Fan-Made Teaser Trailer: Man of Steel 2

As the internet continues to process the idea that we're living a world where the next Batman is being played by Ben Affleck (via petition, via think-piece), a crafty fan out there has put together a teaser trailer of what the sequel to Man of Steel might look like. Note: Bryan Cranston hasn't been officially cast as Lex Luthor yet as of writing.

Man of Steel will be out on DVD and Blu-ray on October 30.

Tony Jaa Joins Fast 7

While the "woah, didn't see that coming" movie news of last week may have belonged to the casting of Ben Affleck as the next Batman, I'm more excited at the announcement that Muay Thai ass-kicker Tony Jaa (Ong Bak) has signed up to join Fast and Furious 7. Jaa will be making his English-language debut, and though details of his role haven't been revealed -- it's likely he'll just end up being a token martial artist as Joe Taslim and Gina Carano were in Fast 6 -- it's encouraging to see him back working after seemingly abandoning acting altogether in 2010. Later this year Jaa has Tom Yum Goong 2 on the way -- check out the action-packed teaser trailer below:

Skyler White vs. The Haters

Other than Game of Thrones' pint-sized sadist Joffrey, I can't think of another character on TV now who has received more hate than Breaking Bad's Skyler White. I have friends who regularly take to twitter and facebook to share how much they despise her. Anna Gunn, who plays Skyler -- a difficult role which she does wonders with -- is well-aware of the mounting hate-campaign against the character too, and has contributed a thoughtful op-ed piece to New York Times discussing this. It's distressing to read how the hate bleeds into real life, with fans conflating Gunn with Skyler to the point where death threats are being made. Ugh. I've never understood it: Skyler's not the most likeable character, but she's as complex and flawed you'd want the long-suffering wife of a sociopathic meth-dealer to be. The final season of Breaking Bad is currently screening on Soho.

Trailer: Byzantium

Vendetta Films will be releasing Neil Jordan's Byzantium on October 9 on DVD and Blu-ray. This stylish, atmospheric vampire tale, starring Gemma Arteton and Saoirse Ronan as a mother-daughter pair of nomadic bloodsuckers, marks a great return-to-form for Jordan (Interview with the Vampire), and has secured a place in my Top 10 films of the year so far. Worth a rental for fans of the genre looking for a fresh, revisionist take on vampire lore. Check out the trailer below...

Trailer: The Wind Rises

Celebrated Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki is back with his first film in 5 years, The Wind Rises, a historical piece that looks to be a departure from his beloved fantasy-oriented works like Spirited Away and How's Moving Castle. An avid plane enthusiast, Miyazaki was inspired to make this film by the real-life stories of WWII aircraft engineer Jiro Horikoshi. The footage in this subtitled trailer released by the Toronto International Film Festival suggests Miyazaki in "heavier" mode, but it's as beautiful a production as you'd expect from Studio Ghibli. No NZ release date announced yet -- would be great if NZIFF's Autumn Events picked it up for a screening at the Civic!

Doco Short: From One Second to the Next

If you're one of those people who have been guilty on occasion of texting while driving, please take some time to watch this short 34-minute documentary by Werner Herzog (Cave of Forgotten Dreams) commissioned by AT&T for an anti-texting-and-driving campaign. Through four sets of moving stories interviewing both victims/families of victims and driving texters, it delivers a loud and clear message, highlighting how a split second decision to attend to something so trivial can irrevocably and tragically alter lives forever. Time to put away that phone while you're on the road folks!

Trailer: Her

Four years after Where the Wild Things Are, Spike Jonze is back with Her, an oddball romantic comedy starring Joaquin Phoenix as a lonely writer who falls in love with an operating system. Scarlett Johansson lends her sexy husky voice to the Siri-type artificial intelligence. It looks imaginative and stylish as you'd expect from Jonze, who's directing from his original screenplay for the first time.

Friday Clips #7

Movies in Movies: A Montage - this is great, a supercut of scenes featuring characters in movies watching movies

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Fake Daria trailer with Aubrey Plaza

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Awkward interview with Bruce Willis - possibly the most cringey thing you'll watch this week (next to the Fox interview with Reza Aslan)

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Pacific Rim trailer, done Toho-style