Focus Features just sent over the following posters for 9. There are eight of them in total, each centering on a different so-called stitchpunk character (or two). These are the creations of the Scientist, a guy so popular he’s even got a Facebook page.

Beautiful work here- these are some great posters and it’s awesome to see them all lined up together.

 Don’t forget that you can watch the original 9 short film online on Youtube.

Voiced by one of the world’s most respected actors, Christopher Plummer, 1 is the Scientist’s first creation. As the elder, he is the self-declared leader of the group. He is clever and sly, but also domineering, quick-tempered, and threatened by the new arrival of 9, whose higher intellect leads him to question authority.

Voiced by Academy Award Winner Martin Landau, 2 is a kindly but now frail inventor and explorer who embodies the Scientist’s strong creative spirit. An inquisitive personality, 2 is fearless. Director Shane Acker affectionately describes him as a “salty old dog”.

Communicating visually, not verbally, 3 and 4 are the scholarly twins who voraciously catalogue everything they can see and find, recording and building a massive database for the group of the world that surrounds them and the history that led up to their creation.

Voiced by Academy Award nominee John C. Reilly, 5 is a caring, nuturing engineer – the loyal, big-hearted “common man” who always tries to play the peacemaker. He is also an apprentice of 2, with whom he shares a special bond.

6, the group’s visionary is voiced by Crispin Glover. Although reclusive and eccentric, his bursts of artistic inspiration through drawings made from his pen nib hands may be keys to help his fellow stitchpunk beings navigate their darkest hours.

A brave and self-sufficient warrior, 7, voiced by Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly, is the group’s sole female.  A fiercely independent adventuress she has been out patrolling the wasteland.  To survive, she has adapted, finding the bones of a deceased bird and crafting her signature skull helmet.

Armed with a giant kitchen cleaver and half a scissor blade, the none-too-bright muscle and enforcer of the group, 8, is created to help the others physically survive the dangerous post-apocalyptic world.

To voice the lead role of the newly born – and aborning hero — 9, Acker couldn’t help but have in mind an actor who was so central to the film set he had worked on years earlier in New Zealand – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King star Elijah Wood. 

BUY IT FROM AMAZON: CLICK HERE!
STUDIO: Fox Searchlight
MSRP: $29.98
RATED: R
RUNNING TIME: 111 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Behind The Scenes Featurette: Within The Ring
• Music Video: “The Wrestler” by Bruce Springsteen

The Pitch

“Well, we really wanted to do a movie called Fuck Yourself Vince McMahon, which was just an hour and a half of the remaining members of the Hart family flipping off the camera, but we decided to go the tasteful route.”

The Humans

Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

The Nutshell

An aging professional wrestler on the brink of obscurity is forced to re-evaluate his own life after a brush with death.

The Lowdown

I could probably write a nice, long dissertation on how this movie links up with the rest of Darren Aronofsky’s resume, something about his obsession with man vs his own nature, finding beauty in the imperfect, et cetera, et cetera.

Screw that. There’s a tendency to overthink Aronofsky’s movies to the point where people end up missing that the only real special element Aronofsky has ever added to make his films stand out against the tide is honesty. Characters waylaid and stripped by their peril, inside and out, and Darren being right there with a camera, trying to interpret the inner noise just as accurately as the outer, in an infinite spectrum of gray.

What makes The Wrestler different is that Randy “The Ram” Robinson’s reality is professional wrestling, and in its own special, wrapped-in-spandex way it’s far more fucked up than any of his previous subjects, if for no other reason than when Jared Leto loses an arm, or Max Cohen takes a power drill to the temple, there’s no camera there to record it for highlights, or a crowd screaming in awe or chanting “HO-LY SHIT”. Pro wrestling is one of the few, strange places where self-destruction has a script and an audience.

Of course, we can get that story every week on USA. The one we don’t usually get, at least till one of these guys drops dead, is what kind of life a man leads when he’s not being adored for breaking himself in half for an adoring crowd. For a lot of these guys, that’s their only talent, and when there’s no applause and not even a quarter of the paycheck for that sacrifice, they might as well be living their own private hell.

That’s where the Monday night cameras shut off and Darren Aronofsky’s camera takes over. And never for a second does he flinch from this man, who he has become, and what he has to do just to get by when he’s not wearing green tights. The Ram’s a nice guy, grateful to his fans and friends, and genuinely loves what he does. He’s also a shitty father, a drug addict, and notoriously selfish and self-serving when he wants something or someone bad enough. He earns his fate several times over throughout the course of the film. The film does its subject a favor, though, possibly the ultimate favor: It never blames. Probably wouldn’t go as far as to say it sympathizes, but it paints this man as someone who has only ever been able to earn love through his talent, which is very quickly killing him. Pity is one thing, but hating this man for desperately trying to find something, anything else in this life that fills him with the love and appreciation he’s had in his past would be a hypocrisy on a grand scale for any feeling human. Let he without sin swing the first metal folding chair, so to speak.

You might notice the lack of discussion about Mickey Rourke, or Marisa Tomei, or Evan Rachel Wood, or Clint Mansell. That isn’t to denigrate the amazing, subtle work done by all four of them for this flick, but for a drama, for a portrait of a man’s life, everyone in front of the camera bringing their A game is no surprise. Everything in that previous paragraph, however, is harder. Vulnerability and honest portrayal without descending into easy, saccharine bullshit is far harder, and the film’s complete lack of ego in that respect is a genuine achievement, especially for a director whose visual flair, while inventive and often necessary, sometimes overwhelms.

Not bad at all for a film about an old guy in tights.

The Package

There’s only two features: Springsteen’s music video for “The Wrestler”, which is absolutely perfect in its simplicity, and a guerrila-style behind-the-scenes documentary called Within The Ring. It’s roughly a half hour long, but shot on the fly, catching cast and crew for interviews or quotes at random moments, and with a special focus on the indie wrestlers and venues used for the film, it serves as an oddly appropriate companion to the film, not so much being upfront with facts and stories about the making of, but definitely giving us a hint as the vibe of being around while the film was made, what’s going on in everyone’s heads. Just like Aronofsky’s other DVDs: slight, but satisfying.

Still want my goddamned Fountain Special Edition, though.

The cast is unbeatable – Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau together again, Jason Bateman, Faizon Love, Kristen Bell, Malin Ackerman, Kristin Davis – and the cameos seem sublime – Ken Jeong! Jean Reno! Peter Serafinowicz! – and it’s directed by none other than Ralphie from A Christmas Story, Peter Billingsly (he’s not the A Christmas Story alum who went into porn. That would be the kid who got his tongue stuck to the pole. Try not to think of the meta meaning of that). But I was worried about Couples Retreat. It smacked of old people comedy, the kind of stuff that’s rarely funny.

Oops, guess I was wrong. Or at least the trailer makes me think I was wrong, since the trailer is pretty hilarious. And it’s a green band – I sense a killer red band is in our future.

Click here to check out the trailer in Quicktime. The movie opens in October. Can’t wait.

Julie Adams, star of the original The Creature from the Black Lagoon, meets the new musical Creature and the 21st century version of her character, Kay.

This morning I headed over the Hollywood Hills to Universal Studios, where the latest musical attraction, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, debuted. Running about 25 minutes long, this musical is presented as a sort of sequel to the original, with a whole new boatload of people heading to the Amazon jungle to find the Gill-Man. And to sing about.

One of the big attractions for me was the chance to meet Julie Adams, the star of the original 1954 The Creature from the Black Lagoon. She was a very sweet lady who was obviously pretty psyched to be at the debut of this strange new take on the classic Universal Monster.

Before the show began, the Creature himself was brought to the theater under armed guard. Something predictably went wrong.

What

follows is a scattershot bit of staff and reader submitted photos that

showcase the lunacy that exists in the world around us. Submit images HERE, and comment on the thread HERE. Also, please post links on your Facebook, Twitter, or Digg accounts if you want to help keep us swaddled in sweetness.

1. “It’s a microphone… until mom leaves the room!”

“We need some signage, ASAP!”

“We need an image that completely embodies the concept of batteries. We tried having pictures of batteries already and it seemed too meta.”

“Fucking nailed it in one take!”


2. They’ll give a business license to ANYONE.

Photo by Brad Bishop.

“Welcome to Puppy’s.”

“We have an entire row of puppies. I’m the owner. Carl Murtaugh at your service!”

“We sell puppies here. Tons of them. Little, big, and all with paperwork and glistening eyes!”

3. This is an Illuminati message.

Photo by Brian Herrero.

Notice the hidden 9/11 message. The text on the right is an anagram for Interfpank, the ancient art of GrecoRoman self-touch. Notice the 12227, which to the Aztecs meant “The Asshole Number”. It’s beyond you and I, this mystery.

Anyhow, if God were real he’d probably believe in Atheists. Otherwise he’d really not be God would he? The people empowered to write church signs ought to be less dumb.

4. IF FUCKING ONLY…

Photo by Clay Young.

I would swap my car’s air conditioning in the hottest summer months for the ability to make Twilight go away.

5. That would illustrate where the real guy was during the making of Cradle 2 the Grave.

Photo by Evan Dickson.

I love when people can’t accept their reality and live vicariously through their license plate. Example: Def Leppard’s drummer’s 2GR8ARMZ.


6. I wish this were a photo of me.

Photo by Jack Dnim.

This is either the cover of a book about:

• A savage man and his ability to tame the wild.
• A Hippie with the weirdest penal wart.
• A Sea World cautionary tale.
• Why Uncle Francis is in jail.
• How Shamu got his “other blowhole”.
• The invention of the Faggotron.

7. But I don’t know how to papk!

Photo by Jamie Songer.

8. He must have been one hell of a fucking dog.

Photo by Jeff Crosby.

“Four days on the road. The Grand Canyon’s only five hours away.”

9. Loretta Swit’s cousin’s been busy.

Photo by Jeff Crosby.

Why are they advertising the prequel to White Hunter, Black Heart?

10. Apparently Taco Bell spent all their energy on their amazing food.

Photo by Jeff Gabrielson.

That solves it. I am not having my prom at Taco Bell.

11. Stinks just like country music!

Photo by John Makarewicz.

Ingredients: Steer Piss, Beer, Hooter’s Waitress Sweat, and Piss Piss.

Note: I wanted to do a Tug McGraw joke here.

12. The Fear Network.

Photo by John Makarewicz.

He probably WEP the bed.

13. HBO is your daughter… is your sister… is your daughter… is your sister!

Photo by Mark Wheaton.

Hungblood will be Patrick Swayze’s amazing poetic sequel/prequel/ remaquel swan song.

14. Poor Dwayne Johnson.

Photo by Matt Turner.

Not to be confused with the sign outside Jennifer Gray’s house:

15. Because they’re built differently than white people.

Photo by Matt Turner.

“What so special about these Hisapnic eye drops? What will they help me do?”

16. “The bugs are dead? Well, let’s raise the m’fu’n roooooooooof!”

Photo by Mike DiGrazia.

“Thank you for mortally wounding all those termites.”

17. Fuck this guy.

Photo by Nick Nunziata.

I have seen this shit a lot. As if part of the responsibility of owning an old truck (car buff term: olding) requires one to scatter all the litter of the world on one’s dash like an asshole. It’d be great if the cops stumbled across a car crash…

“I have a redneck male, approximately 32 years of age, deceased about three hours. It appears he died after hitting the brakes going around fifty miles per hour. No damage to the vehicle.”

“Paper cuts.”

18. FINALLY I CAN EAT.

Photo by Nick Nunziata.

There is a British foods section at Publix. That is my setup and punchline.

19. The Thomas Jane Action Figure.

Photo by Unknown.

They could only fit one of this animal on Noah’s Ark.

20. I ran out of brown crayons.

Photo by Richard Barfield.

It’s the first in a new line of slavery coloring books sweeping the nation.

21. Which is more offensive?

Photo by Andrew Sweeney.

They put them out of order. First you become a Twilight fan, THEN you become a Nazi.

By the way:

“I can run faster than a hour!”

Message Board Thread.

Gosh-darned runaway trains are getting too easy too stop these days….  Word has it that the planned Denzel Washington / Chris Pine thriller, Unstoppable, which Tony Scott was to direct, may not even leave the station due to budget issues.  The pic centers on a train with toxic chemicals speeding out of
control.  Word has it that neither of the main star’s deals, nor Scott’s deal, were set yet and the studio is starting to grimace at the prospect of funding a typically big-budget Tony Scott project after The Taking of Pelham 123 has only taken in $53 million so far.  This comes on the heels of the Brad Pitt project, Moneyball, being shelved by Sony for the same reason. 

Adding to Fox’s apprehensions is the price tag for the planned physical stunts in the action-heavy thriller.  “A year ago, you could agree on a budget and then come back and
give them a higher bill and they’d pay it,” said a producer with a
deal at a studio. “It doesn’t work like that anymore.” 

Fans of Denzel needn’t worry about seeing him on screen soon though.  He still has the upcoming The Book of Eli, and a planned sequel to Inside Man due next year, as well as another half dozen projects in the works.  Likewise, Pine will have the inevitable Star Trek sequel to fall back on and Hollywood and Orion Slave Girls will certainly be knocking on his door in the meantime. 

via THR.com

Well-seasoned R&B and hip hop veterans Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, and Sandra “Pepa” Denton are spicing up VH-1 with new reality shows.  *chortle, guffaw*  Their saucy new shows are going to feature them heating up the airwaves as they both seek to curry the favor of eligible men in their quests for true love.  Woo-hoo-hoo.  This sage career move for both ladies couldn’t have come at a better thyme.  Hardee-har-har…

Do I scoff at the above info?  Sure.  Because what we certainly need in this world is more reality shows.  Especially more relationship reality shows, which are only exceeded in their complete assness by fat celebrities trying to lose weight for ratings.  What does it mean when a celebrity finds oneself headlining such a show?  That they’re over.  Oh sure, they may get an initial career boost, and make some coin, but what it’s really saying is that, “I was relevant once and now I’m slumming it on a Bachelor ripoff…and not even a network Bachelor ripoff…”  Why does this annoy me in the case of the two ladies above?  Because I was and am a fan of both TLC and Salt-&-Pepa.  Both musical acts were groundbreakers: the former being one of if not the most unique and original girl groups in recent musical history and the latter the pre-eminent female rappers ever. 

Whether you realize it or not, hip hop is caught in a quagmire.  More and more acts with less and less to say.  I can’t even keep up with them all any more.  What I do know is that there’s an over-preponderance of sameness in the industry.  You can probably run down the current top ten songs on the R&B / hip hop charts and find a sickening overuse of the words “shawty,” “party,” rolling on whatever size tires happen to be in fashion, and hitting up on the social networking site du jour.  Slap a hooky beat on it and you’ve got your hit. 

Salt-&-Pepa’s heyday was over a decade ago, so I suppose I can understand Pepa getting back out there any way she can.  She was also a cast member on The Surreal Life a few years ago.  But I’ve especially missed TLC since the death of Left-Eye in 2002 in a car crash in Honduras.  And this isn’t Chilli’s first go-round with a reality show either, having co-starred with bandmate T-Boz in 2005’s R U The Girl, which sought out a replacement for Left-Eye that ultiamtely amounted to nothing.  Of course if you follow music, you know that girl groups are transitory at best.  And successes like TLC are very rare.  So I guess I also can’t blame Chilli for making a buck while she can.  I just wish that she and T-Boz could maybe stop wasting their time and their considerable talent and maybe get back out with some new music.  Instead I’m here writing up deliberately lame condiment-related quips.

It’s the rare actress who can go from B-flicks like Psycho Beach Party and guest spots on shows like Buffy, That ’70s Show and Smallville to grabbing a couple of Oscar nominations for herself in films like Junebug and Doubt.  A career turnaround like that takes a good deal of fighting in fact.  So it should be no surprise that Amy Adams has landed herself a co-starring spot on David O. Russell’s upcoming The Fighter opposite Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale.

Pic tells the story of acclaimed boxer [“Irish” Micky] Ward’s (Wahlberg) early days on the rough streets of Lowell,
Mass., and how he was helped to the world lightweight championship by
his half-brother, portrayed by Bale.  Adams will play a gritty bartender who ends up dating Ward.  The film is scripted by Paul Attanasio (The Good German) and Lewis Colick (Beyond The Sea).  Adams was most recently seen in Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and will next be seen in Nora Ephron’s Julie and Julia opposite Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci.

via Variety

Twitch Film has managed to snag the trailer for RoboGeisha, the latest film from Noboru Iguchi. You probably know him best from the insanity that is Machine Girl, the trailer of which became an internet phenomenon in its own right. Iguchi is joined again by his longtime collaborator Yoshihiro Nishimura, special effects wizard and director of Tokyo Gore Police and Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl.

So this trailer might look familiar to you, but goddamn if they don’t seem to go even more over the top with each successive film. Take note, this is not safe for work in any way. But you’ll be missing out on bleeding buildings and geisha with sawblades in their mouths. Dig the narration!

Night of the Creeps is finally on its way to dvd. Today, Amazon has not only put up a preorder page, but is allowing us to vote on which cover the dvd has! The choices are all pretty decent, as well. Check them out:

I think the old-timey Universal monster movie feel of the first selection’s going to get my vote, although I like the simplicity of the second. The third’s definitely the least effective of them all. What do you guys think?

Along with that, here’s a list of extras.

* “Birth of Creeps” featuring Dekker talking about the origins of the project
* “Cast of the Creeps” featuring Jason Lively, Tom Atkins, Steve Marshall and Jill Whitlow
* “Creating The Creeps” featuring interviews with SFX creators David B. Miller and Robert Kurtzman
* A special Tom Atkins centric piece called “Tom Atkins: Man of Action”
* “Escape of the Creeps” a detailed look at the post-production.
* Deleted scenes
* Fred Dekker solo commentary
* Cast commentary featuring Atkins, Whitlow, Marshall and Lively
* The original theatrical ending
* Footage from the Cast and Crew reunion screening at the Alamo Drafthouse.

October 20th! Now you know what to do for Halloween- round up some friends and drinks and pop this sucker on.