Here’s a look at this week’s new Blu-ray releases:
Opening this weekend in limited release is director Peter Webber’s (Girl with a Pearl Earring) historical drama Emperor. The film takes place during the days following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II and stars Tommy Lee Jones as General Douglas MacArthur, the de facto ruler of Japan as Supreme Commander of the occupying forces. Matthew Fox plays a leading Japanese expert on the staff of MacArthur who is tasked with deciding whether or not Emperor Hirohito should be tried as a war criminal. Fox’s mission becomes more complicated as he searches for a school teacher (Eriko Hatsune) who first drew him to Japan years before the war. For more on the film, watch these three clips and here’s our interview with Jones.
A few days ago, we got to speak with Fox. He talked about the research he did, collaborating with Peter Webber to make sure the film was an accurate depiction and not a Hollywood version of the events, script changes, deleted scenes, working with Tommy Lee Jones, and more. Hit the jump to watch.
Continue Reading
Opening this weekend in limited release is director Peter Webber’s (Girl with a Pearl Earring) historical drama Emperor. The film takes place during the days following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II and stars Tommy Lee Jones as General Douglas MacArthur, the de facto ruler of Japan as Supreme Commander of the occupying forces. Matthew Fox plays a leading Japanese expert on the staff of MacArthur who is tasked with deciding whether or not Emperor Hirohito should be tried as a war criminal. Fox’s mission becomes more complicated as he searches for a school teacher (Eriko Hatsune) who first drew him to Japan years before the war. For more on the film, watch these three clips.
A few days ago, we got to speak with Jones. He talked about the research he did, what surprised him about MacArthur, collaborating with Peter Webber to make sure the film was an accurate depiction and not a Hollywood version of the events, script changes, and more. In addition, Jones talked about The Homesman, which he’ll be directing next month. Hit the jump to watch.
Continue Reading
Roadside Attractions has released three new clips from director Peter Webber’s upcoming historical drama Emperor. Based on a true story, the film takes place in the immediate aftermath of World War II and stars Matthew Fox as General Bonner Fellers, an expert in Japanese who is assigned to assist General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) in investigating whether or not the beloved Japanese Emperor should be punished for war crimes.
Hit the jump to watch the clips. The film also stars Eriko Hatsune. Emperor opens on March 8th.
Continue Reading
A few new posters have made their way online. Briefly:
- 42 – A new poster for the Jackie Robinson biopic features star Chadwick Boseman making quite the play. The film also stars Harrison Ford and Christopher Meloni and opens on April 12th.
- Emperor – The debut poster for this WWII historical drama, which finds Matthew Fox investigating whether or not the Japanese Emperor should be tried for war crimes. Tommy Lee Jones plays General Douglas MacArthur. The film opens on March 8th.
- Olympus Has Fallen – A new character poster for this “Die Hard in the White House” thriller features a highly photoshopped Morgan Freeman, who shockingly does not play the president. The film opens on March 22nd.
- Maniac – Elijah Wood gets his serial killer on in this UK quad for the horror thriller remake. The film opens later this year.
Hit the jump to check out the posters and full synopses.
Continue Reading
The first trailer for director Peter Webber’s historical drama Emperor has been released online. Based on a true story, the film takes place in the immediate aftermath of World War II and stars Matthew Fox as General Bonner Fellers, an expert in Japanese who is assigned to assist General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) in investigating whether or not the beloved Japanese Emperor should be punished for war crimes. The film looks a bit like A Few Good Men: WWII Edition, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. The Fellers role gives Fox an opportunity to show some range, and Jones seems right at home as MacArthur. The only issue I have with the trailer is that it appears to show nearly the entire movie in two and a half minutes.
Hit the jump to watch the trailer, and click here to read Steve’s interview with Fox about the film. The pic also stars Eriko Hatsune. The film is currently without a release date, but Roadside Attractions promises that it’s “coming soon.”
Continue Reading
Alex Cross follows the homicide detective/psychologist from the best-selling novels by James Patterson, as he comes up against psychopathic serial killer Picasso (Matthew Fox). This time, the story takes a younger version of Alex Cross (Tyler Perry) back to the origins of the character while the two men face off in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse that will push Cross to this edge of his moral limits. From director Rob Cohen (The Fast and The Furious, xXx), the film also stars Edward Burns, Rachel Nichols, Cicely Tyson, Carmen Ejogo, Giancarlo Esposito, John C. McGinley and Jean Reno.
At the film’s press day, actor Matthew Fox talked about how he prepared for such a dark role, coming out of character once filming was done, getting injured while shooting the big fight sequence, the first thing he ate once he was done with the character, the roles he was offered after Lost, his experience shooting Alex Cross and World War Z at the same time, and playing General Bonner Fellers in the WWII historical drama Emperor. Check out what he had to say after the jump.
Continue Reading
One of the many films to premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival was Peter Webber’s (Girl with a Pearl Earring) historical drama Emperor. The film takes place during the days following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II and stars Tommy Lee Jones as General Douglas MacArthur, the de facto ruler of Japan as Supreme Commander of the occupying forces. Matthew Fox plays a leading Japanese expert on the staff of MacArthur who is tasked with deciding whether or not Emperor Hirohito should be tried as a war criminal. Fox’s mission becomes more complicated as he searches for a school teacher (Eriko Hatsune) who first drew him to Japan years before the war. For more on the film, here’s a clip and some images.
Shortly before the world premiere, I sat down with Matthew Fox for an exclusive interview. We talked about why he wanted to do Emperor, how the finished film compares to the original script, how he prepares for a role, if he prefers a few takes or a lot, and more. In addition, we also talked about Speed Racer (a film I love), his physical transformation for Alex Cross, World War Z, the reshoots, Lost, would he ever do a comic book movie, and a lot more. Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview.
Continue Reading
News on two, two, two acquisitions for you, you, you:
- Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions picked up Emperor, their fourth joint acquisition out of TIFF this year. (The first three were Thanks for Sharing, Imogene, and Much Ado About Nothing.) Tommy Lee Jones and Matthew Fox star as the generals who led the investigation into whether to charge Emperor Hirohito for war crimes following World War II. Eriko Hatsune and Toshiyuki Nishida co-star.
- Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the North American rights to Saudi writer/director Haifaa Al-Mansour‘s Wadjda. The story centers on a 10-year-old girl enters her school’s Koran recitation competition to win enough money to buy a bike. SPC will release Wadjda in 2013.
Hit the jump for more on both projects.
Continue Reading
The first clip the historical drama Emperor has gone online. The film, which premieres tonight at the Toronto International Film Festival, stars Matthew Fox as General Bonner Fellers, an expert in Japanese, who is assigned to assist General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) to investigate whether or not the beloved Japanese Emperor should be punished for war crimes. Fellers’ mission becomes more complicated when he searches for the mysterious school teacher (Eriko Hatsune) who first drew him to Japan. Jones looks like he’s having some fun with the role, but Fox is the lead, and I hope his performance is a little more colorful than his dry voiceover implies.
Hit the jump to check out the clip, and click here for all of our TIFF coverage.
Continue Reading
Earlier today, TIFF announced that they were adding new films to their spectacular line-up. Among the new additions are:
- Song for Marion (directed by Paul Andrew Williams) Starring Terence Stamp, Vanessa Redgrave, Gemma Arterton, and Christopher Eccleston.
- Emperor (directed by Peter Webber) Starring Matthew Fox, Tommy Lee Jones, and Eriko Hatsune.
- Arthur Newman (directed by Dante Ariola) Starring Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, and Anne Heche.
- Disconnect (directed by Henry Alex Rubin) Starring Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Frank Grillo, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Andrea Riseborough, Alexander Skarsgård, Max Theriot, Jonah Bobo, Colin Ford, and Haley Ramm.
Hit the jump to check out the images and synopses. The 2012 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 – 16th.
Continue Reading
And here I was thinking that the line-up for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival couldn’t get any better. Silly me. TIFF has sent out a press release announcing new additions to their Galas and Special Presentations line-up, and there are some powerhouses in the bunch. The new additions include Paul Thomas Anderson‘s The Master, Brian De Palma‘s Passion, Spike Lee‘s Michael Jackson documentary Bad 25, Susanne Bier‘s Love Is All You Need, Walter Salles‘ adaptation of On the Road, Lee Daniels‘ The Paperboy, Harmony Korine‘s Spring Breakers, and Nick Cassavettes‘ Yellow. Yeah, there aren’t enough hours in the day.
Hit the jump to check out a list of all the new additions. The 2012 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 – 16th.
Continue Reading
Earlier today we got our first look at a crazy Matthew Fox in the James Patterson adaptation Alex Cross, but now we’ve got some images of Fox being somewhat normal-looking in director Peter Webber’s (Girl with a Pearl Earring) historical drama Emperor. The film takes place during the days following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II and stars Tommy Lee Jones as General Douglas MacArthur, the de facto ruler of Japan as Supreme Commander of the occupying forces. Fox plays a leading Japanese expert on the staff of MacArthur who is tasked with deciding whether or not Emperor Hirohito should be tried and hanged as a war criminal
These first images and sales posters aren’t anything mind blowing, but it’s pretty cool to see Jones sporting McArthur’s ginormous pipe. Hit the jump to take a look.
Continue Reading
The historical epic Emperor has gained some considerable dramatic weight with the addition of Tommy Lee Jones. Directed by Peter Webber (The Girl with the Pearl Earring), the film takes place during the days following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II. Jones will play General Douglas MacArthur, the de facto ruler of Japan as Supreme Commander of the occupying forces. Matthew Fox stars as a leading Japanese expert on the staff of MacArthur who is tasked with deciding whether or not Emperor Hirohito should be tried and hanged as a war criminal.
It’s a fascinating story, and one that I’m even more excited to see told with the addition of Jones. Production is set to begin this month in New Zealand and Japan. Jones will next be seen in Men in Black 3 this May, and also stars in Great Hope Springs with Meryl Streep and Steve Carell. Hit the jump to read the full press release.
Continue Reading
Having taken a cinematic break after his tenure on Lost, Matthew Fox is set to star in two high-profile films in 2012: Rob Cohen’s I, Alex Cross and Marc Forster’s World War Z. Looking even further ahead, Fox is now reported to have landed a role in Emperor, by director Peter Webber (Girl with the Pearl Earring). Emperor spins a love story amidst the turmoil of the final days of World War II, as General Douglas MacArthur rules Japan as supreme commander of the occupying forces after the Japanese surrender. Fox will play General Bonner Fellers, an attaché to MacArthur who is tasked with determining Emperor Hirohito’s fate in defeat. The pic, scripted by David Klass (Walking Tall) and Vera Blasi (Tortilla Soup) is on pace to start filming at the end of January. Hit the jump for more on Fox’s character. [Update: We've been sent the full press release, which is now included after the jump.]
Continue Reading
