Chinese Earthquake Movie ‘Aftershocks’

I’m pretty damn sure no one has heard of this film before today, but you won’t forget about it after watching this trailer. Twitch first discovered this extraordinary teaser trailer for a disaster film called Aftershocks coming out of China about the devastating 1976 Tangshan Earthquake that killed over 240,000 people. This trailer reminds me of Schindler’s List with the little girl and the way it uses the red to accent the terror and chaos of the situation. I would say this is China’s big disaster film in response to 2012, but since this is about an event that already happened, it’s very different and much more emotional. Check out the teaser below. 

Watch the teaser trailer for Xiaogang Feng’s Aftershocks:

When a mother is informed by a rescue team that, since her 7-year old twins are buried under the debris close to each other, digging one out would result in the collapse of the wreckage on the other, she is forced to make the most difficult decision of her life. Based around the devastating Tangshan Earthquake of 1976.

Aftershocks, originally titled Tangshan Dadizheng in Chinese, is being directed by Beijing-born filmmaker Xiaogang Feng, of other Chinese films like The Dream Factory, Happy Funeral, A World Without Thieves and The Banquet previously. The film will be released in China in July of this year, but it does not have a US release date. In fact, it doesn’t even have a US distributor yet. We’ll let you know if we hear more about it!

Viral Teaser Trailer for Space Paranoids Online!

This looks awesome! If you read up about the Tron Legacy viral event at WonderCon a few weeks ago, you may have heard that Alan Bradley announced that the original Space Paranoids game would soon become an online playable game. If you thought that was just part of the stunt, guess again, as FlynnLives.com has just been updated with an awesome new teaser trailer (you can watch it below) for the actual online playable Space Paranoids game. Yes, once this is released online it’s going to consume endless hours of your life until this December when Tron Legacy finally lands in theaters. You’ve been warned… but check this out anyway!

Watch the official teaser trailer for Encom’s Space Paranoids Online:

If you remember back to Comic-Con last year, Flynn’s Arcade had about 10 or so arcade units running this exact game with an old school joystick. So they’ve had the game for a while, and now Encom has created an online version of it. You can bet there will be some new viral events that will come with this, as Bradley said in San Francisco that there’ll be “15 new levels in Space Paranoids designed by Kevin Flynn himself,” which means that Flynn is probably going to “contact” us through the game (part of the ARG concept). The only bad news is that they don’t list a release date. I’ve got to imagine it’ll be up and running soon, right?

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Impressive Official Poster for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

I’d been wondering when we’d see a poster for this movie, but I was definitely not expecting something like this! ComingSoon has debuted the first teaser poster for Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and it’s a gorgeous bit of artwork. It’s basically just got a sneering Nicolas Cage as Balthazar showing off his magical dragon ring that identifies Jay Baruchel as the “chosen one,” or whatever it is. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, watch it here. This kind of reminds me of Drew Struzan’s paintings but it’s actually just a dark and sleek photo with some nice color touch-up work. However, I really am very impressed by this. Check it out below!

A sorcerer (Nicolas Cage) leaves his workshop in the hands of his apprentice (Jay Baruchel), who gets into trouble when the broomstick he put a spell on to do chores for him somehow develops a mind of its own.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is directed by veteran filmmaker Jon Turteltaub, who also directed 3 Ninjas, Cool Runnings, The Kid, and both National Treasure films previously. The screenplay was co-written by Carlo Bernard (The Uninvited) and Matt Lopez (Bedtime Stories). This is based on the story that first appeared in Disney’s Fantasia. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice will arrive in theaters everywhere on July 16th this summer.

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Second Featurette for Nimrod Antal’s Predators

Our very first introduction to Robert Rodriguez & Nimrod Antal’s Predators was through a sneak peek featurette, so it’s only fitting we follow up the trailer with yet another new featurette. The video comes from Germany (via YouTube) but isn’t dubbed, so it is watchable and in high def, too. It mainly contains some interview segments with Rodriguez and Antal as well as some new footage, including dialogue from Danny Trejo. I totally love the Japanese guy too, I can’t wait to see him fight with his samurai sword, that will be badass to watch. The more I see from this, the more excited I get, I think it looks like it could be awesome.

