Cinematical

It's hard to believe that it's been a whopping 15 years since Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas was released. The Buttercup-stealing Humperdink, or Chris Sarandon as Jack Skellington, Catherine O'Hara as Sally, plus a little bit of PeeWee and the wacky Greg Proops -- the days before Johnny and Helena were in everything Burtonesque.

In commemoration of the anniversary, the Collector's Edition DVD hits shelves next week, but to whet our hungry appetites, ShockTillYouDrop has got three clips from the new disc. Check out how they made the Haunted Mansion as a holiday tour led by Jack, the process of shooting the film, and finally, Tim Burton's original poem of The Nightmare Before Christmas, all funky and animated.

It's looking to be one heck of a great re-release. From seeing how Jack's version of the Haunted Mansion played out, to how the film was made, to Burton's old short film Vincent, it's all there. Will it be in your basket come Tuesday?

Veronica Mars is always struggling with something. She tried to find the evil jerk who killed her best friend, Lily Kane. She struggled through nightmares to figure out who was responsible for the bus crash. And then she went to college, where she made lots more enemies as she solved a whole slew of mysteries. She also struggled to stay on the air.

Unlike Spaced, which certainly got more buzz from the notable celebs who loved it, it didn't even seem to help much that big-wigs like Kevin Smith and Joss Whedon adored Veronica. Both even had cameos on the show -- as a convenience store clerk and a fastidious car rental worker, respectively.

Once you get a taste of Smart People, deal with Eddie Murphy's Nowhereland, take on a stalkerific Sandra Bullock, and then steal Kate Hudson's work, it's time to get into some dark drama.

Variety reports that Thomas Haden Church has signed on to star in a new indie film called Don McKay, with the likes of Elisabeth Shue, Melissa Leo, M. Emmet Walsh, and Keith David. Coming from writer/director Jake Goldberger and shielded by a Screen Actors Guild waiver, the $5 million project just started production in Boston. The film focuses on a man who leaves his hometown after a tragedy forces him to do so. Twenty-five years later, he comes back when he hears that "his long-lost love is dying." Not surprisingly, his return spins "a web of confusion, deceit, and murder." Old secrets never die in the movie world.

Church says that it's a passion project that he's been trying to develop with Goldberger since Sideways. Aside from the confusion that it should evoke from those into Canadian poetry, this sounds like an interesting project -- especially with this cast.

The upcoming Death Race remake may look nothing like the original (nor have any awesome point collections like the original, which you can see above), but maybe that's because it isn't actually based on the classic cult movie?

The Hollywood Reporter posts that writer Adam Stone is determined to stop the release of Death Race, which is scheduled to hit screens this Friday. He's filed a copywright infringement lawsuit claiming that the film is based on a script he pitched to director Paul W. S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt. He thinks that a copy of the script, Joust, was kept and worked into what seems to be a Death Race 2000 revamp -- one with at least 39 elements that are just like his refused screenplay.

Is this why the film is darker, less campy, and with a lot less reported civilian casualties? Currently, Universal has declined to comment and there's no word on what damages Stone is seeking from the lawsuit.

Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? First you become Tromeo, and now -- Gnomeo. Well, people have been trying to rename you to Gnomeo for a while now. Heck, last time Cinematical wrote about the upcoming CGI feature Gnomeo and Juliet, it was 2006 and Kate Winslet and professional voice actor Greg Ellis were attached to voice the film. Almost two years later, the garden gnome romance is still hiking its way to the big screen, and The Hollywood Reporter posts that James McAvoy and Emily Blunt are in negotiations to voice the leads.

While I'm bummed to see another voice actor lose his work, there are some quirks to look forward to with this feature -- namely Elton John classics. At first, a whole new set of romantic songs were going to be penned by Tim Rice and John, but that didn't work out so we get the good ol' classics. Will Gnomeo fall off Juliet's balcony and sing: "I'm Still Standing"? Will the two dance, canoodle, and sing: "Tiny Dancer"? Will "Candle in the Wind" be adapted once again for the tragic finale? Oh, the possibilities.

Now, it's also said to be a "loose and edgy" adaptation, so perhaps these gnomes will get their happy ending -- although I'd hope it wouldn't stray too far from the original. Whatever the case, it'll be a long wait. The project is currently in the storyboard stage, with plans to wrap up production by 2010.

As you all know, Ben Stiller is taking on the wacky museum world once again for Night at the Museum 2: Escape from the Smithsonian. One of the big casting announcements for this sequel was Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart. Now you can see a glimpse of her as the famous pilot above, then check out one more below (featuring a few old friends) and others at TheBadandtheUgly (note: images possibly contain romantic subplot spoilers, so be warned). How cute is she?

I'm sorry Hilary, but I'm really digging the look of Adams as Earhart much more. I think the big difference between the two is that Adams seems completely natural as Amelia. Adams looks like she walked right out of the same time, whereas Swank's Amelia looks more costumed and much less natural -- at least, based on the images we've seen online.

The showdown of the Amelias will take place next year. Amelia is set to hit theaters some time in 2009, while Night at the Museum will hit screens on May 22, 2009. Which do you prefer?

Without fail, at least once a month I peruse my DVD collection looking for a solid film focused on a female star -- a film where the woman is smart and successful, a film that focuses on something other than her romantic foibles. It's like I think wishing for there to be more films that fit "The Rule" will create a whole slew of new selections in my library. If only ... But there aren't a horde of these films to pick from, so that often means picking something of the romantic variety, often with a side of comedy.

But oh, the woes of romantic comedies. These days the term usually meets the following criteria: women acting irrationally, men being jerky, unbelievable occurrences taking place over and over again -- you know, all those super-fun stereotypes that every damn romcom these days seems to latch onto.

However, there are some romantic comedies out there that cater to those outside the throngs who thrive on fashion-obsessed ladies and relationship stereotypes. Sure, the films might get sappy or take an easy laugh here or there, but they also showcase a variety of relationships and romantic scenarios without falling into that typical void. These films work for a variety of themes -- the fantasy, the lesbians, the intellectuals, the music lovers, the single people, the passion fiends, and the lovers of foreign film -- and prove that romance is about a lot more engaging, and a lot more real, than many movies might suggest.

While he isn't really a "super" hero (at least not in the innate superpower sense), William Katt -aka- Ralph Hinkley -aka- The Greatest American Hero has always been my top dog. So, I've been pretty apprehensive about a big-screen reboot of the wacky '80s series -- my nights plagued with nightmares of Zac Efron, topped with a really bad perm, flying into walls.

But at the very least, the new feature might get some old-school cameos. According to MTV, Connie Sellecca says that the famous trio -- her, Katt, and the splendid Robert Culp, have all received offers for cameos in the remake. Whether they take Stephen J. Cannell up on the offer remains to be seen. But at least that's something. In the meantime, there's also a comic book and animated webisodes on the way, so Katt-style Ralph is far from finished.

And as an added bonus to you lucky goons in the states, the MTV link above contains a clip of Culp taking issue with Ralph being called a superhero.

At the end of July, we shared the poster premiere of The Secret Life of Bees. Now you can check out the trailer for the film above, courtesy of Trailer Addict.

This is the Dakota Fanning-starring film about a young girl haunted by the memory of her late mother. With her caregiver Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson), she runs off to a South Carolina town and is taken in by the Boatwright sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, and Sophie Okonedo), who teach her the comforts of beekeeping and honey. Unfortunately, the girl's troubled past, in the form of father Paul Bettany, finds her.

While the poster was a little sappy (or perhaps "honey" is the best word in this case) for my tastes, the trailer has a nice amount of sass mixed into the drama, as well as a great one-breath sentence uttered by Fanning. I think I just might have to see this film, which will hit screens on October 17. What about you?

It would be great to see the old Superman, Dean Cain, tamed by the purr of a Jaguar, but Maneater is a little less Hall & Oates and a little more blood and guts. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Dean Cain, Conrad Janis (The Cable Guy), Stephen Lunsford (Bratz), Walter Phelan (House of 1000 Corpses), Maximillian Roeg (7th Heaven), and Lacy Phillips (Pushing Twilight) have signed up to take on the Native American legend, Wendigo.

As Elisabeth told us last month, director Michael Emanuel's version of Wendigo will center on a small-town sheriff who used to be an FBI profiler. When a bunch of strange murders pop up, he puts his old talents to the test, "only to discover that the monster he's profiling might be himself." See, the Wendigo spirit is said to enter through acts of cannibalism or dreams, so we'll have to wait and see if someone slips him a piece human meat, or he gets pulled into a bad dreamworld.

There's no word on who is playing what role, but IMDb does have the character names listed. Seeing that Cain's at the top, I think it's safe to assume that he's our Wendigo dude.