You may remember on Twitter a couple of weeks ago that we directed you to Virgin Media’s website where you were able to vote for your favourite TV car / van? Well, it seems the voting wasn’t just for fun but so that Virgin were able to take those votes and turn them into real life tribute vans for their TiVo install team who now have themed ‘Super-Vans’!

We’ve just been sent the information that if you order TiVo, you could be have your install done by one of the lucky Virgin Engineers who gets to drive the Super-Vans. You can read on for the full press release but before you do, see if you can name all the vans featured in the image below which you can click to enlarge. Whoever the engineer driving the A-Team van (one answer given to you there!) must be feeling very very cool!

Keep your eyes peeled for them around the UK people! For further information about Virgin Media’s TiVo box visit www.virginmedia.com/tivo

Virgin Media enlists the help of Mr T and Daisy Duke to unveil new fleet of TV themed super-vans

Virgin Media today unveiled its brand new fleet of TV and film themed super-vans. The vans, based on some of the most iconic telly vehicles of our time, will be rolled out across the UK to deliver Virgin Media’s new set top box powered by TiVo.

An on-line poll of more than 1000 people, conducted by Virgin Media, revealed that the top spot in today’s best loved TV vehicles went to General Lee, the Dukes of Hazzard modified Dodge Charger with its trade-marked orange hue and doors welded shut. The A-Team’s distinctive black and red van secured second position in the poll, which became a hit with viewers thanks to B.A. Baracas, aka Mr T, and his motley crew, first in the 80s TV series and then in last year’s blockbuster of the same name. Both will now feature in the brand new fleet of TiVo supervans. As the new vans were handed over to their engineers, Virgin Media enlisted the help of a Daisy Duke look-a-like and a very convincing Mr T to give Virgin Media ‘A-Team’ installers a quick briefing, Baracas-style, to get them into the spirit.

Other designs most loved by Brits included the Gran Torino from Starsky and Hutch, Disney favourite Herbie, the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo and Greased Lightning, made famous in the movie musical Grease. All of these will also feature in Virgin Media’s six TV show themed designs.

The super fleet will now be travelling up and down the UK from Perth to London delivering Virgin Media’s TiVo box to customers* and although Mr T won’t be driving the vans himself customers may well find enthusiastic installers customising their uniforms on launch day, and donning accessories such as the Stetson hats worn by Bo and Luke Duke and the chunky knitwear made famous by Starsky and Hutch.

Lauren Rees, a Virgin Media installer who was there to help launch the vans, said: “It was a bit of a shock to turn up to work and be met by a very convincing Mr-T and Daisy Duke, but I am so excited to be delivering TiVo in vans made famous by some of my favourite TV shows. We’ve already been getting a fantastic response from customers receiving TiVo, but now we’ll create an impact just driving up the road. I’ve even been inundated with people begging for a lift!”

Maurice Daw, executive director of access at Virgin Media, said: “We want to bring the total entertainment experience to our customers and it’s the extra touches that really make a difference – we hope the new fleet will make our customers smile and make the installation process a fun one. TiVo is all about delivering the best on the telly and personalising your viewing experience so it makes sense if we’re giving you your TV favourites on one box that we use the UK’s favourite TV vans to deliver it!”

For further information about Virgin Media’s TiVo box visit www.virginmedia.com/tivo

Last weekend’s big movies made money, with The Karate Kid doing particularly well against its production budget. However, compared to some of the numbers seen over the Spring, the Summer box office appears to be declining, with the A-Team particularly falling far short of expectations. Usually, Summer is the big seller, and there has been no shortage of big budget blockbusters. Last year saw big budget movies making the lions share of the cash, with the biggest wins at the box office scored by the movies that spent the most, both in terms of production costs and marketing budget.

So why does the trend appear to be slowing? For the last twelve months, we’ve seen movies adapted from popular licenses outgrossing star vehicles and innovative filmmaking. Star Trek, GI: Joe, Terminator: Salvation, Transformers 2, the list is endless. Some ‘original’ movies made a lot of money. But 2012 and Avatar both had huge budgets and weak storylines. Alice in Wonderland, Iron Man 2 and Clash of the Titans have made the big money in the first third of this year, but all suffered poor review scores, and left audiences disappointed. The only film that has made a lot of money, whilst also attaining critical success has been How To Train Your Dragon.

So far this summer, we have seen Prince of Persia, The A-Team, Sex and the City and even Shrek Forever After fall below projections. Persia was a big budget family Disney film, and the other three were based on popular franchises. But audiences have stayed away. Are movie-goers finally growing tired of being disappointed? Are they now paying more attention to movie review scores, in light of recent ticket price hikes? Or are they just sick of going to see poorly conceived, rehashed stories?

