Dan Mazer‘s I Give It a Year is the rom-com in reverse and two rom-coms in one.  Mazer takes the difficult task of showing a marriage fall apart, and turns it into a surprisingly funny and witty comedy that never feels cynical.  And it’s absolutely easy to be cynical when it comes to marriage because of the 50% divorce rate.  But like any good comic writer, Mazer finds the humor in an unlikely topic, and succeeds with sharp dialogue, talented actors, and wisely keeping the tone of the film the same as an average romantic comedy.

A new trailer for the British romantic comedy I Give It a Year has been released online.  The film stars Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids) and Rafe Spall (Prometheus) as a mismatched couple and centers on their struggle to survive their first year of marriage.  While the logline and “romantic comedy” description may sound a bit trite, this actually looks like a solid comedy.  The new trailer features some great stuff from Stephen Merchant and even a solid Justin Bieber joke for good measure.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  Written and directed by Dan Mazer (Borat), the film also stars Minnie Driver, Jason Flemyng, Olivia Colman, and Jane Asher.  I Give It A Year opens in the UK on February 8, 2013. 

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

Hyde Park on Hudson is two stories: one is a bizarre, deeply misguided “love story” about a mistress; the other is a charming fish-out-of-water story set on a historical stage. Blended together, they make a film that’s unintentionally funny in its brazen schizophrenia where the plotlines overlap in terms of setting and nothing else. Director Roger Michell doesn’t seem to notice how different these stories are, and instead of choosing the superior one, his vacillation makes the picture a captivating train wreck where I couldn’t help but wonder if Michell was being subversively hilarious. How else do you explain a scene featuring cinema’s most romantic handjob?

The promising first trailer for the British romantic comedy I Give It a Year has been released online.  The film focuses on a mismatched couple as they struggle to survive their first year of marriage.  Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids) and Rafe Spall (Anonymous) star as the newlywed couple, while Simon Baker and Anna Faris appear in supporting roles as temptations for the duo.  The pic actually looks really funny, with strong turns from Byrne and Spall and some big laughs from Stephen Merchant.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer, and click here for images and a synopsis for the film.  Written and directed by Dan Mazer (Borat), the film also stars Minnie Driver, Jason Flemyng, Olivia Colman, and Jane Asher.  I Give It A Year opens in the UK on February 8, 2013. 

Three new clips have gone online for director Roger Michell’s Hyde Park on Hudson.  Starring Bill Murray as Franklin D. Roosevelt, the film centers on a visit of England’s King George VI (Samuel West) and Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Coleman) to Roosevelt’s upstate New York home, Hyde Park on Hudson.  The monarchs’ concerns over German aggression must compete with Roosevelt’s wife, mother and mistress who are all vying for attention.  The following clips do a nice job at establishing the relationships between the various parties.  You can read Matt’s review of the film here.

Hyde Park on Hudson opens domestically on December 7th.  Hit the jump to view the new clips.

Hyde Park on Hudson is two stories: one is a bizarre, deeply misguided “love story” about a mistress; the other is a charming fish-out-of-water story set on a historical stage.  Blended together, they make a film that’s unintentionally funny in its brazen schizophrenia where the plotlines overlap in terms of setting and nothing else.  Director Roger Michell doesn’t seem to notice how different these stories are, and instead of choosing the superior one, his vacillation makes the picture a captivating train wreck where I couldn’t help but wonder if Michell was being subversively hilarious.  How else do you explain a scene featuring cinema’s most romantic handjob?

A couple of new release dates have been announced.  First up, Lee Daniels’ adaptation of The Paperboy will hit theaters on October 5th (per Deadline).  The film stars Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron as two brothers who team-up to investigate the potential wrongful conviction of a death-row inmate played by John Cusack.  The film was met with a less-than-enthusiastic response at the Cannes Film Festival, but I’m still interested in seeing the pic based on the impressive cast.  The drama faces considerable competition on that October release date, as Frankenweenie, Taken 2, the a capella comedy Pitch Perfect and the horror film Sinister all open on the same day.

Additionally, Studio Canal and Big Talk Pictures have set the salsa dancing revenge comedy (how’s that for a genre?) Cuban Fury for release on March 22nd in the UK and Ireland.  Nick Frost plays a burgeoning salsa dancing star alongside Rashida Jones, Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids), Olivia Colman (Hot Fuzz) and Ian McShane.  Production begins next week in London, and hopefully we’ll get a US release date announcement soon.  Hit the jump to read the press release.

Casting news updates at a glance:

• Stephen Colbert (Monsters vs Aliens) and Allison Janney (Phineas and Ferb) have been cast in the DreamWorks animated production of Mr. Peabody and Sherman, starring Ty Burrell (Modern Family) and Max Charles (The Amazing Spider-Man) voicing the title roles.
• Ian McShane (Snow White and the Huntsman) will join Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation) and Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) in dance-off comedy, Cuban Fury.

Hit the jump for more.

The first trailer for the historical drama Hyde Park on the Hudson has gone online.  The film stars Bill Murray as President Franklin D. Roosevelt and centers on a weekend in 1939 which marked the first ever visit to America by a British monarchy when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited FDR’s upstate New York cottage.  Roosevelt also had an affair with his cousin, Daisy, during the same weekend.  The trailer basically plays like a funnier version of Downton Abbey, with a great deal of heart thrown in towards the end.  Lest you think this is another droll, period drama without a sense of humor, Murray is splendidly fun as Roosevelt.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  Directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill), the film also stars Laura Linney, Olivia Williams, Samuel West, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Marvel, Elizabeth Wilson, and Eleanor Bron. Focus Features will release Hyde Park on the Hudson on December 7th.

Casting news for you today:

• Kellan Lutz (Twilight) and Spencer Locke (Resident Evil: Afterlife) look to play Tarzan and Jane in the Constantin Films production of Tarzan 3D.
• Rashida Jones (I Love You, Man) and Olivia Colman (Tyrannosaur) join Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) and Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) in dance-revenge comedy, Cuban Fury.
• Ashley Bell (The Last Exorcism) is set to join the romantic comedy, The Bounceback.
• Renee Olstead (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) has been cast in the indie horror film, The Midnight Game.

Hit the jump for more.

Focus Features has released a batch of new images from the historical drama Hyde Park on the Hudson. The film stars Bill Murray as President Franklin D. Roosevelt and centers on Roosevelt’s affair with his cousin, Daisy, during a weekend in 1939 which marked the first ever visit to America by a British monarchy when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited FDR’s upstate New York cottage. Olivia Williams plays FDR’s wife Eleanor while Laura Linney plays Daisy. Murray looks fantastic as FDR and I can’t wait to see his take on our nation’s 32nd president. Roger Michell (Notting Hill) directs.

Hit the jump to check out the images. The film also stars Samuel West, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Marvel, Elizabeth Wilson, and Eleanor Bron. Focus Features will release Hyde Park on the Hudson on December 7th.

Another awards ceremony, another The Artist triumph. Michel Hazanavicius’ silent film continues its near sweep of awards season as it took home the Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor prize from the London Film Critics Circle Awards. Surprisingly, the other film to tie The Artist with three awards was the Iranian drama A Separation. The foreign film has been riding a wave of immense positive word of mouth, and the London Film Critics awarded the pic with Foreign Language Film of the Year, Best Screenwriter, and Best Actress.

Nearly shut out of the awards was Britain’s own Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The espionage drama failed to pick up any major prizes and was sent home with a win for Best Production Design. Elsewhere, We Need to Talk About Kevin was named Best British Film, Anna Paquin shared the Best Actress prize with Meryl Streep for her work in Margaret (quickly becoming the little engine that could), and Michael Fassbender won British Actor of the Year for his stellar work in Shame and A Dangerous Method. Full list of winners after the jump, which includes the critics’ top 10 films of 2011.

The 14th Annual British Independent Film Awards were held tonight and the brutal drama Tyrannosaur took home trophies for Best Film, Best Debut Director (Paddy Considine), and Best Actress (Olivia Colman).  Other BIFA winners included Senna for Best Documentary, Lynne Ramsay for Best Director (We Need to Talk about Kevin), Michael Fassbender for Best Actor (Shame), and Richard Ayoade for Best Screenplay (Submarine).

I thought Tyrannosaur failed to derive honest drama from its ugliness and violence, but I can understand why the movie struck a chord with most viewers.  As for the other winners, I think Ramsay is still an outsider in the Oscar race, but Fassbender, Ayoade, and Colman may have boosted their chances, although Colman will probably compete in the Best Supporting Actress category since that’s where she has a better chance for a nomination.  Hit the jump for the full list of winners.

A trailer has gone online for Paddy Considine’s Tyrannosaur and unless the movie has been drastically recut, it’s not an accurate representation.  As I said in my Sundance review, the film is grim, brutal, and pointless.  It is rarely uplifting and if there’s drama between Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman’s characters, it’s because of the actors’ tremendous performances and the tension of two people who are unable to trust anyone and yet want to rely on each other.  I know other critics who were mesmerized and deeply moved by the film, and it picked up multiple awards at Sundance, but I felt it was mainly one-note.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Tyrannosaur currently has no release date but it will likely open sometime before the end of the year.

When the first publicity shot of Meryl Streep as the former British prime minister for the biopic The Iron Lady was recently released, we were struck by the resemblance. In the latest images from the set, shot in South London earlier this week, Streep, who is known for her perfectionism, appears to have physically altered herself to become Thatcher.

Check out the images after the jump.