Superbad

Movie: Superbad

Released on: 2007

Rating: 7.90

More: About Superbad

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Academy Unspools Summer of Silents, Starring Keaton, Chaplin, Oliver & Hardy

On the heels of one the most acclaimed films in the Cannes Film Festival this year--the silent film The Artist, made in Hollywood by the French, which earned Jean Dujardin the best actor Palme d'Or--the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is presenting a wondrous program, Summer of Silents. The appreciation of the visual dynamics of silent film has grown in recent years, and actors from Robert Downey Jr. (Chaplin) to Johnny Depp have spoken of what they learned studying the work of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton (whose The General is a must-see July 20). John Lasseter, too, has credited the visual storytelling of silents as a key inspiration for Pixar films. See the Silent Film trailer and full program below. Summer of »

See full article at Thompson on Hollywood »



Jon Favreau Talks Genre-Mash Cowboys & Aliens: The Science of Sincerity

In an interview with Toh's Anthony D'Alessandro last week at the National Italian American Federation Gala, where Jon Favreau was lauded with the org’s Special Entertainment Achievement Award, the actor-director gave up some nuggets of intel on his upcoming summer genre-mash Cowboys & Aliens, starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. Kitschy high-concept vehicles can be a turnoff on their title alone. Before moviegoers even approached the ticket booth, they could smell the stench of ridiculous in polyester pics such as 1996’s Mars Attacks! ($37.8 million), 2006’s Snakes on a Plane ($34 million) or 2007’s Grindhouse ($25 million) – all of which crashed at the domestic B.O., despite having credible talent attached. However, with Cowboys & Aliens, Favreau and Universal are hoping to best such Z-movie »

See full article at Thompson on Hollywood »

See also: About In the Land of Women

I Know Who Killed Me

Movie: I Know Who Killed Me

Released on: 2007

Rating: 3.70

More: About I Know Who Killed Me

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May Preview

The 2011 box office started to show signs of recovery in April, and that's likely going to continue through May. Last May's total was on the low-end for the month ($905.4 million), while the highest-grossing May ever was in 2009 ($1.018 billion). That figure could be reachable with Fast Five holdover grosses, heavyweights Thor and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and the first six days of Kung Fu Panda 2 and The Hangover Part II. May 6Thor officially begins the Summer against romantic comedies Something Borrowed and Jumping the Broom, though its biggest competition looks to be Fast Five. The sequel is poised for a huge opening this weekend and should still be raking in the cash when Thor debuts, which is the first time a tentpole has faced major holdover competition at the beginning of the season. Also, while Thor is the latest in the popular Avengers series, the godly title»

- Ray Subers <mail@boxofficemojo.com>

See full article at Box Office Mojo »



Inside Job Director Charles Ferguson to Helm Film About WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange for HBO

His financial crisis documentary Inside Job took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary earlier this year, but now director Charles Ferguson is moving into the realm of fact-based drama for HBO. Deadline reports he will be at the helm of a new film about WikiLeaks founder and headline grabber Julian Assange. HBO is working with BBC on the project which will use Raffi Khatchadourian's New Yorker article, No Secrets: Julian Assange’s Mission for Total Transparency, as the source material. The article itself follows Assange and WikiLeaks operatives as they embark on their mission to leak a 38-minute classified video taken inside the cockpit of a U.S. Army Apache Helicopter. With as much attention as Assange has gotten in the news recently, the film should certainly be of interest to viewers. Can I suggest Neil Patrick Harris to play Assange?»

- Ethan Anderton

See full article at Collider.com »

See also: About Georgia Rule

Captivity

Movie: Captivity

Released on: 2007

Rating: 5.80

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‘Rise of the Apes’ Featurette Recaps the Grand Arc of the Film’s Story

Do you feel like the Rise of the Planet of the Apes trailer didn't give you enough of the film's full story? Then check out this new-ish featurette that explains a good chunk of the tale. I say 'new-ish' because this premiered during the Apes webcast that took place a few weeks back; this is just the standalone release. Check it out below if you want to see a bit of footage that wasn't in the trailer and get a taste of what's to come in this Planet of the Apes prequel and kinda/sorta vague remake of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. For a bit more info on the film, let's go to Tom Felton, who plays a pivotal character in the film. He told MTV [1],He's not a good guy. People aren't going to be cheering for me in this film either. It's villainy, but on a different level.»

- Russ Fischer

See full article at Slash Film »



Weekend Preview: Fast Five Pumps Testosterone, Prom Tween Fantasy, 13 Assassins, Cave 3-D, The Arbor

It's a weekend of extremes, with the Fast Five testosterone-fest, a Prom tween fantasy, not one but 13 Assassins and a Hoodwinked Too! that no one asked for. Several indie gems are mixed in with some less-inspiring releases: we recommend Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams in 3-D and Clio Bernard's documentary on playwright Andrea Dunbar, The Arbor, a film that turns the term 'documentary' on its head but "once you settle in, [Bernard's technique] proves enormously effective," writes ThePlaylist. "Barnard is able to expertly weave the narrative, dropping hints of the darkness early on while never quite giving the game away." Reviews, pictures, trailers and details on this weekend's offerings are below: Our own Anthony D'Alessandro writes that "gas-strapped Americans are expected to break »

See full article at Thompson on Hollywood »

See also: About Breach

Evening

Movie: Evening

Released on: 2007

Rating: 6.70

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Two Competing Martin Luther King Jr Projects Combine Forces

If you can.t beat .em outright, join forces. That.s the old adage in play here as two competing Martin Luther King Jr. biopics have decided to partner rather than go it alone. The Dreamworks half of the mash-up had been widely considered to be the more likely to eventually hit the screens because of its close involvement with the Martin Luther King Jr estate, but despite having the official rights to all the preacher.s intellectual property, the studio never could find a script they were completely happy with. On the other hand, Warner Brothers had a version they were pleased with all along. Penned by screenwriter Kario Salem, his take reportedly took three and a half years to complete and was bolstered by scores of research and numerous interviews, but it lacked access to the official .I Have A Dream. recording.This new super project, co-financed by»

See full article at cinemablend.com »



Robert Rodriguez Says 'Spy Kids 4' Was Inspired By Jessica Alba's Diaper Duty

When you think of Robert Rodriguez, you're more likely to think of him as the guy responsible for highly stylized blood-filled thrillers like "Planet Terror," "Predators" and "Sin City." But don't forget that this is the same guy who brought us the "Spy Kids" franchise all those years ago, a series that's been inactive since 2003.

Well, Rodriguez is calling those young spies into active duty one more time this summer — and this time, there's a heavy emphasis on "duty."

Jessica Alba stars in "Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World" as a spy mom who embarks on covert espionage missions, sometimes with a newborn baby strapped to her chest. As you do. It's a new take on a tried and true franchise, and the inspiration behind this latest iteration of "Spy Kids" has some pretty surprising origins — namely, Alba's real-life diaper-changing responsibilities as a new mom. We spoke»

- Josh Wigler

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

See also: About The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover

Brooklyn Rules

Movie: Brooklyn Rules

Released on: 2007

Rating: 6.40

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X-Men: First Class Will Feature Music From A Boy Band

X-Men: First Class is a superhero movie, but also a period piece. The Matthew Vaughn directed prequel is set during the sixties and sees Professor Xavier.s mutant team of heroes in their infancy, dealing with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Since it.s set in the 60s, you.d think that might mean a fantastic opportunity for a great, period specific soundtrack. You.d expect the film to use songs from artists like The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Who, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix. Maybe even throw a little Righteous Brothers in there. Oh and how about a boy band? Wait, a boy band?Multiple sources are reporting that Vaughn is hiring the British boy band Take That to provide music for the film. Specifically he plans to use their upcoming single .Love Love. which will then be released as a tie-in with X-Men: First Class on June 1st.»

See full article at cinemablend.com »



iPOP | This Week On the Scene: Glitzy Premieres, Film Festivals & More

Despite the Tribeca Film Festival hogging much of the spotlight, a number of other worthy events took place over this past week, keeping iPOP full of fun activity. Manhattan played host to two big screenings: Mark Ruffalo's feature directorial debut "Sympathy for Delicious," and Kenneth Branagh's Marvel summer blockbuster "Thor." Over in Illinois, the 13th annual Roger Ebert's Film Festival kicked off with Robbie Pickering's SXSW Grand Jury Prize winner »

See full article at IndieWIRE »

See also: About Oliver Twist

Hairspray

Movie: Hairspray

Released on: 2007

Rating: 7.90

More: About Hairspray

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Mark Ruffalo Hoping To Take Lead In Producer Scott Rudin's Erotic Drama 'Red Light Winter'

Says He Was Never Tipped For 'Cogan's Trade,' Reveals Brian Helgeland's 'Sidney Grimes' Fell Apart & Talks His Role As The Hulk In 'The Avengers' Exclusive: Actor Mark Ruffalo is a busy man and jack of all trades. While the Academy-Award nominee meant to retire from acting in hopes of starting a directorial career with his latest, the indie pic, "Sympathy For Delicious" starring Orlando Bloom and Juliette Lewis, (no really), his cooler head prevailed and thankfully for audiences, The Kids Are All Right," was an excellent experience that made him decide he couldn't leave his vocation. Since then, he's…»

See full article at The Playlist »



Channing Tatum To Star In Film Based On His Own Stripper Past

Who knew it would be the promise of Channing Tatum‘s thrusting pelvis and meticulous pole work that could keep Traffic director Steven Soderbergh out of retirement? Despite what the director of Erin Brockovich claimed earlier this spring, he isn’t going to end his filmmaking career with Liberace with Michael Douglas and Man From U.N.C.L.E. with George Clooney. He instead will be shooting the greatest movie ever made: Channing Tatum’s stripper film.

Deadline is reporting Soderbergh with team up with Tatum for Magic Mike, a story about a stripper who must teach a younger dancer how to succeed on and off the dollar bill-covered stage; the story is based on Tatum’s stripping experience before he broke into acting. “When Channing talked to me about this, I thought it was one of the best ideas I’d ever heard for a movie. I said I wanted in immediately.»

- Halle Kiefer

See full article at TheFabLife - Movies »

See also: About Asterix and the Vikings

Wind Chill

Movie: Wind Chill

Released on: 2007

Rating: 6.20

More: About Wind Chill

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This week's new film events

London Australian Film Festival

Australia's brightest stars tend to get snapped up by Hollywood even quicker than ours, and there are plenty of potential defectors here, from the makers of recent hit Animal Kingdom to the handsome young cast of high school thriller Wasted On The Young. Not everyone is out to find the next Nicole Kidman or Hugh Jackman, mind you. The noble Aussie genre lineage continues with shark horror The Reef and Red Hill, a modern-day western with a smalltown sheriff under siege. Feelgood opener Red Dog, based on the true tale of an outback mutt, is one for the home crowd, while colourful "womance" Jucy closes the festival with its own offbeat groove.

Barbican Screen, EC2, Thu to 12 May

Kino: Russian Film Pioneers, London

Has any nation taken cinema as seriously as Russia? While other countries classified moving images as "entertainment", the Russians found more important uses»

- Steve Rose

See full article at The Guardian - Film News »



This week's new films

Thor (12A)

(Kenneth Branagh, 2011, Us) Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Kat Dennings, Idris Elba. 114 mins

Let the silly season commence with this expensive comic-book movie, which takes full advantage of its second-tier superhero, free casting rein and Asgard-sized budget to deliver some premium disposable spectacle. Hemsworth's beefy, impetuous thunder god is literally brought down to earth, where thanks to mortal hotties like Portman, he learns there's more to life than swinging a hammer around, but not much more.

Cedar Rapids (15)

(Miguel Arteta, 2011, Us) Ed Helms, John C Reilly, Anne Heche. 87 mins

The corruption of Helms's naive smalltown nerd via a debauched midwest insurance convention is as broadly amusing as you'd expect, striking a filthy-sweet tone somewhere between the Us Office and The Hangover.

Tracker (12A)

(Ian Sharp, 2010, Nz) Ray Winstone, Temuera Morrison, Andy Anderson. 102 mins

Credit to Ray for straying off home turf, as a Boer veteran»

- Steve Rose

See full article at The Guardian - Film News »

See also: About The Lookout