There is a few ways to make a successful trailer parody. You can play on the cliche’s of a genre, or the general practice of that genre’s trailers. You can cram in big name celebs in roles that mock their drive for Oscar bait or general shamelessness. Or in the case of Jimmy Kimmel’s newest piece of genius you can shove that all in and more.

The trailer for the woe-fully fictional Movie: The Movie features a cavalcade of stars and some sharp satire that should delight anyone and everyone.

Highlights of the piece include Matt Damon’s grapes, black Hitler falling to earth on a meteor and of course Dame Helen Mirren in a hover craft. There is tons to chew on in the extra long trailer and even though it clocks in at close to ten minutes you might be compelled to watch it more than once.

If there is any justice in the world some one will fund a feature length Robo-Lawyer film staring Academy Award Winner Tom Hanks, but with our luck all we are going to get is a baby Kevin James and baby Jason Bateman buddy comedy.

Take a look at the hilarity after the jump.

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Pretty much every guy has questioned their friends on who they would rather sleep with between Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. Just the same, every girl has probably questioned her friends if they’d rather marry Brad Pitt, George Clooney or Matt Damon.

But what about those times where you can’t say “I’d sleep with all of them” and had to decide to actually marry a hot mess like Spears, Lohan or Hilton instead of just kicking them to the hoe-side curb they deserve to be on? Or, what about choosing between killing off Batman, Superman or Spider-Man? Kill/Marry/Fuc by Sarah Huber combines all three.

The way it works, turn to a random page and you have decide one person / object / concept /etc. that you’d want to marry, one you’d want to kill and one you’d want to get down with. Some of these are easy decisions, but others really make you think. That’s right. A book about hooking up, marrying and killing really starts turning the gears for some people.

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Here’s a new trailer for director Alexander Payne’s latest film The Descendants. It features George Clooney, who seems to be doing a movie every week these days, as an estranged father forced to question the events of his life.

The films also features a strong ensemble cast in addition to Clooney including Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Nick Krause, Amara Miller, Mary Birdsong, Rob Huebel and Patricia Hastie. That’s quite a few known and up-an-coming actors.

The film closed the New York Film Festival on Sunday night and has received a great deal of buzz, much like Payne’s previous film Sideways. It will hit theaters on November 18.

Until then, check out the latest trailer after the break.

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Voting season is creeping up on us, which means we’re in store for a few “Oscar grab” political thrillers in which some of Hollywood’s elite take on a few stories ripped from the headlines or a topical political book. Who’s the man for the job? Clooney, of course.

The film focuses on several big names in H-Wood’s current “top 100″ list, including Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, and Ryan Gosling. Here’s the film’s premise.

The Ides of March takes place during the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary, when an up-and-coming campaign press secretary (Ryan Gosling) finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate’s shot at the presidency.

Yes, you can expect a face-off between Clooney and Gosling. Anyone else find it strange that Clooney manages to work his way into a film with whoever the current rising star is? Coincidence? We think not.

Take a look at the official clip, titled “My Name is Molly”, after the jump, and catch The Ides of March in theaters on October 7th.

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Intense, political films are a staple in Hollywood. They provide fodder for good drama and also allow the filmmakers to say a little something about the political climate and their feelings about the government and how its run.

A new film trying to fit into that mold is George Clooney’s upcoming The Ides of March. The film, about cutthroat political politics and based on the play by Beau Willimon, has a new trailer out today and we’ve got it for you right here.

The Sony Pictures released features a great cast, including Clooney himself, such as Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti. Clooney has done a pretty good job with his previous outing as director so it will be interesting to see this new one once it arrives.

Check out the trailer after the break. The Ides of March will open the Venice Film Festival this year with a release sure to follow.

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When does a film not need a trailer to get you excited to see it?  While most people need to see what the film is about before deciding whether it is worth their time, I can sometimes be satisfied knowing that there is strong  talent that going into making the film.  If a film has a talented director with a reliable track record, or has managed to pull together a unique cast, that should be reason enough to want to go and see that movie.

Each of the trailers this week has an element that alone should get you intrigued enough to watch it.  We have a couple independent films with strong casts, a sequel to the great animation, and a fun 3D experience.

50/50

Click to see the trailer

Right off the bat this film feels like a great feel-good indie with strong characters and honest performances.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Hesher, 500 Days of Summer, Inception) alone is one of the most talented young actors working today.  And Seth Rogan (who is also producing), while fresh and talented in everything he does, could use this type of role to break out of this Apatow comedy type-casting.

Additionally we have the under-appreciated Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), who is simply enjoyable in everything she does, as well as Bryce Dallas Howard (Hearafter) in some strange Twilight reunion.  Not to mention the incomparable Anjelica Huston (The Royal Tenenbaums) rounding out the supporting cast.

I get a strange feeling that this could be a strange mixture of 500 Days of Summer and Up in the Air.

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While internet pioneers have yet to find an exact science to viral videos, there seems to be a pretty simple algorithm for highly successful fan films. Basically, spoof a distant classic video game, TV, or film franchise, or spoof something so new, that it’s already top of brain.

What happens, however, if you combined a spoof of a classic video game with a modern film, however? Fan film magic.

We present to you College Humor’s The Fantastic Mr. Starfox, in which Wes Anderson is the focus of satire, and the classic arcade game Starfox is the vehicle of funny.

In it, we get some great references to the classic 1983 Atari game and its following sequels, as well some pretty hilarious realizations about Anderson’s one-note directing style and how laughable the premise of The Fantastic Mr. Fox was, when looked at from a distance.

Check out the fan film after the jump, and hope that this doesn’t spark some studio’s interest in rebooting the Starfox franchise.

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We hinted at it a while back, but now it looks like it’s officially news, as Pirates of the Carribbean helmer Gore Verbinski will be taking on the adventure of The Lone Ranger for Disney. Deadline has the scoop.

Still no word on when the film will begin production or who’ll play the Lone Ranger. Verbinski had been looking around for his next job after completing his first animated film as a director in Rango, which Paramount Pictures distributes next year.

While there’s no word on who will play the masked avenger, there is already strong rumors the Johnny Depp will be taking on the role of Tonto. This news came through months ago when both Verbinski and Bruckheimer were first rumored to be attached to the film.

That theory would go along nicely with the fact that Verbinski’s Rango, which he is currently wrapping up, stars Depp as the voice of the main character.

Also a rumor around the time of Depp was the idea that George Clooney would be playing The Lone Ranger. No word whether this is still an option, but if he’s in the running for Soderbergh’s Man From U.N.C.L.E., then you can expect him to pass on Ranger.

The Thin Red Line (1998) marks the triumphant return of American film maker Terrence Malick’s return after a twenty year hiatus from the studio system. Anyone who was anyone in Hollywood circles jumped on the production of the film, even if it was just a brief walk on role. In fact, many A -list talents like Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Bill Pullman, Leonardo Dicaprio, Brad Pitt, Peter Berg, Dermot Mulroney, Edward Burns, William Baldwin, Edward Norton, Matthew McConaughey, Nicolas Cage, and Johnny Depp were very interested in joining the cast or were either cut from the film due to editing and budget constraints.

Malick was best known for two films in the 1970s which were Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven (1978) which were renowned for their breathtaking cinematography and for Malick’s ability to capture magnificent exterior shots much like John Ford’s sweeping westerns Stagecoach (1939), and The Searchers (1956). The beautiful cinematography of the film is credited to John Toll who is an absolute genius.

Malick wrote the screenplay based on author James Jones 1962 novel which chronicles his experiences during the campaign. Pvt. Fife (Brody) is actually Jones who serves as the main character in the book, yet in the film is reduced to a minor character.

