OK, if Shawn and I weren't so damn dedicated to our fine radio show we'd probably be sitting in a movie theatre tomorrow night giving James Wan's Insidious a whirl.Why, you ask? Just check out the TV spot below and gain some understanding. "The scariest movie in decades" critics say. Wow! And boy does it look it. I like me my ghost stories and this looks to deliver the good. Hopefully we won't be as sucker punched by the trailers for Insidious as the wife and I were sucker punched by the trailer for Sucker Punch! The film, which was written by Wan's Saw collaborator Leigh Whannell, hits theatres tomorrow. It stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne in a story about a mother and father fighting to protect their child from a supernatural force.

File this under Who Almost Cares? but the complete Star Wars saga hits Blu-Ray in one massive set or two smaller sets on Sept. 16. Shawn and I slammed the Blu-Ray release a couple of months back during our Who Cares? segment. It's not that we don't dig Star Wars because we do. The original trilogy is classic. It's everything George Lucas did with the franchise after that which is a tremendous piss off. We can't get all that mad at the series being released on Blu-Ray as it is the hot new format everything is converting too. That doesn't mean we're going to shell out $139.99 for the complete set or $69.99 for the trilogy sets. I've got the saga on DVD and am not giving Lucasfilm another damn dime. Listen folks: we're not telling you how to spend your hard-earned cash. But, if we stop giving Lucas money, he'll go away. We're just sayin' is all.

That's right. Once Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Rises hits theatres in July 2012 plans are already in place to resurrect The Caped Crusader for a third time in 2013. But Batman isn't coming back in a solo film. Nolan has already said The Dark Knight Rises is the concluding chapter in his trilogy. The next incarnation of The Dark Knight will be in a Justice League movie. Warner Bros. tried to gather DC Comics' team of super heroes for a movie adaptation in 2007, but the project fell apart because of the writer's strike. Now they're trying again, with a release planned for 2013. The studio is following the Marvel route, with upcoming Superman and Green Lantern films setting the stage for the main event. The L.A. Times reports that standalone films for The Flash and Wonder Woman are also in the works. This all sounds a bit sudden to me given that it's 2011. That's a lot of cinematic ground to cover in two years. Word has it Nolan will somehow be in...

. . .  Lois Lane. Duh! But who is the actress playing the feisty female reporter who lusts after The Man of Steel while being chummy with Clark Kent, not realizing the two are the same dude? Director Zack Snyder, who underwhelmed us with Sucker Punch last weekend, has selected Academy Award nominee Amy Adams for the role. At least he's going for talent along with sex appeal. Adams will star opposite Henry Cavill as Superman/Kent.  Shawn and I aren't keen on yet another Superman origin story heading to the big screen. I mean, come on, who doesn't know how Superman became Superman? However, with Kevin Costner and Diane Lane cast as Ma and Pa Kent and now Adams added to the mix we'll at least have a decent cast to look forward to. The new Superman is expected to arrive in theatres some time in 2012.

Chain Letter Shawn: Fine. Don't show us the kills. We don't care. Never mind that, in the end, that's all this movie had going for it. I don't think the makers knew which direction they wanted to take this. Are they trying to teach us stuff? Or is this a slasher movie? The only thing that kept me interested was the kills, and they even held back there until the end, when the movie comes gay poetic full circle. An Ugly from me! Jason: What the hell is this? Seriously!?! What was the point of this movie other than a few mediocre kills. I get it. Technology is bad. Our privacy is in jeopardy. But do we need a slasher movie to preach that to us? Director Deon Taylor has no idea how to stage suspense or kills. Nor does he craft an interesting or scary killer. Chain Letter looks good, but is otherwise very shoddy. An Ugly for this one. The Wild Hunt Shawn: Only once before have I cared so little about the outcome of a movie. What a terrible, terrible movie. The acting...

Writer/director Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch is a beautiful mess; a soulless feast for the eyes and ears with little to offer the brain. Snyder spends a lot of time and energy crafting dazzling fantasy sequences that go nowhere. They move the story forward but offer nothing more than glorious nerd porn. As for the story itself? Who cares. There's nothing there to hold one's attention. This is an OK watch once, which makes it a Bad in my books.

A chain letter may seem like an outdated -- and let's be serious here, SILLY -- concept for a slasher/horror picture, but dammit that didn't stop someone from making a movie about it. Tonight Jason and Shawn take a look at the aptly titled Chain Letter and let you know if the film is something to passed from movie fan to movie fan or cooked in the microwave on High. But that's not enough for our dynamic duo as The Basement Dwellers stop making fun of people who enjoy LARPing (Live Action Role Play) and watch a movie about them. But The Wild Hunt isn't an ode to the nerd black hole. It's about a game of LARP gone wrong. And if there's one thing better than something going right, it's watching something go wrong. How does the Canadian production stack up? Stick with us! And stick around as the boys give their lists for the top three movie characters they'd like to fight. Not actors, characters! Are Indiana Jones, John McClane, Capt. James T. Kirk and...

Months back Shawn, Shane Woodford and I trashed the idea of a new Bourne film in a segment of Who Cares?. The thought of a Bourne movie being made sans star Matt Damon, director Paul Greengrass and the character of Jason Bourne is ludicrous; a sheer cash grab on the part of Universal Studios. But The Bourne Legacy continues its charge toward an Aug. 3, 2012 release whether people want to see it or not. Among the actors in the running for whatever role writer/director Tony Gilroy has cooked up are Joel Edgerton (the upcoming remake of  The Thing) , Dominic Cooper (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) , Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) , and Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans). I've not heard of any of them. One last time: Universal, stop. Just STOP! If you want to make a buck off the Bourne name re-release the original trilogy in theatres. The movies are great. We don't need another Bourne film unless Damon and Greengrass are on board. No idea yet on what the plot of The Bourne Leg...

Wow! Just watched the trailer for Captain America and, aside from some poor video quality with the embed and having to tolerate the Entertainment Tonight promo at the end, it rocks!! For one, they've captured the look and tone of the original Captain America comic plus his more recent incarnation in Marvel's Ultimates universe. Second, Chris Evans owns the role. I don't know how they made him go from scrawny little runt to kick-ass soldier guy, but they pulled it off. And Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull? Hell yes! There's few mainstream releases this year I have to see. Captain America is one of them. Super 8 and Sucker Punch are also on the list! Watch the trailer and judge for yourself. And leave a comment, soldier! Captain America hits theatres in July.

Being burned out by a movie before it even hits theatres is the norm these days, with studios releasing posters, stills, and clips from an upcoming movie months before it hits cinemas in an effort to generate hype and a big opening weekend at the box office. We here in The Basement are happy to join our Internet brethren and continue that trend with Scream 4, which hits theatres April 15. Below are two clips from the film, neither of which reveal too much about the plot, making them safe for pre-screening consumption. The clips aren't bad. The tone of the first three films is alive and well as is the sense of humour. This is something I want to see eventually, be it on initial release or at home. But enough chatter, watch and enjoy. Once again, Scream 4 is directed by Wes Craven and stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Hayden Panettiere, Britt Robertson,  and Emma Roberts As for the plot: “Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), now the author of a self-help...

And we in The Basement say hells yeah!! Hatchet 2 didn't perform all that well at the box office when it was released last October, but it isn't so much the film's fault as the MPAA. The rating board failed to give it an R and unrated cuts were pulled from theatres. In other words, it didn't stand a chance. But the crew over at Arrow in the Head report Hatchet 2 has done well for itself on DVD and VOD and, if we might editorialize, deservedly so. Shawn and I gave the film a solid Good on the show several weeks back. What does that mean? Hatchet 3 is on its way bitches! ArieScope Pictures is co-producing with Dark Sky and writer/director Adam Green will be back. Here's what Green had to say, according to AITH: "We already had a possible story-line for Hatchet 3 worked out before we began shooting Hatchet II, so my cast, crew and I are beyond excited to see that the story and legacy of Victor Crowley will indeed continue. For a little indie movie t...

Sharktopus Jason: This movie isn't as fun as the title suggests. It gives us what we want, which is lots of boobs, blood and a cool beast. There are a lot of kills here, but they do get redundant. The effects are better than both Mega Shark movies put together and, although the acting is pretty bad, everything works on the level of a late night horror movie. If I had a better time with it, Sharktopus would rate a Good. Instead, I have to give it a Bad. Shawn: A low-budget movie featuring the great Eric Roberts, who was introduced to me in 1989's martial art movie The Best of the Best, which was awesome. He's not really a B-movie actor anymore, but it's good to see him stepping into these roles. Sharktopus is a good B-movie; fun and entertaining but predictable. Not the kind you watch more than once, which means it's a Bad in my books. Burning Bright Shawn: A people-eating tiger movie where no people get eaten. An under-clothed hottie and her autistic brother...

A couple of months back Shawn and I treated listeners to a night of beasts, boobs and blood with our creature-double feature Piranha 3D and Abominable. The response proved so successful that we've decided to do it again! Tonight, Anthony Michael Bosa joins us in The Basement Studios for a pair of reviews that will leave you godsmacked! First up: Sharktopus! That's right: SHARKTOPUS!! From the mind of legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman comes this monster hybrid that has to be seen to be believed. All three of us have seen it, and we share our thoughts with you near the top of the hour. What's it about? Who cares!?! It's a movie about a shark that's on octopus. What more do you need to know? Then we feast our eyes on the lovely Briana Evigan (see pic) as she protects her autistic brother from a man eating tiger in Burning Bright. The life-or-death struggle takes place in a house during a hurricane. Sucks to be them. Does the movie offer thrills and chills o...

Wow. Most days it's a struggle to find just one thing of interest to grace this glorious blog. Then comes today and BAM! More movie news than one can shake a stick at! So here's a quick roundup of several items in as close to 140 characters each as we can get, because I know folks like their information quick and to the point! Enjoy: -Director Darren Aronofsky has dropped out of the Wolverine movie well into preproduction. The film would have shot in Japan and kept Aronofsky away from home for almost a year while he is involved in custody battle with his ex, Rachel Weisz. Too bad for the movie, as Aronofsky is a great talent. -Liam Neeson almost got replaced on Taken 2 when he told writer/producer Luc Besson he needed a break after starring in almost every second movie made during the last two years. Besson wanted to move ahead on this film this year, and was preparing a list of replacements, when the issue was resolved. Neeson gets back to kicking ass in 2012. -A coupl...

When is a picture news? When it features the lovely Kate Beckinsale back in a full leather bodysuit as Selene from the Underworld series. Below is the first official glimpse/still/whatever from Underworld: New Dawn 3D, which is filming right now in Vancouver. The picture tells us nothing except Beckinsale is back and looking hotter than ever. But really, do we need to know much more? Underworld: New Dawn is directed by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein from a script by J. Michael Straczynski and John Hlavin. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but Bloody Disgusting previously reported the film will introduce audiences to Selene's hybrid Lycan/vampire daughter.  The film arrives in theaters January 20, 2012. And I've enjoyed the series enough so far to pay three extra dollars to see the latest installment at the theatre.

I enjoyed Mark Stephen Johnson's 2003 Daredevil movie a whole lot more than most people. And his unrated director's cut is even better. So I'm not disappointed to hear that 20th. Century Fox is moving ahead with a second film. But gone are Ben Affleck and the rest of the cast, as well as Johnson himself. In is director David Slade, best know for his hard-R rated horror outings Hard Candy and 30 Days of Night. Of yeah, he made one of the Twilight films too, but I won't begrudge the man a decent paycheck. Fox isn't calling the film a reboot, but it sure sounds like one. I wouldn't mind having Affleck back, as State of Play and The Town revealed a performer who has matured with age. And I dug his Matt Murdock/Daredevil. No word yet on what the story will be or when the film is due in theatres. We'll keep you posted, as always.

We've been pretty quiet about the upcoming Conan The Barbarian remake. Probably because we tend to shun remakes and nobody, but NOBODY, will ever replace Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role. But one is coming, and some guy Jason Momoa is playing Conan. The first teaser trailer has arrived, and it shows precious little about the plot, not that it's hard to figure out what a Conan movie is all about. Actually, as far as teaser trailers go, it's sucks. But that means the movie could be good as trailers, teasers or otherwise, say nothing about the quality of the final product. Watch the teaser below, judge for yourselves, and let us know what you think. The film also stars Ron Perlman, Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang,  and Rose McGowan and will cost you three extra dollars to see when it hits theatres August 19.

The Next Three Days Jason: Yawn! You call this is a thriller? It doesn't thrill, entice or make one's heart skip a beat.When Crowe is told what he will have to give up in order to break his wife out of prison, I expected there would be a price to be paid. In the end, there wasn't. This is a play-it-safe Hollywood movie, and it's boring. Good acting? Sure. Well made? Yup. But boring! And it rates an Ugly because of it. Shawn: This would probably be exciting if they had packaged it better and cut out about an hour. It looked good. The acting was great. But it just went on, and on, and on, and on. Another case of The Girl With The Terrible Titties? No. I didn't hate on this, and it was nice to see the Canadian quarter make a cameo, but I'm still giving it an Ugly. The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu Jason: Here's a no-budget film that tries hard to please and almost succeeds. This is highly enjoyable for those who know their H.P. Lovecraft mythology, a...

Tonight's a big night for us in The Basement folks as we've got an exclusive interview with New York Times bestselling author Steve Alten. Alten's the mind behind Meg, the original giant shark tale that inspired The Asylum's Mega Shark movies. The novel has been circling Hollywood for years as it waits to hit the big screen. Alten talks about his battles with Hollywood, his other novels Domain and The Loch, and the world's fascination with the pending Mayan apocalypse. Its a half hour of talk you won't want to miss. Do any of you remember when Russell Crowe was a big deal? Remember Gladiator? Master and Commander? L.A. Confidential? Hell, how about Virtuosity? Well, the moody actor's glory days are likely behind him if the box office returns for The Next Three Days are any indication. But a final domestic gross of just $21 million doesn't mean the action/thriller isn't any good. It's just that no one seems to care about Russell Crowe anym...

Bet that image will keep some of the faint of heart up at night! Thanks to the boys at Bloody Disgusting for digging it up. James (Saw) Wan's return to straight-up horror is due out in April, and we're pretty jazzed about it here in The Basement. The plot is as follows: " Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) make the terrifying discovery that the body of their comatose boy has become a magnet for malevolent entities, while his consciousness lies trapped in the dark and insidious realm known as The Further. " Sounds creepy, no?

It's not sounding like it, at least for now. The LA Times’ 24 Frames blog has heard from an unnamed source that Sylvester Stallone is still "very much involved" with The Expendables 2, which is in development at Millennium Films, but doesn’t intend to direct action sequel. The Italian Stallion is on the hunt for someone to take over those chores on the film, but no one has been selected yet. As for the script, Stallone has turned the reigns over to David Agosto and Ken Kaufman. Remember, Sly wrote and directed the first film, which became a surprise hit last summer. Because it kicked ass. One can't blame the man for wanting to spend more time in front of the camera than behind. Stallone has written, directed and starred in every film during his latest comeback. Word also has it that former Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking to play a bigger role in the sequel, and Stallone wants The Bruce back as well, this time to play the villain. Sounds like a plan...

Another day, another Vin Diesel update. What can I say? The man gets around. Below is the latest preview for the upcoming Fast Five, which re-teams Diesel with Paul Walker and pits both original cast members against The Rock himself, Dwayne Johnson. And it looks like Diesel and Johnson throw down. Sold! I've enjoyed most of The Fast and the Furious movies and think this looks like it could be the best since the first. It's nice to see a move toward more practical stunts and, after watching the preview twice, I want to own a Dodge Charger now more than ever. Fast Five is due out April 29.

I've been an unashamed Vin Diesel fan since the man first broke onto the scene in Pitch Black and have never looked back. Sure, XXX was only OK and the Chronicles of Riddick unnecessarily bloated, but he has yet to make a complete failure. Hell, I even kinda liked The Pacifier. There. I said it. And I'm super jazzed for another outing with Diesel's signature character. Sure, many fans believe Dominic Toeretto of The Fast and the Furious to be his biggest role, but it was Riddick that made Diesel a star. And a down and dirty third entry in the Riddick cannon is on its way. Diesel announced on his Facebook page that he and writer/director David Twohy are fighting hard to keep the third film R-rated and small in scale, much like Pitch Black. I say that's good news. Pitch Black worked because it was simple. Chronicles of Riddick was good, but Diesel and Twohy opened the character's universe up too quickly and I think that turned fans off. No word yet on when th...

127 Hours Shawn: Well, I don't know if a movie can get closer to a documentary than this. Although flashbacks and flash forwards aren't included in most documentaries. However, this is a dry watch, as I figure it would have been a fairly dry experience to suffer through. I've watched the actual documentary about Aron Ralston and have to give the man a tonne of props. That was a good documentary, and interesting. This wasn't, and something about James Franco bugs me. So 127 Hours rates an Ugly for me. Jason: 127 Hours is a great story that isn't told properly. Director Danny Boyle leaves that canyon as much as possible, which pulled me from the experience. Every flashy camera trick and hallucinatory image used to capture what is going on in Ralston's mind is great to look at, but it mutes what tension there is in the film. This is a personal, emotional story that didn't engage me one bit. It's hard not to compare this to Buried, which tells a similar ...

The King's Speech more than lives up to its praise and deserves the awards its won. While it's not my favourite film from 2010, it's pretty damn close. The performances are spot on across the board, especially Colin Firth as King Gearge VI and Geoffrey Rush as his speech therapist Lionel. But what else would one expect from two world-class actors? It's a great story that's moving and funny, with not a note or scene out of place. In fact, it's as close to flawless as a movie can get. Easily one of the better dramas to come along in years, and rates a Good because of it.

What's this? An artsy, award-nominated bit of film de cinema on our little show about beasts, boobs and mad killers. Have we gone nuts? Mad? Ka-razy? Nope. In fact, on our first ever podcast episode, we reviewed a then little-know movie called The Hurt Locker. Surprise! It won best picture last year. Now we're tackling Danny Boyle's celebrated survival drama 127 Hours. Why? Although critically acclaimed, James Franco's star turn didn't exactly generate heat at the box office. In other words, no one saw it. But we have, and tonight we'll let you know if it deserved the acclaim or not. Then Shawn and I ask one question: can you smell what The Rock is cookin'? That's right. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson returned to hardcore action last fall with Faster. Too bad no one bothered to see it. Did the film deserve to be ignored by mainstream audiences, or is it a diamond in the rough? Stick with us! And The Basement's own Mike S, he who created ou...

More and more often it seems we have to look overseas to find cool, fun and creepy genre efforts. And it's great when we encounter one that looks to be all of the above. Joe Cornish's Attack the Block is an alien invasion horror/comedy about a gang of South London teenagers defending their housing project home against an alien attack. And it looks wicked cool, with the right balance of scares, action and humour that made 80s movies like Fright Night and The Monster Squad so hip.  Yes, that's Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz's Nick Frost among the group. This is also from the producers of Shaun. We've got the trailer for you below and suggest you give it a view. And trust me when I say Shawn and I will be doing a review of this film as soon as we can get our mitts on a copy.

It sounds like we do, thanks to the crafty folks over at Badass Digest . And the details certainly work for me! As written by the Badass boys, who cite an unconfirmed but trusted source, Anne Hathaway is indeed Catwoman, but she's not the villain of the piece. She and Batman go after the League of Shadows, who were the bad guys in Batman Begins. The League is led by none other than Talia Al Ghul, Ras's daughter. Bane (Tom Hardy), is Talia's possible love interest and the League apparently tries to finish what it started in the first movie. Somehow Joseph Gordon-Levitt figures into all this and, according to The Digest, he's a bad guy too. This makes sense, and it sounds pretty damn solid. Writer/director Christopher Nolan is known for his misinformation, but it's fun to speculate on what could be. If this is indeed the plot for The Dark Knight Rises, then I'm sold. The final Batman film is due in theatres July 2012.

This is a movie we in The Basement want to see NOW!!! We've been buzzing about Troll Hunter for some time, but have yet to track down a copy of the Norwegian film. There was an almost moment, but it quickly passed. Now Magnolia Pictures have acquired the film for a North American release and put up a website , which promises Troll Hunter is coming soon. But soon is not soon enough, if you know what I know what I know. There's also a new trailer, which we have included below. Because we know movie geeks never get enough of trailers. I know Shawn and I don't . . . even though they often tell us lies. Here's hoping Troll Hunter ends up being as much fun as it looks. We will keep you updated on its pending release as details come in. And now the preview: