GeekScholars Movie News

Friday has come and gone, and the GeekScholars Movie News podcast has all of the highlights for you, including Friday's film panels and press rooms, and of course the best cosplayers we ran into. For Part Two of our series of special 2013 SDCC episodes, the GeekScholars report on: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 first footage! Riddick Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones RoboCop

Greetings from the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International! The GeekScholars Movie News podcast is here, covering all of Thursday's best movie-related panels, and checking out all the best cosplayers from the first two days! (Note: Only about 1/6 of our photos are up, more coming soon!) On this first special 2013 SDCC episode, the GeekScholars report on: Walking the convention floor and checking out the displays The Ender's Game panel featuring Harrison Ford The Divergent panel featuring Shailene Woodley The Anatomy of Superhero Film Music: Bringing a Comic Book to Life Also, make sure you check out our exclusive photo galleries, and remember we'll be looking for contestants to play in our 2013 SDCC Movie Trivia Games in the Hall H Line on Saturday morning!   Click Here to Take the GeekScholars Movie News Super Awesome Feedback Survey!

This is it! The last GeekScholars Movie News podcast before the hosts ship out to the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International! The schedule for SDCC has just been released, and the crew have been rigorously planning out which films they'll be covering, and as such, the first half of this week's episode is dedicated to the highlights they expect to cover! Also, if you're going also going to be attending SDCC 2013, and want to be a participant in the GeekScholars Movie Trivia Games to win exclusive prizes, click here for details! While the details of the schedule are almost certain to change as new opportunities come up, you can expect to hear updates from the GeekScholars crew on: Captain America: The Winter Soldier The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Thor: The Dark World X-Men: Days of Future Past Kick-Ass 2 Godzilla Ender's Game The World's End Divergent RoboCop And tons more, including hidden movie-related panel gems like Star Wars vs. Serenity and Dark Horse: Joss Whedon! Also on this episode, the hosts review Despicable Me 2 and The Lone Ranger, including both a spoiler-free discussion and a spoiler session after the credits, including a debate between Fox and Chris, who each saw the film very, very differently. Click Here to Take the GeekScholars Movie News Super Awesome Feedback Survey!

It's July 2013, and the GeekScholars Movie News podcast is ready to release its Rotten Tomatoes and Opening Weekend Box Office Predictions for all the biggest films coming out this month! Last month, Fox's analyses were the most spot-on, being only off by and average of +/- 7 points for every movie he predicted for its Rotten Tomatoes score. The July 2013 line-up: * The Lone Ranger * Despicable Me 2 * Pacific Rim * Grown Ups 2 * RED 2 * R.I.P.D. * Turbo * The Wolverine The GeekScholars also play a round of 'Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down' as they weigh in on some of the week's biggest film headlines, including: * Cameron Diaz in Annie * The possible plot of the next Jurassic Park movie * Liam Neeson returning for Taken 3 * Casting for The Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles * Captain Planet and Encyclopedia Brown movies and more!

With the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con looming in the distance, news is starting to get a wee bit sparse, but over at GeekScholars Movie News, we dug up a few headlines for our hosts to discuss on this week's show, starting with the news the Robert Downey, Jr. will indeed return as Iron Man in two future Marvel movies. Also, you're about to get a whole bunch more Spider-Man, as the crew talks about sequels and new casting news. After that, in honor of The Heat coming out, the hosts play 'Either/Or: Buddy Cop Edition', as they debate some of the finer points of the best law enforcement pairings throughout cinematic history. To close things out, Chris and Jill talk about, and grade, the first trailers for The Lego Movie, The Wolf of Wall Street, and jOBS.

The 2013 Comic-Con International: San Diego is just a few mere weeks away! The crew of GeekScholars Movie News will be there, bringing you all the breaking news as it happens, for all of your most anticipated movies. It's with that in mind that the hosts did some extensive research past week and are dedicating this episode to which films fans can expect to have representation (along with who and what) at SDCC2013, and which ones will probably skip it. The GeekScholars weigh in on over 25 blockbusters expected to hit between now and 2015 including: The Wolverine Riddick The World's End The Hunger Games: Catching Fire The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug The Amazing Spider-Man 2 X-Men: Days of Future Past The Avengers 2 Star Wars: Episode VII...and many, many more! For the second half of the show, Chris, Fox, and Jill debate the positives and negatives of the recently released Man of Steel, each of whom had very different takeaways from the film. During the show, listen to a completely spoiler-free review, then stay after credits to hear the GeekScholars discuss specific Man of Steel plot points and moments.

On this week's GeekScholars Movie News podcast, the hosts dive into two big headlines making the rounds, starting with more Guardians of the Galaxy casting. With the news that Benicio Del Toro is joining the film, the question on everyone's mind is whether or not he'll be playing the villainous Thanos. Listen in to hear what the GeekScholars think about Del Toro and what traits they feel are necessary to bring Thanos to life. Also, Penelope Cruz is signing on for James Bond 24, so the crew discusses what it means to be a 'Bond Girl', and whether or not that title should be relevant or used going forward. After that, it's time once again for a Casting Competition Challenge! With Man of Steel about to hit theaters, and a sequel already announced, the GeekScholars name their picks for people to play Lex Luthor and Supergirl, if they should pop up in the next installment. Next, the hosts review and grade the first trailers for Runner Runner, a poker action thriller, and Paranoia, a corporate action thriller and find them remarkably similar. Finally, Fox and Chris battle over just how bad The Internship is during their weekly spoiler-free movie review, with a more in-depth discussion after the credits.

It's an especially fun episode of the GeekScholars Movie News podcast this week, as the crew dives into quick discussions about all of the week's news, with an installment of 'Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down'. Specifically, each of the hosts weigh in with their thoughts on: John C. Reilly and Glenn Close getting cast as Nova Corps members in Guardians of the Galaxy Tom Hardy being courted to play Elton John in Rocketman A 'Grumpy Cat' movie now in the works The National Association of Theater Owners requesting changes to movie marketing Henry Cavill in talks to be The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Sam Mendes to direct James Bond 24 and 25 Plus, at the request of the fans, a discussion about which movie character each of the GeekScholars would like to trade lives with, if it meant of all the perks, as well as all of challenges. Finally, the show caps off with a spoiler-free review of Now You See Me, followed up by a post-credits, in-depth conversation of the film (complete with spoilers), where the GeekScholars address many of the other critics' assessment of the movie.

It's an absolutely jam-packed episode for this week's GeekScholars Movie News podcast, as the hosts dive into their box office preview for June 2013! Specifically, the crew discusses which major releases they are most excited about (and which ones they'll be skipping), as well as their predictions for how well each movie will fare with critics, and for the first time ever, their estimates on how much money each film will make on its opening weekend! Highlights in June include: The Internship Much Ado About Nothing Man of Steel This Is the End Monsters University World War Z The Heat White House Down From there, the GeekScholars talk about the week's biggest headlines, including: a Timecop remake; The 33, a film about 2010 Chilean miner accident; and the newest project from Francis Ford Coppola, director of the Godfather trilogy. Also, the crew gives a quick Preview Review of the first trailer for We're the Millers, a comedy starring Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston, and then they finish out with their spoiler-free reviews of Epic and Fast & Furious 6.

On this very special episode of the GeekScholars Movie News podcast, Fox and Chris sit down with renowned screenwriter Jim Hart, to discuss his latest movie, Epic! Learn about the inspiration for the film, which originated from his childhood memories, and the process of bringing the little world to the big screen. Also, Hart candidly discusses some of the joys, and challenges, of adapting material into movies, specifically sharing some very amusing tales including: Where his idea for Hook came from, and his thoughts on the film's lasting legacy How he worked with Carl Sagan to turn Contact into a story that people could relate too Why we'll never, ever, ever see Sahara 2

Some great headlines and rumors to discuss on this week's episode of the GeekScholars Movie News podcast! The show kicks off with the hosts discussing the large amount of casting currently underway for the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, Into the Woods. Specifically, it sounds like Meryl Streep, Johnny Deep, Chris Pine, Jake Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, and Anna Kendrick may all be joining the fairy tale adventure. Also, two movies about chefs are squaring off—Chef starring Jon Favreau, Robert Downey, Jr., and Scarlett Johansson, and a rival picture of the same name starring Bradley Cooper and Michelle Williams. From there, the crew plays 'Never Tell Me the Odds', where they predict the probability of: Incredibles 2 making to the big screen A Gremlins reboot getting off the ground Christopher Nolan directing a James Bond film Karl Urban returning for Dredd 2 Arnold Schwarzenegger starring in a Toxic Avenger remake Finally, the GeekScholars cap off the show with Preview Reviews of Riddick and About Time, as well as a spoiler-free review of Star Trek Into Darkness, with a spoiler-abundant discussion after the credits!

This week's episode of the GeekScholars Movie News podcast kicks off with the news that Tom Cruise has agreed to produce and star (of course) in Mission: Impossible 5. The hosts also discuss director Shane Black, of recent Iron Man 3 fame, being tapped to write and helm an adaptation of Doc Savage. Rounding out Headlines, the crew muse about the upcoming biopic of John Gotti, which will star John Travolta and be directed by Joe Johnston (Captain America: The First Avenger). Then GeekScholars then go head-to-head in 'Either/Or': Star Trek Movie Edition, where they passionately debate various comparisons, including: Better Star Trek villain: Christopher Plummer as General Chang in The Undiscovered Country, or Eric Bana as Lord Nero in the reboot? Sexier female science officer: Wrath of Khan’s Carol Marcus, or Next Generation’s Beverly Crusher? Sexier Captain’s Best Friend: Next Generation’s Will Riker or Karl Urban’s Doctor McCoy? Who would win in a fight: Anton Yelchin’s Chekhov, or Next Generation’s Wesley Crusher? And many more! (Seriously, if you're Trek fan, you won't want to miss out on this hilarious exchange) The hosts then wrap things up with reviews and grades during Preview Reviews, as they discuss the latest trailers for Ender's Game, Captain Phillips, The Butler, and The World's End

Lots covered in this week's episode of the GeekScholars Movie News podcast, starting with some literary adaptations! The hosts discuss the news that Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman are gearing up for a new adaptation of Macbeth, and Kenneth Branagh will direct a live adaptation of Cinderella with Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother, and Downton Abbey's Lily James in the title role. After that, the crew votes Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down on a variety of film news updates from the past week, including: Jurassic Park IV taking place on the original island (Isla Nublar), J.J. Abrams thinking John Williams will return to score Star Wars: Episode VII, Ben Stiller in talks to direct Robert Downey Jr. playing Gepetto in Pinocchio, Transformers 4 adds Kelsey Grammer as the human villain, A Hillary Clinton biopic, Rodham, gets new life as director James Ponsoldt attaches himself to the film, Jamie Foxx to play the Daddy Warbucks character in Annie remake, Bradley Cooper and Steven Spielberg team up for the biopic, American Sniper The GeekScholars then round things out with Preview Reviews for Walking With Dinosaurs, and White House Down, along with a spoiler-free discussion of Iron Man 3, including some thoughts on why so many critics gave it negative reviews.

The GeekScholars Movie News podcast kicks off May 2013 by giving a quick snapshot of all the major releases, including what they are excited about, which ones they'll personally skip, and their predictions for how each film will fare on Rotten Tomatoes. For April, the GeekScholars were only off by about +/- 5 points, so listen in to hear what they have to say about: Iron Man 3, The Great Gatsby, Star Trek Into Darkness, Fast & Furious 6, The Hangover Part III, Epic, Before Midnight, After Earth, Now You See Me Also, the hosts engage in another rousing round of 'Never Tell Me the Odds' where they discuss the probability of various movie rumors actually happening. Specific they predict the odds that: Iron Man 4 will happen, The Controller is the main villain of Guardians of the Galaxy, Man of Steel director Zack Snyder will direct Justice League, J.J. Abrams will return to direct Star Trek 3 and more!

On this week's episode of the GeekScholars Movie News podcast, the hosts debut a brand new segment called 'Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down', where they debate the pro and cons of some of the past week's biggest headlines including: The news that six new Star Wars movies are coming—one a year starting in 2015, Robert Downey, Jr. may retire from Iron Man soon, The Walking Dead's Michael Rooker joins Guardians of the Galaxy, Jamie Foxx's Electro will be the neon blue Ultimate version in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Stanley Tucci has joined Transformers 4, Pitch Perfect 2 is coming in 2015, Fast and Furious 7 is coming in 2014, Weird Science will get an R-rated remake in 2015. From there, the crew jumps into Preview Reviews with their thoughts and grades on the trailers for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and R.I.P.D., then round out the show with a spoiler-free review of Oblivion.