If this has been the summer or the year of the “good, but not great” movie, Cowboys & Aliens stands just a bit taller than most. It wears its spurs a little prouder. It slings its gun a little faster. Whichever metaphor you prefer, Jon Favreau has crafted a loving new vision of the Western genre that delivers far better on character than the average summer blockbuster. At the very least, it works more on making the people on screen matter, even when sci-fi spectacle could have (and maybe should have) taken the reins. Jake (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the desert having lost his memory but gained an alien weapon strapped to his arm. When he’s arrested in the town of Absolution alongside Percy (Paul Dano), the sniveling son of wealthy landowner Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), the pair are ready for transport when the community is attacked by beings from another world. Their kin are taken, and they round up a posse to get them back.

This week, on a very special episode of Reject Radio, it’s our great honor to have Harrison Ford join Jon Favreau, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde to talk about Cowboys & Aliens in a special feature. Plus, The Smurfs director Raja Gosnell learns a lesson from the little blue creatures, and Eric D. Snider goes up against newly-minted Reject Kate Erbland for the Movie News Pop Quiz. Put on your chaps, saddle up and ride. Listen Here: Download This Episode

As the summer of 2011 creeps to a close, there are now just a handful of stand-outs waiting to earn your almighty dollars. And as the old saying goes, sometimes the best things are saved for last. Such is the possible case with Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens. It’s a concept that has been on our radar for a long time, complete with a cast assembled perfectly for maximum awesome. Our hopes are high and our hats are 12-gallon, and we’d like to bring you along for the ride. If you live in Austin, Texas, that is. We’re co-hosting an advance screening on the evening of July 26th, and we’ve got your chance to win yourself a pair of tickets. Just click on through, pardners…

It’s been rumored for a while now that Javier Bardem would be playing the villain in the next installment of the James Bond franchise, but that production has been through so much turmoil that it was never a given. Recently, things seem to finally be more official. Director Sam Mendes is on board, things are moving forward, and the film has a solid release date of November 9, 2012. And perhaps because things are finally chugging along for real on the film, Mendes has decided to spill a little bit of info on the casting process while chatting up The Telegraph. Perhaps the biggest news is that he confirmed that Bardem will indeed be in the film, and that he will most certainly be playing the bad guy. Bardem, of course, won an Oscar for his portrayal of iconic screen villain Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, so seeing him put on the villain’s cap in a franchise as big as Bond, and opposite a Bond as dynamic as Daniel Craig, should be a real treat. The other casting announcement that Mendes let loose is that Rhys Ifans will also be joining the cast. He didn’t disclose what sort of role Ifans would be playing, but I don’t think that matters so much, as everything I’ve seen him do he has done exceptionally well. The Telegraph dropped a bit of trivia by pointing out the Ifans and Craig had already appeared together in the 2004 film Enduring Love, [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’s Not Safe For the Lobby. I love making up new acronyms. Spread that one around, please. Do to my contractually obligated word limit on posts (at least 100, unless I can use “Verfremdungseffekt” correctly), I’m including this opening statement, but you’ve already skipped over it anyway. Normally for a poster, I might write about the artistic/salesmanship quality of who it will draw in or how it builds on a long and storied history of one sheet movie marketing, but for this new poster for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the nipple piercings speak for themselves. And they speak more than 1,000 words:

A couple days ago a red band trailer for David Fincher’s upcoming adaptation of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” hit the Internet and made the rounds among movie blogs and message boards. It wasn’t really clear if it was an unintentional leak, or if it was put out to look as an intentional leak as a bit of viral marketing that fit in well with the hacker status of the female protagonist, or maybe if it was just a trailer released without much fanfare due to its pseudo NSFW status. But none of that really matters anymore. Now we’ve got an officially released trailer for the film that looks a heck of a lot like the leaked one, but is all high definition and pretty, and doesn’t have any bits that are naughty (sorry, side boob lovers). So what does this trailer have in store for us? Nothing shocking really; but enough to get my blood pumping anyways. This little bit of advertising is quick, kinetic, and full of energy. It’s got a hip re-imagining of a Led Zeppelin classic, a very digital, very typical of David Fincher aesthetic, very gorgeous production design. Also, it probably can’t help but remind me a lot of that one movie I saw… you know, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. The trailer is a reminder that I’ve already heard this story, already solved this mystery, already lived alongside these characters, and it can’t help but feel awfully familiar. But it looks awfully damn pretty [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]