I don’t particularly think that people are bored of big popcorn movies, i just think there have been too many. There have been some big releases this past spring, and when you think how much the cost of a typical family trip to the movies has increased recently, you can see why the pace has slowed. With the cost of 3D movies rising considerably, for two adults and their 2.4 children to go see a 3D movie, they could almost have gone to see two regular movies for the same cost last year. We’d all love original, interesting stories with great movies attached, but there will always be a big percentage of the mainstream audience that will only journey out to the cinema to see something immediately recognisable, mistakenly thinking an adaptation of an existing property will be a guarantee of quality.

As far as the current economy goes, the boom that box office takings received last year were linked by many to the global recession. A couple of trips to the cinema were seen as a cheap entertainment, compared with some other options. It may just be that now the economy has settled, and people have grown bored of living on a budget, that they have decided to go on that holiday this year, or spend a bit of money on that new car, or home extension. The factors that caused last year’s record attendances may now be working against the industry.

It may instead just be that they are saving their money for Toy Story 3. The Toy Story series is hugely popular, and with the critical acclaim that Pixar’s interim movies Wall-E and Up have received, their latest movie is one of the most highly anticipated films of the year. The outlook is good, with currently a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 100% fresh. Make no mistake, Buzz and Woody are well placed to make huge amounts of money, and the third Toy Story movie could easily become the highest grossing movie of the year so far.

If, however, the reason that movies like Prince of Persia and Sex and the City have failed is because audiences are starting to crave something more, a story with far more substance, Christopher Nolan’s Inception may be the big beneficiary. No-one knows how the director’s follow-up to The Dark Knight will fare financially. Common sense dictates that it will enjoy only modest box office success. A cerebral storyline, actors rather than stars, and the lack of an already established brand identity all suggest that big audiences will not be drawn in. But if they really are looking for something different, a story and plot that are a bit more compelling, maybe Inception will surprise when numbers come in. The Dark Knight made record amounts at the time, and whilst there were many factors, including the popularity of the character, and the quality of the preceding Batman Begins, it may be that the words ‘from the director of The Dark Knight’ on the poster will be enough to carry that momentum through.

With business slow so far, aside from Toy Story 3 it is difficult to see where the big money is going to roll in at cinemas for the rest of the year. The big budget blockbusters have already arrived, and movies like Predators and The Expendables look to struggle based on the performance of similar movies like The A-Team and The Losers. This year has seen the family market contributing the most money, with Alice in Wonderland and How to Train Your Dragon as the biggest success stories so far. There aren’t too many big family films on the horizon, and it is entirely possible that this year’s final numbers will be down on last year’s record takings.

It’ll be interesting to see in the coming months which movies will win each weekend. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse looks to be the only certainty for big money, and following the critical mauling of the last installment, maybe even that isn’t guaranteed. There are a few months of Summer left, the time when the big money is made, then we go into the traditional quieter Autumn period, when the Oscar contenders tend to filter out. If it is really the case that audiences are on the verge of becoming more discerning, maybe that’s when the money will start to come in again.

Bazmann – You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/baz_mann

This past weekend saw two big movies open at the US box office. There were high hopes for The Karate Kid and The A-Team, and they enjoyed remarkably differing fortune at the box office. With an opening weekend gross of around $25M, The A-Team only made a small percentage of its production budget, while The Karate Kid opened with a massive $68M, against a budget of $40M.

Both are reboots of much loved 80′s properties, and are surely just attempts to milk some more money out of our collective nostalgia. So why has one cash-in so outperformed the other? Here’s five potential reasons.

1. Trailers

It all began with the trailers. Whilst the promos for Joe Carnahan’s action film oozed cheese, bad dialogue and over the top set pieces, the trailers for The Karate Kid evoked more of the spirit of its source material. It threw in some reflections of the original film, whilst updating them for a more contemporary audience. It seemed to understand the charm of the original film, and translated it perfectly to the present day. The A-Team however threw in some lazy one liners evocative of the eighties series, without showing them in any relatable context, and almost seemed to be mocking the much loved TV series. The A-Team stank of cynical money-grabbing, whilst The Karate Kid looked to be a genuine attempt to bring a classic story to a 21st century audience.

2. Buzz

Because of the differing success of the trailers, The A-Team was written off pretty early as a trashy, poorly conceived action film, whilst the enthusiasm for The Karate Kid was greatly increased. Then along came the review scores. Currently, The Karate Kid holds a 69% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. Conversely, Carnahan’s picture trails with 52% rotten. Whilst on a broad level i don’t think review scores mean all that much anymore (particularly considering the relatively small percentage of the theatre audience that internet movie sites actually hit), if you are given a choice between two movies aimed at similar demographics, that 20% review score differential is going to obviously curry favour for the picture with the greater numbers.

4. Story

We all loved The A-Team. It was pure eighties. There were bullets flying, but no-one got shot. BA had superhuman strength, taking on several goons at a time. Murdoch was Howlin’ Mad, and we all watched with anticipation as sparks flew from the heroes’ welding tools, as they put together another hastily constructed tank. We enjoyed watching it, but even then, deep down, we knew it was rubbish. The same basic story every week, with a very similar setting, it was The Seven Samurai on a pitiful budget. The Karate Kid, on the other hand, had a really very touching story at its heart. The young son of a single mother, moving to a new school, being bullied by the local teenagers, was heartbreaking. The friendship struck up between Daniel Larusso and Mr Miyagi was compelling, helped greatly by the overwhelming likability of the quiet, noble Miyagi as played by Pat Morita. The underdog story wasn’t original thematically, but was presented in a compelling and fresh way, through a young boy overcoming the odds using martial arts. The Karate aspect was very much of its time, when a generation of young western boys became fascinated with the hand to hand combat styles of the Far East.

3. Demographic

There are many reasons why The Karate Kid proved more compelling to the movie-going audience than The A-Team. One of the biggest is its broader appeal, particularly to a family audience. Starring a young teenager, with a wholesome story at heart, and no guns in sight, it is a much more suitable option for a family trip to the cinema. With a love story contained within, it also is probably more of a date movie than The A-Team. The A-Team is pitched to a very specific demographic. An over the top, boys own action television series, it appealed to 18-30′s males, but not really to women in the slightest. With no fond memories of watching the TV series as young girls, there is not much really to draw them in.

5. Big Willie Style

Will Smith is the box office man who can. Despite his prolonged absence from the big screen, his influence obviously still holds sway, even rubbing off on his family. If the Karate Kid of the title had been played by an unknown, i don’t think there would have been as much talk surrounding the movie, particularly early on. There was a lot of criticism for the casting of Jaden Smith, with people decrying the fact that ‘Will Smith’s kid’ had won the role through nepotism. Whether this is the case or not, i’m not sure. But it is clear that people were interested to see what kind of job he could do, and no doubt there were many who went into the movie hoping he would fail. The presence of Jackie Chan obviously helped too. It took a long time for Chan to gain cinematic credibility in North America. After big successes with Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon, he had finally won audiences over. His recent movies have begun to damage that, so his suitable casting here has come at a great time. The cast of the A-Team have had success. Last year, The Hangover and District 9 were two of the surprise hits of the summer, bringing relative unknowns Bradley Cooper and Sharlto Copley to the fore. One big role does not however make a bankable star. Liam Neeson is well respected, but despite winning his action credentials with 2008′s Taken, he has never really been a box office draw. The stars of the A-team movie are reasonably well known, but the interest and curiosity factor really just aren’t there.

Movies based on television series don’t traditionally do all that well, and TV shows that are suitable for adaptation tend to have more of a cult following than a big mainstream fanbase. Remakes of movies tend to have an advantage, because they already have a reputation AS movies, and in the case of The Karate Kid, the reputation of a good one. When you remake a successful movie, you know it’ll probably work, because it already has. TV shows are written into a smaller block of time, around 42 minutes, and when attempts are made to make a feature length version, the concept doesn’t tend to stretch far enough for 2 hours. There are exceptions of course, with Mission: Impossible being the one that immediately springs to mind.

It’ll be interesting to see if The A-Team closes the gap next weekend, by suffering a smaller drop off at the box office. Considering the huge deficit, there isn’t a chance for it to catch up with The Karate Kid’s total at the end of their respective runs. It may be, though, that The A-Team enjoys a second life on DVD, with those that didn’t see it in theatres checking it out. I don’t think we’ll see an A-Team sequel, but there is already talk of another Karate Kid film. That may very well become a victim of diminishing returns, but its success relative to its budget makes it worth a punt, and with the success it has enjoyed, we certainly haven’t seen the back of the 80′s cinema revival.

Bazmann – You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/baz_mann

OK, so let me start by saying that it’s a shame we weren’t sent these a couple of weeks ago when the UK election was hotting up. Alas, I’ve only just got my hands on it but I thought it was worth a post nonetheless.

Fox have created not only a great spoof video to go along with the election but also loads of cool banners with all the cast of The A-Team movie on to basically say, don’t vote for David Cameron, Nick Clegg or Gordon Brown, but for the A-Team instead.

The A-Team is directed by Joe Carnaham and stars Liam Neeson (Hannibal), Bradley Cooper (Face (), Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (BA) and Sharlto Copley (Murdock) and is released in the UK 28^th July.

Check out the election video and then scroll down to view the posters.

The big news this week has revolved around JJ Abram’s next project, and the rumours and half truths surrounding it. Did he just direct the teaser, is he directing the full film? Is it a Cloverfield sequel or prequel? Right now we have as many questions as answers, but we do know that JJ Abrams is directing Super 8, Steven Spielberg is producing, and we’ll see it in Summer 2011.

We also know that it will be set in 1979, and will revolve around an extraterrestrial happening of some sort, reminiscent of Spielberg’s movies from that very period, speaking of ET and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It is an interesting and exciting idea. You don’t get the kind of alien movies Spielberg made any more, filled with mystery and wonderment. We are much more cynical nowadays, and demand grittier, more realistic storylines. As intrigued by the movie as i am, whilst reading the post, and the others around it, i felt an odd feeling come over me. It was kind of like Deja Vu, only, not.

Scanning over the news articles from Friday, there was a very definite theme. A Planet of the Apes prequel is in the works. Titled Rise of the Apes, it shows the lead up to the events of Planet of the Apes, made in 1968. Also on the page, more posters from Tron: Legacy, which picks up the story from the original movie some 25 years on. There were also some TV spots for the characters from the new A-Team movie. Due out in July, it is based on the TV series, which like the original Tron originated in the eighties.

There were further stories covering Mission Impossible 4, a movie series based on a sixties and seventies TV show, and Predators, continuing on from the series that began in 1987. The Nightmare on Elm Street remake was also mentioned. There’s a lot of resurrection going on, revolving mostly around the seventies and eighties. Trends, fads and particular periods do tend to come back in fashion, but there are much older properties being exploited too.

The highest grossing movies so far this year have been Alice in Wonderland, based on stories from the 19th century, and Clash of the Titans, a remake of a movie from the 1980′s based on ancient Greek mythology. Next week sees the opening of Ridley Scott’s latest film, Robin Hood, about a semi-fictional character purported to be around in the 12th or 13th century, just one movie in a long line made about the character.

Even cinema’s big innovation, the current 3D movement, is rooted in a 50 year old plus concept. 3D movies were released in the fifties, then again in the eighties. The technology has been improved upon, but it still isn’t really innovative. The current state of the movie industry is mirroring that of the fifties and early sixties, when big spectacle was being employed to draw in an audience.

The only stories about modern, original movies were the news that Kick-Ass was getting a sequel, and a new poster for Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Kick-Ass is a contemporary take on the comic book movie, it subverts the genre somewhat and is a very original movie in many ways. It was the first great movie of the year, but turned out to be not what mainstream audiences were looking for, and disappointed at the box office. Inception is an original sci-fi movie directed by one of the best filmmakers in the business. Nolan used  modern Imax cameras for The Dark Knight, a much newer innovation than 3D. Unfortunately Inception hasn’t made use of this technology, though apparently some scenes were shot in 65mm. Inception should fare far better than Kick-Ass at the box office too. Lets hope it does, because if original work isn’t succeeding, we may lose it altogether!

Is there a genuine lack of good, original material out there, or is Hollywood just reluctant to risk money on it? It isn’t unusual in times of economic recession to see attempts to bring about nostalgia. It gives people a warm feeling inside, and reminds them of better times long past. And don’t get me wrong, i’m not against remakes, rehashes, reboots or sequels per se. There is a definite place in the industry for all the projects i mentioned at the top. But if you look at all the other movies being released this year, an overwhelming percentage of them have some tie to the past. It looks to be getting a little out of hand. It seems to be a little short sighted too. For instance, will Nightmare on Elm Street really make any more money than an original horror movie could have made?
 
I’d argue there is no real evidence that these ‘nostalgia’ movies are more likely to be successful than new films with no pedigree. Just last year, the highest grossing movie of all time was released. The general storyline may have not been particularly original in itself, but the property held no tie-in to previous work. Completely new characters and settings proved not to be a barrier to financial success. This should be proof enough that new ideas are worth exploring. Unfortunately, it took a powerful filmmaker like James Cameron to get it done. Lesser known writers and directors are struggling to bring their ideas to fruition.

Recently, it seems the most effective way to get attention for great new ideas is to put together a brilliant short film. Last year, Shane Acker’s 9 was released. A truly unique animated film, it came together because a short film he made in college several years ago caught the attention of some big name producers. It was a similar story for District 9. Director Neill Blomkamp’s short film Alive in Joberg came to the attention of Peter Jackson, who put together the financing for a feature length movie. Then just last month, one of the five shorts made for the Philips Parallel Lines project made a big impression, and now Carl Erik Rinsch’s futuristic The Gift looks to be developed into a full length movie. It’s easy to see why short films are replacing independent features as the calling card of choice. If you spend the same amount on a short as you would a proper length indie movie, the production values are infinitely more impressive, and it is much easier to see how good a full length, big budget version would look.

Going back and revisiting great concepts from the past is fine, and the practice shouldn’t be eradicated altogether. But powerful movie producers should try to be a bit more broadminded, and seek out more all new material. There is money to be made from the future as well as the past, and if Hollywood goes back to the well once too often it could result in a jaded movie-going public. Some of the biggest and best films of recent years have been based around great original ideas, and i hope that will continue. Possibly starting with Christopher Nolan’s Inception, potentially the film of the year, coming to cinemas very soon.

Bazmann – You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/baz_mann

Yahoo always get the good stuff, and this time it’s four new character spots from the Joe Carnahan directed movie version of the A-Team. The reboot of the 80s TV show stars Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Jessica Biel.

Synopsis: A colorful team of former Special Forces soldiers were set up for a crime they did not commit. Going “rogue,” they utilize their unique talents to try and clear their names and find the true culprit.

The A-Team is released 28th July in the UK and although what we’ve seen looks pretty insane, I’ll definitely be going along to my local cinema to check it out. All four character spots are embedded below.

The chaps over at Filmofilia have managed to acquire 10 new photos of the main cast from The A-Team which is directed by Joe Carnahan and is released in the UK 30th July.

The movie stars Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton “˜Faceman’ Peck, Liam Neeson as Col John “˜Hannibal’ Smith, Sharlto Copley as Captain “˜Howling Mad’ Murdock, Quinton “˜Rampage’ Jackson as Sgt Bosco “˜B.A.’ Baracus and Jessica Biel. All the main cast have photos representing them in some way below and you can click each of them to enlarge.

The A-Team is the movie version of the TV series which was originally released in 1983. The previous trailers have looked like it may be well worth a watch but I hope they don’t wreck my childhood memories of something great!

When the idea of an A-Team movie first came out, I was a little sceptical but after seeing the trailer that was released a few months ago, I started to like the idea!

We’ve literally just been sent these new posters for The A-Team which is directed by Joe Carnahan and stars Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton “˜Faceman’ Peck, Liam Neeson as Col John “˜Hannibal’ Smith, Sharlto Copley as Captain “˜Howling Mad’ Murdock, Quinton “˜Rampage’ Jackson as Sgt Bosco “˜B.A.’ Baracus and Jessica Biel. It’s set for release on 30th July this year which is coincidently my birthday. Roll on July!

Synopsis: THE A-TEAM follows the exciting and daring exploits of Hannibal Smith and his colorful team of former Special Forces soldiers who were set up for a crime they did not commit.  Going ‘rogue,’ they utilize their unique talents – and eccentricities – to try and clear their names and find the true culprit.

Click the posters below to enlarge.

Winter is almost coming to an end, and there’s a whole glut of great movies on their way in Spring. You can find out about some of the coolest by checking out Five Cool Movies For Spring 2010 here.

This is the movie industry, however, and that means that it’s never too early to look at the big Summer blockbusters. Here are the five i might just be looking forward to most.

The A-Team

When is it? - US 11th June UK 30th July

Who is it? – Directed by Joe Carnahan. Starring Liam Neeson, Sharlto Copely, Bradley Cooper, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Jessica Biel

What is it? – Movie version of one of the most iconic TV series ever. In the words of that fantastic intro… “In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit. They promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no-one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team.”

Why am I excited? – It’s the A-Team! What more do you need? The A-Team was huge, and firmly my era. Carnahan has showed the ability to craft knockabout action and thriller with Narc and Smokin’ Aces. The movie features some actors who made a big impact last year. Liam Neeson showed his action chops in Taken, Bradley Cooper scored in comedy of the year The Hangover. Sharlto Copley was the star that ran last year’s surprise hit District 9, arguably the best sci-fi movie of the year. And of course, Quinton ’Rampage’ Jackson… hang on, this belongs in the next bit…

But? – ‘Rampage’ Jackson is a bit of an unknown acting wise. He looks the part, but may be the weak link of the lead four. Released not long after The Losers will have finished it’s run, and The Losers has the potential to be far better written and a lot less silly than The A-Team. Movie versions of classic television shows don’t have the best pedigree. Charlie’s Angels, Starsky and Hutch, The Saint? Let’s hope it’s more in line with Mission: Impossible.

Would you like to know more? – We’ve got some images here, a trailer here, and some set footage here

Toy Story 3

When? – US 18th June UK 23rd July

Who? – Directed by Lee Unkrich. The voice talents of Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Joan Cusack, John Ratzenberger, Michael Keaton, Timothy Dalton, etcetera etcetera

What? – The second sequel to Toy Story, featuring all the original characters and a couple of new ones. Young Andy, the toys’ owner, isn’t so young any more, and is off to college. The gang are sent to a day care centre, and hilarity ensues…

Why? – For all around family entertainment, Pixar’s Toy Story series are considered both the turning point and the pinnacle of animated movies. They perfected the blend of child friendly action and adult friendly humour, and have arguably yet to be bettered. Pixar movies have evolved since, and recent movies Wall*E and Up have dealt with much more mature issues, so it’ll be interesting to see to what extent Toy Story follows in their footsteps.

But? – Director of the first two movies John Lasseter is handing over the reigns to Lee Unkrich, will the same magic still be there? With the addition of yet more characters, there’s a danger of the story being overstuffed (Sorry).

Would you like to know more? – A billion posters can be found here, here, here, here, here, here… There’s a clip here, images here and here, a teaser trailer here and a theatrical trailer here

Predators

When? – US 7th July UK TBA

Who? – Directed by Nimrod Antal. Starring Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Danny Trejo, Laurence Fishburne

What? – The latest addition to the popular Predator franchise. Members of the fearsome alien race are stalking a unit of elite commandos

Why? – The first Predator was a fantastic action movie. The idea of technologically advanced aliens doing battle with ultra-tough marines is a pretty kick-ass concept, and Predators looks like it will follow that dynamic. The presence of Adrian Brody, and to a lesser extent Topher Grace suggests we may be offered more complex characterisations than in previous installments. Director Antal’s recent Armored showed enough action and tense thriller to suggest he’s capable of doing a good job here.

But? – The attempt to resurrect and continue the Terminator series after an extended period has been a failure. Aside from the first Predator movie, the franchise hasn’t exactly been strong. Predator 2 was a dissapointment, and the presumably non-canon Alien Vs Predator movies have been awful.

Would you like to know more? – we have some set photos here, and will have much more closer to the movies release.

Inception

When? – US 16th July UK TBA

Who? – Directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt,

What? – A corporation has discovered the technology to allow entry into peoples dreams. There’s some kind of blackmail plot, and a twisty, turny storyline (I assume. Nolan and co are keeping things pretty close to their chest for now).

Why? –  By arguably the best director of the last decade, starring one of the finest actors of his generation alongside the man tipped as the next big thing? Nolan has a track record of putting together great casts. His characteristic intelligent, twisting plot-lines are a perfect match for a story that takes place ‘within the architecture of the mind’.

But? – Nolan has flirted with sci-fi with The Prestige, but it was regarded as a cheat in that particular movie, and a full blown sci-fi storyline is new territory for the gifted filmmaker. Dark Knight topped many lists of the best movies of the last decade, meaning a lot is expected of Inception, possibly too much. It’s difficult to see how it could ever live up to it’s predecessor.

Would you like to know more? – So would we. We do however have a picture here, couple of posters here and here, and a trailer here.

The Expendables

When? – US 13th August UK TBA

Who? – Directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone, also starring Jet Li, Jason Stathum, Dolph Lungren, Steve Austin, with reported cameos from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenneger.

What? – a team of deadly mercenaries go on a mission to overthrow an evil dictator in the jungles of South America. There may not by much more story to it than that…

Why? – The cream of the action movie crop coming together for the ultimate men on a mission gun fest has awesome written all over it. Whether it turns out to be a great action movie or as camp as a row of tents, The Expendables will be unmissable. Individually the cast wouldn’t generate a lot of box office, but as an ensemble this is a once in a lifetime project that’ll make hundreds of millions. Stallone has much experience with this kind of movie, having written, directed and acted through much of the Rambo series, as well as many other action movies.

But? – With so many big names, and big egos, there could be a lot of squabbling for elbow room and screen time. Your favourite may only get a few minutes of screen time, or a couple of lines of dialogue. The latter may however be a blessing, because although all icons, there isn’t a respected ‘actor’ among them.

Would you like to know more? – It’s a little way off, but there is a photo here, and some video here and here.

Bazmann – Check out the HeyUGuys IMDb250 Project here. You can follow our progress at http://twitter.com/baz_mann and http://twitter.com/gary_phillips_

Last week, a leaked copy of the A-Team trailer was released and was quickly quashed by Fox, but we now have the you’ve all been waiting for! It’s the official brand new trailer for Joe Carnahan’s ‘The A-Team. Enjoy!

The new film stars The film stars Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton “˜Faceman’ Peck, Liam Neeson as Col John “˜Hannibal’ Smith, Sharlto Copley as Captain “˜Howling Mad’ Murdock, Quinton “˜Rampage’ Jackson as Sgt Bosco “˜B.A.’ Baracus and Jessica Biel.

The guys over at AICN have been given a full description of the new ‘The A-Team’ trailer by someone codenamed ‘HazMatt’ which they say we can expect to see this coming weekend.The theatrical version of one of the best 80s TV series ever is stars Liam Neeson as Hannibal, Bradley Cooper as Face, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson as B.A. Baracus, Sharlto Copley as Murdoch along with Jessica Biel as the female lead.

The new trailer is, according to ‘HazMatt,’ 1:41 long and has the voice-over with the original music that any avid A-Team fan will probably know off the top of their head! Check out the first couple of paragraphs below and then head over to AICN for the full run-down. We’ll obviously keep our eyes peeled to bring you the trailer as soon as it’s released.

Man, am I on the jazz now! As a movie theatre projectionist, I get the upcoming weekend’s trailer hard drive on Monday. I went to ingest that bad boy today, and what did I spy? The first official trailer for The A-Team! It’s mere presence surprised me, but the trailers 1:41 run time had me salivating. Just enough time time to watch it twice before we had to start seating for Avatar. Enough to satisfy my craving, but not enough to memorize everything and give you a full rundown. What I do remember…

Starts off as you’d expect, with just a hint of the theme music and it’s variation of the classic voiceover (Apparently they were arrested one year ago for a crime they didn’t commit), which runs throughout the trailer. We see Hannibal in his colonel uniform attending a military funeral. Next we get quick shots of the team breaking out of a prison bus and then Hannibal meeting with Face on a beach. Some footage of fast cars and a shot of B.A. getting out of one. It’s filmed from the rear, so we can get a good look at the mohawk! That just leaves Murdock, who’s introduced in his familiar jacket/cap getup, complete with pilot’s headset. From there it’s all high action mixed with nostalgia, sure to leave fans of the show with a “plot-hatching Hannibal” sized grin. Everyone involved gets to break out a well known piece of of their character. Hannibal gets to chomp a stogie and proclaim “I love it when a plan comes together”. B.A. gets to act hella-tough and lament on how much he missed his van. Which of course gets a big a reveal as any of the characters. Which is only fair, there are few vehicles more iconic than that GMC van. Face, full of his trademark charisma, questions the sanity of Hannibal’s plan, tells B.A. that he has a bad attitude and makes out with Jessica Biel’s Lt. Sosa character. And Murdock, who get’s the least amount of screen time, still finds time to show us how off kilter he is by calmly announcing that their planes wing is on fire. After the escape and the character revealing we get around 30 seconds of the team on their mission which is all ziplines and gunfire and helicopters. It ends with the bullet riddled A Team logo and the tagline “There is no plan B”.

The A-Team is released 30th July this year(that’s my birthday and I cannot wait!).

Here’s some news which was bound to surface sooner or later. Dirk Benedict has confirmed via DirkBenedictCentral.com that he’ll be appearing in the new The A-Team movie with a cameo part.

As I say, this comes as no surprise to me as anyone who’ll appear in the celebrity version of Big Brother in the UK will surely be part of a big budget movie given half the chance! With Dwight Schultz confirming a couple of weeks ago that he’ll be in the movie, all we need now is the big man, Mr. T to get involved and we have ourselves a movie!

Joe Carnahan is directing the new movie which stars Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton “˜Faceman’ Peck, Liam Neeson as Col John “˜Hannibal’ Smith, Sharlto Copley as Captain “˜Howling Mad’ Murdock, Quinton “˜Rampage’ Jackson as Sgt Bosco “˜B.A.’ Baracus and Jessica Biel as their female sidekick.

It’s set for release 30th July 2010.

Thanks to our friends over at LiveForFilms for finding this one.

For those of you out there who were worried that none of the original A-Team cast would be appearing in the new A-Team movie, fear not as The Official Dwight Schultz Fansite have confirmed that Dwight himself has been in Vancouver on the set of the new movie filming a cameo and also commented that Sharlto Copley, who reprising the famous role is ‘brilliant beyond words’.

Their statement below:

October 30th. 2009

We have received many questions if Dwight will have a cameo part in the A-team movie. We are pleased to inform you all that Dwight has actually already been working in Vancouver, where he has played a cameo role in The A-Team movie. Sharlto Copley, the South African actor who plays Murdock, is according to Dwight: ‘brilliant beyond words’. Dwight has seen his screen test and he stated: that honestly, if Sharlto is given an opportunity to do what I saw in that test, “Murdock” will be better than ever!’ Sharlto has been very kind to him on the set and Dwight must say that he has been treated very well.

In my opinion is was pretty much inevitable before we heard this information but it’s nice to be confirmed all the same. Now all we need are Mr. T and Dirk Benedict to announce their roles and we’ll be complete – which I’m sure won’t be long before we do! More info as we get it.

This weekend the streets around the Excel Centre in East London were filled with geeks, gamers, movie-buffs and cos-players, as the MCM Expo once more rolled into town.

It’s still a fairly intimate affair, but since its inception in 2002 the Expo has grown from a collectors’ show into a genuinely important, biannual event for the UK anime, comic, computer game and film industries.

One of the highlights of the show this time round was Optimum Releasing’s promotion for their forthcoming film, The Losers.

Based on the comic by writer Andy Diggle and artist Jock, the film tells the story of a team of Special Forces operatives who are turned on by their CIA handlers. The comic itself is a re-jig of a World War II-set comic that ran during the seventies and early eighties.

During the course of the day, Optimum provided Expo attendees with various treats, including the first chance for those from the UK to see the new poster for the film, as well as a public Q&A with the creators of the comic, as well as one of the stars of the film, Idris Elba.

HeyUGuys were able to speak to Elba at a round table interview, during which he answered some questions about the film, and gave us some indications for what he might do next.

Anyone who has read the comic will have noticed the similarity the story bares to the A-Team. When this was pointed out to Elba he pointed out the differences.

“I honestly feel that our film is a little cooler, in a sense that it’s not a big-burger-brand. The Losers is relatively new to everyone. The A-Team has to live up to expectations. Those characters are iconic, so we’re going to watch that movie thinking, “˜you’re not Mr. T’. With the losers, we don’t have that, even though I do have a Mohawk.“

With that elephant carefully ushered out of the room, Elba was asked how much of the script came from the recent, Diggle-written incarnation of The Losers, and how much from the original, WWII version.

“The concept of the original version is still in tact. In fact, if they plan to make more Losers I think they’re going to go back to the essence of more of the original versions of the losers, but this particular film was sort of a hybrid of the concept of the old comic and the fusion of the new stuff, and then the director’s vision.“

Acknowledging the difficulties faced in adapting a comic into a film posed Elba continued,

“It’s a hard line to follow, because comic books are followed because of their, brilliance, and detail in their story line. You can live in this world and not share it with anyone else. Ultimately there is an interpretation from the comic book to you, that you love, so when you try to turn that into a film where it has to satisfy everyone’s perception of the comic it’s tough.

“There is huge pressure to do that, especially with something like this, where you’re not relying on capes or flying around and special powers. These guys are pretty real, and Sylvian wanted them to be as authentic to the characters as possible, but ultimately we’re not going to be able to please everyone.“

Elba was then asked how much freedom he and the rest of the cast had to interpret their characters.

“What was open to interpretation was the way they spoke to each other. There’s great dialogue between each other. Chris Evans, who plays Jensen, he’s a very comical, funny guy and so is his character. Once we got together we worked on the script together on how we’d turn this dialogue and make it sound real.

“It was important to us that we sound real. When you watch an Adam Sandler movie, and then you watch a Seth Rogen movie you realise that Adam Sandler has a very interesting slant on comedy. It’s not as realistic as the Seth Rogen stuff, and it’s starting to make Adam Sandler look a little dated. We wanted to do the same thing for this action film.

“Canned dialogue in the A-Team is probably the order of the day, because that’s how the A-team was. Our dialogue is going to be a little bit more snappy, less punch-line-y, more real. Funny, but dry. I think that represents what the comic does.

“We wanted to make it seem real. Snappy, but real.“

Just before the round table ended Elba was asked if there were any other comics he would like to adapt.

“There’s a thing that vertigo do called 100 Bullets. I like that. I think it could be an interesting little thing. I’ve just started reading it and it could be quite interesting.“

And while he hadn’t made any formal moves on the property, he told us that he was “Keeping an eye on it“.

Dr. Malo has posted the first official image from the A-Team cast from Joe Carnahan’s movie – click it to enlarge or see the full resolution version here.

The film stars Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton “˜Faceman’ Peck, Liam Neeson as Col John “˜Hannibal’ Smith, Sharlto Copley as Captain “˜Howling Mad’ Murdock, Quinton “˜Rampage’ Jackson as Sgt Bosco “˜B.A.’ Baracus and Jessica Biel.

We’ve posted a few images and clips from the movie which you can see in the related posts below. I quite like this image as it gives us a bit of an impression of what the movie we can expect. Does anyone else thing that Liam Neeson doesn’t fit or is that just me?

The A-Team is currently in production, and should be released 30th July 2010.

Entertainment Tonight have been to the set of 20th Century Fox’s A-Team to do some interviews with the cast of the movie currently being shot in Vancouver. The A-Team is directed by Joe Carnahan and stars Liam Neeson as Hannibal Smith, Bradley Cooper, as Templeton ‘Faceman Peck, Sharlto Copley as Howling Mad Murdock, Quinton Jackson as BA Baracus and Jessica Biel as the token female, Amy Allen.

The footage gives us a little insight into the lives of the A-Team and where the plot may go. We also get to hear Quinton Jackson give us some BA Baracus style talk which, after hearing it has me more convinced at him playing the role that I was previously.

ComingSoon.net also have some new set images (one above, click to enlarge) which you can see here.

The A-Team is out on my birthday, 30th July 2010 – what a present!

ComingSoon.net have received the first photos of Jessica Biel form the A-Team movie set. The images don’t really show us anything new but since we posted the images of the A-Team the other day, it’s only fair that Biel get her turn!

ComingSoon tell us that the shots were taken on a German airport set in Vancouver.

Biel is reportedly playing an Army general pursuing the team who is the ex-love o Bradley Cooper’s character Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck.

The A-Team, directed by Joe Carnahan, is scheduled for release 30th July 2010 which as I said the other day, is my birthday! Roll on July!!

Yesterday we posted the first image of the new A-Team cast. It showed Liam Neeson as John “Hannibal” Smith, Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck, Sharlto Copley as Capt. “Howling Mad” Murdock, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as Sgt. “B.A.” Baracus.

Well, that image was great but do you want an awful lot more? Well, OK then! WWTDD.com have posted many more images on their website which you can check out here. Enjoy!

ComingSoon.net have the first photo (click to enlarge) of all four members of the cast of the new A-Team movie. They were in Vancouver last seen running from the law after being falsly imprisoned for a crime they didn’t comit!

Liam Neeson as John “Hannibal” Smith, Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck, Sharlto Copley as Capt. “Howling Mad” Murdock, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as Sgt. “B.A.” Baracus can all be seen with Neeson’s hair looking very very grey in true George Peppard style!

The A-Team is directed by Joe Carnahan and is released 30th July 2010 (that’s my birthday!!! What a present!)