Amidst the e-mails I received this weekend about how Wolverine sucked and how fanboys have unrealistic expectations for blockbuster films, there was one that essentially called me out for not posting the first Iron Man II image, above, from USA Today.

I think it’s a pretty bad ass first image, though some internet folks seem to be bitching and moaning. Here’s why those people are wrong: it’s the first image, there are four suits and new screen tech.

First image: what were you guys expecting, Iron Man in full costume with Scarlett Johansson hanging all over him? The flick is right in the middle of principal photography. If director Jon Faverau didn’t know from the last Iron Man that taking care of the internet fanboys is important, we still wouldn’t have seen sh*t from this film. And the shots that would have leaked would have been of cast moving in and out of sound stages, not an actual production still.

Four suits - From left to right, the re-built Mach I, the all-silver Mach II, the beat-up Mach III from the Iron Monger battle at the end of the first flick and a fourth suit that looks to be modeled off the classic Avengers Iron Man with a tad more gold.

Screen Tech - those amazing screens either had rough VFX added to them as a production still or are actually semi-transparent. The fact that I’m thinking about the latter makes me excited as a tech geek.

Oh, yeah, and what’s in the box?

Also evidence of me sucking at the end of last week, I completely missed the first Inglorious Basterds character poster with Nazi-killing Brad Pitt.

Click the thumbnail to enlarge.

The schedule for the 2009 Cannes Film Festival has been announced and the American representation is at it’s lightest since 2006. Of the notable films on this years schedule: Quentin Tarantino will be screening his Inglorious Basterds, Sam Raimi will be screening his finished print of Drag Me To Hell, Ang Lee brings Talking Woodstock with Emile Hersch, Liev Schreiber, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan to France, and Terry Gilliam will bring the real last Heath Ledger film, Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. And, of course, UP’s historic opening spot.

But what does the WGA have to do with this craziness…

From Variety:

Confirming prognostications, Cannes Official Selection looks relatively light on U.S. fare this year. At a packed press conference in Paris’ Grand Hotel, fest program director Thierry Fremaux, flanked by Cannes president Gilles Jacob, told journos Thursday that Hollywood WGA strike could have been responsible for the lighter U.S. presence.

So what can we blame the WGA for, really? This year’s summer movie season? It looks like Wolverine, T4 and Star Trek might save us from what could have been a schlock-filled, half-written summer.

However, now we’re supposed to turn our focus to the smaller indie and auteur films which were in production during the horrid strike.

I love writers and all, but the film industry has been doing a pretty good job of mumbling: “well, with the writer’s strike” whenever something comes up light or underwhelming.

At least we should only have one year where that’s the excuse.

Check out the rest of the Cannes Schedule HERE.

“Let’s do it again. Why? Because we love making movies!”

God, that’s awesome.

Quentin Tarantino made an appearance on American Idol last night, which I don’t watch because I know I could be doing other things. It’s also one of the highest rated shows on television, yeah it’s basically a national past time for some people. And I know some of those people, which means I’ll probably never have to watch an episode to know what’s going on.

Like an Inglorious Basterds clip that I guess didn’t air, but is now “the American Idol clip,” which is kind of sad, because this clip gets me pumped almost as much as a second trailer would have.

Except for Mike Myers, who I still want to fight, even though he actually looks good in the 4 seconds we see him…

Tuesday, May 27th, 2007:

“Oh, yeah, no. The next movie I’m doing is my WWII movie Inglorious Bastards. I actually just finished the first draft of the script and when I go home I’ll be finishing it up…and if all goes well [pregnant pause] I will be here 2009 at Cannes with my war film INGLORIOUS BASTARDS!!! [applause].”

Ok, let’s settle down there QT. How long have we heard that Inglorious Bastards is coming? 5 years now? It was supposed to follow up Kill Bill, and there were rumors that it was going to be epic in scope. Both of these facts suggest that you may be creating a little bit too much hype over a script you just finished…

And guess who is going to be eating those words come this May (hint: rhymes with “cave”)…

From Variety:

The Brad Pitt starrer, set in Nazi-occupied France, has been invited to play in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Insiders said Tarantino, a longtime favorite of the French, has accepted the offer and has told the film’s backers — the Weinstein Co. and Universal Pictures — that the pic will be ready for its world premiere during the May fest.

The movie, which follows a band of Jewish-American soldiers whose mission is to take down a group of Nazis, will bow Aug. 21.

Both the Weinstein Co. and U declined comment. Cannes organizers, who will announce the fest’s lineup April 23, could not immediately be reached.

Well, I’ll be damned.

If you like the above cast pic (From left, Mélanie Laurent, Christopher Waltz as Colonel Hans Landa, Omar Doom as P.F.C. Omar Ulmer, Daniel Brühl as Frederick Zoller, Quentin Tarantino, Eli Roth as Sergeant Donny Donowitz, Kruger, and Pitt), CLICK HERE for Vanity Fair’s photospread.

Anyone think we’re going to see this bloodied, Nazi-killing baseball bat elevated to iconic film status?

This is one of three posters, the others can be found at Empire HERE.

We get out first look at Inglorious Basterds, including a baseball-bat to the head, and Pitt demanding his scalps…

Entertainment Tonight is promising the preview from Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds tonight, check out the preview footage under the cut, and get yourself hyped.

Brad and the dead caterpillar on his lip want some damn Nahzee scalps!…