Real Steel is directed by Shawn Levy. Levy directed two movies that I adore, Night at the Museum franchise and Date Night. Real Steel is an action drama about a former boxer (Hugh Jackman) who, against all odds, gets one last shot at a comeback when he teams up with his estranged son (Dakota Goyo) to build and train the perfect contender for the new high-tech sport of robot boxing.

No offense, but It appears that the story is The Champ gone robot. The Champ was produced twice. The first one was directed by King Vidor, starring Wallace Berry and Jackie Cooper. Decades later, Jon Voight and Rick Schroder starred in Franco Zeffirelli’s movie.

Screenplay by John Gatins, Reel Steel is a gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near-future where the sport of boxing has gone high-tech, Real Steel follows Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback. Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie and Kevin Durand also star in Reel Steel.

The movie opens in theaters October 7, 2011.

Now that the Governator has been relinguished of his duties, it’s time for Arnold Schwarzenegger to get back to what he’s good at: trying badly to act. Does he even change his facial expression throughout the entirety of Commando? While no one cared in 1985, Arnie seems a little obsolete these days. Which is why he is making two huge missteps.

The first is that Arnie is set to return as the iconic Terminator. He appeared in the first three movies, his likeness turned up in Terminator: Salvation, and now according to 24 Frames his agents are shopping around a package for a fifth film that would include the king of meatheads. Extending a franchise beyond its welcome is nothing new in Hollywood, but what’s even more depressing is that it’s not being handed to some new talent to revitalise the spent story. No, instead Justin Lin is attached as director. Yes, the man between the moronic The Fast and the Furious sequels 3-5, the fifth (written by a 5-year old, it seems) due out this week. It will without doubt make a lot of money, and sadly that qualifies a hack director to take on what was once a great duo of films. Let’s just say there’s not much hope for the Terminated and the Untardy.

His other project is to appear as a comic-book superhero known as the Governator, developed as a comic and animated series by Marvel maestro Stan Lee. When the subject of a jokes gets in on it, you know it’s not going to be funny. Nor is it clever to develop a nickname into an entire series. Maybe Arnie does belong in politics after all.

Production has commenced in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated movie Marvel’s The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon from a screenplay by Whedon. The film will continue principal photography in Cleveland, Ohio and New York City. Robert Downey Jr. returns as the iconic Tony Stark/Iron Man along with Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Set for release in the US on May 4, 2012, Marvel’s The Avengers is the first feature to be fully owned, marketed and distributed by Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009.

Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel’s The Avengers is the Super Hero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as SHIELD, finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.

Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, Marvel’s The Avengers brings together the mightiest Super Hero characters as they all assemble together on screen for the first time. The star studded cast of Super Heroes will be joined by Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill of SHIELD, as well as Tom Hiddleston and Stellan Skarsgård who will both reprise their respective roles as Loki and Professor Erik Selvig from the upcoming Marvel Studios’ feature Thor.

You’re probably wondering why I’m reviewing the same movie twice. But no, I’m just reviewing a movie with a remarkably similar title, and you’ve probably guessed that, indeed, it comes from The Asylum. Today we’re tackling Battle of Los Angeles, a copy of which the folks out at The Asylum sent over for us to review.

Battle of Los Angeles follows, basically, what it says on the box. A race of alien beings have come to earth and they are, not surprisingly, not here for our Reese’s Pieces. And this isn’t the first time they were here, either–we first met these boys back in 1942. Now, we’re facing them a second time, and this time, they’re ready for us. But we’ve got a bit of help from some boys who’ve seen this before…and more recently than they think.

You might think that a movie called “Battle of Los Angeles” would owe a lot to “Battle Los Angeles”. Well, not near so much as you might think. In fact, I don’t know why they even called it that, because this movie has about as much to do with the other as a fish has to do with a duck. What this actually is is a weird combination of Independence Day (right down to the building-blasting mothership and even a bit of the fighter design) and a time-travel movie.

And yet, there’s a problem here–Battle of Los Angeles is almost a little too ambitious for its own good. They’ve got a lot of ideas going on in here, and frankly, a couple of them together would have made a fine movie. But there’s a little too much density of plot elements in this one; it’s actually trying just a bit too hard. And I can’t fault–too hard–any movie that tries hard, especially from The Asylum who all too often has made a career out of phoning in Asylumized knockoffs of most anything that wandered into a theater, this time, the ambition just got a little out of hand.

Still though, it’s a surprisingly complex experience, and you’ll have to pay pretty close attention to make sure you’re getting everything. A few things will happen in an almost unexplainable fashion, requiring you to fill in the blanks. But still, this is a refreshing change of pace from normal Asylum fare, and though it’s somewhat hit or miss, I give them plenty of credit for taking a run at something new.

The Screenhead Ten Scale loves to reward effort, and thus forks over a seven out of ten for Battle of Los Angeles. It may not have succeeded every time, but it hit some good notes, and it definitely put on a worthwhile, if somewhat confused, show.

I don’t know if you got a chance to check out the exclusive live look at Rise of the Planet of the Apes on Wednesday. It was a pretty awesome interview that included behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the apes!

WETA Digital, the Academy Award winning visual effects team behind films like Avatar and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, hosted the livestream event on the official Facebook fan page for Avatar from their headquarters in Wellington, New Zealand. The 30-minute exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at their work on Apes, a reality-based cautionary tale that blends science fiction and science fact, was kind of esoteric. Actor Andy Serkis, who plays Caesar, keep the concept down to earth.

With that said, I bring you the first teaser trailer for the 20th Century Fox movie. My first take on the movie is that it’s very dark, almost horrific, and very different compared to the Avatar look. Avatar had more light and color.

But, this is the first teaser trailer and the next one might lighten up a bit. But, I doubt it because I know how the story ends. Which brings up the question: Are we interested enough in watching the arc of the story knowing that the apes do rise and conquer humans?

Will Smith, son Jaden and M. Night Shyamalan working together is an interesting and possibly a very smart collaboration for all concerned. All three will be working together in Columbia Pictures’ untitled science fiction movie. Shyamalan will direct, which he wrote the script with Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli).

Variety reports the Shyamalan-Smith partnership covers quite a bit. The actor and director will produce, along with James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith and Ken Stovitz via Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment shingle. Boy! That was a mouth full.

Though the details about the project are sparse, I have heard the story takes place 1,000 years in the future and tells the tale of a young boy and his estranged father who explore a vacant Earth after their ship crashes. It’s uncertain whether the film will have Shyamalan’s signature twist, though Sony described the movie as “sometimes scary.”

If you know anything about Will Smith’s career, you know he likes to take chances with new directors. Teaming up with Shyamlan is a different approach that may prove bankable for both.

“The chance to make a scary, science-fiction film starring Jaden and Will is my dream project,” Shyamalan told Variety.

The Shyamlan’s dream project is still in its infancy, and I look forward to hearing more about the production as it evolves into a major motion picture.

Leonard Nimoy has joined the cast of the third Transformers film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Nimoy also voiced Galvatron in 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie. He will voice Sentinel Prime, Optimus Prime’s predecessor who was last seen on the moon in the teaser trailer. His wrecked body was discovered by Apollo 11 astronauts. So, that’s who that was in the teaser trailer!

Director Michael Bay tells EW he wanted to cast Nimoy in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, but he “was too scared to ask him. Plus, he’s married to Susan Bay, who’s a cousin of mine. So I had to be careful. I’ve met him at family functions. But he told me, ‘I would be honored. I’m glad to be back!’”

What a great way for Nimoy to celebrate his 80th birthday. I wonder how many lines he will have in Transformers 3.

TNT has released a new trailer for the Falling Skies. I am eagerly anticipating this series. I can’t believe how much new action and details are being shown in the footage and interviews with stars Noah Wyle (ER, TNT’s The Librarian movies), Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation) and Drew Roy (Secretariat).

The series launch is still months away, but I am excited. The trailer shows us the aliens and how evil they look, yikes. Which brings me the question: This must be science-fiction horror? The series is set to launch a two-hour premiere Sunday, June 19, 2011 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), before moving into its regular timeslot of Sundays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT).

Brought to us by the ever so talented executive producer Steven Spielberg, Falling Skies opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. The few remaining survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers engage in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force, whose nature and purpose remains a mystery. Falling Skies is a tale of endurance, commitment and courage in which everyday people are called upon to become heroes. The survivors may be outmatched, outnumbered and outgunned, but nothing can beat the human spirit. The series combines stunning visual effects and personal human stories about triumph and survival in the most devastating circumstances.

Five directors engage in five short stories that are all tied together in one shady, twisted, humorous film about what goes on behind the door of room 316 while the “Do Not Disturb” sign hands outside the door.

Here are quick details for each movie:

Duccio’s Madonna: New film director Eric Balfour’s dark-drama about a lonely man who pushes a hooker too far, only to find an eager maid happy to help him finish the job.

Rocketman: Music video director Petro Papahadjopoulos spins a Twilight-Zone style and science fiction tale about an astronaut who comes home to spend one romantic night with his wife only to find her a bit of an alien.

Prom: Director Laura Henry lightens the mood with a sweet teenage romance between two boys visiting from the south, one in the closet and one out, both looking for “company” for the night.

Intrinsic: Another newcomer Jon Mann-Krieger’s noir thriller about a man, a woman, a maid and the mafia.

Death Takes a Holiday Inn: Director Brandon Nicholas finishes up the movie with a spooky horror about a hotel maid caught in a ghostly mess.

Each director was given a brief synopsis, eight rules to follow and one day on set to create their film.

Do Not Disturb will be available on VOD, iTunes, Amazon VOD, Blockbuster, Cinema Now and numerous others on demand movie sites May 1t, 201.

Oh man, folks, are you ever getting an early look today. See, what you’re about to see won’t actually hit stores until April 5th, so you’re getting a whole lot of joy today. The folks out at Disney sent over the Blu-ray of Tron: The Original Classic and it’s a doozy.

In case you need caught up on the plot, Tron follows video game developer Flynn, who wrote the original code for a game that made his former company, Encom, a fortune. Now Flynn’s trying to break into Encom’s systems in a bid to find evidence that he actually created several of the company’s biggest products, but in the process, he’ll set off a chain of events that will leave him, mysteriously, in cyberspace. He’ll face off against programs of all stripes, including the insidious Master Control Program, as he becomes part of the very games he designed.

The plot itself might well actually be Disney itself–all about scientific endeavors and scientists going after things and, occasionally, being interfered with by suits. It’s a terrific allegory and especially fun considering Disney’s history since Tron originally aired. Plus, the movie itself is great stuff, combining both science fiction and epic drama with just a soupcon of comedy in a fashion that’s wonderfully engaging. Any science fiction or action fan will love this, and you might even be able to bring a few new ones on board.

And for those of you who don’t think that some nearly thirty year old movie can be improved just because you get it on Blu-ray, you’ll be astonished to discover that that’s not the case. Oh, sure, some of the basics look badly dated, but the strange thing is, that this looks old…but crisp. It’s like a really well done remastering–all the same effects, but with a whole new life to them. Plus you’ll get a slew of extra features like deleted scenes and a making-of featurette that adds to the value, especially for Tron fans sufficient enough to buy the Blu-ray. If you want this bad enough to buy the Blu-ray, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.

It’s a terrific movie packaged into a whole lot of value, so it’s very much worth your time whether you’re just renting or going all the way. Of course, it’s not without its low points–some aspects of Tron are going to be entirely too weird for most anyone to wrap their heads around, even the dedicated fans. Still though, it’s got plenty of appeal.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives Tron: The Original Classic an eight out of ten–it looks better than it has any right to and provides loads of great features besides. Sure, it’s not all sunshine and lollipops, but it will do a great job with the rest of it.