GK Films has released a new trailer for Martin Scorsese’s 3D family adventure Hugo. It’s a bit odd saying the words “Martin Scorsese” and “3D” in the same sentence, but with “family adventure” thrown in the mix, it causes one to scratch his or her head, wondering if it’s just a big prank.

Alas, it is as real as it gets, and from the looks of the new trailer, it looks surprisingly intriguing. But who can complain with a cast consisting of Jude Law, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lee, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ray Winstone, Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass), and Asa Butterfield (The Boy in The Striped Pajamas).

Check out the trailer below:

‘Hugo’ tells the story of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. With the help of an eccentric girl, he searches for the answer to a mystery linking the father he recently lost, the ill-tempered toy shop owner living below him and a heart shaped lock, seemingly without a key. Based on Brian Selznick’s award winning and imaginative New York Times bestseller, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” this magical tale is Scorsese’s first film shot in 3D.

Now it’s no doubt that Hugo is a dramatic departure from the usual violent and gritty films Scorsese’s become iconic for, such as GoodFellas and Shutter Island. But, with that being said, the trailer manages to capture a mysterious and emotionally engaging adventure with adult elements, contrary to the first trailer’s whimsical “kiddie” feeling.

It may be hard to wrap your head around, but it looks like Scorsese is managing quite well in new territory, which promises us a feel good mystery/adventure film that is geared for all ages. The only quip I have, which is obvious, is Scorsese’s attempt at using 3D elements. It just doesn’t feel like this is the type of film that warrants the need for the technology (then again most modern films don’t) and, again, it just doesn’t feel right for the director. Scepticisms are no doubt abundant, but we’ll know soon enough if Scorsese can pull it off when the film releases.

Hugo is released on 2D/3D screens across the US from November 23rd and the UK from December 2nd.

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Anchor Bay Films have released the first trailer for crime-thriller Texas Killing Fields, which is directed by Ami Canaan Mann (daughter of Michael Mann) and stars Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Chloe Moretz.

Watch below:

The movie follows a local homicide detective (Worthington) in a small Texan town and his partner, a transplanted cop from New York City (Morgan) as they track a sadistic serial killer dumping his victims’ mutilated bodies in a nearby marsh locals call ‘The Killing Fields.’

The killer changes the game and begins hunting the detectives, teasing them with possible clues at the crime scenes while always remaining one step ahead. When a familiar local girl, Anne (Moretz) goes missing the detectives find themselves in a race against time to find the killer and save her life.

Texas Killing Fields will have a limited release on October 7th, 2011.

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Paramount Picture have released the first trailer for Martin Scorsese’s upcoming 3D family adventure Hugo (formally The Invention of Hugo Cabret). It looks to be new territory for the director, who has directed serious thrillers such as The Departed and Shutter Island over recent years.

The film, based on Brian Selznick’s bestselling children’s book, stars Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jude Law, Emily Mortimer, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Ray Winstone, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour and Michael Stuhlbarg.

You can watch the trailer below:

‘Hugo’ tells the story of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. With the help of an eccentric girl, he searches for the answer to a mystery linking the father he recently lost, the ill-tempered toy shop owner living below him and a heart shaped lock, seemingly without a key. Based on Brian Selznick’s award winning and imaginative New York Times bestseller, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” this magical tale is Scorsese’s first film shot in 3D.

Hugo is released on 2D/3D screens across the US from November 23rd and the UK from December 2nd.

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Johnny Depp is a busy guy. Once he’s finished promotion for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides he’ll be heading to London to start shooting his 8th collaboration with Tim Burton, Dark Shadows.

Today Warner Bros. sent out a press release announcing the start of production, along with the official synopsis for the movie.

Filming begins this week on Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Dark Shadows,” which brings the cult classic television series to the big screen under the direction of Tim Burton. The film’s all-star ensemble cast includes Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz, and newcomer Gulliver McGrath.

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.

Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles.

Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth’s ne’er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger’s precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David’s new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.

It’s also worth noting that cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) is working on the film so at least it will look great, even if Burton delivers another average film like he did with Alice in Wonderland. Burton has been hit and miss over recent years so hopefully he makes something along the lines of Sleepy Hollow and Sweeney Todd.

Dark Shadows is scheduled for release on May 11th, 2012.

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In 2008, Swedish director Tomas Alfredson directed Let the Right One In, a movie based on the best-selling Swedish novel of the same name. The movie won critical acclaim across the world – rightly so, since it’s an excellent film – and its international popularity spurred studios to remake it for an English-speaking audience. Matt Reeves (writer and director of Cloverfield) was chosen to take on the challenge of directing the next adaptation. But Reeves was fighting an uphill battle from the start: many fans of the original were displeased with the prospect of a remake, and nearly wrote the movie off before seeing it. So, what’s the verdict? Keep reading to find out.

In my opinion, Let Me In is a totally unnecessary film. That’s not to say it’s bad – quite the opposite, in fact. I enjoyed the film, and it’s a perfectly fine piece of craftsmanship all around. But it bears such a heavy resemblance to Alfredson’s 2008 film that I simply don’t think it should have been made in the first place. I think the fear of this remake was that in an “Americanized” version, the heart of the original would be lost. I’m happy to report this is not the case – if anything, this movie relies too heavily on Alfredson’s vision and just barely offers enough variation on the story to justify its existence.

Set in 1980′s New Mexico, the story follows Owen, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road), a young boy who is savagely bullied at school. He meets Abby, played by Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass), a strange girl who moves into his apartment complex. As the two strike up a friendship, it becomes clear to Owen that Abby is actually a vampire. She has a caretaker, played by Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), who is tasked with killing people to provide blood for her, and much of the drama comes from watching these scenarios unfold. Elias Koteas (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) plays a policeman trying to solve the murders.

The film does many things right, providing an eerie darkness to the wintry setting and capturing the viciousness of bullying in a school environment. The performances are all very good – the kids in particular deliver some striking work, forcing me to question my usual “I despise kids in movies” mantra. Reeves made a much darker movie with Let Me In, not as quiet and contemplative as the original, but still capturing the essence of what made that movie great. Key scenes (like one that takes place in a pool) are preserved in their entirety and not dumbed down or altered for the mainstream.

Reeves attempts to apply his own stamp to the film, and while I don’t think he truly accomplished that goal, he certainly added improving elements along the way. There was an impressive car crash sequence that wasn’t featured in the original (reminiscent of the only good part of Terminator Salvation). He also succeeds in giving the movie a nice sense of atmosphere, especially when it comes to the the isolation Owen feels during his parents’ divorce (his mother’s face is never completely visible, for example). The cinematography was haunting and beautiful, starting with an opening shot of ambulances travelling through the New Mexico landscape in an homage to Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars. There’s also a really great shot late in the movie of Owen peering through a frosty window at an empty playground after he witnesses something horrifying; it’s a fantastic visual representation of innocence lost.

If I were to nitpick an aspect of the film, it would be the CGI employed during Moretz’s vampire sequences. It takes you out of the story a bit, seeing her move in ways that humans can’t. The original succeeded because it grounded that character in a quasi-reality, using mostly practical effects and not relying on crazy visuals to get the same effect. There was another sequence – I won’t give it away, I’ll only say it involves fire – that was also much more effective in the original than in this one because of an over-reliance on CGI in the latter. (To the film’s credit, though, Let Me In wisely excised a ridiculous CGI cat sequence from Let the Right One In.)

I apologize for continually comparing this movie to the original, but aside from our natural human instinct for comparison in these situations, this case is even more difficult because they are so incredibly similar throughout. Ultimately, I think Let Me In will serve exactly the purpose that the studio intended: to expose this story to a wider audience in an English capacity. And that’s totally fine, since Let Me In is a really solid movie. I just wish more people would seek out Let the Right One In since it essentially “did it first” and it truly is almost the same movie except with subtitles. Until next time…

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Mark Millar isn’t one to keep tight lipped about anything, so when asked what he had planned for the Kick-Ass sequel (currently titled Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall) he let the details flow. The current plan is for him to finish writing the new comic by Christmas, and then production can start around April next year after director Matthew Vaughn has completed work on X-Men: First Class.

From MovieWeb:

Mark Millar: The film and the comic book are very closely tied together. There are only a few minor changes towards the end. It does led directly into a sequel, and I am writing the sequel as I always planned it to be. The actors may be a little bit older, or bigger. They can address that in the movie. But I am not changing anything for the comic book. We left things off with her being adopted by this extremely nice man. He is a cop. And she has to stop killing people, you know? That seems like an interesting starting point in the next one in regards to her character. She is going to be like Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven, where she hasn’t picked up a gun in years. It’s that type of thing. I like the idea of doing that with an eleven year old girl. She was part of this massive cacophony of violence. But she’s not allowed to kill people anymore. She is consumed with anger, and forced to watch TV shows instead. Halfway through the movie, or the comic, we will follow her as she picks up a gun again. It is going to be awesome.

And what about Red Mist?

Mark Millar: This is a guy who has had his entire family killed by Hit Girl. He heads off and develops his martial arts skills. He learns how to become a better villain. That type of thing. He is going to come back and wreck unholy vengeance on our team. But in reality, he just comes back and gets stoned, and he spends a lot of money. He can’t do anything, so he hires this bad ass girl from Russia, she comes into the story, and her plan is to kill Hit Girl. Red Mist becomes like Charles Manson. He goes on-line and influences a bunch of young villains to go against Kick-Ass and Hit Girl. The whole thing ends up as a big gang fight like you’d see in The Warriors. There is going to be a big gang fight in the middle of Times Square between all of these costumed heroes. And at the head will be the Red Mist and Hit Girl.

Kick-Ass is one of my favorite movies of 2010 (alongside Inception of course), so I am up for a sequel, but only if they keep the spirit of the first film and only if Vaughn gets 100% creative control like he had before. Lionsgate will probably be funding and distributing his time so they can at least go into the second film knowing people are looking forward to it and it will be seen.

Kick-Ass will be released on DVD/Blu-ray next week, and you can pre-order it via these links:

DVD | Blu-ray

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The Kick-Ass DVD and Blu-ray release date has been set for August 3rd, and the discs will contain quite a few behind the scenes clips and features.

Amazon has made Kick-Ass available to pre-order. Click here for the DVD, and here to pre-order the Blu-ray.

Check out the DVD art, a feature on Hit-Girl, and DVD/Blu-ray specs below:

BLU-RAY DISC SPECIAL FEATURES
DISC ONE
• Ass-Kicking Bonus View Mode (Blu-ray Disc Exclusive) – Synchronous with the feature film, this innovative multi-media presentation incorporates video and audio commentary, behind-the-scenes clips and illustrative graphics with Co-Writer/Producer/Director Matthew Vaughn, plus cast and crew providing an all-access perspective on Kick-Ass
• “A New Kind of Superhero: The Making of Kick-Ass “ documentary (Blu-ray Disc Exclusive)
• “It’s On! The Comic Book Origin of Kick-Ass” featurette
• Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Matthew Vaughn
• “The Art of Kick-Ass” gallery
• Marketing Archive
• BD Touch and Metamenu Remote
• Lionsgate Live™ enabled, featuring extra content for Internet-connected players
• Enhanced for D-Box™ Motion Control Systems

DISC TWO
• Standard Definition DVD Copy of the feature film

DISC THREE
• Standard Definition Digital Copy of the feature film

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
• Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Matthew Vaughn
• “It’s On! The Comic Book Origin of Kick-Ass” featurette
• “The Art of Kick-Ass” gallery
• Marketing Archive

Kick-Ass, which was made for $28 million, took just over $90 million during its box office run. An extra $15 – $30 million from DVD and Blu-ray sales should make Lionsgate and Vaughn happy, and Kick-Ass can be considered a ‘success’.

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[Here's a link to Jack's review for Kick-Ass, which opened in the UK two weeks ago. The United States release date was yesterday, so here are my thoughts on the film.]

I’m not going to claim this is the best movie of the year, or the best comic book movie of all time. But I will say that I had an absolute blast in the theater, and I think at year’s end I’ll be debating whether I had more fun in Tron Legacy, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The Expendables, or Kick-Ass.

Brief backstory for the uninitiated: Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. created a comic book version of Kick-Ass back in 2008. Director Matthew Vaughn secured the rights to the film before the comic was even published, and began working on the movie at the same time that Millar continued work on his comic series. Vaughn shopped the script around to various studios, but due to the graphic violence (mostly involving children), the studios suggested Vaughn change the film to a PG-13 movie and cut the character of Hit-Girl completely. Luckily for us, Vaughn decided to independently finance the film outside of the studio system so he didn’t have to compromise his vision; after the film was finished, he screened some of the movie at 2009′s Comic-Con to rave reviews. Vaughn returned to the studios to secure distribution rights, and eventually Lionsgate decided to pick up the movie for release. The lesson here? Matthew Vaughn is the man – having the balls to finance something yourself and not compromise your vision will almost always equal a superior product.

Now that the history lesson is over, let’s get to the plot. Dave Lizewski is a teenager living in New York who, “like most kids [his] age, just exist.” He’s kind of a geek, reads comics, is bad with the ladies, and fantasizes about his English teacher. Dave, played admirably by up-and-comer Aaron Johnson, wonders aloud to his friends why no one has ever tried to become a superhero. Eventually, he buys a scuba suit, sets up a MySpace page taking crime fighting requests, and dubbing himself “Kick-Ass” in the process.

Here’s where it gets interesting – up until this point, the movie has taken itself pretty seriously. It presents a realistic world with real consequences and treats the brief high school segments with a nice authenticity. But – MINOR SPOILER – when Kick-Ass is violently hit by a car in his disastrous first outing, the movie becomes a meta-narrative on the very nature of comic book films. Thanks to his injuries, Dave is imbued with a borderline superhero ability to withstand pain: his broken bones have been fixed with metal rods and some of his nerve endings are shot, causing Dave to compare himself to Wolverine when he glances at his X-rays.

Near this point, we’re also introduced to Big Daddy (a rare post-Y2K solid performance from Nicolas Cage) and the already-infamous-in-the-media Hit Girl (played wonderfully by Chloe Moretz), a father/daughter team of what could only be described as actual superheroes. With the introduction of these characters, Kick-Ass abandons its realistic aspirations and embraces what the movie truly is: a hyper-violent self-aware comic book film. Big Daddy and the 11-year-old Hit Girl are an updated version of Jean Reno and Natalie Portman from The Professional; Daddy trains daughter to be an efficient killing machine. One particularly cool sequence details their family’s backstory in a quasi-3D that didn’t require glasses (it’s a more advanced version of this effect, in which the camera rotates around and shows the individual elements as fully-realized shapes instead of just a 2D layer).

Enter the villainous Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong), a cartoonish seedy crime boss, and his son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who eventually becomes a fake superhero named Red Mist. Strong has secured his place on my “actors to watch” list thanks to performances in Body of Lies and RockNRolla, and he is perfectly cast here. Mintz-Plasse is convincing as the aspiring bad guy desperate for his father’s approval, and does some good work in this flick. The former McLovin’ is finally stepping out of his Superbad shadow with good turns in Role Models and How to Train Your Dragon, so I think he’s making a transition out of the “one-hit wonder” category.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Kick-Ass was made by someone who began watching films in 1990 but has only ever seen action flicks, comic book blockbusters, and the occasional comedy. It relies heavily on The Matrix in terms of style and even lifts settings outright from the Wachowskis’ classic (a lobby fight, Kick-Ass and Red Mist’s final fight scene, the jet pack “shooting through the window” scene, etc). That being said, I think Kick-Ass is going to be very well-received right now, but might not hold up as well over time (and certainly not as well as The Matrix).

I had some problems with this film, most notably the romance between Dave and Katie. Due to a series of circumstances too ridiculous to list, everyone at Dave’s school believes him to be gay – even Katie. She wants Dave as her gay best friend, and he plays along so he can spend time with her. Eventually (as I’m sure you can guess), they become more than friends, but that relationship always felt like the weakest aspect to this movie.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THE REST OF THIS REVIEW

My favorite scene in the film was the hallway fight near the end. Hit Girl makes her way into the lair of Frank D’Amico and corners herself into an almost inescapable situation where she has her back to multiple men with guns. While I thought the more reasonable outcome would be Kick-Ass returning at that exact moment to save her, apparently Vaughn and company had a different idea. In a scene that would make Tony Jaa raise his eyebrows, Hit Girl completely eviscerates every single guy in that hallway, stimulating my audience into loud bouts of cheering. For those still on the fence about seeing this movie, imagine the “gunkata” fight scenes from Equilibrium and you’ll have a decent idea of what to expect.

Also of note: Hit Girl’s introduction (getting shot in the chest by Big Daddy), her fighting introduction (in the apartment), and the first-person sequence in which she saves Kick-Ass using night vision goggles (executed better than some video games I’ve seen). Actually, I’ll go ahead and say that every scene Hit Girl is in can be counted among the best parts of the movie. I also liked the True Lies callback at the end with the bazooka, and Nic Cage’s Adam West-inspired delivery when he embodies the character of Big Daddy.

This is an interesting movie; it has the potential to deliver some insightful commentary (and it does, to a small extent), but instead decides to take a hard right into ridiculous territory and chooses to just cut loose and give the audience what they want instead of providing brief glimpses of what we want between message-heavy moments. Even taking my problems with the film into account, I’m definitely glad I paid money to see this in a theater. Until next time…

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Kick-Ass has been receiving rave reviews all over the place, ever since its screening at the Butt-Numb-a-Thon festival last year, and now with its release in the UK. IGN even asks if it could be “the best superhero movie ever made.” Well, is it? Does Kick-Ass kick ass?

Well…yes. It doesn’t kick all the ass, but it kicks quite a lot.

This is one of those films that’s gaining popularity across the internet at a rapid pace – you probably already know what it’s about. Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a teenager, decides to don a costume and become a superhero. Basically just to try it out. After trying to stop crime for the first time, he is severely injured – resulting in damaged nerve endings that prevent him from feeling much pain. Perfect. Things escalate from there, and he ends up meeting other costumed fellows Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz), Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and gets caught up with crime lord Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong).

The first noticeable thing about Kick-Ass that separates it from other superhero movies is its general presentation – despite all the bad language and all the violence, it’s a much “lighter” affair than most. The film is mostly told from Lizewski’s perspective, and the character provides narration throughout, humorous anecdotes or comments about himself being offered frequently. Johnson plays the occasionally-awkward teenager well, giving us a character that kind of reminds me of the guys in Superbad, or Jesse Eisenberg in Adventureland. I guess some could say it’s easier to empathise with him than with other superheroes, as he’s just a kid like “anyone else.” His buddies that he hangs out at the comic book store with have a similar manner, and allow for a few laughs as well.

The comedy works in favour of the film, being a breath of fresh air from more recent, serious comic book movies like The Dark Knight or Watchmen. Kick-Ass doesn’t take itself too seriously; it’s incredibly self-referential (numerous other comic books are mentioned: Batman, Spider-Man, X-Men, Scott Pilgrim…), and makes use of things like MySpace and YouTube in a semi-satirical-sort-of-way. It kids around with the genre, and it really is a much more “fun” superhero film as a result. You can have a good time with it by simply enjoying the ride. You don’t have to pay attention to any existential ruminations from a glowing blue man on Mars at least.

The supporting cast are mostly great – Mark Strong is a fun, albeit not entirely original villain, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (a.k.a. McLovin) was a good choice to portray Red Mist, a teenager who simply wants to please his dad, and who becomes kind of pretentious when he puts on his costume and tries to be a hero. For me however, the show was absolutely stolen by Chloe Moretz and Nic Cage as Hit Girl and Big Daddy. It’s a twisted take on a sweet father-daughter relationship, with Big Daddy training his daughter to use weapons, and buying her combat knives for her birthday. It’s pretty hilarious to watch. Nic Cage is perfect as the mellow, mustachioed dad in warm jumpers, making hot chocolate, and it’s probably the most interesting or “different” role I’ve seen him in, especially recently. Hit Girl is the star though; she is the most exciting character in the film. She uses outrageous language and is the most incredibly violent out of all the cast. Most of the larger action scenes revolve around her, and they’re a real blast to watch. She’s such an over-the-top character, and goes perfectly with the overblown gore and fighting, which will probably bring to mind Kill Bill or Sin City.

I really liked how much more upbeat the film is; it’s funny, and has very cool characters. The main obstacle preventing me from loving this film as much as others seem to though, is the lack of the co-stars. While yes, I know that the film is called Kick-Ass, and it’s “his” story, I would have liked to see a lot more of Big Daddy and Hit Girl. While it was fun to see the effects of being a hero on Lizewski’s social life, I sometimes felt that I’d rather be watching the exploits of the father and daughter (because they’re amazing). The film featured a surprisingly little amount of action, compared to others in the genre, and would’ve benefitted from a few more awesome fight sequences. The ones that are there are fantastic, but I wished there had been more. Don’t get me wrong: the film is never slow; it’s always lively. It just seemed that Kick-Ass himself was less “spectacular” as a hero from time to time, and that Big Daddy and Hit Girl were more interesting to watch. Could I simply summarise that by saying “I want more fight scenes”? Possibly. I’d love to see more action in a sequel, for sure, and I’d hope that other characters would get to see more screen-time. I must impress though, that this doesn’t mean I found the film boring at all.

Something I must at least briefly mention, is the soundtrack. While the score was general superhero fare, Kick-Ass was full of great tunes that really added to its energy and light-heartedness. “Stand Up” by The Prodigy bookends the film, and it works brilliantly; it really gets you “pumped” at the beginning, for the fun that’s yet to come. It did with me anyway. Other highlights were the use of the theme from For a Few Dollars More by Ennio Morricone, and Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” (which both played in and around one of the best scenes). And I adored the use of “Banana Splits” by The Dickies, which just managed to make Hit Girl’s first wild fight scene even better. Again – if only there had been more.

On the whole though, Kick-Ass is a highly enjoyable film. I’m looking forward to seeing it again as soon as possible, which is always a good sign. And it’s one of those movies where, when the credits roll, one is not enough. One where you want a sequel. I hope the film continues to accumulate a fanbase large enough to warrant a second one, which should be more action-packed, now that the characters have been established. It’s a very good start to a rather eclectic series of comic book films coming out this year, with Iron Man 2, Scott Pilgrim, and The Green Hornet to follow. It’ll be interesting to see how they all fare together.

8 / 10

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Rounding out what I think are all of the lead roles in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Deadline reports that Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz have been cast in the film. This is further to Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Kingsley entering talks to star in the film yesterday.

Butterfield, who has previously starred in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, will portray the title character of the film – Hugo Cabret himself. Seems like a good choice, based on looks. I don’t really know what else to say – we haven’t seen a huge display of the young man’s acting abilities as of yet.

Moretz is currently making a name for herself in Hollywood – she plays Hit Girl in the raved-about Kick-Ass, and will be playing the vampire in Matt Reeves’s (Cloverfield) upcoming Let Me In, American remake of the fantastic Let the Right One In (I won’t start ranting about how unnecessary remaking that film is). In Hugo Cabret, Moretz will take the female lead; the role of Isabelle, a young girl who befriends Hugo.

I think that’s all of the main characters with actors behind them now. Is it? Whatever the case, I’m still really looking forward to this.

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