While out at SXSW, Cinematical's Scott Weinberg and I had a chat about Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and we both agreed it was a pretty good flick. Naturally, it wasn't dark and intense enough for the hardcore fans, but we kinda liked the fact that there was this comic book film that was made for actual kids, as well as fans. It was goofy, fun, exciting and cool. Best comic flick ever? Hardly. But definitely worthy of another sequel.

Alas, according to Chris Evans (aka Johnny Storm), it would appear a third Fantastic Four is not in the cards. He tells MTV, "I'm pretty sure we won't do [another] one. I'm assuming that one is a closed book." Evans later went into a tad more detail: "After the first one was released we got wind of potential titles and plots [almost immediately], and I've heard nothing from anyone at Fox [yet]. We had all planned on doing [another] one but if there were going to be a third I think a week after the second one was released we would have heard." Too bad.

There's always a chance, however, that Johnny Storm will show up in another comic book flick; either a Silver Surfer solo film or, perhaps, a completely different hero. Will he do it if he's offered the part? "Absolutely. If Johnny Storm wanted to make a pop in appearance in one of those movies that would be a treat."

What say you? Were you hoping for a Fantastic Four 3?

Chemistry. It's a word tossed around in plenty of movie reviews, generally to diagnose whether two actors have it or not. Chemistry can be in the eye of the beholder: some critics may disagree, but if the chemistry is really there, it will show in the way the film catches on. No one can deny that Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan had it in When Harry Met Sally, or that William Powell and Myrna Loy, or Woody Allen and Diane Keaton had it in their many films. But for every hit, there are many, many failed experiments. Here are seven of the most (or least) memorable.

1. Fred Astaire and Joan Fontaine in A Damsel in Distress (1937)
For whatever reason, Astaire decided to break up his hit formula with Ginger Rogers and make this movie without her. His new partner? Joan Fontaine, best known for playing mousy, quietly pretty types (Rebecca, Letter from an Unknown Woman, etc.) and definitely not a song-and-dance woman. Poor Joan was taken to the mat for her lack of singing and hoofing, although the film actually isn't that bad. The ultra-witty P.G. Wodehouse adapted his own novel, it won an Oscar for its dance choreography, and it features another great team: George Burns and Gracie Allen.

2. Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock in Two Weeks Notice (2002)
Every so often some Hollywood executive gets the idea to team up two big stars, hoping that their massive appeal will translate into screen chemistry; it mostly doesn't. These two romantic comedy masters, who have been wonderful in other films with other people, came together like a dull, wet flint, unable to strike even the most meager spark. Another infamous example of this type of casting came in 1986: recent Oscar winners Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep came together for Mike Nichols' Heartburn. Before it opened, it had lots of buzz. After it opened, it had more of a stench.

In two weeks, they've changed the title from The Night Watchmen to Street Kings, we got a look at the film's first images and now Yahoo has debuted the trailer. My first reaction to the trailer was that it looks a lot like Training Day, which is an obvious reaction seeing as director David Ayer also penned that film. Here, Keanu Reeves stars as a cop "who plays by his own rules," but when he's accused of a crime he did not commit --coupled with the death of his wife -- our nasty cop must go up against an entire force full of guys just like him.

I'm not so sure how I feel about Keanu Reeves playing a badass cop. The trailer itself primarily focuses on this angle, instead of introducing the actual story, and so you'll probably walk away saying to yourself, "Wait, how is this different from Training Day?" There's rap music, there's gun fights, there's lines like, "I'm gonna ask him a few questions ... and then I'm gonna kill him" and there's that gritty Los Angeles feel that David Ayer is so attached to. So check out the trailer and let us know what you think; Street Kings also stars Forest Whitaker, Chris Evans, Hugh Laurie and Common, and it arrives in theaters on April 11.

A conversation arose in the screening room the other day about the sorry state of young, romantic performers in movies today and the overwhelming blandness slathered across our movie screens. Pretty, plastic, chiseled faces smile at one another and sometimes kiss, and their efforts leave everyone cold. Critics and audiences often use the word "chemistry" to describe these encounters; either the characters have it or they don't. Strangely, there's really no way to tell if it's even there until the movie is finished. You can put two actors in a room together, or screen test them, but none of it comes together until the audience becomes a factor.

One reason most movie couples have been so bland lately is the ever-increasing control that studios are demanding of their product. Every aspect of filmmaking must be regulated and stabilized, and so, to make the most of their romantic stories, these same studio people very simply cast the most beautiful actors they can find. Beautiful people sometimes explode on the movie screen with lots of personality and star power, but just as often, they don't, looking more like polished statues without so much as a heartbeat. James Dean was very handsome, but he had a surprising element, a kind of unpredictability, as well as world-heavy sadness. But James Franco, who played Dean in a TV biopic, has only the looks. As shown in his most recent film, Spider-Man 3 (151 screens), where there should be passion and danger and excitement, there's only grooming. At times I honestly can't tell the difference between him and Paul Walker.

Tomorrow (June 21) marks the summer solstice, and I guess to celebrate the beginning of the season, director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) has sent Cinematical this compilation of trivia about the solstice and the sun. Boyle isn't just sharing us some random facts, though; this is obviously a promotion for his latest movie, Sunshine. It would seem to have made sense for Fox Searchlight to release the sci-fi pic, which stars Cillian Murphy, this weekend rather than exactly one month after, but whatever (its better than waiting until December). The movie has already opened in other parts of the world, way ahead of the appropriate date.

For those unaware of Sunshine, it is about a crew of spacemen sent to jumpstart our solar system's dying star. Yes, it sounds a little like an exo-version of The Core, but with Boyle and his usual screenwriter Alex Garland (since 28 Days Later, anyway -- he also wrote the source novel from which Boyle made The Beach) involved, Sunshine is sure to be much, much better. So far, the movie has a great score over at Rotten Tomatoes, though the reviews seem to be more enthusiastic about the look of the film than its story. Regardless, I am really looking forward to the pic; I haven't disliked one of Boyle's films yet, and I'd hate for this to be the first.

Click on the pic for the full-sized, Boyle-approved facts. For other, more directly-related promotional materials for Sunshine, check out the links to Cinematical's past coverage after the jump.

Heading into Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, my expectations were pretty low. The original was slow, dull and gimmicky, with too much set-up and not enough punch. That said, I'm about to make a very bold statement -- not only is this film far superior to its predecessor, but it's also one of the best sequels this summer has to offer. Granted, that's not saying a whole lot, but when it comes to entertaining a mass audience -- delivering equal parts quirk and fast-paced action -- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer serves up fun on a, well, silver platter. Unlike other recent comic adaptations content on force-feeding you bland melodrama to a point where the entire theater begins to reek like cheese, Silver Surfer never takes itself seriously. It's PG-rated summer popcorn fluff at its best, and while the new additions might irritate the hardcore FF fanatics, those simply looking for a check-your-brain-at-the-door night out at the movies will certainly surf away satisfied.

It's hard enough focusing all the attention around one superhero, and four makes the task even tougher. Director Tim Story took a real chance with this sequel; although fans would've loved a darker, more sinister tone, he went in a completely different direction -- opting to instead tap into the old school, feel-good vibes of the original Superman films (parts 1 and 2), while utilizing a bigger budget to really make this thing sail. However, not all the effects hit their mark (specifically Mr. Fantastic's stretch technique, which looked completely silly and over-the-top in more than a few scenes), but the work done on the Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne) more than made up for the minor faults in our main characters. In fact, the worst part of FF2 was the actual "all-media" screening -- chock-full of of delinquents who wouldn't stop talking the entire time. Not at the screen, mind you, but at each other. And I sat next to a homeless guy. Seriously. So if I can walk away from that experience and still enjoy this film more than any sequel/adaptation/threequel/you name it this summer, that's saying a lot for what the FF gang offered up for this, their second time around the block.

Although my birthday present from Fox Searchlight arrived a bit late, it was well worth the wait -- Cinematical was just informed (via a press release) that Danny Boyle's Sunshine has had its release date pushed up to July 20; a move that put a huge smile on my face as we come to the end of a relatively tame Wednesday. For those slightly out of the loop on this one, Sunshine was originally supposed to be released this past March 16. And although the film arrived in theaters around the world (as planned) Fox Searchlight delayed its release here in the states, subsequently pushing it all the way back to December. To say us Boyle fans were a tad bummed out about that would be an understatement -- as our own Scott Weinberg proclaimed, "That's like walking into a kid's room on 12/15 and saying, 'Oh, we bumped Christmas back to September. Stop crying!'"

Fox provided no reason for either shift; originally, some of us thought that maybe they were prepping the flick for an Oscar run, but it didn't seem like the sort of film (futuristic sci-fi?) that Oscar voters chomp on for breakfast. Was it that bad that Fox wanted to re-tool the thing and hide it amongst a busy Compass-filled December? Not likely; the trailers rock, and the buzz has been pretty good. Nevertheless, I could care less at this point -- I just want to see the damn film as quickly as possible. In the pic, director Boyle and writer Alex Garland once again team up for a story about a group of astronauts (Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Cillian Murphy, Troy Garity, etc ...) who are sent to help re-ignite the sun after the sucker begins to burn out. Mark your calendars people. Sunshine. July 20. Awesome stuff!

Okay, bear with me because this is going to get confusing. Keanu Reeves is starring in an upcoming thriller called Night Watch. Its title used to be The Night Watchman, but it was changed, likely to avoid getting mixed up with the upcoming Zack Snyder superhero flick Watchmen. Oh, and this Night Watch has nothing to do with the other Night Watch, the 2004 Russian film that was pretty popular in its own right, and spawned a sequel -- Day Watch -- out this summer. Oh, and it also has nothing to do with the 1997 Ewan McGregor morgue thriller Nightwatch. Which was a remake of a 1994 Danish film...called Nightwatch. So in conclusion, to avoid confusion, they've changed the title to one that will probably cause much, much more confusion. Everybody up to speed? Alright, then let's move on.

Casting news on the film has been dribbling out steadily. In February, Erik told you that Keanu Reeves would star in the film, as an alcoholic LA cop framed by his former mentor. Then Jessica added that the mentor would be played by the always-excellent Forest Whitaker. And now I am telling you that Naomie Harris has joined the cast. Harris is best known for playing Tia Dalma ("Voodoo Lady") in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. She tells mtv Night Watch is "really dark. It's a really great movie, though, and I'm really excited to be part of it." David Ayer will direct the film, which he co-wrote with Jamie Moss and master of LA corruption stories -- James Ellroy. Ayer certainly knows police dramas, having written one of the best recent examples -- Training Day. He made his directorial debut with last year's very effective Harsh Times. Rapper Common, Chris "Flame On!" Evans, and Dr. House himself -- Hugh Laurie -- will round out the cast. I'm not a big Reeves enthusiast, but any movie that puts Whitaker in his "Kavanaugh on The Shield" mode definitely has my interest.

Eight weeks before Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer hits theaters, a number of Youtube videos have popped up featuring a giggly fat man in silver body paint and bald cap who walks around what looks like Venice interacting with the locals and declaring himself to be the real Silver Surfer, as opposed to the toned figure on the billboards. "I wanted to play myself and they said 'no.' I wanted to play Mr. Fantastic and they said 'no.' Racism. It's because of my skin color." I'll say this for Fox's viral marketing department -- at least these clips are mildly amusing. The best one features the chubby Surfer actually attempting to surf. "It's a beautiful morning," he says, chatting up a guy next to him who is also about to go out. "Kind of reminds me of the great deepness of space, you know? Kind of goes on forever." He then takes a running start at the water and freaks out because the water is too cold.

The other three videos aren't quite as good as the surfing one, and the one where he offers "surfing lessons from the Silver Surfer" on the street corner cuts way too fast for us to discern anything about what's going on. Fox should hire a cameraman who knows the principles of comedy a little better. Nevertheless, like I said, it's pretty funny if you're looking for something to watch on a rainy day, as it actually is today. I'll close by reiterating the point of the whole thing -- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer opens in theaters on June 15.

Folks, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are officially back ... and with them come a new look, a new enemy and the best film of the franchise by far! It's taken 27 long years to capture the look and feel of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's original comic book (which they self-published back in 1984 with money from a tax refund) on the big screen. Originally intended to parody other comics (like Marvel's New Mutants), the Ninja Turtles quickly found a massive fanbase; kids searching for something a tad different, a tad more exciting -- something that was a whole lot of fun. Even after three live-action movies, an animated series, toys, lunchboxes and pez dispensers, the Turtles still somehow managed to stick around -- but not without criticism.

Though the original comics established a dark tone and a powerful, multi-layered storyline, some folks couldn't get past the silly concept. If only the Turtles were a bit more family friendly (but still kicked ass), profits would skyrocket. And they did. Thus, a new generation of kids grew up with a lighter version of the Turtles -- the kind that entertain you stuffed amidst other shows during your Saturday morning cartoon line-up. Die hard fans of the original comics grew up, got jobs and occasionally entertained the wild idea of a big-screen Turtles revival. But they knew it was too late; the superhero market was too crowded. Little did they know at the time, but a guy named Kevin Munroe would show up. And this guy ... he would change everything.