First off, the good news. Dead Snow will open in at Cinema Village in New York on June 19, and in LA at the Laemmle Sunset 5 on June 26. I know it's not much, but it's a start. Keep clamoring for your indie films people.

Also you may be wondering what this half naked girl singing about her ass has to do with Nazi Zombies? Well, the pole dancing promotion is brought to you by Kjetil Omberg, the producer of Dead Snow. It's silly and kind of naked, but we're giving him big props for being clever enough to have a bunch of the extras walk around with Dead Snow signs in the background, because here we are talking about a girl straddling a vacuum. They've got moxie, I'll give them that. Hit it stripper girl, a 5, 6, 7, and a...

NSFW Version of "My Ass"

[via Fangoria and IGN]

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

Entertainment Tonight features an interview with Megan Fox, where she explains that the new movie has "bigger everything." [TLAMB]

Moon:

There's a scene with the two Sam Rockwells, where they have an actual physical interaction and one of them helps the other with his fly and helps him put on a hat. It was the most challenging special effects sequence in the film, says director Duncan Jones. [Screen Crave]

The movie has quite a hopeful ending — although it's not such a great ending for Sam I, it's an upbeat ending for Sam II. And some of this hopefulness comes in the form of "radio chatter." Jones tried leaving out the radio chatter, but the movie was too bleak without it. [Cinemablend]

Dead Snow:

A group of Norwegian medical students take a rowdy, naughty holiday at a remote cabin in the mountains, where they fall prey to zombies — who happen to be Nazis who fled at the end of World War II and are hoarding treasures from during the occupation. There's one wise-guy character who comments on the zombie-movie cliches in the film and talks about the ill-advisedness of going into the woods, etc. And he happens to be the only character who gets laid. The zombies do a bit of strategizing in between their blood-lusty attacks. [Sci Fi Wire]

And here are some eye-blisteringly awesome photos. [IGN]

[Rec] 2:

Chances are, the sequel will deal with the clean-up of all the the infected people left in the basement of that tenement, including the little girl, who's shown in a new still. [ShockTillYouDrop]

9:

Here's an awesome new poster for this world-without-people ragdolls versus machines movie. [Cinemablend]

Scott Pilgrim:

Director Edgar Wright posted a couple new set pics. [Edgar Wright Here]

Dollhouse:

Don't get your hopes up for November (Miracle Laurie) to reappear in season two. A source tells TV Guide that since Paul negotiated November's freedom, her storyline seems to have come to a close. [TV Guide]

Stargate Universe:

Not only will Richard Dean Anderson and Amanda Tapping be showing up, but you'll be seeing plenty of Sam/Jack quality time. However, in less encouraging news, Joseph Malozzi says the Stargate: Extinction DVD won't include the character of Elizabeth. [TV Guide]

Lost:

Not sure if it's worth posting a spoiler that's already been debunked... but here goes. Someone on Twitter (you can already see why this rumor was debunked) claimed to be a Hollywood talent agent's assistant, and tweeted that all of the Lost season one cast would be back in season six for some episodes, except for Michael and Walt. That included Charlie, Shannon, and Claire, of course. But sadly, the rumor's already been debunked, before we even had a chance to tell you to take it with a grain of salt. (However, EW's Ausiello says Team Darlton is checking the availability of several past stars. [Lost Rumours]

Virtuality:

Producer Michael Taylor co-star Billie Kashmiri sings a "punk rock" version of the Munsters theme song, with the lyrics in Japanese. (Okay then.) And he hints the TV movie's original ending has been tweaked, which may be good news for people who like Captain Frank Pike. And he provides more backstory: the show takes place twenty or thirty years in the future, when global warming is wrecking the planet. The Phaeton travels on our first interstellar voyage, to discover new life and hopefully find some solutions to our eco-nightmares. It's a straight shot to the next star system, which means the voyage is pretty uneventful most of the time. So to keep the crew from going bonkers in the enclosed space, they get the nifty virtual reality modules, which go so terribly, and fatefully, wrong. [Televisionary]

True Blood:

Ashley Jones plays Daphne, a new waitress at Merlottes and a new love interest for Sam Merlotte. She appears in the season's first episode, and at least seven others. Sams's never been too lucky in love, but Daphne come salong, adn she's from a similar background, and she and Sam "get" each other. She's a complicated person with her own agenda, and nobody understands her but her man. There's a lot more to her than you realize at first, and her connection to the whole vampy world goes "pretty deep." And she comments that the show's fake blood does not taste good. [Sci Fi Wire]

In the first episode, Sookie and Bill have a big fight, followed by makeup sex... followed by makeup biting, with blood gushing all over the sheets. Sookie gets gored by a "horned, taloned creature" in the woods after she storms off in her fight with Bill.

Also, we'll see more of Eric's "sensitive and funny" side this season. And Eric makes a play for Sookie. The death they investigate in Dallas is one of Eric's associates, so it throws Sookie and Eric together. Jason, meanwhile, has a "small romance," and his Fellowship Of The Sun storyline eventually intersects Sookie's Dallas visit, because the Fellowship is also in Dallas. And Jason has to put on his Rambo outfit and go to war.

Jessica will have a new romance, and will struggle with the immense power she's taken on as a vampire. New character Daphne is a "sweet, spunky gal," says Jones, but she complicates many situations. [TV Guide and Rolling Stone via SpoilerTV]

Deborah Ann Wolf describes Jessica's arc this season:

I see the second season, for Jessica, really being about growing up and maturing, and dealing with situations in a way that she can be accountable for her own actions and for things that happen, and looking for solutions. In essence, it is a coming of age story for her. She's starting to deal with some of these problems and issues of being a vampire, a bit more like an adult would, in a way that I think Papa Compton would be proud of me, if he knew that that's how I was responding.

[IESB]

Sanctuary:

Michael Shanks will guest star in this show's second season this fall, playing a character named Jimmy. [Sci Fi Wire]

Vampire Diaries:

And because you demanded it, an extended preview of this CW show. [SF Universe]

I love these images of spaceships and moonbases. Those Nazis sure can build. And you can check out the filmmakers' updates from Cannes on their Youtube channel.

[Iron Sky via Film School Rejects]

Russian website Zombie Kaput, has released this anti-bootleg PSA in which not only do undead Nazi's hang out in cars, but have sex in bathrooms as well, just like regular people!

Remember, Død Snø will have a limited release in the US on June 23rd, and I expect you all to one-up the Russians on the homemade zombie sex tapes. It's our patriotic duty.

Thanks for the tip Bjørn.

According to Indie Wire, IFC Films has purchased the US rights to Dead Snow. Congrats to the crazy crew of Norwegians that had the zombie guts to go after this genre. IFC plans to release the film later this year. And to celebrate, here are some more awesome moments from the goose-stepping, brain-eating splatterfest:

[Clips via Collider]

Cold Souls:
Paul Giamatti plays himself — a famous actor, but struggling with an internal crisis. Looking for sweet relief, Giamatti checks out a New York soul extraction facility. But after he has his ever loving soul removed, angsty calamity ensues.

Cinematical on Cold Souls:

Here, though, he [Giamatti] gives what may be his best performance, stretching to play several variations of himself, and manages several seemingly incompatible things — investing real heart into what's essentially a character defined by a science-fiction device, finding real emotion in surreal inventions and yet giving his everyday moments a deft, askew energy.... Cold Souls looks and feels like a Charlie Kaufman film, but it's somehow slipperier and yet simpler, more complex and yet more direct. Part of the pleasure of Cold Souls is that as we watch Paul Giamatti struggle to understand his soul, we can't help but cast a glance towards our own.

Variety on Cold Souls:

An amusing slice of existential whimsy with an Eastern European bent, Cold Souls posits a world in which humans can have their souls extracted and implanted in each others' bodies. It's the sort of idea one can imagine Charlie Kaufman running wild with, but Sophie Barthes' writing-helming debut is too well-behaved and conventional, stylistically and metaphysically, to achieve the desired levels of creative lunacy. Marketing will need to emphasize the pic's goofy premise and Paul Giamatti's enjoyable performance to overcome cool but respectful critical response.