You know what I love about Cowboys & Aliens? That someone took that silly little comic book and took it seriously enough to make a huge movie out of it. That, instead of going the cheap route, Jon Favreau and company saw the potential in the story, in the Western element and in the Sci-Fi and decided to grab themselves by the saddle bags and just go for it. So far, all of the results have been astonishing. Strong visuals, great Western storytelling, and an extra-terrestrial menace. This new trailer gives a much better look at the alien equipment, the narrative and the action. Check it out for yourself:

UK’s “The Sun” isn’t the publication most known for its reliability and integrity, so this news should probably be taken with an entire shaker of salt, but they claim to have a source telling them that Sir Anthony Hopkins is talking to Bond producers about starring opposite Daniel Craig as the next Bond Villain. The shadowy source says, “The only stumbling block seems to be the number of films he is signing up for. There is a chance the character they want him to play could become a regular feature, like Blofeld back in the day.” That all sounds very interesting. A reoccurring villain might be just what this batch of Bond movies needs to get some of that serial storytelling excitement necessary for drawing an audience from film to film. And for Hopkins, an actor who seems increasingly content with taking showy roles and just having fun with them, being a mustache twirling bad guy in the Bond universe might just be the perfect fit. We’ve heard rumors before that Javier Bardem was also in talks to join Bond 23, most likely in the role of a villain, and this adds a little intrigue to that. With the possibility of Hopkins playing a reoccurring role, could this mean that Bardem is who they’re looking at to play his underling? Maybe Hopkins is the head of some evil organization and Bardem is his muscle? I’m not the biggest fan of this franchise in the world, but I like the direction [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]

New updates abound for the troubled pre-production of the 23rd film in the James Bond franchise. For a while work on the film had come to a standstill when its studio, MGM, was forced into bankruptcy. But recently, MGM got a bunch of their financial woes sorted out, acquired some new leadership, and the green light on more Bond seemed to be glowing. The only problem was that MGM didn’t have the resources to distribute the film themselves, so they had to find another studio to sign on to handle the distribution duties. Enter Sony. Sony was the studio with the rights to Bond 21 and 22, which ended up being Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Before these productions we were still in the Pierce Brosnan era of Bond, and while that started pretty strong the petals had come off the rose a bit. After decades of James Bond being a dark haired gent that had over the top, cartoony adventures, Sony took a big risk by pushing fair-haired Daniel Craig into the Bond role and changing the look and feel of the series to something more grounded and real. And they spent a lot of money promoting the changeover. That’s a lot of time, effort, and money put into a franchise that got handed over to MGM. Sony didn’t like this, Sony wanted back in. And getting the distribution rights to Bond 23 was their ticket to doing so. But there were several other studios vying for that [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]

Javier Bardem is now an Oscar-nominated actor who is every bit as in-demand as after his career was launched in earnest by a cattle gun in No Country. However, instead of stories about him being cast, it’s all stories about the roles he’s being offered. Last week it was the massive commitment to playing the lead for The Dark Tower franchise – which comes with something like three movies, a television movie, a radio play and several mall appearances. Today, Deadline Bluthton is announcing that Bardem has been offered a leading role for Bond 23. The phrase “leading” may mean he won’t be playing a Bond girl (in a seriously progressive chapter in the character’s life), so it’s far more likely that MGM wants him as a villain. Perhaps with a cattle gun. There’s no denying he’s a great choice (unless they shave his head and give him a cat to stroke), so now it’s a question of whether he’ll take the gig or not. Fingers crossed that he does, because the prospect of Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem staring eye to eye before beating the living daylights out of each other has me waiting in a theater seat in anticipation already.

