What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly column recapping news, updating you on the trends of today and bringing you thoughts on what is going on in this world gone mad.
We begin this evening with a number of looks at Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim. In conjunction with the newly released trailer, these images, poster, etc. have brought the buzz around this one to a fever-pitch just as the movie del Toro passed on (The Hobbit) moves into theaters. It’s an interesting dichotomy, really. While Peter Jackson has delivered one of the bigger disappointments of 2012 (see my notes below), del Toro gives us hope for 2013. Lots and lots of hope. More new images just after the break.
Lessons from Chris Nolan – Forging through spoiler territory, journalists around the movie world have been poking and proding at everything around the DC Comics universe recently, trying to get a leg up on the path to the Justice League movie. A recent rumor, one that could turn out to be a very fun Man of Steel cameo, was brought to the attention of producer Christopher Nolan. The Dark Knight director’s response? Smile and play coy. Brilliant.
Martin Freeman on everything – Despite what some critics are saying about The Hobbit (see my notes below), there’s still plenty about this movie that will have fans more than excited. Like the unmatched nerdery of Martin Freeman, who talked to io9 about all kinds of science fiction love. And some stuff about that ring, as well.
The State of Sexually Aggressive Women on Television – It’s been a while since I’ve directed your gaze toward Pajiba’s lovely wordstress Joanna Robinson, but this one will certainly make up for it. She goes deep into the world of the sexually aggressive female on the small screen. From the cable channel sluts to the networks nasties, there’s just so much there to love. I mean… talk about.
![The Hobbit Poster]( "The Hobbit Poster")
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
After toiling around the workshop for a number of years since releasing Return of the King, Peter Jackson the director has not exactly found success on the big screen. He failed stylishly with The Lovely Bones after simply failing with King Kong, both proving to be a little too self-indulgent. And now, almost a decade removed from the last Lord of the Rings installment, Jackson has come back to Middle Earth to compose his most masturbatory effort yet. Consider the useless bloat in some of the extended editions of his previous films, and consider the fact that less dense source material exists for The Hobbit, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster. Not the least of which is his desire to push the envelope with 48 frames-per-second photography, leaving daytime scenes looking washed out and every single outdoor scene looks like it was shot on a stage (despite actually being shot out in the gorgeous landscape of New Zealand). It’s true, it looks like a very expensive BBC drama. That, at times, shows itself to be the massive adventure story we’ve come to expect from Middle Earth, Inc. One Rube Goldberg-style escape sequence alone is worth seeing on the big screen, if only it wasn’t encased with bloat. At least an hour of film that could have been cut, if my count is correct. And there was plenty of watch-checking to keep said count on the mark. There’s nothing wrong with a film that has a big running time. Nor is there anything wrong with expanding on the universe built in a book like “The Hobbit,” but Jackson uses considerable resources here to play fanfic at the expense of any sort of energy. And sadly, there’s plenty more to come. - D
One more thing – A new poster for Pacific Rim. Because it wins today.
