News

Although Star Wars today has become much more than just a movie, there was a time when it was nothing more than a risky business proposition. This is a look at how classic film and cultural changes helped that original film blossom into the most popular and profitable film-based franchise in history.

Let me take you back to a time before midichlorians and Gungans. Before lightsabers and tie fighters. This is a time when Death Star could have referred to a Shuriken, and Skywalker was the nickname for future NBA Hall of famer David Thompson. It was 1973 and George Lucas began writing the script for what would become Star Wars, later Episode IV: A New Hope. At this time, Lucas had completed filming his second feature film, American Graffiti, which would become a hit. His first feature film was 1971’s Thx-1138, a dystopian sci-fi, and a flop in theaters. However,...

Ryan Lambie Apr 4, 2017

Boss Baby soared and the glossy Ghost In The Shell faltered. So what happened? Ryan takes a look...

"We're not remaking, we're reimagining alongside you." That was how director Rupert Sanders pitched his live action version of the 90s manga and anime to a crowd of journalists, bloggers and anime fans at an event in Tokyo last year. Taking in a small exhibition of props, a Q&A, preview footage and pounding industrial live music, the event was, perhaps, an attempt to change the public discourse surrounding a controversial movie.

See related Paul Verhoeven interview: Elle, creative risks and RoboCop Saluting the film scores of Paul Verhoeven movies Lobotomising Schwarzenegger: Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall

Aside from the inevitable suspicion surrounding a Hollywood version of a cult Japanese property, there was also the more damaging accusation of whitewashing. Scarlett Johansson was, after all, taking on the role...

Simon Brew Sep 2, 2016

Premiere magazine highlighted 10 movie executives to watch in 1990. So what happened to them?

In its May 1990 issue, the sadly-missed Us version of Premiere magazine published an article, highlighting ten young movie executives, and suggesting that these were people with very big futures ahead of them in the industry.

Given that much is written about movie executives, without actually digging much deeper to find out who they actually are, I thought it was worth tracing what happened to these ten, and – 26 years later – whether Premiere was correct in saluting them as the future of the industry. So, er, I did...

Lance Young

Senior production VP, Paramount Pictures

Pictured in the article on an office swivel chair with some snazzy purple socks, Lance Young, Premiere wrote, had been “groomed for big things since joining Paramount at the age of 23”. He was 30 at the time the article was published, and...

In the summer of 2015, writer Gail Simone, artist Sergio Davila, and a host of other creators, including luminaries like G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel), Marguerite Bennett (Bombshells), and Leah Moore (Albion), crafted an incredibly fun crossover featuring Dynamite’s female characters called Swords of Sorrow. In Swords of Sorrow, heroes like Red Sonja, Kato, Jungle Girl, Vampirella, Dejah Thoris, and Jennifer Blood among others team up to save the multiverse from the evil Prince Charming, who happens to be huge misogynist, and his allies from the Chaos! Universe, like Purgatori and Bad Kitty. Spinning out of this success, Dynamite Entertainment has decided to redesign and relaunch the comics featuring their three most prominent female leads: Red Sonja, Dejah Thoris, and Vampirella for 2016.

The new designs by Nicola Scott (Wonder Woman), and new creative teams, including writers Marguerite Bennett, Frank Barbiere (Five Ghosts), and Kate Leth (Hellcat) and artists Aneke (Legenderry:...

Swords of Sorrow: Red Sonja and Jungle Girl #1

Written by Marguerite Bennett

Art by Mirka Andolfo

Colors by Vincenzo Salvo

Published by Dynamite Entertainment

Red Sonja and Jungle Girl #1 is a tie-in to Dynamite’s summer Swords of Sorrow event featuring all their female characters from this comic’s heroines to Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars, Vampirella, and even obscure Shadow villain, Black Sparrow. It gives readers their first look at the character of Jana the Jungle Girl since Swords of Sorrow #1 and also answers the question about what happened to Red Sonja after she fought Dejah Thoris in Swords of Sorrow #2. But writer Marguerite Bennett and artist Mirka Andolfo ensure that this comic isn’t mere connective tissue until the next issue of Swords of Sorrow drops with Sonja’s usual quick wit firing on all cylinders, some great comic misunderstandings, and fast fight scenes and beautiful jungle vistas from Andolfo.

When you ask Robert Rodriguez, the visionary director of "Sin City" and "Desperado," how he was initially drawn to the graphic designs of legendary American illustrator Frank Frazetta, he'll tell you that he and his brother stumbled upon several volumes of artwork at a bookstore while waiting for their father. "We were both into art and drawing and we went to the art section and saw these books that were put out at the time called 'The Fantastic Art of Frank Frazetta.' We had never seen anything like it," Rodriguez recounts. "I used to cut them out and put them up on my wall." Coming full circle, Rodriguez is opening The Robert Rodriguez Museum during this week's South by Southwest Film Festival and showcasing original Frank Frazetta artwork, along with limited edition prints - like the "From Dusk Till Dawn" image, which we are exclusively unveiling.

For Rodriguez, Frazetta's influence cannot be overstated.

It's 1994, and aspiring filmmaker Kerry Conran sits down with his Macintosh IIci to begin work on a short film that's a throwback to the buccaneering adventure serials of the '30s and '40s. In those post-Jurassic Park days, computer-generated visual effects technology was still in its infancy, but Conran, a former CalArts student, saw the potential to tell a story he'd dreamed about. After four years of painstaking work with blue screen and his already-obsolete Mac, he fashioned a black and white teaser trailer for The World of Tomorrow.

Alongside Conran for the entirety of the journey was his brother Kevin Conran, who served as production and costume designer on both the short and eventual feature film. Speaking to Digital Spy from his home in California, Kevin recalled the lightbulb moment when his brother first pitched him the idea.

"At the time I was working as a freelance...

If you were to go see The Giver this weekend without knowing a thing about the book it was based on, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s some sort of suburban Hunger Games ripoff. In reality, Lois Lowry’s 1993 novel predates just about every modern Ya film franchise, from The Hunger Games to Divergent to The Maze Runner—you might even say it established the authoritarian dystopia motif that’s in vogue these days. Unfortunately, all of those other books beat it to the big screen. Instead of looking like the groundbreaking, thoughtful story that’s in the novel,...

I have a curious habit, maybe you have it too, if you are a real movie geek, film fan, cinema addict, what have you.

A certain number of movies that I have seen and loved with all my heart were losers at the box office or were mercilessly slammed by critics, usually both. This doesn’t happen all the time, mind you. I know a bad movie when I see one. But several times I have seen a movie on opening day and loved it so much I was sure it would be a big hit and be loved by critics and film goers, nope, not all the time.

Here then is my own personal and highly eccentric top ten list, with some honorable mentions, of movies that lost out, yet I love them still, many of them desperately, hysterically, madly do I love these films, well anyway… let me tell you about it.

I really enjoyed director Andrew Stanton's John Carter. It was a great movie that just got a lot of bad press and had a terrible marketing campaign. This should have been a huge franchise for Disney, and there should have been multiple sequels, but it's never going to happen at the point. I seriously doubt that anyone will attempt to make another movie based on The Princess of Mars book series, and that's really kind of sad.

During a recent interview with Variety the film's star, Taylor Kitsch, talked about the movie. When asked if the bad press was hard for him, he said,

"I mean, look man, it wasn’t an uplifting experience. My biggest regret would have been if I didn’t do enough personally. If I didn’t give it everything I had. If I hadn’t prepped enough. I don’t have that regret, so...

Feature Ryan Lambie 30 Apr 2014 - 06:27

Five years after James Cameron's Avatar appeared in cinemas, we look back at its hype, its critical backlash, and how it holds up today...

Before 1960, director Michael Powell was one of the UK’s most respected directors, with a string of acclaimed films to his name, among them A Matter Of Life Or Death, The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus. Then Powell made Peeping Tom, and the critical backlash ruined him.

An intimate character study of a serial killer made at a time when such things were entirely out of the ordinary in British cinema, Peeping Tom was savaged by UK film critics, and it took a full decade for Powell’s film to be reappraised; the likes of Martin Scorsese and Robert Ebert championed Peeping Tom, but their admiration arrived entirely too late to save Powell’s filmmaking career, which was never the...

The following is a list of all comic books, graphic novels and specialty items that will be available this week and shipped to comic book stores who have placed orders for them.

Action Lab Entertainment

Fracture Volume 2 #4 (Of 4)(Cover A Chad Cicconi), $2.99

Fracture Volume 2 #4 (Of 4)(Cover B Bill Blankenship), $2.99

Fracture Volume 2 #4 (Of 4)(Cover C Steve Bryant), $3.99

Jack Hammer #3 (Of 4)(Cover A Ionic), $2.99

Jack Hammer #3 (Of 4)(Cover B Des Taylor), $3.99

Skyward Volume 2 Strange Creatures Tp, $8.99

Vamplets Undead Pet Society #1 (Cover A Amanda Coronado), $3.99

Vamplets Undead Pet Society #1 (Cover B Gayle Middleton), $4.99

Archie Comic Publications

Betty And Veronica #270 (Dan Parent Regular Cover), $2.99

Betty And Veronica #270 (Ryan Jampole Chibi Tea Party Variant Cover), $2.99

Sonic The Hedgehog #259 (Sega Variant Cover), $2.99

Sonic The Hedgehog #259 (Tracy Yardley Regular Cover), $2.99

Aspen Comics

All New Soulfire #4 (Cover A V. Ken Marion), $3.99

All New Soulfire #4 (Cover B V. Ken Marion), $3.99

All New Soulfire #4 (Cover C V. Ken Marion), $3.99

All New Soulfire #4 (Cover D V.

Our upcoming network premiere of The Ghostmaker on Sunday really has us thinking. The movie's all about a couple of college kids who stumble upon an old coffin full of gears that allow for a transcendental experience. Anyone who lays down in the coffin can use it to walk through our world as ghosts. We love the idea, and started researching out-of-body experiences. There are so many stories of people having near death experiences and other similar out-of-body feelings that we had to dig deeper. Hoaxes, hallucinations, or something stranger? You decide.

What is an Out-of-Body experience?

Just like its title suggests, an Out-of-body experience, or OBE, is a feeling of leaving one's body and traveling away from it. Scientists account for this phenomenon as a sort of physical hallucination. Some believe this is actually the spirit leaving the body. While others think this is just an over-exaggerated dream. No matter the outcome,...

Feature Ryan Lambie 22 Jul 2013 - 07:09

Was Man Of Steel influenced by John Carter, Dune and fascist art? We examine the design of the summer's most elaborate-looking film...

Note: this article contains spoilers for Man Of Steel.

When word got round that a big-screen reboot of Superman was in the offing, the natural question was, how would Warner differentiate what would become Man Of Steel from Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns - a movie sometimes criticised for its reliance on evoking fond memories of the 70s and 80s Christopher Reeve movies.

The answer, it seems, was to emphasise the science fiction angle of the Superman story. This was an aspect only lightly touched on in the 1978 film, which instead evoked a sense of fantastical, almost biblical awe. While the religious symbolism remains in Man Of Steel - and is used particularly strongly in some shots, with Kal-El’s arms spread...

Feature Ryan Lambie 5 Jul 2013 - 06:32

Atlantic Rim may be a cheap, DVD imitation of Pacific Rim, but it also works remarkably well as an unofficial prequel, Ryan writes...

History is full of uncanny coincidences. Mark Twain was born on the day Halley's Comet swung by Earth in 1835, and died when it hurtled around again in 1910. The writer Morgan Robertson wrote a book about the sinking of a huge ocean-going liner 14 years before the Titanic collided with an iceberg in 1912. And by an uncanny twist of fate, last month saw the release of Atlantic Rim, which appears to have anticipated Guillermo del Toro's giant-robots-versus-giant-monsters flick Pacific Rim by several weeks.

American film studio The Asylum has a spooky knack of releasing its own similarly-named film just before a major blockbuster. Transmorphers appeared just before Transformers in 2007. I Am Omega appeared at around the time of I Am Legend. Other...

Feature James Clayton 17 May 2013 - 05:48

As the summer movie season brings speculation about flops and bombs, James argues that, for viewers, there's no such thing as failure...

We're now well into blockbuster season, and the rest of the summer lies before us bright with big screen promise. The tentpole features are stacked like tenpins on the shiny stage, and you're eyeing them up from afar and you're wearing jaunty shoes. Which ones will fall and which ones will remain standing proudly once the turn's been rolled and the tallies have been totalled up?

The bowling metaphor is ill-fitting and awful (even more ill-fitting and awful than the shoes) so I apologise for chuckin' it up. Nevertheless, if you view it from a certain angle (probably the gutter) the summer movie season does look like a game. It's a kitschy game that's subject to quirks of fate and chance, and it's all about the numbers.

Now the British summer has made a belated reappearance, we can expect a few downsides such as hay fever, sunburn and insect bites - but no flying pests in our gardens can rival Dragon Wasps. And a can of the standard repellent probably won't do much good either.

This giant creature feature is written by Mark Atkins. His previous genre outings include numerous hit-inspired 'mockbusters' such as Snakes on a Train, 30,000 Leagues Under The Sea, War of the Worlds 2, Allan Quartermain and the Temple of Skulls, Princess of Mars (an alternative version of John Carter), Battle of Los Angeles and Avh: Alien vs Hunter.

He's also been involved in several dragon-themed productions including Dragonquest, Merlin and the War of the Dragons, and Dragon Crusaders.

