Giovanni Ribisi

TOP 5: New STAR WARS Live-Action Series Details, CONTRABAND, WARM BODIES, Cinemath, Our TCA Winter Press Tour Coverage

by Jason Barr    Posted: January 14th, 2012 at 11:35 am

I have to say that I can’t wait to check out Steven Soderbergh‘s actioner Haywire. Everything I’ve seen from it thus far has looked great and the positivity pouring out from early reviews only supports my belief that the entire pic will deliver. Whether it be the stellar cast, the proclaimed breakout performance from Gina Carano, or Soderbergh’s top-notch action sequences, I fully expect to be talking about Haywire right here again next week in a little “Before & After” discussion. In the meantime…

…This week’s “Top 5″ brings you some new details regarding the long-gestating Star Wars live-action television series, Contraband interviews with Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi, and more, the first official images from Jonathan Levine‘s (50/50) Warm Bodies, a “Cinemath” feature that analyzes the 2011 box office, and all of our coverage from the 2011 Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter Press Tour. Hit the jump for brief recaps and links to each.

CONTRABAND Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 12th, 2012 at 2:43 pm

There are so many ways to steal something, but when it comes to the big score, movies have kept their focus on elaborate heists.  How are the criminals going to break into the vault?  How will they escape?  Couldn’t they put all of this effort into a job that doesn’t risk going to jail?  These questions aside, the basic point remains: steal what you want and don’t get caught.  But there are so many other ways to accomplish that.  Baltasar Kormákur‘s Contraband is a fresh take on the theft genre (unless you’ve seen the original version, the 2008 Icelandic film Reykjavik-Rotterdam) by turning the attention to smuggling.  However, the movie always feels torn between what’s safe and familiar and what’s daring and inventive.

Giovanni Ribisi Talks CONTRABAND and Seth MacFarlane’s TED

by Heather Warburton    Posted: January 11th, 2012 at 8:20 am

Set in New Orleans, Contraband is Mark Whalberg’s new thriller about smuggling on container ships. He plays a blue-collar family man who’s sworn off his former life of crime, until his brother-in-law botches a drug deal and needs his help in order to repay the debt. Whalberg agrees to do one last job, running contraband from Panama on a container ship. Kate Beckinsale plays Whalberg’s wife, Ben Foster his best friend and business partner, and Giovanni Ribisi plays a New Orleans drug runner who is barely recognizable and eerily convincing.

During our one-on-one interview, we talk about how he created the accent, the prison documentaries he watched to get into the role, as well a bit about the upcoming Seth McFarlane movie Ted. Hit the jump for the full interview.

Director Baltasar Kormákur CONTRABAND Interview

by Heather Warburton    Posted: January 9th, 2012 at 5:37 pm

Set in New Orleans, Contraband is Mark Whalberg’s new thriller about smuggling on container ships. He plays a blue-collar family man who’s sworn off his former life of crime, until his brother-in-law botches a drug deal and needs his help in order to repay the debt. Whalberg agrees to do one last job, running contraband from Panama on a container ship. Kate Beckinsale plays Whalberg’s wife, Ben Foster his best friend and business partner, and Giovanni Ribisi plays a New Orleans drug runner.

A remake of the Icelandic film Reykjavík-Rotterdam (2008), Contraband is directed by Baltasar Kormákur, who played the lead character in the original. At the press conference in New York, Kormákur spoke to a room of journalists about how the project came together, the choice of cinematographer Barry Ackroyd (The Hurt Locker), and his thoughts on the film’s moral ambiguity. Hit the jump for the interview.

5 Movie Clips and 16 Images from CONTRABAND

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 7th, 2012 at 5:11 pm

We’ve been provided with five clips and sixteen images from director Baltasar Kormákur’s crime thriller Contraband. The film is set in the world of international smuggling and stars Mark Wahlberg as a man trying to escape his days as a criminal. When his brother-in-law (Caleb Landry Jones) botches a deal, Wahlberg’s character must settle his brother-in-law’s debt in order to keep him safe from a drug boss (Giovanni Ribisi).  The film also stars Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, J.K. Simmons, and Diego Luna.

