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RAAAAAAAANDY Spin-Off In The Works

August 2, 2009 By

Funny People was released last Friday, along with the final touch to the viral campaign, but earlier in the week, Judd Apatow announced that Aziz Ansari’s character would revieve a spin-off.  Of course, the film’s likelyhood all depends on the success and reception of Funny People. Here is the exact quote from Apatow.

Randy isn’t in the movie anywhere near as much we wish he was. Something hilariously magical happened when Aziz showed up. So we all said, ‘What else can we do?’ Let’s just make a documentary! We just couldn’t stop writing for him. And now we’re talking about making the RANDY movie. We can’t get enough of Randy…

To which he later added

we’re outlining it right now.

I’d consider myself hyped. In other news, part three of RAAAAAAAANDY’s documentary was uploaded to FunnyOrDie. It’s a great conclusion to the series.



SOURCE: Joblo (http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=27697)

Filed Under: Viral Marketing Tagged With: ,

Comic-Con: Want To See The Avatar Trailer? Not In San Diego?

July 23, 2009 By

Keep in mind that this is a shot in the dark, and just a crazy theory.

Yesterday, youtube uploaded a video that stated videos could now be played in 3-D. Now, is it not a weird coincidence that they announced this a day before footage from the biggest 3-D film ever debuts at comic-con? I think not. James Cameron has said many times that he wants Avatar to debut in 3-D, yet before today, no site allowed 3-D as an option, now YouTube does. All the pieces are lined up for a huge trailer debut. Although it isn’t RealD, it is still 3-D.

Ill be keeping tabs on youtube for the rest of the weekend, and if my theory is correct, we’ll post an update to this article with the trailer attached. Until then, you can follow our Comic-Con reporters,  Rose, and Kelsey.

Filed Under: Comic-Con, Events Tagged With:

District 9 To Have Fan Screening At Comic-Con!

July 10, 2009 By

Recently, I just learned of a fan screening at the District 9 Community Watch website.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Apparantly, they are going to give them away if you follow Sony Pictures on Twitter. Maybe they will do it like the Angels & Demons contest a while back? Well, we do not know yet, so my advice (if you are going to Comic Con) would be to follow them and try to get tickets! Most importantly, send us a review! So at least now we know why it was so important for Peter Jackson to make Comic-Con. Also, staff writer David A. will be covering Comic-Con this year, so he’ll try to get into the screening.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Comic-Con starts on July 22nd, and ends on July 26th

Filed Under: Comic-Con, Events, Viral Marketing Tagged With: ,

The Soapbox: Remakes And How People React To Them

June 29, 2009 By

Recently, Ive noticed a certain amount of bitching stemming from announced remakes, such as ‘Flight of the Navigator’ and ‘Total Recall’. My question for the week is, why do people bitch about remakes? Remakes are both a good and a bad thing. On one hand, remakes allow talented filmmakers to show their vision of the original, and on the other hand, they can be made just to cash in on the original. Most remakes aren’t great. I and almost everyone else knows that. But why complain? If you don’t like it, just go back to watching the original.

Almost every time a new remake is announced, people complain that Hollywood is losing originality. That is most definitely NOT the case. Just have a look at the release schedule for the rest of this year.

July 15 (Wednesday)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

July 17 (Friday)

500 Days of Summer (Limited)

In the Loop (Limited)

July 24 (Friday)

G-Force

Orphan

The Ugly Truth

Shrink (Limited)

July 29 (Wednesday)
Adam (Limited)

July 31 (Friday)

Funny People

Aliens in the Attic

The Cove (Limited)

Not Quite Hollywood (Limited)

Thirst (Limited)

August 7 (Friday)

GI Joe: Rise Of Cobra

Julie & Julia

Cold Souls (Limited)

I Sell the Dead (Limited)

Paper Heart (Limited)

August 14 (Friday)

A Perfect Getaway

District 9

Ponyo

Taking Woodstock The Time Traveler’s Wife

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (Limited)

Spread (Limited)

August 21 (Friday)

Inglourious Basterds

Post Grad

Shorts

World’s Greatest Dad (Limited)

August 28 (Friday)

The Final Destination

Halloween II

September 4 (Friday)

All About Steve

Gamer

Extract

September 9 (Wednesday)

Shane Acker’s 9

September 11 (Friday)

Whiteout

Sorority Row

September 18 (Friday)

Armored

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Jennifer’s Body

Love Happens

Pandorum

Bright Star (Limited)

The Burning Plain (Limited)

September 25 (Friday)

Fame

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

The Invention of Lying

Surrogates

October 2 (Friday)

Michael Moore Documentary

Shutter Island

Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3-D

A Serious Man (Limited)

More Than a Game (Limited)

October 9 (Friday)

Couples Retreat

The Informant

Whip It!

