HBO's New Series LOOKING Stars AUGUST's Murray Bartlett

The official trailer went online today for the new HBO series LOOKING and it is looking good. I'm especially excited about the show as it stars Murray Bartlett, one of the leads from the feature AUGUST that I co-wrote with Eldar Rappaport. So it was very exciting to see him in the first shot of the trailer (and the promo image too!) as part of what looks to be a breakthrough show for the depiction of gay men on TV.

Though it's been informally referred to as "the gay GIRLS", the show seems like it will have quite a different tone and take given the creative team behind it. Andrew Haigh whose feature WEEKEND was one of the indie highlights of 2011, is directing with San Franciso-based filmmaker Travis Matthews whose infamous short I WANT YOUR LOVE and then feature with James Franco INT.LEATHER BAR pushed the boundaries for depictions of gay sex and intimacy in indie films.

LOOKING premieres on Sunday January 19th and will follow GIRLS when that show returns for Season 3 in January. I may just have to finally sign up for cable too and stop watching HBO GO at my friends houses to support this new show.  :)  "Looking" forward to it!

New Details On The New Season of SMASH

Out in Pasadena, the annual winter TV press tour is underway and yesterday SMASH got to have it's meet and greet with the critics.  The Hollywod Reporter has all the details but the major news is that the new season will feature a lot more music and a brand new musical too.  Jeremy Jordan, from the hit real Broadway show NEWSIES, has joined the cast and will be working on a show within the show called "The Hit List" while "Bombshell", the Marilyn musical from Season 1 will continue to develop.

There was also news that a full "cast recording" of the fictional "Bombshell" musical will be released mid-February with songs from both Season 1 and Season 2. The musical itself, however, is still fictional as it was confirmed last year that there is no book written and no current plans for an actual Bway show about Marilyn.  They haven't ruled it out but it seems unlikely that it will ever happen, given the history of Marilyn flopping on the Great White Way before.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to a new season of the show which many love to hate. I'll be honest--I just love it. A show about Broadway on network television? I mean seriously...what's not to like? :) Here's the trailer for Season 2--with some serious guest stars too. It all starts Feb 5th.

SATURDAY SPECIAL: End of Year Supercut Of Top Movie Trailers For 2012

This is an amazing supercut of movie trailers for films released this year by an editing genius by the name of SleepySkunk. It's a mystery why this person doesn't use their real name but I suspect that maybe he is doing all this work --and this must have been a lot of work--at his day job. Anyway, they have put together a mega remix of some of the best and craziest and most beautiful movie moments from 2012 culled from the film's trailers. It actually makes it look like it wasn't such a bad year for movies after all.

THE MIAMI CONNECTION Is So Bad It's Good

In the late 1980s, a film was made in Miami that has lately taken on that legendary mantle of a film that's "so bad it's good."  Joining the ranks of SHOWGIRLS, THE APPLE and THE ROOM, THE MIAMI CONNECTION is on it's way to theatres' courtesy of Alamo Drafthouse Films.  You can read more about the bizarre cinema concoction of drugs, ninjas, motorcyles and 80s' synth pop on WIRED. Or you can watch the utterly terrible trailer below.

Get Ready For The Eyes Of T.J. Mecklenberg In 3D

Film geeks on the Internet are abuzz today with the release of the first full trailer for Baz Luhrman's epic reimagining of THE GREAT GATSBY.  And it is epic indeed.  It was also shot in 3D and the trailer has a few shots which indicate how this might work (i.e. glittery confetti falling at a party). It also has an anachronistic soundtrack which one would expect from Luhrman, who infused 70s disco into fin de siecle Paris.  But I'm not so sure about the rap and the Gatz mixing here. However, it is common these days for contemporary songs to be used in period trailers strictly for marketing purposes.

While this does look exciting (New York in the '20s...in color!), it also gave me a bit of a sinking feeling as I recalled another N.Y.C. early 20th century epic from another mad movie genius;  2005's KING KONG courtesy of Peter Jackson. That one was pretty to look at but ended up being a snooze.  We'll have to wait until Christmas Day to see if Luhrman's glitzy take on one of the great American novels has more to it than just pretty pictures.

SATURDAY SPECIAL: Mary J. Blige Rocks ROCK OF AGES

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I have to admit I was excited.  First, there's all the great 80's pop/rock music from Journey, Pat Benatar, and Night Ranger.  But even more exciting to me as a filmmaker was knowing that this was all being directed by HAIRSPRAY helmer Adam Shankman.  The musical adaptation of the John Waters classic was one of my favorite movie musicals in a long time and I dragged a number of friends to see it in the theatre. I went 3 times that summer!

Now, a new clip from ROCK OF AGES has surfaced featuring Mary J. Blige giving her own spin to "Any Way You Want It".  Forget Tom Cruise singing...I can't wait to see more Mary J.!

Julianne Moore is Sarah Palin in GAME CHANGE

The original HBO movie GAME CHANGE, about Sarah Palin and the 2008 Presidential election, premieres this Saturday night. Though Palin says the film is a political hack job, she has also not actually seen the film.  Roger Ebert gives the film a very positive review in the Chicago TIMES, adding that it is not only fair but also sympathetic towards Palin who is widely viewed now as a candidate who was incredibly charismatic but deeply unprepared to run for national office. The trailer itself looks great and Moore looks amazing as Sarah. I need to get me some HBO this weekend...

With SPACE: 2099, The Moon Is Officially Hot

There was an item today on the Hollywood Reporter that ITV is rebooting its 70's sci-fi classic SPACE: 1999.  I loved this show!  It had so much to offer; the moon exploding out of orbit, sexy beige jumpsuits, Barbara Bain, and that smokin' theme song which you could dance to if you wanted.  Oh yeah, and Martin Landau too, who was super cool and kinda cute too. This could have the potential to be the next BATTLESTAR GALACTICA if they put together a decent creative team.  We shall seee....it's in the very early stages.

Lately, it seems, the moon is having a pop culture moment. There was last summer's TRANSFORMERS which started on the dark side, where evil robots had buried themselves. Next up, we have this insane movie below called IRON SKY about Nazi's who've been hanging out on the dark side planning their revenge.  (I thought this was a fake trailer but it's a real movie!)  Also, let's not forget the 110-year-old A TRIP TO THE MOON by George Melies is getting new heat due to its central role in Scorsese's HUGO. And, of course, Newt Gingrich can't stop talking about his ludicrous plans to colonize the moon.

It's somewhat ironic that the moon is having a moment at a time when NASA has no manned space program. At all. But the moon, and our fascination with it, has always been there. Apparently, it's now due for some rediscovery, if only in a fictional way.

A Trailer Mashup/Recap Of The Films Of 2011

More year end madness--today, a mashup of the movies of 2011.  Scenes from the trailers of the years films have been expertly edited together by the SleepySkunk to remind us how a lot of things blew up this year and, amidst all the destruction and carnage, there were even some beautiful cinematic moments worth remembering as well.  Can you name all the pictures?  (Hint: the list of films is here.)  Music by Lords of Acid and Randy Edelman, from the DRAGONHEART soundtrack.

Summer Trailers and Trailers For Trailers

The Christmas movie season is becoming just as well-known for the actual films that screen during this time of year as it is for the previews of next summer's coming attractions.  

There was a lot of "buzz" this weekend as the trailer for the new and supposedly final Christopher Nolan Batman movie THE DARK KNIGHT RISES came out on Friday in theatres only, as a preview attached to the new MI:4 movie. Of course, it took only hours for it to leak all over the Internets so the studio released the trailer online late yesterday afternoon.  Traffic to the Apple website was so heavy they seemed to experience a mini-crash. Anyway, you can watch it a littler easier here on FirstShowing.Net. It looks pretty impressive and even has a note of Occupy Wall Street in it (with Anne Hathaway as Catwoman representing the 99%).

In other trailer news, a new phenomenon in movie previews hit this week as a trailer for the trailer (!) of Ridley Scott's outer space epic PROMETHUS was released on YouTube. This 30 second tease features some scenes from the ALIEN-esque film as well as quick quotes from the director himself.  Release date for this film is June 8 and for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, July 20.  It's looking like a hot summer at the multiplex!