If it were up to us, every movie that hit theaters would be chock full of female flesh. But until that glorious day arrives, we are stuck with another non-nude week in the cinema. The wide release this week is the mega-budgeted fantasy flick The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , but don’t look there for any unexpected skin. A little bit sexier is new release Save the Date (2012), featuring tempting brunettes Lizzy Caplan and Alison Brie as sisters grappling with commitment. Sadly, there’s no need to mark this movie down on your calendar, because the closest they get to nude is Lizzy in her skivvies at the 8-minute mark. More after the jump!
Even in a huge year at the movies, nothing compared to Christopher Nolan’s Batman conclusion. By Kevin P. Sullivan Christian Bale as Batman in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Photo: Warner Bros.
First entry in Peter Jackson’s trilogy is expected to make around $100 million during its opening weekend. By Ryan J. Downey “The Hobbit” Photo: Warner Bros./ New Line Cinema
Warner Bros. won its lawsuit against mock-buster Age of the Hobbits . Also in Tuesday’s news round-up, Amy Adams will be feted for The Master ; Tim Buckley feature is heading to U.S. theaters; Disney will adapt Dolphin pic for a feature; and Gus Van Sant is lending his name for the U.S. release of acclaimed Laurence Anyways . Warner Bros. Triumphs in Hobbit Mock-buster Case A federal judge granted Warner Bros., MGM and others a restraining order against mock-buster Age of The Hobbits , saying the victory over Global Asylum’s “cynical business model.” Global had planned a to release a parallel pic, Age of the Hobbit against Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , Deadline reports . Amy Adams to Receive Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Cinema Vanguard Award The three-time Oscar-nominated actress will be presented the events’s prize January 31st. Adams is a contender for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the wife of a cult leader in Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master , THR reports . Greetings From Tim Buckley Heads to U.S. Theaters Directed by Dan Algrant, the Toronto Film Festival feature explores two generations of musicians, Tim and Jeff Buckley. Penn Badgley plays Jeff Buckley as a young musician who rehearses his public singing debut at a Brooklyn tribute to his father and struggling to come to terms with his legacy with the help of an unlikely woman at the show. While they discover each other and New York City, the film also explores Tim’s (Mr. Rosenfield) 1960s heyday, as he drives cross-country with a girlfriend and finds himself on the verge of stardom. Tribeca Film will distribute the pic with Focus World, a subsidiary of Focus Features. Disney to Adapt Dolphin Boy Feature The studio secured rights to the Israeli documentary, which revolves around a teenager from an Arab village in northern Israel who is traumatized from a violent attack and slowly recovers with the help of dolphins. The Bucket List writer Justin Zackham will write the script for Disney, Variety reports . Gus Van Sant Joins Xavier Dolan’s Laurence Anyways in U.S. Release Van Sant’s Promised Land is gathering some Oscar buzz, but he’ll lend his name as executive producer to acclaimed young Quebecois filmmaker Xavier Dolan’s third Cannes title, Laurence Anyways as it heads out to U.S. screens in 2013. Set in the ’90s, Laurence Anyways is the tale of a young couple and the difficult decisions they must face after the man decides to start living his life as a woman.
It’s a sad day when we have to report minimal nudity in theaters, but this week is shaping up to be practically skin-free in the cinema. The wide releases include the Brad Pitt action extravaganza Killing Them Softly (2012), which is a total sausage fest, with only Linara Washington appearing in her panties 54-minutes in. Also opening is the fright flick The Collection (2012) which spectacularly fails to reveal any stereotypical horror hoots. Your only hope for a stocking stuffer is the limited release Silent Night (2012), which features a topless Cortney Palm running from a murderous Santa. At least there is a killer line-up of Netflix and Blu-ray nudes this week! More after the jump!
Peter Jackson ‘s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey had its New Zealand premiere Wednesday, and although local press are still under embargo, the New York Daily News has burst out of the gate with the first published review of the anticipated Lord of the Rings follow-up. What’s the early verdict on Jackson’s groundbreaking 48 fps presentation, which was so publicly panned in previews ? Ethan Sacks’ review is enthusiastic if not terrifically detailed, but let’s cut to the elephant in the room: Will audiences reject the super-resolution 48 fps look of The Hobbit ? “Critics who saw a trailer earlier this year were unimpressed, but after a minute or two of adjusting, the higher resolution is eye-popping, similar to discovering HD television for the first time,” Sacks writes. Phew. Well, grain of salt: This is the first and only review out there now, so we’ll see if other critics agree as The Hobbit begins screening stateside tomorrow. As for the film itself, expect a cameo-filled romp that should satisfy Tolkien fans: “Lighter and funnier than its Lord of the Rings predecessors, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey remains faithful to the fantasy world last seen in the 2003 Academy Award-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King .” There is just one little glaring notation; Sacks warns of one potentially grating character by dropping three of the most fearsome words in popular geekdom: Jar Jar Binks. “Like all unexpected journeys, there are a few pitfalls along the way, most notably the tangential subplot surrounding bumbling wizard Radagast the Brown (Sylvester McCoy), whose buffoonery at times descends into Jar Jar Binks territory.” [ New York Daily News ] The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits theaters December 14. Read more: Wranglers Say ‘Hobbit’ Animals Suffered Gruesome Deaths On ‘Death Trap’-Ridden Farm The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and 48 FPS: More Tolkien In Store for Peter Jackson? The Hobbit 48 FPS Preview Divides Audiences at CinemaCon Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The Sundance Film Festival continued its roll out of films playing its 2013 event in January, unveiling its out-of-competition Spotlight, Park City at Midnight and New Frontier sections as well as installations and performances headed to the festival’s New Frontier venue. Jeff Nichols’ Mud , starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon , festival favorite No with Gael García Bernal and the U.S. premiere of Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers are among the films set for Sundance’s Spotlight section, which includes North American and U.S. debuts. [ Related: Check out Sundance’s 2013 U.S. and World Competition lineup as well as films in its NEXT program ] “I couldn’t be more pleased to announce the films selected for these sections because they illustrate the tremendous creativity and vibrancy of the independent film community,” said Sundance’s Director of Programming Trevor Groth in a statement. “Spotlight features our favorite films that have premiered at other festivals and the Park City at Midnight and New Frontier sections are comprised of films that are bound to shock, intoxicate, derange or dazzle. Expect the unexpected when you venture down the path of these cinematic sensations.” The Sundance Film Festival takes place January 17 – 27 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. Sundance’s Spotlight, Park City at Midnight and New Frontier lineups (with descriptions provided by the festival): SPOTLIGHT Regardless of where these films have played throughout the world, the Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love. Fill the Void / Israel (Director and screenwriter: Rama Burshtein) — A devout 18-year-old Israeli is pressured to marry the husband of her late sister. Declaring her independence is not an option in Tel Aviv’s ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community, where religious law, tradition and the rabbi’s word are absolute. Cast: Hadas Yaron, Yiftach Klein, Irit Sheleg, Chaim Sharir, Razia Israeli, Hila Feldman. Gangs of Wasseypur / India (Director: Anurag Kashyap, Screenwriters: Anurag Kashyap, Zeishan Quadri) — Exiled and outcast for robbing British trains, Shahid Khan spurs a battle for revenge that passes down generations. Shahid’s son vows to get his father’s honor back, becoming the most feared man in the Indian town of Wasseypur. Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Nawazuddin Siddique, Richa Chadda, Huma Qureshi, Tigmanshu Dhulia. U.S. Premiere The Gatekeepers (documentary) / Israel, Germany, Belgium, France (Director: Dror Moreh) — Since its stunning military victory in 1967, Israel has hoped to achieve a long-lasting peace. Forty-five years later, this has yet to happen. Six former heads of Israel’s Secret Service reflect on the successes and failures of the “peace process.” Mud / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jeff Nichols) — Two teenage boys encounter a fugitive and form a pact to help him evade the bounty hunters on his trail and reunite him with his true love. Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Reese Witherspoon. North American Premiere No / Chile, U.S.A. (Director: Pablo Larraín, Screenwriter: Pedro Peirano) — When Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet calls for a referendum to decide his permanence in power, the opposition persuades a young advertising executive to head its campaign. With limited resources and under scrutiny, he conceives a plan to win the election. Cast: Gael García Bernal, Alfredo Castro, Antonia Zegers, Luis Gnecco, Marcial Tagle, Néstor Cantillana. Sightseers / United Kingdom (Director: Ben Wheatley, Screenwriters: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram) — Chris wants to show girlfriend Tina his world, but when events conspire against the couple, their dream caravan holiday takes a very wrong turn. Cast: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram. U.S. Premiere Stories We Tell (documentary) / Canada (Director: Sarah Polley) — Sarah Polley is both filmmaker and detective as she investigates the secrets kept by a family of storytellers. She unravels the paradoxes to reveal the essence of family: always complicated, warmly messy and fiercely loving. PARK CITY AT MIDNIGHT From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you edge-seated and wide awake. Each is a world premiere. Ass Backwards / U.S.A. (Director: Chris Nelson, Screenwriters: June Diane Raphael, Casey Wilson) — Loveable losers Kate and Chloe take a road trip back to their hometown to claim the beauty pageant crown that eluded them as children, only to discover what really counts: friendship. Cast: June Diane Raphael, Casey Wilson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Alicia Silverstone, Jon Cryer, Brian Geraghty. Hell Baby / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon) — An expectant couple moves into the most haunted fixer-upper in New Orleans – a house with a demonic curse. Things spiral out of control and soon only the Vatican’s elite exorcism team can save the pair – or can it? Cast: Rob Corddry, Leslie Bibb, Keegan Michael Key, Riki Lindhome, Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel. In Fear / United Kingdom (Directed and story by: Jeremy Lovering) — Trapped in a maze of country roads with only their vehicle for protection, Tom and Lucy are terrorized by an unseen tormentor exploiting their worst fears. Eventually they realize they’ve let the evil in – it’s sitting in their car. Cast: Alice Englert, Iain De Caestecker, Allen Leech. kink (documentary) / U.S.A. (Director: Christina Voros) — A story of sex, submission and big business is told through the eyes of the unlikely pornographers whose 9:00-to-5:00 work days are spent within the confines of the San Francisco Armory building, home to the sprawling porn production facilities of Kink.com. The Rambler / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Calvin Lee Reeder) — After being released from prison, a man known as “The Rambler” stumbles upon a strange mystery as he attempts the treacherous journey through back roads and small towns en route to reconnecting with his long-lost brother. Cast: Dermot Mulroney, Lindsay Pulsipher, Natasha Lyonne, James Cady, Scott Sharot. S-VHS / U.S.A., Canada (Directors: Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, Edúardo Sanchez, Gregg Hale, Timo Tjahjanto, Gareth Huw Evans, Jason Eisener, Screenwriters: Simon Barrett, Jamie Nash, Timo Tjahjanto & Gareth Huw Evans, John Davies) — Searching for a missing student, two private investigators break into his abandoned house and find another collection of mysterious VHS tapes. In viewing the horrific contents of each cassette, they realize there may be terrifying motives behind the student’s disappearance. Cast: Adam Wingard, Lawrence Levine, L.C Holt, Kelsy Abbott, Hannah Hughes. Virtually Heroes / U.S.A. (Director: GJ Echternkamp, Screenwriter: Matt Yamashita) — Two self-aware characters in a Call of Duty-style video game struggle with their screwy, frustrating existence. To find answers, one abandons his partner and mission, seeking to unravel the cheat codes of life. Cast: Robert Baker, Brent Chase, Katie Savoy, Mark Hamill, Ben Messmer. We Are What We Are / U.S.A. (Director: Jim Mickle, Screenwriters: Nick Damici, Jim Mickle) — A devastating storm washes up clues that lead authorities closer and closer to the cannibalistic Parker family. Cast: Bill Sage, Ambyr Childers, Julia Garner, Michael Parks, Wyatt Russell, Kelly McGillis. NEW FRONTIER With media installations, multimedia performances, transmedia experiences, panels, films and more, New Frontier highlights work that celebrates experimentation and the expansion of cinema culture through the convergence of film, art, and new media technology. Films Charlie Victor Romeo / U.S.A. (Directors: Robert Berger, Karlyn Michelson, Screenwriters: Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels, Irving Gregory) — An award-winning theatrical documentary derived entirely from ‘Black Box’ transcripts of six real-life major airline emergencies brought to the screen with cutting-edge stereoscopic 3D technology. Cast: Patrick Daniels, Irving Gregory, Noel Dinneen, Sam Zuckerman, Debbie Troche, Nora Woolley. Fat Shaker / Iran (Director and screenwriter: M Shirvani) — An obese father and his handsome, deaf son share extraordinary experiences in Tehran. Then a beautiful young woman upsets the balance of their relationship, forcing them to renegotiate their position with each other and the world around them. Cast: Levon Haftvan, Maryam Palizban, Hassan Rostami, Navid Mohammadzadeh. Interior. Leather Bar. / U.S.A. (Directors: Travis Mathews, James Franco, Screenwriter: Travis Mathews) — To avoid an X rating, it was rumored that 40 minutes of gay S&M footage was cut from the controversial 1980 film, Cruising. Filmmakers James Franco and Travis Mathews re-imagine what was in the lost footage. Cast: Val Lauren, James Franco, Travis Mathews, Christian Patrick, Brenden Gregory. Halley / Mexico (Director: Sebastian Hofmann, Screenwriters: Sebastian Hofmann, Julio Chavezmontes) — Alberto is dead and can no longer hide it. Before surrendering to his living death, he forms an unusual friendship with Luly, the manager of the 24-hour gym where he works as a night guard. Cast: Alberto Trujillo, Lourdes Trueba, Hugo Albores. The Meteor / Canada (Director: François Delisle, Screenwriter: François Delisle) — Forty-something Pierre, his mother and his wife are linked by crime, guilt and loneliness. Like casualties of love and desire, they are dying to stick their heads above water and breathe the air of life. Cast: Noémie Godin Vigneau, François Delisle, Laurent Lucas, Brigitte Pogonat, François Papineau, Andrée Lachapelle. INSTALLATIONS Cityscape 2095 Artists: Yannick Jacquet, Mandril, Thomas Vaquié [AntiVJ] AntiVJ artists Yannick Jacquet and Marc Ferrario blend painting with light projection to transform the walls of New Frontier into a luminous, three-dimensional cityscape that feels strangely familiar yet impossible to locate. With its disorienting sense of time and space, Cityscape 2095 places spectators on the observatory deck of a skyscraper, where they take in a sprawling, imaginary city as it glitters over the course of one day. Coral: Rekindling Venus Artist: Lynette Wallworth Inspired by the first collaboration among the international science community to witness the celestial transit of Venus in 1761, Lynette Wallworth’s visually stunning Coral: Rekindling Venus is an augmented-reality and full-dome planetarium presentation designed to nurture an emotional connection between a global audience and the planet’s endangered coral reefs. This epic project features original deep-sea photography, augmented-reality artwork and music by Antony and the Johnsons. Presented at the New Frontier venue in Park City, Salt Lake City’s Clark Planetarium and other locations nationally. Details to be announced. E.M-bed.de/d, Datamosh, Augmented Real Artist: Yung Jake Rap artist Yung Jake is Net art incarnate, flowing lyrics about tweet culture, data-moshing, hashtags, and memes as he blows up on Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, and Instagram in his HTML5 music video, E.M-bed.de/d. This MC drops unexpectedly into your browser sessions, streams into Festival screenings, Skype-bombs live DJ performances, and pops out of floors and magazines in augmented-reality music videos. Eyjafjallalokull Artist: Joanie Lemercier [AntiVJ] Inspired by the 2010 Icelandic volcanic eruption that wreaked travel havoc across Europe, Eyjafjallalokull is a stunning, three-dimensional, audiovisual mapping installation that challenges audiences’ perception of space by creating an optical illusion that transforms the walls of New Frontier into a sweeping digital vista that artistically recreates the seismic event. North of South, West of East Artist: Meredith Danluck North of South, West of East enhances narrative storytelling by wrapping the film around the entire room. Presented to an audience in swivel chairs, Meredith Danluck’s remarkable four-channel narrative feature deftly unspools a darkly humorous tale of small-town folks as they try to make sense of a posthope America. Shot on location in Detroit, Michigan, and Marfa, Texas, this unique film features fantastic performances by Ben Foster, Stella Schnabel, and Sue Galloway, and a soundtrack by Marfa local punk band Solid Waste. Pulse Index Artist: Rafael Lozano-Hemmer Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s beautifully resonant, interactive media installation swaths the central lounge of New Frontier with images of the warm, breathing flesh of its visitors. Pulse Index records the heart rates and fingerprints of participants and exhibits them in a beautiful Fibonacci pattern. Place your finger into the custom-made sensor, and your fingerprint appears on the largest cell of the display, pulsating to your heartbeat. Your print then travels down the sequence to join those of all the others who have visited the room, immersing the community space with the radiant glow of the human touch. What’s He Building in There? Artists: Klip Collective Ricardo Rivera and the Klip Collective transform the entire front of the New Frontier venue into an interactive, 3-D projection-mapped parable, inspired by the Tom Waits song. Sip a hot beverage in the outdoor lounge and watch the walls and windowpanes dissolve into a story about a man on a mysterious mission inside the building. Use the X-ray flashlight to peek at what he is up to. RELATED: Sundance Film Festival Reveals 2013 U.S. & World Competition Slate Follow Brian Brooks on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Feeling that pre-Thanksgiving agita? I know, it’s not the food. It’s the thought of heaping helpings of stilted conversation about the presidential election and Wal-Mart’s Black Friday strike. Well, you can thank me now or later, but I’ve got you covered. Back for a return holiday engagement is Movieline’s gluten- and Trans fat-free turkey day conversation helper : 15 film-related topics that will insure that Grandpa never gets to his “Mitt Romney is the devil, but he’s my devil” monologue. 1. Will the Twilight Saga have the cultural longevity of Star Wars ? 2. If Adam Sandler’ s best performance since Funny People is Hotel Transylvania , should he just stick to cartoons? 3. Is Bill Murray’s FDR impression in Hyde Park on Hudson inspired in part by David Letterman ? 4. Is Lindsay Lohan ‘s acting career beyond saving ? 5. Does Snoop Lion really believe all this Rastafarian stuff ? 6. Where in the world is Warren Beatty ? 7. Whose acting career will matter longer: Kristen Stewart or Robert Pattinson ? 8. Which actor should portray Gen. David Petraeus in the inevitable Lifetime movie about his affair? 9. Is George Clooney the mayor of Hollywood even though he spends a lot of time in Lake Como? 10. Will the mixed reviews for Life of Pi hurt its Oscar chances? 11. What happened to Harvey Weinstein ‘s love affair with The Intouchables ? 12. Given the publicity that Brad Pitt ‘s Chanel No. 5 TV spot got, should he purposely look for ridiculous commercials? 13. Is there any actor sexier than Ryan Gosling ? 14. Good casting decision or bad: Russell Crowe singing Broadway show tunes in Les Misérables ? 15. Will Seth MacFarlane be a good Oscar host ? (And what does Grampa think of Ted ?) Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s hoping your holiday with the fam is a little less agonizing than this: Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
It’s that time, folks! Kick off the end-of-year deluge of Top 10 lists with the best films of the year, as selected by Cahiers du Cinema . Because why bother waiting for the rest of 2012’s Oscar hopefuls to screen when you’ve already had your mind blown by Leos Carax’s wondrously WTF Holy Motors ? Cahiers du Cinema ‘s Top 10 of 2012 (via MUBI / TOFilmReview ): 1. Holy Motors (Leos Carax) 2. Cosmopolis (David Cronenberg) 3. Twixt (Francis Ford Coppola) 4. 4:44 Last Day On Earth (Abel Ferrara) 4. In Another Country (Hong Sang-Soo) 4. Take Shelter (Jeff Nichols) 7. Go Go Tales (Abel Ferrara) 8. Tabu (Miguel Gomes) 8. Faust (Alexadre Sokourov) 10. Keep The Lights On (Ira Sachs) Of the honorees on the arthouse-centric list, Carax’s Holy Motors , a transfixing ode to cinema and performance anchored by Denis Lavant’s lead performance, should be the one to pop up elsewhere most frequently this season on critics’ lists. Abel Ferrara makes the list twice — not too shabby considering that both 4:44 Last Day On Earth and Go Go Tales earned mixed acclaim from critics. And who would’ve thought, four years ago when the first Twilight movie launched him into the teen idol stratosphere, that Robert Pattinson would not only make the Cahiers du Cinema Top 10 but come in with a film in the #2 slot? Looks like teaming up with Cronenberg was RPattz’s best career move , after all. The Google translation of the Cahiers du Cinema December 2012 issue is rough, to say the least, but Stéphane Delorme’s editorial (located online here ) states, among other agendas of the issue (translated from French: “Rather than commenting on Tops, we prefer to dwell on the failings of contemporary cinema copyright”) that the publication’s Top 10 selection “shows that we expect from cinema audacity and heart.” And who can argue with that? Sound off with your thoughts below. [ Cahiers du Cinema / MUBI / TO Film Review via The Playlist ] Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Jackson takes to Facebook page to address allegations that negligence and poor facility maintenance led to the deaths of 27 animals on set. By Kevin P. Sullivan “The Hobbit” cast Photo: Warner Bros./ New Line Cinema
