A new trailer for writer-director Sarah Polley’s romantic drama Take This Waltz has gone online.  Michelle Williams stars as a woman who’s married to a good-natured cookbook author (Seth Rogen) but then she finds herself attracted to a handsome artist (Luke Kirby).  The movie actually looks really, really good, with Williams, Rogen and Kirby promising some strong performances.  I was fearful that the film would come off as too “indie”-feeling for its own good, but Polley seems to have captured the perfect tone for her second feature as a director.  Though the trailer has many moments of levity, the troubled conscience of Williams and issues of morality appear to play a big part in the film.  Polley’s directorial debut, Away from Her, earned the actress/writer/director an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also stars Sarah Silverman.  Take This Waltz opens in limited release on June 29th.

We are pleased to debut an exclusive poster for the crime thriller The Samaritan starring Samuel L. Jackson.  In the movie, Jackson plays a paroled con man who wants to build a new life, but gets sucked back into the con game by his ex-partner’s scheming son.  I like the simple color scheme of the poster, and who isn’t entranced by Jackson pointing guns at things?

Hit the jump to check out the poster.  The film also stars Ruth Negga, Luke Kirby, and Tom Wilkinson. The Samaritan will be available on VOD and Digital outlets (iTunes, SundanceNOW, Amazon Streaming, XBOX Zune) on April 6th, and hit theaters on May 16th.

It’s a sad truth that you can’t see everything you want at a major film festival and I was bummed that I missed Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz when I was at TIFF.  However, I rested easy in the knowledge that movie starring Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen would probably find distribution and now it has.  Magnolia has sent out a press release announcing their acquisition of the relationship drama and plan to run it through the festival circuit before releasing it into theaters in early summer 2012.

For those unfamiliar with the film, Williams plays a woman who’s married to a good-natured cookbook author (Rogen) but then she finds herself attracted to a handsome artist (Luke Kirby).  I really enjoyed Polley’s previous flim, Away from Her, and I’m glad I’ll be seeing Take This Waltz in the not-too-distant future.  Hit the jump for the full press release.

Take This Waltz is a tough film to take in. You wouldn’t guess it from the casual romantic tone and the star-heavy cast that features the likes of Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Sarah Silverman, but the film is intriguingly (even frustratingly) morally ambiguous. We’re given the standard rom-com set-up of a semi-content married girl who meets a tall dark stranger who she finds wildly attractive and appealing. Yet, hometown TIFF favorite writer/director Sarah Polly never makes it clear whether her protagonist should be sticking with her comfortable marriage or embarking on a new adventure. It’s nice to see a movie like this that makes you draw your own conclusions, but there’s a pretty big catch. You see, because it’s difficult to tell if the main character makes the right decision, it’s also difficult to tell if she’s even a character even worth liking. Ambiguity is nice, but walking out of a theater feeling like you despise a character who you just spent two hours with isn’t particularly satisfying. Hit the jump for more.

Tom Wilkinson is set to join Samuel L. Jackson in The Samaritan, an independent thriller directed by David Weaver.  Jackson stars as a former grifter who, when released from prison after a 20-year sentence, wants to live as a law-abiding citizen: “Complications arise when the son of his former partner asks him for help with an ingenious plan.”  Variety reports Wilkinson will play a crime boss who “becomes ensnared in a grift with far-reaching consequences.”  Luke Kirby and Ruth Negga also star.

Weaver co-wrote the script with Elan Mastai (Alone in the Dark).  The Samaritan is currently filming in Toronto before transporting to Rio de Janiero later this month.  Anonymous Content is targeting an early 2012 release.

Samuel L. Jackson is set to star in the neo-noir thriller The Samaritan. Variety reports that Jackson will topline the flick to be directed by David Weaver (Century Hotel). The story centers on Foley (Jackson), a former grifter who, after serving a 20-year prison sentence, sets out to turn his life around. It’s not long, however, before the son of his former partner shows up and complicates things.

Luke Kirby (Shattered Glass) is poised to play Jackson’s former partner’s son, while Ruth Negga (Breakfast on Pluto) will take on the role of an “elusive woman” who crosses paths with Jackson’s character. Weaver co-wrote the script with Elan Mastai (Alone in the Dark). Samaritan is on somewhat of a fast track, with production set to begin next week in Toronto with an eye towards an early 2012 release. Jackson will move straight from Samaritan into Joss Whedon’s The Avengers.