Canadian Podcast Century Club : CastRoller Channel

FilmJunk: Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Kingsley Join Scorsese's The Invention of Hugo Cabret

2010-03-17T17:01:43

Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass) and Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) have also signed on, with Butterfield playing the title character of this young adult adventure.

FilmJunk: Rose McGowan Joins the Cast of Conan But Not as Red Sonja

2010-03-17T17:01:43

A couple of years ago, as Robert Rodriguez was coming off of directing Planet Terror, he seemed to be taking on a ridiculous number of new projects. It just so happens that most of these projects also involved his current girlfriend at the time, Rose McGowan. She was set to star in a remake of Barbarella as well as Red Sonja, a remake of the 1985 spin-off from the Conan franchise. The movie seemed to be fairly far along, and even had a couple of teaser posters released at Comic Con back in 2008. Unfortunately, their relationship didn't last, and then the project just seemed to evaporate. With that in mind, it was hard not to take notice of the recent announcement that Rose McGowan has just joined the cast of the new Conan movie. Could she be stepping back into the role of Red Sonja even without Rodriguez' help? Alas, that doesn't appear to be the case. According to Variety, she will not be playing a female barbarian but rather "an evil half-human/half-witch". I guess it just wasn't meant to be. Either way, the cast for Conan now includes Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman, Said Taghmaoui, Leo Howard, and of course, Jason Momoa. There just might be some potential there after all.

FilmJunk: Sigourney Weaver to Star in Amy Heckerling's Vamps

2010-03-17T17:01:42

She joins Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter in a romantic horror-comedy from the writer/director of Clueless.

FilmJunk: Weekly Poll Results: Best Modern War Movie

2010-03-17T17:01:41

With Green Zone failing to generate much interest at the box office this past weekend, it looks like modern war movies are probably going to fade away again for the time being -- which is too bad, because there are still plenty of stories to be told. For now I guess we'll just have to revisit the few decent ones that are out there, like Black Hawk Down and The Hurt Locker which topped last week's poll. Three Kings, Jarhead and Rambo rounded out the top 5, which is interesting because they are 3 very different films. Do you agree with these results? How do modern war movies stack up against other war movies? 1. Black Hawk Down -- 32.8% 2. The Hurt Locker -- 24.8% 3. Three Kings -- 14.9% 4. Jarhead -- 8% 5. Rambo -- 7.7% 6. Waltz with Bashir -- 4.3% 7. The Kingdom -- 2.7% 8. Behind Enemy Lines -- 2.2% 9. No Man's Land -- 1.7% 10. Tears of the Sun -- 1%

FilmJunk: The Mechanic Trailer Starring Jason Statham and Ben Foster

2010-03-17T17:01:39

Love him or hate him, you have to admit that Jason Statham is a pretty hard-working guy, stoically soldiering on from one bone-crunching action movie to the next. Right now he's currently in the middle of filming The Mechanic, a remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film of the same name. The story is about a hitman (Statham) who takes a young apprentice (Ben Foster) under his wing and teaches him the tools of the trade. An early promo trailer for the film has popped up online this week, and although I usually add a bit of a disclaimer for these types of things, I don't know that it necessarily applies in this case. When it comes to Millennium Films (the folks behind such movies as Rambo, Righteous Kill and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans), if it looks cheap and sleazy, it will probably be exactly that -- not that that is necessarily a bad thing. The tag line "From the director of Con-Air and Tomb Raider" doesn't do much for me, but I do like Ben Foster and I think this could be a fun mindless action flick. I'm not sure how it will compare to the original, but take a look at the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

FilmJunk: Blockbuster on the Verge of Bankruptcy. Again

2010-03-17T17:01:38

Surprise, surprise... a death knell is being sounded for Blockbuster this week, with sudden speculation that the Hollywood studios may end up being the ones that finally push the rental giant into full on bankruptcy. For the past few years, Blockbuster has been living on borrowed time (and money, apparently) as competition from Netflix, Amazon, Redbox and Video on Demand have seriously cut into their bottom line. Now this week, Blockbuster has revealed the truth about their precarious situation in an annual report, and it's not looking good. Blockbuster typically runs up a large amount of credit with studios for the high volume of inventory that they take in every week, which eventually gets paid back over time. However, studios are reportedly putting the squeeze on Blockbuster, pushing for more up-front payments that the company "may be unable to sustain on a long-term basis". If they are unable to come up with a compromise, Blockbuster will likely be forced to file for bankruptcy. Considering that Blockbuster closed down 586 stores last year, reported a net loss of $435 million, and recently re-instated late fees, I don't think there's much hope of them weathering the storm anymore. They've been unable to adapt to the changes in the marketplace, and consumers have chosen to side with far superior alternatives. Are there any loyal Blockbuster customers still left out there? Where do you think you'll be renting your movies from next?

QuirkyNomads: Frozen: Based on a True Story

2010-03-17T14:47:55

QN episodes appear every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Keep up to date on ways to participate by joining the Facebook QN page. On Saturday I went to see the new movie Frozen. Here is the plot of Frozen: three spoiled rich American kids go skiing and get stranded on a chairlift fifty feet in the [...]

ShaneandtomsPodcast: EPISODE: Morocco Baby Bedet 168

2010-03-17T04:35:31

Topics Include: Morocco, Babies (The Fins!!), Camels, Hole in Ground Toilets, Marconium, B-Do's and B-Dont's, NEW WORDPLAY TOPIC : Tom and Babies

ScrapTime: Ep472 - Cling Stamps from Hero Arts

2010-03-17T04:34:32

Christine shows Cling Stamps from Hero Arts.

TheSonicSociety: A Time to Remember

2010-03-17T03:36:05

It's "A Year to Remember" from Deus Ex Machina!

PodictionaryFor: rifle - podictionary 1119

2010-03-17T03:03:27

rifles are so called because of the spiral grooves inside the barrels in French "rifler" meant scratch

IndieLaunchpadPodcast: Feed Problems and The Next Step

2010-03-17T02:33:07

As many of you have noticed, the latest episode #139 didn't appear when it was posted, neither did the repost I did a couple of days later. Then low and behold, both appeared in the feed today. I've got so many things on my plate at the moment, that this has really highlighted the fact that I need to move this blog from Blogger (who are ceasing the publication of blogs to FTP, which this one does), to WordPress (Which is what I use for the regular Indie Launchpad website).Anyway this is my priority for the weekend, which means this weeks podcast will probably not happen. As I need to change a lot of things behind the scenes, could I please ask that you check on the website http://podcast.indielaunchpad.com if you don't hear from me, whether in the form of a blog post or podcast within a week or so.Thanks for all your messages of concern, I realise the podcast was down for a while and there have been a couple of interruptions, but once this is done, I think the podcast at least will be able to function a bit more reliably.Cheers, Colin

SalesopediaBlog: Hockeyville 2010

2010-03-16T23:03:31

I am Canadian. I love hockey. I like to help my cousins when I can. They live in south eastern B.C. in a great town called Cranbrook, birthplace of my mother and the geographic centre of many great memories for yours truly. Cranbrook is one of 12 communities in Canada

FilmJunk: Avatar Barebones DVD and Blu-ray Coming in April

2010-03-16T21:37:57

Looks like James Cameron's Avatar will be hitting DVD and Blu-ray a bit sooner than expected -- in just over a month, as a matter of fact. Instead of coordinating the release of the movie to help sell the first wave of 3-D televisions, they have decided to rush it out in time for Earth Day on April 22nd. How environmentally conscious of them! But wait a minute, won't this hurt their plans for a theatrical re-release in the summer? It turns out that it won't, because this initial release will be one that is stripped down and completely devoid of extras. If people want to see the extended cut of the movie with additional scenes, they'll have wait to see it on the big screen (or wait for the multi-disc special edition DVD/Blu-ray that is being planned for the holidays). To make up for the lack of supplementary material, they will be packaging the movie with various goodies like a t-shirt, book, and art cards (you know, all the useless crap that Reed Farrington loves). As for when we might see a 3-D version of the movie that is compatible with home theatre systems, Fox says that won't be happening this year. For the time being, it remains an experience that you will have to leave home for. Will you pick up Avatar on DVD or Blu-ray next month, or will you hold out for a more complete version?

FilmJunk: Could Sofia Coppola, Bill Condon or Gus Van Sant Direct Twilight: Breaking Dawn?

2010-03-16T21:37:22

Summit Entertainment has already made a ton of money from the Twilight franchise, and they still stand to make a heck of a lot more (especially if they decide to turn the final book into two films). Lately, however, it seems like they may be after more than just money with this series. Now that they've won over the hearts and minds of every teenage girl in the world, they're setting their sights on a much tougher group... art snobs, film critics, and know-it-all bloggers. Word on the street is that Summit recently approached a handful of high profile filmmakers about directing the final installment in the Twilight series, and the names may surprise you. Directors that they have talked to thus far include Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation), Gus Van Sant (Milk), and Bill Condon (Dreamgirls). There's been no word on whether or not any of the directors actually showed any interest, but it almost sounds like the producers are hoping they can buy themselves an Oscar for the last Twilight film. Is such a thing actually possible? Summit went outside the box a little bit with the choice of David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) to helm the third Twilight film, Eclipse. It doesn't seem like that has expanded the audience for these films much, but I do think that if someone like Coppola or Van Sant signed on to direct a Twilight film it might be a different story. Still... that's a pretty big if. What do you think, would any of these directors ever actually agree to direct a Twilight movie? And if so, would you be willing to watch it?

FilmJunk: This Week on DVD: The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Princess and the Frog, Ninja Assassin

2010-03-16T21:36:50

It's a fairly crowded DVD release day today, although there is a definite emphasis on mainstream releases instead of smaller indie films this time around. The Twilight Saga: New Moon is by far the biggest title of the week, and it isn't hitting stores until Saturday, but in the meantime you can check out Disney's acclaimed return to 2-D animation The Princess and the Frog, The Wachowskis' Ninja Assassin, Nimrod Antal's heist flick Armored and the alien abduction film The Fourth Kind starring Milla Jovovich. John Krasinski's directorial debut Brief Interviews with Hideous Men is also out today, along with The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights documentary and the second season of AMC's Breaking Bad. Will you be renting or buying anything this week? The Twilight Saga: New Moon (+ Blu-ray) (on Saturday) The Princess and the Frog (+ Blu-ray) Ninja Assassin (+ Blu-ray) Armored (+ Blu-ray) The Fourth Kind (+ Blu-ray) Broken Embraces (+ Blu-ray) Astro Boy (+ Blu-ray) Did You Hear About the Morgans? (+ Blu-ray) Bandslam Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (+ Blu-ray) Order of Chaos Smash Cut Unrivaled (+ Blu-ray) Twilight in Forks: The Saga of the Real Town The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights (+ Blu-ray) Dillinger is Dead: Criterion Collection Vengeance Trilogy South Park: The Complete Thirteenth Season (+ Blu-ray) Clash of the Gods: Complete Season 1 (+ Blu-ray) Breaking Bad: Season 2 (+ Blu-ray) Hawaii Five-O: The Eighth Season Monk: Season 8 Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection XVII Mr. Bean's Most Memorable Moments Breaking Bad: Season 1 (Blu-ray) Paris (Blu-ray)

FilmJunk: Captain America Casting Comes Full Circle: Channing Tatum Now Being Considered