Zombieland

An Education (Limited)

October 16 (Friday)

The Stepfather

The Road

Where the Wild Things Are

October 23 (Friday)

Amelia

Astro Boy

Saw VI

Antichrist (Limited)

October 30 (Friday)

The Box

Youth in Revolt

NOVEMBER 2009

November 6 (Friday)
A Christmas Carol

The Wolf Man

Precious (Limited)

November 13 (Friday)

2012

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

November 20 (Friday)

Planet 51

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Broken Embraces (Limited)

November 25 (Wednesday)

Rob Marshall’s Nine

Ninja Assassin

Old Dogs

December 4 (Friday)

Brothers

Everybody’s fine

December 11 (Friday)

The Lovely Bones

Invictus (Limited)

December 18 (Friday)

Avatar


The release dates and original movies are in bold. Yep, originality definitely covers over adaptions. So the question remains, why do people bitch? That is one I can not answer, I guess it is just human nature to become pissy. But, this feature isnt a therapy session, its a rant about how people are wrong, and how I am right. Once more, it looks like I am right about this one. Also, if you dont agree with me, register on the forum, or shoot me an email at Matt@MovieViral.com.

God, I hate people.


List courtesey of First Showing.net


(EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS LIST HAS NOT BEEN VERIFIED IN TERMS OF THE ORIGINALITY OF THE FILMS)

Filed Under: Viral Marketing

Review: Transformers 2 – Spectacle Of The Summer

June 25, 2009 By

The buildup is huge, the TV spots are on every commercial break, the toys are on the shelves, and my ass is in the seat. God, did I love this movie. It was just too amazing. I know that makes absolutely no sense, but I don’t think I have ever seen action scenes that are so awesome that it completely negates the rest of the story. Which is a completely good thing. Since the plot is terrible (I really expected more from Orci and Kurtzman), it might have something to do with the Writer’s Strike, as I have heard that the script was rushed to beat the strike.

Now onto the action. The fight scenes in here are almost perfect, especially in IMAX (Which you have to see the film in; it’s totally worth it.). The IMAX screen really does add to the film, although the transition from IMAX resolution to up-converted 35mm can be a little rough. But, you get your moneys worth. I mean, I’m the kinda guy who’d pay $20 JUST to see Optimus Prime in life size, and to see Devastator on the huge screen, but like I said earlier, see it in IMAX, it’s completely worth it. (Make sure you go to a real IMAX screen, there is a Google map of real locations and the “LieMAX” locations at http://destroyfakeimax.blogspot.com)

Now onto the “plot”, not that anyone cares. The story follows Sam Witwicky, as he loses his mind, gets chased around New York, ends up in Egypt, goes all Indiana Jones on the pyramids, and he’s tapping Megan Fox. This part keeps your interest until the Transformers are on screen again. However, the sequences with Josh Duhamal’s character and Tyrese Gibson are very entertaining, its the closest thing to and actual plot in this film. Overall, the plot was very weak, yet it kept me interested, and that’s all it really needed to do.

Everyone knows why you want to see this movie: the Transformers, and are they awesome. Sure some autobots are shoved into the background after one big moment (Sideswipe, Ironhide, and Ratchet). But the main robots are funny, awesome, and they kickass. Now, I’ve heard some people complain about ‘The Twins’, saying they’re the racist/Jar Jar character in this film, and I honestly do not think they are racist. I will cover it in deeper detail on this weeks Soapbox. The real shining star in the film is Optimus Prime, who is the biggest badass of them all. Really, he is just that damn awesome here.

Overall, the film is good. Really good, but it’s definitely not for everyone. So check it out of you can (Preferably in IMAX).

I give Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen a solid 8/10

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With:

Check it out: Viral Site For ‘The Conduit’ (Wii)

June 18, 2009 By

Alright, I was sufing the web earlier, and I noticed this viral site for the upcoming game ‘The Conduit’. You can check the site here.

Once the anonymous chat is over, you get a 2-d Google map-like scene of Washington D.C. On most of the buildings are codes most of which I cant decipher at the moment, but I will update you all if I can translate the code. Codes can be found by clicking the sidebar.

Graffiti can be seen on the sidebar, on the building to the far right (I can’t tell if it’s the White House or The Jefferson Memorial). The graffiti says “I Have Seen The Fnords!”, which means that he has seen the false information the led the huge government conspiracy that this game is based on. For more information on the subject, visit here:

Now, click close on the chatbox, it opens up a bar where you can type stuff in.  Some of the codes offer voice messages. Most of them are mysterious, posing answers to questions we having heard of. Im sure most, if not all of these questions will be explored further in the game, which is exclusive to Nintendo Wii.

CODES THAT WORK:

  • I Have Seen The Fnords!
  • You are not paranoid
  • Truth
  • Lies
  • they are here
  • operation saucer
  • reflecting pool
  • wales forever
  • all is not what is seems
  • conduit to the truth
  • bug virus
  • obelisk
  • know nothing
  • mdccclxxxv(or 1885) < Pretty much spells out the deciphering process.)
  • robert mills
  • Trust no one,
  • the truth is in the water

Here is some of the cypher of the code at the bottom:

IN THE NEAR FUTURE, WASHINGTON, D.C. IS SHAKEN BY SEVERAL STRANGE EVENTS RESULTING IN HEIGHTENED LOCAL AND NATIONAL TENSIONS. JOHN ADAMS, THE LEADER OF A SHADOW ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS THE TRUST, REALIZES THAT THE NATION’S CAPITAL HAS COME UNDER ATTACK. SECRET SERVICE AGENT MICHAEL FORD, HERO-OF-THE-HOUR FOR HAVING SAVED THE LIFE OF THE PRESIDENT, IS RECRUITED TO LEARN WHO IS BEHIND THIS ASSAULT ON WASHINGTON, D.C.

9 EVENTS LEADING TO MR. FORD’S ASSIGNMENT

MARCH 19 – AN UNUSUAL WEATHER SYSTEM HOVERS OVER THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES. THIS RESULTS IN EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH WATER LEVELS OF VARIOUS RIVERS, SUCH AS THE POTOMAC IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

APRIL 19 – A STRANGE FLU-LIKE ILLNESS SWEEPS THROUGH WASHINGTON, D.C.COMING TO BE KNOWN AS “THE BUG.” STAFFING AT GOVERNMENT OFFICES DROPS TO A MINIMUM AS MANY STAY CLOSE TO THEIR HOMES IN HOPE OF NOT CONTRACTING IT. THIS PATTERN OF AVOIDANCE IS THE PRESUMED CAUSE OF INCREASED NUMBERS OF “MISSING PERSON” REPORTS IN THE D.C. AREA DURING THIS TIME.

JULY 27 – CLASSIFICATION OF “THE BUG” IS INITIALLY THOUGHT TO BE IMMUNOSSUPPRESSANT CHEMICALS IN THE WATER SUPPLY. CITIZENS ARE URGED TO DRINK ONLY BOTTLED WATER AND TO LIMIT WATER USE IN THE HOME TO AN ABSOLUTE MINIMUM. BUSINESSES BEGIN TO SEE A HUGE DROP IN REVENUES AND WORKER ATTENDANCE.

AUGUST 9 – A TERRORIST ATTACK ON THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT DESTROYS A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF ITS UPPER SURFACE. IT IS CONFIRMED THAT IDENTITY CARDS USED IN THE ATTACK WERE STOLEN FROM THE OFFICE A PENTAGON STAFFER DURING THEIR RECOVERY FROM “THE BUG.” TENSION LEVELS THROUGHOUT THE GREATER WASHINGTON, D.C. AREA RISE SIGNIFICANTLY.

SEPTEMBER 11 – SENATOR HARRIET REIMER IS ASSASSINATED BY A TERRORIST CELL POSING AS MEMBERS OF HER STAFF; AUTOPSIES OF ALL BODIES ARE DECLARED CLASSIFIED. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DATE IS NOT LOST ON THE PUBLIC; TENSIONS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. REACH NEW HEIGHTS.

OCTOBER 1 – PRESIDENT CHARLES THOMPSON ALMOST KILLED BY MEMBERS OF HIS OWN SECRET SERVICE. FORTUNATELY, THIS ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IS THWARTED BY AN AGENT WHO WAS NOT A REGULAR MEMBER OF THE PRESIDENT’S PROTECTION. THIS EVENT RESULTS IN A PHASED

I LOVE this viral game. Fun, interactive, and important to the story, which makes it one of the best viral sites this year. The devlopers deserve a hell of an applause for setting this site up. So I salute you, High Voltage software.

The conduit drops in Wii’s everywhere June 23rd 2009.

Some data collected from the Unfiction Forum.

Filed Under: Viral Marketing Tagged With:

All New 2012 Trailer

June 18, 2009 By

Just a few minutes ago, the all new trailer for 2012 dropped on yahoo movies. Let me tell you one thing. This movie looks AWESOME. Boy, do I love me some CGI-Fest films. This one looks to top everything else in the ‘Cool stuff ILM Made’ category. Well, I know you guys are tired of reading my reaction to it, so you can check out the trailer below:

Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. 2012 is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm, which brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors. The film is inspired by several hypotheses that state the ancient Mayans predicted a doomsday event will occur sometime around the 2012 solstice. The original basis for this comes from the end of the current cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calender  on December 21, 2012.

Check out our 2012 page for more information on the film and its viral campaign.

2012 hit theaters nationwide on November 13th.

Filed Under: Viral Marketing Tagged With:

The Soapbox: Why Can’t Sony Do Anything Right?

