Archive: December 2009 (61-70 of 461)

Dec 24 2009 04:00 PM ET

'Repo Men' trailer: Jude Law goes out for blood (and livers)

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Categories: Exclusive First Look, Movie Trailers, Movies, This Could Be Interesting...

Universal has just released a red-band trailer for Repo Men, a sci-fi thriller starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker slated for an April 2010 release. Despite the similar title, Repo Men is not a remake of the director Alex Cox’s 1984 nihilistic sci-fi punk cult classic Repo Man. Its premise, though — in a dystopian future, a sinister megacorporation dispenses new organs to needy patients at exorbitant prices, then sends out repo men to reclaim them when they default on their payments — does bear a certain resemblance to Repo! The Genetic Opera, the campy, gory 2008 rock-opera musical that earned Paris Hilton a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress and grossed (in more senses than one) a paltry $188,127. That, in itself, may not bode well. But based on this trailer, Repo Men actually looks like it has potential to be pretty fun, in a gruesome, bloodsoaked way, with a darkly comic, satirical edge that harks back to movies like Robocop and Total Recall.

Take a look and tell us what you think. (Note: For those of you poor stiffs stuck working on Christmas Eve, it’s NSFW.) Does the idea of Jude Law as a badass futuristic repo man slicing out some dude’s pancreas appeal to you, or is his rather more genteel turn as Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes more your speed?

Dec 24 2009 03:00 PM ET

Videogame face-off: 'Ratchet and Clank' vs. 'Brutal Legend'

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Categories: Videogame Face-Off, Videogames

Somewhere between gory FPS and kid-geared sidescrollers there’s the wonderful genre of cartoonish action-adventure games. How to pick? Face-Off has you covered. Today, it’s waring guitars and and strange creatures.

In this corner… Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack In Time
Each successive Ratchet and Clank game — a platformer akin to Metroid — outdoes the previous ones with innovative weapons and engrossing plot development; the latest is no exception. Ratchet the Lombax (kangaroo-like) and Clank the robot have been separated! Ratchet uses a slew of customizable new weapons like the Sonic Eruptor, a frog beast attached to a metal rod that spews enemy-shaking sound waves; Clank solves puzzles by using clones of himself to carry out time-delayed actions. Throw in the ability to pilot Ratchet’s upgradeable, blast-happy space ship and an epic satisfying conclusion, and you’ve got yet another game in the win column for Insomniac Games. And first-timers won’t be left out in the cold: The game’s inviting enough to play sans previous R+C exposure.

In the other corner… Brütal Legend
It takes a hell of a game to unite the voices of Ozzy Osborne, Lemmy, and Jack Black. Eddie Riggs (Black) is the ultimate roadie who finds himself in a hellish dimension where he must use heavy metal music to save the world. He swings a giant literal axe to take down druids and slimy demons, and wields a metaphorical axe, his guitar, that casts lightning and fire spells. Oh yeah, and he drives a hot rod through piles of bones. The game’s part weapon-fueled action, part Guitar Hero-style button mashing to Black Sabbath tunes — which, get this, gives you new powers. If you can stand a little gore and some cursing (as a joke, the game asks you occasionally if you think it’s funnier if the swears get bleeped out), this game is the perfect vehicle for unabashed heavy metal geekery.

And the winner is… READ FULL STORY »

Dec 24 2009 01:22 PM ET

Jody Watley's 'Christmas Time Is Here' kicks off the PopWatch Non-traditional Holiday Playlist

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Categories: Happy Holidays, Music, Sexytimes, Things That Are Awesome!

I’m no Grinch, but I’ve got to admit there are times when the sound of a traditional holiday carol makes me say “Ho, ho, NO!” (The too-perky “thumpity-thump-thump” refrain of “Frosty the Snowman,” for example, conjures up evil fantasies of giving the titular hero a one-way plane ticket to a tropical destination.) Thankfully, though, we live in a musically diverse time where there are festive ditties to fit almost any mood. One of my all-time favorite seasonal tracks is Jody Watley‘s “Christmas Time Is Here,” a sexy, fireside take on the melancholy tune made famous in A Charlie Brown Christmas. Miss Watley has made her cover (embedded below) available for free download at her ReverbNation music page, and I’ve taken the liberty of making it the first track on PopWatch’s 2009 Nontraditional Holiday Playlist. What other unexpected carols should make the cut? That’s up to you, my friends. Head to the comments section below and add your favorite lesser-known carols. By the time Santa heads down the chimney, we’ll have ourselves a merry little playlist!

Dec 24 2009 01:00 PM ET

Your favorite pop culture ornament?

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Categories: Awwwwww So Cuuuuuute, Happy Holidays, Muppets, Things That Are Awesome!, Toys

A rather dashing reindeer friend of mine just sent me this video of a talking Statler and Waldorf Christmas ornament — a true standout in his mom’s impressive animated ornament collection. She also has the Swedish Chef. Press play below. These two better not be referring to Dancing With the Stars!

Do you own or have you come across any cool pop culture-themed ornaments in your holiday travels, Poinsettia-dubs?

Dec 24 2009 12:19 PM ET

'Glee'-ful scene for Italian shoppers

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Categories: Glee, Music, Television

Glee is going international — check out this flashmob performance in an Italian shopping center to promote the launch of the show there.

Do you love it? Think Sue Sylvester will translate abroad? And, are all Italian teenagers this beautiful?

Dec 24 2009 11:15 AM ET

Alec Baldwin talks butt double on 'Letterman'

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Categories: Movies, Ridiculata, Television

With It’s Complicated opening on Christmas Day, Alec Baldwin stopped by The Late Show with David Letterman last night and even had Dave cracking up. The conversation about his butt double “dining out all around New York” was just one of many highlights.

Here’s a clip of Baldwin talking about meeting Burt Lancaster in an elevator:

What was your favorite moment from Baldwin on Letterman? Is there any better talk show guest than Alec Baldwin? Who’s lining up already for It’s Complicated?

Dec 24 2009 11:00 AM ET

Dash Shaw: Getting 'swept away' with 'Unclothed Man' web series

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Categories: Comic Books, Tech

At the age of 26, graphic novelist Dash Shaw has already delivered a genuine masterpiece. And not just any masterpiece: Bottomless Belly Button (EW’s #5 book of 2008) is the kind of delicately observed, funny-sad multi-generational family saga that you expect from a maestro in the full flowering of their late-life artistic powers. Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny & Alexander, say, or Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.

Shaw’s nimble skill for storytelling and characterization is more than matched by his eclectic drawing style, which is simultaneously cartoonish, realistic, and impressionistic. Every page, every panel of his work combines the composed photographic detail of an early Chuck Close portrait with the tossed-off flair of an idle classroom doodle.

Now, Shaw is making the leap to animation. His new web series, The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century AD, is a gorgeously hand-drawn tale about robots, dystopian insurgency, and figure-drawing classes. It looks completely unlike anything else. (Fantagraphics is releasing a tie-in book, which combines original storyboards for the web series and collects several of Shaw’s short stories, all of them unique gut-punchingly wondrous.) EW spoke with Shaw about the personal inspiration for Unclothed Man, his animation influences, and the brilliance of James Cameron.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Unclothed Man is a science-fiction story. Do you like working in that genre?
DASH SHAW: I did a comic called Body World, and that was more science-fictiony, but I actually don’t know what genre it falls into. Like, comedy, sci-fi…

Body World kind of had that Philip K. Dick feel, crossing over various different genres and never going far outside the realm of contemporary reality.
Right. Body World, to me, is about telepathy. It’s about being inside of another person. That has a science-fiction aspect, but if I had to pick a genre, I’d say it’s some kind of a relationship comedy. READ FULL STORY »

Dec 24 2009 10:00 AM ET

Clip du jour: 'Moscow Cat Theater'

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Categories: Animals, Clip du Jour, Viral Video!!!

A family-friendly video you can share over the holidays…and use to bemoan the lack of talents in your own pets (this means you, Elwood) compared to these amazingly acrobatic kitties.

Do your pets have any similar tricks?

Dec 24 2009 09:00 AM ET

5 last-minute gift ideas for procrastinators

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Categories: Books, DVD/Video, Happy Holidays, Muppets

Ho, ho, ho, Present-dubs! We’re way past the point where we can sit around in our jammies and purchase all of our gifts online (unless we want to pay $1024.95 for overnight shipping, which we don’t), so here are five things available IN STORES that you can buy for pop culture lovers once you face the music and realize the dream is over and you’re gonna have to leave the house today.

1. DVD: Ally McBeal: The Complete Series Mom, are you reading this? I want Santa to bring me the opportunity to renew my late-’90s obsession with Calista Flockhart’s business suits.
2. Music: Radiohead Reissues Someone you know wants these, despite already owning all of the albums.
3. DVD: The French Chef with Julia Child Here’s your chance to fully understand why Meryl Streep seemed baked the whole time in Julie & Julia. Bonus: Child will never call olive oil “EVOO.”
4. Game: Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City I don’t really know what’s going on here; I just like it because the disc comes with an add-on called The Ballad of Gay Tony.
5. Book: Sesame Street: A Celebration — 40 Years of Life on the Street This full-color oversize is not in our gift guide, but I saw it last night at a bookstore and it is gorgeous. I love the extensive interviews with the Muppet puppeteers.

Plenty more gift ideas at EW’s Holiday Gift Guide. Leave your last-minute gift suggestions in the comments. Happy consumerism, P-dubs! Oh, and this just in from Troop Beverly Hills‘ Velda Plendor: There’s a “Blue light special on Aisle 13…Cookies.”

Dec 24 2009 09:00 AM ET

Today's holiday TV picks: 'West Wing,' 'Deadliest Catch,' 'Gavin & Stacey'

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Categories: Happy Holidays, Television

Okay, we’ve had our general discussion of how useful TV marathons can be during the holidays.

So now let’s move onto today’s top picks:

Bravo is showing all five of The West Wing Christmas episodes — they started at 8 a.m. Who better to spend Christmas Eve with than President Bartlet, CJ, Toby, and Leo?

Discovery has Deadliest Catch airing from 9 a.m. to midnight — perfect to distract that cranky uncle as you prepare the feast of the seven fishes (does crab count?)

BBC America has my own personal obsession, Gavin & Stacey, returning with their Christmas Special at 10 p.m. Smithy dressed as Santa Claus, I hope!?

Until tonight, we have a road-rage Smithy and Gavla singing “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

What are you watching today, PopWatchers?

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