Saturday, August 27, 2011

Cost of a Soul

Wounded in the war, Tommy Donahue and DD Davis return home from Iraq to their North Philadelphia slum neighborhood. Tommy returns home to his wife, Faith, whom he abandoned while she was pregnant. He meets his four-year-old daughter, Hope, for the first time, and she begins to melt his frozen heart. DD faces the pressure to save his younger brother, James, from becoming a victim of the streets. Meanwhile their oldest brother, Darnell, has risen to become the neighborhood kingpin. The two find themselves trapped in the same slums they joined the military to escape from. As they struggle to make their wrongs right, their own families become entangled in a web of crime and corruption so thick, murder becomes their only option.

Watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Full Movie

Friday, August 19, 2011

FIRST BOX OFFICE: 5 Best Utter Confusion

FRIDAY: Rarely have I seen such utter confusion in the United States box office this time. All of my sources includes a different 5 Best list -- and there is not really a concensus that DreamWorks' holdover The Assistance is Friday's No. 1 movie. The issue is the new releases Spy Kids 4D, Conan The Barbarian, and Fright Evening are bunched together within the $11M to $16M range with holdover Rise From The Planet From The Apes . MORE

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Emmys 2011: Last Opportunity for Gold

Every TV obsessive will admit, it's difficult to express goodbye. Which year, we have bid undesirable adieus to some slew of memorable shows and figures. No exit received more hoopla than Steve Carell's departure from "Work,Inch although the discomfort was muffled through the comfort-food news that James Spader can help meet the increasing demand this fall. Sadly, there's no alternative for DirecTV/NBC's departed drama "Friday Evening Lights," nor its two times-nominated leads Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton (but fans might feel assured through the announcement that producer Peter Berg will resurrect the series for any feature film). And also the brisk cancellation of the "Males of the Certain Age"? This is a wound whose healing might be faster by an Emmy for co-star Andre Braugher. For "Large Love's" sideshow artist Bruce Dern, his guest actor nom -- his first dose of Emmy attention -- is an opportunity to give another snubbed, and today departed, series a morsel of recognition.Andre Braugher "Males of the Certain Age" (TNT)The collective gasp heard out and about when TNT canceled this significantly acclaimed drama is winding lower for an irritated whisper for many. Not for me personally. But there's expect redemption inside a win for Braugher: His bedraggled family guy, Owen Thoreau Junior., hit new levels within the show's second and final season as heir apparent to his father's Chevrolet car dealership. As Owen gradually arrived on the scene of his spend, the crowd moved its attitude from empathy (his overgrown daddy's-boy routine was type of sad) to some proud "Go get Them, tiger!" rally cry. To do this degree of relatability, without ever devolving right into a clich, requires an amount of mastery that Braugher has implanted right into a canon of memorable TV figures. That one warrants its golden moment.Connie Britton "Friday Evening Lights" (DirecTV/NBC)It's rare for any drama lead obtain her best material inside a show's final season. It's even more rare for that material to permit a character's wholesale metamorphosis just shy of the series finale. Britton loved both key events in her own final campaign playing Texas football wife Tami Taylor. But that is just it: She was not ever only a football wife. She would be a mother, an instructor along with a confidante for that lost souls who swirled round her. For this reason it had been so thrilling doing Mother Nature energy transform right into a tempest of frustration fond of her husband, Eric. Her "I have been a coach's wife lengthy enough" diatribe resonated with anybody that has ever sacrificed for love or needed to learn about what went wrong at football practice for 25 years. Britton will probably never run into this type of highly woven character again. Neither can we.David Carell "WorkInch (NBC)Carell -- Emmy's greatest comedy snub ever -- will hardly suffer if he does not leave having a golden lady in September. But that does not mean voters should forgo feting the superstar for his seven seasons on "Work.Inch Unlike his predecessor about the original British series, performed by Ough Gervais, Carell's spin about the new office manager never was mean, never cruel and not so wretched that his mistakes leaned toward too-uncomfortable-for-funny. Carell's incredible grasp of improv and restrained buffoonery made his Michael Scott among the genre's most beloved -- and underappreciated -- TV figures.Kyle Chandler "Friday Evening Lights" (DirecTV/NBC)It's almost unattainable Chandler to exert a moment of self-congratulation about his game-altering run as Coach Taylor on "FNL." (Trust me, I have attempted.) This kind of inbred grasp of humbleness without doubt assisted the actor transform among the great -- and frequently one-dimensional -- archetypal figures right into a quiet study of self-conscious maleness. Just like Britton, the ultimate season permitted for unpredicted turns in Chandler's onscreen persona we had him, the very first time, challenged by the pack leader who loved him most. We also saw him behave like a large, body fat jerk along the way. To tackle such off-character moments with believability is Chandler's gift. No matter what using the "FNL" movie, Chandler made his mark. To determine him overcome fancy competition like Jon Hamm will be a true "full hearts, can't lose" moment.Bruce Dern "Large Love" (Cinemax)Dern sprang interior and exterior the erstwhile polygamy drama throughout its five-season run, which made every moment he was onscreen an unnerving event. Because the degenerate Frank Harlow, father of Bill Paxton's well-meaning alter ego Bill Henrickson, Dern was an ideal tricky puppetmaster. His moments with estranged wife Lois, performed through the incomparable and egregiously snubbed Sophistication Zabriskie, had an eerie a sense of fun that felt dirty and sweet. Dern naturally oozes questionable character, to see him dive greasy-hair-first right into a final stint on "Large Love" would be a blast. As freaky fun goes, there is no one much better than Dern. The Hollywood Reporter

