Probably the best thing you can say about The Change-Up is that it’s not as bad as it looks. Actually, no, the best thing you can say is that there’s a lot of surprising and sweet nudity.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The plot is largely what’s laid out in the trailer: Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds are two friends, one’s married, one’s a swinging bachelor, respectively. One night they get drunk and take a quick squirt in an enchanted fountain while simultaneously declaring their mutual desire to be the other.

Morning comes, and they get their wish. Hi-jinx ensue as Reynolds struggles with the pressures of fatherhood and the big, lawyer-ish-looking account that’s looming, and Bateman rediscovers the downsides of bachelor life. A plot recap is unnecessary because it’s just something on which a string of gags involving baby excretions, pregnant women, masturbation, baby nudity, dancing vegetables, and silly walks to make you grow at least six pairs of hands.

Director David Dobkin (The Wedding Crashers) tries to get a laugh from nearly everything and, for the audience I saw it with, it worked. To the extent that their reaction to film became more interesting than the film itself. At first I was fascinated by the comic beats they ate up and the extent to which they were involved.

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It has cowboys. It has aliens. It has cowboys and aliens. It’s not a bad film. It’s not a good film. It is a movie. That’s a pretty lackluster opener, but, walking out of the screening, I felt almost completely neutral about Cowboys and Aliens–it was like the things I liked and the things I disliked were in perfect balance.

The film doesn’t fail to deliver on anything the title promises, and you can lose count of the standard tropes from either genre that it hits, but it’s tough to maintain the toothy grin I expected all throughout. Though I’m getting ahead of myself.

Daniel Craig plays Jake Lonergan (one of many last names I suspect are puns but am not entirely sure), a notorious outlaw who awakes one morning with a heavy case of amnesia and one hell of a bracelet on his left arm. He makes his way to the nearest town, controlled by the gruff cattle rancher Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) and his uppity son Percy (Paul Dano), whose favorite pastime is terrifying the community at large and in particular the local bartender (Sam Rockwell) and his wife (Ana de la Reguera).

It’s not long before Jake endears himself to the locals, among them the soused preacher (Clancy Brown), the woman with a secret (Olivia Wilde), and, naturally, the sheriff (Keith Carradine) by punching out Percy, and not long after that that his identity is revealed, and he’s locked up. Still less longer, the aliens arrive, capture a handful of significant townsfolk, and everyone’s differences are set aside as they form a posse to recover the abductees. ‘round about this time, Jake discovers that his bracelet is able to sense the aliens and, better yet, can blow ‘em up real good.

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Welcome to the first Trailer Tuesdays where you’re sure to find the best highlights from film trailers released theatrically or virally in the past week.  Plus, we throw in one trailer that’s so ridiculous that it’s awesome.

This week we found two major summer blockbusters that will hopefully prove to be good, not just cool, as well as one indie horror that will hopefully prove to be as scary as it is original.

Cowboys and Aliens

See trailer here

This film is a perfect example of a terrible premise with a cheesy title that is executed so well that it might actually turn out to be good.  The best quote I’ve heard about this film was when director Jon Favreau was being interviewed about why he chose to do this concept, he replied saying that since lots of people believed that aliens visited ancient cultures such as the Mayans and Egyptians, why can it not be believable that aliens visited the Old West?  So as long as he’s sticking by the idea, I’m down.

Certainly the best choices that were made for this film were getting Daniel Craig for the lead and Jon Favreau of Iron Man fame to direct.  This combination is certain to bring some real credibility to this film.  Craig seems to bring an old-school “bad ass-ness” to this part that has been lacking from most modern westerns.

No one could draw an alien side-arm as cool as him.  And Favreau has an uncanny ability to make even the most ridiculous action scenes seem somehow grounded in reality.

Of course you can’t forget Olivia Wilde, who is quickly becoming the hottest female action star; Sam Rockwell, who popped out of nowhere in this newest theatrical trailer but is nothing short of amazing in everything he does; and Harrison Ford, who just goes without saying.

Overall, this trailer is exciting and gets you pumped on some great visuals.  Hopefully this will be even better than Iron Man, as well as the coolest graphics of the summer.

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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 interesting. Let’s get started!

• We knew somebody would bitch. A conservative group of “people” have declared war on the Thor film for casting Idris Elba as a Norse God.

• ‘Tis the season . . . to adapt the classic Bed Intruder YouTube sensation into a Christmas Carol. Blame the mohawk-sporting conductor!

• Anybody who uses Google Docs knows how awesome it can be, but here‘s an amazing animation using the online tool just to prove that fact.

• In honor of Tron: Legacy hitting theaters this weekend, Playboy payed homage with their own Tron themed adult photos. Thankfully, they skipped any nudity with a Bruce Boxleitner look alike.

• Love The Walking Dead? Well, you’re going to want to catch our very own Matt Raub as he hosts a weekly recap show discussing AMC’s hit. Flickcast Editor Chris Ullrich even stops by for a visit!

• We’ve seen images, but now the first video of the Tim Burton Superman Lives costume test has hit the web. Thank Zod this film never got made.

• In honor of the holidays, here’s a list of the top non-traditional Christmas movies.

• Plus, how about a list of the top Christmas action movies? We love lists, why not? Yippie-Kay-Yay Santa!

• It’s official: George Lucas doesn’t give a shit anymore. Why? Because in the new Star Wars: Force Unleashed II game you can kill Han Solo and Chewbacca. Dammit George, why?

• List for list’s sake: The top 10 films of 2010 that made WAY more money than they deserved.

• Finally, because we love it so, here’s that alternate ending to the new Yogi Bear movie we told you about before. Yes, it’s definitely worth a look.

Note: This review may contain spoilers. You have been warned.

I have a caveat.  It’s nearly impossible for me to write about Tron Legacy (directed by Joseph Kosinski) without the veil of nostalgia clouding my eyes.  I was nine years old when the original Tron came out and a few years later my brother watched it on constant rotation at our house.

I have very fond memories of Tron that are directly tied to my siblings - and I happen to love how the animation looks even after two decades – so it is difficult for me to be objective in regards to it’s predecessor.

We are introduced to Sam Flynn as a young boy.  His father, Flynn (played by a digitally re-constructed, be-mulleted, 1982-era Jeff Bridges…more on that later), is tucking him in for the night and telling him about Tron and the digital universe known as The Grid…he tells it kind of like a bed-time story, but it’s much creepier (see Digital Bridges, Uncanny Valley).

Sam’s room is full of Tron video game paraphernalia – action figures, posters, etc. – and when Kevin says goodnight to leave for work, it is apparent that the boy desperately wants more his father’s attention.

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Tron: Legacy‘s immensely anticipated release is only just a brief week away, so what could be more exciting than rumors about a sequel? Up until this week, the news of a secret (but brief) cameo in Tron: Legacy have surfaced, one that might hint towards a villain in a future Tron installment. Don’t keep reading if you don’t want it spoiled!

According to io9, actor Cillian Murphy appears as Edward Dillinger, son of Ed Dillinger, the former baddie in the original Tron. You can spot him in the “real world” during Tron Legacy, at an Encom board meeting.

“That was little tit-bit we didn’t need slipping out early,” said Brigham Taylor, Production Executive on Tron: Legacy. “He’s a character that fits into the mythology of Tron. He’s connected to one of the characters from the past and we’re really excited to have him involved.”

While the cameo is rather short, the fact that this was kept such a secret until now means that this character is going to be big to the Tron universe in the future. After all, they wouldn’t have casted someone as well-known as Murphy in the role, had they not had plans for Edward Dillinger.

In the meantime, charge up your lightcycles and race to the theater next Friday, December 17th, when Tron: Legacy is released in theaters and IMAX 3D.

While the 3D element, amazing digital effects, and Jeff Bridges are all great reasons to see Tron: Legacy in theaters this month, one easily overlooked bonus is the excellent original score done by the Electronica group Daft Punk.

The group managed to combine some great digital elements with classic gaming sounds for a full (2 CD) album that would blow away most film composers today. Not only is the 2-disc album currently out and doing well, but the musical duo even has a cameo in the film as-yes-digital DJ’s.

In this new clip from the film, we get the very first meeting between our protagonist Sam Flynn and one of our digital baddies, Castor. Pay close attention to see if you can catch Daft Punk in their very first film role.

Click through to see the clip and catch Tron: Legacy in both 3D and 2D theaters on December 17th.

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Although the light cycles and identity discs are pretty cool, by far the coolest visual aspect to both TRON and the upcoming TRON: Legacy is the skintight light suits that all of the characters in the game grid sport. One question has always arrisen though: where do those wonderful suits come from?

Do they manifest the moment a player enters the game, or is there a gigantic TRON Gap store that players have to go through to pick them up? Well, in this new clip we finally get that mystery revealed.

In the film, Sam Flynn, son of the famed game creator Kevin Flynn gets transported into the game where he embarks on a journey to save his trapped father.

After the jump, check out a clip from TRON: Legacy in which the game sirens dress Sam in the traditional light suit and get him ready for his very first game. Be sure to catch TRON: Legacy in theaters on December 17th.

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As if yesterday wasn’t a big enough day for trailers, between Green Lantern, Your Highness, and Red Riding Hood, but it looks like the best was yet to come, as the first trailer for Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens, starring both Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, hits the web.

Based on the 2006 graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, the story is both classic and awesome. Here’s the official synopsis.

1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford).

It’s a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation.

As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he’s been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents–townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors–all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

Check out the full trailer after the jump and check out Cowboys & Aliens in theaters on July 29th.

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Just in time for a Tuesday comes the latest trailer for Disney’s highly anticipated sequel Tron Legacy. I say “highly anticipated” but in truth, it may only be the geeks and fans of the original movie who respond to this new one. But really, that’s just fine with me.

In case you haven’t been watching TV, reading a comic book or on the Internet prior to today, the new film picks up almost 28 years after the events of 1982′s original. Jeff Bridge’s Kevin Flynn has gone missing and it’s up to his son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), to get to the bottom of the mystery. Mix this story with some very impressive visuals of the game grid and more plus Olivia Wilde in a skin-tight outfit, and you’ve got yourself a film.

How good a film remains to be seen. However, with this new trailer added to the mix it’s definitely looking better and better. Check out all the trailerery goodness after the jump. And no, the above picture doesn’t really have that much to do with this trailer, it just looks good.

Tron Legacy fills us with a sense of wonder and awe starting on December 17.

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It’s looking like this holiday season will be stacked up with tons of cinematic treats for adults this year, rather than in previous years when it’s been geared toward families. While comedies like Yogi Bear, Little Fockers and Gulliver’s Travels will most likely flop, films like True Grit and Tron: Legacy will definitely be enough to make this a Hollywood Christmas.

Not counting a few trailers, we haven’t gotten to see much of the upcoming Tron sequel. Daft Punk released a music video that gave us a bit more of the 100% computer-generated TRON world. Now we’re finally getting something with human actors as a scene with Jeff Bridges and Garrett Hedlund, the on-screen father and son of the Flynn’s, has hit the web.

The film picks up almost 28 years after the events of 1982′s original film. Jeff Bridge’s Kevin Flynn has gone missing and it’s up to his son, Sam, to get to the bottom of the mystery. Mix this story with a bunch of amazing visual shots of the game grid and Olivia Wilde in a skin-tight Tron suit, and you’ve got yourself a film.

Check out this new scene after the jump. Be sure to catch TRON: LEGACY in theaters, IMAX, and Disney 3D everywhere on December 17th.

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