Watch the second featurette for Nimród Antal’s Predators:

Predators is being directed by Nimród Antal, of Kontroll, Vacancy, and Armored previously. The screenplay was co-written by newcomers Michael Finch and Alex Litvak and is based on early draft written years ago by producer Robert Rodriguez, who also worked with them on the script. This is a reboot of the Predator series created by Jim & John Thomas and directed by John McTiernan in 1987. We’re not sure what the actual plot is, but all we need to know is that it’s about a bunch of badass elite warriors who fight a bunch of predators out in the jungle. 20th Century Fox is bringing Predators to theaters worldwide on July 7th this summer.

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1914 Video Game Adaptation In The Works For Paul Verhoeven.

I’ve been waiting to see Paul Verhoeven return to his “roots” with more insanely violent action flicks like those he used to make back in the 80s and 90s, but that hasn’t happened yet. Last we heard, Verhoeven was supposed to working on a thriller called Surrogate, but not anymore. MTV talked with Verhoeven recently who told them: “I am working on a movie now that is… situated in 1914. We are scripting it. It’s an idea that exists already… from another medium, and so we are making it now into a film narrative.” He wouldn’t say the name, but did confirm that it’s a video game that they’re adapting the script from. So what could it be?

Verhoeven adds that the story is “basically, Indiana Jones-ish you could say, but also Hitchcockian.” Well that’s no help. How many games can you even think of that are set in 1914? Peter from SlashFilm seems to think it could be an old 1997 PC game called The Last Express, a real-time adventure game created by Jordan Mechner, the same guy who recently broke into Hollywood with Prince of Persia (he created that game and also wrote the script). The game takes place on the Orient Express days before the start of WWI and was even described at the time as “a mix of Indiana Jones and Alfred Hitchcock.” We’ve got a winner!

So Verhoeven is finally returning to the war genre again, or at least he’s adapting an adventure video game that’s set entirely on a train (I think?) in 1914 before WWI. Sounds like a very unique concept and as long as it’s as crazy violent and fun as Verhoeven’s work from the 80’s and 90’s, then I’m in. I don’t think Verhoeven has lost his touch recently, he just hasn’t been working on any movies that are as risky and, to be honest, as entertaining as his earlier work. And whenever I re-watch an old Verhoeven movie, I always hope that we’ll see more like it again soon. Has anyone played The Last Express? Will it make for a good movie?

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Cast in Kubrick’s Lost Film include Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell

Wait, wait, wait – Stanley Kubrick had a long lost project? Apparently so. The film is called Lunatic at Large and is based on a treatment by pulp author Jim Thompson that was commissioned by Kubrick in the late 1950s, after the two worked together on The Killing and Paths Of Glory. The script was discovered the a few years ago (read a NY Times article on it) and has been floating around for at least a few years. However, Production Weekly is reporting today on their Twitter (via The Playlist) that both Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell are attached to star in Lunatic at Large. They’ve got a few good actors for now. Read on!

Set in New York in 1956, Lunatic at Large tells the story of Johnnie Sheppard, an ex-carnival worker with serious anger-management issues, and Joyce, a nervous, attractive barfly he picks up from a Hopperesque tavern scene. It’s described as “a dark and surprising mystery” about a person who is “the true escapee from a nearby mental hospital.” Kubrick was supposed to follow up Spartacus with this, but the only copy of the manuscript was lost and later found in his library. The latest draft of the script was finished by Stephen R. Clarke in 2006, but we don’t know too much else, including production details (when will it start shooting?).

It’s not surprising that Johansson and Rockwell were interested in this. Any and everyone in Hollywood is probably jumping at the opportunity to work on a project that has the late Stanley Kubrick’s name attached, even if it’s just as a writer. If it’s true that both actors have signed on, I’m sure a director is close behind, as they wouldn’t be this far along without one. Chris Palmer has been attached since 2006, but no word if he’s still involved at this point. This sounds like it could be a great project with touch of Kubrick, who hasn’t left any mark on the big screen since Eyes Wide Shut in 1999. We’ll keep you updated best we can. Stay tuned!

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Official Trailer for Jesse Eisenberg Drug Drama Holy Rollers

First Independent Pictures has debuted the official trailer for Kevin Asch’s Holy Rollers starring Justin Bartha and Jesse Eisenberg as two Hasidic Jews who helped bring millions of ecstasy pills in from Europe. As good as this trailer may look, this is not a good film, as I saw it at Sundance and it’s pretty boring. I was expecting a comedy going in, but it was a straight drama with no direction, and it’s all over the place with its story. Sadly, Holy Rollers is one of those Sundance films you don’t want to admit you saw because it was so bad. I’m featuring this anyway in case a few of you are interested, but I don’t suggest seeing this in theaters.

Watch the official trailer for Kevin Asch’s Holy Rollers:

In Brooklyn, a youth from an Orthodox Jewish community is lured into becoming an Ecstasy dealer by his pal who has ties to an Israel drug cartel. This also features Ari Graynor, Jason Fuchs and rapper Q-Tip.

Holy Rollers is directed by aspiring first-time feature filmmaker Kevin Asch of only the comedy short film Characters from 2005 previously. The screenplay was written by Antonio Macia, of only the drama Anne B. Real previously. This first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and was later bought by the micro-indie company First Independent Pictures for US distribution. They are bringing Holy Rollers to limited theaters starting on May 21st this summer, with an expansion planned, but I doubt it’ll pick up.

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New Iron Man 2 Viral Updates: Fans Buzzing About AccuTech

We’ve been keeping tabs on the Iron Man 2 mini-viral launch this past week, but nothing too exciting has really happened (or so I claim). Earlier in the week, SlashFilm found a website for a Stark Industries spin-off company (aka subsidiary) called AccuTech that has somehow become the primary focus of the entire viral. Packages started showing up with boxes of cheesy AccuTech swag, but then everyone started picking up on the logo, which seemed to be a little too similar to The Avengers logo which also consists of an “A” inside of a circle as well. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but that seems to be the biggest buzz related to this viral.

You can visit the full AccuTech website here: starkexpo2010.com/accutech/. I’m surprised they couldn’t buy their own URL, but that’s besides the point. There’s a video introducing a “HazTech Exoskeleton” on the site, which many believe is another viral hint at something in the movie. You can also read through the rest of the minimal amount of information found there. Marvel.com also posted a new letter from Tony Stark himself that talks about the Stark Expo returning this year (refer to starkexpo2010.com). Other sites buzzing about the logo similarities include CHUD and BleedingCool, so I’ll leave all of that speculation up to them.

So far I’m not really that impressed with this viral campaign for Iron Man 2. The websites are pretty dull and its all about speculation and stuff like “could this be that armor from that scene in that movie?!” I wish they had a more solid direction and more for us to latch onto and interact with as it builds, but that’s all we got, so check out the websites above. As always, if you find anything new anywhere, be sure to let us know!

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First Look: Matt Damon & Emily Blunt in The Adjustment Bureau

Please don’t screw this up, I don’t want another Next, that movie was awful! The first two photos from The Adjustment Bureau appeared online today (via Collider). The Adjustment Bureau co-stars Matt Damon & Emily Blunt (pictured) as well as Anthony Mackie, Terence Stamp and John Slattery. Based on a Philip K. Dick short story, the film is about an affair between a politician and a ballerina (Damon and Blunt) that becomes affected by mysterious forces (a group called the Adjustment Bureau) who are keeping the lovers apart. The photos aren’t much (there’s nothing more to the one above), but it is our first look at the movie.

Here’s a better official plot synopsis: On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt)–a woman like none he’s ever known. But just as he realizes he’s falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart. David learns he is up against the agents of fate itself – the men of The Adjustment Bureau – who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, he must either let her go and accept a predetermined path… or risk everything to defy fate and be with her. I love PKD stories! Writer George Nolfi is directing. Hits theaters on July 30th!

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