Hit the jump to check out the clips and images.  Contraband opens January 13th, 2012.

5 Clips from CONTRABAND Starring Mark Wahlberg

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 19th, 2011 at 7:03 pm

We’ve been provided with five clips from the crime thriller Contraband. The film is set in the world of international smuggling and stars Mark Wahlberg as a man trying to escape his days as a criminal. When his brother-in-law (Caleb Landry Jones) botches a deal, Wahlberg’s character must settle his brother-in-law’s debt in order to keep him safe from a drug boss (Giovanni Ribisi).

Hit the jump to check out the clips.  The film also stars Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, J.K. Simmons, and Diego Luna.  Contraband opens January 13th, 2012.

TOP 5: PHANTOM MENACE 3D and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL Trailers, IN TIME, ANONYMOUS, THE RUM DIARY Interviews

by Jason Barr    Posted: October 29th, 2011 at 10:30 am

Today is a good day. The Cardinals are World Series champions, trick r’ treaters will soon be out in full force, and I’ve got a night of horror films to look forward to. Once a year, my fiancée agrees to watch a few pics of the scary variety (or at least Halloween themed ones, i.e. Ernest Scared Stupid) with me in the hopes that I won’t ask her to partake in them again until the following Halloween weekend. Last year’s highlights included Drag Me to Hell and Trick r’ Treat. This year is shaping up to be Tobe Hooper-heavy with Poltergeist and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre possibly making the cut. Like I said, today is a good day.

Before you dive into whatever Halloween festivities may await you, I hope you’ll take a few minutes and check out what this week’s “Top 5″ has to offer. In this installment you’ll find the first trailer for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 3D, a new trailer for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and interviews for this weekend’s openers In Time, Anonymous and The Rum Diary. Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.

Giovanni Ribisi Talks THE RUM DIARY and GANGSTER SQUAD

by Christina Radish    Posted: October 28th, 2011 at 11:54 am

In The Rum Diary, adapted from the Hunter S. Thompson novel, actor Giovanni Ribisi plays Moberg, the derelict crime and religious correspondent at The San Juan Star. When journalist Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) travels to Puerto Rico in 1960, he gets a job writing for the local newspaper, where he meets Moberg and Sala (Michael Rispoli), a talented but deteriorating photographer, and they all end up as roommates, adopting the rum-soaked life of the island.

At the film’s press day, Giovanni Ribisi spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about reuniting with his Public Enemies co-star Johnny Depp, how he had originally wanted to play a different role in the movie before taking on the eccentric Moberg, and the freedom in wearing the same costume throughout the entire movie. He also talked about currently shooting Gangster Squad and why that story was so appealing to him. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

THE RUM DIARY Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 28th, 2011 at 6:02 am

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is widely considered to be the best adaptation of a Hunter S. Thompson book, but there can be no bigger love letter to the late author than The Rum Diary.  Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, The Rum Diary draws in Thompson’s language, ideology, and attitude. The film meanders through episodic misadventures and provides mere snapshots of supporting characters, but these weaknesses become strengths because they stay true to the subtext and tone of the story.  The only misstep is the lack of chemistry in the relationship between the two lead characters, but for the most part, the movie always knows where to stumble.

New Clip and 19 New Images from THE RUM DIARY

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 12th, 2011 at 2:05 pm

FilmDistrict has released 19 new images and clips from The Rum Diary.  The film is based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson and centers on a journalist who makes his way down to Puerto Rico for a life of rum-soaked leisure but ends up with a moral conflict when he encounters a beautiful woman, and her shady businessman fiancée.  As you’ll see from the clip, it’s easy to get the words “astrologer” and “astronomer” confused when you’ve been drinking and see Amber Heard skinny-dipping.

Hit the jump to check out the clips and the images.  The film also stars Johnny Depp, Richard Jenkins, and Aaron Eckhart.  The Rum Diary opens October 28th.

