Tag Archives: Actors

Matt Damon’s ‘Promised Land’ Among Early Berlin Film Festival Titles

Matt Damon and Frances McDormand starrer Promised Land by Gus Van Sant is one of six films that will screen in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival . Also starring John Krasinski and Rosemarie DeWitt, the film is one of two American titles the festival announced Thursday. Also joining the group is animated feature The Croods , playing out of competition. The title includes voices from Nicolas Cage , Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds . Promised Land centers on Steve Butler (Damon) a former farm boy turned big city business guy who teams up with Sue (Frances McDormand) to sell financial prosperity to a struggling Pennsylvania town that has rich deposits of natural gas deep underground. The sales execs offer up easy cash in return for drilling rights on their property, but the process of extraction – known as fracking – divides the town. [ Related: Gus Van Sant On ‘Promised Land’ & His Desire ‘To Always Work’ With Matt Damon ] Other titles included in the initial lineup of six films hail from Austria, Chile, France, Germany, the Republic of Korea, Romania and Spain. The 63rd Berlinale takes place February 7 – 17. The first six Berlinale ’13 titles follow with information provided by the festival . Competition :   Gloria , Chile/Spain By Sebastián Lelio (La Sagrada Familia, Navidad, El año del tigre) With Paulina García, Sergio Hernández World premiere   Nugu-ui Ttal-do Anin (Nobody’s Daughter Haewon), Republic of Korea By Hong Sangsoo (Night and Day, Hahaha, In Another Country) With Eunchae Jung, Sunkyun Lee World premiere   Paradies: Hoffnung (Paradise: Hope), Austria/France/Germany By Ulrich Seidl (Dog Days, Import Export, Paradise: Love) With Melanie Lenz, Vivian Bartsch, Joseph Lorenz, Michael Thomas World premiere   Poziţia Copilului (Child’s Pose), Romania By Călin Peter Netzer (Maria, Medal of Honor, Zapada mieilor) With Luminiţa Gheorghiu, Bogdan Dumitrache, Florin Zamfirescu World premiere   Promised Land , USA By Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting, Milk) With Matt Damon, Frances McDormand, John Krasinski, Rosemarie DeWitt, Hal Holbrook International premiere   The Croods – animated film in 3D, USA By Kirk De Micco (Space Chimps) Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon) With the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds World premiere / out of competition   Berlinale Special Unter Menschen (Redemption Impossible) – Documentary, Germany By Christian Rost, Claus Strigel World premiere

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Matt Damon’s ‘Promised Land’ Among Early Berlin Film Festival Titles

‘The Hobbit’ Tracking $70 Million-Plus At Weekend Box Office: Biz Break

Peter Jackson ‘s initial Hobbit is looking to match its Lord of the Rings brethren. Also in Wednesday’s news round-up, Joel Edgerton is eyeing to star in next Natalie Portman pic; Andy Samberg is set to take on the Spirit Awards ; Top Gun is flying toward IMAX; and Hobbit mock-buster gets a new title. The Hobbit Tracking for $70 Million Opening Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey looks like it will take in $70 million-plus at the box office this weekend, putting the 3-D pic on par with the Lord of the Rings franchise. On the same weekend in 2003, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King opened to $72.6 million in North America, THR reports . Joel Edgerton Eyes Jane Got a Gun Edgerton is in talks to join the Lynne Ramsey-directed Western action pic Jane Got a Gun , which stars Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender. The film revolves around Jane Hammond (Portman), who reaches out to her ex-lover (Fassbender) to help her when her outlaw husband becomes the target of a violent gang, Deadline reports . Andy Samberg to Host 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards The Saturday Night Live veteran will host the 28th annual event in February, which honors the best in the indie film world. The 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards will take place in Santa Monica on February 23rd, LAT reports . Top Gun Aims for IMAX in 3-D The 1986 Tom Cruise feature has been remastered in 3-D, which the late director Tony Scott supervised. Top Gun will head back to the big screen for a six-day IMAX engagement beginning February 8th followed by the latest Blu-ray release in a 3D/2D two-disc set coming February 19, Deadline reports . Age of the Hobbits Set for Cambodian Release Under New Title Backers of the mock-buster who were stopped by a Federal judge Monday from releasing their film with the title saying it could be confused with Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , will now release the pic under the title, The History of Mankind in its native Cambodia, THR reports .

