If you missed the excellent ParaNorman in theaters (or saw the similarly macabre and quirky Frankenweenie instead), catch an exclusive clip from the dark, funny, moving, and visually impressive stop-motion animation about a loner kid named Norman whose ability to see dead people first makes him an outcast, then an unlikely hero, when his small town is overrun by zombies. Movieline’s exclusive clip finds Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and his Goonies-esque band of misfits — including school bully Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick), reluctant BFF Neil (Tucker Albrizzi), and Neil’s jock brother Mitch (Casey Affleck, who gets one of the film’s biggest adults-only laugh) — searching the town library for a key piece of information as zombies, and more terrifyingly, parents, run amok outside. Much of what makes ParaNorman one of the best children’s films of 2012 is the writing, which doesn’t condescend to its young audience; this is a movie that knows that being a kid can really suck — especially for victims of bullying, or even just oddballs who stand out from the crowd a little too much. It embraces death as a real tangible fact of life and goes to some terrifying places while moving at a dynamic pace, lightened by a savvy sense of humor, which is what makes ParaNorman the quintessential Tim Burton film that Frankenweenie just quite wasn’t. ParaNorman hits DVD and Blu-ray November 27. Did you catch it in theaters? Let the ParaNorman lovefest unfold in the comments below. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Hoo boy: “Anchor Bay has picked up North American distribution rights to the project, which begins principal photography next month and will unspool this holiday season. Story follows a local police department’s search for the killer Santa Claus terrorizing a remote Midwestern town on Christmas Eve. McDowell will play Sheriff Cooper, a small-town hero ready for some big-time action.” [ Variety ]
Characters in horror movies get to be forgiven a few featherbrained actions for the sake of suspense. Why go into the creepy basement after you’ve realized the lights aren’t working? Why visit the decrepit mansion in the middle of nowhere after everyone’s warned you off? Why stick around the haunted house long after a rational person would have fled to a motel at least two states away? (The upcoming Cabin in the Woods provides a clever, clever twist on this type of behavior.) Why? Because it’s scary. But even by the most lenient of genre standards, the behavior of the characters in David Brooks’s ATM is ludicrous enough to make anyone grind his or her teeth in frustration. Its trio of unlucky coworkers winding up a night out are trapped and menaced by a dude in a coat . He’s a big guy, but still — he’s not even carrying a chainsaw or axe or other murder-y implement to start, and it’s three against one. The film is built around one long standoff over the small hours of a frigid Midwestern night during which the man keeps his freezing and ever more desperate victims at bay inside a strip-mall ATM booth while we howl at the screen “Just walk out the door! The guy doesn’t look very fast!” The number of contrivances needed to extend this situation for as long as it plays out pile up until you pray for a twist that reveals the whole thing to be some extensive practical joke, excusing the silliness of everything, after which they all go to Denny’s for pancakes. Spoilers: There is no such twist. David (Brian Geraghty), the film’s protagonist, works at a finance firm where he spends his day apologizing helplessly to clients whose 401(k)s he hasn’t been able to save and failing to ask out his crush Emily (Alice Eve). He’s lured into sticking around for the office Christmas party by his obnoxious coworker Corey ( The Wackness ‘s Josh Peck), who informs him that Emily’s leaving for a new job and that David’s got one more evening to make his move. After a few false starts, David actually does, and he has arranged to give her a ride back to her place when Corey drunkenly insists on getting dropped off too. While cockblocking his way home, Corey bullies David into agreeing to stop for pizza, and then realizes he also needs to get cash. The three pull into a quiet parking lot with a pair of ATM machines inside a glass enclosure, and after they all end up taking refuge inside while Corey figures out his card isn’t working, they turn to go and see an ominous figure standing in the parking lot watching them, face obscured by a fur-trimmed hood. It’s a promising opening, between Corey’s charming/annoying advantage-taking, David’s passivity and Emily’s efforts to project receptiveness at her oblivious would-be suitor — these seem like actual characters, not just devices to enable the mechanics of a concept. And the claustrophobia of the main location, the way its florescent-lit everydayness becomes a barely adequate sanctuary from this mysterious threat (whoever the guy is, the three figure, he appears not to have a bank card that will get him through the security swiper) has cinematic appeal. But any tension the film has created dissipates quickly, around the time the trio watches their assailant casually smash another passerby’s head onto the pavement, and decide they should withdraw as much money as they can to try to pay the guy off. He’s just brutally murdered someone in front of them without provocation, and they offer him $500 and some earrings in exchange for walking away? At that point, has he not made it very clear he’s either crazy or has already made the decision to kill everyone there? ATM has an idea, but it’s not one that can sustain a whole feature (this is director Brooks’s first, from a screenplay by Chris Sparling, writer of the similarly minimal Buried ). Its minimalism raises all the wrong kinds of questions — not about why this is happening to these three people, a topic they fruitlessly debate as they try to wait out the night, but why a security guard would pull up a few dozen yards away from a group of people screaming for help in the middle of a freezing night, get out of his car and blithely ask if they’re OK. Or why no one brought a cell phone. Or why Emily seems to be there just to beg the two men not to go outside and not to leave her unprotected (“You can’t leave me in here!”). Or why they would ever take their eyes off their attacker for a second. In order to keep its situation going, the film has its characters act increasingly foolish, right down to the ridiculousness of its last reveal, the biggest, most nonsensical contrivance of them all. ATM shows an initial flicker of intelligence, which makes its spiral into absurdity all the more disappointing. Like late-night-drunk pizza, this is something you’d be better off skipping in favor of just eating some cereal at home. Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
If you wanted to remain completely spoiler-free going into this summer’s modest little art pic The Avengers , too bad! Disney has gone ahead and ruined the surprise. So, fine. Captain America apparently does not perish at the end of The Avengers , but will indeed live on to deal with his personal issues in Captain America 2 , due to hit theaters on April 14, 2014. Find the official word and a new image after the jump. I kid. Of course Captain America lives through The Avengers ! How else will he and the rest of his teammates cash in on the endless stream of superhero sequels to follow? From Disney: “The Walt Disney Studios has announced a release date for Marvel Studios’ sequel to the blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger on April 4, 2014. The second installment will pick-up where the highly anticipated Marvel’s The Avengers (May 4, 2012) leaves off, as Steve Rogers continues his affiliation with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D and struggles to embrace his role in the modern world.” I mean, if it gives us more Chris Evans crouching in tight leather getups, let the sequels never end.
Crazy Heart writer-director Scott Cooper isn’t holding back with the follow-up to his double-Oscar-winning filmmaking debut, dialing in Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard and Zoe Saldana (not to mention producers including Leonardo DiCaprio, Ridley Scott and Relativity Media mogul Ryan Kavanaugh) for the family crime-and-redemption drama Out of the Furnace . Read on for full details just over the transom from Relativity; adjust your Oscar 2013 pools accordingly. ================= (Beverly Hills, Calif.) April 5, 2012 – Relativity Media has closed deals with Oscar®-winner Christian Bale ( The Fighter ), Oscar®-nominated Casey Affleck ( The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford ), Zoe Saldana ( Avatar ) and Oscar®-nominated Sam Shepard ( Safe House ) to star as the lead roles in the upcoming gripping and gritty drama currently titled Out of the Furnace , written and directed by the critically-acclaimed Scott Cooper ( Crazy Heart ), it was announced today by Relativity’s Co-President, Tucker Tooley. Bale will star as older brother Russell Baze in the film alongside Affleck who will play the role of younger brother Rodney Baze Jr. Saldana has also been cast as Bale’s love interest Lena Warren and Shepard will play Red, Russell and Rodney Baze’s uncle. Production is set to begin in Braddock, Pennsylvania later this month. Relativity Media will release the film theatrically in the U.S. Red Granite, the Los Angeles based film production, finance and international sales company has acquired foreign rights outside of the U.S. and will handle international sales. Red Granite International President Danny Dimbort and Co-President Christian Mercuri will begin shopping the film to buyers in Cannes next month. In making the announcement, Tooley said, “This is a meaty script with characters as strong as they are complex, and we needed powerhouse actors who complement the story. Christian, Casey, Zoe and Sam each approach everything they do with heart and conviction. We can’t wait to see what each of them brings to this film,” says Tooley. The film is a drama about fate, circumstance, and redemption. Russell and his younger brother live in the economically depressed Rust Belt, and have always dreamed of escaping and finding better lives. But when a cruel twist of fate lands Russell in prison, his brother is lured into one of the most violent and ruthless crime rings in the Northeast – a mistake that will almost cost him everything. Once released, Russell must choose between his own freedom, or risk it all to seek justice for his brother. Producing are Appian Way’s Leonardo DiCaprio ( J. Edgar ) and Jennifer Killoran ( The Ides of March ) alongside Scott Free’s Ridley Scott ( The Grey ), Tony Scott ( Man on Fire ) and Michael Costigan ( American Gangster ) as well as Relativity’s CEO Ryan Kavanaugh ( The Fighter ). Bale and Affleck were both represented by WME in the deals. Saldana and Shepard were both represented by ICM in the deals. ###
Happy Friday! Also in today’s edition of The Broadsheet: Tyra Banks really wants a Modelland movie… Casey Affleck might be an angel… A Toronto darling faces an American remake… Spend your Halloween with The Thing … and more.
“In many ways you could say that [Joaquin] Phoenix and [Casey] Affleck are some of the most important artists of their age because they have shown us just how difficult it is to pull something off, especially if you have no talent for the type of creation you are attempting in the first place. They deserve to be recognized as such.” Oh, Jesus. The implications of this logic for Uwe Boll are going to be huge . [ The Awl ]
‘It’s the performance of his career,’ director says of ‘I’m Still Here.’ By Mawuse Ziegbe Joaquin Phoenix in “I’m Still Here” Photo: Magnolia Pictures After two years of freaking out fans with his bizarre antics, Joaquin Phoenix’s disturbing behavior has been unveiled as nothing more than an intense commitment to his latest role. Phoenix, who grew a ratty beard, embarked on a hip-hop career and fumbled his way through awkward interviews, such as his infamous 2009 sit-down with David Letterman, has apparently just been getting crazy for his recently released movie “I’m Still Here.” “It’s a terrific performance, it’s the performance of his career,” director Casey Affleck told The New York Times on Thursday (September 16). After much speculation (and mostly negative reviews) , Affleck owned up to the ruse of the flick and revealed that most the film was fake. The filmmaker described how footage of Phoenix and his siblings frolicking in Panama were actually actors swimming in Hawaii, with the film later doctored to look aged. Affleck also revealed that disturbing moments in the movie in which Phoenix appears to live it up with prostitutes and drugs were created with the help of actors. Affleck revealed that the actor’s agent was even in on the stunt and agreed to cooperate after the director detailed his plan to show the world Phoenix “has lost his mind,” noting, “You would think he would have me killed immediately.” Many moviegoers will perhaps question why Affleck and Phoenix went to the trouble of staging what appeared to be a meltdown of an Oscar-winning A-lister instead of just openly shooting a mockumentary and calling it a day. Affleck explained that the duo wanted viewers to believe they were indeed witnessing the fall of a great star. “We wanted to create a space,” he said. “You believe what’s happening is real.” What do you think about Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck’s fake documentary “I’m Still Here”? Let us know in the comments below! Check out everything we’ve got on “I’m Still Here.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Gasp! In what could only be described as predictable, Casey Affleck has admitted that the Joaquin Phoenix “documentary,” I’m Still Here , is fake. The director spoke with the New York Times and confirmed that everything from Phoenix’s appearance with David Letterman to the childhood home movies that are shown at the beginning of the film was planned, staged and carefully edited to create the most unsettling movie possible . Ahead Movieline dives into Affleck’s confession and tries to parse out what he’s really trying to say.
Filed under: Casey Affleck , Celebrity Justice , Joaquin Phoenix Casey Affleck has finally come to terms with two women who claim he sexually harassed them on the set of a Joaquin Phoenix documentary — and as a result the lawsuits are officially being tossed out. In a joint statement both parties said, “The disputes… Read more
