Over the last several months, we’ve been getting glimpses of Bong Joon-ho‘s upcoming sci-fi film, Snowpiercer.  Today, the first footage has been released via an international behind-the-scenes featurette.  The story is set in a new ice age caused by a failed experiment to stop global warming that killed virtually all life on the planet.  The sole survivors live on a train called Snowpiercer—powered by a perpetual machine—who struggle with the class system implemented on the train.  The featurette is dubbed in Korean (or at least I assume it’s Korean since Joon-ho is South Korean), but you can still see that there’s going to be some action involved, especially on the part of an axe-wielding Chris Evans.

Hit the jump to check out the footage.  The film also stars John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Alison Pill, Ed Harris, Ewen Bremner, Octavia Spencer, Kang-ho Song, and Ko Asung.

Nine international character posters have been released for Snowpiercer, the English-language debut of Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host).  The story is set in a new ice age caused by a failed experiment to stop global warming that killed virtually all life on the planet.  The sole survivors live on a train called Snowpiercer—powered by a perpetual machine—who struggle with the class system implemented on the train.  The posters all provide the first hint of a release date by listing “Summer 2013″.  However, since these are international posters, we don’t know if that’s summer for the U.S., other countries, or both.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  The film stars Chris Evans, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris, Ewen Bremner, Octavia Spencer, Kang-ho Song, and Ko Asung.

New images have been released from Snowpiercer, the English-language debut of Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host).  The story is set in a new ice age caused by a failed experiment to stop global warming that killed virtually all life on the planet.  The sole survivors live on a train called Snowpiercer—powered by a perpetual machine—who struggle with the class system implemented on the train.  Appropriately, these images are in the form of Korean passports for the cast and Joon-ho.

Hit the jump to check out the passport images.  The film stars Chris Evans, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Alison Pill, Ed Harris, Ewen Bremner, Octavia Spencer, Kang-ho Song, and Ko Asung.  Snowpiercer currently doesn’t have a release date, so it should really get on that.

A new image from Bong Joon-Ho‘s Snowpiercer has been released.  The film takes place on a train that never stops as it makes its way through a futuristic world that is in the midst of an ice age.  The train is divided into classes, and the lower class is ready to revolt.  The new image features Tilda Swinton looking like Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender, but Swinton has made a habit of looking strange in both movies and her red-carpet appearances, so this isn’t too much of a shock.  My larger question is if this kind of style is representative of the larger film.  We don’t know any details about her character, but for someone who is in the midst of an ice age, she seems fairly comfortable in short sleeves, and is in no way surrounded by snow and ice.

Hit the jump to check out the image.  The film also stars Song Kang-ho, Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Alison Pill, John Hurt, Ed Harris, and Octavia Spencer.  Snowpiercer opens later this year. [Update: The source of the image has offered an update clarifying that this is from a photoshoot and is not an image from Snowpiercer.  Apologies for the confusion.]

New images have been released for Michael Bay‘s Pain and Gain and Jim Jarmusch‘s Only Lovers Left Alive.  Pain and Gain is based on a true story, and stars Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson as two bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion ring and kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.  I wish this image was larger so I could turn it into desktop wallpaper.  As for Only Lovers Left Alive, it’s a crypto-vampire love story love story between Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton), two vampires who have been in love for centuries.”  Indiewire adds that when they’re reunited, “their idyll is soon interrupted by Eve’s wild and uncontrollable younger sister Ava (Mia Wasikowska).”  Now imagine if these films switched directors.  That would be movie magic.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  Pain and Gain also stars Anthony Mackie, Rob Corddry, Ed Harris, John Turturro, and Rebel Wilson.  Only Lovers Left Alive also stars John Hurt and Anton Yelchin.

Wes Anderson has never had much problem lining-up impressive ensembles for his movies.  Even his earlier movies have great casts albeit less famous ones.  In a recent interview with THR, Anderson revealed his next film, Grand Budapest Hotel, will have one of his best casts to date.  First, Anderson confirmed Ralph Fiennes, Bill Murray, and Saoirse Ronan were in the flick (Fiennes and Ronan are the leads).  But they’re only a small part of the large cast.  Anderson will reunite with Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Tilda Swinton, and Jason Schwartzman. Owen Wilson might also have a small role.  The movie will also include Jeff Goldblum, F. Murray Abraham, Jude Law, and Mathieu Amalric (Quantum of Solace).

Hit the jump for more.

Director Bong Joon-ho’s (The Host) English-language debut Snow Piercer has secured distribution.  Per Deadline, The Weinstein Company has acquired U.S. rights to Joon-ho’s sci-fi thriller.  The film boasts an excellent ensemble cast that includes Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, John Hurt, and Octavia Spencer and centers on a group of train passengers learning to co-exist in a new ice age.  The ice age is a result of a failed experiment to stop global warming that killed off all life on the planet except for the inhabitants of a train called Snow Piercer, which travels the globe and is powered by a sacred perpetual-motion engine” The conflict in the story comes from a revolution that brews as a result of the class system that forms on the train.

Though nothing has been set in stone, Deadline adds that a wide summer release in 2013 is likely.  It would be a smart move for TWC, and the intriguing concept, heady social issues, and stacked cast definitely make this one to look forward to.  Click here to see what Evans had to say about the film during his recent interview with Steve.

Wes Anderson is a very specific filmmaker.  Flip on a couple seconds of any of his seven feature films and you’ll instantly recognize it as distinctively “Wes Anderson-y.”  Not everyone loves his peculiar style and controlled aesthetic choices, but fans of Anderson relish being enveloped by a wholly new world with each subsequent feature.  The filmmaker’s output has been met with varying degrees of success over the years, but his latest film is a prime example of the bliss that results from the perfect marriage of director and material.  Hit the jump for our review of Moonrise Kingdom on Blu-ray.

Lynne Ramsay is one of the prime examples of how directorial talent doesn’t ensure an easy cinematic career. She started her career explosively, captivating Cannes in the mid-90s with her student shorts, before releasing her critically lauded and Criterion-captured freshman feature Ratcatcher in 1999, and the daring Morvern Callar in 2002. But then Ramsay disappeared from the cinematic landscape, plagued with behind-the-scenes creative and financial woes. She spent four years adapting The Lovely Bones, before it was handed over to Peter Jackson for a less than stellar adaptation. She was courted for Jane Eyre, but refused the offer when she wasn’t allowed to adapt the material herself.

Her luck began to turn when Lynne Ramsay settled on Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk About Kevin. The road was hard, as the filmmaker battled financial woes and rigid timeframes, but Ramsay persevered to create one of the most captivating films of 2011. Our review of the DVD/Blu-ray combo follows after the jump.

Focus Features has released a new behind-the-scenes featurette for Wes Anderson‘s Moonrise Kingdom.  The featurette does a good job of explaining the plot, and most of the adult cast– Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, and Jason Schwartzman—break down their respective characters.  The cast also talks up Anderson’s distinct visual style, but the style is large part of why I’m slightly wary of the film.  The movie looks cute and funny, but it also seems like its verging on self-parody.  Hopefully, the film’s heart and humor won’t be overshadowed by the style.

Hit the jump to check out the featurette, and click here for six clips from the movie.  The film also stars Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, and Bob Balaban.  Moonrise Kingdom will open the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, and open in limited release on May 25th.

Last week we shared two clips from Wes Anderson’s latest feature, Moonrise Kingdom, and now all of the clips released thus far are officially online.  There are six clips in total and they’re chock full of Anderson staples.  The visuals are gorgeous, the actors look like they’re having a blast, and the camera movements are undeniably Anderson-y.  For those unfamiliar, the story centers on a young boy and girl who decide to run away together into the wilderness, and the madness that ensues from the community’s search for the pair.  I’m a big fan of Anderson so this one’s been on my radar for a while, and these clips only serve to reinforce my excitement for the film.  Let the twee commence!

Hit the jump to check out the clips.  The film stars Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman, Jared Gilman, and Kara Hayward.  Moonrise Kingdom will open the Cannes Film Festival (in-competition) and will open in limited release on May 25th.

The first clip from Wes Anderson’s latest feature, Moonrise Kingdom, has gone online.  The story centers on a young boy and girl who decide to run away together into the wilderness, and the madness that ensues from the community’s search for the pair.  This clip features three Anderson newbies—Tilda Swinton, Bruce Willis, and Edward Norton—confronting the situation at hand as only Wes Anderson characters can.  I love the casting of Norton as a Scout Master, and Swinton is delectably harsh in this first clip.  The costumes ain’t bad either.

Hit the jump to check out the clip.  The film also stars Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman, Jared Gilman, and Kara Hayward.  Moonrise Kingdom will open the Cannes Film Festival (in-competition) and will open in limited release on May 25th.  [Update: We added another clip with Schwartzman and the two young stars after the jump.]

With writer-director Wes Anderson, nothing is ever very simple.  The Fantastic Mr. Fox is not just for kids, Ben Stiller is not just a comedic actor, and these new character posters for Anderson’s latest feature, Moonrise Kingdom, are not just ordinary posters.  A batch of seven character posters for the film have gone online, but the catch is that they’re all motion posters with interactive qualities.  Moreover, they’re a thing of beauty.  The artwork for Anderson’s films is always gorgeous, but these Moonrise Kingdom posters are at once visually appetizing and downright fun.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  The film stars Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Jared Gilman, and Kara Hayward.  Moonrise Kingdom will open on May 25th.

An international poster for Wes Anderson‘s new comedy Moonrise Kingdom has gone online.  The story centers on a young boy and girl who decide to run away together into the wilderness, and the madness of the community’s search for the pair.  While I prefer the first poster for the movie, this one has a nice touch by making it clear that the background is a painted backdrop.

Hit the jump to check out the poster and click here for new images from the movie.  The film stars Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Jared Gilman, and Kara Hayward. Moonrise Kingdom will open the Cannes Film Festival, and open in limited release on May 25th.

Focus Features has released new images for Wes Anderson‘s Moonrise Kingdom (premiering at Cannes, and then opening in limited release on May 25th),  Seeking a Friend for the End of the World starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley (opening June 22nd), and the stop-motion animated film Paranorman (opening in 3D on August 17th).  Note that the image from Moonrise Kingdom is probably promotional and not from the movie.

Hit the jump to check out the images, and click on the corresponding links to learn more about each movie.  You can also find synopses after the jump.