Over the years, there have been talks about the controversial Japanese live action film Battle Royale being released in theaters in the United States. Finally there have been confirmed dates for the debut and the release of the film in the states. The movie release will have limited showings in select theaters in the U.S. Battle Royale was originally a Japanese novel which spawned multiple adaptations including a manga series and two feature films. Unfortunately an anime series was never created. *rages* (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ .

Battle Royale's story takes place in a totalitarian state known as the Republic of Greater East Asia. 50 third-year junior high school students are selected at random according to their school and are put in what they call "the Program". The Program forces the students to fight the other members of their class to death until there is only one left. There are numerous rules that are added in the program to keep the game interesting and keep the reader focused. (And no, Battle Royale didn't copy Hunger Games ^_^)

Battle Royale will also make it's way to New York City to premiere at the IFC Center theater. According to the theater website, the showing will take place on May 25th, 2012. If you haven't seen it before, I definitely recommend seeing it. It's not for the faint of heart though. If you already saw the movie, why not see it in a real theater this time?! And if you absolutely can't wait to see it in theaters on May 25th, the DVD/Blu-Ray copies of Battle Royale are also out in the U.S so be sure to grab yourself a copy.

Warner Bros has decided to halt production of their upcoming Akira movie. The film is a live-action adaptation of the popular japanese manga and anime.

As those who have been keeping up with the news about the film know, it hasn't been a smooth ride. It has been an on-again, off-again production and this time it's due to the lack of star power combined with an over-sized budget. With only Garrett Hedlund signed and Kristen Stewart, Ken Watanabe and Helena Bonham Carter in different stages of negotiations, it's hard to justify the $90 million dollar budget. It seems they are looking to tighten their purse strings so that production costs between $60 million to $70 million.

However there are also rumors that the reason is not the budget but the script that has caused production to be halted. Variety has reported that the executives feels like the screenplay needs to be fixed some more before production can continue. There are two men that they feel can fix the job, Johnathan Nolan and Michael Green. Of course there are no official statements on any of this, so we'll just have to wait and see.

Whatever the case may be, it seems Warner Bros is not ready to let the project die just yet.

Warner Brothers Japan began streaming a teaser trailer for the live action adaptation of the wildly popular Rurouni Kenshin manga. The film based on the manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki is being directed by Keishi Otomo and starts 22 year old Takeru Satoh as the Legendary Battosai. The film is expected to hit Japanese theaters August 25, 2011.

Check out the trailer after the jump. Be warned though live-action adaptation is live. So don't get your hopes too far up just yet.

Everyone knows about Space Invaders. It's the world's most popular arcade game. So naturally, when's there's something very popular, it only makes sense to make a movie about it, right? That's exactly what Hollywood is thinking.

Producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Gigi Pritzker have gotten the rights to make the movie and are now looking for writers to bring a story to the franchise. Invaders from space just won't cut it on their own now.

It wasn't too long ago that the news of Chinatown Fair's closing spread like wildfire. At first it was rumored, then it was confirmed, then it was denied but eventually, the inevitable happened and the famed arcade lost its lease. Many claim that it was the last bastion of the East Coast fighting game community. But although it may no longer be there, it will always live on in our memories. Not only, that but you can be a part of keeping that memory alive with an upcoming documentary. Check out the trailer below!

And so passes another year of the Academy Awards, where movies far less deserving are rewarded for their hard work interspersed with mediocre host segments. But I’m not bitter! No, sir! I’m certainly not annoyed about Daft Punk not being nominated for Best Original Score! Not at all! With that said, here are the winners to the 83^rd Academy Awards:

Best Visual Effects

Best Film Editing

Best Costume Design

Best Makeup

Best Cinematography

Best Art Direction

Best Sound Mixing

Best Sound Editing

Best Original Song

"We Belong Together" from

Best Original Score

Best Animated Short Film

Best Live Action Short Film

Best Documentary - Short Subject

Best Documentary - Feature

Best Foreign Language Film

Best Animated Feature

Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay

From The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich

Best Writing - Original Screenplay

Best Supporting Actress

Melissa Leo

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale

Best Actress

Natalie Portman

Best Actor

Colin Firth

Best Director

Tom Hooper

And finally Best Picture...

Japanese live-action film GANTZ begins its international theatrical run tonight with a world premiere that kicks off in 325 theaters in the United States. Three of  those theaters happen to be in our hometown, New York City! As you've probably guessed from the title, the film is based on the sci-fi action anime and manga GANTZ.

For those who are not familiar with this series, the two protagonists Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato save a drunkard from getting squashed by an on-coming train. However, they get killed in the process instead. That's where things get interesting. Instead of them dying when they are killed, they prove Shirou wrong and respawn in the "afterlife" in an apartment with a black ball called GANTZ. The ball opens up to inform them that their "lives" now belong to it and that they are to go kick some alien asses (by killing those pesky extraterrestrials). If they kill enough aliens fast enough, then they are allowed to live regularly until it's time to kill more aliens or reach 100 points, at which time they're freed from this game.

Warner Brothers has just announced via press release that Anne Hathaway will be playing Selina Kyle (whose alter ego is Catwoman) in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises". However, the press release itself never mentions the word Catwoman, only Selina Kyle.

Also announced at the same time is that Tom Hardy will be playing the brute known as Bane, one of Batman's beefiest enemies. What's strange is that Bane is one of the more outlandish characters in the Batman universe, while Christopher Nolan has gone for a more realistic approach with his previous films. However, Nolan has stated that he has a "new interpretation" for the character.

"The Dark Knight Rises" is slated to be released on July 20, 2012.

The Press release is as follows:

BURBANK, CA, January 19, 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises.” She will be starring alongside Christian Bale, who returns in the title role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Christopher Nolan stated, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story.”

In addition, Tom Hardy has been set to play Bane. Nolan said, “I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman’s most formidable enemies.”

Nolan will direct the film from a screenplay he wrote with Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is slated for release on July 20, 2012. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.