James Marsden

Warner Bros. Pushes Back SEVENTH SON and BEAUTIFUL CREATURES; ROBOT AND FRANK Gets a Release Date

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 3rd, 2012 at 6:12 pm

We’ve got some shuffling of release dates for two Warner Bros. distributions and a new release date for one of our favorite films from this year’s Sundance.  Here’s a glance:

• Warner Bros. pushes back The Seventh Son from February 15th, 2013 to October 18th, 2013.
• Another Warner Bros. film, Beautiful Creatures, has taken Seventh Son’s place by moving back two weeks to open on February 15th, 2013.
• Starring Frank Langella, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon and a robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard), Robot and Frank will open on August 24th of this year.

Hit the jump for more on each film.

SXSW 2012: SMALL APARTMENTS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 11th, 2012 at 3:50 pm

Small Apartments deserves credit for getting inside your head through force of strangeness alone, and it has enough going on to merit at least some kind of interpretation.  You can argue with yourself to no end about whether or not director Jonas Åkerlund has made a subversive slam against trying to find human connection when our own baggage shuts us off from the world, or if he’s delivered a pat, mawkish ending that doesn’t fit with previous moments of derision towards sentiment.  Rather than leave your head spinning, Small Apartments just leaves your head aching.

Sundance 2012: ROBOT & FRANK Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 29th, 2012 at 6:05 pm

Not even ornery old men can resist the lure of a special robot friend.  Robot & Frank‘s hook is in its title, but it goes beyond what could have been the premise for a weekly sitcom.  Instead, the film puts together a strong juxtaposition between a man who’s started to forget everything and a robot who can remember anything.  It’s a familiar story about memory being tied to personality, but Robot & Frank throws in the importance of teaching and passion as a way to keep remembering (if only for a little while longer).  With the exception of a confused epilogue, director Jake Schreier and screenwriter and Christopher D. Ford have managed to build a warm, funny, and charming movie around a thoughtful premise.

Sundance 2012: ROBOT AND FRANK Acquired by Sony Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films Partnership

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 25th, 2012 at 5:26 pm

From Sundance 2012, Robot and Frank, was recently acquired by a partnership between Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and Samuel Goldwyn Films. The festival (and Collider) favorite stars Frank Langella, James Marsden and Liv Tyler in a near-future buddy comedy about an elderly ex-jewel thief (Langella) and his companion robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard). Steve loved Robot and Frank and will soon be posting exclusive interviews with director Jake Schreier, writer Christopher D. Ford and Langella himself. Hit the jump to check out the press release.

James Marsden, Thomas Jane, and Billy Bob Thornton to Star in Grizzly Bear Thriller RED MACHINE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 19th, 2012 at 1:19 pm

As we prepare for Liam Neeson to show us a man’s man’s surivival tale with next weekend’s The Grey, casting is underway on a survival film of a different color. James Marsden, Thomas Jane, and Billy Bob Thornton are set to star in the thriller Red Machine. Marsden and Jane play two estranged brothers who reunite on a camping trip with their girlfriends.  Once out in the wild, however, “things go horribly awry when they are attacked and relentlessly stalked by a horrifying grizzly bear—the Red Machine.” Considering the logline and cast, I initially figured the film would be more along the lines of a comedic farce, but then I learned that Saw V helmer David Hackl is onboard to direct. Now I think we can safely expect lots and lots of bear carnage.

Variety reports that Thornton will play a legendary bear expert and hunter in the film, with a script by J.R. Reher. The three leads are fine actors, and I’m incredibly intrigued to see what Thornton’s take on a grizzly bear expert looks like. Hackl stressed that he’s interested in examining “the thrill of very real fear,” and cites the realistic nature of the pic. No word on how the “realistic” blood count is expected to compare to the Saw franchise.

Sundance 2012: First Images from 2 DAYS IN NEW YORK, ARBITRAGE, BACHELORETTE, and LIBERAL ARTS

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: December 5th, 2011 at 6:42 pm

With our continuing coverage of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival’s Spotlight line-up, we’re bringing you some early looks at next year’s films. Hit the jump for synopses and images from writer-director Julie Delpy‘s 2 Days in New York, starring Delpy and Chris Rock; writer-director Nicholas Jarecki‘s Arbitrage, starring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth; writer-director Leslye Headland‘s Bachelorette, starring Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher and Lizzy Caplan; and writer-director Josh Radnor‘s Liberal Arts, starring Radnor and Elizabeth Olsen.

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival runs from Thursday, January 19^th to Sunday, the 29^th.  Click here for all our coverage.

Guest Star Casting: James Marsden Heading to 30 ROCK and Lizzy Caplan Meeting NEW GIRL

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: October 5th, 2011 at 2:51 pm

From Jon Hamm to Jason Sudeikis, television producer Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) has had her fair share of male suitors on 30 Rock. Now one more gentlemen might be added to the mix. EW has word that James Marsden has been set to guest star on at least one episode of the hilarious NBC comedy, and while the network isn’t detailing his character just yet, there’s speculation that he might be a love interest for Lemon as a casting call when out last month for a man aged between 36 and 40. Since that character in question was described as “California-bred with liberal values and a youthful innocence. Easy-going but confident with a strong sense of self,” that sounds like a perfect role for Marsden.

Details on a new guest star for Fox’s freshman series New Girl after the jump.

STRAW DOGS Review

by Bill Graham    Posted: September 16th, 2011 at 7:14 am

Remaking a well-known film can leave you with many problems. If you stick too closely to the original, the audience will call you on it and more than anything, the film’s twists and turns can become predictable bores. Luckily for director Rod Lurie, he chose to remake a film that has a strong cinemaphile profile but never caught on with the mainstream crowd back in 1971: Straw Dogs. Sam Peckinpah’s controversial little film on violence and the nature of man starred Dustin Hoffman, yet never caught on, only raking in $11 million worldwide. What this means is that despite only changing the setting from England to the redneck South of the United States, Lurie’s tale can exist as a wholly new experience for the average filmgoer. However, your appreciation for that may be tempered by the controversial parts largely being in tact. Hit the jump for my full review.

Three Clips and 10 Minutes of Behind-the-Scenes Footage from STRAW DOGS

by Jason Barr    Posted: August 31st, 2011 at 7:14 pm

Three clips and approximately ten minutes of behind-the-scenes footage from director Rod Lurie’s Straw Dogs remake are now available online. Starring James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgård, James Woods and Walton Goggins, the film is set in the deep South and centers on screenwriter David (Marsden) and his wife Amy (Bosworth) who return to her small hometown and encounter trouble in the form of her ex-boyfriend Charlie (Skarsgård).

Perhaps due to the widespread acclaim of director Sam Peckinpah’s Oscar-nominated 1971 original starring Dustin Hoffman, the remake has been under fire by many since its inception. That said, I’m willing to give it a chance if for no other reason than I generally like both Marsden and Skarsgård’s work.  Check out the clips and behind-the-scenes footage after the jump. Straw Dogs opens on September 16th.

Liev Schreiber, Liv Tyler, James Marsden and More Board ROBOT AND FRANK

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: July 12th, 2011 at 1:37 pm

A number of actors have signed on for the family comedy Robot and Frank. Liev Schreiber, Liv Tyler, James Marsden, and Jeremy Strong join previously announced Susan Sarandon and Frank Langella in the Jake Schreier-directed indie. The comedy marks Schreier’s feature directorial debut. The script, by Christopher Ford, is set in the future and centers on an aging curmudgeon (Langella) whose kids (Marsden and Tyler) give him a caretaker robot (voiced by Schreiber), sparking an unlikely friendship with the lonely man. Sarandon plays a librarian who serves as Langella’s only friend.

Hit the jump to read the full press release. The film is currently shooting in New York.

New Poster for STRAW DOGS Breaks James Marsden’s Glasses

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: June 14th, 2011 at 7:09 pm

I have yet to see the 1971 Straw Dogs (it’s on my Before I Turn 30 list), but I love that poster.  The image of Dustin Hoffman in the broken glasses tells me everything I need to know about the film, a thriller about a man pushed to the edge of reason when they move to a small village where the locals prove anything but hospitable.

James Marsden fills in for Hoffman in the upcoming remake, and now dons the broken glasses for a remake of the iconic poster.  There are a few twists: Screen Gems found a way to get Alexander Skarsgård’s beautiful Swedish face in the picture and added the slogan “Everyone has a breaking point.”  The image can’t be as powerful four decades later, but this is smarter than your average poster.  Kate Bosworth also stars in Straw Dogs, opening on September 16.  See the new poster and its inspiration after the jump.

Trailer for Rod Lurie’s Remake of STRAW DOGS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 13th, 2011 at 12:25 pm

The trailer for Rod Lurie’s remake of Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs has gone online.  The remake transplants the story from rural England to the deep South where a screenwriter (James Marsden) and his wife (Kate Bosworth) relocate to her hometown.  Like in the original, they encounter hostility from the locals and matters get increasingly worse for the couple from there. I’m not familiar with Lurie’s original but I’m liking the Southern setting in the trailer, and Skarsgård is positively creepy as the antagonist.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Alexander Skarsgård, Dominic Purcell, Laz Alonso, Walton Goggins, and James Woods.  Straw Dogs opens September 16th.

Eric Stonestreet and Wentworth Miller Join Indie Thriller LOFT

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 12:45 pm

Eric Stonestreet is a scene stealer on ABC’s Modern Family but he’s about to made a radical departure as he’s in final negotiations to star in the dark indie thriller Loft.  Variety reports that Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) is also set to join the film, “which follows five married friends who share a loft where each of them bring their mistresses. When the body of an unknown woman is found in the loft, they begin to suspect one another of murder.”  As we reported back in February, the film also stars Patrick Wilson and James Marsden.  This cast and premise offers the possibility for a tight, claustrophobic thriller…or it could end up like 2006′s disappointing Unknown (as opposed to 2011′s disappointing Unknown).  Screenwriter Wesley Strick (the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street) adapted Bart De Pauw’s original screenplay for the 2008 Belgian film of the same name.  Erik Van Looy directed that film and will return to helm the remake.

While I’ll be interested in seeing Stonestreet in such a different role from Modern Family‘s Cam, he’ll next be seen in the R-rated comedy Bad Teacher and the family film The Muppets.  As for Miller, he’s signed on to the indie drama Analog.  He also wrote the script Stoker, which will be directed by Chan-wook Park (Oldboy).

First Images of STRAW DOGS Starring James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, and Alexander Skarsgård

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 30th, 2011 at 12:59 pm

Screen Gems has released the first images from Straw Dogs, a remake of the 1971 thriller directed by Sam Peckinpah.  James Marsden and Kate Bosworth fill in for Dustin Hoffman and Susan George as the Sumners, “a husband and wife who clash with sadistic small-town Mississippi locals.”  Alexander Skarsgård, Rhys Coiro, James Woods, Laz Alonso, Dominic Purcell, and Walton Goggins also star.

Writer/director Rod Lurie (Nothing But the Truth) recognizes the trickiness in redoing Peckinpah, but the remake doesn’t try to soften the brutal impact of the rape-filled original:

“It’s a fool’s errand to try to outdo Peckinpah on his turf… This is not a soft movie.  People leave this movie saying they need a drink.”

See the images after the jump.

James Marsden Video Interview HOP

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 2nd, 2011 at 2:50 pm

With Universal and Illumination Entertainment’s CG/live-action family film Hop opening this weekend, I got to interview James Marsden for our partners at Omelete.  In the film, Marsden (Enchanted) stars as a slacker who finds himself taking care of the Easter Bunny (voiced by Russel Brand) after he accidentally injures him.  Hop also stars (or features the voices of) Kaley Cuoco, Gary Cole, Elizabeth Perkins, David Hasselhoff, Chelsea Handler, Hank Azaria and Hugh Laurie.  You can watch some clips here.

During the interview, Marsden talked about acting against nothing as he mostly worked with an animated character, the physicality of the role, what’s his karaoke song, how much fun did he have doing an episode of Modern Family, and did Enchanted or Saved by the Bell: The New Class help him get ready for this role.  But the best part of the interview was the beginning.  The reason is I was the first one to talk to Marsden and almost as soon as we started, Brand started screaming at him from the other side of the studio.  As they scream back and forth, you can hear them playfully argue.  It’s very funny and definitely worth watching.

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