The first teaser poster for Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi follow-up to The Dark Knight has been released online. Inception is about the mind of a criminal and stars Leonardo Dicaprio. The film is scheduled to hit theaters summer 2010.

Check out this first poster after the break.

At the beginning of the first episode, a few questions are asked to the audience: where were you when JFK was assassinated, on 9/11, and this morning. Because on this morning, an alien armada has arrived on our planet. Over 29 cities, these ships bring with them a message: We come in peace, and if you allow us to replenish our resources on your planet, we will share some of our technology with you. They say they are peaceful, calling themselves the Visitors. But there’s one problem, they’re lying to us.

The original V miniseries and spinoffs had strong symbolism likening the Visitors and the atmosphere created in their presence to being much like Nazi Germany during the 1930’s. Promises of a better life amidst the current turmoil, reshaping communities and families, and a mutually beneficial relationship are all themes the Visitors promise, but at what price. Elizabeth Mitchell, most commonly known as Juliet from Lost, plays an FBI agent tracking down a lead on a terror cell that somehow is linked to the V’s. Her son is increasingly becoming enraptured with the Visitors.

While remaining spoiler free, the show quickly escalates, and we start to see a resistance is forming against the V’s. Some of the other characters in the show have pasts connected with what’s coming. The pilot episode started off strong, and I hope the show balances both pace and storyline, without attempting to copy the successful formula that made a show like Lost so engrossing. Here is a sneak peek from ABC below.

Star Trek is coming back to IMAX theaters this Labor Day weekend! The J.J Abrams blockbuster was released in both regular and IMAX theaters this past May and became an instant success. Grossing over $250 million at the domestic box office, Star Trek was both a financial and critical success. Starting this Friday September 4th, Trek will be released at about 100 IMAX theaters across the country for a two week run. This is apparently a last minute marketing campaign from Paramount to end the summer on a high note. Star Trek stars Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk in a reboot of the popular sci-fi franchise. The movie has become one of the highest grossing movies of the summer and Paramount is getting ready to give the film a little extra push this holiday weekend. Go check out Star Trek in IMAX!

If you haven’t checked out the trailer for Surrogates you can click here to check it out. It looks like an interesting story, but it seems very similar to I, Robot, The Matrix, and Blade Runner all combined into one film. The premise is intriguing. Set in the future humans can purchase robotic surrogates of themselves which they can control through a machine system which is connected to them (similar to how you enter the Matrix). When one of the surrogates is responsible for a murder, Willis’ FBI agent character must investigate how this happened. We have the first poster for the film which doesn’t really reflect anything about the movie since all it features is Bruce Willis. Still worth checking out. Tell us what you think.

FANFLASH is the title for our original articles that dive into different aspects of popular culture and entertainment. Today Jordan Tunney discusses the massive amount of hype surrounding James Cameron’s new film Avatar which hits theaters this December.

From time to time, movie web sites get caught up in the hype concerning certain movies. This summer, it’s looking like James Cameron’s Avatar is that film. Now I am a fan of James Cameron films, especially The Abyss and Aliens. But concerning Avatar, only snippets of concept art, a few behind the scenes photos, and details about the 3D technology have surfaced. If Cameron’s involvement is the sole thrust of excitement behind Avatar, I am still reserved. Does a famous director make a movie already groundbreaking before anyone has even seen footage?

I have asked a few people about the movie, but to be honest not a lot know what the movie is about. The movie tells the story of an ex-marine who is caught in a war on an alien planet. In a distant system filled with riches and exotic life forms, Jake is caught between his people, who may be attempting to use the planet’s resources for their selfish reasons, and the aliens who hold the key to their salvation or destruction. The movie is slated to release in IMAX and conventional theaters December 18th.

The following pictures are the only authentic released pictures from the movie:

These are the only things fans have to look at to get excited about Avatar. The concept art for the planet looks pretty cool, but that does not necessarily mean it will look good on film. Jon Favreau has called it a “game-changer” after seeing some footage and Stephen Soderbergh agreed. As to whether the footage they saw was in IMAX or 3D, I cannot say. However, both Favreau and Soderbergh know their stuff, so it could be Avatar is shaping up to be a leap forward in film making.

My feelings on the hype surrounding Avatar is that as a fan, I haven’t seen anything to make me feel that Avatar is the next big groundbreaking movie. Yes the concept art looks cool and James Cameron is a fantastic director, but the movie hasn’t been sold to the fans yet. Industry insiders and directors have seen footage and are raving about it, but I will make my decision when we see something ourselves. Sam Worthington as a leading man made me skeptical till I saw Terminator Salvation, and he did well as Marcus.

What do you think? Considering this is almost all that fans have to get a feel for the movie, how excited are you?

Photos Courtesy of Marketsaw

James Cameron’s Avatar doesn’t hit theaters until this December, but every week it seems there is some new buzz mounting for this movie. We have heard that Avatar will have an exclusive IMAX run that will last three months. Directors like Stephen Soderbergh have seen clips from the movie and have stated that it is groundbreaking. There have been numerous rumors surrounding the project, from costs, to technology, to the one big question everyone seems to have which is what is it all about? Instead of previewing a clip from the movie, Cameron has unleashed photos from the new video game inspired by the film. E3 is the company behind the game and after the jump we have exclusive photos and an interview with Cameron about his first movie since Titanic.

James Cameron’s Avatar doesn’t hit theaters until December 18th, but the hype surrounding this film is huge. What is puzzling about all of this hype is the fact that there has yet to be any footage seen. There is already praise for this movie, yet there has been nothing of any substance seen thus far. In response to all of this said hype our staff writer, Jordan Tunney has put together an article about Avatar and why we should not board the bandwagon quite yet. Look for Jordan’s article later this week which breaks down what we have seen for Avatar so far and what we should think about it, not what everyone wants us to think. For now, what are your thoughts on Avatar? Do you agree it is premature to judge a movie when nothing has been seen for it yet? Share with us your thoughts below.

Photos and video courtesy of ubi.com

This fall moviegoers will experience Surrogates the latest action sci-fi movie from Bruce Willis. Today we have the first trailer for the film which has a Blade Runner meets The Matrix vibe. Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop (Willis) is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others’ surrogates. The movie is directed by Jonathon Mostow ( Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) and is scheduled to arrive in theaters September 25th. This trailer has an interesting premise but the movie looks like it could be really bad. Check out the trailer and tell us what you think.

SURROGATES trailer in HD

As if the initial estimate of $72 million wasn’t exceeding expectations, we have even more money to add to that total. Reports are now coming in stating that J.J Abrams’ Star Trek grossed a whopping $79.2 million over the weekend. Most predictions placed the sci-fi reboot in the mid to high $60 million range. For any movie to rake in almost $80 million is an impressive accomplishment; but for a reboot of a 1970’s television show, with no big name stars, is even more incredible. This film will certainly perform well over the coming weeks as positive reviews continue to roll in, and the word of mouth has brought in all different demographics to fill theater seats. I look forward to seeing the competition between Star Trek and Angels & Demons this weekend – who do you think will come out on top?

Those of you who will go and see Wolverine this weekend will most likely watch this teaser trailer for District 9. The sci-fi thriller seems similar to 2008’s Cloverfield which involved an alien invasion of sorts. This movie is directed by Neil Blomkamp and produced by Peter Jackson. The film depicts a fictional world where extraterrestrials have become refugees in South Africa.The teaser trailer has moviegoers excited about what these aliens will look like and what the will do, but I am not completely sold on the trailer. I thought it had a mysterious feel to it, and I am curious to see what it is all about, but I don’t like jumping on a bandwagon. The trailer really wants you to be confused so they pixelate the aliens face to add to the mystery. Check it out and tell us what you think.

Check out the hi-def trailer at Apple.com District 9 hits theaters August 9th. Leave your comments below!

Yesterday we reported that director Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) would be re-booting the 80’s action franchise Predator. Today we have the official release date for the movie but we have news that Robert Rodriguez will not be directing the movie. Today 20th Century Fox via coming soon officially announced a release date for the film. We can catch Predators in theaters on July 7, 2010. Fox is calling this re-boot ” a bold new chapter in the Predator universe.” This release date comes very soon, seeing as how it was just yesterday that Rodriguez officially announced he will make the movie. We reported that Rodriguez would be directing the film, but he is now set to only produce the film. There is no confirmation as to who will direct the movie at this time. When we hear more details on this project we will bring them to you. Until then, mark you calendars for next summer for Predators!