Title: Needle Directed by: John V. Soto Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Tahyna Tozzi and Travis Fimmel Running time: 89 minutes, Rated R After the death of his father, Ben receives an intricately decorated 18th century mechanical box which is labeled “Le Vaudo Mort.” The box itself is actually a supernatural tool for revenge, as the victim’s photo is placed into the box, and a wax voodoo doll is formed after turning the hand crank. Ben shows the box off to his college friends, and after a party it’s discovered that the box was stolen. Soon Ben’s friends start dying in very gruesome and horrible ways. Ben’s estranged brother Marcus, a forensic…

Read our interview with Cam Gigandet, who stars as Jonah in the psychological thriller ‘Trespass.’ The film, which was directed by Joel Schumacher, will hit theaters on October 14, 2011, and will also be available On Demand. ‘Trespass’ follows Jonah and his brother Elias, played by Ben Mendelsohn, who break into the home of seemingly happy couple Sarah and Kyle Miller, portrayed by Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage. As the intrusion continues, the two families learn surprising details about each other. Gigandet discusses with us, among other things, why he choose to appear in the movie, and how he balances his personal life with his career. Question (Q): So in…

Title: Animal Kingdom Directed By: David Michod Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, Sullivan Stapleton, James Frencheville Since when did a barrage of bullets make a crime drama a winner? Hollywood might saturate our theaters with implausible film after film where heroes narrowly escape machinegun fire or every character unites for a grand finale shootout, but apparently that hasn’t consumed the Australian film industry. In writer-director David Michod’s Animal Kingdom we get the genre antithesis, a film lacking action that builds its tension through smart writing, excellent performances and calculated pacing. Pope (Ben Mendelsohn) is an armed robber in hiding, his brother Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) is…

In a summer overrun with blockbusters, here’s a limited release film you might not have heard of, Animal Kingdom. The film is the story of a young man named J (James Frencheville) who goes to live with his older cousins after his mother passes away. But this is no family drama; J’s cousins are members of the Cody clan, a notorious family of the Melbourne crime scene. Unfortunately for J, he moves in right as that dynasty begins to crumble. This domestic poster isn’t bad but it’s certainly not as stimulating as the Australian one. That one (viewable here), shows the entire gang, J, his cousins, their mother Smurf (Jacki…

Summit Entertainment recently released a brand new movie trailer from the upcoming film “Knowing” by director Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City) and starring and starring Nicolas Cage (The Ghost), Rose Byrne (28 Weeks Later), Ben Mendelsohn and Chandler Canterbury. Synopsis: A teacher (Cage) opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son’s elementary school; in it are some chilling predictions — some that have already occurred and others that are about to — that lead him to believe his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold. Stay tuned to Toxic Shock TV for the latest “Knowing” movie trailers and posters.