Martin Freeman to play Bilbo Baggins

Peter Jackson confirmed that Martin Freeman has been cast to play Bilbo Baggins in the two upcoming Hobbit movies.  You may remember Freeman from his roles in Love Actually, Shaun of the Dead, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  Don’t remember him? Well, click here to see Freeman’s filmography.

Filming has been delayed several months because of a labor dispute between Jackson and the New Zealand Actors’ Equity and SAG, but is set to begin in early 2011. Looks like there’s no chance of making the originally planned Christmas 2011 and 2012 release dates for the two films, but at least it’s getting started. Hopefully.

Upcoming Release: Skyline

This weekend, I saw a trailer for a movie that looks like my kind of movie.  It’s called Skyline and it’s yet another alien invasion movie, but it looks like it has some great special effects.  Here’s the synopsis:

“Strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth.”

The movie was directed by Colin Strause and Greg Strause. It stars Donald Faison Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson, David Zayas, and Brittany Daniel and it is set for a November 12 release date.  Here’s the trailer:

Possible Hobbit Strike

The Hobbit movie has not started filming yet, but the Screen Actor’s Guild is encouraging actors to boycott the production. The Guild wants the production to provide a contract for all the actors, not just the ones who are covered by SAG.

Remember, Peter Jackson and is expected to direct, since Guillermo del Toro backed out. Needless to say, Jackson is none too pleased. He has threatened to move the production to Eastern Europe.

The fun just continues with this movie.  You can read the whole article here.

Tron Legacy – Daft Punk

Daft Punk consists of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter and is known for house, techno, and electro music. They have also been known to wear masks to hide their faces during public appearances and photo shoots.

Daft Punk recorded the soundtrack for Tron Legacy and the music has proven so popular that a website was created so fans could hear the soundtrack. When you visit the Tron soundtrack page, click the logo in the middle of the screen for more information.

Daft Punk also has a cameo in Tron Legacy, playing  a couple of MP3s. Look for them during a club scene in the game.

Here’s Daft Punk performing “Stronger” with Kayne West during the 2008 Grammy Awards.  This song samples Daft Punk’s song “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” Scroll to 2:48 if you want to specifically see Daft punk doing their thing. Their sound and their look = perfect for Tron.

You can learn more about on the Daft Punk official website or on Wikipedia.

Upcoming Release: Tron Legacy

I recently watched the original Tron. Honestly, I really can’t remember whether I saw it when I was younger or not. It seems like something I would have seen, but it didn’t really seem familiar as I watched it. Anyway, it was released in 1982 and here’s a brief synopsis:

Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is a video game programmer who works for ENCOM. Rival programmer Dillinger plagiarizes Flynn’s games then locks Flynn out of the system. When Flynn tries to hack the system, he is sucked into it. He is able to redeem himself by participating successfully in digital games as gladiator Clu, with help from Tron/Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner).

I can see how this movie would have been considered cool in 1982, with it’s vivid colors and video game look. Of course, watching it now, it’s looks pretty hokey but I thought it was a clever idea.

Enter Tron Legacy, which picks up some 30 years later. Bridges and Boxleitner are back as Kevin Flynn and Alan Bradley. Kevin Flynn’s son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) tries to find his long-lost father (who has been in the game this whole time) and ends up being sucked into the game himself. Together, Sam and his father team up to fight their way through the digital world.

Tron Legacy is set for release on December 17, 2010. Prepare for some great special effects, 3-D, and sound! I will be posting much more information about the movie between now and release so stay tuned.

* Tron Legacy * Director: Joseph Kosinski * Starring: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde,  Bruce Boxleitner * 2010 * Not Yet Rated * Soundtrack * Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller

10 Upcoming Releases: September-October 2010

Here are 10 movies that will be released in the next couple months that I think are ones to watch.

