Johnny Depp as the Riddler?

I hear that there is a rumour on the web that Johnny Depp is being considered for the role of the Riddler in the upcoming 3rd installment of Batman (the sequel to Dark Knight and Batman Begins)

It's mearly a rumour at the moment, and not at all certain; but I'm a Depp fan, so would be really pleased with whatever film he lands next! (I'm still hoping he will be in the Hobbit)

source

Keep checking back for more developements on this film!

The Dark Knight- final review!

Why so serious?

A few days ago I wrote a rather controversial review on The Dark Knight. I said I'd like to watch it one more time before I gave my final review... I have watched it again!

I've decided I'm going to change the name: from now on it will be called "The Joker", I decided it was more his film than Batman's, and looking at it from that point of view, I could see the picture as very touching, The joker is a really sad charcter, and really has quite a bit of feeling attached to him!

So in reality, I still love the joker, but hate Batman in this film!

The second watch was certainly useful, as I started to understand the story a lot better... there seems to be far too much to take in on one viewing. So I'd certainly recommend to all you out there, that you go and see this film for the second time.

I thouroughly enjoyed this film, but I can't quite rate it as a classic. still looking forward to the third film!

Movie rating: 9/10 (mostly for The Joker!)

New Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince trailer

guess what there is a new trailer for the 6th installment of Harry Potter!

view here:

Back to the Future Trilogy (1989)

I am sending you Back to the Future!

Believe it or not, I had never seen these films before... until last night.





I must have been lost in the jungle while all the hype of Back to the Future was going on... don't know where I missed it...

So a part of me that was previously empty is now satisfied... 1 great film, previosly unwatched, now watched.

I watched all three films of the trilogy in 1 night, to enhance the experience. And it truly was an experience.





My first worry was that I would not get the 80s idea of a great film, (being a man of this centry) but I could really feel one with this film.





To my surprise all three film blended in perfectly with each other, and the visuals were just as impressive in today's terms as they were 20 years ago.





Need I say any more? surely you are all going to think I am some kind of alien for having never seen these films, but I think I can bear that. 1 more classic added to my "viewed" list!



Well directed by Zemeckis (I think Beowulf was a really good film too), and well scored by Alan Silvestri.

Movie rating 9/10





coming soon: The Dark Knight re-reviewed!

Golden compass 2

Missed Golden Compass? Did you think it was a good movie?

Well I've got news for you. Recently writer Bill Pullman talked with the Oxford Mail, and seemed quite certain that Warner Brothers were considering adapting his second book of the Trilogy.

read here: http://www.hisdarkmaterials.org/news/the-golden-compass/high-hopes-for-the-golden-compass-sequel

Personally I'm quite excited, though I think the first film could have been conducted differently. But all-in-all I think the first film was a success and deserved a bit more recognision!

If they can get a good director for the second film, and stress the fact that it promotes religious freedom, I think they could really pull off a huge blockbuster!

Go for it!

What do you think? please comment below!

Coraline Pictures

In 2009 Henry Selick (who brought us the Nightmare Before Christmas) will again bring us an extraordinary film. Based of Neil Gaiman's book, Coraline will be a stop-motion picture that will be an experience not to be missed.

The Story will follow a young girl, played by Dakota Fanning, who discovers that there are fantasy worlds unlike our own.

Any fantasy/horror fans must not miss this film. I will write more as time goes on, so keep checking back!

But for now I have found a site that will give you a couple pictures of the puppets used to make the film: have a look here!

The Dark Knight

"And here we go!"

The Dark Knight

I went to see this last night and first impressions were... Heath Ledger is superb!
Heath Ledger plays the villainous Joker with so much effort put into this great character, I will rate him the best Villain since Hannibal Lecter! Absolutely superb!

Music didn't let us down either, as ever James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer brought us a superb soundtrack as we all expected after seeing a superb trailer!

Cast was quite well picked too.

The only problem I found with the film was that... Director Christopher Nolan created a wonderful setting for a film, but as far as I could see, NO FILM CAME... what was to point in the film? Have I missed the point of the film? [spoiler! Highlight to view] The climax seemed just to be Batman saving a family from dying... surely they could have had a better climax, most superheroes save the world, or save a girl they love or something... where was the climax? [End spoiler]

As it goes I am thinking the first film was much better, though Heath Ledger makes a flawed movie into a gem- a movie that you cannot miss...

One other thing that bothered me about this film: [spoiler! Highlight to view] Nolan seemed to kill off one of his major characters early in the film: Rachel, there was no time for tears for an old friend from Batman Begins. I would have liked Nolan to have given more respect to a main character! [End spoiler]

Well anyway, I have a feeling that I have missed something very important in this film and will reserve judgment until I have a second watch of this film. But as it stands:

GREAT performance from Heath Ledger!

Wonderful musical score!

Story line didn't seem to develop... (though there seemed to be so much potential!)



Parental Guidance?


please tell me what you think! I'd love to hear your views!

Wolverine teaser trailer!

New teaser trailer for the new X-Men prequel: Wolverine!

watch on You-Tube

Is there going to be sequel to the Dark Knight?

What do you all think.... I really think that Nolan could pull off another sequel, though I haven't seen The Dark Knight yet, so I will have to reserve judgement.

Dark Knight releases in the UK tomorrow, so go ahead and book your cinema tickets!

Will there be a 3rd film to complete a trilogy?

Read here and see what you think!

The Orphanage

The Orphanage has recently come out on DVD in the UK and is currently available in the USA, so I once again want to draw my readers' attentions to this true masterpiece.

Rated by most reviews 5 stars ***** and by the rest 4 stars **** this film is the second Pan's Labyrinth (horror version) and should certainly not be missed!

Like Pan's Labyrinth, The Orphanage is very pictorally thought provoking, and has certainly hit the mark again!

Produced by Guillermo Del Toro and directed by JA Bayona. Starring Belen Rueda and Geraldine Chaplain.

Often rated as one of the most scary films ever, this is a great film for Horror fans, but at the same time it is really thought provoking!

Watch it!

Movie Rating: 10/10 (there's only about 7 films in my estimation that should ever get 10/10)

Iron Man Sequel!

Looks like Marvel are on their way to a great Iron Man sequel! read what I found:

The other night, I went to the Pauley Pavilion at UCLA to watch a tribute to the Who (Pearl Jam, by the way, was amazing) and who should be sitting just a few seats down? Jon Favreau, the director of the summer's sleekest joy ride, "Iron Man." I spent some time on the set and then at Favreau's office in the weeks before the film's release, so the filmmaker stopped in the aisle after the show to chat. I even snapped a picture of him with a fan who handed me his camera. (Knowing that Favreau is a bit weary with strangers who bellow lines from "Swingers" when they meet him, I quietly advised the guy not to shout 'Money!' when the flash went off.)

As we were headed for the exit, I told Favreau that everyone is hoping he and Marvel Studios have sorted out the oddly protracted discussions about the "Iron Man" sequel. After the box-office totals and the reviews praising Favreau, it seemed like Marvel would be jumping at the chance to lock in the director. I get the feeling there was some issue beyond money involved, but I can't back up that theory when any real facts. Anyway, Favreau smiled when I badgered him about the status of the sequel. "You'll hear something soon." He and I then traded a few friendly text messages over the next couple of days, but (at this point) I can't tell you anything beyond that. I can tell you that "Iron Man" fans will be smiling soon too.

After the jump, you can find The Times story I wrote on Favreau back in May. The biggest surprise? How Dungeons & Dragons helped shape him as a filmmaker.

-- Geoff Boucher

Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2008/07/favreau-on-iron.html

I can't wait to see what they've got in stock!

Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3D

I recently watched my first ever 3D film: Journey To The Center of The Earth!

It was excellent.

The movie is created by the company that brought us The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Center of The Earth certainly follows in it's visual magic!

The 3D experiance was unmatchable, and I'd certainly recommend you to see this film at a 3D cinema if you can find one in your area. You should be able to get hold of tickets for this week, but soon it won't be shown anymore, so don't miss out on the opportunity.

Starring Brenden Fraser (from The Mummy) and Josh Hutcherson, they will have a magical adventure to the center of the earth, where we will see dinosaurs and all kinds of fantasic creatures, following the magical world created by Jules Verne!

Don't miss it!

Movie Rating 9/10

(P.S. The Mummy 3 will be arriving in cinemas soon too!)

WALL-E is not Johnny 5!

I hear a of people have been calling Pixar's WALL-E a remake of Johnny 5 (Short Circuit). NO

WALL-E is an original piece of art, the story line is completely different from Short Circuit, but perhaps the main characters have a similar appearance. Sweeney Todd looks like Edward Scissorhands, does that mean it's a remake? NO

Now get a bit of sense into your thick heads! The story is totally different! Or can you still tel me otherwise?...

WALL-E has better graphics then any other film has ever had, beautifully describing a post apocalyptic USA city. What film can do that better?

I admit the story line could have been a bit stronger, but it's certainly a torching film.

A film for all the family, there should be nothing to offend!

some really funny moments.

I'd love to hear your comments below!

Movie Rating: 8.75/10

2 new movies to watch at the cinema!

The Dark Knight is now available to watch in cinemas in the USA and will come out next week in the UK. This is the much awaited sequel to Batman Begins and Warner Brothers has really pumped some big money into this film! Don't miss it!

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, will soon come out in the USA and will be available next month in the UK. On a much grander scale than the first Hellboy, our red demon much fight a huge aray of evil fantasy creatures, in his fight for the good guys! Spectacular movie spectacular colours! don't miss it.

Wait for reviews out on my blog soon!

MirrorMask

MirrorMask is a little known film, which should be much wider known!

A fantasy film by established author Neil Gaiman, this is fantasy for the hard core, even filmed in a weired way.

Made in asociation with the Henson Company and utilising Henson's creature shop, this is no ordinary film. A true original!

Film Rating: 8.5/10

Wind in the Willows

Really interesting interview with Guillermo Del Toro (if you are interested):
here

One interesting thing I read was that Del Toro has writtten a script adaptation of Wind in the Willows, and intends to offer to another director, to start production in the coming year... sounds very interesting, I loved the story of Wind in the Willows when I was younger, and still look on it as a great work of art.

So best of luck for Del Toro in his upcoming projects!

Mamma Mia

Based on the Broadway hit musical, Mamma Mia has some really beautiful tunes.

The story follows a girl named Sophie who is about to get married, but she doesn't know her father, she reads her mother's diary, and finds out there are 3 possible fathers, so she invites them all to the wedding... and... there's confusion.

There are some really funny moments, and strong music which really provoked a great atmosphere in the cinema.

If you have a chance see this at the cinema, it will be much better than watching it on a DVD, the crowd spirit is great!

A sure favorite for any musicals fans, and worth a watch for someone not into musicals (I enjoyed it, and I don't really care much for musicals)

A brilliant cast including Meryl Streep, Pierce Bronson, and Colin Firth!

Movie Rating: 8/10

The Forbidden Kingdom

Jet Li vs Jackie Chan = The Forbidden Kingdom.

Set out as a traditional fairy tale, it is a great mixture of traditional fantasy and american Hollywood. The story is seen through the eyes of an American boy, who has an interest in Kung Fu, and is immediately caught up in a traditional tale, which transports him to ancient China, where he is the profesied one to restore the Staff to the legendary Monkey king, and restore the balence to the chinese empire.

The colours are brilliant and it's an exeptionally brilliant film. It is great to see Jet Li and Jackie Chan in the same movie.

