A couple of interesting acquisitions have been announced.  First up, Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions—known for its small budget, big profit model with the Paranormal Activity films and Insidious—has acquired a found footage movie called Peachfuzz, produced by the incredibly hard working brothers Mark and Jay Duplass.  Plot details on the project are being kept under lock and key, but Mark stars in the film that centers on a young man who answers a Craigslist ad “and gets much more than he bargained for.”  Production on the Patrick Brice film has already wrapped.

Hit the jump for news regarding writer/director Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring, starring Emma Watson.

The first clip and poster for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg‘s directorial debut, the apocalypse comedy This Is the End, has been released online.  It’s perfect timing, as tomorrow may or may not be the end of the world as we know it, so keep in mind that this could be the only piece of footage from This Is the End that your eyes will see before an unholy Mayan apocalypse engulfs us all.  It’d be a shame if the world did end tomorrow, though, because This Is the End looks fantastic.  Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride all play themselves in the aftermath of the apocalypse to hilarious results, with plenty of self-referential comedy to go around.  McBride in particular is excellent in this clip, and if this is any indication of what the full film is like, then This Is the End will be the must-see comedy of next summer.

Hit the jump to watch the clip which features a timely introduction by Rogen and Franco, and to check out the film’s poster and a new image.  The film also stars Jason Segel, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, David Krumholtz, Paul Rudd, Martin Starr, Mindy Kaling, Kevin Hart, and Rihanna.  This Is the End opens on June 14, 2013.

As Hurricane Sandy bears down on the Northeast, a somewhat odd twist has occurred regarding an upcoming film.  As we’ve previously reported, Darren Aronofsky‘s Noah, based on the biblical story, is filming in Oyster Bay, New York.  It’s not a bad location, and one that makes sense since hurricanes almost never hit the Northeast, and certainly not at this time of year.  Aronofsky built his ark to the measurements outlined in the bible in terms of the height and width, but the L.A. Times is reporting that the ark has been partially dismantled as a precautionary measure.  The ark, which is outdoors, is “450 feet long and 75 feet tall and 45 feet wide, was not intended to be seaworthy,” and let’s be fair: authenticity should only have to go so far.  The Times continues that if the storm hits the set, flood repairs may have to be organized.

The irony of the situation was not lost on Aronofsky, cinematographer Matthew Libatique, or stars Russell Crowe and Emma Watson, according to her Twitter.  God could not be reached for comment.  Noah opens on March 14, 2014.

How does one dress for a mass exodus onto a giant wooden ark that will be surrounded by rising flood waters for an indefinite period of time?  Why, with homemade t-shirts, head wraps and fashionable boots!  At least that’s what the cast of Darren Aronofsky’s Noah was wearing in these recent set photos.  The images show off Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson in costume on their way to/from set, along with titular star Russell Crowe short-sleeved and bearded.  If you haven’t seen it yet, check out an image of the finished ark here; drafty!

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film stars also stars Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth, Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Durand, Martin Csokas and Mark Margolis.  Noah opens March 28, 2014.

For the first time, I’m writing from the comfort of my newly remodeled “mancave” or, as my wife likes to lovingly refer to it, the “nerdcave”. For a space that used to be an attached garage/dungeon, I have to say that the end result is pretty cozy. I guess there really are no living quarters that a substantial amount of time, money, and framed movie prints can’t fix. Now, if only I could find a way to fit and/or afford a mini-fridge, classic stand-up arcade games (i.e. The Simpsons, and X-Men), theater-style seating, and a projection screen that comes down from the ceiling via hand-clap command, I may finally be able to fulfill my dream of never leaving home again.

All praises of my new space aside, this week’s incarnation of the Top 5 brings a look back at our Fantastic Fest 2012 coverage, Looper interviews with writer/director Rian Johnson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt, The Avengers Blu-ray interviews with members of the pic’s visual effects team, The Perks of Being a Wallflower interviews with Emma Watson, writer/director Stephen Chbosky and more, and Hotel Transylvania interviews with Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez just to name a few. As you might expect, a brief recap and link to each is holding down the fort after the jump.

Now playing in limited release and expanding next weekend is Stephen Chbosky’s fantastic movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  Chbosky wrote the adaptation of his own novel and also directed the feature.  In the film, Logan Lerman plays an introverted high school freshman who finds acceptance in two senior students, played by Emma Watson and Ezra Miller.  The film also stars Mae Whitman, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, Nina Dobrev, and Paul Rudd.  Over the past few years I’ve seen a number of coming of age movies.  Usually they play out the same way and touch on the same themes.  What makes Perks so special is that it tackles serious issues with honestly and believability.  In addition, all the actors are great and it’s Lerman’s best work to date.  I strongly recommend checking it out.

At the Toronto International Film Festival Perks premiered to glowing reviews.  Shortly before the premiere I spoke to Emma Watson and Stephen Chbosky.  They talked about what it means to premiere at TIFF, how they collaborated to make sure everything felt real, and more.  In addition, Chbosky reveals 15 minutes of deleted scenes should be on the Blu-ray.  Hit the jump to watch.

September turns out to be D-Day for sexy Blu-ray sets. Even with the unfortunate delay of The Avengers Phase 1, we’ve still got giant collections for Titanic, James Bond, Indiana Jones and Alfred Hitchcock. The good people at Warner Bros – prepping the Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection to kick off the fun – likely realized early on that they needed to bring their A-game to compete, especially with the series so recently ending and a glut of other Potter DVDs and Blu-rays readily available. Looking at the new set, however, “A-game” is an understatement. It’s more like “exercising the nuclear option.” Good luck making a splash with this 600-pound gorilla in the room. Hit the jump for my full review.

The indie coming-of-age drama is a plague on the indie festival, and Stephen Chbosky‘s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is the cure.  In place of the quirky, self-centered protagonist is a lonely, scared individual who finds the courage to greet the world with wonder rather than malaise.  In place of contrived conflict designed to occupy a sad and droll life, Perks tackles serious issues that would be difficult for anyone to face, let alone teenagers.  Free from a twee character and a lazy script, actor Logan Lerman delivers a wonderful, eye-opening performance in Chbosky’s big-hearted and finely crafted adaptation of his 1999 novel.

The most successful film franchise of all time will be available on home video in one nifty box set early next week with the release of the Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection, and a devoted fan has put together a rather impressive video retrospective to mark the occasion.  Titled “Mischief Managed,” the video goes through all eight film adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s wondrous series, with scenes accompanied by the franchise’s various scores.  It’s a great watch for Harry Potter fans, but it’s also interesting to see the different directors’ visions back-to-back.  The story gets dark quite fast, but it’s neat to see it progress from the colorful, faithful touch of Chris Columbus on the first two films, to Alfonso Cuaron’s inventive and playful twist on Azkaban, to the bombastic Britishness of Mike Newell’s Goblet of Fire, and finally David Yates’ grounded yet haunting stamp on the final four films.

Hit the jump to watch the fan-made video retrospective.  The Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection will be available on September 7th.

A new clip from The Perks of Being a Wallflower has gone online.  I read the book last week, and I think I would have loved it if I had read it when I was fifteen.  That’s not to say it’s a bad book, but it does seem designed to speak directly to people in the age range of 13 to 17-years-old.  My biggest curiosity about the movie is that author Stephen Chbosky has adapted his own novel, and some of his book may not easily translate to the big screen.  For example, the protagonist, Charlie (Logan Lerman), cries all the time in the novel.  In this new clip, he’s toasted by friends Patrick (Ezra Miller) and Sam (Emma Watson) for being a wallflower.  In the book, he starts crying, and here, he’s dry-eyed, which is probably for the best since it would probably look kind of silly.

Hit the jump to check out the clip.  The film also stars Mae Whitman, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, Nina Dobrev, and Paul Rudd.  I plan to catch The Perks of Being a Wallflower when it plays at the Toronto International Film Festival; it opens in the U.S. on September 21st.

If you enjoyed the first round of images from Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, you’ll enjoy today’s post as we have fifteen more shots to share with you.  Chbosky wrote the adaptation of his own novel and also directed the feature, which is a coming-of-age story that touches on all the keystones of adolescence.  Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Mae Whitman, Paul Rudd, Dylan McDermott, Nina Dobrev and Ezra Miller, The Perks of Being a Wallflower opens September 21st.  Hit the jump to check out the new images.

Check out the latest shuffling of release dates below:

• Oblivion, from director Joseph Kosinski and starring Tom Cruise and Olga Kurylenko, has been moved up a week from April 26th, 2013 to April 19th, 2013.  The film will screen exclusively in IMAX for one week starting on April 12th.
• Rush, the Forumula 1 racing picture from Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth has a new release date of September 20th, 2013.
• Mama, a horror film directed by Andres Muschietti and produced by Guillermo del Toro, has been pushed from October of this year to January 18th, 2013.  The picture stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Jessica Chastain.
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower, from writer/director Stephen Chbosky and starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson, has been pushed back a week from September 14th to September 21st of this year.

Hit the jump for more on each picture.

A new clip from the upcoming Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection Blu-ray and DVD has made it online, featuring Daniel Radcliff (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron) and director Alfonso Cuarón discussing the third film the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which Cuarón took over after original director Chris Columbus stepped down.  The clip is part of an epic collection that will span 31 discs, available September 7th.  However, if you want a piece of it immediately, your orders have to be in by Harry’s birthday (meaning today): July 31st.

The film discussed in the clip is a polarizing one for fans, some of whom (myself included) see it as an artistic achievement, and though it is long, it’s exceptionally engaging.  Others simply find it just long, too artsy, and very dark (especially compared to the first two films in the series).  To see the video and learn more behind-the-scenes info about the film and the upcoming collection, hit the jump.  Also, get the scoop on the all-new Harry Potter Reading Club.

The jaw-dropping lineup for the upcoming Toronto Film Festival was announced this morning, and a number of images and synopses have been released for films that will be screening at the prestigious fest.  Briefly, here’s a batch of new images:

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Directed by Stephen Chbosky) Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Nina Dobrev, Melanie Lynskey, Paul Rudd, and Dylan McDermott.
• Jayne Mansfield’s Car (Directed by Billy Bob Thornton) Starring Thornton, Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon, and John Hurt.
• The Impossible (Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona) Starring Naomi Watts, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, and Ewan McGregor.
• Byzantium (Directed by Neil Jordan) Starring Gemma Arterton, Saoirse Ronan, Sam Riley, and Jonny Lee Miller.

Hit the jump to check out the images and synopses.

Early reports have it that Jennifer Connelly (Requiem for a Dream) is in talks to star as Noah’s wife Naamah, in Black Swan-director Darren Aronofsky’s Noah.  Connelly would star opposite Russell Crowe (Gladiator) in the title role with Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) as the film’s antagonist.  We’re previously reported that Connelly and Julianne Moore were under consideration for the role, but the developing story has the former in the lead.  Crowe and Connelly formerly starred as husband and wife in Ron Howard’s 2001 drama, A Beautiful Mind. Connelly, of course, previously worked with Aronofsky in 2000′s dark drama, Requiem for a Dream. Hit the jump for more on Noah.