Bailee Madison

Marisa Tomei to Play Billy Crystal and Bette Midler’s Daughter in US & THEM

by Jason Barr    Posted: September 14th, 2011 at 8:42 am

Marisa Tomei has signed on to join director Andy Fickman’s (You Again) family comedy Us & Them. Also starring Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark‘s Bailee Madison, the pic pegs Crystal and Midler as old school grandparents who have a hard time finding a middle ground with their three modernized grandchildren. According to Variety, Tomei will take on the role of Crystal and Midler’s daughter, Alice, whose rocky relationship with her parents is ultimately addressed (and most likely smoothed out) as a result of her kids and parents learning to co-exist.

The project’s most recent script comes courtesy of City Slickers writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. Production is set to get underway in Atlanta later this month. As for Tomei, she can next be seen alongside George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Clooney’s political drama The Ides of March which opens on October 7th.

Bette Midler and Bailee Madison Join Billy Crystal in US & THEM

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 2nd, 2011 at 2:51 pm

Bette Midler and Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark star Bailee Madison have signed on to join Billy Crystal in the family comedy Us & Them. The project, which has been in development for quite some time, re-teams Crystal (who hasn’t toplined a film in over ten years) with his City Slickers writers Lowell Gantz and Babaloo Mandel. The story revolves around a Fresno AAA baseball broadcaster who is tasked with caring for his three grandchildren alongside his wife (with whom he’s going through a separation). The flick will explore the generational gap between the parenting styles of grandparents and their children.

Variety reports that Midler will play Crystal’s estranged wife, while 11-year-old Madison will take on the role of one of their grandchildren. Andy Fickman (You Again) is directing the co-production between 20^th Century Fox and Walden Media. Production is set to get underway later this month in Atlanta.

TOP 5: UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING Set Visit, D23 Coverage, DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK, OUR IDIOT BROTHER, THE PHANTOM MENACE CGI

by Jason Barr    Posted: August 27th, 2011 at 7:44 am

If you’re just tuning in, a few months back we started the weekly “Top 5″ feature as a way of aggregating all of what we deem to be our best, most relevant coverage from the preceding week into one place. The hope is that you, the reader, will have already scoped all of this material out and shared it with your millions of friends (either real, virtual, or both). However, if for whatever reason some of it has fallen through the cracks, you can come here, check it out, and then share it with all of your friends (again, either real, virtual, or both). That in mind…

In this week’s installment, you’ll find all of our coverage from Steve’s Underworld: Awakening set visit and Disney’s D23 Expo, interviews for the Guillermo del Toro produced horror flick Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and the Paul Rudd comedy Our Idiot Brother, and a slightly improved, slightly less puppet-friendly version of Yoda in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Check out brief recaps and links to all of the above after the jump.

Bailee Madison Talks DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK and FX’s POWERS

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: August 26th, 2011 at 1:01 pm

A few weeks ago, I was able to speak with Bailee Madison about starring in director Troy Nixey’s Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.  The story centers on an architect (Guy Pearce), his new girlfriend (Katie Holmes), and his daughter (Madison) during the restoration of Blackwood Manor, a Gothic mansion infested by “an army of beady-eyed, sharp-clawed monsters emerge, small in size but endless in number: the homunculi.”

During the interview, Madison talked about filming in Australia and the process of getting into character, the rehearsal process, her favorite scene, working with Holmes and Pearce and the offset experience, the opening scene of the movie, and her character in FX’s Powers.  Hit the jump to watch.

DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 26th, 2011 at 5:59 am

I’m an easy scare.  I tend not to seek out horror movies because the idea of being hit by jump scares doesn’t appeal to me.  Troy Nixey’s Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark goes after gothic, psychological horror with a haunted house/monster movie vibe and that’s usually the way the genre works for me.  But despite the exquisite art direction and cinematography, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is a horror movie that rarely conjures of any sense of dread or terror.

Red Band Trailer for DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: August 25th, 2011 at 7:33 pm

FilmDistrict has released a new red band trailer for the horror remake Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark just before it hits theaters this weekend.  There’s no gore or nudity, so I can’t point to the specifics that make it red band.  (Maybe acute creepiness?)  You get a really good look at the creatures, which are always a treat when Guillermo del Toro’s involved.  He’s producing here, and co-wrote the screenplay with Matthew Robbins (Mimic); Troy Nixey directed.

The story centers on an architect (Guy Pearce), his new girlfriend (Katie Holmes), and his daughter (Bailee Madison) during the restoration of Blackwood Manor, a Gothic mansion infested by “an army of beady-eyed, sharp-clawed monsters emerge, small in size but endless in number: the homunculi.”  Watch the trailer after the jump.

FilmDistrict to Distribute Guillermo del Toro’s DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK on August 12th

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 14th, 2011 at 7:30 am

Before Miramax underwent a new business deal, Troy Nixey’s Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark was scheduled to open on January 21, 2011 (you can see the teaser trailer here).  Unfortunately, in October the Guillermo del Toro-produced/co-written horror flick dropped off the schedule and went into release-limbo.  THR now reports that FilmDistrict has come to the rescue and will distribute the film on August 12th.  However, the film will have some stiff competition.  Also getting released on that date is 30 Minutes or Less, the new comedy from Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer that stars Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari, and Danny McBride; and Tate Taylor’s adaptation of The Help starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Hit the jump for a synopsis of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, which stars Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, and Bailee Madison.

Chloe Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, and Bailee Madison Join Kristen Bell in DANCE OF THE MIRLITONS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 30th, 2010 at 2:27 pm

In August, we reported that Kristen Bell has signed on to the dark indie ballet comedy Dance of the Mirlitons.  Today, THR is reporting that Chloe Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, and Bailee Madison (Brothers) have joined the cast.  Per THR, the story centers on “an ambitious, slightly overweight ballerina (Madison) with an overbearing mother (Bell) who will stop at nothing to become a star. The girl enters a Mean Girls-type environment when she has to prove her worth in class.”  Moretz will play the Madison’s nemesis and the star ballerina of the class while Haley is “a subtly sadistic Russian ballet teacher of the highest order.”  Evan Greenberg wrote the script and will direct.

The project sounds like it could be a lot of fun.  It’s currently trying to close down the final piece of funding for a shoot next year.  Hit the jump for a refresher on the other projects these actors are currently attached to.

Teaser Trailer for the Guillermo Del Toro-produced DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 3rd, 2010 at 7:03 am

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark was one of the films at this year’s Comic-Con that hit their panel in Hall H out of the park.  We were shown the teaser trailer for the movie and now you can catch it online.  As I said in my coverage of the panel, the teaser does a great job of creating atmosphere and evoking a very cool gothic style.  Also, when was the last time you remember a horror movie actually being able to scare you with just its teaser?

Hit the jump to check out the teaser trailer and the official synopsis.  Co-written and produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by Troy Nixey, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark opens on January 21, 2011.

The Guillermo del Toro-Produced DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK Lands January 21, 2011 Release Date

by Jake Lasker    Posted: June 28th, 2010 at 8:52 pm

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, the upcoming thriller produced by Guillermo Del Toro, has been given a January 21, 2011 release date. The film is a remake of the 1973 television movie that aired on ABC. The 2011 update is directed by Troy Nixey whose only previous directorial credit is the 2007 short film Latchkey’s Lament. The film is set to star Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce and Bailee Madison. [Matt's note: CHUD.com boss/good-guy Nick Nunziata is an associate producer on the flick]

The film centers around a young girl (Madison) who is sent to live with her father (Pearce) and his girlfriend (Holmes) in the old mansion they are renovating. Here, the young girl unwittingly unleashes malevolent creatures bent on destroying all of them.  Hit the jump for a link to Nixey’s short film and the trailer for the 1973 TV movie. Also, make sure to check out Steve’s recent interview with del Toro. [Release date via Heat Vision]

BROTHERS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 3rd, 2009 at 9:25 pm

I’m not sure why Brothers is so shallow.  The plot of a man leaving to fight in a war, presumed dead, his wife developing an emotional connection to his brother, and then the resulting conflict which occurs when the man comes home alive.  The story feels almost biblical but Brothers prefers obvious emotional markers rather than create real conflict between the characters.  In the end, what should be a thematically rich and tense film becomes the story of a man who sacrificed his humanity in order to return to the human relationships that he now finds meaningless.  Thankfully, that man is played by Tobey Maguire who manages to build a full character while everyone else is left to function as plot devices.

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