9/8C on HBO to see if they pull it off. My guess is they do.

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We brought you info about this show before and now HBO has given us a second tease promo and a behind-the-scenes featurette for its upcoming fantasy series Game of Thrones. The network also released an image from the series of actress Emilia Clarke as Daenerys.

The series is based on George R. R. Martin’s bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire novels. It depicts a world where magic exists and the empire is on its last legs. It follows the machinations of various kings, lords and soldiers as they fight for control of the throne.

The show stars Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey and Jason Momoa.

Check out both of the videos after the jump. Game of Thrones airs next year on HBO.

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Being in the movie news game usually makes it easy for us to know about all the new and upcoming projects. It’s our job. Every so often, however, a film sneaks by and makes everyone in the office do a double take. The film in question this time is Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage.

There were a few posters for the film surfacing last week at Comic-Con, but nobody knew much about the project — until now. The first trailer has hit the net, and the film looks to be a tribute to classic Ray Harryhausen films with actual use of stop motion animation.

Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage comes from TV sci-fi director David Winning and from the plot synopsis, this project looks to be quite an adventure. “When the Sultan’s first born is taken by an evil sorcerer, Sinbad is tasked with traveling to a desert of magic and creatures to save her.”

Not enough for you? Did we mention Patrick Stewart is narrating the film as Sinbad? That alone should be reason enough to check out the trailer after the jump.

Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage is set to hit theaters on January 1, 2011. Until then, check out the trailer after the jump.

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I guess statistically speaking, it was bound to happen.  If you see enough movies, eventually you are going to witness a great movie that just doesn’t do it for you.  Such was the case with Inception.  I was poised to love the movie and declare it a cinematic masterpiece, if not one of my favorite films of the year.

I walked out seeing people high five each other and hug each other in a joyful embrace, no doubt exalted by the awesomeness of the film that they had just witnessed. How I envied them.

I left  frustrated, angry and annoyed. I desperately wanted to belong to that group of blissfully happy movie-goers, but I couldn’t fake it.  I just didn’t enjoy the movie.

Is that to say that it was not an excellent film?  Of course not.  On a purely technical basis, the film is amazing. It is also wildly imaginative, smart and original, all the things I clamor for during the summer film schedule.  Try as I might, though, I couldn’t get engaged in the story.  I never connected with any of the characters, and as a consequence, I never felt any urgency or peril regarding their situations.

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How the mighty have fallen.  In 1999, M. Knight Shyamalan was poised to become Hollywood’s next great director. His breakout hit The Sixth Sense energized audiences with its iconic twist and fresh premise.  Some maintain that he peaked with that first film, although he went on to make Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, Lady in the Water, and The Happening.

Even though his latest movies have not fared well critically, I have held out hope that he could recapture some of the magic we saw in the early days of his career.  The Last Airbender took those hopes, smashed them to the ground, and pissed on the ashes.  I was stupefied that someone so talented had actually made such a piece of junk. I’m still reeling.

Before I go further, I would like to make it clear to fans of the series that this is a critique of the movie, not the series. I have always believed that even if a movie is based on source material, the movie should speak for itself, and be worthy of a watch based on its own merit.  A lot of people go see movies based on books, comics, and other source material, and a movie should be accessible to anyone who buys a ticket, whether they know the source material or not.

This film is a dismal failure when it comes to storytelling, direction, acting, set design, and the post-production 3-D, and it cannot possibly do justice to the animated series upon which it was based.  I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about it, but you won’t cull that knowledge from this movie adaptation.

Thirty minutes into the film, I had no clue what it is about. Worse still, I didn’t care to find out.  Not because I’m lazy, but because the script is so convoluted and did such a poor job of convincing me that there was anything compelling to the story.

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Kudos to HBO for jumping into the big budget fantasy genre with Game of Thrones, an upcoming series based on George R. R. Martin’s bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire novels. Deadline has posted the show’s first teaser trailer, which features the tagline “Winter Is Coming” and gives us a few quick glimpses at what we can expect from the show.

This trailer doesn’t really give away a whole lot about the story and in truth, its more of a teaser than a trailer. Still, it’s good to see HBO seems to be on the ball in capturing the essence of the novels. Plus, the show looks great. With Treme’, True Blood, Boarwalk Empire and now Game of Thrones, HBO seems to be the place for quality and diverse entertainment these days.

Game of Thrones is set in a world where magic exists and the empire is on its last legs. It follows the machinations of various kings, lords and soldiers as they fight for control of the throne. The show stars Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey and Jason Momoa.

Check out the new trailer after the jump. Game of Thrones comes to HBO in 2011. Are you ready for winter?

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It’s Friday after a holiday weekend last week and that means we’re back with brand new episodes of Stargate Universe and Merlin on Syfy. And, as we do each week that new episoees come out, we’ve got previews for tonight’s show for you right here.

First up on Stargate Universe, those pesky Lucian Alliance foks force Dr. Rush to help stage an assult on the Destiny. Which, if you’ve been following the show so far, he really doesn’t want to do but probably has no choice. Or, so it would seem.

Next on Merlin, the boy wizard has a friendship with a young Druid that could endanger all of Camelot. You know those Druids, it’s always something with them.

Check out both previews after the jump. Stargate Universe airs tonight at 9/8C followed by Merlin at 10/9C only on Syfy.

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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?