Source: Peter Jackson Facebook | LA Times | Posted By: Dan Geer

A few months ago director Peter Jackson screened footage from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at CinemaCon in the actual frame rate the film was shot in, which is 48 fps. For those of you not in the know, for the last 80 years or so, films have been shot at 24 fps (frames per second). At 48, things like motion blur seem to be non-existent and footage appears to be more “real” than ever before, according to those who have filmed at this frame rate, such as Jackson.

San Diego Comic-Con is happening as I write this, and yesterday Jackson commented to the LA Times that he would not be screening The Hobbit footage there at 48 fps this time around, because of all the negative responses last time around from various news outlets and bloggers who claimed that the footage looked like video, sort of like what soap operas or sporting events look like in HD. They essentially claimed the footage almost looked fake. Jackson says that, by screening the footage at 24 fps at the Con, people will report more on the film’s content, performances, etc., and not be distracted by things they may find not so appealing, such as 48 fps.

After his comments to the LA Times were made public yesterday, some bloggers made the accusation that Jackson is trying to cover up how “bad” the footage looks at 48 fps, as if Jackson got cold feet. However, the acclaimed film director has released a more detailed response via his Facebook page addressing in full his decision to screen the footage at 24 fps. Read on to see what he had to say!

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Source: Apple | Posted By: Dan Geer

Yesterday we got a decent behind-the-scenes look at Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful via ET Online, as well as an announcement that the trailer would be arriving today at San Diego Comic-Con. The trailer is now online as well, so without further ado, let’s get right to it, shall we? Hit the jump to check out the trailer for director Sam Raimi’s latest film, courtesy of Apple!

Update: Full Comic-Con panel for the film now included below!

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Source: ET Online | Posted By; Dan Geer

Last week saw the debut of the first poster for Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful, which showed us just a tiny bit of the fantasy world moviegoers will get to see next March. Now, ET Online has posted a video giving us our first real peek behind the scenes of director Sam Raimi’s prequel to the original Wizard of Oz.

The majority of the video features James Franco (Oz) talking about the film and his character, but we also get a little time with Mila Kunis talking about her witch character (Theodora) as well. Of course, the video also shows us some of the sets from the film, which should be enough to get any fan of the original film or the Baum books quite excited. Hit the jump to watch!

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Source: Xfinity | Posted By: Dan Geer

Just when we thought no more trailers would be released for director Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, a fourth trailer debuted last month, surprising everyone. Now, we’re a mere 10 days away from the film’s release, so there’s no way that yet another one could surface, right?

Wrong. A fifth trailer, called “Journey,” has now made its way online, via Xfinity. The trailer opens with scenes from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, summarizing what we’ve seen so far with Bruce Wayne’s journey in the films. Then, it kicks into high gear with clips from the final film, including some new scenes featuring the war on Gotham. Thankfully, this doesn’t show us too much, or reveal anything spoiler-ish, so hit the jump if you’re thirsty for more of The Dark Knight Rises!

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Source: Entertainment Weekly | ComingSoon.net

Warner Brothers and MGM have revealed an incredible banner over at Entertainment Weekly featuring 10 scenes from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s book will recognize that the scenes move from left to right in chronological order, most likely hinting at how much of the story will be included in the film (the story will continue on in next year’s The Hobbit: There and Back Again).

The above screen shot is not the entire banner. Hit the jump to view the full banner with more images of the dwarves, Galadriel, Elrond, Bilbo, Gollum, and even the character of Beorn (for those not in the know, it’s the bear). Check it out now!

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Source: Collider | Posted By: Dan Geer

Tidbits for Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful have been scarce as of late, but things are now starting to kick into gear for The Wizard of Oz prequel, due to the film’s upcoming preview panel at San Diego Comic-Con. While we can be quite confident that a teaser trailer for the Sam Raimi-directed film will hit theaters some time in the near future, today Disney has debuted the first teaser poster for the film to hold us over until then.

Most of the time, teaser posters really aren’t anything special, but this particular one actually stands out and is quite artistic to say the least. It really gives us a good glimpse into the eye-popping fantasy world we have yet to fully experience in the film – just enough to keep us intrigued. Hit the jump to read the official synopsis of the film and to see the teaser poster in full!

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Source: Universal Pictures | Posted By: Dan Geer

Universal Pictures has finally released the full details regarding the release of eight classic Universal Monster movies in one Blu-ray set in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the company. Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection marks the first time each of these films have been “digitally restored from high resolution film elements in perfect high-definition picture and perfect high-definition sound,” according to the press release. The Blu-ray set will be released on October 2nd.

The films included in the set are Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), The Wolf Man (1941), The Mummy (1932), The Invisible Man (1933), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), and Phantom of the Opera (1943). Bonus features include previously released documentaries and commentaries from The Legacy DVD Collections, plus all-new features never before released. Not only that, but the original 3D version of Creature from the Black Lagoon will be included, marking the first time this particular version has been made available to the public. Read on for the full press release for all the fang-tastic details!

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Source: Deadline | Posted By: Dan Geer

Now we’re talking! Jurassic Park IV has been talked about for over a decade, but nothing has really been done about it until more recently. Last year, Steven Spielberg was toying around ideas for a fourth film, and claimed that we might see it in a few years time. Now, Deadline is reporting that Universal has hired Rise of the Planet of the Apes scribes Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver to pen the script for a fourth film.

This is the biggest step toward another Jurassic Park sequel that we have seen, and a smart one, since Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a very well-written film that went on to become quite successful. Spielberg will reportedly not direct, but will be on board as producer, along with long-time producing partners Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy. Rumors have been floating around for a while that the movie will reboot the franchise in a sense, essentially setting up for more potential sequels, but no plot details have been confirmed. More as we hear it!

Source: Batman-News.com | Posted By: Dan Geer

Well, this is unexpected. When the third trailer for The Dark Knight Rises hit the web last month, most assumed that it would be the last full trailer before the film’s debut next month. As it turns out, Nokia has debuted an exclusive trailer online today, which, of course, contains new footage that will most likely blow away fans of the franchise. Not sure if I would say it is a better trailer than the third, but I’ll leave that up to the reader to decide. Let’s not discuss this any further, and just watch, shall we?

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Source: Tumbler Tour | Posted By: Dan Geer

For those of you not in the know, a life-size, drivable replica of “The Tumbler” Batmobile is on the road touring America right now, along with a replica of the Batpod (which apparently does not drive). Being a huge Batman fan, this is one of those things that I just can’t stop smiling about.

The Batmobile. Right in front of me. Just awesome.

Today, the Tumbler and Batpod arrived in Michigan, my home state. It has already made its way to a Walmart in Lansing, and should now be in Detroit somewhere in front of The Tigers’ Comerica Park as I type this. Hit the jump to check out pictures and video I shot (the video actually shows the Tumbler driving back into the moving truck!). [Update: All videos are now online]

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