Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. The Dictator is seemingly the only player (movie) that wanted to be on the court this weekend. While Sacha Baron Cohen hustled with his latest outlandish character, Battleship (more like BattleshiT) and What to Expect When You’re Expecting were just going through the recycled motions. And the mid-majors (limited releases) in Darling Companion and The Samaritan, gave it a go, yet just didn’t have the talent on the sideline (behind-the-lens crew) to compete. The new releases for the respective week will  [ Read More ]

Even with a summer packed with potentially fantastic blockbusters, this Movie News Cheat Sheet primarily highlights those that are coming further down the line. We’ve got our first look at Matthew Fox in the October 26th release, Alex Cross, as well as a slew of release updates, which includes an October 4, 2013 bow for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. Well down the road we’ll get a female driven buddy cop comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as well as a Scott Z. Burns-penned Rise of the Planet of the Apes sequel. In other writer hiring news, Aaron Sorkin has officially boarded Sony’s Steve Jobs biopic and  [ Read More ]

The box office results for the weekend of May 18th – 20th sees The Avengers rewriting more records while all the newbies are firing off blanks. Here are the studio estimates: 1. Marvel’s The Avengers ($55.7 million) 2. Battleship ($25.3 million) 3. The Dictator ($17.4 million) 4. Dark Shadows ($12.7 million) 5. What to Expect When You’re Expecting ($10.5 million) 6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ($3.2 million) 7. The Hunger Games ($3 million) 8. Think Like a Man ($2.7 million) 9. The Lucky One ($1.7 million) 10. The Pirates! Band of Misfits ($1.4 million) Analysis With The Avengers has kept box office record-keepers on their toes the last three  [ Read More ]

Childhood experiences can often leave a lasting effect on the way people develop and perceive life. That’s certainly the case with Dustin Lance Black, the writer-director of the new drama ‘Virginia,’ which is now playing in select theaters. Loosely basing the screenplay on his own childhood experiences, including growing up with a handicapped mother, family members with schizophrenia and in the Mormon religion in the south, Black fearlessly showcased his untraditional upbringing in the film. ‘Virginia’ follows the title character, played by Jennifer Connelly, a single mother with schizophrenia struggling to raise her teenage son Emmett, portrayed by Harrison Gilbertson. Her long-time affair with the married, Mormon Sheriff Richard Tipton,  [ Read More ]

The new trailer for the upcoming romantic drama ‘The Words’ has been released by CBS Films. The movie, which stars Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde and Ben Barnes, was an official selection at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and is set to hit theaters on September 21. Written and directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, ‘The Words’ follows young writer Rory Jansen, played by Cooper, who finally achieves long sought after literary success. Having published the next great American novel, Rory must contend with the fact that he didn’t actually write the book. As the past comes back to haunt Rory, he must confront  [ Read More ]

Title: What to Expect When You’re Expecting Director: Kirk Jones (‘Everybody’s Fine’) Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford (TV’s ‘Gossip Girl’), Brooklyn Decker (‘Just Go With It’), Anna Kendrick (‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1’), Matthew Morrison (TV’s ‘Glee’), Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock and Joe Manganiello (TV’s ‘True Blood’) Popular and successful books are often known for making uninspired, terrible film adaptations. The latest book to receive an inferior movie adaptation is the pregnancy guide ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting.’ While the book is known for providing countless expectant mothers with helpful advice over the last 25 years, the new romantic comedy features far too  [ Read More ]

Sometimes, being a film journalist in Birmingham, AL has its drawbacks. We don’t get a lot of the big stuff other major cities get in terms of live movie sets. However, we are constantly growing as a movie filming destination, and evidence of that was when I happened to come across the set of “42″ Friday night. The set being used was 3rd. Avenue North, right in front of the historic Alabama Theater. Most of the street was closed off, and, as you can see in the pictures below, several old cars were placed along either side of the street. Eventually, the extras were bussed in, all in 1940s hair  [ Read More ]

Title: Battleship Directed By: Peter Berg Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker, Tadanobu Asano, Hamish Linklater, Liam Neeson, Jesse Plemons, Gregory D. Gadson, John Tui Riggins and Landry in the Navy, Peter Berg Does Michael Bay, Transformers-esque, Not Really Battleship; any of those titles are just as fitting if not more so than Battleship. Back in 2005, after finding a planet similar to Earth, NASA opts to beam a signal to what they dub “Planet G” in an effort to communicate. Also in 2005, Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) is jobless, has to live with his brother, Stone (Alexander Skarsgård), and gets busted for stealing a burrito. On the  [ Read More ]

The Grand Jury Prize winner at the Cannes Film Festival last year, and recipient of more than a dozen Cesar Award nominations, “Polisse” represents a unique French entry in a well-worn genre — the grizzled police department drama. Centering on the myriad investigations of the Child Protection Unit of a Paris bureau, the movie features all sorts of shocking, sad and scandalous subplots about child abuse, abandonment, underage pickpockets and predatory sexual behavior. But it’s also surprising for another reason — its writer-director and co-star, Maiwenn Le Besco, is a female, trading in a genre most typically reserved for men. For ShockYa, Brent Simon had a chance to speak to  [ Read More ]

Title: Polisse Director: Maiwenn Le Besco Starring: Frederic Pierrot, Marina Fois, Karin Viard, Emmanuelle Bercot, Joeystarr, Maiwenn, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Karole Rocher, Riccardo Scamarcio Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, “Polisse” is a French cop drama that comes across as something of a cinematic turducken — filling, yes, but also rather unnaturally stuffed to the breaking point with different and sometimes at odds tastes. Directed and co-written by Maiwenn (who typically eschews her surname, Le Besco), the movie connects fitfully through its sheer urgency — it’s a work of deep feeling. Vacuuming out the exotic benefit of its foreign film presentation, however, many arthouse patrons  [ Read More ]

Actor Channing Tatum recently made it a point to clear up the idea that ‘Magic Mike’ is a movie about his life. Although it seems most of the population isn’t too worried about whether or not the stripper biopic is based on the actor’s days prior to hitting it big, and more concerned with the shirtless cast, Tatum seemed adamant when speaking with Entertainment Weekly. “This movie isn’t about my life. [The plot] has nothing to do with me other than that there’s an 18, 19-year-old kid coming into this world. That’s it. [But] I think the world is pretty damn accurate. Everything you see in the movie is stuff  [ Read More ]

The first official trailer for Dax Shepard’s comedy ‘Hit and Run’ is out in circulation. The teaser is hilarious, and if it is any indication of how the movie will play out Shephard’s project should easily be a box office hit. The story follows the ‘Parenthood’ actor as a former get away driver named Charlie who turns his life around with the help of the witness protection program. His comfortable world comes crashing down when his former con artist associates find him and his girlfriend, played by real life love Kristen Bell. Also part of the cast and seen in the trailer is The Hangover’s Bradley Cooper, who looks to  [ Read More ]

Title: Natural Selection Director: Robbie Pickering Starring: Rachael Harris, Matt O’Leary, John Diehl, Jon Gries, Gayland Williams The darling of last year’s South By Southwest Film Festival, where it picked up seven awards, “Natural Selection” has an interesting central idea and a pair of fairly arresting lead turns, but it doesn’t convincingly dig down into its characters, and is further bogged down and hamstrung by its technical limitations. A cracked road trip in which a devoted Christian housewife jointly rescues and falls for a hedonistic, previously unknown family member, writer-director Robbie Pickering’s feature debut is an indie effort shot through with good intention, but lacking in either deft enough execution  [ Read More ]

Relativity Media has announced it has acquired the American rights to market and distribute the upcoming comedy ‘Paranoia.’ The film, which will be directed by Robert Luketic, stars ‘The Hunger Game’s Liam Hemsworth, Gary Oldman, Harrison Ford and ‘X-Men: First Class’ star Lucas Till. ‘Paranoia’ is set to begin filming this summer, and will be released in theaters on September 27, 2013. The thriller follows Adam Cassidy, played by Hemsworth, a blue collar guy trying to get ahead in his entry-level job at Wyatt Telecom. Adam is confronted by ruthless CEO Nicholas Wyatt after making a costly and illegal mistake. Nicholas agrees not to turn Adam in, as long as  [ Read More ]

The newest poster for the film “Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D” has been released! Check it out below the post. “Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D” documents the behind-the-scenes life of the popular singer. “Katy began documenting her California Dreams Tour, consisting of 124 performances, over a year ago” states the press release.. Her management team, Direct Management, soon after brought AEG into the project to film the artist’s two shows at Staples Center in LA in 3D. A partnership with Imagine Entertainment followed.” “I am so excited to paint the silver screen in 3D color with help from our friends at Paramount and Imagine,” said Perry, according to  [ Read More ]