The casting news never stops! Here are some of the big announcements of the week:

In a rather surprise announcement, there are rumors that there’s going to be a sequel to Master and Commander, the excellent adventure-drama that starred Russell Crowe. While good, the movie didn’t make a ton of money if memory serves me right. Regardless, talks are that Crowe may reprise his role as Captain Jack Aubrey in The Reverse of the Medal. Of course, all of these developments are in rumor stages at this point. (more…)

Mischa Barton left The O.C. at the end of season three, perhaps a wise move considering the once-popular television series was fading quickly at that point. But even though she got out just in time, Barton has yet to make a name for herself as anyone but Marissa Cooper. Her latest film, the limited release thriller Homecoming, won’t change that, though the movie itself is surprisingly easy to watch.

Read the rest of the Homecoming movie review.

The time is near, that when the Harry Potter franchise delivers its final whisk of the wand. The tension is starting to build, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth entry in the blockbuster franchise, is a key indicator of how the story of Harry, Ron and Hermione will end. David Yates, who also directed the previous Harry Potter film, is back at the helm – as he will be for the final two movies – but there was no certainty that the franchise would end on a high note. After sitting through two and a half hours of the latest Harry Potter, however, I can say with confidence that I can’t wait for the final chapters to arrive.

Read the rest of the Harry Potter movie review.

Several big casting announcements were made today, the most notable being that Natalie Portman will play Jane Foster in the upcoming comic book adaptation Thor. Foster will play the main love interest in the film. While I’m not excited about the project, at least it now has some female eye candy. (more…)

The Golden Globe-winning series Mad Men brings Season 2 to DVD this Tuesday, and along with it all 13 episodes of some of the best drama on television. Season 2 builds upon the foundations created in the first season while giving the characters more things to do, and more importantly, more avenues to explore. (more…)

Ryan Reynolds, who has had roles in Blade: Trinity and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, will play the title character in the upcoming Green Lantern movie, DC Comics’ latest attempt to cash in on one of its superhero franchises.

The casting comes as a bit of a surprise, as momentum – at least in the rumor mill – seemed to be leaning toward Bradley Cooper. Reynolds, Cooper, Jared Leto and Justin Timberlake all had been in contention, but Reynolds, who will be the first person to play a major character for both a Marvel and DC movie, will play the ring-wielding superhero. (more…)

Forget Megan Fox. Odette Yustman is the hottest young actress working today. In her follow-up to Cloverfield, in which she made a name for herself despite being in the movie for just a few minutes, she plays a young woman who is being haunted by her dead, unborn twin. That’s got to suck.

Read the rest of The Unborn movie review.

Here’s something random: Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies, has swine flu. His publicist reported that the young man is on his death bed… or, at least, he has the sniffles.

“It has just been confirmed that Rupert Grint has taken a few days out of filming due to a mild bout of swine flu,” the publicist’s statement said, according to this article by the AFP. (more…)