The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 came out in 1986 and did not perform well at the box office, it's plot revolved around the cannibal family hiding out in some fairground and a local radio host ends up investigating and getting into a whole lot of trouble, throw in Dennis Hopper as a former Texas Marshall who is hunting Leatherface and family and it actually becomes quite entertaining, Tobe Hooper who directed the original film also directed the sequel, its fun to watch Hopper and Leatherface duelling with chainsaws, if you were in the UK you couldn't actually view this film as the censors wanted to chop about twenty minutes from it before they would allow it to be released, the distributor declined and it was only in 2001 that it finally was passed without any cuts and Britain could see what all the fuss was about, of course that version is the pre-approved and heavily censored MPAA edition, there was a huge amount of gore cut from this film, they did try and put some back in for a dvd release but the quality was poor, perhaps the original footage still exists in reasonable condition and all they need to do is spend money on restoring it, yeah i know the chances of anyone doing that is remote, i have been waiting for them to restore the cut Friday The 13th footage from many of the sequels and especially part 7 but Paramount will not spend the money to do that and so i doubt the distributor of a box office flop like Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 will.

Matthew McConaughey won an Oscar for The Return Of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre aka Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, no of course he didn't and i'm kidding, Renee Zellweger was also in that one and it was a very weird flick, i can't say i enjoyed it but i did watch it to the end, a far better sequel was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 which came out in 1990, many rate it as superior to the first sequel and it is available in an unrated form on dvd, Viggo Mortensen has a part in that one, if you like these type of films i do recommend checking all of the sequels out.

This brings us neatly to Leatherface 3D, apparently online reports suggest the plot revolves around a character called Heather who sets out on a trip to Texas to claim her inheritance, it seems that will involve taking custody of Leatherface who happens to be her cousin, not much else is known at the moment and i will update the post when i get more information but i wonder if they are attempting to make a black comedy/horror in 3D or whether this will be a more serious horror film, it may even have a title change and be called The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D, i'm not so sure 3D is needed for these films but if they make it using 3D cameras then i don't have a problem with it, what i dislike is when they shoot 2D and convert to 3D, i actually watched The Final Destination a few months back, the fourth film in the series and the weakest, all the flash 3D effects in the world cannot hide a poor script, it's been confirmed that the fifth film in that series is also going to be 3D.

Expect to see Leatherface 3D or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D sometime in late 2012, or late October of that year.  You can buy some of the of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre films below.
 

The main gripe i had with Superman Returns was the script, i especially disliked the ending, i just don't see how Superman can lift anything so large which is made of Kryptonite, no way and it's a bad ending, i also didn't really enjoy the Lex Luthor character, give me General Zod anyday of the week. Ultimately i felt Superman Returns went on too long and didn't engage as much as it could have, more action would have been nice, a highlight was the aeroplane rescue scene which was fantastic.

Normally a sequel to such a film gets the greenlight rather quickly but Superman Returns almost killed the franchise stone dead, now five years later they are shooting another film, tentatively titled Superman: The Man Of Steel.

Zack Snyder directs the new Superman film and Henry Cavill plays the title character, Amy Adams has been cast as Lois Lane with Diane Lane playing Martha Kent and if negotiations go well then expect to see Kevin Costner playing Jonathan Kent, this will be a complete reboot of the franchise and since Jonathan Kent is in the film you can assume the movie will start with Jor-El sending his only son to planet Earth in much the same way as the 1978 version did.

It's been rumoured that Viggo Mortensen will feature in the movie as General Zod, i certainly would like this as i find the Lex Luthor character a bit dull, Viggo has reportedly just this week pulled out of Snow White And The Huntsman so maybe he is planning to take the role on, good news if true as Viggo would make a fantastic Zod. It wouldn't harm the new film if they could give us a bit more action and excitement but i wish they would keep the John Williams theme music, Snyder has already stated he is starting the franchise from scratch and it's unlikely they will use Williams iconic theme music, shame really and i think they should reconsider and use the score.

I'm a little bit concerned with Zack Snyder being the director, visually he could pull it all together but i wonder if he will resist the temptation to overuse green screens and CGI, i hope the film looks like it's set in the real world and not in some computer generated alternate reality, hopefully my fears about Mr Snyder are unfounded.

Superman: The Man Of Steel will be released sometime in December 2012.

—> As an update to the above information they have cast Michael Shannon as General Zod, well i'd have preferred Viggo but hey it's great that Zod is in the movie, Superman needs a strong villian who can challenge him physically and Zod and his cohorts will provide that. <—

My Oscar Predictions:

Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”
James Franco in “127 Hours”

I think Colin Firth will win this award, Hollywood loves royalty and this type of film and he has been promoting himself well all over the USA this last month, personally i think Javier Bardem or Jeff Bridges deserves the award more.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone”
Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech”

For this one i think Geoffrey Rush will win it, i would like Christian Bale to win as his performance is astounding, i believe his outburst of a few years ago on the set of Terminator: Salvation may work against him.

Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”
Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

By all accounts this should be Natalie Portman's year for the best actress award but don't rule out Annette Bening, i actually want Portman to win it but it could be a close one between her and Bening but my money's on Portman.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech”
Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

Reports suggest Melissa Leo is a shoe in for her role in The Fighter, i think Hailee Steinfeld will win it, many say she is too young but think back to The Piano and Anna Paquin who won and was only 11 at the time.

Best Animated Feature Film

How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

The winner is Toy Story 3 and by a mile, Hollywood loves Pixar and although How To Train Your Dragon has an outside chance i believe Toy Story 3 will win the award.

Cinematography

Black Swan – Matthew Libatique
Inception – Wally Pfister
The King's Speech – Danny Cohen
The Social Network – Jeff Cronenweth
True Grit – Roger Deakins

I would like to see Roger Deakins win for True Grit but think Danny Cohen will win for The King's Speech, i think Inception has far too many CGI backdrops and shouldn't be considered for a Cinematography Oscar.

Best Director

Black Swan – Darren Aronofsky
The Fighter – David O. Russell
The King's Speech – Tom Hooper
The Social Network – David Fincher
True Grit – Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

I think David Fincher may well win this one but i would prefer to see Darren Aronofsky or David O' Russell rewarded, Fincher films tend to leave me cold although he is a talented director.

Best Foreign Language Film

Biutiful – Mexico
Dogtooth – Greece
In a Better World – Denmark
Incendies – Canada
Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) – Algeria

It's Biutiful all the way, Javier Bardem's strong performance will ensure this gets the best foreign language film Oscar.

Music (Original Score)

How to Train Your Dragon – John Powell
Inception – Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech – Alexandre Desplat
127 Hours – A.R. Rahman
The Social Network – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

I would give the award to Hans Zimmer for Inception but i think Alexandre Desplat will win the award for The Kings Speech.

Music (Original Song)

Coming Home from Country Strong – Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
I See the Light from Tangled – Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
If I Rise from 127 Hours – Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
We Belong Together from Toy Story 3 – Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

I pray ( even though i'm not religious ) that Randy Newman does not win, i can't stand his music scores and they drive me up the wall, i fear though the Academy will reward Mr Newman the Oscar for Toy Story 3.

Best Picture

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

I think The King's Speech wil win this, i would rather The Fighter or Black Swan won the award.

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Another Year – Written by Mike Leigh
The Fighter – Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
Inception – Written by Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right – Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
The King's Speech – Screenplay by David Seidler

I think The King's Speech will win this award, i would prefer to see The Fighter win.

Visual Effects

Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2

This one is between Alice In Wonderland and Inception, i think the Academy will give the Oscar to Alice In Wonderland. I would prefer to see Inception win.

It's the end of the month so i have updated the quiz and added a new poll to the site, you can take part in both by going to the home page, the quiz is on the top right sidebar and the poll is on the left sidebar. Only two Unknowns ( no name given ) and Barry Norman all from the USA got the answers right in my film quiz, many tripped up on the Tombstone question, Kurt Russell was the ghost director of that one, more info and a link to a brilliant Russell interview are below.

Quiz answers:

1 – Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for The Blind Side

2 – The Missing Word was Werewolf – An American Werewolf In London

3 – Which Of These Characters DID NOT Feature In Batman Forever! – The answer was Catwoman

4 – Actor Gary Oldman Was Born Where! – The answer was London

5 – Which Of These Films Did Alfred Hitchcock Direct! – The answer was Spellbound, thats my own personal Hitchcock favourite.

