What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly dose of awesome movie news, with a side of other stuff you’ll probably want to read in between all the movie news. We begin tonight with an image of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg pondering The World’s End, the supposed third film in their “Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy” that began with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. It’s about damned time, as they say. From Scott Pilgrim to Star Trek, the pair have done plenty of great things apart, but now we’ll hopefully see them wrap this thing up. Unless Marvel calls Edgar about that Ant-Man movie…

Edgar Wright, the man who brought us the brilliant musical zombie death set to Queen in Shaun of the Dead, has confirmed that he’s written a script that’s “kind of like a musical.” According to The Moveable Fest‘s recap of Wright’s curation of films at the New Beverly called The Wright Stuff, the director explained his choice of showing the 1964 Jacques Demy musical romance The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (featuring French superstar Catherine Deneuve) thusly: “I’ve written a script which is kind of like a musical. Slightly a departure for me in some ways, but when I’ve told people about the movie and the idea, most of them have said, ‘You’ve got to see Umbrellas of Cherbourg,’ So here we are.” At this point, fans will probably eat up anything from the talent who seems potentially, endlessly flexible. The final film in the Cornetto Trilogy would be a welcome sight to see, but why not a musical-ish movie from a filmmaker who clearly has an ear for song and the way it works within the confines of the screen? It’s unclear why everyone that hears his idea instantly tosses out the Cherbourg suggestion, but if it’s any clue as to what Wright’s movie might be like, it would be a colorful dramatic comedy with its fair share of sung scenes. Just for fun, here’s the love theme from the movie. Take a look and see if you can see Wright making something like it:

The Adventures of Tintin had always been a bit of a sure thing. With Steven Spielberg behind a camera he can put wherever the hell he wants, which he does indeed do, while adapting adventurous source material that couldn’t be more up in his wheelhouse, what could go wrong? Plus, he’s got a script from a dream team of writers — Joe Cornish, Edgar Wright, and Steven Moffat – and with Peter Jackson producing. I say it again, what could go wrong? As expected, not much. This is the high flying, energetic, and playful action film that we all hope and expect from Spielberg. As nearly everyone will unanimously point out, this is what we all wanted from Indy 4. This is Spielberg at his most indulgent, and it’s fantastic seeing him working at such a level. Spielberg embraces motion-capture in a wondrous way, and he pushes every gizmo and tool he’s got to its fullest extent. If anyone oddly questioned why Tintin was done in mo-cap — besides how silly Tintin’s hair would look live-action and the logistics of having Snowy doing crazy stunts — you’ll shut up after seeing the magic on display here.

Based on the comics by Belgian artist Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin follows a young reporter as he (along with his trusty dog Snowy) end up on a series of adventures in pursuit of his next story. Brought to the screen by director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson, this may be the first time many audiences in America will be seeing and experiencing the world of Tintin (as the comic was first made famous overseas), but the series should have little trouble finding new fans this holiday season. Jackson’s skill with motion capture technology (as seen in his films like The Lord of the Rings and King Kong) is well-translated in Spielberg’s first animated project, creating an immersive world you can easily escape into, while the director’s love of telling an adventure story (and the series itself) bursts through each frame. The film begins with a series of animated scenes which work as a nice recall to the comics from which the story originated – even including a slight reference to newspapers as a nod to Tintin’s (Jamie Bell) job as a journalist and the format through which the comic first ran. The transition from to this the more standard style of animation into the full scope of the film’s 3D motion capture sublty helps audience realize just how impressive and vibrant this new technology truly is. Tintin may not look exactly as he does in the comics, but a clever wink at that iconic image is given early on, making it [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]

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s the nightly movie news column you need right now. It doesn’t care what you want. It knows what you need. We begin tonight with some news about The Dark Knight Rises, a film that has not been mentioned in this column for quite some time. We missed the part where it was going to Occupy Wall Street and skipped ahead to the good stuff: like the confirmation of a TDKR proluge showing with 70mm IMAX prints of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol when it hits theaters on December 16. That’s awesome.

Shuffle. Shuffle. Groan. Crawl. Shuffle. And commentary on all of it. It’s the Halloween season, so you know the zombie movies are out there in force. But we always like a few lot of laughs with our scares. What better movie to dish out both of those along with an ample helping of heart – figurative heart, as in emotion, not actual bloody hearts being tossed about, though we have that here, too – than Edgar Wright‘s Shaun of the Dead? What’s even better, Wright has brought along a familiar and jovial voice to help him recollect some of the fun and interesting times on set. Simon Pegg is helping out with the color commentary, that color being red more than likely. So it’s time to head on down to the Winchester – provided they have a DVD player – grab a pint and your best cricket bat, watch the ball go from bat to wicket – that’s a cricket reference just to show I know a thing or two. That’s two things. I’m out. – and hear what Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg have to say in this week’s Commentary Commentary. Shuffle. Crawl. Shuffle. Groan. Brains.

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly movie news and editorial column that doesn’t ask much of you, just your affection. That’s right, it’s completely free — all you need to do is tune in. That’s not a bad deal, friends. We begin with another shot from A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. Because why the hell not. Warner Bros. released a bunch of promotional photos for the ‘stravaganza, due out November 4, expanding a universe in which Neil Patrick Harris is still alive, Paula Garces is still gorgeous and Patton Oswalt is Santa Claus. Oh yes, this is happening.

What is Movie News After Dark? Usually it’s a nightly column that does the news. But tonight it’s about art, writing that will make you think, talking horses and Kirsten Dunst. If you can’t handle that, well then you get slapped. We begin this evening with the art of Drew Struzan in the form of this Rambo drawing featured on AICN by Eric Vespe. It’s part of a preview of the new Struzan art book that I will be buying as soon as possible, as it released today.

Happen to remember the SXSW Midnight film that Rob called “a blood-drenched trip down the rabbit hole“? Hopefully you added it to that list you keep of smaller films to look out because there’s good news on the horizon. IFC Midnight is looking to give Kill List a release sometime in the near future, and its director Ben Wheatley already has his next project lined up. According to The Playlist, Wheatley will be joined by executive producer Edgar Wright to create Sightseers – a dark comedy that focuses on two road-tripping psychos. Those psychos will be played by the screenwriters Alice Lowe and Steve Oram who are no strangers to the British comedy world or the mind of Steve Coogan/Alan Partridge. In fact, Lowe appeared in Hot Fuzz as Tina, one of the residents of the sleepy little hamlet of Sanford, and Oram was on the best-named television show of all time: Tittybangbang. The best part about this not-yet-publicly-defined project is all the comedic talent involved. It sounds like a violent meeting between the happy clown and the one angry clown who wields a blunt instrument and carries a lot of childhood trauma with him. Wheatley has proven himself unyielding in his ability to make audiences delightfully uncomfortable, and the rest of the pedigree here is strictly for laughs. As such, it’s exciting to see what twisted baby might come from this partnership.

After this summer, expect all your nerdy friends to endlessly say, “Believe, Bruv!” Enjoy that quote while it lasts, because I’m sure many are going to run it into the ground soon.. so, obviously by the title of this news piece, I already have a hand in not doing that awesome line justice. Couldn’t be more proud. Anyway, the hoods vs. the aliens adventure film has been screening across all over the country since SXSW, and for good reason. Attack the Block is a film that’s going to live or die by word-of-mouth. If the buzz stays as positive as it currently is Screen Gems may end up with a little success on their hands. They’ve set a July 29th release date which is an already a jam packed weekend. With the already sure to be hits Cowboys and Aliens, The Smurfs, and (the supposedly excellent) Crazy, Stupid, Love, Attack the Block will have a lot of competition. Hopefully Joe Cornish‘s truly awesome film debut finds a broad enough audience to appreciate his genre meshing exercise in comedic badassery. Source: Box Office Mojo

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly movie news round-up that finds the darndest things. Like Sacha Baron Cohen’s beard, creepy Musketeer posters, Mark Wahlberg, Simon Pegg, Paul Walker and a way to make your tweets into epic cinematic adventures. You need this and you know it. We begin tonight with Sacha Baron Cohen looking crazytown as The Dictator, his latest mockumentary prank film. Only this time, it’s got a more concise narrative. Cohen will play the dual roles of a ruthless dictator who heads to the U.S. for a meeting at the United Nations and finds that his number two has replaced him with an unsuspecting sheepherder lookalike. The big guy has sort of a Cosmo Kramer meets Mr. T vibe going on, with all the frills of the late Saddam Hussein. That feeling deep in your loins is unbridled excitement. That’s a good thing.

Between Martin Scorsese with Boardwalk Empire, Michael Mann with his upcoming series Luck, Tony and Ridley Scott with The Good Wife, David Fincher with his upcoming House of Cards, Steven Spielberg with too many upcoming projects to name, and an ungodly amount of smaller names that have directed various pilots, many filmmakers have been trying their hand at a smaller screen. While that’s great, it isn’t enough. So it’s time to discuss what other filmmakers would be suited well for the idiot box. Here are seven filmmakers that should try their hand at television.

