Middle East Movies » News

The Bourne Legacy Trailer

Faisal Hashmi — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:16:50 +0000

Houseful 2 Theatrical Trailer

Mufaddal Fakhruddin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:27:27 +0000

‘Insidious 2′ in the works with James Wan and Leigh Whannell returning

Faisal Hashmi — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:42:58 +0000

Though 2011 was a year starved for good horror movies, there were a few highlights and one of them has to be the surprise hit ‘Insidious’ by the team of ‘Saw’/'Dead Silence’ and the producers of ‘Paranormal Activity’. It was a clever, effective and actually scary horror film that made more than $100 million worldwide worldwide on the budget of $1 million and became the most profitable horror movie of the year. So obviously, it’s now getting a sequel.

Just one of the many sh*t-your-pants moments in the film.

THR reports that the sequel is officially happening with director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell (who also played a small role in the movie and was the lead in the first ‘Saw’) returning. There’s no word as to where the plot of the movie will go or whether the actors Patrick Wilson or Rose Bryne will return, but suffice to say that they’ll figure it out. Oren Peli and Steven Schneider will executive produce the movie, which is expected to go into production this year for a 2013 release.

I personally liked the movie even though I predicted the ending before it arrived (probably because these guys are known for trippy twist endings). There is scope to expand on the mythology of the film and considering these are the guys responsible for the “Saw’ franchise, there’s definitely reason to believe that they know how to form a franchise with their stories. Anyone who liked ‘Insidious’ should also check out ‘Dead Silence’, which was a 2006 horror film by the same team and is criminally underrated with a truly unexpected twist ending that will surprise you. Sadly, that movie didn’t do well and sequel plans were cancelled. Good to see that this one has seen its deserved success though.

Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi team up for ‘Fools’

Mufaddal Fakhruddin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:00:09 +0000

The comic duo of the classic Munnabhai series is back once again for ‘Fools’, a comedy directed by Sangeeth Sivan. Sivan is responsible for two duds – Apna Sapna Money Money and Kyaa Kool Hai Hum, so expectations are reserved till we at least see a trailer.

“Sanju was the first to come on board. He loved the script,” Sivan said.

The last time Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi paired up together was for ‘Anthohy Kaun Hai’, which was as abysmal as a casting-milkage attempt could get. So here’s hoping this one will be bit better and devoid of any stupid slapstick gags, personal insults passed off as humor and just general buffoonery that is oh-so staple of comedy movies nowadays in Bollywood.

Somehow I feel I am expecting a little too much…

The Amazing Spider-Man Theatrical Trailer

Faisal Hashmi — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:04:19 +0000

DC Comics announces ‘Before Watchmen’ prequel comic series (artwork inside)

Faisal Hashmi — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:43:48 +0000

‘Watchmen’ is one of the most celebrated graphic novels ever and has been recognised as a great piece of literary work in general regardless of the medium by even the harshest of critics. It’s a complete work that’s deep and tells a contained story that I recommend everyone to read and this is coming from someone who’s not a fan of graphic novels at all. It lead to a polarizing but great film in 2009 that was a treat for fans of the work but alienated others thanks to its length and non-linear structure. Now, DC Comics is doing the unthinkable. They’re re-visiting the series with a seven-part prequel comic series called ‘Before Watchmen’ and Alan Moore isn’t involved.

DC Comics has announced a seven part prequel series of interlocking stories that will each focus on different characters like Rorschach, the Comedian and Nite Owl. As for the work itself, DC assures this:

“As highly anticipated as they are controversial, the seven inter-connected prequel mini-series will build on the foundation of the original WATCHMEN,the bestselling graphic novel of all time. BEFORE WATCHMEN will be the collective banner for all seven titles, from DC Comics.”

“Stepping up to the challenge is a group of the comic book industry’s most iconoclastic writers and artists – including Brian Azzarello (100 BULLETS), Lee Bermejo (JOKER), Amanda Conner (POWER GIRL), Darwyn Cooke (JUSTICE LEAGUE: NEW FRONTIER), John Higgins(WATCHMEN), Adam Hughes (CATWOMAN), J.G. Jones (FINAL CRISIS), Andy Kubert (FLASHPOINT), Joe Kubert (SGT. ROCK), Jae Lee (BATMAN: JEKYLL AND HYDE), J. Michael Straczynski (SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE) and Len Wein (SWAMP THING).”

The following are the seven parts:

- RORSCHACH (4 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo

- MINUTEMEN (6 issues) – Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke

- COMEDIAN (6 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: J.G. Jones

- DR. MANHATTAN (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist: Adam Hughes

- NITE OWL (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artists: Andy and Joe Kubert

- OZYMANDIAS (6 issues) – Writer: Len Wein. Artist: Jae Lee

- SILK SPECTRE (4 issues) – Writer: Darwyn Cooke. Artist: Amanda Conner

There’s also a continuous story called ‘Curse of the Crimson Corsair’ that will be running through all the issues, similar to the ‘Curse of the Black Freighter’ story in the original to supplement the events of the comic.

But the question is this: is this right in expanding the mythology of the original which is ever so perfect and especially when Alan Moore himself isn’t involved? I would go out on a limb and say yes, it is a prequel and will end up being a treat for the fans especially since DC has made sure some really talented people are involved here. Fleshing out their backstories doesn’t sound like the worst idea and I’m open to it as long as they don’t mess it up. Even the original artist Dave Gibbons gives it his blessing:

“The original series of WATCHMEN is the complete story that Alan Moore and I wanted to tell. However, I appreciate DC’s reasons for this initiative and the wish of the artists and writers involved to pay tribute to our work. May these new additions have the success they desire.”

What about another movie? Highly unlikely, I would say. The original was great but the mass audiences never accepted it and it’s not a cheap film to make, so the idea seems implausible. Below are the artwork from all of the issues:

Justin Timberlake joining Clint Eastwood in ‘Trouble with the Curve’

Faisal Hashmi — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:05:45 +0000

Out of all the desperate singers trying to break into acting as well, the only one who has gradually been able to impress and hold his own has been Justin Timberlake. After working with David Fincher in ‘The Social Network’ which resulted in a pretty impressive performance, he’s now set to star alongside Clint Eastwoood and Amy Adams in Robert Lorenz’s ‘Trouble with the Curve’.

Variety reports that the script by Randy Brown deals with an aging baseball coach (played by Eastwood) who is slowly going blind and decides to make a trip to Atlanta with his daughter (Amy Adams) to check out a potentially great young player. It’s a great role from what it sounds and I’m not surprised that Eastwood is back to acting to play it even when he said ‘Gran Torino’ would be his last film. Lorenz is his producing partner for long so I can see how bringing Eastwood on board was an easier job. Timberlake is set to play Johnny Flanagan, a friend of the coach and possibly a love interest for his daughter. Matthew Lillard (The Descendants) and Joe Massingill are in negotiations as well.

A pretty big deal for Timberlake to be starring alongside a heavyweight like Eastwood. What do you think?

Rajinikanth’s ‘Kochadaiyaan’ first look released, he has 8-pack abs

Mufaddal Fakhruddin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:37:22 +0000

After battling a bit of illness, Superstar Rajinikanth ordered the disease to get off him so he can continue working on Kochadaiyaan, his daughter Soundarya’s directorial debut. We have enough Internet-proofing to believe the disease actually listened and obliged.

A ‘first look’ poster of the film was released today, and it shows the 61 year old actor sporting a fine-toned 8 pack abs! Now, before we get hysterical, we should mention that, of course, this is all the magical trickery of the employed ‘performance capture photorealistic film’, the technology used in James Cameron’s Avatar.

The poster provides good evidence to the level of special effects we can expect from the movie. Rajinikanth’s previous effort, Robot, was a great attempt and we are hoping he surpasses that by a margin. He is the only one trying anyway.

Al Pacino nabs first voice role as ‘Despicable Me 2′ villain

Faisal Hashmi — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:21:53 +0000

He’s already made more than a mark in feature films and has the statue and body of work to prove it even though his quality of role selection has drastically declined in the last few years. Now, he’s making his foray into animated territory with the sequel to a surprisingly lovable animated flick of 2010.

Deadline reported that Al Pacino has been signed on to voice the role of the villain in the upcoming ‘Despicable Me 2′, which is set for release on July 3, 2013. Now Javier Bardem was set to play the villain in that movie but he has since dropped out, so it’s safe to assume that Pacino is taking over that role. The original in 2010 was a critically and commercially successful movie that kickstarted a new animation studio that is now giving you ‘The Lorax’ this summer. Casting Bardem as a villain was more exciting, but Pacino is definitely the next best and will bring a lot to the role. But it will be a Steve Carrell show for the most part.

‘Mission: Impossible 4′ crosses $600 million globally, becomes Tom Cruise’s highest grosser

Faisal Hashmi — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:01:33 +0000

I think those Tom Cruise naysayers have been shut forever. While the actor did struggle with his star-power following the disappointing box-office of ‘Knight & Day’ and a string of personal media appearances, nothing could shoot him up at the top again the way ‘Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol’ did. It’s an excellent action film that swept the holiday box-office even though ‘Sherlock Holmes 2′ was poised to be the big thing. And now, the film has crossed the $600 million dollar mark.

Because of that, two things have happened. Not only has it surpassed the gross of any previous film of the franchise (‘Mission Impossible 2′ held that record with $546.4 million) to become the highest grossing film of the franchise, it has also surpassed the $591.7 million gross of Tom Cruise’s previous highest grossing film ‘War of the Worlds’ to officially become the highest grossing film of his career.

It’s one of those rare times that a film has not only outperformed expectations in the US and delivered a smash hit there, but the international gross of the film is massive with it earning $36 million in China in less than a week. It’s only days away from reaching the $400 million international gross mark. Plans for a fifth installment with Tom Cruise returning are already underway, but things can’t progress before 2013 since the star’s schedule is jam-packed with some very promising sci-fi and action projects.

Do you think ‘Ghost Protocol’ deserves its success?