6 – German Director Fritz Lang Directed An Early Silent Classic Film But Can You Name It! – The answer was Metropolis, that film has recently been released on blu ray.

7 – Kurt Russell Directed The Western Tombstone! – Although George P Cosmatos is listed as the director, Kurt Russell was behind the scenes telling him what he wanted done, more info by clicking here.

8 – Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night! – Name The Film That Line Comes From. ? – The answer is All About Eve.

9 – Alicia Silverstone Was! – The answer was Clueless, the person who clicked Psycho made me laugh.

The Poll Results: The Best Film Of 2010.

I forgot to include The Social Network in the poll and that film would have garnered some votes as it was you decided Inception was your favourite film of 2010.

1) Inception

2) Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

3) Other movie not listed in the poll

Late last year Nolan said he would be shooting as much of the third film in 70mm IMAX as possible, he has since said that scenes not shot in IMAX would be shot 70mm. Skip back in time to 1992 and in Batman Returns, Michelle Pfieffer played Catwoman with delicious relish, wearing a skintight catsuit that showed all her curves, the final scenes of the film promised more Catwoman in future installments but unfortunately Tim Burton declined to make the third film and things went downhill rather fast after that with the fourth film in particular putting the final nail in the coffin of the original Batman movie franchise, now Christopher Nolan is bringing us The Dark Knight Rises and Selina Kyle aka Catwoman is coming back to our screens.

Anne Hathaway has won the part of Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan had previously stated that the character of Catwoman would not work in the realistic modern day settings of his Batman universe but it seems he has had a change of mind and has found a way to make it all work. Catwoman is not actually mentioned as being in the new film but it's hard to imagine them casting Miss Hathaway as Selina Kyle and not bringing Catwoman to the screen at some point during the movie.

The main villian in The Dark Knight Rises will be Bane, in the comic books Bane broke Batman's back and is an intelligent, muscleman character, in the film he will be played by Tom Hardy, now Tom is not really built like Arnold Schwarzenneger so it will be interesting to see his take on Bane, i imagine he is in the gym right now working on his muscles and fitness.

Let's all try and forget that Halle Berry made a film called Catwoman in 2004, that film did not feature the character of Selina Kyle and was not connected with Batman, it was pretty poor especially for those of us who fondly remember Michelle Pfieffers Catwoman in Batman Returns, Pfieffer was supposed to return as the character in a stand alone film which never materialised, that was a real shame and Anne is going to have to do something special to be as memorable as Michelle was but if anyone can pull it off then she can, view an image gallery of Anne Hathaway by clicking here.

The Dark Knight Rises is due to hit cinema screens in July 2012.

The film premiere was held in Leicester Square, London and the main stars, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson were out in the rain to attend it, also in attendance was J.K. Rowling who wrote the books on which the films are based.

This is the third Harry Potter film to be directed by David Yates, he previously directed Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix and Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, i enjoyed both of those movies but the latter one felt just a little bit better developed to me, you can view some blu ray screencaps of Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince here.

In another bit of Harry Potter related news, Warner Bros has bought Leavesden Studio's and they are spending around £100 million pounds in developing the site into a place for films to be made, The Dark Knight was made there as well as all eight Harry Potter films, they are building two new soundstages which will house movie memorabilia including sets from the Harry Potter films, the public will be able to visit these sets in behind the scenes tours which are set to open in 2012.

I have to wonder if this really is the end of the Harry Potter films, it may well be the end for this particular series but Warner Bros who see Harry Potter as box office gold and a regular cash flow may try and tempt J.K. Rowling into writing more adventures for the young wizard, Rowling herself may feel that writing about the character as an adult is feasible, in the meantime you can watch Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows part 1 at a cinema near you now.

You can buy part 1 of Deathly Hallows on dvd and blu ray from Amazon, i find their prices cheap and delivery fast, links provided below.

The plot centres around a group of guys who invest all their money into a businessman's scheme, they think they are going to get rich but it's all a con and they soon find themselves out of money and out of luck, they then devise a plan to rob the businessmans tower dwelling.

