Sean Penn

Sundance Film Festival Adds PREDISPOSED, JOHN DIES AT THE END, THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, and OSLO AUGUST 31ST; First Images from the Films

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 19th, 2011 at 2:25 pm

While earlier this month the line-up for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival was announced, the fest has added four more films to the fest. Predisposed, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Melissa Leo, and Tracy Morgan will screen as part of the Premieres line-up and John Dies at the End starring Paul Giamatti, Chase Williamson, and Rob Mayes has been added to the Park City at Midnight line-up. Additionally, This Must Be the Place starring Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, and Judd Hirsch and Oslo, August 31st starring Anders Danielsen Lie, Hans Olav Brenner, and Ingrid Olava will screen as part of the Spotlight line-up.

Hit the jump to check out the first images from the films as well as a brief synopsis for each. The 2012 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 19 – 29th. Click here for all our coverage.

First Look at Sean Penn and Josh Brolin in GANGSTER SQUAD; Director Ruben Fleischer Reveals Story Details

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 9th, 2011 at 9:42 am

One of my most anticipated films of 2012 is director Ruben Fleischer’s (Zombieland) 1940s crime thriller Gangster Squad, and today a pretty cool image has surfaced: stars Sean Penn and Josh Brolin squaring off. Penn plays gangster Mickey Cohen, and the film centers on the Los Angeles task force assembled to bring him to justice. Brolin plays the head of the so-called “Gangster Squad”, surrounded by an impressive ensemble that includes Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Michael Peña, Anthony Mackie, and Giovanni Ribisi.

Fleischer recently spoke at length about the project, and you can see what he had to say along with the new image after the jump. Gangster Squad opens October 19th, 2012.

THE TREE OF LIFE Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: November 8th, 2011 at 6:43 am

There is a critical sport in wrestling with Terrence Malick. Because the director doesn’t do press, and spent nineteen years not making movies, Malick is such an oddball – on top of his films not coming across in classic Hollywood narratives -  that reviews often try to engage the man as much as the film. But when you make a film as personal as The Tree of Life, that’s bound to happen. Here, Malick uses a mother (Jessica Chastain) and son (Sean Penn) to delve into the pain of death and life – going so far back as the birth of planet Earth – to understand what it means to be alive. Part of that is coming to understand one’s relationship with the father (Brad Pitt). The easy dismissal is that the film is pretentious, which is just as easy as declaring the film an impenetrable masterpiece. Our review of The Tree of Life on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn Eyed for Inarritu’s THE REVENANT

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: November 4th, 2011 at 4:02 pm

After Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Biutiful) signed on to direct New Regency’s The Revenant, he turned his sights to casting the adaptation of the Michael Punke novel. He’s chosen to target Leonardo DiCaprio, arguably the most wanted man in Hollywood at the moment. DiCaprio would play Hugh Glass, an 1820s frontiersman mauled by a bear during a fur trapping expedition. Glass hires two of the men to stay with him until he recovers. They rob him and leave him behind, expecting him to die, but Glass recovers and seeks them out for revenge. Sean Penn is being courted to play one of the heartless robbers.

DiCaprio can next be seen starring in Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar and is preparing for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Sean Penn is currently shooting Gangster Squad. Hit the jump for more.

New Set Photos from GANGSTER SQUAD and Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s Comeback THE LAST STAND

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 3rd, 2011 at 12:08 pm

New set photos have gone online for the 1940s crime drama Gangster Squad, and for Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s comeback film The Last Stand.  Back in September, we saw Gangster Squad set photos of co-stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone enjoying a lovely day in the park.  The new set photos show Stone and co-star Sean Penn sharing a scene, and Stone looks particularly glamorous.  I’m a big fan of the setting, and the costumes look terrific.

And some costumes look a little stranger.  The first set photo from Kim Ji-Woon‘s The Last Stand shows Schwarzenegger along with co-stars Luis Guzman, Johnny Knoxville, and Jaimie Alexander.  I’m not sure why Alexander and Schwarzenegger are holding tommy guns if the film is set in the present day, but I’m even more confused by Knoxville’s outfit.  It looks like a modified version of Kang-ho Song’s costume from Ji-Woon’s The Good, the Bad, the Weird.  While I work out my bafflement, hit the jump to check out the set photos.  Gangster Squad opens October 19, 2012.  The Last Stand opens January 18, 2013.

Sean Penn Confirmed to Direct THE COMEDIAN Starring Robert De Niro and Kristen Wiig

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 27th, 2011 at 10:08 am

Back in June, we reported the rumor that Sean Penn was looking to direct the character-driven drama The Comedian, with Robert De Niro to possibly star. Now it looks like things worked out, as it was announced today that Penn will indeed be directing De Niro in the pic, and they’ve found their female lead in Kristen Wiig. The project previously caught the eye of Martin Scorsese, and centers on an aging insult comic in the vein of Don Rickles and Joan Rivers. De Niro’s character “clings to any recognition that comes from his days as a beloved TV character as he tries to reignite his stagnant career. Sentenced to community service for hitting a heckler in the head with a microphone, the comic meets Harmony, a dazzling and defiant redhead who turns his life sideways.”

The script comes from Art Linson (What Just Happened) and comedian Jeffrey Ross. This definitely sounds like an intriguing project, and Penn’s involvement brings quite a bit of weight to the material. It’s been a while since we’ve seen De Niro take on such a nuanced and complex character, and his pairing with the massively talented Wiig is an inspired choice. Penn was last behind the camera on 2007’s excellent Into the Wild. Production on The Comedian is set to get underway next spring. [Update: We've been sent the full press release, which is now included after the jump]

Warner Bros. Sets GANGSTER SQUAD for October 19, 2012

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 28th, 2011 at 1:25 pm

It looks like Warner Bros. believes it has an awards contender on its hands with Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad.  According to Box Office Mojo, the studio has set the 1940s crime thriller for October 19, 2012.  The film is based on the true story of an Los Angeles Police Department task force whose mission was to bring down notorious mobster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn).  The impressive cast also features Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Michael Peña, Anthony Mackie, Mireille Enos, Holt McCallany, Robert Patrick, and Giovanni Ribisi.

The other films that currently hold the 10/19/12 date are the romantic comedy The Big Wedding starring Robert De Niro and Katherine Heigl (hoo-boy) and an untitled project from Sopranos creator David Chase.

FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH and DAZED AND CONFUSED Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: September 24th, 2011 at 6:37 am

Universal has been releasing Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Dazed and Confused together for a while now. I guess it makes sense. They’re both “party” films in that it’s hard to imagine Fast Times having the impact it did without Sean Penn’s Jeff Spicoli character, and Dazed and Confused second half is virtually one long party. Universal has embraced that, often selling both with pot jokes. Fast Times follows a group of teens (including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, Penn, Judge Reinhold and more) as they look for love and deal with sex in high school, while Confused follows a set of juniors (including Jason London, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey and Adam Goldberg) as they are about to become seniors and become rulers of the school. Our reviews of both Fast Times and Dazed and Confused on Blu-ray follow after the jump.

THE TREE OF LIFE to Be Released Exclusively on Blu-Ray Combo Pack

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 30th, 2011 at 11:18 am

While Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life didn’t completely work for me, it was beautifully shot from beginning to end and as a must-own Blu-ray for the visuals alone.  Fox Searchlight apparently agrees with me because they’ll be releasing on only Blu-ray Combo Pack.  The combo pack includes the Blu-ray, the DVD, and a Digital Copy, but that the only way you can get the DVD and the digital copy.  There will be no other releases at this time.  It’s a bold decision for a film that already had a limited appeal to a wide audience.  If I had to guess their line of thinking, it’s that the film appeals most to cinephiles, cinephiles tend to own Blu-ray players, so why incur the cost of producing a DVD that will be mostly ignored by mainstream audiences?

The Blu-ray also includes a 30-minute documentary exploring Malick’s legacy and featuring interviews with David Fincher and Christopher Nolan.  The Tree of Life hits Blu-ray on October 11th.  Hit the jump for the full press release.

Zack Snyder to Direct THE LAST PHOTOGRAPH?

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 2nd, 2011 at 12:40 pm

The Last Photograph sounds far outside Zack Snyder’s wheelhouse.  The story centers on a journalist (Christian Bale) and an ex-special ops soldier (Sean Penn) who travel to war-torn Afghanistan to help a missing family member who’s been kidnapped.  However, he came up with the idea for the story, 300 co-writer Kurt Johnstad wrote the script, Snyder was producing, and now it looks like he’ll direct.  Twitch reports that Snyder has stepped in to replace Niels Arden Oplev (the Swedish adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and that Snyder will make The Last Photograph his follow-up to Man of Steel.

It’s a major change of pace for Snyder since a drama that sends two men into present-day Afghanistan doesn’t lend itself to lingering shots on sexy bodies or constant speed-ramping.  I would never criticize a filmmaker for stretching beyond their current expectations and with Snyder at the helm, The Last Photograph could garner newfound respect for the director or be an absolute disaster that consigns him to genre flicks.

French Trailer for THIS MUST BE THE PLACE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 13th, 2011 at 1:05 pm

I’m still not sure what to make the goth Nazi-hunter dramedy This Must Be the Place.  The reaction to the film at Cannes was bafflement and The Playlist thought “the film was pretty much like three different movies disjointedly mashed together.”  Judging by the trailer, I can certainly see how that would be an issue.  However, my greatest concern lies with Sean Penn who plays the lead role of Cheyenne, a former rock star who goes looking for a Nazi war criminal who tortured his father at Auschwitz.  Penn’s delivery along with his hair and make-up screams at the viewer “I AM ACTING,” and the performance rings similar to his full-retard work from I Am Sam.  In all fairness, The Playlist says the movie isn’t as bad as you’d expect, but my expectations at this point are for a total disaster.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer, which is in English with French subtitles.

Will Sean Penn Direct Robert De Niro in THE COMEDIAN?

by Jason Barr    Posted: June 15th, 2011 at 1:32 pm

A few weeks ago, we brought you the rumor that Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro may reunite for Art Linson and Jeffrey Ross’ character-driven script The Comedian with the disclaimer that it would most likely turn out to be unfounded. Today, I’m here to strike that rumor and insert yet another: that Sean Penn will direct De Niro in The Comedian. This newest unconfirmed report comes from the New York Post (via The Playlist) which claims that Penn has come aboard to helm the pic with production set to get underway in New York next year. While my gut tells me to take this news with a grain of salt at present, Penn and De Niro do have some history with Linson who produced films such as Heat and The Untouchables (both starring De Niro) as well as What Just Happened which features both actors.

As a refresher, Linson and Ross’ The Comedian would pit De Niro as an aging insult comic that is described as a Don Rickles/Joan Rivers hybrid. Hopefully we have some sort of solid footing regarding both Penn and De Niro’s involvement sooner rather than later. In the meantime, stay tuned for more on the project, including the rumor I start myself which claims that I’ll be directing the film.

Sean Penn Briefly Recalls Spicoli from FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 9th, 2011 at 11:34 am

At Spike TV’s “Guys Choice Awards” (because guys so rarely get to decide just about everything) the male cast of Fast Times at Ridgemont High and director Amy Heckerling reunited on stage and Sean Penn brought back his breakthrough role as Jeff Spicoli for about two seconds by saying “Aloha, Mr. Hand” as only Spicoli could say it.  Spicoli is a funny role these days because it’s such a light role and Penn has devoted himself to serious movies and serious issues for the majority of his career.  The last time he did an (intentional) comedy was 1999′s Sweet and Lowdown (2001′s I Am Sam is pretty hilarious).  I can’t help but wonder if audiences could even accept Penn in a comic role today.

Hit the jump to check out the video.

THE TREE OF LIFE Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 27th, 2011 at 7:21 am

Most movies I see are designed to appeal to the broadest audience possible.  They have to.  Mainstream films are at the intersection of art and commerce and the best you can hope for on an intellectual level is that the star-studded, effects-laden blockbuster might have some interesting subtext or challenge you in some minor way.  But most films keep subtext and challenges to a minimum because after a long week of work or school, the average audience member just wants to enjoy their movie.  Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life is not for these audience members.  It is slow, ponderous, obtuse, stranger, and bewitching, and it doesn’t always hit its mark.  But when so many movies are trying to do the bare minimum possible when it comes to making audiences use their brains, it’s tough to fault Malick for overreaching.

New Images and Cringe-Worthy Clip from THIS MUST BE THE PLACE Starring Sean Penn

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 20th, 2011 at 9:23 am

Watching the first clip from the upcoming drama This Must Be the Place, I can’t help but think that star Sean Penn was re-watching I Am Sam and though to himself, “Yeah, I can top that.”  So instead of going full-retard, Penn is going full old-rock-star parody.  We’ve already seen his Robert Smith-inspired attire, but wait until you hear how Penn decides to deliver dialogue.  It sounds like a cross between a nerdy teenager and present-day Ozzy Osbourne.  It’s awful and I can’t tell if co-star Frances McDormand is embarrassed or just trying really hard not to laugh.

Oh, for those that don’t know about the plot, it’s about an aged rock star who decides to follow in his late father’s footsteps and become a Nazi hunter.  I’m not making that up.  Hit the jump to check out new images from the film along with the glorious clip.  This Must Be the Place also stars newcomer Eve Hewson as a gothic-punk music fan who is close friends with Penn’s character, Cheyenne.

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