Earlier today Josh posted about the unexciting latest poster from The Dark Knight Rises. The poster is essentially a crap Photoshop job barely worth checking out. As Josh put it, there are better fan posters out there than what Warner Bros. gave us earlier today. Despite the ‘meh’ poster leaving us all unimpressed, the crack marketing team for The Dark Knight Rises followed that effort up with six character posters that perfectly embody the tone of the film presented in all the previous trailers/teases/prologue. It is odd to have two posts in one day featuring little more than posters from the same movie, but I couldn’t leave that hack poster as the only representation with these other magnificent works out there. Hit the jump to see the lot.

Check it.

Don’t You Think These Posters Are Much Better?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

Last week I detailed a poster debuting for the upcoming 3rd Bond movie starring Daniel Craig. In the post I talked of Skyfall‘s teaser dropping on Monday. I wouldn’t be a proper movie ‘journo’ (Green Street Hooligans anyone?) without following the poster and showing off this Bond teaser on The Movie Mash. Hit the jump to catch a glimpse.

Check it.

The teaser is a little underwhelming, but it is a teaser. So I wasn’t really expecting much. At the same time it is gratifying to see Daniel Craig back in this role — many may remember that with the financial problems of MGM and the company filing for bankruptcy, more Bond titles with Craig were an uncertainty. I’m excited to see another chapter from Craig, as he is after all my favorite Bond. Yes, Daniel Craig is my favorite — and Casino Royale is my favorite Bond movie. Despite Craig doing well in the 2008 follow-up, Quantum of Solace in most regards was a disaster.

All in all, this teaser shows off typical Bond movie traits: guns, action, espionage, and beautiful women. The action looks amazing, as do most of the visuals — this is something to expect when the legendary Roger Deakins is the Director of Photography. Skyfall also boasts one of the better casts in recent memory with Ralph Fiennes and Javier Bardem starring alongside Judi Dench and Craig.

What Did You Think Of The Teaser?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

Lawless is definitely towards the top of my ‘dying-to-see’ list. Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce, and Jessica Chastain all serve as reasons why — the setting and the prohibition backdrop also come into play. The trailer for the film grabbed my attention and these gorgeous posters are really working too. I mean, look at Tom Hardy up there. He looks like an icon. The scarlet movie title and the slightly illuminated ember of the cigar pop out in the black & white image. This is an example of  stellar graphic design work. Hit the jump to see the full Hardy poster and the spread of other cast members.

Check it.

Lawless drops August 31st, 2012.

What Do You Think Of The Spread?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

It’s been awhile since we’ve got anything new regarding the Sam Mendes’ 23rd James Bond film Skyfall — today isn’t a huge day for the film, it’s not the teaser trailer or anything which is set to debut May 21st, but it’s at least something. After the jump you can check out the full spread of the new poster featuring Bond as  you remember him.

Check it.

The poster does play at Bond in his classic pose with the barrel of gun locked in on him. This time around the barrel extends into the underground tunnels of London which is supposed work into the story of Skyfall. This poster and the upcoming trailer are just teases until later this Summer when we get a full length trailer most likely attached to a big blockbuster movie.

Skyfall drops in the US on November 9th, 2012.

What Did You Think Of The Trailer?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

J.J. Abrams is attached to another disaster show with mysterious elements layered in. His previous credit was the hit show LOST which ran for six seasons on ABC. Now he is backing a series called Revolution, a show set in a drastically different future where humankind no longer possesses the power of electricity after a mysterious incident wipes it all out. The show’s pilot was also directed by Iron Man Director Jon Favreau and looks to feature a decent size budget considering all the VFX involved. Hit the jump to get a look.

Watch me.

The show looks pretty cool right? This should be right up the alley of LOST fans — bands of people looking to survive outside the comforts of the modern world while struggling to discover the mysteries within their own. So this isn’t just another survive on an island or post-apocalyptic future type show, it’s also a discover how ‘we’ got there show. Just like LOST right? I don’t mind, because I loved LOST and this looks like another show filled with intrigue, action, and fun to keep me entertained. I’ll definitely be giving Revolution a shot this Fall.

Revolution will air Monday nights at 10/9 c this Fall on NBC.

As a bonus, I thought I’d pass along this short called RUIN I discovered thanks to fellow Mash writer Mike. He commented on how the visuals in these two videos are very similar — both are set in the ruins of our modernized world. While Revolution is going to be a live-action NBC television show, RUIN is an animated short that looks to evolve into a web series — the end of this video teases of more to come. This video is not only extremely interesting to watch unfold, but the visuals are crisp and well imagined. The main character spends a portion of the short escaping on a motorcycle, a breathtaking, perfectly shot, and exquisitely animated sequence. You should definitely not miss your opportunity to watch this.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

GRADE: B

This film is still making rounds in the distribution circuit, but will most likely be difficult to find at your local theater. Bully is an indie film, but has gotten quite a bit of play because of the important message it carries. I saw the movie a few weeks back, but because of all the other things going on in life I didn’t get to this review until now. Despite seeing it so long ago and it barely still being in theaters, I had to cook up a review about this film because its importance. Students, parents, soon-to-be parents, teachers, anyone associated with the education system needs to see just how widespread bullying is in schools today. Bullying in America is a massive problem that is causing both measurable and immeasurable harm to those who are tormented. This film shows how cruel kids in school are today, and how the afflicted can no longer escape persecution outside the school grounds with evolving social media and tech — kids today are entering a new age of bullying.

The film follows a handful of teenagers who were, and in some cases still are, picked on heavily in school. It also heavily centers on the parents involved in this uphill battle. Bully documents the struggle for teens to deal with the difficulties of not only learning in school but assimilating to the environment while being ostracized by their cruel peers. One of the teens is a lesbian in a very opinionated, bigoted, rural town. She speaks of experiences most of us wouldn’t believe, like a teacher making fun of her homosexuality in front of an entire class. The stories from all these teens and their families are extremely sad and full of hurt, but they should not be ignored. A film like this is an excellent way for the bullies to see how their words and actions impact the bullied. It’s an excellent way for school administrators to see their efforts are often useless and to help push them to understand they need to do more.

While most of us have endured some facet of bullying in our lives, the lengths kids will go today to feel better about themselves by putting another down seems much more drastic than I remember. While I am sure many of the words and the kids on each side of the fence are the same (bully vs. the bullied), the practices are more extreme and permanent, not to mention more public when broadcasted on social media. This has led to irreparable damage on so many developing minds, even in drastic cases, suicide. It really is sad to see and hear about — such petty cruelty in many cases cuts far too deep.

On the production side of things, this has to be one of the worst shot movies I’ve ever seen, and it’s a documentary. Quite often, the film follows the teens in their daily life — but being a documentary, it also features plenty of interviews. For some reason, director Lee Hirsch instructed all his camera crew to move the camera in and out of focus, constantly throughout the film, even in the middle of interviews. These rack focuses serve no purpose — they’re distracting and extremely annoying. People in the film are literally just sitting there being interviewed and all the sudden the camera goes out of focus, and then back. Such a tacky presentation to a topic as important as this one.

Overall, despite the laughable camerawork, the message of Bully rings true. It’s a movie all involved in education need to see at least once, especially parents and school personnel. Bullies can be extremely vicious and the bullied oftentimes believe extreme measures are the only way out — whether that be cutting, sinking into depression, retaliation, or even suicide, the results are never positive.

What Should You Do? The film might still be in a theater in your area, but most likely not. Your best bet is to look for Bully on DVD or Netflix when it hits the market. After you see it, spread the movie to others.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

Don’t you get tired of people talking on their cell phones and texting at the theater? Don’t you get annoyed when two people are whispering to one another, or even talking constantly? Don’t you get annoyed when a lady stays in the theater during Paranormal Activity 3 with a crying infant? The latter happened to me, at the press screening actually, ruined the “quiet” horror flick. Crying. The mom still had the baby in the theater. Someone sternly asked her to leave (#mightHaveBeenMe).

Theater etiquette could almost be considered an ancient virtue standing up against today’s theater goers. Here at The Movie Mash, we stand to speak out against it — this time around in the form of a Mortal Kombat inspired short video. Haven’t you ever imagined having this type of a brawl with some of those more annoying movie patrons?

Check it.

Hats off to the very talented Rajiv Weliwitigoda for helping me out with this video. Many may remember Rajiv also starred in the iPhone 4s ‘Siri Thought’ Video I made — look for the two of us collaborating on a few more ‘Theater Etiquette” shorts over the Summer. If you enjoyed this video, go to my YouTube Channel. Subscribe. It helps. (let’s go viral) Spread this post on Facebook, etc., etc. Let’s stop the cellphones from killing our theater experience.

Did You Like This Video’s ‘Message’?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

GRADE: C

A Tim Burton movie starring Johnny Depp? Say what? Of course I’m kidding, because this is not the first time this pair has collaborated with one another — not to mention another Burton regular Danny Elfman scoring Dark Shadows and Helena Bonham Carter also being in the mix. All the familiar sights and sounds were there, but towards the end I was just hoping it would end quickly. All the cards on the table, I am not a big fan of Tim Burton anyway. He’s just not my type of storyteller. Even aside from this obvious bias, Dark Shadows is not a very good movie — most of all because I could not buy into or care for Depp’s Barnabas Collins, his plight, or any of the other supporting cast members.

The stunning Eva Green stars as the conniving witch Angelique who goes crazy when Barnabas will not return her love. She uses her dark magic to kill Barnabas’ true love, his parents, she haunts his family, she overtakes the Collins’ fishing business, and worst of all, she makes Depp’s character even pastier by turning him into a vampire and locking him in a steel coffin for centuries — he eventually breaks free in the 1970′s awaking in an era he is completely unfamiliar with. This led to some comical proceedings, but Barnabas’ fish-out-of-water antics grew old far too quickly. His plight to get revenge on Eva Green’s manipulative character didn’t carry much weight either, despite their chemistry onscreen together — the story and all its unfolding pieces were tired.

The film had a strong supporting cast in Jackie Earle Haley, Chloë Grace Moretz, Helena Bonham Carter, Jonny Lee Miller, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Even amidst all these notable names, none really brought anything of worth to the table minus Haley. His role was humorous and one of the few bright spots in the aforementioned ‘blah’ supporting cast.

The biggest downfall of Dark Shadows came from Barnabas trying ever so desperately to win the heart of the Collins family nanny. Despite the film dedicating so much time to this storyline, there was no heart in the proceedings, I felt no drive to will them together as an audience member. The pair had no chemistry, a stark contrast from Barnabas and the film’s antagonist Angelique. Even with the conflict between the two, the odd couple had some of the best scenes in the movie together — not to mention one of the absolute worst sex scenes I’ve ever seen.

Overall, Dark Shadows may please die-hard Burton fans who blindly follow his work, but I even doubt they will be pleased. For the rest of us, this comes off as another disappointment, something that has become more common in recent Burton flicks. The film lacks a sense of humanity to make us care about the characters and lacks chemistry between Depp’s character and his depicted love. Again, I’ve never been a fan of Burton’s work (except for Big Fish) and this film is another example why — overly pasty white people, a trivial story intertwined with dark elements and images mixed with a light-hearted Elfman soundtrack does nothing for me.

What Should You Do? Skip this one in the theater. If you’re really curious, wait for the rental.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

Any movie with Ryan Gosling these days is worth seeing. Put him as a crime fighting gangster alongside some of the biggest and brightest in Hollywood and book seats at this year’s award shows. That’s what Gangster Squad screamed to me when I first watched this trailer. Gosling is just the tip of the iceberg however — Sean Penn stars as a ‘god-like’ crooked kingpin fighting against Josh Brolin and his team of off the radar enforcement in a Los Angeles story based on true events. Director Ruben Fleischer also has re-teamed with the gorgeous and very busy Emma Stone — the pair worked together on Zombieland. If this trailer is any indication, Gangster Squad is going to be a force to be reckoned with in 2012.

Check it.

Right? The look, the feel, the setting, the performances, the action, they all seem to fit right. Aside from this trailer, when a cast of stars all assemble in a movie like this one has to assume there is something special within the pages of the script — or Gangster Squad has one hell of a Casting Director. Aside from the talent listed above, the film stars: Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Nick Nolte, Michael Peña, and Robert Patrick. That’s an ensemble cast crafted with nothing but stars. I love these type of gangster films and Gangster Squad has the appearance of a possible classic in the genre.

Gangster Squad has no official release date, but will drop sometime in late 2012.

Do You Think This Will Be A Classic?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

End of Watch just popped up on my radar. While neither Jake Gyllenhaal nor Michael Peña are amongst my favorite actors, both are very talented and have successes in certain roles. One thing that really stood out to me from this trailer was how much this pair  looks like two regular ‘beat cops’ policing the rough streets of Los Angeles. The trailer really hammers the strong partnership between the pair — the predicament they get themselves into will no doubt test that bond. Hit the jump to see the trailer.

Check it.

Aside from the Training Day-esque tone of the film, this film was written by the same scribe, David Ayer, End of Watch teases a standoff between these partners and a drug cartel. For those who don’t know, the cartels running the drug game are ruthless, their violence unmatched.

Ayer also directed this film — the man is drawn to these ‘mean-street’ type of movies seeing he was involved in Harsh Times, Street Kings, Training Day, and Dark Blue. If  you notice this film also seems to be shot with the ‘found footage’ style in mind, almost like an extended episode of COPS. You’ll also notice Anna Kendrick as Gyllenhaal’s wife — this almost guarantees I will be seeing this movie, because I will watch anything this talented ascending actress is involved in.

End of Watch hits theaters September 28th, 2012.

Does This Movie Look To Warrant A View?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery