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In many ways, the 1990s were akin to that irritating older brother when compared to the 2000s. The decade had better music, cooler fashion, and that birthed the technological revolution. Conversely, the 2000s were naff, with shocking fashion sense and auto-tune plaguing the music industry; it was the decade Britney shaved her head, and Michael Jackson dangled a newborn baby from a balcony. That being said, while the 90s was a golden age for war films, the 2000s certainly set out to outdo its annoying sibling, with the decade’s selection of military flicks certainly rivaling that of the Saving Private Ryan’s of the previous ten years, likely because of 9/11 and the newfound global bloodlust for a ‘war on terror....

After its 100-year mark has passed, the First World War has been revisited with much more detail in the past years. The global extent, impact and constant media attention of WII left the prior conflict on a second level of attention. After its conclusion, films regarding the war were all over the place, while WWI films became scarce, basically having one big film about it once a decade for the rest of the 20th century....

It seems that rental chain Blockbuster has found a new way to keep up with Netflix and Redbox with its own kind of rental kiosks. Fast Company is reporting that Blockbuster is starting up a new kiosk program that will allow users to rent films from SD-card kiosks. The rentals will cost $1.99 and users can bring their own SD cards and download the movie to the card. An upside is the consumer obviously doesn’t have to return the movie, but a DRM will be employed that has an expiration date for the film....

Ana de Armas has had a stellar rise to fame over the last few years, but when it comes to her latest role as Marilyn Monroe, she is fully aware that certain nude scenes from the Netflix movie Blonde will end up circulating online. While discussing her upcoming role as the movie icon, de Armas noted that it gives her a “bad taste” to think about where the riskier scenes from the movie will end up in the future, but added that it is something she cannot really think about....

While the format war rages on here in the States, it seems that Blu-Ray has a decided edge across the pond. According to a story from The Hollywood Reporter, Blu-Ray discs have passed the 1 million sales milestone. The format also has a whopping percentage of the high-def market in Europe, with Blu-Ray discs accounting for 73% of the sales this year, compared to HD DVD’s 27%. “This is an important milestone for Blu-ray Disc in Europe and proves once again that whenever consumers have the choice they decide overwhelmingly in favor of BD,” said Frank Simonis, chairman of the Blu-ray Disc European Promotions Committee....

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE The summer movie season got even hotter this weekend with the long awaited release of the third chapter of the extremely successful Pixar series, Toy Story 3. Warner Bros. adaptation of DC Comics’ classic Western character, Jonah Hex was no match for the toys this weekend as they made a decent $109 million, which places them tenth on the all-time best opening weekend list right behind The Dark Knight and Spider-Man 3, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Iron Man 2 and Shrek the Third, Alice in Wonderland, Spider-Man, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End respectively....

PREDICTED WEEKEND BOX OFFICE Will there ever be a weekend during which a completely non-animated movie takes the top spot at the box office? I don’t know. But it doesn’t look like it’s going to be this weekend. The tropical bird-tastic Rio will be swooping into cineplexes, and will likely fly off with about $35-40 million. I think based on how marvelously Hop has managed to do over the past two weeks that folks are still hungry for their animated fantasias....

Imagine a fantasy epic that combines Hindu religious themes with MCU-styled blockbuster action and extravagant Bollywood musical numbers. Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva puts all of those ingredients in a blender, adds lighter fuel, and then sets it on fire. The spectacle overwhelms your senses with a relentless aural and visual assault. The film never stops to breathe over a tiresome two-hour and forty-minute runtime. I can appreciate the vibrant cultural aspects and several well-executed set pieces, but the entire experience becomes grating by the total lack of subtlety, poorly developed characters, and flimsy script....

AMC’s Breaking Bad capped its historic run last night, delivering a series-record 10.3 million viewers, including 6.7 million adults 18-49. Ratings for the final episode were up 300% over last year’s finale, demonstrating the remarkable growth of this iconic series. An expanded one-hour Talking Bad after show delivered 4.4 million viewers, including 2.9 million adults 18-49. Here’s what AMC president Charlie Collier had to say in a statement. Key Nielsen Highlights for the Breaking Bad series finale...

As perhaps one of the final vestiges of the “Borscht Belt” style of comedy that ruled over celebrity roasts and stand-up throughout the previous century, Don Rickles remains without equal, even years after his passing. No one was louder, faster, or more adept at picking apart an unsuspecting victim’s slip-ups than the late insult comedian, with talk show appearances and stints on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast being the prime examples....

Actress Catherine Keener has joined the cast of Captain Phillips for Columbia Pictures and director Paul Greengrass. The project is based on the true story of Maresk Alabama captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), who sacrificed himself to be taken hostage by Somali pirates, so he could save the lives of his crew. He spent three days in captivity before being rescued by a Navy SEAL team in 2009. Catherine Keener will play Phillips’ wife, Andrea Phillips, who never lost faith in her husband throughout the arduous ordeal....

British actress Charity Wakefield has joined the NBC pilot Mockingbird Lane, which is a reboot of the 1960s monster series The Munsters. The actress will play Marilyn, Lily’s niece and the only member of the Munster family who isn’t some sort of monster. It is said she gets along well with most of her family members, except for Grandpa Munster, who we reported last week will be played by Eddie Izzard....

Director James Gunn continues to keep the hype train chugging along for his upcoming Marvel sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, with the filmmaker revealing that Marvel Studios Overlord Kevin Feige is “really, really, really stoked.” While speaking with Collider, not only does Gunn tease the sheer quality of the movie, he also heaps praise on the performance of franchise newcomer Chukwudi Iwuji, as well as warning audiences that the Guardians of the Galaxy threequel will be a rough ride....

20th Century Fox has released their slate of 2008 summer movie releases including What Happens in Vegas, The Happening, Meet Dave, Space Chimps, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, The Rocker, Mirrors and Babylon A.D.. Click on the images below to see higher-resolution images from these films… What Happens in Vegas - May 9th Set in Sin City, storyline revolves around two strangers who wake up to discover they got married sometime during the previous night’s drunken festivities, with one of them winning a huge jackpot on the other’s quarter....

In anticipation of the home entertainment debut of J.J. Abrams’ thrilling reinvention of the Star Trek franchise, Paramount Home Entertainment will give audiences the chance to revisit where it all began with a galaxy full of new DVD and Blu-ray releases. Docking on September 22, 2009 are the Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection on DVD, which includes the first six “Star Trek” films and loads of special features; the Star Trek: The Next Generation Film Collection on DVD and for the first time on Blu-ray, featuring the four “Star Trek” films starring the Next Generation crew with new special features, plus a bonus disc with over an hour of additional content; Star Trek: The Original Series Season Two on Blu-ray in high definition for the first time ever; plus Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Star Trek: First Contact all available individually on DVD and Blu-ray....

Quentin Tarantino has long been rightly hailed as a Hollywood legend for his unique style of filmmaking. Known for nonlinear storytelling, dark humor, and, in some cases, putting his own spin on history, Tarantino has blessed audiences with fantastic films like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Django Unchained, and Inglourious Basterds. Throughout his career, as both director and writer, he has been awards by some of the most prestigious institutions in the industry, from the Golden Globes to the BAFTAs, with much of the awards won for his screenplays....

You can bring an imaginative new animated film home on DVD and Blu-ray at the end of 2009. 9 will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 29. We don’t have any pricing details as of yet, but you can take a look at the cover art and special features below. The Shane Acker film stars the voices of Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover and Martin Landau....

Star Trek and Star Wars are both beloved sci-fi classics with some of the most passionate fanbases on the planet, dare we say, the galaxy? While plenty of fans declare themselves both proud Trekkies and loyal Jedis, the Star Wars vs. Star Trek debate is as hotly contested as DC vs. Marvel. It’s not rare to find a fan with a big love for one and a searing hatred of the other, or at the very least, a well-reasoned argument for why their favorite space-romping franchise is superior to the other....

Alexandre Aja is back with a new movie that he wrote and produced Alexandre Aja does violence like no other director working in film today. With such films as High Tension and The Hills Have Eyes, he has presented a world of carnage that isn’t like any other that has appeared on the screen. In writing the film P2 (directed by friend Franck Khalfoun), Aja continues to put this world on the big screen....

The original cast members of American Pie will all return for the highly-anticipated theatrical sequel American Reunion, which is currently shooting. Alyson Hannigan is one of the returning original actors, reprising her role as Michelle, and she recently said this new sequel will be nostalgic for fans of the original. Here’s what she had to say about how the movie deals with Michelle’s marriage to Jason Biggs’ Jim. The actress also talked about new directors Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz, and how they actually were planning to write a script similar to the original American Pie before it came out....