1. Wednesday, September 1 – The American; George Clooney, Paolo Bonacelli, Violante Placido; Drama/Thriller; R
   ~ Clooney plays an assassin who takes a break in Italy while preparing for one last hit. He finds solitude and romance but accepts an assignment to construct a weapon for a mysterious contact.
2. Friday, September 3 – Machete; Danny Trejo, Robert DeNiro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal; Action/Adventure/Thriller; R
   ~ Trejo is an ex-federale who runs to Texas after a gunfight in an attempt to forget his past.
3. Friday, September 10 – The Virginity Hit; Matt Bennett, Zack Pearlman, Jacob Davich, Justin Kline; Comedy; R
   ~ Three friends with a camera film their friend Matt while he attempts to lose his virginity.
4. Friday, September 17 – Devil; Logan Marshall-Green, Bojana Navakovic, Geoffrey Arend; Mystery/Thriller; PG-13
   ~ Several people who are trapped in an elevator realize that the devil is among them.
5. Friday, September 17 – The Town; Ben Affleck, Blake Lively, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Runner; Crime/Drama/Thriller; R
   ~ Affleck is the leader of a bank robbing crew in Boston and he’s taking the lead on what a former hostage may know. He falls for her and wants out of the life, but the FBI is in hot pursuit.
6. Friday, september 24 – Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps; Shia LaBeouf, Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Josh Brolin; Drama; PG-13
   ~ Gordon Gekko is out of prison and trying to repair his relationship with his daughter. He forms an alliance with his daughter’s fiance, who wonders if Gekko can be trusted.
7. Friday, October 1 – The Social Network; Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Rooney Mara, Rashida Jones; Drama/History;
   ~ Mark Zuckerberg and friends found the social networking site, Facebook, and also find legal and personal issues.
8. Friday, October 8 – Stone; Robert DeNiro, Edward Norton, Milla Jovovich, Frances Conroy; Drama/Thriller; R
   ~ Gerald Stone must convince parole officer Jack Mabry that he is eligible for early release from prison, where Stone is serving time for covering up his grandparents’ death with a fire.
9. Friday, October 15 – Red; Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker; Action/Comedy; PG-13
   ~ Adapted from Warren Ellis‘ DC Comics graphic novels, Red is about retired CIA agents who are now on the hit list for knowing too much. When they break into CIA headquarters to find the truth, they discover more than they bargained for.
10. Friday, October 22 – Paranormal Activity 2; Katie Featherston, Horror;
    ~ Follow up to the first Paranormal Activity movie.

Devil

Well, as I reported about a month ago, M. Night Shyamalan is co-producing a new movie coming out on September 17, 2010 called Devil.  According to IMDb, the plot of Devil is:

A group of people trapped in an elevator realize that the devil is among them.

The directors are Drew Dowdle and John Erick Dowdle and the cast includes Chris Messina, Geoffrey Arend, Logan Marshall-Green, and Bojana Novakovic. The movie starts Friday, September 17, 2010 and it is rated PG-13.

I just saw the trailer on TV for the first time.  Here it is:

A Kid, a Schmuck, and a Sorcerer walk into a bar…

Yay, it looks like The Kids are Alright is finally going into wider release and I plan to see it this weekend.  Stay tuned for my review.  I also plan to see Despicable Me soon.  I’m undecided about Dinner for Schmucks. 

I have also been thinking about seeing The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, but after seeing Inception, I have a hard time going to see movies that I believe are going to be mediocre.  I know, I know – I need to keep an open mind.  I’m working on it…

Day X Exists ~ Salt begins July 23, 2010

Thanks for coming to Slurpee Chronicles for Day X Exists game hints.

Intro video was made using the Talking Tom Cat app on my iPhone.  I added transitions in the trailer using iMovie on my Mac.  Just because.

M. Night Shyamalan producing “Devil”

M. Night Shyamalan is co-producing a new movie coming out on September 17, 2010 called Devil.  According to IMDb, the plot of Devil is:

A group of people trapped in an elevator realize that the devil is among them.

The directors are Drew Dowdle and John Erick Dowdle and the cast includes Chris Messina, Geoffrey Arend, Logan Marshall-Green, and Bojana Novakovic.

Here is the trailer for Devil: