“I can do this all day!” Oh yea! This is one hot movie. It’s so American that I can taste it!

Although Chris Evans begins short, he does stand tall amidst all the action in this trailer. I love how he looks when he comes out of the transformation machine. The first full-body look on film is yummy!

Captain America: The First Avenger will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America. As Captain America, Rogers joins forces with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) to wage war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), which we barely see in this trailer. Don’t blink because he is the guy taking off the mask with the red head.

Get the behind the scenes scoop on X-Men: First Class from the filmmakers and cast of the film by checking out the X-PERTS tab on the official Facebook page.

Last week was super exciting when Bryan Singer answered fans questions about the film, cast, and stepping into the role of producer. You can check out the latest responses to questions from the X-PERTS answered by Nicholas Hoult (Hank McCoy / Beast) about portraying a younger version of the character that Kelsey Grammer made iconic.

What I am really excited about is until June 1, 2011, you can submit your questions to the cast and filmmakers of X-Men: First Class via Twitter and Facebook, and each week a new cast member or filmmaker will answer them on the X-PERTs page.

Fans can submit questions two ways:

- Tweet @XMenMovies
- Post on the wall of Facebook.com/XMenMovies

Next week, Oliver Platt (Man in Black) and Rose Byrne (Dr. Moira McTaggert) will be answering the X-PERTS questions, so be sure to submit your questions now.

Us folks at Screenhead have been keeping a close eye on the movements of Darren Aronofsky, the maverick film-maker who made distinct films like The Fountain and Pi, and whose most recent film Black Swan won Natalie Portman a big pile of shiney statuettes. We’ve also been somewhat wary of his decision to helm The Wolverine, another X-Men offshoot film.

This week brings news that it somewhat of a relief. Aronofsky has backed out of the project. Despite the opportunities that directing a tentpole movie would have provided, both financially and creatively, Aronofsky is sad to drop out, according to The Hollywood Reporter. His statement reveals that family life (the director has recently split with actress Rachael Weisz and they have a child together) obligations clashed with having to work abroad for the best part of a year, and thus it couldn’t work out.

Some rumours are abound on the interwebs that Aronofsky’s vision may have clashed with the studio’s, as well as Aronofsky’s apparent frustration at the perception that his film would be a direct sequel to 2009′s critically slated Wolverine (it doesn’t help that both star Hugh Jackman). Regardless, this could be an opportunity to see Aronofsky work on more original ideas like Black Swan and The Wrestler.

Fox, who is bankrolling The Wolverine, are still planning to make the film, despite originally aiming to shoot in Japan, which is still in the middle of a nuclear crisis.

What happens when you get a couple of comic nerds from England to go out to the wilds of the American Southwest and have them meet an alien with “attitude”? Well, it should be godawful, but considering that this will be brought to you by the same guys who brought you Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, well, now you’ve got a whole different story on your hands. And that’s just what you’ll get with Paul, which just hit theaters today.

Paul follows the alien of the same name, who is apparently one of his planet’s scientists, who crash-landed on this planet way back in the fifties. He then spent much of his time between spilling the secrets of intergalactic science and influencing Earth popular culture (he apparently had a whole lot to do with E.T., which explains quite a bit), but once his scientific knowledge runs out, about the only thing he’s got left are his inherent powers, like Predator-style optic camouflage and cellular regeneration, all the kind of thing that most any army would love to have. But Paul escapes, and finds himself in the company of two comic nerds on a tour of alien sites, including the ever-popular Little Aleinn (sic). And along the way, fraught with road trip peril of all types, both alien and Earthlings will learn something about themselves, and each other.

Paul’s greatest joy, and at the same time greatest offense, is that it spends substantial portions of its runtime preaching to the choir. There are a host of science fiction references in here, and some just a smidge obscure (recognize “It was a boring conversation anyway”? If you know what movie that line is from, this movie is for you.). It was a wonder neither Seth MacFarlane nor Seth Green made a cameo. There’s even a mini-Arrested Development reunion in here as Jeffrey Tambor and Jason Bateman show up for roles. But there are so many inside nods here that it almost feels like you’re part of an exclusive club just watching this. If you’re not already a science fiction fan, don’t start here–this won’t win you over–but for the already-fans, it’s a shot of pure awesome straight to the heart of you as you node along with every subreference.

