Tim Burton to direct 3D Addams Family movie

It seems that Tim Burton is continuing his tradition of selecting the most obvious sounding projects imaginable. Mike Fleming at Deadline is reporting that Burton will direct a 3D stop-motion animated feature based on The Addams Family.

The film will be unrelated to the 1960s television show of the same name, as well as Barry Sonnenfeld's two film adaptations from the 1990s.

It will instead go back to the original source material: Charles Addams' ghoulish drawings, first published in 1938.

Burton produced the legendary stop-motion feature The Nightmare Before Christmas before directing his first feature-length stop-motion film Corpse Bride in 2005. He is currently working on a feature-length version of his 1984 short film Frankenweenie.

Discuss: What are your thoughts on Tim Burton's career of late?

Megamind trailer debut

The trailer for Dreamworks' upcoming animated comedy Megamind has debuted on YouTube. It fills us with about as much confidence as other animated Dreamworks features. Take that for what you will.

The film, originally titled Oobermind, features Will Ferrell (or at least his voice) as the eponymous supervillain who finally defeats his arch nemesis Metro Man (Brad Pitt). With no one left to battle, Megamind invents a new foe named Titan (Jonah Hill), who eventually decides to become a supervillain himself. Tina Fey also lends her voice to the character of Roxanne Ritchi, a local reporter.

The teaser trailer for Megamind features the same kind of comedy as other Dreamworks features (Madagascar, Shrek etc.), which is to say, it hinges on dated pop cultural references.

Judge for yourself. Hit it!



I'm don't exactly love it, but I am willing to give the film the benefit of the doubt. After all, the impressive voice talent speaks for itself (geddit).

Megamind hits Australian cinemas December 9, 2010.

Discuss: Did you know that Robert Downey Jr. was originally slated to voice Megamind?

The Hobbit begins shooting in July

There have been an almost unfathomable number of rumours circling the production of Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Thankfully, Gandalf himself has stepped in and cleared up any confusion.

The following is taken from Ian McKellen's official website.

THE HOBBIT's, two films, start shooting in New Zealand in July. Filming will take over a year. Casting in Los Angeles, New York City and London has started. The script too proceeds. The first draft is crammed with old and new friends, again on a quest in Middle Earth. The director Guillermo del Toro is now living in Wellington, close to the Jacksons' and the studio in Miramar.

Thanks Ian! That makes my job easier!

Just for fun, here is Ian McKellen explaining the art of acting to Ricky Gervais on the show Extras.



Discuss: We haven't really discussed this project on the Quickflix Blog before (mainly because we haven't had any real news to discuss). So, what are your thoughts on both Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings series and del Toro's take on The Hobbit?

Scott Pilgrim poster debut!

The official poster for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World has debuted on the film's official website. Yes, we're excited. Check it out (as well as a convenient wallpaper version) below.

Slashfilm have also provided a comparable image from Bryan Lee O'Malley's comic book from which the film is based on.

Do we really need to keep talking about how excited we are for this film? Over to Universal for the official plot synopsis:

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) has never had a problem getting a girlfriend. It’s getting rid of them that proves difficult. From the girl who kicked his heart’s ass—and now is back in town—to the teenage distraction he’s trying to shake when Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) rollerblades into his world, love hasn’t been easy. He soon discovers, however, his new crush has the most unusual baggage of all: a nefarious league of exes control her love life and will do whatever it takes to eliminate him as a suitor.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, directed by Edgar Wright, hits Australian cinemas August 26th.

Discuss: So, have we all updated our desktop backgrounds?

Jason Segel to star in Muppet Movie

This story is about as unsurprising as they come, but here goes. Jason Segel, the man who built an entire film around a puppet musical and subsequently pitched a new Muppet film to Disney, will star in The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time.

According to The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog, Segel will play the human lead alongside Kermit and the gang. His role is as Gary, a man whose best friend is a puppet bear called Walter. Gary, his girlfriend Mary and Walter team up to defeat an evil oil baron who believes he can smell oil beneath the Muppets' studio.

You can read more about the plot here.

Disney intend to begin production of The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time mid-2010. James Bobin, co-creator and director of the television show Flight of the Conchords, will helm the movie.

Discuss: Your favourite muppet?

Oscar nominated directors tapped for Breaking Dawn

So, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner presented at this year's Oscars. But could they potentially be Academy Award contenders in 2011 for their work in the Twilight Saga?

No, of course not. Nonetheless, Summit Entertainment are reportedly courting three Oscar-nominated directors to helm the fourth (and potentially fifth) installment of the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn.

According to Entertainment Weekly, those directors include Gus Van Sant (Milk, Paranoid Park), Sophia Coppola (Lost in Translation, The Virgin Suicides) and Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Gods and Monsters).

Van Sant's reps confirmed that he had indeed been approached to take the reins for Breaking Dawn, although Coppola and Condon's people could not be reached by the time of EW's article's publication.

I understand why Van Sant and Coppola would be approached, particularly considering their penchant for films about moody teenagers. That being said, Van Sant and Coppola's films are on a different stratosphere to that of Twilight.

No decisions will be made until Melissa Rosenberg's detailed scriptment is handed to directors (sometime next week).

Until then, we will have to simply look forward to David Slade's take on the third book in Stephanie Meyer's vampire saga, Eclipse, due out in cinemas late June.

Discuss: If you could have your pick of these three filmmakers, who would you want sent to work in the Twilight mines?

He ain't heavy - Brothers review

Brothers - Starring Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal. Directed by Jim Sheridan. Rated M. By Simon Miraudo.

Brothers is that rare type of film; one that feels real and true, never forcing itself to conform to the expectations of what a movie should contain. It feels less like a Hollywood drama and more like a European one; which makes sense considering that it's a remake of Susanne Bier’s 2004 film Brødre. How often do we see Americanised remakes suck the life out of their source material and turned into production line sludge (City of Angels, No Reservations, anything based on a Japanese horror film)? Brothers is not one of those movies.

It is a film about the in-between moments; it’s not about events but relationships. Conversations spill from one scene into another; we don’t always see the start or end of each. The film is not afraid to have moments of joy and humour during times of tragedy. Some sequences take place at a dinner table and last longer than we’re used to (outside of Inglourious Basterds anyway). Director Jim Sheridan is in no rush; he has an opportunity to present modern familial grief in all its brutal form, but he never slips into melodrama. I can’t remember the last time dealing with death was portrayed so convincingly on the screen.

As you may have noticed by now, I’m dancing around the film’s plot. It’s not exactly a picture about surprises; it’s about dealing with revelations. That being said, I couldn’t live with unveiling too many of the film’s plot details. I’ll do my best regardless. Tobey Maguire stars as Captain Sam Cahill, a soldier with a loving wife named Grace (Natalie Portman) and two gorgeous daughters (Bailee Madison, Taylor Geare). Before shipping out for his latest stint in Afghanistan, he picks up his brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) from prison, where he’s recently spent some time for armed robbery. Tommy has no real interest in disproving himself as the family’s black sheep, burdening himself upon Grace while Sam is away. That is, until a soldier and army chaplain come to her door with the news that her husband has died in the service of his country.

Thus ends the relatively spoilery section of the review. To know the above is to know the film’s first ten minutes (or conversely, to have seen the film’s trailer). Now, my desire to hide the remainder of the film’s plot is not to shield its many twists and turns. You may even be able to predict what happens, but I doubt you’d be able to guess how, and you certainly wouldn’t be able to predict the execution of these moments.

Perhaps the film’s biggest flaw is in its depiction of war, and primarily, of America’s Afghan enemies. Thankfully, the majority of the picture takes place in Grace and Sam’s home, specifically around the dinner table and in the kitchen, as I’m sure real stories like this take place around dinner tables and kitchens across America (and much of the rest of the world). With so many soldiers marrying young (to provide their partners and family with military benefits), we’ve seen the advent of a new generation of young war widows. Portman could have so easily been farcical in this role; wrenching out every drop of emotion as she tells her children that daddy isn’t coming home. She doesn’t; she never slips. The same can be said for Maguire and Gyllenhaal. Although it’s jarring at first to imagine the former as a soldier and the latter as a criminal, they sell it by downplaying everything.

Films that deal with grief are almost entirely populated by Oscar-hungry actors mugging to the nth degree (see: Sean Penn in Mystic River). I’ve never seen Maguire, Gyllenhaal or Portman in a film and thought, “now that was a great performance.” Here, all three of them, give amazing performances. It’s the long-awaited graduation of three talents from interchangeable pretty faces to great actors. The trio are aided by a whole slate of solid supporting characters, from Sam Shepard’s guilt stricken father, to Clifton Collins Jr. as a sympathetic fellow soldier, to Carey Mulligan as a fellow war widow in mourning, to Bailee Madison and Taylor Geare who not once attempt to play their roles older than their age, yet can still hold their own in the more intense moments with their elders.

The film is subtle, and quiet, and unexpected. It does indeed crescendo to a potentially horrifying climax, but not without earning it. And it doesn’t waste it. Sheridan takes a Danish story and not only makes it appropriate for post-911 America, but also the rest of the world. Dealing with grief is universal, and it’s rarely done as tastefully or truthfully as it is here. It’s the kind of film that reminds us why films are so important; it tells a story rarely told, with respect to the people who experience it every day. It honours real people, and the actors never once seem in it for themselves; merely vessels to bring this tale to the audience. The characters feel as rich and real as any you’ve met in real life, and as such, you adore spending time with them, and eventually, grieve along with them. This film is a cathartic experience. As far as war movies go, The Hurt Locker may have won the Oscars, but Brothers deserves to win the hearts.

4.5/5

Check out Simon's other reviews here.

Kaufmanicity - Cold Souls review

Cold Souls - Starring Paul Giamatti, David Strathairn and Dina Korzun. Directed by Sophie Barthes. Rated M. By Simon Miraudo.

“Damn you Charlie Kaufman.” Not my words. Never. But surely the words of many an independent screenwriter struggling to get their unique vision to the screen. How can Kaufman write such films that are both personal and universal, uncompromising in their singular vision, dealing in lunacy but grounded in truth? He has written at least two of the greatest films of all time (I would personally argue four, but I’m willing to limit the hyperbole here). So then, how must it feel for any other filmmakers with a kooky script that could only be described as Kaufman-esque? Do they celebrate the fact that studios and distributors are eagerly looking for the next CK, eager to purchase any product that might fit His mould? Or do they curse the fact that it will inevitably be compared to two (or - as I said – four) of the greatest pictures ever made? Enter Sophie Barthes’ Cold Souls, a psycho-satire about soul-removal surgery that seems to crib liberally from Kaufman’s back catalogue. How does it fare? Well...

Paul Giamatti stars as a fictionalised version of himself (cue Kaufman comparison #1). He’s working on a production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, but finds himself unable to evoke the right mix of comedy and tragedy in his performance. Spurred on by friends to seek alternative (and I mean alternative) solutions to his indefinable ailment, he seeks out a company that specialises in the clinical removal of one’s soul (cue Kaufman comparison #2). Charismatic Dr. Flintstein (David Strathairn) convinces Paul to put his soul on ice, temporarily, until he can feel unburdened by ... himself, I guess. But having no soul isn’t exactly a better substitute than being weighed down by one; Paul can no longer act, make love or feel anything remotely human. Gee, who’da thunk it?! Regretting his decision, he demands the procedure be reversed (cue Kaufman comparison #3).

The above events roughly translate to the film’s first 25 minutes. Despite its inherent similarity to Kaufman’s work – which I’ve annoyingly outlined for reader’s ease – it would translate into a charming short film. The problem however, is that there is another pesky hour and twenty minutes that we have to deal with. A subplot emerges outlining the world of underground Russian soul trafficking, in which Paul’s soul gets tangled up. He heads to St. Petersburg, where he’s aided by a soul-mule named Nina (Dina Korzun) to help locate his little chickpea shaped sense-of-existence. I’m not particularly sure what the meaning of this extended metaphor is supposed to be, beyond: “Don’t trade your soul, or at least, not with the Russians.” The picture’s meandering second half never recovers, and instead only highlights the film’s lack of imagination. Cold Souls never exceeds it’s cute, but derivative and ultimately meaningless central concept.

So if Cold Souls never grows beyond high-concept psycho-satire, have we any choice but to compare it to Kaufman’s work? Consider Being John Malkovich, in which a portal is discovered that allows people to spend 10 minutes looking through the eyes of the eponymous character actor. Observe Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, in which a company offers heart-broken individuals the opportunity to erase people from their memory. Or reflect on Synecdoche, New York (and believe me, I have), in which a playwright struggles to define his identity, and decides to hire actors to portray himself, his wives and everyone else in the world in a sprawling, endless play. Even those who have seen none of these pictures could identify the links. Paul Giamatti even shares the same ‘that-guy’ persona in popular culture as John Malkovich, and the score seems to deliberately mug Jon Brion’s now iconic tinkly, haunting, flower-pop soundtracks (as featured in many of – you guessed it – Charlie Kaufman’s films). The picture’s conclusion literally consists of a sequence in which Giamatti traverses the confines of his own soul, evoking the classic scene from BJM in which Cameron Diaz and Catherine Keener race through Malkovich’s mind.

