So Batman 3 is definitely full steam ahead. Today, in an interview with the LA Times’ Hero Complex Blog, Chris Nolan talked a little bit about the final installment in his Batman trilogy.

Although we had known for some time that Nolan would return to direct for the sequel to The Dark Knight, we now have confirmation that the film is moving forward. So, what do we know so far?

• The title is “The Dark Knight Rises.”
• July 20th, 2012 is the tentative release date.
• Christopher Nolan will direct a script written by his brother, Jonathan, based on a story by Chris and David S. Goyer.
• The villain is not The Riddler. And although Nolan previously pronounced Two-Face dead, that may have changed since then. Mr. Freeze is not up for consideration. One villain they haven’t ruled out is Superman, but I would be shocked if that was the case. He did hint at the possibility of the villain not being a comic-book character, which is not a bad proposal.
• Tom Hardy has been cast in a lead role, and the filmmakers are looking for a new female lead.
• Nolan said, “We’ll use many of the same characters as we have all along, and we’ll be introducing some new ones.” Ok, I respect the lack of information he releases on his upcoming film projects, but that is verging on nonsense.
• The film will be the final in Nolan’s trilogy and will bring the story to a conclusion, something rare and great to see in this era of milking a franchise until it disintegrates. I kind-of hope Bruce Wayne sacrifices himself at the end of the film.

Thoughts? Do you like the name? I’m not a huge fan, but it’s a nice twist on The Dark Knight and “The Dark Knight Returns” by Frank Miller. Villain ideas? Black Mask, Hugo Strange, a non-comic-book character possibly.

Alright, so that’s it for Batman 3, and I know it is enough to get me in the theater come summer 2012. Let’s try to forget about it for a year-and-a-half and enjoy the movie when it comes.

No this isn’t a motel review, this is my list of my favorite Western Films ever. Below you’ll find their posters along with a reason or two of why I like the film or what makes said movie worth watching again and again. When starting a list of the best (IMO) Westerns of all time you can start with one of two actors- John Wayne or Clint Eastwood. I’m going to start with John Wayne in the epic directed by John Ford- The Searchers. You can’t go wrong with John Wayne crossing the United States in search of justice.

Clint Eastwood’s Academy Award winning Unforgiven, like manygreat Westerns, boasts an all-star cast including three Oscar winners Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman and Eastwood himself as well as Oscar nominated Richard Harris. This film, for me, marks the beginning of Eastwood- the great director.

In my life Tombstone is to Westerns what Tommy Boy is to comedies and Terminator 2 is to science fiction. One of the first films I ever purchased with my own money. One of the first live action films I could quote without missing a beat. It also marked the first time the thought crossed my mind, “mustaches are cool and Sam Elliot has the best mustache I’ve ever seen.”

The next three films also hold a special place in my memories. I grew up in a family that didn’t really watch movies so when we did it was a rather memorable event and when my parents actually enjoyed a movie… well, that was “the bee’s knees.” Based on my experience every filmmaker should try to make a movie for adults but safe enough for children as well. That said, ¡Three Amigos! and The Shakiest Gun in the West were two films that my parents watched, with the kids, and laughed at. They also introduced me to the greatness of Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short and Don Knotts. Then there was the film that my best friend’s family considered one of their favorites- Blazing Saddles. Again, the wild West is a great place for comedy especially in the hands of Jew from Brooklyn.

In recent years the Western has seen a dramatic drop off from popularity at the local megaplex but a few instant classics have made it to the projector room, the Australian Western The Proposition is one of those films. Again, again if this cast doesn’t make you wanna watch this movie before your next meal then I don’t know what will. The Proposition stars Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, John Hurt, Emily Watson and was written for the screen by Nick Cave.

Clint Eastwood spits on a dog in The Outlaw Josey Wales.

