[With A Good Day to Die Hard set to open this Thursday, we'll be taking a look back at the first four Die Hard movies.  These reviews will contain spoilers since the movies have been out for years.  Click on the respective links for my look back at Die Hard and Die Hard 2.]

I like to consider Die Hard with a Vengeance the true sequel to Die Hard.  It’s bigger, bolder, darker, but still retains the same sense of desperation, humor, and intensity of the first movie.  Unlike Die Hard 2, the purpose of Die Hard with a Vengeance isn’t to copy the plot elements of the first film, but to take the spirit of the original and paint it on a broader canvas.  Die Hard with a Vengeance takes what could have been a stolid, safe entry, and instead shakes up the formula to keep John McClane (Bruce Willis) alive and kicking, which is impressive for a guy who should have died many times over.

I’m not embarrassed to say I’m intrigued by Beautiful Creatures.  I know I’m not the target audience, but that doesn’t mean I’m excluded from enjoying the film.  For those unfamiliar with the movie, it’s supernatural love story centering on Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert) a “caster” (a.k.a. a witch), her relationship with Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich), and her dread at being chosen for good or evil.

I’m pleased to announce that we’re giving away 20 passes to the Atlanta screening of Beautiful Creatures.  Hit the jump to find out how you can check out the film early and for free.  The film also stars Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emmy Rossum, and Emma Thompson.  Beautiful Creatures opens February 14th.

A host of new images from director Richard LaGravenese’s supernatural love story adaptation Beautiful Creatures reveal great looks at stars Alice Englert and Alden Ehrenreich.  While the movie may draw comparisons to The Twilight Saga, one thing that stands apart is the amazing costume design for Beautiful Creatures, which really puts an emphasis on Southern Gothic.

Also starring Emmy Rossum, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emma Thompson and Thomas Mann, Beautiful Creatures opens February 14th.  Hit the jump to check out the new images.

New TV spots have been released for Beautiful Creatures and Oz the Great and Powerful.  Beautiful Creatures is a supernatural love story centering on Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert) a “caster” (a.k.a. a witch), her relationship with Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich), and her dread at being chosen for good or evil.  This TV spot sells the love-angle, but I can’t help but being slightly intrigued by the supernatural element of the story.  As for Oz the Great and Powerful, the TV spots are about ringing in the New Year with Sam Raimi‘s Wizard of Oz prequel.

Hit the jump to check out the TV spots.  Beautiful Creatures opens February 13th.  Oz the Great and Powerful opens in 3D on March 8th.

New posters have popped up online today for Michael Bay’s Pain and Gain and Richard LaGravenese’s Beautiful Creatures. Pain and Gain, based on a true story, stars Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg as two weightlifters who get involved with a kidnapping and extortion scheme that goes horribly wrong. Also starring Ed Harris, Anthony Mackie, Ken Jeong, Tony Shalhoub, Rebel Wilson and Rob Corddry, Pain and Gain opens on April 26, 2013.

Two new character posters have popped up for Beautiful Creatures stars Jeremy Irons and Zoey Deutch. Adapted from the Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl novel, Beautiful Creatures stars Alice Englert and Alden Ehrenreich as two star-crossed lovers caught up in supernatural events transpiring in their small town. The film opens February 13, 2013. Hit the jump to check out all the posters.

A new trailer for the YA adaptation Beautiful Creatures has been released online.  The Southern supernatural romance centers on two mystically charged teens who are mysteriously drawn to one another despite never having met, and uncover some unsettling secrets about their families and the small southern town in which they live.  I found the first trailer intriguing yet a tad confusing, but this clip really digs into the plot and makes Beautiful Creatures look like a lot of fun.  We see a lot more of the characters played by Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons, and Viola Davis, and it’s starting to make sense why actors of their caliber signed on; Thompson in particular looks to be having a blast chewing the scenery.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Alice Englert, Alden Ehrenreich, and Emmy Rossum.  Beautiful Creatures opens on February 13, 2013.

Stepping out of the van, the heat hits all of us at the same time, and before we’ve even made it halfway up the dirt pathway—to where a sprawling, vine-covered Gothic mansion is quietly redefining the word “imposing”—every one of us is starting to sweat. The person guiding us to our destination points, and we all look around a corner to see what appears to be a checkered ballroom set into the center of a topiary garden. Dozens of elaborately-costumed actors and actresses are milling about: some have foot-tall, brightly-colored hairdos, others have their faces covered in intricate makeup jobs, and all of them must be dying in this swampy heat. Just as we’re starting to make sense of what it is we’re looking at, Jeremy Irons walks by holding a Styrofoam cup of coffee and nods a “Hello” at us.

Earlier this year, I was invited out to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where Warner Bros. and director Richard LaGravenese were bringing the YA novel Beautiful Creatures to life. To say the visit was surreal doesn’t quite do it justice, but I’ll give it a shot. Meet me after the jump to find out what I learned on the Beautiful Creatures set…and why Warner Bros. might have the next, big Twilight-sized YA hit on their hands.

Some major veteran casting announcements to announce today:

• Kim Basinger (L.A. Confidential) will join the Grudge Match between Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro in the Peter Segal-directed picture.
• Thomas Jane (The Punisher), Nick Nolte (Warrior) and Jeremy Irons (Die Hard: With a Vengeance) have joined the indie Western thriller, A Magnificent Death, to be directed by Jane.

Hit the jump for more on both pictures. 

If you enjoyed the recent images and trailer for director Richard LaGravenese’s Beautiful Creatures, but found yourself a bit lost in the story, you’re in luck, because a new featurette is here to explain it all to you.  Based on the trilogy by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the story centers on two star-crossed teens who uncover some unsettling secrets about their families, themselves and the small southern town in which they live.  The featurette shows that the adaptation is more than just “Romeo & Juliet meets Twilight meets True Blood.”

Starring Alice Englert, Alden Ehrenreich, Emma Thompson, Emmy Rossum, Jeremy Irons and Viola Davis,  Beautiful Creatures graces theaters on February 13th, 2013.  Hit the jump to watch the featurette.

The first trailer and poster for director Richard LaGrevenese’s Beautiful Creatures have landed online.  Based on the three-book series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the story centers on two mystically charged teens who are mysteriously drawn to one another despite never having met, and uncover some unsettling secrets about their families and the small southern town in which they live.  I’m unfamiliar with the book series and found myself a bit lost when watching the teaser, but I dig the atmosphere and Southern Gothic aesthetic.  Moreover, watching Emma Thompson play a disapproving, devoutly religious Southern woman is a delight.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer, poster, and a batch of images, and be sure to take a peek at our set visit preview right here.  The film also stars Alice Englert, Emmy Rossum, Jeremy Irons and Viola Davis.  Beautiful Creatures hits theaters on February 13th, 2013.  

A new trailer for the drama The Words has been released.  For those unfamiliar with the film, it’s three stories nested inside each other with the central story focusing on an aspiring writer (Bradley Cooper) who plagiarizes a manuscript he finds in an old briefcase.  He becomes an overnight success when the book is published, but then he encounters the manuscript’s true author (Jeremy Irons).  This trailer plays like a truncated version of the first trailer, with a few bits of new footage thrown in towards the end.  The premise has the basis for a great story, and I really like what we’ve seen so far.  Matt caught the pic at Sundance and was a big fan (read his review here), so here’s hoping it delivers.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer.  Written and directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, the film also stars Dennis Quaid, Ben Barnes, Olivia Wilde, and Zoe Saldana.  The Words opens on September 7th.

A new featurette for The Words has gone online.  For those unfamiliar with the film, it’s three stories nested inside each other with the central story focusing on an aspiring writer (Bradley Cooper) who plagiarizes a manuscript he finds in an old briefcase.  He becomes an overnight success when the book is published, but then he encounters the manuscript’s true author (Jeremy Irons).   I was quite taken with the movie when I saw it at Sundance (the featurette pulls quotes from my review), and this featurette does a slightly better job than the trailer of breaking down the plot and selling the picture.

Hit the jump to check out the featurette.  The film also stars Dennis Quaid, Ben Barnes, Olivia Wilde, and Zoe Saldana.  The Words opens September 7th.

Two new posters have arrived for a pair of September releases that I’m really looking forward to. First up is a new poster for The Words, a romantic drama from debut directors Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal that stars Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana and Jeremy Irons. Cooper plays a young writer who passes off another author’s work as his own and deals with the consequences that inevitably arise. The Words opens September 7th. 

A second poster comes to us today for director Jake Schreier’s Robot and Frank.  The buddy comedy stars Frank Langella as a retired jewel thief who seeks to resume his criminal ways with the help of a companion robot, voiced by Peter Sarsgaard.  Robot and Frank opens August 24th.  Hit the jump to check out the new posters.

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.

The first trailer for The Words has gone online.  I really dug the film when I saw it at Sundance, but this trailer doesn’t do a good job of getting to the drama of the central conflict, which is about a writer (Bradley Cooper) who becomes famous off a plagiarized manuscript, and then has to face his actions when he meets the original author (Jeremy Irons).

Hit the jump to check out the trailer, and try not to be turned off from the use of the horrible song at the end (it isn’t in the movie, in case you were wondering).  The film also stars Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana, and Ben Barnes (who should have gotten a credit in the trailer since he plays a major character).  The Words opens September 21st.