Tue Dec 01, 2009, 7:19 pm EST
·
Source: AP
- Capsule reviews of films opening this week:
"Brothers" — Jim Sheridan's remake of the acclaimed 2004 Danish film "Brodre," has aspirations for "Deer Hunter" territory — a minor-key examination of the cost blue-collar families pay for war. Where "Deer Hunter" was epic in its reach, "Brothers" never really leaves the front yard. While Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) is held prisoner by the Taliban in Afghanistan, his wife (Natalie Portman), thinking he's dead, befriends Sam's brother, Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal). When Sam returns, damaged from a traumatic experience, his rage boils over. It's a simple story and "Brodre" had a lyrical quality, a poetry lacking in Sheridan's sleeker, more sentimental film. "Brothers" can't preserve the intimacy of the original, and the loosened characters slide into cliche despite noble intentions. R for language and some disturbing violent content. 110 minutes. Two stars out of four.
Read More »
Tue Dec 01, 2009, 11:06 am EST
·
Source: AP
- On rare occasions, putting a novel through the Hollywood wringer does the story a real service.
The rather whiny tone of Walter Kirn's "Up in the Air" vanishes in Jason Reitman's extreme makeover of this travelogue comedy about a guy who traipses across America, firing people for a living while greedily counting the miles built up in his frequent-flyer program.
Read More »
Wed Nov 25, 2009, 3:04 pm EST
·
Source: AP
NEW YORK - "Up in the Air" has undergone the rarest of flights: It was delayed for a long time and its course was altered, yet it has arrived right on time.
"Up in the Air" might be the timeliest movie of the year. Hard times and the frightening prospect of unemployment are at the center of the movie, which many are calling an Academy Award favorite. Regardless of its Oscar prospects, it's unquestionably of the moment.
Read More »
Mon Nov 23, 2009, 10:40 am EST
·
Source: Reuters
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -
"Dark Void" will yield movie development matter.
Indian giant Reliance BIG Entertainment and Brad Pitt's Plan B shingle are developing a film version of the upcoming video game, and Pitt could well star as the lead combatant.
Read More »
Mon Nov 23, 2009, 4:14 am EST
·
Source: AP
LOS ANGELES - "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" gobbled up $140.7 million the first three days the vampire romance was in theaters, while gaining $258.8 million worldwide, according to studio estimates.
"New Moon" placed third on the all-time domestic chart behind last year's $158.4 million opening weekend for the Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" and 2007's $151.1 million haul for "Spider-Man 3."
Read More »
You'd think that 24-year-old actress Anna Kendrick would feel a bit of pressure, being in not one, but two, of the biggest films of the 2009 holiday season.
Rather, very unlike the hyperactive human Jessica character that she plays in "The Twilight Saga," she is cool, calm and collected about the upcoming wave of publicity that she's currently undergoing.
Read More »
Thu Nov 19, 2009, 8:39 am EST
·
Source: AP
NEW YORK - The publicity for a Hollywood movie is a machine to behold, especially from the inside.
It's a view rarely offered, but Jason Reitman, the director of "Juno" and "Thank You for Smoking," has done just that. Reitman has spent much of October and November promoting his new film, "Up in the Air," all the while documenting the process.
Read More »
Wed Nov 18, 2009, 9:01 am EST
·
Source: AP
NEW YORK - Get lost, Hugh Jackman. This year's "Sexiest Man Alive" is once again Johnny Depp.
Depp nudged aside Jackman to get the coveted endorsement from People magazine Wednesday. It's the 46-year-old actor's second time as "Sexiest Man Alive." He also won in 2003.
Read More »
Mon Nov 16, 2009, 11:44 pm EST
·
Source: Reuters
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -
The director of "An Education" recently lamented, good-naturedly, that she was tired of producers thinking of her for stereotypically female projects.
"Everyone sends me scripts with these sweet stories," said Lone Scherfig. "I've done that already. I want to make a movie with chases and explosions. I want to blow things up."
Read More »
Mon Nov 16, 2009, 10:40 pm EST
·
Source: Reuters
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -
What does a movie producer actually do? To find out, The Hollywood Reporter gathered the men behind six of the season's most buzz-worthy films -- Lawrence Bender ("Inglourious Basterds"), Jon Landau ("Avatar"), Laurence Mark ("Julie & Julia"), Bill Mechanic ("Coraline"), Mace Neufeld ("Invictus") and Ivan Reitman ("Up in the Air").
WHAT'S THE TOUGHEST DECISION YOU'VE MADE AS A PRODUCER?
Read More »
Persistent Entertainment, Pantry Films and Zenescope Entertainment are teaming up to produce an adaptation of Zenescope's comic "The Piper."..
