Well, here’s some happy news!  The good people at Palm Pictures have offered us a pair of free copies of each and every one of their upcoming DVD releases to give away to you, the fine readers of Twitch.  Why?  Because they love us, and we love you.  And also because they see you as a viable target market.  But, hey!  Free stuff!  Damn cool free stuff! 

Read on for contest details and to enter the draw for free copies of Springtime in a Small Town and Time of the Wolf!

Continue Reading "Palm Pictures DVD Giveaway!  Time of the Wolf!  Springtime in a Small Town!"...

Just a reminder that you’ve got slightly more than a week left to throw your hat into the ring for one of these House of Flying Daggers posters we’re giving away.  Click here for contest rules and details.

In a related note I have been told that we absolutely WILL have some copies of the House of Flying Daggers soundtrack to give away as well, but as they have not come in yet we will be giving those away in a seperate contest ... keep checking back ...

My copy of Artsmagic’s release of 9 Souls arrived this morning.  I love this film ...

The American trailer for Ong Bak has just turned up on the Apple site here.  It’s far from the best trailer out there for the film, but it does mean that Magnolia is now fairly seriously committed to their current release date of February 2005 ... there’s a fighting chance that I’ll be seeing Tom Yum Goong - Tony Jaa’s next film - on DVD before Ong Bak hits the big screen here in Toronto, but I’m still pretty excited for the chance to see this thing properly projected ...

Well, that didn’t take long ... Fox Searchlight has announced that I Heart Huckabess will be coming to DVD on February 22nd, 2005.  The film will be released as a two disc set, jammed with features.  You can check out the complete DVD specs here and my review of the film - which I love, incidentally - here.

Reviews of the premiere screening of Godzilla: Final Wars have started to turn up over at AICN.  Positive?  Yeah, you could say that ... who knows, maybe this will be the film that finally restores my faith in Kitamura.  Check it out here.

I need to declare right up front that I’m a big fan of Joaquin Phoenix ... as far as big, mainstream Hollywood actors go it doesn’t get a whole lot better.  I was mighty happy when I heard that Phoenix had been cast to play Johnny Cash in the upcoming biopic Walk the Line, and I got a whole lot happier when I saw this.  Vanity Fair has just run a series of photos from the film shoot and they look incredible, an absolutely pitch perfect recreation of the era.  Not only is Phoenix a perfect fit in his role, but all of the casting looks flawless ...

Via Greencine

Though it’s not due to begin production for another year and a half or so, John Woo has already started dreaming aloud about a cast for his Battle of the Red Cliff ... How’s this for a dream cast?  Chow Yun Fat, Jet Li, Tony Leung, Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi.  Earlier reports said he was also looking at young Korean star Kwon Sang Soo.  There were also early rumors that Chow Yun Fat had taken himself out of the running, but if this is accurate he may have re-thought ... it’s not like he’s real busy with anything else these days.

Actually casting all of these people would cost Woo a fortune, but the film’s financiers are already anticipating that this will be the most expensive Chinese production ever, so it just might happen ...

via Monkey Peaches.

The Hollywood Reporter is, er, reporting that Nick Cassavetes has gotten the nod to helm an adaptation of Marvel Comics’ Iron Man for New Line.  He will also be doing a final polish of David Hayter’s script for the film.

Now, The Notebook notwithstanding, I like this decision.  Cassavetes is an interesting, diverse, and very intelligent film maker ... just take a look at Blow, which he wrote, for proof of that.  He’s still establishing himself as a director but his pedigree is impeccable and he’s already produced an impressive body of work as a writer and actor ... check out the full list here.

The Sundance Film Festival has announded their 2005 lineup ... the titles that jump out to me include Lonesome Jim, directed by Steve Buscemi; Thumbsucker, directed by Mike Mills who I’m assuming is the R.E.M. bassist; a new documentary from Werner Herzog; and the Anders Tomas Jensen penned Brothers.  Read on for the full list.

Continue Reading "Sundance Announces 2005 Lineup"...

In an effort to boost revenues local theatres in your area may be adopting a more traditional philosophy of business. Selling your old crap to visiting weekenders and passing it off as antiques.

No. Not really. What you’re seeing is the Chronicles of Narnia standee that will be showing up in theatres this Christmas. Hot on the heels of the release of some concept art yesterday morning Narnia Web got the first images of this promotional display.

Click here to view a wardrobe sized image of the Chronicles of Narnia promotional standee.

Ask and thou shalt receive, etc etc ... I dropped a note to the Canadian co-financer of Terry Gilliam’s Tideland a week or so back asking if they could free up any pictures of the film and figured that was a string of data that would vanish without a trace into the ether.  I was wrong.  Today the film’s publicist sent me these two photos of Gilliam at work directing the young Jodelle Ferland on set ... it’s the first time I’ve seen any pictures of the young actress and, yeah, she looks like she belongs in a Gilliam film ...

Click here for a larger version of the first pic and here for a larger version of the second.

It’s always fun when smart people make stupid films and this looks to be the case with Mr and Mrs Smith ... the married-assassin-action-comedy from Doug Liman, director of Swingers.  He proved he could pull of action with The Bourne Identity and now it looks like he’s trying to fuse his action chops with his trademark snappy dialog.  And yeah, Vince Vaughan does make an appearance.  As do Angelina Jolie’s skimpy underthings.  Check the trailer here ...

Dark Horizons has landed themselves a quartet of high res concept art still shots from the upcoming live action adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.  I read these books over and over again as a child - I still have some of my original copies, others I wore out and had to replace - so I’ve been kind of nervous that they were going to do some of my favorite childhood memories some damage with this.  Well, the original concept art I saw looked quite good and these look even better ... I think it’s now safe to say that, at least as far as production value goes, they’re doing one mighty fine job on these ...

Click here to check out all four shots ...

A six minute preview for the Extended Edition of Return of the King will launch online at the official website today ... there’s already a two minute teaser up - including footage of the much talked about Mouth of Sauron - but no sign of the full six minute job yet ...

**** UPDATE ****

I take it back ... full six minute version is now live ... purty ...