They have just added gorgeous Tea Leoni to the cast list which already includes Alan Alda as the wealthy businessman who is behind the elaborate con, the film also features Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, Murphy will play a safecracker who no doubt has a few wisecracks to toss around.

Other cast members who have so far signed up to do the film are Dave Chappelle, Michael Pena, Gabourey Sidibe and Scottie Knollin and the film is billed as an action comedy it should hit the right notes although it might also end up being an over indulgent mess.

I hope they give Tea something to do in this movie as she is a very good comedy actress, my fear is that Stiller and Murphy will hog the film and not let the other actors get any good lines, star names can ask for script rewrites which can lessen the parts of their fellow cast members while increasing their onscreen time and often that is to the detriment of the film as a perfectly good script may end up being taken apart just because an actor has too big an ego.

Tower Heist sharts shooting soon and could be a fun entertaining movie.

Casting is still ongoing but Joseph Gordon Levitt will play one of the hitmen who is hired to kill a future version of himself which will be played by Bruce Willis, obviously he isn't too keen on killing himself thus lets his older self escape, meanwhile in the future Willis is ordered to kill a boy and if he completes this task he will not be killed, this could get confusing and i already have a few idea's regarding the twist on who the young boy will be but we'll find out when the film is released in 2012.

Emily Blunt has joined the cast and will play a single mother who has given birth to the boy that Willis must kill in order to save himself, the movie starts shooting in January in New Orleans.

The director of Looper is Rian Johnson, not someone i have heard much of but anyone who has made a short film called Evil Demon Golfball From Hell! is alright by me, he has already worked with Gordon Levitt before on the movie Brick and he also directed The Brothers Bloom, i think he will do a fine job on this film and if they can balance the time travel elements of the script and not make them too confusing this might be a very entertaining film.

I think the film makers lacked vision with the later movies in the series, by that i mean they could have taken the film series into truly terrifying places by using the puzzle box but instead they continued to retread old ground with the tired old Cenobites/Pinhead plots, well it seems that the rights to the franchise were about to lapse so to stop that happening Dimension are now making a new entry into the series called Hellraiser: Revelations.

Doug Bradley has quit or been pushed from the role of Pinhead, he claims he wasn't interested in the part but sometimes that just means it was not offered or he asked for too much money or they think he is getting too old, take your pick but whatever the case may be they have cast a new Pinhead, Stephan Smith Collins step forward and take a bow, you might ask who the hell Stephan Smith Collins is, well he was in movie The Darwin Awards, you might then go huh! well it did perform very poorly at the box office so not many people saw it but apparently it's an ok flick.

Hellraiser: Revelations is being made on a tight budget and the production schedule is also cramped, it's being directed by Victor Garcia who made the entertaining Return To House On Haunted Hill, ok i admit it really was not that entertaining but it was also made on a low budget and the direction was solid enough, i don't expect much at all from this film but perhaps it will go on to win several Oscar's and make a billion at the box office and surprise us all. Nahhhh!

The plot for Hellraiser: Revelations has backpackers, Steve and Nico, in Mexico stumbling across the puzzlebox and well you probably know what will happen next and it won't be pretty, what is pretty though is the gorgeous Peta Wilson who is in the cast, you may remember her from the television show Nikita, she's an underrated actress and should liven up the movie.

It's a shame Dimension are not putting more of an effort into the production but maybe the director and cast will put enthusiasm into it and they might manage to cobble together a decent film, i know that's unlikely but if they could capture a fraction of the atmosphere of the original two movies then it might yet turn out to be good and buck the usual trend of dimishing returns that you so often get with horror sequels.

As previously said above, they are making this cheaply and quickly to hold onto the licensing of the franchise, you can expect a proper full on reboot of the film series to arrive at a cinema near you sometime in 2012, place your bets on it being made in glorious 3D.

The aforementioned Kristen Bell will play Aguilera's rival at the club and she does not like the new girl in town one little bit, sparks fly, catfights ensue and hair extensions are everywhere with Cher having to keep the girls in line, perhaps by the end of the film these girls will learn to love and respect each other!

Burlesque opens in December and since there hasn't been any other musicals released this year i will promptly label it without a shadow of a doubt the best and most entertaining musical of 2010.