I guess whether we like it or not, viral campaigns are hot, hip and here to stay. Universal pictures has launched the viral site for Timur Bekmambetov's Wanted, and it all revolves around a shadowy group known as the Fraternity of Weavers. Now for the tricky part: to crack the code on the website you must enter five secret words to earn a peek at the handbook for the fraternity -- plus you get a little bit more info behind Angelina's bad-ass hand tattoo. So if you're the kind of person who likes puzzles, then feel free to figure it out on your own. But, if you're like me and a little impatient, you can click over to Coming Soon and they have the solution -- I won't spoil it here.

Wanted is based on Mark Millar's graphic novel about an everyday schmo (as played by James McAvoy) who turns out to be the heir to a secret society of assassins. Angelina Jolie stars as Fox, the second in command and mentor to McAvoy. Morgan Freeman plays the elder statesman and co-founder of the group, while hip-hop artist Common stars as the weapons expert, The Gunsmith.

The viral site provides plenty of background info on the history of the ancient fraternity, but for the most part it's a bunch of spiritual mumbo-jumbo about fate, destiny, the Cathars, and ancient weaving cults -- oh, and plenty of Wikipedia links. There's also a sign up page if you're interested in becoming a member of the fraternity (hazing optional?). One imagines more viral goodies will most likely show up at some point before Wanted opens in theaters on June 27th.

It's taken some time to pull together, but now you can finally learn a little bit more about all of your favorite Cinematical writers! With a special thanks to our own Kim Voynar for taking the time to compile this unbelievably awesome list of never-before-seen facts on people the world is just dying to know more about. Oh yes, just click the image up top or the banner to the right of your screen to check out profiles for all 18 of our beloved writers. Find out things you've always wanted to know (like what James Rocchi's favorite movies are!), as well as which rumors are indeed true (is Scott Weinberg really sleeping with Christina Ricci?!). And if you head on over to read their profiles within the next ten minutes, we'll throw in a special Cinematical: When Our Writers Were Barely Legal post ... for free! That's right. You get Meet the Team and Cinematical: When Our Writers Were Barely Legal for the low, low cost of nothing. (Actually, we were just informed that the Cinematical: When Our Writers Were Barely Legal post just sold out. Sorry folks. We expect a new shipment in soon.)

Once again, feel free to click the image up top or the banner to the right of your screen to read all about our amazing staff here at Cinematical. Without them, well, where would we get our drugs?

I suppose we should be flattered. It seems that someone (specifically Outlaw Vern) has put together an impressively elaborate Cinematical parody page. Vern's "Professional Movie Blog of Films" features such stories as "EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: Shrek 4 Window Decal" and "Vern's Six to Grow On: Top 6 Movies I Don't Have Anything Insightful to Say About." The point, I guess, is to try to paint Cinematical as so much corporate hackwork. Hopefully our actual readers know better. We think the parody's a bit mean-spirited (we're just trying to be helpful, here), are stunned anyone would take the time, and maybe most importantly, are flabbergasted to find someone still using Geocities (as one of our number incredulously opined, "What is this, 1996?"). But we're also mature enough to acknowledge that parts of it are kind of funny. ("Exclusive Paraphrase"? Okay, that's a good one.) And we figured we ought to tip our hats and acknowledge the jab. At least someone's reading, right?

I've been on hold for the Macy's Fraud Department for an hour and a half. Seriously. An hour and a half! How do you make someone wait THAT long on hold? Haven't we fixed these issues yet? What, does Macy's have, like, one person who works for them? Ugh.

Anyway, I suck at introductions, so I'll just come right out with it: Two new writers have joined our staff here at Cinematical recently; both of whom chose to be beat-in instead of sexed-in, thank God. They are Elisabeth Rappe and Eugene Novikov. They are two very cool people with different tastes and different opinions, and so we welcome them to our team and ask you nutty readers to take it easy on them as they slowly transition into our rowdy circle of elitist film snobs.

Also, in case you have not noticed, we've added a little Featured Stories thingy on the right side below that Cinematical Seven banner. See it? There's three of them up now, and those will change every day. They will predominantly feature the day's hottest stories, as well as posts with healthy ongoing debates. There will be lots more changes in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. And, as always, definitely let us know what you'd like to see here on the site in the comments section below.

p.s. I'm still on hold. Make that two hours. ARGH!

It's a good day for me when I get to see George Clooney on-screen in anything (or even better, in less than anything, but he doesn't tend to go there, sadly). Now you have a chance to see Clooney in his latest film, Leatherheads, for free! The title of the film makes me think of horror films, but Leatherheads, directed by and starring Clooney, is really a romantic comedy set in the world of 1920s football, when players wore helmets made out of leather rather than the high-tech, head-protecting gear they don today. The film co-stars Renée Zellweger as Clooney's beloved, and John Krasinski as war hero and football star Clooney recruits to help his floundering team.

You can sign up for your chance to win tickets right over here. And if you do get tickets to a screening, be sure to let us know what you think of the film. I'm particularly curious to see what kind of chemistry Clooney and Zellweger have -- she wouldn't be my first choice to star alongside him, so I'm wondering how they are on-screen.

So even if you choose to ignore the somewhat 'white-washed' casting for the big-screen version of Bringing Down the House, if you are a fan of the book you can't help but notice that there seems to be very little that remains of the original (and fascinating) story of a group of 'math nerds' who became high stakes card sharks. Sony has just launched the official site for 21 starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, and Kevin Spacey. Their site offers plenty of small video clips to watch and the usual downloadable offerings, but inexplicably they never give you the chance to play a little black jack of your own.

21 centers on "Six MIT students, in a blackjack team, [who] train to become experts in card counting and subsequently take Vegas casinos for millions in winnings. However, casino workers become suspicious and attempt to take down the team, using any means necessary." Sturgess plays Ben Campell, a numbers genius who is struggling to pay his bills. He is recruited into a team of card counters by his professor (as played by Spacey) and as to be expected, the good times don't last long. Ben starts to lose control and his mentor and friends turn on him just as the casinos are starting to catch on to the scam.

To be honest, as much as I enjoyed the book, I don't think I will be first in line for this one. Part of what made the book so interesting to me was that these were just regular people who became 'criminals'. The film seems to want to take a more Ocean's 11 approach right down to the music in the trailer, and, frankly, it's been done before. 21 hits theaters on March 28th.

I think I can speak for most fans of Marvel Comic's Punisher when I say that in light of just how crappy previous Punisher flicks have been in the past, then a 're-boot' was really the only sensible option (though I'm not sure it's a re-boot; perhaps a continuation or something along those lines). Latino Review is now hosting three new images from Punisher: War Zone straight from director Lexi Alexander's blog (which you can also view here, to the right, and after the jump). The last picture we got wasn't exactly the most illuminating when it comes to details, and, to be honest, I couldn't make out much here either. On the up side, at least star Ray Stevenson no longer looks like Steven Seagal's long lost brother.

Taking over where Thomas Jane and Dolph Lundgren left off, Stevenson stars as Frank Castle (aka The Punisher); when his family is wiped out by the mob, he becomes a one man army pegging off criminals and mobsters everywhere. Joining Stevenson are Dominic West as Jigsaw (who fans might remember from the comics, albeit from a different storyline) and Wayne Knight (better known as Jerry's nemesis Newman) as Microchip.

Erik got the chance to talk with director Lexi Alexander about the need for a remake of the classic character. Alexander said, "I would say it's a complete different re-boot, just because neither one of the previous [films] were relevant. And with Castle, it's one story -- the mythology stays the same -- and I think I just have a very very different take on it. I was lucky to put it in the right environment, which was dark and cold". Judging by the photos on her blog, it looks like she succeeded in creating that 'environment'. Shooting for Punisher: War Zone wrapped back in December and is scheduled to hit theaters on September 12th, 2008. Check out two more pics after the jump ...

I think Sarah Michelle Gellar has a compulsion for making somewhat lame supernatural thrillers. You have to give her credit for avoiding Buffy typecasting, but she does seem to be stuck in a bit of a rut lately. Her latest, Possession has just released a new poster (you can check out the full version over at IGN). Possession is a remake of the 2002 film Jungdok (Addicted). By the looks of things, Michael Petroni's (Queen of The Damned) script might be pushing the supernatural angle just a little more than the original. The feature was directed by Swedish director Joel Bergvall, who has some experience with remakes since his original film, Den Osynlige, was reworked into the teen thriller, The Invisible.

Gellar plays Jessica, a woman who suffers the double tragedy of having her husband and her brother-in-law lapse into comas after a car accident. As if that wasn't bad enough, when her brother-in-law wakes up, he claims to be her husband. Lee Pace from TV's Pushing Daisies plays Gellar's in-law and Michael Landes (Homecoming) plays her husband Ryan. The first trailer was released back in December, and it is pretty much what you would expect. Although you have to love the visual shorthand for summing up the bad seed brother-in-law (Pace) -- he spends most of the trailer shirtless, brooding, and speeding off in a vintage car -- but hey, at least it looks like a step up from The Return. Possession is currently in post-production and is scheduled to hit theaters this March.

[via CinemaBlend]

I'd just like to take a moment of silence for Jamie Lynn Spears' future career in the entertainment industry ...

...

And now to the business: Today, Variety reports that the WGA will indeed picket outside the Golden Globes ceremony on January 13, assuming the strike is still going strong. SAG has not decided yet whether or not they will cross the picket lines, and are "seeking reaction from members who have been nominated before announcing its plans." There might, however, be rules as to where the WGA can picket -- meaning if they set up a few blocks from the theater, there might be another way into the theater that allows SAG members to not, technically, cross the picket lines. So it's still up in the air.

Yesterday, when the whole waiver news broke, a fellow Cinematical writer asked if Cinematical would "cross the picket lines" and live-blog the ceremony. For the past few years, we have live-blogged both the Globes and the Oscars, and have had a pretty good time doing it. The way I see it, my fat ass is at home, in front of the television, and so I'm not technically crossing any picket lines by live-blogging the Globes. I told this to our writer, and they replied: "So then we don't support the writers?" No, we support the strike coming to an end in a way where both parties are happy with the outcome. That's what we've always supported. Personally, I'm not a part of the WGA, or SAG, and so my only loyalty is to our readers. And if our readers want some delicious, humorous color commentary to go along with what will probably be another boring awards ceremony, then I have no problem providing that to them.

But I wanted to ask you folks first. Keep in mind, we're not asking whether the ceremony is worth live-blogging, because most of you will say it sucks anyway. That's a fact. I'm asking whether you think we should live-blog the ceremony considering the WGA will be picketing it? Would you be offended if we "crossed the picket lines?" (Note: Our decision will not be based solely on this poll, but I wanted to get a general opinion before making the final call.)

The official site for Leatherheads has now added the first trailer for the period comedy. The film stars George Clooney, Renée Zellweger, and John Krasinski and is a comic telling of the transformation of pro-football in the 1920's. Krasinski plays the college golden boy to Clooney's world weary fast-talker. Zellweger plays a reporter that serves as the object of affection for both our boys. The film marks Clooney's third time behind the camera but this is his first time attempting to direct a 'straight' comedy. But, they don't call him the modern day Cary Grant for nothing, so at least we know that the man knows how to pull off "screwball". So as much as I like the idea of a return to the snappy dialog and feisty leading ladies, after watching the trailer all I could think was "where is Barbara Stanwyck when you need her". Nothing against Zellweger, lord knows she can do a Doris Day recreation better than anybody, but I just don't think her trademark pout is going to work for her this time.

Just last week Erik had gotten an exclusive on the first theater standees for the film and now that the official site is up and running, there are some extra downloads and photo galleries. Judging from what you see in this trailer, it looks like the movie will be a fun way to spend an afternoon. Plus, any similarities to another comedy sports hit, (*cough* Bull Durham) are probably purely intentional. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, because if you are going to copy another sports movie, you might as well take one of the best. Leatherheads opens in theaters on April 4, 2008.

Hey, so what are you doing this Wednesday? If you're going to be in or around the New York City area, you might want to enter one of Cinematical's two explosive ticket giveaways. Cinematical is giving away tickets? Really? To what? Well, first up we're giving away ten pairs of tickets to go see Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, followed by a live musical performance from Dewey Cox himself (John C. Reilly) at The Knitting Factory. You have until 5pm tomorrow (that's Tuesday, December 18) to leave a comment on that post. We'll be choosing ten random comments and awarding those people with a pair of tickets to this kickass event.

Don't feel like getting a beer thrown on you? Well, we're also giving away 15 pairs of tickets to The Great Debaters New York premiere at the historic Ziegfeld Theater. The Ziegfeld is probably the best movie-watching venue in New York City, and apart from seeing The Great Debaters before anyone else does, your ticket also grants you access to a private pre-show cocktail reception with folks like Denzel Washington and other notable celebs (it is a big NYC premiere, after all) in attendance. Now you only have until 5pm today (that's Monday, December 17) to enter into our Great Debaters ticket giveaway, so head on over to that post to read the rules and leave a comment. Do not leave a comment on this post; it will not count. And when you're enjoying either event immensely, just remember who hooked your holiday up ...

Just when you thought we were done giving away tickets today, we've only just begun! Cinematical is happy to announce that we have a whopping 15 pairs of tickets to give away for next Wednesday's (12/19) New York premiere of The Great Debaters! And in case you weren't following the news, The Great Debaters was just nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Motion Picture (Drama) category -- the most prestigious of them all -- and now you have a chance to see it, before anyone else does, at New York's historic Ziegfeld Theater. Oh, but that's not all: Your ticket also allows you to attend a private pre-show reception, with folks like Denzel Washington and other high-profile celebs in attendance. Yup, you've read all about those swanky New York movie premieres in the papers -- well now YOU get to go to one! And chill ... with Denzel!

Here's what you need to know: We'll be picking 15 random commenters to attend The Great Debaters star-studded New York premiere starting ... now. The private reception will be held prior to the screening in The Ziegfeld Theater Lobby beginning at 6:30pm on Wednesday, December 19th, with the screening to follow. (And on a personal note, if you've never been to a screening at the Ziegfeld -- then, seriously, you have no idea what you're missing.) Since cocktails will be served, you must be 21 or over in order to attend, and you must be in or around the New York City area on that day. Additionally, you'll need to travel to and from the theater on your own dime. Worth it to watch The Great Debaters with Denzel at The Ziegfeld? Um, yeah. You'll want to be there for this. Directed by Denzel Washington, and starring Washington, Forest Whitaker, Nate Parker and Denzel Whitaker, The Great Debaters arrives in theaters on Christmas Day.

Check out the trailer for The Great Debaters and the official rules for this contest after the jump.

Straight off its two Golden Globe nominations, Cinematical is happy to announce that we have 10 pairs of tickets to give away for next Wednesday's (12/19) New York City Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story screening, followed by a live performance from the man himself, Dewey Cox, at The Knitting Factory! Watch the movie, dance your ass off and when it comes time to ship off to heaven, you'll be glad you at least got to see a live Dewey Cox performance during your lifetime. Brought to you by Cinematical and Gen Art Pulse, the Walk Hard screening will be held on December 19th (beginning at 7pm) at the Regal Battery Park cinemas, which is only a short hop, skip and a jump away from The Knitting Factory. On that day, you must be in or around the New York City area in order to attend, and you'll need to travel to each destination on your own dime. But c'mon, is it not worth it for this! We'll be giving away 10 pairs of tickets to 10 random commenters, so start commenting ... now!

In case you weren't aware, Walk Hard was nominated for two Golden Globe awards yesterday (for best actor and best song). Looks like those For Your Consideration ads certainly paid off. Here's what both John C. Reilly and Judd Apatow had to say following the nomination announcement:

"I am thrilled and honored that the HFPA has acknowledged the hard work of everyone who poured their hearts into Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. I look forward to celebrating our film and all the other great movies, comedic and dramatic, at this years Golden Globes. I am proud to carry the torch for Jake Kasdan, Judd Apatow, and Mike Andrews without whom I could not have pulled off this performance. Somewhere, Dewey Cox is smiling." -- John C. Reilly

"I'm very proud of John C. Reilly and even more proud of Dewey Cox. Dewey would have loved this if he wasn't dead." -- Judd Apatow

Here are some pics from Dewey's LA performance. Check out the Walk Hard trailer and the official rules for this contest after the jump.

It is an honor and a pleasure to welcome you to Cinematical's annual 12 Days of Cinematicalmas! [Waits for a soft round of golf claps.] Beginning today, we'll do our part in counting down the days before Santa stuffs his fat ass through chimneys around the world by bringing you 12 days of fantastic holiday-related content. You want lists? We've got them. Retro reviews for some of your favorite all-time holiday-related flicks? They'll be there. Plenty of content to devour and disagree with? You bet your naughty-list ass! Before we bid a fond farewell to the year that was 2007 (and trust me, our farewell will indeed be a fond one), why not sit back, take a deep breath, and thank Jesus' birth for bringing us films like the one pictured above. Monika and Peter will kick things off tonight, and we hope you enjoy. (Oh, and please try to keep the hatin' to a minimum -- tis' this is a time for joy, after all.)

To get the ball rolling, here's a clip from my favorite Christmas flick of all time.

Before I even start, I should probably admit to you what usually will make my male friends' jaws drop in disbelief. I have never seen a Rambo movie. Sure, I have a passing knowledge of the franchise, but to be honest it was just never my thing. The official website for the latest installment has gone live with lots of flash, but very little substance. There is the promise of plenty of things to come, including shooter games, video mash-ups and something called Instruments of Force ... whatever that could be. Plus, there are the usual offerings of cast and crew profiles, downloads, and galleries in case you're in the market for a Rambo icon.

Sylvester Stallone wrote, directed and produced the story of the infamous vet now living in the 'wilds' of northern Thailand running a longboat and catching poisonous snakes for a living. After a group of missionaries go missing, our hero dusts off his headband for another adventure. After a few title changes and a couple of teaser posters (the Banksy-inspired one was definitely the strangest in the bunch); not too mention some pretty grisly teaser footage released for Cannes, the film finally revealed the official trailer back in October. Filled with plenty of explosions, machetes and a fairs share of mumbling -- even with my limited knowledge of Rambo, I know the film should satisfy those die-hard fans out there. Now that the site is live, the trailer has been yanked from most channels and the web site will be your one stop shop for all things Rambo. (John) Rambo is set for release on January 25th, 2008.