Transformers ride into Singapore

Did you ever dream of helping Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots out on a mission to save the world from evil Decepticons? Well, now's your chance! All you need to do is fly to Singapore, buy some tickets to the Universal Studios amusement park there, and wait in the sure-to-be long lines once it opens next week. Only a small price to pay with some robots in disguise, though, right?

Universal Studios Singapore will launch the world's first Transformers theme park attraction based on Hasbro's iconic Transformers brand on Dec 3. Transformers the Ride will celebrate its world premiere at an exclusive event on Dec 2 with Michael Bay, the director and executive producer of the Transformers blockbuster movies, in attendance.

This breakthrough attraction will feature 12 scenes, comprising sets blended seamlessly with hyper-­realistic 3D digital media and special effects to bring tactile realism to every moment.

Guests will be transported into the Transformers universe, and take part in the ultimate 3D battle against the Deceptions right alongside the ­Autobots. Also, they will get to experience Resorts World Sentosa's latest attraction – the Maritime Experiential Museum & Aquarium (Mema). Housed in an iconic steel-and-glass ship hull at the waterfront, Mema promises a new museum-going experience ­showcasing rich Asian maritime history.

And for a bite afterwards, indulge in a wide ­variety of authentic Malaysian hawker fare at RWS's ­Malaysian Food Street, which offers dishes from different parts of Malaysia.

For those of you unable to make the trip to Singapore in the next few months, you'll be happy to know that "Transformers: The Ride" will be opening in Universal Hollywood in the spring. It certainly might give the new "Star Tours" ride at Disneyland a run for it's money in terms of popularity.

For more, go to www.rwsentosa.com.

Sources: IFC.com, TheSunDaily, SFX

Will 'John Carter' be Next Year's 'Avatar?' Check out the New Trailer

A new trailer for John Carter has hit the web, and it's looking like the Disney alien movie might be trying to become next year's Avatar.

Of course it's going to have some competition in the alien movie genre – Ridley Scott's Prometheus is already one of the most anticipated sci-fi movies of 2012. However, while it's going the sci-fi/horror route, John Carter is going to be an adventure/fantasy movie in the same vein as Avatar.

The trailer shows the titular character amongst a group of tall, lanky aliens at war, and you can bet that he becomes embroiled in their battle. There's also an alien princess in need of saving, but Carter's love interest looks like a human.

The movie is about a Civil War veteran who mysteriously gets transported to Mars, where he becomes the prisoner of the barbaric beings that live there. Taylor Kitsch plays Carter, while Lynn Collins stars as the princess. William Dafoe plays one of the green guys as Tars Tarkas, an alien leader and warrior.

Edgar Rice Burroughs' character has been around since 1912. Carter is an immortal being who travels between Earth and Mars (which is called Barsoom by its inhabitants) by way of astral projection. On the planet he becomes a warrior who encounters a wide variety of different beings, with some resembling creatures of ancient myth and others resembling humans or humanoids.

The movie certainly has the ability to become 2012's Avatar or the next Star Wars (the influence of Burrough's books is evident in both of these franchises), but there just seems to be something missing from the latest trailer – perhaps there's just not enough of Carter himself? The previous trailer was a little more promising, at least (you can check out the new trailer and the previous trailer below).

Check out the trailer below to see if you think he's managed to create the next big sci-fi franchise.

Source: FirstShowing.net, WorstPreviews, entertainment.gather.com

COMING SOON: John Carter (2012)

Movie Info:
Release Date: 9 March 2012
Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy

Cast:

Bryan Cranston ... Powell
Mark Strong ... Matai Shang
Ciarán Hinds ... Tardos Mors
Taylor Kitsch ... John Carter
Dominic West ... Sab Than
Willem Dafoe ... Tars Tarkas
Daryl Sabara ... Edgar Rice Burroughs
James Purefoy ... Kantos Kahn
Thomas Haden Church ... Tal Hajus
Lynn Collins ... Dejah Thoris
Polly Walker ... Sarkoja
Samantha Morton ... Sola

From Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes "John Carter"--a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). "John Carter" is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

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Trailer:

Sources: IMDB, Culture, ComingSoon.net

COMING SOON: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)

Movie Info:
Release Date: February 10, 2012 
Genre: Action/Adventure/Family

Cast:

Josh Hutcherson ... Sean Anderson
Dwayne Johnson ... Hank Parsons
Michael Caine         ... Grandfather
Vanessa Hudgens ... Kailani
Luis Guzmán         ... Gabato
Kristin Davis         ... Liz Anderson

You probably weren't expecting a sequel to 2008's Journey to the Centre of the Earth 3D. And this is probably because you forgot that 2008's Journey to the Centre of the Earth even existed. That's not your fault – it was one of those gimmicky films from the early days of digital 3D that basically acted as a placeholder for Avatar.

