Atomic Popcorn has the chance to throw you all some free tickets to the upcoming film CONVICTION, starring Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo, Peter Gallagher and Juliette Lewis.

Synopsis:

CONVICTION is the inspirational true story of a sister’s unwavering devotion to her brother. When Betty Anne Waters’ (two-time Academy® Award winner Hilary Swank) older brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction. Convinced that her brother is innocent, Betty Anne puts herself through high school, college and, finally, law school in an 18 year quest to free Kenny. With the help of best friend Abra Rice (Academy Award nominee Minnie Driver), Betty Anne pours through suspicious evidence mounted by small town cop Nancy Taylor (Academy Award nominee Melissa Leo), meticulously retracing the steps that led to Kenny’s arrest. Belief in her brother – and her quest for the truth – pushes Betty Anne and her team to uncover the facts and utilize DNA evidence with the hope of exonerating Kenny.

Trailer:

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Make sure you check out our other free screenings in the Baltimore Area.

Today at Comic-Con saw less news, but much more high-profile announcements. Most of the action took place in Hall H, which was bogged down with some serious line management problems, but we’ve got it all summed up right here for you.

The first big presentation of the day was from Warner Bros. First, the first footage from Green Lantern was screened. Although nothing spectacular, the fans enjoyed it overall, but were disappointed with the lack of Reynolds in the suit. This only confirms the fact that the suit is a work-in-progress. Still, I am looking forward to this film and hope that it can be a simple, fun superhero origin story, which we haven’t seen a lot of recently. Also, I’m looking forward to the more fantastical elements of the hero. Producer Donald DeLine said that many other Green Lanterns are featured and that the movie is part space opera, which is a good sign that they’re not ignoring that area of the Green Lantern mythos. And although the Green Lantern announcements are cool, DC has really not stepped up their game to challenge Marvel’s cinematic dominance. Geoff Johns is now in charge of their creative decisions moving forward, which is a great move, but the company has not centralized their film properties as Marvel has to such enormous success. Also, there was no word on Batman, which was a huge missed opportunity. Still, I’m hoping that after Green Lantern DC gets their act together and makes something great, maybe a Justice League movie? (Although I’m torn on whether or not Chris Nolan’s Batman should be a part of anything like that.) After a short Harry Potter trailer and panel, Zack Snyder came onstage for Sucker Punch. This new movie is based on his idea and stars an ensemble cast of women who are breaking out of a mental institution and includes Carla Gugino, Jamie Chung, Vanessa Hudgens, Jena Malone and Emily Browning. I’m not sure what to think about this movie, but the footage got a fantastic reception and it sounds truly unique. Hopefully the trailer gets released online soon so we all can see it.

Let Me In, the American remake of the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In, has had an enormous 360 when it comes to the public’s view. After a period of resenting the fact that such a movie was being remade, it seems like every detractor has been shut up by footage from the upcoming movie. I know I wasn’t too excited for this, but now its definitely on my radar. Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), from what I can tell, is doing a fantastic job helming the movie. He talked about how Steven Spielberg gave him tips for interacting with young actors, and that is what has me most excited for this film. Both Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) and Chloe Grace Moretz ((500) Days of Summer, Kick-Ass) have a lot of potential to give amazing performances and I hope they both pull it off. Check out this trailer for the film:

At this point, Hall H screeched to a halt after a fight broke out. It’s still unclear what actually happened, but the prevailing rumor is that someone asked another guy to move and when he didn’t, he stabbed him in the face with a pen. That’s speculation, but the scene was pretty grisly with blood everywhere and the victim being taken out on a stretcher, all with 8 or 9 cops in the vicinity.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost then introduced their new film, Paul. In the movie, the duo travel to Comic-Con and then embark on a road trip to Roswell, New Mexico. On the way they meet an alien named Paul, who is voiced by Seth Rogen. Paul is directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad) and the supporting cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Jason Bateman, and Jeffrey Tambor. I am really looking forward to this movie as Pegg and Frost are consistently hilarious and the story is pretty original. Paul is not your typical alien – he basically thinks of himself as an everyday Joe. Road trips are always pretty fun so having one with this trio of comedians and an alien should be awesome.

Once again Jon Favreau showed his skill at captivating the geek demographic by creating huge anticipation for Cowboys & Aliens, his new movie starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, and Sam Rockwell. Although the idea is great, it takes skill to blend such two very different genres, but Favreau is going for a very Western feel. After explaining that he is trying to emulate the Sergio Leone/John Ford films of the 40s and 50s, while using practical effects from the 80s as well as CGI for the aliens, he decided to just screen some early footage. Although the crew has only been shooting for three weeks, attendees were very impressed by the scene. In a surprise appearance, Harrison Ford was brought on stage in handcuffs by two security guards. It was his first appearance at the convention and the crowd went nuts. This a natural reaction, of course, to the man who played Han Solo and Indiana Jones, as well as many other awesome characters. I hope Favreau can really nail the Western feel and deliver a really fun, interesting film due out next summer, July 29th.

Now the presentation you’ve all been waiting for: Marvel. What Marvel is doing with their properties on film is incredible. By going independent and forming Marvel Studios where writers can collaborate and come up with great, interlocking stories for all of their superheroes, the company shows that it knows what its doing. Hopefully the result will be incredible, but there are a lot of moving parts, and all of them must come together perfectly. Captain America was first, as a short teaser showed Chris Evans in full costume throwing the iconic shield at the camera. After some discussion, the filmmakers actually had some footage to show which involved Hugo Weaving as Red Skull searching for an artifact that has something to do with Odin. I really like the Indiana Jones/World War II period piece vibe I’m getting for this movie. I hope Joe Johnston can create a very good atmosphere and seeing Cap killing Nazis is going to be sweet. Next up was Thor, which is much farther into production. A lot of footage was shown, and I can’t wait to see the trailer. Apparently the costumes are not nearly as cheesy as they looked in the first images we were shown. Reactions were very positive, which is a relief. Finally, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige brought on The Avengers. After years of rumors, this movie is finally actually happening. The final lineup was announced: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman/Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth as Donald Blake/Thor, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk (see the full cast in the photo from the event). It’s going to be insane seeing so many heroes on screen at the same time. I hope Joss Whedon can bring together all of this madness and deliver an amazing film.

Behold the cast of "The Avengers"

Well that was a very big day at Comic-Con, and while we knew most of this going in, it was still awesome to see all of these projects materializing before our eyes. Its going to hard, but we can’t fuel the hype too much. I’m looking forward to all of these films as much as anyone, but I’m not going to let the anticipation ruin my enjoyment of the movies as movies.

Twice the iron men, twice the Tony Stark narcissism, twice the villainous rage and even twice the smoking hot red-heads; this film couldn’t be more aptly named.   Jetting into 3000+ movie theatres to kick start the summer movie season, is Iron Man 2.  No doubt this film will open huge – audience polls nationwide rank it as one of the top 3 most anticipated films of Summer 2010 (anybody else miffed that “Tron: Legacy” was pushed to December?)  It has the effects, the action, and the running time (just over 2 hours), to give you exactly what is displayed on that cineplex ticket in your hand – Iron Man 2.

I was a comic book fan in the 80’s and 90’s, and although the Iron Man series  wasn’t on my weekly allowance busting trip to the comic store, I still knew of the character and that stoked my interest in seeing the first Iron Man movie.  The film was smart, witty, had an edge, and made me regret having never committed to reading the series in my youth.  Iron Man 2 doesn’t deliver the same payoff.  The film starts strong and ends with a blast but loses itself in between.  Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.: Chaplin, Weird Science) is just as witty as you’d expect him to be and Downey delivers yet again in the role, but his character gets twisted in the script.  Tony gets a heart (no, not a real one), and even experiences human frailty which you might say is the natural evolution of his character, but it plays on screen as an attempt to fill time and not a natural progression of the psyche of Tony Stark as we know him.

IM2 picks up where IM1 left off, Tony has just revealed he’s Iron Man and his press conference is being beamed about 6000 miles to Moscow where a physicist Ivan Vanko sits in his dark and tattered apartment watching and fuming.  Turns out he has a deep seeded hatred for the Stark family, having knowledge that Tony’s father, Howard, sold out his own father that helped develop that super cool ARC energy source that keeps Tony alive.   Ivan (Mickey Rourke: Angel Heart, The Wrestler), using the original ARC schematic, builds what can only be described as light saber whips wrapped in a an energy ribbon.  He sets his sights on the United States, and finding Tony to enact the revenge his recently penniless dead father deserves.   Ivan’s character is somewhat of a visual misnomer.  He appears within a dreary shanty-town in Moscow, yet his abode contains some pretty high-tech equipment and his wardrobe is straight out of this month’s Vanity Fair.  From his D&G signature glasses, to his retro new century hair (where do you go in the slum streets of Moscow to find a colorist that good?), Vanko seems more like a spin on the real life art and style of Mickey Rourke, and less like a character from the comic series.  With the help of an unscrupulous defense contractor Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell: Galaxy Quest, The Green Mile), Ivan builds an army of Iron Men to help him dispatch of the Stark legacy once and for all.  Secretly placed within Stark Industries is the new red-head on the block Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson: The Horse Whisperer, Vicky Cristina Barcelona).  Unfortunately her character, as both Stark employee and S.H.I.E.L.D. undercover agent, isn’t given enough film time.  Scarlett is an amazing talent and shines in every moment on screen; even her fight sequences leave you wanting to see more of her.  Her playful interactions with Tony evoke that same spark you saw in the original film when Tony and Pepper were close, only this time it looks steamier – more intense.

The supporting cast returns and in the case of Pepper Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow: Shakespeare In Love, Shallow Hal), are given more room to grow around Tony’s ever increasing ego.  Screenwriter Justin Theroux (Tropic Thunder) crosses that flirtatious line that you loved so much in the first film.  The chemistry between Tony & Pepper has always been undeniable, but it was kept at bay for the sake of Stark Industries business and to keep the audience wondering when, and if, they would eventually fall into the relationship you so desperately want to see them in.  This time around, you find out.  It’s important to note that even the filmmakers must have questioned this aspect of the story line.  If you’ve seen the early teasers and trailers for IM2, you might remember a bit where Iron Man is diving in to a celebration below.  Just before he leaps, he asks for a kiss, which Pepper is more than happy to lay on the facemask as she tosses it off the plane for Tony to catch.  That scene was pulled from the film just prior to release.  It’s replaced by Tony merely jumping and that was a good decision.  The love side of Tony and Pepper’s relationship is a line that should not be crossed, but inevitably happens in the third act of the film which is the payoff we all wanted, but still feels contrived when it’s delivered.  Tony’s personal driver Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau: Daredevil) is back too.  Not content to be a mere butler, this time Hogan becomes a fist swinging heavyweight.  Favreau should stick with being behind the camera, and away from being an actor.  His role seemed larger because he was the films’ Director, not because his character needed this level of growth. .

The film drags at various points especially as you watch Tony deal with his own mortality.  It wastes solid screen time as Tony prances about as a drunken buffoon in an Iron Man suit at his own birthday party and made worse when watching Justin Hammer whine about how inventive Tony is and how mediocre his company has become as a result.  If the CEO’s of Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin are anything like this character, the state of national defense in the United States is in really big trouble.  I can’t get over how this film has twice the iron and twice the action of the original but you leave feeling half as fulfilled as with IM1.  The flight sequences are amazingly imaginative and the digital effects are top notch, but it’s not enough to save the film.

If 2+ hours of high flying action aren’t enough for you, stick around until the credits end – you’ll get a nice sneak peek at the next Marvel comic book/movie franchise.

“Iron Man 2 (2010)” is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action, sci fi action, violence and some language.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Iron Man 2 is easily one of the most-anticipated movies of this summer, and there has been a lot of hype around the movie. We’ve waded through dozens of redundant image sets to bring you 50 high-resolution images from the film.

Check them out below and click for full resolution:

Here are some posters for the movie:

Iron Man 2 stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson, and Sam Rockwell and hits theaters May 7th.

Images courtesy of FilmOFilia, Collider, ComicBookMovie and CinemaBlend.

And now for a special bonus – a new 2-minute clip from the film:

More Robert Downey Jr.! More special effects! More robotic mayhem! And a 100% more Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johannson than the first go-round!

Here it is, kids. The latest and longest Iron Man 2 trailer and it looks like a ton of fun. Well, that is if you were a fan of the first film’s light tone, comic riffing and over-heated action scenes. I was, and as a result I’m quite pleased with this, which looks set in the vein of the first, but with more of everything.

Things I like best about the new trailer: Rourke’s electric whips trailing out and away from him like lightning as he crosses the race track, Sam Rockwell’s industrialist, Sam Jackson as Nick Fury, and that shot of Downey and Cheadle in their respective armors looking up as trouble rains down.

