Jason Hall recently became quite the coveted screenwriter when his adaptation of American Sniper piqued the interest of both Bradley Cooper and Steven Spielberg, and now that Spielberg has committed to the project as his next film with Cooper in the lead role, Hall is setting up other future projects.  On that note, DreamWorks in early talks with Hall to write an adaptation of author David Finkel’s non-fiction book Thank You For Your Service.  The book examines the profound effect that the recent wars have had on the men and women in the armed services, specifically examining the effects of PTSD.  Interestingly, Spielberg is apparently mulling over the possibility of reteaming with his Lincoln star Daniel Day-Lewis on the project.  Hit the jump for more.

Whether you’re a gamer or not, if you have the slightest interest in pop culture happenings then you probably know that Microsoft announced its next-gen console, the Xbox One, earlier this week. As someone who has already decided to throw all of my console eggs into Microsoft’s basket, I was a little disappointed that my two primary questions: 1) “When can I get it?” and 2) “For how much?” weren’t answered. Nevertheless, the Interwebs are also filled with grumblings from undecided consumers who thought Microsoft’s big reveal focused too much on the other entertainment features of the One as opposed to the gaming experience (see this amusingly edited video of the announcement as an example of their frustration). Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t care less about using my Xbox to check fantasy football stats and/or being able to power the console on with my voice as opposed to the physically intensive act of pushing a button on my controller. That said, I would offer that those ready to commit to Sony’s PS4 at least give Microsoft a few weeks to roll out more details of the One’s games at E3. If we come out of that still talking about our ability to seamlessly switch between The Price is Right and a Skype call then we may have something to complain about.

If the above paragraph whetted your appetite for more console talk from a novice gamer then you’re in luck. This week’s Top 5 includes more on Microsoft’s Xbox One reveal, the final trailer for Man of Steel, The Hangover Part III interviews with Bradley Cooper and more, the U.S trailer and a couple of new posters for Edgar Wright‘s The World’s End, and Before Midnight interviews with Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy. A brief recap and link to each of the above awaits after the jump.

The Hangover feels like a franchise created by a studio rather than a storyteller.  The original film was a huge sleeper hit, and Warner Bros. wanted to chase that high.  We get sequels because audiences presumably want more, and the assumption was that we wanted to see more of Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and Alan (Zach Galifianakis), a.k.a. “The Wolfpack”.  The Hangover Part II gave audiences more of the same to the point where it felt like a remake rather than a sequel.  Once again, the filmmakers have responded not by really buckling down on a good story, but reacting to the response towards the previous movie.  This time we would get an original story—a Hangover without the hangover.  But The Hangover Part III is a case of being careful what you wish for, and even though sequels are supposed to provide more, Part III somehow gives us less.  The chemistry between the Wolfpack is diminished, the pacing is lethargic, and the humor is sporadic.  The only thing Part III gives us more of is Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) in an attempt to personify the insanity of the previous plots, but who only serves to distract from what should be the franchise’s last hurrah.

With director Todd Phillips’ comedy sequel The Hangover Part III opening this week, I recently participated in a roundtable interview with Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, and Zach Galifianakis.  In the final installment to the popular franchise, we find Stu (Helms), Phil (Cooper), and Doug (Justin Bartha) en route to taking Alan (Galifianakis) to a psychiatric hospital when the gang is side-trekked by a mysterious man (John Goodman) who kidnaps Doug and forces the wolf pack to track down Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), who stole $21 million from Goodman’s character.  As you might expect, chaos ensues.  For more on the film, watch the red band trailer or check out over forty images.

During the interview, Helms, Cooper, and Galifianakis talked about how the first Hangover changed their lives, favorite memories, weirdest moments making the films, the stronger emotional undercurrents that start to form in each film, what it was like on the last day of filming, the amount of creative freedom they have while filming, and so much more.  Hit the jump for what they had to say.

