The original Footloose is a charming relic from the 1980’s. Not a great film, it has the premise that there is a town where dancing is outlawed (based on a slightly true story). It’s a narrative hook that wouldn’t be out of place in a Mickey Rooney film, but is a good (safe) way to give teen rebels a cause. Craig Brewer – director of Hustle and Flow and Black Snake Moan – was chosen to direct the remake, and it’s a pleasant surprise to find out that he loved the original. So much so that his remake takes much from the original and updates it only slightly. As such it’s a fairly straight ahead remake; there aren’t too many narrative changes, but his work adds modest improvements across the board. Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough and Dennis Quaid star in the film, and our review of Footloose on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

A new red band spot for the Todd Phillips-produced party comedy Project X has gone online. The previous trailers have been entertaining enough, but this red band spot really brings out the “Rated R” aspect of the film. The movie looks to be sufficiently filthy, and this trailer highlights the first jokes from the film that I’ve found more than marginally funny. If the rest of the movie is like this trailer (which I assume it is), then I can definitely understand how most of the films jokes aren’t exactly age-appropriate. I’m still not on board with the whole “dwarf punching people in the balls” bit, but I think Project X takes an interesting approach to the comedy genre and Steve said he laughed his ass off, so I’m looking forward to checking it out.

Hit the jump to watch the red band spot. If you haven’t already, enter our contest to win some movie-related swag. The film stars Thomas Mann, Miles Teller, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Dax Flame, Nichole O’Connor and Alexis Knapp. Project X opens on March 2nd.

It’s been compared to Superbad and is touted as being produced by Todd Phillips, the director of The Hangover, but the time has come for Project X to grow up and stand on its own. We’ve seen a pretty encouraging trailer and now we have 4 clips from the R-rated teen comedy to let you decide amongst yourselves whether it’s the biggest party movie ever created.  I spoke to Steve after he caught an early screening and he said it’s extremely funny and absolutely rated R.  He also said it’s going to be a big hit for Warner Bros.

Directed by Nima Nourizadeh, the film stars Thomas Mann, Miles Teller, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Dax Flame, Nichole O’Connor and Alexis Knapp. Project X opens March 2th, 2012. Hit the jump to check out the clips.

Warner Bros. has released 37 images from Project X, a comedy produced by Todd Phillips (The Hangover).  Newcomer Nima Nourizadeh directed the R-rated feature that follows a group of high school seniors who throw a party that—if the trailers and these images are to believed—gets way, way out of hand.  Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown, Dax Flame, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Brady Hender, Nick Nervies, Alexis Knapp and Miles Teller star. Project X opens on March 2.  Hit the jump for the images.

Director Dylan Kidd (Roger Dodger) is attached to direct Get a Job for CBS Films, and he’s setting up a very nice cast.  Miles Teller is in negotiations to star.  Offers are out to Anna Kendrick and Bryan Cranston.  Christopher Mintz-Plasse and SNL‘s Jay Pharaoh are also in talks; Kidd’s Rodger Dodger star Jesse Eisenberg is looking to take on a cameo in the comedy.  According to Variety, the script by Kyle Pennekamp and Scott Turpel follows “a college graduate and his friends who have to lower their expectations about life as they enter the real world during a recession.” Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher (Extraordinary Measure) are producing.

After a critically acclaimed turn in Rabbit Hole and a scene-stealing supporting role in Footloose, Teller is poised for… well, an Eisenberg-level breakout.  He has two films coming up in 2012—Project X and 21 and Over—that could connect with young audiences.  Plus, acting opposite Kendrick and Cranston always looks good on a resume.  I also hope this is the first of many times we see Pharaoh pop up outside of Saturday Night Live, since the sketch show doesn’t seem to know what to do with him.

If you were a fan of The Hangover but felt that their target demographic was far too old, well you’re in luck! From producer Todd Phillips (The Hangover) comes Project X, high school’s answer to a well-meaning party that gets blown out of control. We brought you the first trailer for the film way back in November, but as this is a new year, of course we have a new trailer for you!

Directed by Nima Nourizadeh, the film stars Thomas Mann, Miles Teller, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Dax Flame, Nichole O’Connor, and Alexis Knapp. Project X opens March 12th, 2012. Hit the jump to check out the trailer and a new poster.

The first trailer for the secretive comedy Project X has been unveiled. The film was produced by The Hangover director Todd Phillips, and the project has been a bit of a mystery as Phillips compiled a cast of relative unknowns (many found through an open casting call.) for the low-budget comedy. Now we’ve got our first look at the pic, and it looks like 90 minutes of insane debauchery. It appears to be filmed in the “found-footage” style that’s so popular nowadays, but instead of catching monsters and ghosts on camera, we get naked ladies and bongs. I’m definitely intrigued to see more, as it looks like it should be a pretty wild ride. The MPAA tag alone reads like a laundry list of bad behavior.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. Directed by Nima Nourizadeh, the film stars Miles Teller, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Dax Flame, Nichole O’Connor, and Alexis Knapp. Project X opens March 12th, 2012.

I understand the allure of musicals, but the general idea behind a film with dancing as its selling point has always left me on the outside. You see, I can’t dance. At all. I can’t sing either, but singing isn’t nearly as popular as getting out on a dance floor and shaking it to some music. Yet that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying the remake of the 1984 classic Footloose. While a lot of the themes and ideas may feel fit for the current MTV generation (do they even listen to music on that channel anymore?), Craig Brewer’s version is a rocking good time that will have you tapping your toes and nodding your head. Although the plot may not win any awards, it never treads down the path of utter ineptitude as much as it might in lesser hands. The premise was always hard to swallow, yet it is pulled off with a wink, a smile, and some actual sincerity. Hit the jump for my full review.

We have a few bits of casting news to bring your way this evening. First up, Miles Teller (Rabbit Hole and the upcoming Footloose remake) has signed on to star in Relativity Media’s R-rated comedy 21 and Over. A couple of weeks ago, we reported that the up-and-coming actor was in talks to star in the film which will act as the directoral debut of The Hangover scribes Scott Moore and Jon Lucas. At that time, it was believed that Teller would play one of two childhood friends who get their straight-laced buddy trashed on his 21st birthday, a night that just so happens to be the day before his all important medical school interview. While the studio’s release doesn’t make specific mention, I suppose it could be safe to assume that Teller will in fact take on that role.

Next, Rosie Perez (White Men Can’t Jump) and Lance Reddick (Fringe) have signed on to director Daniel Barnz’s (Beastly) drama Still I Rise. The pair will join a cast that already includes Maggie Gyllenhaal, Holly Hunter, Viola Davis, and Oscar Isaac. As for their respective roles, Variety reports that Perez will play a former teacher who now heads up a school board whereas Reddick will make a turn as Davis’ husband who also happens to be a teacher. Set in Pittsburgh, Still I Rise tells the story of two mothers (Gyllenhaal and Davis) who join forces to transform an inner-city public school. The film is currently eyeing a 2012 release.

Up and coming actor Miles Teller is in negotiations to star in Relativity’s upcoming R-rated comedy 21 and Over. The film, which is described as The Hangover and Animal House-esque in style, will mark the directorial debut of Hangover scribes Scott Moore and Jon Lucas (though exactly how much of their initial script for The Hangover ended up in the actual film is a matter of debate). THR reports that the story centers on two guys who get their friend trashed for his 21^st birthday, and then must find his house in time for his med school interview the next morning during a night that “involves being hunted by a mean sorority and a juiced up male cheerleader.”

Teller is in talks to play one of the two friends, the wilder one of the bunch who instigates pretty much all the terrible things that end up happening. The actor recently starred in Rabbit Hole, and wrapped work on the Footloose remake as well as the Todd Phillips-produced top secret comedy Project X.

One article.  Two posters.  Three miles of blue sky.  Four pounds of preemptive critical acclaim.

John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole came out of the Toronto Film Festival with some buzz, particularly for Nicole Kidman’s performance opposite co-star Aaron Eckhart as the married couple returns “their everyday existence in the wake of a shocking, sudden loss.”  Dianne Wiest, Sandra Oh, and Miles Teller also star.

The Way Back is the latest from Peter Weir (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World), hence the anticipation from film buffs everywhere.  Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Mark Strong, and Saoirse Ronan star in the true story of a group of prisoners who walked over a thousand miles to escape a Siberian labor camp.

Hit the jump to check out new posters for both films.

The trailer for the drama Rabbit Hole has gone online.  Directed by John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), the film is about a mother and father (played by Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) dealing with the loss of their child.  The movie played to positive notices at the Toronto Film Festival and Nicole Kidman is picking up serious awards buzz for her performance.  I’m having trouble wrapping my mind around that since the last Kidman film I enjoyed was 2001′s The Others.  It would be nice to break that losing streak.  However, Eckhart is always reliable and I’m eager to see if Mitchell has made an honest film that doesn’t veer into the maudlin (which is pretty difficult considering the subject matter).

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Rabbit Hole opens in select theaters on December 17th.

Continuing on the journey of first look images, after the jump you can check out the first images from writer-director Mitch Glazer’s Passion Play and director John Cameron Mitchell’s (Shortbus, Hedwig and the Angry Inch) Rabbit Hole.  Passion Play stars Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox, Bill Murray, Kelly Lynch, and Rhys Ifans, while Rabbit Hole stars  Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Miles Teller, Tammy Blanchard, and Sandra Oh.

While Mitch Glazer wrote Scrooged, Great Expectations, and The Recruit, this is his first time behind the camera, so fingers crossed he’s made a solid transition.  On the other hand, John Cameron Mitchell has only made two films in the last ten years, so I’m very curious to check out what got him behind the camera again.  I just wish he hadn’t cast Nicole Kidman, as her frozen face has distracted me from enjoying her performances of late.  If this had been the Kidman of ten years ago, maybe I’d have a different opinion.  Anyway, hit the jump for the first images and the synopses:

True to his word, The Hangover director Todd Phillips stuck to a mostly unknown cast for the enigmatic college comedy he’s producing, Project X.  Pre-production has been shrouded in secrecy: we know that helming duties will be handled by commercial/music video director Nima Nourizadeh (making his feature debut), from a script by Matt Drake and Michael Bacall.  But neither an official title nor a comprehensive logline have seen the light of day.

The casting process was fairly unique: in addition to the usual in-person sessions, young actors were able to submit their own agent-free audition online.  In the end, Phillips and Co. landed on Miles Teller, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Dax Flame, Nichole O’Connor, and Alexis Knapp.  More after the jump:

After repeated false starts, it looks like Paramount’s Footloose remake is finally ready to kick off its Sunday shoes.  The studio has announced [via press release] the leading cast members of the upcoming musical.  After a nationwide search, newcomer Kenny Wormald will play the lead role of “Ren”, a young man who’s trying to bring dance and rock music to a small town that’s banned those demonic temptations.  Zac Efron was originally set to star but dropped out; he was followed by Chace Crawford, who also later dropped out along with director Kenny Ortega.  Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) then stepped in to direct and pen a new script. Ren was played in the 1984 film by Kevin Bacon.

Wormald will be joined by Julianne Hough as female lead and love-interest “Ariel”, Dennis Quaid will play antagonist “Reverend Moore”, and Ren’s friend “Willard” will be played by Miles Teller.  As we previously reported, Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) will direct.  Hit the jump to check out the press release.  Footloose is slated to hit theaters on April 1, 2011.