Living with the immediate “ADD” audience that exists today, it’s hard for major studios to believe that kids today can follow the plot of any single movie, let alone a multi-film franchise like what Michael Bay has done with Transformers. It seems like that argument has gotten to Bay and his producing partner Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, as they are currently planning on rebooting the Transformers series to a brand new audience in 2014. From THR:

Bonaventura said that he and Bay were still in early stages of development process, but they wanted to reinvent the saga to pave the way for a new mythology. Bay showed a willingness to shake up the ensemble in Dark of the Moon, when he replaced Megan Fox with Rosie Huntington-Whitely as Sam’s love interest.

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For those who immediately tuned out the news about the 2012 Academy Awards after they heard that “retired” host Billy Crystal would be dusting off his tuxedo to get back up on stage, they had no idea what extents the Academy would go to in order to make you think that this isn’t your mom and dad’s Oscar show.

That’s why they pulled out the stops and collaborated with Funny or Die to put together this epic movie-style trailer featuring the likes of Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox, William Fichtner and Vinnie Jones.

That’s right. Some pretty big star power. And if that isn’t enough for you to get into the Oscar mood, the team has also put together a pretty extensive YouTube channel, with some of the best monologues, acceptance speeches, and overall best moments.

Take a look at the epic trailer after the jump and be sure to tune in to what should be an entertaining Oscars on February 26th, only on ABC.

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There are a few loglines that come across our desks at The Flickcast offices that make us all turn our heads like a confused dog, and go “huh?” Mitch Glazer’s upcoming flick Passion Play, starring Rhys Ifans, Bill Murray, Mickey Rourke, and Megan Fox.

The plot is pretty insane, even for the man who brought Great Expectations and Scrooged to theaters in the 90s. Here’s the synopsis.

Nate (Rourke), a small-time jazz musician, is clearly a hard-luck case. Caught trying to break into a car, he is taken off into the desert where his assailant puts a gun to his head. Game over? Not quite. Stumbling into a circus pitched amidst the vast expanses of the southwest desert, Nate finds himself drawn to the exotic beauty of Lily (Fox), the Bird Woman. Lily is cold and dismissive; socializing with customers is not her scene. But it dawns on her that this gentle giant may well be her way out of a life of eccentric exposition. Nate is protective and understanding, and to him her aquiline beauty is a magic part of her uniqueness. As their bond deepens, Nate finds that his dreams of bliss are about to be thwarted by Happy Shannon (Murray), a cucumber-cool businessman with deep pockets and an eye for the bizarre.

Yes. It’s that bizarre. Take a look at the first trailer for the film after the jump, and check out the film in theaters (if you can) on May 3rd.

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With the fan reaction being as negative as it could have been for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it was expected that the studio and Michael Bay would be very careful in choosing a title for the third film. Fans felt alienated with the way Revenge of the Fallen went down, between the racist robots and robot balls, and now that creeping feeling is returning as the title for the third film has been announced.

It isn’t confirmed just yet, but according to a reliable Transformers fan site, marketing has started for the title Transformers: Dark of The Moon.

Some upcoming books listed at the Amazon revealed what might possibly be, the Title of the 3rd Transformers Movie.
The books are to be released (May 17, 2011) very near the release date of Transformer 3 (July 1, 2011). The author of the books is official and has written books for the 2007 Movie and ROTF. The publisher is none other than HarperColins, which produced similar books for both movies.

So it may sound like a high school adaptation of a Pink Floyd film, but this could bring new depth to Bay’s Transformers universe. It has been confirmed that Megan Fox is not returning, while LaBeouf, Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and Turturro are all coming back. Joining the cast for the first time is Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Jeong, Alan Tudyk, and Frances McDormand.

The film is slated to hit on July 1st of 2011, so expect to see a big trailer by year’s end, hopefully along with a confirmed title.

Welcome to this week’s On the Radar where we delve into all corners of the entertainment, tech and geek Internets for news, views and whatnot that may have escaped our regular coverage this week. Let is know if we missed something interesting. Otherwise, on to the links!

Jimmy Kimmel brings us a phenomenon of pop icons clashing in The Jersey Shore Saga: Friggin’ Twilight.

We’ve been to Comic-Con, so our standards for costumes are pretty high. This General Grevious costume still takes the cake.

