Rumors and speculation are flying rampant across the internet today as reports of E3’s demise have begun surfacing. Several Gaming news sites are reporting that, due to the lack of support from major exhibitors (i.e. Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft), the long-running industry bash (12 years now) held by the Electronic Software Association (ESA) will no longer be. Industry sources say that the Major publishers have jointly decided that the heavy costs of the exhibit were no longer worth the perceived benefits. Initial reports were that the event would only be canceled for 2007 and would return in a “media-focused boutique event” form thereafter , but the online news site Next Generation says that, “The decision by big manufacturers and publishers to walk away has left ESA in damage-control mode…E3, in its present form, is dead.”

The ESA is expected to make an official announcement today regarding its future. For more on this breaking news, click here to read the Next-Gen.biz article. We’ll keep you posted!

Hey folks, Bobert here. Bringing you the triumphant return of THIS WEEK @the MOVIES! After a very long hiatus, this (hopefully) regular feature will be providing quick previews of the flicks hitting theaters every given week. Our inaugural post starts off with a bang, Miami style…

Michael Mann is definitely in my top ten of all-time favorite filmmakers. Whenever he begins work on a new project, I immediately mark it on my must-see calendar. Most folks know that Mann has been responsible for some of the best films to grace the big screen, including LAST OF THE MOHICANS, HEAT, and COLLATERAL. But what some may not know is that he was instrumental in the creation of the original 80’s MIAMI VICE TV show. When reminiscing about the show, most everyone seems to only remember the flashy cars, the 80’s pop music, and the loud fashions. No one recalls just how gritty and dark the series was. Now Michael Mann is bringing his nihilistic and seedy undercover cop world to the big screen this weekend, and I for one am excited. Your other movie-going choices include the Communist-Manifesto-disguised-as-a-kid’s-movie computer animated adventure, THE ANT BULLY. And JOHN TUCKER MUST DIE, yet another Teen Comedy about a bunch of girls plotting revenge against a guy they were dumb enough to date. I don’t know about you, but this one’s a no-brainer of a decision. Click on the pics below for more info on each respective flicks and showtimes.

That’s all for now folks. If you’re curious about all the other movies out in theaters right now, click here to see what else there is to see. Until next time, see you at the movies!

There’s a ton of news that came out of Comic-Con over the weekend, and I’m going to do my best to relay the stuff that I deem the coolest. We’ve got everything from a big announcement regarding casting news for THE TRANSFORMERS live-action flick that will make long-time fans very happy, to visual confirmation of a new STAR TREK film. Reading about the exciting footage shown during the SPIDER-MAN 3, 300, and GRINDHOUSE presentations make me really regret not attending this year, but I suppose there’s always next year. Anyways, on with the tidbits!

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With the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con just starting to get underway (yours truly was invited, but a severe cash flow shortage prevented me from taking the trip this year), all kinds of exciting news and rumors are popping up online. I’m going to focus on a few in particular that caught my attention. First off, it seems that long-rumored TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES CGI movie is no longer a rumor, it’s a bonafide real movie! The teaser trailer sneeked onto Apple.com’s Trailer page eariler today without much hype. I suppose Warner Bros. and The Weinstein Company decided they would let the teaser speak for itself. Personally, I think the animation is top-notch! I was afraid we were going to get some cheap-looking hack-job ala HOODWINKED, but luckily these folks from Imagi Animation Studios in Hong Kong look like they know what they’re doing. While I was hoping for a more serious and darker take on the classic 80′s characters (Despite an earlier press release claiming a grittier vision, the teaser’s conclusion hints at some familiar light-heartedness), I’m glad to see my favorite heroes in a half-shell back in action. Plus, it looks like the good folks over at Latinoreview got some pics of the character posters being displayed at the Comic-Con panel. Looks like everyone involved is shooting for a March 2007 release date. I’ll keep you posted as more info crawls out of the sewers.

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Richard Linklater is probably one of this generation’s most underrated and underappreciated filmmakers and I’m just as guilty as anyone of dismissing his work. His first major studio flick, DAZED & CONFUSED, gained quite a following but I always managed to avoid the film. It wasn’t until WAKING LIFE did I take notice of the creative and independent spirit that coursed through the veins of each of his films. Since that smaller film, he’s gone on to make other Major studio releases that have reached mainstream audiences. Some good (THE SCHOOL OF ROCK), some bad (BAD NEWS BEARS remake), but he’s always balanced his mainstream output with some very unique and eclectic offerings. Not the least of which is his adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s classic Sci-fi story, A SCANNER DARKLY, which can now be seen locally here in Sacramento at the Tower Theater. Everyone else can probably catch it at their local arthouse theater as well, and I highly recommend that you do. For those of you that are not familiar with Dick’s original story, A SCANNER DARKLY follows the tale of an undercover cop codenamed Fred assigned to find the source of a highly addictive drug called Substance D. Posing as a user named Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves), he surrounds himself with fellow addicts Fred Barris (Robert Downey, Jr.), Charles Freck (Rory Cochrane), and Ernie Luckman (Woody Harrelson) as he tries to infiltrate the Substance D dealing network. As he tries to climb up the food chain through his current supplier, a woman named Donna Hawthorne (Winona Ryder), Fred’s use of the drug also deepens. As the side effects begin manifesting, Fred’s perception of reality begins to blur as the cop and the criminal become two separate personalities.

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Hey everybody, Bobert here! Just thought I’d share some pretty cool new stuff that’s hit the net over the last couple of days. First off is the new Trailer up online for Christopher Nolan’s next flick, THE PRESTIGE. Staring Christian Bale (THE MACHINIST, BATMAN BEGINS) and Hugh Jackman (X-MEN films) as competing 19th Century magicians, the novel-turned-flick also features Michael Caine (BATMAN BEGINS), David Bowie (THE MAN THAT FELL TO EARTH), Scarlet Johansson (MATCH POINT), and Andy Serkis (KING KONG). Ever since MEMENTO, Chris Nolan has been a filmmaker that I make a point to follow, and after BATMAN BEGINS I’m sure many others are now also keeping a close eye at his new project. The premise sounds intriguing, the cast sounds great, and the trailer looks awesome! You can bet I’ll be following this film’s progress up until its premiere on October 27th!

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Hey folks, Bobert here. Today I wanted to talk about this whole live-action TRANSFORMERS movie debacle. Ok, so I know it’s a little early to be calling this flick a disaster, but there are definitely a few things that have got me worried. First off, I just wanted to point out that the teaser trailer for TRANSFORMERS, which was supposed to be attached to most prints of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2 (but for some odd reason was missing from the showing I attended) can be seen at the official TRANSFORMERS movie website. This is truly a “teaser” as it reveals almost nothing, but it’s still enough to get fanboys like me to geek out on the possibilities.

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I know I’m a little late with my HARD CANDY review, seeing how it’s probably been out of theater circulation for well over a month now, but I still wanted to give you all my two cents on it. To sum up the flick, HARD CANDY is a Thriller that has an intriguing opening that immediately draws you in, keeps your attention with an explosive middle that’s so riveting it’s maddening, and then eventually peters out at the end in a mediocre and ultimately disappointing way. Its films like this one that really break the heart, as you really really want to love it by the time the end credits roll, but can’t shake off that feeling of dissatisfaction. Before we dive into my review, I guess I should set up the premise for you since this is a smaller film with a lot less exposure and marketing behind it. Essentially this is another tale of an underage girl meeting an older man on the internet and their subsequent meeting in person. The young girl, named Haley, is wise beyond her years and is anxious to meet, flirt with, and even attempt to seduce her online gentleman caller, Jeff. Reluctant at first, Jeff gives in and takes the young nympho back to his posh home/studio. As some of you might have guessed, not everything is as it appears, and it’s from this point on that the film turns into deliciously slow and torturous Thriller.

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The Italian Stallion returns to the boxing ring for one more match, as actor Sylvester Stallone goes back to the ROCKY well for (presumably) one last time! The sixth film in the long dormant franchise, ROCKY BALBOA hits theaters in December and our first look at what to expect has finally showed up online. The new trailer is exclusively available at Yahoo! Movies in multiple formats, so get over there and check it out! Personally, I’m really digging what I’m seeing so far. The flick looks great, with just the right amount of action, drama, humor, and heart. Despite the overall ridicule the ROCKY films seem to get, I still love the flicks, even the later sequels. How can you not root for Rocky in his bout against the unstoppable Mr. T ( I pity the fool that doesn’t like ROCKY III!), and don’t tell me you weren’t cheering Rocky on when he took on Drago (“If he dies, he dies”) and the entire Soviet Union! I never saw ROCKY V all the way through, so I can’t say much about that one. My point is that these films are a part of our childhood and culture, and I for one welcome this new installment and look forward to seeing what Stallone has under his boxing glove!

Hey folks, Bobert here! As I mentioned over the weekend, I won’t be able to do big posts like reviews and what not, but that’s not going to stop me from posting a few tidbits here and there. First off is the big Movie news of the day, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST shattering Box Office records this past weekend. The new Disney/Bruckheimer flick pulled in over $135 Million in only three days time. This left poor SUPERMAN RETURNS with the scraps, only managing a measly $21 Mil its second week in release (bringing it’s total to modest $141 Mil). The rest of Hollywood was smart enough to not compete with the blockbuster sequel to an adaptation of a popular theme park ride, and opted to not release anything else. Except for Warner Independent, which quietly sent Richard Linklater’s adaptation of A SCANNER DARKLY out into select cities (it premiered in 19th place). I’m really curious, however, about the fan fallout on DEAD MAN’S CHEST. While I loved it, I’m hearing that the second installement in the three film franchise left some folks cold. Guess people just prefer brainless happy-go-lucky Pirate flicks with no plot or purpose over a swashbuckling epic with darker undertones and actual character development. Anyway, for the full list of Box Office champs and chumps, head over to BoxOfficeMojo.com!

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