MGM’s financial woes did a number on a handful of films that audiences were truly looking forward to, and with The Hobbit coming together so nicely (and yet, mostly without MGM), it seems as if the time is right for the next Bond installment to start heading down the pre-production path again. The Hollywood Reporter has reported in the barest sense possible that Daniel Craig will return as James Bond for the 23rd film, directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes, and written by Bond veterans Neal Purvis and Robert Wade alongside Academy Award nominee John Logan. The movie will shoot later this year, and attempt to toast martini glasses on November 9, 2012 for a release in everyone’s neck of the woods. All I can say is, it’s about time. Sam Mendes is an amazing talent, and his version of the spy is sure to be something intimate and heartbreaking. Of course, we’ll be planning a list of our favorite twenty-thirdquels in anticipation.

We’ve taken you behind the scenes, into director Jon Favreau’s mind, shared the movies that inspired the sci-fi western, and now we continue our set visit of Cowboys & Aliens with a look at its stars. Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, Daniel Craig, and Paul Dano all took time out of a busy shoot to talk about the film and get our hands dirty. All professionalism goes out the window when talking to Harrison Ford. He was standing 20 yards away the entire afternoon of the set visit, posted up like a western specter on the top of an outcropping in his cowboy hat against the blazing sun. Now he’s standing toe-to-toe with me, and I’m not embarrassed to admit now that I lose my cool. I find myself shaking hands with a living legend and looking around to make sure that the other journalists lose their composure, too. There’s a one-sided giddiness that suddenly finds its way permeating the steel cool of those used to meeting the famous, and the latent buzz is pretty heavy in the air with Ford standing there. I imagine this is what God must feel like when he’s shaking Harrison Ford’s hand. The man of so many iconic roles doesn’t say much, but he smiles a wry smile when he does speak, leading me to believe that even he can tell that the group is seriously considering losing critical credibility in order to give him a great big hug and ask Indiana Jones to autograph [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]

Yesterday we took you out into the middle of New Mexico and behind the scenes of Cowboys & Aliens. Today, we continue our week-long set visit report by talking with director Jon Favreau. I’m standing in the middle of the desert, and Jon Favreau is holding an alien arm up toward my face. There’s this look in his eyes that reads as a mix of sheer excitement and a hopefulness that the group surrounding him approves of his alien arm. From the amount of questions buzzing him like airplanes taking a pass at a giant ape on the top of a tall building, it seems like they do. Favreau has navigated a jungle-like career (which started in earnest when he met Vince Vaughn on the set of Rudy) in order to stand in front of some sun-stroked journalists with a piece of painted plastic in his hand. That career has taken him from the college of PCU to the fighting style of Friends and through indie acclaim, Comic Con domination, and into the metal suit of Iron Man which, of course, led him to New Mexico in more ways than one.

“So anything you’re seeing is really spoiler stuff here, right?” That’s how Jon Favreau greets us as he takes refuge inside a pop up tent that is struggling to keep the New Mexican heat and dust out. He’s a force as he enters, a commanding man whose voice is a mix of sarcasm and sweet. Still, he’s about as unimposing as a man over six feet tall can be, and with his breathable pants and bandana he seems more likely to be taking a group of scouts camping than directing a science fiction western starring Daniel Craig. Plus, he’s right about the spoilers. Cowboys & Aliens doesn’t hit theaters until July of 2011, but FSR was invited to the set in the middle of August to watch the crew film a scene and to see who could avoid heat exhaustion the longest (it was Harrison Ford). We won’t be revealing any spoilers from the film, but we will be spending the entire week exploring what the set was like, discovering the movies that inspired the shoot, and talking with Favreau, co-writer Bob Orci, and the cast. Plus, hot off the old dusty trail, we’ve got two behind-the-scenes pictures to share with you after we take you into the canyon where the film was made.

Take a gander at the best teaser you’ll see this week.

Jon Favreau’s follow-up to Iron Man 2 keeps him firmly entrenched in the big budget world of comic book adaptations, but this time it’s with a far lesser known property. The best way to make up for that shortfall of awareness? Reign in one hell of a cast… Daniel Craig, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde,Paul Dano, and Harrison Freaking Ford. That’s right. Harrison Ford is returning to science fiction for the first time since 1983′s Return Of the Jedi. Can only go up from there… The first trailer for the film will be released tomorrow, but to whet your appetite until then Universal has unveiled the first poster. With a cast like this it’s almost a guarantee it’ll be filled with familiar faces and names right? Think again partner. Aside from continuing to inexplicably promote Nintendo’s Power Glove the poster makes a bid for anachronistic teasing over selling itself with celebrity. It’s a shrewd move even if the final result does hew a bit too close to the poster for Jonah Hex (sans CGI sidekick Megan Fox of course).

It probably didn’t hurt Rooney Mara’s chances at what might be the most sought-after role of the decade to work with David Fincher on The Social Network. Now, she’s going from that film straight into his next project: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. To call the role of Lisbeth Salander heavily prized is no understatement. Sony is planning on pouring money into the project, the film is based off of an international best-seller, and it’s the beginning of a franchise that could keep whomever is acting in it rolling in lunch money for a few years to come. Mara, the younger sister of Kate Mara, landed the role after battling with heavy-hitters like Natalie Portman. She’ll play the scrappy bi-sexual that’s captured the heart of the world as soon as Daniel Craig’s schedule frees up post-Cowboys and Aliens. Instead of going with a complete unknown, it looks like Sony will be going with one of those Known Unknowns the government warned us about. As for ability, Fincher must have seen something during the filming of The Social Network because she hasn’t made much of a screen presence known up to this point. Audience response to her performance in the Facebook movie might be the first indication as to whether the right choice was made (instead of, say, judging from her brooding one-note style in Nightmare on Elm Street).

I’ve been skeptical of this remake since it was first announced late last year, but as the cast starts to take shape I’m slowly coming around. First came word that Daniel Craig would play disgraced journalist and super sleuth Mikael Blomkvist – fine. Then came the news that Stellan Skarsgard had been offered the role of Martin Vanger, a suspect in the 40-year-old cold case the story revolves around – excellent. Now we know that Robin Wright (formerly Penn) is in talks to play Millennium magazine publisher and occasional Blomkvist lover, Erika Berger – sounds about right. The Erika Berger role is small but significant. While not huge in the first novel, the role figures a lot more prominently in the following two books (and presumably movies) and the idea is that Wright would return for both. As far as I’m concerned this remake is still completely unnecessary, but I have to admit that this casting is great. Wright is the perfect combination of beauty and brawn and I think she can pull it off. Of course we’re still waiting on the decision that will make or break this movie. The filmmakers are on the hunt for the young actress who will play the title character, and given the incredible performance by Noomi Rapace in the Swedish version, whoever is chosen will have some awfully big shoes to fill, and some pretty rabid fans to win over.

As if it were The Avengers all of the sudden, the David Fincher led re-envisioning (or whatever) of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is making so many headlines that I’m forced to lay it all down in one mega-article. It’s only mega based on length, mind you, as I’ve all but run out of hilarious quips about a movie that involves so much rape and shivering Scandinavians. Alas, there is some news. Including a confirmation on Daniel Craig’s involvement and another lady who might be throwing her name into the hat to play Lisbeth Salander. It’s all very interesting, I assure you.

The footage shook the Comic-Con audience out of their three day slumber. It’s the most excited anyone has been in a long time for something that can be called John Ford-esque, but now 1/24 of a second of the footage can be seen by your very own, possibly-not-here-at-Comic-Con eyes. The film is a true Western that just happens to have an alien invasion. Or it’s a science fiction film that just happens to be set in the Old West. Either way, it involves Daniel Craig and a fantastic cast. However, Daniel Craig seems to be the only one wielding a glowing piece of alien technology to blow things up. Click beyond the jump to view the full image: