Anna Kendrick

50/50 Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: February 5th, 2012 at 6:00 am

How do you deal cinematically with cancer? That’s the question of Jonathan Levine’s 50/50, which was based on the experiences of its writer Will Reiser. It’s a tough subject matter because cancer touches so many lives and rarely offers happy endings. But 50/50 manages to be charming, and more about friendship and family in crisis than just pain. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars with Seth Rogen, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anna Kendrick in this warm dramedy. Our review of 50/50 on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

Pregnant Character Posters for WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 25th, 2012 at 9:19 pm

Lionsgate has released five new character posters for What to Expect When You’re Expecting, the ensemble comedy about “five couples whose intertwined lives are turned upside down by the challenges of impending parenthood.”  It’s a great way to see pregnant versions of Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Cameron Diaz, Brooklyn Decker, and Anna Kendrick next to sassy taglines like, “If I knew I’d have a rack like this, I would’ve gotten knocked up years ago.”  I kid, but I think there’s a chance this could be good.  Chace Crawford, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, Rodrigo Santoro, Ben Falcone, Joe Manganiello, and Rob Huebel also star. What to Expect When You’re Expecting opens on May 12, 2011.  The posters are after the break.

Director Dylan Kidd Eyes Miles Teller, Anna Kendrick, Bryan Cranston, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jay Pharaoh, and Jesse Eisenberg for GET A JOB

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 21st, 2012 at 5:40 pm

Director Dylan Kidd (Roger Dodger) is attached to direct Get a Job for CBS Films, and he’s setting up a very nice cast.  Miles Teller is in negotiations to star.  Offers are out to Anna Kendrick and Bryan Cranston.  Christopher Mintz-Plasse and SNL‘s Jay Pharaoh are also in talks; Kidd’s Rodger Dodger star Jesse Eisenberg is looking to take on a cameo in the comedy.  According to Variety, the script by Kyle Pennekamp and Scott Turpel follows “a college graduate and his friends who have to lower their expectations about life as they enter the real world during a recession.” Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher (Extraordinary Measure) are producing.

After a critically acclaimed turn in Rabbit Hole and a scene-stealing supporting role in Footloose, Teller is poised for… well, an Eisenberg-level breakout.  He has two films coming up in 2012—Project X and 21 and Over—that could connect with young audiences.  Plus, acting opposite Kendrick and Cranston always looks good on a resume.  I also hope this is the first of many times we see Pharaoh pop up outside of Saturday Night Live, since the sketch show doesn’t seem to know what to do with him.

International Trailer for PARANORMAN

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 12th, 2011 at 11:34 am

An international trailer for the stop-motion animated film ParaNorman has gone online.  The movie centers on a young boy named Norman (voiced by Let Me In‘s Kodi Smit-McPhee) who is able to see ghosts but it’s no big deal.  It becomes a bigger deal when his small town comes under attack from the un-dead and he must save the day by stopping a centuries-old curse.  The US teaser trailer is one of my favorite trailers of the year, and the international version is also good, but it’s more focused on introducing Norman and the plot.  The movie still looks like a lot of fun and it will be one worth keeping an eye on in 2012.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also features the voices of Casey Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, and Alex Borstein. ParaNorman opens in the US on August 17, 2012; it opens in the UK on September 14, 2012.

First Trailer for WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING Starring Elizabeth Banks and Cameron Diaz

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 8th, 2011 at 4:16 pm

The first trailer for What to Expect When You’re Expecting has debuted and it’s actually not bad at all. Given the film’s large ensemble and multiple storyline style, I figured we were in for the Valentine’s Day of baby movies, but What to Expect actually looks like a solid comedy. The standouts here are Elizabeth Banks and Rob Heubel, with the latter playing a man who really, really shouldn’t be a father. Unlike Valentine’s Day or New Year’s Eve, this movie appears to be actually telling real stories with interesting characters, with some solid laughs thrown in for good measure.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The cast also includes Anna Kendrick, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Rock, Chace Crawford, Matthew Morrison, Brooklyn Decker, Thomas Lennon, and Wendy McLendon-Covey. [Update: We've been sent a high resolution image from the film, which is now included after the jump].

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN – PART 1 Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 17th, 2011 at 3:02 pm

I’m always surprised when I like anything Twilight-related.  I’ve written at length on how I find the subtext of the movies repulsive even though I can understand how the text can be enjoyed as shallow fantasy.  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 even managed to wrap me up in that fantasy for the first half of the movie.  I’m not immune to big weddings and romantic honeymoons, and the first half is filled with happiness and humor.  Sadly, the second half of Breaking Dawn transforms into the mopey and idiotic drama I endured for the past three movies, but at least this time the series reached some glorious so-bad-it’s-good moments.

Teaser Trailer for Stop-Motion Animated Film PARANORMAN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 28th, 2011 at 11:37 am

The first trailer for the stop-motion animated film ParaNorman has been released. The film comes from LAIKA, the animation studio that brought us Coraline, and centers on a boy whose ability to talk to the dead comes in handy when his town is ravaged by zombies, ghosts, witches, moronic grown-ups, and a centuries-old curse. We don’t get any dialogue from this teaser, as it’s just a montage of scenes with Donovan’s appropriately titled “Season of the Witch” playing over the scenes. The images here are pretty spectacular, as expected, and I like the design of the characters. The tag of the trailer really got me as well. I’m excited to see more from this peculiar little fella.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film features the voices of Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In), Casey Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, and Alex Borstein. ParaNorman opens August 17th, 2012.

Anna Kendrick, Terrence Howard, Brendan Gleeson and Sam Elliott Join THE COMPANY YOU KEEP

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 10th, 2011 at 6:51 pm

Robert Redford is assembling quite the ensemble for his next directorial project The Company You Keep. Anna Kendrick, Terrence Howard, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Elliott and 11-year-old America’s Got Talent finalist Jackie Evancho have joined the cast of the drama. Based on the novel by Neal Gordon, the story centers on a former Weather Underground militant who goes on the run after an ambitious young journalist exposes his true identity. Redford will be pulling double duty, as he’ll also star as the Weather Underground militant in the film. Shia LaBeouf is onboard to take on the role of the journalist. Other cast members include Brit Marling, Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon, Julie Christie, Richard Jenkins, Stephen Root, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Cooper.

Hit the jump for the details on who Kendrick, Howard, Gleeson, and Elliott will play.

TOP 5: Fantastic Fest Coverage, 50/50, MACHINE GUN PREACHER, GHOST RIDER 2, Tom Hiddleston Talks THE AVENGERS and THOR 2

by Jason Barr    Posted: October 1st, 2011 at 3:56 pm

With the fall film season now in full swing, I’m 100% ashamed to admit that I’ve yet to see two of my most anticipated fall films: Moneyball and 50/50. Now, I have every intention of ending this charade at some point this weekend but, for now, I hope you’ll give me a pass. If I’ve still yet to check them out when we meet here next week, I’ll understand if you choose to revoke my “mildly credible film blogger” credentials. In the meantime…

…In this week’s “Top 5″ installment, you can find all of our Fantastic Fest 2011 coverage. After that, interviews abound with the cast of Jonathan Levine’s dramedy 50/50, the cast, creators, and real-life inspiration for Machine Gun Preacher, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance director Brian Taylor, and Thor/The Avengers‘ Tom Hiddleston. Check out a brief recap and link to each after the jump.

50/50 Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 29th, 2011 at 10:00 pm

It’s important to have a sense of humor in all things.  Being able to laugh at misfortune doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re diminishing a tragedy’s importance or ignoring the feelings created by hardship.  Laughter isn’t the best medicine (that would be the polio vaccine) but it’s damn useful and Jonathan Levine’s 50/50 manages to find humor in cancer by bringing together great performances and a gentle approach that manages to skillfully balance foul-mouthed dialogue alongside honest drama.

Anna Kendrick Talks 50/50, TWILIGHT, END OF WATCH, the SCOTT PILGRIM Video Game and More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: September 28th, 2011 at 6:53 pm

The dramedy 50/50, directed by Jonathan Levine (The Wackness), is one of my favorite films of 2011.  Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Anjelica Huston, the film is based on screenwriter Will Reiser’s real-life battle with cancer and focuses on the twists, turns, shock, sadness, and comedic relief that he experienced along the way.

While at the Toronto Film Festival, I was able to speak with Kendrick about how she got cast in 50/50 and how she prepared for the role.  In the film, she plays a young therapist who helps Gordon-Levitt deal with his cancer.  In addition, we talked about her favorite karaoke song, the last video game she played (Scott Pilgrim), what Twilight fans always want to talk to her about (his initials are RP).  She also talks about her role opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in David Ayer’s End of Watch.  Hit the jump to watch

TIFF 2011: 50/50 Review

by Phil Brown    Posted: September 11th, 2011 at 2:09 pm

No film festival trip would be complete without sampling at least one depressing cancer movie. There isn’t another disease that has produced more nauseating tearjerkers and thankfully 50/50 isn’t one of them. That’s not to say that there’s no danger of having a tear or two jerked out over the course of the movie, it just isn’t the filmmakers’ main goal. You see, what we’re dealing with here is that rare beast known as the cancer comedy and more specifically, a cancer comedy from Seth Rogen. The film has the amiable wondering stoner comedy feel of much of Rogen’s work, the difference being that this time he’s playing best buddy to Joseph Gordon-Levitt who has recently been diagnosed with everyone’s favorite disease-of-the-week (see the title for his odds of survival). It’s a concept that really shouldn’t work, yet it does quite well. There’s something sweetly genuine about the way the characters use comedy as a self-defense mechanism against a terminal illness and it probably comes closer to capturing how those suffering from the disease actually react than any melodrama. Hit the jump for the full cancerous scoop.

Anna Kendrick in Talks to Join PITCH PERFECT

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 1st, 2011 at 5:33 pm

Actress Anna Kendrick (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) is in early negotiations to join the romantic comedy Pitch Perfect. THR has the casting news for the film, which centers on the romance between two members of dueling collegiate a capella teams. If Kendrick signs on, she’ll play the goth-like and rebellious lead who finds the vocal group to be an escape from her unhappy school life. Rebel Wilson, who had a small but memorable role as Kristin Wiig’s roommate in Bridesmaids, is set to star in the film as an a capella group member named Fat Amy. Avenue Q‘s Jason Moore is directing the pic, which is an adaptation of Mickey Rapkin’s nonfiction book of the same name.

Kendrick’s breakout (and Academy Award-nominated) performance came with Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air, and I’ve been a fan of hers ever since. She stars in the upcoming “cancer comedy” 50/50 with Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt that opens September 30, and will also appear in What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of Pitch Perfect. Production begins this fall.

Chris Rock and Anna Kendrick Join WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 30th, 2011 at 6:23 pm

The cast of director Kirk Jones’ (Everybody’s Fine) baby book adaptation What to Expect When You’re Expecting keeps growing, as Chris Rock and Anna Kendrick have just signed on. The Love Actually-esque movie will follow six expectant couples through the ups and downs of pregnancy. Lionsgate announced that Kendrick will play a woman who reunites with an old flame following a turf war between their food trucks.

Per Deadline, Rock will play the leader of a group of expectant fathers who “lectures them on what it’s really like to have a baby and become a father.” Rock and Kendrick join a cast that includes Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Isla Fischer and Brooklyn Decker. Filming begins this summer, with What to Expect When You’re Expecting slated for a May 11^th, 2012 release.

Anna Kendrick and Natalie Martinez Join END OF WATCH Starring Jake Gyllenhaal

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 14th, 2011 at 3:27 pm

Anna Kendrick (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) and Natalie Martinez (Death Race) are in talks to star in the gritty cop drama End of Watch. Directed by David Ayers (Street Kings), the two will join a bald-headed Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña. Ayers directs from a script that he wrote, which centers on the friendship between two seasoned police officers in Los Angeles. Variety reports that the actresses will play the love interests of Gyllenhaal and Peña, though doesn’t state which actress is paired up with which actor.

Ayer is no stranger to cop dramas, having made his directorial debut with 2005’s Harsh Times. He also penned the screenplays for The Fast and the Furious, Training Day and S.W.A.T. I’m a big fan of Kendrick’s, and Gyllenhaal can be great with good material, so hopefully everything comes together for End of Watch.

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