10 Greatest Sequels of All-Time

Now that DARK KNIGHT has raked in an unprecedented $489,416,885 I thought it time I offered up a list of the 10 Greatest Sequels of All-Time. The following list is my own personal opinion, and I am sure we can all agree on most all of them, but if you would like to post your own list, please feel free to do so in the comments section.

Without further ado, my pick for the Top 10 Greatest Sequels of All-Time...

10.) X-Men 2: X-Men United

9.) Superman 2

8.) Aliens

7.) Terminator 2: Judgement Day

6.) Spiderman 2

5.) Dark Knight

4.) Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

3.) Toy Story 2

2.) Empire Strikes Back

1.) The Godfather II

Honorable Mention:

• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Return of the Jedi
• Evil Dead 2
• Ghost Busters 2

*Note : LORD OF THE RINGS would be on this list, however, it is really one gigantic continuous story without any time that takes place inbetween opening and ending credits.

Chilling new trailer for Ron Howards FROST/NIXON:

Thanks to the guys over at ROPE OF SILICON!

Writing on THE HOBBIT begins!

Entertainment Weekly brings us news that writing on THE HOBBIT has begun. LORD OF THE RINGS scribes Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens will join forces with director Guillermo Del Toro to hash out THE HOBBIT, opening in theatres December, 2011. The planned sequel is set to arrive in theatres December of 2012. You can read the rest of the article HERE.

Acess Hollywood Goes on the set of Oliver Stones "W"

Possible Oscar Contenders 2008

ROPE OF SILICON has produced a list of possible Oscar Contenders for 2008.
You can view the list and the article preceding it here.

You can see the list below!

I have placed an asterisk (*) next to the films I believe have the most Oscar momentum based on talent involved, pedigree of source material, and current buzz.

Australia*
Body of Lies
Bolt
Brothers
The Brothers Bloom
Burn After Reading
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*
The Dark Knight*
Defiance*
Doubt*
The Duchess
The Fall
Frost/Nixon*
Frozen River
Gran Torino*
Happy-Go-Lucky
Horton Hears a Who!
Igor
I've Loved You So Long
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
Kung Fu Panda
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Mamma Mia!
Milk*
Miracle at St. Anna*
Nothing But the Truth
Rachel Getting Married
Revolutionary Road*
The Road*
The Secret Life of Bees
Seven Pounds
The Soloist*
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Synecdoche, New York
The Tale of Despereaux
Tropic Thunder
Valkyrie*
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
The Visitor
W.
WALL•E
Waltz with Bashir

AUSTRALIA trailer

New artwork for AUSTRALIA!

You have to go back to 1998 when the behemoth TITANIC flooded (pun definately intended) cinemas to find the last great epic cinematic romance. We all know what happened with that film, it became the biggest grossing film of all time, even though GONE WITH THE WIND still holds the record if your not counting inflation, and it tied BEN HUR and LOTR: RETURN OF THE KING with a monumental 11 Oscar wins including "Best Picture." This November, Baz Luhrman (MOULIN ROUGE) will take us on an adventure across the Australian outback along with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman as they drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, only to experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces during the onslaught of World War II. Could this be the beginning of Hollywood's foree back in to big costume dramas? If it was anyone but Baz Luhrman at the helm, I might be more worried, but in any case, these pictures give us a little look into what might lay ahead come November.

10 Most Anticipated Upcoming Films of 2008

Now that Summer Blockbuster season is coming to an end, its time to look ahead to a promising slew of films that will be realeased between September and the New Year.

Here are my Top 10 Most Anticiapted Upcoming Films of 2008:

10.) THE SOLOIST

A schizophrenic, homeless musician from Skid Row, Los Angeles dreams of playing at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Joe Wright (ATONEMENT, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE) film has all the elements of a greatness including an inspirational story, excellent actors, and a proven director.

9.) REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Leonardo Decaprio and Kate Winslet, who were last seen together in TITANIC (1997), star in the upcoming Sam Mendes film. They play a young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s who struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Mendes has proven himself to be a director to watch (AMERICAN BEAUTY, ROAD TO PERDITION), and with the re-teaming of Winslet and Decaprio, this could have Oscar written all over it.

8.) APPALOOSA

Two friends (Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris) who are hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher (Jeremy Irons) find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow (RENEE ZELLWEGER). With an alstar cast, and a seasoned Ed Harris at the helm, this could be yet another success story in Hollywood's recent return to the Western.

7.) QUANTUM OF SOLACE

What more can I say, it's Bond, and he is back again! Daniel Craig returns in his second outing as the greatest spy every dreamed up, and Marc Forster (FINDING NEVERLAND, STRANGER THAN FICTION, THE KITE RUNNER) directs. I am excited to see what Forster brings to the table in his first action film. His dedication to intimate storytelling is what makes me the most excited about this project.

6.) FROST/NIXON

Directed by Ron Howard, FROST/NIXON is a dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon. If Howard is on his A-game (A BEAUTIFUL MIND, APOLLO 13, CINDERELLA MAN) than this could be the film of the year.

5.) THE ROAD

Directed by John Hillcoat (THE PREPOSITION), starring Viggo Mortensen (LORD OF THE RINGS, HISTORY OF VIOLENCE), and based on the book by Cormac McCarthy (No Country For Old Men), THE ROAD is a post-appocalyptic tale about a man trying to get his son to safety. We have seen many a post-apocalyptic films in recent years, but hopefully this one will do what all the others have failed to do, tell a good story. The fact that it is a simple father/son tale only makes me more enthusiastic, and the fact that they used all real locations to shoot.

4.) MIRACLE AT ST. ANA

Set in 1944 Italy, the story of four black American soldiers who get trapped in a Tuscan village during WWII. Directed by Spike Lee (DO THE RIGHT THING, MALCOLM X, INSIDE MAN), this could be one of this years most inspirational films. Spike Lee has not had the most success in recent years, but he is still dedicated to telling stories that have yet to find a voice.

3.) AUSTRALIA

Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand. Director Baz Luhrman (MOULIN ROUGE) is sure to bring his lucious sense of style and beauty to the epic vistas of the Australian landscape. Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman star in this sure to be epic romance.

2.) DEFIANCE

Three Jewish brothers (Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jaime Bell) escape from Nazi-occupied Poland into the Belarussian forest, where they join Russian resistance fighters and endeavor to build a village in order to protect themselves and others in danger. Directed by Ed Zwick (GLORY, LAST SAMARI, BLOOD DIAMON) this is has the star power, the story, and the potential to be one of the top films of the year.

1.) THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Scott F. Fitzgerald's short story about a man that born is born old, and then begins to age backwards and the imbending consequences he and those around him are faced with. Directed by David Fincher (Zodiac, Seven, Alien 3) and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, this looks to be a cross between FOREST GUMP and BIG FISH with that touch of visual wonder that has been lacking in films for some time.

Some other films to watch for...

• THE CHANGLING


• GRAN TORINO


• BODY OF LIES


• MILK


• DOUBT


• DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

DARK KNIGHT Sequel Poster????

No, this is not an official poster for the soon to be sequel to the mega hit of the year, but it is quite exceptional in concept and design. Someone went to great lengths to come up with this and there is no question as to who they want to see as the next villian in Christopher Nolan's franchise.