The film stars some of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors such as Sean Penn (1st Sgt. Edward Welsh), Adrien Brody (Pvt. Geoffrey Fife), Jim Caviezel (Pvt. Robert Witt), Ben Chaplin (Pvt. John Bell), George Clooney (Capt. Charles Bosche), John Cusack (Capt. John Graff), John Savage (Sgt. McCron), John Travolta (Brig. Gen. Quintard), Arie Vereen (Pfc. Charlie Dale), Kirk Acevedo (Pvt. Tella), Mark Boone Junior (Pvt. Peale), Woody Harrelson (Sgt. Keck), Elias Koteas (Capt. James Staros), Tim Blake Nelson (Pvt. Tills), John C. Reilly (Sgt. Storm), and Nick Nolte (Lt. Col. Gordon Tall).

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Hit men and assassins are a dime a dozen in Hollywood.  They are primarily used as an incidental plot device.

The assassin’s lifestyle is typically portrayed as being glamorous. There are no shortage of women to choose from, and traversing the globe to all sorts of exotic locales is a job requirement.  If you’ve got nerves of steel and a steady hand, you’ll be rolling in money in no time.

In The American, this conventional portrayal is turned on its ear. The American is a pensive, stark film that peels back the facade and exposes the realities of such a life. There’s no glamor, no partying, and no peace, ever. It’s a somber, isolated, lonely existence.

George Clooney plays Jack, the tortured man who has chosen this lifestyle. He spends most of his time out of the public eye in hotels, cabins or other temporary domiciles. He’s in a perpetual state of paranoia, because anyone he meets could be the person who has been sent to kill him.  Therefore, he spends most of his life obsessively scanning his surroundings and sleeping with one eye open.

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This week sees the release of several new movies and TV shows, some for the first time ever on Blu-ray. Of the ones coming out this week, we’re excited for The Blind Side, the new season of Mad Men, the Blu-ray release of The African Queen, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Fantastic Mr. Fox and the Criterion Collection Blu-ray of Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece Yojimbo, with Toshirô Mifune (pictured above). Yes, it’s black and white, get over it.

Check them out:

Movies

After Dark Horrorfest Vol. 4 (Dread / The Final / The Graves / The Hidden / Kill Theory / Lake Mungo / The Reeds / Zombies of Mass Destruction) ~ Don McManus, Ryanne Duzich, Teddy Dunn, and Daniel Franzese (Blu-ray and DVD)

Bigger Than Life (The Criterion Collection) ~ James Mason, Barbara Rush, Walter Matthau (Blu-ray)

Brothers ~ Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman (Blu-ray and DVD)

Days of Heaven (The Criterion Collection) ~ Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard (Blu-ray)

Fantastic Mr. Fox ~ George Clooney, Meryl Streep (Blu-ray and DVD)

Red Cliff International Version – Part I & Part II ~ Tony Leung (Blu-ray)

The African Queen ~ Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn (Blu-ray)

The Blind Side ~ Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron (Blu-ray and DVD)

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This week sees the release of a few Academy Award nominees and winners, some new tv shows and some movies coming to Blu-ray for the first time. Among the ones we’re most interested in this week are Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire, The Boondock Saints II, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Commish and Up in the Air (with George Clooney and Anna Kendrick, pictured above.)

Check them out:

Movies

Capitalism: A Love Story (Blu-ray and DVD)

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Pit And The Pendulum ~ Lorielle New, Stephen Hansen, Bart Voitila (Blu-ray and DVD)

Falling for Grace ~ Gale Harold, Fay Ann Lee, Billy Asher (Blu-ray and DVD)

Hachi: A Dog’s Tale ~ Richard Gere, Joan Allen, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Blu-ray and DVD)

Nine Dead ~ Melissa Joan Hart, John Terry, Lawrence Turner (Blu-ray and DVD)

Old Dogs ~ John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Robin Williams, Seth Green (Blu-ray and DVD)

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