Warner Bros. has released a new red-band trailer for director Todd Phillips’ comedy sequel The Hangover Part III.  The film acts as the trilogy capper to the popular franchise, and finds Stu (Ed Helms), Phil (Bradley Cooper), and Doug (Justin Bartha) en route to taking Alan (Zach Galifianakis) to a psychiatric hospital when the gang is side-trekked by a mysterious man (John Goodman) who kidnaps Doug and forces the wolf pack to track down Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), who stole $21 million from Goodman’s character.  The first half of this new trailer is a recap of the events from the first two films, and when we finally delve into new footage it kind of feels like we’ve seen the whole movie already.  A highlight of the red-band trailer, though, is the return of Mike Epps as “Black Doug.”

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer.  The film also stars Jeffrey Tambor, Melissa McCarthy, and Heather Graham.  The Hangover Part III opens on May 23rd.

Creating the perfect mix of drama, comedy, romance, and powerful acting is often a theatrical recipe that stands just out of reach of most productions. Sometimes the drama and romance is there, but the comedic moments fall flat, or the actors give their all to a script that jumps from place to place, fostering few laughs and even fewer tears. Silver Linings Playbook, an Academy nominated film with an award-winning cast, gives audiences a full helping of laughs, tears, and embraces in amazing, yet equal measure, brought to the table by a stellar group of actors who not only made their characters lovable, but astonishingly believable.

Warner Bros. has released a bounty of high-resolution images from director Todd Phillips’ upcoming comedy sequel The Hangover Part III.  The film acts as the trilogy capper to the popular franchise, and finds Stu (Ed Helms), Phil (Bradley Cooper), and Doug (Justin Bartha) en route to taking Alan (Zach Galifianakis) to a psychiatric hospital when the gang is side-trekked when a mysterious man (John Goodman) kidnaps Doug and forces the wolf pack to track down Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), who stole $21 million from Goodman’s character.  These images tease the chaos that ensues, including the return of a more grown-up Carlos and stripper Jade (Heather Graham).

Hit the jump to check out all of the images, and if you missed our set visit coverage click here.  The film also stars Jeffrey Tambor, Melissa McCarthy, and Mike Epps.  The Hangover Part III opens on May 23rd.

It’s quite clear that Bradley Cooper is a very popular guy.  Coming off a Best Actor nomination for his work in last year’s Silver Linings Playbook, the actor has been courted for a number of projects.  He’s currently filming another movie with SLP director David O. Russell called American Hustle, he’ll star in Cameron Crowe’s next film, and he recently flirted with filling a vacated role in the troubled Western Jane Got a Gun before dropping out due to scheduling conflicts.  Now Cooper has added another project to his slate, as the long-gestating drama Chef has finally landed a director by way of ER veteran and The Company Men helmer John Wells.  Hit the jump for more, including how Cooper’s incredibly busy schedule will play out over the next year.

Yesterday’s news that Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) would be departing Gavin O’Connor’s Jane Got a Gun makes a little more sense in light of today’s news: Cooper will star in American Sniper for director Steven Spielberg.  The Oscar-nominated actor has been involved with the picture - an adaptation of the bestselling Navy SEAL autobiography - for at least a year now.  It was previously thought that Cooper would re-team with director David O. Russell for the picture, but with those two currently filming American Hustle, it looks like Spielberg has signed on for American Sniper.

The autobiography from Texan Navy SEAL Chris Kyle retells his exploits of recording the highest number of sniper kills for an American, earning himself the nickname al-Shaitan (“the devil”) from Iraqi insurgents.  Passages from Kyle’s wife, “who slowly watches as her husband’s affection turns from her to the SEALs and war,” form an emotional core.  Hit the jump for more.

Bradley Cooper, that handsome devil from those Hangover movies, is the latest casualty of Gavin O’Connor’s Jane Got a Gun.  Scheduling conflicts have forced the Oscar-nominated actor to turn tail only a month after he signed on to replace Jude Law as the film’s antagonist.  A silver lining in this news is the fact that Cooper’s part wasn’t scheduled to start filming until June anyway, so the filmmakers have a bit of time to find yet another replacement.

The film centers on the estranged wife (Natalie Portman) of an outlaw (Noah Emmerich) who harbors the man after he gets shot and defects from his gang.  While the bandits hunt him down with a mind to shoot up the family farm and put him in his grave, the wife leans on a former lover and gunfighter (Joel Edgerton) to help her stand up against the threat.  Hit the jump to get this all sorted.

Last weekend I finally had the chance to check out director Rodney Ascher‘s The Shining analysis doc Room 237 on Xbox Live. The film garnered a rave review from Matt when he screened it at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and for the most part I share his enthusiasm for the pic.  On one hand, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen and I admire it for that exact reason. The extensive scenic analysis Room 237 employs, the hypnotic score, and its refusal to show the faces of those presenting their theories makes it an absolutely captivating ride that never lets you come up for air. On the other hand, I now have to live the rest of my life looking for Stanley Kubrick‘s airbrushed face in the clouds during The Shining‘s opening scene. And when/if I ever find it, what am I supposed to do with that information? Sigh.

I could go on about the film’s individual parts, but suffice to say that I consider it required viewing for anyone with even a fleeting interest in film analysis, Kubrick, and/or The Shining. And with that I’ll move on to the reason we’re all here. In this week’s Top 5 you’ll have the pleasure of checking out a stellar new trailer and a slew of other assets from Man of Steel, our set visit recap for The Hangover Part III, the first trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, more set visit goodness for Now You See Me, and all of our CinemaCon 2013 coverage. The “Continue Reading” button below is your ticket to a brief recap and link to each of the above.

Before he earned himself an Oscar nomination, Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) got attacked by a chicken in a Tijuana flophouse.  Luckily, the chicken wasn’t real and neither was the seedy motel; they were part of the set for Warner Bros.’ film, The Hangover Part III.  Cooper was kind enough to join our group of visiting journalists for a roundtable interview in which he talked about the evolving relationships between members of the Wolfpack, filming the final installment in The Hangover trilogy, going back to Vegas, his experience with Oscar buzz and being People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man of the Year.”

The film also stars Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Heather Graham, Mike Epps and Jeffrey Tambor.  The Hangover Part III opens on May 24th and, if you haven’t seen it, you can check out the recently-released trailer here.  Hit the jump for our full interview with Cooper.

Director David O. Russell’s follow-up to last year’s crowdpleasing awards contender Silver Linings Playbook now has a title.  Previously referred to as American Bullshit, the pic is now titled American Hustle per Box Office Mojo.  The story is based on a real-life undercover sting operation called “Abscam”, which was set up in the 1980s by a con artist working for the FBI who rooted out corruption in Congress.  The film boasts an incredible ensemble cast that includes a number of Russell regulars like Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro as well as some exciting Russell newcomers like Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Michael Pena, and Jack Huston.

Russell is currently in the middle of production on American Hustle in the New York City area, and we’ve already seen a number of wildly entertaining set photos of the cast done up in their 80s garb.  The film opens in limited release on December 13th before going wide on Christmas Day, and it’s safe to assume that American Hustle will be a serious player in this year’s awards race.

A new poster has been released for The Hangover Part III along with a new international poster for The Wolverine.  The Hangover poster has the wolf pack dressed to kill, or at least bludgeon severely.  Also, I just realized that Stu’s face tattoo was gone.  I’ll chalk that up to A) The Hangover Part II being incredibly forgettable, and B) I don’t think laser tattoo-removal has reached the point where it wouldn’t leave any trace of a scar.  People who have had tattoos removed: is that possible?  As for The Wolverine poster, it’s not great, but it’s miles better than the other posters except for the teaser.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  The Hangover Part III opens on May 24th.  The Wolverine opens in 3D on July 26th.

[This is a re-post of my review from the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.  The Place Beyond the Pines opens tomorrow in wide release.]

Writer-director Derek Cianfrance‘s The Place Beyond the Pines is a rich, multi-layered narrative dripping with fatalism, guilt, honor, and no easy answers. It is an epic family saga that defies easy explanation, and rebels against the structure of a traditional narrative. His gripping tale shows split-second connections that last lifetimes, and old sins that reach across generations. Cianfrance has created a remarkable work that reaches a grand ambition with an intimate tale. And I have to tell you why it works without divulging the twists and turns of its razor-sharp script.