“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was a $480 million worldwide hit, but buzz-averse distributor 20th Century Fox rolled out the movie in early August with a blitz of TV advertising but otherwise so little fanfare (as per their usual operating procedure, screenings for critics were “opt-in,” and additionally hush-hush) that a lot of more savvy filmgoers who perhaps look to advance reviews and feature coverage peeks as signs of studio confidence in the marketplace thought the movie was a brainless dud. Far from it, actually. Director Rupert Wyatt’s reboot of Tim Burton’s reboot of Fox’s second most well known franchise property (not counting “Star Wars,” which they don’t own)…

Madchen Amick, Christopher Plummer, and Brad Dourif have all been announced as part of the cast of director Scott Stewart’s “Priest”, the live-action adaptation of the hit Korean manga starring Paul Bettany. Stewart has not revealed what their roles in the film would be. Set for release August 13th, 2010, “Priest” is set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by centuries of war between humanity and vampires. A warrior priest (Bettany) abandons his duties as to team up with a few brave souls to track down a roaming band of murderous vampires who have killed his remaining family and kidnapped his niece. Cam Gigandet (“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse), Maggie Q, Karl…