Brian Cox

Casting Call: RZA Joins DJANGO UNCHAINED; Brian Cox Returns to Comedy with DOG FIGHT

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: November 2nd, 2011 at 7:01 pm

Brilliantly slotted for a Christmas 2012 release, Django Unchained is quickly becoming one of my most anticipated movies. With a cast that includes Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Samuel L. Jackson just to name a few, how could it not be? Now, the ever-busy RZA has reportedly joined the Quentin Tarantino spaghetti Western picture as Thaddeus, a slave on a Mississippi plantation with a propensity towards violence.

In more light-hearted news, Brian Cox (Super Troopers) may return to comedic form, as the Scottish thespian is in final negotiations to join Warner Bros’ Dog Fight for director Jay Roach (Meet the Parents). The comedy stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as rival politicians vying to represent a small North Carolina district. Cox will star as Galifianakis’s distant father who is also a former senator. Hit the jump for more on both projects.

Paul Bettany, Brian Cox, and Stephen Graham to Star in Nick Murphy’s BLOOD

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 23rd, 2011 at 7:45 am

Director Nick Murphy made an impressive debut theatrical feature with his gothic horror film The Awakening (click here to read my review).  Screen Daily reports that he’ll be making his follow-up with Blood, an adaptation of the Bill Gallagher BAFTA-nominated TV series Conviction.  The plot centers on “two policemen who kill a murder suspect and are then plunged into chaos when they are forced to investigate their own crime.”  Murphy has assembled a strong lead cast for the picture with Paul Bettany, Brian Cox, and Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire) set to star with Gallagher handling the screenplay.  Filming is set to begin in the UK in January.

I’m hoping that The Awakening gets out in front of audiences sooner rather than later because Murphy is definitely a director to keep an eye on, and I’ll certainly be keeping Blood on my radar.

SHARK NIGHT 3D Director to Helm Remake of Anime KITE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 3rd, 2011 at 3:05 pm

David R. Ellis, who has made a career out of making ridiculous movies (Snakes on a Plane and Shark Night 3D), has been set to direct the live-action remake of the Japanese anime Kite, per Variety. The original film, released in 1998, centers on a young girl who sets out to track down the killer of her father, who was a cop. The characters occupy a post-financial collapse failed state where corrupt security traffics young women for profit. I can’t really envision Ellis taking on such straight gritty material, but then again he may be putting his own spin on things. Anant Singh and Brian Cox are producing through their Distant Horizon banner. Hit the jump to watch the trailer for the original film.

Kick-Ass UK Trailer for Ralph Fiennes Adaptation of William Shakespeare’s CORIOLANUS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 10th, 2011 at 7:33 am

Before now, my reaction to Coriolanus was “Oh, Ralph Fiennes is making his directing debut by adapting Shakespeare’s Coriolanus and setting it in a modern-day battlefield.  That’s nice.”  But the UK trailer just makes me go, “This is Fiennes’ directing debut?  Holy hell.”  The dialogue and plot may be Shakespeare’s but Fiennes has clearly amped up the setting with some sweet looking action and intense drama.  I hope this all comes together because it has an outstanding cast (Fiennes in the title role and joined by Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Gerard Butler, Jessica Chastain, and James Nesbitt).

As you’ll gather from the trailer, the plot centers on a banished former war hero who plans to conquer his homeland.  Hit the jump to check out the madness.  Coriolanus will play at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.  It opens in the US on December 2nd and in the UK on January 20, 2012.

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 4th, 2011 at 3:02 pm

You’re not supposed to cut out your stars half-way through your blockbuster movie.  You’re not supposed to rest your big summer movie on apes created by CGI motion-capture technology.  You’re not supposed to sell an audience on the far-fetched idea that humans can be defeated by a species that doesn’t have opposable thumbs [correction: Apes do have opposable thumbs.  We're all doomed].  You’re not supposed to leave the audience on a down note.  There’s so much that goes into making a formulaic, forgettable blockbuster and no one told the folks behind Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  Instead, Rupert Wyatt, the screenwriters, the actors, and the special effects team broke all the rules and came out with one the summer’s most exciting movies.

5 Movie Clips from RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 29th, 2011 at 11:38 am

New clips from Rise of the Planet of the Apes have gone online.  I liked the earlier clip I saw of Caesar (Andy Serkis) protecting his human father figure (John Lithgow) but now I want to go into the film not spoiling any more of it for myself.  However, if you still need to be convinced about pre-damned-and-dirty apes then hit the jump to check out the 5 clips.  The film stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, Tom Felton, and Brian Cox.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes opens August 5th.

New Trailer, Images, and Poster for RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 22nd, 2011 at 8:32 am

We’ve got a slew of monkey news for you today. A UK trailer and poster, as well as a batch of new images from Rise of the Planet of the Apes have been released. This international trailer looks to be the best one yet. I think it gets the tone just right, plus we get our first look at the apes standing up (next step, clothes). I still don’t think an Apes reboot is necessary, but I think a sequel to Rise, wherein we see the apes begin to build society anew, would be much more interesting than this film. Nevertheless, the effects on the apes keep looking better and better each time we see a new trailer. The new images released give us a great look at some of WETA Digital’s work.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer, poster, and images. Starring James Franco, Andy Serkis, Tom Felton, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, and Freida Pinto, Rise of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on August 5th.

High Resolution Concept Art from RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 14th, 2011 at 4:08 pm

Continuing our coverage of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 20th Century Fox has sent over high resolution images of the concept art that was shown during yesterday’s webcast.  While the trailer that premiered earlier today definitely focuses on the action, I’m hoping the story is solid and it’s more than just some cool action set pieces.  After reading Germain’s set report, I’m very optimistic.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo, and Andy Serkis as the ape Caesar.  The film opens August 5th.  Hit the jump for the concept art.

First Trailer and Poster for RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 14th, 2011 at 7:20 am

Fox has released the first trailer for Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  I’m a bit disappointed by the take I’m seeing it but I’ll admit that an Apes movie is an incredibly tough sell.  The movie looks far more action-oriented and I was hoping for a moral story involving James Franco’s character and the main ape Caesar (played by Andy Serkis using motion capture)  that seems only hinted at in this teaser.  Finally, I don’t think people really care where their special effects come from and while I know that WETA is a fine effects company, people didn’t walk away from Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes remake thinking “Wow!  ILM really did a bang-up job with those effects!”  I know people respond to action, but having an ape towering over your bed and watching you sleep just looks silly.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and poster.  The film also stars, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, and Tom Felton.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes opens August 5th.

First Image from RISE OF THE APES

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 24th, 2011 at 12:36 pm

Fox’s Planet of the Apes prequel, Rise of the Apes, was scheduled to come out this summer, but was pushed back to the holiday season so that there was more time to work on the special effects.  The new Apes flick centers on a young scientist (James Franco) whose attempts to cure Alzheimer’s leads to the creation of a super-intelligent ape (played by Andy Serkis using motion-capture).  The first official image from the film has been released, and while there are no apes rising, we do get to see Franco working hard at the science.

Hit the jump to check out the image.  Rise of the Apes also stars Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Tom Felton, Tyler Labine, and Brian Cox.  The film opens November 23rd.

DEADWOOD: THE COMPLETE SERIES Blu-Ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: January 31st, 2011 at 11:42 am

There’s a bitter pill to swallow in owning the Deadwood complete series on Blu-ray. One of the best shows ever to be on television, Deadwood ends unceremoniously. There is no sense of closure, there is no sense of a finished narrative – creator David Milch gets a twenty minute segment on the set to talk about the end of the show and expresses nothing but frustration about the show’s demise. He tries to intellectualize it, but struggles to come to grips with the euthanasia HBO performed. Alas, with an existing set and the cast of characters Deadwood had it was not a cheap show, and where The Wire was able to struggle against low ratings Deadwood fell because it never exceeded its modest but committed fanbase. But Deadwood is one of the best shows ever put to television, and I come here not to mourn its end, but celebrate its greatness. My review of Deadwood: The Complete Series on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

Louis Gossett Jr., Ed Asner, Fionnula Flanagan, Brian Cox, and Cloris Leachman Visit THE HOME

by Tommy Cook    Posted: October 20th, 2010 at 10:26 pm

Kristoffer Aaron Morgan and Eric Vespe (aka Kraken and Quint of AICN) have begun to assemble a cast for their horror film The Home: namely Louis Gossett Jr. (Iron Eagle), Ed Asner (Up) and Fionnula Flanagan (the Lucy to Desmond Hume’s Charlie Brown on Lost). Bloody Disgusting reports that Brian Cox (chewing scenery in the recent Red) and the great Cloris Leachman (Raising Hope) are also in talks to star in the horror thriller.

The Home concerns a young man who, after suffering a horrible accident, goes to recuperate at a nursing home… that just so happens to be infested with carnivorous monsters. Tough break. Having unfortunately visited a nursing home not too long ago, I can tell you that they are heartbreakingly sad and terrifying all at once. I wasn’t sure whether to cry for the elder woman, who stared transfixed at a blank unplugged television screen as yellow droplets rolled down her leg, or run screaming from the poor woman. Add monsters into the mix — and well, I get the shudders just thinking about it. More about old people and monsters after the jump. (No easy jokes about them being the same thing, please.)

RED Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 15th, 2010 at 8:04 am

Red is a movie that’s better than it should be and yet isn’t as good as it could be.  The jokes could be funnier, the action could be more exhilarating, the pacing could be quicker, but the film is still a success.  And yet with stronger direction and a more polished script, Red could have been one of the better films of the year thanks to its strong cast.  Not only do they play off each other well, but Mary Louise-Parker, John Malkovich, Brian Cox, and Helen Mirren all give terrific performances.  Red gets the job done, but there’s frustration in seeing it come up as only passable.

Ernest Borgnine Video Interview RED; Plus He Talks About His Previous Movies Like MARTY and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: October 14th, 2010 at 8:05 am

At the New York City press junket for Red, I got to participate in a press conference with Ernest Borgnine.  While it was great to be able to talk with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich, the chance to hear Borgnine reminisce about his decades in the movie business was also extremely cool.  Also, with Borgnine being 93 years old, I’m well aware this might have been my last chance to interview him.

During the press conference, Borgnine talked about how he first got into the “picture” business, making such films as Marty and From Here to Eternity, working with Frank Sinatra, what really went on behind the scenes of McHale’s Navy, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch what he had to say:

Helen Mirren Exclusive Video Interview RED; Plus an Update on ARTHUR

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: October 13th, 2010 at 6:23 pm

Opening on October 15 is the really fun movie Red. Featuring an all-star cast that’s more impressive than The Expendables, Red stars Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker, Karl Urban, Richard Dreyfuss, Julian McMahon, Brian Cox, and Ernest Borgnine. Based on the graphic novel Red (Retired Extremely Dangerous), the movie is about a group of retired black ops agents that get back together to try and figure out why some former agents are getting killed.

I was recently in NYC for the press junket and I was able to sit down with Helen Mirren.  During the interview we talked about whether or not her fans are ready to watch her fire a 50 caliber machine gun (I think they are), are there any challenges working in different movie genres, what was it like with the rest of the cast, and she gave me an update on how Arthur was going with Russell Brand.  Hit the jump to see what she had to say and make sure to see Red this weekend:

Copyright ©2005 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. California web design