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‘The Hobbit’ Tracking $70 Million-Plus At Weekend Box Office: Biz Break

Batman Cameo Rumors Bring Cheshire Smile To Christopher Nolan’s Face At Hugh Jackman Salute

Hugh Jackman is way more emo than I thought. But I’ll get to that in a moment.  Among the filmmakers who turned up to praise the  Les Misérables   star at the Museum of the Moving Image’s salute to Jackman in lower Manhattan on Tuesday night was The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher Nolan who grew an enormous Cheshire-Cat grin when I asked him if the Superman reboot he is producing, Man of Steel , would see a cameo by Joseph Gordon-Levitt , or any actor, as Batman, and if he had any objections to a cameo as a continuity move to tie the Supes movie to the 2015  Justice League movie.   “I can’t talk about that.  You know that,” Nolan said cheerily. I didn’t know that, actually, but now that I do, I feel compelled to point out that, despite the frustratingly inconclusive nature of his answer, it’s not a ‘No.’  Yes, JG-L’s camp shot down the speculation as “entirely false” back in November, but if the idea had been ruled out, wouldn’t Nolan be saying something along those lines, too, so that the fan boys could move on? You know how angry they can get when their casting hopes and dreams are suddenly deflated after being allowed to build for months. The impish smile on Nolan’s face as he issued that no comment also heightened my optimism, especially in the wake of the powerful Man of Steel trailer that’s now burning up the Internet. Zack Snyder’s take on Superman clearly aspires to have the kind of psychological heft and dark undertones that made The Dark Knight trilogy so satisfying. If the movie attains or even approaches those standards, a JG-L Batman cameo  would not dishonor Nolan’s work and it would set the bar high for Justice League . No pressure, Warner Bros. Nolan, Hathaway, Weisz Honor Jackman At Museum of The Moving Image Fete Getting back to Jackman, who’s on the fast-track to a Best Actor Oscar nomination , Nolan had much more to say about  the actor, who he directed along with Christian Bale in The Prestige .  The filmmaker told guests at the Museum of the Moving Image fete that though “ruthless” is not a word usually associated with Jackman, The Wolverine star is indeed “ruthless creatively” and a performer “driven by intense ambition.”  The director also said that he looked forward to working with Jackman again, “probably not on a musical though,” despite Jackman’s urging him to direct one. Also praising Jackman were his wife, actress Deborra-Lee Furness, his  X-Men Origins: Wolverine co-star Liev Schreiber , director Mike Nichols, former Saturday Night Live cast member Rachel Dratch , who got big laughs mocking Jackman’s Australian dialect and  two of his Les Misérables  co-stars Anne Hathaway and Eddie Redmayne . In an effusive, rambling speech, Hathaway called Jackman “deep as the sea.” Rachel Weisz offered up an even more intriguing description of the actor, calling him an “incredible cocktail of light and dark.”  She also told the most revealing story of the night:  During the filming of The Fountain , which was directed by her ex-husband Darren Aronofsky , Weisz said that Jackman gave himself so completely to a scene in which his character realizes he’s going to die that “he sobbed for about half an hour after the cameras stopped” while Weisz comforted him.  “He’d gone to the deepest, darkest place a person can go,” she said. “And he wasn’t faking it.” Jackman kept his speech much lighter saying that his Christmas gift wish list was a simple one.   All he wanted, he said, was “a movie with me starring in it to open on Christmas Day.” Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

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Batman Cameo Rumors Bring Cheshire Smile To Christopher Nolan’s Face At Hugh Jackman Salute

Matt Damon Morphs Into Excellent Bill Clinton

Matt Damon channeled Bill Clinton on a recent Tonight Show with Jay Leno . He recalled a trip he made to Camp David during the Clinton presidency when he and Ben Affleck brought along their Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting . Damon recalled how a producer from the film told the Prez that he was friends with John Travolta who was starring in Primary Colors , a film considered unflattering to Bill Clinton and did a great impression of him. Damon recalls the story and then morphs into the then POTUS. Check it out…

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Matt Damon Morphs Into Excellent Bill Clinton

WATCH: ‘Pacific Rim’ Trailer Dares Mayan Calendar To End The World

Holy Macross, the first trailer for Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim is here, and I can’t believe what I’m seeing! Dimensional rifts, enormous monsters, and sweet sweet giant mechs battling it out over the streets of a large city while the helpless populace flees. Someone finally figured out how to update the kaiju genre without ruining it. Glory be! I’ve been keeping my powder dry on this since Del Toro isn’t always 100 percent successful making films that live up to his vision, but you know what? Done. I’m now an extreme religious fundamentalist for Pacific Rim . Watch this trailer and you will be too: “Today, we are canceling the apocalypse!” What a line, and considering the timing of the trailer, what a lovely middle finger to everyone ruining your Facebook feed with nonsense about Mayan calendar realignment. Pacific Rim looks like it lacks even a shred of knowing campiness or edgy BS; it just coasts on a sincere awesomeness of the sort we haven’t really seen since the ’70s, only with funding. It’s The Space Giants with humans controlling the robots! It’s Robot Jox with a budget. It’s the live action Robotech* movie we’ve been dreaming of since the ’80s. It’s anything you want it to be because it loves you more than anyone else ever could, and will probably send you your favorite cupcakes on your birthday. * Yes, we know Robotech was cobbled together from Macross , Mospeda and Southern Cross . If you claim to have seen any of them before you saw Robotech and you aren’t from Japan, I don’t believe you. Pacific Rim hits theaters July 12, 2013. RELATED ARTICLES: Pacific Rim: The Characters and Robotic ‘Engineering Feats’ of Guillermo Del Toro’s Monster Sci-Fi Pic Idris Elba Suits Up in First Image from Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim Guillermo Del Toro on Pacific Rim Monsters and the Demise of At the Mountains of Madness Ross Lincoln is a LA-based freelance writer from Oklahoma with an unhealthy obsession with comics, movies, video games, ancient history, Gore Vidal, and wine. Follow him on twitter (@rossalincoln). Follow Movieline on Twitter .

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WATCH: ‘Pacific Rim’ Trailer Dares Mayan Calendar To End The World

From ‘100 Black Coffins’ To ‘Casa De Mi Padre,’ 5 Oscar Best Song Dark Horses We’re Rooting For

By now you know that the list of songs eligible to be nominated for Best Original Song at the 85th Academy Awards is kind of mind-blowing. Not so mind-blowing is the generally risk-averse bent of the average Academy voter, which is why we should probably just send congratulations now to Brave , Les Miserables , and Adele , resting easy one of them will actually be the right recipient. But maybe not! Yeah, we all agree that Skyfall is the best thing to happen to our ears since the invention of the lobe massage, but does the winner have to be that obvious? Every now and then something crazy slips through the filter, like Elliot Smith in 1998, or Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova ten years later. Really, there’s so much about the list that is pure, wonderful bonkersness and they would all shake things up more than accidentally slurring a huge chunk of your audience and getting fired from Oscars-production duties. If we had our way, one of these cuts below would send its songwriter home with a clunky golden statue. * “Casa De Mi Padre” from Casa De Mi Padre ! Dios mio! The title track from the criminally underrated Will Ferrell comedy accurately nails tone of 1970s theme songs, a perfect fit for the film’s lightly mocking telenovella/grindhouse vibe. The only problem is that the other two songs from Casa that made this list, ‘Del Cielo’ and ‘Yo No Se’, are just as good. Let’s just make a mashup and get them all through. * “100 Black Coffins” from Django Unchained We don’t know why Rick Ross wants a honey baked muffin so much, or what that has to do with the title of this song (Kidding! Now try not hearing “I want a honey baked muffin” whenever you listen to the song), but this track from Django Unchained accomplishes the unlikely task of making Mr. Ross’ rapping bearable, (production and beats by Jamie Foxx help.) It would be awesome if the Teflon Don manages to win the same number of Oscars as Martin Scorsese, just like Three Six Mafia back in 2006. * “Ladies of Tampa” from Magic Mike Thank you, Magic Mike for making it possible for the world to once again rejoice in the sleazy musk that exudes from Matthew McConaughey like light from the tarnished halo of a fallen angel. This creepy ballad from late in the film should be required listening for anyone wondering if they have what it takes to strip for a living. You don’t. Period. McConaughey has that shit covered for life, as proven by this obviously Oscar-caliber track. * “Razors Out” from The Raid I hate myself for loving this song, because it kind of drips with over-processed drums and emo singing and oh god no it’s written by Linkin Park frontman Mike Shinoda. But then I remember that it’s really put to amazing use in The Raid , and since The Raid isn’t likely to get noticed even though it should be your current favorite movie , this song’s worthiness for the Oscar is self evident. So please, Academy voters, please let Sony Pictures Classics and Stage 6 Films slap a “nominated for an Academy Award” sticker on the The Raid Blu-ray. “The Baddest Man Alive” from The Man With The Iron Fists The Rza ‘s directoral debut might have suffered from being cut to shreds in the editing process, but the soundtrack is everything that makes us still weak in the knees at the thought of a Wu-Tang Clan reunion. Thus, “The Baddest Man Alive” is also the baddest track on this list. An Oscar nomination for this instant classic won’t make up for the death of Ol’ Dirty Bastard, but it definitely makes up for a Crash Best Picture win. RELATED: Oscars Name Rick Ross, Katy Perry & ‘Ladies Of Tampa’ Tracks Eligible For Best Song Do you have your own dark horse favorites from the Best Song contenders list? Leave ’em in the comments. Ross Lincoln is a LA-based freelance writer from Oklahoma with an unhealthy obsession with comics, movies, video games, ancient history, Gore Vidal, and wine. Follow him on twitter (@rossalincoln). Follow Movieline on Twitter .

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From ‘100 Black Coffins’ To ‘Casa De Mi Padre,’ 5 Oscar Best Song Dark Horses We’re Rooting For

‘Star Trek Into Darkness’: Cumberbatch’s Identity, Carol Marcus, And A New ‘Trek’ Villain Theory

Pulling back the curtain on Star Trek Into Darkness Monday at Bad Robot HQ, director J. J. Abrams and his Trek crew of cast and collaborators were cautious not to reveal too much information as they previewed the May 2013 blockbuster. Still, some of the most intriguing details thus far in the great “ What Is J.J. Abrams Hiding From Us? ” Trek sequel mystery emerged: Who is Benedict Cumberbatch playing? How do a certain race of staple Trek baddies figure into the plot? And, perhaps most significant: What does Alice Eve’s character, revealed to be Carol Marcus – a character very familiar to fans, from a very specific story in Trek canon – mean for Star Trek Into Darkness ? [Spoilers and speculation ahead!] Benedict Cumberbatch is… John Harrison First things first: A conveniently released/leaked still revealed that Cumberbatch’s mystery villain is named John Harrison , though some questioned whether this was a misdirection on Abrams’ part. So what do we know about him? Well, get used to the name. At Monday’s press day Cumberbatch’s character was referred to left and right as Harrison. The costumes of his on display were sleekly functional and metrosexual (one getup involved a scarf and a cobra-like cowl that would fit right in with H&M’s Winter 2259 line). The Starfleet-issued black shirt he wears in the above photo, I’m told, is the same kind Chris Pine ‘s Kirk wears in 2009’s Star Trek ; read into that what you may. I briefly spoke with Cumberbatch about the character, and while he couldn’t say much he did describe Harrison in a particular way. “He’s a terrorist ,” Cumberbatch emphasized. Still a mystery, but that brings me to… The Klingons Yes, Star Trek Into Darkness will have Klingons — we’ll even take a trip to the Klingon home planet of Qo’noS. Although a dozen Klingons were outfitted in STID ‘s semi-throwback Klingon style (pierced ridged bridges and all), only two seem to have prominent speaking roles in the film, which required new prosthetic designs for ease of speaking. They sport armored helmets and familiar Klingon weapons, including a bayonet-like Klingon rifle, a pistol, and bat’leth. Most curious of all: I’d swear one mannequin dressed in Harrison’s garb also sported a Klingon rifle slung around its shoulders… Next: Alice Eve is Carol Marcus — and a NEW Trek villain theory so crazy it just might work…

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‘Star Trek Into Darkness’: Cumberbatch’s Identity, Carol Marcus, And A New ‘Trek’ Villain Theory

Angry Birds Confirmed To Swoop Down In 2016

Here come the Birds! And they’ll be CG-animated, in 3-D and – angry ? The video game franchise creator Rovio Entertainment is tapping Despicable Me producer John Cohen to produce a planned Angry Birds movie, with former Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel on board as executive producer. Rovio will finance the pic, which is set for Summer 2016. John Cohen produced Illumination Entertainment/Universal Pictures’ Despicable Me in 2010 with Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud directing, who also took the helm for the 2010 short Despicable Me Presents: Minion Madness . Cohen also worked with Pierre Coffin in the first animated short he produced, Banana . Could the pair or some combination thereof be ready to take flight for Angry Birds ? 2010’s Despicable Me revolved around a criminal mastermind who uses three orphan girls to hatch his scheme, but is moved by their profound love. Could this signal a less pissed off flock four years from now? “Rovio will produce and finance the movie outside the studio system and retain full creative control while creating innovative entertainment at the highest level of quality,” the company said, adding that it is taking a cue from David Maisel’s direction he ushered in at Marvel. “I’m so excited and honored to be working on this film with Mikael, David, and Rovio’s incredibly talented game developers and artists,” said Cohen via Rovio’s website . “From both an entertainment and strategic perspective, Rovio is at the forefront of game innovation and is trailblazing terrific new ways for Angry Birds fans to interact with these characters. I’ve personally spent countless hours playing the Angry Birds games over the last few years, which I can now happily justify as research for the movie.” The movie will mark Rovio Entertainment’s first move into feature films, though fans are already familiar with those Angry Birds through Rovio’s games, books, consumer products and animation. Since they first left the nest in 2009, they have been downloaded over 1 billion times across platforms. Most recently, Angry Birds Star Wars ascended to the stratosphere of the US iPhone charts after two-and-a-half hours in release. Prior to Illumination, Cohen was VP of Production at Twentieth Century Fox Animation. What do you think a John Cohen-produced Angry Birds has in store?

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Angry Birds Confirmed To Swoop Down In 2016

WATCH: ‘Man of Steel’ Trailer Washes The Taste Of ‘Superman Returns’ Out Of Our Mouths

The second Man of Steel trailer has been released to the Internets, and by the gods it’s actually very effective! While retaining the moodiness of the first teaser , that mood now more clearly emphasizes Clark Kent’s feelings of uncertainty and separation due to his alien heritage and fantastical powers. His arrest ( first revealed in the poster released last week ) has a bit more context too, as we see him stepping out from behind what appears to be the wreckage of military hardware, as soldiers draw their weapons. It looks like he makes his debut after the Kryptonian super villains led by General Zod, and submits to arrest to prove he isn’t a threat, a much more interesting take on humanity’s initial reaction to him. Speaking of Zod, we also get our first glimpse at Michael Shannon ‘s version of the character (skip to minute 2:33). Nothing could possibly replace Terence Stamp’s elegant fascist interpretation, which is why it’s a relief they’re not even trying. Instead, they’re going for a grizzled military vet vibe. I’m impressed by how he looks like something Jack Kirby would have drawn during his weirder moments in the ’70s, particularly if the bubbly, floating spaceship we see just before Zod appears has any connection. ( Here ‘s a pretty funny look at some of Kirby’s more bonkers creations for some context.) I’m not the biggest fan of Watchmen , but on a purely aesthetic level Zack Snyder absolutely nailed that adaptation, and underwear-free Superman suit aside, it now seems much more certain he’s going to pull off the same trick with Man Of Steel . Here’s the trailer in all its moody, superpowered glory. Some stray thoughts: * It’s worth noting that we first see Zod bearing a serene expression, quickly followed by an obvious KNEEL BEFORE ZOD shout out, then a scene of Krypton’s destruction. I can’t help but wonder if Zod’s personal animosity for Superman is related to Jor-el’s failed attempt to save Krypton. * I’m not the first to note this, but that moment when we seen Superman causing the ground beneath him to vibrate is very interesting. We haven’t really seen Superman’s powers presented as a force of nature like this, and it’s a nice touch. * Now we know how they avoid turning Kevin Coster’s take on Jonathan Kent into Kansas Ben Parker: Pa Kent is afraid of what will happen to Supes if his powers are revealed to the world. That fits very well into the more realish world take on the Superman story I’m assuming we’ll see, owing to Christopher Nolan’s involvement. Ross Lincoln is a LA-based freelance writer from Oklahoma with an unhealthy obsession with comics, movies, video games, ancient history, Gore Vidal, and wine. Follow him on twitter (@rossalincoln). Follow Movieline on Twitter .

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WATCH: ‘Man of Steel’ Trailer Washes The Taste Of ‘Superman Returns’ Out Of Our Mouths

Watch The Late Jenni Rivera In Her Film Debut, ‘Filly Brown’

Mexican-American superstar,  Jenni Rivera , died Sunday , when her plane crashed en route to Mexico City, after the twin-engine Learjet she was a passenger on lost contact and went down near Monterrey, Mexico. Rivera, the chart-topping “diva de la banda,” was a judge on Mexico’s reality TV singing competition,  La Voz , and was set to make her feature film debut in the hip-hop drama,  Filly Brown , a darling out of Sundance last year, opposite Lou Diamond Phillips and Edward James Olmos. It was Olmos who urged Rivera to make the leap into acting, she revealed earlier this year while doing press rounds for Filly Brown . “Sometimes people have a bigger vision than you have yourself,” she told Celebs.com’s Elliot Kotek. Rivera was tapped to play against type in Filly Brown , portraying the incarcerated mother of Gina Rodriguez’s aspiring rapper in a stripped-down role that ran counter to her glamorous public image, a la Mariah Carey in Precious .”When I go onstage and I do about 40 songs a night, each song I’m acting out as if I’m really living it,” she said of the transition from music to acting (watch the full Sundance interview below). Filly Brown is set to be distributed by Indomina Pictures, although a release date has not been announced. (Follow the film’s Twitter and Facebook pages for updates.) Until then, watch Rivera and Rodriguez in a brief clip from the film: Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .

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Watch The Late Jenni Rivera In Her Film Debut, ‘Filly Brown’