June 17, 2009 By

Sony, what is it with you and shoddy viral campaigns? You let a viral sit for half a year, send me free shit that I don’t want, made National Treasure for old people (Angles & Demons), and worst of all, you keep letting Roland Emmirich make movies. Seriously Sony, why can’t you guys do anything right?

I have been following the District-9 Campaign since Comic-Con 08. After an initial surge, it went dry for 6 months. Take a look at good virals (The Dark Knight, Cloverfield, Star Trek, Year Zero), they never went dry for more than one month. Once the campaign starts up again, I have no interest in it.

Now that they are breaking the fourth wall on EVERY site, it just takes the fun out. That’s what made other viral campaigns fun, the hunt for a site; now all you have to do is go to d-9.com and you will see each new site to the side. When Cloverfield’s campaign was running, we actually had to work to find new sites and we analyzed everything. But with D-9, Sony is handing everything to us on a shiny silver platter of shit. Don’t even get me started on The Dark Knight campaign, which did everything right, involved the real world, gave me free shit that I actually want, and most importantly, it was fun. You could really learn something from 42 Entertainment and Bad Robot, Sony.

Lets take a look at a few other Sony films with “virals”. Angels & Demons, now I don’t know why we even covered this, but this viral sucked ass. They made ONE site for it, ONE, and it added nothing to the film . . . which is what virals are for. Now, onto the shit-fest that is known as 2012, sure the movie isn’t out yet, but I can still rip on it! Yeah, a couple videos on YouTube, that’s about as interesting as Quarantine’s viral. OK, and the IHC, what the fuck can they do? Taking pre-cautions for the end of the world? How the fuck do you survive THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD. That’s equivalent to Bear Grylls teaching viewers how to jump into a lava pit and live.

So, thank God that last paragraph is over. Now Sony, I hope you can learn from your mistakes and create some intricate and entertaining virals.

NOTE: Sorry guys, had a party last Saturday, next time The Soapbox will arrive on Saturday.

Filed Under: Viral Marketing

Review: The Taking Of Mother****** Pelham 123

June 16, 2009 By

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE.

Goddamn, I never knew ANYONE could match Samuel L. Jackson with the use of the term ‘motherfucker’, but I’ll be damned, motherfuckin John Travolta just motherfuckin did that. The Taking Of Pelham 123 is a fun flick, and it’s a ride that I wouldn’t mind taking again, although it does start to fall apart towards the end. That doesn’t mean I didn’t have a hell of a motherfuckin time. The movie starts out with Jay-Z blasting through the theater speakers, and it shows the criminals that you will soon feel bad for loving them. You can tell they’re some bad motherfuckers. Then you meet Denzel Washington, who seems to have gained a few pounds recently. He’s a bribe-taking subway worker, and he ends up at the wrong desk at the wrong motherfuckin time. The film then unfolds over the 1 hour time limit that Ryder gives Denzel.

I have to say the acting was surprising well done. Denzel gave a very believable performance, and I didn’t want to kill John Tuturro (which is surprising), but the real star here is John Travolta. Travolta captured me, making me believe that he was Ryder. He completely brought that character to life. Tony Soprano also shows up. He’s alright, enjoyable character, but I felt he was lacking. The way Washington and Travolta communicate was of a Batman/Joker way, and I absolutely loved it. I would see the movie for their conversations alone. Mainly, the performances were strong and the action was good.

Overall, this was a subway ride that I would most definitely recommend.

8/10

NOTE: I tried to beat John Travolta’s “Motherfucker count”, I barely reached a third of his total.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With:

New District 9 Featurette In Theaters Now!

June 15, 2009 By

Today, I went to check out The Taking Of Pelham 123 (I’ll have a review up soon), to my dismay, I got to my showing 30 seconds late. But, I didnt miss any part of the movie, I missed a ‘NCM First Look’ for District 9. I only saw a couple shots, one of a non-human getting shot, and a non-human leaping away from MNU Agents trying to evict him. Nothing was blurred. Needless to say I was angered. What could I have possibly missed? Apparently, just some MNU babble that I already know.

Check out the IMDB description of the footage.

It showed the director narrating behind the scenes footage, as well as explained that the aliens were being evicted from District 9. It showed the aliens getting beat down, and one being shot. There was also a scene where they went to evict one alien, and he slapped something out of the MNU guy’s hand and leaped past him.

The director gave some details about MNU, and the short made it clear that there were some secrets in district 9. He also mentioned that it was about weapons. Another thing they showed is that they were chasing the lead character “get the freak”.

They are showing these “First-Looks” at Regal Cinemas/AMC/Cinemark theaters. I highly suggest you go see Pelham 123 to check this footage out. Once you do, leave a comment to let us know what you thought!


District 9 Opens across America August 14th.

Filed Under: Viral Marketing Tagged With:
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