While Ben Affleck is likely reveling in “Argo’s” success and the team behind “Fruitvale” is celebrating the film’s big win and sale at Sundance, I’d like to bet J.J. Abrams is sweating a bit. Snagging the gig to direct “Star Wars Episode VII” is quite the vote of confidence from Lucasfilm, but if Abrams is going to continue the franchise and do it right, he’s got quite the challenge ahead of him. Kate Winslet’s interest in “Divergent” likely means Summit has the project on the right track while James Wan readies his next haunted house chiller by adding Frank Grillo and Maria Bello to the roster. Meanwhile the casting rumor  [ Read More ]

It really is the most wonderful time of year. We kick off the month of December with a Movie News Cheat Sheet packed with only positive and happy news! “Les Misérables” fans will be thrilled with the group of clips that just hit the net, showing off tunes sung by Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and more. The Hugh Jackman support continues with news that he could bring Wolverine to the “X-Men: First Class” sequel, “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” With awards season and the Sundance Film Festival on the horizon, it’s all love and praise for the best of the best independent filmmakers have to offer, “Silver Linings Playbook” with  [ Read More ]

This Movie News Cheat Sheet may be lacking in the horror department, but we’ve still got some dinosaurs, superheroes and spies to spice up your Halloween workweek. There’s lots going on in the X-Men realm, Matthew Vaughn declining the opportunity to direct the “X-Men: First Class” sequel and James Mangold revealing key plot details of “The Wolverine.” Over in James Bond territory, it’s been confirmed that John Logan will return to pen the 24th and 25th films while Ryan Gosling is opting out of the business of Sandmen and Runners, backing out of the remake of “Logan’s Run.” Read on for the details of all of those stories and many  [ Read More ]

The Hunger Games continues to make headlines. Not only did it have a commendable third weekend at the box office, but its star, Jennifer Lawrence, is now free and clear to shoot the sequel, Catching Fire. Director Gary Ross, on the other hand, is bowing out of the franchise. Naturally, we’ve got even more sequel news to report, The Mummy getting the reboot treatment courtesy of Universal Pictures and The Woman in Black 2, The Woman in Black: Angels of Death, moving into development. But that doesn’t mean we’re devoid of original material this week. In fact, Animal Kingdom director David Michod is finally ready to move forward with a  [ Read More ]

The majority of movie-goers and fanboys alike were impressed by the film “X-Men: First Class.” The film elevated the “X-Men” movie franchise and set a new level for comic book movies. I’m sure fans were awaiting the news of the “X-Men” sequel, and, thanks to filmschoolrejects.com, we now have some news concerning the director and the screenwriter. According to the site via Deadline, “First Class” director Matthew Vaughn has signed on to direct the sequel, something I’m sure everyone’s glad for. Also back is Bryan Singer, who will take up the mantle again as producer. The script will be written by Simon Kinberg, who has also written scripts for “Jumper,”  [ Read More ]

It had to be done. Personally, there seems to be an over-saturation of these lists every year (Best of this, what will be the best in 2012, blah, blah, blah). Although yours truly tried to think of angles to attack the act, or stigma, of top ten lists, I guess this time of year, they actually do serve a purpose. Plus, with this year in particular, many lists will vary – as we’ve already seen – within the critical mass. So, if people were to ask – and they have – what 2011 movies I were to endorse? Here’s 15 flicks that thoroughly entertained this guy. And as an added  [ Read More ]

We here at ShockYa are giving your our top 10 movies of 2011, so I shall keep the series going with my top 10. A lot of films that I wanted to put in this list didn’t make the cut (like “The Help,” a film that I feel is a lot better than some critics give it credit for), but I think the list I have to present to you is fairly strong. 1.“The Artist”: This film, starring Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo and John Goodman is probably going to be the winner of a ton of Academy Awards. Not only is it expertly made, but it’s the only silent film  [ Read More ]

Brent Simon, President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), announced the award winners for the LAFCA’s 2011 awards. The Best Picture of the Year honor was given to “The Descendants,” with the runner-up being “The Tree of Life”. According to the release, director Alexander Payne’s win for “The Descendants” represents his seventh award from LAFCA. He has also won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay (shared) for “Sideways,” and Best Picture and Best Screenplay (shared) for “About Schmidt.” He has also shared the New Generation award with writer Jim Taylor in 1999 for his work on “Election” and “Citizen Ruth.” “I think the diversity of the slate  [ Read More ]

Apologies for the Movie News Cheat Sheet‘s tardiness, but it was for the sake of Steven Spielberg and Giancarlo Esposito! Totally worth it, right? I’d like to think so, but this Cheat Sheet is packed with some pretty exciting material. Well, the idea of Scott Disick playing Patrick Bateman might not be the most thrilling tidbit in there, but we do have a new director for The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and a slew of posters from what should be some of the biggest movies of summer 2012. The trailer department is lacking courtesy of the one for What To Expect When You’re Expecting dropping just after the massive New Year’s  [ Read More ]

Looking for a little bit of everything? This week’s Movie News Cheat Sheet‘s got it. We’ve got the latest from New York Comic Con 2011 as well as the full list of Scream Awards winners. Then there’s the news of the famed Black List getting its own website with a new live feature offering a real-time list. Switching gears yet again, apparently a man was inspired to toss a hot dog at Tiger Woods while in the midst of a match by the movie Drive and, far more unfortunately, a group of extras took a tough tumble on the set of Resident Evil: Retribution. Then, of course, we’ve got some  [ Read More ]

It’s that time of year again – Comic Con comes to New York City! Naturally the Javits Center has been packed with just about everything from comic books to film studio booths, autograph sessions, diehard fans dressed as their favorite characters and so much more. Not in town to catch the action for yourself? Take a peek at what’s going down on the convention center floor courtesy of Shockya cam. By Perri Nemiroff

Over a decade ago, Bryan Singer’s adaptation of the “X-Men” comic book franchise gave the modern superhero genre a kick in the pants, seeding action thrills with deeper ethical conflicts, and laying the groundwork for both the grander commercial success (think “Spider-Man”) and some of the more artistic-minded noodling of a wide variety of genre followers (see also: Ang Lee’s “Hulk”). A prequel to the original trilogy, director Matthew Vaughn’s ”X-Men: First Class” is a slick piece of pop entertainment marked by smarter than average characterizations and some solid performances, and it confirms that mainstream Hollywood studio films can indeed – with some effort, and the oversight of a savvy producer – still  [ Read More ]

Every summer for the past couple of years we’ve been flooded with one comic book movie after another where our favorite fictional superheroes come to life on the big screen. Sure, we’re used to it by now but a lot of us have forgotten that “X-Men” was one of the first large superhero flicks that carved out the genre niche for other movies of that type to come. Mutant and proud indeed. It’s only been a mere couple of months since audiences were last exposed with the surprisingly great “X-Men: First Class,” a prequel to the beloved comic book franchise we’ve all been exposed to for the last decade. Despite  [ Read More ]

We may not like him too much, but plenty of us know who Scott Summers aka Cyclops is in the X-Men movie universe. Enough about the “goody two-shoes,” let’s talk about his brother Alex Summers aka Havoc. He hasn’t been portrayed on the big screen up until this point in Matthew Vaughn’s “X-Men: First Class.” Now we have him in the flesh, played by the blossoming young actor Lucas Till. He’s still a bit uncomfortable with what cards life has dealt him but he’s still doing the best he can with his abilities in the new prequel. Shortly after the Blu-ray presentation for “X-Men: First Class,” I got the great  [ Read More ]

If you’re ready to finally own “X-Men: First Class” on DVD and Blu-Ray, you can start your countdown clock now! “X-Men: First Class” will be available in stores September 9. Fans will be able to choose between two types of collectible packaging–one version featuring Professor X (James McAvoy) and another featuring Magneto (Michael Fassbender). Also, buyers of the Blu-Ray version will be able to receive access to over two hours of special interactive features as well as 10 Marvel “X-Men” Digital Comics, including a never-before-seen “X-Men: First Class” backstory. The comics are redeemable through the Blu-ray’s packaging code. The full list of special features include: 10 Marvel “X-Men” Digital Comics  [ Read More ]