Focus Features has released seven new character images from director Gus Van Sant’s upcoming drama Promised Land.  The film stars Matt Damon and Frances McDormand as corporate salesmen who try to prey on an economic town in decline only to have their mission complicated by the citizens they encounter, particularly a character played by John Krasinski.  Damon and Krasinski wrote the screenplay, and the film deals heavily with the consequences of fracking.  These new images introduce the many characters that inhabit this Frank Capra-esque story.

Hit the jump to check out the images, and click here to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Hal Holbrook, Scoot McNairy, and Titus Welliver.  Promised Land opens in limited release on December 28th before expanding in January.

Six clips from director/star Ben Affleck’s thriller Argo have been released.  The film, based on a true story, centers on a CIA agent (Affleck) who attempts to rescue six Americans trapped in the home of the Canadian ambassador during the 1979 Iranian Revolution.  The rescue mission was to go in under the auspices of filming a science fiction movie entitled “Argo”.  The pic screened to a wildly positive response at the Toronto Film Festival (read Matt’s review right here), and earned a spot on our “Most Anticipated” list for the fourth quarter of 2012.

Hit the jump to check out the clips.  The film also stars John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, Kyle Chandler, Kerry Bishe, Tate Donovan, Victor Garber, Chris Messina, Titus Welliver, Zeljko Ivanek, and Taylor Schilling.  Argo opens on October 12th.

A large batch of new images from director/star Ben Affleck’s Argo has been released.  The film, based on a true story, centers on a CIA agent (Affleck) who attempts to rescue six Americans trapped in the home of the Canadian ambassador during the 1979 Iranian Revolution.  The rescue mission was to go in under the auspices of filming a science fiction movie entitled “Argo”.  The film’s trailer and TV spots look fantastic and it screened to a highly positive response (read Matt’s review right here) at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals, so I’m really looking forward to this one.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film stars Affleck, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, Kyle Chandler, Kerry Bishe, Tate Donovan, Victor Garber, Chris Messina, Titus Welliver, Zeljko Ivanek, and Taylor Schilling.  Argo opens on October 12th.

The first trailer for director Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land has been released.  Matt Damon and John Krasinski wrote the script and star in the film, which was originally set to mark Damon’s directorial debut before scheduling issues forced him to call in his Good Will Hunting buddy Van Sant to step in.  Damon and Frances McDormand play corporate salesmen who try to prey on an economic town in decline only to have their mission complicated by the citizens they encounter.  The pic has been a big question mark in the Awards race, and things aren’t much clearer after seeing this trailer.  There’s definitely potential for a heartwarming and relevant story to be told, but it also looks like the fracking argument—though valid—could come across as too preachy.  The character-centric story is definitely appealing, and given Damon’s ridiculous talent and the crazy-good ensemble cast, I’m inclined to believe that the full film will deliver the goods.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Hal Holbrook, Scoot McNairy, and Titus Welliver.  Promised Land opens in limited release on December 28th before expanding in January.

Marvel began releasing short films back on the Thor and Captain America Blu-rays, and they’re poised to premiere the latest short, Item 47, later this week at Comic-Con.  This one stars Lizzy Caplan and Jesse Bradford as a hard-luck couple who get their hands on an alien gun that comes into their possession following the events of The Avengers.  Two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents (Maximiliano Hernández and Titus Welliver) are tasked with retrieving this Item 47 from the couple and stopping their crime spree.  It’s a really fun premise, and I’m looking forward to checking out the full short.

A poster debut for Item 47 has just landed online, along with a brief clip that was released earlier, and you can take a gander at both after the jump.

Starting with the Thor and Captain America Blu-ray/DVDs, Marvel has started releasing short films.  The Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) shorts were cute, but nothing particularly groundbreaking.  However, Marvel might be adding some more weight with their latest “One-Shot”, Item 47.  The short film will be available on the Blu-ray/DVD for The Avengers (which hits stores on September 25th), but Marvel will show Item 47 at a special screening at Comic-Con.  The title refers to an alien gun that falls into the hands of a hard-luck couple (played by Lizzy Caplan and Jesse Bradford) after the climactic battle in The Avengers.  Two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents (Maximiliano Hernández and Titus Welliver) are tasked with getting the gun and capturing the couple, who are going on a crime-spree with their new toy.

Hit the jump for more details, and Marvel’s plans for future short films.  The 2012 San Diego Comic-Con runs from July 12 – 15th.

Focus Features announced today that production has commenced on the drama Promised Land.  The screenplay was written by Matt Damon and John Krasinski, based on a story by Dave Eggers, and the project was poised to be Damon’s directorial debut before scheduling issues forced him to vacate the director’s chair. Damon’s Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant swooped in and swiftly took over directing duties, and now filming has begun.  Focus President Jeb Brody draws some very flattering comparisons when describing the project:

“Matt and John’s script is rich in Frank Capra-esque qualities, blending humor and heart while exploring the power of community in this day and age. An actor’s director like Gus will bring forth all the emotions in the story, which is a true passion project for everyone.”

In addition to Damon and Krasinski, the cast also includes Frances McDormand, Hal Holbrook, Rosemarie DeWitt, Scoot McNairy, and Titus Welliver.  Hit the jump to read the press release, which includes a plot synopsis.

NBC has cast the lead in their drama/mystery pilot, Midnight Sun. Julia Stiles will play FBI cult specialist, Leah Kafka, as she leads an investigation into the disappearance of Midnight Sun, a cult-like, communal group living in Alaska. Stiles is joined by Emma Bell (Frozen) who plays Rory, the daughter of the cult’s leader (played by Titus Welliver of Lost). Daniella Pineda (Newlyweds) is also on board. From Deadline, the pilot, written by Lisa Zwerling (Awake), is the first series for Stiles, who has previously done a season-long guest starring arc on Showtime’s Dexter.

In other TV series news, star of Hawaii Five-O Alex O’Loughlin will be taking a short break from the CBS series reboot. Hit the jump to find out why.

Man on a Ledge will have a long and prosperous life playing on TNT for the next 134 years.  That’s not an insult.  Not every thriller needs to pump up our adrenaline, not every heist film has to dizzy our minds, and not every drama has to make us reconsider men and the ledges they stand on.  Sometimes it’s enough to simply be a fun little movie that can play in the background while you’re working on something else.  For the most part, Man on a Ledge manages to clear its modest bar but some key miscasting and wasted performances keep it from reaching the levels of The Negotiator or In the Line of Fire.

We’ve got a few casting stories for you tonight. First up, Jamie Chung has joined Rob Lowe in the dark political flick Knife Fight, with Julie Bowen, Connie Britton, Jennifer Morrison, Rebecca Mader and Titus Welliver all in talks to join the cast. And yes, that’s three actors from Lost in one movie (Bowen, Mader and Welliver). Lowe plays a political crisis specialist who plays hard and tough in dealing with various October campaign surprises.

Variety reports that Chung will play his assistant, Bowen plays an ambitious TV reporter sleeping with Lowe’s character for scoops, Britton plays an earthy liberal eyeing a run for public office, Welliver plays a private investigator working for Lowe, Mader plays a masseuse/prostitute with a penchant for blackmail and Morrison plays one of her classmates. Bill Guttentag is directing, with production set to start next month with an eye towards an October 2012 release date, just in time for election season. Hit the jump for news on the casting of Joey King as China Girl in Sam Raimi’s Oz, The Great and Powerful and Katrina Bowden in American Reunion.

Summit has announced a January 13, 2012 release date for Man on a Ledge, its upcoming heist film about, you guessed it, a man on a ledge.  Directed by Asger Leth (Ghosts of Cité Soleil), the film centers on an ex-cop (Sam Worthington) convicted of a crime he didn’t commit who stands on the ledge of a Manhattan building, threatening to kill himself.  However, unbeknownst to the cops on the scene, what appears to be a suicide attempt is in fact a cover for a massive diamond heist.

Along with Worthington, the thriller boasts an impressive cast that includes Elizabeth Banks (The Next Three Days), Jamie Bell (Jane Eyre), Edward Burns (27 Dresses), Ed Harris (The Way Back), Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), and Titus Welliver (Lost).  Read the official synopsis after the jump.

There’s a bitter pill to swallow in owning the Deadwood complete series on Blu-ray. One of the best shows ever to be on television, Deadwood ends unceremoniously. There is no sense of closure, there is no sense of a finished narrative – creator David Milch gets a twenty minute segment on the set to talk about the end of the show and expresses nothing but frustration about the show’s demise. He tries to intellectualize it, but struggles to come to grips with the euthanasia HBO performed. Alas, with an existing set and the cast of characters Deadwood had it was not a cheap show, and where The Wire was able to struggle against low ratings Deadwood fell because it never exceeded its modest but committed fanbase. But Deadwood is one of the best shows ever put to television, and I come here not to mourn its end, but celebrate its greatness. My review of Deadwood: The Complete Series on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

As I said when I posted my mini-review/video blog of Ben Affleck’s The Town:

I got to see the film at the Toronto International Film Festival.  As a huge fan of his debut movie, Gone Baby Gone, I had high hopes for his second feature about a group of bank robbers in Charlestown (a suburb of Boston) and the Federal agents after them.  Thankfully, not only did Affleck deliver a great movie, he cemented his status as a director that deserves your attention.  For more on what I thought, click here.

Anyway, with the movie getting released this weekend, Warner Bros. has released ten movie clips and you can watch them after the jump.  While I’ve seen a lot of films at this year’s TIFF, The Town is still one of the best. Definitely recommended.

Warner Bros. has released the full press kit for director Ben Affleck’s The Town and included are 41 high resolution images.  While some of them have been previously released, you’ll find a ton of new pictures if you hit the jump.

As I said when I posted our The Town giveaway, I spoke to someone that saw a screening the other day and they really liked the film.  I’m at the Toronto Film Festival as I type this intro and I’ll have a review online possibly tomorrow.  Until then.

The FX Network drama Sons of Anarchy tells the story of Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam), SAMCRO’s Vice-President and the son of John Teller, founder of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club. His mother, Gemma (Katey Sagal), is married to SAMCRO President Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman), whom she married after the death of her first husband, Jax’s father.

Just when viewers thought things couldn’t get more emotional than last season’s horrific gang rape of Gemma, the finale saw her framed for murder and on the lam, and Jax’s infant son kidnapped by a member of the IRA. The highly anticipated third season, premiering on September 7^th, picks up with the Sons reeling from the aftermath and Jax in deep turmoil over his future with the club.

During a recent interview, co-stars Charlie Hunnam and Katey Sagal talked about the intense emotions of Season 3, expanding the story internationally, and getting to live and work in a world that is dark and dangerous, but ultimately about the strength of family. Check out what they had to say after the jump: