Tarak Ben Ammar Presents... Wait, who? Our friends at IMPAwards recently found and posted an official poster for Jean-Jacques Annaud's Black Gold, and it definitely has a Lawrence of Arabia meets There Will Be Blood feeling to it, that's for sure. It's a stunning poster and makes me even more excited for this, which we featured an official international trailer for just a few months ago. The film stars Tahar Rahim, Mark Strong, Antonio Banderas and Freida Pinto, all four of whom can be seen below (as floating heads) in the rising black smoke from a burning oil well. Even more impressive this wasn't made by Hollywood at all.
Click the image below to see the full-size, high res version of this stunning Black Gold poster. Thoughts?

Black Gold, originally Black Thirst (also Or Noir in French seen above), is directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud (of Quest for Fire, Seven Years in Tibet, Enemy at the Gates, Two Brothers) and shot on-location out in the Sahara. The script was written by Annaud & Menno Meyjes (Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade, The Siege, The Passion Within) adapted from Hans Ruesch's Arab. If you want to see more than the trailer, Playlist has a behind-the-scenes video looking at the scope of the shoot. As far as we know, it doesn't have a US distributor yet, only in France and most of Europe so far. We'll let you know when we have info on a US release, as we're not sure when to expect this - likely (hopefully) next year. We'll certainly keep you updated!

Trailer for 'Journey 2: The Mysterious Island' Sequel

"I am going to show you something that will take your breath away." As there aren't any other new trailers to watch this weekend, here's the latest international trailer for New Line's Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, the 3D sequel to the cheesy CGI adventure movie Journey to the Center of the Earth. We already got an official teaser trailer for this a few weeks ago, but this new trailer is much more serious and intense, there's not a lick of comedy in it (thankfully). Journey 2 stars Josh Hutcherson, Dwayne Johnson, Vanessa Hudgens, Luis Guzmán and Michael Caine as "grandpa!" If you're interested, view it below.

Watch a new international trailer for Brad Peyton's Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, via YouTube:

Young adventurer Sean receives a distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist — a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is directed by newcomer Brad Peyton, of WB's Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore previously. The screenplay is by cousins Brian Gunn & Mark Gunn, of "2gether: The Series", Gayosity and "PG Porn" episodes previously. This was shot partially in Hawaii. New Line/Warner Bros will be bringing Journey 2: The Mysterious Island to theaters in 3D everywhere on February 10th next year.

The Dark Knight Rises' Images + Quotes from Christian Bale

Nothing like a little Bane, Catwoman—oh and Batman defending Gotham—to brighten this Thanksgiving weekend. Our friends at ComingSoon have posted a few higher res scans from the Empire issue focusing on The Dark Knight Rises, that last week we revealed two cover shots for, as well as some shoddy internal scans and, more importantly, exciting quotes. The newer scans of the photos from the mag are definitely worth seeing, and in addition to those, Christian Bale also spoke with Inquirer about working with both Tom Hardy as Bane and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in the film, praising both for their acting skills.
"We always maintained from the beginning that if you wanted to break it down, there are three personas – Batman is sincere, the private Bruce Wayne is sincere. The public version of Bruce Wayne, the playboy, is a completely fabricated performance," Bale says. "I've stopped referencing outside sources. I now reference Chris' own world of Batman as a guide to what I will continue doing." That certainly makes sense, especially considering this is the completion of Nolan's Batman saga. "I believe that the whole production wrapped yesterday, so it's all done. Everything's finished. It's me and Chris – that will be the end of that Batman era."

The more interesting quotes from Bale are about his co-stars in The Dark Knight Rises, mainly actors like Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy and even a quick bit about Joseph Gordon-Levitt, whose role in this is still unknown besides a Gotham beat cop. "I would see Joseph's performances in other films while we were filming. He's somebody who truly seems to love acting. He's a good, smart guy. He did a very good job in the movie." I'm definitely looking forward to seeing him in this, but of course everyone is much more excited for Bane, and even Catwoman who hasn't been seen much besides in that very first photo (and isn't even in any of Empire's photos). Bale spoke about working with Anne Hathaway and how talented she truly is:

"I had plenty of scenes with Anne," Christian began. "And I was there when we did the screen test for her. The thing that I said to Chris [Nolan] that day was that there were many very accomplished actresses who had read for the role. I'm terrible at auditions, so I'm very impressed when somebody really seems to acquire an ownership of a character without having worked on it or prepared for some amount of time."
"I saw that in Anne," he added. "When Chris watched the screen test, he agreed that Anne did a wonderful job. In many ways, she has the hardest job. There are a number of people who feel that the Catwoman role has been defined previously. So, I always saw Anne's role as being the toughest job of any of us."

Very interesting to hear, especially considering none of us actually know what he's talking about because we haven't seen much besides a few photos of Hathaway in a tight leather outfit with some dark glasses. That said, I'm expecting to be as impressed with her performance as I was with everyone in The Dark Knight, even Heath Ledger. The same goes for Tom Hardy, who is the last one that Bale has glowing things to say.

In the original quotes from Empire, Nolan commented about Bane: "He's brutal. Brutal. He's a big dude who's incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style. It's not about fighting. It's about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it's nasty." In the Inquirer update, Bale says what we all already know, calling Tom Hardy "a phenomenal actor. I like working with him a great deal. He goes the whole hog. I know that Bane has been seen in movies before. But, in my eyes, Tom is essentially creating Bane for the first time so there's great freedom for him to be able to do so." Wow I guess I didn't think about it, but he's right, Bane was indeed in Joel Schumacher's travesty Batman & Robin.

That's all the updates we have for now, along with that final badass Bane photo above, but it's always great to hear some quotes and see more official photos. By the end of the year we'll have the second official trailer as well as the IMAX prologue to watch, and I'm sure additional posters and more photos. We'll keep you updated, as always, as The Dark Knight Rises is unquestionably one of our most anticipated in 2012. Directed by Christopher Nolan from a story by David S. Goyer & Nolan, and screenplay by Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan, Warner Bros has TDKR set for IMAX release starting on July 20th, 2012 next summer.

Mercedes sls Brabus Unleashes a 611HP

Renowned Mercedes-Benz tuning house, Brabus, has chosen the Essen Motor Show, which is Europe's annual tuning extravaganza, to reveal its customized Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster.

Targeting those that want added power and a more personalized look for their open-top SLS AMG, Brabus has developed a detailed program that starts with the engine bay.

A performance kit that consists of newly calibrated engine electronics with special mapping for ignition and injection, and a high-performance, titanium exhaust system with four tail pipes that's 40 percent lighter than the factory unit, bumps maximum output from 571HP (563 bhp) to 611HP (600 bhp).

Additional hardware modifications include an adjustable sport suspension from Bilstein that lowers the ride height by up to 40 mm (1.6-inches) at the touch of a button while the driver can also choose between damper settings that offer a more comfortable or sportier ride than the production car.

As an option, Brabus offers a Front Lift System that can raise the front end of the SLS AMG roadster by 50 millimeters (2.0-inches) by pushing a button on the center console in order to navigate over speed bumps or parking garage ramps. The system works at speeds of up to 30km/h (19mph), at which point it reverts to its original position.

The car also rides on more aggressive rubber - 275/30 ZR 20 at the front and 295/25 ZR 21 at the rear - mounted on 21 inch wheels on the front axle and 22 inch in the rear.

In appearance, the SLS AMG Roadster gains a modified version of the carbon-fibre aero-kit that Brabus has previously developed for the gullwing-door coupe. It includes a front spoiler, covers for the upper air-ducts, side skirts with illuminated Brabus logos, side air-vent trim, gas tank cap, a new rear bumper with side air vents and a diffuser, plus a discreet boot lid spoiler.

Brabus says that customers can order all the aero components in a high-gloss finish, a matte finish or in any color they want.

The final touch is the reworked interior sporting a different speedometer with a 400-km/h (250-mph) dial, stainless-steel scuff plates with backlit BRABUS logo, matte-anodized pedals and custom upholstery.

New JDM Suzuki Alto Eco

There's a new frugal kid in town or rather in Japan, the 2012 Suzuki Alto Eco that promises an impressive fuel economy of up to 32km/L (~75.3mpg US or 3.1lt/100km) in the Japanese 10-15 test cycle and 30.0km/L in the JC08 driving cycle.

The most fuel-efficient version of the Alto series is powered by Suzuki's new R06A 0.66-liter three-cylinder engine featuring a start/stop system borrowed from the third-generation MR Wagon. It produces an output of 52-horses at 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 63Nm (46.5 lb-ft) at 4,000 rpm.

An improved continuously variable transmission (CVT) handles the gear shifting duties powering the front wheels.

The 2012 Alto Eco will be offered in Japan in two trim levels, "S" and "L" with pricing set at 995,000 Yen (US$12,830) and 895,000 Yen (US$11,540) respectively. Sales will start on December 13.