Now offering an insect slant on the concept, the cast of Dragon Wasps features Corin Nemec (Stargate Sg-1, Smallville, Supernatural), Dominika Juillet (Dark Angel), Benjamin Easterday...

Chelsea Films are set to unleash an army of dragon wasps across the UK, well I say unleash an army of wasps – they’re actually going to release the DVD of giant-insect flick Dragon Wasps, which stars Corin Nemec (Stargate Sg-1; Smallville; Supernatural), Dominika Juillet (Dark Angel), Benjamin Easterday (Stargate SG1; Fast & Furious 5) and Nikolette Noel (The Expendables 2), in the UK on September 24th.

Written by Mark Atkins, whose work you may know from films such as Sand Sharks, Battle of Los Angeles and Princess of Mars, and directed by Joe Knee (Cult), Dragon Wasps is best described as the ultimate cross breed between timely jungle thrillers like Predator and Anaconda and gigantic critter delights such as Eight Legged Freaks and Lake Placid, in other words it’s a relentless giant-creature action hybrid that blows Roger Corman right out of the water!

Following the release of the first clip in early August,...

A new clip from Dragon Wasps been released by distributor Chelsea Films as they prepare for its UK DVD release. Is this an established subgenre? Or are the filmmakers behind this creature feature breaking new ground with behemoth fire-breathing wasps?

Dragon Wasps is directed by Joe Knee (Cult), written by Mark Atkins (Princess Of Mars) and Rafael Jordan (Jabberwock), and costars DominikaWolski, Ben Easterday, Nikolette Noel, and Gildon Roland.

Synopsis:

When a clue arises as to the whereabouts of her scientist father, three months after he inexplicably disappeared on an expedition deep in the heart of the Belize rainforest, entomologist Gina Humphries and her impassioned assistant Rhonda set out on a makeshift rescue mission. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to them the land they’re desperate to cross is Government protected and without the correct documentation they subsequently find themselves stopped dead in their tracks and whisked away to the hands of officer John Hammond.

Chelsea Films are set to unleash an army of dragon wasps across the UK, well I say unleash an army of wasps – they’re actually going to release the DVD of giant-insect flick Dragon Wasps, which stars Corin Nemec (Stargate Sg-1; Smallville; Supernatural), Dominika Juillet (Dark Angel), Benjamin Easterday (Stargate SG1; Fast & Furious 5) and Nikolette Noel (The Expendables 2), in the UK on September 24th.

Written by Mark Atkins, whose work you may know from films such as Sand Sharks, Battle of Los Angeles and Princess of Mars, and directed by Joe Knee (Cult), Dragon Wasps is best described as the ultimate cross breed between timely jungle thrillers like Predator and Anaconda and gigantic critter delights such as Eight Legged Freaks and Lake Placid, in other words it’s a relentless giant-creature action hybrid that blows Roger Corman right out of the water!

To get you in the mood for...

Before Andrew Stanton directed the big screen adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' sci-fi fantasy epic Princess of Mars, Jon Favreau was attached to bring the character John Carter to life! Favreau ended up directing Iron Man instead, which wasn't a bad move, and Stanton stepped into his place. Regardless of the fact the movie didn't do very well at the box office, I enjoyed Stanton's movie, but maybe Favreau's would have been a better take. 

In a recent interview with Crave Online Favreau explains how he would have done things differently.

I probably wouldn't have been as ambitious. I think both of us really appreciated the source material. Stanton started to weave in elements from the later books. I probably would've told a smaller story.

As we were developing the script it was much more the experience of John Carter being found in this new world and him coming...

Another big summer movie released, another cheap Dtv knockoff hits shelves! Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies (2012) Director: Richard Schenkman Stars: Bill Oberst Jr., Jason Vail, Ronald Ogden Is there a plot? Pretty much just the title. What's the damage? Go call your loved ones. The Mayans were right. The end of the world is upon us: The Asylum—the "studio" behind such beloved cash-ins as Titanic II, Almighty Thor and Princess Of Mars—has actually made...

The Movie Pool sits in on a Q&A with the staff of Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. as they discuss the John Carter movie.

Victor Medina of TheMoviePool.com recently sat in on a Q&A with James J Sullos Jr. and Cathy Wilbanks, the President and Archvist (respectively) of Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. Erb Inc. owns the rights to and preserves the legacy of the author's work, including John Carter, Tarzan, and The Land That Time Forgot. In this transcript of the Q&A, the two discuss Burrough's work and the recent John Carter movie. Questions by Victor Medina are noted.

Q - Is there anything in Princess Of Mars that you regret not being present in John Carter (the movie)?

A - Jim Sullos: On the contrary, the movie included a fairly faithful depiction of the storyline from the first book "A Princess of Mars" and actually...

© 2012 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

By Joe Vanourney

Disney.s John Carter landed in theaters this past March with a thud.  Based on the classic novel .A Princess of Mars. by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the film was supposed to be the first of a trilogy in a big new franchise for the studio. Instead, it ended up being disastrous.with the studio losing millions of dollars, and marketing staff and executives losing their jobs.

So what went wrong?   After all, this was a loved and admired book that many studios and handfuls of  writers and directors have tried to bring to the screen for decades.  The director that finally got it made, Andrew Stanton, was coming off two Giant successes in the animation world.Finding Nemo and Wall*E.  The story is an epic.one that should lend itself to a successful franchise.

One might argue that the screenplay by Stanton,...

The producers of the Lee Childs adaptation, starring Tom Cruise, forgot one rule. Films named after characters usually perform anonymously at the box office

So far, Tom Cruise has played his re-entry from the wilderness remarkably well. Tropic Thunder showed that he could make fun of himself. Rock of Ages reminded us that he's able to slot inside a larger ensemble from time to time. Mission: Impossible 4 proved that there's nobody better in the game at flinging themselves around the outside of a skyscraper. But as tactically deft as he's been so far, Cruise is still waiting for a blockbuster star vehicle to come along and fully cement his return as a force to be reckoned with.

It was hoped that this would come in the form of One Shot, an adaptation of the Lee Childs novel co-starring Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall and Werner Herzog. But yesterday, One Shot took a potentially fatal turn.

The following is a list of all comic books, graphic novels and special items that will be available this week and shipped to comic book stores who have placed orders for them.

AC Comics

Femforce #159, $9.95

Action Figure News And Toy Review

Lee’s Toy Review #220 (Spring 2012), $6.95

Amryl Entertainment

Cavewoman Mutation #2, $3.75

Cavewoman Mutation #2 (Budd Root Special Edition), $6.85

Andrews McMeel

Dilbert Teamwork Means You Can’t Pick The Side That’s Right Tp, $12.99

Lio And Still Another Lio Collection Zombies Need Love Too Tp, $12.99

Ape Entertainment

Dino Duck Prehysterical Gn, $6.99

Strawberry Shortcake Volume 1 Berry Fun Tp, $14.99

Archie Comics

Archie #633, $2.99

Best Of Sonic The Hedgehog Hc, $24.99

Jugheads Double Digest #181, $3.99

Stan Lee’s Mighty 7 #2 (Alex Saviuk Regular Cover), $2.99

Stan Lee’s Mighty 7 #2 (Alex Saviuk Variant Cover), $2.99

Ardden Entertainment

Flash Gordon Invasion Of The Red Sword Tp (resolicited), $19.99

Flash Gordon The Vengence Of Ming Gn, $12.99

Aspen Mlt

Fathom Kiani Volume 2 #2 (Cover A Oliver Nome), $3.50

Fathom...

Disney brings to life an iconic hero, John Carter, in a visually stunning new world with heart-pounding action. The heroic epic adventure .John Carter. arrives on Disney Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D., HD Digital, DVD and On-Demand June 5, 2012, just in time for Father.s Day!

As a warrior lost on Earth, John Carter is magically transported to Mars, where the fate of the planet and its people ultimately rest in his hands. With surprising new powers, and epic battles, he rises to become the man he is meant to be and the hero he truly is.

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton (Best Animated Film, Wall.E, 2008) .John Carter. is a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). John Carter is a war-weary, former military captain who.s inexplicably transported to Mars and reluctantly becomes embroiled in an epic conflict. It.s a world on the brink of collapse,...

Whether they’re male or female, old or young, they’ve illuminated some classic movies. Here’s our top 50 list of sci-fi heroes and heroines…

On the face of it, compiling a list of truly great sci-fi protagonists should be easy. Pick a load of familiar names from a hat, write some breathlessly adoring drivel beneath them, and head off to the pub to reward a job well done.

Except it was never going to be as simple as that – and compiling lists seldom is. For every character making an appearance in the list below, there were at least two other possible candidates who didn't quite make the cut. Some sci-fi heroes were removed, then quickly reinstated. The order was jiggled around, then reordered again.

At one point, your humble writer realised there were more than 50 entries, and then had the unenviable task of hunting back through to decide which poor soul to eliminate.

John Carter

Written by Andrew Stanton, Mark Andrews and Michael Chabon, based on the novel A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Directed by Andrew Stanton

Listen to our Mousterpiece Cinema John Carter podcast or read Josh‘s extended thoughts about the film.