Once Upon a Time in the West is just one of the many tremendous contributions to the genre made by Sergio Leone. Every aspect of this film is perfect. I’m not using hyperbole. The cast-  Bronson, Robards, Fonda and the beautiful Claudia Cardinale. The visuals, thanks to Leone, and score composed by Ennio Morricone. Watch this movie and just try to refute my claim.

I know many would say Rio Bravo was better but I saw El Dorado first. And I like the name nickname “Mississippi.”

Eastwood, Leone, and Morricone started the sub-genre “Spaghetti Western” with one of the greatest movies of all time- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. If you haven’t seen this movie, see it now.

I would have thought seeing the spoof (Three Amigos) of a film first would have ruined the viewing of the film being spoofed but The Magnificent Seven is that good. Also I have to mention another Western that didn’t make this list but still holds a place in my heart (yeah, I said that) The White Buffalo (it’s a bison) starring The Magnificent Seven‘s Charles Bronson. If you watch The White Buffalo then you’ll know why I love the film and why I couldn’t put it on this list.

The other modern classic along side The Proposition is The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. This film gave me hope that the genre had not all but been forgotten by Hollywood.

You know you’re watching a Western when a moral decision is at the heart of the story. Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly star in High Noon, I need not say more.

Finally Paul Newman and Robert Redford star in what I call a disco-Western, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Interested? I thought you would be- let me know what you think after you’ve seen it.

I have to mention There Will Be Blood which for some reason unknown to me I have trouble calling a Western. Am I wrong? What are some of your favorite Westerns?

This is the trailer for the movie I’ll be seeing October 15, 2010 (US theatrical release date) because HOLY MOLY it looks good. Red is based on Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner’s comic book limited series written in 2003 of the same name. This film adaptation was directed by Robert Schwentke (Time Traveler’s Wife, Flightplan) and stars Bruce Willis (Lucky Number Slevin), Morgan Freeman (Lucky Number Slevin), Helen Mirren (Gosford Park) and John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich). Also appearing in the film are Mary-Louis Parker (Weeds), Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws), Brian Cox (Rushmore), Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck) and Ernest Borgnine (The Dirty Dozen). If that cast isn’t reason enough for you to be chomping at the bit to see this comedic comic book adaptation then the trailer will certainly do the job, enjoy-

I did not read Red, did you? Are you excited about a big screen adaptation? Do you like the cast? Share your thoughts with us!

Academy Award® winners Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine joined Bruce Willis (Sin City), Mary-Louis Parker (“Weeds”), Brian Cox (Rushmore) and Academy Award® nominee John Malkovich in Toronto as they began production of the big-screen adaptation Red based on the graphic novel of the same name by Warren Ellis. Its hard to hear about a graphic novel adaptation starring Willis along side a lot of A list actors and not think of Frank Miller’s Sin City — alas, the City casts a large shadow. Rumors of a City sequel make this an especially interesting project for Willis to take on. I hope that Red finds a unique onscreen style and feel to stand out in whats become a rather big graphic novel crowd. Production moves to New Orleans before wrapping in late March. Look for Red in theaters October 22, 2010 and watch Willis and Freeman in Lucky Number Slevin on DVD today!

Here is the press release for those of you out there that care:

Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award^®-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award^®-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award^®-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.

“Red” is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life.  That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him.  With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive.

Directed by Robert Schwentke (“The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “Flightplan”) from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber (“Whiteout”), the film is produced by di Bonaventura Pictures’ Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian (“Salt,” “Transformers,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”).  Executive producers are Jake Myers (“Shanghai,” “Hollywoodland”) and Gregory Noveck (“Jonah Hex”).  Di Bonaventura Pictures’ production executive David Ready serves as co-producer.

“Red” reunites director Schwentke with director of photography Florian Ballhaus (“Marley & Me,” “The Devil Wears Prada”) and Oscar-winning film editor Thom Noble (“Witness,” “Thelma & Louise”) who collaborated with Schwentke on “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and “Flightplan.”  Additionally, “Red” production designer Alec Hammond (“Donnie Darko”) and costume designer Susan Lyall (“Rachel Getting Married”) lent their talents to Schwentke’s “Flightplan” as well.

