by Sebastian Suchecki, Dec 10 2009 // 2:00 PM

It looks like Paramount has been stepping up their marketing over the past few weeks in preparation for next May’s release of Iron Man 2. Just last week, we received two new teaser posters, showing off both Tony Stark and War Machine, and now a brand new poster has surfaced showing off the film’s baddie, Whiplash.
The character is played by Oscar-snubbed actor Mickey Rourke, and is basically a mash-up of a few different Iron Man villains. He’s got Crimson Dynamo’s background with the appearance and name of Backlash. The character is said to fight alongside Tony Stark’s villain in the film, Justin Hammer (played by Sam Rockwell).
Check out the full-sized poster after the jump, featuring a quite intimidating Rourke posing with his glowing makeshift Iron Man power source and light-whips. Be sure to keep it here for all new Iron Man 2 coverage as it comes to us.
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Posted in: Action · Casting · Comics · Iron Man 2 · Marvel · Marvel Studios · Movies · News · Paramount · Posters
Tagged: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Justin Hammer, Marvel, Mickey Rourke, Robert Downy Jr, Sam Rockwell, Tony Stark
by Shannon Hood, Dec 4 2009 // 9:00 AM

Everybody who has been fretting over Robert De Niro’s career of late can collectively exhale a sigh of relief. After carpet bombing the cinematic landscape with stinkers like The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Hide and Seek, Godsend, and Righteous Kill, De Niro finally settles into a nice little film devoid of gimmicks and action. Playing the widowed patriarch of four grown children, De Niro gives a quietly nuanced performance that grounds the film, and makes you remember why you liked him to begin with.
Everybody’s Fine tells the story of a very ordinary family and the events surrounding a holiday gathering. Frank Goode (Robert De Niro) is recently widowed, and has made plans to have all four of his grown children visit him for Christmas. He prepares the house, buys the groceries, purchases a new grill, and awaits their arrival. One by one each child calls and cancels with generic excuses-”something’s come up”, etc.
This is where De Niro first starts to reel you in. His face drops with each phone call, and you just want to go give him a hug, and go give his kids a good tongue-lashing for abandoning their poor, lonely dad on Christmas. After contemplating the circumstances, he decides to travel to each one of them, against his doctor’s orders (he takes medication for fibrosis of the lung.)
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Posted in: Drama · Miramax · Movies · News · Reviews
Tagged: Drama, Drew Barrymore, Everybody's Fine, Kate Beckinsdale, Robert De Niro, Sam Rockwell
by Chris Ullrich, Nov 30 2009 // 4:00 PM
Here it is, your first look at the brand new poster for the upcoming sequel Iron Man 2, courtesy of Yahoo Movies. We don’t need to tell you that this movie is going to rock . . . and rock hard. Still, its nice to finally see some more “official’ stuff coming from the studio and the production.
As you can see from the poster, it features our hero, Iron Man, backed by another familiar “face,” the infamous War Machine. Which, you have to admit, looks pretty awesome.
This film will be released on May 7th so, sadly, we still have some time to wait. After seeing this, and all the rest of the stuff prior to it, I’m sure it’ll be well worth it.
As you know (unless you live in a cave and/or have no access to the Internet), the film stars Robert Downey Jr., Gweneth Paltrow, Don Chealde, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, and Jon Favreau.
Check out a much bigger version of the new poster after the jump.
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Posted in: Action · Comics · News · Paramount · Posters · Prequels and Sequels
Tagged: Don Cheadle, Gweneth Paltrow, Iron Man, Iron Man2, Jon Favreay, Marvel, Marvel Studios, Mickey Rourke, Paramount, Posters, Robert Downey Jr., Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson
by Bob Starr, Sep 30 2009 // 9:00 AM
Sam Rockwell was out promoting his new film Gentlemen Broncos so reporters took the time to ask him a few questions…about Iron Man 2 of course. About playing Tony Stark’s competitor, Justin Hammer, in the upcoming film Rockwell said: He’s a rival of Tony’s – they are competitors in the weapons industry. I team up with Mickey Rourke and we decide we want to take him down and take down the Stark legacy. He’s sort of like a cousin of the Charlie’s Angels character I played. The smarmy cousin. But it’s Mickey – he does the fighting and the kicking ass in the film.”
Alright, I know a lot of you read Charlie’s Angels and had a giant collective groan. However, the first Angels film wasn’t that bad (Did I just lose some geek cred by admitting that?) but more specifically Rockwell turned in a great performance. That being the case, I’m really intrigued by what he will do with his character given that Hammer is pretty old in the comic book series and Rockwell…well, isn’t.
He’s one of those actors (much like Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr.) that brings something unexpected and fun to the roles he takes on. To really appreciate that, I highly recommend Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. When asked about the film overall Rockwell gave us what we wanted to hear, “It’s a bigger scope. There’s a lot more action and fighting. More characters. It’s bigger and there’s a lot more to get your head around, so it’s a tougher job for [Jon] Favreau and Justin Theroux, who wrote it.”
More action, fighting, and characters? Sounds like the recipe for a perfect followup to a fantastic film. Iron Man 2 hits theaters next summer.
Posted in: Action · Comics · Iron Man 2 · Marvel · Marvel Studios · Movies · Prequels and Sequels
Tagged: Jon Favreau, Justin Theroux, Mickey Rourke, Robert Downey Jr., Sam Rockwell
by Matt Raub, Aug 14 2009 // 9:00 AM
Jared Hess is a name that doesn’t normally ring a lot of bells with people over 30, but is certainly known by the younger film goers for writing and directing a movie called Napoleon Dynamite back in 2004. Since then, Hess has had only one other film under his writer/director belt: 2006′s Nacho Libre starring Jack Black. The film was welcomed with mixed responses from both the audience and the studio.
Three years later, Hess is now coming back out of the woodwork with his third film, Gentlemen Broncos. The film stars Forbidden Kingdom’s Michael Angarano as Benjamin, a loveable loner who has a passion for writing. Benjamin joins a writer’s camp, lead by Flight of the Conchords star Jemaine Clement. Things take an interesting turn when Clement’s Chevalier steals Benjamin’s book and bastardizes the premise for a film.
The film utilizes the same off-beat aesthetic as the Hess’ previous two films, along with the punchy dialogue and fantastic plot devices. Also starring Jennifer Coolidge, Sam Rockwell, Halley Feiffer, and Michael White, Gentlemen Broncos hits theaters on October 30.
Click through to check out the new trailer.
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Posted in: Comedy · Filmmaking · Fox Searchlight · Indie · Movies · News · Trailers
Tagged: Flight of the Conchords, Jared Hess, Jemaine Clement, Jennifer Coolidge, Michael Angarano, Michael White, Nacho Libre, Napoleon Dynamite, Sam Rockwell
by Matt Raub, Jul 10 2009 // 1:30 PM