Yesterday we got to see some poster goodness from The Adventures of Tintin, and, as promised, the teaser trailer has followed suit. It’s quick, but it spends its precious few seconds creating some suspense and teasing the action. A young man chasing a car into the street with a gun, a bi-plane crashing in the desert, a ship pounding its way through the seas. See it for yourself:

What is Movie News After Dark? For tonight at least, it will be your gentle companion. Due to it being a little on the late side, it will be brief and to the point. The point being all the audio/visual goodness that it can provide in one sitting. Fear not, generation of non-readers, there will be video! Tonight’s lead is something you’ll wish you could wipe away from your memory banks moments after you see it (so right about now), a first look at the stage production “Batman Live.” Clearly drawn from the recesses of Joel Schumacher’s mind, buried somewhere alongside his other horrid mistakes, is the look and feel of this London-set ‘stravaganza. God save the Queen, and The Dark Knight.

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s the thing your girlfriend is mumbling about during sex. It’s the thing that every nerd, intellectual and dweeboid demands before they slink off to sleep. It’s everything to everyone at every moment, every where. But really, it’s a list of the day’s movie news items. And some other fun stuff, thrown in for good measure. First The Muppets, now The Hobbit. Bret McKenzie, most famous for being 1/2 of the awesome duo behind Flight of the Conchords, appears to be making all the right moves. He’s been confirmed for a smaller role in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit films. That’s all that matters.

If there must be one film to be labeled as the true winner of this year’s SXSW, it’s without a doubt Joe Cornish‘s feature debut film, Attack the Block. The comedic chase film is by all accounts a universally loved film here at the festival, and for good reason. The story follows a group of hooligans from the projects fighting off an alien invasion, and what could be cooler than that? Anything? No? Thought so. If you need further proof as to why the film is so beloved, then check out Brian Salisbury’s excellent review to discover why it is truly the bee’s knees. Very few films this year will contain half the energy and style that Attack the Block has, similarly to the work of Edgar Wright, who’s an executive producer of the film. Cornish’s Attack the Block and Edgar Wright’s work have such a specific energy to them that it’s difficult to imagine how they crack that pace and feel in script form, and that’s what we discussed amongst other things in our pleasant 15-minute conversation.

Attack the Block needs subtitles for an American release. That’s the divisive concept that has caused me to lose hours of time to Twitter this morning. Everyone with an emotional stake in the matter — from the purists who say that a movie should be released unaltered to those who love the movie so dearly that they’d accept (almost) any solution that would get it out there in front of American audiences — has an opinion about the matter. And the truth is that Attack the Block doesn’t need subtitles. But distributors think it might. Traditional distributors. Which is part of the reason why this film deserves a home at Drafthouse Films. That and as Brian Salisbury explained in his review, the film is excellent. So excellent that it’s rallied passion behind its cause — people who saw it premiere in Austin at SXSW this week want one thing: for the rest of you to be able to see it.

Moses and his friends live in the roughest part of South London. They all reside in an apartment building in an economically arrested neighborhood. Part of the “hoodie” culture that gives older Brits nightmares, Moses’s crew gets into more than its fair share of mischief – going so far as to mug a woman in the street. But when meteors begin raining from the sky, toting vicious aliens in their wake, the hoodies in the street may no longer be the most dangerous thing on the block. They teach us not to use the word “I” in reviews. The first person voice is said to be less professional and less in the mold of the old school of journalism. While this is not an unreasonable standard, Attack the Block spoke to me on such a deeply personal level and suppressing that experience does the film no justice. I don’t know what it is about Britain, but over the last ten years or so they have been churning out genre films that carry the keys to my soul and therefore find easy access. Not only that, but they seem to be released at just the perfect interval to find me at precisely the right moments in my life.

You might know Edgar Wright as the director of last year’s underseen screen gem Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and you might know Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as the onscreen and screenwriting duo from the upcoming Greg Mottola comedy Paul. But probably you know them all from the work they did collaborating on the awesome action comedies Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Those films were written by Pegg and Wright, they starred Pegg and Frost, and they were directed by Wright. And according to Simon Pegg, they’re all ready to have another go at it. He told MTV, “Edgar has coughed up that [Scott Pilgrim] furball and we’re now in the process of regurgitating [Paul], so Edgar and I are planning to get together in the next few months to start working on the next in the ‘Blood and Ice Cream’ series. And I hope Nick will be more involved in the creation of that.” So does this mean that now that Pegg and Frost have written together we may get a three-man writing team for the next, ‘Blood and Ice Cream’ movie, as he calls it?

What is Movie News After Dark? This is a question that I am almost never asked, but I will answer it for you anyway. Movie News After Dark is FSR’s newest late-night secretion, a column dedicated to all of the news stories that slip past our daytime editorial staff and make it into my curiously chubby RSS ‘flagged’ box. It will (but is not guaranteed to) include relevant movie news, links to insightful commentary and other film-related shenanigans. I may also throw in a link to something TV-related here or there. It will also serve as my place of record for being both charming and sharp-witted, but most likely I will be neither of the two. I write this stuff late at night, what do you expect?