Laika and Focus Features are teaming up once again for The Boxtrolls.  Their third production will be the 3D stop motion and CG hybrid animated adaptation of Alan Snow’s “Here Be Monsters.”  The story centers on a posh Victorian-era town of people obsessed with finery and stinky cheese, but are plagued by an underground society of foul monsters who steal their children…and cheese.  Similar in themes to their previous productions Coraline and ParaNorman, the under-dwellers are not exactly what the citizens’ legends say they are.

Directed by Anthony Stacchi (Open Season) and Graham Annable (a story artist on Coraline and ParaNorman), The Boxtrolls features an impressive voice cast featuring Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Elle Fanning, Toni Collette, Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade and Tracy Morgan.  The Boxtrolls is due out October 17, 2014.  Hit the jump to see the full synopsis along with the first concept image from the film.

Why Stop Now? tells the bittersweet story of Eli Smith (Jesse Eisenberg), a piano prodigy who, on the day of his audition for a prestigious music program, plans to enter his loving mother (Melissa Leo) into rehab for drug addiction.  But, things don’t quite work out as planned and Eli soon finds himself having to work with her drug dealer Sprinkles (Tracy Morgan) while trying to make his own dream come true.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, actor Jesse Eisenberg talked about why he was interested in being a part of Why Stop Now?, what made his character so relatable, preparing to do the piano playing himself, getting to work so closely with Melissa Leo, and what surprised him about Tracy Morgan, as a dramatic actor.  He also talked about what he’s looking forward to with the animated sequel Rio 2, working with Richard Ayoade on The Double (a comedy about a man who is driven insane by the appearance of his doppleganger), creating the unique world of Now You See Me (a thriller about FBI agents tracking a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances), getting ready to shoot Night Moves (in which he’ll play an eco-terrorist), and being mistaken for Mark Zuckerberg at the Olympics.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

As you’re likely aware, the 2012 Summer Olympics kicked off in London yesterday. In other words, it’s time for me to care about competitive swimming and gymnastics for the first time since the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. To all of our readers, especially those internationally-based, I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on the Summer Olympics. Is it an event that evokes your inner-patriotism and love of otherwise obscure athletic feats? Do you take great joy in defeating the ol’ U.S. of A. in something other than Math and Science scores? Sound off in the comments.

This Saturday brings us the Man of Steel teaser trailer set to John Williams‘ original Superman score, coverage from our visit to the set of Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis‘ The Campaign, an extended trailer and first official images from Cloud Atlas, interviews with the fellas of The Watch, and Brendan’s latest By the Numbers installment covering The Caped Crusader from Batman: The Movie to The Dark Knight Rises. Unless you’re a Top 5 noob (in which case, welcome aboard!), you know that a brief recap and link to each can be found after the jump.

“Let’s keep it 1950s, kids,” Vince Vaughn‘s character says to his teenage daughter and her prom date in Akiva Schaffer‘s The Watch.  That sentiment could be applied to the film’s cherished values, and the characters’ drive to protect the most boring of places: the suburbs.  The suburbs are where white flew after African-Americans began moving into the cities, and now it’s a safe haven where nothing happens or will ever happen.  The paradox of The Watch is in seeing the heroes (played by Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade) go on a comic adventure to keep the status quo.  But in the dull trappings of Schaffer’s bland direction, Stiller’s killjoy character, and Ayoade’s wasted talented, there’s no comedy or thrills to be found.  It’s a movie where rocking the suburbs won’t wake the neighbors, and only the chemistry between Vaughn and Hill provides any levity to the tame R-rated comedy.

Opening tomorrow is director Akiva Schaffer’s (Hot Rod) sci-fi comedy The Watch (previously titled Neighborhood Watch).  The film stars Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Ben Stiller and Richard Ayoade as a group of neighbors who form a local neighborhood watch group and end up stumbling onto an alien plot to destroy the world.  The film also stars Billy Crudup, Will Forte, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Nicholas Braun.  For more on the film, here’s the latest trailer, a red band trailer, an outtake reel, my video interview with Schaffer, and all our previous coverage.

