My first thought, okay my second thought, when I saw this was “do I dare do another Conan the Barbarian” post? Can I help it if Lionsgate’s publicity machine is cranked up to 11 already and there’s still a over a month to go before release? Can I help it if Jason Momoa is staring at me with those bedroom eyes out from under all of that hair all the while he’s wielding his mighty…sword?

Seriously, do you think it’s mere coincidence he’s holding the sword that way or do you think they’re subliminally trying to suggest something else? Paging Dr. Freud! (Oooo Viggo Mortensen is playing Freud in A Dangerous Method…which makes me think of Michael Fassbender…*drool* But I digress…) Which of course brings me to my first thought: “HOLY CRAP! Did it just get hot in here??”

Conan the Barbarian 3D is being described as a FANTASY action adventure film after all…You put the emphasis where you want, I’ll put it where I want.

Jason Momoa brings the hotness to a theater near you starting on August 19th.

Two new images have surfaced from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It seems we’re going to be getting to know the dwarves, at least the ones we didn’t meet in the previous LOTR Trilogy.

In the first image we see the brothers Dori, the oldest (Mark Hadlow), Nori (Jed Brophy) and the youngest, Ori (Adam Brown). Dori, as most big brothers do, spends much of his time keeping an eye on the youngest and keeping him safe  from Wargs and Goblins. Most of the time no one is sure what Nori has gotten himself into, but odds are it will be  illegal.

The second image shows us Oin and Gloin.  In the original trilogy, John Rhys-Davies portrayed Gimli. Well, Gloin is Gimli’s father and Oin is Gimli’s uncle, Gloin’s brother. Got it?

The dwarves in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will all accompany a Bilbo Baggins (played by Martin Freeman) on the Quest of Erebor on which they found the dragon Smaug and Bilbo encounters Gollum and finds the one Ring. I have to wonder why they didn’t just start here in the first place. J. R. R. Tolkein did.

Given that this new 3D adventure is currently in production in New Zealand and that we’ll be waiting until December 2012 to see it,  I expect that we’ll be getting images of all of the major players in the coming weeks and months. Can’t wait!

It’s been rumored for weeks, but it has finally been confirmed that Naomi Harris (28 Days Later) will take on the role of Miss Moneypenny in the new James Bond flick, for now only known as Bond 23.  Moneypenny was notably absent from both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.  Her inclusion might be sign that director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) will take the new installment back in a more tradition direction. By the way, anyone skeptical about Mendes ability to handle an action packed Bond film, frightened that he might be a bit too cerebral, should take in 2005′s Jarhead with Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx.

Judi Dench is set to return as “M”, but in other casting news, Academy Award winner Javier Bardem, another actor whose participation has long been the subject of rumor, specifically as a villain, has been confirmed to star, although we still don’t know who he’ll play. Another name that’s been bandied about quite a bit is that of Ralph Fiennes. Apparently Fiennes has been sewn up as well. I’m very high on Mr. Fiennes these days. I’m so excited for the December release of his directorial debut, Coriolanus, that I’m wishing half a year away.

Speaking of Coriolanus, the script for Bond 23 is co-written by John Logan who not only penned the script for Coriolanus but also for The Hurt Locker and was Academy Award and BAFTA nominated for the scripts for Gladiator and The Aviator. The other writers for Bond 23 are Neal Purvis and Robert Wade whose credits include Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale, Die Another Day and The World is Not Enough.

The bad news: we have to wait until November 2012 for the Bond 23. Grrrrr… The good news? The Weinstein Company is giving us and early Christmas present with Coriolanus on December 2, 2011.

Another image has been released for Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, due in theaters in November (in North America, September in the UK). This one shows a man called Toby Easterhase (David Dencik) as he tells George Smiley (Gary Oldman) that “things aren’t always what they seem”.

I’m also including another look at the trailer for a couple of reasons. First, is it me or does this version, basically the same clip we’ve seen before, seem to move a tad slower? Or have I watched it so many times that it’s easier to discern all of the various characters that are included here? I don’t remember noticing so much Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy) in my previous viewings.

I also forgot to mention how cool it is that the trailer is using the soundtrack to another Oldman film, Francis Ford Coppola’s version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I recognized it right away (maybe because I recently rewatched that film), and whatever else one may think of the movie (imho, Oldman in his scenes with Winona Ryder is incredibly sexy. She’s certainly never had as much chemistry with any other male co-star,) the score is brilliant.

Another reason to view this trailer, the usually annoying ad in front of it is actually interesting. It uses footage from Captain America: The First Avenger (out on July 22) with a voiceover from star Chris Evans discussing his famous shield, to plug Norton’s antivirus computer software. Pretty cool.

How sweet is this pic of Krysten Ritter and Alicia Silverstone with their hair in curlers? Don’t you love the pinups of Michael J. Fox and “The Fonz” on the bedroom wall? They look like they might be getting ready for a teen-age slumber party. (Never mind that the actresses are 29 and 34 respectively.) Would you believe those two angelic looking girls are VAMPIRES?  Ritter and Silverstone are starring in Vamps, Amy Heckerling’s ‘vampiric rom-com’ (ya know, those words just don’t appear in the same sentence enough) due out next year.

The story is as follows: Goody (Silverstone) and Stacy (Ritter) are modern girls who happen to be vampires, living it up in New York City. Their ‘lifestyle’ and their secret identities are threatened when one of them falls in love. From the stills, I’m gonna guess it’s Stacy. I’ve read this film described as both a comedic horror movie and a rom-com about vampires, so there’s no telling if we’ll get another American Werewolf in London or Love at First Bite. Again, just going by the pics, I’ll roll the dice and say Vamps is more in line with the latter. (Both of those are excellent by the way. If you haven’t seen them…TO THE QUEUE!) Amy Heckerling brought us both Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Clueless, so there is reason to expect something better than the norm here.

I’m not exactly sure what’s going on in some of those stills, but Richard Lewis has looked like a vampire for quite some time. The rest of the sick cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Malcolm McDowell,  Kristen Johnston, Wallace Shawn, Justin Kirk, Marilu Henner and Dan Stevens (from “Downton Abbey” – SKWEEEEL).

Once upon a time, Joss Whedon (of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” “Angel”, “Firefly”, Serenity and Thor fame) and his friend and collaborator Drew Goddard, wrote a little horror movie called The Cabin in the Woods, said to be a “twisted and unusual take on the familiar cabin in the woods formula.” Then they actually got it made, with Goddard directing and Whedon producing.  They assembled an eclectic cast including Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford and Amy Acker as well as a pre-Grey’s Anatomy Jesse Williams and a pre-hunkified Chris Hemsworth. I’m thinking The Cabin in the Woods probably acted as his audition for Thor.

Well, since then the finished product has languished on someone’s shelf or maybe in Whedon’s garage, since 2009, looking for a distributor. Enter Lionsgate. They’ve purchased the film with plans to release it this fall. Given that the first official image has just been released and the poster that just dropped has “October 2011″ on it in big bold letters, this sounds about right.

There’s also an official website but it has very little content beyond an enticement to go to the film’s Facebook page.

It’s been quite some time since I purposefully saw a teen slasher flick. I think this one has a leg up simply by virtue of the fact that they’re acknowledging  the formula, both with the official “synopsis” and the poster itself. You go a long way to diffusing the critical snark if you’re the one labeling the stereotypical characters. Given the film’s pedigree, The Cabin in the Woods might be worth a look. I think the “Whedies” who’ve been clamoring for its release for two years would agree.

Pixar has released a new image for it’s new animated action-adventure/fantasy film Brave, due out next year. The image shows the film’s heroine Merida and her trusty bow. The film’s plot revolves around the young girl, a Scottish princess, who defies her parents by persuing an interest in archery and other chivalrous pursuits usually left to boys, but inadvertently jeopardizes her father’s kingdom in the process.

Set in the gorgeous Scottish highlands and just judging from the teaser trailer released last month, the film’s look is incredibly realistic. I’m sure in 3D one will be able to feel the swirling mist and smell the heather. Personally, I cannot wait to hear all of those glorious accents.  The voice cast is full of authentic Scots brogues from Kevin McKidd as Lord MacGuffin, Craig Ferguson as Lord MacIntosh, Robbie Coltraine as Lord Dingwall, Billy Connolly as King Fergus and the lovely Kelly Macdonald as Princess Merida herself.  No offense to Reese Witherspoon, who turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts, but I’d much rather hear a real Scot in the role.

Speaking of real Scots, Glaswegian Patrick Doyle has been signed to compose the score for Brave. This, in my humble opinion, is very good news indeed. I’ve been a fan of Doyle’s since Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V.  That disc is still in heavy rotation in my collection. In fact, some of my favorite soundtracks of recent years come from the scores he’s composed for his good friend Branagh’s films like Dead Again, Much Ado About Nothingand Hamlet, not to mention his ethereal score for Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility.  I’m sure others recognize his name from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Oh and then there’s Nim’s Island. I told you all roads lead to G. Are you starting to believe me yet?

Brave is scheduled to enchant US audiences in 3D beginning June 22, 2012 and in the UK 17 August 2012.

European film studio Pathe has released the first teaser for Meryl Streep’s next piece of Oscar bait, The Iron Lady. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, who also directed la Streep in 2008′s Mama Mia, and a script by Abi Morgan, co-writer of Steve McQueen’s forthcoming Shame with Michael Fassbender, The Iron Lady tells the story of  Britain’s first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Streep) and focuses on the price this strong and complex woman paid for power.

Jim Broadbent (whom most probably know as Professor Slughorn from the Harry Potter films) co-stars as Thatcher’s supportive spouse Denis Thatcher. (Harry Lloyd, late of HBO’s “Game of Thrones”, plays him as a young man. I just found out he’s the great, great, great grandson of Charles Dickens. Sorry, I think that’s cool. Don’t judge.) Newcomer Alexandra Roach plays the young Maggie. The rest of the cast includes Anthony Head (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), Richard E. Grant (whose list of credits is longer than my arm, including The Age of Innocence,Dracula and Gosford Park), Nicholas Farrell (“The Jury”) and a whole host of talented British character actors, because everyone in that country can act.

The Iron Lady is slated for an awards qualifying December 16, 2011 release here in the US. Movie goers in the UK will have to wait until 6 January 2012.