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Friday, July 17

Preview of Comic-Con Avatar Footage

Gerrad Hall is a correspondent for ReelzChannel TV's Movie News and occasionally shares stories from the field.

We just got to see nine scenes from director James Cameron's HIGHLY anticipated Avatar along with several other members of the press. Bottom line? Pretty damn stunning! And understandable why he's taking his time to make this a ground-breaking movie.

Cameron wrote the script before filming Titanic and has kept details of the storyline quiet. Here's what we can tell you: Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation) plays Jake Sully, a 20-something, paraplegic ex-Marine. When presented the opportunity, he goes to work for a corporation that wants to mine a material called Unobtainium on the planet Pandora. Problem is the planet's inhabited by the Na'vi — 10'-tall, skinny, blue, alien-like creatures. The natives refuse to help mine the material, so the corporation creates hybrids using DNA from humans and the Na'vi. These are the avatars. Sully's estranged identical twin brother had enrolled in the program years earlier, but died. Because he has the same DNA, the corporation recruits Sully to activate and control the avatar that was created for his brother.

From here, it's an incredible journey on Pandora, which is full of monstrous creatures — one had the nose of a hammerhead shark and the body of a rhinoceros, others are amped-up, fierce versions of what seem like dogs and tigers — along with floating jellyfish-like creatures, mid-air suspended waterfalls, and vibrantly colored plants and flowers. Avatar's alternate world is a sight to behold.

Co-producer Jon Landau introduced the material, explaining why Cameron waited to make Avatar until the technology was right: He didn't want to use motion-capture (like that in Beowulf and Disney's upcoming A Christmas Carol) because he felt it lacks the letter "E" emotion. Rather, image-based technology was used here. And Cameron shot with a virtual camera, so when looking through the view-finder he would see a low-resolution version of the characters — not the actual actors.

Gotta say, we had no idea what to expect of this movie. Given the release-date extensions, and knowing the attention to detail Cameron puts in his work, we hoped not to be let down. And what we saw did NOT disappoint.

If you're going to Comic-Con, be ready to be amazed!

Posted 7/17/2009 by reelz

Related: ReelzChannel Movie News | James Cameron | Sam Worthington | Avatar | Jon Landau

Sienna Miller Says G.I. Joe Is Not Her Best Work

With a summer movie season that's already seen three franchise films become monster hits — Star Trek, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince — Paramount Pictures is praying that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra does well enough to become another "tentpole" franchise.

If you listen to the actors involved in the movie, however, G.I. Joe could prove to be a dud. Actress Sienna Miller, who plays The Baroness, recently said, "You know, G.I. Joe, it's not going to be the best acting work we've ever done." Miller's co-star, Channing Tatum, who plays Duke, didn't sound too confident about the success of the film when he added, "I hope it does okay."

Next Showing: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra opens August 7

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  G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - Trailer

  An action film about elite American soldiers

Posted 7/17/2009 by BrentJS

Related: Channing Tatum | G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | Sienna Miller

Robert Rodriguez's Machete Adds Robert DeNiro to Cast

Machete started out as a "fake" trailer Robert Rodriguez shot for the double-feature Grindhouse — one that looked arguably better than the Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino movies put together. Production on a feature-length Machete starts July 29, and co-directors Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis have put together a star-filled cast. Danny Trejo will return as Machete, alongside Michele Rodriguez, Jonah Hill, and surprisingly Robert DeNiro. Make up artist-actor Tom Savini will alsoappearin the movie.

According to a Bloody-Disgusting source, DeNiro will be playing Senator McLaughlin, a corrupt civil servant who double-crosses Machete. DeNiro's casting seems a little unusual, as does Hill's, so this may simply be rumor. But it would help stabilize Trejo's claim that Machete is intended to be a trilogy.

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  Grindhouse - Trailer

  The double feature is back!!!

Posted 7/17/2009 by Ryan

Related: Danny Trejo | Jonah Hill | Quentin Tarantino | Tom Savini | Michelle Rodriguez | Robert Rodriguez | Robert DeNiro | Machete

TwiCon Fan Correspondent Selected, Twilight Weekly Spotlight Coming to ReelzChannel TV

Well the votes are all in ... but you'll have to wait until Monday, July 27, to find out who'll be our TwiCon Fan Correspondent. We can tell you that it was a competitive race, with all parts of the country casting thousands of votes for their favorites.

But we've got an even bigger announcement to share right now. We're expanding our coverage of all things Twilight with a new weekly TV series. Premiering August 10, Twilight Weekly Spotlight will be hosted by correspondent Naibe Reynoso and will feature lots of TwiCon news and more in that first episode. See our press release for details about the show.

In addition, we're busy planning our extensive TwiCon coverage, which you'll be able to follow online throughout the July 30 - August 2 event. Check back next week to find out what we've got in the works.

Posted 7/17/2009 by reelz

Related: TwiCon Coverage | The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Eclipse Trailer: Top 5 Fanmade Mashups

Even though The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is still a few weeks from the start of filming, fans are already looking forward to the movie's trailer — so much so that they've gone ahead and created their own.

We've picked our five favorite fan-made trailers. Did we miss yours? Drop us a comment below.

Posted 7/17/2009 by reelz

Related: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Iron Man 2 Will Feature a Cockatoo and Other Spoilers

Entertainment Weekly's coverage of Iron Man 2 did more than just show Scarlett Johansson in her Black Widow costume. It also revealed a few spoilers about the upcoming sequel. WARNING: If you'd like your Iron Man 2 viewing to remain unspoiled, time to stop reading.

Most superhero movie sequels are given the "double villain" treatment and Iron Man 2 is no different. However, this time villains Mickey Rourke as Whiplash and Sam Rockwell as weapons-manufacturing rival Justin Hammer won't be working alone. They'll be joined in their fight against Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) by ... a cockatoo? Rourke explains the need for his new right-hand, er, shoulder, man.

I told [director Jon] Favreau, "I don't want to just play him as a one-dimensional p----." He let me have a cockatoo, who I talk to and get drunk with while I'm making my suit.

Johansson's Black Widow will be complicating matters, specifically for Stark's former assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). "The men want it to be, like, 'Ooh, the girls are fighting over Tony,' but it's not as standard as that," explains Paltrow. Downey Jr. agrees that there's a "a weird male catfight fantasy" to contend with between the two women, but this is the Iron Man franchise, as Downey is quick to point out.

We're horny. Not, like, can't-bring-your-kids horny, but just ... horny.

The replacement of Terrence Howard's Colonel Rhodes with Don Cheadle will also be addressed "in one exchange," says Cheadle. "We're not trying to fool people."

Considering the pressure put on a sequel whose predecessor was as successful as Iron Man, there are likely plenty more suprises in store. No one is more aware of that, however, than Downey Jr.

There are a lot more invisible eyes on us now. People are going to be more critical. That's their prerogative.... In a way, there's no way to win, except to win. Big.

Next Showing: Iron Man 2 opens May 7, 2010

Posted 7/17/2009 by Ryan

Related: Don Cheadle | Gwyneth Paltrow | Jon Favreau | Terrence Howard | Robert Downey Jr. | Iron Man | Iron Man 2

Superman Co-Creator's "Secret" Becoming a Movie

It's not been a good week for Superman. Only last week, the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel took a blow when they lost a court ruling to DC Comics and Warner Bros. about damages they believed were owed to them. Now the family of Joe Shuster, the other co-creator, is reeling from scandal.

A controversial book that paints Shuster as an S&M artist for the mob has been optioned for the screen by the Gotham Group. Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman's Co-Creator Joe Shuster was written by comic archivist Craig Yoe after he discovered a cache of The Nights of Horror comics at an estate sale. After looking through the volumes, Yoe was convinced that the artist of the series was Shuster and began the investigation that led to the book.

Yoe and his book have been criticized by many for tarnishing the image of one of the pioneers of the comic book medium, but Yoe says the work is important for "comic book history and cultural history." In a recent interview, Yoe said:

There are some who say I should have left this stuff buried and not ruin Joe's reputation. But this is a major body of work by the creator of the superhero. Some of the drawings are beautiful, showing the great craftsman that he was. There's even an innocence.

Comic books nearly disappeared forever after a 1954 Supreme Court censorship case sparked, in part, by comics like the ones Shuster is alleged to have made. The comic book "crackdown" began after a group of thugs calling themselves the Brooklyn Thrill Killers blamed comics for a crime spree that included the beating of women and the deaths of two men. The movie adaptation will be a period piece focusing on Shuster and the crimes.

Posted 7/17/2009 by BrentJS