Stanley Tucci

Sequel CATCHING FIRE Officially Titled THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 24th, 2012 at 12:18 pm

In a somewhat unsurprising move, Summit Entertainment announced today that the Hunger Games follow-up has now officially been titled The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  The pic is based on author Suzanne Collins’ second book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire.  Brand recognition is everything when it comes to tentpoles, and audiences are consistently treated as though they’re unable to put two-and-two together when the exact same cast returns in a new movie with a different title.  Nevertheless, Summit added The Twilight Saga moniker to all the Twilight films, so the move was almost inevitable.  Hit the jump for more.

CBS Films Release Date Shuffle: GAMBIT, Starring Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz, Moved Up to October 12; Thriller 7500 Pushed to 2013

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 9th, 2012 at 2:01 pm

CBS Films has done a bit of release date shuffling for two of their upcoming releases.  First up, director Michael Hoffman’s remake of the 1966 caper comedy Gambit has been moved up from January 11th, 2013 to October 12th of this year (per Box Office Mojo).  Cameron Diaz and Colin Firth star as partners in a con to sell a fake Monet painting, and the film has a script by Joel and Ethan Coen.  Given the caliber of talent involved, the January date was always a bit of a puzzler.  The film will now square off against Ben Affleck’s stellar looking period thriller Argo and the Kevin James “comedy” Here Comes the Boom.  Hit the jump for more, including release date news concerning The Grudge director Takashi Shimizu’s airplane thriller 7500.

HARRY POTTER Director David Yates and Warner Bros. Sign First-Look Deal

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 27th, 2012 at 8:11 pm

What does one do after directing four highly successful films in one of the biggest franchises in movie history?  For David Yates, director of the last four Harry Potter movies, the answer is: sign a first-look deal with the selfsame studio.  Variety reports that Yates signed the deal under the Wychwood Pictures banner.  Priority for Yates at the moment is Your Voice in My Head, an adaptation of the Emma Forrest memoir that has Emma Watson and Stanley Tucci attached. Forrest is writing the screenplay for the picture, which chronicles her dealings with a failed romance after the death of her psychiatrist.

 

THE HUNGER GAMES Heads Back to IMAX Theaters; New Poster Released

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 20th, 2012 at 7:53 am

Lionsgate may have finally settled on a director for the sequel Catching Fire, but The Hunger Games is still busy doing gangbusters at the box office.  It was the number one film for the fourth weekend in a row (the first movie to do that since Avatar and The Dark Knight), and now fans will get another opportunity to see Gary Ross’ adaptation on the big, big screen.  Starting April 27th, the film will open again for a one-week limited run in select IMAX theaters.  Only about 100 IMAX theaters are participating in the engagement, but if your town is one of the lucky ones and you missed the film in the large-screen format the first time around, now’s your chance to catch it before the pic out of theaters.  Moreover, Lionsgate has released a new poster specifically designed to mark the occasion.  Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group Co-Chair Rob Friedman had this to say about the re-release:

“It’s wonderful that so many fans have expressed interest in seeing The Hunger Games in the immersive IMAX format, and many of these are repeat viewers. We’re delighted that IMAX has been able to accommodate them through this special one week re-engagement.”

Hopefully those checking out the IMAX version of The Hunger Games are going to actual IMAX theaters instead of reformatted regular theaters (it really does make a difference).  Hit the jump to check out the poster.

Stanley Tucci in Talks to Star Opposite Emma Watson in YOUR VOICE IN MY HEAD

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 27th, 2012 at 5:14 pm

Coming off a dazzling turn in The Hunger Games, Stanely Tucci is gearing up to show off his dramatic chops in director David Yates’ follow-up to four Harry Potter films. Variety reports that Tucci is in talks to star opposite Harry Potter alum Emma Watson in the adaptation of Emma Forrest’s memoir, Your Voice in My Head. Watson stars as Forrest, a young girl who attempts suicide after a bad breakup, only to be saved by a terminally ill psychiatrist. Tucci would play the psychiatrist if he signs on. We had previously heard that the psychiatrist role caught the eye of a number of high profile actors, including George Clooney and Tom Hanks, but apparently Yates decided to go with Tucci in the end. Hit the jump for more.

THE HUNGER GAMES Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 22nd, 2012 at 12:02 pm

Suzanne Collins‘ young adult novel The Hunger Games isn’t particularly well-written, but it’s undeniably cinematic.  Collins’ paints a strange, brutal world with a hint of social commentary wrapped in a melodramatic love story and intense action.  For the film adaptation, director Gary Ross has created an effective and memorable experience that’s deadly serious and seriously entertaining.  Rather than playing into the blockbuster elements of the novel, he takes a subdued approach where less is more and “more” is darkly and comically grotesque.  The movie remains tied to the weaker aspects of the book, especially the anti-climactic finish and lightweight social commentary, but terrific performances from the cast and Ross’ superb direction paint a potent and compelling picture.

New Character Images and IMAX Banner for THE HUNGER GAMES; Advanced Tickets On Sale Tomorrow and Mall Tour Announced

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 21st, 2012 at 2:29 pm

Calling all Hunger Games fans: we’ve got a good deal of Panem-related material to wade through today. A batch of new images and an IMAX banner from the film have been released, and Lionsgate announced that advanced tickets for the film go on sale tomorrow. Additionally, the studio is planning a national mall tour to give fans a chance to meet the actors from the film at their local shopping mecca. Director Gary Ross, stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and more will be popping up at malls across the country to participate in fan Q&A’s. I’m not exactly sure The Hunger Games needs a mall tour in order to drum up awareness (it feels very 80s pop star), but I guess it gives superfans a chance to interact with the cast.

Hit the jump to check out the images and banner, as well as the full list of participating mall tour cities which includes information on which actors will be at which events. The Hunger Games opens March 23rd.

New HUNGER GAMES Motion Captiol Ads Featuring Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz, and Wes Bentley

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 10th, 2012 at 12:20 pm

The marketing for Gary Ross’ upcoming adaptation of The Hunger Games has been kind of non-stop, with various types of advertising and viral campaigns raising awareness of the highly anticipated pic. Today three motion ads from the Captiol have popped up, giving us new looks at Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickman, Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, and Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane. They’re actually pretty ingenious, as they advertise products that would be found in the image-conscious world of the Capitol such as liquid skyliner and evil-beard trimmers.

For those unfamiliar, The Hunger Games takes place in the post-apocalyptic country of Panem. As a means of reminding Panem’s 12 districts that the country’s government holds all the power, one teenage boy and one teenage girl are randomly selected from each district to participate in a televised fight to the death called “The Hunger Games.” Hit the jump to check out the motion posters. The film also stars Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, and Elizabeth Banks. The Hunger Games opens March 23rd.

New Trailer for THE HUNGER GAMES Shows off Its Mockingjay Pin

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 2nd, 2012 at 10:18 am

A new trailer has gone online for The Hunger Games and it’s my favorite one yet.  It’s short, sweet, hits the emotional beats, has a little action, and gives us a good look at Stanley Tucci’s wacky hairdo.  The trailer also features the Mockingjay pin, which is the big icon of the series.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer, and click here to find out how you can win tickets from us to go the film’s premiere on March 12th in Los Angeles.  The Hunger Games opens in wide release and IMAX on March 23rd.

New Images from THE HUNGER GAMES and SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN Featuring Kristen Stewart

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 12:20 pm

We’ve got a couple of images from two highly anticipated 2012 releases to share with you today. First up is a brand new image of star Kristen Stewart in this summer’s Snow White and the Huntsman. It’s a close-up, so we don’t get to see too much of her costume, but it’s enough to appease the “KStew” fans out there. I was incredibly impressed by the trailer for the film, which takes a gritty and epic Lord of the Rings-style approach to the Snow White story.

Additionally, we’ve got a new image from The Hunger Games. This is an image that we’ve actually seen before, but this is the first time it’s been released in high quality. We see Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss showcasing her red dress alongside Hunger Games host Caesar Flickman (played by Stanley Tucci). This is the only look we’ve gotten so far of Tucci in character, but judging by this picture I’d say he looks spot on. Hit the jump to check out both images. The Hunger Games hits theaters March 23rd while Snow White and the Huntsman opens June 2nd.

Warner Bros. Puts ARTHUR & LANCELOT on Hold; Pushes JACK THE GIANT KILLER 3D Back to 2013

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 19th, 2012 at 7:24 pm

Not long after Warner Bros. was reportedly getting cold feet with the swelling budget of David Dobkin’s Arthur & Lancelot, it looks like the studio has officially hit the pause button. The film, starring Kit Herington (Game of Thrones) and Joel Kinnaman (The Darkest Hour) in a reimagined Arthurian legend, was supposed to open March 15, 2013. Dobkin (The Wedding Crashers) reportedly informed cast and crew that it “wasn’t looking good,” although studio insiders confirm they’re trying to make the project work. Warner envisions the tone of Arthur & Lancelot to be in a similar vein to their Sherlock Holmes franchise, but will have to negotiate budget and scheduling difficulties. Herington, will return to Game of Thrones this spring while Kinnaman is expected to segue into the film shoot after wrapping on AMC’s The Killing. The project may move forward without one or both of the actors. Hit the jump for news regarding the delay of Bryan Singer’s Jack the Giant Killer 3D and Rock of Ages.

First Trailer and Poster for Bryan Singer’s JACK THE GIANT KILLER

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 15th, 2011 at 4:24 pm

The first trailer for director Bryan Singer’s Jack the Giant Killer has gone online. Based on the classic tale, the fantasy pic tells the story of an ancient war that’s reignited when a young boy (Nicholas Hoult) unknowingly opens a gate between the world of the humans and the world of the giants. We don’t see much here, as it plays out very much like a teaser trailer, but I like the feel of it and it sure is nice to see Singer back doing big action set pieces. Ewan McGregor is the epitome of cool, and Hoult seems a fine choice to play the reluctant hero. Overall, I like the tone and the look of everything, but there’s not enough here to gauge whether or not Singer’s got himself a winner. I’m really looking forward to seeing those giants though.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also stars Eleanor Thomas, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, and Bill Nighy. Jack the Giant Killer opens in 3D IMAX on June 15th, 2012.

The Red Pill Viral Update: MEN IN BLACK 3, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, THE DARKEST HOUR and THE HUNGER GAMES

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: December 11th, 2011 at 1:25 pm

As The Dark Knight Rises revved up their viral campaign earlier this week , it overshadowed other movies in the midst of their own marketing. The Dark Knight Rises’ “Operation Early Bird” granted early access to the prologue for people close to specified IMAX theaters and a new trailer is expected to drop on Monday. However, there are other properties that are vying for your attention and your dollars, such as Men in Black 3, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Darkest Hour and The Hunger Games. Hit the jump for an update on each of these unique campaigns.

New Trailer for THE HUNGER GAMES

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 14th, 2011 at 7:32 am

Lionsgate has released a new trailer for The Hunger Games.  For everyone who was confused on the set-up and the premise, this trailer will get you up to speed.  Unfortunately, that’s about all it will do.  While it’s clear that director Gary Ross has not shied away from the garish fashion and make-up of the Capitol’s residents (I imagine some are going to be jarred out of the experience by Elizabeth Banks looking like she’s 80 and speaking with a British accent), there’s still no hint of the violence and brutality of the books.  I can understand why they would leave that out of the trailer, but I’m absolutely baffled as to why there’s almost no footage from the actual Hunger Games.  That’s the meat and potatoes of the set pieces, and I have no idea why they wouldn’t at least throw in some quick flashes of the action scenes. My best guess is that they’re still working on the special effects and didn’t have anything 100% finished to put into the trailer (or they’re saving those scenes for the next one).

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz, and Donald Sutherland.  The Hunger Games opens March 23, 2012.

MARGIN CALL Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 21st, 2011 at 6:23 am

The 2008 economic collapse is one of the major events of our lifetimes and some filmmakers have rushed to turn the events into A Very Serious and Important Movie.  J.C. Chandor’s Margin Call would like to be that movie.  It dresses up its respected cast in fine suits, puts them in the financial world, and then has them look at computer monitors and say “Fuck me…” in astonishment about 80-90 times throughout the course of the film.  Chandor wants to bury the audience in the world of financial intrigue and corruption without doing the hard work of explaining the machinations of that world in any kind of detail.  He gets away with it for the first half-hour as the audience becomes wrapped in a propulsive, plot-driven drama, but by the end the only saving grace is Kevin Spacey playing against type.

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