When Will It Stop: Why Are All The Nerds On The Internet Hating On The Ant Man Trailer? - A CCD Rant by Mike D

As I sat in my favorite bar n Brooklyn, the Irish Haven, watching Agent Carter with a few of my customers that are nerds like me I began to get excited. As the first hour came to a close (on a pretty great show, cause you know its Marvel...) I was anticipating the premiere of the Ant Man trailer. But then they announced that there was another hour of Agent Carter coming. Wait... what? How did I miss this? It was a 2 hour premiere? Ok... 1 more hour to anticipate the trailer. Hour 2 of Agent Carter was even better, and boy oh boy it was 9:55 Pm and we were finally here. It started... and I was completely breathless for 90 seconds. Trying to take it all in, I didn't want to miss a thing. And as I turned to my friends at the bar, they seemed about as jazzed as I was. I couldn't wait till the next morning when it hit the 'Net and I could get a proper breakdown (like this great one from the Den of Geeks!) of the whole packed trailer screenshot by screenshot. So imagine my surprise when I saw a bunch of my friends (and fellow nerds) on FB bashing the 90 second trailer, and then found a majority of articles doing the same... WHAAAAATTTT??? I can understand why a non comic fan might not be excited, but what did all these (supposed) informed nerds watch to be so mad about? I felt a rant brewing, and after a few days I have to unleash....

More after the jump...

Japan Just Does It Better: Take A Look At This Hand-Drawn Big Hero 6 Trailer From The Land of the Rising Sun!!!

The Japanese get it... they just do. Disney decided to take a different approach with the marketing in Japan for Big Hero 6. So they went with a hand drawn animated trailer for the movie, and it is spectacular. I'm not gonna waste time with the particulars, just trust me that the Mouse House hit gold this time and watch it after the jump...

Atari: Game Over - The Documentary About That Time A Major Corporation Buried Hundreds of Thousands of Copies of E.T.: The Video Game Cause It Sucked Reese's Pieces...

One of the greatest video game Urban Legends ever had to be the one about E.T.: The Game... you know, the terrible movie adaption of a video game for the Atari system that was so bad the company buried hundreds of thousands of unsold copies rather than ruin the rep of the brand. Did it really happen? One never can tell... however, last year the supposed burial ground was to be exhumed, and low and behold it was REAL!!! Yup, Atari did bring all those games out to the middle of the desert... as well as many other secrets they wanted to hide. Terrible console ideas, bad port versions of classic games, and the tons of the 'dreaded alien that stole the box office but sunk the video game company' cartridges were found. In the documentary Atari: Game Over famed Hollywood writer Zak Penn (of X2 and X3: The Last Stand) tagged along, and the results look pretty fantastic. The doc is available free on the X-Box Live website. Check out the trailer after the jump...

Tim Burton Is Back With 'Big Eyes'... This Is What I WANT TO SEE FROM HIM!

Tim Burton has always been an intriguing director to me, and I certainly do love a bunch of his films. 'Beetlejuice', 'Pee Wee's Big Adventure', 'Batman', 'Edward Scissorhands', 'Ed Wood', and 'Big Fish' are some of my favorite films. But he has had some mis-steps, lately, and people are beginning to tire of a 50-something year old director who won't really expand his style and keeps making films with a child-like quality to them. But with his next entry, 'Big Eyes', he seems to be shooting for that "real" quality that he did so well in 'Ed Wood' and 'Big Fish'...and it looks awesome! It tells the true life story of artists Walter (Christoph Waltz) and Margret (Amy Adams) Keane. Walter became famous for paintings that he supposedly drew of children with huge eyes, but in reality the artistic genius was that of his wife, Margaret. They built an empire on a lie, and this is the story on how it affected them in their lives. It looks amazing, and it has an insane supporting cast: Danny Houston, Kristen Ritter, and Jason Scwartzman ...just to name a few. This is the kind of thing I would like to see Burton do more often and I think this kind of movie will go a long way in repairing his image. Let's hope so. Check out the trailer after the jump...

Will 'John Wick' Put Keanu Back On The Action Movie Map?

There used to be a clear cut definition of the calender when it came to movie releasing. Studios put out their garbage and postponed movies from the previous year from Feb-May, June to Aug was Summer Blockbuster Season, October was horror movie release month, and Nov through Jan was Award Season release and rewards (the movies that win get rewarded with long post Oscar runs into Feb). It was pretty set in stone, and rarely did studios vary from this formula. So Feb-May and the month of Sept-Oct were dumping grounds for unsure products. But now Summer movie season has been pushed back to the END OF APRIL... and Awards season is following suit by releasing films in the wee weeks of September for your consideration. Studios are even getting huge hits in March & April with movies like 300... so it doesn't really matter anymore WHEN a movie is coming out. So when I heard about Keanu Reeves new hit man movie 'John Wick', a movie releasing on October 24th, for the first time in mid September I got a bit nervous. This must be a crap film, a dump... right? But it took just a 2.5 minute trailer to convince me otherwise. This movie is not going to be a summer blockbuster... nor will it be Oscar bait. So why not squeeze what looks like a cool, competent movie right in the middle of those two seasons? I think this movie can be a great one for Reeves, and even though it might not make mad money it will do a lot for his cred. And what a great supporting cast: Adrianne Palicki, Bridgette Moynahan, Ian McShane, Willem Dafoe, John Leguizamo, and Alfie 'Theon Geryjoy' Allen himself.... wow! Need more proof? Check out the trailer for yourself before you judge...

The ABC's Of Death 2 Gets A Red Band Trailer... Yup, This Looks Even More Fucked Up Then The First One!

Good lawd.... The ABC's of Death was an interesting take on a anthology horror film. 26 directors took there shots in 2-5 minute short film that could be in any medium possible. The only thing they all had in common was that they all were given a letter, and they must chose a word to describe the type of death that would be featured in their segment. Like A is for Apocalypse, B is for Bigfoot... you get the idea. The direct to VOD release was a huge success and the word of mouth behind it made it spread like wild fire. Sure, some of the segments were great and some sucked... they all weren't for everyone. But they were all pretty good, and very original. It was also cool to see all the type of mediums the directors used, as well as the different style of directing from segment to segment. So like any good horror film that is successful, it is getting a sequel. The ABC's of Death 2 features 26 new directors for another trip down the alphabet... and these look even better (by better I mean more bizarre and sicker) than the original. I can get behind this... the film will be released on VOD on October 2nd, and will also have a limited theatrical run around Halloween. Will you be checking it out? Check out the red band trailer after the jump...

'As God Says'- Takashi Miike Takes On The Killer Kid Set...

Takashi Miike is a dude that always keeps me wanting more. He is your typical Asian director in a sense that his sensibilities are quite wacky and is willing to take you to the edge... and then a bit further. But he is even wackier than some of his contemporaries. Which says quite a lot, since most of the Asian horror guys have no limits. But if they have no limits, than Miike is the Endless... go to the end of every other persons disturbing ideas, and you are just a the beginning of his! So of course he is taking on a classic Japanese Manga comic by the name of 'As God Says' (Kamisama no lu Tori). While people will immediately begin to search for comparisons to books/films like Battle Royale and The Hunger Games, it is actually quite a bit different. How would you react if you were a teen, and when you arrived at high school you were forced to compete in a bunch of kiddie type games (like Red Light, Green Light and Mother May I) that resulted in traumatic injuries and death if you lost. Holy Shit. Wow. People getting heads chopped off, losing limbs... and all because of not hop scotching fast enough or not finding an open spot in Duck Duck Goose. Amazing. I will watch anything Miike makes, but this one really has me psyched. Check out the short teaser trailer after the jump...

Will 'Gone Girl' Possibly Be Able To Live Up To The Hype?

'Gone Girl' is David Fincher's newest film, and it could not have more expectations set upon it even before it opens. Even though it opens in October, long after Summer Movie season, it sports an epic cast and is based on a huge selling novel of the same name. The adaption has been a long time coming... and considering Fincher's controversial handling of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo adaption (I liked it, not everyone did) it is an interesting project for him to bounce back with. The pressure is there, and having Batman as your star (I mean Ben Affleck, not Adam West!) certainly puts even more eyes on the movie and how it will turn out. Everyone I talk to who has read the book raves about how it twists and turns, and how much mystery it actually contains. I can't think of anyone better than Fincher to take this kind of film on. A long form trailer is finally here, and it looks interesting to say the least. I really like the supporting cast as well (Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Emily Ratajkowski, Patrick Fugit and Tyler Perry) and think they can make for an eclectic movie. Will you be looking to check this one out to kick off Award Season? Check it out after the jump...

'Star Wars' Gets The 'Guardian of the Galaxy' Trailer Treatment... And It Is AMAZING!

Even though Star Wars came out way back in 1977, it is still the movie of choice of most self respecting Sci Fi geeks in the world. So it is no surprise when Star Wars pops up in mash ups with current properties. But the latest instance that I saw was just to great not to share. The Unusual Suspects took the most recent Guardians of the Galaxy trailer and mashed it up with footage from the old Star Wars films, and boy are the results a ton of fun to watch! This trailer mash up captures the fun and comical essence of the Star Wars films and also highlight the superb Sci Fi style that was present in the Star Wars franchise. This makes me want to watch the original trilogy over again. Watch both the Guardians and Star Wars mashed up trailer after the jump for comparisons...

The Trailer For 'Dear White People' Is Hysterical... And Tells Us The Real Meaning Of Gremlins!!!

Dear White People is a movie that is setting the post Sundance world on fire for its humor and poignant look at race relations in the year 2014. It is really funny, and I for one can't wait to see it. It has been making the rounds on the limited release circuit, and now it will get its proper due in a full Indy theater release in October. The trailer shows a lot of potential in writer/director Justin Simien, and I especially like his bit on the "real" meaning of Gremlins (one of my favorite movies, and I never looked at it like that). It has an impressive cast, including Tyler James Williams (Everybody Loves Chris), Dennis Haysbert (24), and Tessa Thompson (Veronica Mars). Check out the full trailer and poster after the jump....

Guardians Of The Galaxy Gets A Second Trailer... I Can't Possibly Be More Excited !!!

They are the Guardians... of the Galaxy!!! Wow. I have not really yearned to watch a film for a very long time. Marvel is taking a lot of gambles with this film... using a comic as the basis for a film that almost no one outside the hardcore comic reading world knows, having a living tree and a talking raccoon as two of the five team characters, and taking their whole cinematic universe off of Earth and beyond the stars. I don't know how it is all going to shake out or if the film will be a success, but judging from how good the footage has looked and Marvel's recent track record I am not betting against it. The second trailer has arrived, and in this one we see much more of Star Lord's helmet, and what he is capable of. We also get the famous 'I am Groot' line we have all been waiting for... and a little crotch adjustment from a 3 ft raccoon. Yup, this one will be pretty great. Check out the new trailer after the jump. The movie arrives August 1st!

I Am Posting The Trailer For 'Rage' Simply Because It Has Nic Cage In It... You Got A Problem With That?

Nic Cage may be one of my favorite actors, but I can't deny that he does tend to get himself into some shitty movies. But the fact that he continues to produce multiple films a year at least leaves the possibility that he may surprise you in one of these roles eventually. 'Rage' might just be that movie this year... even if it looks to be a straight American set remake of 'Taken'. Cage stars as an ex con trying to get past his terrible past. He is just trying to live his life after doing his time, and he wants no part of the streets. But it seems the streets still want a piece of him, or at least his family. So they kidnap his teen daughter played by Aubrey Peeples (the actress playing Jem in the upcoming Jem & The Holograms movie) and start on a path of drawing him out of retirement to pay for something he had done long ago. Add in Danny Glover as an overprotective friend cop and we got ourselves a stew going! I liked the way Cage worked with Amber Heard in Drive Angry (a good, fun solid movie despite a ridiculous premise), so maybe Cage could generate some screen chemistry with Peeples and make this movie work. I'm in... how about you? The film hits theaters July 11th. Check out the trailer after the jump...

Eli Roth Wants To Take You To 'The Green Inferno'... I Don't Know If I Want To Go!

A few years back, I had the opportunity to cross a movie off my 'never saw' list that I had been desperate to see for many years. 'Cannibal Holocaust' is a legendary horror film from the early 80's that I had never seen, and it was legendary in stature. Why? Well, for one, the movie is supposed to be one of the most horrifying movies ever filmed! It is so convincing that director Ruggero Deodato was brought up on charges, in his native Italy, because prosecutors were POSITIVE that people actually were killed in making the movie. Yup... he had to produce the (still alive) actors as proof that it was all movie magic. Now that's something I had to see! And I was getting to see it on the big screen at NYC's Sunshine Cinema. How lucky am I? The answer was not very lucky at all. Not because the movie didn't live up to the hype... it did. It was amazing! But it haunted me, down to my core. The creepy music, the horrifying visuals, and the gore all got me deep down... and scared the absolute fuck out of my wife as well! My buddy Jeff Bond and his lovely lady Bri were all blown away by the flick too. It was a very fulfilling experience. So you can imagine how my interest peeked when Eli Roth announced he was throwing his hat into the cannibal film genre. He announced 'The Green Inferno' (which also happened to be the original title for 'Cannibal Holocaust') and planned on shooting it down in Peru. He also found a little tribe in the forest that had NEVER BEEN FILMED before and were willing to participate in the movie. It is about to get real... and with the movie magic we possess today I can't wait to see what he can fool us with. The movie will be arriving on September 5th, 2014... but you can catch a glimpse of the first trailer and movie poster after the jump. Lets see if Eli Roth can pay homage to a classic and still create his own unique cinematic memories...

'Sin City: A Dame To Kill For' Gets A Trailer.... Only Took 9 YEARS !!!

I remember being super excited to see Robert Rodriguez's version of Sin City back in 2005... I had read the books, and since this was the early days of Internet there was not a lot to go on in terms of what to expect. After all, they were a bunch of Sin City books and you couldn't really tell which ones they would be adapting. While I was really happy with the stories they did use for part 1 of the film, I did really want to see 'A Dame To Kill For' hit the screen. The movie was a huge success, and considering the rising stock of comic movies at the time I thought for sure we would see a sequel shortly. I couldn't wait to see the cast reunite in Basin City... and a sequel was announced early on. But as time dragged on, all we were given were rumors... no actual filming, no progress on the project. It seemed like a fantasy project, one that was often talked about by everyone rumored to be involved but never actually realizing its potential. And then the stories started pouring out last year about filming starting, and that 'A Dame To Kill For' would be the meat of the story being adapted for the film. I was over the moon... I couldn't wait. And then yesterday during the NBA playoffs I caught the first trailer for the film. Yup, exactly what I needed in my life. It looks the same (which is a good thing, even though it takes place 9 years later) and feels the same, and that makes me very happy. Seeing old faces like Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Powers Boothe, and others made me very content... and seeing new faces like Ava Green, Joesph Gordon Levitt & Josh Brolin made the film something I yearned for even more. I can't even begin to express how excited I am. I will be re-reading my over sized library editions of my Sin City books in preparation, and I can't wait to see what Rodriguez and co-director Frank Miller have for us this time around. if it is a success, lets hope it doesn't take another decade to get out number 3. Check out the trailer after the jump...

Wolf Creek 2... Electric Boog-a-loo?

I don't know about this one... but sometimes when you have a loyalty to the first film in a series you almost feel obligated to give sequels a chance. Wolf Creek is the latest film to get a late coming sequel, this one coming almost a decade after the release of the 1st film. The original Wolf Creek was one of my favorite horror films of the 2000s, and I didn't even mind the 'based on true events' bullshit tag that was slapped on it by director Greg McLean when it came out. Instead of being about one particular case, it took elements of a bunch of different murder cases in Australia's history and filmed at real locations around the Outback for authenticity. It worked, as the 'three tourists get kidnapped by a madman in the middle of nowhere' plot worked to a creepy perfectness. The main character of the movie is the enigmatic Mick Lynch, played to psychotic perfection by John Jarratt. Mick is a disgusting, horrible individual who is obviously bored out of his mind being by himself in the Outback... so what better way to entertain himself then to kidnap and tortue some folks? Sounds like a beautiful plot to me. And it worked... well. I love that movie. But the sequel??? I'm not sure... or maybe it can be great? Check out the synopsis, movie poster and trailer after the jump...

Jupiter Ascending - Just What Kind Of Batshit Crazy Space Epic Do The Wachowski's Have Coming Out?

There are not many more polarizing figures in the Hollywood landscape than the Wachowskis. The brothers (or former brothers, now that one is living as a woman...) have been making waves from their very first movie Bound. No one wanted to finance the Matrix films, and when they finally did find someone to greenlite those we got one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time... and a couple of ill conceived sequels as well. But there is no denying that the Matrix franchise proved that original properties could be made into tentpole movies that might even spawn franchises... and that is a good thing no matter how you feel about Neo & the leather clad gangs further adventures. These dudes are extra ambitious when it comes to their projects. Need proof? Check out Speed Racer, V for Vendetta, and Cloud Atlas for proof. All of those films were met with mixed reception from fans, but all of them showed just how committed to their vision for their projects they can be. They do not bend, they do not compromise... nope, they make THEIR films THEIR ways whether the public & the studios likes it or not. Check out their latest project, Jupiter Ascending. Channing Tatum as a intergalactic bad-ass bounty hunter. Mila Kunis as his target and also the potential future leader of the universe. Time travel, gods ruling over the universe, alien bounty hunters... yup, this sounds exactly like a Wachowski film to me. Then there is the casting of Tatum as the lead. This also seems like a very Wachowski thing to do, very similar to Keanu Reeves casting in the Matrix. From the trailer I get the unique look and feel of the Wachowskis, and I am very intrigued by the concept. Cloud Atlas helped sell me on anything future these guys did, because that film looked to be a mess going in and was executed incredibly. I don't know if this puppy will live up to their past accomplishments or be any good, but I will certainly be giving it a shot. Oh, and Eddard Stark himself (Sean Bean) will be along for the ride as well. That is just another reason to get on board. The film release July 18th, 2014. Check out the trailer & posters after the jump....

Guardians of the Galaxy Gets A Trailer... OOOOOOHHHHH, I'M HOOOOKED ON A FEELINNNNNN !!!!

When the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer was scrubbed from the Super Bowl broadcast, I began to gte concerned. How could a 2 minute trailer not be ready for a movie due out this summer? Was Marvel lacking that much confidence in a film meant to carry on the epic run the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been on? What the Fuck! But then the actual trailer came out, and... well, I must say that I owe Marvel an apology. I owe them an apology because over the past ten years they have hit film after film out of the park. I owe them an apology because they have weaved together a cohesive universe over multiple films that is constantly moving forward. And most of all I owe them an apology because they have never given me a reason to doubt them, and I started too. But after 2 minutes and 31 seconds, I realized what an idiot I am! Awesome, awesome, awesome!!! The trailer was perfect. The tone of the film seems amazing, James Gunn's style is all over this trailer. All the alien tech and characters look amazing. Drax looks rugged. Gamora sexy and deadly. Starlord... Starlord is hysterical! The highlight of course is Groot & Rocket. Rocket looks and sounds pretty spot on. The spitting also drives home the characters rudeness. Groot looks epic, and him being Rocket's muscle is probably going to lead to some really fun action scenes. I also love the simpleness of the character... its pretty spot on. Can this be any better? I don't know how. You have probably seen it already, but if not have at it after the jump. Guardians of the Galaxy hits theaters on August 1st, 2014...

Now This Is A Ridiculous Sounding Movie That I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE: 'Zombeavers' Are Coming For You !!!!

Listen, I have sat through my fare share of nonsensical movies. I watched Ozombie, a film about Osama Bin Laden coming back as an undead zombie, more than once... yup, that is a factual statement. I actively sought out Ishtar to see what everybody was complaining about... It wasn't that bad after all. I also consider more than 5 Troma movies as classics, even though most people couldn't get through 5 minutes of them. I am a sucker for bad movies! So when I saw the trailer and poster for Zombeavers I knew I had a new project to check out. A bevy of youngins head into the woods to a cabin for weekend of sex, drugs and drankin. They only problem is the kill a beaver that gets into their cabin, and that sets off a series of events that brings them face to face with a clan of zombie infected beavers... yup, I just typed that. Zombie. Infected. BEAVERS!!! Jesus CHRIST! Beavers... this is genius. Even the poster and it's tagline are fabulous. "Zombeavers: You'll All Be Dammed!"... Yup! I'm in, how about you? Check out the poster and trailer after the jump..

Why Did It Take So Long To Get A Film Sequel To '300' ???

300 was one of the biggest genre changing movies of the last 20 years... it further pushed the comic book adaptions into the stratosphere and helped jump start the career of visionary director Zack Snyder. Snyder may not be everybody's favorite director, but his techniques and visual effects output is unmatched. 300 actually made Frank Miller & Lynn Varley's original comic come to life, and the action sequences literally are adapted shot for shot. Gerard Butler & Lena Hedley (among many others) had their careers launched into orbit, and it seemed like there would be sequels abound to follow. Talk about a follow up comic from the original creators started immediately, and even talks of where to take the direction of the film franchise were on the rise. But with the delay of 'Xeres' (the follow up comic from Miller & Varley) coming fast and frequent, Warner Brothers decided to stop waiting and start filming. So 300: Rise of An Empire is a film that is set in the world of Miller's creation, yet not the direct of a comic that the first film was. We got a new director (Noam Murro) and a full new cast (with the exception of Xeres, played again by Rodrigo Santoro) to tell another story during the Greek/Persian war. Good lawd, Eva Green is looking right! The movie pops off on March 7th, and I for one can't wait. The previews look good, and if it is nearly as much fun as the 1st film than I will be completely entertained. Check out this clip that was released by the studio, a kind of combo trailer/behind the scenes of things to come. You can see it after the jump...

Terry Gilliam Is Back With 'The Zero Theorem'... Finally!!!

Terry Gilliam is one of my favorite film directors of all time, and I think there is a specific reason for that. He is very selective over the projects that he chooses to undertake... and has even undertook a handful of projects and worked on them for multiple years before abandoning them before completion. He is very whimsical and high strung... like my true favorite director, Stanley Kubrick. He also tends to take a very LONG time to complete a film. His last movie was The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, which came out in 2009 and took over 2 years to complete. Gilliam overcame the death of Heath Ledger in a very creative fashion in that movie, and the results were stellar. Looking back at his career, there are not many of his films that I dislike. 12 Monkeys, Time Bandits, Brazil, Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas... the list goes on and on. He also tends to get extreme A list actors to go very weird with their performances. Think Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys, DeNiro in Brazil, or the legendary Christopher Plummer in Dr. Parnassus. So I am really intrigued to see what comes from his latest project, The Zero Theorem. Christoph Waltz, french film fatale Melanie Thierry, Matt Damon, Tilda Swinton and Dave Tewlis are all involved... an eclectic cast once again. This one looks a lot of fun, and anything that Waltz does seems to be great (shit, he even made The Green Hornet watchable). The film is debuting in the Uk on March 14th, and will follow in the US sometime this spring. I for one will be checking it out. Thanks to Grif Hartter for the tip! Check the full trailer out after the jump...