First 'Iron Man 2' photo

First official photo released:



From USAToday via ONTD!

New GI Joe Trailer

Got this from CHUD.com. The folks over there are a little more excited about this trailer than I am (read: they're excited, and I'm not). Director Stephen Sommers has only made me excited about The Mummy back in 1999 and its sequels have been damn horrible anyway. Check out the trailer below:

Plus d'infos sur ce film

Steven Soderbergh really likes 'Avatar'

ComingSoon.net interviewed director Steven Soderbergh about his upcoming film The Girlfriend Experience. At the end of the interview, after discussing his other upcoming films The Informant and Moneyball, he was asked why he thought recent films didn't have the same impact or longevity as earlier classics. His response? ComingSoon shares:

We were asking why he thought recent films didn't have quite the impact or longevity as the classics, and he gave us a great response about how the volume of movies being made and seen made it hard for anything to have the cultural impact of a movie like The Godfather or be remembered. He was disappointed there weren't those sorts of benchmarks in the movies being made today, but he surprised us by adding that he thought James Cameron's Avatar would be one of those benchmarks:

"I've seen some stuff and holy sh*t. It's the craziest sh*t ever. That could negate everything I just said," he told us.

A lot of people are eagerly anticipating the film, being that it's Cameron's first narrative feature film since Titanic way back in 1997, but nothing has been seen of the movie beyond a poster and a brief report from TIME last month. To have a reputable and discerning filmmaker like Soderbergh give it such high praise certainly makes one optimistic that Cameron's return will be the stuff of cinematic legend.

I wasn't excited about Avatar before this. But if Steven Soderbergh's description of Avatar is "holy shit", then I'm on board.

'Adam' trailer

Hugh Dancy stars in Adam, and I've found him to be an unbelievably charming actor. I loved him in The Jane Austen Book Club, so I look forward to watching him in this:

Keira Knightley's domestic abuse ad banned - point missed completely

The new ad campaign against domestic violence, featuring Keira Knightley has been banned from British TV. Why? Apparently the ad is too violent. The ad ends with Knightley being kicked on the floor, and advertising approval organization Clearcast has classified the scene as too violent to air. The ad will only air on TV if the scenes with Knightley being beaten are removed. Will no one think of the children?!

But seriously, I'm thinking we should file this under irony. The point of the ad was to be violent and shocking. It is designed to terrify people enough to want to take a stand against domestic abuse. By banning the ad, they're keeping domestic violence exactly where it's been for decades: hidden away is someone's kitchen, or bedroom, or car, far away from public eyes or any form of intervention. They're just keeping the pain of this problem as hidden and taboo as it's always been. So, to bypass the idiocy of British censors, I will, once again, post the ad for you to watch:





Via ONTD!

New photos of Megan Fox in 'Jonah Hex'

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have my girl crushes, but Megan Fox, simply isn't one of them. But, even though she isn't famous for her acting ability, it's hard not to get excited for Jonah Hex. Case in point: Megan Fox on the set of Jonah Hex, dressed up as either a prostitute, or gunslinger, or Jonah Hex's love interest, or...oh who cares? Photos from PhunForums below:

Bea Arthur: 1922-2009

R.I.P, pussycat.

Exclusive 'Cheri' clip

Here's a brand new clip from Chéri that features Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Friend and Kathy Bates. The film opens June 26 in the US.

The film follows a love affair between a retired courtesan, Léa (Pfeiffer) and Fred - nicknamed Chéri (Friend), the son of a former colleague and rival. Caught in the mercenary dealings of his mother (Bates), Chéri is forced to marry the beautiful and rich daughter (Felicity Jones) of yet another escort who will endow the pair with some of her ill-gotten gains. But the process renders Chéri impotent with the longing for his former mistress, whilst Léa must come to terms with being a woman "of a certain age".[Empire]

Okay, I'm excited for 'Star Trek'

And with these newly released photos from Paramount Pictures how could you not be? I've posted 9 of them, and you head on over to /film for the rest.

De Niro and Norton together again

Production Weekly has announced that Edward Norton and Robert De Niro will star in John Curran's Stone which starts shooting in Pittsburgh and Detroit this May. Both actors previously appeared in 2001's The Score.

Stone is based on a play written by Junebug screenwriter Angus MacLachlan. DeNiro will play a parole officer who befriends a teaching assistant.

John Curran also directed Norton in The Painted Veil.

The strange thing about this project is that the only Edward Norton films I haven't seen are The Score and The Painted Veil, so I'll have to accept the consensus until I get around to watching them. From most accounts The Score was the last good film De Niro starred in (The Good Shepherd notwithstanding), so here's hoping this is a return to form.

Cannes unveils official selection

The 2009 Cannes Film Festival lineup has been revealed with quite a few big names - Pedro Almodóvar (Broken Embraces), Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds) Ang Lee (Taking Woodstock), Jane Campion (Bright Star), Ken Loach (Looking for Eric) Terry Gilliam, (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus), Alejandro Amenabar (Agora), Lars von Trier (Antichrist) and Sam Raimi (Drag Me to Hell).

Variety points out that this year's competition is dominated by European and Asian films, while the presence of American films is quite small. Only two American films will compete for the Palme - Inglourious Basterds and Taking Woodstock. Pixar's Up and Lee Daniels' Sundance sensation Precious are among the other American films in the Official Selection.

You can check out the entire festival lineup below via FirstShowing. There are 52 films from 32 countries that will be screened during the festival which runs between May 13 and May 24.

OPENING NIGHT FILM:
Pixar's Up - Dir: Pete Docter

COMPETITION:
Broken Embraces - Dir: Pedro Almodóvar
Fish Tank - Dir: Andrea Arnold
A Prophet - Dir: Jacques Audiard
Vincere - Dir: Marco Bellocchio
Bright Star - Dir: Jane Campion
In the Beginning - Dir: Xavier Giannoli
Map of the Sounds of Tokyo - Dir: Isabel Coixet
The White Ribbon - Dir: Michael Haneke
Taking Woodstock - Dir: Ang Lee
Looking for Eric - Dir: Ken Loach
Spring Fever - Dir: Lou Ye
Kinatay - Dir: Brillante Mendoza
Enter The Void - Dir: Gasper Noe
Thirst - Dir: Park Chan-wook
Les Herbes Foilles - Dir: Alain Resnais
The Time That Remains - Dir: Elia Suleiman
Inglourious Basterds - Dir: Quentin Tarantino
Vengeance - Dir: Johnnie To
Face - Dir: Tsai Ming-liang
Antichrist - Dir: Lars von Trier

UN CERTAIN REGARD:
Mother - Dir: Bong Joon-ho
Irene - Dir: Alain Cavalier
Precious - Dir: Lee Daniels
Demaine Des L'Aube - Dir: Denis Dercourt
Adrift - Dir: Heitor Dhalia
Nobody Knows About The Persian Cats - Dir: Bahman Ghobadi
The Wind Journeys - Dir: Ciro Guerra
Le Pere De Mes Enfants - Dir: Mia Hansen-Løve
Tale In The Darkness - Dir: Nikolay Khomeriki
Air Doll - Dir: Hirokazu Kore-Eda
Dogtooth - Dir: Giorgos Lanthimos
Tzar - Dir: Pavel Lounguine
Independence - Dir: Raya Martin
Police, Adjective - Dir: Corneliu Porumboiu
Nymph - Dir: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
To Die Like A Man - Dir: João Pedro Rodrigues
Eyes Wide Open - Dir: Haim Tabakman
Samson & Delilah - Dir: Warwick Thornton
The Silent Army - Dir: Jean van de Velde
Tales From The Golden Age - Dir: Hanno Hofer, Razvan Marculescu, Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Propescu, Ioanna Uricaru

OUT OF COMPETITION:
The Army of Crime - Dir: Robert Guédiguian
Agora - Dir: Alejandro Amenabar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - Dir: Terry Gilliam

SPECIAL SCREENINGS:
Petition - Dir: Zhao Liang
L'epine Dans le Coeur - Dir: Michel Gondry
Min Ye - Dir: Souleymane Cissé
Jaffa - Dir: Keren Yedaya
Manila - Dir: Adolfo Alix Jr. and Raya Martin
My Neighbor, My Killer - Dir: Anne Aghion

MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS:
A Town Called Panic - Dir: Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar
Ne Te Retourne Pas - Dir: Marina de Van
Drag Me to Hell - Dir: Sam Raimi

CLOSING NIGHT FILM:
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky - Dir: Jan Kounen

This week in superhero news: the 'Thor' casting edition

So, what do we know about the upcoming Thor movie? It's coming out in the summer of 2011, and a bunch of blond relatively unknown dudes are being considered - Tom Hiddleston, Liam Hemsworth, Joel Kinnaman, Alexander Skarsgård , and Charlie Hunnam. And Channing Tatum, who is apparently out of the running because it would be bizarre casting he isn't Nordic-looking enough. Meanwhile, the Alexander Skarsgård casting rumours have died down considerably (making that Nordic-looking criteria sound like bull).

