Neat Special Effects, Will the Film Live Up to Them?

I remember when the first Tron film was released (thus providing a further hint that I'm a bit older). People were freaked out for some reason that Disney was putting out a movie that wasn't rated G. Sure, that seems absurd now, but at the time it was an honest concern for some people.

I watched the film, both in the theatre and on cable. It was all right, but it didn't captivate me as much as other productions at the time. Excalibur came out around then. Remember that King Arthur epic? Major cool. Anyway, Tron was okay, but not the most special thing in the world. They came out with some video games. The cycles. The flying discs. Interesting in a time of early standup gaming, but after a game or two you could move on without dropping more quarters into the slots.

So why is Disney releasing Tron Legacy (formally Tron 2)? I don't know. But if the movie is half as cool as the updated special effects, I'll have to give it a go. Empire Online is one of the spots where you can view the trailer shown at Comic Con. Is Jeff Bridges a bad guy this time around? Or is there more to his hunting down that other cyclist than meets the eye?

I think I'll be able to manage waiting until 2011 to find out. Until then, how about a sneak peek at Olivia Wilde's character? C'mon, guys!

Weekly Wrapup

A gathering of bits and pieces from the week...

• I Don't Like You In That Way is keeping its rail hitched to the "Let's see how much of Hermione we can see" train with some revealing pictures of the actress. As Emma Watson left the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince after party, she made some nerds very happy. Shame on you, Emma.

• My Hollywood Dream has initiated its commentary on the recent Emmy nominations. My own thoughts are more simple. Among them: Where in the world is Elizabeth Mitchell? Lost's Juliet has been denied again. Shame on you, Emmys.

• Who will be Bilbo Baggins? Rumors are flying that the casting could be announced at Comic Con next week. But, according to an online article from Empire, director Peter Jackson is saying not to hold our breaths.

• I still haven't forgiven Scarlett Johansson for marrying Ryan Reynolds when I'm terribly available, but here's a low resolution picture and article from Entertainment Weekly covering her casting as Black Widow in the next Iron Man movie. But if she decides to come visit me in that outfit, I'll reconsider.

• I'm all for hunting zombies. They're nasty creatures that could possibly put a crimp in your day if they eat your brain. But this poster for Zombieland posted on IGN doesn't really do it for me. Kind of boring. Let's see if they follow up with a better one.