Aside from that, though, there are more than enough laughs for anybody, and not just the in-jokes, but a good old fashioned dose of Pegg And Frost Being Awesome, the kind of thing that made Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz good in the first place. All the conventions are here, and they’re just as tired as ever–the nerds who don’t exercise and aren’t smooth with the ladies, the government agents who are way too forceful for their own good and sadistically delight in it, the deeply unpleasant Deliverance-style rednecks (complete with Deliverance reference!), the Christians who plug their ears and chant “La-la-la-I-can’t-hear-you-la-la” in the face of anything that counters their faith, and so on. Seriously, half this stuff is pulled whole and breathing out of other scripts. But because it’s presented well, it doesn’t feel so unpleasant to watch.

It’s funny, it’s fast-paced, it’s well put together, and there are even bonuses for the sci-fi fan. Perfect? No, of course not–there are too many cliches in here to really be that great, but it will do a nice job of making you smile, and that’s important.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives Paul an eight out of ten for its sheer dopey charm, though too many cliches keep it from being all it could be.

Screenhead has five copies of Dying God to giveaway!

The search for a brutal serial killer becomes other-worldly in the suspenseful horror film Dying God, available wherever DVDs are sold from Green Apple Entertainment.

The science fiction-thriller follows a series of bizarre and violent killings that haunt a dark and decadent city. Along comes a corrupt cop, Sean Fallon (James Horan, Flags of Our Fathers), who must face his own demons to put an end to the brutal string of rape-murders.

With the help of an unsavory band of pimps, headed by Chance (Lance Henrickson, The Terminator) – his only allies – Fallon tracks the mysterious assailant … who just may not be human!

Directed by French director Fabrice Lambot (Le Sang du Chatiment, Insanity), Dying God is presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 16 x 9 (1.2.1) and stereo. Bonus material includes trailer.

To enter the giveaway, post your name and we will pick the winners March 31, 2011.

I am excited about holding this giveaway for the movie Limitless, starring Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish. We have one prize pack to give away to a lucky winner.

The LIMITLESS prize pack includes:

LIMITLESS Poster
Copy of the Limitless Book
Stainless Steel Water Bottle

The movie opens on March 18, 2011 and you can find out more about movie by visiting Limitless Facebook or Twitter.

Limitless is also offering the chance to win a Motorola Xoom in the ‘Limitless Possibilities’ game. Head over to www.wouldyoutakeit.com and play against your Facebook friends and global users in a test of skill as you use NZT to enhance your ability to predict global market trends. All users that make over 200,000 in the game will be entered to win one of 3 Motorola Xoom Tablets!

To enter Screenhead’s Limitless Giveaway, post your name and we will pick the winner March 25, 2011.

The day of celebrating Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day, hits pubs around the world this week (March 17th to be exact). Cinematic representations of the Emerald Isle range dramatically, from the desperately twee (The Quiet Man, Leap Year), to the noble yet gritty (The General, Once). But there’s more to Ireland than just films about the country. One of the many tricks of film-making is portraying a place without having to film in it. This is especially common with films based in mythical lands or in busy cities. Lately Ireland has become incredibly attractive for large-scale productions due to its apt facilities and tempting tax breaks. So to honour the day of getting notoriously drunk, here’s a list of famous films that you didn’t know were filmed in Ireland.

Saving Private Ryan
Steven Spielberg’s award-winning epic story needs no introduction. Set in WWII France, it commences with one of the most memorable sequences in cinema’s history: the invasion of US forces on Omaha Beach (watch it here). The sequence, shot in a handheld style, is brutal, exposing the audience to the horrors of surrounding enemies with bullets flying everywhere. For 30 minutes it takes us deep into the battle and the harrowing world of soldiers under fire.

The entire sequence was filmed in Ireland. For two months Ballinesker Beach in County Wexford was occupied by hundreds of cast and crew. Amongst the 2500 extras (many provided by the Irish Defence Force) were real amputees were hired to realistically portray the loss of limbs from explosions.

The Princess Bride
A cult classic that probably has more fans now that when it came out in cinemas, the Princess Bride marked the peak of 80’s fantasy films. In the film a faithful farmhand strives to rescue the virtuous Princess Buttercup. Rob Reiner’s US studio production was filmed in the UK and Ireland due to the extensive and lush green expanses of both nations. One of the film’s most exciting scenes takes place on top of the Cliffs of Insanity, where the masked man (the farmhand in disguise), fights a bunch of bandits to rescue Buttercup. The Cliffs of Insanity actually exist, but are known as Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher, situated in County Clare in the west of the country. The 700 foot-high, 8 kilometre wide cliffs are one of Ireland’s primary tourist attractions, and are vying for one of the Seven New Wonders of Nature. The Princess Bride also supposedly filmed in the nearby Burren, a barren 250 km-squared stone expanse.

