Jennifer Garner

Viral Website and First Clip for BUTTER Starring Jennifer Garner [UPDATED]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 27th, 2011 at 8:26 am

It looked as thought the Weinstein Company would give Butter a limited Oscar-qualifying run in 2011 before opening the film wide in 2012, but that may no longer be the case.  The studio has just launched a viral website for the movie along with the first clip.  The clip features aspiring butter carving champion Laura Pickler (Jennifer Garner) giving a speech for why her butter statue deserves to win.  You’ll see that Garner is going full-Palin in her performance, which is an odd choice since the script initially sets up the satire that Pickler is a Hillary Clinton-type figure: her husband (Ty Burrell) is the former butter carving champion and he cheats on her but she’s keeping her politicial aspirations high since because she believes winning at butter carving will help launch her campaign for governor.  As I said in my review, if Butter had simply picked a tone and stuck with it, the movie probably wouldn’t have been such a disappointing mess.

Hit the jump to check out the clip.  The film also stars Olivia Wilde, Ashley Greene, Rob Corddry, Alicia Silverstone, Yara Shahidi, Kristen Schaal, and Hugh Jackman.  No release date has been announced for Butter. [Update: We have removed the clip and the link to the site at the request of The Weinstein Company because the site and the clip aren't ready for public consumption yet.]

TIFF 2011: BUTTER Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 14th, 2011 at 9:45 pm

Jim Field Smith’s Butter could have been a scathing political satire.  It could have been a wicked dark comedy.  It could have even been a heartwarming family drama.  Instead, Butter tries to be all of these things and only manages to squeeze out occasional bits of humor and heart from any of them.  The film is endlessly frustrating, consistently disappointing, and one where every missed opportunity is a stinging reminder of how this could have been a great movie.

Olivia Wilde in Talks to Replace Jennifer Garner in BETTER LIVING THROUGH CHEMISTRY

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: August 25th, 2011 at 5:12 pm

The dark comedy thriller Better Living Through Chemistry has been going through some casting changes as of late. Last month, Sam Rockwell replaced Jeremy Renner in the lead role (since Renner is starring in every movie possible for the next two years), and now Olivia Wilde is in talks to replace Jennifer Garner in the lead female role. Garner is forced to leave the project not because of scheduling issues, but because she’s now expecting her third child with husband Ben Affleck.

Variety reports that Wilde is in talks to play a trophy wife with whom Rockwell’s small-town pharmacist strikes up an affair as a result of a loveless marriage. Things take a turn, however, when the two start using hard drugs and begin plotting the murder of Wilde’s husband. Michelle Monaghan will play Rockwell’s wife and Judi Dench is set as the film’s narrator. Writer/directors Geoff Moore and David Posamentier are making their feature film debut with the project, and I must say I’m quite intrigued. The cast is spot-on for the darkly comic story, so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how this one shapes up.

TIFF 2011: First Images from BUTTER and W.E. [Updated]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 11th, 2011 at 11:21 am

If TIFF approves my application, I’ll be making sure I get in to see the satire Butter.  The movie is set in the competitive world of butter carving and the story parodies the 2008 Democratic Primary.  Jennifer Garner plays an ambitious Midwestern woman whose philandering husband (Ty Burrell) previously won the title.  Garner’s character believes the title is her but then she’s challenged by a teenage African-American girl (Yara Shahidi). The outstanding cast also features Hugh Jackman, Olivia Wilde, Kristen Schaal, Rob Corddry, Alicia Silverstone, and Ashley Greene.  There’s also the first image from Madonna’s W.E. I don’t much care about that movie.

Hit the jump to check out the W.E. image .  The 2011 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 8 – 18th. [We've removed the Butter image at the request of the studio]

Trailer and Poster for Still Creepy-Looking Disney Film THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 9th, 2011 at 10:11 am

We posted this trailer yesterday but Disney asked us to take it down because it was “incorrect”.  Today it’s up on Yahoo! Movies and it’s almost exactly the same so here’s what I wrote yesterday:  The trailer for The Odd Life of Timothy Green stars out innocently enough.  Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton play a couple who are unable to conceive a child.  They write down their hopes and dreams for the child they’ll never have, put the writing in a box, and bury the box in their backyard.  In the middle of the night, they awaken to find a dirt-covered young boy in their house and he’s calling them “mom and dad.”  If that actually happened, you would not be uplifted.  You would be freaked out beyond all reason.  Furthermore, we’re now going to have scores of child molesters burying their wish lists and hoping for a case of sprouted boy.  Is that what you want The Odd Life of Timothy Green?  IS IT?

If you missed the trailer yesterday you can check it out after the jump along with the poster.  Watch the trailer and be horrified with me.  The Odd Life of Timothy Green is set to open August 15, 2012 and believe me, I question the wisdom of running a trailer for a movie that’s over a year away.

Trailer for Creepy-Looking Disney Film THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 8th, 2011 at 6:58 am

The trailer for The Odd Life of Timothy Green stars out innocently enough.  Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton play a couple who are unable to conceive a child.  They write down their hopes and dreams for the child they’ll never have, put the writing in a box, and bury the box in their backyard.  In the middle of the night, they awaken to find a dirt-covered young boy in their house and he’s calling them “mom and dad.”  If that actually happened, you would not be uplifted.  You would be freaked out beyond all reason.  Furthermore, we’re now going to have scores of child molesters burying their wish lists and hoping for a case of sprouted boy.  Is that what you want The Odd Life of Timothy Green?  IS IT?

Hit the jump to check out the saccharine and unnerving trailer.  The film will likely open sometime next year. [Update: We've removed the trailer at the request of the studio.  This version was leaked and the "correct" version will be released tomorrow on Yahoo! Movies.]

ARTHUR Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: July 4th, 2011 at 5:59 am

With the remake business, you’re already (at least usually) against a brick wall. What’s remade aren’t usually flawed films, but movies that are regarded well enough to be liked, but aren’t classics (those films are ripped off wholesale). And so there’s a remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore film Arthur thirty years later starring Russell Brand.  Why now? Probably because Brand seems like he could be a movie star, and Get Him to the Greek did good enough business. The remake (which also stars Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig and Jennifer Garner) is about a spoiled rich kid/drunk who finds true love, but is supposed to marry someone else. It works, but almost in spite of its narrative. My review of the Blu-ray of 2011’s Arthur follows after the jump.

ARTHUR Review

by Bill Graham    Posted: April 8th, 2011 at 8:32 am

Just as surely as rain makes things wet, Arthur will make you laugh. Yet the film never justifies its existence—remake or not. Hollywood is determined to make Russell Brand a comedic lead, but simply placing his acquired comedic sensibilities in the star role doesn’t equal success. Throw in a bloated run time and a cute, but unromantic chemistry between Brand and Greta Gerwig, and we have the makings of a generic romantic comedy that is further burdened by being a remake. The real shame is that on paper, the film has enough comedic ingredients to make something worthwhile instead of simply unoffensive. Hit the jump for my full review.

7 Clips from ARTHUR Starring Russell Brand and Helen Mirren

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 25th, 2011 at 3:13 pm

Warner Bros. has released seven clips from the upcoming comedy Arthur.  The film is a remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore comedy and stars Russell Brand as a wealthy playboy who risks losing his inheritance when he falls for a woman that his family does not approve of.  The movie also stars Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Luis Guzman, Greta Gerwig, and Nick Nolte.  Arthur was directed by Jason Winer (he directed a lot of Modern Family‘s first season).

Hit the jump to check out the clips.  Arthur opens April 8th.

New Trailer for ARTHUR

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 3rd, 2011 at 7:20 am

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for Arthur.  It’s not too different from the first trailer with the exception of a few new jokes and another reminder that Greta Gerwig is in the movie.  While I’m glad they’re not giving away all of the humor, the fact that so many of the jokes were in the first trailer has me worried that we’ve already seen the best the movie has to offer.  Hopefully that’s not the case.

Hit the jump to check out the new trailer.  Arthur stars Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, and Jennifer Garner.  It opens April 8th.

New Banner for ARTHUR Remembers that Greta Gerwig Is in the Film

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 22nd, 2011 at 11:30 am

The first poster for Arthur was (in addition to being bland) slightly odd in that it didn’t feature Greta Gerwig, who plays the love interest of Russell Brand’s eponymous character.  Warner Bros. has now sent us a new banner for the film brings Gerwig in on the standing-and-sitting action enjoyed by Brand and co-stars Helen Mirren and Jennifer Garner.

Hit the jump to check out the banner.  Arthur opens April 8th.

Poster for ARTHUR Starring Russell Brand, Jennifer Garner, and Helen Mirren

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 15th, 2011 at 7:39 am

The poster for Arthur has gone online.  The trailer went online last week and I found it to be surprisingly humorous.  The poster is a bit dull, but posters for comedies usually are.  At least they’re not standing in front of a white background.

Hit the jump to check out the poster.  Arthur stars Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig, Nick Nolte, Luis Guzmán, and Jennifer Garner.  It opens April 8th.

Judi Dench and Michelle Monaghan Join BETTER LIVING THROUGH CHEMISTRY

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 12th, 2011 at 11:37 am

Judi Dench and Michelle Monaghan will join Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Garner in the indie thriller Better Living Through Chemistry.  The script from David Posamentier and Geoff Moore ranked 17th on the 2010 Black List of Hollywood’s best unproduced screenplay, which provides this logline: “A straight-laced pharmacist’s (Renner) uneventful life spirals out of control when he starts an affair with a trophy wife (Garner) customer who takes him on a joyride involving sex, drugs and possibly murder.”  I really like this cast together, and I’m eager to see the ever-innocent Garner play against type.

Hit the jump for a look at the odd role that Dench will assume in the production (possible spoilers).

Trailer for ARTHUR Starring Russell Brand and Helen Mirren

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 10th, 2011 at 10:15 am

The trailer for Jason Winer’s (Modern Family) remake of Arthur has gone online.  The film centers on a drunken playboy (Russell Brand) who risks losing his inheritance when he falls in love with a woman (Greta Gerwig) his parents don’t like.  The movie looks like it could be fun and I hope someone makes an animated gif of Helen Mirren punching Brand in the face.  While the trailer relies too heavily on familiar tunes (“Rebel Rebel”,  “All Right Now”, and “Under Pressure”), that’s a trailer problem, not something that reflects negatively on the movie.  The jokes they feature got a laugh out of me and I hope they’re not just showing the best of the bunch.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Arthur also stars Jennifer Garner, Nick Nolte, and Luis Guzman.  It opens April 8th.  Click here to check out Steve’s interview with Brand where he talks about the film.

Andrew Garfield, Jennifer Garner and Marcia Gay Harden to Star in BACK ROADS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 9th, 2011 at 5:18 pm

It looks like Spidey’s found his next film, and it’s not a big-budget action flick. Andrew Garfield, Jennifer Garner and Marica Gay Harden have been tapped to star in the adaptation of Tawni O’Dell’s bestselling novel Back Roads. Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction) will direct the murder-mystery drama that tells the story of a young man (Garfield) who is forced to take care of his three sisters after his mother is sent to prison for murdering their abusive father. Garner will portray a neighbor, with whom Garfield strikes up a romance, while Harden will take on the role of Garfield’s therapist. “Several high-profile young actresses” are apparently being vetted to star as Garfield’s sisters.

It’s promising to see Garfield choose darker, more dramatic material like this in light of his recent shot to super-stardom following his casting as Spider-Man. He was pitch-perfect in Never Let Me Go and stood out in an already stellar cast in The Social Network. Garner more than proved she can handle drama with her turn in Juno and Academy Award-winner Harden is fantastic in just about every role she takes on. Variety reports that Lyne is writing the screenplay alongside O’Dell. Hit the jump for a full synopsis of the novel.

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