Wow. The trailer for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance contains a lot of chain whip cracking, a lot of skulls on fire, and that wacky flaming vomit/urine combination that got Fure so hot under the collar. Considering the history of the movie and the weight of the first film’s failure that Vengeance carries around its neck, it’s probably a great idea to watch both trailers side by side to see what each production was going for. And whether they achieved it:

30 Minutes or Less is a movie that takes risks. In a flat landscape of studio movies that seem mostly to be shoved into a formula that doesn’t quite work anymore, watching this film is like drinking an ice cold lemonade on a hot summer day that’s been spiked with stuff that would put hair on your chest. For all the laughs and gore of Zombieland, director Ruben Fleischer seems to have taken this comedy about a pizza boy forced to rob a bank simply to further prove he can get away with anything he wants. And he gets away with it, because the movies he makes are damned funny. This is a film for adults that grabs its anatomy, goes about its business, and doesn’t care to cater to any particular sensibility. It’s because of that attitude that it all works so well. The direction, the actors, and the writing commit fully to the premise, and sells us on the bit by sheer willpower (and a healthy amount of adult language and situations).

This fall Roland Emmerich will release his latest film, Anonymous, a period piece drama about the true origins of William Shakespeare’s work. Yes, that Roland Emmerich. But fear not, fans of movie that blow up the entire Earth but still don’t manage to get beyond boring, the master of that genre will soon be back at his craft, where he belongs. THR is reporting that the director of such fine disaster fare as 2012, and The Day After Tomorrow is readying to shoot a new script that he wrote himself, probably over at Columbia.

You hear the phrase “This movie could never be made today” quite often, and it’s typically a thinly veiled means by which a creative team allows themselves to administer loving pats on their own backs. But in the context of at a 35th anniversary exhibition of the restoration of Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver with a justifiably disgruntled Paul Schrader in attendance, such a sentence rings profoundly and depressingly true. Like many of you, I’ve seen Taxi Driver many times before. For many, it’s a formative moment in becoming a cinephile. But I had never until last weekend seen the film outside of a private setting. And in a public screening, on the big screen, I’m happy to say the film still has the potential to shock and profoundly affect viewers so many decades on. For me personally it was the most disturbing of any time I’d ever seen the film, and I was appropriately uncomfortable despite anticipating the film’s every beat. Perhaps it was because I was sharing the film’s stakes with a crowd instead of by myself or with a small group of people, or perhaps the content comes across as so much more subversive when projected onto a giant screen, or perhaps it was because the aura of a room always feels different when the creative talent involved is in attendance. For whatever reason, I found the film to be more upsetting than in any other context of viewing. But one of the most appalling moments of Taxi [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

That comic book all the kids seem to love, “Preacher,” has been tied with “Y: The Last Man” for Closest To Becoming a Movie Without Actually Becoming a Movie for what seems like a few years (because it has been). Now, / is reporting that D.J. Caruso might be the man for the job if I Am Number Four does solidly at the box office. Is he the best choice? No. Is he the worst? No. He’s exactly in between. Disturbia was a middling thriller, Eagle Eye was a convoluted mess, so there’s nothing in Caruso’s current body of work to show that he could pull this off. Making Preacher would take brass buttons and would be a harder R than Caruso has probably seen let alone directed. If done right. The other option is for Caruso to take over the helm and water everything down until the story about an ex-Man of the Cloth hunting down God with a vampire and hit-woman because a PG-13 delight that all the kids can enjoy. I suppose this all might mean that Joe Carnahan never worked out. Just like Tank Girl director Rachel Talalay. Just like Sam Mendes. Caruso simply hasn’t shown that he could handle the subject matter which makes him a boring choice. It would be a shame to hand over an explosive property to a director who’s avoided adult situations like avian flu (especially since it would most likely mean neutering a great script from John August and a [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

He’s already got some scars on his cheek and some tears in his spandex. The reboot of Spider-Man has a lot to prove. It’s a continuation of a franchise with none of the previous players, a restart for something still fresh in the minds of fans. Still, this first picture of Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man goes a long way to help out. Normally, flat pictures don’t do much to help the look of a grown man in a goofy outfit, but here, Peter Parker not only looks ready to scrap – he looks like he just did.

Everyone’s favorite web-slinger has found a new hope.

This Is It is a stunning look at something that’s both epic and personal. Beautiful. Thrilling. Revealing. This film is a great documentary that delivers a larger-than-life figure in his natural environment as both a mega-celebrity and just a man standing alone on a stage.

Michael Mann wants to direct a film about famous war photographer Robert Capa, but there’s no word on how he’ll deal with Capa’s soiled legacy. Only how he’ll deal with his bitterly personal love story.

At this point, I’m wondering if this production can hold on to its actors long enough to get them in front of a camera. Especially since the camera is already running.

I know, I know. There’s a hilarious joke to be made about memory when it comes to this movie being remade. But I refuse to come off my high horse to make it. Mostly because riding a baked horse seems dangerous in the first place.

Allow me to rescue you from the landslide of Oscar reactions, commentary and punditry by talking about something that should interest everyone. And by everyone, I mean everyone.

Columbia Pictures is in talks with producer Joe Roth for a new version of xXx, one that would bring back star Vin Diesel and director Rob Cohen. The question is: why?

Ah, the brilliance of movie marketing — always providing ample opportunities for a schlub like me to make a drug reference in conjunction with one of my favorite on-screen characters.

At least, that is what Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace has in mind. According to Variety, Wallace has signed on with Columbia pictures to write The Last Pharaoh.

Dan Aykroyd gave his two cents, now we have word that Columbia Pictures is dead serious about making Ghostbusters 3 a reality.

Columbia Pictures wants to move forward with an actual film version of the stories. Writers Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander (who also penned the screenplays for Ed Wood and 1408), will make the adaptation.

Columbia Pictures has acquired the screen rights to “Maximum Ride,” the best-selling young adult novel by James Patterson.

Columbia Pictures has announced that Sacha Baron Cohen, the actor who put Kazakhstan on the map and Will Ferrell, the master at portraying self important losers, will team up as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Ben Stiller and Reese Witherspoon have been tapped to star in the film, which will be Crowe’s 7th film as director. Columbia was the winner of the Crowe project, outbidding other studios for the rights to distribute the film.