Nine international character posters have been released for Snowpiercer, the English-language debut of Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host).  The story is set in a new ice age caused by a failed experiment to stop global warming that killed virtually all life on the planet.  The sole survivors live on a train called Snowpiercer—powered by a perpetual machine—who struggle with the class system implemented on the train.  The posters all provide the first hint of a release date by listing “Summer 2013″.  However, since these are international posters, we don’t know if that’s summer for the U.S., other countries, or both.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  The film stars Chris Evans, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris, Ewen Bremner, Octavia Spencer, Kang-ho Song, and Ko Asung.

New images have been released from Snowpiercer, the English-language debut of Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host).  The story is set in a new ice age caused by a failed experiment to stop global warming that killed virtually all life on the planet.  The sole survivors live on a train called Snowpiercer—powered by a perpetual machine—who struggle with the class system implemented on the train.  Appropriately, these images are in the form of Korean passports for the cast and Joon-ho.

Hit the jump to check out the passport images.  The film stars Chris Evans, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Alison Pill, Ed Harris, Ewen Bremner, Octavia Spencer, Kang-ho Song, and Ko Asung.  Snowpiercer currently doesn’t have a release date, so it should really get on that.

Paramount Pictures has unveiled some new images and a couple of TV spots for director Michael Bay’s upcoming dark comedy Pain & Gain.  Based on a true story, the film stars Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson as two bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion ring and kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.  We recently got a look at a red-band trailer for the film that highlighted the pic’s more comedic aspects, and these images tease the characters played by Rebel Wilson and Ed Harris as well as inform us that Wahlberg and Johnson are indeed cool guys who don’t look at explosions.

Hit the jump to check out the images and TV spots.  The film also stars Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Rob Corddry, and Bar Paly.  Pain & Gain opens on April 26th.

A new red-band trailer and some images for director Michael Bay’s upcoming dark comedy Pain & Gain have been released online.  Based on a true story, the film stars Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson as two bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion ring and kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.  The main focus of this trailer is on the film’s humor, some of which is great (Rebel Wilson and Wahlberg’s closing rant are highlights), while other jokes seem a bit forced and are reminiscent of the more juvenile stuff in Bay’s Transformers franchise.  Nevertheless, I’m very excited about the prospect of Bay tackling this “small-scale” true crime story, and Wahlberg and Johnson look to make a great comedic pairing.

Hit the jump to watch the new red-band trailer and to check out the new images.  The film also stars Anthony Mackie, Rob Corddry, Ed Harris, and Tony Shalhoub.  Pain & Gain opens on April 26th.

Paramount has released a new TV spot for director Michael Bay’s incredibly promising black comedy Pain & Gain.  Based on a true story, the film stars Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson as two bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion ring and kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.  The film’s first trailer is fantastic, and this TV spot does a great job of showcasing that pic’s charm and comedy.  Pain & Gain looks like it could actually be Bay’s most entertaining film yet, but I have a feeling they’re keeping some of the story’s more sordid details under wraps.  The real life ordeal is fairly horrific, though I expect Wahlberg and Johnson will bring enough levity/ridiculousness to the film to make it palatable.

Hit the jump to watch the latest TV spot.  Anthony Mackie, Rob Corddry, Ed Harris, Tony Shalhoub, and Rebel Wilson co-star.  Pain & Gain opens April 26, 2013.

Inspired by true events, Phantom is a Cold War era suspense thriller about a Soviet submarine captain, named Dmitri “Demi” Zubov (Ed Harris), forced to lead a covert mission that could start a nuclear war.  With replacement sailors filling in for many of his regular crew, the captain quickly learns that the real mission is to launch a missile strike against the Americans while making it appear to come from a Chinese vessel, triggering a nuclear showdown between the two superpowers and forcing the men aboard to make impossible choices that could end their lives.

While at the film’s press day, actor Ed Harris spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about how he got involved with this project, what appealed to him about this role, understanding the technical speak, his process for finding a character, and what it was like to work in an actual submarine and do fight scenes in such cramped quarters.  He also talked about what attracts him to a project and makes him want to work these days, the appeal of Pain & Gain (from director Michael Bay), the experience of working with director Bong Joon-ho on Snowpiercer, agreeing to do Renee Zellweger’s directorial debut 4 ½ Minutes, and being in a position to take acting roles for creative fulfillment.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

I love submarine movies, and I can’t figure out why they’re so rare.  They’re inherently claustrophobic, you don’t need many sets, there’s fantastic use of sound and silence, actors have room to deliver terrific performances, and if the sub is equipped with a nuclear warhead, then the stakes can’t be higher.  What’s not to like?  Submarines also have a great sense of mystery since there’s no way to see what’s outside once the ship is submerged.  Writer-director Todd Robinson tries to tap into that mystery in his new film, Phantom, but he stumbles over his clumsy attempts to hide his characters’ pasts and motives.  Thankfully, removed from the mystery, Phantom is a tense submarine picture featuring strong performances, and an understanding of the genre’s dramatic assets.

