The game was forgettable. I actually didn't care who won - sorry, I'm a lifelong Chargers fan (no need to feel sorry for me) - and even the commercials didn't really do anything for me this year. Loved the monkeys, the dog getting fit, and the commercial spot for The Voice with a surprise appearance by Betty White, but will I remember any of them by next Super Bowl? No. And what about those big movie trailers that debuted during the big game? Some were provided previous to Super Bowl Sunday so we'd all had the opportunity to check them out numerous times before the big event. But even having seen it already, The Hunger Games trailer stole the show with The Avengers coming in a close second and The Dictator placing third (although the crowd I watched the Super Bowl with seemed to like this one best). Other films trying to gather a little steam by showing off during the Super Bowl included Battleship, John Carter, and Act of Valor.

Watch the Super Bowl trailers:

• The Hunger Games trailer
  
• The Avengers Super Bowl trailer
  
• The Dictator trailer
  
• Battleship trailer
  
• John Carter film trailer
  
• Act of Valor trailer

_{(Photo &copy Marvel Studios)}

The Avengers, John Carter, The Hunger Games Super Bowl Trailers - What Did You Think? originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Monday, February 6th, 2012 at 00:36:14.

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The 39th Annual Annie Awards honoring animated films took place on February 4th and Gore Verbinski's tale of a chameleon with identity issues turned out to be the big winner. Rango took home the Best Animated Feature, Character Design in a Feature Production, Writing in a Feature Production, and Editing awards. Other animated feature films earning Annie honors included Kung Fu Panda 2 (Directing, Production Design) and The Adventures of Tintin (Animated Effects in an Animated Production, Music).

Meanwhile, the Art Directors Guild also held their awards ceremony this weekend in Beverly Hills, revealing the best of 2011 with their annual Production Design Awards. The Academy might have snubbed the final Harry Potter film, however the Art Directors Guild found reasons to celebrate the fantasy film series. Executive producer David Heyman, producer David Barron, directors Christopher Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell, and David Yates, creator and author J.K. Rowling, screenwriters Steve Kloves and Michael Goldenberg, production designer Stuart Craig, art director Neil Lamont, and set decorator Stephenie McMillan were the recipients of the Outstanding Contribution to Cinematic Imagery award. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 also won the Excellence in Production Design for a Feature Film - Fantasy Film award. Hugo was named best Period Film and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was recognized as the best Contemporary Film.

_{(Photo &copy Paramount Pictures)}

Rango Wins Annie, Hugo and Harry Potter Win Art Directors Awards originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Sunday, February 5th, 2012 at 12:56:39.

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A mom, dad, and baby whale are trapped with just a tiny zone of ice-free sea to use to come up for air in the dramatic film Big Miracle starring Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, and whales. Based on the 1988 true story of trapped whales outside the town of Barrow, Alaska, Big Miracle is looking to tug on the heartstrings of animal lovers while also offering up a little romance, comedy, and a big environmental message.

Going up against Daniel Radcliffe's The Woman in Black and the sci-fi thriller Chronicle - as well as the Super Bowl - should make for an interesting opening weekend for Big Miracle.

• Read the review: Big Miracle movie review

_{(Photo &copy Universal Pictures)}

Big Miracle Movie Review originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 15:07:00.

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We've been hearing about this film for years, and now it is absolutely, positively in production in Montreal. Universal Pictures and One Race Films announced the start of production on Riddick, a passion project of Vin Diesel's that he's been keeping his fans up-to-date about on Facebook. His most recent post included a new set photo [pictured] and an acknowledgment of the lengthy process of getting Riddick underway:

"First time I posted about Riddick was back in 2009, Facebook was fresh... They were asking me to come to the headquarters to talk about this new concept of communicating with fans. I was proud to lead that wave, yet all I was doing, was opening up about my passion - film.

So this picture of Our 2012 production of Riddick, is a cool victory for all of us... it shows that studios can be influenced by your voice."

Riddick continues the sci-fi saga that started with 2000's Pitch Black and was followed in 2004 by The Chronicles of Riddick. Writer/director David Twohy returns to helm the project with Diesel reprising his role as the lead character. Also returning is Karl Urban as Vaako. New characters introduced in this third film include Jordi Molla as Santana, "the arrogant captain of the mercenary ship, Matt Nable as Boss Johns, "a man looking for answers," Katee Sackhoff as the Nordic mercenary Dahl, and Bokeem Woodbine as bounty hunter Moss. Dave Bautista, Conrad Pla, Raoul Trujillo, Nolan Funk and Keri Hilson have supporting roles.

The official synopsis: "The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he's encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.

The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won't leave the planet without Riddick's head as their trophy."

Filming is Underway on Riddick with Vin Diesel originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 12:50:43.

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Daniel Radcliffe is all grown up and playing the father of a four year old son in the chilling horror film The Woman in Black. I'm sure there will younger moviegoers wanting to see this one just because of the presence of Radcliffe who will, no matter what he does, always be best known for playing Harry Potter. And although it's rated PG-13, The Woman in Black isn't for wimps - but it is pretty much free of blood, guts, and gore.

The effects, cinematography, and acting are first-rate, but is the story creepy enough to draw in horror fans? Here's my review of The Woman in Black, based on the book by Susan Hill and directed by James Watkins:

• Read the review: The Woman in Black movie review

Other Recent Reviews:

• Review of The Grey starring Liam Neeson
  
• Man on a Ledge film review

_{(Photo &copy CBS Films)}

The Woman in Black Movie Review originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 09:15:49.

