Previously known as Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse, Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel’s horror comedy The Apocalypse has been a long time coming. Back in 2007, the comedy pair starred in the short film with the original title, and it was awesome.

Since then, the project has been slowly moving forward to turn it into a full feature film, and it looks like it’s going to be happening pretty soon, which is excellent news. In recent months, we’ve heard that the pair will be joined at the end of the world by their good friends and frequent collaborators, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson, which just sounds like a perfect comedy cast.

The film will mark the directorial debut of Rogen and his long-time writing partner Evan Goldberg, with whom he’s co-written the script, and has worked in the past on The Green Hornet, Pineapple Express, and the original short, which you can enjoy below.

With the package pretty much complete with the rest of the great cast filled out, the filmmakers have taken the film to studios, and THR report that Sony Pictures have entered serious negotiations, and are expected to close the deal soon, which will see them finance and distribute The Apocalypse, thought to have a $30-40m. budget range.

Production is expected to start in the spring, and though a release date is yet to be scheduled, I’m hoping that we’ll be getting to see this on the big screen by early 2013, because you just know this is going to be awesome. That cast, combined with Rogen and Goldberg’s writing, can’t go wrong.

Rogen and Goldberg last co-wrote The Green Hornet, which Rogen led, and most recently collaborated to co-write the upcoming Neighborhood Watch, which is set to be released here on 22^nd August this year. Rogen also recently starred in last year’s brilliant drama comedy 50/50, which has been doing really well for itself both critically and commercially, having already won a host of awards, and is currently nominated in two categories at each of this year’s Independent Spirit Awards and Golden Globes.

Surprisingly violent and often very funny, Goon is an underdog sporting tale with a difference, and featuring a career best performance from Seann William Scott, it’s well worth getting your skates on and heading out to see it on the big screen.

The man who is still chiefly known as Stifler, the shirt-chasing horndog from the ‘Pie’ series, is monosyllabic simpleton Doug Glatt. Coasting through life as a doorman, what he lacks in brains he clearly makes up for in brawn. Much to the chagrin of his middle-class Canadian family, Glatt finds his calling in life on the ice when his aptitude for teeth smashing and skull cracking wins him a huge following after he lends his dubious talents to the local hockey team.

Soon promoted to a larger, semi-pro team in Halifax, alongside the requisite display of ferocious fisticuffs, he’s tasked with looking after star player Xavier Laflamme (Marc-André Grondin) who has had his cockiness and talent knocked out of him following a particularly vicious clash with hockey rival and Glatt’s potential nemesis, Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber).

Coming across as a kind of ice Hulk, Glatt struggles to overcome resentment from Laflamme, who despises being babysat and is angered by his protector’s burgeoning star status (despite his obvious inability as a sportsman). In reality, Glatt’s role helps to strengthen the team, pushing them forward to the finals and yet another opportunity for further (and increasingly bloody) scuffles on the ice.

Scripted by regular Seth Rogan collaborator Evan Goldman and Judd Apatow bit-player Jay Baruchel (who has a small role as Glatt’s obnoxious and foul-mouthed hockey-obsessed best friend), many of the familiar beats associated with sports films are evident here, but rather refreshingly, the focus is shifted from the plight of the wannabe champ who triumphs over adversity, to the thug-like chump who is there the provide the spectators with the gladiatorial-like bloodlust they’ve paid to see. It isn’t much of a spoiler to say the focus during the climatic sequence on the ice revolves around a potential flight breaking out as opposed to Glatt’s team actually winning.

Goon actually shares more of a commonality with those character-based sporting flicks, coming across as a rowdier version of a Ron Shelton film rather than a comedic take on Rocky (even though the old pugilist could almost be a distant cousin to the similarly tough on the outside, soft in the centre Glatt). Helping to make that distinction is Scott who is really fantastic, giving a surprisingly nuanced performance and managing to win over the audience despite his thuggish behavior. Having noticeably beefed up for the role, he plays dumb incredibly well (not an easy thing to do) but there’s always a disturbed glimmer behind his eyes too, which lends an edgy, unpredictable side to his character.

Likewise, Schreiber (showing the same playful sense of menace and villainy which he brought to Wolverine) is a lot of fun here and proves to be more than a worthy adversary on the ice. Actress and potential love interest Alison Pill fares less successfully unfortunately, coming across as a little one-dimensional. It’s through no fault of the performer though, but lumbering her with a transparent script dilemma device of having a boyfriend feels weak compared with the other well-crafted characters on screen.

Goon is one of those films which manages to genuinely take you by surprise, offering a much more satisfying cinematic experience than anticipated, mainly due to strong writing, committed performances and an attempt to bring a little more personality to what could have been a much broader tale, given the material.

****~ (4/5)

We’ve seen some brilliant things from Seann William Scott’s next movie, the upcoming ice hockey comedy Goon, in the past few months, most recently including the film’s first UK trailer and poster as well as an awesome clip from the film just a few days ago.

Along with Scott, the film also stars Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Kim Coates, and Scott’s American Pie co-star, Eugene Levy (who he’ll be returning alongside in that franchise for American Reunion come April next year).

We’ve now got a great new trailer to share with you, courtesy of iTunes Movie Trailers, via ComingSoon.net, with plenty of awesome new footage from the film and lots of Scott beating the hell out of everybody in sight. It’s a green band trailer this time around, so if you’re still at work, this should lift your spirits a little in the run-up to Christmas.

Goon [goon]

Noun

1.    A hired hoodlum or thug

2.    A stupid, foolish or awkward person

Meet Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott).

He may not be the sharpest blade on the rink, but he’s got a killer right hook.

When his permanently wasted best friend Pat (Jay Baruchel) runs into trouble, Doug’s ability to beat the crap out of everyone and everything impresses a sports coach who signs him up to annihilate the opposition and a feisty female fan (Alison Pill) who digs dangerous sports

Sometimes it takes an unlikely hero to unite a team and soon Doug finds himself recruited by the flailing Halifax Highlanders, who desperately need a goon to protect screwed up ex-star player, La Flamme. In between packing punches and breaking bones, the team bond and find their place in the big league.

But when Doug comes fist to face with notoriously violent pro player Rhea (Liev Schreiber) who is hell bent on putting on a show for his retirement fight, the gloves are well and truly off….

From the creators of Superbad and Pineapple Express comes an ice cool comedy that proves that it’s not the winning, it’s the taking apart of the other team that counts.

Michael Dowse (Take Me Home Tonight) has directed what looks to be one of Scott’s best films to date, with a script from Baruchel and the brilliant Evan Goldberg, co-writer of Pineapple Express and Superbad.

Goon hits our screens here in the UKon 6^th January next year, which should make for a great first weekend in the cinema in the new year, full of comedy and fist-fights. Until then, here’s the excellent new trailer to enjoy.

Entertainment One have sent over this brand new and exclusive clip from their new movie, Goon which stars Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Kim Coates, Eugene Levy and Marc-André Grondin. It’s directed by Michael Dowse and is set for release in the UK 6th January. As well as this clip, I can reveal that we’ve seen it and really liked it! Goon comes from the same people that made Pineapple Express and Superbad and if you’re a fan of those movies, you’re going to love this.

Scroll down to watch the clip from the movie and please note, it contains rather a lot of swearing.

Goon [goon]

Noun

1.    A hired hoodlum or thug

2.    A stupid, foolish or awkward person

Meet Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott).

He may not be the sharpest blade on the rink, but he’s got a killer right hook.

When his permanently wasted best friend Pat (Jay Baruchel) runs into trouble, Doug’s ability to beat the crap out of everyone and everything impresses a sports coach who signs him up to annihilate the opposition and a feisty female fan (Alison Pill) who digs dangerous sports

Sometimes it takes an unlikely hero to unite a team and soon Doug finds himself recruited by the flailing Halifax Highlanders, who desperately need a goon to protect screwed up ex-star player, La Flamme. In between packing punches and breaking bones, the team bond and find their place in the big league.

But when Doug comes fist to face with notoriously violent pro player Rhea (Liev Schreiber) who is hell bent on putting on a show for his retirement fight, the gloves are well and truly off….

From the creators of Superbad and Pineapple Express comes an ice cool comedy that proves that it’s not the winning, it’s the taking apart of the other team that counts.

Please note, this clip contains swearing and is NSFW unless of course you have headphones!

Here’s one of all the Robert Pattinson fans out there as a new poster for the Twilight star’s new movie, Cosmopolis. The film is directed by the legendary David Cronenberg and also stars Paul Giamatti, Jay Baruchel, Kevin Durand, Juliette Binoche and Samantha Morton. It should be with us at some point on 2012.

IMDB keep the sysnopis short and sweet but after you read the synopsis, it’s spot on!

Follows a multimillionaire on a 24-hour odyssey across Manhattan.

Click the poster to enlarge. My question to you all is: ‘How far can he go before he goes too far?!‘ Answer in the comments below!

Source: IMPA

UPDATE

Well, soon as this went up we were sent through the following, which apparently is the official poster, all the way from Robert Pattinson Life. Let’s be honest – it would never do to have anyone or anything other than Mr Pattinson on the poster.What is very cool, and the one thing which makes me think this is not the actual poster that we’ll see on buses and lining the walls of the Tube is the inclusion of Don DeLillo’s name front and centre.

Goon hits UK cinemas 6th January and we’re all rather looking forward to it. Adam saw the movie a week or two ago and really enjoy it so keep your eyes peeled for our review. In the meantime, Entertainment One have sent us the new UK trailer for the movie which comes from the same people who made Pineapple Express and Superbad. This time no Seth Rogan though folks but there is Seann William Scott taking the lead as the ‘Goon’!

Goon is directed by Michael Dowse and also stars Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Kim Coates, Eugene Levy and Marc-André Grondin.

This new trailer which can bee seen below the synopsis is called ‘This is Doug’ and you’ll see why! Enjoy.

Goon [goon]

Noun

1.    A hired hoodlum or thug

2.    A stupid, foolish or awkward person

Meet Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott).

He may not be the sharpest blade on the rink, but he’s got a killer right hook.

When his permanently wasted best friend Pat (Jay Baruchel) runs into trouble, Doug’s ability to beat the crap out of everyone and everything impresses a sports coach who signs him up to annihilate the opposition and a feisty female fan (Alison Pill) who digs dangerous sports

Sometimes it takes an unlikely hero to unite a team and soon Doug finds himself recruited by the flailing Halifax Highlanders, who desperately need a goon to protect screwed up ex-star player, La Flamme. In between packing punches and breaking bones, the team bond and find their place in the big league.

But when Doug comes fist to face with notoriously violent pro player Rhea (Liev Schreiber) who is hell bent on putting on a show for his retirement fight, the gloves are well and truly off….

From the creators of Superbad and Pineapple Express comes an ice cool comedy that proves that it’s not the winning, it’s the taking apart of the other team that counts.

We’ll be seeing Seann William Scott hitting the big screen quite a few times next year, first off with the upcoming hockey comedy Goon, which is set to be a brilliant kick-start to the new year, coming to our cinemas the first weekend of 2012.

We got our first trailer for the film back in September, followed by another terrific trailer last month, and we’ve now got a fantastic (unofficially red band) new clip to share with you, courtesy of Empire. Nothing red band in terms of visuals, just a healthy dose of F-bombs and the like, so not suitable for work.

“Doug Glatt is a gentle giant who’s lethal with his fists but reluctant to use them. That is, until he goes to a hockey game and flattens a visiting player. The next day, while appearing on a web chat show hosted by his best friend, Doug is scouted by the coach of the local minor-league team. Doug’s job? Beat up anyone who gets near Xavier Laflamme, a hotshot player afraid to touch the puck since a devastating hit from legend­ary enforcer — and Doug’s idol — Ross “The Boss” Rhea.”

Along with Scott, the film also stars Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Liev Schreiber, Kim Coates, and Scott’s American Pie co-star Eugene Levy. Michael Dowse (Take Me Home Tonight, It’s All Gone Pete Tong) is behind the camera for this, with a script co-written by Baruchel and the brilliant Evan Goldberg (Pineapple Express, Superbad), so expect this to be a lot of fun.

All that we’ve seen so far has been excellent, and this clip is no exception, so I’m really looking forward to seeing it when it comes to our cinemas on 6^th January next year; less than a month to go now. Then exactly three months later, we’ll get to see Scott return to the role that shot him to fame in American Reunion, which is due out on 6^th April. It should be a great year for him.

Michael Dowse’s upcoming hockey comedy, Goon, is definitely one film I’m looking forward to next year. Based on the novel, Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey, the film is co-written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, and stars Seann William Scott in the leading role, with Liev Schreiber, Baruchel, Alison Pill, and Scott’s American Pie co-star Eugene Levy rounding out the supporting cast nicely.

We got our first look at the film with some pictures back last year, followed by the first trailer and posters in September, and most recently another trailer just last week. We’ve now got a new poster from the film to share with you, courtesy of IMP Awards, which stars a bloody Seann William Scott looking like he’s ready to go and raring for more.

“Doug Glatt is a gentle giant who’s lethal with his fists but reluctant to use them. That is, until he goes to a hockey game and flattens a visiting player. The next day, while appearing on a web chat show hosted by his best friend, Doug is scouted by the coach of the local minor-league team. Doug’s job? Beat up anyone who gets near Xavier Laflamme, a hotshot player afraid to touch the puck since a devastating hit from legend­ary enforcer — and Doug’s idol — Ross “The Boss” Rhea.”

The film hasn’t got an official release date yet, but Deadline report that Myriad Pictures have just picked up the international distribution rights, including those for the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Russia, Scandinavia, Latin America, Turkey, the Middle East, Indonesia, South Africa, and many more markets, so hopefully we’ll be getting word on a release date soon. We’ll next be seeing Scott in American Reunion on 6^th April next year, and with any luck, we won’t have much longer to wait after that until we see Goon. Until then, here’s the great new poster to enjoy with Scott front and centre, “The Nicest Guy You’ll Ever Fight.”

Seann William Scott and Liev Screiber face off in hockey comedy Goon and there’s a lot of face punching on offer in this new trailer for Michael Dowse’s film.

JoBlo had the exclusive on this one and there’s not a lot of subtlety on show here as co-writer Jay Baruchel and Alison Pill, last seen assisting Scott Pilgrim against the world, turn up for the fun. There’s no knowing how well this film will do here in the UK. I guess as well as a comedy based on cricket might do in the States but there’s enough well known faces here to draw in the crowds. Why not see for yourself below?

Before your trailer perhaps you’d care for a little synopsis?

Doug Glatt is a gentle giant who’s lethal with his fists but reluctant to use them. That is, until he goes to a hockey game and flattens a visiting player. The next day, while appearing on a web chat show hosted by his best friend, Doug is scouted by the coach of the local minor-league team. Doug’s job? Beat up anyone who gets near Xavier Laflamme, a hotshot player afraid to touch the puck since a devastating hit from legend­ary enforcer — and Doug’s idol — Ross “The Boss” Rhea.

Here’s your trailer,

Ben has just come out of an interview with Seth Rogen for his new movie, 50/50 which is set to play at this years London Film Festival. In the interview, Seth spoke about the movie that he’s been trying to get off the ground for some time which had the title, Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse. He let us know that the title of that movie will now simply be Apocalypse.

Seth also told us that the script is now complete and although the movie doesn’t have funding, they hope to start filming in February 2012. The cast list for the movie continues to grow with both Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel on board to star as well as write and direct. Also linked with the project are James Franco, Danny McBride and Jonah Hill.

Apocalypse is based on a short film which Baruchel and Rogen made back in 1997. The trailer for it is below.

More as we get it.

At the start of the week, we got the fantastic news that Seth Rogen had confirmed that James Franco and Jonah Hill, both long-time collaborators of Rogen’s, would be joining the cast of the long-awaited short-turned-feature-film, Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse.

Now, in an interview with MTV, he’s confirmed that, along with himself, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, and Jonah Hill, two more of Rogen’s great collaborators will also be joining the cast in the form of Danny McBride and Craig Robinson.

Rogen seems to be taking a leaf out of Judd Apatow’s book by surrounding himself with his friends pretty much whenever he makes a movie, and it’s been working great for him so far. His career’s been a brilliant success for some time now, and this new film sounds like it’s going to be another awesome one from him.

Co-written by Rogen and yet another long-time friend and collaborator, Evan Goldberg (Pineapple Express, The Green Hornet), Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse will see Rogen making his directorial debut, and you just know that it’s going to be immense.

At some point or another, the entire team to date has worked with pretty much everyone else on the team, and so their rapport on and off the screen is already a given, which is perfect for making a film together.

Rogen, Baruchel, Hill, and Robinson were all in Knocked Up together. Baruchel, Rogen, McBride, and Robinson all starred in Fanboys. Rogen and Franco go way back to TV’s Freaks and Geeks, and of course led the brilliant Pineapple Express together, which also starred McBride and Robinson, to name just four great examples.

Rogen has said in an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press,

“It’s a movie about a bunch of friends who are stuck in a house together as the apocalypse happens outside and they kind of barricade themselves in… They think they’ve kind of survived the worst and then they realize they all really can’t stand to be around each other as they’re stuck in this house together.

“It’s all our friends, luckily, and we all play ourselves in the movie. … I literally play Seth Rogen in the movie and Jay Baruchel literally plays himself in the movie and others — Jonah Hill, James Franco — they’re literally playing themselves in the movie.

“It’s a very strange movie, but it’s gonna happen.”

Whether we can look forward to seeing McBride and Robinson playing themselves isn’t yet confirmed, but given that Franco and Hill are, it wouldn’t be that surprising if they’re also stuck in the house with them.

There had been talk of Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe also starring in the film, but according to the recent interview with MTV, that’s no longer the case.

““It doesn’t look like he’s willing to push things as far as we [are],” Rogen said with that catchy laugh of his.”

In my opinion, that’s probably a good thing. Other than seeing him as one of the dead celebrity cameos that Rogen and Baruchel want for the film, I can’t really imagine what Radcliffe would have added to the film; it doesn’t seem like quite the right fit.

Back in 2007, Rogen and Baruchel (the ‘Jay and Seth’ part of the film’s title, of course) starred in a short/teaser trailer for this upcoming film (which I’ve embedded below for your viewing pleasure), and even at a minute and a half long, it looked ridiculously awesome. So when you add Franco, Hill, McBride, and Robinson into the mix, you really cannot go wrong. With filming set to begin in February next year, hopefully we won’t have to be waiting that much longer for this to come out. It’s going to be brilliant.

Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse has been a long time coming, and you just know it’s going to be a freaking sweet film when it finally gets here.

The idea for the film first gained attention back in 2007 when a short film/trailer for the forthcoming feature film was released, and it was pretty brilliant (which is why I’ve taken the liberty of embedding it below).

Since then, lead stars Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express) and Jay Baruchel (the upcoming Goon) and Rogen’s frequent collaborator and co-writer Evan Goldberg (Pineapple Express) have talked about making the film, but it’s always remained on the horizon. Recently though, that horizon has been a whole lot getting closer, with filming expected to get underway in February next year.

In an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press, courtesy of The Playlist, Rogen has said that the movie,

“has a “substantial” cast that includes former collaborators Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill and James Franco.”

‘Substantial’ is always nice to hear, and I’m definitely liking the potential that has with a Rogen/Baruchel/Goldberg horror comedy, with James Franco and Jonah Hill now confirmed. There’s also been talk of Daniel Radcliffe possibly being involved with the project, and Baruchel has previously spoken about wanting a running joke of having celebrities appearing throughout the film, playing themselves, but playing corpse versions of themselves.

With Franco and Hill, however, I assume we can look forward to more than just seeing their dead bodies on screen, and they should be getting plenty of screen time for us to look forward to.

“It’s a movie about a bunch of friends who are stuck in a house together as the apocalypse happens outside and they kind of barricade themselves in… They think they’ve kind of survived the worst and then they realize they all really can’t stand to be around each other as they’re stuck in this house together.

“It’s all our friends, luckily, and we all play ourselves in the movie. … I literally play Seth Rogen in the movie and Jay Baruchel literally plays himself in the movie and others — Jonah Hill, James Franco — they’re literally playing themselves in the movie.

“It’s a very strange movie, but it’s gonna happen.”

The minute and a half short back in 2007 was excellent, and if you’re a fan of everything Rogen has worked on in the past, there’s probably a good chance that this is very much going to be a film to look forward to. For now, I’ll leave you with Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse, the short version. Enjoy.

Ice hockey is one of those sports that I really love the look of, but living in the UK, and lacking any channels beyond what Freeview has to offer, it becomes hard to ever really watch it.

What little I know of the sport comes mostly from the movies, and this new ice hockey film, Goon, looks like an absolute gem of a sports film. A great mix of sports, action, and comedy.

Obviously, it being an ice hockey film, there’s going to be plenty of action to look forward to, as this first trailer for the film, courtesy of Collider, shows off nicely.

“Goon is the story of Doug Glatt, a down-on-his-luck bouncer, who’s been touched by the fist of God. Upon discovering both his right hook and skates, he joins a hockey team destined for the cellar and inspires them into the playoffs.”

As all the best sports films are, Goon looks to be the story of an underdog, played by Seann William Scott, best known for his role in the American Pie films, and who will be returning to that series for American Reunion, another great film to look forward to. The trailer also shows off Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), the film’s antagonist, who looks to be every bit as up for a fight on the ice as Scott.

The film is directed by Michael Dowse (Take Me Home Tonight), from a script co-written by actor Jay Baruchel (Fanboys), who makes his feature debut as a writer, and Evan Goldberg (Superbad, Pineapple Express). Definitely a writing team with potential, which this first trailer only supports.

Goon also stars Baruchel, Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and Scott’s American Pie co-star, Eugene Levy, and THR report that it has just been picked up for distribution after playing well at the Toronto International Film Festival, which is great news. As such, no news yet on a release date, but hopefully we can expect it here early next year. Without further ado, here is the great first trailer for the film, followed by, courtesy of The Playlist, two posters and two images. Enjoy.

The first trailer for upcoming horror/thriller film, Good Neighbours, has gone up over on the iTunes Movie Trailers website, and it looks pretty promising.

The film is written and directed by Jacob Tierney, and is based on the novel, Chère Voisine (which I think roughly translates the same), by Canadian novelist, Chrystine Brouillet.

Tierney, also Canadian, has set all his films to date in Montreal, which is where the story of Good Neighbours unravels, with a strong Canadian cast. A lot of Canadian actors (as well as many other nationalities) often stick to American-made movies once they’ve made a name for themselves, so it’s nice to see that Tierney’s found a group to work with who are happy to come back to their roots too. Heading up Good Neighbours will be Scott Speedman (Underworld), Jay Baruchel (How To Train Your Dragon), and Emily Hampshire (It’s A Boy Girl Thing).

Both Baruchel and Hampshire have worked with Tierney before, and will no doubt already have a great chemistry with the director, which should translate well to the screen. The film will see their three characters living together in the same apartment building, their town becoming the stomping ground for a serial killer.

Neighbors Spencer (Scott Speedman) and Louise (Emily Hampshire) have bonded over their fascination with a recent string of murders terrorizing their community. When a new tenant named Victor (Jay Baruchel) arrives in the building, all three quickly hit it off. But as they soon discover, each of them has their own dark secret. As the violence outside mounts, the city retreats indoors for safety. But the more time these three spend together in their apartment building, the clearer it becomes that what they once thought of as a safe haven is as dangerous as any outside terrors they could imagine. Smart dialogue, strong performances and jarring thrills give this film all the elements of a great mystery.

The film will be released in America on VOD on 24th June and then be given a brief theatrical run on 24th July. Sadly, I don’t think it’ll be hitting our cinemas, so we may have to wait a while longer for a DVD release, because the trailer does make it seem like the kind of horror/thriller that will keep its tensions high up until what will hopefully be a brilliant denouement.

I always like it when music is used to contrast the atmosphere in a scene, when it’s done well, and thrillers and horrors often grant the best potential to do that. This trailer does exactly that at its end, playing a bit of a slow, indie-esque song with a female singer followed by Hampshire seeing something that terrifies her, and not allowing us the satisfaction of seeing it too.

If you’d like to see or download the trailer for yourself in beautiful 1080p HD, then you can do so here, and here’s the 360p version, with the poster beneath it.

It seems that every week Dean DeBlois is making headlines with his hugely anticipated sequel to 2010′s roaring animated success: How to Train Your Dragon.

For all the good reasons, this steady flow of information is doing little to desensitize us to the prospect of another trip to Berk. On the contrary, I for one am more excited than ever!

Having only recently revealed that How to Train Your Dragon 2 is to be the second act of a much larger – potentially trilogy-spanning – story, the film’s director has turned his attention to casting, informing Empire that the original ensemble are set to return in full.

“What I presented to them was the second act of a much larger story, so the film takes on much more breadth, it’s really quite epic. We leave the first film with these Vikings on the backs of dragons, so the world just opens up and expands exponentially.”

“Everyone’s back on, in fact Gerard Butler was the only one who was sort of unknown until up until just last week and then I got confirmation”

With Jay Baruchel returning as the voice of Hiccup and the thunder-stealing Craig Ferguson back as Belch, this really is shaping up to be the cinema event of 2013. With the allegedly epic story still under wraps, we can at least take solace in the news that Roger Deakins will similarly be returning as cinematographer – Dragon 2 at least promising to be one of the most beautifully presented films of the year.

Now that Stoick the Vast is finally signed to return, rounding out the winning ensemble, all that remains to be announced is the return of exemplary British composer John Powell so I can hibernate in peace. Until then, however, I will leave you with these comforting words of wisdom from DeBlois himself.

“We don’t make films for children, we make films without excluding children.” Amen to that, my friend!

Chances are a comedy about hockey won’t immediately make you leap into the air with cinematic-infused joy, but stir Superbad scribe Evan Goldberg and man on the rise Jay Baruchel into the mix and you may start to get a little more interested.

Today we have our first look at the hockomedy and we see Seann William Scott smiling and hitting someone, and Baruchel, who has had a pretty visible year with Dragons and Sorcerers aplenty, spoke to MTV about Goon,

I think that we’re going to entertain people and were going to hit them in the head with a two by four, but I think more than anything people will be surprised by how moved they are by the story. I really think we’ve created a pretty classic character, and Seann is doing something unlike he’s ever done.

MTV had these pics and spoke further to Jay Baruchel, would you like to know more?

Without doubt, one of my favourite films of the year was How to Train Your Dragon. It was announced what feels like ages ago that we could expect a sequel some time in 2013. Today, a press release comes from Dreamworks who produced the movie to announce that Jay Baruchel, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, TJ Miller and Kristen Wiig will all be returning as part of the voice cast under the ‘guidance’ of Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders, and Bonnie Arnold.

DeBlois and Sanders directed the first movie based on the books by Cressida Cowell and this time it appears that DeBlois will be writing the script for the movie and directing on his own.

We also get to find out that the movie will appear in 3d just like the first movie and I cannot wait!

Check out the full press release below or head here. (Thanks to/ Film for the heads up on this one). The movie is released on DVD and blu ray 15th November in the UK.

All-Star Cast & Original Filmmakers Return for Sequel

GLENDALE, Calif., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (Nasdaq: DWA) today announced plans to bring the epic action-adventure of Hiccup and his courageous Viking tribe as well as Toothless and the other beloved dragon characters on the Island of Berk back to the big screen in 3D with the sequel to How to Train Your Dragon in 2013.

The second chapter to the critically acclaimed 2010 blockbuster, How to Train Your Dragon – which has grossed nearly $500 million at the worldwide box office – will again feature the all-star voice talents of Jay Baruchel, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, TJ Miller and Kristen Wiig.

The sequel is being made under the creative guidance of Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders, and Bonnie Arnold. It is written and directed by DeBlois and produced by Arnold. Once again based on the book series by Cressida Cowell, the sequel is executive produced by Sanders and DeBlois.

“Nothing could be more exciting for me than being charged with carrying this story forward, into the unknown reaches of Hiccup and Toothless’ ever-expanding world,” commented DeBlois. “Ambitions are high with this epic next chapter, and together with an incredible team of filmmakers, we plan to build upon How to Train Your Dragon‘s originality, boldness and heart, in hopes of once again touching audiences around the world.”

“Dean, Chris and Bonnie each has a fiery passion for How to Train Your Dragon that combined is serving as the driving force behind the very bright future of DreamWorks Animation’s newest franchise,” said Bill Damaschke, Co-President of Production for DreamWorks Animation. “Having them on-board to lead the creative team and having our cast return to tell the next exciting chapter is a dream come true for the studio… and the first big revelation of our feature film line-up for 2013.”

How to Train Your Dragon, the tale of a young Viking named Hiccup who defies tradition and befriends a dragon, has impressed critics and mesmerized audiences around the globe. Among the top ten films of 2010 and one of the best-reviewed movies of the year, How to Train Your Dragon is scheduled to be released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 15, 2010.

Today, She’s Out of My League is released on both DVD and Blu-ray. Directed by Jim Field Smith, this is a typical American teen comedy, starring up-and-coming actors, and you can read Craig’s original theatrical review here.

In case you aren’t familiar with the film, She’s Out of My League stars Jay Baruchel as Kirk: an average Joe who meets the perfect woman. However, his lack of confidence and the influence of his friends and family – who all believe Molly to be way out of Kirk’s league – begin to pick away at the relationship.

The main problem with the film is the script and execution of the underlying message. I understand it may be hard to come up with new ideas, but it’s difficult to like a film when the dialogue is clichéd and the storytelling underwhelming. Admittedly, there are some humourous moments – and Jim Field Smith does his best to craft an insightful, necessary film – but it’s not enough to command a viewer’s attention.

Similarly, in terms of the underlying message, the fact that Kirk’s friends and family consider Molly to be out of Kirk’s league is appropriate in the current image and celebrity obsessed world, but the obvious and unbelievable final scene is too scrambled in its attempt to underline the derivative way society judges individuals. In the end, viewers will more than likely miss it altogether.

In terms of acting, Baruchel tries his damnedest to make Kirk a a likable, good-natured character, and succeeds for the most part. Comedic value comes in the form of Kirk’s overweight friend (Nate Torrence), while Molly (Alice Eve) gives the viewers something to look at, but never stretches or breaks free from her comfort zone.

Overall, She’s Out of My League – while it may be a light-hearted, good-natured teen comedy – does nothing to strike attention from the older demographic and ultimately slips into a league of similar bland, predictable and formulaic films.

DVD Special Features:

• Commentary from director Jim Field Smith
• Deleted scenes [with optional commentary]
• Bloopers
• Devon’s Dating Show!

Kyle Newman’s epic struggle to bring his Star Wars road trip movie to eager audiences is well documented and we’re lucky enough to be getting the Blu-ray and DVD on the 4th of October.

Craig saw the film at Frightfest, you can read his thoughts here, and we hope to be able to bring you a review of the Blu-ray in the next few weeks.

We’ve got the official trailer below and there’s an exclusive screening of the film at the Apollo Piccadilly Circus on the 28th of September as part of SciFi London – find out more and book your tickets here.

Here’s the synopsis,

A long time ago (1998 actually) in a galaxy far, far away (well, Idaho to be precise), four childhood buddies with a shared love of all things Star Wars reunite for one final, hilarious odyssey. Their insane plan: a cross-country road trip to storm George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch and steal a copy of Episode I before it’s released. With the police, a crew of angry Trekkies, and a crazy pimp hot on their trail, what could possibly go wrong? Featuring Jay Baruchel (She’s Out Of My League), Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury) and Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) plus a slew of hysterical surprise cameos.

Here’s the trailer,

Halloween 1998 and Eric (Sam Huntington), Linus (Chris Marquette), Windows (Jay Baruchel) and Hutch (Dan Fogler) are at a party debating Star Wars trivia. The friends have done this for years and apart from Eric, who is trying to ‘get on with his life’, the friends seem happy with their fanboy lives.

Desperate to see The Phantom Menace, which isn’t released for seven months, the friends have even hatched a plan to break into Lucas’ Skywalker ranch and steal the film. They’ve never acted on the plan but realise that they have to when it becomes obvious that Linus, who has terminal cancer, will not live long enough to see the film released. The friends embark on a road trip to steal the film . On the adventure they are joined by Zoe (Kristen Bell) (pictured above) and they also meet a whole host of other characters, often played by very familiar actors and actresses.

The story behind the making of Fanboys is pretty well known by now but if you’re not familiar with it, the fact that today saw the UK premiere of the film, which was made in 2007 , should give you an idea of the troubled journey this film has been on.

Directed by Kyle Newman from a script by Adam F. Goldberg and Ernest Cline, Fanboys went into production under The Weinstein Company banner and as soon as shooting wrapped problems set in. The Weinstein’s were supposedly not happy with Kyle Newman’s version of the film and test screened the film multiple times, hired a new editor and generally messed around with the film in an effort to get it closer to what they wanted.

The film released in US theatres and on DVD and Blu-ray (and soon in the UK) is not the cut that Newman wanted but it is a little closer to his vision than it could have been. Newman was given a last minute chance to cut the film but under what sound like ridiculous conditions. He has made it clear publicly that this is a cut that he is happy with but there is a better one.

The unfortunate thing about all these behind the scenes machinations is that they perhaps show in the film. Fanboys is a lot of fun and also has heart to it with a touching sub-plot that gives the film a strong backbone. The mix of drama and comedy doesn’t fit together particularly well though and the film is a bit of a mess because of it. An enjoyable and touching mess nonetheless. It is hard to judge the film too harshly for these faults as the editing nightmare that appears to have occurred seems to explains this but unfortunately we can only view the film in its current state.

The emotional beats in the film are welcome as they really pull together what could have simply been a gag heavy comedy. The comedy moments are also really good though and there is enough for any regular audience to laugh at but enough jokes that hit all the right fanboy buttons too. You don’t have to be a ‘fanboy’ yourself to like the film but it certainly helps. Central to this working in the film is the fact that Newman treats the ‘fanboy community’ with care and despite poking fun at a lot of aspects of this he never slips into simple mockery. It is clear too that Newman feels like he is one of them too. The result is akin to a bunch of friends who joke around with each other, in a light hearted and mocking way. It’s okay, because their friends.

Fanboys is a warm and charming film, both funny and touching and despite a couple of clunky moments, that could be attributed to the edit, it is a really enjoyable and engaging film with a lot to offer.

(plus, it’s better than The Phantom Menace…)

For more on the troubled history behind Fanboys check out the excellent /Filmcast After Dark featuring Kyle Newman.