2010-03-16T21:36:18

It's anybody's guess what is going on with the casting for Captain America right now. They may have found their villain in Hugo Weaving, but the search for the lead role seems to be in complete and utter chaos. Marvel is no closer to choosing Steve Rogers than they were last month, and as the summer start date draws closer, the list of candidates is growing rather than shrinking. There have been conflicting reports over whether or not John Krasinski is still in the running, but the short list as of last week consisted of the following actors: Mike Vogel (Cloverfield), Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy), and (apparently) Chris Evans (Fantastic Four). Now this week two more big names have suddenly entered into the running: Ryan Phillippe and Tanning Chatum... I mean Channing Tatum. I was wondering how long it would take before Tatum came under consideration. He was one of the first names to be rumoured for the role last year, and when it comes to all-American soldiers, there is no one else who better fits the bill right now. Too bad he has the personality of a telephone pole. Phillippe, on the other hand, is about ten years older than most of the actors testing for the part. Strangely, both starred together as U.S. soldiers in the 2008 film Stop-Loss. Can you see either of these guys wearing blue tights? Will Marvel ever find the right man to play Captain America?

FilmJunk: Jason Segel to Star in his Muppet Movie

2010-03-16T21:35:47

It may have been a foregone conclusion, but Jason Segel will play the lead human in the upcoming Muppet movie that he co-wrote with Nicholas Stoller.

FilmJunk: Ellen Page to Star in Michel Gondry's Return of the Ice Kids

2010-03-16T21:35:23

Director Michel Gondry has been doing some press interviews at SXSW this week for his new documentary The Thorn in the Heart, and as you might expect, he has been fielding a lot of questions about the status of possible projects to come after The Green Hornet. It turns out he has quite a bit on the go... so much, in fact, that it's hard to keep it all straight. I'll do my best to recap, courtesy of The Playlist: His adaptation of Rudy Rucker's sci-fi novel The Master of Space and Time is no longer happening, but instead he is doing another sci-fi movie called Return Of The Ice Kids. This one is "about a group of teenagers who invent a kind of water that makes you hear music". Ellen Page is attached to star as the main character Nancy, and it is being written by Keith Bunin (In Treatment). Gondry is also working on a screenplay with Bunin about some kids that travel into the future by mistake, but I'm a bit unclear on whether that is the same movie or not. His animated film Megalomania, which he is working on with his son Paul and writer Daniel Clowes (Ghost World), will be voiced by Seth Rogen, Steve Buscemi and Juliette Lewis. It's "about three kids who discover how to create energy from hair. And they shave everyone on the planet." He is planning a low budget indie drama starring non-actors called The We & The I that grew out of his book You'll Like This Film Because You're In It: The Be Kind Rewind Protocol. It has something to do with group dynamics and communities. Lastly, Gondry is doing some sort of IMAX 3-D musical with Bjork. He describes it as a 40-minute experiment that is likely suited "more for museums". Clearly the man has no shortage of ideas and is not afraid to embrace even the most bizarre ones. With any luck, at least a couple of these projects will materialize within the next year or so. Do any of these upcoming Michel Gondry films pique your interest?

FilmJunk: Giveaway: Win a Copy of Broken Embraces on DVD!

2010-03-16T21:34:51

Pedro Almodóvar's Broken Embraces may have been overlooked at the Oscars (it actually wasn't even submitted by Spain for the Best Foreign Language Film category), but it did get nominated for a Golden Globe and earned fairly solid reviews all around. The movie hits DVD and Blu-ray today, and we've got a copy of the DVD to give away to one lucky Film Junkie! If you'd like to get your hands on it, just send your name and mailing address to filmjunk@gmail.com with "Broken Embraces Giveaway" in the subject line. We'll randomly pick a winner from all the entries we receive and notify them by next Tuesday (March 23rd). Note: This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Extras include: Deleted scenes Short film by Pedro Almodóvar: "The Cannibalistic Councillor" Variety Q&A with Penélope Cruz "Pedro Directs Penélope" featurette "On the Red Carpet: The New York Film Festival Closing Night" Good luck!