What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly movie news column that, tonight, is focused on a cornacopia of new Blu-ray release information. From James Bond to Jake Gittes, it’s going to be a beautiful year of high definition goodness. There is also non-Blu-ray news, for those who like variety.
We begin tonight with a look at the box for Bond 50, the upcoming release of the Golden Anniversary Blu-ray edition of all 22 James Bond films on Blu-ray for the first time as one complete offering. MGM and Fox laid out plans at CES today, which included making it available for pre-order right now. Put simply, it’s beautiful. They even delivered a trailer, which I’ve included after the jump.
We’ve also received word today that Paramount Home Video intends to release Chinatown on Blu-ray on April 3, 2012. As you can see to the right, the cover art is gorgeous. Beyond that, its special features also sound like a big deal. The Roman Polanski film will come with a commentary track featuring Screenwriter Robert Towne and Director David Fincher. David Fincher barely bothers to do commentary tracks for his own films, let alone those he didn’t direct. So count this among life’s little blessings.
The folks at Time Magazine present 20 movies to look forward to in 2012. More importantly, they also deliver 10 movies to completely ignore in 2012. There you go Three Stooges, you finally made a list.
Over on a newly discovered blog called Shadowplay, there’s an interesting countdown at work. An exploration of Brigitte Bardot’s 26 bathrooms. Why? Because that beauty was always in the damn bathroom. And for good reason.
We feature art tonight from a perennial favorite, artist Dave Williams, who is responsible for some of the most fun posters of last year. He begins his 2012 with a limited edition print called The Finest Features of Forrest Gump. A better title would be The Many Faces of Forrest Gump or Jobs Forrest Gump Done Did. Either way, it’s fun:
Salon’s Irin Carmon explains why liberals love Downton Abbey, despite the muddled politics of the PBS costume drama. You know who else loves Downton Abbey? Old white people.
For those who saw and enjoyed David Fincher’s latest film, io9 has an awesome look at the making of the Dragon Tattoo opening titles. Three words: “primordial dream ooze.”
Over at Ain’t It Cool, the ever-industrious Quint got Frank Darabont to tell us all about how season 2 of The Walking Dead should have opened. Spoiler alert: it’s much more interesting than what actually happened.
There are a few things that make me truly nerd out. Movie posters are one. Temples of cinematic delight, known as movie theaters to the layman, are another. Which is why I was drawn to We Love Cult’s Tarun Shanker and his essay about Brooklyn’s reRun theater. I must now visit this place.
If you enjoy clicking 50 times with your mouse, but being rewarded with a wealth of information, then Total Film’s Complete Guide to The Avengers is for you. I got to about the 27th slide. Can anyone beat that?
According to lovely screenwriter Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn probably won’t direct Kick-Ass 2. But he will produce the film and is hand-picking a director who “would be cool.” That said, the entire thing still seems to be hanging on the fence. Because, well, there isn’t much of a story just yet.
We close tonight with a 47-second spot for Archer, which returns to FX next Thursday in all its misogynistic glory. This time Archer has to undergo some surgery, leaving him horribly scarred in the facial area. Therefore he must be rebuilt — this is where H. Jon Benjamin comes in.