Moon: Lonely and anger management-challenged space miner Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) lives by himself on a far-away moon, harvesting resources. Comforted only by Kevin Spacey's voice as the home robot, the miner awaits the end of his contract, until space madness and the company's ulterior motives force Sam to come face to face with a scary reality. But what did the critics think?

Film School Rejects On Moon:

While not perfect by any means, Moon is yet another impressive work of independent science fiction. In which we have a young director with an ambitious vision, a perfectly cast lead and the creativity to bring it to life without having to work on a Michael Bay-sized budget... if there is any reason to see this movie, it is that you should once again behold the brilliance that is Sam Rockwell. The man gives a remarkable performance, taking the film from a well-executed indie to a potentially very memorable entry into the sci-fi genre

Slashfilm on Moon:

Produced on a low budget by first time filmmaker Duncan Jones, Moon makes great use of realitic sets, a remote control robot, old school miniature work, and even some CG. Like last year’s Sleep Dealer, I’m convinced that Moon is at the beginning of a new renaissance of indie sci-fi feature films which will challenge Hollywood’s big budget
computer generated spectacles.

Grace: A young pregnant woman loses her baby while still in her womb. She insists on carrying the stillborn child to term. After the birth, little Grace comes back to life — but with a taste for blood. Paul Solet's deeply disturbing film is already making waves when audience members passed out at the Egyptian screening.

Dread Central On Grace:

Grace is very much the antidote to what plagues most of the horror genre today. For those who are tired of the endless remakes and reincarnations of overseas films, Grace very well could be the movie you need to see to restore your faith in the idea that there is still an artistic vision within the horror genre. I know it has restored mine.

Bloody Disgusting On Grace:

At the Sundance screening I attended, the audience whooped, hollered, and screamed, and two men reportedly fainted during the show. It’s true that Solet takes the audience on a twisted ride down a very dark birth canal, but is it dark and twisted enough? Sundance audiences may scream and faint at the likes of Grace, but the die-hard horror fan will be merely amused by Solet’s bloodthirsty baby shenanigans. Without much of a plot driving the action, the film’s success depends solely on mood and tone, and Grace, although diverting, isn’t quite haunting enough to make a lasting impact.

Dead Snow: Bring on the undead Nazi zombies! This Norwegian flick follows a group of vacationing snow bunnies to the mountains, where their crazy partying awakens a pack of undead Nazis. Blood, blood and more blood. And snow.
Fearnet on Dead Snow:

Although not exactly all that scary, Dead Snow earns big points for enthusiasm, creativity, and a powerful devotion to all things ultra-splattery...Dead Snow is little more than a 90-minute excuse for some wintry wildness and subzero slaughter, but most of the highlights are spot-on amusing, and the finest moments of gore 'n' gristle go down surprisingly well.

Movieblog on Dead Snow:

The filmmakers used over 450 litres of blood to create a horror film that harkens back to the feel of those created in the 1980s: little substance and a lot of slashing. The film is spiced with a number of great moments of homage to other horror films.

The Clone Returns Home: An astronaut dies on a mission, but never fear — he's got a clone, who can be imprinted with his memories. Unfortunately his clone replacement malfunctions, and is stuck on a tragic memory from the dead astronaut's youth. The clone escapes to find answers and solace from his burdened memories, much to the dismay of the ailing widow and the clone company.

Variety on Clone:

Bewitchingly intense low-budgeter has few special effects but achieves a glossy sheen, thanks to excellent lensing and well-chosen architectural backdrops. Attachment of Wim Wenders as exec producer will act as pic's passport to fests. Deliberate pace may deter those not already discouraged by the bland title, but careful handling may reap commercial prospects, especially from Asia buffs.

Additional reporting from Julia Carusillo

First off, who knew that Dead Snow'sNazi zombies were also good at peddling products? Check out this commercial for hot cocoa - undead-Nazi approved!

In other news, we called on trusty io9er Bjørn T. Bøe, to fill us in on whetherDead Snow is worth the icy trek to Utah just to check out the new zombies. The film has been out in Norway for a wee bit longer, and Bjørn gives it two frostbitten thumbs up. Plus new pics below!

Bjørn T. Bøe says:

Død Snø starts off like any other in a long line of recent Norwegian teen-scream slasher flicks: A couple and their respective trios of sex-starved best friends are en route to a remote cabin for a cozy retreat. Seen that film before? Me too. That's why I was initially disappointed as I sat attending a private screening of the film. Granted, these characters were not teenagers, but still. But as it turned out, this opening was a sham; the film makers made an obvious nod to that well-known trope, partly to cement Død Snø as a comedy by pushing for the obvious, and partly because, well, the premise actually works with the plot that unfolds.

Yes, Død Snø is a comedy. You should know this before you enter the theatre at Sundance. However, it is also an extremely graphic splatter film, of the old school (none of that Hostel or Saw crap). I hate the standard Hollywood pitches, like "Die Hard meets Star Trek" (although I'd love to see that particular concept), but there is no escaping the fact that Død Snø borrows heavily from films like Evil Dead 1 and 2, Dead Alive, Surf Nazis Must Die, and even Pirates of the Caribbean. The latter in the form of a revealing MacGuffin (but I've already said too much - I want to keep this review spoiler-free beyond the clips you've already seen here on io9). But it is by no means a straight rip-off deal; the film gingerly tips its hat at those predecessors (well, apart from Pirates), both in the form of pretty obvious scene references, but also in the form of actual name-dropping, and the fact that film geek character Erlend (Jeppe Laursen) actually wears a Dead Alive! (called Braindead hereabouts) t-shirt during the initial zombie attack.

However, Død Snø is much more than a simple line-up of homages. It's something as original as a Norwegian monster movie, made for a mainstream audience. This one's a first, and despite its tiny budget of just under two million US dollars, it manages to come across just as flashy and eye-candy-like as anything else - it certainly has a production value vastly exceeding those films it draws upon. Pulling on Australian cinematographer Matt Weston's eye for exciting solutions, Død Snø comes across as part horror film, part extreme sports video - and this is certainly a good thing.

With the kind of scenes wünderkind writer/director Tommy Wirkola has created, it would have been a disaster not to shoot some of the more outrageous scenes the way Weston did - and he makes it look damn good. The cinematography, the sound design, the special effects and the make-up have all been heavily lauded by a surprisingly united national press - to the point where certain reviewers have stated that it might not be their cup of tea, but damn, it looks good.

Just don't expect too much of the story. I mean, evil Nazis frozen for sixty years return to wreak havoc on the picturesque snow-covered mountains, and eat the entrails of the living, and only a group of inept medical students, in way over their heads, can stop them? The premise screams "So bad it's good", but it's intentional; after all, Wirkola's feature debut, Kill Buljo, was a practically no-budget outrageous parody that became a solid mainstream cult hit. Within the context of the film, the narrative works surprisingly well, and certainly kept me on the edge of my seat, with my constant intervals of laughter and exclamations of "Eeeew!" The set-ups are often very simple, but the pay-off is worth it almost every time. I agree with the general consensus in the io9 comments that the backhouse sex-scene was pretty filthy, but it worked within the parameters of the outrageous plot and with its slightly twisted character archetypes.

Suffice to say, this is a priceless gem you'll probably not want to miss if you can catch a screening of it. It will undoubtedly be available on DVD one way or the other, and I really hope you will be able to see it - this is one piece of my cultural heritage I'd really like to share.

Oh, and sorry, but this is a running-zombies film. But I think you'd agree with me that although the director definitely refer to the creatures as zombies, I'd categorize them as something else. Or maybe I've just owned too many editions of the Monster Manual, I don't know.

First, the Dead Snow poster, courtesy of Rushprint, is glorious — and if you're curious as to what role the chain saw plays in this whole snowy undead third reich pictures, you may want to check out this clip.

Next up, a new poster shows a close-up of James "Jesus" Caviezel in Outlander, where Caviezel crashes on Earth in Viking days. But unfortunately, he's not bringing tidings of comfort and joy — instead, he's got to gather allies to fight an alien foe, with iron-age weapons. And here's that new trailer:

I predict that Dead Snow (Død Snø) will sweep over Sundance like an unholy snow storm. If the rest of the fight scenes are like this small clip, then Dead Snow is sure to succeed. Dead Snow takes place during a snowy holiday for a bunch of medical students. Their mountain top debauchery unleashes a clan of undead Nazis, who formerly occupied this winter wonderland. The rest is blood and gore. Please, please release this movie in the U.S. right now, I can wait no longer.

Dead Snow follows a group of students on a snow trip. Everything is going smoothly until a hiker shows up at their cabin door telling them stories about how this snowy mountain side was a occupied by the Nazis in World War II. The townspeople eventually revolted against their horrible oppressors and drove Cololnel Herzog (above) and his minions into the high mountains. Supposedly they froze to death. But many years later, when the youngins show up with their sexin' and drinkin' ,it brings the remaining Nazis back to life. Seriously, that has to be one hell of some serious partying these kids were up to.

Here are two clips from the movie.

Zombie Nazi's hate pigtails

Gettin' Busy Where The Business Is Done:

Sigh, no one does magazine covers like this anymore. Evy Kasseth Røsten, Charlotte Frogner and Jenny Skavlan look amazing, and this movie will do amazing at Sundance mark my words. Check out the latest trailer and learn how to slaughter an attacking group of undead jerks.

Speaking of Sundance, I'm also incredibly interested in Paul Solet's film Grace, which will also be premiering at the snowy festival. Solet worked very closely with Eli Roth and is known for his work on Means To An End. Grace is about a mother who loses her baby in the womb but decides to carry it to term. After the delivery, the baby comes back to life - but now has an insatiable thirst for blood. Poster from /Film.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Quiet Earth pointed out the amazing trailer to a movie that looks like "The Descent meets The Hills Have Eyes" (the latter of which apparently inspired the director). A couple goes on their honeymoon but ends up having to fight some nasty beasties in the woods. The trailer is a trip, especially when the hubby kills a creature, rips off it's face, and then wears it. It' directed Lola Wallace and according to QE it was shot in a mere 5 days with no script.

Official Synopsis of The Trek:

When Keith and Kim Russell head into the mountains on an adventure packed honeymoon, they find much more action than they were expecting. When the newlyweds stumble upon a pair of cave dwelling savages, their romantic getaway quickly becomes a tragic nightmare as each couple tests the limits of how far they are willing to go in order to protect the ones that they love.

What if your best friend was a zombie? Would you be brave enough to hold an intervention? News about George's Intervention circulated in October, but I missed the trailer. From the looks of it, the little B film could be pretty funny. The comedic timing is pretty spot on and the gore looks pretty fantastic, but the trailer is NSFW so beware. George's Intervention is set to release in 2009.

Here's the official synopsis:

George's friends have gathered for an intervention... George's intervention. You see, George is a zombie. And his friends are hoping to convince him to stop eating people. Plus, it's unhealthy. The meat is raw. And who knows where these people have been.

With the help of a professional interventionist George's friends confront George regarding his "addiction." But over the course of the night his friends begin to disappear. Have they given up hope that George's Intervention will be successful? Or have they become dinner?

The movie follows a bunch of young kids on a winter holiday, when all of a sudden they awaken the undead Nazis that used those mountains as their secret hideaway. It's kill or be killed, by super scary, super mean Nazi zombies. So what do the kids do? Simple: Tie a massive gun on top of a snowmobile.

[via Twitch Film]

There isn't too much detail on this foreign monster flick that's set to release in January. But it does prove that zombies can live forever if frozen. Which leads me to the question: What would happen if zombies stumbled into The Thing territory? Now that's a hybrid movie I'd pay to see. Still the pictures from Dead Snow look intriguing enough to show at any foreign film fest in a major city, so hopefully it'll come to one near you.

[Dead Snow via Twitch]