I'll admit it; I have a soft spot for Vin Diesel. Feel free to laugh at me, but I can't help myself, it's something about that voice. So you might want to keep my personal bias in mind when I say that Babylon A.D. really doesn't look all that bad. Silly? Yes, but entertaining none the less. Ropes of Silicon found the latest poster for the sci-fi flick from Gothika director Mathieu Kassovitz and if nothing else, it's a step up from the first one-sheet/Oakley ad we saw a few months ago.

Diesel stars as Toorop, a mercenary who takes the job of escorting a woman from Eastern Europe to New York. But if you have seen the trailer, you know that there is a lot more to this lady than meets the eye. Say what you will about the film, but you have to admit, some of those 'Bladerunneresque' shots of the city were pretty impressive. Starring alongside Diesel is the criminally underused Michelle Yeoh as an a**-kicking nun, as well as, Gerard Depardieu, and Charlotte Rampling.

Babylon has had rough time throughout production. The project started back in 2005, when Kassovitz was hired to adapt the novel, Babylon Babies. Originally the French actor Vincent Cassel was expected to take the lead, but Diesel decided to drop out of Hitman (probably not a bad idea all things considered) to lobby for the role. It was even speculated that the move caused bad blood between Cassel and Kassovitz, and ruined a long standing friendship. As if that wasn't enough stress; there were also delays from weather and talk about the film running over budget.

Hopefully all these problems won't be showing up on the screen when Babylon A.D. opens in theaters on August 29th.

Welcome back to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game where you all race to the death to provide us with the best possible captions for photos from upcoming films. Last week we asked you to steal some of our thunder and shoot us your bestest captions for an image from Tropic Thunder. Luckily, we managed to choose three winners without staging a protest, and so congrats to you ... and you ... and you.

1. "They knew something had gone very wrong on the set of Alien 5 when, unexpectedly, Robert Downey Jr. popped out of the soldier's chest." -- Kurt P.

2. OK, this might not be the right time to bring this up ... but I'm pretty sure you still owe me for that last trip to IHOP." -- Jeremy C.

3."You can be my wing man anytime" -- Mike R.

See full image and all captions


This week we're strapped in and ready to roll out with the ultra serious Jason Statham (for real, has anyone ever seen this guy smile?), who stars in the new flick Death Race (in theaters August 22). In the film, Statham stars as an ex-con who's forced by the warden of a prison to compete in a car race where severe road rage and the annihilation of your competitors is recommended. The drivers behind our three favorite captions this week will cruise away with one Death Race poster, one Death Race t-shirt, one Death Race tank top, and one Death Race hat. I'd tell you to use all that to create your own Death Race in the comforts of your home ... but something tells me that might not be the greatest idea. Sound off below!



Read the official rules for this contest

Over on his blog, writer-director Kevin Smith has unveiled a new photo from Zack and Miri Make a Porno (see updated gallery below), as well as a few pieces of ridiculously cool movie-inspired artwork from this year's Crazy 4 Cult 2 gallery showing in Los Angeles at Gallery1988 later this month. (He also briefly talks about seeing Watchmen, which he called "f**king astounding.") The above image is only half of Andrew Wilson's sprawling epic-like movie character poster (see miniature version of entire piece below), which will be on display and available for purchase at the gallery when the show opens with a reception hosted by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier on August 22. (The show itself will run from August 22 through September 12.)



**Click on the image above to head to a very cool website where you can scope out each character up close. How many can you spot?

In addition to Wilson's poster, Smith threw up a taste of what else will be on display (see two images in the gallery below; I apologize for not knowing artist names), and you can also see (and learn) more over on the Crazy 4 Cult 2 website and Gallery1988 blog. Wish I could attend, but the whole living on the other side of the country thing kinda gets in the way. If you go, definitely let us know how it is.

Surfing around online earlier today, I came across this nifty little site called Handmade Detroit. Scrolling down, I noticed this spiffy fan made Michael Cera night light that was created as a gift for Cera himself. See, the item (as pictured above) comes with a pretty cool story: Apparently, the new film Youth in Revolt (based on the best book evah!) was shooting some interior scenes in Ferndale, Michigan at the house of a person who is friends with the girl who writes for Handmade Detroit. So, in the spirit of giving and being nice and all that jazz, she -- along with a few friends -- put together gift bags full of groovy stuff from local shops for some of the cast and crew. Awww. I love people who go out of their way to give other people free sh*t. High five Handmade Detroit!

Anyway, you can check out a photo of the entire gift bag over at Handmade Detroit, as well as a list of what exactly was in it and a whole lot more. So, who wants a Michael Cera night light?

At the beginning of the month, Erik posted a sweet-ass collection of Watchmen character posters. Now I hope by now you've perused the gallery and seen them in their full-color finest, but did you happen to catch one of the comments in the piece? Reader Steve threw up a link to Plasmic Studio, who have compared the movie posters to the originals for the graphic novel's release.

The comparisons are slowly making their way across the net, and if you haven't checked them out yet, you should. You can get a whiff of the black and white magic to the right, and then go to the PS link above to mouse-over comparisons. Why? Because Zack Snyder is such a Watchmen fanboy that he copied the exact posters. There are a few little changes here and there, but aside from a new light or different electronic panel, the posters are exact replicas.

I was already completely charmed by the production after visiting the set, but I'm very happy that every piece that comes out confirms my excitement for the film, rather than dampening it. How about you?

One of the trickiest aspects of a Watchmen movie is Rorschach's secret identity. In the book, you're kept guessing as to who is under that shifting mask -- and when you find out who's really under it halfway through, it's a nice little shocker. He's not the badass you expect, for one, nor is he a stranger. The real Rorschach has been there all along.

In a fantasy world, the casting could have remained secret, making it one hell of a surprise when his mask is taken away. But this is the real world of movie casting and marketing, and so a name and face has to be attached ... and really, it's just another reminder you should read the book so you can enjoy the surprises firsthand.

Even so, a glimpse of the man under the mask has surfaced on JoBlo, who snagged a screencap from G4. Apparently, G4 was busy showing the people at home all the coolness of Watchmen while the rest of us were camped out at ComicCon -- and one of the things they revealed was Jackie Earle Haley without his face. For devotees of the book, it should be reassuring, especially as I heard people wondering aloud how Zack Snyder planned to "fix" the bald Haley. (Count me impressed on the greasy detail of his clothes.) For those new to the story, steer clear, especially if you're in the middle of the book. (This means you, Mom. I know you haven't even read past Under the Hood.) The photo appears after the jump.

Watchmen opens March 6th, 2009.

Yesterday, Jeff Wells over at Hollywood Elsewhere put up the poster for the new comedy My Best Friend's Girl, starring Kate Hudson, Dane Cook, Jason Biggs and Alec Baldwin. The poster (which premiered online earlier this summer) is boring in the extreme, making the film look like your typical snoozerific rom-com, and the digital altering on the photo makes everyone involved look rather ... freakish.

My first reaction on seeing the poster was, "Boy, somebody's screwing up the marketing on this film," quickly followed by "Hey, I don't remember Dane Cook's complexion looking quite so dewy-fresh ... "

I've seen the red-band trailer, which is actually pretty funny, if you can overlook the more misogynistic elements (or at least, in my own case, overcome the feminist tendency to be immediately annoyed by blow-job jokes) , and the film being marketed in that trailer and the film being promoted on this poster are not the same film. Not that it looks like something I'd choose to see over a good indie flick, but if I wanted a lightweight comedy film, and I'd already seen Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Express, and couldn't find anything else to do here in Seattle on a nice day, I'd maybe see this.

Whether or not you're offended by the use of the word "retard" in Tropic Thunder, it's hard to deny the difference between the intention of the humor and the ire of the groups protesting it. When Ben Stiller's character, Tugg Speedman, learns that he was mistaken in going "full-retard" with his miscalculated awards-bid performance as a mentally challenged man in Simple Jack, you either laugh or you don't, but you definitely get it. Stiller's point is that self-important actors often take crass or poorly formulated roles on the basis of subject matter simply so they can get a chance at the podium. At no point are we forced to laugh at a character meant to be taken as actually retarded; instead, we only get Tugg Speedman's really bad, really offensive interpretation of one.

At his Scanners blog, Jim Emerson gets this point, and smartly rails against complainers like the Special Olympics for making such a big deal out of a scene before even coming to terms with its purpose. He also brings up a brilliant historical parallel: In 1977, Randy Newman's single "Short People" was pulled from the air because it supposedly offended, uh, short people. "If you do satire or parody, you have to expect there will always be fools who will take it literally," writes Emerson. "Those people are called 'literalists.' And there ought to be a law against them."

Ladies, get ready for Jake "Prince of Persia" Gyllenhaal! Just Jared has nailed the first set photos from the highly-anticipated Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, based on the popular video game in which a Prince does ... stuff ... God does he look hot, or what!? Okay, for realz now -- Jake plays a young Prince named Dastan who must team with a feisty and exotic Princess (Gemma Arterton) and stop an evil ruler from destroying the world. Something tells me this is one film where looks will definitely kill. Check out two more photos below, then the rest over at Just Jared. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will hit theaters on May 28, 2010.



And speaking of guys who look good with their shirt off and shoot movies based on video games, 20th Century Fox has put out a few new promotional pics from Max Payne, starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis. In the film, based on yet another popular video game, Wahlberg stars as a guy whose family was killed and, well, he's out to kick some ass. Kunis plays a hottie assassin out to avenge the death of her sister. Together, these two are the kind of nuts you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley -- but you'd definitely want to meet in a darkened movie theater. Max Payne hits theaters on October 17. Check out the new pics below.



Keanu and a spaceship after the jump ...

Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler is surely one of the fall's most enigmatic releases -- and one of the most eagerly awaited. Bad Taste got hold of the first production stills from the film, and it looks every bit as creepy and moody as you'd expect from the man behind Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain (which was awesome despite its generally negative reception).

The movie is about a retired professional wrestler, played by Mickey Rourke, who is trying to survive on the small-time independent wrestling circuit. It sounds campy, but I think it's more likely to be grim -- I've read some stories about that scene (anyone else read Swan Song by Robert McCammon?) and it sounds, if anything, awfully depressing. These photos confirm that, I think, as does the fact that Clint Mansell is once again writing the musical score.

The movie premieres in Venice next month, then Toronto shortly thereafter. It doesn't have a US distributor yet, but I'm guessing that won't last long. Check out a couple more photos (including one featuring Marisa Tomei as a stripper) in the gallery below, then see the rest over at Bad Taste.