McLaren Denies Rumors about a Honda Engine Deal in 2014

The image of a white and red McLaren, usually with a yellow-green helmet signaling that the man sitting in the cockpit was none other than Ayrton Senna, is one that remains etched in F1 fans’ minds many years after his demise in 1994. Powering the McLaren of the late three-time world champion was a Honda engine.

Last weekend, German magazine Auto Motor und Sport reported that McLaren was in talks with Honda to rekindle their 1988-1992 collaboration, which yielded four constructor championships, from 2014 onwards, when the rules mandate the change to 1.6-liter turbocharged engines.

However, McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale denied that there was any truth in those rumors: “That’s all wide off the mark”, he told ESPNF1. “We are wedded to, very happy with and enjoying our partnership with Mercedes-Benz. We’ve had a long standing relationship with them, with many wins and championships and long may that continue.”

Perhaps it was the fact that for the past two years, Mercedes has its own F1 team that fuelled the rumors: “I don’t think that’s a concern”, replied Neale. “Of course, Mercedes have their own GP team, but I was talking this morning with Thomas Fuhr at Mercedes-Benz and we want the same things. It’s in our interest to have consistent engines together because that’s how we get the highest quality.”

Former BMW Employees Charged with Misdemeanor after taking New 1 M Coupe for a Spin in L.A.

What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what you upload on the web is there for the entire world to see.

And that's one lesson learned the hard way for Vacheh Margoussian, 21, and Artin Yazidjian, 22, both of which were employed as a valet and a tire technician respectively at the Pacific BMW dealership in Los Angeles when they allegedly took a brand-new 1 M Coupe for a joyride and uploaded a video on Youtube.

Now, both men have not only lost their jobs but are also facing misdemeanor charges filed by the LA County district attorney’s office.

The young men, employees of Pacific BMW at the time, took a newly delivered BMW 1 M Coupe out for a high-speed ride at East Windsor Road on August 12. Margoussian was sitting behind the wheel of the turbocharged coupe, which still had its plastic covers and window stickers in place, and Yazidjian videotaped the ride from the passenger’s seat.

Now, taking a brand-new car that’s about to be delivered to someone who has actually paid for it for a joyride is, in itself, not a commendable action.

Uploading the video of your deeds on YouTube -of all places- the next day is an epic fail and proves beyond doubt that you simply don’t realize how the real world works.

The incident became a talking point among BMW fans on the web, the police found out about it a month later, and on September 14, they finally arrested the two wrong-doers.

The owner of the car was informed about the incident, but it is not known whether he has returned or kept the car.

Daimler to Pull the Plug on Maybach Brand

During the past decade or so, many carmakers have looked into their past to shape their future: the BMW Group's new Mini, the Fiat Group's 500 and the Volkswagen Group's Beetle are among the most well-known examples. But as Mercedes-Benz found out the hard way, not all second comings prove successful.

And now, only a decade after resuscitating Maybach, Daimler is ready to accept defeat and stop producing the $350,000 luxury limousine when the next generation of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class hits the market in 2013.

“It would not make sense to develop a successor model”, Daimler Dieter Zetsche said in an interview with German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “The coming S-Class is in such a way a superior vehicle that it can replace the Maybach.”

Mercedes searched deep into its drawers and resurrected the 1930’s-era Maybach brand in an attempt to compete with ultra-luxury rivals such as the VW Group's Bentley and the BMW Group's Rolls-Royce companies.

It displayed a concept of a luxury sedan at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show, and five years later launched two versions of the same car, the Maybach 57 and 62. Initial estimates called for around 2,000 annual sales, with the U.S. accounting for half of them.

Well, they were almost spot on concerning the 1,000 U.S. sales projections, as the brand recorded a total of 1,112 deliveries. The only problem is that these were not the Maybach’s annual U.S. sales, but rather its total sales from 2003 until 2010.

Considering that in 2004, Maybach's best year, it sold only 244 cars in the U.S., Daimler’s decision to shut down the brand in 2013 and concentrate on Mercedes-Benz’s flagship S-Class didn’t come a moment too soon.

Having lost the market share lead in the luxury segment to BMW since 2005 and dropping to third place behind Audi this year didn’t help the loss-making Maybach’s chances of survival, either, while last year's talks about a possible hook-up with Aston Martin were fruitless.

Despite the Maybach failure, Zetsche told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Mercedes-Benz is readying itself for a comeback: “Mercedes is now mounting the attack in the high-end segment. We have always dominated this segment and that should continue to be the case. We don’t want to wait until the others pull ahead.”