Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Red-Band Trailer for ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER Is the Best One Yet

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 24th, 2012 at 8:11 am

I’ve been running cold on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but Fox has now released a new red-band trailer for the film, and I’m starting to warm up to the flick.  While it looks like half of the movie will be speed-ramped, I can now make out the action on screen, and characters are actually talking to each other.  I’m also surprised at how bloody this looks, and I’m starting to wonder if Fox will release two R-rated blockbusters this summer (the other is Ridley Scott‘s Prometheus).  Keep in mind that director Timur Bekmambetov‘s previous film, Wanted, went out in the summer of 2008 with an R-rating and raked in $341 million worldwide, although having Angelina Jolie in your movie doesn’t hurt.

Hit the jump to check out the “Red-Band” (unrated would be a more accurate description) trailer.  The film stars Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Rufus Sewell, Anthony Mackie, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter opens in 3D on June 22nd.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead Joins Adam Scott in A.C.O.D.

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 1st, 2012 at 12:16 pm

Mary Elizabeth Winstead has joined Adam Scott, Jane Lynch, and Richard Jenkins in the comedy A.C.O.D. The title stands for “Adult Children of Divorce”, and the plot centers on a guy (Scott) who has been caught in his parents’ ugly divorce of the past twenty years, and matters become even worse when his brother gets engaged.  Then the details of the feud are revealed in a definitive new book on children of divorce.  According to Deadline, Winstead will be the rock and long-time girlfriend of Scott’s character.  Stuart Zicherman will make his directing debut on a script he co-wrote with Ben Karlin (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart).

Winstead gave one of the more buzzed-about performances coming out Sundance this year with her captivating dramatic turn as an alcoholic in Smashed, but she’s been crushing it in movies for a while now.  She’s convincingly played a bad-ass in The Thing, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and Live Free or Die Hard, and I’m excited to see how she’ll play off Scott, Jenkins, and Lynch in a comedy.  Winstead will next be seen playing Mary Todd Lincoln in the action flick Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Teaser Trailer for ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 13th, 2012 at 8:04 am

The teaser trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has gone online.  The film re-imagines our 16th President as a statesman by day and a vampire slayer by night.  This trailer proves three things: 1) Johnny Cash‘s reading of Revelations 6:1 (from “The Man Comes Around”) can dignify just about anything; 2) Abraham Lincoln knew axe-fu; 3) Fox is selling this movie as totally serious.  Not a hint of a joke.  Also, the action goes by so fast, that you can’t really appreciate most of the moves or even tell what’s happening.  Ultimately, audiences will look at this teaser and think, “That’s not a real movie, right?”

The film stars Benjamin Walker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anthony Mackie, Dominic Cooper, Alan Tudyk, Jimmi Simpson, and Rufus Sewell.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter opens in 3D on June 22nd.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead to Star in THE DARKNESS; Jason Jones Joins THE BLACK MARKS

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 8th, 2012 at 7:31 pm

Mary Elizabeth Winstead has signed on to star in The Darkness, a thriller that Daniel Stamm (The Last Exorcism) will direct.  The script by Megan Holley (Sunshine Cleaning) is loosely based on the Henry James novel Turn of the Screw.  The story follows “a young American student working for a charismatic tutor in an English manor house who becomes convinced that she and the children she is warding are being haunted.”  Joe Neurauter and Felipe Marino (Peep World) will produce alongside Ben Forkner (The Killing Room).  According to Screen Daily, The Darkness will shoot in Europe this summer.  Winstead is coming off stellar Sundance buzz for her performance in Smashed, and will next be seen in the June 22 release Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Hit the jump for details on Jason Jones‘ role in The Black Marks.

Acquisition News: Sony Pictures Classics Gets SMASHED; Magnolia to Distribute Kevin Macdonald’s Bob Marley Documentary, MARLEY

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 6th, 2012 at 11:18 am

The alcoholism drama Smashed and the Bob Marley documentary Marley have now found a way to you.  According to The Wrap, Sony Pictures Classics will distribute Smashed, which features a powerful performance from Mary Elizabeth Winstead as an alcoholic who’s struggling to get sober.  I caught the film at Sundance and was blown away by Winstead as well as her co-star Aaron Paul.  As for Marley, the film was directed by Kevin Macdonald (Life in a Day) and will tell the legendary musician’s life story with unprecedented support from Marley’s family.  The film will make its US premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in March.

Hit the jump for the press release for Marley.

TOP 5: WATCHMEN Prequel Comics, CHRONICLE Interviews, 16-Bit BREAKING BAD, DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX, Sundance 2012 Interviews

by Jason Barr    Posted: February 4th, 2012 at 10:33 am

This past week brought us a story that is near and dear to me. While I briefly give my own thoughts regarding DC Comics’ Watchmen prequel comic series after the jump, I want to use the “Top 5′s” opening paragraph space to invite readers to voice/type their own opinions on the announcement in the comments section. As a fervent fan of the series, I’m always interested to hear fellow fans’ take on Watchmen adaptations, prequels, and the like. So, with that said, what do you think? Does the creative talent involved interest you? Is it the best idea ever? The worst? Somewhere in between? Sound off in the comments.

In addition to DC’s Before Watchmen announcement, this installment of the “Top 5″ includes interviews with the cast and director of superhero/found-footage pic Chronicle, a “What If?” look at a 16-Bit Breaking Bad RPG, ten things to know about Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, and Sundance 2012 video interviews with Bradley Cooper, Paul Dano and more. A brief recap and link to each follows after the jump.

THE THING Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: February 2nd, 2012 at 5:00 am

We’ve seen many of the great horror films of the 70’s and 80’s remade and yet few if any have lived up to their predecessors. So remaking John Carpenter’s The Thing must have been a tempting but dangerous proposition. The film is considered one of the greatest horror films of that or any time, and a remake might aggravate fans (even though the 1982 film itself was a remake), on top of the knowledge that the Carpenter film was a flop when released. To circumvent that they made a prequel, which copies the original in a lot of ways, and takes place days before the original remake. 2011’s The Thing stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, and Eric Christian Olsen as the victims, and our review of the Blu-ray follows after the jump.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead Talks SMASHED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER and A GLIMPSE INSIDE THE MIND OF CHARLES SWAN III

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 31st, 2012 at 8:43 am

One of the many films that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was director James Ponsoldt‘s Smashed.  Written by Susan Burke and James Ponsoldt, Smashed is about a young married couple – played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul – who are brought together by booze.  When Winstead’s character (Kate) decides to get sober, it creates its own set of problems.  While the film and subject matter could have easily drifted into a Lifetime movie of the week, what makes Smashed work is a career best performance by Winstead and fantastic work from the rest of the cast which includes Octavia Spencer, Nick Offerman, and Megan Mullally. For more on the film, here’s Matt’s review.

Shortly after seeing the film, I got to sit down with Winstead for an exclusive interview.  We talked about what it means to be a part of Sundance, how she got involved in Smashed and what it’s about, how she went about creating a three dimensional character, karaoke, working with director Timur Bekmambetov on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and who she plays, Roman Coppola‘s A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, and what she has coming up.  Hit the jump to watch.

Sundance 2012: SMASHED Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 24th, 2012 at 1:28 pm

Alcoholism is a serious problem.  We know that.  Addiction can, and usually does, ruins lives.  We know that.  A lot of people find Alcoholics Anonymous a life-saver (although its effectiveness is debatable).  We know that.  On the page, Smashed doesn’t bring anything new to the table.  A young woman struggles to deal with her alcoholism and how her new-found sobriety creates its own problems.  But what transforms Smashed from a good-yet-predictable clean-and-sober tale is Mary Elizabeth Winstead giving the best performance of her career thus far.

Bill Murray, Patricia Arquette, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead Join GLIMPSE INSIDE THE MIND OF CHARLIE SWAN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 28th, 2011 at 10:03 am

Director Roman Coppola is firming up the cast for his next directorial project, and he’s putting together quite the ensemble. Variety reports that Bill Murray, Patricia Arquette, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead have joined A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charlie Swan III. The film stars Charlie Sheen as a successful graphic designer whose fame and fortune have made him irresistible to women. After his girlfriend breaks up with him, he heads into a downward spiral that forces him to look back on his failed romantic history. Coppola wrote the film himself and will also be producing and directing.

Murray has some history with Coppola, as he was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Roman’s sister Sofia’s Lost in Translation. While the Sheen casting had me a bit nervous about the project, subsequent additions to the cast piqued my interest, and this latest trio is a welcomed addition. Jason Schwartzman, Aubrey Plaza, and Katheryn Winnick also star. Production is currently underway in Los Angeles.

TOP 5: THE AVENGERS Trailer, PHANTOM MENACE 3D Poster, MAN OF STEEL and THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Set Photos, THE THING, FOOTLOOSE

by Jason Barr    Posted: October 15th, 2011 at 11:01 am

I’m writing you this afternoon less than an hour removed from my first trip to the little slice of Americana that is a Bass Pro Shop. For those unfamiliar with the chain, imagine a store with Wal-Mart-esque square footage that devotes itself entirely to all things outdoor. While I’ll admit to being a little out of my element (okay, way out of my element), even an outdoor novice like myself can relish the opportunity to have their picture taken with a taxidermic grizzly bear. For those of you waiting for me to somehow make a connection between my Bass Pro experience and this week’s “Top 5″, this ellipsis is about as close as you’re going to get…

…In this week’s installment you’ll find the much-anticipated first trailer from writer/director Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, the first poster for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 3D, some new set photos from Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Rises, and interviews for both The Thing and Craig Brewer’s Footloose. Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.

THE THING Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 14th, 2011 at 6:01 am

The Thing is a horrifying and intelligent creature with purpose.  Sadly, the same cannot be said of its new movie.  Much like the horrifying hybrids its eponymous alien becomes, Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.’s The Thing doesn’t know what it wants to be.  Officially, the film is a prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 classic horror film of the same name.  However, by copying certain elements of the original’s plot* and pacing, the new film is torn between how much it should emulate and how much it should invent.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Eric Christian Olsen Talk THE THING and ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

by Tommy Cook    Posted: October 11th, 2011 at 10:36 am

Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Eric Christian Olsen’s characters Kate and Adam couldn’t be more dissimilar. Whereas Winstead’s Kate responds to the threat of a shape-shifting alien by finding her voice and becoming the de-facto leader of the remnant survivors, Olsen’s Adam slowly withdraws from the action, refusing to acknowledge the severity of the situation. Their arcs are not that far removed from the Ripley/Weaver & Burke/Reiser Aliens mold (although Olsen isn’t quite as repulsive as Paul Reiser’s Carter Burke – to be fair: who could?). It was oddly fitting then that the two were paired up for The Thing press day interviews – each balancing the other. Altruism vs. Self-interest – all contained in one room.

In the following interview with Winstead and Olsen, She explicates on her character’s transformation from mild-mannered to hero and He discusses the liberties allowed in playing “a coward”. Winstead also calls me out for making the (admittedly) slightest of parallels between The Thing and her upcoming Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  Hit the jump to watch.

4 Clips from THE THING

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 5th, 2011 at 5:03 pm

Universal Pictures has sent over four clips from The Thing.  The film is a prequel to John Carpenter’s classic 1982 horror pic. The premise is similar to Carpenter’s original, as it centers on a group of scientists in Antarctica who are tormented by an alien being that has the ability to mask itself in human form. Directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., the film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Eric Christian Olsen, Ulrich Thomsen, and Davetta Sherwood. Hit the jump to check out the clips and look for our exclusive interviews with the cast in the coming days.  The Thing opens October 14th.

New Clip from THE THING Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 30th, 2011 at 7:22 am

Everyone who thinks that The Thing is a remake and not a prequel can be forgiven.  Not only does the new film share the title of John Carpenter’s 1982 classic horror flick, but they bare the same premise: don’t trust anyone because they could be aliened-up.  This new clip shows that the upcoming pre-make throws at least one new element in the mix.  Because the movie takes place at the Norwegian station that initially held the alien before it escaped and made its way to the American camp, there’s a language barrier between the Norwegian scientists and Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s character.  Her inability to understand what they’re screaming adds an extra layer of confusion and terror to an already confusing and terrifying situation.

Hit the jump to check out the clip.  The Thing opens October 14th.

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