This week, it's Charlie Hunnam's turn in the Thor spotlight. According to IGN:

Hunnam confirmed that he has indeed screen-tested for the role of the god of thunder. He has only shot one screen test so far, and when asked if it involved running around with a helmet and a hammer, he replied with a smile, "Something like that."

Hunnam didn't know what the status of the casting was but said that his people have been talking to Marvel. He believes that since Marvel pushed the start date of Thor back a few months the studio is taking its time to make the best decision for the film.

So, while Marvel takes its sweet time, I can always speculate. I think most people want to see Skarsgård get the Thor role. He has the right look, so it would be near perfect casting. But, I'm more familliar with Hunnam's work than with Skarsgård 's, and from what I've seen, Hunnam is a damn good actor. In half of his films he's downright unrecognizable, so while he might not look as perfect as Skarsgaard does, his talent should at least put him in the running. He's not the most popular choice, but I wouldn't go insane with anger if he were cast.

First 'Shutter Island' photo

Leonardo DiCaprio, Michelle Williams, and Martin Scorsese below:



Or is Ashecliffe? I can never keep it straight. Regardless of the name confusion it's impossible not to get excited about another Leonardo DiCaprio/Martin Scorsese match up (they're like cinematic peanut butter and jelly). This will the pair's fourth film, and since all their previous films always end up on everyone's top ten list it would be crazy to ignore its Oscar chances. Though I admit that I've been trying to ignore any write ups about Shutter Island/Ashecliffe because I don't want to accidentally come across spoilers that ruin the twist.

Disneynature presents 'Oceans' trailer

FirstShowing points us to the newly released Oceans trailer from Disneynature. The documentary is directed by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud who also directed Winged Migration, which I loved. Happy Earth Day everyone:

'Downloading Nancy' poster and trailer

Poster via Cinematical:



Trailer via Awards Daily:



The folks over at Cinematical warn that Downloading Nancy is "sick", "twisted", and "sadistic". That description just makes it more intriguing to me. Here's more of Cinematical's synopsis:

Our own Erik Davis called it "a sick and twisted rollercoaster ride that climbs fast and drops slowly." What do you mean, Erik? "Basically, Downloading Nancy is about this unhappily married woman (Maria Bello) who meets a guy (Jason Patric) over the internet, falls in love, then asks him to kill her ... slowly ... so she can finally feel something in her life."

Writer gives 'Public Enemies' his blessing

Today is a slow news day, and since I'm in the process of moving this week, for the first time in 7 years (and to the apartment above mine, no less), I've got next to nothing entertaining to write about, except some Public Enemies news and a new photo featuring Depp as Dillinger via EW:



Bryan Burrough, writer of the book Public Enemies is based on, is impressed with Michael Mann's work on the upcoming film. He hasn't seen the film yet, but from his experience as an extra on the Public Enemies set, he thinks the film will be good:

"Johnny Depp goes down on the same exact piece of pavement that John Dillinger went down on," Burrough said in a phone interview from his home in Summit, N.J. "To see what (director Michael) Mann had done with the period costumes, the period automobiles, everything looking as everything must have looked. For someone who put five years into writing about that, it just kind of gave you chills."

Not that he can yet be sure: Burrough said he hasn't been able to make any of the early screenings.

"I don't know what to expect. I assume, you know, it's a big Johnny Depp movie opening on July 4 (weekend)," he said. "I assume an awful lot of people will go see it. I assume given the people that have made this movie, I assume it's going to be pretty darn good. And I assume that I am going to go to be tickled to death."[Carrie Antlfinger: Associated Press]

First photo of 'The Lovely Bones'

Based on Alice Sebold's book, the film follows Susie (Saoirse Ronan) a 14 year-old girl raped and murdered by her neighbour. From heaven, she watches her family deal (or not) with her death, and watches her murderer as he tries to hide the evidence.

Mark Wahlberg plays Susie's father, Rachel Weisz her mother, Stanley Tucci the neighbour and Susan Sarandon the family's grandmother. It's directed by Peter Jackson, and adapted by him along with his co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. [Empire]

What's Monty thinking about?

Photos from the Montgomery Clift Shrine

'(500) Days of Summer' poster

Sigh. I wish that other Zooey movie was getting the (500) Days treatment.

Disney needs Zac Efron more than Zac Efron needs Disney

Or something to that effect. I came across an article at Get the Big Picture about the state of Disney's cash cows child stars. Actually, it's more of a prediction on where Zac Efron's career is headed.

This weekend Efron's new comedy, 17 Again (which by many accounts isn't terrible) goes head to head with Miley Cyrus' Hannah Montana movie. 17 Again isn't a Disney film, and unlike his supporting turn in Hairspray, Efron is the star of the film, and it doesn't involve singing and dancing. I think this is the first time in a while, that one of Disney's stars has gotten a chance to be the lead in a film that Disney hasn't produced. If I remember correctly, the last kid to do that successfully was Shia LaBeouf, and by a much lesser extent Ryan Gosling. So, this is Efron's chance to branch out, and Colin Boyd from Get the Big Picture thinks:

Efron's in a different position than most, in that he could be famous without Disney's help because he's talented and possesses whatever that thing is that makes people stars. I don't expect 17 Again to blow the doors off its opening weekend, but I do think it will wear the crown on Monday morning...Might be $17 [million], might go up to $22. But could it do that without Zac Efron? Not a chance. As for Hannah, she'll have a sophmore slump, but we saw that coming as the Saturday and Sunday figures rolled in last week.

This Miley vs. Zac matchup has me wondering about Efron's fate. On one hand it looks like Efron will probably have a great deal of success, because of a company that's brilliant at cranking out stars. But it seems that Efron no longer needs that company to be successful, which makes his transition to adult actor intersting. Where does the kid go from here? Does he slowly evolve into a so-called serious actor (which can be more of a risk, as far as box office is concerned) or does he stick to very safe movies, that are likely to be successful? After dropping out of the remake of Footloose, we'll obviously have to see what happens. 17 Again looks like the first step to a career that was much more predictable half a year ago.

Paul Dano, cover boy

Paul Dano is on the May 2009 cover of Nylon Magazine. He's probably going to be promoting everything from Gigantic to Where the Wild Things Are (yes, he's it in). There's a sit down interview with Dano, during the Nylon photo shoot in which he speaks briefly about The Extra Man, a film he's currently shooting. I'm still smarting over the fact that Gigantic probably will not be opening in my country, so this interview is going to have to be enough to console me:





Via ONTD!

Cannes selection speculation

Awards Daily points us to the list of films that are expected to screen in Cannes, which begins May 13. The official selections will be announced on April 23. Ryan, at AD makes a nice little list for us, so I'll post the ones that interest me. You can head on over to AD for the rest.

Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock, about 1969 music fest, with Emile Hirsch

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, the Nazi-hunter saga with Brad Pitt

Francis Ford Coppola’s Tetro, an Argentine family drama with Vincent Gallo

Werner Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant remake with Nicolas Cage

Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell, horror-thriller with Alison Lohman

Pete Docter’s Up, the 3D Pixar adventure with Ed Asner

Jane Campion’s Bright Star, a John Keats bio with Ben Wishaw

Lars von Trier’s Antichrist, horror in the woods with Willem Dafoe & Charlotte Gainsbourg

Ken Loach’s Looking for Eric, about a troubled teen soccer fan

Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank, teen troubles with Michael Fassbender

Pedro Almodovar’s Broken Embraces, a noirish melodrama with Penelope Cruz

Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is rumored to be part of the lineup.

The Playlist notes the films that won't be shown at the festival: Jim Jarmusch's The Limits of Control (opens May 1), The Coen Brother's A Serious Man, Alejandro González Iñárritu's Biutiful, and Steven Soderbergh's The Informant.

New ‘Inglourious Basterds’ Clip

Quentin Tarantino debuted a sneak peek of Inglourious Basterds (opening August 21) on American Idol last night. Adam Lambert and Tarantino being in the same room still blows my mind. Anyway, below is the whole clip that was too graphic for network TV:

Wolverine wants you to drink your milk

Here's Hugh Jackman's new ad for the Body by Milk campaign. Cute:

Wolverine tells his fans:

“My power to regenerate might be top secret but my ability to re-energize is simple. Milk has protein to help build muscle and a unique mix of nutrients to help you refuel. So eat right, train hard and drink lowfat milk. That’s just common mutant sense.”(Faded Youth Blog)

Via ONTD!

'The Tudors' gets a fourth and final season

The Tudors has been picked up for its fourth season, which means we'll get to see the entire story of King Henry VIII. It will air in the spring of 2010 with 10 one-hour episodes. Production starts this June in Dublin, Ireland. When the show finally ends, creator Michael Hirst will have written all 38 Tudor episodes.


This is making me wonder if Jonathan Rhys Meyers will return. Last year he decided he was going to quit the show after season three even if a fourth season was scheduled. Which is why I assumed season three would be the last season. Who on earth wants to see someone else play Henry in the final season? Rhys Meyers is perfect in the role.

Robert Downey Jr. is not amused

Movieline shows us how to piss off Robert Downey Jr. in one easy step:

First Journalist: I’ve got to ask. What do you think [Tropic Thunder Method actor] Lincoln O’Siris would think of Jamie’s performance in this?

Robert Downey Jr.: Next question.

Robert Downey Jr.: By the way I could just say that to all them.

First Journalist: Do you think he’d approve?

Robert Downey Jr.: I have no idea how to even begin answering that question. And by the way—I want to have a good time. I want to have a great time, just that one tied my fucking shoelaces together right off the bat. What else you got?

Second Journalist: So I’ll kiss your ass and maybe it’ll be better.

Robert Downey Jr.: I don’t think that’s the answer either. Yeah, you do your thing and I’ll do mine.

There's a helluva lot more class in Robert Downey Jr. than there is in me.

Okay, there's more Downey Jr. news (of the Less than Zero variety) so head on over to Get the Big Picture and The Playlist.

Apparently the 'Antichrist' trailer is disturbing and terrifying

There have been a few descriptions on movie blogs that the trailer to Lars von Trier's Antichrist is horrifying and scary. I even decided not to watch it last night because I didn't want to have nightmares. Maybe there's something wrong with me because I'm not disturbed or horrified by this:

Michael Sheen signs on to 'New Moon'

Michael Sheen will play a vampire in Twilight sequel New Moon. After playing a werewolf in the Underworld movies, it's safe to say that Sheen has an affinity for playing monsters. Sheen will play Aro, leader of the Volturi vampire coven. If you want to know more about Aro, ask your little sister, or girlfriend, or whoever. Just don't come to me, because I have no intention of getting wrapped up in the Twilight universe, Michael Sheen crush be damned.

Director Chris Weitz "aggressively" went after Sheen for the part and considering some of Sheen's recent work like The Queen and Frost/Nixon (admittedly I hated both films, but he was fantastic in them) it isn't hard to understand why Weitz would want him. I'm just wondering why Michael Sheen would sign on to this.

Links for you: 'A-Team' remake casting rumors and that dreaded 'Venom' movie

Chris Pine talked with director Joe Carnahan about a role in the remake of The A-Team. Pine is reportedly interesting in playing H.M. Murdock and he worked with Carnahan in 2006's Smokin' Aces. I don't know what to say to this. I hate remakes, I'd rather not go into my feelings on The A-Team (read: it sucked), but Chris Pine was the best thing about Smokin' Aces by a mile. I just think the guy has been attached to one too many remakes, re-dos, and adaptations. Le sigh. [Playlist]



Sony is planning on making a Venom film. I've been meaning to post this as an open letter for a few days, but I didn't have the heart to actually type the words. Spider-Man 3 forever destroyed Venom for me. [Empire]

Mark Wahlberg and James Franco have signed on to join the cast of Tina Fey's Date Night. Other actors cast in supporting roles include Taraji P. Henson, Leighton Meester, Common, and Kristen Wiig. I'm only watching this for Franco. [Variety]

An explanation about why Zac Efron can't be nominated for an Emmy for his appearance on Saturday Night Live. I admit, without shame that SNL turned me into an Efron fangirl. But like a sad high school kid, I'll continue to post rants pretending to hate him. [Gold Derby]

Emily Blunt in Vanity Fair

Michael Roberts photographed Emily Blunt in couture for the May 2009 edition of Vanity Fair. Enjoy the delicious eye candy: