Red Lights

UK Trailer for RED LIGHTS Starring Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, and Robert De Niro

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 12th, 2012 at 7:36 am

The UK trailer for Rodrigo Cortes‘ Red Lights has gone online.  The film stars Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver as scientists who investigate paranormal activity, and who find a dangerous challenge when controversial psychic Simon Silver (Robert De Niro) comes out of retirement.  I caught the movie at Sundance and thought it was terrific up until the ending, which not only leaves the movie on a sour note, but undoes a lot of what was accomplished earlier in the picture.  There’s a chance the ending has been changed (most of the people I spoke to at Sundance also had a problem with it), but we’ll have to wait and see.  The UK trailer does a fairly solid job of selling the film, although it should play up the paranormal investigations from the first half of the movie since those are the best parts.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Toby Jones and Elizabeth Olsen.  Red Lights opens in the UK on June 22nd and in the US on July 13th.

Supernatural Thriller RED LIGHTS Starring Robert De Niro and Cillian Murphy Set for Release on July 13

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 6th, 2012 at 11:54 am

Director Rodrigo Cortes’ (Buried) thriller Red Lights now has a release date.  According to a Wall Street Journal piece (via STYD), the supernatural pic will hit theaters on July 13th.  The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and stars Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver as two physicists who debunk claims of paranormal activity, but they run up against a man (Robert De Niro) who may actually have special powers.  Matt caught the film at Sundance and really liked most of it, but he had issues with the ending.  It’s worth noting that filmmakers often make tweaks to their movies following festivals and prior to wide release, so Cortes may have made some changes to the film’s conclusion.

I think the trailer looks pretty solid and I like the cast, so I’m interested to check the thing out this summer.  I’m assuming the pic will get a limited release on that July 13th date, but the wide releases opening that weekend include Seth MacFarlane’s comedy Ted and Ice Age: Continental Drift. Hit the jump to watch the trailer for Red Lights.

English-Language Trailer for RED LIGHTS Starring Cillian Murphy

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 1st, 2012 at 8:30 am

An English-Language trailer for Rodrigo Cortes’ Red Lights has gone online.  For those unfamiliar with the flick, it stars Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver as two physicists who debunk claims of paranormal activity, but they run up against a man (Robert De Niro) who may actually have special powers.  I dug almost all of the film when I saw it at Sundance, but the ending needs to be reworked since the execution undermines the power of what came before.  The new trailer sells the movie as a straight-up supernatural thriller, and while that’s technically true, the trailer also makes the film look generic and forgettable.  There’s more personality and fun in Red Lights than what’s on display here.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Millennium picked up Red Lights for U.S. distribution, but no release date has been announced.

Sundance 2012: Matt’s Review Scorecard and Wrap-Up

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 31st, 2012 at 12:39 pm

Like I did last year, I had a great time at the Sundance Film Festival.  It’s tough to complain about weather conditions or getting around when you have the privilege to watch and discover new movies all day.  Even better, plenty of Sundance 2012 films turned out to be pretty damn good.  For me, there weren’t any quite as excellent as Martha Marcy May Marlene or Project Nim from last year, but those movies set an incredibly high bar.  Many of my peers felt they saw something truly special with Beasts of the Southern Wild and I can understand the love even if it didn’t hit me with as much emotional impact.  Most of my peers also loved Liberal Arts and Sleepwalk With Me, and I’m sorry I missed those.  But all in all, the festival ran as smoothly as last year, the volunteers (especially those in the press tent) were awesome, and it’s always a joy to hang out with people from other movie websites.

Hit the jump for my festival scorecard where you can see an organized list of my ratings for the movies I saw (although I highly encourage you to read the full review rather than just glance at a letter).  While this is my wrap-up, Steve will be posting his Sundance interviews throughout the week so keep an eye out for those.

Sundance 2012: Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions Buy ARBITRAGE; Millennium Entertainment Acquires RED LIGHTS Starring Robert De Niro

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 25th, 2012 at 9:06 am

As the 2012 Sundance Film Festival rolls on, we’ve got a couple more sales to report this morning. Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions have acquired the financial drama Arbitrage, while Millenium Entertainment has picked up the paranormal thriller Red Lights. Deadline reports that Lionsgate and Roadside have acquired the rights to Arbitrage for a figure north of $2 million. The studios plan to release the Richard Gere-starred financial drama for an awards season push later this year, building the buzz around Gere’s performance.

Gere plays a hedge-fund magnate in over his head, desperately trying to complete the sale of his trading empire before the depths of his fraud are revealed. Matt was frustrated by the dueling storylines in the film, and you can read his review here. The film also stars Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth, and Brit Marling. Hit the jump for acquisition news concerning the Robert De Niro-starred paranormal thriller Red Lights.

New Poster for THE RAVEN, Bonus Posters from Sundance 2012: THE IMPOSTER, RED LIGHTS

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 24th, 2012 at 5:07 pm

Although the release date for The Raven has been pushed back a month, that’s allowed Relativity to give us more looks at the property, like this new poster. It’s not quite as ink-soaked or blood-soaked as previous efforts and resembles more of a phoenix than a raven, but it’s stylish nonetheless. Here’s what you need to know about the posters we’ve rounded up today:

• Director James McTeigue’s The Raven stars John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe, who joins a detective (Luke Evans of Immortals) to stop a killer who’s committing crimes based on Poe’s works.
• The Imposter, a documentary film by director Bart Layton (Locked Up Abroad) that follows a young Frenchman who posed as a Texas family’s 16-year-old son who had been missing for three years
• From director Rodrigo Cortes (Buried) comes Red Lights, a paranormal thriller that questions the supernatural and whether a world-renowned psychic is actually gifted or just a charlatan. The film stars Robert De Niro, Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver and Elizabeth Olsen.

Hit the jump to check out the full-size posters.

Sundance 2012: RED LIGHTS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 23rd, 2012 at 10:26 pm

Mysticism and superstition can provide hope.  If there’s something beyond our world, something we can’t see, then perhaps there’s a shortcut, a fount of secret knowledge, anything that can provide a solution when the real world doesn’t have one we like.  That’s where con artists come in and appeal to our desire for a great beyond.  These frauds carry themselves as the special people who will use their gift (and a curse! It’s always a blessing and a curse with these things) to heal the body and/or soul.   Rodrigo Cortés supernatural thriller Red Lights puts us on the side of skeptical scientists who aren’t opposed to the paranormal, but have yet to see any evidence of it.  Dr. Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and her assistant Dr. Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) use the power of science rather than the supernatural to debunk these phony mystics.  But in its second half, Red Lights makes a major narrative turn, shifts the tone, draws the viewer deeper into the possibility of the paranormal, and has its characters struggle to keep a hold on reality.  However, the film ends in a serious backfire where a clumsy execution breaks the spell.

Sundance 2012: New Images from ROBOT AND FRANK, PRICE CHECK, and RED LIGHTS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 6th, 2011 at 9:01 am

Yesterday, Sundance announced the line-up for their Premiere’s category.  This is where the biggest films will play but not necessarily the best.  The best movies I saw at Sundance this year were Project Nim and Martha Marcy May Marlene and both have stayed with me the past 11 months.  But there’s no reason great films can’t be part of the premieres category (Win Win was terrific), and hopefully 2012 will have more selections that leave a strong impression.

After the jump you’ll find images for Jake Schreier‘s Robot and Frank (starring Frank Langella and Susan Sarandon), Michael Walker‘s Price Check (starring Parker Posey), and Rodrigo Cortés‘ Red Lights (starring Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro, Elizabeth Olsen, and Toby Jones).  The 2012 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 19 – 29th.

Sundance 2012: Premieres Line-Up Announced; Includes RED HOOK SUMMER, LAY THE FAVORITE, and WEST OF MEMPHIS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 5th, 2011 at 2:13 pm

Last week, we learned what the 2012 Sundance Film Festival had lined-up in its In-Competition categories, plus the out-of-competition Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, Next <=>, and New Frontier selections. But today Sundance has announced the heavy-hitters with the “Premieres” category.  That’s not to say these are the best films or the ones that will get the biggest buzz.  But they’re the ones that will pack the gigantic Eccles Theater bright and early every morning.

The Premieres category will include Spike Lee‘s Red Hook Summer, Rodrigo Cortes‘ Red Lights, Stephen Frears‘ Lay the Favorite, James Marsh‘s Shadow Dancer, Ice-T‘s Something from Nothing: The Art of Wrap, and the Peter Jackson-produced West Memphis Three documentary, West of Memphis.  There’s plenty more than these few films and you can check out the entire line-up after the jump.  The 2012 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 19 – 29th.

New Posters for THE RUM DIARY, RED LIGHTS, and THE FLOWERS OF WAR

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 26th, 2011 at 1:23 pm

New posters have gone online for The Rum Diary starring Johnny Depp, Rodrigo Cortes Red Lights starring Robert De Niro, and Zhang Yimou’s The Flowers of War starring Christian Bale.  Here’s what you need to know about each poster: The Rum Diary is the second poster this year featuring Johnny Depp’s character and a fish.  The international poster for Red Lights poster is the same as the U.S. one except it has a black background and the tagline translates to “The Truth Is The Most Dangerous Of Illusions.”  Finally, The Flowers of War poster has Bale as a priest admiring a nice Asian lady’s cleavage.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  The Rum Diary opens October 28th and also stars Amber Heard, Richard Jenkins, and Aaron Eckhart.  Red Lights opens in 2012 and also stars Cillian Murphy, Elizabeth Olsen, and Sigourney Weaver.  The Flowers of War has no U.S. release date but it’s China’s official submission for the Best Foreign Film Oscar.

Teaser Trailer for Rodrigo Cortes’ Thriller RED LIGHTS Starring Robert De Niro [Updated With Poster]

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 13th, 2011 at 11:11 am

The teaser trailer for the supernatural thriller Red Lights has gone online. The film is director Rodrigo Cortes’ follow-up to Buried, which took place entirely in a coffin containing Ryan Reynolds, and this time he’s taking on the other-worldly. Robert De Niro stars as a renowned psychic who comes under investigation by a psychologist who specializes in the paranormal, played by Sigourney Weaver. The trailer is incredibly simple, and a nice change of pace from the quick-cut style we’re used to seeing that succeeds only in inducing seizure and giving away 70% of the plot. Cortes has opted instead for mood, putting creepy music and De Niro’s back to good use.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also stars Cillian Murphy and Martha Marcy May Marlene star Elizabeth Olsen. Red Lights is eyeing a 2012 release.

[Update: We've updated the article with the first poster for the film as well]

Casting Call: Joshua Jackson to LAY THE FAVORITE; THE FIRST TIME for Victoria Justice, Craig Roberts, Dylan O’Brien; Michael Peña at END OF WATCH

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 18th, 2011 at 7:45 pm

Joshua Jackson (Fringe) is in talks to star opposite Bruce Willis and Rebecca Hall in Lay the Favorite, based on the life of Beth Raymer.  Once a Las Vegas cocktail waitress, Raymer became an elite professional gambler: “After falling in love, Raymer soon begins to re-evaluate her life and the profession she has chosen.”  Hall will portray Raymer — Willis will play her gambling mentor Dink Heimowitz.  Last we checked, Catherine Zeta-Jones was in talks to play Willis’ wife in the film.  Variety doesn’t specify in their report, but my instinct says Jackson is up for the love interest.  Lay the Favorite reunites director Stephen Frears (Tamara Drewe) with his High Fidelity screenwriter D.V. DeVincentis.

Hit the jump for more casting news, wherein Victoria Jackson, James Frecheville, and Craig Roberts join The First Time, and Michael Peña enters negotiations for End of Watch.

First Image from RED LIGHTS Starring Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 1st, 2011 at 10:56 am

The first image from the upcoming thriller Red Lights has gone online.  Directed by Rodrigo Cortes (Buried), Red Lights stars Sigourney Weaver as a psychologist whose studies in the paranormal lead her to investigate a renowned psychic (Robert De Niro).  I don’t want to pull a judgment on this film since I liked Buried and the cast also includes Cillian Murphy and rising star Elizabeth Olsen.  However, looking at this photo of De Niro in sunglasses, I can almost hear him phoning it in.

Hit the jump to check out the image.

Elizabeth Olsen Joins Sigourney Weaver in RED LIGHTS

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 23rd, 2011 at 12:48 pm

Elizabeth Olsen will capitalize on her status as Sundance darling to land a role opposite Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro, Cillian Murphy in Red Lights.  Directed by Rodrigo Cortés (Buried), the thriller centers on “a psychologist (Weaver) and her assistant (Olsen) whose study of paranormal activity leads them to investigate a world-renowned psychic (De Niro).”  Olsen tells Risky Business, “Cillian Murphy is my love interest, though that’s not a huge part of the story.”

The role is a nice fit since Elizabeth (sister to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) is currently studying psychology at New York University.  Though she claims her education is “always a priority,” it hasn’t distracted from a budding film career: Olsen earned positive notices for the Sundance selections Silent House and Martha Marcy May Marlene.  She’ll have to take another break from school to shoot Red Lights, which is currently in pre-production.

Cillian Murphy Cast in Rodrigo Cortes’ RED LIGHTS

by Tommy Cook    Posted: November 3rd, 2010 at 7:45 pm

Cillian Murphy (Red Eye) has signed on to star in Rodrigo Cortes’ upcoming Red Lights. The film, also set to star Robert De Niro and Sigourney Weaver, centers on a psychologist (Weaver) whose studies in the paranormal lead her to investigate a renowned psychic (De Niro). Red Lights will be Cortes’ follow up to his Sundance breakout hit man-in-a-box film Buried.

As an advocate for the “Cillian Murphy must play every creepy role that Billy Drago passes on” film movement, this news from Shock Till You Drop is probably good. I use the rather cautious term “probably” because I have no clue whom Murphy will be playing in the film; but considering the movie revolves around the paranormal/supernatural, there’s a good chance Murphy will be creeping our cinemas once again after triumphantly doing so in those Batman films, that Wes Craven film on a plane, and of course The Wind That Shakes The Barley. It’s also good to see an Irish actor whose name isn’t Gabriel Byrne get work.

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