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone Magazine has seen Inception, and he says you’ll love it.

The Food Network can be pretty boring for non-foodies, but unnecessarily censoring parts of it can make it fun in a whole new way.

Megan Fox is campaigning to play Rainmaker in a Gen 13 movie. Considering how Jonah Hex went, shouldn’t she just stop?

The world of independent film keeps growing in quality and professionalism, and the newest film The 3rd Letter is proof of just that.

What if Nintendo made Halo 3? Only hilarity, that’s what.

In other Twilight news, Robert Pattinson is allegedly a descendant of Dracula. With that brow, our first guess would’ve been Frankenstein’s Monster.

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Pixar’s Toy Story 3 won the Father’s Day weekend with a total of over $109 Million, making it the highest grossing opening weekend for a Pixar movie thus far. I’ve got to say, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer movie.

Toy Story 3 is a true 4 quadrant film that the studios are always hoping for. It’s the the holy grail of box-office goodness, because it appeals to men and women, young and old.  It’s rated G, which means families can feel at ease bringing the young ones. Critics universally loved the film, and audiences polled by cinemascore raved as well (Entertainment Weekly.)

Toy Story 3 enjoyed a massive opening, as it played on over 4,000 screens.  Roughly half of those were 3D screens, which bolstered the total gross.  Toy Story 3 is the second highest opening for an animated movie, bested only by Shrek the Third’s $121 Million opening back in 2007.

Another family-friendly film took the number two spot.  The Karate Kid dropped around 48%, and tallied up another $29 Million, bringing its 10 day total to an impressive $106 Million.

The A-Team didn’t benefit from word of mouth all that much.  It experienced a 46% drop from last week, earning $13.7. The movie has made about $49 Million in two weekends, but it had a $110 Million budget, so it has a long, steep hill to climb to recoup its budget.  I have yet to talk to anyone who disliked the movie, so I am really puzzled over its performance (or more accurately, lack thereof.)

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If like me, you have survived the onslaught of witty repartee between Iron Man and War Machine, time standing still in Robin Hood, and the hot mess of CGI and Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia then you are ready for what awaits you in June. Make no mistake, you may not have the monster in Manolo’s, otherwise known as Carrie Bradshaw, to suffer through but you do have a mêlée of 80’s rehashes that studios happily throw money at.

So, suit up, grab your popcorn, and prepare yourself for the next adventure that await you.

JUNE

June 4th

Ondine

Were you expecting a description of The A Team perhaps? At this point, anyone who is seeing The A Team on Friday already has their tickets, and even my words of wisdom will be unable to stop them. Instead I’ll spotlight a film that deserves attention.

Ondine is an independent film starring Colin Farrell as a fisherman who pulls up a beautiful woman in his nets. His sick, precocious daughter believes she is a Selkie, a Scottish seal who becomes a human wife on land. Time will tell if she is really as she seems.

Geekiness Factor: As a fairytale set in the modern era, it combines Splash and Heroes with a dose of romanticism and second chances. This movie works because it doesn’t use CGI, in fact the only special effects it uses comes from your very own imagination in overdrive. Its sense of wonder on faith, entrances you back to a time when you still believed in Santa Claus.

Screen Steamer: Colin Farrell has served me a heap of B movie bad boy charm in past films like The Recruit, S.W.A.T., not to mention a harmonious turn in Crazy Heart. Here he takes off his shirt only once, but seems well cast as a fisherman down on his luck and striving to be sober. Alicja Bachleda keeps you guessing as Ondine, which means “from the water.” She is alluring with a subtle sensuality in ocean soaked dresses, only coming up for air to coyly flirt with a scruffy Colin.

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Welcome to this week’s On the Radar where we delve into all corners of the entertainment, tech and geek Internets for news, views and whatnot that may have escaped our regular coverage this week. Let is know if we missed something.

• Megan Fox is out of Transformers 3. Who will take her place? Heidi Montag or Ben Kingsley? Your guess is as good as ours.

• Speaking of replacing Megan Fox (only in the movie, not in our hearts) it looks like it may actually be this Victoria’s Secret model. Wonder what she had to wash to get the part?

• Patton Oswalt + Firefly + Comics = a nerdgasm the likes of which we’ve never seen.

• Who wouldn’t want to watch a video about Gwyneth Paltrow’s Shrimp Taco? There’s no further explanation necessary.

• Ever wonder what video games your favorite porn stars like to play? Well, wonder no more.

• What the hell is going on with Owen Wilson’s career? Pajiba breaks it down for us.

• NBC Exec Jeff Zucker runs a once-great network into the ground, and then gets a $30 million severance package. Ain’t life sweet?

• Finally, a comprehensive list of The Best and Worst Vampires in Film History…take that, shiny Robert Pattinson!

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Welcome to this week’s On the Radar where we delve into all corners of the entertainment, tech and geek Internets. Let is know if we missed something.

• Think our own Shannon Hood was a bit hard on Sex and the City 2? Check out this review. Hint: Not flattering.

• Entertainment Weekly has released their 100 Greatest Characters of The Last 20 Years. Why Rachel from Friends is in the Top 10, we’ll never know.

• The single greatest headline in the history of news. And the world.

• Shocker! Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl’s piece of crap masterpiece won’t be screened for critics.

• This is how celebrities make money in other countries. Just like Bill Murray in Lost in Translation.

• Think you look ridiculous playing Wii Fit? Say hello to the new Wii Wing Flap Game.

• Zombie Vs. Shark? Zombie Vs. Shark.

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With anticipation growing for director Jimmy Hayward’s big screen adaptation of the Jonah Hex comic, you can be sure we’re gong to be seeing more and more stuff from the marketing people as the film gets closer to release. Case in point is this brand new trailer for the film, which first appeared at IGN.

The film, a supernatural western tale of revenge featuring a scarred bounty hunter with magical abilities (Josh Borlin), the prostitute who helps him (Megan Fox) and the bad guy who must be stopped (John Malkovich), looks pretty awesome. In fact, if this trailer is anything like the finished film, I think DC and Warner Bros. just might have a hit on their hands.

Jonah Hex hits theaters on June 18th. Until then, check out the new trailer after the jump.

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Apparently, the reports of friction between director Michael Bay and hot actress Megan Fox are true as, according to various reports, the actress will not be returning to star in Transformers 3. The studio supposedly did not pick up her option for the third film, which starts shooting this week in Los Angeles. Although, if you believe Fox, the decision to not to appear in the film was actually her’s.

If the studio really did make the decision and Fox is just covering, then I agree it still seems like an unusual move for the studio and director Bay to make, especially as the film has just begun production. To eliminate an actress from a franchise where she plays a pretty large part and is also the love interest is somewhat risky. In addition, previous reports had indicated that writer Ehren Kruger and Bay were planning on creating a ‘female nemesis’ for Fox’s character.

I guess you can forget about that as Bay and company now plan to take the story “in another direction,” and will cast a new love interest. Perhaps said love interest will be a female bad guy? Could be interesting.

But really, the stars of any Transformers film are the robots so what actors star in the film, even though the list has impressively grown for this film with the additions of John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and Patrick Dempsey, are not as important. To be honest, you could probably replace the entire cast with new people and as long as the robots were cool, which let’s face it they are, the movie would still make a ton of money.

Transformers 3 is filming now and will hit theaters, sans Megan Fox, on July 1st 2011.

With Warner’s Jonah Hex hitting theaters in just over a month, fans have been tapping their collective feet waiting for a trailer of the film starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox. So far, we’ve only gotten a few images of Brolin in make up and Fox in tight dresses, but it seems that we’re finally getting the goods with a new trailer.

The film, based on the DC Comic of the same name about a western vigilante who takes down baddies without mercy, has been the subject of lots of controversy since it’s production started a few years back. Crank directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor were allegedly pulled off of the film mid-shoot due to “creative differences” with the studio. Jimmy Hayward, lead animator for many Pixar films such as Monster’s Inc. and Finding Nemo took over and has sole directing credit on the film.

After the controversy, and the fact that we hadn’t seen a trailer for the film yet, it was questionable if Warner would get the film out in time for it’s June release date, but with the new trailer hitting online today, we can now rest assured that they’re back on schedule.

Check out the trailer after the jump, courtesy of Yahoo! Movies, and be sure to catch Brolin and his melted face in Jonah Hex when it hits theaters on June 18th.

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