This just in: “(Beverly Hills, Calif.) January 10, 2012 – Relativity Media announced today that it will promote the Bandito Brothers’ upcoming intense action-thriller Act of Valor , which stars an elite group of active-duty Navy SEALs in a fictionalized composite of actual events, during NBC’s nationally televised coverage of Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012. Four 30-second unique Act of Valor commercials, featuring exclusive content, will run throughout the program including two spots that will air during the pre-game, one spot in game during the fourth quarter and one spot in the post-game show.” MUST CREDIT MOVIELINE. [Press release]
Nearly a year on from its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, director Tony Kaye’s ensemble drama Detachment is readying to make its debut on VOD and in theaters. This calls for a poster! Movieline’s got your first look at the one-sheet — featuring leading man Adrien Brody and a high school classroom in desperate need of a janitor — after the break. From this site’s Tribeca review : Detachment follows substitute teacher Henry Barthes (Brody) through his extended stay at a Queens high school, a borderline war zone where students would sooner drop a loogie than an apple on an instructor’s desk, and where city administrators openly link plunging property values to plunging test scores. This is where contemporary education has gone to die, slowly and painfully. Henry swims through an ensemble-cast cosmos of lifers Their banter — about a dead colleague here, a popped pill there — keeps them sane and human enough amid the savagery. They’ve all but given up on the kids, defecting to the private sector when the hopelessness of teaching public school finally becomes one humiliation too many. After a while, in fact, Detachment feels as though Kaye is telling a ghost story — a novel, really, with characters and back stories fluttering through magic-hour prisms and saturated nocturnal light, their yelps and groans and pleas and dins and salutations and whispers hand-stitched into narrative breaths, their memories folded into daydreams and pummeled into nightmares, these fluorescent-lit cathedrals of learning dismantled before their inhabitants’ eyes, finally windblown into oblivion. The film demands being taken seriously even as it testifies to its own futility, like the obituary of some household name you loved as a kid. It’s point-blank blame and benediction of teachers themselves, resolving only to leave you wondering how things got so bad while also wondering why no one told you sooner how bad they’d been getting. Resolving, that is, when it’s not suggesting you never listened in the first place and most definitely aren’t listening now. Bam. Also check out Movieline’s interview with Brody about the film; Tribeca Film will uncork Detachment on Feb. 24 via Movies On Demand, iTunes, Amazon Watch Instantly, VUDU and other platforms before opening it theatrically in select cities beginning March 16. Visit detachment-film.com for more info.
‘Twilight’ Tuesday looks forward to all the vampires making their debut in the November 2012 finale. By Kara Warner Dakota Fanning as a Volturi in “New Moon” Photo: Summit Entertainment Looking ahead to November, when we finally get to see the end of the “Twilight” franchise in “Breaking Dawn – Part 2,” there are many things to get excited about. For starters, Bella is now a vampire, Renesmee is growing up and the Volturi are back. But what I am most looking forward to are all the fresh vampires. There are so many new characters, not to mention the fun involved in the adventurous search for allies, getting the group together, bonding over things like eating habits and fighting against the Volturi. Therefore, in the spirit of MTV Movies’ Ones to Watch in 2012 , this “Twilight” Tuesday is dedicated to the ones to watch in “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” — which if you didn’t already know, is also a big part of our MTV Movie Brawl 2012 . Before I get to my favorite new additions, “Twilight” vampire expert and star Peter Facinelli had these kind words to say about a few of his new castmates when MTV News caught up with him: “There’s Maggie Grace; she’s fantastic. Christian Camargo is fantastic and Juilliard-trained. I always wish I went to Juilliard, so when I meet people from Juilliard, I’m always jealous,” he said. “Mia Maestro — there’s so many talented people that were tapped. It’s a much larger cast.” Clearly, Facinelli has a thing for the Denali coven, which we got a glimpse of in “Part 1” during Bella and Edward’s wedding. The Denali clan is another group of vegetarian vamps consisting of Irina (Grace), former Volturi Eleazar (Camargo) and his multilingual mate Carmen (Maestro). The Denalis are, indeed, a nice bunch. My personal favorite new vampire, however, is Garrett, the American nomad played by charming and adorable actor Lee Pace (“Pushing Daisies,” “The Fall”). I remember liking him from the moment Stephenie Meyer introduced him, due to the 6-foot-2 factor, his curiosity and his adventurous nature. His character has a nice arc, which I’ll avoid spoiling fully here, and Pace is the absolute perfect actor to play him. Fellow fan and creator of the Kristen Stewart Hot Bodyguard Facebook page Sarah M. also brought up JD Pardo, who plays the other vamp/human hybrid Nahuel. “He was super nice at the BD1 premiere & ain’t too hard on the eyes either!” she tweeted . What do you think, “Twilight” fans? Who are other ones to watch in “Breaking Dawn – Part 2”? Let us know in the comments or tweet me @karawarner! Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos Live From The ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Red Carpet
‘Twilight’ Tuesday looks forward to all the vampires making their debut in the November 2012 finale. By Kara Warner Dakota Fanning as a Volturi in “New Moon” Photo: Summit Entertainment Looking ahead to November, when we finally get to see the end of the “Twilight” franchise in “Breaking Dawn – Part 2,” there are many things to get excited about. For starters, Bella is now a vampire, Renesmee is growing up and the Volturi are back. But what I am most looking forward to are all the fresh vampires. There are so many new characters, not to mention the fun involved in the adventurous search for allies, getting the group together, bonding over things like eating habits and fighting against the Volturi. Therefore, in the spirit of MTV Movies’ Ones to Watch in 2012 , this “Twilight” Tuesday is dedicated to the ones to watch in “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” — which if you didn’t already know, is also a big part of our MTV Movie Brawl 2012 . Before I get to my favorite new additions, “Twilight” vampire expert and star Peter Facinelli had these kind words to say about a few of his new castmates when MTV News caught up with him: “There’s Maggie Grace; she’s fantastic. Christian Camargo is fantastic and Juilliard-trained. I always wish I went to Juilliard, so when I meet people from Juilliard, I’m always jealous,” he said. “Mia Maestro — there’s so many talented people that were tapped. It’s a much larger cast.” Clearly, Facinelli has a thing for the Denali coven, which we got a glimpse of in “Part 1” during Bella and Edward’s wedding. The Denali clan is another group of vegetarian vamps consisting of Irina (Grace), former Volturi Eleazar (Camargo) and his multilingual mate Carmen (Maestro). The Denalis are, indeed, a nice bunch. My personal favorite new vampire, however, is Garrett, the American nomad played by charming and adorable actor Lee Pace (“Pushing Daisies,” “The Fall”). I remember liking him from the moment Stephenie Meyer introduced him, due to the 6-foot-2 factor, his curiosity and his adventurous nature. His character has a nice arc, which I’ll avoid spoiling fully here, and Pace is the absolute perfect actor to play him. Fellow fan and creator of the Kristen Stewart Hot Bodyguard Facebook page Sarah M. also brought up JD Pardo, who plays the other vamp/human hybrid Nahuel. “He was super nice at the BD1 premiere & ain’t too hard on the eyes either!” she tweeted . What do you think, “Twilight” fans? Who are other ones to watch in “Breaking Dawn – Part 2”? Let us know in the comments or tweet me @karawarner! Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos Live From The ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Red Carpet
If Yoda shilling for cup noodles made your skin crawl and your soul cry “Nooooo,” get ready to feel the Force sell-out even harder, and weirder, with a recent spate of George Lucas -approved shameless Star Wars marketing tie-ins. First, there’s Darth Maul and Yoda stumping for Lipton iced tea . Embarrassing, but that’s nothing compared to the super disgusting idea of a Darth Vader-themed hamburger featuring black-dyed buns. Blech. These are not the burgers you’re looking for, at least not to eat. The Vader burger is offered at French-Belgian fast food chain Quick, along with two other new sandwiches, the Dark Burger on dyed red buns a la Darth Maul, and the Jedi Burger, topped with diced mozzarella cheese cubes. The special Star Wars fare will be available for a limited time from January 31 to March 1, though the Vader burger, which is comprised of “two minced beef patties topped with one slice of melted pepper Cheddar cheese, pepper sauce, endives and rings of red pepper all between black-colored buns sprinkled with black pepper and poppy seeds” and is inexplicably spelled “Vador” burger in this Quick ad, will get an extended run through March 5. You can thank the upcoming 2012 release of Star Wars Episode I — The Phantom Menace 3D for the upsurge in shameless cross-branding, which is fine and a part of the business, especially when reintroducing a film to newer audiences and older fans who are now old enough to drink iced tea and order gross burgers at the drive-through. Still, that doesn’t excuse Lucas from the real problem: These burgers look completely disgusting. Who in their right mind will be ordering the Vader burger? French diehard Star Wars fans, I’m sure, and the kind of perversely curious fast foodies who thought the Double Down sounded intriguing. Oh, and maybe the members of the International Church of Jediism , followers of a new faith whose quest for recognition was immortalized this week by the Taiwanese animators at NME. According to the NME news video, these real life Jedis hang out drinking Mountain Dew and eating Doritos. Substitute the Quick Jedi Burger for Communion bread and everybody wins, no? [ MintinBox , Topless Robot , International Business Times ]
There was good news and bad news at the movies over the weekend, where the first big box office frame of the new year showed a nice bounce from the sluggishness afflicting the end of 2011. The bad news? The comeback was led by the film equivalent of a dirty diaper. Let’s have a look. 1. The Devil Inside Gross: $34,500,000 (new) Screens: 2,285 (PSA $15,098) Weeks: 1 Paramount’s microbudget Insurge label scored big again with its found-footage horror goods — well, maybe not “goods,” as the demonic-possession flick nabbed an ultra-rare CinemaScore of “F.” Wow! People hated this movie! So for those of you keeping track at home: $34.5 million worth of viewers went home nursing the aftertaste of battery acid, while Paramount now has the highest-grossing R-rated January opener ever. It’s nice to see 2012 off to such a mutually rewarding start at the multiplex. 2. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Gross: $20,500,000 ($170,201,000) Screens: 3,555 (PSA $5,767) Weeks: 4 (Change: -30.3%) At least there’s this as well from the ‘Mount. Put it on a parade float and let’s just move on. 3. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Gross: $14,055,000 ($157,415,000) Screens: 3,603 (PSA $3,901) Weeks: 4 (Change: -32.7%) While no slouch, Holmes 2 looks decreasingly likely to match Iron Man 2 ‘s fest of besting the original at the box office, which I guess means Paramount (along with Marvel) can take even more consolation in having the superior Robert Downey Jr. franchise. To which Warners is all, “Oh yeah? Well, we have the best Jude Law franchise!” To which Paramount is all, “Jude who?” To which Warners is all, “Nice CinemaScore!” To which Paramount is all, “[Stony-faced fuming silence].” 4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Gross: $11,300,000 ($76,836,000) Screens: 2,950 (PSA: $3,831) Weeks: 3 (Change: -23.8%) Let’s hope this silences once and for all the critics who’ve called out Dragon Tattoo ‘s performance as underwhelming or soft: It’s doing pretty freaking well for a 150-minute R-rated rapey miserablist romp. $100 million is less than two weeks away at this rate, and $200 million is hardly out of the question if and when Oscar’s grace shines upon it. 5. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked Gross: $9,500,000 ($111,588,000) Screens: 3,425 (PSA $2,774) Weeks: 4 (Change: -42%) Against all odds, Chipwrecked continues to demonstrate its appeal among the naked crackhead demographic sturdy legs heading into its second month. High-five! [Figures via Box Office Mojo ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
When Lars von Trier’s latest masterpiece Melancholia last had any real time in the awards spotlight, Kirsten Dunst was accepting the Best Actress hardware at Cannes . News came over the weekend that their drought is over: The National Society of Film Critics voted Melancholia its Best Picture of 2011, with Dunst again earning Best Actress for her role as a depressed bride coming to grips with the end of the world. Other honorees included Terrence Malick, Brad Pitt, Albert Brooks and Jessica Chastain; read on for the full list of winners, runners-up and voting totals. BEST PICTURE *1. Melancholia – 29 (Lars von Trier) 2. The Tree of Life – 28 (Terrence Malick) 3. A Separation – 20 (Asghar Farhadi) BEST DIRECTOR *1. Terrence Malick – 31 ( The Tree of Life ) 2. Martin Scorsese – 29 ( Hugo ) 3. Lars von Trier – 23 ( Melancholia ) BEST ACTOR *1. Brad Pitt – 35 ( Moneyball, The Tree of Life ) 2. Gary Oldman – 22 ( Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy ) 3. Jean Dujardin – 19 ( The Artist ) BEST ACTRESS *1. Kirsten Dunst – 39 ( Melancholia ) 2. Yun Jung-hee – 25 ( Poetry ) 3. Meryl Streep – 20 ( The Iron Lady ) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR *1. Albert Brooks – 38 ( Drive ) 2. Christopher Plummer – 24 ( Beginners ) 3. Patton Oswalt – 19 ( Young Adult ) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS *1. Jessica Chastain – 30 ( The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, The Help ) 2. Jeannie Berlin – 19 ( Margaret ) 3. Shailene Woodley – 17 ( The Descendants ) BEST NONFICTION *1. Cave of Forgotten Dreams – 35 (Werner Herzog) 2. The Interrupters – 26 (Steve James) 3. Into the Abyss – 18 (Werner Herzog) BEST SCREENPLAY *1. A Separation – 39 (Asghar Farhadi) 2. Moneyball – 22 (Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin) 3. Midnight in Paris – 16 (Woody Allen) BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM *1. A Separation – 67 (Asghar Farhadi) 2. Mysteries of Lisbon – 28 (Raoul Ruiz) 3. Le Havre – 22 (Aki Kaurismäki) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY *1. The Tree of Life – 76 ( Emanuel Lubezki ) 2. Melancholia – 41 ( Manuel Alberto Claro ) 3. Hugo – 33 ( Robert Richardson ) EXPERIMENTAL Ken Jacobs, for Seeking the Monkey King . FILM HERITAGE 1. BAM Cinématek for its complete Vincente Minnelli retrospective with all titles shown on 16 mm. or 35 mm. film. 2. Lobster Films, Groupama Gan Foundation for Cinema and the Technicolor Foundation for Cinema for the restoration of the color version of George Méliès’s A Trip to the Moon . 3. New York’s Museum of Modern Art for its extensive retrospective of Weimar Cinema. 4. Flicker Alley for their box set Landmarks of Early Soviet Film . 5. Criterion Collecton for its 2-disc DVD package The Complete Jean Vigo .
That unsubtle backhand slap you just heard was the sound of Steven Spielberg being whacked off his awards-season pedestal by the Directors Guild of America, which just announced Woody Allen, David Fincher, Michel Hazanavicius, Alexander Payne and Martin Scorsese as its 2012 Best Director nominees. This one has to hurt. Other, less conspicuous snubs include Moneyball director Bennett Miller and The Help ‘s Tate Taylor, the latter of whom who made his first Oscar Index appearance last week but seems likely to drop off by the next installment. As Steve Pond notes over at The Wrap, the DGA Awards are a significant Academy Awards precursor: “Typically, four of the five DGA nominees go on to receive Oscar nominations. In the last decade, the DGA has matched all five Oscar nominees twice, four out of five six times and three out of five twice.” Still! Ouch. For the record, here again are this year’s nominees: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris David Fincher, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist Alexander Payne, The Descendants Martin Scorsese, Hugo [ DGA ]
ABC released a cutesy trailer for the 2012 Academy Awards telecast that speaks loads to the youthful new direction the show’s makers were going in when they brought Brett Ratner aboard, before his untimely exit ; in a slick parody of globe-trotting Hollywood fare, two heroes are tasked with tracking down wizened Billy Crystal for hosting duties on the Big Night. Those heroes? None other than Transformers castmates Josh Duhamel and Megan Fox, because of course. Nothing says current like the girl who was the hottest thing on earth three years ago! Watch the trailer and see if it entices you with its “Hey kids, check us out!” hip comedy stylings. The trailer even comes courtesy of Funny Or Die, it’s so plugged in! And hey, isn’t that Vinnie Jones as a mysterious bartender with inside intel? And Bill Fichtner as Oscarcast producer Brian Grazer? (At least that much makes sense.) And, well, Robin Williams as a Himalayan ferryman? (That cameo actually just makes me sad that he’s not hosting or co-hosting with Crystal.) See, the Oscars are for everybody! This milquetoast-but-four-quadrant trailer proves it! Verdict: The 84th Academy Awards will be televised live on Feb. 26 at 4p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET, and from the looks of it we’ll be in for a loooong night.
After their not-so-dextrous handling of The Road throttled director John Hillcoat’s film into cultural oblivion, let’s be honest: There’s something bittersweet about watching the Weinsteins suffocate Hillcoat’s anticipated follow-up Wettest County for old times’ sake. Starring Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain in an adaptation of Matt Bondurant’s acclaimed Depression-era novel The Wettest County in the World , the movie has been shifted from its relatively favorable April 20 release date to the death row of Labor Day weekend — Aug. 31, where, to be fair, where Focus Features has dined out the last two years with similarly adult-targeted fare like The American and The Debt . Of course, those movies had proven stars in George Clooney and Helen Mirren, respectively; practically since its inception, Wettest County has been viewed as a dramatic mainstream proving ground for leading men LaBeouf and Hardy. Now it’s more like some kind of three-legged race to the holiday box-office finish line, with the duo facing off against the supernatural thriller 7500 . Good luck, fellas! Anyway! All the more resources for the surging #ConsiderUggie campaign . [ LAT ]