The cliffs also appeared in David Lean’s epic Ryan’s Daughter, and in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Braveheart
Another Oscar-Winner, Mel Gibson directed and acted in this story of Scotland’s conflict with their oppressors England. The film was noted for its savage battle scenes and for William Wallace’s (Gibson) cries for “freedom”, and also it’s fabrications of real events. And it’s not just the film that was rife with inaccuracies, but also its locations. While some of the earlier scenes were filmed in Scotland and northern England, it was Ireland where most of the film’s outdoor locations were filmed.

The Battle of Stirling Bridge (where Wallace makes his big pre-battle speech) was filmed in the vast Curragh Plains in County Kildare. Hundreds of members of the Irish Army Reserve were used for the sequence, and they doubled up to portray both sides as they rush to clash. See a clip here.Many of the battles scenes of King Arthur also used this location.

The Curragh Plains wasn’t the only Irish location Gibson filmed on. Trim Castle was used for the York Castle, which Wallace storms early in the film, as well as for the King of England’s courtyard. Close to Trim lies the ruins of Bective Abbey, where several scenes set in the King’s castle were shot. Westminister Abbey was recreated in Dunsaney Castle. And the castle grounds of Robert the Bruce, where Wallace is betrayed and ambushed, were filmed in county Dublin’s private Dunsoghly Castle. READ ON »

What a brilliant idea to turn the Super 8 image sideways like the Super 8 camera in the movie that captured the shot of the alien that we have yet to see, but only teased by the power partnership of J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg. I am still thinking about the shivering, awe inspiring trailer that was release by Amblin a couple of days ago.

I keep thinking of the genius behind the storyline, which is so simple but extraordinary. With not only the anticipation of Super 8, my excitement for the batch of summer movies is tenfold.

Super 8 is a science fiction film starring Elle Fanning, Amanda Michalka, Joel Courtney, Gabriel Basso, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills and Kyle Chandler, due to be released on June 10, 2011 in both conventional and IMAX theatres.

In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth — something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

A bit of entertainment trivia for you to kick off today, folks–you know what a “clip show” is? That’s where they take bits and pieces of a long-running sitcom or other show and cobble them together, with a little bit of new footage to bridge the gaps, into a new episode. That’s kind of what Battle Los Angeles actually is, except in this case, it’s a clip movie.

Battle Los Angeles puts us right into a hellacious firefight that’s raging all over the world. Aliens have landed, and they’re definitely not the “to serve man” crowd. As countries and cities all over the world find themselves getting their hats handed to them by the alien horde, one platoon of marines, in the midst of a mission, finds itself in the unique position of being able to save the world by the most improbable of maneuvers.

Sometimes I get to thinking that summer movie season–with its big, loud, brainless action movies and the like–starts a little sooner every year, and I think they’ve pushed the season clear back to early March if Battle Los Angeles is any indication. And like I said, you’ve seen substantial portions of this movie before, from the grizzled old staff sergeant who gruffly proclaims that he’ll get his men out alive, to the green first lieutenant willing to take one for the team, to the even greener private who’s sufficiently green that he’s–and yes, this is mentioned in the film–a full-on virgin who joined up at seventeen. There are bits of Heartbreak Ridge, Black Hawk Down, a whole lot of Independence Day (right down to the burning wreckage-littered airfield and the vaguely similar alien ship designs!) and I’m sure if you watch this thing, you’ll likely spot bits of your favorite old war movie in here.

The script has so many holes in the plot it looks like it was shot through with the Bushmaster chain gun that they mention but never actually fire in the film (at least not that I saw, and frankly, I was looking forward to seeing that puppy go!), the explanation for the alien invasion is weak at best, and the whole thing feels rushed and poorly put together.

But still, for the action diehard out there, there will be more than enough gunplay and plenty of explosions and a few good tense moments. It’s nothing particularly original, but sometimes, you’re not looking for original, you’re looking for a new twist on an old favorite and if that’s what you want you’ll get it right here, and then some.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives Battle Los Angeles a six out of ten, because it does just what it sets out to do, even if that particular goal isn’t anything particularly ambitious.

After seeing this trailer, I am excited about Super 8. The movie is written and directed by J.J. Abrams with bulk of the cast under eighteen, which means my daughter can see it. After all, it carries Spielberg’s Amblin logo.

The movie is billed a an upcoming science fiction film starring Elle Fanning, Amanda Michalka, Joel Courtney, Gabriel Basso, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills and Kyle Chandler, due to be released on June 10, 2011 in both conventional and IMAX theatres.

In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth — something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.