The Cineaste's Lament.

See An Exclusive Clip From “The Monk.”

Posted on April 16, 2012 by jlmicek

From Brit film mag Empire, here’s a first look at “The Monk,” starring Vincent Cassel. Dominik Moll directs, based on a book by Matthew Lewis.

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See An Exclusive Clip From “The Monk.”, posted with vodpod

Posted in action, Featurettes, Film News, Film Noir, Trailer Trash | Tagged Dominik Moll, The Monk, The Monk featurette, Vincent Cassel | Leave a comment

The “Dark Knight’s” Tom Hardy Compares Bane to the Joker.

Posted on April 16, 2012 by jlmicek

Here’s Dark Knight Rises actor Tom Hardy, who plays the villainous Bane, comparing his character to another famous Bat-Baddie:

“The Joker didn’t care.He just wanted to see the world burn, and he was a master of chaos and destruction, unscrupulous and crazy. Bane is not that guy. There is a very meticulous and calculated way about Bane. There is a huge orchestration of organization to his ambition. He is also a physical threat to Batman. There is nothing vague about Bane. No jokes. He’s a very clean, clear villain.”

(via ComingSoon)

Posted in action, Film News, Summer Blockbusters, Superhero Cinema, Trailer Trash | Tagged Anne Hathaway, Bane, Christian Bale, The Dark Knight Rises, The Joker, Tom Hardy | Leave a comment

New Japanese Trailer For “The Amazing Spiderman” Has Additional Footage.

Posted on April 16, 2012 by jlmicek

Keeping the superhero flick vibe alive, here’s the new Japanese trailer for “The Amazing Spiderman.” Marc Webb directs. Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans star.

(h/t HeyUGuys)

Posted in action, Film News, Summer Blockbusters, Superhero Cinema, Trailer Trash | Tagged Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Japanese trailer for the Amazing Spiderman, Rhys Ifans, The Amazing Spiderman | Leave a comment

The Weekend Box Office and Your Monday Must-Read.

Posted on April 16, 2012 by jlmicek

No surprises here. These aren’t the ‘droids you’re looking for, etc, etc. The Hunger Games continues to devour, consume, chow down upon and go all nom, nom, nom on the domestic box office.

The runaway hit took in $21 million, putting it atop the box office heap for the fourth weekend running. The Farrelly Brothers‘ unexpectedly warmly received “Three Stooges” revamp finished second, while Joss Whedon’s “Cabin in the Woods” took third place honors. And it may have been the centenary weekend for the sinking of the Titanic, but the hearts of film-goers did not go on for the 3D re-release of James Cameron’s 1997 hit. It finished fourth.

From BoxOffice Mojo, here’s the weekend, by the numbers:

1	1	The Hunger Games	LGF	$21,500,000	-35.1%	3,916	-221	$5,490	$337,070,000	$78	4
2	N	The Three Stooges	Fox	$17,100,000	–	3,477	–	$4,918	$17,100,000	$30	1
3	N	The Cabin in the Woods	LGF	$14,850,000	–	2,811	–	$5,283	$14,850,000	–	1
4	3	Titanic 3D	Par.	$11,625,000	-32.7%	2,697	+23	$4,310	$44,419,000	$18	2
5	2	American Reunion	Uni.	$10,700,000	-50.3%	3,203	+11	$3,341	$39,900,000	$50	2
6	5	Mirror Mirror	Rela.	$7,000,000	-36.9%	3,206	-412	$2,183	$49,468,000	$85	3
7	4	Wrath of the Titans	WB	$6,905,000	-53.1%	3,102	-443	$2,226	$71,251,000	$150	3
8	6	21 Jump Street	Sony	$6,800,000	-32.0%	2,735	-274	$2,486	$120,565,000	$42	5
9	N	Lockout	FD	$6,250,000	–	2,308	–	$2,708	$6,250,000	$20	1
10	7	Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax	Uni.	$3,020,000	-40.0%	2,112	-891	$1,430	$204,483,000	$70	7

Speaking of Joss Whedon, the New York Times profiled the filmmaker in Sunday’s editions, looking ahead to the May 4 release of “The Avengers.” What’s that? You didn’t know there was a superhero movie coming out? You must have missed the subtle publicity campaign for it.

Here’s the nut graf:

With a cast overflowing with stars like Robert Downey Jr. (who reprises his role as the reckless billionaire Tony Stark and his alter ego, Iron Man), Samuel L. Jackson (as the law-enforcement agent Nick Fury) and Scarlett Johansson (the superspy Black Widow); a roster of copyrighted characters that are now loyal subjects of the Walt Disney empire; and a budget of more than $220 million “The Avengers” would seem like the epitome of the blockbuster summer movie: flashy, corporate and above all, big.

“The Avengers” would also seem to be the antithesis of the kind of work Mr. Whedon is best known for. On TV and in films like “The Cabin in the Woods” (which he wrote with its director, Drew Goddard, and which opens April 13) he has subverted conventions of supernatural and science-fiction storytelling and defied the expectations of audiences well versed in them, while working small and on his own terms.

Read the full story here.

Posted in action, Box Office Tallies, Film News, Sci-Fi, Summer Blockbusters, Superhero Cinema, The Avengers | Tagged Box Office tallies, Joss Whedon, The Cabin in the Woods, The Hunger Games, The Three Stooges | Leave a comment

New Entertainment Weekly Features Action Shots From This Summer’s Biggest Spectacles.

Posted on April 15, 2012 by jlmicek

From the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, here’s some action shots from “The Expendables,” “The Amazing Spiderman” and “GI Joe: Retaliation.” A picture, in this case, is worth several thousand words.

(h/t ComingSoon)

Posted in action, Film News, Summer Blockbusters, Superhero Cinema | Tagged GI Joe: Retaliation, The Amazing Spiderman, The Expendables | Leave a comment

Kristen Stewart: “Getting the crap kicked out of me by Charlize? It’s been good.”

Posted on April 15, 2012 by jlmicek

The star of “Snow White and the Huntsman” talks about her turn in the second adaptation this year of the classic fairy tale. This one takes a much darker approach than Tarsem Singh’s “Mirror Mirror.” Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron also star.

Stewart tells TotalFilm:

“Getting the crap kicked out of me by Charlize [Theron]? It’s been good. She’s not afraid to take a hit. And she keeps telling me to hit her harder. We’re similar in that we shut off when the cameras start rolling.

“I think she hit my stunt double today. Not to blow her cover, but we both go into a zone and it gets fairly dangerous.”

Read the full story here.

Posted in action, Fantasy, Film News, Trailer Trash | Tagged Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Stewart, Snow White and the Huntsman | Leave a comment

Here’s The Synopsis For Tarantino’s “Django Unchained.”

Posted on April 15, 2012 by jlmicek

Quentin Tarantino sets his sights on the old south with his new movie “Django Unchanined.” The writer/director has enlisted a veritable Who’s Who of Hollywood talent to star. Here’s who’s set to appear: Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington, Sacha Baron Cohen, Kurt Russell, Christoph Waltz, Jamie Fox, Walter Goggins, James Remar and RZA.

Here’s the synopsis (courtesy of Brit film site HeyUGuys)

“Set in the South two years before the Civil War, Django Unchained stars Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Academy Award-winner Christoph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty.

The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles, dead or alive.
Success leads Schultz to free Django, though the two men choose not to go their separate ways. Instead, Schultz seeks out the South’s most wanted criminals with Django by his side. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago.
Django and Schultz’s search ultimately leads them to Calvin Candie (Academy Award-nominee Leonardo DiCaprio), the proprietor of Candyland, an infamous plantation where slaves are groomed by trainer Ace Woody (Kurt Russell) to battle each other for sport.

Exploring the compound under false pretenses, Django and Schultz arouse the suspicion of Stephen (Academy Award-nominee Samuel L. Jackson), Candie’s trusted house slave. Their moves are marked, and a treacherous organization closes in on them. If Django and Schultz are to escape with Broomhilda, they must choose between independence and solidarity, between sacrifice and survival…

Written and directed by Academy Award-winner Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchainedis produced by Stacey Sher, Pilar Savone and Reginald Hudlin. The executive producers are Harvey and Bob Weinstein, Michael Shamberg, Shannon McIntosh, and James Skotchdopole. Django Unchained will be released in the U.S. on December 25, 2012, and internationally by Sony Pictures Releasing International.”

The movie gets its American release on Dec. 25.

Posted in action, drama, Film News | Tagged Django Unchained, Don Johnson, Jamie Fox, Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Quentin Tarantino, RZA, Samuel L. Jackson | Leave a comment

New “Avengers” Clip Gets Captain America and Thor Into The Action.

Posted on April 15, 2012 by jlmicek

Clip-o-Mania from the superteam flick directed by Joss Whedon continues. Here’s a fresh look at Captain America (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) getting their hero on. The movie opens on May 4. But you knew that already …

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1THE AVENGERS, posted with vodpod

Posted in action, Summer Blockbusters, Superhero Cinema, The Avengers | Tagged Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Joss Whedon, The Avengers | Leave a comment

The Return Of Whit Stillman.

Posted on April 13, 2012 by jlmicek

If you were in your 20s in the 1990s and were even remotely interested in film, then the chances were pretty good that you were a huge fan of Whit Stillman’s hyper-verbal “Metropolitan,” and its follow-up “Barcelona.”

The director breaks a 13-year silence this spring with the release of “Damsels in Distress.” He speaks to The Guardian about his return.

Here’s the nut graf:

“Stillman, for his part, was born as an insider and appears to have been sliding south ever since. His mum was a debutante, his dad (John Sterling Stillman) worked for Kennedy, and his godfather (E Digby Baltzell) is credited with coining the “Wasp” acronym to define America’s upper-crust. Stillman worked as a journalist, then as a sales agent and finally as a film-maker. And yet, like his characters, he was destined to be confounded, undone, dashed against the rocks of hard reality. Since 1998 he has been out of the game, sat on the sidelines while his line in wry, immaculate comedies found new ambassadors in the likes of Noah Baumbach and Wes Anderson. “Oh, but I like Wes Anderson,” he assures me. “The reference film would be Rushmore ahead of all the other ones. But I also liked the short that he did, Hotel Chevalier, that’s really good. It turned out that Wes was living in Paris at the same time I was. He dated one of the actresses from The Last Days of Disco.” He shrugs. “We never actually met.”

Over the past decade, Stillman has bounced between Paris and Madrid, where his youngest daughter was at school. He nurtured numerous projects that never got past the scripting stage, including a labour-of-love movie about the church music dancing scene in 1960s Jamaica. Still, no one wanted to fund it. “Producers have a tendency to put you in a pigeonhole: ‘What does this white, middle-aged preppy know about 1960s Kingston?’.” Another shrug. “I still hope to get it made.”

Read the full story here.