Magnolia has released the trailer and poster for Dan Mazer‘s reverse romantic-comedy, I Give It a Year.  The film stars Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids) and Rafe Spall (Prometheus) as a mismatched couple and centers on their struggle to survive their first year of marriage.  This trailer shares some of the jokes with the one we saw last year, but it’s still very funny stuff.  I really enjoyed the film when I caught it at SXSW, and this trailer makes me want to see it again.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and poster.  The film also stars Anna Faris, Simon Baker, Stephen Merchant, Minnie Driver, Jason Flemyng, and Olivia Coleman. I Give It a Year hits VOD on July 3rd and opens in theaters on August 9th.

Dan Mazer‘s I Give It a Year is the rom-com in reverse and two rom-coms in one.  Mazer takes the difficult task of showing a marriage fall apart, and turns it into a surprisingly funny and witty comedy that never feels cynical.  And it’s absolutely easy to be cynical when it comes to marriage because of the 50% divorce rate.  But like any good comic writer, Mazer finds the humor in an unlikely topic, and succeeds with sharp dialogue, talented actors, and wisely keeping the tone of the film the same as an average romantic comedy.

A new trailer for the British romantic comedy I Give It a Year has been released online.  The film stars Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids) and Rafe Spall (Prometheus) as a mismatched couple and centers on their struggle to survive their first year of marriage.  While the logline and “romantic comedy” description may sound a bit trite, this actually looks like a solid comedy.  The new trailer features some great stuff from Stephen Merchant and even a solid Justin Bieber joke for good measure.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  Written and directed by Dan Mazer (Borat), the film also stars Minnie Driver, Jason Flemyng, Olivia Colman, and Jane Asher.  I Give It A Year opens in the UK on February 8, 2013. 

During the UK premiere for Seven Psychopaths, actor Jason Flemyng got caught in a bit of a rough spot on camera when he began commenting on Matthew Vaughn directing Star Wars Episode VII. The news remains unconfirmed since we broke the original story, and whether Flemyng let slip some confidential news or was just reporting internet rumors, we don’t know. But Flemyng and Vaughn have collaborated on nine films together, so it would make sense that Flemyng knew what the director was working on next (especially if he wants a part in arguably the biggest movie in years). Hit the jump to watch video of Flemyng’s comments and response.  

The promising first trailer for the British romantic comedy I Give It a Year has been released online.  The film focuses on a mismatched couple as they struggle to survive their first year of marriage.  Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids) and Rafe Spall (Anonymous) star as the newlywed couple, while Simon Baker and Anna Faris appear in supporting roles as temptations for the duo.  The pic actually looks really funny, with strong turns from Byrne and Spall and some big laughs from Stephen Merchant.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer, and click here for images and a synopsis for the film.  Written and directed by Dan Mazer (Borat), the film also stars Minnie Driver, Jason Flemyng, Olivia Colman, and Jane Asher.  I Give It A Year opens in the UK on February 8, 2013. 

A new U.K. trailer for director Mike Newell’s (Four Weddings and a Funeral) adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic Great Expectations has landed online.  The film stars Jeremy Irvine as Pip, a young man who comes into a fortune, but whose heart is continually broken by Estella (Holliday Grainger), who was taught to do so by her pathetic mother Miss Haversham (Helena Bonham Carter).  Though Dickens’ story has been retold countless times, Newell has assembled a fine cast for this latest iteration that includes Ralph Fiennes, Robbie Coltrane, Jason Flemyng, and Sally Hawkins.

Hit the jump to watch the latest U.K. trailer.  The film is slated for release in the U.K. on November 30th and was recently picked up for domestic distribution.

Let’s take a look at some acquisitions today, shall we?

• Mike Newell’s Great Expectations, starring Jeremy Irvine, Holliday Grainger, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes and Robbie Coltrane, has had domestic rights picked up by Outsource Media Group.
• Funeral Kings, from Kevin and Matthew McManus, stars Dylan Hartigan, Alex Maizus and Jordan Puzzo and was recently acquired by Freestyle Releasing.
• Michel Gondry’s The We and the I, starring Michael Brodie, Teresa Lynn and Raymond Delgado, has been picked up by the partnership of Paladan and 108 Media.

Hit the jump for images, posters and full press releases. 

Filming on Mike Newell’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations will begin its ten-week UK shoot on October 10th, and more casting on the film has been announced.  In addition to confirming Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) as Pip, Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham, and Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch, the film will also star Robbie Coltrane (Harry Potter), Jason Flemyng (X-Men: First Class), and Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky).  Additionally, Holliday Grainger (The Borgias) will play Estella, the young woman trained in the art of breaking Pip’s heart over and over again even as he receives a great fortune from a mysterious benefactor.

Hit the jump for the full press release.

How much do we expect from superhero movies?  Do we ask that they be faithful?  Do we demand they be grittier so we can argue that they’re more mature and therefore better?  Or do we ask that they be fun, disposable entertainment?  That answer probably depends on the property, although the tone and plot of the most famous superhero comics have varied so widely over the years that there’s no single answer.  Keeping this in mind, Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class forges its own path, not just in terms of the X-Men franchise, but in the superhero genre.  The film is stylish and exhilarating, but it’s also darker, more intense, and all the better for it.

With director Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class set to open next week, 20th Century Fox has sent over three clips and twenty five minutes of behind the scenes footage!  For those that want to stay spoiler free, I advise you not to watch the behind the scenes footage until you’ve seen the movie as it’s loaded with could be considered spoilers.  However, if you’re curious how a movie is made, or what it was like on the set, the footage is great.

As I said a few days ago after I saw the movie, X-Men: First Class is a huge home-run.  Everything from the great script to the awesome performances by the entire cast (with special mention to James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender) makes this X-Men film my favorite in the franchise.   Also, the film is loaded with incredible action and a ton of Easter Eggs for the fans.  Even the sets and costumes are great.  Trust me, as soon as the movie is over, you’re going to wish the next chapter was coming out next week.   Hit the jump to check out the footage.

Director Joe Wright has finally proved he’s a force to be reckoned with.  Atonement was undercut by a poor script and his direction on The Soloist overpowered the story and the performances, but with his latest film Hanna, he finally strikes an impressive balance and transforms a standard revenge flick into an effective and surreal dark fairy tale that punches the landscape almost as hard as its protagonist punches her foes.  Hanna is a film that defiantly and confidently plays by its own rules and the result is an action flick that is as thoughtful as it is exhilarating.

With its trailer premiering on the interwebs earlier today, X-Men: First Class is currently riding a wave of online buzz. That momentum in mind, producer Bryan Singer recently discussed various elements of the film, including Jennifer Lawrence’s turn as Mystique and Nicholas Hoult’s Beast, saying:

“We have younger versions of Mystique and Beast, so I’m very excited about them and what they bring to the film. Jennifer Lawrence’s work [as Mystique] and Nicholas Hoult’s portrayal of Beast — these are characters that we’ve seen in the earlier films, but then these are very different portrayals and you have to bring a lot of attention to those.”

For more on what Singer had to say about X-Men: First Class, including its comic-book summer “competition” and Jason Flemyng and Lucas Till’s performances, hit the jump. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, X-Men: First Class also stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, January Jones, and Rose Byrne. The film opens June 3rd.

The first image of the cast of X-Men: First Class has been released.  Because of the horrible photo-shopping job, my first instinct was that the image was faked.  But the image comes from MSN [who have now taken down the page] so I’ll assume it’s legit. The film is set in the 1960s (although you couldn’t tell it from these costumes) when apparently light bulbs were in short supply.

From left to right, you can see Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Rose Byrne as Dr. Moira MacTaggert, January Jones as Emma Frost, Jason Flemyng as Azazel, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Lucas Till as Havoc, Zoe Kravitz as Angel Salvadore, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, and James McAvoy as Professor X.  Cast members not pictured include Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Edi Gathegi, and Zoe Kravitz.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the film.  X-Men: First Class is due out June 3rd. [Update: Higher-resolution images of the cast photo have gone online.  Hit the jump to check them out] [2nd Update: The first images from the film have gone online.  We've added them after the jump.  One of the images provides the first look at Kevin Bacon as villain Sebastian Shaw] [3rd Update: Two more new images from the film have been added showing Magneto and Professor X in action]

The first trailer for Joe Wright’s (Pride & Prejudice, The Soloist, Atonement) Hanna has been released. The thriller features Saoirse Ronan as a teenage assassin who has been trained by her father (Eric Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland.  Cate Blanchett, Tom Hollander, Olivia Williams and Jason Flemyng also star.

While I thought The Soloist was a big misfire, I absolutely love Pride & Prejudice and Atonement. I’m really hoping this is a return to form for Wright.  What’s really promising about the trailer is that it looks like nothing Wright has done before and I really can’t wait to see it.   The only negative about the trailer is that it reveals a lot of the story – including what might be a big twist.  Saying that, there is a lot of action and it definitely made me want to see it.  Judge the trailer for yourself after the jump.  Hanna hits theaters April 8 and the music is being done by The Chemical Brothers.

We have two pieces of X-Men: First Class casting news to report tonight.  First up, Jason Flemyng told a crowd at BFI’s Movie-Con III [via ComingSoon] that he would be playing the minor role of Azazel.  In the comics, Azazel is the father of the popular mutant Nightcrawler (played in X2 by Alan Cumming) and like his son, also has the ability to teleport.  Of course, this new piece of casting leads to speculation that a young Nightcrawler might be in the movie.

Flemyng has appeared in all of Vaughn’s films, most recently as the unfortunate doorman in Kick-Ass.  Hit the jump for casting news regarding Rose Byrne (FX’s Damages) playing the love-interest of Charles Xavier (played by James McAvoy).  X-Men: First Class is currently slated to open on June 3, 2011.