Emily Blunt

Sundance 2012: YOUR SISTER’S SISTER Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 28th, 2012 at 10:20 am

It’s remarkable how much you can class up a Jerry Springer-esque conflict if you cast its characters as thoughtful, funny, lovably flawed people.  Your Sister’s Sister takes a premise worthy of a “Jerry” chant and imbues it with warmth and compassion through charming performances by its lead cast.  However, the heavy reliance on dialogue to the expense of other cinematic elements leaves the film only as good as its conversation, and also makes the audience feel like voyeurs who are intruding on the characters’ personal lives.

SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN Opens 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: December 22nd, 2011 at 5:24 pm

When the Palm Springs International Film Festival starts on January 5^th, the honor of being the opening film will fall to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. The film, by Oscar-nominated director Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules) and Oscar-winning writer Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) is an adaptation of the Paul Torday award-winning novel of the same name. The plot follows a sheik (Amr Waked) who desires to bring salmon fishing to the Yemen, a wild idea that is facilitated by a fishing expert (Ewan McGregor) and a PR consultant (Emily Blunt) with the urgings of the Prime Minister’s press secretary (Kristin Scott Thomas). While Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is set to open the festival, the German comedy Almanya, Welcome to Germany will close it out on January 15^th. Hit the jump for more on Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

Trailer for SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN Starring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 16th, 2011 at 10:46 am

The first trailer for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen has gone online.  The story centers on a fishing expert (Ewan McGregor) and PR consultant (Emily Blunt) who are thrown together to bring salmon fishing to the Yemen at the behest of a sheik (Amr Waked) and the Prime Minister’s press secretary (Kristin Scott Thomas).  I found the film surprisingly witty and funny when I saw it at the Toronto Film Festival, but those qualities are almost non-existent in this trailer beyond Thomas’ scene-stealing performance.  Instead, the trailer plays up the romantic, life-affirming aspects in a heavy-handed, saccharine fashion.  It’s also probably not the best idea to finish up your trailer with a character saying, “I don’t have a sense of humor, as you recall.”

Hit the jump to check out the disappointing trailer.  Salmon Fishing in the Yemen opens March 2, 2012.

First Trailer and Poster for THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT Starring Jason Segel and Emily Blunt [UPDATED]

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 7th, 2011 at 12:26 pm

Universal has debuted the first trailer for The Five-Year Engagement. Directed by Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and produced by Judd Apatow, the film follows a young couple’s extended engagement and the ups and downs they experience along the way. The trailer looks pretty great, as it’s very much what you’d expect from an Apatow production. Parks and Recreation‘s Chris Pratt had me cracking up by the first 10 seconds, and Jason Segel and Emily Blunt look to have some superb comedic chemistry. Segel and Stoller co-wrote the pic and I’m really liking the feel of this “relationship comedy” so far. The supporting cast doesn’t hurt as well, with Alison Brie, Mindy Kaling, and Jacki Weaver rounding out the cast.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and poster. If you missed Steve’s interview with Stoller where he talked about the test screening process of the film (which sounds very positive) click here. The Five-Year Engagement opens April 27th. [Update: We've been sent a high resolution version of the poster and two images which are now included after the jump].

TIFF 2011: SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 11th, 2011 at 5:15 pm

For the past decade, seeing director Lasse Hallström’s name attached to a film hasn’t inspired much confidence. His work has ranged from middling (The Hoax) to the saccharine (Dear John) and I worried that his latest film, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, would be both. Instead, it’s a peppy, quick-witted British comedy filled with great performances, clever dialogue, and the mature development of a romantic relationship. The film staggers a bit getting to the finish line, but it’s a fun trip most of the way.

First Images from THE ORANGES, SALMON FISHING IN YEMEN, and WOMAN IN THE FIFTH

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 26th, 2011 at 1:22 pm

Wrapping up our coverage of new images from movies premiering at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival (at least for now since I’m sure more are on the way), we have the first images from Julian Farino’s The Oranges (starring Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester, and Adam Brody), Lasse Hallstrom’s Salmon Fishing in Yemen (starring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt), and Pawel Pawlikowski’s Woman in the Fifth (starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Ethan Hawke).

Hit the jump to check out all of the images.  We’ve also provided the synopses.  The 2011 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 8th – 18th.  For all the new TIFF images we’ve posted, click here.

GULLIVER’S TRAVELS Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: July 7th, 2011 at 5:19 am

The era of Jack Black comedies is coming to a close. With Gulliver’s Travels, Black has made his way into the “family comedy” zone and that’s the last refuge for comedic performers. That the film flopped stateside (though it made a bundle internationally) suggests that Black will now be relegated to supporting turns. Here he’s Lemuel Gulliver, a mailroom clerk who’s going nowhere in life when Amanda Peet sends him on a journalism assignment to cover a small island near the Bermuda Triangle. He gets sucked into a world where he’s a giant. My review of the Blu-ray follows after the jump.

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: June 22nd, 2011 at 6:09 am

Writer/director George Nolfi’s The Adjustment Bureau is neither fish nor fowl, but is engaging enough that it may find a second life on home video. Matt Damon stars as David Norris, a promising political figure who loses his shot at being in congress, but meets Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt), who he immediately falls in love with and leads him to the best speech of his life. Nolfi adapted the Phillip K. Dick story into a fantasy love story, where Norris comes to see that there are things/people (including Anthony Mackie, John Slattery and Terrence Stamp) that control his fate. Our review of the Blu-ray of The Adjustment Bureau follows after the jump.

First Trailer for THE MUPPETS plus Poster for Fake Movie GREEN WITH ENVY

by Collider Staff    Posted: May 23rd, 2011 at 11:37 am

The first trailer for The Muppets has gone online.  It takes a little while to get to the actual Muppets, but stick through the trailer for the first 50 seconds and you’ll get there.  This is really more of an announcement trailer, and I’m not sure what will set this Muppets movie apart, but creating a trailer that basically goes “Surprise!  Muppets!” isn’t a bad way to start.  I’m slightly confused by the set-up of a fake Jason Segel/Amy Adams romance flick called Green with Envy, but I’ll go with it for now.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer for The Muppets and the poster for Green with Envy.  The Muppets also stars Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, and a slew of celebrity cameos.  The film opens November 23rd.

FilmDistrict Acquires LOOPER, ARABIAN NIGHTS, PLAYING THE FIELD; Sets Angelina Jolie’s IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY for December 23

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 15th, 2011 at 9:14 am

No studio has kept busier over the past few days then FilmDistrict.  On Thursday, FilmDistrict announced the acquisition of U.S. distribution rights to Arabian Nights, the 3D period action adventure led by Liam Hemsworth, and Playing the Field, the little league soccer comedy starring Gerard Butler and Jessica Biel.

Today the studio announced two more pickups: the time travel thriller Looper and Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey.  Looper is the latest from writer/director Rian Johnson (The Brother’s Bloom), and we’ve geeked out about the production pretty extensively here at Collider — good to know it has distribution secured with Tri Star.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, and Emily Blunt star.

Today FilmDistrict also gave Jolie’s Bosnian Civil War drama a title and a release date: In the Land of Blood and Honey is scheduled for an Oscar-friendly December 23 release.  More on all four movies after the break:

Cannes Casting Call: Firth and Blunt to Star in Dark Comedy; Holmes to Star in RESPONSIBLE ADULTS; Quaid Joins THE WORDS; 4 Board IDEA IN AMERICA

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 7:56 am

As the Cannes Film Festival heats up, plenty of casting deals are getting done.  We’ve combined some of the latest casting stories into one handy article for your viewing pleasure.  First up, Colin Firth and Emily Blunt have signed on to star in a dark comedy from director Dante Ariola and written by Becky Johnston.  According to Deadline, “Firth plays a man who hates his job and is hated by his ex-wife and son. Feeling he missed his one shot at living the dream, he fakes his death and buys a new identity. Along the way he meets a woman (Blunt) who is also trying to leave her past behind. The pair break into empty homes and pose as the absent owners. The two find a kindship despite all the lying.”  I’m a little giddy at the thought of Firth and Blunt playing off each other so hopefully we’ll see this project sooner rather than later.

