They're not the only two releases on the plate this week, but they're the two which are most likely to divide audiences. Shane Acker's "9" has been something of a staple on MTV Movies Blog these past few months. I caught a screening over the summer and very much enjoyed what I saw.

Produced by Tim Burton and "Wanted" director Timur Bekmambetov, "9" is set in a stitchpunk dystopian future in which humans have been eradicated. All that remains are robotic contraptions and little beings made of sackcloth. It's a short movie -- roughly 75 minutes -- but it gets in, tells a compelling story and then gets out with exceptional economy. You won't be left with many questions when the credits roll even though there's a relative absence of heavy exposition. In summation, "9" is short and sweet. Check out our coverage of "9" all this week on MTV Splash Page for exclusive clips, images and interviews. Read more...

-- First up in this relatively quiet day Around the Blogosphere is a well put together list feature running through 11 short films that have been teased out into feature-length efforts. There are some surprises there to be sure, especially if you're not a film geek. "Napoleon Dynamite" and Wes Anderson's "Bottle Rocket" both started life in short form. The peg of course is Shane Acker's "9," which was an Oscar-nominated 2005 short film. The CGI animated feature, which is produced by Tim Burton and "Wanted" director Timur Bekmambetov, hits theaters on September 9. (Short Films that Grew Up)

-- Over at Cinematical, Jessica Barnes gives some love to superheroes who were thrown under a bus in their Hollywood treatments. Not literally of course; most heroes could survive such an occurrence anyway. Can you guess who the lucky contestants might be? Other than Elektra and Catwoman that is. (Superheroes That Deserve Another Chance) Read more...

Is it a stretch to say handguns are the modern day answer to harpoons? Surely, but no more a stretch than it is to imagine Herman Melville’s 1851 novel “Moby Dick” as a big-budget genre movie set in the present day. That’s what “Wanted” director Timur Bekmambetov is planning to do, trading Angelina Jolie’s bending bullets for Captain Ahab’s harpoon-flinging quest to kill the White Whale.

News of the adaptation broke last fall, but since then we haven’t heard anything about the movie. So when we caught up with the director, who is pushing forward with plans for a “Wanted” sequel, we had to know: is “Moby Dick” still on? And is it still gonna be super weird?

Read more...

I've been buzzing a lot here on MTV Movies Blog about Shane Acker's "9." The computer animated movie's amazing visual aesthetic would be more than enough on its own, but there's also the involvement of Tim Burton and "Wanted" director Timur Bekmambetov as producers to consider. Everything I've seen of "9" -- and I've seen more than you know -- screams "see this movie, and see it right now!"

Even still, I was a bit rattled when I received these exclusive images of "9"-branded sneakers. Merchandising can be a tough game to play. There's a very fine line between what works and what doesn't. And to be frank, I didn't know what to expect when I got word that Pony created a pair of limited edition "9" sneaks, modeled after the movie's stitched-together burlap characters.

As it turns out, these things fall on the "cool" side of that aforementioned fine line. As someone with an understated fashion sense and a love for Earth tones, these really appeal to me. I would wear them, no question. Enough hype though... follow the jump for an exclusive look at the limited edition sneaks, including a close-up of the sockliner. Read more...

Tim Burton’s done comic book heroes, big budget futuristic adventures and sci-fi alien invasion stories, yet the director has never introduced one of his films into the hallowed halls of the geek-tastic carnival that bows down in worship to all those genres: Comic-Con. 2009, though, is going to be Burton’s year.

On Friday, July 24, Burton will pull on his producer’s cap and bring his post-apocalyptic animated escapade “9” to San Diego. And when he does, he’s hoping to get over a traumatic experience he had at the convention in the late ‘70s. Read more...

The computer animated fantasy "9," from Oscar-nominated short director Shane Acker, has me pretty excited. For starters, the art style is wild. There's also the not-insignificant fact that Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (director of "Wanted") produced the thing. Have you seen anything from it yet? No? Check this craziness out:

Cool, right? We've had "9" photo exclusives before, and now we've got some more. A pair of action shots from the movie. They look great, and make me even more excited to share in Acker's fantastical dystopian world. Enjoy. Read more...

FROM SPLASH PAGE: How do you make a sequel to a movie in which almost every main character winds up dead? According to one report from a Russian news outlet, “Wanted” director Timur Bekmabetov plans to answer that very question by bringing back Angelina Jolie and possibly others in the next installment.

Bekmabetov told RIA Novosti, a Russian news site, that he’s already begun preparations for “Wanted 2,” a sequel to the 2008 actioneer based on Mark Millar and J.G. Jones’ comic book. According to the site, the director promised the return of Jolie, despite her character’s send-off in the first movie.

Continue reading ‘Wanted 2’ Director Says Angelina Jolie’s Character Will Return