The other day I got to speak with Stiller, Vaughn, Hill and Ayoade.  We talked about the filthy dialogue, what was in the script versus improv, what scene had the most takes, and who broke the most during filming.  In addition, at the end of the interview I got updates on the 21 Jump Street sequel, Zoolander 2, The Internship and The Double.  Hit the jump to watch.

A new red-band trailer/outtake reel for The Watch has gone online.  For those unfamiliar with the film, it follows a neighborhood watch gang who stumble upon plans for an alien invasion.  There are some regular clips that have appeared in other trailers, and then the outtakes are more like alternate takes that are followed by the actors cracking up at their shenanigans.  I’ll have my review online tomorrow, but I’ll say now that if you want to avoid spoiling some of the jokes for yourself, maybe hold off on watching this until after you’ve seen the movie.

Hit the jump to check out the red-band trailer/outtake reel.  The film stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade.  The Watch opens Friday.

It almost seemed like Fox had forgotten about Akiva Schaffer‘s comedy The Watch (it received the blandest poster of the year thus far), but with about a month to go until the film’s release, it looks like the marketing is beginning to ramp up.  A new international trailer has gone online, and it’s got some good laughs throughout.  The plot centers on a group of neighborhood watch guys (played by Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade) who stumble upon an alien invasion plot.  Stiller and Vaughn seem to have settled into their standard personas (uptight guy and fast-talking guy, respectively), but I like seeing Hill as a little bit psycho, and it looks like British actor Ayoade (The IT Crowd) has a chance to steal the show in his big American debut.

Hit the jump to check out the international trailer.  The film also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Will Forte, and Billy Crudup.  The Watch (formerly titled Neighborhood Watch) opens July 27th.

We’ve got a couple of new posters for two all-star lineup films to share today.  First up, the final poster for The Expendables 2 has landed online.  The one-sheet highlights the film’s ensemble of hardened action stars and lots and lots of explosions.  The message here is clear: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and co. are so bad ass that they’re impervious to fire.  The film’s story finds Stallone’s crew up against baddie Jean-Claude Van Damme who is in possession of weapons-grade plutonium (that bastard!).  The film opens on August 17th.

Additionally, a new poster for the sci-fi comedy The Watch has landed online.  Previously titled Neighborhood Watch, the film stars Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Ben Stiller and Richard Ayoade as a group of neighbors who form a local neighborhood watch group and end up stumbling onto an alien plot to destroy the world.  While the poster isn’t much, I’m encouraged by the fact that Akiva Schaffer (Hot Rod) directed the pic and the film’s red-band trailers are really funny.  The film opens on July 27th.  Hit the jump to check out the posters.

A new trailer for director Akiva Schaffer’s (Hot Rod) sci-fi comedy The Watch (previously titled Neighborhood Watch) has been released.  The film stars Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Ben Stiller and Richard Ayoade as a group of neighbors who form a local neighborhood watch group and end up stumbling onto an alien plot to destroy the world.  This trailer is essentially an all-ages version of the red band trailer that was released a few weeks ago, with a few bits of new footage interspersed throughout; we also get our first look at the aliens.  This trailer has a few laughs, but as we saw with the red band cut the pic is a pretty hard-R so it’s hard to get a gist of the comedy when it’s cleaned up.  That said, I’m really looking forward to seeing this ensemble of great comedic talents play off of each other with the filter taken off.  Moreover, Hot Rod is wonderfully underrated and I’m eager to see Schaffer bring his brand of weird to a big commercial comedy.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Billy Crudup, Will Forte, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Nicholas Braun. The Watch opens July 27th.

The comedy previously known as Neighborhood Watch now has a new red band trailer and a new title.  To distance itself from the Trayvon Martin case in Florida, director Akiva Schaffer’s (Hot Rod) sci-fi comedy is now simply titled The Watch.  Nevertheless, this trailer exactly what I was hoping would come out of a Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Ben Stiller team-up.  Thankfully, it appears they’re going full-R on this one based on the a high number of f-bombs and dick jokes thrown into this red band clip.  The film stars Vaughn, Hill, Stiller and Richard Ayoade as a group of neighbors who form a local watch group and end up stumbling onto an alien plot to destroy the world.

I’m a huge fan of Hot Rod, and it looks like Schaffer is bringing some of the same oddball humor to this film. The sci-fi aspect is played way up in this trailer, and I especially love how the characters react after stumbling upon an unknown alien weapon.  Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Billy Crudup, Will Forte, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Nicholas Braun. The Watch opens July 27th.

We’ve got a few new posters to share with you this evening.  Briefly:

• On the Road – New character posters showcasing Kristen Stewart and Garrett Hedlund from director Walter Salles’ adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel.
• Rock of Ages – An ensemble poster from the 80s rock musical starring Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Alec Baldwin, and Russell Brand.
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – A new poster from the blood-filled twist on the story of our nation’s 16th President.  Benjamin Walker, Rufus Sewell, and Anthony Mackie star.
• Neighborhood Watch – A new poster for the sci-fi comedy starring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade as bored men who join a neighborhood watch group for fun.

Hit the jump to check out the new posters.

Just the other day we got a look at a teaser poster for the comedy Neighborhood Watch, and now a teaser trailer has hit the web. The film stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade who are in over their heads as a group of neighbors who form a local watch group and end up stumbling onto an alien plot to destroy the world. This trailer is very much a teaser, as it’s mostly just the four leads riding around in a minivan blasting Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. As if the cast wasn’t enough to entice me to see Neighborhood Watch, The Lonely Island member and Hot Rod director Akiva Schaffer is at the helm. If this movie is even half as goofy and twisted as Hot Rod, I think we’ll be in for a good time.

Hit the jump to check out the teaser. The film also stars Billy Crudup, Will Forte, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Nicholas Braun. Neighborhood Watch opens July 27th. [Update: We've added images and the UK poster]

In this edition of “Photos from the Set,” we have:

• Neighborhood Watch – Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade star as a group of neighbors who form a local watch group and end up stumbling onto an alien plot to destroy the world.
• Lovelace – Amanda Seyfried and Peter Sarsgard star as Linda Lovelace and her abusive husband Chuck Traynor in the biopic about the star at the center of the porn phenomenon Deep Throat.
• Dog Fight – Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis star as rival politicians running for a congressional seat in a small North Carolina district.
• Filth – James McAvoy, Jamie Bell and Alan Cumming star in the adaptation of the Irvine Welsh novel about a malicious Scottish police officer.

Hit the jump for the set photos and more info on each movie.

The 14th Annual British Independent Film Awards were held tonight and the brutal drama Tyrannosaur took home trophies for Best Film, Best Debut Director (Paddy Considine), and Best Actress (Olivia Colman).  Other BIFA winners included Senna for Best Documentary, Lynne Ramsay for Best Director (We Need to Talk about Kevin), Michael Fassbender for Best Actor (Shame), and Richard Ayoade for Best Screenplay (Submarine).

I thought Tyrannosaur failed to derive honest drama from its ugliness and violence, but I can understand why the movie struck a chord with most viewers.  As for the other winners, I think Ramsay is still an outsider in the Oscar race, but Fassbender, Ayoade, and Colman may have boosted their chances, although Colman will probably compete in the Best Supporting Actress category since that’s where she has a better chance for a nomination.  Hit the jump for the full list of winners.

Today we’ve been granted a first look at Wrath of the Titans and the comedy Neighborhood Watch courtesy of some scans from the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. The Clash of the Titans sequel once again stars Sam Worthington as Perseus, who is tasked with rescuing a kidnapped Zeus (Liam Neeson) from Hades (Ralph Fiennes). The image shows Worthingon running and yelling (something he’s gotten very, very good at), and he seems to be carrying a trident. Director Jonathan Liebesman reveals that the trident is but one of several celestial weapons Perseus has to bring together “in order to create an uber-weapon.” Hit the jump for info on Neighborhood Watch and to check out the images.