Check out the brand new, ready-for-bear Iron Man 2 trailer below and leave your thoughts!

Is this the movie to beat summer 2010?

Duncan Jones’ Moon was one of the best debut films from a young and talented director to have been released in quite a while. He got an amazing performance out of Sam Rockwell and the film looked like a mash-up of Kubrick, Aronofsky and The Twilight Zone. And while his next project, Mute (said to be inspired heavily by Blade Runner) has been put on the backburner due to budgetary constraints, he’s got another project lined up.

His next film will be called Source Code, and will star the Prince of Persia himself, Jake Gyllenhaal. The film will center “on a soldier who wakes up in the body of an unknown commuter and is forced to live and relive a harrowing train bombing until he can determine who is responsible for it.” Sounds very intriguing and quite a bit like the mystery that was unraveled in Moon. Hopefully he’s got some more tricks under his sleeve.

Originally, Topher Grace was to star in the film, which has been scripted by Ben Ripley. This is a red flag, because Ripley’s main bulk of writing credits are direct-to-video Species sequels.

It’s quite possible that Jones is just trying to find his footing in the studio system in order to get backing for Mute, but hopefully he delivers with source code. Time will tell.

Delivered straight to you from Miramax Films is the new trailer for the upcoming film “Everybody’s Fine”. Based off of the popular French 1990s film, it stars Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell. A widower who realized his only connection to his family was through his wife sets off on an impromptu road trip to reunite with each of his grown children. The film, directed by Kirk Jones, comes out on December 4th. Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think:

Moon is a thing of beauty to watch unfold. It’s a simple concept executed so brilliantly that you’d be amazed to find out its director Duncan Jones’ first feature. He’s created one of the most unique films in a good while and maybe the best science fiction film of the year. Unfortunately it’s one of those films that’s tough to discuss without revealing it’s twist. On the same token, the movie doesn’t rely on it’s twist to make or break it as it reveals it’s biggest secret fairly early and becomes a character study.

The technology in Moon isn’t flashy or chic. Instead it sticks to something George Lucas lost with his prequels and creates believable gizmos, gadgets and space stations. Where most might have made GERTY (the on board robot) a giant floating sphere with a flashing eye, Jones chooses to make it a bulky machine that runs on a track. GERTY also is equipped with an on-board camera and keyboard with post it notes stuck on his front and back. The space station itself appears as one that’s seen many years and shows subtle signs of wear and tear. The screens, keyboards and other gear inside the station aren’t tables you tap your fingers on but tactile keyboards and widescreen displays still present. Moon is set in our future yes, but it’s a future that could be very real. In any case, you have to appreciate the level of detail and thinking Jones and his crew went with the production design. Bottom line, Lunar Industries is only one or two steps away from being a very real company thanks in large part to this film crew’s attention to detail and thought.

Of course Moon wouldn’t be anything without an outstanding lead and Sam Rockwell more than answers the call. Granted this phrase gets tossed around a lot, but Rockwell deserves a nomination for Best Actor at the Oscars, more so than a certain clown-clad actor did. It’s a challenging role that demands not only the actor to be several different emotions but the film literally rests on his shoulders. Rockwell makes it seamless as if this is just another day at the office for him. Literally he is the film as he basically interacts with only television screens. Yet there’s emotion in his eyes that most actors would have fumbled if given the chance. Rockwell’s performance and Jones’ direction are accompanied by a brilliant score from Clint Mansell. Mansell engulfs you into this world with a catchy tune that will stay with you long after you’ve left the theater. The tunes hit the right beats and are never overused or overblown.

Moon is a film that you’ll need a day or two to think on after you’ve seen it which isn’t a bad thing. Upon reflecting on Jones’ piece, one should discover what a brilliant, unique, and terrific film they were treated to. The film is influenced by many a sci-fi films, even the one everyone takes from 2001: A Space Odyssey. However it is coy about it’s references and doesn’t feel like Jones just watched Kubrick’s masterpiece and said “Let’s make a movie!” Moon is a prime example of what happens when all the great elements of filmmaking stitch together a truly great picture. Moon unfortunately won’t have the wide appeal of a dumber “science fiction” film but those remotely interested should give it a chance and experience it’s greatness.

Rating: ★★★★½