I can’t say this enough, American Teen is my favorite film of 2008 so far (you can read my review from Sundance). Nanette Burstein, the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker of On The Ropes spent one year following a group of teenagers during their senior year of high school. The movie won the directing award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and has been playing the festival circuit to rave reviews ever since. I can’t stress to you how great this film is. I know, at first glance it might look like MTV’s The Hills to some people (evident in the comments for the theatrical trailer), but trust me, there really is no comparison (probably because this is 95% real). I’m sure film festival audiences wouldn’t sit through The Hills - The Movie, never-mind give it a standing ovation.

The heart of the movie for me, and most people, is Hannah, the “rebel” art-student who dreams of leaving her midwest town to go to California to become a filmmaker. Paramount Vantage has put together a series of Character Teaser Trailers. Some of them do a disservice to the film, but I’ve included the trailers below for the two most interesting characters (at least from my perspective, which might say something about me), Hannah and Jake (”the geek”). American Teen hits theaters on July 25th 2008.

Discuss: What do you think of the new character trailers for American Teen?

“This photo is a little creepy for this item.”

A dirty old man once said, “There are friends who have, friends who haven’t and friends who lie either way,” and Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte (above) and Leslie Bibb will star as the former partakers in the comedy A Good Old Fashioned Orgy. In the battle of marquee titles befitting antiseptic Spencer’s Gifts boardgames, I’d say this one gets grandma’s attention faster than Zack and Miri Make a Porno, what about you?

Sudeikis (The Rocker, 30 Rock) will play an Apatowian-sounding manchild who has to move out of his parents’ Hamptons vacation home. Enter movie announcer guy: “…so he decided to go out with a bang!” and throw an orgy party. Wonder if Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty will cameo. You’re welcome.

Writers Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck (King of the Hill, Letterman) will make their directorial debut for Endgame Entertainment.

Discuss: the movie.

Warner Bros has released the official trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is attached to prints of Speed Racer. I’m actually kinda impressed at the animation, considering this is just a lead up to a television animated series. And I love the stylized looks of some of the classic characters like Jabba The Hutt (as seen above), although the big epic action sequences seem a bit clunky. I’m also quite impressed that some of the original stars like Samuel L Jackson came back to do voice work. What do you guys think? Comment below!

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You can watch the new trailer in High Definition on Yahoo.

The official plot synopsis reads: Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala, are on the front lines of an intergalactic struggle between good and evil, along with brand new heroes like Anakin’s padawan learner, Ahsoka. Sinister villains – led by Palpatine, Count Dooku and General Grievous – are poised to rule the galaxy. Stakes are high, and the fate of the Star Wars universe rests in the hands of the daring Jedi Knights. Their exploits lead to action-packed battles and astonishing new revelations.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars will hit theaters on August 15th 2008. The movie eads directly in to this fall’s premiere of a weekly computer-animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series on Cartoon Network.

Discuss: What do you think of the official Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie trailer?

I’m a huge fan of Donnie Darko. Richard Kelly’s debut film is not only one of my favorite films of 2001, but it’s probably somewhere on my list of favorite films of all time. So when I learned this morning that a sequel was being made, I seriously began to doubt my commitment to sparkle motion. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti sequel at all. I’ll be happy to see Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and enjoyed watching Live Free or Die Hard. If the original people are involved, and it doesn’t suck as a movie (forget about comparisons to the original) then I’m in. But that’s where the sequel to Donnie Darko goes wrong.

Apparently the sequel is being made completely without the involvement of Richard Kelly. The press release reads:

“Producers have spoken to Richard Kelly about the project but he is not involved in any official capacity at this stage.”

But I’m guessing that this is just PR speak for Velvet Octopus probably called Richard Kelly, who explained he was not interested in being involved in a sequel. I just sent an email to someone I know over at Darko Entertainment, and they assured me that “Richard, Sean, and every ounce of Darko Entertainment are 150% NOT INVOLVED”. This can’t be good.

“Why do you wear that stupid Woman suit?”

The sequel follows Donnie’s younger sister, Samantha Darko, a role reprised by Daviegh Chase (of such direct to dvd classics as Beethoven’s 5th: Big Paw and the animated Stich! The Movie). The story picks up seven years after the first film and Donnie’s death when his now 18-year-old sister Samantha and her best friend Corey go on a roadtrip to Los Angeles, where along the way they are plagued by bizarre visions. And if that doesn’t sound bad enough, guess what they’re calling it? Donnie Darko 2? Nope. S. Darko! What? They couldn’t even call it Samantha Darko?

But they probably nabbed an unknown filmmaker who has an incredibly unique vision, and ability to think outside of the box. Someone who was discovered in the world of music videos or some other visual medium, right? They wouldn’t have hired a hack to direct the sequel, would they? They have. Chris Fisher, who previously made Nightstalker and Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders, will direct.

Producers told ScreenDaily that “Donnie’s not in [the new film] but there are meteorites and rabbits.” Oh, great. The budget is pegged around $10m, and production begins on May 18th. The supporting cast includes Ed Westwick (Son Of Rambow, Gossip Girl), Briana Evigan (Step Up 2) and Justin Chatwin (Dragon Ball). Fox has already nabbed the North American distribution rights. Avoid at all costs.

Yesterday, we posted the first, rather ace photos of Josh Brolin as the worst U.S. president of all time for Oliver Stone’s W., and today brings word that the flick has picked up a distributor, Lionsgate, and is set for release nationwide on October 17th, 2008. Keep in mind that even though the film graces the cover of the latest EW, production kicks into gear next week and the role of Dick Cheney remains unfilled, so Stone is clearly on a mission. And what about a possible SAG strike this summer?

There are rumors going around that the film will be high on comedy, no sarcasm from me. And there is also a lot of “too soon!” going around and “Why, he doesn’t deserve a film?” But to me, W. will serve as a giant nail of closure for Dubbya’s past two terms and the trillion nightmarish Drudge headlines that resulted and will keep coming. It has nothing to do with the current tiring, sensational election process. Even if the film sucks, which I doubt, it’s a huge pie to the face, and that’s a reason to smile.

Yeah, like that. Director/Moviegoer Upper Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election) will take a dip into TV to direct HBO’s new dark comedy series, Hung. Variety reports that Payne is also expected to hop on as an executive producer. Personally, another show, even a good one, examining the psyche of a middle-aged American man, a former high school sports star and father at that, risks treading a well-worn road, but the hook to Hung is that the guy’s dick is huge. And apparently, he’ll learn to use this to his advantage. So, that’s different. The show was created by husband/wife team Dimitry Lipkin and Colette Burson (The Riches) and Burson had this to say…

“Think of him like Spider-Man. He’s an average guy who gets in touch with his innate superpowers.”

What, no Dream On comparison? This really cool news arrives on the heels of vague news about a future HBO series based on the doc Cocaine Cowboys from Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay, so it looks like new HBO Entertainment prexy, Sue Naegle, is making very high profile and provocative moves. More on this/these shows as it develops…

Discuss: Who doesn’t want to watch this show with Payne involved?  

Director James McTeigue looks to follow-up his gig on the Wachowskis-produced Ninja Assassin, currently in production, with Revelation, a thriller with a sci-fi twist from Inferno Distribution. The pic will follow a female journalist following a string of “bizarre murders and discovers that the victims were all treated by the head of an org that researches alien abductions.” The brothers Wachowski are not listed as being involved this go around. John Salvati, who penned 2009’s Dali and I: The Surreal Story starring Al Pacino, wrote the screenplay. Nothing about this news makes me raise an eyebrow or a sparkler just yet, you?

 via Variety

Sideshow Collectibles has started taking preorders for the Iron Man Prop Replica Helmets from Museum Replicas.

Tony Stark, the billionaire industrialist and genius inventor has been kidnapped. His captors have one demand - to build a copy of his most deadly missile weapon, capable of unparalleled devastation. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications using technology he originally invented and manfuctured, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man. This replica perfectly captures the amazing original helmet that Tony built in captivity! Code-named Mark 01, every piece is expertly hand forged in steel. The helmet is constructed with a hinge at the top for ease of dressing and removal, complete with lining made of cut-up suede “work gloves” and fastened at the sides just like the prop used on set. Includes display base and hand numbered certificate of authenticity. Stark Industries will only allow 500 to be made, so don’t miss your chance to capture the Mk1 Helmet Prop Replica! On sale on Sideshowtoy.com for $374.99.

After escaping imprisonment at the hands of the ‘Ten Rings’, Tony Stark vows to clean up the mess that Stark Industries’ irresponsible weapons sales had caused, and dedicates himself to protecting those who cannot protect themselves. The intrepid inventor builds the Mark 2 Armor, a sleek, nearly invincible suit that enables flight and a great degree of mobility. The thick, interlocking plates of this armor offer a higher degree of protection over the original suit, from small arms fire ranging up to light artillery. Integrated artificial intelligence grants extremely sophisticated tactical options, making the user a match against far superior forces. This replica of Stark’s experimental Mk2 design is extremely limited, with only 250 pieces worldwide. It’s expertly made, based on Stark’s blueprints, of hand formed steel, fully padded and copied from the original hero prop used in the film. This full-scale replica features a hand numbered certificate of authenticity and display base! On sale for $424.99 from Sideshowtoy.com.

 This “final” version of Tony Stark’s incredible Iron Man armor is the pinnacle of human technological achievement. It makes the wearer extraordinarily strong, and resistant to damage even from tank shells and rockets. Equipped with an array of repulsors and missiles, it is nearly unstoppable. This helmet is an incredibly detailed, real metal replica prop, based on the actual hero prop. Only 1,500 pieces of this amazing helmet will be made. The helmet is constructed of expertly hand formed steel, with the classic color scheme of plated brass and the deep crimson we’ve all come to know as the ultimate Iron Man. This full-scale replica features a hand numbered certificate of authenticity and display! Will you vow to don the powerful armor to protect the world? On sale for $424.99 from Sideshowtoy.com.

The Iron Monger armor, manufactured by Stane International and code-named I-M Mark One, is an armored battle-suit of “omnium steel”, containing various offensive weaponry and amplified strength. Since the Iron Monger armor was based on Tony Stark’s original plans, which Stane stole, it is a modified version of Stark Industries Iron Man MK 1 design. The armor was made larger than the armor of Iron Man to be proportionally stronger. This replica helmet features hand forged steel with full internal padding and plastic tinted eye lens. Each pieces includes a display base and hand numbered certificate of authenticity. Only 250 of the arch villain will be made (we can’t have too many of you running around). One size fits, well everyone. This thing is appropriately huge and perfect 1:1 scale.  On sale for $399.99 from Sideshowtoy.com.

Cool Stuff is a daily feature of slashfilm.com. Know of any geekarific creations or cool products which should be featured on Cool Stuff? E-Mail us at orfilms@gmail.com.

The teaser trailer for the big screen adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s best selling novel Twilight was viewed over 2 million in the first three days of release on MySpace.com. Back in March, the trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull broke records with 4.1 million views on the Yahoo movie site in the first week of release. Twilight might come close to beating Indy’s record. And in doing so it would become the most watched movie trailer launch in the history of the internet. Not bad for a movie being produced and distributed by a non-major movie studio.
Anne Thompson reveals that Paramount Pictures actually had an option on the material, but let it go. I’m sure they’re kicking themselves now. Summit Entertainment scooped up the rights when the first book had only sold 10,000 copies. Since then the three released books in the series have sold over 6 million copies in the U.S. But will that translate into big box office dollars?

The Pitch: What if one man attempted to tell the story of Back to the Future through music? From the same guy who brought us Indiana Jones: The Musical, comes Back to the Future: The Musical.

Video of the Day is a daily feature of /Film showcasing geekarific video creations. Have a video we should be feature on VOTD? E-Mail us at orfilms@gmail.com.

Universal Pictures has signed Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy helmer Gore Verbinski to direct and produce an adaptation of the popular video game BioShock. Aviator screenwriter John Logan is in talks to pen the script. Logan’s filmography also includes Any Given Sunday, Gladiator, The Last Samurai and Sweeney Todd.

Take-Two Interactive is getting a multimillion-dollar advance against gross points on the film. It is believed to be the biggest video game-to-movie deal since the infamous aborted Halo movie deal between Universal and Fox, for which Microsoft got $5 million against 10%. The BioShock deal is structured in a way ensuring the movie won’t end up in turnaround.  Verbinski plans to start pre-production as soon as Logan’s script is finished and approved.

Since it’s release in August, Hollywood has eyeing a big screen adaptation of this popular first-person shooter. Praised for its morality-based storyline, immersive environment and Ayn Rand-inspired dystopian setting, the game has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, and ranks as the thirteenth best video game on Game Rankings. Set in an alternative history 1960, BioShock follows the story of a plane crash survivor named Jack, who must explore the underwater Objectivist-dystopian city of Rapture, and survive attacks by the mutated beings and mechanical drones that populate it. Jack is drawn into a power struggle during which he discovers that his will is not as free as he’d thought. I have also included the trailer for the video game below, so that you can get a better idea of what the game is about.

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Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro recently praised the game:

“I love BIOSHOCK from a design point of view,” said del Toro. “The BIOSHOCK universe is indeed wonderful.”

The visuals are certainly cinematic enough for a big budget film, and critics have praised the game for it’s story, something not common in the video game field. Verbinski noted that Rapture’s art deco design and visually arresting characters attracted him to the project.

“I think the whole utopia-gone-wrong story that’s cleverly unveiled to players is just brimming with cinematic potential,” said Verbinski. “Of all the games I’ve played, this is one that I felt has a really strong narrative.

source: Variety

A few years ago Frank Miller was a virtual unknown outside of the world of comic books. Sin City certainly changed everything. Miller’s adaptation of The Spirit hits theaters later this year, but what next? IGN reports that Miller will climb back into the directors chair to tackle a remake of Buck Rogers. Miller will supposedly tackle the project when he’s finished on The Spirit, however Nu Image have shot back with claims that no deal is yet in place.

Nu Image/Millennium Films plans to develop a $40 million film with genre veteran Flint Dille, who penned a Buck Rogers graphic novel in the 1990s, attached to write and produce. The current plan is to turn “the cheapness of the low-budget effects will be a running joke in the movie, which will retain the campiness of the 1980s TV series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century starring Gil Gerard.” My hope is that this approach doesn’t result in a slapstick tone.

For those of you who were born post-Back to the Future (I find a lot of generational entertainment is lost in people born of the internet generation), Buck Rogers was created in 1928 by Philip Nowlan. The basic premise is as follows: Rogers, a pilot/astronaut who falls into a coma, only to awaken in the twenty-fifth century. Best known from the long-running syndicated newspaper comic strip, Rogers also appeared in a 12-part 1939 movie serial, a 1979 television series, and in many other incarnations. The development of space technology in the twentieth century launched Buck Rogers into American pop culture.

Discuss: Do you want to see Frank Miller remake Buck Rogers? If not, which director do you think would be better for the job?

Actually, I exaggerated a bit. Today, Stride Gum announced that it will give out one million packs of free gum if the world renown petition to deaden director Uwe Boll’s career as the self proclaimed “only genius in the whole f’n business” reaches one million signatures. Boll has repeatedly said that he’ll quit “his profession” if that number is met. Currently, the tally is nearing an underwhelming 260,000. Go to StopUweBoll.com to sign the petition. Free gum is great and all, but we only get it if it hits one million by May 14th.

Slashfilm would like to quicken the process, so if you work in the marketing department for Charmin (sweet gig) or another reputable toilet paper company, jump aboard this bandwagon of hate for the smilin’ pugilist who brought us BloodRayne and will soon bring us BloodRayne 3. And how about free beer to go with that gum?

Discuss: What should companies give out to make this a sealed deal? At this point, does your mom know who Uwe Boll is?  

Disney has released a batch of new super high resolution images from Pixar’s WALL-E. By Super high resolution, I mean… SUPER high resolution. I had to compress the images down to 2500px wide due to file size reasons. Click on the images above and below to see them in all their glory. WALL-E hits theaters on June 27th 2008.

Last month we brought you the teaser trailer for Recount, HBO Films’ retelling of the behind-the-scenes happenings during the 2000 presidential election and the scandal that resulted. /Film reader Linton sent us the full length trailer for the upcoming film.

Written by 33-year old actor turned screenwriter Danny Strong, Recount was the top film on the 2007 Black List, an annual poll of 150 development executives and high-level assistants which ranks the hot screenplays making the rounds in Hollywood. The top three entries of the 2005 list where Things We Lost in the Fire, Juno, and Lars and the Real Girl. So it’s definitely a great list to be on. Directed by Jay Roach (Meet The Parents, Austin Powers), and starring Kevin Spacey stars as Ron Klain, former Vice President Al Gore’s Chief of Staff, John Hurt as Warren Christopher, who supervised the contested Florida recount, Laura Dern as Katherine Harris, former Secretary of State for the State of Florida, Tom Wilkinson as James Baker and Denis Leary as Michael Whouley.

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Recount will premiere on Sunday May 25th at 9:00pm on HBO.

Discuss: What do you think about the Recount movie trailer? [Please keep political discussion out of the comments]