Hit the jump for more casting news regarding Katie Holmes, Chase Crawford, Dennis Quaid, Orlando Bloom, Nick Nolte, Stanley Tucci, and Cristiana Capotondi.

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 4th, 2011 at 7:37 am

Hollywood has not had much success adapting the work of sci-fi author Philip K. Dick.  For every Blade Runner, you get a Paycheck, a Next, and the last twenty minutes of Minority Report.  The latest Philip K. Dick story to get the feature film treatment is The Adjustment Bureau, based off Dick’s short story “Adjustment Team”.  While most Dick adaptations wink at the cleverness of their source material before ignoring it in favor of massive set pieces, writer-director George Nolfi imbues The Adjustment Bureau with a cool confidence, and with the help of his charming lead actors, he carries the film through its sillier moments and unambiguous ending.

Emily Blunt Exclusive Video Interview THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU; Plus an Update on Rian Johnson’s LOOPER

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 3rd, 2011 at 10:22 pm

Opening this weekend is writer-director George Nolfi’s romance/thriller The Adjustment Bureau. Based on the short story Adjustment Team by Philip K. Dick, the film centers on the apparently forbidden relationship between politician David Norris (Matt Damon) and Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt).  As the story goes, the two are kept apart by a mysterious team of adjusters who claim it’s in everyone’s best interest if they go their separate ways.  Playing members of the Adjustment Bureau are Terence Stamp, John Slattery and Anthony Mackie.  For more on the film, click here to watch 7 clips.

Anyway, I recently got to speak with the cast for our partners at Omelete and after the jump you can watch my interview with Emily Blunt.  During the interview she talked about doing press, how the film does a great job balancing the love story and the sci-fi, my t-shirt (you’ll understand after you watch), how she got cast in the film, does she ever think she’ll do a superhero movie (she explains why she hasn’t yet), and we talk about Rian Johnson’s Looper – which she’s about to start filming.

Alison Brie Joins Emily Blunt and Jason Segel in Nicholas Stoller’s FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 2nd, 2011 at 2:45 pm

Community star Alison Brie has joined Emily Blunt and Jason Segel in the upcoming relationship comedy Five-Year Engagement.  The movie charts the very long engagement of a couple played by Blunt and Segel.  Segel co-wrote the script with director Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall).  Judd Apatow and Shauna Robertson will produce.

According to Variety, Brie will play the sister of Blunt’s character and will put on an English accent for the role.  While Community may not have the killer ratings of other network shows, I have no doubt that it’s a launching pad for its cast members, particularly Brie and co-star Donald Glover.  Fans of Community know that Brie kills at comedy, but her work on Mad Men shows that she’s equally adept at more dramatic fare.  She’ll next be seen in theaters in Wes Craven’s Scream 4.

Watch Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, and Other Actresses Hump HoBo Balls on JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE; Plus Trailer for THE PRESIDENT’S SPEECH Starring Mike Tyson

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 28th, 2011 at 7:58 am

As he does every year following the Oscars, Jimmy Kimmel had some star-studded sketches for his post-Oscar episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live.  While this year wasn’t quite as good as the Handsome Men’s Club, it’s tough to argue with watching gorgeous actresses like Scarlett Johansson and Sofia Vergara engage in a new work-out regimen called “Humpilates”.  Basically, Kimmel and his writers found an excuse to have some of Hollywood’s most beautiful actresses hump exercise balls bearing the word “hobo”.  I have no problem with that.

Kimmel also ran a fake trailer for an American adaptation of The King’s Speech called The President’s Speech, where Sir Mike Tyson helps George W. Bush overcome his constant verbal gaffes.  Hit the jump to check out both sketches.

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