Opening this weekend is director Michael Bay’s fantastic dark comedy Pain & Gain.  The film is based on a crazy 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.  Pain and Gain also stars Anthony Mackie, Rebel Wilson,  Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris, Rob Corddry, Ken Jeong, and Bar Paly.  For more on the film, watch some clips or the red-band trailer.

Last week at the Miami press junket, I landed an exclusive interview with Tony Shalhoub.  We talked about what it was like to work with Michael Bay, his reaction to finding out the story was based on real events, the great work by all the actors, and more.  In addition, as a huge fan of Galaxy Quest, I couldn’t help but have him reminiscence about making that movie and how it’s stood the test of time.  Hit the jump to watch the interview and definitely check out Pain and Gain this weekend.  It’s absolutely worth seeing.

Paramount Pictures has unveiled some new images and a couple of TV spots for director Michael Bay’s upcoming dark comedy Pain & Gain.  Based on a true story, the film stars Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson as two bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion ring and kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.  We recently got a look at a red-band trailer for the film that highlighted the pic’s more comedic aspects, and these images tease the characters played by Rebel Wilson and Ed Harris as well as inform us that Wahlberg and Johnson are indeed cool guys who don’t look at explosions.

Hit the jump to check out the images and TV spots.  The film also stars Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Rob Corddry, and Bar Paly.  Pain & Gain opens on April 26th.

A new red-band trailer and some images for director Michael Bay’s upcoming dark comedy Pain & Gain have been released online.  Based on a true story, the film stars Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson as two bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion ring and kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.  The main focus of this trailer is on the film’s humor, some of which is great (Rebel Wilson and Wahlberg’s closing rant are highlights), while other jokes seem a bit forced and are reminiscent of the more juvenile stuff in Bay’s Transformers franchise.  Nevertheless, I’m very excited about the prospect of Bay tackling this “small-scale” true crime story, and Wahlberg and Johnson look to make a great comedic pairing.

Hit the jump to watch the new red-band trailer and to check out the new images.  The film also stars Anthony Mackie, Rob Corddry, Ed Harris, and Tony Shalhoub.  Pain & Gain opens on April 26th.

Paramount has released a new TV spot for director Michael Bay’s incredibly promising black comedy Pain & Gain.  Based on a true story, the film stars Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson as two bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion ring and kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.  The film’s first trailer is fantastic, and this TV spot does a great job of showcasing that pic’s charm and comedy.  Pain & Gain looks like it could actually be Bay’s most entertaining film yet, but I have a feeling they’re keeping some of the story’s more sordid details under wraps.  The real life ordeal is fairly horrific, though I expect Wahlberg and Johnson will bring enough levity/ridiculousness to the film to make it palatable.

Hit the jump to watch the latest TV spot.  Anthony Mackie, Rob Corddry, Ed Harris, Tony Shalhoub, and Rebel Wilson co-star.  Pain & Gain opens April 26, 2013.

The comedy omnibus Movie 43 has something for everyone with its enormous, star-studded cast: Emma Stone, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Terrence Howard, Halle Berry, Jason Sudeikis, Gerard Butler, Kristen Bell, Chloe Moretz, Josh Duhamel, Johnny Knoxville, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Richard Gere, Anna Faris, Justin Long, Liev Schreiber, Uma Thurman, Seann William Scott, Kieran Culkin, Leslie Bibb, Jimmy Bennett, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Kate Bosworth, Patrick Warburton, Tony Shalhoub, Chris Pratt, Jack McBrayer, Aasif Mandvi, Bobby Cannavale.

Movie 43 opens on January 25, 2013, so Relativity sent over an exclusive TV spot.  If you can handle jokes about homeschool incest and inappropriate uses for hot sauce, watch it after the jump.  And make sure to check out the red band trailer.

Rejoice, The Hunger Games fans!  Production has officially started on the Francis Lawrence-directed follow-up, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  According to their press release, the film “will shoot primarily in existing locations in and near Atlanta, Georgia.  The film will subsequently be shot on location in the beaches and jungles of Hawaii before wrapping in late December, 2012.”  Perhaps more importantly, the director has recorded a video message for fans, announcing a worldwide sweepstakes that will win some lucky fans a chance to visit the set and participate in a cast and crew Q&A!

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire stars Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson, in addition to Sam Claflin, Jeffrey Wright, Tony Shalhoub, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone, Amanda Plummer, Lynn Cohen, Bruno Gunn, Alan Ritchson, E. Roger Mitchell, Meta Golding, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland and Woody Harrelson.  Hit the jump for the video from Francis Lawrence and details on the fan set visit contest. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens November 22, 2013.

Tony Award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright is the latest addition to the cast of the sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  Lionsgate announced today that Wright will take on the supporting role of Beetee in the Francis Lawrence-helmed adaptation of the second novel in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy.  It’s really tough to talk about this movie without getting into spoilers, but the incredibly smart Beetee hails from District 3 and is known for his electronics expertise.

Tony Shalhoub was previously mentioned as a possibility for the role, but I think Wright is a more inspired choice.  Beetee has quite a few scenes with the character Wiress, another District 3-native who will be played by Amanda Plummer.  Wright and Plummer join a fairly impressive list of newcomers that now includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone, and Sam Claflin. Hit the jump to read the press release.  The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens on November 22nd, 2013.

After today’s news that Lionsgate has cast Amanda Plummer (Pulp Fiction) in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the studio is now courting a trio of actors for roles in the upcoming sequel.  It’s being reported that Sam Claflin (Snow White and the Huntsman) is nearing a deal for a role to play Finnick while Oscar-winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and three-time Emmy winner Tony Shalhoub (Monk) are frontrunners for Mags and Beetee respectively.  The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be directed by Francis Lawrence and star Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth when shooting begins this fall.  Hit the jump for more info on the recent casting. [Update: According to Variety's Jeff Sneider, Leo will not be playing Mags.]

David Strathairn, Molly Parker, Parker Posey, Rodrigo Santoro, Tony Shalhoub, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, Santiago Cabrera, Saverio Guerra, Peter Coyote, and Diane Baker have joined the cast of Hemingway & Gellhorn.  The HBO film tells the story of Ernest Hemingway (played by Clive Owen) and Martha Gellhorn (Nicole Kidman), two literary minds who challenged each other throughout a “tumultuous romance and subsequent five-year marriage.” (Gellhorn reportedly inspired one of Hemingway’s most acclaimed novels, For Whom the Bell Tolls.)  Philip Kaufman (Quills) is set to direct; James Gandolfini will executive produce.

Hit the jump for the character breakdown.

Disney has released another trailer for Cars 2 and it’s a lot better than yesterday’s as it focuses on Michael Caine’s character who is a British spy named Finn McMissile.  While I’m not the biggest fan of the first Cars, I understand why Pixar and Disney have made the sequel: money.  From what I understand, the first Cars has generated huge money for the studios as it’s the most successful Pixar movie in terms of merchandising.  When you generate that kind of cash, you make a sequel.  The fact is, while a lot of us might not be on board with the need for a Cars 2, having a lot of extra money in the bank might lead Pixar to take a chance on a more risky film down the road.  What I’m saying is, don’t be too hard on them.

Hit the jump to check out the new trailer and some cool retro posters.  Cars 2 gets released June 24 and it features the voices of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Tony Shalhoub, Emily Mortimer and more.

With some major casting additions, HBO’s telepic Too Big to Fail now lives up to its name.  William Hurt has already signed on to star in the behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 financial crisis, directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential).  James Woods, Paul Giamatti, Billy Crudup, Ed Asner, Kathy Baker, Cynthia Nixon, Ayad Akhtar, Topher Grace, Dan Hedaya, Michael O’Keefe, Tony Shalhoub, and Joey Slotnick have now joined the cast.  Hit the jump to see the real-life personas they’ll assume.

Here’s what happened: Monk is about a brilliant San Francisco detective who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. This phenomenally funny and touching series has come to an end, and this DVD set contains the last season of a run of excellent shows.  Hit the jump for my review:

And to clarify, this is not a comedy that’s currently lacking a title. Untitled Comedy is the title. The film, which is currently in production, will be composed of a series of loosely related comedic sketches, featuring a plethora of different actors and directors. If you think it sounds a little bit like those atrocious Movie movies (you know, the ones brought to you by 2 of the 6 writers of Scary Movie), rest assured that Farrelly and co. have assembled a heap of high-end talent to bring their sketches to life. Stepping in front of the camera will be Elizabeth Banks, Gerard Butler, Kieran Culkin, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Knoxville, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz, Liev Schreiber, Sean William Scott, Tony Shalhoub, Emma Stone, Matt Walsh, Patrick Warburton, Naomi Watts, and Kate Winslet. Behind the camera, Elizabeth Banks, Bob Odenkirk, Brett Ratner, Griffin Dunne, and Farrelly himself have already helmed sequences, with more directors and cast slated to climb aboard as things progress.

The film is said to be in the mould of classic sketch comedies like John Landis’ The Kentucky Fried Movie, the 1977 flick penned by spoof masters David Zucker and Jim Abrahams (Airplane!) and Ken Shapiro’s 1974 skewering of television, The Groove Tube. Hopefully, that paints a picture for you. Hit the jump for the full press release and my thoughts on the project.