"The Amazing Spider-Man #316" written by David Michelinie and artwork by Todd McFarlane

LA Times reported that Sony is negotiating a deal with Chronicle’s Josh Trank to bring Venom back on the big screen. The popular Marvel Comics villain – created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane in 1988 – made an uneventful appearance in 2007’s Spider-Man 3, leaving fans of the character disgruntled. Back in 2009, Gary Ross expressed interest in making a Venom movie, but one thing led to another and he ended up making the upcoming The Hunger Games instead.

27-year-old Josh Trank is currently celebrating the success of Chronicle, which has grossed over $60 million since its opening day. According to Wikipedia, Trank is one of the youngest directors to go #1 in the United States, followed by a 28-year-old Steven Spielberg with Jaws, and a 30-year-old James Cameron with The Terminator.

Christian Bale

Crazy Heart’s Scott Cooper has an exciting future ahead of him. He’s currently in pre-production stage to direct a revenge flick called Out of the Furnace, which will star Christian Bale and is being produced by Tony Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio. Zoe Saldana, Casey Affleck, Robert Duvall and Viggo Mortensen are supposedly in talks to co-star.

According to sources, the plot of Out of the Furnace involves a man (Bale) who has just been released from prison. Before he has a chance to enjoy his newly-found freedom, his brother is brutally murdered. The man then decides to hunt down the killers himself.

Updates: Total Film reports that Casey Affleck is officially in.

"How to Kill a Young Adult Novelist" Trailer Image

Color me intrigued by the trailer for How to Kill a Young Adult Novelist, a forthcoming  Japanese thriller that opens in select theaters in that country on April 19th. Only trouble is it’s impossible to find out anything about this movie’s plot, so for now the trailer will have to speak for itself. At the very least we know it stars Asao Norihiko, Ishibashi Shinji, Jeison Nami, and Matsunaga Minori.

There are no English subtitles in the trailer and the production values appear admittedly low, but this looks like the kind of transgressive foreign thriller that tends to hit the sweet spot for certain horror fans like myself. Thanks to Beyond Hollywood for the story

Blade of Kings aka The Twins Effect 2 Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Hello, dear readers. There’s not much in the way of Asian cinema this week but no doubt there are some interesting releases, whether it’s a ’96 Chuck Norris environmental action movie or Danny Trejo and Steve Austin teaming up for some direct-to-video goodness. So here are your Blu-ray and DVD new releases for the week of 3/6/12:

ASIAN CINEMA

Blade of Kings (Blu-ray/DVD) – your friends at Well Go USA release this 2004 Hong Kong action/fantasy film starring Charlene Choi, Gillian Chung, Jaycee Chan, and featuring appearances by Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen. Also known as “Twin Effects II”

Jackie Chan 8 Movie Pack (DVD) – those crazy folks at Echo Bridge Entertainment are at it again. In this set you get: “Operation Condor,” “Operation Condor 2: Armour of God,” “Dragon Lord,” “Twin Dragons,” “Project A,” “Project A 2,” “Supercop,” and “The Accidental Spy.” Be advised that most of these are going to be the Miramax dubbed and cut versions, except maybe “Dragon Lord”

FOREIGN CINEMA

The Skin I Live In (Blu-ray/DVD) – director Pedro Almodovar presents this 2011 skin-crawling thriller starring Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya

Before Your Eyes (DVD) – a 2011 film set in Kurdistan, about a young orphan on a mission of revenge against the man who murdered her parents

ANIMATION

Grave of the Fireflies (DVD) – a remastered version of the 1988 classic anti-war Japanese animated movie

MAINSTREAM

Immortals (Blu-ray/DVD) – from the director of “The Cell” and “The Fall” comes this 2011 Greek mythology flick

Forest Warrior (Blu-ray) – in this 1996 environmental action flick, Chuck Norris is a forest guardian who helps some kids battle evil land developers. $#%& yeah

Recoil (Blu-ray/DVD) – two titans of direct-to-video, Danny Trejo (“Machete”) and Steve Austin (“The Expendables”), collide in this 2011 action movie

Like Crazy (Blu-ray/DVD) – Anton Yelchin of “Star Trek” ’09 and “Terminator: Salvation” stars in this 2011 exploration of long distance relationships

Reindeer’s Games (Director’s Cut) (Blu-ray) – director John Frakenheimer gets his own cut of the 2000 action flick starring Ben Affleck, Charlize Theron, and Gary Sinese

The Town (Ultimate Collector’s Edition) (Blu-ray+DVD combo) – I guess this is a good week to be a Ben Affleck fan as his 2010 bank robber movie gets an Ultimate Collector’s Edition. This features an extended cut with an alternate ending

Kevin Smith Triple Feature (Blu-ray) – “Chasing Amy,” “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back,” and “Clerks” all together in one Blu-ray set, leaving many to wonder why they didn’t just put “Mallrats” on here instead of “Strike Back”

9 and 1/2 Weeks (Blu-ray) – Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger get hot ‘n heavy in the original uncut version of Adrian Lyne’s 1986 film

CLASSICS

The Deer Hunter (Blu-ray + DVD combo) – at last, Michael Cimino’s 1978 Vietnam War classic starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep is in hi-def

To Catch a Thief (Blu-ray) – Cary Grant and Grace Kelly star in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 romantic suspense film, now on Blu-ray

Plan 9 From Outer Space (Blu-ray) – Ed Wood’s 1959 magnum opus needs no introduction and now it’s on Blu-ray, although it looks like it’s been colorized

The Little Shop of Horrors (Blu-ray) – this is Roger Corman’s 1960 production of the musical, featuring Jack Nicholson

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Blu-ray) – director Terry Gilliam’s classic 1975 comedy now in hi-def

The Blues Brothers (Blu-ray + DVD combo) – the 1980 comedy starring Dan Akroyd and John Belushi

Sullivan’s Travels (Blu-ray) – the 1941 screwball comedy starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake, now in hi-def

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"The Package" Blu-ray Cover

Jesse V. Johnson, director of straight-to-video favorites Pit Fighter, The Last Sentinel and Green Street Hooligans 2, is currently filming The Package, which stars Steve Austin and Dolph Lundgren. According to imdb.com, the film centers around a gangster-employed courier (Steve Austin) who must deliver a mysterious package while being chased by a horde of unusual gangsters.

The Package also stars Ip Man 2’s Darren Shahlavi, The King of the Kickboxers’ Jerry Trimble, Flight of the Living Dead’s Kristen Kerr and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters’ Monique Ganderton. The Package is currently filming and will most-likely be released late 2012/early 2013.

Updates: The Blu-ray & DVD are now up for pre-order. Also, check out the trailer.

Yang Jung-ho's "Mirage"

Writer/director Yang Jung-ho (assistant director on 2007’s Hellcats) is ready to unleash a dark vision into Korean theaters on March 8th. That’s when Mirage makes its debut and, from the looks of the trailer over at Beyond Hollywood, it’s going to be a wild and Lynch-ian ride. The film follows a writer who wakes up drunk during the subway ride to his hometown to accept a literary award. Back on his old stomping grounds, he’s forced to confront the buried secrets of his past.

Mirage is being released by CJ Entertainment but looks a fair bit more grim and cerebral than their usual blockbuster fare. The film stars Mun Jeong-ung, Kim Chang-hwan, Sin Jae-seung, Kim Tae-yoon-I, and Kim Min-kyeong-II.