action movies

Matt Damon came to Comic-Con for the first time to promote his new film, Elysium, which no one had seen footage from — until today! The panel audience was treated to a long preview of the movie, after which stars Damon, Jodie Foster, and Sharlto Copley came out to chat about the sci-fi action flick. They were with director Neill Blomkamp, who directed Copley in 2009's District 9, and he and the cast talked about Elysium's similarities to District 9, the stunts, and the rather yucky location shoots. Check out the details below.

• We saw a lot of footage from the film, and I have to say I was quite impressed, starting with Blomkamp's world. In Elysium, it's 2159, and Earth is a dirty, inhospitable place to live, so the rich live on a space station called Elysium. The look of Earth (which was shot in Mexico City) in the film reminded me a lot of District 9; very dusty, desolate, and cluttered with litter. We also got some insight into Damon's character Max, a former prisoner who lives in the slums of the future. When he gets infected with a toxin and has only days left to live, he agrees to a mission to Elysium. Damon's Max is tough and sardonic (and, yes, bald), and, once he gets outfitted with armor, quite badass.
• Damon and Foster both admitted to being attracted to the project because they both like Blomkamp's work so much. Damon said signing on was a "very easy decision after I saw District 9," while Foster called that movie "a perfect film," and when Elysium came up, "luckily the script came in and there was a girl in it."
• Damon had a funny and gross story about shooting at the second-largest dump on the world in Mexico, where, he said, the dust was composed mostly of fecal matter. He said that after shooting some days, he and Copley would be black with dust and "we'd look at each other and go, 'This is fecal matter.'" But it was worth it for the finished project, and Damon said that afterward, "Neill would run up and say, 'I promise you the photography looks great.'" Damon added, "I just tried not to think about it."
• Copley was excited to be back at Comic-Con, and he thanked the audience, calling it a defining moment of his life when he came to the convention in 2009 for District 9.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Four score and seven years ago (give or take a few decades), Abraham Lincoln wasn't just a champion of civil rights — he also slaughtered vampires. That's the skewed re-imagining of our 16th president's life in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, the adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's novel. Benjamin Walker plays Abe, a young man bent on avenging the vampire murder of his mother. When the mysterious Henry (Dominic Cooper) comes to Abraham's aid during a botched attempt to kill his mother's attacker, Henry decides to train Abraham to be a vampire hunter. Wielding his trusty axe, Abe the vampire slayer slaughters the monsters all over 19th-century America by night and pursues his political career by day. Before you head to the theater, find out which elements make the bloody, action-packed thriller movie worth seeing — along with the concerns that may keep you away.

• The fight scenes are exciting. The best parts of the movie are when Abe goes head to head with the vampires. He's a badass when he's got an axe in his hand, and the fighting is The Matrix-style, only with blood splatters.
• But . . . The Matrix did it better 13 years ago.
• Dominic Cooper and Anthony Mackie are fantastic. Cooper plays Henry, Abraham's vampire-killing guru, and he's smooth, charismatic, and the most interesting character in the movie. Mackie plays Abe's childhood best friend and eventual partner in vampire exterminating, and he's so watchable that I wished he'd had more scenes.
• But . . . Cooper and Mackie aren't the stars of this movie; Benjamin Walker is. And while Walker is attractive and certainly looks the part, he's just a bit too bland. It's partially the way the character is written; when Abe's not axing the crap out of the undead, his personality is as wooden as the trees he chops down.

To find out the other ups and downs of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, just read more.

The first trailer for Premium Rush showcases a lot of fancy chase sequences for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's bike messenger character Wilee, but this new preview gives us a look at new scenes, including Wilee's encounter with the resident baddie, played by Boardwalk Empire's creepy Michael Shannon, who threatens the two-wheeled hero, "You have no idea what's coming for you."

This flick has all the elements of a great summer movie: JGL, cool map graphics (OK, that one's a little nerdy), and chase scenes galore. Clearly JGL is no ordinary biker, and by the end of the trailer, he's got a chip on his shoulder, voicing, "One time or another we all get hit; sometimes we gotta hit back." I know it's cheesy, but it just sounds good coming from him. I'm still wondering what's in the package and who exactly is chasing after Wilee, but does it really matter? The film comes out on Aug. 24, but you can watch the trailer for Premium Rush after the jump.

When the teaser for The Bourne Legacy dropped months ago, we got a glimpse at the latest chapter in the lauded action franchise, but the new, full trailer gives us a much better idea of the storyline, including Treadstone's remaining ties to Jason Bourne. Although Jeremy Renner is taking over as leading man, it seems that Matt Damon's character is still hanging around Manhattan . . . sort of. We also get a deeper look at Renner's character, Aaron Cross, who volunteers to be a subject for the program and ends up getting more than he bargains for. And by that I mean they alter his chromosomes, making him a supersoldier.

The addition of Renner, Rachel Weisz, and Edward Norton make Legacy feel like an entirely different franchise. That's not to say I'm not excited; with a few other action flicks like The Avengers already on his résumé, Renner seems like he's got the skills to perform the stunts, and as far as I'm concerned, every movie is better off with Edward Norton in it. The biggest question is, given how much of the story seems to revolve around Jason Bourne, will Damon be making a cameo? The flick comes out Aug. 3, but to watch the trailer, keep reading.

I know we've already seen a couple of trailers for The Amazing Spider-Man, but the latest one is still definitely worth watching. In the midst of footage we've seen before, like Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield)'s romance with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), there's also a lot of fresh stuff. More specifically, there's more action, more villainy, and a little more humor. Here are three reasons you should check it out:

1. More Spidey sass. We already knew that Garfield's Peter Parker loves a good wisecrack, and here his sarcasm is on display again, as he reveals a fear of small knives. I have to give credit to Marc Webb for remembering that even geeky teens can be obnoxious.
2. A better look at the Lizard. The flashes of Dr. Connors, aka The Lizard, are still brief, but this preview provides a better idea of what we're in for. Specifically, just how big (and kind of scary) this guy is.
3. More intrigue. I've always been curious about Peter's parents, since the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies don't really touch on the topic at all, and I'm looking forward to getting some answers in The Amazing Spider-Man. Not only does this new trailer tease that secrets will be revealed, but it suggests that Peter was destined to be Spidey all along.

The movie opens Fourth of July weekend, but get another peek when you read more

Ensemble romantic comedies are a dime a dozen these days, and let's face it: most of those star-studded flicks aren't even that good. But an ensemble superhero movie? Now that's an idea I can get behind. The Avengers rounds up an all-star group of comic book heroes who must get over their inflated egos and differences to take down a villain and save the world. It's a simple enough concept, and the combination of eye-popping special effects, humor, and a stellar cast makes for one hell of a blockbuster movie.

The cast of characters — and each one is very much a character in their own right — is mostly composed of people you've seen before and are happy to welcome back. There's Chris Evans as Captain America, whose situation as a '50s guy living in a 2012 world is funny to the audience, if not to him. Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as Iron Man, and his wisecracks and borderline obnoxious behavior carry the film and much of the dialogue; Chris Hemsworth is back as demigod Thor, though his role feels a bit downplayed in the midst of the rest of the hubbub. Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner return as Nick Fury, Black Widow and Hawkeye, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who kick butt but are never really as much fun as their power-wielding cohorts. The only guy who's new to the group is Mark Ruffalo, who takes on the role of Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk) for the first time, and Ruffalo's so quietly engaging that you won't even remember Eric Bana or Edward Norton in the role.

To see what else is great about The Avengers, just read more

The bad boys of The Expendables are back in the trailer for the sequel, and this time they have a hot, new secret weapon: Liam Hemsworth. Given that the original film features action stars of many decades (including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, and Chuck Norris), it seems fitting that they've made room for the Hunger Games star as their latest edition (fun fact: Hemsworth was originally cast in the first film, but his part was cut). In The Expendables 2, Hemsworth joins the gang as a sniper named Billy the Kid as they face down a villain played by Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Don't try to follow too much of the story in the trailer, though; it's mostly a mélange of shoot-'em-up sequences, fistfights, and explosions. It's not that it's not fun, however, and it's definitely worth the watch to see Hemsworth in action star mode. The movie comes out on Aug. 17, and you can check out the trailer when you read more

The third (and most likely final) trailer for The Dark Knight Rises is here, and it's just as eerie as the first two. However, there's a lot of new footage here and plenty of new clues about what we're in for when the film hits theaters July 20. Here are the top five reasons we're excited about the latest preview:

1. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does, in fact, speak in this movie. We're still not entirely sure about JGL's role in this film, other than the fact that he'll play a cop, but at least now we see more of him in action. This is the first time we've heard any of his lines, and it appears that he'll be one of the good guys — and maybe even in cahoots with Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle. Which brings me to my next point . . .
2. Catwoman might not be a villain. We've all assumed that Selina would be another nemesis for Batman (Christian Bale), but now it appears that she might be a new sidekick instead. Not only does she seem sympathetic to Bruce Wayne, but she voluntarily gets in the batmobile. Perhaps we were a little too quick to accuse her of grand theft batpod.
3. The batmobile takes flight. That's right — Batman's ride has always been pretty badass, but now it can actually fly!
4. Bane (Tom Hardy) might be understandable after all. Granted, he doesn't speak too much in this preview, but I still found him to be a lot easier to understand in this trailer than he's been in the past.
5. Bruce Wayne and Miranda Tate lock lips. Bye bye Maggie Gyllenhaal, hello Marion Cotillard. Cotillard's Miranda still doesn't have any lines in this preview, but we do see her and Bruce in a pretty serious embrace. I'm grateful for a bit of lightness in the midst of all this terrorism, but it does raise a new question — if Selina isn't a villain, might we have a love triangle on our hands?

Check out the preview and tell us what else you're excited about when you read more