Sneak Peak at Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman's 'Transcendence' Production

A sci-fi actioner with Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy, Rebecca Hall, and Paul Bettany.

Seems, not too far in the future, computers will transcend the abilities of the human brain and, well, somebody's got to do something about it.

Directed by first-timer Wally Pfister, who was DP on the Dark Knight flicks, The Prestige, Moneyball, Inception, and lots of others. Produced by Christopher Nolan. Sure to be a slick production.





















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Trailer for 'Oblivion' Take 2, Not Nearly as Spoiler-y as First Try

Yeah. See, yesterday a nasty trailer got loose (subtitled in Spanish) and boy did it have some spoilerific tidbits. Uni has axed all copies playing in the US but you can read a description if you like.

Otherwise, here's the studio-sanctioned edit. It's boring by comparison, but it's still clear that Cruise's character, Jack Harper, is not clear about exactly what's going on around him.

(For more see a comparison of the first synopsis and the new plot summary).

ps -- I think there's a job that just opened up at Universal Marketing.
























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Speaking of 'Oblivion'

I'm liking what I'm seeing. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, who did a nice job with 'Tron: Legacy'. With Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman. Good, good.

The poster rolled out this morning and looking at it I noticed how the building(s) look like older NYC skyscrapers. The classics from the early to mid 20th century.

See what I mean? Look at the one on the right.

Turns out that not only looks like one of the old NYC buildings, it is exactly like one. One of the best known. It's just like the Empire State Building.

See what I mean?

(Photo by Richard Drew/AP)

Looking at the logline:

• A court martial sends a veteran soldier to a distant planet, where he has to destroy the remains of an alien race. The arrival of an unexpected traveler causes him to question what he knows about the planet, his mission, and himself.  

So... It's a 'distant planet' with an 'alien race' yet there is a building that's an exact copy of the Empire State Building. Or, perhaps, more interestingly, it's the original. That is, the building in NYC was built after the one on the distant planet.

'Oblivion' is looking like it might have a story with a little traction. Yes, yes. Good, good.





















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'The Magic of Belle Isle' Trailer/Poster Directed by (Rob Reiner)

Here's a detail of the poster -- almost impossible to make out otherwise:

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Trailer for 'Dolphin Tale'

Trailer for 'Prom Night in Mississippi'

Kind of jaw dropping. 'Prom Night in Mississippi', an HBO doc with Morgan Freeman.

The Bucket List

Trailer.

If It Flies, Fine...

Morgan Freeman and Paz Vega in "10 Items or Less". Freeman is an actor trying to keep his career afloat by doing a small film set in a market. Vaga is a cashier who befriends him. This looks like one of those charming pictures that will appeal to cinefiles and a small percentage of the general public. WP has an interview with Freeman:

Toward the beginning of the movie, Freeman's character (who remains nameless throughout) tells the man who's driving him to the store why he's considering the movie: "If it flies, fine, and if it doesn't, it won't even count." But the audience soon realizes that although Freeman's character wants to believe that line, it's more like a mantra, and the happy-go-lucky enthusiasm masks a deep fear of failure. For him, clearly, everything counts.

...Freeman says the role, quite frankly, was a relief: "I don't know if you know that I complain so much about all the gravitas that comes my way. I was looking for something light, comical, and this was just like heaven sent," he says, that familiar voice rising with joy. "Everybody who was on the movie was on it for the same purpose. It wasn't just a job, it was an undertaking-- without the gravitas."

Just what you would expect from such an easy-going pro like Freeman. Looking forward to watching this disc.

Complete interview