Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson Hasn’t Given Up His Viking Movie, BERSERKER; Co-Wrote New Draft with BRAVEHEART Screenwriter Randall Wallace

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 7th, 2012 at 8:30 am

Even though The Beaver flopped and his latest movie, Get the Gringo is going straight-to-DVD, Mel Gibson hasn’t given up his larger aspirations.  Two years ago, Mel Gibson was developing a Viking movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, but the project fell apart when DiCaprio bailed in July 2010.  But at a recent American Cinematheque Q&A, Gibson says the project is alive and he’s written a new draft of the script with Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace.

Hit the jump for more, including an update on Gibson’s Judah Maccabee movie.

GET THE GRINGO Starring Mel Gibson to Be Released Straight to Video-On-Demand [Updated with Trailer]

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 31st, 2012 at 11:15 am

A big chunk of the future of home entertainment seems to involve video-on-demand. More and more releases are branching out to the VOD market, offering new movies in the comfort of one’s own home months ahead of their theatrical release. It’s not a terrible model, and given the text-heavy state of theatrical moviegoing across the country, it’s hard to blame people for wanting to watch a film in peace and quiet. Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions is making a ballsy move with the actor’s next feature, Get the Gringo (previously titled How I Spent My Summer Vacation), as the film is set to be released directly to the VOD format. The actioner is skipping the theatrical release altogether, and a Blu-ray/DVD release will follow the VOD window. Hit the jump for more details. [Update: We've updated the article with the first trailer for the film]

New Posters for AMERICAN REUNION and the Mel Gibson Thriller HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 8th, 2011 at 12:16 pm

New posters have gone online for the American Pie sequel American Reunion and for the delayed Mel Gibson thriller How I Spent My Summer Vacation.  While I’m still not that interested in a new American Pie movie, I like how the Reunion poster is based on the poster for the original movie.  Except…this time Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) is holding a baby bottle instead of a flute…and the flute went in her…oh, sweet God. If that’s a joke in the movie, then they have taken gross-out humor to a whole new level.  It’s a disturbing level that may fall out of the comic realm.

As for How I Spent My Summer Vacation, I didn’t even remember this movie existed.  It turns out Gibson made it with Adrian Grunberg who served as the first assistant director on Apocalypto.  Gibson plays “a career criminal who gets caught by Mexican authorities and is sent to a drug- and crime-filled prison, where he learns how to survive with the help of a 9-year-old boy.”  If it turns out the “help” the 9-year-old boy provides is as a human shield, I would absolutely believe that for a Mel Gibson movie. Hit the jump to check out the posters.  American Reunion is due out April 6, 2012.  How I Spent My Summer Vacation is due out “Summer 2012″ but who knows if that will be in theaters or straight to DVD (if that date even holds).

Mel Gibson Teams Up With Joe Eszterhas on Story of Judah Maccabee

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 8th, 2011 at 5:20 pm

Well, this is your “holy shit” news item for the week. Mel “Sugar Tits” Gibson is teaming up with Showgirls scribe Joe Eszterhas on an untitled drama that will tell the story of Jewish warrior Judah Maccabee. Yes, really. Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has set Eszterhas to write the script, and Gibson will be collaborating with him. The Passion of the Christ director will definitely be producing the film, and has the first option to direct if he so chooses.

Maccabee is one of the greatest Jewish warriors in history, as he led a revolt against the Seleucid Empire around 167 BCE in Judea. Gibson recently starred in Jodie Foster’s well-received The Beaver, but the film was still overshadowed by the actor’s personal woes. After being absent from Hollywood for a number of years, Eszterhas is set to return with the sexual thriller Lust. The screenwriter of Basic Instinct and Flashdance wouldn’t be my first choice for a Jewish epic, but this just became the most interesting project currently being developed.

THE BEAVER Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: September 1st, 2011 at 10:55 am

Depression is a tricky subject for cinema, in that it takes the audience to dark places and is often not commercial. So – on the surface – the approach of Jodie Foster’s The Beaver is somewhat smart. When the main character – Walter Black (Mel Gibson) – is near suicidal, having him rediscover life through a hand puppet is not a bad starting point, as it can allow for fun to be made of a desperate situation. Alas, Foster – working from a script by Kyle Killen – never finds the humor in the situation that interesting. And even with Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence co-starring as people not going through depression as directly, even they get sucked into their own therapy sessions. Our review of The Beaver on Blu-ray after the jump.

Lars Von Trier Banned from Cannes for Nazi Comments

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 19th, 2011 at 8:18 am

Which is more likely: That filmmaker Lars Von Trier, known for making provocative statements, decided to come out at Cannes as a secret Nazi-sympathizer or that he was making a bad joke in response to dull press conference questions?  The Cannes Film Festival has apparently decided it’s the former and banned the Danish director from the festival indefinitely by declaring him “persona non grata”.  While Von Trier’s new film, Melancholia, is still eligible for the Palme d’Or, Von Trier will be unable to receive it if the film wins.

Hit the jump for what Von Trier said yesterday, his apology, the statement from Cannes, and my thoughts on the festival’s hypocrisy.

Mel Gibson in Talks for SLEIGHT OF HAND

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 17th, 2011 at 10:32 pm

Mel Gibson is in talks to star opposite Kiefer Sutherland, Gerard Depardieu, and Thomas Jane  in the heist comedy Sleight of Hand.  According to Variety, the story centers on “a bunch of bungling burglars in Paris who inadvertently steal a rare gold coin belonging to a gangster.”  Til Schweiger, Johnny Hallyday, Jon Lovitz, and Eric Cantona also star.  The initial announcement at the Cannes Film Festival indicates Sleight of Hand will be shot entirely in Paris from July to September.  Brad Mirman (The Confession) will direct from his own script.

It’s hard not to think of every news item involving Gibson as a step in his public image rehabilitation, but I have nothing insightful to say about this possibility.  Everyone loves a good heist film, especially if you let the crew loose in Paris.  I like that the cast skews a bit older, and Gibson seems like a fine fit in however big a role he plays. (See, banal.)

Gibson has How I Spent My Summer Vacation in the can, but the action movie is still in search of distributor for a domestic release.  (The rights to most international territories sold quickly.)  Read the official synopsis for Sleight of Hand after the jump.

THE BEAVER Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 6th, 2011 at 5:36 am

Depression is a difficult condition to explore in modern American cinema because no one wants to be around depressed people.  We can see characters be sad, but only if they were happy before and will rally and be happy again by the time the movie ends.  But an honest look at someone suffering from depression is rare and on that count The Beaver deserves acclaim.  Unfortunately, despite the confidence of Kyle Killen’s script, director Jodie Foster never manages to bring a thoughtful vision the film.   Even worse, no chemistry is developed between the characters, which is a serious issue when you’re making an intimate family drama.  Individually, the actors do a terrific job, but the story never finds the emotional core that ties them together.

New Posters for DOROTHY OF OZ and THE BEAVER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 23rd, 2011 at 3:18 pm

New posters have gone online for the animated film Dorothy of Oz and Jodie Foster’s The Beaver.  The poster for Dorothy of Oz can be considered a long-lead teaser that lets audiences know who is voicing the film.  However, the 3D animated musical isn’t due out until 2012.  As for The Beaver, the new poster shows that in Argentina, it will be called “The Double Life of Walter”.

Hit the jump to check out both posters.  Dorothy of Oz features the voices of Lea Michele, Martin Short, Dan Aykroyd, Kelsey Grammer, and Patrick Stewart.  The Beaver stars Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, and Jennifer Lawrence.  The film hits theaters in limited release on May 6th.

3 Clips from Jodie Foster’s THE BEAVER Starring Mel Gibson

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 16th, 2011 at 10:01 am

With director Jodie Foster’s The Beaver world premiering at SXSW tonight, Summit Entertainment has released the first three clips.  Starring Mel Gibson as a man who starts to treat a beaver hand puppet as a living creature after he begins to suffer from depression, The Beaver has been repeatedly delayed due to Gibson’s controversial behavior.  However, if the film plays well at SXSW tonight, perhaps the delay will help Summit at the box office.

While I know Gibson has a lot of issues and some of the things that he’s done and said are crazy, I’ve always been a fan of his work and I’m going to try and keep his professional and private life separate.  But I’m probably in the minority.   Hit the jump for the clips. The Beaver also stars Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) and Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone).

THE BEAVER Pushed Back to May 6 Limited Release; Opens Wide May 20

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 7th, 2011 at 8:16 pm

I can hardly wait to see The Beaver, but it looks like I’ll have to.  This bizarre Mel Gibson movie will premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in early March, and was originally scheduled for limited release March 23 followed by wide release starting April 8.  The SXSW premiere remains intact, but Summit Entertainment has delayed the limited release until May 6, with plans to open The Beaver wide May 20.

According to THR, there are two primary reasons for the delay.  Director/star Jodie Foster is shooting Roman Polanski’s God of Carnage until mid-March, and the new release date frees her up to work the promotional circuit.  Secondly, the studio hopes to capitalize on two months worth of good buzz from SXSW.  Hit the jump to read the official synopsis for The Beaver, which stars Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) and Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) alongside Gibson and Foster.

THE BEAVER Set for a Limited March 23, 2011 Release; Opens Wide April 8

by Jeff Ames    Posted: December 15th, 2010 at 7:27 pm

Does anyone really hate Mel Gibson? I know I sure don’t. Regardless of what he’s done, he’s still a damn fine actor. Perhaps that’s why the first trailer to Jodie Foster’s The Beaver looks so intriguing, what with Gibson’s depressed character utilizing a beaver puppet to combat his gloomy depression – maybe the Oscar-winning actor just needed a little love. Or maybe he truly is bat-shit crazy. Regardless, Summit has seen fit to release The Beaver this upcoming March, solidifying a previous rumor that mentioned spring as a likely candidate for the film.

According to the 24 Frames, The Beaver will open in select cities on March 23, 2011 before opening up to a wider audience on April 8th, suggesting a certain amount of trepidation on the studio’s behalf. Or maybe they just want to build some in-house buzz before unleashing such a risky venture on a mainstream audience. Either way, The Beaver is coming!  Hit the jump to read the synopsis.

First Trailer and New Poster for THE BEAVER Starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, and Jennifer Lawrence

by Ramses Flores    Posted: December 3rd, 2010 at 7:58 pm

Yesterday, we reported on the first official image and synopsis for Jodie Foster’s upcoming film, The Beaver. Now, Summit Entertainment has released the first trailer for the film, which stars Mel Gibson as a man who starts to treat a beaver hand puppet as a living creature after he begins to suffer from depression.  The film has been the center of a lot of debate due to Gibson’s recent behavior.  A lot of people have been wondering if Summit would bench the film even longer, or if they’d release it as is.  But with Summit setting a spring 2011 release date, it looks like we’ll all get to see Gibson’s latest quite soon.  Of course the big question is, will Gibson’s controversial antics cause moviegoers to avoid his movies, or will they forgive and forget?

The Beaver also stars Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin (Star Trek), and Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone).  You can watch the trailer and read a plot synopsis for the film after the jump.

First Official Image and Synopsis for THE BEAVER Starring Mel Gibson; Film to Be Released in Spring 2011; Trailer to Hit Tomorrow

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 2nd, 2010 at 3:20 pm

There’s been a great deal of discussion over how Summit Entertainment will handle Jodie Foster’s new film The Beaver ever since audio of Mel Gibson’s hate-filled tirades towards his ex-girlfriend ended up online.  There’s always cause for concern when the audience sees your lead actor and can hear him saying the words “You look like a fucking pig in heat and if you get raped by a pack of n***ers it will be your fault.”  It also doesn’t help if your crazy, racist lead actor is playing a character who treats the Beaver puppet on his hand like a living creature.

But Summit is pressing ahead and have now released the first official image from the film along with the official synopsis.  Hit the jump to check it out along with news about when the film may be hitting theaters.

THE BEAVER Poster and Synopsis Starring Mel Gibson

by Tommy Cook    Posted: November 3rd, 2010 at 7:39 pm

A detailed description and poster for the controversial Mel Gibson/hand-puppet film The Beaver was just released by Summit at AFM (American Film Market). The film stars Mel Gibson as a manic-depressive, who in attempt to quell his inner turmoil, begins to wear a hand beaver puppet. The Beaver, directed by Jodie Foster (Little Man Tate), also features Anton Yelchin (Star Trek), Jenifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) and Foster herself in supporting roles.

Currently The Beaver is without a release date, in no small part due to all the controversy surrounding Gibson at the moment.  Be warned that the released synopsis seems to give away the entire plot of The Beaver. Hit the jump to check out Mel Gibson’s furry inanimate costar and to read the synopsis.

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