Once in a while, a movie comes along that is almost impossible to write about. Moon has been shrouded in mystery in both trailers and other marketing, and it becomes incredibly difficult to review the film without ruining the most important plot points and discoveries made throughout its 96 minutes. With that said, this film does a fantastic job of blurring the line between big budget sci-fi films and actor-driven “indie” films.
To keep things as ambiguous as possible in this review, Moon is about astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell), assisted by his computer GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey), at the end of his three-year stint on the Moon where he sends back to Earth a resource that accounts for 75% of the all energy. From there, things begin to go a bit haywire.
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Posted in: Filmmaking · Geek · Movies · Reviews · Sci-Fi
Tagged: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, David Bowie, Duncan Jones, Moon, review, Sam Rockwell
by Chris Ullrich, Jun 9 2009 // 9:10 AM
Over at Yahoo Movies, they’ve got another new clip for the Sam Rockwell starrer Moon to share. Sadly, they won’t allow embeds, so you’ll have to go there to see it. This new clip features Rockwell, who stars as lunar miner Sam Bell, a man spending three years alone on the lunar surface overseeing a process that harvests energy from the moon.
Fortunately, he’s only got two weeks left before he can go home. Unfortunately, he’s starting to get “cabin fever” and is experiencing strange visions he can’t explain. All of this concerns his only companion on the moon, a computer named GERTY — played by Kevin Spacey in the film. As Bell’s time gets even shorter, his visions turn into something even more frightening and he starts to believe he’s not alone — someone or something is on the moon with him.
Think that sounds interesting? So do we. To fully experience just how cool we think this new movie is going to be, check out the trailer after the jump. Moon, starring Sam Rockwell and directed by Duncan Jones, hits theaters later this year.
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Posted in: Horror · Indie · Movies · News · Trailers · Video
Tagged: Duncan Jones, Moon, Sam Rockwell
by Matt Raub, Apr 23 2009 // 5:30 PM
Ever since Mirage Studios published the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1984, fans of the series have been hoping for an authentic, decent big-screen adaptation of their beloved shell-heads.
The first try at a live action movie was in 1990 with a dark and gritty attempt at the comic featuring ridiculous rubber suits. Due to the popularity of the cartoon, the film was a financial success, which sadly brought sequels featuring Vanilla Ice, wrestler Kevin Nash and freckled Turtles.
Well, the time has come when the dream of a decent Ninja Turtles movie may come to fruition, as there is information that another live-action adaptation of the franchise is in the works. According to an article over at Variety:
“The Mirage Group, which owns the property, is moving forward with a live-action film focusing on the origins of the iconic crime fighters. News coincides with the Turtles’ 25th anniversary celebration, which kicks off Thursday in New York as the first “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” film unspools at the Tribeca Film Festival.
[Co-creator Peter] Laird said the film will remain true to the spirit of the original comicbooks. He added that the pic may employ face replacement technology, which would allow the turtles to be much more expressive.”
2007′s CGI reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise proved to be mildly successful, but not enough to continue with sequels. So will we see more freckled turtles? Will Corey Feldman return to voice Donatello? And most importantly, will Sam Rockwell reprise his role as the pivotal character “Head Thug”? Only time will tell.
Posted in: Action · Comics · Filmmaking · Indie · Movies · News
Tagged: Movie News, Ninja Turtles, Peter Laird, Sam Rockwell, TMNT