The most remarkable thing about Identity Thief is how a movie this dumb could keep insulting its audience’s intelligence.  Aside from being a comedy with no laughs, screenwriter Craig Mazin rests almost his entire plot on coincidences, and one-dimensional characters.  The comic talents of stars Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy are absolutely wasted on a limp road movie that gets lazier and more tiresome with every passing moment.  The best joke the film can conjure is a punch to the throat, which would almost be preferable to sitting through this chore of a picture.

It’s a bit disappointing that Ruben Fleischer‘s Gangster Squad can live in such a rich setting and still feel so light.  As seen through a grand tradition of films dating back over 70 years, post-war Los Angeles was boozy, hedonistic, dangerous, and dark.  Gangster Squad waters down this colorful world, and simply coasts on being an amusing, frivolous action film.  There’s nothing wrong with that, and with a strong cast at his disposal, Fleischer finds a nice blend between the style he brought to Zombieland and the spirit of the time period.  Unfortunately, a thin plot and even thinner characters make Gangster Squad as intense as a drive-by shooting and just as fleeting.

With the film set to hit theaters tomorrow, a final extended trailer for director Ruben Fleischer’s crime drama Gangster Squad has been released online.  It looks to be mostly made up of footage that we’ve seen before, but this is the most comprehensive look at the film we’ve been given thus far.  If you missed any of our recent coverage, be sure to check out Steve’s extended interview with star Josh Brolin and Christina’s coverage of the press conference that included Fleischer, Brolin, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone.  Look for more interviews over the next few days.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer.  The film also stars Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Peña, Robert Patrick and Mireille Enos.  Gangster Squad opens on January 11th.

I offered a similar sentiment following the tragedy at Aurora, CO back in July and I’ll do the same today: the event that unfolded yesterday in Newtown, CT is inexcusable and genuinely heartbreaking, even from a distance. The optimist in me wants to believe that any negative situation can be used to educate and improve the world we live in going forward. In this case, I’m hopeful but unsure that’s possible. On behalf of everyone here at Collider, I want to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of those who were lost yesterday.

As petty as it may seem, I feel fortunate to be able to offer a bit of diversion to your day with this week’s Top 5. Included in a trailer-heavy rotation this week is a new cut from Zack Snyder‘s Man of Steel, The Hobbit interviews with Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis and more, the first trailer for Guillermo del Toro‘s Pacific Rim, Andre’s coverage from his Gangster Squad set visit, and the first look at Will Smith and Jaden Smith gallivanting across the human unfriendly Mother Earth found in M. Night Shyamalan’s After Earth. A brief recap and link to each will greet you after the jump.

Warner Bros. has released a large batch of new images from director Ruben Fleischer’s upcoming period drama Gangster Squad.  The movie is set in 1940s Los Angeles and stars Sean Penn as real-life gangster Mickey Cohen, who became the target of special task force known as the “Gangster Squad”.  If you missed it, be sure to check out all of our set visit coverage including 15 things to know and our interviews with Fleischer, Josh Brolin, Anthony Mackie, Robert Patrick, Giovanni Ribisi, and producers Dan Lin and Kevin McCormick.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Ryan Gosling, Michael Pena, Nick Nolte, and Emma Stone.  Gangster Squad opens on January 11th.

Though Robert Patrick may never escape his first breakthrough role as the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, over the last twenty years he’s built a great resume as a character actor. In Gangster Squad he plays a seasoned vet that’s part cowboy, and it’s a part that Patrick was born to play. We got a chance to talk to the actor about his character and some of his previous work while on the set of Gangster Squad. Our interview follows after the jump.

The new ABC drama series Last Resort, from co-creators Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and Karl Gajdusek, tells a suspenseful, emotional and action-packed story about what happens when a U.S. submarine crew receives an order to fire nuclear weapons at a foreign country, and then ignores that order.  With nowhere left to turn, Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) and XO Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman) take the sub on the run and bring the men and women of theColorado to an island where they will find refuge, as they try to clear their names and get back home.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, actor Robert Patrick – who plays Master Chief Joseph Prosser, a career military man and longtime confidant to the Captain, as well as the designated leader of all enlisted crew on the Colorado – talked about how much fun he’s having on what he sees as a very important show, how he views his character, what’s to come for his storyline, whether or not he thinks he could survive on a submarine himself, and what he thinks it is, in himself, that leads people to cast him as tough guys and villains.  He also talked about the experience of making Gangster Squad, due out in theaters on January 11, 2013.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

The first trailer for the comedy Identity Thief has been released.  Directed by Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses), the movie stars Jason Bateman as an accounts rep who has a week to travel across the country and track down the con artist (Melissa McCarthy) who stole his identity.  Horrible Bosses was a fantastic surprise last year and the pairing of Bateman and McCarthy sounds great, but this trailer is a tad disappointing.  Many of the jokes hinge on physical comedy, so hopefully they’re saving the dialogue-driven stuff for the full film. The caliber of talent involved is promising and McCarthy looks to have put together quite the character, so I’m still eager to see more.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer and to check out some images.  The film also stars Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Genesis Rodriguez, Morris Chestnut, John Cho, Robert Patrick, and Eric Stonestreet. Identity Thief opens February 8, 2013. 

Universal Pictures has released synopses for their upcoming films 2 Guns and Identity Thief.  Briefly, 2 Guns is an action flick that stars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg as operatives from competing government bureaus who are disavowed and forced to go on the run together after a mission goes wrong.  As for Identity Thief, the comedy stars Jason Bateman as a man who goes to great lengths to get his identity back from a con artist (Melissa McCarthy).

Hit the jump to check out the synopses.  2 Guns opens August 16, 2013.  Identity Thief opens February 8, 2013.

If thumbing through a bounty of high-resolution images from baseball dramas is your thing, today is your day.  Warner Bros. has released over 50 new images from the upcoming drama Trouble with the Curve, and after the jump you can peruse said bounty of images at your leisure.  The film stars Clint Eastwood as an aging Atlanta Braves scout who is starting to lose his vision.  His daughter, played by Amy Adams, reluctantly agrees to be his eyes on a crucial recruiting trip.  Justin Timberlake also comes into play as a young rival scout who respects Eastwood’s character (and may or may not have the hots for his daughter).

Hit the jump to check out the images.  Directed by Robert Lorenz, the film also stars John Goodman, Matthew Lillard, and Robert Patrick. Trouble with the Curve opens on September 28th.

The first trailer for the baseball drama Trouble with the Curve has been released.  Clint Eastwood stars as an aging scout whose daughter (Amy Adams)  reluctantly agrees to accompany him on one last crucial recruiting trip.  Though the jokes are a bit hokey, the film looks to have a genuinely strong story anchored by the chemistry trifecta of Eastwood, Adams, and Justin Timberlake.  Adams has the chance to shine in a strong female role, and the characters don’t seem to be overshadowed by some win-chasing plot device that propels many sports dramas.  Moreover, 90s staple Matthew Lillard pops up in yet another prestigious drama and somehow fits right in.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  Directed by Robert Lorenz, the film also stars John Goodman, Matt Bush, Robert Patrick and Scott Eastwood.  The film opens on September 28th.

The first trailer for Billy Bob Thornton’s latest directorial effort, Jayne Mansfield’s Car, has landed online by way of an international trailer.  The story revolves around a man whose wife leaves him for an Englishman and moves away to England. 20 or 30 years later, in 1969, the wife dies but wishes to be returned to Alabama where she grew up, so the English family meets—and clashes with—the original family that she abandoned.  The film is still awaiting a U.S. distribution deal despite a seriously stacked cast that includes Thornton, Robert Duvall, John Hurt, Kevin Bacon, Frances O’Connor, Robert Patrick, and Ray Stevenson.

There are laughs to be found in the first half of the trailer which centers on the culture clash between the two families, but the second half hints at some genuinely touching drama that comes out of the situation.  I’m eager to see how the full feature plays out, especially since Thornton hasn’t directed since 2001’s Daddy and Them.  Hit the jump to watch the trailer.

The first trailer for director Ruben Fleischer‘s (Zombieland) crime drama Gangster Squad has gone online. The film stars Sean Penn as gangster Mickey Cohen, and centers on the Los Angeles task force (headed by Josh Brolin) assembled to bring him to justice.  I’m a sucker for anything 1940s-related, but I think this trailer is pretty damn great.  The cast is incredible, and Fleischer’s visual flair from his previous films looks to have matured and evolved for this more dramatic story.  Above all, though, Gangster Squad looks like a lot of fun.  It’s easy for period pieces like this to be drowned by solemnity (I’m looking at you, Public Enemies), but Fleischer hasn’t forgotten that there’s a lot of fun to be had in 1940s L.A.  Additionally, I’m loving the different personalities on display in the ensemble.  Between this, Argo, and the slew of movies slated for this fall/winter, 2012 is shaping up to be something special.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Michael Peña, Anthony Mackie, and Giovanni Ribisi.  Gangster Squad opens later this year.

It’s been a little while since we had a porn star update, so here’s a new poster featuring Linda Lovelace.  Technically, it’s Amanda Seyfried portraying Linda Lovelace in this new poster for the indie biopic, Lovelace.  Splitting hairs.  It’s not as provocative as you might expect, but I’m reserving some hope that, as the movie gets closer to release (unexpected pun!), the material gets more and more risque.  If that wasn’t the plan, it’s something the Lovelace marketing team might want to consider.

Then again, it’s not all about the sex appeal, since a good portion of Lovelace deals with the abusive relationship between the porn star and her husband, Chuck Traynor (Peter Sarsgaard).  You can take a look at previously released images, set photos and posters here.  Lovelace also stars Sharon Stone, Adam Brody, Chloe Sevigny, Juno Temple, Sarah Jessica Parker, Chris Noth, Robert Patrick, and James Franco.  Hit the jump to see the new poster.

As the two competing Linda Lovelace biopics continue to race toward the finish line, one moves closer to release as production on Lovelace began today.  Variety reports that Hank Azaria, Bobby Cannavale (Win Win), Chris Noth (Sex and the City), and Robert Patrick have all joined the cast of the now in-production indie. Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (Howl), the film has Amanda Seyfried set to star as the titular porn star, with Peter Sarsgaard in place as Lovelace’s husband (whom she claims for coerced her into pornography). But that’s not all, as James Franco is also apparently in talks to appear in the film as one Hugh Hefner. Franco was initially eyed to take on Sarsgaard’s part, but the thought of Franco playing Hefner in full force is almost too good to be true.

Franco’s role would be little more than a cameo, as the Hefner sequence simply involves Lovelace and her husband attending a screening of Deep Throat at the Playboy mansion. Hit the jump for more on the project.