A great film for both chinese lovers and Hollywood lovers, the bridge between!

Very good Kung Fu action too!

Movie Rating: 9/10

Kung Fu Panda

"There are no accidents"

Excellent and delightful, Kung Fu Panda is a great film for all the family.

Kung Fu Panda vigorously follows the Chinese principle that there is no such thing as an accident, that fate will choose the right person for the right job, and fate chose this one fat panda to be the dragon warrior has fate failed them?...

Animation and Chinese tradition elegantly infused together, Kung Fu Panda has created a true original, mixing emotions and humor in a captivating way.

With an excellent cast: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan; and a great musical score with hints of a Chinese theme by Hans Zimmer, this is a sure recommend!

movie rating: 9.25/10

Saturn and The End Of Days

This is a proposed film to be directed by Del Toro. The film has been mentioned to be complete in 2011, though that will be the time that he is working on The Hobbit, so most likely will be done 2013, unless he gives it to another director...

The story follows a young boy, as he walks home the end of the World starts, The Apocalypse. Expected to be an extremely experimental film, this will certainly satisfy the more adventurous of Del Toro's fans!

Hellboy 3 is also expected to be about the apocaplypse, so it looks like Del Toro is trying to prepare us for the day that the world is destroyed! Not very often done in films, so will be quite a unique experience. So don't miss out on all the news I will post about it in the future.

more to come.

Alice in Wonderland: Alice Cast?

Acclaimed gothic fantasy director Tim Burton, is currently working on his movie adaption of Alice in Wonderland, working for Disney. The movie is due for a 2010 release and is expected to be a certain blockbuster... keep your eyes open for this one!

It has been rumoured that Ryan Nicole Parker has been cast as Alice. Isn't she a bit too old?

I think the role should be passed on to either Dakota Fanning or Jodelle Ferland... what do you think?

source

Wanna get credited in the new Hobbit Movie?

Well here's your chance:

The official Lord Of The Rings fans may have their names intserted in the closing credits of the Hobbit as they were in The Lord of The Ring... Why not join the official fan club:

http://lotrfanmb.com/

source: http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/07/08/fans-will-have-a-good-chance-to-be-in-the-hobbit/

Also an interesting read on the Hobbit: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-07-07-del-toro-hellboy_N.htm

Controversial Discussion: the latter Star Wars trilogy is better than the earlier

Which Star Wars trilogy is better, episodes 4-6 (starting with A New Hope) or the newer episodes 1-3?

I think the new trilogy is a lot better than the old ones, though this is a much debated subject.

The newer trilogy is highlighted by first class graphics, which are rather outdated in the old trilogy, which seems to detract from the enjoyability of the first trilogy.

The newer trilogy also holds an A-Class cast, which seems more suited to their possitions than the old trilogy had. Natalie Portman acts more like a princess heroine than Carrie Fisher did.

The newer trilogy also seems to hold a more emotional value than the first trilogy did, and also holds more dramatic tension than the first series did, as is highlighted by the superb pod-race in Episode I.

There are more interesting characters in the newer series such as Jar-Jar binks and the gun-guns which, I think, adds a lot more character to the movies.

Please tell me your views!

Voyage of the Dawn Treader composer David Arnold

According to IMDB it seems as if composer Harry Greggson-Williams has been replaced by David Arnold in the Prince Caspian sequel: Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

David Arnold has worked with director Michael Apted before on Amazing Grace. And has also recently composed the score for the soon-to-come-out Quantum of Solace, the new James Bond movie.

To Hell and Back with Guillermo del Toro July 7, 2008

Read this little artidle about Del Toro's experiences throughout his movie career:




Listening to director Guillermo del Toro always makes for a cool experience. Not only does he have a diverse background in cinema from his early days of making Super 8 movies as a kid, he has an inner vault of interesting stories hidden away about what life was life growing up in Mexico. Now about to take center stage in the film world with his second Hellboy movie, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Guillermo del Toro is tapping into his past and his familiarity with dark material and life events to draw fans into his own unique world as a filmmaker. While doing press this week for Hellboy II: The Golden Army before he heads to The Hobbit, del Toro talked about his dark inspirations in Mexico, seeing monsters in his dreams, having lunch at a local cemetery, his approach to making movies, and how he found his way to J.R.R. Tolkien and The Hobbit.

Guillermo del Toro on growing up as a kid in Mexico:

"Well, I was born and my family is middle class. My father is, or was, a car dealer, a car salesman. He had his own cars and sold them. My mother was married to my dad, she didn’t have a career, she was a housewife. I grew up in a city, which is the second city in Mexico. But much like in Italy there’s only Rome, in Mexico there’s only Mexico City. So I was born in Palermo, you know, another place. I was educated all of my life in Jesuit school, but a lot of my childhood I grew up living with my grandmother, who was a very strict Catholic. Black, like Sicilian, dressed in black from head to toe, tight in the hair, very dry face. And she always educated me to be afraid of sin and the flames of hell and we went to church every day and prayed to the Rosary and all of that. I grew up and, from the earliest of my childhood, I was obsessed with monsters. I saw monsters in my dreams and I saw monsters in my imagination and I really became fascinated by them.

"As I grew older, I was very thin, pale, and blond. Being that way in Mexico, where the kids are darker hair, darker skin, and tougher, I had to get into a lot of fistfights as a kid. So I became fat, I ate more, and I became fat so I could beat the other kids, and I started fighting back. And I fought back many, many years and I fought back verbally and I became the kid that told stories to the other kids. So I would tell stories and they would laugh and be entertained and I became a storyteller. I used to draw, write notes, I would read my stories to the kids. I would show them my drawings, they would be entertained, and I slowly became that for many years. As a teenager, I had I think semi-normal teenage years - drinking, getting into fights, looking for girls, you know. But at the same time during my first twenty years of life, I was exposed to death and violence. For whatever reason, I was witnessing people being murdered or people crashing into trees and burning to death. I worked as a volunteer in a mental hospital and it was next to a cemetery and next to a morgue and I became friendly with the embalmers and I would have lunch at the cemetery. It was a very quiet place. All of those years formed - I was a very curious mind and am a very curious mind. I read all of the time and I read all of the time. I read books about clock work and machines and biology and art, literature and all of that, and comic books and TV and monster movies. All of those things find their way into what I do."
Guillermo del Toro on when he first realized making movies could be a way to make a living:
"Well, I was doing Super 8 films since I was eight, but they were very bad. They were little horrible Super 8 films. Then, at the age of 15 to 16, somebody in an art gallery said - I had a video camera and they said, ‘Could you do a documentary about the gallery?’ And they paid me and it was my first money. But I was already doing films for no money."

On how he got access to all of his favorite movies in Palermo:

"I was fortunate enough that every year, every year in the summer, we would come to L.A. We would come to Disneyland and I would go to the comic book shops and the video stores and whatever, and I would go back with two suitcases full of stuff. So I became exposed to Mario Bava through that and I was also a film projectionist for about five years and some of the movies we projected were Mario Bava’s and some of his movies played on TV."

del Toro on the start of his writing career:

"I started three years of screenplay writing with a very good teacher in Mexico. His name is Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, he’s one of the greats from the '70s. He’s a fantastic filmmaker and a very good screenplay writer and I started that and with Dick Smith. After high school I didn’t go to university. I didn’t want to because the only career in university was what is called communications and you went to radio, TV, and cinema. And I said, ‘F*ck radio, f*ck TV, I just want to make movies.’ So I said I’d rather be employed. I was a boom operator, a sound assistant, a first assistant director, I was in charge of production. I worked in twenty movies before directing. The first movie was with Jaime Humberto Hermosillo. It was called The Heart of the Night (El Corazón de la noche) and I was a P.A. uncredited. I drove the actors around. I did the stunts. I did anything that was needed."

