Vote the Movies

FROM MTV.COM: With "New Moon" still riding high at the box office and poised to become one of the highest-grossing films of the year — if not all time — the world can't seem to get enough of Robert Pattinson. It's a good thing, then, that our pals over at MTV Radio recently spoke with the "Twilight" heartthrob.

Last week, we brought you RPattz's thoughts on romances, both onscreen and off. Now, as those Thanksgiving leftovers wear thin, we're happy to dish out part two of that interview, featuring some yummy tidbits on Rob's 90-year-old fans, jealousy over Taylor's bod, and his New Year's resolution to be less self-deprecating.

Continue reading Robert Pattinson Calls Taylor Lautner's Transformation 'Strange'

FROM SPLASH PAGE: If you're anything like me, there are very few deals enticing enough to brave the Black Friday crowds at various retailers. (In fact, the image at right is what comes to mind when I think about what awaits me at stores' Black Friday sales.) Heck, with the amount of Cyber Monday offers flying around the 'Net today, you no longer have to leave your desk to snag a good price on various comics and comics-related swag.

After spending the first half of the day crawling through the Interwebs and getting suggestions from Splash Page readers about their favorite Cyber Monday comics deals, I've compiled a list of some of the most notable deals I've discovered from the comics side of Cyber Monday madness. From best-selling comics and comic book collections to digital comics, movies, games and assorted merch, it's great to be a comics fan this Cyber Monday.

Continue reading Cyber Monday Comics Roundup: Deals From Around The Interwebs

Sometimes you have to ask the tough questions. Questions for which the American public demands answers. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the greater good. Which is why, with these weighty journalistic notions on my conscious, I found myself asking Natalie Portman about her rumored girl-on-girl love scene with Mila Kunis in "Black Swan."

Directed by Darren Aronofsky ("The Wrestler"), "Black Swan" stars Portman and Kunis as rival ballet dancers, the twist being that Portman's character can't really tell if her competitor is real or some kind of delusion. Rumors have been floating around the web that, at some point during the film, Portman and Kunis will go in for a no-holds-barred sex session. I had to get to the bottom of this! Is it true, not true, none of our business?

"It's a very extreme movie," she answered. "It's like very extreme situations. But it's not explicit in any way."

Artfully, gracefully put, Miss Portman. And I'm going to take that non-denial denial as confirmation that there will indeed be a lesbian scene in "Black Swan." Of course, that'll just be one element—one sure-to-be highly publicized element—yet only one element in Aronofsky's first film since his Oscar-nominated "The Wrestler." Portman said she's due to start filming in early December, but could only offer a bare bones plot summary.

"It's a psychological thriller about what happens when you reach the top," she said. "My character starts being paranoid that she's going to be unseated."

What are you expecting from Aronofsky's "Wrestler" follow-up? More than a Kunis/Portman hook-up? Is it me, or does this sound like "Fight Club" with ballerinas?

Shh — be very, very quiet. Guy Pearce is hunting wabbits. Or jumping for them, at least.

Pearce, the actor behind such hits as "The Proposition" — not to be confused with the Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds rom-com "The Proposal" — and "The Time Machine" — which is, sadly, the atrocity you're thinking of — has joined the cast of "The Hungry Rabbit Jumps," the thriller starring Nicolas Cage and January Jones of "Mad Men" fame. Roger Donaldson is the director.

Variety reports on the casting news but neglects to mention the specific role that Pearce has in the film. Given the premise of the movie and Pearce's talents, however, it's likely — not definite, but more than possible — that he'll play one of the movie's multiple antagonists.

In October, MTV News spoke with James D. Stern, one of the film's producers. He described "The Hungry Rabbit Jumps" as a vigilante-centric thriller.

"It's a thriller about a guy who has something quite untoward happen to his wife," Stern said of the premise. "He's approached by a vigilante group and they can take care of it, because it doesn't look like the police will be able to. In exchange, he'll have to owe them a favor. He mistakenly takes them up on it and finds himself in a bind that's hard to get out of."

My guess is that Pearce is either the guy that does something untoward to the occasional Betty Draper, or perhaps he's one of the members of the vigilante group. Either way, Pearce is fantastic and tends to do well with gritty material just like this — see "Memento" and "L.A. Confidential" for further proof — so I'm looking forward to his performance opposite Cage and Jones, no matter the role.

What do you think of Pearce's casting in "The Hungry Rabbit Jumps" and what do you make of the movie's premise? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!

I hate to make comparisons, but they are exceedingly apt in this case. One of the best movies of the year, in my book at least, was "District 9." The unconventional alien "invasion" sci-fi flick started as a made-for-Internet short under the direction of Neill Blomkamp. Producer Peter Jackson partnered up with the fledgling filmmaker, a collaboration which resulted in the feature-length "District 9."

The moral of the story? There's a lot of untouched talent out there, waiting to be found. Case in point: Fede Alvarez. The Uruguayan filmmaker is making waves on the Internet today with "Panic Attack!," a sci-fi short featuring a giant robot alien invasion. It's a clever piece of film, made for just a few hundred dollars but gorgeous all the same. There are already easy comparisons to be made and you haven't even heard the crux of the news.

Sam Raimi and his Ghost House Pictures has signed a deal for Alvarez to "develop and direct an original genre project" under their banner, The Hollywood Reporter reveals. A deal said to be in the "six- against seven-figure range." Ghost House will take on the task of hiring a writer to bring Alvarez's vision to life. And speaking of that vision, why don't you take a look:

This has been quite a year for newcomers in the land of blockbuster filmmaking. Blomkamp shocked the world with his best-event-of-the-summer offering, with large thanks in order to his similarly green star (and one-time producer) Sharlto Copley. Then there's Oren Peli, and the unparalleled success of his genre-breaking horror/suspense flick "Paranormal Activity."

Now we have Alvarez. His vision may not feel as unique or as fresh given what's preceded the arrival of "Panic Attack!" this year, but it smacks of quality for me in a way that 90% of the blockbuster fare out there does not. I am excited to see what this pairing with Raimi will bring.

What do you think of the short? Who would be best to flesh out this idea into a full script? What do you make of the year's unusual discoveries?

FROM HOLLYWOOD CRUSH: In case you were knee-deep in Stove Top stuffing and green bean casserole last week and missed the news, "New Moon" hottie Taylor Lautner will be hosting "Saturday Night Live" December 12 with musical guest Bon Jovi. Though we, along with many Twilighters, had been campaigning for Robert Pattinson to secure hosting duties, we couldn't be more excited for the 17-year-old to grace the Studio 8H stage. In fact, we've even dreamed up a few sketch ideas for the star. "SNL" scribes, we hope you're listening!

1. The inevitable "Twilight" parody

We know it's going to happen, the only question is how will it? Though several humorous scenarios ran through our minds (Taylor as vampire!), the one that tickled our funny bones the most was seeing Taylor cast as Bella Swan (just like his maybe girlfriend Taylor Swift was when she hosted!). I mean, come on, he already has the wig for it! With Andy Samberg as Edward Cullen, any moment from either the first or second film would be hilarious, but we're hoping for the Volterra scene from "New Moon." Taylor splashing through a fountain and running into the arms of Andy would be epic.

Continue reading Taylor Lautner's Hosting 'SNL' Soon, So We've Come Up With A Few Perfect Sketch Ideas

Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that "Predators" is actually happening, especially when names like Robert Rodriguez, Nimrod Antal and Danny Trejo are thrown into the mix. But it's happening. Heck, it's already started.

Antal, the director of "Predators" and this weekend's "Armored," spoke with Coming Soon about the project recently and revealed that shooting has already occurred in Hawaii.

In the interview, Antal defended the controversial casting of Adrien Brody as the film's lead, which some fans reacted against due to the actor's lean physique — a far cry from the Arnold Schwarzenegger of yesteryear.

"Again, it was a challenge in finding a balance," he said. "I think when we cast [Adrien], there were a lot of people going, 'What?' but at the same time, if we cast a Vin Diesel in that role or if we cast anyone who is Arnold-esque, we would have been attacked for doing that. So we decided early on to go in a very different direction as far as the casting process, but it turned out fantastic."

In Antal's opinion, casting a Schwarzenegger type wouldn't have made sense given the character that Brody is playing.

"He plays a mercenary in the film and if you look at the guys in Iraq and Afghanistan today, they're not 'yolked-out' Schwarzenegger-looking guys," said Antal. "They're all very wiry and thin guys, and I think it's going to play well."

That's not to say that the Governator himself won't make some type of appearance in "Predators," as Antal teased that such a cameo could happen.

"Time will tell," he said. "We'll see, but we are trying to stay with the original as far as the monster and the atmosphere and the tone of the film, but we are trying to do something new and contemporary and feels fresh."

Do you agree with Antal's decision to cast Adrien Brody? What do you think of his thoughts on the film? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!

FROM MTV.COM: In little over two weeks, James Cameron's sci-fi epic "Avatar," which the director has been working on since 1995, will arrive in a burst of 3-D-enhanced splendor. Before then, MTV News readers will get an unprecedented opportunity to pick Cameron's brain as we partner with Facebook to present "Avatar Live: An MTV News/Facebook Forum."

This Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, we'll stream this live online show, in which viewers get to interact with the folks in front of the camera, asking the questions they really want answered. Hosted by MTV Movies managing editor Josh Horowitz, the 30-minute event will feature Cameron and two of the film's stars, Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, plus exclusive "Avatar" footage. Viewers will be able to submit their questions in real time via Facebook and MTV.com.

Continue reading 'Avatar' Director, Stars To Talk To Fans In MTV News Live Stream Event