All Articles by Matt Currie

Mark Ruffalo Joins Scarlett Johansson in CAN A SONG SAVE YOUR LIFE?

Posted: February 3rd, 2012 at 1:33 pm

Can a song save your life? That’s the question asked by Can A Song Save Your Life? Another query it posed today: can Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers) pretend to like Scarlett Johansson’s singing. The Oscar-nominated actor has just signed up to play the male lead in director John Carney’s follow-up to his breakthrough musical Once, which brought gruff Irishman Colin Farrell to tears when it won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2007. The film stars Johansson (who no doubt swiped this role from the angry clutches of Gwyneth Paltrow) as a bright-eyed bumpkin who moves to New York with her boyfriend to pursue her dream of becoming a big-time fancy singer; after the boyfriend hits it big and dumps her, she’s relegated to singing alone at a bar, where a down and out music producer (Ruffalo) is drawn to her “raw talent and inspiring authenticity.” Hit the jump for more, including a full press release.

Red-Band Trailer for Bobcat Goldthwait’s GOD BLESS AMERICA

Posted: January 28th, 2012 at 10:58 am

Twisted young talent Bobcat Goldthwait was one of the premier stand-ups of the 1980s. Sadly, when it came time to do movies, his awkward, is-someone-murdering-a-cat delivery didn’t translate too far outside the Police Academy series. But a few years ago, something unexpected happened: the loud, spastic comedian morphed into a quietly acclaimed writer and director of pitch black comedies like the sublime World’s Greatest Dad.

God Bless America may be his blackest yet, as evidenced by a very red-band trailer that’s surfaced online. It’s the tale of Frank (Mad Men’s Joel Murray), a middle-aged man who spends his days toiling in exhausted apathy amidst the cultural decay and all-around douchiness of the world; he’s disenfranchised to the point of near-suicide, but instead decides to take his 9mm on a killing spree to eradicate as many vacuous, double-parking assholes as he can before a brain tumour takes him out. Joining him is a like-minded 16 year-old girl. Fair warning: clips like this are pretty much the reason the red-band was invented…well, that and dick jokes.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer. Also be sure to check out our two reviews on the film, by Matt Goldberg and Phil Brown.

THE BLIND SIDE Director John Lee Hancock to Helm John Grisham Adaptation THE PARTNER

Posted: January 27th, 2012 at 4:08 pm

Directing a Best Picture nominee (even one that’s only there because they had a few extra spaces on the ballot) will always be a sizable chip for advancing one’s career. Today comes news that The Blind Side helmer John Lee Hancock is cashing his in to write and direct New Regency’s The Partner.  It’s an adaptation of the 1997 John Grisham novel about a jaded Mississippi lawyer Patrick Lanigan who, after four years on the run, is brought back to the US to answer for a laundry list of crimes including defrauding the government; as his attorney tries to build a defense, the real story of how Patrick faked his own death, stole a bunch of money and stayed one step ahead of the folks you inevitably piss of by faking your own death and stealing lots of money is gradually revealed. Per Deadline, this will be Hancock’s next film, even if he does happen to sign on for Highwaymen, a drama about retired cops tracking down Bonnie and Clyde that he’s been kicking the tires on.

No word yet on when The Partner will be making it to the silver screen, but an ill-conceived NBC TV adaptation is probably being tentatively scheduled for 2032. Hit the jump to read a synopsis for the novel.

Danny Boyle’s 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony to Be Inspired by Shakespeare’s THE TEMPEST

Posted: January 27th, 2012 at 2:53 pm

The 2012 Olympics are coming down the pike with English director Danny Boyle (28 Days Later) serving as creative director of the opening ceremonies in London. Because once you’ve shut the city down and maestro-ed a mob of rabid pseudo-zombies through its streets, a bunch of athletes waving flags or whatever is child’s play.

Speaking to the press today, Boyle unveiled that his plans for the commencement would be heavily inspired by The Tempest, an announcement that was met with considerable belligerence and numerous faintings amongst the assembled mob, until the Oscar-winner clarified that he did not mean the 2010 Julie Taymor film. Rather, the £27-million opener (dubbed “Isles of Wonder”) will channel the classic Shakespearean play, specifically the character Caliban’s opening speech. Hit the jump for more from Boyle on what to expect on the big day.

25 New Images from GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE Starring Nicolas Cage

Posted: January 27th, 2012 at 1:10 pm

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, the sequel that no one wanted but which we will all nonetheless watch at least once in our lives to see Nicholas Cage pissing fire, hits theatres next month. In anticipation, the interwebs were flooded with a torrent of images from the film, featuring a heavily tattooed (and apparently still-alive) Christopher Lambert, helmers Mark Neveldine and Bryan Taylor (Crank) making a scene ten times more awesome by directing it on rollerblades, and Cage’s CGI alter-ego not only pissing fire, but vomiting it. Hit the jump for a bevy of images (some of which we’ve seen before) from Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

Darren Aronofsky’s NOAH May Start Filming in July Eying a Fall 2013 Release; New Details on the Film’s Villain

Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 1:51 pm

In a world rife with sin, where evil men run rampant over a decaying earth, God has no choice but to purify his creation with the waters of heaven. But amidst the debauchery and chaos of a poisoned planet, there is one man, a weary warrior turned to peace, who is worthy of a chance at salvation. His name is Noah (Bum bum bum ba bum….bum bum bum ba bum). That’s the fairly kickass premise of Darren Aronofsky’s long-gestating pre- (but aesthetically post-) apocalyptic epic Noah, which may, as we learn today, finally start shooting this summer in anticipation of a Fall 2013 release. Hit the jump for more, including information regarding the film’s “big villain.”

Anton Yelchin in Talks to Join Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen in VERY GOOD GIRLS; Chandler Canterbury and Boyd Holbrook Set to Join THE HOST

Posted: January 21st, 2012 at 5:01 pm

Most child actors fail to overcome the chronic, debilitating condition of becoming less and less child-like. Similarly, many siblings of more famous performers struggle to be taken even a little bit seriously. Fortunately, two shining exceptions to the rule are set to team up and show us that it’s not all marijuana-fuelled car crashes and uncomfortable SNL hoe-downs. Former pint-sized dynamo Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds) and current indie it-girl Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) were first linked to the drama Very Good Girls in May; Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) is now in talks to join them. The directorial debut of Naomi Foner (writer of Losing Isaiah) will spin the tale of two lifelong friends (Fanning and Olsen) who, following high-school graduation, vow to lose their virginity before the summer ends; naturally, both end up falling for Yelchin, which threatens to irreparably damage their friendship.

Hit the jump for more on Very Good Girls and casting news on the hotly anticipated adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s The Host.

TERRI Blu-ray Review

Posted: December 19th, 2011 at 7:00 am

It’s rare to find a film that delves, with minimal flinching, into what it means to be an outcast. Most of the time, such explorations are tempered with a healthy dose of quirk and whimsy (see: Lars & the Real Girl, Garden State) to make things more palatable. But though it does involve some quirk, complete with oddball characters and a pretty, sort-of-hipster-looking chick, Azazel Jacobs’ Terri commendably drops the whimsy for stark, ugly reality.

Jacob Wysocki stars in the titular role, an overweight, friendless high school student, who, amidst the hum-drum of caring for his dementia-stricken uncle (The Office’s Creed Bratton) and the soul-numbing verbal abuse from classmates, takes to wearing pajamas to school every day. This fairly on-the-nose uniform of the world-weary gets him noticed by John C. Reilly’s concerned guidance counselor, who makes Terri his personal project. Hit the jump for our review of Terri on Blu-ray.

GAME OF THRONES Star Kit Harington Lands King Arthur Role in ARTHUR & LANCELOT

Posted: November 18th, 2011 at 1:54 pm

The odds of his character Jon Snow emerging victorious from the game of thrones on HBO’s Game of Thrones aren’t terribly promising; I mean, he doesn’t have any dragons or even a stable of prostitutes. But Kit Harington isn’t going to let that stop him from wearing a crown and stuff, as the young Brit has just booked his first starring film role, signing on to play King Arthur in writer-director David Dobkin’s forthcoming Arthur and Lancelot. Per Variety’s Showblitz blog, the 24-year-old thesp beat out Sam Claflin (The Pillars of the Earth) and Thrones co-star Richard Madden (aka Snow’s half-brother Robb Stark, aka King of the motherfucking North) in the screen-testing phase. Personally, I think Madden has more of a King Arthur vibe about him on the show, but I’m not complaining.

Harington joins Joel Kinnaman (standout on AMC’s The Killing), who was recently cast as Lancelot. The project is expected to begin shooting sometime in early 2012. Steve recently sat down with Dobkin, who spoke a bit about his plans for the film. Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

SYMPATHY FOR DELICIOUS Blu-ray Review

Posted: October 20th, 2011 at 7:24 am

The long-in-development directorial debut of Mark “the Fourth Avenger” Ruffalo, Sympathy For Delicious tells the story of a gifted DJ who’s fallen on hard times in the wake of an accident that’s left him confined to a wheelchair. Living out of his car, relying on the charity of a do-gooding priest (Ruffalo), things are pretty bleak for Delicious D (that’s his name!) until he finds that he has the power to heal the sick with a laying on of hands—a power that  cannot be applied to his own devastating malady. Further embittered by this cruel twist of fate, D nonetheless offers his healing hands to the downtrodden masses of the streets, but it isn’t long before an opportunistic indie rock band offers him a second shot at stardom if he’ll exploit his gift on-stage for a lucrative music/evangelism fest called Healapalooza. But does his salvation lie in the soulless glow of the limelight or back in the squalor of skid row?

Writer-star Christopher Thornton gets points for a divertingly quirky set-up and for treading into some intriguing conceptual territory. Unfortunately, we’ll have to dock more than a few for the flick’s overriding incoherence and the insurmountable fact that, in the end, Delicious D just ain’t all that sympathetic. Hit the jump for the full review.

First Trailer for ANSWERS TO NOTHING Starring Dane Cook and Elizabeth Mitchell

Posted: October 5th, 2011 at 2:41 pm

Hey gang: Who’s up for another Dane Cook departure into serious acting? Well, you’re getting one anyway. The trailer for Answers To Nothing, the popular comic’s latest venture outside Good Luck Chuck territory, has been released. Set in Los Angeles, the film is a sombre ensemble drama about an unrelated (or so you think!) array of people “trying to do the right thing.” Cook plays a man conflicted about cheating on his wife with a cool rocker chick, while the search for a missing child and a seemingly very distraught beat cop also factor into things. Based on the trailer, it comes off a bit like a darker, less cohesive Crash.

Directed and co-written by Matthew Leutwyler (Dead and Breakfast, or more recently The River Why), the pic features a solid group of mostly TV thesps, including Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost) as Cook’s wife, Barbara Hershey (Black Swan) as Cook’s mother, Julie Benz (Dexter) as a police detective, and Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights) as someone who doesn’t appear to be in the trailer. Distributed by Roadside Attractions, Answers to Nothing will begin a limited theatrical run on December 2. Hit the jump to check out the trailer.

First Look at Ben Affleck and Alan Arkin from the Set of ARGO

Posted: September 8th, 2011 at 10:26 am

Ben Affleck’s underway on his latest acting/directing gig—the fact-based, 70s-set political thriller Argo, which focuses on a CIA agent trying to extract six Americans trapped in Iran at the height of the Iranian revolution. This in mind, a few pics of the bearded, bell-bottomed star on the film’s Los Angeles set have surfaced online. While they don’t reveal too much, we do get to see Affleck conversing with co-star Alan Arkin and whipping those bulging pecs and deltoids left over from The Town into ‘70s shape with a regimen of purple Gatorade and cigarettes.

Hit the jump to check out the images and for more on Argo.

Denis Leary to Play George Stacy in SPIDER-MAN Reboot

Posted: November 17th, 2010 at 7:20 pm

Yes, director Marc Webb’s reboot of Spider-Man just got a little angrier. According to Heat Vision, Denis Leary, the popular Rescue Me actor and admitted asshole (seriously, he wrote a song about it), is about to step into the role of George Stacy, police captain and father of main Spidey squeeze Gwen Stacy.

Leary joins a cast that already includes Andrew Garfield as the titular web-slinger, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors (a.k.a The Lizard), Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben, and Sally Field as Aunt May. The as-yet-untitled flick is slated for release in 2012. Hit the jump for more on what you can expect out of George Stacy.

SOPRANOS Creator David Chase’s Music Drama Gets Cast; Steven Van Zandt Will Produce and Supervise Music

Posted: October 16th, 2010 at 8:05 am

Since he turned out the lights on The Sopranos back in 2007, creator David Chase has taken a break from crafting utterly transcendent television (I imagine its very tiring). However, he’s on the comeback trail with not one, but two very intriguing projects. The first is an in-development HBO mini-series called A Ribbon of Dreams about the early days of Hollywood. The second is the Emmy-winning writer’s big screen directorial debut, for which we have an update.

It’s been announced that the film, a “music-driven coming of age story set in 1960’s suburbia,” will star John Magaro (My Soul to Take), Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire, Twilight: Eclipse) and newcomer Will Brill. Moreover, Sopranos actor Steven Van Zandt (aka Sil Dante), who also happens to be the lead guitarist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, has signed on to produce and supervise the film’s music, while serving as an exec producer—a pretty kickass consigliere, no?

Set to be released by Paramount Vantage, production on the pic gets rolling in New York this January. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Doc Brown Returns in TIME, THE FOURTH DIMENSION

Posted: September 24th, 2010 at 3:09 pm

Glorious news! Apparently, Christopher Lloyd really enjoyed his recent trip back to eccentric genius-ville in Piranha 3D, because the 71-year old actor has signed up for yet another riff on his iconic Back to the Future character in 3D Entertainment Films’ Time, The Fourth Dimension. Per Variety, the 45-minute 3D offering will feature Lloyd as a distinctively kooky scientist blazing new trails through space and time.

Jean-Jacques Mantello (OceanWorld 3D) and Richard Gabai (Insight) will co-direct Time, with a release set for spring 2012.  The film is one of a new line of movies set to be released by 3D Entertainment.

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