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James Cameron is kind of a dream come true for a movies reporter. He's filled with passion for the medium and loves to talk -- at length -- about anything he's working on. And when his current project is something as potentially game-changing as "Avatar," we're all happy to do nothing more than sit up and listen. Especially when the venerable filmmaker is talking about sharing 15 minutes of "Avatar" at any IMAX theater in the country for FREE one day in late August. For serious. Check out the video and see for yourself.

Remember to head over to MTV.com for the rest of our on the ground coverage from San Diego Comic-Con '09!

Tags avatar, james cameron, Video

Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" isn't the first incarnation of Lewis Carroll's classic story to appear in theaters, and it certainly won't be the last. Watching the "Beetlejuice" and "Corpse Bride" director take a stab at one of the most surreal oddities in children's literature is a bit like handing pyromaniac a match and the keys to a fireworks warehouse. Burton has more than 150 years of history for film goers to judge his adaptation of "Alice" against. Here are five productions, movies and otherwise, that have shown what unsettling undertones lurk in Carroll's tale. Read more...

Tags alice in wonderland, marilyn manson, tim burton

FROM MTV.COM: Little Esther has been a bad girl. A very bad girl. For most of her nine years, in fact — although as the new horror movie "Orphan" opens, all we know of her earlier life is that she was left homeless when her previous adoptive family died in a fire. How fortunate that she managed to escape. Now she's available to be re-adopted by another family, and here come the well-to-do Colemans to scoop her up. Naturally they haven't thought to hide the matches or anything, but they'll learn, soon enough.

"Orphan" is an evil-kid movie with a fresh, inventive twist at the end. This twist doesn't stand up under retrospective contemplation, but how many do? And the picture is so strongly cast and beautifully shot that when the ending arrives, it's so crafty that we accept it out of simple consumer gratitude.

Continue reading 'Orphan': Our Little Monster, By Kurt Loder

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Tonight I had the very good fortune to be invited to a private event with Mr. "Lord of the Rings" himself, Peter Jackson. It was the latest in a series of cool happenings that also had me catching an early screening of "District 9" -- the upcoming Jackson-produced sci-fi flick that already feels destined to change the face of genre filmmaking.

"It cost thirty million dollars," Jackson said to audible gasps in a function room at a Comic-Con hotel. Not that you could tell watching the movie, which boasts intense effects shots that make “Transformers” look like "My Dinner With Andre." "In raising the money, I had to sign off on everything, final cut, etc... but it was Neill's film." Read more...

Tags district 9, neill blomkamp, peter jackson, The Lovely Bones, the-hobbit, tintin

"Tron Legacy" stars Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde took some time from their busy San Diego Comic-Con schedules to go one-on-one with MTV yesterday. All of this may be old hat for Bridges, who played the central character in the original movie, but Hedlund and Wilde come to Disney's sequel with their childhood memories intact. Imagine the thrill they must have felt then at handling a Disc of Tron for the first time. Or climbing into a Lightcycle. I get chills just thinking about it, and they've lived it.

Head over to MTV.com for more video coverage on the ground at San Diego Comic-Con 2009!

Tags garrett hedlund, jeff bridges, olivia wilde, tron, Tron Legacy, Video

FROM MTV.COM: Johnny Depp surprised fans at the Disney 3-D panel at San Diego Comic-Con by showing up at the end of Tim Burton's presentation of footage from "Alice in Wonderland."

Although Depp didn't answer questions, the crowd screamed and cheered when the actor was onstage, the room filling with flashes of cameras.

The shocking addition of Depp to the stage was a great end to the panel discussion, which began with filmmaker Tim Burton getting cheers of his own from the crowd. In a presentation that included a teaser trailer of various footage from the film in 3-D, Burton laughed about all the wacky characters who populate the world of his version of "Alice in Wonderland," including the Mad Hatter, played by Depp; the Red Queen, played by Helena Bonham Carter; and the White Queen, played by Anne Hathaway.

Johnny Depp, Tim Burton Preview 'Alice In Wonderland' At Comic-Con

Tags alice in wonderland, anne hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, johnny depp, Mia Wasikowska, stephen fry, tim burton

For a few glorious hours on Wednesday, Tim Burton fans got their first glimpse of "Burton's vision -- from what we've seen thus far of course -- does right by the source.

Well the trailer is here now. Officially. It's not going to up and disappear on you in a few hours. We're planning a closer look at it later today, but for the time being just sit back and immerse yourself in the psychedelic freakout.

Tags alice in wonderland, tim burton, Video

In the vein of such films as "Alien" and "Sunshine," "Pandorum" finds a group of deep space astronauts awakened from deep sleep only to find they have no memory of who they are or what their mission is. Plus, as if that weren't enough, deadly creatures have infiltrated their craft. As you'll see in our exclusive teaser which was shown at Comic-Con today, the film looks to be one hell of a scary ride.

Starring Ben Foster, Dennis Quaid and Cam Gigandet, "Pandorum" hits theaters September 18.

Tags ben foster, pandorum, Video

FROM MTV.COM: Appropriately enough for a movie series about a vampire clan that never sleeps, "Twilight" day at Comic-Con began bright and early. Gathered together at 9:30 a.m. Thursday (July 23) for an invite-only press conference, a small group of reporters took up about a third of the massive ballroom at the Hilton Bayfront hotel, eager to talk fame, fiction and fanpires with Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner.

"This year, I have something to say," Pattinson laughed, remembering that he was overwhelmed to the point of near speechlessness last year. "It's much more terrifying."

Continue watching the 'New Moon' press conference featuring Robert Pattinson and Kristin Stewart!

Tags Kristen-Stewart, New Moon, robert pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Twilight, Video

Under the harsh spotlight of press and fan scrutiny, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner are having to answer some hard questions. And share them. In this clip from the "New Moon" panel at San Diego Comic-Con, the three reveal what they least like hearing when getting the third degree from their adoring public.

Remember, you can head over to MTV.com to watch the rest of our coverage from the SDCC '09 "New Moon" panel!

Tags Kristen-Stewart, New Moon, robert pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Twilight, Video