The comparisons between Cold Souls and Kaufman’s work are so obvious and lazy that I’m almost ashamed to note them. But am I the lazy one here, or is it the film? Should I be forced to think of a better angle to analyse the picture when it scarcely seeks to be considered as anything but a Kaufman-rip-off. Perhaps screenwriter/director Sophie Barthes dreamt-up this story in the late-1980s; maybe she even shared the idea with Kaufman at a pro-Dukakis rally, or perhaps at the premiere of Punchline (yes, I just Googled “Events of 1988” – give me a break, I was less than a year old at the time). Regardless whose idea came first, Barthes’ execution is flat, philosophically empty and mostly boring.

But you can’t call it soulless (no, not even when it’s a zinger of a pun to finish the review with). Barthes clearly has affection for Giamatti and he reciprocates with a rich and wholehearted – if not exactly bold – performance. Ultimately, the problem lies not in the direct comparisons to Kaufman’s work – although that does become a problem, even if it’s somewhat self-imposed by this reviewer. It’s the unexplored central concept. The weight of a soul is never defined, or at least, is poorly defined. Why do people covet it? Why can you not live without it? Why is someone only whole when they have their own? We may not know these answers in real life, but what is art if not an ongoing attempt to figure out our own existence. Perhaps that’s the real difference between Barthes and Kaufman’s work. She’s struggling to explain the soul, while he concerns himself with matters of the heart.

2/5

Check out Simon's other reviews here.

*Cold Souls arrives on DVD April 7th.*

Head to Head - The Reader

Welcome to the latest edition of Head to Head, in which our Quickflix critic takes on our readers in a rip-snorting battle to the death! You pick the film, and we pick the fight!

This week, Paul Nelson schooled us on the quality of Stephen Daldry's The Reader. For his troubles, he scored a double pass to Alice in Wonderland. You can win free movie tickets too by sending your mini-reviews to us here at Quickflix!

Paul Nelson will argue FOR the film while Quickflix critic Simon Miraudo will argue AGAINST it. Let us know in the comments section below who you agree with. Spare no vitriol! Choose your side! There can only be one winner!

Paul Nelson - 4/5

Firstly, your humble host, Mr. Miraudo, while possessed of some well considered opinions, is as mad as a March Hare. Why? He repeatedly goes out of his way to beat on Stephen Daldry's The Reader, one of the most beautiful, dark and complex films of recent years. Kate Winslet is in career form, playing a character who is one of the most brilliant, sensitive studies in what we like to simplify as 'evil' I've ever seen. The film deals with the German nation's post-Holocaust guilt, and the nature of love better than most films I've seen as well. The first hour of the film, which deals with Winslet and Kross's love affair is a portrait of tentative, guarded passion worthy of Ingmar Bergman. The film changes tone slightly in the second hour, but is just as effective, tragic, and absolutely refuses to make easy judgments. I really love this film.

Simon Miraudo - 1.5/5

So, “mad as a March Hare” am I? Funny; that’s how I’d describe the Academy members who so feverishly threw nominations (and maddeningly, the Best Actress prize) at Stephen Daldry’s The Reader. It’s emotionally empty; spiritually unsound. It poses the question: “What happens when you fall in love with evil?” and answers it by saying: “You get some tasty evil tail!” It’s odd to think that a picture in which an unrepentant Nazi begins a torrid love affair with an underage boy could ever be considered as a “romance”. While I have no problem with questionable characters in cinema (see my defence of Happiness), there is something off-putting about Daldry depicting these (fictional) events in the style of a “redemption tale”. I’m not saying that Daldry must condemn her; but must he paint her so sympathetically? As for a “sensitive [study] in what we like to simplify as ‘evil’”? Wow, even illiterate Nazi’s like having books read to them! They’re just like you and I!

Now it's over to you! What are your thoughts on The Reader? Let us know in the comments section below. If you would like to be featured in the next Head to Head and possibly win some free movie tickets, send your mini-reviews to us here at Quickflix!

R.I.P. Peter Graves

Peter Graves, star of the Mission: Impossible television series, has passed away from a heart attack outside his home in Los Angeles. He was set to celebrate his 84th birthday this week.

Although best known for his performance as Jim Phelps, leader of the Impossible Missions Force in Mission: Impossible, Graves carved a solid career as a supporting actor in numerous feature films.

Following memorable roles in Stalag 17 and Night of the Hunter, he hilariously lampooned his straight-laced persona in the 1980 disaster movie spoof Airplane! (Known as Flying High in Australia).

Graves won a Golden Globe for his performance in Mission: Impossible, and later received his first Emmy in 1997 as host of A&E Biography.

Discuss: As a tribute to Mr. Graves, won't you share with us your favourite Captain Oveur quote? "Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"

First look at Predators

The first bit of footage from Nimrod Antal's Predators has debuted at the SXSW festival over the weekend. Introduced by producer Robert Rodriguez, the footage shows stars Adrien Brody and Laurence Fishburne in action, as well as some of the new designs for the eponymous hunters.

You can check out the 2-minute clip at the official website, or embedded (via Trailer Addict) below - how convenient!



We first heard about this project back in April 2009. Well, a Rodriguez-helmed sequel to Predator had long been discussed, but this specific project was only announced to the public last year.

The film also stars Danny Trejo, Alice Braga, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Walt Goggins and Topher Grace.

Predators opens July 8th in Australian cinemas.

Discuss: So, have your hopes for this project increased or decreased with this new footage?

Hugo Weaving to star in Captain America

Although Marvel Studios are yet to pick the eponymous star of their upcoming feature The First Avenger: Captain America, Hugo Weaving has been tapped to star as the film's major villain.

According to HeatVision, Weaving is in final talks to play the villainous Red Skull, Hitler's right hand man and the Captain's archenemy since 1941.

Director Joe Johnson previously worked with Weaving on The Wolfman.

As is traditional with all casting news regarding Marvel projects, believe nothing until you see the final film. Mere days ago, John Krasinski was a sure thing to take on the lead role of the classic comic Avenger, only to become the least likely contender hours later.

As it stands, Chris Evans (Fantastic Four, Sunshine), Mike Vogel (Cloverfield) and Garret Hedlund (TRON: Legacy) are still in the running to play Captain America. So naturally, we can assume Taylor Lautner will be cast in a couple of days time.

Discuss: If Weaving stars in Captain America, he'll have even less time to watch Transformers!

Segel and Helms to star in Jeff Who Lives At Home

Jason Segel and Ed Helms will star in Jeff Who Lives At Home, a new stoner comedy for mumblecore writer/directors Jay and Mark Duplass.

The film, produced by Jason Reitman's Right of Way Films and John Malkovich's production company Mr. Mudd, has been described as a "Sword in the Stone" style quest.

Of course, being a stoner comedy, the quest is for some wood glue, as opposed to anything of any real value.

Segel will play the eponymous slacker, still living at home with his (as yet uncast) mother. Helms will play Jeff's overbearing brother. Shooting is expected to begin in Louisiana next month.

Check out the full report over at Slashfilm for more details.

We've been waiting for more than two years for the Duplass Brothers' Baghead to arrive on DVD in Australia. Hopefully, we won't have to wait as long for their latest film Cyrus. The Jonah Hill/John C. Reilly tragicomedy played at Sundance earlier this year to rapturous reviews.

In the meantime, you can check out their feature film The Puffy Chair, considered one of the defining films of the mumblecore movement*.

*Mumblecore was never a movement. I just like the alliteration.

Discuss: Sure, we all love Segel and Helms. But who's funnier?

Bateman and Reynolds get freaky in The Change-Up

Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds have signed on to star in the latest film from The Hangover scribes Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, entitled The Change-Up.

According to EW, the flick is a Freaky Friday-esque bodyswap comedy, in which two friends who accidentally wind up in one another's person. Hmm, I should have rephrased that.

Bateman will play a family man, while Reynolds' character is a lazy single dude. Cue zany hijinks.

David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) will direct for Universal.

Discuss: Your favourite bodyswap comedy? Does anyone remember Dating the Enemy? Me neither.

Robin Hood feature trailer debut

A brand new trailer for Ridley Scott's Robin Hood has debuted online. For anyone who has ever wanted to see Cate Blanchett threaten to "sever" Russell Crowe's "manhood", your time has come.

Crowe stars as Robin Hood (obviously) while Blanchett plays Maid Marion. They are joined by AFI winner Oscar Isaac (Balibo) as King John and Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes) as his henchman Sir Godfrey.

Quickflix favourites Kevin Durand, Danny Huston and Max von Sydow also have supporting roles.

Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think! (Thanks, Trailer Addict!)



Robin Hood hits Australian cinemas May 13, 2010.

Discuss: What do you think? An exciting new take on an old legend, or just Gladiator 2.0 (or should that be 3.0)?

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse trailer debut

I feel a great disturbance. It's as if millions of tweenage girls cried out in joy and were suddenly silenced ... for about 90 seconds.

The very first trailer for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse has landed online; less than six months after the previous film, New Moon, hit cinemas.

Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think. (Thanks Trailer Addict!)



Conflict! Finally!

Fans of Stephanie Meyer's much-beloved vampire saga have often claimed that Eclipse, the third book in the series, is the best of the lot (compared to the fourth and final book, Breaking Dawn, which is supposedly batstuff insane). Based on this trailer, it's hard to disagree. Saying that, the benchmark was set pretty low by the first two films.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, directed by David Slade (Hard Candy), stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.

Discuss: Only one shot of Taylor Lautner without his shirt on? Looks like someone has renegotiated his contract...

Nolan discusses new Superman and Batman projects

Christopher Nolan has discussed, for the first time, his involvement in Warner Bros upcoming Superman reboot, as well as dropping some tasty tidbits about the next Batman film.

We already knew that frequent Nolan collaborator David S. Goyer (co-screenwriter of Batman Begins; story credit on The Dark Knight) has come up with the story for the new Superman project.

In an interview with the L.A. Times, Nolan and wife/producer Emma Thomas have revealed just what it means to "godfather" Goyer's story.

“He basically told me, ‘I have this thought about how you would approach Superman ... I immediately got it, loved it and thought: That is a way of approaching the story I’ve never seen before that makes it incredibly exciting. I wanted to get Emma and I involved in shepherding the project right away and getting it to the studio and getting it going in an exciting way,” Nolan said.

Then he went on to discuss The Godfather himself!

“I went to the studio with the analogy of ‘I want to cast the way they did in 1978 with 'Superman,”’ where they had [Marlon] Brando and Glenn Ford and Ned Beatty and all these fantastic actors in even small parts, which was an exotic idea for a superhero movie at the time. It really paid off too. As a kid watching ‘Superman,’ it seemed enormous and I realized later by looking at it that a lot of that was actually the casting, just having these incredibly talented people and these characterizations. And Marlon Brando is the first guy up playing Superman’s dad. It’s incredible.”

As for a sequel to The Dark Knight, Nolan confirms that his brother Jonathan is working on a script, based on a story by Jonathan and Goyer.

"I’m very excited about the end of the film, the conclusion, and what we’ve done with the characters ... My brother has come up with some pretty exciting stuff. Unlike the comics, these things don’t go on forever in film and viewing it as a story with an end is useful. Viewing it as an ending, that sets you very much on the right track about the appropriate conclusion and the essence of what tale we’re telling. And it harkens back to that priority of trying to find the reality in these fantastic stories. That’s what we do.”

Nolan refused to reveal whether or not he is going to direct the third feature in the rebooted Batman saga. But, as interviewer Geoff Boucher states in the article, "of course he is."

Head to the LA Times Blog to read more about these projects.

Nolan's next film, Inception, hits Australian cinemas July 22nd.

Discuss: Which of Nolan's next three projects are you most excited about?

R.I.P. Corey Haim

Former teen idol Corey Haim has died, allegedly the result of an accidental drug overdose. He was 38 years old.

Haim was staying at his mother's home in North Hollywood at the time. She is said to have called emergency services, who found him unresponsive at the scene. He was rushed to St. Joseph's hospital in Burbank where he was pronounced dead.

Haim was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1971. At first uninterested in acting, he starred in the Canadian comedy series The Edison Twins from 1982 to 1986. His first theatrical role was alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr. in Michael Apted's Firstborn.

The young actor received his first major role in Silver Bullet, an adaptation of a Stephen King novella. In 1987, he starred in what is perhaps his most iconic film, The Lost Boys, alongside Jason Patric, Keifer Sutherland, and future collaborator Corey Feldman.

The two Coreys went on to star together in the features Licence to Drive and Dream a Little Dream.

Haim spent much of the 1990s struggling to achieve the same level of fame and success that he had experienced in the previous decade. In the year 2000 he checked into rehab for substance abuse.

The actor spent much of the last decade playing on his public persona, including a satirical cameo in the film Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star as well as a reality show alongside Corey Feldman entitled The Two Coreys.

Haim claimed to have beaten his drug habit in 2004. Three years later, he purchased an ad in Variety reminding casting agents that he was clean and ready to work. Despite this, allegations of substance abuse plagued the final years of his life.

In 2008, Haim reprised the role of Sam Emerson for a cameo in Lost Boys: The Tribe.

Discuss: What was your favourite Corey Haim role?