On Hellboy and whether he throws stuff at the wall while filming to see what sticks:

"No, I throw very specific shit. I throw very specific shit to a very specific point on the wall, because I do imagine the movie completely as much as possible in my head. I think that production designers and art directors with me must suffer a lot. Or, in fact, they suffer a lot because I really micro-manage in a bad way. Perhaps I micro-manage everything? It is a matter of just being on top of them all of the time. I essentially have my office next to their office and they come in every day and every day I have to go there and tell them. And I get really angry and frustrated when things aren’t done the way they should be in the art direction. I’m much easier with the creature guys, because the creature guys - I only hire the people that I fully admire and I am not a very good sculptor. I’m okay, I’m not very good and these guys are exceptional. But I think that at the end of the day, I think the production designer is the hardest. When I find people I trust, I don’t question them again. Like Guillermo Navarro, my cinematographer, I don’t ever question him and he never questions me, we are just good friends."

del Toro on meeting his wife, Lorenza:

"[laughs] I was pretty active in my teenage years. Those were the only years of my life when I had a six-pack, because I was thin and playing football and I wanted to date as many girls as I could. But then my wife was with me in high school, she was sitting next to me, and I fell completely in love with her from the first day. It’s been twenty-one years married, twenty six years together. And when I see her today, I see her absolutely beautiful. She was sitting next to me and she had not been to school for a few days on the first few days of school, so when they called her name I said, ‘She’s not here.’ And she turned to me, ‘I’m here.’ And I immediately fell in love. That night, the night I met her, that very night I dreamt of her and I dreamt of her for many weeks. I completely fell in love and I used to be an insomniac. I couldn’t sleep. And when I met my wife, I started going to sleep to keep seeing her. We started talking and she was reading some science fiction books that I’ve read, and horror books that I’ve read, and I fell in love with her. I still think she is the most beautiful soul I have ever met."

On telling his kids bedtime stories:

"I used to very much. It’s been a year and a half since I did it every night, but I used to do it every night. Now I’m too tired. But I’m going to go back to do it because they love my stories and I love telling them the stories. We used to tell stories about princes and princesses and monsters and dragons and towers, beautiful stuff, and I want to go back to it."

Guillermo del Toro on reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s books and The Hobbit:

"You know, curiously enough, I only read The Hobbit when I was eleven because I bought the books of The Lord of the Rings. But I could not read them when I was eleven, I found them to be too dense. But The Hobbit I could get through and I was in love with it when I read it. That was the only one I could finish, the other stuff I didn’t think about for many years. And then when Peter [Jackson] called me, I said, ‘Of course I’ll do it.’ Now I’ve read all of them and still the one I love is The Hobbit. I think the beauty of the book is that it reflects a generation of young Englishmen who went to war in WWI and they discovered brutality and death and greed, and that’s the journey Bilbo the character goes through. He lives in a perfect corner of the world and he’s called upon to an adventure and he discovers that the world is a wider, nastier, less safe place, which I think speaks volumes about that generation."


source: http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/104753/guillermodeltoro_interview.php


He used to make up fantasy bedtime storyies for his kids, could you guess?

Voyage of the Dawn Treader filming locations

Following the success of Prince Caspian, Walden Media have taken it upon themselves to make a third Narnia movie based on C S Lewis's book "The Voyage of The Dawn Treader"

Here is a little article telling about where the film will be mostly shot:


"As you can imagine, the next film in the Narnia series, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, will require quite a bit of ship-side filming... and so, much of the film will be filmed at the Baja production site where Titanic was filmed.

"In fact, the plan is to make Baja the home base for the production, and then do a few location shots in Australia, and perhaps New Zealand.

"Michael Apted will be directing, with filming due to start in January 2009 for a May 2010 release."

source: http://www.thestonetable.com/articles/413,1.html


The film is based on the water so will need to be shot in a more exotic setting.

Current Team and Cast expected Lineup for The Hobbit

Here is a list of the people expected on the production team of The Hobbit, and of the expected Actors. I thought it would be useful for everyone to see it all in an easy to read format!

Guillermo Del Toro - director, script
Peter Jackson - producer, script
Fran Walsh - script
Philippa Boyens - script
Howard Shore - music
John Howe - conceptual design
Alan Lee - conceptual design

Acting

Sir Ian McKellen - Gandalf
Viggo Mortensen - Aragorn
Cate Blanchett - Galadriel
Orlando Bloom - Legolas
Christopher Lee - Sauraman
Sir Ian Holm - Narration (?)
Liv Tyler - Arwen
Andy Serkis - Gollum

It is also to be expected that Doug Jones and Ron Perlman will act in this film, but who they will play is uncertain as yet.

Please tell me if I have missed someone.

Hancock

Out now in cinemas!

Staring Will Smith

The new superhero movie out for Independence Day.

Directed by Peter Berg , this movie has a bit for everyone to enjoy, a certain blockbuster.

It follows the story of a drunken superhero named Hancock (Smith) who does his best to do what all superheroes do: save the world. But Hancock is so influenced by alcohol that he makes a lot of mistakes, which end up meaning that he causes more trouble than he bargains for...

Yes, it has a very funny slant to the movie, yet you will find the emotional touch still there. A great movie, well worth the watch!

As far as graphics go, it is all mediocre, but gets the job done.

Very little violence, no sex. The film contains a variety of colorful phrases, but no strong language.

movie rating: 8.5/10

Del Toro: 'The Hobbit 2' Faces Legal Monster

As you may already know, The Hobbit film was originally meant to be made into two films, one would be the actual story line of the book, the second would be made to bridge the gap between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but here it looks like there's yet another legal hurdle concerning material for the second film.

Read this little exerpt that I found:


"Email this storyBy MARX PYLESource: SciFi WireJul-02-2008


"The legal battles surrounding the world of "The Hobbit" continues ...
Director Guillermo del Toro ("Hellboy," "Pan's Labyrinth") told SciFi Wire about his plans for directing two Lord of the Rings prequel films. The first will be based solely on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit." The second film will act as a bridge by focusing on events hinted at in the books that led up to Lord of the Rings.

"But copyright restrictions limit del Toro to only "The Hobbit" and the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings. That means "The Silmarillion," completed by Tokien's son, which offers backstory and mythology, plus any other Tolkien writings, are off limits.

"But del Toro said optimistically, "There is enough ... narrative abridgement and some other pieces of narrative and suggestions and appendix notes and this and that to guide and create something that will not infringe anything else. But it's too early for me to swear by it. I think that that's the real creative endeavor on the second film."

"Defiantly, del Toro plans on reading all "Lord of the Rings" material out there whether he can us it or not. He feels that it is better ... "Not to know it and use it, but to know it and not step on those things." "


read full story at: http://www.syfyportal.com/news425177.html

In The Name Of The King

This is the latest film by the actor, Ron Perlman, staring alongside Jason Stratham and John Rhys-Davies.

This follow the fantasy epic genre started by Lord of the Rings.

It follows "Farmer" (Stratham) as he battles an evil wizzard, who has summoned an army to usurp the kingdom, it is up to Farmer and a few of his friends to stop this devilry and restore the kingdom.

Based on the video game "Dungeon Siege".

The film was a great experience, and had great choreography, though it lacked a bit of the emotional attatchment to a few of the main characters, but certainly well worth the watch!

There is no sex and no bad language, movie is rated for fantasy violance.

Movie rating 8.5/10

out now on DVD

Welcome

Welcome to Shaka Movies.

Here I will review both new and old movies, and will keep you all up-to-date on what movies will be coming out.

There will be reviews about an actor or actress's acting skills and the movies they are in.

And I will keep you up-to-date on major movie news, including Hobbit talk.

once again: Welcome to this new movies blog!