New Trailer and Images for CONTRABAND Starring Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, and Giovanni Ribisi

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 29th, 2011 at 10:44 am

The trailer for Contraband has gone online and I have no idea what differentiates it from other Mark Wahlberg crime movies.  He’s either a cop or a good-guy criminal and in this movie he’s the latter.  He plays a former smuggler who’s called back into the game when his brother-in-law (X-Men: First Class‘ Caleb Landry Jones) steals from the wrong gangster (Giovanni Ribisi with a bizarre, distracting accent).  Wahlberg then puts together a team of crooks (including characters played by Ben Foster and Lukas Haas) and it looks a little like The Italian Job with smuggling and cool duct tape masks.  Hopefully, the film will have something to make it stand apart from other movies where Wahlberg plays a frantic, hard-nosed character.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and a number of new images.  The film also stars Kate Beckinsale, J.K. Simmons, and Diego Luna.  Contraband opens January 13, 2012.

Warner Bros. Sets GANGSTER SQUAD for October 19, 2012

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 28th, 2011 at 1:25 pm

It looks like Warner Bros. believes it has an awards contender on its hands with Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad.  According to Box Office Mojo, the studio has set the 1940s crime thriller for October 19, 2012.  The film is based on the true story of an Los Angeles Police Department task force whose mission was to bring down notorious mobster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn).  The impressive cast also features Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Michael Peña, Anthony Mackie, Mireille Enos, Holt McCallany, Robert Patrick, and Giovanni Ribisi.

The other films that currently hold the 10/19/12 date are the romantic comedy The Big Wedding starring Robert De Niro and Katherine Heigl (hoo-boy) and an untitled project from Sopranos creator David Chase.

Giovanni Ribisi Joins Sean Penn in GANGSTER SQUAD

by Jason Barr    Posted: July 6th, 2011 at 6:48 pm

Giovanni Ribisi has landed a co-starring role in director Ruben Fleischer’s (Zombieland) 1940s crime pic The Gangster Squad. Ribisi joins a cast that already includes Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Michael Pena, and possibly Bryan Cranston. Adapted by Will Beall (Castle) from a series of LA Times articles by Paul Lieberman, The Gangster Squad centers on Mickey Cohen (Penn) and the elite squad of cops that chased him through Los Angeles.

According to Deadline, Ribisi will play the role of Conway Keeler, a member of the elite squad who is a connoisseur of electronics and wiring. Warner Bros. is currently eyeing a 2013 release for The Gangster Squad. In addition to this latest role, Ribisi will also appear alongside Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg in the Seth MacFarlane comedy Ted and opposite Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Richard Jenkins, and Aaron Eckhart in The Rum Diary due out later this year on October 28th.

FilmDistrict to Release THE RUM DIARY Starring Johnny Depp on October 28th

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 29th, 2011 at 11:10 am

We haven’t heard much about Bruce Robinson’s adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s The Rum Diary since we ran some images from the flick last June.  It was slightly worrisome that a movie that starred Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard, Michael Rispoli, Richard Jenkins, and Giovanni Ribisi was sitting on the shelf, but now that worry can be set aside.  FilmDistrict has announced that they have picked up the film and will release in the heart of awards season on October 28th.

The story centers on itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Depp) who moves to Puerto Rico and eventually discovers his voice as a writer and his integrity.  Hit the jump for a full synopsis and the press release.  The only other films currently opening on October 28th are the horror flick Dibbuk Box and Andrew Niccol’s sci-fi thriller Now starring Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake.

Giovanni Ribisi Joins Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis in Seth MacFarlane’s TED

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 23rd, 2011 at 6:56 am

Giovanni Ribisi has joined Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis in Ted.  Directed and co-written by Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy), the story centers on a man (Wahlberg) whose childhood wish that his teddy bear, Ted (played by MacFarlane using motion-capture), would come to life.  The wish finally comes true, but now the bear is a swearing, pot-smoking wreck that is wreaking havoc in the man’s life.  According to Variety, Ribisi will play “Donny, a man who’s obsessed with Ted.”

Ribisi is currently filming on the crime-thriller Contraband, which also stars Wahlberg.  Ribisi is also in the historical drama Waco and co-starring with Johnny Depp in the adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s The Rum Diary.

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