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Disney's Snow White reboot gets a director

The news that Disney are set to remake one of their all-time classic properties would generally be met with a sad sigh and a simple shrug of the shoulders. However, their plans for Snow White do at least sound a little different.Set in China, The Order Of The Seven will reimagine Snow White's vertically-challenged pals as a septet of 19th Century warriors who belong to a faltering, centuries-old order. When they stumble across a young woman in peril, the opportunity presents itself to restore glory to their kind.Advert director and visual effects whizz Michael Gracey has been placed at the helm, replacing I Am Legend's Francis Lawrence, whilst Toy Story 3's Michael Arndt has been hard at work on a tweaked version of the script. Gracey will soon begin storyboarding the film, with no release date in sight as yet.The film is one of three Snow White projects currently in development, alongside Relativity's still untitled project, and Universal's Snow White And The Huntsman.The latter film is expected to be a dark, action-orientated take on the fairy tale, with Rupert Sanders directing an all-star cast including Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron. It's set to arrive in cinemas on 1 June 2012.Source: THRDo we really need three new Snow White films? Have your say below.

Leonardo DiCaprio Is Forbes' Greatest Compensated Actor

Fueled through the one-two punch of 'Shutter Island' and 'Inception,' Leonardo DiCaprio were built with a excellent 2010, generating $77 million this past year. Which makes him Hollywood's greatest-compensated actor, leapfrogging over The Actor-brad Pitt, who designed a mere $50 million. In last year's ratings, Depp capped their email list with $75 million and DiCaprio finished fifth. Although Leo's had his share of blockbusters since 'Titanic,' this is actually the newbie he out-gained almost every other actor on the market. Who understood in 1993 the co-stars from the indie 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' would at some point rule this area office? Also among Forbes' Top 15: Robert Downey, Junior., Difficulties, Taylor Lautner and Matt Damon. Begin to see the full list following the jump. 1. Leonardo DiCaprio ($77 million) 2. The Actor-brad Pitt ($50 million) 3. Adam Sandler ($40 million) 4. Will Cruz ($36 million) 5. Tom Hanks ($35 million) 6. Ben Stiller ($34 million) 7. Robert Downey, Junior. ($31 million) 8. Mark Wahlberg ($28 million) 9. Tim Allen ($22 million) 10. Tom Cruise ($22 million) 11. Jim Carrey ($20 million) 12. Difficulties ($20 million) 13. Taylor Lautner ($20 million) 14. Kaira Pitt ($20 million) 15. Matt Damon ($18 million) Which actor will get much of your box-office dollars? [via Forbes]

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

3 Simple Suggestions for a Global Clue Remake

Two and a half years ago, Universal announced that Clue was getting a big-screen revamp in the form of a global caper directed by Gore Verbinski. Well, most of that information remains true: Clue, Gore Verbinski, and globetrotting are all part of the picture, but Universal has dropped the property in favor of its other board game-based projects like Candy Land, Battleship, Ouija, and the Taylor Lautner-attached Stretch Armstrong. Now, here’s what makes Clue different than other board games — at least in my eyes: It rules, and those properties don’t. In order to protect the valor of Clue, Movieline is offering three ways for the film to retain the sinister cool of its original film and game(s). Frankly, Miss Scarlet, we give a damn. 1. Keep Lesley Ann Warren Oscar nominee Lesley Ann Warren is best when she’s spouting dialogue in a near-screech or a salty deadpan, and as Miss Scarlet in the 1985 version of Clue, she vamps with baritone sass. In the new movie, I’d like to see Warren on board as another character — like Mrs. Peacock or Mrs. White — while reviving the high-pitched insanity of her Victor/Victoria performance. No one’s going to recreate Madeline Kahn’s performance as Mrs. White, so why not reinvent in a timelessly kooky way? 2. Include the folks from Clue: Master Detective The bigger, badder, Super Scrabble version of Clue called Clue: Master Detective came out in 1988, and its legacy is respected among Clue aficionados. Original weaponry (a horseshoe!), new mansion rooms (a gazebo!), and best of all, new suspects. Verbinski and the new Clue can benefit from its exotic array of characters: Miss Peach is a saucy southerner (Reese Witherspoon?); M. Brunette is a dastardly art dealer (Jeremy Irons?); Sgt. Gray is a corrupt cop (William H. Macy?); and Mme. Rose is a wacky fortune teller (Helena. Bonham. Carter.). The broader the caricatures, the more fun the movie will be. 3. Don’t forget about Clue: Museum Caper’s thrilling intrigue! When I think of Clue re-spun as an international caper, I can only imagine that “Mustard,” “Plum,” and “Scarlet” will become code names for spies. If the transcontinental element is critical to the new movie’s essence, I suggest the screenwriters (Flash Gordon scribes Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama) incorporate elements of the underrated Clue: Museum Caper. Priceless artifacts, stolen paintings, damning surveillance footage — it’s suspense for the Dan Brown set. · Universal Drops ‘Clue’… [Deadline]

Monday, August 1, 2011

Run for Life (Trci za zivot)

A Starhill Films and Dreams production supported by Dept. of Culture, Belgrade City Assembly, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, NHK, Jan Vrijman Fund of IDFA. Produced by Mladen Maticevic. Co-producers, Nikola Majdak Jr., Ana Stankovic. Directed by Mladen Maticevic.With: Gebre Egziabher Gebre Sellasie, Tamirat Legesse, Estifanos Eshetu, Mladen Maticevic, Zoran Molovic, Boban Stojanovic, Dragan Zivotic, Slobodan Brankovic, Streten Mijovic. Narrator: Mladen Maticevic. (Serbian, English, Amharic dialogue)Filmmaker Mladen Maticevic becomes more a part of the story than he intends in "Run for Life," a modest but moving docu about three Ethiopian long distance runners who defect to Serbia in the hope of improving their career opportunities and their lives. Audience-friendly, humanist tale should continue its jog around the fest circuit before segueing to home-viewing formats. In 2007, marathoners Gebre Egziabher Gebre Sellasie, Tamirat Legesse and Estifanos Eshetu travel to Podgorica, Montenegro, to compete, and some days later wind up in Belgrade filing for asylum. Stuck for months in a refugee camp, they ultimately contact a local sports club that puts them in touch with a sympathetic trainer. That coach, Zoran Molovic, takes them on as clients, providing them accommodation at his home in the small farming village of Pambukovica in return for their work around the place and a share of their eventual winnings. It's about this time that the young runners come to the attention of helmer Maticevic (whose previous docu, "How to Become a Hero," shows his self-transformation from an overweight, out of shape 40-year-old into a daily runner and competitor in the Belgrade marathon.) Immediately bonding with the Ethiopians -- and buying them some new shoes -- Maticevic starts to follow their life in the village, training regimen and races, and their quest for Serbian citizenship. In spite of Maticevic's stated preference for films with happy endings, his docu shows that real life is no fairy tale. Although the Ethiopians make a lot of friends in the village over 18 months, most touchingly with cheerful neighbor Boban Stojanovic, whom they wind up calling "Dad," their racing results are not so spectacular that the Serbian government is eager to grant them citizenship. Moreover, they find life in Europe is not as easy as they had naively expected. These disappointments lead to dissatisfaction with their initial mentor Molovic, who offers various excuses for his coaching failings and supplies evidence that the runners haven't been entirely honest with him. Maticevic sizes up matters with an unjaundiced eye, helping all of his subjects to move past petty recriminations and focus on the most positive possible outcomes. His kindly, down-to-earth spirit dominates the film, especially through his low-key narration. Straightforward production package is appealing, with the lovely score and animated credits, both by Dejan Vucetic Vuca, particularly worthy of note.Camera (color, DV), Nikola Majdak Jr., editor, Suzana Stevanovic; music, Dejan Vucetic Vuca; sound, Vladimir Jankovic Stonce, Milan Mihailovic Milance, Ivan Antic Antrax. Reviewed at the Sarajevo Film Festival (competing), July 27, 2011. Running time: 87 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com