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.

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for The Hangover Part III.  The first trailer almost made the movie look like an action flick, but now we’re getting a look at the comedy and the plot.  In the series’ final installment, Stu (Ed Helms), Phil (Bradley Cooper), and Doug (Justin Bartha) are taking Alan (Zach Galifianakis) to a psychiatric hospital, but 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.  There are some good laughs in here, so hopefully the trilogy will go out on a high note.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer and to check out a few new posters.  The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Heather Graham, John Goodman, Mike Epps, Mike Tyson, and Jeffrey Tambor.  The Hangover Part III opens on May 24th.

This morning we’ve got a set photo round-up for your viewing pleasure:

• Need for Speed – The adaptation of the popular video game series is going to have some absolutely sick cars.  Even the sheriff has a sweet ride.  The film opens March 14, 2014 and stars Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Kid Cudi, Ramon Rodriguez, Rami Malik, Harrison Gilbertson, and Michael Keaton.
• Heat – The story enters on Nick Escalante (Jason Statham), a compulsive gambler on the streets of Vegas who takes odd jobs providing “security” to support his addiction.  The film also stars Sofia Vergara and Michael Angarano.
• Untitled Abscam Movie – David O. Russell’s film is based a real-life undercover sting operation called “Abscam”, which was set up in the late 70s-early 80s by a con artist working for the FBI who rooted out corruption in Congress.  The film stars Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Elisabeth Rohm, Alessandro Nivola, and Louis CK.  The film opens December 13th.

Hit the jump to check out the set photos.

The first TV spot for Todd Phillips’ The Hangover Part III is now available.  The short teaser shows glimpses of where the Wolfpack is headed for the concluding chapter in their trilogy and it ain’t all in Vegas.  Instead of a bachelor party blowout or a wedding to attend at the last second, the guys appear to start off at a funeral before participating in a prison riot, running for their lives in the desert and buying a giraffe.  Classic.

Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Jeffrey Tambor and John Goodman, The Hangover Part III opens May 24th.  Hit the jump to watch the TV spot.

Although the production of Jane Got a Gun got off on the wrong foot, the Western is now getting a shot in the arm with Oscar-nominated star Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) stepping in.  Cooper would replace Jude Law who exited the picture soon after director Lynne Ramsay surprised everyone by not showing up on the film’s first day of production.  Gavin O’Connor (Warrior) soon stepped in to helm the picture instead.  If there’s as much drama and intrigue on the screen as behind the scenes, this is going to be one helluva film.

Jane Got a Gun also stars Natalie Portman and Joel Edgerton.  Hit the jump for more.

Focus Features has released a new poster and images for Derek Cianfrance‘s The Place Beyond the Pines.  The film centers on a generational conflict involving two fathers: one a pro-motorcycle rider and bank robber (Ryan Gosling) and a rookie cop on the rise (Bradley Cooper).  This was one of my favorite films at TIFF 2012, and I’m glad that general audiences are very close to seeing it.

Hit the jump to check out the poster and images.  The film also stars Eva Mendes, Ray Liotta, Ben Mendelsohn, Rose Byrne, Emory Cohen, and Dane DeHaan.  The Place Beyond the Pines opens Friday in limited release.

Warner Bros. has released a batch of new high-resolution images from some upcoming summer films.  Briefly:

• The Hangover Part III – A new image from Todd Phillips’ trilogy-closer teases a familiar scene as Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, and Ed Helms ride an elevator.  The film opens on May 24th.
• The Great Gatsby – A couple of new images from director Baz Luhrmann’s colorful adaptation highlight Leonardo DiCaprio’s titular character flanked by his new friends.  The film also stars Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, and Joel Edgerton and opens in 3D on May 10th.
• The Conjuring – Director James Wan’s new horror film debuted a ridiculously creepy teaser trailer earlier last month, and these new images feature Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s psychic investigator characters.  The film also stars Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston and opens on July 19th.
• Getaway – A new image from this car-set thriller gives us a canted look at Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez’s lead characters.  The film opens on August 30th.

Hit the jump to check out the images and synopses.