Writer-director Tommy Wirkola’s style is one that will either delight you with its over-the-top gore and sick brand of humor, or will disgust you for the same reasons.  I’m happily in the former camp.  My first introduction to Wirkola’s work was the fantastic original film Dead Snow – two words: Nazi zombies.  While I missed his broader effort Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters when it opened in theaters, last night I had the opportunity to attend the premiere of the film in all of its uncut glory.  The film may not have found its audience stateside, but the global box office of nearly $225 million gives hope that Wirkola will be around for future efforts.  Perhaps the unrated cut version of Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, available now on digital platforms and due out on Blu-ray/DVD on June 11th, will find more of a home with American audiences.  For my review of that particular cut, which features 12 minutes of previously-unseen bloody and violent footage, hit the jump.

The 2013 Cannes Film Festival begins today, and new images have been released for these movies in the fest’s line-up:

• Behind the Candelabra – Directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Dan Aykroyd, Rob Lowe, and Debbie Reynolds.
• Nebraska – Directed by Alexander Payne, starring Bruce Dern, Will Forte, Stacy Keach, and Bob Odenkirk.
• The Immigrant – Directed by James Gray, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Marion Cotillard, and Jeremy Renner.
• As I Lay Dying – Directed and starring James Franco, co-starring Tim Blake Nelson, Logan Marshall-Green, and Danny McBride.

Hit the jump for the images and synopses.  The 2013 Cannes Film Festival runs from May 15 – May 26th.

Director David O. Russell’s follow-up to last year’s crowdpleasing awards contender Silver Linings Playbook now has a title.  Previously referred to as American Bullshit, the pic is now titled American Hustle per Box Office Mojo.  The story is based on a real-life undercover sting operation called “Abscam”, which was set up in the 1980s by a con artist working for the FBI who rooted out corruption in Congress.  The film boasts an incredible ensemble cast that includes a number of Russell regulars like Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro as well as some exciting Russell newcomers like Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Michael Pena, and Jack Huston.

Russell is currently in the middle of production on American Hustle in the New York City area, and we’ve already seen a number of wildly entertaining set photos of the cast done up in their 80s garb.  The film opens in limited release on December 13th before going wide on Christmas Day, and it’s safe to assume that American Hustle will be a serious player in this year’s awards race.

Paramount Pictures is now officially developing a sequel to this past January’s R-rated genre pic Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.  You’d be forgiven for being a bit surprised at the news, as the film was a flop domestically with a total gross of just $54.6 million.  However, overseas the film has now taken in over $150 million.  Against a purported budget of $50 million, the pic’s worldwide gross of $205 million is apparently enough to justify moving forward with the follow-up, as Deadline reports that a sequel is now officially in development.  Hit the jump for more.

John Carpenter’s 1981 post-apocalyptic thriller Escape from New York is the latest property to get a face-lift.  The original starred Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, an eye-patching wearing, bank-robbing convict tasked with venturing into the maximum security prison that has become Manhattan in order to rescue the President (Donald Pleasence) and gain his freedom.  A reboot was attempted a few years ago but New Line let the rights lapse.  Now, Joel Silver’s Silver Pictures and Studio Canal are teaming up to bring a new look (and a new face) to the franchise with plans of an origin story and eventual trilogy.  Hit the jump for more.

Sony Pictures has given Silver Linings Playbook director David O. Russell’s next film a prime awards season release date later this year.  The untitled project (formerly known as American Bullshit) will hit theaters in limited release on December 13th before going wide on Christmas Day.  The pic is based on a real-life undercover sting operation called Abscam, which was set up in the 1980s by a con artist working for the FBI who rooted out corruption in Congress.

The cast reads like a “Best Of” from Russell’s filmography, as Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale are set in the leads with Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K., Jeremy Renner, and Alessandro Nivola (Face/Off) rounding out the ensemble.  Hit the jump for more.

The Avengers was the highest-grossing film of 2012, so it’s no surprise that some of its cast would be presenting at this year’s Academy Awards.  The film is nominated for Best Visual Effects (although the momentum seems headed in the direction of Life of Pi), and the Academy has sent out a press release announcing that most of the superhero team will be presenting this year’s awards.  Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, and Mark Ruffalo will be presenting together, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re presenting for the technical categories (Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, and Sound Editing).  I assume Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson were unavailable.  In any event, I hope the guys will have some witty banter, and even if they don’t, I’m sure Downey will make it entertaining anyway.

Hit the jump for the press release.  The Academy Awards will be held on February 24th at 7pm (EST) on ABC.

Fresh off his turn as a blood-thirsty witch hunter in the aptly named Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, star Jeremy Renner is turning his attention to something a bit more serious.  Deadline reports that Renner is set to star in the thriller Kill the Messenger, which is based on the true story of a news reporter named Gary Webb whose life was ruined when he linked the CIA to a scheme to arm Contra rebels in Nicaragua and import cocaine into California.  After publishing his 1996 series “Dark Alliance,” Webb became the target of a smear campaign by the CIA that eventually drove him to depression and suicide.

It’s certainly a meaty role for Renner, and one I’m eager to see him take on following his recent string of actioners.  Michael Cuesta (Homeland, Dexter) will direct from a script by Peter Landesman, which is based on two non-fiction books: Webb’s Dark Alliance and Nick Schou’s Kill the Messenger.  Renner will also produce alongside Dan Handfield, and production is set to get underway this summer after the actor wraps his role in David O. Russell’s untitled 1980s drama.

Nearly a year after it was first scheduled to hit theatres, Paramount’s Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is poised to take first place at the weekend box office. The R-rated fantasy starring Jeremy Renner earned an estimated $6 million from its 3,372 locations on Friday, suggesting a three-day total of $15 million. That’s $5 million short of studio expectations; but it’s not bad for a film with a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Fellow-newcomer Movie 43 claimed a 6% RT rank and see what happened? On Friday, the collection of comedy shorts earned $1.8 million from 2,023 locations and is looking at a weekend of just $5 million. FilmDistrict’s Parker, the last of the R-rated newcomers, saw an opening of $2.1 million from 2,224 locations. The action movie could get as high as $6 million by Sunday: an opening that would fall below both Killer Elite and Safe on the list of Jason Statham’s recent disappointments. Check back tomorrow for full results.

If you needed extra incentive to go see Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters when it opens this week, perhaps the bonus of seeing a preview of four minutes of footage from G.I. Joe: Retaliation will convince you.  Audiences will be treated to four minutes of 3D footage from the Jon M. Chu-directed sequel starring Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum and ALL the ninjas! G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens March 29th.

Make sure to get caught up on all of our recent G.I. Joe: Retaliation coverage, including interviews with Chu, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Adrianne Palicki and a recent Japanese trailer for the film.  Hit the jump to watch a preview of the G.I. Joe: Retaliation footage that will screen in front of Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters starting January 24th.

New images from Tommy Wirkola’s darkly twisted fairy tale Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters show off titular stars Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton, along with some new looks at the villainous villainess, played by Famke Janssen.  You can check out a recent interview with Janssen about the movie here, along with another set of previously released images and the latest trailer.

Also starring Peter Stormare, Zoe Bell and Thomas Mann, Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters opens January 25th.  Hit the jump to see the new images.

Some new images from Tommy Wirkola’s Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters have cropped up.  If you caught the latest red-band trailer for the flick, you know that Jeremy Renner (The Avengers) and Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia) are seeking to exterminate witches with their own brand of gratuitous vengeance.  These new images give a good look at the characters and their weapons (is that Looper’s Blunderbuss?) as well as co-stars Peter Stormare (Fargo) and Thomas Mann (Project X).  Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters opens on January 25th.  Hit the jump to check out the new images.

We’re happy to host the exclusive premiere of the new red-band trailer for Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters.  While the previous trailer highlighted a lot of the witch-killing action by the brother-and-sister team, this new trailer sheds a bit more light on their backstory.  Hansel and Gretel are revealed to have a motive for killing witches that goes beyond just having a badass profession.  We also get a few new one-liners from title stars Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton, which are good for a laugh and great for setting the tone of the picture, one that thankfully doesn’t take itself too seriously.

From director Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow) comes the dark fairy tale Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, also starring Peter Stormare, Famke Janssen, Thomas Mann and Zoe Bell, which opens January 25, 2013.  Hit the jump to check out the new trailer.

How do you make a Jason Bourne film without Matt Damon? There are a couple of options: you can remake the first film, or you can spin-off in a new direction.  What’s most frustrating about The Bourne Legacy is that it takes a third option, which is to pretend that Damon is actually a character in this world, but he’s just not on screen.  Perhaps Universal was stuck between a rock and a hard place. They couldn’t kill Damon off-camera, and they probably hope he’ll come back for more, so instead they brought in Jeremy Renner for a story that runs in parallel to the end of The Bourne Ultimatum, but doesn’t do anything to move the franchise forward.  It is also pretty bad. Our review of the Blu-ray of The Bourne Legacy follows after the jump.

In case you couldn’t tell from the above image, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters will be coming at you in 3D! We have a new Brazilian poster to share with you today, one that puts you front and center for writer/director Tommy Wirkola’s darkly comic spin on a classic fairy tale. Jeremy Renner (The Avengers) and Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace) star as the titular siblings who travel the world to track and kill witches, but quickly find themselves being hunted in turn. Get a taste of the action by checking out the red-band trailer here.

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters also stars Peter Stormare, Famke Janssen, Thomas Mann and Zoe Bell, and opens January 25, 2013. Hit the jump to check out the new poster.