David Lowery‘s confident feature Ain’t Them Bodies Saints lives between old life and a new beginning; between past crimes and future punishment; between the intimate and the distant.  But for me, the emotions fall through the beautiful cinematography, lyrical music, and excellent performances.  This is the X-factor of any viewer: an emotional connection we struggle to explain.  Lowery has made a strong movie, and one that will put him on the radar of everyone who sees Ain’t Them Bodies Saints.  But for reasons I have difficulty articulating, I couldn’t feel anything from his gorgeous film.

Casey Affleck and screenwriter Chuck Maclean just pitched Boston Strangler, a thriller about the serial killer charged with the murder of fourteen women in the early 1960s, to Warner Bros.  Know how you just thought to yourself, “Yeah, I’d watch that.”  Warner Bros. thought the same thing and bought the pitch.  According to Deadline, the script by Maclean will view the case through the perspective of “an ambitious detective who is willing to risk career and life in a race to bring down the most notorious sexual predator of the day, while battling a political cover-up by corrupt politicians and lawyers trying to save their careers.”  In addition to producing, Affleck is looking to star the detective in the “Strangler Squad” who investigated the crimes.  Kevin McCormick (Gangster Squad) will produce through his Langley Park banner.

Hit the jump for more on the murder (or possibly murderers?) known as the Boston Strangler.

The Sundance Film Festival recently announced the promising lineups for a few of the festival’s categories, and we’ve now got the first images from some films that will be playing in competition as part of the U.S. Dramatic category.  Briefly:

• Afternoon Delight – Written and directed by Jill Soloway, starring Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor, and Jane Lynch.
• Ain’t Them Bodies Saints – Written and directed by David Lowery, starring Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Nate Parker, and Keith Carradine.
• C.O.G. – Written and directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, starring Jonathan Groff, Denis O’Hare, Corey Stoll, Dean Stockwell, Casey Wilson, and Troian Bellisario.
• Concussion – Written and directed by Stacie Passon, starring Robin Weigert, Maggie Siff, Jonathan Tchaikovsky, Julie Fain Lawrence, Emily Kinney, and Laila Robins.

Hit the jump to check out the images and synopses.  The 2013 Sundance Film Festival runs January 17 – 27.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are plotting a reunion of sorts.  Per THR, he duo are teaming up to produce the drama Race to the South Pole for Warner Bros. with Casey Affleck attached to star.  The film tells the true story of two explorers—Englishman Robert Falcon Scott and Norwegian Roald Amundsen—and their pursuit to be the first person to reach the South Pole in the early 1900s.  The race was an international sensation, but the end result wasn’t exactly an entirely happy conclusion.  Casey Affleck is attached to star as Scott, but the report doesn’t state whether Ben or Damon might step in as Amundsen.

Affleck and Damon have been working for a few years to find a project on which to reunite.  Affleck is currently slated to direct a biopic of crime boss Whitey Bulger with Damon starring, but both actors have plenty on their plate at the moment.  Damon co-wrote, produced, and starred in the upcoming Promised Land for Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant, and Affleck is developing an adaptation of The Stand to direct on top of gearing up for the release of his latest directorial effort, Argo.

Crash writer/director Paul Haggis is setting up his next project, Third Person, and as always is assembling a nice ensemble.  Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde signed on to star, and The Wrap reports that Mila Kunis has come on board.  Moreover, James Franco and Casey Affleck are in negotiations to join the cast.  Haggis says the story is “about three story lines, three love stories, three relationships in three different cities that combine in a very odd way: New York, Paris, Rome.”  Neeson is a journalist and Wilde is a New York gossip columnist, but details have yet to surface for the other roles.  Haggis and Co. are gearing up to shoot Third Person starting in mid-October with a budget of $28 million financed by Corsan Films.

Kunis and Franco teamed up for Disney’s March 2013 tentpole Oz the Great And Powerful, which you can see a brief glimpse of in the trailer.  Or if you prefer, a longer look at their on-screen chemistry in this parody of The Hills.

With directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell’s ParaNorman opening in a couple weeks, we’ve been given some swag to send off to one lucky reader.  The 3D stop-motion picture centers on a young boy who can see the dead and must use this gift to lift a curse that threatens his small town.  ParaNorman features the voices of Kodi-Smit McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, John Goodman, Casey Affleck, Leslie Mann, Jodelle Ferland and more.  The stop-motion animated flick opens August 17th.  Hit the jump to see how you can win some swag.

We previously brought you these six new clips from the upcoming 3D, stop-motion animated film, ParaNorman, but now we can give you a quick look at how the feature came together.  This behind-the-scenes featurette gives you an idea of the technology involved (3D printing of character molds), the meticulous nature of filming each individual scene and the sheer manpower involved with pulling off a feature of this complexity.

ParaNorman, directed by Chris Butler and Sam Fell, and starring the vocal talents of Kodi Smit-McPhee, John Goodman, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Casey Affleck, Leslie Mann and Jeff Garlin, opens in 3D on August 17th.  Hit the jump to check out the behind-the-scenes time-lapse video.

The visually stunning ParaNorman opens in theaters August 17th, but we have six new clips to tease you with today.  If you missed Steve’s set visit to LAIKA studios, do yourself a favor and check it out.  The technology and man-power involved in the making of this 3D, stop-motion animated adventure comedy is astonishing.  The following clips highlight the film’s technical beauty and give glimpses of its characters, plot and humor.

ParaNorman, from directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell, features the voices of Kodi-Smit McPhee, Casey Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman and Alex Borstein. Hit the jump to view the clips.

Baseball star Josh Hamilton’s life story has enough ups and downs to make for a compelling narrative feature, and it appears that Casey Affleck is game to make it happen.  Hamilton has entrusted his life rights to producer Basil Iwanyk and Thunder Road for Affleck to write and direct a feature film based on his story.  Hamilton’s ability to throw a 96mph fast ball by the age of 15 turned heads in the right places, and he was eventually chosen as the first pick in the 1999 MLB draft.  He signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but succumbed to alcohol and cocaine abuse following a car accident that seriously injured his back.  Hit the jump for more.

The stop-motion animated film ParaNorman already boasts cutting-edge visuals, but new viral newsletters serve to flesh out the story of the characters behind the puppets.  ParaNorman centers on the title character, voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee, a gifted but misunderstood young boy who has the power to speak to the ghostly residents of his hometown of Blithe Hollow.  We’ve already seen the gorgeous character and scene work in these images, TV spots, posters and trailers; Steve got an even closer look at the animation process during his set visit to LAIKA Studios.  Now, thanks to these viral newsletters, we get to see a little more background story on on the inhabitants of the cursed little town.

ParaNorman also features the voices of Casey Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, and Alex Borstein.  The movie opens in 3D on August 17th.  Hit the jump to check out the newsletters.

You’re driving down the street, and it’s suddenly blocked off.  You notice these weird yellow signs with nonsensical letters or numbers.  There’s unusual glow lighting up a neighborhood you can’t usually see from your house.  What you might have here is a film company shooting in your town.  It happens a lot, and you never know where they might pop up…until now.

The following is a semi-comprehensive list of films currently shooting, what they’re shooting, and where they’re shooting.  We’ll be telling you where you might get to see the very famous, the kinda famous and (if all goes well) the soon-to-be famous. While we can’t list every single movie, television show, or student film in production, you’ll get a pretty good idea of what the heck is going on where all those people are buzzing about.  Want to know where in the world are Matt Damon, Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, Woody Harrelson, and Leonardo DiCaprio? Hit the jump for more.

If you’re looking for Rooney Mara in the next 12-16 months, odds are she’ll be on a movie set.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo actress is currently filming Steven Soderbergh’s Bitter Pill, and earlier this week she replaced Carey Mulligan in director Spike Jonze’s next project and signed on to star in the 1950s period piece Brooklyn.  She’s also set to film an untitled Terrence Malick project (formerly Lawless) this summer with Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling, and now she’s added yet another pic to her docket.  Deadline reports that Mara, Ben Foster, and Casey Affleck are attached to star in the drama Ain’t Them Bodies.

David Lowery is set to write and direct the film, which is described as a contemporary story in the vein of Bonnie and Clyde.  No other plot details are known at this moment, but you can’t really go wrong with a strong line-up like Mara, Foster, and Affleck.

Some big name casting news for you today.  Here are the headlines:

• Willem Dafoe will join Christian Bale and Casey Affleck in the dramatic thriller, Out of the Furnace, written and directed by Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart).
• Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) will star in the 1950s period piece, Brooklyn, adapted from Colm Toibin’s best-selling novel about a woman torn between her family in Ireland and her new found love for an American.

Hit the jump for more on both projects.

Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, and Sam Shepard are set to star in Scott Cooper‘s Out of the Furnace. The film centers on Russell Baze (Bale), who is released after serving four years in prison only to find that his younger brother, Rodney Baze Jr. (Affleck) has been brutally murdered. He sets out to avenge the death and track down the killer.  Saldana will play Russell’s love interest, Lena Warren.  We had previously reported on Bale, Affleck, and Saldana‘s connection to the project, but Shepard’s name is new.  He’ll be playing Russell and Rodney’s uncle, Red.  The press release makes no mention of Billy Bob Thornton and Forest Whitaker, who reportedly were circling the villain and sleazy bookie roles, respectively.  If they sign on, they’ll be welcome additions to an already strong cast.  Production begins later this month in Braddock, Pennsylvania.

Hit the jump to check out the press release, which contains the official synopsis.

Following on from the US trailer and poster out earlier this month, Focus Features have now released a new, longer international trailer for their stop-motion zombie horror, ParaNorman. When a small town is besieged by zombies, responsibility falls upon Norman, a local boy with the unique ability to speak to the dead, to save everyone from a centuries-old curse.

ParaNorman is Coraline writer Chris Butler‘s directorial debut, although Sam Fell (The Tale of Despereaux) is also co-directing. The film features the voices of Kodi Smit-McPhee, Casey Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, and Alex Borstein. The movie opens in 3D on August 17th. Hit the jump for the trailer.