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This one's a real no-brainer. Insidious is one of the most financially successful films in recent history, so giving the go-ahead to a sequel probably wasn't a difficult decision to make. Variety's reporting Alliance Films is currently in talks with James Wan to return as director and writer Leigh Whannell's already signed up for the follow-up (the plot's being kept a secret)

Filming is expected to begin sometime later this year, with Alliance aiming for a 2013 theatrical release.

There's no word yet on whether the original film's stars - Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne - will be back for the sequel, however Insidious producers Jason Blum, Oren Peli, Steven Schneider and Brian Kavanaugh Jones are back on board.

2010's Insidious had a budget of around $1.5 million and made $150+ million worldwide before exiting theaters. Alliance Films is financing the sequel and FilmDistrict is set to distribute it domestically.

More on Insidious:

• Exclusive interview with James Wan and Leigh Whannell
  
• Insidious photo gallery

_{(Poster &copy FilmDistrict)}

Insidious Sequel in the Works originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 08:10:08.

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Richard LaGravenese adapted and will direct Beautiful Creatures, based on the first book of the series that includes Beautiful Darkness and Beautiful Chaos. The bestselling books by Kami Carcia and Margaret Stohl have all been scooped up by Alcon to be made into feature films, with Beautiful Creatures set to start shooting this April in New Orleans.

LaGravenese previous screenwriting credits include Water for Elephants, Beloved, The Horse Whisperer, The Bridges of Madison County, and The Fisher King. He also wrote and directed P.S. I Love You, Freedom Writers, and Living Out Loud.

Alcon also announced the first bit of casting news for Beautiful Creatures, revealing current Oscar nominee Viola Davis (The Help) will play a seer named Amma.

The official synopsis for those not into the books: "A hauntingly intense coming of age story set in the South, Beautiful Creatures is about two star-crossed teenage lovers, Ethan, a local boy, and a mysterious new girl, Lena, who uncover dark secrets about their families, their history and their town."

Commenting on Beautiful Creatures, producer Erwin Stoff stated, "The movies that always excite me, pull back a curtain and show an exotic and imaginative world behind the familiar world that we know...And thus make us see our world differently when we leave the theatre. This story successfully uses the bucolic, peaceful world of the Gothic South and the stories of families that have been rooted there for generations to tell a story of fated love... A mythic struggle between good and evil... And how each generation has the power to claim its own destiny. Our intention is to create characters that are so rich, and a world that is so inviting, that audiences will desire to have the story continue beyond this movie."

_{(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)}

Viola Davis and Richard LaGravenese Set for Beautiful Creatures originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 07:40:13.

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Remember Number 5? I do. But for those of you who've never watched the 1986 family comedy, Short Circuit, not to worry - Dimension Films is bringing it back to life with a "reimagining" (details of the plot are a secret). And the studio's just announced Matt Lieberman (an alumni of the Disney writers program, according to the press release) will write the script. Tim Hill (Hop) is attached to direct.

Dimension Films is expecting to release this new Short Circuit in the summer of 2013.

Co-chairman of The Weinstein Company Bob Weinstein had this to say while announcing Lieberman's signing: "Dimension has had great success with the Spy Kids family series which grossed over $500 million worldwide. We are looking for Short Circuit to be our next family franchise and are excited to be working with Matt Lieberman and Tim Hill, who has had great International success with Hop and Alvin and the Chipmunks."

Also of Interest:

• Top 10 robot movies
  
• Remakes that worked
  
• And remakes that didn't

Short Circuit Remake Gets a Writer originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 06:30:05.

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Well, this is different. Jessica Chastain and Joel Edgerton have signed on to star in a double feature that takes two different approaches to telling the same story - or at least that's how I'm reading the explanation offered by Myriad Pictures. Says Myriad CEO Kirk D'Amico, "It doesn't matter which script you read first, you absolutely want to read the other perspective."

Chastain, a first-time Oscar nominee for her work in The Help (although she easily could have earned awards recognition for 2011's The Debt, The Tree of Life, or Take Shelter), and Joel Edgerton (terrific in Warrior) will star in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Hers and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: His. Eleanor Rigby disappeared? I thought she died in a church and was buried along with her name... Did The Beatles get it wrong?

The official synopsis: "The love story explores a New York City couple's relationship during a difficult time in their marriage, from the different perspective of the husband, (Edgerton), a restaurant owner, and of the wife (Chastain), who goes back to college."

According to Myriad Pictures CEO D'Amico, the two films will be stand-alone movies. "We have to make both films work on their own, both for the buyers but also for the audiences," explained D'Amico. "Together these films will describe a fully, more complete look at these characters and their lives."

Ned Benson wrote the scripts and will direct the films, and William Hurt could be joining the cast if his deal goes through.

Jessica Chastain recently completed work on the still untitled Terrence Malick film, Mama, Wettest County, and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. Edgerton's got starring roles in the 2012 releases The Great Gatsby and The Odd Life of Timothy Green.

_{(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)}

Jessica Chastain and Joel Edgerton Star in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 at 20:08:08.

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Yes, I'm looking forward to The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit, Lincoln, etc, etc, etc, but the 2012 release that's at the top of my list is The Hunger Games. Why? Because I am a huge fan of the Suzanne Collins book series. And while the first teaser trailer for The Hunger Games (directed by Gary Ross) did nothing for me, this Super Bowl trailer absolutely restores my faith in Ross' ability to deliver a Hunger Games movie that can satisfy fans of the books as well as draw in a whole new audience.

Starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Liam Hemsworth as Gale, and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, The Hunger Games is heading to theaters on March 23, 2012. Check out the new trailer and take a look at the expanded photo gallery and see what you think:

• The Hunger Games Super Bowl trailer
  
• The Hunger Games photo gallery

_{(Photo &copy Lionsgate Films)}

New The Hunger Games Trailer and Photos Are Here originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 at 16:28:29.

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