A new trailer and poster for the sci-fi romantic thriller Upside Down have been released online.  Directed by Juan Solanas (Northeast), the film is a love story told across two separate universes. Jim Sturgess plays a man who falls in love with a woman (Kirsten Dunst) when he catches a glimpse of her on his television screen as a child. His infatuation continues to grow, but he’s hindered by the fact that she lives in an inverted universe separate from his that has its own gravity.  It’s a neat premise, and I really like the visuals that are on display in this trailer.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer and check out a new poster.  Upside Down opens on March 15th.

[This is a re-post of my review from the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.  On the Road opens today in limited release.]

Jack Kerouac‘s On the Road is a novel that inspired a generation of restless young men and women to break free from their comfort zones, broaden their horizons, and look to the majesty of America. Walter Salles‘ On the Road is a film adaptation that will inspire a generation of lazy high school kids to watch the movie instead of reading the book. Salles snaps up the words of Kerouac’s novel, but not their spirit. The movie shouldn’t simply regurgitate the book because adaptation should be a work of inspiration and not imitation. But there’s nothing inspired about Salles’ picture. It’s safe where it should be dangerous. It’s lugubrious when it should be explosive. It’s derivative when it should be daring. Despite glimmers of an emotionally moving story, On the Road rarely has the energy to get up and bravely venture forth beyond the plot constraints of a book that’s not driven by its plot.

On the eve of the release of the final installment in the Twilight franchise, we’ve got a Kristen Stewart news bit of a different sort to share: a new trailer for the Jack Kerouac adaptation On the Road.  Stewart, Garrett Hedlund, and Sam Riley star as the central characters Marylou, Dean, and Sal, respectively, and this impressive trailer takes a more character-centric approach to the story, attempting to relay at least a little of what the film’s about.  I’m interested to see how Kerouac’s Beat Generation portrait translates to film (read Matt’s review right here), but I continue to be impressed by the brief glimpses of Hedlund’s performance that we’ve seen in the trailers thus far.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams, and Elizabeth Moss.  On the Road opens on December 21st.

A couple of new posters and related images to share with you today.  We’ve got the first poster and a new image from director John Moore’s A Good Day to Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis as John McClane alongside his estranged son (Jai Courtney) as they take on those evil Commies no-goodniks Russian bad guys.  A twist on McClane’s signature catch phrase lets us know what he thinks of their country.  If you missed the trailer, check it out here. A Good Day to Die Hard opens February 14th, 2013.

We’ve also got the US poster for Walter Salles’ On the Road, starring Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart and Sam Riley. An adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel,  On the Road drives into theaters on December 21st.  Hit the jump to check out the new posters and images for each film. 

Production is underway on the international thriller The Two Faces of January.  The film marks the directorial debut of Drive and Snow White and the Huntsman screenwriter Hossein Amini and centers on an American con artist and his wife who strike up a relationship with a stranger in 1960s Athens.  Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst star as the couple, while Oscar Isaac is onboard as said stranger.  The first image and a full synopsis have been released, detailing a rather intriguing premise that’s a tad reminiscent of The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Hit the jump to check out the image and synopsis.  Filming on the StudioCanal production is taking place in Crete, Athens, Istanbul, and London.

Generally speaking, I try and keep the Top 5 opening paragraph as topical as possible (i.e. films, television, posters, etc.). This week that protocol is easier than ever to follow as I recently got my first chance to check out director Gareth Evans‘ The Raid. Keeping this short and sweet, if you’ve yet to partake in The Raid and have ever derived any joy from watching action fare, martial arts, and the like, then you have a giant favor to do for yourself. Quickly find a way to check out this actioner and try to keep a smile from forming across your face while watching.

Movie recommendations aside, this weekend brings you a recap of all of our 2012 Toronto International Film Festival thus far, the first trailer and poster for Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, video interviews with the cast and director of Bachelorette, the inaugural installment of our Hollywood! Adapt This feature spotlighting Disney’s Gargoyles, and The Words video interviews with Bradley Cooper, co-writer/co-director Brian Klugman, and more. A brief recap and link to each awaits on the other side.

We’re happy to host an exclusive clip from debut director Leslye Headland’s Bachelorette as part of the virtual tour in anticipation of the film’s release.  While the footage we’ve seen so far highlights the film’s raunchy humor, this clip touches on a somewhat dramatic moment between Kirsten Dunst and James Marsden.  

Bachelorette, also starring Lizzy Caplan, Isla Fisher, Rebel Wilson, Adam Scott and Kyle Bornheimer hits theaters September 7th.  Hit the jump to check out the exclusive video along with the red-band and green-band trailers.

Now playing on VOD and opening in limited release this weekend is writer-director Leslye Headland‘s R rated comedy Bachelorette.  Here’s the official synopsis and trailer:

“On the night before an old friend’s wedding, three bridesmaids go searching for a little fun:  Regan (Kirsten Dunst) an overachieving, über-Maid of Honor who’s secretly smarting over the fact that she’s not the first to marry; Gena (Lizzy Caplan), a whip smart sarcastic who’s actually a closet romantic; and Katie (Isla Fisher), a ditzy beauty who loves the good life.  Though the bride to be (Rebel Wilson) insists on keeping the bachelorette party tame, the women proceed with an after-hours celebration of their own.  Bachelorette also stars Adam Scott, James Marsden and Kyle Bornheimer.”

During the recent Los Angeles press day, I got to speak with Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan and Isla Fisher.   We talked about how the movie premiered on iTunes, how the script changed during production, deleted scenes, and I got updates on the Party Down movie, Bling Ring, and The Great Gatsby.  Hit the jump to watch.

We’ve already seen a number of trailers for director Walter Salles’ (The Motorcycle Diaries) adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel On the Road, but the first official U.S. trailer has just now made its debut.  Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund, and Sam Riley star as the central characters Marylou, Dean, and Sal, respectively, and this trailer is much more frenetic than what we’ve seen before.  It’s billed as a teaser trailer and thus is light on dialogue and heavy on fast cuts.  The film premiered earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival where it received mixed reviews (read a round-up of the reactions right here), but Salles has apparently re-cut the film for its theatrical release.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams, and Elizabeth Moss.  On the Road will screen at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival and opens in U.S. theaters on December 21st.

A new trailer for director Walter Salles’ (The Motorcycle Diaries) adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road has landed online.  This trailer starts off pretty fast and loose, but then slows down a bit to give us a better sense of the characters and story.  It also features critic quotes from the film’s Cannes premiere and a peek at the scene where Kristen Stewart’s character, um, “services” Garrett Hedlund and Sam Riley’s characters in the car.  I’m really impressed by what we’ve seen of Hedlund as Dean thus far, and this more character-driven trailer gives me hope that Salles found a way of translating Kerouac’s seminal novel for the big screen.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams, and Elizabeth Moss.  A U.S. release date has yet to be announced.

The red-band trailer for the R-rated comedy Bachelorette has gone online.  The film stars Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan, and Isla Fisher as three deeply self-centered bridesmaids who go on a hunt to repair their friend’s wedding dress after they ruin it.  I caught the film at Sundance, and thought it was at its best when it was being unapologetically mean-spirited.  However, the movie loses its momentum when writer-director Leslye Headland tried to explain why her characters are such horrible people.  The tame all-audiences trailer didn’t do a very good job of selling the film, but the red-band does a better job of show off the humor, especially the jokes from Caplan.  It still doesn’t want to show how bitter and angry the characters are, which is fine.  Why spoil some of the best jokes?

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Rebel Wilson, James Marsden, and Adam Scott.  Bachelorette hits VOD on August 10th, and hits theaters in limited release on September 7th.

The first trailer and poster for the comedy Bachelorette have landed online.  The film centers on four high school friends who reunite when the least popular of the group gets engaged to one of the most eligible bachelors in New York City.  It’s impossible not to draw comparisons to Bridesmaids based on this trailer, but the promising cast—including a much welcomed Party Down reunion between Lizzy Caplan and Adam Scott—provides quite a few laughs throughout.  Kirsten Dunst looks to be the centerpiece, but it’s Rebel Wilson who once again steals scenes left and right.  Matt caught the film earlier this year at Sundance and praised the candidly despicable portrayal of the main characters (you can read his review here).

Hit the jump to watch the trailer and check out the poster.  Written and directed by Leslye Headland, the film also stars Isla Fisher and James Marsden.  Bachelorette will be available on iTunes on August 10th and hits theaters on September 7th.

The long-awaited first feature film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road is finally hitting theaters later this year, and two clips have landed online.  One clip features a scene between Garrett Hedlund’s Dean and Kirsten Dunst’s Camille, while the other clip centers on Kristen Stewart’s character.  As you may or may not have heard, Stewart tackles the sexually charged character of Marylou head-on with more than one nude scene, and it’s clear from the first reactions to the film that some of her young Twilight fans may be a bit shocked to see their beloved Bella promiscuously taking part in three-ways—if they’re old enough to get into the R-rated film in the first place, that is.

On the Road premiered yesterday at the Cannes Film Festival, and we’ve rounded up some choice quotes from the first reviews.  Hit the jump to check out the clips and to see how director Walter Salles’ adaptation was received at Cannes.

Though it’s certainly one of the more high profile indie projects to come along in quite some time, the first feature film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s seminal tome On the Road has only now secured domestic distribution. IFC Films and Sundance Selects have acquired the distribution rights to director Walter Salles’ adaptation, with a theatrical release planned for sometime this fall.  Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund, and Sam Riley front the all-star cast that also includes Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams, and Elizabeth Moss.

I was a big fan of the first trailer, so I’m eager to check the full film out later this year.  On the Road will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next week, so we’ll have the first reactions/reviews soon.  Hit the jump to watch the trailer for the film.

The first feature film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s classic novel On the Road is finally slated for release this year, and now a new batch of images from the film has gone online.  The studio has been releasing some nifty character posters over the past few weeks, but this group of images gives us a better idea of what to expect from the adaptation.  I was quite a fan of the film’s trailer, and director Walter Salles’ (The Motorcycle Diaries) involvement is encouraging, so hopefully we’re in for a faithful iteration of Kerouac’s story that celebrates the spirit of the book.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film stars Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Tom Sturridge, Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams, Elizabeth Moss, Alice Braga, and Danny Morgan.  On the Road is currently without a U.S. release date, but its slated to screen at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival in May.