“I’m so excited at the phenomenal cast that Robert and our script have attracted,” said di Boneventura.  “I think audiences are going to have a great time.”

Summit’s President of Production Erik Feig said, “RED is that classic project with a little bit of something for everyone.  We are thrilled to see it come to vivid life with an outstanding cast, incredibly talented director, and top notch producing team.  It’s gonna be a good one!””

“Red” will film in and around the Toronto metropolitan area for nine weeks before moving on to the road and ending in New Orleans in late March for the final two weeks of principal photography.  The film is scheduled for worldwide release on October 22, 2010.

Clint Eastwood’s Invictus is just about what you would except from an inspirational sports story. But, as a film involving Nelson Mandela and the unification/healing of South Africa, it falls unfortunately short.

Eastwood is a ‘classical’ director in most every respect, and sometimes those instincts result in a film of unique power like Letters from Iwo Jima. Other times, they bring about accomplished but stilted ones like The Changeling or Flags of Our Fathers. For Invictus, the award-winning director peers into the South African situation and Mandela’s time as president and hones in on a particular event; the president’s 1995 support of the nation’s rugby team in the World Cup.

The Springboks, whose mascot had direct ties to the apartheid regime, would go on to defeat the New Zealand All Blacks that year in a victory that was given special significance by Mandela, who had hopes it would help unify the wounded and splintered aspects of his country. Invictus, based on John Carlin’s book, captures all of this and sometimes it achieves moments of resonance, but in the end it’s just one more by-the-numbers drama where the underdog wins and sports bring everyone together. It could have been a lot more.

Invictus is not a bad movie. The acting is terrific all around, especially Freeman, who has been on tap to play Mandela for years. Although I would have preferred a film that ultimately placed him more front and center, Freeman brings a curious and specific energy to this man and what emerges is a portrait of a gifted, charismatic leader who knew all too personally well the anguish and separation present in his country. Amazingly, the same picture Carlin paints in Playing the Enemy is shown here without overly sentimentalizing Mandela or propping him up as a saint, or worse yet, an empty parallel to Obama. Freeman doesn’t overstate his scenes and Eastwood gives him space to flesh Mandela out as both a leader and a family man. These two have worked together before, and they have a good understanding of and respect for one another’s gifts. Freeman’s contribution is the film’s finest, and what ultimately pushes it into the recommended category for me.

Damon is just fine as Francois Pienaar, the coach of the Springboks, even if his accent is a little dodgy. The relationship that grows between he and Mandela is the film’s life force; the audience watches as both men attempt to overcome the undercurrents of racial hate and distrust that exist in this new integrated South Africa. Pienaar is a morally decent man, but the script refuses to make him interesting beyond or because of it. The real Pienaar did what he does in this film, but the movie reduces him to an easy, one-dimensional character.

It’s a shame too. The only time Eastwood seems to know how to handle the race issues is in the Mandela/Pienaar partnership. The rest of the time–including a subplot involving a young boy who learns to cheer for the ‘evil’ Springboks–he swings for the melodramatic fences and the movie becomes more cloying as a result.

In the end though, Eastwood remains a very talented and canny director. He wants to tell a story about Mandela, about dealing with a country in the ashes of apartheid, and he’s chosen a story where something seemingly inconsequential–a rugby game–bec0mes an instrument of healing. And his cinematic instincts do not fail him in delivering that story. It hits all the notes it sets out to hit. But, here is the first on-screen depiction of what became reconciliation within a country rife with division and mistrust. And instead of grasping that, we are just thinking “I’m sure glad Damon’s team beat those pesky Kiwis.’

Movie rating:

Morgan Freeman has signed on to star in the Warner Bros. comedy Dirty Old Men (working title).

In the film, Freeman will be playing the best friend and wingman of an aging playboy who finally meets the love of his life. After spending 40 years by his friend’s side, Freeman’s character isn’t too willing to give up his position, and does everything he can to try to break up the new couple.

The film was written by comic writers Josh Cagan and Greg Coolidge, and the comedic style of Dirty Old Men is said to be along the lines of that in Wedding Crashers and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

No actor is attached to the film to play the part of the playboy, but Warner Bros. is interested in having Jack Nicholson fill the role. Nicholson and Freeman co-starred in the 2007 Warner Bros. film The Bucket List, and the studio evidently liked the interaction between the two.

Warner Bros. is looking to have Peter Segal direct Dirty Old Men, with the film being produced by Freeman’s Revelations Entertainment. Freeman will serve as executive producer as well as actor.

Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, and Morgan Freeman, will hit shelves on DVD and Blu-ray next week – Tuesday December 2 to be exact – from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

To gear up for the release, we just received a behind-the-scenes clip off the bonus features featuring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy that I thought you and your readers would enjoy to get through the holiday weekend.

Searching for the Hero: [youtube]TToWmabd4_0[/youtube]

Angelina Jolie Kicks My Ass: [youtube]KoNiL5viIJA[/youtube]

The 2-disc special edition of Wanted arrives on DVD and Blu-ray 12/2 loaded with tons of bonus features.  Also available will be a Limited Edition Collector’s set that includes a Book of Assassins, Collectible Postcards and Motion Film Cell.

To see all you can get in the collector’s set, check out this video: [youtube]1ALsyMN1lyc[/youtube]

Let me know what you think!

Mike Myers had everything going against him going into “The Love Guru.” He’d been absent from the big screen for five years, last working on “The Cat in the Hat” in 2003 to settle a lawsuit between him a Universal, cashing in on the “Shrek” franchise. The previews for “Guru” was uninspiring to say the least.

But surprisingly, “The Love Guru” is actually a funny flick, and sees Myers return to the comedy that he’s does best through the years.

Myers is Guru Pitka, an American who has been raised in India and become a self-help expert. He’s second to Deepak Chopra, and wants nothing more to become the number one self-help guru and make an appearance on Oprah. So when Toronto Maple Leafs star Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) loses his focus on the ice after his wife leaves him for rival goalie Jacques “Le Coq” Grande (Justin Timberlake), owner Jane Bullard (Jessica Alba) hires Pitka to help Roanoke.

The movie opens with an introduction featuring a voice-over cameo by Morgan Freeman, mocking his typical role in movies. Myers nails it with this first joke, immediately setting the tone for the rest of the movie. What follows is an intro to Ronaoke through sportscasters played by Jim Gaffigan and Stephen Colbert. Myers comes out of the gate firing with the jokes, and while they are the epitome of lowbrow (Timberlake’s character is notorious for his rather large endowment), they deliver the laughs. He clearly has a penchant for the male anatomy, as the majority of jokes are based on it.

Myers includes his tried and true deluge of celebrity cameos including those from Jessica Simpson, Val Kilmer and Mariska Hargitay (which comes a little too early given the context). There’s also an appearance by Kanye West and Myers appearing as himself which is a great throwback to their appearance on the Hurricane Katrina benefit show.

But for every joke that hits the spot, there are at least three that don’t. It’s obvious that Myers has abided by the adage of throwing enough shit at the wall and hoping that some sticks, but it’s painful when something doesn’t. For example, Myers employs the same “Turn your head and cough!” joke he used in the third “Austin Powers.” For those who haven’t seen the latter, it will be funny now. But for those who have followed his career might feel like he’s merely recycling material. That’s not to say, however, that the subtle throwback to the first “Wayne’s World” isn’t nearly perfect.

So while “The Love Guru” isn’t near the comedic powerhouse that was the “Austin Powers” franchise, it’s obvious that Myers poured his heart and soul into this movie and he’s clearly having a blast, as the Guru Pitka continually laughs at his own jokes.

Try not to think too hard.

You just might find yourself laughing along with the Guru.

[xxr rating=3/5]