Nicolas Cage has had a career full of a little bit of everything: comedy and drama, indies and blockbusters, hits and misses, critical success and across the board scorn. Despite this impressive range, many of his film choices can be broken down into three categories 1) For the Money 2) For the Show {Prestige} and 3) For the WTF Factor. Read the full story

Mark Millar is a man of hope, a true optimist. Not only does Millar see the glass as half-full, he can’t conceive of the glass being empty. Ever. Read the full story

We did it last year and now its time again. With awards season gearing up, here at TFS we have come up with 20 of our favorite films of the year. For all the naysayers saying the year has been disappointing, I challenge anyone to watch the following and stand by that statement. These are films that have had at least a limited US release in 2010. No order, just 20 films that are more than worth your time. Check them out below and let us know what you’ve enjoyed the most this year. Read the full story

I’m a day late, but I’m sure you all don’t mind. These DVD and Blu-rays are still sitting on the shelves. Check out what I recommend below. Read the full story

Fresh off the news that Kick-Ass helmer Matthew Vaughn will bring X-Men : First Class to theaters on June 3rd, 2011, we end up having more exciting news. This strangely came when British funnyman Jonathan Ross tweeted Read the full story

Just yesterday we posted the first official photo of Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass) in Matt Reeves‘ (Cloverfield) remake of Let the Right One In. Today, First Showing has pointed us out to yet another production still, this time featuring both Moretz and co-star Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road). The backdrop of this photo looks strikingly similar to that of the 2008 Swedish original.

Having seen Moretz and McPhee in both Kick-Ass and The Road, I don’t believe I could think of two more capable young actors to reprise these roles. It goes without saying that McPhee had to hit more dramatic notes in his film, but I don’t think it is a longshot to say that Moretz possesses that ability as well.

I personally have not seen Cloverfield, but the LA Times has posted a worthwhile interview with director Matt Reeves. He seems to be trying to convince people that he will stay faithful to the calm, subdued direction of the original, at least in comparison to Cloverfield, which was handheld:

I think because of ‘Cloverfield,’ people have an assumption, which is, ‘Oh, crazy handicam, he’s going to jazz it up. And I think that’s probably what a lot of people were afraid of when they thought of the most cynical version. And that’s the last thing we tried to do.

The young stars of the film have me interested in this remake, at least more than most these days, and if Reeves can deliver on his understandable intentions, then Let Me In could be a breath of fresh air come October 1st.

Do you think this remake has serious potential?

Only a few days ago we reporting Kick-Ass, Layer Cake and Stardust director Matthew Vaughn was in negotiations to direct X-Men: First Class. That rumor was shot down by Deadline, but they are back today saying he has returned to the project and about to “close a deal.”

Cinematical reported that all of the following were in the running: Louis Leterrier, Jonathan Mostow, Daniel Espinosa, Rupert Sanders, Timur Bekmambetov, David Slade, and Carl Erick Rinsch. It looks like Vaughn has it though, unless we are proven wrong yet again.

Previously: Kick-Ass director may direct X-Men: First Class. Or at least Fox has offered him the job and he’s talking to them about it.

“…[Vaughn] could very well turn down the First Class offer, as well (sources say the studio is also speaking with other possible directors). Should a deal come together, however, Vaughn would be helming an origin story of the X-Men crew, one that tells the story of Cyclops, Jean Grey, and the other X-Men in their younger years, played by younger actors.” [EW]

Okay, so it’s a pseudo-news story, but one that sounds really interesting coming off Vaughn’s success (critically at least) with Kick-Ass. One would imagine the Jamie Moss script (written back when Bryan Singer was attached) stands to be rewritten a few times before filming begins.

Do you we need another X-Men movie? A Matthew Vaughn X-Men movie?

UPDATE: It looks like Vaughn passed days ago. Ah, I love the internet.

Kick-Ass director may direct X-Men: First Class. Or at least Fox has offered him the job and he’s talking to them about it.

In this episode of the The Film Stage podcast Jordan Raup and Dan Mecca review Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass.

We also discuss:

‘Bond 23′ Suspended Indefinitely
‘Tree Of Life’ Screened, 97% Complete
Martin Scorsese & Robert De Niro’s ‘The Irishman’ To Be A Two-Part Fellini-Inspired Film?
Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgaard & More Join Von Trier’s ‘Melancholia’
Darren Aronofsky Directing Rachel Weisz As Jackie Kennedy

You can stream the episode below or download it here. (right click + save as…) Read the full story

It’s a shame. Kick-Ass was by far one of my favorite films of the year. Many were predicting at $30M+ debut, but Matthew Vaughn‘s superhero comedy took in only $19.75M this weekend. The weekend’s other debut, Death at a Funeral brought in $17M and had a higher PTA than Kick-Ass.

Continually doing well, Dreamworks’ How To Train Your Dragon has taken the top spot in its fourth week with $20M. Completely deserved, it will end up in the Top 5 Dreamworks’ of all time. Date Night saw a modest drop of 31.4%, taking in $17.3M in its second week. Read the full story