But now there's a sequel to Journey to the Centre of the Earth, of sorts. It bears the clunky title of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, and there's been a radical overhaul since the first outing. Brendan Fraser has been replaced with Dwayne Johnson, there's a mysterious island instead of the centre of the Earth and it's a gimmicky film from the dying days of digital 3D that basically acts as a placeholder for Avatar 2. But is Journey 2: The Mysterious Island any good? Let's comb through its trailer to find out 

As with the center of the Earth (3D), finding the place itself ends up being the easy part; it's surviving and getting off the island that eats up the last hour of cinematic clock-watching. What starts off as a lovely vacation to a tropic isle--a lovely place where you can ride giant bees without the lines of the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids! Disney tour--quickly becomes a nightmare once Michael Caine (spoiler: Michael Caine is also on this Mysterious Island) points out that, in addition to these awesome bees you can ride, there are also other giant things more dangerous than bees. Like giant lizards, for example. Or like The Rock's giant pecs, which perform a dance that deflect oncoming berries away from them and towards an eager audience's 3D glasses. Just as Jules Verne always intended.

The follow-up to the 2008 hit. The new journey begins when young adventurer Sean (Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist--a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret. Unable to stop him from going, Sean's new stepfather (Dwayne Johnson) joins the quest. Together with a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter (Vanessa Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.

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Sources: IMDB, ComingSoon.net, Filmonic, IWatchStuff, guardian.co.uk

COMING SOON: The Hunger Games (2012)

Movie Info:
Release Date: March 23, 2012 
Genre: Action/Drama/Sci-Fi

Cast:

Jennifer Lawrence ... Katniss Everdeen
Liam Hemsworth ... Gale Hawthorne
Josh Hutcherson ... Peeta Mellark
Elizabeth Banks ... Effie Trinket
Woody Harrelson ... Haymitch Abernathy
Stanley Tucci         ... Caesar Flickerman
Alexander Ludwig ... Cato
Isabelle Fuhrman ... Clove
Willow Shields   ... Primrose Everdeen
Donald Sutherland ... President Snow

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

"The Hunger Games" is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins' best-selling novel, the first in a trilogy published by Scholastic that has over 16 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following.

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Sources: ComingSoon.net, IMDB

MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS – Character Banners Released!

Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel Studios have revealed these new banners for Marvel's The Avengers, written and directed by Joss Whedon.

Marvel Studios presents MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS—the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow… and we have the new character banners from the film below!

Click to see bigger version of the banner.

Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel's The Avengers is the superhero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as SHIELD, finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, watch the first and much anticipated trailer for MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS to be release on May 4, where the superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.

In “Marvel’s The Avengers,” superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS assemble in summer 2012.

For more info:

Official Website: avengers.marvel.com

COMING SOON: Wrath of the Titans (2012). Clash of the Titans 3 Moves Forward at Warner Bros.

Movie Info: 
Release Date: March 30, 2012
Genre: Action

Cast:
Liam Neeson ...  Zeus
Sam Worthington ...  Perseus
Ralph Fiennes  ...  Hades
Bill Nighy  ...  Hephaestus
Rosamund Pike ... Andromeda

Wrath of the Titans is an upcoming fantasy film and sequel to the 2010 film, Clash of the Titans. The film stars Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Danny Huston, Édgar Ramírez, Bill Nighy, Toby Kebbell and Rosamund Pike with Jonathan Liebesman directing a screenplay by Dan Mazeau, David Leslie Johnson and Steven Knight. The film is scheduled for a March 30, 2012 release in 3D and IMAX 3D.

A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year-old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld.

Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus's godly son, Ares (Édgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans' strength grows stronger as Zeus's remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon's demigod son, Agenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

Warner Bros. has hired Wrath of the Titans writers Dan Mazeau and David Johnson to write Clash of the Titans 3 just months before Wrath of the Titans hits theaters on March 30, 2012.

Dan Mazeau and David Johnson wrote Wrath of the Titans with Steven Knight, and shared a story credit with Greg Berlanti. Little is known about the story of Clash of the Titans 3, although insiders claim Toby Kebbell's Agenor, a sidekick to Sam Worthington's Perseus in Wrath of the Titans, may figure in heavily to the Clash of the Titans 3 story.

It is also believed that Wrath of the Titans director Jonathan Liebesman and producers Basil Iwanyk and Polly Cohen Johnsen will return for Clash of the Titans 3, although no deals have been worked out quite yet.

Clash of the Titans 3 comes to theaters in 2013.

COMING SOON: Underworld: Awakening (2012)

Movie Info:
Release Date: 20 January 2012
Genre: Action/Fantasy/Horror

Cast:
Kate Beckinsale ...  Selene
Scott Speedman ...  Michael Corvin
India Eisley  ...  Eve
Stephen Rea  ...  Jacob

When human forces discover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan clans, a war to eradicate both species commences. The vampire warrioress Selene leads the battle against humankind. "Underworld Awakening" brings a stunning new dimension to the epic battle between Vampires and Lycans, as the first film in the franchise to shoot in 3D.

Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two films, returns in her lead role as the vampire warrioress Selene, who escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. -- (C) Official Site

Kate Beckinsale returns on January 20th as our heroine, Selene. The franchise has a pretty well established fanbase and admittedly, I know a lot of people that are eagerly awaiting this one. For me personally, I’ll be honest, I’m kind of eager as well. Yet again, we get to see Kate in black latex, flashing her fangs at werewolves and throwing a lot of sharp instruments. In 3-D. Plan on a lot of slow-motion sequences.

Selene looks as sexy as ever, the stylized fighting is back and the excessive slow-mo looks to make a return as well. Really, this is just more of the same but when it comes to the Underworld series, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think.

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COMING SOON: The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

Movie Info:

Release Date: December 21 2011.
Length: 107 min
Genre: Animation/Action/Adventure

Cast:
Daniel Craig  ...  Ivanovich Sakharine
Jamie Bell  ...  Tintin
Andy Serkis  ...  Captain Haddock
Simon Pegg  ...  Inspector Thompson
Nick Frost  ...  Thomson
Toby Jones  ...  Silk

Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures Present a 3D Motion Capture Film The Adventures of Tintin directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Steven Moffat and Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish. Starring Jamie Bell as Tintin, the intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure, and Daniel Craig as the nefarious Red Rackham. -- (C) Official Site

Played by Jamie Bell, Tintin is an investigative journalist with a keen eye for adventure and the truth. Upon purchasing a model ship, Tintin becomes intertwined in a chase for one of the most sought out treasures known to man. His dangerous but adventure-filled journey takes him across the deserts and the sea (excuse the adventurous pun).

Finally he meets the seafaring, liqour-loving Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) who helps him solve the mystery… and find the treasure trove…Of course all along danger threatens in the form of the evil Sakharine (Daniel Craig) who is hellbent on getting the boat and wreaking his ancestral vengeance against the Haddocks.

Jamie Bell fits into the role of Tintin with ease, not just for his ginger quiff but journalistic appetite too. Serkis, who plays Haddock amuses with his alcohol-wrought bipolar excesses and colorful cuss words. Craig is menacing as Sakharine, whose role assumes more significance in the film.

The Adventures of Tintin is Spielberg’s first animated film and he has beautifully captured the dynamism of Belgian artist Herge’s works. He has quite literally ‘breathed life’ to Herge’s characters, and to say in Spielberg’s own words, “This was the ‘best way to honor Herge.”

The only way to truly honor Herge’s work was to make this an animated film, but to truly bring Tintin to life it needed to be shot using motion-capture technology. Motion-capture technology has been taking a beating for its characters who lack depth and emotion, but none of that appeared in The Adventures of Tintin.

Moreover, some of the scenes in the film wouldn’t work if shot in live action or traditional animation. Take Tintin’s ever faithful terrier Snowy for instance. While a well-trained dog could do many things, a well-trained dog is also very limited and most likely could not perform the over the top stunts that Snowy pulled off in this film. Thus using the motion capture technology was completely necessary and it created for some more comical and exciting scenes.

The animation looks breathtakingly beautiful on 3D on the big screen. With this, Spielberg has successfully reached out to a wider audience.

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Critic Reviews:

"It has a light touch, a brisk pace and considerable charm, perfect family fare for casual viewers." - Jill Lawless. Associated Press

"Spielberg has fashioned a whiz-bang thrill ride that's largely faithful to the wholesome spirit of his source but still appealing to younger, Tintin-challenged auds."

- Leslie Felperin. Variety

"For the first time since Avatar, The Adventures of Tintin is an attention-grabbing, fully-immersive, high-action 3D film which you should be able to watch without fear of a headache."

- Graham Young. Birmingham Post

"Serving up a good ol' fashioned adventure flick that harkens back to the filmmaker's action-packed, tongue-in-cheek swashbucklers of the 1980s, Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is a visually dazzling adaptation."

- Jordan Mintzer. Hollywood Reporter

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