*****

John Carter and the Princesses of Mars

The one thing that John Carter does better than anything else is understand who John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is, what his journey needs to be and how to properly illustrate that journey.

The start of John Carter’s journey (as told to Edgar Rice Burroughs through Carter’s diaries) finds him in the Arizona territory on a quixotic and near-suicidal quest for a treasure that may not even exist. It seems like Carter, perhaps unhinged by his personal losses, has devoted his life to an all or nothing pursuit: either Carter finds enough gold to achieve the best kind...

Watch this new clip – .Woola Will Follow You Anywhere. – from John Carter. Having seen the film twice I can tell you some of the most endearing parts are about everyone.s favorite Barsoomian pet! A must-see in 3D too.

John Carter is a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars) and is based on a classic novel byEdgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film, directed by Academy Award®.winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton, tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when...

Here’s an easy way to set your expectations for Disney’s John Carter -- watch Asylum’s Princess of Mars first. The infamous studio has never shied away from a quick buck, so when Disney moved forward with their John Carter film, Asylum moved forward too, beating Disney to the punch by three years and at an obvious fraction of the cost. While Disney has been derided in the press over how much they spent on John Carter (a lot), nobody has patted Asylum on the back for how much they didn’t spend. Instead of opening in the past, Princess of Mars opens Now, in the nowadays times, and John Carter’s a long-range reconnaissance op, just like a video game character. John Carter, through voice-over, even takes the time to let us know his backstory is...

Read More...

It was judgment day for the much-debated John Carter (review Here) as Disney's $250-300 million sci-fi adventure finally was unleashed on paying audiences this weekend.  And the judgment was mostly grim with a possible silver lining.  With a terrible marketing campaign that didn't know what to sell, and mixed word of mouth and reviews that emphasized its convoluted story and mediocre action sequences, the film debuted with just $30.1 million.  For a cheaper picture, this would be a fine debut, but for a massively expensive would-be franchise tentpole with little chance of maintaining legs, this is a pretty disastrous result.  As I've written about from time to time (like Here), Disney has been dead-set on creating a boy-friendly franchise while all but openly insulting the female-friendly films that have long been its bread-and-butter.  In the last few years, we've seen Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Tron: Legacy,...

The first mega-tentpole of the year arrived on Friday, with the release of Disney's "John Carter," the adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic sci-fi pulp hero. The film was the live-action debut of the Oscar-winning director Andrew Stanton, the Pixar veteran who brought the world "Finding Nemo" and "Wall-e," which are among the top rank of Pixar's accomplishments both creatively and financially. But in the weeks and months leading up to release, the talks wasn't of a sure-fire hit, it was of a hugely expensive film that wasn't connecting with prospective audiences. The vultures circled, and as expected, "John Carter" opened to hugely disappointing numbers at the North American box office this weekend -- $30 million in three days, less than the $1 million budgeted "The Devil Inside" managed back in January. Overseas, the numbers were a bit sunnier with $70 million coming in, but all told, the studio is far cry...

By Scott Mendelson

HollywoodNews.com: It was judgment day for the much-debated John Carter, as Disney’s $250-300 million sci-fi adventure finally was unleashed on paying audiences this weekend. And the judgment was mostly grim with a possible silver lining. With a terrible marketing campaign that didn’t know what to sell, and mixed word of mouth and reviews that emphasized its convoluted story and mediocre action sequences, the film debuted with just $30.6 million. For a cheaper picture, this would be a fine debut, but for a massively expensive would-be franchise tentpole with little chance of maintaining legs, this is a pretty disastrous result. As I’ve written about from time to time, Disney has been dead-set on creating a boy-friendly franchise while all but openly insulting the female-friendly films that have long been its bread-and-butter. In the last few years, we’ve seen Prince of Persia, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,...

If one movie is never enough for you and you're looking for a flick to get you in the mood for this week's new release, Double Feature Friday is here to help. Every week we break down the new releases and pair them with older movies that you should catch before heading out to the theater. Or just skip the new movie and check out the classic we recommend.

"John Carter" & "Princess of Mars"

Much has been made of John Carter and his long journey to the big screen, but did you know that he made a stop by the direct-to-video bin on his way there? That's right. The first real "John Carter" movie came out in 2009, starring Antonio Sabato Jr. as Carter and porn star Traci Lords as Dejah Thoris. "Princess of Mars" was made by the cash-grabbing crap factory The Asylum as a way to cash in on...

"John Carter" is coming. You can't escape him. This Confederate soldier turned Western outlaw turned world explorer turned interplanetary warrior (and lover, reowwwr!) is the most discussed fanboy movie since "Avatar."

