Escape from New York is awesome. 

The idea of remaking Escape from New York is distinctly less awesome.  The idea of remaking Escape from New York with an origin story for anti-hero Snake Plissken is the opposite of awesome.  The idea of remaking Escape from New York as an origin story and the first entry in a planned trilogy has absolutely nothing to do with awesomeness.

But that's nonetheless what producer Joel Silver and Studio Canal are planning to do.

Batman is back!

Available for purchase on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital Download beginning December 4th is The Dark Knight Rises, the third and final chapter in director Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. Following the success of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Academy Award-winner Christian Bale (The Fighter) returns once again as the Caped Crusader defending the streets of Gotham from a whole new crop of bad guys. 

In addition to the return of Bale in the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, the film also welcomes back Oscar-winner Michael Caine (The Cider House Rules) as Alfred Pennyworth, Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) as Lucius Fox, and Oscar-nominee Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as Commissioner Gordon, as well as new cast members such as Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) as Miranda Tate, Oscar-nominee Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) as Selina Kyle, Tom Hardy (Warrior) as Bane, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper) as John Blake. The film also features cameos from Batman Begins actors Cillian Murphy (Red Lights) as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, and Oscar-nominee Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List) as Ra’s al Ghul. 

While Batman Begins was loosely based on Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, and The Dark Knight took its inspiration from seminal Batman stories such as Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore, and Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb, The Dark Knight Rises seems to take its lead from Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, as well as Batman: Knightfall by Chuck Dixon, which first featured the villain Bane.

Available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, and Digital Download beginning December 4th is the superhero blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises, which is the final chapter in director Christopher Nolan's Trilogy that began with '2005s Batman Begins and continued with '2008s The Dark Knight. The film once again stars Oscar-winner Christian Bale (The Fighter) as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Oscar-winner Michael Caine (Cars 2) as Alfred Pennyworth, Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman (The Magic of Belle Isle) as Lucius Fox, Oscar-nominee Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as Commissioner Gordon, Oscar-nominee Liam Neeson (The Grey) as Ra's al Ghul, and Cillian Murphy (Red Lights) as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarcrow, as well as new cast members Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone) as Miranda Tate/Talia al Ghul, Oscar-nominee Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Tom Hardy (Warrior) as Bane, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper) as "Robin" John Blake. 

IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to visit The Dark Knight Legend Exhibit at LA LIVE in Los Angeles and speak with George Barris (Creator of the Original 1966 Batmobile), Andy Smith (Builder of The Tumbler from Christopher Nolan's Trilogy), Jeff Dunham (Comedian and Owner of a Restored Michael Keaton Batmobile), and Mark Greenhalgh (Warner Bros. Corporate Archive) about the once in a lifetime event and their contributions to The Dark Knight legacy. In addition to featuring all five big screen Batmobiles, the exhibit also includes costumes and props from Christopher Nolan's Trilogy, and Batman art. 

You might have assumed that the sequel's disastrous critical reception and the general sense of , "Wait, this is the exact same movie as the first one but without the novelty" would have left Taken 2 vulnerable to having its neck snapped by no fewer than five wide releases hitting theaters this weekend.  Not so, as Liam Neeson managed to hold off all five newcomers, with Argo sliding into second place, Sinister putting up a solid showing, and three very different movies not exactly lighting the box office on fire.

Anyone hoping that Bryan Mills will be able to just enjoy his next vacation without having to kill a lot of anonymous bad guys should hang up those hopes right about now.  Similarly, anyone hoping that Liam Neeson would return to more dignified thespianism is going to have to get comfortable with the ass-kicking Neeson of late, as Taken 2 opened big enough this weekend to virtually ensure Mills's special set of skills being utilized in Taken 3.

Dutch actress Famke Janssen is best known for playing strong roles in action films such as Bond girl Xenia Onatopp in Goldeneye, Jean Grey/Phoenix in The X-Men franchise, or Bryan Mills’ (Liam Neeson) estranged wife in Taken and its upcoming sequel Taken 2, which opens in theaters on October 5th. But now audiences will have a chance to also know Janssen as a filmmaker with the release of her directorial debut Bringing Out Bobby, which opened in theaters on September 28th.

The film, which was also written by Janssen, stars actress Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil: Retribution) as Olive, a Ukrainian con artist who moves to Oklahoma with her 10 year-old son Bobby (Spencer List). However, it doesn’t take very long for Olive’s checkered past to catch up with her and for Bobby’s behavior to cause problems of its own. In addition to Jovovich and List, the film also features excellent performances from Bill Pullman (Lola Versus), Marcia Cross (TV’s Desperate Housewives), and Rory Cochrane (Dazed and Confused).

IAR’s Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to speak with the extremely talented Famke Janssen about her work on Bringing Up Bobby, and Taken 2, as well as her next film; Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. The actress/writer/director discussed Bringing Up Bobby, why she wanted to direct, developing the script, her own experiences in the United States as a foreigner, what she’s learned from the directors she has worked with in the past, collaborating with her actors on set, why she didn’t want to play Olive, casting Jovovich and List, reuniting with Liam Neeson on Taken 2, having her character more involved with the plot, the film’s new director, and what it was like playing the witch in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. 

Synopsis: Liam Neeson returns as Bryan Mills, the retired CIA agent with a particular set of skills who stopped at nothing to save his daughter Kim from Albanian kidnappers. When the father of one of the kidnappers swears revenge, and takes Bryan and his wife hostage during their family vacation in Istanbul, Bryan enlists Kim to help them escape, and uses the same advanced level of special forces tactics to get his family to safety and systematically take out the kidnappers one by one.

Taken 2 is just a few weeks away, and a new clip is now online to help ensure that your action-loving butt is in a seat when the sequel arrives in theaters.

20th Century Fox has released a new Taken 2 trailer into the unfathomable depths of the internet and nowhere else.  This new internet-only preview features a good amount previously unseen footage, most of it action,  More importantly, though, it's accompanied by Liam Neeson threatening you, the internet viewer.

Yesterday, we were treated to ten new images from Taken 2, many of which showed Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills in various modes of violence or preparation for violence.  Today, the week ends properly with a featurette that mixes glimpses of action from the sequel and a talking head interview with the leading man, who comments on the story and the appeal of his character.