I am a huge fan of the Western genre.  So between me and the filmmakers behind the Western Sweetwater, that makes one of us.  Writer-directors Logan Miller and Noah Miller are far more interested in half-constructed ideas based solely on what seems cool.  The film rolls along without any urgency even though the audience can tell the story from start to finish, and probably tell it better.   The filmmakers somehow managed to rope in great actors like Ed Harris and Jason Isaacs to play campy stock characters, but never had any idea how to fully take advantage of their talent.  Cinematographer Brad Shield even gives the movie the look of respectability.  Despite some pretty shots and entertaining performances, Sweetwater always feels lackadaisical and half-hearted.

I should probably admit my political bias up front: I enthusiastically voted for Barack Obama back in ‘08. That said, I’m not ashamed to confess I was equally riveted that same year by Republican candidate John McCain’s competing campaign, particularly any and all parts having to do with his running mate, Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Like most college-educated individuals – hell, any-educated individuals – I couldn’t take my confused eyes or bleeding ears off this bizarrely overconfident and suspiciously under-qualified woman who might end up our next president, should her white-haired running mate get elected and, well, croak. Matt Damon famously compared the whole scenario to “a really bad Disney movie.” To me, it was a potential horror flick. Thankfully, Obama won the election and, four years later, HBO Films has turned the near debacle into a thrilling political drama, which you can now see “from your house” on Blu-ray and DVD.  My review after the jump the Game Change Blu-ray after the jump.

The 2013 Golden Globes have just wrapped up.  I only watched the last hour of the ceremony because the Globes no longer have their awards season power due to voting schedule changes.  Reading tweets and Facebook posts, it seems like it was a fairly entertaining show (keep an eye out for Jodie Foster‘s acceptance speech for her Lifetime Achievement Award).  As for the winners, they were very “Globes” in that they were more populist choices that are unlikely to have much bearing on the Oscars.  Argo may have had a good night at the Globes by winning Best Picture (Drama) and Best Director, but I still think Lincoln is the picture to beat when it comes to the Academy Awards, especially since Ben Affleck was snubbed for the Best Director Oscar nomination.

Hit the jump for the full list of winners.

The first trailer and poster for the period submarine thriller Phantom have been released online.  The film stars Ed Harris as the captain of a Cold War Soviet submarine who, after being rushed into a classified mission, discovers that his submarine is being taken over by a rogue KGB group.  David Duchovny plays the leader of the KGB group, and this trailer looks like it may just give away the entire plot of the film.  We haven’t seen a good submarine thriller in quite a long time, so here’s hoping Phantom delivers.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer and check out the poster.  Written and directed by Todd Robinson (Lonely Hearts), the film also stars William Fichtner, Lance Henriksen, Sean Patrick Flanery, and Jason Beghe.  Phantom opens on March 1, 2013.

Ex-cop Nick Cassidy gambles with his life in order to prove his innocence in Man on a Ledge, an action mind bender from director Asger Leth. Though it stars a fairly good ensemble and flirts with a daring concept, the film, much like Nick’s threats of ending his own life, is nothing more than talk that doesn’t go anywhere.  Hit the jump for a review of the Blu-ray.

The first trailer and poster for Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black’s (Milk) directorial debut, Virginia, have gone online.  The film was originally titled What’s Wrong with Virginia? and screened at TIFF 2010 to scathing reviews.  Black went back into the editing room and retooled (and retitled) the film, and now the new cut is set to open next month.  The film stars Jennifer Connelly as a single mother who runs into a bit of trouble following a string of events: her longtime affair with the married Mormon Sheriff (Ed Harris) comes to an end as he decides to run for office, then her son (Harrison Gilbertson) starts having an affair with the Sheriff’s daughter (Emma Roberts).  Tonally and plot-wise, this trailer is kind of all over the place.  There are some good ideas throughout, but I’m unsure as to how Black coalesces everything into a cohesive story.  It’s no wonder that this was a tough one to put together, but hopefully Black’s new edit is superior to the previous cut.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and poster.  The film opens on May 18th and also stars Amy Madigan, Yeardley Smith, and Toby Jones.

Twin filmmakers Logan and Noah Miller have locked down two fairly high-profile stars in Ed Harris and January Jones to anchor their sophomore effort, the revenge drama (God, there’s a lot of these nowadays) Sweetwater. Jones will step into the role of a 19thC widow who joins forces with Harris’ local sheriff to take down the “brutal sheep rancher” that killed her husband. I’m sure a man who ranches sheep can be absolutely vicious, but I can’t even think the phrase “brutal sheep rancher” without giggling. Production will begin this July in New Mexico. Hit the jump for more, including a look at the Miller brothers’ interesting road to success.

After starring in Michael Bay’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Ken Jeong will be reuniting with the director for his upcoming true crime drama, Pain and Gain.  You might be most familiar with Jeong from his role as Mr. Chow in The Hangover or as Señor Chang in NBC’s Community.  In Bay’s last film, he played a character named Jerry Wang. THR reports that Jeong will be keeping with the naming theme as he will be playing Johnny Wu; few other details are available for his character at the moment.  Pain and Gain, a long-gestating passion project for Bay, tells the story of the Sun Gym gang, a group of Miami bodybuilders whose extortion scheme went terribly awry.  Since the film just began shooting recently in Miami, we posted some new images of stars Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg. A dark comedy, Pain and Gain also stars Ed Harris, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shaloub, Rebel Wilson, and Bar Paly.  Look for it to hit screens sometime next year.