[Trailer] 300: Rise of an Empire
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If your testosterone levels aren't high, they're about to increase exponentially after you watch this first trailer for 300: Rise of an Empire. Acting as a bookend prequel/sequel to Zack Snyder's 300, Rise of an Empire follows Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton), an Athenian warrior, during The Battle of Artemisium. The film's events will take place before, during, and after 300, which gives the producers a natural way of rehashing clips from the original 300. Rise of an Empire will also give a bit of a backstory on the film's antagonist, Xerses, and how he rose to power. The screnplay was co-written by Snyder and Kurt Johnstad based off of an unpublished graphic novel by 300 creator Frank Miller, so the tone should stay true to what people have grown to love from 300.
Basically, expect more muscles, more blood, more yelling, and more gratuitous sex scenes on a heavily computer generated backdrop when 300: Rise of an Empire hits theaters March 7th, 2014.
[Trailer] Snowpiercer
http://youtu.be/KPBQ-dGbO8I
In a future where an attempt to stop global warming resulted in an artificial Ice Age, the majority of life on Earth has died. The survivors are forced to live on a train, the titular Snowpiercer, that simply runs across the planet, driven by an engine that is always in perpetual-motion. Over the years since the initial experiment failed, the train has been split into various classes where the rich live in the front while the poor live in the back of the train. You see where I'm going with this, right?
Snowpiercer is Bong Joon-ho's English-language debut, following in the steps of other famed Asian director, Takashi Miike. The director of The Host is joined by Chris Evans (The Avengers), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk about Kevin), and Jamie Bell (Jumper) in the sci-fi thriller. There's no release date set for Snowpiercer, but with its South Korean release slated for August 1st, I assume North American distributers will be able to get it stateside by the end of the year.
[Trailer] Pawn Shop Chronicles
http://youtu.be/m_1onPOKQsM
Pawn Shop Chronicles takes a page out of popular TV shows Pawn Stars and Hardcore Pawn with its central setting of a pawn shop and the people that enter through its doors. Featuring an ensemble cast of Brendan Fraser (Tarzan), Elijah Wood (Maniac), Vincent D'Onofrio (Men in Black), Thomas Jane (Hung), Lukas Haas (Brick), Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), Matt Dillon (Crash), and Paul Walker (Fast & Furious 6), the film features three converging stories involving a man searching for his kidnapped wife, white supremacist meth-heads, and an Elvis impersonator (of course).
Pawn Shop Chronicles was directed by Wayne Kramer, whose 2007 film The Cooler was pretty entertaining. With a cast as well-rounded as this, it'll be interesting to see whether the film itself can live up to the talent that it features. We can all find out when Pawn Shop Chronicles is released in select cities and Video on Demand on July 12th.
[Trailer] Man of Tai Chi
http://youtu.be/hMC66Jw52Dk
Let your eyes linger on this header image for a moment. It's of Tiger Hu Chen jump kicking across a yin-yang sign on fire.
Man of Tai Chi, Keanu Reeves' (The Matrix) directorial debut, is about Reeves' character running a secret underground tournament for his entertainment. When he stumbles upon a martial artist (Chen) that practices Tai Chi, he's hell-bent on exploiting him and bringing him to the "dark side." Also starring in the film is The Raid: Redemption's Iko Uwais, who is an absolute badass, Simon Yam (Ip Man), and Karen Mok. Reeves has gone on record as saying the film features about 40 minutes of fight scenes. With Yuen Woo-ping (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) in charge of choreography, Man of Tai Chi is shaping up to be a solid martial arts film.
I'm not expecting much out of the acting or plot, but if the fights are as amazing as this trailer leads me to believe them to be, I'm all for it. Remember: jump kick across a yin-yang on fire. No release date has been set yet.
Limited edition Man of Steel posters from Mondo on sale this week
As some readers might remember from my first few posts on Ruby Hornet, I'm a huge fan of poster art designs. Unfortunately, the art of poster art has been overlooked and underused. Take, for example, a recent trend in Hollywood films with single characters juxtaposed against an expansive, barren backdrop; the first examples that come to mind are The Dark Knight, Inception, and Star Wars Into Darkness. Luckily, there are people who champion for creative, innovative poster designs. The people at Mondo do everything they can to ensure proper entertainment art design won't go away. Their gallery in Austin is always holding special exhibitions showcasing all types of art, such as their recent Mike Mitchell showcase. They also go out of their way to release special limited edition posters timed with various releases.
This week, Superman's return in Man of Steel is getting the Mondo treatment. Mondo will be releasing two limited edition posters this week to commemorate the superhero's theatrical return. The first poster is an illustration by artist Ken Taylor. The regular version of the poster is in a soft, sepia tone that fits with the overall nostalgic theme of the illustration. However, my personal favorite is the cool-colored variant that sticks true to Superman's blue and red color motif. The second poster by Martin Ansin is inspired by the vintage era of Superman. While the regular poster is in full color, the variant will be cast in metal. Whether that means it'll simply be covered in foil or a full-on metal cast is unknown.
Details on the quantity, price, and availability of each piece are below. You can also check out the Mondo website for more complete information on the two amazing posters.
Poster by Ken Taylor
Dimensions: 20?x36?
Edition: 300 (Regular) ; 150 (Variant)
Price: $50 (Regular) ; $75 (Variant)
On sale Thursday, June 13th at a random time at www.mondotees.com
Please follow us on Twitter for the on sale announcement.
Poster by Martin Ansin
Dimensions: 24?x36?
Edition: Regular edition TBD ; 130 (Metal Variant)
Price: $50 (Regular) ; $300 (Metal Variant)
[Mixtape] Auggie the 9th: "NOW that's what I call Krej"
Auggie the 9th is doing his part to make sure YOUR hump day is just that much better with the surprise mixtape, NOW that’s what I call Krej. Meant to tide us all over while he puts the final touches on GAWS, Krej is a collection of previously released tracks where Augustus raps raps over Flosstradamus tracks. Observant eyes will notice a post-apocalyptic Easter egg embedded in the files themselves, too. GAWS is coming soon, but NOW that’s what I call Krej! is to make sure you guys don’t forget what Auggie can do.
Remember, you can catch Auggie the 9th’s Akuma flow at Café Mustache for free this Saturday at 9pm with Jams Dean, Sticky Ricardo, and LOD’s Cadillac Duke. You can download NOW that's what I call Krej directly here.
Will J.J. Abrams' Star Wars Episode VII focus on Jaina and Jacen Solo?
JJ Abrams has been really tightlipped when it comes to his plans for the next film in the Star Wars franchise. It's understandable, considering his Star Trek Into Darkness hasn't been in theaters for a month yet. The notably secretive director likes to keep his cards close, and with as huge a franchise as Star Wars, there's good reason for Abrams to not show his hand too early.
However, the cards might have been forced out of his grip as rumors have swept the internet up with a supposed protagonist and antagonist already being chosen for Episode VII. The guys over at Schmoes Know have gotten wind of plot and character details for the anticipated Episode VII. If the rumors are true, the next Star Wars film will focus on Jaina and Jacen Solo, the twin daughter and son of Han Solo and Leia Skywalker. Star Wars fans will remember the two as being main characters from the "Expanded Edition" of Star Wars novels that take place following Return of the Jedi. While the novels are unofficially considered canon, if Jaina and Jacen are indeed a part of Abrams' plans for the film, it serves as a great move for the franchise as a female Jedi will finally be featured.
The backstory surrounding Jaina and Jacen finds them as Jedi training under their uncle, Luke Skywalker. However, Jacen, who is considered to be the most powerful Jedi in the universe, finds himself slowly growing attracted to the Dark Side. Jaina is then left to bring him back... or stop him by any means necessary. Sounds just like the type of compelling story Abrams would find himself attracted to, no?
[via Schmoes Know]
[Video] Bikinis and tilapia everywhere in "The Real World: This Is The End Edition" video
Are you excited for the post-apocalyptic comedy film This is the End? With the film set to release in theaters tomorrow, a new promotional video has hit the internet that sees the Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, and Craig Ferguson share a house with two current cast members of The Real World: Portland, Averey-Lee Jane and Joi Niemeyer. It's a hilarious short video that should whet everybody's appetite while they wait these last few hours before This is the End hits theaters.
An extended webisode of The Real World: This Is The End Edition will also air exclusively on MTV.com tomorrow.
http://youtu.be/R9ZRIFNRdsk