Giovanni Ribisi

First Trailer for GANGSTER SQUAD Starring Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, and Ryan Gosling

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 9th, 2012 at 4:35 pm

The first trailer for director Ruben Fleischer‘s (Zombieland) crime drama Gangster Squad has gone online. The film stars Sean Penn as gangster Mickey Cohen, and centers on the Los Angeles task force (headed by Josh Brolin) assembled to bring him to justice.  I’m a sucker for anything 1940s-related, but I think this trailer is pretty damn great.  The cast is incredible, and Fleischer’s visual flair from his previous films looks to have matured and evolved for this more dramatic story.  Above all, though, Gangster Squad looks like a lot of fun.  It’s easy for period pieces like this to be drowned by solemnity (I’m looking at you, Public Enemies), but Fleischer hasn’t forgotten that there’s a lot of fun to be had in 1940s L.A.  Additionally, I’m loving the different personalities on display in the ensemble.  Between this, Argo, and the slew of movies slated for this fall/winter, 2012 is shaping up to be something special.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Michael Peña, Anthony Mackie, and Giovanni Ribisi.  Gangster Squad opens later this year.

CONTRABAND Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: May 9th, 2012 at 5:58 am

It’s nice to see a down and dirty action movie, and Contraband offers a number of things that are fun. It’s got Mark Wahlberg in the lead, and a supporting cast that includes Kate Beckinsale, J.K. Simmons, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, and Lukas Hass.  It’s got a no-nonsense plot about smuggling, and at least one good shootout. But it’s also imminently forgettable. Our review of the Blu-ray of Contraband follows after the jump.

Trailer for Seth MacFarlane’s TED Starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 4th, 2012 at 10:26 am

The green-band trailer for Ted has gone online.  Directed by Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy), the movie stars Mark Wahlberg as a 35-year-old man who’s still best friends with his teddy bear, Ted (voiced and mo-capped by Macfarlane), after his childhood wish brought the stuffed animal to life.  Now the bear is a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking freeloader who’s creating tension between the guy and the guy’s girlfriend (Mila Kunis).  Fans of Macfarlane’s TV shows will note the familiar markers: a Peter Griffin voice for Ted (to the point where it’s kind of distracting), and everyone in the world naturally accepting a supernatural character.  I really enjoyed the red-band trailer (I can’t get the “Thunder Song” out of my head), and while this new one isn’t quite as good, there’s a great joke near the end.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Joel McHale and Giovanni Ribisi.  Ted opens July 13th.

First Red Band Trailer and Images from Seth MacFarlane’s TED

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 1st, 2012 at 6:35 pm

The first trailer and a batch of images from Seth MacFarlane‘s feature directorial debut Ted have gone online. The film stars Mark Wahlberg as a grown man whose childhood wish that his teddy bear would come to life suddenly comes true. The catch is that the bear (played by Macfarlane using motion-capture) turns out to be a swearing, pot-smoking wreck. The trailer is pretty fantastic, especially since it’s red band. Wahlberg lets his “fuck”-laden Boston accent fly, and he and Ted look to have some incredibly entertaining chemistry. The bear is the most adorable foul-mouthed, dirty-minded stuffed animal you’ll ever come across and I’m kind of in love with him.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and images. The film also stars Mila Kunis, Joel McHale, Patrick Warburton, Giovanni Ribisi and the voice of MacFarlane as Ted. Ted opens July 13th.

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.

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