Even my old man peeked his head out from behind his copy of "The Wall Street Journal" to ask if Disney was gonna lose their shirt on this picture. Then I fetched him his pipe and slippers and waited for Mother to finish braising the roast.

A lot of weisenheimers have taken it upon themselves to beat their social media chests over how derivative the movie looks. "Haven't I already seen 'Attack of the Clones/Avatar/Flash Gordon/Stargate/Planet Hulk'?" some of these douchenozzles have been musing. (Hey, fellas, they're called Tharks, not Snarks!)

As a reaction to this, many righteous among the nations have loudly rebuked them, proudly pointing out that "John Carter" is a...

With the help of Wall-e director Andrew Stanton, Disney is bringing a new out-of-this-world hero to the big screen in John Carter. We sat down with the cast and director of the movie, which is based on the classic sci fi book series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Willem Dafoe plays a creature on Mars who helps Civil War vet John Carter when he finds himself on Mars, and we got Willem to speak some Martian for us. Dominic West, who plays the villain, opened up about his days in the circus, and director Andrew Stanton told us why he wanted Taylor Kitsch for the title role. Watch our interview with the talented trio now, and don't miss our chat with Taylor Kitsch or Lynn Collins, who plays the Princess of Mars. You can catch John Carter in theaters March 9.

There's a new Disney princess in town: the Princess of Mars, played by Lynn Collins in John Carter. She stars alongside Taylor Kitsch in the upcoming film, based on the classic books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. We talked to Lynn about how her character differs from past princesses, her gorgeous and revealing costumes, and falling for Taylor Kitsch's character. She also gave us some insight into what her sexy costar is like off screen. Check out our interview and catch John Carter in theaters on March 9. And don't miss our interview with Taylor Kitsch!

©2012 Disney. John Carter. Erb, Inc.

In theaters on Friday, here’s a 10 minute scene from the beginning of John Carter.

John Carter is a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars) and is based on a classic novel byEdgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film, directed by Academy Award®.winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton, tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

Disney presents John Carter, with Jim Morris,...

Many things have been said about Disney’s John Carter. From bloggers who say it’s “full of action” to a marketing department at a major studio that’s having trouble explaining what, exactly, the hell John Carter is to the general public. Nerds know. Fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ century-old story Princess of Mars know. Those of us who have seen it know that there’s plenty within it to love. So what else can be done to give you a reason to see it when it hits theaters this Friday, March 9? How about a 10-minute clip featuring the back story of our title character (played by Taylor Kitsch), an appearance by Bryan Cranston and almost some ‘of Mars’ kind of action. It’s not the high-flying, impressively scaled scenes from the movie, but this 10-minute clip should give you a good idea of what’s going on. If you’re still needing more, well...

.John Carter. begins by telling us we really don.t know Mars. Perhaps defensively, the filmmakers are inviting us to open our minds about the red planet, the film.s setting. Throw out everything you know about Mars and it will be okay, at least for the most part.

For starters, Mars is called Barsoom and is populated by warring inhabitants, deadly creatures, and manipulative spiritual leaders. This is the atmosphere that the earthling John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) has come to face.

Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs. classic, .A Princess of Mars,. the first novel in his Barsoom series, .John Carter. is a big-budget extravaganza ($250 million and counting) that is intriguingly entertaining and wantonly captivating.

The entertaining aspect of the movie comes from the skilled hands of Andrew Stanton. The writer/director who gave us some of the best animated films in cinema history such as Disney/Pixar.s .Finding...

In the never-before-seen clip from "John Carter," the titular hero plays a little hard to get with the Princess of Mars, Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). Carter needs to find a way back to Earth after his unintentional trip to Mars, or Barsoom, depending on which planet you call home, but he's not exactly trusting of the Martian princess. Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog Well, gee I'm so in the middle about this movie. You have a ton of critics pouring a lot of praise onto this flick, but everything that I've seen isn't that exciting. Hey, who wants to watch a shirtless Taylor Kitsch for over two hours beating the snot out of a bunch of CGI characters? Not me. Will I probably go and see it? I guess so, but I'm not running out the door on the first day. How about you guys? From Academy Award®--winning...

The genius behind Pixar's animated blockbuster hits Finding Nemo and Wall-e on why he decided to change tack and film a live-action adaptation of a vintage sci-fi epic

Andrew Stanton doesn't look like the guy who has earned Pixar more than $1.3bn. You'd think that, as lead writer on the Toy Story trilogy and the writer and director of Finding Nemo and Wall-e, he'd surely walk with at least a mild swagger. He's utterly anonymous in jeans, blue shirt and glasses in a post-production studio in London. I almost expect him to be serving coffee and pastries.

He flew in from the west coast of America just the day before and should be hideously jetlagged, but he's friendly, urbane, focused. He's here to polish the final few scenes of John Carter, his first shift from animation into live-action. The film is an adaptation of Princess of Mars, the first in...

Star Taylor Kitsch stops by with never-before-seen footage from the film.

By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Taylor Kitsch in "John Carter"

Photo: Disney

As part of "MTV First: 'John Carter,' " the man himself, Taylor Kitsch, sat down with MTV News' Josh Horowitz to talk about his upcoming movie and share an exclusive clip.

In the never-before-seen clip from "John Carter," the titular hero plays a little hard to get with the Princess of Mars, Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). Carter needs to find a way back to Earth after his unintentional trip to Mars, or Barsoom, depending on which planet you call home, but he's not exactly trusting of the Martian princess.

The plot may seem a bit convoluted, but Kitsch said that it all boils down to a story about a man. "The core of it is truly a guy that's been broken," he said.

Star Taylor Kitsch stops by with never-before-seen footage from the film.

By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Taylor Kitsch in "John Carter"

Photo: Disney

As part of "MTV First: 'John Carter,' " the man himself, Taylor Kitsch, sat down with MTV News' Josh Horowitz to talk about his upcoming movie and share an exclusive clip.

In the never-before-seen clip from "John Carter," the titular hero plays a little hard to get with the Princess of Mars, Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). Carter needs to find a way back to Earth after his unintentional trip to Mars, or Barsoom, depending on which planet you call home, but he's not exactly trusting of the Martian princess.

The plot may seem a bit convoluted, but Kitsch said that it all boils down to a story about a man. "The core of it is truly a guy that's been broken," he said.

From Academy Award®–winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes the final trailer for John Carter-a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). “John Carter” is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present.

The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

Disney presents John Carter, with Jim Morris, Colin Wilson and Lindsey Collins producing, and screenplay by Andrew Stanton & Mark Andrews and Michael Chabon,...

Disney has released the final theatrical trailer for their upcoming sci-fi film John Carter, which is based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel Princess of Mars. It's funny that I feel I have to point that out to you every time I do a post on this film; I just want to make sure everyone knows what I'm talking about. The title, John Carter, just doesn't sound like a big epic sci-fi adventure film that takes place on Mars. 

The new trailer has a good amount of action in it, but once again, for some reason Disney has cut a very poor, incoherent trailer. There's just some very weird cuts, and then the end of it is basically a clip from the film. There's a bit of new footage but nothing that wowed me. 

The film is set to hit theaters on March 9th. Check out this last new trailer below,...

©2012 Disney. John Carter. Erb, Inc.

And

 invite you to enter for your chance to win passes to the advance screening of John Carter.

The advance screening is on Wednesday, March 7th, 7pm at the Wehrenberg Ronnies 20 Cine.

Official Rules:

1. You Must Be In The St. Louis Area The Day Of The Screening.

2. Fill Out Your Name And E-mail Address Below. Real First Name Required.

3. Answer The Following Question: Which John Carter book is your favorite?

Winners will be chosen at random from all entries. Supplies are limited. Limit one (1) pass per person, passes admit (2) two. Sponsor.s employees and their dependants are ineligible. Screening is overbooked to ensure capacity. Please refer to passes for any other possible restrictions. No purchase necessary. This film is Rated PG-13.

John Carter is a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars) and is based on a classic novel byEdgar Rice Burroughs,...

While it is rumored to be higher, producers insist the budget of John Carter of Mars remains at $250,000,000. Either way you cut it though, a quarter of a billion dollars is more money than you can stuff a space ape with. It's not the only movie in recent memory with a huge budget if you can recall...

Avatar- $280 Million Pirates of The Caribbean: At World's End: $300 Million Spiderman 3- $258 Million

It's worth noting that regardless of your fanboy opinion of the above three, all of them met their financial goals (just barely on Potc though). These are just recent examples however. If you account for inflation, you'll find some more notable points where big budget films became classics.

Cleopatra- $300 Million Superman- $200 Million

Titanic- $290 Million

Once again all of these films met their goals and went on to become defining landmarks in cinematic history. It would be foolish of course...

Walt Disney Pictures has released a new featurette for director Andrew Stanton‘s forthcoming big screen adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, John Carter of Mars starring Taylor Kitsch (Battleship), Lynn Collins (Ten Year) and Willem Dafoe (Odd Thomas).

This new John Carter featurette focuses on the lovely Princess of Mars herself, Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). Check it out below!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Synopsis:

From Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes “John Carter”–a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). “John Carter” is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions...